Check!

Complete first 5k- Check!

It's done. The moment I've been working towards for 3 months. Done. I can't believe it! I have an overwhelming amount of satisfaction right now. It's an amazing feeling to know that I went from a couch potato to finishing my first 5k. In a way it feels like I've been training for this for forever but, in another way, it seems like it really hasn't been that long. I just know that I am so proud of myself for setting the goal and seeing it all the way through. It's a huge accomplishment and I'm so glad I pushed myself and believed in myself enough to make it happen.

The day started out quite stressful. The race was in downtown Orlando and even though I had two maps printed out and highlighted, we still got lost. Like several times lost. We were making u-turns and back tracking and trying to find our way pretty much all morning. It led to some tense conversations in the car. I think I was just so hyped up and nervous for the run that not being able to figure out where to go was pushing me to the brink of my stress level. It only made it more complicated that Becky and Will were following us in their car. It was a mess. We finally did make our way to the registration area though and had plenty of time to spare.

I was shocked by how large the event was. I heard someone say there were 2,300 people competing in the race today! There were people everywhere. Some very serious runners and some, like us, who looked like novices. The 15k started first and then we got lined up for our 5k. It was very strange for me to run with a crowd. I'm so used to running alone and having a ton of space to myself. Having to watch out for people was kind of distracting. I was able to run the whole first mile without stopping. There was a lady at the mile marker calling out times and we made it to that mark in 12 minutes. After that, I had to take a break. I alternated running and walking for the rest of the race. Becky was faster than me so we got separated at times but managed to catch up with each other eventually.

One of the things I was most worried about, the water stations, turned out to be the worst thing about the race. There was one water station between miles one and two. ONE!! I've been running with a water bottle and am used to having it available whenever I needed it. It was tough to go without. So, lesson learned, next time I will definitely be carrying water with me.

All in all, Becky and I both did fantastic. We finished in 41 minutes. It hurt our pride just a touch that the first 15k runner finished at the same time we did but, whatever. Freak. There were tons of people behind us so we felt good about that. There was a firefighter running in the 5k with his full gear on! Oxygen tank and everything!! That guy is amazing! What an inspiration. We are definitely planning on continuing with racing. We've already picked our next 5k. It'll be on October 30. The new goal is to try to finish that one in 40 minutes or less!

Thank you to everyone for your support and advice. I really appreciate it. You guys are all so encouraging and I really appreciate you being here to cheer me on. Kristen, we'll all be cheering you on tomorrow! Good luck with your 10k!! You go girl!!

I posted some pictures in the family album of our race and Emily's last week. The pictures of our race aren't great. Joe said I was running too fast for him to take a picture. Yeah right.

Cheaters never prosper...

But they sure do have a hell of a lot of fun!

Joe and I had a cheat night on Friday. I was having a crappy kind of day, work was stressful, I wasn't feeling fantastic, just overall blah. So, of course I turned to the things that always make me feel better, shopping and food. Unfortunately my check book can't handle the type of shopping I had in mind so I ended up soothing my pain with food. Yes, I know it is very unhealthy to reward/comfort with food but my cheats are very few and very far between so I feel like I earned it.

We decided on a local pizza place that has THE BEST pizza. Well, the best pizza in our area anyway. It's definitely our local favorite. We split an order of cheese sticks (2 each) and a small pizza. We also each had a beer. Michelob Ultra for me, Miller Light for Joe. It was SO good. Like, wow. Being away from pizza and beer for so long really made me appreciate every delicious bite. It definitely made all the months of eating right and exercising worth it. Saturday morning, we got right back to the diet.

I had a good run on Saturday morning. I can't believe I only have 2 (or 3- I haven't decided) more runs until my race. I am really, really looking forward to it. To be this close to a goal is amazing. I feel so proud of myself for actually sticking with it and working so hard to get here. I've decided to wear my sweat wicking capris and a long, fitted tank top that I've run in before and that is comfortable and doesn't ride up. I think that is my most comfortable running ensemble. For the last week I've been running outside with a water bottle but as long as they have regular water stations at the race I most likely won't carry one during the race because it is kind of a pain. Other than that, I think I'm pretty much set.

I've got to give huge props to Emily for completing her 5k yesterday in 30 minutes!! You go girl! I read about your accomplishment on Meg's Twitter. You're my idol, I'm very proud of you. Way to take 30 by the balls and squeeze! LOL

Have a great week everybody!!

Quote of the day

This hilarious quote comes from one of my favorite websites (I know there are many) www.overheardeverywhere.com I'm actually a fan of all the overheard websites, visit them several times a day. It's amazing how hilarious/stupid people can be. Anyway, this one hit close to home for me:

Abnormally skinny girl: I feel fat.
Normal girl: Shut up before I smother you with my muffin top.


LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ch-Ch-Changes

Now that I've lost 23 pounds (what, what) I'm starting to see some major changes in my body. Changes besides the obvious of being smaller. Changes I didn't really expect. Changes I'm not sure how I feel about.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm older or if it's because I haven't lost this much weight in a really long time but my body is definitely reacting differently. I'm starting to look saggy. Kind of like a deflated balloon. Where the fat filled up my skin before, now it's just kind of empty. The biggest changes I've noticed are in my arms (hello wings), my belly, and my boobs.

So now, in addition to the cardio that I've been doing, I'm trying to add a lot more strength training. It really is something that I've been overlooking. I'd just been adding in the strength training exercises whenever I could, definitely not keeping a regular schedule. And it really shows! I guess I kind of expected everything to shrink back down when the fat came off but it doesn't seem to be happening that way.

Please don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my slimmer body and very proud of how far I've come. I was just able to buy some size 8 work pants! A HUGE accomplishment for me. I haven't been in a size 8 since high school or very soon after. I get that I'm making very good progress. But, leave it to me to pick out the bad in every situation. I'm fixated on my flaws. I constantly pinch at the fat wings on my upper arms, wishing I could just pull them off. When I bend over and see my hanging belly, it grosses me out. And my boobs... my poor, poor boobs. I haven't been shopping for new bras yet but I'm pretty sure I've lost a cup size. Not that I care, I prefer smaller boobs, but they have lost all their elasticity. I used to have really nice, perky boobs. Now they're turning into old lady pancake boobs. That sucks.

I'm going to turn up the intensity on the strength training and hope that it helps. I'd really hate to put all this effort into losing the weight and still be unhappy with the final product. Ya know?

Anyway, good luck to Em, who I'm pretty sure is running her 5k this weekend. I hope you have a great race! Happy Birthday too!! Welcome to 30. It's actually not so bad. And Kristen, one more week and it's our turn to run!! EEEEEK!!!

Advice

This Saturday will make two weeks until my 5k. TWO WEEKS!!! I'm so nervous. I've improved enormously from where I started but I am still, by no means a runner. I see a runner as someone who does it almost effortlessly. Running for me is not effortless. Not even close. But, I have to give props to myself for sticking with it and for pushing myself a little bit further with every work out.

At this point I am completing the 3.1 miles in 40 minutes. It's right about a 13 minute mile. That's a combination of running and walking. The requirement for the 5k is that you do at least a 20 minute mile. So, hopefully, I won't be the last person to cross the finish line. I would love to better that time but I'm not going to push it. I'm going to keep on trying though and maybe by my next race I'll speed up a bit.

I do have some concerns about race day. I'm hoping some of you who have actually done a race can help me out. Here are my issues:

Do you warm up before the race? And how?

Right now I do a brisk 5 minute walk to warm up. On race day, can I walk to start out? Will the runners trample me? Or do I, like, do jumping jacks before the race to warm up? I'm just not sure how that works and if there is some sort of etiquette I'm supposed to follow.

Secondly, what do I do about a water bottle?

I need water while I'm running. I get a serious case of cotton mouth and NEED water. Right now, my treadmill has a cup holder so it's very convenient. But what do I do in the real world? When I have run outside I've gone without and it makes things so much harder. I've seen water bottle belts and arm bands. Have you used those? Do they work? Or should I just carry a bottle?

Lastly, what should I wear?

I have a pair of moisture wicking capris that I'll most likely wear but should I invest in a sweat wicking shirt too? Should I wear the shirt they give me in my race packet? What about a tank top? I'm trying to avoid chaffing as much as possible so I want something relatively form fitting. Oh, and I hate crew neck t-shirts when I'm running. They mess up the cord on my headphones.

So, all you race veterans out there, help a girl out! Oh, and any songs you have on your i-pod that get you over "the hump", send them my way. THANKS!

Sweet Home Alabama

Joe and I made it home from our Labor Day road trip to Alabama yesterday. We had a wonderful time. It was so great seeing his family and spending time with the kids. My nieces are all getting so big and so smart! It stinks that we don't get to see them more regularly but it's always nice when we can spend some time together. We are already planning a family vacation to Key West in December and another trip to Alabama for Christmas.

The drive to Alabama is LONG. We left at 3:30am on Saturday morning and it took us a full 12.5 hours to get there. We had our dogs with us and tried to stop every 2-3 hours so they could get out and stretch their legs and use the bathroom. They are such little troopers. They both pretty much just slept in the back seat the whole time. I was so proud of them.

One of my biggest complaints about the drive up there is the lack of rest stops. Florida is so great about having rest stops at a reasonable distance. And most rest stops have dog walking areas. Not Georgia and Alabama. Most of the drive is not on highways. It's on back country roads that wind in and out of towns. There are not many good places to stop. We tried to find clean looking gas stations that had at least a small patch of grass so we could all use the bathroom.

Joe and I managed to do really well on our diets this weekend too. We packed a cooler with waters and low-carb wraps and some lunch meat and made picnic lunches so we didn't have to stop for fast food. We did have a few non-diet items while we were in Alabama but nothing that derailed the diet. We both actually managed to lose a couple of pounds over the weekend. It was hard to be on a road trip and not stop for junk/fast food. It's almost like breaking tradition. We may have been really bored too. Both of us started craving greasy junk food during the drive up and back. But, we resisted. I even managed to squeak in a run while we were up there.

Joe's mom has a house on 22 acres and my dogs really enjoyed running around in her back yard. I was afraid Roxy wasn't going to want to come home. We took a tennis ball with us and spent lots of time in the back yard playing fetch. Roxy even made friends with the horses that live on the property. Daisy did not. She stood about 10 feet away and growled. It was so nice and peaceful at Joe's mom's house though. She has a pair of hummingbirds that would come up to the porch to drink out of the flowers all day long. It was pretty cool to see them. They were too fast for pictures though.

Anyway, it's back to work and back to routine now. We're all pretty exhausted today but hopefully will get caught up in time for the weekend. I hope you all had a great Labor Day!!

P.S. There are vacation pictures in the family album.

Quote of the day

I'm sure I've told you all before how much I love Kathy Griffin. I think she is hilarious. Well, she's got a book coming out (Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin) and she's been doing some press for it. Anyway, she gave a quote to People magazine about her struggle with weight loss and I can definitely relate:

Now at her "thinnest" weight, at 5 feet 3 inches tall and 115 lbs., Griffin admits, "staying in shape is a struggle. I struggle with it every day. I just came from a very healthy lunch but the whole time I was having the healthy lunch I wished I was having cupcakes," she says. "It's not a simple thing. I have to watch what I eat and I have to work out quite a bit."

Amen sister! I'm about to go have a grilled chicken salad for lunch and I'm already wishing I was having a grilled cheese and potato chips. Oh well. Grilled cheese and chips won't help me get to my goal but the salad certainly will.