Monday, March 30, 2009

Week 12

I only lost .1 pound this week. :( But...it is better than gaining weight!

I also hurt my back on Friday and have been dealing with that. It was feeling better Saturday morning, but I spent Saturday walking around NYC with the hubby and kids and it was pretty bad again Sunday. It seems to be a bit better today, but I am still taking it easy. I haven't run since Wednesday and it is killing me! I am trying very hard to be patient. Today it feels very tight, but at least I am walking fairly normal again.

We had a lovely trip to NYC this weekend...I will post some pics later.

This will be a very busy week for us. It is MissyMiss's birthday week and tomorrow is her kiddie party. 30+ kids at the skating rink. I have to frost 6 dozen cupcakes tonight and only do frosting from scratch, so it will likely take up my whole night. I will just have to keep myself from tasting too much frosting!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Temptation

This is what temptation looks like:







Wait....there's more...







Need I say more? Help!


Monday, March 23, 2009

Week 11

I think that my virus helped matters this week, as far as weight loss is concerned. I am down 1.2 pounds this week. Go me!!

My running definitely suffered though. I ran Tuesday, hours before getting sick and got a great hill workout in. I took off completely Wed and Thurs and then did an easy treadmill run Friday. I headed out yesterday with a plan of 7-8 miles, but everything seemed to go wrong.

First, I got there and realized I had forgotten both my Garmin and my i-Pod...oh no! Then, I realized it was much colder and windier than I had anticipated. Once I got started, my body just felt awful...very tired and run down. So, I only did 4.5. A year or 2 ago, I would have been happy with 4.5. But, I have my sights set on a half marathon this fall, so getting my long runs up is important right now. I did 7 last week and felt awesome, so maybe my body is still not 100% after the awful bug I had.

Friday, March 20, 2009

I'm back...I think

It has been a rough week! I had this awful and strange bug with dizziness and vomiting...lots of fun. The next day I was just completely wiped out. Hubby did a great job with the kids, but the house is a whole other story. By the time I was feeling better, my house looked like a frat house....lots of crumbs, sticky stuff, piles of laundry, etc. I have been digging out.



In good news, I got my first blog award from J. Leigh Designz. How fun!


Here is how it works!

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate 5 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

It is hard for me to pick 5...I have some many awesome blogs that I read. Here are the blogs I tag:

1. Pam

2. Mabry's Gamma

3. Tanya

4. Heather

5. Wendy

I also have decided to take my music off. After hearing from some people that it made my blog take longer to load and that it hindered them from checking it at work ( :) ) I decided to go without the music. :)

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

A Before and After

I have been at this weight loss thing for 10 weeks and am at 9.4 pounds lost. My goal was to be down 10 by now...but I am pretty close.


I had planned on posting a before and after pic at 10 weeks, so here they are.


Just below is my before. It was taken in December, the week before Christmas.





Here is my current after. It was taken this past Sunday




I do notice some difference. I notice more of a difference in the way my clothing fits. I was shopping this weekend and am definitely down a size.
I showed my husband, who speaks exactly what is on his mind. He said "definitely less junk in the trunk" and "definitely less chins." Yes, he is just so very sensitive.:)
After comparing these pics, I noted a few things:
1. My hair looks better when I straighten it.
2. Eating lots of Christmas cookies may add on the pounds, but man do I look happy!
3. My kitchen looks cleaner in pictures than it does in real life..always good to know.
Overall, I am happy. I still have a ways to go though.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Week 10 update

I officially weighed in yesterday and am down .4 pounds. Not exactly spectacular, but definitely better than nothing.



It was a wonderful weekend here. First of all, the weather was beautiful. On Saturday a friend and I drove about 2 hours away to an outlet mall and met my mom and sis there. It was an awesome day of shopping! I got some spring/summer stuff for the kids and some things for me too, of course. There is an Adidas and Under Armour outlet, so I got a few new running things too!


Sunday morning I got out for a 7 mile run. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and I felt great. Hubby and I played with the kids outside in the afternoon and we tried to teach MissyMiss how to ride her bike without training wheels. We practiced on the grass, which made for a soft landing.


She did manage to start to get the hang of it.

Bubby was on hand to help her back up when she fell.





We ended the day by taking the kids out to dinner. It was a wonderful weekend here.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Why do I run?

I was reading on someone's blog (Forgive me, I can't remember who) about what motivates one to run. So...I got to thinking about why I run.

I run:
1. so I can have that cupcake. (just keepin' it real)
2. because it is cheaper than therapy.
3. because there is nothing better than hearing the sounds of my feet on the pavement and nothing else.
4. to make my kids proud.
5. so I can live to be really old. Let's face it...fit and healthy people live the longest. I see ladies in local races in their 70s and they are in awesome shape...I want that. I want to have lots of great-grandkids and still be "spunky" in my 90s.
6. because I like buying and wearing all my running gear.
7. because I want some hot legs.
8. because I despise laziness. There are moms at my daughter's school who park in illegal spaces when it is time to pick-up their kids, just so they can be as close as possible to the door. I park far away, so I can get some extra exercise in. Lazy sucks.
9. because I love the jelly-like feeling I get in my legs after a race.
10. because it just makes me happy.

Why do you run? (or exercise, for you non-runners. :) )

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Common Courtesy

I have mentioned some of my frustrations when running on a local paved path. But I think that today's just takes the cake.

It was a lovely 60 degrees here and sunny. I couldn't wait to get out for a run. I started in on my 4 miles with a fast pace...or at least fast for me. I was coming up behind a woman with a dog. A man was coming from the opposite direction, also walking a dog. Each one was standing at the edge of the path. As they meet, they let the dogs meet in the middle of the path. The whole width of the path is now taken up with these 2 people, 2 dogs and leashes. I am ready to pass, but there is no place for me to go.

O.k...so now I am annoyed. I try a loud "excuse me!" The people look startled and unsure of what to do. The woman tries to move her dog. The man points to the grass as if to tell me to pass there. That does it, now I am just plain mad! I inform him that the last time I ran on the grass I stepped in dog poop so no, I will not go on the grass. They finally move over and allow me to pass.

So...am I being nuts or are they inconsiderate??? A little of both?

I think it is just too rude to take up the whole width of the path and just stand there. It was a crowded day with a lot of walkers, runners, bikers, etc. Is it too much to ask to be considerate of others??

I am usually a very friendly runner. I wave, say "hello", "good morning!", etc. After that I was just annoyed. Am I being crazy here?

Monday, March 9, 2009

Week 9

This week I am down .9 pounds, which is great. My goal is 1.0, but I'll certainly take .9....close enough I figure. I had a great 6.5 mile run yesterday. I only had to wear 2 layers on top, which is a nice change. I am really looking forward to the spring...my bulbs are coming up, which means it can't be too far away!

I stopped at the sporting good store yesterday and was checking out fuel belts.

I am trying to decide between one with two smaller bottles on each side and one with a large bottle at the middle of the back. I know that I want one that has a zippered pocket where I can also fit some sport beans in. There is
this one and this one.

Anyone out there try either one and have any tips for me?

Friday, March 6, 2009

Frustration

Yesterday I went to the mall in the morning. I had something to return and figured I would browse a bit. Sounds simple enough, right?

So, I get there and we walk past Auntie Anne's and or course Bubby asks for a pretzel. Since it is time for a snack anyway, I buy him one. I order "Plain pretzel, no salt please". The lady gets the pretzel and then asks me if I would like to buy cheese sauce for it. What?? Yes, I ordered a completely plain pretzel, but would love to give my 2-year-old a bowl of hot cheese sauce in the brand new stroller. I smile and say "No thank you" and then she hits me with "Any soda or lemonade?" If there is something worse than a 2-year-old with cheese sauce, it is a 2-year-old with a big lemonade. Been there, done that, not pretty. I give her one more "No thank you" and finally pay for the darn pretzel.

I make it to the store where I have to return a pair of leggings. I had just bought them, paid cash and had my receipt. But no siree...I cannot get my money back until I provide my name, address and phone number. O.k...by now I am getting annoyed. Bubby is attempting to stand up in the stroller and I am starting to worry what other information I will need to provide to get back my $7.99...I am worrying the next step may be fingerprinting or a strip search. The saleslady is sensing my irritation and finally gives me my money.

At this point I leave the mall and am just annoyed. I am realizing why I love shopping on-line. There is just one more stop. I walk into Starbucks, order my "tall, non-fat, no-foam, no-whip hot chocolate" and within a minute have the drink in my hand and Bubby has a Starbucks sticker on his shirt. Finally...something easy...I totally heart Starbucks. :)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

What not to wear??

So...now that I am a bit smaller I have been doing some shopping...not that I even need an excuse to shop!

I found a cute Adidas jacket/pant outfit and bought it for walking. It is very matchy-matchy. I plan to wear it for walking. I just can't bring myself to wear it running. I feel like if I wear such a matchy-matchy outfit running I will just look like a cutesy jogger. I am a runner, gosh darn it! I go out in the pouring rain, in the snow, in the unbearable heat...I am a runner! Why is it that I feel like a cute matching outfit will hurt my runner image? I have no idea...but I do know that I will only wear that outfit when I go walking with Bubby.

I had planned on posting a summary at the end of each month about my activity. I forgot to do it for Jan and Feb, so here it is. My biking had to be calculated in time spent, since my bike is on a stationary trainer in the family room and I can't calculate miles. I also calculated my mall walking in minutes. I am going to bring my buddy Garmin the next time I go and see if I can pick up satellite signal from inside the mall..I am thinking probably not.

January:
run: 45.35 miles
walk: 250 min
bike: 375 min

February:
run: 48.9 miles
walk: 185 min
bike: 375 min

If I want to meet my goal of at least 500 miles for the year, I have to do at least 41.6 miles a month. So far, so good. The good thing is that my mileage is usually much higher in the warmer months, since I HATE running on the treadmill. :)

Monday, March 2, 2009

Week 8 results

Well, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that I gained a half a pound this week. The good news is that I am down 8 pounds overall, which averages out to 1 pound a week, which is my goal. So, I am on track to where I want to be. I just need to lose a pound this week...better kick it up a notch.

I did 6 miles yesterday outside. I had thought it was going to be a bit warmer. Luckily, I took my frustration of the .5 pound weight gain out on my run and completed the 6 miles without a problem.

After the first 4, I tried these Luna Moons.




Supposedly they are made for women. I have no idea what is special about them that they are made for women...I think it is just a marketing ploy. But, they did have a good flavor and kept the hunger away. My problem with the consistency. I had expected them to be chewy like a Gummi bear. They were VERY chewy...more like DOTS. It was actually hard to chew them and I was worried about losing a filling. When I ate them, they had been in my pocket for about 45 minutes in 30 degree temps...maybe they were frozen a bit?

I have been meaning to try the Clif Shot Bloks. Has anyone out there tried these? Are they hard to chew as well??

On another note, what does everyone think of my music? I have been thinking of taking it off? Do people find it annoying?? Please be honest...I can take it...I think.

We are getting just a little bit of snow today. It is only supposed to total an inch. My poor relatives on LI are getting 12 inches. It is supposed to warm up as the week goes on. I am hoping to get back outside for running by Wednesday.