Friday, October 29, 2010

Vlogging Again-- This Time For The Shrinkvivor Challenge Grand Prize

Shrinkvivor Challenge at the Sisterhood!

The Shrinkvivor Challenge is coming to an end and I am one of the final seven! Because of that I am doing my second vlog of the week but....

this time I called in the professionals! My best friend's son is a WONDERFUL photographer and videographer so after I found out I needed to produce another vlog to enter for the "final seven" I sent him a facebook message asking for his help! He loves doing this kind of thing so he was happy to do it for me...and the quality of this vlog reflects the expertise that he has compared to mine from earlier this week. So thanks, Jake! You are great! Here's the video he helped me work up!! He's the BEST!!



Now that that is over with I want to link to all the great sponsors for this contest and let you see exactly what I am trying to win....The power is in your hands! So please vote for me, k? Click, A Beach Comber Bike; Land's End, $150 gift card; EA Sports, their newest game; BornFit, one of their great t-shirts; Fitness Coffee $100 of coffee; and a pair of jeans from MiracleBody Jeans(and who doesn't need a miracle body, right?)

I am so excited to be part of this wonderful group of women (and man) over at the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans. I don't know where I would be without them! They have changed my life forever, so if you haven't "met" them what are you waiting for? Go check them out and get to know them!!

I don't want to forget my Green Tribe Sisters, Becca, Jill, Mary, Heather, Sarah and Kati either! (And Becca and Jill are vying for this prize package too! YAY GREEN TRIBE) They were the best support for this challenge...we pushed each other further than I ever dreamed of being able to go and for that I am forever grateful! Thanks, girls!!

Now the only thing left is to vote...so vote for me (or any of the other 6 women) starting Saturday, October 30th at noon over at the Sisterhood. You can vote for me (or any of the other 6 women) once a day through Tuesday night, November 2. The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 4! Wish me luck, k?

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wow!! I'm One of the Seven!!

Shrinkvivor Challenge at the Sisterhood!

Over at the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans the past 6 weeks have been spent in a challenge called the Shrinkvivor...think Biggest Loser mixed with Survivor! Like a good little shrinker I have been participating in this challenge with my only goal to lose weight...My goal was to lose 11.6 pounds so that I could finish the challenge weighing 195 pounds. (I started the challenge at 206.6). I knew that if I worked hard, followed along with the tips the Sisters gave up and used the accountability of the Tribe I could meet my goal... but not without hard work and dedication.

Yesterday was the next to the last week of the challenge and I not only met but exceeded my weight goal! I was so excited! I weighed in at 193.6 pounds and I was thrilled! I had finally met a goal I had set for one of these challenges! I couldn't have been happier...UNTIL tonight!

This challenge is a little different from a lot of the other challenges from the Sisterhood. This challenge is sponsored by numerous great sponsors; CLICK, Land's End, EA Sports, MiracleJeans, BornFit! The grand prize (the Ultimate Survivor) will win prizes from all of these sponsors...over $1000 of goodies! And
guess what??? I am in the running for these prizes! I was one of the seven women who
are SURVIVING! I could hardly believe Melissa's voice when I heard it on the vlog tonight! In fact, if I would not have seen my name written on that piece of paper I would not have believed it! I had to listen twice!! I shouted out that I was one of the seven to my hubby! He came out of his office to congratulate me and then I texted my fellow TribeMate, Mary and told her the news. Then I emailed the group to tell everyone in case they didn't hear yet! Not only did I make the final 7 but so did TribeMates Jill and Becca!! Three of the final 7 were from Tribe Green!

Wow! What a great group of women and now we are to create a vlog or a blog entry answering 5 questions and have people vote for us! So watch for shameless begging to commence...VOTE for me (or Becca W or Jill G or Tiffany Z or Staci Lee F or Colleen B) anytime from Saturday afternoon to Wednesday night! We have all done great over the past 6 weeks and we definitely deserve to win!! (Actually we have already won...better health and less weight)!!

Congrats to all of the Shrinkvivors!! And let's not forget those people that have been sent to Exile Island. There are great prizes for the ultimate shrinker in Exile Island, too! We can't forget them...the person with the biggest percentage of weight loss over in Exile Island will win that title! and lots of prizes, too!

That's all for tonight...I will have my vlog up tomorrow night or Saturday morning first thing, so check back in!!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

I AM Becoming A Runner....

I never thought I would be putting this badge on my blog page but here I am making a STATEMENT...

I run with the Sisterhood

I ran/walked my first 5k on the 2nd of October with my brother. I put first in italics on purpose! It is my first but not my last. I have spent the past 3 1/2 weeks learning more about myself and my body and learning what I can and can't do. I learned that I need to pace myself better and get into better cardio condition. I also learned that if I want to run 5k's I need to get OUTSIDE to train! I have started that over the past week or so...I have run some short distances as the marathon running chiropractor has recommended. I ran to and from my mailbox center which (round trip) is about .42 mile. The first time I did it I did it in around 9 minutes, the second time I did it in around 7 minutes. So that is already an improvement! My ultimate goal is to be able to run a whole 5k without walk breaks but I now know that it is all a process...I'm not going to get there overnight.

My long term goal is to run the same 5k I just ran with my high school friends and brother next year and kill that time of 48:28 that I had this year! It's all a process and I'm ready for it...one step at a time, one day at a time and one ache and pain at a time! After spending this month going to the chiropractor I have learned that I need to listen to my body and NOT hurt myself in the process of trying to get fit and healthy! I'm learning! lol

So...if you want to become a runner or are a runner and don't know about the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans I suggest you head over there and check them out...I have a feeling (based on a post tonight) that there is going to be some interesting running challenges happening SOON!

HAPPY DANCE WEIGH IN!!

This is gonna be short and sweet!! VERY SWEET!!

Starting weight for the Shrinkvivor Challenge was 206.6!

THIS WEEK'S WEIGH IN -- 193.8!! I tell ya I couldn't be happier with that weigh in this morning! It means I have lost over 6.1% of my weight in 6 weeks! It means I met my goal (of 195) for weight loss during this challenge and even KNOCKED it out of the ball park (kind of like the Rangers did with the Yankees this past weekend!)

SO....I have lots to be happy about today. First and foremost losing 12.8 pounds in 6 weeks and secondly for logging nearly 40 miles for the fitness challenge this week. I am also about to go to the gym and have a personal trainer help me find ways to lose this stomach that despite losing over 12 pounds appears to be bigger than it was 6 weeks ago!!

Ok..gotta go get ready for my busy, fun day! Just had to come shout it from the rooftops a little!! I MET AND EVEN EXCEEDED MY GOAL FOR THIS SHRINKVIVOR CHALLENGE!! Whooohooot!!!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Nothing Much To Confess!

For a change I don't really have much to confess for the Sisterhood. Things have been going pretty smoothly.

I could stand to up my fruits/veggie consumption a little bit (read; more consistently).

For the non-physical challenge this week for the Shrinkvivor challenge I am supposed to be aware of my trans-fat consumption. I have to say that for the most part (as long as I am eating at home) about the only trans-fats I eat are in peanut butter, so I have decided I am going to give Almond Butter a try, because I do love to eat peanut butter with apples and for an occasional pb&j! I will let you know what my taste buds think of it!

I have been putting in many, many miles daily of exercise so that has been GREAT! Last night I slacked off but I really wanted to get the laundry done and my vlog done!

I am drinking more than 100 ounces of water a day and when I find I am a lacking my water I start feeling so thirsty! Must be good for me, right?!!

I could also stand to get off the friggin' computer a little earlier in the evening and not spend so much of my "free time" there during the day as well.

But, I am finally finding my routine and getting things accomplished both for ME and for my household....I am getting the laundry washed, dryed and FOLDED within 24 hours! (This is a seriously BIG deal in my house!) I am exercising consistently again and I am staying away from the "junk" that caused my weight demise! We are even getting around to doing school and seeing friends on a consistent basis!

I even did my very first vlog last night so that I could enter a give away to go to FitBloggin in May with all my sisters!! The sound is too low so crank up the volume and listen to the reasons I want to go to FitBloggin 11!!

Hope your confessions for the week are good ones...and if they aren't then don't sweat it....just confess and MOVE ON!!

Monday, October 25, 2010

FitBloggin Vlog!! This Is My Chance!!

Ok..so when I saw the give away for the FitBloggin' tickets from the Sisterhood I was excited. I knew that a lot of my "sisters" would be there and that made me want to go even more! I asked my dh if I would be able to attend if I won the tickets. He said sure, "IF" I win then I could go and leave That Other Kid at home....or maybe we could all go and have a vacation! That made me want these tickets even more! We haven't had a family vacation in MANY years and this would be a great place to take one! So if you will excuse my appearance (it's late at night and I haven't showered all day even though I did a lot of exercising and housework, etc today) I present my very first Vlog so that I can attend FitBloggin' with all my friends and sisters!






I sure hope I win, cuz this is seriously taking forever to load!! What is up with that??

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Thursday Three -- Time To Dream A Little

Today over at the Sisterhood Lisa asked us to consider for a minute what we would want if money were no issue. What do we want for ourselves if we could spend an unlimited amount of money to get things we want? It could be for health, fitness or totally unrelated...

Hum....kind of fun to dream a little, isn't it? Very few people know this about me so this will kind of be fun to dream like this for a few minutes...

1) IF money were not a consideration I would open and operate a home for unwed teenage pregnant girls. I would clothe them, house them, educate them, help them take care of their babies, and help them make a life for themselves AFTER the baby was born. I would also NOT take any government funds...so that Uncle Sam wouldn't be able to tell me how to care for them.

2) IF money were not a consideration I would adopt at least 2 girls. I always wanted to have girls but apparently God had other ideas for me...I have 2 boys! I love them both with all my heart and soul but I would love to have little girls to play with, teach, train and watch grow into young women!

3) IF money were not a consideration I would love to have a couple of "fun" cars. What is a fun car you may ask? Well I have always wanted a convertible Mercedes....like this one!! As for the other fun car, who knows?? I can't really decide...maybe a Volkswagon Bettle or a different kind of convertible!

Yes, It is fun to dream...Maybe one day, huh??!!!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

A Break From The Regularly Scheduled Blubber

Tonight I come to you with a serious and humbling request. Melissa (my friend and sister from the Sisterhood) has 4 children. One of them, a 7 year old boy, has decided that what he wants for CHRISTMAS this year is to donate money so that under-developed (and undeveloped) countries can have clean water. He is donating his own personal money (and money he raises) and money that would be spent on gifts to this organization so that these countries and kids can have CLEAN WATER!

Now, I don't know about you but this just makes me tear up something fierce. That Other Kid will be 7 in just under 2 months so basically Bridger and That Other Kid are the same age and all TOK can talk about lately is what he wants for his birthday and Christmas. He wants this Lego set or that one. He wants this HotWheels set and this video game and this movie. I'm tellin' you it is making me nauseated to listen to all his "give me, give me, give me". I realize he's a kid and he wants new stuff. We all do, and I'm sure Bridger would love to have some new toys too but he is willing to put all his "wants" on the line so that these people can have CLEAN WATER! That makes me sooooo stinkin' proud of this kid I have never even met! Just makes me want to cry!

Ya know...if I want clean water I just go to the faucet and turn it on and viola there is clean water. Or since our water doesn't meet my "perfect" drinking water standards I go to buy bottled water that has been "purified" for my drinking pleasure!

But, these people don't even have water that is worthy of bathing in, or doing their laundry in...and that is what Bridger is trying to change. So will you help Bridger help others? I will!! And maybe, just maybe I can convince That Other Kid to help out too....ya know maybe a little good peer pressure!


BB's clean water project

This Week's Weigh In....

a bit disappointing but not terribly surprising....does that make sense??

I haven't had a BAD week just have had a hard time staying focused (I guess Christy said it best when she said she was in a bit of a "funk" this week. ME TOO!!) on what is truly important when it comes to eating right. You know eating fruits and veggies, drinking tons of water (although I have done above and beyond that), staying away from the fast food, and other restaurants. For some reason we have eaten out alot over the past week and that has been bad for the "eating right" lifestyle and the checkbook. Gotta change that! I have also had a few cokes...I guess I just wanted something to drink besides water all the time...and I KNOW THOSE HAVE TO GO....that is my biggest culprit to gaining weight and I'm not going to fall to those bad habits AGAIN.

So here are the results of my weigh in this morning.

Starting this challenge at: 206.6

Last week's weigh in: 196.6

This week's weigh in: 196.4

My goal for this challenge is to weighh 195 or less...so I still have over 1 pound to go and only 2 weeks to do it in...time to get moving downward!

So....Technically I did lose weight this week, but I don't know if counting .2 pounds is really fair to say "I lost weight", but I will take it for what it is and accept that if I want to make my weight go DOWN ALOT I have to stay away from eating out, and drinking cokes, and I need to inhale tons of fruits/veggies and I need to bust my tail on the exercise front! I did do something I am proud of this week...I participated in the #Exposed movement and I am happy that I did that. I will be able to look back at these photos next year and see what a difference 1 year can make!! I am also able to look at these pictures and see the GOOD things my body can and has done and that is worth all the mental anguish I endured before I hit publish!

I also got in a whopping 577 minutes of exercise in the 6 days of this challenge!! Whoohooo!!

And a special shout out to my tribe mates! Tribe Green has logged some AWESOME numbers this week...facing numerous health issues and injuries we still kicked some serious booty!! Go Green!!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Confession Time...AGAIN

Before I start this post I just want to tell everyone that I really appreciate all the loving comments that I got on my last post! Putting that post together was one of the most difficult things I have ever put out there but it was also one of the most liberating! I feel like I can now look at myself as I am TODAY and be happy with what I see...not just looking at the things I want to change. I can hardly wait for next year when I can look back at this post and compare the two!!

True Confessions

Now...onto the purpose of today...confession time! I really don't have that much too confess this week for the Sisterhood...although I would like to publicly admit that I have been less than stellar in the eating right and getting enough fruits/veggies department.

But...I am TRYING to eat in moderation and get fruits/veggies in.

When I am stressed out I don't really consider what I am putting in my mouth...until I LOG it into my Ipod's Lose It program...then I think, "OH NO!! I just consumed WAAAAY too many calories!" That has happened a couple of times this week and I'm hoping that it doesn't hurt me tomorrow on the scales!

I have been logging some seriously crazy minutes/hours of exercise this week for the Shrinkvivor challenge (which is probably the only thing that will save me tomorrow during the weigh in!). I guess it's a good thing the physical challenge for this week was to log minutes or I would be in deep trouble.

I went out yesterday and did some exercising with That Other Kid for our PE class (remember we homeschool and even homeschoolers need to have PE!!) One of the things I wanted to do was give running a try AGAIN! My hip is feeling somewhat more normal and I want to try running when I can outside so when I sign up for my next 5K I will be READY to truly run it....so I told him that we were going to RUN to the mail box center and back. So off we start...he is running A LOT faster than I am, but that's ok...he's YOUNG and fit...me not so much!, but before long he is "poofed out" and I'm still going strong! We get down to the mail box and I pull out the mail and start back again...I tell him to run but not too far ahead. I am running along and before I know it we are back in front of our apt. I look at my watch and see that we had been gone about 9 1/2 minutes! I RAN 9 MINUTES!! It felt good to be running again (even though it was slow) and not totally exhausted! I went back and measured the distance and figure that it was somewhere around .3 miles round trip...slow and steady will prepare me for my next race!!

That's it for tonight...happy Tuesday!!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This!!

This month over at the Sisterhood we are learning to love ourselves. We are learning to accept our faults for what they are. We are learning to love our body for what it has done and what it is able to do. We are learning to look at our bodies and see the GOOD in it, not the bad.

Yesterday when Melissa told us what the Non-physical challenge was for this week I started hyper-ventilating. I want to be a full participating member of the Sisterhood. Accepting the challenges that they set before me (us), because I know they are only asking what they are asking of me (us) because it will help ME (and everyone else) in my (our) journey to a healthier, happier ME (US)! But come on...EXPOSE MYSELF TO THE WORLD!! Don't you think that is a little extreme?? What will this prove??? Will this make me a better person?? Will this make my journey go faster, smoother, easier?? How can I take pictures of myself in skimpy clothes and THEN POST THEM FOR THE WORLD TO SEE when I still weigh 196 pounds?? Wouldn't it be better to do this when I am at 130 or 140 pounds?? I'm sure I'll look soooo much better...

Believe me I debated this for hours last night in my head. I talked it over with my Tribe Green team mates. I looked for as many reasons as I could to not to this...but when it came right down to it, I couldn't really think of a LEGITIMATE reason NOT to do this...other than being ashamed of the way I look. Which is what the whole exercise is all about...not being ashamed of ME RIGHT NOW!! I am made in the IMAGE OF GOD SO I HAVE TO BE BEAUTIFUL, right??

So here I am...




all 196 pounds of me taken by my friend today in her back yard and my dh taken in my living room tonight. I don't look real happy in these pictures but that is because I am still having second thoughts about this whole exercise. In my head I am thinking I must be nuts, doing this...maybe I could just pretend I didn't read/hear about this part of the challenge. Maybe I could just skip it, it won't hurt anyone if I don't do this, will it? I have decided it will hurt someone! It will hurt ME!! I need to do this so that I can see where I have come from when my I am finally at my goal weight. I also need to do this so that I can see for myself the things about my body that are positive!

So here I go....I'm hitting Publish Post....Now

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Weigh In Time #5

Time for weigh in again with the Sisterhood and I'm happy to report a loss for the the 5th week in a row!! I have lost weight every week since we started this Shrinkvivor challenge. I can't remember the last time I lost weight every week for 5 weeks! This challenge and the girls on Tribe Green are really keeping me accountable and pushing me more and more every week! I'm so fortunate to be a part of this tribe! We are bonding and pushing each other every day!! And having that accountability is amazing!!

Anyway here are my numbers:
Starting weight: 206.6

Last week: 198.2
This week: 196.6

EDITED** I just realized that I have LOST 10 pounds during this challenge!! I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT!! YAY ME!!

Yes, I lost 1.6 pounds this week!! I'm only 1.6 pounds away from my goal that I set for this challenge. I am so excited to see a continuing loss and that I can actually get to this first goal during this challenge!!

As far as the fitness challenge: I felt like I did pretty well with it with a total of 29.43 miles during these 6 days. Tribe Green really rocked this challenge! We put in some serious miles this week and I'm so proud of all of us!

As far as the non-fitness challenges: Drink 1/2 your weight in water: Success!! that and more most days.
Eat NO FAST FOOD: I didn't make this one...had a BK Grilled Chicken Salad
Eat 5 fruit/veggie servings a day...I didn't do great on this one. I averaged 4 a day, so I need to work on this one.
Track your food: I did this one VERY consistently and have a log of my food since last Thursday. I tracked it on LoseIt and found it not as difficult as it usually is!

Onward and downward!!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Confessions Time

Yes, It's confessions time again over at the Sisterhood and I feel like I have had a less than stellar week. Therefore, I have a few confessions to air to the world.

I am having a hard time finding my groove with being a stay at home mom again. I was a SAHM for 20 years and worked for 7 months. Why is this so hard again?? I can't seem to get a schedule down that will work for everyone...of course it's only been a little more than a week so maybe I'm just expecting too much.

That Other Kid is moaning and groaning that he doesn't want to do school...he wants to play video games and watch tv (like he did for the 7 months I worked). BUT he wants to be in "first grade" like his cousin....I told him today, "he can't have his cake and eat it too"! and he just looked at me like I was nuts..."I can't eat cake, mom....remember it has milk and eggs in it?" I guess that one went over his head a little too much, huh? So I told him he has to COMPLETE his phonics book and then he will be in "first grade". That seemed to bring out a little more motivation and a bit more effort!

That Other Kid and I went out yesterday with a friend and her son to the pumpkin patch and I forgot to bring my lunch which meant eating fast food for lunch! UGH!! We went to Burger King (cuz she loves it and never gets to eat out) and I ate their grilled chicken salad w/o dressing. I came home and looked up the nutritional info on the computer so I could log it for this week's challenge and found that it only had 300 calories BUT 1050 mg of SODIUM!! Is that not the craziest thing? What did they do? Soak the chicken in a box of Morton's salt before they cooked it? It made me pretty sick to my stomach to think that I had consumed that much salt in one measley little salad!!

Both last night and today I have been guzzling water hoping and praying that the SALAD I ate doesn't kill me on the scales tomorrow morning! Today I am eating lots of good healthy food and I'm going to be working out extra hard tonight...so my salad doesn't hurt me!

I'm having a hard time getting all my miles in for this weeks Shrinkvivor challenge but it's amazing what you can find the will to do when you want to WIN!! and besides that it will help me get rid of all the sodium I have consumed, right??!!

This morning Brooke posted her confessions and I read them. It made me sad to think that someone so healthy and THIN could have such a poor self image. It almost made me MAD, but then I realized when I was that THIN and YOUNG and HEALTHY I had the same self image issues! I was NEVER happy with my appearance. I weighed 105 on my wedding day (at age 19) and still felt like I was "a little pudgy". When I had gained weight and weighed 123 (at age 24) (and was at "perfect" BMI) I complained to some friends about how I needed to lose 10 pounds and get "this weight off". I remember thinking I didn't want to be "fat like my mom" was her whole life. It was about this time that I got pregnant with That Kid and I gained 50 pounds...I was pregnant and didn't care how "big" I was, but once I had my son those pounds seemed to take FOREVER to fall off. I remember on his 1st birthday thinking, "please don't get me in the pictures...I'm soooo fat!" I was about 130 at that time, so by no means was I "fat" but my mind kept telling me I was "fat". Instead of busting tail and getting that weight off, I continued to gain and get bigger and bigger till I became "fat", and not just fat but OBESE! I'm still OBESE but I no longer feel that my self worth is tied into the number on the scale and the appearance of my body. I'm probably healthier (as in toner, able to do more physically and endure longer) than I have ever been in my life. I WILL get this weight off and when I do I will not only look good on the outside but I will look good on the INSIDE! This is the message we need to get across to millions of women out there! Getting your head to agree with your heart is definitely a major factor in success. But I think I finally got it this week!! I hope everyone gets this message and SOON!! Have YOU "gotten" it yet??

A friend of mine posted on facebook last night that she is starting to train for her first 5K. I asked when and where? She told me and since it is about 7 weeks out and local I think I'm going to do it with her! How's that for getting into this "running thing"? I'm not committed yet, but I'm leaning real heavy toward it!

I'm also thinking about the Disney 1/2 Marathon that so many of my sisters are doing in January. Gotta talk that one over with dh but that would be sooooo cool!! Even though I know that most of it would be walking I would love to be part of something that HUGE!!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

More Race Details

If you could care less about my VERY FIRST 5K from last weekend you will probably just want to move on to another blog, because I want to fully document this race for future reference. The best way to do that is on the blog...so that's what I'm doing. I have a slew of pictures posted over on my facebook page so if you are my friend just take a look. and if you aren't my friend all you have to do is ask!! I love having friends!! It's too difficult to load all of them here...blogger is soooo slow when it comes to loading pictures (at least on my computer)!

Back when I was in high school I had several friends who were avid runners. On the high school track team and even ran for fun. I always thought they were kind of crazy for wanting to run that much but I always was a bit jealous, thinking I wish I could do that. I never did any more than run for pe class and that was just because I didn't want to fail the class. The doctors had told me due to an old injury in my right leg that I had "rough cartilege" in my right knee and needed to "be careful" when exercising. I took that to mean "don't do anything strenous". Thus the perfect excuse to be lazy! Give me a bike though and I was all over it...while my friends were running miles and miles I was biking miles and miles!

Fast forward too many years to tell you...and we are at March of 2009 when I weighed in at the doctors office at a whopping 229 pounds and he told me to "get this weight off or become a diabetic"! That was not something I wanted to become or hear so I started getting serious about changing my lifestyle. I started exercising, cut out my coke drinking habit and started really thinking about things I could/should do to make myself into the person I wanted my family to be around. About that time my brother who is 2 1/2 years younger than me started getting serious about his health again, too. He was never really obese but he had gained weight and become rather blaze' about his exercise. He is an ex-Marine, so you know he used to be in tip-top shape and he knew what he needed to do to change his lifestyle. His college degree is in a sports education field (can't remember exactly what now) and he works in a rec center as their activities director.

Anywhoooo, he started training for 5k's, half-marathons, and tri-athalons. I started getting jealous of him. Why could he do this and I couldn't? We have the same genes. He's just a little younger than me. He used to be a scrawny, little nerd! If he can do these things why can't I?

Hey, wait! All my friends from the Sisterhood are running now, too! They are running 5K's, 10K's, 1/2 marathons, tri-athalons, and on and on! That's not fair...most of them are still in the process of losing weight, too. Why can't I do this? Some of these women have had serious injuries, too. Why can't I move past this and start running too? Oh wait, my head tells me..."you have rough cartilege. You can't run." Then I read a post from ChristieO that says she has "NO CARTILEGE in EITHER KNEE" and she's out there running these amazing distances! I start thinking to myself "maybe I can do this!"

Then my brother calls me in April or May and asks if we are busy the first weekend in June. I tell him, "no, we are all just working. Nothing special going on here." He tells me he wants to sign up for a 'triathalon' in the area that weekend. I start thinking "you are kidding me, my brother is doing triathalons now!" I tell him
yes, come on down and he can stay with us and since it's on the weekend I can even watch." So he signs up, comes down, does the tri (and does well) and I start thinking I want to do something that will really PUSH me. What can I do?...I am still working full time and have such limited time. But I need to do something to push me as I feel like I am just stagnant here.

About this time I start hearing alot about the Couch25K program. Tons of people have had success with this program and it progresses to the point where you can run a 5K. I had to figure out how far a 5K was, but I decided I wanted to do this! It sounded challenging but yet doable!

So on July 29th, 2010 I started my official training for my first 5K. It is 5 million degrees out in the summer here in North Texas and I know myself well enough to know there is NO WAY I am going to do this training if I have to do it outside so I start training on the treadmill at the gym. The first couple of weeks were HARD but I managed to follow the plan. About week 3 or 4 I had to slow down and do some repeat weeks. The longer runs I just couldn't do. I felt light headed, out of breathe, etc. So I slowed down my pace...I took a couple of weeks to do 1 week of the plan. Then I told my brother to find a race we could do TOGETHER! I wanted to do a 5K with him! He found one in the town and told me that he would sign us up. Just get ready!

He started checking up on me. Encouraging me, giving me constant praise. He wasn't the only one...everyone was telling me "You are doing great", "Keep going", "Awesome job". It kept me going, making me want to improve, wanting to push myself beyond what I thought I could do. I tell ya without that encouragement there are many times I would have STOPPED and believed the demons in my head telling me I couldn't do it. So THANK YOU!!

So fast forward to the week before race day. I still had not completed the whole C25K plan and was starting to doubt myself but I was signed up and had committed to doing it. I had heard from people that "running outside was a lot easier than on the treadmill" so we had a couple of cool mornings and I decided to take a test run outside. I went to the local park with That Other Kid and started off running. OMG that was sooooo hard. No one there to encourage me. No one there to take my mind off from the demons yelling at me to stop....so I stopped. My one chance at running outside ended up being a bomb! I decided not to let it get me down. I decided it didn't matter. The race was next week and I would run what I could of it and just deal with it.

I went back to the gym and ran a couple of times (a whole mile without stopping) and I felt a lot better. I gave myself a couple of goals. FINISH the race! Aim for doing it in 45 minutes!

So, I left on my trip with That Other Kid....driving 6 hours north loaded with my LiveStrong DriFit shirt and my capris and tennis shoes. I was excited but I was nervous too. Having not run outside made me afraid that this would be a huge bomb and a big waste of time. But....we got to the race and I felt good. Excited to be doing something so good for me and others. Excited to see everyone pulling together and cheering for me. Excited to have my brother right there with me every step of the way!

The beginning of the race was on a slight down hill slope and I started too fast. By the time I had gotten to the bottom of the hill I was out of breathe already. I had to walk some. My brother told me to slow down and just breathe, so I tried. I started running again, and again, and again, and again. Run some, walk some...that was pretty much the way it went. He set goals for me with trees in the neighborhood. He pushed me, encouraged me and helped me feel like I could do this. About 1/2 way I was starting to really feel the miles on my legs. Then he told me that my best friend from high school was waiting for me at the finish line! That made me want to cry and RUN!! I can't tell you how much that meant to me to have someone like that waiting for me! So I kept going...running as much as I felt I could. Walking when I didn't think I could go any more. Then about 1/2 mile away from the finish line another one of my best friends from high school was on the side lines in the neighborhood! She called to me from the side lines and finished the race with us! What awesome friends I have!! That made me really want to finish as strong as I could (which by this time was not too strong). It was so encouraging to have that support! Anyway, we had to finish the race running UP A HILL THROUGH A PARK and right before we got to the park one of the event volunteers told us that "it was just a walk through the park and we were done", I responded with "how about a run through the park" cuz that's what I really wanted to do....I did manage to run through the WHOLE PARK, but it took every ounce of energy I had to RUN through the park and across that finish line.

I finished the race in 48:28 with a pace of 15:36. I was number 465 out of 493 runners and 22nd of 28 in the over 40 women. As you can see I was NOT the last person across the finish line! and I've already decided that next year when this race comes up I will RUN it with my friends, my brother and anyone else that wants to run it with me!

Now that I'm not working and the weather has finally cooled off here in North Texas I'm going to run outside and really train for these 5K's. There is one in May that alot of people do in Wichita, Kansas that I plan to be a part of (along with my track running friends from high school!)

I BELIEVE in myself!!! Do you believe in yourself??

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Shrinkvivor Weigh In #4

Wednesday once again brings weigh in at the Sisterhood. This is weigh in #4 for the Shrinkvivor Challenge and I was almost afraid to hop on the scales this morning. After all the (not so good for me)food I have eaten the past week, traveling, and not being able to really "exercise" a whole lot I really didn't know what the scales would indicate. But since weighing in is the major part of this challenge it is what I had to do. I was slightly excited! Not overly excited, but happy that the number was less than last week!

Beginning weigh in for this challenge: 206.6

Last week: 198.6
This week: 198.2

YES!! That is a loss! Not big, but the number is indeed smaller! and that is the key here, right? I've lost over 8 pounds since September 15 and I'm happy about that loss!

Today starts a new day/week...with lots of fruits/veggies, NO fast food, and LOTS of water! Not to mention whatever Christy and Melissa come up with for this week!

I'm excited to see the physical challenge, too. So far they have really pushed me beyond what I thought I could do. I just finished my first 5K, I logged a run of 14:11 this week. I have logged some serious minutes of exercise, not to mention MILES during this challenge!! I have exercised consistently over the past 21 days only taking rest days that were necessary for healing from this weekend.
I participated in my first Tworkout last night with April, too! That was fun/challenging and really good for me!

Tribe Green (the best tribe out there, ijs) has won immunity 2 weeks in a row! We have developed a great bond and we are pulling for one another daily! Can we win 3 weeks in a row? Only time will tell!!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Another Tuesday Confession Time!

Confessions time over at the Sisterhood

Ok...so I have both good confessions and bad confessions! So let's start with the good confessions...that will make the bad ones seem less bad, right??

** I ran/walked my first 5k this weekend and I had the best support system there for me...I did it in a time of 48:28 and I placed 22/28 in my age category. Not too shabby for someone who hasn't run outside in over 30 years, imho!

** I ate well/drank well to prepare for the race. No sodas. Lots of good healthy food. Lots of fruits/veggies.

** I have drank LOTS of water and only 1 soda over the past 7 days. For me that is huge! Traveling always brings out the soda drinking demons in me! I did well in that regard...even with a friend giving me a case of soda for our trip!

** I get to participate in my very first TWORKOUT tonight! I'm both excited and nervous! It will probably not be easy since I also have to get That Other Kid to bed during this time, but hey at least I will get to do it!

Now...for the bad...

** I apparently pulled some muscles in my hip/IT Band this weekend while running! I'm having problems just walking this week! Tried to run with That Other Kid in our parking lot this morning and thought I was going to cry from the pain! Can't wait to see chiropractor tomorrow!

** After the race Saturday I went to my favorite Mexican food place and ate almost a whole entree by myself! I don't know that I have ever done that! Their portions are just ridiculously huge! I usually share or leave half for later...

** After devouring that huge burro I also ate this awesome fried dessert with cheesecake filling and a scoop of ice cream!

** I haven't eaten very much that's good for me since I got back into town.

** I'm afraid I have let both my Tribe and myself down with this week's eating indiscretions.

Hopefully my confessions will not only cleanse my soul but help me lose some weight between now and tomorrow morning when I weigh in!! I can dream, right??

Monday, October 4, 2010

I'm Alive and Better Than Ever!!

I know recently ya'll have probably wondered what is Ann doing? She never blogs. She never posts pictures. She just comes in once a week and posts her weight and moves on.

Well things are once again changing!! Thursday, the 30th was my last day to work at a paying full time job!! I get to come back home and work 24/7 for no money but more rewards than could ever be explained!! I am once again a stay at home, homeschooling mom/wife!! I can't tell you how happy I am to report this!! I will once again have time to actually homeschool That Other Kid, exercise properly, keep my house clean, cook proper meals, and take care of all the other things that I have been neglecting for the past 7 months!!

Let me tell you -- if you are a full time working mom I APPLAUD YOU!!! I don't know how you do it. The past 7 months have been been very difficult for me not to mention our family. I have neglected so much around the house. I have neglected my kiddo. I have neglected my husband. I have even neglected myself to some degree...not as much as other things but I just haven't had the time to do what I have wanted.

Ok...on to what I did this weekend! I ran/walked my first 5K!! It was one of the most physically and emotionally difficult things I have ever done. It was also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done!! More details will follow but I want to tell you this was NOT my LAST 5K and I will get to the point where I can RUN it!!

Race details: 48:28 was my time. I wasn't the last to cross the finish line! My brother was amazingly supportive as were the other members of my family. I even had 2 of my high school friends (and let me tell you high school was MANY years ago) show up for this race!! What a momentus day!!


My brother and I right before the race!


Running up the final stretch/hill! The person running behind me and my brother...one of my friends from high school! Off to the side are That Other Kid and my niece cheering me on!!



OMG!! How far away is that stupid finish line and why oh why is this hill so steep??


Giving it one last push....another burst of energy, please!!


That final few feet were killers...I just wanted to stop and walk the rest! Fortunately my brother wouldn't let me do that!! I did RUN across the finish line!! It took everything I had in me to do it, too!