New Running Partner!

I just got back from a simple, yet super great, work out!!  A girl who works at my parent's restaurant and has become a friend since I moved to town, had asked me if she could start running with me.  After discussing her history of running and her comfort level regarding distance and speed, we decided to give it a shot!  I have jumped on the Runner's World challenge of at least one mile per day between Thanksgiving and Christmas...I "joined" late, but I only missed two days so far!!  I think it's okay considering the day between my two "off" days I ran 10.5 miles, right?  :) 

Anyway, quickly I will recap the past couple of days so this posting will be in chronological order...for those who might need that kind of structure.  Monday was a great day!  I did turn a new leaf!  I started to walk the kids to the park, pushing the three in the double stroller again, but when we were about a half mile into it, a friend saw us and picked us up to drive us the rest of the way.  Since that work-out didn't happen, I called my sister and asked if she would like to begin the Couch to 5K program that evening...after trying a couple of excuses out, she finally agreed.  Ha!  She even tried texting me at the last minute to say she didn't have any running shoes...as if I was going to let that one work.  I allowed her to wear my super speedy favorite Kinvaras.  Lucky girl, right??  So, we went to a school parking lot and completed W1D1.  Hooray!!  I ran an extra lap during cool down for good measure.  Joann did awesome.  She didn't complain and even did an extra minute because my math was a little off.  LOL  Hooray!!  She had to work tonight, so I believe we are meeting up tomorrow night for day 2.  She will do day 3 of each week on her own over the weekend, but I think she is up for meeting 2 nights a week.

Last night I needed to do a mile, but really wanted to do 2.  As soon as Shaun got home, I ran out the door and headed down my  usual street...and it began to get darker and darker and darker FAST.  Faster than I was running!!  So, I turned around at the marina and just ran as fast as I could to get home.  Unfortunately, I had started my stop watch, but inadvertently stopped it when I wanted to look down to see how long I had been running....at 4 minutes, 37 seconds.  So, I know my distance ended up being 1.56 miles, but I have no idea how long that took.  Oh well, I felt fast.  I didn't walk any of it (except when I got stuck behind a dog-walker and had to wait for several cars to pass so I could cross the road)...the 4:37 I am assuming was when I tried to push the "light" button and that wasn't too far before I turned around.  Whatever. 

So, tonight.  We walked almost a full mile to the high school track near "new friend" Jenn's house.  I had read about some speed training to change up track workouts, but I wasn't really sure if either of us was at a good point to try some of them!!  I started off by running a 400m "sprint" in 1:49.  Then, I walked a lap while Jen sprinted a lap - in 1:42!!!  She's speedy!  So, we walked a full lap and decided we weren't feeling the speed work for the evening.  We agreed to jog a mile and then reassess our plan.  Our jogged mile was exactly that, a very light jog.  Easy 4 laps around the track, chatting the whole time and barely breaking a sweat.  It was pretty cold outside, but we really just took it easy.  Our time at the end of that mile was 10:12.  Both of us agreed we could have kept going, for sure.  We walked a lap and decided to run a second mile, pushing ourselves a little bit more and aiming for a finish time of 9:30 or faster.  As I said, this is our first time to run together, so even though I know I can run miles faster than that and SHE has run miles faster than that, she said she was sort of out of practice - not to mention she had been to Gold's Gym earlier in the day! - and I didn't want either of us to be in pain at the end.  So, we got back to running...chatting a little bit less, but still talking pretty regularly.  She is another tall runner (taller than me!)...long stride...it was awesome.  Running with someone who kept pulling slightly ahead of me was very, very motivating.  It is much as I imagine running with Jenn H. would be!  (will be one day)   :)

So, we finished our second mile in 8:55!  Both of us still feeling good.  We walked a 1/2 lap around the track and then ran 100 meters backwards, walked 100 meters, ran another 100 backwards, and walked another 100.  Then we did sideways "shuffling"...200 meters total with 100 meters between each.  We finished out our final lap and then walked back to her house.  It was a great work out!  When I got home I had a whey shake with strawberries, blueberries, and spinach leaves.  And some carrots to make sure I got my full 7 fruits/veggies in for the day! 

What a great day!  I have to admit I am feeling a little guilty about missing bedtime every night this week so far.  :(  Shaun has been doing great, though, and I know the kids understand mommy is out running, so at least it's not like they think I'm out "partying" or something, right?  I have been very intentional about spending time with them each day, getting down on the floor and playing, doing some crafts, coloring, etc.  We have had some great days this week...it has even caused me to spend a little more time with Shaun than usual because I come home from running and have a little bit of energy to sit up and watch tv with him for a bit. 

As I type this, he is asleep in the chair and I'm pretty sure the remote is underneath his butt and he has left one of my least favorite shows on the tv.  :P

Christmas Town 8K this Sunday!  I am very excited.  I think we're going to be able to leave town at noon on Saturday, so I'm thinking we will spend the whole afternoon together just hanging out in Williamsburg and probably drinking some beers and eating some yummy food.  :)  If we can get to sleep by 10-ish, I should be fine for the race at 8:30 am, right?? 

Okay, I just ran out of steam.  Good night!!

xozxo

"New" Leaf

Okay, it's Monday.  My most favorite "starting over" day of the week!! 

Following a very full Thanksgiving 4 day weekend, I am feeling tired and bloated and unsure of my parenting abilities.  Shaun did NOT have any extra days off, so Thursday and Friday were a little stressful.  I worked an extra night (Saturday) at the restaurant in the hopes it would help me blow off some steam...didn't really work. 

Anyway, today is Monday!  It's Monday!  A new week!  4 weeks until Christmas...3 1/2 weeks until Christmas break begins.  Oy. 

Plenty of time to get my diet back under control, establish some routines for the little ones, focus on my Bible every.single.day.  Let's do this!!

The plan?  First and foremost, Bible study with the kids.  Yesterday marked the beginning of Advent, and I am planning to head out to Target this evening to get a kid-friendly daily devotional book AND an elf on the shelf.  I am planning to just apply the things I have learned over the past many months regarding healthy food choices - eating what is healthy AND fills me up.  Stop eating when I am full.  You know, the basics.  Ha, ha!

I have contacted a potential running coach about maybe getting a new plan begun.  I like the Jeff Galloway method, but I'm worried it might be the wrong one for me.  We'll see what she has to say...in the meantime, I will get out 2-3 times per week for 30 minute runs and tackle the long runs on the weekend.  This upcoming Sunday I will be running an 8K in Williamsburg, VA.  Fun!!

Speaking of Williamsburg, Shaun and I are heading there for an overnight stay this weekend in celebration of our 6th wedding anniversary.  We are both very excited to spend a night out.  Something we haven't done (together) since kids entered our lives!!!

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!!! 

xoxo

Dunkin Donuts 5K

Saturday morning, my mom and I took the three boys to Midlothian, VA, for me to participate in the first annual Dunkin' Donuts Munchkin 5K. 

I'm going to steal "format" from another blogger...maybe changing it up a little bit...

Distance:  5K (3.1 miles)
Terrain:  The race was on a high school campus, so we ran a bit on the track, some on grass, some in the parking lot, a lot on crooked, muddy ground.  It was fun!
Time:  26:43 There was no chip or clock, but this is the time the woman at the finish line told me as I crossed. 

This race was a little bit different from others in that you were encouraged to eat Munchkins throughout the race.  There was a water table and a donut table at each mile marker.  The donuts were in cups that you were told to hang on to in order to get a 10 second deduction for each donut eaten during the race!  The part I didn't hear was that there was a limit of 30 seconds to have deducted.  Basically, you only got credit for the first 3 donuts you ate. 

This race was pretty heavy on "younger" people attendance.  Seriously.  When they were beginning to line up, I tried to make sure the cross country team was ahead of me....and the high schoolers....and the college kids.  I saw some big dudes mid-pack who were joking about how many donuts they could eat, so I did make sure to get in front of them!  Haha.  My Garmin needed a new battery, so I had nothing on me to help me with pacing, or anything.  When the race started, I just took off...more to get out of the crowd than anything.  Based on my music, I would guess my first mile around 8:00.  I saw the donut table and grabbed 2 cups.  As I began to munch on the first, I realized what a stupid idea this truly was.  HA.  I couldn't breath or chew and wasn't even making enough saliva to swallow!!  Goodness.  I slowed to a walk in order to choke it down and then began running again...just holding on to the 2nd donut.  At mile 2 (no guesses on time, I had put my music on random at this point and was just running), I grabbed another donut (even though I was still carrying one!).  I wanted some water, but I only have 2 hands.  

At this point, my legs were happy for another walk break, so I slowed down and ate a donut.  This one went down much easier since I started walking first!  I picked up my speed again and was feeling good!  For a minute!  Then my stomach was entirely unhappy about it's donut experience.  Yuk.  The 3rd donut in my hand was getting gross...glaze all over my palm.  Ick.  At this point I also slipped in some mud when I misjudged a puddle's circumference, so I just decided to run it out and get this over with!  I had been right behind/beside a very young boy and managed to ask him how old he was at one point...8 years old!!!  Wow!  I was determined to finish with him.  I got caught up for a second at the gate leading back in to the final 1/2 way around the track...they said I had to eat my final donut.  I just handed it over and got back to running.  I have to say the volunteer looked a little annoyed with me!

Not nearly as annoyed, however, as the 3 boys waiting at the finish line...waiting for the promised "3 donuts" I would be bringing them.  We were instructed to walk through in the order we finished (um, I was surrounded by middle schoolers), so I was walking through, I tried explaining to the kids that they wouldn't let me bring donuts past the finish line.  They didn't care.  They could see the line I was in would be ending at a large table FULL of munchkin boxes!  Hooray!  They watched excitedly as I was handed a box...then their faces FELL as they watched me open the empty box!  :(  Oh, goodness.  It was a sad moment for my kids. 

We quickly walked out of the stadium to the first mile marker where the donut table was still set up.  As we approached, I saw some people walk through and overheard them say they were the "sweepers".  My boys got all the donuts they could handle!!  The volunteers offered them to take "as much as you want"!  Oh, boy, did those eyes light up.  :)

So, all's well that ends well, right??

Okay...as I finished typing this, I decided to do one last check on the website www.donutrun.org to see if the results were posted.  They are.  Guess what?????  With an official time of 26:40 (PR), I was also the first female aged 30-34 (my typical age group) to cross the finish line.  WHAT!?!?!?  Hahahahaha.  That just made my day.  Seriously, seriously, seriously.  Feel free to check it out for yourself here.  Now, I will mention, I was 139th out of 439...but I'm telling you, the ages are all in their "teens"!  I am also listed as representing Tomahawk Middle School, but whatever.

Yeehaw!  Have a great day!!
xoxo



 

40 Weeks Later...

You know what they say...a picture is worth a thousand words, right?  Well, good.  Cause pictures are all I got this morning!

February 14, 2011

November 21, 2011

Not 80 pounds, but I'll take 54!  My toes even look thinner...that's crazy to me!  54 pounds also looks like this...

February 14, 2011                                      November 21, 2011
SAME PANTS!  That was fun.  Sorry, I couldn't find the shirt.

Whoa.  I like the sideways picture comparisons!  Yowzas.

So, I was trying to get pictures in ALL of the various outfits I had posted in the blog over time, but the kids weren't cooperating quite as much as I had thought they might.  Here is a cute outtake...

Sweet, silly Zoe.  I think I pretty much look the same in the "date night outfit".  I had totally hoped to wear that one out for my birthday, but now I don't even think I am comfortable enough in it to wear for our anniversary this Friday!  Oh well...there is always New Year's Eve.  :)

I have had so many thoughts about what to post at this point.  I will not be a very regular blogger in the upcoming days/weeks/months.  Basically, I have been putting Jesus first in my life and the things I have been convicted of since then are pretty mind-blowing. 

I will continue to run because it continues to be my most special time with God.  Lately I have even been turning off my ipod mid-run just to make sure I am able to "hear" when He has something to say. 

This isn't coming out quite the way I had hoped, but I have a sleepy 4-year old driving me crazy in one ear and my thoughts aren't as smooth as they might be at another time...my main point it, the "other time" when I do have silence and peace and calm (hahahaha, at least some variation of those!) - that time needs to be spent in meditation reading my Bible.  Not obsessing about my blog.

I'm not quitting entirely, however.  I will continue to update dailymile for the HBBC Run To The Finish challenge, and I will likely post occasionally with stats about a run or a race or just to let you know how my training is going.  I plan to weigh myself once a month until another 15 pounds is gone...I want to see 169 SO SO SO bad.  And I will one day.  In the meantime, my running goals are more important.  And loftier! 

Thank you all so much for reading along these past 40 weeks.  I am most definitely a changed woman.  I feel better.  I have more energy.  I choose to do things the "hard" way (ie, push the kids in a stroller almost 2 miles to the park rather than just play in the yard!) in order to get myself more exercise and to show the kids that you CAN do anything.  I may not have lost the full 80 pounds, but I did show myself that I could concentrate and change things DRASTICALLY in a short period of time.  I have more mountains to climb (maybe even literal ones?), and I know more obstacles will present themselves, but I feel stronger and far more equipped to embark on the rest of my life.

If you have been struggling with something - ANYTHING - just know this...

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

It is the TRUTH.  It is the WAY.  And, I promise you, I would be nothing without my Bible by my side...leading me in all things. 

Have a great day!!
xoxo

P.S.  Dunkin Donuts 5K mini-recap coming tomorrow!

Week 39: Day 5 (remember tomorrow?)

Good morning!

I have been thinking about something as I pretend to "sleep in" this morning.  My one request last night was that nobody wake me up today...oh well.  Maybe tomorrow. 

This leads me to my topic...remembering tomorrow.  One of the twins, Henry, is often asking me "remember tomorrow?  remember it rained?"  I try to explain to him that tomorrow hasn't happened yet, so I can't remember it.  He means yesterday, of course.  But this morning, as I prayed, God put that phrase on my heart.  I have been kicking myself lately about my food choices.  Going back and forth between really wanting to eat "clean" and really wanting some Goldfish crackers or cookies or creamer in my coffee.  (I got Shaun that new Almond Joy creamer and have so far resisted temptation, but he says it is awesome.)  God reminded me today to "Remember Tomorrow."

     - Tomorrow there will be pizza.
     - Tomorrow there will be a football game.
     - Tomorrow there will be birthday cupcakes.
     - Tomorrow there will be ridiculously delicious, fantastic food at my parent's restaurant!

Just because something is in my face, doesn't mean I have to indulge today!  Tomorrow I will have an opportunity to eat or enjoy everything I want right now.  Tomorrow I will have an opportunity to eat or enjoy everything I want right now.  See?  Too often we obsess about the things we can't have or the things we really, really feel we are entitled to. 

It's my birthday, why should I say no to cake?
It's Friday, why not have "one more" drink?
I was home all day long with the kids, I deserve a break.
I ran __ miles today...I can eat whatever I want!

We start to feel like we are missing out on something because we say "no".  I really need to start remembering there is a tomorrow.  Tomorrow I will be at my goal weight and I absolutely will justify that extra helping at dinner (and breakfast, and lunch, and snack).  However, TODAY, I feel crappy.  My stomach hurts.  I am tired even though it was a rest day from running.  I am grumpy with the kids.  If I meditate on these three thoughts (from yesterday), I can see where they stem from.  I ate junk for the past couple of days...starting off with a great, healthy breakfast, and then going downhill as the day progressed.  I allowed myself "treats" because I was frustrated with the kids.  The kids were being frustrating because they wanted to play and be interacted with, while all I wanted was to play Words with Friends on the computer.  Conner missed the bus yesterday morning so I didn't get the 30 minutes I have become accustomed to in the morning for my computer game time!  I was tired and grumpy because I was CHOOSING to sit down every chance I got and then the kids would inevetably need something which would require me standing up again.  It was a horrible day.  I can just go on the record with that statement.

However, late last night when they had all, finally, gone to bed, I remembered tomorrow.  Tomorrow I will do better.  Tomorrow I will keep the computer upstairs in a room I don't enter during the day.  Tomorrow I will play with the kids.  Tomorrow I will turn off the television and get the kids running around the house (like I did yesterday!) and burn off some of their extra energy.  Tomorrow I will let them play outside - even if it's raining - and laugh with them, and run a nice bath to warm their bones when they are ready to come back inside.  Tomorrow I will stay out of the kitchen and remind myself there will be another tomorrow when I can snack all day and watch crappy daytime tv.

**I do realize "tomorrow" is not a guarantee, by the way.  I may not get pizza and football and birthdays in heaven, but I think it's going to be waaaayyy better than all that up there, anyway, right?  I know something completely unforeseen could happen and I may not be around "tomorrow", but I don't think "depriving" (for lack of a better word) myself of fatty foods and lazy time is something I would regret should "tomorrow" not come to me.  Right?

That's all for this morning.  :)  Have a great day!!!  TODAY!  I know I will...

xoxo

Week 39: Day 3

Good morning!!

To those who may not know me in "real life", I will tell you all that I am most definitely NOT a morning person.  I hate mornings.  I don't exactly know why...truthfully, I think I just hate being woken up.  No matter what time of day!  So, this morning when I heard yelling from the boys' room of "Mommy!  Mom!  Mom!  Moooohhhh-hum!" I furiously whipped back the sheets and stormed into their room.  My sister baby-sat last night and the twins didn't wear pull-ups to bed (they said it was because she didn't make them, I call bulls*** on that because they are almost 4 and they totally know to sleep in pull-ups!!), so their beds are soaked and the room reeks of pee and did I mention I hate being woken up?  Especially when it's dark outside and warm under my blankets!!!  I said some very mean words and went back to my bed.  Where I laid with my eyes wide open furious at myself for being so mean to my sweet little ones who also didn't want to be up so early, but what else could they do when they are soaked in pee, right?  I did the right thing.  I got back up, and went back to the boys and got them undressed and their sheets off the bed and clean clothes put on them.  All of this at 5:45 am.  YUK.  Nobody was going back to bed, so we came downstairs and the whining began..."I'm hungry!  I'm tired!  I don't want to wear long sleeves!  Can I go to the bus stop?" 

Thank God for Keurig. 

I got my coffee and made oatmeal for everyone.  Once they were all seated and semi-quiet, I realized I was up early enough to get my 30 minute scheduled run out of the way.  Oh, yay.  35 degrees outside?  Yep.  Sun up enough to see where I'm running?  Uh-huh.  Awesome.

So, I ran.  Who the heck have I become?  I was talking with a friend about who I was just one year ago...shoot, 6 years ago today I found out I was pregnant with Conner.  This also marked the day I quit smoking.  Another cute story I remembered about 6 years ago...Shaun and I had been living together for about 6 weeks or so (I know, I know, do the math, whatever), and he told me his ex-girlfriend (who he had been with for 6 1/2 years!!) lived at the apartment community directly next door to ours.  Which our balcony faced.  Then he told me while I was out on the balcony smoking that I might see his ex running one day.  I said to him, "She's a runner?  Seriously?  Oh great...probably smoking hot and all skinny.  I hate her."  I had (and still haven't) never met her, and I just assumed all runners were sexy...because they run.  Something I had never had any interest in.  Hahaha.  Little did I know, right?  Not all runners are "sexy".  Hahahahaha.  :)  Sorry.  What I really meant was, I had no idea who I would become over the next several years. 

Anyway, I quit smoking on this day 6 years ago when I learned I was pregnant with my first child.  5 years ago I was enjoying my life with one sweet newborn son who just lit up my life.  I was living in Michigan and couldn't have cared less about my diet/exercise program - or lack thereof.  My life was all about Conner.  4 years ago I was way pregnant with twins, expecting every day to be THE day.  3 years ago I was likely looking forward to the new year, so I could go on a diet.  The twins were almost 1 and we had just moved into a new house and I loved my job and I thought things were going along well!  I used to be a big fan of "starting tomorrow".  "Oh...Thanksgiving is coming up and then Christmas, so I'll just eat what I want and then start my dieting on January 1st."  2 years ago I had a newborn baby, no job, and made the decision to be a stay at home mom.  Wowzas.  I figured I would naturally lose weight since I'd be "chasing children" all day. 

One short year ago, I was depressed about my weight, but would constantly watch shows, like Biggest Loser, to compare myself to larger people and say, "At least I'm not THAT bad."  I no longer had the nursing excuse for the extra calories, but I was so tired.  All the time.  The kids were hard to manage, our house was too small, we never had any money...the excuses were never-ending.  Then, of course, Thanksgiving and Christmas were right around the corner. 

Today I ran 3.2 miles in 35 degree weather.  I live in an amazing, beautiful house that is the perfect size for my (sort of) large family.  I am looking forward to the holidays because I now live in a town (very) close to my parents and sister and other relatives, and I'm considering having the entire family meet up at a 5K race nearby with a 1/2 mile kids' run!  My kids are all at an age where we can talk about what we want to do.  They can express themselves to me and let me know how they are feeling.  (ok, being honest, they don't always make sense, but it's definitely better than years past!)  I am not 100% happy with my weight, but I am significantly happi-ER about my body shape.  I am learning to not obsess about food, just eat when I am hungry.  I will throw away the kids' leftovers instead of worrying about "wasting" and just shoveling it into my mouth.

Hmmm...this post took a little bit of a strange turn.  :)  Sorry about that! 

Someone mentioned I haven't posted a progress pic in a while...this one is from September 17th.  We were heading out to the zoo and I didn't feel like shaving my legs.  Hahahaha.  That is my excuse for the socks!  But, I kinda like the "look", right? 

I plan on getting pictures next weekend in all of my "before" picture outfits.  Fun!

Have a great day,
xoxo

Week 39: Day 1

Good morning!!!

Well, I have a lot of thoughts going through my head, but as soon as I opened the new page to start typing...they flew away.  Seriously.  Sometimes the "bullet points" format helps me...

Running:  This is driving me bananas.  Thanks to a very busy weekend of entertaining children, me picking up a shift at the restaurant, major grocery shopping trip, trime change...well, I haven't run since Thursday.  THURSDAY!  Terrible.  I needed to do a 3 miler this weekend, according to Jeff Galloway's schedule.  It says 3 miles (MM).  MM stands for "magic mile" and this is his description of what that means...

1. warm up with a slow one mile run
2. do a few acceleration-gliders (See my books Running Year Round Plan and Galloway Training Programs)
3. pace yourself as even as possible on each quarter mile
4. run about as hard as you could run for one mile--but no puking! (finish feeling that you couldn't have run more than a football field at the same pace)
5. keep walking after the time trial for 5 minutes, and jog a slow 1-6 miles, as needed for the mileage for that day

Other than #2, I was actually pretty excited to try this!  Especially since my weekend only called for 3 total miles.  When you get a "magic mile" number - the time result of #4 - he has a predictor on his website that will predict your times for various race distances.  I truly don't know why this really matters...outside of watching yourself improve?  It looks like you do this "magic mile" run every 3 or 4 weeks.

So, I HAVE to run today.  Have to, have to, have to.  Here's the problem:  I love to sleep, so I totally didn't get up early enough this morning to get out before Shaun left for work.  When he gets home this evening, the sun will set completely about 5 minutes later.  My entire neighborhood has ZERO street lights and no sidewalks and I don't own a headlamp...or even a flashlight.  I also don't own a treadmill.  My mom does, and she offered to give it to me, but we really don't have room in the house...however, it is a last minute option, I guess.  Ick. 

Also, these "problems" are not limited to today...I need to do 2 thirty minute runs each week.  Looks like I might be getting up early again...yuck.  At least it would only mean running at 6:30 am.  Not like the days of 4:30-5:00 am, right??

I am so excited that this is beginning of my final 2 weeks!!!  I have been thinking about putting together a video using my various pictures from the past 40 weeks, but I honestly have no idea how to do that.  :)  Is there a free website I could do it through?  I thought I had some sort of capabilities on this computer, but I can't find the program anymore...I'll keep looking.

I guess that's all for now.  Our play date last Friday went really well and the kids had a great time!  The biggest obstacle right now for my weekdays is the lack of a car.  We really shouldn't have sold our car before leaving Nashville, but I am moving on from that thought.  I think I just need to take this time to really find fun things for the kids to do around the house (inside AND outside).  The car situation will be solved one day, so I need to just be patient and make the most of having the excuse "we can't go anywhere without a car!"  :)

I am freaking out that the twins will turn 4 years old next week!!!  Look at this...

About to burst!  I think that was just a couple weeks before they were born...

First day home!!  Henry on the left, Jack on the right.

Couple months old...Jack on the left, Henry on the right.

Almost 4 years old!  Henry on the left, Jack on the right.

Super cute boys.  Their personalities are so funny these days.  Henry is VERY aware of his body and the things he can do.  He's very agile, but also quite accident-prone.  He is awesome at playing solo, using his imagination.  He seems to be more drawn to super-hero play with imaginary swords and "shooters" and enemies ("bad guys").  Jack loves responsibility.  He likes to make sure everyone is happy and doing what they should be doing.  He LOVES to help me in the kitchen.  Jack is heavier by a couple of pounds and taller by an inch.  Henry is built skinnier (like Shaun), but eats just as much - if not more!  They play great together, yet also fight like cats at times.  I am so excited to see what the next four years bring!  And the four after that...and four more...and more....and more...

You get the picture.  :)

Week 38: Day 5

Good morning!!

Some blogs I follow do a "Three Things Thursday", but I missed out, so I'm doing "Four Fings Friday".

1.  Shrinkvivor:  I gotta say, I'm pretty very disappointed to report I was sent to Exile Island last night.  I'm mostly sad because the other 2 girls left were either up in weight (3 lbs) or down just a tiny amount (.2) and both had less exercise minutes than me.  This leads me to believe one or both put my name down as a "vote" which we had all agreed to NOT do each week.  Whatever.  I realize it is just a game, and compared to all the others I likely would not have made it another week...I hate to lose.  And I have zero motivation to care now!  Exile Island will have it's own "winner", but there are a lotta lotta ladies on the Island (and even some guys, I believe)...


2.  HBBC:  I have joined another online challenge that seems to be a bit more suited to the direction my "journey" has taken me!  It's called the Holiday Bootie Busting Challenge.  Yay!  If you will click on the picture at the top of my blog page on the right - says "HBBC" - that will take you to the web page where you can sign up or just read all about it.  Basically, we (contestants) will track MILES and/or fitness minutes from November 19 through January 6, and each week you will have to fill your points in to a spreadsheet.  Points are given for each mile run, 3 miles biked, 20 minutes of weigh-lifting, 15 minutes of low impact aerobics, 10 minutes of high impact aerobics, and each day you hit 7 servings of fruits and/or vegetables!  There will also be some mini challenges and questions on Facebook to get extra points.  Fun!!

3.  Dieting:  I'm sick of dieting.  Anybody else ever hit that "wall"?  It seems like I will decide on a plan and then get so obsessed and consumed with the allowed foods on that plan, that I "freak out" and just start eating!  Ridiculous.  I'm not even hungry when I'm eating...it's like a part of my brain thinks this food will all go bad.  It really is back to my old mentality.  The exact mentality that kept me from losing the weight earlier!  So...I made it, like, 30+ weeks of doing great, and now I'm right back where I started.  Granted, I'm 50+ pounds lighter, but you know what I mean?  My current "plan" is to only eat when I'm hungry and really, really focus on the veggies.  Fruit is so easy for me to eat, I'm trying to keep more greens around the house and just choose those first.  I also am remembering the "rules" from Jackie Warner's plan and I'm going to really focus on 4 "meals" a day, each one including some protein and nothing with sugars higher than 5 grams.

4.  Kids:  I have 4 kids, for those who are just joining.  Haha.  Conner is doing SO great in kindergarten!!!  He is learning to read!  And, like, REALLY reading!!!  It has made bedtime stories much more entertaining.  The twins, Jack and Henry, will be 4 in eleven days.  Zoe just turned 2.  These three wear me out every day...they are just bundles of uncertain energy!!  I say uncertain because they can't seem to figure out WHAT they want to do...rarely can I get everyone on the same page at the same time.  Including meals.  Here is an actual scenario from yesterday - first, I joined a new Bible study group (LOVE IT!), so we had that from 9-11.  The teacher in the daycare said the three were great and did wonderful.  We headed over to my mom's house for lunch.  She had made pasta and chicken and carrots - yum.  The kids were so excited to see her and be hanging out at her house (where anything goes, as opposed to our house where they have to take shoes off at the front door), they just could not sit still to eat lunch.  So, we packed up their lunch and took it home.  When we got home they wanted to play outside and the weather was perfect, so I let them be in the backyard.  Zoe asked for a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.  Anyone else?  No.  I make the sandwich, take it to Zoe, and now Jack and Henry want one, too.  I make them each a sandwich, take them outside, clean up Zoe's mess, go back to the kitchen to clean up MY mess, back outside and Jack has finished his sandwich.  Wants another one.  Head back to the kitchen, make another sandwich, take it to Jack...now Henry wants another one.  I sneakily turn the tv on as I head out to give Henry his sandwich so they will see it and maybe come in for "naptime".  It sort of works.  All three gravitate towards the tv, and sit on the couch or chair, I get blankets and full sippy-cups and then they want their pasta from grandma's house!  Seriously?  Okay, bowls of pasta for the twins, string cheese for Zoe, head to the kitchen for a final clean-up and I was all of a sudden so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open!  I just knew, just knew, the three were going to fall asleep...I got excited about having time to take a quick nap before picking Conner up from the bus.  Yeah, no such luck.  No naps, poopy diaper for Zoe, more food requests from the twins...oh, boy, it was an exhausting day.  I thought I would skip my run in favor of a nap when Shaun got home, but I changed my mind at the last minute and went out for my scheduled 30 minute run.  I was super glad I did, but I was also very, very ready for bed after stories last night!! 

I have completely lost track of what I was talking about in the first place.  I met a woman at the park the other day who stays home with her 2 sons, aged 3 & 2, so we have invited them over for today.  I'm excited to make a friend who lives close, and from the little bit of talking we did the other day, I think our husbands will hit it off, too!  Fun!

Sorry for the rambling...here's a picture (found the cord!) of one way I tried to take the kids for a walk the other day.

That is a double stroller AND a single stroller. 
I thought maybe I could use Henry to push Zoe's stroller while I pushed the big one...
we made it to the end of our street and everyone was over it.

I tried a few different variations, but we just ended up running around the front yard together!  Ha!  When I pushed them to the park on Wednesday (1.7 miles), I just loaded the twins up in the back seat and Zoe in the front of the double stroller.  Thankfully, they were all munching on Halloween candy and happy to sit for almost the full 30 minutes it took me to get there.  I say "almost" because the whining started about 7 minutes from the park. 

Have a great day!
xoxo

Week 38: Day 2 (Shrinkvivor Check-In!)

Good morning!!

Weight is 185 today.  Boo.  No big deal, though, I am on it!!  Yesterday I did a pretty good job of sticking to my "plan".  Basically, during a moment of stressing about putting a few pounds on, I wrote out what I can eat for the rest of the week.  I hung the pages on the fridge, and I mark things off as I eat them during the day.  This weekend I will make a more official "plan" - like, following an actual diet - but for now, I think this is what I need.

306 fitness minutes, though!  I think that is the highest so far in the challenge!  Hooray!  Here's my breakdown of those...

Wednesday (10/26) - 60 minutes of combined walking/running.  Mom watched the kids for me while I headed out to a local trail. 
Thursday (10/27) - recovery from birthday fun.  Nada movement.  :)
Friday (10/28) - Walk with the kids in the stroller for a total of 70 minutes (once in the morning, once in the afternoon)
Saturday (10/29) - 5K in the freezing rain, 26:41 official time, continued to walk for 10 minutes afterwards (thank God the rain let up!), Took a fast paced walk with Shaun to pick up my zombie packet 20 minutes
Sunday (10/30) - Zombie 5K, walk/jogged for 5 minutes beforehand, 34:00 official time, continued to walk for 10 minutes afterward
Monday (10/31) - Halloween!  Trick or Treating with the kids was a nice 30 minute walk! 
Tuesday (11/1) - 30 minute run on the schedule ended up being a 30 minute run, plus 5 minute warm up, 5 minute cool down.

This week's challenge is fitness MINUTES again.  I really enjoyed taking the kids out walking with the stroller...our neighborhood is great for it and we are only about 1.25 miles from a really cute playground.  The weather has been super nice this week and today and tomorrow look like perfect park days!  Hooray!  My own personal goal is to get some cross training in there...even if it is just situps and pushups.  Jeff Galloway recommends doing non-leg exercises on "rest" days...

That's all I got today! 

xoxo

Week 38: Day 2

Ohhhhh, Week 38!!  Gettin' down to the wire! 

I think I can safely say I won't be hitting the 80 pounds lost mark, but I'm totally okay with it.  I would be super happy to hit the 60 pounds gone, though!!  I'm purposely not really weighing in (outside of Shrinkvivor Wednesdays)...I have begun a strict diet plan today, so hopefully my weight on the morning of November 21, 2011, will be at 178.5 or less!!!  I'm not going to report my weight here until then, ok?  Leave you all in a little bit of suspense....duh-duh-duh.

The past several days (weeks? months? years?) I have been surrounded by more whining and crying than one person should EVER have to handle.  Seriously.  The twins turn 4 in two weeks and I am seriously praying for a miraculous change in attitude.  Zoe turned 2 on Sunday, and she appears to have figured out that everyone tries to "fix it" when she cries.  My oldest, Conner, has hit a sensitive stage?  Or...just a "wanna be an only child" phase?  Actually, this morning he told me he wanted a baby brother so Zoe could have someone to play with.  No idea where that came from!  By the way - he ain't gettin' it.  ;)

Then there is the 5th child's whining.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, well....lucky you.

Anyway, I finished my recap of the Screamin' 5K, right?  So, Sunday morning I headed out for the Zombie Run!!  It was really cool.  I can't wait to have some actual running friends in this town to share these events with.  There were some great costumes - from both the runners AND the zombies!  At sign-up, there was the option of paying an extra $20 to get professionally made over as a zombie and those people looked fantastic.  I signed up as a runner, so I dressed in a plaid short skirt, white button down, and my letter jacket from high school.  Awesome, right??  It was freakin' cold, so I was happy to have the jacket on, but it wasn't such a helpful article of clothing when I began sweating.  Hahaha.  The leather sleeves were colder!  So, this race was chip-timed, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to really run for the time, or try to not get "eaten".  All runners had a ribbon taped to their back and the zombies were going to be released from the starting line 90 seconds after us...when the mayor (yep, Charlottesville mayor!) yelled "RUN!" we all took off!  I was at the very front, so I had to sprint to keep up and not get trampled, but I quickly remembered that THAT is not my pace.  Haha.  I tried to slow down, but there were SO many people running SO fast...it was crazy!!  I didn't wear my Garmin, so I have no idea how far I got in what amount of time, but I promise you I would have won a 100-yard dash.  As we got out into the neighborhood we hit some hills.  Some tough hills...I slowed waaaay down and then I heard "Zombies!  They're coming!"  It actually generated some real fear in my belly.  Is that hilarious?  Well, I noticed a kid had already gotten his ribbon taken, so I told him I was going to run right in front of him so the zombies would have a hard time getting mine.  The strategy worked for...oh...20 seconds?  A zombie reached over for my ribbon and I darted sideways, but then got caught by another on!  ARGH!  Once my ribbon was gone, it was really hard to keep up the motivation to run.  My legs were pretty much freaking out about the super speed in the beginning (and the freezing temps and no stretching?), and we hit another crazy hill.  I had my cell phone in my pocket, so I started texting Shaun at home to tell him I was already out.  I seriously considered calling my mom to have her come pick me up.  Hahaha.  Then, I remembered I had arranged my running schedule to do 3 miles that day, so I figured what the hell, I would just finish.  It was a really, really, really fun race.  Next year, however, I will sign up as a zombie.  I think it would be way more motivating to run the whole time if you had a goal of getting the most ribbons, right?  I had also considered lining up behind the zombie wave, but there were a lot of walkers and it was too cold to be out there for too long! 

My official time was 34:00 even.  Cool, right?  Especially cool since that was my basketball jersey number the year I got the letter jacket.  Hahahaha!!!  That was my freshman year, and I was bumped to #54 when I made varsity the next year...maybe that will be my next 10K time?

I had to cancel my 15K in December, and I am truly, truly bummed.  It is in D.C. which is "only" 2 1/2 hours away, but it is still 2 1/2 hours away and packet pick-up is Friday, and we cannot afford a hotel room, and I don't want to drive there and back twice.  Not to mention, the race starts early in the morning, so I would have to leave crazy early...lots of reasons to not do it.  But I am still sad.  :(

I have signed up for 2 local 5K's, however, and I have jumped in to week 8 of Jeff Galloway's marathon training schedule (which is 30 weeks long!).  The first 5K is November 19th in Richmond (one hour away)...it's the Dunkin' Donuts Munchkin race!  Yum, yum, yum.  They will have munchkins (the donuts, not wizard of oz) at the water stops.  Or stop, right?  Either way, it's the first annual, so I'm pretty excited to be a part of it...and this family LOVES the munchkins. 

Second 5K is a turkey trot on Thanksgiving.  Shaun will run with me, and I'm hoping my sister and her boyfriend will at least come out with my kids because it appears to be a VERY family friendly event with a free kids 1/2 mile run!  Both of these fit in to my schedule.  I couldn't find  any half marathons to fit in, but I plan to look in January and February to make one of my 6 mile runs correspond with a 10K.  I have to space out all the spending....luckily, the Donut 5K is only $15 (nice!) and the Turkey Trot is $27.  I am working an extra night this weekend because my mom is going out of town, so that will cover those.

Well, Halloween was pretty fun last night.  We didn't buy costumes, just sort of threw ideas out there for the kids and let them put stuff together themselves.  Hilarious.  At first, I had Henry dressed as a Christmas tree - tree skirt around his waist, a strand of lights wrapped around (and around and around) his torso, and stockings hung from his shirt! - but then he saw a Superman cape and ripped everything off to be Superman instead.  :(  Not before I took a picture, though!  (have lost my camera to computer cord, sigh)

The kids ran to every house on our street (about 8-10?) and then we hung out at home to hand out candy.  They thought that was just as much fun!  Ha.  I let them eat candy until 6:30 (we went out at 5:30), and then I took the bags away and hid them and would you believe not one child has asked about their candy since?  My husband, however, will be in heaven for at least a few days...snacking on the leftovers.  Luckily, candy isn't my "thing".  I like it, don't get me wrong...but I am way more tempted by that brand new loaf of white bread in the kitchen.  Sad.

Well, that's it for today.  I will let you know my weight tomorrow since I have to check-in for Shrinkvivor, but then I will not tell you again until the end of the 40 weeks!  So exciting!!

By the way, I will still be blogging when the 40 weeks is up...I have all new goals to reach, after all.  So no worries, I'll still be here rambling....    :)

xoxo