Salt Lake City Adoption 5k Recap

*giggle*  Do you know how cool it is for me that I get to write a RACE recap???  For a race that I ran?!?!?

Okay, let's start at the beginning shall we?

It was a cold and stormy morning.... really.  It was awful.  Our drive from the Frozen Tundra to the Big City was ho.rr.ib.le.  But we made it safe and sound. Just before we headed out for some supper Friday night, I got an email from the race director that the race would NOT be canceled, no matter what the weather was like, but he was trying to modify the course to keep us out of the 3 - 4" deep mud on the original course.  Saturday morning we got up bright and early to get the Rowdy Bunch fed and bundled up before we headed over to Wheeler Farm for the race.  I was pretty nervous when we got there, but I went over and picked up my race bib (can I just say that 125 is my new favorite number???)

We unloaded the Rowdy Bunch, and tried to kill a bit of time before the race started.  I am guessing the temperature was in the low 30s.  And the snow was pretty heavy.

The Rowdy Bunch and I

The new race route had us running a block race rather than the 3 loops originally planned.  I was a bit bummed because it meant I wasn't going to see Brian and the boys a few times like I thought.  It was me on my own until the finish line.  As everyone was getting ready behind the starting line,  I made my way towards the back. I zeroed my ipod stopwatch, and started the tunes.  Raise Your Glass by P!nk came on just as the gun sounded, pretty perfectly.  I had my Broncos hoodie on, with the hood up, that's how cold I was.  I tried to stay near the back because I knew I wasn't going to be the fastest.

The snow made things slick, but not as bad as I'd feared.  About 15 minutes into the race, I started feeling odd.  It took me a few minutes to realize I was HOT! lol  I had been cold so long that morning, I didn't recognize what the feeling was.  I lost probably a minute or so stopping to take my hoodie off and get everything situated again. I was feeling great, enjoying myself and just running.  As I rounded the last corner and could see Wheeler Farm, the tears just came.  I had to walk for a bit because I couldn't breathe.  I knew finishing was going to be emotional for me, but I didn't expect it to hit me that hard.  I started running again, and was so happy (as evidence by my official race photo, which is rather cheesy in my not so humble opinion).  

And then I saw Brian and the boys, and they were cheering (along with all the other spectators at the finish line) and I lost it again.  I ran across the Finish Line, tears streaming down my face, so overwhelmed. 

 The boys ran over and gave me kisses and hugs... it was awesome. So much better than I ever could have imagined.  Matthew kept telling me "I'm so proud of you, Mommy."  And Christopher said "Good job racing, Mommy." ♥  I forgot to stop my ipod as soon as I crossed the finish line, but when I did remember, I didn't think it had been too long.  My ipod said 44:35 - best time yet.  I figured my official time would be close to that, but when the results were finally posted tonight, I was BLOWN away - 41:20.  That's a 13:20 minute mile.  So much for my goal of 50:00 or less, huh?  41:20 is a PR for me.  And such an amazing accomplishment.    I am absolutely going to do this again.  The difference between going out for a run and running in a race is night and day.  

I am so proud of myself, and the fact that I met a MAJOR goal that I set for myself is amazing.  Less than 6 months ago, I made a goal of running a 5k.  To say that I accomplished that is still just amazing to me.  

♥  

P.S.  I am so letting myself feel like a BAMF for running my first 5k in all that damn snow! lol  At least for a little while.  It's okay to be hard core now and then.  :)

This is it...

Tomorrow is the big day.  My first 5k.  MY FIRST 5k!!!  

Okay, whew. Sorry, I had to yell it for my head.  I still don't think it's quite sunk in.  I am still nervous, but it's getting better.  Except for one itty-bitty, teensey-weensy little thing.  I like to call that thing Mother Nature.  Apparently Mother Nature is under the impression that if you live in the frozen tundra, and you travel anywhere before, say April 15th, you should take normal frozen tundra weather with you.  Yes, you read that right.  The forecast for the rest of today (our travel day) and tomorrow from the Frozen Tundra to SLC is SN*W!

Snow.... not quite what I bargained for, but I think it will be okay.  I haven't run in over a week.  Stupid legs think I enjoy being in pain.  And I'm prepared for that again for tomorrow, but I WILL push through it.  My goal is 50:00 or less.  I don't know what kind of a monkey wrench the weather will throw into that plan, but it's going to do something! :)

All I care about though is seeing Brian and the Rowdy Bunch at the finish line.  I've come a long long way since October, and after 3.1 miles tomorrow, I will have met a goal that I didn't know was possible!

♥

I Amazed Myself Today!

After my first 10 mile week, I decided 10 miles every week would be my goal.  Last week's long run was a tad thwarted by 3 spills on the ice in less than 24 hours.  Gotta love living in the frozen tundra.  Anyway, last week I only managed to run 3 times, but still got in a solid 6.13 miles, thanks largely in part to the virtual 5k.

This week, I am on track for an 11-mile, yes, ELEVEN, as in 10 + 1, week.  I ran another 5k on Monday, 2 days after the Running Mate 5k.  This one was another virtual 5k for ♥Valentine's Day♥ on dailymile.  I figured I would just get it done, no matter how long it took.  2 days after the first 5k, I had no real hope of any kind of PR, but lo and behold, I finished in 49:21, a full :50 faster!

My long run this week was another 4 miles.  My first 4 mile run, I managed to keep a 17:34mm pace.  Today, I totally blew that out of the water.  4 miles at an average 15:20mm pace.  I've been doing a lot of walk/run intervals on the treadmill.  I have such a hard time running for long periods of time on that stupid thing.  I really have started to think of it as the DREADmill.  I love the running, but I just can't seem to keep running, even though I KNOW I can.  I hope this is still moving me forward, getting me closer to my goals.  I do have to say though, running at 5.0 - 6.5mph is a lot easier now than it was.  I can run that fast for a solid minute at least now, and before, 15 seconds made me feel like I was going to puke or die or both.  So that is progress!

Oh yes, one other thing.  I have *gulp* decided I am going to do the Pinedale Half Marathon in town in September.  I am a tad scared, but since it is walker friendly, I am going to give it my best shot.  I have 7 months to train for it from now, so I am hoping I can walk less than half of it, and run the rest of it. Still working on finding my first 5k - Brian's schedule conflicts with almost every one I have found that is somewhat close to the frozen tundra.

The giveaway closes tonight at 10pm.  I am getting a night out with some girlfriends, so I am not sure when I will get the winner drawn and posted on here.  I fully intend to NOT be home by 10, but stranger things have happened.  If nothing else, early tomorrow morning I will have it up.  The 10pm closing still applies - any comments left after 10pm will be deleted! :)

The One With Week 6 of the C25k DONE! and Monday Weigh Day

Okay, so I know it's not Monday.  I've been a tad busy lately.  Oh well, it is what it is, right?

So Monday's weigh in was good - I am down 1 more pound to 243! 4 pounds and I will be in the 230s.  And I have lost 27.8% of my goal! That's 17lbs in less than 2 months!  But moving on to bigger and better news....

I finished Week 6 of the C25k today!  I can now call myself a runner and not feel like the few minutes of walking I was still doing were cheating.  I ran for 25 minutes today, with no walking!  And I had a personal record for both pace and distance on the treadmill.  From here on out in my C25k journey, it's ALL running.  No more intervals for this chick!

As an added bonus, on my Daily Mile news feed today, one of my biggest supporters (Brodie) gave me a big shout out.  He's been very consistent on my workouts of congratulating me.  And the coolest thing is that he noticed how well I've been doing.  He's got 900+ friends on there, but he's seen the work I've done.  In less than 4 hours, I've tripled the # of friends I have on there who will be supporting me and cheering me on.  I haven't been able to stop smiling!  So Brodie, thank you SO much for being there and seeing me and what I've done.  And thank you, each of you for being there, and letting me be accountable to you.  I know you are there and watching and reading.

Monday Weigh Day

Well, I had a stand still week.  No loss, no gain.  But I knew this was going to be a hard week going in to it.  My oldest son turned 5 on Saturday.  How is it possible that he's 5!?!?! So bittersweet to watch your children growing up.

Anyhow, I am okay with no loss.  I mean, yeah, I would have loved to hit the 240s this week, but like a quote I read a few days ago says, "Don't wail on the scale if you cheat when you eat!"  hee hee.  The eating could have been a lot better this past week, but I still feel like I am moving forward.  Not every victory has to be a victory on the scale.  In fact, I am having more Non Scale Victories (NSV) than I thought, and each one feels so good.

Some of my NSVs lately - 

I am most definitely down a pants size!  I have 1 measly pair of jeans to my name that fit.  Just one.  In a size 22.  I refused to buy more.  Part of the whole hating to clothes shop thing, and part of the not wanting to admit I am fat.  They are TOO BIG!!!  I have to put a safety pin in them to try to keep them up, but even that doesn't seem to be enough some times.  I officially need a 20!  We're going shopping this week in civilization, and if I can find a pair that won't set me back too much $ (because I don't plan on needing them for long) I am getting new pants! :)

I was getting tired of feeling like every one of my C25k workouts was punishment, and that I wasn't moving anywhere, so this week, I redid Week 1 Day 1 of the program, and I could see a HUGE improvement!   I could run each 60 seconds without questioning if I was going to make it like I did when I started.  And to make it more difficult for myself, I pushed the pace to close to 5mph!  It was great.

Another C25k NSV - I decided I wasn't ready to move on to Week 4 this week.  The 2nd 3 minute run was beating me.  It was awful.  I wobbled between stopping, and pushing myself to the point that I thought I was going to puke.  Neither happened (thankfully), but it wasn't any fun either.  It wasn't something I was looking forward to, and I knew there was no way I could run like that for 5 minutes.  So today I gave myself permission to run slower on the 3 minute runs.  You know what happened?  I LOVED it!  I loved not having to question if I was going to make it.  So my pace slowed from 18:06 per mile to 19:00 per mile.  I don't care, because I had fun!  And it was empowering to allow myself a little wiggle room.  To not be pushing it so hard that I hate it.  I don't HAVE to hate getting healthy.  I should love it. And today I did. 

My aunt recently emailed me, and part of it was so powerful for me, I was in tears.  I'd like to share some of it with you.

 What really inspired my prayers and writing was your comment about how you will start to tell someone about what you are doing and then start discounting it. I just want to say.....DON'T Ever Do That Again! It made me feel so sad. There is nothing negative about what you are doing. It is all good. This is an incredible journey you are on and the beginning is just as important as the finish. So you don't look like a marathon runner right now. That is not the point. With confidence you tell others, and you inspire others. It is like saying the first part of anything isn't as important as the last. That is not true. If you don't pour the foundation on a house you can't possibly build the walls and put the roof on it. The first stone laid to build a church is as important as the last. You are laying the ground work, traveling the hardest part of the road right now for the sweet, sweet victory of the finish line later.

I had never thought about what I am doing right now being a foundation for things yet to come.  I was in the mind set of "when I get to X pounds, I can do Y."  I need to stop focusing on what I can't do yet, and put more energy and joy into what I CAN do now.  So I can't run at a 5mph pace for 3 minutes yet.  Big deal.  I CAN run at a 3.5mph pace, and I LIKE it.  And 5 minutes doesn't seem so scary anymore.  My slower pace is just the foundation.... It's not the prettiest part of the house, but there would be no pretty part without it.  It's  boring and nobody says "Oh, look at that foundation - I want that!!!"  But the beautiful part of my house and my journey are coming.

The One With One Holiday Down.... 2 to go!

Well, we made it through Halloween.  And I managed to do better than I expected or ever have at staying out of the Halloween candy.  Today, I took all the fodder for derailing me and making me drop into the self-loathing stage chocolate out of the bucket (we have what Brian calls "socialist candy" here) and put it in a ziploc bag at the bottom of the chest freezer.  I hate getting in there, so it should be safe.  And this way the boys still get to have their treats now and then.

I am kinda freaked at how to avoid all the junk of the upcoming holiday season.  I don't want it... I just need to not eat it.  Easier said than done, though I have been doing pretty darn good if I do say so myself, when it comes to will power.

I know we will have stuff in the house. I think my focus just needs to be on keeping things in the house that are good for me that I like, too.  That way if I do feel the need to snack, I don't totally blow it on some crap I don't want or need.

I am starting to notice small differences in my body, too.  I think I've dropped a pants size.  I am having a hello of a time keeping them up at the most in opportune moments.  But since we don't have any clothing stores here (unless I want to wear Wranglers, and I don't really) I have to wait until we are in civilization at some point.  I see and feel muscles defining in my legs that I've never seen before.  It's kinda cool.

On Thursday, I figured I would just try Week 3 of the c25k, and if it was horrible, I would go back to Week 2.  With only 2 short mini-breaks where I paused the workout on my app before running again, I did THE WHOLE THING!  That's insane!  I jogged for 3 minutes without stopping, or dying.  Do you know what kind of a feat that is for me?  I still am not loving the running when I am doing it, but I am really enjoying the feeling that I get when I finish one of the runs.

Other than working out and consciously making healthier food choices, the thing I am working on right now is working on not berating myself, or discounting what I am doing.  It's easy and habit for me to say something to someone about running or that I am training for a 5k, and then follow it up with something like "Oh, well, I'm not really running much."  Or, "training, HA!" Like because I am fat, I can't run and I can't train.  I don't want to box myself in like that, because I AM running and I am training.  My training isn't like that of a seasoned athlete preparing for a full marathon or triathlon, but it is the training of someone who wants to change their life, and who WILL run a 5k.  My runs may only be 90 seconds long, but it is RUNNING!  And they will get longer, and the walks will get shorter.

I am very much looking forward to Monday's weigh-in.  If things stay like they have been the last 2 mornings, I am DONE with the 250s!  We'll see though, only 3 days and 2 workouts until then! :)

And just for cuteness factor, here are the boys in their Halloween costumes - 

We interrupt this Sunday morning....

to bring your attention to the tickers at the bottom of the page.

Heidi is currently having technical difficulties, but hers should say 59 lb lost. Hooray!!!

Mine is down 7lbs.!  7lbs!  Woohoo!!!

Ok, that's it.  You can now return to your regular scheduled whatever! :)

The One With the First 5 Pounds!

Yep, that's right!  I am 5 pounds down from my starting weight!  WOOHOOO!!!!

Okay, got that out of my system.  Well, not really, but I can control it for the rest of the blog post.  I've decided for me that Mondays will be my weigh days.  I have a feeling it will help to keep me more on track on the weekends if I know that Monday morning will be my official weigh-in.  I am getting on the scale periodically throughout the week, just to keep me on track too.  But those weights won't count for my goal or reward.

Now would be a good time for me to explain the reward system I have put in place for myself.  I have 2 systems in place - 1 for exercising and 1 for losing the weight.  They will work together hand in hand.  This is how it works for me...

• For every day that I exercise for at least 1/2 hour, I get a star on my chart.  When I have accumulated 7 days, I get one reward day.
• For every 5lbs. I lose on my "official" weigh-in days I get a week of reward days.

What's a reward day you ask?  It's a day to drive our new to us Suburban or Yukon XL.  We haven't actually purchased one yet, so for the time being I am just accumulating time.  My husband and I have vastly different ideas of how often we should drive this, so this is a good compromise for us, and something that I really want!!! 

As of right now, I am sitting at 8 days of driving it!  I can't wait.  

For my other goals, this is what I would like to do:

• Get down to 199lbs. (reward for this is a Cricut - man I can't wait) - 61lbs. lost from SW
• Run at least one 5k in the next 6 months (need to check into availability on these)
• Possibly run the 1/2 marathon in our town in Sept. 2011.
• BE a runner.  I want to have the ability to run.  I want stamina and lung capacity for this.

I didn't really have a date in mind for this.  I'd like to use Heidi's date though, so we are both working with the same goal in mind, and the same time frame.  I know that puts me a little over 2 lbs. a week, so I might need to adjust the date to slightly further in April.  However, I am not changing it yet.  If I start adjusting goals before I even start, then what's the point?  Gotta keep myself honest.

Along the way, I will be rewarding myself with things like new clothes as I need them.  I can't have that as a main goal right now because of how much I hate to shop.  Woo, a reward I loathe.  No thanks.  I am expecting this to change though.

What are some goals YOU are working towards?  How are you keeping on track?