Crim 10 Mile Walk

I apologize for the lateness of this post. I've been VERY busy lately! My son Jacob will be starting kindergarten this coming Tuesday and we've had to go to orientation and I've had to go shopping for school supplies (suggested...not required) and food items for lunches. Our school district switched to all day kindergarten starting this school year (sorry if I've already said this) so I will need to pack him a lunch and an afternoon snack. They do have hot lunch...but I'm not a big fan...although from what I've read about our school lunch program it seems like they have improved the lunches quite a bit. *If anyone can give me healthy lunch ideas for a kid averse to sandwiches...he does like them, he's just going through a phase right now...I'd really appreciate it! So let me get to the MAIN EVENT!!!

It finally happened...my 10 mile walk in the Crim!!! It seemed like it would never get here. Not in a bad way. I loved my group training sessions (most of the time...see here for rant) as well as my C25K training along the way, but it just always seemed like the race was forever away...and now it has come and went.

Our team shirts...

We got a lot of compliments during the race.

I ended up NOT going for my first C25K week 8 workout on Thursday night. When I told my husband that I was planning on running he didn't think it was a good idea with the Crim just two days later. I had to get up at an UNGODLY hour the day of the race...around 5:30am. That IS an ungodly hour to me, the night owl. I made sure to have everything I was going to need set out the night before so I wouldn't have to search for anything with half an eye open. I got dressed and ate a blueberry bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. At 6:00am my mother-in-law came over to watch the kids and we ended up leaving around 6:20am or so. David parked a little farther away then I would have liked and we were both unhappy with that decision on the walk BACK to the car!

Waiting for the race to start.

My Crim training group was suppose to meet at a predetermined spot near the starting line at 7:15am so that we could take a group photo and just chat before starting the race. We had no plans of staying together once the race started. Everyone just goes at their own pace and if you happen to be with some group members, all the better, but no big deal if you aren't. When David and I got to that meeting spot, no one was there...not even our group leaders! I started to worry that the meeting spot had been changed and I didn't receive the e-mail/text. I'm NEVER the first one to show up anywhere (well...if its to wait in line for the midnight showing of Twilight or The Hunger Games...then I'm first at the theater!). Turns out my group leaders were just running behind...which is understandable when trying to find a parking space along with about 8,000 other people (and that's just the race participants)!!!  Some friends of ours met up with us to wish us good luck and we ended up talking until each of our waves were called. David was in wave C, while I was in wave E (the LAST wave).

I started off walking with G and T (I used a letter because I did not ask if I could use their names), a couple members of my training group and then we were met by two of our group leaders, A and C, when they caught up to us. After the first two miles I pulled ahead of G and T and kept pace with A and C for a good portion of the race. The atmosphere was awesome. There were so many people, businesses, schools, and churches that were lining the streets all along the 10 mile route. They were offering motivation, support, encouragement, water, Gatorade, beer, Hello Kitty imprinted toast (yes, you read that right), bacon, donuts (come on...really?), live bands, DJ'd music, or even just a round of applause for your accomplishment. It was really cool. I had pulled ahead of A and C around the 5 or 6 mile mark and was walking on my own until I could wait no longer to use one of the MANY port-a-potties. I HATE using a port-a-potty, but I was taking in A LOT of water (I wasn't going to pass up any opportunity to rehydrate with the temperatures climbing...reaching 90 by the time I finished). A and C caught up with me at that point and decided they needed to use the 'facilities' as well. I was going to wait for them when G and T passed us. C told me to go on and walk ahead with G and T so that's what I did. Shortly after crossing the 8 mile mark I looked up and saw David walking towards me!!! He had finished his run (obviously) and decided to walk back and look for me! Insert: AWWW...How sweet! So David ended up running 10 miles and then walking another 4 miles (2 to find me, and 2 to finish with me). His knees were hurting him pretty badly and I told him that while having him come back to find me was very nice of him, he should have just sat down (or walked at a slow pace around downtown so he didn't tighten up) and waited for me. By the time I made it to the finish line the crowd was pretty subdued...at least it seemed that way to me...but I didn't even hear them call my name right before I crossed the finish line so I was probably just zoning everything out. I ended up "gunning" it to the finish. As much as one can "gun" it after 10 miles and while only walking. : ) My finishing time...3:16:12! I also burned 1,010 calories on that walk. ; ) David finished in 1:35:26.

My finishing medal.

This year everyone who participated received a medal...lucky me!

I have some other non-weight loss related things in the works that are going to help me improve my life so they are relevant to this blog but I'll post about those later because it has already taken me WAY TOO LONG to get this Crim race report out. : )

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Wednesday. I have two school open houses to go to this afternoon/evening. Jacob's elementary school open house and Nathan's preschool open house! Busy, busy, busy!

Check the cord!

I meant to write Monday night to update on my weight check appointment with my family doctor...but my computer went out on me! Actually, it turns out that it was the ANCIENT power strip we were using...but I ended up hauling both our NEW and OLD computers over to my parents house so my Dad could fix them because neither one was working and I couldn't figure out why. So I haven't had a computer for about a day and a half and I seriously felt lost! lol That's so horrible to say...but I have my 'routine' in the morning. I get up with the kids, get them breakfast, make my breakfast, and sit at the computer and check my e-mail, facebook, and dink around on some other sites that I check daily. Not to mention that I'm usually on here at night after the kids go to bed because my husband likes to watch baseball (BORING) or any type of sale related reality show...Storage Wars, Shipping Wars, House Hunters, Pawn Stars (HATE HATE HATE that show), Love It or List It...and the list goes on and on...and ON!!! So I find things to do online...like write to you fine people about my boring life. : ) So needless to say, I feel like I've missed out on so much stuff in just a day and a half and catching up is hard to do! So many e-mails and other blog posts!

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OK...down to the nitty gritty. Monday I went in for my one month weight check since starting the Phentermine. If you remember, their scale is MEAN! Last month when I went in for a three month weight check, I had only lost 5 lbs. by their scale (accurate), but their scale had me weighing 240 lbs. instead of the 235 lbs. that my scale said the same day. So I was expecting it to read 5 lbs. heavier than my home scale...it was 3 lbs. heavier, but that could be because I always weigh myself in the morning right after getting up (and going potty...I know "potty?"...I'm a Mom) and before eating breakfast, so the 3 lbs. could just be the normal weight gained over the course of the day. According to their scale I was 226 lbs. which gave me a loss of 14 lbs. in ONE MONTH!!! It felt AWESOME to hear that and to then hear my doctor sing my praises!!! He said that it was a great accomplishment and that I should be really proud of myself. Then he asked if I wanted to continue taking the Phentermine for another month and I'm surprised that I didn't yell 'YES!'. So he gave me another prescription for a 30 day supply of Phentermine and had me schedule another weight check for next month. I felt AWESOME leaving that doctor's office.

Yesterday was my last Crim group training walk. We did just 3 miles at a location MUCH closer to my house! I was super geeked about that! Then we all went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I stayed a little lighter on calories during the day so that I wouldn't feel guilty about having the pasta. To be honest though, the food made me feel horrible almost immediately after eating it and I didn't even finish my food. It tasted really good, but it just didn't sit in my stomach well. I didn't even box up the leftovers. I'm going to miss this group of people and I hope that I stay in touch with a lot of them, even after the Crim is over (its this coming Saturday). I'm hoping that next year I'll be training to RUN the 10 mile race and I'll be so much smaller than that no one from my walking group will recognize me! : )

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Tomorrow I'm scheduled to run workout 1 of C25K's week 8 training...which will have me running a full 30 minutes straight. I'm a little nervous, but I think I can do it! We have to take Jacob to an orientation at his new school (he's starting Kindergarten) tomorrow night and I really hope I'm able to get home and run before it gets super dark. While I have enjoyed running in the dark before...the last time I did it I almost fell when I stepped on a loose rock and my ankle rolled sideways. I definitely don't want to get injured just days before my big 10 mile walk!!!

I hope everyone has a good Thursday! Remember to e-mail me at eatingawayernie(at)gmail(dot)com if you would be interested in reviewing and doing a giveaway for Plant Fusion products! : )

What an Accomplishment!

I REALLY didn't want to run tonight! That's becoming a repetitive statement on this blog isn't it? Well, its the truth...but you know what makes it ok that I say it over and over...and over again? The fact that I RUN ANYWAYS!!! Before I started this journey...actually, I should be honest and say before I started to get 'serious' on this journey...I would use ANY excuse to get out of something that I didn't want to do. Especially when it came to any type of exercise. I really have to thank those at the Crim Fitness Center that chose to pick me for one of their first scholarships for the Crim Adult Training Program. They gave me the accountability I needed to get my ass in gear!

Shortly after starting the training program to walk the Crim's 10 mile race I decided that I wanted to start running! For that inspiration, I have to give a HUGE thank you to Katie at Runs For Cookies! *And my Internet friend Melisse for telling me about Katie's blog in the first place! Katie is such an INSPIRATION!!! How inspirational is she? Well, I have NEVER....EVER...wanted to run. Even back in high school when I was a normal weight and had a boyfriend (now my husband) who ran on both the cross country and track teams. I always thought people who ran for more than just to save their lives were crazy! Katie's story made me WANT to run...to even be EXCITED to start...and start NOW!!! So, here I am...12 weeks later...getting ready to start my last week, week 8, of my C25K training...having ran in two 5k races and walking over 9 miles straight during a Crim group training session! Oh yeah, and 25 lbs. closer to my goal weight! : )

So yes, I did NOT feel like running tonight...but I did! I ran workout number 3 of C25K's week 7 training...and it HURT!!! My legs, knees, and ankles were killing immediately after I started running...so much so that I was very close to stopping, but my previous experiences with pain in my legs at the start of a run tells me that as my legs warm up the pain will subside. However, this time I also started to get a cramp on my right side...right up under my rib cage...but I didn't stop. I kept on going and eventually the cramp subsided along with the pain in my legs. Unfortunately the cramp came back around the half way point, even worse than before. It hurt to breathe for a short time...but I kept going and again the cramp subsided. I felt like I was tired way earlier than I was the last time I ran this workout, but I was determined to finish...and I did! I was even a touch faster than last time too! The best thing though...is the feeling of accomplishment. The feeling that I did something that I never thought I would be able to do...and that I did it even though it wasn't easy for me! I had to push myself to finish, and to finish strong! I pushed myself so hard during the last 90 seconds of the run that I was still catching my breath when I got back to my front porch after a 5 minute cool down walk!

Even though my legs hurt and I just feel achy and sore all over...I'm so happy I did it and so proud of myself for doing what I thought was impossible! : )

I hope everyone had a great weekend and that Monday isn't too horrible! Tomorrow I have my first weigh check since starting the Phentermine one month ago! I'm ready for my doctor to be happy with my progress thus far! : )

Catch-Up...Not Ketchup!

I have no idea why I titled this post that way...I'm goofy...this post has nothing whatsoever to do with ketchup.

I've really been slacking on the blog posts...but I've been busy with life. I'll try to get caught up.

Tuesday night I walked 6 miles with my Crim training group. My legs were sore and tired and it took more effort than usual to finish and the "group" got split in half, which isn't suppose to happen. It was pretty irritating when the whole idea of being in a "group" is to stay together and help others along. We do something called a "circle back", which is when those getting a little too far ahead turn around and WALK to the back of the very last person in the group...making them the new leader of the group. It is not only for safety but to help out those that may be struggling to know that we are there to support them and that we wouldn't leave them behind. A few members of our group seemed to have forgotten that practice on Tuesday. The group actually got split into two and those in the front had to be made told to circle back. The thing is...they didn't "circle back"...they just stopped walking and waited for the rest of us to catch up. I'm not going to say that I've never done that...but the ONLY time I did was when my feet were hurting and I needed to slow down so I waiting to be at the back of the group so I could walk at a slower pace. However, this continued to happen for the entire 6 miles...we'd get so far apart that someone would finally ask those in the front to circle back and they would proceed to take a little break and wait for the rest of the group to catch up. Maybe I'm over reacting but to me, that just doesn't show support for those who need to go at a slower pace or who are struggling through some physical problems. They are trying to complete the same 6 miles as those faster, fitter walkers and to just stop and take a rest just seems rude. What about those people in the back? They don't get to rest...they keep walking to catch up...and when they do they don't stop and rest...everybody just starts walking again. So, if you ask me, those in the back of the group worked way harder on Tuesday's walk then those in the front. That kind of turned into a rant...lol...I wasn't planning on that. Apparently it bothered me more than I thought! Hopefully it'll be much better for our final group training walk next Tuesday, which will only be three miles.

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On Wednesday, David and I took the kids to the Genesee County Fair. We all had a good time and the boys really had fun riding the carnival rides and seeing all of the animals. I made sure to keep us away from the pigs! We don't need some new strain of swine flu hitting our family! I even got to see two white tigers!!! I have ALWAYS wanted to see a white tiger in person. They just seem like just majestic, beautiful animals. The fair was charging $3.00 to see then and David had no interest in seeing them or paying for the whole family to see them so while he was taking the boys on a ride I asked my mother-in-law to watch the baby while I paid the $3.00 to go in. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity! IT WAS SO COOL! There was a momma and her hundred pound 18 month old baby! The momma was laying at one end of a large connected three room cage. I was lucky that a couple that walked in right before me paid to get a picture taken of them feeding the momma tiger so I got to watch the momma stand up and pose for her photo before she got a little treat of a chunk of meat they were holding on a long grasper stick.

More impressive was the 'baby' tiger. He was HUGE! I was shocked when the lady said he was 100 lbs. and only 18 months old! His paws were the size of dinner plates! Anytime I have ever been to the zoo, all of the animals seem to be sleeping or just laying down...not this baby boy! He had what looked like a piece of a burlap sack in his mouth and he was running back and forth between the cages and tossing his head back and forth like you would see a puppy do with a toy. It was so cute...and just plain cool to see such a large powerful animal playing like that! I could feel the ground vibrate with his every foot fall! Beautiful, beautiful animal! I'm so glad I went ahead and paid to see them...really a bargain at $3.00! : )

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On Thursday, my son Jacob (the one who had a horrible reaction to an unknown source...likely a bee sting...about two months ago) was stung 19 TIMES by hornets that swarmed him in our front yard!!! David was mowing the yard on our riding mower and my son was kind of following him around because he wanted a ride (he was a safe distance away). David then noticed that Jacob was running right behind the mower crying and when he stopped to see what was wrong he saw that Jacob was COVERED in hornets (he was only wearing a pair of shorts...no shirt or shoes). He immediately brushed them off and then brought him in the house. I had been finishing up making dinner when David brought him in and I went to sit him up on the table to see how many times he was stung. The moment I set him on the table he cried out "OUCH!" and I immediately took him off the table and David said "There's one on the back of his shorts still." I went to brush it away and it came towards me and I swatted at it again. Then I noticed that there were two more still on his shorts so I quickly took his shorts off and three flew out!!! I grabbed Jacob's epi-pen and injected him with it. We didn't know if they were bees or hornets at this time and either way we still don't know what he had the bad allergic reaction to the last time. I then felt a sting on my stomach and lifted up my shirt and one of those F-ers got up my shirt and stung me once on one side of my stomach, which I didn't even feel (adrenaline worrying about Jacob probably) and four freakin' times on the other side! David wanted to let him sit and calm down and just "see what happens"!!! WTH??? NO...you (or I) are taking him to the ER RIGHT NOW...or I'm calling an ambulance!!! I am a horrible mom when it comes to staying calm in a scary situation and I know I was freaking poor Jacob out more, but I couldn't help it...while David under-reacts!!! He did end up taking him in where they gave him some benedryl through an IV. He never reacted like he did last time, but the ER doctor said that could be a result of giving him the epi-pen which he said I was completely right to do. They were home about two to three hours later with a prescription for a steroid to take for three days to ward off any reaction that might happen after the epi-pen and benedryl wore off. I just thank God that he is ok!

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Friday evening I did workout number 2 of C25K week 7 training. I REALLY didn't feel like running...but it had been three full days since I had last ran so I knew that I HAD to. I struggled through it and finished strong (in my opinion) but I was slower this time than I was last time...BUT I really can't compare the two workouts from the data on my Garmin because for the first time ever (during the last workout) it didn't record properly. I can't remember if I mentioned it in my post about that first C25K week 7 workout but it said that I did my first 5 minutes, which is suppose to me a brisk warm up walk, at a 12:?? min/mile pace!!! lol Yeah right...I can't even run that fast, let alone walk. However, I did do the running portion a little slower this time, but I wasn't feeling all that great...mentally or physically...my legs were still bothering me since the Great Pizza Challenge 5k. Hopefully I'll do better next time...which should be tomorrow night.

Not too bad.

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Today we took the kids to Lapeer Days...a local downtown weekend festival and carnival. They have a Beautiful Baby contest every year that I just MUST enter my kids in. Both of my boys were entered in it every year that they were eligible...and both won a trophy in different years. They never got first place...but every mom knows that their child is the first place cutest child in their book. : ) This year was the first year that both boys were too old to do it and it was Isabel's second year being entered. Every year I am SO sure that my child is going to win first place and every year I am always shocked when they don't. First, I have to say that this year the people who were running the contest had NO IDEA what they were doing!!! They decided to do it differently then they have any other year that I've done it and it did NOT work well. I really don't feel like getting into the boring details of how they goofed up. I just need to say that my precious little Isabel, who was so good and so patient through out the whole thing, did not place at all. : (

Sorry about the quality...it was taken on my crappy phone camera.

Who could NOT think that this is the cutest baby ever??? ; )

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Two last things...

1. Did you check out the left hand column??? I lost FIVE pounds this week!!! I am now 223 lbs. and 25 lbs. down total!!!

2. Any fellow bloggers out there...Scott, the Plant Fusion representative that I arranged my product review and giveaway with asked I would find any other bloggers that would be interested in doing a product review and giveaway of Plant Fusion's products on their blogs. So if you are interested e-mail me: eatingawayernie (at) gmail (dot) com.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. I'm not sure what we're doing tomorrow...I just know I'm sleeping in! : )

Blue Jean Baby

"L.A. lady...seamstress for the band"

I love that song!

I decided to clean out my closet today...mostly because I needed the room. I FINALLY got ALL of my laundry done and realized that I do not have enough drawer or closet space, or hangers to put all of my clothes away. *Remember I told you that I was a horrible housekeeper! So I got some empty totes from the garage and decided that I would take all my jeans (David also found me a tote full of jeans that said "Erin's Jeans...TOO SMALL" with a frown face) and separate them into sizes and then put them in the tote...starting with the smallest size first so that I could go through the tote as I lose the weight. ; ) I cannot believe how many pairs of jeans I own...that DON'T fit!!! I have maybe three pairs of jeans that I can fit into right now, and only one of which I ever wear...same thing with shorts. I'm still wearing my maternity shorts because they are the most comfortable.

Front: [Half of Nathan's head...lol] 6, 8, 9, 10, 11; Back: 12, 13-14, 14, 16, & 18

Then I decided that I would do the same thing with shirts. So I pulled all of the shirts out of my closet that I do not currently fit into. Several of which still have the tags on them!!! When I was losing weight a few years ago I had needed to buy new clothes because I dropped a couple sizes having lost 40 lbs. I was optimistic and purchased quite a bit of clothing that was even smaller than the size I was then able to fit in because I just KNEW I was going to be getting to that size soon...but I never did...so the clothes have sat in my closet just waiting for that day when I would finally lose the weight.

Left to Right: Medium, Large, XL-XXL, & 1X
All of the mediums are brand new with the tags still on. : /

So now I have two totes full of new or slightly used (because I gained weight pretty steadily over the years and wasn't able to wear any of my smaller sized clothing out) clothes separated by sizes so that I can just open them up and get out the next size I will need. The smallest size jeans I have are a size 6 that I bought while I was losing the weight before as part of my "goal" outfit. I have never been a size 6. I thought that my senior prom dress was a size 6...but I was looking at it when we moved and its a size 7. So the smallest pair of jeans I have that were actually worn by me at one time are a size 8. What I find funny is that I haven't looked at smaller sized jeans in quite awhile but from what the media makes you believe, a size 8 is still "big"...but when I was looking at those size 8's they looked SO TINY!!! I would be THRILLED to fit into those 8's!!! I know I will get there...slowly, but surely. Right now I just wish that my current size pants (20-24 depending) would just feel loose! I've lost 21 lbs. you would think that I would start to feel a difference in how my clothes fit...but I don't and that is pretty frustrating...especially when I'm doing so well with watching my calorie intake and exercising regularly! Soon...hopefully...soon! : )

I hope everyone has a good Tuesday. I get to walk 6 miles tonight with my Crim training group...this will be our second to last group training session before the race!!! Yikes...time flies!

C25K Week 7...Four weeks late

I am now in week 7 (its actually been 11 weeks) of my C25K training...are you getting sick of hearing about it yet? This week takes me back to doing one set workout for the whole week (three workouts). So no more changing it up with every workout...YAY!!!

Last night I started the week 7 workout which is a 5 minute walking warm up followed by running for 25 MINUTES straight!!! I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do it...but I was sure as hell gonna try! What I find weird is that ever since I overcame my fear of running 20 minutes straight back in week 5 I now look forward to the longer stretches of running. I would much rather run for twenty-some minutes straight than to break it up into intervals...intervals are harder!!! Not that running for an extended period of time isn't hard, but you can get into a "zone" when you don't have to stop and restart again.

I was worried that even though it had been three days since my 5k race that my legs still weren't ready to go out and run. Not to mention that our new house has a basement which is where our kids playroom with there bazillion toys is and my boys continue to forget to close the door so that Isabel doesn't crawl over and fall down the stairs. So at one point she was sitting right on the ledge and I had to sprint to get to her. My calves and shins KILLED after that. In hindsight, I probably should have just taken another rest day, but I'm eager to move on (in some respects) and my husband kept saying that I had enough rest days. I try to explain to him that its not the same for me...at 228 lbs. (226 as of this morning...YIPPY!)...as it is for him at 130 lbs!!! Especially since he's been a runner all his life.

As soon as I started walking I could feel that my left hamstring was sore (or tight?) but I thought it would work itself out after I started running. At first my hamstring actually hurt worse when I started running and the muscles around my ankles were pretty sore as well. As I continued the soreness in both areas cut back, but never completely went away. I really hate the first and last couple minutes of running. At the beginning I always feel like its way too hard and that I'm not going to be able to run for long...and by the end my legs are heavy, sore, and tired...but there is that awesome in between time when I get into a zone and my legs are strong and I feel like I could keep running at that pace forever. I was able to get into that zone for awhile and I made three loops around the end of the street (normally I make it two and a half before the running interval is over) and when I can around the cul de sac for the third time I thought I'd check my watch, figuring that I'd have maybe 5 minutes left...at the MOST...it read NINE MINUTES!!! This is where the mental part of running really starts to come into play. I was thinking...'I'm so tired RIGHT NOW...how can I possibly make it for nine more minutes???' but I knew that the last time I did a C25K workout I had run for 22 minutes straight...so I was only adding 3 minutes of running to what I had already been able to accomplish...so I just kept telling myself that even though nine minutes seemed like a lot...I had already been able to run six of those nine minutes the last time I ran. So really, the hardest part was going to be completing those three extra minutes...and what's three extra minutes when you've ran twenty two minutes already? I know I slowed way down...but I finished the whole 25 minutes...without stopping to walk. I was really sore and tired...but I did it! I continue to amaze myself with what I'm able to make my body accomplish!

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I started taking my Copaxone injections for the MS on Friday. A nurse came out to my house to show me how to use the auto injector. Thank the Lord for giving some brilliant person the idea to invent an auto injector! I don't think I would be able to poke myself. I was so nervous about starting this medication. I was worried about what side effects I would have and how it would make me feel just in general. So far so good. I did have some injection site reactions the first two times (welting, hot to the touch, and a lump) but nothing too bad. Last night I didn't have any reaction. : ) Let's hope it stays that way! There is always the possibility of some scary side effects that apparently happen rarely, but could happen immediately after ANY injection...so it could be three years from now on my 945th injection that I could experience chest pain/tightness, anxiety, and heart palpitations! Yikes! I'll just keep praying that I never have those side effects and that this medication works!

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I'm still doing well on the Phentermine for weight loss. Although I didn't lose anything this last week (a certain "aunt" came to visit). I have been noticing an increase in headaches lately, which is a side effect of the medication. However, with my history of migraines, these minor headaches aren't that bothersome. I just pop some ibuprofen and I'm good to go again.

As of this morning I'm at 226 lbs. that's 9 lbs. lost since starting the Phentermine three weeks and two days ago! Not bad!!! : )

I hope everyone has a good week! I'm planning on taking my kids to the Genesee County Fair and then to Lapeer Days over the weekend where I'll enter Isabel in the Beautiful Baby contest. ; )

The GREAT Pizza Challenge Race Report!!!

I put great in all caps for the title because it was a great race. I got myself a new 5k PR!!! I finished in 45:53...2:33 faster than I did at the Huckleberry Hustle!!!

I had to leave as soon as David got home from work so that I wouldn't be late. He wasn't planning to come along because he would have all three kids in tow (ahem...something that I do everyday) and it looked like it was going to rain. So I headed out all by myself. I didn't even have any friends that were coming to cheer me on. However, I did know that there would be a few ladies from my Crim training group there so I figured that I would just cheer them on when I was done. : )

It started raining right before the race started. It wasn't raining hard...just "spitting" as my Grandpa says. I decided to bring my mp3 player along this time so that I could just concentrate on myself and try to tune out what everyone around me was doing. I made a conscious effort to not start out too fast, although that really wasn't a problem because I got caught behind a few walkers at first. I should also mention that they handed out the t-shirts when you picked up your race numbers so I had to carry that along with me. I had brought my water bottle with me but I left it in the car because I didn't want to carry it the whole race and I figured they'd have a couple water stations throughout the course....WRONG!!! They had ONE water station at what I'm guessing was the halfway point. I was almost hoping it would rain harder so that I could stick my tongue out and get some water that way!

I told myself that I would run until I had listened to at least 5 songs on my mp3 player (about 20-22 minutes or so...which would've put me where I was in my C25K training) but the fifth song that played was a SUPER LONG song...so it could have partly been a mental thing...but I got a little ways past the 1 mile marker and had to stop running. I had been planning to walk through the water stations when I came to them to give me a little catch up breath...but one never came (yet) so I stopped running and then a short time later I came up on the water station...nice! I wasn't sure how long I was going to walk for. I was super tired and I could barely see through my glasses from the rain. The race shirt I was carrying actually came in handy for wiping the rain off of my glasses. I did end up putting my glasses on top of my head for a short time while I walked.

As I came up to the 2 mile marker I decided that I would start running at the 2.2 mile mark (I had a brain fart...thinking that a 5k was 3.2 miles, not 3.1) and try to make it all the way to the finish. When I first started running again I thought...there is no f-ing way that I am going to make it even 30 more seconds let alone a whole mile...but I was coming up on a road intersection that we had to cross and was blocked off my a couple local police cars and the cops were standing in the street making sure to turn cars away. I didn't want to stop running in front of them so I figured I'm make it through the intersection and then start walking again on the other side...but then it started to get a little easier and I didn't feel like I needed to stop anymore.

The closer I got to the finish I just kept thinking 'I can't stop NOW...I'm almost there!' So even though my legs were burning from HUGE HILLS the slightest inclines, I made it around the last corner and I could SEE the finish line. I picked up the pace...at least I think I did...and I thought the official time clock read 47 minutes and I was worried that I wasn't going to beat my previous PR then I heard "GO MOMMY!!!" and I looked over and saw David and the kids! The shoulders of Jacob's shirt were all wet from standing in the rain but he was happy to see me and cheering for me. It was so awesome to see them there cheering me on at the end.

David actually remembered to bring the camera...so I have this one blurry cruddy picture to share with you...right before I finished. I'm only smiling because I saw my family there cheering for me! : )

 When I got closer to the finish line I noticed that the official time actually said 45 minutes 49 seconds!!!! I picked up the pace even more to try and get there before it switched to 46 minutes, but I didn't make it. It was pretty cool out and David didn't put jackets on the kids or even bring a blanket for Isabel so he wanted to get going. I said that they could go ahead and go home and that I was going to cheer for the ladies in my group, get my free pizza (it was gross and cold...yuck) and then leave. Jacob wanted to stay with me so David took Nathan (who wasn't happy to be out in the cold rain at all...not even to cheer on Mommy) and Isabel home and Jacob and I stayed and cheered for my other group members as they crossed the finish line. They were together in a group, but I noticed that one of the ladies wasn't with them. A guy came riding up on a bike to tell the man manning the finish line that there were only about five people left and they were just around the corner. I decided to wait for my last group member to cross the finish line. She was second to last, but she did it and that is so awesome! She is a breast cancer survivor and such an inspiration...and super funny too! : )

When I got home David went on line for me to see if the official race results were up yet...and they were. Turns out the official clock didn't match what my final time was because my chip didn't start my time until I crossed the starting line...so my final time was 45:53!!! That's 2:33 faster than my time for the Huckleberry Hustle!!!

Plant Fusion Giveaway Winner is...

Miss Carrie Ann from What Have I Got to Lose?!

Carrie, I need you to send me an e-mail so I can give/get the details! : ) Congratulations!!!

eatingawayernie (at) gmail (dot) com

Plant Fusion *Giveaway CLOSED*

I have been given, what appears to be a rare opportunity, to try samples of Plant Fusion's Plant Protein powders. I was not approached by the company...I e-mailed them and asked if I could have a free sample before I spent the money on a 1 lb. container. As I became a more avid couponer (I need desperately to get back into couponing. I haven't been doing it since my daughter was born and our pocketbook feels it...BADLY!) I learned that it never hurts to write a company and ask for coupons for their product. Especially for those items that never seem to have a coupon. Sometimes it worked...I received some coupons for Children's Motrin when I wrote them....at the same time I had written to Tylenol asking for coupons for their Children's Tylenol products and they responded back with a firm NO! My point in this is to say that when I was seeing posts in the discussion group for the Lose a Marathon Challenge through Run With Jess about different protein powders and how many were using Plant Fusion I wanted to try it...without making a commitment to a large container before knowing if I liked it. So I thought, if I can write a company for coupons, why not write Plant Fusion and ask for some free samples to try.

I heard back from a representative at Plant Fusion the very next day and though he informed me that they really are not set up to give out samples he would be happy to send me some. I should also mention that I did not mention my blog in my e-mail. I simply explained my journey briefly and asked if they would be gracious enough to send me a free sample or two. The only way that he knew about my blog was because I have the web address below my signature. He wrote that Plant Fusion would, in exchange for the free samples, appreciate it if I would mention my thoughts about their product on my blog.

That sounded awesome to me...my first product review post! I wrote him back telling him that I would be happy to write a product review as long as he realized that I would be completely honest about it, whether I liked it or not. I then asked if they would be willing to sponsor a giveaway through my blog for their product. So not only do I get to try their product and write my first product review...but I also get to have my first GIVEAWAY!!!

A little information on Plant Fusion taken from their website which you can see here (or the other numerous places I linked you to it)...

"PlantFusion is a nutritionally-complete plant protein supplement that happens to be highly digestible AND free of common food irritants. The combination of four exceptional plant proteins scores a perfect 1.0 on the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). PDCAAS is the gold standard for rating the quality of protein for human nutrition."

 Their protein powders are dairy, soy, animal, and gluten free as well as hypoallergenic. Great news for all of those out there who need to be on special diets.

As you can see by the photo above I received a free sample of all four of their flavors...chocolate, vanilla, chocolate raspberry, and unflavored! I tried the chocolate powder first and prepared it as instructed, with 10-12 oz. of water. I used my blender to make sure that I got it mixed really well and it tasted pretty good. Obviously since I was using water it wasn't very creamy or really all that thick but it had nice subtle chocolate taste. When I say subtle, for me, I would've liked it to be a little more chocolaty tasting but it was good. I had no problem finishing the whole glass and I'm sure there are people out there who would rather have a more subtle taste than to have it taste like a milk shake.

Next I tried the chocolate raspberry flavor. *Now the website shows "Berry" as a flavor. I contacted Scott from Plant Fusion (he's the representative I've been corresponding with) and he told me that they have discontinued the "Berry" flavor and the chocolate raspberry is what they replaced it with. I chose to mix it with fat free milk this time instead of water, along with about 6 ice cubes. I realize that some people cannot use milk and that a major selling point for Plant Fusion is that it is completely hypoallergenic...dairy free included...however, I do NOT have a milk allergy and usually prefer protein shakes mixed with milk because it makes them taste a litter richer and creamier. I enjoyed the chocolate raspberry flavor...its definitely more decadent than the plain chocolate powder...and may even seem a little too sweet if you aren't looking for a dessert tasting shake at the time. This flavor would be best for those with a MAJOR sweet tooth or for those who do their workouts in the evening, after dinner, so it would be like a dessert.

I tried the vanilla bean flavor next. I am not a big vanilla (by itself) fan...in hindsight though I wish I had mixed just the vanilla powder in and tasted it before adding anything else so I could give an honest opinion of how the vanilla itself tasted. Instead, I made a shake recipe that I had been salivating over from the first time I read the name..."Snicker's Shake" (from Katie at Runs for Cookies)!!! I used sugar free pudding mixes (except the Oreo one...couldn't find sugar free for that) and I couldn't find the Torani sugar-free caramel syrup so I used Smuckers Sugar Free Caramel Sauce. I was completely skeptical that it would taste just like a Snickers bar...but it REALLY DOES!!! It was SOOO good!!! Its definitely best for after the evening workout as a dessert type shake.

Ok, I had no idea what to do with the unflavored protein powder so I e-mailed Scott at Plant Fusion (for the 10th time or so) and asked for some ideas. He said that people like to put it in baked goods, no bake protein bars, as well as into their own shake flavors. I chose to put it in a pancake mix. I should NOT have done this...I am horrible with modifying batter or baking recipes. They looked good and the flavor was fine...you could smell the protein powder, but there was no taste to it. The problem was the consistency of the pancakes...they were pretty much custard thick dough in the middle even after cooking. I know exactly what I did wrong...actually a couple of things that I did wrong. First, I cut the pancake batter recipe in half so that I would only be making enough for me to eat. Secondly, I first mixed the batter without adding the Plant Fusion protein powder and then made my baby girl Isabel a pancake. So I then added the packet of unflavored protein powder to the remaining pancake batter. There was a lot more powder in that little packet than I thought and I ended up having to add more milk to the batter to get the right batter consistency again. So, I completely failed on making some protein packed pancakes. I did eat them...only half of the stack though...they were so thick and filling. I'm sure you all will do better if you get the unflavored kind.

I'm horrible at taking food pictures. lol

I am definitely planning on buying a larger container of the Plant Fusion protein powder. I'm pretty sure I am going to get the vanilla bean flavor because I can just add cocoa powder to the blender if I want any kind of chocolate shake.

I have to thank Scott from Plant Fusion for allowing me to write up this product review and for being gracious enough to not only send me all the great samples but to agree to give away a one pound container of Plant Fusion's protein powder to one of my followers!

The giveaway will run until Friday evening (11:59pm EST).

To enter you need to do the following:

1) Be a follower of my blog. *By clicking "Join this site" under the "Followers" heading in the left side bar.*
2) "Like" the Plant Fusion facebook page.
3) Then leave a comment on this post telling me what flavors you'd like to see Plant Fusion make next. Along with which of Plant Fusion's four flavors you would like to receive.

I will be using an online random number selector to chose the winner. : )

I will announce the winner by Sunday night. The winner should e-mail me their mailing address so that I can get it to Scott at Plant Fusion ASAP! : )

Good luck everyone!

20 Pounds DOWN!!!

First I must apologize for not posting for so long. Nathan turned 4 on August 3rd and we were suppose to have a party for him but both of my boys got sick a couple of days before so it was postponed. Yesterday Isabel seemed to be getting a fever too, but she was acting pretty normal all day so I hope she doesn't get any worse. I also felt pretty crappy yesterday as the day went on. I was planning to do workout 3 of C25K's week 6 training which would've had me running for 22 minutes straight but my legs were aching and my lower back as well. I just didn't feel right, still really don't...not sure if this is the bug the kids had or not but I don't like the feeling...like my bones fell apart and were put together wrong.

Ok...let me back up a bit. I last posted Tuesday morning so I didn't get to tell you about my (almost) TEN MILE Crim training walk! I'll share my splits...but they are really messed up because I thought I would try and stop my Garmin when we stopped for someone to use a bathroom or get some water. I really shouldn't have done that because I ended up forgetting to restart it one time and lost about a quarter mile or so from my total walking time. Oh well I guess. : /

See...all jacked up.

Maybe I didn't lose the distance??? I don't know...I'll have to experiment and see if my Garmin still records the distance difference between when the training session is paused and restarted like it does with elapsed/moving time. I'll get back to you on the answer to that one.

The bottom of my left foot started to hurt around mile 3. I had my show tied a little too lose so my heel was popping up and down with each step. I thought it wouldn't be that big of a deal...but evidently it was. I stopped and retied my shoe when it started hurting...but it was too late. My foot just started hurting worse and worse. It felt I was dragging the pad of my foot across sand paper with every step. As you can see...it took us a REALLY long time...but we did it!!! It wasn't super fun to walk through Flint after dark but we stuck together and it was fun for the most part.

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My birthday boy. Can't believe he started out as a tiny preemie! He's almost the same weight and height as his big brother. You can see some of his newborn pictures by clicking on the March of Dimes tab at the top of the page.

I took two full days to "recover" from that long walk before I went out for a C25K workout. Friday, my son Nathan turned 4. As I said, both boys got sick a couple of days before so I wasn't having the pirate themed party...but I got out some eye patches and their pirate hats because I knew how much Nathan was looking forward to it. Jacob and Nathan were both feeling pretty much all better (go figure)...I say pretty much because David stopped on the way home and bought a cake (the one for the party was cancelled) and neither boy ate their piece!!!

Jacob was Capn' Nathan's First Mate. : )

We got him his first bike. He really was happy about the Lightning McQueen bike...he just got a little scared riding it for the first time. Our driveway is on a little bit of a downward slope so he was gaining speed as he went.

Isabel was the race flag girl. Nathan's bike came with caution cones and a flag to have races with.

It was very humid out so I waited and waited....and waited to go for my run. At 9:00pm I finally decided that I just had to go even if it wasn't much cooler. It was almost completely dark by the time I left. C25K's week 6 day 2 workout had me doing warm up walk; 10 minutes running; 3 minutes walking; 10 minutes running; cool down. I had my music on and it actually felt really good to start running...never thought I'd say that...and it felt EASY...GASP! I made sure to concentrate on my breathing and just trying to listen to my music...but my mind did wander. The road I live on dead ends in a cul de sac that only has two LARGE homes...the rest is woods. I mentioned it was just about completely dark when I STARTED, right??? So my mind wanders to the book I picked for this month's book club...its called World War Z by Max Brooks...its a fictitious (obviously) account of a zombie apocalypse. Its really a very interesting book...but when you running...by yourself...in the dark...down a dead end woods-lined dirt road...its not the best book to start thinking about. As I turned away from the woods to start heading back home all I could envision were zombies coming out of the woods after me. I made sure not to look back...lol. Luckily, the zombies in this book are of the snail's pace variety so I knew if I kept running at my turtle pace I was 'safe'. I actually joked to myself that it was probably a good thing that I thought about that book...it gave me motivation to keep on running. I was freaked out enough that I went ahead and ran back in front of my house...which I never do...I always circle back and run around the cul de sac again...but THAT wasn't happening NOW! So I had to run up the slight incline to get back to my house...that wasn't fun at all...but I should start to run some 'hills' anyways. I was VERY tired by the end of the workout...but I finished...and I didn't walk during either of the 10 minute running intervals. : )

I was pretty slow...but I did run a different part of my road for the second 10 minutes.

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This Thursday I will be participating in my second 5k as a runner! The Great Pizza Challenge! This was the other race that I walked in back in 2007. I was pushing my son Jacob, then 4 months old in a stroller. This is a ROAD race (thank God!) so I should hopefully do much better than I did last month in the Huckleberry Hustle. I'll be sure to post a race report.

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I have now, as of this morning, lost TWENTY POUNDS since I started this journey in January!!! While I was hoping to be much farther along by now I am still happy that I have reached this mini goal!!! The Phentermine is really helping me stay on track with my diet. I am still not always making the healthiest food choices (mostly because of availability and time constraints) but I'm making sure to stay within my daily calories goal. You have to start somewhere, right? Since I have been on the Phentermine I have lost 8 pounds...that's almost 4 pounds a week! I'm hoping that I can keep up this rate of weight loss for a little while. I have a couple important weddings coming up and I would like to be able to wear something that I don't feel like a tent in.

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Last, but certainly not least...I am having my first GIVEAWAY!!! Be sure to check back tomorrow for my very first product review post and GIVEAWAY!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!!

I hope everyone is having a great Monday (do those exist?). I will be doing my C25K week 6 day 3 workout tonight since I didn't do it last night! Wish me luck...22 minutes running in a row! Never could have imagined that back in May! : )

Sick Kids

I haven't left you...just have two sick kids...the day before Nathan's 4th birthday and party. : ( Had to postpone the party.

I'll be back soon to report on my looooong 9 mile walk and my first GIVEAWAY!!! : )

Enjoy your Thursday night!