A 'Titanic' Weekend

It feels like its been a lot more than four days since I posted last...but I'm glad it hasn't been. Here comes your weekend recap!

Saturday morning was spent getting ready for my friend's wedding reception and submitting my final weigh in for my Mommies Facebook group challenge. I had NO IDEA what I was going to wear to the reception. It was an backyard reception (they were married the night before in a backyard wedding) and was also the first pretty cool day since springtime. The few dress clothes I had recently worn were now too big : ) so I had to figure something else out. Remember my post about sorting all of my clothes into sizes and storing them with the next size down on top? Well, I decided to go downstairs and take a look and see if I might possibly fit into anything. I ended up bring up a few things...including two pairs of size 18 dress pants (grey and black) that I didn't try on but figured even if they didn't fit quite yet that I would be able to fit into them soon. So there I am Saturday morning staring at three pairs of dress pants (the two size 18 pairs and a black pair size 20?) and four sweaters (two were size 2X and two were XXL...what is the difference? They both have two X's!). I decided to try on the black size 18 pants first and I was praying the whole time I was pulling them up..."God, please let them fit, please let them fit!" and THEY FIT!!! *They even started falling down as the day went on...I kept having to hike them back up! The XXL shirts were bright colored...one pink and one baby/aqua-ish blue...and I didn't really want to stand out like that so I figured I would see if the 2X light grey sweater would fit. I was actually hoping that it would be too big but it fit perfectly. I have worn those 2X sweaters quite a bit and therefore washed them quite a bit and all I can figure is that it shrunk some over several drying sessions...or I was wearing them WAY too tight before...which is possible because I know there was NO WAY I was buying 3X ANYTHING!

Found this picture of me wearing the green 2X sweater...the grey sweater is the exact same sweater. Looks like it was pretty tight...you can see the white tank top through the stretched knitting.

So anyways, I was pretty happy with how I looked and I was fairly confident that I would be warm enough and it actually stayed at an acceptable temperature most of the time we were there. I would have gone even if I had to wear a parka though! ; ) I hadn't seen him in a couple of YEARS and was really looking forward to seeing him and being able to be a part of celebrating his wedding! We had a really good time. I just wish I would have gotten to talk to him and his new bride more, but that's how it goes at all weddings...or any party for that matter. If you are the host or guest of honor it seems like you never get to spend as much time with each guest as you would like. I'm hoping that we'll be able to get together and visit before its been another couple years.

Oh, right before we were about to leave to go to the wedding reception I got a text message from the lady heading up our weight loss challenge telling me that she was about to post the results! I hurried over to the computer (even though we were already 15 minutes late in leaving our house) and logged in to Facebook. I was so sure I was going to see that I had won...but I did not. : ( I lost by 3.5 measly points!!! The mommy who won is a freaking workout MACHINE...and that's what put her over me! : ) Its all in good fun, motivation, and support (it stings a little). Plus, we're starting another 6 week challenge this Friday and I plan to kick ASS and take NAMES! lol

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On Sunday at noon we dropped the kids off at David's parents house and headed to The Henry Ford Museum. I was SO EXCITED to see the Titanic exhibit...more excited then I even expected to be! I'm not sure why I have such a fascination with it but I couldn't wait to see actual artifacts from the ship and its passengers! It took us longer to get to Dearborn than I was expecting and so we had lunch later than expected too. I had two $10 gift cards for Olive Garden so we went to one a few miles from the museum and got the all you can eat soup, salad, and bread sticks. YUMMY! I don't really think I pigged out...except maybe on the salad...I had one bread stick and a bowl of the chicken and gnocchi soup (cream based). I did order a second bowl of soup, the minestrone, but I didn't really care for it and was really full by that time so I only had about three bites of that.

We arrived at the museum a little after 3:00pm (our tickets for the Titanic exhibit were for the 4:45pm slot) and I felt like we had to rush through seeing everything and I'm pretty sure we missed quite a bit...but I'd like to take the kids there sometime because I know my boys would just be in awe of the big planes, huge steam engine train, and all of the cars.

This was the first thing we saw walking into the museum. I was a little freaked out when we had to walk under it later.

The open train car reminded me of Water For Elephants so I had David take my picture in front of it. While I think the book was WAY better than the movie...I wouldn't have minded if Robert Pattinson happened to be hiding in the train car. ; )

Too cool! : )

They didn't allow us to take pictures in the Titanic Exhibit unfortunately but the whole experience was awesome...except for how many people were milling through it all at once. It took a really long time to get through the exhibit...which I didn't mind (David did...and it was annoying trying to see or read something and feeling like you were being cattle prodded on). I wanted to see and read EVERYTHING! Before entering the exhibit everyone was given a "Boarding Pass" for Titanic with the name of one of the real passengers. At the end of the exhibit there was a list of the "Saved" and "Lost" and you could see which 'you' were. If you go to Katie's blog Runs for Cookies...she has a post about the exhibit as well and even has a picture of her Boarding Pass. My passenger's name was Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Sage, wife to Mr. John G. Sage, and mother of NINE...Stella (20), George (19), Douglas (18), Frederick (16), William (11), Ada (9), Constance (7), and Thomas (4). They were third class passengers. At the end I found out that my passenger and her ENTIRE family were all lost when Titanic sank! I did think that it was a neat idea to have the boarding passes and I'm positive that whoever came up with the idea had the best intentions at heart...to share a little bit about the lives of those who were on Titanic as well as to make it more real to us spectators. However, most of what I saw were people reacting like it was a game. Now, I did turn to my husband and say 'You died!' as if I were telling him that he missed seeing something interesting on TV...but there were people that were racing each other to find their passenger's name and would then laugh and say "Haha, you died!"!!! Those were REAL people...all of those names on that wall were living, breathing beings who had husbands and wives...and children!!! I left feeling so deflated and saddened in knowing that among the more than 1,500 lives lost, an entire family of eleven people perished. I really wish I hadn't gotten the name of a mother. All I could think about on the drive home was how that mother had to figure out a way to comfort her children...especially the young ones! I cannot even FATHOM knowing that you cannot save or shield your child from such a horrible end. If, like me, you want to know a little more about the Sage family's lives you can check out this little article I found online.

Here is a picture to lighten the mood. The Wienermobile! I took a picture of this vehicle with David next to it...I will NOT share what 'pose' he is striking...you can just use your imagination. ;)

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I was suppose to run Sunday night but didn't since we got home after dark. Instead I ran last night (Monday night). It was C25K Week 5's day three workout which called for running two miles straight...no walking breaks. Remember when I was so paranoid about doing this workout before...it was 20 minutes straight? This time I KNEW I could do it...I was just worried about how long it was going to take me. I knew that it was going to take me more than 20 minutes because I wasn't running over 2 miles until I was at 30 minutes straight. I did a little better than I expected and when I compared it to my other 2 mile runs I could definitely see my continued progress.

If you can't read this I apologize...it shows an improvement each time...that's all you really need to know anyways. : )

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I've decided that I am going to try and sign up for at least one race a month so that I'm always training for something...keep me motivated to run even when I don't want to which is all the time. My next race is the Great Pumpkin 5k on October 13th and I hope to get a new PR. I was looking up a race to do for November and I came across something called World Run Day. Has anyone else heard of this? I've decided that I am going to participate. It seems like a lot of fun and I'm hoping to get a group of people together to run a 5k course. Essentially its a virtual race, so you can run anywhere you want. You can also pick any distance you want and they are encouraging participants to donate to their favorite local charities. You can register through the active.com site and for a fee they will send you a t-shirt in the mail for participating and add your name to their event site. I'm really looking forward to it...and I hope to see some fellow blog runners post about participating as well. : )

I hope you all have a great Wednesday! I've got to get my house in a visitor condition for the Hunger Games themed party I'm hosting on Friday. "May the odds be ever in your favor!"

...but I finished it!

I realize this is a photo from our wedding. I don't have any early photos of us on my new computer so it'll have to do.

Today my husband and I have been a couple for 13 years! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by! It doesn't seem like that long ago we were giddy teenagers spending every moment we could together (more my doing than his...he always wanted his girlfriend-free time). We were going to try and go out together tonight but that didn't end up working out. However, this anniversary gave me the perfect excuse to make David FINALLY take me to see the Titanic exhibit at The Henry Ford Museum on Sunday...its only running through the end of September! I've been bugging him about it for MONTHS and this was the perfect opportunity to try one last time to get him to take me. So we are going on Sunday at 4:45pm...because the only tickets they had left (Saturday was SOLD OUT)  were for either 4:45pm or 5:00pm...so much for getting there "as early as possible" like David requested. Oh well, I'm seeing this dang Titanic exhibit if I have to RUN WALK there!

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Tomorrow is my final weigh in for my Mommies group on Facebook! I'll find out if either I or another Mom won! We were tied for first place after last week's weigh in. Did I mention this already? Sorry if I'm being repetitive. I'll let you know how it goes.

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I went for a run tonight...C25K week 5 day 2 workout! It sucked...but I did it! I didn't realize it was raining till I went to walk out the door. So I put on my rain jacket over my running clothes...but I ended up ditching it halfway through because it felt like I was in a sauna that weighed 500 lbs.! My left hamstring was bothering me again and my right foot got pretty numb...but I finished. My time wasn't that great...but I finished! That is the great accomplishment every time I step out the door for a run...FINISHING IT!!!

I hope everyone has a good weekend! I know I will...I get to see a good friend of mine from high school at his wedding reception and Sunday I'm FINALLY seeing the Titanic Exhibit!

Before & After & After Pics

This was from homecoming my Junior year. That is my husband David in the picture with me but I just didn't think he'd like me to post a bunch of pictures of him on here. He is in a couple pictures though.

This was my smallest, or close to it, I may have lost a little more weight into my Senior year (a couple pictures of me my senior year are in my guest post at EatTeachBlog) but this is where I wish I could get. About 130-135 lbs. Now, I realize that I will NOT look exactly like my 16 year old self ever again...but I can certainly aim for that weight again. Aren't I smokin'??? Well, at least my husband thought so. ; )

This was taken at David's Open house, so I was 18. Excuse my clothes...I was never very stylish and hardly ever looked put together...in fact, I'm still not.

I am 18-19 years old here. Look at that leg??? I WOULD date me!!! ; )

Then David and I moved in together and it was all downhill from there. We were living on our own, going to college full time, and both working at The Home Depot as many hours as we could. I would guess that I am around 160-170 lbs. here. You can definitely tell that I was starting to put on weight...look at that junk in the trunk!

This photo was taken on our honeymoon. I weighed around 185 lbs. when we got married. When I look at this picture now I don't think I look that bad...but I'm obviously self conscious...I have my arm wrapped over my stomach to try and mask the bulge.

Besides the obvious extra weight I really like this picture of me...which surprises me because I usually HATE any photos of me taken after 2003 (besides my wedding photos which I actually love). This was taken the Christmas after we got married in 2004. I'm not sure what I weigh here but I can tell I had gained even more judging by the size of my thighs and upper arms.

Then I started having babies and my weight just sky rocketed from there. This is the day I had my first child, Jacob. I weight 238 lbs.

 I did lose all but 10 lbs. or so of what I gained while pregnant with Jacob before I got pregnant with Nathan...but I was still bigger (non-pregnancy wise) than I had ever been before.

I shot back up to 238 lbs. by the time I delivered Nathan. He was almost 10 weeks early, so I can't even imagine how much more I would have gained had he been full term!

When I became pregnant in July of 2009 I still weighed around 238 lbs. I was very worried about the amount of weight that I would gain while pregnant. However, just shy of the 12 week mark I miscarried. I had what is called a blighted ovum (yoke sack, but no baby). At the time I thought I was dealing with it well and told myself it was because I hadn't 'really' lost a baby since there was never an embryo. I did however, decide shortly thereafter to really try to lose some weight. After four months of eating between 1000-1100 calories a day (I didn't exercise then) I had lost 40 lbs...but then I let life get in the way and I lost my resolve.

*I did recently find out that a medication that I was trying out for migraine prevention caused weight loss...as well as hair loss. I was on the medication for a little over 4 months during the time that I lost the weight and had quit taking it due to losing ALOT of hair shortly before I started to gain the weight back.

I was around 245 lbs. when Isabel was born and never lost more than a couple pounds which I then gained back plus two to put me at my all time high of 247 lbs.

When we asked a friend of mine to take our family portrait I was honestly shocked by how horrible I looked! I knew I needed to change...but kept putting it off. At that time my excuse was not wanting to try to lose weight during the upcoming holidays. So I stayed at 247 lbs. until the beginning of 2012 when I swore my New Year's Resolution would be to lose 100 lbs. and that I was actually going to follow through with my resolution for the first time EVER!

Now here I am 30 lbs. lighter. I know I'm not going to lose 100 lbs. by the end of the year...but I will hopefully be more than half way there!

Sickness...ugh!

I'M GETTING SICK!!!

Isabel and David first got sick with a head cold about two weeks ago...right when we went on our vacation to Mackinac Island. Shortly after that Nathan got sick and a few days later Jacob had the same symptoms for a couple of days. Isabel is still fighting the running/stuffy nose, poor baby! I have been praying that I wouldn't get sick too because I don't want to get sick when trying to take care of three kids (obviously...duh) but also because the injection I am now taking to treat my MS weakens the immune system. So I am afraid that I will be sick FOREVER! Hopefully, I can keep it at bay since I'm continuing to exercise and making sure to drink plenty of water and take extra vitamin c.

I goofed on my workout tonight! I was suppose to upload the second C25K week 5 workout to my Garmin, but I forgot in my haste to get out before it was dark. So I ended up repeating workout 1 of week 5 training instead. I was miserable! My legs were killing, my left hamstring was hurting, and I got a cramp underneath my right ribcage during my second running interval. I didn't do as well as last time, but at least I did it, right? : )

I'm still working on my before and after pictures post. Its hard to find pictures of me along the way, not only because I hated having my photo taken so there is a limited selection, but because most of my pictures are on my old computer which isn't hooked up right now. I'm almost done though. I should have it up by the end of the week. : )

I hope you have a good Thursday!

Winter Running Gear

Today I went in to see my doctor for my monthly weight check. I've now been on the Phentermine for two months and today I was TEN pounds lighter than I was last month and (according to my doctor's scale) 24 lbs. lighter than I was two months ago when I started the medication! The doctor gave me another month's supply of the Phentermine and sent me on my way. I can only take the Phentermine for six months total so I need to make sure that I establish good eating habits before that time is up because my big worry is that I will immediately start gaining the weight back once I'm done with the medication.

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I've been looking online for deals on Under Armour ColdGear pants...but wasn't finding any prices that I would be willing or able to spend. I would be willing to try another brand of running pants that is made for cold weather running but I can't seem to find anything that specifically says its made for colder temps. So today I went to TJ Maxx after having several fellow participants of the Lose A Marathon Challenge facebook discussion page tell me they've scored some UA stuff there. I was unable to find any pants but I did find a UA ColdGear shirt! I also got a Nike Therma-fit zip-up jacket and two new sports bras that I desperately needed! I still spent quite a bit...I was going to also buy a Nike thermo shirt but my total would have been close to or over $100...but I figure I really NEEDED it to continue with my training. I know I'll get good use out of the items and I'm looking at it as my reward for losing 30 lbs.!

The Nike zip-up is a size Large. I figured if I was going to spend the money for the thermo I'd want it to fit for awhile. So its pretty snug right now, but it should fit me for awhile then. ; ) Reg. $65.00 I paid $24.99

The UA ColdGear shirt is an XL and is probably too small right now because its suppose to be "Fitted, Not Tight"...but its pretty tight! Oh well, same as with the zip-up, I'll be able to wear it for awhile. Reg. $49.99 I paid $24.99

The pink one is a Jockey Sport and has removable padded cups. Reg. $32.00 I paid $12.99
The blue one is Morera with no padded cups. Reg. $16.00 I paid $7.99.
Both are size XL

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Speaking of the Lose a Marathon Challenge...the final weigh in was yesterday (Monday) and I didn't end up losing a marathon. I did however lose 22 lbs. during the challenge. : ) I really hope that Jess does another round of the challenge. I'm definitely up for it!

And speaking of challenges...my facebook mommies weight loss group is in the final week of our 6 week challenge and I am tied for first place with another mommy!!! The drive to win is really helping me stay on track this week! I wanted to have a snack earlier while I watched my show (Sons of Anarchy) but I thought about how this mommy and me have been neck and neck for the whole challenge and I didn't want to jeopardize any edge I may be able to gain. If I don't win, oh well, any of the mommies in that group deserve to win a prize...but it would sure be nice if it was THIS MOMMY! ; )

I hope you all have a great Wednesday!

C25K Training Revisited

When I wrote my last post I knew I was forgetting to write about something else. I have a horrible memory!!! I need to start taking some ginkgo biloba or something! Saturday, the 15th, the my 4 month running anniversary! I cannot believe I have been exercising that long...especially RUNNING!!! The longest I have gone without running is nine days, which happened twice, but the first time I walked 7 miles with my Crim training group in between runs...and the second time I walked the 10 mile Crim race in between so I think I'm justified. : )

I hardly EVER stick to anything for this long...the last time I did was when I lost the 40 lbs. in 4 months back in 2009-10. So while I am very proud of myself for the accomplishments I have made during this past four months...which include two 5k races, a 10 mile and an 8 mile race and FIFTY-THREE other running/walking workouts...I do worry that I'm just moments away from falling off the fitness wagon back into my old habits.

I still struggle daily with the nutrition aspect of this journey. While I have been able to stay within my desired daily caloric intake for the most part I still struggle with making healthy food choices. I am finding that, while I use to think that the exercise part of getting healthy was the most difficult, in reality it is the nutrition aspect that completely bewilders me! I'm not so dense that I don't know what "healthy" foods are, but it just seems so difficult to make a meal that not only will I find appealing and palatable, but that my family will as well. I can look at a million different healthy recipes and websites with healthy eating tips...but I seriously feel like I need to have someone come into my house and take me grocery shopping and then cook the meals with me! I am a visual learner, I guess.

Oh well, I had to start somewhere and if that's with getting into an exercise routine and counting the calories in my Lean Cuisine's then so be it!!!

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On Saturday night I went to an 80's themed rollerskating party for a friend of mine. She always wanted to have a rollerskating birthday party so she decided to throw one for herself...at 29! : ) I use to take rollerskating lessons when I was a kid. I wore the little costumes, did routines, and took 'tests' for medals. When I was about eleven I started taking ballet classes to help with being more elegant and dance-like in my routines. I ended up enjoying dance a lot more and dropped the rollerskating, but I still went to the roller rink on the weekends with friends. It was the IT thing to do when I was in 7th grade! After I outgrew my skates though I think I've only been rollerskating at a rink (David and I roller BLADED around Mackinac Island when we were 19) maybe 3-4 times...including this last Saturday. The last time being a few years ago and I did HORRIBLY!!! I wasn't much better on Saturday but I got the hang of going around in circles by the first hour! WHAT A WORKOUT!!! My thighs, calves, ankles, and feet killed...but I was having so much fun I didn't stop for TWO HOURS!!! I didn't realize just how much I was exerting myself until I did sit down for a minute and the sweat started to pour off of me! Zipping around the rink gave a nice steady breeze to keep me cool...I was thankful for the sweat head band I was wearing along with my side ponytail for the 80's theme.

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I was suppose to start round 1.5 of C25K training on Saturday, but I went to the party instead. I was going to just run on Sunday...but I was SOOOO sore when I woke up on Sunday! I'm thinking maybe I should take up skating again as a cross training workout!!! So I didn't run until tonight and I was still pretty sore...especially my left ankle. I had my ankle wrapped all day and wasn't sure if I was going to run at all, but I convinced myself that my ankle was just sore, not injured, and that my left ankle was so much more sore than my right because I was continually turning left around the skating rink.

So tonight's workout took me back to Week 5 of C25K training so that I could do based on distance instead of time. It also took me back to intervals...which I HATE!!! Intervals are so much harder than just running for a specified amount of time or distance straight. I don't like to stop and start running again and again...but it does improve your endurance.

Tonight's workout had me running three separate half mile intervals separated by quarter mile walking intervals. I knew it was going to take me longer to complete the workout than it did the first time around because the training is based on a 10:00 min./mile pace...so you'd be running a half mile in five minutes (YEAH RIGHT!). I didn't do too badly though. Although, I haven't compared my splits side by side with how they looked the first time around. I'll post them both here so I (and you) can see the difference.

C25K Week 5 Day 1 (Time) 7/6/12

C25K Week 5 Day 1 (Distance) 9/17/12

So I have definitely improved. If I did the math right and my pace would've stayed the same for each interval completed for distance instead of time (which NEVER would've happened...but this is hypothetical...to make me feel good) it would have taken me 42:09 to complete the workout. That's 2:20 shaved off of my time in two months...not bad...I think. I'm not really sure what's considered a "good" amount in a two month period.

I like comparing the workouts. Its cool to see how far I've come. I think I'll do this for every C25K workout. : )

Ok, I'm done boring you with numbers and whining. I hope everyone had as good a Monday as Monday's can be...and that you all have a good Tuesday. I definitely will because Sons of Anarchy is on tomorrow night! ; ) LOVE  that show! I'm also working on a before & after post to add to my tabs at the top of the blog...so keep an eye out for that. I know I love the before and after pictures on weight loss blogs...its one of the first things I look for when I visit a new blog so I thought I should have one too. : )

Really!?

It just figures that just after I give up hope on finding my Garmin USB and order a new one that I find it laying right in the middle of the floor in our computer room!!! Now, I KNOW it wasn't there before because after I looked in this room about 50 times David cleaned up the floor and vacuumed so it had to have been moved in here by someone (one of the kids no doubt) sometime within the last 24 hours! Oh well, I guess I'll have a back up USB now for the NEXT time I lose one...and it is INEVITABLE that I will lose it again. I'm horrible about losing things.

I went ahead and updated my last two posts with my splits for the Mackinac Island 8 mile run/C25K Week 9 (2) and C25K Week 9 (3) workouts.

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It's my 100th Post!!!

I wish I would've realized this a while ago...I would've tried to set up a giveaway or something. Oh well, can't do anything about it now. : /

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I am suppose to run tonight and start week 5 of C25K training with a distance target instead of time...but I was invited to an 80's themed roller skating birthday party. I don't think I'll be roller skating though, and I'm not sure if I would end up running today even if I didn't go to the party because my legs are really bothering me today. I'm not sure why they would hurt today when they felt fine on my rest day yesterday.

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I forgot to talk about this when I posted about my Mackinac Island run...but I had purchased a People Magazine to take with me for the weekend since David always goes to bed before me and I didn't want to keep him up with the hotel room TV on. I came to this article about a model turned "plus size" model. While I applaud her for not trying to fit into the stereotype of a beautiful woman I could not finish reading the article because I could not believe that they consider her a "plus size" model at a size 12!!!!! She is in no way, shape, or form overweight! I was disgusted by how the article was praising main stream fashion designers for accepting a plus size model for their top line photo shoots!!! Really??? That should be the standard...using an AVERAGE sized woman to market their clothing to AVERAGE sized women!!! No wonder women have such horrible self esteem and body image issues!

Does she look like a "plus size" model???
Photo found at http://www.stylehasnosize.com/tag/im-proud-of-my-size/

I hope everyone has a great weekend! : )

I'm FINALLY done with C25K Training..."Technically"

I went out and ran my third and final C25K Week 9 workout tonight! So I am "technically" done with the Couch to 5k training program...and it only took me SIXTEEN WEEKS!!! Holy Guacamole!!! I didn't realize that it had taken that long! I used the word "technically" because I've decided to go back in the training program to whatever week I am up to the distance on. When I started I had the choice to either do the program for running time or running distance. I chose time because I figured that it would be easier for me keep track of and I also figured that it would make it easier on me physically because I knew that I would be a very slow runner. However, the program is called Couch to 5k and that's what I'm looking to accomplish...being able to run 3.1 miles without stopping to walk...so I'm not "technically" done with the program yet. Its looking like I will have to go back to week 5 of training to get to the distance I'm at right now, a little over 2 miles (2.09 miles to be exact...every little bit counts!).

To refresh your memory, here is what week 5 of C25K training looks like:

Day 1: 5 min. warm-up walk; *Run 1/2 mile (5 min.); Walk 1/4 mile (3 min.); REPEAT from *; Run 1/2 mile (5 min.); Cool down walk

Day 2: 5 min. warm-up walk; Run 3/4 mile (8 min.); Walk 1/2 mile (5 min.); Run 3/4 mile (8 min.); Cool down walk

Day 3: 5 min. warm-up walk; Run 2 miles (20 min.)

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When I started the 30 minutes of running tonight the song on my mp3 player had be running in time with the beat...which happened to be about a 12:45 min/mile pace so I thought I'd see how long I could keep that pace up but using the song to keep the tempo. Since I STILL haven't found my Garmin USB (I ordered a new one on eBay for $19.25 and FREE shipping!) I'm not exactly sure just how long I kept that pace up. I suppose I could figure out how long the song was and figure it out by that. I ended up repeating the song three times, but had to slow down shortly into the third replay. If you are curious, the song was What Goes Around by Justin Timberlake. I don't know what it is about that song...but I LOVE IT...don't judge! I ended up doing a tiny bit better this time, but I'm thinking that I shouldn't have tried to go that fast because I'm sure I slowed WAY down when I couldn't keep that pace anymore and it made for a slight decrease in my pace...consistency would have been better. *See...I'm learning! ; )

*Found my Garmin USB so here are my actual splits. : )

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The race photos from the Mackinac Island 8 Mile Run/Walk are up! If you're interested in seeing me all sweaty, tired, and cranky you can see them here. (they won't let me copy and paste it here).

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I posted the following story on my facebook page earlier today, its completely unrelated to running or weight loss, but I wanted to share it with you anyways.

I stopped at a yard sale this morning because I happened to pass it right when it opened on its first day (best chance for good stuff) and noticed that there was a lot of Army issued gear...everything from packs, boots, shirts, pants, etc. The people who I saw outside the home were a couple about my parents age. There was also a lot of computer parts, accessories, and books about computer programing and I began to get a horrible feeling that these parents were selling items that belonged to their son whom they lost in the war! The more I looked around the more devastated I became and I was debating on asking the woman about the Army stuff because I felt like I should express my condolences and thanks for her child serving our country...but I also didn't want to cause this mother anymore pain then she may already be in. I decided against saying anything and was about to leave when I saw a tall, young man complete with Army issue buzz cut emerge from the front door carrying a box of items to add to the sale. I cannot even describe my relief and how I thanked God right then and there that this young man had returned home safe to his family!!! I have never been so HAPPY to be WRONG in my whole life!!!

Since I was so overwhelmed with relief at seeing that young man I only thought about thanking him for his service after I drove away. So even though he probably won't see this post I just want to express my sincere gratitude and thanks for his service as well as ALL other service men and women because even though I am NOT a supporter of this war I wholeheartedly support OUR troops. They are putting their lives on the line for ME and deserve nothing less than my utmost respect!

I hope you all have a great Friday! : )

Mackinac Island 8 Mile Race Report and a Crap Load of Other Stuff!

I know, I know...its been FOREVER since I've posted. I did warn you ( I think I did...at least I meant to if I didn't...remember when I said that I'm super forgetful?) that I probably wouldn't get around to posting until after the first week of school was over. The first week of school was like a movie playing in fast forward! I was running, running, running all week. Whoever told me that I would be getting a little more time to myself once Jacob and Nathan were in school LIED TO ME! I feel like I'm much busier now!!!

The first day of school went well for both boys. Jacob didn't fall sleep during his first day of all day kindergarten and Nathan didn't freak out when I had to leave him at preschool. In fact, when I told him that I had to leave he said, "Ok, bye Momma." I'm actually glad that the first day was so hectic and busy because then I didn't have time to have a complete meltdown watching my first born baby walk off into the start of his school career and his ever increasing independence from Mommy!!! The weather was HORRIBLE!!! It was pouring rain all morning, so I didn't get to take any nice outdoor 'first day of school' pictures and poor Isabel and I got soaking wet from all of the running in and out of school buildings and running errands.

On their way to their first day of Kindergarten and Preschool!

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After my super busy week David and I then headed off for our first kid-free vacation!!! We were both super excited about it! However, I did want to abort the whole thing the night before we left. As I was getting everything packed I started thinking about the fact that this was going to be the first time that I was going to leave my kids for more than one night (voluntarily). I'm pretty sure I had never gone more than 24 consecutive hours (if even that) without seeing them! Luckily, my need to have that alone time with my husband prevailed and we started up north around 10:00am Friday morning.

It seems like anytime David and I decide to go anywhere for a trip the weather is crappy! This trip was no exception. It was overcast, rainy, and chilly the whole weekend. While I did not mind having cooler temps, it would have been nice to have more sunshine than we did.

The Mackinac Bridge

I feel like I'm never going to get this post done and published so I'm going to skim over the non-running related stuff. After checking into what turned out to be the WRONG hotel (another person with the same last name had a reservation) we headed over the Mackinac Bridge into the U.P. and to a casino to see if we could win some money...no such luck...but we had fun. When we got back to the hotel we found out that we were actually booked at a hotel two doors down, so we had to get all of that straightened out. Bottom line...DON'T FORGET TO PRINT OUT YOUR CONFIRMATION E-MAIL!!!

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We got up at 6:00am Saturday morning so that we could hopefully grab something to eat and make the first ferry over to the island. We spotted a little bakery that was open (we saw all of the cars parked out front...other runners). I got a blueberry bagel with cream cheese and an ice water; David got two oatmeal raisin cookies and a coffee. All of their donuts and pastries looked AMAZING!!! I'm glad we only had a few minutes otherwise it would have been hard to not get one of everything! Luckily we were able to catch the first ferry over to the island, which insured us plenty of time to find a locker for our stuff and to get our bib numbers and shirts. I started chatting with an older couple on the ferry. They had a little dog that looked a lot like my Grandpa's last dog Happy. They had both run this particular race before but the wife would be running it alone this year because the husband had started to develop hip problems. I felt really bad for him. You could just tell that he loved either running or just doing things with his wife...probably both...and you could see the disappointment in his face. The wife had made the comment that she would be all on her own...so I decided that I would try to find her at the starting line and at least start off with her. They were a very nice couple and I wish I had thought to ask their names!!!

David and I were able to get a locker right off the ferry and walked the half mile up to the resort where they were distributing the bib numbers and shirts. After getting our bibs and shirts we walked back to the lockers so we didn't have to hold our shirts or find a place to stash them (another half mile) and then back to the resort which is where the race starting/finish line was (another half mile). I was concerned that I was wasting a lot of the energy I had on the walks back and forth so we tried to take it easy. In hindsight, I wish we had taken the 7:30am ferry instead of the 7:00am because we had to stand (the only seats were lounging chairs looking out on the lake that were wet from the rain) around for more than a half hour before the race started. Of course I decide that I should try going to the bathroom one more time with just 10 minutes left before the start of the race and got in the race line with just a couple of minutes to spare. I found the lady I had been chatting with on the ferry and told her that I would at least start off with her since we were both running alone (oh yeah, my husband is way too competitive to "not try his best" during a race by staying back and running with me)...but I lost her right away. There were just so many people to dodge that you just had to make your way through alone. I saw her blow past me shortly after heading into town...she was hoping for a 10-11 min./mile pace...I definitely wasn't going to be doing that.

I had been debating and debating how I was going to approach this race since I had never ran (and walked) in anything longer than a 5k. I knew I jumped ahead of myself, but the idea of getting away with just my husband was so appealing that I didn't really think about what my physical ability would be by this time. I was pretty sure that I was just going to do one mile intervals of walking and running but David talked me into running as far as I could to begin with and then just go from there. So I ended up running 1.5 miles and then walking a half mile before starting my planned on mile intervals. Since the mileage of this race was an even number I knew that I would either have to run or walk two miles back to back at some point. I was doing pretty well, but I could really tell that I was becoming exhausted and I didn't bring my own water because I didn't want to carry it the whole time and I was sure there would be water stations along the route (there were only THREE while on the course...not including the finish line) so I decided that running two miles back to back was not an option, but I really didn't want to walk two miles straight either and I wanted to finish the race running...so I decided to walk the first half of the last mile and then run the very last half mile to the finish. Shortly after starting to run the last half mile I saw David waiting on the sidelines. He started running alongside me and it was immediately clear that he had injured his knee...which he had been worried about since being in a lot of pain after the Crim. I told him he could stop running but he just told me to worry about myself. He tried to tell me to "turn up the gas" or something to that effect and I said...'there isn't any gas left'! I was SO tired and the last half mile seemed to last FOREVER. I was able to pick up the pace a little bit right before crossing the finish line but I seriously felt like I wanted to die after finishing. I wanted to collapse on the ground, but I knew it was wet and I didn't want to ruin my clothes. Oh, I wore my Crim training group t-shirt and got a lot of compliments for the saying on the back.

Since we were both tired, sore, and sweaty we didn't stay on the island long. We caught the next ferry back to Mackinaw City and went back to our hotel room to shower and ended up napping for a couple hours. It was so odd to just lay around in bed in the middle of the day and nap for as long as we wanted! The rest of our weekend was pretty uneventful...which was GREAT!

Not a bad photo for taking it ourselves...and David having to run (with his injured knee) to get to me before the 10 seconds were up. : )

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I was SO SORE the next day! Everything from my lower back and hips down was sore! I even got my first blister on the side of my big toe. I'm not sure how that happened. I took a few days off from running and went for my first post 8 mile race run last night. Its getting dark way too early now! I left a little before 8:00pm and it was already pretty dark and there was no moon in sight so I decided to only run the loop at the end of my road twice and then finish the rest of the 30 minutes looping the part of the road that I live on. Several of our neighbors have bright flood lights on their garages so it lights up the road pretty well. I can't share my splits because I LOST my Garmin USB stick...so I can't upload my workouts to Garmin Connect. I've looked everywhere and still can't find it so I started looking at them online and can get a replacement for about $20 if its truly lost.

*I found my USB so here are my actual splits! : )

Mackinac Island 8 Mile Race Splits. The 9th split is my "turning up the gas" pace. lol

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C25K Week 9 Workout 2 Splits

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Finally...I am SOOOO close to being 30 pounds down!!! It feels like its taking FOREVER!!! I realize it really isn't taking that long and my weekend away is going to set me back some because of the amount of sodium and not so healthy food I ate (I never went crazy though...the Phentermine really helped with that). I wanted to finally share a BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTO!!! I can't really tell a difference but I'm way more critical. Part of the reason why it took me so long to get this post up was because my new computer broke so I've been having to use my old one and the memory is completely used up, not to mention that its really messed up anyways, so I couldn't get the photos edited so that I could put them side by side.

 

Birthdays, Running, and Weddings

I have a feeling that the longer times between posts is going to last for awhile...at least until after I get settled into the new school routine. A few things to catch you guys up on today and hopefully by the next time I post I will be able to tell you about one of my other life 'improving' ventures.

On Sunday, the day after the Crim, we FINALLY had Nathan's pirate themed birthday party! Not as many kids showed up as I was hoping but those that came had fun with the treasure hunt I set up. I had made a four piece map (that had to be ripped to make five) of our property that took the kids to 4 different checkpoints before finding the treasure...a treasure box shaped pinata. I started them off with one piece of the map and they followed the path to the checkpoint where they found a skull and crossbones marker with the number of the checkpoint on it so they knew they were at the right one, and they would find the next piece of the map somewhere near the marker. Some of the other adults made fun of me (the men) for making the map path weave in and out of trees and under our hammock instead of just going for a straight shot from one checkpoint to the next, but I wanted to make a little more interesting and fun for the kids. They are 4-5 years old so I just ended up leading them to each checkpoint, but they had fun looking at the map...especially Jacob...who goes on Google Maps all the time and plots directions from all sorts of different places that he knows! He's such a smart kid! ; ) After breaking the pinata and having cupcakes and ice cream the kids got in their swim suits to play with the water "balloon" sponges I made for them. I usually make a TON (about a 1,000 or so last year) of water balloons for Nathan's birthday since its pretty much always hot on his birthday...but it really does a number on my fingers trying to tie all of those balloons with wet, pruny skin...OUCH! So I saw a pin on Pinterest for these water "balloon" sponges awhile back and I decided to try them out for the party. They looked cool and did work out well...but in hindsight...I'd save these for older kids because these little ones were crying and complaining that it hurt when they were hit with one.

His cupcake cake. V.G.'s is usually AWESOME with their cakes...but they have disappointed me the last two times. They used the wrong kind of frosting this time. I asked for whipped...you can even see is written on the receipt...but they used butter cream! Seems to me like they could have sprayed the black on for the hat too...that was a LOT of black frosting. Nathan's poop stained his butt for two days! lol Sorry TMI.

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On Tuesday evening our Crim group got together one last time for the Crim training program's victory party. It was set up as a huge tailgate party at a local football stadium in Flint. After eating we all headed onto the football field for prize drawings and music. I didn't win anything...I was hoping to win one of the vouchers for free training next year, but no such luck...but if I can save up to buy a third row seat ticket to a concert I can save up the money for the training program by next May. : )

I was planning to go on my first run in over a week Tuesday night, but I thought I would get home to late to do it. I did get home after dark, but I REALLY wanted to go running and the moon was almost full and SUPER bright. So I went ahead and did my first workout for C25K's week 8 training...which by the way is NOT the last week of the program. I have been thinking all this time that it was an eight week training program and its nine! Oh well, I was actually relieved to only have to increase my running time by three minutes instead of five! I was feeling so good that I was going pretty fast (for me) for awhile but when I lost steam I slowed WAY down. My time was good though and I went farther than I have before while training. I really enjoyed running by the light of the moon too!

I was going between a 12:20 and 13:00 min/mile pace for the first 10 minutes of running. Then I dropped to between a 14:30 and 16:00 min/mile pace! I started off too fast!

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On Wednesday we took the boys to their school open houses. Jacob got to show Nathan his new school, classroom, and teacher. I also got some information on the PTC group...like the PTA. I really want to actively be involved in my children's school experiences! I'm excited about school too! : ) After going to Jacob's school we took Nathan to the preschool, which he has been in before because of Jacob going there last year. I was bummed to see that Jacob's teacher left the school! I really liked her, so did Jacob, and I had been telling Nathan all summer that he was going to be in the same school, room, and have the same teacher that Jacob did and he was really excited about being in Ms. Amy's class! I'm sure the new teacher will be just as good, but its still kind of a bummer.

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I went out running again on Thursday night. I really DIDN'T want to run! lol I knew I would be fine once I got out the door though...or so I thought. Honestly, I am glad that I ran...I'm always glad that I ran...but this run SUCKED!!! It was the WORSE run for me to date! I was SUPER slow and the only reason I can think of is because I only took one day off in between runs, which I normally don't do. I was running on dead legs for most of the time and I couldn't keep my breathing steady...but I finished! I went after dark again and this time the moon was full! It was awesome!

YUCK...YUCK...YUCK!!!

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Last night David and I went to my cousin's wedding. She was gorgeous, as were all of my other cousins...her FOUR sisters who were all bridesmaids (and matron of honor)...my cousin Steven was handsome as well (the bride's brother, who was an usher)...I can't forget him. : ) The reception was beautiful and the food was AWESOME! One cool thing that I personally have never seen at a wedding reception was the photo 'booth' area that was set up for guests to dress up in funny hats and accessories and take goofy pictures that the bride and groom with get copies of! It was so cool! I dragged my husband over along with my brother and his girlfriend and we took a few photos. I was pleasantly surprised when they printed them out for us right there! : )

Yeah, he's a lightweight!

Well, that catches you up. I was planning to go running again tonight...but it was cloudy and I didn't want to go after dark and I got into an episode of Sons of Anarchy from last season (trying to catch up before the new season starts on the 11th!) that ended up being an hour and a half long instead of the usual hour! So it was dark by the time it was over so I just decided to wait until tomorrow evening.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. I'm not sure what we'll be doing tomorrow...but I do know that I still need to finish up some school shopping so maybe I'll get that done tomorrow.