Weekend Recap

This weekend was a very full and busy weekend with my BF. Friday we went to the movies. I let him pick the movie this time around and his choice ended up being one that I am not sure I would have picked out myself.



Chasing Mavericks was pretty darn awesome. I think I cried at least 3 times in the film. I'm an not good at recapping or reviewing films, but as someone who grew up by the beach, the film seemed to capture the essence of surfers and the surfing community and watching the ocean/waves in the film made me miss my So Cal home. Has anyone else seen this film yet? What did you think of it?

Saturday, we ran the Gumbo Flats Pumpkin Run 10K. It was cold at 8 in the morning. In the mid 30's and I posted on my Facebook, that only crazy people run in this kind of weather. All 1500 of us.Here is a pic of John and I before the race:

The run itself was uneventful for me. I went out there and ran as best as I could. I ended up catching up to my BF at about the 2.5 mile mark, which is highly unusual. He was limping badly. He's been nursing an Achilles heel and a calf injury since late August. He was a little too confident in his ability to overcome the injury and managed to re-injure his Achilles; I ran on ahead of him (with his permission) but then I felt pretty guilty about it, so I ended up walking mile 4 with him (it was an out and back course so he turned around a little early to "catch up" with me. He made me go again, when he saw how frustrated I was getting at the people passing us :). So my time was not great, I finished the 10K 1:20:24 about 5 minutes off my PR. I did get to run on an airport runway though, so that was kind of cool.

John finished the race almost exactly 10 minutes after I did, which just goes to show you haw stubborn that man actually is. We left almost immediately after he crossed the finish line so we didn't get to enjoy any of the food or awards ceremony.

A couple of hours ofter the run, we decided to check out a bicycle store. I've been on the market for one, because of my insane desire to do whatever John does. In this case it would be a Triathlon, of course there will be other Tri's before that one, but you can't do tri's without a bike. Therefore, I bought this one on Saturday.

I am excited about my bike and I plan on getting a lot of use out of this thing. I will be fit in 2013.

Sunday, was a day spent in recovery. We went to church, took the dog on a 3 mile walk, and hung out at the house watching football and cooking dinner and just hanging out together. Which is a really nice thing to be able to do.

Swimming is hard, Yo!

The post title says it all. after my first half marathon, I was started feeling pain in my left heel. Mostly just a dull pain, so I ignored it and soldiered on. 6 months later that pain in my heel still exists and there are times when it is more than just a dull pain. I've come to the conclusion that it is Plantar Fascitis, but have yet to put my big girl panties on and go to the Doctor. So needless to say, my running has been sporadic to non existent since my 2nd half marathon in September.

I decided that I probably needed to start exercising again (those pants were getting tight again) and I thought swimming would be brilliant. I'm off my foot, working most of my muscles and doing cardio all at the same time! Well yeah, it does all that. You know what else it does? Makes you TIRED! I, who never goes to bed until my tv shows are over at 10PM, was asleep by 9PM last night after swimming 3/4 mile yesterday. It is more tiring swimming that length than running 5 miles. Crazy!

I'm going back again today. I'm determined to actually get to a whole mile of swimming. It's something like 33-34 laps in the pool. I'm not that far off from that. Maybe today will be the day I succeed.

So this week, I signed up for my next Half Marathon. John and I will be traveling to Kentucky this time to run in the Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville.

I am super excited about it. I almost signed up for the full... but I totally chickened out. Because really 26.2 miles is really far. I did however make the decision that I will run a full in 2013. Right now it looks like it will be the Air Force Marathon in September. So I have a year to train.

After, I signed up for the half, a friend of mine mentioned on Facebook that she was looking for a running partner. And, I am also looking for a running partner. So I offered myself up and committed to running with her 3 days a week, following a training schedule. After I agreed, she said "My goal is to run a 1/2 marathon." So after a little back and forth, I committed to running the GO!STL 1/2 with her 20 days before my Kentucky 1/2. That's a lot of running in April guys! I'm skerred, but also really happy because I want to get this last 30 lbs off me and kick those marathons in the behind!

That's my week so far.

So, I am going to try this blogging thing again and see what happens. I am famous for starting stuff and then not following through. Too much has happened since the last time I bothered to post on here, so I think it's just best to start off by just blogging whatever comes to mind. I haven't had a cigarette in 4 days. It's a cold turkey kind of thing this time. I don't know if it will last, but I would really like it to. So my mind is kind of like Nike right now, Just do it... so I am. I'm running a 10K in 2 weeks. I'd like to see what my race time is as someone who hasn't taken a puff. I'm thinking there will be some improvements. I've been running since January, even completed 2 half marathons this year, all the while I puffed away on cigarettes telling myself I was totally improving my health because I was running. So 2 weeks, until my first run has a ex smoker. Lord, help me make it that far without caving! My half marathons:

Go!St. Louis in April 2012 my time 2:46:19

Air Force Marathon in September 2012 my time 2:46:30 I was rockin' a serious foot issue that still is not resolved and I didn't train at all. This is the last marathon I show up unprepared for. I was in Vegas this weekend. Went hiking at Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock is very cool and my legs were nice and so after a 4.4 mile hike.

This is Red Rock

This is me somewhere in the Canyon :)

This is my main squeeze. He has made the last year of my life very interesting. Well that's all I got for today.

It's a crazy life I lead

I have been doing something crazy the last few months. I have been internet dating. I decided to give it a try because I was not having any luck with the men out in the real world. Men do not approach me... or rather men that I would even think about dating. Sigh. So I joined Plenty of Fish and decided to see what would happen. It has been as much of a disaster as real world dating has been. I thought for a minute there, that it would be easy. I met this awesome guy. Fire Fighter, good looking, charming, funny, fantastic Father, a little bit wounded. We got along great, hours upon hours of talking, our dates were filled with laughter... and then he just stopped. And I got stupid. I forgot that I was pretty and funny and deserved more than someone who only wanted me when he wanted me on his terms. It's been 2 months, and I still think about him. I have tried dating others from the site. I have avoided far more from the site though. Why do men who I would never be attracted to contact me and say such crude things? I have people as old as 70 and as young as 20 hit on me on there. I am beginning to think there just isn't someone out there for me... I have now been single for almost 13 years, I have actively looked for someone, I have given up trying, I have worked on myself, blah blah blah and still I am alone. every man, I have been attracted to (and I will admit I am picky, and I'm not looking for a Brad Pitt look a like either) has only wanted me for short term... and with the exception of my Fireman... have all tried to come back after I have gotten over them, but not a single one of them have ever wanted to stick it out with me. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I needed some place to put all these thoughts and my Facebook was just not the place. lol

And while I'm here, I might as well post a pic of what I currently look like as I have managed to maintain my weight loss for over 2 years now.

Weigh in results

After refocusing Midweek, I came in at a 2lb weight loss for the week! It's the first time in 10 years that I have stayed in Onederland for 2 weigh ins! It's a pretty damn good feeling, and I'm pretty excited about seeing that 1 again next week. So here's to staying focused, eating healthy, getting my daily workout in, and believe ing that this journey is doable!

It's Wednesday!

There is something going on in my head... It happens every time I get to Onederland. I don't know why I do this but I hit 1 something on the scale and it's like a free for all with food entering my mouth. *sigh* I'm a little frustrated with myself. I'm not sure how Saturday's weigh in is going to go. I've stopped with the over eating and even spent 2 hours at the gym last night. I usually take Wednesday off from the gym, but have decided to go in and spend some time with an elliptical machine, to try to undo the damage I did over the weekend. I only have 6 more lbs to go before I hit a mini goal, I need to start focusing on that rather than what the number on the scale says, because the number on the scale seems to freak me out.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Also, I've been getting several compliments the last week about my weight loss. I've been maintaining for so long (almost 2 years) everyone has gotten used to the pretty, slightly chubby coworker/ friend/Mom, that now that I'm actively trying to lose weight again, people are noticing... and by people I mean men. And maybe that is what has me freaked out. I must ponder...

Today's weigh in

I've been back at weight watchers for 6 weeks now. I have not been perfect at it. There have been times when I have wanted to just throw in the towel and say fuck it. Losing weight can be a frustrating process. I have goals this time now, before it was just to lose weight because the number on the scale was so astronomical. This time around, I have been far more realistic about losing weight. It's okay if the process takes a while. I'm okay with baby steps because I know in the end I will hit my goal weight.

With that being said this week I lost 2.8 lbs, for at total loss in six weeks of 14 lbs. Not too shabby. Another victory this week was getting on that scale and seeing my weight start with a 1!

Long time no post

It was been over a year since my last post. In 2010, I began to live my life rahter than watch just pass me by. I basically did nothing to Lose weight, but worked hard to maintain the losses I achieved in 2009. And I can say I succeeded in that wildly. I lost about 5 lbs in 2010. I got a new job, within the company, that I love! I travelledd to Israel and Sweden, as well as a few places within the states for work. I fell in love, wildly passionately in love, and got my heart broke. I regret nothing I did in 2010, because I felt alive for the first time in years.

2011,is about getting the last 30 lbs I need to lose off. I have already started the year off on the right foot. I have hit the gym 7 of the first 10 days of the year and plan to keep up the pace. I do travel quite a bit for work, but have a plan to hit the hotel treadmills on my regular workout days. I have big plans for 2011 and this weight is not going to hold me back anymore!

I hope to get back to blogging regularly, because it really helped me lose weight in 2009.

Big Changes and not so much changing

So on the weight loss front, I'm holding steady. No weight loss just maintaining. At this point that's a blessing. However there have been other bigger changes in my life that have has sginificant changes in my life.

The first of which is I have a new house guest. My cousin is an addict who was homeless about 6 weeks ago, when my Mom took put her on a plane and dragged her here to MO from CA. My Mom has a habit of taking in all the strays. eveyrone in my family, at one time or another, have lived with her as adults. My sister and her husband were also living with my Mother. A huge blow up happened between my cousin and sister and my sister lost all common sense and tried to (and kind of succeeded) in doing bodily harm to my cousin. It's not my story and I'm just so squicked out by the whole thing I don't want to talk about it. Besides the whole point to the build up is that I have let my cousin move in with me for the time being. It's a difficult transition, because she is an addict, she's trying to stay clean, she has no job, and she has a poor mee attitude. Before this week, I probably would not have let her move in, but I did because one other big thing happened to me this week.

I've been taking an Explorations class through my Church over the last few weeks. I've been going to this Church for almost exactly a year, and trying to figure out just how I feel about Religion and God. Monday's class was what they call BHQ, Big Hairy Question, night. I don't remember everything that was said, but I do know that I started crying and couldn't stop. After the class was over I talked to my brother, whi is a pastoral resident at the Church as well as a Pastor, and after speaking to them, well I prayed and accepted Jesus Christ into my life. It still makes me a bit uncomfortable talking about it, because I am not an expert, have no idea what I'm doing, and have no idea what the next step is for me. All I do know is that I'm feeling very zen this week. I'm more calm than I've been in a long time and I feel like I'm finally on God's plan.

Anyway, so no weight loss but still some life changing stuff. Tonight is Zumba, tomorrow is Zumba, and on Monday I'm getting the Coppola Keratin Complex treatment done on my hair. Straight hair easily and for free (my friend owns the salon and my hair is a training ground), I'm so there. Of course it also means that for 72 hours after that I can not exercise! Super bummed about that, but I'll jum right back on the exercise train the day after Thanksgiving. So that's my life this week. What does yours look like?

I suck

So I am a crappy blogger. I have absolutely nothing interesting to say these days. Mostly because I spend most of my time exhausted, which in turn has left me mostly off program the last two week. Imagine that. Right after I hit a new low, I completely reverted back to my old habits. Thank God, I haven't taken up smoking again, although I can't even say it hasn't crossed my mind once or twice in the last two weeks. The only reason I haven't is there is no way I could both crappy eating (i.e. fast food) and cigarettes. I'd be completely broke. I'm trying to figure my way out, and I'm beginning to think my only option is to return to my WW meetings.

I am still exercising three days a week, I need to add another day in because 3 days is not enough for my body to lose weight, even when I am on track with food. I have two more weeks in my Explorations class that I take through my Church (it's an awesome Church btw, and that's something I never thought I would say). Once I'm done with this class I'll have my Mondays back and I can start taking my Total Body Workout class again. I think that will go a long way in getting me back in the mode. I actually hate that class a lot. It's a lot of step aerobics, but I love what it does for my body. I'm still taking Zumba three days a week. With the right instructor Zumba is completely awesome, and I have two instructors that kick all kinds of ass.

And I need to figure out a way to incorporate more veggies into my diet. I did okay for a while but I'm lucky if I get vegetable every other day now. I think I might be in carb overload.

So anyway that's where I'm at. I think (don't know for sure because I've been unwilling to get on the scale today. lol) I'm up about 3 lbs. I'd like to lose that 3 lbs before I head to Vegas next week. I'm only there for two days and one of those days I'll actually be working, but I will get to have one night of fun.

This is actually a weigh in post...

I know, I know, it's been quite some time since I've done one of these, but since I actually have good news this week, I thought I'd actually post some numbers. I think the last time I posted my weight I was 206.8, since then I think I got back up as high as 209. This morning the scale said 205.4, so not only have I lost the weight I had gained, I'm now at a new low! I have 6 1/2 weeks until my birthday and it would be such an awesome "gift" if I could be under 200 by then.

I'm feeling pretty good. I'm happy with the food I've been eating and the exercise I've been getting and as a result I'm finally seeing the scale move in the correct direction. I'm about to go to my Sat. Zumba class! Have a great weekend all.

Triumph of the day...

It's only 7:20 in the am and already I've had a triumph. In my hand this morning was a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich. I was already savoring the taste of it in my mouth, and then I walked by the cold foods in the cafe and saw cottage cheese and low fat yogurt. I put the breakfast sandwich back and got the cottage cheese and yogurt, all because I remembered my post from last night where I discussed the fact that I was going to make changes. So Day 1 going well so far! (if only I had taken pictures :p)

Oh and look at this, I'm posting all about it too. Things they are a changin'!


Update

Lunch has also been a sucess. Turkey sandwich on that weird Arnold bread.;) low-fat peach yogurt and a nutrigrain bar. + water, lots of water.

Now, I just nbeed to survive dinner and day 1 can be considered a sucess!

Week at a glance

This was a weekend of Zumba. My arms and shoulders are very sore from yesterday's interval training. However, despite all my hard work I've been in on the exercise front, my eating has managed to go to hell in a handbasket. I even ate a taco from Taco Bell, and cookies were involved in this weekends fiasco. There is hope for me though because I'm sick of my negative attitude and am finally feeling liek I'm ready to get past this stand still that I've been in. Starting in the AM I'm back on with food and no more excuses.

My life is about to get a lot busier. I signed up for an explorations class through my Church, so I start there tomorrow. Tuesday I have Zumba, Wednesday I play taxi so my daughter gerts to her Youth Group at Church, Thursday, I'm starting a new Bootcamp workout, Friday I have Zumba, and Saturday morning is one more Zumba class.

Also on Friday's my kid starts piano lessons, so I bought this for her this weekend...

Meatball sandwich contest

My daughter and I






So he failed miserably, neither he nor his buddy managed to eat the entire sandwich in the allotted 40 minutes. But we all had fun watching.

I'd like to be posting something...

that shows how things are different for me, and that I'm kicking all kinds of ass, but I can't. I'm sturggling to find my way. My job is more stressful than I thought it would be. I realize more and more how little I actually know. I feel like a complete fraud. I know this feeling will go away in about 6 months, when I've been there long enought o actually know stuff, but until then I feel like I'm in a nightmare I can't wake up from. I'm still exercising at least 3 days a week. Unfortunately that's not enough for my body to actually make changes. I've found that I need at least 4 days in order to lose weight consistently. I need to get back into this. I am tired of being the weight I am. I've been playing around with the same three pounds for about 3 months now. Seriously, what is wrong with me? My food? Not so hot, although I did have a bit if a break through, where I actually went grocery shopping. Which means that yesterday, instead of eating lunch in the cafeteria, I brought my breakfast and lunch from home so I totally ate within my allotted points, but one day does not a habit make.

On a side note, since my face has gotten noticably thinner, I have begun seeing more wrinkles on my forehead and around my eyes. Now don't get me wrong, they are not very apparant probably to anyone but me (and my Mom, don't get me started!) but I decided to try something to see if it helps. After two days, I can notice a slight difference. We'll see how I feel in a month. This is what I purchased...

Avon Anew


One more thing... I plan to post pictures (if they come out ok) of my brother during his Meatball sandwich eating contest. I think it will be hysterical and mabe slightly gross. lol I hope he keeps the damn thing down. The contest is at 5 PM tonight.

2009 changes

Thought I would post some pictures that shows the changes in my face at least. I havne't lost a whole lot of weight since June but I've lost inches. Hope I keep it up.
March 2009... or thereabouts

Easter 2009
August 2009

September 2009

So I just erased a post...

that consisted of doom and gloom. Too many things going on and not enough time to concentrate on me anymore. I'm trying and some days work really well and some days... well some days are not. Today was a not day, but I got my kid to the Teen Ministry group at our church tonight, so at least one positive came from this day. Tomorrow is my last day with my current position. I'm really sad to be leaving before I had the chance to really accomlish anything there. My new job, should give me a ton more opportunities and I should be able to leave my mark with the organization. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And please! Stress, please go away!

Weigh in

It's been a while since I've posted any weigh in results mostly because I found myself back up to 209 before I gave myself a reality check and began correcting my behavior. I'm am back down to 206.2 as of this morning. I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep it all up for this next week so I can see an almost 3 lbs loss again! It was quite a good feeling to see the scale moving again.

Life is crap.

I have handled teenage drinking and bi-curious behavior in the most awful manner. I thought I was far more tolerant than I really am. It's been a completely shitty week, and I'm not sure I like this business of being a parent to a teenager. I don't even know how to fix this huge gap between my daughter and me. It feels ike the Grand Canyon and since there are only the two of us in this house it is very quiet and extremely lonely here. I want chocolate very badly almost as much as I want to curl up in a ball and well, bawl my eyes out.

In other news, I got another new job and I start it next week. Travel is involved, which would be awesome, if it weren't for the above teenage drama. Intertnational travel is a distinct possibility. So can you tell my life is stressful? and actually through this all, I'm actually losing weight rather than gaining. haven't blown it all because of stress. So yay one good thing.