Shortly after Meliska had little Liam, Greggy-D's sister, Lisa sent out a Care Calendar for friends and family to help out by picking a date and supplying dinner for a few weeks while they transitioned into the whole parenthood thing.
I picked Saturday, October 30th for purely selfish reasons - a chance to hang out with my buddies and love on little baby Liam. I basically made a meal and invited myself over for dinner. How rude am I?! =P When I initially plotted this brilliant strategery (love that word, Al Gore), I instantly thought to make chicken tetrazini for my friends. It's one of my specialties, after all. One problem with my plan. I went back to the basics - took that step backward into Phase 1 of South Beach which meant no pasta for me. So, what did I do??? I made a chicken tetrazini for Meliska and Greggy-D and then I made another meal for me, of course!
I've made it before, albeit a pasta version. It was called Chicken Pasta Parmesan and it's a soup based sauce served over pasta. I decided to modify this to make it Phase 1 friendly. Now I'm sharing it with you.
2 cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup (you can use cream of chicken or a combo)
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, basil
spaghetti squash
Directions:
Cook your spaghetti squash for about 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees. Once cooled, remove the "guts and seeds" and then using a fork, pull out the "spaghetti strands". Place in the bottom of a casserole dish(es) that has/have been sprayed with Pam.
In a large skillet, heat 2 TBSP of olive oil and saute and season the cubed chicken.
Once browned, remove the chicken and add in the sliced mushrooms and saute and season them.
Add in the marsala wine and add back in the chicken. Heat through before adding in the 2 cans of soup and the Greek yogurt. Add some additional seasoning - tasting to make sure you have it just right. Once the mixture is heated through, add in the parmesan cheese until melted.
Pour the mixture on top of the spaghetti squash.
Bake in the oven on 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until bubbly.
Enjoy! I did just that, but not even half as much as I did my time with my friends and one cutie patootie Liam!
3 months, my friends...3 months until I set forth to do the most challenging event of my life thus far - the Houston Chevron Marathon. So many questions fill my head - will I be ready? will I be able to finish? will I be able to finish in 6 hours? Then I tell those questions to go fishin' cuz I don't want to have negative thoughts filling my head right now. It has been said (by several people) that I am my own worst enemy. I believe this to be true, but I don't want this to be me anymore. Does that make sense? Instead of the "will I?" or "can I?" or "what if?" questions that I've been occupying my time with, I want to run with the notion of I GOT THIS!
You see, I could totally go all Negative Nelly on myself today for my 12 miler that wasn't, but I'm not. You know why? It's cuz I listened to Kenny Rogers and I knew when to "fold 'em" and that is far different than the Kim of days gone by. If you haven't caught wind through my Facebook posts or my Tweets, I've been nursing an injury I got from my half marathon (that wasn't) last weekend. I got a massage, I've taken Epsom salt baths every night, I've foam rolled, I've popped Advil Liqui-Gels, I've Bio-Freezed, and I've even sat on a sock filled with 3 tennis balls in the hopes of fixing myself prior to today's run. I know that I did everything I could, but my body was not healed. I probably should not have ran at all, but I'm going to be proud of the 7 I did do and I'm going to be proud of the fact that I called it quits when my body screamed "NO MORE!"
On a fun note, at family lunch today, I felt like I had gone trick-or-treating as my mom gave me a pumpkin filled with all kinds of goodies. I got a Carmel Apple soap from Bath & Body Works, a Nutmeg Cream candle, a can of almonds, a coupon for Kohl's, and a gift card for the movie theater. She's such a thoughtful mom!!!
On a parting note, I have been blessed with some truly amazing friends. Laura may live in Tallahassee, but thanks to Facebook, we are ever present in one another's lives. She is always so encouraging and positive and somehow knows just what to say when I need to hear it. Laura sent me an incredible email last night with two videos that I'm going to post here. She explained that there are others who experience set backs and disappointments, but that it is not over. She asked where I will be in 6 years... She's such a thoughtful friend!!! Please take the time to watch these videos as they are truly uplifting (and rather emotional - I cried watching both)!
Since I've gone back to the basics for the next two weeks (read: returned to Phase 1 of South Beach), I can't eat fruit. It's cool, I promise EXCEPT with the whole green monster thing. I mean I have to admit I was sooo scared to try to make one without my loyal and trusty banana.
When I did my grocery shopping this week, I dutifully bought a bag of spinach. I also bought some Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Normally I go for the almond butter, but truth be told there really isn't that much nutritional difference between the two - they are pretty much par for par. Oh and in case you were wondering, I did NOT buy the reduced fat peanut butter because it has more sugar (+1 gram) and carbs (+8 grams) in it.
I decided to give Jillian's Whey Protein Powder a try. It's only $10 for the tub - quite affordable!
So, I took 2 cups of spinach and placed it in the blender. I added 1 TBSP of peanut butter, then a scoop of Jillian's chocolate whey protein powder, a cup of skim milk, and some ice. I filled up my cup and was pleasantly surprised that it was sooooo delicious (and quite nutricious), not to mention incredibly filling!
I can't wait to have another!
Have you tried something you were scared of lately?
We all have a vision of what pot roast is supposed to look like and taste like. It's down home deliciousness, that's what it is! I mean what's not to love about meat, gravy, veggies, and potatoes that can simmer all day long while you are at work or at play?! Unfortunately, the vision we all have in our heads is not one that is going to get me to my goal weight on the diet plan I have chosen, so I have created a new vision of pot roast, one in the style of South Beach.
Ingredients:
1 - 2 1/2 lb tender chuck roast
2 yellow squashes - chopped
2 zucchini squashes - chopped
1 onion - diced
celery - sliced
mushrooms - sliced
garlic - minced
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 packet of slow cooker pot roast seasoning
salt & pepper
Directions:
First I cubed up my chuck roast just to help it cook and break apart better. I then put half the can of crushed tomatoes in the bottom of my crock pot and whisked the entire packet of pot roast seasoning mix into it. I added the roast. The night before I had done all my dicing, slicing, and chopping so that the morning would be easy breezy. I added in my onion, zucchini, yellow squash, 'shrooms, and some garlic. I then topped off the veggies with the remaining half a can of crushed tomatoes and then I sprinkled some salt and pepper on top the whole shbang. I set my slow cooker to 10 hours on low and let it do it's magic while I went to go earn my income.
When I walked in the door after work, my nose was delighted with the aroma of my creation! After scooping out a hearty portion in a bowl, my mouth was delighted with the taste of my creation! Now, your eyes can feast upon (and hopefully be delighted by) the look of my creation!
I ended up eating it as if it were a stew since Phase 1 does not allow me to pile this bad boy on top of some starchy like substance. It was filling and delicious! I *heart* crock pots!!!
I made a decision BEFORE I raced my half marathon that when I finished it (starting today, Monday, 10/25), I was going back to South Beach, Phase 1 for two weeks.
Question #1: Why wait until after my half? Well...I don't know how a lack of bread or fruit carbs is going to affect my body during intensive exercise. I was unwilling to risk a possible negative effect on a race of that magnitude (or...a race at all, for that matter). I am willing to risk it for a long Saturday training run.
Question #2: Why is it necessary to take the step backward at this point in the game? Well I've been quite stagnant in my weight loss for a LONG time now. I've also found myself eating way more than is necessary and even eating off of my diet plan (during non special occasions) using that age old excuse that "I've earned it because of the running". This is a dangerous game to play, by the way. I've been having big time cravings for the sugar and more often than I care to admit, I've caved into the cravings. I don't need to be eating that junk. This leads me to the decision to remove the cravings which means returning to the basics.
Question #3: How can I handle running without carbs? Naturally carbs exist in most food that we eat, so I'm not opting to have a meal plan without carbs for a 2 week period, but rather I'm limiting where the carbs are coming from. I can fuel before my runs with a protein shake, eggs, and/or Canadian bacon (as an example). I can fuel during my long runs with string cheese, nut butters, and/or nuts. I will eat veggies (which have carbs) with each meal. I will consume dairy products (which have carbs) with each meal. Where there is a will, my friends, there is a way.
Question #4: Won't it be hard to go back to Phase 1 after having been on Phase 2 for well over a year? Yes, it will be hard. Isn't that the point? For so long when it felt like everything else was spinning out of control in my life, I was able to control my food. I don't feel like I have that control over my food anymore. I'm taking back the control.
I'm still a good 50 to 65 lbs heavier than I need to be. I think sometimes it gets frustrating to know that I've worked hard for over a year to lose over 100 lbs just to know that isn't good enough or long enough. I then find myself letting that frustration get the best of me. I started a journey back on July 6th of 2009. It was not a mission I took lightly and it is not one that I will quit. It is a life long journey. There will be hills, there will be valleys...I am the constant and I am strong. I can do this. I will do this.
Today didn't go as I had hoped. There are two road I could travel right now. One path leads down a road of negativity filled with tears, doubt, and all those bad things that fill my head trying to destroy my spirit. The other path leads down a road of tears (cuz I'm still sad), perseverance, stubbornness, and all those things that make me want to pick up the pieces and try again. I'm gonna go down that second path, if you don't mind, but it's still a struggle. Thankfully, there is another opportunity on 12/12 with the RunGirl 13.1 to try to get this right.
I'll bottom line it for you and then I will take you through all of the events of today. Sometime just short of mile 7, there were policemen that made us turtles take a shortcut. In other words, we were not showing signs of finishing in the 3 hour time limit, so they cut our run short approx. 1 1/4 miles. My initial instinct was just to stop running and walk the remainder. My second instinct was to run to my sisters and brothers-in-law who were so awesomely out there supporting me and then have them just drive me to the finish line so we could cheer on our friend Melissa, in other words...QUIT. My third instinct was to suck up the shame that washed over me and carry on. I followed my third instinct, but with a little less skip in my step and a little less pride in my heart.
I had a hard time falling asleep last night. I tossed and turned quite a bit allowing the nervousness to bother me. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep, though. I woke up at 4am. The dogs were insistent they were famished - I had my doubts since it was about 2 hours before their normal feeding, but whatever! I had a breakfast of a half a multi-grain bagel with Justin's maple almond butter and a banana. My friend Jon had suggested drinking NUUN the night before, morning before, and then again after the run. I had already had some the night before, so I drank some with my breakfast. I got all geared up, and went to pick up my friend Melissa. We found a parking spot in a $20 parking lot once we got down town. I didn't care as it was close to the start/finish line. I received a text message from one of my employees letting me know he couldn't go out of town, so I had to make a call to another employee trying to fix the situation (nice). After a frustrating phone call, I think it got squared away. Then, there was some parking lot drama, but I don't really feel like getting all into it. Let's just say a mood was set. I'm used to people being all happy and friendly on race day.
Melissa and I got in the LONGEST LINE EVER to use one of the 12 port-a-potties that were available (in the dark). Afterwards, we stretched and headed to the back of the lined up crowd for the START. This was Melissa's first Half, by the way. =) It was nice to have a friend there!
Craig providing "free" high fives
We started. It seemed pretty uneventful. I was just listening to my tunes and running. The first few miles are always so hard for me...it's hard for me to get my muscles ready to cooperate. They had water around every 2 miles, and as I mentioned in my last post, my plan was to walk through the water stations. I did this. I knew my family was planning on cheering Melissa and I on around Mile 3, so it gave me something to look forward to (that and I knew they were going to have a little cute bottle of G2 for me). I was super excited when I saw them around 3. They had a sign for me which made me smile, but I was wondering if they had made one for Melissa. I figured it had to be on the back of my sign. I greedily drank my G2 and then continued running. Between mile 4 and 5, they had another water station and I saw an empty port-a-potty, so I jumped in and out as fast as possible. I also threw back 3 bloks from my Clif's Shot Blok pack and grabbed a cup of water from the station which was just a head. A little while later, I saw a dude coming back on the opposite side almost pass out...it was scary, but a medic was on it! I saw my family again just after mile 5, but this time I didn't take them up on their offer of contraband. I did notice there was no "Go Melissa" sign on the back of mine, so then I was thinking they were rude. ha! I found out later they had a whole bunch of signs. They did actually have a sign for Melissa and they had a "free high 5" sign, too. Brother-in-law Craig was really getting into it! I think next time he will bring a sweat towel and some hand sanitizer!
I remember hitting the half way point and being disappointed in my time. I knew stopping at the bathroom hurt me, but I had to go! I also knew that I WAS HOT! It was way hotter than it's been and it wasn't helping. I just continued running regardless. Up in the distance was the 6-10 turn around, but the policemen didn't let us get that far. They made us U-Turn at the Memorial Loop. At first I was confused like I had misunderstood the map, but then I realized what was going on and then well...I made a decision to stay in the race in body, though my spirit was somewhat broken. My miles started getting slower and slower, I started feeling more and more defeated. It took everything in me not to give up. Melissa ended up passing me (again). She must have been confused by this. I explained what happened. At some point I should have taken 3 more bloks, but I didn't. I was just blah, so apparently I was showing me. =/ When I passed my family after mile 9, I explained what happened to Linda and she told me that I was still doing it and to keep going!
It was a hard race - because we were moving around Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive, there were several hills. We do a little bit of training for these in my group, but I hate them and I could feel these hills attacking my left hamstring. Thankfully, my feet felt fine (despite me making the cRaZy decision to wear my new shoes). A couple of times I got some all over body tingling - not sure why, and then my feet tingled too, like they had fallen a sleep. Weird. I got a little light headed once and made myself walk for 30 seconds. I walked 2 or 3 more times for 30 seconds a piece during various times throughout the race - while going uphill.
When I saw the 13 mile marker, I booked it to the FINISH line. Finishing song - Flo Rida's "Low"!
Oh and props to everyone who offered me up songs to add to my iPod for the race - it brought a special little smile to my face if/when your song suggestion made it to my ear! I saw my family and Melissa right before I crossed the line. That made me happy! I was handed my medal right away. Where was water? None to be found by the race peeps. Cathy gave me a G2 which I chugged and then Melissa and I took some pics like this one:
Then Cathy, Jay, Linda, and Craig went to find a restaurant for us all to have lunch at while Melissa and I went to go find our finisher's shirts and some water. We had the worst time finding water. The first bucket we came to was empty. We had to ask where we could get some. Most races hand you a beverage when you finish a race, I'm just sayin'. Eventually, we found some. I got greedy. I grabbed a Sobe Life Water 0, a grapefruit juice, and a water. I quickly drank the grapefruit juice and the Life Water, and then I felt like I was going to be sick. While I was getting us drinks, Melissa went and got our shirts. We then headed to the car and we were thankful to change into our new shirts and to put on our flip flops. We were also thankful to discover that our $20 parking lot was FREE! Yay!
We met up with my siblings and their spouses at Grand Lux (one of my fam's favorites) and had a much needed lunch.
The weird thing is that my knees don't hurt AT ALL. Both thighs are KILLING ME and then there is the left hamstring which is just a mess. Maybe the new shoes fixed the knee issues?! Hmmmm...
So, two paths to choose from and as I've mentioned...I'm gonna go positive here. I'm not giving up. I might not have done what I set out to do today, but I did something AMAZING and I'm going to be proud of me regardless of the outcome. That's the path I choose.
Special shout out to Melissa for kicking booty on her first half!!!
Special shout out to Cathy, Jay, Linda, and Craig for their love, support, and hydration provisions!
Here are some more pics:
Jay is holding the sign
action photo
Jay is holding the sign
action photo
While at Walgreens buying drinks, Linda found me Granny Panties with pockets...she thought I could put my iPod in them while running. Cathy was holding them up for the pic! gotta love my family! =P
Linda had her camera ready to capture the moment I opened my panties with pockets present. =P
As I have mentioned several times, my 2nd half marathon is coming up THIS SUNDAY! Yikes! I'm nervous, anxious, and excited! I feel infinitely more prepared than I did for my first one which was the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half on August 1st.
This time, I know what 13.1 feels like. It's far, y'all.
This time, I'm on my home turf. Let's hear it for home court advantage!
This time, I have way better endurance. Yay for training with my running group!
This time, I have set some realistic, achievable goals.
This month's Runner's World actually had an article about establishing goals called "Good Targets". The article discusses three different possible goals - one could be just to finish - another could be to PR (or even to PR with a specific time) - and still another could be some performance type goal not related to time. I read this article thoroughly and really let it sink in. I wish I had the luxury of just setting a non-time related performance goal, but unfortunately a concern of mine has to be time as this race has a 3 hour time limit which means a PR for me by default if when I finish this race in "legal" time.
I thought in spirit of this article, however, I should set a goal in each of the categories.
1 - Just Finish! Seeing as I completed a half marathon already...um...I'm just going to run with faith that this won't be an issue...
2 - Banner Day! Well, I'm not going to do Runner's World's proposed fancy calculations. My goal is simple - to PR with a 3:00:00 finish. This means taking 24:39 off my previous time. Doable? Yes. I'm better trained for this race and I've been running my long runs with an average of a 13:23 pace. A 3 hour half marathon is an average of 13:45 pace. Let's just say there is a bit more motivation and a whole lot more encouragement to BOOK IT! during an actual race than a long Saturday (or Sunday) run! I'm also going to be wearing my Garmin and a pace bracelet to help keep my eye on the target!
3 - Best Effort! For Chi RnR, I employed my 4 minute run/walk interval method for half the race until I got plagued with the charlie horses and then I power walked the remainder of the race. In a way, I kinda feel like I gave up. I'm not going to give up on this race! Since the 3rd or 4th week of training with my running group, I have dumped the interval method and focused on running my mileage outright - only stopping for water and/or bathroom breaks. My Best Effort (non-time related performance goal) is to run the entire 13.1 miles with the exception of walking through the water stations (which will be located approx. every 2 miles).
I know that in order for me to be successful, I must be properly hydrated and fueled. Here is my plan of action:
Younger sister Linda is going to pass me off G2 (can't make myself drink full sugar Gatorade and still taking Amanda's advice regarding drinking some calories for energy) during the race. Since I figure I will see them at least twice during the race, I figure that drinking those electrolytes combined with drinking water at each of the water stations should take care of the hydration issue.
Of course, I will be eating a good breakfast before the race - most likely a bagel with almond butter and a banana. I will be carrying with me a pack and a half of Clif's Shot Bloks. Truth be told - one pack is probably enough, but I'd rather have too much than not enough. I will be taking 3 bloks at mile 4, and another 3 at mile 8. If I feel the need for another boost, I reserve the right to hit it up at mile 11 or 12 - whatever it takes to get me to that finish line IN LEGAL TIME! =)
So there you have it - my goals and my plan of action! Oh...I almost forgot my music! I posted on Twitter and Facebook that I was looking for some suggestions for tunes to add to my iPod. I got some great ideas and have already started switching out some of my music for some fresh vibes!
I've got this! I know I do!
Okay, so onto other race related things...I picked up my Race Packet today at Luke's Locker. Lamest Swag Bag EVER! There was no swag. How disappointing is that?! I mean would it have killed them to get someone to donate a lip balm?! a granola bar? a key chain? something? anything? I like to feel a little love when I open up my bag. I felt nothing. We don't get our finisher's shirt until we finish (which is totally cool with me), so that bag was way too empty for my taste (bib w/ d-tag and a couple of slips of paper). Party foul, Houston Half, party foul!
While at Luke's Locker, however, I did decide to let their shoe experts help me *finally*. You see, when I first bought myself my running shoes (in December), I just got them from the New Balance outlet mall. While the sales associate that helped me was very nice, she wasn't very knowledgeable (or if she was...she didn't offer up the help) like the dude at Luke's did. I explained to him the issues I've been having with my feet - pain on the side of my left foot, black nails (oh joy), soreness, and other such issues, and he said he could help. He measured my foot and had me do a couple of things to determine stuff and brought me out a pair of Brooks Glycerins. Oh my how I liked the way they fit before he even tied them. He had me run on the treadmill and then proclaimed they were too short and went and brought me back a half a size up and then a pair of Asics something or another. He tried the Asics on me first - they felt good and I ran with them on the treadmill. Then he tried the upsized Brooks on me. Oh what a difference...I felt like I was running on a cloud. I had asked him about how to tie them since I sometimes feel like I'm tying them too tightly and they are hurting me and he showed me a new way to tie them. Sold! I'm going to run with them tomorrow morning - just 2 or 3 miles - super excited!
What a difference from my nervous nelly million posts prior to my first half, huh?! ha!
Oh...shout out to younger sister Linda for signing up for RunGirl 13.1 (12/12/10)! Sooo excited to be reunited in race with her as our one and only was back in March with our 10K H.E.B. Bayou City Classic. Yay!
a little messy since it's straight out of the oven
Saturday night I went over to Meliska and Greggy-D's house to visit with them and baby Liam, of course! Greg's parents were over helping them out and making dinner. Lucky me for being able to partake in the company and the food!
Greg's mom was making Greg's lasagna - a recipe he had gotten on-line. I ate it and exclaimed, "This is the best lasagna EVER!" Greg laughed and said that was what the lasagna is called and showed me the recipe. It's true - that's the name of it! I might have been able to eat the whole pan all by myself, but...um...that's totally socially unacceptable (especially since there were others in the room who could bear witness to my gluttony) and I'm so not THAT fat anymore.
I took note of that recipe title and looked up the recipe when I got home. For the recipe in its original glory, click here.
I, of course, made some modifications to make it South Beach friendly. Here is my recipe:
Whole wheat lasagna noodles - I used 8 noodles
1.2 lbs extra lean ground turkey
1.2 lbs ground turkey with Italian seasoning
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes (which I then crushed)
1 12 oz can of tomato paste
2 TBSP dried parsley
2 TBSP dried basil
1 TSP salt
3 cups 1% milk fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup of egg whites (or 2 beaten eggs)
1/2 cup reduced fat GRATED Parmesan cheese
2 TBSP dried parsley
1 TSP salt
2 packages part skim mozzarella cheese slices (1 lb total)
Now here is what you do - get your pasta boiling in some water with a bit of salt and a touch of olive oil. Get your turkey browning with your minced garlic. When the pasta is done (al dente works great), remove it from the pot, rinse it, and set it out for later. Once the turkey is done (it will take a while because there is so much of it), add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, and salt. Then let that all simmer for 45 minutes.
While that is simmering, work on your cheese mixture. Take a large bowl and dump in your cottage cheese. Add in your egg whites (or beaten eggs) and then the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt.
Now preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once your meat mixture is done simmering, you are ready to build your lasagna. Start by laying down 4 lasagna noodles (over lap them if necessary). Next, add half of the cheese mixture. Now, take out your mozzarella cheese slices and lay them out across the top (over lap these if necessary, too). You are now ready to add your meat mixture, but you want to add a little less than half. Now comes the last 4 lasagna noodles and then you repeat everything until you finish the with rest of the meat mixture. Sprinkle some parmesan on top and voila - you are ready to put it in the oven for 45 minutes!
I knew early on that my friends Melissa and Greg were expecting their first child. They told me in a most special way - we were at a birthday party for a mutual friend and Greg mentioned to me he had a pancake recipe that he thought was South Beach friendly for me out in their car and wanted to know if I wanted to take a look. I thought it was kinda peculiar that he didn't just bring the recipe book inside the house, but I'm a go-with-the-flow kinda girl, so I went outside to go look at the book. Melissa went along with us and mentioned something about having a special bookmark for the recipe. Um...okay.
Pause here while I insert (once again) how I'm a total Aggie when it comes to putting together pieces to the puzzle.
Okay, so we get to the car and I ask if I'm supposed to read the recipe or look at the special bookmark first. I don't recall who said what, but one of them told me the recipe and the other said the bookmark. They looked at each other and laughed and then chose one, only the funny thing is I don't actually remember what order I looked at them. Let's just say I looked at the bookmark first. It basically informed me that Melissa was preggers (yay), but that it was a secret so SHHHHH! Apparently the look on my face was worth a thousand words as Melissa said she wished she had her camera and she gleefully laughed and said it was priceless! I, was honored to have been given the gift of knowing.
Prior to Melissa and Greg finding out the gender of their baby, Melissa did a poll on her blog. I was in the minority to choose "boy", but I stuck to my guns on the day when Melissa and Greg had their ultra sound that determined the gender and called me up asking if "boy" was my final answer. I was right! I love being right.
Melissa and Greg had made the decision to keep the baby's name a secret until his birth. I didn't concern myself with trying to guess it...I really didn't think too much about his name, honestly...until the night before his birth...er...the wee hours of the morning.
Here's what happened...I got a text from Melissa around 6:00pm on Wednesday letting me know that her water broke and she was heading to the hospital. This was 3 days before her due date. I was uber excited! I got another text message around 10:30pm letting me know she had the epideral and that they were going to give her petocin at 4:00am. My dogs woke me up around 1:45am to go potty. This was when I could not go back to sleep. All the sudden my head started getting flooded with names for the baby. I thought of Donovan, Cameron, Jeremiah (was a bullfrog, don't ya know), Nicholas...and others. Names kept rolling on in. All I had to go with were a few clues Melissa had dropped along the way - she had never had a student named this name and that it was a trendy name, but not toooo popular.
I somehow someway eventually fell back asleep.
The next morning, I got some more info via Facebook postings Melissa had made. Then, at 10:30am, I got a text message from Melissa's mom letting me know that the baby was born and that everyone was healthy, but that was all she knew because she was outside the room. She said she would update me later when she had more info. Finally, an hour and a half later, I received all the info...with the most important piece to the puzzle solved...little baby Liam was born to his proud and loving parents.
Liam, by the way, is one of my very favorite names. I've always had a thing for the Irish names. My plan since she went into labor was to go visit them after work. I realized they must be tired and that perhaps I was being rude to push myself upon them, so I emailed Greg to say as much once he sent out a group email informing everyone of Liam's arrival. He replied back with "He's asked to see you." That made my heart swell.
I called my sister Cathy and explained I had yet to buy Liam's "welcome to the world" gift, but I didn't want to go to the hospital empty handed. I asked if I should bring flowers. She asked if there was something food related Melissa would prefer instead. My initial response was a pepperoni pizza as Melissa had said that after she gave birth she wanted a pepperoni pizza and a coke. I then laughed and said that didn't seem very practical, so maybe some banana pudding. I left it with "I would think about it".
Before I left work, I text Melissa and Greg to see what kind of contraband I could bring them. Melissa called me and asked if I could bring them a pepperoni pizza and her a coke! HA! How perfect! I asked where from and picked up a pizza from Grimaldi's Pizza. I ordered it, picked it up, bought a Coke from a Chick-fi-A drive-thru since Grimaldi's only had Pepsi products, and went off to meet Liam.
I met up with Greg's sister, Lisa, and Melissa's brother, Terry, and sister-in-law, Lisa, at the hospital. We had a lovely time getting to know little Liam. He sure is a cutie - already so alert - already so loved! I can't wait to get to know this little guy! I love him already! Happy BIRTHday, little Liam!
When I embarked upon the South Beach diet well over a year ago, I decided to be a bit more open-minded about food. This meant I needed to be willing to step outside of my comfort zone and try certain food that I wouldn't give even half a chance to previously.
I've eaten spaghetti squash, butternut squash, salmon, sushi...heck, I even tried mussels on my vacation! Prior to this weekend I've never tried acorn squash. Though I never had an attitude against it, mind you, I was intimidated as to how to cook it. Pumpkin is another story. I have had a total attitude problem regarding it for years. A few weeks ago, older sister Cathy made some kind of a pumpkin cake which had Jillian's protein powder in it and was very low calorie and actually quite delicious. Then there is Lindsay from Pancakes N Pajamas - this girl posts recipes all the time with pumpkin (one might argue that she has a slight pumpkin obsession - ha)! So, last week she posted a Pumpkin Turkey Chili recipe and I just knew I had to suck it up and try it.
Then, courtesy of that ridiculous article from Marie Claire, I was introduced to some other blogs I had never even heard of before so...um...Thanks, Marie Claire for making me curious and finding 6 more blogs I now love to read. I guess whatever they were hoping to achieve missed its mark entirely, by the way.
Anyway, Heather and Mark from Hangry Pants posted a recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash Chili, so I decided to sorta take elements from the Roasted Acorn Squash Chili and elements from the Pumpkin Turkey Chili and then add in some creative license to make my own Autumn-ish Chili.
So here is the recipe I came up with:
1 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 yellow onion - diced
1 stalk of celery - sliced
1 can of black beans
2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic
1 can of pumpkin
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP cinnamon
2 TBSP cumin
3 TBSP chili powder
1 acorn squash (olive oil and a bit of cinnamon)
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut acorn squash in half. Remove seeds. Drizzle squash with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Once oven is ready, place in oven (on a pan) for 45 minutes. Brown ground turkey with the onion in a skillet. I seasoned this with my Adobo and some cinnamon, but you can use whatever suits your fancy. In a large pot, go ahead and get the party started by dumping the cans of tomatoes, black beans, pumpkin, and celery all together. Add in your garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder. Once the turkey and onions are ready, add them in. Once the acorn squash is done roasting, allow it to cool and then cut into 1" to 2" cubes. You can opt to remove the skin or leave it on (I left it on). Add the squash to the chili.
Dress up your chili however you like. I, of course, used Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream for better nutritional content. I left the cheese off this chili (rare for me, I know), but somehow the autumn-ish feel of it just didn't seem to need it. I did add a bit of Cholula as recommended by Lindsay (and because I am in love with Cholula).
If it sounds a bit weird to you at first, you may want to give it a whirl anyway. I have to admit this dish was out of my comfort zone, but I do love it and will totally make it again! Happy Fall every body!!!
I didn't exactly have the best run yesterday. It wasn't terrible, either. I just had these high hopes of it being this great pre-cursor to my half that's coming up next week. I know I'm putting so much pressure on myself and I know that it isn't really all that fair, but...well...here's how it all went down....
I got to the park a couple minutes late (oops), but that's okay because I wasn't the only one and my team was just standing around and sharing some stories. Some of the guys had run the 10 for Texas race the week before and were recapping. They explained what we were to do...run 3/4 of a mile warm-up, then 1/2 a mile counting our steps. I had missed the week (due to my whole food poisoning issue) when my team first did that. That's hard, y'all. Have you ever tried to count your steps?
Next, we were to head from Meyer Park around the fishing lake over to Collins Park out to Cypresswood Drive and run past TC Jester and out to Kuykendahl and then back. We were then supposed to finish it with a timed lap. We were told there was water placed out for us and where it was, BUT (and this is the part that sucks) I got confused and didn't find it (more on that in a bit).
Before heading out to Cypresswood, Collins does have a bathroom/water fountain house, so I did stop to take advantage of this as I did not know how far away the water was and/or if I was going to have to use the bathroom. It always makes me nervous to leave the park because it's awkward if you need to use the bathroom. I mean if you are in a race, at least there are port-a-potties in case of emergency, you know?! Anyway, this was all at mile 3 according to my Garmin and I was quite thankful I at least had drank that water.
I then headed out to Cypresswood. Shortly thereafter, my coach passed me on a return trip (he was JUST putting in 5 after having done 22 the day before - can't even fathom that). He reminded me how to pump my arms and once I put it into practice, I started flying (well...for me, anyway). Seriously, though...I was maintaining sub 13 miles and feeling great! Funny how when we had done our 7 miler how far away TC Jester seemed and now...eh...not to bad at all! I love that! I will say it was much cooler out than that 7 miler day, too, though, but still! So, we were told that we would have to cross the street and there was a little park and the water was on a park bench. I thought this was perfect, so I planned on eating either my Larabar or some of my Shot Bloks with the water. I kept going and going and going and finally I hit Kuykendahl. I was totally ready for some water.
So, I got there and crossed the street into a subdivision...a little bit up the road, I saw what looked like a park...as I approached it, I saw that it was all closed up with a sign that said private park. I couldn't see any gate open or any water on any of the park benches inside. I stopped and stood there and honestly just wanted to cry. My Garmin was at 5.75 miles and I knew I was going to have to run 2.75 miles back to the Collins water fountain. I went ahead and took out my Banana Bread Larabar...ate it hoping it would give me energy...and then a fresh piece of gum hoping it would somehow hydrate me...and I wished I had been smart enough to throw a couple dollars in my Spibelt because there was a gas station on the corner (I will definitely not leave home without a $5 with me next time). I then started a much slower run back to the park...I was defeated.
When I finally made it to the Collins water fountain, I surely gulped gallons (slight exaggeration) of water from the fountain. I was so thirsty. I had gone 5.5 miles without water...I was now at the 8.5 mile mark and ONLY had 2.5 miles left to go on this jaunt. I (still) slowly headed up the trail in Collins back towards Meyer Park. I finally made it to Meyer and headed to our picnic table. It was our breakfast day - our coach had made us oatmeal with egg and raisins. He had brought bananas and honey for us to add into it. I had thought he would have been gone by the time I got there, but he was still there along with one other girl. I told him I never found the water. We went over where it was supposed to be. Apparently I misunderstood...it was at a little park off of TC Jester, not Kuykendahl - he said that way we could get the water twice - once going past it to Kuykendahl and once heading back to Collins. Well that only makes sense...too bad I'm a dum-dum! He told me I didn't have to do the timed lap, but I still had 1.1 miles left to go to hit my 11, so I gulped down my entire bottle of G2 (taking Amanda's advice that maybe I needed some calories coming from my drink - although it probably would have helped earlier in my run - ha)! My coach said he would have oatmeal ready for me when I got back. Um...okay. The last thing I want when I first finish running is food. I headed out do to my lap, but at the 1/4 mile mark, the charlie horses started making their presence known. I continued to the 1/2 mile marker and they were just there at the surface threatening every few steps...I finally said "screw it" and ran on the path that lead back to the table not caring if it shorted me the 11 (which it did - I only got 10.8 in total).
My coach insisted on the oatmeal, so I had some. It actually did hit the spot and the bananas were good for the charlie horse issue, I'm sure. He gave me some water since I had finished my G2 before my last little bit of run and then the three of talked for a while.
I'm left not feeling as confident for my half next week as I did after my 9 miler a few weeks ago due to my poor hydration issues the past couple of weeks. The only thing that gives me some comfort is knowing that the race offers up hydration stations every 2 miles and that my race plan is to walk through each and every station taking full advantage of the opportunity to hydrate.
So, one thing you can bet your bottom dollar on this week - you won't catch me without a bottle of water in one hand at all times! I'm not taking any chances!
Special shout out to my friend Lauren who is running the Nike Women's half today in San Fran! Wish her well!
You know what is frustrating? It's my lack of energy. I read so many articles on fueling while racing. I read so much about proper hydration. I read, but I don't practice these things. I think that's what kills me in running AND recovery. I did those 10 miles on Sunday and then I haven't done anything since. This isn't good for several reasons.
First of all...um...HELLO...I have a marathon in 3 1/2 months.
Second of all...I have a goal of 85 miles for this month and I'm only 1/4 of the way there with half the month left.
Third of all...I need my muscles ready for the next big run (11 miles) and the only way to get them prepared is for their homework to be complete. You see...my weekly runs are sort of like homework for my long runs, if that makes sense.
I know part of my problem is that when I fly I retain water (still dealing with that issue, by the way). I know another problem is that my left knee is bothering me on and off (rar!). I'm not quite sure what's going on there, but I'm thinking it's best to not run on it tonight (as was my plan). I know yet another little issue is that I get a wee bit discouraged when I realize how difficult it is for me to complete bigger week day runs than 3 or 4 miles a pop considering how long it takes me to run a mile. When I read tweets or blogs from faster runners who finish their 10 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes knowing full well it took me almost twice that time to do my 10 miles, it leaves me feeling a tad bit inadequate and disenchanted. I know it isn't a fair comparison, but it's the head game I play.
I guess what it boils down to is that I want to be as prepared as possible for this race, but I don't really feel like I'm doing my part.
So, what to do, what to do?
I went to Academy during my lunch break to peruse the options for fueling. I bring with me Clif's Shot Bloks on my long runs, but I don't always remember to use them. Hmmm...nice consistency, huh?! So, I bought some Larabars and my plan for this Saturday's run is to have a Clif's Shot Blok and a Larabar on hand. I'm not opposed to eating both if that's what gets me through my run feeling all energized and whatnot. I was majorly lagging the last 2 miles of Sunday's run which I chalk up to improper hydration and improper fueling.
I need to drink even when I don't think I'm thirsty. My problem isn't that I hate water. On the contrary, as I've mentioned before...I primarily drink water. I order iced tea in restaurants, I drink a glass of milk a day, I very rarely partake in a diet soda (probably not even one a week), I drink Powerade Zero during and after my long runs, and the rest of my life I drink water. So, what's the problem? I have been known to go the entire day - including all meals - without drinking a drop. Nice, huh?! BAD KIM! It's a tough habit to break. I'm not that bad anymore, but it is a struggle to remember to drink and then to keep drinking.
I need to eat even when I don't think I'm hungry (while running and immediately following my runs). Clearly, in general, I have no issue with eating any other time in my life. =\
What do you do for fueling during your runs?
How do you stay properly hydrated?
I went to bed super late on Friday (shocker)...well maybe not super late by most people standards, but considering I seem to be burning the candle at both ends lately lets just say I needed sleep and I didn't get it. So, at 11:30pm, I was in bed. At midnight, my phone rang. It was my dad. Now, mind you...my parents were already in Scottsdale, so I was thinking he must have forgotten about the time change, but really he was prank calling or...um...butt dialing. I tried calling him back to let him know the error of his ways, but he didn't answer, so I text him letting him know I was not amused and then I went back to sleep. Flash forward 51 minutes when he woke me up AGAIN. Same thing...another prank call...butt dial...whatever. Thanks, Dad. RAR! I text him again that I was STILL NOT AMUSED and I meant it this time. I then got smart and put my phone on silent. Good thing I did, too, cuz I missed a call from Continental at 3:00am letting me know my flight was on time. Way to be on top of your game, Continental. Oye!
My alarm went off at 5:30am, and I was ready (er...sorta) to start my day. Brother-in-law Craig (who was not going with us on this trip because he couldn't miss work on Monday) dropped off younger sister Linda at my house at 7:00am and then we picked up older sister Cathy and her hubby Jay at 7:15am and headed to the airport for our 9:00am flight.
It was a 3 hour flight with a 2 hour time change. We had some movie choices and/or tv options while on the flight, so Linda and I decided to watch 2 episodes Dexter, Season 4. I love that show! I need to finish the season so I can get started on Season 5! Our brother Eddie and sister-in-law April picked us up in the rental car since they arrived an hour before us.
Eddie on the Trolley
Eddie and April took us to Walgreens so we could get movie snacks and some drinks. Next, we headed to our hotel, The Hotel Valley Ho. Linda, who once stayed at an element hotel, said it reminded her of that in decor. Sort of a retro 60s swanky, green hotel. We put our stuff in Eddie and April's room since our rooms weren't ready yet and went to find the free trolley that takes you into town. As we were headed to town, our mom called and we found out she was hungry, so we explained to her how to get on the trolley and told her we would let her know where we decided to eat and then we would wait for her. We picked The Grand Lux - our staple restaurant when we go to Vegas and since we aren't going to Vegas this year for our Thanksgiving celebration, it seemed appropriate. We enjoyed our lunch and then parted ways with my mom and met double cousins Nicole and Danielle plus cousin Courtney at the movie theater to see The Social Network. Have you seen it? It's fantastic - totally recommend it!
After the movie, we caught the trolley back to the hotel, got our keys to our respective rooms, moved out of Eddie and April's room and into our own. The rooms were very nice and spacious and even offered a little patio/balcony area. Linda and I really enjoyed our blue mood lighting above the bath tub. Whenever she got mad at me, she would flip the switch to turn it off saying I didn't deserve it. =(
I then headed to the pool to socialize with some extended family for a bit before it was time to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. We found out last minute that the rehearsal was to be a casual affair, but we had brought dresses, so we decided to dress up anyway. We dined at Buca di Beppo. We ate caesar salad, spaghetti bolognese, chicken piccata, and a trio of ice cream for dessert. After dinner, a group of us went back to the hotel and had some more dessert cuz...um...that's how we roll. I was VERY disappointed in my red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting because they were a sickly pale pink color with weird tasting butter frosting. Total False Advertisement. I stayed up way too late which was unfortunate because I had to wake up way too early for my 10-miler the next day.
After running my 10 miles and getting cleaned up, my family decided to go get breakfast. We ended up back at the Grand Lux, but we had to go in 2 trips because all 8 of us didn't fit in the minivan. We had a great time and then decided to head back to the hotel. I had planned on swimming. Since I didn't think it necessary to wait for my dad to make a second trip, I just decided to walk the mile back to the hotel. My mom thought this was crazy considering my 10 mile run, but honestly...sometimes it just feels better to move than to sit still, you know?! So, Eddie, Linda, and I headed back. We found out from Cathy that my parents basically pulled a stop, drop and roll on Cathy, Jay, and April - kinda shoving them out of the car as they paused at the hotel before heading out to the casino. Once Eddie, Linda, and I got to the hotel, Cathy decided we should all go out and find Sprinkles to have a cupcake. Guess where Sprinkles was located? Yep...right where we came from - by the restaurant. I said I wasn't walking back - it was HOT outside and I was tired, so Cathy asked if we would be willing to take the trolley and we agreed.
Sprinkles was like a cupcake heaven. Yum! I ordered the chocolate marshmallow one. It would have gone well with a nice tall glass of milk - too bad I didn't have one. It was a bit rich...should have gotten the lemon one instead which was my initial reaction.
chocolate marshmallow cupcake
my uncle walking his beautiful daughter down the aisle
Because of our cupcake adventure, we didn't have any time for the pool, so I got ready for the wedding. The wedding was beautiful. It was outside and in the shade. There were fans and lemon water out for the guests. The chairs were placed in a circle which was unique and worked really well. My cousin looked absolutely beautiful! They picked purple and lime green as their colors - classic car colors. One of the surprises of the wedding was that her aunt on her dad's side officiated the ceremony. She did an excellent job! The bride's brother, also my cousin, sang an Elvis Presley song during the ceremony. He is sooo talented.
they did unity sand instead of a unity candle
After the wedding, we headed to the pool for a cocktail hour with hor dourves.
family pic (minus Craig)
sisters!
Then came the reception on top of the hotel. Oh was it beautiful - the night sky - white lights - amazing! The food was fantastic, the cake was the best wedding cake (or any cake, honestly) I've ever had. It was champagne cake with white chocolate mousse. Yum! My talented cousin sang his sister an original song he wrote to her and her new hubby. It was so amazing! Later, we danced the night away! We had such a fun time! After the reception, a group of us went downstairs to the restaurant for snacks and some drinks and just laughed and talked for hours. Eventually, we went to bed.
On Monday, we had a continental breakfast in my aunt and uncle's suite and then we flew home.
I love family events! Next trip is Chicago in mid November for my annual management meetings - this is also a family affair since I work for the family biz!
When I went to LaShaune's Pampered Chef party just over a week ago, I had the pleasure of feasting on Chicken Satay Pasta Salad. Apparently LaShaune had eaten it a time or two before at previous Pampered Chef parties and had requested it to be made at her party. I'm thankful. It's delicious. I took the recipe and tweaked it slightly to make it a bit more South Beach friendly. Here's the recipe as I made it:
8 oz. uncooked whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
3 cups of cooked diced chicken (approx. 1 lb)
3/4 cup of Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger salad dressing
2 TBSP whipped Peter Pan Peanut Butter
1/2 package of broccoli slaw
green onion
1 diced red pepper
1/2 bag of sugar snap peas
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
chopped up fresh basil
the juice of one lime
grated ginger
Cook the pasta in water with some salt. While I had the pasta cooking, I also boiled the chicken and then I began mixing my remaining ingredients. I took a large bowl and poured the measured 3/4 cup of the salad dressing into it. I did read all of the low fat/lite Asian salad dressings to try to find the best option as far as lower sugar / lower carbs / lower fat / lower calories went and Newman's seemed to be the best option. The original recipe called for 1 cup, but I was trying to use less - keeping in mind I could always add more if it was necessary. I then added the peanut butter by whisking it into the salad dressing. Next I squeezed the lime into the mix and grated a chunk of peeled ginger and then whisked away. The original recipe called for carrots, but South Beach kinda frowns down upon carrots because of the sugar content, so I opted to go for the broccoli slaw mix which has a bit of shredded carrot in it plus shredded cabbage and shredded broccoli stems. I then added the pepper, green onion, and peas. I should have then added my fresh basil, but when I started chopping it up I thought it smelled an awful lot like mint, so I looked again at the packaging and realized I accidentally picked up mint instead of basil. Ooops! I pulled a "Kim" yet again. No basil in my dinner this time. Once my pasta was cooked, I rinsed it and let it cool. Once my chicken was cooked, I diced it up and let it cool. I then added both to my big bowl and mixed it thoroughly and served it to myself.
This is soooo flavorful and so yummy! It's great for lunch and dinner and it makes great leftovers - in fact the flavors have time to infuse and it might even taste better the next day! Enjoy!
We all know I had a plan in place for bustin' out my 10 miles while out of town this past weekend. Let me quickly recap - I was going to run from my hotel to a park located 2.1 miles away. The park had a 5K course at it, so I was going to run that twice. Then, I was going to head back to the hotel - the final 2.1 miles - for a grand total of 10.4 miles.
On Friday, I received a text message from one of my cousins that she had heard from one of our aunts that there was a 38 mile course right outside our hotel. WHAT?! Surely she meant 3.8 miles, right?! On Saturday when we arrived, I asked my cousin if she had typo'd that puppy and she said no - there is a 38 mile course that runs from the back of the hotel around the city. Well...that didn't necessarily sound like it offered up the perks of a park - meaning bathrooms and water fountains, so I decided to stick with my original plan.
I had brought along my breakfast with me from Houston - a multi grain bagel from H.E.B., a packet of Justin's maple almond butter, and a banana. I took a pack of Clif's Shot Bloks with me in my Spibelt for refueling during my run. When we arrived in town on Saturday, we stopped at Walgreens to get some drinks, so I bought me a Powerade Zero for when I finished my run to replenish my electrolytes. I headed out the door at 6:30am with my map of how to get to the park and walked out of the hotel.
Oooops! I grabbed the wrong map - turns out I grabbed the map to the movie theater and I didn't want to disturb younger sister Linda who was still sound asleep inside our room, so I just decided to try to go off of memory and try to find the park. About 2 1/2 miles into my run (running around in circles getting lost), I found a jogging/bike path. Eureka! I was just hoping this path would lead me to water because I needed it BADLY! 1.75 miles later, I happened across my park - totally accidentally along this path - go figure! Yay - bathrooms and water! I then had a decision to make - find the 5K course at this park, or continue on my jogging trail. I had figured out at this point that I must actually be on the 38 mile path that runs throughout the city. I decided to stick to my trail and I ran another 1.25 miles past the park before I turned around and headed back. This meant I hit the water fountain again at mile 6.75. I drank some water, stretched, and ran back on the path. Since I knew where I was going this time, I knew it wasn't going to take me as long to get back to the hotel. I got off the path at mile 8 and started running out of steam. I knew I was dehydrated and I remembered where that Walgreens was, so I ran to it and went inside and bought me one of those zero calorie rehydration drinks - it had potassium and Vitamin B in it. I drank all 20 oz. outside before I continued my run back to the hotel. At this point I was at 8.75 miles. I started running and got to the hotel and knew I was going to be short my mileage, so I ran around the block, then back to the hotel - running into the lobby and to my room and my Garmin literally turned to the 10 mile mark right as I hit the door to my room. I then drank the entire 32 oz of my Powerade Zero. For the rest of the day, I never stopped drinking...it was either water or iced tea until the Wedding and then it became champagne! ha!
I almost forgot about my blister. My right pinky toe decided to grow one. I don't know if it's fair to say my shoe or sock caused it because I had some issues the night before with my heels at the rehearsal dinner and I did Vaseline up my feet before my run. Oh well... It was just another obstacle and I conquered it.
10 miles down - ran all of it - no walking breaks. I stopped twice for bathroom/water breaks and then the Walgreens hydration break. This Saturday's run is 11 miles and then I have my half on October 24th. I'm really hoping to run the entire thing with the exception of the water stations. I'm also hoping to shave 24 minutes off my previous half marathon time. I'm on target to make that happen!
It's true - it kicks my booty every time, the run does, but it never ceases to amaze me how freeing it feels to be able to do something I never thought was possible. Lauren posted her weekly Workout Wednesday, Get Your Sweat On! post asking the question how do I run? It followed her post yesterday explaining how she started running. Here's my story:
My friend Meliska trained for her very first marathon. I remember being in awe of her mileage. How could she do that? When she actually completed the race (on 6/22/2008 in Alaska, no less), I was so proud of her - I mean there were literally tears of joy in my eyes for her accomplishment when I was sent the picture message of her proudly wearing her medal. Could I ever do that? No way, Jose. BUT...it was in the back of my mind.
When I started my new healthy lifestyle back on July 6, 2009, I got the diet part down easily. I mean there was a list of food I could eat from and a list of food I couldn't eat from...with a little bit of creativity and sometimes some gray area, I made it work and was very successful. I exercised, too, but I wasn't really challenged. I started off trying to do Zumba. Zumba and I didn't get along very well. I then headed over to the pool for some water aerobics. I started off doing it twice a week and then moved onto three times a week. Occasionally I would throw the elliptical machine into the mix for good measure. Once 2010 was coming into view, I knew I wanted to change the game. Silly me was thinking spin class initially, but apparently there was a bigger plan for me brewing.
Younger sister Linda started training for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in July '09. In December, I started wondering if maybe I should consider training for that very same race for '11. I had this grand plan of running as many 1 miles as possible in January and as many 2 miles as possible in February and as many 3 miles as possible in March and...well, you get the picture. Come December I would be running 12 miles and that would put me in perfect position to run a half marathon in January 2011. It was just a thought...
Linda ran the Aramco Houston Half on Sunday, January 17th. I was so extremely proud of her. I kinda got the running bug. Meliska kinda preyed off of this. That's when she hit me with the Rocket's Run. I told her there was no way. It was a 5K on January 31st - that meant 3.1 miles. How could I do 3.1 miles when 3 miles were reserved for March??? BUT...Meliska can be persuasive, so...I signed up and ran it with both Meliska and Lauren and...it was amazing. I cried at my triumph! I had no rhyme or reason to my run/walk - I would just run as much as I could, take a walk break, and then start running again.
Melissa spoke to me about using an interval method - this is what she employed and she had a PR for her Rocket's Run. I decided to do 3/1s.
I had The Rodeo Run in February, the HEB Bayou City Classic 10K in March and then I started thinking that maybe, just maybe I could sign up for the full marathon in January. It was around this time that I signed up to run my first half marathon.
Upon returning from the race, the very next weekend, I began training with Marathon Team Nam - a running group associated with a non-profit organization. We train every Saturday. My coach has encouraged me to drop my interval method to build my distance endurance. This past weekend, I am proud to announce that I ran 9 miles without any walking breaks.
Now, ironically, Melissa had to take a step back from running when she found out she was preggers with Baby-D, so we were only able to do 2 races together. We have big plans, however, for reuniting in many races to come once the baby is born and she is able to get back into the swing of things.
I've posted before about what a difference a year makes with regard to my weight. What a difference a year makes with regard to my fitness! I may not be anywhere near my goal weight YET. I may not be anywhere near the speed I would like to be (total turtle right here, y'all), BUT I'm doing something I never thought possible. It's the hardest thing I've ever done - physically, emotionally, and mentally, but I'm doing it step by step, mile by mile.
When the run is complete, it feels like I balled up whatever was haunting me...whether it was fear, anger, sadness, loneliness...whatever...and squashed it. For just a little while, nothing else seems to matter. I am free of the stresses. That's why I run.
What's the hardest thing you've ever done?
If you run, how did you start? Why do you continue?
