Hi Everyone! It's been so long since I've posted, I know. I'm going to try to update you on how the end of the summer has gone, and what my goals/plans are for the coming months.
I don't remember if it was in my last post or not, but at the end of July, I did the Run the Mountain in Mt. Pleasant. It was hot, humid, and very difficult, but I did finish running the whole way.
Since then, we celebrated Mariah's first birthday, and had a lot of fun with the end of our summer. Last week, I ran my first 10k in Grand Rapids at the Metro Cruise. It was a lot of fun, and I ran the first 4 miles and then alternated walking and running for the last couple. Still, I finished in an hour and 12 minutes. I was ok with that, since it was my first one. I can't wait to do it next year, and hopefully finish in under an hour.
My last hoorah for the summer was the Run for Sight this morning. It was cool and windy, and sand was blowing everywhere. More than that though, I started feeling really sick after the first mile and a half or so and had to walk. I was so disappointed. :-( I finished in 36:50. I can't believe it. I feel like I'm getting a stomach bug or something. I really wish I could've done better.
Now it's time to get back to school, and that means student teaching for me. I'm really excited to get this under my belt so I can graduate! I think this is going to be a great experience. :-) I did become aware of a bad situation the very first day I came to school, so please pray. I can't give any details on here, but it involves a person being in critical condition.
Ok, back to weight-loss I have been pretty consistently staying between 148-150lbs. I do fit into size 10 pants in a lot of different brands now. It's a good feeling. I still need to work on my waistline though. I still have like 5 inches to lose to be in "normal" range and to lower my overall risk of heart attack and stroke. Most of the reason I'm not still losing like I was is that I'm not making the healthiest food choices. I need to buckle down and do better.
Ok,... so my goals for the next couple months. By the end of September, I want to be down to 145 or a little less. I would LOVE to reach my original goal of 140lbs by the end of October.
That being said, does anyone have any advice on how to lose my tummy? I'm still carrying around that very soft loose pouch from the baby. Maybe I should go back to pilates? I know some women just bounce right back. It seems like you can't even notice that they had a baby. I need to tighten and tone, but I don't think it will even show if I can't get rid of some of the "softness" on top of the muscle. I'm only focusing on it because I really want to lose the inches off my waist.
Ok, I think that's all for now. More later!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Short Nights
As promised, I wanted to update everyone on the 5k I ran on Wednesday. I honestly forgot how hard that course was! It's not flat at all, and not all of it is on a paved road or trail. Plus, it was very hot and humid being that it's held in the evening at the end of July. On top of all that, I haven't been training regularly since I hurt my ankle and knee. I don't know how I even finished it, but I did. Slowly, but surely, I kept a steady jog and finished in about 35:09. There are no shoe tags for this race, so that is a very rough time, but I'm okay with it.
I am getting ready now to go on a shopping day with our ladies at church. It's kinda fun to look around at all the second hand stores to see what you can find. :-) I just wish I had gotten more sleep last night. Mariah really hasn't been sleeping good. She's going to bed late... like 11:00 or later, and getting up by about 6:30. This has been going on almost all week, and I'm exhausted. I don't know what to do to help her get back on a good schedule. It seems funny that not that long ago, I would've given anything to sleep that long. I honestly think this second tooth she's getting is bothering her, which is funny because she didn't have any trouble with the first one. The teething tablets don't seem to cut it either. Oh well,... I'm sure it's just a phase.
Time to get ready to go shopping! We're all meeting up for brunch first, and I can't wait. It's going to be sooo good. This guy can really cook!
More later!
I am getting ready now to go on a shopping day with our ladies at church. It's kinda fun to look around at all the second hand stores to see what you can find. :-) I just wish I had gotten more sleep last night. Mariah really hasn't been sleeping good. She's going to bed late... like 11:00 or later, and getting up by about 6:30. This has been going on almost all week, and I'm exhausted. I don't know what to do to help her get back on a good schedule. It seems funny that not that long ago, I would've given anything to sleep that long. I honestly think this second tooth she's getting is bothering her, which is funny because she didn't have any trouble with the first one. The teething tablets don't seem to cut it either. Oh well,... I'm sure it's just a phase.
Time to get ready to go shopping! We're all meeting up for brunch first, and I can't wait. It's going to be sooo good. This guy can really cook!
More later!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Run the Mountain!
I am so excited to do the Run the Mountain 5k in Mt. Pleasant today. I think I'm as excited to run as to see my friends! I hope the weather holds out and isn't too miserable. I don't really know what to expect for a time since I haven't been on a regular running schedule the last two weeks because of my knee. Also, I'll be running with a knee bra
ce, so I'm not sure if that will affect my time or not. I hope my entry form made it in time to get a t-shirt!
I REALLY wish I could find my hat I got last time I ran this race. It was my first 5k, and the hat is really nice for running. Very light weight and vented, but it keeps the sun off your face. I think it got lost in the move. :-( I think we still have a few boxes at Jon's parents' house, so it might be there, but I doubt it. I would really like to have it for tonight, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
Alright... enough complaining. I just wanted to pop in to let you all know what I'm up to. I probably won't be getting back until late tonight, so I'll post an update tomorrow on the race. Wish me luck! I can't wait!
ce, so I'm not sure if that will affect my time or not. I hope my entry form made it in time to get a t-shirt! I REALLY wish I could find my hat I got last time I ran this race. It was my first 5k, and the hat is really nice for running. Very light weight and vented, but it keeps the sun off your face. I think it got lost in the move. :-( I think we still have a few boxes at Jon's parents' house, so it might be there, but I doubt it. I would really like to have it for tonight, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
Alright... enough complaining. I just wanted to pop in to let you all know what I'm up to. I probably won't be getting back until late tonight, so I'll post an update tomorrow on the race. Wish me luck! I can't wait!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Get it Together!
It has been so long since I've posted, and I feel bad about it. I don't know why I'm not keeping up with it like I should. I think it's because I've been really off track in a lot of ways. I had to take about a week and a half off from running because I twisted my ankle on a run which in turn hurt my knee somehow. It feels better now, and this past week I started easing back into it with a couple of easy runs.
I just got back from camping for a week. Jon's been on vacation and it was a relaxing time. :-) It's so nice to have that. Unfortunately, it was also a week of bad eating. Now that I'm able to run again maybe I'll be a little more motivated to make better food choices too.
Speaking of running, I am doing a 5k this Wednesday so watch for my update on that! I'm really excited, and I can't wait!
I guess I don't have a ton to say today, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. I am going to make it a point to keep this more updated, even if some of my posts are short.
More soon!
I just got back from camping for a week. Jon's been on vacation and it was a relaxing time. :-) It's so nice to have that. Unfortunately, it was also a week of bad eating. Now that I'm able to run again maybe I'll be a little more motivated to make better food choices too.
Speaking of running, I am doing a 5k this Wednesday so watch for my update on that! I'm really excited, and I can't wait!
I guess I don't have a ton to say today, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. I am going to make it a point to keep this more updated, even if some of my posts are short.
More soon!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Strength and Beauty
Hi everyone! I know it's been just over a week since I posted, and I didn't meet my self-set two posts per week standard, but here I am. I can honestly say that I've been feeling so much stronger, and I'm really noticing changes in my body.
I had a great time doing the Seaway 5k Run last Saturday! It was really awesome to be a part of something so big, and I was thrilled that my Dad did it with me! When you first start running, it's an accomplishment just to finish a mile, and you don't think you could EVER do three! Not only did I do all three running the whole way, but I crushed my previous record! I finished in 33:08 which is awesome for me.
I had been training at around 5.2 or 5.3 mph on the treadmill which is around an 11.5 minute mile, and I hadn't been timing my outdoor runs. This came out to a 10.69 minute mile! That's an average of course, but it's still good for me. My first mile was like 12:10 because there's a hill right at the beginning, but when I hit my second mile, the time was 22 something! That's insane! I almost ran a 10 minute mile!!
I literally almost cried when I crossed the finish line and realized that I was going to finish in under 35 minutes. That had been my goal, but I wasn't holding my breath. What's even cooler is that the time I saw was 34:12 because I was seeing the gun time, not the chip time. For those of you who don't know, the gun time is just the time from when the race first begins until the time you finish. It doesn't account for how long it take you to move through the pack to actually cross the starting line. Your chip time actually measures your time from starting line to finish line. It wasn't until I got home that I found out my time was actually a minute better than I thought.
My next best time for a 5k was from my first race that I ran two years ago, and that was 38:24! There were 1296 people at the run, and I finished almost exactly middle of the pack, so I feel pretty good about that. :-)
So, outside of the world of running, I have had some other things going on. I recently signed up to sell Mary Kay, and should be able to get started next week! If you're interested in hosting a party, please let me know! I think this could be fun, and the extra income will be helpful.
Another thing happening, is Mariah getting her first tooth! I can't believe how big she's gotten, (even though she's still tiny), and that she's almost a year old now! It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was pregnant and waiting. I feel like I love her more and more everyday! God's design for women to be mothers is AMAZING, and I feel so blessed to be fulfilling that role.
Ok, I know this is getting a tad long, but I have a few more things...
I am still losing weight, but it seems to be coming off slower. I know that my eating habits haven't been the best lately, and that's probably the problem. I think I've been justifying it by saying, "well, I had a hard workout today." You guys know how that goes. Still, I don't feel like I'm eating that differently from before I was working out, so theoretically, I should still be losing, right? I mean, my workouts are pretty varied during the week so my body should be getting used to it. I have a mix of sprints, long distance, and intervals.
Also, I'm getting a little frustrated because I can't move this weight off my middle! I can see it coming off my face and upper body, but my belly and hips aren't budging! Any tips? I need to start doing strength training again. I'm so bad about that. I would just love to buy a different pant size, but more importantly to get my waist down to a heart healthy size. Right now, even though I'm in a healthy weight range, my waist is still classified as obese I think. I'm going to have to check to make sure though. I know for sure that it is at least in the overweight category. So, anyhow, any advice or tips would be appreciated.
Ok,... here's the number I'm sure you've been waiting for, and I hope it's not a disappointment now that I've waited so long to post it. My current weight is.... 148.8. I'm not sure how different that is from the last time I posted my numbers, but it is what it is.
More later!
I had a great time doing the Seaway 5k Run last Saturday! It was really awesome to be a part of something so big, and I was thrilled that my Dad did it with me! When you first start running, it's an accomplishment just to finish a mile, and you don't think you could EVER do three! Not only did I do all three running the whole way, but I crushed my previous record! I finished in 33:08 which is awesome for me.
I had been training at around 5.2 or 5.3 mph on the treadmill which is around an 11.5 minute mile, and I hadn't been timing my outdoor runs. This came out to a 10.69 minute mile! That's an average of course, but it's still good for me. My first mile was like 12:10 because there's a hill right at the beginning, but when I hit my second mile, the time was 22 something! That's insane! I almost ran a 10 minute mile!!
I literally almost cried when I crossed the finish line and realized that I was going to finish in under 35 minutes. That had been my goal, but I wasn't holding my breath. What's even cooler is that the time I saw was 34:12 because I was seeing the gun time, not the chip time. For those of you who don't know, the gun time is just the time from when the race first begins until the time you finish. It doesn't account for how long it take you to move through the pack to actually cross the starting line. Your chip time actually measures your time from starting line to finish line. It wasn't until I got home that I found out my time was actually a minute better than I thought.
My next best time for a 5k was from my first race that I ran two years ago, and that was 38:24! There were 1296 people at the run, and I finished almost exactly middle of the pack, so I feel pretty good about that. :-)
So, outside of the world of running, I have had some other things going on. I recently signed up to sell Mary Kay, and should be able to get started next week! If you're interested in hosting a party, please let me know! I think this could be fun, and the extra income will be helpful.
Another thing happening, is Mariah getting her first tooth! I can't believe how big she's gotten, (even though she's still tiny), and that she's almost a year old now! It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was pregnant and waiting. I feel like I love her more and more everyday! God's design for women to be mothers is AMAZING, and I feel so blessed to be fulfilling that role.
Ok, I know this is getting a tad long, but I have a few more things...
I am still losing weight, but it seems to be coming off slower. I know that my eating habits haven't been the best lately, and that's probably the problem. I think I've been justifying it by saying, "well, I had a hard workout today." You guys know how that goes. Still, I don't feel like I'm eating that differently from before I was working out, so theoretically, I should still be losing, right? I mean, my workouts are pretty varied during the week so my body should be getting used to it. I have a mix of sprints, long distance, and intervals.
Also, I'm getting a little frustrated because I can't move this weight off my middle! I can see it coming off my face and upper body, but my belly and hips aren't budging! Any tips? I need to start doing strength training again. I'm so bad about that. I would just love to buy a different pant size, but more importantly to get my waist down to a heart healthy size. Right now, even though I'm in a healthy weight range, my waist is still classified as obese I think. I'm going to have to check to make sure though. I know for sure that it is at least in the overweight category. So, anyhow, any advice or tips would be appreciated.
Ok,... here's the number I'm sure you've been waiting for, and I hope it's not a disappointment now that I've waited so long to post it. My current weight is.... 148.8. I'm not sure how different that is from the last time I posted my numbers, but it is what it is.
More later!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Soo Excited!
First of all, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Jon was on vacation last week, and we were busy! It was a great week, and so nice to have the time together as a family. :-) I have to admit, we ate a lot of junk. Still, I somehow managed to lose a little! I'll update my numbers at the end of the week so everyone can see my progress. I don't know what I was thinking, but Sunday mornings are not good for doing all my measurements and posting them. I think I'll start doing them on Saturday mornings.
Last week was so full of things to do, and we didn't waste a minute. We saw a baseball game in Detroit, went to Michigan's Adventure, threw my sister a baby shower, and lots of things in between. When Jon gets a chunk of time off like that it totally reminds me why we're together. When he's not stressed out about work, he's the most helpful, caring, and loving husband and daddy. All week he did the dishes! I told him I would, but he really wanted to just to help out. He had a lot of time to play with Mariah, changed more than his fair share of diapers, and never complained. Even though some people would be surprised to hear it, Jon really is cut out for family life, and I am so blessed! I love him so much!
Switching gears a little, we have decided to not let any of our produce go to waste. We have a lot left over from Steph's shower, and Jon's dad just gave us another bag of lettuce. It seems like we always buy the stuff with good intentions and then end up throwing a lot of it away. I don't feel as bad now that we're composting, but I know we need to eat more of it. Anyhow, we have been eating salads every day to use up the lettuce, and loading them up with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and even some chopped celery. I have a feeling a soup is in our near future since the celery is nearing the end of it's life. It's amazing how good you feel when you give your body the right fuel though. Breakfast has been cereal with fruit, then salads for lunch with fruit on the side, and lots of veggies with dinner. I hope we can use all the lettuce before it goes bad!
As many of you read on Facebook, I have shin splints again! ugh!! So frustrating! Unfortunately, I can't really afford to lose anymore time training, but I did take about a week off during Jon's vacation. As the doctor suggested, I've been tapping my toes a lot and stretching really well. When I started back up this week, they seemed to feel better, but I'm still icing them afterwards. I really hope they'll heal and stop causing me problems. I have a 3 mile run to do today with hill sprints, but I might skip the hill sprints so I don't aggravate my shins. After today, I just have a walk to do on Friday, and then the Seaway run on Saturday. I'm SO excited for the race! It would be great if I could finish in under 35 minutes; that's my goal. I will definitely be posting my results.
Sounds like Mariah is waking up from her nap and wanting out of that crib. :-)
More to come!
Last week was so full of things to do, and we didn't waste a minute. We saw a baseball game in Detroit, went to Michigan's Adventure, threw my sister a baby shower, and lots of things in between. When Jon gets a chunk of time off like that it totally reminds me why we're together. When he's not stressed out about work, he's the most helpful, caring, and loving husband and daddy. All week he did the dishes! I told him I would, but he really wanted to just to help out. He had a lot of time to play with Mariah, changed more than his fair share of diapers, and never complained. Even though some people would be surprised to hear it, Jon really is cut out for family life, and I am so blessed! I love him so much!
Switching gears a little, we have decided to not let any of our produce go to waste. We have a lot left over from Steph's shower, and Jon's dad just gave us another bag of lettuce. It seems like we always buy the stuff with good intentions and then end up throwing a lot of it away. I don't feel as bad now that we're composting, but I know we need to eat more of it. Anyhow, we have been eating salads every day to use up the lettuce, and loading them up with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and even some chopped celery. I have a feeling a soup is in our near future since the celery is nearing the end of it's life. It's amazing how good you feel when you give your body the right fuel though. Breakfast has been cereal with fruit, then salads for lunch with fruit on the side, and lots of veggies with dinner. I hope we can use all the lettuce before it goes bad!
As many of you read on Facebook, I have shin splints again! ugh!! So frustrating! Unfortunately, I can't really afford to lose anymore time training, but I did take about a week off during Jon's vacation. As the doctor suggested, I've been tapping my toes a lot and stretching really well. When I started back up this week, they seemed to feel better, but I'm still icing them afterwards. I really hope they'll heal and stop causing me problems. I have a 3 mile run to do today with hill sprints, but I might skip the hill sprints so I don't aggravate my shins. After today, I just have a walk to do on Friday, and then the Seaway run on Saturday. I'm SO excited for the race! It would be great if I could finish in under 35 minutes; that's my goal. I will definitely be posting my results.
Sounds like Mariah is waking up from her nap and wanting out of that crib. :-)
More to come!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Feeling Awesome!
Since it's the weekend, food choices weren't my high point today, but I did get an awesome run in.
I have never in my life been able to run a 5k without stopping. On my training schedule today, I was supposed to be doing 3 miles though! Yikes! I decided that since I live so close to the 5k I'll be doing at the end of the month, and I have a map, I should try to run the course.... and I did!
Or almost.. lol I thought I ran the course, but the map's not very good. After I thought I had it figured out in the car, I parked and decided to give it a try. I ran it all the way through! It felt amazing! I noticed, though, that I didn't remember passing the "1 mile" or the "3 mile" sign. So, when I got home I went to google maps and figured out what I actually ran and it was 3.5 miles!!! I can't believe I did that!
My longest run to this point was 2.5, and it felt really hard, but today didn't feel hard at all. I mean, it wasn't easy, but I wasn't dying. I didn't think running was an emotional thing, but I literally thought I would cry when I realized I was going to finish! The crazy thing was that I didn't sweat that bad, and I wasn't that out of breath. How crazy is that?
So, enough about that I guess. lol Tomorrow's a rest day for running, but I might do some pilates... we'll see. I'm just happy that Jon's on vacation now and we can spend some time together as a family! There's already a lot planned for next week, but I think it will be fun! :-)
More to come!
I have never in my life been able to run a 5k without stopping. On my training schedule today, I was supposed to be doing 3 miles though! Yikes! I decided that since I live so close to the 5k I'll be doing at the end of the month, and I have a map, I should try to run the course.... and I did!
Or almost.. lol I thought I ran the course, but the map's not very good. After I thought I had it figured out in the car, I parked and decided to give it a try. I ran it all the way through! It felt amazing! I noticed, though, that I didn't remember passing the "1 mile" or the "3 mile" sign. So, when I got home I went to google maps and figured out what I actually ran and it was 3.5 miles!!! I can't believe I did that!
My longest run to this point was 2.5, and it felt really hard, but today didn't feel hard at all. I mean, it wasn't easy, but I wasn't dying. I didn't think running was an emotional thing, but I literally thought I would cry when I realized I was going to finish! The crazy thing was that I didn't sweat that bad, and I wasn't that out of breath. How crazy is that?
So, enough about that I guess. lol Tomorrow's a rest day for running, but I might do some pilates... we'll see. I'm just happy that Jon's on vacation now and we can spend some time together as a family! There's already a lot planned for next week, but I think it will be fun! :-)
More to come!
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