Iron Horse 5K and Half Marathon

So one of the only things I enjoy about running is doing races. Because just running day to day is all fine and good for your health but doing races makes it worth all your hard work plus it's FUN! If you've never been to a race before you'd be surprised ... there really is a fun element to it with food, prizes, music, etc. We've done several 5K races and I hope to train for a 10K this summer, plus I've always wanted to do one of those adventure races like the Diva Dash ... so we'll see, maybe soon!

 

Anyway, back in February I began running with a friend {Christina} because she was training for a half marathon and wanted a partner. I told her right from the start I wasn't interested in doing the half, but that I would gladly run with her 2 days a week on her 'short' runs. So for the last 12 weeks we've gone 2x per week doing either 2, 3 or 4 miles each time {ONE time I ran 5 with her - my longest ever}. There have only been a few times we've missed - either because I couldn't make it or she couldn't, but otherwise we've been totally consistent and I've seen a huge improvement in my running since we started. It's been such an encouragement to have a great partner there to cheer me on even on days when I wanted to quit or not do it at all.

 

Anyway, Christina and her husband had already signed up for their half marathon and then a couple weeks ago Bob and I started talking about maybe going up to the race too - there was a 5k and a 10k, plus the half ... so we knew we could run the 5k plus we'd get to see our friends run their half and I knew I wanted to cheer my running partner on as she crossed the finish line.

 

The race was held in Simsbury where my brother in law and sister in law live - we talked about spending the night at their house so we wouldn't have to get up too early but ended up at the last minute deciding to stay home. I think it worked for the best as I slept better in my own bed. Anyway, we got up at 5am and were in the car by 5:15 ... we grabbed a coffee and a wake-up wrap from Dunkin' Donuts and hit the road! It took a little over an hour to get there, we parked and went to get our race bibs and shirts. There was such a great air of excitement and it was a beautiful morning!

 

They had port-o-potties and thankfully no lines so we used them before heading back to our car ... we wanted to leave our race shirts in the car and just get situated with everything we needed. We were parked about a half mile away so walking back and forth a couple times was a great little 'warm-up' for the race.

 

 

We texted our friends to see if they had arrived and headed back to the check in area ... we walked around a bit, checked out the race map and then found our friends ... in the now HUGE lines for port-o-potties ... ugh ... the bad thing was we both felt like we wanted to go again before the race started but did NOT feel like waiting in HUGE lines ... however we decided to wait anyway and honestly it was a good decision - you never want to be on the race course and needing to go to the bathroom! Plus, I really HATE that gurgly feeling when I have too much liquid in my stomach that is just bouncing around as I run! LOL

 

As we waited in line we had the guys take a couple pictures of us ... SOOOOO thankful for my running buddy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

After that it was almost time to start lining up at the starting line so we started heading that way ... we had someone take a group photo of us before we gave hugs and said goodbye and good luck to our friends ... we knew it wouldn't take us long for the 5k but that we wouldn't see them again for a couple hours.

 

 The 10K had started at 7:30am ... but the 5K and Half started just a minute apart from each other at 7:45 and 7:46 ... the half started first and as I was lined up waiting for our starting gun they ran past us and our whole crowd began clapping and cheering for them ... I got a little choked up thinking of my friends beginning this race they had trained SO hard for! But no time for tears because just a minute later our starting gun went off and we had to RUN! I pressed the start on my music and got going! It took me 20 seconds just to cross the starting line because there were so many people ...

 

I thought things were going well and my only real issue was that I HATED the play list I had chosen {trust me you don't even wanna know but it was bad} ... but when I passed the one mile marker it said 10:30 and I was like 'what?! that's so slow!' so I knew I really needed to step it up a lot! I had a goal of wanting to finish under 30 minutes and knew at that pace it wasn't going to happen. So I tried to pick up my pace just a bit. It was hard, it was SUPER hot and humid out that day and my body is mostly used to running in the cold weather. I passed the 2 mile marker at exactly 20 minutes and knew that thankfully I had gained some time ...

 

When I had about a half mile left a lady on the sidelines yelled out 24: {something something} and I was like 'OK Kathy, you can do this, you still have time to get under 30 minutes but you really need to haul!' ... when I turned the final corner and saw all the people cheering on the sidelines I just started booking it ... when I saw the time clock hit 29:45 as I got closer I was telling myself to hurry up and get over the finish line before it hit 30:00 .... I was SO thankful when I crossed that finish line! They handed me a water and a medal - I have never gotten a medal at a 5k race before and was SO excited that every finisher got one! I saw Bob and we sat down and we were POURING sweat!! I snapped this photo right away ... it was such a great feeling!  

 

We decided to walk around because we knew we had a while to wait until our friends would finish. We walked over to the park where they had a live Jimmy Buffet cover band playing, lots of tents with freebies and food. We got some water bottles and filled them up with Gatorade and water because we just kept pouring sweat for about a half hour. They had computers where you could look up your time and we pulled up our bib numbers .... here is mine:

 

Three things I was shocked about -

1. my time!!! I was excited to see I was under 30 minutes once they accounted for my passing the start line 20 seconds late. I met my goal - SUPER stoked about that!

2. my bib number ... I never even looked at it before that moment and about died when I saw the 666 ... oh my if I had only known I probably would have thought it was cursed - kinda glad I didn't know until that moment! LOL

3. my place! I couldn't believe I got THIRD place in my category! WAHOOO!! 3rd out of 17 women isn't bad ... the last race I did I was 12 out of 19!

 

Do you know what Athena is?? It means you're a woman over 150 pounds - yep, sometimes it pays to be a big girl ... cause if I was under 150 I would NOT have gotten 3rd place for my age group!! My daughter didn't know what Athena was but has learned all about Greek mythology this year in school so she said 'oh Athena is the Greek goddess of beauty and wisdom!' ... COOL, I'll take that! =)

 

Here are my hubby's stats:

He got SECOND place in his category!!! {Clydesdale is much like the Athena but for men over 200 pounds} He had a GREAT pace and a fantastic time {his fastest time as an adult} ... I would LOVE to get under 27 minutes someday!

 

 

We asked someone to take a photo of us ... can you see the small sliver of bright blue on the right side of his shirtsleeve? That's the color it's supposed to be, the rest of it is SOAKED in sweat! I didn't even want to put my arm around him for the picture! LOL {Yes my face gets SUPER red when I exercise, especially when it's hot out.}

 

Since we had both gotten in the top 3 for our categories we knew we'd be getting awards so we spent some time just walking around. We took some pictures, got some food, listened to the music, sat and relaxed ...

 

They had this cute photo booth so we got our pictures taken ... we were not really prepared for the camera so the pics look kinda goofy! LOL

 

The awards ceremony for the 5k and 10k started and they read through the names pretty quickly. You just had to go up front and receive your prize. We both got cool running hats for a prize - mine says 'FAST' on the side and his says 'FASTER' - the 1st place winner got one that said 'FASTEST' - cute, huh?

 

After the awards for the 5k we headed straight to the finish line again, it had already been about 2 hours and many of the half marathon racers were already arriving at the finish. There was such a neat atmosphere - TONS of people lining the roads just shouting and cheering and ringing load cowbells - it's such a neat thing to be a part of!

I wanted to capture our friends crossing the finish line but had no idea when to expect them. We watched for a while and I began to panic thinking maybe we had missed seeing them. So I stood up on top of this wood railing so I could see above the crowd and watched from there for a bit. I also kept scanning the crowd looking for Christina's bright top and shorts but couldn't see her anywhere. Then all of the sudden I spotted her racing towards the finish line and I was so full of pride!! I got these pictures as she crossed ... {she is in the bright yellow top and pink shorts}

 

 

I jumped down off my post to run over and hug her and congratulate her. She was exhausted and needing water so I said I would go take pics of her hubby finishing while she cooled down a bit ... I went back to my spot on top of the wood railing and I was glad I didn't dawdle because just around 4 minutes later David was coming up the road! I got these photos as he crossed the finish line {he had the white top and black shorts}

 

I went back to greet them both and we took some photos of their amazing accomplishment! SO proud!!!! I even got a little teary thinking of how hard they've worked and all they put into doing this.

 

 

 We all went back to the park area again, they got some food and freebies and we hung out a bit. They spent some time just resting and cooling down. We took some more pictures and talked and just enjoyed the beautiful day.

 

 

 

 

 

Shortly after that we left to head home ... we were tired and sweaty and had been gone all morning. When I got home I laid out all my race goodies and took this picture. All in all it was a GREAT experience and we were so thankful to share it with our friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fitness Challenge and How I notebook

I am SO, super excited today! I was telling my hubby and my friend Julie that I am sick of doing this yo-yo thing with regards to my weight and health. I try hard for a week or so, then fall off the wagon. It's a constant battle for me. But I am tired of doing that and I'm ready for a change. I want THIS year to be the year where I feel CONFIDENT and COMFORTABLE at the beach instead of being annoyed at myself for not trying harder {which is how I usually feel!}

So, why am I excited? Well just today I asked on FB if any of my local friends wanted to form an accountability group to get fit for summer and several people are going to join me - THEN I checked the blog Women Living Well and SHE is doing a 5 week challenge so this is HUGE confirmation to me to just JUMP RIGHT IN with two feet and DO IT!

This week, Courtney told us to choose one area that we would work on this week. Whether it's giving up junk, drinking more water, exercising more, etc. Well for me, I usually eat pretty healthy, but I do my best when I'm writing down EVERY.SINGLE.THING. that I eat.

A few weeks back I created this fitness and nutrition journal and I notice that I can tell which days I was really eating bad - because those are the days I wrote NOTHING down! So my commitment this week is to write it ALL down, the good, the bad, the ugly - hopefully it will all be good and I won't have to be ashamed of anything I've eaten this week!

Now, here's a little sneak peek at my journal ....

I took a basic composition book and cut out various pictures and phrases from Health magazines - then I stuck them on the journal and used packing tape to sort of laminate the cover.

The inside cover also has some inspirational pics ...

 I chose this verse for inspiration and posted it in the front cover along

with my weight and measurements ...

This is a typical day...

And I like to include little things to encourage me and spur me on ...

On the back cover, another inspirational verse and a few guidelines for myself:

Think you wanna join in? Click over to Courtney's blog and check it out! And if you live locally to me and want to be part of our accountability group please contact me and I'll include you in our FB group. =)

The Big SQUISH!

Today I had my very first mammogram. I just turned 32 yesterday (more about that later) so I am still a bit young for this test. I had a little spot that was questionable to me and since I have a family history of breast cancer my DR thought it wise to have things checked out.

I have to say, it wasn't nearly as bad as all those horror stories you read. After all ladies, we survive pap smears, childbirth and c-sections so if you consider those - it doesn't even compare! It was a piece of cake compared to those things!

I won't lie and tell you that it doesn't hurt, but it's quick and simple and then you are done. So now I have to wait for results. The lady told me that she didn't see anything - which is a good thing - but I still have to wait for the official word from my DR. I was encouraged when she said she didn't see anything.

So, on to the waiting thing. I'm having a really hard time with the thought of waiting lately. I have been waiting for over two weeks to hear news about the funding we are hoping to get for the Christian school we want to send the girls to. I know, two weeks is nothing, but I keep wanting to plan our school year and keep finding all these great homeschool ideas and I just NEED TO KNOW!!

Those that know me know that I'm a planner, I am a list maker, I always plan things, I always want to organize and well I guess I just simply want to be in control! It's hard to give up control and know that it's not up to me. God is in control. He knows how the girls will be educated next year, He knows the results of my mammo, He knows everything! Why is it so hard for me to just give up control??!!

I keep coming back to this verse ... "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This week my goal is to take that verse to heart. To stop worrying about the future, or waiting anxiously by the mailbox everyday, and simply learn to trust in God and wait on Him.

Encouragement

I've been trying for a couple of months now to lose some weight. 
And just to be healthier in every aspect of my life. Unfortunately,
I haven't seen any success yet when it comes to weight loss.
So I'm in the process of trying to figure out what steps I need to
take to start seeing results. 

Anyway, there is someone who is very special to me who is
always full of great words of encouragement ... especially on
the topic of healthful living.

I copied and pasted a portion of her email today because I
found it to be very encouraging and uplifting. 

Here it is:
" I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me "
Phillipians 4:13

Day 1 .....   Begin writing food eaten in
journal.

" If you bite it...write it "  ww motto

Day 1 ......  Begin cardio program, 10 minutes of any cardio (
eliptical, walking, dance dvd )    
          Write it in the journal !!!!

" The toughest thing about a new exercise program is the first
step "  -joyce meyer
     
Day 1.... " Draw on the limitless power of the Holy Spirit, rather than
your own very limited power.  HE will always lead you to victory . "
- Joyce Meyer



So my 3 things for day one that I need to remember are:
1. Write down everything I eat.
2. Start some kind of cardio, even if it's only 10 min to start
3. Pray for success and discipline, God will lead me to victory!

I think I can handle that. 

Mama's (almost) famous smoothies

I've been bitten by the smoothie bug! Jessica posted a yummy recipe a couple weeks ago on her blog and ever since I've turned into the smoothie queen.

How did they become famous you might ask? Well, my kids are known for calling almost everything I make as "Mama's famous". I've made Mama's famous applesauce - they called it that before they even tasted it!! I make Mama's famous chicken fingers, Mama's famous chimichangas, Mama's famous turkey meatloaf ... etc. It's kind of fun knowing that your kitchen creations have such great names (many times before they've even been tried and enjoyed!)

Anyway, back to the smoothies ... these are the simplest, yummiest, creamiest snack you will find. Actually, I've even made it for breakfast when I'm in a hurry. But lately this has become my mid-afternoon treat / pick-me-up. So if you call my house around 3pm there's a very good chance you'll hear a lot of slurping going on!

There is no right or wrong way to make smoothies. Basically the only thing I avoid is ice cream or sugar - because I'm trying to keep them healthy. But I add fresh or frozen fruit, fat free vanilla yogurt, fat free milk, soy protein powder, and sometimes even some flax seed. Oh, and you HAVE to try it topped off with some fat free Reddi Whip - oh. my. word. it's delish.

H likes to dip her banana in her smoothie :J likes to use an extra long bendy straw:
I like it with LOTS of fat free whip on top!
P.S. Pour them in a fancy glass for the kids and they will be thrilled!!

I CONFESS!!!

I CHEATED! I HAD A CUP OF COFFEE THIS MORNING! I know, I can't believe I only made it TWO days! How bad is that?! I have NO discipline!

I gave in and allowed myself one cup this morning. And I split my sugar amount in half by adding half sugar/half splenda.

That's not SOOO bad, is it?

OK, now I need to go do some exercise because I'm so consumed by guilt ... =)

Today was harder.

I thought I was good to go with dropping my coffee habit since (overall) Monday went so well. But today was worse. I felt tired all day and had a headache most of the day too. I had to lay down and close my eyes for about an hour this afternoon.

And I also have to confess ... I cheated a wee tiny bit. Bob got a coffee on the way to swimming lessons and I was just dying to have one too. So instead of getting one for myself I had 3 sips of his. It did seem to satisfy the craving.

Is it too early to change my game plan?? Would I be quitting if I decided to allow myself just one, small cup each day? Should I be giving this some more time? Most people think I'm crazy trying to give up coffee anyway ... so what do you think?

Day one with no coffee.

Started out well. I felt energized and good.

Then we encountered a very mean, rude man while trying to homeschool at the library ... and the weather was awful today (cold, rainy, windy) ... and I hadn't had any coffee (for comfort and for warmth) ... and I just lost it. I started to tell my MIL the story about the mean guy at the library and I just started crying! I can only blame it on the lack of sugar and caffeine in my system! (Well, the guy was rude, and I was very ticked about him, but I would like to think that if I had stopped and bought a nice warm cup o' joe that I would have felt better!)

Maybe that's why I need to do this ... I rely on food (and coffee) all too often as comfort. And that's not good. Food needs to be my nourishment, not my comfort when I'm having a hard day.

So anyway, I made it through the day. I feel much better now. I did give in to a small cup of tea this afternoon with just a small dash of sugar in it.

Tomorrow is another day ...

I'm going to quit.

Coffee that is. I know, I hear your gasps right through the computer! I have tried and tried to find a way to drink it 'lighter', as in -- with less sugar and cream -- to no avail. I have tried splenda, skim milk, no sugar, no milk ... etc... and it just doesn't work for me. If it doesn't taste good, I'm not havin' it!

So I've decided to quit. I am trying to eat healthier, and possibly shed a little extra 'winter' (or YEAR ROUND!!!) weight - and I really think that eliminating my coffee habit will help. It might not help much, but every little bit helps!

Of course I have all these big plans in my mind because it's 8:30 at night and I can say anything I want right now. I'm sure when that alarm goes off tomorrow morning and I can't smell my already brewed coffee I will definitely be re-thinking this bright idea of mine! And then by 11am when my head is pounding and I know it's screaming at me "GIVE ME SOME CAFFEINE YOU CRAZY LADY!!" -- I'll surely want to quit the quitting, but I hope to stay strong!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes ... =)

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for HEALTH. Seems funny to say that since this week my whole family has been sick ... but this is my train of thought ...

Yes, we have had sickness
Yes, we have had colds
Yes, we have even had a few minor ear infections and strep throat
Yes, I have had a couple trips to the ER (a few yrs back - long stories!)

(NOT ALL THIS WEEK! JUST IN GENERAL)

But despite all that, we have been very blessed by good health. None of us have suffered any ongoing conditions, none of us have suffered lengthy, difficult sicknesses in which we required meds and/or Dr's visits.

So many people I know have children with ongoing or recurring illnesses. I feel so bad for these parents! It's so hard to see your kids when they aren't well. And it's so hard to parent when everyone is not getting enough sleep.

I know that life offers no guarantees. I know that at any moment any one of us could be diagnosed with something serious, or could suffer a bad illness. I know this, but I choose not to dwell on those thoughts and I choose to be thankful and grateful for the good health that we are all enjoying right now.

Thank you Lord for good health! Thank you for protection from serious illnesses and for keeping me healthy this week so I could care for my sick loved ones. Thank you for your constant care and concern for each and every one of us. Please be with those who are hurting or suffering at this very moment. In Christ's name, Amen.

My new favorite (low fat) dessert

Actually, I'm thinking that this dessert has little to no fat at all!

I'm a big fan of sweets, and especially creamy stuff like ice cream. Trying to eat healthy makes my ice cream addiction so hard to avoid! Even the low fat ice creams have a serving suggestion of 1/2 cup. 1/2 cup??!! That's nothing!

Anyway, I read about this dessert on the internet, I think it was the WW website but I can't remember. It is SO yummy!

Take one package of fat free cream cheese,
one container of fat free cool whip and
2 TBSP of coffee flavored mix
and blend together with your mixer.

Below you will see the coffee mix I use, it's even sugar free and comes in a variety of flavors. And it's decaf so you can enjoy these yummy treats at night and still sleep at night!

After it's all blended together I divide it into muffin cups, then sprinkle a small amount of slivered almonds over the top, then freeze. This is yummy even when it's not frozen, but freezing it makes it more like ice cream.

When you are ready to eat them, just take out of the freezer and let them thaw for a few minutes before trying to eat. These are so good and so low fat that you might even want more than one!

Just a side note, I am pretty sure you could adapt this any way you want. Example, if you really don't like coffee flavor, you could probably use some sort of sugar free choc syrup or caramel syrup, or any other flavor. I haven't taken the time to experiment yet!

Oh yeah, I usually just use regular paper muffin cups ... but I found these cute heart shaped silicone ones really cheap and bought them for the kids ... so I figured why not use them for my treats as well? One batch filled about 10 cups ... they are pretty small though. Yeah, I just might eat 2 at a time. :)

Great little websites ...

So like most years, one of my 'resolutions' is to try to have more discipline in eating right and exercising - the two big E's. Not by any means two of my favorite things as I LOVE food and I LOATHE exercise.

Still, I know it's something I need to do. I've noticed this slow weight gain that has happened to me over time. Mostly I realized it because I have a closet full of things that don't fit anymore.

Now please don't anyone panic. I'm not looking to be skinny minny, anorexic girl. I just want to shape up and start living more healthfully. (And I'm a little scared to be revealing this to all of you, for I fear this makes me have to be accountable for my words!!!!)

Anyway, I found these two very helpful websites to help keep me on track. On the first one you can input your daily progress, such as everything you eat and all your daily activity. And it will show you how many calories you've used and how many you have left. It's called myfitnesspal.com -- you can link right to it from here.

The next cool site is called hungrygirl.com, they show you lots of cool low fat recipes and substitutions for lots of your fave foods. Even yummy lower fat versions of your favorite Starbucks drinks. And, you can subscribe to their newsletter and get daily emails from them about new items/recipes. It's pretty cool. And the best part is, Hungry Girl is just like me, she LOVES food!

So if anyone else out there would like to join my quest for daily discipline, please let me know. I'd love to have some accountability/encouragement partners!

I've been carded.

My dear friend Pauleen has "carded" me, not sure exactly what that means, but I received these instructions so here goes!

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with 5 gifts that they would want for the New Year. Following Pauleen's example I did more than 5 but I think that's OK. :)
2. People who are “CARDED” need to write their own Blog about their 5 things & post these rules.
3. At the end of your Blog, you need to choose 5 people to get “CARDED” and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a COMMENT telling them they’re “CARDED”, and to read your Blog.

Spiritual Needs

*To be diligent with spending time in the Word. (me too Pauleen!)
*To spend time in prayer - specifically for my hubby and children.
*To set a better example for my kids by having daily 'quiet' time with God.
*To set a better example of Christlikeness by not losing my patience and yelling so much.
*To follow the Holy Spirit's leading in where I should be serving in the church.

Physical needs (as in my body)

*To be disciplined to eat right.
*To be disciplined to exercise.
*To set a good example of health for my kids.
*To go to bed early instead of staying up too late.
*To not give in to junk food just because it's quick and easy.

Fun needs

*To read through all the books I want to read.
*To catch up on my scrapbooking.
*To keep in touch better with my friends and family.
*To have more date nights with hubby.
*To have more fun with the kids.

You know it's funny ... as I read through this list of 'wants' ... it's almost like my list of New Years resolutions!!!

So I guess these are the things I'm going to resolve for the New Year. And now I get to 'card' the following people ...

Mary N., Amy D., Nicki W., Lynn W. and Carol T.

Happy New Year!