Today marks the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness month. As such, I was trying to think of a way that I could raise money for Caleb’s Crusade and also offer something in return. Well, something you may not know about me is that I have a ton of ribbon.

Seriously. I know it’s weird, but I collect the stuff. Don’t believe me?

I told you I had a lot.

Truth is, I like to scrapbook and other crafty stuff, so that’s why I have it all.

Anyway, since I do have SO much ribbon on hand, I was thinking that for a small donation,

I will custom make two ribbons. One that I will attach to my race shirt when I run in the Disney Half Marathon in a few months and the other I will send to you to keep!

I will write whatever you want on these ribbons…your name, your blog address, your favorite quote, a loved one’s name…whatever! I can even include a small picture if you want (I will crop it though, to be about the size of Mickey’s head in the following picture). Here are a few I made tonight to give you an idea (though I only wrote on one):

I have just about every color and pattern you could possibly want (see above, lol), and will write whatever you want (that will fit).

Maybe you know someone who’s been affected by some form of cancer and want to pay homage to them.

Maybe you want to put your blog name/address.

Maybe you just want to put “Run, Josie, Run!” (just kidding ) The possibilities are endless.

I’ve never felt comfortable asking for donations for anything. Salesperson I am not. But this is a cause I feel very passionate about. I have not had a child affected by cancer…I do this so that hopefully one day NOBODY will!!!

So, if you’d like a couple of ribbons, you can go to my fundraising page on the Caleb’s Crusade website or just click the “Chip in” widget over in my right sidebar —–>. Once I get notified of your donation, I will send you an email asking for the details of what you want me to put on your ribbons!

I was going to set a minimum donation of like $5, but really, I’ll accept ANY donation…no amount too small!

ALL proceeds go directly to Caleb’s Crusade a 501c3 charity whose mission is to:

Provide funds for Childhood Cancer research and to help children and families affected with Childhood Cancers to cope with their everyday expenses incurred during treatment and relocation.

So if you’d like your message to adorn my sweaty race shirt during the Disney Half Marathon (and really, WHO WOULDN’T? hehe), will you consider making a donation today?

THANK YOU!

263.0 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

Catch up time. There are a few things I’ve been needing to share here and haven’t yet, so here goes the laundry list of everything including the kitchen sink.

MIRACLE MILES 15K

I know at first it might seem like that’s a typo and that maybe I really meant to type “5K”, but it’s for real! I’m going to be running my first 15K four weeks from now! I can hardly believe it myself, but it’s no joke.

My Caleb’s Crusade running coach, Dana, was talking about this race after practice a couple of weekends ago, and even though the most I had ever run prior to that was just under 6 miles, for some reason I was really intrigued by the race. So was my friend Lynne. So, we talked it over with Dana because we were concerned about the distance being too much for us and Dana said she would adjust our training calendar for the next month to better prepare us for it. So instead of running 5 miles this past Saturday, Lynne and I ran 6. And next week we’ll be running 6.5 or 7 depending on how we feel and it will increase each week until the race. I’m SO excited! Just the idea that I will be running 9.3 miles in a matter of weeks is exhilarating!

It gets better though….This race is in Orlando which is about 4 hours away, so at first, Lynne and I were just going to drive up early that morning, run the race, and then drive home. She invited her aunt to come with us who generously offered to get a hotel room for the 3 of us. It’s a BEAUTIFUL historic bed and breakfast in Orlando! The best part is it’s my birthday weekend and I can’t think of a better way to spend it!!! Speaking of birthdays…

NO MORE 35 AND SHRINKING?

I started this journey on my 35th birthday almost a year ago. For months now, I’ve been thinking about the name of my blog and whether or not I would change it once my birthday came around and I’d no longer be 35. I’ve went back and forth on different names and I keep going back to one in particular, based on a quote that I absolutely love. So yes, the name of my blog will be changing. I started this blog as a way to journal my weight loss, and although it’s become so much more than that over the past year, it’s still -at its core- my weight-loss story. Anyway, I don’t want to say too much yet, I just wanted to give you all a heads up that the name (and theme) will be changing soon and I’m REAL excited about entering this next phase of my journey!

RAGNAR

Remember when I told you that I’d be running the Ragnar Relay this November I just didn’t know which team I’d be on? At first we were trying to get a team together through Caleb’s Crusade, but it was just too much of a short notice (maybe next year). So, instead I’ll be joining Team Jello! It’s an already formed team of people I’ve never met before, so this should be fun! I’ve been talking with the team captain, Amy, via email for a few weeks now and am super, super excited about joining her team and running my first Ragnar!

CAKE!

We had a Casino Night fundraising event for Caleb’s Crusade last night, so I decided to make a cake for it. What do you think?

The event went SO well. The best part was the long talk that Lynne and I got to have with Rob, the founder of Caleb’s Crusade and Caleb’s dad. Here’s a picture of the three of us from the event last night:

We talked a lot about the Disney marathon, fundraising, and training. But mostly we talked about precious little Caleb. And his love of Spiderman. And how a stupid thing called Hypodiploid Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia came along and turned their lives upside down. And how childhood cancer research needs more funding so that families don’t have to go through what they did.

And then Rob took out his wallet and removed a stack of pictures…we got to see Caleb dressed as a mummy (which was his wish!) and as Spiderman. And other pictures of him just being a kid. It’s just so wrong, ya know? So every time I want to complain that my shins hurt, or that I’m too tired to run, I will remind myself of little Caleb, who has etched a serious mark on my heart. He should be out playing ball, or riding his bike…not immortalized in his father’s wallet. Stupid cancer.

…and THAT is why I run now. I may have started running in January as a way to help shed pounds, but it’s about so much more than that now.

and last, but not least…

WEEK 48 WEIGH-IN

Time for this week’s weigh in! I weighed in this morning at 199.4 lbs which is a .4 lb loss for the week. This brings my total weight loss so far to 56.6 pounds.

Hey, it might only be 4 tenths of a pound, but at least I’m still in Onederland!!! I’ll take it! *happy dance*

259.5 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

So far I am loving this new challenge I joined called Drop Dead Gorgeous by December! You can join anytime, so if this is something you want to be involved in, Contact Jess to join the movement!

The basic rules are to have fun, weighing in is optional, and everyone’s a winner. Every week we have to email Jess a weekly report of 5 things, including a picture of us holding a positive sign. Here’s mine for Week 2:

1. A picture of you holding up a positive sign for yourself.

2. Your current week’s weight as well as your challenge start weight. *optional

My weight this week was 199.8 Pounds. and my starting weight for this challenge was 202.9 lbs. (Net loss of 3.1 so far)

3. Your goal(s) from now, or whenever you decide to join, until December.
These will stay the same for the course of the challenge (unless I add a new one…):

• Run the entire distance of the Miracle Mile 15K in September (blog post coming soon about this!)
• Run in Ragnar in November
• Launch new blog (Not really a new blog per se…you’ll see!)
• Run the Thanksgiving Day 4 miler in less time than my 5K last Thanksgiving
• DON’T QUIT

4. ONE thing that you are proud of for the week.

This week I am most proud that I’ve maintained my Onederland status. The past 2 times I got under 200 I quickly gained weight and went back over…so I’m really focused on trying to stay under 200 this time and achieve my next goal of 75 lbs lost.

5. ONE thing that you can improve upon for the following week.

The thing I can improve on for next week is to ride my bike at least once. It’s gotten to where the only exercise I get anymore is running, and I know I need to cross train to prevent injury and be a better all around athlete. Besides, I have a biking goal to reach this year and as you can see below, I have a ways to go…so I’d better get to riding if I intend to reach it! (and I do!)

255.5 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

I weighed in this morning at 199.8 lbs which is a 3.1 lb loss for the week. This brings my total weight loss so far to 56.2 pounds.

This also means that I am once again traveling in that sacred territory we like to call “Onederland“.

This isn’t my first time crossing the 200 mark. Hell, this isn’t even my second time. YES, somehow I let myself get back over 200 pounds…TWICE!!!

I’ve thought long and hard about why I let myself do this, and there are probably a dozen reasons. I have noticed a pattern in all this and that is that I tend to self sabotage. As I read back over my blog, I notice that some of my worst weeks fell right after a week where I hit a pretty big milestone. I don’t know why that is. Fear of success, perhaps? All I know is that I’m trying to break that cycle this time, so I’m trying to just nonchalantly treat this weigh-in like any other. Nothing special to see here folks! I‘m more focused now than I have been in MONTHS…I certainly don’t need to start self sabotaging again.

So, instead of congratulating me…tell me something else. Anything that might help me stay focused and on track. Tell me something that you did this week that you’re proud of. Tell me about a milestone you’ve recently hit. Tell me something inspiring, motivating, or just plain funny….anything other than making a big deal over my weight starting with a 1 (once again…LOL).

I’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense to you…it does in my warped head!

245.5 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

It’s been a while since I participated in a challenge, but you know what? That’s EXACTLY what I need right now. I look back at the first 6 months of my journey and I really feel like the challenges I was a part of heavily contributed to my early success. So, imagine my excitement when I read that Jess was hosting her own challenge called “Drop Dead Gorgeous by December” starting today!

The basic rules are have fun, weigh-ins are optional, and everyone’s a winner. Haha, could there be anything better? Seriously though, we have to email Jess a weekly report of 5 things. Here is my Week 1 Report:

1. A picture of you holding up a positive sign for yourself.



2. Your current week’s weight as well as your challenge start weight. *optional

My official weigh-ins are on Mondays (tomorrow), but these reports are due on Sundays. So for this challenge I will give my weight as it was the Monday before. My weight this week was 202.9 Pounds.

3. Your goal(s) from now, or whenever you decide to join, until December.

Ahhh. Goals. Mine are simple.

• Run the entire distance of the Miracle Mile 15K in September (blog post coming soon about this!)
• Run in Ragnar in November
• Launch new blog (Not really a new blog per se…you’ll see!)
• Run the Thanksgiving Day 4 miler in less time than my 5K last Thanksgiving
• DON’T QUIT [see #1]
4. ONE thing that you are proud of for the week.

This week I am most proud of my Saturday run with Caleb’s Crusade. I ran 4.5 miles in exactly an hour which is a 13.3 minute mile. That’s my best pace for any distance greater than a mile, so I was very stoked about that!

5. ONE thing that you can improve upon for the following week.

My goal for next week is to keep my eating under control. No evening snacks unless it’s fruit, no fast food, no sweet tea, etc. etc. I did good last week, I just want to continue this week.

241.5 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

Yep, I’m *officially* registered for the Disney Half-Marathon as of today. I can’t even tell you how exhilarating it was to click the submit button! There’s definitely no turning back now. Not that I intended to turn back at all, but it’s like all official now and stuff. I’m running to support Caleb’s Crusade, so if you have a few extra dollars and would like to sponsor me, you can do so on my fundraising page here (or click on the widget to the right —>). For those who don’t know, Caleb’s Crusade is a 501c3 non-profit group whose mission is to help families with children who have been affected by childhood cancer. Everyday, an average of 46 children get diagnosed with some form of cancer…something has GOT to change!

There’s not much else to say tonight. I will tell you that I’m having an incredibly awesome week. I’ve been slowly (but surely!) catching up on blogs and that has given me SO much inspiration this week. (so thank YOU!) My training is spot on – I ran 3 miles both Monday night and tonight. And my eating is amazingly on target as well. Seriously, my meals and portions this week have been reminiscent of how I was eating at the very beginning of my journey…no chips or chocolate or before dinner dinners. Instead, lots of water, fruit, veggies, and lean protein.

Man it feels good to be back.

237 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you felt like you’ve earned every single ounce of weight that you lost? That’s me this week:

I weighed in this morning at 202.9 lbs which is a 1.0 lb loss for the week. This brings my total weight loss so far to 53.1 pounds.

It’s been a good week for me and I am SO thrilled to see that pound loss. I really do feel like I earned every ounce of that pound! I struggled a few times this week (mostly with my food choices), but overall, I made good choices more than I made poor ones. I consider this week a WIN!

Remember the Run for Music 10K I did back in April? Well, prior to me signing up for that race, I had emailed the director (Matt) to ask about time limits and such because I was afraid I was going to be too slow. You might recall that he emailed me back with a very encouraging email to just go for it. (Which, by the way, I am glad I did because it was an AWESOME race). Anyway, fast forward to today and I once again found myself encouraged by Matt. Yep, he saw that I had registered for the Gobble Gobble 4 Miler and FOUR months after our last (brief) correspondence, he remembered me, read my last blog post about the Gobble Gobble, and sent me the most incredibly encouraging email EVER. I was so touched by his kindness and was brought to tears. He also reiterated something that beej said in the comments last week. Beej said:

Good call, Josie! Plus, this is a longer race and you’ll complete it faster! I think that will STILL make for an awesome progress post!!

I hadn’t even thought of that, but it’s definitely a reachable goal! My official time for last year’s Turkey Trot 5K was 56:55. So, my goal for the Gobble Gobble Four Miler is to run the 4 miles quicker than I did 3.1 last year…I’ll need to run at about a 14.25 pace. I can run a 14 minute mile now, but not consistently for four miles. So, that’s my new goal thanks to Beej and Matt!

234 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

RACE #1:

Have you guys ever heard of Ragnar? Well, I happened upon this race when I was seeking out my next 5K to run and was immediately drawn to it. To some people, it might sound crazy to run from one coast of Florida to the other with a group of sweaty strangers, but to me? It sounds AWESOME!

Ragnar is a relay race series with legs of the race spread from Florida to Utah and everywhere in between. There are two legs in Florida and the one I will be doing is Central Florida. The route starts in New Port Richey, Fl and ends in Daytona Beach. Literally, coast to coast! The race begins Friday morning and ends Saturday evening. The best part of this race to me is the team aspect. You join a team of 12 runners so when it’s your turn to run there are 11 other people riding along in a van cheering you on, handing you water, snacks, etc. There are actually 2 vehicles for each team, that the team can decorate. Sounds like fun, huh? I’m DEFINITELY doing this race (and very much looking forward to it). The only thing I don’t know yet is if I will join an already formed team (Team Jello!) or if I will try to form a team of my own. I contacted the captain of Team Jello, Amy, and she was SO encouraging. I had a few concerns, one of which being my slow pace and she totally put my mind at ease about it. Anyway, have you ever heard of Ragnar or ran in one before? I’d love to hear your stories if you have!

RACE #2:

It’s no secret that I have been planning to run this year’s Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. I’ve only been saying it since last year’s Turkey Trot! I said that day that I wanted to be able to run it this year. So, yeah, I’ve been looking forward to being able to post comparison pictures of this year vs. last year…being almost 60 pounds lighter and running as compared to last year walking…fitting into a smaller shirt. You know, coming full circle. But here’s the thing. I think I’ve been looking forward to the BLOG POST more than I am the actual race…and here’s why. I got an email the other day from Gulf Coast Runners Club with registration information for the Gobble Gobble Four Miler.

This race has ME written all over it! Seriously, I checked out the website for it and was like OH YEAH sign me up! The thing that impresses me the most about this race is their commitment to go “Green”. There will be NO disposable cups used at the water stations, organic cotton t-shirts, reusable banners, no paperwork in registration, etc. All proceeds go to St. Matthews House, a great local charity which helps the less fortunate. Sounds great, right? Except for one thing.

I can’t be in two races at the same time.

Do I run the Turkey Trot so that I can blog about it showing how far I’ve come in a year and all the symbolism/emotional ties that goes along with that? Or do I run the Gobble Gobble, a race that speaks to my heart and a race that I truly believe I will ENJOY?

Do I choose the one that will bring the cool blog post that I’ve been looking forward to for a year? Or the one that I really WANT TO RUN?

Believe it or not, I have been conflicted over this for a couple of days, but writing it all out like that really makes the decision obvious. Funny how that works. I’ve decided to follow my heart and run the Gobble Gobble 4 miler instead of the Turkey Trot. Choosing a race should be based on the route, the purpose, the cause, the distance – not because it makes for good blog material. The bottom line for me is that the Gobble Gobble is a race that I can support 100% and I really want to be a part of it.

So, come Thanksgiving, you won’t see a post focused on Josie’s progress in the Turkey Trot. Instead, you’ll read about my experience in Florida’s first cup-free race, the Gobble Gobble 4 Miler and how we drank from Hydra-pouches and how I got an online goodie bag instead of a physical one…and all the other ways this race is eco-friendly…

Now that’s something worth blogging about!

227 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted my weigh-ins, so here goes a recap of my last few weeks.

I was 199.1 pounds for my week 42 weigh in which was the last time I blogged. Here’s what happened since then.

Week 43 (7/26) – 198.1 pounds
Week 44 (8/2) – 208.0 pounds
Week 45 (8/9) – 203.9 pounds (Today)

So the good news is that I lost 4 pounds this week! The bad news is that I gained TEN the week before and am once again back over 200 lbs.

Obviously I struggled some over the last few weeks considering the gains I posted above. When I say that I struggled, I mean that I haven’t been running 3 days a week like my training calls for and my eating has been horrendous. However, it goes much further than that though and in the spirit of full disclosure, I have a confession to make. A few weeks ago I was on my way home from work and I passed an old friend (i.e. temptation). Who is that old friend you ask? 7-11. You see, before I started on this journey to a healthier lifestyle I used to stop by 7-11 or McDonald’s on my way home from work probably 3 times a week and get something eat on my way home. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that I would also eat a full dinner once I got home. Yes, you read that right. I would eat basically 2 dinners about 3 nights a week. My husband, nor my children ever knew about this little habit that I had. Well, a few weeks ago on my way home I needed gas and stopped at 7-11 for some. I don’t know what drew me into the store, but for whatever reason, I walked out with a chocolate eclair. No, it wasn’t a full meal, but it was still a chocolate freaking eclair! What was I thinking? This confession wouldn’t be that bad had it ended there, but it didn’t. Unfortunately, it was only the first of many stops to 7-11 on my way home from work over the last few weeks. Some days I’d just get an eclair. One day I walked out with a bag of funyuns, a candy bar, and a chocolate eclair. One day I had all of that plus a taquito. I scarfed it all down before I even hit the highway and walked in the house like I hadn’t eaten since lunch asking “what’s for dinner?” This is a very hard thing for me to admit, especially in such a public way, but I must be open and honest if I ever hope to come out of this funk and stop these habits FOREVER. This blog was founded on honesty and it doesn’t get much more honest than admitting you’ve been eating 2 dinners.

So, this week I am instilling a new daily goal to NOT do this as well as some familiar weekly goals. I may be in Week 45, but I’m going to set goals for myself as if I were back in Week 1. No second helpings. Measure my portions. Minimum of 80 oz of water per day. No tea. No fast food. No stops at 7-11 for a pre-dinner, dinner. You know, back to basics.

I do have some good news and that is that I once again have internet at home! This means that I can start blogging regularly again. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. I can’t explain it, but I truly believe that a big part of why I was so successful during the first half of my journey was because of the accountability that blogging provided; not to mention all the inspiration and motivation that’s to be found in the weight loss blogosphere! I dearly miss that daily dose of inspiration that I’d get from reading blogs, so I’m glad to have internet back. We had dropped it a few months ago in effort to save money. At the time I didn’t think the sacrifice would be that big of a deal, but boy was I mistaken! So yeah. I look forward to doing some bloggy catch up tomorrow! I am so appreciative that you guys stood by me over the past few months even when I wasn’t there for you. Deeply grateful.

P.S. My passion for running has done nothing but get stronger and stronger. I am still training for my first half marathon with Caleb’s Crusade and have a few more races up my sleeve that I’ll tell you about soon…I’m very excited about what my running future holds for me! I just have to get my eating under control now…

225 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
55.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.

Guess who made her way back to “Onederland”?!

Yep, I weighed in this morning at 199.1 lbs which is a 1.7 lb loss for the week. This brings my total weight loss so far to 56.9 pounds.

I’m thrilled to be making progress again!!! I don’t want to say I’ve put the struggles behind me, because I don’t think that’s fully possible. There will always be struggles. Every day is a struggle. But what I can say is that I’m learning how to cope with them better and making progress in spite of them!

I’m 10 weeks away from being at this for a year. That boggles my mind! When I initially started this journey last September, I had no idea I would have been this successful at losing weight, I had no idea of the relationships that I would make a result of blogging, and if you would have told me a year ago that I’d be running 5 miles straight by now I would have laughed in your face. I still have about 10 weeks before my anniversary…but yes, I’m getting very excited about it! I thought about setting some goals to reach by then…something to work towards over the next ten weeks, but I’m not sure what. I don’t want to set a weight goal, because I can’t control what the scale says. And I don’t want to set anything unreasonable or anything that could cause injury. Anyone got any good ideas for something(s) I could challenge myself with over the next 10 weeks?? Anyone want to join me??? Since I don’t have internet at home, I don’t think I could fully run an “official” challenge because I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everyone….but still…let me know what you think….I want to end my “year” with a bang!

Have a great week everyone! xoxo

203 miles walked/jogged/ran since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 500)
53.0 miles biked since January 1st. (2010 Goal: 300)
(6) 5Ks finished since January 1st.