Eclipsed

Weekly Weigh-In: Spinning My Wheels

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Is it Wednesday again already? Where did the week go? It’s time to weigh in. Remember, if you weigh in on a different day, I’d still love for you to stop by and post your results whenever you’ve got them.

As for me…{sigh}. I thought I’d maintained, but I actually gained 0.2 pound. That isn’t much and I actually thought, until I double-checked, that I’d lost 0.2 of a pound and I was still going to say that I’d maintained because that’s really just normal fluctuation.

It’s different when it’s a gain, though. Two weeks in a row. When you’d said that wasn’t going to happen anymore.

I don’t know if I’ve gotten lazy with my eating habit or my workouts or if my body just seems to like 132 as a set point. I can’t say that I’m terribly upset by that, though I would like to reach my goal weight.

The same thing happened to me around 162, though. I stayed there for months before I finally started losing again.

While it’s frustrating to have to keep reporting tiny little gains and tiny little loses and while it’s frustrating not to be at my goal weight, it’s really hard to be upset with 132 pounds when I started out at 220. I never thought I’d see 132 again.

So, I’ll just keep plugging away. I’m actually thinking, though, that today is going to mark the beginning of a serious effort in Operation Kick Jill’s Butt, so watch out, Jill! {grin}

Do or do not. There is no try.

Tag! I’m It!

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I’ve been tagged by Jill at Just Jill. Since I am completely out of witty or inspiring things to write about right now, I thought I’d play along. Here are the rules:

1. Post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
3. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

You can call me a rebel or just lazy – you choose – but I’m not doing #4. If you want to play along, consider yourself tagged. Leave me a link to your tag post in the comments, so I can see what you said.

11 Random Things About Me

1. I don’t think I could make it through the day without my two glasses of sweet tea.

2. I love to read. My favorite genre, as a whole, is historical romance, but I am also a huge fan of both the Twilight and The Hunger Games series.

3. I have always claimed to be a night owl, but when my husband and I went on our 20th anniversary trip, we went to bed around 10:30 every night and got up by 8:30 or 9:00 every day, so I think, if I weren’t influenced by the kids’ sleep and wake times, I might not be as much a night owl as I claim to be.

4. I’m addicted to Words with Friends on Facebook.

5. Although I claim to not have a sweet tooth, my biggest food temptations are sweet – Dunkin’ Donut holes and peanut butter fudge are two foods that I don’t need to have in my house.

6. My two favorite foods that I never ate before I changed my eating habits are avocado and jicama. I would be hard pressed to go a week without them.

7. I am much more competitive than I care to admit.

8. I love sunflowers.

9. My favorite board game is Clue. I rarely lose when I play it.

10. My current favorite magazines are Runner’s World and Fitness.

11. My first concert ever was Rick Springfield in July 1983.

Jill wants to know:

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Butter pecan…on a sugar cone, please.

2. What would your dream job be? A writer.

3. If you could have one do-over, what would it be? I would have broken up with my first boyfriend within the first six months like I almost did.

4. Would you rather live at the beach or in the mountains? Why? The mountains because the seasons would be more varied, the fall colors would be beautiful, and the trails would make a great running workout.

5. What is your favorite TV show that you don’t really want to admit? I don’t have an secret favorite TV shows because I don’t watch much TV. My favorite TV show, hands-down, is Friends. I watch it on DVD nearly every day.

6. What is your favorite form of exercise? Running.

7. Share your favorite recipe. I have lots of favorites. The one that we’re currently eating the most of at my house is Gina’s oil and garlic green beans. Oh, and I eat my pasta bowl at least once a week.

8. If you have siblings, do you get along? If you are an only child do you wish you had siblings? Yes, I have siblings and, yes, we get along…now.

9. What is an annoying habit someone in your household has? I’m going to choose to skip this one since I’ve been trying to focus on the positive, lately, instead of the negative…and I don’t want to pick on anyone.

10. Since I LOVE to laugh… tell me something about yourself that will make me laugh! (selfish question) Um…I don’t know if this will make you laugh, but I hoard Chick-Fil-A mints. I keep a stash in my car and in my purse. They make me smile.

11. Do you have a hidden talent? If you don’t, what talent would you like to have? I would love to be fluent in sign language. I used to want to be an interpreter for the deaf.

11 Questions for the People Who Choose to be Tagged:

1. What’s one thing you’ve accomplished in your life that you never thought you could?

2. Do you have a mantra that keeps you going when you’d like to quit?

3. What is one piece of advice you’d like to pass along to someone who is trying to lose weight, but doesn’t think they can do it?

4. I’m trying to complete one random act of kindness each day and haven’t been succeeding very well lately. Give me a suggestion of an act of kindness that you would like to do for someone else or would love for someone to do for you.

5. What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

6. What’s your favorite healthy meal/recipe?

7. What’s your favorite date night activity with your spouse or significant other?

8. Is there a food that you eat the cashiers at the grocery store ask you about? (My personal examples are jicama and spaghetti squash.)

9. What’s your favorite game show?

10. If money were no object, where would you like to travel?

11. If you have or are making changes toward a healthier lifestyle, what was the tipping point that finally made you decide to do so?

Let me know if you decide to play along. If you do, leave the link to your post in the comments so I can come by and read your answers.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday and welcome to another Weekly Weigh-In.

I don’t really even want to do this week’s weigh-in because I’m starting to feel like a broken record, which isn’t particularly fun to read or fun to write.

You’ve probably already figured out that I gained. 1.4 pounds. If this roller coaster ride had been what the early days of my weight-loss looked like, I’d probably have given up and would still be obese.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case and now I know that, as frustrating as it is, I won’t give up.

I peeked at the scale several times last week to see if that 129 was still there. It was. Until Sunday morning. And, yesterday when I weighed in officially.

I don’t know if I overdid it this weekend with my eating – I didn’t feel like I did – if I let my eating habits slide during the week and they caught up with me – I didn’t feel like I did that either – or if it’s just normal fluctuation and/or water retention. I hope it’s that.

At any rate, I’ll just keep plugging away and hope that the 1.4 pounds drops off next week and takes a couple of its friends with it.

How did you do on the scale this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Fine-Tuning My Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I’d love your tips and suggestions on one of my 2012 goals. One of the goals I mentioned wanting to work on this year is fine-tuning my diet (diet being the foods I eat daily, not a temporary way of eating that will stop when I reach my goal weight). I’ve done fairly well with my first goal of eating at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal and at least two fruit servings per day. Now I’d like to add on another goal.

photo credit

I had the TV on a couple of days ago and saw a Centrum vitamin commercial with a link to a website that would offer personalized nutritional supplement suggestions. It sounded interesting, so I visited the link last night and took the survey. I wish I could have taken it a couple of years ago so I’d have a comparison because I know my eating habits are much better now.

My results indicate that I need to take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement (not surprising). They also indicate that I need to increase the following in my diet:

beans
whole grains
calcium
Omega-3

The whole grains weren’t a surprise at all; I mentioned that in my 2012 goals post. The calcium wasn’t terribly surprising either, but I think I could improve that and the Omega-3 with a little planning. The beans were something I hadn’t really given much thought to.

What are your suggestions for adding more whole grains and beans? I usually eat oatmeal or Kashi cereal for breakfast and I eat my pasta bowl with whole grain pasta once or twice a week. That’s about it for my whole grains.

I do enjoy peanut butter on whole grain toast, so I could do a snack of that and a fruit more often. I also enjoy brown rice, but we don’t eat a lot of it – usually just as part of a casserole (or that delicious stuffed cabbage casserole) or under stir-fried veggies. I am definitely going to try a recipe that my cousin mentioned that contains brown rice (well, my modified version will, anyway) – zucchini, black bean and rice skillet.

photo credit

As far as beans go, I eat black beans and pinto. I will often eat black beans as a side (love them!), but pinto beans are usually in something, like chili or chicken taco soup. I like white beans fairly well, too. Oh, and we eat our favorite green bean recipe at least once a week. Do you have bean suggestions? Favorite types or favorite recipes?

You know what I would love to have? Some sort of menu-planning checklist where I could check off all the stuff I’d like to include in my diet each day or week as I’m planning my menu for the week. I’ve thought about creating my own, but I haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. Does anyone know if something like that already exists in some sort of meal-planner form?

I mean, I know there’s the food pyramid, but I’m thinking of something where I could fill in the foods that meet the requirement. For example, breakfast might have a space for whole grain, protein, fruit, and calcium. Then, I could write in: oatmeal, boiled egg, orange, and milk…or something like that.

Those are the thoughts that are rumbling around in my head. Any great thoughts or suggestions?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Preparing the Confetti

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Can you believe we’re at the middle of the week already? I can’t, but it’s a Happy Wednesday, indeed!

I told you last week that it was the last week for a while that I’d be posting a gain. There for a little while, I was worried that I’d talked too big.

I was afraid to peek at the scale during the week, afraid I’d get discouraged. When I hesitantly stepped on the scale Tuesday morning, I really thought I’d see a loss, but I wasn’t expecting much.

I certainly wasn’t expecting a whopping 3.4 pound loss! I am now officially in the 120’s!!!

{tossing confetti}

I can’t even tell you the last time I was in the 120’s. It wasn’t when I lost a bunch of weight and was in the best shape in years just before I got pregnant with my oldest. I got into the low 130’s that time, but not the 120’s. That was over 17 years ago.

That also means I’ve reached another huge milestone: over 90 pounds lost! I am so excited! My goal weight it so close I can taste it…less than 5 pounds away. I’m getting the real confetti ready. I think I may have to get some of those party poppers ready and have my husband and kids pop them when I hit my goal weight.

On a mostly unrelated note, I have to share with you the link to the stuffed cabbage casserole recipe I fixed last night. Yum! I love stuffed cabbage, but some of my family doesn’t care for it, so, instead of laying the cabbage and beef mixture, I just put the cabbage on the bottom of the casserole dish and put the meat mixture over that, so the cabbage could be easily avoided, if desired.

I highly recommend this recipe. It was really, really good. I’m looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch today.

Have you tried any really good new recipes lately? How did the scale treat you this week? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Do or do not. There is no try.

Review and Giveaway: Bondi Band Hats

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

If you’ve read my blog for awhile, you may already know that I love Bondi Band’s moisture-wicking headbands. When the weather got cold, though, I knew I needed something that would keep me warmer while still offering those great sweat-wicking properties.

Enter: Bondi Band hats!

Bondi Band offers a wide variety of moisture-wicking hats for men and women, both plain and with logos that make you laugh or allow you to show off your running distance accomplishments.

In addition to their regular hats, they also offer ponytail and pigtail hats. Since I always wear my hair in a ponytail, I chose a ponytail hat featuring my longest accomplished running distance to date.

My only disappointment was that it came in a rather ugly beige…I thought I was getting it in black, but apparently that’s not offered in black anymore. *sigh*

That was my only disappointment, though. I love everything else about my hat. I wore it in the 10K I ran in early December. I was surprised, when it took it off, how wet it was. I didn’t even realize I’d sweated that much. The hat never felt damp during my run and it kept my head and ears warm without being hot.

I wish I had a photo of me wearing it in the run, but that was the race in which my ~~personal photographer~~ husband and the kids did the family fun walk and he didn’t want to have to keep up with the camera.

My second favorite feature of the hat is the way the opening for the ponytail is made. So many skull caps have their ponytail openings near the base of the cap. That doesn’t work too well for someone like me with medium-length hair. I have to wear my ponytail up high on my head if there is to be any hope of the hair at the front of my head actually staying in the ponytail.

The ponytail opening on the Bondi Band hats runs down the back seam of the hat, so, no matter where you wear your ponytail, the opening is in the right spot.

And, the way it overlaps means that the cap is still covering your head and keeping it warm, even though it’s not completely closed in the back.

The Bondi Band moisture-wicking hats run anywhere from $18 – $20, but I’ve got one of the regular hats (no openings), in pink, to give away!

How to enter:

Visit the Bondi Band site and take a look around. Then, come back and leave a comment on this post telling me which product you’d most like to have. (Mandatory entry)

For two bonus entries (optional):

Follow Bondi Band on Twitter
Share about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter. (Please include @Kris_RunnerMom and @BondiBand in your tweet to make sure I see it.)

Rules: Leave a comment for each entry (up to three separate entries). This giveaway is open to United States residents, ages 18 years and older only. Giveaway ends on Monday, January 9. The winner will be selected at random using Random.org.

The winner will notified via email and given 72 hours to respond. In the event that the winner cannot be contacted by email or does not respond within 72 hours, the prize will be forfeited and and alternate winner selected.

Click to read the complete rules. By entering this giveaway, you indicate that you have read and agreed to abide by these rules.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: The Last One

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the first Weekly Weigh-In of 2012! Of course, if you read the title, you know that it’s the last one.

Yeah, okay, not really. It’s not the last one ever or anything. It is, however, the last one for a while in which I’ll record a gain.

Yep, I had another gain. *sigh* One pound, exactly. I was a bit disappointed since I’d weighed a couple of time last week and was actually down.

I can’t say that I was blindsided, though. My workouts were a bit off last week because I was fighting off a cold and not feeling quite up to par. I did manage to fight it off, though. Aside from a couple of days of feeling achy and drained, I never did really get sick. I totally attribute that to a healthier lifestyle.

My eating habits were a still a bit out of whack, too, and included a New Year’s Eve party in which I overindulged.

That’s all behind me now, though. I started this week off with a 4-mile run and did another one yesterday. I’ve also gotten my eating back on track and threw out the remainder of the overly tempting junk food. I’ve even been tracking my food again.

All that combines to create a feeling of confidence that I will be back in the losing mode by next week’s weigh-in. There’s just something about exercising that makes you want to eat better. And, there’s something about eating better that makes you want to exercise. It’s a great cycle to be in!

So, what about you? How did the scale treat you this week? Are you back on track after the holidays?

Do or do not. There is no try.

My Goals for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year! It’s that time of year when people start making all those resolutions – the ones that don’t typically make it past the end of January. I shared some of my best tips for making New Year’s resolutions that really last over at AboutOne yesterday. I hope you’ll stop by and check them out.

One of my tips was to make specific goals. This will be the first year that I can recall in my adult like that one of my goals isn’t to lose a significant amount of weight. All I’ve got left is the less-than-10 pounds to reach my goal weight. Surely I can hit that by the end of 2012.

My big focus this year is going to be improving – or rather, fine-tuning – my eating habits. They’re vastly improved from when I started losing weight, but my diet could still stand to be healthier.

photo credit

I loved an article in the January issue of Runner’s World about specific small steps to improve your overall nutrition. I’m going to start with one of my own before moving through the ones suggested in the article.

My first goal is to begin eating at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal. I usually have veggies with lunch and dinner, but I don’t always get a fruit or veggie in with breakfast. As part of that, I also want to make sure I’m getting at least two servings of fruit every day.

After I’m doing well with that I’ll probably work on trying to include more whole grains in my diet, since that’s an area in which I’m really weak. Then, I’ll start working my way through the suggestions in Runner’s World.

I’ll be fine-tuning my nutrition in 2012, have you set any goals for yourself?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Post Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We definitely did. I think it was the first time ever that we managed to surprise all three kids. That was fun. If I’d known it was going to be so good, we’d have set up the video camera.

Oh, well. We have the memories.

I’d been saying all weekend that I wasn’t going to weigh on Tuesday. I was going to give myself a week to get back on track first. Y’all know that I’m all about knowing where I am, though, so I couldn’t make myself not weigh.

I was not surprised to see a gain. I had enjoyed myself while trying not to go completely overboard and I think I did okay with that. I gained 1.6 pounds, which put me at an even 132 again. I can totally live with that.

I didn’t work out for several days, but I did try to get some activity in and then, yesterday, I jumped right back into my routine with exercise and eating right – with the exception of a couple of pieces of peanut butter fudge that are still hanging around. It’ll all be gone in a day or two, though, and I won’t make anymore until next Christmas, so I refuse to feel too guilty.

I worked out on the spin bike a little bit yesterday, then, I did my new favorite physical activity – hula hoop! I have no idea how many calories it burns, but it sure does get my heart rate up…and it’s fun!

I’m using the hula hoop that my sister made me for Christmas. She started making them over the summer – custom-made for the user’s height – and I’ve been bugging her to make me one since then because I can’t hula hoop worth a flip with those things from the store, but the ones she makes I can do pretty well.

I figure hula hooping for a few minutes here and there throughout the day is going to provide some great bonus-calorie burn, plus I’ll be having fun and relieving stress. Win-win.

I’m trying to ignore the fact that I feel like I’m coming down with a cold or something. I started taking Vitamin C and D early last week when the kids were sniffling and coughing. The “experts” say it doesn’t help, but it seems to have helped me ward off colds in the past and I figure it certainly can’t hurt.

Well, I kept forgetting to take them once we got busy with Christmas fun and I was around a lot of sniffling, coughing folks. I’m taking them again now and hoping it’s not too late.

If I do get sick, it will be the first time, with the exception of feeling a little run down here and there, since I changed my lifestyle. It’s amazing how many things are affected by getting exercise, drinking lots of water, and eating right.

Do you think taking supplements helps ward off a cold? Did you have a good Christmas? How did the scale treat you this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Merry

Christmas!

To you and yours from me and mine, I wish you all a healthy, happy, blessed Christmas.

Enjoy your day with friends and family as we celebrate our Savior’s birth.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Creeping Along

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:01:00 +0000

It’s time for another Weekly Weigh-In. I know at this time of year, oftentimes the last thing we want to look at is the scale and, honestly, no one will begrudge you taking a week or so off. For myself, though, I need to know how I’m doing, good or bad.

Last week was a struggle for me. I’m not usually tempted by sweets, but last week I had a crazy sweet tooth and, unfortunately, sweets were available.

Yes, you read that right. I’m not always a paragon of self-control.

If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen this picture last week:

In case you can’t read the numbers, that’s 129.4. It actually said 129.0 before I went to get the camera. I can’t even tell you the last time I saw the 120’s on the scale. I didn’t even get that low the time I lost weight before I got pregnant with my daughter. The last time I was in the 120’s was probably sometime before my 2nd wedding anniversary and I’ve been married for 20 years.

Now, I knew better than to expect to see that on the scale yesterday and not even because of my eating last week, but just because my weight seems to like to dip mid-week, tempting me, but never being quite that low on actual weigh-in day. I still like seeing those low numbers, though, because that usually means that seeing them on my official weigh-in day is right around the corner.

I was right – I didn’t see 129, but I didn’t see the gain I was worried about either. I actually lost a teeny bit – 0.4 lbs. Hey, I’ll take a teeny loss over a gain any day! And, 130.4 looks a lot better than 220.

In other milestone news, I got a new driver’s license last week. I was going to wait until I was actually at my goal weight, but I had to take my daughter to get her learner’s permit, so I decided that waiting on less than 6 more pounds wasn’t worth another trip to and wait at the DMV…and I was really tired of looking at “obese me” every time I pulled out my driver’s license.

So, I got my new license with a picture that looks much more like me. I went ahead and put my goal weight on it, too. I figured that was closer to my actual weight that what was on my driver’s license and I could continue to work to make it accurate.

It’s so cool to actually, finally, be at this place where I never thought I’d be again.

So, what about you? How did your weigh-in go this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Review: Krill Oil from Everest Nutrition

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, Brian and I both went for our annual health risk assessment. We both (for a change!) are in excellent health. However, there was one area in which we both needed to improve – our high density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, levels were a bit low. We were told that one way to increase our HDL level was to consume more Omega-3 fatty acids – the kind found in fish and grass-fed beef.

Our family began eating grass-fed beef a year or so ago, so that’s probably one reason that our HDL levels weren’t any lower. We eat fish, but not enough. So, we started looking into supplements.

We started with flax seed oil tablets because I’d heard such horrible things about fish oil being nasty-tasting and producing those lovely “fish-burps.” Flax seed oil doesn’t have those problems, but, I found out, it also doesn’t have DHA, one of the important omega-3 fatty acids.

Your body can, from what I read, produce DHA when taking flax seed oil, but the process is inefficient and not as good for you as getting the DHA directly from your omega-3 source.

So, I was happy to take the opportunity to try krill oil when it was offered me by the folks at Everest Nutrition. Both Brian and I received a 30 day supply to try. What is krill oil, you ask?

Krill oil is the oil harvested from Antarctic krill, a shrimp-like crustacean that lives below the ocean. – Everest Nutrition

Some of the reported benefits of krill oil include (and I have no idea whether or not these statements have been proven by the FDA, but they have been supported by clinical testing):

Lowering “bad” cholesterol and raising “good” cholestorol
Less menstrual pain and irritability
Reduced inflammation
Increased brain function, including improved concentration and focus
Improvement in the texture of hair, skin, and nails

Now, of course, Brian and I didn’t really notice any of these benefits in the 30 days we used the krill oil. Although I have noticed that my skin isn’t as dry as it typically is this time of year, but that could be because I’m drinking tons of water and keeping better hydrated as well.

One thing we did notice was that the capsules don’t produce “fish burps.” Brian didn’t think the tasted bad at all. I thought they tasted a little “fishy” when I put them in my mouth, but it wasn’t horrible. I just learned to swallow quickly.

I found that the taste was stronger when the capsule were stored in the fridge, as recommended, rather than on the counter like I did the first couple of days until I noticed the note about storing them in the fridge. I didn’t notice the fishy taste when they were room temperature.

Next year, when we have our HRA appointment, I hope to be able to report that my HDL levels – along with my weight – are in the completely normal range.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I also received monetary compensation for the time invested in writing the review. The opinions expressed are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Getting Closer

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another Weekly Weigh-In. This is the time of year when I start feeling a little lonely on Wednesdays. Nobody wants to post their weigh-in results during the holidays.

I know sometimes it isn’t pretty and this time of year a week of maintaining is a victory, but whatever your results, knowing where you are helps you know if you need to adjust.

There’s no shame in determining that your holiday goal is maintaining your current weight-loss…but you need to make sure you’re doing that. Finding extra pounds on the scale in January isn’t any more fun than finding those credit card statements in the mailbox.

So, if you’ve been avoiding the scale, go take a quick peek and just assess where you are. We’ll wait.

I was a little worried about stepping on the scale yesterday after last week’s gain. Plus there was the fact that I didn’t feel like I’d done significantly better in my eating or workouts last week.

Apparently, I did something right, though because I lost 2 pounds! I was very pleasantly surprised. That puts me at 0.8 pounds from hitting the 90 pounds lost milestone. Um, yeah, guess what my goal is this week.

So, what about you? How did you do on the scale last week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

10 Great Gifts for the Runner in Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Last week, I shared some of my favorite gift ideas for the loser in your life. Today, I’ll share some of my favorite runner gifts.

1. Shoes. There is nothing more important for running than a good-fitting pair of running shoes. (Well, unless you’re female, then, there might be one more – or equally – important thing.) If you know your runner’s size and style preference, shoes are a great gift. If not, a gift certificate is great.

2. Hydration system. Staying hydrated while running is important in all kinds of weather. There are all kind of hydration systems – from belts to hand-held.

3. Garmin. For the really-close runner in your life, a pricey gift that they will love is a Garmin. I love mine! It’s great for tracking your time and distance on training runs, plus mine has a heart rate monitor and it can be used to track your speed and distance when biking, too.

4. Socks. When I first started running, I had no idea there were special socks for running. The first time I saw a pair, I couldn’t understand what was different about them then regular socks. One of the main differences is usually that they aren’t made of cotton, which holds moisture and often causes blisters.

I just gave away several pairs of my favorite brand of running socks. For Christmas, unless you live in a really warm climate, your runner would probably appreciate a pair of cold weather running socks.

5. Gu. Gu is an energy gel used to maintain blood glucose levels and prevent physical and mental fatigue on long runs. I use them on most runs longer than 10 miles. They really help. There are lots of different types of energy gels and chews, but Gu is my personal choice. This would be a super-fun stocking stuffer. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to sit around and mindlessly eat Gu, putting your weight-loss success in jeopardy.

6. Running gloves. My hands freeze when I run on really cold days. Running gloves are on my Christmas wish list, so I bet your runner would like them, too.

7. Bondi band. I love my Bondi band. I’m currently reviewing one of their ponytail hats (love it, too!) and I’ll soon be giving away one of their regular moisture-wicking hats. Unfortunately, it won’t be in time for Christmas, so you’d better go ahead and order now if you want one for your runner.

8. Running tights. Another fairly pricey gift, but so worth it! Before I bought mine, I read several reviews that said you’d never run in spandex again once you wore a pair of good running tights. I was skeptical, but it’s true – at least for anything longer than 5 miles for me.

9. Great running shirt. When I ran my half-marathon, I saw the greatest running shirt ever. The back said, “Dear God, please let there be someone behind me to read this.”

I immediately came home and ordered one for myself. I’m going to post about it soon, but it came all neatly gift-wrapped, so I couldn’t bring myself to rip into it since it was supposed to be a Christmas present from Brian. (Tell me I’m not the only one who sometimes purchases Christmas gifts for herself from her husband.)

Use coupon code RUC1326 to get 15% off your purchase if you decide to order your own cool running shirt.

10. Pay their registration fee. If you don’t run, you may not realize that running races can get expensive. Most shorter races are at least $25 and longer ones run $50 or more. Paying a runner’s registration fee would be a much-appreciated gift.

This post contains affiliate links.

Do or do not. There is no try.

10 Great Gifts for the Loser in Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Do you have a loser in your life? You know around here “loser” is meant only in the best of ways – a person who is successfully making lifestyle changes, losing weight, and improving her health. Know someone like that? Let me give you some suggestions, from a loser, for some of my favorite Christmas gift ideas.

1. Pay their monthly fees. If the loser in your life is utilizing a paid program, such as Weight Watchers, purchase their passes for a month or two. It will save them some money and help them stay motivated in the weeks following the holidays when so many people are struggling to get back on track.

2. Bodybugg. Yes, this falls in the “expensive” category, but if you’re buying for a spouse or close relative, a bodybugg could be an invaluable gift. I honestly don’t think I would have been successful in my weight-loss if it hadn’t been for my bodybugg.

3. Pedometer. I heard on The Biggest Loser this week that x-number of years ago (I wasn’t paying especially close attention, but it was at least a decade), Americans used to take an average of 15,000 steps a day. Now we take less than 3,000.

It’s a proven fact that people who actively try to take at least 10,000 steps a day are healthier than their more sedentary counterparts. Often, simply being aware of how many steps you’re taking begins to promote a healthier, more active lifestyle.

4. Water bottles. Drinking 64 ounces or more of water per day helps to increase a person’s overall health and helps to lose weight by creating a feeling of satiety. It may even help to increase metabolism. Brian got me a couple of great stainless steel water bottles that I love or you can look for BPA-free plastic bottles.

5. Magazine subscription. There are so many great health and fitness magazines out there. Subscribe to one that fits your loser’s tastes (two of my favorites are Runner’s World and Fitness). The great thing about a magazine subscription is that it provides new motivation every month.

6. Cookbook. A cookbook full of tasty, healthy, nutritious recipes in an invaluable gift because it’s always easier to make lifelong changes when you realize that healthy really can taste good and when you can find nutritious recipes that the whole family enjoys.

7. Inspirational books. When my motivation is waning, it’s always nice to pull out an inspiring read. I love all of The Biggest Loser books. I’ve got the Success Secrets one sitting on my bookshelf right now to keep me encouraged.

8. Workout gear. Some great walking shoes, a dri-fit shirt, some workout pants, or even a good sport bra will all be welcomed by someone trying to lead a more active, healthy lifestyle…especially if she is at the beginning of her weight-loss journey because, let me just tell you, it’s hard to find larger sized workout clothes.

9. Gym membership. Again, this could get pricey, but even some day passes or a month’s membership helps.

10. Equipment. Many of us find it very difficult to get to the gym, so at-home workout equipment is so important. Whether it be a big-ticket item – like a treadmill or an elliptical – or something on a much smaller scale – like dumbbells, a kettle bell, stability ball or workout DVDs – equipment to help make it easier, more feasible, and more fun to workout at home is always appreciated.

What items would you add to a great Christmas wish list for the loser in your life – even if it’s you?

This post contains affiliate links.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Review and Giveaway: Wrightsock

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Several months ago, I won a pair of running socks from Fat Chick Fed Up. They were Wrightsocks. I’d never heard of them, but Lisa had purchased a pair to give away because she loved them so much.

Lisa had developed really painful blisters when she started walking to lose weight. The folks at her local running store recommended Wrightsock because of their double-layer anti-blister system. Lisa was skeptical that a sock could really make that much difference, but she was soon sold – enough that she bough a pair to share the love.

I was the lucky winner!

My Wrightsock running socks quickly became my favorite pair of socks for running. I saved them for my long runs and races, since I just had the one pair. The sweat-wicking inner layer pulls moisture away from the feet, while the friction gets absorbed between the inner and outer layers, rather than a single layer and your foot.

They were the perfect socks for races – until it got cold. If you run, you know that running shoes are designed to allow for air flow, not for keeping your feet warm. I realized that very quickly when half-marathon day dawned icy cold. It was only 29 degrees when we reached the starting area. It took only minutes before my feet were frozen.

See that white stuff on the ground? Um, yeah, that’s frost.

Luckily, they warmed up by mile two, but it was not fun running on frozen feet until they warmed up. It was the following week that I read an article about keeping warm on winter runs. One thing the article mentioned was cold-weather socks.

I never knew there were specific socks for running in cold weather. I did a quick search and guess what came up? Wrightsock!

I knew I had to have a pair, but I couldn’t find any suppliers in my area. Knowing how much I loved my own Wrightsocks, I quickly emailed the company and asked if they would be willing to send me a pair to try and some to giveaway.

The folks at Wrightsock have been absolutely wonderful to work with. They graciously agreed to send me two pair to try – a regular pair of cold-weather socks and a trail running pair…and they’re allowing me to give away twelve pairs of socks – one pair each to twelve winners!

The first time I wore either pair of the socks was just around the house. My feet were freezing one day and I decided I’d try out the trail socks. Honestly, I could tell a huge difference as soon as I put them on. They were wonderful! The inner layer is 70% moisture-wicking polyester, but the outer layer is 72% wool. So warm!

I’ve worn the running socks in two different races now. The first race wasn’t nearly as cold as the half-marathon, but it was still in the lower forties that morning. The second race was hovering right around the freezing mark. My Wrightsock cold-weather socks made a world of difference.

My feet weren’t cold at all…and you know that when your feet are warm, your body seems to stay warmer. It was cold, but I wasn’t shivering uncontrollably that morning like I was the day of the half, nor was I too hot once the race got underway.

Wrightsock cold-weather socks provide the perfect blend of warmth, breathability, and moisture-wicking. I love them!

Would you like to try a pair? Whether you’re a walker, a runner, workout at the gym, or just want a great pair of socks to keep your feet warm around the house, you’ve got to try Wrightsocks. Twelve winners will each receive your choice of Wrightsocks in your size.

**This giveaway is now closed and winners have been notified by email.**

How to enter:

Visit the Wrightsock website, then, come back and leave a comment on this post telling me which pair of socks you’d most like to win. (Mandatory entry)

For two bonus entries (optional):

Subscribe to Eclipsed and/or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
Share about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter. (Please include @Kris_RunnerMom in your tweet to make sure I see it.)

(You can also follow Wrightsock on Facebook, but I can’t give you an entry for that as it violates Facebook’s promotion policies. The folks at Wrightsock would like it, though.)

Rules: Leave a comment for each entry (up to three separate entries). This giveaway is open to United States residents, ages 18 years and older only. Giveaway ends on Monday, December 13. The winner will be selected at random using Random.org.

Click to read the complete rules. By entering this giveaway, you indicate that you have read and agreed to abide by these rules.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Not Surprised

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Can you believe it’s Wednesday again? Where are the weeks going? Are you ready for your weekly dose of accountability?

You know, I really thought I’d be at my goal weight by now. I think I’ve just about thrown any projected goal weight date out the window. The last few pounds are proving much more difficult to get rid of than the first 60 or 70 pounds, which I thought would be so hard.

This week, unfortunately, was no surprise to me. I had a hard week last week. My workouts were off and my eating was definitely pushing the envelope. I’m not sure why it was so hard, but I knew I would not be surprised by a gain.

I wasn’t surprised that I gained, but I was a little surprised at how much. I was expecting maybe a pound, but I’m actually up almost 2 pounds, with a gain of 1.8 pounds.

I refuse to stress over it, though, or let it get me down. Now that I am a runner, it’s no surprise that I would use the old, familiar running analogy: my weight-loss journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

Of course there are going to be some off weeks. As long as they don’t become off months, I’ll be okay. I know I’ve just got to get back on track this week and buckle down. As I’ve said many times before, the only way I’ll fail is if I quit and I’m not quitting.

It occurred to me last week that because of the way I’ve been making changes – slowly and steadily – and the fact that my tastes, lifestyle, and habits truly have changed, I firmly believe that I can maintain my weight-loss and my new, healthy lifestyle.

For that reason, I refuse to let one back week bring me down, stress me, or make me feel defeated. I’m in this thing for life. I have changed my eating habits and discovered an active lifestyle that I love. There is no going back.

What about you? How did you do on the scale this week? How are you feeling about the changes you’ve made?

Do or do not. There is no try.

My Second 10K

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

I ran my second 10K this past Saturday. It was great! It was cold, but, as usual, not bad once I started running. I think I like running in cold weather best – I’m always ready to get the race started because I know once I get warmed up I won’t be cold anymore.

Just so you know, I really hate sharing a race day post with no photos. However, I got the whole family involved in this one and my ~~personal photographer~~ husband didn’t particularly like the idea of walking a mile in the cold while keeping up with the kids and the camera. Can’t say that I blame him. So, I hope you’ll overlook the lack of photographic evidence.

I did manage to snag a couple of photos of the family from the event sponsor’s Facebook page, but I couldn’t find any of me. That’s my crew: Brian in the red hat and jacket, my two girls in the blue hats that my cousin crocheted for them, and my boy in front of them in the black jacket (mine that I had to give up before the race started).

So, this was a family run. There was a 5K, a 10K, a Santa stroll (a 1-mile fun run/walk) and a Kiddie K (a lap around the hosting facility’s indoor track afterward). I chose the 10K because I haven’t run one since my first one back in June.

I was secretly hoping to break an hour this time – even 59:59 would have been just fine with me. I didn’t do it as fast as I’d hoped, but I still blew my first 10K time completely out of the water, even taking into consideration that this course was about 0.15 mile short of being an actual 10K due to a course change caused by flooding on part of the intended course.

My official time was 1:01:54…and, I placed 3rd in my age/gender group! That’s the first time that’s happened since my second 5K. I was really excited about that.

And, it was a cash prize. Yep, I won {{drum roll}} a whole $2! Yes, two dollars. That’s not a typo. Hey, it’s all about the prestige, right? I used my winnings to purchase Brian’s and my weekly Sunday evening McDonald’s sweet tea. I think I enjoyed it all the more knowing how hard I worked for it. ;-)

The rest of the family seemed to enjoy their one-mile walk and it was great to have the entire family cheering me on at the finish line for the first time ever. Afterward, we all enjoyed a hot breakfast buffet that was part of the entry fee.

Then, we went home and all enjoyed a nap! None of us are fond of getting up before the sun. We’ll do it again, though, because I really enjoyed getting the whole crew involved.

Did you enjoy any fun family activities this past weekend?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Post-Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

It’s time for another Weekly Weigh-In. This is my third post-Thanksgiving weigh-in since I began my transformation.

The first year I lost 4.2 pounds. Last year I lost 4 pounds. This year…

Yeah, I wasn’t really counting on another 4 pound loss, but it sure would have been nice. I’ll take the solid 1 pound loss, though!

Yes, I lost a pound. Given the fact that my weight has refused to drop below 132 since August and the fact that it was Thanksgiving week, I’ll take that one pound that puts me at 131.2! I was actually quite thrilled with it. I may or may not have done a little happy dance on the scale.

That puts me at 88.8 pounds lost – which, rounded, is 89 pounds – and only 6.2 pounds away from my goal. That makes me very, very happy.

One of the things that I’m really thankful for, besides my health and my victory over obesity in general – is the fact that I’ve found a form of exercise – running – that I love. I had the turkey trot on Thanksgiving Day and this weekend my family and I will be participating in our first family run.

They’ll be walking (possibly running) in the one mile fun run/walk, while I compete in my second 10K. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun having my whole family there to cheer me on and to have them joining in the fun this time.

How was your post-Thanksgiving Day weigh-in? How do you get your family involved in your healthy lifestyle?

Do or do not. There is no try.

My First Turkey Trot

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday (or, or my international friends, a great weekend). Mine was excellent! We attended three different Thanksgiving dinners (my mom’s, Brian’s parents, and my dad’s) – two Thanksgiving day and one Saturday – did some Black Friday shopping (which was more “Black Friday hanging out with my mom and sister” than it was shopping, but we had a great time), and I ran in my first-ever – but definitely not my last – Turkey Trot.

Our local Turkey Trot was an 8K (about 5 miles) race with a 1 mile fun run and a 3 mile walk in which owners were encouraged to bring their dogs to participate. The canine walkers even got their own goody bags from a local dog treat store. There was a huge great Dane and a boxer who really seemed to like my after-race-banana-flavored fingers.

It was a gorgeous day for a race – bright blue skies, sunny, and in the mid-to-upper forties with over 2,000 people participating. I ran the 8K and was so hoping to be able to maintain a 10-minute-mile pace and finish in around 50 minutes.

The course was mostly flat with a few rolling hills, which was fine with me. I happen to like hills. I think that may make me weird, but they never really have bothered me, which might give me an advantage over the people who hate them. Maybe.

There I am, in the pink behind the guy in the green.

I was getting a little tired toward the end, but I was able to maintain my pace and finish with a chip time of 50:33. That’s an average pace of 10:06!! I was so excited! I know that’s still a snail’s pace compared to a lot of people, but it’s such a huge improvement from the 11:35 or so pace that I had when I first started running.

There I am again, behind the woman in the grey.

I’ve got my second 10K this weekend and I’m so hoping to do it in an hour or so. It’s going to be a great family run and I’ve signed my whole crew up. Brian and the kids are going to do the one-mile fun run/walk while I run the 10K. There’s a hot buffet breakfast after the run and lots of family activities. It should be lots of fun.

Saturday, we had thought we would sleep in, since we didn’t have to be at my dad’s until 2:00, but Brian and I both woke up, wide awake, at 9:00…so we headed to the basement and worked out together. I got in an unplanned 4 mile run, which made me feel much better about heading to another Thanksgiving dinner.

I’m hoping that the activity level and the healthier (for the most part) food choices will help make for an acceptable weigh-in this week. If not, I still feel good about how I handled the food aspect of this Thanksgiving and it was exciting to see my extended family enjoying some of the healthier options I brought this year. I got lots of compliments on my green beans.

How was your Thanksgiving? Do you feel good about your food and activity choices or it today the day you’ll climb back up on the wagon?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Two Year Anniversary Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:28:00 +0000

Better late than never, right? I wish somebody could have shown me this photo two years ago today. I wouldn’t have had such a bad attitude about getting on the treadmill that day.

I probably wouldn’t have believed them either.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: A.K.A. Stubborn 10 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Anniversary!

What? It’s not your anniversary? Oh. Well, it’s mine! It was two years ago today that I started my transformation from obese couch potato to half-marathon runner.

It was the Monday before Thanksgiving. I’d decided that weekend that I was going to start on Monday. Basically, that was just an excuse to give myself a couple more days not to start. I spent more time that weekend working on setting up my weight-loss blog than I did thinking about what I was going to do to lose weight starting Monday.

I never dreamed that Monday morning, when I got on the treadmill with such an angry, bad attitude, that I would succeed beyond my wildest dreams. I never, ever dreamed that two years later I’d be here grumbling about that last stubborn 10 pounds because I never thought I’d be within 10 pounds of my goal weight.

It’s been a wild, exciting, exhilarating, unbelievable ride!

If you’re sitting on the other side of the computer screen thinking that you’d love to lose weight, but feeling like you’ll never succeed, let me tell you: you can! If I go from morbidly obese to less than 10 pounds away from my goal weight, you can do it, too. You just have to start.

Then, don’t quit!

So, how’s that stubborn ten going? I lost 0.8 lb. last week. Not what I was hoping, but it’s moving in the right direction.

What do I think about Thanksgiving week? Well, I’m excited about the potential. I looked back to my last two post-Thanksgiving weigh-ins and, historically, they’ve gone well. The first year I lost 4.2 pounds and last year I lost 4 pounds. I think that may be because I’m hyper-focused on my eating Thanksgiving week.

I’m not really counting on having a loss like that at this point in the game, but a girl can dream, right? A four-pound loss this week would put me within 4 pounds of my goal weight. How awesome would that be?

I’m going to do the best I can. I’ll be eating some favorites in moderation, enjoying some new, healthy favorites, and staying active, starting with a 5-mile “turkey trot” race Thanksgiving morning, followed by lots of walking during Black Friday shopping with my mom and sister.

What are you doing to stay focused on your health this week? Are you ready to get started on the journey?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do or do not. There is no try.

Is There a Nice Way to Tell Someone They Need to Lose Weight?

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Recently, I ran into someone whom I haven’t seen in awhile. I was really surprised at how much weight she’d gained. This was a fairly young person. I really wanted to talk to her about her weight. I wanted to encourage her to lose weight before she wastes much of her adult life being obese.

What I said would have been from the perspective of someone who has been there and done that – the compassionate voice of experience, not the judgmental voice of someone who has never experienced obesity.

I didn’t do it, though. I just wasn’t sure that it would come across in a non-offensive way. I still remember the day that Brian talked to me about my weight from a health standpoint. I think I felt worse about that than if he’d just said that I was unattractive. To be concerned about my health meant, in my mind, that I must be really fat.

Of course, he’d never been in my shoes as an obese person. Would it have felt different if someone who had been obese and regained their health had been the one having the conversation with me?

I don’t know. I do remember talking to a friend who had lost 50 pounds when I was still obese. At the time, I didn’t care. Even though she’d had success, I just wasn’t in that place to care. I wasn’t ready to take the steps to improve my own health and I didn’t get there until nearly a year later.

It’s sometimes hard, being in this place of having come back from such an unhealthy place, to know how much I can or should say. I want to help others see their potential. I want to help other people not waste so many years of their lives like I feel that I did.

Is there a kind way to encourage someone to lose weight? Let’s talk about it.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Ready to Scream

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re having a great week and that the scale has been kind to you because it’s time for another Weekly Weigh-In.

As you may have guessed from my post title, the scale was not kind to me this week and I really wasn’t expecting the results I saw.

I gained 0.4 lb. That’s in addition to the 0.2 that I gained last week for a total of a little more than a half-pound gain in two weeks.

I know, overall, a half-pound isn’t that terrible, but…

1) This is the first time in a long time that I’ve gained two weeks in a row.

2) I ran 13.1 miles on Saturday, in addition to 9 miles I ran during the week.

3) I really watched my calorie consumption last week.

Even on Saturday, despite burning 1500 calories, I consciously made good food choices. Even on Sunday, when there is typically a lot of high-calorie food at our Life Group meeting, we had soup night and I ate the low-calorie chicken taco soup (I use 2 cups of chicken broth in place of the beer, pinto beans instead of chili beans, and leave out the tomato sauce) that I brought.

It’s very frustrating, especially since I was hoping to hit 130 pounds by Thanksgiving week. I’m really not sure what’s caused the gain. It could possibly be that my body is building muscle (doubtful). It may be that my body is becoming more efficient and running isn’t producing the same calorie burn that it used to (more likely).

It could be that I’m letting unaccounted for calories creep in and add up (highly possible). For that reason, I’m working on being very diligent in tracking my food this week.

Like I said last week, I’d rather stay right where I am forever than go back to where I was, so I’m not complaining, just being a little frustrated.

Alicia’s Weight-Loss Wednesday question brings to light an interesting change in me that came to my attention last week. She asks how we plan on handling our eating and activity level for Thanksgiving.

First of all, I’ll be running in a “turkey trot” race Thanksgiving morning. It will be my first time to ever run in one of these and I’m so excited! Last year, Brian, Brianna and I did go for a brisk walk (one or two miles – I can’t remember exactly how far now) after Thanksgiving dinner, which was a huge change for me. This year, I’ll be starting the day off with what I hope to make a new tradition – a five mile run.

Secondly, in the past, my attitude about Thanksgiving dinner has been: enjoy the foods that I don’t usually get, in moderation. That meant that I would even skip some of the healthier options, thereby saving those calories, in favor of higher-calorie treats, even though I’d eat less of those than I used to.

This year, I really don’t want to eat a bunch of high-calorie foods. I love my broccoli casserole, but – honestly? – I love roasted broccoli just as much. My mom’s green bean casserole is yummy, but so are my steamed green beans. My sweet potato casserole is to die for, but this new recipe from Skinny Taste is just as good (though I may add chopped pecans on the top just for Thanksgiving).

My aunt’s squash casserole? Okay, there’s really no substitute for that!

So, I’m thinking that, unless I change my mind between now and next week, I’m going to make some of my new, healthy favorites. I may make my broccoli casserole for a family reunion on Sunday because I know there’s no way I’ll get more than a taste of it there, but, other than that, I think it’s going to be new, healthy favorites.

What about you? How do you plan to tackle holiday food temptations next week?

On a completely unrelated note, while looking back through my blog trying to see if I’d posted how far we walked last Thanksgiving, I came across photos from my first 5K run. It occurred to me that my body has changed a lot since then.

I went back through my old weigh-ins (I write them down each week), to see how much I’ve lost since then, thinking it might be 30 pounds or so. It was over 50! Wow!

Okay, I feel a little better about this week’s weigh-in now. {grin}

Correction: Oops! My husband pointed out that there was no way I’d lost 50 lbs. since March of this year since I haven’t lost 100 lbs. Um, oops. {blushing} Yeah, I was looking at March 2010 instead of March 2011. I’ve only lost 17 pounds between these two pictures.

Oh, well. It’s still a big difference. Now I won’t be so quickly blow off those people who “only” want to lose 20 pounds or so.

(This is why my kids do math on the computer. {sheepish grin})

Do or do not. There is no try.

My First Half-Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Let me just start by saying, I loved it! My first half-marathon was every bit as exciting, exhilarating and challenging as I thought it would be. The sense of accomplishment when it was over was incredible.

Race day dawned bright and early. I was up before the sun, which, as a friend who knows me well said, was impressive in and of itself.

(Yes, I realize I need to clean my stove.)

I started my day off with my standard bowl of Kashi cereal, though I let myself be a little more generous with the serving size than normal.

It was so cold! On the way, we passed a sign that displays the temp – it was 29 degrees!

Running shoes are designed for air flow, not keeping toes warm – mine were frozen! The race start was delayed by 15 minutes, so we went into the heated registration tent to warm up. It helped, but my toes still didn’t defrost.

When I went to line up at the start, Brian stayed nearby so I could hang on to my jacket as long as possible. Really, though, once I was in the crowd of people the cold wasn’t so bad.

I warmed up fairly quickly once the race started. By Mile 2, I could feel my toes again. By Mile 7, I had settled in with a group of two women and one man who were running at my same pace. The two women were the two to my right in this picture:

The older lady said she had run 35+ half-marathons, but it was the first for the rest of us. Yes, that’s a trash bag that she’s wearing. A lot of runners do that – it makes a cheap, throw-away jacket for when you warm up.

It was a gorgeous day for a run, despite the cold. The sun was shining and the setting, through a national park, was beautiful. There were more hills than I remembered and my quads were feeling it yesterday.

My goal was to run an 11-minute-mile pace or better, and I maintained that fairly well. I started feeling really tired about Mile 11, but not quitting tired, just “I’ve run 11 miles” tired.

Overall, I was very pleased with how the race went. I ran the whole thing with the exception of walking through three or four water stations, so that I could actually drink the water rather than wear it.

I was afraid I wasn’t going to have enough steam left to sprint the finish, but I did. It definitely wasn’t my fastest sprint ever, but I did pick up the pace. It was such an incredible feeling of accomplishment to cross that finish line.

My official gun time was 2:28:28. They had some kind of problem with the chips, so I have no idea what my chip time was. Probably about a minute or so faster. It didn’t take too long after the gun went off to cross the start line.

Behind me, in yellow, is one of the ladies I ran most of the way with (picture above). The guy who ran with us turned it on for the last tenth of a mile or so and finished just before me. You can see him in the next picture, behind me, bent over pulling his chip off his shoe.

We were strangers, but there was a great feeling of support and encouragement between the four of us. I was glad to have run with them.

I think a big part of my excitement was having done something that, two year ago, I never would have dreamed possible. And, not only did I do it, but I did it well.

Yes, I’m definitely a “midpacker” – I’m not going to win any awards, but I’m not going to be last either – and there are plenty of people who are faster than me, but I ran my race the way I wanted to. I wasn’t huffing and puffing, I ran it, and I finished in the time I was shooting for. You can’t ask for more than that.

My dad and step-mom showed up to cheer me on.

They even bought me this great necklace to celebrate my first half-marathon.

My running buddy crossed the finish line a little while after I did. I think we agreed that the feeling of accomplishment made up for all the hours spent training in the heat of summer, getting up early to make time for long runs, and standing around in below-freezing temps. She said she’s never seen a bigger smile on my face than in this picture:

The whole thing was just incredible…and I’m already planning the next one!

Do or do not. There is no try.