Goal of Losing

Good Intentions

2013-05-23T19:21:00.003-04:00

I was going to skip running tonight, but I didn't.

Whenever I got home from work, I put chicken and carrots in the oven. I changed in to my running clothes and before I knew it, I was on the treadmill. As I started my run, I realized that I forgot to grab both my phone (for music) and my laptop (for Netflix). I haven't run on Nordi (my treadmill) without either one of those items, to date. I was too lazy to go downstairs and get these items, so I just continued to run. Yes, you read that right. I was too lazy to walk down stairs, but I voluntarily ran a mile tonight.

This run was boring; it was just me and the treadmill for 14-some minutes. What did people do before the wonderful distraction of music and Netflix during treadmill runs? I can tell you what I do without it; I do math. It's funny because I don't even like math. Come to think of it, I don't like running very much either. It's a love/hate kind of thing. I enjoy running most when I'm finished. The feeling after running is what makes me run again. That, and the joy of beating a previous personal record. I can be kind of competitive against myself. Anyways, back to the math. I don't do algebra or anything like that, I just simply count the seconds, minutes, distance, etc. before I'll be finished running. If I bump the speed up a bit, that changes everything and I need to re-calculate. Trying (and usually failing at) math during my run, held my attention for a majority of the time.

Something else that caught my attention toward the end, was my husband pulling up the driveway. Tonight was his last night of class for the school year! I was on my last lap whenever he pulled up. When I saw him pull in, I smiled and bumped up my speed so I could go see him. I watched him get out of his work van with a pizza box in his hand. At that time, I remembered it was his last night of class, so he must have brought home pizza from their party.

I probably would have happily eaten ~~two~~ four pieces of pizza for dinner, if I hadn't just run a mile. It also helped that I already had chicken and carrots in the oven, and that the timer on the oven had just gone off. I still opened the pizza box, took this picture and contemplated eating a piece of pepperoni before closing the box and putting it in the fridge. Skipping over this pizza to eat chicken and carrots for dinner is a big accomplishment for me.

The lesson I learned from tonight is that half the battle is starting with good intentions. I started my night off with good intentions of eating well and exercising. These good intentions helped me say "no" to something less-than-healthy, and stay "on track".

What have your good intentions helped you to avoid?

Smoothie and Spaghetti

2013-05-22T21:35:00.001-04:00

This morning I made myself a smoothie for breakfast!

It was a peanut butter smoothie. It was low calorie and tasty! I used 1/2 cup of skim milk, 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter and a tall glass of crushed ice. Mix well and there you have it!

Since I didn't have a lot going on, I took advantage of my time after work by laying out with my dogs. I had a small salad, then decided to go to my moms house to visit my brother and sister. We went to Walmart, and I bought a new shirt. Very exciting, I know.

My mom made spaghetti with butter mushrooms for dinner. I had a couple bowls of that and managed to stay within my calories for the day. Success!

What was your success for today?

Nothing Could Have Tasted Better

2013-05-21T20:06:00.001-04:00

Last night my mother and father-in-law stopped by!

They came just in time for dessert and brought with them two ice cold coffee's from McDonalds. I don't know if they know it, but the best in-law award goes to them! Nothing could have tasted better at that very moment. It was warm last night (85 degrees) and those iced coffee's really hit the spot!

On Sunday, I made some mini-goals for the week. It's now Tuesday and I'm happy to say, so far, so good!

~ Mini-Goals: May 20th - May 24th ~

1. Drink 8 cups of water a day (2/5 days done!)
2. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each day (2/5 day done!)
3. Eat within my nutritional ranges as provided by Sparkpeople.com (2/5 days done!)
4. Exercise at least three times this week (1/3 days done!)

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I'm proud for staying within my nutritional ranges today. It was definitely a challenge! I worked over today at work and didn't get home until 7:30 p.m. I was starving by that time and wanted to eat everything in sight. I refrained, however, and made myself a couple BLT's for dinner.

I must have been hungry, or maybe I was tired; I bet it was a little of both because I forgot to add the lettuce to my "BLT" before taking this picture and before eating both sandwiches in a matter of two minutes. Since I choose to eat two sandwiches, dinner ended up being about 540 calories. Considering I was too busy at work today to even think about food, that was a good amount of calories to compensate for the date. Let me rephrase that... I had less time to think about food at work; of course I still thought about it!

What did you have for dinner, tonight?

Are you a fan of BLT's? (I love them, even more so when I remember the lettuce!)

Heebie-Jeebies and a Painful Run

2013-05-20T22:28:00.003-04:00

I've got the heebie-jeebies.

Ever since my husband told me that he saw a HUGE spider outside on the patio, I've been a little freaked out about everything that touches me. "Spiders" have been attacking me ever since. A spider, I mean a leaf, blew in to my hair; I had a mild heart attack. The spider, I mean the sweat rolling down my back after my run tonight made me nearly jump out of my skin. It's been a tense evening.

Speaking of my run, I did it. That's about all there is to say about it. Nothing special, except -- I finally ran on Nordi, again. It's been weeks, maybe even a month, since the last time I ran on Nordi (my treadmill).

Nothing against Nordi, it has just been so nice outside lately. Since it was about 9:30 p.m. when I decided to go for a run tonight, I thought it would be a nice time to catch back up with my old pal, Nordi. I wasn't really feeling a run as much as I just wanted to get my legs moving a little. No records, here; just a nice run/walk.

An intense side cramp may have had something to do with my lack of interest while running. It was quite painful. I guess that's why you aren't suppose to drink a glass of water and then decide to go running. Don't ever do that; ever. It's not good!

Something that is good though would be our bacon-chicken-ranch salads we had for dinner. I bought a huge container (16 oz.) of baby lettuce and we have been using it a lot. Lunches, dinners... yep and yep! It seems to stay very fresh in the container, however, I only give it until about Wednesday before it's all gone. We kind of love it!

Have you ever had the heebie-jeebies?

Bags of lettuce or containers of lettuce? (I think you know where I stand.)

Back to Reality and Mini Goals

2013-05-19T21:02:00.002-04:00

Since I spent last weekend in Virginia Beach, and the entire last week reliving that vacation through pictures, I guess it would be time to get back to reality and back to working toward my goal of losing weight.

"Peace out" Virginia Beach, back to reality!

The reality is that I'm a little overwhelmed. I get anxious when I look at my calendar because it's so full. It's full of work meetings, business trips, and many fun events, too. I tried to schedule a couple "open" weekends for us, but have been finding that doesn't work very well. If somebody plans something big on our "open" weekend, say a graduation party, I just can't say no for the sake of having an "open" weekend. I would feel too guilty. Therefore, time to ourselves is limited; which is just another reason why I really enjoyed our time together in Virginia Beach.

I finally stepped on a scale since my vacation, and I am up a few pounds. I weighed in at 233.4 to be exact. This is a little disappointing since I was down to 230 lbs. right before the trip. This extra weight is temporary, though and I will push on!

I am going to try something a little different this week, as I strive to get refocused. I am going to set some "mini-goals" to accomplish for myself this week. I have found in the past that by setting and reaching mini-goals, it only gets you closer to your larger goals in life. It's so true that "every little bit helps".

~ Mini Goals ~

1. Drink 8 cups of water a day
2. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each day
3. Eat within my nutritional ranges as provided by Sparkpeople.com
4. Exercise at least three times this week

Those are my basic mini-goals; the ones that have helped me to lose 35 pounds thus far. I can always turn back to monitoring those four things for results. It just takes focus, something I will not let myself lose this week!

What are your goals for the week?

Virginia Beach - Day Three

2013-05-18T11:58:00.001-04:00

I am having fun stretching out the recap of our vacation! Our final day was very fun!

We spent the morning walking the boardwalk. It was a beautiful day! A lady offered to take a couple pictures of us, which was nice!

That afternoon, we drove about 5 minutes away to visit the Cape Henry Lighthouse. It was $5/per person, and it was a nice adventure!

After the lighthouse we went back home... I mean, back to the hotel. It definitely felt like home to us!

It was around dinner time when we took one of our last walks on the boardwalk. We found a cute outdoor restaurant to eat dinner at, called Johnny Manana's.

We got the "best seat in the house".

I'm not big in to mexican food, but my husband loves it!

I ordered chicken tenders and my husband got their enchiladas. Both were very good!

After dinner, we walked the beach. We were laughing, holding hands, and just enjoying the world around us.

We sat down by the pier and played in the sand for literally an hour before going back to the hotel.

This is where I get sad. We spent our last hours on the balcony, before leaving for home that night.

It was really hard to say goodbye to that view, but we missed our dogs.

Next time we go (because there will be a next time) we are considering bringing our dogs and family. I really missed them while we were on vacation.

Then again, if we brought them, it would be even harder to come back home. We LOVED this vacation to Virginia Beach. Our first trip there was a success!

Virginia Beach - Day Two

2013-05-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Day two at Virginia Beach was a lot of fun!

We woke up early and went down to the beach. There weren't very many people out as the sun rose over the ocean that morning.

It was very peaceful. We spent some time on the beach, and some time of the balcony that morning. Just watching the waves.

The picture above is taken right outside the back door of the hotel we stayed at. Very convenient!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we were completely thrilled with the hotel room that we got. The oceanfront balcony was just wonderful!

After eating our (complimentary) breakfast, we explored the town some more.

We found a truck show on the beach, therefore my husband was officially in heaven.

It was a hot day at 84 degrees. We stayed on the beach for only an hour before we got burnt.

After spending some time on the beach, we explored the town even more (it was a big town).

I was very excited when we found a Sweet Frog, it just like Menchies, and I love Menchies.

We definitely got our share of exercise from all of the walking we did that day!

Virginia Beach - Day One

2013-05-15T21:06:00.003-04:00

Virginia Beach. Sigh. What a wonderful place.

We arrived in Virginia Beach on Friday around 3:00 p.m. The weather was amazing when we arrived!

We were extremely pleased with our room. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and booked an ocean front balcony suite. This is a hotel I highly recommend if you are considering a trip to Virginia Beach!

The view from our balcony was amazing!

We spent a majority of our trip, relaxing on the balcony. It was our own little piece of paradise for the long-weekend.

The balcony was shaded for most of the day, which was nice for when you still wanted to watch the waves, but wanted to stay out of the heat!

We were only a few blocks away from the fishing pier, which also had a great view!

We spent our first night roaming the town, taking pictures and trying to decide where we wanted to eat.

Of course, we spent some time on the beach that afternoon, as well.

In the picture above, the hotel in the background was ours. We were on the eighth floor, which definitely helped our view!

The water was too cold for us, but there were a few brave people who were swimming in it all day long!

Before we ordered dinner, we bought a 12 pack of bud light platinum to last us the weekend. We spent an hour drinking beer, watching the ocean, and watching people on the boardwalk below.

We ended up eating a pizza from a place called Albee's. Their pizza was phenomenal. Definitely order from there if you make a trip to Virginia Beach. A-maz-ing!

As the sun began to set, we went exploring the boardwalk some more. We heard music and followed it until we came across a band playing at the amphitheater. There was a Dairy Queen nearby, so we got ice cream cones and listened to the band for a while. It truly felt like summer this weekend!

We finished our ice cream cones as we walked along the beach, under the stars. This is something I've always wanted to do. It was so nice to walk barefoot on the beach while holding my husband's hand.

A night we will never forget.

Back from Vacation

2013-05-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

We are back from vacation and are feeling relaxed, refreshed, thankful and full of love.

Those are just a few pictures from our awesome long-weekend vacation to Virginia Beach. I will update more once I go through all of the pictures (we took a lot)!

I decided for my own sanity that I wouldn't weigh myself this week. A weekend of cold beers on the beach and eating out while on vacation isn't going to make the scale happy. Instead, I will just use this week as a transition back in to my routine of drinking enough water each day, getting enough sleep, eating better and exercising. Sound good? I think so.

So, how was everyone's Mother's Day? I want to wish all of the mothers out there a happy belated Mother's Day! We were actually still on vacation during Mother's Day so we sent our moms a video message of us on the beach. How nice of us... I know. We actually delivered their Mother's Day gifts a week before we left for the trip. We had so much fun on this trip that my husband already started to plan our next vacation to Virginia Beach while we were laying in the sand by the ocean. We can't wait!

What did you do this weekend?

Time to Unpack

2013-05-13T22:00:00.003-04:00

Hi there! We are back from vacation!

More on that, tomorrow. I just wanted to post a quick plan for the week ahead.

Dinner Plan:

Tuesday - BBQ Chicken and green beans
Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Salad
Thursday - Buffalo Chicken and green beans
Friday - Grilled Chicken Salad

Exercise Plan:

Tuesday - 1 mile run
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 1 mile run
Friday - Rest

Dinner's aren't very creative this week. I've got a lot planned with little time. More in the morning. Time to unpack, now!

I Have My Doubts

2013-05-08T12:45:00.001-04:00

Remember when I said I would be running a total of four races this year? Well, make that three.

I was just about to register for a 5K race happening at the end of this month when I saw that only 7 other people are signed up to run. I may be confident, but I have my doubts. I need a bigger crowd than that to feel comfortable enough to "run my own race". Does that make sense?

When I sign up for these 5K races, I am not intending to race against other people. I race against me, and my last 5K time. If I was racing with only 7 other people, I wouldn't feel as free to just run my own race; I would want to keep up with them so that nobody had to wait for meto finish.

So, sadly, there will be no 5K race for me this month. Wah, wah, wah. Oh well. That just means my next 5K is going to be in August, and it's going to be in Buffalo for the Color Run! The Color Run isn't timed, so as of right now, we are just planning to take our time so we can enjoy it!

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I have been trying really hard this week to stay away from fast food. I did have a sub from subway for lunch yesterday, but that's just about as healthy as it gets for eating out. I made up for it by having a chicken salad for dinner, outside, on the patio... of course.

I weighed in this morning at 230.4 lbs. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can say good-bye to the 230's for good!

I am going on a long weekend vacation to Virginia Beach this weekend. It's very typical for me to gain weight on vacation, so I am not going to set myself up for failure by holding myself to any high expectations. My goal for the vacation is to just simply do my best. I have high hopes for this to be a relaxing and equally active vacation. I want to walk down the beach, run down the boardwalk, lounge on the beach and lounge on our balcony. Balance is going to be the key to this vacation!

What is your ideal vacation? Beach, camping... staycation? I want to hear your ideas!

If you work at it, you see results.

2013-05-06T21:12:00.003-04:00

I didn't want to run today but I did it anyway, and I'm glad that I did.

After my run, tonight.

I wonder how many times I've said that before? I feel as if this is becoming an unintentional motto of mine. I haven't run since Friday, so I knew it probably should go for a run tonight. I changed in to my run gear as soon as I got home, and was out the door within 10 minutes of getting home. A couple minutes later, I was running.

I wasn't really feeling the mile run I had planned to do for tonight, and was anxious for it to be over. This may be why I beat my time from Friday's run. This is one of my best, if not *the* best mile time I have gotten, so far. It's kind of amazing to think it is only my fourth time running a mile straight, without walk breaks. Running is so rewarding! Just another reason why I love running; if you work at it, you see results. Period.

By the way, if you're wondering if I'm writing this blog from my back porch with the smell of fresh cut grass and the sounds of my little pond waterfalls in the background, you would be totally right. Nothing can keep me inside, these days. I have been waiting for so long for nice weather. I am soaking this up!

Not even dinner will keep my indoors. I grilled chicken for dinner and made chicken tacos from the leftovers from our Cinco De Mayo celebration, yesterday. I kind of went overboard with the veggies, tonight. My tacos were huge, and bursting with veggies.

I was trying to use up all of our leftovers and I was really hungry after my run. My husband thought I was making a taco salad, until I started trying to close it like a taco. He said, "Oh, I didn't even know there was a shell under there!" I could tell he was doubting my taco folding skills, but I had it under control!

Taco tip: when you stuff it too full, hold it like a softball. Works like a charm!

Tacos: chicken or beef? Which do you prefer?

Cinco De Mayo

2013-05-05T21:42:00.001-04:00

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I think that I have said, "I don't want this weekend to end" at least five times today. It has been the perfect temperature outside these past couple days. Our windows in the house have been open, we got our porch set up for summer and I got my first sunburn of the year (on my shoulders because I was wearing a tank top all day yesterday!)

In order to celebrate Cinco De Mayo "the right way", we had the first picnic of the year! My in-laws came over and we had a great time. We had margaritas, mojitos, texas caviar, and a taco bar.

I weighed myself yesterday morning and I was excited to be a couple pounds down (weigh in: 231.2 lbs.) from last week! My husband and I were both very tempted to go out to dinner yesterday, but I meant what I wrote in Friday's post (about eating out less), so we grilled out for dinner instead.

We are both very excited about what this upcoming week will bring! We booked a semi-spontaneous trip to Virginia Beach for this upcoming weekend. We have never been there before and got a super good deal on a hotel. My husband just sold an old tractor that was taking up space in his garage, so we have some money to take down with us! The trip is completely covered financially (without using the credit card we have been trying to pay off) so that will definitely make our mini-vacation to Virginia Beach even more enjoyable!

Have you ever been to Virginia Beach? Any tips/suggestions on the area?

Self Compassion

2013-05-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

I have been having a lot of fun on Happify, the website that I had been asked to try recently. I have been learning some new things, but most of it I have already learned throughout my weight-loss journey. Happify's research and information is a great reinforcement of what I already believe to be true. When I'm not learning something new, I'm being reminded of some of the most important things to keep in mind when trying to lose weight, become healthier, and for life in general. Just yesterday, I was reminded about the important of self compassion.

Happify says,
"self-compassion boosts our resilience so that when we stumble, we can get up and try again. When making a mistake isn’t a big deal, we’re more open to learn from our missteps and try new things, rather than hide in shame.

Kristin Neff, Ph.D., an associate professor in Human Development at the University of Texas at Austin, has been researching self-compassion for the past decade. Neff believes today’s competitive culture leads us to believe being good enough isn't good enough. Media images and slogans push us to compare ourselves with others, even though there will always, always be someone who is more successful, richer, skinnier, or more attractive than we are.

Neff’s research shows that self-compassionate people feel more secure and strongly suggests that accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who are easier on themselves are less likely to be depressed and anxious and are more prone to happiness and optimism. Self-compassion steps in precisely when we fall down, allowing us to get up and try again."

I feel that after losing 35 pounds and then being at a plateau for over a year, I have a fairly good grasp on self-compassion; I am not giving up. Do I get frustrated? Sure! But, I know the reason I'm not losing weight is because I agree to go out for pizza and a couple beers, or wings and deep fried zucchini. Telling myself that deep fried zucchini is still a vegetable and that wings are my protein is not getting me to my weight-loss goals. I know that, and I am laughing a little while I type this. I have been trying to lose weight lately without giving anything up. I know that doesn't work for weight loss, but in case you were wondering; it DOES work for maintaining weight-loss, which had been humbling enough for me as of late.

I know that if I want to break out of the 230's, I need to give a little bit up. I often say, "moderation, not deprivation". It seems my motto more recently should be "moderation, not indulgence". I haven't given up on myself because I have been self-compassionate. I have been accepting my imperfections. I have been easy on myself. These are all good things to do and to be; however, I do want to move forward with my weight-loss. I will not give up being self-compassionate, but instead, I will tone down the amount of times we are eating out. It's hard this time of year; the weather is finally nice at 70-degrees. We love to take the motorcycle to local ice cream shops, or our local sports bar for dinner. We will have to change those habits and ride the motorcycle to the beach instead; or a trail to go walking.

If recognizing why I am not losing weight is the first step, then I'd say forgiving myself would be the second. The third step, I'd say, would be to make a plan. The fourth step... get going!

The Plan:

- Stop eating out so much, and start getting serious about losing weight again.

I am very happy with my current weight. I feel guilty saying that, because I know that I am still very overweight, but it's so freeing to finally love myself; to love where I am at. I think that's another reason why I have been slow to lose weight. It's hard to be in a big rush to lose it, when you're happy with where you are. The more that I lose, the healthier I will be; this will have to be the motivation. If the motivation was happiness, I would stay put; because I'm already there!

Why Running?

2013-05-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

I remember the first night that I tried running. It was a cold winter night. I ran to rid myself of anger. To expose trapped emotions. It was on Christmas Eve, a few years ago. I couldn't even run for a minute straight. A few years and two 5K's later, I continue on. For anyone who have ever wondered, why running? This is it.

The following are parts from an article by Mike Cassidy, a runner who ran the 2013 Boston Marathon. You can read the entire article by following this link: http://www.runnersworld.com/rt-columns/after-boston-run-the-recovery. Be forewarned it made me cry.

Mike writes that "his family and him — like most runners — were fortunate to be out of harm’s way. The victims were someone else’s child, someone else’s parent, someone else’s friend. Their faces and names were unfamiliar, their pain incomprehensible."

I've put in bold the parts of the article that resonate most within my heart.

"But they were part of the tribe of runners, family and friends of runners. They are the type of people who sacrifice Friday nights for Saturday mornings — or support it. The type of people who measure life in minutes per mile — or can interpret it. The type of people whose most treasured possession stinks up the closet — or at least don’t complain about it. They are strangers, but they are runners, and so we know who they are.

Runners share an unspoken bond, a spiritual affinity that runs deeper than age or race, nationality or religion. Show me a runner, and I’ll show you a friend. Running identifies.

Running is not something you do; it is something you are. It’s a worldview as much as it is a form of exercise. It’s a way of life as much as it is a sport. It’s a state of being as much as it is a means of transportation. An attack on any of us running is an attack on all of us.

That is why we must run on. Running doesn't matter as much as we think. It matters more.

When despair is overwhelming, what do we do? Go for a run. When stress is oppressive, what do we do? Go for a run. When hope is gone and all seems lost, what do we do? Go for a run.

If the perpetrators wanted to inflict lasting devastation, they could not have picked a worse target. Running defies destruction.

To run is to live. Running nourishes our muscles and nurtures our minds. It induces clarity of thought, vitality of physiology, and tranquility of emotion. It demands complete unity of body and spirit, it requires your legs, your lungs, your heart, your mind, but rewards all those parts too. It’s in this harmonious holism that we come to understand our true identities, our authentic selves. The universe’s uncertainty is distilled into a singularity: We exist in and of the moment. In the midst of entropy, serene bliss. In the midst of confusion, clarity. Surrounded by constraints, we are freed. Running creates.

In running, there is no such thing as foes, only co-conspirators. It’s one of the few competitive endeavors where my success doesn't mean your failure.

And this amicable accord extends beyond the athletes to the fans. In running, the sidelines are part of the playing field. If competitors require us to run faster, crowds inspire it. Nothing can galvanize greatness as much as throngs of screaming fans. Running persists on passion. It rides on emotion. Cheers can’t compensate for underprepared hearts or untrained legs, but they can make those hearts beat a little faster and those legs drive a little harder.

Just as important as the volume is the attitude: inclusive rather than exclusive, universal rather than partisan. In running, cheering for someone doesn't mean rooting against someone else. Being a fan at a marathon is an expression of genuine altruism: helping a stranger without request or recompense.

Each run is an emphatic statement for everything that terrorism is not. Terrorism destroys; running creates. Terrorism divides; running unites. Terrorism is about fear; running is about hope. Terrorism signifies giving up; running means pushing ahead. Terrorism represents humankind at its malevolent worst; running, people at their inspirational best.

When we run, we take a stand for life, and in so doing, we bring into being the very spirit that defines the greatest threat to terrorism: the unconditional embrace of existence, the relentless optimism that progress is possible, and the unflinching conviction that our individual hopes are inseparable from our shared humanity.

To transcend our limits, we must confront our own mortality. As runners, reaching new levels demands staring human fragility in the face, accepting the futility of our quest, and forging ahead anyway."

Coming Down from the Fever

2013-05-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

So, the Law Day 5K is over and so is my April 5K Challenge! Here are the results:

The April 5K Challenge

The Goals:

- Get down to 220's
- Develop and abide by meal plans
- Develop and abide by exercise plans

The Deadline:

- April 27, 2013 (Law Day 5K)

The Terms and Conditions:

- Weigh-in's were to be every Sunday morning
- Dinner plans were to be posted for each week
- Exercise plans were to be posted for each week

The Results:

Start Weight: 235.4 lbs.
End Weight: 233.8 lbs.
Total Loss: 1.6 lbs.

Although I didn't reach my weight-loss goal for the April 5K Challenge, I have come to realize that I did lose some inches! My clothes are fitting better! Maybe the lack of weight loss is because I built such awesome muscles in my legs from training for the 5K. Or, it could be from all of the food I was eating, such as pizza and ice cream. Eh... it's got to be the muscles, yeah, I'm going with the muscles are to blame.

To me, the April 5K Challenge was a success. It wasn't about the weight loss as much as it was to get me ready for the 5K Race. As for the 5K Race, I rocked it! Mission complete! I beat ALL of my race goals! You can read more about the race by following this link: http://www.goaloflosing.com/2013/04/5k-fever.html

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It's the week after my 5K race and you may be thinking, what is there possibly left to do now that it's over? Well, since I had a bad case of the 5K fever, I signed myself up for another race (and another)! So, the answer to your question, my friends, is that I will train and train some more. My next 5K race is May 25th. That's only three weeks away! (What was I thinking?)

I am coming down from the 5K fever and I am starting to wonder if I will ever beat my personal record from this weekend. A 45-minute 5K is not something I even thought I was ready for, and I did it! One of the first things I thought of after the race was, "Well, I'm never going to beat that time!" Now, I've got to prove myself wrong (or keep signing up for 5K's until I do).

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For those of you who aren't so much in to running but are in to food, the rest of this post is for you.

Monday night's dinner was fantastic. I have been eating leftovers for days and I can't get enough! Oh pasta, how I have missed you!

As the recipe requires, I made sure to put an entire bag of spinach in this meal, even if it did take a couple tries to get the lid on.

This is a super simple recipe that is vegetarian and fairly healthy for you without losing that "yum" factor!

Skillet White Beans with Spinach and Tomatoes over Linguine. Perfection!

Serves 6
Nutrition per serving: 320 calories; 5 fat; 55 carbs; 13 protein

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (do not drain)
1 can any white beans
1 package freshs spinach
6 cups cooked linguine
6 Tablespoons Romano or Parmesan cheese (grated)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet.
2. In a separate pan start boiling water for linguine and get linguine cooked while you continue.
3. Add garlic, saute for a minute or so.
4. Add tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil.
5. Cover with spinach, top with lid, reduce heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6. Spoon tomato/beans/spinach mixture over linguine and sprinkle with cheese.

This makes 6 servings. 1 cup of pasta, 1 cup of sauce and 1 tablespoon of cheese per serving.

5K Fever

2013-04-30T10:06:00.001-04:00

Beware of the 5K fever. When you have it, you do crazy things; crazy things such as sign up for another 5K, and then... another. I'll get back to this in a few.

I've had 5K fever ever since running the Law Day 5K on Saturday. I killed all three of my goals for the race and even met my "secret goal".

Secret Goal (noun): a goal you didn't even realize you had because it was so far in the back of your mind that you didn't even dare to dream it, but once you reach it you knew it's what you've always wanted.

My first goal for the 5K race was to beat my time from my first 5K race last year (51 minutes). If I didn't reach that goal, then my second goal was to finish within 60 minutes. If I didn't reach that goal, then my third goal was to just finish! To my surprise, I met all three of those goals!

Thanks, Sara for taking this picture!

My secret goal (the one I didn't even know I had) was to complete a 5K in 45 minutes. I didn't even think I was near being able to believe in this goal quite yet, but I beat it! The official results came in yesterday and I met my secret goal by finishing at 44 minutes and 48 seconds!

I seriously wouldn't have met this goal without my husband. He did everything aside from literally picking me up and carrying me over the finish line. That guy is my hero.

The morning of the race, I felt good. I wasn't as nervous as I had been the days prior. My husband and I parked in the parking garage that I use during work. We were a few blocks away from the Courthouse, which was the starting line for the Law Day 5K. We used those blocks of walking as our warm-up. We felt good. We were laughing and having fun during our walk. We made sure to "stretch it out" as we made our way to the Courthouse, mainly with high knees as outlined in the photo, below.

It was such a nice morning, a little chilly but perfect weather for a long sleeve shirt and yoga pants; perfect weather for a 5K race. Once we got to the Courthouse, we just stood there. As a Paralegal, I am often in Court and go to this same Courthouse at least 3 times a week. This morning though, with the sunrise highlighting the building's bold features, it looked different. The entire street seemed different. It was quiet, there were no cars. The only sounds we heard were the fast foot steps from people jogging; warming up for the race. We took a picture of the Courthouse and then proceeded to the registration table, a block away at the Gazebo.

When we got to the gazebo, I felt excited! We were finally here; our second 5K race! We picked up our timing chip and made our way to a park bench to secure it to our shoes. For our first 5K race, last year, we had numbers. This race used timing chips; the chip eliminates the need for numbers. I'm not quite sure which I like better.

After getting the chip attached, we started walking around. As we walked we ran in to Sara, a friend from high school. This particular friend has been incredibly supportive of my journey of living a healthier lifestyle. She has given me some awesome advice and isn't shy to tell me how proud and happy she is for me. When we ran in to her, she was with her friend, Megan. I haven't met a runner that I haven't liked, so of course we became friends by the end of the race, too! Making new friends through running = total bonus!

Before we knew it, it was time to line up for the race. My husband and I found our way to the middle of the pack. My husband was a little worried that we were too far in front, but I told him that we were doing everyone else a favor. I explained that we would be boosting their confidence by starting that far up because they would be able to pass us instantly. He liked that idea, so we stayed put.

I felt like we were standing there for 20 minutes. Time stood still as we waited, however, once I heard the beginning of the announcement on the loud speaker, I felt like it was too soon. Before I knew it, the announcer said "on your mark, get set..." and then the horn blew! We were off!

It took a good city block for the runners around us to fan out. We even had the chance to pass a few people within the first couple blocks, but that was about all the passing we did for the race. I had my garmin forerunner 410 set for intervals of 5 minutes of running with 2 minutes of walking. I planned on sticking to those intervals, and I would have, if there weren't as many inclines. The inclines burned me out, quickly. I stuck to my first interval and then it was random running and walking from there on out.

Within the first mile, I distinctively remember cursing out loud when I turned a corner and saw the road incline significantly. The way my body reacted to running uphill crushed my spirits. During those three miles, so many things ran through my head, and came out of my mouth. "I'm not going to beat my time", "I can't do it", "I just want to quit", "I am never going to do this again", "Why did I think I could do this?", "I can't keep going", "I just need to sit", "I can't catch my breath". My husband, counteracted each of those comments with support, love and motivation. He held my hand a few times as we walked, and told me that I was okay. This is how I finished my race.

In the last mile, we began making compromises. "We can walk if you make it to the next city block", "Let's start running at the red car all the way to the white car". I was hard on myself during this race. I couldn't help it. Being supportive of myself doesn't come naturally; it's something that I've worked on daily, and something that I will continue to work on.

Once I saw the Courthouse, I felt better. I felt like I could finish. The words coming out of my mouth started to change. I began saying "I can do this", "I've got this", "Almost there". My husband could see the finish line and told me "You're going to beat your goal!" I let out a little wimper cry, and held back a tear. I couldn't cry now, I needed to breath. I was running out of breath. I had made myself a compromise to run to the end of the block, then I could walk to catch my breath. This didn't happen. When I got to the end of the block, I saw Sara and my new running friend, Megan. They were standing there, cheering me on (cue another wimper cry). They were cheering me on! I couldn't walk, then; I had to keep going! I ran past them and gave Megan a high five as I passed.

I was almost done, I just had to run around the block of the gazebo. My heart was racing and I felt dizzy. To be honest, I felt like my head was going to explode. I looked down at my garmin and my heart rate was at 190. I should have slowed down, but the finish line was right there! I pushed through the fatigue and kept running. The final seconds of the race were a blur. I could see the time was at 44-some minutes and that Sara and Megan were waiting for us at the finish line. I kept running through the finish line, and hugged them both.

Nick told me that a lady had come to remove my timing chip from my shoe, but I don't remember that at all. (I actually gasped on our way back to the car because I thought I had forgot to turn it back in.) Sara gave me the rest of her water because there was none left when we finished. Having Sara and Megan cheering for us at the finish line is something I'll never forget. Their energy definitely helped me keep running at the end!

On the car ride home, Nick and I started talking about future 5K's. I still wasn't sold on the idea of doing another one, but he had already caught the fever. It was too early for me to catch the fever, after all, it was only an hour earlier that I was panting up an incline declaring that "I would never run a 5K again!" The fever did catch up to me, though. It was only a couple hours later, as we sat on the couch, when the 5K fever hit me. We have signed up for two more 5K's in the past two days.

As of right now, we will be running a 5K in May, August and September. Meeting my goal (as part of my 26 by 26 list) of running my second 5K this year has been met. At the time that I had made that goal, I hadn't imagined that my third, fourth and fifth 5K would also be done this year.

Like I said in the beginning of this post, beware of the 5K fever. It makes you do crazy things!

Happify

2013-04-28T21:19:00.000-04:00

Hi, everyone! I promise to update you on my 5K from Saturday, soon. I want to post about the 5K when I have more time to reminisce. In the meantime, I have something pretty interesting to share with you!

I am a Happify Pioneer! Don't know what that is? Well, I will tell you.

I was recently asked to be one of the first (a/k/a: a happify pioneer) to test a new website called Happify.com. I have been using the site for about a month now but fell in love with the site immediately! This is a site designed around the user, in effort to increase the users happiness!

We all could use a little happiness in our lives, am I right? Well, Happify uses science to help you form life-changing habits. According to their site, Happify activities are based on cutting-edge research from leading academic institutions around the world. You can use Happify anytime, anywhere—on your computer, or with our companion mobile app when you're on the go. When you sign up with Happify, you'll learn valuable skills to reduce stress, boost optimism, gain confidence and enjoy life more every day! Awesome, right?

Usually, you would have to request an invite to join happify, but since I'm a pioneer, and you are an awesome reader, I have this special link, just for you:

http://www.happify.com/o/lp?srid=blg47

Want to cope better with stress? Be a happier parent? Happify's tracks are designed to help you develop your happiness skills for specific life situations. Happify is scientifically designed with fun activities and games that help you form life-changing habits that leave you feeling more fulfilled every day. Happify is also an endless place for inspiration! You can see what makes others happy and get positive feedback and encouragement throughout your happiness journey. (You can also keep your activities completely private—it's up to you!)

So what are you waiting for? Get happy with me!

Ready for Law Day

2013-04-27T07:01:00.001-04:00

My husband and I are up early this Saturday morning, getting ready for our 5K race!

The Law Day 5K starts at 9:00 a.m. I'll come back with a full report later on today or tomorrow!

Wish us luck (we are going to need it)!

Full Review of Nordi

2013-04-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am super excited and nervous for my second-ever 5K race tomorrow.

The first 5K that I ran was last year and it was called the "Ice Cream Run". We were basically running for ice cream. The race tomorrow is the "Law Day 5K". It benefits kids and it means a lot to me to run this race since I work as a paralegal for a child welfare agency. Last year's run was just about ice cream, ice cream that was gone by the time that I had finished my run. I wish I had known that we were literally running for ice cream. I might have finished sooner. Moving on...

Since I have had some training time with Nordi (our NordicTrack T5.5 Treadmill), I believe a review is in order. It's been at least 15 miles later and I'm still in love with Nordi.

PRO's:

Quick buttons

Calorie burn quick button
Time quick button
iPod connect
Speakers great for walking
Quiet
Easy set up
Price

Smooth

Looks nice, easy to read screen

CON's:

No distance quick button

Speakers are too quiet for running

Heavy to move

Frame flexes a lot when running (worried about durability)

No built in fan

I would buy this treadmill over and over again. We actually plan on it! We figured if we got even a year out of Nordi, our money was well spent!

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If you could choose... treadmill or stationary bike?
- Treadmill all the way, for me!

Lucky Winner

2013-04-25T09:37:00.001-04:00

First of all, I want to thank everyone who entered my 50,000 View Giveaway! Of course, I wanted everyone to win, so I couldn't choose myself. I used the random number generator which gave me the lucky number 14!

There were a couple "non-entries" I had to skip over when counting. There was a comment with just a question and an anonymous comment who didn't want to be entered but left a nice comment, anyway (thanks!).

After skipping the "non-entries", I found that Ashley Miller was lucky entry number 14! Congratulations, Ashley! Send me an email within the next few days with the address you would like your new Thirty One gifts to be shipped!

Again, thank you ALL for entering, for reading, for supporting and for just being you!

I love to give away gifts to my readers, and I am already thinking of what I can do for you next!

I Run for Me

2013-04-24T13:16:00.000-04:00

Today is the last day of my 50,000 View Giveaway! Be sure to enter to win before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. I will be choosing a winner tonight, to be announced tomorrow!

Giveaway goodies!

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Yesterday was a bummer with a dentist appointment and hip pain. I have been stretching and haven’t felt the hip pain since yesterday morning. I hope it stays away for my 5K on Saturday!

At this point, I think I am just as excited for my race as I am regretful for signing up. I had to turn down some friends for drinks on Friday night because they wanted to meet at 8:00 p.m. and I want to be in bed by 9:00 p.m. The race starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning, which means that we will be there around 8:00 a.m. I will most likely be waking up at 6:30 a.m. and that’s not something I prefer to do on my day off. I am a little salty about it right now, but I know it will all be worth the rush of running my race.

I say “my race” because I’m not racing against anyone but myself. My first goal is to finish sub 51 minutes. My second goal is to finish sub 60 minutes. If I don’t reach those goals, I will resort to my third goal of just finishing, period!

In effort to feel less salty about my race on Saturday, I am going to remind myself of some of the reasons why I signed-up.

For the feeling of accomplishment
To finish what I started
To push myself further than I thought possible
To do something now that I couldn’t do only a few years ago
For my sweat, tears and efforts to show for something
For the “runners high”
To feel like I’m unstoppable

I run… for me.

When you run a race, what are you running for?

Sad Face

2013-04-23T15:45:00.001-04:00

I am starting to get nervous. I was all ready to begin running my mile as scheduled this morning, but stopped myself. When I started walking fast, my hip began hurting like it had toward the end of my two mile run on Sunday. I really hope the pain goes away and it doesn't prevent me from running my 5K race this Saturday! I took it easy and walked for only a half mile this morning. My hip hurt the entire time. Sad face.

Sad face continues. Tonight, I am schedule to get a cavity filled after work. I brought leftovers from last night's dinner with me in to work so I could eat dinner while I still could. I'm a big baby when it comes to needles, and I am dreading this appointment. Scheduling it at dinner time wasn't smart, either.

Bright side, leftovers were extremely good today. I made an awesome dish last night; it was simple, too! Pesto on top of chicken, topped with fresh mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of basil; amazing! I made a side of pasta with olive oil, grated parmesan, garlic and basil which went perfect with the pesto chicken!

Have you ever made pesto chicken before?

Do you prefer white sauce or red sauce on pasta?

- It depends on my mood. Right now, I'm really digging the white sauce!

Crunch Time

2013-04-21T15:05:00.002-04:00

The final week of my April 5K Challenge has arrived!

When I woke up this morning to see the sun shining outside, the first thing that I thought about was running. I had a piece of toast with peanut butter before leaving the house. I drove up to the high school track and ran 2 miles in less than 30 minutes. Progress!

I felt really good during my run. I was thinking about going for a full 5K but decided against it when my hip starting to lock up toward the end of the second mile. I didn't want to injure myself only 6 days before the race, so I decided to stop at 2 miles.

I made my final meal and exercise plans for this challenge and went grocery shopping this afternoon. I took my thirty one tote and was able to fit all of my groceries for the week in this one bag! It was really nice to only have one bag to tote around and it felt good to not have to use plastic, too!

Dinner Plan for the week:

Sunday: Subs
Monday: Chicken Pesto Bake with Side Salad
Tuesday: Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
Wednesday: Grilled Fish with Side Salad
Thursday: Skillet White Beans over Linguine
Friday: Farfalle with Mushrooms and Spinach
Saturday: RACE DAY!

Exercise Plan for the week:

Sunday: 2 mile run
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 1 mile run
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 1 mile run
Friday: Walk
Saturday: 5K Race!

After grocery shopping, my husband and I picked up lunch from subway. We both got foot longs so we could eat half for lunch and save the other half for dinner. Now, I've got enough time to fit in a nap before getting my housework done for the day. I am not usually a "morning exerciser" but getting my run done earlier today definitely worked out well. It gave me the energy to get my errands done, and now I have time for a well-deserved nap!

Do you like to/get to take naps?

When do you typically work out?

Guest Blog Post - Windiddie Family

2013-04-19T13:10:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Just a quick update. I am happy to announce that I have been featured on the Windiddie Family Blog! I was very excited when Heather asked me to be a guest on her blog. You can read my post by following this link:

http://www.thewindiddiefamily.blogspot.com/2013/04/guest-post-giveaway.html

Have a great day!