So if you’re not following us on Twitter, fix that right now, because we’ll be tweeting all about our (mis)adventures this weekend!

@reallifeadv, @christieo, @imadramamama, and @aprilshowrs

On to my foot woes. Yes, I have officially come down with some kind of running related injury. As careful as I’ve been, I’m proud to say it’s nothing related to me falling, tripping, colliding, or anything other type of ing. Nope. I woke up on Tuesday with a terrible pain in my foot, and it’s not gotten any better. I’m staying off it, and NOT running per Coach Joe. Do you know how bad not running sucks for me? A lot.

(also, I cropped my toe nails off so you wouldn’t be blinded by skankiness. You’re welcome. Unfortunately that means you don’t get to see my crazy long second toe. Too bad for you.)

This weekend I will have the unique pleasure of meeting Dr. Mo, one of my favorite Twitter-friends, and she just happens to be a Foot Doctor! Yeah, I know!! She’s going to give my foot the once over and see if she can figure out what’s going on. My hope is that it’s just a strain, and will clear up ASAP. I will say the pain is migrating, and doesn’t seem to be AS intense, but the swelling is still present. We will see, and you know I’ll keep you posted. Cross your fingers for me that it’s nothing, k?

Stay tuned for lots of fun tales and amazing pictures from our fantastic Sisterhood weekend at Fitbloggin’ 10!

Challenge start: 139.6
Last week: 136.8
This week: 139.0
Change: +2.2

Yeah, it sucks, but I’m not sweating it. I had 3 weeks of losses, and this week is that special week (if you know what I mean, and there’s nothing special about it…). I have family in town for Spring break, and I’ve been very good at the table. I’ve also run almost 16 miles since my last weigh-in, so I know my activity is good!

I’m just going to chalk it up to some serious water retention, and move on. I know next week I’ll be back down!

• Lindsay Merritt and Lanie Vickers – These ladies are sisters and our children go to school together. They are some of my best “local” friends, and I feel truly blessed to have them in my life!
• Lisa Lawrence aka Hawaii Lisa. We’ve been reading each other’s blogs for years now! She did a full marathon through TNT back in 2002, and has shared some of her wisdom with me! Thanks Lisa
• Evan Pritchard – my cousin (well technically 2nd cousin, but we’re the same age). Thanks Evan!
• Mrs. Kay – My son BJ’s kindergarten teacher. She has the patience of a saint and a heart of gold. Thank you!
• Marlena Washburn – my closest neighbor and best Leakey friend. I don’t think I could have made it out here without HER!
• My mom and stepdad – There are no words, as their title speaks for itself. Thanks so much for always supporting me!
• Hill Country Telephone Co-op

This was week 6 of training for the San Diego Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon through Team in Training! It was also the week the long run was 6 miles.

It’s late and I’m beat after the 6 miler today, so I’ll keep it short! It was an amazing week. My runs were great, and it was such a relief after the hard runs I had last week.

I started out the week on Tuesday with a 3.44 mile run. It wasn’t my best run, and I had some pain in my knee for most of it, but I realized it was because my shoe wasn’t lace tight enough. GAH! Thank goodness it wasn’t an injury!

Wednesday I hit the gym for some weight training. Per Coach Joe, we were supposed to max out on the weight and do 3-6 reps for 4 sets. I was nervous about not being able to move the next day, but I was pleasantly surprised when I wasn’t sore! I also did 1.5 miles on the treadmill as a warm up/warm down.

Friday I did a 3.5 mile tempo run and it was awesome. Best one yet, and that’s saying a lot since the tempo run is the hardest for me each week! Had a great average pace of 9:24!

Sunday (today) was my 6 mile run. First time I’ve ever run that far, but I was feeling confident. Had my friend Marlena along for part of it, and my mom and cousin walked while I ran. The first mile was hard, but I soon fell into a nice pace and the next 4 miles were great. The last mile was a struggle, but I pushed through it and made it 6.2 miles because I wanted to see what my time for a 10K would be! Did the 10K in 59:55, which felt AWESOME!

Throughout my training, my pace is averaging around 9:40 per minute, and I’m hoping to have a race day pace of 10 minutes per mile!

• Miles run since I started running on 10/03/09: 140
• Miles this week: 14.7
• Miles since I started training on 01/31/10: 71.2
• Miles to go until San Diego: 202

I didn’t though.

On Monday, I got a little crazy and decided to Shred with the Sisterhood. As in Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Yeah, um NO. Not a good idea. I had my first 5 mile run the day before, and clearly I shouldn’t have done something so intense the very next day. I pretty much couldn’t walk for 2 days after that.

Tuesday, I rested. Obviously. When I say rested, I mean that I tried not to move at all because when I moved, everything hurt. Even my toes. For me, Shredding and training for a 1/2 marathon do not mix. Then end.

On Wednesday, I hit the gym. I decided to hit the treadmill for my 3.5 mile tempo run in lieu of weight training, because HELLO, my arms still felt like they were going to fall off my body. The tempo run felt good.

Thursday was supposed to be an easy 30 minute run, but the wind had a different plan. It was without a doubt the hardest run ever. I was pushing Mia in the jogging stroller, and there were times when I was sure I was moving backwards instead of forwards. I had to stop and walk so many times because I felt like I couldn’t go on. In the end, I pushed myself and finished 2.91 miles.

Looking at these shots from my run (which I could take because I had to stop and walk so much), you would never know how hard it was. I was constantly lagging behind, and Molly would stop and look back to make sure I was still coming.

Friday I rested in preparation for my 2nd 5 mile run on Saturday. I really enjoyed my rest days this week. So much.

Saturday was my long run day. It was misty and overcast, but thankfully not windy. I decided to take a new route, and run 2.5 miles away from my house and then turn around and come back. This new route was full of big hills. Mean hills. Hard hills. Hills that I’ve been afraid of running, which is why I’ve never gone this route. For some reason, I just felt like pushing through the fear and seeing if I could really do it. I needed to do it, I needed to feel victorious one damn day this week. And I did. It was the most amazing run ever. I took each of those hills on with all the strength I could muster, and you know what? They weren’t nearly as hard as I thought they would be. Those hills didn’t own me, I owned them. I owned that run. All 5 miles. When I got to the end of the run, I truly felt like I could keep going forever, and I really wanted to. I had to make myself stop running!

I’m so glad that this week ended on such a wonderful note. It gives me hope for the weeks to come. Hope that I can do this. That I’ll be able to run all the miles and make it to San Diego with all of my Sisters (and our lone man on the team). Now if I could just finish that fundraising.

• Miles run since I started running on 10/03/09: 121.27
• Miles this week: 11.5
• Miles since I started training on 01/31/10: 56.5
• Miles to go until San Diego: 217.5

Team Shrinking Jeans has made huge strides the past week with our fundraising! We are at $14,649.55, 27% of our $54,700 goal! WOOHOOO!!

I’m a little confused as to where to start this post. Since I’ve been on this journey for more than 4 years now, and had a baby in the midst of it, I guess I’ll look back to day 1 of my journey.

It all started way back in January of 2006, when saw a picture of myself holding my son at the Christmas tree farm (in November of ‘05). Here, I’ll just share it with you.

Yeah, great visual, huh? Well, after I got over the shock of that picture and the fact that I was outgrowing my size 16 pants, I decided to do something. It was the hardest decision and also the easiest. I knew I had to do something, but I was so scared because of how much I needed to lose. Sixty pounds just sounds scary and hard and damn near impossible.

Now on to the project. If I had waited 2 more year? ACK. I shudder to even think about it. At the rate I was gaining weight, I would have no doubt been well in to the mid-200s. I would have been miserable, and honestly, I think I might have felt completely helpless. If I had waited 2 years, I might not have ever done anything about it, and just resigned myself to the fact that I was meant to be fat. In actuality, if I had waited 2 years, I wouldn’t have done it because I would have been pregnant with my daughter 2 months later. Or maybe I wouldn’t have. Wow.

If I had waited 2 more years:

• I would not be where I am right now.
• I would not be running, or training for a 1/2 marathon
• The Sisterhood would not exist
• I wouldn’t know any of you. Probably. Wow. That makes me really sad.
• I would probably be too embarrassed to do much of anything.
• I would be setting a HORRIBLE example for my children. I would be leading them down the path to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle.
• I would probably hate myself.

Gosh, I really need to pull myself back to the present, because living in the past is really hard. It makes me think of things I don’t even really want to consider. So hello! I’m back. It’s 2010 and I am healthy. I did not wait 2 years to start my journey. I ended up joining Weight Watchers online in January 2006, and here I am. I am 7 pounds from my goal weight. I am training for a 1/2 marathon. I am a happy wife, and proud mom to 2 amazing, healthy children. I am happy. I am strong. I am proud.

This week, I decided to Shred with the Sisterhood, but only a couple of days a week due to my 1/2 marathon training. I’ve done the Shred before, so I know how hard it is. It’s HARD. Definitely takes commitment and determination to endure the full 30 days. I have to admit that I went into it feeling a little cocky because I am in MUCH better shape than I was this time last year. I’m training for a 1/2 marathon for pete’s sake! On Sunday I had my long run of 5 miles, and on Monday, which should have been a rest day, I joined in the festivities and Shredded. Big Mistake. On Tuesday, I could hardly move. Every.single.part of my body ached. Even my eyebrows. I was the kind of sore that makes you want to cry and saw you legs off. All day long.

Needless to say, I’ve decided that Shredding and 1/2 marathon training do not mix for me, and I’m just not going to participate. It makes me sad, because I love me some Shredding with the Sisterhood Challenge, but I’ll just stand over on the sideline and cheer all of y’all on. Coach Joe (our VTNT coach) told us that it’s important to rest the day before and the day after our long runs, and now I’m a believer! I will follow instructions from now on.

So on to this week’s weigh in! I want to give a HUGE shout out to my amazing team – The A-Team.

• Tammi/Valley Girl
• Jen/BWJen
• KnitsalotJen
• Adrienne/SkinnyFighter
• JennyGirl

We pity the fools who tries to lose more than us. For reals. Yo. I may or may not be wearing my Mr. T starter kit right this very minute.

Even though I said I was going to count WW Points this week, I sorta kinda forgot. Okay, I was lazy and I didn’t do it. Thankfully I’ve been on this journey long enough that I can mentally add Points and pretty much know where I am. Not the recommended way to go about it, but it worked for me this week.

Last week: 139.6
This week: 137.8
Change: -1.8#

This week I need to get serious. I’ve been on a roller coaster the past couple of months and have done the lose 2 gain 1.5, lose 1 gain 1.5, so on and so forth. I’m still going down, but it’s really a pain to do it that way. One of the most important reasons I should be counting Points right now is to make sure I’m eating enough for my training. I’m starting to run mileages I’ve never run before, and I need to feed my body so it can handle it. I also need to make sure I’m feeding my body the right kind of foods, and Weight Watchers is nice enough to help me keep track of that.

Here are my goals for this week:

1. Stick with my Virtual Team in Training plan for the 1/2 marathon.
2. Count my points. Actually log them into WW online.
3. Get to know my team better and give them as much support and encouragement as I can!

Week 4 of training for the San Diego 1/2 Marathon through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program is DONE! What an amazing week it was!

First thing first! Thanks to all of my fabulous donors this week!

• My husband, Brian, donated $250. That blew my socks off. Yeah, those knee socks that he loves to hate. Thanks babe, I love you, and happy anniversary tomorrow!
• Steve Lenard donated $100. Steve is my insurance agent, and has been for 15 years. Gotta love that he responded to my email pleas with such a generous donation.
• A & D Lewis donated $75. Thanks so much. MWAH!
• Carolyn Critz donated $50. Carolyn was not only my favorite co-worker, but one of my best friends at work before I became a SAHM. She and I had an amazing connection through difficult circumstances, and she inspired me as she lost over 150 pounds and went on to train and ride in the MS150. Thank you so much, Carolyn.

This week Coach Joe stepped up our training with longer timed and tempo runs. Our long run over the weekend went from 4 miles to 5 miles, and 5 miles is the furthest I’ve ever run.

I started out the week on Monday at the gym doing a 1 miler on the treadmill, weight training for an hour, and then another mile on the treadmill. Going to the gym is getting easier, and I’m finding lots of friendly faces there. It’s not nearly as bad as I feared it would be, and I wasn’t nearly as sore this week.

Tuesday was a rest day, and on Wednesday I took the prescribed 30 minute run which equaled 3 miles. On Thursday I rested again, and on Friday I had a 3.5 mile tempo run. The tempo run is always tough, but this week I was fortunate enough to have someone sit with Mia while I ran, without the added resistance of the jogging stroller made the run feel easier.

Sunday was my long run of 5 miles. The weather was beautiful, but I do think that the Ides of March blew in a day (or week) early. If it was any indication of how March will be, it’s definitely coming in like a lion. Hopefully it will go out like a lamb sooner rather than later!

This week my kids also came to the realization that headbands are really cool. Watching  TV and doing homework is some strenuous stuff, or at least it looks like it in these shots!

As each week passes and I sit down to reflect, I become more and more impressed with my abilities. I honestly never thought I’d be able to run 1 mile, muchless 5 miles, and here I am. As I look forward, it still amazes me that one day very soon I’ll be running 13.1 miles with so many amazing women and one man, as Team Shrinking Jeans. I cannot wait to get to San Diego!

This week’s schedule is identical to last weeks, so I don’t anticipate any problems. We have a conference call scheduled to discuss injuries and how to avoid them, so I’m looking forward to that. And I’ll continue to refresh my email obsessively checking for more donation notification emails!

Donate if you can! I promise to think of you every time my feet pound the pavement, and it will make a difference in the life of someone fighting blood cancer.

• Miles run since I started running on 10/03/09: 109.77
• Miles run since I started training for TNT on 01/31/10: 45
• Miles run this week: 14
• Miles I’ll be running in the next 12 training weeks:  229

Last week: 137.2 (woooohoooooo)
This week: 139.6 (boooooooooo. hisssssssss)

Being out of town, and not really caring about how much I was eating did it to me. No excuses. I own it.

So back to the Monday Project….

Sad to say I didn’t get run over by a squirrel, or run in freezing cold rain and snow (although it did snow in Texas this week!), but I did add 14 miles to my bank this week. FOURTEEN MILES. That’s a lot of miles. Running miles. I also hit the 100 mile mark since I’ve been running in October of last year. That felt really good.

Each and every run I have adds to the bank, and seeing the miles add up adds to my confidence. I feel like, “wow, I’m actually going to run a 1/2 marathon in a little over 3 months and not suck at it! I might actually be prepared and feel good!” That is such a victory for me.

My son is so excited about the 1/2 marathon. We talk about it almost daily, and he peppers me with questions. He knows that it’s 13.1 miles, and he asked me last night when I was going to run a full marathon because “it’s 26.2 miles, and that would be so cool.” Kid loves math and pushing his mommy to do more. He also asked me if people ran more than 26.2 miles and I explained that there are ultra-runners, but that I didn’t think I really had an interest in that. We ended the conversation discussing the day when we would run a marathon together. The two of us, training and running and doing it together. I’m putting that in my bank, because all of my hard work isn’t just for me, it’s for them, too.

• Karena, thank you so much for your donation. It meant the world to me! I am so happy to have met  your through the Sisterhood, and I can’t wait to meet you next January in Florida! I’ll be there!
• My fantastic inlaws, Joyce and Mark, also gave me a generous donation this week!
• My friend Angie, who lost her 18 year old son Wesley to leukemia donated as well. I met Angie years ago when I was part of a nation-wide Light the Night team for LLS. I spent time with them when they were in Houston staying at the Ronald McDonald House while Wesley received treatments at MD Anderson. Lisa and I even helped organize a prom for Wesley since he missed his high school prom due to being in Houston on treatment. It’s definitely a night I will NEVER forget. Music, food, dancing, tuxedos, prom dresses, decorations, friends and family – he had it all. Angie is such a beautiful and amazing woman, and while her son Wesley is no longer with us, his light continues to shine.

Week 3 of my Virtual Team in Training is done with a total of 13 miles logged! The weather was much improved over last week, although is was a bit cold and windy. No rain, though! Molly was back in the saddle and joined me for a couple of my runs, but was still limping afterwards. The medicine the vet prescribed is definitely helping, and I hope the running will help strengthen her hip and knees. It breaks my heart when I have to leave her at home, because she stands at the door and whines to go with me.

On Monday I did the planned 30 minute run, and since Brian was home, I was able to go it alone. Despite the freezing temps, it was an awesome run. Logged 3.15 miles with an average pace of 9:31.

Tuesday was a rest day, and much needed. I spent the day getting my fundraising email and letters together.

Wednesday I hit the gym for the second time armed with my weights training program from Coach Joe. I started out with a mile on the Precor eliptical, and I’m sure I looked hilarious since I’d never been on one before! Felt like I was going to fly off it for the first few minutes, and then finally got my bearings, and cranked out a mile. I moved on to the weights and since I’m not familiar with any of the gym equipment, a trainer took pity on me and took me on a tour of all the machines I needed to use. She made sure I knew how to use all of them before I got started, and also recommended I only do 3 sets of 10 reps as opposed to the 20 reps Coach Joe prescribed (boy was I glad, because I could hardly move the next day!). Finished off my time at the gym with a quick mile on the treadmill.

Thursday was my tempo run, and as usual, the hardest. The purpose of the tempo run is to help build up your endurance as well as improve on your pace, so you alternate with sprints and easy timed intervals for 3.5 miles. The winds were sustained at over 20MPH and the gusts were over 30MPH. Pushing the jogging stroller into the wind made it feel like I was actually moving backwards, but I pushed through (pun intended) and made it in 37 minutes.

Friday I joined in the Shrinking Jeans Olympics and hammered out a quick mile (not part of my training) as part of the team 4-mile relay event. I really wanted to push and see if I could sprint for an entire mile, so I ran hard and fast. I really surprised myself and finished in 8:00. WOW! After the run, I packed up the kiddos and we headed to Austin to hang out with Lisa for some scrapbooking and more running!

Saturday was the scheduled day for our 4-mile long run, but we rested instead. On Sunday Lisa did her run early, and then watched all the kiddos so Amanda and I could do the 4-miler together at a nearby trail. It was fantastic to run with someone who’s on our Virtual Team in Training! We took it easy and talked the entire time, which made the 42:00 minutes seem to fly. Makes me wish I lived closer to some of my team mates so we could get together every weekend for our long runs.

I am so excited about running. When I signed up for VTNT, I was nervous about the mileage we’d have to run each week, but the program is truly amazing. Having a schedule with prescribed runs takes all the guesswork out and is truly comforting. Coach Joe does an amazing job communicating with us, and answering numerous email questions. The conference calls we have really bring us together as a team, since we are all spread out across the nation, and our emails and group message board really help us bond. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to meet each and every one of my 18 team mates in San Diego on June 6th. It’s going to be a huge Team Shrinking Jeans hug.

One thing that surprised me this week was how I felt as I received notifications of donations to my online account. My heart would literally skip as I opened the page to see who had donated, and my reaction was different each time. It truly warms my heart to know that I have the support of my family and friends in this endeavor. Not just the support for my training, but the support for my fundraising, which will do so much for so many people affected by blood cancers. Thank you again, Karena, Joyce & Mark, and Angie. I truly appreciate your support.

If you would like to make a donation, click here. Anything you can give is so appreciated.

Last week: 138.2
This week:  137.2
Loss: 1 POUND!!!!

When we started the Sisterhood back in November of ‘08, I weighed in at 157, so that puts me at a 20 pound loss since then! I’ll proudly be sporting that 20# button on my sidebar now! Thankyouverymuch.

What worked for me this week? My best guess is that training for the 1/2 marathon has kicked my metabolism up a notch or two, so even though I indulged more than once this week, I still registered a loss. Another thing that’s been brought to my attention several times is that my indulgences are not what they used to be. When I go off my plan and splurge, I still make somewhat healthy choices and I don’t gorge myself (usually). This is a victory for me, because I FINALLY feel like the lifestyle change is sticking! I’m not dieting anymore, I’m living a healthier life, and that’s what this whole journey is all about.

Last Friday we were *ahem* supposed to post our Rethink Your Shrink wrap-ups. I think that’s what I’m doing now!

I am Rethinking My Shrink every single day. I make choices, sometimes bad, but mostly good, and each and every one of those choices impacts me physically and mentally. Since I’m not really into negative impacts, I truly strive to make good choices all the time, but when I don’t, I own it and move on. This is my life. This is not a diet, or a quick fix, or just something I’m doing to get to my goal weight. This is ME. Forever and ever. Amen.