My Weight Loss Explained

A few weeks ago, after I posted one of my weekly weigh in pics on Instagram, one of my friends commented with the ever notorious, "How are you doing that?" comment.

Which, I'll totally admit, is loaded with all kinds of awesome flattery-ness in the way I read it.

In my head, I read it full of incredulity.

Like I'm magical and using fairy dust as my secret weapon.

Believe me, people, if I had magic weight loss fairy dust, I'd be selling it on the streets of Miami faster than any cocaine bearing drug-lord. EVER.

In reality, my weight loss "success", if you would actually call it that, is related to a healthy dose of self control, a little bit of Jillian Michaels, and yes - technology.

1.  The Self Control.

I know I have said it before.  Probably multiple times, even.

But I am a firm believer in the power of Weight Watchers.

Not really current day, Weight Watchers, though.

I'm not a fan of Points Plus.

I follow the old program.

The one I started using 10 years ago in college.

The one that helped me lose 40 lbs. over my senior year.

HOWEVER...and here's the catch.

I only diet 5 days a week.

EVER.

I figure, I am much less tempted by a brownie on Tuesday, when I know that if I make it to Saturday, I can eat one.

It sounds stupid, but it works.

And it has worked for the past 10 years, both to get my weight off and to keep my weight off.

BUT.

That isn't all I do.

2.  The Jillian Factor.

I workout.

At least 5 hours a week.  With at least 3 of those hours being cardio and 2 hours being strengthening/toning.

In a typical week, I run, bike or use my elliptical on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and on Tuesday and Thursday, I do a combination of 30 Day Shred (30 minutes) and Pilates or Yoga (30 minutes).

Yes, this time around, I am a stay at home mommy who gets nap times to get my workout in.

But that's not to say that you can't workout if you work.

Because I totally did it last time.

And still I managed to train for a half marathon, while still working and being mommy to Little Man.

I just made it a priority.

I would workout for 30 minutes at lunch time and then 30 minutes after dinner.

Or first thing in the morning and then as soon as got home....

You have to be flexible, but you have to make it happen.

3.  Technology.

A little over a year ago, my sister started raving about this weight loss app where she could look up any food ever and log her calories for the day.

I just rolled my eyes at her.

Because I don't count calories.

I count points.

Like I would need that.

BUT.

PEOPLE.

It changed my life.

If you have a smartphone, and you are attempting to lose weight, go to your app store and look up my fitness pal.

It turns out, I was eating way too few calories to lose weight doing the workouts I was doing.

I was netting about 200 calories a day.

No wonder I wasn't losing!

This app keeps me on target with my calories as well as my workouts.

It gives me a much more accurate account of how much I am actually burning during a workout.

Versus how many calories are in the foods I eat.

And I get to be friends with my sister and watch her (she - after 3 kids - just found herself wearing a size 6 again) get down with her bad self.

We root each other on.

However, if you don't have a smart phone, you aren't uninvited to the part.

Oh, no, you don't get out that easily.

You can still log in online and log your foods, workouts, etc.

And if you do, be sure to friend me.

There are so many other things that could be said, but this post doesn't need to drag on forever.

So, please, if you have questions, ask them.

If you need a cheerleader, call me.

If you need a running buddy, I'll make it happen.

If you just wanna see a change, start somewhere.

It's slow, and it's painful, but change doesn't happen without discomfort and you are probably going to need someone to talk you through it.

To help you not give up.

To keep you motivated.

I do.

That's why I am so transparent with my weight.

I want to be accountable to all of you.

I want you to cheer me through my goal.

But I would love nothing more than the opportunity to help cheer you through yours.

So, let's be friends, mkay?

In case you ever wondered...

What 8 lbs looks like...

How Bad Do You Want It?

I'm Fat.

Or chubby.

Or round, if you will...

Basically, I have extra layers where I am not supposed to.

And basically, I want it gone...

You know that by now, right???

And for the record, I want to see this number on my scale

But last time I checked, this was the number I was seeing.

That's a good 35 lbs apart...

I want to be able to wear shorts without having to worry about the overhang...on top and bottom.

But how badly do I want it?

Let me just tell you...

I want it bad enough to make a date with Jillian twice a week.

I want it bad enough to go running on vacation.

I want it bad enough to skip the temptations that await me in my freezer.

I want it bad enough to shame myself by posting my weight - my ACTUAL weight - on Facebook every week.

And I want it bad enough to ruin my pedicure by shoving my feet into sneakers 5 days a week.

How bad do you want it???

Weekly Weigh In: Week 2

So I have a half written post for last week...

But then I ran out of time to post it.

So this is a recap.

I'm dieting.

Weight Watchers-ing to be exact.

And working out.

Elliptical and 30 Day Shred style.

Running is scheduled to commence next week hopefully.

But for now, I am 2 weeks into this thing.

And so far, I'm down 4 lbs.

That's 1/10 of my goal, people!

At this rate, in another 4.5 months, I could be skinny again!

Not that you (or I, for that matter) think that could actually happen.

But to quote myself, progress is progress!

And I weigh less than my hubby again, so really, I can breathe easier.

So now, without further adieu, the number you've all been waiting for...

Oh, the Summer Nights

Yesterday, after what was a considerably mild and lovely weekend, I checked the forecast.

To see this guy...

Thank you, weather.com

Dun duh dun.

As a {fair weather} runner, this is my death sentence.

But I thought it was about time to give you an update on my running.

And to be honest about it.

So let's start with honesty....

First of all, remember when I complained about running in the wind?

I take it back.

Because wind is the only way I can run in this ridiculous heat and humidity that poses for summer time in Delaware!

So, over the last week, I have forced myself into several smaller, slower paced runs to compensate.

Starting with this one on Memorial Day.

We were still in Georgia.

The humidity was at about 225%.

And it was 85 degrees by 9 am.

When the run was done, I came inside dripping.  LITERALLY.

But then we were home.

Where it was hotter.

And I managed to push my butt around the neighborhood for this run.

Honesty:  I stopped halfway through for a water break. 

I'm lame, but I consider it the same as hydrating during my race. 

My body needed this in the 90 degree heat.

And then, a few days later, this run happened.

In the middle of an afternoon.

 I'm a pansy, but I really wanted a good long run and I knew I wouldn't be able to do it until the sun started going down.

So I phoned it in.

Jillian would be so disappointed in me.

But I redeemed myself.

A nice, solid 3.58 run with a friend later in the day.

It was heavenly.

And only partly because it had cooled off.

After a week of running by myself, I realized how much I had missed running with someone.

As nice as Pandora is, nothing competes with conversation.

And after chatting with my friend during our run, I was motivated to push myself.

So last night, I went out there and gave it all I had.

Promising myself that if I kept my pace below a 9 minute mile, I would let myself quit at the first loop.

Which would be a 2.7 mile course.

And here she is:

2.7 miles in 23:50. 

That's an 8:52 mile. 

My goal for next week will be to either increase my distance and maintain that pace or increase my pace with the same distance. 

6 of one...

But all things considered, I would call this a successful running week.

Hot or cold.

Back in the Saddle Again

In case you don't know, I spent the long weekend away from the blog as well as away from my home - in Georgia.

I also spent the long weekend enjoying the luxuries of delicious food and a semi-sedentary lifestyle.

Literally.

I went for 1 run while I was there, and it was so hot/humid that I crapped out at 2.5 miles. I was going for 3, but when I checked runkeeper at 2.32 miles, I accidently hit the stop button and decided that was a sign. I ran the rest of the way back to the house, which I am assuming was at least 1/4 mi. so I rounded it off at 2.5 and I'm pretty sure I wasn't running any faster than my 9:59 pace in that last 1/4 mile, so my pace would have been about a 10 minute pace the whole time.

Boy, am I losing ground or what?

A disgusting amount of sweat was pouring from my supposedly in-shape body. I was literally dripping. Gross, I know.

But so is this heat and humidity.
And I am really just a fair weather runner.

I have yet to weigh myself since I got home because I can only assume that I am back in the 40's again. 

Heck, with the way I ate this weekend, I could be back in the 50's!

And that's just depressing considering the fact that I was already playing the part of the chubby friend all weekend long.

But it would be hard not to, when this is who you are hanging out with.

I love Kathy, and if it weren't for the fact that I have worked so hard to look this way and Kathy has seen me at about 30 lbs. worse, I would have hid in my room all weekend long.

Luckily, she loves me for my personality and not my skinny thighs.

And I love her because she loves food and Housewives of New Jersey almost as much as I do.

So yes, despite my role as the chubby friend, I did allow myself to be swayed by the temptation of edible delights multiple times over the long weekend.
And it all started because of this guy....

Credit

You should know, if you don't already, that I am a huge Richard Blais fan.

And when I realized that I was going to be within an hour of one of his restaurants (actually 2 of them), I begged Techy to take me.

So he did.

Flip Burger...Here we come!

And here's how it started...

The turkey burger with onion rings. (I know.  What's the point of a turkey burger if you are going to have onion rings.  BUT.  I happened to really want everything this burger had to offer.  Turkey included.  And it was so delish that I didn't even notice the distinct lack of red meat.)

What they say is true.

The onion rings really do melt in your mouth.

But then came dessert.

And seriously, nothing captures sandwich shop (other than a sandwich) like a milkshake.

All made with liquid nitrogen, I'm sure.

Techy had the ever famous Cap'n Crunch shake. 

I know.  I thought the same thing.

Then I tried it.

And died from pure enjoyment.

But not before devouring my burnt marshmallow and nutella shake (Taryn, I totally thought about you and your love for all things nutella.  Also, did you know this is my first experience with Nutella ever?  Won't be my last, that's for sure!)

As if that wasn't enough, the next day Techy and I headed out to the Original Pancake House in Atlanta.

Their pancakes are monstrous and their omelettes are approximately the size of a smart car. 

No.  Seriously.

There had to be about 40 eggs in my omelette.

Techy had their peach pancakes.

MASSIVE.

But, of course, I have no pictures of them.

Then there was cookout # 1 and cookout # 2.

One involved healthy food, which I ate too much of.

One involved unhealthy food, which I ate too much of.

Follow all that up with only one workout and poor sleeping habits and you have one useless, lazy, jelly-belly me on your hands.

Techy is such a lucky boy.

At the end of the day, though, I came home more resolved than ever to whip myself back into shape as soon as possible. 

Because I am tired of being the chubby friend who has totally crapped out over the last few weeks and is totally using the heat as my excuse.  I am even considering doing something that I actually DESPISE the thought of - those wretched Insanity workouts.  But only because Ceej has had such amazing results from them.

Therefore, if any of you are just looking for an excuse to toss your vomit inducing Insanity dvd's - email me and I will totally give you my credit card number to ship them to me.

Cause I'm tired of being the fat girl.

Did I say that already?

Cause I really mean it.

Really, really.

But I don't wanna quit eating. 

Obviously.

Which is why I have chosen the Insanity workouts. 

I figure it will help me learn to choose what food I actually want to keep down versus what food I just wanna taste before I workout and it all comes back up.

Delaware Marathon Relay - "Catching" the Competition

I am so bad with titles.

I am also bad with blogging.

Don't let that keep you from reading, k?

This weekend I ran in the Delaware Marathon Festival.

I ran the relay portion and I ran with some pretty awesome people. 

Ever heard of Dealcatcher.com?

Oddly enough, we had never met before Saturday, but I knew I would like them.

And I did.

You know, except for the fact that no one sent me the memo about wearing a hat.

Nice.

I'm trying not to bitter.

JK.  OBVIOUSLY.

They were awesome! 

And we totally looked legit with our awesome shirts.

Race day started out like any other.  EARLY.

I was up at 5 am. 

So was Little Man.

Who NEVER wakes up that early.

Except for the one day that I don't have time to do anything about it.

Oh well.  It didn't take long for him to figure out that he likes sleeping a whole lot more than crying.

I was out the door by 6 AM, after reassuring myself that I did, in fact, know where I was going. 

By 6:30 I was parked and standing in the longest portapotty line I have seen since my days with the travelling circus.

Oh.  Wait.  That wasn't me.

Ok, so since my days Civil War Reenacting.

That's legit.

There had to be 200 people in line for the john's.

But I ran into this girl...

(ugh. I have to remind myself that my face is too round for this do!)

So it's all good. 

And by the time I was done with my business, it was time to head over to the starting line.

I was running the first leg of the relay for our team.

And start time was 7:05 a.m. 

Being the dutiful runner that I am, I was at the start line at 7:03 ready to go....

Yes.

It was a lovely day.

No sunshine.

Perfect for a run.

If you ask me, anyway.

And then we were off!

Not, of course, without me getting yelled at by the announcer for "texting" while I was trying to get across the starting line.

Obviously, she doesn't know what Runkeeper is.  And technically, I probably shouldn't try to tell her since that can be frowned upon in these types of situations.

Credit

It was easily one of the wettest runs of my life.

Oh, wait, did I mention that we were running through some of the thickest fog we've had in months?

Or the fact that it rained buckets and buckets the night before?

Which means nothing until I tell you that I jumped right into a puddle within the first quarter of a mile.

Again, this means nothing to you until you have to run 6.3 miles in soaking wet sneakers and socks.

But really, I can't complain...

I mean, it didn't rain on me.

And our course was spectacular.

Before long city streets gave way to the Brandywine Park, which is gorgeous. 

Credit

I have to say, though, in the fog and with the smells coming from the Brandywine Zoo, there were moments were I started looking for this guy behind me.

Credit

(Truthfully, between the fog and my sweat, I probably looked a little like her at this point, too.)

But before I could get too serious about my concerns we were past the zoo.

And then the hills....

Oh the hills. 

The last 2 miles of the race was all uphill, downhill, up another giant hill, down, up a MOUNTAIN then down.

But then it was over.

Or my part was over. 

And my goal of staying at a 9:30 or less was accomplished.

This is a total PR for this distance.

Not bad, all things considered.

Success is sweet.

But not as sweet as getting to hang around watching your team mates finish while you eat free food and do nothing.

But what's next? 

I have no races on my horizon right now and I feel a little weird about that.

Like lost.

Kinda like Kermit and the Muppet Babies must feel these days.

Like "It was a good run, but now what?"

Maybe more like Alf....

But you get it.

Lost.

So many unknowns keep me from being able to plan for "next".

So for now, I will probably be spending my summer running for the fun of it.

And I guess I am ok with that.

Overall, I am most definitely ok with finishing on this high note.

(that's what she said)

The Inner Corners of My Mind

*Note: This post is not intended to beg for compliments.  This post is it show you what can happen to the inner workings of your mind when you have spent more than a year focusing on weight loss and now you are focused on maintaining, and somewhere in the process you lose your mind over 2.6 lbs.  Please keep in mind, I am extremely vulnerable on this subject and would not be posting this if it were not for the fact that I KNOW there are people like me out there....  I want you to know, you are not alone.  I am "crazy" too.

While I should probably still be riding on cloud of irridecent bubbles from my recent accomplishment, I am momentarily drowning in discontentment.

The problem is probably resulting from my own personal vanity.

I stared at myself in the bubble long enough to assume that the image I see there is accurate.

NOTE: Bubbles should never be used as mirrors...the bubble image is always distorted.

Credit

Allow me to explain....

After spending about 28 hours enjoying my success in Sunday's race, I started looking at the pictures from Sunday's race.

And that's when it hit me.

Despite the fact that over the last 17 months, I have lost 60+ lbs....

(And have put on 2.6)

Despite the fact that I work out approximately 5 hours a week.

And despite the fact that I on Sunday, I did something that even a few short weeks ago, I thought was impossible....

I still think of myself as a fat girl.

When I looked at the pics from my race this is what I saw.

In my head, I know I am crazy.

In my heart, all I can think is, "How am I still that big?"

Not that anyone would ever look at me and say, "Oh, wow, you need to lose some weight!"

With the exception of Tyra Banks and Miss Jay.

But to the general public, I am in overall good health. 

I am neither too thin nor too (in the words of Nelly) thicky-thicky-thick.

But I feel like my body should speak more to all my hard work.

I feel like my thighs should be skinny.

My belly rolls should be gone.

I should be a skinny mommy.

I let it get to me.

I may have even gotten momentarily emotional about it.

Because that's what I do....

And then I remembered something...

A few weeks ago, Shannon, from Philadelphia Phitness Pharmacy posted this from SkinnyRunner.

It reads:

I HAVE THUNDER THIGHS.  And that’s a compliment because they are strong and toned and muscular and though they are unwelcome in the petite section, they are cheered on in marathons.  Fifty years from now I’ll bounce a grandchild on my thunder things and then I’ll go out for a run. 

I can't tell you how much I needed that today.

I am trying to keep in mind that just because I have loose skin all over my body, I am not fat.

I carried a baby. 

And gained 60 lbs. 

My body has been stretched to its limits.

And then I began a momentous weight loss journey.

And then I began my road to running.

And this weekend, I ran 13.1 miles.

I have nothing to be ashamed of.

I have everything to be thankful for.

Even my "Thunder Thighs"....

The Race A.K.A. THE RUN

A few weeks ago, when I was approached by my friend Lisa about running a half marathon, I was all, "Um, I'd love to.  I think?!?!?!"

At the time, I had just completed the half marathon challenge and my 10 mile run had just been continuing long runs to help my friend Amber get finish training for her races.

As it turned out, it was just in the nick of time.

I was left with 2 weeks to train pre-race. 

And lucky for me, that's all I would have needed had I actually been following a race schedule.

So I said yes.

Then I did 11.1 followed by my lame attempt at 9. 

Then last week, while Delaware was enjoying sub-tropic temperatures, I attempted to run just 2.6 on my lunch break, and nearly passed out from heat exhaustion. 

Considering that my last 3 pre-race runs were miserable, I was more than a tiny bit nervous as race day approached.

For those who will ask, this was the event that I was signed up for.

The Long Branch Half Marathon is a part of the annual New Jersey Marathon Festival at the Shore. 

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The race started and ended on the beach - which, I might add, is a double edged sword, but more on that later....

This was our course map.

And since my watch has been a little off lately...

And since Techy just got a new Droid phone...

And since Techy was going to have my iPad with him while I was running....

And since my technology-loving dude would love nothing more than being able to track me while I was running, we decided to cash in the extra $4.99 and pay for RunKeeper Elite.

And let me just tell you...

Money well spent. 

(In case you're unfamiliar, it's running season.  Therefore, if you are running your race, so are thousands of other people around the country.  Meaning RunKeeper and all the other running programs are backlogged with users.  Elite users get priority.  Meaning, while all my friends were having major issues with their free versions of RunKeeper, I was enjoying a problem free, consistently updated run.  Also, Techy was able to perfectly track me the entire time.)

This is how I stuck to my the pace I knew I could handle.

Out of the gate, despite the fact that I wanted to run as fast as everyone around me, I knew if I wanted to finish, I would have to stick to my comfortable pace.

And I held myself back. 

Partly because I was nervous enough to cough up my intestines.

And partly because my legs were shaking so hard that I was moving like a muppet baby.

In the first mile, I almost cried, I almost puked, I almost turned around and walked back to the starting line...

So many emotions, so little time.

But at 5 minutes, I was still running. 

And when RK updated, it said that I was half a mile in and running at a 10:18 pace.  IDEAL....

Then it all disappeared. 

It was just me, Lady Gaga, and the road.

Not to mention my supporting cast of water bottle and 12 starbursts to help get me to the finish line.

At every mile marker, I ate a starburst and felt stronger.

At every water station, I hydrated.  (I rotated, gatorade at one mile, water at the next...worked like a charm!)

I knew that Techy and my friend Lisa were supposed to be camping out around the 7 mile marker, so my only goal was to get to them.

Before I knew it we were passing a huge crowd of people - the relayers - those who switch out half way...

How do I explain what happens when you realize that you have reached the half way point?

It's like your whole outlook changes.

You are no longer facing running 13.1 miles.

You are facing 6.55.

And 6.55 is EASY.

I was no longer scared.

I was running for fun.

The 7 mile marker came and went with no sign of Techy.

And then somewhere around 8, I saw someone walking down the sidewalk with the most familiar swagger....

Have I ever mentioned Techy's swagger?

No?

Well, he has one....

And I saw it and almost cried. 

There they were....

In all their glory....

With a sign and all....

And of course, here's the amazing shot they got of me....

Cheer Leader, was a random dude who ended up about 1/4 mile behind me, but I always knew that he was there because he would cheer at the crowd until the crowd started cheering back.

He was awesome.

Now...let's take a minute to discuss my headgear. 

I did end up wearing Techy's bluetooth headphones.

And they did end up being amazing.  If you are in the market, I would highly recommend them. 

Even if they make you look like a dork.

They are that amazing..."good looks be danged, I have no cords!"

But save your swagbucks.  Forrealz.  Cause they are $89 on Amazon.

So, back to the running....

Seeing my friends and fam was just the pick me up I needed.

I passed the 9 mile flag, the 10 mile flag....

And then I realized all I had left was a 5k.

So I picked up my pace deciding the finish line was definitely within my sites.

I realized I COULD finish, so it was time to run....

And those last 4 miles were my fastest.

Ashley, one of my running buddies, had told me that the last 1.5 miles were on the beach, so I spent a good portion of those last few miles pining for a sight of the waves again.

Alas, once I hit the beach, it was wall to wall people.

Running space narrowed, there was no more shade, and there was a HUGE finish line crowd.

They completely disguised the finish line until you were about 100 yards away. 

That last mile, despite being my fastest, felt like an eternity. 

And yet...

I finished only 21 seconds slower than my Half Marathon Challenge that I broke up over 2 days.

I couldn't be happier.

I came.  I saw.  I conquered.

And because no race post is complete without a couple post race photos...

Justin, Ashley, Scott, Me

My running buddies for the day.

Who are, by all means, awesomesauce.

Like forrealz. 

Ashley and Scott didn't even listen to music...they talked and ran it in 1:54:34. 

Justin beat me by a handful of minutes at 2:11:32....

And I brought up the rear at 2:15:13.

And then my welcoming committee...

Someone was a little infatuated with the shiny medal...

And again, many thanks to my dear friend, Lisa, who not only gave me the opportunity to run, but then made this adorable sign based upon my recent Facebook obsession with all things Nemo related.

In conclusion, a few days ago, my friend, Cindi posted about chasing THE RUN, i.e., the run where everything goes right, you feel good, you love every step and you want nothing more than to keep going....

I am proud to say that this run was THE RUN.

Now, much to Techy's dismay, I am itching to do another...

And because I am ever so proud of my accomplishments, I am sharing this with the world over at Serenity Now. 



Because I really want the world to be proud of me too!

The Lame Run

You guys may have realized that the past several Mondays, I have been bragging blogging about my running.

If not, you can catch up here.

And I think I may have revealed that in the past month I have been given the opportunity to run 2 big races.

Major opportunities for a girl like me.

And thanks to my extensive running-for-fun to help my friend Amber train for her 2 big races, I was pretty much trained up.

Last week was my 11 mile run in prep for my half marathon next week.

And yesterday was scheduled to be my 9 mile run.

Despite the fact that I have run 9 miles before.

Despite the fact that I have run 10 miles before.

And despite the fact that I just ran 11 miles last weekend, there were several factors making this run far more difficult than any of my other runs.

1. I would be running it alone.

In case you just climbed out from under a rock, yesterday was Easter Sunday. 

Almost everyone I know was either out of town or with family. 

Including Amber.

And including me. 

Until about 3:30 yesterday afternoon.

2.  It was hot!

I hate to whine about the weather. 

Especially when a few months ago I was complaining about snow.

But the thing is...I learned to really enjoy running in the cold.

You see, I sweat.

Alot.

Kinda like a man.

Or worse.

Maybe like a pig.

In heat.

And running in the cold helps mitigate the sweating like a pig in heat.

Kinda.

3.  Time limits.

Did I mention that I travelled for a good portion of the day yesterday?

So by the time I got home it was well after 3 pm.

And yes, there was that whole mowing situation.

So by the time I was free to run, it was after 5 o'clock....

Giving me very little time to go anywhere to run it.  (Meaning, I would have to make multiple loops around my 'hood to get in the mileage.  Have you ever tried to run the same loop over and over and over?  It's seriously like being on a merry go round complete with motion sickness somewhere mid-loop 2....)

And giving me about 2.5 hrs to squeeze in a 9 miler before dark....

Shouldn't have been a problem except for....

4.  Rain.  Thunder.  Lightning.  And HAIL....  Oh my!

About half a mile into my run, it started sprinkling. 

Lest you think I am a pansy, I run in the rain.

But I was wearing Techy's new $90 bluetooth headset.*

Which is sweat resistant. 

But not water proof!

Sprinkling was dealable.

But then the sky's opened.

As in, I got passed by several pairs of animals looking for an ark.

And then the hail hit....

Nevermind the thunder and lightning.

I figured that was a good enough sign.

So I went in.

And waited.

About an hour later, I tried again.

And got about 6.5 miles in before the rain hit again.

This time there was no sprinkling.

Just a downpour.

So back inside I went and while my legs were still warm, I hit my elliptical for another 22 minutes or the approximate time it would have taken for me to finish up another 2.2 miles.

After everything was said and done, here was my total breakdown from yesterday's "run":

(hint: read top to bottom)

All in all, I ran approximately 8 miles yesterday plus whatever I did on the elliptical. 

And to be honest, I don't know if this is sufficient training for my half next week or not.

In the meantime, I am keeping my fingers crossed and enjoying some nice easy runs this week while I am waiting for the race day.

And.

Lest you think I am a total sell out, I did run while I was away this weekend.

And that run was alone in the rain.

And the second half was almost entirely uphill.

And I happened to really enjoy it.

So yeah.

I CAN be tough.

And I can do distance.

Just not when I am threatened with the possibility being struck by lightning....

So what do you think?

Will my lacksadaisical (wimpy) training pay off or will I be regretting these decisions when it comes to race time?

*Let this be a lesson for race day.  As wonderful as bluetooth headphones may be, there is no way that I want to have to worry about them for 2 hours should the rain roll in.

And the Beat Goes On

First of all, thank you very much, old-school Brittney Spears for the title of this post.

This is a running post.

And you guys are going to think I have lost my mind.

You know, if you don't already assume that.

Which is highly probable.

But I honestly thought I had capped off my running at last week's 10 miler.

And then a few things happened.

Like being offered the opportunity to run a half marathon.

In 2 weeks.

Yes.

I know.

Half marathon.

Isn't that 13.1 miles?

Yes, yes....

Let's all take a minute to appreciate the fact that I will officially be doing something that a few months ago I said I wouldn't be doing.

But alas, I am not preggers yet, so....

Why turn down the opportunity to run it?

I can't think of one good reason.

So I said yes.

And changed my plans from running a 6 miler yesterday to 11.

And with the help of my running buddy, Amber, we did it.

And yes, it was tough. 

As in, Taio Cruz was screaming through my headphones "DYNOMITE!" and I was still thinking, "wouldn't it be fun to stop and walk for a few miles".

Thankfully, Ke$ha saved the day and got me distracted wondering where she got a necklace with Jesus on it.

Seriously, though, I felt every step after the first 3 miles.

Possibly because we ran the first 3 miles at a 9:30 pace despite the hills that we were running.

But we still finished. 

And we finished strong.

Just over my goal 10:30 pace.

With only 2 brief - and I mean tinier than a supermodel's jean size - water breaks to refill our awesome water bottles.

Sidenote/Credit: if you are a runner and you haven't tried these water bottles, stop what you are doing and order one.  RIGHT NOW.

And now, I am officially capped out for my pre-race long runs.

After this, I have to run a 9 mile run, which I will do next Sunday (after travelling 6 hours...Techy is gonna love me!)

And then the race.

In 2 weeks.

And then 2 weeks later, I am running a leg of the Delaware Marathon Relay with Team Dealcatcher.

At that point, I think that 6.55 miles should be remarkably enjoyable in comparison.

My Honest Opinion: Why You Need to Sign Up for a 5k. Like Today.

If you have never done a 5k, you are SOOOO missing out. 

I could give you a million and one reasons to do a 5k, but instead, I narrowed it down to my top 5 reasons to do a 5k.

Try to be excited, K?  I know I am!

1.  Because it's totally the IN thing.

Yep.  Everyone is doing it.

Do you really want to be the only one NOT doing it?

I didn't think so. 

Kinda like if everyone else jumped off a cliff, right?

I mean, clearly, this is one instance where following the crowd is ok.

It's like the opportunity you were waiting for in your teens, but never got. 

And if there is a Fun Run for the Kids, you will most definitely laugh your pants off. 

Because those kids are hilarious.  And adorable.  And fiercely competitive.

In a way that adults are too civilized to be.

And well. 

It's just so awesomesauce! 

Kinda like a root beer float on a hot summer Sunday. 

Only I don't like root beer. 

I know.  My husband is appalled as well.

But I do like Diet Dr. Pepper. 

So ya know. 

That's what I make mine with.

And I pretend like it's root beer. 

To fit in.

So, what have we learned here? 

To do a 5k in order to fit in?  Eh, I guess that's kinda what I was trying to say....

2.  Because it's healthy.  Duh.

And then you get to tell people you are attempting to be healthy.

Which pretty much gets you double points in life.

For those of you who are keeping track of points.

And I don't just mean Weight Watchers Points.

I mean awesome life points. 

Which pretty much smash WW Points to smithereens.

Lesson here: Attempts at good health are actually better than dieting...unless you are looking at the scale. 

But sometimes even then.... 

So...yeah.... 

(If you think there was no real lesson to this point, you may be right.)

3.  Because it's fun!

(Also known as "you will release endorphins and endorphins are totally better than jelly beans in the middle of a Rice Krispie Treat")

This could also be interpreted as you will smile alot.

And who doesn't love smiling?

Except maybe Ebenezer Scrooge.

Credit

Or Scrooge McDuck.

Credit

Or maybe this guy in the first half of "Ground Hog Day".

Credit - (this pic made me snort out loud)

So yeah. 

Be warned.  You may also get carried away and wave at people you don't know.  Randomly.

Should this happen, you could end up losing a few seconds off of your time due to the extreme concentration it takes to run and wave at the same time.

You have been warned.

But this could just be a Leah thing.  I dunno for sure.

4.  Because you probably won't finish last. 

Let me clarify.  This means that more than likely, you will beat SOMEONE. 

And seriously, who doesn't want to beat SOMEONE?

The self satisfaction is enough to really justify spending the $20 on the race.

Because clearly, you just beat someone.

Thus making you better than them (in this one area).

And this is really the only time in your life where you actually get to enjoy being better than someone else publicly.

Enjoy it.

Also, you may get to be better than yourself.

Which is really better than being better than someone else.

I.e., do we all remember my first 5k?

Last night I shaved more than 2 minutes off of my pace and 6 minutes off my overall time. 

Hello, PERSONAL RECORD!!!!

That's pretty much sweeter than beating anyone else. 

If I do say so myself.

(Again, this could just be a Leah thing.  But I don't think so.)

5.  For the free tee shirt. 

Also known as the one you pay $20 bucks for. 

But still, for the tee shirt.

And if you can get your friends to run/walk it with you, it's even better.

Because now you will all have matching free tee shirts.

And seriously, who doesn't want to have a matching free tee shirt party?

Now, simply by wearing your matching free tee's you get to let everyone around you know not only are you attempting to get healthy by participating in a race, but you have friends (or people you know) who were willing to participate with you. 

That's serious tight bonds there.

SERIOUS.

Also for the cool post race pics.

Katie & Maelynn - totally rocked it WITH A STROLLER, Carrie, Me, & Kaci

But I am not gonna make a number for that one.

I just wanna show off the pics.

And my time again.

And wait for the comments to come rolling in.

Also, for the record, I am sharing this post at Amanda's weekly bloggy reading party.

Because I am really puffed up with self-satisfaction today and what better way to show that off?

Click on over and join me!