Lose a Marathon Mini Challenge - Week Two

So the mini challenge this week is:  Are you drinking enough water?? The process of burning calories requires an adequate supply of water in order to function efficiently; dehydration slows down the fat-burning process. Calculate how much water you need daily here based on your body weight, activity level and environment temperature. Remember, the more you sweat in exercise, the more water you will need to drink.

So, I calculated and depending on the heat, I need to consume 98-114 ounces of water.  Man, I feel water-logged just thinking about it.  As you all know, I have a hard time drinking my water.  I will do okay once in awhile, but unless I'm sweating like a pig, getting me to drink water is just so difficult.  :/  But, as part of the challenge, I'm going to do my best to get at least 60 ounces of water.  I just don't know if I can do 98-114 ounces.  I'm going to try, though.

Unfortunately, I have to report that Monday didn't go so well with drinking my water.  In fact, I didn't drink any water on Monday.  Tuesday wasn't so hot either, though I did manage to drink a glass and a half of water.  So...12 ounces, maybe?  Awful, I know.  But it's soooo hard!  LOL

It's still early and I have to spend some time outside this afternoon at Kyle's baseball game, so I should get some water in me then (I know, I should drink it throughout the day, but that just doesn't happen).  And if I get home early enough after the game, I'm planning on another run - 2 miles, at least - and that should help me drink some more water, too.

See, all I need is a plan.  ;)  Now I just need to follow through...

Filled Out My 5k Registration

I filled out my entry form for the Firecracker Fun Run today.  I am so nervous.  I don't even know why!  I mean, I know I can run it.  Heck, even if I have to walk part of it, I know that ultimately I will finish.  I just don't know what to expect.  I HATE not knowing what to expect!  I do not do well in unknown situations (don't even get me started on starting a new job - I have a nervous breakdown whenever I start somewhere new).

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I didn't get up this morning to run (becoming a trend, I've noticed) but I finally told myself tonight that I was done with the excuses.  If my sleep is that important, then I'm going to have to suck it up and run in the heat in the evening.  So I did just that.  I told Preston I was going to go for a run and I laced up my shoes and headed out the door before I could even give it a second thought.

This run was GREAT!

2 miles, 25:20 time, 12:40 pace, 263 calories burned

I know, I know...I never say that.  Well, in fact, I've really only said that twice.  My last two runs were absolutely fantastic!  I only did 2 miles (which was my plan anyway) and not only did I run it and enjoy it, but I also beat my fastest pace!  How awesome is that!?  I didn't even try.  I just went out there and ran.  :)  I can honestly say I loved it.  I thought the heat would be pretty killer (it got up to 107 degrees today and was still 92 degrees when I left for my run this evening) but it barely bothered me.

I'm really starting to feel like a runner.  :)

Not only did a I run today, but I did pretty great on my calories today, too.  :)

I am on a major high right now.  Today was a pretty good day.  And now, I'm ending this post with a few pictures of my view during my run:

the lovely, albeit SMALL, town I live in - taken as I was approaching my car

tried to get the sunset, but my phone acted up and I missed getting the sun

Lose a Marathon Challenge - Weigh In

Well, week one didn't go as well as I'd hoped.  I wasn't as active as I would have liked to be.  :/

06/18: 170.0
06/25: 168.8 [- 1.2]

However, after weighing in, I see that the scale knows more than I do.  ;)  I somehow pulled off a 1.2 pound loss since last Monday.  Shocked?  You betcha!

Lose a Marathon Mini Challenge - Week One

As I mentioned a few days ago, I joined the Lose a Marathon Challenge.  Each week, Jess will have a mini challenge for us to attempt.  I'm a procrastinator, through and through.  I've known about this week's mini challenge from day one, but I just haven't gotten around to doing it.  Tomorrow starts week two, so of course, I'm completing week one's challenge today.  ;)

So, the mini challenge this week was:  Take the time to plan your Marathon Mission as you would a business plan. Grab a notebook, sit down and write out your plan. Take measurements and photos of yourself. As painful as this may be, it will be a rewarding comparison in 13 weeks. Define your goals. How is success defined for you? Is it purely scale stats or do you have measurement goals? Decide which method you're going to take to reach your goal. Are you counting calories, carbs, WW points or just eating right? Are you embarking on a specific diet plan - South Beach, Body for Life, etc? Schedule in your exercise... mark it on your calendar like a doctor's appointment. The more specific you are in your planning, the more likely you will succeed. Plan your work and then work the plan.

Measurements (I'm never 100% sure I measure in the same spot each time, but I think I'm close):

week one photo

• waist: 43 inches
• hips: 43 inches
• left thigh: 25 inches
• right thigh: 25 inches
• neck: 13 inches
• left calf: 15.5 inches
• right calf: 15.25 inches
• upper left arm: 14 inches
• upper right arm: 14 inches
• chest: 40 inches

Pretty much bums me out that my measurements say my waist is bigger than my chest.  Looking down, it doesn't look that way.  I don't know.  :/
 
Goals: I don't exactly have a game plan, which is probably not the best method right now.  I'm trying to stick to a 1300-1500 calorie diet.  I want to run 3-4 days a week and do other cardio or strength training on the "non-run" days.  My goal for the next 13 weeks is to lose 26.2 pounds.  I'd also like to see myself in single digit sized jeans.  I have a few 5k races coming up that I'm looking forward to completing during this 13 week challenge, as well. 

Success defined by me:  Success to me is accomplishing my goals and pushing my body past the limit of the known.  I like doing more than I thought I possibly could.

Weekly Weigh In (06/22/12)

Last week: 169.0
This week: 169.0
Total: 0lbs

you like my flip-flop tan lines, just admit it ;)

Well, no change.  I guess that's better than a gain, yes?  I was hoping for another one pound loss, but I guess I just have to work harder.  It'd really help if I'd get back to running full time again, which, after my great run yesterday, I've decided to jump back into full force.  :)

Did I mentioned that I lost another toenail?  You can kind of see it in this picture.  Middle toe, left foot.  :)  This one REALLY hurt because it wasn't completely detached when I noticed it and I kind of messed with it too much and made it worse.  Oh well.  :/

Just Breathe

I finally got out and ran again.  I realized that even though being lazy has it's perks (okay, it doesn't, but it's so much easier than the other option) I actually like running and I missed it.  I could list a bunch of different excuses as to why I haven't been running, but it comes down to shear laziness.

3.1 miles. time: 40:47, 13:09 pace, 414 calories burned

But I ran 3.1 miles today.  And it was GREAT.  I was sweating like a pig and didn't want to be out there at first.  I was only going to do a mile, maybe a mile and a half (no lie - I drank a beer before I decided to run, so I didn't figure I'd get much distance in).  Somehow, that mile and a half became 3.1 miles and it was a really good run.  I tried to ignore my pace and just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.  It helped push me forward.  :)

I think part of my problem lately has been the route I take.  I drove down it today and realized that it's really hilly.  It doesn't seem so bad when you're running it, but seeing the "waves" of the road while I was driving really got me to thinking about my training.  I know my first 5k (in less than two weeks - EEK!) is pretty flat, but I've been running on hills.  I know hills are supposed to be good for endurance, but I've been struggling so much that I decided to try a different route.  Now, I live in the middle of nowhere, so I don't have a lot of options for running on flat, concrete surfaces.  I have the main highway (which is pretty busy - but nice and flat) or the lesser used, but still traveled "old" highway (which is the hilly road I usually run).  Or, I have a bunch of dirt roads to choose from, which offer a lot of resistance, but are really well traveled by harvest semis right now.

Anyway, I decided to try the main highway.  It wasn't as busy as I'd expected and people were super nice about moving into the other lane when they were driving by me.  I definitely noticed a difference in my endurance.  I didn't get tired or exhausted and even though I really wanted to take a walk break, I didn't.  I pushed forward and finished the whole run without stopping for a break.

I'd actually meant to take a few pictures of the scenery, but a cop was patrolling by my suburban and I kind of got flustered.  I didn't think I was doing anything wrong with parking where I parked, but I still got a little nervous.  He didn't stop though and when I ran past him, he just waved.  All was good, but it did make me forget what I'd planned on doing after my run.  LOL

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My first 5k is in less than two weeks.  I talked to a friend of mine that just finished her second marathon a few weeks ago and she has offered to run with me to help pace me.  My goal is a sub-39 5k.  I know that I really don't need to have a goal for this 5k because it's my first and no matter what, my time will be a race PR.  But I need a goal to help me through it.  I'm seriously getting nervous about it.  I'm not sure why, except that it's something I've never done before and I really don't know what to expect.  I've never even watched a race, so I have no idea what's going to happen.

Just breathe...  ;)

Lose a Marathon Challenge

I am pretty competitve by nature.  I like to win.  I also usually get what I want.  If I don't, watch out.  ;)  Okay, it's not like I'm vindictive, I just know what I want and if I want it badly enough, nothing will stop me from getting it.

Yes, I want to lose the last 30-35 pounds, but clearly I don't want to lose it bad enough because I haven't been doing whatever it takes.

That's about to change.  I have joined Jess's (at Run With Jess) Lose a Marathon Challenge for the summer.  The goal is to lose 26.2 pounds during the next 13 weeks.  The challenge runs from June 18th to September 17th.  You can actually still join until the 25th, though.

My "official" weigh in for the challenge is 170.  I had weighed that morning, just for kicks, but when I found the challenge Monday night, I'd forgotten what my weight had been, so I weighed myself again and was bummed that I was starting at 170.  But, that's what happens when you weigh at night, I guess.  :/  Anyway, weigh in's are on Mondays and I'll post my challenge stats here, but I'll still be weighing myself on Fridays just because that's my preference.  Weighing twice a week probably isn't a good idea, but I hate Monday weigh ins.  The month of May was just downright awful for me when I tried out Mondays for weigh in days.  :/  Oh well.

I know some of my favorite blogs are also taking part in this challenge.  I'm pretty excited about it.  If 26.2 in 13 weeks seems kind of daunting, they're also doing a half version, where you lose 13.1 pounds.  So, I hope you'll check it out and join!  Last I heard, there were 700 participants!

Father's Day at the Dragstrip

some of the cars lined up

Yesterday for Father's Day, the boys, Preston and I went to the dragstrip and watched cars race.  It was so hot.  We went through 32 bottles of water (okay, not going to lie, some of that did end up ON the boys rather than in them, but still...) in about 4 hours.  The temperature was into the 100's.  My friend that works at the dragstrip told us that the track itself was 136.  That's HOT.  I felt like I was dying just sitting on the bleachers for 4 hours - I can't imagine working in it for 12 hours.  :/

It was a lot of fun, though.  Preston has decided that he wants to build a drag car.  I'm totally okay with it because I want to build one, too.  When I was in high school, I drove a 1994 Ford Escort GT that was a coral pink color and kind of "glittered" in the sun.  I loved this car.  After Brandon was born in 2003, I had to get rid of it because it started "nickel and diming" me.  Someone busted out the passanger side window and the brakes needed replaced, as well as the clutch.  Plus, it was a two door and really hard to get a carseat in and out of.  To this day, I still miss that car.  I had a lot of fun in it.  :)  Anyway, if I can find another one, I want to buy it and make it my drag car.

this is the car I was rooting for all day...until it lost :/

Preston and I

I didn't run yesterday or today because I slept through my alarm!  I must have needed the sleep.  I'll try again tomorrow.  :)  My first 5k is in 16 days!  Oh my, I'm freaking out!

A Story of Estrangement and Re-Establishment

I've been kind of stressed out lately.

First, some background info:  My father was never the best father.  He was always angry and pretty much abusive by today's standards.  :/  Not exactly the environment my mother wanted to raise me in.  After my parents divorced, my relationship with my father slowly disintegrated.  Whenever he had weekend visitation, I'd still end up at my mom's.  Even in the summer, I'd say I was going for a walk and then I'd go to my mom's and watch TV.  (No wonder I got so fat, I was pretty inactive.)

Anyway, it got to the point where my dad stopped taking me.  I always felt that his live in girlfriend (might as well call her his wife - they've been together for at least 20 years, since that's how old my sister is) didn't accept me.  Her kids all had bedrooms at the house, but I slept on the couch when I visited.  She complained to him about me always lying and going to my mom's, so he just stopped having me come over during his visitations.

After I had Brandon, my "stepmom" seemed to accept me more.  I started to re-establish a relationship with my father, but it didn't go well.  He'd constantly disrespect me in front of Brandon and encourage Brandon to backtalk me.  He'd also talk shit about my mother, which I understand him doing because apparently that's what ex's do, but I didn't appreciate him doing it in front of Brandon because Brandon didn't understand.  He just knew that un-nice things were being said about his grandmother.  And I didn't really appreciate hearing that kind of stuff about my mother anyway.  I got fed up with it and stopped visiting so often.

My sister would deny that our dad was as bad as I said.  Maybe she didn't see it, but I honestly think she was in denial, because he treated her worse, in my opinion.  Anyway, she'd complain that I never visited them and I told her that it worked both ways - at the time, I only lived a few blocks away and it would be easier for them to visit me, rather than load up Brandon and Kaiden (who was still just a toddler at that time).

I'm not even sure what the last straw was now.  It was only a few years ago that I finally cut off all ties to my father.  I still talked to my sister from time to time, but I had severed my relationship with my father.

Fast forward to now:  It's been at nearly two and a half years since I last spoke to my father.  In April he turned 58 and I was compelled to reach out to him.  I still don't know what made me do it, but after everything that has happened since then, I sort of feel it was destined.  :/  I don't know, but anyway, I sent him a letter - kind of like a family newsletter that people send out at during the holidays.  I also included some pictures of the boys because even though he'd seen Brandon a little when he was younger, he'd only met Kaiden twice and he'd never met Ben.

My sister let me know that our father had received the letter and pictures and that he appreciated it.  For about a week, I hoped I'd find a reply letter in my mailbox, but I never did.  :(  I did, however, get a text message from him on Mother's Day, and I nearly cried.  It was a start.

So, a few weeks ago my sister told me that our dad had bladder cancer.  He had surgery on Thursday.  The cancer was worse than they thought.  They have to do tests on the muscle tissue to see if the cancer has spread to the muscle - if it has, they'll have to remove his bladder.  They are also running tests on his lungs to see if the cancer has spread there.  He's been a long time smoker.  :/

He was released from the hospital yesterday, because he lied and said that he was able to urinate.  I'm not exactly sure how he pulled that one over on them, considering I know they make you pee in a hat so they can test your urine or make sure that it looks okay.  Last night, he was in a lot of pain and couldn't pee and ended up back at the hospital, where they hooked up a catheter and drained his bladder.  He filled THREE quarts.  They said that if he'd waited another hour, his kidneys would have shut down and he possibly could have died.  He was released again and is doing a lot better.

me, his "killer" dog and my daddy

I decided to go see him for the first time in years.  I was so nervous.  But once I got there, it was good.  He got to meet Ben for the first time (Kaiden and Brandon were at a birthday party) and he seemed like a very different man.  I'm really glad that I reached out to him when I did and I'm glad I decided to re-establish a relationship with him.  I don't know how much time we'll have together, but I'm going to make it count.

my dad and Ben

my sister, Ben and my niece Annabella

my sister and Ben

Weekly Weigh In (06/15/12)

Last week: 170.0
This week: 169.0
Total: - 1.0

my camera keeps fogging up on the left side - strange...

Well, a one pound loss is better than nothing!  I'll take it.  LOL  Now, the plan is to STAY in the 160's - that is, until I hit the 150's!  I did pretty well this week with my calories - except for two days, where I went waaaay over.  So I was actually surprised to see a loss.  But, I'm still counting calories and, with the exception of those two days I mentioned, am staying within the 1300-1500 range.  Counting calories seems to be the best thing that works for me.  REALLY need to work on the whole fitness thing, though.  :)

Pity Party and I'm the Guest of Honor

Ugh.  I'm an awful blogger, I know.  I don't even have any excuses except that I really haven't had anything to say.  The weather has been awful here - too hot and too windy to run.  I knew I should have left the treadmill in the bedroom, but about a month ago I had Preston move it to the garage because I wasn't using it anymore.  In fact, the thought of running inside pretty much bores me.  But at least I'd be training and getting my miles in.  Oh well.

I finally got out there and ran again today.  It wasn't pretty.  In fact, it was probably my worst 3 miles EVER.  But, the weather wasn't exactly on my side - it was 86 degrees.  Plus, I really hate to admit this, but I only had 421 calories all day today.  I know, I know.  I didn't even think about it until I already left to run.  :/

3 miles, time: 42:37, 14:12 pace, 369 calories burned

I ran the first mile and a half or so but then ended up alternating walking and running.  The heat and lack of energy just about killed me.

I'm really not even following my training schedule at all.  I've skipped so many runs that I'll never catch up.  I'm just kind of wingining it now.  My first 5k is officially less than 3 weeks.  It's 3 weeks from yesterday, in fact.  My plan from this point forward is to run 3, 4 and 5 miles every other day and then on my off days I want to get at least a mile in and work on my speed with that run.  I'm trying not to worry to much about my pace.  I know, I've said that before, but at this point, finishing is my top priority, running the entire 3.1 without walking is my second priority.

I guess we'll see what happens.

I really wanted to cry during this run.  I wondered why I kept doing this to myself.  And now that it's over - I have my answer.  I feel amazing.  I pushed through.  Yes, it was hard and yes, I wanted to give up.  It was hot.  I was unable to run it straight through and honestly, I haven't run an entire distance in a long time.  But now that I can breathe and I'm not sweating in places that sweat should never be - I feel powerful.  I am proud of myself and what my body can do because if you could have asked me at any other point in my life besides the last 6 months if I ever thought I'd be a runner, I'd have laughed in your face.  But I'm not the same person I was...well, ever.

THAT is why I keep doing this to myself.

Tie Dyed Cupcakes

I decided last night that my plan was to wake up at 7:00am this morning and run before it got super hot out.  The high today was supposed to be 96 degrees.  As of this post, it's 102.  It's frickin' hot.  Anyway, my alarm went off at 7:00am and I said "nope" and turned it off.  Preston woke me up at 8:00am and told me that if I was going to run, I needed to get up and go.

So I did.

I REALLY wanted to do 5 miles today.  I told myself that if I could handle the heat, I'd push it, but no matter what, I wasn't doing any less than 3 miles.  I ended up having to compromise with myself and do 4 miles.  The first two miles were surprising good.  But once I turned around, I realized I'd made a mistake.  I was running towards the sun and it was already 80 degrees.  I made it 3 miles and then the heat really took a toll on me.  I ended up alternating walking and running during the last mile.  I would walk a minute and then run two minutes.  It ended up taking me forever (or so it seemed).  This 4 mile run was the worst of my previous 4 mile runs.  My pace was frickin' awful, but it was just so damned hot.  All I wanted was to get back to my car so I could drowned myself in water.  I was so thirsty!

4 miles, time: 56:40, 14:11 pace, 487 calories burned

Today's 4 miler put me over 100 miles ran since February this year.  I'm still pretty far from my goal of 366 this year, but I'm still working on it.  I'm officially at 101 miles logged.  :)  Feeling pretty good about that.

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Kyle's (my stepson) birthday was on the 5th but our summer visitation with him didn't start until yesterday, so we missed it.  So we celebrated today.  We had all 5 of our kids, a friend of Blair's and our neighbor's son over today.  7 kids.  It was...interesting.  I made cupcakes for Kyle and they turned out really cute.  I'd seen them pinned on Pinterest and decided to try it.  I didn't bother to look at how they were supposed to be made - I just winged it myself.  I made two white cake batters and separated it into 8 bowls.  Each bowl had a different color.  Then I layered the batter in the cupcake papers, trying to kind of drizzle it so they looked tie-dyed.  It turned out really neat.

Weekly Weigh In (06/08/12)

Last week: 173.0
This week: 170.0
Total: - 3.0

starting weight - 270, current weight - 170

A loss!  A good loss, at that!  I'm definitely happy with the scale today.  So far, I'd only ran 4 miles this week and wasn't very good about counting calories, so a 3 pound loss is a very nice surprise!  :)  I'm definitely headed in the right direction again.  Not being surrounded by greasy, fried temptations has been a blessing.

Here's to the 160's for next week!  :)

Runzas and Running

When we went garage saling last Saturday, we picked up an air popper at one of the sales.  I've been wanting one for awhile, but I could never justify spending the money.  No, I'd rather just spend $4 a box (three bags) on Orville Redenbacher's Pop Up Bowl popcorn (man, I love that stuff) with all of it's additives and preservatives.  Anyway, Preston saw one at a sale for $1 (which is a heck of a deal, considering we saw two similar ones at two other sales, where the people were asking $5 and $2 respectively) so he insisted we buy it.

I cleaned it up but didn't get a chance to use it until today.  I'd been to the grocery store a few times since we bought it, but silly me kept forgetting to buy popcorn kernals.  Well, I remembered today.  After lunch, I finally used it.

I wasn't exactly impressed.

I love air popped popcorn but for some reason, this stuff tasted funny.  I even checked the expiration date on the kernals and I still have a good two years to use this stuff.  I don't know...it didn't taste stale, but it just tasted weird.  Even the boys said it was different.  I bought some Jiffy Pop butter flavoring to sprinkle on it, and I was pretty generous with the salt, too, but still, it just didn't taste right.

I'm just confused as to how in the heck I managed to mess up popcorn.  LOL  Oh well.  I ate a couple handfuls and let the boys eat the rest (yes, even though they agreed it tasted different, they still ate it.  Of course.  LOL).  Saved me some calories this way, I suppose.  :)

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I've decided to cancel my gym membership for the time being.  I'm basically wasting $40 a month because I never go.  I had this plan to go every morning before everyone else woke up, but seriously, waking up at 4:30 to drive 20 miles so I can work out for an hour and then turn around and drive back 20 miles just doesn't sound like much fun.  I'd rather sleep.  Or get up at 5:30 and run (and hey, even get an extra hour of sleep).

The thought of cancelling it sort of bums me out because I really do enjoy the gym - when I go.  But since I haven't been going, I might as well save us some money, especially since I'm not working anymore.  I can burn just as many calories running as I do using the elliptical and that's really all I used the gym for anyway.

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I made runzas for dinner tonight.  I was never a fan of runzas growing up because I couldn't stand cabbage.  The older I get, the more my taste buds are changing and today runzas actually sounded good.  I hadn't had one since I was a kid and my mom forced them on me, but Preston loves them, so I decided to surprise him.  For never having made them before, they turned out really good.  They were way more filling than I thought they would be.

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Since I ran last night, today was technically a rest day, but I wanted to get an extra run in this week since I'd been slacking.  I decided to go out too late, though.  The sky was looking crappy, but I decided to attempt it anyway.  I was barely a half a mile out before I saw lightning.  I turned around at half a mile and headed back.  I was kind of disappointed that I only managed a mile, but hey, it's a mile more than I had, right?  Since I wasn't going to get much distance, I tried to really push myself but I was a little sore still from yesterday.  I wasn't as fast as I'd have liked, but it was better than usual.

1 mile, time 12:01, 12:05 pace, 142 calories burned

National Running Day

I have been neglecting my blog and the blogging world lately.  I feel awful about that.  I have so much to catch up on - I follow far too many blogs for one person to read daily.  LOL  But I try.

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Anyway, as I'm sure most of you all are aware, today is National Running Day.  I haven't ran in a week.  The last time I ran, I had gone four days between runs and it sucked.  A week...well, that pretty much sucked even more.  I told myself all day that I was going to run because it was National Running Day and also because I'd really been slacking in the running department.  However, after a big dinner of oven baked chicken, carrots and bread and butter, I was stuffed and could barely move.  It looked like it was going to storm out so I decided to, yet again, not run.  Preston pulled the "sex" card on me, though.  He told me if I didn't go run, he was cutting me off for a month.

A MONTH!?

Seriously.  I enjoy sex, so that was so not going to happen.  I changed my clothes, laced up, and out the door I went.

Did I mention that I got new running shoes?  Oh, of course I didn't because I haven't blogged in like FOREVER.  ;)  Anyway, on the last day at job, my boss had given me a pair of almost brand new running shoes.  She only had a few miles on them and wasn't too happy with them (I guess - that or she has far too much money to spend, LOL...just kidding) so she gave them to me because she bought new ones.  They are Mizuno Wave Creation 12 and they're pretty comfy.  They definitely felt different than my cheapo Champions.  I've been too cheap to buy a good pair of running shoes because I'm still not positive this running thing is going to stick.  I'm hoping so, but especially since I've been terrible about my schedule the last few weeks, I'm beginning to have my doubts.

Anyway, I could tell the difference in the shoes right from the start.  I felt...springy.  I felt like I was bouncing down the road, rather than clip-clopping like a horse.  About a mile into my run, though, my big toe on the right felt like it was pushing on an air bubble.  It was strange feeling and it lasted the entire run.  And then it happened - at about a mile and a quarter I had to run by a grove of trees and I got to enjoy the Nebraska "wildlife" first hand.  It's like a million frickin' flies decided to congregate on my body.  It was so disgusting.  By that point I was taking a 10th of a mile walking break, but rather than recouping, I spent the whole time swatting fly after fly off my legs and arms.  It was beyond nasty.  Like...I just have no words for how gross it was.  Even when I started running again, it's like they were STUCK to me.  ICK.  Finally I got past the grove and the flies left me alone - until I had to circle back.  I'm telling you, the field to my left looked more fun to run through than running past that damn grove of trees again.  But, I did what I had to do - I stayed on the road and hauled ass past the trees.  The only incident that time was that a fly tried to see what it'd be like to be dinner.  That's right, a fly tried to go IN MY MOUTH.  Luckily, my mouth wasn't open very wide and he just hit my lips and I was able to spit it away before it got any further in my mouth but still...it's the THOUGHT.  He TOUCHED. MY. MOUTH.  Had I been any slower with my reflexes, he could have been IN my mouth.

Alright, now that I've managed to seriously gross you out (*insert winky smiley*), I just want to mention that even though it'd been a week since my last run, I had a fully belly, and the flies were disgusting, the run overall was pretty decent.  I thought I was pushing myself pretty well - in fact, my mantra during this run was "You think this hurts?  You've had three babies without the help of an epidural and two of them were nearly 9 pounds - now THAT'S pain.  This is not pain.  This is RUNNING."  Yes, that was my mantra throughout my run.  I don't know if it was the shoes or something, but muscles on the outside of my thighs that I'm pretty sure had never been used before sure woke up tonight.  There were times they were downright SCREAMING at me.  Regardless of the extra pushing I gave myself, my pace still ended up being around my average.  It's pretty disappointing that I'm not getting faster, but I suppose if I'd actually keep up with my training, I'd eventually see improvement.  And if not - at least it starts to feel easier.  I really must stop skipping my scheduled runs.  It felt great getting out there tonight and running, even though I really didn't want to at first.

3 miles, 39:28, 13:10 pace, 397 calories burned

Since I skipped three days of training during a two week span, my schedule is all messed up.  I was actually supposed to do 4 miles today, but I was worried about three miles as it was, so I stuck with that.  I probably could have done the extra mile, but it was getting dark pretty quickly and my legs were sore, plus my lungs were on fire from pushing myself.  I felt like I'd done well enough.  It was a tough run, but I felt good about it and I was VERY happy that I'd gone out there and done it.  :)

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One last thing before I sign off - my sunburn is healing nicely.  I've been putting aloe burn ointment (for sunburns and other burns) on it and it's not nearly as sore.  Also, it's been almost a month since I lost a toenail and it seems to be growing back pretty nicely as well.  It hasn't hindered my running at all and the other day I decided to pretty up my toenails because I was wearing flip flops so much, so I just painted over the skin and new nail.  LOL  Can't even tell the difference.  ;)

OH!  I totally forgot!  This is why I should blog more often - sorry for the epic long post but I officially joined the volunteer fire department yesterday.  We got voted in last night.  I couldn't stay for the whole meeting because I had Ben with me and hadn't been planning on attending the meeting after all, but they all insisted I just bring him down real quick so they could vote - of course, Ben got fussy after that so I had to leave, but the point is, I'm in!  I have my pager already and can go out on my first call when the siren goes off.  Exciting!  :)

Burnt!

What a weekend!  We are just on the go all weekend long.

Yesterday we went garage saling and bought a few things for the kids.  We also bought a bag of baby girl clothes for a friend of mine who's wife just had a baby a few weeks ago.  They are kind of struggling right now and don't have much, so we bought the clothes for them, plus I gathered together a bouncer, swing, baby bath, bumbo seat and tray and a play mat that Ben has long outgrown.  These friends live about 40 miles or so from us, so we took a trip to see them yesterday and deliver all the baby stuff.  Apparently my friend works every other weekend at the drag strip, so we stopped by there to check it out until he got off work.  It was really kind of cool.  That stuff usually isn't my kind of thing, but seeing it in person was a different experience.

After my friend got off work, we went to his in laws house to hang out and have some beers.  It was a pretty nice time.  We hadn't seen these friends in awhile and I loved seeing their newest daughter and getting to hang out with them.

Kaiden and Brandon were at my mom's Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday morning, so they missed out on going to the drag strip with us.  The points races were today, so after we picked the boys up, we decided to make a trip back to the drag strip so they could see all of the cars.  Ben stayed with my sister in law, which I was thankful for because it got HOT in the afternoon.  We tried to stay hydrated, but I think Preston and I overdid it a little and didn't drink enough water because we are both dragging ass tonight.  I sprayed myself all over with sunscreen, but I missed two spots on my back and a spot on my arm, so of course I burned.  My back got the worst of it and it's pretty tender now.  :/

All in all, it was a good weekend.  I didn't get my scheduled runs in this week, which I'm disappointed in because it's becoming a bad habit.  I'm actually disgusted with myself in that regards.  I'm hoping I can get back on track with running starting tomorrow.  It's supposed to be hot again all week (80's and 90's) so I'm going to have to suck it up and run first thing in the morning.

I also did pretty well with my calories this weekend.  It was actually just too hot to eat, which sucks because I was kind of dizzy today.  Part of that has to do with lack of calories, the heat and not being hydrated enough.  Need to take better care of myself, I know.  :)

Weekly Weigh In (06/01/12)

Last week: 172.6
This week: 173.0
Total: + .4

I'm in serious shock.  I knew I'd have a gain because I pretty much pigged out all week, not to mention my unfortunate binge yesterday.  I had a lot of sodium the last few days as well, so I thought for sure I'd show at least a two pound gain.  But .4?  I can't believe it.  I'm thrilled, of course, that that's all the damage that was done.

It's now June 1st and I have the next three months home with my boys.  My eating choices will be a lot healthier since I'll be eating at home all the time and I'll know exactly what's in everything because I'll be preparing everything myself.  I'm pretty stoked about the next three months.  Eating great all day long and running every other day in the evening - heck yes, I'm going to be smokin' by my birthday in September.  LOL  Okay, maybe not smokin' but I know I'll be either at goal, or much closer.  :)