Christmas is in the air

Today is my last day off by myself before my kids are off with me. The sun is out and it is another beautiful day. I think I have everything done that I need to accomplish before they are off with me messing up my house and eating all the food. Oh, that does remind me, I need to hide some cookies and oreo balls so that we will have some for our Gregory Christmas up in Showlow later next week. If I don't, the kids, husband and possibly dogs will eat up all my hard work.

Speaking of dogs, my dogs ate my special Godiva dark chocolate candy bar that I had started eating and put down just for a nano second last night. I am upset and worried that one or both of my hounds will have chocolate poisoning, but I am more upset that my special treat was inhaled before I even knew what was going on. C'mon!! It was Godiva. They were probably exacting revenge on me for forcing them to wear the reindeer antlers for a recent photo shoot. In fact, I think if you look into Dayzee's eyes, you can almost hear her thinking "I will get you back when you least expect it."

Yesterday we made a big double batch of these awesomely thin and crisp Heath bit sugar cookies. These are definitely the easiest cookie to make and everyone loves them. Brian took a bunch into work and I will give some to our neighbors and we will have a few left for Christmas. Today we will do more baking, but first I need to make a dreaded trip to the grocery store. I have a love hate relationship with the grocery store. I'm fine when I'm there but I hate going and checking out and schlepping everything to my car. Enough said. It is a necessary evil.

Another necessary evil this time of year is wrapping gifts... ugh... double ughh... I do not care for that job at all. In a previous life, I was a professional gift wrapper at Mervyn's. I can wrap me a mean gift, but that doesn't mean I have to like doing it.

Joy to the world. Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. Enjoy your family traditions and have a great time  remembering the reason for the season.

Here we are waiting to start the Hot Chocolate 5k. It was cold, but not unbearable. We found the location and were parked in no time at all. Very smooth considering there were about 7,000 of us.

I am super proud of my 12 year old daughter, Cassi, who ran her first 5k. She did great and came in 108th in her age group.

My friends Debbie and Cherame rocked the race and both ran the whole way!

Kristi, her daughter Madi, Hannah and I took the walk/run or run/walk approach. I came in 404th out of 470 in my age group. Nothing to brag about, but I'm happy that I was able to run part of it, didn't stop and give up when I really wanted to AND I wasn't last, which is my biggest fear.

I have to say that the little training that I did do for the Disneyland 5k really helped because I did absolutely no training this time and I could tell. It felt harder. I think part of this feeling was mental, I mean, who wouldn't want to run through Disneyland? In September I knew my way around. I knew when I was about 1/2 way done. I knew when I was close to the end. For this 5k I had no idea where I was going or where I had been and I haven't developed an internal clock to gauge the distance.

Luckily my friend Hannah was with me. She had a fancy watch on and could tell how we were doing. She was also super sweet and supportive and told me what a great job I did after each run segment. This sweetness I will accept, because it helped offset all the negative self talk that streams through my brain.

The best part about this race? Three things immediately come to mind: good friends, no blisters and chocolate and dancing at the finish line. :)

Do Viking women run? Sometimes...




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Will Run for Chocolate

Bright and early tomorrow morning when it won't be bright because it will be so early that it will still be dark Cassi and I will do the Hot Chocolate 5k with a bunch of friends. It will be awesome. Cold, but awesome. We need to keep our eyes on the prize. The mouth wateringly delicious chocolate that awaits us at the finish line. I'm excited. I haven't trained at all, but it will be fine because I know I can walk/run it.

Good luck to everyone going out tomorrow. I hope there's enough parking for all 10,000 of us.

Now if you will excuse me. I need to go look at the map one more time. Get my outfit out and ready. Make sure I have everything I need and crash.





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Another weekend bites

The dust, that is.

What happened to my weekend!?! Seriously? It's gone and I didn't get anything done.

No shopping (except for our photo shoot), no cookies, no Christmas decorations, no Christmas tree. :(

Don't get me wrong. I had a good weekend but had been feeling anxious and in need of a break. Friday night we had a tamale fund raiser at Cassi's school. Saturday we had our interior designer come over for a consult on getting our master bedroom started. Then we shopped for clothes for our photo shoot on Sunday, Brian and Cami went to the circ de soleil matinee, then we went out for dinner/drinks/dancing for my neighbors birthday. Sunday we got up and ready for our photo shoot. We went do beautiful downtown chandler for that. I am so happy with a service trade I did with a friend who is a photographer. I made a cake for her daughters birthday and she did some family photographs for us. Then we got Bosa donuts (one of my fav things) and went home and worked on a big school project for Calvin. Dog training, dinner and ready for bed. Sounds glamorous, right? Not. In out of breath just thinking about it.

Yep, that's what happened this weekend.

I am happy to report that I am feeling much more relaxed this week.


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Ebates.com is Awesome

Why didn't I know about this earlier? I seriously have "earned" almost $50 and all I did was shop online at stores I normally shop from but go through the ebates web site. It tracks what you purchase and calculates the rebates that you earn. Follow this link and join Ebates. I will get a bonus for you joining and you will get a bonus gift card of your choice once you make your first purchase! Fun!

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=haArV7bf%2FsCNU3fWiDiozg%3D%3D

Winner winner chicken dinner

The power ball lottery jackpot is high. Obscenely high. Close to 1/2 billion dollars which is something like 500,000,000 dollars. Crazy. I don't normally buy lottery tickets, but I had to. If I win, I will only be left with $250,000,000 after taxes, snort. That's all!?!!!

What would I do with all that money? Even though the chances of winning are astronomically low, it's still fun to dream. Dreams of being debt free, dreams of my family and friends being debt free. Dreams of buying some property and building a compound of homes for us and our friends to live. Complete with basement homes and a central rec area and a fabulous pool, outdoor kitchen, large grassy area and guest house for our extended families. (Why yes, i have been thinking about this quite a lot) Dreams of trips and traveling the world. An Amazing Race all our own. Educating our children through travel. Learning about different cultures and people, their history...how great would that be?

Donating my time and money. Who and where would I decide to give to? Needy families? School districts in need? Homeless animals? Children that need to be adopted? Frustrating. Not enough time or money even if I were rich.

Who will win? I think it's always interesting to see who the lucky winner will be. I have a plan to skip town until I find myself a great accountant/lawyer to help me out with the fine details. Would we need to disappear or could we just continue with life as if nothing out of the ordinary happened? WOULD we want to continue our lives?

So many things to think of if I were a winner winner chicken dinner.


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Baby's Got a New Pair of Shoes

This time of the year is busy, very busy. School, work, projects, shopping, cooking, cleaning, guests... Wow! Luckily I had time today to shop for some new shoes for myself. My next 5k will be here before we know it and I hope my shoes will arrive even before that. I got another pair of Nikes. Nikes are my favorites because they fit my arch the best. The ones I decided on are black and purple running shoes. snort. (since I will be "running").

I got Cassi and my "unique registration confirmation code" by email yesterday. It is a cool scanny thingy that we can show on my phone or print out and bring. I guess they will scan it and give us our numbers and jackets.

Getting excited to see all the people and eat some chocolate. yum

"Will Run for Chocolate!"

Test Post

I know, I just posted, but I got an app for my phone and wanted to make sure that it works so that I can better update my blog "on the run" ;)

I also wanted to post a motivating picture for my next 5k.




And one more for good measure.




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Ok Ok. How I feel about it.

My friend Julann said that I forgot to write about the most important parts of my first 5k.

I was extremely worried that I would get "swept". Disney posts all over the place about how you must maintain a 15 minute mile. Yeah, I didn't know if I could do that even though I am able to walk. ha Well, I am happy to report that I did not get swept and I figured out that I finished the 5k in about 40 minutes. I didn't look at the time clock when I actually walked accross the start line to know my time once I crossed the finish line, but it was pretty close to 40 minutes. I walked and ran. There were times that I knew I would walk, like going up hills. There were times when we were forced to walk,  like the bottle neck through the castle. I followed my friend Hannah's advice and paced myself with a couple people around me. I would pass them and then they would pass me and then I would pass them. It was cool. I really enjoyed myself. I am very proud of myself. I am doing another 5k in a couple of weeks and best part is that they will give me chocolate at the end. Cool, huh?

I Did It! (long)

I haven't been keeping up with my blog. I'm sorry. I will try harder. I love to blog but have been so crazy busy since the 5k that I haven't even had the time to update on what happened.

I brought my daughter Cassi with me to watch the Disneyland 5k. I think she had fun. I rode over with my two nieces, Kendra and Kara, who ran the 1/2 the following they. They ROCK!

It was a nice relaxing ride, as I didn't need to do anything but sit in the back seat and buy gas.

Once we arrived to the hotel and got settled in, Julann and Sky joined us. We walked over to the Disneyland Hotel to pick up our bibs. I was very excited and was very happy to see my name printed on my bib. I got my pin and we went up to the expo to see all the cool running stuff that they have available. We all got hairbands and some free stuff to fill our bags. It was fun.

We then went and had dinner in downtown Disney. The weather was so beautiful that we were able to eat outside. Something we aren't able to enjoy very often in Arizona. As we were walking back to our hotel for the evening we watched the fireworks light up the night sky. I love Disneyland and am so happy that I chose this venue for my first 5k experience.

Once we got back to our hotel, we got everything pinned and prepped for the next morning (which came way to early). It was time for bed. I was excited and nervous and hoped that I drank enough water. Luckily I fell straight to sleep.

Once we were dressed and ready to go, my nerves really started to set in. What if I was so slow that they "swept" me? What if I were the last one to cross the finish line? What if I couldn't do it and wasn't able to cross the finish line? These were all thoughts running through my head. Julann kept me grounded and kept telling me it would be a breeze. She said it would be fine even if I needed to walk the entire race. She said "look at that old lady and that little kid...surely you can beat them". She built up my confidence. I love her. Kendra and Kara came to support us and watch over Cassi while we were running. That was awesome since I didn't register Cassi in time and the race was full before I could do it. (there is always next year)

We got in line like a giant group of heifers and waited for the starting gun. There were A LOT OF PEOPLE! The first group of racers were allowed to start. We were held back to give them time to spread out. Finally it was time for us to start!! I could see Mickey and Minnie urging us on at the Start line. THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE! We crossed the starting line....but we were still walking...THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE! Finally, the crowd loosened up a little and we were able to start jogging. I was a little frustrated by the walkers and trying to dodge my way around them. I tried to focus and be present in the moment. I was running my first 5k, this was supposed to be fun. I followed my friend Hannah's advice and paced myself with the people in front of me. There was a group of us that kept pace with each other. We took turns passing the crowd and falling behind. I know Disneyland like the back of my aging hand and knew the areas that I would need to walk, aka the hills. So I walked and jogged and walked and jogged and saw Julann and saw Cassi and Kendra and Kara. We ran through Disneyland and California Adventure. The end was near. I rounded the corner into Cars Land and could see the Finish Line. YES! The finish line. People were lined up and cheering us on. I jogged down the street and crossed the finish line. My time wasn't very fast but it wasn't bad. 43 minutes. THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE. I collected my "medal" which was not made of metal but was cute none-the-less. I got my snack pack and I watched as the other runners crossed the finish line.

I took pictures and had a huge smile on my face. We went out for a celebratory breakfast complete with Mimosas.

Do Viking Woman Run? I don't know if all Viking Women Run, but this one will keep trying.

30 Days!

30 Days...there are 30 days until the 5k. Wow. Time has sure flown by. I need to get my ass in gear. SERIOUSLY!

I downloaded the final instructions and printed off the waiver and made my hotel reservations and am working on transportation. I got a lot done today. I will go three miles tonight to see how long it takes me. I will work all month to get ready for the 5k. I can do it!!

Holy crap! It's 30 days away.

Trying Does Not Equal Giving Up

Wow! Two weeks. Two weeks really fly by when you are having fun and not running. What can I say? Life happens in-between the plans that you have so carefully made. I'm not gonna beat myself up. I'm just gonna look forward and keep going.

The kids have been on spring break for the past two weeks. The first week we went to Las Vegas and Disneyland. Both places involved a lot of walking, but no running. Last week I was back at work and took some sub jobs since I have been extremely stressed about my students dropping this semester. So I worked during my "me" time. Our weekends are always crazy busy and to top that off I tweaked something in my hip, so I have been experiencing hip/butt/lower back pain.

But this is a new week and today is a new day and I am proud to say that even though I felt close to zero motivation to get up and run today, I did it anyways.

It is starting to warm up here in the sunny state of AZ. That means I have an excuse to complain more and work out less.... Wait, that was my old way of thinking. My new self needs to solve this problem. The heat sucks, yes? I do not even really like being out in the sun. So today I woke up early. I know, I know, I tell myself I am not a morning person and hit the snooze button repeatedly every morning just so that I can enjoy a few extra seconds in my nice warm bed. But today I opened my eyes, got out of bed, put on my clothes and walked out the door. It is a beautiful day. I was able to enjoy the sunrise and definitely felt much better when I was done. The best part is that I got it out of the way and had the rest of the morning to focus on ME!! I was able to catch up on some club work and I worked in my garden and I ate breakfast and helped the kids get ready for school. These things are all important to me and make me a better me. This needs to be my new plan from now on until it starts cooling off again in November.

I simply need to drag my sorry ass out of bed and do what I promised myself I would do. Just try. Take it one day at a time, one step at a time. I'm worth it and my family and friends are worth it too.

Ummm, Yeah

Viking Women apparently don't run when they are stressed, overworked, busy and getting ready for vacation...especially when this is all happening at the same time. Fortunately, I am not going to kick myself over this. It is what it is. In Vegas and Disneyland we will be doing plenty of walking. I may even check out the gym at the hotel. Pat on the back, I brought workout clothes. :)

Nothing much else to report other than I do actually feel like I want to run. How weird is that??

One More Day

Hey there. I made it through one more day. Today was a busy day with doctors appointments, kids to school, eyebrow wax, work, community service at Feed My Starving Children, work and work. I am happy to say that even with all that business I was able to get in a workout today. My shins were hurting me and didn't want to run again today, so instead we decided it would be a wonderful day for a bike ride. So my sore shins, Black Betty and I went out for a ride. A 5 mile ride in 30 minutes thank you very much. It was awesome! I didn't burn as many calories, but I had a great workout out in the beautiful March weather. I'm so glad that I took a ride on the wild side and did something different.

Oh. My. Hell. (on so many levels)

Ran/walked today. Didn't like it.

That's really all I have to say... but I really should explain myself.

I knew that I would be running today. I guess my biggest problem is that I don't see myself the way I really look. It's like reverse anorexia or something. I know I'm fat, but I don't really internalize my fatness kinda like super skeletal anorexic people don't think that they are thin enough. So I knew today would start a new leg of the c25k program. A VERY SCARY new leg. The "short" run is 3 minutes which was the "long" run just last week. The "long" run is 5 minutes. Holy Hell!! Yes, that's right. But my brain was telling myself that I looked super cute in my new running pants that I got. Let's take a little detour. My new grey pants with little slits on the cuff with pockets for my iPhone that are made by Danskin. The little tag that was on the pants give the following inspiring tips:

DANSKIN NOW

Move closer to you goals

Create the world you want

Inspire those you love

Live your life in motion

Then, I look on the back of the tag. I love that they only cost $9.00. But then I notice the name of the item... DN PORKCHOP JUDO. What the hell? Porkchop!?!? PORKCHOP? Very funny Danskin, very funny. Touche. I get your humor.

So anyways, I was thinking how cute I looked and not that I am still fat and that I need to psyche myself up to run 5 minutes. So just to let you know, I can not in fact run 5 minutes. Yet. I was able to do both of the three minute runs which is really amazing since it wasn't that long ago that I couldn't even run one damn minute without stopping early. So I know if I keep working I will get there. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time.

Here's another interesting fact. I took the dog with me today which I can say with 100% confidence I DO NOT LIKE. But, every time I start getting on my workout clothes and putting on my Nikes she gets very excited and starts running around looking for her leash. Then she starts crying because she if very afraid I will leave before she finds her leash. Then she starts looking me straight in the eye like "you better not leave before I can find the damn leash!" So I break down and take her, even though I don't want to. Today, my middle child wanted to come along too. WTF? Yeah, I need some little kid dancing in circles around me while I am trying to "run". Luckily she only lasted 1/2 the time before she got bored and headed for home.

Today I went 2.22 miles!! Yeah for me.

YES!

I have so much to talk about today. First of all, I ran my entire third leg of the program without stopping early on any of the runs. That's two 3 minute runs and two 1 1/2 minute runs. My right calf was a little tight and my knee is hurting a little but nothing that a little ibuprofen won't fix up. I also ordered some "joint health" medicine from Melaleuca that I have used before and I know will help. Yes!! I am so happy that I pushed through the pain.

I focused on my parents today. They were both great people and died tragically young. That is one of my biggest fears. I don't want to die young and leave my children and never meet my grand children. This is another reason that I am running. To be a good example to them and to be around FOR them.

Next, I would like to celebrate obtaining my first mini goal. I use an app called "Loose It" and it tracks the food that I eat, my exercise and my weight. I decided that having a huge weight loss goal is not in my best interest. Little goals along the way that will eventually add up to an overall big weight loss is my plan. So I'm going to focus on 10 lbs at a time. 10 little pounds. Ten nasty little pounds. Yeah, right!! Ten pounds is a big deal. The first 6 of my 10 pounds came off relatively easy....but those last couple of pounds were a struggle. BUT, I did it!! At first I wasn't going to post a picture of the screen shot that I took, but then I decided that I am heavy and it's not a secret. There's no hiding my large ass and hammies. So it is better to own it. So I have decided not to be embarrassed about how much I weigh, but to be proud of those 10 little pounds that I have lost. Yes, that is a better plan. So here it is....my first 10 pounds gone. :)

My starting weight. OMFG! That is the heaviest I have ever been.

10 pounds gone!

I have set a new goal for 10 more pounds. I'll

let you know when I hit that goal.

I don't know why it says this. I do not plan to maintain this current weight.

The next thing I would like to discuss is the tragic loss of my pink skull head phones.

As I was running my iPhone fell out of my pocket and dropped to the ground. Thankfully, my phone was fine, but my head phones are jacked. (taps playing) Goodbye to my comfortable earbuds. You served me well and may have saved the life of my precious iPhone. Thank you.

I know that this post is getting long, but I just have so much to talk about today. The last thing that I would like to say is that I really am enjoying looking at nature while I am out and about walk/running. I noticed today that all the trees are budding out and the tiny green leaves have burst overnight. It is so beautiful to see that Spring has sprung. Here is a picture of our flowering plumb tree in our front yard. I LOVE it.

DAMN, That Was Close!!

Hell!! That was a little too close for comfort. You know what I mean. I've heard the stories from others, and now I can say I have experienced that for myself...the extreme need to use the bathroom while out on a walk/run. Oh sure, it starts out as a little tease. A little stomach gurgle. Is that gas or a sign of things to come? No worries, just keep running. Then they come like the contractions of a woman about to give birth, regularly and closer and closer together. I turn around to head for home. Am I too far? How will I possibly make it? I try to monitor if my faster running is making the cramps come faster or if I can time it to make it home before disaster strikes. Wonder if those neighbors would mind my taking a dump in their bushes. Gross, right? Seriously!! Keep running. Please don't let me see anyone I know, as I'm pretty sure that my form (with my ass sticking out and my legs squeezed together) will give away my serious predicament. Keep focused! Stay determined. I develop tunnel vision and start saying some prayers. "Please dear baby Jesus, please let me make it home before I crap myself! PLEASE!!" The painters are at my house and have blocked the front door, so I have to go all the way around an in through the back patio door. Crap! I didn't account for that delay. By the time I enter the house my legs are literally crossed and I'm hobbling through the house. But, Praise God! I made it just in the nick of time. Shaking and exhausted I'm so glad I have my bodybugg on because I'm positive that I burned twice as many calories on todays run. Lord help me, I hope they have port-a-potties set up about every 10 feet at Disneyland's 5K.

New Toy

Look what I got for myself as a reward for working out for four weeks. It is the BodyMedia Fit CORE Armband. It is supposed to keep track of how many calories I burn each day. I enter in the food that I eat and it should keep me on track for my new healthy lifestyle goal. A couple of years ago I looked into getting the BodyBugg but it was pretty expensive. This was $150 on Amazon and then I pay a monthly membership fee to have access to their program. I like it because it is so small and doesn't bother me too much to wear it. I also like that it is able to show me literally minute by minute how active I am. It even show sleep patterns and how often you wake up during the night.

I did another 3 minute run today. It felt pretty good. I still couldn't do the second 3 minute run and had to stop early, but that's ok. I know I will get there and I am really trying to enjoy this journey. This was the perfect time of year to start because our weather is so damn beautiful. I am a little worried about a couple of things. What will I do when we go on vacations? What will I do when it starts getting hot? I know that I would like to eventually add in some swimming because I am a good swimmer and I love swimming but thats not running.... I need a plan for the vacation concern because I leave for spring break in 15 days. Yippee. I guess if I need to, I can always use the hotel tread mill. I will need to remember to pack work out clothes. :)

Another day down. I'm feeling really good mentally and am happy to feel myself getting stronger physically.

A New Outfit for a New Day

OMG! Today was hard. First off, I forgot my damn sunglasses again! What is up with that? Second, I couldn't breathe. Breathing is important for running and walking and living. When I can't breathe I feel like I am in outer space; I'm not really aware of my surroundings. I'm sure this is a phenomenon that happens when there is no oxygen in your brain. The reason this occurred today is because I ran three 1 1/2 minute runs and one 3 minute run!! Yes, I ran 3 whole minutes without stopping. I rock!!

I knew today was going to be a huge challenge so I thought it would be appropriate to wear a new outfit. I think I looked pretty cute in my light pink hoodie and new black pants from the Walmart. whoot woo.

I Kept My Power!

I would also like to report that I kept my power this weekend even though I shared my plan with my spouse. I told my wonderful husband that I had been keeping a deep, dark, secret from him. That I have been walk/running AND that I had been doing it for three whole weeks AND that I started a blog to keep track of my progress AND that I had signed up for a Disneyland 5K!!!!! He said he is proud of me, that he knew something was up, but didn't know what and that he wished I had asked him to join me. I explained that I would have liked to have asked him to join me, but that I was afraid he would "steal my power" and that this was about ME, not us or him. It is about me taking control. About me stepping up to a challenge. About me wanting to feel better about myself. About me setting boundaries for myself and others. He understood. He is good that way. He said he would like to start using the app and I told him I would be happy to help him with that whenever he is ready. I still haven't shared this with very many people. Just the ones I am close to and the ones that I think will support me.

So, that's what's up with me. I am still trying and still taking one step at a time because I am worth it.

Strongest Day Yet

I did not hesitate at all to go out and do my runs. I'm not sure if I'm getting stronger, building my lung capacity, just getting used to the pain or all of it. Probably a little of each. I am more than a little happy to report that today was my strongest day yet. I ran the entire minute and a half of 5 of my 6 runs and went a hair over two miles today which is my longest yet. Sounds pitiful to say it out loud...oooh, I ran 1 1/2 whole minutes without stopping. Haha but it really is amazing when just three weeks ago I couldn't even run one crappy minute without stopping. Wow. I can't wait to see how this journey progresses. Yay for me.

I AM STRONG; I AM BEAUTIFUL!

Yes, this was my mantra that I was thinking about today as I ran. I know that I am beautiful in my own way. I don't think many others can get past the curves to see it, but it's in there. Hopefully I will drop the pounds and people will be able to see the me that I see.

I also know that I am strong and will continue to grow stronger with each workout.

I am still sick and have adjusted my workouts a little. I also think that realistically I'm not going to be able to keep pace with the C25K program the way it is set up. Luckily I read the "how to use the c25k program" and it gave some really good tips on pushing yourself and if it is too hard going back to the previous week until you build up more endurance. So, I have a plan (until I need to make an alternate plan). I am going to try to make the program twice as long by doing each week for two weeks. If I am able to accomplish this, I should be running 30 minutes straight the first week of June. That will give me 3 months until the Disney 5K to work on speed.

I am beautiful and I am strong and I am taking one day at a time, one minute at a time and one foot in front of the other.

It's Official

It's official, I have entered my very first race. It is the Disneyland Family Fun-run 5K. I can't believe I entered it. I even got the pin.(squeal) I am so excited and a little scared.

Happy "V" Day to Me

Happy Valentines Day to you and Happy Valentines Day to me too!

That's what I kept thinking as I was out walk/running today. I find it funny that I actually was looking forward to going out and running today. I really do want to start thinking of myself more and taking care of myself more as well. I'm worth it, I deserve it and I'm just sad that it took 42 years for me to get with the program.

Speaking of programs, I started the second leg of the training today and am amazed that I was able to run most of the 1 1/2 minute runs. I hit the wall as usual right at the middle two runs and stopped early. But the last two were great.

It is sprinkling out today so I left the hound at home (much to her doggy chagrin) because I am always afraid that it will be slippery and I will fall. I like having her with me, but I think that I like running better without her. I can focus on myself a little more and not worry about her wanting to stop and smell the roses all the damn time.

I had a dream last night that my stomach was totally flat! HA! That would (think positive...will) be awesome!!!

Now to stretch. I'm feeling kinda tight today so I better do a little stretching.

To Run or Not to Run...That is the Question

Yesterday I woke up feeling like crap. Well not like crap but not good either. I just don't feel well. I feel like I can't breath. I have a dry cough. I'm fighting something. Should I run, or is it better to take the day off? The problem is that I didn't run the day before and I AM NOT REPEATING MY RESET!

So I decided to run but not push myself too hard. I ran and "speed walked". I have to admit that I am uber proud of myself for going even though I didn't feel well. And as Debbie predicted, I did feel much better when I was done. (for a while) I was also very suprised that the speed walking was much more difficult than I thought it would be. In fact, I think that the speed walking was actually more difficult than the running. hmmmm, I think that will be an alternate day activity that I can add to my bike riding.

I'm so happy that I decided to go. Now I am ready to start on the next leg of training. I feel like I'm strong enough and ready mixed with a healthy dose of scared. I need to remember one day at a time, one foot in front of the other. I can do this.

Apps Are Everything!

I've gotta say that technology is wonderful. I'm using my iPhone and several apps to get this party started. When I'm ready to begin I open iTunes and decide which play list I want to listen to for the day. Then I open iMapMyWALK app. It is a GPS program that keeps track of where I go, how far I go, how long it takes me and the calories I burned. It is really cool. I love looking at the map after I'm done to see exactly where I was since I feel like my brain is on hold while I'm working out. Finally I open my Get Running app. This is the c25k app that leads me literally minute by minute through my workout for the day. The "British Bitch" as I lovingly call her counts down how many seconds until I start running and stop running and how many runs I have left. I think she laughed at me today. It is also a very cool app that I don't think I could live without. Honestly, I could live without it, but I couldn't run without it.

The final app you might notice is a new app that I got for myself. It is the Countdown app. It is counting down the days until my 5k that I am planning on signing up for. It is the 5k at Disneyland on September 1st. I'm very excited to do it. I needed to have something to strive for and I am a Disneylover. I love all things Disney! Last year when we were at Disneyland I noticed some kind of race happening. I had no idea that they host 1/2 marathons, 5k's and other family fun run type things. So, when I was trying to come up with something that I wanted to do to prove I could run a 5k and to reward myself at the same time, this seemed like a perfect match. My friend Julann is going to run it with me. I love her! She is a great role model and has already been running for a while. I hope I don't let her down and can do this.

This is the website: http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/disneyland-half-marathon

Yay!!

Reset Day 1

Damn! damn damn damndamn it. I had to reset my running program because I didn't have a chance to run at all this past weekend because it was too busy and over-scheduled. I didn't think I would be able to run the additional 30 seconds, so I decided to start over. So I started over and it sucked. I ran at 2:30 in the afternoon, which I believe is not the best time of day for my internal clock. It was hot, the sun was in my eyes .... I know I know whah whahh. This whole experience is a learning experience, right? So maybe it was a good thing that I started over. I learned that I don't want to skip a run and I learned that I should not run in the middle of the afternoon.

Day 2 - Is This Hell?

Ok. I have to admit, I didn’t go into todays walk/run as excited as the first day. Lesson learned…Mental note – Get yourself geared up, psyched up, excited or whatever before you begin your walk/run. Honestly, I did great the first four one minute runs. I ran the whole time without even stopping early which I though was fucking amazing!! But then it happened. I hit the wall. It was pretty much a brick wall. I don’t know if it had to do with my fear of falling and not wanting to run on the wet cement that the sprinklers sprayed causing me to loose what little focus I had today or if I just used up all my mojo on the first four runs. I did rebound and ran my entire 8th run. My 6th, and 7th runs felt like Hell. And of course, as I’m doing the running portion, I think posative thoughts like “I’m going to hell if I don’t start acting right and treating my kids and husband better”….”this is probably exactly what hell is like, running, hauling around my big fat ass with the sun in my eyes”. Now I know why runners wear those running hats with visors and sun glasses…So the damn sun isn’t always in your eyes sucking out valuable energy that you need to focus on running. The walking part is fine. I know how to walk and catch my breath at the same time.

I declare that I am proud of myself. I did the second day and I’m still alive. Can’t decide if I like Dayzee running with me or not. She’s fine most of the time, but if she sees a bird she wants to catch it and 99% of the time that’s not where I’m going. The best part of this is finishing and being able to put down how many calories I used in my app on my phone. Today I used 190 Cal. Wheeee

I am strong. I can do this. I can become an unlikely runner. One foot in front of the other.

Day 1 - C25K

Ok. Today is the day. The first day of a new journey I have been thinking about for a while. I’m not promising myself anything other than “I will try”. I have always been amazed and perplexed by people that run. 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon and triathlons.

I have also been thinking that if I want to enjoy a long life, I need to loose some weight. Let’s not kid ourselves…I need to loose a lot of weight. It’s a lifestyle change kind of thing, not an eat less exercise more kind of thing. Although I’m sure the later will be part of the plan.

So, I’m gonna think more about me. Set more boundaries for myself and others. Say “no” when I’m not 100% confident that the answer should be yes and put one foot in front of the other and run. God, the running part sounds horrible and I will need to retrain my brain to think this is a good idea. I have decided that the c25k program (couch to five kilometers) program is worthy. At this point I can barely imagine running the one minute comfortably much less a 5k or more, but I’m gonna take it one day at a time.

January 31,2012