Life On Hold? I Think Not...

Today I was feeling down, see the hubs is getting set to deploy soon and it made me feel like my life is going to be on hold while he's gone. All the plans we made for the end of this year and next, specifically starting a family and trying to have a baby are now tabled until he returns, and with the prospect of him not returning until about a year from now, it just about kills me. I get in a funk and feel like I am just wasting away time, pressing the "hold" button and wishing desperately to fast forward until he is supposed to return, and he's not even gone yet! The last time deployment came around I was in grad school, interning, and living with my BFF in Orlando, read: I had my own life and plenty to keep me busy. This time around, I have no friends, no job, no family, and no real things to keep me occupied. But then, I decided I needed to snap out of it! So what's a girl to do? Come up with some new goals to work on!

I got to thinking, what is it that I really would love to do and cross off my bucket list while he's gone since I will have oodles of time to devote to myself? The number one thing for me is always to work on myself and manage my weight. I've been struggling to reach that magic number for 2 years now, and it hasn't happened. Mostly, it's because I am just not dedicated enough. I find ways to sabotage myself, and with the hubs around I use him as my excuse and co-conspirator to getting off track. So this time, as you are all my witnesses, I am going to finally get these last, ugh,15 pounds off! After all, I want to be in tip-top shape before embarking on a journey where I will actually have to gain weight, and I want to have the healthiest pregnancy possible, and I think if I am at my healthiest pre-baby, it may help during the pregnancy and post-pregnancy.

My next goals go hand in hand with the weight loss, I'm going to run more. How much more? Well, I think I am going to do two, yes, TWO, more half marathons. I began thinking that I am most motivated when I have something to train for. And given that I've already run a half marathon, this time I am going to shoot for making it a PR. I'm thinking about the Disney Princess Half in Disney World in Florida in February 2011, and am hoping since it will be in my home state, that my mom, or aunt, or BFF would be willing to come with me for the weekend, and since I have some friends in the area, that maybe I could even see them (you all know who you are ;-) ). I'm also hoping to do the Germantown Half one again in March 2011, and hopefully my aunt will come out during her Spring Break to cheer me on from the sidelines. I've thought about a full marathon, and while it is something I think I would really like to do some day, I just don't know if I am a good enough runner to commit to doing one yet. Maybe I'll change my mind in the midst of half marathon training again, but I'm not banking on it just yet.

I'm also going to finally get through the 30 Day Shred. I know I've started it about 10 times now. But this time, I commit, I am going to do it straight for 30 days. I'm not sure when I'll do it yet, before, during, or after half marathon training though, but sometime in the next year, I WILL do it.

I'm also thinking about doing P90X after the halfs. I know I wouldn't be able to handle it during training, but in the months after the races, I will have some time, and I am just so inspired by the results I see with this program. I'm very tempted to buy it and try it. I think it would be a great asset in helping me reach my weight loss goals, plus I'd like to be ripped ;-)

Finally, I'm going to read more. I've done a lot of reading this year. More than I did in any recent years, but I'd like to do more. So, I think I'm going to set the goal of 25 books in a year, puts me at about 2 books a month, and would keep me busy and happy. So start sending me some good read suggestions!

In addition to the goals, I will also be traveling and visiting family and friends to keep myself busy and get to spend some quality time with people I don't get to see often. I'm really excited at the prospect of spending time with everyone! So I guess maybe deployment won't be so bad after all. I know there will be rough days, but I'm hoping these goals will help me stay focused and help pass the time. Stay tuned for progress reports!

Motivation Where Are You?

I've lost my motivation. We're going on vacation to Hawaii in a month and I have no motivation to work out or try to lose these last 10 lbs that I have been trying to lose for a while now. I keep telling myself I will begin the 30 Day Shred again, and try to tone up and be bathing suit ready, but each day passes without me getting up off the couch to do it. I miss running, but not enough to actually go out in the 100*+ heat or battling the crowds at the gym. Motivation, please come back! I need you right now! Anyone have any spare motivation they would like to send my way? I would really appreciate it!

Week 7 Half Marathon Training Complete

Yet another week has passed, and yet another milestone has been accomplished! Today I set another PDR (personal distance record), I ran 12 miles!! I am super sore right now, I mean like both of my entire legs are screaming, but it is so worth it! I actually feel much better after this run than I did after last week's 11 miler. Again we ran half the distance outside, and let me tell you, it was heaven! The sun was shining, in fact I got a little sunburn on my face, and the weather was beautiful, about 48 degrees, which felt great compared to the sweatbox that is the gym. I've just really been aching to get back outdoors, I am ready for Spring and the sunshine and warmer, but not too warm, weather. And to top it all off, this was my last double digit run until the half. Next week starts tapering. I drank a 5-Hour Energy shot before the run today, and I really think I am liking them more and more. I also fueled myself with some gummy bears and jelly beans a couple times during the run, as I saw suggested by some runners in place of an energy gel or GU or chomp. I think they really hit the spot and gave me some little bursts or energy.

This week, however, was not free of challenges. I skipped my Monday 4 miler due to my knee pain from last week. I felt bad knowing that there was no way I was going to make 26 miles this week after that pain. In fact when I finally got back on schedule on Wednesday it was extremely difficult. I did 1 mile, and my left calf and right knee were sore, so I instead switched over to the elliptical and did 1 mile on there to warm me up better and allow my muscles to open up. I then went back to the treadmill to finish off another 4.25 miles, but it was all a slower pace than I normally like to do. Thursday's 5 miler again was difficult. I was still sore, and I just was having problems getting into a groove, I think it's from the dread of the treadmill, lately I just have been really hating it, especially when I see the sun shining outside, despite the cold, I just feel like I can't zone out as well anymore on the treadmill, and I am always worrying about smashing my hands or wedding rings into the treadmill now that it has definitely messed with my stride.

But alas, this week I got in 22 miles, with fairly decent paces. After the long run today we stopped off at the Exchange and I picked up a knee brace and some Glucosamine. My knee did give me a little trouble today, nothing like last week, but I still think I am going to try to wear the brace on my next few runs and see how it goes. And I'm hoping the Glucosamine also helps with it, supposedly it helps with joints and cartilage. I did take my 2 Advil as soon as I got in the car this afternoon, and so I think it helped stave off some of the pain that usually develops in my knee when I sit after long runs. And the big news: we are OFFICIALLY registered for the half as of about 30 minutes ago!! I am super pumped now, just knowing that we are set and paid up. I feel like a runner now! I have felt this way for a while now, but now it's official! "The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank." -Dr. George Sheehan, so I guess I am a runner after all! I leave you now with this week's stats:

Weight is still holding steady...we'll see if tomorrow (my official weigh in day) it changes any...

Week 7, Day 1: 5.27 miles, 55:01, av pace: 10:25 min/mi
Week 7, Day 2: 5.01 miles, 50:50, av pace: 10:08 min/mi
Week 7, Day 3: 12.00 miles, 2:04:05, av pace: 10:20 min/mi

Week 6 Half Marathon Training Complete

Another week down! I can't believe my race is 4 weeks from tomorrow! This week was difficult, I'm not going to lie, I had a really hard time getting my body to do 24 miles. After last Sunday's 10 miler, Monday's 4 miler was torture. I've never had to stop so many times throughout a "short" run before. My right knee and ankle were aching and I wasn't sure I would be able to finish. Wednesday and Thursday thankfully were better. Wednesday I followed my run with a 50 minute yoga DVD, which helped significantly with the soreness.

Today was hell. I began with downing the 5 Hour Energy Drink and then got on the treadmill at the gym and did 6 miles, but my stomach had been acting up since this morning, so I had to stop twice to go to the bathroom, not fun. But it was so nice out today that Tony and I decided that we would run the rest of our mileage outside on the running trails on base. And while the weather was gorgeous at about 60 degrees and sunny, I was miserable. My right knee was killing me, along with my sour stomach. I had to stop to walk more times than I care to count and had to pause once to again find a restroom. I broke down on the trail at least twice, crying in pain and crying out of frustration on how I couldn't quit. Tony was worried and told me numerous times that I didn't have to complete my mileage and that we could stop anytime I wanted, but I refused. I am super stubborn, and once I have my mind set to something, by God I will finish it! So alas, I pushed through, took my time, and walked when I needed to. But I am proud to say, today I ran my furthest distance ever, 11 miles! I must say, I think the 5 Hour Energy shot was pretty good, the taste wasn't great, but I did feel quite energized and never really got tired, my issues weren't from fatigue at all. I may try it again next week, or an another type of energy gel if I can find any around town.

As I type this there is an ice pack on my knee, and I've already taken my first round of Advil. I plan to stay off the knee for as long as I need to to allow it to rest, I guess that means even if I have to miss a couple runs next week. I also smashed my right wrist on the treadmill screen/ledge thing will running, and now I have a huge bump and bruise on it; as well as a painful blister on my left big toe. The main thing is to stay injury free through the race. At the same time though, I am confident that, maybe I won't get a fantastic time for the half, but I will finish it! As far as weight loss, this week was a wash, the scale hasn't been moving again, although it is probably due to the copious amounts of icing I continue to eat thanks to my cake class. I really need to learn to avoid eating every flower I mess up. Hopefully next week will show a loss. I leave you now with the stats for this week:

Week 6, Day 1: 4.02 miles, 40:42, av pace: 10:07 min/mi
Week 6, Day 2: 5.01 miles, 47:42, av pace: 9:30 min/mi
Week 6, Day 3: 4.01 miles, 38:49, av pace: 9:40 min/mi 
Week 6, Day 4: 11 miles, 1:56:44, av pace: 10:36 min/mi

Week 4 Half Marathon Training Complete

Week 4 is now complete and I am feeling so accomplished! I ran a total of 19.44 miles according to my Nike+, I was supposed to do 19 miles to meet my training schedule, although I have noticed the Nike+ not being spot on with the treadmill lately, today it was overestimating, and on Wednesday it was underestimating, so I think it may be time for another calibration.

But anyway, on to this week. Monday was fairly easy considering the day before I ran 6 miles. Wednesday was a little harder as it was a 5 miler, but I gave it a pretty good effort, just not as fast as I would have liked, but still good effort. Thursday was fairly easy, it was the first time I set a new record for my average pace, running the mile in 9:09 minutes; it was also the first time in a while that I went before noon and I ended up showering at the gym and then meeting Tony for lunch after and then went to run a bunch of errands. Today was definitely completely a mental hurdle, 8.25 miles...I got through the first half with just a couple walking breaks and one stretch break, the second half was so much easier though. The only thing that got in my way was the treadmill resetting at 60 minutes, it automatically goes into cool down mode after it hits 60 minutes and when in that mode it kept resetting the incline and speed, I was at 6 miles then and my water bottle was almost empty, so I took the opportunity to step off the treadmill for a minute, refill my bottle, and restart the machine to finish the last 2 miles. It was definitely an experience, and one that I am sure my mind played a good deal in controlling. I just kept thinking to myself "I can do this!" and "almost there...only x amount of time/miles left."

I walked off that treadmill today knowing that I can do anything and definitely feeling like the world is my oyster! I can't wait to see how next week's 10 mile run goes, and hopefully the weather will be nicer and maybe I can attempt to run it outside on base. I also plan on trying some energy gels during next week's long run, so we'll see how that goes. On the weight loss front, I tracked my points all week so far, and as of yesterday morning I was down 1.8 lbs, we'll see how holds up come Monday morning. I now leave you with my stats for this week:

Week 4, Day 1: 3.08 miles, 28:57, av pace: 9:23 min/mi
Week 4, Day 2: 5.00 miles, 49:42, av pace: 9:55 min/mi
Week 4, Day 3: 3.09 miles, 28:18, av pace: 9:09 min/mi
Week 4, Day 4: 8.25 miles, 1:21:14, av pace: 9:51 min/mi

Week 3 Half Marathon Training Complete

This week it seemed everything was against me in getting my runs done, first I was sick and could not get off the couch or out of my pajamas, let alone run. Then there was the winter storm we got Friday which dumped about 6-8 inches of snow on us, shutting down the city and the base, which means the gym was closed too, not very conducive for running. Also I felt so behind not meeting my mileage last week due to the cold I had, plus I had to cram the usual four runs into three this week to meet my mileage. But I pushed through and got it done, against all odds! I am so proud of myself this week and am feeling so strong and truly amazed at what my body can do! This week I ran 16 miles total, the farthest distance I have ever run, and at a pretty fast pace considering the distances! I can't wait for next week, and am hoping nothing comes up this week to try to deter me from keeping on schedule. Bring it week 4!

As far as weight loss goes, well I am at a stand still. It seems my body is just not wanting to give anything up. Of course this could also be due to the ungodly amounts of frosting and cake I have been eating lately and just not really paying attention to what I am putting into my body, so alas, the scale has not moved in weeks, maybe even close to a month now. So I have a new resolution for this week, I will be back on the Weight Watcher wagon and be tracking my food and points and hopefully not eating anymore cake for a few weeks. I'll report back next week. Until then, I leave you with stats from this week:

Week 3, Day 1: 5.06 miles, 49:44, av pace: 9:50 min/mi
Week 3, Day 2: 5.01 miles, 48:42, av pace: 9:43 min/mi
Week 3, Day 3: 6.13 miles, 59:33, av pace: 9:43 min/mi

Making Good On Goals For 2010

I mentioned it a couple days ago, and have been saying for a while, that one of my goals for this year is to run a half marathon, and I think today I found the one I want to do! This one, is close to home, and gives me about 10 weeks to prepare for it, if I start this training schedule this Monday. I'm too chicken to sign up for it just yet, but I have until February 28th before the registration fee hikes up another $5. So Monday I will begin week 1 of training and see how the next few weeks play out with it and see about signing up! I am so excited! I'm trying to convince hubby to run it with me, but he is on the fence right now, so like I said, we'll wait until Feb to register. This also would get me to my goal of running between 15-20 miles per week too, something I am really trying to do.

I ran 3.5 miles Monday, and 3.5 miles today, (and both times I have upped my pace into the 9:xx min/mile) and plan another 3.5 on Friday. On the weight loss front, I gained about 3 lbs over the holidays, I lost some, but am still up about 1.6 lbs, so back to the grind I go, trying to lose these last 11.8 lbs. I leave you with my Nike+ stats for thus far in my running journey (although it's missing the first week and half I did of c25k before I got the Nike+, that would affect everything but the farthest):
# of Workouts: 38
Farthest: 4.57 miles
Total Distance: 104.79 miles
Total Time: 19.59 hours
Total Calories: 11652

Happy 2010!!

Happy New Year!! With the new year here I suppose it is time to reflect on the previous year and the things that made it great, so in no particular order, here are my top 9 things that happened in '09:

1. Getting married! It was truly the happiest day of my life and I am so happy to be married to my best friend!! And sharing it with the people who mean the most to us was truly a joyous occasion!
2. Finally getting to live in the same place with Tony, after over 2 years of long distance, we finally got to move in together and no longer have any miles between us.
3. Our honeymoon in Jamaica! It was such an awesome time and we got to do so many cool things like ziplining, river tubing, and climbing a waterfall, basically things I was way too scared to do but so glad I did them!
4. Jessica's wedding in Miami! It was an awesome time to see my BFF get married and to celebrate with everyone!
5. Going to CT for Farva and Keira's wedding. It was such a good time to see our Navy friends and hang out and see Farva and Keira pledge their love to one another in front of their closest friends and family.
6. My bridal shower and bparty. I felt so special and it was such a great time to enjoy with my dearest friends and family!
7. Hubby graduating with his MPA. It has been such a long and arduous road for him and I am so happy that he is finally done and so incredibly proud of him!
8. Getting to my WW goal weight. Weight has always been a struggle for me, but this year I finally got to what I believe is a healthy weight and made Lifetime membership at Weight Watchers. I was so proud of this and now I know it's just a jumping point and have now decided to lose an additional 10 lbs to get to the healthiest weight and BMI I think I can be.
9. Starting and finishing C25K and becoming a runner. This has been the most challenging and most rewarding exercise routine I have ever taken on. But I am so happy I pushed through and did it. I feel so accomplished and healthy. I love running, I love logging miles now and pushing myself to be the best runner I can be!

So now on to my goals for 2010, I don't really make resolutions anymore, but this year I have a few goals I would like to complete this year, so here they are:

1. Lose these last 10 lbs and be the fittest, healthiest I can be.
2. Eventually work up to running 15-20 miles per week.
3. Run a half marathon.
4. Eat healthier, get back on track (I have been bad and off track the last month or so).
5. Get pregnant (although Hubby's work schedule may push this one into 2011, but we'll see)
6. Travel as much as possible
7. Find a job I love or start my own business.

Happy 2010 everyone and may it be a great year!!

Week 8 Complete

I am feeling super accomplished and back on track, I finished Week 8 of C25K today! I am still behind thanks to my never ending illness, I have the Turkey Trot 5K on Thursday, which will be one day after I start Week 9, in fact I may make the race Day 1 of Week 9. But anyway, Week 8 was pretty good, I have gone by longest distances this week and some pretty steady paces. Week 8 was definitely challenging, it was straight running for 28 minutes, the first two days I had to stop at different points, whether it was slowing down to a power walk for 30 seconds, or pausing the treadmill and stretching, or on Saturday I was in pain with a blister on my arch and had to stop for a minute to examine what the hell was hurting in my shoe so bad.

I also had some issues with my Nike+ first overestimating and then underestimating my distances, I am happy to say after calibrating it for a third time, it now is spot on with the treadmill in both the distances and the pace now. Weigh in this week was the same as last week, but I'm not really surprised considering my eating hasn't been so great lately, I definitely need to work on that this week. I am so excited though to run the race on Thursday, I will definitely be back with a full race report! Until then, here are the stats for this week:

Week 8, Day 1: 3.24 miles, 39:12 (my Nike+ was off this day, the treadmill said 3.35 miles when I was done, plus I also decided to calibrate the Nike+ following the workout due to this error, I did an additional .50 miles of running and .25 miles of walking, so total mileage for today was 4.1 miles and time was 48:15).
Week 8, Day 2: 3.62 miles, 40:00
Week 8, Day 3: 3.63 miles, 39:59

Week 7 Complete...Sorta...

So I have been super sick for the last few weeks, I managed to run the first day of W7 of C25K on Tuesday Oct 27th, then I just couldn't do it anymore, I was tired, in pain and just feeling plain old icky. Then it got worse, I managed to also pick up a cold flu that weekend which brought more fever, drippy/runny nose, and the worst of all chest congestion and cough. I missed running, but I seriously did not feel like doing it and all articles I read said if any symptoms were below the neck or you had a fever over 99.0 degrees to not run. So I heeded the advice and sat the week out.

I finally feel better and most of my symptoms have disappeared, so Saturday I finally got back to the treadmill. I picked up on W7 again, thinking the 11 day hiatus would not have affected me that badly, but sadly I think I was wrong. It was very difficult for me to get through the 25 minute run, in fact I slowed down to a brisk walk for about 45 seconds when I was about 15 minutes into the run. But alas I trudged on and finished. Today I ran what would be W7D3 technically. Again, it was super difficult. I paused to stretch about 15 minutes into the run, and then I felt like I was doing well, but I wanted to change my playlist on my ipod, I couldn't do it still running, so with 6 minutes left to go I again paused for a couple seconds to fiddle with the click wheel. I ended up running for a full 25 minutes after all, but I don't know if I am ready to move on to Week 8 yet. I think Wednesday I will begin Week 8, but if it proves very difficult for me, I will stop at the 25 minute run mark and not run the extra 3 minutes that W8 entails, thus repeating one additional day of W7.

Fingers crossed I do well. I feel so behind now on my training and my 5K is in 10 days, yet I won't be done with C25K by then now like I would have been if I hadn't gotten sick. I am really disappointed and I just hope that I finish the 5K in the 30 minutes that is my goal. Anyway, stats for Week 7:

Week 7, Day 1: 3.25 miles, 34:48 (my farthest distance and fastest pace ever)
Week 7, Day 2: 3.19 miles, 34:59
Week 7, Day 3: 3.19 miles, 35:12

The plus side is, even though I was sick and ended up losing another 2 lbs, I thought for sure when I finally felt better and started eating again I would gain some back, especially since I haven't been eating healthily, but nope, still down 2 lbs!! Yay! I am hoping that now that I am back to running and finally getting back to eating right that I will drop even more.

Week 6 Complete

So another week has gone by and I am feeling super accomplished. In big news this week, I signed up for my first 5K!! There is going to be a Turkey Trot 5K for fun on base this November and I am super pumped to run in it! I will be a one week graduate of C25K by then, so I can't wait to put my training to the test and run the race. I am hoping I can do it in 30 minutes, that's going to be what I shoot for, but I won't be upset if it happens to take me a few minutes longer, I just want to be a finisher. After the race there is going to be a celebratory Thanksgiving dinner, but really more like lunch due to the time of day. My wonderful hubby has decided he wants to run the race with me, so it looks like he will be right there with me for it!

I really want to go on to run a half marathon and eventually a marathon. I found out that the Rock and Roll half marathon will be happening in Vegas the week that we are there this year in the beginning of December, but I highly doubt I will be able to go from running 3.1 to 13.1 miles in the course of 2 weeks. Sadly, I don't think we'll be heading to Vegas next year, so it seems I will have to find another half to compete in maybe in the Spring of 2010.

Anyway, back to Week 6 of C25K. I have been terribly under the weather this week, my lymph nodes in the left side of my neck swelled to the size of a baseball and I had a low grade fever all week long, so running wasn't exactly something I wanted to do, Day 1 and Day 2 were extremely difficult for me this week. This was also the last week of interval training, next week it's the big time, running for 25 minutes straight! So, Day 1 started with the 5 minute warm up walk, then a 5 minute run, then 3 minute walk, 8 minute run, 3 minute walk, and a final 5 minute run and then the 5 minute cool down. It wasn't terrible, but I was definitely ready for the walk after the 8 minute run. Day 2 involved the 5 minute warm up, 10 minute run, 3 minute walk, and then another 10 minute run, and then the 5 minute cool down.  Day 2 I definitely thought I was going to die during the second 10 minute run. I had to stop for about 20 seconds to stretch out my legs and ankles. I was so happy when it was finally over. I ended up doing Day 3 today instead of yesterday because Tony dragged me to the urgent care clinic yesterday finally after a week of my aforementioned illness. I ended up getting a steroid shot and the swelling has gone down a lot, so I felt a bit better and really wanted to stay on track, so to the gym I went. Today was the usual warm up, 25 minutes of straight running, and then the cool down. I must say I felt much better and so proud after finishing today! It gives me hope for next week. So here are the stats for the week:

Week 6, Day 1: 3.04 miles, 37:14
Week 6, Day 2: 2.99 miles, 35:13
Week 6, Day 3: 3.16 miles, 35:06

And on the weight loss front, I am back down to my wedding weight! Lost 3 lbs this week. Although I don't know if I should trust it just yet as it may have been a result of my illness and barely eating yesterday, so we'll see what the scale says next week, but I am hoping it stays and drops even more.

Week 4 Complete

I am very proud, I finished Week 4 of C25K today! This was definitely the hardest yet. Although this week, since the weather here was so bad, I decided to finally brave the gym on base. Tony has been telling me for months to go there, that it is so nice, blah blah blah. I always have gym anxiety, I don't know, I think it's the fat girl in me that worries I am going to be judged by some little stick girls who look like supermodels and here I am, looking 4 months pregnant, when really it's just my fat belly. But, to my surprise, I loved it! The gym was really nice and big, and I did not see one supermodel there! Plus, I discovered running on the treadmill is much easier than running outside with these hills here, and when I run outside, especially in the cooler weather, it seems to irritate my sinuses/bronchial tract and makes me a snotty mess with too much post nasal drip, gross! This doesn't happen in the controlled environment of the gym. Today was the only day I ran outside, hubby went with me, and I was much slower and much more tired, although not as sweaty, running outside. So, I think this winter and possibly at least half the time, I will be sticking to the treadmill and the gym! So here are the stats for the week:

Week 4 Day 1: 2.87 miles, 33:53
Week 4 Day 2: 2.87 miles, 33:52 (I also calibrated my Nike+ this day and did an additional 0.60 miles after c25k)
Week 4 Day 3: 2.86, 38:37 

On the weight loss front, not much has changed, still playing the gain 0.8 then lose it again all this week, part of it I'm sure was brought on by the Chili's dinner on Monday and the cupcakes. Last night and the night before I didn't make exactly healthy dinners, so weight is pretty much staying the same. Hopefully next week I will have a loss and push me into the next "decade" finally. Until then I will be trying to stay within my points and eating better!

The End of Another Week

When I started Week 3 of C25K I thought I was going to die. The intervals this week were 90 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking, 3 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, to be repeated twice. I thought there was no way I could run for 3 minutes straight. I was dying last week running for 90 seconds. Well Day 1 was really hard, Day 2 a little easier, today, Day 3, I think I could have kept on going! I was so proud of myself! So Monday I move on to Week 4, 5 minutes of straight running! We'll see how it goes. Granted I think this lovely weather may be contributing to my less stressful runs. It's been in the 60s here all week! It's sunny and breezy and just all around enjoyable to be outside! I have been loving it, it definitely feels like Fall now! So stats for this week:
Week 3, Day 1: 2.27 miles, 29:42
Week 3, Day 2: 2.38 miles, 30:06
Week 3, Day 3: 2.34 miles, 30:14

The other thing I have been working on this week is pacing myself, hubby has convinced me that I run too fast when I run, and that's probably why I am ready to die at the end. So this week I have been really working on keeping a slower pace during the running interval so I can go farther and longer. Day 2 and today I think it made the biggest difference. I've also been working on keeping up a faster pace when walking, trying to stay between 13 and 15/mile, I've definitely noticed a difference. And the biggest difference? I lost 3 lbs in the last 3 weeks! I am now at my lowest post-wedding weight! Only 10-15 lbs to go. I really want to get to 15, but I will settle at 10.

Another Week Down

All in all it was a good week. Despite being sick and feeling pretty icky for most of it, I was still able to finish Week 2 of C25K! I was very pleased with myself for that! So, stats for the week:
Week 2 Day 1: 2.23 miles, 31:40
Week 2 Day 2: 2.37 miles, 31:05
Week 2 Day 3: 2.42 miles, 30:42

Yesterday was a nice day, it finally stopped raining and I was feeling better, so I went out for my run at about 11 am and it ended up being the best run I had all week. After the run I got ready to go out with the husband. We went downtown and spent about 2.5 hours at the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum. Earlier this month my mom had sent me a link to sign up for free museum day sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute. I knew Tony would love this, as we both enjoy going to all kinds of museums together. So armed with our free pass, this time on the right day, we headed down there. It was really interesting. We learned a lot about how Memphis was pretty much the capital for Rock, Soul, Blues, and Country back in the 1950s and how integration was pretty much a done deal in the music industry here at the time, while society was still segregated. I was glad we got to learn a lot and enjoy ourselves and the best part, it was free!

After the museum we headed over to a nice little place called The Silly Goose, I've been wanting to go to this restaurant/bar for a while now, especially since I like buying certificates off restaurant.com and had purchased a certificate for this establishment and was really looking forward to trying some of their pannins and flatbreads. Well we get there and the waiter tells us that they don't accept the certificate, that restaurant.com put them up on their website without permission. I was fuming! Granted the certificate only cost me about $1 when it was 90% off a few weeks ago, but still, it irked me. So we ended up just getting a drink there and sitting out on their patio deciding where to go eat dinner. We decided to try another place I had a certificate for about 2.5 miles away. So we get into the car and head over there, only to find them closed! Seriously?! Tony was having a fit, and he was right, any restaurant that is in business would not be closed at 7 pm on a Saturday night. So now I get the task of writing restaurant.com a nasty email and hoping to get some of my money back. It was frustrating and we were really bummed.

From there, hungry and annoyed, we headed on to the Mid-South Fair down in Mississippi. I really didn't want to go and eat fair food, especially since we had just gone to the Delta Fair a few weeks ago, but Tony was insistent. So we got there, and I ended up gorging on a corndog, a cone of homemade cookie dough ice cream, and a few bites of Tony's funnel cake. I was really upset with myself for eating such unhealthy foods, and I much would have preferred just going to a restaurant for dinner where at least I could try to make some healthier choices. But in the end, the fair was okay, we got to see some animals and a concert and people watch, plus I got to spend some quality time with the husband. Hopefully this next week will be better!

More Gifts and Not Feeling Well

Wednesday I ended up getting two more gifts from my extraordinary aunt, she is so thoughtful. I was super excited when the UPS guy delivered this: 

Yes, that is an entire freezer shelf of Omaha Steaks frozen delights. Included are 2 sirloin steaks, 2 Fillet Mignon steaks, 10 burgers, 6 stuffed potatoes, 2 stuffed sole fillets, and 1 chocolate lovers cake. There was also a knife set and cutting board in the cooler too! I can't wait to cook and enjoy this haul of deliciousness!

Later that afternoon the FedEx man arrived delivering this:

This my friends is a chocolate dipped wine bottle, and I am now the happy recipient of two of them! A cool company named Sweet Traders apparently specializes in this, they hand dip wine and champagne bottles, to then enjoy them you rip a ribbon to "unzip" the chocolate coating and then open the wine, and allow the chocolate to melt in your mouth while drinking the wine. I got a riesling and a merlot. I can't wait for Tony and I to "unzip" these babies! 

As far as c25k goes, I am behind one day, hopefully I can complete Week 2 Day 3 tomorrow. I haven't been feeling well this week. I've had a sore throat since Monday, I tried to get an appointment at the Branch Health Clinic, but unfortunately they were closed to seeing patients this week, so I was directed to go to the local urgent care clinic. The doctor there insisted I didn't have strep, but was probably only getting a cold, well here we are 4 days later and I still have no other cold symptoms, but the sore throat is getting worse. I just hope it clears up soon.

Tomorrow Tony and I are going to participate in this, free museum day at participating Smithsonian museums! We are going to go to the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum downtown, and possibly going to check out the Scoop Fest Ice Cream Festival downtown as well! All you can eat ice cream, I love it and I hate it! I love ice cream, but all you can eat means havoc for my trying to eat right.

As far as the house is concerned, we are almost done! We've been renovating since I moved in in July. We've basically had to repaint every room in the house and recarpet the whole thing. We had the downstairs recarpeted about 4 weeks ago, and have been waiting to finish painting the upstairs before getting the carpet installed. We are almost done. I can't wait to be finished and then rearrange the furniture and start decorating and making this place more of a home. 

C25K Week 1

After over a year of being on The Knot and The Nest lots of different workouts are often discussed amongst brides trying to drop pounds for their big days, I was one of these girls. I learned all about Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and the C25K program. But my weight loss journey began before I even got engaged with Weight Watchers (WW) when my BFF asked me to be her Maid of Honor (MOH), I was at the heaviest I'd ever been and was really unhappy with myself. I joined WW and my local Gold's Gym, then 2 months later T proposed, so I had even more motivation! A year later I had dropped 28 lbs, was down 4 sizes and was feeling quite sassy and sexy! I even made Lifetime!

Enter the newlywed phase. I gained 10 of my 28 lbs back., I stopped going to WW and am way over my Lifetime goal. I blame those wretchedly delicious chocolate chip cookies I make for my husband that I just can't resist. And the homemade bread I love to make in my new breadmaker. So I decided to start back on WW, this time on my own, and give the 30 Day Shred and Couch 2 5K program a shot.

So this is my goal now, complete C25K, and work on the Shred. I began C25K this Monday, I was good, was able to do 3 miles in the 30 mins. Today was Day 2, I did 3.02 miles in about 38 mins. My birthday is on Monday, so today T took me to the Exchange (I'm a Navy wife, so we do most shopping on base) where he bought me a new sassy pair of running shoes and the Nike+ ipod thing. I am so excited! I can't wait to do my next 3 miles on Friday and complete week1!