Where have I been? I haven't been blogging in quite some time. I've been here... just not *here* on this blog. I've thought of so many entries and just haven't been able to get them to make it *here*. So what makes today so special?
Progress. The other day (one of those, "I should write a blog post about this" days), I stopped in my tracks and looked around. I initially felt frustrated. I was on lunch and had to change my route because the streets were all torn up for the light rail. I was late for work earlier because of a two block detour. Talk about annoying.
Then I stopped again and the word "progress" came to mind. This inconvenience was progress, to make our lives better in the end.
How much progress have I made? How will I keep making progress?
A year ago, I began to be more serious about my running. I signed up for all these 5K's thinking it was going to get me in the best shape of my life. That would happen, right? I got on the treadmill over lunch, I changed my eating habits, I was tracking (or trying to). These are all the things you're "supposed" to do, right? And I did all those races and more! And I was trying to do all these things while working full-time and being a wife and mother.
Over the last couple months, I've been very complacent and don't feel like I'm making much progress. I was injured and resting and going to physical therapy. I've been sick. And I've made a number of excuses. I used the resting during my injury as an excuse to not do any form of exercise. I'm also not the greatest at tracking my food, and did none of that.
But today, the sun is shining, I was outside without a jacket and I went to packet pickup for the Get Lucky 7K that I'll be running next week. And I've only gone for one run since my last race. So what did I do at packet pickup? I signed up for a 10K in September!! On September 1st to be exact. And why did I do that?
During that one run I've done, I got bit by the running bug again. And I decided it's time I make some more goals so that I can progress on this journey I've started. I now want to run a 10 miler and a half marathon. THIS YEAR. I felt so good while running and I totally missed it. This year, I want to see how much further I can push myself with distances. A good friend keeps telling me to accomplish the distance first and worry about time later. I need to remember this and I know I'll be more likely to stick with my goals.
I am hoping to blog much more to keep myself accountable and get some motivation. It helps me to know that people are reading this and contact me to give me some encouragement or feedback. Two little boys that call me Mom are the ones that always come first and I am still struggling with that. With how much my husband works and how few people there are to watch my boys, I know I just have to make the time that I have work for me. I envy those people who are able to workout, get thin, run fast and blog. But I live my life the way that I know how.
Now my goal for my next post is to write about the race which I'm hoping will be about me beating the time from last year.
Stay tuned!
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Saturday, March 10, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
... And a Happy New Year!
It's been a while since I've written. This week I've had a lot of thinking to do. Doesn't that always happen with the new year?
On the First, I kicked things off with the Polar Dash. My friend M decided to walk it and I ran it, as best as I could. It was my first winter race. No chip timing since it was a fun run!
The morning was cold and windy along the Mississippi River. Lots of runners packed in and it took about 2 minutes to even cross the timing pad. I saw a lot of people walking and running and into the first mile people began coming past the other way. I was looking for some familiar faces to cheer them on and finally saw my friend George another Ramsey Runner from my 10K race. I finished the race running and walking with my average time and burned about 529 calories! Good start for me!
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, I was pretty tired and still cold. The next day, hubby and I were off work and we didn't have any day care. So we decided to do some shopping and other errands. I don't recall anything being wrong, just maybe a few tight muscles.
At one of the stores my 4yo dropped a toy and I bent down to pick it up. Maybe I should've bent my knees and done a proper pick up. For whatever reason, when I stood back up, I had a dull shooting pain in my left hip area. It felt like my thigh, groin, and hip all at once. I honestly had to stand there for a good minute just breathing through the pain, and of course, my hubby wasn't around at that moment. When he came back, I told him what had happened and we took it fairly easy until we got home. I took some pain meds and did more sitting around. Later I took a bath hoping that it would relax something.
No such luck. The next day back at work, I could hardly sit. I decided to go to the Dr. but didn't get in with my regular Dr., of course. This Dr. took a couple X-rays, which didn't look right to me. But what do I know. No real instructions from him other than no running for a couple of weeks until I could get in to see a specialist I had lined up for a different appointment. Also, a radiologist would be reading the X-ray to make sure there wasn't anything serious that he had missed. I didn't even get any stronger pain meds prescribed.
No running. I felt like I was put in a time-out for bad behavior. I haven't reached my weight goals by a long shot so there is a lot of weight that is being forced on my joints when I exercise. At this moment, I feel like if I can't run, then I can't lose weight. That running is the only way for me to lose weight in addition to the tracking on My Fitness Pal.
And I love running. I love how I feel when I can accomplish the time or distance that I have set up. I have noticed the difference in my own body when I've been running more frequently. My clothes fit differently and I just feel better both mentally and physically.
I'm trying not to get ahead of myself with what might happen at my upcoming Ortho appointment. I'm worried about what I will be able to take on if I can't run. And there are events that I was looking forward to doing this year that I would rather not have to try and tackle as a walker. But again, I'm getting ahead of myself.
In the meantime, I am trying to get back to the basics. I'm conscience of making healthy food choices with portion sizes too. I'm drinking more water and we haven't bought pop for the house in a long time. I'm also researching the exercises I can do that are low impact. At this point, I haven't done anything because of the pain. I'm trying to listen to my body and not force anything. Which is the advice that I would give others. Funny how we don't always practice what we preach.
Happy New Year to you all! I hope your 2012 has started off with good health and no injuries.
On the First, I kicked things off with the Polar Dash. My friend M decided to walk it and I ran it, as best as I could. It was my first winter race. No chip timing since it was a fun run!
The morning was cold and windy along the Mississippi River. Lots of runners packed in and it took about 2 minutes to even cross the timing pad. I saw a lot of people walking and running and into the first mile people began coming past the other way. I was looking for some familiar faces to cheer them on and finally saw my friend George another Ramsey Runner from my 10K race. I finished the race running and walking with my average time and burned about 529 calories! Good start for me!
 |
| Polar Dash Finisher's Medal |
At one of the stores my 4yo dropped a toy and I bent down to pick it up. Maybe I should've bent my knees and done a proper pick up. For whatever reason, when I stood back up, I had a dull shooting pain in my left hip area. It felt like my thigh, groin, and hip all at once. I honestly had to stand there for a good minute just breathing through the pain, and of course, my hubby wasn't around at that moment. When he came back, I told him what had happened and we took it fairly easy until we got home. I took some pain meds and did more sitting around. Later I took a bath hoping that it would relax something.
No such luck. The next day back at work, I could hardly sit. I decided to go to the Dr. but didn't get in with my regular Dr., of course. This Dr. took a couple X-rays, which didn't look right to me. But what do I know. No real instructions from him other than no running for a couple of weeks until I could get in to see a specialist I had lined up for a different appointment. Also, a radiologist would be reading the X-ray to make sure there wasn't anything serious that he had missed. I didn't even get any stronger pain meds prescribed.
No running. I felt like I was put in a time-out for bad behavior. I haven't reached my weight goals by a long shot so there is a lot of weight that is being forced on my joints when I exercise. At this moment, I feel like if I can't run, then I can't lose weight. That running is the only way for me to lose weight in addition to the tracking on My Fitness Pal.
And I love running. I love how I feel when I can accomplish the time or distance that I have set up. I have noticed the difference in my own body when I've been running more frequently. My clothes fit differently and I just feel better both mentally and physically.
I'm trying not to get ahead of myself with what might happen at my upcoming Ortho appointment. I'm worried about what I will be able to take on if I can't run. And there are events that I was looking forward to doing this year that I would rather not have to try and tackle as a walker. But again, I'm getting ahead of myself.
In the meantime, I am trying to get back to the basics. I'm conscience of making healthy food choices with portion sizes too. I'm drinking more water and we haven't bought pop for the house in a long time. I'm also researching the exercises I can do that are low impact. At this point, I haven't done anything because of the pain. I'm trying to listen to my body and not force anything. Which is the advice that I would give others. Funny how we don't always practice what we preach.
Happy New Year to you all! I hope your 2012 has started off with good health and no injuries.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thankfully reflecting
I wish I could write more than once a week, but I just can't find it in me lately. But I did want to write a bit about the reflecting I've been doing lately.
I did the Thanksgiving 5K and got to meet so many more Fat2Fit Pack members. I love hearing the support from others who are on the same journey that I am. It really means so much to me and I try to pass it on to others as well. At the race, I didn't have my best time, and also didn't have my worst time. It was a nice little crowded run, but everyone was there to enjoy the morning and give thanks. I was thankful to actually make it out there considering I hadn't been feeling well at all earlier in the week!
I'm thankful for a lot of things. I'm thankful for the support I get to keep me moving towards my goal. I'm thankful that I'm getting healthier, both physically and mentally. I'm thankful for all the people in my life, even if I don't like them all the time.
Part of my reflecting included reading my previous posts. I think I lost sight of what I really want my life to look like. I forgot about the details of the 2 minute challenges that I hoped to achieve a year after writing it. I forgot about how much I struggled while I was tracking food with points and now I'm doing much better, despite not writing down my intake and just mentally thinking about it (which isn't 100% helpful. Tracking is very important!).
I recently backed out of a photo shoot because of my arms. Yes, I said my arms. Of all the things that I dislike seeing in photos, it's my arms. I'm sure some people would scoff, but I don't want to look back on the fun photo shoot and think about how much I disliked the look of my arms. I'm determined to look better than I do now when I finally do this shoot.
Where am I at now? I'm running the Polar Dash 5K on New Year's Day. I have never run a race in the snow (obviously, since I just started running again this past spring!) and I'm hoping that it'll be a great challenge for me. And fun, of course! I'm hoping to run a few miles a week and to also mix it up with some DVD workouts. I also found some cool workouts on Pinterest that I've started trying. Short, quick workouts that I know I can fit into my busy schedule. I'm hoping that I'll keep weight off during the winter and really hoping to lose some weight. I like to hibernate during the winter and maybe this year I'll get out and do some cold weather activities. One thing at a time though.
What are your winter goals? Do you have any upcoming winter races?
Hopefully my next post is sooner than later. I have another one in mind already and should get it out of draft form soon.
I did the Thanksgiving 5K and got to meet so many more Fat2Fit Pack members. I love hearing the support from others who are on the same journey that I am. It really means so much to me and I try to pass it on to others as well. At the race, I didn't have my best time, and also didn't have my worst time. It was a nice little crowded run, but everyone was there to enjoy the morning and give thanks. I was thankful to actually make it out there considering I hadn't been feeling well at all earlier in the week!
I'm thankful for a lot of things. I'm thankful for the support I get to keep me moving towards my goal. I'm thankful that I'm getting healthier, both physically and mentally. I'm thankful for all the people in my life, even if I don't like them all the time.
Part of my reflecting included reading my previous posts. I think I lost sight of what I really want my life to look like. I forgot about the details of the 2 minute challenges that I hoped to achieve a year after writing it. I forgot about how much I struggled while I was tracking food with points and now I'm doing much better, despite not writing down my intake and just mentally thinking about it (which isn't 100% helpful. Tracking is very important!).
I recently backed out of a photo shoot because of my arms. Yes, I said my arms. Of all the things that I dislike seeing in photos, it's my arms. I'm sure some people would scoff, but I don't want to look back on the fun photo shoot and think about how much I disliked the look of my arms. I'm determined to look better than I do now when I finally do this shoot.
Where am I at now? I'm running the Polar Dash 5K on New Year's Day. I have never run a race in the snow (obviously, since I just started running again this past spring!) and I'm hoping that it'll be a great challenge for me. And fun, of course! I'm hoping to run a few miles a week and to also mix it up with some DVD workouts. I also found some cool workouts on Pinterest that I've started trying. Short, quick workouts that I know I can fit into my busy schedule. I'm hoping that I'll keep weight off during the winter and really hoping to lose some weight. I like to hibernate during the winter and maybe this year I'll get out and do some cold weather activities. One thing at a time though.
What are your winter goals? Do you have any upcoming winter races?
Hopefully my next post is sooner than later. I have another one in mind already and should get it out of draft form soon.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Am I done yet? Monster Dash 5K thoughts
Being sick sucked. And it turned out that I was pretty sick. The headaches I had thought were migraines turned out to be from a sinus infection. So I rested. I didn't run for over 3 weeks. Then Monster Dash 5K was coming up and I had to start training so that I wouldn't completely die!
I've come to realize that when I am well, I have to do some form of exercise. My body starts to fight back and I get stiff and sore in places I forgot about hurting. And the scaled doesn't budge... imagine that! :)
It was actually my awesome Hubby's idea to run the Monster Dash. He wanted the swag. Bottom line, it wasn't all about exercise. And nice swag is always a seller!
The start of the race was a cluster of runners, walkers, dogs, kids and strollers. Honestly not my cup of tea! I have a hard time with being cut off as I do consider myself still a new runner. The mean side wants to come out and I could trip someone and not look back or think twice. But I don't and I try to adjust my pace and I just keep going. I saw a dog take a tasty tumble and I saw plenty of people running with poop bags until they got to the next trash bin (points to them for cleaning up!). There ,were angry birds, smurfs, star wars characters, jack in the box, a refrigerator (get it? hehe), and zombies of course!
One thing I forgot to mention is that the 5K wasn't chip timed. I was slightly disappointed! But it's a great reminder to me for why I started running in the first place, and why I made a goal of races for this year. I think I did the race in my usual time of 44 mins, but this one might have been a bit longer. I did have my Polar HRM on, but the time doesn't really matter now.
So now I debate how far I want to take this into 2012. It was a good jumpstart for me for sure to race and start my healthiness journey and meet and learn from some fabulous bloggers and Fat to Fit Pack members. I'm planning on a few that really inspired me and a couple fun ones.
And winter running? I don't know where I want to be with that. I do not like the cold at all! And I'm not sure I have any desire to run in it. I suppose I could start out with walking and see where that takes me? I do have a dog that needs walks.
Now I debate on a November race. There's a Veteran's Day race that we wanted to do, but then I know quite a few people are doing a Thanksgiving Day race. And I'm honestly just feeling lazy about the whole routine of getting ready to run a race. I feel I'm really only able to do runs over lunch since I'm horrible about waking up early in the morning. And now lately, I feel rushed about getting a lunchtime in and then getting back to work. I probably have to figure out why I feel rushed now and I didn't feel so rushed before...
My biggest goal for this winter is to not gain any weight. Of course I want to keep losing it, but it may be more of a challenge to not gain any. I want to keep exercising and making healthy choices. And maybe I'll get to blogging more often!
What are your winter goals? With cold and fewer hours of daylight, do you find it hard to stay motivated? I hope to hear from others and maybe get some new ideas!
And I leave you with a picture. Not the best, but it was fun nonetheless!
I've come to realize that when I am well, I have to do some form of exercise. My body starts to fight back and I get stiff and sore in places I forgot about hurting. And the scaled doesn't budge... imagine that! :)
It was actually my awesome Hubby's idea to run the Monster Dash. He wanted the swag. Bottom line, it wasn't all about exercise. And nice swag is always a seller!
The start of the race was a cluster of runners, walkers, dogs, kids and strollers. Honestly not my cup of tea! I have a hard time with being cut off as I do consider myself still a new runner. The mean side wants to come out and I could trip someone and not look back or think twice. But I don't and I try to adjust my pace and I just keep going. I saw a dog take a tasty tumble and I saw plenty of people running with poop bags until they got to the next trash bin (points to them for cleaning up!). There ,were angry birds, smurfs, star wars characters, jack in the box, a refrigerator (get it? hehe), and zombies of course!
One thing I forgot to mention is that the 5K wasn't chip timed. I was slightly disappointed! But it's a great reminder to me for why I started running in the first place, and why I made a goal of races for this year. I think I did the race in my usual time of 44 mins, but this one might have been a bit longer. I did have my Polar HRM on, but the time doesn't really matter now.
So now I debate how far I want to take this into 2012. It was a good jumpstart for me for sure to race and start my healthiness journey and meet and learn from some fabulous bloggers and Fat to Fit Pack members. I'm planning on a few that really inspired me and a couple fun ones.
And winter running? I don't know where I want to be with that. I do not like the cold at all! And I'm not sure I have any desire to run in it. I suppose I could start out with walking and see where that takes me? I do have a dog that needs walks.
Now I debate on a November race. There's a Veteran's Day race that we wanted to do, but then I know quite a few people are doing a Thanksgiving Day race. And I'm honestly just feeling lazy about the whole routine of getting ready to run a race. I feel I'm really only able to do runs over lunch since I'm horrible about waking up early in the morning. And now lately, I feel rushed about getting a lunchtime in and then getting back to work. I probably have to figure out why I feel rushed now and I didn't feel so rushed before...
My biggest goal for this winter is to not gain any weight. Of course I want to keep losing it, but it may be more of a challenge to not gain any. I want to keep exercising and making healthy choices. And maybe I'll get to blogging more often!
What are your winter goals? With cold and fewer hours of daylight, do you find it hard to stay motivated? I hope to hear from others and maybe get some new ideas!
And I leave you with a picture. Not the best, but it was fun nonetheless!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
I RAN A 10K
I never planned on running a 10K when I started my racing journey, much less with people that I work with. Running the 7K was difficult enough for me and I was not entirely prepared for it. Since then, running seven 5Ks including 2 obstacle courses is also something that I pushed to be able to accomplish.
The last couple weeks have been a little stressful, to say the least. I did not get as much running in as I had hoped. But I really felt ready to run the race. It was a part of the Twin Cities Marathon weekend! Dubbed the country's most beautiful urban marathon! My allergies were bothering me, but I really thought they weren't getting any worse. My body felt fine for the most part. Mentally, I was nervous. 6.2 miles! What had I gotten myself into!?
The course started out at the Capitol grounds, past the Cathedral, west on Summit Avenue. The turnaround was at Albert Street, then east on Summit back towards the Capitol.
When I woke up Saturday, I was able to wake up earlier than I would for a workday, The race started at 7:30a.m. and I wanted to meet the rest of my teammates and also see my bestie and her hubby. Sometime in the night, our 7 year old crawled into bed with us. He can't just sleep like a "normal" person would. He likes to make the letter "H" between my husband and I. My child is not the little peanut he used to be. So when I finally got out of bed, my back was not aligned as I would expect. It was very sore, and then I had a headache on top of it along with some sinus pain and a very dry throat. Greeeeaaatt (sarcasm)....
My hubby was dropping me off on his way into work so that I wouldn't have to worry about parking. I thought my back might get better with some movement and stretching, I popped some allergy pills and was drinking an energy drink. I know I ate something for breakfast, but right now I can't remember what it was. I just hoped the headache would go away and that my throat would feel better.
I met up with some teammates, but I didn't find my friend. So we got in the starting gate and before I knew it, it was time to start! I started out slowly, since I really didn't quite know how to pace myself. I was getting passed and I was ok with that. Within a couple minutes my throat was burning. I already needed water. I also realized I forgot my gum, which I tend to have in my mouth during races.
The first mile took us up a hill, down Marshall Ave and past the Cathedral before going on Summit Ave. The first mile seemed easy, but I also seemed to be rather slow. The second mile I noticed more people were running past me, and then there was a water stop. Between the second and third mile is when people started coming past me the other way. I didn't realize that I would really see the people passing me, but it was kind of fun to see the people I knew doing such a good job. Next year I hope to be in that crowd.
When I got to the 5K sign I saw that I was 50 minutes in. Slower than I wanted to be, but I kept on going of course. There were fewer people running around me at this point.
I reached the 4 mile mark and saw that I was at 1:04. I got excited because that would mean I knocked off about 10 minutes from my 7K race time that I had run in the spring!! I was running faster than I had about six months before! That put a smile on my face.
At the turnaround I felt myself slowing down and I was trying harder to make my legs go faster. At the last water stop I was really hoping I could pick up more speed. At this point there was really no one else around me. I remember seeing some people behind me, but I just wanted to finish. I passed the five mile mark and saw my bestie running making her way toward me. She paced beside me and cheered me on. I was still trying to make my legs go faster and yet try to talk a little bit.
As the finish line came into sight, the 5K crowd started going past me. That confused me because I really thought that they wouldn't start until two hours after the 10K started. I soon realized I had done the math wrong. I started picking up more speed as we passed the six mile flag. I couldn't wait to be done with the race and get a drink! My throat was screaming for water.
My time was 1:40:48. I had really hoped for a time under 1:30, but I wasn't going to complain for my first 10K. My bestie kept telling me, "you did it, you did it!" It means so much to me to have someone cheering me who knows my struggles.
I've learned a lot from this race and so happy to have actually finished it. I can say that I am a 10K finisher!
And next year, I'm totally running this one again!
The last couple weeks have been a little stressful, to say the least. I did not get as much running in as I had hoped. But I really felt ready to run the race. It was a part of the Twin Cities Marathon weekend! Dubbed the country's most beautiful urban marathon! My allergies were bothering me, but I really thought they weren't getting any worse. My body felt fine for the most part. Mentally, I was nervous. 6.2 miles! What had I gotten myself into!?
The course started out at the Capitol grounds, past the Cathedral, west on Summit Avenue. The turnaround was at Albert Street, then east on Summit back towards the Capitol.
When I woke up Saturday, I was able to wake up earlier than I would for a workday, The race started at 7:30a.m. and I wanted to meet the rest of my teammates and also see my bestie and her hubby. Sometime in the night, our 7 year old crawled into bed with us. He can't just sleep like a "normal" person would. He likes to make the letter "H" between my husband and I. My child is not the little peanut he used to be. So when I finally got out of bed, my back was not aligned as I would expect. It was very sore, and then I had a headache on top of it along with some sinus pain and a very dry throat. Greeeeaaatt (sarcasm)....
My hubby was dropping me off on his way into work so that I wouldn't have to worry about parking. I thought my back might get better with some movement and stretching, I popped some allergy pills and was drinking an energy drink. I know I ate something for breakfast, but right now I can't remember what it was. I just hoped the headache would go away and that my throat would feel better.
I met up with some teammates, but I didn't find my friend. So we got in the starting gate and before I knew it, it was time to start! I started out slowly, since I really didn't quite know how to pace myself. I was getting passed and I was ok with that. Within a couple minutes my throat was burning. I already needed water. I also realized I forgot my gum, which I tend to have in my mouth during races.
The first mile took us up a hill, down Marshall Ave and past the Cathedral before going on Summit Ave. The first mile seemed easy, but I also seemed to be rather slow. The second mile I noticed more people were running past me, and then there was a water stop. Between the second and third mile is when people started coming past me the other way. I didn't realize that I would really see the people passing me, but it was kind of fun to see the people I knew doing such a good job. Next year I hope to be in that crowd.
When I got to the 5K sign I saw that I was 50 minutes in. Slower than I wanted to be, but I kept on going of course. There were fewer people running around me at this point.
I reached the 4 mile mark and saw that I was at 1:04. I got excited because that would mean I knocked off about 10 minutes from my 7K race time that I had run in the spring!! I was running faster than I had about six months before! That put a smile on my face.
At the turnaround I felt myself slowing down and I was trying harder to make my legs go faster. At the last water stop I was really hoping I could pick up more speed. At this point there was really no one else around me. I remember seeing some people behind me, but I just wanted to finish. I passed the five mile mark and saw my bestie running making her way toward me. She paced beside me and cheered me on. I was still trying to make my legs go faster and yet try to talk a little bit.
As the finish line came into sight, the 5K crowd started going past me. That confused me because I really thought that they wouldn't start until two hours after the 10K started. I soon realized I had done the math wrong. I started picking up more speed as we passed the six mile flag. I couldn't wait to be done with the race and get a drink! My throat was screaming for water.
My time was 1:40:48. I had really hoped for a time under 1:30, but I wasn't going to complain for my first 10K. My bestie kept telling me, "you did it, you did it!" It means so much to me to have someone cheering me who knows my struggles.
I've learned a lot from this race and so happy to have actually finished it. I can say that I am a 10K finisher!
And next year, I'm totally running this one again!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
I am...
So the last couple weeks have been very stressful for me. I've been craving lots of snacks, I haven't run very much (most days, not at all), and the scale has been unforgiving. I've expected that from the scale and I own it. Luckily it wasn't a huge jump, but I know I have work to do.
We have 2, soon to be 3, extra people living in our house now. Peace and quiet is hard to come by.
My brother got married recently, and I fit into the dress a size smaller than I was wearing before! YAY ME!! And as happy an occasion weddings are, this one was stressful too. When my family gets together, things aren't always peachy. My younger sister can make things about her, and maybe she doesn't realize she's done it, but I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with being the baby of the family.
To my surprise, my brother had some of my parents' Cambodian friends there. Sounds great and harmless, right? First words out of the woman's mouth "Oh, this is the fat one!" Gee, thanks...
Might work as a cute nickname for... who am I kidding? That's just plain MEAN to say to a grown woman! And to one who knows that she's the fattest of the kids. I was formal and cordial and pretty much didn't talk to her and her husband. But it was an easy task to do with two little monsters running around.
Do I want to blog on and on about being called the fat one? Or how stressed out I am? Not exactly. I know how far I've already come, and I know I have further to go. I'm RUNNING MY FIRST 10K on Saturday and I'm both nervous and excited. More nervous than anything, but I can't wait to say that I ran a 10K! And during Twin Cities Marathon weekend! I didn't know that I would be running a 10K when I started on this running kick. I hoped I could, but it has been a lot of work. As the mommy martyr, there's always something else I think I need to be doing rather than taking the me time and running or working out. With the hours of daylight getting shorter, I know I'll get too comfortable after work and even in the mornings.
After Saturday's race, I am going to make some new goals. I am going to make some ATTAINABLE goals for myself to get me through the winter months. And hopefully get into smaller clothes come spring! I am going to decide what races I'll run in 2012. Maybe not one a month, but hopefully longer distances. And I am going to be happy with whatever decisions I make and know that I am doing them for a healthier me. And I'll keep blogging as much as I can as a dormant 5K mom about my life.
What about you? What do you know about YOU?
We have 2, soon to be 3, extra people living in our house now. Peace and quiet is hard to come by.
My brother got married recently, and I fit into the dress a size smaller than I was wearing before! YAY ME!! And as happy an occasion weddings are, this one was stressful too. When my family gets together, things aren't always peachy. My younger sister can make things about her, and maybe she doesn't realize she's done it, but I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with being the baby of the family.
To my surprise, my brother had some of my parents' Cambodian friends there. Sounds great and harmless, right? First words out of the woman's mouth "Oh, this is the fat one!" Gee, thanks...
Might work as a cute nickname for... who am I kidding? That's just plain MEAN to say to a grown woman! And to one who knows that she's the fattest of the kids. I was formal and cordial and pretty much didn't talk to her and her husband. But it was an easy task to do with two little monsters running around.
Do I want to blog on and on about being called the fat one? Or how stressed out I am? Not exactly. I know how far I've already come, and I know I have further to go. I'm RUNNING MY FIRST 10K on Saturday and I'm both nervous and excited. More nervous than anything, but I can't wait to say that I ran a 10K! And during Twin Cities Marathon weekend! I didn't know that I would be running a 10K when I started on this running kick. I hoped I could, but it has been a lot of work. As the mommy martyr, there's always something else I think I need to be doing rather than taking the me time and running or working out. With the hours of daylight getting shorter, I know I'll get too comfortable after work and even in the mornings.
After Saturday's race, I am going to make some new goals. I am going to make some ATTAINABLE goals for myself to get me through the winter months. And hopefully get into smaller clothes come spring! I am going to decide what races I'll run in 2012. Maybe not one a month, but hopefully longer distances. And I am going to be happy with whatever decisions I make and know that I am doing them for a healthier me. And I'll keep blogging as much as I can as a dormant 5K mom about my life.
What about you? What do you know about YOU?
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Never Forgetting
Where to begin on a day that most Americans know where they were 10 years ago... September 11, 2001... yes I do remember where I was when I found out about the World Trade Center. I was actually not in a very good place in my life. I graduated from nursing school in the spring, but had to rewrite a paper to actually "pass" and "graduate". I had until the end of June. I already had a job lined up contingent on my passing the NCLEX, which I took in August and failed. I didn't have a job at that point, not even a part-time job that I thought would pan out. I actually had interviewed at the plasma center and was waiting to hear back that day.
Anyway, I was in bed, living with my ex-boyfriend at that time. My brother called me, and told me what had happened. I had no idea what he was talking about or why it even mattered. I actually went back to sleep. When I finally was awake and turned on the tv, I saw what he was talking about. Whoa...
10 years later, I'm at Como Lake with my husband, a member of the US Navy, who also had worked one time at the Pentagon. We had found some matching t-shirts to commemorate the date, ones that we would run in, but also have the t-shirts from the race. The morning felt a bit warm for September. The race was scheduled to start at 9:11a.m. There was music, special words by Gary, a moment of silence to remember those we lost. I was feeling emotions for sure, and then there were 36 white doves released. You know the tears came at this point.
There were so many people at this race, more than I've seen at any of the Charities Challenge races. It was great! The race started and Jason and I were together, but I could tell that he really was adjusting his stride to slow down with me. I told him about 2 mins in to just go ahead of me. People were passing me as I expected, and I had a hard time finding my groove. I wasn't sure if I was fully recovered from the bronchitis. I made the first lap at about 20 mins and saw our friends Mike and Chiara who came to cheer us on! I kept on going and there was a person ahead of me that I really wanted to pass. We went back and forth for a bit and after about 2.5 miles, she really got ahead of me. When I passed the 3 mile marker, I saw my husband coming towards me :) He was done and wanted to come and get me past the finish line! (I love this man!) He was kind of walking fast while I was "running" and giving me words of encouragement. He also stayed with me as I sprinted to the finish.
My official time was 44:28. Jason's was 31:51. I was aiming for under 40, but I guess my times are getting slightly better. Jason was hoping for under 30, but I"m just proud that he even did it with me! I have things to figure out as to why I can't get under a 14min mile, but I'm not super concerned at this point.
Next race is the TC 10K on October 1st. My goal is to just finish. I'm running for my work corporate team and not aiming for a particular time. It'll be an early race for me, but maybe that'll be a good thing. I'm trying to do more cross-training and today I even broke out the Shred! Hours later, I'm feeling it in my arms. Gotta get back to what I was doing before and tracking daily. I know I'll get there.
And I'll never forget this 10 year anniversary of 9/11/2001 as the first race my husband ran with me. I'm hoping for many more!
Anyway, I was in bed, living with my ex-boyfriend at that time. My brother called me, and told me what had happened. I had no idea what he was talking about or why it even mattered. I actually went back to sleep. When I finally was awake and turned on the tv, I saw what he was talking about. Whoa...
10 years later, I'm at Como Lake with my husband, a member of the US Navy, who also had worked one time at the Pentagon. We had found some matching t-shirts to commemorate the date, ones that we would run in, but also have the t-shirts from the race. The morning felt a bit warm for September. The race was scheduled to start at 9:11a.m. There was music, special words by Gary, a moment of silence to remember those we lost. I was feeling emotions for sure, and then there were 36 white doves released. You know the tears came at this point.
There were so many people at this race, more than I've seen at any of the Charities Challenge races. It was great! The race started and Jason and I were together, but I could tell that he really was adjusting his stride to slow down with me. I told him about 2 mins in to just go ahead of me. People were passing me as I expected, and I had a hard time finding my groove. I wasn't sure if I was fully recovered from the bronchitis. I made the first lap at about 20 mins and saw our friends Mike and Chiara who came to cheer us on! I kept on going and there was a person ahead of me that I really wanted to pass. We went back and forth for a bit and after about 2.5 miles, she really got ahead of me. When I passed the 3 mile marker, I saw my husband coming towards me :) He was done and wanted to come and get me past the finish line! (I love this man!) He was kind of walking fast while I was "running" and giving me words of encouragement. He also stayed with me as I sprinted to the finish.
My official time was 44:28. Jason's was 31:51. I was aiming for under 40, but I guess my times are getting slightly better. Jason was hoping for under 30, but I"m just proud that he even did it with me! I have things to figure out as to why I can't get under a 14min mile, but I'm not super concerned at this point.
Next race is the TC 10K on October 1st. My goal is to just finish. I'm running for my work corporate team and not aiming for a particular time. It'll be an early race for me, but maybe that'll be a good thing. I'm trying to do more cross-training and today I even broke out the Shred! Hours later, I'm feeling it in my arms. Gotta get back to what I was doing before and tracking daily. I know I'll get there.
And I'll never forget this 10 year anniversary of 9/11/2001 as the first race my husband ran with me. I'm hoping for many more!
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