Moo... It is Monday!

Wahhhhoooo...  I feel like I may be over the hump!  I increased the protein in my diet over the last few weeks and increased my calories (yes eating more) and over those two weeks I lost 2.5 pounds (steady 26 pound loss).  So I am hoping this tweak to my diet will be what I need!

This article tells us how protein helps with weight loss. 

So new motivation in the color blue.... Want to see????

DRUM ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!

O, God help me...  I have to wear this dress in June in a size smaller than I am now!!!  I am the Matron of Honor in one of my best friends weddings.  This dress sure looks good on the girl in the picture...  My husband of course loves the dress...  I think he thinks if I put it on, I will look like that.  Unfortunately, I did not get to try it on because they did not have my size in the store models...  But we got to see it on one of the bridesmaids who is probably a size 2.  It  has nothing to hide one of the most hated parts of my body....  MY ARMS.  If you know me, you have never seen me in a tank top, right?  Now you know why.  It could be 100 degrees and I would still not wear a tank top unless I was running.  Also, let's face it...  I have no boobs!  What the heck will hold this dress up?  Wish me luck!  Please pray it will zip up and my fat won't flap in the wind!  I will share a picture of me in this dress after the June Wedding!  Thank God for Boot Camp!  
Goals this week:

Fluids...  Protien... Calories... 3 - 4 days boot camp and 2-3 days of running!!!  Hope to be down 2 more pounds by next week. 

Moo... It's Monday!

Loving the summer weather!  Kids are home and our first week off is already over.  It's going to go fast! 

Diet: This week was really hard for me...  started out good, writing it down and then blew it over the weekend.  Had too much wine with old friends and Father's Day brunch with French Toast did me in.  I was bad and I am going to beat myself this week to get down before weigh in on Saturday.  It's my biggest loser week.  Hopefully I won't be too cranky. 

Here's my healthiest yummiest dinner this week...  Kabobs on the grill with fresh veggies.  Nothing beats summer grilling.  Check out my new cup filled with water and fresh squeezed lemon and a dash of Stevia!  My girlfriend gifted me this cup and it is helping me get those clean liquids in (Thanks!).  Do you drink enough water?  Click here and use this free water calculator to find out!  Also check out the health benefits of lemon water!

Also, wanted to share these apple sauce squeeze packs I first saw at Starbucks.  Completely clean and all organic...  My kids love them and I think they are great and a fabulous idea I wish I had thought of...  But.... LOOK at the killer price (4.19)  at over a dollar each with only four in a pack.  Come on, why do foods that are good for us cost more?  If you do want to try them, go get one at Satrbucks to try.  If you look for them at the store they were in a weird area of my local store...  the candy section???  

Here's a deal, you can get 48 for under 30.00 on Amazon.  If you like these, this is the way to go for the better deal. 

Exercise:  I missed my boot camp this week.  I am good at getting Cardio in on my own, but boot camp mixes things up and gives me cardio and strength training.  So this is what my week looked like.

Monday - Quick 2 mile run in the hood.

Tuesday - Gym to run 4 miles.

Wed. - Ran three miles

Thurs. - I swam a little...  like half a lap!  LOL!

Fri - Went to a spinning class and my parts are still hurting.  It was a great workout though! 

Sat. - Run

Sunday - Run three miles

This week I am shooting for at least 10 hours of active exercise time.  I have four hours covered with boot camp...  Just need to fit in 9 more in to hit my goal!

Plan For This Week:  1.) Write it all down.  2.) Keep calories in low but not too low 3.) boot camp 4x this week plus get some sort of exercise in each day besides boot camp!  Hoping to log over 10 hours of exercise this week.  I will let you know how that goes!  Hoping I can put that running shirt on I told you about in a previous post by next week.  It will be a hard week.  UGH!

Need Some Inspiration???  I love reading posts from other weight loss victories.  Check out Amanda's post here with before and after pictures!  I laughed when I saw this graphic she had on her post.  Gotta love Dr. Phil. 

Thanks for reading if you made it this far!  I wish you a healthy week filled with clean foods and good exercise! 

Moo... It's Monday!

Another week gone by!  Hope your week was great.  I am officially back on track, I do believe.  There are always bumps in the track, we just have to fix them and get our butts back on that track.  I am not in any hurry to get the numbers down on the scale.  Yes, I wish it was easier and quicker.  But it isn't! So plugging along.

Diet: Ate well this week.  Added some more calories to my diet and I lost a pound this week!  Sometimes I eat way less than I should.  If I don't write down what I eat, then often I think I may have eaten too much and will skip dinner.  I am trying not to do that and to write it all down again.  That is the key...  writing it down. 

This article (Why Calories are King) has some good advice.  Here is a quote from it:
"2. Suppose someone has cut calories, but still hits a plateau. Is it possible that she may need to eat more calories to lose weight?


It’s possible. If you’re not eating enough, your body sort of panics and goes into what’s known as starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism and fat-burning processes. If it’s being starved of calories, it has to hold onto all of the energy stores and calories that it can. Think of your body as a furnace. If there’s not enough fuel, the fire just simmers for a long time without really burning hot. If you’re not eating enough calories to match your activity level, your body just simmers and no real progress is being made. The danger is that people react to this type of plateau by eating even less, which of course just makes the problem worse and harder to recover from. It’s a horrible cycle that can lead to real problems."

Also check out, I just started exercising, why am I gaining weight?

Exercise:  Still going strong.  Three days of boot camp and lots of running.  I ran a 5K this weekend.  I wanted to be under 30 minutes and I didn't do it.  I had a time of 30:04.  Stupid five seconds.  I pushed myself at the end.  I was neck and neck with a girl who was about 27.  As we were about five - ten seconds away from crossing, she passed me.  I pushed it and passed her up to finish before her.  I hate to be mean, but she bent over at the end and got a little sick...  I kinda felt good that she was younger and about 50 pounds lighter than I am was a little sick at the end.  So I gave it my all and know I need  to work  on getting my 5K under 30 still.  Here's something funny...  I came in first place in this race for my age group... females 30-39.  Now second place was six minutes behind me and I later learned that there were only a total of 10 ladies in my age group.  Most of the women that ran this race were in their 20's.  So my first running trophy sits on my dresser.  LOL!  My hubby ran this race in 22:00 minutes...  Yeah, him... but no trophy!  :(  Mostly fast men in this race since it is his work race and mostly men work at his place of employment. 

Well, hope you have a great week!

Moo... It's Monday!

Moo… It’s Monday! (1 day early!!!!)


Sorry, life has gotten busy with the end of the school year around the corner. The kids’ sports combined with getting exercise in and doing Teaching Heart keeps me busy. Therefore, it has been a bit since I posted a Moo… It is Monday post. I am back this week.

Diet – Ugh! I have hit a plateau over the past two weeks. No weight gained or lost… Well, I did gain 2 pounds and lost it… putting me back at 20lbs lost. I know why, I am not writing it down. I started doing that again today. I really need to write it all down so I get enough calories or so that I do not get too many. Still eating clean and staying away from sugar as much as possible. I did cheat and have a piece of cake at a party on Saturday. It was all good until we went for a four mile run right after the party. I bet my husband before it that I could get it done in 43 minutes… O, man… Mile 1 my stomach was feeling the cake. Really, you feel like what you eat. If you eat clean, you feel good and ready for exercise. If you eat crap, you feel like crap when you exercise. I am pretty sure you won’t see cake listed as a good pre-run meal on this list: http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/enduranceeating.asp

Exercise – Still doing it 6x a week once or twice a day. That is the part I find very easy. On Saturday I am running a 5K race with my husband for his work. My goal for that is to get under 30 min. That will be hard for me as I have yet to break 30 min. on the treadmill at the gym. So, next week I will let you know how that goes. I am doing boot camp. I have two more weeks left in this free session and then I have 2 more free ones left. Over the summer months the camps are shorter and if I do those, I will be paying for them and not using my free ones.

Mon – Boot Camp

Tues – Guessing 2 miles through my hilly neighborhood… Pouring sweat from body after this.

Wed. – Boot Camp

Thurs, Four Mile Run on Treadmill and 1 Mile Walk

Friday – Three mile run and 2 mile walk on Treadmill. Also did 60 min. Boot camp in the AM

Sat. – Four miles… I was 44 min. So I did not win the bet. I felt like a dog.

Sun – Rest.

I ordered a shirt I have been wanting since I set eyes on it… but I am not allowed to wear it until I hit seven more pounds lost. That would put me at 27 pounds lost and lighter than I was before I got pregnant with my second child four years ago. The saying is the graphic I used in this post.  The shirt is so cool. It is from WOOHA GEAR at http://www.whoohagear.com/  If you haven’t checked this site out it has T-Shirts and other athletic apparel that inspire through motivational sayings and designs. I fell in love with a running shirt I saw on the site. You can see it here. http://shop.whoohagear.com/product.sc?productId=73&categoryId=3  I love the colors and the words on it!!! When you see me in it, I will be down 27 pounds! It’s hanging in my closet now.

Quotes for me to  Think About:

Failure is only a fact when you give up. Everyone gets knocked down, the question is: Will you get back up?

When you stop trying to change others and work on changing yourself, your world changes for the better.
When the sun comes up each day, be up and out with it.

Busy Fighting Cancer!

Lance Armstrong once said, “If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up or fight like hell.” Lance Armstrong obviously didn’t give up. He fought with vigor and unstoppable belief in his recovery. Thank you to all who came to the Peters Relay for Life 2010 and showed your HOPE! Whatever part you played, if you were there or made a donation to the event you made a difference and should be proud of yourself!

 

I know that I haven't posted in a bit.  If you are a Moo.....  It's Monday Fan, you may think I gave up on diet and exercise.  I didn't!  After only four hours of sleep Saturday night, I still got up for Katie Page Boot Camp at Relay.  It was awesome and those inch worm abs & the millions of squats Katie had us do have me hurting today!  I should be back with Moo....  It's Monday regular posts next week.  I have just been busy being the Committee Online/Technology Chair for the Peters Township Relay for Life that finally happened this weekend.  We start planing this in December of 2009 and have meetings all through 2010 until the day of the event in May.  It's time consuming all year; but, in May especially... but worth it when your event goes off without a glitch!  So far our community has raised over $77,000+ total.  I also was a team member of an AWESOME team that raised about $3,000 so far.  Online we have raised about $13,000 which I am extremely happy with and beats out any other online years for any Peters Township Relay for Life.   Whhhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooopppppppppp!!!!!!!!

 

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for this event.  You can see in the first picture above (taken by my friend Kristi), the weather was AWESOME.  God definitely shined his light down on our fight!  If you haven't been to a Relay to just walk the track, you NEED to find one in your area and go out with the family. 

 

 "The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated." 

 

Teams walk or run the track for 24 hours.  The goal of each team is to have at least one team member on the track for a 24 hour period.  This signifies that those with cancer fight it 24 hours a day!  However, you do not need to have a team to come to a Relay event.  It's a family fun day filled with games, food, prizes, and entertainment all to support the American Cancer Society.  Bring your family out to check one out!  You can learn more about Relay here!

Thank you to KT Photography for the use of these photos.  Please visit KT Photography here to see more!  If you are local to the Pittsburgh area, Kristi is an affordable photographer.  Her pictures are unique and always amazing!

Moooo.... It's Monday! - THE RACE IS OVER - NOW WHAT?

It feels like Christmas is over...  You know how you work so hard for the holiday and then it's over in 24 hours.  In running, you train for at least 8 weeks and then you run for less than 2 hours and it is over.  This article kinda sums it up!  Still, with that said, it was worth it!!!

One more time I would like to thank my friends and family for such great support as I trained to run the 10!  I am not lucky, just blessed!!! 

So I am already signed up for my next race.  It is in September and it is ONLY six miles (after running 10 - six seems like heaven).  Want to run it???  My goal right now is to finish in an hour.  So right now I am just working on getting quicker feet....  I know one thing that will make me quicker is, less weight.  So I move on with the hard part - DIET!  Stupid DIET!!!  Hate how food has to make us grow out.  I think if you eat clean foods you should not have to count calories... sadly that is my thoughts and our bodies don't work that way. 

I told you that this week I would report on total weight loss thus far.  Well, I am down 20 lbs total since I started and that is five pounds less than when last reported.  I am taking it slow on the weight loss.  Hopefully I can keep it off once I am done.  I guess I was hoping that all those 7, 9, 9, and 10 mile runs would do magic and make me shed more...  but the trick is, I need to not eat like a wolf gone wild after a long run.  Still, I feel so HUNGRY after long runs and I reward myself with food.  It may be clean food, but it is too much food.  So new goal:  Write it down, everyday...  Keep calories on target!

One cool thing is that when I pulled out the summer clothes...  Things that were very tight last summer, I can pull down without unbuttoning.  My hubby (He likes to butter me up) told me I looked 1 demensional the other day.  Isn't he grand???

Exercise (taking easy after Sunday!):
Sunday - 10 Miles
Tuesday - BOOT CAMP
Wed. - BOOT CAMP
THURS - BOOT CAMP
FRI - 3 Miles
Sat - 0 :(
Sun - 0 :(

Any goals for you this week in health? 

Moooo.... It's Monday! (GW PARKWAY RACE REVIEW)

 

Sorry this is late...  I am having some issues with one of my computers.  So I am one day late on Moo...  Monday!

I wanted to use this post to share my race day with you.  At the end of the post, I will include other links to other reviews of this same race!

MY First Race Review - GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler!  (From a First Time 10 Mile Runner)

6:15 AM My sister-in-law and I boarded a bus near the Pentagon and we were off to our first 10 mile race.  We ate our mini bagel, strawberries, and drank Green Mountain Blueberry Coffee on the bus ride to Mt. Vernon.  It was raining when the bus dropped us at Mt. Vernon!  They literally drop you off at the start and there is no way back except to walk or run the 10 miles to the finish.  The Parkway is closed, so even if you wanted to hitch a ride you couldn't.  I think that was a good thing!  

I had read lots of blogs on running (thanks!) and learned that I should pack garbage bags to use as ponchos you could toss. Thank goodness, there was no cover as we waited over an hour for the race to start. We put on the grabage bags and plugged our noses (note to self, next time bring non-scented garbage bags). There were what seemed liked millions of people waiting there. There was a sea of porta-potties at the start! I hate pota-potties, I have been know to pee behind one instead of in one. I sucked it up and went in. Hey no rain! I actually thought about sitting in there till the race started. Ugh! Back to stand under a tree and listen to my hysterical sister-in-law... She wasn't half as excited as I was! As we stood under the trees she stated: "What the heck am I doing on my day off, standing under a tree with a garbage bag on waiting to run 10 miles!" She made the time go by quickly with her funny remarks.

So about 30 minutes before the start we decided to leave our tree and head to the bag drop off.  They take your bags on a truck to the finish line.  Since it was still raining I kept my $5.00 Walmart jacket on and packed up my other stuff in the bag.  After bag drop off we stayed in the large field in front of Mt. Vernon (happened to be where my sister-in-law was married about four years ago!)  Here I am ready to start:

BTW, that lady behind me...  that is her arms under her shirt not her chest.  I first looked at the picture and thought man why didn't I notice her. 

About 20 minutes before the run, they had a boot camp type instructor (not nearly as good as mine) lead us in a warm-up type of activity.  My sister-in-law was annoyed that I was into doing this...  But I needed to take it all in.  Her; "You are like one of those people that likes those ice breaker types of games, aren't you?"  YEP!

So jumping jacks, high knees, and some stretches were led by the boot camp type instructors....  I did most of it and decided I did not like his stretches and did my own. 

After that we walked our way to the back of the pack - way, way, back behind about 6,000 or so people.  At this time I had my first PowerBar Energy Gel and some of my electrolyte water to wash it down.  I took my last few pictures. Stuffed my baby berry into my running water bottle never to see again till the finish. (Sorry no race pics.  I was trying hard to make my time of getting this dine in 2 hours) 

About the water bottle (that I love and really worked well):  I was surprised...  I didn't see anyone else with one.  Lots of people had on hydration packs.  I thought a hydration pack was little too much for a 10 mile race - come on people, it's not a marathon and the temps were low.  Get a cool water bottle or just stop at the water stops.  Hee-hee!!!

Here's the pack ahead of me at the start.

I was a little bummed when I realized that by the time we would get to the start after the gun was shot it would be three-four minutes into the race.  As I expressed my concern for not finishing in 2-hours, the lady next to me said that she thought the same thing, but your time didn't actually start till you hit the start line.  O-GOOD!  We wore little race clips on our shoes that tracked our time. 

By the time we hit the start line, the rain had stopped and never returned!  Thanks God!  I read on other blogs that the race starts with a down hill and many runners take that too fast and poop out at the bottom.  I took it easy on the hill and saw many people start walking after the hill.  My goal was no walking...

As I am running down the pretty large hill, I am thinking... wow, I have to go to the bathroom.  I knew there would be one at 2.6, I will wait till then!  Of course through out the race you see men running into the wood and peeing.  They have it so easy.  I started to get warm and tied my walmart jacket around my waist.  I originally bought the jacket to toss on the course (like many people do - hopefully they collect all those cover-ups and give they to a shelter or something).  I didn't toss mine because I really like that $5.00 bright pink cover-up. 
The first mile was super easy. People watching kept me interested. I noticed that I was keeping good pace with two girls running together. One had on one of those multi-color  running skirts and her friend looked like a really good runner, running along side the skirt girl to keep her going. They would run and then walk. I spent the majority of the race running with them, passing them when they walked, and then they would catch up with me and start walking again... I just kept on running.

Around mile 2 I could see the potty's ahead. Once I got up to the spot I noticed that there were only three potty's and like 10 people (women) in line... Forget it, I will hold it. Plugging along and still feeling good, I cross the three mile line and I am ahead of where I wanted to be at this time.

The track itself is so far, great! Pretty flat with a few upgraded hills (which I am use to from our trail). It was a cloudy day, so the sights weren't as pretty as I hoped. Still, on a nice day I bet it is so pretty for a run. Lots of scenic overlooks and very shaded.
Before I knew it, I was on mile five with a time of 57:06! 
I was half-way there & three minutes better than I thought I would be at this point! No problem... still had to go to the bathroom! :( But for some reason, not as much as before. One time I was trying to decide if I should just run into the trees and then I looked over into the woods and saw a naked behind. Ugh! I didn't want anyone seeing my large behind.... plugging along.
Mile six and seven seem like a blur... I no longer had to go to the bathroom..... I remember my legs were bothering me and I wanted to walk; but I wouldn't let myself because I was afraid if I stopped I may not start up running again. It is funny how you feel like cardio wise you could go on forever, but your legs just want to stop.
My time at 7 miles was 1:20:03. I was still with skirt girl and her friend. I remember hearing her complain to her friend and her friend said that they only had "2.6 miles to the finish, wasn't that better than 10?" and the girl said, "No!" Hee-hee! I then decided I was done with having them pass me when they started running again... I told myself I needed to get farther ahead of them so they would not pass me for the rest of the race. That was accomplished.

Mile 8 starts to go into the town a bit. You start to see people cheering you on. One lady held a sign that said, "If your legs aren't burning badly by this point then you aren't working your ASS hard enough!" I had to laugh. I got a little teary eyed during mile 8 when I could see the mile nine marker and the crowd was banging cow bells. I had to stop thinking and crank up the music so I could focus on finishing strong emotionally. I had to take my focus off the cute crowd with the signs and the cheers of kids in the audience cheering on their mommies. That got me the most emotional. It really is something to see a little four year old yelling, go Mommy! Luckily, a killer hill cranked me out of an emotional state... I do hills pretty well (if you have seen my neighborhood hils - that may be the reason), passing up many people and staying strong! Turning a corner now and I can see the white finish line (which appears much closer than it really is)... I feel a little sick to my stomach at this point... I want to finsih with a sprint across. I know I have met my goal, wondering now how far under 2 hours I can get... About 30 seconds to the finsih line I hear my family cheering even with my music blasting. I also hear over the speaker the man say "anyone who can hear me, if you want to finish this in 2 hours you need to push-it!" Hands up, I am done and ugh... I feel sick.... walking for about 5 minutes to get out of the race and I see hubby, kids, and my parents. Yeah, done! Official time - 1:54:43 Waaaahhhhoooooo - under 2 hours! Much better than I thought I would do. I love this, what race is next?! I am hooked!

Here's me about 30 minutes after finishing and waiting for my sister-in-law to finish.   If I can do this... anyone can!  It such a great feeling to have finished something you really never thought you could or would.

I was never a runner, not even when I was younger.  That's the cool thing about running, it's a sport you can pick up at any age! 

Okay, now let's finish this weight loss game!

Through training for my first race I learned a few things;

-Follow a plan.  Make it happen.  As moms we let excuses get in the way.  We need to make time for not only to make our children's dreams come true; but ours too (big or small).

-You have friends that support you and you have friends that really don't want you to finish!

-Running is very much a mind game as well as a physical game.  Convince your mind you can do and your body will follow. 

-Food is fuel, if you use it right your body will get it done.

-Training for a 10 miler is time consuming.  Long runs on the weekends can take 2 hours out of your day and even some of the short runs are at least an hour.  I bow down to the moms that train for marathons!  You go girls!

-You hear God when you run alone.  Use the time to pray!

- Garbage bags should be packed in your race day bag, just make sure they are unscented.

Links to other reviews of this race!!!

Lesser is More Has a Great Review!

Blessed With Full Hands 2010 report!

See Mommy Run has a report from 2009!

Great Post with Pictures along the race!  (You can see the hill on mile 9 that I mentioned in my post!)

Here's a funny one!

Thanks for reading! 

What I am up to Today!!!

8+ weeks of training!  When I started three miles was about all I could do without stopping.  Today I will attempt to run 10 miles without stopping.  If you read regularly, you may be tired of reading about my race day!  If you are one of my everyday friends, I know I have been annoying about this race.  SORRY AND THANKS!  A special thanks to those who laced up their shoes and joined me in a run on the trail or through the neighborhood!  I promise after my Moo Monday post, I will stop talking bragging about the fact I am going to run in a 10 mile race.  Something I never thought I would do or want to do!   My parents are driving hours to see me race too.  I feel like I am back in high school playing in a volleyball tournament or swim meet!  Still, I am glad they will be there. 

Right now, Friday, they say thunderstorms on the list for Sunday's race.  I will be so bummed if with all this training this doesn't happen and I don't run the 10 mile race.  ugh!  (My girlfriend said that the I should think positive and remember that the thunder should make me run faster to get it over with. - Thanks J.S...  We should all take her advice and try turning negative thoughts into positive ones!)

Anyhow, thank you to everyone for the kind words and support!  How the heck can I be so lucky...  I run my first race and I am showered with cards, kind words, and even flowers and cookies!  I like this running thing.  If I ever run a marathon, gift cards will be excepted.  I am kidding!  Really!!!  I have the best friends in the world.  I am one lucky gal!  Thanks God!

Cheers!

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right."  -Henry Ford

"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."  -William Faulkner

"Anybody can be a runner. We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It's the easiest sport." --Bill Rodgers

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." --John Bingham

 

Moo... It's Monday!

Next week my race will be over with and my goal will be to keep on running to improve my time and loose some more weight.

Thought I would share my last LONG training run with you via pictures for this Moo Monday post!

Nine miles was on the list for this Saturday following my son's awesome soccer game where his team dominated the field and  he scored two goals and made some great passes!  Yeah, much better than baseball where I fear for his life when that hard ball comes at him (he has to be the worst player on his baseball team - poor kid!)  Anyhow, it was cold though and throughout the game I would ask my hubby if we could just do this run on Sunday...  Nope, he said about ten times until he almost yelled at me on my eleventh attempt at wimping out.  One reason I married the man, he doesn't let me give up. 

Home we went to change and layer the kids for the 40 degree weather. I wore my scary comfy pants (scary for those who have to see me in them and comfy for me who could careless after the 5th mile what the hell I have on as long a my legs aren't rubbing together.). Also, I had on a short sleeve shirt with a little jacket. I was cold at the start and finish, but perfect for the nine miles of fun! I also tried to convince my hubby again that this run might be too cold for my son on his bike and daughter in the stroller. That did not work, he just got them mittens and hats. Ugh, we were doing this!

Start time 3:58.  40 degrees and cold...  need to get running to warm up!!!

I'm off and a half mile into this torture.  See my bottle....  I love it! 

About mile three...  Should I turn around?  The trail was pretty badly covered with down trees from our micro-burst on Friday that killed our swing-set.

Passing the horse farm...

Heading on to the dirt path for about a mile and a half.  I have never gone past this point on the trail.

Hit mile five and I am heading back...  I feel really good and strong at this point.  It may be that about the last half mile was down hill a bit.  Look how far behind my hubby is.  Okay, he was doing 10 this day and doubled back before this point.  Let's just pretend I am ahead. 

Here he is passing me...  He finished his 10 miles in an hour and a half.  Jerk! 

Ya, Think?!?  No one said running wasn't a dangerous sport!

Passing my house...  I WISH!

At this point I have two miles to go and my legs keep telling me to just walk and maybe stop for a Gyro.  I was not doing good mentally here.  I kept thinking about the hill at the end of the run.  I was thinking how I hate this and would much rather be down there at the coffee shop having some gossip with my favorite gal pals!!!  Luckily I ran slower but did not walk.  I got a little energy back around Brusters and kicked it in from a 4.8 to about a 5.2. 

It is the home stretch now.  I am almost there.  Just have to get up this hill and around the bend. 

 

My legs are killing me.  My breathing and general energy is good at the end but my legs feel numb and so tired.  My end time 5:43!  That would give me about 15 minutes to finish the last mile to make my goal of 10 in 2 hours a reality next weekend.

Thumbs up!!!  Done with nine and on to 10 on race day. 

That's all for this Monday.  Next week stop back for my race report and the following week I will give a weight, diet, and exercise update. 

Thanks for reading!

Moo... It is Monday!

Hey!  Thanks for stopping to read Moo... It's Monday!  I really appreciate your comments and your never ending show of support.  It is amazing how supportive and encouraging people can be.  Even if you don't comment, I appreciate you taking the time to read this.  Moo....  It's Monday has kept me accountable since I started posting about my challenges with exercise and diet! 

12 days till race day and I am happy to report that I think I can!  I think I can run this straight through without walking.  I think I can do something I never thought I would do.  I think I can finish this in about two hours!   In 12 days I think I will I know I will be able to say, "I ran in a 10 mile race !"

Hey you, if I can do it, so can you.  I think you can!  I know YOU can!!!  Get off the couch and start by walking.  Then do the couch to 5K.  That is how I started!  The program works and it really is what it says.  If you are not a runner, this will make you one.  Let's face it, if you want something bad enough, you can really do anything.  Put you mind to it, believe in yourself, and put your foot forward.  The internet is filled with tips, recipes, running schedules, and anything you may need to know to get it done. 

Steppping off my soap box - sorry!  When I loose all this weight, I will step back up...  Don't worry, that is many, many, many... months away!!!  

So, this week was good.  Hope yours was too.

Exercise - Monday 5 Mile Run
Tues.  Boot Camp (It was really hard this week.  One of the most difficult weeks since I started. When I say hard, I don't mean hard in a bad way.  I think I got killer workouts that really challenged me to work outside my box. )
Wed. Boot Camp
Thur. Boot Camp + 2 mile run
Friday - 3 mile run (I remember when I would dread a three mile run...  now these are my favorite!)
Saturday - 8 crazy miles with the kids and my husband.  My son rode his bike (he rocks) and my super fast running hubby ran with the crappy jogger stroller.  So if you are local, this is what 8 - 9  miles looks like ( start at where 19 meets Valleybrook and run to where the bridge is over McMurray.  Turn around there.  Run back to where you started.  Turn back around and run past Farmhouse, past Peterswood park turnoff, past the horse farm and go to where the trail splits.  Turn around at the split and run back (it's downhill back, THANK GOD!!!!) 

So the 8 miles was a slow run.  My hubby and kids finished 15 minutes before me.  My hubby is fast.  He's been a runner for a long time.  He was in the Navy...  I wasn't (ha-ha)! However, I felt great and only stopped once to go to the bathroom at Farmhouse.  I am still working on figuring out what to eat before a run so that I don't feel like vomiting.  This time I had a bagel and apple.  That seemed to work with my stomach. I also was telling my boot camp coach about how I wanted to try running gels, like GU.  I am a little nervous to give those a try.  She suggested I put Electrolytes in my water.  Well, I put some in my water bottle (which I love and linked to if you click).  It really helped me with energy.  I felt good all of the run and liked having my water with me.  The bottle is great.  I can fit my Blackberry in the pocket.

Diet:  This week was okay.  I am hungry with all these runs and get a little confused on how much I should eat on a long run day.  I blogged about my two awesome clean egg recipes, stop by if you did not see it this week.  I will give a weight loss update in about two weeks.  I have lost a few since my last loss update. 

Motivation:

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."  -Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."   
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer
 
SHARE:
 
I got my new running pants that don't make my thighs rub together.  I look like a big whale in them... but they are comfy!  Check it out!  My water bottle is below too!
 
 

 

Moo.... It's Monday!

So, I have awesome news...  I feel so lucky and blessed!   I entered a contest to win three free Katie Page Fitness boot camps and guess what???  I won.  I was so excited when I won the opportunity to continue with this awesome program.  It's funny how I am excited about getting up at 4:30 AM so I can get my butt kicked from 5:30-6:30 AM.  If I can't get this weight off now with such a wonderful tool, then I am pretty hopeless.  Ha-ha!  No excuses, now.  Seriousy, I won three camps valued at $900.00!  I am thankful for such a generous prize!!!

Anyhow, I did a write up and a youtube video to win this prize.  The write up had to be 250 words and the youtube video could not exceed one minute.  When I first wrote it out it was over 600 words.  I am going to share my 600 word version and my you tube video below.  Someday the 250 word write up will appear here, but here's all I wanted to say:

Katie Page’s Boot Camp has profoundly changed my life! I began Katie’s COMPLETE program of fitness and eating clean back in November when I was unfit. On the first day when Katie said we would start by running a lap, I was sure I would die. I found myself working at a low impact on many of the exercises Katie had us do. I could not do any push-ups or hold a plank (I did not even know what a plank was). However, Katie has created an environment where I felt okay about being one of the weakest and slowest campers. I never once felt humiliated or intimated by what I could not do as well as some of the other women. As those first weeks passed, I realized I was able to do more and more. I saw myself catching up to many of the women and I was no longer one of the weaker members. I figured I would try another session, and then another; every session was a new challenge.


Now I am totally hooked on boot camp because of the way I feel and the changes I am seeing. It’s “a love hate relationship”, I love it when I am done but it is hard enough that I hate it while I am doing it. Katie often says, “You all didn’t get up at 4:30 AM for nothing.” Still, ttime goes by quickly as Katie engages us in so many types of exercises. Going from station to station keeps me active and interested, as opposed to my treadmill workouts when I am counting down the minutes until I am done.

Although the five-week program is grueling, it has forced me to tap into a reservoir of discipline I did not know I had. I actually have gone from couch potatoes to a women training to run ten miles, a month from now. In fact, after one camp, I knocked over a minute off my mile run.

Katie actually cares about each individual and helping them meet their goals. She is always willing to answer questions about diet and nutrition and make individualized suggestions. She is always an email or phone call away. Everyday I learn something new at camp. Katie once asked us, “Do you live to eat or eat to live?” With Katie’s help I am learning how to eat to live.

After three boot camps, I am still a work in progress. I am noticing subtle little differences here and there. A new dress size here and a compliment there continue to propel me to finish my goals. After 10 weeks of camp, I am down 15 pounds. I know that I am going in the right direction and Katie has given me all the tools I need to succeed. The program works if you do your part and let it work. It is truly addicting to look and feel fit and energized. I heart Katie Page’s Boot camps!

---
Ok, that was the write up I managed to tweek down to 250 words.  The youtube video is below.  It's kinda weird sharing this...  but I figured if you regularly follow MOO... It's Monday, then I should show some before pics.  Hopefully in a few months I will have some more weight loss pics. to share.  I have 35-40 more pounds to loose. 

Moo... It's Monday

Here comes another Monday! Another good week of clean eating and killer exercise.
Diet:
You saw that I blogged here about the cooking class I went to. If you didn't get a chance to read my post and visit the links I shared there, you should now. It is full of great ideas.

Did well with eating healthy this week. The drinking healthy part was the hard part this week. I have been off of diet soda for over two months and this week I kept seeing my hubby's Diet Coke in the frig, It was telling me to open it up and for the first time in two months, I really wanted to enjoy a soda with my hummus and carrot stick snack... but, I opened up a water instead. Then I took my daughter to a birthday party and was offered soda and almost said yes; but I stopped myself. Still, I could go for a nice cold Diet Coke and really dislike the healthy me that tells the unhealthy me, "You will never drink soda again, so get over it and grab a water!'

This week I need to focus on my calories in over the holidays. I am going to a big fancy brunch on Sunday. Wish me luck!

Click to read more reason why soda is bad:

The Truth About Diet Soda

Diet Soda Drinkers Gain Weight

Diet Soda will make and Keep you FAT!

Exercise:

Still running good! Wondering if I should get a SPIbelt? I was thinking I could use it on my 10 mile race to hold my baby (Blackberry)... Do you have one? What is the best one?

Monday - Run 3 miles
Tuesday - Boot camp
Wed. - Run 4 Miles
Thurs. - Boot camp
Fri. - Run 5 miles
Sat. - Ran my VERY hilly neighborhood 4 1/2 miles - This killed my legs. They still hurt and it is Monday.
Sun - Rest!!!

My running playlist is below. I need some new tunes. Any suggestions???

Let's be Inspired

Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, “Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?” - Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner

Obviously you can't change your genes, but you can give them a damn good run for their money.