Greatest 4th in the North 5k, Michigan

We recently took a trip to Michigan to visit with my grandma. We were there over July 4th and it seems that many towns across the USA have races on the 4th. There was one in a nearby town, so a bunch of the family decided to do either the fun run, 5k, or 10k. We had several people in our group that placed in the age groups - or even won the races the entered. Grandma was so happy to be able to see so many of her grandkids race.

I started out wearing my Fellow Flowers long sleeve shirt. Just after half way, I decided I was hot, so I took off the jacket & rocked out my Team Tough Chik jersey. I also decided I would wait for Jon since he wasn't too far behind me. I underestimated how far behind me he was. Ah well. It was nice to run in to the finish with him. Considering it was our first run since December, I was pleased with how it went.

Pre-race

Pre-race

Pre-race

A small group of those of us who raced 

A few of the "fun run" finishers (my nephew did NOT think it was "fun")

My 2nd cousin, who won the 10k

YAY! Finished!

Jon & I after the race

My lil brother got 1st in his age group - 4th overall - for the 10k

Whole 30 update

I figured it was time to come in and give an update about how things are going on Whole 30. The first week went pretty well. I had a couple of "off plan" but gluten free meals. I lost 3 lbs.

And then our pre-scheduled trip happened. I tried to prepare as much as I could. It wasn't meant to be. I knew that it probably wouldn't be though. 

And then last week happened. We'll just leave it at "it wasn't the best week". It definitely wasn't the worst week, but it wasn't good either. 

This weekend had promise, but it wasn't perfect either. So, with Jon on board, we restart (again) this week. I'm not beating myself up about the past couple of weeks, just moving on.

I have a couple of more difficult eating situations coming up, but I'll figure them out as we go. One trip I'll have a kitchen at my disposal. The other trip I'll at least have a mini fridge & probably microwave. *hopefully*

Whole 30, take 15

Now that it's June and we've closed on the house, I have a kitchen I'm allowed to cook in again! Thank goodness!

So, today, along with at least 2 other ladies, I restart Whole 30. Jon will join me in the meals I make him (at least). Being up front, I have 40 lbs and at least 20 inches to lose! I also need to get my thyroid back in optimum health.

I'll also be working on Fitness Blender's 4 week Low Impact plan. I figured low impact was a good way to get back into it.

Here's what week 1 will look like, with a couple of holes still:

Monday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l - salad with chicken
d - roasted chicken & summer squash & bok choy
(lots of chicken today!)
Fitness Blender plan 3 & 4

Tuesday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - beef skewers & salad
Fitness Blender plan 5

Wednesday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - pulled pork, coleslaw, broccoli salad
Fitness Blender plan 6

Thursday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - lettuce wrap pork "tacos" with veggies, guacamole, and salsa
Fitness Blender plan 7

Friday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - chicken & zucchini poppers with broccoli salad
Fitness Blender plan 8

Saturday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - bbq at a friend's house
Fitness Blender plan 9

Sunday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d-
Fitness Blender plan 10 & 11

Eventually, I'll need to change my breakfast up. But, I'm trying to keep it as easy as possible this week to get back into it. Lunches are my weakness. Pretty much the plan is either salad or leftovers. I need to get better about planning those though.

The Paleo Journey

Since we've been trying to sell our townhouse, our eating has been horrible. I'm not even going to say it's been ok; it's been flat out horrible. I take responsibility for that. I've been having a rough time knowing if it's "ok" to cook in the house because you're not supposed to have lingering food smells when you show the house. Hard to cook dinner when some showings are between 6-7pm.

That being said, something HAS to change. We've been talking about getting back on the Paleo wagon, even with showings. People are going to have to realize other people live in houses... even ones that are for sale.

This weekend, we were in a Barnes & Noble. It's amazing how being in a college town changes whether or not there's a book store around. I picked up three new Paleo cookbooks (like I needed them!).

Real Life Paleo

Whole 30 Cookbook

21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook

(I'm not Amazon affiliated, just sharing the links)

The Real Like Paleo book really caught my eye. It's about making changes and adapting to the lifestyle one step at a time. I like that style of making changes, so we'll see if it helps!

The W30 cookbook just recently came out. I've been curious about it & with the chance to flip through it before I bought it, it seems like it'll be a good reference for when we decide to do another strict W30.

I have a friend who has the 21 Day Sugar Detox books and she loves them, so I figured it'd be a good addition to my library.

There are days I wish we didn't live in an area that was so easy to say "screw it" and go out. I feel like we may have stuck with the Paleo lifestyle a little more if that was the case. I've been on/off Paleo for a couple of years now. I KNOW it works. I don't know why I resist it so much.

We have a big anniversary coming up in November of this year. I'd like to be closer to my goal weight & health by then. I've got all of the resources. Just need to DO IT!

How is it April?!

March flew by! We were busy getting our house ready to sell and all hopes of anything related to anything other than selling the house were crushed. We even skipped the Shamrock races. I was beyond bummed out about that!

Now it's April. We're up on the market and I can breathe again. Which really means, I need to start eating better (as in: not eating out!) and start working out again.

My goal for food is Whole 30 style Paleo - with some room to "play". I'm thinking 90% Whole 30, 10% Paleo/other. There are some Paleo recipes I really like that have some honey in them. Since it's not allowed on Whole 30, it'd be all of the spring recipes without it. Plus, if I'm being super honest, a Tbsp of honey over an entire recipe every once in a while just doesn't bother me.

We're headed back to our travel trailer today, but once we get home tonight, I'm meal planning. Which means I'm grocery shopping tomorrow. I've GOT to do this.

I don't even know what my weight is right now. Our scale decided to stop working (I think it's the batteries) and then it got packed away in the great "move 3/4 of your stuff out of your house" effort of March. I don't fit into my "fat jeans" any more and had to go get new ones. Blech. I may go to the storage unit and try to find the scale. I have no idea if it's worth it, because I'm kind of cringing at the idea of knowing what my weight is right now, but I feel like I almost need that kick in the butt.

Also, my thyroid is messed up horribly right now. I'm all over the place. I've GOT to get it back under control or my destiny is thyroid medication in November. No thank you.

In other news, I passed my ACE Health Coach certification on Monday! Given the amount of studying I didn't do, I'm a bit shocked, but it's all good. Now, to get myself straight so that I feel like I can actually talk with my clients about nutrition and all that!

Declare it Day - Feb 7 2015

Declare it Day kind of came & went for me. I did my declaration, but I didn't attend the local event. Too many things were going on and I just wasn't feeling it. I've had some "goals" on my mind, so I figured it'd be good to put them on paper and not just here.

1) Run a sub-27 minute 5k.
Why? Because my fastest 5k was 27:07 in 2011. I consider that to be the year I was at my best athletic performance to date. I want to see if I can get back there.
What it'll take? Lots of dedication, speed work, easy runs, and a plan!
When? I'm shooting for end of year, literally, 12-31-15. Ringing in Hope 5k

2) Get out of the Athena weight category.
Why? Because I feel unhealthy.
What it'll take? More dedication to fixing my nutrition and following my workout plan.
When? 5-31-15. The date of my first tri this year.

3) Fit into my Rev3 Maine red t-shirt.
Why? Because I love that shirt.
What it'll take? More dedication to fixing my nutrition and following my workout plan.
When? 2-6-15. I may need the entire year to do this one! Then again, who knows. If I get things under control, maybe it'll go faster than I think.

4) Enjoy quiet time with my husband.
Why? We need it.
What it'll take? We're putting the travel trailer in Luray this year, so it'll just be getting ourselves out to it.
When? No end date.

TRX workout

Today, we did TRX Force Workout 2. I'm really looking forward to working through this program. I'm still working on the 30 day yoga challenge. It's more yoga than I normally do, so it's been good.

I'm also getting back to Whole30, which is GREAT! My thyroid's been all over the place the past few months, so it's time to get back.

It's time to get running again. It's on my training plan for next week. Yes, next week instead of tomorrow. I may do a couple of bike rides between now and then to get my legs acclimated to moving with a quick turn over again.

Last week, This week

I owe a couple of race reports still. Oops! I'll get those up this week some time.


Last week, these were my goals:

Mon: TRX workout - DONE
Tues: Bike ride
Wed: 5k end of year race - DONE
Thurs: Bike ride
Fri: TRX workout
Sat: Run

Well, 2 out of 5 isn't horrible for a holiday week, right?

This week's goals are:

Mon - TRX workout & yoga - DONE
Tues - Run & yoga
Wed - TRX workout & yoga
Thurs - Run & yoga
Fri - Bike & yoga
Sat - Run & yoga

I started a 30 day yoga challenge & so far it's been good. I'm a few days behind, so my goal is to catch up this week.

Starting Wednesday, I'll be doing a Whole 30 again. I've got to break it for a trip we're going on later this month, but then will be right back on it for what will become a "Whole X". Not sure how long it'll go. I need it just to feel more human again!

Space Coast Half Marathon 2014: Challenger; November 30

Pre-race

The day after Thanksgiving, we hit the road at about 4am and drove straight down to Cocoa Beach, FL. Thank goodness that we took turns driving. We made it around 5:30pm, which was fabulous time!

On Saturday, we did packet pickup right at 9am. The race moved packet pickup from Kennedy Space Center to the Radisson at the Port at their conference center. It definitely worked better than the KSC setup, but it was still a bit crowded in the conference center. We got to meet up with a DC area friend, Valerie.

After packet pickup, we headed to Disney for the day. We still had a couple of days on the annual passes from last year, so we figured we might as well. We decided to park at EPCOT and then went straight to DHS/MGM. I had managed to snag Toy Story Mania fast passes a week before our trip. Yay!

After doing Great Movie Ride, walking around in the Animation area, watching Indiana Jones, we were sitting on a bench and I had this feeling that I needed to check email. So, I did and we got some interesting news about the cruise we were taking after the race.

We tried to "ignore" the news the best we could, rode Toy Story Mania, and then headed over to the Osbourne Festival of Lights. We only got to see about 10 minutes of the show. I could sit for hours and watch the lights! Since we had dinner reservations in EPCOT, we headed back over there to Japan. After a wonderful dinner, we (sadly) went to the car & back to Cocoa Beach. We had an EARLY wake up call the next day!

Race day
We knew that the bus filled up early last year and so we were determined to be there early again this year. The 4:15 bus was filled by 4:05 this year... and we didn't make it on it. We convinced some of the spectators to get on the 5am bus instead. I really wish they'd tell the marathoners to wait until the 5am bus so that the half marathoners (like us) weren't freaking out about not making the 5am bus and start line. We managed to get on the bus (along with a few others) & I sat on Jon's lap.

We got to the starting area & shivered for a little bit. I think next year we may check a bag just to have pre-race warm clothes.

(I'm finishing this up in April 2015, so here's the shortened version)

The start of the race was good - crowded, but good. We started our 1:1 run/walks almost immediately. Around mile 2, we both had to use the restroom. I wish we hadn't needed to because we spent almost 20 minutes in line. Ah well. From there, we continued to do 1:1 throughout the race. Because of our stop, we came in at just about 3 hrs. Not horrible for no training. Maybe one of these years we'll actually train for this race!

Post Race
We headed back to the hotel to shower & finish packing. Once done with that, we checked out, got lunch, and headed over to the Port Canaveral cruise terminals. We knew the cruise wouldn't be the one we were hoping for. The lines to get into the building were horrible. We ended up standing in line for about 3 hours. A guy in front of us passed out (that was fun). Thank goodness we ate lunch! Overall, the cruise was good. The ports we ended up stopping at held no interest for us at all, so we didn't bother getting off the boat. Turned out to be super relaxing that way!

Getting back in the swing

I feel like I do more "getting back in the swing of things" posts than anything else these days. So, here's the plan for this week.

Mon: TRX workout
Tues: Bike ride
Wed: 5k end of year race
Thurs: Bike ride
Fri: TRX workout
Sat: Run

Along with this comes us getting back into Paleo eating and a Whole 30 looming. This W30 will actually be a Whole X. There's a week or so that will be non-W30 because of some travel coming up, but it is what it is. The reason I say it'll be Whole X is because 1) I have some weight that needs to come off and 2) I feel like crap. So, it's time to get back into this and make it a true lifestyle and be done with the SAD.

Other interesting things this week:
1) I've started using some essential oils (from a non-MLM company). I'll be looking forward to seeing if they actually help.
2) I'm now a Training Peaks Ambassador: http://sot.ag/3yjy3 to join us!
3) I'm now a Fellow Flowers Ambassador. I'm really looking forward to what 2015 has in store with Fellow Flowers.
4) I'll also be on Team Tough Chik for 2015. Love those ladies!

Long time, no blog

It's been a while since I've blogged! Well, I've been doing TRX workouts & still loving them! We also did Space Coast Half Marathon again this year. I'll do a race report soon. 

I meant to start training for Shamrock this week, but then got sick. Stupid head cold. Seems to get the best of me every time. So, once I'm feeling better, I'll be starting in with that. 

2015's main goal for fitness will be working on my 5k time. Honestly, I need to get super excited about training again, so I think something like a time goal will help. 

Starting Jan 7, I'm going to start doing Whole 30 again. This time without a set end date. I know I feel better when I'm eating better, so I'll just get back into it.

I've also been working on my Health Coach Certification. I've been struggling to get through the reading, so I took one of the practice tests recently. I would've passed it, except it didn't keep a couple of the answers (so it looked like I didn't answer those questions somehow) and then it marked one of them wrong that I had actually gotten right. I did notice a lot of the questions were about people with diabetes though, so I'm guessing there's a good bit of the information in the book on that. Guess I'll keep pushing through the reading. I need to schedule my test by March 1, 2015 (just need to have it scheduled by then, not necessarily taken), so I need to get on it!

TRX

Last week marked the beginning of our TRX workouts. I'm LOVING it! It's so completely different than anything I've done in the past 8 years.

Today I did a core workout followed by an arms & shoulders workout. Things like biceps curls & triceps presses that were easier with normal weights are so much more challenging. It's absolutely amazing how much a suspension trainer can really push you to your limits.

My ultimate goal is to be able to do an awesome pike on the TRX. They're super hard (for me). Can't wait to see how long it takes me to be able to do at least one solidly!

New Beginnings & New Goals

After 8 yrs with my TNT training group (not Team in Training, but TNT Fitness), I've decided to branch out and do my "own thing". Jon will also be leaving TNT, after 3 years with them. We're going to start training with the TRX. We're both really looking forward to it!

At first, we'll be following a couple of their programs to get us started & really learning how to use the TRX properly. If I can find a class to become certified on them, I may do that at some point. It'll be a great change from what we've been doing.

Part of my 2015 goals is to get back to my 2011 weight & health. Another goal is to get faster. I've got 2 half marathons scheduled for next year, but that's the only "long distance" racing I'll be doing. Everything else will be 5/10k. I *might* throw in a 10 miler, but maybe not. We'll see how I'm feeling about it. I REALLY want to break 27 minutes on my 5k. I have a lot of work to do on that, so for now, it'll just be a good bit of speed work & shorter focused running.

In addition to the running, I'll still be biking. I'll probably do a couple of sprint tris, so I'll throw in some swimming from time to time as well.

Soon, I'll be writing a list of my goals (instead of just a spewing of the mind).

In other news, we went to the Marine Corps Marathon today to watch my lil bro run. He's done an amazing job over the last 5 years of improving his time. Today, he ran a 2:51 marathon. Speedy lil dude!

Walt Disney World's Tower of Terror 10 miler - October 4, 2014

After our 2 hr nap (I think I slept for an hour, Jon slept for 2), we got up & got ready for the race. It was early, around 5pm. We knew we needed to eat dinner before the race, so we gave ourselves plenty of time.

Around 5:45, we headed over to Artist's Palette for dinner. I had a GF turkey sandwich and chips. I picked up extra chips, knowing I'd likely need the salt later. By the time we finished eating (a relaxed dinner), going potty, and got everything from the car, we still had about 15 minutes before the busses started running. I was highly impressed that Disney had several busses already lined up, waiting to go, at SSR.

Once the bus was full, we headed to DHS. It was still VERY early, so we found a spot on the ground near bag check and sat for a while. While waiting, I was able to meet up with some Disney bride friends.

Disneymooners are the best!

After that, I met up with my clients who were running their very first race!

Adam, Annie, & I

I also hung out with my hubby & girlfriend.

Jon & I

Nadia & I

At some point, we wandered over to the corral area and all went our separate ways. Well, I went to find my corral. Several of the others were in the same corral, so they all got to hang out together some more.

Some time around 9:35 or so, they started moving us towards the start. It seemed like it was at least a half mile walk to the start. I have no idea how long it really was. I was in corral D & close enough to see/hear everything going on on the stage again. It was nice to see it all in both races for the day!

The fireworks went off & corral A was off! Then B & C followed. When it was time for D to go, we didn't get fireworks. Ah well.

Start line

Getting ready to go!

The first mile was a bit tough. The ramp that was about 1/2 mile in (I think?) was a bit rough. It wasn't that it was a straight up type of ramp, it was that it was a pretty big angle. I pulled my Achielles back in 2009 running on uneven surfaces, so I wasn't trying to aggravate that. Up to the top of the ramp I went, where the ground was more level.

We ran towards Animal Kingdom. It's always fun to watch the fast people run past on an out & back. After the 2nd water stop, I decided to go ahead & stop to use the bathroom. Apparently, I had an issue during these 2 races! I hardly ever stop & I stopped during both races that day. Anyhow... That mile took me FOREVER. The good thing about the line was that I got to admire the huge spider Disney put up on the overpass.

Back on the road, I started the trek back towards Wide World of Sports. On one of the overpasses, I saw Nadia & Annie, so I yelled to them after they yelled at me. I love seeing people I know on the race course!

I got to WWoS & started down the trail section of the race. The only thing I wasn't thrilled about with WWoS was that if there was a type of surface we could've run on, we did. There was packed dirt, asphalt, grass/turf, baseball diamond-style dirt, track, and concrete. It definitely kept my mind occupied, but I was a bit tired of switching surfaces after those couple of miles. There was a HUGE cheering section in the baseball stadium. It was just the lift I needed.

Somewhere around mile 6, I started to pick up pace a bit. It was like my body finally decided to let me run at pace; only took 9 miles of running for the day!

On the turn into DHS, I remember thinking we were pretty close. When I looked at my watch, I realized there was another mile left! Wow! It was during this mile that I experienced the only time I've ever wanted to throw up while running that wasn't Gu induced. They had a "party tunnel" at the costume area of the Backlot Tour. The disco lights were a little too much for those of us who get motion sick from those kinds of things.

Once through the tunnel, it wasn't too much longer before the finish line. Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed by the finish line.

Directly after the finish line there's a LONG walk back to bag check, I'd say it was close to a mile. I almost turned my Garmin back on to track it! Normally we don't check bags, but we were thinking about staying for the after party for a bit, so we checked a change of dry clothes. We also figured it'd be a good place for every one to meet up.

Nadia & Annie had fallen behind pace & were picked up somewhere around mile 4. The bus brought them back & they had already gotten to bag check before I was there, so I grabbed my bag & found them. I continued to track Jon & Adam (and a few others). I was SO HAPPY and PROUD when Adam finished. I knew Jon would likely struggle through (he was getting through a head cold), but wasn't too sure about Adam.

Jon & I after he finished. Not the best picture of either of us, but it had been a LONG day!

Once Jon & Adam joined us, we all sat around for a bit chillin out & getting rehydrated/fed. I think that at some point, everyone in the group said "screw it" to the after party and decided to head back to the room. It was about 2am when we left the park.

We got back to the room at 2:30am. By the time we showered, stretched, rolled out, etc, it was 3 and time for bed! It had been a very long day.

One of the absolute BEST decisions we made all day was to drive from our building to the building closest to the bus drop off at SSR. It allowed us to not have to walk the 15 min walk back to our building at 2:30 in the morning. We were all very happy with that after the race!

Overall, it was a great race. I used my Garmin for this race since my Bia doesn't like getting a signal in race corrals. I didn't stop for pictures, but enjoyed seeing the characters on the way. I ran the fastest 4 miles of the day at the end of the 10 miler. I consider that a win! I'd do the race again, I think, if it's ever offered again. We're taking a break from Disney races for a bit. The registration cost is more than most races + the travel costs basically equal my entire race budget for next year.

Now, to get focused on the last 2 races of the year!

Walt Disney World's Happy Haunted Trail 5k - October 4, 2014

The alarm went off around 5am. We had decided not to take the race transportation to the 5k since we had the car & it'd allow us to sleep a little longer if we didn't take it. So, I got ready, had some breakfast (Gluten Free Oatmeal), and we headed out.

We got lost on the way to WWoS, again. We arrived with plenty of time to go though. Once we were parked, we walked up to where the expo is. It started sprinkling and I needed to use the restroom, so we wandered into one of the buildings. After a pit stop, we grabbed some pavement & sat for a while.

I was texting with my friend, J, waiting for her to get there. I thought it had stopped raining, but it wasn't. Oops! By the time J got there, it had slowed to a sprinkle & was tapering off. We walked down to the field & towards the corrals.

Jon & Nadia wished me luck & found a place to cheer. J & I went to the corral area - where they were already loading corral A into start position. I hopped into the corral as they we walking by and wished J luck and a good race.

The guys on the stage were great for this race. I've never been close enough at a Disney race that I could actually see the stage, so that was worth it alone. We got a glimpse of the Headless Horseman (who usually only starts the Boo to You parade, in the dark), so that was really cool!

While all of that was going on, I was trying to get my Bia to connect to GPS. It found the GoStick no problem, but never did pick up the GPS. This is not the first time I've had this problem in a run-only race while I was in a corral. I started the race pretty annoyed that I now had to use the watch pretty much as a stop watch. I really wanted the map for this run!

During the run, I didn't take any pictures and I took this one S-L-O-W! I stopped at the port-a-potties at the first water stop, chatted with the biking medics for a hot second (thanking them for their volunteer time), and slowed to see the characters (without stopping or taking pictures). I wanted to conserve energy for that night's race and also not trip over anything - though there was only one root that I saw on the course. Also, just by the nature of not running on the road, my time was a bit slower. I ended up doing the race in 40:16. Not too bad for an un-timed race that was purely for fun.

This was a really fun race & the character to mile ratio was very high! After the race, I got my medal, went through the finish area, and got my snack box. I was actually pretty hungry, so I ate what I could (that was gluten free).

Nadia went back into the expo to get her feet taped up for the 10 miler later that night and we chilled where we were.

After resting for a bit, I got a text from J saying where she was on the course. Her corral was pretty clogged up when I passed them making the turn into/out of the woods, so I had expected it would be a bit.

Jon & I went to find a place to cheer and bring J in. I'm so glad we got to see her! After the race, she went to the medical tent to visit with the medical director, who is a friend of hers. J brought the medical director out & it was nice to meet her. I told her that it was great to meet her, but that I hope I never saw her at a race. She giggled about that.

We socialized for a few minutes and then all headed back to the hotels/home to get showers and do our thing for the day. Nadia, Jon, & I ended up in DHS for a couple of hours and then back to the hotel to try to nap & then get ready for the 10 miler.

Up next: 2 races in one day - what was I thinking?!