Virtual Races

Do you do Virtual races?  Well I thought since I was kinda out of loop with things going on last couples months that this would be a great way to pick back up my training.  Thanks to Google I was able to find to great sites with races.

 

First up is Moms Run This Town and they have a Virtual Insanity Summer Series just for all you ladies out there.  This is a 4 race series-one race a month and they will be selecting prize winners from those that complete each race, time doesn't matter.  Check out all the details here!





Next I found Let's Move It Mommas and she is sponsoring an Independence 5K the week of 4th of July- how cool is that!  You can find all the deets here and once again there will be giveaways!

 On the horizon for me I have a fun race scheduled here locally the end of July called The Warrior Dash. This is a 5K race that contains all sorts of obstacles from crawling through mud under barbed wire to leaping over fire!  Vicki, Kendra, and I are doing this one together and are so excited as it sounds like it will be a blast!  Our reward for completing this race: race t-shirt, warrior helmet (like the Vikings wear), and a cool medal- oh and did I mention beer and food post race!

Where have I been?

I feel like I have fallen off the face of the planet over the past couples months, but it's just because of our busy schedules.  I decided after completing my 1/2 Marathon in April to take rest of month off to recover and am excited to report that even with several cheat meals I am maintaining my weight.  Actually weighing in a little under where I finished my transformation back in December. Yeah me!!!!

 (Left to right: Me, Kendra, Vicki, Allie, & our AWESOME trainer Steph)

May brought a very busy month for us between school and sports, but I was able to squeeze in a race too!
I ran the Mother's Day 5K on May 8th with a group of fabulous ladies- my trainer Steph Terry and her daughter Allie as well as my 2 friends Vicki & Kendra (who I met through all of us training at Hitch Fit- Vicki lives in my town and Kendra I went to school with).  This was Vicki and Kendra's 1st 5K since going through their initial transformation and they did awesome! 

Now check out this pic of my trainer- isn't she hot?  She showed up to run with us looking like this and we were all like "Man we have to run next to that!"  It was funny to listen to people around us comment on how great she looked!  She and Allie were also in training to compete in a fitness show during this time!  She brought these cute tiaras for everyone and felt horrible as she forgot I was running, it was OK as we got tiaras after race too!

Well things started out a little CRAZY for us, we were unable to get up with the pace groups and got stuck in the walk/run group.  The reason for this was the almost 4000 runners and deciding to get lined up a little too late.  So the race starts and we as a group start trying to make our way through the pack, which was difficult as everyone was walking.  We were weaving in and out, up and down off of curbs until we finally reached a clear area to be able to run.  I planned on staying with the group, but had set my goal to try to PR so I took off.  My trainer wished me well and said "See you at the finish line girl."  Now when I got to the 1 mile marker we were already at over 16 min, so I was irritated and trying to figure out how to make up time.

The race guidelines said no head sets, so I was going NUTS- I NEED my music to run!!! I told myself as soon as I see someone else with headphones in then it's game on!  So mow music is in and I'm chugging away, but the temps are starting to increase and I am overdressed so time to peel off those layers.  Going into mile 3 I hear them say 28 min, BUMMER no PR for me today! 

Now is where I start to struggle as I always run with my girl Andrea and she is always ahead of me, so I am always trying to catch her.  However today I am one leading the way for our group that I left behind long ago and I am not prepared for that.  Just as I decide to walk here comes Kendra and Allie up behind me-YES!!!  Kendra says " Come on only 1/4 mile left" and off we go again struggling together through what seems to be the longest  1/4 mile ever!  We crossed the finish line at 36:12 and Vicki/Steph were right behind us at 37:01, not bad for huge delay at beginning of race.

Now the fun doesn't stop here for me as 2 days later I find out that I have a very large kidney stone, after many tests and being in ER for hours it's decided I have to be transferred to another hospital.  So I get to ride in an ambulance to other hospital and diagnosis is surgery next day.  So I have been recovering ever since and am now ready to get things rolling again!  Look for me to be posting more often (cross your fingers) as I prepare for my next race!

1/2 Marathon-Check!!!

Well it's official, I finished my first 1/2 marathon on April 2nd!  This was just one day after my 35th birthday and what an AMAZING gift to myself after going through my weigh loss journey! 

It was such an amazing accomplishment for me and was definitely a battle both mentally and physically. I finished in 2:38:02 which is better than I expected, I was shooting for 3 hours. There were lots of people so the atmosphere was great! I met up with my personal trainer prior to race for a few pics and last minute pointers (she is a avid runner). Race started off in low 40's, but by about 6 mile mark had warmed up quite a bit! 

From left to right: My trainer Steph Terry, Andrea Kellgren (dear friend & running partner) & Myself

I had a really great first half of race and was able to run it(outside of stopping at aid stations to get water, drink it, and take off again). At the 5K mark (3 mile) I was almost 4 minutes ahead of my fastest 5K time so I was stoked!

The second half is where the struggle began for me, they said the course was really flat and fast-NOT!!! It had many hills that we had to run down and then back up! Mile 9 is where I started to really start to break down mentally, until Katie Perry's song Firework came on- this is my Lucas' fave song and he sings it all the time. So I got a little teary eyed and then said "Stop crying, this mile is for Lucas!"

As I reached mile 10 fatigue started to set in along with major cramping from the backs of my ankles all the way into my hips. So I sent my hubby a text (since he was working and unable to be there) and he sent me messages to keep me going. Each mile I sent him a text and he would send me some words of inspiration to keep me going like "almost there, keep pushing" or "don't give up believe you can do it, I know you can." From mile 12-13 seemed so long and I had to walk more 'cause I was in SERIOUS pain and wanted to give up but I kept plugging along.

Finally some downhill and the text comes "No matter what don't walk across that finish line, you run or you won't be happy!" I can see it the mile 13 marker, only .1 to go time to dig deep! I crossed that finish line with tears streaming down my face and was immediately embraced by my friend. We shared a little moment full of hugs and tears before heading to get a banana and take our pics with our medals at the finisher backdrop!

After the race I text hubby to let him know I finished and he sends me "You are my HERO, good job I'm so proud of you!" The people along the course were AMAZING, cheering us on and holding up funny and supportive signs! 

This was an AMAZING experience and I am very sore and spent rest of weekend trying to recover. No running for me for this week, LOL! Thanks for your support and listening to me ramble about this!

Hugs,
Christy

Bad Blogger!

Yes that's right I have been a horrible blogger, but hoping to get back on track!  I do have some awesome things to share though since my last post way back in February, so be sure to check back!  

First up my dear friend and I have decided to run at least one race a month during 2011, however I have to make a couple because I failed to get  into one I wanted to in January because it filled up.  I did however complete the "Love 2 Run" 4 mile race in February and finished at 42:59, which happens to be another "Personal Record" for me pace wise-WOO HOO!  This is my girl Andrea and she competed in couples division with here hubby, they finished 2nd in their age group and got medals!

This was my first race since December, so I was a little rusty!  The course was good, however there were a few slick, icy spots we had to avoid throughout due to colder temps! Now the funny thing about this race was they took over 3000 photos throughout the race and I immediately start searching for my finisher photo.  I scroll through looking at all the pics and the time clock to try and locate myself.  Finally I figure out that these 2 lovely ladies in tu-tus are running right smack dab in front of me and in the whole sequence of pics they took all you can see if my leg in every one-LOL!!! 

Thursday Brings New Toys

I'm so excited ad I got some new toys to play with at home, so when I am snowed in like I have been this week I can still get in a good workout!

Who loves Zumba? ME, ME, ME hand raised real high-LOL!!!  Well for Christmas both my mother and mother-in-law had the same idea and got me Zumba for the WII.  So funny as I had been looking at it myself and almost bought it too, glad I didn't!  So yesterday I was finally able to get out of the house and exchanges it for this Kettlebell set at Wally World.  Oh Jillian I see you kicking my booty many times in future, I can hear you screaming at me now-LOL!!!

Finally I was able to get back to gym , oh how I have missed it!  So I hit that treadmill to get in some running, was able to get in 5.14 miles before racing to get home to kiddos of to evening activities. I HATE RUNNING ON THE TREADMILL! However last night was about FOCUS so I found this lovely nail slightly protruded out of the wall and made this my focus.  I had downloaded some rockin' tunes and was really able to get in a nice run!  I worked my way through some cramping in my left leg from my calf to my hip, I was super proud of pushing through.  In the past this would have been my excuse to just throw n the towel, but not tonight!  Yeah me, way to go girl!

So how do push through when you mind and body is telling you to quit? 

Run for the Bling of It!

I found this really cool blog called Run For the Bling of It it's dedicated to running and who doesn't love a little BLING!.  There is a challenge for 2011 to complete 12 Races in 2011. It can be anything from a 5k to an Ultra - whatever your preference is. They will link your race reports and keep a running tally of how everyone is doing. 

I love this and think it will be perfect to keep me accountable as well as maybe hook me up with some running friends that could share tips and tricks.  Since I am preparing for my first 1/2 marathon, I can use all the help I can find! So be on the lookout as I am preparing my 2011 Race list and will post soon!

It's Official!

Well it's official, I am registered for my 1st half marathon so no turning back now! I will be running this race April 2nd, which is the day after my 35th birthday!    I am so excited, yet so nervous as I am not really sure what to expect as I have never been a runner!

Before starting my weight loss journey I never would have even considered doing something like this, but through this I have found that I am capable of doing things I never thought were possible.  Yes the impossible has become possible! 

I wanted to set a realistic goal with this being my first race of this caliber, so my goal is to FINISH whether that be I run, walk, crawl, or someone drags me across that finish line-LOL!!!  I know this will be an AWESOME accomplishment and what a great gift to give myself!

I plan on sharing my training process with you along the way, all the ups and downs along the way. Although I need this snow to quickly exit so I can get some serious road time in, the most I have run at this point is a 5K (3.1 miles) but my trainer says I can do it so I totally trust her! I feel like the little engine that could except instead of " I think I can" let's change that to "I KNOW I CAN!"

I found this quote that I thought was perfect:  "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

Scaling to New Heights

Quote of the Day: The groundwork of all happiness is health.

Today is weigh-in day for me for the 90 Challenge I'm participating in over on My Fitness Pal. Each week we have a set of challenges and then we track our progress and weigh-in on Saturdays. If you would like to join the challenge all you have to do is join My Fitness Pal (totally FREE ) and go to this  link. Anyone can join in on challenge at any time, but you have to do it on a Saturday! You can track your calories and exercise on this site, not to mention meet lots of wonderful, supportive people!

Our challenge this past week was the following:

1. Drink at least 5 (8oz) of water EVERYDAY this week 7/7
2. Walk/Jog/Run a Mile 3 out of 7 days this week. 3/3 (Total mileage of 12 miles)
3. 30 Chair Dips 2 out 7 Days this week. 2/2
4. Do 100 toe raises 100/100

Drum roll please....as of 11:15 am this morning I am officially 148.6 lbs, how exciting!  This means since leaving my comfy home with my trainer (Hi Steph!) over at Hitch Fit
and doing this on my own, I have lost another 7 lbs which make my total 43 lbs since August!  It's hard to believe that almost 6 months ago I weighed in at 191. 

Sunday Share

 How did you spend your weekend?  Mine was spent running back and forth to basketball games/practices and trying to dodge all the snow!  Yes, that's right we got pounded earlier in the week with between 8-10 inches and just were hit again with another


I also spent the weekend, doing mounds and mounds of laundry- man so we have too many clothes in this house!  I have taken 6 bags to the Planet Aid box with more to go!  However the fun part of this all has been going through all my " old wardrobe" and seeing how far I really have come in my weight loss!  Even Micah (my oldest son) is really impressed now that we can see the difference!

So I thought, I should share some pics with you so you can see what DETERMINATION and WILL POWER can do!

 These are the pants I wore last May to Micah's 8th grade graduation, these were a size 16 and were tight at the time.  When seeing pics of myself from that day is when my journey started to begin as I was realizing how horrible I felt about how I let myself go.  Now it took me until August to actually start the process!  I am keeping these pants as a constant reminder of how "eating whatever and however much I want" will lead me right back to here!

Now Summer time was another occasion where I steered clear shorts or the dreaded bathing suit.  However with 2 boys playing baseball in 100+ degree temps finally broke me down and I picked up one pair of shorts.  This year I'm looking forward to summer and maybe some cute summer clothes to go with my flip flops!

What's the Skinny?

I started to create this blog last August when I started my journey, but never got it up and running. So for last few days I have been working to make it a place that I can share my continued journey as I struggle through everyday life!

My goal is simple-to share my tips/tricks, recipes, exercises, and my victories & struggles and hope that I inspire you along the way! I would love for your to share as well and hopefully we can support each other along the way!

Hugs,
Christy