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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Saucy Broccoli & Pasta




Meatless Monday In the York House :)


Ingredients

whole wheat pasta

1 package of frozen broccoli *chopped*

1/2 cup of fat free milk


2 tsp of cornstarch


2 tsp of fresh oregano OR (1/2 tsp of dried)


tiny splash of hot pepper sauce (if you want)


3-4 tbsp of reduced fat cream cheese


1 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese


1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley


Garlic Powder (optional if not flavor for you)



1) prepare your whole wheat pasta


2) in sauce pan take rinsed frozen broccoli and add milk, cornstarch and stir till thickens a little then add your low fat cream cheese and flavor till taste (don't be afraid to your spice rack- just go easy on salt if any at all) stir in the Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano


3) Now top over your pasta and stir in!


What I loved more- taking this and putting this on top a slice of toasted whole wheat bread- Lightly butter (with healthy oil spread) and garlic powder. The combo was just divine!


*This made 5 servings for my little family just comfortably*


Cals- 162

fat -3g


carbs- 26 g


protein- 8g

fiber-3g


sodium- 133mg


cholesterol- 9mg

Blog- Changes

Today I was thinking that I'm ready to shift my attention from just daily posts about my normal fitness/foods to weekly updates.

Time in my life is getting harder to come by- so I think it's fair to me to be able to post as I please and stop posting what I eat- anyone that knows or follows me- can see I eat pretty routinely- and not much variation- wholesome foods with general clean eating principles.

My focus is going to be more about sharing what I feel is most important and celebratory for me- and then focus on more purposeful blog posts about helping others more-

more recipes, more inspiration- more tutorials for others :)

Hope you all enjoy more of what to come- I want this blog to be about me- my journey but still be an open book beyond me - for those that need help or encouragement or how to!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Run Yesterday- Weights Today

OMG- behind on the blog again- do you all care? lol

I think I have some faithful readers- do I bore you? I think I'm boring- maybe last summer my entries were dramatic- I was going through a mini crisis- that lasted through till October- Thankfully that is passed me now !

I spent the entire day cleaning, painting with my kids and taking care of some stuff.

Then I had my first in class attendance on Campus - I am graduating in May with my AA with liberals Arts Degree with psychology concentration! I've only ever taken online classes but I just couldn't' master an online math class- so I'm at the college and that was uber nerve racking building up to showing up! 26 people- the teacher I think is energetic and great- and so I'm super excited to finally do great in Math and get this degree behind me so I can keep moving forward with my education!

After my 3 LONG hr class where I sat for the entire time- I came home and threw on the running gear and then ran! 4.1 miles by myself an then picked up the benny dog and ran another .6 with him!

energy not there- I had not eaten dinner- I was tired from an entire day already behind me- but it was still a great run paced out comfy at 8:45

Foods:
buckwheat pancake
coffee
green smoothie
veggie burger
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

Dinner at 11pm at night- whole wheat tortilla- 2 eggs, 2oz lean ground turkey, 1/2 slice of 2% cheese ^&^ hold the phone^ I had 4 slices of whole wheat toast with natural jam spread--- I guess the long day and the run left me ravenous- happy fueling ;-p

Today:

Solid 1hr 45min total body weight session

25lb bicep curls rep 10 x 3 sets
15lbs reverse tricep rep 10x2 sets - my right shoulder couldnt muster another- over train?
assisted pullups rep of 8
tricep dips rep of 8
lateral raises 10lbs rep of 10
140lbs pulldown rep of 4
110lbs pulldown rep of 6
140bls row rep of 6
110lbs rep of 6
15lbs hammer squats rep of 10 x 3 sets
110lbs tricep pulldown rep of 10
120lbs tricep pulldown rep of 10
130lbs tricep pulldown rep of 6
incline bench ab crunching x 30
incline bench ab crunching x 30 with 5lb medicine ball work each oblique
incline bench ab crunching x 30 with a 10lb weight
45lbs bent over row rep of 10 x 2 sets
2 assisted pullups with concentration on my negative2
10lb leg press with concentration each leg after
80lbs quad curls rep of 20- concentration on each quad
60lbs hamstrings
80lbs obliques rep of 10 on each side
20lbs over head hammer curl rep of 10 each arm

Foods Today:
1 cup of cheerio
4oz almond milk
small banana
coffee
almond milk
all natural whey protein
slice of whole wheat
tbsp all natural pb
tsp all natural jam
creamy broccoli pasta dinner
popcorn & dark chocolate

Saturday, January 28, 2012

30min run,abs, S t r e t c h

My Recovery was surprisingly great from the tempo 10 on Wednesday. Yesterday was a rest day in terms of running - I fell behind on my blog posting- I suspect this may just keep happening where I either delay a post by a day or start combining some of them- School Started again for me and my to-do lists with CCRG- this Blog- My Running Club- Emails- private messages- I'm sort of really need to prioritize- I find I have not much time for much either. Which is ok- Life is only going to get busier from now till the end of May! Graduation and Marathon #3 in May!

This will be a recovery week for me- despite going ten which was the longest since Marathon because of my knee tendinitis that I got from Injury. Last week I hit 31 miles and this week 23- I won't run tmrw and as much as I can and want to- My Math Class is in the College this Semester and I'll be gone for the evening- unless I run when I get home? hhmm...if it's not Windy- maybe I will....or maybe not....because I want to spend time with Runnerboy- or maybe I will because he has Monday off anyways.......decisions....decisions......anyways even if I don't run- I'll be mad dashing the castle clean- spending time with the peeps and doing likely an arm/core work-out and maybe throw in some Insanity! (you know the DVD , lol )

Yesterday was a full upper body work-out, foods were normal and on point-

Today- 1/2 mile warm up and then 30 minute timed run for 3.66 in 30 min- I'm not amazed I can run this fast- what I'm amazed is how much easier it's getting and to be more normal without pushing as hard :) Wow- that feels so good to feel and see it.

I worked the medicine ball while in sit up position. lye on the floor and just crunched up center/right/left working the obliques and core till I burned out....maybe at least 2 minutes of crunching.

Did a solid stretch because up until the run I was fine- but after I was TIGHT in my hamstrings. My Menace! My Right ITB into my Hip is tight too. explains the odd 'pings' in my right knee tonight as I just either walk around or stand there. ugh.

Going to Foam Roll again here in a little bit!

Foods:
organic egg
whole wheat toast
kiwi
apple
greek yogurt
green smoothie
turkey patty
1 cup of mixed veggies
popcorn
coffee
dark chocolate

Thursday, January 26, 2012

10 Mile Tempo


I love tempo's they are great for speed and conditioning your endurance runs.
I have only ever tempo'd runs upward of one hour so 6-7miles. So to Tempo a ten miler is pretty darn Cool to me :) I love even after two years of running to be still be doing 'firsts' ....and you know most don't tempo this long at all...but I guess I don't have a Running Coach and learning to run myself and pushing myself from 13 min miles down to 8min miles like this ....I must be doing something right. So I keep giving it a go!
I had no warm- up- and lets be honest the notion of running past an hour on the treadmill is a tad daunting- well maybe more so in my gym- there is just not a whole lot to look at- but I tend to daze off into my own head and thoughts so much- I think that's why I tolerate them so well.
My Friend is running her first half marathon - we are doing the same race- to be next to her is really a big deal to me. I remember my first 8....I'm sad I didn't get a proper good--bye when we were done- I wanted to HUG You Woman- you did good and you pushed through- even without Music- bless your heart as you watched Rachel Ray while calorie cutting- OMG! Eat something Yummy today and nutritional and CELEBRATE.....doing GREAT!
oK Friends here is my 10 mile splits
8:47
8:47- Nice to warm up a bit slower- open up the hips and legs- plus this is integral to tempo
8:31
8:31
8:20
8:20
8:00
8:31
8:31
8:00 - I was supposed to slow down to 8:47 pace- but I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF
Total: 1:24:30 Pace Averaged 8:27
I had Gatorade Performance during- sort of set me into a knot after my 8min mile- so I welcomed the slower 8:31 pace ....was going to hold the 8:31 for the ladder down and recover but that last mile beckoned to be run at 8 minute pace!
This stuff is Fantastic as far as taste - I think- and there are NO artificial crapola in it- no fake stuff- no High Fructose Corn Syrup- So for me it's a great option and I think if you get a chance - try it- It does leave me super thirsty while I run- like after I drink it- so weird!
Recovery Today- UH-MAZING- like did I just run ten mile tempo today- fast 3 yesterday and freaking hill repeats the day before? Wow!!
Foam Roller is my BFF tonight -
Foods:
1 cup of plain cheerio
8 oz of almond milk
1/2 sliced banana on top
coffee
L& Recovery:
Almond Milk
All Natural Whey Protein Triple chocolate shake- Jillian Michaels
I couldn't muster an eat- I was hungry and the shake settled just fine- sometimes I lose my appetite after a great run.
S: snacked on organic carrots and some Organic Ranch Dressing to dip them in
and snacked on Apple Straws- Darn you cinnamon little tasty treats! Yum! 140 cals for about 35 straws!
D:
3 oz of poultry sausage
1/2 cup of Quinoa
1/2 avocado diced into the Quinoa- Wow- GOOD_ honestly I mashed it all together- I can put avocado on anything these days- LOVE IT!
1/2 cup of mixed fruit
S: Greek Yogurt, Air Popped Popcorn & Dark Chocolate

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Modest 3 miler and Weights

Hit up the Weights today- hard & fast knowing that yesterday I rested the muscles and tmrw I will do the same. Time to start retreating from the constant muscle building and re-focus on my mileage and running :-)

I went to the treadmill and pounded a modest 3 miler- I thought I'd do a paced 3 seeing that mrw I have plans to run long (aiming for ten at pace) so I did my first mile at 8:10 and told myself to slow down and go easier so I did and went 8:20 for the second and then well- I was not happy with my efforts and really felt still a little flustered like I needed MORE today- so I picked up the pace to 7:20 and banged out the last mile at my new 5k race pace. Which felt great that at the end I had soo much left in the tank for me.

Sort of nice to work out this cold a little bit- honestly didn't bother me while I ran- tonight I feel like crapola and that time of the month visitor made her entrance- dam you witch lady- how come you cycle around every time I long run? gar!

biceps/triceps, obliques all done!

Foods:
b:oatmeal with cranberry flaxseed
L: whole wheat bread, natural bp, natural jam
1/4 banana
s: apple straws, apple
D: 1 cup of whole wheat pasta, sauce, 1 oz ground turkey
slice and half of whole wheat with slice of 2% cheese on top with fresh garlic (we call this home-made ghetto toast, ha!) so good and more natural than store bought texas cheese toast.

S: protein shake or greek yogurt and maybe air popped popcorn.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Ran over by a mack truck

Hey , Like that Title? Oh Thanks! LOL

Woke up with RunnerBoys Head Cold- DAM You RunnerBoy- Why you got to get so Close to me when you are sick?

I went to bed early last night- so dead tired- I was so excited to sleep- and I slept on the couch- and was so uncomfortable- but did you ever get so comfortable that you get lazy to get up and go to bed? Yeah- we both slept on the sectional last night, lol

Woke- Felt like the Sinus were stomped on or like I had been run over on my face - GAH!

Took about an hour- coffee and meds later to feel good enough- really wanted to run this morning-but I didn't . I cleaned this castle again- organize, clean- blah, blah, blah- same stay at home mommy stuff ! lol- oh yeah....exciting!!

Took care of lots of stuff for college, loose ends on stuff, photography stuff, lots of odds and ends.

Run Tonight with the Running Club- Still need to work on fueling before evening runs at 6pm- tough time to sort when to eat- I was belching veggie burgers after eating at 4:30 -
I was so ill- I slept for a 1/2 hour before the run- wasn't sure if I was going to go-

Glad I did- but still my head was pounding!

4.25 miles tonight with the 6 other runners - 4x400's and 4x100 hill repeats.
Decent pace- about 8:30 for me and little bit faster for RunnerBoy.

Foods:
B: Coffee
Brunch: whole wheat, salmon, spinach, lowfat mayo

Made an attempt at a new fruit smoothie- trying to find a fruity one that I ABSOLUTELY love- NOPE- it was ok- but I didnt love it. I want LOVE and CRAVE a Fruity Smoothie! Got some Great Ideas from the RunnerGirls on the Facebook- going to try some Orange Juice and more citrus ones to see if that helps! Greek Yogurt, almond milk, organic frozen strawberry, 1/2 banana - Anutra *Austyn drank almost half of this!!* so my little runnerman loved it ♥

Dinner: 1.5 veggie burger
1/4 cup of pasta with olive oil
2 tbsp of portabello mushrooms

S: Greek Yogurt- Scoop of lowfat ice- cream in a sugar cone - popcorn - dark chocolate- ok- ok- I'm sickie I was being tad self indulgent- leave me alone- as I whine and crawl back into bed!

tehehehehe!

Full Body Weight Routine

Hit the weights- I'd love to say with a normal passion- but I gave up my the ipod shuffle to runnerboy so he could listen to some tunes- my head was way too fuzzy to worry about music- not sure the tunes would of helped- although the gym music playing in the background is not at all bad- normal local radio with decent boom tunes- so it was ok.
Lots and lots, lots of work- about 1.5hrs of weight lifting....so just imagine that I took a hit on each muscle on my body- it was a full body muscle work-out.
I was running on little sleep- had to take an exam at the college this morning- so ontop of studying and worrying about passing the exam- I was in there having just returned from the college and my head pondered my results.
Anyways- College Starts (again!) today!
Foods:
egg
whole wheat
kiwi
almond milke
whey
whole wheat bread with nutella
whole wheat tortilla
spinach
greek yogurt with dinner
greek yogurt as snack
eggs on whole wheat torilla
black beans
quacamole mix
diced organic tomato
I was feeling CARB crazy today- maybe just dam hungry- when I'm hungry I eat- all healthy- portion controlled :)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Want to Run or NEED to Run

* I stopped and took this picture tonight- as the thought that rushed through was "Living the Glory Days - I never had" I wished I started running when I was a kid! *
Today I wanted to relax inside- surely the sun was shining but my plate at home is full. I have alot of things going on in my personal endeavors and my to-do lists is long.
But what I needed today was much different. I needed to run. My Anxiety level was high- I was still feeling funky from yesterday- and I NEEDED a slow run to just clear my head-
I started off with a major Southerly Wind and knew straight away I would not be adventuring toward the lake like I normally would. Instead I would head West. however just as soon as I did- the sidewalks were still not taken care of by the city (which is FUNNY because as a resident home-owner such as myself- if I don't shovel after a storm I could get a warning and or citation by the city!) forcing me to run super slow- watch my step- and then decided to turn around and run in the other direction. I wanted a slow run but I'm not talking a ten minute pace today simply because of icey sidewalks!
Ran the other direction- then back tracked toward the West again and not on the Highway but instead a different county route and it has wide shoulder and I just kept running- I ran all the way to the other end of the city and then north and then West and North back home.
Funny when I looked at the garmin- can't say with the thousands of miles ran in this city- that I've ever taken this route- in this order!
Plenty of hills and today the run was just so perfect to me- I love runs where I'm comfy but not so sure I could of pushed it anymore - I am still sore- again- my recovery time has been ridiculous this week- but I hit 31 miles ran this week- I have not done this (besides marathon week in October) since Peaked 3rd week in September for Marathon with 43 miles. So I ought to stop being so curious as to why I'm aching- Plus the runs this week were pretty bad ass- 2 back to back speed runs and then a paced 7 miler- yeah- pretty intense in a few short days and then tacking in the extra miles this week too!
Oh and just because- I added some new tunes to the playlist surely getting sick of listening to the same stuff- and this one song was just all ding dongish tune booms- no words and if you could see the expression on my face as I listened- yeah priceless- Has that ever happened to you? Upload a song and have it have commercials on it or not what you thought? Frustrating!
LOL
Foods:
Breakfast: Buckwheat pancakes with Anutra
pure maple syrup
coffee x 4 mugs (omg!) but still behaving just tsp of sugar and ff half in half for 35cals each.
lunch- did I eat lunch? Oh wait- Kiwi- and more coffee! Hey I was CLEANING all day! Oh wait I lied- I ate the crust to my sons pizza slice ;-p
Dinner- fresh baked chicken - 1/4 cup stuffing- 1/4 cup low sodium cottage cheese, 1/2 cup steamed broccoli
S: almond milk- whey protein
dark chocolate / mixed nuts/ plain cherrio snack mix

Sometimes I'm Mush

Sometimes I really miss people in my life.

as with most people desires to either get healthy or fit as their new years resolutions- mine is to get my heart stronger. Not be so Dam Weak ~ Stop Caring and Loving so Much ~ Start Letting Go More and Moving On. I'm like this Iron Clad Fist- and within an instant- a thought- a care turns me to mush- and I'm weak and vulnerable and I cycle back through mixed emotions and I just pray that I stop doing that.

Anyways. Thanks for the Rant-

3 miles today after a 1/4 mile warm - up. holding back and it wasn't too hard to do - kept it around the 8:40 pace with some pick me ups in there but reminding myself to slow down- hard to do on the treadmill~

incline and stretches after - still sore in the hip flexor-

looking through my daily mile weekly mileage stats earlier. Hit 24 miles this week and realized besides Marathon where I hit I think 35 miles for the week- it's been seen the end of September that I peaked - so in essence I have not run this much in one week in MONTHS- WOW- that blew out of the water- reality check- no wonder with new pace and mileage -Why I'm feeling this recovery so much-

Foods:
1 organic egg
2% cheese
triple health English muffin
almond milk
whey protein
for dinner- we did pizza- yeah I crushed it- lol- been a while since I've had an off meal - it was good :)
Greek yogurt
mixed nuts

kettle chips- do you eat them? they are so yummy- so much healthier for you vs a normal chip

***

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Weights & Stretch

Today was Weights, Small Run & Lots of Stretching!

My Hip Flexors and Hamstrings are tight. They are Sore and even if I wanted to run today- I surely wouldn't push it- that sore!

So much stretching- the glutes, hamstrings and hipflexor getting a wide variety of home floor stretches/ yoga poses. Hurt so Good!

Weights today in the gym too- working on pull ups, biceps, tricep and ab crunching.

**** Today I took a Medicine ball 5lbs (must find heavier!!!) and went on the incline bench and worked my abs with crunches with the medicine ball over my head and up toward my feet, making a little bit harde which is NICE!

Worked it good today!

4 1/2 minute runs x2 for an opening up the hips and stretching out the hamstrings=1 mile

Foods:
1/2 banana
coffee
tbsp all natural pb
tbsp all natural jam
triple health english muffin
water
lean pork chop
1/4 cup of thin pasta tossed in olive oil
topped with 1/2 avocado diced with diced organic tomato with basil
1/2 cup of cooked carrot
1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
greek yogurt
no pudge brownie made with greek yogurt
coffee
popcorn

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Speedy 7 miler

7 miles today in 58 min for a 8:17 pace.

Hip Flexors were sore- and hamstrings were tight!

Ran next to a friend on the treadmill who was claiming her first 7 miler! She is Running the Lake Effect Half Marathon on February 25th with me. So I am excited to watch her journey into the distance, it's just that big of a deal!

Tonight my ass is sore, lol - typical hiney pain for me- when I've pushed either a distance or speed. Trying to find comfort in this pace- I bounced my pace around a little 8min- 8:45 but tied to keep it around the 8:20 pace as a steady norm for me.

Foods:

2 egg white
1 slice of whole wheat toast
8 oz almond milk
scoop of whey protein
few bites of my husbands tuna on whole wheat
couple of nuts
1poultry sausage patty
1/4 cup cous cous
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
air popped popcorn
greek yogurt

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2011 Mountain Goat 10 Miler


My Copy and Paste Note about the Mountain Goat 10 miler- My First Ever Goat !
Woke after 5 hours of sleep, the birds where chirping, Don was wide awake, flicked on the light...Well Thanks I guess I'm up now too, lmao! Waiting is the hard part with getting up so early, lots of time to kill, race didnt start till 10am and the babysitter got here at 8am. I ate Oatmeal at 6am and had my coffee. I did my bathroom duty- c'mon runners you know getting that out of the way early is a big relief! lmao!We did 2 steam showers this morning- the kids have us sick with a small lung infection and my sinus are full. It was ok when we ran, although it did make it hard to breathe!Picked up a runnig friend and headed over to Syracuse. Got there, he did packe pick up- we did a 1/2 mile warm up (to which we learned what was the point, we stood around for another 1hour plus!) Met up with lots of other running friends! So nice to see people from my gym running today! Nice to have close friends of ours enjoying the same sport. The wives (much like I was last year) spectating/supporting us from the sidelines with their kids. Yes I thought of mine. Love them but glad they were nestled home in front of the TV as Mommy & Daddy take time to Play!I felt ready for hours, adrenaline rushed through to the point I was thinking "fuck I'll have none left" lmao!The gun Shot and we were off. Ran the first two miles comfy at 8:45 pace. Got the first huge hill and ran it swiftly, no problem other than after the long 2 mile hill I was left with a freaking side stitch. I was dissapointed and wondered why, I felt comfy running up the hill and not sure if my lack of training the hills has not taught me yet how to run them properly. Oh well. I suffered terribly for 20 minutes with side stitches. to which my marathon training has taught me, dont' try to correct them as I could easily set my abs up for an overall gut spasm (happened on my 15 miler 2 weeks ago! ) that is not what I wanted, I was running down one hill and my pace was slower than going up as the pounding was leaving me at Barf Point because of the side stictch pain. I gave myself lots of positive self talk, slow it down now - breathe better and just keep it together at this point cause I felt I was crashing hard and fast and for a split crisis moment thought I may need to walk the pain was that bad. Once I dropped my page to a 10 min mile, I was fine again, Then I hit Colvin Street hill, Yeah STEEP AND LONG. We were not allowed to wear headsets but I decided to bring my ipod and let the speaker play when I wanted the music. On Colvin I was getting on Eminems' Till I collapse to motivate me up that beast, well I fudgin dropped my ipod had to turn around pick it up, that sucked it fell out of my armband!So I'm playing the song and making my way up, passing the incredible amount of walkers (still cant believe the amount of people that walk hills) I just dont see the point for me, I just can walk shit, I'm there to run, I dont care if freaking going 12min mile, lmao! I figuire I putting in the same amount of effort, might as well be going faster!#706.......You said to me "we are half way there, we can do this" and said "Hellz Yeah" and we climbed and we shuffled and we passed all those walkers and we would glance at each other and smile. I said "we are almost at the top" and we got to the top and we hive fived, we crushed that fucking honker together! The commradory, Amazing! I looked at her Bib and said "Thanks 706" and we parted ways.Mile 7 we all approach the S.H.I.T (steepest hill in town) it's short and not that sweet. Best part of that hill was all the running mantras Fleet Feet put on the driveway up. I read one and crushed that S.H.I.T. About mile 8 I'm starting to get exreme pain in my left arch. the pounding of going down hill and the impact had started to take a toll on this injury that I so badly wished was gone, but it was quickly reminding me that in 28 days I need to run a Marathon- so I tried to be mindful of my stride. I'm feeling a tad spent as my calves started to get mad at me too.WTF...this was suppose to be recovery- suppose to be all flat/downhill and I had plans to make up time for pace lost. But the left calf started to cramp...can say of all the running I've ever done, this pain I felt from that is NEW to me! I had to drop my pace to a 10:30 because I didnt want to hurt myself. As I was coming in I saw 2 people with paramedic help. The weather was Very Warm for our Cool Spring Weather that we have been having. The warmest I've ran since before Winter, that is for sure! Don got a sunburn- not me I wore my trusty visor!I had 1.5 miles to go and I wanted so badly to have juice, to have calve muslces that would let me run in at a 8-9min miles but sadly my last two miles were 10:30 miles, bummer arch, bummer calf, bummer side stitch and still managed a decent time for and Shoot, it's a PR for this Race, so I'm happy.1:38:33 Pace 9:52 per mile.After we hung out with friends, took off for Lunch with some had a great afternoon!Don medaled! I was crossing the finish line and he was there standing and waiting for me. I was still running in and we made eye contact and I siad "did you get it" to which he said "Yes" and I started to Cry! So Happy he won his medal, he deserved and yet vulnerable and happy for me too!Don- 1:18:29 7:51 per mile.Good Stuff! , Great Day!LikeUnlike · ·
Unfollow PostFollow Post · Share · DeleteLauren Smith, Michelle Stump Bingham, Donald York and 2 others like this.Donald York i love you CONNIE YORKMay 1, 2011 at 3:53pm · UnlikeLike · 2Betty Stirling · Friends with Jen Metcalf and 29 others brilliant write up!May 1, 2011 at 3:56pm · UnlikeLike · 1Steve Beck · great write up Connie! Well done to both of you. Tough course, tougher Yorks! Lmao at the S.H.I.T ! :).May 1, 2011 at 4:30pm · UnlikeLike · 2Beth Stevenson Aww i wish i was there to cheer both of you on :D sounds amazing timeMay 1, 2011 at 4:31pm · UnlikeLike · 1Connie York Thought of you Beck ont he S.H.I.T. Forever my New Running Word- Thanks for that ;-pMay 1, 2011 at 4:40pm · LikeUnlikeMichelle Stump Bingham Wowsa! Sounds like an amazingly tough run, but great job pushing through to the end! Woohoo SuperWoman! And way to go Don! The Yorks are on fire!May 1, 2011 at 4:40pm · UnlikeLike · 1Tiffany Syferd Lehman So proud of both of you guys. Way to go!!!May 1, 2011 at 5:54pm · UnlikeLike · 1

My First Ever Road Race - 1/2 Marathon



This is a copy and paste from a Facebook note I made just after my First Road Race which was a half Marathon- Yes I skipped the 5k and went right for the half! ha!

Temps- 60 at the start, blue sky Energy- Excellent Mood- Optimisitc Mental- STrong Gear- No problems Emotional- A litle weak,my 2 year old cried a storm whe I walked away to run, so did my 5 year old. Preperation- Poor- I didnt get to the line-up in time to start my garmin and set my play list, so the horn sound off and I had to jog trying to set up my playlist, in which it didnt so it was on random play, so I had to determine my time so I could figuire out which song I should be on, finally got it on- Dog Days Are Gone! LOVE the New Song Referral~! Perfect Start- I forgot my water bottle- thans to the sons tantrum- and I thought "mother fucker" cause that meant I had to use every water station. For my first cup, I freaking choked,lmao. So then I learned on water station 2, I grab 4 cups, yes four, walk and throw back each one and start running again. I think if ONLY I didnt have to stop because when you STOP you have to START all over again and who wants to do that its too much on the body. At least for me! First 1/2 mile was flat. THEN- BAM- RUN that Hill- UpHill gently riding UP, UP, UP and UP for 2 1/2 Miles- WTF! I didnt train for any HILLS! Although I did crush and pass people Because I street trained and there were plenty of random hills on my training runs. The good news after the hill there was a 1/4 mile downhill and then it went all flat! Pace- STRONG- I have a new comfy pace- it's 10:45! I ran 10:30-10:45 all the way till Mile 6. Mile 6 Lesson- NEVER CRY IN THE MIDDLE OF A SERIOUS RUN! Ok, why did I cry, it was only a complete stranger family rooting on another runner, it just melted my heart, it was so sweet and I cried- then I got whicked aweful gut pains, like had to stop double over pain from not breathing properly cause was running 10:45 pace and crying- Totally upset about doing that. Mile 7-10 - Back to strong running! My right leg is feeling great, I was mostly worried about the random knee/calf twinges/aches/lactic acid build up in them during my training LR's. Suprising it was the opposite leg and upper quad that go tight at this time. My Time at Mile Ten was PR- 1:50 and some change. It therefore took me 39 min to run a 5k :( Mile 1- 1/2- 11 - HIT MY WALL- Can't help it. Not having my own fluids, the odd walk to drink start back up again got to me, the hill threw me, the crying hurt me. Mile 12- It was here thta I defined the 'heart' of every runner that finishes- no matter the time/ the place of finish....they finish strong because of what is held in their heart for the sport of running. Even after my lactic threashold took ahold, I dug deep and hit my goal. End- I saw my family, blew them kisses and sprinted for the end. Crossing the Line- I felt amazing, accomplished, joyful. Walking back and seeing my husband, I just melted. Like a warm cozy blanket that will comfort me when I needed it most I cried and it just came out, not planned, didnt last long, but I did. I'm not surprised, it's who I am! Things I would do differently- Never forget my water bottle, get to start sooner, allign my garmin from my arrival, get my playlist ready, never cry during a race, plan to run LONGER LR's before another 13.1- I firmly believe had I done some LR"S beyond the 13.1 I could have a longer lactic threshold. It's really not my fault, it's a biological factor that without enough training, you will hit a wall. I was strong through till ten, I've ran that several times and ran to 13.1 only one other time, in 90 degree heat, flat course in 2:39 training run, so good progress considering in just 5 weeks time. I feel today-physical wise- Amazing- my quads are tight, the kind of tight and sore where you grip the sink or wall or anything you grab ahold of to escort you down to the porcelein gods to get to business! Lmao. Don laughs at me, but dang that hurts! Yesterday after the race, my abs were aching badly, like someone had run my core over with a mack truck, never felt that before, but I just think much like my husband I need more ab work-outs! SO SORRY FOR TYPOS- MY KEYBOARD IS ACTING UP, WTF? SO WEIRD ALL WEEK THERE IS THIS WEIRD DELAY IN LETTERS AND STUFF? GGGRR! Thank for reading and supporting me this entire summer- I chose to do what I never would have thought possible in the last few months! I owe much of my success to the support! xoxo




Steve Beck · loved the write up connie. Thanks for sharing and taking us on the run with you through your notes. Well done on setting the goal and kickin its ass!September 12, 2010 at 8:56pm via mobile · LikeUnlike · 1Pina Lewis Connie I am so happy for you and somewhat jealous since my first Half wont be for awhile.But you did awesome and kicked some ass with you timeSeptember 12, 2010 at 9:04pm · UnlikeLike · 1Angela Dawson Veal Love this Connie!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! Reading about your experience is making me even more excited about my upcoming 1st ever half marathon!!! Congrats!!!!!!September 12, 2010 at 9:16pm · UnlikeLike · 1Chris Lyons This as an awesome After Action Review! Thanks for posting - I enjoyed the read. Again, WTG Connie!September 12, 2010 at 9:16pm · LikeUnlikeMary Jo Jorolemon Norfolk Amazing. Thanks for sharing this Connie!!! You continue to inspire me!September 12, 2010 at 9:18pm · UnlikeLike · 1Katie Trembecky I loved reading this :).September 12, 2010 at 9:27pm · UnlikeLike · 1Belinda Boone Sounds like you had an awesome day, Connie! My first half is on 10/10/10. I'm a slow runner, so my pace won't even be close to yours, but hopefully the experience will be as fulfilling as what you described. :-)September 12, 2010 at 9:42pm · UnlikeLike · 1Eleanor Churchill Collins Thanks for taking us on the ride with you!!! It makes me so excited for mine! You did an amazing job. What an accomplishment!! :-))September 12, 2010 at 9:57pm · UnlikeLike · 1Donna West Connie, I have been following your story, and you seriously are my idol. I truly admire everything you have done to accomplish this goal of yours, and I think you did an amazing job!! I am so proud of you!September 12, 2010 at 10:12pm · UnlikeLike · 1Khari Espinoza Way to go Connie! You did awesome! I hope to do as well as you did at my first half! Congrats! xoxoSeptember 13, 2010 at 2:06am · LikeUnlikeJulie Hollis Well done Connie - reading that I wanted to have been there to see you along the road! Don't be ashamed of the emotion - we do something that we love, it's no surprise that it grips you now and again! You, girl, are a total inspiration. YOU ROCK!!!!September 13, 2010 at 2:29am · LikeUnlikeRobert Daniels Connie, awesome job! Great story. I'm sorry I didn't write sooner. I have been really busy over the last few days. I'm proud of you, lil' sisterSeptember 14, 2010 at 10:21pm · LikeUnlikeMisty Sherman Love the story! Thanks for the moment by moment...kind of makes us picture it in our mind! :) Great job!September 14, 2010 at 10:26pm · LikeUnlikeWrite a comment...

Buffalo Marathon May, 2011

Copy and Paste from my Facebook Note:

Friday- Pack up the family, clean the house, out the door at 9:30a....We drove to Niagara Falls First, had lunch, Visited the American Side of the falls for the first time (for Don and I together that is, we've been to the Canadian side like 100 times) So the kids are crazy naughty, like stab me in the ears to end the whiney moaning crying they girls did. My Prince...oh of course he is perfect, he balances me out... Boys are Easier.. at least mine is...He has my Heart ♥ So drive 1/2 south to Buffalo and we check in. We go Swimming and we then do Pizza Take-out in the room where the kids further drove me nuts and I craved for a hotel lobby beer at the Bar, kid you not....I was eager to just run away from my family. Wasn’t sure how I'd last another day. Note to self, taper and taking the 2 year old twins and sassy pants 5 year old with you not much fun, seriously! Saturday- Woke-up refreshed, I let shish go and understand it's a new day, a great opportunity for happiness and new ways to handle my spoiled brats. So we take off to sight see, check out parts of the course and we did packet pick-up/expo and then I met up with Lori Quickly as she got her packet! Gave her a squeezy hug and said we'll catch up in the morning! We took off to this great naval museum to which we toured two naval ships (I love this sorta stuff) and for the first time I went into a submarine (wow, totally awesome). After we ran up to the local church it's where the pasta dinner was being served for race day. I was free the family had to pay 15 but it was yummy despite the fact that I don’t eat white pasta, I don’t eat red meat (meatballs) lol it's been a while since that’s happened, but a carb is a carb and regardless for me it was free and it was an inexpensive hardy meal for the kids and hubby. After we went back to the hotel room quickly got changed, sat by the pool, swam with the kids...got back to the room bathed all 3 and got them to sleep by 7:30 pm...SCORE...!!! Made sure I drank about 80 of fluids...40 oz was electrolytes and was urinating clear..you know you want to know! ha! us runners are sick like that! I battled to find a way to copy and paste my play list from Lime Wire to itunes, after a hassle I figured it out, don wanted too but I needed to curb my attention away from the excitement so I begged to let me play with the problem, I think he obliged when he saw that I had my entire running outfit on and sneakers and was ready to run! I was getting amped....like pacing the room to a Classic Rocky Song! Boom! Then I went to bed about 11:30 and was back up at 12:30 funky dreams so I tried again, back up at 2:30 and I said "fuck it sleep is over-rated" I didn’t feel tired, I don't sleep much anyways, this will be no different. So I played on line for 2 hrs, then I made up 2 packets of oatmeal, sucked down 10oz coffee, Don woke up and then got me starbucks and I drank about 10 of that and about 8oz of water. Race- temps mild. Inner city the building blocked the sunrise completely. not sure what the weather would do the forecast had changed several times in the he last day or two...went from showers/overcast to completely sun and 80 degrees. I waited in the corral as I didn’t get a chance to get ahold of Lori- my kids woke up at 5:30am (lucky me :/ ) and so they had me busy with them....didn’t have time to text- sorry Lori :( Just as soon as the anthem was sung and the gun went off...there was an almost 3 min gap to start as we all waited, walked, waited and lightly jogged after the gun shot...shoot that just ate 3 min of PR time, lol. Bastards hate when there is no chip start! sucks big time! But I was happy to run, it had been several days and only 8 miles the entire week and with the kid drama and sometimes hubby drama. ...I fucking needed this run badly! So was happy...you'll see my smile! ha! I suppose I had no idea was smiling till I saw the pics that Don took (which Thanks Don for being there to do al that and take care of our crazy kiddies too ♥) Mile 1- Oh Man I gots to pee.....mile 1 through 5....porta potty check....line of people check...next porta potty....next line of people....Holy shiz I was not the only one to make the over-hydrate rule. To which was not planned, dam hott coffee was so good I drank too much! Ok....so I got to pee so badly and the bladder is aching...slowing me down and I'm like "fine, cool, just go with it Connie" I took my time and it took me till mile 5.5 down by the lake at a pier bathroom to which a female runner came out of about 30 ft from me, I yell up to her "is there a line" and she said "No" SWEET....ran my booty in there dropped drawer and nope didn’t wash my hands, dam I'm skanky! Go ahead judge me, not like you were going to sit down to eat with me or hug me or let me shake your hand I was about to get skanky nasty sweaty, salty, muddy from sprinkler splashy dirty! Boom! Ok....so right after the potty I hear "Connie, Connie" it was LORI~! she was about 1/4 mile ahead of me on the pier loop! We high fived (with my non wiping hand, bwahaha!) Gosh she is such a great person! I ran unplugged for the first 8 miles. To be honest...I was running so slow, my pace was like a ridiculous walk in the park for me and it's no dis-respect for the pace- its just I have outgrown it for shorter distance - but I was respecting it today. It felt comfortable. I tried diligently to hit 10:30 and it was extremely odd because each time I tried to hit 45 seconds faster I would fall into my 9:25=9:30 pace and I would have to pull back the reigns and tell myself to chill out and the pace was slow, and I started to notice about mile 10 that the hips and knees were like 'give me a break woman, run" and I answered hell not you beastly legs relax, our time will come! The half Marathon portion of this even is HUGE...I can't believe it....the amount of novice runners is amazing and I know they are newbie’s because so many paced all wrong they would run too fast walk, run too fast walk, they were drenched in sweat, they couldn’t hold conversations without panting with other people. I quickly learned without looking at the bib color who was wearing blue (marathon) and who was wearing red (1/2) just based upon these simple observations. Marathoners are start out slow, hold the pace sorta group...the halfer's out there trying to kick some ass! Can I just I wanted to race them, Oh it was my competitive side that I am eager to keep tapping into over the summer to hit my sub 1:55 or maybe even sub 1:50 half time. I wanted to spank them all as they were all so depleted at mile 10 and lets be honest, I did...not fast still at my turtle slow 11min pace I was passing them all one by one. I did not drive 4 miles of this part of the 1/2 course...and WOW there were some pretty good climbs and found the one and only S.H.I.T. for the course and dug my hells in and took it as everyone else walked. The entire run was all open in an industrial area and the sun was beating down hard, people were covered in sweat and there was one casualty at mile 9. Although I think she was an ankle injury from how she was carried away. Another enjoyment of running without music...listening to other people gossip....Oh the boy/girl gossip I heard...so friggin' entertaining much more than the ipod, hahahahah! So Hit my half time mark...I think I said 2:22 but now when I look back I think it was 2:24...wow Can I be honest...look at my pics at the 13.5 miler mark.. I don't think I wore an ounce of sweat. I knew then though I wanted to kick it up a notch. Not sure how I didn’t get negative splits but I didn’t pay close attention to pace on several miles as the heat just crushed my attention to this...I was focused just on running and not much else. I got Caught up to Lori at mile 15.5 Bless her heart her IT band was nagging her since Mile 3 as well as her asthma and was hurtin' kitty, I'm sorry sweetie♥ My heart was with you on the run, I knew you looked sad and grumpy about the situation but in reflection...You rocked it considering and you inspire me! Can't wait to talk with you more about the race and our experiences! Lots more open sun running, lots, lots, lots more. Thank you trusty visor! Lots of people in neighborhoods out with hoses spraying all of us. So great! Lots of times I didn’t want to get wet, my player went wonky in the hotel room for no apparent reason and on the course I could not open it up to play songs specifically just had to go on the list and once on a shuffle. the headphones plug in shorted 2x from hose water and I was nervous...please don’t make me run ten more miles without music in this lonely sweltering heat, lol. More heat, more lonely miles. I won't lie when I was lonely I thought of my running friends, all of the country, all over the world. Supporting and encouraging me. I thought of you on my run, I honest to God Did and a lot. You were all there with me and you pushed and encouraged me! So Thank You! Connie not so lonely with global boom boom pows! hahaha! Ok food and fluid talk. Guzzled 10oz of coconut water between 10-13 (my guts still full of fluid from morning, the body cells from yesterday hydro boost) I was refluxing the entire 13. Took another 10oz of coconut water at 16 and on, lots of water rinsing out the mouth, the course provided warm water, not their fault the heat! Opened up big bag of ice chips and one point I even threw back a watermelon slice (at it to the white part Erica, hahaha) Ate electrolyte chews about 3/4 Stinger Cheery chews at mile 18...Yum! Hit ever water table after 16...I was starting to sweat badly from the picked up pace and the sun. The Marathon Portion of the race was cool because people may not exactly know what it's like to run 26.2 but I thin some do~! The people that would clap for me and for 'us' Marathoners was special. They would say encouraging stuff and I would always nod and smile and say Thank You! I also have to admit that when I came up on onlookers among the flock of marathon walkers after mile 20, I always got claps....as if they saw me digging and spreading wings and they respected me for it. I have to admit the ability to run so easy after mile 20 I think is largely due to my pace, it was tender and slow and in reflection for my first it was exactly the experience I could of hoped for! It leaves me aching for number #2 I watched as almost every Marathoner on the course hit their wall. Each one walking, going up to random cars/trees and stretching sore quads and calf muscles. I was feeling two things....one sadness they were hurting and selfishly feeling great that I was not. I knew all along there would be no walls for me. I knew all along that I was to cling to the hope of a happy rested body that would cooperate with me. It's what I got. I did taper real good! I felt sluggish due the heat, I was developing dry shivers after mile 22 and mile 25 I felt my guts move like I might need to use the restroom, thankfully it was just gas (gosh I hope you all appreciate my embarrassing candor) ha! To which if I'll be honest since I'm not acting modest the first few toots I looked around to make sure no one could hear if I was loud then after my guts kept dropping I lost all care for what anyone had thought...cause in my head I said "fuck Connie you just ran 24 miles, fart dam it, who cares) bwahahahaha, my mind is so girly twisted. I'm sure if I were a boy I would not think twice but since I'm a lady...well I do try to have manners. lmao! Mile 25...holey shiz you are LONG...I see the center of city...I know what is just several minutes away and I can taste victory and I won't lie..it excited me! I came around the bend and I see Whitney in the runners corral hopping and pacing and she darts toward me and she takes my hand and so I knew...she is running this one in with me ♥ Wow, Melt my Heart ♥ what an amazing and happy surprise for me! After I took a crapload of oranges/water/banana and walked a bit and sat. Reflected and cried I was exhausted and didn’t think I'd run for that long, never disappointed as my effort was proven. I only walked through water stops and one other time cause for 2 min I started to get a stomach stitch(not a side stitch, a stomach stitch) and I was going up on an incline so I thought good time to walk. I'm really proud of myself. I really hope I show people that they can do it too! it's hard work and dedication but so possible and so amazingly rewarding on so many levels. I'm sure I'll be spiritually reaping and learning the awards of the last 5 months efforts for a lot of time to come! So quickly after finish, we have to jet to hotel room, we got lucky enough to get a late check out but only by one hour ...I showered, dressed and helped load the car. Once in my hotel room though about 30min post race...I began to get violently ill. I had not eaten. orange slices post 26.2 not enough and I spit out the banana...I couldn’t eat it...what I know I need time is sugar drinks, give me a great big slush puppy at the finish line! Oh that would have been AMAZING! I past by a slush puppy sign at 19 and I thought "yes, I want one please" hahahaha! My guts began to shut down and had to make several bathroom stops on t he way out of town. We stopped quickly to eat at a McDonalds I was BEGGING for food.....apple slices and a lemonade is all I could muster. My body was crashing hard and fast it was technically 12+ hours since I had anything to eat....my fellow marathon husband knows I should of had something to eat within a half hour of finishing but ........anyways, lol. After nausea, gut problems, dry shivers I knew I was suffering both heat exhaustion and lack of food problem. I ordered a chicken sandwich no mayo and couldn’t it, so I got back in the car after the kids dined and finally started to magically feel better so I quickly ate up the sandwich and then stopped at TimHortons for Coffee and Sprinkle Donut and another round of feed, chicken tenders and curly fries! Oh burning about 4000 calories gives me permission to SPLURGE! Home Sweet Home...the drive so quickly after race sucks but I'm home and I love the comforts of my house, my bed...yes! Thanks everyone for all the support, it all means so much to me, I think you all know this already, I only say it like everyday! haha! xoxo

Re-Copy & Paste about my 1 year

I am copy and pasting this from my Facebook Note I made on my 1 year Run'Iversary!

Exactly one year ago today, I looked back at the beginning of my weight loss journey just 6 months before and felt proud of the 45lbs I had lost just by eating healthy and good portion sizes. I knew that I had over 105 pounds to go before I was considered 'normal' weight. I knew at the strike of the new year of 2010 I had to find an activity/cardio exercise I could get excited about. I needed to form an athletic me to support a healthier me. I watched Don journey into running. OH he drove me NUTS talking about Running. I watched him get caught up in spirit of the sport. I was admired by his new found addiction. Although, truth be told my husband has an addictive personality. He could become instantaneously inspired by almost anything intriguing to him. I actually felt a little jealous of his running. I started to wish I could find something to be that passionate about. Especially considering the results of his weight loss. He lost over 80lbs in just 6 months and the weight just melted off of him. I knew I could never compare to his metabolism, or his internal push factor.When people talk about being inspired, I never fully understood the concept. I’m not going to lie. I have never been inspired to know what it meant. However, I felt inspired by Don and through time I learned exactly what the term means to me. To be inspired means to see somebody do something that leaves you compelled to want to do the same. The want and the process of ‘doing’ it are two different things to me. I feel honored when someone might say that I inspire them. But I want them = YOU? To do something with that inspiration. The first direction in change is the acknowledgement that you want it. Then you have to make a plan to do it. - So I was inspired by his new found love for the sport, so I chose to purposely give ‘Running’ a try. I set out to the Ymca to run my first 3.1 miles. I could only run for about 20 seconds, forced to walk because my heart was going to explode out my chest, my breathing felt like I was going to die, my lungs burned. But I kept this run/walk routine for the entire 5k. I ran that first 5k in 49 minutes for a pace of 15:48.After each run I would gain confidence in my ability to run longer and longer. I remember all my milestones. I remember reaching the ability to hit ¼ mile without walking, then ½ mile then a 1 mile, 1.5 then 2 and then 3.1~! I would come home from the run just always so proud of my progress. I never stopped hurting for me. It was always incredibly difficult. The breathing never got easier in the beginning months, my aching joints from lugging around all the excess weight always left me sore and truth be told….a little worrisome that I could really hurt myself. There were always moments when I would be running at the gym on the treadmill and felt unworthy to be on the machine next to all these normal fit runners. I felt out of place, I felt too fat to run and it was all the mind games of self and my perceptions that also needed to change through the journey of running. I was after-all constantly losing weight and starting to feel confident about myself in many more ways other than running longer.So I decided with just a base of 3.1 miles that since my husband decided he would run a Marathon, that I thought “why not” I’m training for a half! I spent the entire summer of this past year running and training. I cried a lot. I was proud a lot. I had some doubts, I did some mental growing, some emotional battling, but with each step and run I grew strength. In September I ran that half marathon and hit my time goal of under 2:30. My first ever Race and I certainly learned a lot. Like pacing myself, don’t drink Gatorade, Don’t cry in the middle of running (you’ll get cramps) lol.Then I did my first 5k just a month later! That too was a learning experience. I ran that in 30:31. Subsequently I ran 3 more 5k’s with a PR of 27:50. I’m really learning to let go of my inhibitions when I run, learning to let go of the fears. It’s much like life right?So here I am, one Year later. Proud of who I am and how far I’ve come in the sport. Totally surprised at my new addiction. I start reflecting on What Running has done for me and what it offers my heart and soul. It is after all such a personal sport. There is no Team, you are the only person that you have to worry about letting down. For me, I find freedom, liberation, excitement, pride, my ability to be one with nature, a feel good feeling that my body can actually do something correctly, builds up strength/courage, letting my guard down to show vulnerability- not only to myself but for those around me.Most you all know that I’m finishing up week 2 of Marathon Training. Just 16 more weeks go! I’m really excited about this coming Year. I look forward to growing stronger as a Runner, Wife, Mother.A special shout out to all my New Running Friends- I found most you all early last Summer and it was really was great and inspiring to watch you all journey through your training and Races. It’s been exciting, Fun, Hell even FUNNY! Many of you are just incredibly supportive, others are incredibly humorous, others are just there to offer support. I know I’ve done the same for you, it’s incredibly reciprocal which is what I love most about the group! Thanks for accepting me into the group and making me feel like I have a running family I can turn to talk to about stuff. Gosh knows I know my real life friends and family support me but they probably don’t want to hear about each run! ******************* 733 Miles This Year ****************************2011 Running Goal- 1200!

DoubleRun on my 2 yr plus!


So Much to Say !
It was my 2 Year RunI'versary- I was just happy all day long because 2 years ago I dedicated myself to become a runner- and today I ran double and celebrated the Joy of the Passion in my life. I could get all sappy and make this 8 thousand pages long about this incredible run journey of mine- I wrote a post about my 1 year- and I was reading yesterday and I feel the exact same way today! Connected, in love, respecting the run, how it has changed now only my body but my heart and mind. what it does for my anxiety or occasional down feelings in life- how it has become an integral part of who I always wanted to be. Every Since I was little I fantasized about becoming a runner- knowing that when I was 'older' I'd be one. I 'd try when I younger- and had this amazing goal every night as I lay in my bed- to wake up and go for a run at dawn at the elementary school field- just run laps and there were times when I would adventure up to the high school and run laps on the track and just about die and thought I couldn't do it- even though I wanted to. I really wished I had someone that said "you can- go for it- keep going" I really think if I had harnessed running when I was younger - I have NO doubts I'd be an elite right now- I am really serious when I say this. I know even now I am Great Runner and I'm still just scratching away at the surface of who I am as a Runner- with so much more to learn and grow- I know I'm on my Way. I know this last year- blew away my first year- and I Know 2012 is going to be Epic for me- and the year after- even better than this one!! There is one thing I don't really lack in my Running Life and that is Confidence. I have fleeting moments where I question myself and once I do that- I work hard to combat them feelings- they won't get me anywhere - negativity and pessimism has no room in a Runners Heart or Mind- I embrace the Confidence and it exudes from me- I love to share it (even though that self conscious part of me constantly wonders if I annoy people) but I try to remember- this is me- What I do is for me- I am a self seeded- I am incredibly controlling over my own life- I am incredibly self indulgent when it comes to making sure I am taken care of- but there 'this' part of me that gives back- that shares- that helps. I'm not sure people understand the magnitude of how much I give- if you don't, please let me share. For example this week alone- I have had ten private messages going- I have several e-mails with people that I converse with- I have my CCRG page and here and there- and everywhere - I share .....about the journey of running and weight loss- and it's fun and I Love it- but it's become a part time job for me, lol - shortly the flow of being to be respond quickly is going to have slow down- I have some personal goals in my personal life I am working on- so it's going to be interesting to me to see how I balance life here shortly. But that's why I love Running- it will always be my calm- my escape- my release- my freedom- ♥ This past year I experienced moments of huge recognition as I dropped my pace from 10:15 to an 8:15 and that is the respect how far you can go in a little time- how many miles you can run- how hard you can push yourself and even into a breaking point- like I did on my Marathon- it was no coincidence I managed a 4:23 Marathon just months after a 4:50 - not only was it confidence- but it was my heart and my drive to NEVER quit- to dig deeper than I have ever had to dig before- When you Can Run Yourself to a Point of New Dissection - to a New Discovery of Strength and willpower then you are running your heart and soul out. I love that feeling- it's sick and it's real- I take my training runs and I leave them for decompressing my daily life and when it's time for business I keep my focus and I keep running myself forward. So if you read this and you are adventuring into a 5k distance or a half - or the full- just know- we all run the same path- what separates us is our strength and our pace- but let the passion unite us.

4 miles outside - conditions were little rough- cold rain- windy- some ice- and slick - got this done in a comfy 8:45 pace.
Came inside next to RunnerBoy on the treadmill and cranked out a fast mile next to him in 7:30 pace.
Then I hit the weight room where I worked my triceps and abs for a solid 30min- and I was HURTING real good in my arms even before I left the gym room- that was two days in a row where I worked my arms- avoided the biceps but still worked my arms.



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This Evening I did a run with the RunningClub
warm up/speed work/cool down for a total of 3 miles in 24 min- this included recovery and this was great pace considering the recovery time! There were seven of us there and the conditions were perfect- cold and windy but dry!



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It was a fitting day to have our Local Paper Run a Story about my Success with Weight Loss and Running- Spreading the Word about RunnerBoy and Forming the Running Club and so far we have had about 18 people join our Facebook like page and hopefully we draw interest from them to join us on weekly runs! We plan to implement training runs for local races- implement a couch to 5k program through us and host a small 5k race at the end to celebrate the new runners! I am really excited about my newest adventures with the Running Club this Year and for Years to Come ♥
The NewsPaper Article:
http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/off-and-running/article_5061540a-40b8-11e1-a975-0019bb2963f4.html



I am also adventuring into Running as my side gig to my Family Photography Business-
I love Running and I love Photography- it only makes sense to me to blend them and hope to create some money for my Running ;-) My Two Faves can support each other!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sole-Prints-Running-Photography/207100916049289



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Foods:
whole wheat pancake
pure maple syrup
coffee
1 slice of low sodium bacon
2 eggs
whey protein
almond milk
orange
greek yogurt
banana
avocado burger on whole wheat
broccoli


*I tried making another fruit smoothie today- it was alright- I'm just not finding a smoothie I can fall in love with- today I did 1/4 cup plain greek, tbsp of honey, 1 cup of organic berries, 1 cup of almond milk and then eventually added a scoop of whey and still nope- we did drink to not waste it- but yeah- not loving it- it was ok *

Monday, January 16, 2012

Speed Work Monday

Treadmill Running- That's Ok :) I like it sometimes!

1/2 mile warm up in 5:15min pace- 10:05
2 miles in 16min pace- 8min
1/2 mile in 3:40min pace-7:20
1/2 mile in 3:40min pace-7:20
1/2 mile in 3:40min pace-7:20
1/2 mile in 3:20min pace-6:40

Crushed some arm work between mile speed intervals :)

I have been feeling really bloated and so I weighed in and to my surprise I was 159 today. Weird. I could of swore I was 165 which is why I took out the scale, I just felt bloated and puffy- but 'hey' what do I know- sorta glad I put the scale away alot lately and take it out when I'm curious.

Foods:
3 eggs
1 slice of whole wheat
coffee, tsp of sugar, 2 tbsp of ff half in half

almond milk 8oz
all natural whey protein 1 scoop

1 cup of kidney beans
1/4 cup of crushed organic tomato
4 whole wheat crackers
tsp of grated parm cheese
pinch of lowfat mozz cheese
2 slices of whole wheat with garlic and pinch of lowfat mozz on top

greek yogurt
kiwi
organic apple

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Met with Surgeon & Big Discoveries



Wow- I can't believe I'm putting my ex - Moribidly obese stomach on the internet for the world to see- but this Journey- in accepting who I am- I guess this is a step in the right direction. World- Meet my tummy- It's totally imperfect- but it's mine.


So I met with a Surgeon the other day. I declare it has changed me. It was not a light bulb moment for me while I was there. Really the meeting was simple. Review the process of getting either a panniculectomy or a full tummy tuck. Any issues with trying to get my insurance company to approve of the procedure. Knowing full well that obviously a flat tummy is appealing to me- it is NOT the reason why I want to have this sort of invasive procedure to reshape my entire mid section.

Having lost all this weight - I do have extra skin- I have a fat fold- even if it is smaller that is what to be considered an 'apron' of the lower belly. To which continues to lean out but none the less- is still there- and still becomes an issue with occasional rashes and deep itching to which I have since learned is scar tissue inside the skin- I also have a huge sensitivity to the cold (to which to my surprise will be of NO help trying to get the procedure - even if it's incredibly painful to me when I'm in the cold for more than an hour per- say with several layers of proper and expensive cold gear) I was told the lack of circulation and scar tissue from obesity and 2 sections. I explained it was frostbite- and made me sound like a moron as she totally disagreed with me- but really her theory is just ridiculous (reynauds) - I say frostbite in the first degree- as what they refer to as frostnip - where I Itch- experience pain and it hardens and becomes numb. I will tell you I'm sure she was coming off as being educated but instead she was sort of rude and cocky and in my opinion wrong :)

Anyways!!

We discussed both procedures- clearly a panniculectomy they basically remove the skin apron- and sew me back together- that's it.

A full tuck is tightening the abs, re-constructing the entire abdomen- lipo if need be and put my belly buttin in a new location (to which once I refer to my button- she then was sorta laughing at me because I referred to my belly button as button- really dork face surgeon lady???) anyways!

Ok so what I notice while I'm there- what I see as I even reflect is this lady touching me in the mirror- I see myself- I'm standing there- I'm a little saggy in my thighs, I'm saggy a bit in my arms, I'm saggy a bit in my hips and buttocks a bit and well....I thought- this lady could give me a whole new 'middle' but what about the rest of me? A perfect ab- on an im-perfect body. I thought - would this look like an odd puzzle to you? I sorta think so.

I want the apron gone- it's uncomfortable, I do rash up, I do have this major cold sensitivity- I feel it sometimes when I run, I still feel I have to look beyond it a tiny bit when looking down at myself. So it's like- yeah it should be taken care of. And likely one day it will.

but my reflections on the entire process......it's been Enlightening- Moving for me in my Journey. I was working out the next day in the gym- so Strong - I felt so amazing- I worked 80min on my core/arms building up strength and creating tone and lean muscle. (oh to which when she had me lie flat and quench my abs - she said "Woah- you have been working on these!" I'm like "yes, ma'm all da time!!!" That was nice for her to feel such strong core- and I always make a joke- there is certainly a 6 pack under neat that skin and layer of belly fat this visceral and so hard to lose!

I'm working out, I'm planking, I'm checking myself out in the mirror like I always do- and you know I've been on the fence with weight since hitting goal- trying to slim down more- but trying to focus on running, training, building muscle - I see and feel so much strength since June when I started that I've lost fat and gained muscle and scale reflects a small gain and just a couple of inches gone- and I feel uncomfy in my abs - but I feel comfy in a full butt and full hips, I am so broad- I am a larger sized woman with my stature and build- I'm not a petite 5'3 person- My legs and arms are long- and my abs are a little shorter than some others- so I'm a little more dense in the middle. And I realize---- it's ok. I am actually comfortable with how I look now- I love the fullness- I have been fearing getting too thin- I know I want to be leaner looking- but why? when I take my clothes off- I don't want to freaking scare myself and pull at droop and skin hanging everywhere- I have some now- it's still retracting- I'm only 33 years old- I've taken this journey for 2.5 years- the process has been manageable enough where my skin has actually treated me kindly. I fear so much about losing more- I almost dislike the gaunt look to my face even at 160- I know I am healthy but if I lose anymore- I might look in the mirror and think Yuck too thin! Yuck too saggy- Yuck- look at that droop! lol- see I'm not saying that now- I'm saying I feel SEXY- BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT for ME!

When I discovered this- WOW---- I cried....Like a baby- this AMAZING vulnerability came over me- this amazing "I had no idea" I would ever feel this good about me came over me. I spent my ENTIRE LIFE wishing I was different and comfortable with my size. And Now I am. I cried silent tears that just rushed over me a million fold when that happened. What an incredible feeling that even 3 days later- as I write this- I shed tears again.

I've taken several days to process the emotions. Just because I am this way. To discover such a feeling and freedom about myself felt liberating.

However, in the 3 days since- I've begun to feel a tad sense of vulnerability and fear. That in comfort I begin to change my habits. It's not my intention- I do want and will continue to the same level of commitment toward health and fitness- but I just fear that's all. Just that part of me that wants to keep myself reminded that just because I love myself and I am comfortable, that it's not a form of permission slip to be any different. To which I know comes out easy- but in life- nothing ever is. The lifestyle no matter how practical is STILL a commitment. One I must stick with.

That was my Journey the last few days, Thanks for letting me share it with you.