Out with the Old in with the New!

Well it's been an eventful and yet uneventful 9 weeks! I'm ready to declare that chaper of my life over and it lasted a little too long, likely simply because I had so much going on! You know - Graduating, vacation, sickness etc. Under Armour has got a lot of exposure from me :)

 They did not pick me though.

I feel they miss an opportunity to reach the likes of many woman out there that aspire and or trying to be an athlete. Much of what my story is about it. So what is Beautiful?

What's beautiful is not being cookie cutter!

 I do not have six pack- I don't run 6min miles and I am not a super model (although I do have a six pack under there somewhere, I can run 7min miles and I am pretty dam sexy ;-) but I'm not perfect. I don't want you to be perfect either! We shouldn't have to be picture perfect for marketing reasons!

  I get gripey when it comes down to marketing! When Companys Market Products and services they market sexy, thin, appeal, six packs and picture woman in slim dukes and bra tops sporting rocking abs and super thin! Dimple & cellulite free thighs! OMG_ yeah right- we are not all like that NOR DO WE NEED TO BE!

What I wanted Marketed! the woman that have kids, have stretch marks, grey hair, wrinkles, have a pudgy mid section and big ole round bootys cause that's the way God Shaped them! I would market the woman that have cellulitey thighs and dimpled butt cheeks! Cause despite having all those imperfections they could be of healthy weight, normal BMI, super strong, full of muscle and really athletic! These "real" woman they define my target market!

  So Anyways! What have I been doing?

Besides a grumpy ten miler that knick knackered my right side- and subsequent rest day from running yesterday, I still managed to squeeze in 50min weights and 30 min on the Elliptical for cross train and to ease up and stretch the legs! Grumpy knee and an odd pain in my right foot had me looking up my stats to see how many miles were on my shoes- just 350 since early April so I'm good for at least another 6-8 weeks of training! I think it was just the time on the road and maybe the shoes are starting to wear a bit? These shoes are usually good for about 500-600 miles!

Foods: lots of clean eating- fresh everythings- trying to make more salads at my lunch time- carb cutting and that is not best for the running- I'm feeling it!

Metamucil added to help clean out the guts tonight- feeling a bit sludgy still after vacation and Metamucil is a fiber that will help aid in healthy digestion and lower cholesterol :) A great thing to do in your diets once in a while!

Egg McMuffin & 1 extra egg
Huge Salad topped with walnuts/feta/tomato/raspberry vinagerette
2 cups fresh fruit which was blueberry/grape/strawberry
chicken breast & bbq sauce
popcorn
greek yogurt-


Week Ahead: Blog Changes, Introduction to my Weight Loss Coaching Services & Running Coaching Services and Information for Sponsors to get ads on my blog and offer testing of merchandise and give aways for my blog readers! Would you be interested in Free Stuff?

2am Rantings :)

So I have been forcing myself to stay up late and waking up early- Day #3. I know I'm freak and it sounds odd but I almost function better in life wtih 5hrs of sleep. I just do, when I sleep 8 I feel like crazy crap and the past 6 weeks I've slept more than I did in six months, lol- I'm friggin serious!

So What has CCRG been up to (Oh my God- I talk in 3rd person, maybe I need meds, you know the mental crazy people kind?) bwhaha.

Ok - no really. I left out alot of details when I got back from my trip like all the lil crazy things in my life that I have been busy with and well it all really involves my kiddies and they are my life so I've been busy!

Whitney will now be a Second Grader! Wow!
Twins start pre-k this fall............OMG_ really? My preemies are going to be in school? What!

In order for that to happen it was medical appts and first dental appts and all is Heathy & Good :) * Thank You God*

So I made a declaration. At this time last year (exact date too) and last night I was up writing this HUGE blog post about how a year ago my life changed, I suffered a broken heart and have spent the last year fixing myself back up again. Lessons learned in short and I'm still a work in progress and I still hurt (alot out of the blue) but God has been giving me strength, I pray to him and I feel so much better after a while. Thank You God for that too (you really do bless me!)

I have almost completed my Under Armour Challenge and that excites me! I'll be sharing more tmrw about this! So watch for my Youtube Video! oh wait, you know what, here have it now- lol, I still have to add a couple challenges to the UA site tmrw but in all sense I'm done :)



So here is My Summer Soltice Ride :) I spent the entire day working, with my kids and this was MY real time to Relax that day- a Sunset Kayak Ride- it's been Far too long since I've been out- I needed that ride for soul - so refreshing :)

Kick Ass Session in the Weight Room- full Hour

So sore today! Boom!

Great 10k Tempo!

1.5 mile warm up 9min pace

3miles at 8min pace

1.5 mile at 9 min pace

.2 mile at 6:50 pace

BOOM!

NOT ALL WORK- WORKING ON MY TAN! OH YEAH!

Chillin at the CampGround ♥

Took my kids to the Sprinkler, what Great fun!

The other thing we have done since getting home Monday Evening was getting

to the 2012 Chase Corporate Challenge to support

My RunnerBoy and his fellow Officers :)

Side Note: I'm still dealing with fatigue, and constant headaches lately- I'm withdrawing from sleep and caffeine (well cutting back to one cup a day) and I can totally tell!

Certified Running Coach With LOADS OF PICS!

Boston Bound!!  My First Stop in Massachusetts was the Start Line to the Boston Marathon!

You all know my Golden Run Dream is to Get to this Start Line by Qualifying!

The next time I'm standing there it will be in my Running Gear ready to run because I qualified! This I promise you!

                                                                   Next Stop Cheers!

We ate lunch here and it was Yum and Fun Experience!

 

                                            Cheers! Where Everyone Knows Your Name!

I love Sam :) He loves me! I loved that Kiss (yes slightly pathetic)

Next Stop was the Esplanade and City Garden!

She is a little Snot :) bwahahaha!

ok- no seriously she is!

 In the Garden in the Center of Boston :) We took a Great

Ride along the pond and the kids enjoyed a playground, ice- cream cones and I surely enjoyed the

Esplanade where Runners and Bikers Galore gulped up the shore line! Boston is Runners Haven!

All of Downtown Boston is Old Housing just like this

that lined the city streets, I love that Big City Feel :)

 After Marathon Start/Cheers/Garden/Esplanade and

Getting Lost and circling 2x to get OUT of Boston

We made our way South and got to Plymouth where

we visited the MayFlower Ship ↑ and viewed Plymouth Rock

Where the Pilgrims landed in the early 1600's - Inner History Nerd

Happy :)

My Amazing & Happy Son ♥

He enjoyed the trip so much we got home- he cried

My Best Memory is when there along the walk

he got down on all fours like SpiderMan and started

spewing out Webs at Daddy and these young

girls sitting on the bench started pointing and laughing hysterically

I love him so much!

Whitney had a Blast- her faves was playing on the playgrounds,

petting zoo, bowling and I took her swimming each day

at the hotel ♥ She also had a blast finding and collecting 4 starfish and Ocean Rocks!

Ally Cat Most Enjoyed walking, swimming, playgrounds,

junk foods and playing kickball and the ocean!

 LightHouse On Cape Cod

 My Girls First Time touching the Ocean right here ♥

Austyn? yeah- too afraid, lol

 Hottie or Nottie?

 I love this Picture with my Runnerboy ♥

 Thought of you all on the Beach! ha!

Lots of Swimming (it keeps the kids happy!)


Running!

Once along the Ocean Front at Cape Cod Bay.
My First Ever "Coastal" run ♥ Enjoyed my views and threw in 5 flights of 38 stairs in the middle of my Run, what was great was doing 2 sets and saw this old lady stop and watch me run Up and then Down and Then back etc. So I made sure I did 3 more sets in front of her, lmao! If I was not bent for time I would have done more! haha, so she says to me- "I watched you do ALL OF THAT NON STOP- WOW" HAHAHAHA- you have NO idea Grandma- I could of rocked those stairs and lots more miles for a long time! I smiled and said Thanks- I'm in the middle of a 30min run too, hahaha- she has NO idea I'm a Marathoner- Cardio Endurance is through the Roof! ha!

Next Run on Vacation was this 5.25 miler in the Sweat Box with

NO A/C  and NO Ventilation

I promise you I sucked every ounce of oxygen from that

Room- it was so BAD- talk about mental

toughness!   

So None of this Amazing Traveling and Fun Stuff would not have happened

if it was not for the idea of traveling ultimately to CT to spend the weekend getting trained on how to

Coach Athletes Run! I learned a lot about building training programs for all levels of Running Experience. So if you are looking to hit a certain goal on a race, have specific training needs, etc it would be vital to NOT go with a Cookie Cutter Training Plan and I would provide you with a schedule to follow to ensure peak performance! I have Huge Plans for all of you looking for specific help with this and with plans that do both tell you how much and how to run but how many calories you will need to either maintain without gaining weight or how much to eat and lose weight while Running! 

So How am I doing? I am so beyond exhausted. I got into state yesterday and settled with washing laundry, going to the grocery store and then to the gym to lift weights and do a 2 mile run- I experienced heart fibs during my weight lifting and had no energy and felt lethargic on the treadmill (dehydration from traveling) surely had to be the cause.

So you all know I reported my need to get seen by the doc for not feeling well. Good News is that hormones are ok, like my thyroid and I even asked to have my prolactin checked.

Bad News is that my White Blood Count is High - the one called Eosinophils.

Which the Doc is telling is from Allergies- severe enough that this is what is causing the sinus pain, pressure, my headaches and my extreme fatique. I get the really dumb and paranoid thinking that it could be much worse than that- like a cancer or something but surely my doc knows best. I do have one more avenue to explore before I settle with HayFever as the cause and that is getting in to see my Gyno for my Yearly check up- I am 6 months behind on that too. I suppose I lost so much time last year that I didnt bother to think or care for myself in these ways- making up for that now!

So I start Marathon Training this week, So does RunnerBoy- created his plan already and Not mine, lmao! Typical! I have on hit at a 13.1 before this Under Armour Sponsorship is up and then I must focus not on speed anymore but on endurance again! I'm ready! I am training my long runs at about a 9:20 pace and tempos will be at threshold of 8:00 with Goal M.P. to be the 8:20-8:35 range. If I could hit even splits I'd Boston Qualify this Fall- Likely Not (it's so hard to do!) but I'll be way more than Happy wtih a 3:50 this fall- especially knowing in my RunnerGirl Heart I would of got just around a 4:00 in May if I ran the Marathon!

still not better yet?

I want my magic pill (antibiotic) TO WORK!

Coughing at night has been the worst.

Tired- keeping this one SHORT!

1hr in the weight room again today- sore from yesterday so I avoided the biceps/triceps and I worked on core/obliques/back/shoulders.

Now if you touch my shoulders or my wings- they hurt, lol- ouch! yeah- baby! love it :)


Ram all day along- preparing for this trip!

Ready? I don't know! I hope-


Ran 5.25 miles tonight- body heavy and pushed run - steady pace in 45min

Foods:
two eggs
slice of wheat

Lunch: Salad at buffet and some broccoli/chicken and small desserts

Dinner:sandwich steak on slice of wheat- nothing really- still full from lunch-

Snack/post run- 3hrs later- bowl of Chex Cereal (forced fueling) my stomach was growling- feeling weak all though no appetite.

Greek yogurt- I know I need protein- forced fueling again-

not sure if it's my period or the sickness with not being hungry but whatever.

Feelin crappy good

LOL- yeah that blog post title- how "not" original.
This Sinus Infection is Kicking my Butt- my face is hurts, my sinus are more full than EVER- and I'm day 2 of Antibiotics and EAGER for relief!!!

Woke up - shizzy- 2 tylenol for severe sinus pain- not hungry- got the kid to school and then off to the gym

Fueling on Coffee (first time in months I skipped breakfast) I have zero appetite and not up to eating at all.

45min in the weight room-

Good: lots of sets of biceps/triceps

Bad: I lost some muscle strength. I'm back to warming up on 20lbs and curling 25's is not as easy as before. I was tricep pull downing around 110lbs consistently now 100lbs kicks my arms!

Extra Bad: I lost some core strength. the last 6 weeks I lost some strength in my ability to hold my planks as long- one minute was tapping my core (i'm on my period- maybe the pain was from that?) yeah- pale comparison to rocking out 2-3mins on each plank as before.

During my Weight Lifting routine I did a warm up mile- 8:45 time. I love working up a desire to run while I'm lifting- it's like a lifting "high" I get (and miss!!)

After my weights I went to the treadmill in the cardio room and busted out 4 miles at a set 8min pace! Drenched my shirt and gave it a solid effort- filled a few tissues with sinus junk and coughed a bit but I still managed through with energy and strong legs and a good breathing :)

Foods Today:

Lunch:
Whole Wheat, Natural Ham slice (Hormel sells this deli meat "free" of nitrates! Still high on sodium- 520mg for 4 slices (10 g protein though!) and I just know that I have to ration my sodium when I eat processed meats like this! lowfat mayo, tomato slice- fresh spinach

snack:
Apple
tblsp natural pb

Coffee from D&D

Dinner:
Bed of Spinach Greens
tblsp of Natural Ranch
cup of Grapes
Veggie Burger (no bread)
carrots

Food positives: Stayed away from the temptations today! OK, OK, not hard- not much of an appetite being sick and all.

Food Negatives - not enough for what a I did today- but what can do you? forced myself to eat all day to be honest.

Poetry

Few times a year I feel compelled to write something.
I enjoy poetry


Time Wasted,

Sun Rise to Sunset.

Little Crazy …..?

Cruel Irony,

Jokes at my own heart.

All for nothing…..?

Disbelief of the Fantasy,

Created by two

Left up to only One…?

Truthful Lies,

Circles the pain.

Let it all go….?

Guilt like bare skin,

Vulnerable to the cold.

Forget me…….?

Tears Flow,

Try to stop them.

I’m Trying……?

1o days- peek a boo!

Sweet Lord, it's been ten days since my last Confession  Blog post :(

I need this place, I need my routine back. I confess I have let  allowed others to dictate what I do in my life. I am on constant guilt trips for living my life the way I want.

 My Blogging, My CCRG, My Weight Lifting ...anything I do that I ENJOY AND LOVE - I'm taking it back. I was told time and time again that I spend too much time away from my family  to do the  very things in my life that I most enjoy and really is simply just for "me" .  let's be honest- it takes just an hour away from my life to do what I enjoy :)

I need that!

So listen up- I'm back and I'm here sharing again everyday and I'm getting back to it, I hope it's fluid like before but life is different- ever changing and evolving.

Just like my goals, my weight loss, my maintaining, my running etc. you get it, lol

So I wrote last that I have not been feeling like myself. So I went ahead and made a dr's appt (thanks to the blogger friend that left a comment urging me to get to the docs to get my thyroid checked !! ♥ !!) I was due for my yearly so it was perfect timing!

I talked to shared with the Doc and he'll take care of me and we took alot of blood work to get everything checked out!

Me: Still down, still lethargic, tired, craving carbs, eating has been poor, no appetite forced fueling in the day and trying to control the ravenous feeds at night- yuck- blah- ugh-
Just got my period today- so I feel like I've been beat in the back with a bat. Then I was prescribed an antibiotic because I'm on day 8 of a sinus infection and I suffered all week and was hoping my immune system would kick in but my doc knows how my deviated septum and my sinus are- very sensitive and vulnerable to length sinus infection durations (two years ago I had a 4 month sinus infection :(
I talked to the doc, he thinks maybe it could be my body, could be the let down from all the stress from school being over, he thinks it could my shift in running from distance to speed, it could be anything really-

Highlights of the last ten days of my life through pictures!

 C25k Graduate- Diane and Some RunnerGirls ♥

It was Amazing to Do the c25k Learn to Run Program

through my Running club. I started off with 18 New Runners

and I had ONLY ONE GRADUATE!!! I hope I planted

the seed with others?!

 We Ran in the rain and got it done! So Proud of Diane!

 National Running Day- I pushed all 3 of my Peeps in

this Double Jogger- 3 miles in 30min all while

walking up two hills! Great lil work-out!

 Whitney & Austyn ran the Cancer Mile for the Relay for Life! - Austyn Ran an entire Half Mile!!

He changed my Life he said to me during the run out of the blue "Mom- it's only my Body"  how DEEP IS THAT? !

Don & Spent an Entire Day away from Our Kids

We were a Photographer Team for Wedding Clients

last week- it was such a  Blessing- We are excited

To Renew our Vows in the Eyes of God Next Year!

 June 9, 2012- I celebrated my 3 year

life Change- I am NEVER going

BACK! Healthy Eating & Active Lifestyle!

That Easy!

 Sharing this picture - My Stomach used to hit that

Steering Wheel!  I LOVE getting behind the wheel and feeling

"thin & healthy"

 Drive-Ins- Madagascar!

I have spent everyday with my Family!

Lots of Quality Family Time ♥

 They are Always Monkeys-  Always

 Busy with my Lil Peeps- Library, playgrounds

Outside Playing etc!

 Sunset Running- Loving it ♥

 See the rainbow? ?during my Run the other day!

Working out with Runnerboy!

Hey, I love Showing off all his hard work- Dam! *slurp* 

So what's next? Well I never did Start Insanity- I am have been so tired and lethargic I couldn't do much more than my running- plus I don't think I have the time - Ugh- Runnerboy reminds me to  balance and that includes accepting that such diligent efforts with all on my plate might be too much for me. I don't do well with my own let downs- So I'll try to incorporate Insanity on my Cross Training and I am aiming to pick back up my distance again as Marathon Training Starts again in 2 weeks!

I leave this week for the Boston, Cape Cod & Connecticut to get Certified as a Running Coach! I already Coach many of you and now I'll be Certified :) Although I'm sure my college education and personal experience is more than enough to help many of you along- this is going to help teach me a bit more!