Two Steps Forward, ALOT OF GIANT STEPS BACK...

So you probably thought I was dead. Sigh. I've been gone SINCE EASTER!! That's craziness! 

My running has suffered ALOT. We had a busy month in May where my husband or I one were traveling. We saw each other a couple of days, I think. 

My husband was in Atlanta the first of the month. Then the little guy and I went to visit family in Dallas. A couple of days after I got home, my husband left for Colorado and the day after he returned our family left for Mammoth Lakes, CA. That's where we are now.

Talk about a busy travel schedule! I fell off the fitness wagon during this time. Sigh.

I've run a little bit here and there, but nothing consistent and nothing to speak of. I'll post my runs later this week as they're all stored on my watch. There won't be much to report, I'm afraid. 

The weekend between my getting home and my husband leaving, we did run a fun 5K together as a family. :D 

 Here are my two boys before the start.

 Check out the gal that was in front of me! Double stroller and a little white dog. Yeah. She beat me.

Here are the folks waiting to start..

Here's a picture of the little guy and I after we had finished. I think he kicked his little feet the entire way. He loved every minute of it. We ran it in under 33 minutes and it was the first time I'd ever really run with the stroller. We had such a fun morning. :)

We interrupt this blog to run....

Conversation between my husband and I as the pictures above downloaded.....

Husband: What are you doing?

Me: I'm finally posting something on my fitness blog.

Husband: What are you posting about? You haven't been doing anything.

Me: I'm writing about what a loser I am.

Husband: Oh. Wanna go out for a short run right now? I'll watch our little guy.

Me: Really? Do you mind? 

Husband: Nope.

Me: Okay! Thanks! 

So, out for a run I went. :) Mammoth Lakes is at almost 8,000 feet elevation and I felt every foot of it. Sigh. I'm back at the beginning where I'm walk/running. I jogged 20. Walked 5. Jogged 5. I'll put the times in with the next post. :) 

If the truth be told, I'm doing a really, really good job at only one of my top four priorities (Faith, Family, Fitness, Friends). 

Which one, you might ask...

Well, it's this one.

 My little man is growing so fast, I don't want to miss a second. We're up in a condo in Mammoth Lakes, CA. How do you like that make-shift toy box? :) He ignored all the familiar toys and went right for the cardboard box. Awesome. :)

It's June here and we got snowed on the last days in May. It was our little man's first time to see the snow. As a matter of fact, here on the 4th of June, there is a mix of rain and snow falling as I type this. Happy Summer.

My two little men napping. :) How cute is that?

Mammoth Lakes mornings go something like this. :) My little guy watches Baby Einstein on mommy's laptop while I have a cup of coffee and try to gear up for a busy day. :) 

My husband and a friend of ours are both up here to train at altitude. They're gearing up for the marathon olympic trials that will be taking place in Houston this coming January. My husband has had an incredible running career and I'm so proud of him. He's persevered through so many obstacles and injuries. This is his last big push as an athlete before we transition over to the coaching side of this sport. I'm up here taking care of our little man and cooking like a crazy woman. You try feeding two elite runners who are training like mad twice a day. These boys can eat! If you have easy, healthy and make-ahead meals in your kitchen arsenal, please do a girl a favor and share your recipes!! :D If I make 'em and the boys like 'em...I'll feature it here with your permission! :D 

Wrapping Up The First Month With A Belated Blog

So sorry to be so tardy. Sigh. 

I wrapped up my first month of running and made my goal for the week. 

THIS week, I've been a total LOSER. However, let's start with the good news. 

My husband finally came home from his trip and, boy, were we glad to see him! We miss him when he's gone. :) He kept our little guy for me while I went on a couple of longer runs. 

On Saturday I did a long run with my friend Angie. We went for a slow and easy run. The running I did with her plus my run home came to 7.5 miles. It began as quite the debacle. My watch that I thought was fully charged was totally dead. My music wouldn't load and I was running almost 15 minutes late by the time I finally met Angie at our rendezvous point. What started out as rough and frustrating ended up being a pretty enjoyable run though. 

On Sunday, I ran 4.15 in 40:11.19

Mile 1: 9:41

Mile 2: 10:03

Mile 3: 9:43

Mile 4: 9:25

Total for the week: 24 miles!

I would be way more excited and whooping it up if I had blogged about this in a timely manner. However, it is late Thursday night of the NEXT week and I have run once. Yes, that's right, one time. :(
I am so frustrated with myself. This is truth for ya, people. Sigh. I was doing so great and all of a sudden, I've stalled. I could give you a list of all the reasons I haven't made it out the door in tennis shoes, but who am I kidding? There will always be reasons, right?

I've gotta get back on the horse. I'm going to limp through the rest of this week and get a few more runs under my belt and then try to start again strong the next one. 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter From Our Family to Yours

Hope you have a wonderfully blessed day. 

He is Risen! 

 I'll report back later with this week's milage. I'm heading out for a run in just a minute. I'm still trying to reach my goal for this week.

An Hour & 15 Minutes...

Not an hour and 15 minutes of running...an hour and 15 minutes until my husband's plane is supposed to land and he'll be home. I can't wait! It was really just a short trip, but I missed him so much! We spend so much time together, it feels really weird when he's not around. I don't like it. Well...I don't like it MOST days. :) 

I didn't run today. :( I'm a whoose (how DO you spell that word????)*See Note*, I'll confess. I really just didn't want to run with the stroller. Sigh. Now I'm really behind in my milage, with only two more days to try to fit it in. You want to know the really bad news?? I don't even know how many miles I have left to reach my goal of 23 for the week. I'm going to have to go back and count it up after I post this blog. I'll probably be thrown into a little bit of a panic when I see how many miles I'm going to have to cram into two very short days. We'll see...

Yesterday (Thursday) morning, I went over to a girlfriend's house and ran on her treadmill while she kept my little guy. Thank goodness for wonderful friends. :) I only ran three miles, but that's three I don't have to worry about tomorrow. :) It felt really different to run on the treadmill. I started pushing myself in a different way trying to see what different speeds felt like, etc. I was tuckered out at the end of the third mile. :) I don't have the breakdown by miles. I just have the total distance and time spent...

3 miles in 28:56

Weird picture, I know, but the screen kept flashing back and forth between time and distance and this is the best I could do. :) 

Now to post this and then count up my milage, or the lack thereof, for the week thus far. I'm a little scared.

On a happier note, just 59 more minutes now til his plane lands!! :)

*NOTE* So I googled how to spell it and it's "WUSS." LOL. :D I wasn't even close! :D

Cobb Salad with Southwest Dressing

I'm just getting ready to head out the door to go and run on a girlfriend's treadmill. My goal for this week is 23 miles. With my husband out of town for much of the week, I've had to lean on friends to keep our little man while I run for 30 minutes or so. I'll have to fit a couple of long runs in when my husband gets home to make my goal. I'm avoiding running with the stroller for as long as possible. :) It just seems really H-A-R-D. :)

Just wanted to share a quick recipe for Cobb Salad and Southwest Dressing. This is a favorite with us and I make it pretty frequently. It's healthy too! 

If you're interested, you can get the recipe on my other blog here. :)

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Short and Sweet

It's late and I'm tired and tomorrow is a busy day. So...with no more ado, 

Wednesday: 3.01 in 29:12.83

Here are the splits...

Mile 1: 10:32

Mile 2: 9:40

Mile 3: 8:57

I never could understand why my husband and others did such crazy warm-up runs before a race. I always wondered if it didn't hurt their performance or cost them more than it earned them, so to speak. I'm starting to get it. 

The first couple of miles hurt and they're not your best. When the gun goes off, those who have warmed up a mile or two are ready to roll! 

My husband was unavailable to watch our little guy this evening and our wonderful neighbor came over to watch him so I could get a short run in. I LOVE her! :)

Goodnight. :)

Beginning the 4th Week with a Bang!

I took Tuesday off as a rest day, but on Monday evening Angie and I ran together again and it's the most I've run in years! She and I met at a park, ran 5 miles together and then each ran home. It was a mile and a half home, so I started my week with a 6 1/2 mile run!! 

WOOHOO! :D 

Check it out! 

Here is the milage breakdown. 

Monday: 6.51 miles in 1:01.12

Mile 1:  10:11.01

Mile 2:  9:34.72

Mile 3:  9:06.90

Mile 4:  9:07.37

Mile 5:  9:21.10

Mile 6:  9:11.20

.51 Mile: 4:40.05

According to the scales this morning, I've only lost 1/2 to 1 pound. Sigh. However, I'm hoping that means I'm gaining muscle and losing fat. I'm still hauling around the little spare tire out front. I'll be soooo excited when that starts shrinking. I'll try to do an update picture every month or so. I'll have a "Watch the Tire Shrink" photo series. Every woman's dream, I know. LOL :D 

Wrapping Up Last Week

Yikes! I'm so behind. I haven't posted all my milage for last week and I've already started my milage for this week. The OCD side of me can't combine the two weeks' milage in the same post. I need 'em separate. Ridiculous, isn't it? :) 

First of all, let me just say that I am so incredibly encouraged by the email and comments I keep receiving from you guys! You're unbelievable! There are women working out indoors with 13 feet of snow outside. There are women doing C25K (Couch to 5K). There are moms who are riding bikes with their kids riding along in the back and more.

Can I just say that before I found out I was pregnant, I tried riding a little pink beach cruiser on the trails alongside my husband while he ran. I'm embarrassed to say that there was more than one time that my husband helped to PUSH ME UPHILL.
Mortifying.
He's running. I'm "biking" and he's pushing me up the hill. 

True story. Sigh.

 I can't even imagine having a passenger. :) 

You go, girls!

So here's the rest of my milage for this past week....

Saturday: 3 miles in 28:47.34

Mile 1:10:14

Mile 2: 9:49

Mile 3: 8:42

Sunday: 4 miles in 39:46.38

Mile 1: 10:00

Mile 2: 10:13

Mile 3: 9:35

Mile 4: 9:59

Total for the week: 21 miles!!!

This wraps up my third week in a row of running! Can you believe it? I can't! I've always quit by now in the past! This morning, my husband told me that he's kind of getting excited to see my progress. He said he thinks I'm actually going to stick to it this time and he's so proud of me. :D
THE BLOG IS WORKING FOR ME, GIRLS! :D It's just the kind of accountability and community that I needed. I hope that it's helping you as well. We're in this together. :D Keep letting me hear from you! 

Iron Sharpens Iron

Thanks so much for the awesome feedback! You guys are so motivating and I LOVED reading your comments and hearing about your workouts. Keep 'em coming! I want to hear how YOU are doing!

It was nice to have a running partner! :) I had my husband snap a picture for the blog before we headed out. He and Angie both humored me. :) 

It was so motivating to run with someone for a change. I ran the fastest mile I've run in a long time and I know it's because I had Angie there pushing me. We've already scheduled our next run this coming week. We are going to try to run when it's a bit cooler though and not quite so close to the middle of the day. It was HOT out there! Here's the breakdown of the mileage. 

Thursday: 5.50 miles in 51:35.27

Mile 1: 9:23

Mile 2: 8:51 *WOOHOO!* :)

Mile 3: 9:30

Mile 4: 10:17 (jogged a slower mile here)

Angie had to get back so we stretched and hydrated. I got home to find the little guy sleeping with his dad, so squeezed in a little more before calling it a day. 

Mile 5: 9:11

I ran another 1/2 mile, but I'm not counting it towards the total for the week. That'll teach me to quit before I'm done. ;)

So there it is, folks. :) After all my worries, it was really good to have some company out there. :) 

I'm a Little Scared...

I'm a little scared because this morning I'm running with a friend who is going to kick my not-so-little tail. :)

I'll let you know how it goes, but I won't lie, all morning I've had this sense of both anticipation (it'll be nice to have someone to run with for a change) and dread (this is gonna really hurt).

Just to let you know what I've done so far this week....

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 4 miles in 39:48.45

Mile 1: 10:46

Mile 2: 9:49

Mile 3: 9:42

Mile 4: 9:32

Wednesday: 5 miles in 46:50.00

Mile 1: 10.13

Mile 2: 9:02

Mile 3: 9:06

Mile 4: 9:02

Mile 5: 9:24

I think these were my fastest times yet!! However, last night I felt like every muscle in my lower back down was screaming. Sigh. My awesome husband worked on me a little bit. His expertise and experience in the realm of running and pain is coming in handy. He knew right where to massage and man did it hurt! This morning my knees and ankles are still angry...let's just hope I can keep up with my girl Angie. She's a real runner and I'm the newbie. This should be good and humbling, folks. :)

My goal for this week is another 20. I don't think I'm quite ready for a 25. Maybe next week, depending on how my knees are holding up.

What are you guys up to this week? I wanna hear from you! :)

20...and a 1/2

Friday I didn't get out the door until a little before 6pm. You know what that means, don't you? That means that the fact that I hadn't run yet hung over my head like a little black cloud all day long. I told my husband that I felt a little like Eeyore. 

(picture from Just-Pooh.com)

I finally got my little self out the door and wouldn't you know it, that little cloud burst and it started raining on me at about .25 of the first mile. Lovely. 

Around 1/2 a mile in, I saw a little black dog dash across the road and take off down the trail ahead of me. Now I'm a dog lover - a dog lover that lives in an area with tons of coyotes. I'm not kidding. We listen to them just about every night and I hate, hate, hate the sound of them catching something. It was stressing me out since there wasn't much daylight left for the little thing. I heard someone calling a minute or so later and confirmed that they were looking for the little runaway. Yea!! Thankfully, when I turned a corner on the trail, the dog had stopped just a small distance ahead. I stopped the watch and knelt down calling it. The little thing came right to me and I scooped it up (praying I wouldn't get bitten) . I walked back down the trail til I found the owner. Happy ending. :) 

It rained on me the entire run and I only went three miles in 28:28.43. Here's the breakdown....

Mile 1: 9:42

Mile 2: 9:28

Mile 3: 9:16

Saturday=No Running

That wasn't the plan, but the day ran out before my list of "to dos" did. That left me with five miles to still get in to reach my week's goal. 

Sunday (today)

This morning my husband went for his run early. He got home and took the baby while I went for mine. Quite a system we have going, eh? :) Today's run started out pretty rough. I was a hurting unit and, when I glanced down at my watch, I'd only gone .74 miles. Sigh. That, my friends, is when you know it's shaping up to be a long run. The hills were killing me today. They felt extra....well...hilly. I checked my watch again and had only gone 1.81 miles and felt like it had been 4. That's when I decided not to look at the watch anymore and just try to run. 

One little problem with the outfit today... well, two actually.

The running tank kept inching up. Very annoying. I'd glance down and see the lovely leftovers of a cesarian. That's gonna take some time.

The running skirt/shorts equaled some severe chafing today. Not fun. I look forward to the day when that's not an issue. I'll be wearing pants this coming week no matter what the temperature. 

It wasn't until I was almost to mile 4 that the run started feeling a little better. That was a long 3 1/2+ miles. I ran 5 miles and then stopped to stretch a little. I walked for a bit and then ran for another 1/2mile or so. Retrieving the watch...

Mile 1: 9:22

Mile 2: 9:54

Mile 3: 10:14

Mile 4: 9:48

Mile 5: 9:14

Mile 6: 13:10

 Total for the week: 20 1/2 miles.

:)

That's a very happy smile. 

Miles, Miles and More Miles

I haven't meant to disappear....really. I promise that I've been running and walking and running some more. Life just feels very overwhelmingly busy this week for some reason. I'm cleaning out kitchen cupboards and organizing my pantry. I'm trying to learn how to make my own baby food and I still need to brush out my poor dog's terribly tangled tail and give the monthly allotment of flea and worm meds. In the midst of all that, I'm behind in meal planning and grocery shopping. I just remembered that I haven't switched the laundry over to the dryer and there's a clean load in the basket waiting to be folded, and that's just barely the tip of the iceberg that has been my week. Sigh.
Real life is just coming out my ears right now. How in the world is a girl supposed to work on getting skinny fit in the midst of all this craziness??

But I digress. This blog is about fitness. I'll try and stay on topic. :) 

So, the goal this week is to run another 20 mile week. Here is where I stand so far....

Monday: I had planned to run 4 miles, but was supposed to meet a girlfriend at 9am to walk our little dudes in their strollers. I ran out of time and only got three miles in before I had to get home and meet her. I was sooo bummed that I didn't have time for a fourth mile because I was feeling pretty good during the run. Here are the times: 3 miles in 29:46

Mile 1: 9:54

Mile 2: 9:58

Mile 3: 9:53

SEE??? I was on a roll!!! I tried to make up for stopping at only three miles by walking like a crazy woman. We walked 6.32 miles which gave me a total of a little over 9 miles for my morning. However, I'm only going to count the miles RUN towards my 20 for the week. Everything else is just frosting. :)

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 4 miles in 39:53.69

So not a fun run. Everything hurt. My husband asked me afterwards what specifically was hurting and I asked him if I could give him the shorter list of what didn't hurt.

Mile 1: 10:10

Mile 2: 10:13

Mile 3: 9:32

Mile 4: 9:58

At least I was speeding up a little bit towards the end. I was so glad to be done with that run. I just kept reminding myself that it was just a couple of weeks ago I was walking three miles max. There IS improvement. 

Thursday (Today): Today was a bit stiff as well. I think my body is in a bit of shock from this second week of going for 20. I'm trying to push through it. I would come up on yet another hill and think, "Learn to love the hills. Learn to love the hills." They make you strong, right? :)

I haven't even looked at my times for today yet. Let me get my watch.....

Okay. 

Mile 1: 10:39

Mile 2: 9:34

Mile 3: 9:16

Mile 4: 9:15

Went home and hydrated and then ran a slow mile in the park to try and squeeze in one more mile. 

Mile 5: 11:12

I'd planned to fill this post with lots of interesting and witty comment. However, I'm at 5% battery and I still have laundry and a dirty kitchen waiting for me. :) Let's suffice it to say that I have a total of 12 miles for the week so far and have 8 to go. 

Thank you so much for all the encouragement and comments. It's helping to keep me going this week when every muscle I have seems to be seriously angry. You guys rock! 

My First 20-Mile Week!

Whew! It's been a whirlwind of a few days, but my first week is complete! Woohoo! 

Here's a quick summary of the last few days. 

FRIDAY

I had a bit of a shorter run. I went for three miles (none of which felt particularly great). 

Mile 1: 11:22

Mile 2: 10:00

Mile 3: 10:03

This made for a total of 15 miles. Five more to go in order to reach my goal of running my first 20 mile week in a long, long time! 

Funny mini-dialogue between my husband and I when he brought me a slice of pizza later that day:

Me: "Did you get one more piece than me?"

Husband: "Yes."

Me: "Good, because my goal is to NOT eat as much as you...even though I can." :D 

I went to the pool with a girlfriend and she asked if I was on a strict diet along with my new running regimen. Heck no! I told her, "I run so I can eat, girl!" :D

SATURDAY

This was a rest day. We got up at 5:30am and took a family trip to Oceanside to support two of our friends who were doing the half iron man. Here we are at the beach.

Talk about motivating! The guys did an awesome job. It was especially inspiring as I watched athletes who had lost legs in the line of service crossing the finish line after swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles and running a half-marathon. Talk about heart! It made me want to stay the course and I found myself looking forward to my long 5 mile run the next day. Don't laugh...that's long for me.  I'm no ironman...yet. :D

SUNDAY (Today)

I did it!! I ran my last five miles to reach my goal of twenty miles for the week and it felt great! No really, the RUNNING part felt great today! My husband put together a great music mix and I headed out the door after throwing back a cup of coffee, a sour apple powergel and glass of water. 

Check out the milage!! 5.38 miles in 58:37.09

Mile 1: 10:48

Mile 2: 10:54

Mile 3: 10:37

Mile 4: 9:42 (I sped up! Must have been some kickin' music :)

Mile 5: 10:00 

The last mile I was still feeling pretty good. As I was going up one stretch of the run, I saw a car pulling over ahead of me and a lady leaning out to get my attention. I'll confess, my first thought was to hide behind my sunglasses and earphones and pretend not to see them. I sooooo did not want to stop and break my rhythm or ruin my time. Sigh. That thought was quickly followed by a self-scolding. What's my problem??? Of course people are more important! I stopped to give directions to Walmart and Home Depot and then started up again. I tried to kick a little and gain some of the time lost. While I'm embarrassed to confess the temptation to pretend not to see them, I'm also kind of strangely excited about it. It does, afterall, show a small shift in my thinking. Used to, I would have welcomed any and every opportunity to stop. Case in point...today when I would get stopped at a crossing, I tried to keep moving so as not to lose too much momentum. Just a week or so ago, I was praying for red lights and gasping for air. These are tiny improvements that show change and make me happy. :)

My first 20 mile week! Thanks so much for all the support. You guys rock! I love all the comments and emails. They're so encouraging and motivating. Makes me kinda feel like I have some company out there. :D 

Next week's goal: 20 miles

My First Blog Party Attempt :)

Just found the very cool post on the 5th annual Ultimate Blog Party 2011 by 5 Minutes For Mom. Very cool. This is a veeerrry new blog - as in "not quite been around a week" blog. You can read about the beginning of this journey here. I would love for you to join me! :)

H-E-A-T-S-T-R-O-K-E

Well...the fourth mile felt like it anyway. It was hot here, people. My husband had alot going on this morning and was unable to keep our little guy for me until a little after 11:00. I ran into a couple of girlfriends on my way out of the neighborhood and was invited to go to the pool and lay out for a couple of hours. Oh how I was tempted. Bigger is better if it's brown, afterall. But no...I opted for the running shoes over the bikini. Sigh. It's okay. The bikini doesn't fit me that well right now anyway. I'm trying to fix that. 

My girlfriend told me I was crazy. Her jeep was reading the temperature at 86 degrees. Let me tell you, by the time I was done running, I would have sworn it was 106! I was melting out there! 

It was such the catch-twenty-two (what does that mean anyway?) because it was so hot that my miles were sloooooow and because my miles were so slow, I was out in the heat longer which made me slower....you get the drift. 

Mile 1: 11:38

Mile 2: 11:18

Mile 3: 11:49

Mile 4: 13:05 (sigh)

I told you they were slow. 

I actually walked/ran the last half mile because I'm not so mentally tough that I'm ready to run and puke at the same time. I've seen girls do it though and I always think how amazing they are. Maybe in a race someday I'll give it that much heart, but not during my first 20-mile week in the suberbs. 

I came home to find that my son, whom I had worn out playing with all morning and had put down for a nap right before I left, was still sleeping. Lucky dad. I downed two glasses of water and two glasses of OJ and rushed to change into something to lay out in. It was my only chance. Just as I was ready to head outdoors, the dogs went NUTS and woke the baby up screaming. Lovely. 

I calmed him down and handed him to dad and went outside for about 10 minutes (husband says it was 15, but I don't believe him). Ten minutes will not a tan make, but on the bright side, maybe the bikini won't be considered "indecent exposure" by the time June rolls around.  The glass is half-full. :)

Workin' Out Without Music

Let me start by saying, "Thank you so much for all the encouraging comments on this blog and emails in my inbox." Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it more than you know and it motivates me so much. :)

Yesterday was an unexpected day off from running. My mother-in-law has been visiting and we ran lots of errands and spent an afternoon at the beach. Here's the little guy and I getting ready to head out to Coronado.

It was fun and relaxing, but I have a busy week ahead of me. My goal is to have my first 20 mile week this week. 

This morning my aching knees and I headed out the door early. I hadn't eaten anything yet, so I put down a double latte gel by Powerbar with a bottle of water before I left. I warmed up and walked for .45 miles and then started running. I realized midway through the first mile that I'd hurried off without my music. Darn it! I was running alone today as well, and my times are a bit slower. I must have been showing off a bit for my husband the other day or the music gives you more "get-up-and-go" than I realized. :)

Okay. Here are the numbers....

Mile 1: 10.53

Mile 2: 10.35

Mile 3: 10.49

Mile 4: 10.57

I only cooled down about .05 miles, which gave me a total of a half mile walking. I stretched with Dan and did a couple of planks when I got home, but I really should cool down a little better in the future. Twelve more miles to go this week to hit my goal. 

Well, not the most exciting post, I realize. I'll try to spice it up a bit in the future. However, I got the run in today in the midst of running errands, nursing baby, taking my MIL to the airport, etc. Woohoo! :) 

Day 1

Today I ran 4 consecutive miles for the first time in a very, very long time. For most people that's probably small potatoes, but for me it was HUGE. I actually ran 4.21 miles in 43:30.17 and my times, though they're a little sad, make me proud. :) 

Mile 1: 10:48

Mile 2: 10:18

Mile 3: 9:50

Mile 4: 9:59

I thought about my long-term goals while I was running. I listened to really obnoxious music (but man did it keep me going) and I thought alot about numbers. I'm 8 pounds less than I was when I got pregnant. However, I'm still 24.5 pounds heavier than I was when I was 27.   :) Heh.Heh. Just keepin' it real. I was probably very hungry when I was 27. 

My husband ran part of the way with me and it was so encouraging. He came out and snapped a picture of me when I was f-i-n-a-l-l-y headed home. 

This is me....

 See that "little" spare tire around the middle there?? It makes it very difficult to run. My husband jogged along with me for part of the run and I just looked at him and panted, "Haulin' this aint easy, Honey."

Nuff said. 

Still, I'm proud of me. It's a start. It's the start of striving toward my goals. It's day 1. This picture will mean something someday. :)

Beginnings

This is the first of what I hope will be many posts. Fitness has been a struggle for me...an up and down journey with more downs than ups. In short, my story is like that of many women. After I turned 27, my body decided to pay me back for every carb I'd ever consumed. Penance began with a vengeance. It didn't help that my first year teaching I worked 60+ hour weeks and began supporting the local fast food joint single handedly during my long days and late nights of "learning the ropes." Add to that year the meeting and marrying of my husband and this girl had alot going on. The pounds started creeping on, but I brushed it away with a trite "I'll take care of it later" mentality. I always had before. 

Fast-forward about five years and 32 pounds later....THIRTY-TWO pounds later, people!! I was overwhelmed to the point of inaction. It didn't help that my husband is a professional athlete with more discipline and self-motivation than any ten other people I know put together. I felt like a rather large loser. Sigh. I was out of excuses and started the painful journey of trying to shed the pounds one monotonous mile at a time. 

I started walking and then slowly worked my way to a walk/ run routine. Finally I ran three miles without stopping. They were slow miles, but they were miles. The next day I found out I was expecting our first baby. We'd gone through several miscarriages in the past, so to be on the safe side and not have to wonder "what if?" if things didn't work out, I abruptly stopped my runs and went back to walking. That was a little over a year ago. 

Now, with a beautiful 5 1/2 month old baby, I've started back at square one. This time is different though. I have goals. I want to run a marathon and someday, I want to run a F-A-S-T marathon. I'm committing to this blog because, I won't lie, sometimes I need accountability. (Don't we all?) I figure there are lots of folks out there like me. People who were once reasonably fit and then life got busy and crazy and full-time until one day you could no longer ignore the bins of clothes that no longer fit and the numbers on the scale that were no longer friendly. Enough already! Join me on this journey to not settle for anything less than your best when it comes to a healthy and fit lifestyle. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm bound to fall on my face throughout this journey. I'm notorious for that in just about all aspects of life.....but I get up. I plan to be painfully honest and will do my best to blog regularly - - at least somewhat regularly. :) I'll keep track of my workouts and report back. I plan to ask other women to share their journeys and their thoughts on fitness and find ways to motivate myself and others who have similar goals and passions. I'd love your company along the way. :)

So where am I starting from?

The last several weeks I've been walking and/or running several days a week. I worked my way up to doing about three miles four days in a row and then taking a day off. My knees were k-i-l-l-i-n-g me, so I backed off a little and started doing two days on and then one day off. I'm currently 8 pounds lighter than I was when I found out I was pregnant. WooHoo!! :D That's a huge victory for me and is really helping to motivate me in continuing forward. 

Today was day one of "the plan." The plan to run a marathon someday before I'm dead. 

If I were really honest with you (and since I've promised to be brutally honest....)my dream is to run a sub 4-hour marathon someday. I cringe to put that in writing....I don't want to set myself up for failure....but what kind of attitude is that?! I want to go through the rest of my life at full-throttle and see what I can do! :) That's my dream and I'm going to go for it. I have other dreams, but they have nothing to do with fitness so I won't deviate from the topic.....for now. :) Just know I'm not so one-dimensional as to only have a fitness-related goal in life. :) 

My new motto at present is: Faith, Family, Fitness, Friends

in that order.

I'm a very social girl. I love entertaining and I love making new friends. However, I recently realized that my priorities were all out of whack. I was focusing on family and friends and family and friends. There was alot of what I really needed missing. There was a restlessness and discontent because I wasn't taking care of me. I needed to have faith as my priority because, frankly speaking, everything else can move out from underneath you. Family and friends will fail you at times and fitness may not always be possible. Faith is a foundation I can build on that won't shift out from underneath me. 

Family is second ~ My family means the world to me.

Fitness is for me ~ That's a new one! :)

Friends are such a blessing ~ The real ones I want to truly invest in.

So that's it in a nutshell. This is where I'm beginning. I'd love some company for this fun, but rather painful journey I'm about to embark on. Are you in?