Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Where you at?

Well, here I am!  After a short hiatus, I have re-entered reality.  I haven't posted since Mother's Day because we have been just SO busy!  My husband and I take a trip each year down to Charlotte, NC and we just got back.  The trip serves two purposes: first to see one of my sisters and second to attend the NASCAR All-Star Race.  Yes, I do have a little redneck in me (but please don't tell anyone).  The truth is that I love NASCAR and my in-laws buy us tickets to go down to Charlotte every year to see the race.  It's an awesome time of relaxation and extended family time.  See, as proof, here we are:


And yes, I also got my hair did last week.  I have wanted to grow it out for some time, but since my hair is quite fine, the only way I could do it was by getting a perm.  So far so good!  My son took one look at me and said, "Mommy, why is your hair so silly?"  :-)

I was a pretty good girl when we were out of town.  I did indulge a little, but I am now past it and back on track.  I even ran 2 miles on the morning of the race!  And here's the proof of that:



I plan to weigh-in this Friday.  Fingers crossed for a "WooHoo Weigh-In!"


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

I'm melting...

Or at least that's what I thought!  Tonight was my sort of re-entry into running/walking, except this time I ran.  And I was sweating buckets.  I walked twice last week, but that celebration is over.  If I am considering a Half-Marathon, it's time to get busy!  But more on that later...

My Mother's Day was awesome!  My son made some things for me at pre-school and he was SO proud to give them to me.  Honestly, there are no better presents than the ones that come from your child's heart.  And the sappy little poem that was attached to the picture of his hand print was absolutely amazing!  He was just gleaming, and I couldn't have asked for a better gift.  Having said that...my husband "helped" my son buy me an awesome Mother's Day gift.  I have been toying around with buying an iPod for quite some time.  At the same time, it was time for me to buy a new cell phone.  Mine was quite outdated.  I didn't even have texting capabilities!  Mostly because I have been resistant, and not because I'm not "hip."  So, my gift was the new iPhone 4 from Verizon.  And can I say, it is unbelievable!  The funny part is that I didn't even know how to answer a call at first.  I work in technology for a living, but have sworn against modern technology for some time.  Nonetheless, I now have a sweet phone. 

One of my friends from work just finished the C25K program, and she told me about a podcast that she downloaded for free.  So, Terri, meet Podrunner:Intervals.  And let me just say, this program is amazing!  It keeps your stride, bpm's (beats per minute), and breathing totally under control.  Because I just finished a 10k, I decided to start with Week 4.  I want to be able to run most of the Half, so I really thought it would be wise for me to go back and re-visit a running training program to get my running under control.  I just loved it.  And 3 miles was done and over in no time!  I'm a dance-party music type of girl, and the music for this program is techno-like.  Honestly, I didn't think about my breathing patterns one time.  I was so focused on getting in sync with the beat of the music that it just flowed naturally.  I am really looking forward to doing it again on Thursday!

As for Mother's Day, I wanted to share a pic of me and my baby boy!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Just a quick check-in...

I don't know why I felt compelled to weigh myself this morning, but I did it anyway.  And no, it wasn't bad news, but it wasn't great news.  It has been 10 days and I have only lost .8 pounds.  I mean, GOOD GRIEF, can a girl get an extra .2 pounds for an even 1 pound???

I swear I stepped on that thing and it actually giggled.  I know that  I haven't done as well as I should this week because I have had this mentality that consisted of rewarding myself with food since I did so well at the 10k last week.

Nonetheless, it's time to get over it and move on.  Onto the next thing...trying to figure out how I'm actually going to train for this Half-Marathon!  Please help me!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Rockin' the 10k!

The 10k build up finally ended on Saturday.  We woke up bright and early and headed out for the 8am race.  I was really excited and nervous all at the same time.  I ended up running a lot of the first mile, just to get away from the pack of people.  And right around mile two we had to cross a huge bridge into Kentucky and that's when I thought I could totally quit!  Road races seem so LONG compared to exercising near known courses and paths close to home.  But, I continued on, with the help of my sister.  Honestly, I have no idea how much we ran.  She was pacing me the entire time and would tell me when to go and when to stop.  Thank goodness for her, because otherwise I don't think I would have done nearly as good as I did.  In the end, my goal was to finish in 1:30, which would have been close to a 15 minute mile.  Heck, I could walk that.  But I did beat my goal and I finished in 1:25!  ROCKSTAR!

But to speak of the build-up...it is so exciting to train and actually do the race.  But once it was over I felt a little empty.  Proud, but empty.  What's next for me?  Will I keep going?  I certainly can't give up at this point?

My cousin ran in the Half Marathon the following day, and she began her training last September.  She is a full-time working mother just like myself, yet she didn't let excuses get in the way of her goals.  So, she started the C25K program in September, ran her first 5k in January, and rocked it all the way to the Half in May!  When she was done, she sent me a very simple message through Facebook..."Want to run the Columbus Half in October?"  Um...YES!

So, here I am.  Wondering what on earth I am thinking.  Trying to figure out how I am ever going to fit in this training.  Why I am even considering such a thing?  Well, it's because I'm not finished yet!  I CAN do this!  I WILL do this!  I am a ROCKSTAR!!!

Just before "GO" time

Heading to the Finish
The "Finish Swine!"