Just Broke!

So I don't really know what was going on yesterday but the scale was back to normal today, or at least it seems to be.  This week wasn't a total success but I'll take it.  I didn't run enough and I ate some extra snacks.  I know that this is not meant to be a quick journey and that the best way to do this is to do it slowly and not punish myself for small gains.  This week I will recommit as best I can and will remember the reason I started this journey in the first place.  It's never easy but it is going to be totally worth it in the end. 

On that note tonight I am missing running to go with Meag and my Mom to an event at our salon.  It's being called "A night of fashion and glamour"  I'm not entirely sure what is going to happen at it but I have been promised it will be a fun evening.  I'll get back to running on Thursday night and Saturday morning. 

So the big reveal is:

It's a small gain but one I will use as a learning experience.  I will work just a little bit harder this week and hope that next week's results will be more favourable.

Broken or in Denial??

OK, so I don't have a picture for my blog today and won't be posting a weigh in until tomorrow.  I don't know if I broke my scale this morning or am just in denial but I decided to leave it until tomorrow.  At about 5am I heard Christina fall out of bed so I went to check on her and when I came back to bed I, in a very drunken style even though I really wasn't, tripped and stepped on the edge of my scale flipping it up in the air and back down again.  So much for getting back to bed quietly:)  Oh just for the record I have the scale sort of beside my night stand. 
Anyway, when I weighed myself this morning I had somehow gained 3lbs while sleeping.  I know that's not terribly impossible but I also know that it has never, ever, happened to me before.  I know it was overnight because I weighed myself before bed last night.  I do that on Sunday so that I am not terribly afraid come Monday morning.  When I got on last night I was happy because the number showing was only about a pound over last weeks weight and I tend to gain two or three pounds during the day.  I totally expected a loss this morning but nope!!!  So I don't know if I am in denial or if I messed up my scale bad!!!  I will check again tomorrow morning and if it's anywhere near what it was today I will shed a couple of tears for the horrible week I had and get back on my horse.  I really hope it was just broken though ;)

Mock 5k

Today was the Runners' Edge Mock 5K race.  It marks the end of the spring and fall clinics and is open to everyone who is part of the Runners' Edge family, whether you are a runner, family member or friend.  I ran my Mock 5 last year at this time, Adrian ran his at the end of the spring clinic and Meag ran hers today!!  I had a lot of emotions going into this morning.  I am so proud of Meag for this accomplishment and so happy that she has joined the wonderful world of running.  It also made me think back to when I was getting ready to run mine last year.  I was so nervous and just didn't know if I could do it.  Looking back at it I have certainly come a long way!  I finished mine in 48:13 and think that if I were to have run today I would certainly have smoked that time.  I think next weekend I might run the route on my own and time it to see what I really can do.  It's amazing what just one year can bring.  I have run several 5k's and a 10k race, I regularly run 6k and soon will be running 10+ on a regular basis.  I plan to run 10 miles in the spring.  I can't wait!!!

Here I am one year ago finishing my first 5k

Meag did amazing this morning too!!  She finished in a time of 35:24:)  I'm so proud of her!!!

Here Meag is today!!

Running in the Rain!

Tonight was my first rainy run in a long, long time!!!  I had forgotten that I actually don't mind running in the rain.  I don't like being cold but really once you're moving it's not really cold anymore.  I like that it helps cool me as I run so I don't feel ridiculously  hot when I stop.  What I don't like it the chill you get when you stop.  It's one of those chills that takes hours to get rid of.  Either way though I feel great after rainy runs just like I do after any run.  Now I will sit with my nice hot cup of tea and a nice fuzzy blanket!!!

You'll just have to trust me:)

I was cleaning up the pictures on my phone today and accidentally deleted my scale picture!!!  I still have it as my home screen on my phone but can't figure out how to get it from there to here.  So you will just have to trust me when I say that the number was 243.4!  That's down 0.6 from last week.  Not a huge loss by any means but a loss for sure. 

So proud of Anna Banana

Well I didn`t make it to running tonight but for a very good reason.  Today was parent/teacher interview day and ours was at 5pm.  I didn't think it would be that long but by the time we got home it was almost 6pm.  I am so proud of how well Anna is doing.  Her teacher had nothing but good to say about her and how well she is doing.  She is reading very well, has great problem solving skills and amazing social skills.  The only issue they've had was that she might be too social.  She interacts well with the other kids and has a great sense of humor.  I couldn't be happier with things.  She has always been a quick learner so I wasn't worried about that but it's always nice to hear it from a teacher!

It's the little things!

Yesterday I didn't know if I was going to make it to running because I had a dentist appointment right after work but I made it!  I also had a phone message that the clothes I had ordered came it so that was extra motivation to get to Runners' Edge.  Last year I could not find running clothes that fit me anywhere!!  No one had plus sized work out clothes that weren't cotton.  I could have gotten mens shirts but pants were just impossible to find.  I ended up wearing horrible clothes all winter and wore the same shirt and a jacket that Adrian won at a golf tourny.  It did the trick but it was mens and all black.  So this year I am so happy to say that Runners' Edge is the only store in the city and I believe the region carrying plus sized running gear.  I got a wonderful comfy pair of pants and an nice womens jacket in lovely maroon colour.  I'm so happy to have these and actually wore the coat to work today.  I would have worn the pants but didn't think that would go over very well.  It seems that they stuff came in just in time too.  It's supposed to be very cold tomorrow and we're doing interval training.  I'm looking forward to running in my new gear!!!

On a not so great note little Adryanna has been swiping stuff from school.  Just silly things like a couple of marbles and this pipe thing that she was calling a microphone.  She kept saying the teacher or the daycare lady gave them to her.  Tomorrow is parent/teacher interviews and I said to her that I was going to ask about it because frankly I didn't believe her.  I know how she gets when she really likes something.  She obsesses over it until she has it.  So now we will be going to buy marbles and she will be bringing them back to the school.  Of course she lost the ones she swiped so we can't take those back.  Luckily the dollarstore sells them.  She will apologize and knows that what she did is wrong.  I'll check her pockets at the door for a couple of weeks and life will go on.  I'm not surprised this happened, I know that lots of kids do it and can accept that it happened.  I feel bad because she was so upset when we talked about it but she got over it pretty quick.  Hopefully we have all learned a little something from this and can move on.

A tiny loss is better than a gain!

That's my motto of the day.  I also think my scale might need batteries or something because it took me at least five minutes to get today's picture.  I kept having to get off and back on because everytime I went to take the picture the number would change by like twenty pounds in either direction.  I suppose it could be that something is under one of the sensors but either way it was annoying!

Nothing really exciting going on today.  Meag decided to stay in Wasaga Beach for another few days so that she could make some extra money.  She'll be back on Friday night and I can't wait to see her!!!  This week is supposed to be fairly warm considering it is the middle of November.  I was out in a tshirt most of the day today:)

I'll take a 0.2lb loss over a gain anyday!

Feeling Good!

This morning I ran about 6k and it was a hard one!  I think my legs were still feeling the effects of Thursday's hill workout and were just weak and tired.  The rest of me felt good though.  The last kilometre was into the wind and with my jacket undone it was like a parachute pulling me back.  I made it almost back to the store when I finally had to stop.  My legs just couldn't do the uphill (yes small but still up) against the wind at the end.  I should note that this is the longest I have run since I did the 10k at the end of August.

On a sadder note my dreams of running the Around the Bay relay have been dashed for the time being.  When I went to register it was sold out.  I know I should have signed up sooner and so many people told me to but I was hesitant and that has cost me the spot.  On the brighter side though I will be running the 10mile Chocolate Race on April 29th.  Registration opens on January 1st and I will be online first thing in the morning to sign up. 

I have been eating better the past couple days too and feel better for it.  The weekends are always the worst though.  I've made it through the day today without snacking and have a small snack planned for this evening.  Drew and Ashlee are here for the weekend so we usually have some snacks and play the Wii in the evening.  They go home tomorrow and Meag comes home.  She's only been gone a week but it's been strange here without her.  Tomorrow is going to be a quiet day so hopefully I can get out for a walk and enjoy some fresh air! 

One Year

It always amazes me to look back on the year and see how much has changed.  It has been one year today since my Father passed away.  He fought a short and horrible battle with cancer and unfortunately didn't win.  As I have mentioned before I didn't have a realtionship with my dad.  I saw him less than a dozen times in the 27 years after my parents separated and when I did it was a short and awkward visit at best.  I went through many emotions when I found out that he was sick.  My first thoughts were mostly anger, anger that any chance I had of having a relationship with him was being taken away, anger that I felt people were going to judge me if I didn't make an effort to see him before the end and most of all anger that I even cared.  I spent many years believing that he didn't really care about me or my brother and wondered why I should care now.  Then I felt regret that as an adult I didn't make more effort to have a relationship.  I quickly decided that I would take a trip up north and see him at least once.  I joined my Aunt Gail and Uncle Jim on a trip up there that just happened to land on my dad's birthday.  It was the last time I saw him and it was a really good visit. 

Looking back at the last year I think that if there is an afterlife of some sort and if people do have the ability to look back at their family and friends i think that he would be proud of the things I have accomplished.  When I went for that visit I was only a couple of weeks into my running journey and while he didn't seem exactly proud that I was doing it he seemed happy about it.  Since that visit when I had run 16 minutes that morning (the longest run yet) I have run several 5k races, one 10k race and have started some more intense training on hills and speed.  I'm a stronger and more confident person than I was a year ago too.  I'm proud every day of what I have accomplished in the last year and hope that others are too!

Going back even a bit further it's been just over 4 years since my Grandfather passed away and I know without a doubt that he would be very happy that I am getting healthy and happy.  He commented more than once that I was getting big.  He would joke that Adrian needed to stop feeding me so well.  I often drive past the cemetary that he is in and tell him to keep watching because this is going to be great!!!

Motivation

In the past couple of days my blog has more than doubled in readers.  Maybe it's the same couple of people coming back to check out the tagging game or maybe it's that some new people found my blog and liked it.  What ever the reason is thanks!!  I need a bit of motivation and knowing that more and more people are reading gives me a bit of that. 

I love running and the way it makes me feel and at this point I am really motivated to keep going.  Where I am really struggling is with food.  I love food!  I love junk food.  Every morning I wake up planning my day and what I can eat.  I bring lots of fruit to work and try to keep things healthy but I also have a heard time saying no to junk when it is offered.  I clean out the cupboards and for a few days things are great but then the cravings hit and I cave.  Now I have definitely gotten better.  We haven't bought a case of pop in longer than I can remember and only buy a bottle of pop occasionally.  I drink water most of the day and only drink juice on very rare occasions.  I think overall I'm doing really well but know that I can be doing better.  I know that I can lose more weight.  I know that I need to just suck it up and ditch junk food for a few weeks and in a while it will just get easier.  I know all of this but following it is so much harder than I would have ever thought!

So what I need from all of you lovely readers are ideas.  What do you like to have when the craving for a snack comes along?  What are some of your standby quick dinners?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have!!!

Tag You're It!!

This morning I started my day by reading a couple of blogs that I read every morning and got a bit of a surprise.  Celine from Running on Carbs tagged me as a Versatile Blogger and now I have a job to do.  There are three parts to this game.  One is to thank the person who tagged you, the second is to tell 7 random facts about me and the third is to tag someone else.

So, Thank You Celine!!!  I enjoy these games and appreciate you sending people over to my blog!!!

Random Facts:

1. I was an army brat (sort of).  I spent most of the first 5 years of my life living on or near an army base.  My dad was in the Army and serving as a Military Police.  I don't remember a lot about that time but I remember being able to play outside and wander without worry.

2. I have often thought about becoming a vegetarian or even vegan but don't know where to start and don't know if I could totally give up meat!

3.  My husband was my first ever real boyfriend.  We met when I was 23 and started dating right away.  We've spent pretty much everyday together since.  We met at a halloween party at a little hole in the wall bar.  He was dressed as a cow with a sign that said "Piss me off, I dare you" (it was during the whole mad cow disease scare)  and I was dressed as a Queen.

4.  Running is the first form of exercise that I have kept up with for more than a couple of months.  I'm not a terribly confident person and running makes me feel good.  It's like my own little therapy sessions.  I get to spend the time I'm running all alone in my head thinking about things and figuring things out.

5.  After my parents separated I only saw my father a handful of times.  I held a lot of anger and resentment in for many years and a year ago he passed away.  I got to see him one last time on his birthday about 2 months before he died and it is a day that I will forever be thankful for.  I was able to get some closure on things and move on.

6.  I have a horribly competitive nature.  Maybe that's part of what I like about running.  I hate to fail and running is something that you can't really fail at.  I can only get better.

7.  Three years ago I broke the fifth metatarsal in my left foot (the bone going up from your baby toe).   I was being silly running out of the bathroom because Adrian was on his way in and got my big toe stuck in the strap of my capri pants.  They were the kind that can be capris or long pants, the ones that you roll up and button to hold them up.  I tripped into the hallway, hit the ground and heard a snap.  I knew instantly that it was broken :(  Four weeks in a cast with a two year old sucked!

So now you know seven random facts about me and it's time for me to tag someone:
Michelle from MyGreenKoolaid, You are it!!!!

Just a little extra is this weeks weigh in.  I almost forgot to post the picture this week.  Not a huge drop but a drop all the same!

Super Fast!!!

YAY for speed training!!!  I attended one speed training session back in April but was with a huge group of people doing it and didn't get any individual instruction, then soccer started and I didn't make it to another session until tonight.  This one was the first one for our group and many people hadn't done it before so it was the basics.  It was also a very small group, probably only about 10 people.  I'm still working on recovering from my cold so I didn't want to push too hard but I didn't want to look wimpy either.  I actually spend most of the afternoon debating the sanity of going.  I finally decided to go and am so glad I did.  I was able to get some more individual instruction and pushed harder than I have before.  I did six 200m sprints and wasn't a whole lot slower than everyone else.  For me though I was super fast!!!  The important thing I learned is to not go all out on the first interval.  We were told that before hand but Benny also said that he knew we would go all out and that was ok.  So of course I got to the end of the first 200m and thought I would die.  By the end of the second it was better and by the end of the sixth I felt like maybe I could have done more.  There was no time though because I had been taking longer breaks in between.  Benny recommended I take longer breaks because of my cold and the difficulty I was having breathing.  I feel great now though and look forward to 300m intervals in two weeks!!!

OH!!! I almost forgot!  I think I've found a partner for the Around the Bay Relay!!!  Now I just need to find out if there are still spots available and get registered!

Ten Years

Ten years ago today I went on my first date with my husband!  It's hard to believe it's been that long already.  Things have gone by so quickly.  We met at a Halloween party.  I was dressed as a queen and he was dressed as a cow.  We chatted that night then the next day we went for coffee and to the movies.  It was a great time and it has been a great decade! We moved in together after a few months, got married after 3 years and had two wonderful little girls.  I've gotten to watch his other kids grow up and become their own people. 

Who knows what the next decade holds but if it's even half as good as the first ten years it will be amazing!