Random Ramblings:)

This week promises to be as crazy as every other week has been lately.  I'm going to have to work hard to get my runs in and plan to eat well.  Yesterday I made a big pot of homemade pea soup which will provide healthy and filling lunches for the week.  I have lots of healthy foods in the house so eating well shouldn't be too hard.  I'm on Week 4 of my smoothie challenge but just starting week threes recipes.  I had to use up a bunch of the stuff I had left from the first two weeks before I bought more stuff.  Today I made one that is meant to taste like carrot cake.  It is very tasty!!  Even Christina liked it, but then that's not a stretch since she likes everything.  Christina is kind of like Mikey from the old Life cereal commercials.  Does anyone else remember that one?  Anyway I have enough left for tomorrow too and am looking forward to it.  

As far as my running goes this will be a week that I am thankful for my treadmill.  Besides being really cold at least one of my runs will have to take place rather late in the evening and I don't love the dark and cold combination.  It also works well when I am working late or have a later appointment because then the girls play in the room while I run and we get to be together.  

Yesterday we got our Christmas tree.  We always cut down a fresh tree and try to get out to the farm the first weekend they are open so that we can get the best selection.  We got a perfect tree this year, not too big and perfectly shaped.  I'm very happy with it.   With so many people decorating it was done in no time too.  Then last night our Elf on the Shelf returned!!  Her name is Jingle and the girls were so excited this morning to come out and find her.  She left them a note and even knew that Meag had moved out and Drew moved in:)  She's one smart elf!!  So now the Christmas season is well underway and everyone is getting very excited for it.  

I didn't get my weigh in done this morning but will get it done tomorrow.  I'm not expecting much since it's "that week" and I always gain 3-5lbs but hopefully by next week anything gained will be gone.  

What to do? What to do?

Earlier this week I went to the doctor to get my flu shot and a couple of prescription refills.  I didn't have an appointment but my doctor's office is connected to a walk-in clinic so I didn't think it would be an issue.  Turns out it was.  He would give me the flu shot but I would have to come back for the refills.  Really??  How long does it take to hit print on the computer?  I couldn't get an appointment but he was working the walk-in this weekend so they said to come back this morning as soon as they opened and he would be able to do it.  They said it would be really busy so to come before they open to get in line.  They open at 9am.  Usually I'm running at that time so I was a little torn but I needed the prescriptions.  As soon as I walked out I knew what to do.  I would run to the clinic.  It's almost 2k from home so I thought I could leave early enough, run a route that would take me about 5k to get there and arrive at about 8:45am.

Last night I planned out a route and got everything ready.  This morning I left the house at 8am in the freezing cold and wind.  It was a tough run with a little more walking than I would like. I was running into the wind most of the way and the cold was burning my lungs that are not used to that kind of cold yet. I had to cross some very busy streets and had to stop for red lights a couple of times.  It was really cold as soon as I stopped.  Luckily the lights turned green fairly quick and I was back on my way.  When I reached the clinic my Garmin watch said I had done the 5k in 46:11.  I was not terribly happy with that but then figured in the walking and was happier.  When I got home and plugged my watch in to upload I was much happier.  I didn't stop my watch when I had to wait for those 3 red lights!!  My actual moving time was only 44:12:)  I am signed up for the Resolution Run on New Years Eve and would love to run it in under 45 mins.  By under I mean anything that starts with 44:... is a win.  I have never finished a race in under 45 mins so that is my goal. I don't care how much under it is.  It could be 44:59 and I'll still be happy:)  Running to me isn't about winning or losing (except against the voices and people who say I can't do it), it's not about being fast or slow.  It's about health plain and simple.  I am overweight, obese even, and have chase away all those bad demons that threaten to shorten my life.  I don't have any weight related health issues yet and I plan to keep it that way.  I have health issues that are made worse by my weight or that make it harder and harder to lose weight.  I will not let my health get worse when I have total control over the outcome.  I run to save my life and set the best example possible for my family.

Fantastic Family Fun!

This past weekend we went far, far north to visit some of Adrian's family.  It was an awesome weekend spent with some great people.  We don't see this part of the family often at all because of the crazy distance between us.  It took us close to 8 hrs to drive up there and then another 8 hrs to drive back.  It's not really a great weekend trip but next time we plan to go for a whole week so that we can spend a lot of time with them.  Adryanna and Christina had a great time playing with their cousins too.  They have 6 cousins up there and they all had a great time.  We went to a Christmas parade Friday night which was a lot of fun.  Free hot chocolate, hot apple cider and lots of Christmas fun.  We spent Saturday morning watching Lincoln's hockey practice then went to Adrian's dad's for the afternoon and evening.  The girls had a great time checking out the house that Adrian grew up in.  One of my favorite moments from the weekend was when Papa told the girls he lived in "the bush" and on the way out to the house Adryanna asked me "Does Papa really live in a bush?".  It was so innocent and just hilarious.  She was happy to hear that he actually lived in a house and that saying someone lives in the bush is just an expression.

As for my goals for the weekend I am happy to report that I kept every last one of them.  Thursday night I made two smoothies, one for Friday morning and one for Saturday morning.  I also mapped out a run and planned to run on Saturday morning.  I did this as well.  We had to be out the door for hockey at 8:30 am and with 4 adults to get showered I figured the earlier I went out the better.  I set an alarm for 6 am, laid all my stuff out the night before and made sure I reviewed my map.  Now if you'll remember my last post I said the town was really small.  I felt pretty secure that if I got lost it would be pretty easy to find my way back. Saturday morning I set out in the dark and hoped that no one in town would be freaked out by the stranger running through town.  I managed to run from one end of town to the other and weave my way back to the house is 4.04k and 36 mins, yep it's a very small town.  Pretty good run if you ask me though.  I would have liked to go further but I had already disrupted every dog in town and didn't think it would be very well accepted if I were to do it a second time.

This was a very big deal for me. On vacation I usually let my eating go to crap and end up skipping whatever run I have planned.  This time I stuck to my plan and ate fairly well, even if I didn't have much choice in my meals. It also felt really good  to just put my shoes on and go before the fun of the day started and it felt great to know that I had taken care of myself and that I was sticking to my goals and dedication.

Overall it was a great weekend and I am looking forward to our next big adventure:)

P.S.  Almost forgot my weigh in!  Given the fact that my food choices were limited and I spent 16hrs sitting in a car in 3 days I am happy to say that I did not gain any weight.  I didn't entirely lose any either but my weigh in on Tuesday morning (forgot to Monday) was 229.6 which is 0.2 less than last week but not enough to really call a loss.

Another First!

This weekend we are going away to visit my husbands family.  My girls haven't seen this part of the family much because they live about 8hrs away.  A weekend away almost always means a weekend of poor eating and no running.  This weekend will be different:)

Tonight I prepared two smoothies so that I can have one for breakfast tomorrow and one for breakfast on Saturday.  I didn't want to miss any days of my challenge and didn't know what my options would be for breakfast.  This is a first for me.  I also have a bunch of fruits and veggies and healthy foods for the drives.  I have a bag packed with my running stuff and have mapped out a route around the town.  

We are going to a very small town that has a lot of rural area.  We are staying in the populated area of town.  I mapped the route around the perimeter of the populated area and it is almost 5k (told you it was small).  I want to do at least 5k Saturday so I may end up zigzagging a little to make sure I get the distance in;). 

It's going to be a great weekend!!  Keep a look out for the pictures and updates:)

The Little Things

Today was an awesome day!  I got to go to Christina's school and see what part of her day is like.  I got to have a talk with her teacher and find out that she is doing very well academically but there are a couple of little things she needs to work on.  She likes to repeat things, if she is excited about something everyone has to be told, several times!!  So we will now be working on reminding her that she has already told us ____ and that once is enough.

I also had a great day because I had a small victory!  Last winter I bought a pair of jeans that I guess are skinny jeans.  This was a huge deal for me because I have never worn tight clothing.  I just never believed that chunky people should wear things like skinny jeans or leggings.  I know many people who do and look great in them so I don't know what makes me feel that way.  Well that changed a little when I went shopping and saw these jeans.  I loved the way they looked on the chunky mannequin and thought "what the heck" and tried them on.  I immediately felt uncomfortable but the ladies in the store told me they looked great and I bought them thinking I could just return them later.  Well I got home and got approval there so went ahead and kept them.  I don't wear them often because they are quite tight and by the end of the day they hurt a little.  Today I wore them and they didn't hurt!!!!  Even at the end of the day after eating way to much food they still felt good.  There was even a little room in the bum!  I was so happy.  It is those small victories that make all the hard work worthwhile.

Tonight I ran 35 minutes with just a couple of walk breaks for a drink (I can't run and drink or I choke, it's a weird thing really).  That also felt great.  Its disappointing to me that I ran a half marathon and now 35 minutes is a big deal but before I know it I will be back to running longer distance and ready to run another half.

Yesterday was weigh in day.  Last week I was 231.2 and hoped to get into the 220's by this week.  I haven't been below 230lbs in so long that I don't even know.  I am happy to report that I was 229.8 which is not a lot below 230 but I'll take it!!!  A loss is a loss after all!!

Free from Excuses!

Tonight was a run night so naturally something had to go wrong:).  It seems like my world has been hit by the plague or something.  Everyone seems to be getting sick in one way or another.  Several people at work have been off and half the people in my house have been sick. Today was Christina's turn.  As any mothers reading will likely agree there is nothing sadder than a 4 year old that is sick.  Christina is full of energy all the time.  She is usually wound up so much that she can't sit still for more than a minute.  Today she didn't leave the couch for hours.  When I got home from work she was curled up on the couch, bright pink cheeks and warm to the touch.  I have a hard time leaving them when they are not feeling well.  Luckily for me we now have the lovely (old and rickety) treadmill.  So the computer came with us, Christina curled up on the bed and I put on Netflix for her.  We found an alphabet show with animals and singing that was 34 minutes long.  I started it, started the treadmill and before we knew it her show was done and I was beyond done:)

Before the treadmill I would have very quickly decided that I didn't need to run and would have stayed on the couch feeling guilty all night.  Today I was tired and didn't really want to run but knew I would be unhappy if I didn't.  Thankfully I no longer have the excuse of not being able to leave the house to use.  All it took was a little creativity, the beauty of laptops and Netflix and this momma got her run done:)

A Special New Goal

Today while I was at the gym I started thinking about goals.  I have lots of big goals but not many small goals. I think small goals are important to prevent getting frustrated when you don't meet the big goals as fast as you want.  So I decided I needed to set some small goals around my weight loss but I didn't want them to be number goals.  You know the "I will lose 10lbs by Christmas" kind of goals. Those aren't bad goals but not everything needs to be about weigh lose. I just needed to think of what those small goals could be!

Then when I was getting my stuff from my locker a small  goal came to me.  It's small and huge at the same time.  Nine years ago I got married. For the last 7 years I haven't been able to wear my rings on my ring finger.  They fit my baby finger, may even be a little big for it.  On a good day I can squeeze them on my ring finger but never leave them there long or they start to hurt as my hands swell through out the day.   A sane person might have had them sized by now but that's just not me.  We got it priced out once and the price wasn't too bad but  I have always had the goal to lose weight which would then mean they would get too big and have to be sized down again. It just didn't make sense to spend the money twice.  So tonight it came to me that one of my tangible and realistic goals will be to be able to wear my rings on my ring finger.  I suppose it has always been a goal but not one I have seen as a goal more of a want.  So given the fact that they can go on now, I don't think it needs to take a long time to reach this goal which makes it a small goal.  I feel like if I work really hard I might even get there by Christmas.  Officially I will say that the goal is to be able to wear my rings on the proper finger by my birthday which is just over three months from now.

As for my workout today it was spectacular!  I did my usual routine but found I felt much stronger.  Maybe it's the fact that last weeks was more difficult because I was fighting this throat infection before I even knew it was there.  Maybe it's because I have been eating better.  Maybe it's because I am actually getting stronger.  I don't care the reason right now I just care that it felt great.  I am very much the person that is motivated by things that feel good and discouraged when things are hard.  Running being the exception to that I guess because running is always hard!  

An Interesting Development

Tonight I ran!  I know, I know what's the big deal?  I have been a runner for 3 years but anytime I have been sick I end up out of running for at least a week.  This time I missed only one run!!  This is huge for me.  I didn't do a huge run but did what felt good.  I might have been able to go longer but my throat was starting to hurt pretty bad so I thought I would stop.  The rest of me felt great though!  The other thing I would like to mention is that I did this run without my inhaler.  It is in my car which is at work with Adrian.  I have never run without my inhaler.  I have only needed it a handful of times but I always use it 15mins before I start. That was what I was taught by the Asthma Educator about 12 years ago so that is what I do.  For anyone with asthma you may know that totally psychological reaction to knowing you don't have an inhaler, It's panic!  Shear panic! As soon as I don't have it I think I need it.  I've gotten pretty good at teaching myself that I don't but have never had to run without one.  I'm happy to say that I really, truly didn't need it.  

I'm full of surprises tonight!!  Go me:)

Sore Throats and Smoothies

Just when I think I am on track I get thrown a curve ball.  This time in the form of Strep Throat.  Saturday I spent the day in PJ's huddled under a blanket fighting a fever and chills along with a terrible sore throat.  Sunday when I woke up and my throat felt worse I knew it was time for a trip to the doctor. I always second guess myself when it comes to going to the doctor.  Am I being silly?  Am I really sick enough to go?  Is he just going to look at me and say you wasted an hour of your day sitting here because there is nothing I can do?  Well this time was no different until he pointed that light in my mouth and said "Oh goodness that is bad".  So off I went with a prescription for some antibiotics and instructions to take acetaminophen and ibuprofen (alternating between the two) for the pain and swelling.  Great I thought, I'll get these drugs started and be ready to go to work tomorrow.  Since I am sitting here writing this when I should be at work it is clear that I was wrong.  I feel somewhat better today but it still hurts right up to my ear when I swallow and feels tight and dry all the time.  So I called in sick today (except for one meeting late in the day that I can't miss) and will spend the rest of the day on the couch relaxing.

This weekend wasn't all bad though!  I started a 30 day smoothie challenge on Saturday which is fun.   They send me 5 recipes a week for the month and the idea is that you will then repeat two of them.  I have tried three so far and they have been great!  Smoothies are nothing new to me.  I have been drinking them for breakfast nearly everyday for a couple of years but never try anything new so I thought this might be a way to add a little variety.  Some of the recipes look kind of scary, some I am really excited to try and one is almost exactly the  same as the one I normally drink.  Today was "Great Ginger Zinger"  I thought it would be a good one for my throat.  I has spinach, ginger, pear, oranges and avocado.  I don't have the greatest blender on the planet so the texture wasn't as smooth as it could have been but it still tasted great.  I'm hoping the ginger and all the vitamin C will help to blast this throat thing out the window.

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to start weekly weighins again.  I was going to do this on the weekend but decided it would be better to do Mondays since that is generally when I weigh myself anyway. I had to look way back in my posts to see what the last weight I posted was.  I don't remember the exact number but it was 235.something:)  I said my hope was that I would be about the same as I was then and I was so happy to see that I was less!!  Today when I hopped on the scale I was 231.2 which is wonderful!  I have been weighing myself semi regularly but it has been a couple of weeks so this number was quite a surprise.  My first thought was that it was just because I have been sick but then I realized that being sick has nothing to do with it because I have still been eating regularly, soft foods but still a normal amount of food.  So I will take this number as what it is and go with it.  I would love it if by next week I can record a number in the 220's!!!  I haven't been there in a very long time.

Happy, Healthy and Back on Track!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty stressful so naturally I have been working out more.  I do that when things get stressful, it's my favorite way to let go and forget about things for a little while.  I shut everything else out and focus on me. This week has been a great eating week too considering it was Halloween and the candy was flowing!  I have been very careful to make sure I have been eating healthy so that I don't ruin all the work I do while exercising.  All in all it's just been a good week despite the stress.

I try really hard not to let things beyond my control freak me out but sometimes they just get to me.  Things like feeling questioned or not trusted, not being chosen for something I really wanted to do or people freaking out around me.  That gets to me the most especially at work.  I work in a very small office with 4 other lovely ladies.  Most times it's great, sometimes it's hard.  When someone else gets negative I have to work very hard not to become negative too.  This week I haven't done the best job of it but my workouts have been better because of it so that is the silver lining I guess.

I'm excited for the next few weeks.  I signed up for a 30 day smoothie challenge that a friend did a while back.  She posted pictures of her smoothies everyday on instagram and they all sounded so good that I thought I would try it.  I recieved all the recipes and bought all the ingredients for the first week.  I have a smoothie most mornings but it is always the same so this will be a nice change.  I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and share them:)

I think I will get back to sharing my weekly weigh ins too.  The nice thing is that while I haven't been working out or running as much as I once was I have pretty well maintained all the weight I lost.  I'll have to look back to see what the last weight I posted was but I think it is about the same as what I will post.  I will start tomorrow:)