Cookie Cravings

Ok, so whatever the reason, I'm craving chocolate and cookie like mad.  I don't want to totally fall off the wagon and eat a bunch of crap.  This is why we love Pinterest, right??

OMG no-bake cookies!

So, if you make them just like the Frugal Farm Wife suggests, they're sugar-free, diary-free and gluten-free, but I promise you, not taste free!  They're definitely goo-ier than traditional no-bakes, which more than satisfies the chocolate craving. 

Here's a few of mine! 

Vi and I made them kind of big.  They're so gooey, bite size might have been easier, buuuuut...then I'd feel guilty for eating 8, this way I'm indulging in just 1.  Heehee...

Run (make that Sit) the Plank

Well, on this 3rd anniversary of my beloved Run the Plank 5K, on this LAST SATURDAY IN JUNE we woke to real-feel of 47 degrees, constant rain, and 15 mph winds.  Given we were to have 3 kids under 5 years of age...we sadly decided to sit this one out.  It was forecasted to get worse throughout the day, too.

Am I not a real runner now?  Too much of a sissy?  I don't know...probably not, but they were thoughts that had crossed my mind anyway.  I haven't run in 10 days and I'm pretty sure there was not the historical PR to be made here.  Does that it make my excuse worse for not participating?  Probably, but I don't care.  For me it's been the little things that have made my running "fun" for me and motivated to keep trying.  A poor time in this race may have been a devastating blow.  I know that's not totally what it's about, but I know my limitations and right now I think it was a good call.

Ann, DD and kids still came and stayed the night and had a nice breakfast with us Saturday morning. Not a race, but even more satisfying.  <3

It's always amazing to me how quickly and easily I slip out of positive habits and running routines.  My birthday trip to the Keys started the very slippery slope into gluttony, laziness, and little motivation.  As I sit researching races today, though, I'm pleasantly surprised and happy that I still get that excited feeling in my chest when thinking about, planning, and training for races.  I know I need and WANT to get back out there and do some kind of activity...just one more day off...  *wink*

I believe I'm suffering from a little sadness...and maybe a feeling of hopelessness?  I know my daily runs were combating that when I was participating in the RW Run-streak.  Another reason to get back at it.  My recent job interview went less-than-stellar.  Apparently, I've learned recently my family has to remain local for the next 4.5 years, and I hadn't necessarily planned on that.  My sister's getting married this weekend and I'm not feeling picture-worthy.  It all leads to this kind of "trapped" feeling.  These things can be quite overwhelming if not dealt with properly, so the risk of losing my mind if a pretty good motivator to get back out there.  Yikes.

Time to Assess

Well, as my 40th birthday is around the corner and I leave for my surprise Key West birthday trip, I have to assess my progress in my M.O.M. (MILF on a mission).

It's fair to say I'm not at my weight goal, in fact 14 lbs away from my first goal (granted, it may have been slightly lofty).  I do believe I'm more toned, so the small results I see make me happy my efforts are paying off.  My endurance is most definitely increasing, and while I'm still not running as far or as long as I used to, I'm still trying, consistently, to get there.  My commitment to such things has waxed and waned so much in the past, this is probably the biggest accomplishment I have in this goal.

True enough, I wanted to look "better" in my the pictures memorializing this stupid milestone birthday.  I wanted the visual memories to match how happy I feel inside.  I'm still upright, mobile, and all (most, HA!) of my faculties, and this wonderful ability to keep trying and being a positive, healthier role model for my daughter.  So, I may not be able to "see" that in pictures, but I know it and that's actually enough.  :)

...besides:  I can still be in pictures in 6 more months and maybe my outside will match my inside more.

2 Birthday Parties & 1 Book Club

All of which are very typically events of indulgence...and these didn't disappoint.  *sigh*  I think I tried to make some decent choices, perhaps not OVERLY do it.  And probably my best decision was to make sure I got in my daily runs.  *big cheesy grin*

These two helped me get it done

I'm not sure if it will completely negate the damage I did with food and drink, but I tried.  And I don't feel too, too guilty for indulging. I had a nice time and know that I still consumed less than I normally would have, so that's still progress.  :)

At the second birthday party, my friend, Ann found this and said she could share it with me.  It wasn't so much the Coke as our adventurous spirit! With my recent weeks' of activity I really have felt my adventurous spirit return.

Today, I found myself realizing I was keeping up with my daughter learning to ride her two-wheeler.  Running, running, running and I wasn't gasping for air...or dying like I imagine I would have a month ago! LOL! Talk about a NSV (Non Scale Victory)!! THAT was the hugest reward and sense of accomplishment since embarking on this journey.  She noticed I was right there with her the whole time, too.  A-MAZE-ING, I tell ya.

We did it!

National Running Day & a Run Streak

For some reason, I impulsively committed to the Runner's World Summer Run Streak.  It runs (see what I did there?) from Memorial Day to July 4th, and you aim for at least a mile every day.  Seems simple enough...until I don't feel like it after a 12.5 hour shift! LOL!  My longest streak was 5 days, and I'm proud to say I've made it to this, Day 10 of my #RWrunstreak!  Since I knew I had to run today anyway, I'm not sure why "National Running Day" made it more of a certainty, but it did.  I got in 4.25 miles and even had some company for 2 miles of it.
 

"Come on, Mommy.  You can do it!" ~Vi

Why does my shadow look like that?!? I digress... Anyway.  It's been fun meeting my daily goal.  It's paying off in many areas, too: weight loss, strength, confidence, mental strength... things that aren't necessarily part of my usual state.  

I recently added the "Daily Mile" widget to the blog.  It's kind of fun to track all my info in one spot.  It makes me think I should try and enter all of 2015's data so it looks cooler... *giggle*

I also committed to a fitness challenge with my sister...for 28 days! At its core, it's what I've been trying to incorporate independently, but with a clear yet flexible guide.  It has the clean eating, cardio, and strength training aspects I like, and an online community that is epically supportive.  The best part is she and I are in the same stage of change, simultaneously, and have the same daily challenges! She's another virtual partner of mine, but the accountability and support is better than when I had a physical partner that I saw 5 out of 7 days! I've already seen improvement in her that makes me even more proud of her and even more motivated to keep going.  Granted, it officially started June 1, but we're three days in and going strong! LOL!  We both had a good loss this week, too!  I wasn't so certain I would manage a loss after Ann's milestone breakfast of eggs sardou, roasted potatoes, and 3 (YES 3!!) slices of chocolate cake. Mmmm.....  Guess those daily runs balanced it out pretty well since I was down 3.1! *grin*

Bayshore in Review

Ok, so...I did it!

I'll tell you: it was my worst time, but not the worst time...get it??

This is my third Half Marathon, and each time I've gotten slower.  My initial reaction is to be bummed out, but I also would be remiss if I didn't admit my training had gotten less each time as well.  Lesson = You really do get out of it when you put into it!

I think I mentioned this before, but my sister encouraged me to participate in this race to "not let MS win."  *shake my head* I'll admit, it's pretty cliche', but it did factor into my decision-making.  I didn't want my pride and fear of not having a "fast" time to get in the way of embracing my opportunity to at least be in it this year.  Morbid or not, the reality is there's a potential I may not be able to one day.  I probably wouldn't go so dark so soon, but waking up with blindness in my left eye totally scared me and I'm left with bits of residual fear on a daily basis.  I open my eyes s-l-o-w-l-y praying the light will come in...  Anyway.  I'm glad I did this race, regardless of the clock.  I had a great time! *grin*  Lesson = Take advantage of the opportunity and just do it.

This was the largest Half in which I've participated, so the sheer numbers were awesome! I enjoyed being part of something so big, and not one person made me feel like I didn't belong.  Even though a race implies competition, I've always found runners to be the most supportive of their competitors in their field.  It felt special to be part of such a group!  Despite the large field, I thought race execution was seamless.  Half participants were bussed to the Start Line, and even though there was a small wait in line (likely because I got there late against their advice), it went quickly.  There were plenty of bathroom facilities before, during, and after the race, which I think I can speak for everyone when I say, "thank you!" HAHA! The spectators were great! It seemed like watching the race was as much an event for spectators as the racers! Us back-of-the-pack-ers (BOTP) were pretty easily identifiable, but the crowd offered words of support, encouragement, and praise for our efforts.  I do have to admit there was one section of spectators more than half way through that apparently couldn't see the BOTP passing by right in front of them.  I heard a dad say to his young kids, "Oh, get your whistles.  Here come more marathoners."  HA! I may or may not have audibly scoffed at him, but later just laughed.  Whatever.  I'm not a marathoner, nor am I fast.  So what.  I was IN it, not WATCHING it.  *snarky grin*

You seriously can't be the view.  Staring at the bay the whole time compels you to want to keep putting one foot in front of the other to see where the view goes.  Sadly, I didn't get a pic of it, because that would have expended energy I could not waste. LOL! Silly, but kinda true.  When people tell you to do this race for the views (not to mention BQ if you're going for that!), do it.  They weren't lying.  

Coming through the gait onto the track at the end was kind of surreal.  The only time I was on such tracks was with the Marching Band, and while I certainly count that as athletic, "real" athletes would probably disagree.  Running it through the Finish Line, in front of the stands full of people, including my husband and daughter, was simply incredible.  Full disclosure:  I kind of wanted to die at Mile 11.  I think I was cramping every where and insanely tired.  I saw Dan & Vi who were the best injection of energy there, and convinced me to keep going.  I walked a lot of those last 2 miles...but once I got on that track I felt like I flew! I managed a sprint across the Finish Line! WHAAAAT?!

You can hear my name around 2:45:50 and I cross with a purple tank top at around 2:45:53!

This was the first race in which I participated that I could see a video of the finish!  This is super cool to me!  

The "after party" was the best, too.  PLENTY of refueling items, drink, Moomer's ice cream...space to sprawl out and avoid dying! HAHA!  Seriously, it was fantastic.  Thank you, TCTC!

This was my reward! GORGEOUS!  

Bayshore or Bust

Ok, I'm just going to do it.  I committed to this race in December, hoping I'd have a solid 5 months of training, eating right, getting my body "right" again after a brief (ok, 9-12 month long) hiatus.  As you know, life happens, I'm not always the best at rebounding from it, and here I am, not really much further along than I was in December...

After much vacillation, I'm just going to try my best.  My PR will be nowhere in site, but having accomplished one of Michigan's best races offered, is pretty important to me, too.  I'm getting more and more excited as the date comes closer and I receive updated correspondence from the TCTC Bayshore Marathon organizers.  The process, pictures of the views, not to mention Race Day forecast looks pretty perfect! My sister who lives there is pretty excited to have us up again, even though she has to work all weekend.  She's an ER nurse at Munson Hospital, so I joked she might end up seeing me anyway! HA! Seriously, not planning on it... I won't be running the whole thing like the first Half, but am believing to be pretty solid at a run/walk approach.  I know it's a pretty competitive race, but I'm not competing against anyone else this time, just me.  And maybe obscure things that have tried to take me down at some point over the last 6 months... I plan on beating that, too.  *snarky grin*

A positive coming out of my rapid, focused "training" these last 6 weeks was a renewed vigor for why I wanted to do this stuff in the first place.  Pushing myself daily (or whatever, you know, close enough), making the commitment to do SOMEthing each day and actually doing it has been a wonderful side effect for me.  I lost that somewhere along the way and it feels like it's mine again.  I'm slow to be back where I "was," but I feel in a better groove again.  Maybe I never will be, but I won't be sedentary either, so I'm holding on to that.  DD checks in with me daily and continues to do her part in maintaining her own efforts in our quest to be at the least, fit moms, and tire out playing with our kids.  Knowing, even virtually, someone is trying to do the same thing is a great motivator and provides accountability.  My baby sister has also re-harnessed her desire to eat better and get more active.  In fact, she's the one that sent me the reminder that our Detroit Women's Half Marathon & 5K is in 4 months already, so she's on it! Ann is working on her own efforts with her own sort of approach, and Midge recently met a goal she set back in December, so I know so many I care about around me are sharing my sentiments about trying to be healthier, more fit, for a myriad of our reasons, and I'm not alone.

So, I went with friends to the Cheesecake Factory in Novi this weekend.  I know, right??  The slice I chose boasts (I found out later, of course) one of the highest content in calories at 1530.  Yes, for one slice.  It took me 4 days to eat it all, so I broke it up and ran 2-4 miles each of those days to account for it.  I'm hoping for no gain this week, but a pretty solid NSV would be that I actually tried to work off my consumption this time, instead of just dismissing it as a loss (or, more accurately a gain, but you get it).  Aside from this and a handful of other purposeful indulgences, I've been eating pretty clean for 4 weeks now.  I can't say a lot about it yet, but I can say that my digestive system is starting to work more efficiently, and supposedly it's supposed to minimizes flare-ups or relapses, say some.  We'll see.  I even have "clean" supplements/gels/etc. for my long runs now! HA!

Assuming I survive Bayshore, I'll give a full report shortly after.  *high five*