Short and sweet, highlights of 2011

We moved (a sweet two bedroom, well one bedroom and one guitar room lol...).

We ate, and celebrated birthdays this year with fancy restaurants. :)

I visited Mom in Oregon, this was the trip I didn't want to leave, it was like becoming friends with my Mom.

We picked berries and learned to make jam of all kinds. Next year I know we need a case of raspberry!

We impulsively took a weekend drive to look at a cafe in Oregon, we pretty much hated it on sight, but had an amazing little vacation. :)

I ran my first 5k, my first race, on my birthday. I loved looking forward to it, being nervous, and RUNNING the entire thing - no walk breaks!!! It was easily the best birthday gift I have ever given myself. Well that and the garmin! lol.....

Speaking of that garmin! After celebrating my birthday with a race I decided (or maybe discovered?) that I love running, and over the next couple months I worked up to weekend runs averaging just over 5 miles. I signed up for my first 15k an my first half marathon (both in 2012), so I'm excited to see what my highest garmin pic is for 2012!

Last but not least, I visited Mom in Hawaii for a week just before Christmas, ran on the beach and absorbed some beautiful sunshine! 2011 had some stressful spots, but also some treasured highlights! :)

2012 goals

(I am shocked that I can't find my 2011 list!  lol... so unlike me!  I will put together a list of my favorite 2011 moments soon)

Here is my little list for 2012, what is on yours?  :)

Be more open to trying new projects or ideas.
Be healthy, take care of my body, love and be proud of myself. 
Be budget conscious and work on saving.
Find some running buddies.
Kick butt at the races!  15K in 1:30, half marathon in 2:30!
Try making my own : Greek yogurt, Cheese, Sausage

My phrase for 2012:  I can do anything!

Super bummed. The ever so fancy green bike trainer arrived last night, D put together, attempted this morning, but it is too noisy for my apartment dwelling (at 5:15am). I have to admit, I am really disappointed. ready for summer so I can go back to am running.

Today was long. and busy. and I am tired of talking. BUT! I left my desk for a easy 2 mile run at lunch, and today I bought a bike trainer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am very excited for indoor cardio which doesn’t include stinky/flirty gym boys! Hopefully it should be here by friday! (Oh, and Jan will also be the month of no spending as a result of said Christmas present to myself lol…. ) :)

Ten things about me:


1. I’m kind of having a lonely Christmas, and am really ready for the new year to begin.

2. I hope to loose 40 pounds in 2012.

3. I am really excited to go to Peru in April with my friend Heather, but am worried that I am not fit enough for all the things that she wants to do. I am determined to be by April though!

4. I am feeling pretty confident about my 15k scheduled in May.

5. I am excited to train for and run the half marathon in June!

6. I’m sad that my family doesn’t want to come to Seattle to cheer me on.

7. I love love love Chai tea :)

8. My goal for 2012 is to make some fit friends - maybe join a running group?

9. I am scared to run a marathon, but that is kind of what makes me want to do it.

10. I would really like to do a destination half/marathon - anyone up for it??? :D

… ok, I’m off to tag!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2.5 hrs in the gym this morning (arms, shoulders, back then squats and a hell of a lot of boxing/kicking), I am tired and this was soooo good!

Life is short.

Last day run

Yes, this totally happened this morning! Lol… last day in Maui, headed home in a couple hours. :)

Today I walked the beach with my Mom, my last full day (and it was filled with rainbows!). Tomorrow morning I am sneaking in one last beach run and then am headed back to Seattle!

I have kept my promise to myself, to take advantage of the beautiful weather and run every day. :) (and now I really need another pedicure! lol….)

Today I learned that running on sand in the heat is harder than I thought it would be :)

It’s warm and smells like flowers. :) Loving hanging out with Mom, a 3 mile beach walk this morning to learn the lay of the land, and the hibiscus! I’ve seen red, pink and yellow so far. :)

Tomorrow : Hawaii!

Tomorrow I am working an early shift and then meeting my Mom at the airport - we are off for a much needed Hawaiian vacation!  I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing my Mom, running on the beach, eating all of the tropical fruits (yes I intend to eat them all!), and just taking a break.  :)
Aloha!

Hawaii!!

Tomorrow I fly to Hawaii with my Mom for a much needed vacation! I cannot wait to run on the beach, garmin is charged and packed!!!!

Today sadly food and water were both horrible, meetings and my review (which went so well! Yay!), busy day and lost track. Bummer, but I came home and had a healthy breakfast for dinner - omelet, toast and grapefruit - no continuing bad trends here!


And (!!!) an old friend from high school (who is amazing and runs ultras) asked to run a destination marathon with me! Maybe 2013? I immediately responded that I would LOVE LOVE LOVE that! I need to make (or reconnect with?) healthy friends that would like to run! Yay for what is already shaping up to be an amazing 2012!!!

Remember to be happy.

20 mins of exercise everyday!

12/31 - have managed 20+ mins of exercise everyday (even when feeling yucky)! Now if I can work in some exercise on busy Thursday (working an early shift and direct to the airport for a week in Maui with my Mom!) I will feel really accomplished! Lol…. maybe running for my gate/flight counts? :)

Choose Your HARD.

This is pretty much my favorite quote :)

Don't ever let somebody tell you that you can't do something...

“When your legs get tired, run with your heart.”

“If you’re feeling frightened about what comes next, don’t be. Embrace the uncertainty. Allow it to lead you places. Be brave as it challenges you to exercise both your heart and your mind as you create your own path towards happiness, don’t waste time with regret. Spin wildly into your next action. Enjoy the present, each moment, as it comes; because you’ll never get another one quite like it. And if you should ever look up and find yourself lost, simply take a breath and start over. Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart… where your hope lives. You’ll find your way again.”

“Your biggest challenge isn’t someone else. It’s the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells ‘can’t’. But you don’t listen, you just push harder. And then you hear the voice whisper ‘can’, and you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are.”

THIS WAS AWESOME!!!! lol….. My way to combat the dreaded treadmill? Skip it! Yes I live in Seattle, yes it is like 40 degrees, but kicking ass during lunch (!!!!) is sooooo worth it!

Feeling frustrated. This morning the scale said 203.5, I wrestled with the idea, decided to take a pic and it said 205. My partner gets frustrated, thinking I should want to be under 200 pounds, and I do! This week I will be a trackmaster! This morning: 30 manly pushups, vitamins, coffee. 1 egg, one egg white, two laughing cow wedges, 1 piece of toast, grapefruit. Water with lime!

Actually, I Can.

December Challenge

Today I pledged to exercise at least 20 minutes a day EVERY day in December as part of my company’s corporate wellness program. Yes, I do this anyway, but they lured me in with tempting prizes! Lol….

Day 1/31: 40 min walk during lunch (running errands) 10 mins push-ups/squats/crunches/ kneeling arm and leg reach 10 mins squats/ kneeling arm and leg reach

I did something kind of scary/exciting today…. I signed up for my first half marathon! Whoa! Seattle Rock and Roll Half (June 23rd) here I come!

Snuck in another mile and a half today (run to the grocery store), just under 7 miles this weekend!


I’m trying to just increase my weekly mileage by one mile a week, with a long term goal of being able to casually run about 10 miles at a time (weekend run). My Dad (in his 50s) does this frequently, if he can I can too, right? :) I don’t want this to become something I have to do instead of something I love to do, but I would like to be able to do the distance with my Dad.

….Actually, I would also like to run a marathon just once to be able to say that I can!

Today I am totally humming the theme from Rocky, feeling awesome, and thankful for strong legs!!!!

5 miles!

What a thanksgiving!  Maybe the best yet, yesterday the food was perfect, we had a blast in the kitchen together, and I just felt HAPPY, filled to the brim with gratitude for the four days off from work, time to sleep in, time to spend with David, time to relax.

This morning I was kind of falling back into my normal weekend patterns (cleaning, chores and a couple pilates videos), but the sun was shinning!  I told David I needed an hour and headed out the door - I can't tell you how happy I am with that decision!  I totally busted out five miles!  The weather was BEAUTIFUL, the first two miles tough, but the last three were amazing!  I think I could have gone further, but I got to the point were I was really thirsty and really needed to pee lol...
I am going to have to work on that when training for the 15k in May.  No more coffee before long runs and I told David I need a fuel belt for Christmas.  :)

Anyway!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

Dinner was AMAZING! We made a bit of a fuss and had a great time in the kitchen together, truthfully I feel filled with happiness, and for that I am so thankful!

Yes, I will keep going

This morning the scale said 205 and I wanted to cry. I put on my big girl panties, may have murmured a few choice words, ran my errands, got to work, was a busy bee, last trainer session, home, laundry, dinner, cleaning, time chatting with the boyfriend, and bed.

The whole day (and for weeks really) I have been feeling like this is my whole life and I really don’t like it. Work, workout, stress, fail. Lame. And I know that I am being unfair to myself, I have hung out with girlfriends, work is incredibly busy, I am handling things pretty well, but I feel like I am missing out on life, like time is moving so quickly and I am missing …. opportunities? I’m not sure exactly, but it is a horrible feeling. Tomorrow my goals are: Run 3 miles during lunch with music, take a pic to post here :) and Find a vanilla pear butter recipe and use up the pears in the fridge



Maybe tomorrow will be better :)

RUN

Quick mile after work before the nasty weather started! I was litteraly running out the door so I could get a quick run in! AWESOME day!

Bummer.

Tomorrow trainer wants to see a print out of my calories intake… I haven’t been tracking (tired, busy, usual stuff), just entered in and realized I am not eating enough, today (even with my 1/2 gingerbread!) not even 1200 calories. No wonder I want to skip running and head to bed at 8pm. Drank all of my water today, tomorrow calories will be better (we are making pizza for dinner!) :)

Love care packages!

Doesn't everyone?  :)
My Grandma sent apples, quince, pears and some jam.  I opened and promptly chopped up all of the apples and quince for jelly!  I am going to try this one more time, hopefully I don't mess it up!
Also, I started a tumblr account for my diet/work out tracking!  A couple days in and I am already addicted, I found so many inspiring running blogs to follow!  Here is the link:
http://christyrunning.tumblr.com/
In other news... I'm thinking about registering for the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon in June!  David is not sold on this plan, and we'll see what is happening with the course (changing this year), but it is to benefit the American Cancer Society, and I think I can do it!  I will post for sure if I register!  :)

Good day!

Training session was fun today! It made me question the decision to take a break. I was also planning on quitting the gym at work, but am now wavering on that decision in light of expected snow this weekend. I need to keep up the running and it doesn’t seem like the weather is going to allow for much outdoor training for at least the next 2.5 months. Hmmmm….. so maybe will switch to running during my lunch hour, and heated yoga in the evenings. :)

more training sessions?

I have three more sessions: Wednesday, Friday and next Monday, then comes the question of if I should buy more? I’m leaning toward no… but it has been so nice having my workout planned for me, just being able to show up and do! Questions and doubts haven’t been encouraged for the last three months.

I like that, I like the ease, I’ve grown to love squats and lunges, things I never would have done before training. The reason I’m not committed? I have only lost 5 pounds in three months. Now don’t get me wrong, my body fat percentage has gone down, I have lost a couple inches, but I feel like at 200 pounds I need to focus on losing weight, not a gaining muscle.



Lately I have been feeling like I buy into every new diet every doctor and trainer throws at me, and none of them really work! I think I just need to get back to calorie counting and eating everything. I am coming to the conclusion that my weight isn’t due to any kind of intolerance, I have allergies, but only to preservatives and things of that nature - no problems if I eat clean and limit my calories.



So here ‘s the plan:

Buy the New rules for lifting, I have seen this used on several running blogs, I think it is worth a shot to get that same preplanned workout feeling without the expense of a trainer.

I need to work on holding *myself* accountable for workouts and runs. When I don’t feel well or have low energy those are the first things that go and I regret that.

Same thing with yoga - I need to join a class, gym yoga kind of sucks, I need to commit to a real class, I love it and feel like it will really help my running.

And on the running front - come up with a training plan and DO, no excuses!

Survived Mamagram day with an incredibly kind tech and no pigging out to swallow my fears - mani/pedi to relax, and home to an amazing sammy and mango. I have to say, I am surprised and proud that I avoided the junk today. Weight this morning was 202.5 - 1 pound down from last week. :)

It is hard to run with someone riding a bike! I found myself thinking about him instead of enjoying the morning and kind of losing myself in the run. Then stopped for water and didn’t have the energy to go again. Full of problems and excuses today, need to work on that.

How do you confront your mortality?

We will all die, that is not the question.  The questions lie in how you live your life, and how long you have to enjoy it once you figure it out. 
My Mom is a breast cancer survivor, 10 years cancer free.  Her life now, after, is so similar to her life before... still married to my dad, they still (or maybe even more) hold hands and love.  They have love, so deep.  And yes, they fuss, nag, hug, make tea for each other.
This morning David woke up to give me a kiss and some pretty important words before I left this morning.  There is a lot of power in 'I love you.'

Yesterday I signed up for a 15k

The furthest I have ever run? 4.38 miles. On Thursday. Friday I signed up for 9.3. Kind of crazy, but I know I can do this!

Not the run I was hoping for

Full of problems and excuses, but I got my goal miles in for the week, that makes my happy.  :)

Goals for week of 11/14:
Mamagram on Monday,  do not freak out.
Run 6 miles for the week
Look into taking a cooking class.
Hang out with girlfriends on Saturday
Start working on thanksgiving cards and a pic to go in them.

Yes. I. Can.

I'm not a sports girl.  I'm an outdoors girl, former tomboy, love to walk, yoga, can easily handle hours at the gym.... but never have really been into sports.  Closest I've ever come would be watching crossfit or olympic lifting on tv, and the ironman races - am riveted by the extreme stuff, but that would never be me.  Really, I like looking like a girl.  :)
Today I ran 4 miles.  I took my time, went slow.  I did it, and it felt like conquering doubt, both mine and my partner's (he was not a fan of me running in the dark!), and that was just an amazing feeling. 
I am learning that the first mile and a half or so are hard for me, but after that?  I just don't want to stop!  Truthful, my legs felt GOOD,  if it hadn't been pitch black out I would have kept going, and too just feels amazing.
Tomorrow my goal is to sign up for a 15k.  9.3 miles and I am sure that I can do it in less than an hour and a half.  Maybe I will sign up for another 5k too, I can beat my last time!  :)

Time to refocus!

Saturday I bruised my neck while doing squats and lunges with a loaded bar (resting behind my neck).  Not fun and I feel dumb for hurting myself - such a simple exercise that I do pretty frequently! 
Anyway, I have gotten my training sessions in, but little else while nursing an intense migraine.
So!  Tomorrow I am going to come home after work and go for a run - garmin pic to prove it, and hold myself to it!  :)

November

Every November I kind of freak out a bit.... grouchy, bratty, I expect those close to me to just know what's up with me and not only deal, but be better, more social, more romantic, more supportive even while I have a bad attitude.  I by no means think this is a positive trait, I really don't think about my snarkiness until after - after the mammogram.  Ugh.  Wish I could skip the whole experience, or at least that it didn't freak me out so much, but no such luck. 
This year though.... I 'm trying to be more conscious, more thankful.  It is November.  :)
I can't say that I have been totally successful, but i'm trying to channel my worries into running - 2.5 miles yesterday, 1.5 today.

Goals for the week of 11/07:
Three trainer sessions
Run 5 miles broken up however
Clean eating all week
Be mindful of work and personal stress, work in more workouts if needed.

5K recap and thoughts on winter running

I LOVED running the Run Scared 5K on Sunday! 
I had a little bowl of granola before we headed over to Seward Park where the race was being held, it seemed to take forever to get there and I was nervous!  David dropped me off, parked and made it back just in time to catch the start.  It was a cold morning and with the nerves I was shivering pretty hard, but in no time we were off!  I started with the 12 minute mile group and held my own pretty well, but had totally forgotten about the garmin.  :(  I kind of fumbled around with it while the first mile surprised me with two pretty steep hills.  Truthfully when everyone around me (and the girls I had decided to pace myself with) started walking I almost did it just out of habit!  I frequently take walking brakes of just a block when running outside, but my goal for this race was to RUN the whole thing.   I was just doing it for myself, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, and you know what?  I totally did!
I loved the costumes, cute dogs and snepits of conversations as I passed people (!!!) and beautiful scenery.  All of these delightful distractions allowed me to totally forget that I was working hard and running faster than I ever have - I sped up as I approached the finish line and my legs felt great!  I really felt like I could have gone another couple of miles, and now I want to! 
So here comes the debate, I don't know how to run in cold weather, and baby it's cold outside!  :)  do I stick to treadmill work (and intense sessions with my trainer) or try winter running?  I don't want to get sick, and I fell pretty badly (twice) during a run in August when I was trying to push myself.   Let me tell ya, road rash is NOT FUN!
....but I loved the race and being surrounded by runners!  I need some running buddies!  :)  What do you think?  Any winter running tips for this newbie?  :)

Race results!

Run Scared 5K

Race tme: 34:41:7 with an Average Pace of 11:11

I was 40th in my age division out of 76!

I am so proud of these results and had such an AMAZING time, it truely was the best way to celebrate my birthday!

Tomorrow is race day!

I am feeling incredibly dorky, but am so excited for tomorrow!  My goal is just to run the whole race and have fun!  I bought a garmin and promise pics, this is going to be great!  And I'm so happy to be doing this healthy and exciting thing on my birthday - what a fantastic way to celebrate!

Count down to race day!

A beautiful start to the day, but it has been cold here and it seems like EVERYONE is sick!  I am trying hard to stay healthy, I can't be sick for race day! (aka my birthday!)
So lots of sleeping, hot green tea, water, vitamins and little cuties for some extra vitamin C!
I can do this!

This weekend

You want to know what my list looks like for the weekend?
I am making:
Apple jelly
Granola
Turkey and spaghetti squash

And am going to:
Carve pumpkins (we have three - I'm thinking our initials, some leaves, and an owl on the third)
Run three miles - The 5K is not this weekend but next, I need to prove to myself that I can do it, even if I'm slow. :)

I've done my two trainer sessions,  and one trip to the gym this week (even did some HIIT training!)- I am also headed there after work tomorrow, so two out of three gym days I'm counting as done and tomorrow is only friday!  Yay for attainable goals!

Oh, and guess what!  I found a dress for birthday dinner!  I may also wear it to my company Christmas party, but it was fun to have a little birthday splurge!

Tuesday already!

Wishing the weekend were longer, and already it is Tuesday!   We had a blast at the pumpkin farm, and were a little crazy with the camera (me) lol...
This weekend I made New England Apple Butter (with maple sugar, bay and cloves) and am loving it paired with Trader Joe's fat free greek yogurt - yum!  I also made concord grape jam (labor intensive and super messy!)  Not sure if I will ever make that again, but I bet it will make good pb&j for hiking!  Lol....
Exciting news:  measurements yesterday with my trainer - I have lost 2% body fat in the last three weeks!  Maybe not a huge difference, but I am excited to see any kind of results!
Goals for the week of 10/17:
Two training sessions
Three gym sessions and try out some HIIT cardio
Try to sneak in a sauna (need some relaxation time!)
And pumpkin carving this weekend! :)

What a week!

Do you ever get caught up on what your life should look like rather than living (and enjoying) what it is?
I think that about sums up the past few weeks for me.  My partner and I have recently found ourselves in a learning phase of our relationship, he is excitedly choosing a new career path, and I might be ruining it with my worries of where we will be in five years.   Lame, I know.
So, I am reminding myself to do things that make me happy.  I bought a ticket to Peru (!!!!), a ticket to Hawaii to visit my parents during their vacation, and for my birthday I am celebrating with a 5K.  A happy Christy makes a happy girlfriend right?  :)
I have gotten quite a few runs/workouts in this week:
Monday - 2.5 mile run
Tuesday - 2 mile run
Wednesday - trainer session
Thursday - off
Friday - trainer session and 20 mins elliptical, 20 mins abs, 20 mins rowing
Stuck to the eating plan and counted my calories - lots of oats and salads this week!
Saturday is slated as an off day, but I may try to make a yoga class because Sunday we are headed to a pumpkin farm!!!
Have a great weekend!

Three exciting things from the day

Today started on a pretty awesome note, the boyfriend and I ran two miles straight this morning - no walk breaks, in pouring down rain, at 5am!!! I am so proud of that, and love that we are doing this together!
...but running makes me HUNGRY!  Why is that?
Anyway, a busy day, but I did find time to sign up for my first 5K!  I have given up clarifying that this will be the second, but my first to run, because in my mind the one walked just doesn't count!  Lol....
I know I can do the distance easily, my fastest time has been 37 minutes, so I would be happy with anything less - but my real goal here is to run the whole race, no walking!  I will be so excited if I can pull that off, and on my birthday?  It's going to be awesome!
Oh, and the third great thing?  My dahlia is blooming for the first time!  :)  yep, today has had some pretty great highlights!