This is awesome!
Tuesday
What I Learned Running My First 10K
This day last year I had recently started a diet. I was 222 lbs and had lost my first 2 lbs. Excited that I was no longer at my heaviest weight ever (hey, 2 lbs counts, right?? LOL) I promised my husband: "Next year I will be thin enough to run the Bolder Boulder with you." By November I had lost 70 lbs. It was very excited for the accomplishment, and immediately got into a running routine...after all a promise is a promise. I did very well with this running routine until April....and then life happened. I just got busy, didn't have time to run...didn't make time to run. But I had already promised my husband I would run the Bolder Boulder and didn't want to let him down. So even though I hadn't run in two months and was fairly certain I was going to die....I approached the starting line on Memorial Day with 55K other people. I finished in an hour and a half, in 38,361st place. I was thrilled I finished, thrilled I at least beat 16, 639 other people, and I learned a few things for next year.
1) Plan ahead a little better. I started looking for parking at 7:00 am, and didn't find a spot to park until 8:30...barely in time to catch my wave. When 55K people are looking for a spot to park near the starting line, they fill up fast. :)
2) MAKE time to run, schedule it in even if life gets busy. The evening after the race, I have never hurt that bad in my life. It hurt to sit, stand, walk, lie down....every inch of me hurt.
3) Don't try to run 6.2 miles if the most you've ran up until that point is 3 miles. Next year I want to be able to run about 10 miles, so 6.2 seems easy. :)
4) Get there in time to properly warm up and stretch. Because it took me forever to park I didn't warm up or stretch at all before the race. Probably great contributed to the previously mentioned misery.
5) Have fun. This race is a ton of fun (yes, even though it is 6.2 miles) There is live bands throughout the race, people with slip and slides in the yard. It's a huge party every mile of the way. I really tried to take it all in, laugh, and have fun...but I was really worried I'd be the girl who the golf cart picked up because I was going to slow to finish in time. haha
I'm SO glad I ran the Bolder Boulder, it really was a ton of fun and I cannot wait to do it again next year. :)
1) Plan ahead a little better. I started looking for parking at 7:00 am, and didn't find a spot to park until 8:30...barely in time to catch my wave. When 55K people are looking for a spot to park near the starting line, they fill up fast. :)
2) MAKE time to run, schedule it in even if life gets busy. The evening after the race, I have never hurt that bad in my life. It hurt to sit, stand, walk, lie down....every inch of me hurt.
3) Don't try to run 6.2 miles if the most you've ran up until that point is 3 miles. Next year I want to be able to run about 10 miles, so 6.2 seems easy. :)
4) Get there in time to properly warm up and stretch. Because it took me forever to park I didn't warm up or stretch at all before the race. Probably great contributed to the previously mentioned misery.
5) Have fun. This race is a ton of fun (yes, even though it is 6.2 miles) There is live bands throughout the race, people with slip and slides in the yard. It's a huge party every mile of the way. I really tried to take it all in, laugh, and have fun...but I was really worried I'd be the girl who the golf cart picked up because I was going to slow to finish in time. haha
I'm SO glad I ran the Bolder Boulder, it really was a ton of fun and I cannot wait to do it again next year. :)
Friday
Wednesday
The Biggest Winner
Last night my husband and I went to have dinner and watch the season finale of The Biggest Loser with friends. I haven't watched this show in several years, so I was struck last night by how I felt watching it. I was emotional for two reasons.
First, because there was a girl whose starting weight was only 7 lbs heavier than my heaviest weight. It struck me right then. At one point in time I was big enough to have been on the show. Now I would never have wanted to be on the show, but we look at the before pictures and that was ME. I could see myself in so many of those girls.
Second, because I knew how they felt. I knew how they felt when they were showing interviews from the beginning of the season. I heard girls saying they were nothing, that they had failed at life because they had failed at their weight. One girl said she felt like she deserved nothing out of life because of her weight. Someone referred to their weight as a prison. I understand all of those statements to my core. I felt them, I lived them.
But what was great about watching the finale, is I got to rejoice with them. I know how great that victory feels!! When their faces light up with joy at the scale, I've been there. I, too, have done my share of weigh in dances and shouts of joy. I get it, and it was great to see. Losing weight is such a hard battle, but it is so worth the fight. It remains one of the best things I could have ever done for myself. The changes in me run so much deeper than my physical size.
Last nights show inspired me to keep living the healthy lifestyle I had established, to not slip into old habits...because I don't want to look in the mirror ever again and see the girl I was a year ago. One lady on the show last night said how there might be only one Biggest Loser, but that they were all Biggest Winners. I liked that. :)
First, because there was a girl whose starting weight was only 7 lbs heavier than my heaviest weight. It struck me right then. At one point in time I was big enough to have been on the show. Now I would never have wanted to be on the show, but we look at the before pictures and that was ME. I could see myself in so many of those girls.
Second, because I knew how they felt. I knew how they felt when they were showing interviews from the beginning of the season. I heard girls saying they were nothing, that they had failed at life because they had failed at their weight. One girl said she felt like she deserved nothing out of life because of her weight. Someone referred to their weight as a prison. I understand all of those statements to my core. I felt them, I lived them.
But what was great about watching the finale, is I got to rejoice with them. I know how great that victory feels!! When their faces light up with joy at the scale, I've been there. I, too, have done my share of weigh in dances and shouts of joy. I get it, and it was great to see. Losing weight is such a hard battle, but it is so worth the fight. It remains one of the best things I could have ever done for myself. The changes in me run so much deeper than my physical size.
Last nights show inspired me to keep living the healthy lifestyle I had established, to not slip into old habits...because I don't want to look in the mirror ever again and see the girl I was a year ago. One lady on the show last night said how there might be only one Biggest Loser, but that they were all Biggest Winners. I liked that. :)
Tuesday
Anniversaries
We live in a country that likes take the time to stop and remember past events. We tick off anniversaries of past tragedies. Last month was the 12th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings. This year will be the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Next week will be the 100th anniversary of the Titanic launching out of Belfast.
Monday
Good Day
Days like yesterday leave me refreshed to return to work today.
Morning and evening filled with worship with my Church family.
Lunch filled with laughter with these same people.
Afternoons filled with discussion and digging deeper...again with my Church family.
Early evening volleyball games with teens, and catching up with old friends.
Yesterday was a good day, my heart is happy. I am so blessed with amazing people in my life. I am so thankful for each and everyone one of them. I'm thrilled with friends who encourage me and expect better from me.
Morning and evening filled with worship with my Church family.
Lunch filled with laughter with these same people.
Afternoons filled with discussion and digging deeper...again with my Church family.
Early evening volleyball games with teens, and catching up with old friends.
Yesterday was a good day, my heart is happy. I am so blessed with amazing people in my life. I am so thankful for each and everyone one of them. I'm thrilled with friends who encourage me and expect better from me.
Friday
I'm No "Extreme Couponer", but....
The hubz and I have been seeking out ways to save some money and pay off some bills. Several years ago I tried to do some shopping combining sales with coupons, but it was a lot of work for little savings. Inspired by TLC's show Extreme Couponing, I thought I would give it try again and bought a newspaper last week. I have no intention of become a hoarder...but if we can get the things we are going to use anyway for pennies on the dollar...I'm all for that. :)
The deals don't really add up until you've accumulated about a months worth of coupon inserts, but I was pretty excited to see what deals I could find early on. We had a fun night figuring out the deals and just spending time together.
So here it is:
We got about $30 worth of products for $9...would have been $7 but I grabbed the wrong coupon. Oh well. LOL
- Blessings!
The deals don't really add up until you've accumulated about a months worth of coupon inserts, but I was pretty excited to see what deals I could find early on. We had a fun night figuring out the deals and just spending time together.
So here it is:
We got about $30 worth of products for $9...would have been $7 but I grabbed the wrong coupon. Oh well. LOL
- Blessings!
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