Weigh in Wednesday-Week 4 and Run of the 'Mill

Well, I've finally caved. With the arctic air blasting the country and messing with my training, I've signed up at Planet Fitness.

I'm not big on treadmills, but this is the best solution for me. Some people run in below zero temps, I don't. I'd like to keep my toes and the threat of frostbite is very real.

With that being said, what I really like about PF is that everything is purple, my favorite color! Actually, I like it because it has everything I need, LOTS of treadmills, a locker room, and private showers. Plus the price is easy to take, at $10/mo with no contract. They have other plans that have different amenities, like massage chairs, but that comes with a contract and once it gets nice outside again, I'll probably ditch the gym.

I signed up on Sunday and got in my long run of 5 miles. I was back there again Tuesday morning for a 3.5 mile tempo run. I figured I may as well use the treadmill to my advantage and get in some speed workouts. Since the weather is not cooperating with me, I think I'll be hitting the gym again in the morning.

Oh yeah, that reminds me. What is today? It's hump day Weigh In Wednesday.

Woo hoo! I'm back on track! I know it's just a number, but I can't tell you how happy I am to see it going down!

Have a good night all!

Weigh In Wednesday-Week 3

This is going to be short. I'm tired and I just want to go to bed.

My weight is back up this morning and I'm not surprised at all. After traveling, the accident, and eating out while I was at home I anticipated gaining even more than I did. Oh well, back at it today.

Night all! Stay warm!

Good News and Bad News

Well, what do you want first, the good news or the bad news?

 I'm going to start with the bad news and just get it over with. Thursday, I began my vacation and traveled from Kentucky to Wisconsin with my son, Liam and my sister, Leslie. This was the longest trip of my life.  I've been making this trek for years and the average travel time is about 9 hours; Thursdays trip was 16 1/2 hours! The day started out like any other, but 3 hours into the drive it began snowing and the wind really began to pick up! In minutes, the roads went from being clear to being treacherous.

And then this happened:

I won't go into too much detail other than to say, we were all ok and uninjured. It was very surreal and felt like some kind of dream sequence where you're falling and you wake up just before hitting the ground. 

I've never been so thankful to arrive at home as I was this trip. I've said many prayers of thanks since the accident. At the end of the day, it's just a car. It can be replaced. 

Now for the good news. The good news is that I get to spend time with my family in Wisconsin! I love them so much and I love spending time there.

Friday, we spent the day relaxing. It was nice just to chill out and recover from the accident. 

Saturday we headed south to Madison and ate dinner at the Nitty Gritty, before heading to the Kohl Center for a Wisconsin Men's Basketball game.

The was Liam's first basketball game and he was so excited! He watched for Bucky Badger the whole game and when he finally got to meet him he was so excited!

My training sort of fell by the wayside this weekend, but I did get a couple miles in on the treadmill. I'll resume training once I get home and can get back into a routine. 

Now that I'm back home, the rest of this week will be filled with insurance claims and the search for new transportation. 

Under the circumstances, it was a great weekend and I'm so sad to have it end. I love my family so much.

Enjoy your week and drive safe!

Weigh in Wednesday-Week 2

Getting back into keeping a food journal was tough at first, but I know it's the only way to keep myself accountable. It is getting easier and now I'm kind of excited to see my progress. 

So here it is, down .4 pounds. Not as much as the week before, but at least I'm headed in the right direction!

After two weeks of keeping a food journal and sticking to my scheduled workouts I'm down almost 2 pounds! Yay!

I celebrated by running 2 miles!

The rest of this week is going to be tough. I'll be visiting my family, and that means going out to eat. It's a lot easier to eat properly when you eat at home! I'll definitely give it my best shot though. I like seeing the numbers on the scale go down! Better. Faster. Stronger.

Happy hump day!

Not One, But Two!

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be training to run a sub 30 5k, but I guess I just can't resist running long...or maybe it's the bling that I can't resist. Mostly, I just think that I feel like I have really accomplished something when I run long. Plus, I can eat all the foods; and trust me, I will!


So, after much debate and procrastination, I signed up for not one, but two races!


The first race is the Run the Bluegrass (RtB) on March 29th, 2014. It's a 7 miler on a very hilly course. Last year, I ran the half marathon and felt like I was going to die by the time I crossed the finish line. The latter half of the course has crazy hills on it; and they just keep coming, one right after another. I still wanted to participate in this race because it's just a great atmosphere and the organization is top notch. Rather than shred my legs, I opted for the 7 mile "Rookie's Run". What I love about this race is that all participants get a medal, not just for the half-marathon.

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Race 2 is the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon. This was my first half-marathon in 2012. I ran it with a time of 2:42:42. This year I am shooting for 2:20:00. This is a big race, with roughly 18,000 runners. The course support is exceptional and the crowds are very supportive and encouraging. Plus, part of the course runs through the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs. This place is very near and dear to my heart, as I began attending the Derby in 1985 at the age of 5. This is where my love of horses all started and is eventually what brought me to Kentucky 11 years ago this week.

Now that I am officially in training, I feel more determined than ever! I joined the RtB training group at Keeneland this morning to eat some hills for breakfast. I ran 6 miles on the course. This is the longest run I have done since marathon training, and it felt great! This time around, I am determined to get in regular strength and cross training. Better, Faster, Stronger. Let's do this!

Happy Saturday!

Weigh in Wednesday-Week 1

Well here it is, weigh in day. I've been really good this whole week, especially when it comes to my scheduled work outs and keeping track of my food. It's been awhile since I have been so diligent about logging every piece of food that I eat. I'm really proud of myself for that no matter what the scale says! Also, on a positive note, I've been doing really well with drinking water too! Yay!

So here it is, 1.4 pounds down! 

No run this morning, since I was feeling extra tired from getting up so early yesterday. I did end up doing a Jillian Michaels' DVD "6 Week Six Pack" just to get in some type of activity. Hopefully, I have similar results next week and I continue to follow my training plan! 

I'm a very visual person, so putting in on paper keeps me motivated!

The rest of my day was kind of blah, but I did have this for dinner!

Baked sweet potato and a turkey stuffed bell pepper. Yummy!

Happy hump day!

Brrrr...It's a Tad Bit Chilly

Saying it's cold outside would be an understatement! Thanks to this wonderful thing called a Polar Vortex, the temperature has been crazy cold. Like you step outside and it takes your breath away kind of cold.

Actual temperature was -2, but check out that windchill!

Knowing what the temperature was going to be this morning, I had planned on skipping my run. Fortunately an opportunity came up, and I was able to use  a treadmill at BodyFit Punch. They have Woodway Treadmills which are really cool because they have Slat Belt running surface. I have never used these before and was really excited to get to try one. 

The treadmill operates just like any other, but you can really feel a difference once you get going. I don't normally like running on the dreadmill, but this was great! What a smooth ride! I got in 3.5 miles and since I was able, I did a tempo run to break up the monotony. In a tempo run, you basically start slow, warming up for 10-15 minutes and then slowly speed up to a comfortably hard pace for 10-15 minutes, then you slow down to your slow pace for the remainder of your run.

The only downside to my run this morning was that my time slot was 5:00-6:00am. So I had to leave my house by 4:30 this morning! Yikes! But that's ok, 'cause my best friend came through for me today! Thanks coffee!

*Today's post was made possible by caffeinated coffee!

Happy New Year and 2014 Resolutions

Happy New Year friends!

I began 2014 in the same way I began 2013, with a run. I couldn't think of a better way to get this year going, than by doing my favorite thing! It was a little chilly, but what a beautiful morning!

I've been thinking a lot about where my training is going for 2014. Last year, my goal was to complete a full marathon...mission accomplished. This year, I've got some other ideas in mind.

Marathon training was rough. I gained weight, and got slower; not a great combination. So in 2014, I want to lose weight and get faster. 

There was a time, that I was really diligent about keeping a food journal. That just totally went out the window once I was running 30-40 miles per week. I started recording everything today, and I want to keep that going as long as I can. 

So here are some of my New Years Resolutions:

1. Lose 15 pounds

2. Log everything I eat in my food journal

    (I like the My Fitness Pal app)

3. Follow the weekly training plan that I created. 

4. Drink more water (I always fail when it comes to hydration. This year will be better)

5. Weigh in every Wednesday

Starting weight 1/1/2014

6. Get a pedicure

7. Get faster. I'm still shooting for running a 5k in under 30 minutes. My PR is 30:15, but my most recent time is 32:02, so I've got my work cut out for me.

8. Continue running with a group-I love the running community

9. Sign up for a race. I feel kind of lost without a race on the horizon.

10. I'm leaving this one blank for all the goals I'm forgetting at the moment.

What are your goals/resolutions for 2014?