Best run ever!

Since my best friend is back at this running business we have been trying to get a run in together every other week or so. The weather in Wisconsin has been very cooperative with us runners this year so it's been nice. (and by nice I mean above 0 and no snow which is a super huge deal around here.) We have started getting back into our routine of doing an official run every month. It keeps both of us in check and on track, we have big goals people, we don't mess around!

A few weeks ago we planned a run but the weather didn't want to cooperate and it was raining. Like seriously, raining, in Wisconsin, in December......so odd I can't even tell you..... so we met at the fitness center where I live to run indoors on the treadmills. We couldn't find a run to do in December because the one we wanted to do together was the day that I graduated so that timing was just not going to work. So we signed up for a virtual run because it had the cutest medal and came with cute gloves too. Even though we were running indoors and not part of a big group, we put on the bibs they sent us with our numbers on and we met at the fitness center. We hopped on treadmills and off we went. This was nice because Ashley is a much faster runner than I am so I didn't slow her down and we still got to run together the whole 5k! I set my speed and was like oh I'll just see how long I can go. I always run intervals so I figured run a few minutes then walk and figure out my timing from there. But as we were chatting and running I looked down and saw that I had run a half a mile. I didn't really say anything, and tried not to get nuts, but I have never run that far ever. I always start out too fast and end up having to walk after a bit. I am horrible at pacing myself. I felt great so I just kept going and then the numbers were creeping up to 1 mile. I was like, I can do the whole mile, I'll walk after that. But I kept going and just pushed myself a quarter mile at a time. People, I ran the entire 5k! This has never happened in all the history of my time running! I have finished half marathons, but I have never run an entire 5k, not even once! It was a huge day, and I felt great! My side did start to hurt a bit at the end but I did up my speed because I got antsy. Told you, horrible at pacing myself! And my bestie was there the whole time and we chatted and it was awesome! And then the guy working the front desk told us we had an awesome workout and I was thinking, you have no idea! All the people at the fitness center are so nice it's really great.

 See, aren't those medals so cute? It's totally all about the bling, can't even try and deny that.

 Love me some themed knee high socks for my runs!

There it is, 3.10 miles of straight up running! Not my fastest time, but I don't even care. It's not always about speed I have learned that.

Parker gave me a high five, he gets it.

Today Ashley and I had another running date, this time outside. It was cold, but still above freezing...according to Facebook and my memories, a few years ago on this same day it was -15 so like I said, this weather is huge! We met at the start of this trail that goes from one town to the next. Ashley said she has been wanting to run it a long time, and I always see people on it and want to be awesome like them. It goes right along the highway which isn't my favorite, but I didn't even notice that while we were running. We went 2 miles to the next town then turned and headed back for a total of 4.2 miles. We ran intervals, which is fine with me, she tells me what we are doing and I do it. It's a good system and it works for us so I go with it. I felt great, my legs felt awesome, except I think my shoes are nearing their end...total sad face... except, we were mere minutes away from me having my first ever running bathroom emergency. I am so thankful that I literally live a mile away from where we were parked! I was honestly contemplating the thought of hiding in the ditch and going potty, I hear stories of runners having to do it all the time, but I was ok. It was all good and the run was great! I love that my bestie and I have running dates and I love that she slows down for me, she is so nice!

 Of course no run is complete without the runfie!

Or the run stats, courtesy of Ashley because my GPS didn't start tracking until the last 2 miles....stupid phone....I've had a garmin in my Amazon wish list for months now and just can't pull the trigger and buy it for myself. Someday...soon, we have big goals you know, I need to know my stats!

Fancy piece of paper

The hugest thing ever has happened, I am officially graduated from college! I officially have an Associates of Applied Sciences degree in Management Development! I have been working on this fancy piece of paper for so long now that it doesn't even seem real to me. And in 6 to 8 weeks I will actually have the fancy piece of paper with my name on it!

 Here's me and my little man and my husband. My son says the sweetest things sometimes and he told me how proud he was of me and it made me cry. In reality it's all for him anyway so I'm glad that he gets it. My husband is very thrilled about taking pictures, but I made him do it anyway.

This is me and my big sister and little brother. It really meant the world to me that they took the time out of their days to come and see me get my diploma. Or more so the holder that my diploma will go in once I actually get it in the mail. I know it's only an associates degree, but it's a huge deal to me. I really honestly never thought this day would come. After high school I went to my dream college, and I totally hated it. It left me in a tail spin, I didn't have a back up plan and I had no idea what to do next. So it was 7 years before I went back to school. By that time I had been married and divorced and had Parker and had been with my current husband a few years. I worked full time and had a mortgage and being the traditional college student was no longer an option for me.

College was hard people. No joke, trying to balance it along with everything else was really a struggle and there were so many times I wanted to quit and just give up. I am so thankful for the people that helped me along the way, I never could have done it without them.

I actually graduated 3 weeks before my last classes were actually finished. Talk about pressure, hey you already walked, but there are still 3 weeks to fuck it up. Geez! There were a few things I was worried about, one being the final portfolio that is like a huge thing. It's a graduation requirement, and there is only 1 grade for the thing. No chance to make up for a bad grade, it's one and done kind of thing. But I totally nailed it, got a perfect score on it so I was super excited about that.

The other huge thing I was super stressed about in the last few weeks was my application to business school. When I got approved to graduate in December I applied to UW Whitewater's College of Business and Economics. They are super highly accredited for their business program, like in the top 5% of the country, so the pressure was on. Even though I met all the requirements to transfer, I had this huge fear that I wasn't going to get in. Once again, I didn't have a back up plan. I had only applied to the one school so if I didn't get in then I would have to take a semester off again, and I was super terrified that it would turn into 7 years off again.

Other people really felt my stress lately, my husband took the brunt of it and I have apologized more in the last month for being cranky than I have in the 7 years we have been together. My best friend has listened to me stress about it endlessly, and I am so lucky that she is totally amazing and just kept telling me that it would all be fine and she had no doubts that I would get in.

I have turned to fitness more and more lately to get rid of my stress. I have joined an awesome studio that has a super program and the support network is so incredible it's unbelievable! Working out has become my relaxation time, it's my time for just me and no one else. I do what I have to do and it's all about me and I don't feel bad about it one bit! But that's a different story, I'll get to that later.

So this past Tuesday was the official end of my semester, I had my final group presentation and then I was officially done with all classes. Still no word from Whitewater. I checked the mail every single day and was disappointed every single day when nothing showed up. But I was also relieved that nothing showed up because it meant that I was safe for one more day from being rejected. But Tuesday night I immediately felt completely lost. I had no homework that I had to be working on. I had no class to go to, and no project that was coming due. It has been so freaking long since this has happened that I seriously started to panic. What will I do with myself, I am so used to having all these pressing matters that need to be taken care of for school and now I was just done.

Wednesday I was on break at work and I got an email.... from Whitewater, congratulating me on my acceptance. Wait, I got in? I got in! Total spoiler alert, I didn't even get the letter in the mail saying that I was accepted, and I get an email telling me how to register for classes. I almost cried in the break room. No kidding, and I don't even care. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I didn't even realize how much stress I was under waiting for this letter, but apparently it was a lot. So, I have a few weeks of no homework and no pressure and then it's right back to the grind. Now that it's a reality I'm like crap, I can't fuck this up, this is a really good school and I want a fancy piece of paper with their name on it for my bachelor's degree. So here is to a few more years of school in my future!

Now, in 6 to 8 weeks I can really be excited when I get my diploma in the mail and can be all like yay my fancy piece of paper! Guess I can lay off stalking the mail box for a few weeks now though and take it easy!

It's Been Awhile....

Pretty sure that was a song title. I can even hear the tune in my head now. Hold please for a second so I can sing in my head.....

Ok, I'm back. I have not written in forever, but I've been busy. In fact, I should be doing homework right now, but it's Thanksgiving, I'm taking a holiday.

I started my holiday off right with a turkey trot in the morning. We had planned on doing a 5 mile run, but there was a slight issue with the route plan and we ended up doing 6 miles. It's cool, not the first time I have run 6 miles. I could have done without the rain, but it's not the first time I've run in the rain either.

There's me, my bestie Ashley, and her friend Shayla, who also happens to be a member of my fitness center but whom I have never met in person until today. I thought it was a great run, it didn't seem like a long 6 miles at all. You know how sometimes those miles just seem to drag on forever!

So this fitness center I mentioned, I found it through someone that I graduated high school with, she has been a member for awhile and loves it. It is this program that provides the workouts and the support and the community. It is the whole package and these ladies are so wonderful and supportive and it is exactly what I need! I have been a member for a few weeks when this current round of the program started and I love it so much! It keeps me accountable, we are broken up into smaller groups within the large group and every week there are individual challenges and so many extra things where ladies get together to work out and it is just wonderful! So far I have lost pounds for sure because we have a weekly weigh in, but I am mostly excited to check my measurements again at the end of the round to see what I have lost in inches.

There is a lot going on around here these days, I am graduating in just over a week! Yes, just over 1 week and I will have a college degree!!!! What next you ask, I'll tell you, start working on the next degree. I am so excited about getting this fancy piece of paper, but it is only step 1. An associates is not going to get me where I want to be so it's on to my bachelor's right away. I have applied to a highly accredited business school and am awaiting my answer. I am so totally stressed out about it, I think maybe worse than when I applied to college the first time while I was in high school. I was nervous then, but I was pretty confident that I would get in. But this time, it's different. My college journey has been rocky at best. The school is just waiting on my high school transcripts yet before they will look at my application and decide if I get in or not. Until then, I wait. and it is stressful. What if I don't get in? My associate's isn't going to get me anywhere, if I take a position with it I will take a pay cut. Ain't nobody going to school to make less money!

As of right now, I sorta have my ducks in a nice neat little row where I want them. I am getting back into a fitness routine so that I can conquer some big things next year. I am finishing up my degree, and my family is healthy. I have so much to be thankful for right now.

Dances With Dirt

 It's 10:28p.m. and I am wide awake. Like really awake, and I have to get up at 5:30a.m. for work. And my husband will be home around 11p.m. so even if I were to manage to fall asleep right now, I would wake up in a bit again because I wouldn't be asleep enough and I would hear him come in. So I figure, why not catch up a little bit on what's up around here.

Awhile ago I saw this thing on Facebook (cuz that's where all the best stuff comes from) about a half marathon at Devil's Lake State Park. Devil's Lake is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. There are these bluffs that you can hike up and look out over all this amazing scenery. One of them over looks the lake and I could just sit there for hours and be totally content not doing anything but enjoying the view. The first time I was here was when I was 17. I was in the Army Reserves and I was staying with one of my sergeants before we left for drill at Fort McCoy she drove to Devil's Lake and we went hiking up the previously mentioned bluff. I fell in love immediately. So when I saw this event, called Dances With Dirt, I was in. I asked my hubby if he would want to take a camping trip since it's a 2 hour drive to get there and he was up for it so I signed up and booked us a camp site a few months ago.

I knew that this half would require some extra training, trail runs are a whole different animal than street runs. So I started going to a local nature center and running there instead of in town. I found that I ran faster and easier than I ever have before. I think I found my niche. I may never go back. Well, ok, I will, but trail running is my favorite right now. I love being in nature, and there are no people looking at you, no passersby to gawk, none of those things that make me uncomfortable. There are occasionally other people on the trails, but they are always friendly.

Anyway, I did more planning for this half marathon than I ever have before. You see, this is the first one I have ever done without my bestie. She is the planner. She plans our training schedule, she plans a lot of the details for travel, she looks at the route maps and aid stations, she takes care of pretty much all the details. She likes it and she has never steered me wrong yet, so I let her do it. We have a system and it works pretty great. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. However, she is currently just shy of 30 weeks pregnant so no Dances With Dirt for her. But, I have learned that changing my lifestyle means getting out of my comfort zone. So I put on my big girl pants (or running capris, I have never run in pants, DOWN WITH PANTS!) and I did all the planning myself. Looking at the elevation maps, I knew that it would be a tough course. But let me tell you, those maps are very deceiving!

Brian and Parker were going with me to the run and were going to wait for me at the finish line. Neither of them have ever seen me finish a run before so I was so excited for this. I told them what I thought my finish time would be based on my last trail half marathon. Yeah, I was off, by quite a bit...oh well, hills happen and there were a lot of them.

At the starting line I wasn't really nervous which is very unusual for me. Usually I am a ball of nerves and feel like I may vomit. But I was calm, I didn't care about how fast I was, I just wanted to do it. It was so odd not standing at the finish line with Ashley, but I knew I would be ok. I got a new phone recently and stupid me, did not transfer my music onto it, so I had no music. No way, not going to work. Lucky for me, Brian had his sd card in our gps and it's loaded with all of his music. So he stuck it in my phone and bam, I had music. Can I just say that my husband and I have very very different tastes in music. But, I am not complaining, it was a music emergency. There is one song that I have started pretty much almost every single one of my runs with. I don't know why, it was the one that played at the start of my first ever run and now it has become my thing. It's like it tells my legs that it's time to get moving. Luckily, Brian has that one so it all worked out ok.

I started off slow because I am a back of the pack runner so there is this mob of people in front of me at the start and I ain't about to weave around them and waste precious energy. A little bit into the trail we got bottlenecked and had to go single file anyway, and were pretty much at a quick walk for a little bit because is was up this steep hill. In fact, the first 2 miles were completely uphill. THE WHOLE WAY! Mile 3 gave a little bit of relief with some flat land. Then miles 4 and 5 were pretty much all uphill again. I told myself to just keep moving, run when you can and walk when you need to, but just keep going. I felt pretty good, I was prepared with running fuel and knew where the water stops were. One issue, there was not a single mile that was marked on the entire run. Not One! Oh yeah, and in the middle of nature and shit, I kept hearing every runner's nightmare, GPS signal lost. So according to my gps of the run, I only did about 8 miles. And I can apparently fly because there are a lot of gaps in the map of my run.

At around mile 7.5 the trail was at the top of the bluff. This is the only time I came to a total stop for the whole run. I didn't care about my time, I had already texted Brian that I was behind what I thought I would be because there was so much more elevation climb than I thought.

 

This view is just absolutely breathtaking, and not just because I ran 7.5 miles mostly uphill to see it. We didn't climb the bluff with the beautiful lake view, but this was totally worth it too. I haven't seen this view before and it was incredible. I texted Brian a picture, I doubt I will ever get him up there, like the only thing he is afraid of is heights. Well, not heights, but unsecure heights, you know, like a ledge with no guard rails and loose rocks and the such.

 

 

Stupid me, I thought great, all this uphill means there should be plenty of downhill because the start and finish are at the same point. Yeah, there was some down hill. No, it was not awesome. Downhill kinda sucks on a trail run. See that narrow path in the middle of all those rocks, yeah, that's the trail right there. It wasn't all like that, but downhill trying to not trip and roll the rest of the distance is pretty much just as painful as the uphill climb was. I did indeed trip on a rock but I caught myself and saved myself from falling. But I also got a calf cramp in the process. Should have eaten a banana with breakfast. Didn't stop me though, I was on a mission.

Close to the end there was a gentleman that passed me, I'd say late 40's to mid 50's, I'm bad with that stuff. Anyway, he looked at his watch and said "only 2.5 miles left, just think of how good it will feel when you finish." He had a black race bib which meant he was running the 50 mile run. 50 miles, BADASS!!! I was like, I haven't done nearly as much as you have. and he goes " it doesn't matter, 13.1 miles is still 13.1 miles". That moment right there reminded me of just how awesome the running community is. This guy had run 47 miles and still took the time to encourage me, the girl only doing 13 miles. Like how great is that?

So I finished, slower than I had thought, but I did it, and when I came out of the woods I could see Brian and Parker waiting for me. I almost cried, it was so great to see them there waiting for me. I can't even tell them how much it meant to me to have them there. I told Parker that it made me really happy because I know that it was a boring wait for them there. and he told me "of course Mom, I would do anything to see you finish". That boy, he is all sorts of awesome! Love him and Brian to pieces!

Check out that freaking awesome medal! It's also a bottle opener and the horns are shiny/sparkly/awesome.

 Then I spent the rest of the day wearing these! Compression socks rock!

And playing life size checkers with my boys. Molly tried to help, but I don't think she gets it. The campground also had giant chess but we didn't play that. There was also a swimming pool and we spent a lot of time in there swimming, it was pretty great.

Apparently vacation is exhausting!

Overall, the weekend was fantastic, the run was great and totally worth it, and I plan on doing it again next year! All the hills and pain and all of it, totally worth it!

Should have been a ballerina

    I am so graceful that I should have been a ballerina. I am certain of it. I would have been fantastic. I can't even type that with a straight face. I am so not graceful. At all. After I did the mini tri, I decided that swimming is a pretty good workout and I wanted to incorporate it into my workout schedule. My Thursday yoga class got cancelled and my friend Sarah and I decided to go swimming instead. Sarah is fantastic and I recently learned that she used to be a swimmer. This was awesome because she gave me some great advice on breathing techniques and she also complimented my head condom. The swim was really great, I did 14 laps, I should have done one more and made it 15 but I'm a dork. I look forward to swimming with Sarah again, she makes it look easy. The swim was awesome and I felt great!

   When we were finished I walked into the locker room, and whacked my toe on the bench. Like really hard, and it hurt really badly and it started to bleed immediately! Yup, me, the queen of grace. Told you I should have been a ballerina.

 

But then I remembered that we have Despicable Me bandaids and the world was all ok again. This incident happened a few weeks ago. Update on my toe, it doesn't really hurt anymore, but the toenail is going to fall off. It's not attached by much anymore and I am going to loose another toenail. This trying to get fit thing sure is costing me a lot of toenails! 

Just after the toe incident my local pool closed for it's yearly cleaning and maintenance. It reopened this week and I am very excited to get back in the water. Hopefully without injuring any more toes. Or anything else for that matter.

 

My dreams of becoming a graceful ballerina have been destroyed, but maybe there is still hope for me somewhere.

Guess Who's Back! And I'm BADASS!!

  Guess who's back, back again. Shady's back, tell a friend.... Well, I don't know if Shady is back or not that's a lie, but I'm back. I haven't blogged much lately and I am a bit behind.

   Earlier this month I did a new thing. You see, after my knee incident in January and not finishing the Dopey Challenge, I was talking to my friend at work. I was telling her that I still super love running, but I have been itching to branch out and try some other things as well. I told her how one day I would love to do a triathlon. Not long after this conversation she got a membership at the YMCA (c'mon you know you wanna sing it out loud, do it!) Not long after she joined she comes to work and tells me that her Y is holding a mini triathlon. She said it, and I'm like we have to do it! She wasn't totally sure, but I was like nope, we are in. So we had about 5 weeks to train for this thing. It didn't seem too bad, the only part I was worried about at all was the swim. I don't swim. I haven't swam laps since grade school and I remember nothing about swimming form. We ordered some gear, cuz we all know that having the gear makes you legit and that's all that matters.

    Before I knew it the weeks were gone and the day was here. Oh yeah, and I made it to the pool exactly 1 time to practice. Not even joking, I went there several times, but it was closed to the public, there were no open lanes, a bunch of stuff just happened. I tried getting up an extra hour early for work, (4:30a.m.) but that didn't happen. Then the time was gone and the day was here. I seriously thought about not going. Like full on debated on what excuse I could use that would get me out of it without looking like a jerk. People would see me, I was going to look ridiculous, I had no idea if I could even finish. There was a whole laundry list of excuses that kept going on in my head. But then I rememebered that most of physiclal activities are totally mental. So I pulled my head out of my butt and just started driving. (With my GPS of course because I have never even been to this town.)

     I arrived and met up with my friend, Joanna, and we went in to register. I saw all these people that looked very physically fit, and there was even a guy with an ironman tat. I soon after saw said ironman guy fall and get hauled out by an ambulance and then I thought I was totally screwed. I started to get all up in my own head again, but then I just calmed myself and got ready.

   

 

We got numbers on our legs and I felt all legit and stuff! I told myself all I had to do was finish and I'd be happy. We had a time goal of about an hour and a half but I really wasn't sure on that, just finish I said, just finish.

 

So it was finally our turn and the swim was first. Ok, at least I'll get the hard part out of the way right away then it should get easier. I started the swim and that shit is exhausting! I ended up finishing with the backstroke. Ain't no shame in that, I finished. Then I put on my running stuff, do you have any idea how hard it is to get dressed straight out of the pool? It's pretty hard. My socks did not want to go on like at all. I already hate wearing socks and shoes and this did. not. help. I hopped on my bike (oh yeah, the swim and the bike were indoors) and started to pedal away. The bike portion wasn't bad at all, no hills on an indoor bike so that was great. Except I worked up quite a sweat. It was dripping off of me. Sorry people, your spin bike now has some of my funk. It's ok, I've got extra, I sweat like a dude. Can't help it, it is what it is.

 

When the bike hit 5 miles I was off for the run...Careful on the steps though, they take people out! My legs felt odd of course, but they felt pretty good. The run portion was a 5k and was outdoors. They ran the tri in heats, and we were in the last heat so when we started the run there were literally 3 of us out running. And that other girl, she was fast and she was on her way back way ahead of us. The run was an out an back and there was a really really big hill right before the turn around. I walked that thing. Didn't even care. I was tired and it was a big hill. I finished the swim right around 15 minutes, and the bike had taken me 20 minutes almost exactly, and the 5k ended up being a little under 45 minutes. So I totally finished in way under 1 and a half hours.

1 hour 14 minutes and 15 seconds to be precise!

 

Here is my friend Joanna and I at the finish. She came in about a minute ahead of me. So we finished the mini triathlon, and crushed our time goals. Technically that makes me a triathlete and that makes me BADASS!!! I am so happy to finally be badass!

 

And that number took about 3 days to scrub off my leg. But that's ok, it was awesome! And I am pretty sure that we have decided that we are going to do this again next year. (Also I am pretty sure I shall convince Ashley to do it as well, she just doesn't know it yet)

 

 

A week in the life

Hey there, it's been awhile. But, I've been busy, just wait until I tell you. Actually I don't even have time to be doing this right now but I just finished a big homework assignment and I need a bit of a break before I dive right into the next one.

My life right now is pretty nuts. In a few weeks it will hopefully settle down, but right now it is absolutely crazy and I am really thankful that I have NOTHING on my schedule for today.

Let's start with Monday, I wake up at 5:30am, get ready for work, wake Parker up (he doesn't really need to get up so early but he likes to see me in the morning before I leave for work.) and get out the door for work by 6am. I work until 3:15pm drive almost 45 minutes and pick Parker up from his after school thing. It's pretty much a babysitter, but it's right at the school so he doesn't need to worry about going anywhere, and they help him get his homework done which is a total blessing some days. We get home about 4:15pm and I have literally 30 minutes to change my clothes, get Parker food and get back out the door again. I take Parker to my brother's house, he is super awesome to watch him so I can go to class. After I drop Parker off I head to school, I am very thankful it's not far at all or my schedule just would not work. I have class from 5 to 9:20pm although most times we get out early which is very nice. After class I head over to my brother's, pick up Parker, and head home. I get Parker in the shower and off to bed then get myself in the shower before collapsing into my bed. No spare moment to think.

Tuesday, simple, repeat Monday except a little more tired and worn out.

Wednesday, same procedure in the morning, work, then picking up Parker after school. We go home and we actually have a little bit to relax. And by relax I mean catch up on the dishes and laundry and go through Parker's backpack and make sure all his stuff is taken care of and then actually cook a meal for us. Then on a typical Wednesday I go to my bestie's house and we workout. I know that I don't have to fit this in my schedule, but actually, yes I do. One thing I have learned through this journey is that it is very important to take care of myself and to put me first sometimes.  After the workout, it's just some time to chill a bit with Parker before bed.

Thursday is another busy day, same work routine, after I pick up Parker we have exactly one hour to get him to Tae Kwon Do class. Class is in the opposite direction of home so it doesn't really pay to go home for a few minutes to turn around and go back the way we came. So we get some food then it's time for class. After class we head back to home just in time for me to make my yoga class. Now yes, I again realize I do not have to do this. But it is very relaxing and also helpful to stretch my muscles after the beating they get at work.

Friday was an easy day. Work, no Parker after work because it's his dad's weekend. I got an oil change after work, then met my brother for some supper and just general chatting. Then I came home and crawled into bed and did some homework. I was still up when Brian got home from work so we watched a little tv before going to sleep.

Then there is today. I have felt myself getting sick all week. Today it is full blown and I feel pretty miserable. I want to lay in bed and sleep, but I have a ton of homework to get done. Brian is at work so I am home all alone. I also have a lot of stuff I want to get done around the house, but I just feel like junk. Guess that shouldn't surprise me, pretty much everywhere you look someone is sick right now. It only makes sense that I would get it too.  So the plan today is to sit around in my pj's and do homework. Perfectly acceptable because the homework needs to get done so I can get my fancy piece of paper. My to do list is about a mile long and I just don't care right now.

Next week will pretty much be a repeat of this week. But throw in the fact that Parker turns 8 on Tuesday. Don't get me started on that right now, I can't even handle it. What happened to my baby?

Until next time, here's to hoping I survive this craziness a few more weeks until spring break. Then it's a whole week off of school, which means an extra week for homework!

I want to hug the scale, then kick it

  Today is the last day of January, and I pretty much weigh myself everyday. Like for real, every. single. day. When I get up and before I go to bed. When I was in Florida for the Dopey Challenge I didn't have a scale. But I wasn't all the concerned because I knew I was burning big amounts of calories. You know what's awesome about being a distance runner? Carbs! I love carbs and for that week I loaded up on them and I didn't care. I knew what I weighed before I left, but I wasn't sure what to expect when I got home.
   So I got home, cuz obviously if I am typing this then the plane did not crash as I feared it would, and I weighed myself. Before bed, like I know you aren't supposed to do. But the scale was kind to me and told me I was down 4 pound. Pretty sweet deal, I'll take it. I was determined not to undo that 4 pound loss, so I worked really hard at watching what I ate for the next week because I knew I was not going to be working out. It was hard, giving up the carbs. I really love carbs! But, I did well and the scale loved me some more. One week later I had lost another 4 pounds. I thought the scale was playing tricks on me so I weighed myself a few times just to make sure. Sure thing, down 8 pounds since before vacation.
    The next weekend I didn't control what went into my mouth so much. It's really hard for me when my husband is around. He suggests pizza and I'm like ok I'm in. I love carbs! So by Monday I had gained back 2 of those hard lost pounds. Total sad face, but I can't be mad, I did it to myself. I knew the consequences. I have started running again, and Ashley and I are working out together 2 days a week. I like having set days to do it where I know she is waiting for me because it keeps me accountable and makes me do it. It's easy to just skip a workout when no one is bugging you to do it. So I easily dropped the 2 pound weekend gain.
    And then I stepped on the scale again...who am I kidding, I never skipped a day. That would be outrageous! And some more weight came off! So, since before I left for Disney on January 6th, I am officially down 12 pounds! I am so freaking excited, but at the same time grumpy because it is now the weekend again. I love the weekend, but, as you may have figured out, I also love carbs. I know that most people say that an obsession with the scale is a bad thing, but not for me. It keeps me on track. I hate to see that number go up, so if I monitor it on the daily, then I know what's going on. I also know that there will be fluctuations, I'm no fool. I don't freak out over a gained pound from morning to evening. I also know that if I eat carbs, I will gain weight.
   That being said, it has been a hard few weeks, I've had to plan ahead and keep crap away. I've had to watch Parker eat pizza while I enjoy a salad. I did have a few chips, and some skittles. (come on, they released a new orchard flavor pack, had to try it) but even so, managed to still lose. But now, I am sitting here on a Friday night and I WANT PIZZA AND PASTA AND BREAD like you would not believe!
  I am so close to hitting the 40 pound total weight loss mark that I can almost taste it! (It doesn't taste like shoving my face full of carbs, just incase you are wondering) But let me tell you, this battle sucks! Like big time! I wish I could just be one of those people that could eat all the things and not look like they eat all the things. Even though I can fit into jeans I haven't worn in years, and dresses that I have never been able to wear, it's not all daisies and sunshine. It's hard work and sweat and pain and going to bed craving junk food. I would love to give my scale a big hug for being kind to me and rewarding my efforts, but then I would like to kick it because I am a slave to those numbers and probably always will be.

Nap time

  From the moment my alarm clock went off this morning I was thinking about taking a nap. Like no kidding, I hit the snooze and thought, I don't have anything to do after work today, I think I will take a nap. Parker will be with his dad, Brian will be at work, I shall nap. Then I went to work and felt about the same amount of tired as normal. I got home and let the dog out, fed the kittens, and went upstairs....and didn't take a nap. Instead I grabbed my laptop and my school book and headed to the couch and got my learning on. I read a chapter for class, which made me really want to take a nap, and then got some homework done. I never did take that nap. And now it's too late. But, that's ok. I've learned I really don't need to nap. But alas, I will probably end up in bed by 8pm to watch a bit of tv before falling asleep. I will also get some sort of workout in tonight. I think I may even hit the treadmill. My knee has been feeling pretty good lately, with the exception of stairs and this side to side hop thing that Ashley and I did during our workout on Tuesday. Know what I've learned, (I'll tell ya) I've learned that the busier I am, the better I feel. Yes when I got up this morning I was tired and wanted to crawl back into bed, but I know that skipping a nap and getting in a run is going to make me feel even better.

   Speaking of feeling better, when I was on my Disney adventure, I didn't weigh myself once. I ate all the carbs, like for serious, every freaking one!  and I didn't think about it once. I came home 4 pounds lighter than when I left. Might have something to do with the 30 some miles of adventure we did while there, I don't know, just a thought, probably couldn't get away with eating that all the time and lose 4 pounds. Since I have gotten home from vacation, not only have I maintained that loss, but I have actually lost 4.5 more pounds! People, this puts me really close to the 40 pounds lost mark! I am thinking that I am going to buy myself something when I reach that goal. I haven't bought myself "gifts" so far for losing weight, but I am kinda getting to that point where it's an actual significant amount gone. (and never coming back, sorry you are no longer welcome here!)
   
    That being said, it's important for me to have things to do. The last year has been spent looking forward to the dopey  challenge. Now that it's over, I need something new. So I have been contemplating a few things and working out my plan of attack. I need events, I just do or I am not motivated. I'm a girl, I have shiny object syndrome, the bling of these events motivates me. I don't care if it's shallow, whatever, it's gotten me almost 40 pounds lighter, let's keep this going.  I guess my point here is this, if you are bored reading about my running adventures, you should probably not continue reading in the future because I really love the running and I plan on doing it a lot. (Like continuing the event every month thing)

  I bought a spiralizer and it came and I tried it out this week. IT IS AWESOME!!! I made zoodles, which are zucchini noodles, and I put it with chicken and mushrooms that I cooked in a teriyaki sauce. It was sooooo yummy!!!! The sauce actually isn't bad for you except the huge amounts of sodium, but I try not to worry about that because I don't actually add salt to food when I cook or eat. An awesome low carb dinner that I know I will be making again real soon! I also have plans to spiralize a lot more things, so watch out, spiraled veggies are coming!

   By the way, did you know that whole grain peanut butter poptarts have like 72 grams of carbs in them? I started eating them before longer runs and never looked at the nutrition facts. Well, yeah....guess that explains why they are great running fuel....and not going in my lunch box like ever again! that's almost half my daily allowance of carbs right there, not worth it! I will still probably eat them before long runs, but I get extra carbs those days so I don't think it matters.

  

That thing that I did...almost part 3

Yeah, I know, a part 3! I can't help it, a week of adventure is just too much to put into one post. By Saturday Morning we were getting to be pros at the pre race rituals. Get in van, go to Epcot, wait obscene amounts of time, then run. Saturday was the half marathon, 13.1 miles! (Not really a huge deal, I've already done 2 before) The starting area was in a different spot than before, and we had to walk 20 minutes to get there. No joke, it really was that long of a walk there. Then of course we had to wait... and wait some more.

Disney knows how to do things, even in the 2nd to last corral we got fireworks at the starting line! The energy and support at Disney is incredible! Actually, in all of Florida it was amazing! Everyone that we talked to that found out why we were there and what we were doing was so supportive and positive about it. We wore our medals while we were at Magic Kingdom and the congratulations we got were awesome! And it was only the 10k at that point. That's like a shorter run for me now. (Man I remember when I thought I wouldn't survive a 5k)

Half way point selfies! (So many selfies this week!)

Finish line photo, not a selfie, got some guy on a bench to take it for us. Thanks Ashley for sending me this one!

More selfies of me and my medal. I know I've done 2 half marathons before this, but it was still quite an accomplishment for me! Not too long ago I never would have thought that I could finish a half. I'm not saying I'm fast or anything, I'm really slow, but I will continue to work and get better and better. It's actually getting to be a distance that I enjoy doing now. Plus you almost always get a medal for doing a half so that's even more awesome!

 

After the half we didn't do a whole lot. Took a little nap, ate some food, and went to bed. I think it was like 7p.m. when and we were both asleep. Yeah, we're old, we can't party like we used to. (Who am I kidding, Ashley and I have never partied) But, we had a super early wake up, I think it was 2:45am...IN THE MORNING!!!

 

So we got up and got ready and got in the van to go to Epcot. Then we walked the 20 minutes to our starting line for the super long wait. But it was the last time so it was ok. We were smart by then, we found a spot and sat down. No need to stand for the whole time. This is the point at which I began to wonder. What the hell was I thinking? What have I gotten us into? Why am I here? But I told my brain to shut up. 26.2 miles to go and it would all be done. I would have done what I came to Disney to do. My knee was already bugging me after we finished the half on Saturday. But I figured it would be ok. It was just sore, I had never done so many miles in a weekend before. Suck it up and keep moving. I have a way of getting into my own head. But not this time, I was determined to do this. I know very well that running is a very mental thing. My first half I wanted to quit so badly. It would be so easy to just give up. No one would be surprised, I'm fat, they would expect it from me. But I pulled together everything I had and I finished that half. Then I went on to do another one and another one. So at the starting line of this full marathon, with 26.2 miles in front of me, I was ready. I was sore, but I was ready. I had a plan for staying hydrated and fueled so I had the energy. And I had Ashley. All I had to do was keep up with Ashley. We started this together, we finish this together.  Yeah, that lasted 4 miles. I couldn't keep up with her. She was going at this easy pace and not even breaking a sweat, and I was in tons of pain and exhausted. I just kept pushing myself as fast as I could and trying to ignore the pain in my knee. I kept moving and didn't stop. Through the weekend I had learned how to drink at the water stops without stopping or spilling on myself. I kept seeing the mile markers and I thought I can do this, just 17 more miles. Only 15 more miles, no big deal. I stopped at a medical tent and put some bio freeze on my knee in hopes that it would help. But it didn't. It just made my knee feel all minty fresh and tingly, but it still hurt like hell. There was a point when I remember thinking that it had hurt less to give birth to my son, and I did that with no pain killers. I was maxed out on Tylenol, I had tried the biofreeze, and I was still in so much pain. I wanted to cry, but I did not want to stop. I knew all I had to do was stay in front of the balloon ladies. Those are ladies walking with balloons and if they pass you, you can get swept up at any time and will not be allowed to finish because you were too slow. All I had to do was keep moving and not get swept. I couldn't even see the balloon ladies so I was fine. Mile 11....mile 12... mile 13 around mile 13 it started to rain. Great, rain...oh well, I'm already covered in sweat, what does it matter. At the 13 mile mark they told me and those around me that we were about 6 minutes ahead of pace. 6 minutes in front of the balloon ladies, ok, I got this. There were still a lot of people around me so I wasn't too afraid, I was keeping up with people so it was ok. But it hurt so bad. We went into Animal Kingdom and people were starting to go into the park to spend their day. They stopped to cheer us on, it was awesome! Around one of the curves I caught sight of a white tent. I knew it was a medical tent and I thought sweet, maybe they can wrap my knee up a bit, the support might help me out. I didn't have time to waste. So when I got there, I told a lady that I was having a lot of pain in the back of my knee. She said she had seen me coming towards the tent and it looked like I was in pain. I didn't have full range of motion and I couldn't put weight on it without experiencing massive amounts of pain. She told me that she highly advised me not to continue. At some point you have to accept what your body is telling you. I knew she was right. I had a lot of distance to cover yet, and at the rate I was going I would get swept up. So I had to accept defeat, and there at mile 13.9 I got on the medical bus and threw up my white flag. I wasn't the only one, the bus was pretty full. Injuries of all sorts had claimed runners. There was a guy with blood coming out of the top of his shoe, I'm pretty sure he was worse off than me.

 

But, I got me a nice ice wrap and it felt pretty good! Or it numbed the pain, whatever, it helped that's all that mattered. When we got off the bus they gave us one of those fancy race blankets made of aluminum foil and they also gave us our marathon medal. I didn't expect to get one since I hadn't finished the marathon, but they felt we deserved them. At this point I am looking at it as a half marathon medal because I did do more than a half marathon before my knee got the best of me.

 

I had a long time to wait for Ashley to finish, it turns out when I was getting my knee wrapped up she had passed mile 15 so even in my injured state I guess I was making pretty good time. I tried to get close to the finish line, but it was super packed. It rained for quite awhile so there was no dry place to sit down. I ended up waiting past the gear check tent. I had a lot of time to think. And to get angry with myself. I was so mad that I had gotten hurt. But I was even more mad that I didn't finish. I kept hearing people walk around with their medals clanking together and I'm not afraid to admit, I cried. By not finishing the marathon I didn't get the goofy challenge medal or the dopey challenge medal. I didn't do what I had come to Disney to do. I was so disappointed. I had failed. When Ashley finished I was so happy for her. But I can't lie, I was jealous. She finished, she got all 6 medals and got to go home and say she did it. I got to come home and say I failed. But, I'm fat, people expect me to fail at these kind of things. Even so, would have been nice to prove them wrong. But, I failed because of my knee, I didn't fail because I gave up. And that means something to me. There was a time not too long ago that I would have just quit and let them pick me up for being to slow. But not any more. I don't get in my own head so bad anymore.

 

This is me and the 4 medals I did earn. And that is my mt dew. It was my reward for the weekend. After we got home and I picked Parker up from school I went to buy it and I was so excited to have it. Then I took 2 small drinks out of it and dumped it out. It was nasty and it hurt my stomach. So, 30 some miles in a weekend, and I couldn't even enjoy the reward I had promised myself. Sound about right, that's how it goes.

 

Monday we flew home. Well, from Orlando to Detroit then to Milwaukee then met our ride and then were home. It was awful to come back to the cold weather, but it was worth it to give my boy a giant hug. I didn't want to let him go. But, he is at that point where it's not cool to hug mom, so I let go. He was pretty excited by my medals. He thinks I'm like a super hero or something. I tell him all the time that I'm not. That everyone gets the medals for the races not just the fastest ones. But he still thinks I am awesome. I'll take it. Tuesday I went back to work. It sucked. I couldn't walk normally my knee still hurt a ton. Today sucked pretty badly as well. I played the suck it up game and did my best to walk normally. It sucked. It hurt. I wanted to cry. But, it hurts a little less everyday so I am hopeful that it is on the mend and I will be able to run again shortly. So I did that thing that I set out to do...almost. I didn't finish it, but I also didn't quit. I'm not sure what is next in store for me, but I'm sure it will involve more running and more shiny medals. It really doesn't get old looking at them hanging on the wall. Yeah I'm egotistical like that, they all hang in my dining room. I worked hard for them, they mean a lot to me, damn right I will display them.

That thing that I did...almost part 2

 When I last left off it was Wednesday and we had picked up our race bibs and packets. The bibs were pretty awesome, they had our names on them and everything. How cool is that?

Thursday we had to get up bright and early. Well not bright because it was still quite dark out. We woke up to a wind chill advisory. What the heck does a wind chill advisory mean in Florida? I'm from Wisconsin born and raised, to me that means -10 degrees or more. Apparently in Florida it means about 42 degrees. Not bad right? WRONG!! It doesn't seem bad until you are standing outside in it for 2 and a half hours IN RUNNING CLOTHES! We. Were. Cold! and pretty miserable. With the event being so big they had us get there really early, and we were in the last corral so after the first runners started it was about another 45 minutes before we even got to start. No kidding, they were finishing the 5k before we even started it.

 

We finished the whole 5k and we were still cold. We had planned on going to Magic Kingdom afterwards because it was the shortest run, but it was just too cold out. Yeah I know, we are from Wisconsin, it wasn't that bad, but it was.  So we enjoyed the hot tub and went to bed.

 

Friday was the 10k, again no big deal, only 6.2 miles. So we did that, and then we went to Magic Kingdom. The run ended at Epcot so we took 2 different monorails to get into Magic Kingdom. Like I said before, I've never been to Disney World before so I was pretty excited.

 

The very first ride we decided to go on was Peter Pan's Flight. There was no wait so we were like bring it on! Of course, the ride had a problem while we were on it, and the whole thing stopped! We were left hanging in the air, in the pitch black! But they got it going pretty quickly again and everything was all fine and dandy. We went on a few more rides, including an actual roller coaster.

Here is us (and our medals) on Big Thunder Mountain.

 

And here is a picture I got of Princess Jasmine, cuz she is my favorite!

 

And more selfies of me and my medal! I know it was only a 10k, but it's all about the bling!

That thing that I did...almost part 1

 Remember how I have gone on and on and on about the Dopey Challenge? Well the time finally came, and I did it....almost. I'll get to that, but first you have to go through all the boring details. Sorry that's life, deal with it.

So my excitement and nervousness has been steadily building for a long time about this adventure. There were going to be a lot of firsts for me on this trip. First time in a commercial airplane, first time to Florida, first time to Disney World, first marathon......so there I was the night before we were leaving and I finally decide to pack my things. No big deal, I had a list made of the important things I couldn't forget. I borrowed some luggage from my brother, glad I did because the duffel bag I was going to use would not have cut it! I finally finished packing about 10p.m. and headed to bed. In the morning I got up and showered and did what any normal person would do, I wrote an "In case the plane crashes and I die" letter. Totally normal right? Whatev, don't judge, it could happen and if it did I wanted to be prepared. Then I woke up Brian and we were off.

Brian delivered us to the airport safely, and since our flight got moved back a few times, we were plenty early. I've never been in an airport before, so I am glad that we were in Milwaukee because it was small. Ashley is a pro at these things so she got us all taken care of. We had a bite to eat and went through security. Enter the beginning of the adventure. I had read all the lists, I had my luggage all packed accordingly so there was nothing in my carryon that shouldn't be. I wasn't wearing a belt and I had no pockets to hide things in. I wasn't wearing baggy clothing, I was perfect.....except, I apparently didn't get the memo that putting your hair in a bun makes you suspicious! So I immediately got the pat down! No biggy, they are just there for our safety so it's cool. But at the time I was like what makes me so suspicious? I didn't get it until she said that she was going to feel my hair. I mean really, I don't have nice hair or anything, why do you want to feel it? Anywhoo, after security we waited... and waited some more. That was fine, gave me a chance to get all nervous and shit, you know, plane crashing and what not. I was prepared for entering the plane, my 7 year old filled me in on that. (Yep, he is a more seasoned traveler than I am. Although he did try to convince me the plane was going to Maine not Florida)

SO we get on the plane and Ashley is by the window and I continue to get more freaked out. For a minute I considered totally losing it so they would yank me off the plane, but getting thrown in airport jail didn't seem like a better option. So I kept telling myself that the pilots knew what they were doing and we would be fine.  The plane started to move and I panicked a bit, but we weren't even taking off yet so I calmed down. We got all lined up and started going real fast down the runway and Ashley is all like sweet I love the take off, and I'm all like OMG we are going to die! But the plane took off and I continued to freak out inside my head. I quickly learned that as long as I could see out the window I was ok. So I spent most of the flight sitting awkwardly so that I could see outside. Apparently I get claustrophobic, which I already knew but I didn't realize that it applied to airplanes as well. The flight from Milwaukee to Atlanta was ok, it was our longest flight but was pretty uneventful.

Ashley navigated us through the airport in Atlanta, we got to ride a train (I think it was more like a subway, but they call it a train so whatever we will go with that then) and we made it to our next gate and waited a bit before getting on our second plane. This time Ashley and I weren't seated together, but she was right in front of me so it was ok. I had a window seat so I was excited, except it was directly on the wing.

 

 Did you know the wing does this wobbling thing while you are flying? It's kind of freaky when you are already convinced that you are going to die in a plane crash. But I told myself it was normal, I mean hello, dangle anything like that in high winds and it will wobble. Logic made sense here so I just tried to enjoy the scenery. It is something amazing to be above the clouds.

 

The lights at night as we came into Orlando were absolutely incredible! And there is that wing again, still attached to the plane. From the airport we took a shuttle to our hotel, which was actually close to an hour from the airport, I didn't realize it was that far but I guess hello, can't put an airport right in the city duh! We got checked into the hotel, threw our bags in our room and went for some Ihop. Yup, across the country on a big adventure and we go to Ihop, that's how we roll and it was delicious! When we got back to the room I discovered that my luggage had also been subject to search by the tsa. Apparently I am a rather suspicious person. But, all my underpants were brand new so it's all good, nothing interesting in there, search away. Thanks little bro for giving me luggage with a million pockets in which to conceal dangerous items.

 

Wednesday we had to get our race bibs and packets so we figured out how to get to our destination. We had 2 options, pay a taxi to take us directly there, or take a very roundabout way that took 2 hours to essentially go a mile from our hotel but was free....of course we chose the roundabout way, we had all day anyway. So we got on a shuttle bus outside our hotel that took us to Magic Kingdom. From there we took a ferry across the lake to the Magic Kingdom entrance.

Picture from said ferry.

 

After we got off the ferry we got on a bus that took us to the Pop Century hotel. Guess what, on the way we went back out the exact way we had come in..aye aye aye. We got off the bus and onto another bus that took us to where we needed to be. On the way back we just paid a taxi, why not get all forms of public transportation in one day right? First time in an actual taxi cab there. Had one of those meters and everything.