Half Marathon Training - Day 1

Well, technically I am on day 2, but yesterday was so busy, I didn't get a chance to post... One of the ladies that helps run the DRC (Dallas Running Club) said that we should keep a journal to track this season's running - so I am doing it! I hope to post once a week (on Sunday) to recap my week!

So here goes, day 1.... I was totally nervous! I got up at 5 and was out of the house by 5:15. We meet to run by white rock lake at 6 to get started... One the program was 4 miles.. But I started my timer as soon as we left the parking and I tracked us at actually doing 5! That is crazy.. Only time I have done more than that was the Cowtown 10K in 2013! I was very lucky, as the temp was only 68, we had a storm system come through earlier in the week and it really helped me for sure!!

The group I am in actually does a run walk, we run 2 min and walk 1.. Thank goodness, because I was not sure if I could pull off this distance since I have not run in awhile (over a year really).... But other than twisting my ankle in the first like 5 minutes, I think  I did okay! Now, I am really sore today, but it is a good sore for sure!

What I wore: blue champions v-neck t-shirt, black champion running capris, adidas socks (NEVER WEAR AGAIN) and my mint green adidas running shoes. Everything was great except the socks. I have a blister on my heel and that has never happened in my adidas shoes.. Must wear different ones next time.

I am excited to kick off my first full week of training, today I have to do an hour of cross training but I think all I am going to be able to do is to walk for an hour, I am that sore!!

Wish me luck!
XOXO

Right path

So I am finally back on the right path.. Tracked my points yesterday and am down a pound.. One at a time, right?? Well, boot camp is back in rotation and I covered a class last night for the owner and so now i get 2 months of camp for free. I am stoked!

My goal is to post updates on Mondays after I weigh in..... Let's get this done!

Might be crazy!

For a couple of years now I have gone back and forth about my desire to run a 1/2 marathon... From absolutely to no way in hell - literally sometimes in the same day....

Well, I literally took my first steps towards a November 2nd half marathon today.. I am starting slowly, like really slowly but I am ready to do it.. My sister's are going to run it with me, so that will be fun.. Well maybe fun isn't the correct adjective but you know what I mean.

For me to be able to do this, I need to lose like 40 lbs before then. Good news is I really want to lose like 30 before heading to the beach in mid-June. I think this will help me to get these especially adding it to boot camp and indoor soccer once a week..

I can do this.....

XOXO

Spring Style Challenge

So I entered this Spring Style Challenge. I am super excited.. Check it out here:

http://getyourprettyon.com/style-me-challenge-spring-2014/

Off the wagon.....

It has been a tough first quarter of the year for me! The weather has been very cold and I just have not been able to muster the strength to get my workouts going... However, I signed back up for boot camp this month... I have not gone as often as I like OR as often as needed, but I am going and that is what matters!

Every time I feel like I have Weight Watchers all 'figured out' and my eating habits under control I cancel my membership and vow to keep it up on my own.. When am I ever going to learn?? UGH! Signed back up last month, but just now really getting going.

We leave for the beach in 12 weeks. I WILL be down back at my lowest point from the fall of 2012 - guaranteed!!!

Wish me luck!!

Blog Give Away!!!

OK, so there is a blog that I read literally everyday that gives great ideas for outfits and individual pieces of clothing, jewelry and shoes... It is the BEST!! I have purchased several outfits based on her blog posts...

Check it out, Pinterest Told Me To!!!

http://pinteresttoldmeto.blogspot.com/2013/12/on-1st-day-of-christmas-cyber-monday.html#comment-form

There is the link to her blog and the current contest!!

Happy Shopping!!
XOXO

Post Advocare Challenge Update!!

Ready for it??? 14 pounds lost!!!!!!!!!!!!  Woohoo! I feel great and am excited to continue this new way of eating.....

Bring it!

XOXO

Week 8

Well, I am closing in on the end of my 24 day challenge... It will be done on Wednesday... I am down (as of this morning) 12.8 lbs! So exciting!! I am very proud of myself.. Halloween, and the 5 events we participated in, came and went and I was able (and might i add not really tempted to eat) to stay away from all of the sweets!

What really tested my strength was on Wednesday afternoon when I found out that my grandfather passed away. He was bigger than life. The past few years my extended family has fractured, but my family came together and celebrated his life.  My mom asked me to do one of the readings at mass. I was not sure how it was going to go, but in the end I am so glad i did it.... I will miss him greatly but he lived a long, full life and I am so happy that not only I had so much time with him but that my mom had her dad in her life for 67 years. I was not so lucky with my dad, he passed away when I was only 26.

We hit the midpoint of our Biggest Loser challenge... I have lost 5.97%. Sadly, I came in second place. One of my co-workers lost 6.99%. I am super proud of myself, I am down 11.1 in the challenge so I am looking to lose another 20. I can do this, I just have to keep going.....

Until next week, XOXO

Week 7

I am really digging this Advocare 24 day challenge! I am down another 3.5 lbs this week - woohoo.. This Max Phase that I am currently in seems to be working for me.. The only thing I don't really like is the number of pills that I have to take, however the results are worth it - seriously worth it!

I have not been as into bootcamp as I need to be.. There are a few reasons.. First is that I have had this stupid sore throat and cough for the past 2 weeks - grrrr... Second is that my grandfather is not doing well... like not going to live much longer.... I was at the hospital until almost 11 and getting up at 5 AM didn't sound like the best idea, especially b/c I was up until after 1:00 AM.

That is OK, this is a new week. I have boot camp and soccer tomorrow, Tuesday is my day off; Wednesday is boot camp in the morning and then I have a mavericks game that night (1st regular season game of 2013-2014 season), day off Thursday; Friday bootcamp; Saturday 5K.

Oh yeah. almost forgot, we did a 5K yesterday and we ran the whole thing in 38:25... Not the best time, but that was the first of at least 6 we are doing through the end of the year.....

Have a great week! XOXO

Week 6 Update

I am LOVING the Advocare 24 day challenge!!I had gained a couple of the pounds I had lost back, and from last Saturday morning through this morning I have lost 7.2 pounds!! That's right, 7.2! I am stoked.. The most important thing for me is that I have eaten very well this week! It has not been the easiest (especially passing up cake and ice cream at work Wednesday) but it has been worth it.. I don't even really feel the desire to cheat on my clean eating..

I am a bit nervous for after the challenge.. I know a few people that have done this and after the challenge have gained back what they lost. Now, I am not sure if they continued to eat clean, but I went ahead and emailed my boot camp leader to ask her suggestions after the challenge.. Now, I am only on day 7 (of 24), but I want to be prepared with whatever it is I need to get this sorted out... I am so focused and ready to kick this transformations butt! HA!

I twisted my ankle last Monday night at my soccer game.. It was really sore all week, I only worked out Monday (twice) and Friday morning... I took this weekend off b/c next week is cardio week at camp.. My goal is to attend camp Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings this week. I have soccer Monday night and then a 5K on Saturday with my sister and her family.

So I am super excited to see how this week's weight loss with getting a full week of workouts in - so fun! Also, I hit the second phase of my challenge Thursday!

What are your plans this week??? XOXO

Week 5 - Advocare 24 Day Challenge (Day 1)

Day 1 of the Advocare 24 Day Challenge kicked off this morning. I am excited to see how plays out... The only issue I will have is on October 30th, I have a Mavericks game and won't be able to eat my Chicken Tenders (BOO) and then the next day is Halloween (no candy for me - double boo)..

I am going to give this my all. My new boot camp offers this "Transformation Challenge". There have been several through out 2013, and I have jumped in on the last on they are doing (it started today and ends Jan 4th). The ultimate winner wins $5,000 and then next 5 win $1,000 and a group win free boot camp for 6 months. Really, any of those sound appealing to me!! I know I can do it, just have to be laser focused through the rest of the year which could prove to be a bit challenging with the holidays coming up...

I weighed myself of Saturday b/c it was the kick off for this 4 week boot camp, so I am stoked to see where I am at on November 6th (day 24). I am shooting for 15 lbs!

Let's do this!

XOXO

Week 4

Yesterday I played in my college alumni soccer game. It was so fun to catch up with my friends from college, best part were the beers we shared afterwards!!

I stayed the same this week - which I am rather thankful for.... I have been on a 'bender' since Thursday of last week, so I am back and refocused today. I am actually going to join Jenny Craig this week. I need help making sure I am eating not only balanced meals, but a balanced daily regimen of food. I am very excited. It is going to add some cost for us, but it is worth it in my mind b/c I need to get that part under control.

I can eat within my WW allotment every day, but just because a package of M&Ms are in the budget point wise, doesn't mean I should eat them... So, I am going to try this for a month and see how it goes. I will sign up over next weekend - wish me luck!

I also re-signed with Transformation Bootcamp, they run camps for 4 weeks, so this is the last week of this session and I am set and ready to go next Monday!

Tonight kicks off the beginning of the Dallas Mavericks 2013-2014 season, so I am looking forward to the game tonight!!

Go Mavs!!

XOXO

Week 3

Totally forgot to post yesterday.. I am down another 2.3 this week - woohoo!! Not sure how that happened as I was HORRIBLE on Thursday.... But I will take it.

I am a full week into my new bootcamp and I am LOVING it! Seriously, I am exhausted after workouts and feel SO strong at the same time.. I feel so revitalized and I am stoked about it.

I was great tracking Monday-Wednesday last week. My goal is to track every day.. Baby steps, right??

Week 2 Check In

Well, 3 day cleanse happened... But I am only down 1 lb this week.. Dang it.. However, since the cleanse I feel SO MUCH better! Stronger and more focused, so even though the loss was not has big as I would have liked (I lost 3.6 lbs during the cleanse), I am okay with it b/c it has helped to refocus me!

I ate a little too much good stuff at a birthday party last night... Kicked off this morning with a 5K at the Plano Balloon Festival. It was awesome.. I took my girls with me and pushed them for the 3.1 miles. I tell you what, they are heavy combined with a 20 lb stroller... I have a new respect for Dave every time we have done one of these runs and he pushes them!

What are my goals for this week?? Track every day starting tomorrow.. NOT to weigh myself until Saturday morning - that one is going to be tough, since I get on the scale every morning usually.. I need to stop obsessing about the day to day weight b/c that just ends up frustrating me if I think I have done really well one day and it is not reflected the next day - GRR.....

So, week 3 is started and I am ready to kill it!

XOXO

Week 1 Check in

5 down, 35 to go!! woohoo!! I am pretty excited about my start, especially because we had family in town and ate out Thursday-Saturday nights (and not healthy places)... So pumped!

Yesterday was the start of the biggest loser challenge that my sister and I run. We will end it on Saturday, December 14th. This is the one that I really want to help influence my family and friends. It is just sooo important to me to help keep those closest to me around and healthy as long as possible...

What's on the schedule for this week?? Well, I will tell you.. This morning Devon and I walked a 5K, actually we walked at least 1/2 a mile to and from the car to the start/finish so we really walked 4 miles today. We did a nice brisk pace and we thought we finished it in about 45 minutes! We are going to work our way up to running them.. She just had a baby a few months ago so she is getting back into working out and I am so happy that I can join her on these 'runs.'

Tomorrow I am kicking it off with a Shakeology 3 day cleanse. I need to get myself flushed of the processed food and ready to kick these weight loss competitions in the ass! I will do boot camp tomorrow, take Tuesday as my rest day and then boot camp (going easy) on Wednesday morning... Thursday will be Focus T25 and boot camp on Friday morning - which happens to be Dave and my 11th wedding anniversary!! Then, boot camp Saturday morning...

Have a good week. My goal for this week is another 5 lbs, b/c of the cleanse and working out all of the days listed above.

XOXO

40 by 40

I (deep sigh) turn 40 on December.... Crazy... I really can't believe it - I think that 40 is soooo old... What can you do? Well, you can set up a goal for yourself to lose 40 lbs by my 40th birthday!

My sister and I have run 3 biggest loser challenges, two last year and one this summer.. I kicked butt in the two last year and the one this summer was a bust for me.. I gained like 3-4 lbs - so dumb... So the one we are running this fall starts next week and runs until Dec 14th - 4 days before my birthday!!!

I also joined a BL challenge with someone from my Beachbody group, that one is free and runs from today through January 8th - winner gets $400, so I am all in...

I am going to post every Sunday during these challenges with an update on how I did food wise, workouts and how many lbs I lose. This will help me to stay motivated....

I can do this! To me, outside of the benefit to my long term health and life, the best part about this is that I feel like I am really helping others in my life.. From family (siblings), to great friends, to high school friends I have reconnected with over Facebook and new friends I have met through working out and Team Beachbody..

I am super pumped and ready to get to my goal weight, which is what I will be if I lose 40 lbs by 40!!

XOXO.

New Heart Rate Monitor

So, I finally broke down and bought myself a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor and watch. I LOVE it!! It is pink, most importantly, but a side bonus is that I am able to see in real time my recovery from running, squats, burpees, etc.

Now, the only thing that I think will get a little annoying is that I am signalled when my heart rate changes, every time! But I LOVE that at the end of my workout I can see the length of the workout, the calories burned, average heart rate and high/low heart rate. It is crazy how quickly I can get my heart rate pumping, but also cool how quickly I recover and it gets back into a more acceptable rate.

I have workout number 2 with it tonight, can't wait to compare the two.. Tonight is Core/Cardio, so should have some good movement!

XOXO

Such a slacker poster...

Well, if any one individual might have been following my blog, they are surely long gone by now.. LOL.

We have been so busy lately, this is the one thing that has fallen by the wayside. I am still working out, still 'following' weight watchers, still busy with kids, hubby, family, work...

I can say that I have not lost much weight this summer, but the good news is I have not gained ANY weight.. I recently started Shaun T's new Focus T-25 workout and I love it! Dave is actually doing it with me which makes it fun. Now, we were great last week, but this week has gotten in the way.. I think we will start the program over next Monday and get it going..

The girls are great, getting bigger everyday and sassy.. Man are they sassy.... They start 'school' in September, and I am so excited for them to get into a classroom setting. It should be interesting...

Anyway, not much else to report today. I am going at lunch to buy a heart rate monitor watch, will post what I picked later!

XOXO

What is wrong with me?

I.need.to.get.it.together. UGH!!! Back on track, 3 day Shakeology Cleanse.. Let's do this!!

XOXO.

Lost a couple!

So, I decided last month to cancel my Weight Watchers monthly pass. I went back and forth with it because I feel like I need the accountability. However, I have not found a leader that inspires me, so I just don't go to meetings.. What a waste of $39.95 per month. SO, what I have decided to do on the 15th is sign up for the online WW program. That way I still have the accountability of weighing in each week, b/c I REALLY dislike having that red exclamation point telling me I need to log my weight :)....

I had switched my weigh in day to Monday, thinking that would help me stay a bit better on track during the weekend, in theory anyway.. I was not too careful this weekend and I really enjoyed myself on Mother's Day with IHop breakfast and Campisi's pizza for dinner.. But even with that, I lost....

2.4 lbs

Woohoo, happy dance!

Keeping it going, I have 59 days left in my 60 day Combat challenge.... Let's do this!!

XOXO