Moving Up To Positive Land and Staying There!

May is here.  Where did April go?  

April was good for me as far as weight loss and I did start a new exercise...spinning and I love it!  I do that twice a week and run three times a week.  My original plan was to lose 2 pounds a week making me hit my goal weight by September 25th but that ain't happening.  And that is okay.  I wish it was better but any progress is okay with me.  I hope to make May a better month.  I am excited to see how I do in the St. Jude Half Marathon in December of this year.  Hopefully I will be much lighter by then and maybe my time will be better.

I have a 10K tomorrow here in my town.  The only race we have here!  My son and DIL are coming up to run it also.  Should be fun.  It is threatening rain and bad weather.  I don't mind the rain, I just hope it isn't too bad.  This will be only my second 10K and I hope to pr over my last one.  But, if I don't, that's okay too.  I am not a very competitive person.  Sure, I would love to win but I am also a realist and I know that winning is not in it for me and I am okay with that.  I have so much fun and I feel so good that it doesn't matter about that.  Just to know that I am a "runner" and am competing is a wonderful thing.  I love it when someone says, "you ran 6 miles??? Wow!!"  I remember saying that to other people before.  Now they are saying it to me.  Never in a million years did I ever think I would hear those words said to me.  I am so proud of me for finally doing something positive in my life.  Well, ANOTHER positive thing I guess.  Being clean and sober was the first positive thing I attempted.  And I have almost 19 years of clean and sober.  Wow!  If you are not an alcoholic or addict you might not understand how it feels to be sober and not living that horrid life I used to live. And the sad part is, I lived it by choice!  But not anymore baby!!! This woman is moving up to positive land and staying there.  What a joy to know that God loved me so much that when I asked for help he gave it to me.  He removed my obsession for alcohol, drugs, anb nicotine and now he is helping me with my food.  AA, NA, and OA have been lifesavers for me.  Literally.  I was slowing drinking, drugging, and eating myself to death!  Praise God for a spiritual awakening!

Praise God for positive people in my life, for my online Spark friends, and my family who loved me through it all.  They never gave up on me and neither did God.  For that I will be eternally grateful!!!

I am not sure about my chocolate experiment. Went good for a few days. Then boom...ate more than I wanted because I was upset with hubby but did not goggle down the whole bag! I would count out my daily allotment and hope for the best. On MOST days I stayed with the one serving. I don't think I did too terrible but I am not going to buy a whole bag every time I got to the store. Maybe just when the craving hits me. I might buy some of those mini size bars and see how that works.


I have been having a hard time lately staying within my calorie range. And I seem to be stuck at my current weight-wonder why??? ha ha no mystery here.

I did not get to run as much as I would have liked last week. Lots going on these days. My daughter was inducted into the Honor Society for Nurses so we went to that last night and had a formal dinner. Did good until the Italian Cream Cake. It was sitting there on the table through the whole dinner and I just kept looking at it or it just kept looking at me - either way the results wasn't pretty! I ate the WHOLE piece. So - over calorie range yesterday!!! And what is so sad is that there was a perfectly healthy piece of sponge cake with fruit on top so I had a choice. What did I choose? The UNHEALTHY one. I have been taking two steps forward and one step back so I guess that is my one step back this week.

Although I don't like to not lose weight each week, at least I am not gaining weight. That is the silver lining I suppose. I have been losing steadily for the past two months until now. I must look back over my food and exercise and see what I have been doing different although I am sure I know what it is - my food amount. Got to work on that. This is just a minor setback. I won't let it get me down.

It is so hard for me to eat out and make good choices. I still struggle with that. I had stopped eating out and was doing well but then sometimes you HAVE to eat out for one reason or another. I have GOT to practice making better choices.

Have you ever heard the saying, "I am my own worst enemy?" Well, that seems to be true for me. No one sabotages my efforts but me. I can't blame anyone else. It is all MY choices and I make BAD ones on occasion. But I also make good ones and I believe I have been making more good ones that bad here lately. So all is not lost!

Today is a run day and tomorrow is a spin day. I also have a 5K this Saturday. It is supposed to be raining too. Never raced in the rain but unfortunately I am not sweet enough to melt, so no problem there. he he.....

Maybe I need to go back and review that horrid video of me running (see 04/05/10 post) and that will jump start me in the right direction again. Couldn't hurt I suppose.

MAKE it a great day my friends!

I am not sure about my chocolate experiment. Went good for a few days. Then boom...ate more than I wanted because I was upset with hubby but did not goggle down the whole bag! I would count out my daily allotment and hope for the best. On MOST days I stayed with the one serving. I don't think I did too terrible but I am not going to buy a whole bag every time I got to the store. Maybe just when the craving hits me. I might buy some of those mini size bars and see how that works.


I have been having a hard time lately staying within my calorie range. And I seem to be stuck at my current weight-wonder why??? ha ha no mystery here.

I did not get to run as much as I would have liked last week. Lots going on these days. My daughter was inducted into the Honor Society for Nurses so we went to that last night and had a formal dinner. Did good until the Italian Cream Cake. It was sitting there on the table through the whole dinner and I just kept looking at it or it just kept looking at me - either way the results wasn't pretty! I ate the WHOLE piece. So - over calorie range yesterday!!! And what is so sad is that there was a perfectly healthy piece of sponge cake with fruit on top so I had a choice. What did I choose? The UNHEALTHY one. I have been taking two steps forward and one step back so I guess that is my one step back this week.

Although I don't like to not lose weight each week, at least I am not gaining weight. That is the silver lining I suppose. I have been losing steadily for the past two months until now. I must look back over my food and exercise and see what I have been doing different although I am sure I know what it is - my food amount. Got to work on that. This is just a minor setback. I won't let it get me down.

It is so hard for me to eat out and make good choices. I still struggle with that. I had stopped eating out and was doing well but then sometimes you HAVE to eat out for one reason or another. I have GOT to practice making better choices.

Have you ever heard the saying, "I am my own worst enemy?" Well, that seems to be true for me. No one sabotages my efforts but me. I can't blame anyone else. It is all MY choices and I make BAD ones on occasion. But I also make good ones and I believe I have been making more good ones that bad here lately. So all is not lost!

Today is a run day and tomorrow is a spin day. I also have a 5K this Saturday. It is supposed to be raining too. Never raced in the rain but unfortunately I am not sweet enough to melt, so no problem there. he he.....

Maybe I need to go back and review that horrid video of me running and that will jump start me in the right direction again. Couldn't hurt I suppose.

MAKE it a great day my friends!

Chocolate experiment is on!

Last night I was craving a chocolate kiss. Just one. I could visualize the taste and texture of that little darling. So....being the inquisitive person I am, I googled to see which kiss had the least calories and came up with the one that has the cherry center in it. Sounds good to me! Straight to the store to buy a bag!

Ok. Here is where the experiment comes in - I was going to try to NOT eat the WHOLE BAG in one sitting. I was going to sit down, slowly eat and enjoy the nine little kisses I allowed myself. And yes....I counted the calories in my daily intake before I ever bought them.



But last night wasn't that great! I had my nine little kisses and put the bag in the freezer. Came home last night and had a slightly heated argument with hubby while I was eating those chocolate cherry babies. And what did I do? After that I ate another nine pieces. And I ate them while my mind was saying, "you don't need to do this, you don't need to do this, why are you doing this?" But I did it just the same. That is old behavior creeping back in - STOP IT! You hear me! (talking to self) You STOP IT right now. We are not going back there. No way! So I went to bed knowing that I used food to ease my anger. But at least I know it! Not so long ago I could not see that. Today I can - progress in the making!!! ONE step back, TWO steps forward.

So the bag of kisses is still in the freezer and I will not let it control me. I will have my kiss whenever I want it and if I just one more time, even one, choose to eat those in a way that I feel is inappropriate for me, I will remove them from my house and I will see the experiment as a total failure. I will not buy a whole bag again.

So I will see how it goes from here on out. I don't want to totally count out something that I love because that only makes me want it more. So if I can eat these truly in moderation that will be a step in the right direction. What could I have done last night instead of eating that second helping because I was angry? LOTS OF THINGS! But I choose not to. That's okay. It is over and done. And the good part is -I have learned from the experience.

The chocolate experiment is still on and I will let you guys know how it goes. Good or bad!

Yea! That's the way you do it!

Yes! This is how you do it baby! (Pats myself on back)!!

I am almost half way to my goal of losing 100 pounds. Never thought I would be here again! I lost 60 a year or so again and then gained most of it back. I am praying this will the LAST TIME I do this. I want to lose the 100 pounds and then maintain. I have worked my butt off but I am enjoying it as well. Exercise, which used to be a "bad" word in my vocabulary, is helping me achieve my goal! I recently started spin classes and they are awesome! No way you can be in there and not work up a sweat! I feel so good when I finish my outwork regardless of waht it is. Yesterday I went to the Y to do a speed workout on the treadmill. I call it a speed workout because it was faster than I normally do but may not be "speedy" for some folks. Also I think the TM is notorious for not accurately calculating mph and or the distance I have gone. But I know I ran and I know I worked up a sweat. I was able to run for 4 miles without having to stop for a walk break. That is a first for me! Can't do it outside yet but that's okay. I remember the first time I tried to do the C25K program - when it got to running nonstop for more than 5 minutes I could not do it! I remember feeling such a failure but look at me now!! Persistance and dedication pays off baby!!

I am in a group called PIF (pay it forward) 500 mile club We are running for 500 miles this year and paying ourself or someone else can pay us .10 per mile and at the end of the year we give the money to a charity of our choice. Cool huh? See below for my current mileage:

Never in a million years would I have dreamed I could run, walk, or wobble for 1/2 a mile let alone 500 miles but I'm doing it baby!! And losing weight in the process. Can you tell I'm excited?

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend and remember to inspire someone today!

OMG! After seeing this - I will lose weight!

The last 5K I participated in provided us with a complimentary video of our finish! They should have deleted mine!!! At first look I was shocked. I was wondering if I really look like that when I run. But it was me!!!


My first thought was to never run again. I looked liked a big blob of fat bouncing up and down. So after berating myself and telling myself I will never run again I quit looking and got busy doing something else. I did sent it to my son to look at. I knew he might not laugh too long and maybe not out loud either. :)

After talking to him about it I decided to use this video as a learning experience. Once I get down to my weight loss goal I can use this as a "before" video. And in the meantime I will use it for motivation! It definitely motivates me to lose this weight! I could not get it downloaded to my computer but I don't think I would put it on here anyway (unless someone was having a horrific day and really needed a good laugh). My daughter is in the video and comes in right in front of me so I could lie and tell everyone that is me and I don't know who the fat chick behind her is...he he.!!!

I must remember how far I have come and the progress I have made. Yes - I have a ways to go and thats okay for now. I won't let what others think of me stop me and I won't let ME stop ME from doing what I know I need to do! Often times I am my own worse enemy! I am trying to love myself today and every day during this journey and on some days that is harder than others. But - like I told someone the other day - I AM moving and NOT SITTING on the cough like I used to. Any progress is good. Not so long ago I would NEVER have run in front of anyone much less compete in a race. Yes - I have come a long way. And I am not stopping now.

Race Report - Parkinson's Charity 5K - Brandon MS

Debbie, my daughter Tammy, me and my friend, Pattie

My 5K race went really well.  I wasn't sure about the weather so I wore shorts and long sleeves.  I could have done without the long sleeves by the time it was over. Note to self:  Over 50 degrees - no long sleeves.  My daughter ran with me.  This was her first race running.  She did really well.  She could have out run me but she hung with me.  It was my best time so far.  39:21.  Although I am not really working on speed I would love to get a little faster.  But I know that will come when more weight is off.  

We ran across a causeway over a lake and it was really beautiful.  I would have loved to have taken some pictures but I did not bring my camera.  I did not wear anything "extra" on the run because I wanted to beat my best time and I did.  Sometimes I carry my camera and cell phone.  Although I did have my cell phone. 

We did have a bit of unwanted excitment.  My friend, Debbie, who has been my "personal assistant" if you want to call her that - she has gone to all my races with me and takes pictures and holds my "stuff" while I run - she decided that she would like to participate in a walk so she has been walking with me and doing really well.  Debbie has a family history of heart problems and has heart problems herself and has a defibrillator.  I asked her to check with her doctor before she starting walking and her doctor said it was fine.  Well.......me and daughter finished in fine time and was waiting for Debbie to come in.  I wanted to take a picture of her since this was her first  5K walk to participate in.  Then I realized that we had given the car keys to Debbie since she was walking and had a pocket she could put them in.  So we ran back out to meet her but she never came in.  We kept looking, being sure we had not missed her.   Well, as we were standing there waiting a police vehicle with sirens blaring came up and got the amulance who then left the park with sirens blaring and lights flashing.  Uh-oh!!  Was it someone in the race?  A lady who had been walking with Debbie saw us and asked if we were Debbie's friends and she said Debbie had "fallen out" and the ambulance was there.  As we took off running, she hollared back at us, "but she's okay" and we just kept running.   We were oblivious to everything around us as we ran back out on the course. We could see the ambulance on the side of the road.  Before we got very far a golf cart came up and Debbie was in it.  She was fine, just a little bruised up. 

The defibirllator is made to "shock" Debbie when her heart rate rate gets too high or out of rhyhm.  She said she was not walking any faster than she normally did but I think maybe she was talking to her neighbor and having such a good time that she could have been walking a little faster than normal and not realized it.  When the defibrillator shocked her it knocked her to the ground, knocked off one of her shoes and shocked her three times.  The lady with her freaked out and started screaming.  So that is when the ambulance got involved.  Debbie said she was fine.  Once the heart got back into rhythm she was okay and could have continued but the EMTs would not let her. They said they had to take her by golf cart back to her car.  She has a bruise on her shoulder, a bruise her leg and her hand was scratched up.  But she felt fine.  

She has since gotten a HRM and will keep a watch on her heart rate.  She did make a trip to the doctor and he said a HRM was an excellant  idea and not to let her heart rate get above 160.  So all is well.  She was disappointed she did not get to finish, and she was 3/4 of the way finished when this happened.  Debbie said she will not let this deter her.  She will keep walking, which is really good for her, at a gentle pace.  She is a real trooper.  Many people would have said, I'm never doing that again.  But she is excited because she has lost weight since she started walking and feeling so much better. So she wants to continue and her doctor gave her the okay!  Besides, excess weight is not good for a normal heart, much less one that is not working properly.  I am sure she will do it again after she gets this HRM going - I could never get mine to work right so I have up on it.  Maybe the problem was the operator. ha ha.   But I like my Garmin better anyway. 

I have another race planned on April 10th.  A 10K on May 1st and then the BIG ONE - the half marathon in June.  Hope I survive that one.  The first half I did in December was tough but not because of any hot weather.  This will be my first hot weather half so I hope I don't combust into flames before I finish. :)  It startes at 6 am so maybe it won't get too hot before I finish.  My son and DIL are running it too and my daughter is doing the 5K.  This is turning into a family affair!  Yea!!!  Now if I could just my husband to join us.  He is working on trying to get his plantar fasciitis under control. Poor baby, he can hardly walk.  And to top everything off - I lost weight this week. 

Have a great weekend everybody!!  Happy Easter! 

Junk food as addicting as cocaine?

Can junk food be as addicting as cocaine? Some scientists think so. See the link below.




www.examiner.com/x-660-Weight-Loss-Examiner~y2010m3d29-Crack-is-whack-and-so-are-fatty-snacks-study-shows?cid=examiner-email

Race Tomorrow

I have a 5K tomorrow with my daughter.  I'm so excited!  It is going to be fun!  I want to try and PR on this one but we will see.  Training exclusively on flat land makes it hard when I encounter hills on a race.  There are no hills here.  There is a levee and that is one BIG hill and I tackle it sometimes but I am afraid of aggrevating my calf muscle that I tore last year.  That was aweful!  Since starting my spinning class it has bothered me some.  I iced it yesterday, took yesterday as a rest day and also today will be a rest day so maybe it will be okay for race tomorrow.  I have trouble thinking my rest days are as important as my run/race days but I am getting there.  I get into a mode where my thinking tells me if I don't do something today I am failing.  I want to be one of those runners that run every day.  But at my age and being a newbie, that may not be possible right now.  But after this torn calf muscle and the pain involved, I don't want to take any chances and mess myself up completely and can't run at all.  So taking a day off for me is hard sometimes.  I can't believe I just said that!! - pretty good for someone who used to love sitting on the couch and stuffing my face!! 

I started this journey in 2005 at 238 pounds and wanting to los 100 pounds.  I lost 60 pounds then gained back 35 of that.  I have now lost a total of 43 pounds, 15 of that in the last two months since I joined OA.  It's good to have someone along for the journey.  I have been losing it slow but I don't mind.  I want to keep it off for good!!

I will post a race report as soon as I can.  Ha ha - I am writing like someone else really reads this thing!  :)  But that's okay.  I like to be able to look back and see my progress.  So if it gets read by someone else that is cool.  If not - maybe my kids will read it after I'm dead and gone.  :)  At any rate, I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

MAKE it a great day - I know I am! 

My first spinning class

I just finished my first spinning class or group cycling as they call it here.  I like to say "spinning" that sounds so much cooler!  My butt was killing me.  It was really a learning process today since I had not done it before.  It was not too strenuous but I know it will be once we get going really good!  I am hoping this will help with my weight loss.  It surely could not hurt.  Now I have to find where to fit it in my schedule.  I think I need to print out a calender to keep up with all of my exercise I am doing.  Wow! - never though I would hear myself say that! lol.

Now to find something to eat for dinner that won't put me over my calorie range.  I did not lose any weight this week.  I ate several things that I should not have but I was out of town having a grandbaby !!  So I splurged a bit.  But I don't hate myself for it.  I just pick up and keep moving forward - one day at a time.  I know I won't be perfect at it so it is what it is.

MAKE it a great day friends!

I'm a grandma and other ramblings.

My husband's daughter gave birth to her first child this past Thursday! Yea!  I am a grandma.   As she was a high risk pregnancy (she had lost two other children) she was out of town for her delivery.  Donald Wayne McCoy III, we will call him Way, was born March 18th at 3:22 pm. on my husband's birthday.  The best birthday present EVER, he said!!!  He was 6 pounds and 20 inches.

I am so excited!  He has a head full of hair and is so beautiful!!!

I was sitting in the waiting room and I looked down at what I had brought with me and I could have cried.  What a different person I am today!  And I have the picture to prove it -  

I am exercising, eating better and reading everything I can get my hands on to keep this healthy lifestyle going.  BTW - The Runners Rule Book - awesome read. If you are a runner you will LOVE this book.  Get it ASAP.  It was cute, funny and very informative! If you don't run but know someone who does, it would make a great gift.  In keeping with my new healthy lifestyle, I got tired of waiting so I decided to walk outside instead of sitting on my behind!  It felt great.  I did three miles around the hospital and next door was a vacant bank with a small set of steps so I took advantage of those too.

I can't say that my eating was on par since I was out of town though. I did eat a few things that I haven't eaten in a while - M&Ms for one! But that's okay, they were good and I not eat compulsively!

We stayed with my daughter and she ran 3 miles with me on Friday morning. That was really fun!  It made my day - even though it was dark and spooky  at her house at 5 am!  We are also doing a race this next Sat. together.  Fun!!!!  My daughter is such a special young women and I love her so much!  She is smart, intelligent, and beautiful.  She gives me great joy!

Here is a picture of me and husband - the proud grandparents!!!

MAKE it a great day my friends!

Half marathon registration panic attack - aka registration foul-up!

Ok...I signed up for the Renaissance Half Marathon in June of this year.....or so I thought!  I signed up "by mail" which means I signed up online and printed out a confirmation sheet to send it with my check.  After checking the website several times I never saw my name on there.  So I emailed them. I had assumed they were waiting for my check to clear.  Glad I contacted them!!  They had not received my check and after emailing back and forth they realized that the wrong addess was listed on their website to send my check too.  WHAT???? So where was my check???  I panicked!!!  I called my son, whining and almost crying (he and his wife are signed up to run it with me).  I knew he could dispel my fears.  Well, I had several choices - none of which sounded good to me:

1. I could wait for my check to return to me (and who knows when that would be) and resend it to the right address.
2. I could go ahead and send another check and cancel that check at the cost of $30.00! 
3. I could re-signup on line and pretend I never wrote the check and hope whoever receives it throws it away because they could care less if it got to where it was going anyway. 

Decisions, decisions!  After talking to my son and my husband I decided to wait on my check to return in the mail - for a little while anyway.  They are only 2,000 allowed to run so I have been checking the website daily and counting the number of people who have signed up.  If it gets close and I still have not recieved my check back in the mail, I will just have to sign up again. 

The best part about all of this - if there is one - is that the gentleman I had been corresponding with was extremely nice and asured me I would get to run.  He even said he would honor my early registration fee that my original check was written for.  Now that is cool!

I remember getting returned mail one time and it took three months from the date I mailed it to return to me.  Can't wait that long this time.  And I hate waiting anyway!  But wait I will..for a few more days. 

When I finally calmed down, I realized that this is not such an aweful thing.  The worst that could happen is that I don't get to run but  I don't see that happening.  In retrospect, I think next time I will sign up online ASAP.  I don't recall this ever happening when snail mail was all we had...but then again, I didn't run back then either.  Life is still good and I am learning patience....I think! 

MAKE it a great day friends.    

Today has been a great day.  I got up at 4 am (can you believe it???) and made it to the track with a few of my running buddies at 5 am.   The more experienced runners were doing speed work but I just did my usual 3 miles.  I don't like running alone so I will go whever there are other runners.  There were about 15 people I believe.  It was nice weather as far as temp goes.  It was extremely foggy though.  It always feels so good to get out there and "just do it"!  Why is it so hard to get out of bed??

I am trying to work on my speed some as well.  But what I do is just run faster than I am accumstomed to during my run segments.  I have lost 13 pounds in the last two months and I can tell.  But what is great is when someone else notices it.  A friend today said, "you have lost some weight haven't you"?  That made my day!   I am also trying to start out slow and pick up the pace.  I seem to start fast like most newbies do.  I guess it is because I am not tired when I get started.  Since I bought my Garmin I have been able to better pace myself.  But still struggle with starting out slow and finishing fast.  Here are my stats for today.

Mile 1 - 15:51 (started out walking with friends)
Mile 2 - 13:43
Mile 3 - 13:54 

Total time was 43.29.  Probably could have done better but I was just happy to be out there!  I know that I will improve as I lose more weight.  Speaking of Garmin - someone told me she had named hers.  Maybe I will name mine. Not sure what. Will have to think of something cute and creative - that may take a while for this brain people!  :)

Anyone who knows me knows I love gadgets.  Well, this is not actually a gadget but I love it just the same.  I got a Road ID.  It is pretty enough to wear all the time and I do.  You never know when I might just take off running.  he he....

Well this is all for today folks.  I am picking up my two great nieces (who are like my grandchildren - I love them that much) and keeping them tonight.  I am trying to encourage them to play more outside, weather permitting, and not stare at the TV so much.  I don't want them to grow up a couch potato like I did! 

Oh BTW - for you Spark people - I just downloaded the spark app for my BB and I am in love!!! I have been waiting a long time for this.  Now I can record my food, water, and exercise ANYWHERE.  No excuses now people!  I will always have my food log with me.  Yea!  (it doesn't take much to excite me). 

What have I learned?

Reading another blog gave me something to think about.  What have I learned since I started running?  The list would probably be pretty long.  I know that I wanted to run for a while but never thought I could really do it.  I always felt I was too fat even though some of my childhood pictures do not show an overweight kid. But somewhere I got the idea that I was fat and ugly.  But I was neither.  I eventually did become fat but I am currently taking care of that situation.  I have lost almost 40 pounds and I am working on losing more that that.  I have around 100 to lose in all. 

I first started running to lose weight but that didn't happen.  I trained with the Galloway Program at our local YMCA to run a 10K but at the last minute I chickened out and did the 5K walk and I thought I was going to die!  Literally!  But I survived and crossing that first finish line and getting that first piece of medal really moved me!  I felt like I had really accomplished something...and I did.  At that moment I was no longer the fat, lazy kid that only wanted to sit on the cough and watch TV and stuff my face.  I enjoyed the running so much that I motivated people to come along with me adding several friends to my group of running buddies on Saturday.  One special friend, Linda, got the running bug big time and is doing great! She was the first one to encourage me to try for a half marathon.  I said, "no way"!  "Not me"!  But guess what?  I decided I could at least try.  I had always heard what did not kill me would only make me stronger.  I told Linda I would do if she would do it with me. So that is how that got started.  We trained with the Galloway Program to run a half and in December of 2009 we DID IT!  We ran our first half, The St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis Tn.  But to top it all off, my son and his wife trained and they ran it too!  We had a blast.

I started my running career in February of 2009.  I have run a race almost every month since then.  I had hoped to lose lots of weight by running but I am a heavy, slow runner so I don't suppose I burn many calories but that's okay.  I can tell my endurance is getting better each day.  And at first I still ate like I always had.  But after doing the half, I realized that I wanted to beat that time so I have gotten serious about my eating. I am trying to eat healthy and not eat the fast foods like I used to.  So far this year I have lost 12 pounds total.  I have a hard time keeping a balance between eating to lose weight and eating to have enough energy to run but I must be doing fairly well since I am able to keep up with the running and am losing weight now too. It doesn't get much better than that!!  

In my short span of running I have learned:
1. I can do anything I put my mind to. 
2. Not to let what other people think about me keep me from doing what I want and need to do. 
3. There are lots of awesome runners out there who are very supportive of us beginners. 
4. Just because I run/walk doesn't mean I am not a runner. 
5. Just because I am overweight doesn't mean I can't be active and healthy. 
6. A good pair of shoes is important.
7. I build great friendships by running with others.
8. Encouraging others to exercise and get healthy is just as much fun as doing it myself! 
9. God does cares about what I consider the "little things". 
10. I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me STRENGTH.
11. I love myself today and because of that, I can love others unconditionally. 

I am sure there are many other things that I can't think of right now.   I know that today I feel 100% better than I have in my whole life. I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, or compulsively overeat anymore.  And I am a runner who is on the verge of losing more weight and getting faster!  Each day gets better and better.  I couldn't ask for much more than that.

MAKE it a great day friends.

Its Monday already???

It's Monday AGAIN!  I ran last Tuesday for 4 miles - actually I ran for three and then walked with some friends for the last mile.  It was fun.  Why do I keep saying that??? It's always fun!  It may not seem so at the start but I always end up feeling great afterwards!  My group run this past Sat was 4.5 miles and we ended our run with a pancake breakfast for the Kiwana's club.  It was fun.  We ran a new route and I loved that.  I enjoy finding new places to run.  There are not many in my town. 

My SIL did not show up for the run...hummmm.... after talking with her she said she has hurt her knee somehow so she will sit out for a few days.  Rest is always good as long as we get back out there before too long.  I struggle with trying to do too much too soon.  I have had to hold myself back lots of times when I wanted to try and keep up with the person next to me.  I got good advice one time - run YOUR OWN race!  I can go at my own speed and run it however I feel comfortable with.  I don't have to keep up with anyone else.  And Jeff Galloway confirmed something for me - whether you run 20 miles fast or 20 miles slow, you have still run 20 miles. The conditioning is the same.  So why try to knock myself out with speed when a slow steady pace is just as good!  What a awesome idea and I believe that is what keeps me so excited about my running.  I am only competing against myself and no one else.  I am doing this for ME!  Sure, one day I want to be a little faster but that will come with time (and more weight loss).  So I am going to enjoy this ride for however long it lasts.  And getting other people to enjoy it with me is even more fun!    I know what it feels like to realize that I CAN get off that cough and move.  Getting others to realize that too makes for an exciting journey.  I get great joy from my running and if I can share that with others, that is so cool!

At the moment I am fighting a sinus infection but it is not bad.  Will probably go away after a day or so.  I am still losing weight.  Yippee!!  It is coming off slowly but it is coming off.  I am down 12.3 pounds this year so far (5.8%).  I have learning to enjoy every loss no matter how small and not to stress because I don't have "biggest loser" numbers each week.  Any loss is better than a gain. I have finally gotten under 200 pounds, which I have done on several occasions though, I just need to stay there and keep going in the right direction.  And I will.  I have confidence in myself today. 

My recovery meetings are going great.  I missed two weeks of meetings and I could tell - not that anything bad happened but I missed sharing with my recovery friends about how my life was going and I missed hearing about theirs as well.  It is go great to know that I am not alone in this journey.  When I was struggling with my alcohol and drug addiction, I though I was the only one with this problem.  Getting into recovery I realized that I was NOT alone and that others could relate to my problem. 

The same goes for my compulsive overeating.  I have friends who understand the pull that food has on my life and they are there to listen to me cry, laugh, and complain. They are willing to share their experience, strength and hope with me.  It is so good to know I am not alone and I have people I can call when I think I am about to eat that whole bag of chips and seriously regret it later.  It may sound silly to some, but to those of us who have this problem we understand how food seems to call our name and tempt us at every turn. And it is refreshing to have someone I can talk to about it.  I look forward to Tuesdays with much excitment for two reasons - 1) My recovery meeting and 2) Biggest Loser comes on!  I am finally making some progress in this weight lose game and it is exciting and fun!  I love when my recovery firiends share my excitment with me after losing weight and I also love how they spur me on even when I don't lose weight!  Just showing up at the meeting is important whether I have lost or not!  My goal is to feel good, be healthy, and stay active.  Weight loss is not even in that equation but it will be the end results I am sure. 

Today I can honestly say, life is grand!

MAKE it a great day my friends!

My 5K race report

My race this past Saturday was great!  I did not beat my best time.  I thought I might but that last hill got me.  It was fun and exciting.  I had my daughter, my SIL and her friend Bobbie all with me.  They walked and I ran.  That was the first race for my SIL and my daughter and they really liked it.  My daughter is wanting to do another one with me soon.  How cool is that!  Below is me and my daughter after the race.

The spectators had a little excitement while they waited on us.  I suppose all our noise and such scared a deer out of the woods.  He came running up and tried to jump through the window of a building. After falling down twice he jumped up and ran off, so hopefully he wasn't hurt.

My time was 41:27.  My best was 41:05 at the Uplifting You race last month.

I am planning on doing a half in June.  My son and his wife may do it with me as well.

I found a picture of me running during the race this past Sat. and it is not a pretty site.  I must have the whitest legs there!  But all I can say is, at least I am not on the couch!!  I can see from this picture that I am a long way from goal weight!(as if I did not know that already!!)  But I will keep the picture.  I will have something to compare with it after all the excess weight is gone!  Yippee!!  Even though it is not the most flattering picture, I will share it with you guys.  Just don't laugh, ok?

I don't even have to tell you which one I am do I!!  ha ha. 

I did make it into ONE-derland this week.  I have been there before but always allowed myself to creep back up to the 200s.  NOT THIS TIME!  I will continue to work hard and lose this weight..I will!  And I will keep it off.  I know my time is a little better because I have lost weight.  That is a great encouragement to me!  

Well, I must say goodnight and get some beauty rest...although it probably won't help my white legs any...he he.    

MAKE it a great night friends.  

I love this!  When  I first saw it....wow!  How true it is! 

OA, Jeff Galloway IN PERSON and other ramblings

My OA meeting last night was great! We had two new members! How cool. We are started a "book study" and are going to study the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of OA. Need I say that in the first three paragraphs I saw myself over and over. I am so glad I decided to do something positive about my food issues. Like I said at the meeting last night - it is not just about losing weight! It is about getting healthy and that is what I want to do. If I lose weight in the process - that is great too! Thank you God for 12 Step programs - they have literally saved my life!!

I went to the Y to run on Monday and it was packed! That is the first time I have seen it that full this year! I guess all those new year resolutions are in full swing! lol. I did the elliptical for 2.6 miles and still no treadmill available. I wasn't exactly dressed to run outside so I went upstairs to the cardio/core class. Wow and wow and ouch! The jump rope part almost killed me...he he... (not to mention my 52 almost 53 year old bladder wasn't happy either). I had not done that class before but I loved it. I will definitely do it again. But....now my right calf is hurting. I wonder if I strained it.....oh great...just what I needed. But I am taking it slow today. I didn't do anything yesterday as far as exercise. I did have a total of 19 miles last week so that was great, but no weight loss for that week but I am hoping a weight loss will show up this week for sure.

The Galloway running group that I am a part of is starting back this Saturday. And guess what??? The man, Jeff Galloway himself, will be there in person!!! I am too excited!! He will run with us that morning and he will be doing a three hour running school that afternoon. I can't wait!!  I will let you know how it goes.

MAKE it a great day everyone!

Three miles and no walk breaks!

I am too thrilled with myself.  Yesterday I ran (on the TM) for 3 miles without having to take a walk break.  Wish I could do that outside but that will come in time, if I keep working at it!  It felt so good.  There was no time when I felt like stopping.  I felt so strong!  It felt so good I might do it again today! 

I remember when I first started trying to run, I could only do about 5 minutes on the TM.  5 MINUTES PEOPLE!  Wow!  I have come a long way! 

I have also lost 10 pounds this month.  I have made up my mind that I CAN DO THIS!   I can't get faster in my running with this extra weight on me.  I am determined to lose all the weight I need, to continue running and racing and be the healthy woman God intended me to be.   I have planned on a 2 pound per week weight loss, so we will see how that goes.  If I do that I will be at goal in September of THIS YEAR!  But I have to remembe that losing weight is not my problem - keeping it off is the problem!  I plan on doing that as well!  Getting it off and KEEPING IT OFF!  Yea baby!  I can do this.  

Thanks to all my friends who encourage me every day!  And remember - if I can do you - YOU CAN DO IT TOO!  My motto is "never ever give up" so I just keep on "keeping on" taking it one day at a time.  And I take it one mile at a time.  When I ran my longest run to date, 14 miles, in preparation for the half marathon, I would run one mile at time.  I did not think, oh my gosh, I have 10 more miles to go, I would think, I have 1 mile to go.  A mile is about 15 minutes for me so I knew I could continue for 15 more minutes.  And so....each 1 mile added up to 14! 

I must be getting faster.  My garmin said I ran a 13 minute mile in my last race.  Best yet!  I'll take that. 

MAKE it a great friends!

Rocked my 5K!

The Uplifting You 5K this past Saturday was great.  It was a small race, probably about 75 people.  It was hard going at first. The wind was blowing some but other than that the weather was perfect.  I had not been able to run at all the week before because of my cataract surgery (which went well by the way, except for a bruise where they stuck the needle under my lower eye to deaden the area).  This was my best race so far at 41:01. I also got 2nd place in my age group,(remember I said it was a small race.) I have also lost 10 pounds this month so far.  I am serious about this weight loss because I want to get faster in my running and weight loss is the key!

We went shopping afterwards and I bought a nice Brooks shirt and some socks.  I need a new pair of shoes but that will have to come at income tax time.  :)

Yesterday morning I learned that a friend of mine had committed suicide the night before.  I was in shock.  Let me say that it did not surprise me because he was a troubled soul but non the less it shocked me.  He had finally found a girl friend and was engaged to be married but they broke up.  That was probably the catalyst for this horrible decision he made and this was not the first time he had tried to do this.  I am so saddened by this......but it makes me realize how precious life is and we should not take one second for granted.  We never know who will be here tomorrow and who won't.   Such a waste.......so long Will....you will be greatly missed by many.

Show someone you love them......today and every day!