Off the wagon

 First off - thank you, thank you, thank you for all the kind words about the race results & the photos! I had a phenomenal time, even though my sweet princess was sick most of the weekend. :( 

I've officially fallen off the "I quit sugar" wagon...  This weekend, I treated myself to Ghirardelli ice cream (twice), full sugar peanut butter & (too many) sugary cocktails...  I swore when I got home, I'd get back to my sugar free lifestyle, but two days home now and I just haven't been able to get it together!

My joints hurt, I feel sluggish and HUNGRY.ALL.THE.TIME.  I remember this feeling. I swore I'd never get back here! But here I am.

I haven't fallen back to all of my old ways - I'm still drinking my coffee with plain half and half, I do prefer to make my spice mixes instead of buying those laden with sugar.... but those snack foods, boy they've got me!

I could write it off as sleep deprivation, pms, or any number of other things. But it's just willpower and laziness, plain and simple. I know I can do it, now I just have to execute. Since I've done it before, successfully and completely, I know I can do it again!

Going forward, my plan is to run the Go! St. Louis half marathon on April 15th. I haven't registered yet but I would love to get my time down to 2:45 or lower! I intend to quit sugar again so that my joints stop aching and I can feel good enough to go for a run.

I have a doctor's appointment next week for a routine check up. In the six years I've been seeing this doctor, he's never seen me this light.  I'm so excited to tell him that I am a "half marathon runner" and about all the lifestyle changes I've made to improve my life!

Would it be overkill to take my medal with me?  Hahahahaha....

I'm (officially) a Pretty Princess

:-)

Sunday was the half marathon in Disney. Best.experience.ever!!

We "hydrated" until 11pm. Woke up at 2:30am to put on our costumes and Jen's dad came to pick us up (the cab company I called was COMPLETELY bizarre and I didn't really believe he was going to get us!) We got to the race around 3:30 and had to walk about a mile to the start line. We waited in the corral (we started in G) for about an hour and a half. We got our fireworks and were off! Jen and I stayed together for about a mile and a half, then we split up (she was planning to walk, I was planning to run). And I DID. I ran/walked (1.5 miles running, 2 min walking). Basically I walked almost none of it :-) I cried when I saw my kids at 4.5 miles, I teared up when when I saw a woman with a poster that said "Hey total stranger, I'm so proud of you!" I teared up when I ran through the castle and when I passed a gospel choir at mile 12. I SPRINTED the last mile (and .1) and UGLY-cried at the finish line. I was shaking and cold... but it was the best experience EVER.

4:30am - Getting ready to start walking to the start line.


Running through the castle (I was a MESS in tears!!)  (and YES, those are herald trumpeters on the balcony for when you ran through the castle :-))


After the race


My splits were:

5K point in 0:41:50.
Pace: 13:28 min/Mile.

10K point in 1:23:38.
Pace: 13:28 min/Mile.

15K point in 2:05:14.
Pace: 13:26 min/Mile.

Finish point in 2:53:27.
Pace: 13:14 min/Mile.

OMGWTHBBQ!!!

DISNEY PRINCESS HALF MARATHON IN 4 DAYS!!!!!

People, I'm going to be a half marathon runner in FOUR days!!  I am beyond thrilled!

My time splits will be posted on Twitter, if you don't follow me, you should :-) I'm not promising to break any speed records - I never have and probably never will - but I WILL FINISH. The MEDAL WILL BE MINE!

Stats update

This time next week, I will be (hopefully) sleeping in anticipation of our 3:30am cab ride to the start of the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

I wanted to update my stats before I leave. I had another "ah-ha" moment tonight. I was looking at my first weight loss journey picture and compared it, side by side, to the one I took yesterday.  I guess living in my body day to day I just don't realize how much weight I've lost, but there it is in black and white (ok, it's in tan & blue, sorry the colors are so weird, my phone and the lights in our bathroom don't play nice!)

 

 So there you have it. Four months of weight loss.  Here are my current measurements: 

And in one year, I have lost 31lbs. 

My goal is to lose 7-12 more pounds, then I will go into maintenance mode in Weight Watchers. 

Current goal: Make it to Disney without injuring myself :-) If you know me, you know I'm clumsy. I will be walking slower, paying closer attention and wearing steel toed boots this week. :-) 

Pardon the sap.

You'll have to excuse me while I get sappy here in this post.

Two weeks from tonight, I will be a half marathon finisher. I know this isn't a huge accomplishment for a lot of people but I'm NOT one of those people.  Two years ago, I swore up and down I would only run if someone was chasing me with a knife. Look at me now!

*bring on the sap* 

I want to THANK YOU. I don't think I would be able to make it through if I didn't know there were people CHEERING for me!  I often think of the comments that I've gotten, both here and on FB, private boards and other places, while I'm running.  To know that people are looking at my accomplishments (however small) and maybe being inspired - AWESOME. YOU keep me going.

I saw at the Y today on a treadmill since it's toooooo cold for a long run outside (and I needed the childcare! :-)).  My goal was 5 miles. Around 4.25-4.5 miles, I started running out of steam. Until I looked up and saw the Disney commercial. I could hear in the back of my mind "It's gonna be a good life!" and I saw the fireworks over the castle -- TWO WEEKS I will be running towards that castle! I finished strong and wound up running 5.25 miles in 60 minutes, a pace of 11:26 min/mile!!!!  Seriously!? I'm getting faster, I'm getting stronger and I'm starting to LIKE running!! (Shut the front door, right?!)

Anyhow, I know there are going to be some pretty nasty pictures of me after the race because I can already tell I'm going to be completely overcome with emotions.  I get choked up thinking about the enormity of what will happen in the next two weeks. I'm excited to see people after the race as a "half marathon runner". I'm a runner.

So THANK you. Thank you for the motivational words, the encouragement and the support.

*end of sap*

Minor Setback!

Sunday I achieved my longest run - EVER - in my life!  I ran 12 miles!  I was shocked as I heard RunKeeper telling me my pace every half mile - up through mile 9, my pace was under 12:10/mile! Considering I don't usually finish a long run with a pace under 13:30, 12 ANYTHING was a surprise!  It was definitely a good run.  I felt good throughout and finished the 12 in 2hrs, 29 minutes. I used a Honey Stinger gel before I started (it's the "natural" choice, although their products still have evaporated cane juice, which is essentially white sugar) then used their chews during my run. They were tasty, but kind of sticky....  they won't be my supplement of choice during the race. I will probably stick with Sport Beans.

 So here's my setback - I came home from my run, soaked in Epsom salt, then ... sat down.  For the rest of hte day.

Monday, the back of my knee (not the back of my kneecap, but actually the back of my leg) is sore. It's not a constant hurt, only when I flex in a certain way...  But enough so that I don't want to risk running on it.

Today I did a 1000m swim and soaked in the hot tub (WHY haven't I done that before?!) hoping to ease the pain.

So any suggestions?  I've been using a heating pad, Aleve and resting it.

It's Official!!

I'm bib number 13843, OFFICIALLY A PRINCESS!!! 

Holy Cow!

 

So this morning I got up and went to the Y, even though I didn't want to go.  I ran 2.45 miles in 30 min, nothing stellar, but I did it.  But before I went upstairs to run, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. And couldn't believe it was me! I haven't been this light since 2005, people! This is HUGE! 

Anyhow, just had to flaunt the picture a little. It's the first time I've looked at myself and thought "Wow, you actually look GOOD!"  That's a big step for me! I have a hard time admitting that I'm actually doing a GOOD JOB and making a difference in my life, both with physical activity and with my eating habits.  It's a hard place to be to feel the same in my skin as when I was heavy. I don't feel like anything has changed, even though the numbers on the scale tell me different - and none of my old pants fit either!

Ten Miles!

Still training, still living mostly sugar free!  I'm finding that while I have cravings every single day, I rarely if ever give in to them!

Here's my calendar for training from the last few weeks:

If you can read that, you can see I did it! I went TEN MILES on Sunday!  So excited that I accomplished that distance!

Also, I've found a breakfast option that is sugar free (although I do use the fruit, so it's not fructose free).   This oatmeal is ahhhh-ma-zing!  I followed the recipe exactly, although I did add a pint of blueberries and I think it's perfect! I don't know that I will ever make any other kind of oatmeal again. Even the kiddos liked it.  It would also make a great dessert, warm over ice cream (you know, if you're not sugar free :-))


I'm am still so amazed that my body has adjusted so dramatically. Things that I wouldn't have thought was sweet 4 months ago are alarmingly sweet.  Bananas! I had my first banana the other day and I might as well have been eating a candy bar! I don't remember them as being that sweet before (you know, when I was eating four of them a day).

So if you're with me on the quitting sugar journey, what things have surprised you as sweet now, but not before??