Virtual FitNut 5K! Errr.... 10K....

Sunday I had a virtual 5K to complete for my August weight loss challenge.  I haven't gone on a "long" run probably since my (tragic) half marathon in April. I went out knowing that if I just ran a loop, I would quit when I finished my 5K. Instead, I stranded myself!

So I ran my 3.1 miles away from my car. I sprinted when necessary. I went slower than I thought I should be going. I am proud to say it was ALMOST a sub-30 5K, even though i have been averaging 10:45 min/mile when I run the hills in my neighborhood. 

Midway through my run - I was actually feeling GOOD!

But, shock, it's like the hills have made me STRONGER! 

Midway though the run I stopped at a little gazebo and just looked at my surroundings. How lucky am I to be able to run? To take 30 minutes, an hour, to myself to run and listen to good music and take in nature? 

The second leg of my run I took my time. I was definitely losing steam and decided right then that I was NOT going for a PR. If I needed a moment to walk (which I did) or if I stopped for a drink of water, it wasn't the end of the world. And surprise? I finished in only 1:04!  Not my very fastest time, but faster than my last official 10K last October!

I think if I could clean up my eating (omg gummy bears are my downfall right now!) and stick to running every morning before work (my snooze has been working over time this week!), I could get to goal weight in no time.

That's my goal. There's a beach vacation in my not-so-distant future and I would LOVE to be at my goal weight by then. Not so much to ask, really, it's 5-8lbs!

6/13

Week in Review, Aug 19-23

Monday's Run

I skipped a workout Tuesday, but still hit 11,071 steps!

Wednesday I lifted for 20 minutes, then took my favorite Circuit class at the gym!

Thursday's run

 Friday's quick run.

From our garden!

I'm over it.

I am so sick of crappy weigh ins :(

There are only so many weeks I can eat like this and workout like this and NOT see any loss, either on the scale or with the tape measure.


~Feeling defeated.

Helloooooooooo

OMG best weekend ever.

We went camping. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I definitely was NOT on board with this whole camping thing. I went along with it because my husband desperately wanted to go.  The first time we went was fun, but we got about 1,000 ticks by the end of the weekend. 

Gun shy, the next time we went, I opted for a place with WIDE OPEN SPACES and no hikes! However it was a very popular "float trip" place, which apparently translates into "drunken awful scenes" - or it did across from our campsite!

Not this past weekend. This past weekend was a conglomerate of PERFECT conditions. We met up with friends at the campsite. They were 10 sites down from us.  The state part was amazingly family-friendly (ie, no drunken debauchery), paved (good for toddler bike rides!) and the hiking - OH the hiking!! - was amazing. 

Our site was RIGHT on a creek. Friday AM I skipped my run (although I worked out Mon-Thurs last week, yay!) but still managed to hit my 10K (and then some) steps. 

Saturday we went on a COLOSSAL hike. Obviously we didn't hike 10 miles, my kids never would have made it through that! But I was about about 9K when we ended our hike (2500 when we started) so it was a pretty significant stretch! The views were amazing, we walked through and played in a creek, found crawfish, built a dam, climbed "mountains" and spotted wildlife. NO ticks, thankyouverymuch. 

I swear my daughter was with us too, but since we were with her "best friend," I don't have any pictures of just her :-) 

Even the dog got in on it (This is pretty impressive for a 12 year old golden retriever ;-) He walked himself up there!  He did, however, take the steps down, not the slide. 

I will be definitely going back to this site. In fact, I found myself looking at open dates ASAP to try to get back! This is something "old me" never would have done.  At one point during our hike, I could tell my kids were starting to fade. We all sat down for a snack time and my family went wandering around the water. I knew the trail would meet up with the "go home" loop soon , but I wasn't sure how soon and wanted to see if we could hop on that trail from where we were, instead of continuing on.  So I found a way, across rocks in the river, to get to the other side. Then I climbed the "hill" (I swear it should have been a mountain!) to figure out if the flat part was a trail. "Old me" NEVER would have done that. I would have waited for someone else to figure it out, someone else to go forage ahead to find the path. I would have sat down and waited.  But I'm all about moving forward now. 

So let's do it. Let's move forward!! 

Big few weeks. Our very own JEN is getting married in a few weeks. I still have to fit into that bridesmaid dress, so here's hoping I can shed some lbs before then!  After that, I have a beach vacay coming up. Hoping to be comfortable in my own skin by then, at least. I know I'll never wear a bikini again (you know, because I did once) but I would at least like to be comfortable with myself by the time that happens. 

My daily runs will get me there, I'm sure!!   Here's a quick rundown of my last few runs: 

I've been pretty down on myself for my speed on these runs. Then I remember - I am used to running flat ground or a treadmill. I have been running some HUGE hills lately! I know I am building muscle and challenging myself in ways I haven't before. That makes my slower times a little more acceptable to me.  I did run on a treadmill last week in my circuit class at 9.0 for almost an entire 1:15 minutes! Doesn't sound like a lot? Get on a treadmill going 9.0 and tell me it's short ;-) 

Last week: 

Mon: Lifting, circuit class 

Tues: Run 2.26 miles

Wed: Run 1.02 miles

Thurs: Kickboxing, 60 minutes

Friday: CAMPING. 

I feel PROUD of what I'm doing. 

Why hello again!

So for as much as I haven't been around, I HAVE been doing really well!!

Last week, I ran 4 days!  More than I've run in a LONG time!

This morning I went to the gym. I lifted for a half hour before my 45 minute circuit class. 

I am back to the place where I have a huge surplus of calories at the end of the day. I am so cautious not to overeat that I tend to under eat. I know it's just as bad! I am trying to find some healthy clean options to bulk up my calories these days!

This morning I also put my baybee on a bus for KINDERGARTEN!!   I still have no idea how that happened!

Onward, people. I gained 1lb for the first August weigh in. Which didn't surprise me because I was alarmingly LOW for the initial weigh in - only 3lbs from my goal weight!  Just hoping to tone up at least this month since I'm getting my booty moving! 

Gotta train for the big 10K coming up!

August Challenge!!

I'm a day late, of course, because isn't that my style? :-) 

So my August challenge started, duh, August 1. 

July challenge results: I lost a lb from July 1. 

But since I was injured I will take it. 

BUT - August? August is MY month.  My official weigh IN weight was 156.5. LOW for me lately, but I am really ready to kick it into gear. I have another awesome partner (my friend Stacy) who has already motivated my butt to get moving this month! 

I am making it a goal to run several times a week - I am going to be running the Halloween 10K again (third year in a row!) with my friend Courtney and I am PSYCHED! I also signed me and my hubby up for the Color Run in St Louis coming up. And kids 5 and under run free - so both of my kids are coming with us! They will be SO psyched :-)  Not running it, obviously, but it will still be an awesome family time for us.

I'm excited that we're camping more often. I can usually max out at 10K or more steps on camping trips, even just walking to and from the bathroom with my kiddos. I'm sure I cancel that out with the amount of beer I drink when we camp, but I still think it counts for something.

This week:

I ran 2.25 miles on Thursday. (11:25 pace)

I ran 1 mile today (10:28 pace)

Here's to speeding my pace up this month. 

Here's to losing the last few pounds that are hanging around  (I'm 156.5 this am; would like to get to 153!)

Here's to cleaning up my eating - not necessarily to completely "clean" eating, but to eating what is good for me. Eating what I know fuels my body, not necessarily what tastes good. 

Pinterest!

So here goes nothing! I am ready, dedicated and super busy this month. Plus my BABY starts KDG in 10 days. TEN DAYS I will have a kid in elementary school. It blows my mind how fast time is going. And all I really want is to be healthy for my family. I always tell them they are stuck with me forever and I want to make good on that one!