the week or so after the big race

Well since the half Marathon, I have to say I have been a little tired and a little lazier then I have been. I have still gone to Zumba a couple times and I have done a few short runs here and there. In fact last Saturday three friends and I did the jingle bell run in downtown Daphne and we won the costume contest which was kind of awesome! Now that I have taken a little rest I am ready to increase my running a little. I am trying to be cautious to prevent injury. I feel like I just want to go out and do another long run, but I need to listen to some good advise I have been given, and take it slow in order not to get injured! I have an 8k this weekend which is just shy of five miles so I am looking forward to that!
I have also been struggling with a sweet tooth. I guess you could say it is that time of the year. As I have stated before I don't deprive myself, but if I give into every craving that is going to get me know where! So I tried a recipe for Healthier Chunky Monkey ice cream...with no ice cream..lol! It was super yummy and really satisfied my cravings. Here is the recipe below

3 bananas
2 tbs of peanut butter (all natural)
quarter cup of walnuts
and a handful of chocolate chunks(optional)


Directions
chop up Bananas and put in freezer in a freezer bag wait until frozen. Once frozen combine frozen bananas, Peanut butter, walnuts, and chocolate chunks all in a blender. Mix until smooth ( I added a little milk to help smooth it out)

and serve!!

It is perfect for those bananas that are starting to go bad!

I did it!

Well this Past Saturday 11/26/2011 I completed my first half marathon in Orange Beach Alabama! I can not believe that I did it! It was a tough race. First to start the day it was already 70 degrees at 8am! By the end of the race it got close to 78. I have some pretty funky tan lines on my back! I ran with my friend Stephanie Murray. It was very nice to have someone to talk to and have fun along the way. All was good with me until about mile five when we hit the road along the beach and the wind was crazy! It felt like someone was pushing me back the whole time, I was trying to run forward. The Sand was whipping up and I was so over the wind at that point! Finally we got back to trails. This time the trails were in the sun and there was a lot more incline but we kept going. We decided to do our first chomps at 7 miles right before the water station. For those that don't know about chomps a lot like huge gummies for adults that help give you some energy. Then a couple miles later..Stephanie had to make a pit stop and she told me to keep going that she would catch up to me later. At this point it was probably good for me to be alone and speed up a little bit. My hips and back were bothering me from going slower then my body wanted me to do. At the same time though I was greatful for Stephanie because I am my own worst enemy for running to hard in the beginning and burning out in the end. She finally caught up with me about a mile down the road but we made the decision to seperate around mile 10 so we could both run our own pace. I took off ahead did some more chomps and kept on going. Things were good until mile 12 and then that is when I hit a wall, and my lower back and hips locked up and would not allow me to run anymore. So I did what I did not want to do, and walked a little while I stretched my back out. So I did a walk run the last mile. Can you beleive only one mile and I just could not run the whole thing. I was able to run the last quarter of mile or so to the finish and finished three minutes slower then I wanted to, so not to bad with all things considered. As I crossed the finish line my parents and my son were there to cheer me in! It was so awesome to get that medal and complete it. Many runners were suffering from cramps and dehydration that day. In fact one runner said they had done 30 half marathons is that is was the worst one they had done, due to weather, wind and inclines. With that said I felt pretty good! It is crazy to say but I am already looking forward to the next! This has been such an accomplishment. After I finished the first thing that came out of my mouth is I don't think I will ever do a full Marathon...lol! I am so happy that I have completed it. Johnathan had to work but he bought me a dozen roses to tell me that he was proud of me! I thank all of my family and friends that have supported me and cheered me on a long the way. I am looking forward to many more of them in my future!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well as my night is soon coming to and end, I can honestly say that I had a Wonderful Thanksgiving! I started my day off with a 3 mile run, then came home and started some of the prep for the Big Meal. Johnathan took Nathan to the park to play and I was able to let our player piano play some Christmas tunes while I finished getting the house ready before my parents arrived. I had a wonderful dinner including my Grandmothers recipe for dressing. Always makes me miss her but so thankful she past on traditions that we can carry on! This Thanksgiving I did not skip my meal, but I totally portion controlled, skipped the gravy, ate whole wheat rolls, and skipped the extra butter on my roll and potatoes! I think this is the first time on Thanksgiving that I felt totally satisfied, instead of stuffed like a Turkey myself! It has been a great day! This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my health and the health of my family! 2 days until the half Marathon...I can do it!

As Thanksgiving approaches!

Well Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! My parents are making the trip and I am looking forward to spending time with my family. As we know this day also involves and over indulgence of food! I look forward to this meal more then any other every year! A true fact is that most people consume between 4000-4500 calories during Thanksgiving meal! Way more then twice what you should eat all day long. Trust me I along with you, am not giving up the goods this year..but I am going to take half the amount I would normally have. I still get a little taste and enjoy the memories of the food that has been passed down over years, but I am not going to go down feeling like a stuffed Turkey myself! Again it is about living! I am also starting tomorrow off with a 4-5 mile run and then I am going to enjoy my meal with my family when they get here! Then to help with this time of year...I signed up for a race the week of Thanksgiving..there are many out there..such as Turkey trots etc. Mine just happens to be my first half...again super nervous..but loving that this is party of my new life!

Accepting the Sweat!

I guess before now I really never knew what a real work out was, because I now sweat like a beast! I know it is gross and I was feeling very insecure about it at first. I looked like I had taken a shower when I got done working out! WE as women, have been brought up as thinking that we really don't sweat we prespire whatever the hell that means! When I get done with a run and I can squeeze the sweat out of my hair....I know I have worked hard! I am starting to embrace my sweat as a physical representation of the weight that I am losing, and the hard work I have put in! I picture myself on one of those Gatorade commercials and I try to decide what color I think my sweat would look cool in. Strange maybe, but it makes me relate to the hard work those Athletes put in, and I realize that I am now considering myself as an athlete! Who would have thought this about six months ago! I love it! I feel strong, I work hard, and with that I sweat hard!

Trying this recipe right now!

Well party of my new adventure is to discover new recipes. As we are speaking I am cooking this califlaur in my oven....can't say the house smells delicious..lol...but I am sure it will be good. I like the fact that this side gives the nutritional information and also lists if it is good for people who have diabites ect. Anyway..I will post and update on how it goes..missing the marjoran so I hope it still tastes good! http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/balsamic_parmesan_roasted_cauliflower.html

Day Two

I had a wonderful weekend with my family. Johnathan was able to get away with us yesterday to go to Gulf Shores. As much fun as this was it also included eating at LuLu's and the night before we went out to dinner as well. As much fun as it has been it also does not help the waist line! What does this mean? well it is a new day and back on track.I never give up because of a bad day or a bad meal. We are human..it is normal...just get back to living and real life. I will be doing Zumba tonight for my fitness, to change it up and will watch my calorie intake today! As many of you, I hate to see the number go up a little on the scale, but I have learned unlike before...don't just give up. This is life..it is about the ups and downs. In all honesty I am thinking about even getting rid of the scale. My clothes and the appearance in the mirror are my best indicators! Weight is just a number and not a definition of how healthy you are!!

I will give it a go!

so......The reason I started this blog,is because of the number of people I have had recently ask me what I have been doing to lose weight. So I figure...I will write down my story for you to read if you feel inclined to read it. I will give a WARNING now....I miss spell a lot, and may not have a great flow to my writing. My punctuation is pretty crappy as well...so if you are one of those who can not handle that...just stop now and don't ready any further! Now that we have that out of the way I will continue..lol. Well as many of you know I have struggled up and down with my weight throughout my mid twenties into my thirties. Being short every five pounds shows! I have tried the fad diets and everything in between....but I finally found the secret! Are you ready for it.... watch what I eat most of the time...and exercise...who knew? I found the things that I love and have an interest in. I always knew I liked to shake my groove thing..so Zumba was a natural fit for me, but I could only do that so many days a week. I had several friend talking about the runs that they had coming up and they were training for. I was always intrigued but never thought I would be "one of those people". I decided to try running a 5k on the treadmill in the gym. I started by running a few minutes and walking a few minutes. After several weeks of adding a little time I accomplished the 3.1 miles. Once I was able to do this without stopping I decided to officially sign up for my first 10k race ever and start training. I was lucky to find a running partner to train with. Within about another month or so I completed my first 10k..6.2 mile race! After doing this I started to wonder am I capable of doing a half marathon..13.1 miles. I set out for that goal and signed up for a race in New Orleans this coming March. In the meantime my training was coming along nicely and I was challenged to do the half Marathon next Saturday...a couple days after Thanksgiving!! So I took it and am now 6 days away from my first half Marathon. I am scared and excited, but feel it will be accomplishing something on my bucket list! Also a big part of this journey is my trainer Kim Barnes who pushes me to do the things I don't want to do..such as weights, push ups, sit ups..ect. But these things are very important in weight loss to build muscles to help burn the fat!! So Thanks you to Kim!
In the meantime I have lost 25lbs gone down a couple sizes in pants..in fact I am wearing a size I don't ever remember wearing! And in my mid 30's feel like I can take on the world. As far as diet goes.. I don't have a strict one, but try and eat several times a day and try to eat a protein at every meal. I am in the process of really learning the benefits of different proteins ect.. for my training and body! There is no secret fad diet..just a balance. I never deprive myself of the things I want....I just limit them! I will do my best to keep people updated with my progress, recipes, races ect. I am not an expert by any means..but I am in the process of studying fitness material so I will do my best to tell you what works for me! Thanks for reading my rambling..I felt I just need to keep it self contained in a blog...lol!