Journey To Thirty

I did it!!! Crossed over the “70 lbs lost” mark!!!!!!!

Summary of this morning’s run. Longest I’ve ever gone, and the first part I walked to warm up. I pretty much maintained a 10 minute mile, crucial for training for longer races.

First race

Saturday April 28th was the day I’ve been working towards for months now (years if you count all the diets and attempts to achieve various fitness goals). Friday night we arrived in Ocean City and first stop was picking up the race packet, containing my shirt, race number bib, and the all important drink tickets! The reality set in seeing the sheer volume of runners participating. It was probably just under 3000 people either running a half marathon or 5k. I felt nervous and out of place, but it was my first time and that’s to be expected. Once I finally figured out what the heck was going on, we checked into the hotel and ate dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant up the boardwalk. I had looked at the map and the start of the race was about 1/2 mile down the boardwalk from the hotel, and we went to check it out so we’d have an easy morning. No big deal. We tried to go to bed early because the plan was to get up at 5:30 AM.

Needless to say I barely slept at all, being both excited and extremely nervous. When I finally met up with my friend who was also signed up for the race, we walked down and got to catch the start of the half marathon. Seeing all those people about to run 13 miles was inspirational! They’d all worked hard and were about to accomplish something that I can only dream of! The boardwalk was PACKED with all kinds of people; young and old, big and small, spectator and runners. It was overwhelming but exhilarating and I was so ready to get the race started!! They even had a DJ playing loud music to get everyone pumped. Although the weather was cold, once we got running it didn’t bother me! When the countdown ended and I finally took off, it felt amazing. I never thought I’d be the type of person to run 3-4 times and week and sign up for a race. Some races don’t allow use of headphones but this one did, which only helped pump me up that much more. I got to listen to music and my nike+ app that keeps your pace as well as allows you to hear cheers when someone likes or comments on your Facebook post. When we started I took off at a faster pace than I normally run; between the music, the adrenaline and hearing all the cheers, I couldn’t help myself. It only took me 9 minutes to run the first mile, and my average pace is more like 10 minutes so I knew I needed to pull back a bit so I could run the whole time. Seeing other runners, people of all ages, shapes, levels, and everything in between running with me made me feel less intimidated. I certainly wasn’t in the front but I was definitely not in the back, so I kept up my pace and pushed through whenever I started to doubt myself.

By the time I got to where I could see the finish line, I saw my mom cheering me on. She was trying to take my picture at the end but I guess I ran faster than we both expected so she had to try to catch up. After I saw her I was breathing heavy and gasped “I’m dying!” She knew I was close to the finish and I could see how proud she was of me. Another runner up ahead of me turned around and encouraged me by saying “Come die with me!!” I had to laugh a bit, and told her it was my first race ever. She said it was only her second and we were so close. When we turned the corner to finish the race, I saw that the time clock said just over 29 minutes since it started. I knew I could finish in less than 30 minutes so I sprinted as best I could without also falling on my face. It felt so amazing!! My original goal was to finish in less than 45 minutes, and my official time was 29:11. My pace was just over 9 minutes a mile, so much better than I ever thought I would do!!

Running this race didn’t make me want to do another 5k, it made me want to run a half marathon! I want that medal that says “finisher”. I want to prove to myself that I really can do anything! First thing is a 10k in a few weeks (as long as work schedules allow for it), and then I really want to train hard all summer for a half marathon sometime in the fall. This is all new and I know I’ll struggle at times, but overall I think if I work and push like I did for this first race, I’ll be able to accomplish more than I can even imagine!

Goal set and met

When we joined Gold’s gym in January, I downloaded the app on my phone. I had signed up for the 5k in December so I planned on doing some classes at the gym and training here on my treadmill. Only a woman would think something like “I need to lose weight before working out in public” or “I need to build up my stamina before running in public”, right?? Ladies, you get what I’m saying!!

One feature of the app is the ability to set a goal and track your progress. In January I set the goal to countdown to next Saturday (the day of the 5k). My goal- lose 20 lbs and finish the 5k in 45 mins. As of yesterday, I have lost that 20 lbs AND I’m able to run the distance of the 5k in 35 minutes!!

I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m bragging because I’m more astounded than anything. I have worked hard and pushed myself, and I am so amazed at what I’ve been able to accomplish.

I’ve had a few ideas rolling around in my head about what’s next for me… Definitely signing up for a 10k in June (6.2 miles) which I’d like to finish in 90 mins or less. After that, maybe a 10 mile race in October and then, a half marathon? I know I’m not there yet but I’ve come so far that I feel like if I’m willing to work hard I CAN get there!!

I hope I’m able to inspire others, as well. I really feel great and I would love to help others accomplish their goals as well :-)

Still on track

Today- warm up walk 4 mins (.25 mile), ran 42 mins (3.75 miles), cooled down walk 4 min (.25 mile), total of 4.25 miles in 50 mins on the treadmill. I’ve decided to sign up for more races, including a 10k on June 9. I need to build up 2 more miles on top of what I can do now in about 8 weeks. I think I can!!!

Practice 5k today outside. 2 weeks to the race- I ran the entire time and I finished in less than 35 minutes, which is my goal!!!

Status update

Three weeks from Saturday is the 5k and I’m ready! This week I’ve been doing 4 miles on the treadmill in 50 minutes. I also cancelled my weight watchers account and have decided to go it alone. I’ve been writing my meals down and trying to make good choices. I just weighed myself and as of this morning I am 164, which is 65 lbs lost total!!! I was hoping to be 159 by the race (70 lost total) so I’d have to lose 5 lbs. I’ll see how it goes, I think I can do it but I’m also very proud and happy about my progress to date. I have a new goal- size 10 by summer. I can do it!!

Today- 3 miles in 35 minutes, ran continuously! So close to the 5k, getting excited :-D

This morning’s weigh in made it official- 60 lbs lost!! 10 more before the race will make me ecstatic!

Diet sabotage. Aka mommy love!

Recently I’ve spent some time visiting family on both the west and east coast. I decided to use it as an opportunity to experiment with my diet. I kept up my workout as much as possible, but I gave the WW tracking a rest. I figured I would test my self control and try to keep myself in check. This may have been slightly off since we all know that when we visit family, our moms love to feed us! But since I was keeping up working out 5-6 days a week I thought I could make up for that.

I tried to do my best but unfortunately I didn’t lose much over a 3 week period. One week I gained, the next I got back to where I started. I’m sure all the delicious homemade soups, meatballs and eating out at yummy restaurants didn’t help. I was also tempted to eat when I wasn’t really hungry, which I think will always be a problem. When I’m bored, tired, sad, excited, etc.. I eat. Weight watchers helps with this because I’m adamant about tracking everything I eat. I’m more inclined to pass on thing I don’t need when I know I’ve used up my points for the day.

Lesson learned- I’m not ready to give up my points counting. I thought I was but I guess I’m going to need it for a little bit longer. Good news is that I am about 10 lbs away from a weight that will take me from “overweight” BMI to “normal”. Once I’m there, I’m hoping that I can keep myself in check with a balance of exercise and self control. At least I know what works- weight watchers has helped me lose 60 lbs!! I’m not there yet but I’m so close that I can see the finish line and it’s looking amazing :-)