Under Construction

I'm about to start redecorating so if you see anything weird here just ignore it.  I will post something once I'm done, hopefully within the hour.  Unless of course, something goes terribly wrong, which is altogether possible.   If that ends up being the case, I'll be back with a link to somewhere else ;)

When Pigs Fly?

As I sit here with one lost toenail, another one black and about to go, a pulled hamstring, sore knee and aching feet, I’ve decided to run a marathon!  I’m leaning towards the Flying Pig marathon on May 6, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio, but I haven’t completely decided yet.

It’s been one week and two days since I ran the Philadelphia Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon. Up until the gun went off I couldn’t figure out what the hell I thought I was doing lined up with all those people, crammed into corrals like cans of sardines. For the 48 hours leading up to the race I was a complete wreck. Nerves like jelly, stomach all tied up in knots. Couldn’t sleep.  You see, I’m a total introvert.  Even after losing all the weight (and keeping it off for more than 2 years now) I still have self-esteem issues.  I’m terrified of being around people, especially runners.  I don’t know why, but I feel like a fraud.  Other than when the gun goes off and I can just run, when will I ever feel like I fit in?! 

But that’s just it!  Once the gun goes off I no longer care about anything else.  I am in my zone, doing what I love to do. I will admit that I still prefer to run by myself (and not have to “deal” with other people) but as long as I’m running, I’m happy :)  And now that I’ve conquered the half-marathon, it’s time for a new goal! Mission:Marathon!  Which leads me to the next thing… this blog.

So here’s what I really want to do with this blog:

1. A training log (food/fitness) as I embark on the journey to become a marathoner.
2. A journal to sort out my feelings and work on my insecurities.
3. A connection to those of you who are either going through the same things I am, or that I/you have already gone through (i.e., WW, weight-loss, adapting a plant-based/Vegan diet/lifestyle, etc…).  

I actually began writing a new blog over at Wordpress, but decided that I am just going to stay here instead.  I like that Blogger is connected to Google and I can keep everything somewhat together. 

Over the next few days, I’ll be doing some redecorating and most likely changing the name of my blog (and maybe even buying a new domain) so stay tuned…

Oh, and my new Ghosts came today so I’ll leave you with this:

3, 2, 1... Half Marathon!

So yesterday was a huge milestone for me. It was 3 years ago yesterday that I joined Weight Watchers because my weight was creeping back towards the 200-pound mark (I had previously gotten all the way up to 240 and then lost 100 pounds on my own). Shortly after joining WW, I found and joined SparkPeople, though I didn't really take advantage of all the wonderful tools there until much later.

2 years ago I reached my goal weight of 114 pounds :)

1 year ago I completed the Couch to 5k (C25k) program and never looked back! Since then I've ran 5k, 10k, and 10-mile races. I ♥ Running!

6 months ago I registered for a half marathon. During (what was supposed to be) a 10-mile long run, I kept going and actually ran 13.1 miles on my treadmill. I think I just wanted to be sure I could do it.

4 months ago I eliminated all meat, dairy and eggs from my diet and switched to a completely Vegan lifestyle. I had already achieved a healthy lifestyle prior, so my reasons for doing this were/are completely based on the horrendous treatment to farm animals. I'm now an advocate/activist for Farm Sanctuary, and even adopted a duck named Preston :)

P.S. Without even trying, I've lost another 4 pounds since going Vegan. I have more energy than ever, and have never felt better!

So this brings me to yesterday.  I (along with 24000 others!) ran the Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half Marathon! I think there was only about a 10-minute period where I wasn't grinning ear to ear.

*Note for anyone currently training for a race: As Coach Nancy has mentioned several times- do NOT alter your diet around race day, even in the slightest amount. After grabbing and downing what I thought was a cup of water around mile 6, I was stricken with indescribable stomach pains and had to stop 3 times over the next couple miles at the port-o-pots! Turned out it was something called Cytomax (I think is similar to Gatorade?)- Ugh! I could have had (if not super close to) a sub-2 hour time if not for that! :(

But anyways, I finished strong! And because of all the people and having to weave in and out, my Garmin showed that I actually ran 13.64 miles, and I did it in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 34 seconds! Woohoo! And I got my first medal :) 

FMM and Week in Review

See that?! I ran a HALF MARATHON last Sunday! Woohoo! It was a good week!   I also saw the lowest number EVER on the scale – 111! I have to really watch it now though. I cannot go below 109 or I’ll be out of the “healthy” range. I only wish someone would explain that to my flabby belly- boo!

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FMM:  Favorite Things

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers.

1) What is your favorite food?  Peanut butter cookies!

2) What is your favorite childhood memory? This one is tough! I’m gonna go with something kinda silly since it sticks out in my memory: Winning the “Great Pumpkin” in 3rd or 4th grade. My favorite math teacher, Mr. Misterly, had to drive me home because it was too big to carry

3) What is your favorite way to burn calories?  Running. Duh!

4) What is your favorite mode of technological communication? Facebook I guess? Texting, email… I wish I was better at Twittering ;)

5) Who is your favorite actor/actress? Ewan McGregor/Emily Deschanel

6) What is your favorite lip color? Something light pinkish-orangey reddish

7) Who is your favorite historical figure? Gandhi

8) Who is your favorite athlete? Todd Zeile <3

9) What is your favorite TV network? I don’t really watch TV other than Dexter, Bones, and The Biggest Loser (which are on 3 different networks!) so I’m gonna have to go with Netflix on this one, Lol!

10) What is your favorite site on the web? Wow, so many to choose from. If I could only pick one, I would have to go with SparkPeople.com.

Ok, you’re turn! Happy Labor Day and have a great week!

Wordless Wednesday

Screw you hurricane - I ran a half marathon today :)

Today was (supposed to be) my 10-mile long run. As I watched the the treadmill display change from 9.99 to 10, I lowered the speed and went into cool-down mode. I walked for about 30 seconds and then I don't know what exactly came over me, but I just did not want to stop. I figured I'd go one more mile so I could have a new distance PR (10.25 was my farthest distance prior to today), but then instead of slowing the TM back down I cranked it up a little more and decided to "go for it!"

Honestly, I'm still in a bit of shock. I mean seriously, I am not what one would envision as an athlete. I even still smoke!  But something comes over me when I'm out there running, and it just makes me feel amazing :)

Sweat = Liquid Awesome!

I guess it all comes down to (finally) believing in myself. I believed I could do it, so I did!  I ran a Half-Marathon today! I ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 37 seconds. I am awesome :)

Wordless Wednesday

FMM: The Last Thing

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: The Last Thing

1) What is the title of the last book you read?  Physically read? Peas and Thank You. Audio book? I’m listening to the J.D. Robb In Death Series. Currently on Possession in Death. Oi! Only 2 books left :(

2) What is the last movie you saw in a theater? Hm. We don’t ever go to the movies so it’s been quite a while. I’m sure it was a horror movie… maybe Saw VI?

3) Briefly describe the last person you saw today. I haven’t seen anyone yet today besides the cat. My husband leaves for work at 4am and knows better than to wake me up that early ;)  And the dog is still in bed!

4) Which store did you most recently shop in?  Barnes and Noble. Paid double the price of what I could have paid on Amazon if I wasn’t so impatient! Ha!

5) Who’s the last person you spoke to over the phone? My husband, about 10 minutes ago.

6) Where’s the last place you vacationed? We are terrible at saving money for vacations, and spend too much on instant gratification types of things. So it would have been our wedding/honeymoon in Vegas on Halloween of 2009.

7) When was the last time you kissed someone of the opposite sex? Last night, before bed :)

8) What’s the last thing that made you laugh? Definitely this:

9) What’s the latest app that you downloaded on your phone? Fooducate, but I haven’t used it yet.  Gonna check out this “Instagram” that I keep hearing about next.

10)  What’s the last kind thing you did for someone? I did my husband’s laundry yesterday. I know, too exciting!

Have a great week everyone!

What I learned from today’s long run…

 

But first, This Week in Review:

Yes I’m a bad blogger (again). I just can’t find the time to update this thing regularly. Probably because when I do have time, I spend it reading everyone else’s blog ;)  Not like I really have anything that interesting to blog about anyways. I eat, I run, I work. (And I shop when I can!) So here’s what this past week looked like (oh and again, the picture came out horrible, but I think it’s still somewhat readable):

New grocery items: Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (french onion flavored) – Yummy!  Wholly Guacamole (classic) – again, Yummy!  And finally, Tofu! Nasoya Extra Firm. Believe it or not – also Yummy!

Oh, my P90X came early in the week, but I haven’t started messing with it yet.  I was kind of hoping my husband would want to try it out, but he’s still too busy with his PS3 ;)

I ran 21 miles last week! Woohoo! All good runs even! Today was another story, but I’ll get to that in just a minute.

On Friday, I went to Barnes and Noble and picked up ‘Peas and Thank You’ by Mama Pea. I love her blog and already had a few of her “recipeas” printed out to try.  And thanks to Mama Pea, I have finally experimented with tofu (see above), and I liked it! Probably because of the marinade and broiling until almost burnt, but it was really good!  I highly recommend this book, but I suggest if you do get it, get it from Amazon because I paid double that at B&N :(

Speaking of Amazon, I ordered ‘The Happy Herbivore’ and ‘Veganomicon,’ and am anxiously awaiting their arrivals!  Lindsay (the Happy Herbivore) has a blog here, and Veganomicon is another of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s books.  Her blog is the PPK (Post Punk Kitchen), which can be found here.

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What I learned from today’s long run…

1. Do NOT eat beans the night before a long run. Really, just don’t. TMI.

2. Do NOT wait until the hottest time of day to head into garage (where treadmill is), which is at least 15 degrees hotter than outside.

3. If you wait until you “need” a Gu, it’s too late.

4. Do NOT wear a non-fitting, non-sports bra. Especially one that is too big.  I spent so much time messing with “the girls” that the bra broke. Granted, it fit much better after I tied it into a knot to keep it on.

5. I am no longer allergic to bee stings. Unfortunately, I had to find this out the hard way.  Yes, I got stung while running.  Yes, it was during the same mile (the 4th, by the way) my bra broke.  It was also during the same mile I had to stop for a minute because I really “had to go.”  

6. The right song can turn it all around. I was considering just calling it a day and doing it over tomorrow. ‘Never Surrender’ by Triumph came on. I did not surrender :)

7. Running really is a mental sport. I had a full-blown argument with myself about not giving up. I thought about the people who have put me down, and who didn’t believe I could accomplish anything.  Umm, before I start going off on a tangent here, let me just move on…

8.  And the most important thing I learned today? 

I finally believe in me