Back in business...

  So last month I was really bad about blogging.  I always have such good intentions...but then again we all know where good intentions lead.  Anyway I guess in part my lack of posting had a direct correlation to my lack of working out.  But this week I've gotten back on track (must be the fact that I am committed to running a half marathon in about a month).  But the one thing I have had to remind myself of over and over again this week is that there is no point of being fustrated that you are not where you want to be...unless you can use it for motivation to get to that place.  So from here on out...it's one step in front of another...step by step back to my dreams!

Jess

I am not in control but I know who is..

Hey people,


Okay so this past month has been insane for me. I feel like I have been pulled in a million different directions and in the midst of trying to holding it all together I’ve just been watching things fall more and more apart. The funny thing is the more things fall apart the more I am realizing my desperate need for God.

I’m not usually the type of person who is so forward with my faith. In fact in the last year or so I’ve struggled so much in my relationship with God that although I’ve never once doubted God’s exsistance, I’ve felt like to talk about God as if we were still tight would only make me a hypocrite (so instead I’ve chosen not to say anything at all).

Anyway, in connection to this discovery I’ve also realised that the time I spend working out is about the most amount of personal time I get in my day (beyond the 45 minutes I’ve been getting up early each more to spend reading my bible) and that it’s the perfect oppurtunity for me to spend time talking to God.

In the past I’ve felt like I could only run if I’ve had the right music. This week I switched all my music on my MP3 music over to contemporary christian music and have been using my time out on the road just to talk…and be completely honest… with God. The funny thing is…in bringing all my emotions to God in this way I’ve realised that it’s helped me with my running. When I am feeling overwhelmed and anxious my number one instinct is to run away from the situation…which although I can’t really do, I can act out that feeling by physically running…and so I do.

So my next goal for this next coming month is to continue working on my relationship with God and allowing that healing also help me get back on track with my weight loss goals.

I am not in control, God is…but through Him I can do all things.

Jess

Lesson of the day

Hey Friends!

Sorry that I haven’t posted in a while. I always have such good intentions and then… well… life happens. Anyway today I went for a 4.5 mile run…and while I was out there running that streets it dawned on me once again that I don’t have to fit into any one else’s formula when it comes to running. I have this tendency in life…and thus in running…where I like to do things by the book. I obey the speed limit, I follow all the directions on tests, I don’t jump ahead in line, I wait for the cross walk. So when it comes to running, I like to follow the plan exactly…and when I can’t… well… I get frustrated and quit. That’s what the last two weeks have been about for me.

In the past two weeks (well minus the last three days) I haven’t been doing a lot of running. I realize now it’s cause I can’t seem to find the time (and or energy) to work 8 hours a day 5 days a week, plus deal with all my other responsibilities and still fit in all my scheduled runs. And… well…once I get off schedule…it’s all downhill from there.

But the good thing is… I still LOVE to run. In fact… my car is out of commission for the moment and since I didn’t have a way home from work last night I decided that I would just run home. Turns out it only takes about 35 minutes and other than having to deal with my backpack filled with my work clothes strapped to my back, it was actually quite enjoyable.

So now the plan is…just to run…to let it be fun…to go will how my body is feeling over what some paper tells me I have to do. Granted that doesn’t mean I want to gravitate too much from the “plan” but I guess what I’m finding is that when I do…its okay. So that’s my lesson for the day!

Jess

My three favorite words....

Ahh the joys of proving someone else wrong…of sticking it to them…. Of forcing them to say my favorite three words “You are right” (ha-ha…you thought I was going to say “I love you” didn’t you…just kidding). Anyway… so for at least the last week all I have listened to is my 19 year old nephew go on and on and on about how he could outrun me any day. He’s talked about how fast he is and how far he runs with his friends (well at least how far it feels), and about how I’m such a slow runners he’s got to whip my butt into shape. Meanwhile he’s completely ignored the point that I’ve been trying to make…which is he is a sprinter and I on the other hand am a distance runner, therefore I care less about speed and more about endurance.
Well tonight I finally convinced him to come on a run with me and since it was only three miles it didn’t take much convincing. We got on the road an immediately he started complaining about how my pace is so much slower than his. So I told him to run ahead and I would catch up to him on the main streets (basically meaning all the places I was planning to make a turn). I watched as he sped away and pretty much kept a good block ahead of me for the first half mile. Then he started walking! At first I thought he was just trying to wait for me but no….as I started to catch up he would start running again only to stop and walk about a minute later. This went on for about another half a mile and then he stopped completely.

When I caught up I asked him what the problem was and he was all like “I’m tired….how much longer do we got?”. I couldn’t help but let out a bit of a laugh when I informed him that we had just barely passed one mile and still had two more to go. Shaking his head he told me how there was no way he could make it another two miles and that he was going to turn back and go home. I kinda wanted him to stay…having someone to run with (even if it’s more like behind) always pushes me to work harder. But alas he said no and turned around; admitting to me that I in fact had been correct in saying that distance running is more about endurance than speed.

Not that I relish in knowing he quit…cause honestly I think he could have tried to push through a bit more…but this run made me happy. Happy that is because I’ve always been a firm believer that you can’t compare yourself to others when it comes to speed. You have to go at your own pace and eventually you can accomplish everything (and maybe even more) then a faster runner can. Tonites run reminded me of that….and I like knowing I’m right.

Jess

Mudpuddles of life...

Alright so the plan was to get back on track yesterday…and although the day started out pretty much on the right foot, it all started to unravel about the time I hit my 15 minute break and realized I didn’t have a healthy snack to carry me through the rest of the day. From there I lost track of calories, skipped my trip to the gym and ate brownies and ice cream with my teenage nephew all night. Then reality set in…and not only did I find myself with a large dose of eaters remorse, but I also happened to get an email from a friend containing a picture of me from this past weekend….let’s just say I was completely unhappy with what I saw…and it certainly kicked me back into reality.

I’m not going to lie… I love to eat crap because it tastes good to me (even though sometimes after I don’t feel good form it). And I have a hectic life schedule so when I’m tired it’s much easier to be lazy then to actually work out. BUT I also know that when I eat healthier I feel better and have more energy..and the same goes for working out.  I don’t ever want to become the overweight person I once was (see picture to right.. taken around my heaviest). That girl was unhappy because she was trapped in a body that was too big for her….she couldn’t move…she couldn’t breathe! But now by the grace of God I have a new body and since I can move and breathe I should!

So this morning I got back on the bandwagon. I made a healthy breakfast (an egg white scramble with tons of veggies) and lunch (yogurt with blueberries and a roast beef sandwich), started counting my calories again, AND even went for that well over due run (even though it was pouring rain out and the puddles were monsters…see picture below).

All in all I am pretty proud of myself…and ready to hit my goals again tomorrow (which include a 7am jog)! So…”what have you done today to make yourself proud”?

Jess

I've got a confession to make...

Alright friends…so I have a confession to make (it is Sunday after all…it seems only appropriate...hee hee). This past week I have been so off track it’s not even funny. I’ve eaten crap, been lazy and chosen not to work out, and willingly avoided reaching out for accountability. BUT… enough is enough! I have goals! I have dreams! I have desires! It’s time to get back on track!


So right here…right now… I am committing to counting calories, going to the gym, and making the better choice this next week. I need to take care of me…it’s my responsibility!

And to hold me accountable please feel free to check back on my blog throughout the week as I will also get back on the blogging bandwagon!

Here’s to a great new week!

Jess

Mental Toughness and My Outdoor Gym...

Hey There!


Alright, so today I want to talk a little about the mental side of running, because if you are like me…sometimes you just don’t want to run…and sometimes you do, but mentally your brain is SCREAMing at you to stop. This is what it’s been like for me the last two days of training. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed being outside in the gorgeous weather and I’ve loved the feeling I get from completing a workout…but sometimes the mental battle can get it me!

For example last night I was so excited to get out of work and get in a run in the sun (can’t tell you how excited I am that it’s now light out after work)! So I laced up my sneakers and hit the road only to find about a mile in I wanted to stop. Now I wasn’t tired or in pain but mentally this was the battle going on in my head… “You can’t do this you’re too tired….Yes I can I can do anything I put my mind to… but there’s so much longer to go and you’re already tired…. It’s just one foot in front of the other, one step at a time…but your sore…Yep but I’m not in pain and my body is not screaming at me to stop so I can keep going”. Then during today’s run my mental dialogue was more like this… “Maybe I should walk some…but why, you’re doing fine running…. I’m tired… keep going…. I wanna quit… define yourself, are you a quitter?... No, but I wanna stop cause this is hard….But when you’re running your next half and you wanna quit cause it’s just as hard and you look back on this training run what do you want to remember? That you proved you can do anything you put your mind to or that you are a quitter?!... ” And with that I kept going and of course made it home with no problem.

Then because I know that I am going on a mini-vacation the next two days and probably won’t find the time to work out (which is why I did four days of running in a row….normally I do three and then rest) I decided to head to the park and work on some leg strengthening exercises. So let me introduce you to another friend of mine…….this is the Goodwin park football field (see picture to left)…in the fall its home to the pop-warner cardinals football team but for the next twelve weeks (at least) it’s my new outdoor gym. Now you probably can’t tell from the picture but way out in the distance, out by the trees, is a field goal pole (I think that’s what they are called). I was standing under the other one and for my first exercise I did side squats all the way across the 100 yard field. Once I hit the other goal pole I did 2 sets of leg lifts, shaked out my legs a bit, and did walking lunges all the way back! Then after torturing myself with that for a while (hee hee...I was definitely feeling the burn), I headed over to the baseball diamond and did step ups onto the team bench (see picture below to right)! After that I did some calf raises, stretched out in the nice warm sun and walked home feeling quite proud!

See mentally I should believe that I can’t do things like this… I was once 310lbs for goodness sake! Human Nature would tell me to believe that it’s too hard and it’s just weird to push my body when nobody is there to tell me to do it. But the reality is…I can do it! I do this for me…to prove it to myself! Two years ago I couldn’t run three houses down the street before needing to stop to catch my breath. I didn’t believe that I could lunge 100 yards or push through the burn of side-squats. But now I know I can and each day I go out there I prove it to myself again! I might only be training for a marathon (not the Olympics as my mother so elegantly pointed out last night when she asked why I was running so much), but each day I go out there and push my body …I’ve already WON the gold!

Jess

400's...they sounded so easy!

Hey Peeps!

So it’s day two of ½ marathon training and I was blessed to wake up to a gorgeous (although windy) day outside (see picture to the right)! Normally I work during the days so even when it’s nice out I don’t really get to enjoy it, but luckily for me I have to close tonight and so I actually had a chance to enjoy the weather for a bit (although honestly it’s been about six months since I’ve worked a closing shift and so I’m not too sure I’m going to be thankful about it when I’m leaving work at 10pm).

Anyway, all weekend I was pretty excited about the idea of “Springing forward” (hee hee… I know I’m probably about the only person in the world who felt that way) since it means when I get out of work on a normal day it will now be bright enough to run outside (which I prefer over the dreadmill any day). Yet on the very first work day of daylight savings it poured all day and so I found myself at the gym, on a dreadmill (and I didn’t even get to watch my show since the TV showing it was all the way to the right and I was on the left side of the gym…see picture to left to see what I mean).

So today when I woke up and saw the sun I knew it meant I could get outside and for that I was truly excited. Granted my excitement faded about ten minutes into running 400’s…which was about the time I realized how tough they actually are! Now I’ve always been under the impression that a 400 is about a quarter of a mile...and I was also under the impression that if I ran three fourths of the way around my parents block that it would equal about a quarter of a mile. So that’s what I set out to do today. I would run three fourths around and then walk the last fourth before starting again. And there was even a point when I totally stopped short on one of my 400’s and decided that it meant I had to do that whole one again (Cause hey if you’re going to do something you might as well do it right!).

Well It turns out that the distance I was running was actually .375 miles not .25…which isn’t a huge difference but is none the less still a bit longer….which only made me feel better about my times (which aren’t impressive probably to anyone but me…but I compete against myself so it’s all good to me). Loop one took me 3:34 minutes. Loop two 3:21 minutes (I shaved off 13 seconds!). Loop three 3:19 minutes (shaved off 2 more seconds there). Loop four 3:19 minutes again (definitely thought I would be slower so I was happy). And Loop five 3:22 minutes (granted this one was probably slower considering I had to do it twice).

I remember thinking last night when I was going over my training plan for the day today how five 400’s just doesn’t seem like that much of a workout. Today after running them I disagree. This is a seriously tough workout (I mean come on I burned 496 calories in 30minutes…it doesn’t get much better than that)!

Now off for some lunch and then to head to work!

Jess

The 6th Annual Max O'Hartford 5k...

Alright Friends…so I am officially tired (day light savings and a crappy night sleep can do that to a girl) and I am even considering heading to bed as soon as I put my niece down..But before I do I wanted to be sure to post some pics and stories from today’s race.

Well first and foremost I have to give a big shout out to my friend Jessica who ran the 5k with me, even though the beer and corn beef I promised her (a.k.a bribed her with as a way of convincing her to run the race) didn’t quite work out the way we planned (it was cold and windy…and the line for food was crazy long… and well the beer wasn’t the greatest.. although we did get a commemorative cup to put it in..see picture, although it's not the greatest take). Beyond that I must also mention that I pretty much broke every rule of racing while preparing for this race, so if you’re looking for an example of what not to do…this might be it...hee hee!

So as I said, I had a really crappy night sleep last night. I got all into this book I was reading and didn’t turn in for bed until well around midnight (which because of daylight savings was like 1am). Then my dog, who for all intents and purposes I love dearly and usually love having in my room, woke me up somewhere around 2:30am with her insanely heavy breathing…which led to a very long game of me kicking her out of my room, hearing her scratch at the door until she got it to open, and then me having to crawl out of bed to kick her out again (well that is until I got smart enough to actually lock the door so that she couldn’t open it!). Suffice to say, when my alarm went off this morning I was in no mood to actually get up.

Then I had church before the race and had to pack for my sister’s before leaving for church, so of course I was running around like a crazy person getting ready and almost forgot to have breakfast (don’t worry I shoveled down some cereal, a cheese stick, and an egg before I actually left). I also ended up having to leave church immediately after service to rush home and meet Jessica who still had to pick up her race packet (which was really no biggy considering I had to exchange my shirt for a smaller size anyway...you can see a picture of it to the right). On top of that we didn’t really know where to park once we got into the city so it just made me all the more nervous that we were going to late (After all the stressing though, we ended up having about a 45 minute wait before the start of the race… basically enough time to wait in the line for the ladies bathroom).

Anyway it was a cool, windy and overcast day here in Hartford (as you can see from this picture) so we ended up waiting inside until about ten minutes to start time and then headed out to the starting gate. Now I’ve done enough races now to know a few things about myself and how to/not to run these races. For one I know I am not a very fast runner and thus very willingly tend to line up at the back of the pack (mostly because I have fears of being trampled like the guys who do the running of the bulls in Spain). I also know that since I’m starting towards the back of the pack I’m probably not going to pass the start line until at least a minute after the starting gun goes off. Finally I know that when I finally do get to the point where the pack starts to break up that I can’t allow my excitement, emotion, and competitive spirit dictate my speed (I need to run my own race, at my own pace, to beat myself…it’s not about the other runners). Anyway… having that attitude really helped me to enjoy this race and take it all in (I also ran the entire thing without music which was actually a first for me)!

So some things I noticed are that one, I LOVE the running community! I already knew this about myself before this race, but it seems every time I race I am reminded how much of a supportive group of people runners are. Luckily for me this was also one of the few times that I got to be the one supporting others instead of needing to hear that “Keep it up, your doing great” comment and that was an awesome feeling! I also noticed that I really need to work on running more hills. Although the race took place on the downtown streets it sure seemed to me that there were a lot of rolling hills…and although I never once felt like giving up I also found myself dreading it every time I sped down a hill since I knew an uphill trek was just around the corner. I don’t want to be the type of person who dreads the next corner….I want to know I can conquer whatever may come around the next bend!

Anyway so for all you number people here’s the official timing (cause I know that’s all you really want to know about…but don’t worry I get it…that’s why I checked the results page almost every 30 minutes this afternoon until the times were finally posted…hee hee)…

***My gun time was 35:48 with my net time actually being 34:32 (which averages out to 11:31 minute miles).

***I placed 644 out of 856 female runners

*** And I placed 1,267 out of the 1,545 people who ran….although I like to cheer myself up with the fact that I was 43rd out of the 84 people in my age bracket (pretty much right smack in the middle)

Overall it was a nice run and if anything it made me realize that with each race and practice run I am becoming a more efficient and even faster runner. Well thanks for reading (because I know this was a long post)!!!

Jess

Friday afternoon Fun...

Hey All! What up?!?!

So can I just tell you I had the funnest run today (yeay!). My friend/boss and I are running a 5k together on Sunday and so we thought it would be a good idea to get together for a practice run today since we haven’t run together since possibly thanksgiving (the last race we did)! Anyway, I had heard about these great trails in my area and decided that today would be the perfect day to try it out…and it was! First of all the trails are dirt not concrete so my knees were absolutely in heaven. Then the rain held off all day so we didn’t have to worry about getting soaked and sick before our big day (the forcaste called for rain all day). Then on top of that we talked the entire run (well actually I talked most of it cause as you can tell I’m sort of a blabber mouth) and so I didn’t listen to music the entire time (and usually I have to have music or I am dying)! Plus I had a great running partner who let me force her to run longer than the four miles we had planned (cause let me tell you I was feeling great…well and cause I missed a mileage marker…oops) and just kept going even when it got tough for her (how’s that for inspiration! Ever watch someone push through when you can tell it’s not easy for them?!?! It makes you so proud…and motivates you to want to do your best that much more)! Anyway…so here’s a pic from the trail (sorry I got a bit of the port-a-potty in it but what are you gonna do)!

Anyway Sunday is the big race…well I’m not really sure it can be considered BIG since we ran longer today than we will then, but still it’s exciting to just get out there with other runners again. I will be sure to post some pictures and lots of stories from the event, and then Monday I officially start the 12 week program from Hal Higdon to prepare for the half…so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to share in the coming weeks. So get excited people…cause I know I am!

Jess

I heart Runner's World...and this article...so check it out!

Hey!

So sorry about the lack of posting this week… but I’ve been trying to make sure I dedicate extra time to working out this week, especially with a race on Sunday (okay so it’s a 5k but still…hee hee). Anyway I wanted to share a cool story with all of you because if anything it’s offered me the kind of inspiration I’ve been looking for since the Olympics ended and well there’s just nothing like paying it forward. The only problem is... it’s not really my story to tell and considering I’m sure there are some sort of plagiarism laws out there about copy things from other sources the best I can do is give a summary and then send you out the door to pick up the latest issue of Runners World Magazine and read it for yourself (here’s a picture of the cover so you know for sure your grabbing the right one!).

So in every issue of this magazine they share a “human race” story about “regular runners doing amazing things” and this month’s runner truly is amazing! Brain Boyle’s a guy who overcame insurmountable odds to not only walk again (he was in a crazy car accident where he was hit by a dump truck) but he went on to train for and eventually complete a marathon in less than four hours!!! But what I think makes this story even greater is that he accomplished this great feat not on his first try, or second, or even third. I think they said it took him six tries to finally reach the goal of a sub-four hour marathon! Talk about dedication, commitment and perseverance!

See stories like that inspire me because throughout my life I’ve come face to face with obstacles that have detoured me from my dreams and I’ve had moments when failure has kept me back from trying again. But people like this man prove that anything is possible if you are willing to put in the work and never give up! The Impossible is never REALLY impossible unless you decide it to be! So thanks Brian and Runner’s World Magazine for sharing this story and reminding me of that fact!

Jess

Overwhelmed by choice....and lack of information!

So this afternoon it was completely gorgeous here in the great state of CT…or well, at least in my part….and of course I was working, so as soon as my lunch break hit I ran outside to catch some time in the sun. Lucky for me the bookstore I work at is in the same shopping area as a grocery store and so I figured instead of just enjoying the weather I would also pick up a few things I needed from there. This however meant that I was going to miss any real chance I had to eat my lunch and so I thought I would pick up some sort of protein/energy bar thing to help sustain me throughout the next two hours until my next break when I could eat my meal. Now don’t get me wrong I’ve tried many different bars before when I was trying to figure out what would work best while running, but honestly I always just picked up what was on sale. Today I actually took the time to read the ingredients and the nutrition information on these bars…and my golly was I over whelmed! I could have spent an entire day in that aisle and still not have found exactly what I was looking for (not that I really knew EXACTLY what I was looking for to begin with… but still)! There are so many brands and then flavors to choose from…then the ones that seem to have a lot of protein are also really high in calories…and the ones that are decent when it comes to the amount of carbs also have insane amounts of sugar! How’s a girl suppose to know what to go for?!?!


SO I decided instead of just living in the dark that tonight I would come home and do some research and what I found (besides a million different people having a million different opinions on the matter) was what I’ve always known, and that is that “energy” comes from food… and well it’s always best to stick with the real stuff not the prepackaged processed things that can live on a shelf for years without going bad (I mean think about it…if it doesn’t decompose on a shelf what’s gonna happen to it in your body?!?!). So now it’s back to the drawing board. I’ve really got to find the perfect blend of super foods to help sustain my energy throughout the day cause man, lately I’m been so drained (hum…maybe there’s something to this eating more meat thing..hee hee).

Jess

PS… So when I got home from work tonight the last thing in the world I wanted to do was run…but I happened to get this text at the most perfect time and it completely motivated me to get my butt out the door. In fact, I was so motivated that I not only ran the three miles I was planning but I kept going for an additional mile and ended up completing 4.16 miles in 49:51 (which is about 12minute miles…and this early into training, I can be proud of that)!  So for those of you who like to send out those encouraging words of wisdom to your friends...never understimate the power those little notes might have!

Need a good laugh?!?! Here's a great book!

Alright friends, so considering I am a bookseller by trade, you had to have known that I some point I would use my precious blog time to recommend a book. Well that point in time has come…. tonight! So for all my running friends out there…you know those of you who totally just get the whole love/hate addiction to throwing on your sneakers and hitting the road…..And, well for those of you who just dabble in running and might enjoy a good laugh, check out this book (pictured to the left), “The Runner’s Rule book” by Mark Remy (and the editors of runner’s world)!!! And just to give you a sneak peek at some of the more funny rules in this book, here are some of my favorites:


Rule #1.9--- Pass Gas Not Judgment

Rule #1.66—Dogs are harmless, expect when they’re not

Rule #2.20---“Looking Good” and 10 other lies runners tell each other

Rule #2.32--- Do whatever it takes to finish before a costumed runner

Alright so that list doesn’t even begin to do justice to the book (or even to those rules listed for that matter), so to see what I mean… check it out! (PS…you don’t have to buy it just go to your local bookstore, grab it off the shelf and spend a good hour sitting there sipping coffee and chuckling at the pure humor of it…seriously booksellers are use to it).

Jess

"Make it Happen" Month

Hey there!


So it’s March 1st…whoo hoo (and just in case you’re wondering, I was born in March, so I tend to believe it’s the best month of the entire year…hee hee)!!! And with a new month comes a new opportunity to create some new goals and reach some new heights! So this month I’ve decided to pull out all the stops and take a cue from Bob Harper by stopping to just talk and instead to just do it (Hee hee…do any of your remember that episode of Biggest Loser when Bob totally freaked out!!!). That is why I have declared March “Make it Happen Month”. This is the month where instead of just wishing I could run faster or hoping that I can lose some weight, I instead put in the work to actually achieve those goals. And well being the goal oriented person that I am I’ve come up with a monthly goal (which is to be able to cut my 5k time down to under 30 minutes), a two week goal (which for the next two weeks is to train for the “Max O’Hartford 5k so that I can get as close to that 30 minute mark as possible during the race), and some weekly goals (like to work out at least 5 days a week and to make sure I am doing some form of running 4 of those 5 days). Now obviously these aren’t some outlandish concepts….they are simple things…doable things. And yet they are also things which will bring me closer to my ultimate goal (which as I said last night is to beat my previous half marathon time).

So now I’m wondering…what are your goals for this month? It’s March first…you still got 30 days to MAKE IT HAPPEN (So “stop talking about it and just do it”!!!)!

Jess

Friend or Foe.... here we go...

Hey There…

So tonight I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine (or at some points its better known as my enemy…hee hee). This is my scale (pictured to the right). For most of my weight loss journey I have lived and died on this scale. Weighing once a week I would only be happy if that number went down and I did everything in my power to make sure that happened (which, well, we all know of the success I have had in that).

But these days I hold myself to a much different standard. Yes it’s still important to me to keep my weight in check and my body healthy, but now I have a different goal in mind….a goal that keeps me from falling off the wagon when the number on the scale doesn’t quite meet my liking! So I guess it would only be appropriate now to introduce you to another friend of mine…. Pictured to your left is the bib I wore during the first half marathon I ever ran. On it I’ve written my official time for that race which was 2:36:12. In just three months I will be attempting this race again… and in this second go round I have but one goal. That is to beat my previous time….but not just to beat it….to smash it out of the park!!! I have three months to lose 30lbs and beat my legs and body into submission….and honestly I actually believe I can do this!

So for those of you who haven’t realized yet what exactly all this “training” I am doing is for….now you know…so jump on board and get moving with me (by the way I am naming March “make it happen” month…so one way you can join me is to create a goal that you want to reach by march 31st and then work your ass off over the next few weeks to reach it….but more on that some other night).

Jess

Oh and I almost forgot. Remember way back in January when I posted that picture of my workout calendar where I write out what I did for workouts in order to keep myself motivated. Well here’s a picture of this month’s calendar (to the right)...as you can see I started the month out slowly (so slow in fact I wasn’t doing anything) but over the past few weeks things have finally gotten back on track)!!! Here’s hoping March looks even better!!!

The Excuse that makes me want to SCREAM (and I am NOT a screamer)...

Hey Guys…


So I am about to head into a nine days stretch at work where I have to work 8 of those nine days and therefore I wanted to jump on here and post something just in case I can’t get around to it the rest of the week (and well cause let’s face it… I’m a girl and I like to talk)!

Anyway, today I want to talk a little bit about excuses….or actually just one excuse that I hear over and over and over again from friends and family about working out. I cannot tell you the amount of times I hear in my day, “well I can’t work out because I don’t have a gym membership” or “I can’t work out because I don’t have equipment”. That is the biggest lie in the world! You do not need a gym membership or any fancy equipment to get a good work out…and I am solid proof of that!

Most people assume that since I’ve lost so much weight I must be the queen of the gym. The reality however is that I HATE going to the gym. In fact I am pretty much intimidated by everything in there (I don’t really know how to use most of the machines and I always feel like everyone is looking at me even if they aren’t, which is just…well…. awkward). When I first started out losing weight I did two things in particular. One, I walked (and I mean walked. I would grab my headphones and walk out the door not to return for at least an hour) and then I got one of those cheap little foam steps that are like a foot off the ground and I’d just stepped off and on it for hours at a time (I know it sounds boring…but I would either watch TV while doing it or make a game out of it by trying to beat how many steps I could take per minute).

Now a day’s I’ve moved on to running, biking, elliptical, weight training, and my all time favorite (all though quite a killer workout) stair climbing/running (I prefer to do this down at the local high school track but in the winter it’s kind of hard so I do a hundred sets on the staircase pictured to your right….so really it’s nothing fancy). With the exception of using an elliptical (which I was lucky enough to get for a birthday present two years ago) and a bike the only real equipment I use is my own body weight and dumbbells (which are completely affordable). So I don’t want to hear any more about this “I can’t cause…” business! You can DO it! You should do it! So get out there and DO IT! No excuses!

Jess

Getting back in the right mind set... week 1 of training!

  Hey peeps..what up?!?!  So it's been a pretty busy week for me but  I finally got back into training mode and have been killing it in workouts as well as getting my nutrition under control.  I've also been taking more time to focus on me....which has involved spending more time away from my sister and more time focusing on things I enjoy (like bible study, friends, and running).  It seems like for the first time in a while I am finally being able to tackle my dream of running on all four cylinders this year!
  So one thing I've learned this first week in training (cause lets face it, if the journery is the destination then I better be learning something along the way) is that the basics really are important!  I am one of those people who will skip out on stretching in order to save time, or will run as soon as I am done eatting for the same reason).  Twice this week I was reminded just how much these things are a no-no.  For one running directly after eating not only gave me the worse side ache ever...but also made for a miserable run, at a slower place, and just all around fustration.  And then on the two nights where I tried to skim out on my stretching, I woke up the next  morning so sore and stiff that my body didn't even want to get out of bed.  SO incase you are wondering....there is a reason the basics are the basics!
  Oh and another thing that I am going to try out this week is this one a day vitamin that dissolves in water.  Since I've been young I've always had a really hard time swallowing pills.  However lately I have been extremely tired and think it probably comes from the fact that I don't get nearly enough of the vitamins I need from my food (for example I'm not a vegan but I don't enjoy meat..so I know for sure that I lack iron).  So when I saw this in the store today I thought it was worth the try.  I'll keep you all updated on whether or not it makes any difference.
  Well for now this is all, gotta get some sleep considering most days this week I've been up way past my bed time to watch the olympics (can you say "Go team USA!"....way to inspire a nation)!
Jess

Just a little pep talk!

Hey Friends!


So I don’t know about you but I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics! There’s just something about watching normal people push their bodies to extremes and then prove the impossible possible! The thing is, we only see a tiny fraction of what it takes to stand on the podium with a gold medal around your neck (hee hee… I act like I would know) and it’s those moments…the ones that nobody sees that really inspire me! In fact in the words of Apolo Anton Ohno "If I have given my all and still do not win, I haven’t lost. Others might remember winning or losing; I remember the journey." You see it’s not about the moment in the spotlight….it’s about the blood sweat and tears you leave on the gym floor when nobody is watching!

Jess

Why is it?!?!

  So I am not nor will I ever be the kind of person who actually looks forward to working out.  Infact I am actually more so the type of person who absolutely dreads the idea of it until about half way through a workout session, at which point I switch from dread to excitment at the idea that it's almost over.  So why is it that almost every time I work out as soon as its done I think about how I should do it more often.  It's like the euphoria of actually accomplishing something clouds my judgement and I automatically start thinking about getting up early the next day to do it again or planning my schedule better so that I can figure out how to fit in more regular workouts.  Sadly that feeling only lasts about an hour or two and by morning I'm back to dreading my workouts and finding every excuse in the book not to fit it in.

 Now if only I could find a way to bottle my post workout motivation...then not only would I always find myself on track...but I would also find myself quite rich...hee hee

The opposite of worry is….

By nature, I am a worry wart….always have been and probably always will be. Call it an in ability to trust God or an overzealous need for control…but none the less I can stress myself out on the drop of the dime over some of the most needless things. In terms of weight loss….well that can just wreak havoc for me. I mean we all know that stress produces cortizol which leads to belly fat. But for me stress also leads to a need to eat…food is comfort to me…even though ultimately in the end it becomes anything but.

Lately I have been finding myself stressing out so much …almost to the point that I have this constant ball of tightness in my stomach (like a stomach ache or ulcer)…and then it hits me….the only thing that I can truly control in this life is my body (which includes everything from my emotions to my weight). I have control over what I put in my mouth and ultimately I have control over whether or not I work out. I can control how much weight I lose and how much I gain but the amount of effort I put into this journey.

Now don’t get me wrong…I see I am treading a very fine line here. I mean we all have read how this kind of behavior and/or thought process can lead to all sorts of eating disorders. But what I am saying is…it’s time to take some of my power back. I feel like in so many ways life has once again stolen bits and pieces of me….and I’m slowly reverting back to this place of not knowing who I am and what I am capable of. It’s time to change that….it’s time to take back some control….it’s time to show life that it can knock me down but it will never knock me out!

And that’s my personal pep talk for the night…hee hee!

Jess