Ready for the Grande-ass Marathon Relay?!

The grande-ass relay is this weekend !!!! It will be my first relay and I am excited for the comrodaree, the laughing, the drinking (coffee of course), and the running with friends. I am ready....

I ran this past weekend while the car was getting some maintenance done - for 15 miles in 3 hours 30 minutes all around downtown Puyallup, up to the YMCA, down to the Meeker trail head, out to the river and back to the car dealership (whew, it is even tiring writing it). My time was a little slower that I've been lately, but it was a little warm (84 when I finished) and I ran up the Meridian Hill past the fairgrounds, so I was a little tired. After my run I came home and played with Darby and then we took a nap on a blanket in the backyard, it was a wonderful lazy afternoon (Brian laughs when I say it was a lazy day, because I start off with 'after I ran 15 miles' I took a nap). Brian was fighting a forest fire in Eastern Washington last week and just arrived home today (he is trying to catch up on his newspapers, laundry and not being around hundreds of stinky fire fighters). So he is home, safe and sound. I don't know how military spouses do it, I get worried and he is just across the state, but it's something about being in a dangerous environment that gets me. Oh well, he loves doing it!

Monday night was a great weigh-in - I was down 2.4 pounds last week!!!! for a total of 24.4 gone for good. I had a regular doctor apointment just before my weigh-in and she was totally impressed, my last appointment I was over 200lbs and she actually gave me a high five! We talked about my running and how to keep up with it and not to get hurt (she also mentioned that my chances of getting injured/stressed are much lower with each pound gone). It was a great doctors appointment - I was actually excited to get on the scale!

Last night I also went to Pilates - what a great way to end a great day. I need to go on Friday morning as a way to start my weekend.

This weekend is Michelle's Grande-Ass Marathon and I am running the relay with others from the Y-run club. It should be fun, I just have to remember to not have too many drinks before it's my turn to run! I am also getting excited because Portland is just around the corner!

Here is another photo from our anniversary vacation (and yes Elinor, the last photo is of the fish that I caught!).

We are at the top of Chinook Pass on our way home from fly-fishing the Yakima River (the same river canyon that I ran my first marathon in). We also made it to the Tom Petty Concert at the Gorge - whoa, what a different experience. The music was good, but the crowd was obnoxious, we think we might be a smaller-venue-kind-of-folk. But hey, you're only young once and it was a great long weekend!

Another photo from earlier in August when Darby, Brian and I hiked Mt. Peak in Enumclaw. I remember hiking it when I was a kid and Brian did extra credit for a teacher in high school by hauling gravel up to repair the trail. We had never hiked it together though - in all of our 12+ years together - another thing that this weight loss has given me - freedom!

Until later, run like you're a kid again!

I love fishing!

All I can say is I am a fisherwoman!
We had a great anniversary weekend..... I'll post more later - I have to go cook dinner.
Oh and by the way 22 lbs are gone for good and I am happier than ever!

Plateau, rut, bored, tired, cranky – HELP!

It’s been a bit since my last post – I’ve gotten a lot of running in. I ran 5 miles on Ruston Way on the 24th, 9 miles on Saturday the 26th and I got a manicure/ foot rescue pedicure on Sunday with Elinor… Then last week I ran on Wednesday to the weight watchers meeting with Wendy, 5 miles with the Y-Run-Club on Saturday and I ran 13 miles in Orting on the 3rd. It felt great to get in a long run and enjoy the morning along the river with my updated i-pod playlist.

I have not updated my weight because it has not changed in 3 weeks! Well not really. Week 1, I was up .6 lbs and week 2, I was down .6 lbs and when I weighed in on Monday I did not gain or lose. ARRG! Wendy and I went to a different meeting on Monday with Sonya, another Y-Run-Club member and the lady was very energetic, so I think the class will be good for me. I am frustrated that I have hit a weight loss plateau, (for me I was averaging 1-3 lbs gone per week). I thought that I was doing really well with my eating and running (a hard balance for me). After I ran the 13 miles on Sunday, my Garmin showed that I had burned 1600 calories and I figured that I earned 27 activity points (they recommend 28 in a whole week). So I ate 16 activity points in order to get my energy back and to break even with the 1600 calories burned (which included a Subway turkey sandwich, banana, cinnamon raisin bagel, latte and lots of water). Then I weighed in on Monday and my weight was unchanged….. Sonya did mention that because it was warm I was probably retaining water after my run – that was only 24 hours before. I appreciated the comment, and think that maybe I’ll do my long run on Saturday next weekend to avoid that problem (or at least eliminate it from the equation). So the rest of this week has been a little warmer that I like (in the 80’s, I know I can’t complain when the rest of the country is sooo much hotter and muggier), and I haven’t made it to the gym, running or really doing anything. Sleeping has been tough with the heat also, so I am just in a little bit of a funk. This morning I slept in until it was my usual time to leave the house, so I rushed through my routine and feel slouchy and frumpy today (at least the boss is gone and I can just get my work done). Another thing that has been bugging me is how dirty our house has become – having a lab that sheds constantly and a cat that lives on top of the fridge (don’t ask) will do that to a house. I read Michelle’s cleaning spree and think that I might need to get some of my activity points by cleaning this weekend.

On a brighter note, a news story said that there is going to be a Rock-n-Roll Marathon in Seattle next summer – are you kidding me?!!! So Jane was kind enough to let me know that the registration was half-off on the 4th, so I signed up and I will be doing the first annual Rock-n-Roll Marathon next summer. I can’t wait! We’ll see who else I can snag into running it with me! I looked into doing the San Diego one, but the expense of the weekend was prohibiting me – now I get to go to one in my own back yard!!! Have I mentioned that I can’t wait!

So really, running has kept me sane, but the whole weight loss thing is dragging me down, I guess I knew that the weight loss would slow down sometime. I just don’t know what to do now…. Part of it is probably mental – I have hit the 10% gone mark and now I am entering a weight that I haven’t been in 5 years or more. I really enjoy that my clothes fit and that I am able to be more active than ever before, but I feel a little lost on my weight loss journey – if it weren’t for Wendy attending meetings with me and Sonya starting back, and Michelle’s amazing accomplishments I don’t know if I would have made is this far. So thank you to those who are constantly encouraging me!

Here is my plan to get me out of my funk….
Get some fresh flowers from the Farmer’s Market at lunch time today.
Go for a walk tonight at the track – invite my friend Elinor to join me.
Run on Saturday with the Y-Club – 13-16 miles, run before and after?
Help my parents install Pergo on Saturday and hook up their rain barrels at the farm.
Work on baby names for my mom’s Alpaca that is due soon – I get to name this one!
Make a welcome baby kit for Elinor – she finds out if they are having a boy or girl next week and I can’t wait!
Look at the Marathon in Las Vegas in December again and the possibility of cheap flights.

Sorry for the rant, sometimes you just have to clear your mind and get back into the game. I really want to get to my goal by next May (my long-term goal) – Brian and I are going to Maui with his parents and I want to wear a cute bathing suit (and have fun on the water slide). But for now, small goals – be happy and get through today, this weekend and the next weigh-in!

GO-MACHA RUNNER –GO

Have fun in the sun and wear your sunscreen (even if it makes a weird white gooey paste when you sweat – that reminds me to find some better ‘active’ sunscreen for running).

through the woods, down the hill and over the river we go...

Well I survived last week – I won’t dive into my gastrointestinal issues (I took antibiotic for my sinus infection – which killed all of the good digestive things in my tummy, so when I started eating my normal menu full of fiber I felt like a big bloated blimp). God I love google – I’ve laid off fiber and I am eating enough live yogurt cultures to get back to normal. Needless to say I gained .6 lbs last week, but hey, I am listening to my body and I figured out what to change.

Last week I had a huge to-do-list, here is a recap….
mow the lawn - check, lavender festival - check, hiking near Mt. Rainier (maybe next weekend), running the Starbucks to Starbucks Y-club run on Sunday - check, hooking up my drip irrigation in the backyard (I thought about it, but didn’t do it), eating salad from the garden – check, kinda, I’ve been eating it for lunch this week, compiling a birthday package for my brother (which got mailed off earlier this week), download recipes (maybe on a cloudy day), grocery shopping (thanks Brian), washing the car (Brian and I both tackled it), ironing my skinny clothes for next week - check, start the concrete forms for the garden shed (yeah, not so much).

I ran with the Y-club on Sunday from Starbucks in Puyallup near the YMCA down the hill to the Starbucks in Sumner for a total of 6.58 miles. It is leg 1 of Michelle’s Grande-Ass Marathon, which I am running in as part of a relay team (each person’s leg is still to be determined). The group that showed up in the morning was the ‘fast’ group, I was a little nervous, but I had a map that George printed out and I was fine knowing that I was going to be a little slower. So we took off, about a ½ mile in Patch came back and started running with me – he said he wanted a little slower pace. So we weaved our way down the hill and through the valley, under the bridge and over the Sounder train tracks into downtown Sumner (and we did go through the woods, but not to grandmother’s house). I said hi to all of the other runners as they were taking off from the Sumner Starbucks and heading to the Starbucks by the river in Puyallup. I had a strong run and I didn’t want to push it too far (my tummy was still a little upset). Brian and Darby were waiting for me and we sat for a bit and skimmed through the newspaper in the sunshine – I love mornings like this. I did get a huge blister on the ball of my foot – probably 2” long. It is healing up and I guess I need to be paying more attention to my feet – does anyone give runner’s feet pedicures? ‘cause these babies need one!

Last night I met up with Wendy and we ran to the WW meeting and back for a nice 3.3 miles. I was up .6 pounds, but I am fine with a little up and down, slow and steady right?! – I am running a lot more, which is tricky to get enough fuel without going over my points, I’m a work –in-progress.

Tonight I am going to run on Ruston Way in Tacoma as I have CPR training until 7pm and can’t make it to the Y-club run at the track. I thought it would be nice to change it up a bit, plus I’ll be able to run in the daylight, I’ll run for an hour or maybe for 5 miles – we’ll see what the pace feels like.

Saturday we are planning on going to the Dog-a-thon and enjoying the day (oooh, maybe I can run it with Darby…). Sunday I’ll try to get in some miles – maybe 8 or so.

I also picked up my ‘run-macha-run’ bracelet from the farmer’s market at lunch – it will make me smile all day and through my run tonight – it made my day! I’ll post photos later (and the lady’s contact info in case anyone wants one – she can customize).

Until later,
RUN – MACHA – RUN!!!

a few more things

A few more things that I’ve been thinking about since yesterday.

Michelle reminded me of my first marathon description – I re-read it and got all misty eyed, I really needed that run to awaken me. I have so much that I want to do, experience, teach, learn. I really, really needed that experience in the canyon.

This weekend I am going to the lavender festival in Sequim – ah my love of lavender, anything that is lavender – lavender lemonade, lavender soap, lavender, lavender, lavender! Brian might be fighting fires, if so, then I’ll go on my own – oooh and maybe take my bike….

I ordered a bracelet from a lady at the farmer’s market at lunch yesterday and I can’t wait to pick it up next week (I know it sounds weird, but you’ll all want one once you see it). Photos will follow – I’ll SOOO excited. I also got some carrots, snap peas, blueberries and a basil plant, I’ll have to do some cooking this weekend.

A few weeks ago I read an article in Runner’s World about two mom’s training for a marathon and one of the ladies would pay herself a dollar for every mile she ran. After she finished the marathon she had $750 hard earned dollars to spend entirely guilt free and on herself. So, I started my stash at the beginning of July and I have $11 whole dollars saved (don’t forget I’ve been sick for a week and a half, so I haven’t been running too much). I also decided to up the ante and I will be taking my weekly weight loss and rounding up or down the number of pounds and stashing that also (I will need new clothes anyway). Then I thought I should have been doing this from the start of my weight loss, so in order to make up time, I am going to double my weight loss. So I’ve lost 3.2+1.8 *2 = $10!!! This is like the gold stars in first grade… it sounds lame, but once you get a gold star or twenty-one dollars in your stash it isn’t so lame. For security purposes I will not post my stash values =), but I will let you all know how much I get to spend after the Portland Marathon (oooh, and it is all sales tax free in Oregon)!

Oh yeah, I ran with the Y-club at the track/park last night and ran the park loop with Sydnee (she ran the Yakima marathon as her first also, she is young and fast). We got 3 miles in and according to her Garmin we did 11:40 min/miles – Holy guacamole!!!!! I was pushing it a little, but we were still carrying on a conversation, so I wasn’t totally maxed out. I know that on longer runs I will be a little slower, but it is really encouraging to get some fast times under my belt, especially after being sick for a week and a half.

Hopefully I’ll have some ‘after 20 lbs’ gone photos from this weekend – hmmm, what to do this weekend, here is my list (in no specific order and don’t worry- I make lists that I know that I cannot finish – that’s just me); mow the lawn, lavender festival, hiking near Mt. Rainier, running a leg of the Michelle's Grande Ass Marathon with the Y-club run on Sunday, hooking up my drip irrigation in the backyard, eating salad from the garden, compiling a birthday package for my brother, download recipes, grocery shopping, washing the car, ironing my skinny clothes for next week, start the concrete forms for the garden shed, hmmm, anything else…. We’ll see.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Run Macha Woman Run!

10% of me is gone for good!

We’ll I’m back from my near death experience. It wasn’t that bad, but I did get a sinus infection that did not clear up until a few days ago. Sleep, the couch, the remote control and I made good friends last week and through the weekend. In the last post I had hoped that my ‘detox’ from vacation would work and it did – I lost 3.2 lbs and last night I weighed in and lost 1.8 more – drumroll here….. for a total of 20.2 lbs gone! I hit my 10% gone goal last night and I was thrilled.
Here are some positives from this weight loss experience:

• I get to buy new clothes (even down to the undies ‘cause they don’t fit anymore either).
• I have a ton more energy (last week not included).
• I feel better about myself, which is weird because I never felt over weight before, just uncomfortable.
• I am eating soooo much healthier and getting my body the fuel it needs to run faster and further.
• I can run faster!

On my running, I didn’t get to run in Longview or Portland last weekend. I did make my father-in-law and Kent a poster for the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Ride but they beat me out of the rest stop and I missed them. I revamped the poster and gave it to them after they finished. I might want to try the STP next year, I could do it…. It is roughly 200 miles in two days – oh boy, here we go…. Ooh I could ride it with my ‘dads’. My dad rode it about 20 years ago, he might be up for it again. Look what happens when I’m sick and can’t run or work out, I start to plan for another goal (wait that’s a good thing right!).

My new running shoes are broken in (I’ve been wearing them even when I was sick because I really wanted to be running in them – what an addiction). So I am going to hit the track tonight and go for a short warm up run (and to make sure I don’t push it too hard and get sick again). I also made sure to pack my water belt to keep my pants up, the smaller size should be here on Friday! I'm going to sign up for another race this fall at lunch......
Happy Trails everyone!
Also, go and congratulate Michelle on her blog, she has lost 75 pounds and is a true inspiration … someday I want to be cool like her =)

summer colds are no fun

Today is my weight watchers meeting and I am hoping for a loss. I have done really well this past week – I ran 7miles (with hopes of more but a cold got in the way), I ate all of my ‘flex’ points and I feel like the detox from vacation worked. Brian came home from fighting fires on Monday night and he was tired, I had caught a great head cold and was in and out of work the past couple of days just trying to survive so we are passing in the night again. I finished my training schedule over the long weekend, but I am now behind due to this crazy summer cold – so I’ll catch up in the next few weeks.

I did find some new running shoes, it was time, the last pair got me through my first marathon and I didn’t want to have to get new shoes right before the next one. I might try to find a second pair in a month or two so that I can alternate them – we’ll see.

I ran the 4 on the 4th in Steilacoom and I really enjoyed the morning run. There were booths set up and I did some window shopping before the run. I also ran the 4 miles in 47min. under a 12 min. mile !!!!! I was so proud of myself, I even made it up the hill to the finish without stopping. Michelle finished under 40 min – single digits miles – she is going to have to change her name from ‘Back of the Pack’ to speedy Gonzales….. it is great to see her smiling and enjoying her fast pace.

My father-in-law is doing the Seattle to Portland bicycle race this weekend and we might be a support vehicle which means I could run in Longview and in Portland this weekend, it sure would be nice to run in Portland before the marathon (I mean it would be great to be his support staff and see him finish =)). Hopefully we’ll be able to help, I just hope I don’t get the bug and decide I want to try the race next year – I should prepare Brian for this now…..
Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful summer weather. I’ll kick this cold to the curb – I’ve had enough rest for awhile and I really NEED to go running.

Go macha, go!!! Sniff, cough, sniff…..