Thursday, February 6, 2014

Whoops...

Wow - it has been FOREVER since I updated! I can't believe I forgot to update at my year "surgiversary."

School has been absolutely bonkers. Both concerts got canceled in December due to winter weather, and we have used tons of snow days in January. So, I've been busy playing catch up and wondering how in the hell we're going to put on a musical in April with all of these days off school. Somehow it will all work out… I hope.

I continue to maintain my weight, which I'm not horribly happy about, but it's my fault, so I really can't complain too much. I could be making smarter choices with my food, but I'm not. I also quit running when it got cold outside. The cold air is killer on my lungs.

So, I've fixed both of those things. Time to be smarter about my food, and I bought a treadmill! I don't love running on the treadmill, but it's great for when I can't get outside in the cold. Hopefully these things will kickstart my weight loss again. Truth be told, a year after surgery, I've lost most of the benefits of my small stomach. I still avoid sugar like the plague, but I need to up my protein and lay off the carbs. So, 92 pounds is still my number.

I met my plastic surgeon over Christmas break. I have to lose the last 50 pounds before I can have any skin removal, so that's the goal.

I am training for another 5K in April! Woohoo!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

37:09!

5K.. take two!

This time, I finished in 37:09 and ran the entire time! The route was about 3.25 miles, so my total time was 39 minutes.

Since this was a fun run/walk, they sent the runners off first. I couldn't believe how most of them just took off at full speed. I was a little embarrassed that I started off so slow, but I knew it would kill me if I started out at a fast pace like that. In the end, I actually ended up passing them up. Slow and steady wins the race. :)

Next up is the Turkey Trot in November. I'm not sure what the route is, but I'm really hoping that it avoids the hills... in Hillsboro. The route in Nokomis was nice and flat.

In other news, my new running shoes are still not in! Boo.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Can I call myself a runner yet?

I'm not sure if I can classify myself as a runner just yet.

Though, I did get professionally fit for running shoes last week. They are pretty sweet. However, I still have monster wide feet, so they had to order them in a wide. I'm looking forward to breaking them in.

My next 5K is October 12th. I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to it! I'm not sure that I will be able to run the entire thing, but we will see. I've only worked up to running just over 2 miles. I'm a little worried that I will finish last, though. I know it doesn't matter - it's a "fun run" but I do not want to be that person that the police car has to follow all the way to the finish... And this race will be much smaller than the Color Run, so my chances of being the slowest runner are high.

My fastest mile is now 11:30! I pushed myself really hard on Sunday night and got to that time. I was thrilled. I'm running an average of about a 12 minute mile. Right now, I'm walking 5 minutes as a warmup, running 25 minutes, and then a 5 minute cool down. It's about 2.75 miles total. I really want to walk less than that for the 5K.

Of course, the scale has not moved one pound. But I'm learning to trust more of what I feel in my clothes and what other people see. I can't trust me own perception of what I look like because it is so distorted still. I have to be losing inches because I am still going down pants and shirt sizes. So, the total weight lost is still 92 pounds. But, I have to learn to appreciate how far I have come. I was going through clothes to consign tonight, and I have pants from a year ago that are size 24. I am now a 16! I can't begin to tell you how awesome that feels. One year ago, I guarantee I could not have run more than 20 seconds. I can now run for 25 minutes!

I'm 28 and the healthiest I have ever been. So thankful.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Running is a term I use very loosely.

Yesterday, I ran my very first 5K! And by ran, I mean I very slowly jogged for most of it. I think I ended up walking about 8 minutes of it. My time was 43:29. I'm pretty happy with that. But, I did it on 5 hours of sleep. I know that if I had gotten a decent amount of sleep that I would have been able to run more. The first mile or so was a steady uphill climb that nearly killed me. So, lesson learned: Don't try to go to your 10 year high school reunion 2 hours away the night before you run!

Speaking of, I had a blast catching up with classmates. It's fun to see how we've all grown and changed since high school. It's also fun to see how some things never change.

I have plans for another 5K on October 12th. I really want to see if I can run the whole thing. However, I am going to take at least 5 days off from running for some recovery time. My hips are sore today, but it isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

I'm still picking color out of my nails and have remnants on my toes.


Before... and yes, we wore tutus.



And after!

Monday, September 2, 2013

A new picture!


8 pounds to go!

2 more pounds off! Took a few weeks, but the scale seems to be moving again. I cannot wait to see 218 on the scale. That will be my official 100 pounds lost mark! Funny thing is... I haven't run for a week because it has been so horribly hot, and I didn't eat particularly well this weekend. And I lost a pound.. ? Explain that one. I'll never understand it. Back to running tonight!

My loose skin is really bothering me. People say that they can't see it or don't notice it, but it's making me crazy. The only skin that people can really see is my arms. I'm constantly self conscious about them.

School is kicking my rear. I was so tired last week from the heat, the new schedule, and just general stress from the start of the year. I'm hoping this week will be a little easier. I'm encouraged by the sounds that my choirs are making! My junior high choir is confident and they are a fantastic bunch of musicians. We start on Christmas music this week! My high school choir is beginning work on our Variety Show music. We have a lot of new faces in the high school group this year, so we are rebuilding a bit, but I am so glad to see new people in my group! Thursday is the big musical announcement! I hope the kids are as excited about it as I am. 

The dating front remains unchanged. I date here and there and nothing ever comes out of it. I'm really tired of it. Can't I just meet "the one" already?

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Back to school.. back to school...

It's so hard to believe that the summer is nearly over. I can't believe how fast it has gone, yet it feels like I got to do so much. It has been the best summer ever, made even better by the fact that I did not have to move for the FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS!

Instead, my big physical labor project is working on my yard. Dad is coming down next week to trim all of my trees and bushes way back. We are also doing some other work around the house while he's here. My brother is going to be here in September to rip out all of the huge, ugly bushes that surround my house. I'm so excited to get rid of those disgusting things.

Running has also been on the agenda. I took a few weeks off in July when it was ridiculously hot, and got back into it a few weeks ago. I have been faithfully running every other day for almost three weeks now and have not seen any movement in my weight. I feel like I'm killing myself running (and I don't particularly enjoy it!) and not seeing any results. My food is far from perfect, but I don't feel like I'm making horrible choices. I'm thinking about going back to some protein shakes and see if that might jumpstart my weight loss again. I really, really wanted to be at 100 pounds lost before the start of school. 90 will have to do I think.

So, I believe I have lost about 10 pounds this summer. *rolls eyes* That sounds so lame. I have lost one pants size, as well. I guess that's something. I feel like it's going to take 10 years to get off this 50 pounds!

I am looking forward to seeing my kiddos again and get the year started. I feel like I have picked some great music (plus a fantastic musical!) and I can't wait to dig in! Here goes my third year!