Currently #1

There's no better way to end a month then by reviewing it. I saw this going around for awhile about a year or so ago and I really enjoyed it, so I'm going to revive it for myself as an end of the month update.

Currently: Volume 1...June

Loving: June was a huge month for us. Patrick and I did something that neither of us thought we'd ever be able to do, or at least not yet. But we bought our house, we moved in, and we're making it our home. We've made huge progress and every day I love it more. It's been a bit of an adjustment and I'm sure there are many more things to discover and learn about being homeowners, but I am in love with our home and cannot wait until we can finish a few more projects so that we can share our home with our family and friends.

Reading: June was not the best month for reading. I started a book while we were on vacation in Mammoth, but didn't make much progress on it as there wasn't much time between hiking, horseback riding, running, shopping, etc. I'm looking forward to spending some time on my porch swing with a good book. Until then I'll probably just continue to add to my collection by visiting the used book store. 

Watching: I'm not a huge television watcher and it takes me forever to watch a movie. Anyone could name off ten movies and I can guarantee I've seen less than half. I don't know why, but if someone suggests a movie or show I can't just sit down and watch it. I think Patrick has finally figured out how to get me to watch movies with him. All he has to do is put it on and I usually get dragged into it and will watch it to the end, usually asking 100 questions along the way. Even if it's a movie I don't care to see. Most recently he got me to watch Gangs of New York and Bad Boys. Two movies that are not on my list of must sees, but now I can say that I've seen them! I'm the type of person who would rather watch the same show or movie multiple times. Like Sherlock (the BBC version). I'd watch that every day!!

Anticipating: I am anticipating the next 6 month of training. I am both excited and nervous to train for the Dopey Challenge. I know in my heart that I can do it, but my head is doubting my physical abilities. My head is also doing some negative talk about how it's not really completing it if I don't actually do the race at Walt Disney World. I know that I'm doing this for myself, to prove that I can do it, but I have a feeling that I'm going to finish and not feel proud of myself. I have 6 months to work on those demons along with the physical training!! 

Planning: Patrick and I decided to host a 4th of July barbecue at our house this year. It's the first holiday we'll be hosting and cooking. We hosted Father's Day the day after moving in, but we picked up food. This holiday we will have to plan a menu, shop for food, cook and entertain. I couldn't be more excited!! I finally feel like we can invite people over and have plenty of space for multiple people. Although we loves our apartment and it was home to us for two years, it was just too small to ever really do anything or have anyone over.

Working on: I spent a lot of June working on different schedules and calendars. I created a budget to loosely follow in June (until we get a better idea of what our bills will look like) as well as chore charts, savings charts, a credit card debt payment plan and a training schedule. I love updating them and seeing the progress we are making towards our financial goals and the progress I am making towards my physical goals. The important part I am learning is that I need to look at what we aren't succeeding at and making a plan to work on these areas. I think we're doing a pretty good job though and I'm sure we'll continue to improve as we get more used to the added expenses.

Wishing: I am wishing that I can continue this positive vibe I'm on today. I had a few negative thoughts over the weekend about my body and all that stuff that won't change until I start changing it, but it doesn't stop the thoughts from popping up. Thankfully I woke up today in a much better mood and I'm enjoying the endorphins from the two walks and the strength DVD I did. I'm sure if I continue the workouts and eating well and getting enough sleep then my wish will come true.

What are you currently up to?

Mileage Update #1

Monthly mileage goal: 105 miles

Monthly mileage as of 6/28: 77.84

Yearly mileage goal: 1250 miles

Yearly mileage as of 6/28: 657.33
52.5% complete

Total mileage recorded to date (1/1/12-6/28/14): 2407.34 miles

This week's mileage: 27.89 mile week

Sunday 6/22: 13.23 mile interval run- half marathon
Monday 6/23: n/a
Tuesday 6/24: 2.04 mile walk, 1.34 mile walk, 2.01 mile interval run, 2.02 mile interval run
Wednesday 6/25: 2.04 mile walk
Thursday 6/26: n/a
Friday 6/27: 2.04 mile walk
Saturday 6/28: 3.17 mile interval run

Training Plan- Week of 6/22 - 6/28

Scheduled:

Sunday 6/22- Mammoth Half Marathon

 

Monday 6/23- n/a

 

Tuesday 6/24- Walk at work, Run

 

Wednesday 6/25- Walk at work, Cross or Strength

 

Thursday 6/26- Walk at work, Run

 

Friday 6/27- Walk at work, Cross or Strength

 

Saturday 6/28- 3 miles

Actual:

Sunday 6/22- Mammoth Half Marathon- 13.23 miles/3:14:51/14:45 pace

 

Monday 6/23- n/a

 

Tuesday 6/24- 2.04 mile walk at work, 1.34 mile walk at work, 2.01 mile run/25:37/12:45 pace, 2.02 mile run/27:39/13:42 pace

 

Wednesday 6/25- 2.04 mile walk at work

 

Thursday 6/26- n/a

 

Friday 6/27- 2.04 mile walk at work

 

Saturday 6/28- 3.17 mile run/40:39/12:49 pace

 

Long Distance Training Run:

Today was the first long distance run of the Dopey Challenge training. My original plan was to wait until Patrick got home from work to watch Isabel while I went for the scheduled 3 miles. His schedule got pushed back though, so I asked my parents to watch Isabel while I went for my run around their house. 

Same distance as my original course, however there are a lot more hills around their house. More of a challenge for myself but a good one. Hills are good and since the course I plan on using for the marathon distance of the Dopey Challenge is full of hills I guess it's never too early to start working on them.

I've decided for now to continue using my 30:1 intervals (run for 30 seconds:walk for 1 minute). I'm hoping to begin to push myself out of my comfort zone to run in longer increments, but for now I need to get back to getting used to being in training mode.

Pre run-

Mile 1- 12:41

Mile 2- 12:52

Mile 3- 12:31

Post run-

Overall it was a great kickoff to training. I got a cramp under my rib cage during the second mile and I think it had a lot to do with my breathing and heart rate being too high. Something to pay attention to and work on. It was also a good reminder to actually do my weekday runs and start strength training. The stronger I am, the easier it will be. 

Here's to another active week!

Home Update- Kids Room Before/After

At the beginning of this month we moved from a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment that was just over 800 square feet to a 3 bedroom, two bathroom house that is on a lot over 10,000 square feet.

I cannot begin to express my love for our home or the happiness it brings me when I see it or think of it. Everything about this house brings a smile to my face and I couldn't be more content with our choice and the ease of the house buying experience. The move may have caused some stress, but when all was said and done and the last box was unpacked it was all worth it...

We received our keys on June 3rd. 

 

Brought the first set of boxes over on the 4th.

 

We began painting on the 5th, which lasted through the 8th. 

 

We made frequent trips to the house the following week, each time bringing more and more boxes.

 

The movers came on the 14th.

 

We were unpacked by the afternoon of the 15th.

 

We still have odds and ends to do (putting up the chair railing in the living room, hanging pictures in Isabel's room, hanging pictures in our bedroom as well as buying a few décor items, making a plan for the back garden, making a plan for the garage area, etc).

 

The progress we made in such a short amount of time amazes me and I couldn't be happier with how Patrick and I worked together to make it come together. We owe so much to both sides of our families for their help and support during our move and especially with the painting.

 

I'm excited to share the before and after pictures, however since not all of the rooms are quite ready I will be doing it one room at a time.

 

The first room that is completely finished is the kid's room/guest room. Since Patrick's kids are with us every other weekend (more often during the summer) they will be sharing a room that will double as a guest room when they are not here and if needed (we very rarely have guests). I'm not going to lie, this may be one of my favorite rooms in the entire house.

 

One of the things I'm the most proud of are the little details around the room, the pictures by each of the kids beds of their favorite things:

 

I also added some other art décor around the room on the walls:

And of course some furniture and miscellaneous items:

Overall, this has been such an amazing experience and I can't wait to share more of the house as well as to continue to decorate. I have found with this experience that I have a hidden passion for home decorating and I can't believe how lucky I am to have almost free range to do as I please. I can only hope that I'm making a decent home for our family and that Patrick and the kids like it as much as I do.

On to finish the next room!

"A Goal Without a Plan is Just a Wish"

I love setting goals for myself. They tend to be big goals that push me to step out of my comfort zone in order to achieve them.

The problem? I tend to not reach most of the goals I set for myself, and the ones I do reach I don't give myself enough credit for because I begin to think about the people who have already accomplished the same goal or more. It's never enough.

I am learning how to accept myself for who I am and to give myself the credit I deserve for the goals I have achieved and am working towards. I'm also learning to not be too upset when goals are not reached, for whatever reason. 

 

I'm not going to look back and review all of the goals that I set for myself for the new year as I know that I have not and will not be able to achieve them all. There is no point to look at the could have/would have/should have. Instead I want to set some goals (and continue the two that I've continued to work on all year) for the next half of the year because it's never a bad time to set a goal for yourself.

These are the goals that I have/would like to set for myself. They are mostly weight loss, running and fitness related, but there are also a few life/family related goals. I've decided on my top 10 to work on for now, but I'm sure I'll come up with more along the way and some may change along the way. The important thing is to appreciate the journey, try my very best to achieve them, celebrate each and every success and forgive the slip ups/failures.

Goals:
1. Run and/or walk 1250 miles in a year.
2. Complete 14 half marathons in 2014.
3. Get out of credit card debt and build up savings.
4. Complete the "Dopey Challenge"  (48.6 miles in 4 days- 5K, 10K, half, full).
5. Reach a healthy weight and BMI.
6. Bake more and try new recipes.
7. Set up garage into a gym.
8. Follow chore chart as closely as possible.
9. Help Patrick grow a fruit, vegetable and herb garden in the backyard.
10. Continue to blog and make attainable blog goals each month, reach over 50 followers.

My plan for now is to check in next month with an update on where I am on these goals and to put a plan in place for those that I have not made any progress on. I am pretty sure that if I set my mind to these goals then there is nothing that can stop me, including myself. I don't have a specific timeline on most of these for them to be completed by, but I do want to see progress.

Even when the motivation stops to work on them, when it seems tedious because I'm bored working towards the same goals constantly, I will still be moving forward because I know that it's worth it to work towards something, to improve myself, to reach further and higher.

The main thing I need to work on is not necessarily reaching the goals, but celebrating them when they are reached. I'm a work in progress and I'm learning along the way..

Weigh In #5

I weighed in last week with a 0.4 loss a week after a 0.4 gain. I was ecstatic and made a promise to my leader to stay on plan while on vacation and to come back with a loss.

Not the smartest plan as our bodies do crazy things on a daily basis let alone while being out of town for 5 days and there's no way of knowing what it will do at any given time.

If I'm being 100% honest, I could have done better. At the same time I could have done a lot worse. And I am overall very happy with how I ate while away. 

 

Starting weight: 185.4

Current weight: 181.4

Weekly +/-: -0.6

Total +/-: -4.0

Obviously I would have liked better results, but I can't dwell on it now and I absolutely refuse to be upset with a loss of any kind. I ate well and I splurged occasionally. It was a pretty darn good vacation food-wise and I did much better than I normally do. In the past, for me, a vacation meant a free for all

This weigh in is giving me a huge push to be better at this weight loss journey. To make healthier choices, track every day, workout and start spending some time in the kitchen. 

That last part, being in the kitchen, gives me anxiety. I'm more of a baker than a cook and I'm not even very good at that. I have a tendency to be hard on myself and I get frustrated when I make a mistake, so cooking is just not something I feel comfortable diving head first into. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who loves to cook and is willing to help me along the way. I've been finding recipes that I think I would be comfortable helping with and eventually making myself. I know that eating at home will help a lot. 

For now I can only look forward to the coming week. I can (and will) track. I can (and will) drink more water. I can (and will) follow my workout schedule as closely as possible. I can commit to those things and hope for the best because that's what I'm going to be putting into it, my best.

These will be my goals for the coming week:
1. Track. Everything.
2. Drink more water.
3. Follow workout schedule as closely as possible.
4. Stay off the scale except for at weigh in Tuesday night.
5. Be kind to myself and write at least 5 positives about myself.

These will be my weekly goals to attempt each and every week. I may or may not add more, but these five are what I should be aiming for every week in order to succeed, and they are pretty attainable goals, which is what I need right now. I have a habit of making goals for myself that I can't or don't reach and I get frustrated with myself. So, for now I will be making goals that push myself just enough, but that I know I can do.

Mammoth Half Marathon- Race Recap

June 22, 2014

Starting elevation: ~9,000 ft at Horseshoe Lake

Finishing elevation: ~7,800 ft on Old Mammoth Road

Training elevation (elevation of my home town): 768 ft

The course:

The elevation:

(Course map and elevation map from www.mammothhalfmarathon.com) 

The decision to sign up for the Mammoth Half Marathon was and easy one to make. We've been coming to Mammoth almost every year since I can remember and I absolutely love it here. 

Last year was the inaugural year of this particular race and the timing didn't work out for us to participate, but it made it to the list of races I wanted to run in and after I made the goal to run 14 half marathons in 2014, I made sure to keep my eye open for registration to open. 

The extra incentive to register for Mammoth was "The Challenge", or completing both the San Diego Half Marathon in March and the Mammoth Half Marathon in June. Done and done! Not only did it satisfy two of the fourteen races, but it also came with an extra medal. Bling bling!

We decided that in order for us to go from under 1,000 feet in elevation to between 7,000 to 9,000 feet we would need to come up a few days beforehand to attempt to get used to the elevation and the other elements of being in a new place for a race.

This also meant extra activities before the race including shopping, hiking, horseback riding and eating:

 And of course carbing up before the race. I'm pretty sure I don't do this correctly. 

We started the race at 7:30am at Horseshoe Lake. It was a little chilly and breezy, but not horrible. It helped that we were given heatsheets at the start since we arrived by shuttle just about an hour before the start. 

The course was absolutely breathtaking. Although we're not considered fast runners, we are runners and we knew from the beginning that this was going to be a course to look forward to, appreciate and remember forever. My sister and I had already agreed to taking our time on this course due to the elevation and just overall to enjoy ourselves. It worked wonderfully and I couldn't have asked for a better race or a better race partner. 

 

It was not a PR setting course by any means, but it also was not our slowest time and I had set a personal goal to finish before 3:15:00. We decided to use the same intervals as our last half marathon (30:1:30- running 30 seconds and walking a minute and a half) however we changed it up a bit during the downhill to 2:2 intervals. We walked more during the second half due to the uphill parts of the course, but we finished in 3:14:51, beating my goal by 9 seconds.

 

The race may not have been a fast one for us, but it was one that went by the fastest. Due to the beautiful views, the amazing support of our families, the wonderful volunteers along the course and the spectators and fellow runners this race will be one of the top races I will probably ever run. 

I am attempting to improve on my race recaps, however I tend to do better by posting pictures of the course. So, here is a mile by mile breakdown of the Mammoth Half Marathon:

Mile 1:

Mile 2: 

Mile 3:

Mile 4:

Mile 5:

Mile 6:

Mile 7:

 

Mile 8:

Mile 9: 

Mile 10:

Mile 11: 

Mile 12: 

Mile 13:

Mile 13:1 (the finish)