Follow Through Friday - Weekly Update

As reported last week, I had won my last diet bet. I had been keeping track of all my DietBets since ABS birth, and with the last one that just ended, after all my buy-ins, I MADE $488.87! That’s almost $500 in less than a year for doing what I wanted to be doing anyways, losing weight!. We’re going on a cruise today, so I’m sure I’ll gain a decent amount over this weekend and I’ll join a quick Transformer one on Monday when I get back to incentivize myself before heading out on our big 3 week vacation at the end of October. Once we are back from that (which I’m sure will be a hefty gain), I’ll join what is hopefully my last 6 month transformer, and probably a few kickstarters along the way as I make the final efforts to hit my final goal! I had originally  had a goal to hit 135 by my 30^thbirthday (well by the start of the trip which is October 24^th since I’ll be ON the trip the day I turn 30) but it’s pretty obvious that I’m not going to be hitting that one. If I really buckle down after the trip (and not let the holidays get in the way), I do think I should be able to hit it by our 4^th wedding anniversary in February, assuming I don’t gain too much on said trip. So that is my new stretch goal date, 135 lbs by 2/18/16. 

I didn’t meal prep this week because I was just too busy and didn’t make it to the grocery store, so I haven’t been eating the greatest this week considering how much I’ve eaten from the cafeteria at work. Yesterday was also ABS’ 1^st Birthday and we went out to dinner. We tried out this super yummy, new Mexican place, and I definitely may have went overboard. So between last night and just lunch all week (and I wasn’t very good over the weekend either) I’m not surprised I’m up from last week. 

I did get in all my runs though! I got up way before the sun on Saturday morning to knock out my 7 mile run before G left for the UCF game. I met up with him later once we had a babysitter available for the girls. On Tuesday I had a doctor appointment so finished my work day from home, which gave me the opportunity to run outside (rather than waste the 30 minutes commuting home from work) before doing the day care pick up. It’s still pretty hot in Florida at 5pm, with feels like temps of 90+, but overall that run felt great. I can’t say the same for my run on Wednesday night. I could barely get going (I’m sure my slight headache didn’t help) so decided to do a 10 minute walk to warm up. Which I know I should do anyways, but I never do. After that, I felt a little better and knocked out my 30 minute run. It honestly felt really tough. So weird how the same duration and distance can feel so different on different days. Really hoping my 8 miles today feels much better. I’m running today (or probably already ran, depending on when you read this) since we’ll be on the cruise this weekend and I definitely don’t want to do 8 miles on the treadmill if I don’t have to (I’ll be stuck on the treadmill for some of my longer runs in November as it is). I’ve also started using the walkstations at work this week. It’s basically an adjustable height desk with a computer that allows us to remote into our own computer, with a treadmill under it. The treadmill has a max speed of 2.0 mph and we are only allowed to use it once a day, for 30 minutes (so 1 mile). Which is a nice break in the day, and sure beats sitting at my desk all day. We only have 2 to share between a few thousand people, so the reservations fill up pretty quickly. I did manage to get in 3 out of the 4 work days this week but only once for next week, boo! We can only book a week out and if you don’t get in there first thing Monday morning, you pretty much don’t even have a chance of getting on the calendar.

Results for the week (ending 9/25):

Weight:  150.6

Half Marathon training:
     Run 1: 7.00 miles in 1:15:15 (10:45 pace)

     Run 2: 3.03 miles in 31:11 (10:17 pace)  
     Run 3: 2.96 miles in 30:00 (10:08 pace) 

Other:

     Walk: 3.72 miles combined

Total Weekly (Running) Miles Logged: 12.99 miles

Total September Miles Logged: 43.05 (of 50)

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 26.0 lbs

Follow Through Friday - Transformer Winner and Personal Records

How convenient that my 6 month Transformer Diet Bet ended on a Friday, perfect timing for a Follow Through Friday post! Well technically it ended yesterday, but today was the weigh in and I’m so happy to report I hit my goal! The last two weeks I’ve been consistently below the goal (150.7) but then last weekend I went a little overboard (all you can eat Mac and Cheese Competition and then a weekend with family and lots of Dunkin Donuts will do that to you!) and jumped back up to 154 so I was a little nervous I wouldn’t hit it after all my hard work! But I did, and I feel so great about it! I won’t know the final payout for a few more days, but it should be around $225-$250 (about $125 profit since it was a $125 buy in). Overall I have lost 19 lbs. since I started this particular Diet Bet 6 months ago, and it definitely has kept me motivated. I hit my goal only 4 of the 6 months (would have won another $60 had I won all 6 months). Here are my before and after pictures (which aren’t the best quality since I didn’t put a lot of effort into the before picture LOL).

Now, I can’t believe I missed posting last week since I hit a new low! After we got married, I gained a bunch of weight on my honeymoon, and the lowest I got down to before getting my positive pregnancy test (within a month from returning from honeymoon) was 149.6 so this is technically the lowest weight I’ve been since I’ve been married!  It’s crazy though, some days I feel skinny, and some days I feel huge still. I know I’m smaller, I can see it most days, but sometimes I just still feel so blah and gross. I really hope I can reduce the number of those gross feeling days as I continue to lose and get more in shape.

This past weekend, I also finally hit my goal of running a sub 30 5k in an actual race! I had done it on the treadmill a few times, but never in a race. Well, back in 2010, I technically did, but the course was short so I never liked to count it. The closest I ever came was 30:34 and my official time was 28:54 for the race! Since G was out of town, I had my father in law watching my kids, so I left right after the race ended. I never stay for awards, but my friend was pretty sure she placed so had I had more time, I would have stayed for her. Little did I know, I placed THIRD for my age group! I never even thought I had a chance to place. It was super exciting to hear that news, but I was little bummed about missing my chance on the podium. Luckily, my friend was able to bring home my award for me (which was just a logo glass). You can read all about my race here! I can’t wait to see what I can do in future 5ks now that I know I’m capable of running a 5k under 29 minutes. (I never came close to that on the treadmill – it was always like 30 minutes on the dot). I think my next 5k goal will be to hit 28:30! So over the last two weeks, I got in some good runs and some not so good runs (they just felt tougher), but overall am happy I am sticking to my plan! And how weird is it that all 3 of my runs this week were he same exact distance? Wasn't even tying! My eating can always use a little work. It’s so easy for me to go back to eating all the bad stuff and eating way too much of it but overall I’ve been doing pretty well and hit another new low this week!

Results for the week (ending 9/11):
Weight:  148.8

Half Marathon training:
     Run 1: 5.30 miles in 1:06:55 (12:38 pace)

     Run 2: 6.30 miles in 1:10:43 11:13 pace)   
     Run 3: 3.06 miles in 30:00 (9:48 pace) 

Other:

     Walk: Wednesday – 1.0 miles

Total Weekly (Running) Miles Logged: 14.66 miles

Total September Miles Logged: 20.67 (of 50)

Results for the week (ending 9/18):

Weight:  148.4 <- NEW LOW!!

Half Marathon training:
     Run 1: 3.13 miles in 29:02 (9:17 pace)

     Run 2: 3.13 miles in 34:51 (11:07 pace)   
     Run 3: 3.13 miles in 30:00 (9:34 pace) 

Other: none

Total Weekly (Running) Miles Logged: 9.39 miles

Total September Miles Logged: 30.06 (of 50)

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 28.2 lbs

Cool Summer Morning 5k Series – Race #4: Hawaiian Beach Party Race Recap

(source)

Over the weekend, I ran the last of my races in the Cool Summer Morning 5k Series. My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes and to get a new PR. So happy to report, I crushed that goal and have a new PR of 28:54. Back in 2011, I did have a PR for 29:23 but I know that course was short (by a pretty decent amount) so I always hated “counting” that race as  PR so I’m glad this once even beat that time so I know I have a true legit PR on an accurate course! Nothing new to report about the race itself other than the theme. It was Hawaiian Beach Party themed and they did a great job with the décor around the start and post-race events. A few people got in character and wore coconut bras and grass skirts for the run. As I was running, I kept thinking about if I was going to be able to PR or not. I was feeling SO amped about it, which definitely helped me push through! After my first two miles, I saw that without a doubt, even if I slowed down to a 10 minute mile, I’d still hit my 30 minutes goal, I kind of slowed down a little bit, but overall I just felt SO great during the entire run. Tired sure, but great! Running and racing are both very mental activities, and I was in a great mental mindset that morning. I had been feeling great about my weight loss journey and how I felt and looked and even with going to bed super late (for me) the night before the race, I was able to have great results!

I met up with a few of the MRTT Mommas that I knew before the race (one who I’ve ran with a few times since Race #3, I met her shortly after and she’s awesome!). Proud to say she, another girl, and myself (daughter of one of our Mommas) all took 3^rd place in our age group divisions! We didn’t know it at the time, but we have taken this picture together right after the race. 

the 3rd place girls

Unfortunately, I never thought I’d come close to placing, and I had someone watching my kids that morning so I left shortly after finishing. Because of this, I missed my chance on the podium! My first time ever placing and I missed receiving my award (which was just a glass stating division winner) and my glory of standing on the podium. I’m a little bummed about that, but still feels pretty dang awesome to get 3^rd. 

my podium shot that I'm missing from

Next summer I’ll be in the 30-34 age group, and looks like if I keep it up, I should have the opportunity to place next year! One of the many things I love about small, local races is the fact that there is less competition in the age groups! My first race in the series I came in at 33:14, so reducing my time to 28:54 is a huge improvement in 3 months!

Since this was the 4^th race in the series, and I completed them all, I also got an extra medal! My medal collection for 2015 is huge, so far I have 15!

I have absolutely loved this race series and am sad to see it end. I cannot wait to do it again next year (and see even more improvements!)

Official Chip Time: 28:54 (overall pace of 9:19)
Place: 89 of 359 Finishers

Place: 41 of the 233 Women Finishers
Place: 3 of 22 in my Women’s Age Division (25-29)

My Runkeeper stats:

3.13 miles in 29:02 (overall pace of 09:17)
Splits:
Mile 1: 9:10
Mile 2: 9:16
Mile 3: 9:42
.13 mile: 07:14 <--finish line sprint

Follow Through Friday - September Goals + 50 lbs gone

It's a new month, which means new goals! But before I get to those, let's recap my last week. I mentioned last week, that my long run was going to be on Friday at the Clay Loop. Well, I loved it! It was definitely a little tougher than the trail, but it was a nice change of scenery and I know the hills will really help my pace when it comes race time. I had met up with two other MRTT friends to run on Friday, and these two girls are definitely faster than me typically so I was hoping I didn't slow them down too much. I ended up having a great time with great conversation and ended up with a great pace too! I know had I been out by myself I wouldn't have been able to maintain that pace as I hardly ever do when I'm by myself. I as feeling so good after that run, I decided to run one more "magic mile" after I got home just to see what kind of pace I could get. And it was much warmer outside and I still pulled out a 9:22 mile! We also took this really awesome picture after the run (yes, it was totally staged, but how awesome is it??!!)

I met up with my mom and sister on Friday afternoon and we took the girls (and my nephew) to Magic Kingdom for a few hours. By the end of Friday, I had over 29,000 steps on my Fit Bit. I haven't had that many in a day probably since my last half marathon!

Saturday we went to the Orlando City Soccer Club game, well kind of, we tailgated and went in and got sick of all the rain delays so we ended up leaving before the game actually started but regardless, I drank entirely too much (and didn't drink hardly ANY water and didn't eat too much) so I was REALLY hungover on Sunday. It was really bad. I couldn't eat or drink anything until 5pm and even Monday I wasn't 100%. Completely awful and definitely not something I want to experience again, although knowing me, this won't be my last really bad hangover. Not that being that hungover was a good thing, but at least not eating all day Sunday, probably evened out for all the beer I consumed on Saturday, so I didn't have a horrible weigh in on Monday.

I got a really good run in on Tuesday night (30 min 5k!) when I was finally feeling better! I also knew I was getting my hair done on Wednesday night and wouldn't want to "waste" the styling and go run after getting it done, or Thursday morning, I decided to bite the morning bullet and get up Wednesday morning  BEFORE work so I could get my last run in for the week since I knew we'd be at the UCF game all day on Thursday (plus, as I mentioned above, I wanted to get at least a day out of my newly cut/colored/styled hair).

After Sunday's bad hangover, I knew I was going to take it easy at the tailgate/game for UCF on Thursday (stupid week day games make me mad, but I took a vacation day since it was the season opener!). Not to mention, I had to work today (Friday) and had the girls with me. I didn't eat the greatest, but only had a one beer, and my Friday weigh in wasn’t too bad at all!

During this week, September 1st came and I decided to set some September goals. First and foremost, finally hit my Transformer weigh in goal of 150.7 lbs - with the ultimate weight goal for September being to hit 150.0! Well, on Thursday, I woke up to 150.0 on the scale! It felt SO good to finally see that on the scale! I rewarded myself by getting a new UCF tank top to wear to the game. Of course I’m up a little bit today, and actually surprised it isn’t worse because of all the snacking I did at the tailgate, but I’m still under my transformer goal and now just need to keep this momentum going so I maintain it for my September 19^th weigh in. My other two goals are to stick to my half training plan to log 50 miles of RUNNING this month. I always count/log my walks too, but my goal is specific to running and if I hit goal 2 (my 4 long runs alone total 26 of those miles), there is no reason I shouldn't hit goal 3.  I have 11 miles planned for this weekend alone, 5 miles Saturday on the Clay Loop again, and then another 6 on Monday (Labor Day)! Since I have a 5k race on September 12^th, which would have been my 6 mile day for my plan so I’ll just swap those two data and do my 6 miles Monday and my 30 minute run on Saturday at the race!

Results for the week:
Weight:  150.6

Half Marathon training:
     Run 1: 4.21 miles in 42:36 (10:07 pace)

     Run 2: 3.10 miles in 30:00 (9:41 pace)     
     Run 3: 2.91 miles in 30:00 (10:19 pace) 

Other:

     Run: Friday – 1.0 mile in 9:22 
     Walk: Tuesday – 0.87 miles

Total Weekly (Running) Miles Logged: 11.22 miles
Total September Miles Logged: 6.01 (of 50)

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 26.6lbs