Well Crap.

First of all, it's been way too long since I've kept you all updated and posted. This is entirely my fault but I haven't given up and I trust that you're still here to read my tales no matter how long it takes me. Listen, I have news. Not great news but not bad news either. I graduate nursing school soon and the husband has paid for a cruise to the Bahamas in celebration of my accomplishment. (We are going regardless if I manage to make it through this last semester or not.)

 Here is the problem:

1. I do not have a dress for the formal dinner night. Actually, that's a lie. I DO have a dress. I just can't fit in to the damn thing. It hangs in my closet...attempting to look innocent...but it mocks me. I know it's tricks. I have not worn it since after baby number one in Hawaii. I also haven't tried it on since cruise number one in which it was way too small. Granted, I have lost a literal ton some weight since cruise number one, so I'm probably just being paranoid that it won't fit. I just don't want to take any chances of being completely heart broken if it does not. (I would be over joyed if it was too big though!)

2. It's the freakin' Bahamas...in June. It's hot. Not just hot, that's not the right word at all, but so damn hot you have to chew your air to breathe and your shoes melt to the pavement type hot. But that type of hot does not afford me permission to just run around naked. That means I have to wear shorts. This is not something that I wish upon anyone's viewing pleasures. Blonde haired, blue eyed, white girl, problems I suppose.




Here are the good points:

1. I get to go to the Bahamas again.
2. I get to RUN in the Bahamas, that is if I can get off the ship without bursting into flames.

And the After

Today was the day. It was race day.

I promised to post the before and after picture on the day of the race. (If you don't remember here is the post.) Tonight was the first annual Night of the Ghouls 5K that my friends and I had been training for. I've sat back and watched as each one of them has given up or quit because it was too hard. I don't blame them at all. If it wasn't for the support and encouragement I received from friends and family I would've quit too. It is hard to change your entire life, your way of living. I know, I've done it. Without a support system everyone is bound to fail.

I keep getting messages that I am the inspiration for someone to get off the couch. While I love hearing those sorts of things I can't be your only reason for doing it. You need to make that decision for yourself and for your life. Working out, losing weight, being a completely different you, this is a change that in order to stick you have to be motivated by reasons much deeper than you see me doing it. For months now I've been sweating and beating myself into the ground for this one race, when in actuality, I've changed my entire life. Not necessarily for this one race but for all the races I'll ever run, because I want to see my kids graduate college and have babies of their own and see those kids graduate college. I want to live as long as I possibly can and I simply cannot do that if I can't even tie my own shoes without being short of breath.

Not everyone has quit because it was too hard. One of my friends, that I was so very proud of for even trying, had to pull out because of an injury just two days ago. (She happened to be in my head as my first competitor. I looked at her as if that skinny bottom girl could do it then I had to beat her as a fat bottom girl right? Does that mean I win by forfeit?) I'm disappointed she made the decision not to race but it is for her own health and well being that she did.

As for The Punisher? (Because you all keep asking me about him!) He began a training program to run in a Thanksgiving day half marathon! He knew, after a little while, that this 5K was going to be too easy for him. Unfortunately, his body had other plans and forced him to pull out of that a couple weeks ago. So this 5K was now a recovery race for him. He finished the race in 23:03 a personal best for him and taking 6th place over all and 1st place in his age group of 30-39. I couldn't be more proud of him.

For me, it was the culmination of all that I've worked for. I finished the race in my best time for that track yet 52:43 Only 43 seconds longer than my last time. Not my best time ever unfortunately. I ran 7 miles two days ago and jacked up my knee a little so by the end of this race I was hobbling my way through the finish line. I do not plan to ever stop running but I do believe that competitive racing is out of the question for now. I'm a slow runner and I simply can't keep up with all these young athletes. That's not me giving up, that's me admitting when I have reached my limit. I love to run and a 17 minute mile run is still a mile ran. So competitively I am out of the race, but running just to say I did it, I'm totally there. Next up is a couple more 5K's and ultimately a 10K.

So here it is, the before and after stats and pictures. (Sorry the pics are so blurry, I'll do better ones next time.)

Before (June 25th, 2013):                                 After (October 19th, 2013):

Weight: 242 lbs                                                 Weight: 217 lbs
Chest: 56 in                                                       Chest: 42 in
Hips: 54 in                                                         Hips: 43 in
Waist: 54 in                                                       Waist: 49 in
BMI: 44.3                                                          BMI: 39.7

Before

After

While you may not notice a difference in the pictures. I have definitely noticed a difference in my life. I'm not out of breath when I get out of my car and come in the house. I can tie my shoes by simply bending over. I can run a total of 7 miles now without stopping when three months ago I couldn't even do 100 yards. (The thought of 7 miles back then would've killed me.) I can also walk from one end of a parking lot to another without being winded.





What I'm saying is, yes, you can do this. Anyone can do this. It doesn't matter how big, small, short, or tall you are. Weight loss is something that CAN be achieved as long as you stick with it, and trust me, you don't need some magic pill to get there. Keep yourself from being discouraged by finding yourself a weight loss buddy. If you can't find one, email me here. I'll be happy to keep you accountable and send you encouragement!

My First Official Death Race...aka the 5K

Well, I finished my very first official USATF (United States of America Track and Field) 5K and lived to tell about it.

I didn't have a time in mind to finish, I just wanted to say I did it and I didn't want to be dead last. Surprisingly, I accomplished both, so I'm pretty full of myself happy with the results. So happy, in fact, that I am doing it again this week. Not the same race of course, I have to wait until next year for that, but a night one held on the university campus.

My day started early, and by early I mean that I was awake before the rest of the entire world. Even my dogs looked at me like I was insane as they burrowed themselves back under my blankets. At 0430 everything looks bleak and the race didn't even start until 9! I contemplated just not going or going but just walking or not going and running later that night. Alas, I remembered that I was taking my six year old with me (we'll call her Bad Ass Baby Girl, BABG) and she would've been very disappointed not to see her buddy who was going to be there. So I got out of bed and took a shower. Yes, I know taking a shower before a run sounds a bit on the retarded side but hear me out, I only did it to wake myself up for the two hour drive to the race.

 BABG and I arrived just before 0730 when race registration started. A friend of mine had warned me about the pre-race potty emergencies that can happen so I headed straight to the restroom before I did anything else. Once we were registered we had a while before the race started so we made friends with a few volunteers for a while and then headed down to the starting line to stretch out and check out the competition.
 

I was feeling fine. As you may know I despise morning runs just about as much as I despise frogs, which we'll talk about that in a later post. (If you don't know about my morning run hatred you can read about it here.) But, I was feeling good. I was pumped, warmed, stretched, and good to go. The route didn't look too bad on the map, it was a full circle instead of an out and back. I was smiling and happy, right up until some old man jogged up next to me and asked if I had seen...The Hill.

"Hill? What hill?" I asked.

"The one that's behind us," he replied with a crooked smile.

I looked over my shoulder and it didn't look that bad. I shrugged and said, "No worries, this fat bottom girl has skills. I can do it."

He left me there in the wake of his laughter as he walked away. My confident smile turned to a cringe when I realized that he was laughing at me, instead of with me.

The race whistle started and we were off. BABG took off like a bullet and raced ahead of me. I just knew I wouldn't see her again until the finish line. The race started off with a gentle incline for about a tenth of a mile, no biggie, easy day. I was yet to learn how wrong I was. There was a long downhill after that where I picked up my pace and passed the walkers. It never occurred to me that I would have to gain that elevation drop back somehow. Then there was a nice and easy flat spot all the way to the end of mile one.

At the beginning of mile 2 there is a hill, not too bad, but a little steeper than I was used to. When I got to the top I figured that was it. That is until I looked up and saw it. There, just around the corner, was the biggest, steepest, hill I'd ever seen. It was a monster, it was eating up runners and speed walkers alike. The experienced runners were just getting to the top as I rounded the corner and they were...walking? Dear God the runners were walking the hill!!

I knew I was in for it. "Why did no one tell me?" I cried in confusion. I put my head down and focused on the concrete below my feet. I pushed and pushed and pushed until I couldn't take it anymore. My heart and brain hadn't given up just yet, but my legs were jello. Suddenly, I heard a small voice behind me calling my name and I realized it was BABG, she was walking it and barely faster than a crawl. I took her hand and we pushed up the rest of it together, at a walk. This beast of a hill is nearly a mile long and it feeds on the blood and sweat of inexperienced runners like myself.

Once we reached the top, the volunteers gave us water and made sure we were okay. Luckily, the rest of the way was downhill and just a little tiny hill at the end to get back to the finish line. BABG took off ahead of me again once I mentioned there was ice cream at the end. She finished at 57 minutes flat while I dragged ass behind her at 58:15.

I fucking finished it, goal one complete. Out of 158 competitive runners, I was 153, I wasn't dead last, goal two complete. My reward? Olive Garden with my buddy!!

What now, you ask? Now, I get to work on my time and figure out a way to demolish that hill next year.