Holiday Eating

I have found the last two days of my holiday break to be hard, when it comes to eating. I was prepared for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas day. However, the last two days of eating out and having left overs and cookies everywhere have been tough.

I have not made the wisest of decisions when choosing meals. I thought I was doing ok but after wards I didn't feel well. I have eaten not because I was hungry but because it was in front of me. Which as we all know the absolute worst thing to do!

I haven't neglected my workouts, thank God, that has helped. In fact my run workouts have been long, fast and strong. Today I changed it up a bit and met a lifelong friend for a long 70 minute walk, in order to catch up with each other. I haven't even second guessed my workouts, they have come automatically. It's the eating where I have fallen...

I needed to write about it, in order to nip it in the butt! The mindless eating has scared me...I love the holidays but the amount of food is overwhelming!

Always an adventure on this new journey!  The running shoes are by the door and ready to be put in motion tomorrow morning!!

Merry Christmas!!

June 18th was the 6 month Anniversary of my niece's marriage. On June 18th I wore the dress on the left to her rehearsal dinner. When my niece commented on social media that she had already been married for 6 months I thought of that dress and what it would look like now?!?! So I got it out of the closet and tried it on. I am happy to say that it is huge on me now!

It hasn't even been 5 months since my surgery but I am seeing a such a change. Recently I went to dinner with some friends who I had not seen in quite some time and it took them a few minutes to recognize me. That is always fun. As I walk through this adventure, sometimes it is hard to the changes myself but it helps to see them through the expressions on the faces of friends.

Last night I went to dinner with another group of friends who have been so supportive of this entire journey. They were some of the first that I shared my decision with. I was excited to to be with them and to share my updates.

Just yesterday I stepped on the scale again and it had gone down. I am now down 63 pounds since July and a total of 90 pounds from my heaviest weight 2 1/2 years ago. I am only 20 pounds away from my goal weight! I feel great and I am so happy with my decision to have this surgery.

2016 has been quite the adventure. Some days have been overwhelming and even scary. However, I wouldn't change a thing. I was the person who needed to be convinced the most when making the decision to have the surgery. Not my friends or family, they saw this as the best decision I could have made and saw that it was important for me. So many days I still can't believe that I did it; that my clothes are getting smaller and more importantly that I am getting smaller. It wasn't an easy decision and neither has been the journey. However, through life, I have learned that taking the easy route isn't always the best way.

As we celebrate the Christmas holiday and the end of 2016 I look back and see this year as a new beginning! I am excited for what lies ahead in 2017!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

It's A Wonderful Run!

Saturday afternoon I ran in the annual, It’s A Wonderful Run, in Seneca Falls, NY. It’s a play on words from the classic holiday movie, It’s A Wonderful Life. A wonderful story about George Baily a beloved man in the town of Bedford Falls, NY. Rumor has it that the man who wrote the story of It’s a Wonderful Life stopped through Seneca Falls, NY on his way to New York City and started writing the story after spending a few days. There are many similarities to the two towns and the people of Seneca Falls love this claim to fame. 

Seneca Falls is also home to the National Women’s Hall of Fame and is the home of the women’s suffragist movement. Something that is near and dear to my heart. A few years ago before the race a friend of mine and I arrived early so we could tour the Hall of Fame. Taking the tour and reading about some incredible women can empower you in so many ways…but I digress.

This past Saturday was the annual 5k which starts after sun down at 4:40 pm on the bridge, where George Baily jumped in the icy cold river to save Clarence. The only lights that guide you on the course are the street lamps and the holiday lights that decorate the homes along the course. The citizens of Seneca Falls come out and line the streets to cheer the runners as they pass by on the course. There are parties on front lawns with fire pits, music and fun. Everyone, runners and walkers included are having a great time.

This year Saturday was a very cold day with temperatures not even hitting 30 degrees. However, that didn’t stop over 4000 runners from wanting to run the 3.1-mile distance many dressed up in costume (I wore my usual running clothes, but did add a snowman headband to be festive. It has been four years since the last time I ran this race and this year I wasn’t going to miss it. As soon as I knew the date I marked it on my calendar, registered and made sure keep the weekend free (A special shout out and thank you to a few co-workers who traveled to some work events for me).

As I stated earlier I was one of 4058 runners who crossed the bridge to start the race. I recently checked out my official time and I was so excited. I finished the course in 35:48, which was four minutes faster than my time in 2012. I finished 1,842 overall which is in the top 45% of the running field. In my age group I finished 127 out of 291, which is the top 43.6% of that group. And finally out of the 2,558 women who completed the race I finished 1113^th which is the top 45.5% of the group.

To some this may not seem like a big deal but when I have finished dead last on some courses finishing in the top half of the field and feeling like I could keep running is incredible! Every day is a new adventure. This journey has not been easy but seeing these results it has been worth it!!

 

Too many days off!

At the beginning of November I challenged myself to 30 workouts in 30 days. As you can see by the picture to the left I completed 27 workouts in 30 days. The three days that I missed were as a result of travel days for work Some days, due to early flights, late flights or long travel days, it can be tough to get a workout done. I try very hard but some days my body just screams for rest.

Even though I didn't complete my goal I was very proud of the 27 workouts I did. I don't think that is something to be ashamed of, instead I celebrate it. The only problem is that December doesn't look as good so far...


 I started off strong December 1st and 2nd but told myself to take a rest day on December 3rd. I was traveling in Chicago, hosting a volunteer retreat that took a lot out of me. I didn't want to worry about missing a workout so I gave myself permission to take the rest day. On Sunday my travel plans originally had me home with plenty of time to workout in the evening. However, the weather and American Airlines had other plans. My flight was cancelled and I was staying in Chicago an extra night. Since Sunday I have been exhausted and I haven't completed my workouts in the morning. By the time I get out of work in the evening, working out is the last thing I want to do! So now I have missed four days and I can feel it!!

Tonight I am challenging myself to get up in the morning and complete my workout before work. This will happen on Thursday, December 8th. I have officially circled the date on my calendar and I am telling all of you. I will get it done and I give you permission to check in on me tomorrow!

Other updates ... I am officially down 60 pounds! I feel great!

Turkey Trot and Beyond!

Race number of the 2016 Turkey Trot

I know it has been a while since I have posted. Since Thanksgiving life and work have been a bit busy but I do have a lot to share. I am currently at the Chicago O'Hare Airport waiting for my flight to depart. We have been delayed for two hours and it doesn't look good. I was planning on writing this blog post once I arrived home from Chicago but since I have time to kill I thought I would get it started.

We now have an update on our flight and it has been cancelled! I am now spending an extra night in Chicago. I was able to get a room in the hotel at the airport and now I can continue to work on this blog tonight. I was in Chicago for the past four days hosting a retreat for a group of alumni volunteers from the college where I work.

Prior to my surgery I set three goals for myself that I wanted to achieve as a result of the surgery. The first goal was to get off of all of my diabetes medication...check. Second goal to get off of my blood pressure medication...check. My third goal was to be a faster runner ... so far things are looking good.

On Thanksgiving morning I ran in the 5th annual Stuffing the Pantry 5K in East Longmeadow, MA. I have run this race for the last five years and I truly enjoy the course and the event itself. This year I completed the race in 35.26 minutes. This time is broken down to be 11:30 per mile...yes that is correct I completed this race running faster than a 12 minute mile.

I was so excited when I crossed the finish line. I felt strong the entire way and I know I could have kept running longer than the 3 miles. As I was running I saw the group ahead of me and the pack of people behind me. I was consistently passing people along the course and I thought to myself, so this is what it feels like to be in the middle of the pack!

I have another 5k scheduled for next weekend in Seneca Falls, NY. I will be running the It's a Wonderful Run 5K, which is one of my favorite 5ks. It is so fun to run the neighborhoods of Seneca Falls at night. This race is based on the It's a Wonderful Life movie and starts on the Bridge (Bridge Street) similar to the one you see in the movie. The neighborhood Christmas Lights, light the way on the course and it is so much fun. The last time I was able to run this race was in 2013. I completed the course in 39.42 which is broken down to 13:10/mile and I would love to beat that time. Let's set the goal to PR this course!!

For those of you who would like an update on my weight loss I am down a total of 58 pounds since my surgery. Which means I am down a total of 85 pounds from my heaviest weight over two years ago.

The journey continues.