Monday, May 22, 2017

Accountability Monday: 5/22/17

Good afternoon, friends!

This weekend, Matthew and I snuck away for a quick trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate our first wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been an entire year since we got married- that flew by!

When we got home yesterday, we ran a quick little 5k to commemorate our actual anniversary and then ate Chinese food, drank a bottle of wine, and ate year-old wedding cake. It was actually pretty tasty!




Training
Tuesday: 2.6 miles, 32:32
Wednesday: 3 miles, 33:49
Thursday: 3 miles, 40:24
Sunday: 3.1 miles, 37:45

Total: 11.7 miles 

Oh, Goofy! You're such a flirt!
PS- This photo has no relation to training this week- I just needed an excuse to share it! :-) 

Best Run
We ran on Thursday afternoon when we arrived in Disney- and although it was the slowest and hottest run of the week, we got to explore all the ins and outs of Disney's Port Orleans Resorts- Riverside and French Quarter. 

Thanks for the map, New Balance!

Bravo Moment
After basically eating all weekend at the International Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot, I was determined to "reset" my habits last night when we got home from vacation. That included not eating the extra Ferrero Rocher chocolates I had in the kitchen. It was a three-hour mental battle, but I did not eat those damn chocolates. Who knew you could think about a piece of candy for three hours?! 😂

Quote of the Week
This week's quote is from the brand spankin' new fireworks show at WDW: "Happily Ever After." Spoiler alert- it is amazing! I laughed, I cried, my jaw dropped at some of the visual effects. I never thought a show could be better than "Wishes" but this one knocked it out of the park! And it was fitting that we watched it while celebrating our first anniversary- "It's just beginning; feel your heart beat faster! Reach out and find your happily ever after!" Appropriate for love- or marathon training! 😜

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Go chase your happily ever after this week!


Monday, May 15, 2017

Accountability Monday: 5/15/17

Good morning and happy Monday! Welcome to another installment of Accountability Monday, but with some changes!

In the coming weeks, this blog will have a new look. The content will stay the same- race reviews, weekly training updates, etc.- but the design will be a little different. I've been working on a new layout for a few weeks and I'm excited to share it with you! I hope to have it live by mid-June at the latest.

Accountability Monday is also going to see some upgrades. I still want to use this space to keep myself on track, but I need a break from the usual things I post, especially my weekly weigh-in. It's not that I'm going to completely forgo weighing-in, I'm simply going to weigh-in once a month. If you read my last post, then you know that I am struggling with healthy living. I am constantly feeling like a failure (my clothes don't fit, I don't like the way I look, etc.), and right now, I want to focus on how to feel better instead of how much I weigh. I hope that makes sense.

So, these posts will continue with just a few tweaks! Read on to see this week's training, best run, bravo moment, and quote of the week.

Training
Tuesday: 3.1 miles, 36:06
Thursday: 2.54 miles, 31:21
Saturday: Vinewinder Race, 4.1 miles, 48:33
Sunday: 3.14 miles, 36:20

Total: 12.9 miles


Rolling hills and lots of rain for this year's Vinewinder Race in Hershey, PA

Best Run
Tuesday's 5k run after work was beautiful- great weather, negative splits (12:06/11:48/11:19), and there were sweet purple flowers lining the new running trail in our town to look at. I wish every run felt like this one 😃

Bravo Moment
Ok, so if you don't know sweet "Weight Watchers" lingo 😆, a "bravo" is a small, green sticker that we give out in Weight Watchers meetings when a member shares something they did this past week that they are proud of or something that advanced their weight-loss/health journey. So here's my bravo moment for this week: Yesterday was Mother's Day and Matthew and I hosted our families for lunch. We made WW-friendly foods, had plenty of vegetables and fruit on hand, and I managed to stay away from the cake and the rice krispy treats. And I didn't go over my points for the day! Woohoo!

And I got to spend time with my momma ❤

Quote of the Week
This week's quote comes from the ever-brilliant Lauren: "Keep tracking, keep training, keep trying." Wise words from a wise lady and just what I needed to get back on track.


Have a great week, friends!

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

To Pittsburgh, With Love

Confession time: I was kinda dreading Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend.

I have been struggling.

Hating myself struggling. Stress eating struggling. Not wanting to run struggling.

My weight is the highest it's been in two and a half years; my clothes don't fit the way they normally do. Work has me incredibly stressed which affects my sleep, my mood, and my ability to get out the door for a run. I am disappointed with where I am in this journey. The years of healthy habits I have worked so hard to cement into the foundation of my life are starting to weigh me down.

Tracking my food. Always choosing the healthy option. Planning meals. Running. Strength training. Exercising. Making time for training. I am tired of doing these things.

This healthy lifestyle routine? It sucks. I hate doing it. I hate that I have to do it. Why can't I just be a normal weight, healthy person who doesn't have to ever think about food? Why can't I just be naturally athletic, run fast without trying, and love to work out? Why can't I have endless energy and a flexible schedule so I can cross off my to-do list and finish all the projects I keep meaning to get to?

I don't have the answers to these somewhat dramatic and irrational questions.

But here's what I do know; Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend made the struggle feel a little less crappy.

Starting line of the half marathon. 

I don't know if it was the races, the people, or the city itself- but my spirits were definitely lifted this past weekend.

There's something about the Pittsburgh Marathon races that makes you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself; like you belong somewhere. Like all these tens of thousands of people have the same, shared goal you have- to finish the race you start.


Home stretch of the 5k.

I can pinpoint the moment that something changed. Around mile six of the half marathon, I suddenly felt a jolt of pure joy- endorphins, maybe- and was overcome with happiness. I felt good... strong... athletic... healthy. I haven't felt much like that in a long time.

Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind.

Beyonce was playing in my headphones, the sun was shining, and I was high-fiving spectators and keeping an eye out for my running ohana- some were running, some were cheering. Throughout the course, I got to see familiar faces and hear encouraging and supportive words from friends. Strangers cheered for me by name- probably because it was on my bib, but still :-) I finished a tough course and then joined my husband and running ohana to cheer for folks still out there racing towards the finish.

I felt like a runner again. I felt like an athlete again. I felt motivated to want to keep trying- to maintain my weight, to get faster, to train more effectively. I felt like me again.


The crew.

Today my muscles are sore, my feet are blistered, and I've still got unpacking and lots of laundry to do. But I feel great. And somehow finding the time to run, and meal prep, and track my food doesn't seem to feel as crappy as it did before.

Like I said, I don't know if it's the races, the city, or the people, but Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend has some kind of magic in it. And I am so, so grateful. ❤