A Very Patriotic Accountability Tuesday

Good morning, friends!

To those of you reading in the US....

I am writing today from the most beautiful beach town in America, Cape May, NJ! We are here celebrating the birth of America and the birth of my fantastic husband (a smidge early)! So far, we've had fabulous weather and I'm only -4 smart points for the week- a small miracle considering being away from home/routines is really tough for me.

I got cleared from my doctor to start some light walking so this morning Matthew and I will be participating in our very own little Independence Day Fun Run [Walk]. The race we usually do this time of year, the Wildwoods Beach 'n Boardwalk 5k, was cancelled for 2017 without any explanation. Which is a shame because we love this one and have done it the last two years in a row.

What do you do when your favorite 4th of July race is cancelled but you couldn't compete anyway because you're recovering from pneumonia? You plan a patriotic outfit for tomorrow and intend to walk a few doctor-approved miles anyway to celebrate the USA. 󾓦🎆🚶

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jul 3, 2017 at 3:46pm PDT

Anyway, here's what's been happening in my world in the past week:

Training
Wednesday- 1 mile walk with Matthew and our pup, 20ish minutes
Sunday- 3.25 mile bike ride while Matthew ran, 34:29
Monday- 60 minutes of bike riding (maybe 5-7 miles?) all around Cape May

Best Run
N/A. Though yesterday's bike ride was pretty fun.

Bravo Moment
Y'all, I have two bravo moments this week!

1. As a way to save money- and eat well while on vacation- Matthew and I brought groceries down to the beach and have been making our breakfast and lunch every day. Not only does this help us keep more cash in our pockets, but it also helps me budget my points for the day much easier than if we were dining out for every single meal. We've been making overnight oats (oats, blueberries, PB2, vanilla soy milk, and cinnamon) and chicken salad sandwiches (canned chicken, spicy brown mustard, light mayo, and 647 bread) to stay on track and stay on budget; both points-wise and money-wise.

2. I posted a candid picture of me in a bikini on Instagram. I had actually made Matthew take a posed shot that I wanted to use on the blog (oh, the life of a social media/blogger spouse!) but he took some candids that I actually liked more. Mainly because they are more accurate of what I look like, weight-gain and all. I re-read this post recently and it really resonated with me. I've noticed myself shying away from the camera and only posting/sharing pictures where I look "thin" in the last few months- basically since my weight has gone up and not come back down. But really, who gives a crap that I've gained weight? I still wear a bikini in public and feel [mostly] comfortable when I do. And honestly, this is what I look like right now, in the summer of 2017. I don't want to look back on this summer and only have pictures of the beach and the waves; I want to have pictures of me and my amazing husband enjoying the surf and the sand and making memories together.

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jul 2, 2017 at 9:46am PDT

Quote of the Week

truth. 

Enjoy your Independence Day, friends!

Summer Updates

Hello, friends! I know I've been a bit of a ghost around here the past few weeks; real life has been busy and has kept me from writing as much as I'd like.

First, a few positive updates:

A few posts back, I talked about launching a new look for the blog by mid-June. Well, obviously that hasn't happened. I'm having a little trouble getting the new layout to look the way I want it to so it will be delayed for a bit longer. You may notice some small changes I made this weekend (mainly to the header and the sidebar) in the interim until I can implement the new layout.

I'm still struggling with my weight. Each week seems to slip away from me and I haven't followed my plan as much as I need to. But I'm still tracking and still trying so that has to count for something, right? And I've been able to run and do a few strength-training workouts each week- again, not where I'd like to be, but definitely better than where I used to be.

In the last five weeks, I've been to three professional conferences, all requiring travel- just this past week I was in beautiful Niagara Falls, NY. Check out my scenic 4.5 mile run below!

Now, a pretty negative update:

I have pneumonia. After spending some long (but awesome) days at the conference in Niagara Falls last week, I started to have chest pains and shortness of breath on Friday night. The pain was bad enough that I decided to seek emergency treatment. My amazing co-worker Kim took me to the ER and seven hours- and x-rays, fluids, blood tests, pain killers, and a CT scan- later I walked out with a diagnosis of pneumonia and a mass (most likely mucus) in my right lung.

I will follow up with my doctor this week and will get another CT scan in the near future to make sure the mass in my lung is breaking up. My chest pain has subdued a lot since Friday night though it's still tough for me to breathe deep or lay on my right side.

Source

So, how exactly did this happen? I have a strong suspicion that this is left over from the upper respiratory infection I had in late February/March. The last few weeks, I haven't felt like myself; fatigued after a basic workout, constant back and rib cage pain, horrid headaches, a few days of a low-grade fever and nausea, and a stubborn, persistent cough. Looking back, it's easy to see that I should have gotten medical attention sooner- I chalked it up to allergies and figured it would go away on it's own. I've taken a few sick days here or there since March but definitely didn't rest the way I should have.

Long days at work, tons of travel, and not enough rest finally pushed me over the edge last Friday night. While it was a pretty shitty experience being in the hospital all night, I am infinitely glad I went and all the tests were done. Pneumonia is one of those things that can be deadly without timely medical treatment- even in healthy people with strong immune systems.

So, for the foreseeable future, I'll be resting, drinking plenty of fluids, and not doing any activities that require exertion, i.e. running. In fact, the doctors, the nurses, Matthew, my mom, and everyone else immediately told me "no running!" as soon as they found out I had pneumonia. I guess they don't trust that I won't run for the next few weeks! 😂 Though I will say, the nurse was impressed that I had just run 4.5 miles the day before I was in the hospital. 

I have to give a huge shout out to Kim- she stayed with me all night in the hospital and then after being discharged at 6 am, she drove us the six hours home by herself (after getting ZERO sleep the night before), just so I could get home to my own bed, get my prescriptions filled, and see my husband and pup. She is the literal BEST co-worker and friend on the planet. Thank you so much, Kim!

Kim and me on the American side of the falls. She is so wonderful ❤

So while you might not see any new running or workout related content shared here in the next few weeks, I've got lots of race recaps to post and I've been experimenting with some new muffin recipes- exciting, right? Ha! As always, thank you for your continued support- y'all rock!

Have a great week!

Race Recap & Review: St. Patrick's Day Run Fest

On a bitter cold March morning, I traveled about a half hour from my home to run an 8k during the St. Patrick's Day Run Fest in Hagerstown, MD. Matthew and I planned on running this race together but he was under the weather on race day so I went solo.

This event offered multiple race distances: 5k, 8k, half marathon, one mile walk, and kid's races. Because the 8k distance is one I've only ever raced twice (both times during Shamrock Marathon Weekend in VA Beach), I decided to run the 4.97 mile race.

Arriving in Hagerstown, MD, I quickly found free street parking about a quarter mile from the race start/packet pick-up and then registered for my race inside a beautiful theater. For $30 I got entry to the race, a super cute cotton unisex t-shirt, and a free beer after the race. Sweet! This was easily one of the most simple, well-organized race registrations I've ever seen. After walking my shirt back to the car, and using the indoor bathrooms in the theater (another bonus!) I headed out to the race start and ended up bumping into a friend, Steph. We chatted in the "corral" (based on mile/minute times) until the race started. Fun fact, Steph actually was the officiant at our wedding!

Good morning from the start line of the Hagerstown St. Patrick's Day Run Fest! See you in 8 kilometers! 💚🍀🏃

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Mar 18, 2017 at 6:56am PDT

We cute.

The 8k, 5k, and one mile walk started at the same time, 10 am. The half marathon had started an hour earlier. All along the course, there was great signage and volunteers letting you know which way to go for each race. The first two-ish miles were in a cemetery which was kinda cool, kinda creepy.

Seed yourselves appropriately, kids. 

Speedy Steph headed towards the cemetery and a smiley volunteer with a directional sign.

Creepy. 

After the first few miles in the cemetery, we ran through a bit of downtown Hagerstown and then into a hilly little park. While the morning had started cold, I was overheating a lot by the middle of the race- I'd worn pants, shamrock compression socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a short-sleeved shirt, a hat, and gloves. Yeah, way too much. I ended up taking off the hat, gloves, and long-sleeve and felt much better. That's the one thing I hate about spring running- it's hard to judge how quickly the temperature will rise as the day goes on.

In the last mile of the course, we exited the park and enjoyed an awesome downhill towards the finish. I had been watching my paces on my Garmin so I knew that I could PR this distance if I held onto the sub-11 minute miles. I rounded the corner to the finish line (it was in the same place as the start so I knew where it was) and completed the race in 53:15 (official time from the website), a 4:14 minute PR for the 8k distance! Instead of medals, they gave out green beads with shamrock baubles on them. Super cute.

Surprise PRs are the best kind! Took 4:11 off my last 8k time. I think it's the shoes...and the skirt...and the socks. 😂🍀🏃But seriously , these new @altrarunning Torins are a damn dream. 53:18 finish time, 10:50 pace overall.

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Mar 18, 2017 at 8:45am PDT

After the race, I switched to spectator mode and cheered for Steph as she finished the 8k and for another friend, Sara, as she finished the half. Then the three of us headed down to a bar near the finish line, 28 South, to enjoy our free green beer.

Beer is always better after a run.

Overall, this race was really organized, super fun, and affordable. This one will absolutely go on the calendar for 2018. Y'all know I love a themed-race so the opportunity to wear fun socks AND get complimentary beer?! Sounds like my kind of race.


Do you have a favorite holiday-themed race? Share it in the comments!

Accountability Monday: 6/5/17

Welcome to June! Today is my first day back to work after an amazing 11 days off celebrating my birthday and a week at the beach- I don't even remember what I do for a living anymore! 😃

One of my favorite things about vacation is that we have lots of time to workout; we don't have to squeeze in a run into the end of a busy work day. Matthew and I were very active this week and I have to say, I'm feeling the best I have in a few weeks. 

Training

Tuesday: 3.1 miles, 38:44

Wednesday: OBX Running Company Lighthouse 5k, 32:19; 45 minutes of walking after dinner

Thursday: 50 minutes biking around the outer banks

Friday: 2.51 miles, 30:25

Sunday: Bel Air Town Run 5k, 32:22

Total: 11.9 miles

Biking and donut-ing around this morning. 🚲🍩🌞

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jun 1, 2017 at 6:05am PDT

Best Run

This is a tie this week between the Lighthouse 5k and the Bel Air Town Run 5k. These are the fastest 5ks I have run in almost 18 months. I don't know how I averaged 10:20/10:25 pace for each of these races but I hope I can keep it up! My current 5k PR is 31:28. I'd love to shatter that and get a sub-30 minute 5k by the end of the year. 

Does this skirt make me look fast?

Bravo Moment

Matthew and I went parasailing at the beach (thanks to my awesome in-laws for the amazing 1st anniversary gift!) and you have to say your weight, out loud, to the boat captain and the guy putting you in the harness for the parachute. It's all about safety so you pretty much have to tell the truth, unlike when you're getting your driver's license/ID where you can fib a little. :-) Anyway, I'm super proud of not having any second thoughts about publicly telling a stranger my weight- I honestly didn't think about how incredible this was until later. Years ago, I never would have said my weight out loud. Never. Even though I weigh more than I want to currently, I have come to a point where I'm getting more comfortable with my body, no matter what the scale says. And that's huge progress for me.

Does screaming count as cardio? 😜🌊⛵

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jun 2, 2017 at 9:01am PDT

Quote of The Week

I saw this on one of my social media feeds a few weeks ago and it feels really relevant to me this week-

Yup. Got a few excuses I need to get rid of.

Have a great first week of June!

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!

A year ago today, we ran separate wedding day 5ks with our running #ohana and then toed the line for the longest marathon we will ever run. 😜 Today, we honored this first year of marriage with a little anniversary 5k. ❤❤❤

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on May 21, 2017 at 3:07pm

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! 😜

✨✨✨✨✨

Go chase your happily ever after this week!

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!

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. ❤