What an incredible Spring this has been

It's so hard to believe how quickly this year is going so far. The boys are nearly done with school, Tom will graduate from 8th grade in three weeks, and we're getting our final plans together for our beach trip to North Carolina. With everything going on, I had to push out my plans for the Half Marathon I was going to do last weekend. My training was just too tough to keep going, between the boys activities and Chad's new job he started earlier this year. So I'm just going to focus on some of the other races I'm planning to do, and have been able to participate in a couple of 5Ks already since the Shamrock Shuffle.

This past Saturday I participated in the Bridge To Bridge 5K in Batavia. This race was the first 5K I ever did, last May. Oh, what a difference a year makes! Last year, my goal was to finish with a time under 40 minutes - I came in at 39:59...just barely squeaked that in. When I ran it this year, I could remember exactly where I stopped running after the initial start. Let's just say it was pretty darn quick ;). But I was just so happy to finish a 5K back then.

Fast forward to this year - I almost didn't sign up for this one. But after the great 5K I had in DeKalb at NIU (finished in 30:06), and looking at the results from last year, I thought "hey, I might actually have a shot at finishing pretty nicely for my age group". So I signed up and went yesterday.

It was kind of funny - the weather was almost exactly the same as it was a year ago. Although this time instead of it raining before the race, it rained during the race. Luckily it wasn't too bad, and the trees covered a lot of the trail. But Lord....the humidity was AWFUL!! It's been several months since I have to deal with that, and let's just say I haven't missed it. But I pushed through the oppressive air, and ran the whole thing. My finish time was 31:51 - over 8 minutes faster than last year!! I hadn't gone as fast as I had hoped, but it was fast enough to get this:

Third place finish for my age group! I never, ever thought that would happen. Hell, 18 months ago I also never imagined I would be a runner and lose 60+ lbs. Funny how these things happen ... Of course, I was upstaged by Matt and Nathan running the youth mile - Matt ran the whole mile in about 8:24, and Nathan pulled off a 1st place finish with a time of 7:06:

One of the other things that has made this Spring so wonderful is I've gotten to know an incredible woman I'm honored to call my friend. Michelle Dragoo and I have been friends on Facebook for awhile now, and finally had a chance to meet up this past Wednesday for a run. She is amazing! She's been training for a Half marathon, while working full-time and taking care of her family. I'm so thrilled we were able to log some miles together, and then met up again Saturday night for a girl's night out and another run today. It was wonderful to find out how much we have in common!

So as I wrap up this very long-winded post-Mother's Day blog, I just want to thank everyone out there who has supported me (and my family in turn) through the last year. There is no way I could have done this without everyone cheering me on!

Shamrock Shuffle 8K - then and now

This past Sunday I was lucky enough to be part of the biggest timed 8K race in the world - the Shamrock Shuffle 8K. I was one of 34,000+ runners to take to the streets of Chicago and kick off the spring and summer running season. If you've been reading my blog, you might have read my post I did a couple of days after running the Shamrock Shuffle 8K 2011. It was the first race I had ever done, and at that point I'd only been running about 3 months. Little did I know how much different my life would be almost a year later.

Had someone said to me last March that I would: a)still be running; and b)loving it I would have laughed at them. I knew it was great exercise for me, and that coupled with Weight Watchers helped me shed over 20 lbs before last year's race. But here I am - one year later - and I am still going strong...and down over 60 lbs from my starting weight.

The Shamrock Shuffle is the race that bit me with the race bug. While I've loved running it both years, they've been very different experiences. Last year I had nightmares leading up to the big day - in one I was put in a corral with elite runners and I got lost in my dream! No such dreams haunted me this year. I had fun sharing the experience of the expo with my mom and younger sons Matt and Nathan (they loved all the freebies!). The best part was that I was totally relaxed for race day. It was wonderful to be able to take in the experience more this year, and really treasure the fact that I was lucky to be there. I was grinning from ear to ear as I ran the first mile, and kept on smiling as I ran on. The 4.97 miles seemed to fly by, and I actually RAN the entire thing. Well, minus the second water stop - I wanted some Gatorade and I am NOT coordinated enough to move and drink at the same time. Last year I reeked of lemon-lime and I didn't want a repeat of that this year. 

I saw my family near the finish line this year - right on the bridge we had to go over to hit the downward finish. It was the perfect spot, since that last hill seems to go on forever. I went nuts waving to them and yelling to them. Somewhere there are also pictures floating around of me chucking my water bottle at Chad's head :-)...I didn't want to be holding it as I crossed the finish for the pictures they take. I know....so vain!

What a feeling it was to sprint towards the end! There were still a lot of runners around me, and we were all cheering as we hit the line. I didn't feel like I wanted to die this year. In fact, it was the exact opposite - I have never felt so alive! Had I not taken my weight loss and exercise seriously a year ago, I wouldn't have been crossing that start line again.

This was the view before the race started - a little cloudy, but we were getting more and more blue sky as we moved closer to the start 

Some of the 34,000+ runners - waiting to hit the start line

I survived!! 56 minutes and 42 seconds after hitting the start, I finally crossed the finish line!

The weather yesterday was perfect for running - the sun came out right about race time and it was in the mid 50s. Quite a change from a high last year of 85 degrees! I am already looking forward to next year...let's hope the race gods continue to smile on me with the perfect Shamrock Shuffle weather!!

Oh, and just for the sake of comparison, here is a picture from last year:

Shamrock Shuffle 2011 - finished it in 1 hr 10 min 28 sec

Coming out of my running/tracking funk

I've been struggling for the last couple of weeks to find my happy place, in just about every aspect of my life. I think it started when my dad had a small heart attack just a little bit over two weeks ago. I was so incredibly scared at the thought of losing him, and it threw me completely off-kilter. Luckily he's recovered very well, and didn't have to have surgery.

I felt like I had lost any control I had in my life. I know that essentially I'm not the one calling the shots, but I come face-to-face with that reality was rough. After all of that I just shut down - I stopped running except for a couple of runs early on, stopped tracking what ate, and didn't focus on eating the things that were good for me. I went for whatever was easiest, and I could feel how it was figuratively and literally weighing me down.

But today I'm back on track! I weighed in at my Weight Watchers location, and was happy to find out I hadn't gained any weight. And even though it was cold and a bit icy this morning, I still got out for a great run with wonderful women. It was wonderful that my friend Lesley joined us today. I'm so excited for her to run her first Half Marathon this fall. I know it's a huge step to sign up and commit to the Half, and it'll be wonderful to share this with her. Of course, first I have to survive the Half I'm running in May!

Let the training begin!

Today was a gorgeous Sunday, filled with lots of sun and mild (for February!) temperatures, so even though I have well over 12 weeks before my first Half marathon I decided to kick off my training today. This was my first "long" run, and I was supposed to do 4 miles. The last run I did this week felt a little tough, and it was just over 3 miles, so I wasn't sure how today would go.

I only had 45 minutes, since we were heading over to my in-laws for a Super Bowl party once I was done and showered (and on a side note - that's what I hate about running mid-day...the second shower/doing the hair and makeup thing). I picked a different route through Kingswood and Majestic Oaks, and it actually felt great! I honestly felt like I could have run at least another 10-15 minutes. I mapped it once I got home, and it turned out I did 4.05 miles - and didn't die!

I have been so, so happy that the weather has actually been nice this winter. I finally did buy a pair of Yaktrax, but I haven't had to break them out yet. Here's hoping I won't have to this year!

Did I seriously just do that???

Earlier this evening, I signed myself up for my first Half Marathon - and then promptly had a mini panic attack! If anyone had told me a year ago that I would be doing this, I would have laughed in their faces. I couldn't even run 500 feet, much less 13.1 miles. And, even if I did walk most of it, it would have taken me half a day to cross the finish line. I would be the person that the cops follow to a)let everyone along the route know that I was the end and b)make sure I didn't die.

But now I've paid my registration fee, so there's no going back. I'll run this race, and even if I have to be dragged across the finish line I WILL finish. Luckily now that I'm running faster than I did a year ago, I hopefully won't be the last one to cross the finish. I've printed out a training program to follow, and plan to kick it off this weekend. I've got a few races to run in between now and May 6, and I am looking forward to seeing a big improvement over last year's times. Now if only the weather would get and stay warm for the next 4 months...

One year ago today

Today marks my one year anniversary as a member of Weight Watchers. I am so incredibly glad I went in there for the first time last year. I know it sounds so cliche, but it honestly has changed my life. I feel like a brand-new person. I used to be so outgoing, but I felt like the weight was holding me back. Now I'm so much more comfortable speaking with people, and being in situations where I used to feel so uncomfortable - like everyone was staring at me because of my size.

I know I never could have done this without the support of my family, my friends, and my wonderful leader Laura. I know she thinks I'm stalking her, since I'll find other meetings she covers and go to those if I can't make my usual day :). Without everyone of you, I wouldn't be where I am today.

So now what...??? This year I'll focus on eating healthy foods, staying active, and pursuing new goals. I had originally wanted to run a full Marathon, but after talking to some very wise friends I've decided to work on increasing my endurance. So this will be the year of the Half Marathons! I'm looking forward to training for them, and hope we have great running weather again this year. I have to say I never thought I'd be running outside in January and NOT have to bundle up, so here's hoping!

Goodbye 2011 - Hello 2012!

I can't believe how quickly 2011 flew by! As I get ready to ring in the New Year with my family, I'm looking back at all of the memories I made this year. I started off 2011 by joining Weight Watchers on 1/10/11, and kicked off my Couch to 5K training on 1/14/11. Honestly, I had no idea where those both would lead me. I really wanted to stick with both things, but my similar past pursuits had never turned out very well for me. I'd start out strong, but it never lasted more than a couple of months.

My family, friends and Weight Watchers group and leader made all the difference this year for me. I could turn to pretty much anyone for phenomenal support - both when things weren't going well, and when I had something to celebrate. I saw the weight come off, my energy level increase, and my outlook on everything improved. I finally WANTED to be around people again! I loved all of the new people I met through running. It's amazing how our paths keep crossing, even outside of running.

A year ago I never would have willingly woken up early on a Saturday morning to a) run with friends and b) make it to a Weight Watchers meeting. Heck - I planned both things AROUND each other! I'd find myself saying "Hey, I'd love to run with you, but can we meet earlier so I can make it to my meeting?".

This year I raced in a 1 miler on Memorial Day, 8 5Ks, a 4 miler on Thanksgiving Day, the Shamrock Shuffle 8K, and the Sycamore Pumpkin Run 10K in October. I loved getting together on Monday nights with the Walk2Run program through Dick Pond STC, and sharing running with my boys while they took part in the Fox Valley Marathon Kids Marathon. I am so proud of what they accomplished!

Now, with 2012 coming up, I'm working on setting goals for myself for this new year. I reached my weight loss goal in mid-October, and became a Lifetime Weight Watchers member on 11/26/11. I still plan on being a part of my Saturday morning group. This year I also plan to complete a Half Marathon, a 20 miler with Fox Valley Marathon, and the Chicago Marathon. Part of me is completely freaking out about all of that, but I know I'll have amazing people helping me through all of it!