October 21, 2013

Motivational Monday #37


I don't know what the heck came over me this weekend, but my self-discipline went right out the window, and I pretty much had a free-for-all with my meals all weekend. At the time, I just had a carefree attitude about it, but I really regret it now. Going that far off track just makes it even harder to get back ON track. But I'm going to do it!

I did go for my first post-marathon run today. I had a ton of energy... until I started running. I couldn't believe just how tired my legs felt! I thought I was flying along at an 8:00/mi pace, and then I saw it was more like a 9:30/mi pace ;)  I know that's totally normal after running a marathon. I'm just going to take it at an easy pace for a few weeks until I decide to start training again. But it was really nice to get out there today!

There were lots of people doing races this weekend! Check it out:


Amy completed her first half-marathon on Saturday! Just a year ago, she was struggling in her couch to 5K group. She had a goal to run a 5K on Thanksgiving, and it seemed impossible at the time--but she did it. She caught the running bug, and eventually set her sights on a half-marathon. When she reached the top of a hill at mile 12.5 on Saturday, she actually started to tear up, realizing that she was going to do it. Just before reaching the finish line, she saw a big group of people from her running group who had already finished, and wanted to stay and cheer her on. She says she went into "the ugly cry" (which is when they took the photo). Over the past year, she's lost 85 pounds, going from couch potato to half-marathon runner! Definitely something to be proud of.



Christina, and her running partner, Joe, were registered to run their first marathon on October 6th--but it was cancelled by a blizzard! As an alternative race, they chose the Rock 'n Roll Denver marathon, but were nervous they may not make the course cutoff time of 6 hours. She's very proud to say that they finished! The tail vehicle was right behind them, and even made them get up on the sidewalk at around mile 24, but they persevered and finished in 6:06!



Dean ran his first half-marathon yesterday--the Detroit Free Press International Half! His goal was to finish under 2:45, but based on his training, he was secretly hoping for 2:35. He ended up crushing that goal with a finish time of 2:23:41! (And in Dean's words: "To top it all off, my wife and I also got to meet Runs for Cookies herself and 'Mr. Runs for Cookies',  aka Jerry, which was a blast as you all heard about from her post on Saturday.")



Jacinda and her husband have been together for 10 years (married for 7) and had wanted to get pregnant just after getting married. Being overweight, Jacinda had a hard time and just wasn't able to get pregnant. This year, at her highest weight of 293.4, she decided to try and get the weight off in hopes of being able to start a family. She signed up with a personal trainer, and started working out regularly; she even dropped 20 pounds, and completed a 5K with her husband. She still had her struggles, but vowed to stay positive and stick it out. In early September, after seven years of trying, Jacinda and her husband found out that they are expecting!



Jennifer, and her husband, Dennis, ran their second half-marathon this weekend--the Detroit Free Press International Half! They finished with a PR of 2:32, taking 12 minutes off of last year's time. She was proud that they were able to run the entire course, even with the inclines (the bridge and tunnel to/from Canada are tough!). She said she saw me at mile eight, and yelled to me, but I didn't hear her because there was "a really loud guy" next to me, bahaha ;)



Kali signed up for her first half-marathon (The Detroit Free Press International Half) before she'd ever even run a mile--and yesterday, she completed it! She started training in April, and ran her first 5K in June. Since she started training, she's even dropped 25 pounds! Her best friend, Kim, ran by her side the entire way. Her goal was to finish under 3 hours, and she crossed the finish line in 2:59:45! (And that included a pit stop to introduce herself to me halfway through the course, which was so fun for me!)  Right now, she's feeling sore, euphoric, and very proud of her accomplishment.



Kelsey just completed her first 10K race in over a year. She's training for a half-marathon, and her sister encouraged her to do this race as part of her training. She was the last person to finish, and while she was on the course, they started putting away the signs. She told the volunteers that she could just quit, but they told her to go ahead and finish. Even though she had headphones on, she heard some comments about "Someone is still on the course..." and she felt very discouraged. However, she never gave up! She finished, running the entire way, and she's proud that she kept moving.



Lizi, and her sister, Katie, came full circle this weekend when they ran their first half-marathon--exactly a year after running their first 5K together! A year ago, they never imagined they'd be running a half-marathon this year; in fact, Lizi said she wasn't even sure she wanted to do another 5K after her first ;)  But the two have lost a combined 60 pounds over the last year, and can now cross "half-marathon" off the old bucket list! 

Laura and her husband ran their first 10K on Sunday! She's thrilled with the improvement in her pace--in July, she ran a 5K at an 11:30/mi pace; yesterday, she ran the 10K with an 11:08/mi pace. She was nervous right up until the start of the race, but her husband kept encouraging her, and she did great!




Don't forget to check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post for more stories!

9 comments:

  1. these always make me so happy and motivated. congrats to Jacinda and her husband! awesome news =]

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  2. I love your Motivational Mondays!

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  3. Congratulations to everyone mentioned today!

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  4. Gorgeous post! gorgeous people! love! :)

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  5. Of course everyone mentioned is inspiring, but in regards to the post about Lizi and Katie - I was running that same half, and the weather was AWFUL - I think if it had been my first time out there doing 13.1 I may have given up! How much more motivating that they were able to finish and have those smiles on their faces at the end :)

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  6. I just love these every single Monday! Congrats to everyone!!!!!

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  7. I only wish I could be a runner! I learned a long time ago on my weight loss journey that my smoking history pretty much doesn't allow me to run. So, I improvised adapted and overcame and lost 25lbs anyway by doing interval training and lots of kickboxing, I do sprinting, and stair sprinting, etc....I just can't RUN long distances. But, I can kick some serious a**! LOL! :O)

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  8. I am the sister that halfway entered Kelsey into her 10k. I was supposed to do the 5k race that day but due to injury, I was unable to. I cannot express how proud I was of her as she crossed the finish line!!! It was awesome!! Love her!!

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