Reader Questions & Answers #9

On Sundays, I will answer some readers' questions in a post. If you have a question that you would like me to answer here on the blog, just send me an e-mail with the subject "Q&A", and I may include them in a future Q&A post. They don't have to be about weight loss or running--anything is game!  (Remember, I'm not a doctor or dietician, or any sort of medical professional--I can only answer questions from my own experience).

Q. Why don't you and Jerry attend church with the boys and your parents?


A. I've gone to church many times (at many different churches) and almost always, I'm glad that I went. But getting the motivation to go is the hard part--I guess this is kind of like running, in that sense! I believe in God, and I pray daily. But going to church feels strange to me. I don't like any attention on me, and every time I've gone, the pastor or other church members kind of make a big deal about it to make me feel welcome. 

I wish I could just sneak in and sit in the back and leave when it's over. But my parents are very involved in the church, and they make a big ta-da about it when I go. I really like the pastor and his wife, and I got to know them pretty well a few years ago. They had just moved here and they didn't have a house yet. My parents let the new pastor and his wife live with them for a few months until they found a house. 

So the fact that I don't go to church isn't so much about the church itself, or the people there. It's just that I don't like it being a big production when I go. I realize that if I went every week, it wouldn't be such a big deal. And I keep telling myself that I'll go next week. Because of Jerry's work schedule, he is only able to go 2 out of every 6 weeks, so I'll have to go alone or with my parents. But I really do want to try and start going regularly.

Q. How is the debt payback going? Are you making billions on your blog yet?!

A. We're making some progress--slowly but surely. I actually didn't earn a single penny from my blog until February of this year. I finally found an ad company I was happy with (much thanks to Cathy at Fabulessly Frugal). And then I was accepted into the BlogHer advertising program, which has been fantastic. Between the ads and being an Amazon affiliate, I'm not making a TON of money--but I make about the same as I would working a part-time minimum wage job. (Although, if I calculated the amount of hours per week I spend blogging and responding to e-mails, I'm working for MUCH less than minimum wage, haha). 

My plan from the beginning has been to use any money that I make from blogging on debt repayment. I have credit card debt and the debt from my surgery to pay back. I've been continuing to make regular payments from Jerry's checks, but now that I'm earning a little from blogging, that is just extra money to pay toward the principal. Since I LOVE blogging, it works out well :) 

We've already been living pretty frugally, so there isn't much to cut back on. Our credit card debt was acquired a few years ago when the economy crashed--Jerry's job cut hours big time, and we had to pay for a LOT of things with our credit card. I was working from home for a gynecologist up until August 2010, when they let me go (the work I was doing was temporary, and lasted me about 5 years). We were barely getting by, but we managed not to acquire any more debt. Thankfully, Jerry's hours are back to normal now, so we're digging our way out of debt. If all goes well, I'm hoping we'll be debt-free in about five years.

Q. Did you attend college?

A. Yes, I did. I graduated high school in 2000, and I started college that fall. I went to Eastern Michigan University. My original major was psychology, but when I realized I wouldn't be able to do much with a bachelor's degree in psych, I kind of veered off course. I went to EMU for two years, and I lived in a dorm with my long-time best friend Sarah (the Sarah who now lives in Arizona). 

What's not to like about college?

I had SO MUCH FUN those two years, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my major. So I moved back home and started going to community college--just a one-year medical assistant program. When I was halfway through, they canceled the program. I really felt hopeless then. I applied for a dietetics program, and was accepted to that. However, I got married in August 2003, and about a week after school started, I decided to drop out. I wasn't enthusiastic about any of it, and it was a lot of money to pay for something that I didn't really want to do. 

I don't have any desire to go back to school. It's funny, though. My mom always said (while I was growing up) that I would one day be a writer. I loved to write, and creative writing was always my best subject. She insisted I go to college, so I did. But now I'm home and writing, and I love it! I don't know that I'm considered a "writer" since all I write is this blog; but I do have hopes of a memoir one day :)

---

And now a question for all of YOU...

What did you always want to be when you grew up? Did you actually end up doing it?

I always wanted to be a writer, but since that "wasn't realistic", I didn't pursue it.

Continue Reading...

Martian Meteor 10K race report

Today was a first for me. I ran a race for "fun" without trying to PR. Jessica even told me beforehand, "I better not see a '5' in front of your time!" (My 10K PR is 55:05, so she was implying that I should run it in over an hour). While I would have loved to try and PR this race, I knew it would be stupid of me because 1) I'm trying to heal a knee injury, and 2) I have to be strong enough to run 18 miles on Monday.

I am SO glad that my friend Stacie decided to do this race with me! We hadn't seen each other in well over a year, and so much has happened in the past year that I was really excited to catch up with her. She came over a little before 6:00 this morning, and we left from my house for the race. The race didn't start until 8:00, but I didn't want to drive all over Dearborn looking for a parking spot.

We picked up our t-shirts and bibs. I was bummed, because Jerry's work registered me, and they signed me up for a men's small instead of a women's small. They told me I could come back at 9:00 and trade it out if I wanted (so I did that, after the race). The shirts are actually pretty cool looking:

And Jessica won't have one of these, since she didn't do the race--so no worry of us dressing alike! ;)

We were there super early, so we just sat in the car and chatted until it was time for the race to start. While I was standing there (freezing), Lindsey came up to me and we got a picture together (with her phone, I didn't have my camera with me). I only know her from her blog, so it was fun to put a face to her name. I also saw my "real life" friend Andrea, who was running the half-marathon today. Then the race started and it took a few minutes to get up to the front because there were tons of people.

Right after we crossed the starting line, we could barely walk, let alone run--it was very crowded. Once we split off from the 5K'ers, however, it was much less congested. I didn't look at my Garmin the entire race. I just ran at what felt like the same pace that I've been running my long runs. It was nice, because we were able to chat and actually enjoy the run without worrying about trying to go faster.

Normally when I race, I barely notice the scenery or people, or anything. I just feel miserable and like I'm going to puke until I finish... doesn't that make you want to race? ;)  About a mile or so in, I heard someone behind me say "Katie!" and I turned to see who I learned then was Shannon, a blog reader. Good thing I wore my sparkle skirt today :) She was running her first 10K today. Shannon, please let me know how you did and how you feel!

My knee felt fine the entire time. I was a little worried, because the course has a few hills. Going downhill REALLY hurts my knee, so I went slow and easy and didn't have any problems. The whole race was really uneventful. I have to say, I really enjoyed running a race for fun instead of time. I just might do it more often. I guess I just always thought that if I'm running a race, I might as well always try to PR--but lots of people do races for other reasons, too. It's okay to run a race for fun!

Right before the finish line, there were a bunch of people cheering, and I heard someone say "cookie" (which of course caught my attention). Stacie said, "Someone just said 'Runs for Cookies'!" I turned to look, but I was right at the finish, so I crossed the finish line and then went back to that spot to look--but couldn't find who it was. So if you recognized me, thank you for cheering! And please let me know who you are :)

Before we left, we got a picture with a couple of martians, of course:

I didn't even check my "official" results, because it didn't really matter to me... but here are my unofficial Garmin results:

I sent Jessica a text of the results, knowing she would be proud that I stuck to my plan of running easy ;)

My favorite part of the race was actually getting to catch up with Stacie. We are certainly not going to wait a year to get together again. It was also a lot of fun to meet a couple of blog readers.

After today's run, I'm feeling pretty confident for the 18-miler on Monday. I am icing my knee right now, and tomorrow is a rest day, so we'll see how it goes.

Continue Reading...

Upside-down frown

I was feeling really down this morning, thinking about the marathon and my knee. I was even having thoughts yesterday and today about dropping out of the whole thing. Running the marathon means a LOT to me, but not enough to injure myself permanently. I've been icing my knee, wearing a knee brace at home, elevating it... all the right things to do! I just hope it works.

I spent the whole morning reading up on knee injuries, and running, and injuries during marathon training... enough to make my head spin. While I was reading, I got an e-mail that surprised me--somehow, the nice folks my new best friends at Garmin got word about the issue I was having charging my Forerunner, and they asked me if I was able to get it figured out; and if not, they would do what they could to help.

I was shocked that they took the time to e-mail me and check on my Garmin! And I have no idea how they found out about my issue with it yesterday. I wrote that all was good (for now), but I thanked them for writing. And (only half-jokingly) said that if they need someone to try out the brand new 910xt model, I was the girl they were looking for ;)

A few minutes later, I got an e-mail that turned my frown into a big huge grin and then I started freaking out and woke Jerry up to tell him too! They offered to let me trade my 305 for the 910!! I've been coveting the 910 ever since I saw Adam's HILARIOUS review of it. But I never even considered buying one, because I simply couldn't afford to.

There was also some good news for my readers... :)  They're sending a Forerunner 210 to give away on the blog!! How amazing is that?! Once I get the goods, I'll post the details. Gosh, I feel so blessed because of this blog.

Getting that e-mail changed my whole crappy outlook on marathon training. I'm super excited to try out the 910! About my knee... I'm going to run slowly at the Martian 10K tomorrow. Stacie (my friend who is going with me) said she usually finishes in about 1:04, so I'll run with her--and that will be way more fun than racing anyway! I haven't seen her in over a year and we have tons to catch up on.

Complete rest on Sunday. Then the 18-miler on Monday will give me more of an indication of whether I can actually pull off a full marathon on May 20th. If my knee feels anything like it did yesterday, I don't know if it's wise for me to continue training. Right now, I'm just going to think positively.

For my readers who have run full marathons, did you have any knee injuries during training? How did you deal with it? And most importantly, were you still able to finish the marathon? My marathon is six weeks from tomorrow. I'm hoping that's enough time to get better.

---

The kids and I were out the other day, and we decided to get something for the cats that I've been wanting to get them for a long time.

These "cat trees" are expensive, and I could never justify the cost. But since we got new carpet recently, I had a new motivation for buying one. The cats would rather scratch the posts of the cat tree than the floor, so this will help save our carpet.

And they like sleeping on it so much that it will save fur from getting all over the couch, too. I think it's very fitting that Estelle immediately claimed the top of the tree for herself. Chandler was too fat to fit in any of the levels with sides, so he got the second level from the floor by default. Phoebe chose her spot next, and then Paolo was late to the game, so he got stuck with the bottom.

It's funny, this is the same order that they always sleep on the thing, too. They've already gotten our money's worth out of the thing, and we've only had it for a few days. (This was the reason I had no extra money for a Garmin right now! Figures the Garmin would have problems just a couple of days after I bought this tree for the cats. Thankfully, it all worked out well.)

---

Continue Reading...

Nothing a little alcohol can't cure

After the Garmin issue yesterday, I made sure to charge my Garmin for a long time when I got home. Today I was scheduled for a four-mile easy run, but decided to just run three because I'm racing the 10K on Saturday (which is 1.2 miles longer than I'm scheduled for).

I procrastinated all morning. Finally, when Jerry woke up this afternoon, I decided to go run the three miles. I got dressed and put on my Garmin. Turned it on, and immediately saw the "low battery" warning and then it died. I knew that something was really wrong with it, because this has never happened before. Tried to power it on again, and same thing.

I tried doing some sort of reset, where you hold two buttons down for 10 seconds (I'd had to do that once before a long time ago after the screen froze). That didn't do anything. I tried charging it again. Nothing. The Garmin is five years old, so I wasn't hopeful. I read some stuff online, and most people said that they ended up buying a new one.

Despite the fact that I have no extra money right now, I started researching the Forerunners. I really like the 305 version, but it's outdated and they don't make it anymore. It's expensive to buy it on Amazon, so I thought maybe I'd be better off getting a newer model.

After reading about all the others, I really didn't want a different one. I wanted the 305! I don't want a touch screen, I don't want a tiny screen that is hard to see, and I don't want a wireless connection to the computer. The only one that appealed to me was the brand new 910xt--but at $450? No, thanks.

So I cried and pouted instead. Jerry was trying to be helpful, but I was really irritated by him. He has no clue about anything related to the Forerunner, so I didn't want his input about what one to get. He started reading on his computer some tips to hopefully fix it, and I told him to go for it--just to get him out of my hair and let me read reviews in peace. He even drove to my mom's to get some rubbing alcohol to clean the sensors with.

He used a Q-tip to clean the sensors on the back of the Garmin, and then he put it back on the charger. About 20 minutes later, I turned it on to prove that he was wrong--but it worked!! It was charged and good to go! I was SO happy. I really have a great husband, and I feel bad that I was irritated with him. He'll never let me forget this now

So I took the Garmin out for a run, which I was happy to do at this point. The little guy apparently likes alcohol after a long hard run just like I do ;)

My run was NOT good. About a mile and a half in, my knee started hurting really badly. I slowed down my pace, but by 2.5 miles, I was gasping in pain. I got back to my house at three miles, and after I showered, I put on my knee brace and took a couple of Motrin. I'm going to rest it all day tomorrow.

Saturday, I am registered for a 10K race. I've already promised Jessica I won't be "racing" it--I will just run very easy and treat it like an easy training run. We have to run 18 miles on Monday, so I want to be in the best shape possible before then. I don't want to screw up my knee at all during the race. Also, running hard really takes its toll on my energy level (I learned that lesson after the 5K I raced last month).

I'm writing all of this because I don't want to get caught up in the moment and try to PR on Saturday. I ran this same 10K last year in 55:05, so it's tempting to go for 54:xx... but I WON'T. I'm going to try and run 10 minute miles or slower. I will enjoy the scenery and maybe chat with people. My friend Stacie is going with me, and I don't know if she'll want to run together or do her own thing. But either way, I'm going to run SLOWLY.

---

Yesterday, Jerry and I took the kids to the Detroit Zoo like we'd planned. I was in a pretty bad mood all day, so we probably should have postponed the zoo. Shortly after we got there, I asked the boys (the kids and Jerry) to pose for a picture, and they refused--well, Eli refused--then Jerry mocked Eli by refusing as well. I got so fed up that I just didn't want to hang around them. I told them to do the zoo on their own, and I could enjoy it by myself. (Immature of me, yes...)

They cooperated for Jerry to get a picture, of course!

 So I did--I walked around the zoo alone for a couple of hours before meeting back up with them to leave. It certainly wasn't the "family day" I envisioned. But the boys were crabby from the start and I just didn't want to listen to it anymore. Please tell me I'm not the only one to overreact the way I did...?

We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. The kids love that place because they like to eat tons of chips and salsa. Jerry and I barely ate half of a bowl when the kids demolished the first bowl. Then they finished ours. Then they ate a third bowl that the server brought out. After three and a half bowls, our food came (much to the relief of our server, I'm sure).

I was very hungry! I had run almost 10 miles that morning, then walked about another 3 miles at the zoo. I got flautas and ate all three of them. But I wasn't even full. I left there feeling comfortable, which is unusual--usually I'm stuffed from eating that much.

Anyway, I'm SO relieved that the Garmin is working. Now if only my knee will quit buggin', I'll be good to go for Monday's 18-miler!

Continue Reading...

A blind run

Fitting in runs during my kids' Spring Break is difficult. My mom watched them Monday morning for our long run, so I didn't want to ask her to watch them again today for our "semi-long" run (9 miles). Jerry worked a night shift, so he needed to sleep this morning, but he was insistent that I go do my run and that he would be fine.

I met Jessica earlier than usual so that I could be back home earlier to relieve Jerry. We headed out to the Metropark at 7:20. When we got there, we went into the marina to use the bathroom, and I turned on my Garmin. Immediately, the "low battery" warning came on. I thought I had charged it, but I guess not. Right after that, the watch died and shut off.

I hate running without my Garmin!! I've only done that once, and it was during the 5K race last month. Luckily, I had mapped out a route before I left home, so I knew the distance. We ended up starting our run at a different spot, however, so I just adjusted (in my mind) the point where we had to turn around for our out-and-back run.

Just before we started running, I decided to grab my cell phone and use the stopwatch feature on it (I don't have a "smart" phone, just a regular old cell that apparently comes with a stopwatch in the tools section). I noticed the battery on my cell was low too, but I figured it would make it a couple more hours. So I started the stopwatch and off we went.

It was SO STRANGE to run without my Garmin! I actually paid attention to the in-park mile-marker signs. At a stoplight, I found myself reaching for the "stop" button on my watch, but the watch wasn't there.

Since we started running from a spot that was a little farther away from the spot that I mapped out, we turned around a little sooner than I had mapped. I heard my phone turn off--stupid battery died! So I had no clue what our time was. When we turned, we walked for about 30 seconds to eat a Gu and then kept running. 

Jessica's knee was really starting to bother her about 5 miles into the run. I could hear in her voice how bad it was. And she's usually a champ when it comes to running through pain--she's had all kinds of hip and foot problems that she's run through, but her knee was really bad today. We were pretty quiet after that as we ran through the Metropark

About 2 miles from the car, Jessica said she had to stop and walk the rest of the way. Her knee was killing her. So I took her key and ran ahead (my knee started to hurt every time I slowed to walk, so I preferred to keep running). I checked the time when I got back to the car (I think we started running at 7:45, and it was 9:32 when I got back to the car).

Jessica finished shortly after me, at 9:36. We stretched and then left. When I got home, I mapped out our route and we had actually run 9.57 miles--0.57 miles more than we needed to! Hahaha. So my pace was approximately 11:11/mi, if we started when I thought we did.

I've always loved my Garmin, but I have a whole new appreciation for it now! I'm going to make sure I charge it EVERY time I run. Normally I do, but I don't know--maybe I was distracted or something on Monday.

Jerry's off work today, so we're taking the kids to the zoo and out to dinner for their good report cards.

Continue Reading...

Cowboy

I saved the story about the Pomeranian for today since I knew I wouldn't have much to write about. On Saturday, we had plans to go to my mom's house to celebrate my younger brother Nathan's birthday. A couple of hours before we were supposed to leave, I heard a dog bark and I looked outside to see a little Pomeranian on our back deck.

I was annoyed that one of the neighbors let their dog out without a leash, and I was thinking of calling animal control, but decided that since it was a little Pomeranian, it probably couldn't do much harm. ;)  I saw that he was wearing a collar with a tag, so I looked at his tag and it said "Cowboy" and his address and phone number. I didn't recognize the street name, so I called the phone number.

A girl answered, and when I asked her if she was missing a dog, she said no. I told her that I had a dog on my deck with a tag that listed her number. She checked on her dogs and said no, none of them were missing. I told her the name on the tag was "Cowboy" and she started freaking out. "MOM! OHMYGOD, IT'S COWBOY!! I'm going to put my mom on the phone--OHMYGOD!"

I was a little confused, but the mom came on the phone and she was freaking out, too. She was super excited, and asked if it was a little orange Pomeranian, and I said yes. She couldn't have been more excited as she told me the story of Cowboy...

Apparently, she found Cowboy in her yard one day about a year and a half ago. She tried to find the owner, and had no luck--she posted fliers and asked neighbors, etc, but nobody claimed the dog. So she decided to keep him. She named him Cowboy and had a tag made for him. Then she took him to the vet, and while she was there, the vet scanned him for a microchip. Turns out he had an owner. She was bummed, but contacted the owner and gave the dog back. The owner didn't even seem very grateful, and this woman (I never got her name! We'll call her Susan...) was sad to see Cowboy (whose name was actually "Guy") go.

The owner of the dog even asked Susan to dog sit for her once when she was out of town, and Susan did that. But Susan hadn't seen Cowboy/Guy in over a year.

And then I called.

The owner never got a new tag made or even removed the old tag that Susan had made. So when I called the number, Susan was shocked to hear about Cowboy. She told me that she would try and get in touch with the owner. She wasn't able to get a hold of her, so she told me that she'd be happy to pick him up, that she didn't want him to be lost or wandering. She said her husband had the car, but she would come as soon as she could. She kept apologizing that she didn't have any money to give me, and I reassured her that I didn't want money.

Since I was going to my parents' house, I told her I would just drive the dog to her (about 20 minutes away). She was SO GRATEFUL and just kept saying "Thank you, thank you!" I felt like I had just saved her child from a burning building or something! So Jerry, the kids, and I all drove to the dog to Susan's house.

She came running out and hugged Cowboy, and she had tears in her eyes when she was thanking me. She said she would try and get a hold of the owner, and I told her she should just keep him--she obviously cares about him more than the owner. He was such a sweet little doggie, I wish I could have kept him myself!

---

Last night, I invited Renee to come over for some wine and chit chat. We used to get together every few weeks after the kids were in bed to have a couple of glasses of wine and talk, but it's been a while since we did that. Training for the marathon means I can't drink much, and it has to be on planned days (when I don't have a long or semi-long run in the morning.

Anyway, it was fun to catch up with her, and I think she may go to Minnesota with me in August for a half-marathon. It's in St. Paul, where my brother lives, so we already have a place to stay--and my brother said we could use buddy passes to fly there, so it would be super cheap. And we could make a weekend out of it by going to the Mall of America.

The race looks super fun--it's called Women Rock. What drew me in? A running jacket in lieu of a t-shirt, a zone of men fanning you and giving you grapes during the race; hot firefighters giving you your pendant (medal) at the finish; and champagne! Oh, did I mention it's a downhill race? Maybe I'll be going for my sub-2:00 goal ;) Definitely a girly race that sounds like a blast! Renee's checking out her situation to see if she can swing it, and if so, we'll be "rocking" Minnesota on Sept. 1st!

---

Continue Reading...

Cookie sacrifice

Today is Monday, which means it's my long run day. Since this is a step-back week, my run was "only" 12 miles. My mom kept my kids overnight so that I could run this morning (the kids are off school for Spring Break). I met Jessica at 8:00 and we went to the Metropark.

I had  ROUGH night last night. I don't know if it was food poisoning or what, but I spent half the night in the bathroom. My stomach was icky and achy, and I felt super nauseous. When Jerry left for work this morning, I was crying and moaning that I was so miserable. I felt hungover, but I didn't drink yesterday, so that wasn't it. But anyway, I was really worried about my run this morning.

I didn't eat breakfast beforehand, because I wanted to keep my stomach calm. And I think that actually worked! My stomach behaved throughout the run, thank goodness. We just did a 12-mile lollipop route (which is an out-and-back with a loop in the middle of the run.

About 4 miles into the run, Jessica's knee started hurting her pretty badly. At first she was trying to run through the pain, but then we started talking about a back-up plan. We were near my aunt's house, so I told her she could stay there and I would run back to the car and go pick her up; but she really wanted to continue. After about 5 miles, she decided she needed to walk. So she started walking, but was walking so fast that I didn't even have to stop running!

Now, when we run our long runs, we go at a VERY slow pace--about 11:15-11:30 per mile. It's a comfortable pace for us, keeping our heart rates low and we're able to maintain a conversation. Which is perfect for long runs. But Jessica was WALKING at a pace of 11:20/mi!! I think the fastest I can walk is about a 15:00/mi pace, so I was blown away that she was walking so fast.

But taking a few walk breaks helped her knee a lot, and the second half of the run was much better than the first!

My knee held up well, which I was very happy about! All the rest over the weekend must have done me some good. Rest day tomorrow, then 9 miles on Wednesday.

---

Yesterday, Jerry and I went to his parents' house for Easter dinner. His sister and her boyfriend were there as well, and they gave us a huge cookie bouquet. The cookies were beautifully decorated, and you all know how much I love cookies with frosting!!

It was very thoughtful of his sister, but I knew I couldn't bring that into my house--I wouldn't stop eating cookies until they were gone. And with my weight being up since marathon training, I'm trying really hard to be careful about what I eat.

Since the kids were spending the night at my parents' house, Jerry and I decided to go to the movies--and I brought along the cookie bouquet. When we ordered our tickets, I put the bouquet on the counter and told the young man working there, "These are for you--and the other employees that got stuck working on a holiday." He smiled and looked very surprised. I ordered our tickets, and he said, "Just a minute..." and we went in the back room. When he came out, he told us that we were all set, our tickets were free. How cool is that?!

Then Jerry and I were sitting in the theater, waiting for the movie to start (we were the ONLY people in there) and the manager and another employee came in and thanked us again for the cookies. The manager gave us two more free tickets to use whenever we want. I was shocked, but thrilled. Not only were they happy to enjoy the cookies, but Jerry and I got about $36 worth of free movie tickets :)

We saw the movie "American Reunion". I LOVED IT!! The movie "American Pie" has a special place in my heart because it was the movie of my generation. I graduated in 2000 (Jerry in 1999) and the kids in the movie were the class of 1999. So we were the same age as the kids in the movie when it first came out, and Jerry and I saw it on a date together just after we started dating.

American Reunion was very nostalgic for me, especially the soundtrack for the movie--some GREAT songs from back then! Last night, Jerry and I felt like we were dating again--we even took a couple of pics before the movie started.

For comparison, here is a picture from 1999 when we started dating:

I know, right? LOL

The movie was everything I hoped it would be--shocking, funny, a little gross, immature, and... dare I say relate-able? I could relate to the kids in the movie in 1999, and today, I can still relate to them as they've aged in the movie.

I have another story to tell you about a Pomeranian doggie, but I will save that for tomorrow.

Continue Reading...

Reader Questions & Answers #8

On Sundays, I will answer some readers' questions in a post. If you have a question that you would like me to answer here on the blog, just send me an e-mail at: SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com with the subject "Q&A", and I may include them in a future Q&A post. They don't have to be about weight loss or running--anything is game!  (Remember, I'm not a doctor or dietician, or any sort of medical professional--I can only answer questions from my own experience).

Q. Have you always been a fast runner? I just started running in January and I just ran my first 5k this weekend and finished in 44:54 (my goal was under 45:00!) The next day you posted about the girl who walked it in 40 minutes! Did you get faster as you lost weight? As you trained more?

A. First, congrats on reaching your goal! "Fast" is only relative to each person. I'm definitely a "middle of the pack" runner, and a lot of runners would probably consider my pace on the slow side. But my definition of "fast" has changed since I started running. I remember that first, I was aiming for a 12-minute mile, which seemed fast to me. Then a big goal was a 10-minute mile, and then a sub-30:00 5K. Once I was running a 10-minute mile, the 12-min mile seemed SO slow. Now, I'm happy when I run sub-9:00 miles in a race. But if I compare myself to my friend Renee, I'm practically a turtle at that pace!

My point is, what is fast to you may be slow to someone else, and vice versa. So rather than compare yourself to other people, just look at your 44:54 time for the 5K as a baseline. You might make your next goal 43:xx, which technically WOULD be fast--for you!

To get faster, you need to run faster--sounds obvious, but if you never push yourself to run faster, then you probably won't improve. Also, adding mileage can help with your speed as well. My speed was constantly improving for about the first 7 months of running. I know I can still improve it with the right kind of training, but right now my focus is on the marathon (slow and steady).

Q. Does your husband read your blog?

A. The short answer is no, he doesn't read it. Once in a while, he will come home from work and say, "Hey, I read your blog today." I've been blogging for 12 years, and he's probably only read a handful of posts. I don't mind if he doesn't read it, and I don't mind if he does... but it's probably not very interesting to him! If he wrote a blog about something he found interesting (Star Wars, ugh) you couldn't pay me enough to read it ;)  (He was just reading this over my shoulder, and said, "You've been blogging for 12 years?!" Haha, my point exactly).

Jerry is extremely supportive of my blogging, however. When I'm trying to write a post or respond to e-mails, he will keep the kids out of my hair. He'll make me a cup of tea to drink while I write, and he listens when I tell him stories about my readers (yes, I talk about you as if you are my friends!) And he totally lets me steal the spotlight when it comes to our weight loss ;)  He's lost 75 pounds...

Q. When you were a big girl how did you get up the courage or nerve to start running? I am too afraid to even start!

A. Normally, I'm a very nervous person, so I'm surprised that I didn't have any anxiety about running. I talked to my friend Renee (my only "runner friend" at the time) and told her that I had a long-term goal to enter and RUN a 5K race. In the back of my mind, I really didn't think it was possible for me. Renee seemed very confident that I could do it, so I decided to go ahead and register for a 5K that was many months away.

I can't believe I'm posting this pic--this was
from after one of my first runs. *cringe*

Once I registered for that race, I knew I would HAVE TO train for it. I was kind of embarrassed to run in public, because of my weight, but I promised myself that I would do it three times per week, no matter what. I actually found that running in public was helpful--I didn't want to appear as if I was really struggling to run if I encountered someone else, so I faked being a strong runner until that person had passed me. "Fake it 'til you make it" really does work when it comes to running. I only got better at running, and smaller in size :)

If you're overweight and thinking of running, but afraid to start, I would highly recommend checking out Carly's story. She started running at 350 pounds, and she's had some AMAZING progress. 

---

And now a question for all of you...

What is your favorite Easter candy?

I am partial to Cadbury Cream Eggs--LOVE THEM. Not surprising, because I love frosting and chocolate. I also love the Reese's Eggs--the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter is perfect. Much better than the Reese's Cups.

Continue Reading...

Jennifer's Weight Loss Story

Over the next few months, I'd like to introduce you to each member of our Ragnar Relay team. Everybody has an inspiring story of weight loss and running, and I hope that you will enjoy reading these as much as I did. Last week, I introduced Meredith. Here is Jennifer's story...

---

"I have struggled with weight my whole life. I have an identical twin and even as a kid I remember being referred to as "the chubby twin - that's how to tell 'em apart." Throughout grammar school and high school I was continually insecure about my weight. Looking back now, I wasn't really a heavy teen, I just had very skinny friends, so my size 10/12 figure seemed huge to me next to my sized 2 and 4 friends.

I first joined Weight Watchers when I was 18 years old and  throughout the next 2 decades would go on and off the program dozens of times.

In my mid-20's I lost 60 pounds and reached goal. It was the best 10 minutes of my life! I became an expert at losing the weight but had no clue how to maintain it and began to pile it back on.

Throughout my adulthood I'd face down and kick bad habits - smoking, comfort eating, drinking too much. I continued to struggle with weight throughout most of my 30's and pretty much held around 185 - 190 pounds - about a size 16 or so on me. I was unhappy at that weight but not miserable. I'd dabble at Weight Watchers, kinda try, kinda hope to lose it but I was stuck (mainly because of my choices).

When I got pregnant I decided that I was going to eat whatever the hell I wanted, I was pregnant! Food party time! What a mistake that turned out to be. Not sure what kind of reward I thought gaining 70 pounds on top of my already overweight body would be but I ate with gusto and paid for it.

A week before my son Ben was born, I stepped on the scale and peered over my ballooned body - it read 255 pounds. Because of all those ridiculous choice I had developed gestational diabetes and I was so big and uncomfortable that I felt horrible all the time.

After Ben was born, I was miserable - everything hurt. My knees and ankles felt the pressure of the extra weight. It was hard to get in and out of my car. Chairs tightly hugged my hips and flying on an airplane (which I was doing for business) was torture for me and probably for the poor guy stuck next to me.

Three months later and with only 15 pounds of "baby weight" gone, I decided to give Weight Watchers one last shot. I vowed to myself that no matter what,   good week, bad week, ugly week - I was going to that meeting every single week. I would not leave that  meeting if it took me the rest of my life to get to goal.

It wasn't easy.

The first year I lost 40 pounds - Less than a pound a week but in the right direction.

The second year? I'd only lose 7 pounds the whole year. THE WHOLE YEAR! I played the 'up a pound' and 'down a pound' the whole year.  Part of this plateau was my fault because I didn't want to make the changes needed to keep losing. I also didn't want to really exercise - I fought it tooth and nail.

Finally, something took a turn for me. I read a book about making goals and somehow and for some weird reason, "run a marathon" made the list. It was an absurd thing to put on the list. I didn't even like running and had never even run for a second in my life. I'm pretty sure I just stuck it there to fill the list up (the book suggested 100 life goals) and half way through I began grasping at straws. Whatever works.

The book further recommended that you pick a few life goals and make action steps to get there.  Well, somehow I decided on that goal and I googled half marathons and New Jersey (my home state) and found one 6 months out.

In a blink of an eye and without realizing it, I changed my life forever. I took the plunge and I signed up - if those ten minutes of insanity hadn't happened, well my life wouldn't be what I've come to know of it today.

It was utterly ridiculous. But it was done and being cheap and broke I would not let that $125 race fee go unused.

I began to train. On day one I ran for one minute and hated every second. I cried. How would I ever run 13 minutes never mind 13 miles? I started a little blog about my journey on day one. Knowing I had a few followers (in those days probably only 10 folks or so) cheering me on and looking for updates kept me going.

I kept going back for my training and kept working at it. I ran/jogged/crawled and walked through those training sessions.... And I eventually ran/jogged/crawled and walked my first half marathon!  it was the proudest day of my life.

Running helped me finally reach my goal of a 96 pound weight loss and has truly changed my life. I have maintained my weight loss since December 2010.

I am honored, humbled and excited to be running the Ragnar Race with Katie and the rest of the team. I am sure it will be a lifetime highlight in my overall journey of running, weight loss, friends and experiences."

---

Jen writes a blog, which you can find at See Jen Roe Run.

Continue Reading...

R.I.C.E.

Baggy sweatshirt and pj pants? Check.

Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.

That's my plan for this weekend. My stupid runner's knee has flared up again. I'm terrified of not being able to finish my marathon. I've come so far in the training, and I will be so bummed if my knee prevents me from finishing (or even starting) the race!

I was supposed to run 4 easy miles today, but I decided to skip it completely. Saturday and Sunday are scheduled rest days. So maybe by taking a three-day weekend off of running, I'll be good to go for my 12-miler on Monday. Next week is a step-back week, thank goodness (our long run is "only" 12 before bumping up to 18 a week from Monday).

I just finished reading Hal Higdon's book Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide and it is a MUST READ for anyone considering a marathon (or even a half-marathon). I learned so much from this book that I couldn't possibly share it all! Poor Jessica has listened to me go on and on about "Hal Higdon says..."  ;)

Source

One thing that really struck me was that during the entire 18-week marathon training program, I will have run 461 miles--which equals approximately 46,100 calories burned. Divide that by 3,500 (calories in a pound of fat) and it comes to over 13 pounds of fat burned! So theoretically, if I didn't increase my calorie intake at all during training (not possible, because I would starve), I would lose 13 pounds during marathon training. Haha, I wish it was that easy!



I've been eating out of boredom a lot lately, and I really need to quit doing that! My mornings are pretty busy--I get the kids ready for school and onto the bus, and then I run. After my run, I shower and it's usually time for lunch. Then I check my e-mail and maybe clear my Google Reader, but the rest of the afternoon I find myself snacking just because I'm bored.

I was thinking back on my weight loss and maintenance, and I realized that I do best when I have some sort of project going on. I went through a long knitting/crocheting phase during my weight loss; I redecorated my bathroom which took a couple of weeks; I organized photos on my computer (taking days of my time); I typed out a whole recipe book full of my recipes and nutrition info; I redecorated my bedroom; I organized my closet and got rid of clothes that I didn't wear anymore; I made (what seemed like) tons of Gockets... stuff like that.

I need a new project--something that takes a lot of time and really interests me. I really need to organize my photos again and back them all up onto the external hard drive, so maybe I'll start working on that. And I have a lot of new recipes to type out. What are your favorite ways to pass time when you're bored and want to snack?

---

Yesterday, the kids colored Easter eggs. And being the genius that I am, I punched all the holes out of the box BEFORE I read the directions...

I had no idea how much vinegar and water to add to the dye tablets, so I had to dig the cardboard circles out of the trash and piece it back together.

My kids don't believe in the Easter bunny, so I have no idea why they like to color eggs, but they had fun. Tomorrow, we're going to my parents' house to celebrate my little brother's birthday (and have dinner), and then on Sunday, we're going to Jerry's parents' house for dinner. I'm going to try and rest my knee as much as possible, though. Have a nice Easter, everyone!

---

Continue Reading...