It's gone!

First, I just want to thank you all so much for the overwhelmingly kind comments on yesterday's post! I was really nervous to post it, but after reading the all the positive feedback, I am glad that I did.

When I woke up this morning, I was going to get ready to run on the treadmill when I noticed our internet was out. Which meant I couldn't watch a show on Netflix while on I was running (a MUST if I'm going to be running on the treadmill. Jerry said it was only 60 degrees outside, so I decided to run outside instead.

I got dressed and ready to head out, when I noticed that my Garmin was dead. I put it on the charger, and I was just going to charge it long enough to last through my run. While I waited, I decided to take my iPod with me (I usually run without it). That was dead, too, so I plugged it in to charge.

After about 15 minutes, I grabbed my Garmin and was about to head outside when Eli woke up and asked "Is it 'up time'?" Jerry had just gone to bed (he worked nights), so I didn't want to wake him up to take care of the kids. I decided that for some reason, God just didn't want me to run outside today, and I resorted to the treadmill.

Thankfully, by that time, the internet was back up, so I was able to watch an episode of The Biggest Loser while I ran. On the schedule was a 60 minute easy run, with 8 pick-ups (30 second sprints). So I set my Garmin for intervals--7 minutes easy, 30 seconds fast.

Running at 10.0 mph is scary-fast! It blows my mind that people run that speed for miles and miles. I really felt like I was going to fly off the back of the treadmill.

I felt really good after that run, and I needed that after Friday's disaster. I was feeling really down yesterday about cutting my run short on Friday.

To ensure that it won't happen again this week, I've come up with a plan: I'm going to run a 10K race AFTER I run 8 miles. There is a 10K race this Saturday, and it happens to be on my favorite running path--the same path I do my long runs. So I'm going to get there early, and run four miles out from the starting area, then turn around and run back (8 miles); then I will run the 10K race (not trying to go fast--just at my normal training pace). There is no way I will stop mid-race!

I'm definitely going to prepare better on Friday, also. I will eat really well, not have any alcohol, get plenty of sleep, etc. I was totally unprepared going into Friday's run, and I know that if I had been better prepared, I would have finished it.

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So this happened today:

Remember when I hoarded all that peanut butter for the shortage? Well, we finished off the last jar of it today. We went through a LOT of peanut butter in the last 10 months.

This is probably about HALF of what I had stocked

So if you double all of what you see in the picture, that is what we ate (I say "we" meaning my family, but you know I just mean "me"). That's not even including the flavored peanut butters! I really should keep track of how many jars I go through in a year. Now that I think about, maybe I'm contributing to the peanut shortage...

I really should have titled my blog "Runs for Peanut Butter".

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I've gotten a lot of questions lately about the Wii Active 30-Day Challenge that I'm doing. It's not part of the Wii Fit, and you don't need the Wii Fit to do it. It's a totally separate game. It's called EA Sports Active.
The Amazon price listed is $24.92, and that includes the accessories you need to play. You CAN use a balance board with it, but it isn't necessary. There is also an Active 2 game, but I don't have that one. I think I'm going to buy it when I'm done with this challenge.

Anyway, the 30-Day Challenge is just part of the game... you can do the challenge or just do the workouts whenever you feel like. I've had a goal to finish the challenge ever since I got the game, and I'm determined to finish it this time! I actually really like it--as much as I grumble about the lunges, and inline skating, and all that, I've noticed a difference for sure since I started using it a few weeks ago. The exercises aren't nearly as hard as they were on Day 1, so I must be getting better at it!

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A Little of My History

I don't have any Q&A's to post, so I decided to do something a little different today and write about my history with my weight. I don't know that I've ever really written it all out in one spot before (other than in a memoir, and who knows if anything will ever happen with that!).

Since my Ragnar team has all shared their stories, I will go ahead and share mine (in a nutshell). I'm a little nervous to post this, because it's pretty personal, but I feel like I share everything else, so I might as well!

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Cliché of all clichés, I was overweight or obese my entire adult life, and most of my childhood. The first I can recall of someone calling attention to my size was in the fourth grade--a boy named Richard gave me the nickname "Shamu" (and he was probably 10 pounds heavier than I was!). That is when I remember going on my first diet.

I experimented with all kinds of diets, usually some form of whatever diet my mom was on (Slim Fast, counting fat grams, Weight Watchers, etc.). I don't remember ever losing much weight on the diets, however. I do remember being very ashamed of my weight, and it was around that time that I started binge eating.

I would sneak Kudos bars from my grandma's cupboard and eat them very fast, so nobody would catch me. I don't know why I worried about it, because I'm sure my grandma would have given them to me if I'd asked.

I didn't know what depression was at the time, but in retrospect, it was around that time that I started feeling depressed. I didn't want to go anywhere, or do anything, and I just wasn't happy. I remember finding a book in my mom's dresser titled, "Helping Your Depressed Teenager". It was then that I started reading about depression, and realized that I had it.

I never made excuses for my weight, knowing that it was because I was eating too much. My family (all "normal" sized) never said a word about my weight, good or bad, but I was teased in school. In high school, my family moved (my parents found their "dream house"), and I started at a new school in 10th grade. I loved it, because I wasn't teased anymore for my weight, and I made some great friends.

In 11th grade, I was writing a story for the school newspaper, and I had to go to other schools in the county to interview randomly selected students for the story. At one of the schools, a boy caught my eye--I thought he was cute, and he was very funny. I was at a friend's house many months later, when I saw the boy again. I learned his name was Jerry, and we exchanged phone numbers.

He called me the next day, and we went out. I knew on our first date that he was the boy I was going to marry (again with the clichés!). I had never even had a boyfriend before, but I was sure he was "the one". We fell into the habit of eating lots of fast food and watching movies, and as a consequence, we both put on some weight.

Then I went to college, and with the freedom of living on campus came the freedom of eating whatever I wanted. There was food everywhere, and I had a prepaid card that I could use to buy anything I wanted. I gained a lot of weight in college, thanks to the food on campus and lots of alcohol.

Jerry and I got engaged when I was 20 years old, and I was determined not to be a fat bride. I dieted my way down to 160 pounds for my wedding day (actually reaching an all-time low of 152 for one day, then gaining 8 pounds before the wedding). The day after the wedding, I started eating and just couldn't stop.

I was gaining weight very quickly. I became pregnant with Noah just a couple of months after the wedding, so I used the pregnancy as an excuse for my rapid weight gain. I kept telling myself that I would lose it after the baby was born, because breastfeeding burns tons of calories (or so I'd read).

I weighed 228 when I delivered Noah. And ironically, my milk never came in--I wasn't able to breastfeed, which I was banking on to help me lose some weight.

I started Nutrisystem and got down to about 180 when I became pregnant with Eli. I tried so hard not to gain so much weight, but I weighed 271 the day I delivered Eli (a 91 pound gain!). I couldn't believe I had let myself get that big! And again, my milk never came in (despite the fact that I even took a lactation drug to help), so breastfeeding was out.

My depression got worse and worse, especially after I had Eli. I was too embarrassed to let my friends see me, and how much weight I'd gained, so I quit talking to a lot of them. For a couple of years, I was a homebody, avoiding any social situations. I went to see a therapist, but the therapist knew absolutely nothing about binge eating disorder.

Literally... the therapist asked if I had an eating disorder (going down the list of medical questions) and I said yes, binge eating disorder. She looked confused, so I explained. Then she said, "Oh, but you don't have a real eating disorder, like making yourself throw up?" Needless to say, that was the last time I saw her ;)

My weight settled around 250 pounds for a couple of years. Being obese like that was extremely difficult--physically, mentally, and socially. One day in August 2009, my sister was visiting, and we decided to take the training wheels off of Noah's bicycle and teach him to ride. He wanted me to run up and down the street next to his bike while he learned.

I'd barely moved at all when I was huffing and puffing and felt like I would collapse. I couldn't believe how out of shape I was, even though I was 253 pounds at the time, and I felt like the worst mom ever. I had to ask my sister to take over, and I sat and watched as she taught my son to ride a bike. I was so mad at myself, and I vowed that when it was Eli's turn to learn to ride a two-wheeler, I was going to be the one to teach him. (And I did! You can see that video on this post)

That was my turning point, and over the next 16 months, I lost 125 pounds. I'd never been so determined in my life to finally reach a "normal" weight. The only thing that was really different this time is that I started running--and I set running goals to keep me motivated. When I lost weight before, I never exercised. This time, I got hooked on running, and that is how I'm able to keep the weight off. Here is the video of my transformation:

I still struggle with binge eating, and I hope to someday overcome it. I tend to binge when I get really stressed or anxious. I also still struggle with depression--I have good days, and bad days; good weeks, and bad weeks. But I've learned that as bad as I may feel one day, I will almost surely feel better in a day or two. If I'm feeling really down, I know that going for a run ALWAYS makes me feel better.

Starting this blog has done wonders for my self-confidence. I'm still very much an introvert, but I've "met" so many amazing people because of this blog, that I'm feeling more confident in social situations. It has also opened up a lot of opportunities for me (The Dr. Oz Show, The Ragnar Relay Project, being named a Fitterati for Fitness magazine, and tons more). Those are all things the "old" me never would have done!

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Jerry's first race (guest post)

As I've mentioned (more than) a few times, Jerry's first race was today. I've been treating it like such a big deal because, to me, it IS a big deal. I was really excited for him! I asked him if he wanted to write about it for my blog, and he said sure. I wasn't expecting it to be so long, so I'll just turn this into a guest post... enjoy :)

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Hey, y'all! This is Jerry...Mr. Runsforcookies.com. As some of you may already know from reading Katie's blog, I have been training for a 10k race. Most of you may not know why. This is my story (and I'm sticking to it): A couple months ago Jen and Angela (producers of the From Fat to Finish Line Documentary) had come into town to interview Katie for the documentary.

I really enjoyed talking to both of them. Their stories were entertaining and they were genuinely fun to be around. Jen asked me a question to the effect of "Are you exercising, too?" I laughed it off and said that Katie runs enough for the both of us. Then Jen said that her husband was running and that he actually started training for a race that they could do together to surprise her. I thought that it was really awesome of him to do that.

Getting interviewed at Katie's parents' house

I started thinking long and hard about why the crap I don't run. Really... why don't I run? I'm married to the biggest inspiration in the world...and I DON'T RUN!!!!??? That can't be right. Then I realized, ultimately, that I'm lazy as fuck. Sure, I lost all this weight. But I really didn't do anything to lose it. All I had to do was eat what Katie fed me. That's the lazy way.

I still have the ol' muffin top, only it's the bite-sized muffin instead of the massive Otis Spunkmeyer. So, after that conversation with Jen, I went to work and decided then and there that I was going to give it a try and run when I got off work. I got off work at 6:00 a.m. and took off as soon as I got home--and ran three miles.

I haven't stopped since. I have learned a lot about myself during this time. I know now that my mind is the biggest mountain I have to climb. When I get over that mountain then there is nothing I can't do. I haven't quite gotten to where I need to be I am damn sure going to. That's it...my running story. Now my race report...

36th Allen Park 10k Run

So what! My first race will be a 10k. I've got it in the bag. Training for this wasn't easy. Michigan weather is so unpredictable. It rains without a cloud in the sky and the the temperature swings 30-40 degrees a day. It's 100 degrees one day and then 30 degrees the next... this isn't weather, it's malaria. The humidity is around 150% (<---fact).

Added to that, I worked midnights for most of the training. Yay, me! All is well, training went as expected. It felt like Groundhog Day. The same route over and over and over again. It felt like Groundhog Day. The same route over and over and over again. But I endured. I actually did my longest run with Katie. I loved it. Hopefully we can do one again together. 

The day of the race wasn't what I expected. I expected panic and the "poopy" kind of nervous. I didn't get there. Instead I worried about finishing.... not so much timing, just finishing. I didn't want to disappoint Katie. The kids were there and I didn't want to be a failure for them. Katie talked me down and I just sucked it up and realized that there was no way I wasn't going to finish this race. So here are some moments in my first race experience, in the order in which they occurred:

How many port-a-johns should there be for a race? Is it common for 50 racers to be waiting for 4 shitters  five minutes before race time? I was #48. Barely made it back to the line in time.

Race started and the people were going so fast to pass me. I was worried at first, but Katie reassured me ahead of time that some of these people, if not most, would burn out later in the race and they would be easy to pick off later. She was right. 

After the first mile, things just got easier. The first mile is always the point in which my mind yells "take a fucking seat, loser, you don't want to do this!" As my good friend Bobby Boucher would say, "You're wrong, Colonel Sanders!" And I pushed through. There were so many nice spectators over the first mile, people with sprinklers on (for us to run through) and cheering us on. It was a good feeling.  

At the first water station, which was after the Mile 1 maker, I remembered what Katie had told me before; take two cups--one to drink and one to pour on my head. I took only one because I didn't want to drink too much water (didn't want to risk an upset stomach which would result in me being the first man in Allen Park Race history to be running full speed while taking an involuntary shit). So 1/2 on my head and the other half went all over my face. Running and trying to drink from a tiny Dixie cup is a lot harder than it looks. FAIL.

Eli was "volunteering" by handing out water at mile three

The next couple miles was pot hole city. Hot. Hot. Hot. Thank God that there were neighborhood sprinklers were going every couple hundred feet or I don't think I would have survived. I would have surely melted.

There were a total of four (official) water stations and there was probably five more where people just took the time out of their days to hand out their own water. I was sure to thank everyone I ran past, whether or not I took water. 

I was beginning to get a little weak around mile 3 until I found a great motivator... there was this very hot, very fit woman with an awesome body and tiny little shorts with her ass hanging out of the bottom. That caught my attention immediately and I instantly thought, "You better stay behind her." I'm such a creeper. But, running behind her made the last half of the race bearable. (Jerry totally neglected to mention that *I* was also at mile three, cheering him on!)

Now the finish. I turned the corner and I saw Katie. She started snappin' away with her camera iPhone. I haven't even seen the pictures yet. Then I saw the line. I had to make a dash for it. I had to make it memorable though. Does everyone remember Me, Myself, and Irene? There was a scene in that movie where Irene and Charlie were running for a train and Charlie started running all crazy-like (elbows at a 90 degree angle and pumpin' away while high-stepping). That was me. Everyone was cheering and laughing. It was a good experience. Katie said that she didn't remember anyone else doing anything goofy to finish the race. So to do that and get a laugh out of the crowd was really fun. 

Overall, I think I did pretty good. The race was small and fun. I plan on doing another one. I am actually signed up for the Detroit Free Press Relay. Wish me luck!

Here are the "official" results:

Time: 1:01:43 (a 9:57/mile pace)

Age group: 11/14

Overall: 133/190

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Post-vacation long run

I had a feeling that my long run today was not going to go well. And I was right.

I woke up late, at 7:00 (I probably should have gotten up at 5:00 to be out the door at 5:30 to beat the heat). I didn't leave the house until 7:30 ish, and then got to the community center to park my car at 7:50. Too late on a hot day to start a 14-mile run.

It was extremely sticky and humid, and I was totally dreading the whole run. I had mapped out a route--it was a kind of T shape, starting at the bottom of the T. I started running, and I kind of wished I had brought my iPod for some sort of distraction--I could feel it would be a looong run.

I ran at what felt like my normal pace (my long run pace is usually a 10:15/mi pace). After a mile, I saw that I was running a 10:50 pace. I know that it was because of all the crappy eating and alcohol-drinking I did on vacation! I tried to pick up the pace a little, and after another mile, I was going even slower, at an 11:15 pace.

I was really starting to worry about even finishing the run. Each step was tough, and the sun was just beating down on me. I was drenched in sweat just three miles into the run. I was very tempted to call it quits at mile 5, when I could choose to keep going (the "right arm" of the T) or I could turn right and head back to the car.

I kept telling myself, "Keep running... make it to mile eight, and then if you STILL feel like crap, you can call your dad to pick you up and take you to your car." My dad works at the Metropark that I run through, and I always carry my cell phone. I've never actually gotten picked up from a run before (although I came close once), but it was nice to keep that as a back-up plan in my mind. It was SO HARD to keep going... each mile felt like forever.

I finished off my Gatorade and stopped at a water fountain at mile eight to refill my bottle. I doused myself with water, hoping to cool off and feel better. I started running again, and just felt terrible. I decided to call my dad at mile nine. I stopped running, and stopped my Garmin. I dialed my dad, and it rang twice, then went to voice mail. I tried two more times, and realized he wasn't going to answer.

I was pretty upset at this point, and tried my mom. No answer. Called Jerry's cell. No answer. I turned around at mile nine (where I was supposed to turn anyway) and kept running, starting to feel really upset. At mile 10, I tried our land line, and Jerry answered. I started crying, and told him that I couldn't make it, and I was four miles from the car. He tried calling the park office to get a hold of my dad, and there was no answer (why don't people answer their phones?!) so he said he'd come get me. I ran a little ways ahead and saw a park ranger's truck, so I waved him down.

I asked him if Les was working, and could he get a message to him. He offered to drive me to where my dad was probably working, so I went; but my dad wasn't there. So he tried calling my dad on the phone, and he couldn't get any service on his cell. Then he offered to drive me to my car himself--I was SO grateful.

So I ended up hitching a ride with him the rest of the four miles to my Jeep. I was SO relieved to see it!

 I was thinking I'd finish out the four miles on the treadmill when I got home, but I changed my mind. I looked at my training schedule, and next week is a 13-miler, so I will just do 14 instead, and go on with the schedule as planned.

I was just about to get in the shower when I remembered that I had to do my Wii Active 30-Day Challenge. I was so tempted to skip it, but I'm more than halfway done. There were tons of lunges today, and surprisingly, I don't hate them nearly as much as I used to! They've gotten so much easier over the past couple of weeks since I started the challenge.

The exercise on there that I currently hate the most is the squat and hold... you have to hold a squat for 60 seconds! That may not sound hard (it didn't sound hard to me, because I actually don't mind squats), but it is KILLER, and I still haven't been able to hold the whole 60 seconds without a break.

Workout 12/20 complete!

I stuck to my plan as far as meals go today. Dinner was amazing! I bought some tofu to try recently--I've tried it a few times in the past and didn't like it, but I'm always willing to try things over and over again until I (hopefully) like it. So I did some searching online and combined a few different methods/recipes for cooking it--I was especially inspired when I saw this.

I drained and pressed the (extra-firm) tofu. To do this, I just set the block of tofu on a flat strainer, then lay a paper towel and heavy pan on top of it for a few hours--it presses the liquid out. Then I sliced the tofu into triangles, dusted them with a touch of cornstarch, and laid them out on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. I baked them at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, I stir-fried a bunch of veggies--mushrooms, cabbage, bean sprouts, green beans, broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, and carrots.

And I made a sauce from this recipe (2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. chili sauce, 1/2 Tbsp. ginger, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 tsp. sesame oil). When the veggies were done cooking, I poured the sauce into the pan and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, I layered brown rice, then the tofu, and then the veggies and sauce on top. It was SO GOOD. Extremely spicy, from the chili sauce--about as spicy as I can stand--but I loved it, and so did Jerry. I was really surprised at how much I liked the tofu. It wasn't mushy at all (that's what I hated about it before). I'm definitely going to be buying it again.

I was most shocked that Jerry really liked it. I love that Jerry is adventurous and will try anything I make. Some of you asked what he thinks about vegetarian eating--he's still eating meat, just usually with his lunches (he'll take meat sandwiches to work). He really loves lentils and beans, so I make a lot of dishes with the beans and lentils for dinner. My family has eaten vegetarian dishes like that for dinner probably 3-4 times per week for a long time, so we're all used to it.

Now, I still cook vegetarian most of the time, but if they want something with meat, I'll cook it for them and then I'll have something else I want for dinner (oatmeal, cereal, eggs, etc). Or I'll cook a vegetarian dish and then make some meat "on the side" for the family--which is something I did a lot even before I quit eating meat, because I just don't like meat very much. I still hesitate to call myself "vegetarian", because I don't know if this is going to be a permanent or temporary thing. I'm just trying it out indefinitely to see how it fits into my life. So far, it's been super easy for me.

Jerry's first race is tomorrow morning--a 10K! He says he's not nervous, but I don't know if I believe that or not ;) I'm excited for him, and the kids and I are going to go cheer him on. He said he doesn't have a time goal, that he just wants to finish, which I think is great!

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Back to Routine (and a meal plan for the week)

We are back from Rockford now. The day went by so quickly! We lost an hour coming home due to the time zone change, so it feels earlier than it actually is. (The drive was about 6 hours).

Last night at the speedway ended up being a lot of fun! If nothing else, it is really interesting to people-watch. It was $1 beer night, so as you can imagine, the crowd was... fun... to watch. When we first got there, there was a race between two random spectators who wanted to race their cars. I was standing next to the fence that lines the track, and it was terrifying to watch. I kept thinking the car was going to fly right through the fence--Final Destination style.

The announcer came over to us and let the kids talk into the microphone--my kids are shy, but they felt pretty special ;) Eli was being a total sweetheart the whole night, which surprised me. He's been tired lately, and super crabby, so I was happy to see him in a good mood. He even wanted to sit next to me.

This morning, my sister had to go back to work, so I cleaned her house (my kids had totally trashed it) and then we headed out. It felt really good to get home! I actually was missing my kitties. They were really happy to see us.

Jerry and I both agreed not to get on the scale for about a week. I'm SURE we put on some pounds while on vacation (if you've been reading my blog for a while, you know it's not unusual for me to gain 10 pounds while on vacation, from all the eating out and drinks). We had a lot of fun, and I don't regret anything, but I definitely can't wait to get back to my usual routine.

I was amazed at just how sluggish and tired and gross I felt from the crappy food we were eating (crappy meaning unhealthy; not bad-tasting... it tasted wonderful!). I still managed to fit in my workouts--I ran 11 miles and did two Wii Active workouts while at my sisters (in 5 days). I'm happy with that! But I am definitely feeling the effects of eating too much junk.

So I went grocery shopping when I got home. I planned out a general menu for the week:

Breakfasts--eggs with potatoes and green pepper; or oatmeal with usual toppings
Lunches--salad (I'm in a "salad mood" again--I'm sure my body is craving the healthy food!); or homemade lentil soup
Dinners--
  Friday: tofu stir-fry with brown rice
  Saturday: pasta with olive oil, garlic, and asparagus
  Sunday: homemade pizza
  Monday: Mexican Lentils and Rice
  Tuesday: Baked Ziti
  Wednesday: Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup with Barley
  Thursday: Whole Grain Blueberry Pancakes
Snacks: Ezekiel toast with nut butter; Larabar; fruit; celery or carrots with peanut butter
Dessert: Dove Promises dark chocolate and tea

Scheduled runs are Friday, Monday, and Wednesday; Wii Active workouts are scheduled for Friday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week.

I am going to post a weigh-in (no matter how bad it may be) a week from tomorrow.

Anyway, we had a blast at my sisters, but I'm happy to be home and get back to my routine! Right now, Jerry and I are going to catch up on our shows on the DVR :)

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Rockford, Day 5

I woke up kind of early this morning, and just couldn't sleep. I went downstairs and the kids were sleeping in the living room (rather than the basement, where they'd been sleeping), so I couldn't do e-mail or watch TV. For lack of anything else to do while everyone was sleeping, I decided to go for a run.

Normally, I run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays--but I had to run on Tuesday this week, so I wasn't planning on running today. I decided to just run from my sister's house, so I didn't go to a trail or anything. I ran through her neighborhood, and then onto a busy street that had a wide sidewalk. I followed the sidewalk until it ended--a disappointing one mile. I was really frustrated with the amount of stop lights (probably about 5?).

Definitely a runner.

Then I just turned around and headed back, circling her neighborhood and doing whatever I could to get in 50 minutes (today's run was supposed to be 20 minutes easy, 20 minutes at tempo pace, and then 10 easy). I didn't really follow that structure, though. I ran 5 miles in just over 50 minutes--a 10:05 ish pace.

This afternoon, we went to the public pool. I wasn't sure if I wanted to swim, but I'm glad I wore my bathing suit, because it was super hot. So I ended up swimming the whole time with the kids. Eli wanted to go down the slide, and I stood at the bottom to catch him (it was 5 feet deep at that part). Then he was feeling brave and decided he wanted to try it on his own. So I stood to the slide, and he did great! He hit the water, went under for a second, and then swam 15 feet or so to the ladder. I was really proud of him for feeling brave enough to try that--normally, he only swims in water where he can touch the bottom.

I have to say, I was very impressed with the lifeguards at this pool. They were VERY attentive, and they were constantly bobbing their heads, scanning the pool. I couldn't stop watching them--I kept trying to catch one of them not really paying attention, but that was never the case. They were always looking back and fourth, and even looking like they were counting people constantly.

The pool had an open swim for 45 minutes, then 10 minutes for just adults, and then 5 minutes for just the lifeguards to swim. Then they started the hour over again. I think it's a great idea to break it up like that. The lifeguards even practiced their skills in the five minute swim break they had.

Practicing CPR

Tonight, we're going back to the speedway. The race cars are doing figure 8's, which should be interesting ;) Jerry and I are heading home tomorrow. He doesn't have to be back to work until Sunday, so it will be nice to have a couple of days at home and get back to reality.

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Rockford, Day 4

I made sure to wake up bright and early this morning to get a run in. Jerry has his very first race on Saturday (a 10K) and I asked him if he wanted to come with me. We drove to the Rockford YMCA to park, because there is a trail right next to it. I had looked up popular places to run in Rockford, and this was the number one pick.

Today on the schedule was a 54 minute run--20 minutes easy, then six repeats of (2 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy), then 10 minutes easy. However, since I was running with Jerry, we decided to just run six miles easy, and not worry about pace.

I was shocked at how many people were out! We must have seen about 40 people--running, walking, and biking on the trail. We just did an out-and-back route. I really liked the path we were on, but it was broken up by going through neighborhoods, which was kind of weird.

We did six miles total, at an 11:16 pace. It was kind of fun, running with Jerry. I think we'll do that together more often ;)

When we got back, I had to do a Wii Active workout. I finished it and now I'm halfway through the 30-day challenge!

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I made it a point to eat much better today than I have been the past few days. I had cream of wheat for breakfast, and instead of going out to lunch with Jeanie and the kids, I had a veggie hotdog and an orange. After lunch, we went to Volcano Falls, which had go-carts, batting cages, an arcade, mini golf, etc. I had some fun with the batting cages:

I did the slow pitch softball, and it was so fun! Then I had a long chat with Shawn (my brother-in-law) while the kids did the go-carts.

We went to a Japanese steak house, called Shogun's, for dinner. We usually make it a point to go there every time we visit my sister. It was fantastic, per usual. First, we started with drinks. I got a "Shogun Cosmopolitan":

I ordered the "Vegetable Dinner", and it was SO good. I got miso soup, salad, fried noodles, steamed brown rice, and tons of vegetables. It was fun to watch the chef cook our food...

I had three Cosmo's. Don't judge.

Tomorrow is our last day in Rockford, and then we are leaving on Thursday. I'm not sure what the plan is for tomorrow just yet. But I am kind of sad that our time at my sister's is coming to a close!

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Meeting Mary

What a fun day! I got up at 6:00 this morning to shower and get ready to spend the afternoon in Chicago with Mary. The plan was for Jerry and I to take the Metra train into Union Station where we would meet up with Mary. My sister lives about 45 minutes from the Metra station, so Jerry and I drove there first and boarded the train.

The train took about an hour and 20 minutes to get to Union Station. I was excited to meet Mary (and a little nervous). I've been reading Mary's blog for about a year, and we've been getting to know each other on our Ragnar team's private Facebook page, so I felt like we were already friends.

I recognized her right away and gave her a hug. She's as adorable in person as she is in her photos ;)  We walked to a bus to go to a brewery that Jerry wanted to check out.

We had a beer at Goose Island Brewery (Jerry was totally thrilled); then we walked to a restaurant called The Chicago Diner:

This is an all-vegetarian/vegan restaurant--we have nothing like this around us in Michigan, so I was really excited to try it. I ordered a reuben sandwich with sweet potato fries. The "meat" in the reuben was seitan, which I'd never tried before. The sandwich was great! I used to love reubens when I was overweight, and I hadn't had one in a long time.

After lunch, Jerry really wanted to get a picture of himself in front of Wrigley Field, so we walked there. On the way, I saw a frozen yogurt shop, and just HAD to stop for dessert. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like EVERY food blogger has self-serve frozen yogurt at least five times a week... and I've never had it! I am always so jealous when I see the pictures.

I definitely did not skimp when I made my dish... I put in three flavors of fro-yo: red velvet, french vanilla, and pistachio. Then I topped it with cheesecake bits, cookie dough, Reese's Pieces, Reese's Cup bits, and marshmallow topping. Do I even have to describe how good it was?!

The afternoon has flown by, so we took Jerry's picture at Wrigley Field and then got on the bus to head back to the train station. Mary and I said good-bye; it was SO great to get to meet her in person! She is exactly how I pictured, and just as genuine as she is on her blog. (I think I may have scared her with my love for desserts, however...)

Jerry and I took the train back to Elgin, then drove back to Rockford and got to my sister's at 6:45. I got a text message from my friend Sarah, and everything went well with her c-section today. I am SO excited! This is probably the closest I'll ever get to being an aunt ;)  I'm going to give her a call tomorrow for some more details.

I didn't end up running today like I was supposed to. I was thinking I'd run when I got back from Chicago, but it was 92 degrees--much too hot for me! So I decided I'll get up early tomorrow morning and run instead. I did, however, do my scheduled workout for the Wii Active 30-Day Challenge. That is some serious dedication, I swear. My sister and the kids were making s'mores while I was sweating it out in the basement with the Wii. But I felt good about burning off a smidge of the ice cream I ate today ;)

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Rockford, Day 2

I slept like a rock last night. It was so nice! Normally, when I'm not at home, I have a really hard time sleeping, but I definitely didn't have that problem last night.

I didn't have a scheduled run OR a Wii Active workout today. I actually brought my Wii and the Wii Active stuff with me to Jeanie's, so that I can keep up with my 30-Day Challenge. Tomorrow I am supposed to do a run and a Wii workout. Since I'm going to Chicago in the morning, I'll probably do it in the evening when I get back.

My sister has the amazing White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter, so I made some cream of wheat for breakfast and topped it with the peanut butter. It was so good! I love that peanut butter, but it's hard to keep it in the house at home--I eat it all in one day. Jeanie also had the stuff to make mimosas for breakfast. How fun!

I spent some time chatting with Shawn, my brother-in-law, this morning; then I went with Jeanie to take her dog on a play date. Yes, a play date. For a dog. Her basset hound Remy has a "friend" from the dog park, a pit bull named Peanut.

My sister kept asking if there was something we'd like to do for entertainment (she's very active and is always planning all kinds of things), but I honestly just wanted to relax while we're here. I am perfectly content to sit outside and have a few drinks and chat.

We went to a late lunch/early dinner at Old Chicago. I ordered water to drink, but while we were waiting for our food, I saw a picture of a mojito on the table--and I really wanted one. I hadn't had one in a long time! So I decided to get it, and it was fantastic!

My sister said she thinks mojitos are gross, and taste like "lettuce in a glass", but the meddled mint is my favorite part!

I'm almost ashamed to post this, because I didn't eat very well yesterday... but Jeanie ordered everyone a cookie dessert after lunch. I know I didn't need any more calories, but it was too irresistible to pass up. And vacation calories don't count, right?! ;)

That's a perfectly-baked chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream and whipped cream. I ordered one of these before at a different restaurant, but the cookie was terrible. The one I had today was AMAZING. I was very full after lunch, and none of us was hungry for dinner.

Tomorrow I'm going to be extra careful about my calories, however. I will eat a good breakfast, but then we are taking the train to Chicago, and having lunch in Chicago. I'm going to order what I want, but I'll just be careful not to stuff myself. Especially if I'm going to have to run when I get back to my sister's house!

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In other news, my long-time best friend Sarah (who lives in Arizona) is having her baby tomorrow! Remember how I was the matron of honor in her wedding in October last year? She got pregnant just a couple of months later, and tomorrow she is having a c-section  (the baby is really big). I'm super excited for her! I wish I could go out there to meet her baby boy, but I will probably go sometime next year.

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Rockford, Day 1

Well, I am writing this from Rockford, IL, at my sister's house.

This morning, I woke up early to finish packing for our trip and to get in a Wii Active workout before we left. I finished workout #8 of the 30-Day Challenge today. I had to do the "kick ups" or "butt kicks" again--those kill my calves! But I've noticed that I'm getting better at the exercises I hate--and they are feeling a little easier, which is a good sign.

After I finished the workout, Jerry and I finished getting ready to go. I was worried about leaving the cats... normally, people can just put out a bunch of food and water for their cat when they go away, but we can't do that. Because we have FOUR cats, we have to have someone come take care of them the same that you would a dog. The litter box has to be cleaned out every single day. And it's gross--nobody likes doing that for their OWN pet, let alone someone else's!

We finally got out the door at around 9:45, and we went and picked up the kids, who had spent the night at my parents' house. Then we headed out at about 10:00. We stopped at Tim Horton's, since we didn't have breakfast at home. I got a blueberry bagel with cream cheese while Jerry and the kids got doughnuts.

The drive is about six hours, and it actually passed pretty quickly. We stopped at about noon for lunch--the kids wanted Steak 'N Shake. I looked at their menu and saw that they didn't have a single vegetarian item, and decided to just wait in the car while Jerry and the kids ate. I was hungry and irritated, and after we left, I ended up getting a Blizzard from Dairy Queen--definitely not a smart choice for lunch, but options on the Ohio Turnpike are completely limited, and I ate that out of frustration.

We got to Jeanie's house at around 3:30 (we gained an hour going there, because we are in different time zones). Jeanie ordered Chicago-style pizza for dinner, and it was fantastic!! I had a piece with green pepper and feta cheese, my favorite. I definitely ate a lot of junk today, but I don't feel guilty about it in the slightest. I do need to be careful that I don't gain a ton of weight while I'm here though!

After we had dinner, we went to Rockford Speedway. We all picked cars that we liked and hoped would win. Eli kept changing his mind throughout the race, always making sure his favorite car was the one that was in first place. But it was cute to watch him, because he got SO excited.

Jeanie taught him what the different flags meant, and he loved waving his flag for the last lap.

The kids didn't want to stay very long, so we left after about a hour or so. I'm not sure what the plan is for tomorrow yet. I'm super excited for Monday, because Jerry and I are going to Chicago to meet up with Mary from my Ragnar team!

If I happen to post at odd times this week, it's just because I'm at my sister's--but I will post when I can. Have a great weekend!

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