January 24, 2014

Virtual 5K Finisher's Form (and last-minute stuff)

Tomorrow is the 2nd Annual Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K! The weather here is awful (my kids' school was canceled today because of the cold temperatures and the wind was brutal). I actually got the car stuck in a snow drift today, and had to call my dad to come dig/tow me out.




That was so NOT fun. So I'll be doing my 5K on the treadmill, or maybe the indoor track at the rec center. ;)

Last minute stuff...

1. If you haven't already, download and print the race bib. It's fun to print out and take a picture of you with the bib on your shirt!

2. Sometime tomorrow, run or walk your 5K (3.1 miles) anywhere you'd like. Outdoors, treadmill, alone, with friends, in snow, in heat, whatever the situation may be.

3. Take a picture! Not required to participate, of course, but I'd for you to...

4. ...post it on my Facebook wall with a brief race report. It's fun to read about everyone's experience! You can let us know if this was your first or fiftieth 5K, if you did it in extreme temps, if you share a birthday with me, whatever you'd like to share. Going through the pictures on Facebook was my favorite part of last year's event. It's super inspiring!

You can tag your photos with #RfCVirtual5K on Instagram and/or Twitter, also. (My username is "runsforcookies" on each of those.)

5. Important: Sometime before Monday at 2:00 p.m. EST, fill out the "finisher's form" below. I'd love to have an accurate count of how many people actually participated, as well as get some fun facts to share, and your results. I'll post everything on Monday night, in liu of Motivational Monday. If you have a blog and you write a race report, you can include the link on the form also.



Below is the list of people that are signed up. You don't HAVE to be signed up to participate... I just did this sign-up so that you could announce your commitment to the race (and possibly declare a time goal). But anyone can participate tomorrow, just make sure you fill out the form above when you're done.  (If you're reading this in a  feed reader, had to truncate this post because it was "too long" for the feed).

Here is the sign-up list:

Your Name:How do you plan to complete the 5K?Do you want to declare a time goal?
Clemson GirlRun0:28:45
Amy DuGasRun0:34:07
LeanneRun0:33:30
Iva @ The Running NurseRun0:29:59
Barb H. Run/Walk0:40:00
Sarah LynnRun/Walk0:45:00
Morgan RauschRun0:32:00
Lisa gRun/Walk
BethRun0:30:00
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TerriRun0:31:00
Erin C.Run/Walk
BJRun0:36:00
Kate BRun0:30:00
Jen LarkinRun0:32:00
MeredithWalk
TereseRun0:36:00
Pami ReeRun0:36:05
Joshua NelsonRun0:25:00
STacey SRun/Walk0:40:00
Kerry WRun
Alicia N.Run0:38:00
Hollie JonesRun/Walk
Renee P.Walk0:50:00
JenRun/Walk0:45:00
WendyRun/Walk
Misho MRun/Walk0:40:00
Samantha NRun0:32:30
SlowAsMolassesRun0:33:00
Anna N.Run/Walk
AshleyWalk1:00:00
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SeanteleRun/Walk0:40:00
Jen LRun
RachaelRun
MelissaRun0:25:00
Megan MackRun/Walk
Jessica JRun
TannaRun/Walk
Allyson CatheyRun
Allison N.Run0:24:00
RachaelRun
Andrea GellenRun0:30:00
LyndseyRun0:27:00
Becky NRun
JenRun/Walk
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Amy Thomas Run/Walk
LynniegRun/Walk0:50:00
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R C LRun/Walk
Caroline R.Run0:00:00
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Andrew and Britney CRun/Walk
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KristenRun/Walk
Allison AlexanderRun0:27:45
Corry BimsonRun/Walk
AprilRun/Walk0:00:00
Amanda ThomasWalk1:00:00
Jenny SRun0:37:00
AlexRun/Walk0:35:00
KendraRun/Walk
AlexRun/Walk0:35:00
(Mary) Runs To Get WaistedRun0:40:00
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Amanda GokyigitRun/Walk
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LaineRun0:34:45
Lisa FernandezRun
BCRun/Walk
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Camille PRun/Walk
Cathy B:)Run/Walk0:52:00
JordanRun0:28:00
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DotRun/Walk0:44:20
Beverly BRun
StephanieRun/Walk
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Jessica SRun/Walk
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GandesmomRun0:35:00
Jennifer GRun0:35:00
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HannahRun/Walk
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Sarah SWalk2:00:00
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Kayleigh BRun/Walk0:40:00
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ToyaRun/Walk
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EricaRun0:29:59
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Shawna B.Run
Angie VWalk
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Whitney L.Run/Walk
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Thanks again for entertaining me on my birthday! I can't wait to see the pictures and read about how it goes.

January 23, 2014

Cookies and wine

(Random tidbit: I originally wanted to name my blog "Cookies & Wine", but the .com was taken. So I came up with Runs for Cookies instead. I like the latter much better, because it explains a little more about my blog!)

Last night got pretty hectic at around 7:30. A couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from Woman's World magazine, wanting to interview me about my weight loss story for an article. I didn't mention it before, because I wasn't 100% sure if it was going to happen or not. They did the interview, and said someone would be in touch for photos. But several days went by, and I didn't hear anything, so I just assumed that maybe they chose not to use the story.

At 7:30 yesterday evening, I got a call from a photographer who wanted to set up a photo shoot for today at 11:30 in the morning. I said sure, without really thinking it through, and when I hung up, I realized I wasn't ready at all. Woman's World had specified that they wanted me to wear nice casual clothes, in solid colors (no white, black, gray, or brown), and form-fitting. When I went through my closet, I had nothing that fit that description. So I left the house at 8:00 to go buy a shirt.

The photographer was going to come to my house for the shoot, and my house was definitely not photograph-ready. I was also told to have on hand a few food items that I ate while I was losing weight. The main point of the article is that I didn't give up my favorite foods or force myself to eat things I didn't like to lose the weight; I just ate what I enjoyed, and counted the calories for it.

This morning, I cleaned my kitchen and living room the best I could, and went to the bakery to buy a few cookies for the food prop. I made a quick pasta dish, and poured a glass of wine to have as props also. I even managed to squeeze in a three-mile run on the treadmill before getting ready.

The photographer and her assistant showed up at 11:30, and got to work. They had a list of pictures that they needed to get, and they ended up taking about 60 photos over the course of 2 1/2 hours. It was a lot different from the Runner's World shoot, because they had to adjust the lighting after every single photo. There was a lot of standing around (in heels), and I was achey and hungry by the time it was over.

I hadn't shared my story with any magazines until now, and it happened to be with TWO magazines that will be out at the same time! I think the Woman's World one will be out at the end of March. I'm a little nervous about it, because I just really hope that it doesn't come off sounding gimmicky. In some of the photos, you can see all three food props, and I hope the article doesn't make it sound like I ate huge bowls of pasta, followed by four big cookies and a glass of wine ;)  Those were all things I ate while losing weight, but not all at once.

The wine and cookies diet? Sign me up!
Anyway, it's been an exciting start to 2014, to say the least!

Speaking of magazines, I was thinking about prizes for the Virtual 5K this Saturday. Last year, I gave away 31 things for my 31st birthday, but was a nightmare when it came to packaging and shipping everything. With the Runner's World article coming out in April, I thought it would be fun to give away a few subscriptions to the magazine as prizes for the 5K!

I'll have a drawing open to anyone who completes the Virtual 5K and submits results on the form I'll post tomorrow night. I'll draw three names (via Random.org; your finish time doesn't have any effect on your entry) and give each person a one-year subscription to Runner's World :)


Yesterday was Sarah's birthday--she's my friend that lives in Arizona. We grew up two houses apart from each other, and we were born just three days apart. We've been best friends since we could talk! I called her yesterday to tell her happy birthday, and chit chat a bit. She had an awesome suggestion for our birthdays next year...

She suggested that we do the P.F. Chang's Rock & Roll Half-Marathon together in Phoenix. She lives in Phoenix, and I've been wanting to go out and visit her anyway (I've only been there once, for her wedding). The race is on January 18th; her birthday is the 22nd; and mine is the 25th, so the timing is perfect. She's never done a half-marathon, and she'd like to, so it'll be a lot of fun to do it together!

Speaking of first races, Thomas shared this video called Marathon Challenge, and it was so inspiring! It's about 12 inactive, ordinary people that begin running, and train together to run the Boston Marathon (for a charity, so they didn't have to qualify). While I don't think it's a good idea for totally inactive people to aim for a marathon right off the bat (some of them wound up injured), it was really inspiring to watch.

The parts that I really liked were that it explained the science behind what running does for your body, and how it improves your health. It made me feel really good to know the specific, beneficial things that are happening in my body when I run. The video showed exactly what changes were happening in the body as the runners got further into training.

The video is just over 50 minutes long, and it's totally worth watching (whether you're a runner or not). I love watching people accomplish something they never imagined they could do. Have tissues ready at the end of the video ;)


Tomorrow night, I'll post last-minute Virtual 5K stuff for Saturday. If the weather cooperates, I plan to do a run/walk with my kids. Otherwise, I may be doing the treadmill :/ There are 567 people signed up right now!

January 22, 2014

Mystery bottle

It was so nice not to have anything going on today! The photo shoot yesterday was fun, but I'm kind of relieved that it's over now. It's kind of funny... I read the book Brain Over Binge about a week before I found out about the photo shoot. I was really excited about being binge-free, I had accepted the fact that my weight is still seven pounds higher than I would like, and I was just feeling very happy with where I was at as far as eating/weight goes.

When I first heard about the photo shoot, my knee-jerk reaction was, "Oh no, I have to get back to goal immediately!" And I was dreading the thought of measuring food and counting calories/points, because I've been doing so well without measuring and counting. Then I started to think about how huge of a change my mindset went through to be HAPPY with where I was in that moment, and I really didn't want to mess with that.

I chose not to do anything differently. I didn't start counting points again or measuring food, or even being careful about what I ate. My ultimate goal has been to eat "normally", and so I continued to do that, even with the photo shoot coming up. It was SO nice not to stress about my weight! I didn't restrict, I didn't binge, my weight stayed steady, and I was very happy with how I looked for the photo shoot.

Somehow, I don't think that I would still be binge-free right now if I had played into that "getting back to goal" mindset. It was kind of a big revelation for me. I'm really glad that I continued to do what was making me happy, and I think my photos are going to turn out just fine!


After lunch, I went to visit Mark today. I stopped to get him a milkshake, and to get his mail, and he had a very unique package waiting! It was a two-liter soda bottle filled with lots of candy, a little stuffed animal, and a few other small items. The shipping address was wrapped around the middle of the bottle, and I assumed that under the shipping label was the hole/cut for someone to have put those things inside.

But when I got to the nursing home, and showed it to Mark, I took off the label to reveal a completely sealed bottle (except for the screw on cap that's about the size of a quarter). We were both completely stumped as to how everything got in there! I tried pulling out the little bags of candy hearts with my fingers, but I couldn't get ANYTHING out through the neck of the bottle.


There was a card inside, and Mark and I both wanted to know who it was from (and maybe see if it revealed the secret!) but I didn't have any way of cutting open the bottle. I told him I'd take it home and cut it open, and then bring him the goods next time I visit. I wanted to show it to my kids and Jerry, too, because it was pretty mind-blowing!

Leave it to my 8-year old to show me what the "secret" was... there actually WAS a little door cut into the side, and it was taped shut. I didn't even notice it! Very clever ;)


Mark has been in such a great mood lately. It's so nice! For a while, he was always so tired and quiet, which is completely unlike his personality. Well, we found out that they were giving him twice the amount of painkillers that he's on now (Mark never really says "no" to anything, so when the nurses asked if he needed a pain pill, he always said "yes"). Now that they've been giving him less painkillers, he's very cheery and upbeat.

He was really excited to tell me that he's been walking. He said that the physical therapist had him walk a few times back and forth in the hallway yesterday and today. He knows that if he can walk on his own again, then he can go back to his group home, so he's really determined to do it.

Today, he was talking about the things he wants to do when he gets out of the nursing home. He wants to go fishing, or just sit near the lake at my parents' house. He wants to go to the Metropark where my dad works. And he wants to go to the junkyards with my dad like they used to. My dad is an auto mechanic, and he goes to junkyards for car parts. I guess he used to take Mark with him sometimes. Mark told me that he liked to look for loose change in the cars--he said the best place to find it was underneath the mats in the car, and he could find a couple of dollars worth of change.

I don't think he'll be able to go out in the boat or to the junkyards again, but I'm hoping that he's mobile in the spring, even if it's just in the wheelchair. I'd like to take him to the zoo, and maybe for some walks in the Metropark. He's really looking forward to some fresh air outside. Hopefully soon!

January 21, 2014

My Runner's World photo shoot!

Ohmygoodness, I am so exhausted. It's been an unbelievable day! Today was my photo shoot for Runner's World magazine. The photographer, Peter, was driving in all the way from Chicago for my shoot. Crazy, right?

He wasn't coming until 2:00, so I went to the rec center this morning to run an easy three miles (on the indoor track again). Then I came home, ate breakfast, and tried on all my clothes for the shoot again. I think I changed my mind a dozen times about what to wear!

Peter called and said that traffic was at a stand still in Indiana, so he guessed he'd be here at around 3:30. I had suggested doing the shoot at my parents' house, because they have a huge back room, and Peter said we needed a lot of space; my house isn't spacious at all. So I went to my mom's house, where Stephanie came to meet me. As I'm sure you know by now, Stephanie is my own personal photographer ;)  She loves photography, so I invited her to come over and watch. She was excited to learn a little "behind the scenes" stuff.

When Peter got there, he spent about a half hour getting all the equipment set up. He did some test shots, and then I changed into my first outfit (of four). First, he wanted to get photos of me walking toward the camera, just like I was in my before picture in the blue shirt.


He also had me do a funny-looking stretch. I like how small my waist looks in that pose!


That was about as active as I wanted to get with those shorts on! I never wear shorts, but Runner's World said they wanted me to "show some skin" instead of covering up so much. I felt much more comfortable in the jackets they sent, so I compromised and did a little of both.

I did some running toward the camera shots, some still portrait-type shots, some more stretches,  and all kinds of poses. I changed my outfit a few times, so there was a good variety.





Stephanie took these pictures for me (thank you Steph!); she didn't want to use the flash, because it would mess with the photographer's pics, so the colors are little off. I like having these pics, because it'll be interesting to see what the photos look like when they're done! Peter said that after the magazine hits newsstands, he can give me all the pics he took.

The shoot lasted a couple of hours, and I had so much fun! I felt a little awkward at first, because I was afraid of looking fake, but Peter assured me that he wanted my personality to come out in the pictures, so he wasn't going to make me do anything "fake".

Looking at these photos is making reality really set in. I can't believe I'm going to be in Runner's World! Of all the magazines to be in, that would certainly be my first choice. The issue comes out in April, and I'm super excited to read the story about my Ragnar team. Each person on the team is super inspiring!

January 20, 2014

Motivational Monday #49


Happy Motivational Monday! The weeks seem to be going by SO fast lately. It seems like I just did a MM post yesterday.

Today, I had intervals on the schedule: 6 x 400 at 5K pace with 400 recovery jogs. (Translation: Run 1/4 mile hard, then jog 1/4 mile, and repeat for a total of 6 times). The roads aren't clear enough to run intervals outside, and I really wasn't in the mood for the treadmill, so I ended up going to the rec center to use the indoor track. I hadn't used the indoor track in a very long time!

You have to go around 12 times to equal a mile, so I ended up running a lot of laps! With my warm-up, I ran 42 laps total. I swear, it felt like I was leaning to the left all day today after that ;)


Running 42 laps isn't exactly "fun", so I'm very proud of myself for getting it done! It was a nice change from the treadmill, too. Another thing I am proud of this week is that I am still binge-free, even though I haven't been counting calories/points or tracking food.


Anyway, let's get to it! Here are a few Motivational Monday submissions:

I really didn't want to edit out any of Tamara's e-mail, because I think a lot of people could find it helpful, so here is exactly what she wrote:
"One year ago, on 12/31/12, I made a New Year's resolution to continue losing weight on what I called 'The Slowest Diet in the World'.  Basically, I shot for a one pound loss per month and had been doing that for the past few years.  It was working, but, as the name implies, it was slooooowww going!  In mid-January I happened to mention that I needed to get cruising on weightloss and fitness to a friend of mine who directed me to your website.  I spent the next week reading all about you and your story and became SO INSPIRED.  I decided to stop pansy-ing around with my slow method and to kick my rear into gear with exercise, commitment and, after reading even more of your blog, DETERMINATION.    I committed to losing 40 pounds before I turned 40 in October.  You were instrumental in providing the dogma I needed to hear at the right time and proving, through your example, that it is possible to change from heavy and unfit, to healthy and capable.  Your site became a guide, of sorts.  Just ask my husband how many times he has heard me say, "Katie, from Runs For Cookies, says..."  You're amazing!  Thank you, Katie!

I know that I'm the one who did it.  I know it was me every time I took a step.  It was me making myself get on the elliptical.  It was me putting on my exercise gear to go run, out in the dark.  In the cold.  In the rain.  It was me, whispering 'determination' aloud, when I needed to bypass poor food choices.  It was me skipping Halloween candy and walking by delicious treats in the staff room.  It was me sweating and swearing and running and lifting and riding and hiking and crunching and reprioritizing, but it was often your voice in my head that would bring me back when the going got tough.  Reminding me that I have to hold myself accountable.  That my determination and will decide the outcome.

It has been one year and I have lost 72 pounds, (282-210).  In the past five years I've lost 130 pounds (340-210).  The only mile I ever ran before this year, without stopping, was in ninth grade.  I logged over 375 miles between March 21st, 2013 and January 25th, 2014, ran my first two 5k's, regularly run for 30-50 minutes at a time now, and set a PR of 8:12 for my best mile ever.  ME!  This has been a transformative year for me.  I keep my promises to myself now, have faith in myself, believe, think that I am capable now, am strong and I am the healthiest I have ever been in my life.  I still have 40 more pounds to go until I re-assess and decide where to go from there, but now I have faith that I'll get there in good time and that I can do it.  I will.  I'm determined to do so."
I love that Tamara writes that it was SHE who did the work! She found that determination within herself, and she put in lots of hard work to get where she is today. (Tamara's blog)


After having weight loss surgery, Rebecca is proud of the new, active lifestyle that she's living. She just completed her first half-marathon last month! She says she doesn't love running, but she's happy to have crossed that off her bucket list. She has learned that she does love biking, hiking, and kayaking; and this year, she looks forward to joining a women's beginner road-biking group!



In 2011, Kelly lost 80 pounds with Weight Watchers. She continued to exercise, but admits that she let her portions get a little larger, and was "slacking" in keeping up with maintenance. She gained 30 pounds back, but decided to nip it before gaining any more. Yesterday, Kelly (third from the left) completed her first half-marathon! She signed up last fall in the hopes that it would help her stay accountable and lose weight. She finished in 2:33, which she was very happy with, and is already thinking about doing another one. She's feeling very motivated in taking off the weight!



Meg reached a big goal of hers this weekend--to run a sub-40 5K!  She has one-year old twins, and has just started running again after taking a hiatus for her pregnancy and taking care of the babies. She worked really hard to reach this goal! (Meg's race report)



Congratulations to everyone on your accomplishments! Don't forget to check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post for more stories (there were lots of great ones today!)

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