Weight Loss Success Story: How Bonnie Lost 140 Pounds!

Eeek! I leave for San Diego really early tomorrow morning to meet up with my Ragnar SoCal team, Strangers to Sole Mates. I am ridiculously excited! I've introduced nine of my teammates so far--Thomas, John, Caitlin, Hilary, Paige, Dean, Martha, Cat, and Colleen. Runner #8 is Shauntay, but she was feeling a little shy about posting anything about herself, so I won't embarrass her ;)  So today, in the eleventh hour, I'd like to introduce the final member of our team: Bonnie, Runner #10.

Bonnie is very energetic, has a fantastic sense of humor, and a very laid back attitude--all are awesome qualities for a Ragnar runner. The more I get to know Bonnie, the more I like her. I'm excited to meet her in person tomorrow morning! 

I'm not sure how much time I'm going to be able to/want to spend blogging while I'm in San Diego, but I'm sure I'll be posting to Instagram, Twitter, and a little bit on Facebook. I'd like to try and keep up on blogging while I'm out there, so I'll do my best! I'll be home on Tuesday :)

Anyway... I will hand it off to Bonnie to share her story:

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I grew up a skinny and active kid, and was considered a tomboy.  I didn’t play sports, but I was always moving, riding my bike, roller skating, playing hide and seek etc...  I was never diagnosed with ADHD but it wasn’t really a hot topic when I was a kid.  All I knew was I came home from school most days with notes pinned to my shirt telling my Mom I would not sit still and I talked too much. Really, nothing has changed. ;)

I didn’t really struggle with my weight until high school. I dealt with insecurities like most teenagers, but the majority of my friends were petite, so I felt enormous at 5’9” and a size 10-12. Beginning my sophomore year, I suffered from various forms of eating disorders in order to feel “normal”.  My diet mostly consisted of diet soda and cigarettes.  

Fast forward several years, and I gave birth to my beautiful daughter one month before I turned 22.  The day I found out I was pregnant, I put down the cigarettes and picked up a fork. I was 160 pounds when I got pregnant, and roughly 270 when I gave birth. I spent the next 17 years devoting my life to my family and forgot all about Bonnie.

I tried every diet known to man and gained and lost weight so many times.  It was discouraging, and every failure caused such self-loathing. My weight cost me so many opportunities and I was furious with myself for all that I missed out on.

My teenage daughter and I were going on a two-week tour of France the summer of 2011. We have a modest income and this was a huge sacrifice to save and pay for this trip. I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest and not be the “typical fat, lazy American” (my thoughts). I kept picturing myself sitting in those little bistro chairs and collapsing onto the sidewalk.

In January 2010 I learned about SparkPeople through a wellness program at my office.  (This site is how I met both Katie and John). I used the site to log my food and workouts and went from 302 pounds to 160 pounds in 18 months. The trip to France was cancelled by the trip organizer and we were devastated, but I achieved my healthy weight goal.

This June will be three years at maintenance. Maintenance is challenging, and I have to be diligent.  My weight does fluctuate and I just have to remember to be kind to myself and get back on track.  When I slack on the exercise or eat processed foods, I feel like crap. That’s usually all the reminder I need.

Throughout my journey, I went from someone who ate 100% processed foods to someone who eats a plant-based diet.  This former couch potato is now a runner.  To date, I have participated in over 19 races (including 2 half-marathons) with 7 more on the schedule.  This formerly-shy lady is flying to California to spend a weekend running 200 miles with 11 strangers (soon to be my BFF’s). Getting healthy has changed my life and provided opportunities that I never thought possible. 

Everyone’s journey will be different and you have to find what works for you. I have the support of my family, although they don’t eat like me, nor do they run. I’m not a fast runner, and I don’t have exceptional willpower.  What I do have is love for myself that I had lost a long time ago. Now I understand I am worth it and by taking care of ME I am better able to take care of others.

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A run for beer

What would normally be a boring Tuesday (with speed work!) ended up being unexpectedly fun today! My sister, Jeanie, is in town from Illinois, and this week is the peak week of her marathon training (meaning this is her highest mileage week). Yesterday, she had a five-mile run on the schedule, so I joined her for that.

Today, she had 10 miles scheduled. We all know how much I LOVE speed work (yes, that's totally sarcastic), so rather than do 3 miles of intervals, I thought 10 miles of easy running sounded much better. We made plans to head out after the kids left for school.

There isn't a good spot for two people to run around here, so we drove about 20 minutes to the path that I did a lot of marathon training on and parked at the community center. We decided to do an out-and-back route that went to the Metropark where my dad works. The drinking fountains weren't turned on for the spring yet, so my dad brought water with him to leave in his car for us.

It was 48 degrees outside! It felt colder than that, because it was pretty windy, but still--48 degrees! We started running at a very comfortable pace, but I wasn't feeling very good almost immediately. I think it's because I had a cup of regular coffee this morning (I never drink caffeinated coffee anymore, and I have no idea why I thought it would be a good idea). A couple of miles in, I almost told Jeanie to go ahead without me, because I was having a really hard time, even at a slow pace.

Once we got into the Metropark just after mile two, I almost instantly felt better. The pace didn't feel so hard, and whatever was making me feel sick went away. We ran to the building where my dad works, which was about mile 4.3. We drank a little water, and chatted with my dad for a minute, and then we turned around to head back.

The wind was really picking up toward the end, but the run felt good. We had to run about a mile and a half past the car, so we ended up running around the neighborhood where we grew up. We even ran past the house that I lived in from the time I was born until I was 15! It was fun to see how much everything has changed. We got back to the car and felt really good!

Jerry asked me to pick up a tire while I was out, so we drove to the tire place. The guy said it was going to be about a hour until it was ready, so Jeanie suggested we get a Summer Shandy at Buffalo Wild Wings (we knew that BWW had it on draft). Since we ate there yesterday, I really didn't want to eat fried junk again. We decided to ask if Applebee's had Summer Shandy on draft. It was pretty funny, actually--11:15 on a Tuesday morning, and my sister ran into Applebee's to see if they had it on draft. They did, so she waved me in ;)

Beer always tastes SO good after a long run! I've never been a big Summer Shandy fan, but it had been a long time since I tried it. I really liked it!

While we were waiting for our food to come, my Aunt Mickey and her daughter, also named Jeanie, came in. We ended up moving over to sit with them. It was so odd to run into them, especially considering we weren't even at the Applebee's near my house, but it was fun to see them!

The wind on the drive home was crazy. Looking at the weather on my phone, the wind was 20 mph at that point. I could feel the car blowing to the left, and I was actually worried it was going to flip over from the strong gusts. I'm glad we got our run done before the wind picked up so much--when I got home, I saw that the power had gone out for a little while because of the wind! And later, when I picked the kids up from school, the power was out at the school.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Weight Watchers in the morning, and then I'll be spending all day getting ready for my trip. My flight is at 8:30 on Thursday morning... I'm getting really nervous now. The last time I flew somewhere was when I flew to Chicago to surprise my sister in May. The more time that passes between flights, the more nervous I get. I hate flying! But I just keep thinking about how much fun I'm going to have once I get there :)

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Motivational Monday #58

Happy Motivational Monday! I am getting SO excited for my Ragnar this weekend. I leave for San Diego in just three more days! I started packing yesterday, and got all of my running clothes ready for my three legs of the relay. This trip really couldn't have come at a better time. I'm ready for some stress-free time with friends!

This week is off to a rough start as far as my eating goes. After the race yesterday, I had a reuben when we went out to lunch. My sister is in town for a couple of days, so I went for a run with her this morning, but then we took the boys out to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. Definitely not great choices, but I haven't been bingeing, so I can at least be proud of that this week!

I won't be doing a Motivational Monday next week, because I'll be in San Diego until Tuesday. But if you have something you want to submit, just send it to my email, and I'll save it for the following week. Here are some motivational stories for today--enjoy!

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Ali just completed her first half-marathon! She had been planning to run her first half at the end of April, but her boss/friend suggested that she do a local one a month earlier than planned, and she agreed. Her longest run was only up to 6 miles when she agreed to the race, so she changed her training to include a 7-, 8-, and 10-miler before the big day. She had to walk a little more than she would have liked during the race itself, but she was SO proud to have crossed that finish line!

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Sam is very proud this week that she managed to stay on track in a very difficult situation--she was visiting her parents, which meant being surrounded by temptation and good cooking. She enjoyed the food in moderation, and she even managed to lose a pound while she was there. She's lost a total of 30 pounds since August 2013!

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Julie (in black in the photo) completed her second half-marathon over the weekend, just a couple of weeks after her first! She even placed fourth in her age group, with a finish time of 1:53:19!

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Stacy ran her second official 5K on Saturday, a superhero-themed fundraiser for a three-year old boy, Jack, battling cancer. Her main reason behind the race was to support Jack and his family, so she didn't consider the race course when she registered, and was a little surprised to see that she had to run up a mountain halfway through! Her goal had been 33 minutes, she finished in 36:50--still a time to be proud of, considering the challenging course!

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Meg just ran her first double-digit run! She completed 10 miles in preparation for her first half-marathon at the end of May. She never thought she'd be so excited to run on purpose ;) (Meg's blog) I have to say, I wish I looked this cute after a run!

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Rachel (along with her husband, Gerrad; friend, Maura; and Maura's boyfriend, Billy) completed her first 5K race this weekend! She never imagined she'd be able to run that far. She says she was the slow kid in gym class, who always dreaded the mile run because she was embarrassed that people were going to laugh at her weight or how red her face was. After having lost her sister, who was in hospice care, last month, Rachel decided to put her insecurities behind her and find joy in running. When it felt tough, she thought of her sister's struggles, and she pushed on. Her sister was a big inspiration to her! (Rachel's race report)

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Katie (wearing glasses in the photo) ran her first 5K race! She was hoping for a time under 40:00, and she ended up crossing the finish line in 36:30! She had fun at the race, and the proceeds from the race went to the Kent Center--a program for adults with special needs. She said she received lots of thank you hugs from the residents :)

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Last Saturday, Julie Anna and her mom ran their third 5K together--the Bacon Chase! She credits their awesome 26:02 finish time to a finish line with all-you-can-eat bacon ;) They finished a full five minutes faster than their previous PR, and refueled with about 10 pieces of bacon when they were done.

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Don't forget to read more motivational stories on the Motivational Monday Facebook post!

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2014 Rock CF Rivers Half Marathon race report

I think I'm going to go back to posting in the evenings. I like writing in the mornings when I have time, but some days (like today) are hectic.

Today was the Rock CF Rivers Half Marathon. I hadn't planned to do this race, but my friend Audrey was going to run it for her first half marathon, and when I heard she was going to be running alone, I asked if she wanted some company. She was happy to have someone to run with, and since I had a long run on the schedule anyway, it worked out really well.

I told Audrey I'd meet her at her house at 6:30, so I got up at 5:00 this morning. I was really tired, and it was hard to get up, but I got up and checked the weather to see how I should dress. I ended up wearing my Cold Gear tights, a Cold Gear long sleeved shirt with a light jacket over it, a fleece headband, and gloves.

Audrey had picked up my packet for me last night, and I was really excited about the shirts for this race! The design is so clever... (the CF in the race name stands for Cystic Fibrosis, which is where the proceeds of the race go to).

It says, "They keep you alive"

Even though it was for Cystic Fibrosis, the shirt reminds me of Mark, because he had lung cancer.

Audrey drove us to the race, and we picked up her friend along the way. We got there really early, because we were afraid that parking would be a problem. We went inside and waited around until the start. We lined up toward the back, because Audrey was estimating her pace to be around 11:00/mi. It was absolutely freezing cold while we waited! I couldn't believe there was still snow piled up in spots, and it's almost April.

The race started, and off we went. I hadn't seen or talked to Audrey in a long time, so we had a ton to catch up on. We started off at a 10:30-ish pace, and Audrey seemed pretty comfortable with that, so we just chatted and kept running. Before I even knew it, we'd run five miles. Seeing our pace then, I knew that Audrey was definitely going to beat her goal of 2:30.

The rest of the race went by SO fast. While we were running, someone behind me said, "Hey! You're in my magazine!" (I could only assume he meant Runner's World, and not Women's World, haha!). I learned his name was Ryan.

At one point, we went through an airplane hanger, where there was a band set up... but of course, right as we went through, they were taking a break! After we got out of the hanger, the wind was really brutal for the last three miles. I could tell that Audrey was really tiring out after mile 11 or so, and I tried to keep talking to distract her from the fact that she was running. The most she'd ever run was 11 miles, so the last couple of miles were uncharted territory.

I was trying to do the math in my head to see if she could pull off a sub-2:15 finish time, and I thought it would be close, but possible. Once we hit mile 12, I told Audrey that she could probably run a sub-10:00 mile. She said she really didn't have any energy left in the tank, so we kept going along at around at 10:05 pace. Once we were in view of the finish line, however, she found some energy in the tank. ;)

She finished the thirteenth mile in 9:57, and when I glanced at my Garmin, I could see that she would be able to do it. I told her that if she gave it everything she had left, she'd finish under 2:15. And then she took off "like a bat out of hell" (one of Mark's favorite expressions!); I actually had a hard time keeping up with her at the end! With about 100 meters to go, we were running really hard, and there was a woman in front of us, so we each went around her. We heard her yell, "You bitches!" (in a joking way). Haha!

We crossed the finish line in 2:14:09... more than 15 minutes faster than her goal!

A couple of seconds later, her friend came across the finish line, and we realized that it was Audrey's friend who we'd passed with literally just about 100 meters left! Even when she yelled to us, we didn't realize it was her--we both thought it was just a random stranger who wasn't happy that we passed her. We all had a good laugh about that.

I was absolutely freezing after the race, so we headed back to the high school to warm up and get a cookie. Audrey's husband and son were there to see her finish, and her son gave her a 13.1 sticker for her car :)

I took a Panera salt bagel (for later) and a sugar cookie. They had a ton of different cookies to choose from! I wish I'd seen them all before choosing. We sat down and waited for one of Audrey's other friends, and then we all went to lunch afterward. Audrey's friends were super nice, and I had fun (both during the race and afterward).

It's exciting to run your first half marathon, so I'm really honored that I got to be a part of Audrey's special day! She did better than she even dreamed she'd do, and she had a great race. She's already looking forward to doing another, so I'd say it was a success. :)

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Getting back to normal

Being sick sucks! I've been SO congested for a few days, and it's thrown off my routine. Usually, I'll run even when I'm sick, but this cold has really knocked me down. I haven't run since Tuesday. Wednesday was a rest day, but I skipped Thursday and Friday because I was just too sick. I woke up feeling a little better today, but I'm not sure yet if I'm going to run. Another rest day wouldn't hurt, considering I have a half-marathon tomorrow and Ragnar on Friday!

Tonight is Mark's memorial service. His nephew had him cremated, and they're having a very short visitation and service tonight. My parents, Jerry, the kids, and me are all going up there together. I made a few picture boards out of all the pictures I have of Mark, because I don't think his nephew has many pictures.

My Ragnar SoCal team had the idea to make Mark an honorary 13th member of our team. I found a slap bracelet in the shape of a mustache (Mark's signature mustache!) and I'll write his name on it. Then we'll pass the bracelet from runner to runner along the entire course from Huntington Beach to San Diego. They actually came up with this idea before Mark passed away, but I didn't have a chance to tell Mark yet. Mark was excited for my trip, so I love the idea of making him an honorary teammate.

These are the magnets that we ordered to "tag" other vans with. Dean made our logo, which I think looks awesome!

It's so hard to believe that I'll be almost DONE with Ragnar a week from now. Our start time is 5:00 AM on Friday.

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I finally got my preordered book, Hansons Half Marathon Method, from Amazon. After reading (and loving) Hansons Marathon Method, I was really excited for this book to be released. I don't have plans of doing another full, but I would like to use their method for half marathons.

Since I've been so sick, I've done quite a bit of laying around, and it was perfect timing to get my book in the mail. Once I started reading, however, I was really disappointed! The book is nearly identical, word-for-word, to the Hansons Marathon Method. "Marathon" was replaced with "half marathon" throughout the book, and the training plan is obviously slightly different; but the training plan can be found online.

So, if you already have Hansons Marathon Method, don't waste your money on this book! But if you don't have either book, I highly recommend reading it (either one). Their training plans are unique and very effective. I wrote my thoughts about it here, after using it for the Chicago Marathon.

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I wish I had more to write about, but I've been so sick that I haven't done much of anything the past couple of days. I've been doing well with Weight Watchers. Even with all the emotion and stress surrounding Mark's death, I've only had two bad days out of the past couple of weeks. Jerry and I did our week without alcohol, as part of a challenge in our meeting. One of the other challenges was a week without sweets, and I don't know if I'm even going to attempt that one! Maybe when I get back from San Diego I'll give it a try.

Jerry's back on his regular work shift, so he won't be working nearly as much as he has been the past few months--I'm so glad! He was working on a special project, and that's done now. So when I get back from San Diego, things should be much less stressful and I can get back to a routine. I almost forget what that's like! ;)

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Weight Loss Success Story: How Hilary Lost 64 Pounds!

I had a tough day yesterday, because I went through all of Mark's photos and scanned them into the computer. His family asked me if I had any pictures of him, and I offered to make a photo board for his memorial tomorrow.

With all that has been going on with Mark, the time has been flying by for me. I leave for San Diego in less than a week! I still have a couple of teammates I'd like to introduce before I leave, so I'll share Hilary's story today.

Hilary has overcome quite a bit to get where she is today. I'm looking forward to meeting her in person in just six more days!

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Hello! I am Runner #5 for Ragnar SoCal, and my name is Hilary. I currently run on the sunny Central Coast of California. Being a runner was something I never thought I would do. Sharing my story is a little out of my comfort zone, because I tend to be fairly private with people I don't know, but I am learning that living within your comfort zone can be a little boring. So here's my story--enjoy!

I topped the scale at 240 pounds in my late teens. Many factors were involved with "how I got there"--depression, anxiety, a knee injury which put me onto crutches for months--but there I was.  I did manage to lose the weight in my early twenties. Unfortunately it was through non-healthy, restrictive and unsustainable ways.

On my thirtieth birthday, I was once again weighing in at over 200 pounds--214 to be exact! I knew I had to lose the weight, so I tried the HCG diet. I lost weight quickly, but the highly restrictive menu was not good for me. I felt deprived, sluggish, and very nervous about how it would affect me emotionally and mentally due to my previous history of restricting what I ate. The second I stopped the diet, I gained back the weight--easy to do when you have been eating roughly 500 calories a day! I was back to needing to lose weight. 

The biggest change for me this time was a mindset change. I wasn't going on a diet to lose weight; I was going to get healthy. I quit smoking. I started Weight Watchers as a way to monitor my eating. I loved that I could eat anything I wanted; I just had to do it in moderation. 

I also learned a lot about my eating, including the fact that I was drinking a ton of calories every day! Numerous cups of coffee with flavored creamer, sodas, juice, etc. I cut down to one cup of coffee a day with fat free half and half and brown sugar. I know that every day, the coffee will be a part of my WW points and it's worth it to me. For a solid 6 months I recorded everything I ate--EVERYTHING--and used all my daily points, weekly points and activity points. I didn't go over my points, though. I found what worked for me.

I also started running by using the Couch To 5K program. God--in the beginning, it sucked! But it started sucking less. Soon I was running 10 minute stretches, then 20, then the 35 minutes at the end of week 8, day 3! I didn't run an actual 5k that day--hell no, my pace was too slow. But, I ran for over half an hour without stopping and without dying!

I started running more and farther, and slowly became faster. My first 5k was 46:06 and I felt awesome! I then trained for my first half marathon which ended horribly. I limped the last 5 miles, past my own front door TWICE, but I finished it. I had not trained appropriately, had jumped in too fast and too soon, and my awesome shoes that I bought off the rack were not right for me. I went to the doc the next day, was diagnosed with severe tendonitis and placed in a walking boot for 2 months. 

I could have stopped running then and there. I thought I was not "meant" to be a running, but I went back to running once I was cleared by the doc and PT. The injury taught me a lot. Having your running analyzed for the right shoes is very important. I also learned a lot about stretching, foam rolling and body weight strength training for my legs. I jumped back in with two feet, trained my butt of and complete my second half marathon six months later--bettering my time by an hour!

Running has not been easy for me, but it has been worth it! It would have been easy to quit before it got good and I'm glad I didn't. I've learned that after running a half marathon, my stomach can hate me. I've been heard saying "I used to have pretty feet" more then once.  I've learned that no matter what I do I will never get rid of my running shorts tan lines! But the doors running has opened have been amazing.

I have started swimming again for the first time in my adult life, I have taken yoga and Pilates classes, I have zip lined through jungles, and I have found a love of trail running! I hit my goal weight of 160 just before I turned 32, and have maintained for four months so far. I know that maintenance will be the hardest part, but I have a good feeling that this change in mindset will help with that.  I am also so glad to have found 11 strangers to run across Southern California with and cannot wait to share a lifetime of running journeys with!

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Hilary has just started a blog of her own. You can follow along at The Simply Imperfect Homemaker. 

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Gratitude

First, I want to thank you all so much for all of your kind words about Mark and my family yesterday. My mom and I were in total disbelief at all of the nice comments.

Mark's actual death hasn't been as hard on me as when I learned he was dying. I feel like I really mourned and grieved for him a week ago, when he got to go home and then wasn't able to get out of bed. That was when I realized that the treatments hadn't given him much extra time. As awful as it sounds, I am glad that he passed away quickly once he went downhill. I would have hated for him to suffer for weeks, because I've heard that lung cancer is very painful in the end. I'm glad that he's at peace now.

Yesterday, I went to the nursing home to bring is occupational therapists a thank you card. I got Tiffany a Tim Horton's gift card, because she used to stop there and get coffee for herself and Mark in the mornings sometimes, since he was her first patient. She worked so hard with him to get him ready to go home, and without her, Mark probably would have died in a hospital setting.

My older brother, Brian, and his fiancé, Becky, came in from Minnesota yesterday. Brian had been wanting to come visit Mark, and we had plans of going for a visit yesterday when I picked them up from the airport; but then we learned that Mark died just after midnight yesterday. Brian and Becky decided to still come out here, so I picked them up from the airport after I left the nursing home.

It was nice seeing them, and we picked the kids up from school to take them bowling. My parents, Brian, Becky, my younger brother Nathan, Jerry, Noah, Eli, and I all went. I didn't bowl, because I was feeling really sick. I had a bad headache and I was really congested. But was fun to watch everyone else, and my mom brought her iPad along so we could read all the comments about Mark on my blog and on Facebook.

I was so excited when I read a comment from Kimberly, about her random act of kindness yesterday in Mark's honor:

Mark would have loved that idea! :)

Even with the news about Mark, I decided to still go to my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday morning. Jerry is back to swing shift, so he went with me, too. Glenda, my leader, is so nice! She sent me a nice card in the mail during the week congratulating me on the Runner's World and Woman's World articles. And at the meeting yesterday, she gave me this:

It was definitely not necessary, but VERY thoughtful! I really look forward to going to my meetings each week now. Even when I get back to a free Lifetime membership, when I'm only required to go once a month, I'd like to continue to go every week.

Yesterday was a busy day, but by the time I got home last night, my headache and congestion were awful. I couldn't sleep much at all during the night, and I actually woke up with a fever. I haven't felt this sick in a long time! I'm going to rest all day today, with tea and Lifetime movies to keep me company. Jerry has the same symptoms, but just a day or two ahead of mine. He's feeling a lot better today, so I hope that this doesn't last long. I leave for San Diego in a week!

I have a busy weekend--Mark's memorial service is on Saturday, and my friend Audrey is going to be running her first half-marathon on Sunday, the Rock CF half that I did a couple of years ago. When I learned she was going to run alone, I offered to run it with her. So I registered for the race, and I'm just hoping that I'm feeling a lot better by then!

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Home Home

It is with a very heavy heart that I let you all know that Mark went "home home" last night (when he was in the hospital, he referred to Heaven as "home home"). I'm not really sure what to write here, because I feel like I've already shared it all.

Before Mark got sick, I only saw him a couple of times a year, when my dad would pick him up to go fishing or when we celebrated his birthday on Halloween. When I learned he had Stage 4 lung cancer, I was shocked. I went to the hospital for a visit, and after spending that afternoon with Mark, I was hooked on him!

All of my stupid little problems and worries of day-to-day life seemed to disappear when I was chatting with Mark. I always left feeling excited to see him again, because he had this way of making me feel so happy! With each visit, I really started to know Mark more and more. I wished that I'd visited him in the group home the way that I was visiting him in the hospital (and then nursing home). I wished that I'd have more time to spend with him.

Mark's attitude could reel anybody in. The nursing staff and doctors all fell in love with him from the first day he was admitted. How could they not, when he actually thanked them for giving him another injection or gross-tasting hospital food? He was so grateful to everyone that popped into his room, and he made sure to let them know it. He loved to share his candy with anyone that came in to see him.

Mark really wanted to fight this cancer, but he also knew that he may be going "home home" soon. He made it his mission to go home, back to his group home that he's known for over 35 years, and he did everything the nursing staff and therapists asked of him in order to get his wish. He did radiation treatments, chemo treatments, and physical and occupational therapy day after day in order to get well enough to go home.

And he did it! First, we brought him home for a day in order to let Mark throw a party for the other residents in the group home. He had gotten some money from his cards, and he wanted to spend it on a pizza and cake party for his friends. He had a great time, and I'm so happy that we were able to make that happen for him.

And after his treatments were done, he was finally discharged to go home. Once he got there, he was very content and happy to see his friends (who were like family to him), and to sleep in his own bed (he hated the hospital beds). I am grateful and happy that I got to spend a few minutes alone with him to say anything I'd like to say, knowing that his cancer had taken a turn for the worse.

Even though I've only truly gotten to know Mark over the last four months, his death is devastating to me. I wish that I had done more with him, and I wish that I could have done more for him in the end. But I think that Mark felt very loved over the last few months. He told everyone he came in contact with, "I have SO MANY people that care about me!" as he pointed to all of his cards.

I want to say a very heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who sent him a card, gift, well-wish, prayer, or positive thought. The one positive thing to come out of Mark's illness and passing away is that he touched literally thousands of lives in one way or another. He was the most selfless person I've ever known, and he loved to do things for others.

In honor of Mark, and his loving and generous attitude, I want to ask all of you to do one last thing for him: Do a random act of kindness for somebody else. It doesn't have to cost any money (Mark didn't have any money, but he was always looking for ways to help people), or be anything extravagant; but I ask that you actively seek out a way to do something kind for someone else today (or whenever you can).

If you are unsure of what to do, I'd like to suggest visiting a nursing home. Mark spent a couple of months at a nursing home, and I was so sad for all of the people there who didn't get any visitors. Mark's room was decorated with cards, but most of the people there didn't have anything to show they are being thought about. You can really brighten someone's day by bringing them flowers, or a card, or to go and chat for a little while. Or bring them a strawberry milkshake--that's what Mark would probably suggest :)

If you care to, I'd love for you to post a comment here to share the random act of kindness that you did. Let's see just how many lives Mark can touch, even now that he is Home Home!

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A day off

Yesterday was a busy morning. I got up at 5:00 and prepared the whole Motivational Monday post by 7:15. Usually I get the kids up at 7:00, so it was a little hectic getting them ready a little late, but it ended up working out well. My mom came over to take the kids to the bus stop so that I could get a head start on my run.

I ran five miles at an easy pace. The past few runs, I've gone a different route, one that takes me down by the lake. Even though it's late-March, the lake is still pretty frozen, and there are HUGE piles of ice on the lake. This has happened in front of my parents' house before, and it's so pretty! The water just keeps piling up and freezing, forming these enormous piles. I tried to get a picture on my run, but unless I went into someone's yard, I couldn't get very close.

It seems I deleted my pictures from my run--bummer!--so I had to steal this collage from my Instagram. This was from my long run on Sunday. I ran 10 freezing cold miles, and then warmed up with Panera's tomato soup.

Anyway, yesterday, I wore my Garmin but I set it to display just the time of day, because I didn't want to get discouraged by my pace that seems to be getting slower by the minute. When I checked out my splits later, I was a little amazed to see how consistent they were.

My body always knows when I'm close to home, because I tend to pick up the pace a little ;)

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After my run, I had a quick breakfast and shower, then went to pick up my mom so we could go visit Mark. When I got there, my dad decided to go, too, and we waited a little bit for him to get ready. Then he ended up driving, which I was glad for later. We had to drive down Gratiot Ave. in Detroit. I don't go to/through Detroit much, but I saw the really bad parts of the city on our drive yesterday. It was kind of interesting to see, though.

Mark's nephew's house is just outside of Detroit. After the drive yesterday, I don't think I'd really feel comfortable driving there by myself--which is unfortunate, because I won't be able to visit Mark as often as I'd like. Anyway, Mark was in his wheelchair in front of the TV in the living room when we got there. He was awake and tried to get up when he heard us come in. So it was good to see that he seems to be doing better (physically) since the last time I saw him!

You could tell he wanted to chat with us, but it's hard for him to form his thoughts into words, which I think is because of the cancer in his brain. Mark doesn't really like to watch TV, so I felt kind of bad that he was sitting there. I would have loved to bundle him up and take him outside in his wheelchair for a walk, but when Mark asked to go outside, they told him it was too cold.

Mark's physical needs are being well taken care of, though, so I'm grateful for that. I was sitting on the couch right next to his wheelchair, and several times while we were there, he reached out his arm to hug me. He even told me while he hugged me, "I miss you. I miss you a lot." That was the only time that I really couldn't help but cry. There is just so much that I want to do for him, but can't. 

When it was time to go, we took Mark into his bedroom and got him comfortable in his bed for a nap.  I gave him another hug, and told him I'd see him soon. I wish that the visit made me feel better, but I felt worse after leaving. I do plan to go back, though, for Mark.

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Jerry is off work today, and I am SO excited! I know that sounds kind of ridiculous to get so excited over, but over the past three months, he's only had (I think) three days off work. He's finally going back to his regular schedule, and I couldn't be more relieved. It's been really hard doing everything without him--taking care of the kids, doing stuff around the house, dealing with all that's happening with Mark.

Today, after we get the kids off to school, we're going to run a few errands, then go to lunch, and then to a movie. There are two movies I want to see right now: Divergent and God's Not Dead. I'm not sure which one we'll see yet. Our movie theater just got new seats--recliners, La-Z-Boy-style. I'm excited to try them out. But mostly, I'm excited to spend some quality time with Jerry today!

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Motivational Monday #57

Happy Motivational Monday! I had a whole bunch of MM submission left from last week, so I decided to prepare this post to go live this morning, rather than tonight. I'm not sure if I'll continue morning posts, but right now I like it. Anyway, I hope everyone has had a great week!

I've had one of the toughest weeks of my life, at least emotionally. I'm really sad that Mark's cancer is in the final stages, and that's all I've really thought about this week. My mom and I are going to visit him today, which is another reason I wanted to get this post up this morning. I probably won't be home until it's time for my kids to get home from school.

For Motivational Monday, I am proud to say that even though I have wanted to binge several times this week, mostly out of emotional eating, I only acted on it once. I really don't want to let all that's happening with Mark become an excuse to stop taking care of myself, because I know Mark wouldn't want that! So I'm taking it a day (and moment) at a time, doing my very best.

This is a very long MM post, so I have to use a page break. Sorry, but if you're reading this in a reader, you'll have to click through to read the whole post. I discovered that when my posts are too long, or have a ton of pictures, it messes up the feed. So this post will be truncated to avoid any issues. But there is a TON of motivation to be found in these stories... enjoy!

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Meg signed up for her first spring half-marathon EVER, and unfortunately, many of us have had a terrible training winter! She's been steadily training through winter, and has done 90% of her runs outdoors (she lives in Michigan, too, so I know how tough that must have been!). She's proud that she hasn't used the weather as an excuse, and she's looking forward to running her first half--the Cocoa Classic in Detroit next month! (Meg's blog)

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Charlotte and some friends just ran their first 5K, and were very proud to say that they all beat the goals they'd set for themselves! They were thrilled with their finish times: Herb- 31:40, Chris- 38:21, Adam- 24:31, Charlotte- 39:06, and Emily- 38:07. Chris has lost over 20 pounds, and Charlotte has lost 20 pounds!

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Becca weighed 250 pounds when she graduated from high school; she decided to stop worrying about weight, and start thinking of her health. Gradually, over the last 20 years, she's been implementing positive, healthy changes, and is 60 pounds lighter. She does some running, and has completed 5K races with her mom; but she discovered that her true love and passion is for yoga. She loved it so much she decided to get certified to teach! She just completed her 200-hour teacher training certification. (There is a 20-year difference in the photos--is it just me, or does she not look a day older?!)

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