Motivational Monday #60

Happy Motivational Monday! It FINALLY feels like spring here in Michigan, and my mood has definitely reflected that. I've been feeling very happy! Today I even opened up all the windows in the house for the first time this year, and the fresh air was so nice. I went for a very nice easy run today, too.

This week, I'm proud of myself for counting my points all week long. There were several times I wanted to quit, but I feel really determined to get back to goal, so I stuck out the tough moments. Next weekend is going to be difficult, because my sister will be in town for her first marathon, but I am going to save all of my weekly points for the after-party at my parents' house. My dad is frying fish (so good!), I'm getting a cake from Monica's, and I'm sure I'll be having a few beers. I'm going to stick with my daily points target + my activity points each day, and try to save all of my weekly points for the weekend.

Anyway, enough of that. It's Motivational Monday! Let's see what you've been up to...

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In early 2013, Stacie couldn't even run for 30 seconds without stopping. Now, a year later, she just completed her first 10-mile race! It was tough, and she wanted to quit several times, but she pushed through and crossed that finish line :)

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Jennie took a hiatus from running for a couple of years, but was ready to get back into it. She and her 13-year old daughter, Hailey, just completed their first 5K! They did the Minneapolis Hot Chocolate 5K, and finished with a 10:34 average pace.

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Last September, Hilary was on a Motivational Monday post for completing her first 5K race midway through the Couch to 5K program. Since then she's done another 5K, a 4-miler, and just last weekend--her first half-marathon! Her goals were to come in under 3 hours, and to cross the finish line with a smile... and she met both of her goals, finishing in 2:50! She's also lost a whopping 60 pounds since July! Her next race is a 25K--15.5 miles--in three weeks. She's going to rock it! (Hilary's race report)

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Diane sent me an email last month, and I asked her to PLEASE submit a photo for Motivational Monday, because I was so impressed with her. You would never guess by looking at her picture, but she's 62 years young--and she just ran the Ronald McDonald Big House 5K in 24:22!! (For reference, my 5K race PR is 25:44, and I'm half her age). She didn't start running until she was in her late 40's, and completed 60 races in one year. Her fastest 5K time was a mind-blowing 20:42, and half-marathon time was 1:37:37 at age 52. I could go on and on about how amazed I am by her ;)  Her daughter, Christine, ran the Big House 5K with her, with a goal of sub-23:00... and she finished in 22:28, winning her age group!

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Julie is proud to say that she is 10 days binge-free, and she just ran the Prospect Park 15K in 1:18! She even followed up the 15K with a spin class ;)

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Jen shared in December that she'd run her first 15K... and now she is proud to announce that she completed her first half-marathon! She and a friend ran the KY Derby Festival miniMarathon in Louisville. She didn't have a set time goal, but was aiming to finish around 2:30--and she crossed the finish line in 2:35! (Jen's race report)

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In September 2012, Sarah joined Weight Watchers, and shortly after, she started running. She's since lost 85 pounds, reaching her goal weight in December 2013! She's been doing races, and increasing her distance, and just completed her first half-marathon: The KY Derby Festival miniMarathon! Her goal was to finish sub-2:00, and she finished in 1:52:36! She had a great race, and is planning her next goals. Her next race is a sprint triathlon in June!

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A huge congrats to everyone with something to celebrate today, big or small! Don't forget to check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post for more stories.

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Easter morning long run

Normally, I have a "long run treat" on the days that I do my longest run of the week (lately, it's been Sunday). Yesterday, though, I was really craving ice cream, so I decided to just spend my weekly PointsPlus on some Phish Food in the afternoon. It was 31 PP, and completely worth every one! ;)

I wasn't really hungry for dinner after eating that, though, so I just counted that as dinner. For some reason, some of my best runs have been after having ice cream the day before, so I just considered it as carbing up for my long run today! Yesterday's food log looks horribly unhealthy, but in keeping it real, I'm going to post it anyway:

This morning, I wasn't really looking forward to a long run, but I pepped up a little when I saw how nice the weather was. I chose do to a route I haven't done in a long time. The last time I did it, a blackbird dive-bombed my head, and it scared me away from wanting to run there anymore! But the regular long run route I do is on a busy road, and I was in the mood for some quiet, so I hoped the blackbirds wouldn't be out for blood today.

I dressed in a super bright orange shirt and yellow hat to make myself visible to cars (and protect my head from birds) and headed out at around 8:15. The weather was perfect! I took a few pictures:

There were only maybe three cars that passed by the entire length of that road, and it was definitely peaceful. But just for the fun of it, I was imagining that I was in a zombie apocalypse. When it's super quiet, and there are no cars or people anywhere, it's hard not to let my mind wander; and hey, it passed the time ;)

My target pace for my long runs is 9:53 per mile, so I was just aiming for anything between 9:45-10:00-ish. I didn't want to look at my watch over and over, so I didn't. After the first couple of miles, I started to feel really good and just felt so happy to be out there. I thought about Mark a lot, too. I really miss him! This weather would have been perfect to take him somewhere outside for a walk or a picnic.

It ended up being such a nice run today; one of those runs that just made me feel good all day!

We went to Jerry's parents' house last night to visit with them for a little bit, since Jerry had to work today. And tonight, we're going to go to my parents' house. We did Easter with the kids a couple of days ago, so today was pretty laid back. The kids are off school all week long, so I'm going to be trying to come up with some things for us to do this week!

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Running questions

Katie at "Katie is a Runner" nominated me for a Liebster award. A Liebster award is usually given to those with less than 200 followers; I have more than that, but I have never participated in these before, so I thought it would be fun. Besides, I have nothing notable to write about today anyways! 

Here are the questions that Katie posted, and my answers: 

1. Who was your biggest role model as you first started running? 

 *When I first started running, I looked up to my friend Renee. She was one of "those runners", who had done something completely crazy--like run 26.2 miles for the heck of it! ;) When she saw that "Run a 5K" was on my bucket list, she wanted to help me reach that goal. 

Deep down, I never really had intentions of actually doing it, but she kind of made it hard for me to say no. She chose a race, and even said she'd run along with me the entire way. She helped me when I had questions, and she assured me I was a "real runner" when I certainly didn't feel like one. She's super fast, and I still look up to her! 

Memorial Day Run 2013 (we each won an age group award!) 

2. What is your best running memory? 

*My best running memory... this is a tough question! The most memorable (not to be confused with "best") would be my night leg of the Ragnar Florida Keys. It was the scariest run of my life, in a running-next-to-alligators-and-prisons sort of way, and I pretty much had to check out of my mind and think happy thoughts until I was through the worst of it. My favorite run was probably when I ran with my sister, Jeanie, for her first half-marathon. The Rockford Marathon was an awesome race, and I loved being able to share that moment with my sister. 

3. The time you now spend running; what was it filled with before you started running? 

*I have absolutely no idea! It's so strange. It's like when you have kids--you wonder what you used to do before having kids, and it's hard to come up with anything. My house was cleaner before I started running, so I probably cleaned more ;) 

4. What is your favorite TV show? 

*I love TV, and I watch too many shows. But my very favorite, hands-down, is Shameless on Showtime. The producers could not have picked a better name for that show! I continue to get completely shocked every time I watch it. 

5. What is one habit you won't give up, even though you know it is not the healthiest? 

*Sweets! I run so that I can eat sweets, and I "spend" my calories burned on cookies and ice cream. I'm not sorry for it, and I don't feel guilty for it! ;) 

6. If you could have lunch with someone famous, who would you pick? 

*Alton Brown. I've always wanted to meet him! And something about the way he talks... I would love to have a nerdy conversation with him about food. 

7. What is your favorite season for running? 

*Fall! I complain about Michigan weather a lot, because it's ridiculously humid in the summer and this past winter was effing freezing, but fall is absolutely gorgeous in Michigan. The leaves are pretty shades of orange, red, and yellow, and the air is really crisp, with temps in the 50's. I just love fall! 

8. Describe the one route you would be okay running over and over for the rest of your life. 

*I don't think there is any route that would never bore me, but my favorite route I've ever run was in Cade's Cove in Tennessee. It was super hilly, and it poured rain; and sure, there were tornadoes later that day, so the wind was a little much... but other than that, it was a nice run with fantastic scenery! ;) Running with my brother, Brian, in Cade's Cove- April 2011 

9. If time and money were not object, where would you choose to go on vacation? 

*Well, I'm sure this is just because I just got home from running Ragnar SoCal, but I would LOVE to spend a weekend in Vegas with my Ragnar SoCal team. This team was SO much fun, and I think we'd have a blast in Vegas. Especially if money were no object--I'd gamble it all away! ;) I've never really had the desire to travel to other countries, and there isn't one particular place I am dying to visit. But Vegas with my Sole Mates would be fun! 

10. What is your favorite pastime other than lacing up the running shoes? 

*Other than eating, you mean? ;) I guess it's another vice of mine, but I like TV--and one of my favorite things to do is work on a craft while watching TV. I like to sew, so I'll spend time watching a show and cutting fabric for a project. 
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Thanks, Katie, for nominating me for the Liebster award! Even though I don't technically qualify for it, it was fun to answer the questions :) I nominate all of you who are reading! ;) If you answer the questions on your own blog, feel free to share a link to your post in the comments here. I'd like to read them!

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Dried cherries!

The kids are on spring break today through the end of next week! Eli's friend spent the night last night, and the boys were wide awake at 6:15 this morning. A great way to start off spring break, right? ;)

I had six miles easy on the schedule today, but Jerry was working this morning, so I couldn't leave the kids to go for a run. It was so nice outside that I didn't want to run on the treadmill, so I decided to just wait until after Eli's friend went home, and take my kids to my parents' house while I fit in my outdoor run.

For breakfast this morning, I was really craving something with the dried cherries I bought at Sam's Club yesterday. I adore dried cherries, but they're a binge food for me, so I had to be careful about even buying them. But they're okay in my trusty Kitchen Safe!

I ended up making a really tasty combination: an English muffin topped with Coconut Almond Butter and chopped dried cherries.

That was only 1 PP-worth of cherries. They go a long way when they're chopped up!

I spent most of the morning reading a book that Runner's World sent me to review: The Runner's World Big Book of Running for Beginners.

Now, I'm not exactly a beginner, but a lot of people ask me for recommendations about books on running. The ones I read are usually about a particular training method (like Hansons Marathon Method, for example), so I never have suggestions for a book about the basics. Most of what I learned about running during the first year I was a beginner came from Runner's World magazine--so I was curious to see what this book was all about.

I've now found the perfect book to recommend! This book is like everything I've ever learned about running all condensed into one book--and it's easy to read, which is even better. I especially liked the "Running Etiquette 101", which has a list of questions and answers about things that people email me to ask about all the time; things like: passing on the right or the left, wearing a chip timing device, where to put your race bib, which direction to run on a track, etc. They're questions that you don't really think about until you're in that situation and totally unsure.

It has training strategies for people who want to 1) start walking, 2) start running, 3) run nonstop, 4) run faster, and 5) run longer. There is advice on nutrition and fueling for runs; proper running form; advice on injury prevention; and what I found most interesting, real life stories from everyday people on "How Running Changed My Life".

Overall, this book is pretty much everything a beginner would want to know about running. The only downside is that it truly is very basic information--if you've been running for a few years, or do a lot of reading about it, then you probably know most of the info. But if you're hoping to start running, or you have only recently gotten started, it's a great read!

(Here is a link with info on where to get it. Just FYI, I don't get commission or anything if you buy it. I just think it's a great book for beginner runners!)

So I finally got to head out for my run at around 3:00 this afternoon. I hate running in the afternoons! And I definitely overdressed. I was really cold at home, so I was wearing long pants and a long-sleeved top, which is what I wore on the run--and it was 64 degrees outside! I should have been wearing my capris and a tank top.

I drove the kids to my parents' house, and then I decided to just run from their house around the neighborhoods for six miles. Instantly, I felt too hot, but my plan was to run slowly, at the recommended "easy run" pace of 10:15-11:00/mi, so I hoped the heat wouldn't be too bad. I stopped at each mile mark to take a photo from my point of view. Nothing very interesting on this route, though.

Everything looks so brown and gross now that the snow has melted. It was odd, but right after I took this last picture, it started raining. The sun was out, and it rained for about a mile. I could see steam coming off of the streets from the sun heating up the pavement and then the rain hitting it. You can kind of see the steam in this photo:

The rain felt SO good! I haven't run in the rain in a long time, and it really felt heavenly. Anyway, I wasn't feeling very good for most of this run, and I think it was because I had eaten lunch at 2:00. I'm not used to running with a big meal in my stomach, and I'd eaten cheese grits with Brussels sprouts and an egg on top. My stomach just wasn't feeling that great, so it was nice to be able to go at a slower pace.

Jerry's working all weekend, so we're going to do Easter with the kids tonight. They're ridiculously excited to see their Easter baskets! ;)

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Oh, I almost forgot! Yesterday's food log:

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Race pace run

Jerry was off work today, and I really wanted to skip my run to stay at home and have a lazy breakfast with him. Instead, I decided to just head out early--half an hour before the kids had to leave for school. That way I could be back home by 8:30 ish.

Usually, I do my tempo runs on the treadmill, because it's easier to maintain a constant pace, but today was absolutely gorgeous outside! The snow has melted, thankfully, and it was in the low-30's (which is my favorite for running). I put on some light long-sleeved clothing and headed out for a tempo run.

In the Hansons' programs, a "tempo" is just another way of saying "race pace". Normally, I think of a tempo run as a pace that you could sustain for about an hour, but Hansons defines it differently. So today, I had a 5-mile tempo run on the schedule, plus warm-up and cool down. Since I just changed my training paces, my half-marathon pace would be 9:00-9:10 per mile.

I ran the first mile as a warm-up, and then picked up the pace to around 9:00/mi. I don't know why I get nervous to do these runs! I was checking my watch every 30 seconds or so, as if I was going to keel over and die if I didn't hit my target pace ;) After about a half-mile of that, I decided that I could only check my pace every quarter-mile. Since I know the exact distances of everything on my route (ask any runner the quarter-mile splits from home, and they can tell you the exact telephone poles, fire hydrants, and pot holes in the roads!), I started looking every quarter mile and adjusting my pace as necessary.

It was harder than I thought to maintain that as a constant pace. I went too fast, and then I noticed I was running 8:45-ish, so I slowed down and realized I was running 9:20-ish, and then I picked it back up again. Rather than a constant pace, which is the goal of this "tempo" run, I was doing a lot of ups and downs. I hit pretty close to my goal pace for each split, though!

Once I hit mile 6, I slowed to a cool down pace. I should have cooled down for about a mile, but I just wanted to get home, so I took a shortcut. I felt really good about today's run! I've been feeling so discouraged about my pace lately, it was nice to meet my goal pace without any problems today.

Jerry and I had breakfast and tea, and then we headed to Sam's Club. We usually go to a Sam's that's about 35 minutes north of us, but today, we decided to change it up and go down to the Sam's in Toledo. It took a lot longer than I thought it would to get there (probably 50 minutes), but it was kind of fun going somewhere different.

We got the stuff we needed, and it was noon when we got out of there, so we headed down the street to Panera for lunch. I got their black bean soup--it doesn't look very good, but it's one of my favorites!

I didn't realize it until I uploaded this picture, but you can see Jerry's face in the spoon ;)

After lunch, we went into Party City so that I could get a tutu for my brother. Yes, my brother. He's going to be running the Glass City Relay with us a week from Sunday, and since he's the only guy on the team, he agreed to wear a tutu! They had a rainbow colored one, and I thought it looked really cute on Hilary during Ragnar SoCal, so I bought that for myself; and I got Nathan a purple one. I'm so excited for the relay, because I really like the other girls people on the team (Jeanie's friends Jen and Deb, who were on last year's team; Audrey, who I just ran with for her first half-marathon; and my brother, Nathan).

My kids are having a friend spend the night tonight, so things are a little chaotic around here! Here is yesterday's food log:

Now I'm going to go for a walk with the kids to the corner store. That's Eli's favorite thing to do when they have friends over!

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Is it worth the points?

I felt so good after yesterday's run, I was almost disappointed that today was a rest day. ;)

I got the kids ready for school this morning, and then made breakfast--an English muffin with cocoa almond butter and a banana. It made me smile when I saw it on the plate:

Apparently, my food was into making faces today, because while I was waiting for my tea to steep, I tossed a teaspoon of sugar into my mug, and saw a pretty ghostly looking face staring back at me.

This face was a little creepier than my breakfast's face!

After breakfast, I headed to my Weight Watchers meeting. Last week, I didn't weigh in because I had just gotten home from San Diego, and I knew I had gained about three pounds. Today, my weight was up 1.4 pounds from before I left for San Diego. So it's not all that bad! I fully expected to gain 10 pounds while I was gone. I've been back to tracking for a few days now, though, so it's (slowly) coming off.

This month at WW, we've been talking about "IIWTP"--Is it worth the points? I think this is a fun topic, because I've learned so much since I started losing weight. When I was 253 pounds, a cookie was a cookie, no matter how it tasted. I never gave a single thought to whether it was good enough to be worth the points (calories)! I had the mindset that just because it was bad for me, it must taste good.

When I started counting points back then, I was shocked at how many points it would cost me for a small cookie. I started to ask myself if it was really worth it. And sometimes, surprisingly, the answer was no. Some cookies are absolutely worth the points! But some just taste completely blah.

I started to really pay attention to whether I really wanted a particular food, or if I just thought that I wanted it. One day, I did something I had never done before--I took a bite of a piece of cake, and realized it wasn't as good as I was expecting, so I spat it into a napkin. I had saved my points all week long for that piece of cake, and I was completely prepared to spend them and enjoy it very much. But when I took a bite, I realized the cake was a little dry, and there wasn't enough frosting for my liking. I decided not to waste my points on it, and I tossed out the cake. I love cake, and will happily save up my points to have some; but it better be damn good cake, or I won't waste my points on it.

Sometimes, I'll work a food up in my mind for SO long--thinking about how good it is, and how I can't wait to eat it--and then when I finally take a bite, I think, "Really? THAT'S what I was looking forward to?" This actually happened recently, with the new Ben & Jerry's "Core" ice cream. I was dying to try the "Peanut Butter Fudge Core" flavor--because, well, peanut butter + chocolate? Yes, please!

I kept looking for it at the store every time I'd go, but it hadn't hit the shelves yet. I saved up my points (a pint of that ice cream is 33 PointsPlus!) each week, until FINALLY, the store had it in stock! From the very first bite, I decided that it wasn't worth it. I've had much better ice cream, and I just didn't want to waste 33 points on ice cream that was anything less than mind-blowing.

Before I lost the weight, I would have blown through the whole pint without even thinking about whether I truly liked the flavor or not. In asking myself whether something is worth the points, I've discovered that there are a lot of tempting foods that really aren't all that great!

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Yesterday's food log:

I only spent half of my activity points yesterday so that I could spend the other half today (my rest day). I'm holding on to my weekly points so I can spend them on something good for my long run day!

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Back to the norm

When I got up this morning, I walked to the boys' bedrooms to wake them up for school. I opened the blinds in their bedrooms, and was a little taken aback at what I saw.

Snow. Everywhere. In APRIL.

Turns out that with this snow we just got last night, Detroit broke the old record for the most snowfall in a season.

The previous record was 1880-81, with 93.6". Today's put us at 94.8". So while I wasn't happy to see the snow, it IS pretty cool to have seen the snowiest winter ever. I think it's funny how the screenshot of the news above says, "We have done it!" like it's a big accomplishment that we had something to do with. Let's just hope it starts to feel like spring soon.

After I got the kids off to school (in their hats and gloves and winter coats), I ate breakfast and tried to catch up on email. I got really far behind on everything while I was in California.

I was actually looking forward to today's run--which is unusual for a Tuesday! Tuesday is speed work. Today, I started the portion of the Hansons' plan where the speed work switches to strength runs. They are still intervals, but they're longer in distance (1-3 miles) and they're done at a slower pace (half-marathon pace minus 10 seconds per mile).

Since my pace has been suffering terribly lately, I switched my training paces to reflect a 2:00 half-marathon (rather than 1:50). A 2:00 half-marathon time would be a 9:10/mi pace (but I consider it more like 9:00-9:08, to account for a longer course). On the schedule for today was:

6 x 1 mile at 8:50 pace with 400-meter recovery jogs

I chose to do it on the treadmill (it's much easier to maintain pace for speed work). I didn't do a warm-up, because this was already going to be a 7.5 mile run without warm-up or cool down. I set the treadmill at 6.8 mph (8:49 pace) for the 1-mile intervals, and then switched to 5.5 mph (10:54 pace) for the recovery jogs.

I really prefer the longer and slower intervals of this strength run to the short and fast ones for speed work! Today's run wasn't bad at all, and I felt really good during the whole thing. Maybe I should be doing a faster pace, but I'm not going to worry about that right now. I think that after the Heartbreak Hill Hat Trick, I'll go easy for a few weeks and then do my best to train for a 1:50 half-marathon (the Detroit Free Press Half this fall, or, if not that one, the Monroe Half).

It's only been a couple of days, but it feels SO GOOD to get back to the norm with my diet and running routine. I'm counting points, which feels so hard after NOT counting for a few weeks, but I'm determined to lose this weight I've gained. And after a whacky run schedule due to being sick and then being in California, I'm back to the Hansons' HM schedule. Now that I've adjusted the paces to be a little slower, I don't think I'll dread the runs so much. For a while, I was just feeling totally burned out, but now I'm feeling excited to be back to the norm.

A few people have asked if I would start posting my food log again. Just keep in mind that my diet is far from perfect! I just eat what sounds good to me, and count the points for it. This is yesterday's log:

Next month, I was supposed to go to Boston to do Ragnar Cape Cod. My friend Caitlin was going to do the race with me, but something out of her control came up, and she can't go now. She lives in Boston, and my travel plans kind of counted on her being there, so it's just not going to work out for me to go. I'm disappointed, because I've heard that the Cape Cod Ragnar is a great one; but maybe we can work it out for next year!

So the next big thing on the schedule is the Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival in Boston the first weekend in June. I'm actually pretty nervous about doing the Hat Trick (5K, 10K, & Half-Marathon), but I'm sure I can finish, no matter how long it takes me ;) I was kind of hoping to organize some sort of meet-up that Saturday for any of you that may be going. So if that interests you, let me know!

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Motivational Monday #59

Today's Motivational Monday post is another long one! I hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks. I obviously had an amazing time in San Diego for Ragnar SoCal, and I was so proud to see my little brother finish his first 5K on Saturday. But I am definitely relieved to get back to my typical eating/running routine.

Because this post is so long, I have to truncate it again--so I'm sorry, but if you're reading this on a reader of some sort, you'll have to click through to see the whole thing. Lots of submissions today!

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Katie is feeling the runner's high of completing a fantastic training run! Her husband gave her a run clinic gift certificate for Christmas, and her "homework" was to run 5K on her own with a great time. She reduced her time from 72 minutes down to 54 minutes, and that included stopping at traffic lights! She's looking forward to an 8K race on May 4th, and feels very confident in her ability, thanks to this run! (Katie's blog)

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Cindy Jo just completed her longest run yet--7 miles--in preparation for a half-marathon! She completed her first 5K last year, and her co-workers suggested doing a half. She said it's a scary goal for her, and sometimes she doubts her ability to do it, but she was SO proud to have accomplished her 7-miler!

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Elizabeth just ran the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile race in Washington D.C.! The race has a strict 2:20 time limit, which worried her during her training. She obviously had nothing to worry about, because she finished in 1:58! There were many times she wanted to walk, but she talked herself into running a little farther... until she'd run the entire race.

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Lauren (in the gray/yellow jacket) completed her goal of walking a half-marathon! She sent me an email back in January to ask about walking a half, because she was worried about the race's time limit. But she finished the Philly Love Run in 3:34, despite the 45 degree temperature and rain! She's already registered for her next half :)

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Jamie just ran her first 10K race! The race was in her hometown, so she wanted to make sure to support it. She even finished five minutes faster than she predicted! (Jamie's race report)

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Katelyn just ran her very first marathon--in PARIS of all places! She wanted her first marathon to be extra special, so she chose the Paris Marathon for her first. A year ago, she never dreamed she'd do a marathon--and she finished in 4:37:25! (Katelyn's race report)

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Allyson just completed her first half-marathon! She ran the Rock 'n' Roll Half in Raleigh. It was hilly, and harder than she expected. Her goal was to finish sub-2:30, and she crossed the finish line in 2:29:29!

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Recently, Nicole and her kids completed a 5K Color Run! Unfortunately, her husband had to work, but she and her kids (including her 11-month old daughter) did the race together and had a blast! They followed up with a vacation to San Diego and Las Vegas--and even saw some of the Ragnarians coming through La Jolla :)

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Melissa had a very rough pregnancy, and was put on hospital bed rest due to severe preeclampsia. Not surprisingly, she gained a lot of weight. She read the Motivational Monday posts, and determined that when she got down to her goal weight, she'd be on Motivational Monday... and here she is! Six months later, through eating well and exercising, she's lost 70 pounds and 10 pants sizes.

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A year ago, Dean sent in a Motivational Monday submission for completing his first 5K. That post led to more posts, as he continued to progress. I eventually invited Dean to join my Ragnar SoCal team. His progress over the last year has been HUGE--I've even started calling him "Dean the Machine". Yesterday, Dean did another 5K race on the one-year anniversary of his first, and his time improved ridiculously: in 2013, he finished in 33:27 (10:46 pace); and yesterday, he finished the same race in 25:54 (8:21 pace)!! Last year, he weighed 259 pounds; and this year, 198. Nothing short of amazing! (Dean's race report--yes, he started a blog!)

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In November, Shelley (in black) joined a workout/weight loss challenge. Even though a quarter of the members dropped out within the first week, she toughed it out and kept going forward. She became friends with Lee (in blue) in the program, and they became workout buddies. They lost 20 pounds in 40 days, winning their challenge, and continued to push each other. Shelley convinced Lee to start running, and yesterday, Lee completed her first race--a 1-mile race to support the library! She did great, and has signed up for a 5K in a couple of weeks. Shelley has dropped over 100 pounds, and is working on her 5K and 10K times!

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Lesleigh recently stepped WAY out of her comfort zone when she saw that her local running store was asking for people to model some athletic wear in a fashion show. She signed up, but then started to feel self-conscious--she's lost 70 pounds, and was concerned about wearing shorts with some loose skin she has on her legs. Instead of backing out, she talked to the store about it, and they had her wear capris--problem solved! She was super nervous, but it ended up being a great experience. She wanted to show other women that runners come in all shapes and sizes. She was given a shirt and socks as a "thank you" gift, too!

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Krystal just completed her first 5K race! She sent me an email last month, looking for some reassurance about whether she could complete the race. I (tried my best to) ease her fears, and she did fantastic at the race! It ended up being mostly uphill, which was a huge challenge, but she was passing people and realized that just because someone "looks" like a runner doesn't mean they are in the shape to rock out a 5K! She had been nervous about being judged for her size, but she realized that runners come in all shapes and sizes. She ran the entire way, finishing in 46:20! She's already looking forward to her next race, and continuing the weight loss--she's lost over 50 pounds already :) (Krystal's race report)

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Kristine (in the middle) just set a 6-minute PR at the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon in Raleigh, finishing in 2:21! This was her fifth half-marathon, but her first since the birth of her daughter last May. She did most of her training on the treadmill this winter, because of the brutal weather, but still managed to do some long runs outside--even when her water bottles froze! She's also lost 70 pounds since 2011 :)

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Kristina just completed her first half-marathon! I've "known" Kristina online since long before I lost the weight, and she was a big inspiration to me (she's lost a lot of weight herself). I'm so excited to see her board the running train now! ;)  (Kristina's blog)

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Finally, I just have to brag about my friend Stephanie--she completed her first full marathon on Saturday! I've gotten to see her through her entire weight loss/running journey so far, and I was so proud to see her cross the finish line. Steph had volunteered to be a guinea pig for when I got my RRCA certification, so I wrote her a training plan and paced her to a sub-2:10 half-marathon. She trained SO hard through this awful winter we've had, and she ran outside through all the worst weather imaginable. She finished her race in 5:05:50! (Steph's race report)

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

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The Holidome

My kids definitely don't understand the concept of "sleeping in". We had no reason to wake up early today, and I slept like crap at the hotel. Jerry left the hotel at 4:00 this morning to head to work. And kids woke up at 6:00. They were considerate enough to whisper to each other, rather than talk loudly, but their whispering is just as loud as their normal voices ;)

Last night, we spent most of the evening in the pool. I really hate swimming, but I wanted to spend some quality time with the kids, so I got in the pool with them. The pool has an opening that goes outside the building--you basically swim underneath a little wall, and then you're in the outdoor pool. When I was a kid, I loved that part! My parents used to take us there, along with our friends from the neighborhood, and we'd swim outside in the winter.

We'd always go in January or February, when it was freezing cold outside. I remember jumping out of the pool with my friends to make snow angels while in our bathing suits, then jumping back into the pool before we got frostbite. Haha!

Anyway, Jerry was working yesterday, so I wasn't expecting him to show up at the hotel until about 7:00. I was sitting in the jacuzzi when Jerry came up behind me and surprised me at around 5:15! Shortly after he got there, my mom came for a little while, too. When the kids were ready for a break from swimming, we took them to dinner at Chili's, and then back to the hotel where we swam some more.

I never thought I'd say this, but I am SO tired of dining out. Restaurant food makes me feel so sluggish and puffy and just gross. When I was in California, I ate out for every meal; and then I was only home for a couple of days before going to the hotel with the kids. I'm just really excited to get back to my normal eating routine, which rarely involves dining out.

The kids had a blast, and they stayed up watching TV while Jerry and I fell asleep by about 10:00 last night. This morning, they woke up at 6:00 and were begging to go to the pool; but the pool didn't open until 9:00. I tried to keep them entertained in the room, and then we went down to breakfast at around 7:00. Naturally, we were the only ones in the hotel restaurant at that hour on a Sunday morning ;)

The kids ate free at the breakfast buffet, but I wanted to eat something that felt more like what I would eat at home. So I ordered an English muffin, a scrambled egg, and fruit. I felt good after eating that, and not nearly so sluggish. At 9:00, we went back down to the pool for a couple of hours, until it was time to check out.

When we got home, I had a pretty unproductive day. The kids and I watched the movie Pearl Harbor, which is something like three hours long. But it was really nice to just relax and not have to be anywhere. Today was supposed to be my long run day, but since we were at the hotel, I skipped it. I'm going right back to my running schedule tomorrow, because everything has been so out of whack for the past couple of weeks.

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In thinking about Mark so much the last few days, it made me wonder how things are going with doing random acts of kindness in Mark's honor? I'd love to read about what any of you have done in honor of Mark, no matter how big or little it might have been. I forgot to post this earlier, but when my sister was in town, she took my kids to the store to buy a bunch of needed items for the Humane Society. They donated it in honor of Mark :)

I've done a few things here and there, and I'm always looking for new opportunities. But I've been trying to get more creative, so I'd love to know what acts of kindness any of you have done to give me some ideas.

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Tomorrow is Motivational Monday! It's been a couple of weeks since the last one, but if you have a photo you want to share of a health/fitness accomplishment, you can email it to me at SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, subject: Motivational Monday, along with a brief description, and I may include it in tomorrow's post!

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