Pacing the run/walk method

Today was my long run, and considering this is only week one of training, I had four miles scheduled. I planned to do the same run/walk intervals I've been doing this week (60 second run/30 second walk), but I wanted to slow down my pace. According to Jeff Galloway, the long run should be done really slowly, and not leave you feeling winded at the end of it.

I decided to aim for an overall pace of about 11:45. According to the pace calculator, that meant I should run at approximately a 10:22/mi pace.

It's really difficult to shoot for a particular pace when doing the run/walk method. To hit your pace goal, not only do you have to run at a particular pace; you have to walk at a particular pace as well. I assumed I'd be walking at about a 15- or 16-minute mile pace, but when I look at the data from my Garmin, my pace usually dips down to about 12:00-13:00 before I start running again.

The biggest problem with using the Garmin for pacing during the run/walk method is that the "current pace" lags by about 10-15 seconds. When I run (without walk breaks), I don't use the current pace function; I just use the lap pace (mile pace) because it's more accurate to hit a particular goal. While doing the run/walk, I can't tell what my pace actually is for the first 15 seconds of each interval, which makes it difficult. As of right now, though, I don't really have a time goal, because I'm still trying to figure all this out. All I'm focused on is being able to run again and stay injury-free.

Anyway, I headed out for the four-mile run/walk, and reducing the pace a bit on the running segments made it much more enjoyable. I was running at an easy pace for the run segments, and walking briskly for the walk segments, and I felt really good. At around mile 3.4, the road curved to the left and there was a bridge there, so it inclined a little, too. As I was running that curve, I felt a pain in my leg where my stress fracture was.

Per my physical therapist's orders, I stopped running immediately and started walking. It felt okay when I was walking. I decided to try running a few steps, to see if it was maybe just the curve of the road that caused the pain. On the next run segment, I ran a few steps and the pain was still there, so I stopped my Garmin and walked the rest of the way home. I'm really bummed that I couldn't finish out the four miles, but I don't want to take any chances of the stress fracture recurring.

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I spent a lot of time yesterday working on some travel plans for July. As part of the program with Prudential, I was asked me to be on a panel at the BlogHer conferences in New York City. I'm terrified of speaking in front of people, but I've done it before when needed, so I hope I'll do okay. I've had some really great experiences in my life when stepping out of my comfort zone, and I hope this will just add to that list.

Anyway, I'm super excited because Jerry is going with me! I've been to NYC three times: once when I was 16, and I don't remember much at all from that trip; once for The Dr. Oz Show, where I was only there 24 hours and didn't have much free time; and last year, when I went for a Purina event (I tried to go to Central Park for a run, and got lost). Traveling there alone is tough, because I'm terrible at navigating, and public transportation is scary to me (remember Chicago? hahaha!).

Jerry has never been to NYC, and when I was looking at flights yesterday, I realized that I had just enough sky miles to cover a ticket for him to come along with me (the ticket was 25,000 miles, and I had 25,250--perfect). We're going to arrive early Friday morning (on the 17th), and stay until Sunday morning. So it's going to be a super short trip, and I'll be doing the conference on Saturday, but I'm really glad that Jerry will be able to check out the city and keep me company. He's going to go to a Yankees game while I do the Prudential panel, so it'll work out perfectly ;)

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Finally, I just have to share this photo. Joey's doggy daycare, Lucky Puppy, sent me this in my email. I love that I get to see pictures of what he does while he's there! No wonder he's so tired when he gets home on Tuesdays ;)

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Summer break begins

I had a super busy day yesterday! I sat down last night at 8:45 pm to start writing a post, and then just decided to wait until today, because I was pretty exhausted.

Yesterday was the kids' last day of school--a half day. Also, Wednesday mornings are my Weight Watchers meetings, so I wanted to get in my run before going to my meeting. Again, I had a 30-minute run/walk on the schedule, and I decided to stick with the 60 second run/30 second walk ratio. It was unexpectedly challenging on Monday, and my legs were really sore ever since (likely due to not running for so long).

I did the same routine as last time--walked for 90 seconds just to start, and then went into the 60 sec run/30 sec walk. It felt just as challenging yesterday as it did Monday, if not more so, because I was so sore! I'm not complaining about it--it actually feels really good to push myself again. It's just odd that running for 60 seconds at a 9:00-9:30 pace feels that hard.

My first mile was pretty slow compared to Monday's run, but then I ended up with negative splits somehow. I definitely felt like I slowed down a lot as the run progressed, but according to the numbers, I sped up a little. I was exhausted when I was done! I hope that I get back into shape quickly, and it doesn't feel so hard. Tomorrow is my long run, and I am going to run much slower (per Galloway's instructions).

Run 1:00/Walk 0:30

After my run, I took a quick shower and ate breakfast, then headed to Weight Watchers. I already knew that my weigh in wasn't going to be exciting--again, I lost less than a pound--but I am happy that it's the fifth week in a row of losses. It's getting easier to stay on track now that I have a streak I want to maintain. I just have to make it through tomorrow, and it will be the longest binge-free streak in at least a year and a half.

At the meeting, Glenda had some quotes written up on the board, and she asked for volunteers to read the one that we found most meaningful to us. I ended up reading this one:

"Movement is a medicine for a change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental health." --Carol Welch

I explained that I chose that quote because I'm a runner, and having been injured for six months, I haven't been able to run. It changed my mood dramatically (and not for the better!). I never realized just how much my mood was affected by my running until I wasn't able to run for so long. The past few days, since I've been able to run again, I've been much more pleasant. It's really remarkable how exercise has that ability!

I had to leave right from the meeting to go pick up Noah and his friend from school. I told Noah and Eli they could each invite a friend to come over and celebrate the start of summer vacation. After picking them up, I only had about 30 minutes before I had to pick up Eli and his friend. By noon, I had five excited boys at my house (Eli has a classmate who lives down the street, and he came over too). I had already planned for chaos, and just kept telling myself to "let boys be boys".

It was hot outside yesterday--90 degrees--and the kids were complaining of the heat. They wanted to come inside to play video games. I let them for a little while, but then I remembered I had a Slip n Slide tucked away in the closet from a few years ago. Jerry and I set that up in the backyard, and after a little coaxing, the boys gave it a try. They had a blast! They ended up playing on it for a couple of hours, and it was a great way to cool off on a hot day. Jerry had as much fun as they did ;) If I hadn't already done my hair and make-up, I would have tried it out, too!

 (I'm not sure I could nail that landing like Jerry did, though! ha)

I ordered pizza for the kids for dinner, because I don't even know how to cook for so many boys, but I ended up making a fish sandwich for myself. Pizza isn't too bad as far as PointsPlus go--about 6-8 per slice--but I like to eat at least 2-3 slices, and that adds up! So I'd rather save it for a special occasion or a big pizza craving.

At around 6:15, a couple of the kids went home. Jerry had a softball game, so he was gone. I had to take Noah and Eli to their baseball game, and I brought Eli's friend with us (he wanted to watch the game, too). My parents met us there, as well as Jerry after his game, and we sat to watch the boys' game. They each did great! Noah hit a double (one RBI) and pitched two innings. Eli had what would have been an awesome hit if the third baseman hadn't snagged the ball out of the air as it flew by his head ;)

The kids were winning in the fifth inning (they play just six innings) and it started lightening, so the rest of the game was forfeited, and our team won. We took Eli's friend home, and then got home at around 8:40. The four of us sat down to watch Naked and Afraid (we always get excited to watch a new episode, haha). The boys were thrilled that they could stay up late, because they didn't have school today, but by 9:30, they were out like lights.

At around midnight, we had a terrible storm. It started hailing really loudly (I was half-asleep, but the noise of the hail woke me right up); and the wind and rain was the worst I've seen since the tornado we had in 2010. A tree across the street snapped in half and fell across our road. Today, Jerry and I (and the kids) went out and started pulling the branches apart and tossing them over the dike. Who knows how long it would have sat there if we didn't!

Jerry and I were glued to the windows watching the storm, but it only lasted about 15 minutes. It's been a very stormy/rainy spring so far! I really like thunderstorms and rain, so it's been kind of fun  for me :)

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Stress fracture summary and first day of marathon training

Yesterday was the first day of Detroit Marathon training. The race is 18 weeks away, and I was really concerned about not being able to train for it due to my stress fracture. Here is a recap of the whole injury:

December 7: I ran 12 miles, and I was sure I had tendonitis afterward. My foot and ankle area was really painful during the last half of the run. Took a couple of days off.

December 14: Santa Hustle Half Marathon. Everything felt fine until around mile 6 or 7 of the race. It started with that same "tendonitis" pain. The road was really slanted, and that made the pain worse. I was limping for the last three miles of the race, and hobbled across the finish line. My leg hurt from my foot to my hip. I took five days off afterward.

December 21-January 4: Continued to run (about 3-4 miles each time), just taking it easy on my leg, still thinking I had tendonitis. The pain wasn't bad, and it just felt like a mild soreness, particularly on my calf.

January 4: Ran 5 miles and definitely felt the pain getting worse. Decided to take time off and wait until the pain was gone completely before starting to run again. I started doing deep water running, which has zero impact, so it was safe to do while my leg healed.

February 3: Still having pain, so decided to go to a podiatrist to rule out something serious, like a stress fracture. X-ray showed that it was a stress fracture in my lower left fibula. I was really surprised! I assumed a stress fracture would keep me from walking, but I only had pain when running or jumping. Doctor said no running until the pain is gone, and sent me on my way.

February 23: Eleven weeks after the initial pain, I went for a 3-mile run. Felt a couple of normal twinges, but no pain at all.

February 23-April 9: Continued to run, following an easy half-marathon training schedule for the Indy Mini. No problems at all, and even the twinges went away. Felt back to normal.

April 9: Started a five-mile run on the treadmill. About 20 steps in, I felt a sharp pain where the stress fracture was. I assumed it was just another twinge from the healing process (or maybe I was just in denial) and I finished out the five miles. But I made an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedist the follow day.

April 10: Saw Dr. Shehab, who ordered x-rays and a bone scan. He told me not to run until I didn't have any pain. He suggested doing more low-impact exercises to stay in shape, and if I wanted, I could run the Indy Mini. But no running until then. He also ordered a gait analysis with a physical therapist.

April 15: Had a bone scan, which is much more involved than a simple x-ray. The bone scan confirmed that I had another stress fracture.

April 26: I decided to attempt the marathon relay leg of the Glass City Marathon, knowing that if I couldn't do that, there was no way I could do the Indy Mini the following weekend. I made it through the six-mile leg of the relay, but was in pain afterward. Decided not to do Indy. Still no running.

May 6: Went for a gait analysis with Dave Tomsich. He determined that my left side (particularly my hip) is very weak, which causes my gait to be asymmetrical. I underpronate (supinate), which isn't good. My knee also buckles inward on the left side, which puts pressure on the fibula. The goal with physical therapy is to strengthen my left side so that I am symmetrical when I run and walk.

May 6-current: Seeing Dave every two weeks for physical therapy. He gives me exercises to do at home, which I've been working on. On Thursday, he told me that I could go ahead and start training for Detroit, with a few stipulations: I can't run two days in a row, I have to run/walk, and if I have pain, I need to stop.

Which brings me to yesterday--the first day of Detroit Marathon training.

My original plan was to do the Hansons Marathon Method again. I used that plan to train for Chicago, and it was AWESOME. I felt fantastic and stayed injury free. However, after the stress fracture, I knew that wouldn't be the right plan for me. It requires 40-50 miles per week of running, and since I haven't run much in the last six months, I knew that many miles would do more harm than good.

Coming off of a stress fracture, I decided that the best plan would be Jeff Galloway's run/walk method: completing the entire distance by doing a particular ratio of running and walking. The problem is, Jeff Galloway's plan is 30 weeks long, and I have 18 weeks until race day. When I was at the book store recently, I was flipping through his marathon training book, and he actually mentions training for a marathon with much less than 30 weeks notice. He said a seasoned runner could even do a marathon using his method with just six weeks notice.

I ultimately decided to follow his basic plan, but to change the long runs to build up faster. It's actually pretty simple:

Monday- 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday- 30 minute run/walk
Thursday- easy walk
Friday- long run/walk (his plan builds up to 26 miles, but he said that isn't necessary; I've modified mine to 22).

This plan is basically the complete opposite of Hansons, which makes me nervous! But, I'm going to give it a good honest try and see what happens. Because I'll be doing the run/walk method, I think I'll have the best chance of avoiding injury (as long as I don't do too much, and since this has just three runs per week, it's the minimum required for a marathon). I also plan to continue my strength exercises to keep from getting injured again, of course.

For the marathon, my ideal ratio of running to walking is a two-minute run followed by a thirty-second walk. To ease back into running, though, I decided to go with a one-minute run and thirty-second walk yesterday for my first training run. I'll add a little running each week until I hit two minutes.

My first run/walk went really well! I started by walking for 90 seconds, and then I went into the 60 second run and 30 second walk routine. I was very surprised at how hard it felt--I've gotten SO out of shape the last six months. The running portions seemed like they lasted forever, but the walking segments flew by. My heart rate was much higher than it used to be when I was running (even at a hard pace).

It was fun to look at the stats when I was done, though. I downloaded a new app that has more information, charts, and graphs than I would know what to do with; but I love looking at all the numbers. (The app is called ConnectStats, and if you're a data nerd like I am, you'll love it! It's an iPhone/iPad activity viewer for Garmin Connect or Strava)

I love the heart rate chart--you can see exactly where each of my run/walk intervals were. Anyway, I won't post all that info for each run I do, but I was just impressed with all the data available--it has much more than Garmin Connect has.

Over all, I am very happy with how the run/walk went. My leg didn't give me any issues, which was most important. And it was a much harder workout than I expected it to be! I like that I was only focused on each minute, rather than the run as a whole. I'm actually looking forward to marathon training with the Galloway method!

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Motivational Monday #110

Happy Motivational Monday, Friends! I'm feeling super motivated lately, and today was just what I needed to keep it going--I got to run today! It was my first day of training for the Detroit Marathon, and I will spoil the ending by saying that it went really well. I'll write more about it tomorrow :)

This week, I am very proud of myself for sticking with Weight Watchers for another week. Today marks Day 20 of being binge-free and 100% on plan with WW. Each day that goes by motivates me more and more to keep that streak going! My longest streak since early 2014 is only 24 days, so I want to beat that... and then continue on and hopefully set some new streak records ;) 

I'm not used to the weight coming off quite this slowly, but I'm happy that it's still coming off. In the past, losing two pounds a week was pretty normal, but now it's only been a fraction of a pound each week. It was discouraging at first, but now I'm feeling so much better physically (for being on track), and those little fractions will add up eventually! For now, I'm proud that I've been sticking with it no matter what happens.

This will be a short (but great!) Motivational Monday today. Just a couple of submissions... enjoy!

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Kat emailed me regarding her friend, Carole. She's very proud of Carole's accomplishments! I'll leave it in Kat's own words:

"I am writing again to boast of my best friend, Carole's, accomplishment.  I wrote you a couple of years ago about her participation in the Race for Hope 5k (a race to support those with brain tumors), which we started running after her 2 brain surgeries the previous 2 years in a row.  This year we couldn't do it because Carole was out of town for work; so instead she signed up for her first ever triathlon.  She started teaching herself how to swim freestyle again (she learned in college) in January, at first only being able to complete 2 lengths.  She worked up to the full 8 lengths in 6 minutes + the 8 mile bike ride + the 2 mile run at the Ramblin Rose Triathlon in Charlotte, NC on Sunday.  I am so excited/proud/happy for all the hardwork that she put in for this HUGE accomplishment.  I think the picture says it all."

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In January of last year, Melisa decided to enter her 40’s healthy and running again: she lost over 20 pounds and started training for another marathon (something she had abandoned doing years ago). Then, in June, she learned that she would need a full hysterectomy. It was a very depressing time of sadness (and weight gain during recovery) but in September, after turning 40, she decided to try again. She has since lost that pesky 20 pounds, and has gone on to run 3 marathons (for a total of 10!). She has a goal of completing 50 marathons by age 50! (Melisa's (very entertaining) blog)

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Congratulations Melisa and Carole! For more stories, and to share your own accomplishments, you can check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post.

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Weekend recap

This weekend has gone by crazy-fast! It kind of feels like it's already summer vacation for the kids, but they still have two and a half more days of school. They each had sleepovers with friends on Friday night, and then they were invited to a birthday party sleepover on Saturday night. I told them they had to hang out with Jerry and me today, because we hadn't seen them all weekend ;)

On Friday night, Jerry and I decided to have a date night since the kids would be gone for the evening. We were thinking about driving up to Detroit to go to dinner, but it was totally overwhelming trying to pick a place to go. I was reading Yelp reviews, which are usually people either ranting or raving about a place. It's also hard to choose a place to eat out when I'm on Weight Watchers--theoretically, I could order whatever I want and just estimate the PointsPlus in it; but I didn't want to use up all of my weekly PointsPlus on one meal. It's hard to make healthy AND enjoyable choices when dining out for pleasure, because most of the foods I love aren't very healthy at all.

Eventually, we decided to nix the Detroit idea and just go to Panera (which is "safe" on Weight Watchers and I actually really love their food). I ordered the You Pick Two soup and salad: Cheddar Broccoli Soup and Asian Sesame Chicken Salad.

With the 2 oz. baguette portion, it ended up being 17 PointsPlus--more than I typically spend on dinner, but it was so good and very filling.

We went to the movies after dinner to see San Andreas. We both love those end-of-the-world type movies, and this one was just as I expected: a nail-biter, corny at times, and very predictable. I loved it! The Rock wasn't too hard on the eyes, either ;)

On Saturday afternoon, Eli had a horseback riding lesson. My mom got a deal on Groupon for two lessons, and that's what she gave Eli for his birthday. Jerry and I didn't have plans, so we tagged along with my mom (and brought Noah, too) to take Eli to his lesson. This was his first time on a horse, and he loved it! He looked so adorable.

After his lesson, the kids came home and then went to the sleepover. Today, I could tell they were pretty tired from all the activities over a couple of days. Noah has been asking to go to Trader Joe's for a couple of months now, so we finally decided to go up to Ann Arbor (the nearest Trader Joe's) which is about 45 minutes away. The kids fell asleep in the car on the way.

We didn't buy much at Trader Joe's. I wanted to buy pretty much all the sweets they had in the store, including the entire shelf of Cookie Butter, but I resisted. Eli got some snacks for his class tomorrow, because they're having a picnic outside, and Noah got what he wanted (some sour cream and onion corn puffs--that's why we drove 45 minutes to Trader Joe's! Hahaha). After that, we went to Barnes & Noble to browse around for a little while (we don't have a bookstore near us, so the kids love to go to them when we are out). I bought a couple of books about running.

On the way home, we stopped at Redbox so that we could get the movie McFarland U.S.A. to watch tonight. My parents saw it and thought it was a really cute movie that I (and the kids) would like. So we're going to have a family movie night. We're supposed to have another thunderstorm, so it'll be a good evening for a movie!

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Stress fracture update

Yesterday was my physical therapy appointment. Marathon training for Detroit is supposed to start on Monday, which will be 18-weeks out from the race, and I was really hoping for good news about my stress fracture. I want to start training, even if it's just very slowly easing my way back to running.

When I got there, I talked to Dave (the PT) about some of the symptoms I'm having (twinges where the stress fracture is when I move certain ways) and he explained that it's normal--I will feel that as it's healing. That happened before, so I know the difference between that twinge and actual pain.

He gave me a couple of new exercises to add to my routine, to hopefully strengthen my left side some more (it's still quite a bit weaker than the right side). We also talked about the marathon. He would prefer that I switch to the half-marathon, but I told him how important it is to me to do the full (Thomas is coming out here from Portland to run it with me), and he gave me the go-ahead.

I can start training on Monday, with a couple of rules--I cannot run two days in a row (I have to have at least one day of rest in between); I have to do a run/walk; and if I feel pain (not the normal twinges, but real pain) then I have to stop completely. If I feel any sort of pain that causes me to alter my gait or limp, then I need to stop running.

I'm going to take those stipulations very seriously. For now, I plan to follow a modified version of Jeff Galloway's marathon training plan. His plan calls for two 30-minute run/walks plus one long run/walk per week. His plan builds up the long runs very gradually over 30 weeks, but since I have just 18 weeks, I'm going to have to modify that part. Galloway's plan builds up to 26 miles in training, and I don't think I'll be able to do that--I'll be lucky to get up to 20. So, I hope that this run/walk method helps to keep me from getting injured again!

My plan for the marathon (if all goes well) is to run 2 minutes, and walk 30 seconds (and repeat for over four hours... yikes!). I'm certainly not counting on it, but there is still a tiny chance that I could PR the race this way. I would have to run at an 8:56 pace for each 2-minute segment, and walk at a 15:00 pace for each 30-second segment to finish in 4:15. I think that's definitely do-able, if I don't have any more problems with this injury! But even if I can't PR, I'll be grateful to just finish.

(Thomas showed me this awesome walk/run calculator... it will tell you what pace you have to do the running portions to hit a certain time goal. You input your walking pace, your ratio of running to walking, and what overall pace you want, and it will give you the running pace you need for those segments. I spent two days trying to come up with a formula to do this very thing, and when I asked Thomas for help, he told me it already exists--haha!)

I can't really make running plans beyond Monday, because I have no idea what's going to happen when I attempt to run/walk. I kind of forget what it's like to be a runner! ;) I'm looking forward to trying the Galloway method, though. I think it'll make the miles go by fast, because I'll be focused on just two minutes at a time. I think to start with, I am going to aim for a 1:1 ratio of running to walking (one minute each) for 30 minutes. If that feels okay, I may increase the running a touch and decrease the walking.

It was interesting to talk to Dave about running injuries. He said the people who are most likely to get injured are people who have been injured before. The knee injuries I had in 2012 could have thrown off my gait which eventually caused this stress fracture (there is no way to know for sure, but that's one theory).

We also talked a lot about shoes, because I'd sent him a link to my interview with Golden. He basically repeated what Golden told me: shoes are usually the first thing people blame when things go wrong, and the first thing people praise when things go well. Dave said that the shoes really don't matter as much as people think they do, and that what is most important is your running form. (Golden said that as well; the idea behind the Altras is that they improve your running form). If you have great running form with the shoes you're wearing, then you're not likely to get injured.

I left there feeling like I really want to get my left side up to par with my right side so that I'm symmetrical when I run. I'm going to do my PT exercises as prescribed, and hopefully, I'll see some good progress this summer.

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I went to Glenda's Friday meeting at Weight Watchers this morning. I had another (very small) loss on the scale, which makes four losses in a row--I'll take it!

We did a step-out-of-your-comfort-zone exercise, which felt awkward, but I think it was a great idea. We had to get into groups of four (with people that we don't know already). Then, we had to write compliments about one other person in the group (each of us wrote the compliments about the person to our right in our circles). I was sitting next to a woman named Jennifer, and I admired her outfit and her pedicure (she had purple sparkly nail polish).

The point of the exercises was that we should accept compliments and say "thank you" instead of brushing them off or denying them. I always used to be the person that denied compliments--I always had a reason why the compliment was "wrong", and instead of saying a simple "thank you", I said, "Oh, no, ____" and explained that it wasn't true. Someone pointed that out to me once, and I finally started to say "thank you" and believe it!

Glenda (my WW leader) wrote an article that was published in the Thinline magazine that is given out at Weight Watchers centers. So, if you're a member, make sure you check out her article! It's in this issue:

And the article is called "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"

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Jerry and I are having a date night tonight (it's been a while!) and I'm looking forward to it. I'm still on plan with Weight Watchers (today is Day 17)!

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Women Inspired (sponsored post)

I don't normally write sponsored posts (I've actually only done two sponsored programs in the 4+ years I've been blogging on Runs for Cookies), and I don't plan to start doing them on a regular basis; but when this opportunity from Prudential came along from BlogHer, I was very interested in pursuing it.

With this program, in July, I'll have the opportunity to learn from a financial advisor, which is something I've always been interested in. Money isn't as tight as it used to be a few years ago, but I am clueless as to how to plan for the future financially. We certainly have enough to get by, but we have very little savings, and I'd like some help in changing that! So, while this is a sponsored post (the first of three over the next few months), I am excited to learn from it.

For this post, I was asked to write about when I was inspired to be the person I am today. First, I have to look at who I actually am today. I am a person who loves setting and working on goals. I've always loved making checklists of goals that I wanted to accomplish, but it wasn't until I started to lose weight in 2009 that I really felt the confidence that I could really achieve what I put my mind to.

I made a list of 30 things that I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30 years old, and I included some pretty hefty goals on that list--things like reaching my goal weight, running a 5K race, stepping out of my comfort zone by wearing a very trendy outfit, learn to play the Turkish March on the piano, pay off my MasterCard (which was $5,000 at the time), and knit an afghan. Some of them were silly, and some were more serious, but they were all things that I wanted to accomplish over a period of about two years.

To give away the ending, I did not accomplish all of those goals--but that list was a huge part of who I am today! The biggest factor on the list was running the 5K race. If it weren't for my friend Renee, that goal probably would have been shelved right along with the others that I never did accomplish (like playing the Turkish March!).

Renee, a runner, saw my list and said she wanted to help me achieve that goal. The thought of running a 5K when I had never even run around my block was daunting--but I really would have been embarrassed to admit to her that I couldn't do it. Renee picked a race for us to do together (the Detroit Free Press 5K) and she helped me as I trained for it. I remember calling her after I ran for 8 minutes straight, and I was SO proud. She continued to encourage me, and eventually, we ran that race together. Running that 5K was just what I needed to achieve all sorts of other goals. I had done what I felt was impossible!

Achieving that goal was just what I needed to start working on other goals that I felt were impossible. Reaching my goal weight? Even though I included that on my list, I thought there was NO WAY IN HELL that I would actually do it. After the 5K, though, I started to reconsider that thought.

I finally realized that the goals that seemed impossible were actually possible when I made a plan. I couldn't just go out and run a 5K race one day--I had to follow a training plan and work my way up to it. I couldn't just knit an afghan one afternoon--I had to find a pattern, plan out the color scheme, figure out how much I needed to work on it each day to finish it in time, etc. I couldn't just pay off my MasterCard by writing a check for the full amount--I had to make a budget, and have a portion of money automatically set aside to pay that debt down.

Reaching my goal weight was the most difficult on the list, because it required a plan with a ton of variables, and a HUGE dedication on my part. But, thanks to that 5K, I was confident in going about tackling that goal. Prudential's mission with this program is to inspire women to their own financial security--this is a topic that I don't know very much about, but I'd love to learn.

I worry all the time about not just my own future, but that of Jerry (I want him to be able to retire and enjoy life) and my kids. I imagine this will involve setting some goals, making some temporary sacrifices, and having the dedication to follow through--the same formula that I used to reach those other goals on my list!

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Exhausted puppy

As I mentioned yesterday, I took Joey to Lucky Puppy (his doggy daycare) in the morning, and he spent the day there while Jerry and I did the field trips with the kids. We picked him up at around 5:00, and he was exhausted. As soon as he got home, he crashed on the floor and didn't move a muscle...

He actually looked at the couch like he was going to jump up there, but realized it would take too much energy, so he plopped himself on the floor. He always LOVES going to daycare--when we're in the car, and we start to get close to it, he gets so excited. They opened the pool for the dogs on Memorial Day, so he's been swimming as well as running around with the other dogs, and he gets completely exhausted. Buzzfeed just made a list of The 100 Happiest Dog Photos, and one of the pictures from Lucky Puppy's pool was on there:

Anyway, Joey laid like that all evening, and then I had to force him to go outside to pee before bed. Then I had to lift him up onto Eli's bed (where he sleeps), because he was too tired to jump. I don't know why I found it so funny, but it cracks me up that he plays so hard that he can't move for two days. He's been sleeping away the day today, too. I'm amazed at how tired he gets from a day of play, because when he was running with me (even 5 miles!) he still had energy to spare.

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I had to miss Weight Watchers this morning, because Noah graduated from D.A.R.E., and they had a little ceremony at school for it. My mom and I went to the ceremony. Noah got his certificate and t-shirt for completing the program.

I have a similar picture of him holding his preschool graduation certificate, and making the same face as he is in this picture. Yeesh! Where did the time go?!

I was a little disappointed that I had to miss my Weight Watchers meeting today, but I'll just plan to go to the Friday meeting instead. Tomorrow, I have a physical therapy appointment. I ran from the driveway to the front door this morning, and my leg was still painful where the stress fracture is. That worries me--I've already had to miss so many races over the last six months, I'll be really upset if I can't train for the Detroit Marathon. Hopefully, the PT will give me some good news tomorrow!

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Greenfield Village and La Pita

Even though Eli just had a field trip on Friday, he had ANOTHER one today... and so did Noah. Jerry and I both volunteered to chaperone (he for Noah, and I for Eli). The kids go to different schools, but their field trips were at the same place--The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village (the museum is indoors, and the village is outdoors).

I've been to the museum three times this year, so I just couldn't do it again, which is why I decided to do Greenfield Village with Eli. I took Noah there two years ago, and we thought it was pretty boring, but since I went with Noah, I thought it would be fun to do the same field trip with Eli.

Over the weekend, I asked my dad to look at my Jeep, because it felt strange when I drove it--almost like it was really windy, and rocking the Jeep a little (except there wasn't wind). My dad checked it out yesterday, and discovered that the ball joints were completely shot--he said I'm lucky they hadn't already broken completely, because that could cause a serious accident. Also, the brake pads and front tires needed replacing.

I'm so lucky that my dad is an auto mechanic, because I've saved a fortune over the years with car repairs (I get the "free labor" discount for being his daughter). The parts and tires were an unexpected expense, and along with replacing the weed wacker that was stolen, we were getting hit one after the other with these things this weekend, which is a bummer.

Anyway, my dad said that I absolutely should not drive the Jeep until I replaced the front tires, because they were completely bald. That was last night, and since Jerry and I both had to report to different schools this morning, it was a bit of a problem. I drove Joey to doggy daycare and dropped him off at 7:00 this morning (using Jerry's car). Then I went to Eli's school, and Jerry drove the Jeep a very short distance to Noah's school. After we got our "assignments" for the field trip, Jerry and I drove together in his car to Dearborn for the field trips.

Just like two years ago when I took Noah, there was almost a 1:1 ratio of parents to kids, so Eli was the only one in my group. That was nice, because we could do whatever interested him the most. Like me, Eli isn't very interested in history. We rode the train when we first got there, and then Eli played on a playground for a little bit. He was dying to go to the gift shop, of course ;)

On the train (I took a pic with Noah like this two years ago... now I see where
the 27 pounds I gained since then went! haha

After that, though, we decided to go out to lunch at La Pita, which was just a couple of minutes away. Jerry had other kids in his group at the museum, so he couldn't leave, but Eli's teacher told me we could leave whenever we were ready. So we decided to have lunch and then go back and pick up Jerry and Noah.

Today is the last day of my Weight Watchers week, so I wanted to use up the rest of my weekly PointsPlus. I had 26 PP remaining for the week, so I decided to get my favorite meal there: the chicken kabob lunch.

I estimated it as follows:
Chicken- 6 PP
Rice pilaf- 7 PP
Garlic sauce- 12 PP
Hummus- 7 PP
Pita bread- 2 PP each
Salad- 1 PP
A grand total of 35 PP for the entire meal. That seems so high! But the garlic sauce (the white stuff in the photo) is a huge chunk of that. It's counted the same as mayonnaise (3 PP per tablespoon) because it's basically oil and garlic.

I ate about 25 PP worth of the meal. I totally could have eaten it ALL, plus about five more pitas, but I am doing so good being back on track that I didn't want to screw that up! It was really delicious, and a healthy way to spend a big chunk of points (my other option was going to be a flurry).

I am THRILLED that I actually made it through two weeks on a binge-free streak and not going over my Weight Watchers Points!

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Motivational Monday #109

Ohmygosh... so many thanks to Jenny Yule, who commented on my last post, and helped me solve the issue with the Photos app! It was as simple as restarting my computer. I never restart my computer unless it's required for an update or something, so I hadn't tried that. But she had the same problem, and after Googling solutions, she figured it out. I'm so glad to have that headache over with ;)

It's been three weeks, so I'm going to jump right into the Motivational Monday shares...

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Christa recently completed her very first marathon! She finished the Delaware Marathon in 5:20:36. She had a goal of sub-5:00, but after training through the cold winter, the humidity on race day was much more difficult than she was used to (I know how that is, *ahem* Cleveland...); but she is very proud that she completed her goal of running a marathon!

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After losing about 50 pounds and 5 sizes, Diana completed her first half-marathon! She started tracking her food on My Fitness Pal last year, and ran her first 5K in September. In January, she made a goal to run the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon in May. She trained all winter, reaching a peak of 11 miles for her longest training run. The race was harder than expected--75 degree temps and very hilly--so the end was a struggle, but she pushed on and crossed the finish line in 3:30:42!

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Today, Ashley celebrates 8 months of her weight loss journey... and she's lost over 69 pounds! She's been running for 6 months, and just completed the Austin Autism 8K race in Texas. Her secret goal was to finish under an hour, and despite the mass flooding in Texas (which also prevented her family from being there, even though they wanted to), she finished in 54:56! She ran the race not just for herself, but on behalf of Zell, her boyfriend's son who has autism.

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Amanda just completed the Annapolis 10K! Her friend Michael, who ran the race with her, convinced her to sign up and train for it. She didn't have a time goal, but made a plan to run 3/4 mile and then walk 1/4 mile, and repeat for the duration of the race. She is proud to have finished in 1:17:41! Her next goal is to run the entire distance. She said that one thing she learned about this experience is that even though her weight isn't where she'd like it to be, she shouldn't let it stop her from doing something she wants to do.

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Brittany was on Motivational Monday in December after running her first 5K in 46:00. She continued to train, and has since lost 40 pounds! She just ran another 5K, and PR'ed with a time of 35:05. Her husband, who has lost 30 pounds and just started running last month, completed the race as well--even placing in his age group!

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During the last year and a half, Laura has lost 50 pounds and and 6 pants sizes! She did it on her own, by portion control, cutting out semi-daily stops for Mexican fast food, and a lot of running. She said she "mustered the courage to join a speed training group, enjoying the challenge of trying to keep up with the speed demons in compression socks" ;) She just completed her 21st race, a 5K--and set a PR of 29:50!

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Kaitlyn has just hit the eight month mark in her weight loss journey, and she's lost 34 pounds! She said that it's coming off slower than previous weight loss attempts, which is resulting in her sticking with it for the long haul. She's only creating habits that she could/would stick to for the rest of her life, which has broken the restrict/binge cycle (that so many of us are familiar with!). In August, she is going to be doing her first 5K!

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Congratulations everyone! You can check out more stories (and share your own) on the Motivational Monday Facebook post. Have a great week!

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