My rite of passage

We had some very strange weather in Michigan today. This morning, it was 60 degrees when I woke up! (In the evening, we ended up having a tornado watch, and the temp was in the high 60s). I actually wore capris and and a t-shirt to run. I only planned to do 4 miles today--same route as yesterday, only a little faster so that I could see what that did to all my numbers on my new Garmin. I've actually been looking forward to running each day so that I can learn something new about the watch!

Yesterday, I discovered that I could transfer my actual personal records from the computer to the watch, so that when it tells me I did my "Fastest mile" or "Fastest 10K" or whatever, it will actually be true; not just my fastest since getting the new Garmin.

One of the things I love about the new watch is that it picks up satellite signals super fast. I used to go outside and stand in my driveway for a minute or two, waiting... waiting... and then finally it would find satellites. The 620 has some sort of technology in it that it "remembers" where the satellites are when you shut it off, so when you turn it on again, it picks them up right away. I counted how long it took from the second I pushed the power button until the satellites were found, and it was 15-20 seconds each time; that was when I was standing in my house! I didn't even have time to make it outside to wait for the satellites.

It was really overcast this morning, so it seemed kind of dark for being 7:30 in the morning. There were lots of shotgun blasts on my left the whole way out on my out-and-back route. I just hope that the hunters obey the laws and don't get too close to the road! I usually hear a couple of shots, but today there were a ton.

After I turned around to head back, it started raining. The rain got heavier the farther I ran, and combined with the wind, it was pretty loud. I came up behind a couple of hunters carrying rifles on the side of the road--not something I come across every day. I made sure to announce myself, so I didn't get shot ;)

By the time I got home, I was really wet from the rain, but it was a good run.

I took a hot shower, and when I got out, I was drying my feet, and noticed my toenail was still looking strange. After the Chicago Marathon, my toenail (on the toe with the tattoo) developed a blister underneath it. I popped the blister right away, but ever since then, the nail seemed like it was sticking up farther than it should have. Whenever I got out of the shower, I'd press on it to make sure I wouldn't lose the nail. I'd never lost a toenail before, and even though it's really common among runners, I was scared to death of losing one!

So today, the edge of the nail looked strange and upon further inspection, I noticed it was loose! (I shudder just thinking of that). I gave it a gentle lift on that side, expecting to feel a searing pain like when you pull off a hang nail. It didn't feel like anything. And then the nail came off completely! My entire toenail came right off, and it didn't even feel like anything.

It wasn't at all what I expected. When I think of a toenail coming off, I pictured horrible pain, and raw skin, and blood... but it honestly looked like there was still a toenail on there. If it hadn't come off in my hand, I probably wouldn't have noticed. Losing a toenail is like a rite of passage for runners, and now I'm in the club! hahaha

I know a lot of runners just paint over it like they would a toenail, but I'm too freaked out to touch it, let alone paint it. So it'll just look like that for a while until I get a new nail, I guess!

---

It seems wrong to post about food after sharing way too much information about my toes. Anyway, yesterday my mom brought over a big container of cookies for Jerry to bring to work. They are probably my favorite cookies ever, but I've been doing really well staying on track, so I didn't want to eat any (I estimate them at 5 PointsPlus each, maybe even 6; and I can't eat just one!).

Almost as soon as my mom dropped them off, they were beckoning me. I couldn't stop thinking about them, so I finally decided to take them out to Jerry's car. That worked really well! Once they were in his car, I actually forgot about them for most of the day. If they had been in my kitchen, I surely would have dug into them.

This morning, Noah asked me if we could go to Panera for lunch. I suggested dinner, instead, so that Jerry could go with us. I love that my kids love Panera! It's pretty expensive to take the whole family there, so we don't do it often, but it's so good when we go. I had been planning to get Broccoli Cheddar soup, but when I got there, I saw that they had Country Style Mushroom with Truffle soup, which sounded really good, and was only 10 calories more than the Broccoli Cheddar. The woman working there offered to let me taste it, and after tasting it, I was sold on it. I love mushrooms! I got a bowl of the soup with a whole grain baguette.

The soup was 9 PointsPlus, and the baguette was 4 PP. It was really filling, and totally worth it!

Jerry and I are going up to Ann Arbor tomorrow, and I've been trying all week long to save up a few PointsPlus here and there so that I can get a brownie at Whole Foods. Remember the orgasmic Turtle Brownie I got with Jessica? I rarely go to Ann Arbor, but when I do, I always think of that brownie! I estimate that it's about 20 PointsPlus, so I may end up getting that tomorrow. If not that, then definitely some sort of treat. I haven't been to Whole Foods in probably a year or more. I'm mostly looking forward to spending the day with Jerry!

---

Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you've accomplished something brag-worthy this week, feel free to e-mail me a picture and a brief description to SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, with the subject "Motivational Monday"; I may include it in tomorrow's post!

Continue Reading...

It gets easier

A reader recently wrote me an e-mail asking a good question that I wanted to bring up here, in case anyone else was wondering. She was just starting to run here and there during her walks, and said when she would run, her lungs were burning and it was just miserable. She asked if I loved running right from the start, or did it take me a while before I enjoyed it? Also, does it get easier after a while?

I absolutely hated running when I first tried it! My lungs felt like they were on fire, and my legs felt so heavy. It was boring, and the time passed so slowly... I just couldn't even comprehend why anyone would CHOOSE to run. But I'd committed to running a 5K race with my friend Renee, so I was determined to stick it out. I planned to get through the 5K, and then never run another step for as long as I lived. Haha!

I had something like 8-10 months before the actual race, and figured it would take me that long to be able to run a 5K. But somewhere in those months, I started to love the feeling I got after a run; I loved talking about running; I loved trying to reach new goals of being faster or running farther; I loved reading about running. I also noticed that my lungs weren't burning like they had in the beginning, and my legs didn't feel like lead.

I loved that I could eat more on the days that I went for a run; I loved that I felt happier on the days that I'd run; I loved that running seemed to curb my appetite for a few hours; and I loved that I was doing something I never imagined was possible!

Just for fun, I looked up my blog post from the day I started the Couch to 5K program, to see what I wrote (the blog is no longer online). It made me laugh!

"I decided to start the Couch to 5K program today, and then when I finish that, maybe I could just run a couple of times a week for a few miles. I have no desire to be a full-fledged runner, but I'd be super proud to actually FINISH the C25K program."

And here's another quote from a couple of weeks later:

"I thought I was going to DIE--well, throw up, really--when I did the Week 3 Couch to 5K workout yesterday. It was really hard to do the 3-minute run. I'm so out of shape! I'm really dreading doing it again tomorrow. Hopefully it feels easier."

And a few days later:

"I quit the C25K today. I started Week 4, which is SO MUCH HARDER than Week 3. I made it through 3 of the running segments, but there was NO WAY I was going to be able to run another 1/2 mile. So I decided to kind of do my own walking/jogging thing. Since I ran a 6-minute segment today, I'm going to start with that and just add a minute or two every week. I'll walk 5, jog 6, walk 19 (to total 30 minutes). Then the next week, I might walk 5, jog 8, walk 17. etc. I think I could handle that. C25K has you DOUBLING your jogging segments, and I just can't do that. I had to slow my running pace from 5.0 mph to 4.5 just to get through the 6-minute segment I did."

I think it's so funny that I once said, "I have no desire to be a full-fledged runner..." At that time, I meant it. It's really interesting to read how far I've come since then! It's obvious that I've made progress, but to see the numbers and read my thoughts from back then just confirms it. I went from "no desire to be a full-fledged runner" and "feeling like I was going to die during a 3-minute run" to training for and running three full marathons.

I'm living proof that it does get easier! It certainly wasn't easy for me in the beginning, as you can see, but I had determination and discipline, which helped me get through the hard part. I'm really glad that I stuck it out in the beginning, because running has changed my life in more ways than I can count.

---

I made it through the infamous "Day 4" yesterday. I don't know why it is, but when I'm trying to consistently log my food and stay within my PointsPlus or calories range, the fourth day is always the hardest! I know if I can make it through the first four days, then I'm likely to keep going. I've stayed binge-free and logged my food for five days (by the time I am in bed tonight).

This morning, I was up at 5:00 again. I ended up making some tea and sitting in the living room with my book. I'm reading another book by Lisa Gardner--I've read quite a few of them since I picked up the first in the spring. That's really unusual for me; normally, I read one or two books a year. Over the summer and now into the fall, I've read her Detective D.D. Warren series, and now I'm almost through the Quincy and Rainie series.

I've been reading a lot lately, because ever since we got rid of cable, I haven't really watched TV at all. We have Hulu and Netflix, but most of the shows I used to watch aren't available on those, so I just haven't watched anything. I never really realized how much I would mindlessly turn something on (Food Network or Lifetime Movie Network) to watch while folding laundry or other chores.

I've noticed that the time passes so much faster when I'm reading than when I'm watching TV. It's helped me get through the evenings without constantly going to the pantry or refrigerator! ;)

Once it was light enough to go for a run this morning, I decided to head out for a short, easy run. I wasn't really sure how far I'd go, and I certainly didn't want to push the pace; it was nice outside, and I just wanted to enjoy the weather. (And, well, I wanted to use my new Garmin some more!)

I ended up deciding to run a four-mile out-and-back route. The weather was PERFECT for a run--36 degrees, overcast, and 0 mph wind. Today was one of those runs that I just truly enjoyed, even in the moment. When I got home, I was giddy to look at all my data :)

Continue Reading...

Love at first split

I was actually kind of excited to go out and run eight miles this morning, thanks to my new Garmin that arrived yesterday! I didn't even procrastinate; just headed out right after the kids left for school. It was pretty nice out this morning--a great morning for a run.

The first thing I noticed about the watch right out of the box was how light it is. It weighs next to nothing. When I got ready to run, I was a little frustrated at first, because I couldn't get the heart rate monitor to read on the watch. The manual says that the heart rate monitor is already paired with the watch, but when I turned on the watch, it just wasn't picking up the signal. I wasn't sure what to do about it, and I was pretty disappointed. I was about to just grab my old Garmin and go run with that, but I tried one more thing: "Add a device" on the watch, and it picked up the signal immediately. I guess the two weren't paired by the manufacturer. Now, there shouldn't be a problem.

The HR strap has a built-in accelerometer, which I am super excited about. It eliminates the need for a foot pod while using the treadmill or when GPS is turned off. It's extremely accurate, because it uses your outdoor data to automatically calibrate it for indoor use. The more you run, the more it "learns" about you and can predict your performance.

Anyway, once I got the heart rate monitor paired, I headed out. I pushed the start button and ran. I didn't have a goal pace or anything for today; my only plan was to run eight miles. I kept looking down at the watch, because it's so pretty and has so many cool numbers! ;)  I'd set up all four screens yesterday, so it displayed all the things that were important to me: distance, time, pace, average pace, lap pace, heart rate, etc.

The touch screen is going to be hard to get used to, I think, but I like it. I didn't have any problem using the touch screen with my gloves on. The screen isn't SO sensitive that an accidental bump would throw anything off; the only way to start and stop the workout is to push an actual button on the side of the watch.

Less than mile into the run, I heard a beep and a message popped up on the screen: "Recovery check: Good" or something like that. I wasn't sure what that was about, but the manual says, "The recovery check provides a real-time indication of your state of recovery within the first several minutes of a run." It's based on heart rate, and there is a "Recovery Advisor" that appears when the run is over. It tells you how much recovery time you should need after the workout you just did (anywhere from 6 hours to 4 days); it doesn't mean I shouldn't run in that time, it just means that is the amount of time I should wait before another "hard" run. Mine was 72 hours after today's run (I took the pic a couple of hours after running):

So after I ran the eight miles, I stopped the timer and then sat on the porch to go through the data. There was a cat sitting on my porch (not my cat!) and he was very friendly. He's been hanging around for several months now, but I think he belongs to someone. He was rubbing all over me while I was sitting on the porch, so I took a few pics of him:

I was really excited going through the data on my Garmin. First, a bunch of "records" popped up--my fastest mile, my fastest 5K, my fastest 10K, and my longest distance--because this was the first time I used the watch, I had a bunch of PR's ;)  So, for example, the fastest mile is shown below. When I run a mile faster than that, it'll show a new record.

Then I saw the basics of my run:

Distance, time, pace, calories, the usual... I was bummed to see the calories, because that seems so low to me! That's only 70 calories per mile. I'm going to see if I can find some more info online about how that number is calculated.

There was a ton of other data that was fun to look at:

The average heart rate and max heart rate are self-explanatory. The "TE" is "training effect", which is the impact the exercise has on your aerobic fitness, shown on a scale of 1-5 (based on heart rate). The cadence is the number of steps per minute--ideally, it would be around 180. Vertical oscillation is the amount of bounce while you're running, measured in centimeters--mine was 10.5, which is average. I was curious to see how the cadence would compare with the data from my foot pod. It was identical! So the accelerometer inside of the heart rate strap is just as accurate (if not more so) than the foot pod.

I love that the Garmin shows your VO2 Max. VO2 Max is a number that defines your body’s maximum ability to transport and utilize oxygen during exercise. Basically, higher is better. For a female, 30-39, 44 (my reading) is "excellent", so that's pretty awesome! But this was just based on ONE run, so that could change pretty significantly after I've run a few more times. I guessed it was around 39-40, based on some online calculators, which is in the "good" range. It's hard to see in the pic, but there is a band of different colors around the edge where the VO2 Max is shown. The colors represent Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent, and Superior (from left to right); you can see the white line is where mine falls.

The VO2 Max is used for the Race Predictor on the watch, also, which I am excited about! Again, this was just based on ONE run, so it's probably not accurate yet. After I run a few more times, the watch will "learn" more, and it will be more accurate. But here are my race predictors based on today's run:

It's pretty interesting, because those are very close to the goals I have set for the spring! My 5K goal is sub-24, my 10K goal is sub-49:23, Half goal is sub-1:50 (and I have no plans for a marathon).

My watch was connected (via bluetooth) to my iPhone, so all of the data automatically uploaded to my phone! There is a Garmin Connect app that displays all of the data (with cool charts, of course).

Because the info was uploaded onto the Garmin Connect app on my phone, when I logged into my account on the computer, the info was already there. So easy! With the Garmin 910xt, I would have to use a little ANT+ stick in the USB port on my computer to download the info from my Garmin (that was the thing I lost in Key West, and had to buy a new one!).

There is a new little section on the website that shows the Running Dynamics:

It even shows ground contact time (the amount of time your foot is touching the ground) in milliseconds! I have no idea what to do with that information, but it's fun to know ;) 


So, it's safe to say that it was definitely love at first split with my Garmin 620! I'm super excited to get some more runs on there so I can see how it affects the VO2 Max and the race predictions. I'm also really excited to try it out on the treadmill and see how accurate it is. There is WAY too much info to get into a lot of detail in here, but DC Rainmaker did a VERY in-depth review of the watch. I always learn new things when reading his reviews! (Also, he has a coupon code for 10% off, just FYI; I ordered mine through his link).

Continue Reading...

A new toy!

On this Thursday last year, I wrote a post called "'Till I Collapse", after I reached two big milestones during a training run: I ran a sub-26:00 5K, which was a HUGE goal of mine for a long time, and I ran my first sub-8:00 mile. I was so happy and excited!

Since I'm following last year's runs as a sort-of schedule for the next couple of weeks, today was a big day to beat. I wanted to beat my 5K time from last year as well as run the third mile under 8 minutes. I haven't run a sub-8:00 mile outside in a long time! I was actually pretty nervous, even though it was just a training run.

After I got the kids off to school, I dressed in my running clothes and headed out. My plan was to try and stick as closely to my splits from last year as possible, beating them by just a second or two. Last year's splits were 8:31, 8:34, and 7:54.

Because I was nervous, I started out way too fast, which is always a mistake. I caught myself about a quarter mile in, and forced myself to slow down. The first mile wasn't too bad; tough, but I was just thinking about how much tougher it was going to feel during the third mile! My first mile was done in 8:18, so I slowed down some more. I wanted to save as much energy as I could to try and hit sub-8:00 for the third mile.

Second mile was done in 8:29. Perfect! As soon as I heard my Garmin beep after the second mile, I picked up the pace. At first, it really didn't feel as hard as I expected it to. My pace was about 7:45, and I felt good! But that mile felt like the longest mile of my life. It kept feeling harder and harder to hold that pace. When I hit mile 3, I kept running hard to finish off the 0.11. My neighbor was outside, and must have thought I was ridiculous; I flew by him, then stopped in front of my house, gasping for breath. He said "Good morning!" and I could barely give a wave. I was exhausted. But I had done it!

I spent the rest of the morning updating the "Favorite Things" page on my blog (finally). I've been meaning to add some things on there for a long time, and I just hadn't taken the time to get it done. I have a few other pages that I need to update, so I'll hopefully get that done soon.

The kids had asked me to take their allowance money and go buy them a Rainbow Loom and more rubber bands today for their bracelet-making. They've been making SO many bracelets! They haven't even touched the TV or video games this week--I love that they found something creative to do that doesn't involve electronics. So I went to the craft store this afternoon to pick them each up a loom and some of the bands. I ran into Renee, who happened to be there for the exact same things! Her son wanted a loom, too. I think it's so funny that my kids are so excited about making these bracelets. They spent the whole evening like this:

When I got home from the craft store, Jerry told me that I had "very special" package arrive in the mail. It was MY NEW GARMIN!! I tore into the box to check it out, and read the quick start manual. I played around with the watch a little bit, but I won't really get to try out the features until I run tomorrow. I love the orange/white color combo.

I printed out the owner's manual and I'm going to spend some more time looking at it tonight, and getting it set up for tomorrow's run. Tomorrow's post is going to be VERY nerdy! ;)

Today marks the two-year anniversary since my lower body lift surgery. I cannot believe it's been two years already! I am still VERY happy with the results, and I wouldn't change a thing. My scar is very faded, and I haven't had any complications. When I look in the mirror, I still admire that my stomach is flat (well, for the most part... after Halloween, it's a little puffy! haha).

It's kind of interesting... ever since my surgery, the first place I notice a weight gain of even a couple of pounds is in my stomach. I kind of like that, because there is no such thing as being in denial about a few pounds. I can clearly see a gain when it happens, and that's usually what kicks me back into weight loss mode.

Speaking of which, today was day three of staying on track. I'm really determined to get back to 133 before December 12th!

Continue Reading...

Post-Halloween weigh-in

Oh, boy. I really didn't want to post my weigh-in today! Last week, I didn't post one, and a few people asked about it. Thank you for that, by the way! It keeps me accountable even when I really don't want to be ;)

Having the kids' Halloween candy in the house threw me way off track, and it's been such a huge struggle to get back on. My kids were very generous with their candy, and I probably ate just as much as they did. Since then, my weight has been hovering around 140-142... which is up from 135 just over 3 weeks ago! Today's weigh-in:

I went the entire summer without seeing the 140's, so I'm bummed to see that again. But to be honest, I am surprised it's not much higher. After the amount of Halloween candy I ate, I felt like my weight should have been in the 150's or 160's. I do know how easily 5 pounds turns into 10, which turns into 20, and I don't want that to happen. So as badly as I didn't want to weigh-in today, I did. 140.5. And hopefully next week, I'll be safely back in the 130's.

The one year anniversary of reaching my goal weight of 133 is on December 12th--a month away. I would LOVE to see 133 again on that day, so I'm keeping that in mind. I don't really have any room for error, so I have to stay on track. Surprisingly, the holidays aren't a problem for me. I'm not a big Thanksgiving dinner person, and we only go to one or two holiday parties throughout the season. I don't bake, because that's way too dangerous for me. I usually don't have a problem losing weight over the holidays; so let's hope this year is the same!

I came down with a bit of a cold on Sunday after the half-marathon. Nothing serious, but I haven't been feeling my best the past couple of days. With the exception of my runs, I've been resting a lot. Yesterday and today, I spent most of the day reading a book under my electric blanket, sipping hot tea, with Estelle curled up on my lap.

She loves the electric blanket almost as much as I do. Every time I sit down, she jumps right up on my lap; if I have my computer on my lap, she gets annoyed that it's invading her space, and she plops herself right on the keyboard.

I didn't really have a plan to run today, but because I took Monday off (the day after the half-marathon), I decided to just go out and run three miles at an easy pace. I went out at 1:30 in the afternoon, and with the wind chill, it was in the low-30's. The wind was pretty brutal!

I did a three mile out-and-back, but when I was about a quarter mile from home, I decided to take a detour to my parents' house. My mom just received a whole bunch of fabric from a friend, and she told me I could take whatever I wanted, so I went over there to browse through it. There was a TON of it. Her friend, who was a quilter, passed away early this year. Her husband was just going to throw away everything, and my mom said she'd like it, so he gave it to her--a sewing machine, lots of notions, and boxes upon boxes of fabric.

It was fun going through the fabric, and I put together a good-sized bag to go back and pick up from her later (it would have been awkward to carry while I ran!). I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to make with it, but I love to sew, so I'm sure I'll come up with some projects.

I left my parents' house, and ran the rest of the way home, so my total ended up being a little over four miles, rather than three.

I noticed the past few times I've run outside, that there is a problem with my Garmin getting a little foggy spot in the center of it. That's never happened before (with any of my Garmins), and it makes me wonder if the seal is broken or something. Anyone else have that happen? I tried to get a picture, but the spot was almost gone by the time I grabbed my phone.

It's the little spot between the 09 and 09.

Speaking of my Garmin, I got a very exciting e-mail yesterday... my Garmin Forerunner 620 has been shipped!! I pre-ordered it a few months ago, and I've been super excited for it to be released. It'll be here just in time for my winter training plan. I'm really excited to try out all the new features!

Continue Reading...

November 12

We actually got snow last night! The kids and I were in the living room with the blinds shut during the evening, and when I was locking up the house before bed, I noticed that the ground was covered in snow. I love cold weather, but I really don't like snow. It stuck around all night and half of the day today. It just feels too early for snow!

This morning, I woke up again at 4:50. I'm so tired of waking up before 5:00! There is no need for me to get up before 7:00, but I can't sleep in for the life of me. I laid in bed this morning, trying to fall back asleep, before I finally decided to get out of bed at 6:00 and run on the treadmill. If I was going to be up that early, might as well be productive!

I'm not following a particular running schedule until my winter training starts on the 25th, but I've actually been using last year's runs as a mock-schedule. I just look at what I did on this day last year, and do the same run. These are last November's runs. When I tap on the particular day, I can see my pace and map of where I ran, and all that.

Since someone is sure to ask, this app is called
"LogMyTraining Pro"; I like it because I can sync
it with my Garmin.

So on this particular Tuesday last year (the 13th), I ran 3 miles in 26:59. So today, I decided to run 3 miles in 26:59 or less. There is no real purpose for copying last year's runs! I just needed some direction until the 25th.

I set the treadmill at an 8:45ish pace to start, and then during the last mile, I kept increasing the speed just to get done faster. I really picked it up for the last half mile or so, and ran at a 6:58 pace for the last two-tenths of a mile, just to see if I would have a heart attack ;)

After showering, and getting the kids off to school, I made breakfast. I got this box of Breakfast On the Go! from Kroger for one of their Free Friday coupon downloads (they have a coupon every Friday for a free item). I figured that since today is Taste Test Tuesday, might as well give it a try. I chose to get the Apples & Cinnamon flavor.

I peeled and chopped an apple, sprinkled it with cinnamon, and then microwaved it for a couple of minutes until it was soft. Then I topped it with the Breakfast On the Go! packet and a drizzle of almond butter.

The whole thing was 7 PointsPlus, and it was very satisfying. The Breakfast On the Go! is really just like a granola--oat clusters with dried fruit and nuts (in this case, it was apple pieces, raisins and almonds). It's very crunchy, which goes good with the soft apple.

The packet was 5 PointsPlus, which seems like a lot for such a small amount, but granola is always high in calories. I rarely eat just a bowl of granola and milk, like I would cereal, because of the small serving size; but when bulked up with an apple and some almond butter, it went a long way.

---

I don't know why I feel like this is worth mentioning, but today is the three year anniversary of when I broke my jaw. It was a very significant event in my life--I tend to think of everything in terms of "before I broke my jaw" and "after I broke my jaw".

The whole jaw incident was just so strange! I'd never broken a bone in my entire life; nor had I ever fainted. And then November 12, 2010 happened. The whole long story is here, but basically, I put Noah to bed and then became extremely nauseous and dizzy. I started to walk to the bathroom, thinking I was going to throw up. Next thing I knew, I woke up face-down on his floor, my face in a puddle of blood. There was a hole in my lower lip and in my chin (where the bone had punctured through) and my jaw was horribly misaligned in several spots.

My mom took me to the hospital, where I spent six days, having two surgeries. I'd broken my jaw completely through in five places. The doctors were never able to tell me why I fainted, but they believe it was because of my low blood pressure. Strangely enough, I don't associate my jaw incident with bad memories; I actually have really good memories from that time!

I learned just how much my family loves me. I've had depression ever since I was a kid, and I always kind of felt like a misfit in my family, like I wasn't good enough to belong. They never gave me any reason to feel that way; I think a lot of it had to do with my weight (I was the only overweight one).

But when I broke my jaw, my whole family immediately pulled together to do whatever I needed, without my having to ask for anything. I wrote about it all in detail here, but to put it simply, they were fantastic! I still can't even think (or write) about this without crying. I just feel like it made my family so much closer.

My friends were amazing during that time, too: picking up my kids from school, chauffeuring them around (I couldn't drive), making dinner for my family, coming to visit me to keep me company, etc. They didn't wait for me to ask for help; they just took charge and said did it, which was such a relief to me.

So, I think the reason November 12th is such a significant day for me is because I was finally able to open my eyes and see how much everyone really cares for me. In the peaks of my depression, I used to think that nobody would even bat an eye if something happened to me. The whole incident with my jaw made me realize how wrong I was.

It was also my jaw surgery that led to my skin removal surgery. Prior to breaking my jaw, I was terrified of anesthesia, and wouldn't even consider skin removal surgery. After my jaw surgeries, which weren't exactly optional, I was over my fear and I started the process of finding a surgeon. Almost a year to the day after my first jaw surgery was when I had my lower body lift, which has been life changing (in a good way) as well!

Continue Reading...

Motivational Monday #40

I want to start by wishing a Happy Veteran's Day to all the men and women who have served or are serving our country. I am SO grateful, and I thank you for your service!! This is a picture of my "little" brother, Nathan, who joined the Army shortly after 9/11/01. He spent three years in Iraq! I'm so happy that he is home safe now :)

Today is also Motivational Monday, and there are some great stories to share. The highlight of my week was definitely yesterday's half-marathon. I felt SO good through the whole race, and it made me excited to do some more races in the spring.

I'm still struggling to stay on track for more than a day or two at a time. I go through phases like this sometimes, and it makes me feel hopeless for a while! I'm trying my best, but it's a daily battle. I always love Motivational Monday, because I feel hopeful going into the week :)

---

Blaine:

"About six months ago, I was feeling super tired and sluggish every day, work was getting hard to go to, my stress level was through the roof, and I knew I had to do something. I remember hearing your story on the Today Show a few months before and thought I would look your story up. Oh, boy, did it motivate me. I started doing daily walk/runs barely able to run a tenth of a mile, but slowly I built up my tolerance. The first time I ever ran a mile without stopping, I cried. Never in my life have I been able to run a mile.

I then decided to sign up for a 5k to have something to build toward. I ran that 5k about a month ago and the day I ran it I signed up for a 10k. Over the past month I had horrible runs, extra stress at work, and almost didn't show up for the race this weekend. Again, people I don't know motivated me to finish. The night before the race, I was at a birthday party and people were asking me why I wasn't drinking. I told them I had a race in the morning, and their encouragement made me show up for the race. It was freezing, but I went. I had three goals in mind: 1) don't die, 2) don't walk, and 3) don't finish last. I beat all three of my goals and most importantly, I beat the girl I was 6 months ago--barely able to get out of bed to go to work. So far I've lost 45 pounds and I owe my initial motivation all to you and your blog, so thank you for inspiring me. I'm going to tackle a half marathon in the spring, and I'm so excited to do it."

---

Chris:

"On Saturday night, my sister, boyfriend and I put our ten months of training to the test and ran the Walt Disney World Wine and Dine Half Marathon. When I started running in January, I couldn't run a minute without feeling panicky and out of breath. I trained using Couch to 5K and eventually ran a 5K, then another.  I signed up for the half with my supportive sister and boyfriend. We trained faithfully using Jeff Galloway's program. In the process, I lost 50 pounds!"

---

Cindy:

"I had my first 10K this weekend! I still cannot believe I ran 6.27 miles at once. I've been on motivational Monday before for a 5K and my first triathlon in August. I am starting to believe I am actually a runner.  It was about 1.5 hours after I finished that I said aloud that I would enjoy doing another 10K. LOL!  My goal was 1 hour 20 minutes and I finished in 1:19:46!!"

---

Jennifer:

"On Sunday, I accomplished something that 11 months ago I hadn't even joked of attempting--a full marathon. I started the Couch to 5k plan at New Year's, and continued to their 5k to 10k plan, then on to a half, then a full!"

---

Lisa:
"I ran my second half marathon yesterday, with a time of 2:04, beating my previous best of 2:11!  It was the "All Women & One Lucky Guy Half."  There were 770 women in the race and they choose ONE guy through a $5 lottery (money goes to charity) to run.  He won for his division!  It was COLD and windy and damp.  I couldn't feel my fingers after mile 4 or so.  When they handed me my pretty pink heart-shaped medal, I dropped it because I couldn't grip anything.  Luckily they had hot soup at the finish line!  I'm freezing and drenched in sweat and can barely stand or hold my medal in this picture, but I'm thrilled that I finished!  I've always been a wimp about the weather, so this was a huge challenge for me."

---

Pam:

"I beat a 9-year old 5k PR this weekend! Went from 32:26 to 31:41! Set that old PR in January 2005 when I'd just turned 30, and considering I'm now staring down 40, I'm pretty happy with that."  (Pam's race report)

---

Janelle:

"I started seriously running in July. A hot July. I'm talking over 100 degrees. I don't know what I was thinking but I just kept pushing myself to go out and run. I was running 11:00-11:30 miles. Usually 2.5-3 miles at a time.  And it was hard and HOT!

The next month I pushed myself to run more frequently than the previous month. And I kept improving my time. My goal for October was to run 50 miles. I did it. In fact, I ran 62 miles for the month. My other goal was to run a sub 30 5k. By this time I was running a 5k very regularly (4-5 times per week) but I just couldn't meet my time goal.  Each time I ran I got so close and then one day IT HAPPENED! I ran a sub-30 5k and every day I'm getting faster. I can now run a 28:20 5k and its not even that hard for me anymore.

Just a couple months ago I was only running a couple miles at a time. Then I got good enough to run a 5k several times a week, but I just couldn't figure out how to run over a 5k. I just couldn't imagine running 4 miles. I've now done it several times. And today I ran over 6 miles. I can hardly believe it.

And the thought that keeps running through my mind when things get tough is something you brought up a few weeks ago. It was the sign you saw that said "remember when you thought you couldn't do this?" Well, it wasn't so long ago that I didn't think I could do this-any of this-run 5 days per week, run a 5k, run a sub 30 5k, run 4 miles, run 6 miles. But I'm doing it. And my self esteem is improving a little bit at a time.  And I keep wondering how fast I could be if I got rid of the extra 40 pounds I'm carrying around. And I keep wondering that if I can run 6 miles then maybe I can run a half marathon. And I hope someday in the next year I will look back on how far I've come and think "remember when I thought I couldn't do this?""

---

Stacy:

"For the last several weeks I have been eating right and walking everyday.  As a result I was able to do a 13-mile bike ride with my husband on Saturday without NEEDING to stop (except for the occasional photo-op or red light).  The last time we rode, last spring, I had an emotional break-down half way through and couldn't even ride 5 minutes without taking a break.  I felt great the whole way through!   I think that's pretty impressive for being 285 lbs (and dropping)."

---

Congrats to everyone this week--you are truly motivating! Feel free to check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post for some more stories.

Continue Reading...

Monroe Half Marathon race report

The wind was howling all night long, so I was imagining the worst for today's half-marathon. The sound of the wind was actually what woke me up at 4:50, so I just got out of bed and got ready for the race pretty early. The race didn't start until 8:00, but it was only a few miles from my house, so I didn't even leave until 7:25. I loved being able to use my own bathroom before a race instead of a porta potty!

My goal for this race was to pace "That Loud Redhead", Stephanie, to her goal of under 2:10. That's a 9:55/mi pace, which normally I would find pretty easy, but I was feeling a little worried under the pressure. The farthest I've run since the Chicago Marathon was 10 miles, and that was a couple of weeks ago. Also, I've been struggling a lot lately during my runs, even at what should be an "easy" pace. Anyway, I was confident I could do it, I just didn't know if I would feel good while doing it ;)

When I got to the starting line, I was surprised how many people showed up! For a very small town, and the first year of this race, there was a great turnout. It was cold and windy, but not horribly so. I wore Cold Gear tights, a long-sleeved tech shirt, a fleece pullover, a sparkle skirt (so it would be easy to spot me), ear warmer headband, and gloves. I was cold before the race, but I knew I dressed well for the weather.

While I was looking for Stephanie, someone came up to me and introduced herself as Elisa. She's  a blog reader, and had e-mailed to let me know she'd be there. I chatted with her for a few minutes (she ran the Detroit Marathon as well, AND the Indy Marathon last weekend... and let's not forget a 5K AND a 10K yesterday!). I wish I'd thought to take a picture; I always forget about it until I'm writing my blog posts.

I found Stephanie, and walked with her toward the starting line. I also saw Renee, Jessica, and Andrea, who were running the half as well. I spotted Emma, a friend of mine who was running her FIRST half this morning. And finally, I saw Dean, from my Ragnar SoCal team, who I just met in person a couple of weeks ago. It was fun seeing so many familiar faces!

When the race started, we were on a fairly narrow path in the park. It was kind of crowded for a quarter mile or so, and at first, I felt like we were going way too slow; but the Garmin showed a pace in the 9:40's, which is actually faster than planned.

Let me preface this by saying I'm a terrible pacer! I *should* have run 9:50-9:55/mi, no matter what Stephanie was doing or how she was feeling. But she seemed to be doing so well that I just kind of let her set the pace for the first half of the race, and it ended up being in the 9:40's. I mentioned a couple of times we may want to slow down, but otherwise, I was basically just along for the ride.

After the first half, though, I could see that her pace had slowed a little, and I worried that the 9:40's were too fast in the beginning. Even though I could tell it wasn't "easy" for her, she was doing just fine in the low-9:50's. Jerry and the kids were at miles four and eight to cheer us on. Jerry was as loud and "annoying" as ever, which Stephanie and I both appreciated ;)

My parents were volunteering for the race by pointing runners in the right direction about a mile in. My mom made a bunch of signs that she passed out to spectators, and we saw those along the course.

I could tell when Stephanie was really starting to struggle, because she stopped saying "thank you" to all the volunteers. She had made it a point to say "thank you" to every single volunteer along the course, and once we got to the last four miles or so, she stopped talking altogether. I know that feeling well! When I first start a race, I feel great and say "thank you" and yell to people I know; but once I hit that point of ohmygodwhenwillthisbeover, it's all I can do to RUN, let alone talk.

I was worried! I kept thinking about what I would do if she insisted that she had to slow down. Should I slow down with her? Keep running for a 2:10 finish, no matter what? Push her and insist she can do it?

Thankfully, that never happened! Stephanie is a total trooper, because she stuck to her pace, even when she was super tired, and she had a super strong will to get that sub-2:10. The last couple of miles, I was trying to think of something--anything--to say in order to get her to the finish line while keeping pace. She wasn't saying a word in response, so I knew she was giving it everything she had (again, I've been there, and I know that feeling!).

We took a final turn and saw the clock had just turned over 2:09, so she'd done it! We crossed the finish line in 2:09:04.

I actually got a little choked up afterward. I knew how much it meant to her to hit that goal, and I was so proud and excited that she did it!

We talked to our other friends about how they did (it seems everyone had a great race!). Then I was on the lookout for Emma. She was hoping to finish in 2:40, and Jerry said he thought she looked like she was struggling a little on the course. I knew she was running alone, so I decided to run backwards along the course (not "run backwards", but run the course in the wrong direction...), to find Emma and then run with her to the finisher's chute.

Did I mentioned I felt FANTASTIC throughout the entire race, and afterward? Yep, I was thinking I'd have to run about a mile or two back to find Emma, and then run the rest of the way with her, and my legs were totally telling me to go for it. So off I went, running in the wrong direction.

Emma was doing great, and she was way ahead of her pace! I only went back about half a mile before I caught up to her. I ran with her until the finisher's chute, and then I stepped off the course to wait, so I didn't actually "finish" twice. She ended up finishing in 2:35, a full 5 minutes ahead of what she thought she'd do!

Today's race boosted my spirit SO much. It was awesome to be able to run with Stephanie to help her reach her goal. Also, I am absolutely amazed at how great my body feels. I honestly felt like I could have run the whole course a second time. (I'm sure that's the last thing Stephanie wants to read! haha). My heart rate was pretty low through the whole race, and my legs never got tired. I guess maybe my body took more of a beating than I thought in Chicago, and even though I took eight days off of running afterward, I must have needed more time to get back to normal. Today, I felt normal--better than normal, even--and it's an awesome feeling!

I really loved this race, and I hope that Stacie (the race director) decides to do it again next year. The course was awesome, and very pretty this time of year. It went through downtown Monroe, as well as the State Park. It's super flat, which is what I'm used to. The only issue was that the course went over railroad tracks. That didn't affect Stephanie and me, but Emma said that she just missed a train.

When I picked up my packet yesterday, I ran into Stacie, and we made plans to get together for coffee after the race today. I hadn't seen her in forever, so it was fun to catch up. We just went to Tim Hortons and chatted for a while. I wanted to hear all about how the race went from her side, and I'm still just so stunned at the amount of work that goes into directing a race.

There were a couple of big issues during the race (one of them was the train, the other was that about 10 people from the 5K made a wrong turn because a volunteer pointed them in the wrong direction). Three of the people from the 5K were extremely angry, and yelled at her, but she took it very well. Stuff happens! Overall, though, she got very positive feedback about the race, and she plans to do it again next year. I definitely want to volunteer next year, and possibly even be part of the planning committee. Stacie put in SO much work, and it's all on a volunteer basis. All of the profits from the race went to the Special Olympics, and she was happy with the amount of money that was earned.

---

Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a fitness/health accomplishment you'd like to share this week, you can send a picture and a short description to my e-mail: slimkatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, and I may include it in tomorrow's post!

Continue Reading...

A guest post from Caitlin, who lost over 200 pounds!

Last month, when I ran the Chicago Marathon, I was lucky enough to meet up with someone I had "met" online, through this blog. Her name is Caitlin, and she'd e-mailed me a little over a year ago, after completing her first marathon. She mentioned that she'd lost "well over 100 pounds", and became a runner. She showed interest in running a Ragnar, and when John and I put together a Ragnar SoCal team recently, I invited her to join.

I didn't know much about her, but from what I did know, it seemed we had quite a bit in common. After she committed to our Ragnar team, I learned she was going to be running the Chicago Marathon; so naturally, I suggested we meet up!

Caitlin and I at the Chicago Marathon expo

It's very rare for me to feel comfortable around a total stranger; usually, I feel like an awkward mess. But as soon as I met Caitlin, I immediately liked her; she is extremely sweet, generous, and humble. As I learned more about her, I grew nothing short of amazed by her story. The "well over 100 pounds" that she lost? That would actually be 238 pounds!! She was very nervous to go public with her story, so I'm excited that she agreed to step way out of her comfort zone to share this with you. Enjoy, and feel free to leave her a kind comment if you'd like :)

---

"In August 2009, I weighed close to 400 lbs.  Not many people in my life know just how heavy I was; looking at me, they could tell I was big, but I never let anyone know the exact number. Even now I really don't want to write it: 383 pounds!

For as long as I can remember I had been overweight.  I remember feeling self conscious about it starting in 4th grade.  I played sports when I was younger, so even though I was heavy, I was not obese.  I stopped playing sports in middle school when some of my friends told me that I ran "funny", and would never be able to make the cut for the high school sports teams.  So I went from being somewhat active to pretty much totally sedentary, other then the dreaded gym classes at school.

There was no medical reason for my weight; I just ate too much, and didn't move enough.  I have always enjoyed cooking, especially baking, and loved to eat the fruit of my labor.  In high school I went on my first diet--a self created one of far too few calories and way too much exercise.  I dropped over 30 pounds but quickly gained it back as I was miserable and hungry all the time.

Throughout high school, I tried different diets and had a gym membership I used sporadically, but I continued to gain weight.  When I graduated high school I was a size 22/24.  I couldn't tell you what I weighed, because I refused to get on a scale.

I went to my college orientation and remember being so embarrassed about my size.  I have always been shy and more of an introvert, so I had trouble meeting new people, and my weight made it even worse.  I overheard one of my roommates saying something about how she knew she would be stuck with the "fat, pathetic girl".  I decided not to attend that college and took a year off.

In that year of staying home, while all my friends from high school were away at college, I gained even more weight.  I didn't know what to do with myself outside of a part-time desk job.  I attended a college closer to home, so I could commute and avoid a lot of the social situations that made me so uncomfortable.

I knew I was eating too much and I knew I was far larger than most people (including my four brothers!).  Other members of my family struggled with their weight, but I was, by far, the largest.  I tried different diets; would join, then quit, the gym; and remained miserable.  I was in my 20s and supposed to be out living my life but instead I was hiding from everyone I knew. I wouldn't even attend most family events because I was so ashamed of myself.

There was no big "Ah-ha" moment for me, and no health crisis, but in August 2009, I decided I had to change my life; otherwise, I would never change.  I changed my diet, but rather than a radical overhaul, I decided to make gradual changes.  I set my daily calorie limit to 1400 and stuck to it. I totally eliminated soda--I had been drinking 4+ cups a day.  I did not want people to see me exercising so I bought the Biggest Loser DVDs, and would walk in a cemetery near my home.  I knew working out at the gym did not work for me.

Over the first five months, I lost over 60 pounds and had worked my way up to walking 8 miles every single day.  I wanted to incorporate more vegetables into my diet; I ate a salad every night at dinner and had lettuce and onions on my sandwich for lunch, but thought I could include more.  I starting cooking (and still do) things like Quinoa Zucchini Casserole, Farro with ground turkey and vegetables or homemade chicken vegetable soup with healthy grains like wheat berries, brown rice and farro rather than pasta.

I came up with a rotation of healthy meals that I loved--I cook a big batch, divide it into servings, and have my meal ready all week long. Throughout 2010 I continued my daily walking, DVDs, and added weight lifting routines I had found in various fitness magazines.  I also started to incorporate brief bursts of running in my walking--making sure the no one was around when I did, because the comments from my friends still echoed in my head.

I fell in love with running, and kept increasing the distance until I had run a full mile.  Once I hit 170 pounds, I plateaued; I could not get my weight to go down. I was running a couple miles at a time, and working up to more, but my weight would not budge.  My brother suggested I try P90X, and while I did not think I would be able to keep up with it, I committed to the 90 day routine.

I fell in love with P90x, and although it was the hardest thing I had ever done I stuck with it.  By December 2010, I had hit what was my goal of 155 pounds; but I was still miserable, because I had loose skin on my arms, stomach, chest, and legs. I felt like a giant deflated balloon.  I refused to wear t-shirts or shorts because I was so embarrassed of the excess skin.

I also still could not see myself as a "normal weight" person; with all the skin hanging off my body, I still felt huge. I looked into skin removal surgery, but it was expensive, and I was nervous about having surgery.

I continued running. My older brother convinced me to enter a 5K, and I finished in just under 30 minutes and fell in love with racing. In September 2011, I ran my first half-marathon, and loved it!  I decided to try again in November 2011, and after learning more about half-marathon running, managed to shave 16 minutes off my time.

In late 2011, after maintaining my weight loss for almost a year, I met with a surgeon, and scheduled my surgery for January 2012. I had the surgery (the doctor removed 12 pounds of skin from my body!!!) and after a long recovery, resumed my running in April of 2012.  I ran two more half marathons that year, and entered a lottery for a full marathon, figuring if I was selected, then it was "meant to be".

I was selected, and ran my first marathon in October of 2012. After completing the marathon, I wrote Katie to tell her how inspirational I found her. I had originally found her blog when researching skin removal surgery, and continued reading. I was following her marathon training while training for mine.

I am so glad I sent that email, because she invited me to join the Ragnar SoCal team--getting to know 11 new amazing people! I love to enter and run races. I ran my second marathon in Chicago last month, and have done mud runs, half-marathons and 10Ks.  I am trying to get up the nerve to do a Tough Mudder but jumping into dumpsters of ice water and possibly being shocked by live wires has deterred me so far!

I have maintained my weight of 145 lbs since recovering from surgery - maintenance isn't always easy, but if my weight goes up by more than 2 pounds I look at what I have been doing and adjust so I do not continue to gain.  I taught myself healthy habits throughout my weight loss journey, and continue with them today.  Running and P90X have given me much more confidence; joining a team of strangers to run 200 miles is something I could not imagine doing even two years ago!"

Update: Caitlin has written an updated post in November 2017 about how her maintenance has been going, which you can find here. 

Continue Reading...

Bracelets

Jerry was off work today, so we spent a nice morning together after we got the kids off to school. Since we canceled cable, we haven't been able to watch the fourth season of The Walking Dead; so this morning, we decided to huddle around my computer and watch it on the computer. It ended up being pretty comfy, actually! We laid on the bed and watch the first episode.

Because Jerry was off work, he decided to surprise the kids by picking them up from school at lunchtime and taking them to the movies. They went to see Thor, which didn't interest me in the slightest, so I decided to go for my run while they were gone. I originally planned to run seven miles today, but since I'm running a half-marathon on Sunday, I realized it probably wouldn't be too smart to do that. I settled on five miles.

I was praying I'd have a good run today. I haven't had a run that I felt really GOOD about since the Chicago Marathon, and it was getting really discouraging. I wanted to feel confident in pacing Stephanie for her half-marathon on Sunday, and it didn't help that I've been struggling through my runs lately.

Jerry told me it was "freezing cold and windy" outside, so I dressed for freezing cold and windy. I don't know why I ask him, because he's way too dramatic! ;)  I wore a long sleeved tech shirt and a fleece over it, with gloves. When I stepped outside, I thought maybe I would be a little warm, but didn't want to go change, so I just started running.

I planned to run an easy pace, so that I could save my energy for the race. I felt like I was running at about a 9:30 pace (which has been a struggle lately). About a tenth of a mile in, I looked at my Garmin to make sure I started it and it was working (one time I ran a whole mile before I realized I forgot to start my Garmin). I saw my pace was in the mid-7:00's!

I thought, "Okay, there's something wrong. That can't be right..." and then I stopped running and stopped my Garmin. I turned it off and turned it back on, so it could relocate satellites. When I started running again, I made sure that I was running at what felt to be a 9:15-9:30ish pace. When I looked at my Garmin, I saw I was actually running a pace in the low-8:00's.

The distance on my Garmin was exactly what I expected it to be, so the pace was correct--I was shocked at how good I felt running at that pace! When I finished the first mile in 8:16, I forced myself to slow down. I kind of wanted to run hard to get that "runner's high" feeling when I was finished, but the last thing I wanted to do was wear myself out for Sunday.

With the exception of feeling way too hot and overdressed, I felt SO great the rest of the run! It was exactly the mental boost that I needed.

---

My kids have been begging me to get these little rubber bands that they can use to make bracelets. I guess they are very popular at their school, and "all the kids" have them ;)  I'm all for them doing something creative rather than watching TV or something, so this afternoon after my run, I went to the craft store to get the rubber bands.

There was a HUGE display of them, with a sign that says, "As seen on YouTube!", so apparently they are pretty popular.

They're just a bunch of little rubber bands that you loop together to make bracelets. The kids were super excited, and spent the whole afternoon making bracelet after bracelet.

Noah made me a girly one with his pink and purple bands, and I think it's actually pretty cute! I will wear it proudly. Jerry was lucky enough to get an all-pink one, haha.

I can remember making friendship bracelets when I was in elementary school out of embroidery thread. We would have dozens of them on our arms, and trade them with friends. I can't believe I'm now old enough to have two kids that are in the bracelet-making age!

---

Speaking of my age, I've gotten a few questions about my Virtual 5K for my birthday. A virtual race is basically a race that you do on your own, anywhere, and report back afterward. The date for mine will be on my 32nd birthday--Saturday, January 25th. (It's free, of course.)

Jerry and Stephanie designed the logo :)

On that day, you can run or walk 5K (3.11 miles) anywhere you like, at whatever time you'd like. You can even use the treadmill! I'll even have a bib that you can print and wear while you run, or just for a picture afterward. When you're done, I'll have a form that you can fill out with your name, where you're from, and your finish time, and I'll post a list of the results once I get them them all in. You can also post pictures on my Facebook page, with a short recap of your race (I love to read about what the weather was like in your neck of the woods, how you felt, if it was your first race, how you're celebrating, anything you'd like to share!).

I'm going to have a prize (or two or three), which will be given at random to a few finishers. I don't know the details of the prizes yet, but I think I'd like to put together a box of a few of my favorite things to give away.

There was an awesome turnout last year, with nearly 500 finishers! Here is a link to the results page that has some fun stats on the bottom. But you can see, you can walk or run, fast or slow, in a group or by yourself, whatever you'd like--it's just supposed to be fun! I'll put up an "official" sign-up soon, but I wanted to explain a little in case you may be interested :)

Continue Reading...