Military pet charities

(This post is sponsored by Purina. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Not only is today my favorite date (11/11--my favorite number is 11), it is also Veterans Day--a day to honor those who served in the military. As you may know if you've been reading my blog for a while, Veterans Day means a great deal to me. It wasn't until I experienced my brother's deployment that the sacrifices veterans make really sunk in for me. I'm always in awe of the veterans in this country and how much they've sacrificed for us. I can't begin to express how much I appreciate them!

My boys at the airport waiting for Nathan to come home from Iraq in 2007

So, when I heard that Purina was going to be donating $100,000 to two military pet charities, I was thrilled. I honestly wasn't even aware that military pet charities existed! The two they've teamed up with are Dogs on Deployment and Pets for Vets. Here is a brief rundown of each:

Dogs on Deployment- Dogs on Deployment (DoD) provides an online network for service members to search for volunteers willing to board their pets during service commitments. Their mission is to give military members peace of mind concerning their pets while unable to care for them during their service. This way, their pets won't have to be surrendered to a shelter! As of early this year, nearly 900 pets had been placed in foster care for these service members.

I was checking out the Dogs on Deployment website, and out of curiosity, I searched for pets near me that need fostering. It's so tempting! If I didn't have three cats and a dog already, I would love to foster for a service member. If you're interested in fostering, you can go to the DoD website and enter your city in a search bar. It will list pets nearby that are looking for foster care. You could also register as a potential boarder, so that the service members can search in their local area.

Pets for Vets- Pets for Vets provides a second chance for shelter pets by rescuing, training, and pairing them with America's veterans who could benefit from a companion animal. Animal-assisted therapy has been very helpful in fighting PTSD or combat stress. Over 5 MILLION dogs and cats are euthanized every year because they don't have homes--and Pets for Vets gives a lot of animals a second chance by training them to be great companions for veterans who need them! There are plenty of ways to volunteer for Pets for Vets as well (including fostering, dog training, fundraising, event planning, and several other opportunities).

Both organizations do excellent work for great causes. Purina is going to be donating $100,000 to the charities--$75,000 to one of them, and $25,000 to the other. They are asking for public votes to determine which charity gets each amount; to vote for the charity you prefer, you can do so at Pure Love for Pets.

Personally, I love the Pets for Vets idea. When my brother came home from Iraq after serving four years in the Army, he adopted a black lab named Bailey. I really think that she helped him establish a feeling of being "home" again. A lot of war veterans come home feeling like they just don't belong anywhere, and it's a difficult adjustment. Adopting a pet to care for can give them a new "purpose", as well as be therapeutic while they adjust to civilian life again.

Anyway, please make sure you take a moment today to thank our veterans for their sacrifices and service! xo

I'll end with these cards that my kids made for Uncle Nathan on Veterans Day a few years ago. They make me smile every time I look at them!

"You are a great Army man" --Eli

"Thank you for saving our country" --Eli

--Noah

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A message from a little bird

I'm so glad the presidential election is finally over. It's sad seeing all of the hateful social media comments people make to others based on their vote. Especially this year.

Anyway, I have a nice story to share, and today is the perfect day to do it.

A few days ago, I was sitting in the living room with the kids when I saw a bird crash into our window. Instead of dropping to the ground, the bird fell and caught its toenails on the window screen. My heart sank, and I felt so bad for him. He wasn't moving, just hanging by his toenails, so I assumed he was dead or injured.

I went outside to check him out, and when I touched him to help untangle his nails from the screen, he started moving around. It took a couple of minutes, but I managed to unhook him from the screen, and as soon as I did, he hopped right on my shirt and sat there. I thought for sure he was injured and couldn't fly. I picked him up off my shirt and let him sit in my hand while I tried to figure out what to do with him. He didn't have any obvious injuries.

I was thinking I could just put him in the bushes, and hope that he was okay; and right as I thought that, he flew out of my hand and into the woods. Relief! He was such a pretty bird. I had no idea what kind of bird he was until I posted his picture on Facebook and Instagram, and I learned he was a Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Spending a few moments with him totally made my day!

This morning, I took the kids to school, and when I got home, I was walking up the porch steps and saw a bird lying on the porch, on its back, unmoving. I was furious, because Phoebe had snuck out of the house yesterday, and I thought she killed him. I reached down to pick him up and move him off the porch, when he jumped up onto my hand!

I was startled, but very pleasantly surprised to see my little friend again. I thought for sure he was injured this time, because what bird just lies on its back, "playing dead", and then allows itself to be held? I held him in my hand, trying to block the wind because it was chilly and very windy this morning. We sat on the porch for a few minutes, and I was dying to get my phone from just inside the house so that I could take a picture of him.

He actually fell asleep in my hand, and I very carefully opened the door and got my phone. Then I sat on the porch with him for about 15 minutes--again, trying to figure out what to do with this little (injured?) bird.

His feathers are a little ruffled from the wind ;)

I was freezing by this point, and really wanted to go inside, so I decided to make the bird a little nest out of leaves to block the wind. I walked, bird in hand, to the side of the house, and bent down to grab some leaves. Then he just jumped out of my hand and flew away. I was so grateful that he wasn't injured! Maybe he just likes me ;)  I feel like this little bird needs to make his rounds to bring cheer to everybody that needs it! Or at least to remind people to be gentle with each other.

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Yesterday was Day 2 of MAF training. Like I said in my last post, I'm going to run at or below my MAF heart rate for 12 weeks straight and just see what happens. Yesterday was another 30 minute run. I covered my watch with my shirt sleeve, and just ran a three-mile route without paying any attention to pace. The heart rate alert is set on my watch so that if my heart rate goes over 146, it'll beep to let me know to slow down.

Average pace was 11:09, and average heart rate was 143. I expect my pace to vary (both faster and slower) day by day; but, over several weeks, the goal is to see a downward trend in my pace. Every couple of weeks, I'll do a graph of my pace at my MAF heart rate to see what's happening.

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Now, I am about to spend the entire day doing laundry. How does it pile up so fast?!

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A different kind of goal

Today, I woke up before my alarm went off because the phone was ringing. I was totally confused for a minute, until I saw that it was from the kids' school. Whenever they delay or cancel school, the calls come very early (5:15 ish). I couldn't imagine that it had snowed all night long (it's been in the 60's and 70's here!!) so I guessed fog.

The recording said that school would be delayed for two hours due to heavy fog. I wish I was able to go back to sleep, but I am always wide awake after the school calls. After breakfast, I figured I would have enough time to go for a run and shower before I had to take the boys to school.

I dressed in bright clothes, because I was expecting some serious fog, but it actually wasn't too bad. I stopped for a picture of the lake, thinking that it would be really foggy over the water, but it just wasn't there.

This is without a filter--isn't it pretty? 

Just after I finished my second mile, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my Flipbelt, and saw that it was the school again. This time, they said that school would be canceled due to the fog! I don't remember school ever being canceled for fog, and considering I couldn't see much fog this morning, I was surprised. Oh, well, my kids were thrilled ;)

While I was running, I was trying to think of a good goal to work toward right now. I don't have to start training for Indy until February, so I have a few months without any running goals. For the past few runs, I've been taking care to make sure my heart rate stays under 146, and that led me to come up with a different kind of goal for this winter.

For the next 12 weeks, I'm going to run at or below my target heart rate for easy running--for me, that's 146 bpm. I'm really curious to see if my easy pace will get faster without doing ANY speed work--basically, just solid MAF training.

I tried to do this once before in 2014(?) but I just wasn't ready to do it then--I was too impatient to see results. When I started heart rate training last year to train for the 10K, I was doing all my easy paced running at a low heart rate, but I still did speed work once or twice a week as well.

Ever since I first read about MAF training, I've been so curious about whether it really works. Now is the perfect time for me to experiment with it, because I have about 14 weeks until I start training for Indy, and until then, I don't have any goals lined up. My 10K training taught me that I really need to trust the heart rate training process, as counterintuitive as it may seem; so, unlike in 2014, I'm not worried about the consequences of trying something that may not work. I'm also willing to be very patient with it.

I want to do this solely as an experiment on myself. So, for the next 12 weeks, all of my running will be at or below 146 bpm. As far as my distances, I'm going to follow the Base Building Plan that I wrote, starting on Week 5. Today, I did a 30 minute run, and my average heart rate was 143.

So, on Day 1, my average heart rate was 143 bpm and my average pace was 10:53/mile. I'm going to start a line graph of my pace, to see the overall trend in my pace at this heart rate. The goal of MAF training is to see the pace gradually get faster while the heart rate stays the same (over a period of several months).

My goal at the end of 12 weeks is just to maintain the same low heart rate but be running significantly faster (I actually don't even know what a "signifiant" amount would be). I'm not sure how quickly this training works, because I've never done it before, so it should be interesting to see the results! And it gives me a purpose when I run, which makes me happy :)

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Starting and/or growing a blog

I was just looking through some drafts of posts that I never shared, and came across this one. I don't know why I never posted it! But here goes...

The topic of blogging itself has never been very interesting to me, which is why I don't write about it much (if ever). When I started my blog, it was literally just a place for me to keep a daily journal--even though it was public on the internet, haha. I liked the idea of having some people read my thoughts because it also helped me stay accountable in my weight loss (otherwise, I would have just written a private journal instead of a blog).

As my readership grew, I learned about all of the potential that comes from writing a blog, and I was given some amazing opportunities because of Runs for Cookies. In that way, it turned from less of a journal to more of a blog--but I've always tried to maintain my original writing style.

I don't have interest in writing an "informative" blog, so I keep those sort of posts to a minimum. I prefer to just write about my own experiences, and for some odd reason, there are people that actually enjoy reading it! ;)

Anyway, I've been asked several times through the years about starting a blog and/or how to grow readership. I haven't written a post about it because I don't feel like I'm the best person to give that sort of advice. Blogging itself is not my forte. But, because blogging has given me so many amazing opportunities, I thought I'd write this post to share what little knowledge I do have about it, in order to help someone else who may have the same attitude and goals I did about blogging.

Unlike a lot of the "big name" bloggers, I use Blogger.com to host my blog. It's free, it's simple to set up, and I really don't think that Google is going anywhere, so I'm not worried about losing this platform. In the blogging world, using Blogger is sort of looked down upon, but that doesn't bother me at all. Blogger does what I need it to, and I'm happy with it.

Once upon a time, I looked into switching to WordPress, which is the more desirable blogging platform, but it was so confusing to me! I spent days researching how to switch over, and the costs involved, and then I realized--why? When Blogger is doing everything I need, why bother switching? And from then on, I just decided that I don't care if my blog is less professional this way (I was never going for a "professional" blog anyway!). However, I thought I'd mention WordPress in case you're looking for an alternative to Blogger.

For someone who has never blogged and has no idea how to start, I think Blogger is fantastic. You can literally create your blog and write your first post all within about 20 minutes. You sign up at Blogger.com, just by following the prompts. You can select from all sorts of different layouts, or customize it to look how you'd like. (I started with one of the basic layouts, and customized things here and there throughout the first couple of years).

I do recommend buying the domain name that you'd like (Blogger makes doing this easy, too, otherwise I'd have had no idea how to do it). I purchased runsforcookies.com for $10 per year, and it renews automatically.

In regards to naming your blog, it's actually more important than you might think. Here are some of my thoughts on the topic:

• I think that having a very short title is important, because it's easy for people to remember. I would say 3-4 words maximum would be perfect.
• I would stay away from spelling things incorrectly, even if you're trying to be cute (for example, "Katie's Kookies"--spelling cookies with a K). When you tell someone your blog name, you will forever be explaining that it's "Kookies with a K" and it makes it harder for people to remember.
• Likewise, I would stay away from using numbers--for example, "Runs4Cookies". Again, you'll always have to explain that it's the number four and not "for". The less explaining you have to do about your blog name the better.
• If possible, try to hint at what your blog is about in the title. This can be really difficult, especially when using just a few words. In my case, "Runs for Cookies" actually explains quite a bit--"cookies" is an all-encompassing word for sweets and desserts. I am a runner, and part of the reason I run is to maintain my weight loss; therefore, "Runs for Cookies" is sort of explaining that I exercise in order to eat desserts while maintaining my weight loss. 
• I would stay away from things that are likely to change over the years. In fact, I've been thinking for about a year now about changing the title and domain of my blog. Runs for Cookies is still relevant, but it puts me into a blogging mold of running and weight loss, and I'd prefer not to have one particular niche. 

Before telling anyone about your blog, I would write your first post, as well as have an "About Me" page. When people visit your blog, they'll want to see at a glance what it's about, and if your blog is pretty empty or there aren't any pages for them to see more info, they probably won't stay long. 

When writing posts, it's important to keep it easy on the eyes. One of the first things I learned about blogging (that I believe has made a world of difference) is to break up posts into paragraphs that are 2-4 sentences long. When reading my posts, you'll notice I have paragraph breaks more frequently than proper grammar would require, but that is to make the posts easier on the eyes. 

Speaking of proper grammar... I think it goes without saying that checking spelling and grammar is just as important. Mine certainly isn't perfect all the time, especially considering that I write in a conversational voice, but I do read it over once or twice before publishing. I like my blog to read the way I would speak, so I don't always use proper grammar, but I think spelling is the most important part. I notice that when I read blogs with a lot spelling errors, I tend to focus more on that than I do on what the blog post is about. It's not deliberate, but the errors jump out at me and it's hard not to focus on them. 

I think it's extremely important to write your blog in your own personality. I wouldn't try to mock someone else's writing style, because it won't come across as genuine. I read a couple of blogs that are just so clever that I want to write like that, too! But it just isn't my personality, and instead of sounding clever, it would sound forced, like I was trying too hard. My writing style is really just a conversational tone--the way I write is the way I would talk with someone. 

Likewise, I think we should write about things that are important to US, and not try to please anyone else. This is very difficult for me, because I don't take criticism well (I welcome constructive criticism, and I actually enjoy it; but when people are critical just to be mean, I am very sensitive). Sometimes, when I read a mean comment, it makes me not want to write about that topic anymore. For example, one time I got a rude comment from someone who said I was making up the fact that I have anxiety.

My anxiety is very real, to the point where I have some pretty bad physical symptoms from it, but after reading that comment, I felt uncomfortable posting about it anymore. Whenever I mention anxiety, that comment pops into my head. I don't want to let one rude comment change the way I write! So I do my best to write honestly and genuinely, regardless of what others say or think. It's much harder than it sounds! ;) 

Regarding monetizing a blog... 

I chose to include ads on my blog about a year after I started Runs for Cookies. I hate annoying pop-up ads or ads that automatically include videos, so I opted out of those types of ads on my blog--even though I could earn more money if I include them. I don't think it's unreasonable to include ads on a blog, as long as they don't take away from my actual posts. Sometimes, I'll click over to a blog from Pinterest, and the ads that bombard me make me close the post and not visit that blog again--I certainly don't want that. 

Another way to monetize is by writing sponsored posts. A sponsored post is a post that the blogger is paid by a company to write. I don't do many of these, because again, they can detract from my blog's message if done too frequently. When it comes to sponsored posts, I think it's VERY important to only choose companies and/or products that you actually believe in. Personally, I would never write a sponsored post for a company that I dislike, even if they were paying me very well. I also like to use my own voice, so that the post doesn't come across as one big fake commercial for a product. Legally, sponsored posts all must include a disclaimer stating that the post is sponsored.

Monetizing a blog is something that I put a lot of thought into. I get requests every single day to write sponsored content or place new ads, but I constantly ask myself if it's worth it. Is making a few extra bucks worth annoying everyone that visits my blog with a pop-up ad? Do I believe in this product enough to write a sponsored post about it? Sometimes, the answer is yes--it's worth it. But most of the time, it's no. So, as far as monetizing a blog, I think it's very important to really consider whether it's worth what is being asked of you, if that makes sense.

About growing readership of a blog...

I get a lot of emails from people asking how they can gain more readers. I'm not the best person to discuss this topic, because I don't really focus on trying to get new readers. But here are a few thoughts...

I do think it's very important to write content that is important to you. If you're writing what you think others want to read, it "sounds" fake; but if you are passionate about something, it really comes through in your written words. I think people enjoy reading genuine posts about something the author is passionate about. 

I believe that a lot of my readers found my blog in the beginning because I was reading and commenting on other blogs. I went through a phase where I had discovered how huge the blogging community is, and I was reading a TON of blogs. I commented on them, and I think people must have found my blog that way. I would suggest that you NOT write, "Check out my blog! Here's the link."--those comments are a big turn-off (to me, anyway). I've noticed that the bloggers who seem the most gung-ho about gaining new readers usually have the least amount of success at it. 

When I notice someone commenting regularly on my blog, I always click on their profile to see if they have a blog as well--and if they do, then I'll visit and check it out. I've discovered some really interesting blogs this way, and even met some friends.

Finally, the fastest way to learn how to do things on your blog is to Google it--if I wanted to add or change something about my blog, I would just Google my question, "How do I ______ on Blogger?" And you can almost always find the answer that way. I think the MOST important thing to keep in mind when starting a blog is to BE GENUINE. I can't stress that enough!

Blogging has been life-changing for me, because I've gotten so many opportunities I never would have gotten otherwise. I don't see myself doing it forever, but I am so glad that I stepped outside my comfort zone way back in the day and started sharing my life online. If you've ever thought about starting one, I suggest you go for it!

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Plans and photo dump

Thanks for all of the feedback on my last post! Like I said, I have no concrete plans of quitting blogging--I'm just trying to figure out what direction I want to go with the blog. I had an idea today to start a "Flashback Friday" post once a week, where I share my old journal entries (word for word) while I was losing weight. I had a blog before Runs for Cookies, and I wrote in it almost daily while I was losing the weight in 2009-2010. It's no longer online, but people ask me all the time if they can read it.

I went back and read a few of the posts today, and it's embarrassing! My writing was terrible, I sounded SO whiny, and I just want to smack myself while reading it for some of the things I wrote about ;) I'll give it some more thought, but I think I'd be too embarrassed to post those entries.

I have three friends coming to visit in a couple of weeks, and I'm super excited about it! Caitlin and Bonnie are from my Ragnar SoCal team (Caitlin is from Massachusetts and Bonnie is from Virginia); and then Andrea is from my Ragnar Florida Keys team (the one that was in the documentary) and she lives in Kansas. Caitlin and Andrea have been here before, but it will be Bonnie's first time visiting.

I'm going to be hosting my wine club meeting the weekend they are here, which will be a fun way for them to meet some of my friends. Jerry's sister is having a Pure Romance party on Saturday, so we'll go to that as well. And then on Sunday, we're going to run the Kona Chocolate Run 10K. It should be a fun girls weekend! My house will be crowded, but I haven't had a sleepover since I was a kid, so I'm looking forward to it ;)

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I've been doing a lot of thinking about what my goal will be for Indy in May, and I finally decided that I'm not going to set a time goal. I've been having a hard time making myself stick to a running schedule lately, and I would really like to get back in the routine of running five days a week. I'll make my goal to just follow the schedule, get in all the training, and feel good while running the half. I don't really feel ready to start training very hard for a PR.

When I ran Indy in 2011, I had the same thought--just run the whole way, and finish whenever I happen to finish. I really enjoyed that race! I haven't run 13.1 miles since the half I did at Cedar Point in December of 2014. I hobbled the last couple of miles, in pain, and later learned it was because of a stress fracture. Most of my "long" runs since then have been just six miles, so training for a half-marathon will feel fresh and new!

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I bought some yarn today so that I can start knitting again in the evenings. I've been having a hard time with snacking at night lately--my day will be great and I'll count calories until evening, when I watch a show and find something to snack on. When I was losing the weight in 2009-2010, I started knitting a LOT. It kept my hands busy at night so that I wouldn't eat while watching TV. And I was excited about finishing each project! When I started my blog, I quit knitting. I didn't really realize how much I missed it until I went to the store today and started looking at yarn.

I'm really in the mood to knit, but when I was looking at patterns on Ravelry, I came across this crocheted black cat hat and I love it. So, I'll probably start crocheting that tonight!

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Photo dump... I hate that phrase, but these are kind of random photos from this week, so here goes:

Eli was a fisherman and Noah was a doctor for Halloween.
This was at Jerry's parents' house before they went trick-or-treating.

We were cracking up because Joey just decided to walk over and sit on
top of Eli's candy on Halloween night.

Went for a long walk with Jessica on Wednesday, and it was so pretty!

Jessica and me at the Metropark

I barely get any of the electric blanket, because the pets hog it all.
Here, Joey was actually sleeping with his head on Estelle. She wasn't sure what to do.

This is a portrait that Eli drew of me in art class, and I LOVE it. 

Estelle was very curious about the bag from Michael's today, and wasted
no time crawling inside and getting comfortable.

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To blog or not to blog

What a gorgeous Halloween morning!

We usually get rain every year for Halloween; but today happens to be great weather for trick-or-treating. I'm looking forward to passing out candy while I watch scary movies in the garage. Halloween still feels weird without Mark--this will be the third one without him! I can't believe it's been that long.

This morning, I took Joey for a run with me (that's when I stopped to take the photo above). I haven't been following the 10K plan I said I was going to; instead, I've just been running when I feel like it. If I want to train hard for Indy, I really need to start picking up the mileage now. (I still haven't decided on my goal for Indy.)

I'm going to make it a mission to put together a plan this week. Tomorrow is November already! I haven't made any progress at all this fall on losing the summer weight gain--it's gone by so fast. Thankfully, I haven't gained any more, but I just haven't been as determined to lose it as I wish I was. Now that I've paid for a year of My Fitness Pal, I'm hoping I'll start seeing progress.

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As you may have noticed, I've been posting very sporadically lately. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I guess I'm just unsure of where my blog goes from here. I feel like I don't have much left to say, so I wonder if I should just end the blog? But once in a while, I feel like I have LOTS to say.

When I started this blog, it was basically just an online journal--I would write about my day, focusing a lot on diet/weight loss. As I post less frequently, my day-to-day stuff becomes irrelevant, so I feel like if I write something, it should be more meaningful. The problem with posting daily is just that I feel like I'm writing the same thing over and over.

I'm not saying that I'm quitting the blog (at least not yet). When I do, I would hope that my last post will be much more meaningful ;)  I'm just trying to make up my mind where to go from here. I was thinking of making shorter-term goals (a monthly goal, for example) and that would give me something to focus on when I write. I'm not sure! I keep hoping it'll just come to me.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that weight loss/maintenance is not nearly as huge a part of my life as it was a few years ago. Back then, everything was still very new to me. Since I've gotten into a pattern with each year of maintenance, it's not as exciting. It's just... life.

I'm sure once I have more going on in my life (training for Indy, becoming an AUNT in March, etc.) I'll write more frequently. For now, though, I just wanted to explain why my posts have been so sporadic. I'm just not sure what to write!

I hope you all have a Happy Halloween night!

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Cross country banquet and race pace run

Boy, was I sore this morning!

Yesterday, after I dropped the kids off at school, I went to Jessica's to meet her for a long walk. From her house, a lollipop route around the state park is exactly seven miles, so we chose to do that route. It took us about an hour and forty-five minutes, and my legs felt fatigued but good at the end. Then I woke up this morning, and I was SO sore! 

I never get sore from running (unless I do a crazy tough workout, then I might have a little soreness the next day); but switching things up yesterday by doing a long walk used some different muscles and I definitely feel it. It's a good thing! We already made plans to do it again next week.

The cross country banquet last night went great! It was a potluck, and with 24 kids on the team, let's just say there was a LOT of food. I was only on day two of really getting serious about calorie counting (again), so it was very hard to resist stuffing my face with sheet cake, frosted cookie cake from Mrs. Fields, fried chicken, meatballs, tacos, etc.

Thankfully, I was so busy with a project we had the kids working on, that I didn't really have a chance to eat. I was cleaning up their project while everyone else was eating, and then we jumped into awards. Shockingly, I didn't eat a single thing there! (I ate dinner before I left home, so that I wouldn't be starving at the banquet.)

The project that we had the kids make was a new concept. Last year, Renee and I chose awards for each individual (things like "Fastest boy", "Fastest girl", "Hill Monster", "Most Enthusiastic", "Most Improved Runner", etc.). This year, Renee suggested that instead of us choosing the awards, we have the kids choose awards for each other. 

We put their names in an envelope, and each kid drew someone else's name. Then, they had to come up with a positive award (we had a list of suggestions if they couldn't come up with something) and decorate a paper plate to give to the person whose name they drew. In theory, it sounded like a good idea; however, there were complications we didn't plan for (a couple of kids not showing up, some boys who didn't want anything to do with "decorating" something, etc.). 

But, we got it all figured out, and then we handed out the awards. We also gave the kids medals and printouts of their individual race times. We had one special "Coaches' Award", which we gave to a boy that had been to every single practice, every single meet, improved his running significantly, always ran with a smile on his face, and never complained. 

Then, the team gifted Renee and I school spirit shirts with our names on the back, and a HUGE surprise--a nice banner for our team! When we go to the meets, all the other teams have banners for their tents, but we didn't have one. The families chipped in and got us a banner to use next year!

I had to blur out a lot of this picture for privacy reasons, but you can at least see the size of the banner. The kids were very excited about it:

The season seemed so short! I'm going to miss coaching. I definitely plan on coaching again next year, but Renee isn't able to do it with me, which is a big bummer. We work really well together, and it's gone so smoothly for two seasons.

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Like I mentioned, I really needed to get serious about calorie counting again. I'd been counting 4-5 days a week, and then the other 2-3 days I didn't count for whatever reason; and my weight was just stuck. Jeanie, my sister, decided to start using My Fitness Pal again, and she said she was going to pay to have the ads removed (the ads in the middle of my food log was the reason I switched to Fat Secret).

Anyway, I decided to do the same--pay the $50 for the year to have no ads. I think that's a crazy high price for a calorie counting app, but I figure that by paying for it, I will be much more likely to use it. I hate wasting money, so if I don't use it, it would be like throwing away $50, and I don't want that.

So far, so good! On my first day, I went to Ann Arbor and resisted all the baked goods at Whole Foods. Then yesterday, I didn't touch any of the sweets at the potluck. Two very tempting days in a row! But I reminded myself that I'm paying for MFP, so I want to make the most of it. It's funny how something as insignificant as an overpriced app has the power to motivate me so much!

I've been feeling more motivated to run, too. With the nice fall weather, and my realization that my running motivation doesn't kick in until late morning, I no longer feel like I'm dreading my runs. This morning, the weather was great for a race pace run--since I am hoping to pace Stephanie to a sub-60 10K next month, I decided to run three miles at race pace. For a sub-60 finish, that would be 9:39/mile (although I was thinking it was 9:49/mile until I just now double checked).

The run was anything but smooth! Looking at my splits, it looks darn near perfect:

Pretty even splits, right? My pace and heart rate chart show a totally different story, however:

Mile 1: Started out in the low 9:00's, so I slowed down a little until I was at around 9:35. It felt crazy hard! I was doubting whether I could even do one mile at that pace, so I told myself just to get to the end of the first mile, and then I could jog the last two miles. Managed 9:39 on the nose.

Mile 2: Started at a slow jog, because I planned to do the rest of the run slowly. I started spacing out, daydreaming, and realized that I'd picked up speed. That happened a few times over mile two--speed up, slow down, repeat--but I was gradually lowering my mile split. Finally, I decided just to try and hit another mile at race pace. I had to pick up the pace quite a bit to make up for the first half-mile, but I did it. Told myself I could take a walk break if I hit 9:49 or better. Squeaked by with 9:43.

Mile 3: Started out with a walk. Initially, I thought 10 seconds would do, but I kept adding more until it was more like 40 seconds. Then I started jogging slowly. The same thing happened during mile three that happened during mile two--I was gradually picking up the pace without realizing it, until I realized I could probably hit another mile on target. I pushed it the last quarter mile or so, and hit 9:38.

Definitely not the ideal way to hit a target race pace run, but it was better than nothing ;) It felt good to push myself today, even though my heart rate didn't get as high as it probably should have (ideally, it would be over 162). I was also feeling fatigued and sore from my long walk yesterday, which may have contributed to this run feeling harder than I expected.

I've been so busy for the last several weeks, and tonight I don't have anything going on. I plan to just curl up under the electric blanket and watch a movie or something. (Or maybe start to catch up on the last few seasons of The Walking Dead--everyone's been talking about it and I feel left out!) It started raining just after my run, so it's the perfect day for it!

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The season is closing

I had a fun weekend with Jerry! He worked SO much the last few months, I never really saw him. They were doing a special project at work, and other than our vacation in early September, he only had 4 days off out of 70. He had this whole weekend (Friday through Sunday) off, and it almost felt strange to have him around ;)

On Saturday, my cross country team had our last meet of the season, and it was awesome. It was so exciting during the second- and third-graders' race, when some of the older kids from our team started screaming, "Austin's in the lead! Austin's in the lead!" Sure enough, I saw the golf cart zoom by, followed by Austin. (There were 80 kids in the race, so this was impressive)

My heart started racing and I couldn't believe one of our kids was leading the pack. That's never happened to us before in the two years I've been coaching. The race was 1.2 miles, and Austin was neck-in-neck with another kid for the last quarter mile. Just before the last stretch to the finish line, Austin started to slow down because he thought he was done, when he actually had to make a turn and run another 50 yards or so. Everyone started yelling, "Keep going! Keep going!" He looked surprised but sprinted ahead toward the finish. For the first time for us, one of our team members actually WON the race! We even took 5 out of the top 10 finishers. It was a super exciting way to end the season.

Our whole team did really well, and I was SO proud. It made for a great last meet! Tomorrow, we have an end-of-season potluck banquet, where we'll celebrate the season and recognize each kid for something special they contributed to the team.

Speaking of running, I am finally getting my motivation back. I've had ZERO motivation to run recently, and I can feel myself getting more and more out of shape. So yesterday, I finally made myself go for a six-mile run, and I felt really good about it all day. I noticed that I feel much better about myself on the days that I run.

I realized that my running motivation doesn't hit me until later in the morning, after I've had breakfast and tea. Lately, I've been feeling like I need to run as soon as I drop the kids off for school, and I just don't feel motivated to; but when I was consistently running all spring, I was doing it after breakfast when I felt the urge to head out there.

Today, however, I had plans with Andrea in the late morning, so I dropped off the kids at school and then went to the outdoor track to run. It was still dark outside, and I hate running in the dark, so I figured the track would be lit up. I was wrong. The track was pitch black, but it still felt safer than running on the roads in the dark. At first, it was hard to see even a few feet in front of my shoes, but once the sun started coming up a little more, it got better.

I just ran three miles at an easy pace (circling the track made it feel like forever!) and then I went home to shower and get ready to meet Andrea. She had never been to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's before, so when I told her I had to go to Whole Foods, she said she wanted to come with me.

I'm going to be hosting Winers at my house next month, and I chose to do an "Around the World" theme--wine from several different countries around the world, and food to go with each. I knew Whole Foods would have a good wine selection for that, so I went up there (Ann Arbor is about 45 minutes away). I ended up getting wine from Spain, Italy, France, Chile, Japan, and Germany. I meant to get an Australian one, too, and I totally forgot. It'll be fun to taste them with my wine club!

I managed not to buy any desserts at Whole Foods (when I think of Whole Foods, all I can think of is their bakery section!). After that, we stopped at a consignment shop, where I bought a cat shirt (if I wasn't cozy under the electric blanket right now, I'd go take a picture--it's a cool shirt!). Then we headed to Trader Joe's. I bought a few things there, but nothing too exciting. Thankfully, they had exactly zero jars of Cookie Butter in stock, because I don't know if I would have been able to resist buying some. I haven't had it in so long! By the time Andrea and I got home, it was time for the kids to come home from school.

I'm starting to think about what plan I want to use for half-marathon training for Indy. I don't have to seriously start training until the beginning of next year, but I definitely need to start picking up some mileage now. I am debating using Hansons Half Marathon Method--I loved using the Hansons Marathon Method while training for Chicago, but I felt so burnt out after all those miles. I may write a plan similar to the 10K plan I wrote, which is using the 80/20 method and heart rate training. I still haven't fully decided what my goal is going to be! So, I guess I should figure that out before choosing a plan ;)

Tomorrow morning, I'm meeting Jessica for a long walk--seven miles!

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Update on my From Fat to Finish Line teammates

Where are they now?

After the documentary From Fat to Finish Line came out on Netflix, I've gotten several emails/comments asking about updates on my teammates. If you haven't yet seen the film, you can watch it on iTunes, Amazon, or Netflix. (I also wrote about the whole process on my blog, from when it was just an idea, to the filming, to the race, and aftermath.) 

The documentary was filmed in 2012 and 2013, so there is a lot to catch up on! I asked my teammates if they'd be interested in sharing a brief update for my blog readers. This is going to be a long post, because there are so many things to share! (I did not get updates from Lealah, Ada, or Carly). Enjoy :)

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Runner #1: Katie

Since I blog several times a week, it's no surprise what I've been up to; but, I'll post a brief update here in case you're new to my blog. After the Ragnar Relay with From Fat to Finish Line, I trained for the Chicago Marathon and ran a PR of 4:16. A family friend was diagnosed that month with terminal lung cancer, and I spent the next five months making his last days the best that I could help with (my blog readers helped a ton with that!). After he passed away, I started gaining weight like crazy, and I eventually reached 160 pounds (I was 133 in the film). 

I became injured with a stress fracture in late 2014, and it caused me problems for 10 months! I had to cancel several races, and my weight and race times suffered. When it healed, I started training super hard for a 10K PR using a heart rate training method. I dropped to my all-time lowest weight of 121 during training, and ran a 49:03 10K race in April 2016. I was thrilled! 

After the race, I stopped "training" and started running just for fitness. I had a deep episode of depression over the summer, and gained back a lot of the weight I'd lost last year. I'm now at 150 pounds, which is 103 pounds down from my highest, but still more than I'm comfortable with. I am working on getting back down to my comfortable weight of 130-135, but I'm not in a huge hurry--just taking it one day at a time! I used to think that I had to maintain a very stable weight to be considered "successful", but I've realized that my body fluctuates by up to 30 pounds a year (I gain weight every summer), and I've accepted that. Next May, I'll run my first half-marathon since 2014, and I'm looking forward to it :)

April 2016, when I PR'ed my 10K!

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Runner #2: Meredith

Well here it is almost 4 years since I became part of the Fat to Finish Line Ragnar Team. I have maintained a 85-100 lb weight loss over the last 4 years. It is and always will be an everyday fight to keep my weight off, but it is a fight that I will never stop fighting. When I first joined the team, I had run some 5ks and 10ks and had just completed my third half marathon… Since then I have continued to do many races every year. My husband and I do around 25-30 races a year which include anywhere from 5ks to half marathons and everything in between. I have now completed over 25 half marathons with another 10 scheduled in the next 5 months.  I have also completed 2 full marathons. I have my second Ragnar coming up in March of 2017. 

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Runner #5: Andrea

It's been over three years since we all met and ran the Ragnar in Florida. Since then, I have ran our local 39.3 race series (where you run three half marathons in less than four weeks), a handful of 5k's, and I've had two attempts at running a marathon (I had to drop out both times due to an old back injury). 

My biggest challenge hasn't been running, but in maintaining my weight. Weight loss has no finish line. Whatever you did to lose the weight, you will have to continue to do if you want to maintain your loss. I've managed to maintain a 20-pound gain. I've learned that I still struggle with emotional eating and when life throws me curve balls, I usually end up eating my feelings of stress, anxiety, happiness, sadness, (name any feeling). Although I know food doesn't cure any of those feelings or make you any happier, it's familiar and it's where I turn for comfort. 

I've also learned not to dwell on my "failures" with maintenance, because it's not actually failing, but rather learning what works and what doesn't. I remind myself often that I've kept off over 100 pounds, so gaining 20 pounds doesn't mean I've failed. 

Just recently, I've realized that I do really well when I have some accountability in my fitness and weight goals. So, I've signed up to work with a personal trainer three times a week and we will take measurements and weight every six weeks. It's a great way to measure my progress and set goals.  I've also been going to my Weight Watchers meetings every week which keeps me accountable with my weekly weigh in. 

I'm currently training for the Indy Mini Marathon in May and I'm looking forward to meeting many of Katie's readers there!

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Runner #6: Rik

Since filming completed in January of 2013, so much has happened!

Building on the success of our Ragnar Relay in Florida, and the shape I got into to be camera-ready, I spent 2013 working with a professional running coach, looking to qualify for Boston. I trained very hard for most of a year, then ran the Indianapolis Monumental marathon in November and put up a PR of 3:29:37. It wasn’t good enough for Boston, but I was so close (needing a 3:25), I decided to keep trying.

I continued working with my coach through 2014, targeting a September race to qualify. Six days and 40+ miles a week – we turned running into a second job. That July, I ran a 20:36 at my company’s annual 5k, another huge PR. But by August, I started having some odd fatigue issues. I’d have plenty of energy to get through my work day, but I’d put on my running shoes and feel out of gas before going half a mile. My doctor couldn’t find a thing wrong with me. At my qualifying marathon attempt in September, I felt terrible from the starting gun, and dropped out halfway through, hugely behind pace and completely exhausted – I felt as if I would pass out. I discovered (eventually) that I had overtraining syndrome. And the only thing to do for it – stop running. Which was heartbreaking. And also a relief – I had been training so hard for so long that running wasn’t fun anymore. My Boston dream went on the back burner.

Since that time, I changed my fitness focus to having fun and helping others get started. I got certified by Road Runners’ Club of America as a Distance Running Coach (the same certification that Katie has!), and started a small side business coaching new runners. That has been really satisfying, spreading the joy of running to others, and seeing them discover just how much more they can do than they ever thought they could.

As a result of my fitness journey, my confidence and my willingness to take on new challenges have both grown, and I have seen that spill over into other areas of my life, including my career. About a year ago, I took a new position with my company that had me relocate from my lifetime home in Milwaukee, WI to Sacramento, CA. While a great career move and an exciting adventure, it definitely threw me for a loop with my health and fitness. I have been working a lot more hours, and it requires a lot more of my energy. At the same time, I left behind my regular running partners behind in Milwaukee. I struggled for months to find time, energy, and motivation to do more than 10 miles a week. I put on 10 pounds I didn’t need or want.

Thankfully, over the last few months, I’ve finally gotten my work/life balance back, begun to build a new social and fitness circle, and have spent the summer training with my local Fleet Feet training group for the California International Marathon here in Sacramento on December 4. That will be my thirteenth marathon, and my tenth state – I am on my lifetime quest to do a marathon in all 50 states. And that includes going to Boston, someday!

At my all-time heaviest, I was 275 (approximately). When we shot the movie, I weighed in at 180, which was my lightest - I was really concerned about looking good on camera but my wife felt I looked too thin, especially in my face. So, I found a comfortable weight of 190 and maintained it, until we relocated. I topped out at 200 a couple months ago, and as I write this today, I am at 197 and dropping, targeting 190 again. I know I will always need to keep an eye on my weight, but that’s okay. I am so much happier, healthier, and more able than I was before the journey started – it’s a small price to pay.

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Runner #7: Jen Roe

The film was a life-changing and eye-opening experience. Having a difficult and emotional moment on film was super scary, humbling and hard. At the time I felt super uncomfortable and embarrassed that it happened at all and especially on camera but since the movie has come out I’ve found myself grateful. I appreciate that moment now because so many people have said they can relate to it. It makes me feel better to know that not only am I not alone in having hard times when running but that others can feel comforted that they aren’t the only ones to have felt that way either. I also have the benefit of looking back and really being able to analyze how I let those "voices in my head” really get to me. Because of that I’ve been able to do a lot of self-reflection and work in that area. 

Since the movie, I’ve gone on to do a few triathlons, a bunch of half marathons and my dream race - the NYC Marathon. In fact, I’ll be doing the NYC marathon again in November. I’m probably about 10 pounds heavier than I was in the movie but at peace with that as my doctor is very happy with all of my numbers. Running has helped me keep most of the weight off and my health exactly where it needs to be. I still consider many from the team very good friends and it truly was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

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Runner #8: Linda

So much has transpired in my life since January 2013 and From Fat to Finish Line’s epic Ragnar Relay run from Miami to Key West. I am now balancing working a couple different part-time jobs outside the home with caring for my family and household. My kids you see standing with me in my before picture on the Brooklyn Bridge in the documentary are now 20 and 18 years old and attending college!

This year I turned 45 and it all hasn’t been frickin’ fabulous. After a fantastic year of running in 2013, I managed to injure myself. I tried to ignore it, but the pain wasn’t allowing it. I went to an orthopedist in April 2014 and discovered I had a torn meniscus in my right knee. I had surgery that July and went through 8 weeks of physical therapy. In that year, I wallowed in self pity and instead of meticulously watching what I ate, I reverted to old habits of comforting myself with food. I gained 25 pounds.

That didn’t stop me from gaining entry into my dream race, the NYC Marathon. If I was going to do one marathon, NYC was it. On November 1, 2015, my husband Charlie and I finished the NYC Marathon, hand-in-hand, content and honestly happy it was over. My time was less than stellar. I hit “the wall” very early in the race when us back of the packers were told we would have to move to the sidewalks in order to finish, even though we were still well within the projected time limit. (NYCM is a very back of the pack friendly event with an 8 hour time limit!). Even with that accomplishment, my mind still is the weakest part of my body and I fight the Negative Nelly in me constantly.

There may be a day when I need to tackle that distance again, but it’s nearly a year commitment and I’m not ready to give that kind of time to it right now. This year has been filled with New York Road Runner races, running the five borough races and gaining guaranteed entry for Charlie and I into the NYC Half Marathon, another iconic NYC race. I am still battling to re-lose the 25 pounds, and it is getting harder the older I get, but I’m not giving up. I know the weight is literally slowing me down, and my race times reflect that. I am trying to focus on the joy of racing and crossing the finish line with my husband and not the finish time. I am so very fortunate to have a husband who loves me no matter what the scale or time clock says. That means more to me than any medal or PR.

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Runner #9: Jen Small

In 2012, I obtained my Personal Trainer Certifications (ACE and AFAA) as well as my USA Triathlon certification. I have been training and coaching on a one-on-one basis and as well as remotely. I continue to teach bootcamp-style fitness classes as well as cycling classes in both Southern and Western Maine.  I am still with Team Rev3 and love triathlon and endurance sports. I recently started mountain biking and trail running; I just love being outside at the beach and in the mountains.

My daughter is now 8 years old and is very active; she plays field hockey, and is on the swim team. She has also been involved in cheering, tumbling, and lacrosse.

The biggest change has been my personal life. The film highlights the struggles my marriage encountered once I lost weight and gained self-confidence. While we tried to save the troubled relationship, things were just too far gone and we separated 2 years ago. Honestly, leaving a toxic relationship was harder than losing weight but it was just one more part of my journey that shaped me into the person I am today.

I am so much happier now and have found a partner that shares my energy, adventurous spirit and passion for life. I am excited for the future and to help others find their own personal joy! I am returning to school again to expand my coaching and training education as well as study nutrition.

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Runner #10: Allison

Running Ragnar with Team From Fat to Finish Line in January 2013 was an amazing experience! I came home and immediately jumped into training for my first marathon in October. In July, with training in full swing and feeling great, I found out I was pregnant with my first child! While I tried to keep training, I ended up withdrawing from the race and volunteering instead. I gave birth to my son in March 2014 and love being a mom; I could write pages on the phenomenal little man my now two-year old has become! In my last trimester, I gained 30 pounds (darn pregnancy cravings!) and picked up a nice case of sciatica, so I started walking, trying to work back to running. I also went back to school, working towards a nursing degree, in the fall of 2014, so I had a pretty full plate and taking care of myself fell by the wayside.

In June 2015, I started working out with a personal trainer and got my butt kicked 3 days a week before work. I was still having a hard time running because of hip/pelvic issues, but I found I love weight lifting! We focused on strength building and interval/Tabata training for cardio while I went to physical therapy for Achilles tendinosis. I was cleared from PT in August and decided, with only 4 long training runs under my belt, to run my second half marathon in October 2015; it went great! The hip/leg pain persisted though, so I had an MRI in April 2016 and learned I had two bulging discs. I stopped working with the trainer, got depressed, started eating, and gained back the 30 pounds I’d just lost. 

In August, I finally screwed my head on straight and started back at the gym, along with pool physical therapy. I’m down 10 pounds and taking it slow and easy. I was recently able to deadlift for the first time in months, and just ran my first 5K since the spring. One day at a time, staying focused, making good choices, and constantly being inspired by the FFtFL community!

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Runner #12: John

Since filming the documentary, I have continued to run, finishing eight marathons and twenty-four long-distance relay races in total. I left my Mon-Fri, 9-5 life and now work as a consultant. The flexible time allows me to continue to travel and race in as many destination events as I can handle. I am also very active in the From Fat To Finish Line online community.

Personally, my life took another very public turn for the better when I began to devote as much attention to my mental health as I had to my physical health. Despite the ongoing stigma of mental health treatment, I’ve begun to share my story in hopes that it helps other people in need. You can read more about that at my Writer Blog and my post, Life Medicated.

Life is good, folks. And I’m looking forward to 2017, when I will celebrate my 50^th birthday and my 20^th wedding anniversary.

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And there you have it! We are 12 ordinary people who lost weight, ran a fun race, still struggle with weight maintenance, and are determined enough to never give up. 

You can also read blogs for Leahlah, Jen Roe, Linda, Jen Small, and John.

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