Dear asphalt

Oh how I missed pounding my Nikes on you this morning...Don't worry though I'll see you bright and early FRIDAY MORNING!

Can't wait :)

love,
me








photo I <3 to run

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Keep moving forward

So I got an injury this morning and I was going to write this sad post where I'm throwing a pity party for myself....But I decided that I'm not going to let it bring me down.

Besides the injury I had a GREAT run this morning! I heard my alarm at 6:00 am....yea EARLY! I as usual turned it off and stayed in bed lol... Yay me ;)! Well my AMAZING hubby said "don't you need to run?", me: (sigh) "yea" woohoo I'm so motivated right lol! Hubby: "sorry just trying to help keep you motivated.".... Isn't he AWESOME!? So yea I got my butt out of bed and was out for my run by 6:15 :). It was still a little dark which made me a little nervous, I'm really wanting to get a can of pepper spray to carry with me just in case. We live amongst offices so at 6 am there are not many people around, so I was running a little faster than normal. As I was turning one of my usual corners on my route I saw what I thought was a squirrel crossing the street. I thought geez that's a funny looking squirrel but as I got closer it was a SKUNK and I was headed right for it! I quickly crossed the street praying it didn't spray me....that would really be my luck lol. Thankfully we both went our separate ways quietly :) That run definitely messed with my rhythm so it was a bit of a struggle to get back into it. On my way back I was passing the spot where the skunk was and all I could do was continuously scan the area hoping I wouldn't have another run it with it. Again I got away not smelling stinky(well from the skunk anyway...pretty sweaty at this point lol).

I passed our complex and I was pretty tired...I pushed myself though until I felt like I was going to fall over and have to crawl home. Keep going until you got nothing left right?! Well I started to slow down and as I took my first step of walking I noticed I was at 1.81 miles!? I immediately broke into a run because I refused to quit when I was SO close to the 2 mile mark. Now I was pretty exhausted at this point, I'm talking huffing and puffing, dripping sweat like a waterfall and literally telling myself out loud that I CAN DO THIS! I must have been quite the sight but fortunately no one went by...the perks of running early in the morning :). I ran until I could not run another step, my legs burned and my lungs felt as if they could not get one satisfying breath. So I stopped. When I looked down I was disappointed but at the same time I was excited and proud of myself. My GPS read 1.96 miles. I was .4 miles short of my goal! Besides that fact though that IS the farthest I have ever ran without stopping. SO I am happy :). I read a quote the other day that said "ANY RUN IS A GREAT RUN" and I LOVE that!

Knowing I was so close to my goal motivated me to run the rest of the way home. I walked for about a minute and then took off. I was feeling exhausted but GREAT at the same time. I was just outside of our place at the 2.35 mile mark when POP went my left knee. It caught me by surprise and nearly sent me to the ground. I was in such shock over what had just happened...I put pressure on my leg and it sent this intense pain through it. It almost felt like I had a HUGE air bubble in my knee that needed to pop, so whenever I bent my knee in any way the pressure grew. I immediately thought oh I'll call Kevin and he'll help me get inside...I'm such a damsel in distress huh? I then snapped out of the helpless little me mentality and limped my way to our place. First thing was Advil and ice when I walked in the door and now my knee feels A LOT better. Looking back I'm sure pushing myself to my absolute limit probably helped cause this to happen, and also me wanting to run every single day. I just love how I feel when I run so I want it all the time! Sometimes I get the itch to go run again in the afternoon, but I don't. Maybe someday :)!

I'm now going to take a few days off to rest my knee so that I don't cause any more injuries. I'll most likely do some walking and weight training. I know I will have to ease back into running just to be safe and I CAN'T WAIT to get back out there. One of my fears is getting hurt and not being able to ever run again. I know it is such a blessing to be able to run when so many people out there can't. I've been so focused on increasing my distance that I have not been fully enjoying my runs. I mean I still LOVE my runs but I'm constantly thinking about how I need to go farther and faster. It's time to slow it back down and just run because I enjoy it and because I can. I will never take this blessing for granted again.






                                                                 photo I <3 to run




                                                               photo I<3 to run




                                                                   photo I <3 to run
         See you here tomorrow :)!                                                   

one step at a time

This morning I did not get up with my alarm at 6:15. I attempted to go back to sleep because I have been SO TIRED lately, but I laid in bed and all I could do was think about how I needed to get up and have more time to run. It was this nagging voice that would just not let me go back to sleep! So I did it I begrudgingly got out of bed and got dressed. I did my stretches, got my gum(have to run with gum in my mouth, it really BOTHERS me when my mouth gets too dry), opened my imapmyrun app, got my iPod ready and stepped outside. Immediately I knew I had made the right decision, the air was so cool and smelled so fresh from the rain during the night. I was a little apprehensive about my run since I took Saturday and Sunday off, I wasn't sure how it was going to go... I walked for the first 15 seconds and then I found my running partner for the morning...Safetysuit :) I must have listened to their song "Apology" 4 times in a row because it was just doing wonders for my running! I got so into it at one point I was basically sprinting, which by the way felt AWESOME! I did slow my pace back down so I didn't burn out too quickly. I recommend everyone sprint from time to time because it is such an adrenaline rush! Again I focused more on my breathing and my stride which has REALLY helped me. Since I got out earlier I didn't feel rushed to get my run done so I added a little to my route which was nice. So today I ran 1.6 miles without stopping once! I am SO beyond happy with myself right now! Step by step I know I will one day be running a marathon because I know with dedication and time I WILL get there. I walked for a minute after that(and again I DID NOT look at my GPS until I stopped to walk, this is SO helpful!) I was thrilled to see 1.6 staring up at me :) After my minute walk I ran until I was well pretty exhausted...I saw another runner(which I LOVE, seeing other runners out is a HUGE motivator for me) so that pushed me to run past my usual quitting point on the way home which put me at a total run of 2.53 miles, my farthest yet!

Let's break this down for memory sake:
ran 1.6 miles = 11:36 mins/mile (slow but it used to be 13!)
walked .1 miles
ran .62 miles
walked .21 for cool down
Total run 2.53

So it was a GREAT run and I feel FANTASTIC! Hard to believe I used to hate running outside because it was SO HARD for me. It is still a CHALLENGE but that is part of the fun! Who wants to do something that is easy?? It's so much more rewarding to accomplish something that was SO HARD :)!


Lesson learned today:
I enjoy running so much more when I'm not rushed and I can focus on everything. Running for me has turned into my "me" time where I can think and just relax(relax while running? I know who thought that would be possible lol :)), every parent knows how important it is to still make time for YOU and to continue doing things you enjoy. I once lost who I was, yes I am a mom and a wife, but I didn't know who I was besides that. Some probably think that should be enough and for a long time that's what I kept telling myself, I thought that making time for me was selfish and that mothers shouldn't do it....WRONG! Moms need time for them, I now know how IMPORTANT it is. I am a MUCH happier mother and wife and I KNOW it is because I make time for ME. I challenge every mother out there to make time for herself this week and see what a difference it makes. Whether you run, walk, shop, read a book, take a hot bath...whatever just make time for YOU! I promise it will make a world of difference in your life and the lives of others that you affect.

I PROMISE myself to never lose who I am again, to never get lost in self pity and to never feel worthless again...because we all ARE WORTH IT!




                                                                    photo via I <3 to run
See you here tomorrow!

Facing the Giants

I <3 to Run on FB just posted this video "Facing the Giants". It really got me thinking about whether or not I TRULY give my ALL in my runs.

I'm going to be honest with myself and admit that I am NOT giving my all. Sure I stop and walk when I'm really tired but I know I have not given my all. I allow myself to give up too easily. Part of the accomplishment in my eyes is pushing to the end, pushing PAST your limits and finding out that YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK. I had a moment on Friday when I hit that milestone of running over a mile without stopping. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop pushing myself to go further. That just gave me the motivation to keep moving FORWARD.

This video was incredibly inspirational to me. I got the chills when the coach was yelling "don't stop till you got nothing left!". On Monday during my run I will remember this and I won't stop till I've got nothing left!

Facing the Giants video GO HERE

                                                              Photo via I <3 to run
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Runners High

I can now say that I just experienced the runners high to the extreme. Besides loving being outside and running, I ran over a mile without stopping! Now I know that is no huge feat to most runners lol, but for me it was a HUGE moment :)!

Let's start at the beginning. When I first started my run I was TIRED, and my body was yelling at me to quit just after the first 45 seconds. That was tough, really tough. Running is so much of a mental game as it is physical. If I had not forced that voice out of my head and kept saying to myself I CAN DO THIS then I would've quit and walked feeling defeated. The old me would have done that in a heartbeat, simply because I did not have the motivation and had no idea how running really made you feel. I always took the easy way out and was afraid to push myself and to have something be HARD. Now I've done some pretty HARD things in my life and they have been the BEST things to ever bless my life. Looking back I really appreciate pushing through the hard times because they made me stronger. I would not be who I am today without all my struggles. So why was I SO afraid of running? It literally made my stomach go in knots and I would panic at the idea of running. I used to think ok people run for fun?? REALLY?! Lol all I can say now is that you will NEVER know unless you JUST GO FOR IT! I'm seriously taking baby steps and it is BY FAR the most rewarding hobby I have ever tried. I see progress with my weight loss, I have A LOT more energy and I am just HAPPY ALL THE TIME :)! Yes, running is hard but it is worth every step, every drop of sweat and the burning in your legs...its A-MA-ZING. So its official I am HOOKED and I couldn't be happier!

Now back to my run today lol.... After I got out of my head and just focused on my run things went so much better. In between songs when it was quiet I focused on my breathing, which I don't do nearly enough. Sometimes I tend to panic when I can't get a deep breath and I am reminded of my days as a kid with asthma, but if I relax and just focus on slowing down my breathing then its smooth sailing. Today a miracle happened and I actually had a rhythm with my breathing and my running. I felt so in sync with my self, lol if that makes sense. I know that is why I was able to go 1.3 miles without stopping once. Also I did not look at my GPS a million times to see how far I have gone(I have a BAD habit of doing that. It can be very distracting and discouraging SO I don't recommend it) I just held my phone in my had and did not look at it until I walked for 1 minute. I was so EXCITED when I looked down and saw 1.3 on it. I about jumped for joy! I have been so upset that I couldn't even run 1 mile without stopping for a minute. So I was just so ecstatic to see that and that gave me the motivation to run the rest of the way home which was .8 miles. So I got a total of 2.1 miles in this morning :). Also I took 3 minutes off my time from yesterday and I even had to slow my pace so I wouldn't wear myself out too fast. Lesson learned here today...NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF!

Seriously though baby steps. I admire the people who can jump right in and run long distances in no time flat, but for me it is a journey and I am definitely enjoying the ride :).

Photo I <3 to Run

See you here tomorrow!

C25K

Ok so I have been running as far as I can before I am wiped out, no strategy just run. Well today I decided to try something a little different...I bought the C25K(couch to 5 K) app a month ago and I never used it. Today was day one of my training. I started in Week 4 day 3 since I felt the earlier weeks were WAY too easy lol.

Week 4 Day 3
Brisk 5-minute warmup walk, then:
-run 3 minutes
-walk 90 seconds
-run 5 minutes
-walk 2-1/2 minutes
-run 3 minutes
-walk 90 seconds
-run 5 minutes
5 minute cooldown walk

So I have to be honest and admit that the last 5 minute run was a walk for me and then I skipped the cooldown, since I had just walked 5 minutes and I ran out of time. Yet again I did not get out of bed until 6:45 when I NEED to get up much earlier. I was running late because of my run, but the twins were on time for school still :) and I felt AWESOME!
Total distance: 2 miles

I have a mini goal for myself, I challenge myself to get to bed before 10 tonight(meaning only 2 episodes of the Office with my hubby instead of the usual 4-5 :)) and get up at 6:15 am with my alarm(which would be AMAZING)! Who thinks I can do it?? Lol I AM going to....I really am :)

As for my ankle....Icing it has really helped it to feel much better, but running definitely brings the pain back with a vengeance. I took some Advil since it was all I had and that seemed to help after I got home. I'll go grab some ibuprofen after work since I've been told that will help the best with the swelling. All in all though its a manageable pain and I'm hoping my body will just adjust. If not it may be my shoes that are the problem...perhaps I should start saving my pennies for some new ones:)

Here's another mini goal :) If I can run everyday(except Sundays) for the next two weeks then I will get some new running shoes :)! (of course I will run this by my hubby first :), running shoes are not cheap lol)

I had another goal for myself and that was to reach 120 and then go buy some new jeans as my reward. Before babies I had a love(and I still do) for nice jeans. I have many pairs of citizens and sevens just waiting for me to wear them again :). Today I am in my "big" citizens that I wore at the end of my pregnancy with the twins! Still I love how these jeans make me feel and look :) Amazing what some good clothes can do for your self image! I decided on buying a pair of True Religions since I have never owned any...we'll see though, Citizens seem to work really well with women who have, well some curves ;). My hubby is constantly reminded by me of this deal lol! He has been so great throughout this process and told me the other night what a great job I was doing and how proud he was of me :)! I love having his support and I LOVE that he is noticing lol!





                                                                photo via I<3 to run 

Also I have not yet decided but I may put blonde back in my hair as a reward...Although not dying my hair has been SO nice. Can't beat super low maintenance hair(this coming from me, a girl who has been dying her hair since she was 12!) Plus my little twins LOVE that we have the same hair color :).

Long post today....I'm in a GREAT mood and I can thank running for that :)!

See you tomorrow :)






                                                                  photo via I <3 to run

just. go. for. it.

So I haven't been for a run since last Thursday the 18th and it was starting to really get to me. I live for the high running gives me to get me off to a GREAT day. My days are just not the same without my morning run. Anyway I've been icing my ankle and taking it easy and it STILL hurts. I iced it like CRAZY last night because I was DETERMINED to go this morning.

I woke up late (6:45) when I should have gotten up with my alarm(typical, I didn't) at 6:00 am. None the less I got up and hit the pavement. I walked for the first 30 seconds and then could not stand it any longer so I started to run. I felt SO GREAT! I made a playlist of songs for running and it helped A LOT. The first song to come on was Memory by Sugarcult, which I have not heard for awhile now. It reminds me of college, living in L.A. and a lot less stress. So it was a fun trip down memory lane and a GREAT motivator. I ran harder and faster and didn't feel tired...A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Because I am worried about my ankle I only ran a mile, but it was my best mile yet :) I'm still at a 10:00 min mile but I felt great and loved every second of it! I'm SO excited to get out there tomorrow and kick some more assphalt ;)!!

No excuses....just the truth

I did not run Saturday, Sunday or today (first day of school woohoo!). Tomorrow it is on. My ankle is slowly feeling better so I will start with walking and ease into a run if I feel its safe. We went to Denver CO this last weekend and it was busy busy BUSY. I'm excited to get back to it because I need my early morning boost :) Sending my twins off to Kindergarten today gave me the biggest high of all :) Can't believe my babies are in school....ahhhh! Going to be a GREAT year :)!

See you here tomorrow!

Today is a good day :)

Although I ran 1 mile and walked another it was still a good day :). My ankle acted up so I stopped running and walked the rest of the way. At first I was fairly upset but then I looked up and saw the sun between the mountains and it was so beautiful! That instantly lifted my spirits :)

Also in celebration of my weight loss I rewarded myself with a new dress. Inspired by my lovely friend Kylie who wore it to my house last weekend. It's a Liberty of London for Target dress and I love it! It's fun and SO comfortable!

Ok last time I bought clothes for myself was oh when I was preggo....so now that I've lost some weight I actually enjoy getting dressed. It's no longer this depressing thing where I try on 50 things and the only thing to fit is the same old pair of pants. I feel happy and I feel GREAT!

Thank you running for bringing me back to life! Who knew sweating your face off and kicking your butt would be SO REWARDING??!!

Yea today is a good day :)

Made me smile so big! Bet the cars passing me thought I was CRAZZZZZY lol.

Seriously I'm not vain....Just happy and wanted to capture it! :)

P.s. I really love this dress....amazing.

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Embrace

So I hurt my ankle pretty bad on Tuesday so I did not run yesterday or today. My ankle feels a lot better though so I am HOPING I can run tomorrow :). I really have missed it. My days are always so much better when I've gone out and ran. Doesn't even matter what my distance was just running period makes me feel great!

Onto my little thought for the day. The other night one of my besties Chanda :) posted a cute picture of her and I and our friend LaChelle (oh and miss Oaklee:)) from last summer. It was right before I had Kanan. First of all I'm so grateful for the memory I have of this time with my friends and am even more grateful that the precious little boy Lincoln is now a strong and happy one year old!

But seeing that picture made me realize how big I really was. I knew the scale said 192 but never took the time to truly look at myself. I refused pictures usually because I knew I was big, but man I really was in denial because this picture shocked me. At first I was SO embarrassed that people would see me SO huge. Then I felt ashamed that I had allowed myself to get that way. But after my pity party for oh about 30 minutes I decided to embrace it and use it to fuel my motivation in continuing my weightloss.

One other thing though is that I got my handsome mr man out of this and I would NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. Yes I should've exercised and yes I should've eaten better, but you know what you live you learn and grow from it. It was my last pregnancy and boy did I have fun giving into all my cravings and eating whatever I wanted lol! I enjoyed myself and that's all that matters right?

Anyway I've now changed my eating habits and the rest I've said in previous posts. I just wanted to share this picture basically for my own journaling purposes. I'm no longer ashamed or embarrassed of where I was. I've embraced it and am moving on. I will forever cherish that visit with two very important women in my life!

Me, Chanda, LaChelle and miss Oaklee :)

Me 48 lbs less at 144 :) and still losing

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Inspired

I went for my run this morning and as soon as my feet hit the asphalt my legs felt tired. I've been pushing myself and so far it had felt great! I kept running though determined to beat my distance yesterday. I went my usual route and went .84 miles today before having to stop. Total run 1.91 miles. Bit by bit I will build up my endurance :). I kept saying to myself "keep going, keep going"! Found this awesome picture from I love to Run on FB (see below) that was truly inspirational. On the way back on the other side of the road were two deer. When they saw me they just sat there and stared, and I was walking for a minute at this point so I must not have startled them. A bunch of cars came by and they still hung around for a minute. They went their separate ways and as I was trying to muster up the motivation to start running again I saw them together again running (or that jumping thing they do lol). I have never been in awe of the graceful and effortless movement they make. I've seen so many deer in my life but at that moment I really appreciated the true beauty of their movement. They were just going along enjoying themselves (I'm assuming) since they weren't running away from anything....mornings are so peaceful :) After that moment I started to run and I enjoyed it. I wasn't worried about my form, my speed, or my distance...I just ran and that is what I enjoy. Run because I can and run because I want to.











Wish you could see the deer better...the lighting is bad. I love morning runs!!

26 and feeling great!

I started running to lose weight. Plain and simple. Something has happened that I never expected though...I actually LOVE being outside breathing in the cool morning air. Running has done so much for me, more than I ever thought possible. I turned 26 in July and honestly I was a little less than thrilled. I was determined to make the best of it though since I had no choice. I've been very inconsistent with my running as you can tell by my lack of blogging. I started to run every morning starting last Thursday the 11th. That run was really hard for me and it was only 1 mile. I kept thinking wow I rock on the treadmill, but outside is so much more challenging! I ran Friday and took the weekend off, but got out of bed this morning and ran 1.5 miles. I've decided I'm not going to increase my distance until I can run this without stopping once! Running outside literally kicks my butt! It's hard to breath and sometimes I feel as if I'm going to pass out. I always feel amazing afterwards though! I know if I stick with it and go everyday I WILL get better. Today something happened that has never happened before, I was running to see how far I could go without stopping and I got to my .35 mark where I usually wuss out and walk for a minute and wanted to keep pushing! Seriously have I gotten to the point where I enjoy running?! I got to .75 so not a mile but really I was pretty dang happy with myself! I know it can only get better :). So I started running to lose weight but it has made me happier, a better mom, wife and a much more positive person! I am so happy and take care of myself now! I drink lots of water and am very conscious about what I'm putting into my body. Granted I have cheat days which are SO MUCH FUN :)! Some background:
After Kanan I was 180 and before I had him I was a whoping 192!!!!! I am now at 145 and still losing. I didn't lose Kaydance's baby weight since Kanan's pregnancy was a pleasant surprise :). I was 138 when I got preggo with her and 120 when Kevin and I got married :). I used to be in a very sad place, feeling fat and depressed. I can now say that that Kelly is gone and a MUCH happier Kelly is here :). My goal is to get to 120 and then decide what is next. I just never thought that running would make me feel so incredible and like I can do absolutely anything :)!! Also my 2 week challenge group on FB is AWESOME!! Those women are so encouraging and so positive! I could not have done this without you!
I need to add that when I got serious about exercising and losing weight it was the beginning of April and I weighed 172 so yea I love seeing progress!!
Here's to more running and feeling fabulous :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone