First 5K EVER!

This week has been very challenging for me.  I'm still trying to process the news that I have an autoimmune disease and that I'm looking at a drastic diet change in the hopes of either maintaining a certain level of thyroid medicine or being able to go off of it entirely.  With the diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease I can look back at my past medical history and or how I've exercised and dieted in the past and so much more of this all makes sense.  I wonder what measure of my past bouts of depression can be attributed to the Hashimoto's.  There is still a lot to read and a plan of action to come up with.  I know that at the very least I'll be kissing gluten goodbye.  I'm enjoying this last weekend with one of the great loves of my life, Guinness, before I say adios forever.

All that being said, I RAN my first 5K ever today.  Once before in my life I did a 5K distance on a treadmill but I couldn't walk later that day and I've never run with much consistency until the last three months.  Yeah, I kicked the 5K's butt!  I averaged a better pace then ever before 13.23 mins/mile and I didn't take ANY walking breaks.  My finishing time was 41.31 minutes.  Having my older brother and best friend there running on either side of me helped me push through the walls, the heart palpitations and tingling hands. (Thanks Hashimoto's.)  The last mile actually really challenged me and I kept thinking, "I'm not going to let Daniel and the kids down.  They are waiting to cheer for me."  Then that last 1/4 mile my thought was, "I'm not going to let MYSELF down, I'm going to run, I'm going to train to run farther distances, and this f*****g Hashimoto's isn't going to get the best of me.  I'm going to get better."  So I finished and I finished speeding up and it was awesome to see my husband and kids there supporting me and hear everyone cheering and clapping.

When we got home it occurred to me that I haven't gone back and looked at the pictures Aiden took of me three months ago when I started this fitness journey and the journey to real health.  Wanna see the before pictures?  This was a good moment for me, I've come a LONG way!

100 Miles

I really need to get back to blogging more often, I know you're all dying to hear my fantastically interesting life adventures and laugh outright at my little quips.  It has been a busy and complicated 6 weeks.  There has been a lot going on and not enough time to get things accomplished (per usual).  Smallest of All is super mobile now and I need to rearrange the house and put up her corral.  No baby gates for this kid, she gets a whole stinkin' fence.  When she's not crawling around with a ball she's attempting to ride the dog or eat the other kids shoes, both are habits I discourage.

ANYWAY, as the eternal procrastinator I was searching for something easy and free to help keep me motivated and accountable as I continue to work towards my weight loss and fitness goals.  As I don't really want to pay for a gym membership, personal trainer, Pilates reformer, or 6 months at a health spa at the moment so I started googling.  It went something like this.

Step one: Find a challenge.
Step two: Con a friend and fellow procrastinator to do it with me because it's more fun that way.

I was stoked to find this little gem.

100 Mile Fitness

It was pretty easy to sucker a friend to join me, and we're not just going for 100 miles, we're shooting for 128!  Our first miles will be running that 5 K together on SATURDAY!!! YIKES!!!  I actually can't wait, I'm starting to get excited for it.

Anyone else out there want to join us??

Home Again

Well, we're home after an amazing 9 days with my in-laws in Augusta, GA.  I'm sitting here enjoying my first green drink in over a week and it's OH SO GOOD!!  Nothing like starting the day with coffee and what amounts to an entire bag of fresh spinach and a variety of fruits.  Yum!

It was great to do some running with my husband.  He was very encouraging and knew how to push me past what I thought I could do.  There were a couple of fantastic spots we enjoyed while we were in Augusta.  The Greeneway Trail (as seen in the picture) in North Augusta was really nice.  Even with the heat the trail is through a tunnel of trees and the shade was very pleasant to run through.  We also had a fun family run/bike ride at the trail between the Augusta Canal and the Savannah River.  Lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery, it was a good break not running on pavement for once too.

One of the best parts was getting to go out without the kiddos for dinners in which I didn't have to feed a baby, answer a million questions, and cut up and or share my food with a small child.  We went out more in 9 days then in the past year and it was fun to sample some new places in Augusta and go back to some of our favorites.  I really loved the Rooster's Beak.  The gourmet tacos were delicious and the unique flavors made for a memorable dining experience.

My weight loss journey is still having ups and downs.  Last weigh in I was down to 212, that's 24 lbs lost!!!  The goal for the week is to finally set a solid routine and get back to my more careful eating plan.  Gotta register for that 5 K, less than a month to go!

Okay, I need to go chase down Smallest of All.  Having a mobile baby makes life ever so much more interesting than it was before! (Like I need more excitement!)

Goals, Weekly Overview and Weight Loss Challenge, OH MY!

I think the first week of reaching my weight loss goals was a success. I have kept a food journal, started following portion guidelines, cut out most sweets and alcohol and have been challenged by my Dad to a bet. First person to lose 10 pounds wins and the loser has to go visit the other person. We'll have our weekly weigh in and keep each other accountable as needed. My other motivation is a shopping spree if I accomplish my ultimate goal of 81 lbs by New Year's Day. I think I may start a savings account with a specified amount for each pound I lose to contribute to the new clothes/new me account. :)

Here are a few of my observations for the week. I have gone with a simple portion control guide that I used when I did the Zone Diet years ago. My meat serving is the size and thickness as the the palm of my hand, complex carb is the size of a closed fist and green veggie is the size of a loose fist. Because I'm still nursing a baby I have a lot more green veggies and I add some flax oil on top. Going back to some sort of portion guideline has helped me see how I was eating WAY WAY WAY more than I needed. I have one fruit and or protein smoothie a day and have whole foods for snacks like an apple or some almonds. I got myself moving on the treadmill too. I worked out 4 times and at my last work out I was able to do three intervals of slow jogging. I didn't think I'd be able to do that at all so tomorrow I'll start the "real" training for the 5 K I want to run on July 4th weekend. I can make little changes that will make a big difference. We went out for lunch today and instead of eating half an order of fried green tomatoes I had one slice. I had a shrimp salad croissant and potato salad and I brought half of it home. We even got ice cream but I got one scoop instead of 3.

A couple of goals:

Get rid of those next 10 lbs by April 15 weigh in.

Run 5 K on July 4th

Go on 1 mile "fun run" with Aiden

Lose 81 lbs by January 1, 2012 (I'll need to lose 8 lbs a month April-December to attain that number.)

Consistently follow the Couch Potato to 5 K plan.

I'm feeling really good about the start I'm off to. I FEEL good and I'm very encouraged by my big initial weight loss and by all of my friends sending me comments and emails to support me. Anyone want to make a guess at how long it's gonna take to shed those 10 lbs?