What A Difference...

A year can make.

On my 33rd birthday (last year) I wished for two things.  First and foremost, I wished for my mom to get through breast cancer and be declared cancer-free, as soon as humanly possible, and with as little amount of pain as possible.  Not too long after my birthday she was, in fact, declared in remission, and we will celebrate that anniversary very soon, thank God.

My second wish was for me.  I wished that I would finally get back on track with taking better care of myself.  I wanted to get back to working out, I wanted to lose weight, I wanted to feel better again.  I felt so run down all the time, most evenings after a long day at work, then all the things you have to get done when you get home, when my girls would want me to run around and chase them, or get down on the floor and play with them, etc...I felt too tired.  I hated that, hated that at 33 I felt like I couldn't keep up with them, and decided I was the only one that could change it.  So, a couple weeks after my 33rd birthday, I joined a gym and started working out, for the first time in seven years. 

It was hard, the results did not come right away, as a matter of fact, it took months before I started seeing changes.  It was discouraging, it was disappointing to have it become so obvious to myself how much I had let myself go, but I kept going, kept pushing.  The only result I did see right away was the one that meant the most to me.  I no longer felt run down all the time, I no longer wanted to tell my girls I was too tired to chase them around.  I decided even if I didn't lose weight and look better, that was enough for me, because I want to be there for them more than anything.  And then, it finally started to happen, slowly, but surely, I started to lose weight, and inches.  I took up running in May, and then it started happening even faster. 

In this whole process I've had great support from friends and family.  Nathan has been great about me needing to head to the gym or out for a run, my dad and sister run with me from time to time, my mom is my own personal cheerleader, and my friends (all of which run as well) are like one huge support group of moms who know that it is hard to drag your butt off the couch after a long day of work, dinner, errands, cleaning, taking care of the kids, etc...but we all do it, and we're all much better off for it!

So, what a difference a year can make, today, my 34th birthday finds me:

32 lbs thinnner (-20% for my fellow Biggest Loser fans)

31 inches smaller

able to run 9 miles at a time

and currently in week 9 of my half marathon training for the April 10th half

I never, ever thought that this was something I would be able to do, but I'm excited and thrilled to see how it goes!

My First 10K

I ran my first 10K on October 17th this year.  My goal was to run the whole thing, and I didn't, I walked, two times, for a short distance, and am still very disappointed that I did.  However, I am happy with the fact that in the ten weeks since the Flat Five, I managed to shave a minute off my pace, so I'll focus on being happy about that.  My dad ran the race with me, and he kicked my butt!  I'm so incredibly proud of him! 

We got ready for the race, ran about the first mile together and then I didn't see him again until after it was over!

Nathan and the girls came to the race to cheer me and dad on along with mom.  This is the first time they were there at the finish line, and I can't tell you how much it meant to me to see them there cheering and clapping, I could feel a huge smile spread on my face, and my eyes stinging with some tears, I love my family, and it meant the world to me to have them there.

Nathan's sister Jessie also ran the race, this was her first race ever!  She did a great job and was immediately ready to do it again!

The finishers:

When I was a kid my dad used to run a lot of races, 5K's and 10K's.  I can remember attending several of them, and in typical "tween" fashion, being utterly bored sitting around waiting for the race to be over.  Never, in a million years, did I ever think that he and I would be running races together, but I so love that we are.

Flat Five Race - August 1

Finally!  Some pictures from our Flat Five Race in August.  Yes, it took me that long to catch up, and yes, two months later I did just download them from my camera, however, I've been busy, running, among other things - which was very noticeable to me by these pictures and then the pictures I just got done sorting and filing from our apple picking in late September. 

There were five of us in all (that knew each other) racing that day, total obviously much more. 

Before picture:

Dad - Jamie - Rachel - Me - Karen

Rachel blew us all out of the water:

Dad and Karen finished together, in under an hour!

Jamie finished with a smile on her face!  A trick she will have to teach me someday!



And I finished, finally, but I finished, which was goal number one for me.  Goal number two was to not finish dead last - check; finished before 11 other people...And goal number three was to finish in under

one hour, fifteen minutes - check, finished in one hour, three minutes and change.

After picture:

And some other shots I like from this day:

Last but not least, my favorite, my awesome big sister coming back to run the finish with me, and help see me through...

7 Months and Counting...

It has been about seven months since I started getting myself back in shape, started exercising and taking better care of myself.  Seven months, 22 pounds, and 20.5 inches later, I find myself getting ready for my first 10K race, and even seriously contemplating a half marathon in April of next year.  I'm pretty sure that I will go for it, however, I wanted to keep my goal for the 10K in mind without focusing on larger future goals until I had accomplished it.

My goal for the 10K is to be able to run it, without stopping.  I know that doesn't sound like a big goal, the majority of people that sign up for these races run it without stopping.  I however, had never run a day in my life until May of this year.  After I started running, it was extremely short intervals with lots of walking in between.  You may recall that for my 5 mile run in August, my goal was to simply not have emergency personnel peel me off the pavement anywhere finish it. 

Shortly after that run however, I got a swift kick in the butt by a good friend of mine, who talked me through the "I just can't seem to move ahead" excuse phase.  She encouraged me to make small goals for myself, which I did, and it proved to me that she was absolutely right, there was no reason that almost four months into running, I could not be going farther without stopping.  By the time I reached two miles without stopping, I set up a plan for myself to get ready for the 10K race.  Increase how far I was running without stopping by a half mile every week, which would get me to the six miles total by race day. Last week's goal was four and a half miles without stopping, but I got to five.  I had never felt better after a run, and for the first time, the half marathon didn't seem so far fetched, but I am still not going to think about it until I get past the 10K.  This week's goal was 5.5 miles, and I did 5.8.  I'm actually excited for the 10K race!

Six Months

Last week marked six months since I started working out; since I embarked on a mission to take better care of myself and get in shape again.  It has been a tough six months, but it has been so worth it.  When I started I wasn't the least bit interested in running, and now I find myself registered for a 10K race in October, and a 5K the following weekend!  What has happened to me?!?!  Whatever it is, it is a good thing. 

Six moths after I made the decision to kick my butt into shape, I find myself 18 pounds lighter, 18 inches less round, 3 pant sizes smaller, and most importantly feeling great!  I have more energy, I'm sleeping better, and best of all, I no longer feel like I can't keep up with my girls!

I still have more weight to lose, and inches too, however I am looking forward to the next six months, and seeing what I get to report back on then!

The Run - The Results

My first "competitive" run was yesterday.  I have been training for it, running outsdie 3 to 4 times a week trying to build up my endurance and adjust to running outside, and on average go about 3 miles.  Yesterday's run however was for 5 miles.  Needless to say I'm sure, I was starting to panic about my ability to finish, and was hoping and praying not to come in dead last, which became my two main goals.  I said that I wasn't going to worry about time, but in my head I was secretly praying to finish below 1 hour 15 minutes, or roughly a 15 min pace.

There is something to be said for adrenaline.  Not only did I finish, and not finish last, but I managed to finish at 1 hour 3 minutes, running around a 12 minute 43 second pace, which is admittedly slow, but for me, is my best pace ever.  I felt great, and can't wait to do another.  I had the wonderful support at the race of my fellow runners - Dad, Karen, Rachel, and Jamie, and our own personal cheering section, Mom.  Thanks to all of you!  I couldn't have done it without you!  Pictures to follow soon!

July Challenge - Results

Here are the results of my July challenge, it did not go as hoped. I did not work out for 31 days straight as planned, as a matter of fact, I started off HORRIBLY slow… and did nothing for the first five days but celebrate the 4th with great (but not healthy) food…


1 – Nada

2 – Nada

3 – Nada and I ate badly at a great BBQ

4 – Nada and again ate badly

5 – Nada

6 – Yoga Meltdown challenge (and let me tell you, Ole Jillian is not messing around…)

7 – Ab Challenge and 2.7 mile run/walk

8 – Yoga Challenge

9 – Ab challenge and 2.7 mile run/walk

10 – Yoga Challenge and 15.5 mile bike ride (which left my back and butt in agony for two days…)

11 – Nada (gave my poor back a break after the day before)

12 – Ab Challenge and ran 1.2 miles (would have been longer if not for the thunder and lightning that started .5 mile in, boo)

13 – 1 hour weight training at the gym – arms, legs, core

14 – Yoga Challenge

15 – Ab Challenge, Run 3 Miles

16 – Yoga Challenge

17 – Run 3 Miles

18 – Yoga Challenge

19 – Ab Challenge, Run 2.5 Miles

20 – Yoga Challenge

21 – ab challenge, 3 mile Run

22 – Nada

23 – 2.75 Mile Run

24 – Nada

25 – Nada – came home sick as a dog!

26 – Nada – still sick

27 – Nada – sensing a pattern, so pathetic…

28 – Nada

29 – 2.75 mile run

30 – Yoga Challenge

31 – Yoga Challenge

So the results are 19 of 31 days I worked out; I won’t call it a failure, cause working out period is success, but I blew it on the challenge front this month. I have discovered that while the Yoga Meltdown was a good workout and I think benefited my balance and flexibility, I get very bored with video work outs.

Today is my first official run, the Flat Five. I’m nowhere near where I thought I would be for this run as far as training goes, so I hope to finish, without making a fool of myself.

Next up, the August Challenge! Same idea as the month before, alternating regular work outs with an additional challenge; this month’s focus, buns & thighs!

July Challenge

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again, I’ve got some AMAZING friends, and I’m so very thankful for them. They are the kinds of friends that motivate, challenge, support, assist, and best of all (if there had to be a best) laugh with you when you need it the most.


In this group of friends, there are a few of us that have been working out, trying to kick our butts back in to shape, or train for a run/race, whatever. In June, we did an Ab Challenge together, only took 15 minutes or so, 5 different exercises, and we did it almost every day since June 11 or so. The July challenge is going to be Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. Deal is since most of us are also running or otherwise working out so we will do the Meltdown four days a week. Hmm…I run three days a week, so I guess that means July 1 marks the day of my first month of attempting to work out every day. Considering my first run/race is August 1, let’s hope I can still walk at the end of the month!

We’re doing measurements and before and after pictures (for ourselves), nothing more humbling than that! And to report on the running outside effort, it is improving, my legs are getting more used to the concrete, shin splints aren’t as bad as they were, and I actually find it more motivating to run outside than at the gym but I sure do miss that AC!

The Run

Well, I have done it. I have officially lost my mind. I just got done registering for my very first run. Unable to find a 5K that worked out timing and location wise sooner, I chose a 5 mile run on August 1. I refuse to use the word ‘race’ and me in the same sentence, so we are going with ‘run’. I would consider it a huge, HUGE accomplishment if I could run the whole time, but I am not that crazy. My goal for this first one is simply to complete it, running as much of it as I possibly can.


Here’s my biggest problem at this point, I NEED to start running outside. I run, but I run inside on a treadmill at the gym. I need to get adjusted to the outside, with no a/c, no fan blowing on me, no TV in front of me, with horrible humidity and no peppy music pumping in the background—wait, that last one I can do…

So on the nights that I do not go to the gym, (not all but some) I'll be working on my outdoor running stamina, if you don't hear from me in a week, please send help...

Wish me luck, I’ll need it, I have less than two months to get ready!

Psst…oh yeah, a milestone for me today, my weigh in this morning left me at a 10 pound deficit since I started (this is week 13).  I’ve been in the best mood ever since!!

Working Out - Week 10

I posted here that I had gotten back to working out again. This is week ten for me, and it is going well. So far, no one has had to rush over and resuscitate me, and Rachel has even gotten me running now! I can hardly believe it. After just two weeks of running, I talked myself (with her encouragement of course) into trying for a 5K race this summer. We’ll see how it goes. I have been improving slowly, so I’m hopeful though!

In these ten weeks, I have noticed some changes that were my motivation to get back in shape in the first place. First, and most importantly to me, I feel better, I have more energy, and when Sammie says to me, “mommy chase me” I no longer want to tell her “mommy’s too tired, baby”. Second, I’m sleeping better! Granted most of our work outs going until ten at night, which puts me in bed after showering and coming down from the adrenaline high somewhere between eleven and midnight, this leaves me usually with about five hours sleep, but they are five good hours of sleep! And finally, my clothes are fitting better. I have lost six pounds, and I’ll freely admit that after ten weeks, I expected that number to be higher, but I am older and had farther to go to get in shape this time than I ever have been before, so I’m being patient, or trying to anyway!

This week though, I had some nice milestones to boost my motivation a little in place of big numbers on the scale!

1) My dress for my SIL’s wedding in two weeks fit! (I ordered it one size smaller, which is exactly one size bigger than my wedding dress was, six years and two babies ago!)

2) While working out with Rachel this week, we noticed two friends watching our exercise, this is something we were doing when we first started, and Rachel and I had to laugh when she said “OMG Kelly! It’s finally happened!!”

3) I ran for one mile this week without stopping at all

4) I had four different people tell me that they could tell I’ve been working out, hubby included!

I had a thought last week of how I would like to celebrate and “treat myself” once I lose more weight. In addition to some new clothes, I’m going to hire Rachel to take some pictures of me and my girls. I have very few pictures of me with them both, and even fewer that I like the way I look in. Since they were my primary motivation for taking better care of myself and getting back into shape, I want to get a picture of me with them and put in on my bedroom wall to always remind myself that they are my best motivation.

For Mother’s Day to support these goals, I bought myself two gifts. One, a new pair of running shoes, which were very necessary! And two, the frame that I will put that picture in. The frame has the perfect saying of exactly what I want for my girls as they grow up:

Dance like no one is watching


Love like you’ll never get hurt


Sing like no one is listening


And live like it is Heaven on Earth

Working Out

It had really been bothering me for a while that I have gotten so out of shape and for the longest time could not figure out how to fit working out in my schedule. So at the beginning of March (just so happened to coincide with my 33rd birthday), I decided to bite the bullet and join a 24 hour gym by our house. Our friends Mike and Rachel had joined and offered to be our work-out partners, so Nathan and I decided to get started. Our plan is to commit to three days a week. I will say that I am very happy I have lost three pounds so far! My goal is, well let’s just say a lot more! ;-)


Prior to joining the gym, in February, Rachel was telling Jenny and me that she really wished we would join with her so we could go to the classes. Especially this Zumba (mix of Latin dancing and aerobics) cause she thinks she wouldn’t feel so foolish if we were there. After determining that we weren’t sure that was a compliment, I informed Rachel that I would NEVER take the Zumba class with her.

I like to do the elliptical and weights for my work out; Rachel is a runner, and loves the classes. So she finally talked me into trying one out last night. It was the “Ultimate Fitness Mix”. We walk in as the class starts, get set up, and the instructor says “Welcome to Zumba ladies!”. My reaction? Rachel is in deep sh*t! :)

Turns out for ultimate fitness mix, they let the class choose what we will do, so it wasn’t her fault after all, but it gave me a good laugh!

It was actually a really good work out, minus the parts where I felt like the most uncoordinated person in the world! I’m feeling better, sleeping better, have been inspired by the calorie counter on the elliptical to eat better, and am so completely happy to be getting some exercise in again! Thank you Rachel, you have been a great work out partner!