Monday mix tape

Hey everyone! It's been a pretty good Monday after a very quick weekend. The weather here is amazing - cool in the mornings and sunny and warm in the afternoon. 

Saturday, I took advantage of the temperatures and my pain free foot and did this

It was early and cook and the beltline was almost empty. My foot was feeling great as long as I stayed slow and kept short strides so I left my ego at home and let my body tell me what to do.

I could have gone another 4 miles easily but I'm being careful and working up to my half marathon distance. The plan is to get to 12 a couple weeks before the race. I will wait until the race to do the full 13.1. I can't even begin to describe how good it feels to be able to run for 2 hours.

Sunday was a rest day. My quads were on FIRE but my foot wasn't hurting at all. I took an epsom salt bath and kept icing and stretching. Worked well enough to be back out again this morning!

I'm afraid it's a short and not so interesting mix tape this week. We are laying low during the renovation and trying not to spend a lot of money. Yep, that's pretty boring :)

Have a happy, healthy week everyone!

Friday weigh in - 8 month update!

TGIF!! More gorgeous weather on tap for the weekend and I'm looking forward to running! I've been on the elliptical, doing weights and pilates with my trainer and lots of yoga but I miss running so much! I've been pain free for a few days now so I'm going to attempt a run tomorrow morning. Flat, easy and not too far. I'm hoping for 6 or 7 if my foot stays happy!

I'm thrilled to have lost 2 pounds this week without running. It's getting a lot harder to lose now - I'm only 19 pounds from my doctors goal. I wouldn't mind another 15 after that but we shall see.

Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
May 3 - 193 -3 
May 10 - 190 -3
May 17 - 187 -3
May 24 - 186 -1
May 31 - 184 -2
June 7 - 177 -7  
June 14 - 177 -0   
June 21 - 175 -2
June 28 - 171 -4
July 5 - 167 -4
July 12 - 167 -0
July 22 - 165 -2
July 26 - 159 -6
Aug 2 - 158 -1
Aug 9  - 157 -1
Aug 23 - 154 -3
Aug 30 - 150 -4
Sep 6 - 149 -1
Sep 13 - 146 -3
Sep 20 - 146 -0
Sep 27 - 144 -2
106 pounds total!

Inches for September
Waist: - 1.25"
Chest: - 1"
Hips: - 1.5"
Thigh:  R - 1.5"
Arm: R - .5"
Calf: R - .5"
6.25" for this month

The inches this month really surprised me though I can clearly tell by my size 6 jeans and this months pictures! I had to start wearing a new tank top for the shots - the other one is way too big now. Too bad it was a nice one from Athleta!

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

I thought I'd start putting the first one and the most recent side by side since there are so many of them now!

I still can't remember being the person in the first picture and at the same time, can't believe it's me in the one from today. Sometimes I can't find myself in the mirror at unless I'm right up front. My brain will catch up one day I think?!?

Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks as always for continuing to read and keep up with my progress.

Monday mix tape

Hey all! Welcome to the week! It was over way too quickly as usual.

Saturday was a total washout. The weather was so gross I didn't even use my ticket for the PGA tour. Instead I went to my 90 minute bikram yoga class which ended up being a looooonnnnggg 100 minutes. The teacher was brand new and she went way over time and never used the fans or the dehumidifier. Wowza that was a tough class. Burned almost 600 calories though :)

Sunday was one of those great days where I sprung out of bed at 7:00 so excited to RUN!  I wanted to do my usual golf course route and needed to get through it before the rush of people for the first tee off. The weather was cool, the sun was just coming up and my foot seemed to be in agreement with the rest of my body for once. I managed 5 miles mostly pain free. My plantar fascia was definitely "there" but wasn't screaming at me like last time.

Later on it the day, it was really sore when I went out to do some shopping but I was wearing flip-flops and that was probably not the best idea.

This is what MADE my day.

I knew my 8's were falling off but I just couldn't wrap my head around being a 6 so I had to see for myself. They fit perfect. Just in time for my high school reunion.

I'm really excited to get to the size I'm going to stay and I don't have to buy the cheapest clothes anymore. I was in Nordstrom Rack looking at Joe's jeans and I just can't bring myself to do it when when they will only fit for a month or so.

Now the golfers are gone and it's back to normal - I have my running route back and my new insoles seem to be working. I'm keeping my promise of only running every other day so it's back to yoga tonight to keep it all balanced. Just a little over 9 weeks until Thanksgiving and my half marathon!

Have a happy, healthy week everyone!

Friday weigh in

Friday! Finally! It's been a long week and it's not looking like I'm going to get much of a weekend off but again, happy to be busy with work!

The week was long - mostly because I couldn't run and boy did I miss it. The good news is that I got some "Super Feet" brand insoles from the running store and did 2 miles this morning PAIN FREE! I was about to go spend the money for the custom orthotics ($335!!!)  but I'm hoping these will work - at least for now during the renovation. I won't run again until Sunday because I promised myself I'd stick to running only every other day at least for a while.

My running route is currently overtaken by the PGA Tour of champions. This morning when I was running super slow (on purpose) I kept thinking what if Phil or Tiger see me running like a grandma?!? Regardless, I'm thrilled to be back and feeling better after only 4 days off.

The lack of running did not help with the scale even though I did yoga twice and my trainer twice.

Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
May 3 - 193 -3 
May 10 - 190 -3
May 17 - 187 -3
May 24 - 186 -1
May 31 - 184 -2
June 7 - 177 -7  
June 14 - 177 -0   
June 21 - 175 -2
June 28 - 171 -4
July 5 - 167 -4
July 12 - 167 -0
July 22 - 165 -2
July 26 - 159 -6
Aug 2 - 158 -1
Aug 9  - 157 -1
Aug 23 - 154 -3
Aug 30 - 150 -4
Sep 6 - 149 -1
Sep 13 - 146 -3
Sep 20 - 146 -0
104 pounds total!

I'm not at all unhappy with a zero this week. I might have had a few too many pop chips but no alcohol (until about 2 hours from now!) In fact, I was just out shopping and I tried on a top that was a small and had to go back out to find and XS. Extra small. ME? Ridiculous. I swore I'd never have an X in my size again but I never considered the X in XS.



Have a great weekend everyone!

Monday mix tape

 

Dear lord what a busy Monday! I'm SO happy to be busy - being busy will pay for the giant renovation that's just begun!

Just in time for Halloween, my house looks haunted! This is what's left of the back deck. Lots of rotted wood and structural issues that could have been prevented with about $15 worth of flashing when it was built. Now the whole back of the house is being re-built BUT we are getting the always dreamed of addition off the kitchen and dining room. Every (big, expensive) cloud has a sliver lining right? I was quite sad to see it go. Many good times have been had on that deck! I know the new one will be bigger and better but that will be the last thing done and it will be quite a while until we get to that point!

Despite having no deck, it was a gorgeous weekend in the ATL.

Saturday I got up at 5am to run the Run in Defense of Animals. It was a small race and I love races where ALL of the money goes to the charity - not just part of the proceeds. I'm spoiled now because it was at a fancy country club and the facilities were so nice!

Nicest pre-race pee ever!

There were tons of dogs there so my friend and I represented the cat population :)

It was a crazy-hilly course but I finished it in 35 minutes.  I work really hard on my mental stamina when it comes to big hills because I know I will face a lot of them on the half marathon!

Sunday things fell apart a bit. I was going to run 9 miles and had a nagging feeling that I shouldn't because I got a warning from my husband and my neighbor that I need to be careful not to over-train. Sure enough, 3 miles in, my heal was burning so I stopped to stretch and it just got worse. I KNEW I had to stop right then and there. I limped back to the car in tears and you know what my first reaction was? I wanted a doughnut. Such ridiculous thinking - oh sure a doughnut will show that plantar fasciitis.... That is proof that I'm not "cured". I will never be. It is, was and will always be hard. Sure I could have had half a Krispy Kreme and it wouldn't have killed me but that's the kind of thinking that made me 250 pounds and I'm too much of a reasonable person to listen to that sh*t :) Instead I went to 90 minutes of Bikram yoga. I saw my instructor and we talked about balance and not overdoing it and how running is hard on the body and I need to keep practicing yoga to even things out. She's totally right and that made me cry a little more. I limped over to my mat and had one of the best classes of my life. I posted about it on Facebook because I want people to know it's not all rainbows and unicorns over here. This is hard and work it's certainly not going to get easier but I'm convinced I can make the right choice 99% of the time. The other 1% really will not kill me.

I'm nursing my foot. It's all I can do. I just got a cortisone shot 3 months ago and it will be a while before I can get another one - if ever! I have a prescription for orthotics and I'm going to KT tape in the meantime but I probably won't run much this week. I can train with my trainer and do yoga which will keep me going but It's only my first day off and I'm already jealous of people running! I know I will be fine if I can just sit still for a minute! :)

Have a happy, healthy week everyone!


  

Friday weigh in!

Happy Friday blog peeps! It's supposed to be a spectacular weekend here in the ATL and I can't wait to finish all this work so that I can go out and enjoy it!

As usual, I have an early race on Saturday so I'm getting up at 5am. This one is 'just' a 5k but I chose it because every penny goes to the Defense of Animals Fund. I'm going to take it easy on that one because I'm going to attempt 9 miles on Sunday. 9 miles isn't on my training plan for another few weeks but I think I'm ready. I've done two 8 milers already and did not die!

On to the weigh in!

Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
May 3 - 193 -3 
May 10 - 190 -3
May 17 - 187 -3
May 24 - 186 -1
May 31 - 184 -2
June 7 - 177 -7  
June 14 - 177 -0   
June 21 - 175 -2
June 28 - 171 -4
July 5 - 167 -4
July 12 - 167 -0
July 22 - 165 -2
July 26 - 159 -6
Aug 2 - 158 -1
Aug 9  - 157 -1
Aug 23 - 154 -3
Aug 30 - 150 -4
Sep 6 - 149 -1
Sep 13 - 146 -3
104 pounds total!
 
Great week on the scale. I worked out like crazy (as usual!) and ate really well- at home- with no booze :) I've been really busy with work and I think that also helps me from getting snacky. Even though I can only eat little amounts, I can still eat small amounts all day long if I'm not careful. That's where MyFitnessPal comes in so handy (tinaatl if you want to friend me). I can look and see where I am for the day and get a handle on if that hunger is real or in my head. I may have said this before but it's kind of like how I use my heart rate monitor. I can be running and think I'm dying but look down at my heart rate and know that I'm not dying and push through it!

Last night I went out with my besties to see Depeche Mode (one of my 3 favorite bands from the 80s) It was a great show though our $85 seats were so far back but it was my first concert as a normal size person and that was incredible. I got to wear a cute outfit, not sweat (outdoor venue), not spill over to the seat next to me, not dread the walk etc. etc. By the time I got home, I was smiling from ear to ear - not just from Dave Gahan's sexiness, but from the overwhelming gratitude for this second chance I've been given.

I'm so glad I was not one of those girls at the show who still wear pleather and blue hair waaaaaaay too late into their 40s

I'm going to shut up now and get to work. I got these action shots from last Sunday's relay that I love and wanted to share. Imagine that - loving pictures of myself. That's a whole blog post in itself!!

This was about 3 minutes from the finish line. I love the early morning light in the park!

The handoff!

Done and majorly sweaty!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Monday mix tape

Another weekend gone in flash but it was more than fun - it was RIDICULOUS fun!

Saturday was nothing special really - I went to my support group and then shopping! I did find a contender for my high school reunion dress which I will not be showing until the event :) It's SO amazing to be able to try just about anything on and even more amazing when it looks great!

Sunday, I was up at 5:30 for another early race! This one was a relay and I went first - we had a slap bracelet we had to hand off to the next person which I thought was a great way of doing it.

 There were five of us and each leg was about 3.4 miles.  I was filling in for someone that couldn't make it and I was worried about being slow so I ran my little heart out! It was hilly but I was determined I was going to haul ass. After all it was a much shorter distance than I've been doing. I FLEW through the gate to hand of my bracelet to the next runner and I couldn't even believe my pace. 10:30 minute miles. I'm normally at 12:30. So. Freaking. Proud!

I was so honored to be a part of this team. Turns out one of the runners was in my dorm my first year of college (small world) and they are all so sweet and TOTALLY inspiring. I hope to run many more races with them even though I'm so dang short!!! :)

The "Fast and Furious Five!" click to enlarge

When I got home, I was still flying high from such a fun morning that we decided to head out and make it a fun afternoon! For me, nothing says fun like ditching the car and heading out on foot and on train!

 

We headed downtown to check out "Streets Alive" which is something the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has been doing twice a year. They shut down 4 miles of Peachtree Street (one of the busiest in the city) and opened it to bikers, walkers, skateboarders, dogs, etc. I think this is one of the coolest things our city has ever done. All the shops were open, there was music and all sorts of fitness activities for kids. There also was a bike parade and a station to "pimp your bike" with all sorts of decorations. We were on foot but next time we will try the bikes!

Oh, and you can drink beer in the middle of the road.

 

and eat real fish and chips from a food truck
(2 chips and one bite of fish is all my stomach could handle!)

  

I had quite a few adult beverages along the way - why not when you're on foot and car-less!

 Can you believe this is what my "rear view" looks like these days?!? I knew my yoga butt was lookin' good and this was photographic evidence! :)

 

We finally headed home after 6 miles of walking and I may or may not be a little tipsy at this point.

It's impossible to describe how I felt all day. I was almost in tears I was so happy. I'm a 43 year old toddler starting a brand new life. No kind of food (not even doughnuts or pizza) or amount of food could ever be better that feeling. That is my mantra these days for getting through the tough times when I think I miss the food I used to eat. 

Have a happy, healthy week everyone! I will be back on Friday!

Friday weigh in!

Happy Friday! It's after 5 and I'm just now getting to blogging. I worked, ran 5 miles, worked more, went to my trainers class, went to lunch, worked more and now thinking I'm thinking of stopping and declaring it a sushi night.

I have another race on Sunday - this time it's a relay. I'm filling in for someone (who I'm hoping wasn't a super fast person!)  and I will do the first 3.6 mile leg. Should be easy but I'll be running at my fastest since I'm part of a team! I just can't believe I'm good enough at running to even be asked!

Okay now for the weigh in
Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
May 3 - 193 -3 
May 10 - 190 -3
May 17 - 187 -3
May 24 - 186 -1
May 31 - 184 -2
June 7 - 177 -7  
June 14 - 177 -0   
June 21 - 175 -2
June 28 - 171 -4
July 5 - 167 -4
July 12 - 167 -0
July 22 - 165 -2
July 26 - 159 -6
Aug 2 - 158 -1
Aug 9  - 157 -1
Aug 23 - 154 -3
Aug 30 - 150 -4
Sep 6 - 149 -1
101 pounds total!

I barely managed a pound this week but that's going to happen more and more as I get closer to my goal weight. I guess the next big goal would be 125 - my goal weight and also "normal" on the BMI scale. The scale is losing importance in this journey - it's my running milestones that really matter to me right now. Worlds nicest ex-boyfriend sent me an email and said "Kind of an awesome thing when you realize you're still capable of surprising yourself." 

So. Freaking. True!

Monday mix tape - Tuesday edition

Just a quick one this Tuesday that feels like a Monday!

It was a great weekend though I probably ate and drank a bit much! Saturday morning I got a late start and ran 7 hot miles. I almost stopped a few times but kept at it knowing I will probably feel like that a few times on the half marathon. Some lady stopped me and told me I should have a drink of water. I held up my water bottle and just kept running. I hate when strangers tell me what I need though she probably meant well. I was the sweatiest girl at the park no doubt.

Sunday I rested and had NO alcohol!

Monday, I got up at 5:30 and I did this!

 

This was super fast for me! It was a GREAT race but it was POURING rain. Just as we took off, the first drops fell (which is probably a good thing since I might have stayed in bed if it had been raining when I woke up). I still had a blast and was only bothered by the rain a few times. Luckily my feet weren't wet until about the 4th mile but I would have liked to take my shirt off - we're not ready for sports bra running yet...if ever! I will happily submit this time for the Peachtree next year and get a much better start time! So proud!!

--------------------

First phase of operation renovation is going on today. This used to be a window in my husband's office and now it's a door! I wanted really awesome modern steel doors that opened up the whole back of the house - then I found out that just the doors are $20,000 so we're going with normal people doors (at least I got the blinds inside the glass kind!). We had to start with this one since the other side of the house is getting torn down and this will be our (and the dogs) only access to the back yard for quite a while. Oh and the deck will be gone too which is a shame since we have a nice new door that opens up on to it :)

 

Sorry for the short mix tape today but I might not even make it to yoga for the amount of work I still have to do!

Have a happy, healthy week everyone!