Cocoa Classic

I participated in a 5k Sunday with friends. Further details to follow. :-)

On the road to fitness

I was always the person who looked at the people signing up for 5K's and thought they were insane. When I started my fitness journey a year ago, I had vague thoughts in mind of completing a 5K (walking of course) but didn't really think it would ever happen. For the first few months I was doing Weight Watchers I did not focus on activity at all as I wanted to get down the healthy eating first. After a few months of monitoring my intake and tracking everything that went in my mouth, I decided that I was ready to add some activity. I started walking whenever I could and for as long as I could at a time. Initially when I started walking I could only walk less than a mile before getting tired. As I continued to walk, I found that I could go farther and farther without feeling tired. I felt amazing after a long walk. That feeling made me think that maybe, just maybe I could do a 5k (walking of course). So I signed up for my first 5k, which was the Dewitt YMCA Fun Run. This took place June 9, 2013. I knew I was not ready to do any jogging at that time, but felt ready to walk the entire thing. I had a buddy walking with me, and finished in 50 minutes and 25 seconds.
July was my 2nd 5k. This one was a nontimed event, and took place on trails. I walked this with two of my aunts, and we had a great time just enjoying the trails and getting in some awesome activity.
My next 5k was the Mint City 5k at the beginning of August. Again, I did this with a buddy. However, this one was a little different. I had been doing the couch to 5 k for a bit at this time, and decided I was going to try to jog some of this one. I alternated walking with jogging and finished this one in 45 minutes and 42 seconds, which was a 14:45/M mile. Yay!!!
This was a huge boost to my confidence and so I decided to sign up for another 5k. I signed up for the Color Me Rad in October with a group of friends and my daughter. This one we knew was going to be a little different as it would be crowded and difficult to run. The night before the race we all got together and made tutus (which we totally rocked at the race). When we arrived at the race, we decided we would just run however much we could and walk the rest. We all finished in less than an hour, which we thought was pretty good considering in spots it was single file.
The next fun run was a Zombie Run with friends. We sprinted around the St. Johns City Park to escape from the "zombies". We were rewarded with cider and donuts at the end.
November was the Turkeyman Trot 5k. I was not certain I would be doing this one, but my friend talked me into it. We bundled up early in the morning in 14 degree weather and rocked that 5k! I again did my walk/jog pattern and finished with a time of 43 minutes and 39 seconds, 14:05/M mile. Which I am happy to says is 2 whole minutes better than my last 5k record! I was on a roll.
December brought yet another 5k to my list of events. This was the Ugly Sweater Run in Grand Rapids. Again, myself and a group of friends decided to sign up. (Do you see a theme here? My friends are great motivators.) We found the ugliest sweaters we could, bundled up and braved the cold. Then we walk/jogged our way to sweet success at an awesome 5k. We loved every one of our races, and I already have plans for some races for next year.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, those ones are going to be with friends as well. :)
Right now I have the Warrior Dash on my agenda for July and will be signing up for the Mint City 5k again. 2013 was a great year, and I plan to make 2014 even better..................
Remember, whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.

June 2013

June 2013

July 2013

August 2013

August 2013

August 2013

October 2013

October 2013

October 2013

October 2013

November 2013

December 2013

December 2013

December 2013

October 2013

June 2013

Success is........

Never a straight line to the top. Do not let yourself get discouraged. Success involves a lot of ups, downs, and sideways detours to get to the ultimate destination. You will get there, just keep working towards your goals.

New day

As I mentioned yesterday, I struggled with staying focused during the holiday season. Translation- I let myself go completely crazy. I did however attend a Weight Watchers meeting today and face the scales. :-) I went up 6 pounds during the holiday season. However, today is a new day. Time to get serious again.....

Happy New Year!!!!

2013 was an intriguing year for me. I had an epiphany and realized that I was the only person who could take charge of my life and become healthier. I joined Weight Watchers on January 2, 2013 at a weight of 278.4 pounds. I had already lost about 20 pounds on my own prior to joining Weight Watchers. I was miserable, felt fat and ugly and hated my body. I honestly cannot say what "clicked" at that time but something fell into place. Over the course of the year I lost 75 pounds, and gained an immense amount of confidence. I have struggled a bit during the holidays but am still working on losing another 28 pounds. My short term goal is to reach the goal of being under 200 pounds. After that, my goal is to get to 175 pounds and then see how I feel. The top picture is December 25, 2012. Middle picture is December 25, 2013. What a difference a year can make! Bottom picture is December 31, 2013. Happy New Year!!!!!!!

March is a bad month

I have mixed feelings about March. It was Miranda and my mom's birthday. However, it is also the anniversary of their deaths. Enough said.

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Sometimes I wonder why......

At times I wonder why things have turned out the way they have. I know that there must be a reason, but I have yet to be let in on the secret. As March approaches every year, I find myself being more emotional and feeling down on myself. It always takes me a while to realize that I am feeling this way because of the anniversary of Miranda's birth and death approaching, along with my Mom's birthday and the anniversary of her death. You see, four years have passed already since that horrible night, and yet, I still find myself feeling like my heart has been ripped from my chest. They say that it gets better with time, I often wonder how much time it takes for it to feel better. I still look at babies and feel like I have been cheated, I still wonder "what if". I know that all of the "what ifs" in the world do nothing to bring Miranda or my mom back, but I am human and it is impossible not to ask myself "what if". What if we had taken a different route that night, what if we had gone to Wal-Mart instead of heading right home, what if we had just eaten dinner at home that night. I have been reading a blog written by a man here in Michigan who lost his wife and his baby Miranda due to a tragic auto accident. In his blog, he states that God let this happen to spare them from something more tragic later in life. I don't know what could be more tragic, but if God is sparing us from something more tragic, then I thank him. I have to believe that is the case, because the God everyone speaks of certainly wouldn't take away my baby and my mother at the same time unless it was to spare us from something more tragic. I find myself depressed recently not only because of the anniversaries that are approaching, but also because I feel overweight, and not at all pretty. I am overweight, and I certainly know that I need to lose weight, but find myself not really having the motivation to do so. I know what it takes to lose weight, and I often give it a good try, only to find that I get discouraged and stop quickly. In a society that expects instant results, I become frustrated when I only lose a pound in a week, or my clothes are still fitting the same after a month. I am realistic, I know that it takes time, but I am also human. I want to feel better about myself sooner rather than later, but have not yet found what will help me to do so. So, I keep on trying and at times crying, and count my blessings for Geoff and Ashlyn.