In other news remember when HZ did the Little Rock 5K last year? It took me over a year and six 5K races before I beat her time from that race. I’m not saying that to brag I’m telling you that because for all my half marathons (I just finished #9 and #10 will be Labor Day weekend) I’m still pretty slow.

I think it’s important to point that out.

I know a lot of you visit this page from time to time out of curiosity and maybe longing.

13.1 miles seems a LONG LONG way for the big girls. I know because the first race I ever wanted to do was this one:

That’s 13.1 miles though the Disneyland, and Disney’s California Adventure Theme Parks, through the city of Anaheim around the field at Angel’s Stadium and back to the Disneyland Resort area for the finish.
The starting line was less then a half marathon distance from the house where I grew up. It might as well have been on Mars.

So I missed out on

Note the word Inaugural. Every race only has one of those and I missed this one in 2006.

Then I missed it again in 2007 and 2008.

By 2009 HZ and I had a deal and I’d already gotten one race under my belt. So I signed up because I’m a Disney geek and I’ve ALWAYS wanted this medal.

But the closest I got to that action in 2009 was:

And boy was that really depressing.

$120 down the drain for the race (the mouse is expensive)

$8 for parking (the mouse is expensive)

And STILL NO MEDAL! It remains the only race  I never showed up for because:

1) I knew I couldn’t finish

2) My ankle and knee were alternately wonky from something stupid I’d done while training

The blogs I wrote are HERE and HERE. While I did my best to sound like a good sport about it but I was pretty angry with myself.

That being said allow me to introduce:

The 2010 Disneyland Half Marathon Medal. Why is it shaped like a 5? Because it took me five YEARS before I could register for this race knowing I can walk/jog this thing and still finish within the time limit. Granted, the first 3.5 years didn’t count because I wasn’t active but you get my point. So I’m racing for the 5th Anniversary finisher’s medal. And when they hang this thing around my neck I’m going to grin, and cheer, and try not to kick myself for missing out on the first 4 years of medals. (Oh come on you all know I’m obsessive compulsive by now).

But you know what? I will have this one. I’ll have #5 and be living proof that it’s never too late to get your ass up and active. It is never too late to talk to your doctor about starting a walking program. It’s never too late to set  a goal for yourself, even if it’s just a small one.

Disneyland half Labor Day weekend

Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween. Ooh rah!

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook today. Apparently it’s several years old but I’d never seen it before.

I think they should show this to every male and female in the United States from the age of seven. This is what women try to be and this is what men want to have. How sad for us all.

So I only walked 2 miles…which is better than I’ve done in a while, but not good enough. I also did some light weights last night.

I weighed this morning…I’m 4lbs heavier than I thought I was which just makes me ill. I’m okay with being a little fluffy, but I’m pretty sure at this point I’m pushing the fluffy-envelope.

Food wise I did well. I did drink 2 bud light limes last night, but I’m okay with that. My calories were right at 1200 so it’s all good. And I had lots of water.

Tonight we’re celebrating a friend’s bday and I know wine will be involved. I will allow myself up to 2 glasses, but I’m also planning to walk or do my DVD workout afterward. Mainly because that +4 lbs is burned onto the backs of my eyelids, constantly staring at me and making me feel like a chump. Fuck you, scale. I may be a fat ass, but I’m not gonna take it anymore!

In  fun news, I downloaded a new fitness app to my iPhone. iMapFitness. It will track your miles by GPS as well as your average speed. I love gadgety stuff!

Sure, I have great excuses. I spent time fixing up my new casa. Cleaning, painting, and then moving. That’s exercise–right? Sure it is, if you’re not drinking beer and eating massive amounts of pizza, BBQ and cheese dip. Oh, and cheese puffs. Lots and lots of cheese puffs.

I’ve stopped my regular exercise and that just isn’t working for me. So here I am, week 1; day 1 again… My goal is 12 lbs in 6 weeks. I know that’s a tough goal, but if I hit it hard, I can do it.

I’ve started off right today. 1 pack of 100 calorie raw almonds, 1 black plum, 1 cup yogurt for bfast. Lunch is a healthy choice and a salad with some blueberries. Dinner? Not sure yet, but probably whole wheat spaghetti and salad.

I’m walking after work and I’m doing my Jillian Michaels DVD at least 3 days a week. If I do all of that, and really cut down on the empty but yummy calories (aka booze) then -12lbs should be no problem.

I’ll check back tomorrow. Wish me luck!

The thing I find most interesting is the types of runners I meet.  

I find I gravitate toward the people who say “Go for it! Give it a shot!”

And I get very very frustrated with people who are quick with cautionary tales. Don’t do X! they say in horrified tones. Then they offer themselves or the failings of others as an example.

You know what? Keep it to yourself.

If someone wants to give me a tip I’m always willing to listen. I prefer, of course, to ask rather then suddenly find myself facing down a barrage of unsolicited advice but hey, whatever works. Feel free to talk but don’t EVER tell me what not to do.

I am not reckless and I am not foolish.

What I am is determined.

What is it that Henry Ford once said?

“Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right.”

I’m tired of dire warnings cloaked in worry and affection.

We’re all adults. Yes we get pissy and crazy and do stupid things to ourselves and each other. But in the end we are all responsible for our own actions.

If I had followed the “smart” path I would have bailed on the first race I registered for on a dare. I would have stayed on my low carb diet until I lost the weight I’ve been obsessing over and then I would have registered for a nice safe local 5K when I reached 135 pounds.

I’m not 135 pounds and I didn’t register for a 5K until I’d registered for 7 half marathons.

Even then I only did it because I wanted the medal.

And you know what? Don’t tell me to be smart because I’m not smart every time I go out for a run with all the pounds I’m carrying above 135. You can keep your “don’t” because I’m going to. I’m going to run. I’m going to walk. I’m going to drag my sorry behind over 3 marathon finishlines so I can qualify for the Maniacs. And I’m doing it because I can.

If for some reason I am physically unable to do this then I won’t but I’ll know that until that point I gave my very best effort.

There are people in this country who sit on the couch 18 hours a day. Their lives can be measured only in the number of shows they have seen.

There are women in the world who live in fear, who hide themselves and cover their bodies, not because they choose to, but because they are terrified of the consequences of what will happen if they don’t. What would they pay, I wonder, for the opportunity to lace up a pair of running shoes and race through the streets of their neighborhoods with no worry for safety. Would they pause to worry about getting a blister?

I am grateful to have been born in this nation, at this time, with these opportunities. And these are the things I think about when I go out to do the miles. Funny how when I do that the blisters seem less painful, and the distance seems shorter.

Maybe if you stopped fixating on the dimples in the road of life you’d find the distance shorter too.

Lets try this word association-style.

OJ Simpson

White Bronco

…

Why YES! I was in Brentwood, California whose residents have spent the last 16 years rolling in wealth and trying to live down their notorious former neighbor. (It has been 16 years how scary is that?)

For those too young to remember, or anyone who was too busy playing professional beer pong during that time period click HERE and read the lengthy “legal history” to mend that gap in your cultural literacy.

Anyway, OJ was chased by the cops whereas I got to run past them.

So the good news was I got to run the city streets for 3.1 miles. The bad news is that it was my first race where I actually RAN since the beginning of March. And that kind of break is never pretty.

Let me just stop complaining and give it to you in pictures right?

Okay I have to share this one because it freaks me out. This is the ground at the VA where I parked. What the heck are those holes? Are they snake holes? Are they gofer holes? Am I about to score a free game of whac-a-mole? Yes, these are the things I think about 20 minutes before a race. I’m not really much for profound thoughts at 6:30 on a Sunday morning.

Anyway, I finally tore myself away from these freaky mysterious holes and took off for the starting line.

And this is the first thing I saw when I got to the race:

Now any true runner will tell you this is a fabulous and welcome sight. Note there is NO LINE. That means you if you have a nervous bladder you don’t have to worry about getting in lines three times.

Anyway, I like to call this area the Olympic Village. I like telling running buddies “hey I’m heading to the Olympic village, I’ll catch you at the start.” It sounds so much classier then “I gotta pee. Again.” The truth is I only suffer from nervous bladder when I see exponentially long lines at the pre-race porta potties. Seeing no line made me realize I was guaranteed not to have to pee and that makes me feel like a winner right there.

So instead of lingering I went straight to the check in and picked up my treats.

With the exception of the shirt and the $10 off Dick’s Sporting Goods (Best swag ever!), all the other items were from the race expo. It was an excellent expo for a 5K.

I ran my treats back to the car and headed for the starting line.

It was quite a nice patriotic touch for Memorial Day weekend.

**thumbsup**

Then came the race

See all those runners? They’re trying not to make eye contact with the guy in the cop car on the right.

Kidding.

Anyway, these are all the people that smoked past me. Including the short kids in the middle. But that’s okay because I have:

And therefore I’m happy.

Not all 5Ks give out medals. Actually most 5Ks don’t give out medals which is a stinking shame because a little bling at the end of a sweaty distance never hurt anyone.

All in all it was actually a lovely race experience and I plan to do it again next year (provided they have a medal of course).

An hour and five minutes later I got off the treadmill knowing tomorrow morning Kobe Bryant will be crying in his Wheaties. Heh.

And you know what I also realized?

The World Cup is coming!

The World Cup is coming!

Check the schedule HERE

Understand I know nothing, heck I know LESS then nothing about soccer. But I love it. LOVE THE SPORT!

You know what I mean?

No?

NOW do you know what I mean?

Meet Cristiano Ronaldo, he is a baby, and a manwhore, and he’s Portuguese which frustrates me because that is a language I can’t even pretend to understand.

But he looks really nice shirtless.

Really REALLY nice.

As do so many of the futballers.

So I’ll be watching World Cup on the treadmill, and preparing for the America’s Finest City Half Marathon. AFC is San Diego, CA. On August 15th. I’m going to burn like a poptart and melt like a ball of wax but I’m hoping to outsmart the Endless Summer and cross the finish line before the heat gets to me.

Here is a picture of their bling from 2007

I borrowed that picture from THIS Flickr site. That dude runs his races exponentially faster then I do so he’ll probably be on his sixth beer by the time I get my medal.

So I’m in training for this and the Marine Corps Marathon.

But if any of those World Cup guys decide to pull a Brandi Chastain and yank off their shirts before, during or after their games I would be okay with that.

Just sayin’

So I told CK the other day that I did better with my fitness when I was blogging here on a semi-regular basis. And even though I don’t have internet at home right now (WHAT?) I’m going to do my best to blog a day or two a week.

Here’s where I am:

I’m down from a size 16/18 to a 12 dress and a 14 pant. BUT my weight is still higher than I want it to be (and creeping back up which is a NO NO because I gave away all my fat clothes on purpose). I was walking about 25 miles a week and feeling pretty darn good about it. I had to drop my gym membership but I’m hoping to start adding that back soon.

My plan now is to walk 3-4 miles a day 3-4 days a week to start. I’d like to start back on a walk-to-run program but I can’t do that til I buy new shoes. And I can’t buy new shoes for a while, so until then, I’ll just be walking.

I’m going to add my Jillian Michaels DVD to my routine twice a week and I’ve discovered jumping on the trampoline is not only fun, but a great core and ass work out. So I’m gonna do that whenever I feel like it.

My goal is to lose 15 lbs by end of July.

I’ll report in next week!

You can find mine HERE. Please note it’s an Excel spreadsheet that downloads. This way you can grab it and tailor it to you if you want. Or if you REALLY want to see an image but don’t want to download just post a comment and I’ll link you to a picture snapshot.   

Basically it’s organized like this:

I set it up so the white background is what I’m supposed to be doing every day. The yellow background is what I actually manage to do. This is a clean copy of the original version I just added the two races from this past weekend in so you can see an example.

The trick is to keep track of how many miles you are supposed to complete in a week and stick with it. If I can’t do today’s mileage I’ll try to switch it around with another day so I staying consistent. Do yourself a favor though and don’t just add up your mileage and try to kill yourself.

What do I mean?

This week I’m supposed to run 12 miles and walk 30 minutes. I did a half marathon on Monday which is 13.1 so technically I’m good for the week but I’m still going to go out and move a bit each day so I get used to putting in the regular miles. I’ve now completed six half marathons so I kind of know the drill.

But what if I hadn’t?

If you’re new and this is your first shot at the ball don’t add up your mileage on Saturday, realize you’ve done nothing all week and try to pull off a 12 miler. You will be sore and miserable and you will be conscious of every ounce you have ever gained through treats and frosty cold adult beverages. And you’ll hate yourself. Then you’ll quit. Not worth it!

If you were to ask me right now I’d tell you hell no I can’t do a marathon. Marathons are for crazy people! Notice where I am in my training. My big mileage this weekend would be five miles, not too a big deal for someone who has completed six half marathons. But I’m still starting small like everyone else because building the miles is so important for building confidence and staying healthy. That’s right, healthy!

If I find myself needing to make up miles I listen to my body. If I feel like I can do six miles that’s what I do. Sometimes I push a little more and sometimes I ease off. A major injury is going to derail your plans far more quickly then missing a couple miles during the week.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

P.S. Feel free to ask me any questions you have about running, walking, competing, regular workouts, gear, weight, etc. I really don’t mind sharing.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-Robert Frost

I just completed my first double race weekend. I did a 5K on Sunday and a half marathon on Monday. I was mostly untrained. It was actually kind of ugly but it was nowhere near as ugly as my first race ever last year. Realistically I didn’t have to stick it out for the race but you know what? I like running. I like walking. I like jogging. Most importantly, however, I like FINISHING.

Think about it. How many things in your life do you ever really finish? You finish a job at work and there are 25 more waiting for you. Or you do an errand at home but your list is still three pages long. When you finish a race that’s it. Finito. They hand you a medal, give you a backslap (okay not really) and you leave with the confidence that you can now eat whatever you want and not feel guilty about it for the day. That’s a pretty fabulous feeling.

I’m blogging about both of them but here is something pretty to look at in the meantime.