A Smidjin at a time

Let's just say 2017 got kinda ugly and hard and dark and depressing there in the end. I'm not sure about you all, but I am so glad 2018 is here. I know really, deep down that the "New Year" is kinda an arbitrary thing, but there is also something magical about "New" things that fill us with hope again.  Last I checked in with you all here I was training for a Half-Marathon. I'm not to sure it was going well at the time, and well, it didn't get any better. I mean I did the half- marathon, it finished it. But it was very ill trained for, and my time, my body and my experience reflect that. But, I did it. I didn't give up before hand, and I didn't give up during it. I buckled down and I walked over that finish line on my own power and strength. Cause Big Tough Sandy is strong. So, there is was in my post-half marathon misery taking it easy, with a knee that was holding on to it's opinion that I did a stupid thing way longer than...

What happens when winter interferes with all your not so carefully crafted training plans and your back has a massive melt down and you find yourself checking in at a race not sure if you will even have the strength to make it to the starting line? Well, you either walk back to the car empty handed and cry or you suck it up, lower your expectations a little and get it done. So that is what I found myself doing yesterday morning. I had been looking forward to this race since before I even finished the half marathon. I really wanted to do a race on my birthday weekend. It was to be a celebration of all I had accomplished in my 32nd year and a way to set the tone for all I hoped to do with year 33. There was so much I wanted out of the Winter 5k. I wanted my sub 16 min/mile back, I haven’t seen it since September after all.  I wanted to actually run part of it, not just 100 feet here or there but enough to actually say “I ran it”. I wanted to feel strong. However weeks of snow a...

What can I say, 2016 was an adventure that is for sure. Everything from joy to pain, progress to setbacks, 2016 certainly didn't hold back.  I ended 2015 registering to run the Shamrock 15k with some friends. Mind you, at the time I didn't run at all and I had only done one "race" that year, and it was a simple 5k that I walked. While I eventually had to admit that I would only be able to walk the 8k, Shamrock became the starting point of 10 races I would do in 2016, including a half marathon! Can we talk about that Half-Marathon for a minute? I freaking did a Half-Marathon! 13.1 miles, 21km, 69217.5 feet! I did it 21 and half minutes faster than the half-marathon I did on 2010. And while the journey to get there was full of frustration and pain, the sense of accomplishment is amazing. I will forever be proud of that day.  Speaking of frustration, pain really is the most obnoxious teacher there ever is. The 2nd half of 2016 found myself doing 17 weeks of physica...

I really did it!  Months and Months of training and prepping and crying and physical therapy and doubt came down to this morning. It had been six and a half years since my last half marathon and the course was so very different I had no idea what really to expect. When I first signed up for the Holiday Half I had a time goal in my head, one that was big but one that based on recent 5k results I knew would be very doable if I just stayed consistent. Well then the training started, and then the back pain started, and then it started getting cold, and then the shin splints started. And even a week ago, I was in serious doubt of my ability to actually do the half marathon.  Then this morning came. We got to the starting area, and though it was cold and windy and rainy I was feeling good. I was able to get my legs stretched out a bit before starting. I managed to find 3 out of 5 friends who I knew were up there doing the race too. And then, the gun went off and ...

Thirteen. It's kinda a big number today. It's thirteen days until I go out there and do Thirteen.One miles with my friend Randi. To say I am nervous is an understatement. My training hasn't gone exactly as planned. I have developed shin splints in the last month or so. My inner scaredy cat is making her presence known. I fought a migraine for a whole week. I backed off on a couple of the planned long runs. I have been Frustrated. I have cursed during a short walk. I have cut routes short because I was hurting. Or because I lost confidence in myself. I have cried on the living room floor. I have doubted myself. I have thought about giving up. But I haven't given up. I have trusted good friends with these frustrations. I have listened to their humor. I have absorbed every word of wisdom and encouragement they have spoken over me or texted me. I have planned the race outfit. I have even sewn my skirt. I have iced. I have stretched. I have foam rolled. I have become bes...

It's been a trying couple of months since I last sat and wrote stuff down. But it's also been a couple months of incredible growth. Lets start where I left off. Day One of training for a half-marathon, also known as Day One of Back Pain. Steroids brought relief for a couple of weeks, but when it returned it was muscle relaxers and Physical Therapy time. And man, physical therapy has been the most amazing torture I have ever done. Twice a week I go in and get my butt kicked with what looks like should be simple workout moves (trust me they aren't) and then I usually get to just lay there for 15 minutes on some heavy duty heat while the e-stim is zapping my back. All the while I get to talk running and racing with my PTA Don. Thankfully the PT Nathan and Don are both runners, so when I first mentioned my race in December, they have been fully on board helping me get strong enough to achieve that goal. And while the first couple of weeks I felt like I was getting behind with...

Whole 30 Round 2 starts today! Well, technically it started today. Survived breakfast no problem, cooking lunch and food prepping for the week ahead as we speak. I am excited to tackle a second round because I know what I was able to accomplish the first time and I feel like with that knowledge I can go even stronger the 2nd time around. I know that I really am not a huge fan of sweet potatoes so I'm not gonna use them as the star of something. I'm also not scared of dump ranch anymore. I am also past the "scared of making a mistake so I better stick to the basics" phase and am excited to try out some new recipes. Also, starting tomorrow I start training for my 2nd Half- Marathon! I mean, why not start round 2 of 2 things at the same time. Similarly to Whole 30, I feel much better heading into this 2nd round of training than I did about the first, despite knowing how much it hurt and how much I did not like it at the end. Probably because I do know how much it h...

When I rejoined Weight Watchers in October 2014 it was to put a stop to regaining all the weight I had lost. While I knew it would take a while to lose it all again, I was confident I could do it. However, the last 2 years of weight journey have not gone the way I envisioned them. In those two years, I actually continued to gain weight, however at a much slower gain than it had been, and I did have some losses along the way. I actually gained to the point of being 15 pounds heavier than when I started. Not exactly a Weight Watchers success story. That is until this summer. In June I did that round of Whole 30 and lost 15 pounds, putting me back at my "starting weight". Since then I have lost more and am under my starting weight. I actually earned my very first 5 lb star! It really is just a sticker to put in my weight loss book, but it's my first one.  Next week I have middle school retreat, so while I am not planning on actively losing while on the trip it will b...

I successfully went 30 days without any bread, pasta or pastries. 30 days without any beans or peanut butter. 30 days without any cheese, yogurt or creamer. 30 days without any sweetener in my coffee. 30 days were I ate super clean whole foods, planned every meal out a week at a time, and cooked everything I ate. 30 days where I said no to co-workers offering me pizza. 30 days of bringing my own food to a BBQ and making a salad out of the sandwich toppings. 30 days of getting up early to cook breakfast at home instead of grabbing something at the cafeteria. Not gonna lie, I did miss pizza and mac&cheese, and Pad Thai and burritos. I hope when I finish re intro I find that these are my body actually likes and I can still have them on special occasions. Also, major victory today: my car wouldn't start this morning, long story I got it jumped after church was over and grabbed my wallet and ran to a shop to get it looked it. Grabbed my favorite LaraBar and water as well and tha...

What better time to write and talk about my feelings heading into my first round of Whole 30 than on day 29 when I am almost done. I knew I was ready for change. What I was doing from a nutrition standpoint to improve my wellness was just not working. I had a friend start a week before me and I had read about Whole 30 before so I figured why not. I maybe should have planned a little more than the 3 days warning I gave myself, but I figured I would probably talk myself out of it if I had too much time. I kept it pretty basic, took a couple weeks before i tried "recipes". But I did learn how to make my own ketchup and ranch. Like without Dairy and Sugar, so there's that. Man, you don't realize how "bad" you feel until you start to feel better. I mean I knew I was tired a lot. And I knew something must be off balance because even when I was working out and eating well the scale and the fit of my clothes was not reflecting my work. And I knew that I certainl...