Run Mommy, run!

 For weeks leading up to my frist 5K of the year, my AWESOME friend, Erin, trained with me.  We ran with each other, we encouraged each other, we held each other accountable, and basically, she just helps me run fast!!

I set some very specific goals for this 5K.  I wanted to be a specific weight and I wanted to run the 5K in less than 35 minutes.

This race was a girls only 5K, and such a blast.  The route was right by Erin's house, so training was simple.  We had the opportunity to run it several times before race day, knew what to expect, and felt good about our goals.  It also helped that we had an awesome cheering section made up of our (combined) six kiddos, my awesome husband, and one very helpful friend.

 I felt like we were killing it!  I checked my phone, and it said we were on an 8 min mile pace.  WHAT?!  That messed me up mentally.  Then, at about the 2 mile mark, my foot went totally numb.  I pushed as hard as I could for the last mile, but finished the race in 36.30.  So close!  To be that close and to have missed my goal was incredibly discouraging.

And then the pain in my foot started.  We went back to Erin's house where I received my first ice bath of the weekend.

 These awesome girls came into town to party it up with me, and ran with Erin and I.

 #BEAST

The experience was GREAT!  I had so much fun training with Erin and running with friends.  Also, the race itself was well run and lots o fun.  However, it was a somewhat discouraging weekend.  I missed my goal weight by about half a pound and 5K time my a minute and a half.

In the week following the race, I was very motivated to continue running and started planning my next 5K.  However, my foot had other ideas.  I've done a little bit of running, but overall, I've had to just take lots of time to get my foot back in shape.  My current goal is a 10K in September.  Once we see how that goes, I'm contemplating

a half marathon in December.  I was to continue to push myself as a runner.  But I also want to work on completing my weight loss goals and toning.  Like everything in life, it's a balance.  Here's to more balance, and a 10K!

Run, Daddy!!!

This past Sunday, the kids and I watched as Curtis crossed the finish line in his first half marathon.  More significantly then that, we watched him work hard towards his goal, push through and injury, not give up, and obtain a goal that he'd set for himself.  

 

 The above picture was taken after we arrived to the race location, shortly after I explained the term, "crack of dawn" to the kiddos.  Curtis and I got our day started at 5am and by 6am all six of us were bundled up, heading to the starting line.

Curtis had been training with a group of people who were also racing in the Armadillo Dash.  They all wore shirts from our local running store, Brazos Running.  His shirt happened to match the Brazos running shirt I already had!  Don't we look cute in our matching shirts?!

 The kids were so excited to cheer their Daddy on!  I gather several different ideas for posters, and the day before the race, the kids and I made the signs, with help from a friend.  Making posters seems like such a simple gesture, but it really gave the kids a way to be involved and feel like an encouragement to Curtis.

 The call came for the 1/2 marathon runners to line up, and the kids and I headed to the stands to see him off.

 After we saw him start, we headed to the car to warm up, eat breakfast and kill some time.  On our way to the finish line, we had a moment to pose with an armadillo.  Who wouldn't want to take advantage of that?!

 

 At the beginning of his training, Curtis was hoping to run the 1/2 in just under 2 hours.  Just a few weeks into training, his calf started giving him some problems.  He had to back off his training, causing him to feel like he wouldn't be able to break 2 hours.  So the kids and I lined up, hoping to see him cross that finish line in less than two hours....

 AND HE DID!!!  His official time was 1 hour 55 minutes 18 seconds!!!

I'm so very proud of Curtis and this accomplishment!  I admire his diligence and hard work.

Notice my shirt change?  I had a friend help me make a shirt that said, "My husband can run 13.1, can yours?"  Curtis had seen it on line, but I convinced him we wouldn't be able to get it in time and that it was way to expensive.  I surprised him at the finish line, wearing it.  The plan is that he'll have a similar shirt when I finish my first half marathon.

Gulp.

Month of Thankfulness... Day 11

 I'm thankful for RUNNING!!!!  I never really thought I would say that... 

In the past year, I've begun running to help me maintain the weight I've lost.  Today, I participated in The Color Run.  It was nothing short of a blast!!  The color Run marks the second 5K I've run this year, and I also completed the Warrior Dash (5K + obstacles and MUD!).  I'm thankful for these physical challenges.

And I'm also thankful for my amazing husband who got all four kiddos to church, while I took a Sunday morning off Mommy Duty to go to Houston for this.

32

Yesterday, I turned 32.  We are in the midst of a really busy week, but yesterday was a calm day.  While doing some laundry and washing some dishes, I found myself reflecting on being in my 30's, what God has been doing in my life, and contemplating the past year.  We're had quite a year!!  But through those things, God has been at work, teaching me and growing me.  I can absolutly say that I'm being refined by fire!

Here are 32 things that I've learned this year.

1. God doesn't promise things will be easy.
2. Hard times don't always have a concrete ending point.
3. Watching what you eat isn't fun.
4. Watching what you eat coupled with exercise will produce results.
5. I've put limits on myself that I've enjoyed challenging.
6. Challenging my limits is fun!
7. The hope of Heaven has become more and more real.
8. Being a mom doesn't get easier the longer you do it.
9. Justice doesn't satisfy the way I thought it would.
10. Friends who know when to advice and when to just be are blessings.
11. The internet can be dangerous.
12. Grief is a process.  Sometimes, I long process.
13. I need to cherish little moments more.
14. Not having a baby is kinda nice.
15. Just because I didn't get the results I expected doesn't mean I wasn't doing what God called me to do.
16. Skype, e-mail, and Facebook make the miles seem less.
17. You can always call on family.
18. Children pick up more than I would have thought.
19. There are right and wrong ways of handling conflict with another believer.
20. Handling conflict the same way twice doesn't always work.
21. Eating at home can save a lot of money.
22. A good marriage is worth the fight.
23. I need to read more books to my children.
24. Exercise is better at relieving my stress than eating my stress.
25. Worship is refreshing.
26. Cancer sucks.
27. Being organized is a blessing and a curse.
28. When dealing with struggles, you can still pray for others facing struggles.
29. God doesn't promise to not give me more than I can handle.
30. He does promise that He can handle everything He gives me.
31. I don't want to live in fear.
32. I want to live by grace.

Warrior Dash

Well, as you can imagine, my Warrior Dash training came to a halt when CPS came knocking at my door and then when the drama continued to unfold. Actually, it probably happened a little before that with traveling, birthday celebrations and Valentine's day.

I wish I was like Curtis, and could run my stress out. But I'm still not enough of a runner to find joy in running (though I DO feel better after I do it!). I wish I was like my friend and didn't feel like eating when I was stressed. Instead I stress eat, and can't imagine how much weight I've gained recently (I can't remember the last time I weighed, because I'm pretty sure I'll be discouraged by the number, not motivated).

Despite all that, I'm going to do the Warrior Dash! I won't be as ready as I was hoping to be. But if there's one thing that I've learned in the past 11 months, it's that your goals might change, but you still need to press on and not just give up. The Warrior Dash is my goal. I'm going to push on towards that goal, trying my best to get back on track in the next 2 and a half weeks. I won't beat myself up if I haven't hit 50 lbs lost. I won't be discouraged when I'm not able to run as much of the Dash as I was hoping. I will push on towards my goal, knowing that life's thrown me a few curve balls in the past few weeks.

This week, I'm working towards breaking the stress eating, and start calorie counting again. I'm also going to job as much as possible, and do a little Zumba to get my body used to cardio again. I will remind myself that though things are challenging, I still want to continue on my weight loss journey and challenge myself physically.

Warrior Dash

It's official.

Curtis and I (along with a few friends!) are registered for a Warrior Dash.

I've added a countdown to the sidebar to help motivate me. I'm a little nervous that there really isn't a ton of time left, and I'm just starting my training. But, as I told my friend who's dashing with me, "I work well under pressure!"

To help prepare myself, I'm doing the Couch to 5K program. Curtis loves running, and though I'm not a natural runner, he did tell me that, "You're getting there!" Hey, I'll take whatever I can get! I'm also doing some strength training, focusing on the upper body. That way, if I break a leg, or my legs just give out, I can drag myself across the finish line. A girl's gotta have a plan, after all.

Curtis has also set a goal for himself. His goal is to make sure I make it across the finish line in one piece.

Not only am I training for the Warrior Dash, but I've also decided that I want to have lost a total of 50lbs by race day. According to my last weigh in (which was a couple weeks and a birthday ago) I need to lose about 8 more pounds. Totally doable.... if I apply myself.

If you had told me a year ago that I would be chronicling my training for a Warrior Dash, and attempting to have lost 50lbs, I don't think I would have believed you. That should remind you that a lot can change in a year, and the best thing you can do is take it one day at a time, working hard, and giving your best.

Tough Muddar

On Saturday, Curtis competed in a Tough Muddar, a 12 mile course where participants faced 29 obstacles designed by British special ops. Not only did he compete, but he lived!! He's a TOUGH MUDDAR!



The five Tough Muddars from our church.

I am incredible proud of Curtis for this accomplishment!! To think about where he was a year ago, to see how far he's come, and to know that finished this challenging course makes this accomplishment that much bigger.


From the group picture above, you can see how dirty the team was. Here's a picture of my washing machine, after washing a Tough Muddar load of laundry.
This picture was taken after the Tough Muddar load had been washed once and rinsed twice AND Curtis had vacuumed out the rocks.

Now that he's done a Tough Muddar, what next?

The Warrior Dash!! But not just a Warrior Dash (which is 3+ miles), but a Warrior Dash with your wife. Yep. I start "training" today so that I can compete with Curtis in a Warrior Dash. We're not 100% sure when we'll do it, but we're thinking it will be April or May.

I'm looking forward to working alongside Curtis to tackle a new challenge.

Because sometimes...

... you just need to see what a difference a year and some hard work can make.

Resolutions

Every year we make New Year's Resolutions. And I'm sure for many of us, that involves something about being healthy, exercising more, losing weight..... And that's been true for Curtis and I for the past several years. The few pound you gain at the beginning of marriage merged with the few pounds that you gain at the end of your college career. Then we added 3 pregnancies in three years weight, the stress of children with health problems weight, and a master's degree weight.

After 10 years of marriage, we were both overweight, but motivated to fix the problem.

(10 year anniversary)

(11 year anniversary)

This year, as I make resolutions and goals for myself, it is so encouraging to look at these before and after pictures and be able to SEE the results of last year's resolution. Between the two of us, Curtis and I have lost 120lbs.

As I approach a new year, filled with new goals and new challenges, I feel very confident that I can accomplish the goals that I set for myself. My weight loss journey isn't quite over, but knowing that I have and CAN accomplish my goals is so motivating.

As I was talking to a friend yesterday, she put into perspective what Curtis and I have accomplished. It was so encouraging for me too look at where we were a year ago, and see where we are now. If you're facing the "eat healthy", "lose weight", or "exercise more" resolution this year, I hope the journey Curtis and I have been on can encourage you. If we can do it, you can do it!!

This is what 100lbs looks like

Between the two of us, Curtis and I have lost over 100lbs! Actually, when this picture was taken, we've lost a combined amount of OVER 100lbs. We both still have some more weight to lose, but it feels GREAT to have reached this goal.

And because you know I love a little before and after action......

This picture was taken on our anniversary last year. We are hoping to each meet our weight loss goal by our anniversary this year. Curtis will be able to do it, no problem. I'm on track, but don't have much room to slack off. Can't wait to see that before and after picture!

This is what 60lbs looks like

last night, on our way to see the Harry Potter finale (which, by the way, was awesome!)

March, at Micah's birthday party

Between the two of us, we have lost 60lbs!! We're still working towards our individual goals, but feel really good about what we've accomplished thus far. More than anything, I'm thankful that we've been able to make some healthy lifestyle decision for ourselves and for our family.

Then and now.... weight loss edition

4th of July 2010.

4th of July 2011

For the past few months, Curtis and I have both been working on loosing some weight. I got VERY excited when I saw our family picture from this year, and compared it with the family picture from last year. It's nice to see results!

And can you believe how bald Timothy was?! Sweet fuzzy headed little guy.