2 t-shirts and a long run

Wow- the run last night went so much better than I thought it was going to. M and I decided that we were going to run 6.5 last night and since I am ALWAYS up for a run we decided to meet at my house for a 7:15ish start time. Since my birthday just passed I had received money from my MIL to get a new pair of running shoes. So, yesterday I packed up the "littles" and hubs and I went down to our local running store Fit2Run to buy me a pair of Brooks Glycerin 7's. I have never used Brooks shoes before but my SIL and hubs raved about them so I figured I had a 30 day switching policy so why not try them. I came home with these:

Aren't they pretty? Well they are also workhorses. Last night I ran ...7.94 miles in BRAND NEW SHOES. Usually I would say that wasn't a very good move, but it went amazingly well. I still like my Asics but I am seriously in LOVE with the Brooks.

And did I mention that I ran 7.94 MILES?? We were supposed to run 6.5 but we had to keep running across the street to avoid sprinklers and deer and other weird things and then we ran that extra .5 miles around my lake and when we were done M and I had run WAY further than we had planned. We did it in 1:15:23. That is the longest and farthest that I have EVER run.

So after coming down from my high, M wants me to run the Tower of Terror 13K with her on October 24 and I think that I am going to do it :)

Then I get up this morning to 2 different e-mails letting me know that I have won giveaways. One was from Brooks (woo hoo!) I signed up for the Brooks Running Club on Facebook and the first 5 people to e-mail Meredith won a Run Happy tee like this:

Then I had a e-mail from Run U Mother and I WON a giveaway from Heather! I was able to choose one of their products and since I love me some tank tops I chose this:

Now, I have to go take care of my little cheerleader who is home sick from school. No running today since I don't want to take a chance of sickness in the jogger (ha!) I think I will do a little CardioX tonight.

Happy Running!!

Expedition Everest or Monsoon?

We had so much fun during our weekend . The weekend began early on Friday when I drove with all 3 kids to The Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had never stayed at this hotel before and we all were really looking forward to the new experience. We arrived and the “magically” had a room ready for me (score!) and when I got to the room my hubs and kids had a “birthday basket” waiting for me. Lot of CHOCOLATE- yummy! Then Hubs decided to take an earlier flight so our whole schedule was thrown off BUT we adjusted. We went over to the Wild World of Sports to pick up the packet for the Expedition Everest race and I was really looking forward to the expo. I shouldn’t have! It was the absolutely saddest expo that I had ever been to L
We then went to T-rex for lunch which was excellent as usual. Back to the hotel and then off to pick up Dave from the airport. Then we went to Animal Kingdom (which will be a theme on this vacation). We went out for my birthday dinner at Boma which was probably the best meal at Disney that I had ever had. It was seriously that wonderful.
The next day we woke up and went to MGM who had extra magic hours for Ryan to be able to go on Toy Story Mania. We fastpassed it and waited in line so that we would be able to go twice. Then we took the kids over to see JoJo and Goliath. I was extremely sad for this because I took Ashley to see JoJo when she was Lexi’s age. Then we went and picked up Auntie Becky and went to Downtown Disney. Ryan had a great time in the Lego store and we just enjoyed walking around. We decided to spend some time at the pool and rest our legs for the night ahead.
We arrived for Ashley’s race at about 5:45 and her race started at 6:30. We took the pre-pictures and went to the port a potties many times and then it was time for her to go. Because there were obstacles in this race and not just running parents were “encouraged” to run with their kids. SO- Ash and I lined up and off we went. She did great. She ran and then had to climb under a cargo net, go across a balance beam, over a wall, and then had a scavenger hunt in a baby pool. She conquered those obstacles with style and received her medal like the champ she is. Well at this point it was maybe 6:45 and Dave and I were in WAVE 10 to start our race, so we packed our kids off with Auntie Becky back to the hotel and soon we were really glad that we did.
Wave 1 began promptly at 7:30 and every wave after that went off 5 minutes apart. Like I said earlier we were in Wave 10-yes that is right I said TEN! I have no idea how they set up these waves but oh well…moving on. Our wave began at 8:15 and because I was running with Dave and very happy to be doing so, I went at his pace. His pace is fast at the beginning then slowing down, where as my pace is slow at the beginning and progressively getting quicker as the race goes on. So, we took off pretty quick and soon we were passing people that were in Wave 9 (Dave’s goal met) and we continued running through the parking lot for Mile1. Mile 2 went really well. It was the portion of the race that was out and back. People were screaming walkers to left the WHOLE time but we just weaved through when we were going to hit walkers. Dave has nerve damage in 3 of his toes and they were bothering him so we slowed a bit (not a lot) but really we were moving at a 9 minute or so pace. We got to mile 2.5 and the sky opened up and the rain POURED down on us. I do not mean a light sprinkle but a monsoon. We made it to the finish of the the 5k and knew the obstacle course was going to be sloppy. (Remember – I don’t like to be dirty) I sucked it up though and we did the obstacle course pretty quickly. The scavenger hunt was a mess!!! The book they gave us with the clues was completely useless because it fell apart. It was raining so hard there were lakelike puddles in the streets that we had to walk through. We started running again just so that we could finish, get our medals, and go back to the hotel. We did finish and the scavenger hunt wasn’t even checked because (duh) the books fell apart and we couldn’t even write on them but all in all it was a very fun experience.
I have 2 weeks until the Race for the Taste 10K and I am so excited to see what kind of fun that weekend holds.
Tomorrow I have 6-6.5 miles to pump out and I am looking forward to it a lot more than I probably should be.

Happy Running!!

Giving up Diet Coke

Today I am giving up diet coke (not entirely but limited to one per day). No, I am not pregnant again (sniff) but because I signed up for this....

Disney Princess Half Marathon

I have been debating it for a while and I officially signed up. I am super excited to begin training for it soon. I mean I have the 5k there this weekend and the 10K there in October so I figured why not do my next distance there as well right?
Speaking of races, I just mentioned the Expedition Everest 5k. I am looking forward to it for a couple reasons. First because it is a team event and my team the CRAZY KYLES- consists of me and hubs. We have never really ran together because we alternate who watches the kids. My SIL is coming to watch them while we do the race. Also because it is my last race being 30. My bday is monday and the dreaded 30th year went by so fast. 31 Here I come and you better watch out :)
Then we only have 2 weeks until the 10K which i am super excited for because I get to do it with M :)

Do you look forward to races because of who is doing them with you??
Wish me luck!

Happy Running!!

I ran what?!?

So, I haven't posted -not because I haven't been running but because I am SO STINKIN' BUSY!!!
My hubs is a fireman and he works shifts. They are always the same, one day on two off and we have lived by this schedule for almost 7 years now. Because of his schedule he is able to take some side jobs from his mothers company. So he is in Chicago for a few days and his traveling makes my training a little trickier than usual. Since I knew that he was going to be out of town and evening running not possible, and since I convinced M to do the Disney 10K with me in 17 days, we decided to do an evening run before hubs left.
Usually M and I have a pretty solid morning schedule. We do Tuesday and Thursday mornings and we have been doing it consistently for 3 weeks. I have stated before that I like schedules and I don't like deviating from them but I knew if I was going to run 5 miles (farthest I have ever gone) then I would need to do it without pushing the dreaded jogging stroller. Hubs agreed to watch the kids and we decided to run about 7ish.
So, M shows up around 7:15 and we take off. Let me reiterate that I love M. We have a lot in common, our husbands are extremely alike (and great friends), we both have multiple (in her case 4) children, and I could go on but this post is about the run :)
We started and got through Mile 1. I don't know about anyone else but if I can get through Mile1 I honestly could probably conquer a marathon but Mile 1 is always my biggest obstacle. We made the turn and I felt pretty good. I was running at my normal pace and we were chatting and the next thing I knew a FROG jumped out at me.
( * I DO NOT LIKE FROGS*)
Well I screamed like, well a girl, and we kept running. When we got to 2.5 and turned around I still felt really good. WE talked about doing the half marathon at Disney (which is a whole other post in itself) and before I knew it we were back at the bridge where the same stupid frog jumped out at me again. (I KID YOU NOT- and I did scream again!)
We got to the light and made the turn towards home for the last mile. I just kept thinking that I couldn't believe that we were going to have run 5 miles. We turned down my street (now I live on a lake and there is a loop around it that is .5 miles) got closer to my house and we both we feeling pretty good still. She looked at me ( another reason why I love her) and said let's go around the lake. Which we did and at the end we ran 5.5 miles. Today I am still floating on that accomplishment and I am seriously considering the half in March.
It was a good run but I know that is mainly because I made the decision to enjoy it instead of dreading it and I had the confidence that we could do it and do it strong.

I also know that the 10K better be ready for us :)

Happy Running!

Better late than never

The topic at The Runner's Lounge "Take it and Run Thursday":You get to run the last six miles of your next marathon with 6 different people. They can be dead or alive; famous or not famous. Who are these people and why did you pick them? Furthermore, why did you pick them for the specific mile you did? Remember, you get an extra .2 miles with runner #6.
Here goes!

I have thought long and hard about who i would like to run with. I have chosen people then realised I had way too many people that I thought would be cool to run with and get to know. But my list goes a little bit like this...

Mile 20-21 I would run with Becky, my sis in law. She is a runner and is training for her first Marathon at Disney in January. Becky has been working so hard. She has lost 50 or some odd pounds (sorry I don't remember how much) and she is going back to school to get her Masters in Guidance Counseling. She is dedicated to doing her best and that is a trait that I admire greatly in her. I also think it would be fun to just enjoy running the beginning of the end with her.

Mile 21-22 I would want to run this mile with Bart Yasso. I have just finished his book My Life on the Run and it was such a great book. He is seriously one of the craziest people that I have read about to date but he always gave running his best and he ALWAYS continued loving it and getting others to love it too. He dedicated his life to running and it saved him, like it saved me. I would have him tell me a few of his rougher stories to get me through and knowing him, he would ran fast and make me run fast too.

Mile 22-23 I would have to run with my girls M and T. They are the best buds I could have ever asked for. I say- hey lets do a 4 mile race and they say ok. I say lets do a 10K in 3 weeks and they say ok. They say lets do a half marathon and I say ok and that is how our relationship works. We all have small children, husbands, and other interests but when we are on the road we are just women who like to run. We talk, make fun of others outfits, discuss major things in our lives but we also run and we enjoy doing it together.

Mile 23-24 I would love to do this mile with Hal Higdon. He is revered among runners and his training plans are used by just about everyone. He is also in his 80's and if I can't gain some knowledge from running with him then I have no chance :) He makes it so easy to believe that you can run a marathon no matter where you are at in your fitness and I think I would need that about now.

Mile 24-25 I would save this mile before my last to do with my Hubby and kids. I would enjoy running knowing that I was almost finished and that their support had gotten me there. You might be asking why I wouldn't run the last mile with them and that would be because I would want for them to be standing there behind the finish cheering me on.

Mile 25-26.2 I would run this last mile with Lance Armstrong. This one is personal to me because I look at him at the poster boy for cancer. I would want to finish this marathon but I would want to do that in support of a cause and the Armstrong Foundation is one that I believe in. It is a horrible disease and it isn't a guarantee who gets it and who doesn't but it is how you deal with it and HE BEAT IT DOWN HARD. I would want to run with him and it would be like running for all of the people who couldn't get out there and do it themselves.

Well that is it for my 6 runners. How about yours?

Happy Running!

4 Mile Recap

First let me say that I am so thankful for M- for being by buddy and running with me-she did awesome :)

So, I decided last week that I would sign up for the Fit2Run 4 mile race. What I didn't really consider was the fact that it was a cross country race in a golf course, which meant hills, bridges, things that I typically do not have to run over here in Florida.

Anywhoo- woke up the kids and got out of the house. Arrived at the University Park Golf Course and met up with Dave to hand off the kids. (here I made a HUGE mistake which I will talk about later) and met up with M too.

We walked over to the start where people were running BEFORE the race (not something I really was into but to each his own). We got our chips, visited the porta potties, and were ready to run at 7:30.

Did I mention that the starting line was up a hill? So we had to run up the hill to even start. I also have to say that I never have run in grass, mostly because of getting dirty. So, we took off and we stayed consistent. We started passing the crazy starters about mile 1.5. At that point I knew that we weren't going to be last (which was M's fear). Throughout the race I kept marveling at how nice out it was. We usually run between 9:30 and 10:30 so running at 7:30 with the sun barely up was wonderful. Plus we were running under trees and cart paths, it was so nice. Around Mile 3 we passed the 8 year old boy (another of M's goals-ha), he was doing great and I did feel a little bad passing him but we were running a consistent pace and we weren't going to slow down now. The last mile was on the road and I loved that seeing as that is what I usually run on. We turned the corner and there was the finish. Of course we had to kick it up for the finish. Afterward both M and I felt really good. It was a lot of fun AND I convinced her to sign up for the 10K with me in 3 weeks at Disney. It will be so much fun to do it with her and laugh at how far we have come :)

BUT.....that isn't all.

I said goodbye to M and went to get in my car to drive home. I asked Dave, "Where are my keys?" To which he responded -I don't know. Well, I figured I hardly ever remember to lock my doors so we should be ok. We pulled the door- LOCKED! Then I looked in the drivers seat and there where my keys. Still thinking there was no problem, I asked Dave for his keys with the spare. I don't have one was his response.

So... Dave had to drive home with the big kids and Lexi and I waited 40 minutes for them to get home, get the spare key, and drive back.

It actually wasn't that bad. It was such a nice morning, plus I had just run in a race (which i was so thankful for). I felt really stupid for locking the keys in the car but I chalked it up to excitement.

Next weekend we head to Disney for Expedition Everest. We were supposed to do that one last year but I was preggo with Lexi and couldn't participate. I am supper excited to do a race with Dave and spend some time with the family.

Happy Running :)

Another Giveaway...

Check out this AWESOME Thorlo sock giveaway from Busy Running Mama

Chic Runner Giveaway

Check out the sweet giveaway from the Chic Runner :)

A New Day

AS with every day, a new day will dawn in the morning. That is what I find comfort in every night before I go to bed, even if my day has gone well, there is always a new day waiting to dawn.
Let us start with the running shall we?
Today I ran with M and my kids (in the jogger). We did 4.08 miles or so in 37 '12". I guess that is a 9 minute pace which I am thrilled to death with. I definitely feel good about how far I have come in the last 2 months of running and I know that if I WANT to then I will continue to succeed.
We had cheer last night and tonight we have a private tumbling class. I just want my girl to be able to be the best that she can be and I if at some point she isn't having fun with this anymore then we will reevaluate- but for now she loves being a cheerleader.
Ry is feeling much better and so is Lexi Lu.
Dave came home and watched the kids last night, then got up this morning and I won't see him again until Thursday night when we pick him up from the airport.
Our new normal kinda stinks right now but you have to just keep on moving (at least when running) and I consider life a lot like running :)
Other new- The Biggest Loser begins tonight and I am soooooooo excited to have my weekly date with Bob, Gillian, Alison, and the Losers. I always get more motivated when I see HUGE (being honest here) people accomplishing weight loss by working hard. Well almost time to pick up Ashley.

Happy Running!

When your Hubs is away...

...not a lot gets DONE :)

Dave has been out of town (at trade shows, delivering Salvation Army trucks, etc.) since last Wednesday. He then comes home tonight (hopefully before cheerleading) and then is out of town until I meet him at my 4 mile race on Saturday morning to hand off the kids and what else- run the 4 miles :) It is a great opportunity that we have that he gets all of the side jobs BUT having him here more than one day a week would be nice too.
Ashley had her MANDATORY Saturday cheer practice and I think it went well, at least for her. She learned the routine and the counts and practiced the set number of times over the weekend. This week she is going to start a private tumbling instruction with her coach to help her with the backbends, cartwheels, and whatnot. Since I have NO experience with any of these things so I will leave all of the instruction up to her coaches (HA!!)
Ryan has had a cold for what seems like forever. We are taking a rest and medicine day today in hopes that he will wake up tomorrow a happy little boy. He is back to normal with his potty training and next we are going to work on not eating so many hot dogs (yuck!).
Lexi is 10 months old this week. She has slept through the night for the last 4 nights-hooray!!!!
She is "talking" and "walking" and doing all the things that she should and some that she shouldn't. She is just 2 months from the bog year mark and I honestly can't believe how fast this year has gone.

On the running front. I ran the longest I have EVER run which is 5 miles this weekend. My new mantra is DON'T COMPARE because so many of the blogs i read people are training for halfs and marathons. They also have been running much longer than I have so I just keep telling myself that for me I am doing GREAT.
I did the 5.11 miles in 44' 17" which of course is a PR for me since I have never done it before- YEAH ME!!!
I was very happy with just being able to do it and I am supposed to run 5 again tomorrow BUT i will be pushing the jogger so i know the time won't be the same.

I read Isaiah 7 today. There were many verses that spoke to me but the one I will meditate on today is Isaiah 7:9b "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

Happy Running!

Time flies

At least it does around here and I want it to stop! (ok- reality check Jama) It is already Thursday. I have ran 3+ miles everyday this week and I really feel good. I am finally getting into a routine that I can handle but that if I have to adjust I can.
I started running with the baby jogger this week. I would much rather not be running with the baby jogger but if I want to run, then I must take my kids. I have definitely conquered the mental block of running past the light (haha) and now I know that I can run with the baby jogger so, 2 major mental blocks have been broken this week.
I also have a consistent Tues/Thurs running buddy in M. We ran 3 on Tues and 4 today. After my long runs this weekend it calls for a 5 mile run next Tues and I think that M is going to come with me. Also we signed up for the 4 mile Fit2Run race which is in 9 days. Running with a buddy has helped my outlook a lot and it has definitely made me accountable. We also are reading through Isaiah and I love being able to read a verse and be totally smacked upside my head by God daily :)
On the family front...Dave is out of town A LOT in the next 2 weeks (hence the baby jogger dilemma). Ashley has MANDATORY cheer practice on Saturday. Did I mention in their routine that she is in the front middle AND that she is a flyer in the stunt in the FRONT?!? I don't really know yet if she is going to stay there but after 2 weeks of cheer it seems like she still likes it and is improving all the time. Ryan went 2 swim classes without his bubble. I am so proud of my little frog. He also is doing wonderfully in school. No accidents since the first day-hooray!!
Little Lexi will be 1o months next week and she is going to be walking soon. She now crawls (quickly) around the house, stands up on the furniture and some days is brave enough to "travel" along the couch.
Things in Kyleland are going really well. I'm off to read Isaiah 6.

Happy Running!!

WHAT a day

So after my last few days, I thought today was going to be a coasting day. Boy was I wrong.
I have had kidney stones off and on for about 7 years. Mostly they are off BUT when I exercises a lot and don't drink enough or drink too much diet coke the kidney stones reappear. I felt one this morning but when Dave suggested going to Disney I said let's go. So off we went. The kidney stones weren't too painful just a little annoying. Thankfully it left the building while we were at Disney and I felt a whole lot better.
Then my jogging stroller tire popped. NOW, I was not there at the time so I am taking Dave at his word but I did get a new jogger out of the ordeal so all is well in my world again.
I am off to read Isaiah 2.

Oh and I ran a 5K this am in 25:44 I think. It was 25 something and I am happy with the time. Tomorrow I get to run with M. Soooooo excited.

Happy Running.

So he challenged me...

...and I accepted. In my last post (which was only this morning) I was so confused and trying to make sense of what God wanted me to do.

I was twittering with my running girls (M &T-love them) and they committed to backing me up. Not even 30 minutes after I wrote about my fear of making lasting friendships God placed 2 great women in my lap (not literally) and said here they are just for you- don't pass this by. He knew that I need them and I do.

We are going to do this too:

it is a 4 mile race. Once again, God knew before I did what I needed and he provided my 2 friends to do it with me.

I promised myself that I would start reading a chapter of the Bible each night to try and grow in my relationship with Christ. I randomly picked the book of Isaiah because I have never read it. It is like God smacked me in the face.

Isaiah 1:16-17 " Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

WOW!

I wonder what the Lord has planned for me tomorrow?

No Fear

I grew up in the 90's when the mantra (and clothing line) no fear was extremely popular. But in life I honestly believe that everyone has a fear of something. I have a lot more than one. Some of my fears may be silly and others keep me up at night but to me fear in unavoidable.
I read a lot of blogs and I was wondering today why that is. I think that it stems from my fear of being friends with others and then disappointing them and letting them down. Reading blogs is safe for me. I do not know any of the people and yet I am reading about what they are doing, how far they are running, how their personal relationship with the Lord is being expanded and I am sooooo jealous. I want that but am I willing to take the first step?
In church today the message was entitled,
"How to Change Your Life?"
{do you think he is trying to get my attention?}
The pastor said that there are 3 things that God uses to transform me...the bible, the holy spirit, and circumstances. This really got me thinking about circumstances that God places in my life that I just walk right by because I am scared to do anything about it. He compared the christian walk to running often, which definitely made me think of both in my life. In running the ultimate goal is the race, the finishing of that particular run. In our Christian walk the ultimate goal is to be like Christ-IN ALL THAT WE DO. This means everything people. In eating, talking to others, my quiet time, I NEED TO BE LIKE CHRIST and that makes me ashamed. It makes me ashamed that I fail and have fear but I also know that HE loves me and accepts me with all my failures and wants me to try again. Not tomorrow but right now.
There are 3 choices to make (says the preacher) in my role in transforming my life.
#1 I can choose what I think about. {this one hit me very hard}. For a long time I allowed what I looked like, weighed, to consume my thoughts. I thought about how I wasn't worth the time to make changes in my life. The pastors advice was simple yet so profound for me this morning. He said to "Choose to think differently!"
Now why hadn't I ever thought of that before. Oh yeah, because I was so consumed by thinking of all those other silly, crazy things. So right now I choose to think differently. I choose to try to think of the things that will help me point to HIM. I can use my talents (whatever they are) to be more like Christ. I am still me but thinking like HIM.
#2 I can choose to depend on God's spirit moment by moment.
ok, i have been already trying this one this last week. If I know one thing it is that I can't do things on my own anymore. I have to rely that God is holding me moment by moment through my day and he isn't going to drop me even when I struggle against him.
This is where relationships came into play. God has placed people in my life and I have always taken them for granted. If you get too close to others they can hurt you, let you down, so I usually avoided relationships with others. BIG MISTAKE JAMA!!!
This last week, I started running with T (i know you read so I won't type your name :0)). I have never ran with anyone before. I always would just plug away by myself. I made plans to run with her and we met up at 8 p.m. (what can I say, we both have kids and they had to be in bed first). WE started our run and when we were done I felt good. Not only because of my run, but because I had someone who did it with me. Someone who was going through the same thing that I was. I had more fun that night running that in the months that I have ran by myself plus we ran farther than we thought because we talked the whole time (which is always a plus). I need these women in my life. Having Dave is a constant but he can not understand a lot of what I am going through as another mother can. Thanks T, can't wait for our next run :)
#3 I can choose my response to circumstances.
over-reacting, high drama, -do I think that is what Christ would do? NO! But one thing I do know is that God puts me in circumstances to where I need to depend on him. I need to rely on him and just plain trust. SO...I will trust that I am where he wants me to be, with whom he wants me to be and ....I CHOOSE TO FOLLOW WHERE HE IS GUIDING ME-

So, no light and fluffy post today, mainly because I am thinking a lot about my direction. Where I am headed, what I want to do, and how my life can be more of what the Lord wants it to be that what I want it to be.

On a lighter note (haha)
Since August 1st I have ran 78 miles- WOW!!!! Every mile I run though means nothing if I can not run the race that the Lord has set aside for me.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." I Corinthians 9:24

Happy Running

If I knew then...

I graduated from college almost ten years ago. WOW! Just typing that made me feel quite old. I think when you go to college at eighteen years old (seventeen in my case) and are forced to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life it does you a major disservice. How many people know what they really want to do at that age? Many people might but I was not one of them. Since I graduated, my life changed with the husband and children and all. I also developed a great love for exercise (running in particular), health and nutrition. Oh, I wish I had known that I would love this back then.

Now, I do have my personal training certification (which I haven’t really tried to use anywhere) and I would still like to become a certified running coach but these are all things that I choose now because of where I am now in my life. I want to be able to encourage and educate others on a topic that I love and that in some ways saved my life.

Now I am going to be extremely honest. I have had eating issues (shocking I know). I have a love/ hate relationship with food and I am not ashamed to admit that. I know that nutrition is very important to those training for anything from a 5K to a ultra marathon. Food fuels the body and to perform well, a healthy eating plan is needed. About 7 years ago, I hated how I looked and my life was a little out of control so I began controlling my eating. I “controlled” it so well that I was NEVER hungry. I ate just enough to make it through and my weight got extremely low. I never thought about what I was doing or how it was affecting those who loved me. One day while Dave was at a clinical at the hospital I seriously thought that I was having a heart attack because my weight was so low. I drove myself to the hospital and the doctor told me that I needed to GAIN. UGH!!!!! Now even if you know that you need to gain weight you do not want to see the numbers going up (you feel very out of control and control is the key remember). Well they wanted to me to go to a doctor and I did. You know what he told me to do- EXERCISE.

WHAT?!?!?!

I weight almost 90lbs, am never hungry, and you want me to exercise? Yes was the answer he told me, so I did. I found a husband and wife training team and began working out with them 3-4 days a week. We never discussed the fact that I was too thin. We just worked out and I started to be hungry. Those 2 people literally saved me. Exercise gave me something else to focus on. I could control my performance and I became a little healthier everyday. When Trainer M told me we should train for a triathlon I said ok. I didn’t really think that I would be able to but I would humor him. The training really gave me a purpose and it gave me something else that I had been lacking- Confidence in myself.
I finished that Triathlon and I believe that if I had fueled my body better I would have done better than I did.

Why am I telling you all this?

I thought it was time to put it all out there. My goal is to encourage. I want to help others love exercise (running, swimming, biking in particular) but really to just know that it is possible to make little changes and accomplish so much.
I truly love running and I want to be healthy. I wish I had known this then…what trouble I would have saved.

BUT…

….now I have 3 pairs of little eyes that watch my every move and want to be just like me. So I need to encourage them to eat right, to move, to play, and to make mistakes but to learn from them too.
I encourage you to try. Try to run a mile, to walk for 30 minutes. Just try it, you may like it- I know I do.
Happy Running.