2017 Summer Challenge

The blog has sat silent for quite a while now. The last time was 100 days before vacation to Jamaica, which was December. So...

I've decided to try my hand again at the blog and see if it can help get me moving again. I didn't do anything towards that last "I'm going to lose weight before vacation," in case you're wondering. I haven't really gained any more since then, but I haven't lost any either.

I thought I would aim for 5 pounds a month after I got home from vacation, which would have been January 2017, but that didn't happen either. I had motivation, but my sweet little Elizabeth kitten (she was 12) became deathly ill and passed away a week after we returned from vacation. Not how I wanted to return home.

I was to train for the Shamrock Dolphin Challenge in Virginia Beach this past March, but I was struggling to run. I chalk it up to the blood clots and pulmonary embolisms making my lungs much weaker than I thought they would be. I will not ignore the fact that I was/am out of shape and weigh more than I ever have, but the lungs were what bothered me most. So, I deferred the challenge until 2018.

Now, it is Memorial Day weekend and I am no closer to my goals than I was 100 days before vacation. I started thinking about this and decided to set a challenge to myself - lose a pant size between June 1 and August 31. I know that's three months, but for some reason it takes me forever to go down a pants size. I will lose shirt sizes quickly, but pant sizes just don't budge!

I thought about what have I been successful at in terms of losing weight. I have finally come back to Weight Watchers. I am not spending the money to officially join, but I've been a member so many times, I know how it works. I've always lost weight while on WW, so I'm going back to that on Wednesday.

While this challenge doesn't officially start until summer, I spent a good part of my day going through my work and workout clothes and doing three things - clothes that fit me go on hangers. Clothes that do not fit right now - do I like them? Yes - goes in the bin. No - donation. I've also thrown some clothes out because they are missing buttons, stained, etc. I'm hoping that by always having clothes that fit me easily accessible, I will be more inclined to feel better about myself. I'm going to restrain from buying any clothing, unless necessary - which might be pants, but I should be fine with shirts.

There you have it. My goal for the summer. I start Wednesday with the diet and workout routine. I will document everything here and hopefully by the end of summer, I will be down a pants size. Wish me luck!

Do you have any summer goals - weight loss, workout routine, read more books, eat in-season fruit, spend more time outdoors? Let me know!

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100 Days

In 100 days, hubby and I are going on vacation! Oh thank heavens! It's been over a year since we got away and I cannot wait!

But, I'm not happy with what I look like. I had a doctor appointment Tuesday night to update the primary with all the ankle stuff from the summer. And of course, the dreaded weigh-in. Apparently the ankle caused a 9 pound weight gain.

I suppose that's not too bad, but I am not happy in general with my weight and I really don't want to go on vacation looking like this.

So, I want to spend the next 100 days working hard on my food and my exercise. At this point I need to get my butt back to the gym and work out, even though I know it will be less than it was before the ankle break. I need to start eating better, stop buying dinners out and making food at home that's healthy.

So, here's to a healthy 100 days!





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Stationary bike problems

I am almost 3 months post-ankle break and was cleared last month to use a stationary bike. I can start at 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, and so on. Then I can add the elliptical in short spurts, because it's not as hard on the ankle as walking. My final approved activity is walking, but I haven't really gotten that far yet. I haven't even gotten as far as the elliptical.

Why? Because I am used to being able to do any amount of time I want. Usually, I'll do 30-60 minutes on a stationary bike. I had been doing 30 minutes of walking at lunch and then some on the treadmill at night before I broke my ankle.

I'm sure that made no sense. What I'm {very poorly} trying to say is, I don't feel like 10 minutes is worth my time doing. It's easy, but how do I get myself dressed and drive to the gym to do the bike for 10 minutes, then go home? Plus, I'll be honest, walking in for 10 minutes on the bike, then walking out? Who among you wouldn't see someone do that and judge them? I would. I would wonder why did you come all the way to the gym to do the bike for 10 minutes? It wouldn't make sense to me and I would question it.

I need to get this idea out of my head if I want to run again. I don't have a clue when I can do that. The PT I saw in August didn't give me any timeframe at all for running, just the bike, elliptical, and walking. I have an appointment on Thursday and I will ask about it. I may not look like a runner, but I would like to go back to it. From the beginning obviously.

Any motivational thoughts to get me to the gym are welcome. :)


 

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Maybe the Mediterranean Diet?

Thank you https://bloguvib.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/mediterranean-diet/

I know I need to find a way of eating that works for me. I've tried so many various things - Weight Watchers, eDiets, 21 Day Fix, calorie counting. I did the best on Weight Watchers, but I just can't seem to get back into it. I don't know why, but I have tried off and on over the last couple of years and cannot stick with it.

I have been reading a bit on the Mediterranean Diet and wondering if this might be an option. I know I can't give up pizza, fries, or dessert, but I like the idea of more vegetables, fruits, fish, and whole grains. They are all foods I eat and may be a better way for me to get a healthier diet and lose weight.

I still have research to do, but it sounds promising. Do you have any experience with it? Any advice? I'm open to more information!



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The post where I come back

Well, hello! How are you? How've you been since January? Has your year gone well?

I had all good intentions of getting back into writing this blog at the beginning of the year. I did a few posts, then stopped. I don't know what happened, but I'll be honest, I kinda lost the password to get into the blog. And with that, I stopped posting because I didn't feel like I had anything good to post about.

But, I decided I wanted to have this back. I wanted a place where I could share what's going on and ask questions and show off my cats. Ha! You will always see pics of the cats!

So, I'm back. I'm not going to write multiple posts about what has happened between January and August, so I'm going to do a quick recap and start going forward from here:

• We had 30" of snow in these parts back in January. Made getting to work and training for Shamrock Dolphin Challenge a bit challenging;
• At one point, our schedule became so busy we started doing our long runs on Friday nights. It was actually fun and I loved that the runs were done so I could sleep in on Saturday mornings and sometimes get a second run in on the weekend.
• I ran my favorite three races in March - St. Patrick's Day 5k in Baltimore and the Dolphin Challenge in Virginia Beach. I didn't set any PRs, but I had fun. 
• I missed running one of my other favorite races in April - Sole of the City 10k in Baltimore - because I killed my back the week before and I just could not imagine running a 10k. It made me sad because hubby ran it, but I knew I did the right thing.
• In May, I decided with my Y membership running out in June, I needed a gym closer to home and one that I would have the ability to go on weekends. So, I joined the local Gold's Gym in town.
• June changed my life dramatically {and I am not exaggerating} when I fell off a stair in my backyard and broke my right ankle. It has been a rough summer and it is not healing as fast as I hoped {and read about}.
• I missed another race. I was signed up to run the Baltimore Women's Classic the following Sunday, but with a broken ankle, that sure didn't happen. I was not a happy camper.
• June also saw us plan our 15th wedding anniversary trip. We go to Jamaica every 5 years and this is the year we go back. We visited the travel agent and booked our trip!
• After the ankle break, the summer stopped. I used a scooter for almost two full months before getting the ok to start walking without it. It really messes with your mind when you always thinking about whether you can do something or not. I highly recommend not breaking anything from the waist down. Break a finger, your wrist, elbow, shoulder, ANYTHING but below the waste. It seriously impinges your ability to do anything.
• August brought some good news - the ability to stop using the scooter, then the ability to start walking without the air cast, and my husband's 40th birthday.
• I spent months {ask my friend who listened to me go on and on about what to do since February} planning a party for him, then I broke my ankle. I then had to re-do the whole party. It turned out well and we all had a fun time. That's what matters.
• We also went to Atlantic City, NJ for three days to celebrate his birthday {and to try to take suspicion away from the party}. We had a great time, even with my limitations. I got to put my feet in the ocean, even though I couldn't go swimming. It was something.

So, we are all caught up. Here's what's coming up in the next few months:

• Getting back normal movement in my ankle.
• Working with the doctors on some health stuff that's come up because of the ankle.
• Getting back to the gym, getting back to running {though I'm sure that will take longer than I want}
• Work on getting my eating under control. I didn't adjust the diet with the broken ankle and gained some more weight. Need to find a way to start eating healthy and stay consistent with it.
• Writing a journal article on the 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Philadelphia. My first attempt at being published.
• I also have an idea for an ebook that once my journal article is done, I will be working on.

My goal is to get back to writing on the blog several times a week, probably not everyday, but sharing my life and answering questions if you have any. Thanks for checking back in and we'll chat soon!

Elizabeth the Kitten

 Love ya!

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Food plan

One of my downfalls is healthy eating. I plan well, I find recipes, we buy the ingredients, then after work I get lazy and have no desire to cook it. We order in or heat up pizza.

I want to do better this year, so I've decided to make my meals on Sunday. This way I have all the meals I had planned for the week cooked and all I have to do is re-heat them. This may not sound appetizing to you, but it's perfect for me. I'll add a frozen vegetable to many of them and be good to go.

This week's recipes are all Weight Watcher approved:

• Veggie Chili
• Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
• Taco Bake
• Tortellini Soup

We have a couple unhealthy foods left over from the holidays, which we will eat because I am not going to let them go to waste - money-wise or meal-wise {there are people in the world who do not have food and I am not going to let them go bad}. If we sprinkle them in between healthy foods, it won't be too bad.

My goal is each week determine the meals for the week and then make them on Sunday. This should reduce how many times we skip the healthy meal for convenience. Time to write up the grocery list and get started cooking!
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My 2016 word is...

This year I want to be Brave. It may seem like a strange word to focus on, but in reality it's exactly what I need to do. I go along with people all the time above what I prefer because I don't want to rock the boat. I want people to like me so I just say yes, even if I don't want to do something.

This year I want to get better at saying no or I don't want that or I am not comfortable with that. This to me takes bravery as I have to tell people whom I would normally go along with that I don't want to. I will lose friends because of this, but I have to be brave enough to remember the ones worth keeping, the ones who matter will continue to be my friend.

• I need to be Brave in saying no to eating out when I know my goal is to lose weight.
• I need to be Brave in saying no to myself when I want to skip a workout.
• I need to be Brave in saying no to buying that "treat" on the way home from work.
• I need to be Brave in trying something that can help me in my career rather than saying no.
• I need to be Brave in saving money for things rather than buying whatever strikes me fancy.

So many things to be Brave about this year, but I can do it. This is my mantra for the year and it is doable.

Do you have a word you're focusing on or a goal you want to hit in 2016? Tell me about it!

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New Year's Day 2016

Hello! Happy New Year! I hope you met your goals and made all sorts of happy memories in 2015!

I am not going to sugar coat anything. I didn't post for long stretches in 2015. Mentally, I just wasn't in it. I ran three half marathons and a 10 miler in the spring, something I had never done. After the first two half marathons I qualified for the group Half Fanatics. All of which I am proud of.


In July I left the Archives, which I loved, to take a job with the Foundation that supports the historical organization. While I did this of my own free will for very valid reasons {full-time work/better pay/more mentally stimulating} I admit to missing the Archives. The positive is I only work one building over and I go through the Archives every day, so I still see my friends. But it has been an adjustment.

I helped plan my friends wedding in August and had the honor of photographing both the wedding and reception. It was a wonderful experience and I'm so happy that after 20+ years together they finally were able to marry.

I ran a fourth half marathon as part of a marathon relay team. It was a bad day for me. I had the second half of the race and by mile 8 I was done. I felt like crap that day due to mother nature {which had never happened before} and unfortunately I finished after the timing mat was removed. They were kind enough to wait with the finish arch and still give me the finishers medal and blanket. {That blanket rocks by the way.}

But, it's now 2016 and I want to get back to writing here again. So, I'm here. Over the next week I'm going to share what I want to accomplish this year. I'm again going to focus on a word. Which word? Come back soon to find out! ;-)

Thank you for reading this. Stop back soon for more!


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It's been a while

It's been a while. I know I fell off the face of the internet around these parts. It wasn't intentional. I got busy, then I ran a few races, then I had that post-race slump {like most runners}, then I went through a really fast interview process that ended with me starting a new job, I've been helping friends plan their wedding and reception, we've been fighting for Lizzie who was diagnosed with diabetes, we've been running around busy on our weekends {like usual}, and hubby has been traveling more for work, which is a little rough since I'm back to working full time.

All these items probably need a better description, but I'm not going to get into all of them in one post. I'll expand on them over the next few weeks and try to get caught up. My husband mentioned months ago I haven't done race recaps in ages and since this past spring had three half marathons and a 10 miler {first time ever!}, I need to do those too.

I wanted to get back on, say hello, and let you know you'll be hearing from me again. I will try not to disappear again for so long.

Hope all is well with you!

Chat soon!

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21-Day Fix

Hello All! How are you? How's your week been? Mine's been good - still fighting the cold I had since last week. Hoping it completely goes away soon!

Today hubby and I started the 21-Day Fix plan. We have both been a little too casual about our diets lately and I am not happy with how I look. In the last three years I've gained about 50 pounds. Yea...

June 2012 - Baltimore Women's Classic

March 2015 - Shamrock Half Marathon

Odd how both photos have me in orange... Anyway! That's not the point. The point is I weigh way more than I should and I'm trying something to change that.

I have a couple friends who have done it and had good results. Nothing I've tried lately has worked, so why not try something that talks about portion control and more real food than processed. I'm not a packaged food diet or shake kinda person {yes, I know the 21-Day Fix has Shakeology, I chose not to use it}. Give me a diet that talks about eating real food in real portions and I'm all for trying it.

So, today we started and for the next 21 days we will be eating real food in smaller portions. Breakfast was eggs with peppers and onions, 1 slice of toast with peanut butter, and half a banana. Not bad. All real and all good. I have my meals planned out through Easter currently. Over the next few days I will plan out next week as well. The planning is rough, but it does make things easier....knowing what I'm going to eat for each meal.

Let me say here and now that we will not be 100%. Our plan is to eat healthy 6-6.5/7 days. I know we may not see the same results as others with a day off, but in order to make this work as more of a life change than a diet, we have to be true to ourselves. We will want a beer. We will want a burger. We will want a doughnut. It may not be exactly the way it is planned out, but we need it to work for us.

We also start the workout portion tonight. The goal is to do the workouts, plus our training plan for the Wild Half Half Marathon in May. They are only 30 minutes each, which isn't much. We should be able to swing that. ;-) After work, first thing we work out.

Have you done the 21-Day Fix? What do you think? Tips? Suggestions?
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Motivational Monday

Happy Monday friends! How are you this day? How was your weekend? Did you get out there and do fun things?

This past weekend I ran The Love Run in Philadelphia. It was the second half marathon in eight days for me. Kinda crazy, right? The purpose, other than I really like Shamrock Marathon weekend and the Love Run? I wanted to qualify for Half Fanatics.

1. So, I set a goal last summer to run these two races back-to-back weekends to meet the Neptune requirement of two half marathons in 16 days.

2. I made a plan. I decided on the two races I was going to run to qualify. I chose Shamrock Marathon weekend {3/22} and the Love Run {3/29}. Then I planned out my training schedule.

3. The plan started in late December/early January, when I got to work. I started my training runs and some cross-training.

4. I had three+ months to stick to it. I'll be honest, I wasn't 100% dedicated. I lost three weeks of training to a severe lack of motivation. I didn't run, I didn't train, I ate horribly. It was a bad three weeks, but at the end I picked myself up and went back to it. I adjusted my runs, I started eating better, and I did what I could to make up for lost time.

5. This past Sunday I reached my goal. I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon on Sunday, March 22 and then completed the Love Run on Sunday, March 29. I hit my goal of two half marathons in less than 16 days.

Today's thought for Motivational Monday is we can reach our goals. It may not be pretty, but if we set a goal, figure out how to accomplish it, work the plan, stick to it to the best of our ability, we can reach our goal. Don't let a set back get you down. Decide what you need to get back at it and go! It's still possible!

What goal are going to set? What goal are you working towards today?


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2015 Kelly St. Patrick's Day 5k

from Charm City Run

This past Sunday, hubby and I drove to Baltimore, MD to run the 2015 Kelly St. Patrick's Day Shamrock 5k. This was our 5th year running it. It is one of my favorite races of the  year and I look forward to it each year.

Why? Mostly because you start the first half mile on a downhill and because I'm a back 'o the packer, you just see a sea of green laid out before you on Charles St. It's such an incredible sight to see. The downhill doesn't hurt either. ;-)

from Baltimore Magazine

This year hubby ran with me as he hasn't gotten out as much as he wanted this winter. We ran a pretty good race...well at least I ran a pretty good race for where I am training wise. LOL! We did the half mile run/1 minute walk and it went well.

We hit the 3 mile marker at 39:17 and I was so close to a sub-40, but I knew I couldn't swing .1 miles in less than a minute. We hit the finish line and my Garmin said 40:37. Darn it! Sooooo close! LOL! I should be happy though. Last year I ran this same race in 41:20, though it's a far cry from my best time of 36:43 in 2012.

Afterwards we tried to get into the post-race party at Power Point Live! Sadly, it is way too crowded for us back 'o the pack runners and we decided it wasn't worth the effort. That is the one thing I would say sucks about this race. The area for the post-race party is so small and with 4,300+ runners it's impossible to get anything. I wish they would change the party location so it was more open. Usually we would go to the James Joyce, but our friend Ada wasn't running this year. :-(

Did you run a St. Patrick's Day themed race this year? Will you? Did you run this one? What did you think?

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Motivational Monday

It is Shamrock Marathon {Half Marathon for me} week! Shamrock Virginia Beach is one of my favorite races. They do such a fantastic job and give out some sweet swag. How can you not love a race that's:

• Flat
• Fast
• Gives a medal for every race
• Gives a shirt for every race
• Does a challenge and gives a medal for completing it
• Gives a hat for finishing the half and full marathon
• Gives a finisher's gift for the half and full marathon
• Awesome tent party post-race on the beach
• Free beer
• Great expo

In 2012 I PRed this race and the 8k. Maybe that has something to do with why I love this race so much. LOL! I had high hopes about PRing this race in 2015. This race is practically designed for PR's because of how flat it is.

But for some reason in January I stopped training for three weeks. I ran twice in three weeks skipping my long runs. I lost focus. I lost motivation. Sure, I could blame it on the cold and snow. It would be easier than admitting I didn't do what I needed to do to meet my goals.

Sadly, I know it all comes down to me. But, I found this quote by Arthur Ashe and thought how appropriate for this week. While I can't go back and change what I didn't do, I can go forward this week and do all I can to prepare myself. I can do a last training run, I can eat lots of protein and make sure I'm hydrated, I can get in enough sleep each night.

That is where we all are. Maybe we have been great about our goals and following through on what we planned. But, I'll bet there's something you said you would do and haven't. Well, today...now is the time to get back to it. It's not too late. It may not be perfect or how we thought it would be, but if you do something today it will do better than if you hadn't.

That's where I am. I can concentrate on all the things I can control this week and hope for the best. What can you do this week?
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Went for a run

Sunday I decided to go for a run. It had been a week since I ran. A week that included a lovely stomach/intestinal bug that made me so sick. But, it was now two weeks until Shamrock race weekend and three until The Love Run weekend. The training schedule stated 9-10 miles, but I knew that wasn't happening.

I left the house telling the hubby I didn't know how far I was going or how long, but probably not long. I parked the car and realized I forgot Garmin. Yea... I had my Nano, but I can't get it calibrated so I didn't bother with it other than for music. I did put it on the run setting, but other than that hit go and off I went.

The neighborhood I run in has three streets that are about half a mile long one way. I ran in and just went. No idea how far I was going to go, just see how the body felt. I was going pretty well. I decided to run each street up and back. I figured that would get me about four miles.

When I got that far, I felt pretty well so decided to run two streets more. Why not? I felt good and could stop anytime I wanted. At four miles I ran further than I thought I would. After those two streets, I ran the main street then back to the car.

I had no idea how far I went but I knew I ran for 1:56:45. Way longer than the 20-30 minutes I figured I'd run. The run felt stress-free. No distance requirements. No time requirements. I could stop whenever I wanted. I could run as long as I felt good. It was liberating!

I can home and plugged the run into Map My Run. Why not? Let's see how far 1:56:45 got me. Shockingly, I ran 8.15 miles. Wha????

Here's why I'm shocked by this. Last Saturday I ran 7.5 miles in 2:02:--. Ummm... I ran a half mile faster this week after being sick for a week. I'm under 15 minute miles for the first time in ages on a longer run {I run faster for 1-2 miles, but slow up as I go along.}.

Apparently, the lack of direction for this run worked. I won't PR my races this month. I won't come close, but I feel much closer better about running them. This run did a lot for my mental state than any run I've had to date. I may just enjoy my four races this month.

How has your training gone? Are you prepping for races this spring? Which races are you running?

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Hello again

Sorry. It's been a bit since I've last posted. The last few weeks have been trying to say the least. You know about my car accident {if not, read about it here}. I purchased a car to replace my totaled car on the 21st, on the day of a snow storm. Took us 2 hours to go from the dealership to home, when it took less than an hour to get there.

The following weekend hubby and I celebrated our 19 year dating anniversary, but the next morning I woke up with a stomach/intestinal bug. Oh that was awful! I felt somewhat better on Tuesday, so I went to keep my hair appointment. When I got in my car the ABS/traction control lights came on in the new car... We took it to a local dealership to check out and it either needed a new system or new hydraulics. So frustrating on a car I've had less than three weeks.

Within all this my mother needs open heart surgery. She has a tumor in one of her ventricles and the doctors need to remove it. They believe it is nothing serious, that due to lack of symptoms that this is just a benign growth, but it does need to come out. So, sometime in the next few weeks I'll need to go to Jersey for the surgery.

Then this past Friday night I came home from work and was greeted with the news that one of our upstairs windows cracked. No reason, just cracked. We had to call a window guy to come out. He boarded it up and will have a replacement window in a couple weeks.

So yea...the last few weeks have been rough. But, there have been some positives...

1. Work asked me to go four days a week rather than the 2.5 days I currently work. I won't be doing anything more than I am now, but it is more money.
2. We called the dealer we bought the car from and they are paying for the repairs.
3. I've lost 3.8 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I re-joined Weight Watchers and have been pretty good so far. Fingers crossed I can keep this up!

Sorry about the lack of posts. I didn't mean to just disappear. I'll try my best to not do that again.

How are you? What new and fun stuff are you up to?

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TGIF!

Hello all! Happy Friday! It's been one heck of a week around these parts!

Last Thursday I was rear-ended coming home from a veternarian's appointment with my Lizzie.

She's having teeth issues and had a follow up. We're fighting not having her teeth removed, so far the meds are working. Anyway... I was rear-ended by a van and have been dealing with the insurance company {who honestly have been exceedingly easy and kind to work with - yes, I know. Good insurance people do exist}. While Thursday night I didn't think the car was totaled, Monday came and with it the news from the service people that it indeed was.

The extent of my injuries were a couple bruises. Lizzie was completely fine. Thank heavens!

So, this week has been working with the insurance company on compensation and finding a new car. Still waiting to hear back from our loan people about the pay-off on the car, but once that happens, off I go to pick up a new one. As quickly as possible. This sharing a car is rough!

Tuesday, I was selected in the Broad Street Run 10 miler lottery. Surprised the living daylights out of me, but there it is. I entered because it's the perfect accountability for The Wild Half Half Marathon I'm running two weeks later. I'm looking forward to it. Hubby ran it in 2010 and I think it's a great race...especially now that there are medals. ;-)

Lent began on Wednesday and I decided on my Lenten sacrifices:

1. No sweets - cookies, cakes, pies, brownies, frozen yogurt {allergic to ice cream}, creme brule, etc.
2. No soda
3. I re-joined WW in the hopes that by sticking with it I will have good habits in place by Easter.
4. Daily devotional. I'm not great at remembering, but I do catch up on each day's even if it's not read that day.

There you have it. My week in a nutshell. It's been crazy and I'll be honest, not one {referring to the car accident} I would like to do anytime soon! The positive is, I'm fine, Lizzie's fine, and this should be behind us come next week. When I pick out and purchase my next car, I'll let you know!

Have a great Friday and weekend friends! Make it count!

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Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday! This week is a photo of me running the 2011 Princess Half Marathon. It was my very first half marathon ever! I picked this photo because this coming weekend is the Princess Half Marathon in Disney, so it seemed appropriate.

Would you believe hubby was on the monorail going to the first stop we agreed to meet at and he saw me on the road!I'm dead center in blue with black pants to the bottom of the road. I was shocked it timed itself out that way.

Since the 2011 Disney Princess Half Marathon I've run six more half marathons - Philadelphia Half Marathon {2011}, Shamrock Half Marathon {2012, 2013}, Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon {2013}, and The Love Run {2014}. This year I'm already scheduled for three halves - Shamrock Half Marathon, The Love Run, and The Wild Half.

What was your first race?

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Lent

How was everyone's Fat Tuesday? Did you get your pancakes in? I did! Hubby and I ate at Perkins last night and fought the Buttermilk 5 {the Buttermilk 5 couldn't care less about this competition. It's all in our heads.}. Sadly, I lost to the Buttermilk 5. I ate 4.5 pancakes. Sad...

So today is now Ash Wednesday. In the Catholic faith the first day of 40 for reflection, abstinence, and remembrance. I'm not going to pretend to be a consistent Catholic. I attended Catholic school for 12 years and married in the Catholic church. Do I go to mass weekly? No. I'm the important holidays type of Catholic. Yea...

But for some reason I strongly adhere to making Lenten resolutions and keeping them. I don't know why, but I do. I have made up my mind for what I'm doing for Lent and thought I would share it with you:

1. Giving up sweets. No candy, cakes, cookies, pie, donuts, brownies, etc. {not sure what's left honestly...}. I've done this before. I know I can do it. I just know I've been out of control and need to be accountable.
2. Giving up soda. I had stopped drinking it except maybe once every couple of weeks. Somehow it has wiggled its way back into my diet. 
3. I re-joined Weight Watchers to focus on eating better. I have just gone nuts with my eating and I need help. My decision is to follow the WW plan as closely as I can each day. Follow the points and track. I won't be perfect, but if I focus on this I can do it. 
4. I would like to add something religious into my resolutions, but I haven't figured that out. I'll update if I do. Thinking of a devotional on the Kindle.

Are you honoring Lent this year? Are you giving something up? Are you adding something to your life? 
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I won the lottery

On February 1st I entered the Blue Cross Broad Street Run 10 Miler lottery. The race is scheduled for May 3, 2015 in Philadelphia. It's a 10 mile run straight down Broad Street. It is exactly two weeks prior to the Wild Half Half Marathon I'm running in Wildwood, which makes it the perfect last long run race.

So, today the acceptance emails went out. 85% of the people who entered the lottery got in {there are 30,000 people who run it}. My email came this morning. Low and behold I was accepted.

I'm pretty surprised to be honest. I'm such a slow runner and the time I submitted was awful. But, I guess they let in so many slow runners too.

I better get my butt back to running {more to come on this}. I have three half marathons and a ten miler in the next few months.

Are you running the Broad Street Run?
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Throwback Thursday

Phillies NLCS game in 2008 on October 9. Tickets to the game were my birthday gift as my birthday is October 9. :-)

Can you tell you I miss baseball season?????

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