March Goals- Update

New Years Goals that will be included monthly:

1. Write in a journal every day-as was mentioned in my mid-month review, I skipped a few too many days and started over. I am back on track with journaling and am rather enjoying the nightly ritual. Hopefully I continue to keep it up because it really has been good for me.
2. Take at least one picture a day- going strong with this one. I have been enjoying seeing the pictures at the end of the month. It's been difficult some days to pick just one and other days I only take one picture in order to continue the streak.
3. Run and/or walk 105 miles- I passed the 105 mile mark. As of today I am at 109.81 for the month but I still have my run to complete tonight. It was a low mileage month, but still over my goal, so I am happy.
4. Run at least one mile every day to continue running streak- There is not much that will stop me from continuing my running streak. I do wish that I had made my goals a little smaller so that I could celebrate the small successes. Going from 100 days to 250 days in a row as a goal is a lot. Obviously it doesn't prevent me from reaching a milestone and celebrating that on my own. Today is day 162 in a row.
5. Track on MFP- I am on day 11 of my streak. And out of those 11 days I have tracked every single thing all 11 days. Woot Woot! If that's not the right way to start a streak then I don't know what is. I mean, yeah I could have stayed within my calories, but I'm not being picky right now. Getting in the habit of tracking is priority numero uno.
6. Read two books- I am still halfway through my second book for the month. It took me entirely too long to get into this book. Now that I'm about halfway through it is finally starting to hold my attention. I'm not really one to stop reading a book once I've started (except once, but that was just awful). I'm trying to get through it and can only hope that the next book I choose for my first book of April is an easy one (like Nicholas Sparks).

March Goals:

1. Have at least one child free date night with Patrick- We ended up going out last week on a "date". Isabel had Spring Break and since both Patrick and I were working early my parents agreed to let her spend the night. We had dinner with them at their house and then did a quick workout at the gym before it closed and then headed to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls. It was fun, spontaneous and all around a learning experience that 1. Tracy does not do well with golf and 2. Patrick should not bring Tracy to the driving range if he is looking for time to concentrate on his form.
2. Take Isabel to Paint-A-Dream (as a family)- We did not all end up going to Paint a Dream together as a family, however I did take Isabel and my niece to the Princess Party yesterday and they got to see Anna and Elsa again. They painted a crown, sang songs, ate a cupcake and listened to the sisters read a story. I think they had a good time.
3. Have a great 5K race with Isabel- We definitely had a great time (as explained at the halfway point update). She went for a quick run with me on Saturday since Patrick was out of town for the day and wouldn't be home until later. She didn't complain and we had fun going together. Maybe she'll be asking to run another race again sooner than I thought.

4. Throw Isabel the best birthday party EVER- Still what I would consider a success. My boss even told me that I could be a party planner in my next life. Although I loved planning our wedding and Isabel's birthday parties and think that they turned out well, I highly doubt I could ever do it for anyone else that I am not extremely close with and already know their style.  

5. Update budget and track- I will be updating our budget sheet tonight for the month of March. As of yesterday our net worth had fallen slightly (nothing significant) and I was highly impressed with how everything else fell. I knew that March was going to be a tough month to budget for and feel like we managed well. Could have been better, could have been a lot worse. I think April is going to be a very telling month for us and our budget as to how things will be for the majority of the year and I am actually looking forward to focusing on it.
6. Complete NMTZ Challenge- Failed.
7. Make progress on blanket- I briefly worked on the blanket for about 10 minutes a few days ago and it has since been sitting on the coffee table staring at me, feeling neglected. I am still on the purple color that I was on a month ago. I have a tendency to get in these craft moods and start these projects that I late regret and never finish. I can't begin to tell you how many cross stitch kits I have started and ended up getting rid of because they just sat there collecting dust. Hence why one of my goals on my bucket list is to actually finish one.
8. Do not go overboard (food wise) celebrating birthdays- I believe overall I did well. I really can't think of anything that I ordered that was too awful. I did soup and salad for my dinner, ordered what I wanted for my lunch at work and ate half and I tracked everything for my sisters birthday and ended up only going over by like 25 calories. I felt generally satisfied overall and can't recall a celebration this past month where I felt I overindulged (except maybe the day of Isabel's birthday party.

Weigh In #16

Starting Weight: 189.2

Last Weeks Weight: 179.8

This Weeks Weight: 182.0

+/-: +2.2
Total +/-: -7.2

Okay, so I weighed myself yesterday morning because I was feeling good and I knew that I would be eating a lot for my birthday (lunch out with my best friend, a cake at work, dinner out with the family, cake with the family..) I weighed in at 179.8, the same exact weight as last week.

This morning I step on the scale and it's up to 182.

I'm not worried or concerned or annoyed or frustrated. In fact I'm just happy. I'm happy that I had a wonderful birthday that I enjoyed and that I didn't go completely overboard. I had soup and salad for dinner and enjoyed a small pieces of cake. Nothing over the top or crazy. Just apparently a lot of sodium.

I'm sure it will all even itself out and I'll be back in no time. I mean, a 2.2 pound gain in one day is a little much to all be a true gain. Either way, it is what it is and there's nothing I can do about it now other than work on staying within my calories this next week and to continue to make the best choices for me as well as to up the workouts. I've been slacking and need to get back to it, if for no other reason it makes me feel fantastic and I miss those endorphins. I am definitely still trying to find that balance with all or nothing when it comes to workouts. Hoping to figure that out soon. 

Last weeks goals:

1. Track. You probably won't believe this, but I have tracked every single thing every single day this week. I went over on calories five of the seven days, but I tracked. And, to be honest, it wasn't an awful week. I mean, obviously it would be better if I hadn't gone over so many days, but the point of tracking is to track it all. And I did. 

2. Water. I drank at least 6 glasses of water 6/7 days this past week. I am getting much better about it and am feeling better too. I plan to keep going in order to make it the full 7 days a week. 

3. Clean out closet and dresser. I did not get to this goal this week but plan to soon because I have been doing a little online shopping this past week and need to clear out the old to make way for the new. I have purchased more business attire items because I want to be taken professionally. I can't keep doing the jeans and a t-shirt thing.

4. Work on training schedule. I also did not work on this either. I have looked into Jeff Galloway's training plan a little more and do plan on using this, but I need to sit down and realistically write it out so that it is on the calendar for Patrick to see so that he is aware of what days I'm going to need to be focused on training and will need extra help (mentally, emotionally, physically, etc).

5. Enjoy my birthday dinner. Definitely succeeded in this! I decided to go to Chili's and even though I was planning on splurging (slightly) and getting the margarita chicken with rice and black beans, I ended up going with the soup and salad because I was still so full from having Chipotle for lunch. It was delicious and I really enjoyed it!

Workout schedule:

March 21st - March 27th

Friday 3/21: 2-3 mile interval run completed (3.10 miles)

Saturday 3/22: 8 mile interval run completed (8.14 miles)

Sunday 3/23: minimum 1 mile interval run completed (1.05 miles), cross train completed (15 minutes stationary bike)

Monday 3/24: arm workout did not complete, 2-3 mile interval run completed (3.09 mile interval run)

Tuesday 3/25: 30 day shred did not complete, minimum 1 mile interval run completed (1.51 mile interval run)

Wednesday 3/26: arm workout did not complete, 2-3 mile interval run completed (2.52 mile interval run), Ripped in 30 completed (warm up and circuit 1)

Thursday 3/27: 30 day shred did not complete, minimum 1 mile interval run completed (1.09 mile interval run)

This weeks goals:

1. Track.

2. Water.

3. Clean out closet and dresser.

4. Make April training schedule.

5. Stick to workout schedule for coming week.

Workout schedule:

March 28th - April 3rd

Friday 3/28: arm workout, minimum 1 mile interval run

Saturday 3/29: 5 mile training run, cross training

Sunday 3/30: minimum 1 mile interval run, cross training

Monday 3/31: arm workout, 2-3 mile interval run

Tuesday 4/1: strength training DVD, minimum 1 mile interval run

Wednesday 4/2: arm workout, 2-3 mile interval run

Thursday 4/3:  strength training DVD, minimum 1 mile interval run

Thirty Before I'm Thirty

Because why not.. It's the last year of my twenties and I want to go out feeling productive, even if some of the goals seem a little silly.

I already have my bucket list that I've been working on for quite some time (which I need to post again because it has been updated), but  my plan is to make this list of 30 things using that list as a reference so that I can start actually accomplishing some of these goals. 

I'm going to choose some that I really want to accomplish and having a year will push me to finally do it. Others I will choose because it will push me out of my comfort zone and I will actually have to push myself to get the goal done. 

It seems kind of silly to make a list of goals based off of a list of goals I already have, but I think having the shorter time line will help me finish these goals and maybe think of a few more things that I may want to do and can add to the longer bucket list. I think it's about time to see some more completed goals than goals left to do.

1. Learn to drive a stick shift
2. Take a pottery class
3. Complete a cross stitch
4. Get out of credit card debt
5. Complete a coloring book
6. Take a cake decorating class
7. Organize photos into albums
8. Go to dinner by myself
9. Take a yoga class

10. Ride Lex Luthor's Drop of Doom
11. See Ingrid Michaelson in concert
12. Complete Jillian Michael's Body Revolution
13. Make our apartment feel more like a home
14. Complete the "Dopey Challenge"
15. Complete a 50K

16. See the Harlom Globtrotters

17. Reach my goal weight
18. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
19. Clean out my closet
20. Find a new job
21. Send Christmas cards to family and friends
22. Go on a weekend alone

23. Paint a canvas
24. Go GoKart Racing
25. Spend a day at the beach

26. Run intervals all the way up Erbes Rd (1 mile straight uphill)

27. Finish a blanket (crochet)

28. Read every book by Jodi Picoult: Songs of the Humpback Whale, Harvesting the Heart, Picture Perfect, Mercy, The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, Salem Falls, Perfect Match, Second Glance,  My Sister's Keeper, Vanishing Acts, The Tenth Circle, Nineteen Minutes, Wonder Woman, Change of Heart, Handle With Care, House Rules, Over the Moon, Sing You Home, Lone Wolf, Between the Lines, The Storyteller

29. Run a half or full marathon in another state

30. Go on a spontaneous road trip

I've been told that my thirties are going to be great. I have no doubt about that! Most of my twenties were pretty damn awesome as well and I am looking forward to what is waiting for me! I just don't feel 29.. I guess that's a good thing though!

To be honest, I'm not really one to want the attention on my birthday. But this year, so far (and it's not even 8am) has been amazing. Hopefully a sign to a happy, healthy, positive, successful year!

Mileage Update #10

Mileage update: (Late again...)

Monthly mileage goal: 105 miles

Monthly mileage as of 3/25: 94.59 miles 

Yearly mileage goal: 1250 miles

Yearly mileage as of 3/25: 362.34 miles

28.98% complete

Total mileage recorded to date (1/1/12-3/25/14): 2112.35 miles

Running streak goal: 500 days

Running streak: day 156

This week's mileage: 29.33 mile week

Wednesday- 1.34 mile walk, 2.04 mile walk, 2.29 mile interval run

Thursday- 1.34 mile walk, 1.35 mile interval run

Friday- 3.10 mile interval run

Saturday- 8.14 mile interval run

Sunday- 1.05 mile interval run

Monday- 2.04 mile walk, 3.09 mile interval run

Tuesday- 2.04 mile walk, 1.51 mile interval run

Pictures from this week:

Dopey Challenge Accepted! Sort Of..

The runDisney website has finally updated the dates of race weekend for 2015.

It is starting to get real. Unfortunately, so is the decision that I had to make.

I want to put out there that this decision was made solely on my own, however I had the support from my husband, my mom, my sister and my best friend. Throughout the course of the past few months I have been having an internal debate as to whether or not I should do the Dopey Challenge at Disney World. The pro and con list has gone back and forth and it's taken a very long time to make the final decision.

As much as it pains me right now, I know that the mature/adult decision would be to not participate in the Dopey Challenge and so that is what I have decided.

It was difficult, and I'm allowing myself to take a day or two to be sad about the idea of not actually running the race and then I'm going to get over it. In fact, I'm still going to train for it and I still plan on running all four days, all four distances. I'll just be in California running by myself instead of in Florida running with thousands of other runners.

It's not the same, but I know that in the long run it is the smartest decision for myself and for my family. And I know that with the support of my friends and my family I will be able to make it through the mileage with or without a medal at the end.

I've been looking into a training plan and the Jeff Galloway training plan on the runDisney website is the one I am leaning towards. For the most part, the training plan is three days a week. It's manageable and I'm fairly certain I can adjust it slightly in order to fit in my scheduled half marathon races that I'm already signed up for and still be able to run the same weekend as the real race.

I was also able to use mapmyrun to plan out a course for all four races. I tried to make them all a little different so that I won't be running the same course each time, but it's a little difficult when you're running in the same city four days in a row. I think it's going to be okay though. I also like the fact that I am able to be in control of where I'll be running and I know the hills that are a part of the course. In all honesty, now that I know that I am still going to run the distance and I have a visual of where I will be running I'm getting excited about it and less disappointed.

It's going to be a test of my mental and physical abilities. I'm sure I'm going to have to continue to tell myself over and over that this was the correct decision. I know that it is though..

Let the training continue!

Weigh In #15

Starting Weight: 189.2

Last Weeks Weight: 181.4

This Weeks Weight: 179.6

+/-: -1.8
Total +/-: -9.6

I have been off of the wagon for a while now. To the point where when I tried to catch up and jump back on I ended up getting caught and dragged. So, that's where I've been with that.

With my birthday coming up next week I made a deal with myself to not track or do anything special for the next week or so and then I would get back to it with 100% commitment on April 1st.

But then I woke up this morning. I thought about what I wanted, what I needed. I knew right away that what I want is to start tracking, start exercising and start caring about it again. I miss that feeling when you're giving it your all and it pays off. I can't expect to give it 50% and get the results you want.

So, I stepped on the scale and am moving forward with this new found desire to see results. I got a little too comfortable and even though I don't have all the motivation I would like at this point I am ready to fake it until I make it. 

I am hoping that whatever this new start is can kick my backside into gear to get more serious about training. I still have a lot of races coming up and I know I feel better when I'm in full training mode. Plus, it would be nice to see some successes at the end of the week in regards to my goals and workout schedule.

This weeks goals:

1. Track.

2. Water.

3. Clean out closet and dresser.

4. Work on training schedule.

5. Enjoy my birthday dinner.

Workout schedule:

March 21st - March 27th

Friday 3/21: 2-3 mile interval run

Saturday 3/22: 8 mile interval run

Sunday 3/23: minimum 1 mile interval run, cross train

Monday 3/24: arm workout, 2-3 mile interval run

Tuesday 3/25: 30 day shred, minimum 1 mile interval run

Wednesday 3/26: arm workout, 2-3 mile interval run

Thursday 3/27: 30 day shred, minimum 1 mile interval run

Measurements

Original measurements taken October 15th:

Chest: 41

Waist: 37.5

Hips: 45.5

L thigh: 26.5

L arm: 13

L calf: 14.5

Measurements taken on March 8th:
Chest: 40 (-1)

Waist: 33 (-4.5)

Hips: 43.5 (-2)

L thigh: 24 (-2.5)

L arm: 12.25 (-.75)

Current measurements taken March 22nd:

Chest: 39.25 (-1.75)

Waist: 34 (-3.5)

Hips: 43.5 (-2)

L thigh: 23.5 (-3)

L arm: 12.25 (-.75)

Thankful Thursday #3

1. I am still thankful for all of the help I received for Isabel's birthday party last Saturday. It was above and beyond what I could have hoped for and I really think the whole day went perfectly.

2. I am thankful for budgeting and finding a system that works for us in order to view everything quickly and easily. It helps me to see the numbers and the progress we are making on our debts and on our savings for the future. I am awful at math, but I'm definitely a numbers girl.

3. I am thankful that my family is supportive of my decisions. Granted, the particular decision I'm talking about (which I will share with you all tomorrow) affects me more than anyone, but they are always willing to stand on my side no matter what I decide to do, and I am thankful for that.

4. Here's a vague one. I am thankful that there are certain opportunities to grow. I'm not sure what the outcome will be, but I'm ready to see what the future may hold. I am in a pretty good place mentally and I know that whatever is supposed to happen, will happen, but I'm leaning towards a certain ending to this chapter. We shall see!

5. I am thankful for therapy. And I'm definitely getting my money's worth this week!

Mileage Update #9

Mileage update: (the photo is not correct, but should correct itself to the actual total mileage by next week)

Monthly mileage goal: 105 miles

Monthly mileage as of 3/18: 65.26 miles 

Yearly mileage goal: 1250 miles

Yearly mileage as of 3/18: 333.01 miles

26.64% complete

Total mileage recorded to date (1/1/12-3/18/14): 2083.02 miles

Running streak goal: 500 days

Running streak: day 149

This week's mileage: 17.78 mile week

Wednesday- 1.15 mile interval run

Thursday- 2.04 mile interval run

Friday- 1.28 mile interval run

Saturday- 3.11 mile interval run

Sunday- 1.24 mile interval run

Monday- 1.34 mile walk, 2.05 mile walk, 1.47 mile interval run

Tuesday- 1.34 mile walk, 1.34 mile walk, 1.42 mile interval run

Pictures from this week:

March Goals- Update

New Years Goals that will be included monthly:

1. Write in a journal every day- This is not happening anymore. I'm a little disappointed that I missed a few days, but I do plan on picking it back up. Writing in a journal for a year means a year straight, not necessarily January 1st- December 31st. It can be March 16th - March 15th.
2. Take at least one picture a day- Still going strong. I was better about using my actual camera for a while, but started relying on my phone again. It's time to start carrying the actual camera around again.
3. Run and/or walk 105 miles- Going strong and slightly ahead of schedule. This month has not been as high mileage as the last two, but I am still anticipating reaching (and maybe even slightly exceeding) my goal.
4. Run at least one mile every day to continue running streak- Check! I am doing really well with my streak and am trying to go out for more than one mile at a time. I was falling back and doing the bare minimum for running and so now my goal is to do two miles a day with the occasional days of only doing one to reach my goal. Life happens sometimes and you only can make time to get out for a short run, but you're still doing it...
5. Track on MFP- As I mentioned on Saturday, I missed a day of tracking so I am starting my streak over. I was hoping to use it as motivation to track everything, however I already failed that task by only tracking breakfast for the past few days. I think the anxiety of planning and throwing Isabel's birthday party was covered up by eating. A lot.. I'm thinking of taking a quick break from tracking for the rest of the month and getting back in it full force on April 1st. I will still be very conscious of what I am eating, but mentally I need the break through at least my birthday.
6. Read two books- One down one to go! Although I've started the first chapter twice already because I can't seem to stay interested before falling asleep. I may need to start it during the day so that I'm not lying down while reading which makes me more tired.

March Goals:

1. Have at least one child free date night with Patrick- Not yet, and I'm not sure if we will this month..
2. Take Isabel to Paint-A-Dream (as a family)- Not yet. She's going to be going up on the 30th for the princess party with the Frozen sisters, so this may not happen either. I will probably try to think of another date idea for us to do as a family, although we have done dinner out twice with just the three of us and that has been really nice.
3. Have a great 5K race with Isabel- Success! She did a fantastic job on the run and I am so proud of her. Her little legs worked hard to run with me the whole time and she only had one mini meltdown where she wanted to stop. We were at the halfway point and I distracted her by playing "I'm going on a picnic.." It worked and she finished in 41:31!

4. Throw Isabel the best birthday party EVER- I'm going to call this a success.. 

5. Update budget and track- still going strong with the budget and doing our best to get out of debt and build up our savings. Some days it feels like a challenge and like we will never be able to buy a house, but other days I feel like we're making huge strides.
6. Complete NMTZ Challenge- 3 on/1 off- Fail. Complete and utter fail.
7. Make progress on blanket- I think I've added a total of one row in the past two weeks. Need to spend some time focusing on that.
8. Do not go overboard (food wise) celebrating birthdays- So far I've done okay except for Isabel's birthday party. I felt good after Patrick's and Isabel's actual birthday dinners though, so that's a plus!

San Diego Half Marathon- Race Recap

March 9th was race # 3 of 14. Another half marathon in the books, bringing my total number of races to 25 and my total number of half marathons to 11.

Rachel and I drove to San Diego after watching Emma play soccer in her first week of try outs for a club team. The team is awesome (they won 7-0) and you can definitely tell a difference in Emma and the way that she plays. She was on fire and even scored a goal! It was like night and day watching her play on this team.

Rachel was kind enough to drive there since I am not a fan of driving long distances. We hit some traffic and it ended up taking us a little over three hours to get there and find the expo. Parking was difficult so she jumped out while I circled the parking lot. I usually don't get anything at the expo anyway and I already received my bib in the mail.

We made our way to the hotel that Rachel had booked and I honestly believe it was the perfect location. It was right across the street from both the start and finish line and was reasonably priced. I know I can always trust her with finding a good hotel when we need to travel for a race. 

We decided to go out to dinner that night and chose to stay close to our hotel. We ended up at Fox Sports Grill where we were able to watch part of a Dodgers Spring Training game (Rachel's team). It was nice to watch the game, have some food and drink a beer. We then went to get some frozen yogurt before heading back to our hotel room to try to get some sleep. We knew that 6am would be there before we knew it, especially with the time change.

Thankfully our phones changed to the right time and our alarms went off when we had set them, so we were up and ready to go with plenty of time to spare. We made our way over to the start area and then realized there was nothing to do but stand around so we headed back to the lobby to sit for a while.

They started the race in waves and we started in wave 15, the last wave. The first wave started at 720, but we didn't cross the start until closer to 8am. By then it was already pretty warm. Thankfully, someone had timed the trolly's so that we didn't have to wait on the course for one, but it did mean extra time standing around before starting. It worked out well though, and thankfully they played pretty good music.

And then it was our turn. We decided to stick to 30:1 intervals and to stay around a 13:30 pace. It worked well for us even with the heat. Rachel has been experiencing some pain in her heel though and she had already told me that if she needed to walk then we would split off and I would continue the intervals.

She made it to mile 6 with running intervals before we split off. I felt guilty going on, but I knew it was what we had discussed. Unfortunately, at the next water stop (mile 6.5) they had run out of water. And again at the next water stop (around mile 8.5). I had brought my running belt with three small water bottles attached, so I wasn't in bad shape, but I was concerned that this was how the rest of the race was going to be.

Right around mile 9 was where the hill began. The mile long hill that feels like it's never going to end. Seriously, you turn a corner and feel like it has to end at some point and BAM! more hill.. I decided to walk because I just did not have the energy to continue intervals. I run hills, but nothing like this and not for a mile straight. And then, at the top of the hill, there was water. Lots of water. And ice. And gummy bears. And a guy on his front lawn with a hose. It was glorious.

I decided to walk another mile to try to get my heart rate lower. It was still pretty elevated from the hill and the heat. I started intervals again at mile 11 and continued them until the finish line.

I was able to stand at the finish to watch Rachel come across and I am so proud of her. We had text a little while on the course so I knew that she was still going strong. I just hope that the pain in her heel goes away soon. It's never fun to have an injury.. It's even less fun to watch your running partner suffer through one.

All in all it was a really good race. I'm glad that we decided to take the challenge and run both San Diego and Mammoth in order to receive an extra medal for doing both. I'm also glad that we were not out there in the heat trying to run the LA Marathon. Although I did have a little heart break for not being out there on that course, I know it's not going anywhere and that there's always next year.

And now for the photographic evidence that we were there:

Keeping it classy San Diego!

Isabel's Frozen Birthday Party

I am so behind with updating and trying to play catch up, however the more important posts get published first. And since there's a birthday involved, that takes priority.

I have been planning Isabel's birthday party for a while now. We knew the theme for the party was going to be Frozen since December when she first saw the movie. She has been obsessed since then and I'm not exaggerating when I say that she has mentioned Frozen at least once each day since then. Seriously. Every single day.

Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to find the necessary party supplies. But I figured it out and used many different resources to plan what I was hoping to be her best birthday party to date.

I won't go into all of the details here. What it comes down to, is that I couldn't be happier with how the party turned out. Isabel and her friends made a snowman craft, a snowflake craft, a frame and colored before Anna and Elsa showed up to help celebrate. Isabel was beyond shocked to turn around and see them standing there.

Most difficult secret to keep from her.

When they got there they colored with the girls for a few minutes before doing makeup and nails with each of the girls. They read them the story of Frozen and played a few games before taking pictures with each of the girls. They also stayed in order to sing Happy Birthday to Isabel and ended up giving her a special present. It was actually a gift I had found for Isabel, but decided to ask them to give it to her. It was a snowflake necklace that she absolutely loves.

Worth every penny.

At the same time, I'm very glad that the party planning, set up, clean up and especially the spending are now over and we can start planning the next big event..