A Stupid Thing

I did something pretty stupid and now I'm paying for it. I belong to a September challenge on Facebook through a Beach Body coach (you get assigned one when you register online after purchasing a Beach Body program) and you earn points with every workout, motivational quote, sweaty pic or muscle shot you post. The idea is to win by accumulating the most points with your assigned partner. Well, I did as much as I could and I was dedicated, even rising to the challenge of doing 100 push-ups in one day (I did every one OFF my knees).

I wanted to pick up Insanity again, to join in with everyone else doing it. I should never have attempted it, especially only 9 days before my half marathon. On Thursday, I got out Plyometric Cardio and got to it, huffing and puffing my way through all of those suicides, level 1 drills and ski jumps. It's amazing how much strength I've lost not doing it. I took a lot of breaks and drank a lot of water.

 

That's everyone stretching behind me.
 

And now I can hardly walk! I thought I took it easy, but apparently I broke my ass. I am supposed to be running 11 miles to be fully prepared for my half marathon in only 7 1/2 DAYS, but I can't do it. So today I'm resting. I already took a hot bath with Epsom salts and I think it helped a bit. I'm planning on getting it done tomorrow morning. I just want to kick myself! If that were physically possible I STILL wouldn't be able to do it because I'm so sore!

Another Busy Week

So where did I leave off? Oh, yeah, it was my anniversary on Monday. Thursday was my husband's birthday (told you September was busy) so I made him cinnamon apple pancakes for breakfast before he had to leave for work at 10:30am to close the store that night. When we were in PA over the summer, there was a Living Social deal that was too good to pass up. My husband would be a world traveler/adventure seeker if he could. Our life doesn't afford that now. Had he not gotten married and had kids, I could see him backpacking it all over the world. I couldn't do that for him, but the deal, for $139, gets you an hour of ground instruction and then a 1 hour private flight lesson and your flight log book at one of our small local airports. We just have to schedule when he can take his flight lesson. I think he'll really enjoy it. Maybe when he turns 50 I'll get him the chance to go sky-diving. I'm pretty sure I won't be joining him. (Shit. I forgot he reads this now!)

Charlie's birthday cupcakes, chocolate cake filled with chocolate fudge topped with devine chocolate buttercream, otherwise known as an orgasm on a plate!

I still haven't heard from the program where I interviewed. On Thursday, one week after the second interview, I called the recruiter I had my first interview with and left a message asking about the status of my application. He still hasn't gotten back to me. I do know they can take a while to process the application and what not, I just thought they really needed someone to fill the position. I guess it wasn't that urgent.

Friday was a big day. Since my kids are on the bus by 6:35am and I didn't have the little ones, I was free to get my long run in. The weekend was going to be busy, so I didn't want to put it off. I downloaded some new music to my iPod and set off at 8am, for a 10 mile run. I started at the traffic light by my house and just ran straight down the highway, over the bridge, around the beach, (stopping at the Beach Hut to use the facilities), back over the bridge and back to the traffic light. The last mile was a b*tch, to say the least. I had a bottle of water with me and I would stop at every mile to walk through a sip, (since I haven't learned to run and drink and NOT drown while doing it), but I might need to bring some Gatorade with me on my next run to see if it helps. My left calf kept cramping up. It was like the toes on my foot were connected to that muscle and every time I would move them too much when striking, my calf would lock up. But I persevered and pushed through, slowing down to get it done.

10 miles. 1:51.27. About an 11 minute mile. I'll take it. I'm still very frightened that after running 10 miles, the finish line will still be a grueling 3.1 miles away, so I asked Rik, our From Fat To Finish Line team captain, if I should squeeze in an 11 mile run to give my confidence a boost and he said I should. He also suggested that I run with whatever electrolyte drink they'll have on the course to see if that doesn't help with the cramping. Knowing how much I sweat during any given workout, let alone a two hour run, it's got to be the issue. By the time I am on my front porch stretching, my shorts are dripping into my sneakers, and there's usually a thin layer of salt on my legs and arms. So, I'll be picking up some lemon-lime Gatorade for my Friday run.

Friday afternoon was a big moment in my house. Charlie finally got his cast off! And his frickin' hand REEKED!!! I really felt bad for the x-ray tech and orthopedist having to examine him right after that thing came off. It smelled like the worst baby feet odor. He also had such horribly dry, peeling skin on his palm. Poor thing. We got out the nail brush and scrubbed his hand the moment we got home. It seems back to normal now, although the knuckle still seems swollen. The doctor said it is healed, so that's all that matters. Do you know that the office charged my insurance over $3,000 just to set his hand in the cast? It took the PA about 10 minutes. Ridiculous. Between the office visits, x-rays and cast, my insurance was charged over $4,000. I only had to pay $239 of it, which was taken off of the Choice Care debit card that my husband's boss gives us, so it cost us nothing. Thank God. We do pay $150 a week for our coverage, though, so we're paying our share.

Then, on Friday night, my girlfriend hosted a girl's night at her house. It was almost a weight loss success party. My gf has lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers, and her WW gf she met at her meeting has lost 56 pounds. Donna's other friend has lost 110 pounds in 11 months after having gastric bypass surgery and then there was me. The woman who had surgery looked fantastic. I have to say, the few people I personally know who have had weight-loss surgery have not lost all the weight they needed to. This woman was exercising before surgery and continues to workout now. She wasn't bashful in showing us the loose skin on her stomach and it wasn't horrible at all. She had the stretch marks of a mommy who had 4 babies and some skin, but it was nothing like "the jowls of a dog" that I expected. Of course if she wants skin-removal surgery to be covered by her insurance, she needs to let it get infected instead of caring for it the way she does, continuously trying to keep it dry and clean. Crazy, right? And they even said that the skin can be used for burn victims. I never realized that!

After a jam-packed Friday, we then had to get out bright and early for my husband's cousin's daughter's wedding. Second cousin? First cousin once removed? Who the hell knows. Anyway, I did a lot of driving, picking up my f-i-l, then his gf, then to the church. It was a beautiful day and she looked amazing. We had time to kill between the church and reception so we stopped at the very adorable bakery across from the church. I had a piece of blueberry coffeecake practically the size of my head which was not as good as I had hoped, but ate the entire thing, never the less. We then had to hoof it all the way to the reception hall 45 minutes away. Charlie and I had a great time with his cousins, talking and dancing. The food was great and I had too much of it. I did pass on the chocolate fountain. I think that was the ONLY thing I didn't inhale! They had a photo booth at the reception where you go in and take pictures. The bride and groom get one copy and you get the other. You can wear props, like a hat or a boa, and you can choose your style photo, be it black and white, color, a wanted poster, etc. Our pictures would have been perfect if Charlie hadn't looked down to read the instructions and just continued to look at the dang camera!

My f-i-l's pictures were hysterical. Poor Beverly had like only one eye in two shots, the first picture my f-i-l looks like he's in pain... so funny. They did a do-over at the end of the night and had better luck that time. What was really nice was that the photos were put in an album and you got to write a sentiment to the couple, and we received a frame to put our photo in. Sweet.

So yesterday was back to normal. Church, my parent's house, gym. Uneventful and calm, although the tooth that was bothering me did break and I now have to go to the dentist and have the rest removed, probably by an oral surgeon. It's the result of the years of eating late at night, not caring about my teeth or my health. This will be the second tooth I've lost because of my former bad habits. Sad but true. I'm sure that will make for a very interesting post later on.

Another Anniversary

Yesterday was our 17th wedding anniversary! I still can't believe we're married 17 years and together going on 22. It doesn't seem like all of that time has passed, but it must have because we have two kids that are 16 and 14 to show for it. Charlie is the best husband and father I could have ever wished for (and he's probably going to be reading this at work, so hello, dear!) and I love him to death, even when he leaves his breakfast dishes in the living room.

We didn't celebrate since we had just gone out to dinner for my birthday and Chelsea had dance last night. We have another wedding on Saturday and the kids are staying home, so we can treat that as a date night! We've been bleeding money profusely, so we have to take it easy. Then there's our big trip to Miami and Key West in a few short months where we can celebrate our anniversary along with my weight loss journey, my 11 Ragnar Relay teammates successes, the documentary and the race itself!

I still haven't heard anything about the job I interviewed for. Someone else was interviewing for the position as well, and then it had to go to H.R., which could take a few days since they need to do all of the fact checks, along with a credit report! Well, my history is as clean as a whistle, not even a traffic ticket to speak of. I just want to know already! The waiting is torture.

It was a slow start this morning and I managed to get out and run at about 9:30am. I was planning on running 2 miles down the highway and back, but at about 1.25 miles there was a water main break and the road was closed so I just looped around and ran my usual 3 miles in 29:29. Turns out the break was bad enough that the library is closed on the opposite side of the highway. I guess I won't be making my free prints of the new From Fat To Finish Line flyers! If you didn't know already, our Kickstarter campaign fell short, but we have a new campaign at IndieGoGo that allows us to KEEP all of the funds raised!! So, if you haven't already, please consider helping us and making this dream of helping others live a full, healthy life a reality! Thank you!

Frickin Fabulous at 41

It happened. I turned 41 on Thursday. It was like any other day, getting my kids up and out the door, going for a 3 mile run, bringing the little ones to the bus stop, spending some time with my husband before he had to head off to work, running to dance and karate... The only difference was my 2nd interview at 2pm.

The interview went well. It is going to be an all around tough job. The group home that I would be working at has residents that are some of the lowest functioning clients this program has. They will all need help with toileting and hygiene. Some are more mobile than others. Only one woman can hold a conversation with you. So not only will it be a physically demanding job, I'll have to get over dealing with adult diapering AND the very emotional toll it will take on me. I get so sad seeing those that are disabled or elderly. What I think this job will help me with is focusing on the positive aspects of these people's lives. They attend day-hab programs that keep them active and stimulated and even though they may have very little family interaction, they get great care and affection from the people that work there. I was honest in saying that I've changed a ton of diapers in my life, but never an adult, nor have I ever helped shower adults. I don't know many people that would have experience like that unless they worked as a home health aide or in a similar facility. I'll hear from human resources some time this week maybe as to whether or not I got the job.

My husband (hello dear!) worked late on my birthday and he surprised me with a double chocolate Entenmann's cake, a card and a beautifully wrapped box. This summer I started wearing one of the anklets he bought me, so he picked out a new one. I didn't expect anything since we've had so many expenses recently between back to school and our family weddings. The best part? The thing I always look forward to when it's a holiday or special occasion? Charlie always writes something special and heart-felt in my cards. He always brings me to tears. Just thinking about it gets me choked up. He wrote "I want you to know I am your biggest fan and I'm super proud of you." It's so nice to hear that. I love my Charlie.

Since we couldn't go out on Thursday, we ate out last night. We rarely go out to eat, so it's nice to not have to prepare dinner and clean up after it. I chose Ruby Tuesdays because I think we have beaten the Chinese restaurant horse to death. I enjoyed my grilled chicken sandwich with swiss and bacon thoroughly! They had a lot of healthy side dish choices, like grilled zucchini, which was delicious. I was afraid to go hog wild and eat just anything because I had my 10k this morning. The last thing I needed was the grippers out on the 6.2 mile course!

So it was the second annual Hampton Bays Lions Club Over The Bridge 10k. You hit the bridge at about mile 2. Would you believe that bridge is a mile long and incredibly steep? I guess you can tell by looking at the picture. The wind that was whipping off the Atlantic did not help at all (except for my perspiration issue!).

I tried drafting behind some guy, but that was a joke. You couldn't hide from the wind. I just tried to listen to my tunes and stay positive. Any person that was cheering from the sidelines I was high-fiving. I needed that "umph." What a difference a week makes. Coming off what felt like a terrible race at the Smith point Bridge 5k (that bridge is a mere speed bump compared to the Ponquogue!) to running this 10k and setting a PR of 59:55!!! I did it! I got her done in under 60! Last year's time was 1:04! A tad more than 4 minutes off my time! I came in 107/143 runners and 13/18 in the women aged 40-49 category. There were some seriously fast runners out there today!

So 41 has come in with a bang. Now on to the half marathon 3 weeks from tomorrow!!

Making The Most Of My Time

Since the little ones I babysit are in school full time, I've only had to put them on the bus a few mornings, so far. That's about only 45 minutes out of my day. I get up around 5:30am (if I'm not up already, which has been the damn case!) and get my kids going. I just make sure there's progress in getting ready and getting out the door. They head for the bus stop at 6:35, so I have 2 hours to myself if I have the kids that day. If not, I'm on my own until 1:30pm!!

So, there's no excuses. No excuses not to get a good workout done. No excuses not to have the laundry going, the floors cleaned, an idea of what's for dinner, the bathroom scrubbed. I admit I have enjoyed ample time on the computer. Right now I've been keeping track of our From Fat To Finish Line Kickstarter Campaign, getting a bit depressed seeing that we're down to only 33 fundraising hours left and we still have $39,000+ to go! But, we have a plan in place if this falls through, so stay tuned! Anyway, I have been accomplishing a lot, even with my computer time.

The laundry is all caught up. There's a place for everything and everything is in its place. I have been working out a minimum of one hour a day. Yesterday I ran 3 miles in the cool, crisp air of what felt like a fall morning. (I had to wear my long-sleeved Cuddl Duds shirt under my t-shirt!) I pushed myself and finished in 27:44. I thought about all of the lives lost on 9/11 and ran for them. Having the right attitude before hitting the pavement really helped. I'm going to force myself to think like that at my 10k on Saturday. After my run and getting the kids on the bus, I spent the morning with my husband before he had to leave for work. ;) Then at noon, I went to the gym and did that machine mixer workout- 15 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes on the treadmill and 15 minutes on the arc trainer for a total of 4.79 miles logged. (I love www.dailymile.com!) That's an 8.29 mile day (with my run's warm-up/cool down walk). The rest of the day I spent cleaning and relaxing until I crashed at 8:30pm!

This morning I was free from the moment my kids left for the bus. I finally got to a project I've been wanting to get done for a while, and it all started with an idea on Pinterest...

I made it myself and didn't give someone else $28 plus shipping! The best part was that I already had all of the supplies I needed to make it so it cost me ZIPPO, ZILCH, NADA! When my mother-in-law passed away in 2004, family members divvied up her massive amount of craft supplies. She really liked the idea of doing them, but never really sat down long enough to do any! I miss her. So, I already had the 9x12 unfinished piece of wood (which she got on clearance at Michael's for $2!) and the paints and even the cup hooks! I painted it black with good old acrylic paint, used one of the race bibs to mark the placement of the cup hooks and I practiced writing out "Races" like 100 times on a piece of paper the size of the spot I was going to paint. Of course it's not perfect. I can see the word heading upwards and that annoys me, but I still LOVE it! Now I have to make one for my husband's bibs and 2 medal racks for us, as well!

Of course things might be like this for long. I have my 2nd interview tomorrow afternoon for the 5am-9am shift and I think it will go well. I'll miss my early weekday runs and I can't believe I won't be home to get the kids off to school, but they'll be in good hands. My husband is home every morning and can fill in for me. What caught me by surprise was realizing that I won't see my kids after I say goodnight to them until they get home from school. That's like 16 hours! Very strange, to say the least, but I'm actually looking forward to having a new purpose. Turning the page...

It's CRUNCH Time!!

I can't believe I haven't posted since 9/2! Well, between the kids starting school and not having anything to say every day, I slacked. Now I have TOO much to talk about!

My kids started school this week. So far everything is going well. Chelsea's learning her way around the ginormous high school and even though she's gotten lost, she doesn't seem too frazzled by it. Charlie's doing ok with his hand in the cast. He's managing to write somehow. Today started their 1st full week of school and back to dance for Chelsea. This is when things begin to get chaotic.

Chelsea's 1st day-9/4/12

Charlie's 1st day-9/5/12 (I couldn't let him know I was taking a picture!)

And to add more fuel to the fire, I went for my first job interview today. I was extremely nervous about it all. It is a not-for-profit agency that caters to the needs of the developmentally disabled. I couldn't fill out the application online so I had to go to human resources to fill it out and bring 2 personal and 1 professional reference for the initial interview with a recruiter. I was flabbergasted. How was I going to get a professional reference when I've been out of work since '96? I had no contacts left with old co-workers EXCEPT my kids' pre-school teachers. Through the years, since 1994, I've subbed for either of them when they were on maternity leave or had obligations with their kids. Both my sister and my neighbor wrote my personal references in regards to the care I provided for their kids when they needed me. It was really touching to read what everyone had to say. I really appreciate it! It sure did help my confidence when I entered that building this morning.

The application took a while to fill out. There was a double-sided sheet on workplace attitude regarding stealing and being late, etc. Plenty of forms to fill out on drug-testing and criminal/credit background... Then there was a 30 minute timed aptitude test! It was broken down into math, reading comprehension and more workplace attitude questions. The math and reading comp. multiple choice sections were fun. For example, if John made a purchase totalling $8.62, and he gave the cashier 9 singles, seeing that the cashier had an ample amount of each coin, what is the least amount of coins the cashier can give back? So, you have to do the math, $.38, and figure that 1 quarter, 1 dime and 3 pennies is the only way to have the least amount of coins. It turns out math skills will be necessary for possibly dispensing medication to clients. The other section was just to make sure you weren't a lazy low-life that was going to try to make a buck without doing anything or even getting there on time.

So now I'm waiting for a 2nd interview time to be determined at the residence I'll be working at. I chose that position (part-time Direct Care Counselor) because it's only 4 hours a day, enough to get my feet wet back in the work force and it's not even a 10 minute commute each way. Also, it's early in the morning, so my husband will have to get the kids up and out the door (just make sure they're conscious since they are 14 and 16 now!), but I'm home by mid-morning with the entire day ahead of me to clean the house, workout or run and be home for the kids in the afternoon for homework help or extracurricular activities. I think it will be ideal.

I had the Smith Point Bridge 5k on Saturday. It was 78* with 87% humidity, so the run was torturous. I actually ran 4 seconds slower than the same 5k last year and 4 MINUTES slower than my PR back on June 9th! But I have come to realize that I haven't been training for speed but rather distance the last 3 months. You are supposed to do both, but I was barely managing 2 good runs a week over the summer, so my interval runs suffered, and I am ok with that. So my bad run on Saturday turned into an excellent 9 mile run on Sunday. It was in the high 50's and very overcast when I started. The BEST part of the run was when my old friend that I haven't seen since hs graduation ('89) mentioned that she was visiting from NJ and that she might find me on my route. Was she a sight for sore eyes at mile 6!!! I was shocked. I really thought she was kidding! She's been training for the same half as I am as well as her twin sister Lynda. Lynda said I inspired her to run and we, in turn, inspired Dawn! So we'll all be running the Diva Half on 10/7, less than 4 weeks away!

After the 30:40 5k from hell

Dawn and I after my 9 mile run

 

I'll take an 11 minute mile for the half!

 

I'm really enjoying the new route my husband and I started. It's just a straight run all the way down the highway, over the bridge to the beach and then turn around and come home. The worst part is crossing side streets and going on and off the sidewalks. Towards the end my hips didn't want to play anymore. Thankfully that won't be part of the half marathon route.

After my run I got ready and we headed out to my husband's co-workers' son's 1st birthday party. I am exactly 40 years older than him! He was born 3 months pre-mature and he is doing very well. He is also a beautiful blue-eyed blondey boy like my Charlie was. The Charlies were at the Mets game that I earned free tickets to for donating blood, but Chelsea and I had a good time hanging out with my sisters (Oh yeah, did I mention just about everyone works for the same company? My husband, 2 brother-in-laws, their brother and brother-in-law, their cousin's husband, my cousin, my nephew, my niece's now husband... This family is royally f*cked if that company ever goes down!) and all of the clan.

That's about it in a nut shell. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Oh, yeah, one HUGE thing. If you can, and you haven't, go to Facebook and like our From Fat To Finish Line- The Documentary page. Then go to www.fattofinish.com and see how you can pledge to our Kickstarter campaign. New incentives have been added, like a digital download/t-shirt package for $35. We only have 3 days left and we REALLY need all the help we can get. Remember, you pledge an amount and get a reward for it. It's NOT a donation. If we don't meet our goal, you don't get charged! If you can not help us financially please post about our fundraiser on Facebook, Twitter and in your own blog. The more people that see we're out there, the better our chances are of getting this project off the ground. I hope we've all inspired you to do something positive in your life and that, in turn, you can help us reach more people with this documentary and pay it all forward. The direct Kickstarter link is kck.st/MGYi3i

Where Did The Time Go?

Friday night was my niece's wedding. I was thinking that this was the first wedding for someone I have known his/her entire life. I just realized now that that would have been my younger brother's wedding, but he's a boy, so that doesn't really count. I was 15 when Keri was born. I did a lot of babysitting for my sister. It doesn't seem like that long ago I was in their apartment, blaring Billy Joel and Madonna to entertain her. I vividly remember her in her pajamas, (you know the ones that are one piece and snap from the thigh up and there always seemed to be an extra snap somehow?), standing up, leaning on the back of the couch, staring at our reflections in the big mirrors that lined the wall. She had a conniption when I laid her down to rub some Orajel on her gums and started choking. That sent me in a panic. Music does soothe the savage beast, because there she was, giggling at herself, while I was crying, thinking I almost killed her!

Keri and my sister Laura

So, fast forward about 25 years, and there we are, sitting in the church, waiting for her to walk down the aisle. I don't know how my sister was still standing. I was crying BEFORE she walked in! Once I saw her, I was just blown away. She looked absolutely beautiful. I just couldn't help but smile.

Keri and her dad, Mike

(I had two cameras with me, one set to take black and white or sepia pictures and one for color!)

Keri and Jerry

It seems Jerry was able to hold it together during his part of the vows (unlike MY husband), but Keri was very emotional. They've been together since he came to her high school graduation party in 2005!

The entire wedding party didn't fit in the shot. 8 bridesmaids and 7 ushers!

My FAVORITE picture!

Then it was off to the reception for a little too much food and Pinot Grigio. (I was channeling my inner Ramona Singer, although I hope I didn't humiliate or insult anyone like she does!) I think I was successful at dancing off plenty of those calories. I still think I'm in high school and I listen to the Top 40's pop station, so I was in my glory! I do love me some Pit Bull! "Excuse me, I might drink a little more than I should tonight..."

Charlie and I caught in a rare moment sitting down!

We were on that dance floor until the last song was played. Keri danced the night away, as well. Jerry, not so much.

Keri doing the Cupid Shuffle

Everything went perfectly for her special day. Keri just seems to have that luck, where if something can go wrong it WILL go wrong. It's a running joke with everyone who knows her, so for the groom not to pass out or the cake to NOT fall on the floor, (the groom cake topper was carrying a golf bag!), it's a major success!

We got home at 2am and crashed. Yesterday was a lazy day for all of us. I did manage to spend an hour on the arc trainer to start off on the right foot with the "Spectacular September Challenge" I'm participating in on Facebook with a Beach Body coach (I belong to the free Beach Body website since purchasing Insanity). Today I was supposed to get up and run. Well, you know how that went. I have tomorrow morning free, so I'll prepare better for it tonight.

I hope you all have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! School starts on Tuesday. :(

Saying Goodbye To Summer?

So it's been feeling a LOT like fall around here in the morning! 58*! It was perfect for a quick morning run before the little ones came. I tried to run faster since our 5k is on the 8th and I want to beat our old time of 30:36 for that 5k. With pushing myself and the usual hilly-ish route I managed to do 3 miles in 28:20. Hopefully race day adrenaline can keep me at that pace.

Then, after the kids went home I hit the gym for "The Machine Mixer." I found the idea on Pinterest (of course) posted by Spark People. Basically, you take the time you want to workout and divide it amongst your favorite cardio machines to help beat boredom and increase your calorie burn. I really mixed it up this time and threw in the stationary bike, which I haven't used since I joined the gym! I did 15 minutes on the elliptical and covered 1.5 miles, rode 3.5 miles in 15 minutes on the bike and then walked 1.2 miles on the treadmill for 20 minutes, at varying inclines. That's after having done my run in the morning! I'm really trying to stay extremely active since my niece is getting married today! Have to combat all of those calories I'll be enjoying, although I do plan to "cut a rug" tonight!

HIIT Happens

So yesterday was an interesting day. I've had my niece over since she's back from her trip to visit her dad. There was less than 2 weeks left of summer vacation, so my sister didn't bother to put her in camp. I can NOT believe that school starts on the 4th. This summer went too fast and I don't feel like we have much to show for it. Anyway, I also had the two little ones I babysit, and we desperately needed to go grocery shopping. I usually leave my kids home and I would've left my niece with them, but they all wanted to come! That's right, I had a 16 yr. old, 14 yr. old, 11 yr. old, 7 yr. old and 5 yr. old with me in the grocery store, for almost TWO HOURS. They were actually really good except for the volume level. Some kids just don't have INSIDE voices!!

After everyone went home, I got dinner done for the kids (Charlie works late Tuesdays and Thursdays) and then went to the gym while little Charlie was at karate. He can't do much with a broken hand, but Sensei had him doing one-handed modified push-ups and crunches when everyone else was doing things he wasn't capable of. Poor thing's stomach is killing him. I wanted to try out a new HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout I found on Pinterest for the treadmill. It starts out slow and then...

Holy sh*t!!! All I have to say is that the FIRST 8.0 was just WAY too fast. I knocked it down to 7.5, and I managed all of those intervals, modified to 7.5. Then, when I got to the 8.5 intervals, I managed to do them at 8.0, because it was only 30 seconds. When the 20 second intervals rolled around I managed to eek out 1 interval at 8.2 and then I was D.O.N.E.! I just couldn't hack it. I finished up and ran 3.16 miles in 30 minutes. That was an extremely tough workout! I was sweating buckets and after I was resuscitated, I felt great! Next time, I'll kick the 7 minutes at 5.5 up to 6.0 and then continue on with the modifications I made last night. It's not following the workout to a 'T,' but it's definitely going to help my speed! I've slowed way down since working on distance and I don't like it.

A Great Run

Can't believe I'm writing it, but it's true. Yesterday, my husband and I went on a run at 7:15am and the conditions were nearly perfect. If it had been a bit cooler I would have been ecstatic, but I'm not going to complain AT ALL. On Saturday, Charlie said if I was planning to run the 8 miles at an 11:00 pace, that he would do the entire thing with me. Remember last week I ran 4.5 and then picked him up for the last 2.5 miles? Well, he didn't want to do that. I was really concerned with him running that much. His longest run with me EVER was 3.1 miles! That's a HUGE jump, to say the least! He hasn't run that much (if ever) since his teenage years, many moons ago.

We got out and walked for our warm-up and as we started to run, I decided I didn't want to do my usual route, going up and down the streets in my neighborhood. I figured it would be too boring and I didn't want to do all of those hills, since each street has at least 1 hill in the half mile span. So we took a left and headed down William Floyd Parkway south towards the beach. I've always wanted to run to the beach, but it's FAR. Well, it wasn't too far today.

I figured when we hit 4 miles we would turn around and head home. Well, Smith Point Bridge wound up being about 3.8 miles into our trip, so I decided we'd run over the bridge, a big giant hill. We get to run over the bridge during the Smith Point Bridge 5k, but we've never done it on our own. The view is spectacular and the breeze off the ocean was perfect. I'm so glad we did it. As we were crossing, we were planning a run so that we drive our car to the beach, park and then run out and back so we can dunk in the ocean when we're all done!

The bridge spans Moriches Bay in the middle of the photo. The Atlantic Ocean is to the right

Want to hear something funny? I just did a Google search of the Smith Point Bridge for a picture and 2 pictures of me and Charlie popped up from the 5ks! Anyway, when all was said and done, we ran the 8 miles in...

1:26:36! I got it in under an 11:00 mile! And Charlie did great! He ran every step of the way with me. Having him with me helped a lot. He was another distraction along with the new route to keep me going. We'll see if he wants to run 9 with me next week!

Don't forget to like the From Fat To Finish Facebook page to enter the Rise nutrition bar contest and head to our website- www.fromfattofinishline.com - to read about our team and help us with our Kickstarter campaign, please!

Food Finds

Can you believe they are actually going to be SAVORY items? The first one?

I had this genius idea when I was grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago to make one of my husband's favorite sandwiches. I enjoy making sandwiches, putting ingredientses (Teresa G, holla!) together and making it a meal. ANYWAY, I took ciabatta bread and made it into garlic bread. Then I layered on some deli roast beef and swiss cheese. Then I put the sandwich in the toaster oven to melt the cheese. Finally, with the horseradish, I made a sauce by adding it to sour cream and mayo. Don't ask me about amounts because I was truly winging this. I slapped that on the sandwich and was done. Oh. My. Word. LOVE horseradish! After that meal I made London Broil and had some more horseradish sauce... Then I put it in ketchup and gee, cocktail sauce! I think I like shrimp cocktail so much BECAUSE of the sauce!

Then, a couple of days ago, I went to the store and found this on sale for $.99!

So in the past three days I've had it on a toasted everything bagel, tossed into spaghetti with some parmesan cheese and on my tuna fish sandwich! Sadly, it is all gone. :(  The best thing, other than it tasting magnificent, is that it's 25 calories for 2 T. It had whole green olives in it, chunks of eggplant and tomato... I guess I should learn how to make it? Why bother if I can find it already made for less than the cost of 1 eggplant? Duh.

Oh, I have an 8 mile run planned for tomorrow morning. Wish me luck and little pain. I'll need it.

And another thing... go to From Fat To Finish Line's Facebook page for a great giveaway! Like the page and then enter to win a 12 pack of Rise nutrition bars. They are all natural, gluten free, vegetarian and Kosher! Jen loves them!!

Frickin' 40 and Frustrated

So, I think I told you the kids I babysit will both be heading off to school full-time this year. 2nd grade and kindergarten. (I made it sound like I was dropping them off at their dorm rooms!) That really means that the need for me to watch them has dwindled down to about a 1/2 hour, 3 days per week and days off from school. I can't continue to stay home and watch them when I really need to make money to cover things like my Kohl's bill (a nasty side effect from losing weight- somehow your waist shrinks and your bill grows!) and dance classes for Chelsea. Thankfully I don't need to make tons of money, but if I could bring home $200/week from a part-time job, I'd FEEL rich!

I went and filled out my first application and what a reality check. When I had to fill out my previous employment I got so upset. I worked at a place called Cheap John's, which was by far the best dollar store that ever existed, in my opinion. In 1989, candy bars were 3/$1. A 1 pd. solid milk chocolate bunny was $.97. School supplies? The cheapest around. I know it was '89, but it was still WAY cheaper than anywhere else. I worked there the summer before I left for college, then 2 summers after that, then I wound up working my way up to bookkeeper until I left in 1993.  I got great experience there, but they no longer exist.

From Cheap John's I wound up at Sam's Club, from August '94 until February '96. I left because I got pregnant with Charlie and it was a difficult pregnancy (remember, I was obese with pregnancy-induced hypertension). I could only remember the 1st name of the woman that was my supervisor. I couldn't remember any contact info or the address. I felt so unprepared. I didn't think to write any of this down before I went in there! It was like the time my friend Joann took me to get my permit and as we were walking into the DMV I said "Gee, I hope I don't need any special ID." I am a nit-wit.

I forgot to write down the job I had at a pre-school my senior year of high school. I forgot to write down the job I held at college for 2 1/2 years. There's a place on the application to explain your gaps in employment. I wrote that I was home raising my 2 children. I didn't write down all of the babysitting I've been doing while I've been home raising my kids. I have been helping my sister take care of her daughter the past 10 years. I have helped watch and transport the 2 little ones almost 7 years. For 2 years I've been helping neighbors with their 2 kids by getting them on and off the bus. I haven't been home watching 'General Hospital' and eating bon-bons all this time, but that application made me feel like that's all I did.

My Charlie-boy at 3 years old

It was a battle to keep the tears in on the drive home. My son was sitting next to me and my niece was in the back seat, so I was trying hard to keep it together. All I wanted was the bus monitor position. Something a few hours a day, with the same schedule as my kids. Even though they're 16 and 14, I would still like to be home for them. I can't stand the thought of them sitting at home on a vacation or all summer long (God forbid), twiddling their thumbs. Not to mention, they ARE 16 and 14. I don't have much time left with them.

My Chelsea Rose at 3 years old

I vented on Facebook. Friends said I had to be creative with my resume. I don't even know how to create a resume! I am so out of the loop. One friend told me to just go for the bus driver's license. I barely have the confidence to work outside the home, let alone drive a big ass bus! She made a convincing argument, since the bus company pays for your training and your license. I'll seriously have to consider it. It would definitely be the same schedule as the kids...

So I'll keep at it. I don't really have a choice. I do need some money. I just have to say how grateful I am for my husband and for providing for us. I can't imagine the stress he must feel about making ends meet. He doesn't let on how he feels (except usually around January when the Christmas bills start rolling in), but it must eat at him sometimes. I was very fortunate. He always said he would do whatever it took to allow me to stay home and raise our kids. That was a job I was paid very handsomely for. Two great kids that still love us and are turning into amazing people. Now if I can just get that to translate on an application...

A Three Mile Run

After running 7 on Sunday, I figured I'd be toast for a run this morning, but sleeping in until 4:40 am made it a little easier. Yeah, "sleeping in." I would much rather sleep 6 hours straight then continue to suffer through what was happening this past week: fall asleep, wake up at 2 or 3am and then lay back down at 5am for a couple of hours only to wake up like I slept through an important presentation! Grrr. I have a feeling that mother nature is starting to play evil tricks on me.

Anyway, (I go off on so many tangents!), I told my husband I was going out early for a run before the little ones came over. He wound up waking early and decided to come with me. Prepping for our 5k on 9/8! I decided we NEEDED to run faster than Sunday. We managed to keep it under a 10:00 mile. Not great considering I ran my last 5k on 6/9 in 26:35! But I'm distance training now, so my speed will have to suffer somewhat, right? Charlie was huffing and puffing a bit, but he fought through it and we finished strong!

Do you think I'll EVER sit down and figure out how to sync this thing to my computer?

That's a 9:45 mile. (Duh. It says it right on the damn watch!) Blah. But I'm not trying to break any records with this next 5k, seeing that I am in the middle of training for the half, AND there's that big hill named Smith Point Bridge on this course. I just want to beat our time for this 5k from last year, which was 30:36. Our time this morning was for only 3 miles. We're going to have to push it a bit harder on race day!!

In other news... my son got his cast on yesterday. 4 weeks in it and hopefully he'll be good to go. He's not thrilled, to say the least, but I think he's learned his lesson!

He picked a pretty blue that will match his dress shirt that he's wearing to his cousin's wedding!

And in MORE news, there's only about 3 weeks left of our Kickstarter campaign for our documentary, From Fat To finish Line. If you click on this link, you can read about all 12 runners and even see a slide show of what some of us looked like through the years. If you click on the green 'Kickstarter' button, it will take you to the pledge page. The most popular pledge is the $25 level, which rewards you with a special "backers only" DVD. If you can't do $25, you can pledge as little as $1. If you can't pledge at all, we only ask that you can help spread the word about our project by blogging about it yourself or posting the link to our website on your Facebook page. Maybe one of your friends or family members will see it and be inspired to help. Remember, this isn't a donation, it's a pledge. If we hit our goal, you'll be charged and receive your reward. If the goal is not reached, you are not charged and there will be no reward. Don't you want a copy of me possibly making an ass of myself? I've pledged for my copy!

Another Anniversary

Apparently I do nothing all year and wait to cram it all in August? Not really. My birthday, wedding anniversary and my husband's birthday are all next month. Today's the 20th right? I'm wondering because it's 3:20 am, I've been up since 2 and I'm not sure which end is up. My mind just didn't want to shut back down after my nightly visit to the bathroom. So I'll write.

Anyway, it was one year ago today that I hit my goal weight, under 150 pounds! 149.4 to be exact.

All I've ever wanted was to weigh less than my very active, naturally thin husband. Why does he have to make it so difficult?? So where am I now, one year later? (I just ran downstairs to take this picture!)

God, I can't stand my feet! But I won't weigh-in with unnecessary things like socks!

As you can see, I'm up 7.6 pounds in a year. That sucks. And it doesn't suck. Any other time I've lost weight, 1). I never, EVER, reached goal, and 2). whatever I did lose, I would have gained it all back, PLUS some. I'm not happy because I still want to be in the 130's. I also said somewhere about a month ago, that I would be back to goal by now or around my niece's wedding, which is 8/31. Some bad habits (like snacking at night) have crept in. I need to work more on that, but I am content in knowing I STILL am such a LONG way away from the Linda of 2009. The 229 pound Linda would never have believed she would be able to run one mile, let alone 7, 8 or 9!

I really need to learn how to sync my Garmin to my computer!!

This Linda ran 7 miles yesterday. I've fallen behind in my half marathon training and I have a 5k and a 10k coming up on 9/8 and 9/15. Saturday it was raining cats and dogs, so of course I couldn't run then. I knew yesterday was supposed to be cooler and pleasant, so I made a plan. I told my husband I would go out first, hopefully do 4 miles and pick him up for another 3, since he needs to train again for the 5k. (The poor thing works 6 days/week. Before or after a 10 hour day, the last thing he wants to do is run.) I ran slowly. I wanted to make sure I didn't crap out and not finish. I went around my neighborhood, encountering my first stray dog, a pit bull, of course. She didn't look pleased with me and my heart rate skyrocketed, realizing I had nothing but my phone and iPod for protection. She decided to let me go, thank God. I headed back at 4 miles and about a 1/4 mile away I see a dude running. It was actually Charlie looking to meet up with me. What a sight for sore eyes!

I ran home for a 2 minute break and some water I left out on the porch. I'm surprised I didn't need to use the bathroom. We headed back out and ran another very slow 2.5 miles. I couldn't make small talk. Hell, I couldn't hardly look up. I just put my head down and tried to plow through. When we were done and had about 1/10th of a mile walk to the house, my legs felt like lead. I said to Charlie, "Oh my God. I can totally see how some people lock up just feet from the finish line!" It was horrible, but I made it home without Charlie having to carry me. I drank my water and stretched, a lot.

When I got in the house I ate some leftover chocolate chip coffee cake I made for Charlie Jr's birthday get-together and drank another cup of coffee. Mistake. It totally killed my g.i. tract. Thankfully, this didn't happen ON my run. So, I decided to skip church and take a nice long, hot shower. But when I got in, I remembered I had some Epsom salts, and I thought maybe a long soak in a hot bath would be better, so that's what I did. And I think it really helped. I'm not as sore as I have been in the past after a long run. I can walk down the stairs! I think that might become part of the routine now.

So, a year later and I need to take a refresher course in all of the tactics I used to lose those 75 pounds. I'd say it's the lack of control that creeps in around dinner time. I need to go back to my "no food after dinner" rule and eat my dessert earlier in the day. That should do the trick. Getting out of this house and getting a job might just help, too!

In Other News...

Thursday night my son finally got back to karate. He has been going since February, 2004. For the most part he enjoys it, but then there are those days when he's just not into it, he doesn't want to spar or doesn't want to stop what he's doing (which is usually nothing, like playing video games or browsing YouTube) and gear up for a workout and usually an ass-kicking, either his or someone else's . I don't blame him, really. When his classes were at 8:30 pm, I didn't really want to leave the house. I mean most days I'm already asleep by that time! If I did get him out, I'd hit the gym.

So, I drop him off and go to the gym. I knew that at 8:30 pm, after class, two of his friends were testing for their black belt and the students get to participate in the testing when the sparring portion of the event occurs. I also wanted to watch. I got caught up talking to another mom in the parking lot when I came back from the gym. She had her absolutely gorgeous Great Dane with her and we talked about the similarities between him and my Molly. He's a leaner, too, but with his size he knocked me off balance on more than one occasion!

Anyway, I got into the dojo to see everything, starting with basics through kicks and then katas and weapons, etc. When it came time for sparring, Sensei sent everyone to get their gear on and Charlie came walking over to me with his right hand out, and this is what I saw:

WTF!!! As he was sparring in class, he punched another kid in the elbow. Needless to say, the elbow won this bout. The poor kid wasn't able to participate in Ken and Matt's sparring test, which pissed him off to no end. Is this the same kid that dreads karate BECAUSE of sparring? He had to watch from the sidelines and then jumped back in when testing ended with innumerable jumping jacks, push ups and crunches.

When he got home, we iced it and he took some Advil. He said it hurt when he did certain movements, but he wasn't in agony. I know my son. He curls up into the fetal position when he has a hang nail (typical male!). So for him to say it wasn't that bad, Dad and I thought, it couldn't possibly be broken, could it? The boy went to sleep and didn't wake up until morning. You couldn't possibly sleep through the night if your hand was broken, could you? The knuckle was still swollen and it seemed that more of the back of his hand had blown up. To be on the safe side, I decided we needed to have it checked out.

Of course, the doctor I go to has an x-ray machine, but my insurance only covers in-office chest x-rays. If I went there, they would only be able to give a prescription for an x-ray somewhere else, and then we'd still have to go to another doctor to have it casted, if need be. The easiest option was to walk into the emergency room. I was dreading that because 1). the closest hospital doesn't have the best reputation and 2). since it was a non-life-threatening emergency, we could have been in there for days! Knowing that it wasn't life-threatening made the decision to go to the closest hospital a little easier. I have to say it was the best emergency room experience I've ever had. That's not really saying much, since me nor the kids have ever been to the ER! We walked in (after a parking lot fiasco- there's like no damn ER parking!) at 10:23 am. A nurse brought him right into a triage exam room and took his vitals. Then, another nurse brought him to a regular exam room. Radiology came in about 5 minutes later. X-rays took less than 5 minutes, since radiology was across the hall. Then, a doctor came in and gave his hand a physical exam and told us she'd go read the films.

Waiting...

 She then came back and gave us the news...

A "metacarpal fracture." Only this schnook didn't break it across, horizontally. It seems it's sorta split down the bone, vertically. Damn. Anyway, we were home by 11:30 am, which has to be some sort of record for ANY sort of doctor's visit/lab testing/medical procedure EVER! I just read the discharge papers. We see an orthopedist in a week. The break is splinted for that time and then can be casted for 3-6 weeks. If it's really bad, he could need surgery. ugh. How long ago was I complaining that life was pretty ho-hum and there wasn't much to write about? What a way to spend my 3 year anniversary!

It's Been A Long and Bumpy Road

It's here, my three year anniversary of the day I began to take back control and live a healthier, happier life. It hasn't been easy. It hasn't been smooth sailing. It hasn't been perfect. But I am SO much better off today, no matter what the scale might say on any given day of the week. To celebrate and commemorate my special day, I hit the high school track where I thought it would be a bit cooler for a 3 mile run. I was mistaken. It was hot. 75*. 62% humidity. It was sunny. But I did it. I took a water break after mile 1 and mile 2. But I did it. It was a very difficult, slow run. 29:53. But I did it. I could have quit after mile 1. But I didn't. I could have quit after mile 2. But I didn't. The old Linda would have.

my alter ego, "Sweaty Spice"

This is the new and improved Linda. Even after all the trials and tribulations, I don't give up anymore. A bad day does not turn into two bad days, which then turns into a horrible week, which then makes me throw my hands up in the air saying "I'm done." I never realized that maintaining my new weight would be just as much work (if not more) as losing it.  But I am fine with that. I'll work out an hour a day for the rest of my life. I'll continue to eat double fiber whole wheat bread with tuna or turkey breast. I'll keep track of my calorie consumption and work in a treat here or there (usually both here AND there). I'll do whatever it takes to continue to look this way. Most importantly, I'll continue to do the hard work required to always FEEL this way.

Inspiration

I know a lot of you guys follow Katie already, so you might know that she just finished her 30 day challenge on the Wii Active. (YAY KATIE!) That got me thinking about the Wii Fit again, especially when I was in Gamestop with my son while he spent his birthday money that was burning a hole in his pocket. Katie made it sound like a really good workout without a huge time commitment. I really enjoyed Insanity, but I won't give up my runs or time at the gym, so it was hard to fit in another 45 minute workout. Our Gamestop didn't have Wii Active or Wii Active 2, but then it dawned on me, when my f-i-l got me the Wii Balance Board he also got me a Jillian Michaels' game with it. I NEVER opened the damn thing up!!

I've had it since 2009! Holy crap! Do you know how many exercise DVDs and exercise equipment I have bought since then? There was some more Leslie Sansone, some Gilad (hunk!!), the Brenda Dygraf air climber, a couple of Firm and Biggest Loser DVDs, Insanity... That's just in the last three years. I can NOT imagine the amount of money I have spent on fitness equipment in my lifetime that I thought would be the key to it all. With the major pieces like the Denise Austin manual treadmill, the Brenda Dygraf rowing doo-hickey, the Susan Powter step system, my Tony Little Gazelle(!), the Total Gym knock-off from QVC (who am I kidding, almost everything I buy is from QVC), then the Firm butt lifter package, the Ab-Doer, and my Richard Simmons stepper (that was EXACTLY like the one I just bought, but it broke from me actually USING it!), and all the tapes and DVDs along the way (not to mention my gym membership for the last two years...), we're talking THOUSANDS of DOLLARS!! And guess how I've lost the majority of my weight through the years? WALKING, which is free! Even running now doesn't cost anything, just replacing worn out sneakers now an then.

So, I'm calling for a moratorium on any more fitness purchases (except possibly a hydration belt- I need that for my long runs!). I will use what I have and I'm going to start by trying out that Jillian game. My balance board is all charged up and ready to go. I'll let you know if I want to curse her out like y'all do when you're ripping or shredding it!

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

I wish I had more to write about. Life is pretty boring and uneventful when we're back in the every day routine. I guess I should be thankful, right? Yesterday was a typical summer vacation day without the kids I babysit. I did the usual on the computer and then spent an hour at the gym on the arc trainer. Holy crap- I miss the Olympics! I wound up watching Hoda and Kathie Lee, and they can be pretty entertaining. It really cracks me up that they're regularly consuming alcohol at 10am. Great gig if you can get it, huh?

I got home and spent an hour mowing the back yard and attempting to avoid all of Molly's piles of poo. If you didn't know we had a dog, you'd probably assume we had a horse! I then took a long shower to wash off what seems to be every spider web known to man that I managed to walk through while mowing and dumping grass clippings in the lot across the street. Nasty.

Bad girl on Chelsea's bed!

After getting pretty, I made dinner. Exciting, no? We were done early and it's been so beautiful so I asked Charlie if he'd like to go for a walk. We wound up taking a two mile walk around the neighborhood and did not get eaten alive. That's because we were actually armed with bug spray. Had we not brought it along, we both would have been two enormous, pulsating bug bites.

Today I babysat for the 1st time in almost 2 weeks. I was on vacation starting the 2nd, and then they were on vacation (to Disney World, the lucky ducks!) last week. School starts three weeks from today. The kids I watch will be in 2nd grade and kindergarten- full-time school for both of them. So, "working" from home will be coming to an end for me. I have not worked outside the home since February '96. I haven't applied for a job since August '94. It's nerve-wracking. I would REALLY like to do something with our school district, either being a teacher's assistant or a bus matron. I would prefer to still be off when my kids are off, even though they are 16 and 14. I don't want them sitting at home, fending for themselves or waiting for me or their dad to come home to help them with what they need, be it a ride to the library or to a friend's house. I feel I still need to be here and they still need me. The time when they won't need me will be here sooner than I think. Until then, I want to be around for everything.

So, I guess there are some things simmering on the stove. I need to find a job because we definitely need the money and, if you haven't heard already, our documentary From Fat To Finish Line needs money, too. If you can help it would be greatly appreciated. A pledge of $25 gets you a special edition DVD, and if you make a pledge and by September 13th (my 41st birthday by the way) we don't make our goal (God forbid!) your credit card does not get charged. You can pledge as little as $1!! My girlfriend Belinda helped out last night- thanks Belinda!!! Maybe I can work on a special thank you for my blog readers that help us out...

Change It Up

I knew I had to get some kind of activity in but I was just NOT feeling the gym and the arc trainer today. So, you'd think I'd pop an Insanity DVD into the machine and "dig deeper," but I didn't. I was hoping to get my husband off the PS3 and go out for a jog/walk. Even though I ran yesterday, it's beautiful out, sunny with an actual BREEZE, and I didn't want to waste that. Instead, Charlie suggested some tennis! We haven't played yet this year. Tremendous idea!

1987- Frickin' 25 years ago! Gee, which one am I?

We asked the kids if they wanted to head out with us, since A). they need some physical activity too, B). Charlie, Jr. played when we went away and he said "I SUCK!" (so he could use some practice) and C). it would be nice to continue to enjoy some time together before the chaos of school takes over. We are very lucky that our high school, which is 5 minutes from our house, has 8 courts. Thankfully only 1 out of the 1st 4 courts were being used, so we headed to the 2nd set of courts, so as not to interfere with the real practice going on. We only own 2 racquets, so we had to take turns. The odd man out was deemed "ball boy" and got to play fetch. I warmed up with Chelsea, if you could call it that. I think it was the 1st time she held a racquet. She was a good sport about it and seemed to attempt to learn.

After a while, I let my husband have my racquet, but I wasn't about to run after balls. I figured I could walk around the perimeter of the 4 courts while they played. Then I thought I could do a very slow jog instead. So I ran 8 laps. Then I played some tennis and then I ran 8 more laps. There was an awesome wind coming across the courts so it was SO much more pleasant than yesterday's run (it was also 5pm)! That made me think that maybe I should head out to the track more (I mean AGAIN!) for my runs. It's really a catch 22. I can run out on the street and the time goes by relatively quickly (not really) since there's so much to pay attention to, like the pitfalls of gravel driveways and oncoming vehicles, but I guess houses curtail the wind. I could run at the track out in an open field and enjoy the breeze, but you tend to feel like a hamster on a wheel, running around in circles. Then there's the treadmill at the gym, where I can play with the speed and run like the wind and get it done and watch the Olympics (What am I going to do with myself after tonight??!!??) That can get old, too. What to do, what to do??? Gee, maybe I could do it all? Duh.

Holy Frickin' Humidity

75*, 88% humidity. That was rough. 5 miles in 53:59. That SUCKED. Of course the sun was shining when I was out there, too. Do I have a visor yet? Uh uh. That might have helped, but I think it would have made my head feel hotter, if that was at all possible. Oh, and along those 5 miles only 1 person had sprinklers going, after 4.25 miles. I ran through them and managed to wet my knees. I shall have to work on my somersaults so I can get in and out of them like a ninja next time and manage to cool my head off. Of course while I was out there I thought about the cooling towels I've seen numerous times on QVC and in Bed, Bath and Beyond. When I got back to my front porch to stretch, my running capris were dripping onto my shoes. Everything was dripping. I nearly stripped outside, but I didn't want to cause a ten-car pile up from blinding drivers, so I left a trail of hard-earned sweat to the bathroom.

Well, it's done, at least I can say that. Only 8 weeks until my half-marathon. I think I can still pull this off. Pray for me!

In more interesting and exciting news, the From Fat To Finish Line- the movie website is up and running! You can read all about the team members and their success stories there. Content will be added continuously, so you have to keep visiting! There's also a link to the Kickstarter page to make pledges to help this film hit the ground running (pun intended). I've already got a special "Backers Only" DVD coming to me when everything's done!!