Some things change. Some don't, thank goodness!

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My view walking into work!

A few weeks ago I was all in on blogging, again. I promised myself that I'd blog once a week to help get these 15 pounds off.  And for a few weeks I did just that, while I lost and gained.  Then my life basically turned upside down.  In addition to starting a new job in Wisconsin we started house hunting.  The promise that I'd made to myself to follow my training program suddenly fell by the wayside along with the pledge to blog.  I've tried to get out and use my lunch break to take a walk; both to get in some steps during the day but also to get away from work and clear my mind. While the daily workouts have been random my long runs have been on point.

Ironically, none of that is what actually triggered me to post today.  It was seeing this old post from a million years ago when I talked about what motivated me.  It was true then and it's probably even more true now.  We're moving to a city that has an amazing bike path system and I'm hoping to commute to work via bike more often than not.  We bought a house near a neighborhood so we could walk places rather than having to drive 20-30 minutes or more to get anywhere.

I'm currently staying with family who live in a house in that situation.  I've really enjoyed walking to the market to get some fruits/vegetables or walking to the local diner for a salad.  I'm guessing that has helped when it comes time to step on the scale.  The first week I was in Madison I gained 1 pound; the next week I lost 1.4, last week I lost 2.6 pounds.  The motivation is the same - to not be defined by my weight.  Whether I'm 215 pounds heavier or at my goal weight.  I just want to be able to live and move.  To have a good time and start this new adventure.

Can you define what your motivation is?  Has it changed?

Aw shoot...

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Things have been changing around here.  For those that are friends with me on Facebook this won't come as news but if you aren't, well then, buckle up.  In my past life I worked in IT as everything from first level Help Desk to Independent Consultant and lots of jobs in between.  As my contract as an Independent Consultant ended it felt like a good time to take a break and then I reached my goal weight and became a Weight Watchers employee.  About 18 months later I took a part time job working at a running store which ended up being a full time job at the store.  But... there was always a part of me that missed IT and a normal work week schedule.  So, I started looking... last Monday I accepted a new job as a Business Analyst back in the IT industry.  I suddenly ended up having some time off and a husband who can work from anywhere so we made a last minute trip to Wisconsin for a long weekend.

Fishing is more fun
than weigh-ins!

The time up there was AMAZING.  We did a very little bit of biking and some fishing.  I did a very cold/wet 7 mile long run where I felt strong and healthy.  I knew that I wasn't tracking or measuring most things so I didn't have great hopes for this weigh-in.  It should come as no surprise then that the scale registered a 4.2 pound gain.  Whatever.  It happened and I am going to move on.

I have to move on because this new job is coming at me very quickly with a start date on Monday.  In Madison.  Wisconsin.  So, there will be quite a bit of adjusting to everything.  I'm both excited and nervous.  

Long before I knew I was going to be making a change in jobs I also planned that I'd on 10/1 I'd start to follow The Auto Immune Paleo Program.  This is related to the fact that my Crohn's disease has been more active lately and I am going to try to figure out if making dietary changes has any effect on my symptoms.  I don't have any illusions of following this perfectly because I know that some meals are going to be out of my control due to circumstances but I am going to do the best I can.  So... stay tuned!

Setting Goals

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Whoo!  Two weeks in a row of posting?  I'm not gonna call it a comeback just yet...  HAHA!

So this week at the meeting (yes, I still go to meetings every week and find them to be the entire reason I am only 10 pounds over my goal weight rather than 50 or more) we talked about setting SMART goals.  You know SMART goals if you've ever worked in a corporate setting as that's how we went through our annual review process -- setting goals that are achievable, measurable have a time frame associated with them and most importantly they are realistic.

I don't think I've lost sight of my goals but maybe haven't quite made them quite as realistic and measurable as they need to be.  So, obviously I want to lose some weight and then get better at maintaining my goal weight.  How?  Well, these are the steps I'm taking now:

1. We typically have a snack after dinner, for me it's a little more dessert than snack and I always work the SmartPoints into my plan early in the day to ensure I account for them.  However, we'd recently started also having second snack.  Well, no more second snack.
2. I have a training plan for an upcoming November half marathon.  I've been pretty good about following it but not as good as I should be, meaning that I let some excuses get in my way of working out.  Regardless of what's going on I need to get out and work out.  Whether it's a walk, a 15 minute run or the prescribed workout. 
3. This weekend is our annual Oktoberfest celebration.  We've hosted this party for ten years and while I struggle between a balance of enjoying myself a little too much or stressing out completely about hosting.  My goal this year is to just roll with it.  I also know that even if I gain next week that life will go on.

Making these changes this week resulted in a 1.4 pound loss.  Again, I won't call it a come back just yet but at least we're moving in the right direction.  

What SMART goal can you set for this week?

Need Accountability

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*knock knock knock*  Is this thing on?

Yeah, I know, it has been awhile.  Things were going pretty well.  Then they weren't.  Then they were.  Now, well... did you read the title of this post?

Weight maintenance is so freaking tricky.  This is not surprising to me as I've basically spent the majority of my adult life trying to lose weight.  I have only spent the last four years trying to actually maintain that weight loss.  Since I blogged about my weight loss and the accountability of posting every week seemed to help I'm really going to try to my hardest to do it again.  Clearly you can expect some snark, maybe some tears (at least on my part) and honesty.

I am, currently, 10 pounds over my goal weight.  I realize how that sounds to anyone who has weight lose.  Wow, 10 pounds Jen, GFY.  And no, that does not stand for 'good for you'.  Except, that 10 pounds right now feels like 215.  I feel like I am in a constant cha-cha.  One step forward and two steps back.

I need to stop it.  I need to get my head back in the game.  So, here I am.  Except, it's not just weight that I'm battling right now either.  Morty (aka Crohn's) has been much more active these last few months.  Do the two things go hand in hand?  Probably.  Am I trying to fix both?  Obviously.  Will I get things back in check?  Who knows?  Let's hang out together, encourage each other and kick some...

FIVE YEARS!!

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Taken about two weeks after joining Weight Watchers
July 2010

When I started Weight Watchers over FIVE years ago I didn't actually think I'd stick with it.  It wasn't that I didn't believe in the program; it had much more to do with not believing in myself.  Having the encouragement of friends (Sheri & Bri) who started with me and then making friends with the members at my meeting kept me wanting to come back, week after week, even when I knew the scale wouldn't be my friend.

Taken last week
July 2015

Then two years ago when I started working for Weight Watchers I used the picture above as my "THEN" photo.  When I hit my goal weight I wanted a "REDO" at that photo but that required a trip back to Oregon and the Oregon Brewers Festival.  Last week we spent the week in Bend/Portland, Oregon and I got my chance!

I told my husband early on in the week that I didn't really have any expectations for our trip but that I wanted this photo.  We arrived at OBF (Oregon Brewers Festival) a little early and after we got our wrist bands and got onto the grounds the first thing he said was let's find the barrel and get your photo.  I was a little surprised by how important this became to him.  I asked a few volunteers if they knew where this barrel was and some shook their head and said they remembered it from past years but they didn't know if it was there this year.  Finally, we were pointed in the right direction and Dan took the photo.

Now I have a new "NOW" photo to compare to my "THEN" photo and while I knew that I was unhealthy then but to compare the two photos was shocking to me.  I know that my journey to stay healthy doesn't end.  It'll never end but a few thoughts kept popping into my mind last week while we were on vacation.  The first was that we chose to be active -- hiking, biking, walking when we could.   It was hot the day we spent in the city of Bend so we decided to rent bikes and biked all over sampling some of Bend's restaurants and breweries.  When we got to Portland we returned our rental car in favor of renting bikes and we biked or walked everywhere we went, with the exception of the airport on the day we flew out.  

My second thought was that even though I figured I would gain weight on vacation (probably more than I'm happy with but won't know until after weigh-in tomorrow) I realized that I wasn't worried because we were being active and I knew that when we got home I'd get back to my healthy habits of regular workouts/training, healthy choices and drinking more water than beer.  

How do you stay on track while on vacation or do you just pledge to get back to healthy habits when you return home?

Are you mindful or mind full?

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Last week in the meeting room we talked about being mindful.  I know that normally I am more on the mind full side of that equation than the mindful side.  You know what I'm talking about -- you're having a conversation with someone and watching TV/reading Twitter/Facebook/a real book at the same time?  There are more times that I can count when I know that Dan and I are talking and I look at him with utter confusion because I have no idea what we're actually talking about.  Well, the topic last week hit me hard.  Being mindful.

Oh look, another TRI photo
(I can't help it, it's my favorite!)

I want to be more present in the moment.  Every moment.  During the meeting I was all 'oh yeah I've totally got this'.  Remember when I said that I wanted to enjoy my triathlon?  Well, just days before we talked about being mindful I kept thinking during the race -- just focus on this moment.  You did all the hard work and can enjoy this race.  People are clapping for you and you have a wonderful husband waiting for you at T2 so just have fun.  I did have fun and I was so proud of myself for being mindful of the joy that having spent months training really got me across not only the start line but the finish line as well.

Except that I find myself very quickly slipping into that mind full group.  So, my goal for this week is to be more present in the moment and enjoy the moments rather than worrying about what's next.

What's your goal for the week?

Again? Yes, again.

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This is not the post that I intended to write today but it's the post I need to write today.  I have to be honest with myself, again, because even though I woke up feeling bloated and puffy today I knew I needed to get to a meeting. I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and stepped on the scale to a 3.4 pound weight gain.  Joanne looked at me with empathy and I shook my head.  It's not that I was shocked because, as I mentioned, I felt puffy this morning but still... sheesh!  I said I hadn't changed anything... still active, still tracking, still eating within my Daily PointsPlus target.

After the meeting I stayed to talk to Joanne a little bit and realized that wasn't quite right.  Recently during my swim workouts I'd been having some muscle cramps.  I read that getting more magnesium could help and one of the places you can get magnesium is from whole grains.  I'd added some whole grain things to my daily intake -- a whole grain english muffin here, some of the Trader Joe's Harvest Grains on my salad, etc...

When I lost my weight I was a high protein, low carb kind of girl and it worked for me.  When Simple Start rolled out I tried it, twice, and gained weight both times because I added more starchy carbs into my day since they were power foods.  You'd think I would have known that basically tripling my intake of carbs was not necessarily going to work for me weight loss wise (muscle cramp wise it's worked fantastically well!).  I guess this means I'm going back to the drawing board ... Not that that's a bad thing.

How was your week?  What changes have you made that have worked well for you?

I needed a push

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With TRI training in full force (my race is now less than a month away -- EEK!) I was in the pool this week for a couple of work out sessions.  I'm swimming along and as I approach the wall I tucked, and got a really good push off.  I realized that in life I sometimes just need a good push.  I realized that to take a job in a state where I knew, literally, one person I got a push from Dad.  For my most recent job change Dan provided the gentle nudge. Let's be honest, those boys know what they are talking about!

On the activity front I've gotten those friendly pushes from Coach B and my sister, Brenda.  The push to pursue a triathlon came from my dear friend, Naomi.  Again, I don't know where I'd be without these people who not only inspire, encourage and support me but are just wonderful people to have in my life.

As I recalled (thanks to Facebook's On this Day function to be honest with you) what's been happening in my life over the last few years I realized how, sometimes, we just need the little push outside of our comfort zone.  To pursue the thing you didn't know you wanted but now desire.

What or who pushes you?  Who do you push?

It's happening... again

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Remember this?
Las Vegas 2012

For those of you who have been hanging in there with me for any length of time you know that the last few years have included quite a lot of training; there were 7 half marathons since December 2012 and after all that I was tired.  For the most part I absolutely loved training and loved racing but at some point it just got to be too much.  After running Napa to Sonoma last summer and ending with what I thought was a stress fracture and being forced to take time off I realized that there are other things that I love to do to stay active and maintain my weight.

I honestly thought that I'd be taking a year off training for any distance races focusing on 5K's, 10K's and this triathlon coming up in FIVE WEEKS!  Since I started my new job I've obviously spent quite a lot of time around people who run regularly.  Without really realizing I started checking the Tyranena Beer Run half marathon website; but registration hadn't opened yet.  For five days I kept checking; still closed.  Until Tuesday when I logged onto Facebook and saw an update from the race.  Registration was open.  So, I registered.

Tyranena Beer Run - 2013

But that's it.  I'm not registering for any other half marathons this year.  I think.  But for now I've got a new goal to work towards and isn't that what we really need to stay focused?

How have your plans changed without you realizing they were changing?  What new goal have you set recently?

Baby Steps

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Hey -- remember me?  I took a hiatus from blogging when I was leading a lot of Weight Watchers meetings and was struggling to figure out what to say here.  I mean, I spent the majority of every day talking about weight loss and when I'd get home blogging about weight loss or maintenance was sort of the last thing on my mind.  I'm not entirely sure that I'm fully back to blogging but I'm going to try because I feel like it's a great outlet.  For those who know me personally you know that I have now taken a hiatus from leading Weight Watchers meetings; though I still work as a Personal Coach and 24/7 Chat coach.  It's been a challenging transition but it feels like an amazing opportunity for me and it's really gotten me excited about running again.

To be honest my training last year was not as much fun as I know that it should have been and then finishing the Napa to Sonoma half marathon with a bum foot left me feeling like I didn't want to run.  Ever.  As part of my recovery my doc said that I could run in the pool.  I started that and met Ann who looks angelic while swimming.  It turns out she's also a swim coach and she told me that she could teach me to swim.  I signed up for lessons and started swimming.  I knew I needed to learn to swim if I ever wanted to even think about doing a triathlon.  Then, registration opened for the race that I really wanted to do -- it's small and close to my house.  I couldn't remember being this excited about working out and working towards something in a long time.

I found a training plan and started loosely following it.  The reason I didn't want to follow it to the letter was because I didn't really want to run.  Then I started spending a lot of time around people who run and I started getting excited about running again.  So, on a sunny, beautiful day I pulled out my Asics Kayano's and laced them up.  I started running without my watch because I knew if I saw my pace I'd be upset knowing I'd lost my speed.  I didn't care how fast I ran but I wore my Vivofit so I'd know how far I'd gone.  It wasn't far - only a couple of miles but it felt amazing to run again.

My point goes back to something I posted about YEARS ago.  Make the small changes because they'll end up making huge results for you if you just stick with it.

When did THAT happen?

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Back in November of last year I started taking private swim lessons.  I knew how to tread water and get myself out of trouble if I was in trouble but I didn't know how to do the various strokes properly and I definitely didn't know how to breathe and swim at the same time.  I was completely out of my comfort zone.  I loved swimming because it was something completely different from anything I'd done before but I hated it because it was extremely difficult.

An oldie but a goodie!  This race seemed
absolutely impossible.  Guess what?
Small goals and a coach who wouldn't
up on me got me to the finish line.

When I started I could barely make it down the length of the pool without stopping to catch my breath.  I doubted that I'd ever be able to actually swim laps and my goal of competing in a sprint triathlon (with a half mile open water swim) seemed to be getting farther and farther away.  However, I bought all the lessons so I didn't have any choice but to keep going.  My swim instructor, Ann, is very encouraging and keeps giving me new twists to keep swimming interesting.

So, I keep going and I keep trying.  I've been setting small goals for myself (does that sound familiar?!) to do the front crawl 6 or 8 laps.  Over the weekend my goal was to swim 10 lengths without flippers and without stopping.  I swam 12 lengths.  I felt so proud of myself and figured that I'd kind of hang out and swim 12 lengths this week and just keep increasing by 2 lengths every week.
In the meantime I've gotten some new swimming gear namely a swim cap and flippers.  The flippers have given me little blisters on my toes though so I wasn't terribly excited to put them on today.  So I just started crawling.  I knew I wanted to swim my 12 lengths before I put on the flippers to really fly but as I started swimming there was just something so peaceful about the rocking and rolling motion.  Listening to my breath.  Counting my strokes.  Before I knew it I had gone 20 lengths of the pool without stopping so I just kept going until I needed to get a drink of water.

I guess my point is that when we first start things the goal seems so far off and that we may never achieve it but we just have to keep going because as long as we keep trying we will reach the goal.

What is your big goal and what small steps will you take to get there?

Focus

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Me:  Nervous as hell
Mark:  Chill as can be

Back in 2012 at a family reunion my cousin Mark and I were talking about the upcoming Las Vegas Half Marathon.  Shortly after that I got a message from him that he'd entered and was going to run it as well.  So, we bonded over that and hung out together at the start line.  I was a mess of emotions.  Mark was as cool as they come.  Anyway, a few days after the race we traded messages again and I admitted I was disappointed in my performance and he gave me a pep talk that I will never forget.  I had the pleasure/honor of having another one of those memorable conversations with him on Saturday.

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We were talking about weight loss and I recalled a story that my friend Diane has told me a few times.  After Diane reached Lifetime status she asked our leader, Karen, if the journey ever got easier.  Karen replied that it didn't.  This is one of the few times that Karen and I disagree.  As I was telling this story I said that I think if we focus on the things that we shouldn't have (or the portion sizes that we shouldn't have) then of course it remains difficult because that's all we want.

Mark replied that whatever you focus on will grow.  I couldn't get this thought out of my head and
knew that I wanted to write a blog post about this.  I truly believe that if we focus on the good things -- like being able to run a half marathon then the journey becomes easier.  I'm not saying that it won't be difficult to stare down a pan of brownies or cookies but I'm also not saying that you have to avoid the brownies or cookies completely either.  In fact, I say have them.  Just not as much as you would have before and then focus on something else to get your mind off the temptation.

What will you focus on to get you closer to your goal?

Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts

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I know that with Thanksgiving rapidly approaching that it is time to start thinking about what is going on our holiday table.  Obviously I love to plan it out because I know that it helps me stay in control and on track.  However, I have other people to take into account for a holiday meal rather than just a regular week night meal.  My holiday meal will be shared with my husband, brother, nephew and dad.  I'm pretty excited about it and even more so after asking my brother what he wanted to eat.  He responded by saying that he didn't really care as long as it was healthy.  I've also checked out a new cranberry recipe that I'm definitely going to try.  

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So, our menu will look like...

Roasted Turkey and Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Baked Squash

Cranberry Chutney

Caramel Apple Salad

Blueberry Pie

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I'm hoping the day will also involve a short run but that is really going to depend on the weather and this cold/sinus infection that has decided to invade my head.  I will definitely be trying to move more prior to and following the turkey!

What's your Thanksgiving plan?  Have you planned your menu and how you'll fill your plate?

Sharing Tips for Success

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Success isn't always blingy, but it should be!

Last week during our meetings we talked about sharing our tips for success and members at Weight Watchers were encouraged to share your tip.  I think we have to step back and determine what success means?  One thing I said last week is that through Weight Watchers I have learned that you don't have to follow the program 100% perfectly.  In fact, the program is able to be personalized so that it can fit YOUR life.  This is so important because no one program can work for everyone.  Ultimately, we have to change the way we interact with food forever.

So, if the program is able to be personalized so much then how do you define success?  Well, here's how I define it... at least today.  Ask me tomorrow and the list might change!

• Eat/drink what I want in moderation
• Feel better
• Be more active 
• Getting through a candy fueled holiday with limited temptation
• Going to one of my favorite bars and not ordering off the fantastic craft beer menu (sorry Alan, next time!)

Have you thought about how you define success?  If so, shout it out ...

Identity changes

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When I see ideas that I want to blog about I put the idea in an email because I always have access to email.  Last December I made a note that said "Do not give your past the power to define your future".  During the month of October in our Weight Watchers meetings we've been talking about the five levels of change.  We change our environment, our behaviors, our capabilities, our identities and our beliefs.  The one thing we cannot change is our past.  The thing we HAVE to change is our future.  

Used to be:  May 2011

Now I'm:  July 2014

One of the questions I hear often and one that I asked often during my weight loss journey was when does our brain catch up with the changes our body has made?  I think that the note I made back in December really plays into that.  Once we stop letting our past define who we are we can realize that our identity has changed.  

This past week in our meetings we asked the question:

I used to be _______________________________Now I'm _________________________________

I had a bunch of thoughts this week about how my identity has changed.  I used to be a couch potato, now I'm active.  I used to think that I had to follow the program perfectly, now I realize that it's about progress.  I used to be shy and embarrassed and now I try to embrace what makes me feel uncomfortable.  I used to avoid activity as much as possible so I could hide the fact that I was winded, sweating and exhausted. Now I've run 7 half marathons.

How have you changed your identity?

Woah - this has been awhile!

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Remember when I used to post every week?  My mom would call if I didn't to make sure I was ok if I didn't post.  I want to get back to it but struggle to find a balance between leading my Weight Watchers meetings and working out, taking care of the dogs and having some fun with Dan.  But... let me try to catch you up on what's been happening since I last posted.

Diane crossing the
LITH tri finish line

One morning in June I got up early to go watch the most amazing woman.  Her name is Diane and I met her at Weight Watchers.  We literally joined Weight Watchers on the same day and we celebrated milestones at nearly the same pace.  She was (and continues to be) an inspiration to me.  Diane took on her biggest challenge by completing her first triathlon.  I went out to cheer her on and I ran the final leg with her.  It was a beautiful thing watching her cross the finish line.

At the starting winery

I was still training, throughout the summer because I'd signed on to mentor for the Chicago and Napa/Sonoma half marathon training seasons with Team Challenge, again!  By the way, THANK YOU to everyone who donated to make a dream half marathon in California happen for me!  This was my first race without having Dan along for support.  Luckily, I had Barbara and Naomi close by.  I knew that the Napa to Sonoma race wasn't going to be a stellar race for me and I wasn't planning on setting a PR by any stretch of the imagination.  However, I was still disappointed when foot and ankle pain were too much to handle and I started walking near the 6 mile mark (just under half way).  I met some amazing people and definitely enjoyed the view of the spectacular course I was on though!  Then I got to hang out for a few days with Barbara and Naomi as we biked around Sonoma sampling some good and some great wines!

I gave myself some time off to recover from running since January but when I started to run again the pain that I'd had in my foot/ankle in Sonoma came back, with a vengeance.  I went to see a podiatrist, fearing that I'd really injured something, and he told me he thought that I had the beginnings of a stress fracture.  He told me I needed 2-3 weeks of rest.  Except, I was still training for my fall half marathon/goal race for the year.  I asked what I could do and he suggested swimming...

Diane came to my rescue.  She told me about a gym that had indoor pools and had a program for people who needed to join for medical reasons.  So, I joined.  After my first visit I knew I wanted to join for the winter!  I've been working some aquatic fitness classes into my schedule and on the days that I can't get to a class I run in the lap pool.

My weight has fluctuated but has been within reason.  I struggled after the half in July because I was still eating like I was running 4 days a week!  It took me awhile to get that under control but I suppose that's just a new lesson to learn.

So, what's been happening with you?  Catch me up on everything!

Race Recap: Journey's Half Marathon

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I'll freely admit this, my heart wasn't really in this race.  I knew I'd be running in Eagle River but until about two weeks before the race I thought I was going to run the 5K rather than the half marathon.  My decision to run the half marathon came because on the way home from the Oshkosh Half Marathon I realized that I'd been a little under two minutes off a personal best.  Given how hard the winter was that was impressive but I really thought I could do better.  Hence the decision to enter another half marathon so soon after running in Oshkosh.

See?  On the bus to the start
No stress.  Hell I was even smiling!

I felt uncharacteristically stress free the morning of the race.  I got up, had my usual breakfast before a long run (peanut butter on a sandwich thin with a banana) and some coffee.  I'd laid out all my gear the night before so I was ready to roll.  We got to the high school to pick up our bibs and swag, use the bathrooms and board the buses to the start.  This race is a point to point race so they bus you out to the middle of nowhere.  Seriously, it was an intersection.  With port-a-potties.  It was a gorgeous day for a race though and I had good friends with me.  Alex (my brother-in-law) and Kristi were both running the half marathon!

We waited only a few minutes before the starting horn blared.  There was no muss, no fuss, just running.  I did well maintaining my pace the first few miles so I was really pleased.  There is such beauty when running in the middle of nowhere -- just before I got to mile 3 I had 3 deer run across the road right in front me.  That was a first on a race day!!  I really wish I had gotten a photo but it happened so fast that there was no time to get my phone out.

The course was about as hilly as I thought it would be.  Lots of rollers but nothing that made me want to cry.  I did wish that I had done more hill training but that's normal for how I feel when I see a hill.  (I'm definitely going to run some hills before I head to Napa though!)  Overall the course was nice.  I was able to find shade in most parts of the course which was really nice.

My knee started bothering me around the 10K mark.  And I walked.  And it sucked.  I cried about that fact a little bit.  Then I saw Dan.  He stayed at the start to see my sister off at the 5K start but he'd brought his bike so he could come and find me on the course after he left her and I was really glad to see him.  He brought me half of a banana and a fresh Bondi Band.  I told him that I was hurting and he told me that it was going to be ok.  I told him to meet me around mile 9-10 and he biked off.  I needed to be alone to figure out if I could start running again.  I ran when I felt I could.  I walked when my knee hurt too much.  I may have also cried a little in there, too.

I'd just gotten knucks ... gotta run after knucks.
I think that is a running rule.

As I rounded the corner around mile 9 I saw a police officer.  Apparently this is my new tradition because I ran up to him and asked him how he felt about "knucks" and he responded by holding his up and we smacked knucks and I thanked him for being here and then ran away.  I continued to run when I could.  I met up with a couple of girls who were doing their first half marathon.  They are college students going to school for teaching.  God Bless 'em!  They were doing a run/walk routine so I walked with them during the walk but then they were off.

I saw Dan again and he asked me what I wanted him to do.  I asked him if he'd stay with me and he said yes and began to bike along side me.  I wasn't running so much at this point so it was great to have a distraction.  He made me laugh and forget that my legs hurt or that I had over a 5K to go!  He also stopped at the water stop and filled my two empty water bottles for me (I'd drank ever single gulp of them!) so I could just keep moving.  After we passed the airport I finally realized where I was I told him that I was ok and he rode off for the final time.  I think I had about 3/4 of a mile to go - and I started to run.  Slowly.

I saw Brenda, Alex, Kristi and Dan cheering for me as I rounded the final turn and headed for the finish line.  It wasn't my best race but they can't all be PR's, right?  I did get to have an AMAZING weekend in the Northwoods with some fantastic people.  I consider that a good reason to run (or walk) a half marathon!

Bondi Band Winner!

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One of my favorite designs!

Have I shared my love of Bondi Band with you?  If not, let me tell you - I love this company!  You see, when I run or bike I sweat.  A lot.  I tried a few different kinds of headbands but apparently my head and/or hair is slippery (which sounds kinda gross but it's not) because they'd always end up moving during my workout.  Until I found Bondi Band.  I love the heavy wicking headbands.  They stay put and collect the sweat so I can focus on the activity at hand.

I also love them because the band is wide enough that on the cool mornings I can pull the headband down over my ears for a little warmth as well as sweat collection.  Dual purpose in my book is awesome!

When Bondi Band introduced compression to their product line I practically squealed with delight.  In fact, I think I did!  The patterns they offer were fun and practical so I ordered up a pair of these argyle sleeves.  I've worn them after my long runs and races this year with great results.  After 8-13.1 miles there is no better feeling than pulling on some compression sleeves for a few hours!!  Plus, I've gotten quite a few compliments about them!

Last week I celebrated reaching my goal weight by kicking off a contest to give away some of my favorite work out gear from Bondi Band!  The fabulous folks over there offered to give away three headbands and a pair of compression socks!  I'm thrilled to announce that Erika L. is the winner!!  Congratulations Erika!  I'll be in touch shortly!

Thank you to everyone else for celebrating my anniversary by entering this contest!  If you haven't ordered up some Bondi Band products yet, do it now!!

Let's Celebrate!

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Taken about two weeks after I joined Weight Watchers
July 2010

It has been a year since I reached my goal weight and I am so proud and excited to have maintained a 215 pound weight loss.  This is not something that I ever thought possible - in fact I never thought I'd be a Weight Watchers member more than six months.  You see, I had done Weight Watchers before.  In 2001 while a bunch of my co-workers were attending "At Work" meetings I joined as an online member.  I sort of wanted to join the meetings too but it was too far to walk!  When I followed the on-line program I lost a bunch of weight but I figured I could continue doing this on my own and I quit.  I was wrong. I gained back all that I had lost and more.

Eleven months and 104 pounds later
June 2011

I had been thinking for awhile that something needed to change but I had no idea what that change needed to be.  Every week I kept saying (to myself because I was afraid of admitting it to anyone else) that I was going to start a diet but I never committed to it.  When my friend, Sheri, called me and asked me to join with her I was reluctant.  I am tremendously thankful that she was so persistent!  When I joined I found out that I could still eat and drink my favorite things.  This was extremely important to me because I needed to learn how to cook, portion control and even eat out all while staying on plan.
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The group that I joined was also a huge part of my success.  There was one member, Diane, in particular that really kept me motivated.  We joined Weight Watchers on the same day and we both had over 100 pounds to lose.  I used Diane hitting milestones as motivation -- if she could do it then there was no reason I couldn't.  As much as I always wanted my weight loss to be a downward trend I realize that my weight gain never was and that I needed to learn my weight loss lessons.  Those lessons included learning what triggered unhealthy eating and drinking and finding ways to manage that.

Half Marathon #5 - April 2014

In addition to those lessons I also needed to learn about activity.  I always shied away from activity because of my weight.  When I was in 7th/8th grade I played basketball and hated that I was always the slowest one on the team.  I hated P.E. (Physical Education) class because I'd almost instantly start sweating and my face would turn red.  Except I knew that now was the time to get active.  An encouraging call from my sister to start training for my first 5K was exactly what I needed when I needed it to get the ball rolling.  That seems like ancient history because in the nearly four years that I've been a Weight Watchers member I've completed numerous short distance races (5K, 9K, 10K, 15K) and SIX FREAKING HALF MARATHONS!  I'm finally comfortable working out in front of other people (most of the time) regardless of whether my face is beet red or I'm sweating profusely.  I've learned that with activity I can just go out and have fun.

Seriously - this medal is ENORMOUS.
And Heavy.
I (obviously) love it so much!

Now, if you think that reaching your goal weight means you get to relax a little bit you might be slightly delusional.  Early on in my journey that's exactly what I thought but as I got closer and finally got to maintenance I realized that it is just as hard as losing the weight.  However, I realized that one thing that made weight loss (and maintenance) hard was focusing on the things that I used to eat rather than all the things that I've developed a serious passion for over the last four years.  This is another one of the reasons that I think gradual weight loss is so beneficial because it gives you the time to figure out what you like so you can truly enjoy it.  I also think that as we reach our goal weight and maintenance that we celebrate less.  There are no more milestones to reach or goals to hit so we have to celebrate other things.  Like getting giant medals!  Being able to celebrate our accomplishments certainly keeps me going and gives me something to look forward to!

What about you?  How do you celebrate?

In the name of celebrating, one of my most favorite companies in the whole world is letting me give away some fantastic products!  Have you seen/tried the wonderful products from Bondi Band?  The prize pack that we're giving away includes 3 headbands and a pair of compression socks.  Go, register now!  And tell all your friends!!

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Success Events

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Diane, Terry & me
In total we've lost 430 pounds!
photo courtesy of Martha

Last Friday I weighed in and sat in on my "meeting as a member" (vs. working a meeting) and was thrilled to be back in my goal weight range.  I'd gained some weight after I stopped training last fall and it has taken me awhile to lose those 10 pounds.  I'm barely back in the +/- range but I'm hopeful that I'll now be able to maintain.  I thought the timing was particularly appropriate because Saturday was our Success Stories event at Weight Watchers.  I was thrilled and honored to be a part of this fantastic day.  We had four members speak to the group about weight loss, their a-ha moments and maintenance.  It was inspiring and motivating to listen to their stories and see the similarities in our respective journeys.

Helene, a friend from our Tuesday night group, who recently hit her goal weight asked Diane (who lost over 100 pounds and is definitely a constant inspiration to me) and I whether maintenance gets easier.  Diane said that she asked Karen, our leader, that question awhile ago and Karen said no.  Which makes me think of one of the quotes that Karen said to us a long time ago.

Losing Weight is Hard.
Maintenance is Hard.
Staying the Same is Hard.
Choose Your Hard.

While I have struggled with maintenance I think that when I accept how I have to eat and how active I know that I have to be that this part of the journey just feels a little easier.  I think if you find new things that you love and focus on them rather than focusing on the things that you don't have anymore it feels easier.

What new loves make your journey easier?