Days 55/56: A Fun Weekend and Back to Running

I had a fantastic weekend with my fiancé. We decided that we were going to go to Taste of St Louis and to the Soulard Farmer's Market. I have been meaning to go to the Farmer's Market for some time now and haven't gotten to. We started at Taste of St Louis, which I looked at very carefully, ever eager to monitor my calorie count. I did fine there, eating a chicken kabob with all kinds of veggies.

The fiancé and I with the sous chef of Taste of StL. :-)

 

My fiancé's culinary school was there making food (yes, my fiancé is a chef, don't you love that? :-D) but we didn't get to try any of their food. He is trained primarily in French cuisine but has tried a number of different things and he makes a lot of good food. I was hoping to find the folks from LCB but we couldn't find them! It was too bad, too. We got to go to a lot of different places there, including some of the best foods in StL. Local Harvest Café, which is a favorite of ours, was at the festival as well, and they had $2 vegan chili! Sadly, I stuck to my chicken kebab, which was really good.

 

Afterward we went to the farmer's market and it was totally crowded! I have never seen that many people there. It was kind of hot and I was getting tired, so I also noshed on a polish sausage. I kind of wished I hadn't afterward, cause it was sort of okay but I ended up getting sleepy and crashed on the couch for like 3 hours. (Could be why I gained weight, lol.)

 

But the next day was much better. I decided that I was going to go for a run. I went to my usual park only to discover there was a HUGE 5k and triathlon being held at the park! I was insanely jealous, but still packed up my gear and went to my second choice, which was mercifully free of events and had good parking. Since it was around 65 degrees, everyone and their mom was there, lol. I decided to go a different way that time and walk the opposite perimeter of the park. I started running and realized that I was starting off at a 14 minute/mile pace, which was 2 minutes faster than my usual pace. I continued between 14-16 minute miles, until the very end when I got down to 17:01 minute miles, still a good 2 minutes faster than my last run. I even passed someone, which was a huge NSV for me because I am usually too slow to pass someone. :-)

 



Nice and sweaty after my run! :-)

 

I ran 1.47 miles, walked 2.03, for a total of 3.50 miles. I burned 919 calories and 3.5 miles took me 1:14:09. :-) I'm totally getting into running for more than a hour, though sometimes I wonder if I do anything else in the morning besides run, lol! I totally love logging long distances though, and as long as I can do it I will be doing it. And hopefully getting faster each time. I'm in my second-to-last week of C25K this week, so I'm hoping I can pull off a 2-mile run by the end! That would make me super excited. :-)

 

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. I'm going to finish reading my new running magazines (I have 3 now, it's seriously awesome!) and hopefully put a dent in some chem homework. Be blessed and enjoy the journey!

Day 54: Fun Day With My Bestie and More NSVs!

I had a much better day today. Yesterday I was feeling kind of bummed out for some reason, I didn't get to talk to my fiancé all day because I was out with my uncle having fun (and a fender bender, but we're both okay!). I take a ton of supplements and vitamins, plus two prescription meds, so I think I ended up missing one of them. Either way, I'm feeling much better today and ready to take on the world. :-)

I went out with my best friend today. She and I like to go shopping, and she works in retail so she gets discounts in one of my favorite stores! I keep hoping she'll buy me a cool peacoat once they arrive and I drop a few more pounds. I absolutely love this particular store's peacoats! I used to wear a long trenchcoat every year but then the buttons cracked! No bueno. Anyhoo, we went to a few different stores and I wanted to get some new clothes since all my clothes are falling off of me! We went to H&M first and I went for this crazy gorgeous sweater in a size L. I also went for another top in a size L. The top fit, but I'm still a bit self-conscious about my tummy and didn't feel comfortable wearing it just yet. But I tried on the sweater and it fit perfectly, it was actually a bit loose on me! I decided to purchase it. It looks super awesome and I will post pictures soon.

We went to another couple of stores, one of my favorite places for bras and other goodies. I was surprised to find out that a size 38DD bra fit me! I have been trying to get into that bra for ages, it's been there awhile and the last time I tried it on it was super tight and nearly snapped off! But today I tried it on and it was a perfect fit! No armpit bulge either. :-) I didn't buy it though since even on clearance it was $34. Maybe next time. :-)

I also had a good time running this morning. I decided that I was going to run for 25 consecutive minutes, as my C25K app indicated. I was having a ton of problems with my previous app randomly resetting as soon as I would open it and the screen blacked out. I decided to use RunDouble and Runtastic for my run and they worked a lot better. I still want one of those Polar or Garmin watches though! I ran a total of 2.3 miles, with 1.3 miles of those being ran miles. I usually walk an additional 2 miles after my run, but it was already 78 degrees outside when I ran and super hot! I was sweating like a maniac!

You can tell I was super sweaty!

 

My fiancé is spending the weekend with me. I am so excited! I always miss him when he's not here and now he will be coming. He is doing the last day of his externship and it will probably not end in a job offer. But he seems to have learned a lot, and is proactively searching for a job. I'm so proud of him! We are going to cook this weekend! We will probably go to the Farmer's Market after I go running and find some goodies to cook with. Nothing like fresh produce! It is the best. :-)

 

I hope you all have an awesome weekend. Be blessed and enjoy the journey!

Day 53: Changes and Yes, More Progress Photos!

As you can see, the blog looks different! I have been tweaking with the borders, background, and even have a new page header. Hope you like it. I'm a huge fan of Underdog and have been for several years. It's actually how I got the name for the blog. :-)

My uncle and I went out today to shop. What we didn't realize is that both malls were outside, and it was a very warm 80 degrees out! So we perused both malls, not really finding anything to our liking (though I did find some nice shorts in the Reebok shop, but the only XL was in neon yellow! Sorry, this badonkadonk's not going into anything neon yellow just yet, lol!). We went to Syberg's to eat, and my uncle can't understand my accent at the best of times (he's British, and I'm Southern by birth and talk very quickly!) and had no idea what I was talking about! Either way, we had a good time and he gave me 20 bucks to cover the gas mileage, which is going into the kitty (a fun British expression!) until I find something good to buy. We also got rear-ended by this high schooler not paying attention to the turn lane, but thankfully the car basically had a few chips on the bumper and everything else was okay! Honestly, I have a mean gash on the fender from the time when I got into a fight with a hitch (the hitch won, needless to say!) so a few chips on the bumper mean nothing at all to me. I told the guy not to worry about it, and we went on our way. :-) So far, no whiplash or anything like that. :-D

I got in a 1.5 mile run (26 consecutive minutes) before class today. I thought I was going to have a terrible time staying upright after such a long run and BOTH my run apps sharting out at the same time (that's what happens when you put the cell phone in your pants pocket!), but I actually had more energy after a shower and a brief rest! I felt invigorated and my hands didn't shake for the first time when I filled something with water! I had mild tardive dyskinesia as a result of some bad medication adventures as a teenager, and I was shocked to see my hands are a lot less jittery! :-) Maybe it's due to almost no caffeine in my system for over 2 months, but either way I'm thrilled. Yet another NSV.

Oh speaking of victories, check out this awesomeness! 30 lbs-ish lost today, and here is the before and afters:

 

I can definitely tell a difference between the two pictures. I look like a completely different person (that's the same shirt, by the way) and totally feel like a different person! I have to admit, sometimes I feel a little bummed out from time to time but for the most part I am very happy and love my life. :-) I am even ready to start looking for jobs I think, I am nervous after being seriously burned by my last two jobs, but I'm ready to put myself out there and start looking. We'll see what happens, but in the meantime, keep your fingers crossed! :-)

 

I hope everyone has a good day! I'm going to rest up after my close encounters of the car kind, and maybe find something for dinner soon. Be blessed and enjoy life!

Day 52: Ran My First Mile!

I really didn't think I would make it through the workout.

Last night, I checked my C25K app, just to see if the workout changed like it did yesterday. Imagine my surprise when it said 22 consecutive minutes! This is not really a huge deal, I suppose, but 22 minutes has always been my barrier. When I was 15 pounds heavier, I tried adding consecutive time several days in a row and by 2 weeks, I had added 22 minutes of running on the treadmill. Unfortunately, I burned out quickly and couldn't get past that barrier. I remember one day I broke down crying and left the gym because I couldn't get past 7 minutes! So needless to say, 22 minutes has always been a little bit of a tough barrier for me, and I was nervous. But I decided to try out the app anyway, almost convinced it would be the one workout I didn't finish.

I started out quite weakly, and tired fast. But I pushed through. One of the benefits of having a timer is knowing exactly where you stand in the run. I ran through 10 minutes, then 15, then 20. By two minutes left I had a death grip on the cellphone, sweating profusely, and exhausted. But I made it to 22 minutes! I ran about 1.3-1.5 miles of it, but since my C25K app doesn't track distance I couldn't tell exactly how much of it I ran. I walked the remainder of the course, and then added another 1.7 miles, for a total of 3.2 miles. :-)

No double chin! Covered in sweat.

 

I was pretty shocked. I have gotten past the 5k distance, for a total of 5.14 kilometers. I have only gone past 5k distance once before, and I walked the entire time, for a total of 3.7 miles. That's the only time I have ever done it before. I could have technically could have walked/ran the entire trail if I would have added another half a mile, but by that time I was so exhausted it probably would have taken a slight breeze to knock me over. :-D

 

Tomorrow or Friday, depending on how long the lab takes, I will do 25 minutes consecutive. If I get through it, it will be my first time getting past 22 minutes. Thankfully the C25K app stays at 25 minutes consecutive for awhile, so I will be able to get used to that distance. I'm excited, and feeling very awesome.

 

I hope everyone has a great day. Be blessed and go outside!

Day 51: Upping the Ante

I started off my workout this morning with the C25K W6D2. I was expecting all the workouts for the week to be the same, as they usually were for the past five weeks. Imagine my surprise when I look at the workouts and it says to do 2 10-minute blocks of running! I have never done that much running before, except on the treadmill some time ago. I suddenly got nervous and seriously considered doing the W6D1 again. I thought for sure that I would not make it. But I decided to try it anyway. To my surprise, I was able to do both 10-minute blocks without stopping, for a total of 20 minutes of running. I'm not going to lie, I was definitely out of breath and definitely considered stopping a few times. But then I would look at the clock and say, I'm halfway, I've got 3, 2, 1... minutes left, and so on and so forth. That has always gotten me through some difficult runs. Some folks think it's counterintuitive to look at the clock, that you should just enjoy the run. And I do! There are times when I look at the scenery and just love running. Other times I'm so out of breath that it's a struggle to get through it! I find that looking at the clock gives me a goal. :-)

I was definitely sweating after that workout.

 

I decided to up the ante and walk an additional mile for a grand total of 2.55 miles. It got easier as I went on, and I would have gone longer than that except it began to drizzle a little and I was concerned about my cell phone getting completely drenched or at the very least a little moody, so I packed up my gear and headed home. (Much to my dismay, it stopped raining as soon as I left! :-P)

 

I was a little sore after my workout, and I decided to take a little break. I drank my protein shake and did some homework, and texted my fiancé for a few hours. Then I got bored. Mind-numbingly bored. I am low on fuel and have to wait to fill up the tank again, so I've mostly been at home all day. I got the crazy idea to ride on my dad's stationary bike for a little while, since it is in the basement anyway and so am I, most of the time. I thought that I would do a short 10-minute ride and be done with it, but as usual I made bets with myself (as in, I bet I can go longer than 10 minutes!) and ended up doing 9.11 miles in 36 minutes. Not a bad deal, though I have to admit I'm still a bit sore. Sometimes I do two workouts on the bike for a total of 1 hour, but since I have been upping my run time I'm just going to stick with 36 minutes.

 

I hope everyone has a good day. Be blessed, and go outside! :-)

Day 50: The Day After

Surprisingly, I am actually feeling quite fantastic after my 5k. I wasn't sore at all and my feet felt great in my favorite shoes. I am surprised but not entirely as I am getting used to running/walking more than 2 miles most days.

Today I ventured out and did C25K Week 6 Day 1, which was 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 8 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, and 5 minutes running, for a total of 34 minutes plus warm-up and cool-down. Since it was a longer distance, I decided to take my Sports Beans with me. They help keep the muscles in my legs from being too sore and give me energy for long runs. The first five minutes weren't that bad and the eight minutes subsequent were only difficult during the last few minutes. I explored some different parts of the trail, and enjoyed the scenery. I ran all the way from City Hall Park to my gym, which is at least 0.5 miles or more. I am still super slow, lol. :-) I decided to continue after 34 minutes and fartlek (I love that word!) for the next 20 minutes. Doing fartlek for the last part of the run keeps me running about 5k distance, and doesn't exhaust me to the point that I can't walk to my car afterward and have to be dragged. (In case I'm found unconscious, pause the Runtastic app!) Anyhoo, I did 2.26 miles in 53:17, not the best time but I can deal. I have done almost 30 miles this month, and the month is still going! :-)

 In my favorite Outdoors Inc shirt from Memphis!

Afterwards. Either my glasses are akimbo or I am, lol.

 

The fiancé and I have talked about making some homemade hummus and pita for our night together since we don't like to spend a ton of money on eating out or eating unhealthy. My influence is somewhat rubbing off on the fiancé (or maybe vice versa since he lost 25 pounds way before I did, lol) cause now he likes to run with me and cook and eat healthy. He is finishing up his externship this week and I couldn't be happier for him. With any luck, he'll get a job offer, but if not, he is very talented and will find somewhere that will enjoy having him. As for me, my job search is temporarily on hold while I concentrate on me and getting through my third semester of college, but once I feel ready to do so I will definitely entertain the possibility of working again. :-)

 

I hope everyone has a great day! I am going to my chemistry class in a little over 20 minutes, then will be putting some gas in my car on the way back. Nothing real Earth shattering, as long as the car doesn't run out before I get there, lol. Be blessed all and enjoy the weather! :-)

Day 49: Lemon Drop 5k and Race Results

Sorry about the delay in posting. I took care of my sister all day yesterday and the day before I was just in a foul mood and couldn't shake it. But today I'm in a great mood and can't wait to post more on my race today.

My fiancé and I went to Frontenac, MO this morning (about a 20 minute drive from my house in St Charles, MO) for the Lemon Drop 5k. We saw our guys at S2 there, and we decided to enter the drawing for a BMR Bliss Go Pack. Sadly, I didn't win even though I had my fingers, toes, and everything else crossed, lol. :-D We were the last to pace, since we run around 20 minute miles on a good day, but we were off. I ran some of the race (about 0.75 to 1 mile worth) and walked a lot of it. I wanted to pace myself so that I wouldn't tire in the middle of the race and have to not finish. The fiancé was ahead of me most of the time but I was okay with that... most of the time. I brought my Sports Beans and was popping them periodically throughout. They were a little sour but otherwise pretty awesome. :-) They definitely gave me the energy to get done with the race.

The final results were as follows:

Me- Time: 57:15 Pace: 18:26/mi Rank: 154
Bryan- Time: 56:45 Pace: 18:16/mi Rank: 33

I think we may have come in dead last in both our divisions but the fun thing was that we didn't finish last overall and we had an awesome time. We both missed our Phormula-1 shakes because they ran out but I may go hassle my supplement guy sometime this week and get some of that stuff. I would love something for a recovery shake. :-) But I digress. Bryan had some bread and oranges at the free food counter but I didn't, lol. :-D

Here is a photo of me from after the race. Not the most flattering of photos, but hey, I don't mind:

Yes, I'm wearing ACTUAL running clothes this time. :)

 

I am so glad I got to do this, and Bryan and I will be running a 5k later in December called the Hot Chocolate 5k. We are both totally looking forward to that one because there will be a chocolate expo and all kinds of goodies. And that one will be more crowded and a bit flatter. And cold, I'm sure, lol. :-)

 

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. I will be doing some chemistry homework to catch up with the stuff I missed this weekend, and having an awesome protein shake for dinner since I missed mine this morning. (We went to Denny's, for shame! But at least I got the healthy egg white omelet.) Be blessed all and enjoy the nice weather!  

Day 46: Why I am Doing Awesome

I'm missing all you guys on my blog! Please, feel free to visit anytime.

I am doing awesome today, because I decided to take a rest day. I have a Chemistry lab that meets on Thursday mornings and it often makes it very difficult to run if it's hot out. Plus, my parents are taking me out for a belated birthday dinner and it will be a bit difficult to work out in the evening. (I will be just a touch full, lol.) So I decided today would be a work-on-homework-and-run errands day, AKA a rest day. :-) Normally, I don't feel comfortable doing rest days. I am always on the move and sitting down and relaxing is a bit of a foreign concept to me. Despite all that, when I do sit down and rest, I always feel infinitely better for it. So, I'm enjoying my rest day and will especially enjoy getting out on the running track bright and early Friday morning. :-)

I got my race packet from Lululemon this morning and got my fiancé's too. We have decided not to run this entire 5k but walk part of the way and run the last leg. I was expecting a T-shirt but there was a misprint on Big River's website, and there is no t-shirt. It looks to be a pretty nondescript run, which is what you get when it's free, I suppose. Maybe there will be a little prize when we get to the finish but I have my doubts. There is also a post-run yoga session, but I have my doubts that my fiancé will go into a yoga class. It's not really his thing, plus he feels awkward going to a yoga class where he will be in the minority with regards to gender. :-D We were super bummed out that we didn't get to do a repeat Glow Run this year, but they are changing the lineup and making it very much a meander around, get drunk, and not really race type of run. But we are doing the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k in December, so we will have an official, fun type of run later in the year. Then I'm doing a 10k in March at the college, so that will be fun. :-)

While I'm at it, here's a "sweat pic" from today's rest day:

Not really me, obviously, but it's so stinkin' cute I just couldn't resist sharing it.

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. I've got more homework before I go out, lol. Be blessed all! :-)

Day 45: R is for Runner

It's been a busy day, or rather, a busy evening and a ho-hum type of day.

Except for my run, that is. I finally passed the 2-mile mark after about 15 minutes of extra running just so I could get the number where I wanted it. For those of you who don't know, I run C25K for the beginning of the run, around 25-30 minutes, and then I spend the last few minutes cooling down, and then I go into power sprint intervals. Basically I pick a point in the park and say I want to go from point A to point B, one landmark to the next, and I run it at full tilt. Then when I get done, I walk a few minutes and repeat. It's a lot of fun and changes up the monotony of run, walk, repeat. It was a beautiful run this morning, it had just rained a few hours ago and it was muggy for sure but not too hot. And running at 7:30 am it was dead as a doornail. Eventually once I got through the first part of my run people started showing up. The good thing about the park is that everyone is really nice, and often the same people show up more than once. There's this adorable old couple with two yappy dogs that always say hello to me in the morning. There's also another old man who wears an old camo marine cap that blasts oldies out of the speaker in his cell phone. He is there almost every day as well. I haven't really introduced myself or anything, but I notice them and they notice me.

Chemistry homework and chemistry class ruled the latter part of my day, and then I went to see Sue Grafton at Maryville University. I am a huge fan of hers and have been since I was around 13 or 14, when I picked up a copy of A is for Alibi at a bookstore in either Memphis or London, I bought a lot of books in both places when I travelled in Europe. I met her when I was 14 and got my photo with her. If I can ever find my photo with her from 1999 I will post a comparison. My dad took the photo on his cell phone and honestly, I cracked up when I saw it. Sue is looking off to the side at something and I'm kind of half-grinning, half-flinching with my eyes shut. I will definitely cut my dad some slack cause he is older and his eyesight isn't that great, but I have to admit that that picture is hilarious. :-D I would post it on here but for some reason I can't seem to upload it on my phone.

Tomorrow I am going for an early morning (VERY early morning) run and I am going to my Chemistry lab. I am determined that this time I will not forget I have a lab in the morning, and make it on time or early. Then I will finally go to Lululemon and pick up my race packet, as I have been neglecting it all week. The 5k is in four days, and I will be sure to post my t-shirt and bib and race outfit, even though it is somewhat nondescript. :-)

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening. I am going to hit the hay, as I am getting tired. Be blessed all!

Day 44: Why I Am an Overcomer

Some days, God tests me.

The following is very spiritually involved, so if you're not interested in that sort of thing, I give you permission to overlook that bit. But still read on, you may learn something.

----
I am a huge Joyce Meyer fan. I think she is hysterical, and preaches a good message most times she speaks. I admit there are times when I've turned off the program because I wasn't yet ready to hear what she had to say. But most of the time, she brings it on home.

God seems to like it when I watch Joyce on the internet and seems to give me "homework" after viewing one of her shows. As in, well you've learned the lesson mentally, so let's see if you can put it into practice.

One of my favorite lessons by her is not to become offended at oneself. To become determined that no matter what kind of things are thrown in your way, to not become derailed from the purpose that God has called you to. She advocates being active and articulating things aloud, and she mentions having a very determined sit-down with herself and saying that she is NOT going to be kept by the devil from enjoying her life. She said there was a shift in her attitude from that point on.

Well, I experienced a more benign but similar episode today. For whatever reason, this nagging feeling inside me was that I was a loser and I was a horrible runner. I don't usually think that, normally I'm so excited to be running I can look past the fact that I'm slow. It nagged on and when I got to the hard part of my run,  I was fighting it and just so disappointed that I was, in my opinion, too slow. Eventually, it got intense and I just said to myself for about 5 minutes, "I'm an overcomer," like the Mandisa song. Sometimes I had to say it to myself more harshly than other times, sometimes I had to yell (to myself) at the devil that he was NOT going to take me down. About halfway through my cool down my insistence took, and I realized that yes, I was an overcomer, and yes, I was good at what I did. I decided to continue walking and put in an additional 35 second run at high speed. My total was 1.70 miles, 495 kcals, and 40:18, 9 minutes over the C25K time. :-) I also found out that I had beaten my original fast pace on the run at 2.7 mph instead of my usual 2.3.

After my run. Day 32/50 and 23.2 miles into the Lazy Girl Marathon! :-)

 

 

Mandisa has also put out a series of pictures on her website, and I have used one of those repeatedly on my page. This is the picture in question:

I can't even tell you how many times I've felt that way on the elliptical, lol. :-) But it just means that everyone who has been on a weight loss journey at some point has felt like that picture. But thank God that we are overcomers and have Someone who has overcome even the worst of circumstances. So, if you feel like giving up sometimes, remember that Christ has made us more than conquerors and we can overcome anything! :-)

I hope everyone has a terrific day. True to form, I'm going back to chem homework, lol. Be blessed everyone! :-)

Day 43: The Answer to all Life's Questions... and a day

Gotta love a good Hitchhiker's Guide reference.

It's been another day. Nothing too spectacular. Decided to go running while my mom and sister went to their water aerobics class, and got in a 1.80 mile, 37 minute run on the dreadmill. I averaged about 18:45 a mile, which isn't too bad. I even got in a 4.0 mph run for 60 seconds at the end. I'm trying to increase that 4.0 mph run at the end too, it feels so good to get that last burst of energy out! After my run, I hit the stationary bike for a 6.14 mile bike ride. I only rode 26 minutes because I figured Mom and my sis would be done by then, but they took an entire hour to get dressed! Only in my family I reckon. :-)

I went to Target and got some real running clothes, as opposed to my cotton shirt and shorts that I normally wear. Per usual, my hair is a state of disarray, otherwise I would post it in two seconds. I got a green running shirt and a pair of black compression capris. I tried on two different pairs and ended up liking those better. I got some prepackaged dinners and would have gotten a ton of hummus and pretzels (my favorite guilty pleasure) but then I found out the entire refrigerated section in the store had lost power and the food had spoiled the day before, and there was no food at all in the refrigerated section! :-( Thankfully I was able to find some plums that weren't refrigerated and I had one of those as a snack.

I got my flu shot, which was relatively quick and painless. I never have been particularly put out by needles or shots, after having bloodwork done for years for a med I used to be on, they don't phase me at all and I don't particularly get nervous before getting a shot. The only problem is we ended up waiting almost an hour to get it because we weren't entered into the system. Then they found out that my mom and my sister had different insurance plans and that held them up longer, until FINALLY we got our flu shots and were able to leave. A NSV for me in this regard: while I was waiting, my mom and my sister got 3 bags of cookies and proceeded to polish most of them off. I didn't touch a single cookie. I was quite fine with my plum and flavored water (well, with the plum anyhoo, the Life Water was ridiculously sweet and after I drank it 3 times and cringed each time I decided to throw it away). Before I would have inhaled the cookies along with them.

I was in a bad mood the rest of the day though, family drama is always there. I thought it was just that, but... (TMI alert!) Aunt Flo came to visit. I think that's pretty sweet cause before I would skip for months at a time, but this time it was on time. :-) It's the first time since I lost so much weight in 2010 that I've seen happen. I'm also thrilled because that means the weight will start to fall off. I actually don't have issues gaining during, just before AF, and then the weight falls off. It would also explain why I was eating like a maniac this weekend, lol. :-)

Well, I gotta go do some Chemistry homework awesome-sauce, so I will get my butt off Blogger and go do it, lol. I hope everyone has a fantastic day and is blessed continually! :-)

Day 42: Happy Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to me.

I celebrated my 29th birthday with not a lot of pomp and circumstance. My fiancé and I went running this morning, clocking 1.6 miles. Bryan is a super fast runner and I was impressed. He ran the first leg of C25K and didn't even break a sweat. We went to the mall, where he got my gift: pearl earrings with a small diamond that he got from the same place we got my engagement ring. We ate at Charley's subs, where we got some small subs and happily noshed away. :-)

A snack at the mall.

 

We then went mini-golfing at Swing Around Fun Town, the St Charles location, where we got a nice 18 holes in, barely beating the rain as we got into the car. It was a lot of fun and it became quite obvious that I hadn't played in awhile. We ended up hitting the ball too hard and too soft and got our butts handed to us by the kids in front of us. Still, we had fun and plan on doing it again sometime soon. :-)

 

I strike the golf ball sort of in the right direction.

My gorgeous fiancé poses in front of a waterfall.



I don't look half bad myself.

 

 

We then went bowling as our last stop. It was actually quite amusing because we were next to seven kids about 9 or 10 years old, all boys, and two grown-ups. They were hurling the balls across the lane and they were coming down with a resounding CRASH each time. One kid got the idea and threw the ball so hard it went over the bumpers and got stuck in the gutter. I have never laughed so hard in my life, and Bryan was having a hard time keeping a straight face as well. Eventually a well-meaning employee suggested he use a 7-lb bowling ball if he was going to chuck it across the line, and so they made a beeline for the pink bowling ball I was using. I didn't know whether to snatch it back or just laugh that 7 boys were using a pink ball that belonged to a girl. :-D I decided it would be less drama just to laugh it off, and then the dad (or the chaperone) returned with a second pink ball.

 

The pink ball in question.

Photobombed! Bryan takes it in stride.

 



I had a fun birthday but I am definitely glad we are only having a few celebrations. I believe last year we went out at least 6 times and by the end of it we were all feeling kind of bloated and gross, lol. :-) Next Saturday I am going out with my future mom-in-law and on Sunday Bryan and I are running the 5k. :-)

 

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. Me, I'm going back to chemistry land and enjoying the view. Be blessed all!

Day 41: New Running Records

I did NOT want to run this morning. Do you ever have those mornings, where the body is somewhat willing and the spirit says forget it? That was me this morning. I made excuses, numerous ones that were somewhat satisfying to me, but none of them really fit the mood I was in.

Let me explain.

I can't get past 207. I have been trying to get past 207 for some time, and it goes up to 208 as soon as it gets there. No clue why, I am almost positive this time it was water weight after my lunch date with my best friend, but still, after a few days of consistent weight loss, it gets stuck at 207 again! I'm determined to push past that number, even if it takes a little tweaking of my diet.

Anyhoo, seeing that number ticked me off and I did NOT want to run. I just wanted to take a rest day and veg.  But like I said, none of them really fit the bill. I decided I would just quit my drama and lace up my shoes for my run.

I ran C25K W4D1, which was composed of a 3-minute jog followed by a 90-second break, then a 5-minute jog followed by a 2.5 minute walk, repeated twice. I'm not going to lie, that was a difficult run. There were times when I was panting so hard I thought people would think I was having an asthma attack. Still, I made it through, walked for an extra 5 minutes, and then ran back to my car, for a grand total of 37:45 or so. I burned 464 calories and walked/ran 1.55 miles.

That was a new record for me. :-) I have only run about 1.32-1.46 in the past, even with the shorter bursts of running when I was at a higher (much higher, lol) speed. I was excited for that, and even more so that I got out and broke records when I was in a horrible mood. Which goes to show you, even if it sucks sometimes, you can still get it done. :-)

Me after the run that almost wasn't. Ignore the lip funkiness, I get it every time I run.

 

I am sooo looking forward to the rest of my day as well! The fiancé is spending the night for my birthday and we will go out tonight and tomorrow. :-) I think we are going bowling and out to eat. And he apparently has an awesome present for me that he got through the mail that apparently has his name on it. :-D Either way, I'm totally looking forward to seeing him and getting some interesting presents. Today while I'm hanging out on my own (fiancé has to work til 4) I will probably goof around and do some chem homework. :-) I seem to be nice and ahead on my chem homework, and even got a 95 on my exam! I do need to do some makeup work on the lab though, cause I was a goof and totally forgot I had class! Way to go, Shelly. Either way, got some work to make up, lol. :-)

 

I hope everyone has a fantastic day! I know I will. Be blessed, and don't be stressed! xx

Day 40: Woohoo, Forty Days! :)

It's been 40 days since I started this journey (well, give-or-take, since the beginning of the blog is very infrequent posting). And it's been life-changing. I hit 207.8 yet again after catching a little flack from the scale in the past few weeks. I'm kind of weird like that, I go up and down, have huge weight losses then go up and down and finally back down again to another huge loss. Right now I'm kind of in the huge losses department and continually losing, maybe about a pound a day or so.

Today was a mild cheat day in that I actually ate out today. I had half a sandwich and some clam chowder in a fun-sized bowl, it was actually pretty good though I was disappointed they didn't have the tomato basil soup. That one is my absolute favorite. Anyhoo, I rarely eat out or really have much money to spend, and 99 percent of the time I don't need it.

My best friend bought me some soap and a cute little caddy to put it in, which honestly looks better than the blatantly obvious soap on the bathroom counter. :-D In fact, I have been at my parents' house so infrequently that that soap has lasted me over 2 years! I would have kept it even longer except that my parents thought it was empty when they came down and ransacked the downstairs. (Don't ask, you'll save yourself a lot of hassle.) It's the same brand of soap but a different "flavor."

Fall soapy goodness.

 

 

I also went to Loft and tried on some jeans. I tried on a size 14 and they were ridiculously close to fitting but they didn't want to zip up when I put them on. I figure if I can lose another few pounds then they will fit. I've fit into Old Navy's size 14 pants in the past so I may be able to go down a size. But Old Navy's stuff is ridiculously vanity-sized. They cut the pants bigger and put a smaller size on it so people will come back. I never entirely got that, and it struck me as being not too terribly honest. Imagine your disappointment when you go to another shop and the same size is airtight on you! lol

My size 16 skinny jeans. :-)

This weekend I am hanging out with my fiancé and we are celebrating the Friday the 13th (special fun anniversary for us because we met on Friday, May 13, 2011. And because we're weird that way we often celebrate Friday the 13th by going out to do something fun.) and my birthday. :-) It feels so weird to be kissing cousins with being 30 years old. I always thought I would have been more successful at this point in my life, but I dunno. I have a weird life that I won't get into extensively, for more information refer to the previous posts on the blog. Either way, I'm getting my life back on track. Hopefully there will be no more sabotaging from certain members of my family.

Well, I'm about to wrap it up. Going to eat dinner, do chem homework, and work out some, not necessarily in that order. :-) Hope everyone has a good day and I will be back later tonight, hopefully.

Day 39.5: A Day Out on the Town and More Supplementing Goodness

That may be the longest post title I've ever had, lol. It's reminiscent of "Standing Outside a Broken Telephone Booth With Money In My Hands." I can never remember who sang it, but they sampled BB King, which is always super cool in my book. :-)

Anyhoo, I went to the Big River Running Co shop out in O'Fallon, and realized I had totally passed it twice yesterday. It was a fun place to go, but I didn't see anything I wanted and everything was too expensive, so I went on to a few other places. I went to Sports Authority and got some Nuun tabs. They were not too bad, definitely an acquired taste though since I'm not really used to carbonated drink tabs. It was an early birthday present to myself. :-)

I also took some packages to the UPS shop for my mom, and in return got a fairly large chunk of change to spend. And where do I go? To S2, of course, because my paycheck is irresistibly drawn to the awesomeness. I decided to go all out, I got some protein powder in Chocolate Coconut, and some DHA to replace my almost empty bottle. I also got one of those shaker cups with the S2 logo on it. Thankfully, the guys were nice and decided to let me sample some of the powder, and it was super good! I have had so many issues with protein powder in the past, it made my stomach hurt like a mofo and just looked and tasted disgusting. I tried the Vega powder before and it was absolutely nasty, didn't mix well and made a gritty nasty mix in the bottom of the cup. Tried making a smoothie out of it and that just made it worse. :-( But I tried the ice cream sandwich one the other day and it was... okay, maybe a little too sweet for my liking. :-) But I tried this one and it was much better. Not as overkill sweet as the protein bars either, which I hear are not as good since the protein is denatured and doesn't really work then.

My awesome shaker thingie. Now you know what S2 means.

I also got out my old 5-HTP bottle, since I brought it up with the other guy (I think his name may be Bart, but I'm not sure) and he was saying how it made him in a better mood. I took one and I actually feel quite nice, and relaxed since DHA/EPA always makes me a little bit more relaxed. I think with all the goodness, I have finally found a very comfortable combination of supplements. And needless to say, all my non-WL supplements when the B12 runs out will come from there! :-) They are a lot less expensive than Whole Foods.

I also also (hehe) went to Gold's Gym for my second round of workouts. I figure that if you have a 3-day pass to the place you might as well use it as much as you can. :-) I did a few calf raises and leg extensions (cause apparently today was leg day, lol) and I tried the rower machine. I had never used one before and it felt really good to try one out. I made it to around 22:30 on the rower, which was not bad for a first time, and I burned around 132 calories. It's a pretty good workout and low intensity as well, so its good if you have knee or back problems (or in my case just completed a leg day workout, lol) and want a workout.

I have had so much fun today, and I even ordered some goodies from the Sweat Pink catalog, so if anyone wants some awesome-sauce pink shoelaces, I will give them to you for the price I paid for them ($0). I will probably order the tank top eventually for running, but for now I want to make sure that Bryan and I have enough money to go bowling, lol. :-) I am so geeked out about seeing him this weekend and my best friend on Friday, it will be a super awesome birthday weekend. :-)

I hope everyone has a most excellent day! Me, I will chill and type some chemistry notes, since I need to catch up a bit on the class I missed. (Yes, I totally FORGOT about class. I have never done that before! I was at the gym and I was like, something's missing from my day, I'm not sure what...) Be blessed all, and sleep well! :-)

Day 39: Going for the Golds

I have always been afraid of Gold's Gym.

Maybe it's just that I'm expecting a bunch of meatheads to work out there, you know, the ones that are all brawn and no brain. The ones that "feel the burn" all the time, lol. (Trust me, I feel the sweat a lot, the burn, not so much.) Nevertheless, I just had one of those days where I thought, "Shellybean, let's do something adventurous with ourselves today." However, with my limited funds there is only so much adventure I can pack into one day. :-) So I decided to go to a different gym.

Granted, there are a lot of places to go where I would blend into the background. The place I go right now is very much a place where you blend into the background. Plus, the cardio equipment kind of sucks and the weight room is very small. I wanted more of a place to work out as opposed to playing basketball or hockey or swimming. So, I mustered up the courage and went to Gold's Gym.

It actually wasn't so bad. I was given a tour by a chick who seemed kind of laid-back, not who I would expect to be giving the tour. It's a nice place, they have all kinds of protein drinks and bars, some protein powder and all kinds of shirts! I am a t-shirt junkie (as anyone knows who gives away a free one, I'm all up in their business, literally, lol) so having a Gold's Gym t-shirt would be a total geekout moment for me. :-) Even if I never went back there, it would be a pretty sweet reminder that I came, saw, and conquered. :-)

If I got one, this would be one I'd like:

 

Pink is my favorite color, so I would geek out to have one of these little tank tops. I am totally in love with racerback tees, especially since I live in sports bras most of the time and the typical tanks don't really cover the bra in the back. (By the way, ladies, if you don't wear proper gear when you run, I'd recommend it, you'll kill your back if you wear a regular bra.)

 

I am also going to a running store to check out some running gear, I tried to find the one in O'Fallon yesterday but I couldn't find it cause Verizon Navigator sucks, lol. Thankfully, I have figured out that the Google map app has it on there. So I will find it today and get all geeked out about running.

 

Speaking of geeked out about running, I did C25K W3D3 and it was much easier, presumably since it was on the treadmill. I think I will do an extra day of Week 3 this week, so I can get used to running that length outside. It was super hard last time I did it outside, and I was wheezing a little bit, so I think I need to get where I can run it a little better before I move up to the next level. :-)

Not a bad run on the dreadmill, lol.

 After my run, but so what?

Got a nice sweat on today. Guess there was something interesting to the left.

 

I only have a three-day pass to Gold's Gym then we'll see from there, but hopefully I will be able to get a full membership and not have to worry about can I pay it, etc. :-) But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a job will come my way eventually. Especially at a running or supplement shop. I love my supplement shops, as though you couldn't tell. I almost asked for a job app at GNC but I chickened out, but next time I will ask. I may even go into *gasp* Complete Nutrition! I'm not sure though, that place reeks of upsell. :-P

 

Anyhoo, I hope everyone has a fantastic day, I'm out and about yet again. Be blessed all. :-)

Day 38.5: A Role Model And *Gasp* A Secret About Me!

I find it so odd that people look up to me.

Maybe that's my old self-esteem issues getting in my way, but I sometimes find it hard to believe that people care about my life so much that they would follow my blogs religiously or post every day on there. :-) I'm always grateful, but always just a touch perplexed.

Being a role model is weird. I'm always recognized in my favorite nutrition shop. First of all, I have a favorite nutrition shop. :-D The last time I was universally recognized it was at Buffalo Wild Wings and El Mariachi where they knew what I was going to order before I even ordered, because I had been there so often. Now, if I go in to the nutrition shop, they know who I am, and what I'm usually there for. (Which is either supplements or for a question on nutrition.) If I go to the gym, they know I require a towel to pat the profusely dripping sweat off my face, and no further assistance. Unless the person at the desk is new, this is usually what happens, before I even ask. I am recognized at the gym FINALLY, and I've been going there for 3 years! I just never was very consistent with my workouts so they never saw me. :-)

I also notice that I have totally changed my shopping habits and whatnot. I had to withdraw all my funds from my bank account to cash only because I was so put out by my bank and their particular brand of bs (more about that another time), and it wasn't a whole heck of a lot but I had my pick of things to buy. Before, that would have gone directly to funding my soda and chips addiction. I realized when I was driving by the new Shell station that I didn't have to worry anymore about who had the cheapest soda, and if I had enough to last me for the week. I still have two cases of soda and a 20 oz bottle that haven't been touched in almost a month, just in case I really needed it. I haven't touched it, and I go past it all the time.

Also, I had a nasty shopping addiction. Like, I would go broke 2 days after getting a paycheck. I don't know exactly why, but I have completely lost the urge to shop. In fact, I don't really get out and shop too often, and usually its limited to the grocery store or the supplement shop. I love to go to True Runner and peruse, but I still haven't bought anything from there, lol. :-D It could be that I just don't like traditional running shorts (the inseam is literally less than the length of my thumb! You best not sit awkwardly in those.) or running clothes, or that I'm not quite sized in to them yet. Either way, I don't buy there often. :-)

So anyway, all that to say, I'm still continually shocked simultaneously by what I seem to be capable of, and what other people seem to think I'm capable of, both in the positive and negative. I still have people in my life that are trying to convince me to settle for less, even after they've seen what I accomplished. They even accuse me of being obsessed with exercise. I guess they would rather I was obsessed with drugs or partying. There is nothing wrong with being a little obsessive at first. Eventually, it will wear off. :-) So yeah, just got to shrug off the haters and move on. :-)

I hope everyone is enjoying their week. :-) I sure am, I was down 3 lbs this morning, and I'm hoping for a significant loss again. It's not me being unhealthy, I just lose weight fast on Paroxetine. I am one of the rare lucky ones because I hear the opposite is true with most people. I actually don't take it for depression either. I take it for Asperger's. :-) Yup, who would have thunk, right? I have a very mild form of autism, which seems to run on my mom's side a bit, and my sister does too, except hers is more pronounced than mine. I take it and I can socialize with people and not flock off to the side.

Yes, I'm autistic. Get over it, you wish you were too. :-)

Anyway, I wasn't expecting to share that, but you know how blogging goes. :-) I hope everyone has a fantastic day and is blessed! :-)

Day 38: Running On Fumes

Well, not really, I just thought it was funny. :-)

After going to put gas in the car, I went outside to run. I normally don't go outside to run when it's hot out but it was probably 77-78 degrees and I thought I could swing that. I did C25K W3D2, which is composed of a 90 sec run-90 sec walk, 3 min run-3 min walk; repeated twice. It was sort of easy on the treadmill, but it was definitely harder on the pavement.

I ran very slowly. I was worried about running too hard at the beginning and then petering out right before I stopped running. And trust me, it got tough. I was running at a 22 minute pace, breathing hard and about to stop in the middle of it. But I decided to keep on going, cause I was like, I've only got 2 minutes left, 1 minute left, and so on and so forth. I have to admit that I'm guilty of looking at the clock, especially when I have no pockets to put my phone in. Plus, if I have no guidance for how much time I have left it is much easier to give up! But still, I put in around 1.32 miles, which isn't bad at all. :-) I have done 26/50 of the 50 day challenge and am over halfway through the Lazy Girl Marathon at 14 miles ran this month! :-)

After pounding the pavement in City Hall Park.

 

 



Me and Frodo's butt. He decided he was going to get in the fun too!

My 5K is in 11 days! I am not super nervous, but I know I will not be running the whole time. If I'm lucky I will get to week 6 or 7 (I run each segment of C25K for three days in a row, then amp up the intensity. It's pretty tough, but I make it.) of C25K and at least get a fairly major part of the 5K where I actually run! I'm trying to beat my last time of 58:23 (but I was walking it, so that's not bad!) so hopefully I will be able to do that. My fiancé will be running with me so that will be good at least. He definitely encourages me when it gets hard. :-)

Well, I gotta go study for my Chem exam, but I will definitely check in this evening. I will be biking 9.11 miles in honor of 9/11 victims tonight, so hopefully it will let me record it without there being a glare on the screen. :-) We'll see, my dad's bike isn't very photogenic when it comes to recording times, lol. :-) I hope everyone has a fantastic day and is blessed! :-)

Day 37: Revenge of the Nerds

I hope everyone is enjoying their day. I have a day off from school, as I only go to school 3 days a week, so I've been hanging around the house studying for my exam on Wednesday. I am really enjoying my chemistry class thus far and I'm hoping for a decent grade on the test.

I have been thinking about what I want to do with my degree. Since the fiancé and I are getting married in a little over a year, we've been making rudimentary plans about what we will be doing after we get married, namely how my schooling will look. Bryan graduates in November, but I have been looking at various aspects of biology and chemistry and I have switched from Microbiology to Biochemistry to Marine Biology and so on and so forth. It's been really hard to narrow it down to one field because I'm such a geek about all kinds of different types of science. I have narrowed it down to Biochemistry and Microbiology at the moment with a leaning toward the biochemistry side. There are not a lot of straight biochem jobs in the StL area but there are a lot that will take a biochem degree. So, my schooling will probably be that I finish up either a biology or chemistry AA degree at SCC, I haven't really decided which yet. I will go to UMSL for my Chem/Biochem BS and Mizzou in Columbia, MO for my biochem PhD. The whole program will take me around 8 years to finish from this point.

It will be nice to get these basic courses out of the way. I went to an advisor in the Biology department at another school and explained to her my situation, that I was coming from Memphis as an English major. She basically said that I was wasting my time trying to earn a science degree if I had come from the humanities department, and why didn't I try something simpler? Ooh man, the quickest way to light a fire under my butt is to tell me I can't do something. I didn't pass the first time, because I was basically told to go straight from an English degree to General Bio I, with no refresher courses in chemistry or math! I never would have listened to anyone who told me to do that now. I hadn't taken any Algebra or Geometry courses since the 11th grade, and I hadn't taken Chemistry in 7 years either. So, if you're doing a Biology/Chemistry degree, get the basic courses out of the way first!! You'll thank me later. :-) And now I'm aceing chemistry and would have aced Biology if I wouldn't have had all the problems at the end of the semester. Who's laughing now, Biology advisor? :-)

Anyhoo, vicarious vengeance aside, I am excited that I will get the opportunity to do that again. It would be weird to finish a degree with no drama at all involved in the getting thereof. Because of severe reactions to various meds I had been put on (more about that in previous entries, if you want to know), I missed a lot of school and had to retake several courses because of it. Hopefully now though the worst of it is behind me and I'll actually be able to graduate with honors and get my life back on track.

-----
I apologize for a completely off-topic post, but I will update you on some fitness-related stuff as well. I did C25K Week 3 Day 1 (I usually run every day and spend 3 days on a "week") and I did fairly well. I have to say I was a bit nervous about that one because I hadn't run over 3.0 mph doing 3 consecutive minutes in a long time. I got in there and did it anyway, and it was tough! I was sweating fairly profusely and although it wasn't unbearable by any means, it was definitely more than what I was used to. It should be super fun though when the weather cools down to get back out on the track, I miss running outside! (However, I'm not sure I miss almost falling over from the heat, lol.)

The usual shot, day 25/50. Halfway done!

 

You know you love my shirt. C'mon, admit it! Lol

 

 

I guess I will get going, I gotta head to Wally World and find a new pair of running shorts that aren't bright pink, lol. :-D I hope everyone has a fantastic day, and I hope you'll be blessed! :-)



Day 36.5: I Suck At Cheating

Well, folks, guess I've converted to the light side. :-) I lost my good VeganDHA blend today, which will cost a small fortune to replace if I get that same brand. Fortunately, I have a number of things that can fill the void, since I've been actively supplementing since 2008, but still, it's annoying when you can't find your stuff. :-D

I sat through the review session before Wednesday's exam, getting vaguely annoyed with the fact that people kept on asking if something was going to be on the exam or not, like percentages of naturally-occurring isotopes and their specific atomic weights. If you were to memorize all those percentages for the 60-70 elements we have to learn for the test in an Introductory Chem class, please, teach me all your mad memorization skills, lol. :-D Anyhoo, I left feeling somewhat stressed out even though my questions were answered quite thoroughly.

It's easy when you're in the vicinity of half a dozen or so unhealthy restaurants, to want to partake. I mean, there are two within less than a mile of the college. But, for some reason the urge to partake just wasn't that overpowering. Sure, I was a bit peckish especially after my professor started using food in the chemical equations (those are actually fun problems but they make you hungry!), and a little stressed from all the business from earlier in the day, but honestly I didn't really want it that badly and went home to chill with some water and a few toasted almonds.

I have been corrupted. :-D

Normally, with unlimited funds and lack of willpower, I would have gotten the biggest thing of chicken nuggets on the menu at Chik-Fil-A and chowed down like there was no tomorrow. I would have not felt any buyer's remorse or anything, I would have been happy for the time being. I used to eat two meals a day from McD's at my heavier size (if you could call it a meal) and think nothing of it. Now, it just feels completely weird to me to even consider fast food or any food out in general. Even on my birthday Bryan and I will probably use the fundages Mom and Dad are giving us to eat out and go bowling instead or mini-golfing or something like that. :-) The weather is supposed to be nice so we may make some light dishes and go out to Castlewood for a picnic. Either way, my mom and dad's way of celebrating and our way is like night and day.

But, even though I suck at cheating, I like the person I am. I don't feel gross and crawl around the house all day, living from meal to meal. I don't get upset about not having money as much because it isn't really a huge necessity. You have no idea how bad your eating habits have gotten until you see your monthly bank statement and it's almost 100 percent restaurants! It has freed up a significant chunk of change. So has quitting soda, I paid $14 for my Tervis cup and I've been using it for a month just filling up wherever I needed to get water. :-) I found a soul jumbled up there in all those malfunctioning organs and fat folds, and I kinda like her. :-D

Anyhoo, I gotta get back to studying and doing some arm and ab/squat workouts! I hope everyone has a fantastic day and stays cool, cause it's a hot one. Be blessed!

Day 36: Sweaty Monday

I got back on my antidepressants.

I know, I know, I'm not supposed to be depressed if I'm working out, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. Besides, I have a bit of a one-track mind when I don't take them. Blame whatever you want, I just feel better that way. (As long as I'm taking all my supplements, mind. Otherwise it just turns me into a freakshow, lol.)

Anyhoo, got a nice long run in today, about 30 minutes worth. I got up to 4.3, but only for a little while because I didn't want to amp it up for so long that I couldn't finish the workout. I averaged around 3.8-4.0 mph, which is fairly normal for me. I am on W2D3 of C25K at the moment, and I'm about to do week 3! That scares me ever the slightest bit, because I have never gotten past week 2 the few times I have done C25K. I have no issue running for 3 minutes, I have done it on the treadmill before, but it should be interesting running it at normal speed! I have always run it about 3.0-3.2 mph but I haven't gone any faster than that.

Nice and sweaty! If I look tired, I am! :-)

 



I have chemistry class today, and will have my first exam on Wednesday! I am not super nervous, but I will definitely be studying hard for that. It's fun stuff like calculations and significant figures, and I will have to know a list of elements (though not all 117 of them!) that is listed on the school website. So far I have done fairly well, got one 88 but I guess that's okay. Otherwise I have gotten all As this semester. I keep hoping to pull off another 4.0, so I can get my GPA back into the 3's. I had some issues the second semester, and I'm hoping to get as close to a 4.0 as I can before I get done and go to UMSL. :-)

Well, don't really have a diary to write this morning, got some studying to do and gotta get in the shower. Cause let's face it, working out makes you stanky, lol! Have a great day all, and be blessed!

Day 35.5: Lighten Up The Load

Just chilling after a very slow but fun ride on the bike. I was originally intending to take a rest and cheat day, but I realized very quickly that wasn't going to be a good idea. I just felt nasty, and slept for three hours and felt worse. I decided to get on the bike and just take a slow ride, and I felt much better after that. :-) I broke my running streak at 23 days, but I will not worry about it and just go on like it didn't happen. :-) Sundays are a very difficult day to get into the gym anyway just because the hours are so wonky, and it was pouring down rain outside when I went out to run. I mean, don't get me wrong, a little rain never hurt me, but it might hurt my smartphone that I'm using to track my intervals. :-D No fun to have a wet cell phone.

I have been thinking about the content of my blogs and wonder if maybe I'm just being way too serious all the time. I am actually not a very serious person, and I'm not all that sensitive. But when you put me in an avenue where I can talk freely, I just become a downer. And that's no bueno at all! My family and I actually get along fairly well most of the time, except my mom has depression and chronic pain and you can imagine how that gets. I'm lucky if I can be cordial if I have a headache. But she is also a good cook and loves to cross-stitch. My dad is part geek and part mad scientist, and is obsessed with the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. :-) My sister loves to ride horses and ski, and she was a cheerleader in high school. She was pretty good at it too.

As for me, I love to be outdoors. I have gone backpacking in the past and although six miles with a thirty-pound hard-frame backpack on your back is a little difficult to say the least, I can't wait to go out there again and do some serious backpacking. (My fiancé might not though. I kind of lost him when I mentioned that there's no potties in the woods. :-D ) I make jewelry and I have since I was in high school. :-) Here is some of the things I have made:

 

I love making cards and scrapbooking as well. I don't usually use guidelines for cards, though I have for scrapbooking in the past and it actually turned out better than my freeform designs.

A card I made for my fiancé's 27th birthday. :-)



 

 

 A one-year anniversary layout I made.

 

So, all this to say, that maybe my blog needs to take a different direction, that I needed to lighten up the load, so to speak, and not be so dadgum serious all the time. :-) Speaking of which, wanna know what I look like after a long run and I get that runner's high? Well, here I am:

 

 

Anyhoo, I hope everyone has a great night. Be blessed and enjoy your evening! :-)



 

Day 35: I Learned About Never Settling

No weird dreams after movie night. I'd say this is a pretty good thing. Next up for Bryan and I is introducing the loveliness that is the Star Wars trilogy. :-)

I have learned some interesting things about what constitutes settling to some folks. For some, it's simply that I'm not settling because I don't work at <insert previous job here>. I am settling because I didn't work to my full potential. As I see it, there's a lot of misperception about what this phrase means, and what it means to me.

Settling, as it stands, is directly seeing your goals and the potential to do great things, but consciously turning away and getting on with your bad decisions. Everything that comes up that is a game-changer is combated with excuses, self-doubt, and self-sabotage.

I have a person in my face-to-face life who is like this. This person has something good happen to them and immediately tries to downplay it or find some way to guarantee it won't work. They have been stuck in the same rut for a loooong time and don't really want to do anything about it. They have simply acknowledged that the suck in their life is the suck in their life and they have made their bed with the suck, never acknowledging that they have the power to change it.

That, my friends, is settling.

I have had this same problem in my own life in the past. I had some really good things going for me, and I would always break down and self-sabotage my efforts, simply because I was scared of being successful. Not because of deep-set issues (though anyone who has read this blog for more than one entry can tell you I have a few of those! ;-) ) but simply because it was the unknown and I knew I would have to work hard to get it.

I changed my life because it had just gotten to the point where I either had to change or end up another suicide statistic, because it was really that bad. God has a way of lifting you up when you get to such a desolate point in your life that you acknowledge that you can't do anything without him. He allows you the potential to do great things, until you realize that it was there all along for the taking. :-)

Deep musings this morning, eh? This has been on my mind for some time. I am taking a rest day today for the first time in 23 days and I don't consider this settling at all. I consider it honoring my body. I have been an off- and on-again Buddhist (and Christian, I tend to radiate infrequently between the two) for many years and that is a very important part of Buddhist philosophy, practicing compassion for yourself and others. So if I sound philosophical with Buddhist tendencies, there's a reason for that! :-)

Anyhoo, I will probably go out and dither for a bit, I'm meeting my best friend for lunch and mall-hopping today. There's a soup place in the mall that I want to try, so hopefully I will be able to try it out. I hope everyone has a fantastic day! :-)

Day 34: Exhausted My Witty Title Budget

Evening all, just a quick post before I go to bed.

My fiancé and I had a very packed day after running around like crazy people. We went lasertagging out in Belleville, and I placed fifteenth and Bryan placed fifth, but my team won. We had a very competitive team, I had two kids curse at me using kiddie curses because they had taken hits while invisible. Well, yeeeeah... invincible and invisible are not the same thing, kiddos. There is a certain amount of mortality involved in the latter. ;-) We then went home to get something to eat but my parents were keen on yelling at the fiancé and I because we had come home while they were cleaning. In my stuff, without asking me anything. They just went down there and started going through my stuff and throwing out what they didn't like. They also threw out my good pumpkin soap, so now I have no soap. :-( So the fiancé and I went to the galleria, and I walked around with my purse up around my chest because in addition to getting into all my stuff, they had started getting into my.... personal effects... and I couldn't find any of my bras. (TMI, I know.) I kept telling the fiancé that this was like the nightmare I have had where I'm walking around trying to find clothes.

Anyhoo, we went home and found that my parents had taken their leave after making a mess of the downstairs, so we watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I was determined I would make it through the end of the movie without covering my eyes and shaking at the very end of the movie (and those who have seen the end of any Indiana Jones movie know what I'm talking about!), and of course it was an epic fail. And Mom chewed me out for being scared and saying "OMG," so yeah, another night in my house. :-)

Tomorrow I am going for another run. I need it after all this drama with the family. But Bry and I have been making some rudimentary wedding plans like for dresses and music and stuff. I'm very non-traditional in that I HATE traditional wedding music with a passion. I think its cheesy and annoying, and I can remember way too many Sundays where I have had to sit through bad organ music. Our wedding will be light and fun and very non-traditional, and I want to have kind of a big shindig at the end of the ceremony. And I'm getting "Living Dead Girl," in there somewhere, by goodness. (My favorite Rob Zombie song) Anyhoo, it was fun doing some rudimentary planning.

Well, I gotta go to bed for now. I hope everyone has a good night.