Day 77ish: Hey hey, it's okay...

Like my awesome made-up song title? I think I'm onto something there. :-)

In seriousness, my fiancé brought up something that I thought was super cool. I was bummed out because I had not done very well on my Chemistry test, I guess for whatever reason I just had a bad weekend and didn't want to do much of anything. He said to me, in essence, that doing badly on one chemistry test was okay, especially since I had average 90s on the other test and the lowest score would be dropped. He didn't sound the least bit disappointed, and said that some tests are just harder than others and I would have no trouble with the final. In that moment, he was giving me permission to fail. :-)

Maybe this sounds outrageous to some people, after all, if he gives you permission to fail, doesn't that mean that he wouldn't mind if you failed? Yes, and no. He may want me to succeed, but if I put out the effort and don't make it, I simply have to make a change in my actions and try again, with no guilt trips and repercussions from him. :-) That is a revolutionary and refreshing idea!

My parents, for all intents and purpose, simply didn't have the ability to give me that option. My dad has a doctorate and my mom has a master's, and I can remember ever since I have been in school, they were obsessed with my grades. They bribed me financially when I made A's and B's, they told me everyday that they "needed to see those A's," and just made me a nervous wreck about bringing home anything other than an A or a B. I remember forging signatures on a signed test when I was in the 7th grade because I was so embarrassed to tell them I made a D on a test. I have been at a number of GPA's, even joining the honor's society one semester with a 4.0 GPA and at one point getting an overall GPA below a 1.0.

I don't know how much is related to this, but it has caused me to hold myself to a ridiculous standard of perfection. I was crushed if I didn't bring home a 100, if I got a C on a test I would stop going because I knew I couldn't salvage it. I studied 30 hours or more a week, as well as going to school. It was just high pressure, all the time, and I couldn't handle it.

I have been in college over a decade. I have wrapped my life so much in making my parents happy by getting good grades, I just hoped that if I could complete school the way they wanted me to, I would be happy, they would be happy, and everything would be hunky-dory.

THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS WAY TO LIVE!!!!

My passion is writing, animal rights, and jewelry-making. I used to make jewelry everyday, and wore it, and I was super proud of my work. I got asked to do a jewelry show but was hell-bent on making a 4.0 GPA, so I turned it down. I think this was a HUGE mistake, and I could have gotten a huge self-esteem boost from it. I love to write and wanted desperately to become published. I never got to do any of this! I let myself go to the point of making everyone else happy. You know what, I want to have my own jewelry business, I want to write novels, and that's okay!! There is nothing wrong with any of that. I also love photography and want to take photography classes, and that's okay too! All of that is okay! I don't have to be in school my whole life or make everyone happy to be happy myself. I can live my own life and be okay with it. :)

Day 70: A Long Time Coming

I had an interesting weekend. Over the past few days, Bryan and I went hiking at Cuivre River. Or at least attempted to. We went to this lakeside trail that looked interesting but it was overgrown and covered in bugs! We only made it around 0.2 miles before we gave up on the trail and went over to City Hall Park to play around. We had fun and even got to find a new trail there. My fiancé's friend decided to invite us to this hole-in-the-wall bar in Maryland Heights and we had a pretty good time. I can tell the BMR Bliss has sped up my metabolism because I had two Midori and sprites which would have made me crazy drunk before, but I was just fine. :-) I had a good time, even though I had more soda than I have had in a long time. :-)

Today I was mercifully free of caffeine withdrawal and all that jazz so I decided to go to church. It was the first time out of a handful of times that I have ever gone to church two Sundays in a row. I had fun and got to know some of the people from the church. I am starting to enjoy going to church, even though the church is huge. At first I was miffed because no one would talk to me, they were busy talking to their friends and I kind of got lost in the shuffle. Now I like the time to meditate and get close to God without everyone invading my personal space, lol!

I did some Chemistry homework and then I decided to go for a run. Or rather, I tried to go for a run, realized halfway there that I had forgotten my timer, went back for my timer, went back to the park and then discovered that there were about three different meetups going on in the park. There were even people who were at a whip meetup and were learning to crack whips. There were sailboats on the lake and the place was packed. I like my space when I run so this kind of stressed me out. But I laced up and went anyway.

It started nondescriptly. I ran for seven minutes, and just ran out of steam. But I decided that I was not going to let it get me down. I walked for five minutes, then ran another fourteen minutes before my foot started going numb and almost gave out on me, and I decided to stop and let it get feeling back. Then I thought, why not do a slow interval run? I did an additional 15 minutes for a total of 36 minutes, 2 miles, and about 1.7 of walking. :-)

An unusually mellow-looking post-run picture, lol!

 

I finally got to the two-mile mark, even though it was kind of a roundabout way to get there. :-) Either way, I left it all on the track and am feeling much better.

 

Hope everyone has an awesome day! Be blessed and enjoy the journey!

Day 59/60: Time with the Fiance and Time to Myself

Geez, three blog entries in six days. Ah well, been a little bit busy!

Yesterday my fiancé and I decided to go out. I had hurt my knee and wasn't able to run for a few days, so I was eager to get out of the house instead of just chilling at home. We decided to eat homemade spaghetti at home, and then go out to Dave and Buster's to play games. :-) I have noticed that my choices of games has changed somewhat. Before, my only interest was games where you could stand or sit down. The fiancé and I are huge fans of Deal or No Deal, Ball Drop games, and Plink-o. I actually won 750 tickets out of the Plink-O machine once. But this time we added some active games like air hockey, a full size basketball game and a mini basketball game. The full size basketball game was much harder then the mini one! It worked me out hard core in the core (hehe) and the arms. :-) We ended up getting a ridiculous amount of tickets since the fiancé generally saves his tickets when he gets a ton of them, and I decided to get me a sweatshirt. I usually wear mediums in t-shirts but larges in hoodies, but I decided to get a medium hoodie since it was the only size they had. :-) I will fit into it, by goodness!

Speaking of the fiancé, he is now gainfully employed. I am so proud of him! It took him no time at all to find a job and he is even close to my house. Now it's my turn to follow suit. :-) I have an appointment with career services on the 11th and I think I will hold out for something using my previous English degree (yup, I have a bachelor's in English) or something where I am not necessarily doing retail. I've had it with retail, people are always complaining or just plain rude. I want a change of scenery. I have done a lot of medical data entry in the past, but a lot of that is now work-from-home now and full of scammers. Not really what I'm interested in! :-) Either way, I will try to work something out with career services next week and try to follow suit. I would love to be a Beachbody coach on the side, it just sounds like fun! I loved working with Primerica, and they seem to have similar setup, just in different business ventures. But since you have to make an investment beforehand, I will have to have a regular job first.

I have my second chemistry exam this Monday, on various and sundry things like nomenclature, Lewis dot structures, and all that jazz. I still haven't decided between biology and chemistry, I like them both and it's hard to choose between Microbio and Biochem! I will be sure to let you guys know when I've made up my mind, lol.

I also did my Biggest Loser workout today. I have been doing more strength training to make up for the deficit in running due to various injuries. I think I may do some interval running tonight though, on the dreadmill. Anyhoo, I did Level 1 of Strength Training on the Biggest Loser DVD, and I was nonplussed. I thought there had to be more to the workout, but it was short and kind of easy. I will do Level 2 tomorrow I think, it will be more challenging and not leave me nonplussed. Tonight I may do the Zumba DVD for a workout, I haven't done it in awhile, and I feel bad for losing half the DVDs over 2 years! :-) It was a gift from my fiancé at our first Christmas, and I never used it. But now I will be able to put it to good use.

I hope everyone has a good day! I have Lil Sis for the evening, so I'll be staying home. Be blessed and enjoy the journey. :-)

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 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 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.

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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: 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 33.5: Still Getting it Done

I realized that maybe I should back off on the drama just a touch. Don't ask me how I know this-- just take my word for it. :-)

Anyhoo, I had a better day after the beginning of the day. I held true to the 30-minute intervals for the most part, and decided if I was going to do 30 minutes then I was going to do the best dangum 30 minutes I could. I got 7.50 miles in in 31:12 minutes the first time, and got 8.04 miles in 30:12 minutes the second run. That was pretty hardcore though, even in that 30 minutes the butt went completely numb. I got to around 89-90 rpm I believe, whatever 16.00 mph is in RPM. I usually go a little lighter than that, around 15.33-15.71 mph at my fastest.

I get out a lot of pent up rage the faster I bike and the more aggressive the music. The first session I had Joyce Meyer on and I was laughing hysterically because she decided to demonstrate that she has the same set of issues that we do by reading a few entries from a journal she kept. Some of them were kind of sad, since she has an aging mom and aunt (her dad passed away in 2005 I believe) and they have all kinds of issues. Some were downright hilarious, like when she couldn't find her pants in the spa after going to get dressed and had to go into the hotel lobby in a robe and ask if anyone had seen her pants. I have never laughed so hard in my life! I know she's a televangelist, but she is hysterical! The second session was a little different, I had been mulling over a lot of things and more issues had come up, and I switched over from the tobymac radio to the Rob Zombie radio (cause I'm awesome that way) and just rode it out.

I let the anger from the morning push me harder. I pushed as hard as I could and I got off the bike at 30 minutes and my legs and butt were completely numb, I almost couldn't feel my lower half at all. But that only lasted for a few minutes, and then the amazement set in. I had burned 200 kcals in 30 minutes! I was biking 3:57 minute miles most of the time. And now, I feel a whole lot better. There is something quite awesome about pushing yourself to the limit and living to tell the tale. :-)

I got another 100 on my chemistry homework. It is the second 100 I had since the beginning of the semester. I got an 88 on one homework, and I have been averaging A's on all my Chem labs. I'm not sure if I got kicked out of PTK when I had all the issues with my family and with the massive meds fails, but I am for sure going to appeal it, and let them know what happened if I did get put on probation. Cause I love my PTK folks and I'll probably spend the rest of my semesters chasing that 4.0, but it is totally worth it to me. I love getting A's, especially in a subject I almost flunked in high school (what can I say, it was hard for me to concentrate! :-) ). I am realizing how much I truly enjoy chemistry, but I'm not sure if I want to major in Chemistry or Biology when all is said and done. I like them both! :-)

I don't have any sweat pics tonight! I just didn't get around to taking them tonight. But here are the ones from this morning:

I haven't worn that shirt for a pic in awhile, but I have worn it in the past, and it didn't look that loose fersure! I have a blue one that I love to wear as well, with the kitty cat dance. If you haven't seen it, YouTube it. It is hilarious. :-)

Well, I hope everyone has a great night. I'm about to dive into some more chemistry-related awesomeness. Be blessed!

Day 32: Yes, I Supplement!

Good morning, just with a mini bowl of pretzels and hummus. It is surprisingly enough a very good combination.

I lost my first few page likes today. Yesterday I posed with a bottle of Thyro-Drive and I lost a few likes. I'm not sure if it's due to that or just a coincidence. But I wanted to make some things clear from the get-go: Yes, I supplement for weight loss. No, I'm not ashamed of it.

I would probably be one of the first people to discredit the supplements I take had I not experienced it myself. I heard it on the radio. Yes, they advertise on the radio and they do it on practically every radio station in St Louis. I was naturally cynical of anything I heard on the radio, just like Smilin Bob and everything else they put on the radio these days. My trip to S2 had nothing at all to do with supplements but to grab a bumper sticker offered by my absolute favorite radio show to listen to in the morning. I went to the Chesterfield location of Supplement Superstores first and was absolutely surprised at how nice and friendly everyone was. I was almost 30 lbs heavier at that point, and had gotten severely snarked at the last time I went into one of those type of shops. They offered me a free water and sent me home with some samples.

I would have never taken them if I hadn't had a review blog at the time. Still kind of depressed at the time, I said, "Well, if they don't work at least they'll finish the job." Not the best attitude to have, but hey, sometimes you just feel that way. I decided to take them, and it totally... well, it totally did nothing at first.

"But Shelly," you say, "It's a diet pill!" Hold your horses. It's a diet supplement, and it doesn't work if you're not willing to put the work in. You can't just take a pill and have all your worries and weight troubles go away. It's not realistic. It simply puts you in the right frame of mind so if you want to work out, than you can.

Along with the rest of my supplements and one prescribed med, this was very helpful in curing a mild chemical imbalance. Yes, I said cured, in that as long as I take all as prescribed I have no more symptoms. I was able to drop all my meds except one, which I take because it's just a pain to get off of. It didn't do anything for my weight loss and I didn't mind at first.

But one day I just decided that enough was enough. After seeing some things and experiencing some things, I got in the gym and worked my butt off. I'm paying my way through college and plan on getting a personal trainer certification in a few months. I just did a lot of stuff that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

So yes, I supplement. Yes, I'm proud of it and all I've accomplished. Yes, it is controversial. But no, I'm not going to stop and let my life go to pot just cause someone gets upset. It works for me, and I'm going to keep doing it. And it may just help you too. So don't judge. You're just jealous of my awesomeness. ;-)

One of the reasons I never settled.

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In other news, going to the Organization Expo at the college today. I want to get hooked up with the running club and learn about some more running clubs in the area. I'm think of going back to True Runner as well because they have some fun runs and things that don't look like they'd kill me if I did em. :-) I love the running community and enjoy all the cheerfulness and good-naturedness that seems to be a part of it.

Well, it's class time, we're doing density in the lab. No worries, I am plenty dense about chemistry so I'll fit right in. Have a wonderful day all!

Day 26.2: And On The Nineteenth Day, She Rested

I'm feeling a bit better thanks to getting some chemistry homework out of the way and it just being quiet around the house for a change. I'm enjoying sitting around reading everyone's blogs and leaving comments, and just doing things that don't hurt. After a huge welt on my... back end... from the 47 minutes of biking last night, and sore knees from running 15 days in a row, it feels good to take a rest day. And surprisingly, as I rest my weight goes down instead of up! I was expecting the weight to come creeping back on if I didn't exercise. But I guess that's more of a long term thing, which is good.

I have gotten back on my antidepressant, which I'm not sure if it is making me feel better or worse. I have not been on it for two weeks now, and the scrip just came back up for refill (I lost almost a full bottle in Illinois somewhere while I was at my best friend's party. I tried to refill it and received a snarky message that my insurance carrier was not going to pay out for a lost bottle and they would not refill it for another 14 days. No bueno.) Either way, we will see if they turn me into a blabbering emotional wreck^200 again. This particular antidepressant has not caused any problems with my weight loss, in fact it makes my weight drop off twice as fast when I'm exercising regularly. Go figure. :-P

Tomorrow my fiancé is coming over, yay! We will watch a movie from home on Saturday and do our annual apple picking outing on Sunday after church. Either way, it will be very HOT. The Honeycrisps came out earlier because of the unseasonably mild weather for most of the winter, and so we are picking them in very early September instead of late September. We will also go back for the pumpkin picking in October, which is another of our traditions. I don't think we have ever eaten much of our fruit bounty except while we're out there picking. (Though I've never eaten a pumpkin whilst picking another pumpkin. That just sounds hard to do. And messy! :-D)

My birthday is in 16 days. I will be turning 29, one year away from the big 3-0. That kind of frightens me a little, and a little sad that I've wasted my twenties just sitting around being depressed and stuffing my face. That's no fun at all! Hopefully my 30s will treat me a little better. :-)

Well, I am going to work on some more chem homework and shower, but not while doing the chemistry homework, lol. Be blessed all and have a great labor day weekend! :)

Day 21.5: More Progress Pics!

I have some more progress pics that I want to share:

 

Pretty cool, right? I am pretty stagnant as far as actual weight loss goes but look at the definition on my legs! I can also see some arm definition despite the bat wings I'm sporting (gotta love them bat wings!) I'm super excited about wearing shorts now because I have some gorgeous calves to show off. And needless to say, the fiancé is pretty excited too. :-)

 

I actually dressed up yesterday! I wore a black top and this crazy glittery skirt that I got on Beale Street when I worked on the next street over. I got so many compliments and good vibes from people, and it felt great! It was much better than when I used to go to places and people would walk on the opposite side of me so they wouldn't have to stand next to me (sad but true, I'm afraid). Now I'm more confident and carry myself so differently. I don't have the actual photo, but I took a selfie and sent it to my man, and I noticed my eyes. They just looked vibrant and full of life. I smiled and texted him, "Now that's the look of a happy woman."

 

I got my first grade in... 100 percent on my first chemistry homework! I am excited about that, especially considering how much I struggled with it. I still remember Dr. Bob's chemistry class and learning about the different states of matter. I had no idea what was going on half the time, but I remembered for years that a puppy is a heterogeneous mixture, but I had no idea what a heterogeneous mixture was or why the puppy was one. Now I found out that a heterogeneous mixture is a piece of matter where the chemical composition varies in each sample you take. Obviously the puppy is composed of different kinds of chemical composition throughout! Chemistry mystery solved. :-D

 

I hope everyone has a great evening.... and remembers to hug their puppies. :-)

Day 21: Lucky Treadmills and Blessed Sundays

I ran 21 minutes on what I have now figured out is my "unlucky" treadmill. I usually use the brand new treadmill that my gym has because it's my favorite. I can go 20 minutes plus at 3.2 mph. Today that treadmill was taken and there was an insane amount of people in the gym for it being a Sunday, so I decided to suck it up and go on the little-bitty treadmill adjacent to the door. It was a dinky thing and wouldn't have allowed me to stick my arms at my sides if I was any wider. And man... I couldn't even get above 3.0, was sweating profusely and grabbing the side bars some of the time (I hate doing that... it's wimpy running, lol!). Next time, I'm using my lucky treadmill and knocking out 22 minutes! :-)

I also went to church for the first time in six months to a year. Before, I am ashamed to say I had ulterior motives for going to church, but now I go cause I like the people there and totally enjoy the church's minister. He shouts a lot and is very interesting to listen to. Today he spoke on joy, and how we have joy through having a relationship with Christ and how sometimes things may be rough but Christ wins in the end, citing extensive passages from Revelation. I always thought Revelation was super cool, with Christ riding in on a white horse to save the world. I don't know how literal Revelation is but I think it would be super cool to see Jesus ride in on a white horse and banish Satan to the Lake of Fire. God sure does know how to write an awesome epic. :-D

Tonight I'm going to a potluck supper at the church. I don't have any food for it, but I am looking forward to fellowshipping and getting to know some of the people at my church. I know some of the people in my Sunday School classes, I know the people I sit with on the right side of the church, and I know the associate pastor and music minister, but potlucks are fun because you get to know a variety of people. I just have to, as my 11th grade Geometry teacher often said when we left, make good choices! Eat less and fellowship more. Should be interesting to put my social and eating skills to the test, lol.

Well, I've got to get back to chemistry homework, which was what I got online to do to begin with! :-D I hope everyone has a blessed day and I will see you guys tomorrow! :-)