You Never know If You Don't Tri

The last week and a half has been dramatically different than the month and a half before that. I'm feeling so much better and optimistic. I followed through and went for a run on the Centennial Trail like I said I was going to last Sunday. It wasn't pretty, and I was totally struggling, but I kept going for 3.2 miles. I didn't end up getting a food tracker that day but we did menu plan for the week which was a good start.

Last week the weather was juuust nice enough for me to get out and go for a couple bike rides with my girls and a walk with all my extra kids. Reeeeeally it was kinda cold and windy but the sun was shining so that counts for something, right? It was just nice to be outside in the sun. A lady even stopped me while we were on our walk and said I made her day and gave me a high five. I did happen to have two toddlers in the stroller, a baby strapped to my chest, and a 5 year old trailing behind me, so I'm sure I looked strikingly similar to a pack mule.

I went back to bootcamp at Health Yeah on Saturday.  I was sure I was gonna be a mess... and I was kinda right.  It was hard and I was hurting,  but I WAS THERE! And you gotta start somewhere! We did a good job of menu planning again this week and got small spiral notebooks to serve as food trackers.  A friend told me about Skinnytaste.com a while ago, and it's now my go to place for recipes. My current favorite is the cauliflower tots. They are soooo delicious! Had them tonight for dinner in fact.

Ok, now for some crazy exciting news......Today we signed up for My First Tri in Portland! ME... A TRIATHALON... (Ohmagaaah! I think I'm gonna be sick!) I don't know what I'm thinking. I'm SO excited,  and I'm scared shitless! Yeah, I had a bunch of nervous energy so I went for a 3.5 mile run on my parents treadmill and watched videos of triathalons on YouTube. So yeah, I'm gonna be training for a sprint tri now. WOW! :)

I'm so happy right now!

Getting Started.....Again

Confession time......I haven't really been doing so good since the 10K in October. I got caught up in Thanksgiving celebrations, and Christmas celebrations, and helping plan my best friends wedding and related parties that  I completely let myself go. I ate anything and everything I was near, I was drinking pretty consistently, exercising almost never, and since I was around so many smokers I picked up smoking again. I tried to use the new year as a kick off point to get back on track. So January 5th I quit smoking again......and have replaced it with binge eating. Bad choice you say? Well I couldn't agree more. I've gained 10 pounds and feel terrible. I started working out a little more then, well, started working out a little less. I'm struggling. A lot. I can feel some of the depression feelings sneaking up waiting to pounce. I can't go back to that. I don't want to be that person and feel like that again.

It's coldish and windy and I want to snuggle up to a movie. But instead I'm going to go for a run on the Centennial Trail and then go get a food tracker journal. It's time to get back on track.

Today Changed Everything

So many wonderful things have happened since I was last able to blog! Consider this the highlight reel......

I've been swimming.

I've been walking.

I've been running.

I taught Katie how to ride a bike, and we have been biking all over!



 I've been enjoying the sun.

And enjoying the night.

 

But what I'm most proud of is the goals I've been completing!

First off, we rode the Hiawatha! It was FANTASTIC!!! If your not familiar, it's an old train route that has been converted into a bike path as part of the Rails to Trails project (which is awesome by the way). We rode 17 miles, through long tunnels and across high trestles surrounded by a mostly undisturbed natural landscape. It is breathtaking! I can not recommend it enough.

 GOAL COMPLETED! 9-8-13

Then there is today! I completed the Spokane Marathon 10k in 1 hour and 11 minutes!!!!!! Can you believe that!!?? It was only February of this year that I ran my very first mile EVER and today I ran a 10k!!!!!!  I am bursting with pride right now. This was such a positive experience for me. And I really need to thank the phenomenal Ms.Daisy for being the prefect running partner. You were the first person to ever call me an athlete and you will never know how much that meant to me. I LOVE YOU from the bottom of my heart! <3

ANOTHER GOAL COMPLETED!!! 10-13-13

Today changed everything. :)

San Juans and Beyond

We got back a couple days ago from a week long trip to the San Juan Islands. The main purpose of the trip was to release my Grandma's ashes. But, since we were going to be there a week there was plenty of time for "vacation".

We drove there on the North Cascades Highway and it was BREATHTAKING!! As we passed trailhead after trailhead I couldn't help but fantasize about backpacking. Then we started passing signs for the Pacific Crest Trail and I decided it was something I want to do. I'm not ready yet but I'm going to get there. My thinking is if I do a few easier and shorter backpack trips next summer and everything works out, then the following summer, the summer before I turn 30 (gulp!), I could shoot for doing a longer trip on a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Maybe I'm thinking way over my head, but I LOVE the idea of it and the goal setting is never bad.

Since we are on a very limited budget we knew we needed to come up with some free activities to do. There are lots of trails and hikes to do on San Juan Island and Orcas Island which seemed perfect and right up our alley.

I did a little yoga and went on a short run. (There were lots of hills so I didn't make it very far.)

We walked around Lime Kiln Point State Park a couple times.

  

We walked around the San Juan Island Sculpture Park.

 

And my personal favorite, was hiking Mt Constitution. It was a little over 1,000 foot elevation gain in the first mile, then about another 500 foot gain over the next two miles. It was hard and I was aware of how much I haven't been hiking lately. Then I would think about the Pacific Crest Trail and how much harder it's going to be and I kept pushing myself.

 

The whole trip was fantastic! I realized a while ago that I used to be just existing, just going through the motions but not really happy or alive. And now I feel like I'm really living and experiencing my life in an amazing way.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

We found a fitting spot to release my Grandma's ashes and as a family said our final goodbyes. It was beautiful and sad.

 

 

I ate without restriction during the trip, and the scale reflects that decision. I gained 6 pounds and I totally feel it. I gave myself yesterday to recover and went shopping to stock the house with lots of fruits and veggies.

Today it's back on! I did some fitness tests that I will repeat once a week to track my progress in addition to my regular workouts. Day one felt great!

And it gets better!....An old friend, who I really respect her running career and life choices, challenged me to sign up for the Spokane 10k/half/marathon in October. So... I'm signing up for the 10k! Challenge accepted!! I am PUMPED!! Let the training begin. :)