My Summer as a Marathon Trainee….

My niece and I had decided to run in the Quad City Marathon this month.  We were both going to use the same training program so that we could support each other.  Things started out swimmingly.  She’s a bit faster than me, but that’s ok.  We had talked about that and we were ok with

2012 Recap and 2013 Goals

A Look Back 2012 was a good year for me, overall.  I lost almost 40 pounds, ran my first 1/2 marathon, and logged 315 miles since Mother’s Day.  For the local Grand Prix, I came in 7th in my age group (one of my best friends came in 1st – yay!).  I overcame my fear

HBBC Recap – Weeks 4, 5, and 6

You know, sometimes, life just happens.  Sometimes things don’t work out how you have them planned.  That’s been my experience with HBBC the last few weeks.  Between school concerts, choir practices, meetings, and just plain schedule issues, workouts haven’t happened.  Meals have not been the most organized thing happening. Are those necessarily valid excuses? No. 

2013 Challenge – #13in2013

A few weeks ago, I found a challenge for running 13 races in 2013.  It’s being handled by Jill Conyers and Jen Clement Shoemaker (Marathon Mom) and it looks like a lot of fun.  There are 2 main ways to accomplish this challenge.  The first is to run 13 of the same distance.  The second

Motivation Monday – I Say “Yes”

I have a lot of time where I hear “No” – whether it is a real “no” or a perceived “no”.  All my life, I have been the girl that would rather read about something than do it, or would rather read/watch TV than be outside.  Over the last few years, I grew unhappy with

What Has Worked and What Hasn’t Worked

A while ago, I was given a challenge to figure out what has worked for me and what hasn’t worked for me during this weight loss/fitness journey I have been on since January. I sat down toward the end of 2011 and tried to figure out how I was going to make a change in

Workout Calendar – Making Myself Accountable

I realize it’s not very legible, but this is my workout calendar for November.  My employer gives us $10 for each month we turn in exercise logs with over 360 minutes of activity on it.  I have figured out that it helps me to have a plan. This is how I planned November: Wrote down

Back in the Swing of Things

I seem to do better with a plan.  It must be part of my Type A personality.  I decided that after my half-marathon (on October 6) I would be taking some time away from constant exercise.  So I took most of October off….and my exercise calendar looks really sad because of it.  But I think I

A Refocus on My Journey

In January, I started a new way of life.  Nothing dramatic, but it was time for a change.  I decided that I was tired of the way I looked and felt.  I decided to become more active and to eat better.  I signed up for MyFitnessPal; I started a “Biggest Loser” type of competition at

I am Determined

I’m a new runner.  I only started running about 6 months ago.  Since then, I have completed a couple of local 5ks, several virtual races, and gradually increased my mileage.  I’m not the fastest runner, but I try hard and I am learning. The last 2 months have been difficult for training.  Between the heat,