16 weeks of training...and it was totally worth It!

Half Marathon has been checked off the bucket list!  I'm super duper proud of myself and really tired :)

I was so nervous leading up to today.  I did my best to fuel, hydrate and rest this week.  And last night we went out for pasta (yum-o) and I came home and was in bed by 9:30.  My alarm went off at 4:45 am and I was not ready to get up but I had an hour drive ahead of me.

I finally got there a few minutes before it started, used a disgusting port a potty and got in my corral.  The Cowtown is a ginormous race and there were 6870 half marathon finishers.  I did this race 100% solo...it was me and my music (which explains the lack of pictures).  The weather was perfect for a race...40 degrees, sunny and no wind.

I started off at the back of the pack (Corral 4 out of 5) which was a 2:30 finishing time.  Even though I said I just wanted to finish I really wanted to make it under 2:30.

The first few miles were weaving and bobbing through the crowd.  It spread out around mile 3 and I was able to get into a groove and just run.   And I also did a ton of people watching...and I have to make a PSA.  Ladies-not all tights are created equal, please check out your ass before running in them in public.  I saw WAY too many cheeks peeking through tights that were waaaay to thin.

I hit mile 6 through which took us through the Fort Worth Stockyards.  Sorry for the picture quality I tried to take it with my iPhone armband camera.  And I passed the 2:30 pace leader...score!

Right before mile 9 and a ginormous hill there was a refueling station with goo and fruit.  I grabbed some goo and decided to walk the hill instead of run which was the only time I actually walked the entire race.I hit mile 11 and heard all the people around me saying the huge tower is the finish line.  I could finally see the end!  I decided to take a quick selfie.

Mile 12 is where I had to really stay focused and talk my way to the end.  Everyone else around me started walking.  I was dodging walkers left and right and I just kept telling myself "Just don't stop"  "Just don't stop."

Thank god for the finish line crowd and all the crafty signs.  I knew I was close when I saw finishers with their medals walking to their cars (which was also discouraging).  I finally hit mile 13 and the final straight away which was a glorious feeling!!!  I went total dork mode hands in the air crossing the finish line.I gulped down some water and was rewarded with this awesome medal.  

Then I got this text...

I finished in under 2:30!!!!  I forwarded this to my husband and was almost in tears.  The 16 weeks of training all led up to this amazing moment!!!  I can't even explain the pride I felt.

I stretched, grabbed a banana and my finishers shirt and headed home on Cloud 9.Not sure if I will ever run a half again but I'm so glad I completed it.  This had always been on my bucket list and it can now be checked off.

The rest of the day was filled with Gatorade (I didn't want this to happen again), relaxation and eating way to much. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend and thanks to everyone for the support and sweet messages.

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Lesson Learned

The Friday before my birthday I started feeling really yucky...low grade fever, back pain, dizziness and just exhaustion!  I rode it out Friday thinking I just had a bug but when Saturday rolled around (my Birthday) and I wasn't feeling any better I decided to do what every sick person does...google my symptoms.  My insurance is horrible so I didn't want to make a trip to the doctor for something I could treat at home.  And after reading through several websites I realized that I was . . .

DEHYDRATED

Seriously, no one ever told me that being dehydrated could make you feel that bad.

My hubby and I had run on Thursday night and I was off Friday so instead of hitting the water when we got home I had a glass of wine (or 2 or 4) instead.  This on top of the fact that I'm not a water drinker to start with just made things worse.  On Saturday once I figured out what was wrong, I pumped myself full of G2 Gatorade and Water.  I felt mediocre that night so we continued our plans to go to dinner with my family but I only had one {Skinny}Margarita (that is a shame on your birthday) and headed home to bed at 9:00 pm.

Soapapillas - Yum O

I am finally better now and drinking water like CRAZY and replenishing after long runs with Gatorade.  And I figured out that not drinking water has affected me more than I knew it was.  I had been getting really, really dizzy all the time and especially when going from kneeling down to standing quickly.  One day to the point that I had to pull my car over.  I thought it was blood sugar but found out it is a side effect of dehydration.  This has not happened to me in over a week now and I've actually been able to run faster...check out this time last night (compared to my normal 11 min pace).  It was a short distance but I was flying!

So...lesson learned body - I NEED and MUST drink water!  This is my PSA for the week...drink water!  

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And not to forget the 10 lbs in 10 weeks - I'm on Week 8 and 2.6 pounds away from my goal.  I can't say enough good things about My Fitness Pal (merewoody).  It has been a huge part of this challenge and I literally look up everything before it goes in my mouth.

And this week I'm doing so carb loading instead of no carbing since my half marathon is on Sunday.  EEEEK!  I don't want to hit a wall on Sunday and I have every expectation of gaining a pound or two doing this but it is going to be worth it when I cross that finish line.

Hope everyone is having a good week!


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Quickie

Wow...I have been sooooooooo busy!  It's been a whirlwind 2 weeks and I have so much to write but tonight I'm gonna make it quick.

10 Pounds in 10 Weeks - Weeks 5 & 6

Weight Loss the past 2 weeks:

-2.0 LB

I keep taking off the pounds...thank you My Fitness Pal!  And I joined Courtney's Diet Bet and this girl hates losing money so I will be down 4% by March 4!

Here were my goals for Week 5 (Jan 28 - Feb 3)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles), Saturday (11 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Monday & Wednesday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal
• No Carb Day on Tuesday and Thursday

Eating

I think I've finally found my magic calorie number and as long as I stay within that I'm pretty consistently losing 1 pound a week.  My Net Calories have between 1400-1500 calories per day and it's actually pretty manageable.

I have done some splurging - this past weekend was my birthday and we did go out to eat and get dessert :)

Moving

I have been running 3 to 4 days a week and doing a Sweatshop Class at work on Wednesdays.

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So what's in store for the next few weeks?

I am going to keep on tracking with My Fitness Pal and continue to do No Carb Days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

And my Half Marathon is February 24th!!!!  I am super excited and so ready :)

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In other news...have you guys seen that cruise ship that caught fire?  Well that just happens to be the one that I am supposed to board with my hubby and two other couples in 23 Days.  I feel horrible for all the people that are stuck onboard right now, I can't imagine the feeling of being stuck out at sea in those conditions.  But we are crossing our fingers that the boat will be fixed quickly so we can go on vacation.

Okay bloggy blog friends - I am heading to bed.  Good night!

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Big Loss Baby! 10 LBS in 10 Weeks - Week 4

Weight Loss this week:

-2.4 LB

So I guess no carbs really does pay off!  This is a HUGE number for me this week and I totally kicked that 1 LB gain last week.  My typical weight loss is rarely over 1 pound a week so I was really pumped when I stepped on the scale this morning and it said this:

We bought this scale over the weekend and it is sooooo much better than our old school dial scale.

Here were my goals for Week 4 (Jan 21 - Jan 27):

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Monday (9 miles), Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles), Saturday (10 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Wedneday & Friday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal
• No Carb Dinners on Tuesday and Thursday

Eating

This week was a good eating week for me and even though I hate No Carbs I actually did the no carb dinners on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  And I have to say thank goodness for this blog and My Fitness Pal for accountability or else I would have totally been stuffing my face with Cheeze It's, Cookies and any other carb I could find.

Also, I learned something this week...I should not say I'm doing No Carbs.  I am going without Simple Carbs (white flour, sweets, etc).  I am however allowing myself to have Complex Carbs - fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc.  Learn something new everyday!

Moving

I ran on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday!!  I did my long run on Friday and I am so stinking proud that I hit double digits.  My 10 miler was tough and I really had to push myself the last 2 miles.  My internal dialogue went something like this:

"You can quit anytime"
"No you have made it 9 miles, don't quit now"
"How the hell am I going to do 4 more miles in 4 weeks"
"Just keep going, one foot in front of the other"
"I'm so tired...I'm so tired...I'm so tired"
"Just think how proud you will be when you hit 10 miles"
"I'm so tired"
"Think of all you can eat with all the calories you are burning...yum french fries, pizza, wine!"

So let's get to the bottom of my inspiration...it's this blog making me accountable and not embarrassing myself AND my true love of wine and food.  I am a total foodie and exercising gives me more calories :)  I need a shirt that says "I run so I can drink WINE!"

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So what's in store for Week 5?


Week 5 (Jan 28 - Feb 3)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles), Saturday (11 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Monday & Wednesday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal
• No Carb Day on Tuesday and Thursday

Tomorrow is my first No Carb (Simple Carb) day and here's my eating plan:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie
Snack:  Light Cheese Stick
Lunch:  Big A** Salad - Chicken, Corn, Beans, Salsa, Cheese
Snack:  Okios Greek Yogurt with Honey
Dinner:  Pulled Pork, Beans and Deviled Eggs

I'm crossing my fingers for another loss this week and praying I can make it through the 11 miles next Saturday.  And thanks to Holly for sharing the next blogger dietbet that starts next week.  It's $35 and that bigger motivator than winning cash for losing weight!  Go sign up :)

And I apologize for all the weight loss/running posts...I have blogger block and crazy life syndrome right now but I am going to try and get some more fun things up this week.

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10 pounds in 10 Weeks - Week 3

Weight Loss this week:

+1 LB

Womp! Womp!

Here were my goals for Week 3 (Jan 14 - Jan 20):

• Drink lots and lots of water 
• No eating after 7 pm at night 
• Run Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories 
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Monday & Wednesday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal

Eating

I did GREAT eating during the beginning of the week!  I stayed under calories, didn't eat after 7, added fruits and veggies to my meals and even drank more water.  Then Thursday came around and I went into total vacay mode at the Conference...huge mistake!  So I ate bad and indulged all weekend long but look at this food and tell me it wasn't worth it.

Chili Relleno from Mi Tierra San Antonio

But back on track now...I will take that pound back off again.

Moving

I ran on Tuesday and Friday (at the Conference - see I had good intentions) and did the 30DS on Monday and a Sweatshop Intervals Class at work on Wednesday.  And I thought all this exercise might counterbalance all the eating...but no such luck. This just proves you have to have a good combination!

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So what's in store for Week 4?


Week 4 (Jan 21 - Jan 27)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Monday (9 miles), Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles), Saturday (10 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Wednesday & Friday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal
• No Carb Dinners on Tuesday and Thursday

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE bread, pasta, starch, chips!  But I do realize that these things don't help me get into a bikini by March 7.  So like I said in the beginning, I'm easing myself into No Carb Days.  Tonight and Thursday night I'm cutting out carbs completely and going heavy on proteins and veggies.  This by far is my least favorite thing to do but I figured if Meredith at Is This Thing On (my fav new blogger and not just because her name is Meredith) and Leigh Ann at Elle Noel can No Carb it then I can too.  Thanks for the motivation ladies!

Have a great week!

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10 pounds in 10 weeks - Week 2

Definitely back on track!  Weight Loss this week:

-1 LB

Whoo Hoo!

Here were my goals for Week 2 (Jan 7 - Jan 13):

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Sunday (7 miles), Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles) and Saturday (8 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories

Eating

I did fairly well this week with my eating - my biggest issue is the water consumption.  Why do I not like water?  I just can't seem to get in 10 cups a day, 6 cups is about my max and then I'm over it.  I did really well with my eating and didn't go over 1500 calories all week or eat after 7 pm (except my Saturday cheat Milkshake - yum Chocolate).  I've used My Fitness Pal before but I didn't realize you could scan barcodes of products and it will pull up all the nutrition info...how cool is that?

Running

I ran all my miles except for Thursday, I still was not at 100% after being sick the weeks prior.  My throat started hurting again on Wednesday and I decided to take a couple days so I could do my 8 miler over the weekend.  I ended up doing it on Sunday but it actually felt really good - all except my feet.  I think it's time for some new kicks.  My right foot keeps going numb :(  After reading Mel's link up on shoes and everyone's favs - I think I may try out Brooks this time around.

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So what's in store for Week 3?

Week 3 (Jan 14 - Jan 20)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Monday & Wednesday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal

This is going to be a tough week - I am going to the Texas Events Summit Conference in San Antonio at the end of the week and there will be tons of Networking (aka Happy Hours), good food, lack of exercise, missing my baby and oh yeah - learning.  I am hoping I can stay somewhat on track but I'll be happy if I make it out without gaining weight.  

Hope everyone has a great day!

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Project 365 - Week 2

So I don't think I'm getting much better with my camera yet...maybe it's time to invest in some Photography Classes.  I can not get my wiggly toddler to sit still or pose...food is a much easier subject.

Sunday, January 6 - Mama's little helper!  I'm a slave driver and make her do all the laundry...hey she has to earn her keep.

Monday, January 7 - Bath Time...yes I almost forgot to take a picture today :)  And check out that creepy doll...it was mine growing up.

Tuesday, January 8 - I just thought we were over all the sickness...Mike went back to work Monday then ended up with a fever again.  Ugh!  We just can't get well.

Wednesday, January 9 - Who doesn't love a good PB&J Sammie?  I love mine with plain lays potato chips smushed inside.  Don't hate until you've tried it...scrumptious!

Thursday, January 10 - Action Shot!  And who else has a toddler that loves to pull out all their toys and put them all over the floor.  It's like walking through a land mine some days.

Friday, January 11 - We had a Mommy Daughter Day with my friend Carrie and her daughter Emily at the Dallas World Aquarium.  It was AMAZING!  Sorry for all the pics...I couldn't pick my favorite.

Saturday, January 12 - This was my cheat meal on Saturday...hello yummy Milkshake!  I have made it all week without with a dessert so my splurge of god knows how many calories had to be something chocolate.  (And of course Addison got one too)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  I have an early date with Jillian Michael's in the morning...gotta keep up the 10 week challenge.

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Super Bowl Recipes!

I love recipe link ups!  And this one is right down my alley...who doesn't love gorging out to tons of yummy dips, appetizers and alcoholic beverages :)  

This dip recipe is soooo good and soooo easy!  It is a hit anytime I bring it to a party and anything that starts with 2 blocks of cream cheese just can't be bad.  

Spicy Sausage Dip 2 Blocks of Cream Cheese (Softened) 1 Pound of Sausage (Either Hot or Regular) 1 Can Rotel Tomatoes (Either Hot or Original)
Brown your sausage in a saucepan and drain.  Add sausage, cream cheese and rotel back to the sauce pan until it's melty and gooey.  Put in a crockpot on warm or in a serving bowl.  Serve with fritos or tortilla chips (I love Scoops).
This dip does not dissapoint and I've never tried it but I bet you could even make it {Skinny}with Fat Free Cream Cheese and Turkey Sausage.
Thanks to Amy for hosting this fun link up...can't wait to see everyone else's yummy recipes!

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10 lbs in 9 weeks...it's on!

This girl is getting back on track!  The holidays did me so, so wrong and I ended up gaining a couple unwanted lbs.  But this girl has a cruise (and swimsuit) to be on in 9 weeks...yikes.  So I'm going to be hittin hard over the next 9 weeks and taking off these last 10 pounds.

I can't wait to be on this boat!!!

Let me start by saying that I have a tough time staying committed if I try to do everything at once.  I saw this idea on a blog and for the life of me I can not find it (sorry to whoever I copied it from).  You make weekly goals and then add a new goal each week.  This keeps it interesting and gives you a new challenge each week.  So here's my plan...

• Weigh in each Monday 
• One cheat meal a week

Week 1 (Dec 31 - Jan 6)

• Drink lots and lots of water (and go potty every 5 minutes)
• No eating after 7 pm at night 

Week 2 (Jan 7 - Jan 13)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Sunday (7 miles), Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles) and Saturday (8 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories

Week 3 (Jan 14 - Jan 20)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Monday & Wednesday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal

Week 4 (Jan 21 - Jan 27)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Monday (9 miles), Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles), Saturday (10 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Wednesday & Friday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal
• No Carb Dinners on Tuesday and Thursday

Week 5 (Jan 28 - Feb 3)

• Drink lots and lots of water
• No eating after 7 pm at night
• Run Tuesday (3 miles), Thursday (3 miles), Saturday (11 miles)
• Track my calories in My Fitness Pal (merewoody) and stay between 1400-1500 calories
• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Monday & Wednesday
• Add a fresh fruit or veggie to every meal
• No Carb Day on Tuesday and Thursday

After 5 weeks I'm going to re-evaluate and see if I need to do anything different.  I really, really, really want to get this weight off.  February will make 1 full year of working out consistently and I want to get to my goal (and look HOT in a swimsuit)!  And by posting this now I HAVE to do it :)

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Bye Bye Boogies & Project 365 - Week 1

My family is finally all well again...thank goodness.  Over the last 3 weeks we have gone through about a million kleenex, popsicles and motrin.  Everyone started feeling better by Friday and we've had a "normal" weekend.  I have to admit I'm glad the holidays are over and that we are back to our normal routine again.  

I got a good run in today and it felt great!  I had to back track some over the holidays but I'm back to long runs now.  I will increase a mile every weekend until 2 weeks before my race then I'll taper off.

And starting this week I'm going to be tracking my calories in My Fitness Pal (find me @merewoody). I have used the app before and it keeps me accountable and makes me think twice about what I stuff in my mouth.  

And now...Project 365 - Week 1!

Here's how it works - Take 1 picture a day for a year and blog about it.  I stole the idea from my friend Carrie at Our Changing Family.  I am hoping this will help me learn my new camera.

Tuesday, January 1 - Sorry this is a repeat picture...I only took a few on New Year's Day.  Here's Addison eating a Black Eyed Pea.

Wednesday, January 2 - This is our new favorite thing to do every night.  Addison got some new puzzles and the "Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar" one is her favorite.  My hubby snapped this while we were playing.

Thursday, January 3 - Doesn't every kid have a stuffed animal, blanket, etc that they take everywhere and can't sleep without.  These are Addison's "Wubby's" - they used to have pacifiers attached to them but we gave those away to the "Wubby" Fairy last year but the princesses stayed behind.  They are very well loved :)

Friday, January 4 - It's wine time!  Friday means pizza and wine at the Dowdy house...time for this mama to relax.

Saturday, January 5 - Addison was going to her friend Caitlyn's Birthday Party!  She was so excited she only got a 40 minute nap in before.  Saturday night was an early night :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  It's back to a full work week and calorie counting!

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