I miss running

I feel bloated, full and just yuck. Eating too many sweets and servings this Christmas season. I think I have had enough carbs to last a year today. And this is only mid afternoon. Tonight is our full on Christmas dinner being brought in by 4 x 4! LOL. We are pretty snowed in here. What a white Christmas!

I wish I could run but the road is way too snowy. I could get on the treadmill, but I feel too full. All I know is that January 1st is a new start. And I plan on removing this 'spare' tire just in time for my sisters wedding on January 24th, 2009.

I have a dress fitting on January 10th and I know the dress will fit. But still. I just want it to feel good and comfy. 

I will be recording my current weight on January 1st, and doing so every Monday until 'Wedding Week' and I hope to show you all a photo of me in the most beautiful dress! Woot!

So, come January 1st this blog will be very active. I will once again be recording daily my exercise, my eating plan etc.  I am totally looking forward to it.

I will be back under the 150 mark that is for sure. I am WAY more comfortable there. 

PS. Santa brought me a 205 Forerunner Garmin. I love my Santa. He rocks! 

PPS. My marathon training begins December 30th! I cannot wait!

End of the year of 2008?

I started this year with a big goal. A goal to lose approximately 80 pounds. And I have met this goal, and took it even a bit further with an almost 90 pound loss. I want to lose another 7 -10 pounds in the new year. I watched a great episode of XWeighted on Slice last night. It motivated me (as I sat and ate my weekly nacho splurge with Cliff.) She lost 63 pounds in 6 months. Sometimes I watch that show and the don't get even CLOSE to their goal weight. But she sure did. I thought 63 pounds is so much to lose. And yes, I lost even more than her. I still don't see that weight loss or feel it except when I look at the photos from my before.

PS I did run 14 kms in the cold weather yesterday morning. In fact it was so windy that my hat blew off, and I couldn't feel my cheeks from the cold. 

Anyways, as I was saying I suddenly felt motivated to get to my goal. Once my daughter is successfully weaned from breastfeeding (I am certainly hoping to be done January just in time for my sisters wedding!!) I am going to kick up my goals a bit in 2009.

I think I am just going to stay right around here for now, but on January 2nd I am going to start kicking my own but again. It is hard to believe that it has been one year almost since I started my own journey. I am still learning and growing. 

December 30th I am starting the marathon clinic (that will be a 42.2 km marathon race in Vancouver in the beginning of May 2009) My eating will be back on track, and I will be tracking my calories etc. again. Time to get back on track.

I am going to do a resolution run on New Years day (5 km) at 11 am. I am also going to do another half Marathon the day after Valentines day! So, I have a lot to work towards. I am so excited! 

I do not like feeling tight pants, or this muffin top. It is going bye bye! I need to be ready to get myself on that surgery list for my veins this year. Another thing to get checked off my list.

Time to start working on not only the rest of the weightloss, but work harder on myself. 

I am kicking up my running right now. I am running tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday. Maybe even Friday. Then I am starting to get up there in distance again with my long slow distance runs on Sunday. Next week it is 14 km (but I will most likely run there instead of drive again like I tried to do yesterday, but Cliff and the kids grabbed me about 2.5 kms into my run)

PS Santa if you are listening or reading my blog I would really REALLY love a Garmin for Christmas. xo

I did it!

Well, today (well yesterday now) was my darling Coco's 1st birthday party and I promised myself that by the time she turned one years old that I would reach my weightloss goal and look the best I have ever looked. I reached that goal. Now it is time to set new ones.

I also ate cake today, and I skipped a run! I will work harder this week, and throw in an extra run to make up for the party time LOL!

I did some shopping today

For myself.

It felt good to do that. I first got myself two new pairs of jeans. One size 7, one size 5. I then got two tank tops. One black and one grey. One size medium, one size small. I got two new skirts in size 8 from Winners (thanks Mom and Dad in law for those) and then I FINALLY got my running skirt in black size small, a new running bra and my brand new fuel belt in size medium. I also got my e-load for electrolyte replacement, some goos, and body glide. I am set for my hot weather 18k tomorrow morning. I cannot not wait to get out there and do it again!

Everything I got today was on sale! That is a bonus. I now have my eye on a white running jacket and a pink hoodie, both from the Running Room. Life is good.

Now, I must go drink some water to prepare for my big run tomorrow.

Friday and fine...

Well, life is back to normal around here. Cliff and I are back to normal. We were highly stressed and we took it out on each other, and those around us. But we are sorry for that. And we are back. Our differences worked out. Problems figured out.

What helped? A night out last night with an old girlfriend with the same name as me. Our lives couldn't be more different now...she is a doctor, and me a stay at home mom. But the commonalities were still there and we had nice glass of wine, a yummy salad. And LOTS of laughs and catching up. It was a lovely evening. When I got home Cliff and I were able to get out for a coffee together, and a treat. We were given a yummy choco/banana loaf (reduced fat) each for free by our regular place. So we had a mini date. It was good. We needed that, I need that. He needed that.

So here it is Friday, and I probably will head out for a run tonight. Most likely with my friend Lisa (the one with six kids and the SAME family LOL) so that will be good. Cliff will probably go out after us.

I have decided to wait on my half marathon on June 22nd. I know I can do the distance as I am a mere 3.1 km's away from my goal, but the timing is just not right. For me it is, but for the family it is not. I am still considering that mini tri. My son wants to do the kids version of it. So, that might be a go. BUT we need to wait and see how the family is (FIL) it is too hard to make plans like I have said before.

But I am happy to report that I have not given up. I had a moment of dispair and weakness when I said I was done. Well I am not done. Because yesterday I did kilometre club at school with two of our kids. We did nine laps around the field and it felt great. I cannot give up, because I, Cathy...I am not a quitter. I am dedicated to reaching my goals! And I am going to get there. Even if I am plateauing, or I don't get there as fast as I want. I will do what I need to do.

So, yes. I am back and I am feeling better than ever. This weekend I am going to get my new fuel belt, running skirt and possibly some size six jeans, and some extra small tops from American Eagle. If I can be a size six there, I am buying from them LOL. Remember around our anniversary (May 9th) I was able to fit into my little sister Amy's jeans...they were a six. So, off I will go to see if I can fit into them and find a pair for myself. My current size 9's are loose, and my tops well, they are loose too. I would have never ever thought that a size small would be too big LOL. Never!!

So, I know even if the scale is creeping slowly down, the inches are really coming off. I took a tape measure to my waist yesterday morning and it was around 28inches...and on January 1st of this year my waist was 42 inches. So, that is 14 INCHES off of my waist. That is just my waist. I am truly amazed at how far I have come...I am proud of myself. I measured my hips too, but I will save that number until my goal. Let me just say I was shocked...

Long 18K Run...

This morning I did something monumental in my own eyes. I ran 18 kilometres through Langley and Cloverdale and back into Langley for 1 hour and 57 minutes. I ran by my old neighbourhood, I ran by a friends house. I saw horses, cows and beautiful fields of buttercups. It was a very hot day. I drank 4 bottles of water (8 oz each) and almost all of my Clif chews. I was still thirsty. At times there was absolutely no breeze, and at times breeze just as I needed it. I ran a lot of uphill, and some downhill. I am thankful for my running buddy Kevin for getting me through a very mentally and physically challenging run.

I am thankful that I am in good enough shape to run a run of that distance. I remember back to when I first started to run back after I had my fourth baby Catie. I was overweight, out of shape and I would watch in AWE of these 'crazy half marathoners' and 'marathoners' and be like...I cannot WAIT to be able to do that distance. And today, I was out on a long run just as I had seen years ago, and I was feeling like a million bucks out there (at times) at some point of the run, about 11K in, it was hot, we were running up a long hill and I was like I will make it, I can make it up to the top. Because I did that today. I ran 18K! I acheived that. I am 3.1K away from my goal race of 21.1K! SO attainable to me now!

It is amazing to me my mental mind shift, complete with my body changes and how wonderful that has made me feel. I feel happy, I feel light I feel confident. I feel assure of myself. I feel good about being a woman, and a Mom of six beautiful kids. I am a runner. I am an 'athlete' in training and that my friends is how I have wanted to feel for SO long. I am nearing a goal that I have wanted for several years now. And now, in several weeks I can check that off of my 'life list' and work towards an even bigger goal...I have so many goals. And even though I am busy etc. I can still work towards acheiving my goals. I find this to be even more important than before! I find the older I get, the more I believe in myself. The more I want for myself.

It is amazing and I just wanted to write this all down, so that when I go for a 20K run in 2 weeks, I can review and evaluate and move forward! More towards my huge goal.

My huge goal of running my first half marathon. That is going to be sweet victory for me! Sweet success.

I can imagine myself finishing STRONG and proud! I get chills thinking about this one moment, one blip in my life! Wow.

I will take the rest of the day to enjoy this runners high. I will treat myself to a new 'running skirt' and a new fuel belt as my running gear is getting too big. Today my fuel belt fell to the ground as I was running. Time to get some new stuff, try it all out BEFORE my goal race. Be prepared and focussed.

My next run will be a steady run, maybe on Tuesday. Running Wednesday tempo 5K, and maybe another run Friday night. Then another 18K on Sunday morning. Repeat, and then the 20K run the following Sunday. Then a bit of a taper...and then getting close to my run!

Well, I am off to enjoy the sunshine!

My Friday Night

Tonight I did about 6k straight run...was supposed to be 5k but I think I did part of a wrong route. So, I did that in about 28 minutes...and I am really pleased with that. I walked for 10 minutes and stretched. THEN, I met my friend Lisa (the friend with six kids too--same family LOL) and we went walk running together. I ran to her place (8 minutes) then did a couple of walk run sets. Maybe 4k? and a hill. It was nice to get out with Lisa tonight. We hope to be able to do this every Friday.


So, today I think I did about 10k. Possibly...more? Not sure. But a lot of running to prepare me for the half marathon.

Plans for the weekend...

Well, tonight was a 'day off' in the exercise part. Eating was healthy and good. No problems there. Tonight our friend Kevin took Cliff out for a good run. And, tomorrow I am going to do a 5K steady run (no 10/1's for me) and then on Sunday morning, get this...18K. Yes, you read that right (GULP) I am running 18 Kilometres with Kevin. Oh that will be a big challenge. I have 4 weeks left until my first half marathon! I am going to be so ready (positive thinking!!!) for this!

That is a lot of distance to do! Wow. I think I will be running all over town!!