February 2013

I started February strong by running 7 miles while visiting my family in Millington, but my half training quickly took a nosedive a week later when I developed a sinus infection. Although I started to feel sick the next weekend, my friends Tara and Felecia and I ran in the Kiss It Goodbye 5k. Here are pics from before and after the race:

 

The sinus infection has lasted well over a month. James wanted me to take a week off from running so I could recover, but I just couldn't shake it even with taking a break. Over the past few weeks, I've only ran a handful of times. Because of that, my knee has started hurting when I run. It just takes time to get back to a point where it won't hurt when I run...time that I don't have before the Murray Half Marathon. With that being said, I made the decision to drop out of the race, and my friend Britt (Felecia's sister) is going to take my spot. I'm a little disappointed, but there will always be other races. I may just stick to shorter races for now anyway.

Only 50 days until we leave for our cruise!

Winter Runnerland 10k

The "Moms Run This Town" Winter Runnerland racers

Murray Half Marathon training group. We finished a 10k!

We kept a good pace together during the race.

Murray Half Marathon training group. Love these girls!

Winter Runnerland 10k medal

January 2013

Just wanted to take a moment to recap January 2013. I have done a fairly decent job at keeping up my New Year's Resolutions. I finished the Hunger Games trilogy yesterday, and I have a long list of books to read. I'd like to try to read one book per week. So far, so good.

I cooked more in the first two weeks of January than the past couple weeks, but keeping up with my half marathon training is taking more time than originally anticipated. For the entire month, I've ran 4 times a week. Two weeks ago, I also started going to a fitness class two nights a week to strengthen my core. The long runs on Saturdays have been fun this time around. I'm training with several of my friends from college and church. We plan to do a few smaller races in the next couple months to help us prepare for the half marathon. Having a group of friends to train with definitely motivates me more than just about anything.

I have already begun to see a difference in how I look and feel since training began. Hopefully, I can keep this up until May 4. That's when we leave for our cruise. I'd love to be more in shape then than I ever have been. I have exactly 100 days to get there!

2012 Recap & 2013 Resolutions

A recap of the resolutions I made in 2012:
1. Grow closer in my relationship with God. (Lifelong process)
2. Read and study Scripture more fervently. (Lifelong process)
3. Exercise more and eat healthier. (Lifelong process)
4. Graduate from the Master of Business Administration program in December. (Completed!)
5. Get into the Master of Science in Information Science program at UTK. (Completed! Although I'm almost certain I've decided not to continue with this program.)
6. Pass the Certified Administration Professional exam in May and get the 9% raise. (Completed! I didn't take the exam in May as originally planned, but I did take it in November and passed!)

2013 Resolutions/Goals: 
1. Grow closer in my relationship with God.
2. Read and study Scripture more fervently.
3. Exercise more and eat healthier.
4. Cook and read more. (Off to a good start: I cooked ham, green beans, purple hull peas, mashed potatoes, pumpernickel bread, and a double berry crisp dessert for dinner last night, and I am almost finished reading the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy.)
5. Train for and run in the Murray Half Marathon in April and complete it within 2 hours and 30 minutes or less.
6. Lose 10-15 pounds before our cruise in May. (I did great with my healthy eating for half of 2012. The past couple months are a different story. So goes that yo-yo effect I am bound and determined to conquer someday!)

April Update

Just wanted to stop in and update my dear readers on what's new with us. April is going to be an extremely busy month, so I may not get another chance. Let's see...

-I decided to defer my UTK enrollment until Fall 2013. I've had senioritis lately, and the thought of immediately starting a new program after I graduate with my MBA this fall just stresses me out. I think taking a semester off will be just what I need for a fresh start in a new program.

-James is really struggling with nursing right now. I don't want to share too much before we know anything for sure, but it looks like he may need 3 more years to finish instead of 2.

-My Holocaust travel study is in 45 days!

-I finished reading Working It Out by Abby Rike yesterday. It's such a great book about life, tragedy, fitness, faith, and hope. Abby was on The Biggest Loser during Season 8. I had the opportunity, thanks to my dear friend Brandi, to attend a Healthy Woman event at UTM on my birthday where Abby was the keynote speaker. She has an amazing story to tell, and I felt so honored to hear it. Afterward, I got to meet Abby, buy her book, and get it signed. I watched Season 8 of The Biggest Loser on Netflix during the next few weeks so I could see Abby's transformation. After sharing my experience with my family, they showed interest in getting to hear Abby too. So for Mother's Day, my mom, sister, and aunt will be attending another Healthy Woman event in Clarksville to hear Abby!

-I know most people (like my mom) think that I am "skinny enough", but one of my New Year's resolutions was to "exercise more and eat healthier". I have been doing just that since the beginning of the year. In fact, I have lost 9 pounds! My goals are not necessarily to be skinny but to be healthy. Eat better, lighter, and less. I tend to overeat at most meals, and I normally don't practice self-control. In the past I have tried different things to create better eating habits, but I only ended up on a roller-coaster ride. The yo-yo effect, if you will. Most women spend their entire lives caught up in the yo-yo effect. My goal is to not do that. I want to be able to create healthy eating and exercise habits that last. This time around, I am taking tips that I've heard from The Biggest Loser about making better food choices and am exercising 3-4 times a week. I also use a calorie counting app on my phone called My Fitness Pal. It's not always fun to log my calories, but it really does help when trying to eat better. Obviously, it's working!

-Good Friday is tomorrow and Easter is Sunday! This is such a reflective time in the life of a Christian. It's just amazing to realize that Jesus gave it all so that we could have the hope of eternal life. The following is a quote that comes from Abby's book:

"Hope is many times equated with 'wishful thinking' from our society's viewpoint. But the Bible's meaning of hope is totally different from from society's meaning of hope. The word 'hope' in the Bible carries with it the meaning of: 'Confident expectation; joyful anticipation; a firm conviction about the future.' If we know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we not only have hope, meaning, and purpose in our lives on this earth, we have confident expectation, joyful anticipation, a firm conviction that we will see our loved ones one day. That's the hope that the gospel of Jesus Christ gives us today."

Excerpt by Tim Watson from Abby Rike's book "Working It Out"

2011 Recap & 2012 Resolutions

A recap of the resolutions I made in 2011:

1. Grow closer in my relationship with God.
This is a lifelong process that is difficult to measure. My prayer is that I will continually grow closer to Him each year that I'm on this earth.

2. Read the Bible in a year.
Fail. I did great keeping up with the daily readings for the first 6 months, and I made it through Nehemiah. This year I will start with Esther and see how far I can get. Maybe reading the whole Bible in a year isn't the point anyway. As long as I'm reading, I'll be able to achieve my first resolution.

3. Train for and run in the 1/2 marathon in April.
Double success! I ran in two half marathons this year!

4. Exercise more and eat healthier.
Overall, I'd say this was a half success/half failure. I ran more with all my half marathon training, but my eating habits are worse than ever. With work, school, training, etc., I hardly ever cooked, and we ate out several times a week. Exercising more and eating healthier will also be a lifelong goal for me.

2012 Resolutions/Goals: 

1. Grow closer in my relationship with God.
2. Read and study Scripture more fervently.
3. Exercise more and eat healthier.
4. Graduate from the Master of Business Administration program in December.
5. Get into the Master of Science in Information Science program at UTK.
6. Pass the Certified Administration Professional exam in May and get the 9% raise.

Did you make any resolutions you'd like to share?

Half Marathon Training: Week 9

Tuesday: 1.5 miles
Wednesday: 2.25 miles
Friday: 3.5 miles

I'm desperately trying to get back to where I was before I had to take off from my knee hurting. Not sure if that will happen, but I have got to keep trying. The half marathon is in 18 days! Today is the last day of fundraising for St. Jude Heroes. I raised $390! Thanks to all my friends, family and co-workers who donated to this worthy cause! 

Half Marathon Training: Week 6, 7, and 8

Week 6

I skipped week 6. I was feeling quite sick that week. Nothing serious. Just sinus congestion and general fatigue.

Week 7

Monday: 5 miles
Saturday: 3 miles

I was excited to get back to training during week 7 until I ran 5 miles on Monday and injured my knee. Again, nothing too serious, but James said I needed to let my knee rest for a few days. I ran 3 miles on Saturday and my knee was still in pain. James said I should take another week off from running.

Week 8

This is the week I took off from running to hopefully let my knee heal. I will try to run tonight and see what happens. The half marathon is in 25 days. I'm nervous that I've lost everything I've worked for up until 2 weeks ago and that I won't have time to gain it back in time for the race.

Half Marathon Training: Week 5

Monday:1.5 miles
Tuesday: See previous post
Wednesday: 4 miles
Saturday: 8 miles

I'm in Knoxville with my grandparents, Tammy Hall (who works down the hall from me in the Dean's office), and her daughter Samantha. Tammy and Samantha have never been to a Tennessee game. It's always so exciting to bring Vol fans to a game when they've never been. I'm not even a sports fan, but being in Knoxville during a game weekend and going to Neyland Stadium is an unforgettable experience that I look forward to every fall. Go Big Orange!

Half Marathon Training: Week 4

Monday: Sick
Tuesday: Sick
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: 2nd accounting exam
Friday: Our brother-in-law Jon came home from Afghanistan! Thank you, God, for his safe return!
Sunday: 7 miles at an average pace of 9'45"

This week has been the worst so far just because I was only able to run twice. One of those times, I only ran 2 miles and walked the last mile. Even still, my long run was amazing today. The weather was beautiful, I felt great, and I averaged a fast(er) pace. At this rate, I'll be able to beat my first half marathon time with no problem. I feel motivated to push even harder and to run even faster. I won't let this one week slow me down. As of tomorrow, I'm getting back on the schedule. Four weeks down, eight to go!    

Half Marathon Training: Week 3

Monday: 3.5 miles
Tuesday: 1.5 miles at a 8'52" min/mile pace
Wednesday: 3 miles
Saturday: 5k race...I won first place overall female! I ran faster than I ever have at 26'46"!

Weakley County Runners

Half Marathon Training: Week 2

Monday: 3 miles

Tuesday: 2.65 miles + an extra 30 minutes or so of walking on the treadmill while watching Cupcake Wars on the Food Network...

Friday: 3 miles

Saturday: 6 miles

Half Marathon Training: Week 1

The St. Jude Half Marathon is only 75 days away!

This past Saturday, I finished week one of my 12 week half marathon training.

Here's a recap of last week:

Monday - 3 miles
Tuesday - 1.25 miles
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 1st accounting exam of the semester (Oh wait, does that even count?)
Friday - 3 miles
Saturday - 5 miles

Although I was extremely unmotivated to run over the summer, I managed to keep it up somewhat especially thanks to my new running partner Kim (aka Coach). Kim has been an excellent accountability partner. There have been several times that I only ran because she asked me to run with her (aka didn't give me a choice-haha). Otherwise, I would have just put it off. That's all going to change. Last week, I followed my training schedule to the letter.

As you may remember, I ran in my first half marathon in April with my best friend Becca. Due to unexpected technical difficulty, our time was 2 hours and 55 minutes. I am bound and determined to not only beat this time but exceed my expectations. I won't be able to achieve that without working harder and training better than I did in the spring.

Let's do this...

(cue "Eye of the Tiger")

85 days...

Another Countdown Begins: 115 days...

St. Jude Half Marathon Hero

I have taken on the challenge of participating in my next endurance event to support the patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! I'll be running with the Weakley County Runners team.

As a St. Jude Hero, I have committed to crossing the finish line of my race while raising vital funds to support the work of St. Jude and the doctors and researchers working tirelessly to find cures and save the lives of children fighting cancer and other deadly childhood diseases. Help me raise money for the kids of St. Jude!

Please visit my Web site to learn more about my goals.

Thank you for your support!

Please visit my web page (copy and paste it into your web browser) and donate to St. Jude and to help me reach my fundraising goal.

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programName=heroes&eventId=166948&userId=657368

© Copyright 2011 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Our First Half Marathon

We did it! We actually ran 13.1 miles last Saturday. My best friend Becca, her Aunt Kim, Kim's friend Sky, and I had one of the best weekends ever.

I had posted a blog where I had thanked everyone who helped me achieve this amazing experience, but then Blogger went down for a few days and the post was deleted. Instead of trying to remember everything I wrote, I'll just re-post the pics instead.

In 5 days...

50 days...

In 75 days...