Run Against Hunger 5K

I decided to sign up to run a Run Against Hunger 5K alone on July 11th. It was something I wanted to do on my own without any support. At least I thought I did. My Mom and Aunt Mary decided to come and cheer me on that morning. Thank God! I really needed them there more than I knew.

I started to get nervous the night before and was even more nervous that morning. Thankfully the 5K was only a few minutes from my house. I did get there around 8:00 am to pick up my packet and get mentally prepared. My Mom and Aunt Mary showed up about 5 minutes before the race, which really made me feel great! It was nice to have someone there cheering me on after the past few months.

I started the race hoping to get under 40 minutes. The couple other times I ran outside I ran under 40 minutes; however, I wasn't sure how I would do. The times I did run outside I walked more frequently, but I believe I was running faster than on my treadmill. My plan was to just do my best. In the end I ran the race in 39:08:17. My best time yet!

Considering everything that has been going on in my life since the beginning of May I am really happy with this time! I am proud that I signed up for the race and did it! I have definitely fallen off the wagon and have been struggling lately, but I refuse to give up. I promise there is a post coming soon on what has been going on these past few months. 

What have you done recently that you are proud of? Let me know in the comments below!

Running

This Saturday I have a 5K. It is the first one I have run in two years and I am nervous. I have been running/walking on the treadmill since the first week in January. My time has definitely improved over the past six months, but it is definitely different then running outside.

Multiple people have told me I would run faster outside. To be honest I have no idea what speed I am running while cruising around the neighborhood; however, I think it is faster. :) I am walking a few more times than when I am on the treadmill, but my time has been under 40 minutes for the 3.12 miles for the first time.

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I have one more run outside planned this week, but I will have to see how I do on Saturday. I hope to just be able run most of it and do it in under 45 minutes. I would really like to do it in 40 minutes or less though. 

I hope you all have a great week. Let me know if you have any big things coming up soon!

Happy 4th of July!

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I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July! Have a wonderful day no matter what you may be doing and please stay safe.

July Goals & June Recap

Good Morning! I hope you have all had a wonderful week. Mine has been pretty good. The weather in Michigan has been great! Plus considering the past two months of grieving I am feeling a little better. I will have to wait and see what the future holds. I know I will continue to have ups and downs. 

June Goals:

• Workout 3-4 times per week 
• Start cooking and eating healthy
• Track meals in MyFitness Pal daily

In June, my goals were to just get back on track for the most part. I didn't do great, but it wasn't horrible. As far as working out 3-4 times a week, I do not think I made it every week, but I have definitely picked it back up again. I am tracking in MyFitness Pal. My plan to eat healthy was a joke. I still ate pizza, ice cream, cake, cranberry & vodka, cheeseburgers, and more. Ugh! I ate like crap and I have felt like crap. 

I do not feel one bit guilty. These past two months have been some of the hardest of my life. I am having to adjust my daily living and I have just started to feel I am ready to begin to pick up the pieces. I am taking it moment by moment, day by day. 

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In July, I am going to start picking those pieces. One at a time. I am not in a hurry. I know I need time to heal and rebuild. I am strong and I will get through wherever this road takes me. I am just focusing on myself and finding peace.

My July goals are listed below. Let me know in the comments what one or more of your goals are for this month!

July Goals:

• Workout 3-5 times per week 
• Eat healthier & cook/prep food more
• Blog 2 times a week
• Sign up for DietBet & try to hard to win

Happy Birthday!

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I brought Strawberry Shortcake in for a birthday treat at work. Then spent the evening having dinner surrounded by friends. I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

New Experiences

If you have read my previous posts you know life has been crazy these past 6 weeks. Eventually I will share what is happening, but I am just not ready yet. The good news is I have some amazing family and friends and they have been with me every step of the way. God bless every one of them!

I have been staying very busy, but here are some of things I have been up to over the past month. The first is coloring! Yes, I said coloring. My friend, Angie, told me about these adult coloring books. So one night Lyndsey, Angie, and I had a drink and colored. Needless to say I haven't stopped since then. I have been coming home coloring and watching Friends for weeks. I am apparently the only person who hasn't watched Friends and I fell in love with it. So that has been my therapy!

One weekend I kind of pushed myself on my friend & trainer, Lyndsey. You think I would think something like that through! She is a trainer! I figured her family and I would just hang out. Oh no! Not her! Sit around? HA! So she told me we were going kayaking. Ugh, what? I don't swim very well and the thought of getting in a dinky boat in water was not appealing. She of course talked me into it. When I told my Mom the first question she asked me was "Do you have life insurance?"

So Saturday it was raining so Lyndsey thought we'd paint nails unless it cleared up. Paint nails? Game on! However, by the time evening rolled around it was beautiful out. So needless to say she fed me an amazing meal and we headed out. I was scared! I did a circle or two before catching on to what Lyndsey told me. It wasn't until about half way through our circle around the lake that I relaxed. I would definitely do it again. It would be nice to know how to swim though! :)

When we got back to Lyndsey's house that night she made us Frozen Pineapple Whip for dessert. This was amazing! It was so refreshing! I really need to get a food processor so I can make this every night in the summer! :) 

Frozen Pineapple Amazingness

This Saturday I went strawberry picking with my one of my favorite kids, Addison! Lyndsey, Addison (Lyndsey's daughter), and I went to pick strawberries this past Saturday! I got quite a bit. I love Michigan strawberries! LOVE! I have some already cut up for my greek yogurt and granola this week! I am going to freeze some too!

Have you done anything new lately? Tried anything new?

Checking In

I am not sure how we are already half way through 2015!! Crazy! This year has not been easy for me personally so I am planning on the last half of the year being amazing. Currently I am still planning on loosing the last 30 pounds before the end of the year. One step at a time.

Last week I did get my workouts in and I cooked for myself. High five! Although I need to eat better it was nice to actually have food in the house. Now to incorporate the veggies and fruit back in my diet!

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Workout Recap:
Monday (6/8/15) - Strength Workout with Personal Trainer (60 min)
Tuesday (6/9/15) - Walk / Run (60 min)
Thursday (6/11/15) - Walk (60 min)
Saturday (6/13/15) - Spinning Class (50 min) & Strength Class (50 min)

I need to be better about tracking my food in MyFitness Pal. So I am going to continue to work on that this week. I am also going to focus on my meals and getting a good night sleep during the week. I have been having nightmares and getting to bed late. Things are slowly getting better for me, but I realize it is a process. Not once have I felt guilty and I will never feel guilty about it. In the end I got back up. All this did is prove to me this is a lifetime journey for me. I am strong!

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How was your week? Did you get your workouts in for the week? Did you eat well?