Marathon Training Week 21 In Review and Weight Issues

Guess where I went during last week's training? Remember, that place I visit every once in a while... yup, you got it, Crazy Town.

Photo Source

During last Monday's long run, I once again claimed my spot as the mayor of Crazy Town. My mental state was absolutely awful, I was darn mess. I was doubting myself and my ability to finish the marathon and I was wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my life. This crazy train, went on for most of the run and it swear it made me feel super sluggish. Then at around mile 12, my stomach went on strike, I was going to explode from every end. I ended up slowing down for the last four, it felt like a death march. I ended up getting sick later in the day, after I got home and when Patrick got home, he told me that his stomach had been unsettled all day too, so it may have been a little stomach bug. 

Did I mention that my ipod broke during this run? Well, the screen is separated from the casing, it's a mess. I can use it on the ipod docks for my Zumba classes but I am scared to run with it because I think it might shock me. Look... 

Wednesday, I had speedwork and it was a tough one because I was just not motivated and I just wanted to be at home sleeping. I trudged through this one, but I was pretty happy because I had a movie on my phone which helped pass the time. The only issue is that our gym treadmills have a one hour time limit, so after an hour the treadmill automatically switches to a cool down, so I have to get creative because this run was 8 miles and I'm slow. So, I did my warm up, stopped the treadmill, and restarted it and did the speedwork, after that was done I had to restart the treadmill again to cool down. A lot of work, but I have to be creative. 

Friday, I had 3 on the schedule but I was only able to finish 2. It was an incredibly busy day and that was all I had time for because I had to squeeze it in. Nothing to write home about. 

Now, for the weighty issues. I have been so embarrassed and ashamed about this but I have gained weight, and not just a little weight... a whole lot and it's time to own up to it. I've gained 15 pounds, and I am not proud or happy about it. That being said, I am not going to let this hold me back and I am already working on coming back from this. I'm back to journalling my food, and making smart and clean choices. This isn't going to stop my weight loss journey which had sort of stalled out, it's bump in the proverbial road and I am going to come back from this stronger. 

With the marathon around the corner and the weight thing, it's time to put the nose to the grind stone and get to work. It's crunch time! 

Next post, is the 13.1 Atlanta race report... stay tuned. 

Back In Business!

I'm no longer feeling like death...SCORE!!! You know what that means? I'm back in business, and back on track with training. Monday was the first longer run since I got sick, I had 8 miles on the schedule. I had K join me for this run. It was slow and it was tough but I was pretty jazzed about being out at it again.

Then Wednesday, I had 14 miles. I was so worried about this one because it had been so long since I had covered that kind of mileage. I'll be honest, it was TOUGH. As always, the first 4-5 miles are hard for me, I usually get into a good groove between miles 5-10 and this was the case with this run as well. Last long run, I resorted to some silly mind games to get through. The funny thing about this run was that there were some shirtless dudes running and little did they know, they pulled me along for a while. Is there anyway, these guys want to slow down their pace a little and come with me to my next races? Maybe I should ask. I got the miles done, and on the way home, I stopped at a gas station and picked up two bags of ice. Oh yeah, I took an ice bath, and I liked it. I've done this before and I might be a freak of nature but I like the ice baths, yes, you read that right. Getting in that tub is tough but those 10 minutes in the ice bath are sort of glorious.

As for Friday and Saturday's runs... they were a struggle. Friday, I was dragging after having taught my class. Saturday, I was just thinking about everything except the run and my head just wasn't in it. The funny thing about not having my head in the run is that, later that afternoon I went to pick up my race number for 13.1 Atlanta next Sunday. Yup, I'm back to racing too and October is going to be a busy race month for this girl. See, I'm back in business!!!

Marathon Training Week 15's Long Run and Giveaway Winner

Let's break down today's run in bullet point form. Why, you ask, to you I say why the heck not. 

• I had a TON of fun during this run today! I sang a little, had a few dancey moments, you know my usual.
• I had a ton of cyclists and people in golf carts scare the begabbers (to use B's term) out of me.
• Apparently, I suck at taking pictures of myself while running. See below for evidence.

 

•  I saw some thoroughly amusing graffitti. Peachtree City is about as gangsta as June Cleaver.

• The weather was awesome because it was hot but it didn't feel like I was in some sort of torture sauna. 
• I was on my own again, but I was actually ok with that. I managed to push myself when I needed a little push, and keep it going.
• I didn't take my normal route exactly. I started at a completely different spot and did the first six of the run, on part of the paths I don't normally run, I did the three mile route I knew twice, and then crossed the road to the marked 6 mile loop around the lake. It kept the run interesting and fun.

Now, for the announcement, the winner of my very first giveaway. I used Random.org to pick the winner.

The winner is #9, none other than Fruit Fly herself. Shoot me an e-mail at runchunky [at] gmail [dot] com.

Stay tuned, I have a few other giveaways coming up. I also have a guest blogger tomorrow, so there's lots of fun stuff coming up.

Ch-ch-changes

This week's theme- Change

This past Monday was week 14's long run, and it was 11 miles. First things first, I made that 11 miles my b*tch, just thought you should know, even if I did it rather slowly. This also happened to be B's first day of second grade, and let's touch on that before I tell you about the long run. The morning started out with little Miss "I've Been 7 For A Whole Week So I think I'm Grown" copping quite the little attitude. Then,  when we got to school, she was too cool to take more than one "first day of school" picture. I also can't forget to tell you guys that I got in trouble when crossing from the school to the parking lot because I didn't cross at the crosswalk. Mind you, there were no kids out, the bell had already rung, and I was a little misty eyed at the thought of my baby not being a baby anymore. Yeah, so after that I cried in my car for a minute, because mad emotional is just how I roll somedays. After, I had a coffee date with a friend, so we could have our official first day of school date, like we had last year.

So finally, I was off running after an interesting start that morning. I decided to run my usual route, but backwards, and added miles by running through neighborhoods that butt up to the paths. Of course, I ran into a bunch of people I know when I looked like an awful hot mess, and about to melt into the pavement. One of the people I ran into was Celia, who follows the blog, and stopped me because she recognized me from the blog. I almost felt like a celebrity, thank goodness I managed to keep the paparazzi at bay. Also, I kept oscillating from incredible miles, to miles where I thought I saw snails moving faster than me. Thankfully, when I saw Celia, I was having a rockstar mile, so I probably didn't look like that much of a mess, or at least I didn't in my head. I had the tunes going, and it was a nice mix of everything under the sun, we're talking Britney, Poison, Barbara Streisand... it was AWESOME! Somewhere around mile 9, I think I started to lose my head a little, the heat and humidity was killer. See, I have photographic evidence.

 

Somehow, I managed to waddle on through 11 miles. I was pretty darn happy, even if it was slow... so slow in fact that I think I got Granny'd by a lady near the Senior Citizen's complex. This my longest solo run ever, so I had some stuff to celebrate. Also, did I mention there was some new chafing?! I thought I had covered all the important spots with my chafe cream but apparently, I missed a spot, because I had some serious chafe action. OUCH! *TMI WARNING* I had never chafed in the spot where on my bum on the spot where the undies rubbed it, but let me tell you that I have now. My butt was on fire, not a good situation.

So, this week the schedule was mixed up so I can now officially have two rest days, and I couldn't be happier about that. Now, I get to chill out on Thursdays and Sundays, which means no pilates for me until after the marathon, but I can deal with that. It felt great to have Thursday off, seriously, I almost didn't know what to do with myself. Ok, that's a bit of a stretch, the day was busy, but it was weird not going to the gym. 

This change means that I did my speedwork on Wednesday, and it was a tough workout this week. I seriously thought I was going to die and/or fly off the treadmill. I am not a fan of this, but I have to remember that it's going to pay off. It will pay off, right? Lie to me if you must. 

This past week was all about changes. Changes to the schedule, B's back at school so my life can return to normal, oh yeah and a new place to chafe. Ok, not that many changes, but good and welcomed changes nonetheless. 

Three Things Thursday

1. My mom is in town, and B is just on cloud nine. She loves her grandma, but only until my dad get here tomorrow when grandpa will be the center of her universe.

2. I did some hill repeats today, and I was pretty sure that my legs were going to fall off. They were definitely talking to me, and I know I'll feel them tomorrow.

3. Have you entered my very first giveaway? You haven't?! Well, just click THIS link, and enter for your chance to score a shiny new Sweaty Band.

Marathon Training Week 12

Monday morning was week 12's long run, and it was a doozie. Let me explain, this week I put B in a dance camp, and it's only a half day camp. So, Monday morning we both slept in and all the time I had scheduled before camp to get organized was officially out the window. We were running out the door and I was barely presentable to the civilized world but I got B to camp, but I had to get home to get my stuff and get ready for the run. By the time I started, I was an hour late from when I had planned on starting the run, but I had to get the run in anyway I could.

This run was on my own, I had a good mix of music going, and was feeling good. The heat of course was an issue but then again, it'll be an issue for a few more months so I just have to suck it up and deal with it. I was a little wary doing this run on my own, but I think it's mostly because I've never run 9 miles on my own. Obviously, it didn't kill me, but there were a few points where I had to remind myself that I didn't need someone else to push me, I could push myself. At 5 miles into the run, I frantically texted Lesley and let her know that I only had time to finish one more mile before I had to get Bella, and asked if it was ok to finish the last three on the treadmill. She ok'ed it, but told me to minimize the time between, and I busted over to camp to pick Bella up in record time and we were off to the gym. I finished the last three on the treadmill but the legs felt heavy and I was just feeling sluggish at that point, but I got it done even if I had to get a little creative.

Tuesday, I had to get a mile in, and I needed it after the Zumba class I had. I had a front row diva, who decided she was going to be a distraction during the whole class. She would stop dancing at certain points, made faces, had snide little comments, and even hid in the bathroom during one song she didn't like. I am going to talk to her about it next week if she decides to be a pain again on Tuesday. Anyways, I was fuming after class, and I didn't even run with music, I was just angry and needed to get it out.

Thursday was my speedwork day, and I was a little scared and dreaded it just a little. To make matters worse, I couldn't get it done in the morning because I had a photo shoot. Not a total loss because momma got paid, I liked getting paid, and getting paid to do something I love. Anyways, this evening I headed to the gym to get it done. I had music ready to go, but the tv on the treadmill kept me thoroughly distracted, and I needed to be distracted. I also brought an extra exercise towel to cover up the treadmill display, because looking at my speed, time and distance messes with my head, so after the warm up, I covered that puppy up. I peeked occasionally, but I really made an effort to not look and mess myself up. It was going well, and I was almost done when this guy came up behind me and scared the begabbers (Bella said that sounded better than snot). I nearly fell off the treadmill, and I scared a few people working out around me, I wish I had it on tape because I am sure it HILARIOUS. He wanted to move the fan that I had pointed at myself, I told him to take it, as long as he didn't scare me again. Anyways, I hit my pace, I had some moments where I had the urge to slow down but ultimately I finished the drill and didn't slow down.

Saturday, I have a 4 miler on the books, and I am tempted to run The People's Health Day 5K. Not sure, if it's a good idea because we have some prepping to do for B's birthday. We're having a little family get together at MIL's on Sunday and also having lunch at the American Girl store. Then on Monday, her actual birthday, she wants to watch The Smurfs movie and go to lunch with a few friends.

Marathon Training Week 11

Can you believe it's already 11 weeks into marathon training?! I certainly can't but I think that the ankle issues sidelining me has made it feel like I'm not that far into it. I am confident that I will be ready come November 5th, I have a sticker that needs to go on my car, there's work to be done.

So, yesterday was my long run and I ran this with Danielle and Karen, Karen joined us for a 1.5 miles, because she had somewhere she needed to be. It was a great run, it was slow but it was hot so it all balanced out. We chatted the whole way, about a little of everything, nothing like a run to work out all of life's problems. Guess what?! I had a milestone during this run, I usually stop to use the restroom during my long runs and this time I didn't stop. I am sure that most times when I stop, it mostly because I have trained my self to stop as opposed to actually having to go. That being said, I was pretty happy to see the toilet when I got home, because I've had a kid and sometimes there is only so much bouncing my bladder can handle. Alright, that's enough pee talk, I'm sure that's not what you want to know about, the real draw is hearing about all the stuff we run into during the runs. It's summer and there is just a whole lot of nature going on around here, so we have a lot of redneck Disney Princess like moments with wildlife on the paths. Sadly, this run we were dodging a lot of woodland creatures that were not so lucky.Do we get bonus points for the weaving and dodging the whole way? Did I mention that after this run, I am going to have to retire some of my favorite socks? My experia socks actually rubbed my feet during this run and hurt. I am officially going to be running in my wright socks during the hot weather. Anyways, we did well with the run until mile 6, then we hit the wall, we were ready for the run to be over, it was a mix of heat, and just physical exhaustion. We finished but it wasn't pretty, and to be honest with you, I was ok with that. I got home, iced myself down and took a little nap because let's face it, naps are AWESOME.

Today, I had a training run scheduled before I taught my Zumba class and for the second week in a row, I've had to get the mile in after class. Unlike last week, I didn't nearly mess my pants, so I see that as a win. I love the treadmills at the gym that I teach at on Tuesday nights, they have Nike+ on all their machines, so the workout gets stored right onto my ipod. I listened to some Me First And The Gimme Gimmes to offset all the latin music I've been listening to lately trying to spice up my Zumba class.

Here's a little Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, I've had the Billy Joel version of this song stuck in my head for a few days.



I'll have some giveaways for you guys coming up in the next few weeks, I'm even going to have one that'll be for you local followers, so stay tuned.

Three Things Thursday (Toronto Edition)

1. We showed up a whole day early to take Bella to see The Lion King yesterday. WHO DOES THAT?! Apparently, I do, not sure why I didn't check the tickets when we printed them up.

Taken before I had to break the news to her.

2. Did my treadmill run today and my ankle was definitely making itself known. STUPID ANKLE!

3. I am having a hard time not eating everything in sight lately. This is not boding well for the weight loss efforts. I really have to FOCUS!!!

Marathon Training Long Run #4

Alright, so I am such an airhead and somehow managed to miss my runniversary and blog-ivesary. On May 18th, 2010, I started this little blog journey and little did I know how much my life would change and how little I knew about running. So, let's see what this second year of blogging and running fun has in store for me.

This morning, I set out for marathon training long run #4. This morning's run was a little different because I had a brand spankin' new running partner with me...Danielle. She's a friend that I met during my last time doing "Lost It At The Club". To be honest, I was a little worried about running with her because it's someone new, and I didn't want to have a bad experience. Thankfully, it went really well, she slowed to my pace and then pushed me at the end where I felt like giving up. The time flew by with chatter about this and that, the conversation came easily and was thoroughly interesting and amusing. I knew that Danielle was awesome but I didn't realize how awesome. She's going to be writing a guest blog post for me sharing her story soon. I'll give you the short version, she's lost a lot of weight, but more importantly she has truly been given a second chance at life. A few years ago, she was in a car accident that resulted in a brain injury. She had to re-learn how to do so many things we take for granted, and she even had to re-learn how to walk, and now she's running and kicking butt. To listen to her tell her story, you can't help but feel inspired. I really can't wait for her to share her whole story with all of you because I could never do it justice. Did I mention that she's going to do 13.1 Atlanta with me as well as the full in Savannah?! I love surrounding myself with those who are awesome and awesomely bad ass!

The run started well, and we kept the 3:1 intervals, we stuck to the plan, and trotted along nicely. I was a little worried about my speed or lack there of but Danielle said she enjoyed the pace and stuck with me. I was grateful for the company because I know that I would have lagged a lot more had I not had someone with me. Also, I was super grateful to have her with me because at about 6.5 miles, I started to drag and Danielle didn't let me wimp out. During the run we ran by an aid station, a local running club had an aid station set out and they were kind enough to offer us some gatorade and even gave us some powerbar gels. Gotta love the kindness of other runners! There were lots of people out on the paths today, and can I just vent about how annoying the others on the paths not calling that they were coming. We had a handful of cyclists nearly run us down, incredibly rude. Then right around the point where I started to drag, I noticed that there was Memorial Day ceremony going on and we had to run right behind where the speakers were. We ran as fast as we could and tried to run around it as much as we could. The heat was starting to get pretty brutal by the end of the run and I was super glad that we started as early as we did.

This little gem was on the radio today... gotta love 90's weekends on Star 94 (one of the only reasons I listen to them).

Three Things Thursday

1. Amy suggested I skip pilates today and just run because of how busy I've been. So, I had a date with the treadmill this morning. There were no tears today, I was just focused on completing the workout that Lesley had assigned for today. SCORE!!

2. Super jazzed to be having lunch with Shannon today, whom I haven't had a chance to hang out with in a long time.

3. Here's a song that's going to be my warm up song for my Zumba classes next week.

Let's Play Catch Up & Marathon Training Long Run Week #3

Thursday

Started my day with pilates then followed it up with some intervals on the treadmill. I'll be honest with you, there tears. They were tough and the tears came not because the run was tough, which it was, but because I didn't quit even though I was very tempted. Can I just tell you how surprised I was when the tears came on?! It's tough to be bad ass when you are crying.

Then Thursday night, my dad flew in from Toronto to see Bella perform in her first grade play on Friday morning. 

B and Grandpa hanging out

Friday

Friday was my first Friday in a while where I didn't teach my Zumba class. I subbed it out so that I could be at B's school to watch her Tony award worthy performance in "It Sounds A Little Fishy". Alright, maybe my baby is not going to be the next Broadway sensation but it was so stinkin' cute! I think Patrick said it best, the kids and the play was cuter than a litter of puppies. I pulled Bella out of school after the play because it's almost the end of school and they weren't doing much. Plus, I thought she should spend some time with Grandpa. My mom and dad had promised her an American Girl doll if she did well in school this year, and Miss Bella delivered, so we made the trek to the AG store so she could pick out her new doll, but not without taking one of hers with her to enjoy the festivities. To add to that, my dad wanted to go shopping so we spent the rest of the day shopping. My dad loves shopping... 

Saturday

I had Zumba launch at one of the gyms that I work at, and let me just tell you it was fun but super exhausting. 

Sunday

I missed Saturday's run, I ran a mile and walked a mile Sunday morning, to get myself moving. I got to try out my new shoes, did I mention that I got new shoes? I got another pair of Vomeros and I'm glad to have another pair of shoes in the mix.

Patrick and I decided to take Bella to the Renaissance Festival that was taking place very close to where we live. I'd never been to one before and he hadn't been since he was in high school, neither of us were really sure what to expect. Both Patrick and I thought it was alright and overly pricey and some of it was not really as family friendly as it was advertised. That being said Bella absolutely loved it.

An animal shelter had this one eyed killer, he was adorable.

My baby is a lot of things but graceful is not one of them.

She had to have a picture taken with the knight who won the joust.

Monday


Beginning of marathon training week #3, and third long run in this training cycle. I was on my own for this one, and I was glad because I just wanted to be alone. I put my ipod in and set out slowly because it was HOT, but I shouldn't be surprised because I do live in Georgia after all. I started out well enough, and then about a mile into the run, I felt the urge to go. Well, I knew that there is a bathroom at a super market I pass at the 2.5 mile mark, and I could hold it till then. Then the urge got worse, I tried ignoring it, but that didn't help. I started eyeing the trees on the path, but couldn't bring myself to go outside because it would be my luck that I would have someone see me. By the time I hit the second mile mark, I was starting to worry that I would end up with yellow socks. I would speed up so that I could get to the bathroom quicker and then slow down because I started to worry that I would have an accident. I even asked myself what would SUAR do, in an attempt to talk myself into going behind a tree, but I just couldn't do it. I don't think I have ever felt a feeling as heavenly as sitting on the toilet at Kroger, and I am sort of glad that it was empty because I might have let out one of those sighs. You know which sigh I'm talking about, we've all done it. Anyways, I headed back out and was trucking along then I saw a donut on the cart path, now, it's not unusual to see food on the cart paths because sometimes little kids throw things from their golf carts. What was unusual was the next donut I came across, then there were even more. For about 1.5 miles, I saw donuts and donut holes scattered along the path, which makes me wonder what exactly prompted someone to throw that many donuts. That's some serious sugar abuse. Look I have evidence...

One of the many left on the path... that's some serious sugar abuse.

The good thing about the donuts was that it gave me something to entertain myself with. I started concocting crazy stories as to how they got there, and why. Plus, because this is Georgia and there is tons of wildlife, so there were lots of birds pecking away at the discarded donuts. So not only was I making up my stories, I was having a quasi redneck disney princess moment with all the birds lining the path. It was almost magical and I managed to get 7 miles in, albeit slowly.

Marathon Training Long Run #2

This morning was long run #2 in the marathon training plan. When I woke up this morning, it was looking like rain was coming so I made the decision to try the long run on the treadmill. K decided to join me, and if you read last week's entry It started well enough on the treadmill, but a mile in, I looked out and decided that I had to finish the run outside and possibly run in the coming rain. Plus, I wanted to have a bad ass moment, even if it was only a small bad ass moment. We got off the treadmill, ran to my car, slapped on my fuel belt that I had brought just in case the weather changed and put on Bubba (my Garmin). The weather was nice and cool, and it was drizzling which made the conditions feel almost heavenly. We were off, and I decided to avoid any issues like I had last week, I put my ipod in and had one ear bud in, so I could focus on my music if K's chatting got to me. She only irritated me this run when she had negative things to say, like talking about the hills etc. A few times before she totally irritated me and I said something rude, I took a few walking steps and let her get ahead of me. The way I looked at this run was that it was a solo run and she just happened to be on the golf cart paths with me. I know it's not the nicest but like Shannon once said to me, I had to run for no one but myself. I felt really strong mentally during the run, which was a HUGE confidence booster.

From a physical standpoint, I felt pretty good. My knees were a little sore but that's from my arthritis, and they are usually a little sore when it's going to rain. I joke that they are my own personal weather stations. I did chat with K about shoes, and I think that it's time to add another pair of shoes into rotation, because the shoes I am running in are in good shape but I need more. Plus, I love shoes and any excuse to buy new shoes, especially running shoes. Plus, I want to avoid causing myself any injuries because of my shoes. Anyways, let me tell you a little funny story about what happened post run. So, towards the end of the run, it actually started raining a little harder than the slight drizzle we'd had during the whole run, so my shirt got wet. I walked back into the gym to stretch and use the bathroom after the run, I headed to bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I didn't take a picture because I can't go around taking pictures of my chest without charging you guys. I had two big dry spots on my shirt, right on my boobs! Let me tell you, it was a sight. It looked a little something like this...

I know you are wowed and amazed with my doodlin' skills.

Epic Weekend and Week One of Marathon Training Wrap Up

Saturday


I woke up early, and hit the treadmill and got my miles in before Patrick had to go to work. After that, I had to go practice for a Zumba launch at one of the gyms I work at. After that, I had to make myself look and smell presentable because I had a senior photo shoot with my friend Shannon's oldest daughter. Can I just tell you that I had the most fun ever during this photo shoot! Met up with Shannon after the shoot so she and her daughter could have a quick look at the shots. I headed home to get ready because I had a date with my friend Christina and one Jon Bon Jovi. We had awesome seats and had an incredible time, even if I was a tad late and walked into Phillips Arena as they started playing their first song.

Sunday


I tried my best to sleep in but B had other plans, she barged into our bedroom and made her presence known so the plan to sleep in was a FAIL. It was a planned rest day and it mostly for one exception. I was part of a Zumba flash mob at an event called Taste of Fayette.

Here is a video of the flash mob if you're interested... (I was towards the back of the crowd)



Week One Marathon Training Wrap Up


So, first week of marathon training is done. Feeling great and looking forward an epic week two of training. Monday, I got my long run in; Thursday, I did some intervals on the TM; Saturday, got 3 miles in on the tm. Did weight training on Wednesday and Friday, plus taught my three Zumba classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I was super proud of getting it done according to the plan this week.

Friday, I'm In Love

This song has been playing my head today, so you get to partake in my crazy today.



Yesterday, I did 3.25 miles on the treadmill after pilates.  It was intervals and to be honest I was scared. The speeds Lesley planned out for me were a little intimidating. I even asked her to reassure me that I wasn't going to die. Obviously, I didn't, so, win all around. I really surprised myself.

Notice the piece of paper, I had my interval workout written out so I didn't have to memorize it.

Like I mentioned, I went to pilates yesterday morning, I think that Amy (who also happens to be my trainer) was hell bent on making us hurt. I am so sore today from yesterday's class, it's not even funny. I just have remember that results are on the other side of this hard work. It's just tough to remember when it hurts to laugh and lift my arms.

So, I am looking at bathing suits and can I just gripe about the expense. I know what you're thinking, a good suit is worth the money but geez louise some of these puppies are expensive. Then to top it off some of the stuff they try to sell us bigger girls is laughable at how ugly and/or matronly it is. Just because I'm big doesn't mean I want to wear some FUGLY swim muumuu. Then, while looking for this, I have also been browsing for some running shorts. I hate wearing shorts but I live in Georgia, it's hot and I just need to put my big girl panties on and deal with it. Nike has some shorts that will work, but I am looking for other options as well and having a hard time finding ones that will work. Any bigger runners have any help in this department?

Alright, I'm out... I have to practice some new stuff for my Zumba class, although you'd laugh to watch me practice. I actually practice on the couch, I don't get up and do the whole thing until I know the entire routine. Why kill my body unnecessarily? 

Puppy Dog Lunch Bags Are Bad A** and First Marathon Training Long Run

Let's tackle the most important issue first, can we all agree that carrying ice packs, a snack and a powerade zero in a puppy dog lunch bag is pretty bad ass? What?! You mean using your 6 year old's lunch bag isn't bad ass or cool? I had to ask Miss Bella to borrow one of her lunch boxes today because I don't have a small cooler to carry my junk in, and she was gracious enough to let me borrow the puppy dog one. It has all the elements essential to bad assery... purple, pink, puppy dogs and GLITTER!

Alright, so today was the first long run of the official training plan set out by my awesome running coach, Lesley. K decided to join in on the fun this morning. I wish I had gone right after I had dropped Bella off, because by the time we got started the temperature was slowly rising and it was pretty hot when we were done. We started on a different part of the paths than we normally do, so it made for a nice change of scenery. We were off and I realized once we were way too far from the car that I had forgotten my inhaler... I will not make that mistake again. The breathing wasn't horrible but I definitely noticed that I hadn't taken it before the run. IT WAS A STUPID MOVE!! I dealt with it and we found a nice little groove. K chatted, and chatted, and chatted, I was trying to focus on the run. I normally love talking during the long run, but today I just wanted company but not social hour.  It just irritated me a little, that being said we all have those days. We hit a nice little groove after about 2.5 miles. I did notice that during our 1 minute walk breaks, we were walking a lot slower than I felt we should have. So, next long run I will make a conscious effort to make those walk breaks faster and more productive. We got the miles in and I couldn't have been happier about that. When we got back to the car, I got out my awesome lunch box, ate my snack, drank my powerade and headed home. Look I was good and even iced the knees when I got home. SCORE!