Run Jac Run 🏃🏻‍♀️

Week 10 (of 52)- 2021 Edition

I want to focus on increasing by just a little bit each week, but also I am not very patient! I want to be able to run all the miles, but I have to do it smartly. Another thing I need to focus on is what I put in my body. Food= Fuel. Last week I did really poorly at eating, I was like an endless dumpster and just shoveled food in. More out of boredom than pure hunger! So, I really want to focus on that more. Did you know… marathon training can actually make you gain weight!? Rather than lose it… because you are running so many miles you feel justified to eat whatever you want. Well, I am currently in that state of mind and I am barely covering any miles. So I feel myself ballooning, and I want to focus on the right mindset before I continue forward.

Monday- Plan: 35 min run, minimum 3 miles + strength
Actual: 3.12 miles in ~36 minutes! My calf is a little tight but it also felt nice and easy. My pace is around ~11min/mi to keep my heart rate under 150. Which I’m very happy about! I’m sure it helped I was focusing on recovery yesterday and napped for a couple hours and vegged out on the couch 😂. Once I get at least another 2 weeks of this consistency under my belt I’m going to incorporate interval and hill work outs, but for now, taking it easy and getting my body used to pounding away

Tuesday- Plan: XT 45 minutes
Actual: 50 minutes on the stationary bike 12-13 miles! I watched “breaking 2” on disney + and it was AMAZING!! Workout and the movie lol

Wednesday– Plan: 20 min run (1.5 mi minimum) + yoga for hips+ myrtle – can choose to skip run if necessary
Actual: 1.87 miles in 20 minutes, achieved low HR.

Thursday- Plan: 25 min run (2 mi minimum)+ strength
Actual: honestly just so upset and frustrated today. h had to make up his Q3 testing and it upset me that he shut down and wasn’t thinking things through. It makes me feel like a failure and I don’t spend enough time with him on everything. Or spend extra time on all the extra crap they expect but also don’t assign? Anyway, this led to a very frustrating release run. Meaning I released a lot of frustration and wish I could’ve been there longer. H always bugs River and then River jumps on him and they wrestle, so I can’t be gone for too long and leave them without supervision. So a quick 20 minutes progression run where I went from 3.0 warm up to 6.0-8.0 and back down in the 20 minutes. It felt great. And even better was the music “Billy Talent”

Friday- Plan: XT 30 minutes
Actual: REST- I decided to forgo the cross training because I haven’t taken a proper rest day all week and I want my legs to be ready for my long run. I did do some yoga and stretching.

Saturday- Plan: LONG RUN 50-60 minutes (5 mi minimum, 6 mi max)
Actual: REST (chore day!)

Sunday- Plan: REST
Actual: 59 min run- 5.37 miles in the middle of the day! I ended up walking about a 1/4mile back to the car to cool down and did some squats and lunges and pushups.

The one thing I really didn’t do much of is strength train and I know I need to continue focusing on that. But I do believe I focused more on what I was putting in my body. Also, I can’t skip Wednesday rest day.

Week 9 (of 52) – 2021 edition

There’s something I want to touch on, weightloss/weight gain. I have a genuine fear of going back to where I once was, not only was I considered obese by my doctor I was in such a dark place and hated how I looked. I don’t want to go to that. And so, I won’t ignore what I am seeing right now. Little tweaks will help. No crash dieting. Just lifestyle changes. I know why the scale has creeped up so much. I haven’t been so strict on my “diet” as normal- I normally track what I eat which helps me stay accountable. I am not mad at myself, I am not even disappointed… I am just looking at myself and asking myself if I am happy here. I am trying to not let the number define me, but when I see it I am a little sad. 6 pounds up in the last few months, which is related to less exercise, a lot more sugar (cookies, cakes, brownies, dessert!!!), bad sleep, a lot of stress and excess calories. All of those things will definitely make the scale creep up. And yet… I look at my body in the mirror and still see a FIERCE WOMAN. I don’t see the extra fluff the scale tells me there is. But I feel my clothes fit a little differently and my body is aware of the extra weight when I run. And so, I don’t plan to be like “I SHALL LOSE THOSE 6 or MORE POUNDS BECAUSE THE SCALE SAYS SO” but I shall just watch a little closer the sugar and SALT intake. For me, I love salty foods and when I eat too much, I balloon out. Chex Mix (bold) is my kryptonite. I can eat a whole family size bag without batting an eye. I have abstained from candy for almost a whole week, and I will continue to do so- but also I need to watch the other consumption. Training isn’t about cutting weight it’s about fueling your body so you can heal better and faster and run longer! So here I go. March 1 and I start this for real. Let’s gooooooooo!

Monday– 30 minute run, 15 minute strength train and I even stretched! I am determined to strength train 3x a week! I am determined to stretch every day! I am determined to be injury free! I am determined to find my runner-self again! Humidity has creeped up. This morning was 96%, but it was only 70* so it was fine! HR a little higher than what it would’ve been if it were cooler but I’m not mad about it.

Tuesday– I was NOT tired last night going to sleep, is it caffeine intake? I don’t think so…. I only have one cup of coffee in the early morning.. and maybe a tea around noon! I did sleep hard though, but less than 7 hours. And waking up I feel energized but my glutes are a bit sore! If you haven’t tried that full body I linked above you should!!!

Today I planned on 45 minutes of cross training on the elliptical or bike. What I actually did? 15 minutes… because I got sooo bored! But also J came home early from work and I felt obligated to not be gone because #momguilt but I looked at myself and said “you are going to get what you put in. So if you skimp on this workout then you won’t be doing yourself ANY good for future you wanting to complete a marathon” so, I decided if I can’t focus on the elliptical then at least let’s kick some weight around. So I focused on arms because they are weak! And then I did core work! And hopped on the bike for 10 minutes and ended with. 45 minute workout, just like how I wanted. And then finished the day with foam rolling, massage gun, stretching, using a massage roller annnnnd magnesium spray! Yeah, my quads and glutes are that sore!! I’ve been limping! Also weather is not cooperating and poor River didn’t get to go on a walk all day, only this morning! Poor guy.

Wednesday– I woke up this morning thinking I was for sure in for a run! But my schedule I created showed today was yoga and myrtle! And even though I felt great and wanted to, I decided to listen. I had planned on 4 days of running this week and I know when I increase my mileage my hips get really tight! It happened when I trained for my 10k last year. So, I am doing preventative work! I did a yoga video for hips and lower back and the myrtle workout.

Thursday– after triple checking the warranty/exchange policy of my new shoes, which was you can try and test them for 90 days and if you aren’t happy then you can return them, I got dressed and went out. It warmed up quick this morning and I was able to wear shorts!! The weather has been super bipolar. It’s supposed to get to the 70s today when just yesterday it didn’t get up past 48… so weird! Anyway, so the shoes felt so great and bouncy and comfortable! It was hard for me to keep my pace down and HR down! I was so excited for these shoes! So I did an easy 20 minute run in the sunshine… and ended it with some strides. Or stride lol. Strong finish, that’s better!

Friday- wow! There’s a lot of pollen floating around today! I have been taken down so am super stuffy and runny noses despite taking medicine. 😦 I am going to start a legitimate base running plan in about 2-3 weeks I think. I am going to continue with low mileage and consistency first and then do like 3 miles a day or whatever it is that it says on said plan. I like plans haha. Today was 25 minutes of elliptical at a level 4 and decent pace as well as some strength

Saturday- the east slow paced run! Its not that it was hard to keep this slow of a pace, it was hard to know that I had to keep this pace because if i went any faster my heart rate would go up. And that is humbling. But I stuck with it because I knew at the end I had a 5 minute all out fun run planned. And if I pushed too hard during the beginning I wouldn’t enjoy the last 5 minutes. So that was my incentive. And it was so fun! I kept a pace of 8:45/mi!!!

Sunday- rest day and the day to show the boys that mama can actually hit a baseball. They thought I was full of it when I was trying to show how to stand and hit. Then I blew them away!

Total miles ran: 9 miles

Week 8 (of 52)- 2021 edition

Monday- making sure I have enough of a base to cover marathon training. Focusing on HR rather than pace. 2 miles easy today and core work!

Tuesday- 1.5 miles EZ pace… was supposed to do core and arms but I didn’t. I was so tired and tired from being stressed, but hopefully by end of post I’ll have some great big news to share!!

Wednesday- I spoke too soon on Tuesday- lonnnng story! I was able to get in strength training and worked my gluteus and core. The run was going to happen at night but the night got away from me and I chose rest. Which was pr best in the long run.

Thursday- tried to do a speed workout at the gym but dang!! The AC doesn’t work again!! I had the mental intentions to do it but my body was like this is very hard. I was sore from yesterday’s squats and lunges

Friday- very short run… it was super humid today! And I made the decision to extend base training. I thought one week of consistent training would be fine. It’s not. I need to put in the work if I want to get the results. Can’t rush it. So I’m going to take at least 3 more weeks to get my base training completed and pick up miles

Saturday- I was going to clock in 4 miles today but the inside of my left heel hurts too much to ignore. I’m NOT starting off this training cycle with an injury! So I am icing it and taking it easy. I also bought new shoes last night on a discount site!! The vongos have been with me for years and I love them. Unfortunately the 3’s I love are hard to come by, and I can’t find them, so I went with the 4’s (difference is the upper sock fit) which I’m not a total fan of but if they fit the rest of me it’s fine. Instead of $130 as originally purchased, I was able to get them for $64 (with tax!) which is insane! I was so tempted to get 2 pairs. I currently have a purple pair that has the most miles on them and I’ve retired them to just walking and a pink pair I use for running. But if I run daily I need another pair to alternate. So in come a maroon pair to alternate and break in. I am so excited to become more consistent with running! I’ve also decided next week I am going to go by minutes and not miles! Let’s see how this changes- or if anything changes. Will still focus on low HR as well!

Sunday- decided to make today another rest day and start fresh tomorrow! My calves have been extra tight so I’ve been stretching randomly all day. I was able to “sleep in” today and wake up at 6:30 and took River on a walk. I’ve found he gets much more enjoyment if I just let him sniff and dilly dally around than a brisk walk when I’m coaxing him. He especially loves sitting and listening and watching the birds fly by. Honestly, this dog is so chill it’s weird. Yes, he has energy and he loves playing frisbee and running. But he also LOVES to nap and lay. Will it always be like this!? I don’t know, but I’m not upset about it at all! So after our 40 min “walk” or sniffathon I like to call it we came back and I had some coffee and he had some breakfast and we went out to play frisbee. By then, J woke up and joined us and threw the frisbee too. It’s been really warm and humid the last few days so River got tire quick. He’s got to get acclimated to the humidity too! He’s been staying extra hydrated. After frisbee, H wanted to play baseball. So back outside we went, J pitched and I fielded the balls. Thennnnnn it was apparent there was no rain coming so we packed up and went to a Fairhope Pier. This is where I could have gone running. Buuut thought better of it, let’s rest my legs a little more and take another day. Plus I had the wrong shoes on so it wouldn’t have helped at all!

Four days of running (low miles) but still consistency! I think my body would do better on four so I am going to possibly try to trade a day to do cross training. 4 days run, 1 day cross train and 2 days rest! Let’s see if that helps.

Week 7 (of 52) 2021 edition

The south has frozen over. I repeat. We are frozen. I am so cold, I can’t thaw out. Will I let this weather stop me? No. And neither will it stop the pup or the kiddo. Will rain, thunder and lightning stop us? Yes. Yes it will. But not today!!!

Monday– we ventured out to give a driving tour of our town to my mom. It was raining a little, as soon as we got home… BOOM, pouring rain. Thunder, lightning… all of it. I had taken the day off in hopes to explore and hike for H’s birthday! But we got stuck inside for the rest of the day. Not to mention my allergies went haywire and I was left sneezing everywhere.

Tuesday– 12* waking up. 19* playing frisbee with pup. 23* running outside and a 28* hike

1.5 mile run outside in the cold cold just to say I could do it and then another 3 inside on the treadmill going nice and slow.

hiking in 28 degree F weather….. COOLLLLDDDDD

Wednesday– we went back to the trail but left the pup at home because I wanted to enjoy it and walk with my mom. It was too distracting with him and I couldn’t enjoy since it was training mode. We walked 1.5 hours and went all over the place! It was slightly warmer than yesterday but not by much.

Thursday– Today I looked through my Instagram highlights I made for the beginning of training for my marathon last year. And it put a fire back in me. I want to run, I want something to look forward to. I want the challenge of the distance and the crossing off of the workouts back. I may just have to do my own race, meaning no real race or virtual 🤷🏻‍♀️ I clocked in 5 miles tonight and it felt absolutely amazing. I kept the pace slow and steady, and by slow it was between 10:36-10:40/mi… I could easily hold a conversation if I wanted, I could keep going if it weren’t for the time (had to kiss the nugget to bed)…I didn’t want to elevate my heart rate. And it shows… it stayed relatively low. But could’ve been lower for sure!

Friday– woke up feeling great! I wasn’t sore at all, and I’m so ready for more miles! But I decided to take it easy and not run today.3

Saturday– Last day of mom and aunt being here, and I had been wanting to take them to Blakeley State Park all week but the weather just wasn’t cooperating. The sun finally came out, it hit the 50s and the day was amazing! We got there just after 9am and we were layered because it was a little chilly, but not terrible. We packed like we would be out all day, just in case… and thank goodness because H ate all the snacks within the first 15 minutes! He has ANOTHER loose front tooth and can’t eat much, but refuses to pull it out just yet. So, his breakfast was only banana and some strawberry. So, he snacked all morning but overall he did really awesome. We managed about 3.5 miles in 2.5 hours (wow that doesn’t sound like much). But I am so proud of H and how well he did, very minimal whining!

After the hike we took mom out to Cracker Barrel! I tried the chicken pot pie and it was delicious! During the night we did some sparklers!

Sunday– failed attempt at a run, but nonetheless run was completed. The south is also thawing out!!

I’m planning to run the marathon distance, but for myown sake and no one else’s. However this presents quite a few challenges, but I’m up for it!

Running total: 11.5 miles!

Week 6 (of 52)- 2021 edition

Countdown is happening for my mom and aunt to visit and of course weather doesn’t look like it’s going to be the least bit accommodating. It is predicted rainy and cold the whole time. Grrrreaaatttt! All our hiking and exploring plans could be put to a complete halt. And that really blows! I don’t know what else we could do. My main goal was to show my mom the nature here!

J has been longing for the west coast, he misses the ocean and his family. But he seems to forget everything else we didn’t like much about it. I tried explaining to him the feeling I get when I think about moving back right now- how not ready I am for that. How I love being able to step outside and be in nature, and not have a butt cheek from some girls short shorts in my face. Or a drugged out person in our area attacking others. I don’t miss those feelings of fear, of having to genuinely worry about running and getting picked up by a gang or kidnapped. There was so much shady stuff going on where we were, the last few months we lived in fear.

Monday- a few walks around the complex which somehow led to almost 5 miles!

Tuesday- I am not sure if I’ve mentioned this but for a while now I’ve been suffering from really bad heel pain. Pain that makes me limp and whimper when I walk without any shoes. So this past week I’ve just been wearing my “retired” running shoes. And it’s helped tremendously. Not just my heels but I’ve hurt my left wrist. I think a tendon issue. It hurts so badly, any pressure put on it is immediate wince-worthy yelping pain. as far as exercise I’ve done some stretching and abs and lots of walking with River.

Wednesday- walking, stretching and core work and legs! No running. Just stressing on getting the place put together for mom.

Thursday – actual proof I’ve been walking 😂 and that it wasn’t too cold. But it got waaaaay colder by Friday!

Friday- work work work work and clean clean clean clean and surprise surprise surprise! My mom and aunt got here this evening… leaving us in tears. My son was presently surprised and so holy. My mom was crying and hugging him and wouldn’t let go. Then she turned to me and gave me a big hug where I wouldn’t let go of her. Queue puffy eyes and runny noses.

Saturday- cold cold cold. We almost didn’t do anything because it was just bone cutting. But we went to the shooting range. And I am so glad we did!! Even though it was low 40s we bundled up and went to Three Brother’s Arms… and J showed my mom how to shoot the 9mm and 22. My aunt didn’t want to shoot so walked around with H while we shot the 9’s and kept him busy as we played. And I could finally enjoy and relax. I didn’t do great, but it’s also been 4 months at least since I last went so I am happy I just did it and had fun. That’s really all that matters. And the recoil didn’t bother me today! My mom was very jumpy from the noises, despite our ear muffs. She tried hard to hide it but it was obvious. She’s not used to it, and that’s okay. Then we went to the rifle range area and played with the 22 for a while. (Love that one!!) I really killed it on that one. After a few hours everyone but me and J were done. So they went to sit in the truck and we tried the shotgun. J has shot it, but I wanted to try at least once. While the recoil is strong, it’s not AS CRAZY AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. While I didn’t want to keep shooting it, I know I can. Can I hit the target? I don’t know. It is a scatter bullet so who knows. But it sure would scare the crap out of anyone!

Sunday- we went to the groovy goat and ate too much and spent too much on arcade games. No pictures 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

This past week’s activities, while busy, I did no running! And it doesn’t feel weird other than I can’t report I did any running here. It’s like what’s up with your blog if you aren’t gonna run? But we all have those weeks, days, months where running is slower than normal. Each day I did either 10k plus steps or just under it. So 5/7! Days 10k+! I’m ok with that 😊

Week 5 (of 52)- 2021 edition

This week is PREP WEEK! we are prepping for the surprise visit of my mom.. also my goal is to run at least 10 miles and walk daily. Lately River only wants to play frisbee which means I don’t get my walking steps in. So I am going to make it more of a point to take him on walks too. Plus it’s important for him to continue to learn to walk on the leash and not pay attention to other people or dogs. (No pulling and what not) my biggest thing is him eating everything off the ground!! Someone keeps throwing dang banana peels out and he eats them and then has the worst farts.

Monday– it was so dang cold and windy we literally did not go outside at all! Miserable weather, and wet cold (humidity) makes it 1000x worse. The wind just really cuts you to the bone. I think I only got like 4K steps.

Tuesday– did some walking and it wasn’t as windy. Sun poked out today too… 3 miles after work was super refreshing! It was cold, but a long sleeve, leggings and ear warmers was just perfect

All black- cozy comfies and warm fuzzy socks

Wednesday– this happens ONLY on Wednesday’s… so weird! And every other week or so I’ve been taken down with a cold. WHYYYY?? I have no idea, but I will be achey and irritable, and sneezing so much I can’t do anything else!! So didn’t do much but work and rest yesterday.

Thursday– started with a walk with River, did a little stretching after to open my hips and a mini workout with lunges, squats and jumps

Friday– rest day! My legs and butt were sore from the many many jump squats I did the last couple days 😂

Saturday– lots and lots of cleaning. My mom comes next week (with auntie) to surprise H for his birthday! So it’s been a little stressful. We love my mom, buuuut she can be a handful and she knows it. we haven’t seen her since we left San diego so I am super excited to see her, but also a little nervous! After cleaning we watched a movie, I napped. I don’t know why but I love falling asleep on the couch. And with background tv on I am lulled off pretty instantly. Once the movie ended the boys went to nap and I was wide awake 😂. However River wanted to play and run around. Which was just fine with me, I decided to take him out on a walk. So out we went 35 minutes later we walk inside and he wants to play. It’s a little too loud, so out we go again. I take him to the field to run around and he acts like a complete excited puppy. He loves being off leash, but unfortunately he isn’t good at recall anymore. I’ve been really trying to work on it with him inside and he does great. But outside in the open air… he only does it if he wants to. So I need to look more into it and train more. I love that he loves being off leash and doesn’t stray far, but when I can his name I need him to come back immediately so he doesn’t get into danger (oncoming traffic or animals coming) or trouble! we did sprints in the grass, he seems to love to run with me. Which is great! Haha I keep it short and sweet so we don’t mess up his joints but it’s hard to keep a puppy from running and jumping when that’s all they want to do! And his energy is definitely sky rocketing. We only came back inside because it started raining. He still wanted to play but I had to get him calmed down. So he finally laid down and basically slept the rest of the night.

Sunday-1 hr walk in the morning with River. 6 loads of laundry. Run at the gym- only made it 40 minutes, I wanted to do 4.5 miles, but today just felt hard. I couldn’t make it. so 3.6 and I’ll take it. Then I come home, shower and want to relax but nooooo River wants to go on a walk. So off we go for another hour walk. Keep in mind we stop a lot because we are training and I don’t let him pull. And he likes to sniff a lot. So we made it like maybe 1 mile 😂 then come home he eats dinner and then we play some frisbee to really tire him out. He has been getting more puppy energy lately and I’m okay with that. If only my wrist wasn’t hurting so dang badly and my heels!!

Total miles ran: 9.21 just short of my 10 mile goal!

Week 4 (of 52)- 2021 edition!

Monday- muggy and slightly windy. The pup is now OBSESSED with frisbee. As we speak he is laying by the door waiting to go back outside even though we played for 45 minutes straight. I know… as a puppy he shouldn’t be running and doing so much activity because of his bones. Buuuuut he won’t stop!

Tuesday- mini HIIT workout and a couple walks before the rain . Also realized how much pressure I feel to be “thin” or in shape and wrote a great lil piece on IG

Wednesday- ab circuit! Also, I just want to share… this year I really wanted to find God. I’ve had this urge over the past 8-9 months to really find him. To let him lead my life down a better path. And if this doesn’t jive with you guys I am sorry. But my blog, my rules. I want to share. I’ve felt lost lately… angry and upset. Asking for help was the best thing I did, what was even BETTER? Writing my prayers down. Immediately I felt a light shining down on me to give me grace and patience. Exactly what I asked for. I don’t know about you, but sometimes believing that there is someone greater than you and the universe is nice to believe in. That is all. 😊 after work I HAD TO DO LAUNDRY! NOt only did I have no clean clothes we needed towels!! So off I went to get change and threw clothes in the washing machine. I didn’t time it right (luckily!) so as I was waiting for them to be done to go into the dryer I hopped in the gym and did a speed walk incline work out! Scooorrreeeee! Put clothes in dryer and went home for dinner. Came back to check on clothes, did some more work out! All in all I got in a 25 minute work out! Between walking, cycling and weights! Plus the ab circuit in the morning made it 35 minutes in total. Win win Win! And clean clothes!

Thursday – 10 min ab circuit and that’s about it! I was suuuuper sneezy and had a bad runny nose. Also fell asleep quite early and so chalk it up to a rest day!

First time putting on makeup this year! 😝

Still going strong on getting dressed each day! (And making our bed… never shown lol)

Friday- woke up to 30* weather. River is OBSESSED with the frisbee and it’s so dang cute that it’s as big as him. It’s now a huge chore just to get him started on a walk because he really wants to play only. I managed a short 8 minute walk with him. I want him to remember the “leash rules” and make sure he is a good listener. Surprisingly when he is playing frisbee, NOTHING phases him… dogs could pass, people pass… he doesn’t care. He gets the frisbee and runs back. He almost refuses to come inside when it’s been long enough 😂. He sleeps so well after. Also! It’s been now 5 days of him sleeping on his own in the living room and we haven’t found a mess or things torn up yet!

He is quite protective of me, I was going to get H from the playground and a neighbor was walking behind me. Despite river playing frisbee he stopped in his tracks. Froze. And watched till the neighbor passed me and didn’t do anything- dropped frisbee and stared. No growling or anything, just watching and making sure nothing happened. And I thought that was very cool. Not that the neighbor posed a threat. He is normally the friendliest pup ever! So knowing he can also protect and watch is great!

Saturday- celebratory lunch and nothing much else! J got a raise and so it was time to celebrate (and re-budget 🤣)

Sunday- I promised myself a run, and a run I got in! It was raining hard in the morning but expected to clear up beautifully in the afternoon. So around 4:30 I went to old Daphne (1 mile away) and I ran. It felt amazing!! The first couple minute were difficult but I got in my rhythm and it was just magical. I ran this route when I first moved here and haven’t gone back since summer time. So it was very special! My top ultimate goal was 5 miles, knowing damn well that would be an overachievement since I hadn’t done any running that week. But achievable goal was 3 miles. At 2 miles I felt so good, I was in the zone and knew I couldn’t turn back yet, so I kept going and I even managed my way up a long boring hill… 4.5 miles and I picked up the pace the last 1/2 mile!

Week 3 (of 52)- 2021 edition!

Monday– holiday for others, not for me… but that just meant cram in the activity in the morning. So after rivers doctors appointment I jetted off to the trails and we went on a hike! Also day one of getting out of sweats! Might not have been the most dressed up, but I was out of pajamas!

Tuesday– woke up and got changed immediately into real clothes! Jeans of all things!! after we finished school H made a goal to walk to target and back… ~1 mile each way. Everyone made it and there was no crying!

Wednesday– I woke up ENERGIZED. I dumped one of my drawers and started folding clothes. I went to the laundry room and did laundry, I did the dishes , got dressed, took river on a few walks and all before 8:30. By 11am we had gone on a few more walks and took River to the from green space and he ran chasing birds. We ran together through the fields and explored. ~3 miles by 11am. #killingit

Thursday– it feels like MLK day was years ago. I didn’t get to sleep early last night like I thought I would. Instead,!8 have been sucked into Bridgerton! And stayed up till 11:30, leaving me with 5 hours of sleep 😭. Needless to say I was not motivated to move much today. And so, I didn’t. I did get dressed, put a braid in my hair and threw it in a pony tail. walked River a little but even he wasn’t super stoked to be out walking much. After classes I took a nap and felt a bit better. But it’s just been a lazy day. Some days be like that though.

Bad quality but diff jeans (I didn’t realize I had so many pairs! I definitely have grown my wardrobe since I lost weight) PS it’s been 3 years since I started my weight loss journey and 1.5 ish years since I got to “goal” weight and maintained.

Friday– I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE!! It was rainy and dark nearly all day and I didn’t feel like myself at all! In fact I was so moody and sleepy all day, I hated my mood. I couldn’t shake it. We couldn’t do much because of rain and muddy walks. I ended up passing out on the couch around 8:30! Skipped dinner because I ate snacks and crap most of the day. despite not moving much I almost got my 10k steps.

Saturday – a nice easy 3 miler with walk breaks sprinkled in. I didnt really want to continue on the run, the music just wasn’t right. Not motivating enough I guess. But I decided to complete the route I told jesse I was going to do. Run to target and back. Nothing huge, not too far, just to.

Sunday– chores, some random at home workouts, I kind of hate following videos, I don’t know why! But I don’t like when the “instructors” talk to me or the music they choose to play. I tend to remember certain moves and things I like and do those in circuits. So I did some legs, core and arms throughout the day. We also taught River to fetch the frisbee and gosh darn it he LOVED IT! Everyone got in and threw it for awhile and tired him out. He was so happy running through the leaves and chasing it around. It took a couple minutes for him to figure it out and pick it up to run with it but he got it really quickly!

Total running miles: 5.29

Kept the miles low but the smiles high. I walked a lot! It helps to have a dog 😊

Week 2 (of 52)- 2021 edition

January Challenge- spend no extra money- going great! Really trying to not buy stuff lol. It doesn’t help when my skincare “kit”, mascara and eyebrow pencil all seemingly need to be replaced this month 😳😒

Monday didn’t start out soooo great, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It was so cold I didn’t do any walking and the pup wouldn’t budge and go outside. I barely moved.

Tuesday– I ate so badly 😂 like oreos and pretzels for dinner, ok!? Haha and cheezits! Nothing sounded good, I wasn’t even that hungry, just like bored and Snacky. And so I snacked all day and didn’t even have a proper dinner.

But I did fit in a 1 mile run that I did in under 9 minutes, so that was EXCELLENT!!

Wednesday – it was a short day at school! Only had a few assignments and I pushed for a quick finish so we could go out on a hike. Or really, a nature walk – I don’t like that word much though, I think it almost condescends our activity. So, HIKING it is! We were out for 50 minutes, but strava says we were moving for ~36 minutes and we walked 1 mile. Then we came home and I asked H to go on a bike ride so I could get a mile run in. And then it was rest and lunch time.

Thursday– we walked around and went to a different complex and met a dog named Sweetie and a nice old man. That night my heel hurt really badly! I wasn’t wearing good shoes for walking, and I guess my old feet can’t take it anymore!

Friday– abs and random body work that actually left lefts a little sore on Sunday!

Saturday– run with Amanda! It was so much fun and great chats! This was my FIRST time feeling like I had a friend here! And I spent $9.90 on chipotle. So I didn’t meet my goal of no extra spending this month but I really needed the fuel… so I’ll continue to work on that goal. If I can only spend $10 extra I’ll consider that a WIN!

Me and Amanda! We also walked 1.5ish miles afterwards to cool down- or it felt like it

Sunday- the boys wanted to fish Fairhope and I didn’t want to sit around doing nothing. Story of my life. Why don’t I fish with? I would need a fishing permit and then all the gear so it’s just better and cheaper if I don’t. So I hopped on my legs and did some run/walk intervals. Run 1/2 a mile, walk for 2 minutes. It was nice and my average speed was around 9:45 during the runs… which is better than I thought it was, I felt like I was going really really slow. Of course garmin takes the average of the run and walks, so 11:13 ya have it. And I’m not mad about it.

Total run mileage: 9.37 miles (just a little less than last week, oooook! We got ourselves two consistent weeks!

Next week my goals are: get dressed/ get out of pajamas and sweats every morning! And get active- at least 10 minutes a day (outside of a quick river walk)

First Week of 2021

Happy New Years!! I hope you all had a safe and fun one. Even if we weren’t in a pandemic, we would have still stayed in. Lol because that’s just who we are. Not big party people/ we don’t like crowds. I used to try to force myself to do the “normal” things like go to a party and celebrate and you know what? I ALWAYS HATED IT! I felt so awkward and self conscious and it was never fun for me. Luckily J, although very social, is fine with staying in on holidays like this. Plus we have H so it’s not like we were going out partying it up anyway. But what we did do? We had some wine, watched tv, FaceTimed his sister and had a lot of laughs. We talked about our year and what we thought was great, what we needed to work on, and our goals for the new year- literally makes me so happy to plan these things (love language!! Lol (talking and quality time)

Friday- January 1, 2021- I woke up New Years Day with so much energy, but I made myself rest a little longer (it was only 6am when I woke up) and once everyone was up and awake I went off to the gym to run. I ran 3 miles non stop at 10 min/pace and then did some cycling (random mode) and there were really hard inclines! Legs=dead. I finished off with some core work and when I got home made a egg and sausage burrito. The rest of the day was spent chilling around the house, it was supposed to be rainy so we planned to hang out- IT DIDNT RAIN THO! 😭 it had poured the night before but that was it. I started my new journal where I plan to track my running mileage and workouts, goals and our budgeting. I am hoping it keeps me in check and I stop wasting money. I’m trying to get J to let me track his spending, he’s scared to see what he wastes his money on lol. Then at night I finished it off with a great FaceTime conversation with my mom. With H around he usually hijacks the phone and talks to her and plays. This time I waited till he was asleep to call and we chatted for a little over an hour. It was really nice! Sometimes it’s hard to set aside time for a conversation with your parents… now I gotta set aside time for my dad. He was downstairs hanging out so I didn’t get chat with him. But J is adamant about me reaching out because we haven’t chatted in a lonnnnnng time and he says it is needed. Love that man. ❤️

Saturday- it was a laaazy day! Well for J it was! Lol for me it was running after H and his friend and adventuring through the back woods! Walked a little over 5 miles and kinda sore from the previous days workout.

Sunday- no gym, but we did take R and H to ocean and it was freezing especially with the wind! R’s first time and he did great! we walked through some really deep sand! And R was toast afterwards! So was I, allergies took me out and I wasn’t doing too great. We both napped along time at home.

Monday- made it to 10k+ steps which is what I hope to continue doing!

Tuesday- 10k + steps

Wednesday- amazing interval workout!

Saturday- treadmill vs. garmin difference in how far I went. Treadmill read 4.2 and garmin 4.42… who knows!? I went off garmin because I was looking at it while filling in stats. Lol.

Sunday- I had high hopes to get out on a trail and hike. But no one, not the doggo nor kiddo wanted to. So I put on my running clothes and headed out, not for the treadmill but for the streets! It was awesome!!!! Felt so great 😀 and strong 💪🏽 and honestly the headband/ear cover was the best decision! It definitely helped make the difference. I could’ve gone longer but I didn’t want to push it and hendrix and his friend Hunter were trying to follow along on their bikes and I lost them. So naturally a little worries I stopped and went to find them.

First week of 2021- 1/1/21—>1/10/21: 13.36 miles!

I love how running makes me feel, STRONG! I love looking at myself in the mirror when I know I’ve been active. I take pride in this. And I’ve come a long long way to get to this point. I hope you can get to this point too!