SKINNYBITCH#

Last spring, I decided to train on my own for a half marathon.  Those who know me, must have thought I'd lost my marbles!  I was not, nor do I really consider myself now to be, ATHLETIC!  At all.  There wasn't one shred of athleticism in my body.  But not, I finished both a 5k and a 10k in the month of January.  I'd say 2014 is off to a great start!  Here is a photo from my 10k on January 26, 2014.  This is my famous "yay!  we're almost done with this race" pose.  Notice the two thumbs up :)  I posted this photo to Facebook today and made it my new profile photo.  In 5 hours, 101 "liked" it and 5 of my friends commented on how good I looked... one even posted skinnybitch#!  WOW!  That made my day.  I didn't post it for the comments or the praise, but it's amazing how great that can make you feel!!  That made my day... so I went to the gym and ran 3 miles!!

What a Difference a Year Can Make...

So tonight while I was running on the treadmill, I thought to myself, "what ever happened to that blog I was writing?"  Life happened.  We all get caught up in the day to day of our lives that we sometimes forget to keep up with the things we say we are going to do.  So I decided tonight, while logging my miles, that I AM going to keep up with this!  Writing is cathartic and sharing my story might be inspiring (I suppose only if I have followers!!) but it makes me feel happy to share my story.

As you can see from my previous two posts, from 2013 and 2012, I've had my share of ups and downs the past few years.  Since I started a healthier lifestyle, which includes running and eating well, I've been able to shed some weight (55 lbs to be exact) and I'm proud to say that I've become a runner!  the exciting thing about that is that I HATED, that's right, HATED running my entire life. I decided in February of 2012 that I was going to do the Couch to 5K program and finally take control of my life and loose the extra weight I carried around with me.  I finished the program and ran a 5k race in May.  So great, I set a goal and reached it.  But I wasn't done.  From there I decided to push myself and train for a half marathon.  I googled "how to train for a half marathon" and found a bunch of beginner plans.  I settled on one that I thought I could handle and started out.  I ran the Finish at the 50 10k race at Gillette Stadium in July and then I met a boy.  He was a runner and we decided to run a 10-mile road race together at the end of the July.  The most I'd ever run was 7 miles and I was having a serious bout of asthma that week.  I promised myself if I ran the first 8 miles, I could walk the last two.  I ran the ENTIRE 10 MILES!!  I was so proud of myself... and I impressed the boy!  Well that relationship abruptly came to an end and I threw myself into my running.  I signed up for the United Healthcare Half Marathon in Newport, RI and it all became real.  I WAS ACTUALLY DOING THIS!  I WAS GOING TO RUN A HALF MARATHON!!  Who would have thought??

I finished the half marathon and couldn't believe how proud I was of myself.  I pushed myself and realized that I really could do anything I set my mind to.  So, what's next?  A FULL MARATHON!!!  I saw a bumper sticker for a half marathon that said "13.1 because I'm only half crazy."  That made me laugh because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I'd be crazy not to keep going and keep challenging myself!  So I will be running my very first full marathon in May 2014.  I signed up for the Cox Providence, RI Marathon.  The race is 106 days from today and I thought this blog would be a great way for me to chronicle that journey as well as my continued weight loss journey. 

Thanks for joining me!!

4 words

There are 4 words that every girl loves to hear...
"Did you lose weight?"

Those are the 4 words that turned my day around today!  And they were not even spoken to me by someone who was close to me.  I think that even made it mean more. This person didn't know I was slaving away at the gym with an injured foot because I didn't want to break my newly formed habit.  She didn't know that I was literally starving myself 3 days a week on a fad diet I found online.  And she certainly didn't know how her four simple words would impact my day!

February 21, 2013
BEFORE PHOTO

I started running again and going to the gym in mid-February.  Part of it was because I guy I'd just met was really into being healthy and I wanted to impress him and the other part was because I was just sick of being fat.  Let's face it... there just comes a point when you've have enough, right?  Well the boy disappeared (that's a story for another post) but my will and desire to reach my goal didn't.  I am going to be thinner.  I've been overweight for my entire life... well for as long as I can remember!  There is a photo at my parents house of me and my younger brother.  We're lying on the floor in the family room of our first house and I don't even recognize the little girl.  She is super skinny, it couldn't possibly be me!!  But at some point, there was a thinner version of myself and now I'm on a quest to find her again!  To the right is my "before" photo... hopefully, through this blog, I can chronicle my journey so when I look back, I can see how far I've come.  And who knows... maybe I'll inspire someone else!

I'm not new to the diet scene... if there is a diet out there, I've most likely tried it!  I had the most success with Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.  WW worked for a little and then I reached a plateau.  JC was great because there was no planning or thinking.  I just followed a menu and ate their pre-made frozen meals.  The issue is the price tag!  I'm barely able to pay my mortgage right now (again... another future blog post) so paying over $100 on food per week is not an option. So, I started the "military diet" last Monday (a week and a day ago) in order to help jumpstart my weight loss.  We all know that success is motivating so I needed something to give me success so I could forge on!  At the end of the 3-day diet, I had lost 5.5 lbs.  I was ecstatic! I ate healthy for the next 4 days and was able to maintain my weight loss.  So I started the 3-day diet again yesterday and have completed 2 days.  I can't wait for Thursday morning to see what this week's result yield.

This 4 words are definitely going to keep me going when I feel like giving up!!

Goodbye 2011.... YOU SUCKED!!!

I am by no means a writer... and I will not pretend to be.  I mean I write amazing papers for grad school, but I never kept a journal or a diary and I don't think my life is really that exciting enough for other people (especially strangers) to even give a crap about but I thought starting a blog this year would help me, so here goes...

2011 was by far the WORST year of my life.  In comparison to some other people, it wasn't all that bad, but compared to my other 33 years, it takes the cake!  I had a good job, got laid off, changed careers and struggled with dating.  I lost some good friends along the way and really realized who I could count on during my time of need.  All in all, I'm not sad to see 2011 end but I'm nervous about 2012 and have high expectations.  I'm just nervous about being let down.... again!

I thought writing a blog could be therapeutic.  Sharing my thoughts and actually writing them down should help, right? It's a step... baby steps.  This blog will be about my struggles as a single 34 year old, making a career change, trying to lose weight and searching for true love.  I think (or hope) this is going to be my year!  I'm following my dreams and becoming a teacher.  I'm going to get myself in shape and finally shed the excess pounds that have literally been "weighing me down" for years and I want to find the love we all deserve.  I'm sick of kissing the frogs.... I'm ready to find my Prince Charming!!

Thanks for taking my journey with me!!