Race season is near!

It's halfway through September and about a month away from race season kicking off in full force. I think I finally survived the summer months and am ready to run in some cool weather. The weather was so perfect here this past Sunday that I decided to run 8 miles and follow it up with a 62 mile bike ride.

Bayou Lacombe Bridge

I've had some struggles with health this year, but I am committed to doing several races in the next few months. Some are oldies but goodies, and some I will be doing for the first time.

On the schedule:

5Kanine - Sept 19

5Kiwanis - Oct 3

Covington Classic - Oct 10

Bike Big Easy 20 mile Ride - Oct 17

Gulf Coast Half Marathon (my 5th consecutive!) - Oct 18

Cane Field Classic with the Machete Medal - Oct 24

Jazz Half Marathon - Oct 31

Battleship 12K - November 15

Big Easy Half Marathon - November 21

I was training to reach sub 2 for GCHM, but the partially torn LCL and some other issues put an end to that. Well, not an end, a pause. I'm going to do it - if for nothing else to prove to someone that I have not given up on that dream. 

The next few weeks will be tough, but I am also looking forward to heading to Augusta to support some people in the Ironman 70.3. Gonna be a fun 4 days of team dinners, chasing them around to catch pics and post on social media. Can't wait!

There will be a day when you can no longer run...

Time marches on. I am not even going to pretend to give lame excuses like, "I've been busy, the kids' schedules are nuts, work is insane..." I suck. I am terrible about writing events of my own life outside of quick forms of social media.

But it's mid-year. Already. And it's been tumultuous to say the least as far as running goes. 2015 opened with 2 half marathons back to back in January and February ushered in the Glass Slipper Challenge in DisneyWorld (10K + half) followed by a trail half the next weekend. Needless to say, I was reallllly ready to be done with running. And then, I was. I partially tore the LCL in my right leg mid-March doing a plyometric lunge. So I was forced out for 6-8 weeks. 

I tried to stationary bike, walk and elliptical as much as possible. But I still missed that release that running provided. And soon enough, I was back - albeit VERY slow. And going from the cool temps of March to the already way too hot temps of May nearly killed me. I have still struggled to get back. 

I decided to do the Dusk til Dawn Hotter Than Hell Ultra on July 4th/5th. My goal was 40 miles: a mile for every year and since it was a 2 mile loop - one to grow on. I finished, but wow, it was HOT and it was very slow. 2 weeks later I headed to Chicago for my annual Rock n Roll Half with friends. We had a blast, as usual, but that was no doubt the HOTTEST half marathon I've ever done. 

Louisiana Half Marathon - January 18, 2015

RnR NOLA Half Marathon - January 25, 2015

Glass Slipper Challenge - Feb 21-22, 2015

Hotter Than Hell - July 4/5, 2015

RnR Chicago - July 19, 2015

If I have learned ANYTHING in 2015 so far, it's NEVER take advantage of your health. If you are able to run or workout, you NEED to be out there doing it. As it says on my Road ID - "There will be a day when I can no longer run - today is not that day." Maybe it is. But you never know when that day will hit for you. Take advantage of every day, every minute, every second. And no matter what you do, "Never Settle." Ever. 

-JCE

Walking through the fire

In 2014, I set a few challenges for myself: 1) Completing the Dopey Challenge (check) and 2) running at least one half marathon every month (check). So now what?

I ran across an interesting quote yesterday: "What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." Not sure why, but I loved it.  It's crazy because I constantly feel the need to do something bigger, better, stronger, scarier...It's like I have this vision of setting a major goal - something I think is next to impossible (for me at least) and then to completely smash it - somewhat similar to bursting through a wall of fire. So when I saw that quote, I thought - yep, exactly. But then I thought about it more and it doesn't necessarily represent accomplishing that crazy goal, but it's more like survival of all of the distracters in life to keep me from achieving that goal - kids, family, work, training schedules, doubters, money, time, selfish ambition... And then I thought that the way I handle all of that is the true success - not just the completion of something. God knows in 4 years of this journey I could have quit a million + times. And there were many things that pulled me out of focus. And I know I am not where I need to be but I know at least I'm not where I used to be. 

So as far as goals for 2015... I have 2 options. One is way cooler (in my eyes) than the other, but there's a chance I won't get to do that one. In fact, it's a high chance. But there's always a Plan B. And to be honest, Plan B is tough. And it will take a ton of focus and training. So I am leaving it up to fate. I will know by February 15th for sure, one way or the other. And no matter how it goes, that was the option meant to be. And that's when the walk through the fire will truly begin.

JCE

Back to the basics

Time keeps marching on... Kids get older, school years fly by...winter turns to spring to summer. My last blog post talked about ice storms. Here we are again in the thick of the heat and lunchtime runs are brutal! 

Since the last post, I've successfully completed 4 more half marathons: Mercedes in Birmingham, Zydeco in Lafayette, Gulf Coast in Pensacola and Wisconsin in Kenosha, WI! Slowly marching toward one a month for accountability. Stil looking for that June half...

I'm also participating in the Varsity Sports Hot 100, which is 100 days of events. It's been really fun so far! I'm having to run at least a mile a day and it's been tricky at times to fit it in each day. 

Tomorrow is the first official day of summer schedule for the kids, so I thought it would be a good time to get back to basics- more blogging, tracking food and exercise. So many people ask me how I was able to lose weight, so I point them to my blog and then I realize it just kind of ends. Obviously the story has continued, but not online. So because transparency is the best form of accountability, I'm getting back to it. Whether anyone reads it or not, it will be here for the journey. 

JCE

It's a great big beautiful tomorrow...

It's 2014...

I write all the time- everyday actually. Writing is what I do for a living. While 98% of what I write pertains to how you can have the backyard of your dreams, I find it sometimes hard to keep up with my own blog. If you follow me on Facebook, you know my life- work, kids, running/fitness. Why would you possibly want to click another link and see me expound upon it? Maybe I write and no one reads. And that's ok too because I've found over the years that writing for me is therapeutic. And reflective. 

I just spent a few minutes reading over my past 3 years. I can't believe it's been 3 years since I made the most important decision of my life to get healthy. It's been quite a journey. I can't help but wonder as I make future decisions what 3 years from now will look like. No matter what happens in the future, I want to thank you all for the love and support the past few years! You are the best. 

It's been a crazy start to 2014! Last month, I completed the Dopey Challenge in Walt Disney World! It was a 4 day challenge to compete a 5K, 10K, Half and Full Marathon. What an adventure! I can say it was one of the best experiences of my life! 

We were also able to sneak in a few days at the parks. And then- back to reality. 

It became an even crazier month when we encountered not one, but three ice storms in SE LA. Needless to say, that's made it tough to get on the road, but luckily Franco's has been my BFF and a great place to recover from running with swim and bike. This will come in handy for the next few triathlons I've signed up for. 

It's a start to a whole new year- albeit a month late... And a whole new tomorrow. 

It's a journey...

JC

Goals, Goals, Goals

We all get off track...sometimes more than we'd like to admit. Good thing is that each new day is a reset button. If you know where you've been, and you liked where you were, you know how to get back there. 

So, I've set new goals... as of today. It's not the 1st of the month or even a Monday. It's a random Thursday. But the sun came up today and regardless, it's a new day. 

I've decided to get back to My Fitness Pal. It's a GREAT food/fitness tracker. And your friends can keep you accountable. So find me, friend me, and yell at me if I log a Snickers Bar. I have committed to these rules: 
If you bite it, write it.
If you drink it, ink it.
If you snack it, track it.If you nibble it, scribble it!
So I promise to do it. Here is my info: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/janelcevans

But here are the rest of my commitments for the next 30 days: (I pick 30 days at a time because beyond that just makes the hill climb steeper. Small goals tend to work better.)

1. Log food and fitness in My Fitness Pal 
2. Do a _____ a day challenge (this month I have been following Squat/Plank A Day, September is 30 day arm Challenge)
3. Do NOT EAT Peanut Butter. It's my weakness. I admit it. 
4. Take the stairs to the 5th floor from the 2nd floor each time I use the restroom at work.
5. Do a lunch workout if possible. Not if I just feel like it (I NEVER feel like it). But if humanly possible and it does not affect work or kid schedules. 
6. Complete the clean house challenge. I will add this below.
7. Drink AT LEAST 8 glasses of water a day.

These commitments are in addition to the other running/workout schedules that I already do. It's wayyyy too complex to add them into this list. 

And here is the Cleaning Calendar I found, and if I actually complete, will make my life soooo much easier:

Sooo, what are you challenging yourself to do today, or tomorrow...of if you have to wait - Monday???

Running a marathon...it's more than just a literal term...

Here we are again...BACK TO SCHOOL... well, I know I have a few days left before I have an official 2nd Grader, but the shopping is done, the uniforms are pressed and all that's left is to meet the teacher on Friday. Most parents hate it, but I am ready and here's why:

THIS SUMMER HAS BEEN INSANE!!!!

True story. 

My kids (and I) THRIVE on schedules. They know what their schedules are during the school year. But during the summer, all bets are off. Maddie maintained her usual schedule over the summer as she continued at the Northlake Christian Preschool, but Morgan was all over the place. She spent a week in Alabama with my sister, a week at Cheer Camp, a few weeks with my parents, a week in Florida with my in-laws... I know she probably enjoyed the variety but I was barraged with the constant questions of "where am I going now??"

It was a great summer. We started it off with a weekend with my sister and her family in Hoover, Alabama, doing a Color Me Rad 5K.

We then celebrated Maddie's 3rd Birthday in June.

We then celebrated the wedding of our great friends Ronnie and Kristinia! 

July brought even more craziness as we traveled to Florida for Jonathan's Grandfather's 80th birthday party. 

We left the girls in Florida to spend time with Jon's parents and I went to Chicago to run the RockNRoll Chicago half marathon! I LOVE Chicago and can't wait to get back!

I was also chosen for Leadership St Tammany for the Class of 2014, so my retreat was the following weekend! I am so looking forward to learning and serving with this amazing group of people this year!

There were a few races mixed in there, as per the norm. We also did days at the Aquarium, Zoo, parks, waterparks, splash parks and a TON of days at Franco's Athletic Club by the pool! Not to mention all the church events we are involved in on a weekly basis. We stay busy, but we like it that way!

So because of all these crazy summer activities and looking at my ever overbooked Fall with Football games, races, triathlons, work travel, soccer, tumbling, church activities, showers, school events, and oh yeah, TRAINING FOR THE DISNEY MARATHON WEEKEND... I've decided to re-name my blog "Life is a Marathon"because that pretty much describes the Evans family both literally and figuratively. It's definitely not a sprint because that indicates an ending to the crazy...

I was speaking with a friend the other day about our crazy schedule and her response was, "but you guys have SO MUCH FUN!" and I believe it. Yes, it's crazy, and yes, it's hard. But I really think the kids are having a blast. I know for a fact that they HATE to stay home about as much as I do. Until they tell me otherwise, we will continue to run...literally and figuratively...