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...

Where in the world???

OK, so 7 months have passed since I blogged last. SEVEN MONTHS. Geez. That's awful. I know that most of you follow me on Facebook, so it's not like you think I have fallen off the face of the Earth, but still - by profession, I am a writer. I should be a better blogger! Here's to making that a goal for the 4th Quarter of 2012!

So let's see... It was an exciting May with Morgan's 6th Birthday and Kindergarten graduation! Maddie's 2nd Birthday followed in June and with June came the start of my Chicago Marathon training! That probably explains my absence from the blogging world. Training for a marathon, maintaining a full-time job, a house, 2 kids, cross-training and working sleep in there somewhere left little time for ANYTHING else. 

I did however work in time for something new and different - my first triathlon! In late July, I competed in RocketChix II in Baton Rouge. I realized that I HATE swimming. I mean, I talk and sell the swimming pool lifestyle all day long, but I personally am bad at it. BOOM, I said it. I really stink at it. I realize that it takes practice, but until I have a pool I can truly train in, it's not going to get better. I can bike/run all day long, but the swim kills me. Anyhow, the event was a great experience, and I had a great time. I even competed in a relay for Girl Power a few weeks ago (the bike part!) and I signed up for Girl Power in March 2013. I am hoping some miracle occurs and I either join a gym that has a pool or my other cross-training efforts will somehow make me a super athlete that can all of a sudden swim like a fish.

The end of summer was upon us and it was time for the kids to go back to school. Morgan started 1st Grade and Maddie entered Toddler 2 at Northlake Christian! They've had an amazing year so far, filled with football games and other school events!

So after actively training for over 6 months, the Chicago Marathon Weekend was here. Unfortunately, Jonathan was on business in Houston for Starbucks, so I had to make the trip solo, but I was meeting my good friend, Alicia there to run! Chicago was beautiful - and COLD!! I left the balmy 90 degrees of New Orleans and arrived to the 39 degrees of Chicago! 

My first day was solo, as Alicia and Walt had not yet arrived, but I went exploring! I LOVED the architecture of Chicago. I also became friends with the mass transit system and took the train to Wrigley Field. 

I even visited the Expo that night, even though I knew I'd return the next day with Alicia!

The next morning, I was itching to run! I wanted to simulate race day conditions - at least temp wise. I set out for a 7am run down on Lake Michigan. It was cold, but so beautiful! 

Alicia, Walt and I then hit the Expo before more sightseeing! 

We hit Millennium Park, Lunch at Carmine's and Chicago Chinatown. 

My Brick Chicken at Carmine's!

Alicia's Spaghetti and Meatballs

After a day of sightseeing, race day was here. We needed to be there in our corral for 7:45am. It was SOOO cold. Gun time was about 36 degrees. But we had prepared as much as we could without having to ditch clothing. Luckily Walt was there to take our jackets before we started. 

So now, for the race report:

I was in corral K and it took 46:00 minutes before we even got to the start line. Luckily, the other thousands of people helped to block the cold as we waited. When we got to the start, it was a fast start. What surprised me right away was the THOUSANDS of people that lined the route. I thought, "well, this is just the beginning, so there's going to be lots of people down here." But it continued for miles and miles. The first few miles of the route were downtown, so it seemed to go fast for me. Before I knew it we were well into mile 3 and I was feeling great. What I noticed about this race compared to others is that the runners really had a grasp on runner etiquette. If they felt they were slower, they naturally moved to the right. There was not a ton of bobbing and weaving around people as in crowded races that I've done in the past. 

What I really loved about this race was that it took you through tons of Chicago neighborhoods. We started out downtown, then ran through Lincoln Park, Old Town, Chinatown, and tons of other neighborhoods. Chicago is really beautiful. But again, throughout the ENTIRE 26.2, people lined the streets - tailgating, drinking, cheering...this is pretty much Chicago's Mardi Gras. The aid stations were great - well stocked with Gatorade, Water, Pottys, and cheering folks. 

I get to the halfway point and I am amazed at how great I am feeling. I know the fact that it's still only 40 degrees, no humidity and I am not sweating an ounce helps, but still, I was good. Then - mile 15 hit. I had to potty so bad that I broke off the route to use a porta-potty - something I NEVER do. But I was so concerned about hydration that I drank more than I usually do. That little stop really took a toll on my body. Though my bladder felt better, I stiffened up just that quick. Picking up the pace again was a challenge, so I just started to do what I could. I continued on until I got to mile 19 when I noticed that everyone was starting to walk or pull over to stretch. I realized that stretching would do no good because at this point, my back, neck, an every inch of my legs hurt. It would take forever to stretch it all out. I then started to attempt to do math...mile 19...is that 8 miles left? No wait, 7 miles left? I then remember thinking, ok, maybe I should attempt different math like 19 is what % of 26.2?? The things you think about while running can be so abstract. I then began to quote movies in my head - ANYTHING to not think about the few miles left. I remember thinking about how my legs felt like 100lbs each...everything felt heavy and cramped at that point...then, bananas from heaven! There were tons of bananas being handed to us. I HATE bananas. They've always given me stomach aches, but let me tell you - I grabbed as many as I could hold and started chowing down on them. BEST FOOD EVER. I didn't realize how hungry I was! Pretty quick, the cramps started to subside and before I knew it, I was near mile 25. 

WOW. Mile 25. Almost there. Instantly, tears started to flow. Every hour of every mile of every training run began to hit me. Every run after work when I was dead tired. Every run in the gym because of the rain or dark. Every run when I would have rather been playing with the kids. Every run when my knee was about to explode. That emotion carried me the rest of the way because all at once I realized that I had done it. I was going to finish. I remember making that final turn to the finish line, surrounded by strangers that were audibly weeping much like myself. Crossing that line was the greatest feeling. In my mind, I have come so far. I have done so much. And I cannot believe that I did it. 

Next stop - food! Wow, I was sooooo hungry. And I had been thinking about that Chicago deep dish pizza for MONTHS. And I got it. We went to Lou Malnati's! 

I had the BEST time. I cannot thank Walt and Alicia enough for joining me on this adventure, and we hope to be able to do a destination race (and bring our families!) at least once a year. 

And the whirlwind continued as I hopped a plane from Chicago to Dallas for the POOLCORP International Sales Conference. Teaching 5 Social Media Classes was on tap!

And then, we represented in the booth!

I then returned just in time to do the Gulf Coast Half Marathon on Sunday. I know it seemed crazy, but I was celebrating the anniversary of my very first half just one year ago. I enjoyed the race, but have no races scheduled until the Color Run on November 17th! Whew!

So that was our whirlwind summer/early fall. We are looking forward to our Disney Family Vacation in a few short weeks! 

Stay Tuned!