Yesterday, Jonathan and I did a 5K in Gonzales, LA. We noticed that we were the fastest walkers in the 5K so there ended up being several people behind us. When we made a turn into the end of the 2nd mile, we noticed that NO ONE was left behind us (that we could see) and NONE of them had passed us. We then began to grump about how it sucks that people cheat and turn back (or in this case, had skipped the loop from mile 1 to 2). We tossed around phrases about finishing what you start, etc. It ended up that not everyone turned around...there was an older couple that was at least 15 minutes behind us and indeed did finish, but at least 20 people just plain quit and that really bothered me...until today.
Today I decided to go biking instead of walking my normal Sunday 6 miles. I have not biked in forever. I started out in Abita Springs, on the Tammany Trace. I rode all the way to Slidell (about 24 miles). I had three bottles of water with me, but it was SOOOO hot today (easily in the 90s). I had gone through all three bottles by the time I was on my way back and going through Lacombe. I rode as far as I could which happened to be near Fountainbleau State Park (about 14 miles back from Slidell). I was afraid to go much further without water and there was not going to be a chance to get anymore for another 5ish miles. So I called Jon to bring me water. I knew that he was at least 15-20 minutes away, but I really felt like I was going to pass out. I sat down, waited on the Trace, but then decided that my best bet would be to walk up to the main road to wait for him. The whole time I was bummed that I didn't finish the round-trip back to Abita. But then those people from yesterday came to mind...I have no idea why they didn't finish either...maybe someone got a blister? Maybe someone got dehydrated or sick? So my lesson was to not jump to conclusions about people not finishing. Maybe the victory is just in starting? The phrase "It's not how you start, it's how you finish" may not be accurate. Maybe it's just that you start. Every step I take forward is a step closer to my goal - even if it's just 1 step or 10 steps or 100 steps. I rode 38 miles more today than I did yesterday...or in 2010...or in 2009. I need to be happy with that.
Lesson #2 that I learned is to ALWAYS carry more water than you think you will need. For sure I will bring a ton of water from now on.
Lesson #3 - You really find out who's got your back when you're in a jam...special thanks to our awesome friend Dustin who was way closer than Jon and came to my rescue with about 100 oz of water after Jon called him to help until Jon could get there to pick me up. MUCH appreciated.
So this was just a little impromptu post, but more later!
Janel
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
She still runs like a champ!
Time flies...I don't just mean because it's been nearly three weeks since my last blog...but I mean that it flies because I now have a Kindergartner. Yep. Morgan graduated from Northlake Christian Preschool on Tuesday. SIGH. I have no idea where the time went. And Maddie will be a year old in three weeks. We're in full party planning mode for the big dual party for them on June 18th. Have I mentioned how busy May/June is for us???
Many people know about my little Honda. I've had it for a little over 4 years and I love it. It's seen me through many, many miles. Sometime last year, it began to rattle and shake when I drove it over 50 mph. I kept chalking it up to the extreme high mileage that I've put on it. One day, Jonathan took it to Honda and got an alignment and a new set of tires. When I got it back, it ran like a champ. It was faster, smoother and it was like new. In my mind, it was old and worn. But a new set of tires made the 98,000 miles seem to disappear. I tell you this because I had a similar experience today. This afternoon we went to Varsity Sports. If you've never visited Varsity and you are a running/walking enthusiast, you REALLY need to go. Jon went to pick up some compression thingies for his shins. While I was there, I decided to look at new shoes. Although I bought new shoes in January, I have already worn the tread down. At Varsity, they outfit you for your shoes - you don't just try them on and buy them. The guy was able to tell me which shoes were best for me, my activity level, the support I needed, etc. Wow. I found a pair that I loved and they were probably the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn- so I bought them. Tonight when I went home, I went for a run in my new shoes. I have a 5K in the morning and wanted to break them in before hitting the race course. I have to say, these shoes are AWESOME. I felt faster, never tired and never had a bit of pain. AND I RAN. Now, to some of you, that may not sound like a big deal. But for someone that has spent most of her life overweight, it's a huge deal. I've dreamed about running. And running. And running- no fatigue, no stopping. It's a good thing. I beat my normal time and distance by leaps and bounds. I guess all I needed was a new set of tires!
As I said, we have another 5K in the morning. I am happy to say WE because Jon and the family have now joined me in this 5K adventure. We did our first 5K as a family last weekend at Stone Creek Country Club. I was able to score a double jogging stroller at a consignment shop for way cheap so that we can all go together.
We are scheduled for 5Ks for the next several weeks through late July. Next up after tomorrow's Jambalaya Fest Run is the Fireman's 5K, Blueberry Festival Run, Northshore Tri-Club Run, Fireworks Run, 4 on the 4th and Spillway Classic.
For those wondering, I am now down 63.6 lbs since January 25th. I also just finished the second boot camp class at the gym. In the 6 weeks of that class, I lost 16 lbs and 4% body fat. Still waiting to hear if I won that segment...there was still one class member that needed to weigh in.
One more thing before I sign off...many of you have seen the pics posted on Facebook the past week. We did a photo session with Amber V Photography a few weeks ago for Morgan's 5th and Maddie's 1st BDays. She is amazing. It's one of those situations that I REALLY had a very hard time deciding which I loved the best because they were SOOO amazing. Here are a few...
I won't post more because I don't want to ruin the surprise of their birthday invitation. If you need a photographer, I HIGHLY suggest Amber. You can also find her on Facebook at Amber V Photography.
That's all for now...5am comes early for a 5K! Stay Tuned!!!
Janel
Many people know about my little Honda. I've had it for a little over 4 years and I love it. It's seen me through many, many miles. Sometime last year, it began to rattle and shake when I drove it over 50 mph. I kept chalking it up to the extreme high mileage that I've put on it. One day, Jonathan took it to Honda and got an alignment and a new set of tires. When I got it back, it ran like a champ. It was faster, smoother and it was like new. In my mind, it was old and worn. But a new set of tires made the 98,000 miles seem to disappear. I tell you this because I had a similar experience today. This afternoon we went to Varsity Sports. If you've never visited Varsity and you are a running/walking enthusiast, you REALLY need to go. Jon went to pick up some compression thingies for his shins. While I was there, I decided to look at new shoes. Although I bought new shoes in January, I have already worn the tread down. At Varsity, they outfit you for your shoes - you don't just try them on and buy them. The guy was able to tell me which shoes were best for me, my activity level, the support I needed, etc. Wow. I found a pair that I loved and they were probably the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn- so I bought them. Tonight when I went home, I went for a run in my new shoes. I have a 5K in the morning and wanted to break them in before hitting the race course. I have to say, these shoes are AWESOME. I felt faster, never tired and never had a bit of pain. AND I RAN. Now, to some of you, that may not sound like a big deal. But for someone that has spent most of her life overweight, it's a huge deal. I've dreamed about running. And running. And running- no fatigue, no stopping. It's a good thing. I beat my normal time and distance by leaps and bounds. I guess all I needed was a new set of tires!
As I said, we have another 5K in the morning. I am happy to say WE because Jon and the family have now joined me in this 5K adventure. We did our first 5K as a family last weekend at Stone Creek Country Club. I was able to score a double jogging stroller at a consignment shop for way cheap so that we can all go together.
We are scheduled for 5Ks for the next several weeks through late July. Next up after tomorrow's Jambalaya Fest Run is the Fireman's 5K, Blueberry Festival Run, Northshore Tri-Club Run, Fireworks Run, 4 on the 4th and Spillway Classic.
For those wondering, I am now down 63.6 lbs since January 25th. I also just finished the second boot camp class at the gym. In the 6 weeks of that class, I lost 16 lbs and 4% body fat. Still waiting to hear if I won that segment...there was still one class member that needed to weigh in.
One more thing before I sign off...many of you have seen the pics posted on Facebook the past week. We did a photo session with Amber V Photography a few weeks ago for Morgan's 5th and Maddie's 1st BDays. She is amazing. It's one of those situations that I REALLY had a very hard time deciding which I loved the best because they were SOOO amazing. Here are a few...
That's all for now...5am comes early for a 5K! Stay Tuned!!!
Janel
Monday, May 9, 2011
Morgan, Mommy and Mileage, Oh My!
Again, it's been two weeks since my last blog, but I was determined to get a blog out before going to sleep tonight! Lots of events and activities to get you caught up!
We had a mini-vacation to the Panama City Beach last weekend. We met our best buds, The Haulards to spend a few days in the sun. The condo - Sunrise Beach Resort - was super nice. They are part of a group managed by Resort Quest. It was our second Resort Quest rental and it was just as successful as the first. This one was amidst more of the PCB action, so I highly recommend it for families. If you are looking for a quieter condo, I would check out Seychelles (where we stayed in 2010).
We had an amazing trip! We're hoping to jump back over for a few days before the summer ends.
While we were away, I got an exciting text. If you remember, I was in the running to win an iPad 2 from Star Fitness for recruiting the most members in the month of April...well, I won! I was so excited! I've wanted one for almost a year, but didn't want to spend that $$ on myself. Hard work DOES pay off! More on that later...
This past weekend, my big girl Morgan celebrated her 5th birthday! I cannot believe where the time has gone. She will be graduating from PreK 4 in two weeks. Because her birthday was on Sunday, I brought her a cupcake cake to her class on Friday.
The kids loved the cake (and so did I!) It was from Albertson's in Mandeville. They did an amazing job and it was extremely affordable.
We then took her, along with our friend Dustin and his son, Boston to City Park on Saturday. We rode rides for hours and had a blast. I definitely see a repeat trip in our near future!
Sunday was Mother's Day (as well as Morgan's birthday). We had a great day, starting with church, lunch at Osaka 21 Hibachi (Morgan's choice, yay!), and then spent the afternoon with my parents and grandmother.
We had a mini-vacation to the Panama City Beach last weekend. We met our best buds, The Haulards to spend a few days in the sun. The condo - Sunrise Beach Resort - was super nice. They are part of a group managed by Resort Quest. It was our second Resort Quest rental and it was just as successful as the first. This one was amidst more of the PCB action, so I highly recommend it for families. If you are looking for a quieter condo, I would check out Seychelles (where we stayed in 2010).
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| My cuties! |
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| 1st family pic in forever! |
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| The Haulard Family |
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| The view from our condo |
We had an amazing trip! We're hoping to jump back over for a few days before the summer ends.
While we were away, I got an exciting text. If you remember, I was in the running to win an iPad 2 from Star Fitness for recruiting the most members in the month of April...well, I won! I was so excited! I've wanted one for almost a year, but didn't want to spend that $$ on myself. Hard work DOES pay off! More on that later...
This past weekend, my big girl Morgan celebrated her 5th birthday! I cannot believe where the time has gone. She will be graduating from PreK 4 in two weeks. Because her birthday was on Sunday, I brought her a cupcake cake to her class on Friday.
We then took her, along with our friend Dustin and his son, Boston to City Park on Saturday. We rode rides for hours and had a blast. I definitely see a repeat trip in our near future!
I also did a ton of mileage this past weekend. On Friday night, our family went for a 6 mile walk on the Tammany Trace. I got up Saturday morning for the St. Tammany Young Lawyers Assoc. 5K. Then on Sunday, I took my regular 6 mile walk. I was pretty beat this morning but all the hard work is worth it. I am now officially down 57 lbs. And...tonight was the last night of the 6-week Boot Camp. (I'm actually enrolled in 2, the other one ends in a few weeks). But, I am super proud to say that I won the challenge! I not only lost the most weight in 6 weeks out of anyone in the class, but I also lost 3% body fat (also the most in the class!) I won a whole list of prizes (including training sessions). Even though Monday night Boot Camp is over, the instructor offered to keep it going on Monday night (for fun, LOL) for those of us that want to continue to be challenged. Surprisingly, I am up for it!
Well, that's about it for now! I have 5Ks scheduled the next few weeks (Holy Ghost School in Hammond and Stone Creek in Covington), birthday pictures with our photographer Amber V, birthday party planning, PreK Graduation, and on and on and on... Stay tuned!!
Janel
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