Colste on the Run

Boating Adventure Number 2

2010-07-26T11:26:00.000-04:00

After the incident with the boat coming off the truck, we had to replace a couple of things on the trailer. We took it out this past Friday for a quick trip. We stopped in the middle of the lake to eat some Subway that we had brought with us. When we were ready to go home, we couldn't get the motor to crank. After several tries, I got the paddles out and we tried to make it to shore....but we didn't budge. I then jumped in and pulled the boat by a rope attached to the bow. I swam an extremely long ways pulling this boat.....by the time I made it to shore, it was dark and I couldn't even stand. A fisherman offered to drive Steven back to the dam to get the truck and trailer but the bank was too steep to pick up the boat where we were. Instead, we called a local marina and they came out to rescue us. The guy was able to get the engine cranked and said it was badly flooded. He told us a couple of tricks to keep it from happening again and off we went. On Saturday, we took the boat out again, doing everything he told us, and had an incident free trip. It was sooo nice!

Stay tuned for Boating Incident Number 3......

P.S. On a separate note: Please keep my cousin Chad and his wife and family in your prayers. Their young autistic son Cohen drowned yesterday morning in their backyard swimming pool. We love you guys!

Boating Adventure Number 1

2010-07-24T00:49:00.000-04:00

We bought the boat on July 15th, a Thursday, the day after my 24th birthday. The 15 foot Dixie Devil tri-hull has a 115 hp Mercury Mariner outboard motor and it's super fast and tons of fun on the water. We took it out that night and had a blast. We managed to get it in the water, ride about 2-3 miles, load it up, and drive home all without incident.

On Saturday, we took it out again with the intention of doing some wake boarding and knee boarding. At the Cherokee Dam, where I use to run often, there are two public boat ramps and a large gravel bank where many boaters launch their boats and park right there on the bank. We decided to give that a try and launch our boat on the gravel bank instead of using the concrete ramp. Everyone else is doing it, why not us? Riiight. We ended up getting my truck stuck. We were forced to remove the boat trailer and pull it out of the water. During this process, we lost a clamp that connects the safety chain to the truck, leaving only a simple S hook to connect the chains. Finally, someone with a bigger truck pulled up and agreed to pull us out.

We finally made it out into the water, which was rather choppy, and drove a mile or so into the middle of the lake. I tried to knee board but the waves kept hitting me in the face and I couldn't get up. The water was hitting the back of the boat and spilling gallons into the hull as well. Steven started getting pretty nervous so I climbed up and we took off to find a cove with calmer waters. Once we stopped again, I scooped out several gallons of water with a big cup. Later, we tried to wake board and knee board again in a larger calm cove but still couldn't manage to get up. My arms were so sore the next day. We decided to head home.

We only live about 2-3 miles from the dam. About half way home, I started to notice something a little off about the boat. I looked to Steven and said, "I think we just lost the boat." Steven said about the time he turned to look at me, he saw the boat in the lane next to us! I couldn't do anything. I was completely helpless...watching my boat pass me in the other lane! It started to veer right, rolling down a ditch into someones yard. It hit a parked Stratus in the right rear quarter panel, ricocheted around and took off the front end of an Alero. The boat and trailer then landed next to their house with the front end of the boat still attached to the winch on the trailer and the back end on it's right side on the ground.

Because we lost the clamp in our launching incident earlier that day, I had the safety chain wrapped around the hitch because the I was worried the simple S hook would come off the receiver. I thought at least the chain would keep the trailer coupler on the ball which is what I worried about. Apparently, it's not what I should have worried about. The only thing we can think might have happened is the hitch pin holding my hitch in my receiver on my either broke, wiggled out, or someone thought it would be funny to take it out because my entire hitch fell out of my receiver. We later found it half way between where the boat came loose and where it landed. Those things usually don't come out on their own and we've never had any problems with them before. I can tell you one thing, we will check, recheck, and check again from NOW ON!

We were incredibly lucky that no one was hurt. The insurance on my truck covered the damage to the two cars. We're lucky the boat didn't plow through the people's house. And we are really lucky we decided to go to the lake instead of the horse show I was thinking about attending because if we would have had the horses in that trailer, it would not have ended as well as it did. The people were so nice and understanding. A wrecker came and pushed the boat back on the trailer, bent the winch somewhat back in place. We were somehow able to tow it home. Amazingly, the boat received no damaged. The trailer took most of the blow and we had to replace one arm and roller and the winch strap. The next day, we went to Tractor Supply and bought the biggest safety chains, hitch pins locks, and coupler locks we could find! This will NEVER happen again! And this is only the first adventure (thankfully the worst) but definitely not the last!

HOLY COW!

2010-07-23T23:55:00.000-04:00

I suck! I can't believe it's been this long since I've posted. I've not done very well in my running. I'm working a lot more at the TV station and we just bought a boat so our free time is spent on the lake! I've got some crazy boating stories to tell as well. And I'll tell ya, watersports give you a pretty damn good work......swimming half the width of the lake pulling a boat with a rope does too....more on that coming up...

2010-05-19T11:23:00.002-04:00

Took Mulligan to the dam for a quick run yesterday. Did two miles and he did great. Kept up so I didn't have to pull him like I did with Lily that time. Might take him back today for another 2 mile run. I seem to be able to run longer when I have a dog with me. Hope you all are doing well. Sorry it's been so long between posts!

Update

2010-04-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

Life has been busy but good since I posted last. I have managed to only get in 4 miles since I ran the 5K on the treadmill. And all 4 miles have been within the last 3 days. I did 2 on the treadmill at the gym the day before yesterday and 2 today at the dam. I took our dog Lily (half bluetick coonhound, half mountain cur......I know) She did great in the back of my truck for her first time during the ride there and back. The first mile she stuck close by my side and I didn't have to pull on her to keep up. The second mile, different story. I was constantly having to pull her up because it was like running with resistance. Ugh, I probably won't take her along again, or at the very least, get a much longer leash. It's beautiful here in East TN today. Glad I'm off!

More on that....I've been working at Tractor Supply a lot. I've picked up extra shifts and covered for people that have called in as well. And on top of that, I just found out on Monday that I got another part-time job at the number 1 news station in Knoxville!! Yea! I will be working cameras during the morning show that airs from 5-7 AM. Yes, that does mean I will have to be IN Knoxville at 4AM. Yes, that does mean I have to get up around 2:30AM to get ready and make the 45 min drive to Knoxville. And yes, I do have to also work nights at Tractor Supply, meaning I won't get home until 9:30PM, hour to eat and get ready for bed (if I'm lucky)...so 10:30PM ..........4hrs later......back to work. It's going to be really tough and I am really nervous I won't be able to do it. Much less find time to work out. I'm thinking a good time might be after I get home from the station around 11:30 (that is if I don't have to be a TSC until 4) I can run then and then take a nap until 2:45PM. WOW, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. And the one thing that REALLY SUCKS is that I won't be making close to what I was before I was laid off due to my previous company going bankrupt....and no benefits. But what can ya do? I've got student loans to pay off....

ANYWAYS, leaving that subject and sorry for the slight rant. I really didn't want to go that direction because I am ecstatic that I got the job. Who knows? Hopefully it will lead to bigger and better things and I can get on a more normal schedule. Yea News!

Yes!

2010-04-12T12:58:00.000-04:00

I'm assuming I motivated myself by my last post. After I finished writing, I hit the gym like I said I was going to. I did 5K, without walking, in 40:43. Personal best. Average pace: 13:04. The first mile I did at 4.5 mph and then alternated between 4.8 and 5.0 for the second mile. The third was the same as the second but a little bit of 6 mph mixed in at the end. I'm positive I can go farther if I just stick to a slower pace all the way through, such as 4.5 mph. Because after the first mile at that pace, I was barely breathing hard. I'm planning to run either at the dam or on the treadmill tomorrow. I have to work tonight. Still haven't found my next 5K. Will do that soon. It's beautiful here! Enjoy this Spring weather if it's nice where you are!

Motivate me

2010-04-08T12:24:00.001-04:00

Just realized that I could still post something even though I've been slacking so much that I've not run since my 5K. For some reason, the thought never occured to me.

I don't know what's going on with me. My appetite has been crazy this week! I have been overeating seriously and snacking throughout the day like no other. It's like I can't get full almost. I think it's boredom. But I've been doing stuff around the house when I've not been working. It's been nice outside so I've been doing stuff in the garden, etc too. After watching The Biggest Loser last night while eating a large plate of pasta, I was really feeling in the mood to exercise. Started wishing (again) that I didn't sell my treadmill back in Birmingham. I was planning to attend my Pilates and Yoga class but woke up too late and then realized I had to run to Tractor Supply about 30 minutes away (where I work) to get horse food because the TSC here was out. Ugh! Then was planning on going to the gym around 1 this afternoon to run but it's raining and I have a sinus headache. See! Look at me! I'm making up excuses! I need to get re-movtivated! I need to find another 5K.

What the heck.....I'm going to the gym....right now...no matter what. Bye.

What Ate Frank: An ENTIRE Rotisserie Chicken from Walmart covered with buffalo wing sauce because chicken is healthy...

More Race Pics

2010-04-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

My pics are finally posted on the Action Sports International website. I cannot get the link to post here but if you are interested, go to http://www.asiorders.com/, click on Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, and then search for bib number 4597.

I'm not sure if I'm going to order one yet. It's pretty here again today and my face is more swollen and sore than it has been since the surgery. Blah, I'm ready to be better! Yesterday, I bought a lounge chair at Big Lots and laid out on my patio to relax. Apparently, I stayed out way too long because now I look like a swollen lobster. Pain pills seem to help the sunburn too though so that's good.

Anyways......CIAO

Happy B'day Mulligan!

2010-03-31T17:42:00.004-04:00

I had my bottom two wisdom teeth taken out earlier today so I will apologize now if I seem a little loopy. It's a beautiful day here and I'm kinda bummed I have to be stuck inside. I'm hoping I will heal quickly enough to do something fun on the weekend. Didn't get my run in yesterday but that's ok. I'll get back in the groove soon. Steven has been so wonderful taking care of me today. I love him so much! It's Mulligan's birthday today! (my male blue and tan dachshund) He is 4 yrs old! He is such a great dog. I'm hoping to breed him again someday. My parents have one of his sons. We bred him to what's called an Isabella and Tan dachshund. that my parent's owned. Unfortunately, she was hit by a car after the puppies where about 7 weeks old. The blue color is a dilute gene from the black and tan and the isabella is a dilute gene from a chocolate and tan. All of the SEVEN puppies born were blue and tans. They looked silver! That's momma Jasmine with her babies the day they were born.

Beautiful!

Mulligan as a baby! This picture is what made me buy him. How could I resist that face? He still turns his head like that every time you talk to him!

Mulligan when we brought him home!

Mulls during his first swim
Steven use to take Mulligan with him when he would play golf. Obviously, you can see why Mulligan is named after a golf term!

Since we don't have any children yet, our animals are our kids. They are probably more rotten than any child ever but what can ya do!

Happy Birthday Mully Mulls! Momma loves you!

Race Day Pics

2010-03-30T13:35:00.004-04:00

Weather here is still gloomy but hoping to get a run in this afternoon. Made it to Pilates and Yoga this morning and am so glad I did. Feel refreshed!

As I've mentioned, the finish line for the 5K was on the 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium (Home of Tennessee Vols). Bryant-Denny is much nicer....ROLL TIDE!
Apparently, I'm crossing the finish line in the third picture but I can't really tell.

First 5K - Under my Belt!

2010-03-29T18:00:00.005-04:00

Yea! I cannot tell you how freakin nervous I was driving to Knoxville at 6:30 in the morning on Sunday. I kept telling Steven..."I don't think I can do this" over and over again. I was scared I wouldn't be able to finish ....or maybe I would come in last, or maybe I would chickin out....probably a little of everything, but I was scared.

Steven dropped me off and I nervously walked towards the massive crowd I saw about two blocks away. I came to a crosswalk bridge that led to the start line. When I got about half way across, I heard a voice on the PA say "Runner's Ready, Set, ..(gun fire) ....and then lots of cheering.

Note: photo from local paper's website, KnoxNews.com

It was the marathon and half marathon runners taking off. It was incredibly exciting and made my butterflies settle down ...slightly. I made it to the start area and found a spot near the back but not at the very back. I stretched a little and began to line up. I found myself looking around at the racers near me to see if I was the biggest there. Not hardly...I felt a little better. Then,... that announcer again. "Runner's Ready, Set, Pow!" It took a while for us to cross the start line and start moving. Here we go!

Ok this isn't so bad.....

Why is everyone walking?

Holy crap, everyone's walking?!?!

Ok, there's some runner's...over on the sidewalk zigging and zagging through the walkers.

Runner train, here we go.

When we finally got up to where most people were at least jogging, we had already topped the first major incline. Once I was at that point, I knew I could do it. And it was on!
I made it to the second water table before I walked, which was approximately at mile 1.5 and at the start of the biggest hill on course..... Ya'll know how hills get me. So, I walked briefly to get my water down and then started the climb. I made it to about 90% up the hill before I had to walk. Walked the last 10% up and ran all the way to the Finish line. It felt so good to enter that stadium and see all of those people cheering and to see myself on the Jumbotron crossing the Finish line.

My time was 43:01 which is much slower than what I did on the dam the other day but oh well. I came in 81st out of 104 (haha, awful) in my age group F 20-24.

I had a ton of fun and am already looking for my next 5K! Thank ya'll for the good wishes and advice. I really appreciate it. I did take a couple of pics but they are on Steven's phone so I've got to get them from him. But I will definitely post them soon! I didn't run today because the weather is crap but tomorrow is suppose to be pretty. I'm definitely planning on hitting the damn dam!

Blah Run

2010-03-24T17:11:00.002-04:00

I went to the dam today planning to run 2 miles....the usual out to the end of the dam and back. As I pulled in to the parking lot I realized I forgot my headphones. Considered going back but figured I could manage two easy miles without them. yeah....well the two miles seemed to take forever! I just wasn't feeling it. I took a breather at the end of the dam as usual but even had to stop again after 1.5 miles for another breather when usually I can make it all the way back without walking. Wierd. I don't know what the deal was. Thinking I may not run again till the 5K on Sunday morning, just to make sure I'm extra energized and fresh. What do you think?

Weekend Outings

2010-03-22T12:26:00.011-04:00

Completed 3 miles on Friday! Yea!

iMapMyRun: Mar 19, 2010 4:33 PM
Find more Runs in Jefferson City, Tennessee

Summary
Name: iMapMyRun: Mar 19, 2010 4:33 PM
Type: Regular Run
Date: 03/19/2010
Start: 15:50:39
End: 16:33:36
Time Taken: 00:41:31
Workout Weight: 230.0 lbs.
Workout Route: iMapMyRun: Mar 19, 2010 4:33 PM
Total Distance: 3.05 mi.
Burned: 348 (kcal)

Workout Stats
Pace: 56:53 (min) 13:30 (avg) 07:47 (max)
Speed: 1.05 (mi/hr) (min) 4.44 (mi/hr) (avg) 7.7 (mi/hr) (max)

The weather was absolutely beautiful, about 68 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. When starting mile 3, I passed a couple that I had seen several times that day. The man had this impressed look on his face and he smiled and said something to me. Unfortunately, I had my music too loud and didn't catch what he said but I know it was something good. I'm sure he was shocked to see a fat chick running that long! haha.

Saturday, I FINALLY talked Steven into going to the dam with me. We walked about 2 miles with the dogs and watched the sunset.

We took the dogs, Mulligan and Delta, down by the lake and walked along the shoreline. Mulligan loves sticks although this one wasn't budging!

Earlier in the day, we cleaned off the patio on the side of our house and brought up a table from the basement. We then had lunch in the sun! It was lovely!

On Sunday, we went back to the dam for some fly-fishing but as soon as we climbed down the wall of rocks to get to the water, the sirens went off signaling they were opening the dam and the water would start rising! Yikes! We booked it on out of there as quickly as possible. I busted my butt on the rocks on the way down....nice bruise from that...

We then went a couple of miles down the road and found this beautiful stream stocked with trout by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. I know we hiked at least two miles there. I busted my ass again on a slippery rock in the stream, waders kept me mainly dry except for my right arm which tried to catch me.

After a weekend of beautiful mild weather, we have flurries today. It's like Mother Nature said, "It's Spring!" ........."Just Kiddin'!"

I hope ya'll had a great weekend! Going to the dentist tomorrow to see about having two of my wisdom teeth taken out. Ugh! Want to get that over with asap. 5K is THIS SUNDAY! Yikes!

Race Day getting closer!

2010-03-17T13:41:00.005-04:00

Another nice run at the Dam today. 2 miler. First mile was at an average pace of 5.1 mph which is crazy fast for me. I stopped at the end of the dam, which just so happened to be right at 1 mile, for a breather. I concentrated on keeping my pace slower on the way back so I wouldn't get so out of breath. I managed to do the 2nd mile at 4.6 mph average and was much less winded. I also felt like I could have kept going after making it back to the truck. That's my plan for the next run. 3 miles. Run to the end of the damn twice. Walk back the last time if I have nothing left. That will be a little over three miles. Sine my first 5k is in a week and a half....I've really got to convince myself it's possible. I figured if I just take a really short breather inbetween each mile I will be fine.

iMapMyRun: Mar 17, 2010 11:12 AM
Find more Runs in Jefferson City, Tennessee

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Go Green!

What Ate Frank: Banquet Chicken Nuggets with corn and added Wing Sauce. lol

Run at the Damn Dam

2010-03-15T14:14:00.004-04:00

Just got back from a nice run over at Cherokee Dam. Ran 1.86 according to imapmyrun. Only stopped once because for a minute because of a phone call. It's still cold here! WTF? windy..overcast....and cold. I hate TN. The daffodils are blooming though. I know Spring is coming.....................................eventually.

We spent the weekend working around the house. Transplanted some pepper seedlings and other plants. Bought some tulip bulbs from Lowe's. Hoping mine look half as good as the ones already bloomed in the store but doubt it! Also planted some cauliflower, Bibb lettuce, and romaine in the garden. Hopefully we will get a good harvest from them. Our broccoli and cabbage seem to be doing good too.

Going to the gym tonight. Getting back into the routine feels good. Keep to it!

What Ate Frank: Banquet TV Dinner, oh so good.....j/k

Soggy day in East TN

2010-03-12T16:00:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally pryed myself from the coast and made my way back to this oh so fabulous weather in East TN, blah! My workout schedule has gone to hell, haha. I was able to get two short runs in down at my parents house and haven't done ANYTHING since I've been home. Oh wait, I did go to Pilates and Yoga on Tues. but was too sore to go on Thurs. haha. I have however, lost weight! Weight in this morning showed 228.8! Whoohooo! Steven and I also took our horses to a local state park and went trail riding. It was really nice.

Oh, and I dyed my hair dark brown. I've been blonde my entire life so it's really different.

I've got to get back in my routine. It's going to be harder if I start working again. I just interviewed for a part-time job at Tractor Supply. I'm really excited and it sounded promising. We shall see!

Yea for Fridays! Hopefully it doesn't rain here all weekend....but I am in East TN so....yeah, it probably will.

Have a good weekend people! I'm going to run, I promise!

Baldwin County, AL

2010-02-26T10:35:00.004-05:00

I'm in Robertsdale, AL staying with my parents for a week or so. Their neighbor left for bike week in Daytona and I'm house and pet sitting for her as well as painting for my Dad's company.

Here are two of the animals I'm caring for. There is also one collie, one horse, and one bird.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon painting doors in Orange Beach with the most beautiful view of the water.

I would probably become a painter if I could look at that everyday! I've been doing good and eating right since I've been here and I even got a short run around the block this morning. Hoping to take Mom to a Yoga class sometime before I leave. I think she would really enjoy it.

Hope you guys are all well!

See ya

What Ate Frank

2010-02-19T09:57:00.007-05:00

Ok, so I'm going to start this new section of my blog called, "What Ate Frank?" I have changed the name to protect his identity. Frank works with Steven and is "watching" what he eats as well. But, Frank's definition of what is healthy and what actually is healthy are miles apart. Steven has tried to teach him a little more about eating REAL food rather than so much processed crap. But, Frank is cheap....probably one of the cheapest people I've ever met. For example, he told us he only changes his razor blades twice a year.....:/ HAHA We've tried to tell him to shop at EarthFare, our local healthfood store. He goes there only to buy onions, lol, because he says they taste better....well duh. So here's a list of some "healthy" things Frank has eaten for lunch recently:

Banquet TV dinners
cans of Chili
A WHOLE box of lettuce, processed chicken breasts, and wing sauce for dressing (my fav)

There's something new almost everyday that's equally hilarious....I'll keep you updated!

For some reason, I cannot get in the mood to run or workout. Wednesday was suppose to be 1 hr cardio and total body workout. I didn't even make it to the gym. Thursday is Pilates and Yoga followed by a run outside. I couldn't pry myself out of bed for Pilates but made it to Yoga, then did 30 min on the treadmill...running a mile of it at 5.0. Today, I've got a run inside and total body workout planned. I'm feeling a little more up to my workout today. It is beautiful outside today. FINALLY! We have not had a day of sunshine in soooo long. I hope Steven can get off early so we can get outside and enjoy it. If he gets off around noon, we may go play golf.

Great Giveaway over at I Am Boring Blog: Check it out here!

OMG, did you see Saun White win the Gold the other night? WOW, and also Lindsay Vonn in downhill skiing and that Evan guy from USA win the Gold in Men's Figure Skating? Awesome. Go USA!!

Hopefully it is sunny where you are! Enjoy the day!

2010-02-16T16:56:00.004-05:00

I'm addicted to NBC right now. I've been watching a lot of the Olympics. Loved the Biathlon that just finished. It looks pretty fun.

Made it to my Pilate's and Yoga classes this morning. Got in a good workout last night too. Did 1 mile on treadmill at 5 mph (much faster than usual)and a full body weight workout.

Weight this morning: 234.8

Yea!

Getting back on Track

2010-02-15T11:13:00.002-05:00

I have not worked out since THURSDAY....That's so bad! Yesterday, Steven and I went to Gatlinburg. We walked a total of +1.6 miles on the strip. We then had dinner at The Peddler. It was good, but I've had better. I might have not enjoyed it as much as I should have because my stomach was hurting while we were eating. My stomach gives me trouble all of the time, especially right after I eat. It has seemed to get better since I've begun eating more REAL food rather than so much processed crap, but it still acts up.

We got a good two inches of snow last night....so pretty. I need to get moving today. I've got a lot I need to do. I will get to the gym too!

Have a great day!

The Big Splurge

2010-02-12T15:07:00.003-05:00

So yesterday Steven and I have been together for 4 years. We decided to go out to eat to celebrate at Regas Restaurant in downtown Knoxville. Oh.my.gosh was it good! We both ordered prime rib and lobster. It came with a salad, bread, and one side. I ordered green beans, and Steven ordered broccoli. After we ate, Steven ordered coffee, and the Waiter brought us a complimentary red velvet cake for our special occasion. The entire meal was awesome and everything was going great....that is, until we got the bill! Holy crap! $168 bucks, not including tip! I guess we learned our lesson in ordering anything on the menu that says "Market price." Each of our dinners was $64 bucks! But man, it was so good.....

Yesterday, I was scheduled to run outside. I wasn't feeling up to it because Pilate's kicked my butt earlier in the morning. I went out anyway feeling sub-par. And it didn't get any better. I just had no energy. It seemed like my legs were just tapped out. I had to stop and walk several times. I'm suppose to run on the treadmill today with a total body weight workout after that. Not feeling it, but I really need to go because I had about 1600 calories yesterday for dinner. So, including what my exercise burned off, I was about 400 over what I'm suppose to intake. It's not over my maintenance calories though so I shouldn't gain at least.

I just got home from EarthFare. Steven and I had lunch there today and did a little shopping. Afterwards, I went to Dillard's to buy him a new belt and took my truck to get washed. Then, on the way home, I stopped by this little fudge shop because they have a Valentine's day special on Chocolate covered strawberries! HAHA, yeah...not doing well on sweets.....

I did, however, get sugar-free chocolate covered strawberries instead of the real thing.....every little bit helps! My parents sent us some money to go out to eat on V day so we plan to go to Gatlinburg for dinner on Sunday. We're expecting snow so hopefully the roads will be ok for us to make it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Valentine's Day!

Sushi Makes Me Happy :)

2010-02-10T11:50:00.005-05:00

Snowing sideways again this morning...And I really hope I can make it to the gym and the bank because the roads are solid white, and I'm in desperate need of new tires on my car. The wind is brutal today. So glad it's not a day I'm suppose to run outside!

Last night, we had dinner at a local Asian restaurant. We ordered a large bowl of wonton soup to split and three rolls of sushi. Man was it good! Calorie wise, not so much! We know now that we need to stick with the basic sushi rolls rather than specialty rolls because the calories add up really quick. Wonton soup isn't too bad though! Nice treat every now and then at least. I was still under my calories by 248 considering my exercise. But I did have like 1550 calories in food yesterday. More than I've had in awhile!

Alright, I've put off getting out into this weather long enough. Wish me luck!

Keep on Trucking

2010-02-09T11:48:00.004-05:00

Stats:
Doing good on getting up early: 7:45am
weight: 236.2 ( I know I said I wouldn't weight everyday but .......)
Exercise: yoga 1 hr, 1.87 mile run
Calories Yesterday: around 858....should have eaten a little more
Exercise: 905
Net Calories: -47

Breakfast today: 1 egg, 2 egg whites scrambled, 2 Jennie-O breakfast sausage links.

I didn't make it to Pilates this morning at 8 but did make it to Yoga at 9. Oh, how I love that class! I will do pilates from Netflix later today. On the way home, I drove down this road and thought to myself, "Hey, this may be a good road to run." So I stopped, reset the trip button, drove about a mile, and found a turnaround spot. Then, I turned around and drove to my starting point and parked. I started off really good, made it to the last hill and walked up to my turnaround point. On the way back, the wind was REALLY strong. I took 3 very short (maybe 30sec to 1min) walking breaks on the way back. I used iMapMyRun to keep track of everything. I guess I measured a little off because when I got back, it said I only traveled 1.87 miles. Oh well. My average speed running was 4.5, which is faster than what I run on a treadmill so that's good. I liked the elevation changes on this route, but the smell of cow shit was so strong that I don't know if I will go back! And I'm a country girl who rarely even smells farm smells! Wow! Well, time for lunch!

Have a great day!

2010-02-08T15:06:00.002-05:00

I have my schedule off to a good start. Spent an hour on the elliptical this morning. I felt bad though because there is a 35 min time limit on cardio equipment. I think that's bullshit. If they have that many people working out, you'd think they could afford more equipment. oh well...

What's enough?

2010-02-07T11:44:00.003-05:00

Had a nice run outside this morning. It was spitting snow so I felt a little hardcore! Came back home and had a nice breakfast burrito and coffee that Steven prepared. I got really frustrated this morning because Steven has lost so much weight. I mean I'm so happy and proud of him for losing weight, but it's frustrating because I've only lost a little. But, I work out TWICE as much as he does! It's not fair! I don't know what else to do. I don't think I can manage to eat less and it probably wouldn't be too healthy either. I guess I can step up my workouts. I try to do something everyday. I really need to setup a schedule and stick to it. This is what I'm thinking:

Sunday: Run outside
Monday: Elliptical 1 hr, total body weight workout pm
Tuesday: Pilates and Yoga 2hrs am, run outside
Wednesday: Run inside am, total body weight workout pm
Thursday: Pilates and Yoga 2hrs am, run outside
Friday: Elliptical 1 hr, total body weight workout pm
Saturday: off

Does that sound like enough?

Blah

2010-02-05T11:32:00.003-05:00

Oh...I feel.like.crap.

I'm super super sore. I'm not sure if it was from my workout lifting weights with Steven or my run outside yesterday.

To top it off, I feel a little sick. My heads been throbbing. Last night I started coughing, which is unusual for me. I think it had something to do with my run outside. And with an aching body, I definitely FEEL like crap. I think I will take today off from exercise if I don't feel better by this afternoon.

Stats:

Weight: 238.6
Wake up time: 11:20am, bad

Yesterday's workouts:

AM: 1 hr yoga class
PM: Week 6, Day 2 of the Couch to 5K program completed outside.
Warm-up 5 min, Run 10 min, Walk 3 min, Run 10 min, 5 min cool-down.
I skip around on the program a lot depending on whether I'm inside or outside.

Meals:

Breakfast
- Banana, 90 cal
Lunch
- Organic Ravilolis, 360 cal
Snack after run
- banana, 90 cal
Dinner (732 cal)
- Filet, 220 cal
- yellow snap beans from our garden last summer, 17 cal
- 1/2 cup dry wild rice, 276 cal
- big glass of skim milk, 180 cal
Dessert
- fudge pop, 40 cal

Total Food: 1272 calories
Total Estimated burn: 411 calories
Net Calories: 861

Loved Loved LOVED my Yoga class!

2010-02-04T11:24:00.005-05:00

There were probably only 8-10 people in the class. It was extremely relaxing! Everyone was so welcoming and nice to me. I also met a girl that is from the same sorority as I am (different schools), Kappa Alpha Theta.

She was super nice and mentioned that there is a Founder's Day luncheon coming up at the local Knoxville alumni chapter. It's so exciting for me because I've met practically no one since I've moved here and to have a possible new friend....I'm just stoked! She was in the pilates class before my yoga class which I caught the last 3 minutes of. Great way to warm up the legs! I'm thinking of doing both classes next time. Classes are on Tues. and Thurs. in the AM. I stretched muscles that I've been wanting to stretch for a longggg time. The pace was slow, and the instructor was amazing. I'm definitely going back!

Yoga

2010-02-04T08:16:00.002-05:00

Going to my first yoga class this morning. Excited but a little nervous that I'm not going to be able to perform all of the poses. I'm definitely not as flexible as I use to be! I'll let ya know how it goes!

Do you burn more calories when you sleep if you dream you're running a marathon?

2010-02-02T12:02:00.006-05:00

I sure hope so because I was really busy last night!

I dreamt I was a contestant on the Biggest Loser. I had to run a marathon. I can't remember how long it was or what I would win if I won the race. I remember though the wind was really strong. The race was on one street and you had to run from one end to the other many times. Running away from the start/finish was so hard because of how strong the wind was, but running back was super easy because the wind helped.

Then, I had a "challenge." The contestants had to have their family purchase their meals from take-out for the day. My parents** brought me Burger King for lunch and McDonalds for dinner :( haha. I remember saying in my dream, "I cannot eat this crap (McDonalds), I just freakin had Burger King for lunch!"

**My parent's are notorious for eating horribly unhealthy food. But, I'm working on 'em.

So what does this dream mean? It's weird. And I actually remember most of it!

I actually had another dream about exercises last night too. Well, it happened after I got up this morning at 7:30am to make Steven's lunch, then I set my alarm for 9:00 and went back to bed......10:50am rolls around and I'm just getting up, ugh!
In this second dream, I was trying out for a women's football team....the coach? Jillian Michaels.....yeah, I dunno either......

Mexican Food

2010-02-01T21:27:00.003-05:00

Oh. My. Gosh.

We just got home from having Mexican for dinner. I thought it would be ok. I would get a taco salad, no shell, and only have a few chips with salsa......yeah.....it came out absolutely SWIMMING in Queso! The menu description said it had cheese but I assumed that just meant some sprinkled on top....No...obviously not.....I ended up maybe picking through 5% of it and then split Steven's veggie fajitas with him. Because I ate that little bit of awfulness, my stomach's already turning flips.

uhhhhh.......

Running on a Treadmill

2010-02-01T17:49:00.002-05:00

I was wondering, do most people run outside or on a treadmill, or maybe a combination of both? I really enjoy running outside, but I find it to be much more challenging. The hills really get me. On a treadmill, I find that I can run for much longer and can concentrate on my breathing easily. Since my race is at the end of March, I know I am going to have to start running outside again but running on the treadmill is really getting my confidence up.

As of right now, I seem to be able to run (jog) on the treadmill at 4.3 mph for about 20 minutes. I'm hoping to up the time soon but it really seems to be about my peak right now. And, with a warm-up and cool-down of 5 minutes each, I'm only traveling about 1.8 miles......kinda far off from a 5k.

Maybe I can get there by March 28th....Yikes!

2010-02-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

Weight this morning: 239

Yesterday, Steven and I worked out yesterday at our little local gym. It's located at the community center in the town just East of us. They have a very small cardio room and two small weight rooms, one with free weights and one with machines. I was amazed when I went in the cardio room yesterday. They actually replaced an ancient treadmill and the only exercise bike with TWO brand new state-of-the-art treadmills. I can't wait to try them out.

Yesterday's workout consisted of 20 minutes hardcore on the Elliptical and about 20 or 30 minutes working out in the weight room working arms.

We also started taking some supplements. We went to Walgreens and found lots to choose from. They had fish oil, 250 capsules, around 15 bucks, buy one get one free. We also started taking a multi-vitamin. Steven got Centrum, and I am taking a Women's One-A-Day.

I wanted to share a Biggest Loser recipe that we use all the time. It's called Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 Head of cauliflower
parmesan cheese
parsley flakes - fresh or dried
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
italian spices - I just use a italian herb grinder that you can find in any grocery store
black pepper
salt
extra virgin olive oil
any other spices you like or feel like using.

Break up cauliflower and put into large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over cauliflower, just enough to coat so the spices will stick. Sprinkly spices and cheese over the cauliflower and toss so they are coated well. Bakes in casserole dish on 425 deg. for 15-17 minutes.

So simple and so yummy.

6oz of cauliflower makes 1 serving. Depending on the size of the cauliflower head you use, you can have 2-3 servings.

Per serving: 104 calories, 4 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (less than 1 g saturated), 5 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 121 mg sodium

Lazy Weekend

2010-01-31T11:02:00.002-05:00

bThis snow has kept us pretty much home all weekend. We've been watching movies. Today, the snow has moved out and it's sunning....but soooo cold outside.

I've decided not to record my weight so much because it varies up and down from day to day. If I weigh one or two times a week, hopefully I will see more of a drop. Last night, we made a biggest loser meal of Sweet and Sour Chicken. I'll post the recipe later.

We also went to Walmart yesterday and spent way too much money. That always happens in Walmart! We bought two books though. "Cook this Not That" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding and "The Eat-Clean Diet" from the Publisher of Eat Clean.

Both books have some really good content. But, if you eat-out regularly...."Cook This Not That" is MUST BUY! Wow, the calories in restaurant dishes still amaze me!

2010-01-29T17:12:00.004-05:00

It's snowing in East Tennessee. And already sticking. This could get interesting. I didn't make it to the gym yesterday or today. I'm hoping to do some workout on the wii tonight or tomorrow. I have been doing a lot of work around the house though, which is why I haven't had time to go to the gym. I went grocery shopping today. Didn't make it into Knoxville to go to Earth Fare so I just went to Food City. They have an "ok" organic selection. I was able to get about 80% of my groceries organic.

Today's stats:

Weight: 241.0

Dinner last night: Thai food at a local Thai restaurant. (We splurge every now and then.)
I had rice soup with shrimp (fabulous)
And Steven and I split a Tilapia with Basil Sauce dish.

Today:

Breakfast: I forgot to eat.

Lunch: Organic chips and salsa, leftover lentil vegetable soup (homemade)

Not sure what we will have for dinner tonight. Maybe some tacos. I'm feeling like some Mexican.

Thanks for stopping by!

Up and at 'em

2010-01-27T09:19:00.003-05:00

HAHA, you know what's funny? Being a Southerner, we tend to want to spell words how they sound. Especially common phrases and sayings. Such as my title: "Up and at 'em." I just recently figured out it wasn't "Up and Adam." What? That doesn't even make sense! haha, I was trying to think of more but can't at the moment. Looks like we are going to get a winter storm this weekend. Expecting 4-8 inches by Saturday! WOW! More than I've ever seen in the South! We were planning to attend The Healthy Living Expo in Knoxville this weekend. But, not with that much snow.

As you can tell, I'm up early today! Steven got me up a little before 8am to fix his lunch. Yesterday, I did the same but went back to bed. Today, the first thing I did was make coffee!

In other news:

Today's weight: 240.2
The lowest yet! Yea!

Breakfast: 2 cups coffee, 2 Fiber One Poptarts.
I usually only have 1 poptart when I have them and some fruit. But, I really need to go to the store.

Lunch: I'll probably have a salad

Dinner: We are having Organic Steaks with veggies.

A New Start

2010-01-26T22:52:00.003-05:00

I'm a slacker. There, I've admitted it. I've been slacking on my blogging, seriously.

So, let's catch up.

I'm still running. Actually, running a lot. Almost everyday. I've registered for a race as well. The Knoxville Marathon 5K on March 28th. I've continued with my Couch to 5K training, not on schedule though. I've made it to the 20 minute runs with no walking. I'm doing those fine, and I'm planning to begin increasing the time tomorrow.

As for weight loss, we've changed things up quite a bit. I say we because both Steven and I have committed to a healthy lifestyle. We are eating Organic as much as possibly. I'll admit, it's much more expensive. But think about it this way...would you rather spend $1 or two more on a bell pepper or ingest who knows how much chemicals and pesticides. Many of the same chemicals used in our food processing have been known to be carcinogens.....ummmmm....I think I'll trade a buck for not getting cancer. Just sayin'.

So, I think I'm going to take this blog in a different direction. I'm going to go further than just running. I'm going to document our lifestyle changes, weight loss goals and achievements, and running progress.

I'll start with my original numbers:

I'm claiming my starting weight at 250. It might have been a little higher but my numbers fluctuate so much between morning and night weigh-ins, it's hard to target a start weight.

My height is: 5'6 I think.

Daily Caloric Intake: I started eating less gradually. I'm using Lose It!, an app on my Iphone to track my calories and workouts. According to the app, to lose 2 lbs per week, I should eat around 1700 calories per day. Um, yeah, not so much. I reduced it to 1400 for a week, then another 100. So now, I strive to eat between 1200 and 1300 calories. It seems to be working.

Blog Entry Day 1:

Weight: 242.0

Workout: 100 crunches on swiss ball, 25 oblique crunches on each side, running rest day

Calories: 805

Water: none

Time I got out of bed: 10:40am

Didn't do so hot AT ALL today. Great way to start Day 1, ugh! I slept in wayyyyy too long. So I had breakfast, then skipped lunch, and had dinner. I'll have to post my recipe for Shrimp Enchiladas we made tonight. Delicious. Also, Need. More. Water....

Braces on the way!

2009-09-23T17:50:00.002-04:00

Well my shin support braces should be on there way. They shipped out yesterday. I'm excited. Maybe this is the beginning of running shin splint pain free? Gosh, I hope so. I haven't run for a couple of days, giving my legs a good rest to start fresh once the braces come in. I've really been wanting to go up to this track at this school down the road but haven't made it out there yet. It's not a real track, just a loop of asphalt. But, it's all flat and I think it will help me when I go to make the longer runs in C25K since the hills usually kill me! I'm going to weight myself tonight so I can get a good starting point for my weightloss / running journey.

I'm BAaaccckkkk!

2009-09-21T14:47:00.002-04:00

I've started running again! Whoohoooo! Instead of just jumping out onto the roads with no plan whatsoever like last time, I've decided to follow the Couch to 5K plan. I completed Week 2 Day 2 yesterday. I wish I could go faster but I've FORCED myself to take several resting days, attempting to avoid the onset of my shin splints like last time. Even though I've taken it much slower, I've still had to deal with them. I've ran through the pain the past 2 times but had to ice for at least an hour afterwards. The ice helps tremendously, .....who knew? I've been looking at these. They have great reviews so I figure "what the heck, why not?"

I'm convinced that my shin splints occur because my legs are not use to carrying so much weight. When I was younger and oh, about 100 pounds less, I never had any problems with shin splints or anything else for that matter. Granted, I never actually "ran for fun" on roads and stuff. It was always laps around the field or gym for softball or cheerleading. I remember always thinking when I was younger that I absolutely HATED running. But if you think about, usually in sports such as the ones I was involved in, we ran for punishment. I would have never guessed in a million years that I would be running for fun today. Never. Funny how things change.

2009-06-23T15:13:00.003-04:00

Well, it's almost moving time. We have been working our booties off trying to get the house in New Market move-in ready. We have the house primed and 2 bedrooms have color. The house had so much tar / smoke on the walls and ceiling that it took a ton of Kilz. I think we finally managed to put enough on it so it wouldn't bleed through. We ripped out a piece of cabinet about the kitchen sink which opened up that side of the kitchen tremendously. It will make a huge difference once we get the new windows installed. They should arrive sometime tomorrow and I have to pick them up sometime before my parents get back up here on Tuesday of next week. Mom was a HUGE help this past week. There is no way we could have gotten as much done as we did without her. I'm so thankful she is such a talented woman!

Our garden in New Market is doing fabulous! Our cucumbers are going crazy and I'm pretty sure we will have way more than we can eat. Our peas, okra, and herbs we planted a couple weeks ago are starting to come up nicely. My one pumpkin plant is trailing everywhere and we have two baby watermelons coming along. We have harvested several jalapeno and banana peppers from our pepper plants. Our squash plant at our current house is also producing like crazy! We just harvested 4.5 lbs from it this morning alone! I'm afraid we may have let a couple of those get too big though and they won't be as good. Oh well. Our horses have been a little neglected lately since we haven't had time to do much at our current house because we've been at the new one so much. I'm hoping to get some fencing done this week so we can move them over this weekend. The fencing at the new house is barbed wire and I'm really nervous about it. I have already had to put one horse down in my life because of barbed wire. I really don't have a choice though. The fencing is already in place for the owner's cattle and I'm sure he won't like me changing it for the horses. It is electric though so I'm hoping the will just stay away from it. The first scratch though it's coming down....I don't care what they say. We are putting t-post caps on top of all the t-posts with a large rope hot wire which will be give the fence more visibility and more shock if they go near it. The fence we put up to separate the pasture into 2 will only be the rope hot wire.

There is a little run in shed on the property which will supply the horses' shelter. We are considering dividing it in two because we could then feed in it and keep the horses separated when needed. It would probably make two 10 x 10 stalls. The pasture isn't bad at all. Very shady but in the big pasture there are huge blackberry bushes with ferocious thorns. Hopefully Ronan won't figure out what they are and get too cut up by them. But I will have the antibiotic ointment ready......

I'm really looking forward to living in New Market. It is a very quiet, farm community with nice views and rollings hills. It has one red light and a ton of churches, haha. Jefferson City is only about a 5 minutes drive east though....and so is the Tractor Supply....which probably will be bad.

Bye Bye Gym

2009-05-28T10:52:00.003-04:00

I canceled my gym membership to the Y yesterday. We are moving in a couple of weeks out to the middle of nowhere and I know if we are not going regularly when we live close, we will definitely not go after work while we are still in the city. So, might as well just cancel it to save some money. I'm hoping that being out in the country will inspire me to run along some of the winding roads around us. I saw a guy running down the street and another in a pasture the last time I was out there....maybe they will give me some inspiration....and hey, maybe running in pastures won't give me shin splints. We'll just have to see how it goes....for now, I'm going to enjoy my Hardee's breakfast and sweet tea. My weakness.....

2009-05-27T08:38:00.003-04:00

I'm back to where I started....and I've probably gained more.....fact is, I haven't been to the gym since my last post so I can't even weigh in! I keep thinking to myself....if only I didn't stop eating right and exercising after the first two weeks, I might have made substantial progress by now. But no, I have to give up just like I've done again and again and again. Why does it have to be so hard? Why can't the food that taste good be good for us too?!?! It seems I've been gaining more and more weight every year since I was 15. I don't go to fast food restaurants everyday...in fact, up until this past weekend, I haven't had a fast food meal in many months! I don't drink soda....a diet one every now and then but mainly I drink unsweet tea. I know I should drink more water. I don't eat THAT much.....I know I don't eat over 2000 calories that often! One thing I know I need to do more of is exercise. I like to run outside, but every time I have tried it....I get awful shin splints that leave me injured for at least a week....which makes me not want to run anymore for obvious reasons. I feel like it's torture when I'm trying to eat healthy. I crave more sweets than I do when I'm not watching what I eat. I feel that I tend to think about food a lot more when I'm trying to eat right which in turn makes me more hungry and I eat more.

This morning, when I spend 30 minutes trying to find something that fits me in my closet, I realized that I've failed again. 80% of the clothes in my closet are at least one size to small. But I dont want to go out and buy a bigger size because I'm at that crucial point.....I'm going from a 16 to an 18. That is, I'm going from being able to buy clothes in almost every store to not being able to buy clothes in any store....I will have to go to the fat girl store. And I'm not wanting to do that at all! I really don't know what to do.

Whooo Hoooo

2009-05-05T15:10:00.002-04:00

I did it...made it to the gym! It felt good to work out but a little harder actually than it was when I was going everyday. I guess that is expected. I'm a little sore today though. I thought about going for a little run today but I'm scared to. I know my shin splints will come back and I don't feel like being injured again...which will definitely effect the motivation factor.

I'm going gosh darnit!

2009-05-04T15:04:00.001-04:00

I brought my gym clothes to work with me today! I'm going! I can't make excuses any longer. If Steven wants to go to the gym later...I'll just go again....It's not like I couldn't use the extra workout!

2009-05-01T16:13:00.002-04:00

I'm really having a hard time getting motivated to get back on my weight loss plan. I plan to go to the gym almost everyday but by the time I make it home, it's the last thing I want to do. I wonder if changing the time I plan to go will make any difference? Maybe try to go in the mornings? But I usually hit snooze on my alarm as many times as I can before the clock says 7:15 and I know I only have 15 minutes before I need to be on the road. I also can't seem to keep track with what I eat. Subconsciously, I think it is my mind's way of not holding myself accountable for what I eat. I know if I write it down, I will physically see that I failed that day. It's funny, but the days I do write what I eat down, it's usually a good day....but the bad days go unnoticed. God! Help me find the strength to do this!

Bad Girl

2009-04-29T14:45:00.003-04:00

Wow, I haven't written in awhile. Truth is, I haven't worked out in awhile. I've been doing horrible dieting as well. The good news is...I went to the doctor yesterday because I was sick from allergies. Weighed in at 245. Looks like I've lost another 3 lbs just by "watching" what I eat. Good considering I haven't worked out in weeks. Every time I plan to go, something comes up or Steven doesn't want to go or I don't feel well or something else.....It's a little frustrating. I am considering starting to go directly after work again....at least I made it there when I was doing that. Hopefully, I can get it together again and soon!

Never say no matter what!

2009-04-15T16:51:00.003-04:00

Well, I didn't make it to the gym.....I guess I should never say that I will go no matter what. I got home from work on Monday and proceeded to change into my gym clothes. I let the dogs out and noticed my female dachshund was acting strange. She was making a big deal of her privates. We had exposed her to our male dachshund at the beginning of March so we thought she was around 1 month into her pregnancy. We had not taken her to the vet to confirm but planned to soon. I called Delta over and took a closer look. She had a chocolate colored discharge coming from her behind. I immediately thought she was aborting the puppies or either the puppies had already died. I called Steven and told him that we needed to get her to the vet asap. Since we moved to TN recently, we had not found a regular vet for our dogs so I called around to find out who was still open at 6:00pm. We found one fairly close and took her in. When we arrived, the vet did a quick pregnancy ultrasound and discovered large blobs of something in her uterus. She did not find any heartbeats of puppies and concluded that Delta either had a uterus full of pus or dead puppies. She said either way, Delta would need emergency surgery and we would have to take her to the emergency clinic in town. She called over to the ER and got a quick quote for us....which ranged anywhere from 1200.00 to 2000.00. Naturally, we were extremely upset that this was going to cost so much and being straight out of college, we did not have this money saved up and the Emergency Vet Clinic required payment up-front. They would not take a check, they wouldn't take payments or bill later, they wouldn't work with us AT ALL! My only thought was that I was going to have to either drive 8 hours down to South Alabama to my hometown vet who I knew allowed payments or put my dog down because I didn't have 2000 available that night. Thankfully, Steven's parents came through for us. They ran some test on her and concluded that she did not have dead puppies but a uterus infection called pyometra. Pyometra is considered extremely serious and emergency surgery is immediately scheduled....which is exactly what happened in Delta's case. We were sent home and Delta was scheduled for surgery around 3 am Tuesday morning. I was able to pick her up around 2 on Tuesday. She is still extremly sore and whines a lot. She sleeps mostly because of her pain meds which knock her out. On Thursday, I have started to notice improvement which is great. She isn't suppose to run, jump, or get excited for 3 weeks and cannot go outside unless she's on a short leash and only to potty. I hope she continues to improve. She is now officially our most expensive animal. But she's worth it!

2009-04-13T15:33:00.003-04:00

I have definitely been slacking this past week. I haven't weighed in since last time because I HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN TO THE GYM! Horrible! And I had a huge slice of cake over the weekend......I've done good today though and I plan to go to the gym tonight no matter what! How can I stay motivated?!?!

2009-04-03T10:37:00.002-04:00

Still 248....I haven't lost any more weight since my last weigh in....Kind of a bummer but I haven't been working out as often as I did last week. I need to just go every day....

Zumba

2009-04-02T11:55:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday, I went to a Zumba class with my boss and had a blast! It's extremely fun! It was a little tricky to catch on to all of the moves. Most of the girls there had them down and it looked like most of them were regulars. The teacher was nice and even came back to show Phyllis and I one tricky move. We were drenched with sweat by the end. I will definitely go back!

Tornado!

2009-03-30T14:06:00.004-04:00

My parent's house in South Alabama was hit with a tornado a couple of days ago. It hit at 4:15 AM while they were asleep. Luckily, the house did not sustain much damage. They did have limbs down and one tree broke in half. The tornado went right over the house because there was extensive damage in the front and back. 2 other houses in the neighborhood did not fair so well. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.
Here are some pics of the damage. CLICK ON THE PIC FOR FULL VIEW!

Before the tornado, there was a green 3 board wood fence across the street.

This is our pool cleaner out in the front yard.

Front yard, broken tree and fence

Broken tree in front yard

Limb through our garage wall

Close-up of limb through garage wall

View of limb through garage wall from the inside.

The playhouse use to be up on blocks about 2-2.5 ft high!....

Shattered glass door

Back deck

Back yard

10 lbs lighter!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-30T09:01:00.002-04:00

The weather was crappy all weekend which totally blew because Steven and I really wanted to go fishing in the Smokies. Instead we skipped our workouts on both Friday and Saturday and did some gardening and work at the barn. On Saturday, we also ran some errands down at the Co-op. While there, I weighed myself again on their scale. To my extreme surprise, the scale read 249 and then bumped up to 250. ........250! I've lost 8 lbs since my last weigh in?!?!?! Surely not?!?!?! On Sunday, we went up to the YMCA and did a lower body workout plus 33 minutes of cardio. I weighed myself again on the same scale as my first weigh in (and made sure it was balanced to zero) and I weighed 248!! 10 lbs lighter than my first weigh in! WOW, I can't help but be extremely pleased even if maybe most of the weight coming off is water weight or whatever. I plan to do another 30 minutes of cardio plus an upper body workout today. Tuesday, I plan to go to the Y with my boss to do a Zumba class. I've been dying to go! It looks so fun!

Now I have to go find an eggplant recipe on the web since we bought a ton of fruits and veggies at Earth Fare yesterday. Yummm!!!

2009-03-27T14:20:00.004-04:00

Workouts since my last post have been consistent. I have made it to the gym everyday and have burned at least 200 calories by doing some cardio (usually more). When I have a low number on cardio, it's usually because I made my way to the other side of the gym for some strength training. I love lifting weights. It makes me feel strong.

Last night, after a short workout on the weight machines and 20 minutes plus or minus on the elliptical machine (gym was closing) I made my way over to the oh-so-feared scale. My boyfriend hopped on first and was slapped in the face. He thought he was about 30 pounds lighter than the scale read. Ha! I guess that's what happens when you don't weigh yourself regularly.....you seem to think you are still at the weight you were the last time you hoped on. So it was my turn next. I waited until he stepped away to catch the score of the basketball game on tv before I stepped up. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. And sure enough, whackkk! Slap in the face....

258..........Honestly, I'm still in shock. But it makes me want to work harder and stick with this. Ultimately, I'm scared out of my mind. What if I work hard and see no results? Will I quit? I'm so afraid that I will fail. Maybe that will be my motivation to keep at it? I guess it's the uncertainty. I will try to get some currently pics up so I will always know what I looked like when I was at my worst.

I haven't been home in a year. I have seen my parents since then but I haven't been to where I grew up and they still live in a year. This is the longest I have been without going home. I haven't seen any of my high school friends in so long. Most of them are married and some even have children. Honestly, I'm glad they haven't seen me in recently. They damn sure wouldn't recognize me. I'm not the 150 or less pound cheerleader they once knew. I would be so embarrassed if they saw me now. Hopefully, I can lose weight and by the next time they see me, I will look like the same person they knew in high school. I WILL be thin again!

2009-03-21T20:32:00.002-04:00

After the spin class, I took a butts N gutts class and boy did it kick my butt. I'm still sore! I got a short run in on Thursday but my shin splints are giving me so much trouble. By the end of the run, every step shot sharp pains up my legs. I have iced them after every workout since but they don't seem to be getting better. I found a couple of exercises that supposedly strengthen that ligament that causes shin splints and I have started with those. Hopefully, it will help. I hate them!!!

Spin Class

2009-03-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

I joined a beginner's spin class yesterday. Honestly, it wasn't as hard as I was expecting. When we had to stand up and spin, that was tough but I hardly broke a sweat. I probably should have done another 30 minutes or so out in the gym but I didn't. Oh well. I've been thinking of going to a butts and guts class this evening with the same teacher. I figure it would give my legs a break anyways. I may just go to the gym to do some weight training instead.

It's fun to go to the YYYYMCA

2009-03-17T11:50:00.002-04:00

I joined the Y yesterday. Actually, I convinced Steven to join too. I hope I will be persuasive enough to get him to go! We are able to attend any YMCA in the Knoxville area, which includes about 5-6 different gym. The one I will go to the most is in West Knoxville. It has a large pool. The gym isn't as big as I thought it would be but they have plenty of cardio and workout machines, as well as free weights. I am planning to join a beginner spin class this evening. Yesterday, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and 30 minutes on the stationary bike. I was drenched by the time I left there but I felt SO GOOD! The bike seat hurt my butt though and I broke my headphones....but the workout was incredible.

I think I finally figured out what is going on with my lower right leg towards the inside....I have shin splints. Duh! After reading about them, I have diagnosed myself and have found a couple of strengthening exercises to do with surgical tubing to help with the splints and to keep them from reoccuring. Hopefully, after a couple of weeks of these exercises I won't have any more leg problems. My knees are holding up well this time. I believe my horseback riding fall contributed ore than I thought to my knee injury last time.

Anyways, I was just wondering how many runners actually have a gym membership. If you go to the gym, how many days per week do you spend their and how many days do you run outdoors? Any resting days?

A good run (or jog)...FINALLY!

2009-03-16T09:40:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, the rain let enough just enough for me to get out on the road for a short run. Previously, I've only been able to run about .2-3 miles before I was completely out of breath and had to walk for a couple of minutes. I read something the other day about how beginning runners usually run way too fast. So, I slowed it way down to a very slow jog. I was able to run the entire length of our road which is 0.7 miles long....And I could have kept going!!! I felt so great! I was not completely out of breath like before. My legs hurt but otherwise, I felt good! I power walked back up this slight hill (probably 0.1 miles) and then ran all the way back home! In total, I jogged 1.3 miles plus 0.1 miles walk in the middle. I know it's not much at all but I finally figured out how to go further without having to walk so much. Just slow it down!! I worked up a really good sweat. Afterwards, I walked awhile around the yard and house for a cool down. Then, I went to the back porch and did 20 lunges (quads are sore this morning!) Inside, I did several ab exercises including regular crunches, side crunches, leg lifts, and some pilates moves that I love. I had a good stretch at the end. I was so proud of myself. I finally had my first good workout in a VERY long time!

I've lost it

2009-03-13T09:42:00.006-04:00

I am hoping I will reach rock bottom soon. I figure, once I reach that point, I will be more likely to keep with my running and working out and trying to eat healthier. I have reached the point that I hate to dress up. I use to love it. Now, I would rather go to dinner in a t-shirt and jogging pants instead of my sexy tops, tight jeans, and heels. I know exactly why I don't want to dress up. In my mind, I know I still won't look good. So, why make the effort? I feel I've lost it....I've lost my body. I've lost my confidence. I've lost my self-esteem. I was once a head-turner. Now, I've lost that too.
I did buy some running shoes yesterday. They are the Nike Livestrong ones.

Really cute. If the weather holds up today, I may go for my first run since the injured knee. I'm just so scared that I will push too hard and get hurt again. I am scared that I won't stick with it. I'm scared that it won't make a difference. And I'm scared to try again.

Belly Burn

2009-02-02T09:58:00.002-05:00

It's snowing today!!!

Well, I haven't run since my knee has been injured but I did manage to get a cardio / ab workout in yesterday. We signed up for Netflix via our XBOX 360. With the 8.99 a month plan, you get unlimited movies via your XBOX, which also includes many workout DVDs like Pilates, Cardio, Yoga, Abs, etc. Really neat! You can also get this package via your computer. I guess the good thing about it is you will never get bored with one workout video because you have so many to choose from.

I feel like a duck

2009-01-28T14:50:00.003-05:00

It's raining....again....

My gosh....is East Tennessee always this WET!!??!!?? I swear, over the last couple of months, it has rained more days than it has not. It rained for a week straight just a few weeks ago! S is surely not use to this! Being from Dallas, TX...he knows not of rain :) Our power went out for about 2 hours a work today. It always seems to happen around lunch so when I get back, it's back on. Bummer, I guess I really wanted to go home today! It's getting colder by the minute it seems and we have a chance of some of this rain turning to snow later this evening.

This is boring. I'm talking about the weather. Quack Quack

My goodness!

2009-01-26T15:31:00.003-05:00

My knee still hurts....and I wanna go running!!! It's better in the mornings but by the time I get home from work, feed the horses, and come back to the house, it's throbbing with pain. I think my inflammation medicine is helping but it feels like the medicine is only numbing the pain for half the day...and once it wears off....the pain's back. I don't know.

It didn't help that this weekend Ronan decided to give me a bronc ride.....Well, it was my fault. I decided to ride in spurs and a martingale....bad idea. The spurs were to help with his "I have to stop to look at the jump before I go over it for the first time" habit. I rode with a running martingale because with my new elevator bit, he tends to throw his head as I'm approaching the jump. I am using an elevator because on the landing, he tends to get off balance, head really low, and it feels like he is going to take a nose dive any second. So, with the combination of all of this.....nose dive, grip with legs to keep from flying over his head which equals gigging him with my spurs, not being able to get his head up because of the martingale.......he starts bucking like a bronco. I don't blame him. After the third miracle of me staying on, I decided I best loose the spurs and martingale.....and he jumped perfectly.....I guess the saying is true...the less tack the better!

More Ouchies

2009-01-20T09:24:00.002-05:00

Ugh! I am falling apart! I know I mentioned that my knee and leg above my ankle had been giving me trouble. Well, it's only worse! This past Sunday, I rode my boyfriend's horse Twiggs. She is a Tennessee Walking Horse mare, about 16.1 hh, black, and moody but sweet. We were doing great, riding in our grassy arena quietly when she slipped on a little slope and went down. We both hit the ground at the same time and of course, it was my left side with the bum knee. I also did something to my thumb on my right hand and my entire left side is really sore. Twiggs was fine and didn't get up until she was sure I was away from her and standing. We walked her around and she seemed alright. Thankfully Steven was out watching us and came running over. Too bad he just finished video taping us and didn't get the fall! Oh well....

On Saturday, I planned to ride Ronan but decided it would be best to lunge him first considering it's been a month since I've ridden him. He does extremely well on the lunge, completely obeys my voice commands so I ended up getting a pretty good workout with him on the lunge instead. Steven was with me and I decided to put up a few obstacles in the arena and sort of lunge him around different things. When we got back to the barn, I rigged up some driving lines to see how he would do with ground driving. To my surprise, he did extremely well. He will walk on, trot, halt, and back all while ground driving! I was sooo proud of him! I think he would make an awesome carriage horse because he is so quiet, unless he's fresh :)

Anyways, because of all the soreness and injuries I haven't gotten any running in. I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I jumped into it too fast. I should stop, rest, heal, and then start back a lot slower. Makes sense I guess. I'm just bummed because I seemed like I was on a roll. Hope my knee gets better soon!

Shame Shame

2009-01-15T12:05:00.003-05:00

Well, I didn't do my ab work last night. Actually, I didn't work out at all. I can tell I'm a little more sluggish this morning. My right ankle has something going on with it. Every now and then if I step or stand on it wrong I have a sharp pain that shoots up my leg. It's starting to bruise on the inside ( ugh!) Just what I need, an injury. I'm just glad it's not worse and I hope it will clear up soon. It's freezing here!! Wow, the low is suppose to reach 5 degrees Fahrenheit tonight....I've never felt 5 degrees.....and I've definitely never felt 5 degrees with a Windchill of -15. WTF??? I have lived in South Alabama most my life and it hardly reached below freezing. This is definitely something I'm not use to...I'm sick of busting ice in the horse's water troughs and buckets. Need to get some heated buckets / deicers ASAP! Will write more later....Ciao

You learn something new everyday....

2009-01-14T08:25:00.002-05:00

Day 4:

Well, yesterday's run went fairly well. I felt like I was able to breathe a little better, and I did not have that bad of a coughing fit afterwards. My legs (well ankles and knees) seemed to give me more problems yesterday. I think they are just not use to that much compaction. I think I will take today off and just do some ab work.

Lesson learned:

Next time I will put my headphone cord from my ipod inside my jacket so my flailing arms won't yank them out of my ears and scare me half to death....

2009-01-13T16:10:00.002-05:00

Running History:

High school - softball player and cheerleader....little running in practice and never anything over a mile.
College - running ?!?! wha???
Post-College - Quit smoking a few weeks before I graduated college. Have not exercised any until a couple of days ago.

Day 1: Jogged and walked 1.5 miles. Mostly walking. But I think I jogged a total of 1 mile with lots of walking break in between. Very sore the next day.
Day 2: Yoga
Day 3: Jogged pretty much the same as day 1. Had slightly longer distances of running in between the walking.

And now your all caught up. This is going to be a long journey but I hope that you will stay along for the ride.

Introduction

2009-01-13T14:17:00.002-05:00

Hello, is anyone out there?

Obviously, this is my first post. I guess I will begin by introducing myself. My name is Colby. I live in Knoxville, TN. I am a graduate of the University of Alabama. I majored in Telecommunications and Film with minors in English and Computer Science. I am starting this blog because one, I'm bored at work....and two, I have taken up running............Now, you may ask....What the hell does running have to do with it? BUT, don't be alarmed, it is totally relevant.

While I'm trying to get in shape, I would like to record my goals, my progress, my triumphs, and my challenges. Ultimately, I'm trying to lose weight and I plan to do it with the help of my blog and of course the support of my friends and family.

Other things about me:

I love horses. I own 2 and have 2 other boarders at my barn. My dream is to compete in high level jumping competitions and of course, you have to be in shape for that!

I work full time as an administrative assistant.

I live with my boyfriend (Steven) and two dachshunds (who of course rule the house).

I'm sure someone out there is wondering what Colste is.....so I intend to tell you.

This is the name that I use when I refer to my barn (and will be the name of my dream barn one day). It comes from the first 3 letters of my name plus the first three letters of Steven's name. Not all that creative but hey, it's all we could come up with. It is pronounced Cole-stay.