Birthday Weekend and Color in Motion 5K

This week was a busy week! My birthday was Friday so my friends took me out to dinner. Yum, Mexican! Jen B. and I got a cute picture together!

Saturday night I threw myself a birthday party at my house. It was super fun! :)

On Thursday my coworker Megan mentioned that her friend had to drop out of the Color in Motion 5K race on Saturday and asked if I wanted to take her spot. Uh, yes! So Saturday we went to the Reliant Center and did the 5K in around 45 minutes. We ran some but walked a lot of it. This is what we looked like after:

I'm not sure how I didn't have as much color as Megan did on the front and face but I did have a bunch on the back! I've not jumped at the chance to do one of these color runs but it didn't cost me anything so I didn't mind. It was super fun and a good experience. With that said, I don't think I would do one again though if I had to pay for it. I had 2 big complaints with this race - 1) the scenery was lacking because it just ran through the parking lots of the edge of the stadium, and 2) there was only ONE water station (at 1.66 miles) and no food! Since they were throwing powder at us you and there were so many non-runners, you would think they would have one at mile 1 and 2. I was really thirsty! And for some reason I don't mind getting muddy but I didn't love having powder all over me. I'm glad Megan asked me though!

My next race is a 7K this Saturday!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

USA Fit 5K

Today was my 6th race in 6 months and I couldn't be happier with my result!

My last race was on Dec. 1st and I decided that I would dedicate the next 8 weeks to train for this race. Originally I wanted to be able to run the whole thing straight, but as time went on I realized that I wasn't able to increase my mileage fast enough and it honestly became less and less important. I decided to focus on just doing it as fast as I could. I hadn't done much running outside and my best treadmill 5K was 40:33. I didn't have a time goal but I was hoping to maybe get around 41 minutes.

My time was 39:22...a sub 40 minute race and a 12:40 average pace! Wow!!! My friend Rachel decided to do the race with me and she finished in 38:13 (12:18 pace). We go to the gym together so I knew she would probably beat me because she is a beast in the gym and has been running like crazy where I have done more cross training. If it wasn't for her though I could not have run as fast as I did! We started out together and I stayed with her for about the first 3/4 mile...we were running at like a 11:20 pace which was ridiculously fast! Not that I couldn't have done this pace myself, but it was unlikely that I WOULD have pushed myself at this pace for 3/4 of a mile. That is what makes Rachel a great person to workout with! :)

At that point I told her I would meet her at the finish line because I couldn't keep that pace, so I kept doing running and walking intervals. Since I have been trying to do all my walking at the gym at 4.0, I tried my best to stick to that. Run Keeper tells me my pace every 5 minutes so I was getting really excited when I got to mile 2 and was at 25 minutes...I knew I could get under 40 minutes!

Rachel and I were super proud of ourselves!

Here are a few pictures from my first two races:

The only thing bad about this race was that we had to walk a mile (literally) from a park that they advised us to park at (this race was part of a marathon and half marathon as well) so we 5K-ers could get out. After the race it seemed like a really long mile to get back to the car! At least the weather was awesome...sunny and in the upper 60s.

In 176 days since my first race, my 5K time has decreased from 45:46 to 39:22...I'm over 6 whole minutes faster and shaved 2 minutes off my average mile pace! I'm also down around 20 pounds since then. I'd call that success!

My February race is a 7K but I'm not going to kill myself on that one, it is more for fun...I want to focus on my March 5K in 6 weeks.

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K Training - week 4/8

This week I DEFINITELY wish I had a treadmill! It was awesome weather up until Christmas day and then it got cold....really cold...like 45 cold. I have very little motivation to run in the cold.

12/24 Monday - Walk 4 miles at the park (16:59 pace) - I was super tired and could only muster a walk

12/25 Tuesday - Christmas day!

12/26 Wednesday - Uh, it got COLD outside! I was too wimpy to walk/run in it so I went to a movie with Dad.

12/27 Thursday - I ROCKED IT TODAY!!! I did 6.2 miles in 1:30:49 (14:39 pace), which beat my Turkey Day 10K time! And it was 44 outside. :)

12/28 Friday - Didn't make it to the park before it started to rain! :(

12/29 Saturday - It was coooold and windy outside so I went to the movies with Mom and Dad.

12/30 Sunday - Drove home from New Orleans


While I wasn't running much outside this week, my friend Rachel was kicking butt at the gym and running her little heart out. We are competing against each other at the end of January at our 5K and right now I have a feeling she is going to kick my butt!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K Training - week 3/8

Well, this week HAD to be better than last week! And it was...a bit. I finally got to work out for a couple of days after the flu but it is still rough. I'm still REALLY congested and coughing plus I've had sinus issues too.

12/17 Monday - Still had the flu! :(

12/18 Tuesday - Still had the flu! :(

12/19 Wednesday - Finally back! Went to gym for a bit ran/walked 1.5 miles (14:16 pace).

12/20 Thursday - Had to bring the car in for repair so no workout!

12/21 Friday - OFF

12/2 Saturday - Drove to New Orleans

12/23 Sunday - Run/walk at the park - 2 miles (15:30) - it was 57 degrees outside and I had trouble running

I'm at my Mom's until next weekend so I'm going to try to workout as much of I can, but unfortunately I don't have a gym so I'm subject to the weather!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K training - week 2/8

Well, training this week didn't go super well as it was plagued by illness:

12/10 Monday - still felt crappy from the weekend :(

12/11 Tuesday - Mad that I didn't lose weight at weight watchers so went to the gym after and ran a little before I had to go home - 1 mile total. (14:35 pace)

12/12 Wednesday - Ran 1.5 miles straight, totaling 3.1 miles! (13:50 pace) 

12/13 Thursday - 60 minutes on the elliptical (4.3 miles).

12/14 Friday - Start of the flu!!! :(

12/15 Saturday - Still had the flu! :(

12/16 Sunday - Ugh, the flu continues! :(

An accomplishment I did make was running on Wednesday for 1.5 miles straight! I have been struggling with getting more than 0.5 miles lately straight and I finally realized it was because I was trying to breathe way too deeply. Once I got a faster, more shallow breath things got easier. As I'm still sick writing this, I hope that next week goes better. I'm going to try for 1.75, or maybe even 2 miles...we'll see!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K Training - week 1/8

This was my first week out of 8 training for my 5K on January 27th. Monday I was supposed to run 1 mile straight...FAIL. I went to bed late on Sunday and was really tired. I tried, but I could only get up to a third of a mile and then just couldn't catch my breath! I had the same problem last Monday also. Hopefully next Monday will be better since The Walking Dead is not on again until February so I don't have a reason to stay up late.

Monday - Ran/Walked - 1.52 miles in 22:20 (14:42 average mile) and Elliptical for 40 minutes.

Tuesday - OFF

Wednesday - Ran 1 mile and then walked - 2.12 miles in 30 minutes (14:09 average mile)

Thursday - The plan was to do the Elliptical for 60 minutes but I was tired so I took the day off!

Friday - OFF

Saturday - Supposed to run 1.5 miles but I went the trainer and was sore (plus I went out Friday night and drank a few beers and felt a little crappy).

Sunday - Felt under the weather so didn't go to the gym :(

So overall, not a great start! Hopefully this next week will be better!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Pre-birthday challenge

My 34th birthday is exactly 61 days away and I want to make them count - not only losing weight wise, but also workout wise. When I hit my first mile straight a couple weeks ago, I decided that I need to refocus and work on increasing my running mileage. So I have a new challenge...run an entire 5K straight!

Source: google.com via Kathy on Pinterest

I found this 8 week long 5K Training schedule for Beginners that I want to follow. It finished up with me doing a 5K on Sunday, January 27...the weekend before my birthday. I did have to make 2 changes though...I had swap Monday and Tuesday because Tuesday is my Weight Watcher meeting day (I'll talk about WW on Tuesday). I also had to swap Wednesday and Sunday to give me a break after the Saturday long run.

My training schedule

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1 Dec 3-9	12/3 1 mi run	12/4 Rest	12/5 20-30 min run or CT	12/6 1 mi run	12/7 Rest	12/8 1.5 mi run	12/9 CT or Rest
2 Dec 10-16	12/10 1.5 mi run	12/11 Rest	12/12 20-30 min run or CT	12/13 1.5 mi run	12/14 Rest	12/15 1.75 mi run	12/16 CT or Rest
3 Dec 17-23	12/17 2 mi run	12/18 Rest	12/19 20-30 min run or CT	12/20 1.5 mi run	12/21 Rest	12/22 2 mi run	12/23 CT or Rest
4 Dec 24-30	12/24 2.25 mi run	12/25 Rest	12/26 25-35 min run or CT	12/27 1.5 mi run	12/28 Rest	12/28 2.25 mi run	12/30 CT or Rest
5 Dec 31- Jan 6	12/31 2.5 mi run	1/1 Rest	1/2 25-35 min run or CT	1/3 2 mi run	1/4 Rest	1/5 2.5 mi run	1/6 CT or Rest
6 Jan 7-13	1/7 2.75 mi run	1/8 Rest	1/9 35-40 min run or CT	1/10 2 mi run	1/11 Rest	1/12 2.75 mi run	1/13 CT
7 Jan 14-20	1/14 3 mi run	1/15 Rest	1/16 35-40 min run or CT	1/17 2 mi run	1/18 Rest	1/19 3 mi run	1/20 CT
8 Jan 21-27	1/21 3 mi run	1/22 Rest	1/23 CT or Rest	1/24 2 mi run	1/25 Rest	1/26 Rest	1/27 5K Race!

The race I decided on doing is the 5K at the USA Fit Marathon. I was kind of limited with options...there aren't many races in January and I wanted to do one specifically on the the 27th.

I'm super excited now...I can't wait to start tomorrow. Hopefully I can knock out a mile tomorrow. Last Monday, I got winded after only half a mile. But maybe since I am taking today off I will be ready to go tomorrow.

As far as weight goes, my goal is to lose at least 15 pounds in this time period. I know it is asking a lot (almost 2 pounds per week) especially during the holidays, but I'm hoping with all this exercise I can make that happen!

Until later, happy running!

Jamie

Reindeer Run Success!

I couldn't think of a more beautiful December day to run a 5K! It wasn't cold and we had plenty of blue skies and sunshine. Normally when I do a race I'm by myself, but  today a bunch of friends/co-workers did it also...even the whole swim team did it too. It was so fun that I think we are going to make this an annual event and even try to get the whole school out next year too! In March there is a 5K at the university right across the street from our school that benefits Habitat for Humanity so we are going to try to get a bunch of people together for that also!

Although it was like 60ish to start off, I know better than to wear long sleeves, like the shirt they gave us. I am generally super sweaty when I workout. The last time I ran an October race with my family in Seattle, it was a COLD 60 and about 5 minutes in I was stripping off my undershirt while I was walking. Well once we got going today it actually felt HOT outside. I think the humidity is kind of high today...by mile 2, I was burning up! I was thankful this was only a 5K, and not a 10K like Turkey Day race.

But I really pushed myself and my chip time shows that...I am REALLY happy with my finish. I would say that I ran around 70% of it and when I was getting tired I stopped for a couple minutes and then ran some more.  My chip time today was 43:20, with a 13:57 average mile! AWESOME! I could not have asked for a better time! I did a 5k practice run Thursday and my legs are still a little sore from that, so I think in the future I will take 2 days off before a race if I am going to work out that hard.

Let's compare that time with my past times...

October 2010 5K - 52:57 (walk 17:03 pace)
October 2011 5K - 47:07 (run/walk 15:10 pace)
August 2012 5K  - 45:46 (run/walk 14:44 pace)
Today's 5K - 43:20 (run/walk 13:57 pace)

I'd say that's progress!

I have new plan I will talk about on my next post...my new goal and my next race at the end of January! I can wait to start training!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

A MILEstone!

Since I started back running in July, I have been trying to work my mileage up and get to a mile straight. In the beginning of October I was almost there (at 0.75 miles) but being sick set me back a bit and I haven't made much progress. I was so excited to get to a mile on Friday but when I tried to run Monday I just couldn't catch my breath at half a mile!

Ugh!

Because I only ran that 0.75 miles once and didn't match again, I was a little nervous that I wasn't really up to a mile. Today my friends couldn't make it to the gym and I was REALLY tired and wanted to take a nap, but I forced myself to go to the gym. I got on the treadmill and just started running, hoping to match the mile. I changed the setting so I couldn't see how far I was running (well, I was kinda keeping track of it by the time) and when I thought I had just passed a mile, I checked and after a couple of more minutes I had gone 1.25! YAY!

I'm super excited! I feel really accomplished!

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

So I finished out 20 minutes on the treadmill and then 10 minutes on the elliptical. I have been trying to work out for a hour at a time because I know that will help me a lot with trying to lose weight. But since I am planning a hard workout today, I let myself have a light 30 minute day.

Saturday I have a 5K and I'm looking forward to it because a bunch of people at work are doing it too. A lot of times I have been doing races by myself which isn't so fun. Plus, running races makes me go faster than when I'm training. I want to beat my July 5K time of 45:44 and I think I can!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Back in Business

Thanks to that steroid shot last Monday, I'm back!

I has felt so good to getting back to working out. It is amazing how much more energy I have! I definitely lost a little cardio endurance by losing those three weeks, but I am slowly building it back up.

I have a 10K in a week and a half that I am still training for, but I am not so worried about running it. I decided that I really need to work on my endurance, especially since it is over a 3.5 percent grade bridge! So I have been working with the incline on the treadmill.

And today I ran for 1/2 mile straight! Yes! I can't tell you how long it has been since I could run that far! I also tried out doing 1 minute at 6.0 mph. Uh, that was really fast! How the heck do people run that fast normally? Crazy! I actually almost didn't work out today. I got to the gym with the girls and realized that I forgot my shoes! Nooooo! But I decided to make a quick trip to the running store nearby to get some new running shoes that I was desperately in need of anyway. So 45 minutes later, my new mizunos and I made it back to the gym. Aren't they cute?

Anyway, I feel great this week and I'm super happy that the scale FINALLY started to go down! I've lost 11 pounds since May and can't wait until I can squeeze in the next smallest size...it's on the horizon! I'm aiming for an hour of working out everyday - combining running and elliptical, and maybe swimming and biking too.

Source: Uploaded by user via Alecia on Pinterest

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Sidelined from running

Well, I spent most of the morning at the orthopedist's office yesterday getting x-rays and an MRI. I have an appointment to go back in 2 weeks so he can tell me about the results of the tests but he says that it looks like I have a medial meniscus tear and that I can't run for the next two weeks or do any activity that makes it hurt. Awesome...

I think I need to post this somewhere to remind myself...

Source: via Daniel on Pinterest

He did say that I could try to swim and ride my bike as long as it didn't hurt but I am having a bit of a problem getting myself to the gym to do that. But just because I can't run doesn't mean I can't workout...

Source: shorttermhappiness.tumblr.com via Haydee on Pinterest

And I still have a 10K planned on September 15th that I still intend on at least walking in (barring the doctor saying I can't) so I need to stay in shape and biking/swimming will do that!


I wish I could say I got injured doing something cool but I didn't...it was probably a combination of running and falling off the curb in front of the gym because I was playing with my ipod and didn't see the step down. I definitely need to be more careful because this going to the doctor business is expensive!

Until later, happy running! swimming or biking
Jamie

Trying to stay motivated

Friday was tough for me. There is a fine line between pushing through pain and discomfort and stopping when you know there is a problem. After running/walking for 15 minutes, I knew my problem was going to get worse if I didn't stop. So I did.

So I've taken two days off and I can already feel the difference. I kind of feel like crap...I'm tired and sluggish and all I want to do is nothing but wallow in my "I'm injured and now this is going to screw up my plans" misery. Plus I haven't been eating as healthy and I am not tracking my food.

It's a scary thing because in the past it has been so easy to call it quits. Giving up is probably one of the easiest things you can ever do...and I would know because I've been a quitter in my weight loss and fitness goals many times! But this time is different. I know that quitting my journey will deprive me of the health and happiness that I know I deserve.

Source: google.com via Dina on Pinterest

When I came back from Italy and started my new lifestyle, I was so determined and really have been doing awesome ever since. So my problem is now that I am worried that this injury will derail my determination. I know from personal experience that it is possible. When I was a runner before in college I acquired a pretty painful knee injury from weak knee muscles that I never seemed to overcome and kind of ruined running for me...that was over 10 years ago!

But I know I can't let my injury do that now...this injury will heal and I will get stronger. I just have to keep doing what I have been...as much as I can...and make sure I keep focus on the goal ahead and find support from others when my focus becomes a little blurry.

Source: justalittlepush.tumblr.com via Jill on Pinterest

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

10K Training progress...week 3

After my accomplishment on Saturday, I took Sunday off. Actually, I was pretty tired and lazy the rest of Saturday too. I will blame it on the heat!

Monday I felt AWESOME! I was really glad that I took the day off on Sunday because I really felt rested. I had a stellar set of runs on the treadmill. I pushed my walking speed up to 4.7 mph, then 4.8 later this week, as well as my running speed up to 4.5! I was really excited about that. Monday I was also able to incorporate some swimming and swam laps for about a mile..yeah, a mile! That is 1600 meters in case you were wondering. I was tired after running that morning but really felt good and I was kind of inspired by watching the Olympic swimmers.

On Monday though, my left knee started bothering me. It was minor on Monday and Tuesday, a little worse on Thursday, and bad enough on Friday that I stopped my workout and called the doctor and made an appointment. So I didn't workout on Saturday or today at all and I definitely feel more sluggish and just kind of blah.

Here's this week training log. To see my previous weeks, you can go to my 10K training page.


Week 3 (August 5 - 11)

Monday 8/6 - Session 1 - 45 53 min. Run 3 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Do this 7 9 times. Distance was 3.59 miles. Plus 1 hour swimming for a total of 1 mile!

Tuesday 8/7 - Elliptical for 30 minutes for 2.15 miles. Also walked over the Kemah Bridge and back for a total of 1.82 miles...it was steep so I only walked it around 3.3mph.

Thursday 8/8  - 34 33 min. Run 2 3 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Do this 6 5 times. Distance = 2.25 mi.

Friday 8/9  - Treadmill - walk 5, run 3, walk 2, run 3, walk 2 - total 15 mins for 1.01 miles. Also did 8 mins of elliptical for 0.5 miles.

Session 3 - 40 min. Run 3 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Do this 6 times.  Scratched due to injury!


Even though it feels slow-going sometimes, I am proud of my accomplishments this week. Hopefully the orthopedist can figure out what my knee issue is and I can start working out again!

I saw this awesome tattoo on Pinterest that kind of sums it up...

Source: weheartit.com via Skylar on Pinterest

Until later, happy running!

Jamie

The Birth of an Athlete

I have never considered myself an athlete. Even at the few points in my life where I was athletic, I was not a true athlete. In fact, I have never considered myself to be very competitive.

That all changed on Saturday.

Saturday, I ran my first competitive 5K. I have been training for a 10K for a couple weeks now and though my true goal race is in October, I wanted to give myself a little challenge right now. So I decided to sign up for a 5K in my area to see where I was at fitness-wise. (I should note here that I have done 5Ks and 10Ks before but only for exercise and not ever to be competitive or push myself.)

I live in Houston and it is August...so it is HOT outside, even at 7:30 AM. The actual temperature was 84 degrees but they said the "feels like" temperature was 92. 90-freaking-2. Yeah...

I did this race by myself so I awkwardly stood around by myself until it started. Of the couple hundred people there, everyone seemed to be fit and only a few of us were fat. But actually most of the chunkier people were older than me. But I figured no one would make fun of a fat girl who was trying to be more fit, right?

Once the race started, I knew I was going to have to push myself. Hard. And I did. I was walking and doing small spurts of running. When I would get comfortable walking, I made myself start running (slowly). Honestly, it was just too hot for me to try to do any extended running...seriously, we are talking about 30 second intervals. The best part of the course was getting to the half-way point. I hadn't died yet, so chances were I was going to make it! Around there, my previously absent competitiveness started to kick in. I passed a few people who were getting tired and slowing down (I knew I wasn't going to be super fast so I initially started near the back). As I passed people, I was determined not to let them pass me again...a couple did but most didn't! And some of these were skinnier and younger than me! That definitely felt good!

When I turned down the last 0.1 mile, I started running...not sprinting, but definitely running a little faster than I had been the whole time. The best part was running across the finish line. Seriously if I ran any farther at that point I was going to pass out and by that point I wanted to vomit. I was so proud of myself! My time was 45:46..it was the fastest I have ever competitively run! I officially felt like an athlete!

As soon as I could breathe again, I drank a bunch of water and loaded up on watermelon. Yum! There was a ton of pizza and beer and everybody was chowing down. Beer at 8:30 in the morning didn't appeal to me though but I finally let myself have one small slice...but really the watermelon was way better!

I'm really glad that I did this race because it definitely helped my confidence!

Here I am finishing the race:

I don't this like picture...in fact I HATE taking pictures when I am so heavy. I have taken very few pictures in the past few years. Thinner, I am very photogenic and love the camera! I bought this picture anyway to mark the occasion. It is embarrassing posting it online but I'm going to do it anyway! If you are thinking, "Hey, you look thinner in your small picture at the top of the blog!" (shown below), you are right...but, alas, I am the same weight...I just know how to pose to look thinner in a head shot! :) This picture was from my trip to Italy.

Here is actually one from a 5K I did fall 2011 with my family. I ran/walked it in just over 47 minutes. I definitely felt faster and stronger this year, though the weather was WAY nicer...in the 60s that morning. I will take that over the 80s any day!

 I saw this on Pinterest a while back and it cracked me up...I definitely know the feeling! (Did you see the pictures above?? Yeah!)

Source: iwastesomuchtime.com via Anne on Pinterest

But who cares...I'm still lapping the people on the sofa! :)

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

10K Training progress...weeks 1&2

I told you in my last post about setting my goal to do a 10K on October 20th. Well, I'm glad to say that the first two weeks of training went really well!

I started jogging my sophomore year in college with my roommates and it actually helped me lose weight. I don't want to really call it running because I just kind of did it because they were doing it...I never really tried to improve, and I never really considered myself a runner and certainly not an athlete. My longest distances were about 2.5, maybe 3 miles and I don't think I ever ran faster than 4.2-4.5mph.

The summer I really started jogging was really the most I ever liked it. I spent that summer of 1999 with my dad in Hawaii who lived on the island of Maui, right by this old road through a sugarcane field. I would wake up in the morning and go walking down the road...which round trip from dad's door, was about 2.5 miles. One day I started jogging a little...the next day, a little more...the next day, a little more. In no time, I was jogging the entire route. It was so nice and peaceful in the morning and I could just listen to my music and think.

In a couple of years though, I had a knee injury and I stopped jogging. After that, I tried a little here and there but never really got back to my former distances.

So imagine my surprise on my very first week of running that I could not only run a minute straight (I was only toying with 30 second intervals this spring...thanks Italy for making me walk!) and that on the third day I managed TWO 5 minute straight runs! I was so excited! That was a big accomplishment for me! I have been following  THIS PLAN loosely but in these two weeks I am up to running 2 minutes consistently at about 4.4mph, with 2 minute walking intervals in between. Yay for progress!

Source: rwdaily.runnersworld.com via Pam on Pinterest

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Training for a 10K

I was lucky enough to go to Italy and Portugal for three weeks this summer and you know what I saw...NO. FAT. PEOPLE. Yes, that's right...no fat people. I knew this already...I have been to Europe before. But it was definitely a big reminder of how unhealthy we are here in the US and how it is possible to enjoy life and food (uh, people love to eat in Italy!) without sacrificing our bodies.

I've always struggled with my weight. I can remember being chubby since the third grade, being overweight in high school, becoming more overweight in college until I lost the fat through all the wrong ways, and then gaining it all back plus lots more, leaving me as a fat adult. Most of the people I know who are heavy my age (early thirties) got fat because they had babies...dang it...I don't even have that excuse! But I have had plenty of other ones that I love to use all the time! I have had some personal struggles in the last few years (I will go into that at some point) and I have been stuck in a rut...a big fat rut. I've wanted to make a change for a long time now, but wanting it to happen and making it happen are two different things. One of my favorite fitness bloggers, Katie from Runs with Cookies, wrote this great post about motivation vs. determination that really got me thinking and pushed me to make some decisions.

Source: gatherlove.tumblr.com via Conny on Pinterest

Anyway, my trip to Europe was pivotal in getting me out of that rut. Walking all day (which I was actually in OK shape for) and eating a bunch of fresh fruits from the markets made me ready to come back home and make a change. The first change I decided to make was going to a healthier diet and trying to cut out processed and junk foods. The second change was being an active adult and finding workouts I enjoyed.

Source: via Megan on Pinterest

But first I knew I need to set a goal...I do good with goals. I used to be a jogger for a couple years in college (I won't say runner because I didn't really take it seriously), and I really wanted to get back to that. So I decided to run a 10K as my first challenge. OK, run/walk a 10K.

So I signed up for the Toughest 10K in Galveston on October 20th. When I chose it, I had exactly 13 weeks until the race so I wanted to start training right away (my first day was July 22nd). I decided to use THIS PLAN from Mary on Spark People. I haven't set a time goal yet (I know I can finish a 10K); I want to wait until about halfway into my training to see where I am at with that.

Source: run4life.tumblr.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Wish me luck because I am determined! :)

Jamie