Race Report: Riverboat Series Half-Marathon & WalkERrun 4k

 This weekend involved a lot of running.

On Saturday I ran in the WalkERrun 4k. I was not planning to run a race other than my half-marathon this month, but this race was for a great cause. It was a fundraiser benefit the children of one of my friend's family. They have 4 kids, so they did a 4k. Even though you aren't supposed to run the day before a half, I figured I could run 2.5 miles at an easy pace and still be okay. I ended up running a little faster than I was supposed to, and I won 2nd place in my age division! It was a small race with mostly friends of the family, so there weren't many competitive runners. The distance was unique, the food was good, and the shirts were super cute. I am definitely doing this race again next year.
 
     That night, I spent the night with my parents. They were keeping Emersyn while I raced, so I stayed there so that I didn't have to wake Em up so early. On Sunday, we got up at 4:30AM. I woke up, woke Brooke up, and Macie was there to pick us up at 5. We met with Kelsey and all drove the 40 minutes to Winnsboro, LA.We got there at 6, got ready, and gathered for pre-race announcements at 6:15. The course was done in loops. There was a 1.2 mile loop that you had to run 11 times. Every time you finished a loop, you would grab a rubber band in order to keep up with how many you had completed.

     Personally, I enjoyed the loops. I never felt alone on the course, racers would cheer each other on as they passed, we high-fived strangers, and we got to see the spectators over and over again. The only problem I had was that there was one hill, and by mile 9, I was really struggling up that hill.
Kelsey, Alec, and I stayed together in a straight line during the race (we had to stay single-file because the course was very narrow). Kelsey and I would take turns leading and pacing the group. Kelsey is fast; when she paced us, our pace was 5-10 seconds faster than when I lead. I think we had a good balance, though; Kelsey would speed us up and push us, and then I would slow us down enough to catch our breath and rest.


     We were all struggling during the last 2 miles. My legs felt like jelly going up the hill, and at one point my arms felt tingly, but, thankfully, I was able to shake it off. At the last loop, we tried to speed up, but we were having a hard time up that hill. But as we saw the finish line, we all started sprinting, and I was leading. As we were about to cross the finish line,I saw someone passing me; I figured it was Kelsey, but it actually ended up being Alec! She had stayed behind, but pushed at the very end to finish first in our group! We finished just after 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Brooke came about 30 minutes behind us, and Macie came in another 30. We were all so happy to be done!

Team Tortoise before and after the race

You can see the medal a little better in this pic

Because of the loops, they had one big aid station. It was awesome; they had jelly beans, gummy bears, olives, boiled eggs, sandwiches, pickle juice, and many many other snacks.  I didn't use it during the race, because I had been training with gels and didn't want to change anything up during the race, but I did go and pig-out after the race.

The race was a series that did 7 races, in 7 states, in 7 days. Many people do multiple races in multiple states. That  made me feel less crazy, because these people were really crazy! 7 half marathons in a row? Wow!

The medal is awesome. They give you a "starter" medal and then a additional medal for every state you do, so we have the series medal with a Louisiana medalhanging under it. It is the coolest medal that I have ever seen.

Today I am sore and tired. I am giving myself the next 2 days to rest, then I have to get back to running.

Half-Marathon Week!

       This week is going by quickly. Yesterday, I ran 2 miles at a very easy pace. I wish I had a heart rate monitor, so I would know exactly how slow I should be going on my easy runs. I am always worried that I am going too fast or too slow. It looks like a heart rate monitor will be my next running purchase. I really enjoyed my slow run. I always enjoy running slow; it is easy and relaxing.

     Though I have not been eating healthy, I have stayed within my calorie range. I haven't seen a change on the scale, but maybe if I stick to it, I will see a change by Monday. I would love to see that. I dropped to 144 one day last week, but my scale has stayed at 145 ever since. I need it to change!

This weekend I have 2 races! On Saturday, I have the WalkerRun 4k. I would never run the day before my half marathon, but this race is raising money for my friend's extended family. Plus, it is only 2.5 miles, so I figured I would take Emersyn out in the jogging stroller, run it slow, and have a good time.

My half marathon is Sunday and I am SUPER EXCITED! I've been making sure to drink lots of water in preparation, and I've been checking the weather every day (It is supposed to rain that afternoon; hopefully, it starts after the race).

Workout Wednesday

Yesterday Team Tortoise went out of its comfort zone.

Every Wednesday, our local running store, FitRight Active, has something called "Workout Wednesday." It is a free running workout for people of all abilities. Normally, the workout is some speed work on the track. I've been thinking about going for a long time, but I have always been too intimidated. I've seen some of the people who go to Workout Wednesday at races, and they are FAST. I mean, very very very very fast.

Macie, our fearless leader, decided that we should go, so we all did. We were all super nervous, but everyone there was nice and seemed happy to have us there.

The coach told us the workout:
run 2.5 laps at our 5k pace then rest for 2 minutes. 6 times.
Oh, and we ran a mile as a "warm-up". (I put "warm-up" in quotes because, for me, a mile isn't a warm-up. A mile is WORK!)

I was scared. Two and a half laps is a long way, and I knew that by the 6th one, I was going to be dying.

Thankfully, we all ended up finishing. Alec, Kelsey, and I did each interval at about a 10:15 pace. The last one we sped up a bit. Brooke stayed with us for the warm-up and for the first 3 intervals. Then she waited and ran with Macie. Macie kept saying she felt like she ran 10 miles, but then she found that her pace was a lot faster than she normally runs.

After we finished 4 intervals, most of the people there (there were only about 6 others there) had stopped. I was really discouraged because I though everyone was already done, but they informed me that they all stopped at 4 because it was too hard. But Team Tortoise finished all 6!

My only regret is that I didn't do the intervals faster. I was tired at the time, but now I feel like I could have gone a bit quicker. My fastest 5k was done at about a 9:30 pace, so I feel like I should have kept a 9:45 pace for the intervals. I was just so nervous about doing 2.5 laps at a time. My husband would say "Ya, played ya'self" ;)

Overall, it was a fun experience, and it broke the monotony of running alone all week. Hopefully, we will get to go again soon, and I will stop being scared and run faster.

FAQ's

Thanks, Mom for my new favorite shirt!

After my last post, I had many people message me with questions, and since most people had similar questions, I decided to answer a few of them here.

Here it goes!

#1 I have the Fitbit (myfitnesspal, calorie counter, etc.) app, but it says I'm only allowed 1100 calories, and sometimes less than that. How do you get yours to 1300-1600?

A: I don't really listen to the app. On days I don't run, my app only allows me like 900 calories. If I only eat that much, I feel like I'm starving, so I don't worry about it. I like logging food on the app, but I just I make my own range and hope it works :)


#2 How do you stay motivated?

A: I don't! If you ever read this blog, you will see that 90% of my posts are me saying that I don't want to run, I haven't worked out in forever, I need to get back on track, etc. I have a hard time staying motivated. When I'm feeling that way, I go to Pinterest and search "running motivation". It sounds stupid, but it totally works. If all else fails, I just suck it up and go run. If I can just get myself out there, I know I won't regret it.

When it comes to dieting, if I am discouraged, I just say "Okay, I'm going to do good today, just today". If I get through one day of eating better, then I am encouraged to keep it going.


#3 How often do you run?

I try to run about 4 times a week. I run right after work 3 times a week, and then I run on Saturday with Team Tortoise for our long run. Some weeks I run less, and some I run more, but I try not to go more than 2 days in a row without running. I rarely miss a Saturday long run. Those are my favorite!

#4 How tall are you?

I am 5'5.

#6 You actually like to run?

I don't. The entire time I'm running, I can't wait until it is over. But I really like the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. I have started to enjoy the long runs, because I can go slower and enjoy my music.
 

#5 How did you start running?

I saved this for last since I knew it would be a little longer. Like I said in my previous post, I tried Couch to 5k over and over, and I just could not do it. I decided that I would just run as long (time, not distance) as I could, and then I would add on to that.

The first day I went out, I ran for 30 seconds. It was terrible. I thought  "There is NO WAY I could do this for 10 minutes, much less 30!" I wanted to give up right then, but the next  day I went out, and ran for 1 minute; Then the next day I ran for 2 minutes, then 3, and so on....

I used to like running on a track so that way I could see exactly how far I was going. After I got to the point that I could run one loop around the track, I started going by distance instead of time (this probably isn't the best idea). I kept adding on little by little until I could run a full 5k.

My suggestion for anyone struggling to start is to run slow! You need to run slower that you think is okay. Most people, myself included, start too fast, and they can't keep going. During my first 5k, I ran a 16+ minute mile. People can walk faster than that! But the speed will come later. If you are having trouble going a certain distance, just slow it down.

Here is a running plan from my favorite blog, runsforcookies.com
I loosely followed this plan. I think it is the best plan for anyone starting out.

8 things that help me lose weight.

As of today, I am down 62 pounds. I've had many people ask me what I do, what diet am I on, etc., so I thought I would share it here

This is me at 190 and then at 150. I am currently at 144.
I post this picture a lot on my blog because it is my best before/after 

In 2013, I weighed my heaviest at 206 lbs (I count this as my "starting weight"). My weight probably did go above that, but I stayed away from scales. I only know 206 because when I got pregnant, that is what I weighed at the doctor's office. I lost 11 pounds my first trimester because I was so nauseous, but I quickly gained it back plus 20 extra pounds. I was 226 when I had Emersyn.

Breastfeeding helped take off the pounds. I was back to 206 within 2 weeks and I lost 10 pounds over the next 5 months without changing my eating habits. We did try to eat fast food less, but I really didn't do any dieting. So if you want to lose weight, try breastfeeding. It works. ;)

That November, I decided to join my aunt, Macie, and cousin, Alec, on their crazy endeavor to run a 5k a month for a year. I had not run in years, I had tried, and failed, couch to 5k at least 3 times. I really didn't think I would ever be able to run a 5k, but I had the desire, so I tried it.

I lost a little bit of weight running, but I realized I would also need to change my eating in order to actually lose the weight. This is what I did/do:

1) I set small goals. I try to lose 5 lbs a month. In the past, I have wanted to lose 2 lbs a week, every week, but after 1 or 2 weeks of failing, I would get discouraged and quit. 5 lbs a month leaves some wiggle room for me, and even though I saw that losing weight would take longer than I wanted, I never felt discouraged because I was always making progress (even if it was slow progress).

2) I log my food. I use my FitBit app (you can also use MyFitnessPal or anything similar). I log my food even when I don't really want to. It makes me more accountable and shows me that when I "plateaued", it was normally because I was overeating.

3) I don't set definite calorie "limits".  I try to keep my calories between 1300-1600, but if I go over a little, it isn't a big deal. Not having a set "limit" keeps me from thinking "Oh, well I screwed it up already, might as well keep eating...."   

4) I don't restrict anything! I eat cookies, cakes, chocolate, ice cream, gravy, etc. I eat anything I want! Really! I just limit it. Tonight I had 1 Oreo instead of 4. I also don't eat something that I don't really want. For example: I don't love Sonic's fries, but if they are there, I'm going to eat them. So when I go to Sonic, I just make sure only get the burger, and not the full combo. I don't miss the fries, but I know if I ordered them I would eat every. single. one. 

5) I run. I talk about my running and my team a lot in my other blog posts. You can go back and read race reports if you want! I won't go into great detail here. 

6) I forgive myself. If I gain weight, or I don't hit my goal for that month, or I go a week without running, or if I overeat a lot, it is still okay. It doesn't mean I need "to screw it all" or that I can't do it. It just means I am human, and I'll have to do better next time. This was key for me. I am a master at giving up and procrastinating (ex: I'm gonna start that diet next week)

7) I keep going. I think the biggest difference between now and every other time I tried to lose weight is that I have not quit. Because I am not restricting things and not giving myself set "rules", I don't feel like I am on a "diet". I do eat salads sometimes and I have been known to drink a slim fast for a quick lunch, but that isn't all the time. When I eat healthier, it's because with healthy foods you get to eat more!

8) I have support. As you can see from pictures, Chris has lost a lot of weight, too. It is a lot easier together. We have a playful competition. My family is constantly motivating me, complimenting my progress, and telling me they are proud. They don't complain too much when all I talk about is running. Team Tortoise is always a huge help in keeping me going. I can't go too long without running because Macie won't let me ;) It is much easier to lose weight when others are on board and supportive.

This is at my friend's wedding. I believe I was 185 here.
I was still gaining.

This is December 2013. I was 2 months pregnant and about 190

Me at 145. Look how good my husband looks too!

Team Tortoise!

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a  healthy eater.You can ask anyone who knows me, I enjoy junk food...A LOT. I don't drink water as often as I should, and I drink way too many diet cokes. I am not an expert on health or fitness. I am just saying what works for me.

Catching Up

Because it has been so long since I blogged, I feel that I need to catch up on a few things in my weight and running.

First, Weight:

This is me at 190 (having lost 16 pounds already) and then me at 150.
Ignore my crazy eyes.

My weight is currently 145! I went through a few months, as you can see on my last post, of going back and forth from 150 to 155. I finally got re-motivated, starting logging my food again, and the weight came off again.

My weight goal has changed again. At first it was 150 (just so my BMI would be in the "normal" range). Then I changed it to 145 because I never thought I would get there, and now I've changed it to 135, because when I went to a weight loss doctor years ago, he told me 125-135 was my "ideal range."

After I lost 25 pounds, I listed some things on this blog that I looked forward to. I looked back on them today and I am happy to say I am experiencing all the things I looked forward to and a few more. I thought I would list some changes that I have had since I have lost 60 pounds.

1. I am not embarrassed to take family portraits. I look forward to them. I feel like a am part of a super cute little family.

2. I don't feel like I stand out within my siblings as the "fat one." We are all nice and healthy.

3. I can fit into regular sizes. I no longer have to hope that a boutique has a "plus size" section

4. I am no longer embarrassed to see someone from high school or college. I used to hide from people in my past. Now I am happy to catch up!

5. Sometimes when I get dressed, I actually feel cute/attractive. I used to never feel that way. 

6. I can wear "women's cut" shirts. I no longer have to get a men's large. I can pretty much order a medium, no matter what type of shirt it is, and be confident that it won't be too small.

7. Last week I ran 12 Miles!

8. I don't worry about climbing on playground equipment, trampolines, swings, slides, etc. with Emersyn. I used to always check the weight limit and if there wasn't a sign showing the limit, I would be scared that it would break if I got on. Even some lawn chairs scared me. But now I'm confident I won't break anything.

9. My joints don't hurt. I used to tell Chris that I thought I had some form of arthritis because my knees and shoulders would hurt, especially when it rainged. They would hurt so bad that I couldn't sleep until I took some pain reliever. A week or so ago, I noticed that my knees and shoulder never hurt anymore! Not even when it rains. I'm guessing taking off the weight took the pressure off my joints so they aren't as sensitive. Maybe that isn't why, but there is a correlation. 

Running:

After our 10 mile run!

Since January, Team Tortoise has been training for our first Half Marathon. I never thought I'd actually be able to run a half, but now, after months of training, I know I can do it. Even though I am still a slower than average runner, I'm much better than I EVER thought I would be. I am expecting to run about an 11 minute mile for the half marathon.

Every Saturday, Team Tortoise meets up for our long run, and every Saturday I am in disbelief about how many miles we actually run. I LOVE our long runs. I really look forward to them. I love the easy pace and listening to music (right now I listen to Hamilton. I. am. obsessed.). I especially love seeing the extra thousand calories that I can eat every Saturday.

Brooke has been super busy. She is a full time student and started her first job. She runs with me when she can, but, because of time, she has been doing our long runs less and less. I'm not sure if she will come to our half marathon because she is worried that she has lost her endurance.

Avery has been training on her own, of course, because she lives away. She actually ran her first half marathon last month and killed it!

Kelsey has been added to our group and that girl is a natural runner. Her longest run was only 6 miles, and last week she went from that to staying with me for 11 miles!!! WHAT?!?

Alec is my running buddy most of the time. She always stays beside me on our long runs, even though I know she could go wayyyyyy faster.

Macie is killing it. Every time I see her, she is shrinking. Her pace is steadily getting faster. Of all of us, she is the one that is the most consistent and persistent.

Our half marathon is scheduled for April 17th. Less than 2 weeks away!



I was disappointed in March that I didn't lose weight, but my birthday, Easter, and Spring Break was tough on my diet. By the end of April I am planning on being 140 and having my first half marathon under my belt!

RACE UPDATE

      I quit blogging for awhile. I quit because I didn't see the point in it. For the record, I have done the same thing with every journal/diary/whatever since I was a little girl. I start writing, go strong for a while, and then quit for some reason or another.  But today I went back to read some of my old posts and I realized that I really liked keeping a blog, and it was neat to read back from a year ago and see how much has changed. So I decided to start back up again!

So first of all, we need a RACE UPDATE!

The last time I wrote, I left off at my August 2015 race, so I will do a quick recap of my races since then.

SEPTEMBER 2015 
In September we did the Race for the Cure. This race was fun because it was one of my city's bigger races. They had cheerleaders at the start/finish line, booths with snacks and products, and A LOT of participants! The race was super flat and I PR'd at 34:29!

 I can't remember Alec or Macie's time, but I do know that Alec came in just a little bit behind me and ran herself so hard that she ended up throwing up right after the finish! 

I really enjoyed all the people and the cheerleaders, but I felt bad that I couldn't even smile back at anyone cheering me on because I was so spent.

September Ending Weight: 153

OCTOBER 2015

October was a disappointing month for racing. We signed up for a Costume 5k that was supposed to take place on Halloween morning. Macie, Alec, Brooke, and I all had cute costumes ready. We bought striped shirts and masks and were going as robbers. We got ready that morning, but then got a text an hour before the race saying that the event was cancelled because of rain. I ,honestly, have never heard of a race cancelled because of rain. This was NOT a thunderstorm, just rain. I was SO disappointed that we didn't get to run in our costumes and even more disappointed that this messed up my streak of doing one 5k per month.

We are giving sad faces because our race was cancelled

October Ending Weight: 151

NOVEMBER 2015

In November we did the Turkey Trot. This was not a 5k, but instead you could chose to do 2 miles or 4 miles. We, being both overconfident and undertrained, chose to do the 4 mile. I finished in 46:30. 

This race was done in a 2 mile loop. the people doing 2 miles did one loop, the people doing 4 did two loops. As I was finishing my first loop, I noticed my friend, a very very very fast runner, crossing the finish line, and I thought "man, he only did the 2 mile, I figured he would run the 4..." Then it dawned at me that he DID do the 4 mile, he just finished 4 miles before I could even finish 2!

November Ending Weight: 155

DECEMBER 2015

December brought the Jingle Bell 5k. This was such a good race. I had not run very much at all in December, so I did not have high hopes for this race, but it ended up being one of my favorite races. With the help of Avery's new runner watch, we were able to be pace conscious and accomplished for the first time (at least the first time for me) negative splits in a race! I PR'd with a time of 33:01! Because I had barely run this month, I knew that my PR strictly came from pacing well and not from training.

This was also an awesome race because they had free food, door prizes, and participation medals! Avery and Brooke even got first and second place in their age group!  Alec and I got 4th in our age groups. We didn't get an award for 4th, of course, but we knew that we were close.

I loved the medals!

December Ending Weight: 155

JANUARY 2016

The Jester Jog was our January race. This was our first race in our new Team Tortoise shirts! This was also our first race with our new member, Kelsey.  

The Jester Jog route was along the Mardi Gras parade route, so there were a lot of spectators, which made us all a little nervous. Also, the race started in the afternoon which made the anticipation unbearable and the race hot. Despite being a flat course, we all struggled. I remember thinking that this race would be my turn to throw up. Thankfully I didn't.  

Alec and I ended up PRing with a time of 30:38. This race gave medals to the top 20 male and top 20 female finishers. None of us got a medal, but Alec and I were the number 23 and 24 females. We were getting CLOSER!

Alec designed our Team Tortoise shirts. We got a lot of compliments on them!

January Ending Weight:150

FEBRUARY 2016

In February we ran the Run for the Roar 5k. This is a 5k to raise funds for one of our local high school baseball teams, the Ouachita Lions. There was a temperature drop the morning of the race and it was super windy. My headphones kept blowing out of my ears. Our noses were running. It was miserable. But we knew that this was our race. 

Alec and I  ran negative splits and even passed about 4 people able 50 feet from the finish line. Alec and I PR'd at 29:27.  We both WON FIRST PLACE in our age groups! This was our first win and we were so excited! We dubbed 2016 the Year of the Tortoise!

We were SO COLD at the starting line

February Ending Weight: 145

MARCH 2016

Last month we ran our first 10k. The race was one of our favorites from last year, the Run to the Cross. This race always has great food, door prizes, and participation medals (as you can see, we just like stuff). The course itself is nothing but rolling hills, so it was very tough. 

Alec and I finished in 1:05:44. Our time wasn't bad for our first 10k, especially since there were so many hills, but I would like to get my time under and hour soon. Macie finished in 1:31:45. We were happy with our times and medals. 

Alec won 1st place in her age group (and would have won first place in the next 2 age groups too). I won 3rd in my age group (there were only 3 people in my age group, but I'm not complaining!) Kelsey ran the 5k, but was in such a hurry to leave that she didn't turn in her result card. If she would have, she would have won 1st in her age group. We are excited that we are finally getting competitive times!

We loved our medals with the glittery ribbon!

March Ending Weight: 145