Sunday, October 27, 2013

Who Did a 10K???

This girl!!!

And...get this!!! I didn't walk all of it!

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Finished 6.2 miles with a time of 1 hour, 33 minutes, and 51 seconds.  I was booking it and feeling pretty confident and excited after seeing my time on my phone for miles 2 and 3 that I would finish around 1-15. That was before I finished  the 5K  part and split to the 10K course. It involved a huge county loop, with sand roads, and chickens, and a cattle guard you had to tip toe over, and a path through a pasture where the ground was muddy and uneven, and even a tree limb pile that was on fire. I really struggled and got slowed down quite a bit with miles 4 and 5.  HOWEVER, I got angry, did it, and completed it.  Eminem, Kid Rock, Pitbull, and Paramore can get you through some pretty tough stuff!  My initial goal was to finishing under 1-40, which I did.

Today finds me with a blister..no joke!...the size of a half dollar on the side of my foot, a hip flexor that hates me..it feels like I have just given birth, and my butt hurts something fierce.  Through all of these aches and pains, I am still smiling.  I feel like I conquered the world.

I realized a lot about my self. I am stronger than I thought I was, and more determined than I ever imagined.

My husband is my biggest cheerleader.  I know that sounds like such a cliche, but that guy willingly stood for half an hour before the race started and then an hour and a half waiting for me, surrounded by loud music and people, some in awkwardly weird costumes, just to see me cross that line.  The 10K course started right behind where we had started the initial race. I came out of a road, and looked over, and there he was, looking the other way, down the road, looking for ME!  He was standing in front of a giant speaker, and I couldn't get his attention, but I'll never forget him searching for me and how that made me feel. He told me later he DID see me, just as I was disappearing.

My best friend, Lori, ran the half marathon. She got 1st place for the women and finished with a time of 1 hour, 50minutes, I believe.  That's over 13 miles, people!!!! She's amazing.

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Funny and Random things I don't ever want to forget:

Those texts and Facebook messages I got that morning. My support system is AMAZING. 

I was the girl that was texting my husband during the race.

There was an angel on the course with me. Her name is Christina, and she had beautiful kinky curly hair.  We spent most of the 5K course passing each other, catching up, passing... On the last stretch of the 5K,  I was about to go on the second course, (and mentally starting to wonder just why I thought I could do this!!) while she was about to finish the 5K part, she looked at me and said "I know you can do this! DO IT, GIRL!" She gave me just what I needed at the exact time I needed it. I hope I see her again someday!

The guys in the pickup that honked and yelled GO #120!

The signs they had people holding on some of the corners. "Yea, we got up early for this too!" "In 2 miles, you can have a Snickers bar."  They made me laugh and gave me something else to think about.

I would have ran a lot more had I not been so worried about my pants falling down. I wore cute yoga style pants, but it had no elastic. They are hard to describe, but more just like stretchy fabric folded over on top. Super cute, and super comfortable, and horrible about not staying where they are suppose to be while you are running. NEXT time, I will wear better pants!  Every time I ran I had to try to very discreetly and cutely pull those suckers up.(By the way, I'm not complaining...having pants falling down isn't really all that bad of a problem to have! ;) )

There where chickens scratching around in the ditch on the country loop. They didn't like me and chased me a little. 

We were about to start the race and I saw someone we knew. Tanner is from our town, graduated last year, and was our 4-H club president. He was running the race for his final in a cardio class. (I would have so flunked!)  Anyway, Danny got to watch him cross the line and he got 3rd in the 5K.

I have never high-fived so many people I didn't know in my life.

It rained a soft, lovely, rain, and then an amazing rainbow appeared.

That amazing, delicious, never have I had anything so wonderful, cup of coffee I had after I was done.

The sight of those beautiful people waiting at the finish line, just for you and how good that feels!

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I was going to run through the last bit, but got confused. The last bit wasn't really marked and I had it in my head I would be coming in the same direction we started so the road I was on didn't "feel" right. Instead, it ended with us coming UP the road we went DOWN when we started. Think a fish trying to go up stream. So I walked up, and was trying to act cool to see if I was going to the right way, and if not I was going to hurry and go back around. Then Lori started yelling for me and I thought it would be awkward to take off running then, so yea..a total Becky moment.  So I walked in.

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I sure do love this girl!!!

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 Me and Miss Maci. She calls me Becky Becky and always hugs me when she sees me.  She reminds me of sunshine. 

"Above all, challenge yourself.  You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish. ~ Cecile M Springer


Monday, October 14, 2013

40 POUNDS


During this weight loss journey I have tried really hard not to be dominated by the scale.  Some weeks it moved quite a bit, other times it only moved down once or twice a month.  I've decided it doesn't really matter, as long as I am doing my part to move my butt and to eat the right foods, it all is ok.

I plateaued at 35 lbs. I stayed within 2 lbs, up or down, for 2 months. 2 MONTHS!!!!  I tried to keep the attitude that it was great practice for maintaining.  Recently, I just got really mad, and decided to just beat the living snot out of those 5 lbs so I could hit the 40lb mark.

And, as of this morning, I have lost: 40 POUNDS!! 

40 lbs. At the beginning this seemed so far away, and I still can't believe I've done it!

I recently joined a FB page, and  am in love with a blog called ONE FIT WIDOW. She talks a lot about non-scale victories.  So, for my 40lbs loss, I thought I would share some of my victories.

1. My cheerleader and walking partner, Amy, and I have shaved 5 minutes off of our walking time since we have started walking together.

2. That black butterfly print dress that has haunted me, hanging up in the closet..the one that I couldn't WAIT to wear again someday. I finally got up enough nerve to try it on again, and it now looks like a maternity dress. 

3. My calves have definition. Holy Moly, there's a muscle in there!

4. The feeling of pure satisfaction first time I was out helping Danny do something and "Can you get it?..oh, well, never mind then."

5. The first time I climbed over a gate and jumped, landed, and ran, without even thinking about it. A year ago, I would have opened the gate to walk through and certainly would not have ran.

6. July 25th I did a 5K. And I finished it. No really...I have pictures:

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           Amy and I after! =)

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7. I signed up for 10K for October 23rd and am very pumped about it! I REALLY wanted to do it, but was scared and a bit anxious about it, which told me I NEEDED to do it, so, I AM!

8. Wearing out a pair of tennis shoes. Not like "oh I think I should get some new shoes" type of wearing out, like "no tread left on the bottom, you pretty much are not even wearing shoes" type of wearing out. I've never worn out a pair of tennis shoes like this before, and I wish they could tell me how many miles I logged in those bad boys.

9. No soda since December 12th.

10. For the first time in my 34 years of life, I am doing this RIGHT.


Stay with me..this story is far from over! Bring on the next 40!!!