Lucky Number 4147

Looking over the map and trying to memorize my number, you know... in case someone yells it at me. "Hey 4147, nice sunglasses!" or "Hey 4147, try and run a straight line, ok?!" or the most likely, "Hey! 4147! I need the porta potty too!"

I woke up with the sunrise this morning. It was almost intentional because I told myself, get up early so you can fall asleep tonight before the race. It's not like it matters though, knowing me it will take me hours to fall asleep and I will be running on four hours of sleep. These feelings actually remind me of my first horse show. I was so nervous because the horse I was leasing, Woody, bruised a hoof two days before the show and I ended up riding a different horse. I ended up trapping all of that nervous energy and doing really well considering the circumstances. I'm trying to use that experience as a reference point and also trying to rein in my anxieties.

I picked up my participant packet in Fresno last night at the California Classic Expo. It was surprisingly easy and really quick. When I got to the Expo, the parking lot was PACKED so I expected to be in line for at least a few minutes. But nope, I walked in and walked out. There is a ChronoTrack Timer on the back of my number that I am seriously worried about folding as I am a nervous paper folder. Oh well, we'll see what happens to that. Literally the moment I walked into the house last night proudly waving my number, my husband jumped for an opportunity to lecture me. What it comes down to is that he doesn't think I've trained hard enough or long enough and he's worried about me. But then today when he tells me we are having burgers for dinner and I tell him, I can't eat that tonight. Well, you want to be worried but you want to feed me a fatty burger? That will hurt me more than anything tomorrow. So Potatoes, Zucchini, and Chicken it is!

(Runner's Nutrition - I found this while I was searching for "pre race meals" and "recovery meals". Informative article written by the Terrio Nutritionist, who also happened to put together my meal plans for the challenge I did from January to March.)

I actually started writing this blog post at around 7 this morning but my husband and I have been doing yard work all day. I still have so many things to do before tomorrow and I am actually thinking about hunting down my camelbak to wear during the race tomorrow. It doesn't look like it is going to be too hot in the morning tomorrow but you never know, I might feel the need for water before the first water station. Usually when I wear my camelbak, I mix 50/50 Water and Gatorade. I think it may be wise so I don't overindulge or drink too quickly at the water stations.

Now that I've had a little more time to assess my nervousness, I find that I'm not worried about running. I'm worried about my stomach. I've been having digestive issues pretty consistently over the last couple of weeks. It's nothing serious but I do have a stomach ache right now. I've been tweaking my diet and it seems to have helped. I just worry about having GI issues on the course. But I guess I won't know unless I try...

Recap to come tomorrow! At some point. After I start to recover.

Does anyone still follow?

Hello out there! Can anybody hear me????

Now that I've gotten THAT out of the way, I need to apologize to my legion (of 4) fans. I have not written and I have not thought about writing for the last month. I've been slacking. I'm sorry. But now it is time to get to BUSINESS.

I am running a half marathon on Sunday. Yes, this Sunday. I am currently freaking out because I am so nervously excited that I can't really find words to express how nervously excited I am. I've been plagued by self doubt and it has been made worse by the doubts of the people around me. The number one question that I have been asked is, "Wow. Do you think you can even run a half marathon?" Well no, I know I can't run the whole thing but that is not the point! I want to participate and fully complete a half marathon. I want to have a time to beat for the NEXT half marathon. Why can't innocent bystanders just say, "Wow. That's really cool. How are you feeling about it? Are you excited?" or "Wow. That is such a great accomplishment! Good luck!"

That all being said, I have several people who have given me some great advice. (Insert a big thank you to Jaime right... HERE :)) I also have a coworker who is going to be running the race as well but he seems a lot more focused. He is constantly asking me, "Melanie! Are you ready for this?!!??!!" And before I get the chance to respond he says, "Are you following a training plan? Because I am but it is making me so fatigued. Are you to that point? Are you ready for this?!!!???!!!!!!??" He is a really nice guy but he's... exuberant.

My training has gone OK. With the increase in temperature lately and my lack of desire to go to the gym, I've had some really bad runs. But I've also had some really good runs too. My best run to date was running for 45 minutes straight without needing to stop for a quick walk break and my recovery time was quick that day. I think I had a 60 second recovery and I was good to run another 30 minutes. My strength training has been non existent and my diet has just gone in the crapper over the last few weeks. I need to get back on the wagon with the healthy eating because my body has just been rebelling over the last couple of weeks. I need to be back to the point where eating a Sweet Potato is the highlight of my life!


Really quick before I need to go to work...

GOALS FOR MY FIRST HALF MARATHON (in order of importance)
1. Finish
2. Finish before the finish line closes
3. Take pictures and run at the same time (If you've seen the movie "Yes Man", raise your hand)
4. Do not fall, trip, or throw up.
5. Do not cause another runner to fall, trip, or throw up
6. Run at least half of the half marathon.
7. Do a happy dance at the finish line.
8. Be coherent enough to drive home after the race.

TO DO LIST
1. Pick up my packet (has to be done pre-race on Thurs or Fri)
2. Buy new insoles for my running shoes (perk of working where I work, I can get nice ones from the medical dept.)
3. Break in new insoles.
4. Do one more short run.
5. Create a new running playlist.
6. Buy Shot Bloks

D is for Decorating!

Not only do I have a reputation as a funny kid but within my family, I have a reputation of being a decorator.

My husband and I moved into a brand new house in November and it has so much potential. For those of you that know my husband, you know he's a plain white walled kind of guy who hangs on to old things forever and never spends more money than necessary. His pack rat, frugal, white walled tendencies really get in the way of my decorating. I have so many ideas and usually he just tunes me out. That's ok though, I've made some changes recently that he'll never notice. Muahaha!

This niche is my favorite spot to decorate. This is what I did at Christmas!

This is how I decorated my Christmas card envelopes. No one realized it was hand drawn.

I hand made burlap stockings for our fireplace. I also made the trees on the right hand side.

This is our niche now. A little plain but it suits us... Brian is also in the process of killing the succulent.

C is for Confidence or the opposite of confidence which would be... chicken-ness.

I've spent a lot of time reflecting (and not writing!) and realized that through my recent journey, I have gained back some lost confidence. I've come to terms with the fact that I am a chicken but at least now I have some confidence!

I have a clear memory of elementary school that I think caused a lot of my mental/emotional issues growing up. The boy I had a crush on, Kevin, was the epitome of cute (at the time) and he found out I liked him because one of my friends started chanting it on the playground. Problem #1 - Not trusting my friends, especially girls. Then he said, "Why would I like her, she looks like a hippo eating grass!" Problem #2 - Realizing that boys are idiots but also realizing all my faults. I struggled for years thinking I wasn't pretty enough or skinny enough. I didn't date because I thought that's what everyone else thought. I'm pretty sure it's because of one moment as a third grade kid with a crush. Obviously, a lot has changed since that moment and a lot of things have happened. I've had moments of extreme confidence and moments where I wanted to climb under a rock and stay there forever.

This was my fourth grade self. Aside from the (inherited from dad) unibrow, I was a pretty cute kid.

Yesterday I was at the gym doing a cardio/strength workout that I learned during my time at Terrio. Half way through my workout I noticed some people from work and the only thing I could think of was, "Crap. Now they've seen my butt jiggle and I'll never be taken seriously again." Then I realized, they are probably thinking the same thing so I'm safe. I'll keep kicking butt on this elliptical and go on with my life. It's been a long time since I've had a moment of clarity like that. It's been a long time since I've been confident enough in my own skin to have a moment like that.

(insert witty and telling photo here)

(and then delete it because it makes no sense. :))

B is for Brian... and (unfortunately) Blisters

I'm just going to start with B is for Blisters and get it out of the way. I got a gnarly blister during my run on Saturday. Hank and I ran to the dog park, ran around the dog park, and walked very slowly home. Hank was exhausted and I was trying not to agitate said blister. My newish shoes paired with some majorly stretched out socks left quite the mark. It's like my runner's trophy and the bane of my existence at the same time. It was a decent run but my knees and my shins are really tight and kind of sore. B is for Booooooo!

If you didn't know already, my husband's name is Brian. Brian is my best friend and pretty much the coolest guy ever. I can't say too much more without going into "C is for Cheese". :)

I have an early morning tomorrow/big day so I have to get off blogger and go to sleep!

A is for Apple!

I decided to try and catch up on an April blogger challenge so here we go! A is for Apple!

Apples have always, always been my favorite fruit. Fuji, Green, and Gala but not Red. Never, ever Red. Reds are too mushy to be taken seriously. Ever since I had braces, I haven't taken a bite out of an apple because I prefer cutting them up and eating them that way. I also like to eat them with the little Laughing Cow cheese wedges. My current favorite is a juicy Gala apple, fresh from the fridge, with a wedge of Queso Fresco & Chipotle. I've also made grilled apples with onions, apple and pretzel stuffed mushrooms, baked salmon over apples, apple cinnamon waffles, and butternut squash and apple soup. All of these things are (A for) amazing! :)

Anywho, I finally joined a gym closer to my house but I've only been there once and all I did was run about 5 miles on the treadmill. I haven't hit my stride yet with the whole waking up early thing and I'm usually exhausted after work. My main problem is that I don't have a plan when I get to the gym. I don't have a trainer to keep me moving or a group of people to workout with. I need to work really hard to stay motivated and this is my first test. 

It was my birthday last week and I turned 26. I said to myself, "SELF! You will eat horribly today and only today. Go all out. You are closer to 30 than 20 and you aren't sad about it. Eat through the sadness anyway!" And you want to know what I did? I hardly ate ANYTHING! My husband and I went to the Pancake restaurant downtown and neither of us ate lunch. Then we weren't really hungry for dinner. Damn you, oatmeal pancakes!

I also started my garden this weekend. I planted (insert a deep breath here) Mr. Stripey Tomato, Roma Tomato, Cherry Tomato, Sweet Basil, Variegated Basil, Cilantro, Sweet Queen Corn, Blue Lake String Beans, Sweet Peppers, Crookneck Squash, Cucumber, Lemon Cucumber, and Jubilee Watermelon. Whew! Quite the list but you know, it's really fun to garden. I didn't plant these from seeds, I bought Bonnie Plants. They come in biodegradable pots to limit your chances of transplant death and I'm NOT a green thumb and I need as much help as I can get. I was really successful last year and I'm hoping to continue the trend this year. My biggest win last year: I grew a 30 pound watermelon!

Reveal Numero Dos

So they sent me my "inches lost" last week but I just found the email in my inbox. Either my email checking skillz are lacking or the title just didn't stand out. Either way, I finally have my final numbers! All of these numbers represent INCHES LOST.

Arm = -.5
Hips = -2
Waist = -6
Thigh =  -.5
Chest = -3 (insert an audible sigh from my husband here... I'm serious, he was really bummed but says he still loves me.)

My total weight loss during the program was officially 15 pounds and I went from 33% body fat to 26% body fat. So while I didn't have the official weight loss numbers that I was originally striving for, I know for a fact that I lost a TON of fat from my body. That is huge! The calculation I was given says that I lost about 20 pounds in fat. Why didn't I lose 20 pounds, you ask? While I was losing fat, I was building muscle and becoming a macho woman (don't worry! My voice hasn't deepened, I still have boobs, and you can't really SEE my muscle even though it's there... lurking below the surface).

Pre Run Photo!

For those of you who know me personally, you know that I have a invested a lot of time in Relay for Life in the town where I work. It was my second year as "co captain" (more like co conspirator) for my work team and even though we started much later this year, we still raised about $4,000 for the cause. Anyone who was struggling with a decision on whether or not they could make a donation got the following speech from me, "Listen, you don't have to donate but think about it. The minimum donation is $5. That is one day bringing your lunch from home, one day without a Starbucks, or maybe skipping the bar on Thirsty Thursday. Think about the difference you could make by skipping one of those things just once. Now imagine the difference if you gave up one of those things once a week for a month or even for a year." I was challenged to do the same for a month and I proudly participated. $20 is easy when you save the money on a weekly basis.

Anyway, last year my motivation was my Aunt Pat and Bapa. This year my motivation has been a 7 year old boy named Auston (see the TEAM AUSTON shirt above), he's the son of a friend of ours. Auston was recently diagnosed with Brain Cancer and is currently in treatment at St. Jude. If you ever find yourself questioning the pure goodness of people, then I want you to think about my small community and how so many people have rallied together to donate to Auston and his family. If you ever question the awesomeness of kids, then think about Auston and any other child who has ever battled cancer. If you ever need motivation to do some good, then just think about everything you've ever heard on a St. Judes or Children's Hospital Radiothon. It's all true because kids are fighters! *stepping off the soapbox*

Last year, I walked about 2.5 miles during my relay hour. This year, I ran almost 5 miles before the rain was coming down too hard for anyone without an umbrella to stay on the track. Other than needing to run around/through/between people with baby strollers and casual walkers, I had a great time. I was actually ready to go back out on the track and run some more. The one blister I earned was completely worth it!