National Runner's Month

Happy National Runner's Month!

Downloaded Instagram! New Brooks, I am totally in love

Get out there and get those Feet on the Pavement people!!

Here is a fun song to download to run to!!

  Peter, Bjorn, and John "Second Chance"

Find a good time that you enjoy running in a place you find beautiful and inspiring and do something good for your body today! You may fall in love like I did!

Emma

Sunday Fun Day

Here is your Sunday Song of the Week! Dig in.
Love Some Summer Music

Our last day in Chattanooga consisted of sleeping in, packing up, breakfast at The Blue Plate, playing in the water, and shopping!

After a fantastic breakfast (I went with the egg white omelet with a fruit cup), we walked down to the river and enjoyed the scenery.

Grey Heron, and yeah I dressed up

David kept creeping backward to get as close to the bird as possible. 

That water was freezing! There were some kids playing below us and obviously the temp did not phase them

Fun times family photo

Then time for some shopping! I spent way to much money, but got some great deals. my justification is that I am running enough mileage on a regular enough schedule that I need to start investing in some higher quality gear. So I bought some running clothes, and new shoes. I got a pair of lightweight Brooks. I LOVE THEM! If you are a runner, get some, you won't regret it.

Last night I had some friends to go run with and we hit 5 miles! It was a great run, and I loved having a group with me!!

It is very humbling to see pictures of yourself. Apart of this journey is monitoring my progress, so I am trying to be better about photographing everything. Sometimes it is very easy to think I have gone farther than I actually have. Some days you think you have done fantastic, and are right on track and you let your program slip or set it aside for old habits because it's not going to kill you right? But then you take some pictures with friends and you realize that while you have made progress you still have a long way to go. That's how I look at these pictures, Yeah I have lost 12.8 lbs but I still have 19.2 more to go, and I need to stay on point to get there. I also need to learn how to see myself in an accepting way and be less critical. I immediately see these photos and my mind hits all the negatives. I still point out all the bad places and completely miss the point of the photo which is to document my life with the people I love. So while we may have the tendency to be negative towards ourselves, a part of this is learning how to change that mindset as well. Don't take the journey for surface value, it's not just about weight on a body, its more than that. Once you take hold of the entire process of change, you can begin to rebuild EVERYTHING.

This is just as much mental as it is physical!!
Emma

I Knew That Hurt....

So I have my first running injury. Remember that 10K I ran 2 weeks ago? Well when I finished a few things hurt, ok a lot of things hurt. One of them being my big toe nail on my left foot... weird right? I thought so too. It hurt for 3 days, then I just forgot about it.

Well tonight I finally got some nail polish remover to remove that green polish that has been on there for almost 2 months. Here's what was underneath...

Weird thumb looking toe picture

I was trying to get a better angle of where the bruise is the worst

But as you can see, the bruise is across the entire toe!!

So there you go, my first running injury. My toe is going to look like this for months probably, so I'll be rocking the black and deep purples till it's gone. Tip to avoid this: always trim your nails BEFORE you run 6 miles.

Also, I just realized there are a lot of pictures of my feet on this blog. I'll work on that.

Emma

Waist Line Lies

I am really trying to avoid writing this paper, so I figured I would give a quick blog update on how this week is going! It's Saturday and the boyfriend is at a reptile convention out of town, so I have the house to myself. I.HAVE.THE.HOUSE.TO.MYSELF. Wednesday night I came home and had all these things I was going to do, then this realization hit me and I made turkey hotdogs with cucumbers (my favorite!) and watched American Idol for 2 hours uninterrupted, then made a pillow fort and hogged all the covers. I love my boyfriend, and living together is fun, but sometimes it's nice to have some time alone.

So here I am Saturday. I slept till 11 and then made breakfast burritos and sat down to start my paper. Mid paper writing I fell asleep and took a 3 hour unscheduled nap, then woke up completely unmotivated to finish. I have 2 pages of 8 done. Life of a Grad student.

Tonight is a big party I am super excited to go to, so I have decided to leave the paper be for the day and fix some dinner instead. On tonight's menu is baked tilapia and garden medley vegetables. 4 WW points per serving, here is the recipe:

1 bag garden medley vegetables. Wal-Mart brand
2 filets of tilapia. 6 oz total
1 tbsp. Lawrys seasoned salt
2 tbsp minced garlic

I just sprayed a bread baking pan with butter flavored cooking spray, put down the veggies first, then 2 filets of tilapia, then sprinkled on the seasoned salt and garlic, covered in aluminum foil, and popped in the oven at 400. Cook until the fish flakes apart easily. I don't have a picture since it is still cooking but its delicious, quick and easy and makes enough for 2 people or 2 meals.

I am about to go run and then come back, eat and get ready to go out! This is going to be a bit of a challenge for me since drinking is my biggest downfall to WW, so I am going to order waters and bring my crystal light and tell everyone I put vodka in it. White lies to save my waist line are ok.

I have done really really well since Thursday on tracking. I have tracked everything, worked out, and stayed on point so I am excited to see what Thursdays scale has to say. I have a mental goal of at least 2 lbs, so we shall see!

Go out and enjoy your Saturday night and don't be afraid to lie to your friends about what your drinking! It's good for you.
Emma

Sunday Song of the Week/ 10k Race Results!

Hello everyone! 

Ok here is your song of the week. It's a throwback... enjoy!
Jammin

This song was also the first on my "RUNNING 10K" playlist on my iPod yesterday morning for the TTU ROTC 10K.

10k= 6.2 miles
This race was DIFFICULT! I had been running 6 miles fairly easily over the past few weeks but let me tell you that was on flat ground. This race was mostly uphill and it was hard. I kept my pace though consistent at around 10:45 per mile and finished in 1 hour, 12 minutes, 27 seconds. I was so glad to be done and my legs were killing me by the end of the night. Today I feel a bit better (I can actually lift my legs without pulling them up). David also ran the race with me but he and some people I work with all did the 5k. It was so fun to have people waiting for me at the finish!!

Here are some pictures I found on the facebook page... they aren't very flattering but they are still proff I did it!

My boss Katie (left) and another lady we work with Susan!

I didn't see the camera, this was at about mile 1 right before the incline began

Mile 5! We had just gotten off the incline and were running flat finally!

Those are all the pictures I could find online! I am really proud of myself for finishing this race and can't wait till the next one!

Have a great Sunday!
Emma

Thursday Morning Moment of Truth

Good Afternoon! Dang I have been so busy today, this is the first moment I have been able to sit down and start writing this! So anywho here the picture from this morning!

I really need a pedicure again!

Starting Weight: 162 lbs

Current Weight: 151.4 lbs

Total Weight Lost 10.6 lbs

Yay! I am so excited! Today I earned my second 5lb Star from weight watchers! 

Screen Shot from Tracker Page! Look at those Stars :) 

So today I was excited! I hit the 10 lb mark and it feels awesome! My running has also hit a whole new level. I ran 6.57 miles last Friday night which is insane. I have never run that far in my life and I didn't stop and finished in 1 hour and 12 minutes. Go Me! I was really proud of myself and this weekend I am running my first official 10K. 

Wish me luck! I'll post results when I am done!

Emma

Thursday Morning Moment of Truth

Hey! Ok I know this is 2 days late, but ladies this post is for you cause I know you can relate. Guys... sorry in advance.

So Thursday morning I got on the scale. I was excited to see the number cause I knew it had gone down. I hadn't stuck to program exactly like I wanted to but more so than I had in past weeks. So I get on the scale and it calibrates and say 155.7... WTF! I really wanted to cry, I had no idea what was going on. I was so embarrassed and upset I just couldn't even take the picture or write about it. What is going on?? I felt really discouraged until about an hour later when (details omitted) I started my period. OHHHH ok well that makes more sense. I was so bloated and just icky. I felt like crap, my stomach hurt like hell (I equate it to someone trying to remove your insides with an ice cream scooper) and I could see my tummy bloating out a bit. So I weighed again on Friday, still high, still bloated, and trust me it was really difficult to not eat ALL DAY.

So, last night I went and ran 6.57 miles!! I was feeling better and ready to hit the pavement again. I finished in 1 hour and 12 minutes (13 WW activity points btw). It felt amazing and I felt really accomplished for having run so far even if my last weigh-in was a disaster. This morning I decided to weigh again and see if it was more accurate and I could tell I wasn't as bloated anymore. So here is your Saturday morning post disaster period weigh-in.

0.6 lbs down and crisis averted

Staring weight: 162 lbs
Current Weight: 152.6 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 9.4 lbs

I have no idea if this is an accurate reading from last week or if I am still bloated a bit (I swear to God it seems to last for WEEKS) but it shows a loss and I am happy with it!

So ladies out there don't freak out if you have a high gain around your "time". It's normal and it will go away. This is simply not a good time to weigh-in. My advice, just wait a few days and continue to work out and try not to eat everything you can find in self-pitty. I went and ran last night so that even if my loss wasn't what I wanted I could experience some progress and see a change. I mean 6.57 miles!! HELLO! That's the most I have ever run EVER! How exciting is that? It felt amazing, and definitely out shined any weigh-in I have had so far.

Just remember it's not just about the number on the scale. Our bodies are stupid funny sometimes, it's normal! Don't freak and don't quit. It will be just fine!

Happy Easter Weekend y'all!
Love love love,
Emma