Four Month Photos

Technically, 4 months and 1 week.

I've lost a total of 22 pounds since the beginning of the year. Here's the proof...


The side photo is my favorite. I didn't realize how big I was!

We are less than 2 months out from the wedding, and I've got 9 pounds to go until my goal. I don't plan on reaching it in the next two months, but I do plan on having a set-back during our all-inclusive honeymoon.

My Dad and I ran a 5K a couple weeks ago. I was aiming for a PR, but it was 24 degrees with 25 mph winds, so I missed it by a mere 14 seconds. I got 4th place in my age group out of 28 people, so I'm pretty happy with that.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Jingle Bell 5K Race Report

We arrived at the park around 1:40pm for a 2:00pm race start. I was cursing the organizers of this event, because their website had zero information. It didn't say what time you were supposed to arrive in order to check in. It didn't say whether it was a road or cross country race.

It didn't say anything. It just said the race started at 2.

Of course, my luck... I arrive, and they don't have a bib for me. I'm on the list... but no bib. That's odd.

So they handed me a spare bib, 2 jingle bells, and my bag of goodies, and I was ready to go.


I attached the bells to my shoelaces so I could "jingle all way" to the finish line.


The race was relatively small... about 150 people. So I had no problem getting up near the front for the start of the race.


I mentally prepared myself and got my Ipod ready on my "5K" playlist.


My efforts were fruitless, because my battery ran out about 3 quarters of a mile into the race.

Gurrr...


The following photo doesn't show anything. It's just funny because it looks like I have to go to the bathroom (click to enlarge)...


In reality, I was just anxious and a little chilly. Chalk it up to bad photo timing I guess.

A few minutes after 2pm, and "Ready, Set, Go"... we were off!


Maggie was there, and she cheered me on as I ran past...


The first mile and a half were interesting. I don't like racing and not knowing where I'm going (stupid useless website). We ran up a hill, then around a neighborhood, then headed back the way we came.

Around the 2 mile mark, we ran back down the hill and passed the spectators again.


At this point, I was doing good (under 10 minute miles), but my lungs were hurting pretty bad. I definitely did not train enough for this race.

The last mile was a little bit like "is this over yet?". I felt like I was getting passed by a lot of people. I knew I was slowing down. I knew I wouldn't PR (although, didn't plan on it anyway... but it would have been a nice surprise).


I pushed to the finish...


And came in around 29:35 (I forgot to stop my Garmin).


Overall, it was a good race, but a little hilly for my tastes.

Next time, I'll make sure my IPod is fully charged. That was my own stupidity.

You know what else was stupid? Not staying for the awards ceremony. Remember my last triathlon... where I got 3rd place but didn't know it?

D'oh. I did it again.

According to the results website, I got third place in my age group! I tried to send an email asking where I can pick up my medal, but I'm not sure if I sent it to the right person (seriously... what a stupid website).

So, it wasn't a PR, but it was a great race nonetheless. Only 2 weeks and 2 days until my "A" race (at least where 5Ks are concerned). As soon as this soreness in my legs goes away, I'll get right back to training!

I'll Be There With Bells On

I did something a little crazy (for me, at least).

I just signed up for a 5K...

... that is on Sunday.

That's the least amount of notice I've ever given myself when it comes to running a race. Plus, I haven't done a 5K since April, 2009.

Wow.

So on Sunday, I will be running the Jingle Bell 5K. You may recall that eons ago, back when I first started running, and still lived in Illinois, I ran the Jingle Bell 5K with my mom. It was my mom's first 5K ever (yay!).


The nice thing about this race is it's in the afternoon. I don't have to miss church, and I don't have to wake up too early. This makes Kelly a happy girl.

The most important question of all is: am I ready?

The answer is undoubtedly "no".

But I'm okay with that. I just started to get back into the swing of things recently, so this race will act as a training run. I'm not going to aim for a PR or anything. I'm not even going to set a goal time. I'm just going to go out there, do my best, and have fun.

I'll be back next week with a race report and an update on my weight loss efforts!

Picking a Race

I mentioned last week that I was trying to decide which race to do next. It was between a Local 5-Miler and a Thanksgiving 5K.

Well, the 5-Miler is on Sunday, and I still haven't been working out (eek!), so that's a no-go.

But the 5K is in 6 weeks. That's the perfect amount of time to get my butt in gear and strive for a PR. I haven't done a 5K since April of 2009, and I have definitely gotten faster since then... so a PR is not at all out of the question.

So I'll be running the Chester County Turkey Trot 5K.


It takes place at 8am on Thanksgiving Day in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and the cost is a reasonable $20. Why Pennyslvania? Ryan and I will be there spending the holiday with his family. I think his dad is even considering running the race too (which is good, because I don't want to be the only weirdo out there on Thanksgiving Day running in the cold)!

It looks like a trip to the Y is in order.

Tying Up Loose Ends

We're back from vacation! Yeah, okay... so we've been back since Friday. But I've been busy... or lazy... or perhaps a combination of both.

Florida was good. Nice and relaxing and hot and beachy. :)


I'm sad that we have to wait another 9 months to experience such bliss again (hurray for honeymoons!).

But let's get down to business with all the loose ends...

Did I gain weight on vacation?

Yes, but it wasn't a terrible amount. We had a full kitchen in our hotel room, so I tried to keep breakfast and lunch pretty similar to what I was eating at home. I let myself eat and drink whatever I wanted at dinner, but it never got out of control (okay... there may have been a day where I ate like 6 chocolate chip cookies).

Overall, I gained 1.6 pounds in 5 days, and then another .4 pounds on Saturday after a pizza and fondue night with our church group. Woops! But I'm back on track and counting calories, and I should be back down by the end of this week.

Did I ever get road tires for Reagan?

I realized that I never updated on the road tire debate. I decided to forgo the tires for the time being, and put it off until next spring. First of all, I wanted my Fishers Triathlon to be as similar to last year as possible (last year I didn't have aero bars, but that's the only difference in equipment), so that if I PRed (which I did!), it would be because I have gotten better. Secondly, I just never really got around to it.

How are my workouts going?

Uhh... next question, please. Well, in all seriousness, I've only worked out once since my last race. That's one measly 2 mile run in 17 days. Ouch! That's a big fat "F" for fail on my part. Without any races to prepare for (and with this chilly fall weather!), I've found my motivation seriously lacking. Which brings me to my next question...

Are there any more races in the near future?

I want to, but I'm not sure which one. I really only have 2 options... a 5 miler that is only a week an a half from now, or a 5K on Thanksgiving Day near Ryan's hometown in Pennsylvania. Neither option is ideal. The first race is just too soon, and I'm unprepared. The second option is a little odd because it's in an unfamiliar town and an unfamiliar terrain. I need to give this some more thought.

I'm back for a while, but still super busy (Ryan and I went to the Goo Goo Dolls concert last night, and we have a wedding in New York this weekend!). I'll keep you updated.

Six Pounds Down

Well, 6.6 pounds to be exact.

That's pretty good for only 2 1/2 weeks.


But I've done this before. I'm well aware that the beginning is the easiest. The first five pounds just melted off. My body was rejoicing that I was no longer stuffing in 2300+ calories per day.

I haven't yet given myself a set amount of daily calories. My average daily calories for the past 18 days is 2011, but that's severely skewed by this past weekend, when I consumed 3000 calories on both Saturday and Sunday (I blame the triathlon).

Generally, I'm trying to keep my calories under 1900 each day. I figure once my weight loss starts to slow down, I'll reduce my calories further, then take it from there.

I'm doing a terrible job working out. I haven't done anything since Sunday's race. I went to look for a 5K or something to keep me motivated, but I didn't find much (plus, Ryan and I are super busy the rest of this year). There is a 10K here in town that I did last year, but it was the only weekend our wedding venue could make an appointment for our tasting. Gurr.

Ryan and I are headed to Clearwater Beach, Florida next week (yay!). I'm sure there will be much food and alcohol temptation. Perhaps I'll just go ahead and bring my workout clothes.


Then I'll feel less guilty about giving in to said temptations.

Arny Johnson 5K Race Report

(Those of you who are here looking for race results, they can be found at this site. If you are looking for race photos, they are here.)

Last time my mom and I ran a 5K, she said, "enjoy your race... I'm staying in bed." This time, she was already up and dressed by the time my 7:30 alarm went off.

We arrived around 8:30, right as the 10 mile race was taking off. At the starting line, my mom and I ran into 2 of my on-air coworkers who were also running the 5K.

We bundled up, got our Ipods all set, and were ready to run.




The race was a flat out-and-back course on a bike path.

I hit the one mile mark around 9:00. SLOW DOWN, I yelled at myself. I didn't think I would make it back alive if I kept up that pace.

There were 2 roads we had to run across, and I was extremely grateful for the police there to stop traffic. Problem is, one of my coworkers (who was way ahead of me), said that HE had to stop for the CARS. Outrageous. Do these police know how seriously we take our races and our finish times? He said that at least 10 people caught up to him while he was standing there waiting to cross the street.

I had a pretty decent sprint at the end of the race. And despite my low hopes, my watch says I crossed the finish line at 29:22. I'll take it!

I waited at the finish line for my mom to come in.




Then there she was...



She came pretty close to her goal of 38 minutes.



After all the 5K runners had finished, they handed out awards. My mom was pretty shocked when they called her name.

She got 2nd place in her age group!




They posted our official finish times soon after.

Me = 29:30 (but I'm sticking with my 29:22 because it took me at least that long to cross the start line)
My mom = 38:17

I was shocked at my final time because it's the SECOND fastest 5K I've ever run... even though my training for this race was truly minimal. I guess I'll just have to use this as motivation to get a PR at my next 5K!

What did I learn from this race? Show up early. Because I canNOT stand taking home another extra large shirt.



GURRRRRRRR.

The First Step is Admitting It

I'm not the neatest person...



... yet I'm not a total slob.



I enjoy the feeling of living in an immaculately clean and organized apartment...



... even if that's not very often.



But I have a weakness. And that weakness is called my kitchen.

I get it clean and I think, "this is it! It's going to stay this way forever!" But it usually takes me less than 3 days to completely mess it up again.

So if I can get it that messy after only 3 days, imagine what an entire week could do.

Why imagine when you can see for yourself?







I'm not proud of this. But the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

My kitchen is my official weekend project. I hope to be finished with all those dishes by tomorrow afternoon so I can cook a delicious meal for myself.

________________________________

On a different and possibly understated note, my mom and I will be running our first 5K of 2009 this Saturday.

I had it on my list of possible races, and I had it in the back of my head... but we officially registered today. There is no backing out now. I don't expect my time to be good, but I need to get into it... have a benchmark to start the year from.

________________________________

Lastly... I FINALLY received a phone call from the guy who interviewed me 2 weeks ago. He was supposed to call last Monday, so he's just a TAD late. He apologized profusely for not getting in touch with me and informed me they went with someone else. The good news is, he said I had an "impressive interview" and they would keep my resume on file in case their new hire didn't work out. I suggested to my boyfriend he should call up the new employee and offer them a "job" in Philly.

I Totally Forgot

It's been weeks since my mom and I ran the Jinglebell 5K, and I never posted the official results (my mom doesn't even know her official time!).

Me...
Finished in 31:23.2
10:07 pace
11/26 in my AG (F 20-24)
315/562 overall

My mom...
Finished in 35:56.4
11:35 pace
6/12 in her AG
413/562 overall

So congratulations to her! (And yay for her hanging out with me today and tomorrow.)

Jingle Bell 5K Race Report

I woke my mom up at 7am. She said, "enjoy your race... I'm staying in bed."

Yeah, I don't think so.

So we got up and got dressed. After enjoying Friday's 50 degree temperatures, Saturday was a frigid 31. Our meteorologist predicted snow, so we bundled up and prepared for the worst.

We arrived at a nearby hospital (the host of the race) around 7:40 and I couldn't believe how many people were there.

My mom kept checking out what everyone else was wearing. It ranged from shorts and a t-shirt (for those super fast runners), to a few people in very 5k-inappropriate clothing (my mom spotted one woman in riding boots and another man wearing tall dress socks).




We went inside, and got our jingle bells. I attached mine to my shoelaces (and I'm thinking about leaving them there all winter!).

We were belled-up and ready to run.



They told us to line up according to pace, but no one really listened and the starting line was a mess. There were so many people there, that I couldn't hear what the announcer was saying.



(Note the christmas gift on the left side of that picture. He arrived with an entire group decked out in holidayesque costumes. What impressed me most is that he ran the entire 5k in that box... without any arm holes!)

My mom was all set to go. This would be her first 5k ever and she had been training really hard for it.



Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, we heard a gun, and people just started running.

It was a slow start weaving around christmas trees and walkers and I didn't even cross the start line for at least 10 seconds into the race.

Mile 1 - 9:45
Mile 2 - 10:35
Mile 3 - Approx 10:00

I finished in 31:15 and I was pretty happy with that time. The course was flat except for one 1/2 mile stretch during the second mile that was a steady uphill climb.

Once I was done, I waited at the finish line for my mom. She had previously said she expected somewhere between 40 and 45 minutes.

Only a few minutes passed before I saw her red vest in the distance...



(Except that man's head is in the way.)

She made the last turn into the final stretch.



I got one final photo of her before her big finish (and the battery in my camera died).



She finished in under 36 minutes.



She said she only walked a little bit during that uphill portion, which is great.

We left and went out for delicious bagels.

Overall, it was a pretty successful race. And our specific event raised $27,000 for the Arthritis Foundation.