Two Month Photos and other Stuff

I hit my 15-pound weight loss mark today, and now my mom is bugging me to see photos. I took these on Saturday, which was officially 2 months into Weight Watchers.

First up is the face picture. Sorry I suck and wore my hair up the first time. That makes it hard to tell the difference...

But now onto the good stuff. Here is the side of me. Check out that stomach!

Lastly, is the front picture. Bulge-be-gone!


I totally wore the wrong shorts too... but I'm sure you can get the gist of it. Overall, I'm feeling great about myself. Yes, I miss gorging on pizza, pasta, and ice cream... but I'm loving how I look. All my work pants are literally falling off me. When all this is over, I'm going to need to do some serious shopping. I'll need all new pants and bras.

I'm halfway to my goal weight of 140. I don't think I'll reach that before the wedding (June 25th)... which might mean a slight set-back (there's no way I'm dieting on our honeymoon!). But I plan on reaching it eventually.

Training

On the training front, I've been pretty bad. I'm basically just working out once a week now. (Ouch.) I thought it was all fine and dandy until I saw my BuckeyeOutdoors account today, and noticed that this time last year, I was already full-swing into half-marathon training.

Eep! I need to get a move on it.

So training officially starts this weekend. Crappy weather or not.

Other

I've been so busy recently. Wedding planning has turned into invitation printing... which we are doing completely by hand...


And I've been putting a lot of thought into what I want to do with my life (isn't that something you're supposed to figure out in college?!). So there may be a career-change in the future.

I hope everyone's doing well. And fear not! Just because I'm not writing much doesn't mean I'm not reading all your blogs!

I'm Slightly Pathetic

I haven't run in 2 weeks. My toe is definitely hurt, but I'm refusing to go pay some doctor $150 just for them to say "yep, it's broken" or "nope, just jammed", followed by "stay off it for 3 more weeks". Lame. Thus, I'm on a running-hiatus until the pain subsides.

Naturally, all this laziness means I've slowly been gaining back the 6.2 lbs I lost. Ouch. That does not bode well for me strutting around Maui in a bikini. I can still bike and swim with my injury... I've just been too lazy (and cold)... but mostly lazy. There are 2 1/2 weeks until our trip, which means I could lose another 2-4 lbs if I really start trying. I need to start trying. Tomorrow.

Either way, I'm frustrated over my current status. 4 weeks ago, I was running a 10k. I told myself I would NOT let my running fitness fall to the wayside this winter. But that's a little tough when I can't run at all!

On a more positive note, Ryan and I have been spending our freetime being all "domestic". We bought a brand new couch and chair from our living room (photos to come). We are in the process of selling our old couch and loveseat, but our new couch won't be in for another 4 weeks... so we might be hanging out on the floor for a couple weeks.

Old couch (like 14 years old)...



Meanwhile, Ryan got to meet a portion of my extended family this past weekend at my cousin's 4th birthday in Chicago. Of course I ended up as cameraman haha...



My cousin ripped her presents open in record-time. Everyone seemed happy to meet Ryan, but I think they were just trying to cover their disappointment that we didn't bring Maggie.

Side story: Maggie had her first kennel experience over the weekend. We are unsure if she's ever stayed in one before, so we thought it would be a good idea
to give it a test-run before we leave her there for an entire week in December.
Well let me tell you... kennels have become POSH. She was in a "suite", not a
cage. It was a large room with a glass door, raised bed, and television airing
Animal Planet 24/7. The price included 3 potty-breaks per day, but you could pay
for extra perks like playtime, walks, snacks, and a storytime (EXACTLY what it
sounds like). How could any dog NOT enjoy their time there?!

It's sweeps month, so work is CRAZY. That, plus something is going around (I had to take last Tuesday off due to feeling-like-death), so we are all constantly covering for our coworkers.

One of my college roommates is visiting this weekend with her chihuahua, Daisy. Then after that... Thanksgiving! I'm not too excited about the actual holiday because I have to work and won't be going home or eating any delicious turkey, but I'm excited to start shopping and decorating our apartment for Christmas!

Wow, that was a lot of nonsense. Sorry! (If you made it this far.)

I'm going to the Y tomorrow. Swimming... or biking... I swear.

Hmm...

I haven't even posted once since October began.

I'll be honest... I'm thinking about taking an indefinite break from blogging.

I'm just out of things to say (okay, that's a huge lie. I have plenty to say, but no time to say it). I find myself with far less free blogging-time than I had before I moved to Indiana.

I don't see my boyfriend very much during the week, so I'd rather hang out with him than blog. Maggie would also prefer I hang out with her over blogging. And my body (which is training for a 10K in less than 2 weeks), would prefer I go run than blog about running.

Conundrum, no?

So I'll think about it. Meantime, I'll run when I have time (right now, only about 2 or 3 times per week because of my crazy work schedule), and I'll write when I'm bored or guilt gets the better of me.

Thoughts From My Couch

I took a whole week off. It wasn't really recovery... it was laziness. But I think I earned it, so there.

I've got 4 weeks until my next race, so it looks like it's time to start moving again. I ran a little yesterday and was a bit sore afterwards (it was only a WEEK off!).

So, I'm watching the Today show right now. Hoda is talking about how her and Natalie are training for a triathlon. I think they are doing a sprint (although Hoda said "the swim will be a half mile or full mile... I can't remember", so I could be wrong). Now, I've had this discussion with my mom and boyfriend recently, but I'd like to open it up to the community...

Is it just me, or has the sport of Triathlon seen a major leap in popularity over the past year/ year and a half?

My mom thinks I'm just noticing it because I started doing them around that time. Thoughts? Opinions? Do you enjoy the attention the sport is getting, or does it bother you that people are making it into a "fad"?

Who Has Time for Details?

• When my triathlon essay won second place, I won a waterproof mp3 player. It came in the mail a couple days ago. I've already had to call the company and request replacement headphones because one of the earbuds doesn't work. Once those arrive, I will write up a full review on the product. It is an interesting one indeed.

• Tomorrow is my birthday! I will be a whopping 24 years old. It's sad how your birthday becomes a lesser deal every year than passes. I love my birthday, it's just that I'm busy now. I work, and I have minimal friends in the area, and I have no idea what I'll be doing to celebrate. My brother offered Ryan and I bleacher seats at tomorrow's Cubs game, but we really don't feel like driving all the way to Chicago.

• Our triathlon is a week from tomorrow. My Dad ordered some triathlon clothes and a wetsuit rental. I think it will be funny to see my dad all decked out in his gear. I went swimming on Wednesday, and I'm feeling relatively confident about things. This won't be a super fast race for me, because my training has been lacking. But I think I can finish it without stopping, and use it as a jump-start into the rest of my triathlon season.

• My new job is going well. I already have 5 promos and 1 commercial on-air. Everyone has gushed at how impressed they are with my mad editing/graphics/directing skills. But yesterday, my boss says, "I'd say the only thing that you really need to work on is your writing." Um... EXCUSE me?! Did he just tell this to a blogger? A girl who won 2nd place in an essay contest? A girl who has been applauded all her life for her writing abilities? Yes. Yes, he did. So I guess all I can do it laugh.

That's it for now. I have work in 3 hours, so I think I will hit up the Y for a run (it's raining out). Everyone have a great weekend!!!

Today Was...

... a great day!

1) I spend the afternoon at the local animal shelter. I played with an adorable Border Collie/Beagle mix named Ozzie who wanted me to take him home with me.



But he'll have to wait. I know I should hold off until Ryan can go dog-hunting with me, but I just can't help myself! They are all so irresistible!

2) I received SECOND PLACE for my triathlon essay! The finished anthology is now available for only FIVE dollars! Here is a little excerpt to peak your interest...

"I’m going to run a triathlon,” I said. I wasn’t even sure that “run” was the correct term. Swim? Bike? “I’m going to collapse a triathlon” seemed like a closer bet. At the moment I told them, I was pretty sure my family and boyfriend thought I was crazy—and I was very sure they had doubts about my ability to follow through. After all, “I’m going to lose weight” and “I’m going to work out more” never seemed to come to fruition in the past. And here I was—training for a triathlon with the solitary hope of finally accomplishing those two goals. My sheer self-will was no longer enough to get me off the couch and to the gym. I needed a goal to push me along, so I chose to do a triathlon. It seemed exotic and dangerous and out of my league, but I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.

So go! Go buy it now!

3) A couple days ahead of schedule, I directed the entire 10 o'clock news on my own. And it was absolutely flawless. Ahhhhh. It's so nice to be good at what you do!

I hope everyone else is having as good a week as I am. Ryan moves in tomorrow!

Moving On

Greetings from Indiana!

I'm officially moved in. I finally have working cable and internet. I finally got both my non-working toilets fixed. I finally got the boxes unpacked and the mattress delivered.

Can I rest now?

Here is a quick glimpse of the new pad...





My first week (4 days) of work went well. Starting a new job is always stressful. I'm always afraid I'll be a huge letdown to the person who hired me.

Well, on my 3rd day of work, I was directing portions of the 10 o'clock news. Talk about moving FAST! I think they expect me to direct the entire show by the end of this week. No time to hesitate.

Our apartment is great and in a prime location. I'm so thrilled that the sound of traffic doesn't wake me up in the morning anymore.

There is a YMCA just down the street. There is a 2 1/2 mile path around the Y that I've been running on. It takes me about 25 minutes to get over there, loop around the path, then return home.

Let me tell you though... being out here in a developing area of town means there aren't many trees. So running around outside in the un-shaded sun is HOT. I usually return home dripping in sweat.



So what's next?

Well, Ryan will be moving in on Tuesday. I've pretty much taken over the apartment already, so I don't know where he'll be putting all his stuff. (I'm thinking the garage?)

After that, I will be jumping on the dog-ownership wagon as soon as possible. I actually went over to the local animal shelter today to look at some dogs. They were all much bigger than I'd like, though.

I hope everyone had a good week. I'll be sloooowly catching up with blogs over the next couple days.

Oh, Internet, Where Are You?

I don't have internet. I'm using my work-computer after-hours just to post this. My home-internet won't be installed until Friday (BOOOO you, Comcast!).

But, the move went well. Boxes are all unpacked, and my new place is fabulous. Had my first day of work yesterday and it went pretty well.

I'll include a much longer update and catch up with all your blogs on Saturday, I promise!

I'm a Star

Sunday was my last ever day at my TV station. It was a little sad.

The awesome part, however, was that our relay team was on the news!

Here is the video... our relay story is at 1:37.



Sweet, right? :)

And here is a fabulously-cheesy screen-shot of my teammate and I high-fiving...



2 days til I move. I'm so excited!!

Rockford Marathon Race Report

(If you stumbled on my blog looking for race results, go here. If you're looking for photos, go here. Or you could just stop and stay for a while!)

Today, I ran in my first marathon.

I won't make you wait... I'll just get right to the good part:

I completed my 6.27 miles in 59:03.

That's a personal-record pace of 9:25.

I'm in total disbelief. After reviewing my recent runs and races, I was aiming for a 10:25 pace. So this blew me away. Granted, my last 5K was run in a 9:26 pace, but this was twice as far!

So overall, I'm thrilled.

Here are a few photos and a rough rundown of the day...

The race went off with a bang at 7 am. It was a BRISK 39 degrees outside.



Our sports reporter was there capturing the action.



After the race started, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I walked over to my relay start, but no one was there. So... I went home. It was only a 10 minute walk back to my apartment. I warmed up inside, drank some water, and watched some "Property Virgins" haha.

Around 8, I meandered back towards the race. Our 2nd relay runner came in around 1:55. We high-fived and I was on my way.

About 2 miles in, I thought to myself, "I'm way too tired. I'm probably going too fast." I don't know my mile splits, because I started my race somewhere around 13.5 miles.

Around 4 miles, my hip started aching. Fortunately, it never got so bad that I had to slow down.

At 5 miles, we started heading up hill. It was really tough. I saw some extremely strong runners slow to a walk under the hilly conditions. But I kept chugging along and would NOT allow myself to walk.

I neared our final relay checkpoint, and I was feeling pretty decent. I was able to give it a good push up the final hill and enjoyed a large cheering audience. I high-fived our final runner, and she was off.

I felt good, but hungry. We drove back to the finish line, and I scarfed down a bagel and some chips.

At 3:48, our anchor crossed the finish line.



One thing I'm dissapointed about is that the marathon and HM runners all got medals, but the relay runners did not. Boo that.

We checked our final time on a nearby computer, and found a big surprise. It said we finished in 1:10! That's right... under 3 minute miles haha.

I guess what happened was our 2nd runner got lost along his route and ended up CROSSING the finish line before he even hit mile 12. Well, he was wearing his chip, and it must've registered that we finished our race. Woops!

Oh well... no harm done. Someone else must've made the same mistake, because it said we got 2nd place overall. I just don't want anyone to think that the local news team tried to cheat!



I got a little sunburnt. I know I should've worn sunscreen, but when it's 35 degrees and you can't feel your fingers, slathering on sunscreen is the last thing on your mind.

Thanks for everyone's support recently. I feel really great about my race and especially my time. Even though 6.27 isn't an official race distance, I'm going count this as a big fat PR! Now that I've done this, I look forward to signing up for my first 10K.

Happy Anniversary

An exerpt from my very first blog entry:

Well, to explain how I got here, I need to explain where I started... which was more recently than it seems.

Our city held a marathon about a month back. What's funny is I wasn't even awake for it. I think I slept until 1pm that day. But, when you work at a news station, these things tend to come up. One of our reporters even ran with a relay team.

So it got me to thinking. I've always had it in the back of my head that I wanted to run a marathon some day. But I always thought of it in a 'distant future' sort of way.

It was that VERY moment that inspired me to get off my butt and start running again.

And here I am... one year later, and I'm going to run in that EXACT marathon tomorrow. If you had told my 2008 self I'd be doing this, I would have laughed in your face.

So tomorrow's race is sort of a big deal for me. It's my 1 year training anniversary. Yay!

I'm nervous about tomorrow. It's supposed to be chilly (40 degrees), so I'm not sure what to wear. Because of the relay, I can't leave any clothing at the beginning of my leg, cause I won't be back there. So what do I wear that allows me to stand around for 2 hours waiting, but still allows me to run 6+ miles?

Our Sports Director, Pat, talked about the marathon last night during the news. The Director made a funny graphic using all our heads and hot runner bodies (except mine... that is TOTALLY my stomach!).



Here is a link to the whole video on our website. I'm about 2:28 into it.

I won't have my photographer (my mom) at the race, so I'll try to bring my camera with.

First marathon experience... WOO! (dear God, help me.)

I'm Moving!

It's official. I gave my 2 weeks notice today at work. What's odd is that my boss said he already knew I was leaving. Apparently my new station is owned by the same company who owns a rival station here in town. So someone from there told him? I dunno. Strange how the TV industry works.

Let me backtrack a little... on Friday, I was offered a position in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They were promising a work schedule that didn't include weekends, the opportunity to edit commercials on a weekly basis (which I really enjoy), and $12,000 more than I'm making now.

I'm sold!

So 2 weeks from now, I will be heading out for Indiana. My boyfriend will be moving in with me some time during June. (I've never lived with a boy before... scary! (Ryan, don't read that.))

I'm excited. I've never been one to shy away from change. And I love starting fresh in a new town and learning all the wonderful and quirky things about it.

Looks like I'm gonna have to start looking for an Indiana triathlon soon!

TGIF Photo Friday

Photos from last week...

Ryan and I went to a minor league hockey game...



We saw the sports guy from my station there...



That night, Ryan and I were on the news...



We're now local celebrities (yeah... not really).

On a different note, I'd like to thank everyone for being so nice. So many "good lucks" in reference to my job search. To appease my readers, I'd like to inform you all that I began packing today. Granted, it was only one measly little box... but it's a start.

So yes... that means I've been offered a job. Yes... that means I'm moving.

But where? THAT you'll just have to wait and see.

I Can Finally Breathe (For Now)

Smackdown

Ryan bowled...



Kelly bowled...



Note the final scores...



Enough said.

Interviews

I don't want to go into too much detail until I hear back from the stations, but they both seemed to go well.

Since this was my only chance to get out there before I would need to move there, my Mom and I took the opportunity to look at apartments and drive around town.

It was an extremely long 2 days.

4 hours driving
4 hours of sleep
3 apartment complexes
1 1/2 hour interview
2 more apartment complexes
1/2 hour interview
4 hours driving

By the end, we were exhausted. I'm crossing my fingers for these jobs, but I know even if I don't get them, something else will come along. The recent interest in me has definitely peaked my confidence.

Training

This is what I'm supposed to be writing about, right? I had a bad 1 1/2 weeks due to Ryan being here, and then me being gone. I've been short on time. I've been out of food for days now. But instead of going grocery shopping this morning, I went running like a good little marathoner.

I ran 4 miles a week ago and nothing since then, so I was nervous to amp it up to 5 all of a sudden.

But my 5 miles went swimmingly. It was 54 degrees with no sun and a little wind. I've only ran 5 miles ONCE before, and it was over a month ago. I was very happy to come in having knocked a whopping 1:10 off last month's 5-mile pace. That's over 5 minutes off! Nice.

2 1/2 weeks until the marathon. It's an important day for me, but I'll explain that more later. I'm actually starting to feel like I just might do this!

I Swear I'm Not Dead

- Ryan was here for 5 days (3 of which I had to work). We tried out some new restaurants, I kicked his butt in bowling, and we watched our local hockey team lose the final game of the season.

- After being contacted about a job in Indiana, I was then contacted about a job in Las Vegas. I had a phone interview with Indiana today, and I have a phone interview with Vegas tomorrow.

- Today's phone interview went so well that they asked me to come in for a real interview. My mom and I will drive out there tonight.

- It has been hot here (seriously... I'm sweating as I sit here typing this), yet seriously rainy and windy. Not very good workout weather.

- I'm not ashamed to admit that I only worked out once last week. I had a 5-miler on schedule for tomorrow, but it looks like that may not happen.

- Only 3 weeks until the marathon. I never did sign up for my triathlon (June 7th), because the day I went to sign up for it, I was contacted about 2 jobs. So we'll see how these pan out first.

- I'll be back and blogging (with photos from last week and Ryan's bowling smackdown) by Wednesday or Thursday.

Have a good week!

This Really IS a Horrible Idea

I don't know what I was thinking... but I just agreed to be on a marathon relay team. Yes, me: the girl who has never run more than 5 miles. The girl who never even WATCHED a marathon, much less thought about participating in one.

I'll give you a moment to let all that sink in.



I was asked to join three of my coworkers (who are all on-air). They wanted to form a station team so they could promote it on our news beforehand.

1/4 of a marathon is about 6 1/2 miles. The race is 5 1/2 weeks from now. Phew. Looks like I need to start running more. Like... NOW.

Check

It's my "weekend".

Triathlon training officially began yesterday with a little time on the trainer (and I really do mean little... but I'm kinda sore today). Then this afternoon, I did my first swim in 2 months. I stopped after some inner ear pain, then tried to get water out of my right ear for the next 5 hours.

Biggest Loser is on tonight (yeah, yeah... I'm a little behind). Ryan and I always tape it and then watch it at the same time while we make comments online. "That person is stupid," "I can't believe she did that," "He is totally going to win," etc etc etc.

I facebook-status-guilt-tripped my mom into working out today. Muahaha. One more check in the good deed book (there had BETTER be one of those when I get to Heaven!).

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.

Running in PA and Getting Sick

I got back from Philly yesterday morning. I brought with me a brutal cold.

Trip summary...

Got in on Tuesday afternoon. That evening, we went out to hear some bands play at a local bar.



On Wednesday, the weather was gorgeous.



So I made Ryan go running with me.



We went 1 1/2 miles in a little over 16 minutes. I do NOT envy any runner who has to put up with those insane hills!

Thursday, I woke up sick. I had a horrible sore throat, so we spent the day in (Ryan took very good care of me).

And here I am... still sick. Although from what I hear, it must be a virus going around the blogging community. My sore throat has turned into a full-blown cold. I'm trying to drug it into submission, but that doesn't seem to be working.

That guy never called me about the job. I'm angry. He promised he would call, and I even called HIM and left a voicemail asking that he call me back. I was thinking to myself that he better have a really good reason for not calling me... like he got in a car accident or his house exploded. But then I felt bad for wishing ill upon him, so I tried to think of GOOD reasons why he wouldn't call me... like he was called to be on a game show, or he won the lottery and quit his job. That sounds likely, right?

I hope everyone had a good week. I have a cold to kick and 2 pounds to re-lose. I'll try to get back into the blogging this week.

Waiting Game

No word yet on the job. He said there was a 50% chance he'd make the decision by Friday, and a 50% chance he'd make it by Monday. So tomorrow is the big day. He said he would call me no matter what, which is good.

I ran 3 miles yesterday in 31:29 (10:29 pace), which is faster than normal. The weather is starting to warm up. We have cold days, but there are enough warm days for me to get outside and run at least once a week.

March Madness is driving me... well, MAD. One game runs over, which causes the next one to start late. Then that game goes into overtime, which causes the following game to start late, and next thing you know... our 10 o'clock news isn't going on air until 11:45. Plus, I really dislike basketball. Yesterday, I had the supreme privilege of watching SEVEN hours of it. I bet some of you out there would DIE to get paid for that.

I'm heading to Philadelphia this week to visit the boy. If anyone has any great sightseeing suggestions, leave a comment!