Saturday, September 27, 2014

September Goal Recap and October Goals

I'm pretty sure September can be summed up as a "Life happens, deal with it" month.

The month was anything but perfect. Work was crazy with the audit happening a week and a half ago, but it paid off. We got the highest score (platinum) in the district and one of only five in the franchise. So, yeah. It was worth it.

With that, my goals went a little downhill, but I still got a lot accomplished this month.

Here's what I set out to do:


Here's how I did:

1) Complete The Conscious Runner's 30 Day Plank Challenge. Done, but did a little tweaking along the way. I got the days in, but altered my rest days a bit. So this was a success.

2) Run three times a week and NOT on consecutive days. Uh...I did good the first week! The rest of the month I only got two days a week in, but not consecutive days. The stress of work got to me and I took extra rest days with my running. This one was half-successful.

3) Place at least $50 into savings. Bust! I only got $30 in. Tough early in the month and I couldn't save anything. If it wasn't for seven hours OT, I wouldn't have even got the $30.

4) No daily weighing. Okay, I nailed this one. I weighed once a week, saw myself lose the five pounds I gained, then ignored the scale. Eventually, I'm hoping to get to once a month weigh-ins, but as long as I don't weigh myself every day, then I'm good.

5) Try at least two new recipes. I did good with this too. I made a black bean and quinoa burger that was pretty tasty. I also ate a PB and cinnamon oatmeal that was good too (and microwaveable-WIN!). So I got myself out of a bit of a rut, but still can do better.

My reward was two Sparkly Soul headbands, but since I was only half-successful this month, I'm only getting one. Hey, I have to get something for what I did right! ;-)

Okay, now that I recapped September, time to look to October!


1) One new recipe a week. I'm in a bit of a cooking funk and want to get back in the swing. Pinterest has a TON of stuff, and I do have a few cookbooks. Time to get back in the kitchen!

2) Place $30 into savings. No matter how small my paychecks are, I can afford to save $15 a check. No excuses.

3) Three days a week of core work (15 minutes or more). This one is going to be a challenge, but doable. My core work has been slacking lately (shame on me), and I need to get back into the mix. Core classes at my gym are starting to get few and far between, so it's up to me to come up with the workouts. I have a Nike training app, plus I see workouts all over the place.

4) Blog once a week. I've been a bad blogger. I had that stretch where I gained, plus work was crazy! Even if I only write a "fluff" post (Friend Makin' Monday, Thinking Out Loud, etc.), I still want to get something up on here weekly! Suggestions are welcome. ;-)

5) Empty inbox once a week. I'm one of those people who tends to let e-mail sit FOREVER! I need to clean out all the junk and maybe even unsubscribe to a few things.

My reward for October is The Skinnytaste Cookbook. I've heard about it, and would love to try some of the stuff for myself. Hello, guilt-free Double Chocolate and Walnut Cookies!

That's it here! October's mission is to make old habits new again! I think I set the groundwork for that!

What about you? What are your goals for October?

No Half-Marathon for Tracy

This post may sound like it doesn't make sense, but I was writing what I felt. You've been warned. ;-)

I meant to write this post earlier in the week, but I haven't stopped moving long enough to do so, plus I needed a few days to let this sink in.

I will not be running a half-marathon in April. I may not even run one in 2015.

Before you all yell at me for going back on my word, just let me say that this decision was not an easy one. In fact, I was continuously on the fence about it. When I actually made the decision, it was heartbreaking, but I knew it was for the best.

However, several factors came into play about me not going forward.

The first is my mental confidence is really not where I want it to be. I've had runs where I feel amazing, and others where I think to myself, "Can I do this for 13.1 miles?" That alone pretty much says it all. This whole running thing is as much mental as it is physical, and the wrong mindset can send everything into a bad tailspin. Not cool.

The second is that I am not a fast nor long runner. It would take me ages to build up my endurance (both distance and speed) for something like that. I know I can train for a half in as little as three months, but at the same time, I don't want to rush it and risk being miserable or getting hurt. Neither is any fun, and recovering from injury just sucks. Not worth it right now.

The third is that damn thing called "Keeping Up with the Joneses" syndrome. Since I gave myself some tough love a few months ago, I've gotten better, but at the same time, I still struggle with it. I see all these people who have run multiple marathons (both full and half) and even multiple races in one weekend (I'm looking at all those Dopey challengers!), and feel like I've done nothing completing only seven 5K's.

Yes, I know those seven are seven more than the old me would have done. Still, I know people who have completed seven FULL marathons. Then I get the mindset of feeling like a failure.

Ridiculous? Totally.

It was last weekend when I tweeted all those thoughts when my friends Dani and Carlee pretty much told me that my time will (eventually) come and that I had to own my OWN journey. They also said that I have to believe (for myself that I am as awesome as everyone else.

You know what? I do believe it now, more than I did before.

I may not have gone from couch potato to marathoner, but I have gone from couch potato to spin fanatic and basically just enjoys movement in general.

I went from someone who didn't love herself to losing 100 pounds and enjoying the body I'm in.

Honestly, isn't that worth a hell of a lot more than a half-marathon finisher's medal?

I think it is.

Maybe I'll eventually complete a half. Maybe not. If that path isn't meant for me, then so be it. I'm happy with what I've done and nothing can take any of those 5K's, weight loss, or self-love away from me.

Except maybe for me. I just have to learn to own and enjoy my own journey without feeling like I'm not as good as everyone else.

I now believe that I am. I have the heart, passion, and soul that make everything I've done possible. I've had a pretty awesome journey, despite the ups and downs, and every moment of it has made me the best I can be.

I would say that's pretty awesome.

How about you? Have you had to make a decision that was as heartbreaking for you as it was for me?

P.S.-I'm not bashing all of you half and full marathoners. In fact, I think you all rock! I just realized that I wasn't feeling as awesome because I don't have a collection of medals like y'all do. Not the case now.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Checking In!

Happy Friday night, my friends! Currently winding down and in bed watching JAG reruns. I'm a bit of an NCIS fan, so it was only time before I got into this show (even though it ended almost 10 years ago).

Anyway, I haven't posted in awhile (okay, a week or so), and just wanted to fill you in on what's been going on here!

1) Confession: I gained five pounds in three weeks. I owned up to it all (increased sodium intake, breaking "Treat-End," and not going cardio crazy) and got back in the game this week. Result: I lost four of the five pounds! I'm now back at goal and one pound from my "ideal" weight!

2) I've been tracking for over a year! I hit the one year mark on August 31, and still going strong! Not every choice has been pretty, but I owned up to it all. That is what counts, right?

3) I had my first sub-12:00/mile run in ages today! According to my tracker (Caledos Runner), I ran just under two miles with a pace of about 11:40/mile! I'm more than happy with that!

P.S.-Top is from RunID that I won during Twitter's RunChat on Sunday night. Cute, right? ;-)

4) I've become obsessed with Stonyfield's Salted Caramel Greek yogurt. It's only 140 calories for a five ounce cup and it is FAT-FREE!



5) I took a cue from my girl (and recent Half-Ironman finisher) Dani and started drinking water before my coffee in the morning. I only do about 16-20 ounces, but it's worth it. I've ended up drinking over 100 ounces of water a day since.

Yes, I love Despicable Me and Frozen. Then again, who doesn't these days? ;-)


Oh, and today, I got a bit of awesome news...

I'M A FITFLUENTIAL AMBASSADOR!

Remember when I filled out that application? Almost three months ago? Well, I kind of forgot about it.

Until today, when this popped into my e-mail:


I never thought that someone who has a following as small as mine would end up getting something like this! Wow! Guess it goes to show that, like they said in Horton Hears a Who, a person is a person, no matter how small. Seriously, I feel honored and thank FitFluential for the opportunity and can't wait to see what it brings!

Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm working tomorrow night, but don't go in until 5, and am off on Sunday!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Twenty-Nine Miles Done...Plus One More, Along With September Goals!

Happy September, everyone! Drinking a pumpkin coffee from Wawa as I write this since, you know, it's the season after all! Seriously, if you're ever in Jersey, get to a Wawa and get some coffee and chocolate milk. They're both awesome.

Anyway, since it's now September 1, I guess I should recap my August goal, huh? ;-)

Well, if you remember my post in the beginning of August, I said that I wanted to run 29 miles since my 29th birthday was on the 7th.

Guess what? I didn't run 29 miles.

I ran 30!!

I ended Friday at 29.5 miles, and thought I would be happy with that. Here's the pic I posted then as proof of my excitement (Sparkle Athletic skirt and all):


I let it sink in for a day or so, then yesterday, I thought that if I put in just another half mile, I would be at an even 30 for the month, and since you all know I like things nice and even, I decided to go out yesterday and do it, despite it being the hottest day of the month.


Boom. I started off the month not sure that this would happen to going a mile over my goal. You know, for a girl who used to HATE running (I WALKED the mile in high school, for crying out loud!), I did pretty good for myself. Granted, I may never be the fastest, but I finish what I start. That's what counts more, right?

In case you're wondering, I still haven't decided on my reward for this. I'm leaning toward this Alex and Ani Champion bracelet, since I've not only been wanting it forever, but at the same time, it's a fitting symbol of how far I came with this!

All five of my current bracelets are in silver but I think this one looks awesome in the gold, no? Well, I have to wait until next week anyway, but I think this is what I'm getting myself!

Well, since I rocked my one BIG goal in August, I decided to go back to smaller ones for September. Here's the lowdown if you haven't seen it on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram:


1) Complete The Conscious Runner's 30 Day Plank Challenge. I got invited to this on Facebook (only have a personal page), and decided to go for it. It's four planks (side on each arm, basic, and reverse) for a set amount of time each day, with rest days built in to the challenge. Perfect for me!

2) Run three times a week and NOT on consecutive days. I have a 5K coming up on October 5, and want to keep running so I'm race ready that day! I'm trying not to run on consecutive days, mostly for injury prevention. I did in August (mostly to meet my goal mileage), and want to prevent that in September. I'm taking a week as recovery, and planning on going full force after the 7th!

3) Place at least $50 in savings. Hoping I get to save a little more this month. I wasn't able to in August (Okay, $10--which is better than nothing!), and want to get some more money set aside for a rainy day or maybe a Fitbloggin' trip next summer! ;-)

4) No daily weighing. I was doing good with this, then started to let this bad habit sneak back in toward the end of August. So, back to banishing the scale except for once a week!

5) Try at least two new recipes. I fell into a cooking rut. Again. I found a vegetarian recipe online that sounds amazing and want to try! I'm finding so many other recipes now that I'm back in the Pinterest game (hoopsfreak03 over there), so I have TONS of inspiration!

My reward for this month will be two new Sparkly Soul headbands. It's been awhile since I bought any, and there are several that I want!

Anyway, that's my recap of August and plans for September!

Here's to starting the fall off right!

Do you have any awesome September goals?