St. Malachi Race Report

 
To make a long story short - I DID IT!  I finished the 5 mile St. Malachi under an hour AND was treated to my entire delicious cupcake because of it.   Evil Andy foiled again! ;-)  It was a great day :)

I will admit I almost backed out at the last moment.  Andy and I were running late after dropping off the kids at an early morning soccer game and meeting up with my mom.  By time we got near the race, a lot of roads were closed because the 2 mile run had already started.  We couldn't get to the major parking lots, and were stuck looking for on street parking.   The weather was horrible at this point - 33 degrees and icy rain pelting the windshield.  Andy turned to me and half-jokingly said, "It's warm in here.  We have cupcakes and you already have your race shirt.  No one needs to know."

I swear that man is the bad angel on my shoulder sometimes!

But then he's also my good angel, too.  I gave him the old side-eye, and he knew I meant business. I would be running this race no matter what!  Andy then treated me to the most ridiculous rendition of Alicia Keyes' "Girl on Fire" while we looked for parking.  I love this man.

With 15 minutes to start, I jumped out of the car, and headed to the start line. But first I had use the  bathroom.  The line for the indoor bathroom was insane.

Right before the start of the race

This is the part of the story where I become a folk hero!   Just as I was nearing an open stall, a woman yells out, "All the toilet paper is gone!  All of it! In the entire bathroom!" (she seemed a little freaked).  I remembered that I had about half a box of kleenex shoved up my sleeves because I was so worried about my nose running during the race so I shouted back, "I have tissues! Lots and lots of tissues" And then I became a human kleenex dispenser with women pulling tissues out of my sleeves and thanking me.  Like these women LOVED me, and couldn't thank me enough.  It was all very touching, and I received many warm wishes for a good race, and was even told I was the nicest person EVER.  Women really value toilet paper.

By some miracle, I made it out to the start with a minute to spare, and by a greater miracle Andy found me in the crowd of thousands getting ready to run. He gave me a last minute kiss, hug and threat against my cupcake and off I went.

So many people running on such a yucky day! Runners are tough!

This was my first time wearing my new GPS watch for a race, and I can't stress how much I loved it and how motivating I found it to be.   The field was so crowded that I didn't even get to the starting line until 90+ seconds after the gun.  I was able hit start on my watch at the exact moment I crossed the start, and get an accurate pace for myself when I crossed the mile markers rather than just hearing the clock times shouted out.  I loved it!

After a quick turn down W. 25th street,  we turned again to cross the Detroit Superior bridge heading towards downtown Cleveland, and that's where it really became obvious that the conditions sucked. Bridges are the pits for running as far as I'm concerned - they seem harmless enough, but that slow, steady incline is killer.  And the wind is pretty bad too, especially on a day like this one.  The road was really slick, and there were many pot holes and big puddles.  I was sliding everywhere, and my feet were soaked almost immediately and I was regretting this whole thing. I was really hoping Andy wasn't taking my under 60 minute promise too seriously  because I was pretty sure I would be lucky to just walk this entire race. And that's when I saw it.

The crowd of runners thinned a bit and I found myself running behind a man whose shirt read "In Loving Memory of Katie Rees.  Fight the good fight.  Finish the race.  Keep the faith."  I started crying.  To an embarrassing degree; thank goodness it was raining. I promised myself right there I wasn't letting this man, this shirt, this memorial, these phrases out of my sight.  I had no idea how fast he was going to run - and prayed it wouldn't be too fast -  but I knew I was staying with him for the duration.

And I did....down W. 3rd,  all the way around Cleveland Browns Stadium, past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, around Voinovich Park, down to Burke Lake Front Airport, and back again, I stayed behind him repeating in my head, "Fight the good fight.  Finish the race.  Keep the faith."

I tried to focus on the stories going on around me.  There are so many stories you see on a race day.  Some people make their stories perfectly clear  like the man in front of me running in Katie's honor.  Other stories you can only guess at, or maybe overhear, or kind of make up in your head. 

When I ran the Cleveland Half-Marathon last year, I ran several miles with a young, attractive, fit looking couple.   The girl was injured, and really struggling.  Every so often, they would stop, stretch, walk, then run again.  He was always encouraging her, and was incredibly supportive.  At mile 11, he put her on his back and ran over a mile that way in 85 degree heat.  That made me cry, too, and I thought to myself - Don't let this guy go!  Ever! He's a keeper!  This shit is more romantic than The Notebook!

During the St. Malachi Run, I saw two older women running together in green tutus, laughing all the way. race.  I saw two young men running together who gave a big ole "screw this" on the final pass back over the bridge, and instead happily called it quits, high-fived and ran down a big hill to the designated after-party bar in the Flats. Tee hee. I saw a father and his little girl - no more than 7 years old - running together.  She was getting tired, so as I ran passed I said, "You are impressive, young lady!  You are totally going to beat me!".  She smiled and said, "Yes, I am!" and took off like a shot.  Her Dad seemed really happy that she got a little extra boost.   I saw another Dad with a young teen daughter - she was slowing down, and he was running backwards trying to encourage her.  She was having none of it, as a 13 year old might, and told him, "OMG, Dad!  You are like the worst EVER!"  and "No. Just No.  You are too enthusiastic."  It was cracking me up and reminded me of some conversations I've had at home with my own teenager.  I saw another runner take a horrible tumble early in the race into a big, freezing puddle.  He was soaked.   Another runner who didn't seem to know him ran up, made sure he was OK, and gave him the pair of gloves off his own hands so that the soaked runner would at least have warm hands.

This is why I love runners and racing.   I am a generally positive person, and negative people baffle and exhaust me.  I can think of no other situation I can be in where there are just thousands of people gathered together, helping each other, and putting out such good positive energy.   It's indescribable, and just so good for the soul.

Despite the conditions, my race was going very well.  I was stunned when I hit the 3 mile mark at 32 minutes. This meant I was actually getting my first sub-33 minute mile 5K (3.1miles) even though it wouldn't technically count as such since it was a longer race.

As I came up on mile 4 and the big hill on West 3rd next to the Stadium, I started to lose steam, and had to stop and walk for about 20 seconds.   And *just* as I started to panic and worried about falling behind the man in the inspirational shirt, I noticed the song I was listening to on my iPod - Mumford and Sons "After the Storm":

Get over your hill and see
what you find there,
With grace in your heart
and flowers in your hair.

 

Get over your hill and see what you find there. 

Get over your hill.  

Get over this hill. 

Fight the good fight. 

Finish the race.  

Keep the faith.

And I did.  As I came up to the bridge, I saw that I was at 51 minutes and had half a mile to go.  I had this!  I would finish under an hour.

My feet were numb at this point, but I just kept moving and hoping it would soon be over.  As I made the turn onto 25th, and could see the finish line, I also saw Andy just as he saw me.  He looked at me, he looked at the clock, and he started wildly clapping and yelling for me because he knew I was exceeding even my highest hopes for this race.   His joy and my own made me tear up AGAIN.  I freakin' cry a lot when I run!!

Bringing it in.  I swear I'm running!

I finished at 56:29 with an average pace of 11:18.

 And you better believe I enjoyed that WHOLE cupcake!!  Here is the embarrassing photographic evidence to prove it..

After the first bite.  This takes guts to post, people!

My next race is on Sunday, April 27 - The Cleveland 10 Miler.  This is a big one for me!  Every year this race has the most awesome shirts.  They always say "Run Like A God" on the back, which is the theme of this Hermes' sponsored race.  I. Want. That. Shirt.  I've wanted one since I've started running, and I am so excited to earn it next month!

My one non-grubby picture from Saturday.

Just like the movie Speed, but with a cupcake and no bus..and no one's in danger of dying or anything

This is my cupcake.

It is not "real food" in any sense.  It smells amazing, and is loaded with sugar and chocolate.   And booze.   It's an Irish Car Bomb Cupcake, and there is Guinness, Jameson and Bailey's in this here thing.  And it shall be mine after running the 5 mile St. Malachi Run tomorrow morning.

I first saw this cupcake last week at Grandma Campbell's stand at the West Side Market, and thought I NEED THIS. Oh yeah.  But I have to earn it first - I mean, I am in the middle of  weight loss contest  and all. Andy bought this little beauty for me today, and will have it at the finish line tomorrow as my reward.

I've been obsessed  talking about this cupcake since last week.  I 'm nervous about the  race because it's going to be cold, windy,  hilly and the weather forecast predicts 1-2 inches of snow may fall.  I hate all four of those things when I am running. So I definitely think a reward will be in order when I successfully complete my self-inflicted torture.

Andy and I have a playful marriage, and we're strange.   I just need to mention that first.

So....I've been talking about this race and this cupcake and my lofty goals with my husband.  I would LOVE to finish in under 60 minutes.  That would be good for me on a flat course with perfect conditions. Maintaining something under a 12 min/mile pace tomorrow might be impossible for me, but I'd love to go for it.

So my ever supportive husband is holding my precious cupcake hostage.

If I clock-in under 60 minutes, then she's all mine.

Come to Mama, you boozey sweet thang.

For every minute more it takes me,  Andy will take one nibble.  Of the cupcake.  Torturous!, silly, fun and motivating.

Andy's joking about the text messages he's going to send me during the race:

Get your ass moving! Or the cupcake gets it!

If you drop below 5mph, this cupcake blows up. What do you do? What do you do?! 
(because it is kind of like the movie Speed,  but with a cupcake, right?)


So tomorrow morning, there will be runners out there running for glory, personal satisfaction and charitable reasons, but I shall be running for the most important reason of all - a cupcake that can get me tipsy.  And I will do anything to keep that Snidely Whiplash of a husband from getting my cake. 

What's the point if you can't have fun, eh?

Post Race Report to Come!

 

 

Believe it or not it's just me

Look at what's happened to me,
I can't believe it myself.
Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,
It should've been somebody else.
Believe it or not,
I'm walking on air.
I never thought I could feel so free-.
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.

 
I'm in a pretty good groove here :-)

Working out is going very well.  I'm settled into a 5x per week pattern, mixing it up between the elliptical, running and jazzercise.   I had a great three day stretch over the weekend where I did a double in jazzercise (two classes back to back!) on Friday, 45 minutes on the elliptical Saturday (hill climbing, level 11), and a 6 mile run on Sunday.  Felt awesome! - and boy was I ready for a rest day on Monday.  It's Tuesday now, and I'm feeling recovered and ready to go again.

A hot, happy mess after a 6 mile run.

I love feeling strong.  Love, love, LOVE it.   I always used to joke that if a serial killer was chasing me through the woods that I would immediately drop to the ground, cover my head, and just beg for him to make the murder as quick as possible.  Now?  Heck no!  That serial killer better be super duper fast, or have amazing cardio because I am running forrrrrreverrrrrr.   Or I might just turn around and kick his butt with my cardiokickboxing moves.

"Excuse me, Mr. Killer.  Can you stand still while I execute my impressive "barn burner" upon you?"

It's crazy enough that it just might work!

I also love the idea that I'm a person that could run for help if needed.  I know that sounds stupid, but I am a crazy worrier and I tend to rattle around some pretty strange scenarios in my head.

What if we're driving through the mountains and have a car accident....and Andy is hurt....and we don't have cell phone reception....and the kids are hungry and cold and I NEED to run for help.

Back in the day,  the family would have been screwed.

But today?  I'm your gal!  Send me, send me!  I can do it!

Stupid?  Maybe.  But I think it's more about having another way that I can take care of my family if needed.  I am not helpless.  I'm strong.

Maybe this is because eating healthy and working out sometimes makes me feel like a superhero.  I'm sure y'all are thinking I'm nuts right about now.  But for a woman who felt so tired, fat, low energy, sick and out of breath for years being healthy and strong does feel superhuman.   I never knew that people went about day to day feeling *this* way - and let me tell you, it is infinitely better than eating brownies, pizza, fettuccine alfredo and all of that stuff I used to love.

******************************************************

I've got a few new favorites in the food department.

Here's today's lunch:

Isn't that pretty?!  I'm on a bit of salad kick which is kind of unusual for me. I love a good salad, but I'm not crazy about making one for myself.   Lately I've been buying a container of organic spring mix lettuce, and chopping tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms and cucumbers.  I boiled a bunch of chicken breasts with seasoning, and then cooled, chopped and popped in the freezer in 1/2 cup servings   I've also discovered an amazing recipe for healthy croutons. Whole Wheat Croutons - 1 WW Point per serving.
Throw a little balsamic on top of this beauty and you are good to go!


Oh, and see those blackberries?  That's part of a great deal I got from Basketeria at the West Side Market.  12 pints of organic blackberries for $8.  I mean, really???!  That's crazy cakes.

I froze a lot of the berries, but I'm  also eating them every which way - making smoothies, muffins, etc.  Blackberries, blackberries, blackberries!

Basically I'm feeling a little like this right now.

 

Speaking of those blackberry muffins I made.  Follow this fabulous recipe.    I used coconut oil and no-sugar added apple juice in the recipe.  Really tasty.   They are approximately 115 calories each, and all real food ingredients so an excellent healthy choice for breakfast or a snack.    My kids dig them, too!

Good day, friends!

 

Making sense of weeks that don't make sense

Two weeks ago, I had an okay week.  I worked out hard, but my food choices were only so-so.  There were a few too many indulgences, and I was very lazy about measuring my portions.   Lo and behold, I lost 3 lbs that week.  Odd.

Last week, I was hit with a yucky stomach bug.  For three days I had nothing but water, hot tea, and a handful of pretzel rods.   When I started feeling a bit better, my eating resumed as normal.   When I weighed in on Tuesday night, I was down .3lbs. 

Excuse me?
And a hearty WTF?! for good measure.
I didn't eat for three days and didn't even lose a pound.

And here for me is one of THE biggest challenges in my weight loss journey.

How do I deal with  weeks when the scale does not reflect reality?  How do I not get discouraged when the scale doesn't confirm the good things I've done, or perhaps more detrimental in the long run,  the mistakes I've made?

First of all, I am VERY glad that I did not lose the 4-5lbs I expected to lose after being sick.  I knew that wouldn't be a real and lasting weight loss, and I would just be worried about not showing a big gain the following week.   On the other hand, I can not figure out how it is humanly possible that I weighed (nearly) the same at the end of the week that I did at the beginning. 

But what about those weeks when you are just a weight loss star?  Killing it at the gym.   Avoiding temptation at every turn.   Filling yourself with reasonable portions of healthy, whole foods.   Then you take to the scale and......

That hurts!  And it's confusing, and  makes you second guess EVERYTHING.  What am I doing wrong?  And if you are like me there is that thought...."Well Eff It All!  If I'm going to work so hard and lose nothing/only x, then I might as well eat those Oreos/Doritos/cake/chips."  That thought can easily turn into a very destructive course that can derail you from your goals.

But what about those other weeks?  The weeks where you're a bit off - eating bigger portions and more indulgent snacks, having a few drinks with friends, not working out as much, sneaking some of the kids' leftovers after dinner and....Bam! You actually lose weight.

Honestly, I think these are the hardest weeks for me.

Oh, don't get me wrong! They feel GREAT when they happen,  kind of like winning a little weight loss lottery.

But these happy surprises can also bring their own destructive thoughts:  Hmmmm, maybe I don't have to work quite so hard? Maybe I can cheat a little bit more and still lose?  And the unspoken mental game I start playing with myself...How far can I push this and still lose/not gain?

When I give in to these thoughts the outcome is always the same - push it a little more each week and then eventually stop losing and start gaining.  And that brings me right back to the whole  "Well Eff It All!" line of thinking and licking the double stuff off a whole box of Oreos. Or standing over the kitchen sink stuffing Doritos in my mouth so quickly that I'm actually poking myself with the sharp edges (truth).

This is bad, my friends.  Bad, bad, bad!!


Ideally, effort would always equal results on the scale. It is so easy to be discouraged if that number is surprising, inexplicable, frustrating or otherwise wacky. 

Maybe you had too much sodium?
Maybe you didn't have enough water?
Maybe the body gonna do what the body gonna do?



Don't let that number get in your head.  Let it go, and keep moving forward.


You can analyze this stuff to death.  And for those of us with food and weight issues, we probably have.  We've got to stop.

I can say that every time I have failed when trying to lose weight it's been because I 've lost sight of the big picture and let one moment - one failing, one weird weigh-in - have too much sway.


I refuse to do that any more.  I do find weekly weigh-ins important  because of the trends they help me see over time. But a single weigh-in?  Nope! Just like a single high calorie meal or even a weekend foodfest it does NOT mean much in terms of your long term goals.   Every time I convince myself otherwise, it's nothing more than self-sabotage. I've got the power here - not the scale.  Consistent effort will be rewarded.  That is a fact. 

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert J Collier

Since that surprising Tuesday number, I am happy to report that I have gone about things as business as usual and have not given in to head games.  I've stayed on target with both eating and working out.  Hopefully, the scale will reflect that next week.  If it doesn't, then I will soldier on until the scale can't ignore my efforts :-)

 

Another Challenge Ends!

I know I'm really kind of weird with all of these challenges.

We have successfully completed our annual February "No Eating Out!" Challenge.  For the month, this meant no restaurant eating of any type (fast food, dine-in, carry-out), no vending machines, no coffee stops, no purchased school lunches.  Everything we ate had to come from what we bought while grocery shopping, and could be consumed at home or anywhere else.

The challenge was both easier AND more difficult for us this year.

It was easier in that we had practically given up fast food prior to this.  It's become so rare, that no one really missed it or wanted it.  In the past, that was the hard part for the kids - wanting fast food after soccer or basketball practice.  We often would stop for an ice cream cone or smoothie from McDonalds, or  some fries and pop at Wendy's. And I would *love* getting a fast food fountain drink when they would get their snack.

The challenge was difficult - a lot more difficult - because we don't really eat processed food at home.  Andy and I don't eat it at all, and the kids are limited. Basically, I cooked a ton this month, and I'm really kind of tired of it.

When we've done this challenge in the past, a lot of time our meals would consist of processed food - the frozen food options at Trader Joe's being a favorite.  Or frozen pizzas with a bag of steamed veggies. 

We don't eat that way any more, and I had no idea how extra difficult that would make the challenge for me as the family cook.  I made a lot of dinners, and a lot of snacks this month.

Mama needs a break, yo! Or these people I live with need to stop eating!

Here are a couple things that helped:

1.  Prep fruits and veggies as you buy them.  We do all of our grocery shopping on the weekend.  By Sunday evening, I have all of the week's fruits and veggies washed, prepared and chopped, if necessary. Dinner time is easier when the carrots, celery and onions are ready to go.   The family is more likely to choose fruit or veggies for a healthy snack when the melon and pineapple is cut or when the cucumbers are sliced and salted. S. is the world's best helper with this task!

2. Make more elaborate meals on the weekend - and make more.  Not that I really have a ton of time on the weekends to do this, but my time is really limited during the week.  I am very lucky to get home from work at 4pm, but we are usually running back out the door by 5:30-6:00pm.  I have a great slow roasted sticky chicken recipe that takes 5 hours to make.  If I make that on a Sunday, I then have a good 1-2cup portion of cooked chicken left over for another meal during the week - either a soup or fried rice usually.   Or I make a lot of slow cooked pasta sauce for dinner on Saturday and on the same night assemble a lasagna to put it in the freezer for us to eat later in the week.

3. Use the crockpot.  There are so many good, healthy crock pot recipes out there.  It doesn't have to be the tasteless mushy meat of your youth, or things made with cans of cream of sodium.   There are a lot of great crock pot recipes available at skinnytaste.com.  We love the chicken enchilada soup and the cuban picadillo!

4. Keep it simple.  You work hard, and you don't have a lot of time.  It is ok to feed your family simple meals.  One night we had fried eggs, whole wheat toast and strawberries for dinner.  Another night was a quick salad with a couple of chicken breasts cooked on the Foreman grill.   We had a night of grilled cheese on whole wheat with raw veggies with dip.   Quesadilla night happened weekly - cheese, avocado and tomato plus leftover chicken/beans/veggies/eggs- on whole wheat tortillas. None of these meals took more than 15 minutes to put together, and while not fancy they are so much healthier and cheaper than eating out.

We saved close to $400 this month by not eating out.  That is two weeks worth of groceries!  Or the new pair of soccer cleats, running shoes and spikes my son needs for spring sports.  Or  6 months of club soccer fees. Or 8 months of hip hop classes. That's a lot of money!

We are going out to eat today to a  fabulous pizza place to celebrate my Dad's birthday.     The whole family is excited - but I'm thinking no one is more excited than I am!  First meal "off" in a month!!