New Year New Goals

As of tomorrow I will have been running with my friends for an entire year!  Happy anniversary Nichole :-) As I looked into the mirror this morning I feel like I have come so far but I have so much farther to go. The new goal is 15-20 lbs by March 1st! I can do this!! My plan is 60 days of lots of focus and a strict schedule for working out. I plan to run on Tuesday and Thursday morning with Beth and then I will run on Saturdays unless I have a race that weekend. Then I will have training 3 days a week along with 30mins of cardio after my training. As long as I keep my eating where it needs to be I think I can do this. As of today my weight is at 185 (this stupid plateau of 182-185 that I can not break!) So will be posting weekly about my progress- my hope is at least 2 pounds a week!!

Tomorrow I am running the New Year's Day 5k in the city- super excited to be running it again. After the run I will be hitting the shoe store for a third time...lets hope that I can get a pair of shoes that actually work!!

Running Pains

I am a runner with flat feet!!! And let me tell you that it SUCKS!!! Here is how this goes for me..I finally found a pair of shoes that didn't squish my toes and that my feet did not tingle and fall asleep in. Then it comes time for a new pair- I went to a great store where they fit you and everything. They say I need a stability shoe- they are prolly right! So after spending hours in the store and finding what I think is the right shoe I get home and run in it and at mile 1.5 boom, my flipping right foot is asleep and it hurts- Have you ever tried to run while your foot is asleep?? I don't recommend trying it. So round two, I drag my friends back up to the city again and go back to the store and try this process all over again. I get another stability shoe like they recommend and I run in it this morning. First of all my poor running partner must have thought I was the slowest person on the planet because the first mile seemed to take me forever and then I had to walk. Seriously walk, this is in no way helping me build my endurance of work on speed when I am walking a freaking 5K! I caught back up with my friend ran a bit farther then I had to stop and walk back to her house! This is so not me- she prolly thinks that I am so sissy la la that can't keep up. I mean seriously how hard can it possibly be to find a new pair of running shoes for this flat footed girl!!! I have read numerous Runners World Magazines, gotten inserts for my shoes from the chiropractor, now what do I do??? I guess I need to find a foot Dr.

One year and 16 races later!!!

One year and 16 races later

Today marked the one year anniversary for my running!! I can not believe I have been running and trying to get healthy for a year now! I ran my 5k today 11mins and a few seconds faster than one year ago!! I have found a love for running and the thrill of beating myself. 

Lots of things have happened in the past year. I was trying to figure out the best way to sum everything up and what goals to make for the next year. I am going to start with the amazing things that have happened this past year.

-started running

- ran 16 races- when I always said I hated running

-lost over 50 lbs

-took over 11minutes off of my 5K time

-worked out at least 2 times a week all year

-made some amazing friends through out this journey who are so supportive and positive in my life. I have let go off people that are negative and not looking out for what is best for me. I now have people in my life that are here for me and willing to go the distance with me! Thanks to each and every one of you. I do not know where I would be with out you. Actually I do know where I would be….slow, unhappy, and 50lbs heavier.

-realized that so much of this battle is emotional and that mind over matter is key!

So what is to come in the next year?? Well here are a few things that I am hoping to accomplish!

-I want to run 2 half marathons

-I want to run 20 races

-I want to lose another 30 pounds- That darn scale will say 150-155!!!

-I want to run one race so both of my parents can see me

-Run a Warrior Dash! 

here are two pictures- the top on is one year ago and the second one is today- one year later :-) 

This post is dedicated to every person that has believed in me and said that I can do this! I have the greatest people in my life and am so blessed by them! Having people believe in me is part of what keeps me going! Thank you to all of you! (Crystal for putting up with me and telling me I can when I wanted to say I couldn't, Sharon for telling me I can do this and sharing your story when I needed it more than you will ever know, Nichole for showing me a love for running and making me part of your family, Leslie for your positive attitude and Jazz hands, Kerri for always complimenting me and making me feel so good even when I may not see a difference in the mirror, Amy for listening to me for years about everything, Jill for loving me like a sister I never had and always cheering me on, and last but not least Ron for kicking my butt weekly and pushing me to the limits!) I love and appreciate you all for your individual strengths and positive influence you have on my life! I look forward to what this next year will bring in your life and mine! 

New Personal Record

Yesterday I ran the Santa Hustle 5k. It was a great run and a great course. I ran with my normal group which is always fun. My goal was to be under 30mins...to this point my fastest 5k time was 32:01 on 8/4/11. Yesterday I beat that by over 2 minutes...I ran my fastest 5k time ever 29:35. I ran my heart out- I averaged a 9:33 mile- that is huge for me. When I started out running a year ago I ran a 5k in 40:37 which is an average of 13:04 a mile.  I can not believe that I can now say that I like to run!! Yes that is right I am truly enjoying running.

Yes I am wearing a garbage bag! It was raining!

November

Wow how time flies. It has been awhile since my last blog post. Things have been going OK. I got through Thanksgiving and ate pretty well...way less than in the past that is for sure!! I need to send a hug shout to my cousin Cathy! It helps having others around that are eating healthy!! I have not been running much but decided the night before Thanksgiving that I needed to change that! I needed to get my lazy behind up and run. I ran to my grandma' house 2.35miles....not bad and then I got up on Thanksgiving morning and ran a little over 3 miles my time was not the greatest but it is better than nothing. I ran yesterday morning and that was a slow jog really- you see when I run alone I have very little desire to push myself- it is nuts but alone I am lazy! I decided I need to fix this laziness issue that I have going on! A friend from work Beth runs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5:15 so I have decided to tag along! We ran today and I can officially say I ran my fast 3miles ever!! We ran 3.45 miles in 35:24. I think we would have been faster had it not been for the wind. I am so thankful that Beth is letting me run with her! She helps push me to be faster and work harder and that is exactly what I need!! I am running the Santa Hustle this Saturday in city- I am hoping to run fast :-) 

2 races in 2 weeks

Well my month is up and I am back where I want to be,....right at 182- next phase is more loosing!!! I want to loose 10 by the first of the year- yes I know sounds totally crazy because of the holiday season- but I am going to try really hard!! I am also thinking about joining weight watchers-not sure if I will but I have done it before and I loved it- I think that the group support will give me the push I need to keep going on this journey!!!!

I have run two races since my last post- last weekend was the Monster Dash 5k- tons and tons of fun. One of my BFF's let me run with her son and man that boy gave me a killer work out! It was one of my best speed work runs ever!! Thanks BUD! This race was so much fun and no pressure- it was not chip timed but we ran and tricker-treated as we went! (who wouldn't love that) I went with my usual group of wonderful friends and we dressed up as Gatorade Bottles here is a picture of our fun!

Today I ran my 1st 15k- well really it was almost 10 miles-9.94 (not that I was counting :-) It was a fantastic run!! I ran with my friend Beth and she helped push me! We ran our 9.94 miles in 1:42mins! So almost 10miles in that time-WOOOHOOO!!! That was about a 10:30 pace. When I ran the Soldier Field 10 mile it took me 1:58- that was on May 28th- so I have taken over 10 minutes off of my time!! 1:30 off of each mile, I can not believe that!!  I continue to amaze myself (I do not mean that to sound self-centered) I am doing things that I never even thought were possible! I am surrounding myself with people that believe me and I am proving to myself that I can take control of this journey I am on! Here is a picture of Beth and I pre-race!!! We rocked it today!! 

The little things

What a wild ride my month has been. I have had lots of new things happen. The first thing is that I put on a size 11/12 jeans- and they looked pretty darn good! And the second new thing is that I am wearing a size medium t-shirt!! HOT DOG!!

On Monday morning I decided to push myself and see how fast I could run a single mile- 9:16 not too shabby! Considering I started out at 15 minute miles!

As for running I have not done much- after the 1/2 marathon I took time off and have run a little- I have a bunch of races coming up rather quickly so I better be ready because I am running them ready or not. I have the Monster Dash 5k this weekend- I was going to try and set a personal record but after taking time off I am not so sure- so my goal is just to have fun!

This past week we received our new school pictures, it was really cool to see how I have changed just in the past year. It has been a week of gentle reminders that the hard work is paying off! (the picture with dark hair is last year, and I am currently blonde :-) 

week three

What a ride this has been! I am on week three. It has been a rough ride but one that in the end will payoff. These past 21 days have taught me so much. After week one I was a bit discouraged I finally saw how food can really show up on the scale the next day. I had eaten a big carb meal and the next morning I was up 2 pounds...talk about knocking me down a peg....I stayed under my calories but those carbs make you retain water...then you add that time of the month and water weight and that added another 2. YUCK!!! I can now say I am down 3.5 wooohooo. So I am back at 183.5, 3.5 more and I will be at 180!! THANK GOD!!! The past two days have been rough I ran last night for the first time in 3 weeks with the running club and wow was it hard! It felt as if it was impossible! I feel like I barely ran at all! I am never ever aloud to take that much time off from running! This morning my trainer added to this craziness and made me run stairs, not just a few flights..the same flight 50 times- that equals 600 stairs...talk about hard! 

Anyway this discouragement had me looking through some old pictures and I found another one that reminds me why I am doing all of this. (This picture is also the picture my trainer wants to use as my before! He has an after but my after is still a work in progress....so I guess he has a mid way picture :-) So this is the before picture- this is what keeps me going 

 

Here is the mid-way picture (aka current) 

week two

Wow what a long two weeks it has been. I will be weighing myself next week so that information I do not have. But I can say that I have been working my butt off. I have eaten well, loaded on the protein, and done my part at the gym! Some of my clothes are starting to fit differently which means I am loosing inches :-) always a great feeling. I am determined to make it through these next two weeks and do my best...if I can be below 180...that would make my day!!!

Funny story- so a student of mine saw this picture of me and my family from my college graduation. She asked me who it was a picture of. I told her that it was a picture of me and my family from my college graduation. She says "wow Ms. Rogers you were really fluffy, like a huge marshmallow." I was partially laughing and the other part of me was dying inside....wow I did not look healthy! I looked huge!

After I laughed with her I asked her "what do I look like now?" She said, "Ms. Rogers you are no longer a big marshmallow you are now a tiny one, not very fluffy at all." Kids are so funny and say anything they think! 

My goal is to get out of the marshmallow stage all together :-) I am not sure what I would be called after I am no longer fluffy.....I will keep you posted because this student is sure to inform me :-) As much as no one wants to be compared to a marshmallow it sure was a complement to go from huge to tiny!! I can do this and this was the little reminder I needed that the work is paying off! 

week one

Week one is done! It was a good week. I have logged all of my food everyday and eaten really well. I even went out to dinner twice once for Mexican (anyone who knows me will tell you that is a huge weakness!)  and once to Brickstone (another place I love.) While out for Mexican I only had 7 chips with salsa and ate chicken fajitas with corn tortillas and no Margaritas....with Sharon as my witness :-) Then at Brickstone I restrained from the stormy nights!! These are huge steps for me in the right direction. I have stayed under my calories and worked out my 5 days a week.

Last week I ran with the Kankakee Running Club for their Tuesday night Indian run- let me tell you that this was the hardest run of my life. I felt like I was in high school again, nothing like having to sprint to the front of the line. It was a killer workout and I ran almost all of it with the group. The running club is such a great group of people who are so supportive and make running so much fun.

I lost one pound this week :-) I hope it is two next week!

On another great note a teacher today gave me a great compliment and told me how wonderful I looked. It made me feel great!

The next 30 days!!

Now that the half marathon is over it is time for the next phase! I have agreed to allow my trainer to take over my life for the next 30 days :-) I can do this.....I keep telling myself this! What he has me doing is nothing that I am not aware of but things that I need be reminded of. I am doing 4 sessions a week with him, one of the sessions is an hour long so this takes 3 days of my week- these sessions are all weight training and sometimes abs. I am really starting to see how much stronger I am becoming- I love getting to see results! I do 10 minutes of cardio before my sessions then 30 minutes after. I get two days a week of free choice cardio- I usually run...hopefully one of those nights a will be running with the running club  and the other will be either elliptical or treadmill. Then I must take 2 days off a week. Who knew that doing too much cardio is not good! I know that now and am living by these rules. 

Then there is the the food. I am not really on a diet but have a few restrictions and must haves everyday. I must get plenty of protein- people this is much easier said than done!! I am also going lower carb and lower fat. I get one cheat meal a week- I am going to be very selective with this meal!! I am drinking tons of water and almost no pop! I am not on a calorie restriction but I am staying at my 1600 a day! I am also logging everything everyday! I totally love the my fitness pal app! I can scan the barcode on foods I eat and it pulls all the nutritional info for me! 

As far as weight I have been in between 182 and 187 for almost two months. I just weighed in and am at 187. My goal is to be down 10 pounds in a month!  I think this will give me the next jump start I am in need of. 

I have seen awesome results in my clothes. I am wearing between a size 12 and 14- just typing that makes me so freaking happy :-) But I would like to see my stomach shrink a lot more!!! The muffin top thing has got to go!! So here is to the next 30 days and lots of progress!! 

Chicago 1/2 Marathon 2011

What an amazing day today was. All of my hard work was well worth it. I was very ready for today! It was great to run with over  10,000 other people in the city. I was able to run the entire race-well not while at water stations...I walked through them so I could actually drink. It was a little warm today so I drank at every station both water and gatorade...I also used energy blocks today and I felt great. I ran my first mile a little too fast- ok way to fast but after that I was able to hit my usual pace and keep it until mile 10. The first 10 miles were wonderful and I was in my zone and able to keep my emotions and nerves in check. Running is such a mental sport so this is usually a struggle for me. When I hit mile 10 it was like I hit a brick wall....mile 10 and 11 were the hardest two miles I have ever run....When I hit mile 11 I realized that it had been a 15 minute mile....totally not me!! When I got to mile 12 I was able to pull my self back together and rocked my last mile. My time was  2:42:57 (12:27 per mile) which was awesome. I am so proud of myself and can not believe that a year ago I would not have been able to do it!!!  I am in much less pain than I was in after the soldier field 10 mile and my knee is sore but not even close to the way it was feeling before doing physical therapy.

 My next goal is to make my 5k time a bit fast and be able to easily run about 8-9 miles with out much trouble. I think that these are both very attainable goals. I will also be starting personal training 4 days a week and will be following a stricter workout and diet for 30 days...SO I will keep everyone posted. I need to loose some more weight so this will be a good help to kick that in HIGH gear!  

Jitters

The race is tomorrow morning....AHHHHHHH! I am getting a little nervous. Not sure why but am. My knee is feeling better and I hope I can get through the race with no problem. Today I go pick up my packet from the expo hopefully that will make me excited and not more nervous. I have trained for this and  am ready just have to get rid of these nerves!! 

HERE GOES NOTHING!!! 

8 months later

Wow it has been 8 months and 22 days since I started officially running. My first race was the Jingle Bell run in Kanakee I ran this race in 40:37 with a pace time of 13.04. In this time I have lost about 30lbs and increased my time and endurance! On my last 5k The Terrapin I ran this race in 32:01 with a pace time of 10:18! When I see that in writing it is almost unbelievable!

Here is my picture from that time

In one week from today I will be blogging about my first half marathon....holy crap I can not believe that! I was the girl that hated running and I thought that it was so stupid. Now I....me...Stephanie Rogers...am going to run 13.1 miles for fun- that just sounds plan nuts :-) I am nervous and excited all in one. I need to keep my emotions in check, I can be my own worst enemy!! I have been doing really well with my diet and seeing huge changes in what I can do at the gym. I am very excited to see what my times will be and how I will feel after this race! I have been going to 2 days a week of Physical Therapy for my knee and it feels great! 

I will blog more this week as I get closer! 

t minus 3 weeks

As of today I have 3 weeks until race day! I think I am ready. I have been doing physical therapy on my knees for three weeks and that has mad a huge difference. I ran 6 miles today and felt great!! School starts tomorrow so I am a little nervous for the food situation. I hope to be as controlled as I was last year! I bought really healthy snacks for my desk and will go buy fruit and stuff tomorrow afternoon. I plan to eat what I bring and not much else!! After the race I have agreed to give myself to my trainer for 30 days and eat what he says, work out when he says, and how he says...I am extremely nervous but hope that will bring me to my next level!!

The positives of life right now!

So my last post was me complaining because of this rut I feel like I am in…so this week I have really been trying to be positive. I did not work out much this week and was pretty lazy about my food. I just felt like I needed a break, and so tomorrow it is on!! Anyway here are the things that I am thankful for this far in my Journey to be Me!

1.    My friends have been so supportive and encouraging and my true friends coming through for me!

2.    Fitting into clothes from the “normal” side of a store!

3.    Being happy (for the most part) when I look in the mirror

4.    Having so many clothes to choose from because I able to fit into more

5.    Feeling good about myself

6.    Having so much more energy

7.    Roller coaster rides not being a tight squeeze anymore

8.    Enjoying the gym (I never thought I would say that!)

9.    Being able to run more than a mile in less than 20 minutes.

10. Being able to buy my bras at Victoria’s Secret

I am sure that to some these things sound trivial and stupid but these have been huge things in my journey that have made me want to continue it! 

Food and a Plateau

Ok I am seriously convinced that in order for a woman to lose weight we must starve ourselves…ok not literally but we have to eat so little! And sometimes I just want to eat what sounds good. As you can tell I am having a cruddy day and have obviously not gone down from my 182. Now if I am being honest I thought I was doing well…food was logged and calories were right at 1600, working out and running. Besides this past weekend where for two days I did not care what I ate I have being doing great. So apparently I am hitting a plateau and I know that this happens I am just not happy about it! So now is decision time..how do I get over this hump I am in? Well I can work out more (but need more hours in the day) eat less (that is just no fun lets be honest) or try something new. So I think I am going to try something new…this new challenge is really going to push me. I think I am going to try doing a protein shake for my lunch and breakfast and a small healthy snack…then eat a “normal” healthy dinner. Hmmm you see here comes my concerns…I like to eat and chew my food…so can I commit to drinking two meals a day? Hmmm not so sure but a girl can try right! I tried one of these shakes this morning well I am still drinking it as I type and I must say it is not bad and all…actually pretty darn good. But it is only 9:45am. So we will see. I figure I can commit to anything for 30days right?!?!? That is the goal so we shall see! I have to get the supply of shakes so my hope is to start on Wednesday or Thursday!

Plan your Race and Race your Plan

That’s my motto (well that a friend told me) and I am trying to stick to it. It seems like it would be a very logical concept but it is so easy to want to be lazy. So far I have done really well racing my plan. I am running about 20miles a week. Today I ran my long run today, 8miles and it felt great! I was glad to know that I could handle my long runs- they scare me! This week I ran in the Terrapin 5k in Chicago and I raced my best time yet 32:01 woohooo that makes my pace 10:19….that’s right…finally my speed is getting better. I need to continue to work on my speed workouts, I hate them….but they make me a better runner!

The Chicago Half Marathon is officially 5 weeks away from today…wow I don’t feel anywhere near ready, but I have a plan so I need to race it. I knew that the training schedule was going to be a tough one for this race but holy cow…you combine my running with my workout routine it is tiring! I am ready for an entire day off…maybe to just stay in my pj’s and do nothing.

Today I ran with the Kankakee Running Club....what very fun time...they were so encouraging and it was a lot of fun to run as a group. I was by no means in the front of the pack but doing something with a big group makes me feel like I can do anything! I jogged 8miles...so that keeps me up to date with my training plan. I am a little sore but not bad! 

50 lbs, a new goal, and The Chicago Half Marathon

Yesterday I stood on the scale and finally the number I have been waiting for....182!! That may still sound high but that is 50 pounds less than when I started this crazy journey. I was so excited and in shock. I think the shock is because I really did not know if I would ever really reach this point. I wanted to but so many times I have tried weight lose and failed....this time it was for real. I am loosing slowly and in a healthy way! With this mile stone reached it is time to set another goal.....hmmm well according to the doctors chart  I should be like 140...please that seems crazy to me (at least at this point!) so I am thinking that if I can get down another 20 pounds to 160-162ish I would be happy. That would be a few sizes smaller and hopefully work off my targeted area my stomach. So we shall see but, I am letting the world know that the next goal is to weigh in at 162LBS!!

Well my next crazy adventure is the Chicago 1/2 Marathon. I have my running plan and so far- only one week into it I am sticking with it. My main goal is to just run this plan and then I am praying I can finish the 1/2 marathon. This plan has me running between 16-20 miles a week up until race day on Sunday September 11th! I am hoping that if I continue my crazy workout schedule and add this much running the inches and weight will melt away :-) We will see....I will really have to keep my eating on track for that to happen (which I have been doing very well with writing down everything I am eating!). I plan to blog each Sunday- this is the day of my long runs! Last Sunday I ran 7.25mils...and maintained my 13 min pace...not to shabby.  So my only goal here is to finish and maintain a 12 min pace for official race day!!

Bike Ride fun and more

I am still running but I decided to also needed to work on my biking skills! I have a few friends that asked me to join them for a 32mile bike ride and I said yes! Like a mad woman!! It was a ton of fun and a great work out! I did not realize how sore my butt would be...WOW! But it was an amazing workout.

 

Things are going pretty well overall! I am back to always writing down my food and trying very hard to stay under my calories for the day. I so wish that one day I did not have to think about food...but that will never happen. I think it will always be something I must be aware of. It seems that even on good days I must always  think about food, what will I choose? Am I making the right choice? Did I look up the calories before I came here? Hmm is this worth the calories? I mean come on now at some point can't a girl just eat what sounds good....I mean yes maybe once in awhile and yes in moderation but when you write it down and count calories sometimes it seems to be all I worry about. HA it is almost funny when people ask "hey, Stephanie how many calories are in "whatever they are eating"?" and most likely I know the answer or will find it :-) 

Last week I saw the smallest number I have ever seen on the scale....185.4!! Yes 2.6 pounds away from the big 50! Let me tell you, you will know when it hits 50....I may even throw a party :-) This has been a hard process but I am so thankful for some seriously amazing supporters that I can proudly call my friends!! These people encourage me, strengthen me, and push me to be the best me. And most of all they all love me for me not what the number on the scale is!! 

I dedicate this post to those amazing people! They all know who they are but incase they don't (thanks- Crystal, Jill,  Kristin, Leslie, Nichole, and Sharon) And everyone else who sees me and has nothing but positive words to toss my way!  

 

WHAT’S NEW

Things have been a bit crazy I am teaching summer school and trying to get into some sort of summer workout schedule so, I can drop these last 5 pounds before I scream. I am so close to my 50pounds but it seems so far away and almost unattainable at this point- but it is only 5 pounds!!

I am starting to ride my bike. My best ride has been 18miles. No too bad at all!! I really enjoy biking it is so much fun and so relaxing!

I have done two more races- first was the Jim Gibbons Traffic Jam 5K in the city. It was a very fun race that I ran with great friends. My goal was to beat Crystal and that did not happen but I did beat my personal record. I ran this 5K in 34:25. So my miles were about 11:04! Awesome and I am so proud of myself!!! It has been so much fun to race with great friends who are so supportive.

I also ran the Kilbride Family 5K race for autism and that was also very fun! I was the only one from my normal group who ran this one but they all came to cheer me one and that made this race so special! I was not running this race to beat any of my times but I wanted to be consistent. I finished in just over 36minutes so a 12-minute pace…..works for me.  I feel great about my running now I want to decide if I want to do the Chicago ½ marathon!

I finally decided to take a full body photo of myself; the last one I have really taken was on graduation from Olivet. So below you will see it! I have lost tons of inches and 45 pounds! 

Before :

So Far: 

How it's going

Well as far as weight goes I seem to be at a stand still, mostly because I had two rough weeks food wise and it was kind of nice to not worry about food but when I looked at the scale I knew I needed to get back on track. So this week I have been pretty good. I had to take a few days off from the gym which has also been nice but I a ready to get back to it tomorrow. Starting tomorrow it will be back to the grind and working harder than ever! This girl has goals!!  I am 8 pounds away from loosing 50....so that is my goal by mid July. If I can loose 25 I will get to train my trainer....so ideally I will accomplish that by september. The inches are still coming off but I am ready to see a little more on the scale!

I have two 5k races this week and then I am not sure what I will be running after that. I am sure my friends and I will find something!!  In October I am going to do a  duathlon here in town. It is a 3 mile run/ 15mile bike ride/ 3 mile run. It is one thing to run then ride but to run after a ride scares me but I think I can do it!!

Best Race to Date

Last weekend I ran the Lincoln Park Zoo 10k race. My personal goal all along has been to maintain a 12minute mile and do it for long periods of time. I did that for the Soldier Field 10 mile and was hoping to maybe do a little better this week. I am proud to say that I did it. I ran the 10k in an hour and eight minutes....which mean and 11 minute and 8second mile!! I can not believe that I have come so far!! I am very happy with myself as far as running.

Soldier Field 10 Mile

What a crazy past week. My eating has been pretty good..I am finally under 190 pounds. I am at 189!! Just a pound but it is better than nothing! 7 pounds to go and I will have lost 50 big ones! This weekend was a huge accomplishment for me. I ran the Soldier Field 10 mile race on Saturday. I was very nervous and not sure if I would be able to actually finish. Well I DID!! I am so thankful for so many great people in my life that have been encouraging me! I ran the race in 1 hour 58 minutes and 12 seconds! I was amazed at how awesome it felt to cross that finish line knowing that I ran a consecutive 12 minute mile. This was the first race that my mom got to see so it has been a great Memorial Day weekend! (shout out to Nichole, Crystal, and Jill) It is so wonderful to have people who will tell me in a loving way to “put the gummy bears down!”

This next weekend I am running a 6mile race and I am hoping to run it at a 11 min 30 second  pace…we will see! 

New Record

What an awesome day yesterday!! I ran the Kankakee Hospice 5K and broke my 5K time. I ran this 5K in 34:00min flat….wooohooo and it was a hilly run too! I was so proud of myself. My hard work is starting to show.  Today I did the Weight Watchers Walk-it with some friends and had a blast. It is so fun to have people support me and want what is best for me. Next week is the big one…the Soldier Field 10-MILE….wow that is going to be a long run. My goal is to finish it, I have been trying to set a time goal but I am really not sure what it should be…I have finished my 8K’s in about an hour….so maybe two hours. I dunno, I do not want to set myself up to fail. SO I guess finishing is the goal. 

Where I am today

 As of today I am 192 pounds- I have lost 42  I have about 30 to go! I am now in a size 14 pant and it seems like a miracle! Sometimes my goal seems so far away but with each pound I drop I feel like I can do it! This has been a very crazy journey but worth all of the sweat and tears! I never imagined how emotional this would all be, but I have learned so much about myself. I really am starting to see how much of a self image problem I had and how those things don’t change nearly as quickly as the number on the scale does. This is a whole life changing thing not just a weight thing- and if someone would have told me that I would have thought they were lying…I thought this was all a number on the scale issue….but turns out it is a lot more than that!

I have learned that I can do anything I put my mind to! One huge thing I have learned it how important it is to surround myself with people who love me for me and who only want the best for me. With the support of those people and my dedication to be the best me I can be I will do this. And you know…sometimes these people who love me tell me to put that food down J or they ask hey did you hit the gym today?? But it is always out of love! 

This is a picture of me currently 

The R word- RUNNING

Wow where do I even start with this topic, I was a softball player in high school and we would run..some and I hated even second of it. When I started teaching may teachers in my district would participate in this 5k called The Jingle Bell Run and I have walked it for three years. Then this year I was with a friend from work and she encouraged me to jog it with her and it was not too bad. After that run I got to know a really crazy friend of mine who really enjoys running and she convinced me to Run in the New Years Day 5k in Chicago. That was it I was hooked on this running for fun thing, I have since run the Cupid Shuffle, St Paddy’s Day 8k, Shamrock Shuffle 8k, and the Race to Wrigley 5k. Well then I think I lost my mind because I am signed up for the Soldier Field 10 mile race that is in two weeks. My goal is to just finish this one…but IF I can do it in a decent time I would like to do the Chicago ½ marathon!! We will see. And you must know something about me, I am a very picky runner…I hate running in the snow (Cupid Chase) I hate the rain (St. Paddy’s Day 5k and Race to Wrigley) and I hate running in the cold (New Year’s Day 5k). I really prefer sunny and 65 J Too bad I know that very rarely ever happens. But I can say that with the support of my roommate- thanks C (who has been trying to get me to run since college) and Nichole who has me suckered into this running business I am really starting to enjoy it! My times are slowly starting to increase with each race and that is all I can strive for is to become a better me!!!

Here are a few race day photos

What I have been doing

Well I finally made the decision that I was going to do this….and I was going to be truly happy. I was going to do what ever I needed to. I have been logging my food (most days) and working out at least three days a week. It has not been an easy journey and I am not done…I am determined to get to my goal weight of about 160 pounds. Or a size 10  I know they say that size doesn’t matter but lets be honest it does….and my dream as crazy as this sounds is to be able to walk into Abercrombie and Fitch and buy a pair of jeans  I want to know that I can walk into any store and be able to buy clothes. May sound nuts to some but it is the truth! 

Then I understood

So I did not feel the best about myself when I started teaching but I loved my job. I had no problem eating whatever I wanted and complaining about how I looked in my outfit. In my own personal defense I did not have ANY free time my first year of teaching. I spent what seemed like my entire first year at school. But I was not ready to change. And please know, that this entire time I am paying $24.95 a month for a gym membership that I am not ever using! My second year of teaching is a different story. I thought that I was ready for this life change so I decided to join our schools biggest loser competition. Now at this school is a woman (my dear friend) that has lost a ton of weight in a healthy way. I would talk to her all the time about it. And she said to me “Stephanie if you are not truly ready this will not work.” I thought how dare this lady say this to me…so I did the competition and you know what I sucked at it. I maybe lost 5 or 10 pounds, which I packed back on over the summer. So needless to say I thought that I was ready and was not! This continued until about 2010. Then I decided that I was really ready. And I sat back down with my friend from work who told me exactly what she had done and the big thing was writing down what she was eating and exercising everyday. I thought OK I can do this but I knew that I needed a bit of a jump-start. So, I went to the gym and signed up with a nutritionist to understand food better. I begin to see food in a new way and how important it is to really know how much I am putting in my body. My friend from work has been such an inspiration and someone that truly understands what I am going through! I owe her a huge THANK YOU!!! I understand now where you truly have to be willing to make changes in order for any sort of weight lose to work. You have to truly be ready for this CHANGE!! 

Where I Began

I have always been on the heavy side and when I graduated from college in May of 07 I was at the heaviest I can ever remember. To be completely honest I do not know what my weight really was my senior year of college, but I do know what my weight was when I accepted my teaching job in Bourbonnais. I weighed in at 232 pounds for my physical to be a teacher. (Wow I cannot believe I let myself get to that point) I remember being happy but always struggling with food. I ate everything I saw and pretended it did not matter…when really it did. I was an emotional eater that had no clue a Big Mac and Fries had over 1000 Calories. Below is a picture of what I looked like at my college graduation party- May 7, 2007.