A day late, but not a mile short....my first 10k!

So remember that 10k I was planning to do on Sunday?  Yeah, it didn't happen.  First, because I was still feeling pretty icky (darn kids and their viruses!) and second because when we all got up in the morning to run, it was pouring rain.  The running gods must have been looking out for me on that one.

A running friend shared a great article yesterday evening, and it really resonated with me.  You can read it here, if you are interested.  It was about how slow is all relative and how we need to stop being so hard on ourselves and just believe that we can be great.  I took that to heart last night and woke up today feeling ready to run.

 

I went about my day, which happened to involve a trip to the allergist because I'm getting some patch testing done this week.  They got my patches, all 36 of them, situated on my back and taped things into place.  Then the nurse told me I couldn't shower until I have them removed on Thursday, and that I could not run tonight because they would fall off.  SAY WHAT, LADY?!?!?!?  I could not abide by either of those things....simply could not.  I stopped at the store on my way home from the allergist and bought some heavy duty water-proof tape.  I was running my freaking race tonight, thank you very much!   How could I not do this race?  It's not everyday that a girl who went crazy and started running gets to run in a race called Running Mad after all!

We were scheduled to head out at 7pm.  The race was part of a virtual race for the Moms Run This Town national group.  My local chapter (which is awesomesauce, by the way!) had the half marathoners do their race last weekend, so it was just the 10k people who could make it tonight....so all in all, there were 5 of us running.  Not the same as a big race like my first 5k last month, but to me, it was just as big of a deal.  This was me, climbing another mountain on this running journey. 

The route was a fairly straight out and back with a few decent hills. By the time I hit the halfway point, I knew I had this thing.  I was feeling good.  My breathing was steady and I was maintaining a comfortable pace consistently.  I knew I would be able to finish without walking, and that alone was enough to keep me going.  The weather was lovely and I rocked out to some great tunes (like the lovely Gangnam Style added by my son) as I just ran. 

Yes, I was at the back of the pack and guess what?  I didn't even care!  Those people running ahead of me all had way more than 3 months of running experience under their belts.  And do you know what those amazing ladies did for me?  As I headed into the last quarter mile or so, they came back to join me so I didn't finish alone.  I can never put into words what that meant to me.  These people, most of whom I've met just once or twice before, rallied me on and ran with me as I finished my first 10k.  And even though I was technically in last place, I felt like a winner.  Because really, for me, it was a win.  I finished and I ran the whole time.  Even a few short weeks ago I wasn't sure if I'd be able to run it all, and I DID! 

3 months ago, I started running because I lost my mind one day.  I could barely run for 1 minute straight and felt like I would surely die.  Today, I finished my first 10k race in 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 25 seconds.  That is a pretty darn big deal, I think. 

I even earned my first ever medal.  And for the record when my 6 year old asked me if I got last place, I told her that technically I did...but I think I prefer to say I got 5th place.  It *is* true after all, and 5th place has a much nicer ring to it.  Don't you think?  ;-) 

 

 

(And YES for anyone wondering, I DID bathe tonight after the race as well! If I was going to break the rules from the Dr. to run, I figured I needed to go all in and be a clean rule-breaker.)

10k, here I come...I think.

So tomorrow is the big day....my 1st 10k race. 

I am a bag full of mixed emotions about the whole thing today.

This past Tuesday, I had a rough run/walk on the dreadmill (3.5 miles) which involved 5...count 'em...FIVE stops to run to the bathroom.  Lesson learned:  An hour after lunch is NOT a great time to run.

My oldest daughter did a 5 mile bike ride with me on Wednesday for cross-training and that went really well.

Thursday, I had a really cruddy run.  It had been cooler outside so I foolishly thought that I would be okay to run at 6pm when Cory got home from work.  Wrong.  My asthma bothered me terribly and my legs/ankles were super sore.  I ended up giving up at 3.3 miles...couldn't even make it to finish the 3.5 I had planned.  That was a bummer.

Yesterday was a rest day and I ended up getting hit with a stomach bug last night.  I still feel icky this morning and I am really worried about tomorrow.  On a positive note, I weighed 5lbs less this morning than I did yesterday morning.  Nothing like a stomach bog to jump start the weight loss, right?

To be honest though, I'm struggling mentally lately.  My mileage is supposed to increase next week on the training plan and I am worried about making the time to get my runs in before Cory leaves for work during the week.  My runs lately have been rough and the voice of self-doubt is there in the back of my mind so often.  I hate feeling like this.  I sometimes wonder why I keep going.  I mean really, I'm not losing weight and I'm so slow...yet I keep plugging away and running.  Its like some strange virus in my brain that makes me keep going....its the crazy.  My confidence for the half marathon is waning, and I wish I could find something to bring it back.

Tomorrow, I am going to do my first 10k.  I am praying that I'll feel healthy enough to jog the whole thing, but I guess if I have to walk, that is better than not doing it.  I know I'll be slow, but seeing this the other day was a nice reminder that my miles are still miles, even if they are slow ones.

I'm nervous about tomorrow.  I don't know how I'll be feeling health wise, and I'm not sure how confident I'll be feeling, but I'm going to do it.  I'm not giving up...even if that evil little voice in the back of my mind desperately wants me to sometimes.  I need to work to get that confidence back, and hopefully tomorrow's 10k will be a step in that direction.

Keep Calm and Crazy On...

First things first...let's get morbid for a  minute!  I got my new Road ID bracelet last weekend!  So now, I can officially pass out or injure myself and people will know who to call to claim my dead or mangled body!  Woo hoo!!!  In all seriousness, its good to have some sort of ID when running as a just in case, and I do feel better having this on me when I run.

This past week has been our busiest of the summer.  My older girls were in theater camp M-F from 9am-3:30pm, and then my son had football camp for a few days in the middle of the week as well.  Add that to tech week and performances of the show that my oldest 2 kiddos were working on, and it meant lots of time spent as the "mom taxi" this week.  It was also the hottest week we've had thus far, with temps in the upper 90's and wicked high humidity on top of that.

With all of the stuff we had going on, it shouldn't surprise me that I didn't quite complete my training schedule as planned this week.  Let's recap the week, shall we?

Monday: Stretch and Strengthen - I definitely stretched and I tried to do some foam rolling, which is definitely an exercise in strength for me.  Why?  Because in order for me to use the stupid foam roll thing, I have to hold my upper body up and move myself over the roller.  For a girl with NO upper body strength, this is definitely a work out!

Tuesday:  Run 3.5 miles - I tried.  I really did, but it was HOT outside and I had to use the dreadmill.  Even in my cool-ish house, I was just miserable and my body was not feeling it.  I *did* complete 3.5 miles, but probably have of that was walking and most of the running was at a snail's pace.  I felt defeated and exhausted by the time I finished.  It pretty much sucked.  :-(

Wednesday:  Run 2 miles OR cross-train - I needed a good run after my failure on Tuesday so I opted for the 2 mile run.  It was like 84 degrees when I left my house at 6:15am, but I had a much better time than I had the day before.  It was still slow, but I felt much better about myself during and after the run.

Thursday:  Run 3.5 miles - I skipped this and told myself I'd do it Friday morning because it was supposed to cool off by then.  It didn't and this run became a big fat FAIL because it never happened.

Friday: Rest - I don't know if I'd say that I rested, because we were busy from 7:30am until 9:30am with camps, shows, etc...but I didn't run.  So, we'll call it a rest day.

Saturday: 40 minute cross-train - Again, a super busy day.  The kids had shows at 2pm and 7:30pm with a cast party in between.  I did some walking but probably not 40 minutes worth...so, we'll call this another FAIL.

Sunday:  Run 5 miles - Today was a SUCCESS!  I actually ran 5.5 miles because I'm trying to work up to my 10k next week.  I took my son and he rode his bike while I ran.  The weather was considerably cooler than it has been, and there was a nice breeze.  I was slow like molasses, and walked for about 100 yards due to a cramp in my foot (which the walking took away) but the rest of it was jogging.  I would have much rather seen myself with a better time than I had, but I am trying really hard to remind myself that slow and steady may not win the race for me, but it WILL finish the race...and that is what counts right now!

All in all, it was not the best week for me running wise.  But, I'm not just a runner.  I'm also a mom and my little people had some really cool stuff going on this week!  This week, THIS:

 

was what was important in my life.  My kids had a week of great shows and made me super proud as they did something that they love to do.  I can't feel bad about spending my time helping to make that happen this week, even if it means I was not 100% successful in following the "plan" for my training.   

 

When it comes to this running thing....

Today's 5.5 miles will be the start of me getting back on track.  I've got my first 10k a week from today and even though I said before that I might not run the whole thing, I am thinking that I may just be able to do it after all!  Tomorrow is a stretch and strengthen day, and I've got a hot date with my foam roller. 

The heat and the DREADmill

Let's just call today a failure, shall we?

Ugh.

So I mentioned that we bought a treadmill.  It has now officially been re-named the dreadmill....because I dread the days when I have to use that thing.  It took me an hour to do 3.5 miles today.  It was supposed to be a 3.5 mile run, but that wasn't happening for me.  Even with the fan pointed at me, and our window A/C unit going, I was still just too hot and it was miserable.  There is also something about the treadmill that makes my legs hurt when I run on it...I'm not sure why it does that, but it stinks!

So today was a walk/run day...which I'd much rather not have for a short run like 3.5 miles.  I am okay if I need to walk during a 5 or 6 mile run, but today was borderline ridiculous.  I just couldn't get it together.  My breathing was all wonky.  My legs were hurting.  The sunburn on my back was bothering me, and I was super hot.  It was a recipe for disaster.

I've been lucky so far this summer, because our temperatures have been pretty mild.  This week, summer is here in full effect.  I don't like it one bit.  3.5 miles in an hour is a joke and a half.

Tomorrow is a new day...I'm supposed to either cross-train or do 2 miles.  I think I'll do both...a run in the early morning and a bike ride with the kiddos later on.  Hopefully those 2 miles will be better than today's encounter with the dreadmill.  I don't want these crappy runs to become the norm.  That is no fun.

Why yes, yes I did make it 5 miles today!

Well, well...week 2 of my half marathon training is pretty much complete and I survived!  This post will probably be pretty uneventful, which in the grand scheme of things is kind of a good thing.

The heat and humidity has been really wearing on me lately, so I went out and bought a treadmill on Tuesday.  Cory put it together for me and I did 2.5 miles on it that night.  It was quickly obvious that I'm even slower on the treadmill (which is SAD!), and that I'm going to need a TV to keep me entertained if I want to use it often.  When it is super hot or cold, I'll resort to the treadmill...but my outside runs are much more enjoyable.  I like feeling like I'm going somewhere!

At any rate, I did 3 miles outside yesterday and it was a good run.  I felt like I was able to squish down that voice of self-doubt that was creeping in.  You see, I go back and forth on feeling like I am totally crazy for trying to train for a half right now and feeling like I can do this thing.  I also really struggle with the whole run-walk thing.  In my head, I know it is okay to walk some.  Yet, I don't want to walk.  I also don't want to injure myself though, so I'm trying to trust my body to tell me when I NEED to walk.  We'll see how that all goes, but I hope that plan doesn't backfire on me somehow.

Today, a group of ladies from Moms Run This Town planned a 5 mile run at a nearby bike path.  I decided to join them.  My training plan only calls for a long run of 4 miles this week, but I have my first 10k in 2 weeks so I decided that it would be okay to try to step it up a notch a week early.  I told myself that I could walk if I needed.  I even told myself that I probably would need to walk at some point.

But guess what?!?!?

I made it and I never felt like I needed to walk!  Now, I did walk for about a minute near the halfway point, but only because the people who were nice enough to slow down their pace to stay with me (who were running like 14 and 16 miles today) said they were going to walk for a minute.  I was definitely the slowest person of the 7 of us there, but I did it.  Slow and steady....and doing it is what counts the most!  I didn't even really mind being the turtle at the back of the pack, because 2 months ago I never would have even attempted this run.  I have realized that I need to get over any self-consciousness that I have about running with other people.  The only person judging me (as far as I know anyways!) is ME.  So yes, I'm freaking chubby and my fat probably blobs around when I run.  Oh well.  I really doubt that the other people running give a crap about my blobby fat anyways.  And the people who DO want to concern themselves with my blobby fat are probably driving past in their cars (You know what I'm talking about - the ones who say, "Oooh fat chick running on the side of the road, that would be 500 points if I hit her!" or something similar.) and most of them probably couldn't run 5 miles if they tried!  I ran 5 miles today, and it felt good.

Eventually, maybe I'll become one of those skinny runner chicks...until then I'm learning to be happy just being a runner chick, no matter what size I might be.

So, that kind of sucked...

Three words to describe today's run:

Oh. My. Glob.

It was supposed to be an easy 3 miles.  Let's just say it didn't work out quite that way.

I woke up at 5:45 with no motivation.  I was actually sort of hoping it would be raining.  But, it wasn't so I got ready and made myself run.  I may have been better off to stay home.First of all, it was 93% humidity outside.  This made it kind of like running through air made of pudding, except it didn't taste good.  So, where is the fun in that?  It was thick and heavy, and my lungs did not like it one bit.  Running in that level of humidity seems to bring out the voice of self-doubt for me.  I'm not a fan of that voice.

That wasn't the worst part though.  You see, I read that I should be trying out different running "fuels" to see which ones my body can and cannot tolerate.  I'm going to need to ingest something when I run longer distances so that I can keep my electrolytes and all that other stuff that keeps my body functioning properly in balance.  So, I went to the store and bought a great variety of things of to try out.
 

In theory, this is a good thing to do.  Unless you are me, and you have cursed yourself by recently blogging about the trots.

This morning, I ate my normal banana and then I decided to also chomp down some of the Clif Shot Bloks in the middle of the photo above.  I ate 2 of the 6 cubes in the package.  They were chewy, kind of like a giant square gummy bear and the flavor was decent.  My first thought was that they weren't too bad.  Oh how wrong I was!

About a mile in, I got the normal weird tummy rumble.  From there, it got worse....much, much worse.  By 2 miles into the 3 mile run, I was entering panic mode.  I needed to go, and I needed to go NOW.  I ran the .65 miles to my house as quickly as I could...and by as quickly as I could I mean as quickly as a slow, fat chick can run while squeezing her butt cheeks together and praying that she won't crap her pants on the way.  It was not pretty, folks.  Not pretty at all.

I put my run on pause as I busted through the front door of my house and made a beeline for the bathroom.  Cory called out, "So I guess those are the trots, huh?"  Gee, you think, maybe?  It was awful.  Seriously, no more Clif Shot Bloks for me, because that was the worst .65 miles of my running life.  So far anyways... now I'm scared to try my other goodies for fear of similar results.

Once all of that was done, I took my sweaty self back outside to finish the last .35 of my 3 miles for today.  That was quick and uneventful, thank goodness! 

In the end, despite the crappy nature of my run (I'm being figurative and literal there, people!), I finished.  Tomorrow will be a new day, and will hopefully be a better run for me.  And if not, perhaps these running "fuels" will be a weight loss aid for me.  LOL  Gotta look for the positives, right?

Stuff I've learned....and the training begins

It's been sort of a big week for me when it comes to running.  I finished c25k, I started my first week of half marathon training, AND I got some new stuff!  I LOVE new stuff!

So, let's start there!

I have kind of short hair and was having issues with hair in my face.  I tried the normal stretchy elastic type headbands, but they hurt my head and sort of made me feel like my brains were slowly being squeezed outward.  Not so good.  I'd heard lots of good things about bondibands and decided to give one a try.  Cory helped me to choose which one to get, and I already know I'll be ordering again because there are tons of them that I liked.  Wanna see the one I got?  Of course you do!

 

Isn't it awesome?  I think my next one is going to say "Suck it up, Buttercup!" 

 

I also got some amazingly cute new compression socks from Lunatik Athletiks.  I'll be honest, I was a bit peeved that I ended up paying $9.50 for shipping plus 13% tax since they had to come from Canada, but they are awesome so I'm over it. 

 

 

Obviously, that is an action shot...of me being lazy in my back yard.  I bought another running tank from Old Navy too, because they had a good sale for the 4th of July. 

 

As the title hinted, I've learned a few things when it comes to running.  I'm going to share them now, but I must warn that they are not exactly, um, pleasant things.  Let's just get right to it, shall we?

 

I know I've mentioned a few times that I have 5 kids.  Four of those, I've pushed out and one of them was a 10lb baby.  As most moms can tell you, sometimes as a result of pregnancy or pushing, or a combination of the two, hemorrhoids pop up.  What NO ONE told me is that running can make those little suckers pop up too!  I noticed this a few weeks ago, and was too mortified to share at first.  But hey, I'm posting pictures here of my fat inner tube shrinkage, so I figured I may as well go for full disclosure.  Thankfully, this is nothing that (so far) a little cream hasn't taken care of, but seriously, shouldn't there be a warning statement out there somewhere?  Like:

 

"Hey girls!  Have you had children?  Be warned that running can make those hemorrhoids that you thought were gone resurface!  Run at your own risk!" 

 

Or something along those lines...at least then people would know instead of being like me and wondering what the hell was causing all that!

 

Know what else I have to look forward to as a runner?  Toe nails that turn black and/or fall off.  Yup, learned that not too long ago as well.  Doesn't that sound super fun?  And yet, I keep on running.  I told you I am crazy.

 

And my last little tidbit of gross-ness for the day.  The trots.  You wanna take a guess where they got that name?  Yeah, apparently running can make your digestive system really, um, happy...so happy that you feel the need to trot right off to the bathroom.  Now, thankfully I have NOT experienced this little gem of wonderfulness yet, but I have this sense of total paranoia about it.  When I run, usually a few miles in, I've been getting strange rumblings in my tummy.  Thank god they have passed so far, but what the heck am I supposed to do if I've got to go and there is no potty?  Now you know the inner workings of my mind.  So far, I've figured out a few potential stops on my running routes (Meijer - yuck but tolerable, My sister's house - the best option, Port a Potty at the school - double yuck!). Let's all say a little prayers that I never have to use those options, okay?  Oh, before I move on let me share my husband's suggestion.  He says - "Just go in the woods."  Who the hell just drops their pants and craps in the woods?  Not I people, not I!

 

On to the training stuff!!!

This week was the first week of my half marathon training.  I'm following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan for Half Marathons, in case anyone cares to know.  It seems like a very do-able plan for me, and so far I like it.  It includes cross training and strength training in addition to the running, which has been fun so far. 

 

For my first day of cross training, I got this little beauty and my son and I did 4.3 miles together.

 

 

Then yesterday, my daughter, sister, and I kayaked about 2 miles for my other cross training day.  I think I'm going to like this cross training thing, because it is a great way to get my kids involved in my training and it is fun! 

 

Today was my first "long" run.  The plan will build me up to running 10 miles the weekend before my race.  This week's long run was 4 miles today.  My goal was to run the whole thing without walking, and I did it!  It was crazy humid and I sweated buckets, but I did it!  About 1/2 mile into the run, I was adjusting one of my earbuds and not really paying attention and stepped on a branch the wrong way, which caused me to roll my left ankle.  It hurt like a mother, and I know the old Jen would have given up immediately.  The new Jen, she is a freaking warrior or something.  I gimped along for a bit and it definitely slowed me down, but I ran through it.  Right now, it is a little achy so I may ice it later today, but I was so proud of myself for not quitting.  The long runs are a little intimidating to me, because most times I do one, it will be my new "farthest distance I've ever run."  I made it 4 miles today.  It took me like 55 minutes to do it, but given the 80% humidity and my asthma, I knew pretty much right away that I was running for distance today and not for time.  

 

I've had a few people who have sort of insinuated that I'm crazy for trying a half marathon less than 5 months after I started running.  You know what, I don't even care!  I'm crazy, but I'm going to do this thing.

 

 

 

 

Its the end...and the beginning

"Something has changed within me, something is not the same...."

-Elphaba, Wicked

 

 

I'm kind of a theater junkie, so it is no surprise to me that these words have been floating around in my head the past few days.  For me, truer words could not be spoken right now.

 

I've never been what one might call an "athletic" person.  My "sport" in High School was cheerleading.  I tried to run track in middle school, and they assigned me to the mile relay.  I had to run 1 lap around the track, 400 meters, and I distinctly remember the coaches ragging on me because I was too slow.  It made me feel like crap, and it made me feel like I was just not meant to be a runner.  I had asthma anyways, so that worked as a nice excuse to not run.  Even my husband, who has been in my life for the past 15 years had the balls to say that besides c25k, the only physical activity I've done is occasional skiing and swimming.  That pissed me off.  I coached middle school tennis and little kid soccer.  I've taken yoga classes and dance classes.  I've tried several exercise DVD's.  I just never found something that seemed worth sticking with.  I didn't find anything that got into my brain and invigorated me and made me want to keep going.  As unexpected and crazy as it is, running has done that for me. 

 

I finished my last run of c25k tonight.  I planned to do it this morning, but Cory had to work at 5:30am, and then it rained pretty much all day long.  For some reason though, I was determined to finish today.  I took my kids to rehearsal until 9pm, and called Cory on my way home to tell him to get my running stuff ready.  By 9:30, I was out the door.  It was misting and darkness was falling.  At first, Hallie and Leo followed me on their bikes.  Yeah, I know...what are a 10 and 8 year old going to do to keep me safe from the boogie man?  My theory was that there is safety in numbers.  But then it got darker so I sent them home and told them to have Cory load the littles in the van so they could all follow me while I finished...because I wanted them safe but I also didn't want any creepers coming to get me.  It was humid and sticky, and at some points the rain poured down on me, but I ran...and ran...and ran.  And I felt good.  I felt strong.  I felt powerful. 

  

When I started this Couch to 5k thing, I didn't know if I'd finish the first week, let alone the whole program.  After the first few weeks, I kept running mostly to prove people wrong...and somewhere in there, it changed to running because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.   And then, I started to secretly (and then not so secretly) enjoy running.  Don't get me wrong, I hated it too - especially on the days when I had really crappy runs that made me doubt myself over and over again.  But something made me want to prove that voice of doubt in my mind wrong, and it kept me coming back time and time again to run.

 

I am not the same person who started Couch to 5k nine weeks ago.  I'm like Jen 2.0 or something.  Somewhere in the middle of this journey, I became a runner.  For a long time, I had a hard time calling myself that, but now, I feel like I've sort of earned that label.  I have found a strength inside myself that I didn't know existed.  I found willpower that I've probably only tapped into previously when giving birth to my children.  I found the confidence to put myself out there and challenge myself to strive for even more than I ever knew I could do.  I found a Jen that isn't just a mom, wife, and teacher.  I found something that could be MINE, just for me.  Something that I can do and be proud of, and its ALL me.  When I run, it is me and the road ahead of me, and the possibilities are unlimited.  Anything is possible, if I let myself believe that I can do it.  I can guarantee you that I would not have typed something like this 9 weeks ago, but like Elphaba said, something has changed within me. 

 

Tonight, my Couch to 5k journey is over.  But I'm no where near finished.  This is the start of the rest of my life as a runner, and I have some big plans!  In 26 days, I'm going to finish my first 10k (6.2 miles).  I may not run the whole time, but I promise you, I'll finish it.  In 74 days, I'm going to finish my first half marathon (13.1 miles).  Again, I probably won't run the entire thing, but I darn sure will finish.  I've also got at least three 5k races coming up (8/10, 9/2, 10/5) and am on the lookout for more, and I'm hoping to meet my goal of running a 5k in under 40 minutes at one of those races.

 

Tonight, stuff starts to get serious.  I'm making the choice to GO BIG!  Going home, back to that old Jen, is not an option for me.  I feel like finishing c25k is the beginning of my journey as a runner.  I hope you'll stick around with me for the ride!

 

 

 

 

 



Almost there!

It has been a little anticlimactic, continuing to finish the c25k program even though I already did a race, but I committed to finishing and I'm finally almost there!  My last run for c25k should be tomorrow, and then my crazy self is starting a 5k to 10k plan.  Yup, I'm nuts, and I know things are only going to get harder from here on out, but I'm going to give it a go.

In the meantime, I decided that as much as I dislike sharing photos of myself, I need to do this today.  It's time to look for results.  I learned pretty quickly when I started c25k that this wasn't going to be some miracle "melt the pounds away" thing for me.  That kind of sucked.  I was sort of hoping that I'd start running and my ass would fall off or something.  No such luck.

So, I had to start looking for results in other areas.  When I started this thing, I could barely run for 60 seconds - 1 measly minute - without feeling like I was killing myself.  Today, I can run for like 40 times that and still feel pretty good! That is amazing to me! 

So for some physical results:  I've lost like 6lbs, not much at all in the grand scheme of things, but its a start.  My pant size dropped from a 16 to a 14, and now the 14's are getting loose...but still that isn't exactly a huge result.  I had Cory take some photos of me during week 1 of c25k, and then again yesterday in the middle of week 9.  I didn't expect to see much change, so I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw in the photos.

So, the photos on the left are week 1 and on the right are week 9.  Same outfit, same location.  The week 9 photos are after a run, so my face is red and my hair is a hot mess.  (Don't worry, I didn't run in that cotton shirt!

Pleasant surprise #1 - the "inner tube" around my waist has shrunk considerably!  I love that!

Pleasant surprise #2 - The side view is better as well.  I'll take it!

 

 

And pleasant surprise #3 - I think the back fat has been reduced a bit.  Less back fat is always good! I also think my thighs may be a little smaller, but it could have been the way I was standing.

 

I know I still have a lot of work to do, but seeing these pictures was a "Whoa!" moment for me.  I thought because I was not seeing big changes on the scale, that my body wasn't changing...but it was, and in a good way!  The proof is in the photos, my hard work is paying off.  Slowly but surely, I'll get there.  

 

What is scary crazy though, is that the changes inside are so huge compared to these outward changes.  I'm sure I'll get all emo when I write about the finish of my c25k tomorrow.  I have a lot to say, because going crazy creates a ton of stuff in your brain that you just need to get out.  So, be warned, it is coming tomorrow.  I just know it.