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I’m a success story in the July/August issue of Weight Watchers magazine!!!

1 Year Ago Today

On May 26, 2010 I reached the point in my weight loss journey that I dreamed about for 2 years. I achieved what I felt was the unattainable goal of LIFETIME status with Weight Watchers. I had successfully lost over 100lbs! I was on top of the world!

Earlier in the week when I realized my 1 year LIFETIME anniversary was almost here I felt disappointment.  I picked the high end of my weight range so I could become lifetime sooner but I had (and still have) a personal goal weight that I wanted to reach. I imagined that a year later I would be at that goal. 

Truth is I’m not at that personal weight. In fact I struggled most of the year. At one point I was 10+lbs above my WW goal weight.  As of right now I am 3lbs above my WW goal weight. I don't think I’ve seen my WW goal weight since May 26, 2010.

I started thinking about the year and I realized that instead of beating myself up for not achieving something I should embrace the fact that I’ve maintained an 100 lb loss for a year. That my friends is HARD. 

This journey is for life. Hence me being a LIFETIME member. I’ve got the tools I need to continue to be successful and I will eventually reach my personal goal.  Maybe it will be May 26, 2012 or it could be May 26, 2014. Does it really matter if I’ve continued to live a healthy lifestyle?

This year I’ve accomplished the following:

• Maintained a 100 lb loss
• Became a Weight Watchers receptionist
• Ran my first marathon
• Ran my 6th half marathon and PR’d by 5 minutes
• Helped a friend reach weight loss success
• Inspired strangers to lose weight
• Going to be featured in the WW July/Aug magazine as a Success Story

Sometimes I need a reminder of what I’ve accomplished …..

Achilles Update & Useless Info

I took 9 incredibly long days off of running after the half marathon.  My achilles was not happy with me.  I began to get worried after a few days of no relief so I went to see a podiatrist. He took an xray and told me that I have a bone spur due to the achilles being tight and pulling on the bone. Note the spur is not on my heel. He showed me some stretches (which I was already doing) and said I needed orthotics (shocker). I was given the ok to start running (slowly) and see how I feel. If I felt any pain I was to stop running immediately.

I went home and ordered a pair of my new ‘old’ sneakers. I switched from Mizuno Wave Inspire which is a moderate stability sneaker to a pair of Mizuno NEUTRAL sneakers. I am almost 100% positive that this change is what caused my achilles issues.  Mizuno is now on version #7 of the wave inspire (I’ve worn 5 & 6). I am not really happy with the change – they come up higher on my ankle and I fear it will rub my achilles. So far, so good – let’s hope it stays this way.

Anyway, I went out for an easy 2 mile run and I had no pain. It was 81 degrees and humid and I was the happiest I’ve been in 9 days. It’s crazy how much I rely on running to keep me sane. I was in such a funk when I couldn't run!! I ran a whopping 9 miles last week with no pain during or after – yay! So far this week I’ve run 3 miles. I am slowly building my mileage back up and laying off of the hills for now.  I am focusing on stretching my calves/achilles every day and I need to strength my calves. Anyone have suggestions on how I can do this?

I am on the fence regarding the orthotics. I don’t want to rely on them. What are your thoughts on orthotics?

ABC’s of Me!

A. Age: 30

B. Bed size: Full

C. Chore you hate: I only get to pick 1? I’m not very domesticated. I guess I’ll go with cleaning the bathroom – geeeross.

D. Dogs: I just became a dog owner 2 weeks ago! I am now responsible for my moms dog – Snowy. He is a 10 year old Westie.

E. Essential start to your day: Venti Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte

F. Favorite color: Purple

G. Gold or silver: White gold

H. Height: 5’9

I. Instruments you play: Does the recorder count?

J. Job title: “I do everything” officer

K. Kids: One 12 year old daughter

L. Live: Troy, NY

M. Mom’s name: Alice

N. Nicknames: ‘Lady’, ‘Manda’, ‘Manderz’

O. Overnight hospital stays: Just for baby

P. Pet peeve: Driving really really slow

Q. Quote from a movie:  Stupid is as Stupid does

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: 1 brother and 1 half brother & 1 half sister

T. Time you wake up: 6:45am

U. Underwear: Absolutely

V. Vegetables you dislike: I dont like beets at all. I pretty much like all veggies. Fruits are another story

W. What makes you run late: Hmmm, not getting up at 6:45am like I’m supposed to

X. X-Rays you’ve had: one too many

Y. Yummy food you make: Chocolate chip cookies

Z. Zoo – favorite animal: PENGUINS!!

13.1 NYC in Pictures

Dinner the night before

Doesn’t everyone take a limo to the start of a half marathon?

Group photo! Let’s do this!!!

Me & Suzy waiting for the race to get started. It was cold.

And we’re off!

No time to talk..We’ve got a race to run! (Mile 4ish – maybe?)

Mile 11 – Ready to be done!

Love this picture. Running a 1/2 Marathon sometimes makes you frown

The most unflattering picture ever. I see the finish!

And I’m done 2:11:21

We DID IT!!!

13.1 NYC

I did it! I PR’d!!!

My official time is 2:11:21.  I took 5 minutes off my best time! I wanted 2:10 and according to my garmin I got it but the course ended up being long because of flooding which resulted running in the grass – yea lets not talk about that ha. I am so thrilled. I trained really hard and I was worried that getting strep a week before the race was going to ruin my chances of getting a PR. 

Let’s not mention that I woke up on Thursday with pain in my Achilles! The pain persisted for 2 days. Saturday (race day) I had ZERO pain. I ran the entire race with ZERO pain. A few hours after the race – Achilles soreness returned.  I haven't run since Saturday and I am still dealing with off and on soreness in my Achilles. I am freaking out. I want to run so bad and I cant. I’ve been reading up on Achilles issues and it can be and a very long recovery time.

Yesterday I had no soreness and I even contemplated going for a run. I was smart and decided to give myself another day of rest. I took my dog for a mile walk (in my running sneakers). This morning when I woke up the soreness was back and actually is worse then it has been. I am icing again and taking ibuprofen. I JUST WANT TO RUN.

Anyone have experience with Achilles injuries? I don't think it’s ruptured or torn (the pain isn't that severe). The pain is in the tendon – not in my heel.

I’ll be back in a few days with a better recap and some pictures! Head over to Felice &Suzy's blog to read their recaps!

Freaking Out!

Of all things … I have strep throat. Again. 2nd time in 2 months.

The half marathon is in 9 days. I’ve run 3.5 miles this week and I have no clue when I’ll be able to run again. I was supposed to run 5 yesterday – didn't happen (hello 103 degree fever).  I still feel like crud today – my entire body aches and I don't think it would be in my best interest to attempt a run.

Needless to say I’m freaking! I guess I will be extra rested? That’s a good thing –right?

It Was Meant To Be

I am going to type and make believe that I haven’t been M.I.A. for another month. I doubt anyone is actually reading anymore. I read your blogs daily but I’m not much of a commenter – sucky I know.

Hmmm, where to start.  I guess I will recap February. I ran 100 miles!! This is big news. The only other time I ran 100 miles in a month was during the summer when I was at peak training for the marathon. I’m not sure if I mentioned this before but I am training for 13.1 NYC on April 2nd.  It will be my 6th half marathon and I am hoping for a PR (2:15 or better)! My usual training plans had me running 3x a week but I decided to kick my game up a notch and I’ve been running 4x a week! It was hard to fit in the extra day – especially in the middle of the suckiest winter ever but I did it. I borrowed Felice’s training plan – THANKS!

WINTER MARATHON 3 PERSON RELAY

I ran a 3 person marathon relay race in February.  Last year Felice, Suzy & I ran and finished in 4:22:59. This year we finished in 4:06:40!! How is that for improvement. I ran the 11.2 mile leg again. I felt awesome despite the ridiculous wind.  Here is my recap from dailymile:

Felice, Suzy & I ran the marathon relay for the 2nd year in a row. We finished in 4:06:40 and shaved 16 mins off of our time! My pace last year was 10:12. This year 10:09. I'll take it. The wind was brutal and my legs were tight the entire time.

9:44, 9:40, 9:51, 10:15, 10:05, 10:28, 10:18, 10:05, 11:01, 10:03, 10:26, 9:05 (.22)

A NEW DECADE

March started off with me turning the big 3-0!!! Eeeek. I’ve been dreading this birthday for years but it actually wasn’t that bad. I am in the best shape of my life. I was obese for most of my 20’s! I’m hoping for great things in the years to come :)

 

GREEN ISLAND 4 MILER

Last weekend I ran the Green Island 4 Miler.  This is one of the few local races that I have never done before. My training plan called for 13 miles so I decided to run TO the race (4 miles). I proceeded to run 4 miles before the start of the race.  So my legs had 8  miles on them by the time the race started. My friend (who is 6.5 months pregnant) and I talked about our strategy and we were going to take it ‘easy’. She wanted to finish under 45 mins and I just wanted to finish :) 

I probably don’t have to tell you this but I don't really know how to take it ‘easy’. Especially during a race. Tami and I eventually decided we would just run. If we needed to stop or slow down at the end we would. I felt surprisingly good – I couldn't believe that I was running as fast as I was. Mile 3 I really got a surge and Tami told me to go ahead. I would glance at my watch and see 8:55 – that’s super fast for me!  With 1/2 a mile to go I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Tami!! She had caught up to me and finished ahead if me. I got a killer side stitch and I couldn't keep up. I am so impressed with her running abilities!

I finished the 4 miles in 37:15 (9:18 pace) which was a total of 12 miles. Tami and I finished another 1.22 miles. So in total I ran 13.22 miles in 2:11 which is a 9:54 pace. I felt on top of the world during and after this run. It was the confidence booster that I needed! I have hopes that I can PR come April 2nd.

Splits:

Mile 1 - 10:18
Mile 2 - 9:50
Mile 3 - 10:09
Mile 4 - 10:00
Mile 5 - 9:58
Mile 6 - 9:58
Mile 7 - 10:00
Mile 8 - 10:24

4 MILES OF THE RACE
Mile 9 - 9:24
Mile 10 - 9:30
Mile 11 - 9:02
Mile 12 - 9:13

Mile 13 - 10:49
Mile .22 - 11:23

Here is my “I am going to puke face”

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE

In January I was up to 181 lbs (my WW goal is 169). I’ve been diligently following the Simply Filling Technique and I’ve lost 8 lbs! It’s been an interesting couple of months. I don't know why for weeks I was half-assing. I knew that I wasn't happy with the extra weight but I also didn't care.  I was so comfortable and I would tell myself that I wasn't going to gain 100lbs back eating this or eating that. The reality is that if I would have stayed on the path I was on I could have easily put it all back on. Shit – I have lost 70 lbs before and gained it all back.  I can 100% say that if it wasn't for running I would probably be in a bad place right now. I owe my life to running and I’m thankful I can run.

My mom is in the process of moving and came across some pictures that make me smile every time I look at them.  I was about 6 years old in these pictures. I was obviously always meant to be a runner :)  I love that my mom is running with me and I love that I finished the mile race in 9:38!