Almost Missed It!

I overslept a bit this morning...I must have been tired from my super workout day yesterday. I cannot say how happy I am that I actually got up and went for my ride. The sunrise was AMAZING today! It wasn't so much  that there were a variety of colors painted across the sky but rather the sun's rays reaching up into the sky. No matter how many photos I took this morning there was no way to completely capture the beauty of what I saw this morning. A little proof of how beautiful it was: as I entered riverside park this morning there was a photographer set up and snapping pictures of it. It made me happy to know I wasn't the only one enjoying the morning.
I cut my ride just a little short by skipping the bridge because I got up late. I was surprised that I wasn't really all that sore this morning. My knees felt a little stiff but that was about it...maybe I am in slightly better shape than I give myself credit for!
Today I thought I would talk a bit about why running is a goal of mine. I was thinking a lot about it on my ride yesterday because I knew I would be starting my Couch to 5k program and here is what I came up with...
When I was a kid I LOVED to run. I would run just because I loved the feeling of the wind in my hair (although I hated the tangles that ensued) and my feet on the pavement. I loved to run barefoot (I think I was barefoot most of the time). I remember racing kids from the various apartment complexes that I lived in. I remember being fast...and then I wonder when did all that end? When did running become something hated rather than something enjoyed and looked forward to? I figure this is my way of reclaiming something that I lost in my youth. My more current motivation is the Susan G. Komen race for the cure. I really think that it would be amazing to be able to run the whole 5k. I think it would be a nice little tribute to my grandmother and to Theresa, the two people I am running for.
And now for the photos from this morning! I tried to pic the best ones but like I said...the photos really don't do it justice. My favorite ones are where you can see the rays of light reaching up into the clouds. If you click on them you can see a bigger version :o)

Day 1 of Couch to 5K

Today was my very first day of Couch to 5k training-I was excited about this day and nervous about it all at the same time. Last night I finished preparing for it by downloading the C25K app, buying a bit more fitness wear, buying some good quality ear bud headphones (which I LOVE), and buying an armband for my phone. I was ready to go!
Today I was happily (yes I said happily when referring to running) awaiting 8:50 so I could load up the boys and head to the gym. I must say that I LOVE Tot Time! I paid $4 for both boys to go to Tot Time and play for an hour and a half (I had from 9-11am but didn't need that long). I will say that I worried that my oldest (7) wouldn't like it because it says it is for ages 2-7 but he has a blast. After they were all signed in I headed up to the track, hung up my bag, started up my music and started the app. It was very simple to use-I just hit start and began walking for 5 minutes to warm up. I do not normally listen to music when I workout. In the mornings I enjoy the calm and peaceful silence-I tried listening to my iPod once and didn't really care for it. But for running...for running I needed SOMETHING to distract my body from the thought that I was trying to kill it. I really like the music-it is upbeat and fits well with motivating me to keep going. I really like that it only cost me $4.99 after I used some Amazon mp3 credit. I previews hundreds of albums looking for something that I liked and I am happy with my choice.
Now on to the actual running/walking or should I say jogging/walking. When it was time to jog I really had no idea how much longer I had before I got to walk again but I do have to say, knowing that that motivating voice was going to come on EVENTUALLY and tell me I could walk kept me going. After a while I was able to estimate when it was going to cut in and tell me to jog or walk based on how far around the track I had traveled. That little bit of intel really helped me keep going especially toward the end. It is easy to keep going when you know that you will be getting a break shortly! All in all I have to say that today was not near as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did get towards the end and think..."Oh no, it is going to tell me I have to jog again...can I really jog again?" When I got to that point the lovely little voice came on and said, "Cool down." COOL DOWN?! Wait a minute...I did it? I completed it? NO WAY! All I have to do is finish walking and I am DONE! AMAZING! I have to say that I was pretty impressed with myself. The whole thing was smooth and simple-all I had to do was listen to the voice and do what it told me. Couch to 5k ROCKS!
As a reward for my rockin' performance I went for a swim afterward. Note to self...putting a suit on while sweaty should be an Olympic event! Once that was taken care of I headed to the pool and dove in. Never has that water felt so amazingly good! I really swam as a reward but I also figure it can't hurt my fitness goals. I swam for about 35 minutes until the calm peaceful atmosphere of the pool was broken down by several boys and their swimming lessons.
All in all I think it went really well :o) Only one little Just Dance 3 workout left for the day and I am all done until tomorrow. No running tomorrow as the C25K is a 3 day a week program but I hope to still do my morning ride...here's to hoping that I am not TOO sore in the morning!

Well, it looks as if nearly 7 months have passed since my last post...I really hadn't realized it has been that long! After reading my last post I noticed that some updates are in order.
YankTON update: Our team placed second in the competition and we were extremely proud!  We donated the $750 in Chamber Bucks to two different local organizations. I was one of the top 5 as far as total weight loss is concerned-I lost a total of 18.8 pounds-10% of my starting weight. I was extremely proud of myself.  I don't remember my exact ending weight (because it was 7 months ago) and I have the number on my work computer but not my home computer.  I do think I just barely broke into the 160s though!
Winter/Debate Season update: This has always been my pitfall. We eat out of gas stations and it is extremely hard to eat healthy (and stick to any sort of budget) this way.  I tried to do my best by bringing my own fruit and healthy snacks but I was usually exhausted and craving comfort food. Exercising also took a back seat when I started having some foot pain-it seemed to be the worst when using the elliptical so I stopped and the pain seemed to wane. Then I discovered Just Dance 3 for the Wii and thought I was going to finally get back into a regular workout routine. Shortly after starting, the foot pain was back with a vengeance to the point where it could no longer be ignored. I also noticed a bump on the top of my foot where the pain was. I really wanted to be able to work out so it seemed a trip to the doctor was in order. I visited Dr. Pederson the local foot doctor fearing a stress fracture and was relieved when he told me that the x-ray was normal. It turns out I had a cyst that had formed at one of the joints in my foot.  After a shot of cortisone in my foot I was immediately feeling better. After a week the cyst had completely dissolved and my foot pain was gone! I was back to dancing in no time.
I would love to say that I hit my stride and got right back into a workout routine but another setback was right around to corner. In the beginning of May I had to have some surgery that left me out of commission for a few weeks while I healed-it also prevented me from working out for about 4 weeks prior to the surgery. So after all that I bet you wonder where I am at...
I am currently at 180.8 pounds as of this morning. I could say that I am disappointed that I gained back around 12 pounds but that just isn't the case. I am proud of myself for not looking at that number as defeat. I am still in a better place than where I started (192.6 pounds starting last summer in July). Even if I yoyo a bit I still know what I want and I am still going to go for it-I want to be HEALTHY! I plan to hop back on my bike tomorrow morning for a nice little morning ride and as soon as I finish this post I plan to go start a new 7 day challenge in Just Dance 3. I am looking forward to getting back into writing and back into working out-I hope you enjoy following along!

Determination

Yesterday, as expected, was a difficult food day.  I didn't help the situation much when I indulged in some mac and cheese, cookies, and a pack of the kid's fruit snacks.  After knowing that I had too many points I spent most of the day thinking it would be bad if I didn't get to go for a ride at all...the more I thought about it, the more I realized it would be a good idea to take my bike along with me.  I would not have to miss two days worth of rides if I did!  Also, I have a minivan so there wasn't really an excuse there-it is super easy to flip down seats and get it loaded up.  So, that is exactly what I did.  I loaded my bike, even though my husband looked at me as if I were slightly (or possibly a lot) crazy, and felt great about my decision. 
Last night I got to use my new lights and they work nicely.  I finally had a chance to go for a ride at 9:50pm so I went for it.  Scotland has a very well lit highway that runs through town so that seemed like a nice place to ride.  I rode 50 blocks last night-three "laps" up and down the highway.  I also challenged myself to the large hill once last night.  It was a doozie so I only went up the once!  I felt a lot better after my ride and didn't feel quite so bad about my pizza consumption.
I got up a little before 6:30 this morning to ride again.  It was beautiful out.  A nice cool breeze and much more peaceful than last night!  I got some waves from older people sitting on the porch having coffee, and I enjoyed getting a look at some of the cool older houses in Scotland.  Overall, I feel great that I was able to keep riding and thus keep my streak alive! 25 days of not missing a ride!  I am determined to keep it alive!

There are good days and bad days...

This morning I did not want to get up...even though I got to sleep in until 6:00am (my husband had to work in the middle of the night and thus did not go swimming this morning).  I woke up feeling tired with an achy upper jaw (two cavities filled yesterday on opposite sides of the mouth).  I also still had a hint of last night's headache.  Not really the best morning for feeling motivated to get fit...  I applaud myself for going anyway.
I am kind of surprised that I did, it isn't something that the old Cassi would have done.  I think the main thing that got my butt out the door was how I would feel later in the day.  I would feel GUILTY, and I didn't want to!  I did give myself a bit of a break though...I didn't go the extra quarter mile at the start of my ride this morning. I also hadn't planned on going the extra quarter mile at the end of my ride but I somehow found the motivation while riding through the park (not getting hit by a single sprinkler). 
The ability to push myself is something that really makes me feel good.  I can make myself do more than I ever expected I could do myself.  I have to say that I was really beginning to think that the only way I would ever get in shape is if I had some fancy personal trainer to get me into shape.  I have decided that while a personal trainer could probably get me into shape faster, I am capable of pushing myself.  The more I push myself, the more I realize I am capable of.