Canal Trail 8k - quick details

Today was the Canal Trail 8k. Here are the very quick details since I need to shut the computer down. I will do my best to post again tomorrow with a recap.

My splits:
Mile 1: 11:09
Mile 2: 22:17 (11:08)
4k: 27:15
Mile 3: 34:13 (11:56)
Mile 4: 46:01 (11:48)
8k: 57:32 (11:31)

Chip time 57:31 - instant PR since it's a new distance for me!

69/107 overall men & women, 12/21 40-49 females

Taylor - 49/107 overall men & women, 8/11 40-49 men 50:59 chip time. I am so proud - this was his very first race ever!

Three Things Thursday

I'm still here and still suck at establishing at any sort of blogging routine - so nothing new there. So I'm going to write this post the easy way: three things Thursday, bullet-style!

• I'm still doing really well with my weight loss, nutrition and fitness. I'm at my lowest weight in years - 158.5 this morning. I found my wellness program numbers from 2008 a few weeks ago. I was 188 that August which I believe is my heaviest non-pregnancy weight. Most of those 30 pounds have been lost since September 2010 when I started my Body by Vi challenge. I feel so good and am so energized that I now go to the gym 3 mornings a week at 5:30 a.m. I'm not exactly jumping out of bed with a huge smile on my face at 4:50 a.m. in order to make the 20-minute drive into town, but I love it afterwards. Tuesday and Thursday mornings are group classes with hand weights and steps. I am a drippy, sweaty mess afterwards but it's an incredible way to start the day. Wednesday mornings are treadmill runs, which oddly enough, I really enjoy. I guess it's because I don't normally have easy access to a treadmill so I try to turn it into a speedwork session. Routinely hitting the gym this early in the morning is a HUGE accomplishment for me as I have never been a morning person!

• The Canal Half Marathon is this weekend. This is the half I ran last year with such a horribly slow time thanks to the muddy trail. It's also the event that started an emotional downward spiral that made my self-confidence hit an all-time low. My plan since last fall has been to conquer it this year. Unfortunately that's not going to happen. I didn't stick to my training plan close enough and my right heel still gives me problems for a few days after long runs. But here's the positive outcome. I downgraded to the 8k and best of all, my husband Taylor is going to run it with me. After 2 1/2 years, he's finally given in to my pleadings to join me in this "running thing." He won't admit it quite yet, but I think he enjoys it (sweetie, in case you're reading this, just agree with me).

• The ACC tournament starts today - my absolute favorite time of the year when it comes to sports. I have to say it since it's my alma mater ... go wolfpack! I don't think there's much of a chance we'll play any more this year after tonight's game with Maryland, but it would be wonderful to be wrong.

Body by Vi Giveaway Winner!

I'm so excited! The deadline for my first giveaway has passed, so now it's time to determine the winner of the Body by Vi Balance Kit.

There were 16 total comments ...

So like I've seen on other blogs, I went to random.org to find out who is the lucky winner ...

Then I checked to see who had the 5th comment ...

and it's TZel!

I'm not sure how TZel initially heard of my blog and giveaway, but I'm very glad she did. Her new blog and its posts are very well-written and are obviously very purposeful in expressing her thoughts. Her posts about prayer and her relationship with God speak volumes to me. Although this giveaway is just one small act, reading her words in her post on Tuesday just seem to round out this giveaway in a very nice way. She wrote:

"Now, here is where balance really comes into play. We have already discussed our relationship with God and taking care of our own needs. But Jesus advises us that there is more happiness in giving than in receiving ... Nurturing involves helping fulfill the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others. Volunteer work, taking care of family members,' workmates' and friends' needs satisfies in us that basic human desire to serve others. Without working hard to help others, our lives will seem empty and without purpose."

Looking back at the first 8-9 months of 2010, I realize now that I was not living and enjoying life as God wants us to do. I was not leading a life of purpose. Was I depressed? I honestly don't know. There were no huge factors going on in my life to bring on a depression. I am incredibly blessed: I am married to my best friend since childhood and we have 2 wonderful, healthy children. I have a job which I enjoy. Materialistically, there is nothing that we truly need that we don't have. Spiritually, I know that I am a child of God who gave us all the gift of His Son so that we may live forever in a relationship with Him.

Why was I in such an "inner funk" for much of the year? Why did I feel that I couldn't love myself as others love me? I haven't resolved all of the emotions associated with this, but what I do know with certainty is that I felt that a part of my life - my health, my body - was spinning out of control. Finding Body by Vi changed that for me and for the first time in 20+ years I am loving my body - and all of me - again. To say that is a good feeling and that it has changed my life is a tremendous understatement.

That is what I want to share with others and why I write about Body by Vi on this blog. Yes, I'm selling the product because Taylor and I need the extra income to help patch some holes in our budget. But even if I did not have the financial needs, I would still be telling everybody I possibly can about how Body by Vi has helped me gain control of one part of my life which obviously makes everything else so much better. I want to nurture others and help them gain that same control by reclaiming a healthy lifestyle.

So, TZel, I do not know your story but since you entered this giveaway, I hope that in some small way this balance kit can help with nutrition and weight loss. I sincerely thank you for entering so that I can now follow your journey.

To everyone else who entered, I thank you as well! I know this will not be the only time I host a giveaway as it has been a wonderful blessing for me.

God is good!

Goals for 2011 - Recycling is the Key!

Geez, way to start the new year. My first post of 2011 is kind of late. Oh, well, my blog, my rules, right?

Like so many others, I have set New Years resolutions for countless years. And, then again like so many others, those resolutions fall to the wayside by February not to be looked again until it's time to set resolutions again for the next year.

A new strategy for this year: recycle last year's specific goals for this year. Recycling is always good!

Anyhoo, let's take a look at last year's progress and what I'm working towards again this year.

Lose weight: reach and maintain 150 pounds - FAIL

I'm actually quite pleased with my weight loss success in 2010. According to my Buckeye Outdoors training log, I weighed 181.5 1/1/10. At some point during the year, I distinctly remember weighing 186 pounds because I had setup a weight loss ticker for this blog that I deleted once it started depressing me. I didn't reach the 150 pound mark, but I am in the low 160s for the first time in years. That is a huge accomplishment! I will weigh 150 pounds or less on 12/31/11!

Run more miles: run 520 miles before January 1, 2011 - FAIL

Not just a FAIL but a big, fat FAIL! The disappointment of a super-slow time at the half-marathon in March resulted in a huge let-down and no running at all until June. Not only did I fall out of love with running, I moved past like and viewed it as a chore for several months. It took a long, long time to start enjoying running again. I've hesitated setting this as a goal again, but I'm going for it anyway since running is so much easier and enjoyable now that I've lost weight.

Race different distances: complete at least one at each of the following distances - 5k, 10k, 10 miles and half-marathon - SUCCESS

Well, that's better. I'm not sure which of the distances I prefer. I liked them all, actually, and would love to run a race of all these distances again in 2011.

******

Don't forget my Body by Vi giveaway that ends tomorrow (Thursday, January 6). A little self-promotion never hurts, does it? And you have a pretty good chance of winning because there aren't a lot of entries yet!

My first giveaway!

Okay, be gentle ... this is my first time ...

for a giveaway, that is!

I'm so excited about the wonderful lifestyle changes Body by Vi has helped me to make the past 4 months that I decided to share with my fellow bloggers. You may have noticed the little widget in the right sidebar with links to various Body by Vi sites. (I really like the BMI calculator as I enjoy changing the weight to see how far I've come so far and the weight loss milestones I will reach in 2011). Hopefully, you've also read my prior posts written during my first BBV challenge. They're not all about Body by Vi, but I think you'll be able to pick up on my enthusiasm about how great I'm feeling in those posts.

With that said, I'm giving away a free ViSalus Body by Vi challenge "Balance Kit." The balance kit includes 1 bag of the Vi-Shape shake mix and a 5-pack assortment of flavor mix-ins. To better describe the Vi-shape shake mix, I copied and pasted from the corporate website, of course ...

The "Balance Kit" is designed to help you begin your journey by giving your body good nutritional balance. This kit contains 30 servings of balanced nutrition with our Vi-Shape™ Nutritional Shake Mix for once-a-day balanced nutrition. The kit includes an assortment of our Health Flavors, to add flavor variety, and added health benefits to your shake.

The Vi-Shape™ nutritional shake mix includes patented ingredients to help you maximize nutrient absorption while cutting calories. Shake mixes with milk or water for nutrition on the go. Low sodium, no trans fat, and an amazing Sweet Cream flavor. Our version of the perfect “fast food.”

The balance kit includes enough shake mix for 30 meals, so you can use it once a day as a recovery drink after your run, for a meal on the go in order to not hit the drive-thru, or to replace 1 or 2 meals a day if you're like me and looking to lose a few more pounds in 2011.

This is a $49 value and I'll ship it to anywhere in the US. The giveaway ends Thursday, January 6 at midnight EST and I'll use random.org to choose a comment number. I'm keeping it simple since it's my first giveaway ...

- 1 entry for leaving a comment describing 1 of your goals/resolutions for 2011

- 1 entry for following my blog (please leave a separate comment below that you are a new follower or already are one)
- 1 entry for mentioning this on your blog (separate comment)

- 1 entry for a mention on your facebook or twitter (separate comment)

I hope this appeals to some of you! Look at it this way, I have very few followers so your chances of winning are really good! And this will also help you start 2011 a little healthier! And I used way too many !!!!

Sweet 16

I haven't spent much time in blog-land lately. I know my massive group of followers has missed me terribly :-)

The good news is that I've been away simply because I've been busy for positive reasons: family time, work, focusing on LOSING WEIGHT!

Oh, yeah, why is 16 so sweet? Check it out ...

16 pounds and 16 inches lost in 90 days thanks to Body by Vi

I married my best friend 16 years ago today

I'm going to do my best to write a longer post with some new weight loss progress pictures this weekend, but I just wanted to put this out there for the world to see now. I am LOVING life!

Harvest Run

First, some very important follow-ups that I need to take care of ...

• A huge thank-you to Christina & Alma for wishing me luck in the Medoc Trail Races 10 miler. The last thing I did before leaving the car for the start of the race was to read the e-mails on my phone. Your comments really stuck with me and reminded me to stay positive and have fun during the race.
• Speaking of Medoc, my only goal was to improve upon last year's time and I'm proud to say that I did just that! I trimmed 2:57 off my time and had an absolute blast doing it. I ran with a couple of friends through mile 8 and then started struggling a little when my right calf was on the verge of cramping. I can honestly say that I did the best I could as I didn't really have much left in the tank afterward.

Getting out of the house for mid-week runs is still a problem for me. I'm basically a wimp and will run in the dark when I have to, but I honestly don't enjoy it. The farm paths I run on by woods and lonely fields are a little spooky and it's not like there are any street lights out here in rural NC. I'm not exactly scared while running by myself in the dark, but let's just say that I'm not relaxed either. I don't have time to run in the mornings after sunrise before work and by the time I'm finished with dinner/kids/homework in the evenings, it's past sunset. Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually and will have to suck it up and face the dark with my headlamp during winter, but I haven't done that yet. It just means that I enjoy my weekend runs that much more.

This past Saturday was the PERFECT day to run. Taylor asked how long I planned to be gone and I replied I didn't know and was just going to run by "feel." He thought I said by "fear" and I just laughed. It was a wonderful run and I did a little under 5.5 miles. I am still amazed that I can go out and complete over 5 miles just because I want to and for fun.

One of the 5 cotton modules blocking the farm path

The only traffic of the day

After the harvest

Beaver dam and pond

Last of the pumpkins for 2010

End of the run back at the pumpkin patch/collard field where Kate's ready to cut collards for customers