Countdowns...

I love countdowns and countdown timers. I also love the "Days Until" app on my phone...

so here are some countdowns for today

56 days until Spring Break (I wanted to lose 10 lbs in 11 weeks... I need 7 more pounds in 8 weeks)

107 days until my half marathon- ok that makes me feel a little better but I am still freaking out

that's it for now... more countdowns to come soon

Back on track...

I got back on track this week - and actually tracked the entire week. Go figure- I lost :) Weight Watchers is an amazing program IF you just track what you eat, and actually follow the program. I'm down 2.0 this week so that put a dent in the 4.6 I gained over the holidays

I need to keep at it and this loss is motivating. I do have a lot of things coming up over the next few days. I need lots of good choices vibes :)

I still suck at working out. Must figure this out.

I love the weekend!

It's so nice to have some time to relax. I love weekends!

So, I WI'd on Thursday afternoon. I'm proud to announce that I've been OP since Thursday morning :) I'm pretty proud of my 3 day streak. It needs to continue!

I got a 6 mile run in yesterday which is awesome since I haven't been running much lately. I skipped bodypump this morning in favor of a little extra sleep but I plan to get a short run in today. I am so proud of anyone who trains through the winter (and glad I decided to do a May half), it is so challenging to get out there in the weather/lack of daylight.

My new Garmin Forerunner is giving me some issues, I'm going to take it back today- I think I got a lemon! Hopefully Costco will just exchange it easily.

I added some links in my sidebar of running giveaways if you're interested!

Enjoy your Sunday! I'm doing the snowdance for some snowdays this week :)

Update: I ran 3 today too :) I also added a running tab on my pages

WW Failure.

I suck at WW. Really, I do. I'm up 5 lbs from when I started November 4th. I'm once again at my highest weight and it is really upsetting to me. I really like P+ I wish I could just control my binges.

But, I think this is it. I want to do this. I deserve it. I can do it.

Back on track with food today, working out starts Saturday. This is the real deal.

Run Run Run

Just completed my first run of 2011 and it felt good to get out there and do 4 miles. I need to start organizing my half marathon training plan- I have 21 weeks from today but I want to go slow and prevent injury.

The good news about today's run was that I was faster than all my runs in Florida. That's a good thing because I was really bummed about my pace even though it's still way slower than my pace this summer.

1/2/11- Run

4 miles, Overall Pace 13:26

Mile 1: 12:47

Mile 2: 12:24

then turn around and go back UP those hills

Mile 3: 14:44

Mile 4: 13:49

Don't worry, I don't plan to post this much everyday!

First WW Goal of 2011

I'm sure there will be many WW goals in the next year. I want to start small.

At work, we are always required to make SMART goals- they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. I will also use this framework for my weightloss goals.

I have 11 weeks until spring break. My first goal is 10 lbs in 11 weeks. I think that's SMART.

Realization

so I accomplished a lot of physical things in 2010 and I'm super proud of myself. I think I was in the best physical shape of my life. However, I also am at my highest weight and that's not ok. I used my physical shape as an excuse. Kind of like, "I've gained weight BUT I can do a triathlon now" and just let it go.

I honestly feel gross. My energy levels are struggling and I need to get these 25 lbs off. My daily runs are challenging and I think it's because of the weight gain that my body can't handle.

2011 Goals

I guess you could call them resolutions, but I call them goals. A goal I want to work towards. A resolution I just want to make up excuses about.

so here we go...

1. Get Healthy

- this is a physical and mental goal

- I need to lose weight but I also want to get into a real exercise routine. I love the way I feel when I'm working out regularly

- I'm back on WW and love the new Points+ Now that all the holidays and celebrations are over, I need to buckle down

- I would love to become a faster runner. I really hate running this slow. It makes me so angry when Dave can complete the same race and practically take a nap before I show up at the finish line

2. Improve my Spanish

- this is a goal I've had for awhile. I took Spanish in high school and college but really just know a lot of vocabulary words, I need to learn to have a conversation

- the kids in my class are going to help me

- I'm also registered for a 4 credit class through the district. I've heard it's pretty intense and I am ready to put in the time

- I am planning (hoping) to study Spanish at an immersion school/program this summer. These programs are usually about 2 weeks and you take language classes and practice your spanish.

3. Get a reading job for next school year

- well this is easier said than done and it's just a waiting game which sucks

- the school district is in a major budget crisis (like $25 mil short) so we'll see how they go about this

4. TTC in the 2nd half of the year

- Our 5 year anniversary is June 3, sounds like a good time to make a baby

- I'm not making any plans for after July yet... no races, trips, etc. only time will tell...

5. Be a better wife

- I've been an ok wife but I really want to work on being a better one

- Dave's the most amazing, patient husband and he deserves it!

2010 blahs

So yes, 2010 had a lot of great moments. Unfortunately, it had some pretty rough parts as well....

My family had a lot of health issues in 2010 which sucked and made it so hard to be on the other side of the country. I had a lot of nightmares and a lot of sad days all by myself

- In March, my mom and dad were snowmobiling and had an accident. My mom tore her MCL and her ACL. I honestly don't know if her leg will ever heal properly.

- In June, my dad decided to have his much talked about hip replacement. He has been talking about it and putting it off for awhile. He went to NYC to get a special reshaping procedure that is supposed to be for more active people. We flew to NYC at the last minute to be with them during this procedure. (Hip Update: dad's hip replacement seems to have worked- he skied the other day)

- Dad got home from the hospital and 2 days later Julia and her friends were in a horrible car accident. I think getting that call was one of the scariest days of my life and being so far from my sister killed me. She broke her leg in 7 places and has a huge metal plate and a bunch of screws in there now.

- 2010 was a horrible year for GG. Her health slipped for most of the year. I went back to see her in March but she wasn't talking anymore. In August, Emilie got married and she couldn't go but she heard all about it. On September 14, 2010 she celebrated her 86th birthday. Less than a week later, on September 20th, my GG passed away. I love her so much and miss her everyday. She was an amazing woman, I wish everyone had the chance of knowing my Geege.

2010 Highlights

For the most part, 2010 was a great year... I am so blessed to have this amazing life full of great people.

Some highlights of my year:

- We bought our first home in February and settled in. I LOVE our house, it is just perfect. It's a little big still but we'll grow into it eventually. I can see us living here for a long time and it's better than I imagined.

- I completed my Oregon Reading Endorsement. This 24 credit endorsement program is required to be a Reading Specialist. I took all 24 credits between August 2009 and June 2010 which was a ton of work. When I was in kindergarten, I went to a reading group with Mrs. Peavy at Edgewood Elementary. Ever since then, I wanted to be a Reading Specialist. Then, I started the program and thought, "crap, this is a lot of work in a short amount of time, I hope it really is my dream job"

- I got a teaching job in Oregon! In August, I was called for a temporary assignment as a Reading Specialist. It was only until November 30th but since I didn't have anything else, I took it. Turns out I LOVE teaching reading and it really is my dream job. In November, I found out that the lady I was working for was taking the entire year off (maternity leave) so the job is mine for real!

- I ran. In Dec of 2009, I went to Vegas to cheer on two great friends while they ran the Las Vegas Rock n Roll half marathon. It was so amazing to me and I was telling them how I wish I could be a runner because I don't run. They convinced me I could and I started running the next day. Dave and I signed up for the Portland Half Marathon a few weeks later. It wasn't until October 10th but I had time to run.

- I ran a bunch of races the first half of the year after picking up running. I did the Shamrock 8k in March, a 10k for autism in April, Tualatin River Run 10 miler in May. The 10 miler really showed me I could do anything I wanted to. I also went back to Colorado and ran the Bolder Boulder over Memorial Day- ugh that altitude was horrible but I was glad to run with Tree again.

- Our 4th anniversary, June 3rd was celebrated in the airport and on a red-eye to NYC. My dad was having surgery and we wanted to be there. We still managed to celebrate with a great dinner and the Broadway show Wicked. It was a great performance.

-Dave and I hiked the Inca Trail in June. It was the hardest physical thing I've ever done in my life and an amazing experience. I still can't believe I did it. The Inca Trail is around 26 miles and the one pass takes you up over 15,000 feet. The altitude is killer and the long days don't help. Completing the trail and arriving in Machu Picchu was an amazing morning.

- I always wanted to do a sprint triathlon. It was on my bucketlist, my 30 before 30 list, etc. but then I signed up for the half marathon and thought I could just replace a tri with a half marathon (since I never thought I would do one of those)! Well, I found a beginner tri in July. It was a sprint distance and the swim was downstream in the Columbia. Since I was petrified of the OWS, it sounded like downstream was a good way to go about it. I did the race and fell in love with sprint triathlons! I ended up completing 3 this season and although they were challenging and I'm slow, it's an amazing accomplishment of mine.

- My running goal of last summer was to run an entire 5k by the end of the summer. I always do interval runs so I still walk a good bit. I had my heart set on Race for the Cure because it was in September and was really the end of the season. In August, we did the Crawfish Crawl and I ran most of it (I walked through water stations). I knew I could do it at Race for the Cure and I DID!

- The half marathon was 10/10/10. I slacked on my training when school started and didn't do any long runs. It showed, the half marathon was tough. It was harder than my other races and I just wasn't trained. The weather didn't help, it was pouring rain and cold the entire time. But, I did beat my goal time of 3 hours (2:50) but didn't reach my "reach goal" of 2:45. I had amazing friends come to run Portland with me- Jordan and Carol came from California (Jordan ran the full- amazing!) and Teresa and Emma came from Colorado (Teresa did not leave my side the entire 13.1 miles although she should've).

- Thanksgiving was celebrated in our new home with both sets of parents. It was nice to be able to have everyone at the table. My mom, dad, and sister came, as well as Jerry and Deb. Unfortunately, Paul and Jess couldn't make it but they went to Massachusetts and got engaged instead so that's ok :) We are thankful for so much

- December 17, 2010 brought my much anticipated 30th birthday! We celebrated the week before with a party. I'm so glad my local friends could all make it, it was a great night. I felt so loved, I love my friends here. On my actual birthday, Dave took me to el Gaucho and I had the most amazing meal, topped with tableside flambeed bananas foster- it's a must have for sure!

- we spent Christmas of 2010 in Florida with Dave's parents. It was a very relaxing trip, we didn't do much but it was nice to be in the sunshine and eat good food.

- New Years Eve was spent with good company over our friend Jason and Caitlin's house. As Caitlin's invite read "New Year's Eve party! (and by "party," I mean sitting around trying to keep each other awake)" I love her! the fact that it was a sweatpant party made it a definite win.

So, as you can see 2010 was an amazing year for us. I'm excited to see what 2011 will bring.

A new adventure: blogging!

I've been considering a blog for awhile... but then realize I don't have many interesting things to write about so I put it off. But, it's a new year, a new decade, so why not try it out?

I was motivated by my friend Laura who just started her new blog today and thought I'd give it a try too. I read a ton of blogs on a regular basis and get a lot of pleasure following others. I hope I can be interesting too!