Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category
Little project for the year…
Posted on: January 27, 2013
I saw this and it sounds like a really good idea. Now I know we’re now 27 days into the year, but I’ve had a bit of a difficult time so far this year…Yes, already!! So, getting a late start but starting today, Sunday, January 27th, I will get a small pretty box or jar and write down each time something good happens. And honestly, it doesn’t matter how small or insignificant it is. A small victory is still a victory, a tiny moment of happiness still a moment of happiness. They all add up. It’s something to work for. I need positive things in my life. I need these good moments that put a smile on my face. It’s important. Everyone does. I urge all of you to participate in this project. Bring some joy into your life. Celebrate each good thing that happens to you, no matter how big or small. And you can choose to share this with everyone, a select few, or just keep it special for yourself. Just don’t let those who are negative tell you it’s a stupid idea or a waste of time. These are people who fail to find the small joys in life, and that’s a sad way to live. I look forward to the end of the year and reading the many happy events that are sure to occur in the months ahead!
Setback
Posted on: September 10, 2012
- In: Personal | Running | Weight Loss
- 2 Comments
So, I accomplished a goal. I completed my first half marathon. And I did great. And I’ve been doing great lately. But sometimes things don’t always stay on the upside…
After the Rock n Roll Half Marathon, my feet were bothering me a bit. Especially my left foot. Of course, I just ran/walked 13.1 miles. They were bound to be a bit uncomfortable.
Now fast forward to Thursday, when I was contemplating going to the emergency room because my left foot hurt so bad when I walked. Called my podiatrist, they got me in first thing Friday morning.
Turns out I have a stress fracture in 2 places on my left foot. I’m in a walking boot for at least 3 weeks, possibly longer. I have to stay off my feet, sleep with my foot elevated, and who knows when I’ll be able to return back to running. I left the office in tears.
Needless to say, I did not run the Bay Days 8k on Sunday. And I won’t be running the Komen Race for the Cure next month.
I’m supposed to be training for my half marathon that’s in March. Luckily, I will have enough time to heal. But what to do until then? How to keep the weight off? In fact, how to lose the weight? I’ve already gained 2 lbs from last week’s inactivity and not being careful enough about what I was eating.
Everyone tells me to be patient. In fact, I’ve been told “welcome to the sport of patience”. Well, that’s fine. I can learn to be patient.
I can also be quite determined. I’m not a quitter. I’m not ready to sit back for 3 weeks or longer and do nothing. Let my training plan fall away. Gain back the weight that I’ve lost. Go back to square one. I’ve allowed myself to be upset for a few days. Fine. I’ve done my 3 days of depression. Now it’s time to get active, take charge of this issue, and find alternatives to running and walking for my training plan.
At the moment, I have no access to a pool. So swimming is out. I can’t afford to reinstate my gym membership. If I could, that would have been the first thing I would have done. I would have access to a pool and a stationary bike. But the funds aren’t there. And no, I cannot ask family members for help. So, I have to find another way.
I have posted on Facebook, reaching out to friends and family asking everyone if they have a bike I can borrow for the next few weeks. So far, no one does. I have posted on Freecycle looking for a bike. So far, nothing. I’ve posted on different communities asking if anyone knows of different workouts I could do. So far, just people who sympathize with me, wish me luck and a speedy recovery. But I’m determined.
I will not sit around doing nothing. I will figure out a way to keep working out, keep training and keep losing the weight. I won’t stop reading up on running just because it’s not something I’m doing anymore. I won’t let it get me down and depress me. I’ll use this time to do research. I’ll start focusing more on nutrition and what I put into my body.
But I definitely need support from my friends and family. Please, if anyone can think of anything to help, let me know.
I finished!
Posted on: September 5, 2012
- In: Personal | Running | Weight Loss
- 2 Comments
I’m a few days late but yes, I finished the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach on Sunday!! My first half marathon! I still can’t believe it! I actually finished a half marathon. 13.1 miles! Amazing!
My finishing time was 3:34:26, with an average pace of 16:22. And that was WITH the long bathroom break (there was a super long line). I had expected to finish closer to 4 hours so I’m really happy with that time. Especially for it being my first half marathon. The first mile was about a 14 min mile. So without that bathroom break, I could have finished sooner!
The race started off great because I got to see my daughter Alana and her teammate with Team Hoyt, Ryan take off. That just made my day! Then during the race, I received a notification on my phone from Facebook from my friend Wendy who had posted on my page “you’re amazing in every way possible and don’t ever forget that. Love you!” and that just brought tears to my eyes and made me even more motivated to continue on. I swear, the amount of love and support I have gotten from people on Facebook and Livejournal and on my blog is wonderful.
I’m just so happy and so proud of myself. This was a huge goal and I accomplished it. And before I turned 30! I just feel amazing! Crossing that finish line was an incredible feeling I will never forget. I almost feel like I can do anything. It has made me feel so much better about myself. I am feeling positive and ready to take on the world!
I’ve gone from my first race to a half marathon in 9 months. And I started out at 220 lbs. I’m now 178. I still have a long way to go with my weight AND my running and life in general, but for a person who started the year out at getting sore just walking a mile to walking and running a half marathon and losing weight, that’s pretty awesome. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished.
To anyone who reads this and is surrounded by people who are negative and tell you you can’t do something, don’t listen to them. And don’t ever tell yourself that you can’t. You can change your life, you can make a goal and accomplish it. Whether it’s a small goal or a big goal, you can do whatever you set your mind to do. If the people around you are negative, surround yourself with different people. Or be your own support system.
I have an 8k this weekend in Downtown Hampton. My feet are still pretty sore, so we’ll see how I do with that. And after the 8k, it’s back to kicking butt on the Shamrock training!
3 more days!!
Posted on: August 30, 2012
- In: Personal | Running
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I now have 3 more days until my first half marathon!
Yesterday it hit me all at once, and I suddenly became really nervous. These weren’t the usual pre-race nerves. These were “FIRST HALF MARATHON…YES, THAT MEANS 13.1 MILES!!” nerves. I was shaky, my stomach was in knots. I just felt awful.
I managed to calm myself down, though. I’m back to being excited again.
I just want to not worry, not freak out. I want to relax and enjoy the experience of my first half marathon. There’s nothing to freak out over. Nothing to be nervous about. I’m not going for a time goal. My goal is to finish in the 4 hour time limit. And I could do that just walking. Which I’ll be doing more than walking some of the time.
I’m not racing against anyone. I’m not even racing against myself. This is my first half marathon. I have no time to beat. I just want to prove to myself that I can do it.
And I’ve had so many words of encouragement and really awesome things from people. I know I have the love and support of people behind me, and with that, I know I can do this. I have nothing to worry about. I’ve had people tell me that because of what I’m doing, I’ve inspired them to become more active and start running. That’s amazing to me. I’m inspiring other people. And that inspires and motivates me to continue to do this and push myself and go farther.
People may not realize it or even believe it, but running and completing these races has been a life changing experience for me. And it’s not even done yet. I honestly believe finishing this half marathon will change something in me.
I only wish my mom was alive and well to experience all this with me. She would be my biggest supporter, my biggest cheerleader. I know that she would, without a doubt, be at every race, cheering me on without me even asking her to. She would listen to me talk endlessly about it. She would be just as excited about things as I am. She would calm me down when I’m nervous. And she would always, always let me know how proud of me she was. I know I could count on her for that. But that’s how my mom was or would have been. Maybe dads just aren’t like that. I don’t know. Or maybe it’s just mine. I just know I miss my mom right now more than ever.
But I’m almost 30. Old enough to be proud of myself. To be my own cheerleader. To be my own biggest supporter. To calm myself down. And I write in my journal endlessly about these things.
3 more days. And I’ll be a half marathon momma!
Um..shocking announcement?
Posted on: August 19, 2012
- In: Personal | Running
- 3 Comments
Yes, this is a shocking announcement, even to myself.
At the expo for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon, I will be upgrading to the Half Marathon. So instead of doing 3.1 miles in 2 weeks, I’ll be doing 13.1.
Am I crazy? Probably.
See, here’s the thing. Shaine and I were planning on doing the 2 person relay for the half marathon. She would do the 7.9 miles and I would finish and do the 5.2. Well, turns out, they don’t allow half marathon registrations to be transferred to relay. So…something in the back of my mind dared me to do it. I don’t know, maybe I just got a little brave. Maybe I was just feeling really good and motivated at the time. Still am. So, apparently my first half marathon will be a lot sooner than the Shamrock. My first half marathon will be before I turn 30. Which was a thought that occurred to me after I decided to do it.
We’re going on a long run today so we’ll see how that goes. Somehow I feel like I’m ready for this. Like it’ll be okay. Like I’m up for the challenge. Or maybe that I just need this challenge. Whatever it is, I hope I have everyone’s support. I hope at least someone will be there for me cheering me on.
It’s not all about the running…
Posted on: July 27, 2012
Yesterday was the 26th. So exactly 4 months from yesterday, I’ll be 30 years old. Yep, it’s the final countdown…*cue Europe singing in the background*
So, those close to me knows I’ve been going in and out of a quarter life crisis. This finding myself, losing myself, finding myself battle, going back and forth. It’s exhausting. It really is. After talking with some friends, I find that I’m not the only one who’s gone through this quarter life crisis, so I’m in good company, really. But they’ve already gone through it. How do I get through it? My situation is a bit different.
Along with that, I was reading a book I got from the library yesterday by Bob Greene called “The Life You Want”. He talks about how losing weight isn’t just physical. It’s also an emotional, psychological process. It really does take a lot more than just “workout and don’t eat junk”. Especially if you want to stick with it.
There are so many things in my life I can’t control and that’s frustrating. And it’s not just trying to make my body do things it’s not ready to do. It’s certain people in my life and how they act and how they treat me. It’s being able to do things like get a job. You can only put in the applications and resumes. You can’t make a company give you a job. You can’t control a 9 year old, no matter how much bribing and pleading you do with her. You just can’t control many situations in life. You just have to control how you react to them and hope it all works out for the best. And worry about the things you can control.
I’m probably going to start getting a little more personal with my writing. Mom Is Gonna Run isn’t just about running anymore. It’s about so much more than that.
Update
Posted on: July 17, 2012
- In: Personal | Running | Weight Loss
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It’s been over a month since I’ve updated, very sad to say.
Can’t say things have been great. Can’t say they’ve been terrible either. Went on vacation to the Outer Banks. That was fun. And that was the highlight of the past month.
Everything else has been…eh. I’ve been slacking off pretty bad on my workouts. I haven’t been to the trail at all since Lola got out of school a month ago. I’ve barely used the treadmill. I’ve hit the pavement once. Just once. And that was 4 miles. I seemed to have lost motivation.
Yesterday, I gave myself a kick in the butt. I registered for a 5k that’s on August 4th. That’s right, only 2.5 weeks away. So, in order to not make a complete fool of myself, I need to step up my diet, step up my training and work my butt off so I can beat my last 5k time of 44:55.
I do have some rather good news. There’s a program called “Girls On The Run”. It’s for young girls, to help build character and self esteem, through running. Lola and I are starting a chapter at her school this year. Or are going to try. We have to talk to the school first. But Lola is so excited. She can’t wait to start. She actually wants to start training now. And since I’m helping to get it up and going, if I’m interested in becoming a coach, they will train me to do so. Pretty awesome. It’ll be so good for her!
I’m still going through my sort of quarter life crisis, but I’m working through it. It’s going to take some time I guess. Have a lot of things to take care of. But hopefully, everything will turn out well in the end.
A glimmer of hope?
Posted on: May 26, 2012
Your horoscope for May 26, 2012
The day ahead should be fairly positive, HEATHER, and you will begin to feel the faintest hints of a major change beginning. This new phase will last seven months. As it progresses, you will find greater freedom of expression, and you can expect to shift into high gear on subjects you used to avoid. Some friction with your brothers and sisters is likely to arise in the next few months.
Now, I know you shouldn’t buy into these horoscopes, but sometimes they be right on point…or at least pretty close to it!
I’ll be 30 exactly 6 months from today. Lately I have been needing a major change in my life. I’ve been slowly working on it. And sure, I’ve already begun to make a change, with incorporating jogging into my life, working out, eating a little differently. But my changing isn’t only about that. It’s going to be much more than that. My entire life is going to change. I will be happier, healthier, and more successful.
I have been on the wrong path for many years. No, I’ve never been into drugs or drinking heavily, but when I say I’ve been on the wrong path, I mean I haven’t been on the path I should have been on. I haven’t been happy as I should be, I haven’t done things as well as I should, I’ve had trouble financially, I’ve had trouble with jobs, I haven’t finished college, and, of course, I’m not in the best shape.
Along with this, I lost my passion for things I once had. I grew up with dreams of doing certain things and I lost sight of that along the way somehow. Very recently, I realized it’s been in front of me this entire time.
I write constantly. I grew up writing. I’ve written stories. I used to write for the newspaper in high school. I’m always writing in journals. It’s always been my passion. I grew up with the dream of wanting to be a writer. My mother knew this and always encouraged me to do so. I’ve also always been an avid reader, which goes hand in hand.
So, when my therapist brought up the idea of me taking everything that I’ve been through, everything I’m going through, and everything that I’m doing and writing a book, at first, I thought it was a crazy idea. BUT the more I thought about it, the more I decided to go for it. She said that maybe there are people out there who have been where I once was, who feel how I have felt, who will get help from what I have to say.
Now, I’m not totally done yet, so maybe I will end up being a success story at the end of this book…which brings me back to this horoscope. Maybe it’s a sign, a small glimmer of hope, some motivation, that this really is a good idea, that I can do this.
Afterall, I certainly can’t turn 30 on a bad note, right?
Quarter Life Crisis
Posted on: May 21, 2012
190 days until I turn 30.
Am I freaking out? Oh no! Why on earth would I do that?! Only because I’m not even close to being where I should be at this age. I’ve done NOTHING close to what I should have done at this age. No, nothing like that.
No, at the age of 30, I thought I would have already graduated from college, had a decent paying job, been married, had a house, a decent car, been able to go on a vacation maybe once every year or two, at least.
Instead, I’m 6 months away from being 30, still living at home with my father, a single mother of two, with no job, no degree, with a car that’s not in the best shape, I’M not in the best shape, never been married, no chance of even getting engaged, but I have a boyfriend, and I can’t remember the last time I even went on vacation. In fact, what IS a vacation?
And when I go to make my “things to do before I turn 30″ list, I draw a blank. Really? I mean, really? I can’t even think of a single thing to do before I turn 30?! Oh, besides my half marathon in October. Which I’m training for. But besides that. What an imagination…
That brings me to another point. I used to have this wonderful imagination. I used to have all these amazing dreams. What happened to them? When did these things get sucked out of me? Did I realize at some point that “oh, these things are not going to happen, just erase them from your mind, don’t even dream anymore.” I’ve lost the ability to dream now? Is that what happens when you get old? Or older? Because I’m not really OLD yet, am I? I mean, according to my 9 year old, I am, everyone older than her is OLD, but really, is that what happens? When you hit a certain age, do you lose the ability to dream? All the things you once wanted, once had a passion for, is it all gone?
I need inspiration. I need to feel alive again. SOMETHING needs to happen.
Losing my motivation?
Posted on: May 15, 2012
It’s been a rough couple of days. Somehow I got a little lost. Especially after yesterday.
I had my last personal training session yesterday. I only get three free ones. And that one had to be cut short because I got dizzy. I have to admit, I haven’t been consistent on my Topamax, which is my migraine prevention medication, lately. It helps with the dizziness. I get dizziness due to my migraine disorder. But something else really bothered me.
Now, I know personal trainers at gyms make their money by selling personal training sessions. And they have to do that however they know how. But when a client says they just can’t afford it, that should be the end of it. And when that client is someone who really doesn’t need their motivation taken away, making them feel like they can’t do it on their own, in my opinion, is wrong. Just accept no as the answer. Or say “okay, this will be our last session. Let me show you things you can do so you’re able to do this on your own.” But hey, I guess it’s all about making money, right? Not about what’s in the best interest of the client.
So, after yesterday’s session, I was feeling horrible. Not just because of the dizziness, but because I felt like my motivation and spirit were just broken down. Like there was no way I could do this on my own from here on out. And today, I had no drive to even go work out. To do anything, really. And considering where I was, that’s really sad.
It hit me all at once, though, just a little bit ago, I’m capable of doing this by myself. I’m able to read and do research. I’m determined to do this. I can get my motivation back. I have a gym membership. I have a little bit of equipment at home. I CAN do this. I don’t need a personal trainer. There are plenty of people out there that do it on their own, without the assistance of personal trainers. And I have people that believe in me, that support me.
Losing my motivation? I only got a little lost. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes things throw us off. But I can do this. And I WILL DO THIS.
Fade into a dream.... 