I'm a runner...

At what point did you start calling yourself a runner? Was is after your first 5k, or was there a moment where it just hit you?

My first 5k was the Race for the Cure in Denver when I was 12 years old. My Dad's company had a team and I decided it was a good idea for him and I to do it together. I remember having to stop and walk all the time and feeling like 3 miles took forever! I never ran again until 2009 when hubby was in charge of a 5k race at his Alma mater Eckerd College. I helped set up and then "ran" the course. By "ran" I mean I mostly walked and had a few short jaunts of slow jogging. Although I seemed to despise the act of running there was something motivating about running.

Since then I have been participating in various 5k races, 2 half marathons, 10ks and other distances. It wasn't until Sunday around noon while driving home from the Gasparilla 8k that I decided that I am ....a RUNNER!

I had just finished the 8k after participating in the 15k on Saturday. I had my medals and official times and I felt awesome. I know there are people that ran faster and farther...but there always will be those people. I don't know what it was but I now feel like I can actually call myself a runner. I can't wait to tackle my next challenge of improving my pace and continue to add race bibs to my collection.

When did you consider yourself a runner?

trying to do the heel click jump during the 15k....I look more like a jumping goat haha

#22 complete!

Number 22 on my 30 before 30 list is to ride the entire Pinellas Trail. I'm not a big biking person but I love the fact that there are so many biking trails in our county. I have been on the far south part and the far north part but there was a large chunk in the middle I hadn't tried yet. 

We treated ourselves to new mountain bikes for Christmas so we took the opportunity to break them in and go for a longer ride. Our Running for Brews group planned a biking for Brews this past Sunday morning and we took the chance to get to know more people and get in a good ride. This also covered that last chunk of the trail that I hadn't seen yet! After a REALLY cold and windy ride we did a total of about 35 miles and had lunch at the Dunedin Brewery for the halfway mark. Most people were on road bikes so we did have a slower pace than them but we had a great day and those hot showers felt AMAZING when we got back home. 

I'm not sure which things on the list will be next but I'm working towards improving my running speed (#2 is a sub 30 minute 5k), working out (#10 goal weight), planning a week for a juice cleanse (#18) and so many more.

Have you set your 30 before 30 goals or 40 before 40 goals yet?

30 before 30

Certain moments in life are milestones that mean different things to different people. I sit here and realize I am 25 months away from my 30th birthday and there are so many things in life I still want to do! I know I have time but I have decided to create a 30 before 30 list. These are different from my bucket list. Bucket list has some pretty expensive travel wants and big ticket life items. This is a more reasonable list for the next few years. Some of the things on the list may seem silly or odd but they are random things that I have seen someone else do and thought, "I can do that". So here is my list.

1. Raise a service dog- Rowena has graduated and Maggie will go in for her harness training in the summer *sniff sniff*
2. Sub 30 mintute 5k
3. Invest money and start saving for the future- Done
4. Sew an outfit for myself
5. Go on a road trip
6. Run a 5k, 10k, 15k, and half marathon- DONE!
7. Cook an entire Thanksgiving meal- Did this in 2011 for my family and Jeff's parents!
8. Be able to do 10 real full pushups- military style
9. See sunrise and sunset in the same day
10. Goal weight: 13lbs to go
11. learn how to box
12. Complete the Spartan Challenge in under 1:15
13. Find a job I love- DONE!
14. Skydive
15. Have a picnic on the beach at sunset
16. Get a promotion and not just a new job
17. Have non wedding family photos taken
18. Do a 1 week juice cleanse
19. Paint a piece of old furniture
20. Start a family
21. Take an international vacation with Jeff just cause- I guess this is done since we've been to Africa and Costa Rica together but I want 1 more before I'm 30
22. Ride the entire Pinellas Trail
23. Ride a motorcycle
24. Win an award for something I did
25. Make a pie totally from scratch
26. Have a recipe that everyone asks for
27. Grow my own herbs
28. Be a leader for an organization
29. Visit half the states in the USA 18/25 done
30. Throw someone a surprise party

Do you have a list of 30 before 30, or 40 before 40? What would you add that I don't have on my list?

January re-cap

I can't believe it's already February! The first 31 days of 2013 went by like a blur. I didn't exactly get my January goals completed but I'm not upset because we were so busy with work but still got work done in the house and spent time with each other. I had planned on painting the kitchen table and doing a back splash in the kitchen. The painting didn't happen because I decided to do a few easier house projects first. Our back splash idea completely changed so we have to find tile we like now. Instead we dog sat for another dog, ran a lot of miles, worked a TON and did smaller house projects. Thanks to my parents visiting, we now have front porch chairs, working light bulbs throughout the house, pictures on the wall and finally got some blinds up in the kitchen.

As I said we have been running a lot so we are focusing on being healthy. Also, Maggie and I are getting a lot of morning walks in which she is loving. She has had a lot of exposures which is great and I can see her picking up on things slowly. February is going to be just as busy with work but we have a great month planned. February goals were supposed to be running the Gasparilla 15k with no walking. I have a few more weeks to get there but I'm nervous about that. Also I wanted to take my sewing class. I will not have time for that class but I do plan on painting the furniture that needs it instead.

Happy February! What are your goals for the month?

Running and smoothies and tracking oh my!

Part of 2013 for us will be redesigning our version of healthy. Let me explain myself. Everyone always talks about eating healthier and working out more but it's hard to go from zero to 60 and not look back at your old habits. The plan is make leading a healthier life a habit and not a job. Here's what we are doing to try and make healthy habits just that... habits!

Running: We have joined a group called Running for Brews and we run 2-3 times a week with them. It's so low key and fun that I wasn't worried that I would be (since I was for a while) the slowest runner in the group. It has allowed me to build my mileage and my running confidence. I used to say that I was pretending to be a runner, but lately I feel as if I'm actually a runner! I look forward to meeting up with our new friends that we have met because of Running for Brews and we all encourage each other to keep coming back.

Healthy breakfast: Everyone always says breakfast is the most important meal of the day. About 5 weeks ago I joined a fitness challenge where the meal plan was provided. Breakfast time called for a lot of green smoothies. We have come to love our green smoothies and they are soooo easy to make quickly. I make enough for both of us and send hubby off to work with his glass. If I start my day with a healthy breakfast I feel like I can eat healthy all day.

Take out: We are doing a LOT less of this. It's so easy to get in the habit of just grabbing dinner somewhere when we are tired or busy (busy is like every day around here). By planning ahead and being determined to live a healthier life eating home cooked meals can be easier. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few taco takeout nights but they are not nearly as frequent.

Tracking: We started using my fitness pal to track all of our food and exercise and it really does help us stay on track. Once you see how much you are eating versus how much our body really needs...wow. I have always been a healthier eater but I was surprised how many extra sneaky calories and sugars I was eating. There are so many apps out there to help you keep track but our favorite is My Fitness Pal. We like the apps on the phone which help us keep track of every little snack (because seriously who doesn't have their phone on them all the time). It's great because we can scan a bar code on the food package or input our own recipes and it tells you the nutritional value.

Encouragement: It's so much easier to be healthy when you have a partner in crime. There are those days where all I want is to grab taco Tuesday but then I remember that my hubby has been good all day and it wouldn't be fair to him. I see our habits changing and becoming our new normal and we are still loving life.

The biggest changes I have noticed is how much less caffeine and sugars we consume, and how we eat when we do eat out. We are considering more healthy options, and eating less of those big restaurant meals. We can also tell when we don't eat healthy- and we regret it later.

Changing lifestyle habits isn't easy at first but if you commit and stick to it for a few weeks, you'll notice little habits (the good kind) sneaking up on you and surprising you! I'll have to add some of my green smoothie recipes but for now have a great day! Do something healthy for yourself today.