January Miles Challenge

I could not get up this morning.  I woke up about 20 minutes before I had to leave for work, and I was so sluggish that it took me about 10 minutes to even get dressed.  Needless to say, I made it to work on time, but anyone who looks at me probably thinks my personal hygiene habits suck.  My hair is pulled into a bun, and you can totally tell that I didn't pick up a brush or comb this morning.  I have no makeup on and I forgot to put on deodorant before I left, so I probably stink.  Well you can't tell I stink at least, and I have big plans to put some on when I go to my mom's for lunch.

The only good thing about this situation is that there are only two other people at work and no one has came in, leaving my just-woke-up look unnoticed by almost everybody.  And I have nothing to do today, so here I am blogging and wishing I would have packed my curling iron so I could at least make an attempt to look decent.

I got a great workout in last night.  I had a warm up/cooldown of 5 min on the treadmill, and ran a 5k in between in 31:03!  How did I do that?  Sheer will, that is how, and my muscles are paying for it today.  I am glad that I did it, though, because it shows me what I can do, and now I have a time to work with for my 5k coming up in March.  That is a lot of time, and I want to shave a good three minutes off of it before then.  After the running, I got on the stairclimber for 15 minutes, stretched, and packed it up and headed home.

This afternoon I'm going to get on the treadmill for about 20 minutes, then do some strength/lifting before heading home.  I need to get a quick workout in before I consume calories for the evening, because we're going to a friend's for the New Year party.  I'm sure I'll need this workout to balance what I eat/drink for the night.

And by the way, I'm hungry!  I'm trying to not snack this morning because I'm going to eat lunch about half an hour earlier today, but I'm struggling.  Twenty more minutes...I can do it!!!

See?

Ok, now to my next point.

I'm going to do a January Miles Challenge.  I'm going to log 60 miles of running/walking (not counting other cardio I do) in the month of January.  That's an average of 2 miles a day.  I can do it!!

See?

Anyone want to join?  Let me know!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Weigh-In Wednesday

165

The scale hasn't budged.  The only good thing about that is that it at least hasn't gone up!  Maintaining seems to be my strong point right now, and I didn't gain any over Christmas, so I should be proud of myself...but I'm not.  I want to lose weight!

So today I'm going to devise a workout plan for the next month.  I said earlier that I wanted to lose seven pounds by the end of January.  Well, each day that passes gets closer to that deadline, and unless I tweak my diet and exercise program (or START my exercise program), I'm not going to get past that 165 marker.  I'll get my exercise program posted a little later.

As for right now, I'm going to get to my cheesy New Year Resolutions!!!  Brace yourself...there's quite a few!

1. Lose 15 pounds.  This one is a no-brainer, it's been on my mind for quite some time now.
2. Run a 5k.  This will lead to my next goal.
3. Run a half-marathon.  I've wanted to do this for a long time, and this is the year for it!
4. Pay off one of my credit cards.  Not good, I know. Don't judge. (I only have two, so that's half.)
5. Pay all bills on time.  This one isn't for me so much as it is for my future husband.  Sorry.
6. Plant a HUGE garden.  I want to can this year, and any extras I want to sell at our local farmer's market or at my sis-in-law's greenhouse.
7. Landscape the yard.  We have to get this one done.  Before July 24, because we're having our wedding in our backyard.  Not sure if that was a smart choice or not.  I'll let you know after it's all over.
8. Plant a rose garden.  This might fall into the category of landscaping the yard.  I've always wanted a rose garden.  Might be put on the back burner for paying for a wedding though.  Just a thought.
9. Paint the laundry room and replace floor.  Light puke-pink paint on the walls right now.  Enough said.
10. Paint kitchen/dining room.  I've got big plans for it, I'm so excited!
11. Organize spare bedroom.  It is horrendous right now.  Moving sucks.
12. Join/create a bookclub.  Might be a wedding planner bookclub right now.  But a bookclub nonetheless.
13. Go to the dentist.  This may not seem like it needs to be a resolution.  However, it is hard to make myself go to the dentist when I do not have dental insurance.
14. Keep a food journal.  I eat very good when I do this.  DUH!
15. Visit both of my grandma's at least twice a month.  I've been horrible about it lately.  Bad grandchild.
16. Become a Director in USANA.  It's a company I work for.  Check it out at http://caitlinalbertson.usana.com/.  Any questions?  Email me!  Please.

Ok, so my long-winded to do list (now that I've wrote it, it kind of looks like one) seems mostly like minor tasks that should be done anyway.  But getting me to do this stuff is sometimes a challenge.  I was going to put something in about saving money, but I'm not so sure 2010 is going to be a realistic year to try to save anything.  I have a feeling I might be in debt after the wedding, but it's worth it, right?

Wedding Planning

I'm stressing!  I'm only like two days into wedding planning and it's already getting hard.  Not that it won't be fun, because I'm pretty excited about it.  We've come up with a date that will actually work with almost everybody else's schedules, and I think we've decided to have it out at the ranch where we live, which will be awesome!

However, we have quite a few home improvement projects to add to the list of things that need to get done before the wedding.  So not only do we have wedding planning and work to deal with, but also multiple home projects that HAVE TO GET DONE!  I'm in the process of making a list, and every time I think of something, I add it to the list.  I don't think I would survive without one!

Yesterday was OK for eating, but not fantastic, and I finished the night by having two beers, so that was another 220 calories or so added to what I already ate for the day.  I need to stop getting those empty calories!  However, I still like to drink every now and then so what I really need to do is plan for it.  For instance, I'll probably do a little drinking on New Years, so I need to eat good and get some good workouts into combat those empty calories.

I think tomorrow I'll be generic and post some New Years goals.  Really they are for my own personal benefit though, so I'm not worried about being a poser.  I'm going to get a workout in tonight, also, so hold me accountable: if I don't happen to slip that one into the entry tomorrow you'll know that I didn't get a workout in!

Big News!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The most exciting news of all!  I'm engaged!  Dustin proposed to me on Christmas morning, and it was so incredibly perfect, I can't even describe it!  It wasn't a total surprise, as I knew he had talked to my parents (another story in itself), but I had no clue he had already got a ring.  So needless to say it was unexpected and PERFECT!

So I spent my entire Christmas showing off my ring and grinning from ear to ear (what Dustin and I would like to call a shit-eating grin).  It was fantastic.  To top it off, we both got some amazing gifts from our family, and got to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with both our families.

Now I have some extreme wedding planning and wedding workouts to plan!  I think we might have a date--July 24--and I have about a month before I'm going to search for my wedding dress.  I know I don't have to be perfect for finding my dress, but I want to lose a little before I go shopping so I can feel better about myself.  It is a perfect opportunity for me to GET ON IT with my workouts and eating habits! 

I'm not going to get a workout in today, because we STILL have family functions going on tonight, so all I can do today is eat healthy and prepare for tomorrow and get my ass in gear.  I have 15 pounds to lose, and I want to lose 7 pounds by January 31.  I can do this!  I just have to focus on my goal and work hard.  I can't let the stress of any wedding details make me overeat or do anything extreme.  This is especially because I do not want my wedding to be stressful (of course, easier said than done).

I weighed myself this morning and I was 166...up one but not bad, and I still have two days before my weigh-in, so I'm going to work on getting down to 165 again.  The next week I want a two-pound loss.  By January 31 I want to be 158.  Maybe a lofty goal, but one I'm going to work my ass off for.

After that, I'm going to buy myself a new scale.  The one I have I think isn't so accurate as to what my actual weight is, but it's the one I use to track my weight loss because I know that scale.  I think it says I'm about five pounds less than what I really am, so after I get my seven pound loss I'm going to get a new scale and reevaluate everything.  I'll still base my 15 pounds off of my old scale, but I'm going to switch it all to the new scale later.*

*Note that while I typed that last paragraph I even confused myself.  Sorry!

Anyway, have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve!  I'm pretty excited, I love Christmas and everything about it.  My someday-to-be-mother-in-law was stressing out about everything last night, and I just sat there hoping that I don't ever get like that.  Now, I don't have to cook for many people (although I secretly would love to take that on--I love that kind of cooking pressure) or have people over at my house, so really I have nothing to stress about.  But I hope that even when I get older I will be organized enough to get stuff done so I don't have to stress over what needs to be done.

Dustin and I made two batches of fudge last night (his idea) and also made some candy covered pretzels, which are awesome.  I also sampled the fudge this morning, because I've never made it on my own and wanted to see if it turned out...DELIGHTFUL!  I'm pretty proud of our efforts and I'm looking forward to some more baking when I get off work (ok, so I'm blogging at work, but there is seriously nothing happening here) at noon.  I've for sure got to make some french bread or rolls tonight for dinner with Dustin's side of the family.

Tomorrow will prove to be a busy and fun day!  We're going to start it off by opening gifts at our house, just the two of us.  Then we shall make the long trek to his parents house (about 30 yards away from our house) and have Christmas breakfast with his family.  Then more presents and stockings.  This year we drew names and only had to get gifts for one person (besides his parents) and then we had to get everybody a stocking stuffer.  We wanted to be a little more cost effective instead of getting everybody (me, Dustin, his sisters and his sister's bf) a gift.  Thank goodness, because the bank account is already lacking funds.

After all that funness, we're going to head into town to my parents house to do gifts and stockings yet again.  Then we'll all trek to my grandma's house for Christmas dinner and our famous family gift exchange.  I just got the exciting news that Aunt N will be joining in for the exchange, so that will make for a fun *evil smile* and interesting time!

The only thing I'm a little worried about is how dinner and everything is going to go at my grandma's house.  It will be our first Christmas without my grandpa, and I'm already stressing (ok, so I'm stressing a little) about that, because we haven't really had a family event there since everyone was there during his funeral and the events leading up to it.  *By the way, in terms of New Years Resolutions, I need to visit both of my grandma's more often, like once a week at least.  They are special people!

As far as eating during the holidays, maintaining is what my plan is.  I really haven't been losing much weight, not because I can't, but mostly because I haven't been trying that hard.  I'm ok with that, mainly because I pretty much weigh what I did before college, with the exception of a few pounds.  I want to lose weight, but I'm not fat, and I don't intend on gaining any weight this Christmas.  Just eat in moderation, have fun, and be merry!  I'll get to the transformation phase again after Christmas!

In closing (since I've pretty much written a novel), I hope everybody has a great Christmas and Christmas Eve!  Have fun!

Christmas Eve Eve!

Yay for Christmas!  I think in all my "busy-ness" I kind of didn't give myself a chance to take a step back and look at things until last night and this morning.  It has finally actually snowed, and instead of just looking at the snow-packed roads on the way to work this morning, I actually looked out the window at the awesome scenery before me.  I live in a beautiful place!  That may sound corny, and maybe it is, but it for sure is the complete truth.  The snow-covered mountains of Abert Rim looked so cool today!

Ok, that aside, I actually did get a workout in yesterday when I got off work.  I got on the stairstepper for 20 minutes and then hopped on the treadmill for another 15 minutes, totalling 35 minutes of workout time.  This is good, but I'm a little mad at myself for just stopping all of a sudden on the treadmill, just because I wanted to.  I had full intentions of going longer, but I just stopped.  The S is for Sucks (come on, I hope someone has watced homestarrunner.com!)

After, I ran to the store to get stuff for dinner and hurried home (ok, hurried meant a nice slow pace of about 50 mph because of the roads).  I made tacos for dinner, using ground turkey for myself and ground beef for Dustin.  I have to say, this is the first time I've ever used ground turkey, and I LOVE IT.  For some reason I've been afraid to try it because I have grown up in a RED meat and potatoes family.  Ground turkey seemed like a sin in my world, but I bought some the other day, telling myself I needed to try it.  It was great, especially if you go into it knowing that it isn't going to taste exactly like ground beef.

We ate dinner in front of the TV because OSU was playing in their last game of the season, the Las Vegas Bowl (it was horrible, by the way).  Then we moved everything off of the coffee table and finished wrapping presents, which took about 2 hours and made me cranky by the time it was over.

So today I'm determined to get another workout in, especially in light of the fact that I'll more than likely make some poor food choices this weekend.  I'm also committing myself to count my calories from now on, even through Christmas dinner!  Scary thought, but even if I overindulge, I will at least be aware of what I'm eating.

Oh, I almost forgot...I weighed in this morning at 165.  No change.  Not horrible, but I'd like to see that scale move down!  It is my fault though, because I haven't been good this past week, and I can't expect one workout to make it all better!

Blog Title ~ Update

I've been thinking about my blog title--Caitlin's Half-Marathon Journey.  How boring is that?!  What was I thinking?  Also, it doesn't reflect all of my goals; I want more out of this "journey" than just running a half-marathon.  That is just my "getting there" goal.  So I changed my title to "Fit To Be Tied".  This portrays a better outlook on what I want, not just in the now, but in the future as well.  So here is a list of what this means to me:

1. "Fit To Be Tied" means that I want to get in shape before my wedding (coming soon, I think).
2. It means I want to be healthy and in shape throughout my marriage.
3. It means I want to be worthy of marriage.  This doesn't mean I have to be a hot bikini wife.  It means I want to be a good wife, not just in physical looks, but emotionally, physically, mentally, and in every facet of marriage.
4. I want to be healthy and have a healthy relationship with my husband.
5. I want to be healthy and fit for my future children, before, during, and after pregnancy.
6. I want to be healthy and in shape FOR MYSELF!

So essentially, I don't want to be in shape for anyone else but me, but I want to be healthy in order to have the best possible relationship I can have with myself, my (future) husband, and my (future) children.  The sooner I start this process, the better chance I have of meeting my goals and maintaining my goals.

With that said, let me give you an update, considering my last post was last Wednesday.

I haven't worked out since last Tuesday.  Blah!  Excuse after excuse has stopped me from getting a workout in and eating right.  In fact, I've downright ate like shit this weekend!  Sorry for the language, but that is really the only way to put it.  I had pizza and beer on Thursday night, and on Saturday Dustin and I went out of town to finish Christmas shopping, meaning eating out and making bad decisions.

I've wondered if a blog is really a good way for me to spur my weight loss and fitness goals.  While I know that a blog is not responsible for me losing weight, I realize that it is a way to hold myself accountable.  On the days that I did not look or think about my blog, I ate horrible.  It is a way for me to look at my goals and remind myself of why I am doing this.  And lets face it, this is a daily struggle.  Maybe even hourly.  I am thankful I have this blog and other people's motivating blogs to read, because without them I feel like I'm on my own in this struggle.  I know I have people around me that help me stick to my goals, but blogging is an added motivation.  So thank you to all the people who are struggling (that sounds bad) and who give their stories willingly to me.  It helps me know that I'm not the only person who has a hard time being healthy.

Holy Snack Attack!

So far today, my eating habits have been astonishing!  I started off the morning with one egg and two slices of *gasp* bacon, which apparently left something to be desired in my hunger bank.  I barely made it through a few hours at work when the dreaded munchies hit me, and I had just so happened to 'accidentally' grab a snack baggie of cookies that a friend had given us as I headed out the door today.  So those ended up in my mouth at an early point today.

I guess it hasn't been a horrible day, but not one for the books.  I haven't got a workout in yet, and as much as I hope it will happen tonight, I'm just not sure it will.  I'm doing a wreath making class at 5 and after I assume I will be famished and will want food. Immediately.  (Isn't it great how I can see in the future?  I know myself all too well!)  However, after that I need to get my ass to the gym and get on the treadmill for some interval training.

I have been catching up on some blogs that I'm subscribed to, and even though I find them highly motivating, it still doesn't seem to curb my snacking (while I'm reading them).  It just goes to show that motivation and willpower do not always go hand-in-hand.

So the half-marathon.  I think I've found one to do, and I'm pretty excited about it.  It is in August, but the website hasn't updated from the 2009 race yet, so I'm not sure exactly when.  Once I get it, though, it will be posted, possibly with my receipt for paying to run the race.  That will be key for me, because knowing that I have actually paid good money to enter a race will be a great motivator.

I'm also going to do my first 5k in March, which I'm also not sure when that is exactly.  It is a local run called the Shamrock Run in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  The key to this will be not going out and drinking the night before (sidenote: I was going to run our local 5k during Labor Day this year, but lo and behold I got sauced the night before and felt like crap).

So here is a tentative timeline of my goals:

Mid-March 2010--Shamrock 5k
May/June 2010--*find a 10k to put in this slot
August 2010--Haulin' Aspen Half-Marathon

I'm pretty proud of myself for at least getting this far.  One small step at a time is going to lead me to success.  Check back tomorrow to see if I actually got my workout in tonight!

Good Start

Chalk one up for me.  I started the week off great, getting workouts in both last night and during lunch today.  Last night I got on the treadmill for 23 minutes (let me explain).  I ran 2.25 miles in those 23 minutes, but I struggled, not with the actual running, but with my stomach.  You know when you get that gut-wrenching pain (not a side ache) that pretty much makes you jump off the treadmill and run for the closest bathroom?  I had that issue last night, so it was a short workout, but still a hard one.

Today I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill during my lunch.  I walked 2.06 miles on an incline, also short and sweet, but still a workout.  I'd say I've been successful today, because if I didn't walk at lunch, I wouldn't have worked out at all tonight because Dustin and I have dinner plans with friends.

I still need to work on my eating habits, and for some reason I keep forgetting to take my vitamins every morning.  I get the night ones in fine, but I cannot seem to get the morning ones in.  So it looks like I'll be packing my pill container around with me everywhere so I won't forget.  Don't forget your vitamins people!  If you need any help choosing a supplement, feel free to email me (caitlinsimms1@gmail.com) and I'll get you information to help you decide!

Let's see if I can get a good interval workout in tomorrow, but it might not happen, because once again I have plans after work.  Miss popular!  Ha, not really, I'm just busy getting ready for Christmas.  Wreath making, here I come!

Oh, by the way, my weight today was 165, down one pound!  So worth it!

Weekend Wonders

I am amazed at how fast my plans can go south for the weekend. I had great ideas of working out on Saturday evening, eating healthy the whole weekend, and just getting everything cleaned and organized around the house (because even though I moved two months ago, I still have not finished organizing). Well, that all went down the drain when I proceeded to drink at our annual fire Christmas party. The only reason I felt the need to consume so much was because Dustin offered to be my designated driver, and nights like that come few and far between...you have to take full advantage of it!

Needless to say, I woke up Saturday morning with a slight headache and my mind far away from my fitness goals. One good thing did happen, however, because Dustin found out he didn't have to leave for Fresno on Saturday night, so we got to spend the whole weekend together. I also got a good portion of the house cleaned.

Yesterday I did get a some exercise in, so it made up a little bit for my lack of exercise on Saturday. I went with Dustin to check his traps, and we hiked our asses off. I was actually pleasantly surprised that I was able to keep up with him so well, even though I was huffing and puffing.

So now we start another week! I've got big plans for working out this evening after I get off work and getting some good running in again. I'm also working on planning my meals out for the week so I don't do the "oops, I don't know what to make for dinner so we'll just eat crappy or eat out" move I usually come up with. Seriously, if I don't plan it out, I usually come up with the most fattening meal on the planet.

I'm going to weigh myself tomorrow morning to see if I'm down any (or at least not UP!) I like to think that the more weight I lose initially will make it easier for me to run that damn half-marathon I'm working toward.

Motivation

Motivation is a crazy thing. Right now, I'm so excited to start running, get in the gym and get in shape. But when I start to think about it, I wonder how in the world I am going to stay motivated throughout this whole process. It probably won't be until August until I run my half-marathon, so I've got a good eight months to find myself sitting on the couch again.

I realize that I will not be motivated to do this every day of my journey. I just have to keep reminding myself that failing is not an option this time. Sure, I might fail to get a workout in every now and then, but I want to accomplish this goal! There is no better time to get it done than this year, before I get married, have kids, etc. Did I mention I want to look hot in my wedding dress? I'm also in two other weddings this June, so I would like to be smokin' hot for those too.

So, just as Dory would say on Finding Nemo...just keep swimming, just keep swimming! (Sad, it is day two of my journey, and I'm already saying this to myself). I can't get down on myself, and I cannot lose the drive to accomplish this goal!

On another note, I did my first workout last night. I did 35 minutes on the treadmill and went 3.25 miles doing intervals. It was a good workout, and my legs are hurting a little today, but that is such a good feeling! I'm not going to get a workout in today, but tomorrow I plan on hitting the gym again after my significant other leaves for Fresno :-( I wish I could go with him, but I need to get stuff done, and I need to get this workout in. I can't wait to get to run outside soon, but I am definitely not a cold weather warrior.

First Post to a New Beginning

Here it goes!

I have always wanted to run a marathon. Crazy, right? Most people who know me know that I am not a runner, have always hated running, and would give most excuses in the world to get out of running. However, there has always been something deep down in me that has wanted to run a marathon. Well, I'm going to start with a half-marathon, and if I can actually accomplish that, I might try for a full on marathon after that.

Even if no one reads this blog, it is my way of putting my feelings out there for all to see and hold myself accountable for getting out and training for a half.

To Do List:

1. Find a half marathon in the late summer or fall to sign up for.
2. SIGN UP for the half marathon (as soon as my financial situation will permit)
3. Start training
4. Research and find a training schedule that I can stick to.
5. Find a 5k and 10k to run before half.
6. Actually accomplish my goal so I can tell people I've run a half-marathon (and survived)!

WHY List:

1. To accomplish my goal of running a half-marathon and say I can do it.
2. To lose weight.
3. To develop some sweet legs (ripped out).
4. To do something I wouldn't normally do.
5. To get in shape for my wedding (hopefully coming sooner rather than later).

Starting weight: 166 (as of 12.10.09, on my scale at home)

So, let's just see what I can accomplish and how I do!