food for finance: week 9/10 WW weigh-in

I am getting close to the end of my 12 week "lose Jonah weight" challenge. After 2 weeks of weight gain, I am proud to say that I had 2 weeks of weight loss!

 

week 8 weight: 145.5
Week 9 weight: 143 (lost 2.5)
week 10 weight: 142 (lost 1)
Goal weight by week 12: 140
Goal weight by July: 129

I've lost a total of 10 pounds in 10 weeks. If I lose 2 more pounds in 2 weeks I get my money back! So thankful my job supports losing weight! I think it has helped by me cutting some of my nursing points. I have dipped a little in milk supply but not so much that I am worried.

Good news is that I ran 3 times last week! Whoot!

And my little J is now turned around in the B.O.B! He helps me gain extra activity points! He's heavy!

Wish me luck these next few weeks...





babies, b.o.bs, balls, and bethel

The 2nd weekend in December I did the the Ugly Sweater 5k. Well, I didn't end up walking it becuase the weather looked like it was about to pour rain. Jonah and I hung out and watched all the crazy runners in their tacky sweaters! I borrowed my beautiful sweater from my aunts.

Babies and B.O.Bs

The sea of tackiness!

Later that night we went to Randi's annual Rum Ball Fest to kick off the Christmas season.



My sweet Jonah

Our 1st Christmas tree photo.

Ele and Jonah

When we got home, we put Jonah in front of the tree and he loved it!

He was amazed.

One of this favortie things to do.

His famous lips!



Sunday morning we made it out to my parents church. My mom took Jonah around and I barely saw him! Their church is so sweet. The pastor gave us $50 for a present. They are great to my parents.

Grandpa and Jonah

The also have a breastfeeding station. It's in the nursery and they have a glider with a screen they put up. So glad this is catching on.

What a busy weekend for Jonah.



my non-half marathon

Ever since 2006, I've ran either the St. Jude half marathon or full marathon. This year I had a special reason to not run. I had just given birth to Jonah!! That was a marathon in itself. Whew! The race was on Dec 1st so Jonah was 2 months old. Kyle ended up getting a race number 4 weeks before the race. I told him that would be plenty of time to train since he'd kinda been running. So he did it!

This was my 1st time to cheer and it was fun! We cheered for Kyle in 3 different spots. It was a cheer leading marathon! My MIL was in town so she kept Jonah so I could cheer for Kyle.

Kyle is in the back with the white hat on waving his hands. That is the best picture I got. A lot of people kept tripping over the trolley tracks so we'd say "don't trip!" We were all drinking sodas in a koozie and people thought we were drinking beer. At 8am? No thanks!

Good job marathon and half marathon runners. Hopefully I'll be back at it next year! 



walk it out

Kyle and I waited to sign up for the Cooper Young 4-miler until the day before. It was last Friday night and I thought that walking the race would put me in labor since i was 39 weeks. Not true!

Kyle texted me after he was finished to make sure I was doing ok!

I had a good time. It is fun being pregnant and doing a race. EVERYONE cheers for you! "Go pregnant lady!" and "hey, I'm a labor and delivery nurse if you need me!" I walked with a friend so if something happened, she was there! We did a pretty good speed considering my extra weight and extra person! We finished in 1 hour and 13 minutes so we did about a 18 minute 15 second pace per mile.

Come on baby!

i am committed!

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

I have to brag on my on my husband! He gets the husband of the century award!

My 1st trimester was a big carb-fest for me. It was the only thing I could keep in my belly that made me feel better. Poor Kyle started to gain a little weight.

So he decided to go to weight watchers to lose some pounds! (he only needed to lose 10-12 pounds) He was going to do it online (to learn the new system) but then we talked about asking my mom to go. She said yes. So every Thursday, Kyle and my mom went to WW.

I have not heard of a husband that would go to WW with their MIL!! It is unheard of. And everyone in their class loved that they came every week. He melted lots of hearts. They'd say "what a great SIL you are" to Kyle. He'd just smile!

On top of that, he went to the WW meeting that is held about 1/4th of a mile from my parents. He works 20 minutes south from my parent's house and we live another 20 minutes south of that. So basically after work, he'd head the opposite way to meet mom at WW, then have to drive 40 minutes home.

That is commitment! To me, my mom, and health! This is why I love Kyle! This is why he is going to be a great dad!

One lady asked my mom if Kyle was her husband! That made her day.

Then when mom 1st signed up, she told the lady "we are having a baby". Kyle said "no, not we....her daughter and I are having a baby!" Mom said "that is what I meant!"

In June, their WW group did a 5k.

Kyle is committed to my family! And to be fit!

This made me laugh! It made their website!

The walk!

They tailgated afterwards and everyone brought healthy snacks and shared recipes!

They went to the WW meetings for 3 months until Kyle met his goal weight (he lost 14 pounds). Mom lost 16 I think. She has not started back yet but I hope she does soon. She's lost her support person but she might have me after this baby gets here!  Kyle still weighs in every Thursday and calls my mom to share his weight. It is a lifestyle change!



food for fiance: fit & pregnant

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

I had it in my head that I would be the most fit pregnant girl in town. WRONG! I wanted to be like the pregnant girl that ran the marathon at almost 39 weeks pregnant. I had pretty high expectations for myself. I ran a marathon last December and it was not fun not being pregnant. I could not imagine doing one while pregnant! At any stage of pregnancy! 

 It was a hard pill for me to swallow. I had to slow down and listen to my body. I did jog some, up until about 30 weeks. I've also had to stay inside most the summer and work out. It was way to hot for me to walk./jog outside. Luckily my work has a gym we get to use so I walked on the treadmill and used the elliptical machine. I also did some weights. I did leg lounges one day with some dumb bells and I had no idea why I was so sore. Duh, I already had my "extra" weight on my body! I didn't need to add 30 more pounds!

I did my first 5k with my little man in May!

I was 22 weeks here and walked it with my friend Heather.

Heather is getting into walking so I told her I'd walk a 5k with her. Congrats Heather!

Here is my 5k time while in the gym at 28 weeks pregnant.

That time is so far from my personal best that I had last year around 28 minutes. I've told myself that as long I'm exercising, time is not what I need to focus on! I can't compare pregnant Angie to non-pregnant Angie.

I've struggled with my weight gain while being pregnant. At my 36 week check-up last week, I gained a total of 43 pounds!  Yet another hard pill for me to swallow. Every time I get on the scale I cringe. This is a whole new experience for me. In the books, average weight gain for a healthy person is 25-35 pounds. However, my doctor tells me I'm fine. He is not worried about me. He says I've got a lot of water weight and my body is storing food for breastfeeding. He basically called me a bear and that I'm getting ready for winter. Thanks doc!

This baby is making me do things I never thought I'd do-gain a bunch of weight and not run! I love him anyways though. So if you're struggling like me, it's ok! I'm here for you!



my running advice

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

I've had some friends ask me about running. Either they are just beginning or trying to do long distance runs. I was excited to give my advice since I feel like I've tried it all since I started running in 2006! So this is what works for me.

 

1. Grab a running partner. Andrea was mine when I 1st started.

Country music 1/2 marathon 2007

She had completed a 1/2 before. One day we were talking about running and BOOM---we started training together for the St. Jude 1/2 in the fall of 2006. It helped me be accountable for my long runs. Also, if I was having a bad running day, she would pick me up and vice-versa.

 

2. Start off slow-a lot of new runners get real excited and burn out too fast.

 

Remember, it takes time to build up to a run or even do long distance running. I recommend new runners follow this plan from the Memphis Women Run Walk Program. Basically, you start off by running 1 minute, then walking 2 minutes for a total of 20 minutes the 1st week. Increase each week.

 

3. For long distance running, I followed the plan from Runner's World-Smart Coach. I used the Smart Coach program for my 1/2 and full marathon trainings. It mixes up your running. One week they throw in a tempo run---it is a little bit faster pace for a certain amount of miles. Then they will have you do speed work---running for short time at a VERY fast pace. Then long runs---my favorite because you get to run 2 minutes per mile slower than your normal pace. You feel like a slug, but you have a lot of ground to cover. Then they throw in some easy runs. That is usually a short run.

 

4. Blisters-are no fun! But they happen. And when they do, stop running! If you are just now starting to walk/run or even starting long runs, you just might get one. I use moleskin for my blisters or blister-to-be. You can get the Walgreen's brand.

It works wonders! It is thicker than a band-aid and it will stay on during the longest of runs. I had the hardest time with a pair of shoes and I used moleskin for about a month until I broke my shoes in. If you have a blister, I suggest cutting the moleskin to form the area and getting some gauze to put over the irritated area (I did this a lot) and you're ready to run again! Ahhhh magic!

5. Invest in good shoes. Go your local running store, like Breakaway Running, and have them fit you for a shoe. I recommend getting 1 size bigger than what you usually wear. I wear a size 7 but a size 8 in a running shoe ( I like Brooks). I also recommend dry-fit socks. You don't want to hold sweat in your feet...and it might cause a blister.

6. Water-drink a lot of it! I used to not drink it a lot but I decided a couple of years ago to start my day off at work with a big glass. Now that is all I drink. For long runs--- I didn't want to carry water with me so I would plan my route, then drive and hide water bottles in the bushes along my run. Some people use the belts but I don't like the extra things to carry.

7. Plan your route-I use MapMyRun to plan my runs.

This really comes in handy when you need to plan a 10 mile run. Before I had my garmin, this would help me to know what mile I was on when I crossed a street. I would write the directions on paper and put it in my pocket so I knew when to turn (and know were to put my water).

8. Energy-If you're running a long run, you'll need to refuel. I've used Gu and Shot Blocks.

The problem with the Gu is that it can stick to the roof of your mouth. I have used it but if I get to pick, I use shot blocks.

These are much better. You get 6 to a pack and I put then in a zip lock bag and put it in my pocket. They are more like gummy bears!

9. Clothes- You can spend a lot of money on running clothes. I catch them on sale and my favorite time to shop is at the St. Jude marathon expo. They have a $9.99 booth and I go crazy there! Anyone can go to the expo, even if you are not running. In the summer,  I like my Asics shorts. I like the ones with a lot of pockets so I can put my shot blocks, extra moleskin, map, and key. In the winter I like tights.

I never thought I'd say that but they are great! Some races these days give away dry-fit shirts for the race tee. Also, be sure to dress 10 degrees warmer than what it is outside. So if it is 50, dress like it is 60. Your body will warm up.

10. Chafing--also no fun! I have never had a big problem with it, only a couple of times. It is nice in the winter because the tights will protect you from chafing. But if it happens, get some Vaseline to rub it in between your legs. Long runs can be brutal! Kyle had to put band-aids on his nipples to avoid chafing. Ouch!

11. Music or no music-If I run with someone, no music. If I am in a race, no music...I like to hear the crowd! But if I am running alone, I like music. I keep it low so that I can hear the cars. I also feed my ear buds through my shirt and then through my sleeve to connect to my iPOD on my arm. I hate having the wire bounce around so I like to keep it in my shirt.

I realize now that I have so much more to share!! But I need to cut this short (ha!). Happy Trails! Here are some pictures of Kyle's weight loss journey!

My fastest half (2:12) and Kyle's 1st 5k (46 mins) in 2007

Kyle and I running the full marathon in 2011!!! Kyle has come a long way since 2007!



food for finance: occupy marathon

(healthy) food for finance is a column where we talk about how fitness and finance correlate with each other. join us on our journey to be both physically and financially fit.

Ever since writing a story on paper about being the 99% or 1% became the "in" thing to do, I wanted to be "in" and do one. The marathon was perfect! Research shows that anywhere from .1% to 2% of the world's population ever completes a full marathon. So I took the average and came up with 1% for the sake of my picture! We ARE the 1%!

Here is where I got that info: Memphis Runners Track Club said...

Soooo....we did a search to see what percent of people run a marathon and this is what we found on more than one site:

"Depending on who you ask, people who have completed a marathon make up anywhere between 0.1% and 2% of the world’s population. I had sort of dismissed that statistic as bunk and folklore until I stumbled upon this Web site, which has all sorts of interesting statistics about marathon finishes in the United States.
There were 382,000 marathon finishes in 2005. Guesstimating the U.S. population at 295 million in that year, it works out to about .13% (and you have to take into account that many of the people who finished were not first-time marathoners). These numbers are incredibly rough, but at the very least they don’t completely dispel the 0.1% statistic most often quoted by anyone who has ever run a marathon."

I never wanted to do a full marathon. Kyle signed up back in April to do the St. Jude full marathon in December of 2011. I created a monster! Kyle went from running a 45 minute 5k in 2007 to running a full marathon in 2011. I am so proud of him!

 Before the big race.

I told Kyle I did not want to do it. So to make sense, I trained with him. Say what? Why in the world would I do that? I figured I could at least train and if I changed my mind, I could then sign up last minute. I wanted to see how it felt to run more than 13.1 miles (I've done a ton of half marathons) before I signed up for the full 26.2.

Before the race when life was good.

So, I ran 14 miles...it wasn't too bad. Then I ran a 16 mile run with him. I still felt good. Ok, ok, I'll sign up. OH NO-I went to sign up and it was capped out!?! Here I am, running 16 miles for nothing. I was not happy.

 About to start.

So I waited it out. I just knew that someone would get injured and I could get their bib number. So I waited and waited.

 April did the half! Go girl!

Finally, the day before the race, I got a bib number from someone that injured themselves training. A DAY BEFORE! I only had 24 hours to mentally prepare for 26.2 miles. I had lost it!

Our cheerleaders! Jen-Leon-Marianna. Such funny signs! All the runners loved them! 

Not only did I have 1 day to mentally prepare for the race, I also did 2 other race no-no's. I ran in new shoes and new shorts! I honestly think I left my brain somewhere that week. The good news is that my new shoes were awesome and I did not get a single blister. My shorts were great too! I don't recommend anyone doing what I did!

At mile 10 and feeling great. 

At every mile I would reassess myself and see how I was.  If I felt bad at the split, I would just do the half. But I decided to complete the full with Kyle.

Here comes Lauren and I at mile 17. I look ok here.

Oh but look at this picture. Not so good!

My friend Marianna lives at mile 17 and she had cheering station for us. I even decided to go up to her house and use the bathroom. I ate something and went on my way. Kyle was a little ahead of me as Lauren and I decided to walk/run because we both were hurting at mile 14. I told Kyle to go on! I also felt VERY safe running with Lauren because she's a doctor! I had all my bases covered!

Mile 17 cheerleaders were the best!

Around mile 18 Lauren and I saw Kyle walking. He joined us. He started to hurt. He knew he needed to slow down and save himself for the next 8 miles. So the 3 of us walked/ran. Mile 19 to mile 26.2 was miserable! I hated it. Then I saw a sign that said "you chose your pain, we didn't" and it was true. If I could only get through 8 more miles, I'd be done. But the kids that have cancer can't say that. They did not choose to have pain. That is the only thing that got me through it because I was hurting. We started out at 11 minute mile pace and ended up doing a 13 minute mile pace because of the walking. But that does not matter. WE DID IT!

YAY! We are the 1%. Our official time was 5 hours and 48 minutes. Our goal was to finish.



I told Kyle that I will never do another marathon again. One and done. 1st and last. I think I know how it feels to be old and it's not pretty! But you never know what the future holds. I might eat my words. Congrats to us! Thanks to all our cheerleaders, including my in-laws!

I compared the pain I felt afterwards to the flu. I ached all over. I did not feel good lying down or standing up. I hurt either way. But the pain finally subsided and Kyle and I even went to our friend Randi's Rum Ball fest that very night. It is doable! No pain, no gain right?!

famous runners

Kyle trained for the full marathon. I decided to train with him in case I decided to be crazy and run it too. In October, the Memphis Runners hosted the 2nd 10 miler of the Road Race Series. Since Kyle and I have been running races, we always see those crazy runners who finish the race, then keep on running. Why would they do that?

Me: Kyle, they just ran 10 miles WITH hills and now they are running more. Are they crazy?

Kyle: I want to be them one day.

If you can't beat them, join them!

Since we were training for a full marathon, we needed to run 14 miles the day of the 10 mile race. So after the 10 mile run, we joined the crazies and ran 4 extra miles! YAY! It was so much fun to have people looking at us like we lost our minds! We were "those" people!!! And if you've ever been to Shelby Forest, then you know we were extra crazy for running the hills. But hey, we had to get our 14 mile run in.

To reward ourselves and to make sure we did not pass out for lack of food, we ate brunch (if you want to call eating a hamburger at 10am brunch) at the General Store.

It was good! The people were very friendly.

For all you foodies, they have a steak nite on Fridays and we plan to visit soon!

I should also point out that the above picture was taken during our "extra miles." Oh it gets better. The very next week I had a friend tell me I was on the home page of the Memphis Runners Track Club website. Say what?? As of today (12/26/11) we are still on the slide show. We are the 7th picture that pops up. We were the only picture but we got moved because of updated ones but still made the cut! HA! I am easily amused by things. Can you tell? I need to start charging for my running photos. I was also on the St. Jude Marathon home page (a very tiny me) and on posters! Who knew I'd be so famous?! Again, easily amused! Autographs will be signed upon request! On a serious note, I would've never imagined Kyle would be training for a FULL marathon when we got married. You need to read his weight loss journey. It is an amazing story. And now he is training for fulls and on a running website! You go Kyle! I'm so proud of you.

ribs and running

In October, Kyle's BBQ team had their 1st cook off at the Arlington BBQ festival! They've been practicing all summer and the time came to show off their smoking skills.

Greg, the team leader!

Compared to the other grills/smokers, the Bluff City Bulldogs had a smaller set up. As their slogan said "it's not the size of your grill, but the taste of your meat." Boys, boys...you're so clever! Now get your mind out of the gutter.

Steph-Jen-me-Jessica

We showed up later on Friday to try the food. YUM! Jessica entered in the dessert contest. She made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing!!

The boys eating

The boys also entered in the seafood contest. Salmon.

I love the smell of a man gilling! It is one of my favorites! Kyle had been smoking ribs and a boston butt all day (since 7am).

The layout

The girls after eating some food!!



The atmosphere was fun. The air was full of smells that reminded me of the Memphis in May BBQ contest. We went for a walk and happened upon a band jamming out.

Twin Soul was playing 80s music. GREAT people watching event! We rocked out to Def Lepord!

Kyle stayed the night in a camper while I went home. I take that back. Kyle stayed up with Greg to smoke a boston butt and I went to rest up for the Le Bonheur 5k pumpkin run.



Our divsion team: Takin' It To the Streets!

I woke up bright and early on Saturday to burn off some calories and run for a good cause. It was my 2nd best time, just a little over 28 minutes. We had a great turn out!

After the run, I headed back out to the BBQ contest.

Ahhhh yeah. The ribs looked amazing.

Looking good guys. So proud of you!

The long walk to the judges table. All the hard work is about be up to someone's taste buds!

the judge's table.

the team: Chris, Greg, Kyle, Clay
the results: good news, they did not get last place!

dessert: 8 out of 13

seafood: 5 out of 8

ribs (patio porkers-rookies): 15 out of 18

The guys did great and most of all, they had the besttime. Can't wait for the next one!

Since Kyle only slept 1 hour on Friday night, he was not rested for the Road Race 10 miler on Sunday morning. So I ran in his place with Lauren! It was a beautiful run through Shelby Forest. It was early, but fun! A great way to start the day!