My First 5K Run

Saturday I got up bright and early. Earlier than I would on any work day. The sky was dark and the rain was falling. This would be the day I do my first 5K run that I didn’t prepare for.

My fitbit alarm sent me a gentle vibration on my wrist at 5:45am. I was up like Christmas morning. I put on my running clothes and shoes and headed to the kitchen for a banana and peanut butter. I skipped the coffee. Well, I did have a sip but not my normal cup. I didn’t want to have to fight a full bladder.

Nick surprised me by getting up too. “Well, I am going to take you. You didnt think I was gonna let you run 3 miles without being there incase something happend, did you?”  I was so happy and felt at ease because frankly, I wasnt sure of myself either. I had come close to chickening out several times. 

Once we were there, the rain was at a mist. I met up with my friend and we headed to the starting line. We told each other not to wait on each other and do the race at our own pace. “On your mark-Get set-Go! And we were off. 

Mile one- I think I started to fast and I'm already out of breath. There are still many runners around me. I just got passed by a mom pushing a baby stroller. I walked a little to catch my breath before we started down a hill into town. I got enough air to start running again. My friend has already run ahead of me so I stuck in my second earphone so I could zone out with my music playlist.

Mile two- The runners are thinning out more as they are all probably at the finish line already way ahead of me. I continue to walk some and run some. 

I have to catch up to that really old man ahead of me. Im pretty sure he’s in his 90’s. I need to ask him what kind of vitamins he takes or what he had for breakfast! It never happened. Somewhere between me fixing my wedgie and smiling at a camera man, he disappeared.

Mile three- There is no one ahead of me and no one behind me. 

The struggle was getting real.  At this point, I’m wondering,“what in the heck was I thinking?” I am now feeling the sting of a blister forming on my heel. “Am I last?” I was beginning to doubt myself again. I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it. 

Suddenly in the distance I could see the building where I started. This gave me hope. I kept on mostly running with walking breaks every now and again. 

(Yes, I had to snap a photo of my view. I mean, you have to know that if a blogger goes running three miles, they have to take a photo. I didn’t stop so it was all good since I skipped stopping at the water table).

I see the finish line- This was like the gates of heaven opening up and letting me in. I saw my husband and the friend that left me behind. I started to feel emotional that I was actually going to finish this! I wanted to cry. But there is no crying in running. That last little stretch to the finish line gave me a rush of energy as I pushed myself to cross through. I felt so proud of myself! Really! I never feel like a winner but this day I did. 

For the record: I was not last. I was somewhere in the middle. I finished in 38:33 minutes which I don’t think thats too bad being the first time ever trying to run. Will I ever do it again? I’m not sure. Ask me again after I get over the soreness. 

Just Doing It

Since I lost 50 lbs on Nutrisystem three years ago and reaching my weight loss goal. I had set another goal for myself. I want to complete a 5K race. Not a one mile fun walk or a Marathon, but a three mile (5k) run.

This was my plan last year but as soon as I started preparing myself, I began to have complications with chest pains and continuing inner ear problems and vertigo. The chest pains were so persistent that I ended up having every test out there to determine the cause. It was not my heart, or my gal bladder. I was left undiagnosed and I have learned to live with the pain. During my last visit to the gynecologist, I told her about it and she suggested that I probably have costocondritis. It's were the cartladge between the ribs and breast plate become inflamed and painful. Flare ups are commonly caused by exercise and take a long time to heal. I just went with that and have learned to accept the pain I still suffer. I do not talk about it to my husband anymore because I'm sure hes tired of hearing it and he does not need the worry anyway. 

After that, I gave up on that goal.

Belmont Classic 5K to support Belmont Citizen Police Academy.

Until the other day. My best friend from high school asked if I would like to do a 5K race with her since she knew I wanted to try one. It was close to home in the town we grew up in. “It will be fun” she said. So I thought about it and accepted the invite. I registered and paid my dues. My bib number is 832. Nick hasn’t said much to me about it, he is not on board. He worries that I can’t do it. He also refuses to do it with me even though he is an avid walker. 

It’s ok though. After 24 years of marriage, I understand his ways.

This is something I want to do for myself and nobody else. It may seem small to many, but this is a big deal for me. I’m nervous. I’m scared. So much is going trough my mind. “Can I do it? Will I come in last or in the middle? Do I wear shorts or leggings? What if I have to pee? Will I get trampled during the start? What if I get those chest pains half way through? What if I get vertigo? What if I pass out? Are my shoes good enough? Will I embarrass myself? Will I finish? Will I fall?......What if???”

Wait.....Run? I can’t even run to the end of my driveway!!

So this Saturday, rain or shine, I will get up early and head across town to start the 8:00 race I have not even prepared for. I am only used to walking about 2 miles a day. I’m afraid that since It’s so close to race day, that if I try to prepare now it will cause me to be sore. I plan to walk some and try to run as much as I can. It’s ok. I’m not in it to win it but to finish it. There will be no one there to cheer me on and no one at the finish line to celebrate my victory. The race will end and I will leave. I may not even talk about it much when I get home but inside I can be proud of what I did. Wish me Luck!

To Be Continued......

Protein Powder Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake

I have been doing a little more exercise lately. Not a lot more, just a little more. I found a Bow Flex machine stashed away at work. I decided to use it and work out my arms on my breaks. The flabby arms left by my weight loss have been bothering me. When I wave at someone, I swear I could fly away. They need toning up and who doesn’t need a little muscle ? I have also been making sure to get my power walks in each afternoon and have added more hula hooping afterward.

When I finally settle down for the night, I’m ready for a healthy snack. I will usually grab a Nutrisystem snack or some crackers, but tonight I was in the baking/making mood so I decided to make a mug cake using Nutrisystems Turbo shake mix. It’s full of protein and vitamins. This may not have been the best choice for a night time snack but it hit the spot and saved me trip to the bakery. 

I have tried several mug cake recipes and most are pretty good, but I’m here to tell you, this one is absolutely the best! It turned out moist and delicious. Except for the glaze on top, there was no added sugar. The shake mix was sweet enough. I ended up making two so Nick could enjoy one too. With a full mouth, he gave it a thumbs up.

To be honest, with the added egg, flour, and glaze, its a little more than recommended while loosing weight on Nutrisystem. I am currently maintaining so I think I’m safe here as long as I don’t over do it....unlike my husband over there pouring on more glaze!

Protein Powder Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake.

1 scoop -Nutrisystem Turbo Shake (or protein powder)

1/2 tsp.-baking powder

1 Tbs.-self rising flour

1/2 tsp-cinnamon

1 large egg

1/4 cup-almond milk (or low fat milk)

1/4 tsp-vanilla extract 

Spray a large mug or ramekin with cooking spray. 

Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Microwave for 1 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Top with glaze, additional cinnamon and nuts (optional)

ENJOY

20/Happy

So yesterday was the day for my yearly eye exam. Last year I thought I'd try one of the fancy clinics in town. I was totally unhappy with the way they did things. You can read about it here.

Well, this visit was back to my original eye clinic and it was much more pleasurable. Did I mention, I love going to the eye doctor?
I didn't have to wait. They took my insurance card and sent me on back.
I first sat at this machine that took a photo of my eye balls. Then I went into the exam room.

" Why hello again, hows the eye sight going? " Dr. M asked, as he came into the room.
I replied, "Lets just say, I can tell I'm are getting older.”

He had me place my chin in the chin holder and placed the lens machine in front of my eyes and began flipping different lenses.....
"Hows is this?" " Which is better?" "One or Two?" "Two or one?" "How about now?"
This went on for a few minutes until I was able to say "wow! I can even see the little print on the bottom that says 20/20!"
He laughed and said "Let's just say your 20/happy for now."

Dr. M then says, "That's how you would see if you got prescription reading glasses".
I replied with concern, "But my 1.50 over the counter readers work just fine."
He flipped the lens on the machine and said, "This is how you see now in 1.50's. See how much clearer the prescription lens is?"
He said I am farsighted (meaning I see better far away), one eye is worst than the other and that I have astigmatism. Other than that, my eyes are healthy with no concerns.

He said I would be fine with my over the counter readers if I wanted to continue being 20/happy, but if I wanted to see perfect then I need to get the prescription lens.

I'm seriously considering getting prescription glasses for reading. It's just I already have enough trouble keeping up with the 20 pair of cheap ones that are all over the house.  

And this is just my little stash of specks at my desk and I want even mention the ones in my car. 

I’m trying to figure out how can I keep up with ONE pair of good ones? I’ll make my decision soon.