Black and White

April Photo Challenge Day 26: Black and White

Life is no longer in black in white.

TV is not black and white.

Pictures are not black and white.

In fact they are even 3D and seen in spectacular colors now days. On my huge TV sometimes you can even feel like you are at the game on TV.




Everything else in life also doesn't have to be in black and white. If you fall down get back up. There are always going to be days that are easier than others but it only matters how you can recover.
This week one of my favorite foods got me into trouble...

I love pizza.
Who doesn't?

The key is to get back on track.
I have run.
Eaten well.
I will pay at the scale and I will continue to not let it get me down.

Nothing has to be black and white.

Positive and negative are directions. Which direction do you choose?

Looking Over You

Yesterday's post I talked about my best friend Amanda and I mentioned that she had been through some really difficult times... Today I would like you to met this really amazing man Adam:

April Photo Challenge Day 25: Looking Down

Amanda and Adam got married August 22, 2009. It was an amazing day. I still remember when Amanda told me she was going to marry Adam. She was so amazingly happy. Adam was so amazing from when I first met him. His smile made you smile. He always knew how to make you laugh and have a good time.

Sadly on December 23rd, 2009 Adam passed away and will forever be in our hearts. I believe he will always be looking down over Amanda. One thing that we have all learned from it is that life is short. Adam suffered from sleep apnea and he had some trouble breathing that night and they were unable to revive him at the hospital. Adam was an amazing person who made my best friend one of the happiest girls in the world. I have always believed though that after he passed it was a sign for me to do everything I can to inspire others to lose weight, take care of themselves, and live as if there is no tomorrow. Adam was only 29 years old. He was taken from us much too soon but there is a lesson from his death. Do not regret or hold back anything. Live your life as if there might not be a tomorrow. If you can only take one thing from this post... Live like there is no tomorrow. 

What changes will you make this week to live your life to the fullest?

What are you grateful for?

April Photo Challenge Day 24: Something your grateful for.

This is my best friend Amanda. I am always grateful that we have became friends. In many ways thanks to her I joined weight watchers and found the spark I needed to get where I am today. The great thing about having a best friend is that they support you through anything. Even though I don't live in Cincinnati anymore Amanda will always be my best friend. I always be grateful that her wedding inspired me to join weight watchers and lose weight.

Amanda has been through more tough times over the last few years than most people our age ever have to go through. She has survived all of it. The fact that she has survived is an inspiration to me. The one thing she always reminds me is life is short and you never know when it will be taken. It can always be too late to get started but it is never too early.

What will inspire you this week? What are you most gratefeul for today, let that be your inspiration....

Eat your Vegetables

April Photo Challenge Day 23: Vegetable

Being a lifetime member at weight watchers or even someone who really tries to eat healthy means I try to work in as many veggies as possible. Vegetables are good for giving you a satsified feeling without packing in the calories. I think I am the daughter of my father/grandparents when it comes to vegetables though. I love them all. My mom isn't a huge veggie lover but I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up so they always fed me the good stuff.

I can remember my granny to this day having a garden in her back yard and my Nanny even started a garden this year. Last time I was in Ohio visiting we even planted a few things in her garden. I hope to someday have a garden built in my backyard. It always takes me back to my childhood when I see a garden. I loved going to my Granny's as a kid because she always had fresh green beans she had picked from her garden. Do you ever wonder if that's why we have the obesity problems we have now? Sometimes I wonder if it cardboard is to blame for some of our countries weight issues. Fresh is so much better.

Tonight I enjoyed some of my favorites for dinner

Boca Burger with spinach and of course a pickle. Spinach is so good on a sandwich. It really gives it a crunchy flavor. Spinach is also really good for you. It is good for cardiovascular health, brain function and many believe it helps fight cancer.

Green beans with canjun seasoning and salsa. I wish they were fresh because fresh green beans are so good. Sometimes in the summer I try to go to local markets or even flea markets to find fresh green beans.

Good Deals and Good Times

Yesterday I woke up and set out for a 4 mile run. I knew I didn't have a ton of time to get in a longer run so I settled for 4 miles which ended up being perfect. Ran from home to the Nipsco trail and back. I got home hurried and showered so I could get over to the local weight watchers center since I still had not made it over there for monthly weigh in. It was way better than I expected(don't you love it when that happens)

April Photo Challenge Day 22: Last thing you bought

 I set out to the produce market. I had never been to this produce market but I found out it was open year round and that often times have good deals. I got everything pictured for only about $8.00 I needed to grab a few essentials so I could eat something before we headed up to Wrigley Field for the game. I also got some bananas that missed the picture. The carrots were only $1.00 each, the cucumbers were on sale 3/$1.49 and the broccoli which is hard to see was all you could fit in a bag for $1.00... I couldn't believe it what a deal and the spinach was 2/$3.00.


Then we set out to see our Reds LOSE... against the Cubbies...


We did have a great time at the game...

And even got to go to one of our favorite places in Wrigleyville... they brew this beer back home and we love it. Its a slight taste of home for us....

I even took this picture for one of my weight watcher members who knows who he is. We have a bet going on the Cubs Vs. Reds series this year...

Overall a great day! I love baseball. My points plus values took some serious hits yesterday... Good thing I ran another 6.10 miles this morning.


What did you do this weekend?

Orange you glad...

April Photo Challenge Day 19: Orange 


I am really not that clever but a play on words is always fun!
Sometimes we just have to say orange you glads you did that... Today I just didn't feel much like running... Sometimes after longer races I have a hard time getting restarted.

I started the afternoon  with a really short run around my neighborhood. I just wasn't feeling the run so I knew I needed to do more...

So I set out to one of my favorite workout places... My basement... The best part is that this doesn't have to cost you money. Rain or shine its always there... So  then I let her kick my butt.... 33 minutes have hard core working out. I love her DVD's. She is very motivational and all can be done a your level. She always convinces yourself even more than you think you can... 

50 minutes later if you ask me Orange you glad you did that... Yes I am.....

What are you orange you glad you did today?

How do you take your coffee?

Let me just admit something... I love coffee.

 I always make sure I wake up in enough time to have it before runs. I have it almost everyday as I drive into work and enjoy some as I start my day at work.

One thing I do not like is coffee black.

April Photo Challenge Day 17: Something you don't like

 Today while picking up a few things at Wal-Mart I found this:

April Photo Challenge Day 18: Bottle

The best part 0 points plus.
If you love to flavor your coffee this is a must try.
Just don't use too much. The bottle suggest 1 TBSP for a cup of coffee. I didn't even think you needed that much. They also sell several other flavors.

How do you take your coffee?

Success Blooms

Final results were posted and I couldn't be happier....

April Photo Challenge Day 16: Flowers

10th place out of 32 Females Age 20-29

108th place out of 332 finishers of the Half Marathon minutes to avoid lactic acid in muscles in my legs. Tomorrow I will probably attempt a few recovery miles.

What kind of success are going to blossom?

Success

Today I ran my first half marathon of 2012 in Lowell, IN.

The morning started out with breakfast. Some runners can change up their breakfast but I cannot. Since this started really working well for me I have stuck with it...Typical banana and PB sandwiches water and coffee.

Then I set out to Freedom Park in Lowell. There was a horrible rain/wind storm about 30 minutes before the race was supposed to start so they delayed it about 10 minutes... We got in a few quick pictures of our hard working training groups many of whom where running a half marathon for the very first time.

All of the runners including myself did really amazing today. I am so proud of all of them. Sometime as runners we have goals and sometimes they are just to finish the race. Today I had a particular goal for this race. Last year I didn't properly train and I finished in 2 hours 8 minutes and 47 seconds This year I was really pushing to train hard and finish in under 2 hours.  Around the 10.4 mile marker the wind really picked up and it started to rain causing the wind to blow the rain pretty hard. At this point I knew I was still on pace to finish in the time frame I wanted but I was feel pretty rough. The high winds and hilly course had really tired me down. I just kept pushing and when I made the last turn onto Cline Ave the wind was absolutely brutal. I knew I only had just over a mile to go and when I made that last push up the hill and made the turn back into the park the down hill into the park carried me to the finish line and by the skin of my teeth I made it...
1 hour 59 minutes and 58 seconds. I was 10th place in my age group...

Sweet Success Feels good.  No one can take how you feel after a race. Crossing that finish line feels amazing. (April Photo Challenge Day 15: Sunset)... remember a few weeks ago when I showed the picture of the Moon I asked you to make a promise to not let a another sunset without making a plan to get what you want. Today the sun will set and I will have successfully crossed another finish line.

Prepare

As a runner you have to be prepared in so many ways. For the most part we have to train weekly by running several times per week. Fuel properly which normally begins the entire week before a long race. Sunday marks my first half marathon (13.1 miles) of 2012. I ran the Crossroads of Indiana Half Marathon last year as well. I am really looking forward to seeing if I can get an improved time.

April Photo Challenge Day 13: Something you found

Fueling properly is really one of the most important parts of running longer races. I enjoyed some pizza hut pizza last night for my carb up dinner since I normally like to do it a couple days before the big event not the night before...  I discovered we must have been really hungry because the boxes were empty at the end of the night. Some pizza before the concert we attended and some after of course.




Today was also extra important for getting ready. I started out with a breakfast from Cracker Barrel including egg beaters, turkey sausage, toast and of course coffee. Then this afternoon I had a peanut butter sandwich with banana and a granola bar.

Something else I have really become fond after making a few mistakes in the past. Making sure I have everything ready. After picking up my race packet I came home and began to put all the pieces together.

April Photo Challenge Day 14: Today's Mood.... Nervous/Prepare

Race outfit including my shirt, shorts, shoes, hat, running belt, and I pod. I still need to grab my water bottle and of course my mangoes for fuel as I run. I also have my awesome green jacket set to the side since I do not know if the rain is going to come during race time or not.

Now I am off to my pasta dinner. I will not eat as much for dinner tonight as last night. Since last night seems to be when I do most of my important carbing up.

Tomorrow Race day and breakfast will be my normal peanut butter sandwiches with peanut butter and coffee.






What kind of meal would you have to carb up or is pizza really just that awesome?

Steps

When attempting any kind of weight loss plan we take steps:

April Photo Challenge Day 12: Steps

Deciding we want to take action

Making a plan of how or what we will do to lose weight

We lose weight

Hit a goal

Maintain weight loss

















The problem.... those steps in the middle. The losing weight and getting to our goal. There are struggles, difficult times, good times and successes.

Reaching the top of the stairs though always feels good.


What stair are you on and what is it going to take for you get to the next one?

Dream Breakfast?

April Photo Challenge Day 11: Where you had breakfast...

I have the breakfast 5 days a week at this same place... work. I normally eat a small something before I leave the house at around 4:30am.

This is what I have almost everyday around 8am: Oatmeal which I almost always add a few scoops of canned pumpkin to
I also have a banana

Is this ideal... well no.


What is your dream breakfast and where would you go?

I think mine would be at place that had a view much more like this:

What would my dream meal be... well that is much tougher because breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day so it would be hard to choose:

Who doesn't love pancakes






















Or a good old fashion eggs, potatoes and toast






















Although I must admit my ultimate dream breakfast would be wathing the sunrise here





















Enjoying these

















What is your dream breakfast?

Burr...

April Photo Challenge Day 10:

This week in my weight watchers meetings we talked about our activity plan B... There are a million excuses to get in daily exercise but what if we stopped making them what if we just did it?

Today I did...
2.13 miles
20 Minutes
The darkness, cold weather and my cough/cold bug= me not being able to attempt much more.



My quote this week was "It pays to plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark." This is true. You can have a 100 umbrellas, rain boots and even a rain jacket but if it never rains it doesn't do you any good. You don't have to belong to a gym to get in a good workout. There are so many ideas out there you just have to be willing to find them. Today I set out to see what I could find simply at my finger tips... Here is some easy stuff I found:

Pintrest/Fitness: Pintrest is the latest craze and there are tons of at home workouts that can easily be found here.

Magazine websites such as Good Housekeeping, Fitness, Shape, Women's/Men's Health all have free ideas on their website.

There are so many more ways to get in even 15 minutes per day... What are you going to do get in your 15 minutes this week?

Easter Recap

I am so glad I got to spend so much time with my family this weekend and feel very blessed.

Saturday started with my final long run as I prepare for my first half marathon this coming Sunday.
11 Miles
1 hour 41 minutes

April Photo Challenge Day 7: Shadow... just after my run

My awesome step dad came along on his bike so that someone was watching over me... It was much colder than I really expected but it was a really good final long run... I got it done. Final long run accomplished.

The April Photo Challenge from Day 8: Inside your wallet... lets face it this little girl is much more worth looking at... We had a great time together... Aunt Dee and Mahaylee



After my run  we set out to this Easter Egg hunt. She was quite sure of what to do when first arrived. Then when she realized she could take the eggs and they had candy them this made her day!

Then came Easter Sunday... After church we headed in typical tradition over to my Nanny and Pa's house for a great afternoon with family.

My sister was in charge of dessert. I found this recipe and they were worth the 4 point plus values. I even iced them... they were YUMMY!

My Nanny also made this recipe and it was a really good side dish... her version did not put capers in our recipe and we also used a sweet onion instead of the scallions since they can be pricey. This was a really great side.

April Photo Challenge Day 9: Younger you... vacation circa 1997

It is interesting how much holidays have begun to evolve in my family now that we are no longer kids anymore. My Pa even said to me this weekend that it feels like only yesterday I was the 1 year old toddler running around in his yard.  I am so glad that it still includes being with my amazing family. I indulged a little more than I wish I would have. The weather and pollen has gotten the best of me and now I am sick.

How was your Easter?

Good Friday

April Photo Challenge Day 6: Lunch

Today starting out with a great run today. I started from my parents driveway and headed out 3 miles and turned to come back  for a total run of:
6 miles
52 minutes
. The best part about this run was the peacefulness the scenery brings. This is what it looked like as I was about to turn around at mile three. The weather was perfect and I was really feeling great as I went out for this run

The draw back to running from my parents house is getting back after the run. You have to walk up their driveway... This is a workout in itself

Perin Cabin Driveway

The afternoon was even better. I found out from twitter I won a free entrance into this from one of my favorite running blogs... Mag Mile Runner

Even better than that I had lunch with my Nanny celebrating her birthday a little late. I always say I miss my family but I especially miss my grandparents who are really amazing people...

 Nanny and I enjoyed a yummy lunch from Qdoba. I really love their salads... Doesn't this look so good. Filling yet very point friendly if you are careful with your toppings.

I can't imagine this "Good" Friday off being any better..

How did you spend your "Good" Friday?

Tiny Things

April Photo Challenge Day 5: Tiny Things

Sometimes we indulge and we have to be smart about it. It is not always easy but what are you willing to sacrifice?

Big Brother

April Photo Challenge Day 4: Someone who makes you happy

This is my Uncle Shawn.

Uncle Shawn and Dee

You have heard the saying... The sister/brother I never had. That is exactly what my Uncle Shawn is to me. He is silly, fun and the best big brother/Uncle a girl could ask for. I remember growing up how he always teased me just like I was his little sister(this has not stopped). Yesterday on my blog I mentioned the importance of having a cheering section and support team. Uncle Shawn is one of my biggest supporters. He often jokes about how small of a person I am since I lost weight.





We are both huge Reds fans. He came to Chicago last year and went to a game at Wrigley... he is going to opening day tomorrow.... I am so jealous.

This summer he even rode his bike for almost nearly 6 miles of my half marathon in August. He did race ahead though to see me cross the finish line. I can't imagine very many Uncles being so supportive.

I always say we all have different reasons for needing to lose weight. My Uncle Shawn was diagnosed with diabetes as a very young child. I suppose I noticed but never really took notice until my weight loss. He has to be cautious of certain foods. I always feel like one of things I have truly learned from my weight loss journey is the importance of being healthy. Knowing that diabetes runs in my family gives me even more reason to remember the importance. Some day I hope to be able to use my running to help bring awareness and research toward the JDRF.

If I could mail myself in a box...

April Photo Challenge Day 3: Mail

If I could put myself in a box and mail myself today I would arrive on the door step of this girl...

Me and My sister Jenna

This is Jenna. Today is her 25th birthday. She is not only my sister but one of my best friends. I love her dearly. She is an amazing sister, mother and friend. One thing about Jenna is that she has never had weight issues in fact her love of certain foods is actually kind of funny. She thinks Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy is the best. Yet she also loves a good bag of skittles. She does like to exercise though and has almost always stayed in shape. She is a really good dancer. I laugh because she loves classes like Zumba or any other fitness class... I feel like a fool in them... While my dream job would be to run her's is probably to teach crazy classes like this. The one thing I often mentioned on my blog I love most about her is how proud she has been of all of the accomplishments I have been through over the past few years. I don't know very many sisters who wait at finish lines of races when they are about 6 months pregnant. This girl did...

Indianapolis 500 Mini Marathon 2010

To appease her big sister she even did a 5K Thanksgiving morning this past year!

I have often said that support and having special people in your life make the journey so much easier.. .well my sister Jenna is amazing and I know she will do so many more amazing things in life.

Today is 25 and fabulous!

Is sand a colour?

April Photo Challenge Day 2: Colour

I don't think "sand" is a true color but I do know this it is the color that defines my Sunday. I headed out yesterday afternoon with some other fun running people and we ran here.

The group ran trail 9 and 10. The best part of running here is the amazing views. I cannot explain the serenity you can feel here. Another really great part you don't have to be a runner you just have to be ready for a challenge. I cannot run for extended periods of time on many parts of the trail but I push myself as hard as I can. Many times on a run I am thinking how much longer. Yesterday I was just soaking it all in.

We ended with 8 miles in 1 hour and 42 minutes. I enjoyed a really great time with some fellow runners. I think the important part is challenging yourself.

What are you going to challenge yourself this week? Are you ready to bet me on it?

April Begins

This is what will happen in April...

Goals for April
~Finish yet another daily blogging challenge.
~Complete my first half marathon on April 15th. Last year I finished the Crossroads of Indiana in just over two hours. This year I feel better prepared to finish in under two hours.
~15 minutes of minimum exercise every day
~I gave up pop/soda in March. I am going to continue to challenge myself with ore water in April.


So as April begins here is what my "reflection" looks like as I prepare to hit up the Dunes in Chesterton with some of my running friends.

What are your goals for April?