Today...

Was the start of something beautiful. I went for a run and it felt great! It was only 2 miles, as I know I have to take it easy to get myself back into shape and ease my muscles back into running again. But I did it.

And then I found this, and remembered why I started. This sign was perfect, and wish I knew a website where I could make this sign a real sign.
But, I am going to go, I need to get some sleep...430 will come way too soon.
Happy Thursday

The following message is brought to you by my colon..

If the title didn't get you to leave and you are still here, thank you. Today is day 2 of becoming someone who eats gluten free. No, I don't have celiac disease, but I have noticed that certain wheat products made me feel really bloated and it was uncomfortable. So, I am trying gluten free eating to see if that resolves my bloating. I also have become dairy-free and even have given up my love for Greek yogurt. Yep, you read that right, I gave up my Greek yogurt.  That's ok, I found something even better. I found Amande Yogurt, made from Cultured Almondmilk and I love it! It was sweet at first, but just like any yogurt may take time to enjoy. There aren't many flavors, but the flavors that they do have are good.  Jumping to giving up cow's milk wasn't a big jump for me, I don't really drink milk, and when I do I usually drink Dark Chocolate Almond milk. I even once tried Chocolate Lactaid, but didn't even like it. I will take my Almond milk anyday.  I am not sure if turning away from Gluten products will help boosted my weight loss path (I have been on a stale mate since I haven't been able to run) but right now it is about how I feel, not what the scale says.

Speaking of running...yesterday was my LAST physical therapy session and I was given the go ahead to run again! YESS!!! So, I will be back to it on Thursday, running 2 miles, but it is definitely better than nothing. I am going to take it slow...I don't want to have any setbacks. Today is my last day I am giving myself off from the gym...I go back at that on Friday, toting along my exercises from Physical Therapy and some ab workout. I know it will be great to be back to running. I never really realized how much running has transformed my life and I also never thought I would ever miss it. I have realized both over the past 6 weeks. I am looking forward to getting running and getting moving again. I am even more interested in seeing how going gluten-free will affect my performance and or my weight loss.

And because some of you don't visit my sister's blog, here is a picture she took, that I just love...

And one more.

Happy Wednesday! I hope you find your passion...and run away with it!

Support greatly appreciated...

So, this picture has already made an uproar...

1 year and 57 pounds lighter (2011 on left, 2012 on right)

In a good way. The number of supporters I have has blown me away.  I knew I had acquaintances, but I never knew I had that many FRIENDS! That is certainly what you are to me, friends. I appreciate the support that you guys have shown me, especially now, has re-motivated me to lose the remaining weight that I have to lose. It is hard right now with being down about not running like I used too, but, I am now even more determined to get back into it. Slow and steady wins the race, and I don't need to expect my body to just jump back into where I was with 6 weeks off of no running. That, has been the biggest lesson that I have learned right now. Today, is my last physical therapy session, and I am hoping to have the therapist adjust this session to be ways I can do the exercises at my gym that doesn't have the same machines that they have at the rehab.  I also NEED to get myself back into the swing of the gym.  As much as I love working days, it is requiring me to readjust things, and I just haven't conquered that yet. But, that is my goal for this week...(little steps I promise). A good thing that has come out of all of this, is that my good friend Stef has now raced in her 3rd 5K, just about every other weekend since MayFair 5K, which was her first. Anyway, so far she has gotten stronger and better with every race and is now completely addicted. BUT, on Saturday, I also raced with her, in a race at Skytop Lodge up in the Poconos, and my racing felt good. It felt strong, it felt better than I have felt in a while, so what did I do...I pushed myself. I raced to my second fastest 5K race EVER!! Even with hills, which I walked up (I don't believe I am ready for hills yet) I found my zone and eventually just felt that I could push harder. My time wasn't as good as I hoped (still trying to break 30 mins) but I know I will get there. Then, on Sunday I was supposed to run 7 miles. I NEVER run back to back days, why on earth would I think that I could do it while I was still recovering from an injury?!?! Well, I couldn't do it. I did 5 (which to my healing body was 8 in 2 days) and I felt the effects until this morning. I am going to go to therapy and tell him all of this. That my next run will be Thurs and will only be 2 miles, followed by 4 on Sat. I will rest between my days off, and go to the gym m-w-f and continue to do the squats and crap (yes, I called it crap) that I have to do to make my legs stronger so I can become a stronger runner. I WILL figure out an abs workout so that I can get rid of this stupid pooch and feel like I look like the picture on the right, not how I feel right now (that I still look like the picture on the left). I know that feeling will pass, my clothes size alone should tell me that, but when you hit a stale mate, and you feel that no matter what you are doing nothing is working, you need something to kick start it...your support and "love" over my picture has given me just that. I will continue my weight loss picture, and by December, I am hoping to post another picture.

I hope you all have a happy Tuesday. Get out and run!

What's a girl to do?!?!

Never thought I would have this dilemma, and I think it is kind of awesome to actually have it. How can a dilemma be cool, well, when the dilemma comes to which 1/2 marathon to race I think it's kinda funny that I have so many options.  This is where my dilemma begins...I am already committed to the Runner's World Half Marathon in mid-Oct, ok, no dilemma there. I was thinking about running the Lehigh Valley Via 1/2 Marathon in early Sept, but yesterday at therapy, the Physical Therapist Intern told me about an awesome race in OCNJ the last Sunday in Sept.  That would give me 2 weeks to recover for my next 1/2, which I know is doable, I just don't know if I am physically able to do it. But, that would be an awesome quest for me.  What that also means is I might pass on doing a triathlon this summer (because of the 2 1/2s in within 2 weeks) but add more 5ks and 10ks into the mix. While my life will still go on even if I don't do the 2 1/2 marathons, I don't want to wonder could I either.
Oh, yeah therapy...my physical therapist told me to run 7 miles this weekend...yahoo! It feels so good to be told to just run 7 miles.  So, here's to healing, and 7 miles pain free, and trying to figure out what my plan of running will be.

Happy Thursday!

Running

I am slowly returning to the running world. I ran 5 miles pain free on Sat, and I only have 2 more scheduled visits of physical therapy. Hopefully things are still healing well, I miss running. I will have to figure out how to run before work, although right now getting up at 430 is really early. Looks like it is heating up quickly and running in the afternoon is starting to get not safe.  When I go to my 10 hour shifts, looks like I will be utilizing the jogging stroller, I just hope Makayla enjoys it as well. I will be taking my bike to get serviced, hopefully this weekend, so I can start training for a triathlon. But back to running. Remember when I won the contest to have a professional run any race with me (she ran my half with  me), well part of the requirements were that I was to get friends to run.   Well, since my half, I have introduced running to 2 friends, one of which I believe I got addicted. ;) She loves it so much, she is even already planning a 10K race, and talked about running a half with me. I am currently cheering on 2 more friends who are getting ready to run their first 5Ks and I have another acquaintance, whom I just met, who wants to run 5 miles with me on Sat so she can see how it goes and decide if she wants to run a half with me.  I am humbled by the people who tell me that I inspire them, I just have to find that spark again in me. I am missing running, it is hard to not run, but I also know that I need to do this slowly in order to stay healthy and be able to accomplish all the things on my bucket list for this year. I love how running makes me feel, and right now I am missing those feelings, but I know that as soon as I am cleared to, I will be running at least 3 days a week and that those feelings will get better and I will start too see the weight loss kick back in.  I also have to make sure that while it is awesome to introduce all of these people to running, that I start to push myself, I NEED to get stronger...I have a time goal I need to beat for my next half.

Happy Wednesday! I hope every one has a great hump day!

It all happened at the zoo..

Well, or fair, or carnival or where ever else you were this weekend. Welcome back to the work week! I am sure you missed it, I know I did (not!). Anyway, I know I haven't blogged in a while and I want to start again, so I thought I would start with posting pictures from this weekend. Now my sister Rachel, over on her blog, usually ends up posting pictures of my daughter from events.  I have to get better at carrying my camera to capture these moments, but sometimes, I am just living in the moments with her. Anyway, Friday we went to the Nazareth Carnival with her Godmother and her son. Here are some pictures from that.

Let me just tell you, I COULD NOT get her to get off of the Carousel!

Look at how much fun she is having! Last year when we went on vacation, she hated rides...this year...she <3 them.

Saturday, was her Godfather's graduation party from college. Yes, he graduated a while ago, but he wanted to wait until his friends who went to China came home. Anyway, I don't have pictures from there to post, as I am sure my sister took a bazillion pictures, but I do have this one.

Yep, that is my kid and yes, she is cleaning a boat!

Anyway, happy Monday. I better get ready for work, and yes, I was supposed to get up at 4:30 to go to the gym, but I thought sleep was more important. Have a GREAT Monday!



18 months

I cannot believe that my sweet lil lady is 18 months old today! Where did time go?!?! So, while I took an unintended hiatus from blogging (I haven't been able to run, so I didn't feel the need to blog) I did take some pictures of my daughter. I really need to carry my camera around more so that I don't share all of my photos on fb and/or instagram before I post them here. I do have some running updates and will resume blogging normally tomorrow (hopefully) but, in the meantime, here are some pictures of my sleeping pumpkin, and not so sleeping pumpkin.

Yes, she is wearing Philadelphia sports swag, and no I didn't dress her, YES, her FATHER put her in this outift

Bath time is one of her favorite times...

Checking out flowers

This cover-up gets me EVERY single time

The tradition continues....but, I LOVE how she is checking out Uncle "Quack"

My favorite picture from Memorial Day, only MY kid will find a way to eat watermelon even when she is too tired to hold it.

While we are coming on this milestone in birthdays, I wanted to share some of the things that this lil one has begun to do. As we all know she runs around every where, sometimes like a wackaloon. She loves her Shae-Shae, Pop-Pop, and Nana as those are the first 3 people she calls when she wakes up EVERY single morning. She is starting to say Jo-Jo, and now has the meow of a cat down pat. She still loves the game of "What does____ animal say," and now she loves to try to name colors of things. She loves her bubbles, but loves to swim way more. She thinks it is awesome that I run, and every time we try to go somewhere she tries to give me my running shoes NO matter where we are going. She was excited over the potty training potty, but has since lost interest. It's ok, I am just not quite ready to let her grow up yet. She now can name some Disney characters (Daisy, Pete-Pete and Minnie) but while she can say hotdog, she won't say dog (it is a woof woof). She is still the love of my life, and goes nuts whenever she sees me. I have to say that I fall in love with her more and more every day (in a way I never thought was imaginable) and EVERY single things she does, she is growing to be more and more like me. She tries to be as independent as she can be, but when she can't she'll try to let you do as little as possible to assist her. She is growing more and more into a little lady and less and less like a baby.

M, mama loves you! Icontinue to enjoy every moment of our days with you and while I want you to slow down growning up, I am loving EVERY single thing you do and love how excited you get when you are able to do something on your own. I love you today, tomorrow and always! Happy half birthday!