Training Day @ Mission Beach

We had our first training day with TNT today at mission beach, it was great first because I was so pumped to get underway, second because the beach is my favorite place in the world and third because our meeting location was right next to where Doug proposed to me.

The morning started with pancakes (I only had 1 minus the syrup). Then we had our welcoming speech by our corrinator, then rules and regulations info from our couches, where I won a free T-shirt for answering a question correctly, I love it even though it is a 2XL (I will have to wash it in very hot water LOL but I will still wear it at least as a training shirt). Then it was time for our 2 mile walk which would be a test for my new insolse (I think this makes it pair 5) but they passed the first test 2 miles no numb toes YEAH!!! I will be going to replace my current walking shoes with running shoes Monday and I will have to see how they do on their own but at least I know I can replace the insoles with my current ones if needed, they fit in any type of shoe so I am detrimed to find the correct pairing of insoles and shoes to make this work

Anyways the way was great we learned some streaching techniques from our couches and then stood around for awhilewaiting for everone to return, untill Jenn and I decided we really didn't want or feel the need to stay for the mini fundraising clinic (we need to get home so the hubbies could install doors at Jenn's house, plans we made before we relised it was our first training day).

Over all a great day, tomorrow we are scheduled to do 30 minutes easy walk or crosstraining so the family is going on a bike ride at Lake Murry this will be my training session for the day.

The Day After

Well last night was the big Kick Off Party for TNT (Team in Training). My eveing started by forgetting I had an assessment so I didn't get out of work till 30 minutes after planned. I headed to the hotel to find little parking but finally found a spot. We were welcomed by Bill (the main director I believe), the Mentors gave us a fashion show of items we could go shopping for once we have reached 25, 50, and 75% of our fundraising goal (A little incentive they called it. They also were sporting the all coveted Teal and Purple jacket, San Diego is the only chapter that has the jacket and they (and soon we) will wear it proudly. So don't forget to stop by my fundraising site and help me earn that jacket ;). We then were introduced to the "Honorary Teammates" those who are currently fighting the battle with Lukema or other blood cancers. They reanged from a little 4 year old boy to Ted who is in his 80's and is fighting cancer for the second time in 5 years. We then met an ex-navy pilot who had just (I mean that day) recieved word that his cancer, which was in stage 4, was in remission thanks to the new durgs and treatments that are now out there thanks to cancer research. While his story was great I was not moved like I thought I was. I have come to the conclusion that I am and have been so surrounded by cancer for the last 2 years that I have so many reasons and people to walk for that they motivate me. DOug and I counted and I know at least 5 people directly connected to me who have lost their fight, currently fighting or who are lucky enough to be in remission.

We then were seperated into our different groups, Jenn and I went into our walk group, we met our corridantor, as well as our couches and mentors. I really enjoyed this part I didn't feel like a small fish in a huge ocean like I did when we were all together. I am really really looking forward to working and training with my group, the coaches were very nice and the mentors were great. We are having an expo, a fundraising clinic, a 2 mile walk, and then a pancake breakfast. I am also excited to meet my mentor (she was unable to make the kick off party).

I am currently working on my fundraising letter, I want to finish it by Sat so I can get my t-shirt (another insentive they have for us).


I am ver

Weigh in WW points and KICK OFF!!!

Well I did it my official weight is 185.5, I am actually very happy with these numbers since I was up to 192 after constant eating over the holidays (and I felt it every night). So as far as my WW points my range is 22-27 points with a goal of 24 points. I truly think this will be a reachable goal for myself, since I have pretty much cut out regular soda from my diet ( I am one of those people who tends to drink most of my calories for the day with our realizing it.

I am totally pumped for the Kick off party tonight!!! I am pretty sure work will not go by fast enough for me today then it is off to meet Jenn at the Kick off to get all pumped up for our tough journey ahead.

I will post more tomorrow on the details, for now it is time to get ready for work, then a quick stop at target for my dad's birthday gift.

Gearing up!!

I am totally geared up to start training with team in training this week. I have started my Fundraising Website (well they set everything up but added some stuff LOL). I will post a link to the sight on my blog, you just need to clink the link to access my fundraising page. Please feel to visit as often as you would like to keep up to date on my training and fundraising goals. If you would like to help me in reaching my fundraising goal you can donate any amount big or small right online, any donation no matter the amount will help me help Team in Training raise money toward funding research to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I thank-you in avance for any contribution you can give to me.

That said although I have not offically weighted myself since starting to eat heathly (so not ready to see those numbers I am feeling better, my clothes are fitting better and I have had several comments from parents that I am looking thinner so I am feeling pretty good right now with my progress. I am going pull out the WW book tonight (thanks Jenn) and calculate my points for the day as well as down load the WW appiclation on my phone for those on the go calculations and start counting my points tomorrow (heck I might even muster up the courage to get the scale out as well we will see). I am going to learn from my long distance mentor Gina's last training and keep to my points even after a huge training session to loose the weight I want to.

My goals fo this week are:
1. call and schedule my first aid training
2. send out my first email letter (watch for it in your in box)
3. write my rough draft of my fundraising letter.

GO PURPLE AND GREEN!!

Yeah I did it !! I offically joined Team In Training last night and I am excited to get started. Our first offical work out together will be next Saturady they 31st at Mission Beach at the same lifegaurd tower where Doug proposed so I think it is ment to be for me to join the team. There will be a expo and breakfast after the workout and I am excited to see what will be there. They are also haveing a shoe clinic the following weekend (which happens to be Kassidy's Birthday Party day but I am hoping to get everything organised on Friday to make the set up very quick for when I get home from the clinic.

I cam e home with a packet of infor to read which of course I haven't done yet (the girls were gone with grandma and grandpa for the night, so there was some much needed time alone with my hubby which was more important for the night). I will have plenty of time this weekend to read it up at the cabin, and if it is not raining I think I might go for a couple of great walks as well inthe freah mountian air. That said I need to go pack I will post more details next week.

Today's the Day

Well today is the day! The Team in Training Sign up day! Jenn and I will be attending the informational meeting tonight and signing up to walk the half marathon on May 31st. While I am still having mixed feelings about training (due to my toe issues) I am sure by the end of tonight I will be completely excited and pumped to do this for myself and for all those people effected by cancer.

On another note due to my mom's surgery reschedule we have decided to take a trip up to the cabin, we all didn't have plans so it made it easy just to say lets go. Grandma and Grandpa are picking the girls up this morning and taking them up with them today, while Doug and I will head up tomorrow night after her gets off work. So that means a child free night tonight which of course I would have my meeting of all nights LOL.

I want to thank Jenn for the Recommendation of the Hungery Girl Cook book we have been trying out recipes for dinner the last 2 weeks and my favorite so fer it the chicken pot pie recipe LOVED IT!! I also liked the Sloppy Jane recipe as well (basically sloppy Joes but with a homemade sause, turkey instead of beef and some onions and red bell peppers for some flavoring kick).

Settling in to the 30 somethings

Well it has now been 10 days since I joined the 30 something crowd, and I have to say I think I am enjoying them. Things this year seem to be going smoothly so far (yea I know it has only been 19 days) but I am looking forward to change, a new president who I know can bring new hope to our country, and a new me both physically and mentally.

Our offical Team in Training sign ups are Thursday, I am getting very excited and worried at the same time. I always seems to have great intentions to commite to do something for myself (going to the gym ect,) however life always seems to throw something in the mix to mess it all up. I was feeling more confidant in the life not getting in the way issue early when mom's hip replacement was scheduled for the same day the regestration was, that way I knew that everything went as planned and that there were no complacations. However her doctor's office called yesterday and rescheduled her surgery, the suregon slammed his hand in his car door and now can't do her surgery untill Feb 12th. I am still expecting everything to go wonderfully don't get me wrong, I just tend to worry about the unknown and having it done before commiting to Team it Training was going to tbe perfect. I am also still concerned about the toe issue, the dr has worned me that I can do futher damage to my foot if I can't solve my toe issue and they continue to go numb during my walks, he has told me that we can try custom insolses which my insurance will not cover and it might still not work, so I am still playing with my good feet insoles to try and correct the problem.

Stupid toes!

The title says it all. I have been training the last two days (with my new insoles) and I am still having problems and it is driving me crazy! I am not really sure what this means in the long run for training for the half marathon, I am planning on attending the meeting next thus and talking with a trainer form team in training.

As far as my dieting is going. I am doing ok, not as well as I would like but I am relising I really need to set a plan and goals for this really to work. getting the WW books would also help :) I hope to accomplish all this this weekend to start fresh this next week.

I am also annoyed because I think about great thing to blog about all day long then when I do get the chance it is after the girls are down for the night and it is 8 or 9 at night and my mind basically shuts down and just wants to go to sleep :(

Successful day

Well yesterday was a successful day. I gave blood for my mom without passing out (the last time I gave blood I did). I also stuck to eating well all day. I had a small bowl of cereal for breakfast, a bison burger for lunch (it is surprizing good for you better than beef and chicken), and chicken with brown rice and green beans for dinner, and a fiber one bar and a yogert for snack. I have discovered that evening is my hardest time for me to stay on track, I find myself snacking (the fibar one bar did help with that issue).

I am planning on having another great day today. I am planning on Oatmeal for breakfast, tuna and crackers for lunch with a coke zero, and sloppy janes for dinner, with yogert, fiber one bar, and some popcern for snacks.

Here is to a great day!!

I think I am finally on my way to getting my foot issue addressed, not by my Ped (who the way is a complete idiot of a dr) but by Good feet they have been working with me over the past month trying different insoles out to find the best fit for me. I also have an apt with a accurepressurist to strip the scare tissue away to help my foot heal.

I am getting excited about training with Team in Training for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in May with my friend and walking buddy Jenn. Who lost 5 lbs this week! YEah Jenn!!! and have inspired me to start my weight loss goals offically next week (my birthday is tomorrow so next week is a better start time than the 1st of the year). I am going to pick up the extra Weight Watchers info she has and I have already purchased the Hungery Girl cookbook (which by the way I am totally inpressed with and can't wait to try some of those meals). I will be sitting down and planning out our meal for the next week (which I do anyways it will just take a little longer for now).

I am also looking forward to celebrating my birthday with my family tomorrow and then with my mom on Sat, weare going to go to lunch, to a movie (i need to pick still), grab a tea and ten we are headed to "Girl's Night Out" at my favorite Quilt Store, Memory Lane (you sign up, bring your own supplies but they provide dinner and a place to sit and socialize as you quilt till midnight). This will also be a lst hurrah for my mom as well for a while. She is having her hip replaced on the 22 of this month. This will be a hard journey for her but will be wonderful in the end. SHe will be able to play with her granddaughters, and won't be in constant pain everyday and night. I am looking forward to that day however I am worried about the surgery, it is a routine procedure however there are always things that can go wrong.

Pictures

We finally got to the unpacking and hanginf of pictures today. As I was unpacking them I kept looking at the past pics of me. As take a close look at the girl in the pics I am starting to understand that even though the pics look like I am a confidant and completely happy girl I know deep in my heart that I felt pretty much the same way I do now, Lost and not confidant. Yea I was more confantant in my body, to the point of cocky sometimes but that was my key when I was younger, I was confadent because I could make guys notice me. This got me to really think about my past and I am relising that this self discovering journey is not something new for me, I think through out my life I have been searching for who I am.

I was an avarage student in school but never happy with my social standing, I always wanted to be in the popular group. I ran for many councel seats through out JH and HS just hoping to win so I could be popular and year after year I always lost. Looking back at it now it seems trival but then it was huge to me. Attending my 10 year was rewarding for me b/c more people (including the popular group) remember me than I even thought new my name and even remembered who I was after 10 year (and just so we all know I looked completed dirrerent in H.S long bonde hair and skinny while at the reunion I had short dark hair and was 4 months prego with Audrey).

In college I struggled so bad that I was kicked out of the bio dept (later to be reienstated due to being dianosed with 4 learining disabilities, I then quit the bio course on my own choice to follow a more desired feild psychology). I was stoked to be accepted to be a volunteer at the marine lab to help care for 2 dolphins there and learn how to train them (this was my career choice since I was a little girl). I worked hard for 20 hours a week for free to yet again feel like an outsider to the popular crowd. I was not given the same oppurnities as other volunteers hired at the same time as myself, just because they were part of the "in crowd". I found the same to be true with the group of good friends I made outside of the lab as well. They all had a long history together but on of them brought me in as a friend (it wasn't until many years later did I find out he was more interested in me than I ever imagined). I had great times with them times I will never forget, however spend many of those time felling like part of the outer circle not the "in group".

As an adult I have found myself to have a couple close friends however I am jealous of Doug and his close group of friends (they have know each other for 20+ years and still hang out together a couple times a month). Again I find my self on the outside looking in.

I'm nit really dure where the need to be popular and fit in comes from I have always felt that way. I am not sure if it is something everyone feels or am I just one of the lucky ones. I see it in my students and I try to tell them that fitting in now truely doesn't matter as they grow up however is still seems to play such an important roll in my life as a almost 31 year old woman. When I meet new people I worry about what they will think of me, Am I a a good teacher? A good mother? a good wife? I really need to figure out why it is soo important to me what people think of me and that they will like me and I will U ever fit in. Not really sure where to find those answers but I know I need to address this in my journey.