Looking at my 2014!!

This year is going to be filled with a shit ton of badassery.  However...I must share first my last run of 2013... It sucked.

It was 7 degrees outside.

It was snowing.

The sidewalks were not shoveled and where they were shoveled it was filled with wet slush that crept into my shoes after the first block.

I didn't have one single second of runner's high....aka the goosebumps/adrenalin rush I work for each run.

I set out to run 6 miles to round out my 50 miles for December and only could muster 4.5...

It was the longest 4.5 miles I've ran in a LONG time.

Coming down the HILL OF DEATH I've ran a million times I realized that when I started running in April I couldn't run up this hill...I couldn't even run one mile and here I was bitching to myself because I wasn't going to run 6 MILES!?!?! So I stopped the pity party and kicked the last mile square in the ass.

Yes...My sister already very lovingly notified me that I need to have my eyebrows waxed............................I said I need the extra facial hair to run in the winter.

So after my run I got home...took a toasty hot shower...and thought...hm...It's the last day of 2013...I should see how much I've lost before the New Year starts...

I get on the scale and BAM... KAPOW.....HOLY SHITOLI 

I WEIGH 1 POUND LESS THAN THE DAY I GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've learned a lot about the true meaning of health and fitness since I started this blog...I used to use the scale as a tool to determine if I was going to eat for the day.....................................

Now I use it as a tool to determine if what I'm doing is working...I give myself a 3ish pound window with a low and a high.  My low is the lowest number I've seen on the scale to date which had been stuck at 167 for a couple weeks...but with the holidays and the endless amount of cookies Dana's patients bring him.....I mean I can't just throw them out!! And I don't want the kids eating all that sugar because that would throw them into hyper active gremlin mode........................................... So I was ok with my low number not moving to much...My high number was 169...I hadn't been above that in 2 weeks either.  This window idea had completely changed how I look at the scale.  

But when I saw 165 I was over the moon!! I finally did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the past 4 years I've wanted to just get back to what I weighed when I got married.  

Boom.

Now my low number will be 165 and my high number will be 168 and we will just keep going! I've had a lot of people ask me how much more weight I want to lose...I could not lose another pound and be happy.  BUT with all the running I'm doing in 2014 I REALLY think my body would thank me if I could gain more muscle and lose another 10 pounds of extra jiggle. 

Speaking of 2014...at 12:25 p.m. on January 1st, 2014...I registered for the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon!! Whooo!! 

It was a rockin New Years Eve I tell ya.....................

I'm SO SO SO excited for this run!! There's a LOT of people which makes running so far so much easier.  There's TONS of people all along the course cheering you on which makes me 

1. Ugly cry 

2. Not focus on how far I have to run.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!  So excited!! And this half marathon I get to cross the Canadian border...which will be the first time in my life I've been outside of the country!! AHH!! I ALMOST signed up for the full...But I've learned that whatever distance I set out to run has to make me happy...and right now 13.1 miles makes me happy.  26.2....not quite there yet...

The gremlins need to get a little older...and sleep a hellaba lot better. 

The Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon will be the culminating event of my amazing year of running. Here's a look and the links to all the big races I will be doing.

My first big race will be the Fifth Third River Bank Run on May 10th... it's a 25k and from what I understand a very large race...and there's a whole tribe of badasses I know that are running it.  Perfect way to start the running season.

Next will be my sister's wedding on May 31st where I run all over creation making sure this day is PERFECT for her. Pretty much equivalent to my first full marathon.

On June 22nd I will be doing my first Sprint Triathlon...The Iron Goddess...I'm good with everything except the swim...........................

Then on September 21st............ZACK'S 5TH BIRTHDAY..........I'm sure I will cry the first 5 miles thinking about how fast these last 5 years have gone.......I will be running the Detroit Women's Half Marathon.  I was going to run this last year but ran Women Rock Chicago instead.  I've heard great things about this race and how well organized it is.  I'm really looking foward to it! And the medal they gave out last year was a pink Detroit Tiger's D....It was awesome. And let's be honest...it's all about the bling.

Then finally on October 19th will be The Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon.  

I'm also hoping to run The Crim which is considered one of the largest 10 mile road races in the U.S. I couldn't do it last year because I had a volleyball tournament on that day..But I THINK I can this year!! 

So there's a look at my running plans for 2014...The most important thing to remember....I started running 8 months ago. It doesn't take long...It just takes a commitment. 

Left: April 2013... 3 months post baby number 3...weighing 200 pounds

Right: December 2013...11 months post baby number 3...weighing 165 pounds

Just.Keep.Going.