Monday Motivation.

It's been awhile...

Since my children are playing nicely...I MUST write about what I've been doing because the world cares oh so much..............................................................

This winter has sucked. I read yesterday that after our snow last week, Michigan has accumulated over 70 inches of snow this year. BLAH.

Not to mention the INSANE cold we've had....-20 and -30 windchills for 3 or 4 days in a row.... TWICE!

I've kept running but cut down A LOT...I was running between 12 and 15 miles a week...Now I'm between 6 and 9 miles a week. BLAH.

The only way I can describe this to non runners (like my husband who thinks I'm CRAZY for running on some of the days I do...like mid snowmageddon.......................) Think of something you LOVE...something that relaxes you and makes you a better person...like drinking wine.....what if your wine bottle was right outside of your window....and Mother Nature dumped snow and ice all over it....so you can still see that beautiful little bottle but can't get to it. Some days you can chip away at the snow and ice enough to get a straw in the top of the bottle and take a little sip...but not drink the whole bottle like you want to because it's mostly frozen...so you go back in your house and stare at the frozen wine bottle for another week HOPING next time you can take a bigger drink. In the mean time your whole house is imploding on itself because you are going to LOSE IT.

ANYWAYS...I'm doing the best I can in this craptastic winter. And for those people that think I'm crazy for running in the snow and the cold....................I have a throat punch for you whenever you'd like to say to me, "WHY DO YOU RUN IN THIS WEATHER!??!?! YOU'RE CRAZY." I'll show you crazy.

So for Dana's birthday I had my parents come visit so we could go away for a night.  We spent the entire day Saturday doing absolutely whatever we wanted...We didn't have to work around naps, grumpy children, snack time, or diaper explosions. It.Was.Heaven. We are going to do more date days than date nights from now on. So we went to Marshalls which has always been one of my least favorite stores to shop at.  I HATE the disorganization. But it's Dana's FAVORITE store because he LOVES the disorganization and randomness..........................we are about as opposite as it gets..................... I knew I wanted to buy at least one pair of jeans because my jeans that I have been wearing were starting to look like hammer pants. So I sifted through the racks and found a brand of jeans I had bought last April for my sister's engagement...at that time I still didn't fit in any of my pre baby jeans and thought yoga pants weren't appropriate for the occasion..................................



Those were a size 16.

So as I'm looking through the cluster ...... of a store I found these same jeans but in a size 10. My mind says. YEAH>RIGHT. Just looking at these jeans there's just no way there going to fit. So I grabbed a 12 and 14 in the same style because those were much more likely to at least zip right?!

So I get to the dressing room and am staring at the 3 pairs of jeans.  Which do I try on first? Big to small? Small to big? Right in the middle? Then I said to myself....Holy shit Sarah......You've worked your ass off......try on the freaking 10's.

On they went.

Up they zipped.

And I cried.

And took a picture of course.



A FREAKING SIZE 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 sizes smaller than the last time I bought that exact same style and brand of jeans.

That is why I run in snowmageddon. That is why I run when it's below zero.

This winter has been HARD....physically and mentally HARD.

I really don't care if I lose more weight or not.  What I've learned is I'm not running to lose weight. I'm running because it makes me better on the inside.

Now to be clear......my jean size doesn't make me better because I'm a size 10 rather than a 16...it's a bonus. It's been very hard to break out of the "I want to wear a size 6" or "140 pounds would be PERFECT" mentality.  I am not running to be a size 6 or weight 140 pounds...I'm running because it makes me happy. The weight loss and smaller jean sizes are just a bonus....a side effect of changing my life.  And numbers like jean sizes and pounds are ways I measure HOW my body has changed BUT NOT MY SUCCESS.

People have started to say things to me like....."You don't want to lose anymore weight do you?" or "This is as small as you want to be right?"

My answer is: I don't really care...

My goals ARE NOT ABOUT NUMBERS ON A SCALE OR A SIZE OF PANTS.

My goals revolve around running...my mental toughness...not letting that little shitty voice in my head that says I can't take over. Being faster. Running farther.

I run to feel like this.

If I lose more weight or more pants sizes great. If not...great. 

So if you're reading this thinking....Well she said before pants sizes don't matter and weight doesn't matter............................It doesn't. But it is what happens when you start investing in yourself.  And it's most definitely something to celebrate.

Until you spend hours in a dressing room trying on jeans just to walk out empty handed with tears streaming down your face because the largest size the store carries doesn't even come close to going over your hips... And a year later buy the first 2 pairs you put on......................Don't judge.

This week we will be in our 3rd "Polar Vortex" of the year. And I'm going to run more than 12 miles this week for the first time since December. Bring it winter.

Left: February 2014

Right: April 2013

Just. Keep. Going.

I HAVE CABIN FEVER!!!!!!!!!

I haven't been very consistent with my blogging lately...though if you want to follow more closely I post A LOT on Instagram (sandrewsabc).

There's no better way to put it than this winter sucks ass. We've gotten 3 times the amount of snow we usually do. We have had 2 solid weeks of Polar Vortex Hell with wind chills in the -20's and -30's. Last week the snow covered sidewalks started to melt then one of the snow storms turned to rain and left a solid inch of ice EVERYWHERE.

Not to mention the ASS HATS that don't shovel their sidewalks. Ever.

So running has been scarce. And I can see it in my attitude, lack of patience, and desire to punch an unusual number of people in the throat. I've done the best I can and gone out whenever humanly possible.

This was after 4 miles in a ridiculous snow fall. It was not snowing when I started and 45 minutes later we had 2 inches. But  I did it. 

The hubs and I spent our date night rebuilding our superhero snowmen. We've had A LOT of people stop by and take pictures...And our kids love them. We mixed food coloring and water in spray bottles to do the color. The black is spray paint because we have a TON of black spray paint left over from a pintrest project gone wrong...........................................................

Building snowmen is a GOOD workout! That snow was HEAVY! I also have taken up shoveling....Desperate times people.............desperate times.......................................................

So if you live by me and see me shoveling and Dana is inside it's MY CHOICE!!!!! And it's considerably quieter outside.

The boys have been helping me kick my cabin fever too...Tyler loves to help when I'm doing the ab challenge of DOOM. A group I'm part of started an ab challenge on January 1st that worked our upper abs REAL good. This month we switched to lower abs....HELLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOO. 

Here's the challenge:

10 V-Ups

25 Flutter kicks

25 6 inch leg lifts (so only lifting your legs the bottom 6 inches and NO touching the ground

20 bicycle crunches

10 back extentions

15 push ups

Repeat 3 times. 4 if I'm feeling beastly. 

OUCH. I've modified it a little because there was another set I was doing that hurt my lower back so I switched it with flutter kicks. Anyway you cut it it hurts. 

Zack likes to help with squats. This was on one of the 6 snow days we had in January..................................................................................

And the Max Man LOVES being outside. So we shovel together...Meaning I shovel....he waddles around for an hour and then takes a killer nap. 

I'm seriously considering joining a fitness center that has childcare for the next 2 months because I HATE THIS WINTER. But if it's snowing for days on end it's not like I can drive to get there. However, the ice that is EVERYWHERE is not going anywhere untill we get a good thaw..............................2 months from now. UGH.......I just have to kick the mommy guilt of
1. Putting my kids in a childcare place 2 or 3 days/week
2. Spending money solely to benefit myself. I'm a huge supporter of happy wife, happy life, but GAHHH... I just don't know. Maybe I'll just employ a flame thrower to run ahead of me.

And how about a little Wednesday motivation for you.................

When I was pregnant with Tyler I was a mess. I honestly don't remember a lot about the last 4 months of that pregnancy...I  don't remember Max's first steps. Talk about Mommy Guilt. I would never have thought one short year later I would be in the best shape of my life. I thought it was going to take YEARS to fix what I incubating 3 kids in 4 years and eating ALL THE FOODS had done not just to my body but my mind. 

1 year. 1 little year.

Just.Keep.Going.