Ok. I always come back after some time and post in this blog how long it's been since I've posted or ran a race or what have you. So I won't waste my breath and sound like a broken record. :)
I haven't posted in here since January 2012, it is now November 2013. A lot has changed. I stepped away from racing for a while; I haven't competitively ran since before my last post. I had a lot of reproductive health problems and had to be on bed rest, then just got lazy for a while. I gained some weight, and as I've touched on before in posts, I'm very sensitive when it comes to my figure. I'm still small, I wear a size 3 (a little tight for a bit, but still a 3 haha), and my chest gained a cup size. To me that's a big deal. I won't dwell on that a whole lot in this post, but from 2011 to 2013, I gained over 25lbs. And I'm still "small" to the average person. Just not "my" small.
Anyway, to step away from the weight subject, I moved from Clio (my hometown for my entire life) to Ann Arbor. I absolutely love it. Do you realize how many trails are here?! And how many other cool places there are to run? I feel like everyone's a runner here, and even though there's a million more people in this city as compared to Clio, everyone's way more accepting to pedestrians. I've always enjoyed trails, but from where I'm from, there really wasn't a whole lot. And I struggle seeing with my depth perception, so I've always been nervous. And of course there was that time I broke my foot in a trail race. So yea, always been a little leery when it comes to trail running. A2 has really helped me come out of that shell. I've enjoyed more trail runs than road runs, and it's a different kind of runner's high than I've ever experienced.
Which leads me to the next topic: Isabel now runs on the trails with me! My super star 7 year old is getting more and more amazing in her running life. She's now completed 4 5ks, her best time at a recent Zombie Run in Traverse City of 27:36. That's an 8:54/mi pace for a seven year old! A seven year old who runs 2x a week tops, for fun! Last week when we went to Ann Arbor to trail run, we did an easy 3, and stopped and looked at leaves, played on the swings, and raced up hills. Running, in her eyes, although sometimes tiring, is purely fun with mom. And I love that. She was a few feet ahead of me on the trail, in her cute little running pants, and running tech shirt, with her cute little hat, running over the bright orange leaves, and she kept putting her arms up in the air every time we'd go down hill and she'd go "WOOOO!" It almost always makes my eyes water with joy, and she doesn't even understand how much these moments mean to me. Racing used to be my main reason to run, but I think these runs with Isabel might be my main reason.
To tread back onto the weight topic for a moment, I was struggling really bad when I first moved down here. It was the biggest I had been besides after having Isabel, and I was super depressed. So, I wanted to do something besides running, something that'd help me get in great shape. I did the Beach Body Insanity workout. it's a 63 day program and I did 45 ish days. The second month is a lot harder on my hips than I can handle. I don't feel like I wimped out, even though I only made it 3/4 of the way, and it actually greatly improved my cardio and breathing. I was really impressed, and Shaun T really helped motivate me during the videos.
A few weeks ago, I had a dream I was vegan and I woke up curious. After reading about health benefits, talking to my doctor (who I've regularly seen for the last 2 years about those health issues I mentioned earlier) and letting my family know I am doing this, I have completely cut out meat & fish from my diet, eggs, milk & cheese almost completely (it's taking a little more effort than the cold turkey approach-no pun intended- I used with meat, but I'm getting there), and haven't eaten almost any processed foods. While I will admit to the slip up of boxed mac & cheese for comfort food one time, and a cheese & cracker snack, my diet is not considered vegan. But it's very much thought about, and I feel SO much better. I've even lost weight! I started out eating this way for feeling better purposes, but the more I read (I bought a book called No Meat Athlete- a book about running on a plant based diet), the more it doesn't even appeal to me. Dairy, eggs, sugar & meat just seem repulsive. I couldn't convince myself to even have a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats last night because we didn't have almond milk in the fridge, just skim. I even got the bowl out and thougth about it, but I just couldn't without feeling nauseated. And this morning, on my way to work, I got the same protein bar from the gas station I've gotten the last 3 years.. and it was gross to me. I've learned to love almonds and veggies and fruits and I'm learning to try new foods. I made chili 2 nights ago with soy "beef". I even got my boyfriend to eat it. I actually think he liked it better than I did, and although it wasn't gross, I am just not used to the texture. But this is about experimenting and getting healthy, and it's kinda fun! (especially the weight loss part :p )
Annnd last but not least, the come back marathon. I have decided to do the Ann Arbor marathon in June. I sometimes need to announce things like this so I stick to my guns and train properly. I am excited! I even think I got Bonnie, my high school running parther, to join in with me. I plan to do a few races before, ones that are about me, not just Isabel. Time to get serious! And that makes me happy.
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