Whine & Cheese Run Club: Steph: The Rollercoaster

So to say the least, this experience has had a million ups and downs just like a rollercoaster. Let me list the ways ...

1. DOWN: Motivation. I just don't want to run ... often ... But, I still do it. Within the last month, I was having trouble even forcing myself to run. To force motivation, I signed up for another race in my neighborhood called the OTR 5K to give myself a goal to work towards. It worked. I just finished the race last weekend and had a great time doing so. Even if it was SUPER hot out! It was my first official hot run, but I actually had fun. I encouraged my sister-in-law Christina through the run and she did an AMAZING job even though she was unsure of herself at first. Check out her blog @ http://workschapp.blogspot.com/

So let's take a minute for a quick race report ...

I started with a yummy 'runners' breakfast. It was super hot outside.
We were downtown doing a city run. The traffic was NOT stopped
for us in a couple places. We had to stop for it. Even with that I
averaged a 12 minute mile. Right off the bat, there was a HUGE
hill that we had to run up. Christina told me that I increased my
pace significantly on the hill. I think that I just really wanted to get
to the top!!!! Lastly, we ended with a really fun block party type
festival! Good times. (Which is crazy talk because I NEVER
would have thought in a million years that I would EVER use those
words in conjunction with running!!)

Now back to my roller coaster ride:

2. UP: Planning. I need a plan. Something I have recently realized is SUPER important to my success. I always knew that I liked planning things, but never how much I needed to do it. So to keep the motivation going, Jill and I started a 10K running plan. And I have it in writing, so it is official. We are 1 week into the plan and I feel a new sense of motivation for running again!!! I have a new goal and a new plan. Two things that I LOVE and need!

3. WAY UP: Fun. The more fun the races, the better. So we have planned a COLOR run in Louisville at the end of July and a Mudathlon in August. Both of these are fun and different and crazy and right up my alley! The only way that they could get better is if they involved wine or food :)

4. DOWN: Weight Gain/Loss. I didn't start this to lose weight. I knew that I was "pleasantly plump" and I was O.K. with that. I knew that I LOVED eating delicious and interesting food and that chunkier weight was a side effect. Then I started losing weight. Then I liked that it seemed to be just falling off of me. I went down a dress/pant size and down a shirt size. Then I saw a new 'decade' in weight for the first time since college. Then it all stopped. I didn't gain any. But I wasn't losing either. Then I felt discouraged. Then it stayed that way for 2 months. Then I tried a crazy "cleansing" diet to break through my plataeu and it worked. I lost 8 more pounds. But now, I am at another plateau it seems :(

5. UP: Bonding. This running thing has been a great bonding experience between my girlfriends and I. I enjoy anything that gives women a chance to encourage each other through something instead of creating negativity. It has also increased the bonding moments between my husband and I. Sometimes I want to scream at him while he is pushing me to go farther and other times I am thankful that he doesn't give up. Either way, it is something that we are doing together and that is time well spent.

6. WAY UP: The Picture. I have always hated myself in pictures. I have huge cheeks. My husband jokingly calls them chipmunk cheeks because it looks like I store food in them. I joked with him about them in return at times. It was really fine with me because I didn't think they would ever go away. I just thought they were a part of who I am. So pictures sucked just like the first one below. Then, I saw the second picture below that was taken of my husband and I. I looked O.K., but I thought the cheeks were not showing up because of the angle of my face. Then friends took the third picture below, it is a picture of my face from a straight on angle. I was shocked. I can see my actual face. I am NOT just looking at cheeks. It is AMAZING!!!! I can see a difference in these three pictures. It has single handedly re-motivated me. I am NOT giving up. I am determined to lose another 20 pounds in the next year. It is going to happen!