1/2 way through Round 2

This round of Whole 30 has been harder than I would like to admit. I've had some emotional ups and downs which turned into days of little sleep with little appetite. When I decided to complete Round 2 in April I had very trivial reasons:
     
I want to be in best shape ever for my one year anniversary on May 5, 2013.
I want 37 to be the strongest year ever spiritually, physically and mentally.
I want to drop the last few pounds that I missed on the first round. 
I want to be leaner and focus on a stronger core. 

Well today marks day #14 of Round 2. I feel as though I have once again failed to follow the program 100%. I don't mean this to be a negative. I have kept within the "rules" of the program much better than before, much much better. I am just saying I am not perfect :-) However, I have noticed small changes. I have cheek bones, I have shoulders, biceps, triceps, traps, etc.. I even have quads! I have gotten a little faster with my 5K time, finally breaking 30:00! 

I have noticed I have even more energy than before, this is scary to most around me. On the flip side, when I lay down at night I fall asleep. Granted this is not every night but most nights I crash when I hit the pillow. 

I want my friends and family to see that if you are confident in whatever you goals may be, trivial or not, they are attainable. All you need is faith, a little encouragement to reach that goal! 

I have been asked lately "Why are you doing all this extra?" or "I get tired just trying to keep up with you, how do you do it?". I am doing it to be healthy and strong not skinny! I have struggled with blood pressure issues, skin issues and female issues. I can say that with my workout routine and keeping close watch on my diet I don't have to take medicine for those aliments anymore. As a matter of fact, I don't deal with any of that hardly at all. 

I wasn't going to add photos to this post; however, I think sometimes we are motivated by the "success" pictures. Yes, Whole 30 has worked for us; even if you don't want to go to that extreme just commit to making small changes in your diet. Commit to getting in the gym or going for a run, commit to making your life more healthy! 

           

              January 19, 2013

                                                      

               Saturday, April 13th

Through faith and commitment nothing is impossible! Just get a plan and stick with it, don't give up! I leave you with a simple prayer...

"Run by my side; live in my heartbeat; give strength to my steps. As the cold surrounds, as the wind pushes me, I know you surround me. As the sun warms me, as the rain cleanses me, I know you are touching me, challenging me, loving me. And so I give you this run. Thank you for matching my stride" - Amen ( The Runner's Prayer) 

xoxoxo,

Mitzi 

Happy 5K

Today was supposed to be a fun run with a few ladies from my local Moms Run This Town group. We were running for bling from the Happy 5K Virtual Race. A few people had to cancel due to schedule conflicts and the rest of us decided to skip it because it looked as though bad weather would be hitting about the time we planned to run. 

After telling my husband that I was disappointed about not being able to run, he encouraged me to put on my running clothes and run with him. Yes, the radar had one little red spot on it but it was a good hour away at best. I figured what the heck! I sent one of my friends a text that we were heading out for a run in hopes that if something happened she would come get us, ha! As they say "Safety First".

We took off on his normal training run route, it was humid with a slight breeze. We ran across a busy street into another neighborhood. We were about 1 mile into our run when it started to drizzle, then it started to pour! Scott asked what I wanted to do and I said "I want to run!". The rain kept coming so we decided to come back to our neighborhood just incase it got any worse. We laughed and encouraged each other along the way. We even ran a portion of our neighborhood which is straight uphill, urgh! It was a tough run but we did it! We were soaked and smiling! 

I love that my husband encourages me to step out of the box every now and then. Who knew that running a 5K in the rain could be such fun! If it had not been for him I would not have completed the Happy 5K. 

While I missed running with my usual partners in crime, it was nice to spend a little extra time with my husband! 

Just a little soaked!! 

Happy Running, 

Mitzi

P.S. - If I were to count all the 5K races from the past few weekends plus the Happy 5K, I would be at 10 toward my "13 in 2013" goal! #OHSNAP 

The Finish Line

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” 
~ Phil 3:14 

The finish line of every race is the best part! 
The sense on accomplishment that hopefully you feel at 
each finish line no matter the length of the race! 

The journey to the finish isn't always perfect or pretty but the prize is always worth it. 

Today's post is in honor of the finish line, not necessarily the earthly finish line. 

If you're struggling to get there, stick with it and keep your faith. 

The finish line is closer than you think! 

XOXOXO

Mitzi 

Springtime Tallahassee

The Springtime Tallahassee event has always been one of my favorite events. It was the first parade I took Riley to when he was only 4 days old! Springtime Tallahassee represents all that is good about living here. It's typically beautiful weather, people are out enjoying downtown and people are happy! We live in a happy little town, even though it's the state capital. This year's Springtime Tallahassee might go down as the best ever (besides 2003, hehe).

We planned the "graduation" of our 12 week Run for God bible study around the Springtime Tallahassee 5K/10K annual race. We prepared our group as much we could for the big race day. We met at 7:30am for a group photo. What a great turn out we had from our group. I believe there was about 35 people there, not all pictured below.  We had some that ran the 5K and others took on the 10K challenge.

Pre Race Photo Op :-)

The race started promptly at 8:00am and off we went into downtown Tallahassee. The sun was shining and even caused a bit of a glare on my glasses. We had a good downhill portion for the first 1/2 mile or so then a nice flat surface until we turned onto Lafeyette Street. We ran past the finish line and straight uphill. I never really thought about how steep that hill is until Saturday, wow! We spent time running through a quaint little neighborhood before turning back onto Lafeyette Street with a great downhill run to the finish line! It was a much better than I expected. I didn't have a "goal" this week other than to support my friends running their first 5K's, 10K's or my friends that had set goals for this race. I was just there to have fun! I guess I was having more fun than I knew because I finished with 28:42 on the clock, 9th out of 123 and 143 out of 799 for the 5K. Others experienced the same amount of fun! We had tons of PR's for our group of experienced runners, it's always more fun when almost the whole group has great runs!

The best part of the race for me was cheering on my friends along the way. One portion of the 5K was out and back so we saw each other. I think some of the runners around  me got annoyed with all my hollering but I do not care. I have taken on my role as an encourager pretty seriously so I yelled a ton during the last 1.5 mile of that race! It made people smile, that's what matters!!

It was so great to see many smiling and happy people after the race. God truly blessed our group with an amazing day! I am so thankful for all the success that has come from the Run for God bible study. I hope that everyone will stick with it. I hope that everyone will stick with their daily routines of getting in the word and showing the world that our God is an awesome God!!

After the race we took Riley to the parade along with Aunt Kim, Megan, Crystal and Carson. We had not seen the parade in a few years due to Opening Day at the park where Riley plays baseball. We were very thankful that his game was later in the day so we could stay enjoy the beautiful day. Now that the kids are older and Megan's in college we don't get to hang out on the weekends as much so this was a special to me and Riley. We had a blast! We have more beads than one group should ever have and it was nice to just be together for a couple of hours. Best part, Riley and Carson go along, ALL DAY! They are more like brother and sister and it shows sometimes but not yesterday. I think they enjoyed being together, finally!

All in all it was a fabulous day! I am so thankful for all the blessings that came along with it! 

Here's an album full of pictures to enjoy from the race: https://plus.google.com/photos/101229110441733465648/albums/5864066695969951953?authkey=CInJheakpoPNgAE

xoxoxo
Mitzi

Wordless Wednesday : 10yrs

Fooled ya! I am sure many of you thought this would be related to Riley, again! Nope, today's Wordless Wednesday is in honor of two ladies who've been around for lots of laughs, heartaches and growth! Here's to 10 years of friendship! Love you girls! 

The Line Dancing Days 

July 4th in the Cape 

New Years Eve! 

Fast Forward a few years ... simply because 

I couldn't find the good ones from the years in between! 

May 2012

May 2012

December 2012

Memorial Day

Carson's 10th Bday

January 2013

March 2013

To Stand or Not To Stand

I have been working out off and on with Shannon Colavecchio from Badass Fitness since August of 2012. On several occasions I heard her talk about a "standing desk" at her office. I was positive this was something I would never need to consider. It seemed strange to me!

Fast forward to February 2013 when I suffered an IT band issue from overuse, trying to accomplish too much too fast. After a visit to a few message therapists in town it was suggested I try a "standing desk".. wait a minute! Yes, they suggested the very item that my own trainer / friend uses that I swore wasn't for me. 

After a quick conversation with my Dean and one of our Associate Dean's they both agreed I should try it. If it meant my leg would feel better and it would help me during the day then it was worth letting me try it. Here's a photo of my trial desk: 

Mailboxes with a new purpose :-) 

I knew after a week this was a must. I immediately felt better. I noticed I didn't get that 3pm tired feeling. I noticed that after work I had a little more energy for my afternoon workout sessions. The two gentlemen agreed to order me an official Standing Desk. I am so blessed to have a supportive boss! 

I ordered my current desk from LampsUSA. I love it! Here's a picture of my new standing desk: 

It's become a conversation piece around the office. Everyone wants to know about it! I will share the top three most common questions/comments: 

1: Why are you standing? : It was a suggestion to help me avoid muscle soreness and help my legs get a little stronger. 

2: How do you feel at the end of the day? : I feel great! At first, my legs were a little tired  but after a month I can tell a difference. 

3: I've heard about the standing desk but I am too scared to try it. : TRY IT! Get some boxes and lift that computer, after you have permission from your boss of course. It takes more than a day or two to be convinced so give it two weeks and see how you feel. My bet is you will feel great and wonder why you didn't try this sooner! 

Disclaimer: I am not a fitness expert just an enthusiast so please check with your trusted fitness expert or doctor before trying this. 

FSU Autism 5K - Sub30, did I make it?

Back in January I set a goal of trying to reach sub - 30 in a 5K, for my non-runner friends that means under 30 minutes. Then I had a little set back in my running thanks to the ol' IT Band so my goal has been a tad delayed. I watched as several of my friends joined the "Sub 30 Club" and I was starting to feel a little defeated. I just kept working hard in the gym to rehab the leg. I knew I was not going to give up. I knew if I stay focused on my goal, even during my break periods it would eventually happen.

I have been running a 5K every Saturday for the past few weeks. March 2nd was the TRBC 5K where I finished in 33:18. That was the first race back from my injury and the first race I ran the whole time without stopping. Next was the Shamrock Scurry 5K on March 9th where I finished in 30:52. Oh so close to my goal! The following weekend was the Doggie Dash 5K where I came in at the 30:10 time marker. That one hurt! The fact that I was 10 seconds from getting my goal simply cut me to the core. I was happy with my run but very disappointed that I let the goal slip away! 

The FSU Autism 5K was held March 30th, this was a last minute decision. I was not planning to race again until the Springtime Tallahassee 5K on April 6th. Once I realized that most of the girls were running I decided to join them. This happens often for me, peer pressure gets me every time, hehe! Saturday was a beautiful morning in North Florida. We all met at the Southwood YMCA and snapped our usual pre-race photos. I love that everyone says "if Mitzi is around, there will be photos". It makes me smile to think they might actually appreciate this part of my personality!! There were 273 registered for the 5K. We thought that was pretty good considering it was Easter weekend, etc.. Our group made our way to the start to be up front. This wasn't a chipped race and we all knew we needed to be up front for accurate timing. I was nervous but didn't share that with any of them. I was trying to enjoy the morning but all I wanted was to get the race over with and know I made the GOAL.. URGH! 

A sweet young lady gave us the countdown.. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - GO! Off we went! The first .5 miles I had cell phone issues, not the best at the beginning of a race. I finally got it to work right and zipped it into the back pocket of my skirt, relief! I focused on my pace and breathing. The weather was absolutely perfect for a run. I could see two of my running buddies in front of me and I made sure to keep them in sight. We encountered one large hill where I caught up with one of my girls. Jennifer and I ran the rest of the race together. We laughed and encouraged each other the next 1.5 miles. Once I knew we were close the finish I glanced at my watch... 26 something.. O.M.Goodness. The goal was in sight for us both! The finish line was uphill, not pleasant, I pushed hard. Jennifer pushed hard just a step or two behind me. It was awesome to see my husband, my BRB and 3 of our running friends jumping up and down at the finish. I crossed the finish line; however, I never looked at the clock, I was in pain! (stupid leg, another post for another day) The last push up the hill took all I had in me. As I knelt down my BRB came over with the biggest smile saying "You did it, You beat 30!".  Another told me "get up, you did it!" What they wanted me to see was not only did I beat 30 but I had beaten it by more than any of us expected. My official time was 28:51, a photo finish thanks to my husband's handy work with a camera! 

What a moment! Yes, I met my goal but I do not want this to be about me. I want people to realize that through faith anything is possible! We all set goals every day and let them slip away without a second thought. I set this goal and prayed over it for months! It was special to me meet this goal over Easter weekend, the most important weekend of our Christian lives. Our risen savior gave up everything so that I could have the chance to run, to workout, to pray openly, to live a life full of blessings. I ran this race wearing "Run for God" shirt and I immediately praised him for giving me the ability to run on Saturday. I blessed and I am thankful! 

The "what a moment" feeling continued into the evening as we all realized after the official results were posted that most of our group had finished in the top of all our age groups! We took the 1-4 spots in the 35 age group and the top 2 spots in the 3o age group. We even had a young lady with us who finished 3rd overall for females! It is always amazing to spend time with such awesome friends; however, it's icing on the cake to find out we all did so well. The Run for God group, The Moms Run This Town group, and The Badass Babes have all been additional blessing my life lately. 

As always, here's a few photos from the FSU Autism 5K 

The Finish! WOOHOO! 

My BRB

Run for God  - Love these girls! 

Awesome Friends! 

I apologize for such a lengthy post, maybe I am still in the "what a moment" mode! HA!