It has been forever since I have blogged, and I have so many new things to share! Ü Where oh where to I start! LOL

Let's go back to January...........I started back up at the gym and tried to get back in to running. I was beginning my journey and second attempt at training for a half marathon. The treadmill just wasn't cutting it for me at ALL!!! I hated being on it every second. There's something about hitting the pavement that makes my legs keep going. Except in my case it turned out to be the ice!

I began running outside every night. I would get home from work, lace up my shoes and head out into the cold. I was derailed quite a few times as the weather would be unpredictable and suddenly snow 6 inches. This made running outside for the next few days seem impossible. Especially when it was bitter cold.

But I did it! I actually trained for a half marathon, in the winter, in Alaska!! I will say that my runs were wet, cold, and snowy. But it made me feel that much stronger. I felt like I could conquer just about anything I wanted!

April came quickly and I was finally in Salt Lake City picking up my bib. It was an overwhelming experience. I can't even describe it. It makes me tear up a little just thinking about it. The months it took me to get to where I was. The hours of running. The pain I pushed through. I was about to wake up and run 13.1 miles.

April 17th I ran 13.1 miles and crossed the finish line in tears. I had actually done it!!!!! But.......let me tell you some of those tears were because I didn't have to run another step! :)

I was feeling really good at mile 7, 8, and 9. But once I passed that 10 mile mark, my mind was ready to quit. I had trained to 10 miles and felt pretty good. What was another 3?? It was torture! lol Add in the fact that is was also 70+ degrees outside and that I had trained in 20 degree weather. But after 3hrs, 23 minutes and 29 seconds, I crossed that finish line. I had accomplished a half marathon before my 30th birthday. I only had 4 days to spare. :)

I have been working on losing more weight, as after the half marathon I got a little lazy and put back on some weight. About 15 pounds to be exact. I began a somewhat controversial diet and have lost another 25 pounds. And have successfully maintained this weight loss for some time now. I'm an now under 200 pounds and am weighing 197!!!! I have officially lost 37 lbs since starting this weight loss journey some time back. I know it's not a lot, but I feel amazing!!!!

This is getting kind of long now, so I'll post more tomorrow about what kind of diet I have been on! Have a great day!!!! :)

So it's been my second week back at the gym. Lost 3.5 lbs in my first week and am happy to report the the scale hasn't consumed me everyday. I set out to weigh once a week, and so far in a week and a half have only weighed myself twice. Not too bad I don't think.

My running has been coming back to me rather quickly. I managed to get in 2 miles on the treadmill today. My love hate relationship with the treadmill is breaking. We seem to be coming to an understanding. Yesterday and today was actually quite easy. I find it helps to kind of play a game on it. Run at a higher speed for 2 minutes and then slow it down a little for 2 minutes. It helps the time go by faster.

I'm really just ready to go run outside. Unfortunately living in Alaska and dealing with -3 degree temperatures doesn't really sound like a fun time to me. Today it's warmed up to about 17 so I'm thinking I will attempt to go out tomorrow. I love running outside. I feel like I am actually accomplishing something.

Food has been really good as well. I really haven't had any bad cravings at all. I'm making sure that I am making good choices about what I eat. Looking for food to really give me the bang for the calories. I have found a new love in cream of wheat. It's crazy to me, but I LOVE it. It tastes so delicious and keeps me full until 11 or so when I head to the gym. I'm getting 4 hours out of it, so it's working!!

A New Year

I can't beleive that I haven't blogged since August. Kind of sad really. I think life got so busy that I forgot to make time for myself and then got stuck in the routine of not doing anything. That's okay though. It's a new year and I've only gained a few pounds since I let go of everything.

I have new motivation, as I am getting ready to train for a half marathon. Yes, AGAIN!!!! This time I am going to run the Salt Lake City half marathon with my Aunt. It is on April 17th, which is 4 days before my 30th birthday. What a great birthday present to myself. I headed to the gym today and actually got on the treadmill. I was really scared that I was going to get on and have my body violently throw me back off asking me what the hell I thought I was doing. You know you get quite used to doing nothing for a few months!! I started out slow and finished my first mile in a little under 14 minutes. nothing fantastic, but a start back. it was actually a tone easier than I thought it was giong to be. I think my poor body has been waiting to get back on!

My eating has been on track for the last couple of days. Amazing what motivation you can muster up when life throws you something excited. So I'm back and ready to kick some more weight to the curb! I have a ton of catching up to do!! :)