And Three Months Later........

Wow!!!  Where does time go?

Every week I sit down and plan to get back on here, and then by the time I get through with work, working out, and a few other things I crash when I sit down.  That whole not planning ahead thing really comes back to bite me in the backside on things like this.

So - as a new month approaches, I'm hoping a new plan and process can keep me on track with my blog.

A decent amount has happened in the past three months.........vacation, a birthday, lots of races, and marathon training just to name a few.

Our family vacation to Perdido Key, FL was great.  My grandmother treats us all to a week away every summer.  It's a time that she enjoys to have her two daughters and their families all together.  There were 8 of us that spent the week there.  There are now 4 generations that come from Memphis, Itta Bena, MS, Jackson, MS, and Dothan, AL.

I've also experience another birthday.  I'm officially in my mid-thirties now.  I can proudly say that this year on my birthday I was 10 lbs lighter than last year and in much better shape over all.  So my birthday gift to myself was definitely my health.

And speaking of losing weight and health.  I'm still working on that but with marathon training in full swing the focus is more on listening to my body than trying to lose weight as my top priority.   At this point the weight has stalled in the 138-140 lbs range BUT my body fat % has continued to drop.  I'm still taking that as a BIG win.

Training has been going GREAT.  I'm on track to be able to take 45 minutes to an hour off of my time of 5:50 last year.

I've had several races over the last few months that have given me a real confidence boost with my running.  I'm still not the fastest one out there (or anywhere close to it), but I have PR'd every distance that I've run since July!!!

I signed up for the Road Race Series this year through MRTC and have run at least one of each distance so far (the series consists of 10 races, 2 of each distance - 5K, 5 Mile, 10K, 10 Mile, and 1/2 Marathon).  Only the 2 Half Marathons remain and I've got to figure out a way to work at least one of them into my marathon training as they fall on the weekends of my 20 and 22 mile training runs.

I also ran the Cooper Young 4 Miler.  It was a blast as usual!!

I did something completely new for me as well.  I finished my first Triathlon - the Annie Oakley Super Sprint.  It consisted of a 400m swim, 11 Mile bike, and a 2 mile trail run.  I finished it in 1:29:12 (18/28 in my age group and 95/129 overall).

My running buddies Anna, Heather, Rachel and I before the start of the Annie Oakley Tri.

Here are my running races and results since we last talked.......

Road Race Series 2nd 5K

30:56 (9:57 pace) New PR***

82/129 Age Group

389/715 Female

824/1268 Overall

Previous PR for this distance was 34:15.

Road Race Series 1st 5Miler

54:35 (10:55 pace)  New PR***

70/117 Age Group

345/646 Female

732/1168 Overall

Previous PR was for this distance was 1:00:25

Road Race Series 1st 10K

1:07:04 (10:47 pace)

59/101 Age Group

333/616 Female

714/1109 Overall

Previous PR for this distance was 1:09:39

Cooper Young 4 Miler

39:34 (9:53 Pace) New PR***

100/291 Age Group

418/1324 Female

1021/2263 Overall

Previous PR for this distance was 44:35

Celebrating with Anna (on the right) after great runs at Cooper Young 4 Miler

Road Race Series 2nd 10K

1:03:06 (10:09 Pace) New PR***

57/113 Age Group

293/601 Female

636/1074 Overall

This was a PR of 4minutes over the same course 2 weeks earlier!!!

Road Race Series 2nd 10 Miler (AKA The Beast)

1:50:26 (11:03 Pace) New PR***

51/83 Age Group

548/854 Overall

Previous PR for this distance was 2:02:19

Lots of hard work has gone into this.  I still have plenty of room to improve - but I'm thrilled with the year that I've been having and hope it continues on through the races I have planned.  

~Kathryn

Workout/Weigh In Wednesday

I've been doing good to get in 2 posts in a week here lately - and somehow I'm getting in 2 today alone!!

Today, I'm linking back up with Skinny Meg for Workout Wednesday as well as Heather, Ash, Bailey, and Amy for Weigh In Wednesday.

Wednesday, July 3
I posted here about the Stars and Stripes 5K that I ran here in Memphis.  It was a great time (except for the train), and I'll definitely be returning to this race!

Thursday, July 4

I took the 4th a little easy and went to the pool for some laps.  I got in 950 yards in 30 minutes.  I still have a ways to go with my swimming, but that was the most I have gotten in in a 30 minute swim.

Friday, July 5

Today was HEAT Class.  We began the class with 8 minutes of burpees (I did 101!!!), followed by this workout which I finished in 22:14.

This one actually wasn't too bad - in comparison to others we have done.

Saturday, July 6

Today I headed to Breakaway Germantown to run with the St Jude Marathon Training group.  They have a 24 week training plan and this was week 2.  We had a 5 mile run on the Greenway, which is nice since you don't have to dodge any traffic.  My pace was a LOT slower than Wednesday - which is attributed to the heat and humidity........even at 7:00am.

Sunday, July 7

I headed to my favorite yoga class today then followed it up with a 12.5 bike ride with a friend of mine.  She wasn't feeling 100% so we took it a little easy, but still finished in ~1:10.

Monday, July 8

This was a super busy day.  My first workout was HEAT class.

We had so many people that we had to stagger where we started.  We all started with the 800M run, then I went to the ball slams and worked my way through the exercises in order with the exception of the jumping jacks.  They were at the end for everyone.  I finished in 25:20.

Immediately after HEAT, I headed out to Shelby Farms for the first night of the Memphis Run/Walk Program.  I am helping coach the Intermediate I group of runners.  We began with a 5 minute walk then alternated running and walking for 3 minutes each for ~35 minutes followed by a cool down walk back to our starting location.  

This is my first year as a coach and it so good to see so many women getting out and being active.  At this time there are well over 1000 women registered in the program and it is still open for registration until the end of the month.  The program will finish in early September with a graduation 5K for all the women.

Tuesday, July 9

REST!!!!!!

Now for the Weigh In!!

Previous Weight - 141.6
Today's weight - 141.0
Difference - -.6

It's not much, but it's still going in the right direction.  The challenge coming up is going to be vacation.  I will be leaving Friday to head to the beach for a week.  I don't want to ruin all the hard work that I have done in the last month, so I have motivation to be "somewhat" good while I am there.  My goal for the trip is to not gain - therefore I am planning to get in either a run or a bike ride everyday we are down there.

Until next time!!!

~Kathryn

Race Recap - The Race that Got Stopped by a Train - Stars & Stripes 5K

I'm FINALLY getting around to recapping the race that I participated in LAST Wednesday night.  

Poppy is always near and wanted in on the pic action

The Stars & Stripes 5K is a 2nd year race here in Memphis at Tiger Lane at the Liberty Bowl Stadium.  It began last year when the very popular Firecracker 5K, that was held at the Racquet Club, ceased to exist.  This was my first year running it and I thought the race was put together very well except for one thing.......

Yep - that's a train in the middle of a race - at .4 miles into it.  I would say that between 1/3 and 1/2 of the runners managed to beat the train.  I, unfortunately, was one that did not.  I will say that there were some insane people that went under and around the barriers right as the train was getting to the road we were on. 

Once that happened, I decided to just enjoy the run as there was no way a PR was going to happen. The weather was actually pretty cool for a July Memphis night.  It was a relatively flat course that was essentially a big square.  The start and finish were both at the Liberty Bowl.  After the delay by the train, we turned on Southern and headed to the Cooper Young area where there were several people cheering us on during their dinners at the local restaurants there.  We ran up to Central Ave and turned there to smell Central BBQ then head back to the Liberty Bowl for the finish.  After the finish there were plenty of hamburgers and hotdogs to go around.....and watermelon!!

My "official" race time was 40:49.  No where near a PR, but if the train hadn't interrupted us it would have been as my "moving" time was exactly 8 minutes faster than my official time!  My current 5K PR is 34:15, I believe, so I'm definitely making progress towards my goal of at 30min 5K.

Here are my race stats:

Overall 852/1399 (61%)

Gender 353/765 (46%)

Age Group 74/150 (49%)

I'll take that - especially considering that 2.7 miles were essentially a nice, easy training run!!

I'll be back later today with my Workout/Weigh In Wednesday!

~Kathryn

Weigh In Wednesday - It's still coming off!!

Ok, so for the month of June, blogging was pretty much non-existent for me.  Getting back into consistent blogging is one of my goals for July.

I'm going to link up again with Weigh In Wednesday.

  

I am still on the Macros plan that I talked about here.  On this plan, I'm consistently losing weight for the first time in several years!!  I am loving this plan so much that I just changed from working with Ashley on a month to month basis to buying a 3 month package.  At the rate that I'm losing I should be close to my goal by then!!

I don't feel "confined" on this plan.  I get to actually eat - a lot.  In fact some days I get tired of eating.  One of the biggest things is that I'm learning to make better choices.  This will be put to the test in 10 days when I head to the beach for a week. And speaking of heading to the beach, I'm so excited that this year I will weigh less than I did when we went last year!!

Two weeks ago when I weighed in on here, I was at 143.4.  Well, today I am at 141.6!!  That's almost another 2 lbs gone.  For the month of June (plus a few days) I lost 7.6 lbs!!!  To hit my goal I only have 21.6 to go - that sounds SO much better than the almost 30 that I had a month ago.

Something about this plan just clicked with me - added to the fact that I weigh in with Ashley each week.  That accountability is a big deal.

If you would like to get in touch with Ashley, you can email her here.  She is great to work with, and you will not regret it.

That's all for now.  I still have a few posts that I need to do from June - hopefully those will come soon.

Enjoy the 4th everyone!!!

~Kathryn

SweatPink

I am so excited and honored to announce that as of this week I am a new Sweat Pink Ambassador!!!

So what is SweatPink??

SweatPink is a FitApproach movement with the following mission:

We believe that kicking ass is best done in pretty shoes. We’ve learned that real women sweat, and sweat hard. We know that assertiveness, strength, and ambition are the ultimate feminine qualities. We concede that sometimes it takes hours to get ready, but we’re also no strangers to just rolling out of bed and going. We’re convinced that we run faster in pink shoelaces. We believe in pushing ourselves, and we believe in giving ourselves a break, too. We’re all about the rush of endorphins and the thrill of the challenge. We’re all for looking great and feeling even better. We’re committed to finding our best fit, and making it stick.

I feel that this is exactly where I am right now.  I have been trying to be a better me and am finally on the right path.  I hope that through Sweat Pink I can inspire and encourage others to strive for a better self.  I know first hand that it's not an easy task and there are many bumps in the road and Sweat Pink is there to smooth all of that out. 

~Kathryn

Weigh In Wednesday - SUCCESS!!!

I'm Back!!!

The last few weeks have been kind of crazy and the last thing I wanted to touch outside of work was my computer.  So, now that things seems to be calming down, I'm back to blogging.

With all of the craziness, workouts haven't been the most consistent - so I'll be getting back Workout Wednesday next week.

This week, I'm doing something new.  I'm linking up with Heather, Ash, Bailey and Amy for Weigh-In Wednesday.

This actually ties in with something new that I started this month.  I've been on a mission to lose ~30 lbs for some time now.  I've "tried" to eat better, changed and increased my workouts, and have essentially gotten no where.  Well, last month I was reading Elle Noel's blog and she was talking about a new meal plan/way of eating that she was starting.  It's based on Macros (the ratio or Protein, Carbs, and Fat in your diet).  I wanted to check it out and see what it was all about.

I started following Ashley Leahy on Instagram (she is the one that did the meal plan).  Ashley works with women to help them achieve their fitness goals.  After seeing the progress of a few of her clients, I decided to email her and find out more.  I immediately knew that I wanted to give working with Ashley a try.

I started the plan on Sunday, June 2.  What she gives you is not a cookie cutter plan.  It is a plan based on you.  You let her know about you and your goals and she devises the plan around that.  I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything either.  In fact, there are some days that I feel like all I do it eat - but the foods that I am eating are much better choices than I was having previously.  You know the numbers that you are supposed to hit every day.  That way if there is something that you are wanting or you go out to eat, you can build the rest of the day around that if you need to.  Once a week I have a high carb day and that is my day to enjoy my beloved Chipotle!

Whether it's just losing weight, toning up, or preparing for bikini competitions (she is literally a Pro competitor herself), she is there for you 100%.  I check in with her every 5-7 days with what is going on and my progress and she always has encouragement for me.  She also makes adjustments as needed to your plan to keep you on track to meet your goals.

So, what has this plan done for me?  Well, last time I weighed in here was on May 29.  That day I was 149.2 lbs.  My official start weight for the program was 147.2lbs on June 2.  Today I am at 143.4!!!  So that's a loss of 3.8 lbs since I started with Ashley 17 days ago and a loss of 5.8 lbs since my last weigh in on here 3 weeks ago.  It doesn't sound like much - but I'm 5'1" so it makes a big difference.  My clothes are fitting better and I've even had people take notice and say something already.  I'd say that is a success!!!

If you are interested in contacting Ashley you can email her here.  She not only provides the meal plan program but also workout plans. I am just doing the meal plan right now, but am looking at possibly adding the workouts after my Tri in  August.  She is wonderful to work with and has also created a community of clients that can become a support system for you during your journey.

I'm SO glad that I found Ashley as it seems that this plan was exactly what my body needed.   I can't wait to see where this journey leads me and I'll take you along for the ride as I track my progress on here.

Next week - back to Workout (and Weigh-In) Wedneday!!

~Kathryn

Workout Wednesday

I love long weekends, but at the same time they tend to throw me off.  I'm definitely not complaining about a short work week - just feel off this week.

So with the holiday weekend came travel to MS.  I did better than I figured I would on the working out, but the eating was a different story.  

Here's how my week went.....

Thursday

I ran the Zoom Through the Zoo 4 mile race.  4 miles in 44:15.  It was pretty hot and humid, but I just need to get used to it as summer in Memphis isn't going anywhere any time soon.

Friday

Today was a rest day as I had an event to go to Friday night.  I missed my HEAT class and can't wait to get back to it next week.

Saturday

I got up and got in an 11 mile bike ride in just under an hour before I headed to Jackson.  I knew this was the only way that I could get in a workout that day.

Sunday

I slept in longer than I had planned, but still managed to get in a slow 3 mile run in 35:36.  I thought I had had hot runs already this year, but this one was horrible.  It was hot and humid and no shade the entire route.

Monday

Today was another rest day.  I was traveling back home and the gym also closed at 5:00 - so again, no HEAT class.  

Tuesday

I got in a 4 mile run in 45:18.  I had major cramping in my calves again.  I've got to get this under control.

Wednesday

I got in my Yoga class this morning and I'm planning for a run and a swim this afternoon.  I think I'm going to start loging my workouts Wednesday-Tuesday instead of Thursday-Wednesday since my main workouts on Wednesday are typically after I post.

Weekly Weigh In

Last week - 148.8

This week - 149.2

Weekly change - +.6

This was actually better than I expected.  This weekend had 4 cookouts and 2 batches of homemade ice cream.  I'm SO ready to get back to better eating.  

I'm linking up with Skinny Meg again this week.  Check her out.....

~Kathryn