New Blog

As I was sitting eating breakfast and drinking my (very strong) coffee this morning, I was inspired to start another blog - more aimed at having a place to reflect upon my weight loss and fitness journey:

www.yayformom.blogspot.com

It's probably going to be lengthy and potentially boring, but I want a space to archive this journey, so take it for what it's worth......

My 2nd Race

I ran my 2nd 5K race yesterday morning! We all got up early, went to Altoona, and the boys watched as I ran. My only goal was to finish in under 30:03 (the time of my first race), so I kinda surprised when I was headed toward the finish line and saw that my time was going to be in the 28 minute range -"WHAT?!?!," I thought. I crossed the finish line at the 28:30 mark! There were over 500 runners (that included 5K runners, 15K runners, and 2mile walkers) and it was so inspiring to see so many people wanting to run/walk. I haven't seen official results to see where I finished overall, but I do know that I placed #10 out of 25 female in my age category, so I'm pretty happy! The Altoona course was the best route I've ever run - it was mostly flat with just 2 bridges to run over - I'm so used to running hills (b/c well, let's face it - that's all we have around here), so I guess that helped me get my PR (personal record).

Me with my boys before the race (and quite nervous)

Jeremy got this great shot just as I crossed over the finish line (I'm pretty sure my official time was 28:30).


Obviously this was post race -look @ that smile on my face (our camera is going and it's starting to give us fuzzy photos :(


On a semi-related note, my weight loss journey is progressing and I'm hoping to post some 'before -and-after' photos next month when I (fingers crossed) hit my 30# mark!

My Baby is 3!

Holy moley - 3 years have past since Jude made his way into this world? Seriously? Anyone else a little shocked that he's 3? We celebrated his birthday yesterday with a little party. Jude wanted a 'wormy' party, so Grammy Linda did, as usual, a wonderful job on the earthworm cake. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate our sweet boy's special day.

It still amazes me that he was born on the 4th of July. Some people who share their birthdays with another holiday may think that the holiday overrides their special day, but I just think that Jude will always have his birthday off and there'll always be picnics/BBQs and fireworks for his birthday - that's a pretty cool deal! Happy #3 Jude Lincoln - Momma loves you soooooo much.

Earthworm cake!

Summer Fun

It's hard to believe summer is in full swing. Jackson's been saving his money that Grammy Linda gives him each week and he decided to spend it on a slip & slide that everyone can use. Although they made quite the mud slide in Grammy's yard, they had a blast.

Field Trip

Yesterday we traveled to Leechburg, PA (kinda between Indiana and Pittsbugh) to visit our friend, Bethany, and her family's turkey farm. I met Bethany @ SFU through our OT program - she just graduated from our program in May and is moving towards Philly in a few weeks to work as a pediatric OT!
It was an amazing day filled with all kinds of adventures, fun and learning. When we arrived, we played in the field and then hiked up the hill to the turkey coops. Along the walk, Jude managed to find several barns with some pretty awesome tractors hiding inside. We made it to the turkey barn and saw hundreds of poults (baby turkeys) - they just hatched on Tuesday, so they were less than a week old. They boys loved chasing them and picking them up. We also visited the older turkeys - they were so cute - the boys would shout, "Gobble, gobble, gobble!" and while they were shouting, the turkeys were silent but would then respond to the boys with their gobbles.
We got to visit the farm store and see how the turkeys are processed (none were being processed, but we got to see the equipment). We also got to take a dip in the pool before we headed home. It was a really fun trip and one that we'll never forget.

Mini-Vacation

We went to Deep Creek Lake, MD this weekend for a little start-of-summer vacation. We had a really great time - it is so beautiful in Deep Creek and so much to do. We ate at some really cool places, had fun @ Funland (imagine something like a Chuk E. Cheese's with games, tickets, and chaos), swam at the state park beach.

Saturday evening we walked over to Wisp Mountain Resort and watched a snowboarding competition - yes, SNOW (machine-made, of course). I think it inspired Jackson to try something new! Sunday afternoon, I took Jackson on a ski lift ride to the top of Wisp Mountain. We got up there, walked around, watched the white water rafters at the adventure course, and rode back down the mountain. Later that evening, Jeremy took Jackson on the mountain coaster - a highlight of the weekend for both of them.

We discovered Deep Creek from my friend, Kerri and I'm so thankful she shared this great place with us! This time we went with my sister and Nate and I think we all had a blast (even though little Jude man got sick :( I highly recommend DCL for a weekend or even week get-a-way. There's so much to do no matter what season you'd go.

Runner's High

And now I know why people run; it's best feeling in the world. I've never been the super-athletic type, but in my quest to loose weight, I've found that running accelerates the process and so I'm fair game!

In early April, I printed off the registration form for the Cresson Area Heritage Days 5K run, filled it out, and started training.

My first run was about 1.5-2 miles in length and I thought I was going to die - my lungs burned, my stomach ached, my head pounded, my eyes bulged. I gave myself a 1 day break and did it all over again (and was pretty much in the same shape as the first run). Since those first couple of runs (and recoveries), I've discovered that running is an amazing form of exercise and that it's brought out the athlete in me.

On Sunday, I ran in my first 5K race!

It was my experiment/test to see how I'd do. I learned a lot, mostly what not to do - like don't base my body temperature comfort level on others' ideas (I was way too cold the entire time) and if I just push a little harder, it can make a big difference (I was so close to coming in under 30:00).

My goal was two fold: finish in under 32:00 and don't be the last one across the line. I accomplished both goals. My time was 30:03 (not too shabby) and the best surprise of all was that I won a 3rd place medal for female 31-35 age group!

This whole running thing has been an eye-opener for me: If I can do this, anyone can! Also, I'm healthier now than, well, ever!

I've officially caught the running bug and I'm already planning and plotting my next race with new expectations, new goals, and maybe even new/more running partners.

Me before the race- just got registered and numbered (my lucky number happens to be 32, but 31 turned out to be my buddy that day).

Last leg of the race. I typically run in the afternoon, so a morning race was a real wake-up call for me - I was dehydrated and didn't feel very good for about the last 1/2 mile. I could see the finish line from here and boy was I glad!

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE!

My tee shirt and medal!

The entire reason for my existence - my guys (gotta get them into running:)!