I Shine in the Fall

When the "cold" fronts start rollin' in, the humidity drops, and the good hair days begin, THIS IS WHEN I SHINE! There is seriously no happier time of year (in my life, anyway) than now; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I get to wear cute, comfy clothes and like I mentioned, I never have a bad hair day.

Tomorrow is the procedure I have been waiting for for over 3 months; getting the leftover fat taken off of my left hip! The last time I saw my tummy tuck surgeon, he asked if I was happy with the results; I said yes but my left hip is still swollen. He said, no, it's fat that I missed & I'll remove it free of charge but you have to give it a couple months to completely reduce swelling. Happy Halloween to me!

My only concern is that I have a group presentation in class the following night. Hope I'm not on crazy meds! 

The school year is passing by so fast that I can't tell if I'm happy about that or frustrated. I have this presentation & our 30- page paper due on the 15th, an exam on the 15th, 1 more paper in marketing as well as an article presentation and his final, then one more paper and a final in management. Oh yeah, and an individual 30-page paper for Capstone. Goodbye, brain! Thanks for making it this far...

My 2nd Half Marathon

Well yesterday, in a fit of over-excitement, I sent in my check & registration for my 2nd half marathon! It's December 8 here in Corpus, downtown along the bayfront and back. I ran this last year as a relay with my boss, so I know the course. Plus, considering my first half marathon had about a thousand hills and this one is COMPLETELY flat, I should be good =) 

I decided since the last half WAS so full of hills, that my time should be much better this time around. My time in Austin was 2:36:55, with a pace of 11:59 per mile. I'm shooting for 2:30:00 or 11:30 per mile pace. Took a couple of minutes yesterday to put together a tentative training schedule:

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total Miles Run
10/22	4 miles	CT or Rest	3 miles	CT	8 miles	3 miles	REST	18 miles
10/29	5 miles	3 miles	Tummy Procedure	Recover	Recover	Recover	Recover	7 miles
11/5	4 miles	CT or Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	10 miles	REST	Color Run 5K	20.1 miles
11/12	5 miles	CT or Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	11 miles	3 miles	REST	22 miles
11/19	4 miles	CT or Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	12 miles	3 miles	REST	22 miles
11/26	4 miles	CT or Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	5 miles	2.5 miles	REST	14.5 miles
12/3	2 miles	20 minutes	REST	20 minutes	REST	RACE DAY! 13.1 miles	2.5 recovery miles	17.5 miles + 20 minutes

I know school will get in the way occasionally and I also can't predict how long it will take me to recover from my tummy procedure, but here's to hoping I can stick to this!

I'm also in the process of telling my friends and family how much their support means to me. Knowing that I'll have people at the half-way point and the end gives me more motivation to keep pushing on when I might otherwise feel like slowing down. 

Lastly, I'm trying to stick to Paleo as best as I can. I'm going to try eating dates instead of gels and try not to eat bread/grains more than once a day. However, if I feel my performance is suffering, I will go back to the gels and increase grain consumption.

Getting Back to the Swing of Things

Even with all the stuff I have going on, I think I've finally got my head back on straight (food-wise). I went off the deep-end and felt like my head was underwater. I hate how I feel in my clothes lately. You can't see the weight gain but man can I feel it. Friday night I met some friends at a bar and then ended up at Denny's being the ultimate fat-ass. That was IT. I decided as soon as my order came out (too ashamed to even admit what I ate) that that was the last straw. I need to fit in this dress that I already bought for graduation!

This morning was the Harbor Half Marathon & Relay. I ran this a couple years ago with a friend but this time I ran with my boss. He took the 1st leg (I ran it last time) and I took 2nd. 1st leg starts in CC and the bridge is one mile in; 2nd leg starts in Portland and the bridge is 4.5 miles in. Worked out pretty well because he liked the 1st leg and I liked the 2nd! Got another bib, hat, & shirt to add to my collection =)

I've eaten well today, not to mention ran 6.5 miles over a causeway and MASSIVE FUCKING BRIDGE so I am treating myself to one small glass of wine. I have been looking for this red moscato forever and I FINALLY FOUND IT!!

SUGAAAAAAAAAAAR!

For the love of GOD I am battling some major sugar demons lately. I have no problem passin on the breakfast tacos when they come around, or when someone busts open a bag of chips... but the donuts?

GIMMEE!!

Tuesday morning I was late getting to work due to physical therapy. It was Bosses Day (apparently) so salesmen were dropping by like crazy. I ran into Pat when I walked in & she said "There's food in the kitchen!" what she MEANT was

• donuts
• kolaches
• ham & cheese puffs
• cookies
• Marie Callendar's Kahlua pie
• Marie Callendar's Coconut Creme pie
• Fruit tray with cream cheese & marshmellow dip

Pat had even brought 3 (yes, 3) boxes of cookies but even she decided to keep them hidden in her office until further notice (aka the next day). Also, Jeremy's wife has started baking & selling gourmet cupcakes to the office. 

I'm surrounded by so much temptation that it's honestly ridiculous. I am fine at home because I have stopped buying ice cream and other sweets (except dark chocolate; you can go fuck yourself if you think I'm giving that up) and I eat almost strictly Paleo when I prepare food for myself. Even when I go to my parents, I have an easier time dealing with the temptations. But this office is a completely different story.

I've put my scale away because I don't even want to THINK about what I weigh right now. I know I'll get back to my gloriously healthy ways once I graduate, but that doesn't make me feel any better about the present. I bought a super cute, clingy blue dress to wear for graduation (GO ISLANDERS!) but at the rate I'm goin, I'm gonna need Spanx and a girdle to fit in it =(

Tough Mudder & Scapular Winging

I can't believe Tough Mudder has come and gone! Lemme start off by saying it is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. My sister & I had talked (debated) about doing one but never had the balls to just fucking SIGN UP. Then, my cousin Sarah in Colorado said she wanted to do it as a challenge to herself to lose her baby weight (she had a baby girl in March) and she wanted some cousins to do it with her. Didn't take much to convince us!

We convinced another cousin, Cristi to sign up and she convinced her friend Sabre as well. Sabre's niece and uncle (?) were on our team but they got caught behind an accident on the way to the race so they didn't start with us. I wish they had been able to because the uncle was wearing a camera for it!!

The race was in Paige, TX so we stayed about 20 minutes away in Bastrop. Friday night, we went to Bastrop State Park to explore. It was beautiful and depressing; all the charred trees were still up but along the water it was lush and gorgeous.

Me & my sexy ladies found a bench by the water & had a photoshoot with mom's iPad =)

Saturday was THE DAY; TOUGH MUDDER DAY! We woke up around 7, ate breakfast, grabbed coffee downstairs, and blared Gangnam Style to pump ourselves up. Met up with Sarah & Sabre and stood (jumped) around all jittery in anticipation. 

 (My cousin Sarah & I before!)

One thing we did (and SHOULDN'T HAVE) was watch finishers run through the electroshock therapy at the finish line. The guy we watched got zapped in the neck and face-planted into the mud. Why the HELL did we watch that before we even BEGAN?

You know it's gonna be a legit race when you have to scale a 10' Berlin wall just to get to the start line. Took like 3 people to get me over haha but the start line was the best part; everyone gets quiet, holds up their right hand, and says the Tough Mudder creed. Basically, you help any person you see along the way if they're struggling and it's NOT a race, but an event meant to test your camaraderie and mental and physical grit.

I couldn't do all of the obstacles because of my scapular winging problem, but I definitely pushed myself. I did amazing on the running part but my ankles are KILLIN' me now because of all the hills. It also took us 4 hours 45 minutes. Talk about physical exhaustion... I cannot wait to see all the pictures that get posted! (Or maybe I can, I dunno)

(Sis & I after, with the headbands we FUCKING EARNED!!!)

The rest of that day and the next, all my sister & I did was GROAN. EVERY movement hurt; our ankles, knees, shins, calves, abs, shoulders, toes, EVERYTHING HURT. Did I mention my cousin kicked me in the face swinging over the Berlin wall? Because she did. Here's my sexy legs the next day; looks worse in person because this doesn't show the bruises as well.

So would I do it again? Yes.


Just gimme about two years, at least. My next goal is to run a whole marathon; go 26.2!

In other random news, I finally got to spend time with my friend Sarah's baby boy, Noah. Her other son, Nick, turned 5 so they had a pirate-themed party for him and I got to stop by. Here I am sporting my awesome hard-earned headband & holding precious Noah-bear!!

I Have the Most RANDOM Problems.

Now begins the real roommate living situation. David's mom began her trip back this weekend, so no more amazing food. We had breakfast with my dad at Jalisco's on Saturday before she left; it was sad saying bye! I hope to lose the 5 pounds she helped me gain, though...

Went to the orthopedic doctor this morning and, drum roll please.... I HAVE SCAPULAR WINGING. Google Image it. It's nasty. It only looks like that when I raise my arm, though. I have to start physical therapy 3x a week for 4 weeks now. If that doesn't work, I have to see a neurologist. WHYYYY ME!

TOUGH MUDDER IS THIS SATURDAY!!! I am freaking out... Rachel & I went to Academy yesterday to buy our "costumes." We got neon sports bras and tie-dye knee-high socks. It's going to be so much fun, so challenging, and such an experience! However, I can't do the obstacles that REALLY require me to use my arm (like monkey bars) but everything else I am giving 1,000%!