18 Mile Run is on the Books!

Today was the day of our 18 mile run. I had been both excited and nervous about this upcoming run for quite some time. In this past week, this 18 mile run was more about nerves than it was about excitement. Diet has everything to do with that! I go into my runs 1 of 2 ways...prepared...or not prepared. It bums me out when I sabotage my runs by eating unhealthy in the days before, because I then feel sluggish on the runs (no pun intended) and my intestines are screaming (maybe the pun should have been indented, lol).

The good news is, even though I was trapped in an Easter candy merry-go-round for the first few days of the week, I eventually jumped off of that ride, and headed in the right direction on Wednesday. I ate really well, and then spent a couple of hours at the gym in the evening. Thursday was also a success when I doubled up at the gym...my 5 mile run in the morning, and then treadmill and Zumba at night...with a friend...shout out to Kathy!!!



Friday was fairly decent. I enjoyed the eats at our Royal Tea Party, but other than that I was light on the food. I didn't exercise at all yesterday, but that is a MUST at this point in the training. NO exercise the day before a long run! I was feeling better about today's run since I knew I had shed some pounds, and my body was properly fueled.

Earlier in the week I decided I wanted to do this run in a new environment. I was scared, lol, to map out my own run again (after the 16 mile run fiasco) and so I decided to see if there were pre-mapped runs already out there in cyberspace. I went to google and typed in "San Diego Run". I was given a TON of links, and one of those links was EXACTLY what I was looking for! I found an 18 mile route for this week, and then a new route for next week's 14 mile run, and then the following week's 20 mile run (eeek!). These runs are so neat because not only is there a map, but there are written text directions for the course, mile markers on the path, and "stars" where bathrooms and water are available.

This week's 18 mile run was completed at Coronado. You probably don't know this about me, but I am obsessed with Coronado. Some people love La Jolla, or Downtown, or Del Mar, or???...but me, I LOOOOVE Coronado! I love the beach, I love the atmosphere, and I love the exclusivity that an island has to offer. So when I saw this route on the running list, I knew that that was exactly the location I was going to pick!

I arrived in Coronado a little after 7am.



After I put all of my gear on, I went to put on my (fully charged!...won't make that mistake again) iPod, and realized I had forgotten my ear buds! UUUUUGH! I was gonna have to run this run without music. DUMB!

I started out at Tidelands Park which is to your immediate right when you get off of the bridge. I ran about a 1/4 mile south, and then I got to run under the bridge, and make my way onto Glorietta Blvd. After about 1 mile I could see the beauty of Hotel Del Coronado off in the distance...very exciting...that is, if you are a big fan of Coronado. ;0)



After that, I turned on Pomona Drive, and then on HWY 75 towards Silver Strand beach. This route was incredible! 99% of the time there was a specific bike/running path, AND more importantly, the ENTIRE run was 100% flat! This type of run is called an "Out and Back"...meaning you go out half of the distance (in this case, 9 miles) and then you stop, and turn around.

I had a BEAUTIFUL view for the entire distance! Literally, on my left side was the bay...



...and on my right side was the ocean...



I passed The Naval station, Coronado Cays...



Glorietta Bay Park, and Silver Strand Beach...



After 9 miles of running, I finally got to turn around, and go back the way I came. At the 9 mile marker, I did a mental check up, and discovered that I felt tired. :0( This is when I wished I had my music going to motivate me along. There were a TON of other runners, and their unsolicited "You are doing great" comments, were very encouraging. And in addition to all of the runners, there were even MORE bicyclists!



There were a few single riders, and an occasional small group of 3-4 riders, but for the most part I kept seeing massive groups of bicyclists traveling together like schools of fish! I was longing to be on one of those bikes! In my head I kept bribing the bicyclists for a ride on their bike...they responded back (in my head) "Uuuummm...NO!"...and then as I passed Granny and Grandpa on their beach cruisers, they responded (still, in my head) "Sorry lady, we need our bikes more than you." I just kept moving along. It was neat to see the flying fish leap out of the water, and it was great to feel the cool ocean breeze when the sun was shining down on me. I had remembered that when my girlfriend Katie ran her 18 mile run last week, that she had grown weary and started to cry. My body had been feeling fairly painless and so I thought the tears would escape my journey. But after I had traveled 15 miles, and exhaustion had settled in, there was a biker coming towards me with one of those kiddie trailers on the back being pulled by his bicycle. As the biker passed me, I saw the little rider sitting in the trailer, and as she looked up at me, she looked exactly like Beatrice. My emotions were so unexpected. I wanted to be at home. I started to cry. Which is really inconvenient...I became short of breath, and my nose started running...annoying!

I eventually pulled myself together, and continued on. I usually find great relief when I encounter the part in my long runs when I only have 3 miles to go. 3 miles is a super easy distance for me. But today, those final 3 miles seemed to take FOREVER! My knees started to ache, my lower back started to ache, and again, I was just tired. I reached out to my running team via text for support, and I began to get tons of encouragement through my phone. Different words are encouraging at different times, but in that moment, my sister Jenni's words are what gave me my final push:

"If this was easy, everyone would be doing it."

I just had 1 more mile to go. I was back in the residential neighborhoods. For me, the only thing better than the water in Coronado, is the Real Estate!







And after running under the bridge again, and passing by the play equipment at Tidelands Park, I FINALLY reached my van...the finish line! I ran the entire 18 miles in 3 hours, and 30 minutes...NOT a great time for me...but I completed what I set out to complete!

I have NO IDEA how I am going to run an entire marathon (26.2 miles) in 5 weeks...but after eating 2 cookies, and taking a long ice bath, things are looking up! :0)

A Royal Affair

I'm not sure if you heard, but there was a small little wedding in London, England yesterday. ;0) Even though I am not a crazy celebrity stalker, and I make very little time/fuss for things/people outside of my little circle, I was hands-down genuinely excited for the wedding of Prince William & Kate, ahem, Katherine Middleton! I didn't purchase any magazines about the couple, and as much as I would have liked to, I did not watch a single TV special about their relationship or their upcoming wedding. But as the wedding date approached, my excitement continued to grow for this special occassion, and I was trying to think how I could make this event even grander for my family then just watching the wedding on TV. The day before the Prince and soon-to-be-Princess exchanged "I Do's" I decided to throw a Tea Party at our home in their honor.

All four of us were really excited...even Rick! :0)

I went to storage and pulled out four place settings of our china...or as the kids keep calling them, "Mommy's Chinese plates." We then went to my mom's house and borrowed a pitcher for our fesh squeezed lemonade, and a tiered serving plate for all of our eats.

The kids helped me bake our cookies...





And then I whipped (literally) up some fresh whipped cream for our yogurt parfaits, and the rest of our tea food.



We enjoyed oatmeal cookies...



Fresh fruit...



Crown shaped sandwiches...





Our yogurt parfaits...



And our lemonade...



Everything was delicious!



Beatrice loved drinking out of a real tea cup...





And Wyatt insisted this was the "proper" way to eat at a Royal affair...





Before eating we each prayed for the bride and groom, and wished them many years of happy marriage. I will never forget waking up in the wee hours of the morning to watch the wedding live on TV and to share that moment with great girlfriends via facebook, and text messages. I hope my children will remember how history was made on that day, and that they too will have great memories of our Royal Tea Party! :0)

GREAT Friday

A week ago today was "Good Friday." I love Good Friday becuase of everything that it represents for my Christian faith...but I talked about that in a previous post. :0) The reason why this particular Good Friday went from "Good" to "GREAT", is that in addition to reflecting on how amazing God is, it was also my final day at my (paid) job!!!

I had worked in Real Estate for 11 years, and 8 of those years I worked for Trisha & Joanna, Real Estate Agents of RE/MAX Associates.









After Wyatt was born, I switched to part-time hours, and I was able to bring Wyatt with me to work for 2 of the days I went in to the office...but my heart was no longer in Real Estate. I longed to be a full-time mommy. Almost 3 years later I got pregnant with Beatrice, and Rick and I decided that at the end of that pregnancy I would stay home full-time.

It was a WONDERFUL blessing! I was so excited to be welcoming our daughter into the world AND to not have to leave her (and Wyatt) at some point in the morning to head off to work. I was a full time mom for 1 year, and within a month of Beatrice celebrating her 1st birthday, Rick had some health issues, and we were 99% sure he was going to be out of work for a while. As much as it killed me to do it, I called my boss Trisha (Joanna was no longer with the company) and asked her if I could come back to work. I was working longer hours at first, but when we found out that Rick was going to be able to continue working at his company, I cut my hours WAY back to just 8 hours a week...4 hours on one day in the office, and then 4 hours working from home. As soon as we knew Rick's job was fine, I continued to work those shorter hours so we could pay off our debt. Rick's car was already paid off, but we had accumulated some credit card debt, and we had the loan on the mini van. We designed an aggressive budget and made it our mission to become debt free! In addition to being a mom and an employee, I am involved in MANY church activities, and playgroups. On most days, life was overwhelming becuase I was over-working myself. I needed to cut something out of my life, but I had good reasons and a desire to keep every single one of my commitments...I just kept plugging along. 18 months later we paid off the credit card, and 3 months after that the van was paid off! It was a GIANT weight lifted off of my shoulders...not only were we debt free, but we had accomplished a HUGE goal for our family. We had made SO many sacrifices during that time. But it was ALL worth it when we reached the finish line! We paid off our debt last month, and I continued to work for 1 final month to build up our savings account.

And then...finally...my last day of work arrived!!! I was beyond excited for my family, and we had so much joy going into my final morning in the office. I expected it to be just like any other day in the office...get in...do my work...leave...and then be excited with my family afterward. But my bosses were SO much cooler than that. As soon as I walked into to my office, I knew it wasn't going to be a normal day...



I was shocked to see my desk completely decorated! They had even had a card for me that was signed by all of the other Realtors and admin staff in the office....SO NICE!

Within an hour, my boss had brought me in a flower arrangement that she had done herself. She had picked different flowers to represent qualities in my character that she admires about me...I'll spare you the gooey details, but her words were exceptionally kind.



She then went on to say that the best part about this arrangement is that they figured out that money does not grow on trees, but that it grows on the stems of flowers. I honestly hadn't noticed it at first, but sure enough, there was money wrapped around the stems of the flowers! SO exciting! :0)

After doing only an hour of actual work, my bosses (Trish and her new Real Estate Partner Judy), and their new assistant Crystal (whom I ADORE!), took me out for Brunch at Sea Port Village. The view was incredible, and the food was delicious...



After we ate, they asked if we could take some final photographs... :0)







I was overwhelmed by their generosity and the love they showed me on that day. I pray that I will never need to return to my paid job, but it is wonderful to know that I have a great place to go back to should that be required. :0)

So other than my plate of food at brunch...why is this post Chubby Diaries worthy??? Well ever since my family became aware of the generous bonus I had received, I have been continually asked what I was going to spend the money on. I tithed 10% of it, then I gave Rick some, I put some in our savings account, and then I had this chunk of change remaining. I had no idea what I was going to do with it!? My first inclination was to buy some fun clothes for my vacation (in 3 weeks!!!), but I thought that was lame seeming as though I don't plan to be in this size for much longer. I had also contemplated doing nothing with it immediately, but to wait for a rainy day. However, as soon as I walked in the gym on Monday, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to spend the money on! A personal trainer! I have never done anything like this, and it was a substantial amount of money, so I took this idea very seriously. I spent the next few days interviewing the personal trainers at my YMCA, and by Thursday I had selected a trainer, and paid for 6 sessions. I start on Monday...they are 1 hour sessions...2 sessions per week...for the next 3 weeks. My final session will be the day before I leave for vacation.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm completely nervous about it, but so far the excitement is overpowering the anxiety. :0)

Better Late than Never

I always try to get my blog post in on Monday's...but here it is Thursday, and I am finally getting around to it. :0(

I wish I could report that I have gone back to my great dedication to the diet...but in fact, I have gone even FARTHER back to my lame trips to Jack in the Box. OK, so it was just ONE trip to Jack in the Box, but still, I have been totally off track on my calorie consumption.

A holiday brings with it additional opportunities to eat poorly. I have consumed jelly bean, after jelly bean, after candy coated chocolate egg. They all tasted great in the moment, but after 15 minutes I regretted my decision, and after several days I am regretting the 5 pound jelly bean that is spilling over the top of my jeans! :0(

Putting diet aside, the marathon training must go on. I am SO grateful for the marathon! If it wasn't for the commitment I made to this race, I fear I surely would have abandoned all exercise at this point too.

Our mid-week runs increased again. Tuesday's run is now up to 9 miles. Last week it was just 8 miles, and I had to do that on the treadmill...not my fave.

Fortunately though, this past weekend's long run was only 12 miles. I had the opportunity to run with my dad and sister again at Lake Miramar. Jenni had arrived at the lake about an hour before my dad and I had gotten there, but since she runs at a slower pace, I was able to catch her in the end. She finished literally 15-20 seconds before I did. This was the fastest I have ever ran a long run...and I owe it all to her. She was like a rabbit in front of a dog. She was just out of my reach, but close enough for me to strive to catch her. It is normal to start out a run strong, and then slow down your pace as you start to grow tired. But this dog had a cute little bunny to chase! I was determined to finish before her. Which I never did, lol, but it was still an amazing goal to try for.



Even though the run was a shorter long run, it is still a great distance. There are times you think, "Let's quit" or, "This is taking FOREVER!" But having the advantage of going to our Good Friday church service the night before this run, I had a heavy heart for the pain Christ endured in his crucifixion. Every time I would feel some discomfort in my knee, or my feet, I would ponder the unbearable pain Jesus had felt...and every time self doubt would creep it's way into my head, I would remember how Christ did not give up even when he knew what was coming. He could have shouted "Wait! Stop!" so many times while he was arrested, and yet he never did. He never gave up. He knew the end result was worth it. It sure made for a quick reality check. I am capable of doing the things I am set out to do. I just need to do them!

Our Resurrection Easter Weekend was incredible! Both the church services on Friday & Sunday were inspiring and heartfelt. And the time spent with family and close friends on Saturday and Sunday was great fun! Each year, my mom hosts a 2-day Easter Lala Palooza at her house. On Saturday we spend all day dying eggs, decorating cookies, playing yard games, chatting, relaxing, eating, and this year Wyatt (and his assistant Brady) put on a puppet show! :0)









On Sunday, after church, we have a traditional brunch, an Easter Egg Hunt, and wonderful conversation.













It was a great weekend of celebration! :0)

Advetures in Eating

These last few weeks I have taken a detour from my strict dieting. It was not intentional to take a 3 +/- week break, but making a single bad choice is a slippery slope. Every day I would wake up and say, "I'm back on my diet today." And at some point, I would fumble in my decision making, and then say to myself, "Well, I guess the diet starts tomorrow." It's a (familiar) viscous cycle. The diet is always starting "tomorrow", and it never does. I'm only up a 1/2 of a pound for the week, but in the last few weeks, I have gained back 6 pounds from my lowest weight on this journey. That's lame...I'm lame.

Specifically in this week, I have ventured to Peter Piper Pizza, and Bob's Big Boy with the family...



I had two "Sugar Shack" orders. The first order was for 36 cupcakes...18 chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing, and 18 strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream icing. Each of the recipes made 36 cupcakes...I could have halved the recipes, but I wanted to do some test runs with cupcake liners, and do some experimenting with freezing the cupcakes...so I made the full batch of both batters.



After all of the testing was done...there was sampling to be had. I consumed too many "experimental" cupcakes. :0( The strawberry cupcakes were the lightest, and best tasting cupcakes I have ever made! There were TONS of fresh strawberries throughout the cake AND the icing...I even added a whole cup of my sister's homemade strawberry jam to the batter...SOOOO good!

After the cupcakes were completed on Thursday, I had my niece's 1st Birthday cookies to do on Friday.





But more about that in a minute. :0)

After my run on Saturday, I made the BEST "comfort food" meal! A few weeks ago we had been given a huge package of Foster Farms chicken breasts with the skin on and the bone in. Rick and I are VERY picky about our chicken, and we are not a fan of skin on, and bone in meat. :0( I had immediately shoved this chicken in the freezer until I knew what I was going to do with it. But when it hadn't magically disappeared, and I had finally grown tired of it taking up so much room in the freezer, I decided to do something with it! I went on to Foodnetwork.com and typed in "skin bone chicken breast"...there were a TON of results, but the very first recipe caught my eye...Chicken Stew with Biscuits. It was fairly involved, a bit time consuming, but weeeeeell worth the wait and effort!



The stew was creamy and flavorful, and the biscuits were moist and buttery...soooo good!

Now back to Samantha's 1st Birthday Party...

It was oodles, ahem, Poodles of fun!!!

My sister Jenni and her husband Desmon have a wonderful tradition of having their children get dedicated to the Lord on the morning of their childrens' 1st birthday party...that way we can witness the dedication, and then go straight to the party...all in one day/event.



The dedication was beautiful. Samantha was stunning in her gown, and she clapped the whole way through worship. :0) Even though I was visiting my sister's church, Maranatha Chapel, and have only been there a handful of times, it felt like home...the Palm Sunday sermon was wonderful, and it was so neat to have the rare opportunity to sit next to (most of) my entire family, and have my old (as in time, NOT age, lol) youth pastors sitting right behind me (shout out to Myke & Pam!)!

After the dedication, we headed to my sister's house for the Poodle party where we were treated to some DELICIOUS "puppy chow"!

They served muffins, fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, scalloped potatoes, and my favorite, Blueberry French Toast Casserole...







For dessert my sister had made some simple cupcakes, a mini candy buffet, and my poodle cookies...







"Sambone" devoured her first cupcake! :0)



I had a wonderful day celebrating (and eating) with incredible family, and the best of friends.

But it's now Monday, and my diet starts today...right??? ;0)