St. Patrick’s Day started with a nap. I got home from work that morning and decided to rest for a couple of hours before heading to the race. I was asleep in about 0.7 seconds.

Around 10:30 we set out for the Kids Fun Run. We live about a mile from where the festivities were taking place, but we live in the next town over. You have to cross a bridge to get there. We might as well have just walked because cars were parking along the bridge. My husband maneuvered our car into the weirdest spot on a traffic island in front of a yield sign. He didn’t seem to think there was any problem with his creative parking spot.

There were tons of people out. We found the starting ares for the kids races. It was packed. They had it divided into age groups but there was no way we could get Carlos into the 5-6 year old section because of the crowd so we snuck him into the 4 and under. He ended up running with a friend from school. The other mom and I ran along behind them. They were so cute and held hands the entire time. The spectators for the kids races are more than I have seen at some of my races. It was awesome. At the end the kids get a package of cookies and a T-shirt. The shirt has a #1 on it so Carlos told everyone he came in first!!

My husband had left us to find my mom and my aunt. They waited at the finish line. Then we walked around a bit before the Mummer’s Parade. Somewhere along the way my mom bought a bag of green popcorn. Everyone loved it. I didn’t try any because I am a bit superstitious about eating anything other than my usual peanut butter and banana toast. It did look good though.

I ran into quite a few people I knew. I realized something interesting. I am not that miserable self-conscious person I once was who would clam up in social situations and act as though I didn’t want to be there. I was smiling, laughing and enjoying the day. I still get self-conscious about my body, but not like I used to. I was wearing fitted capri running pants and a green t-shirt which accentuated my curves quite nicely as my husband commented when I put it on and over that a fleece sweatshirt because it was cool out. Though I thought to myself when I got dressed, “I wish my legs were smaller,” I didn’t think about it once I was at the race. Crazy things our minds do! Sometimes what I really wish is to just shut off my brain.

At about 12:40 I ditched the sweatshirt, pinned on my bib and gave hugs before heading to the 10K starting area. I walked and walked past the pace groups, you couldn’t get in because there were gates in place and people were already packed in like sardines. I walked some more, kept walking and finally squeezed myself in near the back of the line. People were commenting on how great the turn out was for this year’s race. I’m sure the weather report helped. Although it was still overcast and in the low 60s when the race started it was perfect running weather. The sun made it’s appearance as the last runners crossed the finish line.

I chit chatted with runners around me. Every runner has a story and conversations at races inevitably lead to the story. The woman next me told me that she started running after losing her husband to a heart attack a number of years ago. She looked to be in her 50s. She has run the Burlington, VT marathon and a number of other races. She said that running a marathon was one of the best experiences of her life because it made her realize how much she was capable of. Before I knew it the crowd started moving. We said good luck and off we went; sort of. We were moving at a fast walk at best.

As soon as I could I picked up the pace. There was a sea of runners in front of me. The spectators along both sides of the road were incredible. They were cheering, waving, blowing horns and ringing cow bells. The excitement was infectious. As usual I had a huge smile on my face. The course starts out fairly flat but around mile 1 the first of three major hills begins. I don’t know if it was the crowd of spectators or the adrenaline of the race, but for some reason the hill didn’t seem so bad this time. I have run most of the course a few times before and the hills were difficult. I felt really good. My pace was as consistent as it could be with so many runners. I tend to hang to the right hand side during races. I had to run on the sidewalk quite a few times because there was virtually no room to move. My heels and toes got stepped on and I’m sure I clipped a few too.

The second big hill was tough but again not as tough as I remember it. The miles seemed to go by quickly, but I didn’t feel as though I was running very fast due to the congestion of runners. I don’t wear my Garmin when I race so I had no idea how I was doing on time. The time clocks along the way didn’t help because I started so far behind the starting line.

The third hill is more of a steady incline. It is along a residential street which has a community college located on it. The spectators never seemed to let up. They were at every point of the race so far. It was such a motivation to keep going. At this point I was also motivated by the impending down hill stretch I would soon encounter. I was ready to fly. I let gravity take charge and down I went.

At around mile 4.5 I passed the hospital I work at and I was kind of disappointed not to see many spectators there. The hospital actually sponsored a 5K walk as part of the road race this year. They didn’t even have a water station. Maybe I’ll have to talk to someone about that!! It was at the hospital where the walkers merged in with the runners. The walkers were supposed to stay to the right, but things got a little crazy with that in my opinion. After an upward climb thus far we finally got to coast downhill and you had to negotiate people walking with strollers and dogs and also people meandering right into the runners paths.

We encountered another upward slope but then the course flattened out until just at the end where the last quarter of a mile was a slow incline to the finish line. That was cruel! The spectators were wild at the end especially in front of Griffin’s Tavern. Let’s face it many were well on their way to a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day! There were a few spectators handing out beer to runners as we neared the finish line. I picked up my pace and gunned it to the finish. The time clock read 1:07:47. Hmmm I thought not bad considering the hills and the amount of runners on the course. I knew my chip time would be a bit less so I was pleased. I hoped it would somewhere in between my two previous 10K times of 1:07:36 and 1:04:16.

My family is so supportive about my running. My husband and my son are at every race and my mom has been to a few including the marathon, my aunt and my sister have also come to races before. They are tremendous supports, but they haven’t gotten the hang of actually finding me on the course. Yet another race bites the dust where no one in my family saw me run. It doesn’t upset me. I actually think it’s funny. I think they need training on how to find a runner at races. They were really disappointed, but had a good time nonetheless.

We hung out in the park for a bit chatting with friends. It was probably the most fun race I have run. I would definitely do it again next year. I was a little bummed that I had to get back home sooner rather than later to go to bed before work again that night, but we had a great family day.

After finishing the Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Road Race

Much to my surprise shortly after arriving home I got a text from Racewire announcing my official race results. Are you ready for this 1:01:35!!!!! I drifted off to sleep wondering if it was just the luck of the Irish or if I really ran that time. Maybe it was a little of both.

The topic of Friend Makin’ Mondays this week is one of my favorites – Books. I have always been an avid reader from the time I was young. Then I went to nursing school and I was consumed into the world of text books. Shortly after I graduated and started working as a nurse I had my son. Reading anything other than a short article was impossible until the last couple of years. I am so happy to be enjoying one of my favorite pastimes again.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so everyone can see your FMM questions and answers.  The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Bookworms 

1. How often do you read for pleasure?  I always have a book in progress. I try to read a little of my book each day, but that doesn’t always happen. However, if you count blogs and magazines then I read daily for pleasure.
2. Are you currently reading a book?  If so, which one?  I am in the midst of The China Study and I just started re-reading The Hunger Games because I am going to see the movie next week on opening night.
3. Do you subscribe to any magazines and/or newspapers?  If so, which ones?  Apparently I subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens. I don’t remember subscribing, but I receive the magazine regularly.
4. Do you prefer reading traditional books or using an e-reader?  I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to books. I love the feel of a book, the cover art, turning the pages. I’ve always been enamored with libraries and book stores. However, I do have the Kindle App and iBooks on my iPhone. I am currently reading The China Study on my Kindle App. I love the convenience of the e-reader especially when I am in a long line, traveling or have to wait a while for something. Eventually I would love an iPad.
5. How often do you go to the bookstore?  Sadly, almost never. We do go to the library about once a week though. My son just got his own library card which was a very proud day for both of us.
6. Do you read at the gym? No not really. Occasionally I will read while on the Arc Trainer but that seems to be the only machine I can have an effective workout while reading.
7. Have you ever been a member of a book club?  No I have never been in a book club. I would love to be in one, but I don’t know of any.
8. Do you wear glasses when you read? No only for driving.
9. Has anyone read the Hunger Games?  If so, would you recommend it?  Yes I have read it and as I mentioned I am re-reading it. My co-worker introduced me to the Hunger Games series. We both read the books very quickly. The Hunger Games itself is by far the best of the series. I would recommend it, though by now I think it has become one of those books that people love to criticize because it has gained so much notoriety. I am aware that it is considered Young Adult literature. I am open to reading all kinds of books. I love a good history book. I soak up a good romance. I can get caught up in a murder mystery.  The Hunger Games is a quick read and doesn’t strain the brain by any stretch of the imagination, but it is fast paced and the characters have a way of grabbing hold of you. I love to escape in a book and this was that kind of book.
10. What is your favorite thing about reading?  Reading takes me all over the world without leaving home, it takes me into the past, present and future and gives me the power to learn about anything I wish. I feel very fortunate to have the ability to read.

With that said I’m off to read a few pages before falling asleep. Happy reading and hope you are having a wonderful Monday! It’s like early summer here in Western Massachusetts.

I missed last week’s FMM. This week is one of my favorite topics.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so others can see your FMM questions and answers. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Travel

Where did your most recent trip take you? First stop was to the Plattsburgh, NY area to visit a very dear friend and from there we spent a night in Montreal.

Is there a place that you’d like to visit that you haven’t yet?  If so, where?  Honestly I would go anywhere. I love to travel. A few of the places I have always dreamed of visiting are Machu Pichu, Tibet, Australia, Italy and the Great Wall of China. I would also really like to start seeing more of the United States.

Do you travel lightly, or do you cram as much into your luggage as possible? It depends on where I am going. I like to travel as light as possible but with a small child that can be challenging. When my husband and I went to Bermuda for our anniversary we each took a carry on only. That made for easy traveling.

Do your eating and exercise habits change when you travel? If so, how? I try to continue making healthy choices. I research restaurants and travel with plenty of healthy snacks.

I no longer use travel as an excuse not to exercise. In fact it has actually become a reason to stay fit since we have been traveling to more race locations. If I am not running a race then I use the hotel gym or go out for a run. Travel usually involves lots of walking.

Tell us about a place you’ve been that you’d like to go back to. I would love to explore more of South Africa. I’ve been to Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Kruger National Park on safari but there is more I would like to see. I would also love to go back to Bermuda since we were only there for 2 nights.

Do you prefer to travel at a certain time of year? I don’t have a preference, but we do most of our traveling in the winter because it is easier for both my husband and I to take time off. As a mason he often gets laid off in winter and I’m usually not competing with the other 2 nurses at night for time off since most people vacation in the summer.

If you had to choose, would you go to the beach or the mountains? The mountains!

Have you ever needed a passport to travel? I got a passport when I was 20 for a month long study abroad program in Mexico. I have since used it many times for travel back to Mexico, Mozambique, South Africa, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Bermuda. The photo in my current passport is horrendous. I cannot wait to renew it.

My son got his passport just before his first birthday and we have to renew it this year already. He is so tiny in the photo. I remember taking him to the post office for the photos and we had to prop him up on a chair. Here I go getting all nostalgic again!

Do you collect anything in your travels? No. I try to take lots of photos to have lasting memories but that’s it. My husband has decided to start bringing home at least one piece of foreign currency from our travels to other countries.

Where do you plan to go next? We have tentative plans to travel to Vermont for a half marathon in May. I am hoping to do a couple of weekend getaways this summer and I am working on plans for a trip abroad in the fall.

Now it’s your turn! Have a wonderful Monday!!

I am running my next race in a month. I will be running in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day 10K Road Race on 3/17/12. I’ve run parts of the route during marathon training, but I’ve never run the route all at once. Yesterday I decided to run the route right from work. The hospital I work at is located on the course. It was a spectacular morning for a run. The air was crisp and the sun was shining.

This course is quite hilly. I started out on what will actually be closer to the end of the race. The hospital is about half way down the only downhill portion of the race. Although I am trying to increase my speed and shooting for a sub-1 hour 10K by summer I decided to simply run the route without looking at my Garmin until the end. This way I could determine my baseline and where I need to improve.

This run was challenging. I promised myself I would run up each and every hill without walking no matter how slowly I ran. I tackled the hills one by one and stayed true to my promise. My legs were feeling it by the last hill, but I knew the rest was downhill from there.

I had a huge smile on my face as I sped down the last bit of my run. I turned the corner onto the sidewalk of a very busy main road in Holyoke. My car was across the street in the hospital parking lot so I only had about 2/10 of a mile to go. Suddenly I was airborne. I came crashing down on both palms. My knees hit the ground next. My eyes stung as I blinked away the tears. I couldn’t bring myself to look towards the street because I was sure people were watching me and what a sight I must have been.

It seemed like a lot of time went by but it was only seconds that passed before I picked myself up and walked across the street to where my car was parked. My palms were bleeding and I could feel my elbow and knees burning.

Mileage and some bleeding! Makes me feel a little hard core!!

That is the good hand in the picture. The other one had much more blood. The run ended up being a little longer than 6.2 miles as you can see in the picture. I ran 6.71 miles in 1:07:39. Though the time was probably a little less because I obviously didn’t stop the clock midair! I am pretty happy with that time considering the hills. I will continue with speed work over the next few weeks, but I will add in more hill training. I may not make my goal on this next race, but I can feel myself getting close.

Normally I run with my iPhone in my hand when I am using it to listen to music. However, yesterday my saving grace was that I had put it in my SpiBelt otherwise my screen would have been cracked for sure.

In other news we will be having a special fairy visitor tonight. My baby lost his first tooth this morning. I have been preparing myself for this all week since I discovered the loose tooth last Sunday. We were upstairs brushing our teeth and the tooth was just hanging on by a thread which for some reason kind of grossed me out.  I said oh it looks like it’s about to come out. Carlos started swishing that tooth around with his tongue and then out it popped.

It was so exciting that it happened on a day when we were all home as a family. My husband sometimes misses things because he works during the day. I have the tooth safe and sound in a little pouch. The tooth fairy has been notified via email because that’s how she rolls these days. I asked Carlos what he thought she might leave him and he said, “a dollar or two pennies.” Two pennies I can do! Who am I kidding I’ll leave the dollar!!

When I was pregnant everyone with kids told me how quickly time goes when you have children. They were right. When I noticed that Carlos’ tooth was loose last week I got quite emotional about it inside. His baby teeth are pretty much all that is left of “my baby.” He will obviously always be my baby boy, but he is growing so quickly. I should have also taken a photo of him in his high water size 5 jeans. He just turned 5 in December and already I have to shop for size 6s! If only we could make time stand still once in a while.

I’m off for a run on another gorgeous sunny winter day. Enjoy your Sunday!

I believe that the only way to make permanent changes in your life is to be brutally honest with yourself. We often look at others who complain about something they want to change in their life and we can instantly identify what they are doing to prevent themselves from making that change. However, it’s almost impossible to tell people the truth even though we all need to hear it once in a while. Since I’m unlikely to hear this from someone else I’m going to tell myself exactly what I need to hear right now.

Dear Aimee,

For years you have struggled with your weight. From your highest weight of 208 pounds (not pregnant)/223 (pregnant) to your lowest weight of 160 you have struggled. Weight loss has never come easy to you, nor will it. If it was easy to lose weight everyone would be thin. It’s hard work to lose weight. The funny thing is you’re no stranger to hard work. You’ve done lots of hard jobs and busted your ass to do a stellar job at whatever you do. You have worked as a waitress, a nurse’s aide, lifting boxes off of trucks as a receiver for Barnes & Noble and as a nurse on the medical floors. Those jobs were physically demanding yet you did them day in and day out without complaint.

Weight loss is challenging. You never back down from a challenge. You joined the Peace Corps and spent almost 4 years living in Mozambique. You decided to become a nurse in your early 30s and studied full time while working full time. You trained for and ran a freaking marathon. If that’s not challenging then I don’t know what is.

Weight loss requires sacrifice. Now you’re no stranger to sacrifice. Aren’t you the one who works nights so you can stay home with your son during the day? It’s ok to sacrifice sleep but not a few calories throughout the day so you can reach your weight loss goal.

You know exactly why you aren’t losing weight. You snack too much. You eat mindlessly particularly at work. You have been lazy about measuring out portions and you tend to overdo portion size. You have been using your exercise as an excuse to eat more. Life has been busy lately so eating has been done on the run. You haven’t been diligent about planning healthy meals and therefore meals aren’t always satisfying which leaves you going back for more later.

You have always said that your weight issues are a result of eating too much of the wrong food. You have now proved that you can deter weight loss by eating too much of the right food. Your food choices are overall very healthy, but you still need to monitor portions. For example nut butter is not to be enjoyed with a spoon. OK there I’ve said it. You know you do it. A taste here, a taste there. It adds up.

You’re almost 40 years old. You have changed your diet immensely from your days of not eating vegetables. You have committed yourself to daily physical activity. Thanks to the running your body has changed and toned. Your clothing fits better and you feel better about the way you look. You have done everything you have set your mind to except this one thing. Stop making excuses and do this! You have all the tools you need to accomplish this goal. Your weight does not define you, but you know that you will feel better, run faster, and be internally healthier once you lose this last 20 pounds.

No more excuses girl! You can do this.

Love,

Yourself – your biggest fan, your reality check, your truth teller

I haven’t done a Friend Makin’ Monday Post in a few weeks. I may actually get this one done on Monday this time.

FMM: Habits