Sunshine in my Pocket

I completed my first official 5K a few weeks ago. It was way more hilly than I expected, but I did it. I also found my competitive spirit on the last quarter mile when I spotted women in my age group walking, AHEAD OF ME. There I was, trudging along in the slowest run possible, and someone was walking. They were walking because they had ran faster than me but ran out of steam. But they were ahead of me. And walking.

So what did this chubby girl do? I broke out into the fastest run I could muster, and I beat them to the finish line. I felt awesome as I was sprinting, too. Like, Usain Bolt eat your heart out, man. The slow-mo video of my jiggles was NOT as awesome.

I couldn't breathe for the next 10 minutes, but I beat those women. Yeah, that's right. I wasn't last. I wouldn't have been last anyway. I think I was something like 59 out of 91. But who cares, I beat someone.

Since then, I've been dealing with some soul crushing anxiety and a 5 year old who never stops talking while I am trying to run on the treadmill. What am I kidding, she never stops talking no matter what I am doing.

I thought there was something wrong with me. I kept trying to do my runs, but I would be lucky LUCKY to make it 2 miles. It turns out that there isn't anything wrong with me, just my children who can't leave me alone for 30 minutes.

I ran an EASY two miles today because ... NO ONE INTERRUPTED ME. Wow. Mind blown. I can't wait to see what I can do when they are all back in school. Maybe I'll even try for 4 miles.

And in case you're wondering, the Trolls Movie soundtrack is great for running.

Starting Over

I only had a few posts to this blog (mostly about my excitement for signing up for LuLaRoe), but I deleted them. I am starting over. Starting over in a few areas.

1. Selling out. I had been so EXCITED about my LuLaRoe venture. I normally detest MLM companies and their practices on making their consultants prey on family and friends. But I thought LLR would be different. It wasn't.
2. Shaping Up. I have my first 5K coming up. I don't like running.
3. Downsizing. While it isn't a HUGE downsizing, we are building a new, smaller home that will hopefully be more "us"... but we are trading the lake for 17 acres. So maybe we are upsizing?

Ok, so more on #1. LuLaRoe... sigh... While I won't count the experience as a mistake because I had some fun, made some friends, worked really hard and made some money, it just was not for me. The company itself is a big, disorganized mess, and the mean-girl consultants were a real buzz kill. If you are thinking about signing up. Don't. Just don't.

The truth on #2. I weigh the most I have ever weighed (not counting pregnancies). In an attempt to rid myself of the excess poundage, I started From Couch to 5K, an app available for your mobile device. I don't like running. I never have. I have high arches and am prone to shin splints. I've never been able to run for more than a mile. So when I decided to try this particular app, I went to an actual store to buy running shoes as opposed to taking a chance and ordering online. The app is great. It starts you off really slowly, and by slowly I mean you'll be running for a minute at a time. It doesn't sound like much, but that is one long minute. The hardest transition was running 3 minutes at a time. I seriously thought I was going to die. I didn't. And I kept going. I started documenting on Instagram so that I would have a teeny bit of accountability. Now, approximately 2 months later, I am signed up for my first 5K. I ran 5K at a local park on Saturday and ran another 2 miles yesterday. Why? Because I can. BOOM. Running is hard. And it sucks. And the mental game is legit the most difficult part. But man, I am so excited I can run for 3 miles without stopping. I couldn't do it when I was a size 4, but man, this size 12 mom rocks!

#3 expanded: We are moving about 5 minutes away from our current home. We live in a big, fancy lake house. We are building a farmhouse on 17 acres. It's going to be an EPIC home for the kids. A fun playroom right off the kitchen (since the kids must be near me at all times *facepalm*), a pool (it's necessary), a quiet, flat street to ride bikes, scooters, and skate boards, and a huge yard with trees for climbing, a creek for splashing, and wildlife to watch.