Giving Back to the Community

Good Morning Monday!  It's a new work week and we had a great (and rather relaxing) weekend!  I hope all of you had fabulous weekends as well!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Tom and I helped with a community service project on Saturday.  We were up bright and early (I was up earlier than Tom as I was able to fit in a 5 mile run while he was sleeping) and ready to get to work!  We met up with the rest of the Panera team at 830 AM to then meet up with ServeCobb and ServeATL at the Vinings Home Depot to learn more about the ServeCobb organization and what our project was going to be.  After a brief introduction, we found out our location and what we were going to be doing- cleaning up a stretch of road in Austell, GA that fell victim to the flooding in September 2009.  Upon learning our assignment and talking with the site leader, we set off to our location to get started!

ServeCobb Organization

More than 250+ volunteers throughout the city of Atlanta and Cobb County to help this past weekend

After making the 15-20 minute drive, we spoke with another volunteer organization at our site, got our gloves and another volunteer tshirt, and set to work.  Yes, it was hot.  Yes, there were bugs.   Yes, there was debris EVERYWHERE.  But.  We worked together as a team and with strangers to clean up this location that had been completely demolished by the floods of 2009.  When we started at the beginning of the road, a lot of the debris had already been gathered by the other volunteer organization and brought to larger piles so the guys with the Caterpillars could then scoop up the pile and deposit it in the dumpsters on site.

One of the houses we were cleaning up.  Yes, that was once a house.

Tom and his GM after throwing a large chunk of house into the dumpster

After moving further down, we saw the 2 houses whose foundations had pretty much wiped away by the flood waters.  It was devastating to find a child's lunchbox or stuffed animals and toys soiled from the flood.  I could only get the clear shot of the house above as the other was set a little farther back and blocked from view.  As we were cleaning up, Tom's GM asked me to take a few pictures of everyone so I wandered off to do so and upon returning to Tom, he yelled (politely but yelling was necessary for the distance between us) for me to grab his backpack, that we had to go.  I was confused but did as he asked and when I caught up with him, he told me that one of the volunteers spotted what looked like a small meth lab and directed the two cops that were volunteering with us to the area.  They quickly confirmed what the volunteer saw and directed all of us out of the area as the rest of the area needed to be searched by a HAZMAT team before work could resume.  We were waiting for about half an hour before the site coordinator told us our group could leave as we had finished cleaning the rest of the surrounding area.  Our main focus from that point forward was to clean the area right around the houses, but once the small meth lab was found, we were unable to provide any additional help.  We felt badly for having to leave, but didn't want to interfere with the police work so we did as we were told and left the area.

The Panera team- I took off the green shirt after I realized no one else put theirs on over the blue.  Oops

Getting ready to work!

Overall, it was great to give back to the community albeit briefly in my opinion.  But we're hoping to get more volunteer projects in the future.  I hate that our community service project was cut short, but there wasn't anything we could do about it.  I'm looking into more volunteer opportunities and ways to get involved around the community so if anyone has any advice or organizations in need, I'd appreciate any feedback!!  

The rest of our weekend was pretty low key: laying poolside with Fifty Shades, running, grocery shopping/errand running, catching up on a few shows, the likes.  It was nice to not have anything planned outside of our community service event.  I hope everyone else had a great weekend as well!  

Happy Reading!  Have a great week!

All my love, 

Britt!

Weekend Preview

Once again... HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Just wanted to say hello and express my excitement for the weekend that lies ahead!

1. Mom flies in tonight for her annual Girls' Trip to St Simons Island.  Tom and I are scooping her from the airport tonight to deliver her to one of her nursing school friends in the morning. 
2. Tomorrow, after a morning run, Tom and I are doing a most-of-the-day community service project with Panera.  We have no clue what we'll be doing but no matter what it is, it will be fantastic to give back to the community!
3. After Panera Community Service Project, we have intentions of hitting the driving range.  But we may be too pooped to do so!  We'll see how the rest of our Saturday pans out!
4. Sunday Funday!  Tom will be at work so this chick will be catching up on shows in the morning, maybe going for a run (depending on how I feel from Saturday's project), and going to the pool as early as possible to get some color on my pasty white skin!

I'm hoping to get some good pictures of our community service project to post so I will keep you updated!  I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!  

Side note.  This one is for the ladies.  If you have somehow not heard of the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, do yourself a favor and find a copy (of each book obviously)!  Yes, all of the gossip is true- it is very sexual, very intense in parts, and a definite page turner!!!  You will enjoy yourself.  I promise.

As always, Happy Reading, Happy Friday, Happy Weekend!!

xoxoxo,

Britt!

My Real Age...

First off, HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!

So about a year ago, I was introduced to this thing called the "Real Age Test" that asks a series of questions concerning your current health, your family health history, your personal health history, your diet and exercise habits, etc. in order to determine how old your body thinks it is.  After entering page after page of information, it does whatever calculations are necessary then spits out your "real age" and things you can do to improve that real age, maintain your youth, etc.

When I initially took this test last year, I was pretty healthy, was eating really well, exercising 3-5 times a week, not regularly subjecting myself to any vices, etc.  At that time, the Real Age test produced the results that my body thought it was around age 20 (my actual age was 26).  I don't remember the exact result but it was in that ball park.

I revisited the Real Age test a few days ago and was very pleasantly surprised with my new results!  I'm in MUCH better shape than I was a year ago to start off!  I run a lot more and run much farther distances.  I still eat very healthy (although I still enjoy my sweet tooth but in MUCH smaller amounts).  I'm currently in the best shape of my life so it was very pleasing when I got my results.  After retaking my Real Age test, my new results indicated that although I am 27.3 years old, my body thinks I am 17.3 years old!  I have the health status of a teenager 10 years my junior.

This test is yet another reason why I am absolutely elated about how far I've come over the past few years and how badly I always want to remain in shape for the rest of my life!  Of course I can't predict the future, but I have no intention of ever reverting back to my former chubby self.  My only regret about starting my health and fitness journey is that I didn't start it sooner.  Had I known way back when how great I could feel by working out and running, I would've started a very long time ago.  But.  That wasn't God's plan for me until I got a little bit older.  And I appreciate it going from where I was to where I am now.  As previously mentioned, I'm in the best shape I've ever been in and I plan to maintain this.  Thank you to everyone who has always supported me and offered me their words of encouragement!  I hope that I can do the same for others.

My intention for this post was to be short and sweet so I hope you all have a VERY wonderful weekend!  My weekend should be a good one- relax with the hubs tonight, strength training class and a run tomorrow morning, maybe hiking with Tom tomorrow afternoon, Atlanta's Annual Dogwood Festival on Sunday!  Y'all have fun and stay safe!

With love,

Britt!

Easter Glory

I know it's been over a week since Easter, but this Easter was more special than past Easters so I wanted to share my joy with y'all.  The Easter season has always been a special one in my household, long before I got married.  It was tradition for the family to wake up to Easter baskets, attend church together (usually a later service but the sunrise service on occasion requested our attendance), have Easter brunch together, and enjoy each others' company. As an adult, Easter has become so much more than that.  It has more recently become a season of reflection for me.  I'm not trying to get all religious on you, just expressing what the Easter season means to me now as I've gotten older.  I reflect on all of the blessings God has given us and thank Him profusely for all the blessings in our future.  Without Him, I would be lost.  He keeps me grounded and provides guidance even if I don't understand why things are happening the way they are.  Easter makes that feeling so much more profound for me and I relish in God's blessings every day.  Tom and I attended the Good Friday service at my parents' church (my old church, where I was confirmed) in California where I discovered some scripture that hit home for me, Hebrews 10:21-35:

And having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not foresaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much more, as ye see the day approaching.

This bit of scripture is a reminder to always look to God for guidance despite not knowing what my future holds.  It encourages me to keep a full heart especially in times of want or need, to not give up on the Lord, and to continue to love others as I wish to be loved.  I'm sure I've read this scripture in the past, but it didn't mean as much to me as it did a week and a half ago.  It is one of the best pieces of scripture I've read to date.

Easter 2012 has probably been my favorite Easter of the previous 26.  Tom and I were fortunate enough to be able to visit my parents and grandmother in California for Easter weekend!  While the weekend was busy, it was so full of love and happiness, fun and entertainment.  As always, it was fantastic to spend so much time with my parents and grandma!  Other than a slight fiasco at LAX (L.A.'s international airport), travelling was a piece of cake!  The trip was WAY too short though!

We flew in late Thursday after a full work day.  We were up at 430 AM EST- Tom to work and me to the gym for a morning run.  We worked all day.  I got off work a little early to take Max to the PetSmart Pet Hotel to be boarded for the weekend (this made me very sad as it was his first boarding experience and I didn't want him to think I was leaving him indefinitely) then Tom and I ate a quick dinner (thank you, Panera) then were en route to Peachy Parking to park our car and catch our shuttle to the airport!  Airports are always a great source of entertainment to me- I LOVE to people watch and the mix at any airport is always great to look at!!  Upon getting settled, Tom and I were cruising at 30,000+ ft and on our way to California!  Upon landing in LA at approximately 930 PM PDT (1230 AM EST), we found my parents and set off for their small farming community, Visalia.  We got to my parents' house around 2 AM PDT (5 AM EST) and crashed.  We'd been up for 24+ hours and needed sleep. Thanks to our lovely time zone change, Tom and I were awake before 730 AM PDT each day we were there and were not able to adjust to the time change, regardless of what time we fell asleep.

The days to follow were busy, busy, busy for me, not as much for Tom.  Friday morning, we went to brunch at my absolute FAVE place to go- Valhalla's, a quaint Dutch restaurant that serves my favorite breakfast item ever- aebleskivers.  If you have not tried them, you need to!!  After brunch, mom and I ran errands (Tom did not wish to join) then we all went to the Good Friday service, followed by dinner at my parents' country club.  Saturday, Tom and I went for a run.  Tom made me VERY proud as he did a 4+ mi run (I ran a little bit ahead throughout our run and reached my 5 mi minimum).  My mom somehow managed to schedule a hair appointment with me with the one and ONLY person I trust to do ANYTHING with my hair without hesitation and on this trip, I got balayage highlights (similar to ombre highlighting)- see Easter pics below.  We did a little bit of running around, then had a nice family dinner.  Sunday, we went to the Easter church service, had brunch at a family friends' house, then off we were to LA to catch our red eye flight back to Atlanta...

This started our somewhat dramatic return to Atlanta.  After my parents dropped us off at the airport, Tom and I checked in (no baggage thank goodness as we got everything in carry-on's).  We got through security and were about to settle into a booth to grab a quick bite to eat when Tom threw his boarding pass on the table.  I then realized that Delta had switched our seats and moved us to opposite sides of the plan, me in 36B, Tom in 41F.  To say we were upset is an understatement- I was VERY upset as I selected our "companion" seats at booking.  Without hesitation, we go straight to the gate agent who proceeded to tell us there was nothing they could do until 30 minutes before departure which is AFTER the boarding process begins.  He elected to tell us that they can't change seats of the passengers who have not yet checked in to which I reminded him that they changed OUR seats prior to check-in and without notification nor did the ticketing agent question our seat assignments prior to printing our boarding passes.  He looked at me with a face of confusion and could not offer anything other than, "Come back 30 minutes prior to departure."  I was fuming by this point.  I did not want to sit next to a stranger.  On a red eye flight.  Trying to get a few hours of sleep before the workday that lay ahead.  After eating dinner and waiting then waiting some more (we arrived to LAX around 830 PM and our flight wasn't due to leave until 1145 PM), the gate agent let us know they were able to switch our seats so that we could now fly home together- thank you for FIXING the problem you created in the first place!  Neither agent was very pleasant and the lady rolled her eyes at me at one point (I made Delta aware of this in my post-flight survey).  Neither Tom nor myself felt like we had been treated very well prior to boarding our flight.  At that point though, we brushed it off, boarded the plane, got situated in our seats and did our pre-flight routine- I powered up my newly-purchased Kindle Fire (which I am in LOVE with) to read until the cabin door was closed, Tom fired up his iPod to listen to music. Mr. Pilot then proceeded to tell us our flight was going to be leaving late- awesome.  We pushed back from the gate about half hour behind schedule.  Once airborne, Tom and I attempted to sleep, waking up every half hour or so, but somehow managed to get a few hours sleep.  Upon landing, we got to our car where Ms. Exit-Gate-Attendant let us know that the special under which I'd booked our parking reservations was no longer valid (it was for FREE parking and now we had to pay) so we settled up with them and left in a hurry to pick up Max before going to work (I was already late and let my boss know so in lieu of leaving work on a lunch break, I didn't take a lunch and I picked up Max prior to work).  Upon arriving at PetSmart, they brought little Maxwell to me and he was THE happiest camper on the planet- he jumped straight up for me to pick him up and was the most excited I'd ever seen him.  After our hasty hello, it was time to pay, only to find out our debit cards weren't working and I didn't have the checkbook.  Let's just add to the Morning of Drama!  Tom and I went to the bank, got cash from the teller, went BACK to PetSmart, got Max home, changed clothes for work, I took Tom to work, finally got to work at 10 AM, 2 hours after my expected arrival.  All in all, the night and morning were a tad stressful, but we got home safely and got our crazy pup and that's all I could really ask for despite being a walking zombie suffering from major sleep deprivation and moodiness.  Needless to say, we went to bed at a decent hour that night.

Despite our hectic return to Atlanta, we had a fabulous weekend in Visalia with the parents and grandma and I am itching to go back as soon as we can!  I miss my parents more each time we go our separate ways.  They really are the best parents I could have ever asked for.  They gave me a great foundation of moral character and instilled a sense of pride in myself.  They raised my brother and me very well and continue to be loving and supporting in any way possible.  They are absolutely wonderful and I could not imagine life without them!

Hubs and me

Three generations of women- so special!

Tom and me with Grammie

Mis padres and me

I hope y'all had as wonderful of an Easter as Tom and I did!  Again, this trip was way too short and I look forward to our next Western adventure- hopefully it will be longer than a long weekend!

xoxoxo

Britt!

Race Funzies!

As you know from yesterday's post, I've run quite a few races in 2012 and I'm currently registered for more races!  I just wanted to give a brief update on the other races I ran in March, the SFX Fitness Challenge 5K and Color Run Atlanta.

The SFX Fitness Challenge 5K is hands down without a doubt the most difficult 5K I have ever run!  On top of the 3.1 mile jog (at which I did well), there were 11 fitness stations, 5 dispersed throughout the course and 6 at the end of the run, right before the finish line.  The stations were as follows:

• 50 burpees
• 150 squats
• 100 push ups
• 150 v-ups
• bear crawl up a hill with walking lunges down the hill
• 25 kettlebell swings
• 20 box jumps
• 50 rope slams
• 25 medicine ball slams
• 30 lb sand bag toss and carry
• scale an 8 ft wall (with help if needed and I needed it)

To say this race was hard is an understatement.  It wasn't the running that made the challenge difficult.  It was everything else!  I was sore for DAYS after this race, but I must say that it was physically one of the most rewarding.  Even though it was difficult, it was one of the best workouts I've ever had!  I placed 4th in my heat, 1st female of my heat to finish, and 5th female overall.  I have to say though that I was most nervous about the "wall" at the very end.  I knew I couldn't pull myself over it as upper-body strength has never been a forte of mine, but using the lovely 2x4 triangle holding said wall in place, I was able to get over it without too much trouble!  After completing the race, I was very proud of myself!  It wasn't an easy feat to finish, but I finished and met some fun people in the process!!

Now for the Happiest 5K on the Planet- The Color Run!!!!!!  When this race was announced months upon months ago, I wanted SO badly to register for it but didn't know if we'd be here for it (the move).  Once I figured out we'd be here through the end of March, Color Run Atlanta was already sold out.  I was so incredibly bummed that I wouldn't be able to partake in such a fun race!  A few weeks passed and I was scouting Craigslist for anyone looking to sell their number at a decent price.  Never found one.  

The day I got the information about the half marathon bib I purchased, I randomly went onto Color Run's website.  I saw they added another Atlanta race for Easter weekend.  I was considering registering for it so I followed the registration to get a little bit more info on it.  Upon doing so, it gave me the option to continue through the registration process for the original date: March 31.  I couldn't believe it!  I whipped out that debit card and signed up with a quickness!  When I got my confirmation and subsequent email, I called The Color Run Customer Service line just to make sure I registered for it and the lady told me it was my lucky day because I was successfully registered!  When I went back to the website out of curiosity, the 3/31/2012 Color Run link was no longer active and right next it, it said in big, bold letters "SOLD OUT".  I somehow managed to register for a sold out event.  I assume someone was refunded their money for whatever reason and I just so happened to look at the website at the right time and got an entry into the race!  I was the happiest kid on the planet that day because I also got my bib for the Georgia Half Marathon at a great price!  For the next few weeks, I was scouting out Craigslist for anyone selling their numbers because I wanted Tom to run it with me.  After talking to my brother, he was going out of town for his man's weekend so Tom was able to get his entry and Tom and I got to run the race together!

So the actual race was an absolute blast!  At ever kilometer, there was a color station.  We started with yellow where all the runners came out looking like we'd been through a pollen storm.  (Oh wait!  We have.  Highest pollen count in history occurred a few weeks ago.)  The following color stations were green, pink, and purple.  After crossing the finish line, we then went to the "Color Festival".  Every entrant was given a packet of this powdered paint/color to save for the Color Festival.  Every 15 minutes, the DJ would do a count down and at 0, everyone would throw the contents of their color packets into the air and everyone came out a paint-splattered mess.  We.Were.Covered!  But we were dancing and laughing and having a great time!  I met up with my sister in law and some of our friends afterwards, hung out for a little bit, then drove home very carefully and on top of blankets so as not to mess up the car's interior!

Before Color Run- Tom was impatient and ready for the race to start- Sorry for his scowl

After the Color Run as paint-splattered messes!

Group shot!

The Color Festival

As you can see, everyone had a blast!  It was the MOST fun 5K I've ever done and I cannot WAIT to participate in next year's Color Run!!!!  Afterwards, Tom and I went to eat lunch at his Panera and we actually scared some of the patrons and employees.  The employees didn't recognize us and the patrons did triple head turns to look at us, trying to figure out why exactly we were covered in paint.  Overall, it was a great experience and even more so because Tom and I got to do it together.  I paced with him and we kept each other motivated to finish.  I look forward to even more Color Fun next year!!!

I hope everyone has a GREAT Easter weekend!  We are off to California to spend it with my parents and grandmother and I could not be more excited right now!  So be safe, have fun, and remember why the Easter season is so special!

All my love,

Britt!

You Know You're a Runner When....

Happy Hump Day friends!!!

So I've seen discussion boards titled "You Know You're a Runner When..." and people will comment on things they do that makes them consider themselves runners.  Well I can't say I've quite had an epiphany about me being a runner as I've considered myself a runner for quite some time now, but this week especially I've found myself coming up with my own little additions to the title.

So here are my Top 10 running quirks that have recently occurred that immediately trigger my mind to say, "You know you're a runner when..."

1. I schedule a lot of things around when and where I can run.  For instance, Tom and I are going to California this weekend to visit my parents and grandma (can't WAIT).  My mom asked me last week if I had any specific plans for the weekend.  I told her my weekend consisted of 3 mandatory things: run on *flat* (YAY) ground, eat at restaurants we don't have in Atlanta (In-N-Out Burger is among that list as well as some other local and delicious establishments), and visit with my parents, grandma, and friends out there.  I have mapped out a long run for Tom and me to show him my old high school.  I've already checked out different routes and also invited a friend (and fellow runner) to join me! 
2. I spend more on my running shoes than 99% of the shoes in my closet.  I LOVE my running shoes!  I always try to pick a new pair that is brightly colored and noticeable.  My current shoes are a bright royal blue with light blue trim and a coral Nike swoosh.  
3. I get uber-excited about races.  I didn't run as many races as I would have liked to have run last year, but this year is different!  As mentioned in a previous post, I want to run one race per month while the weather is warm and pretty!  (I don't do well with cold weather running.)  Here's what I've run so far and what I will be running the rest of the year.  Obviously a few months are missing so I will fill those in as I go.
• 3/18/2012- Publix Georgia Half Marathon- Finished in 2:02:19
• 3/24/2012- SFX 5K Fitness Challenge- hardest 5K I've ever done (explanations to come)
• 3/31/2012- Atlanta Color Run- MOST FUN 5K I've ever done (pictures to follow)
• 4/14/2012- Roswell Kiwanis Spring K Classic 10K
• 4/28/2012- Jonquil City Jog to support one of Smyrna's local high schools- still not sure if I'm running this one
• 5/12/2012- Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5K
• 7/4/2012- PEACHTREE ROAD RACE!!!!- The biggest 10K in America
• 10/13/2012- Spartan Beast Race (I got a free entry- I may not even do it as it is a race in South Carolina and I would want hubs to join me; if he doesn't want to do it, I will forfeit my entry)
4. My laundry days are filled with more gym clothes than work or casual clothes.  My running and gym gear almost doubles my casual/work wear.  
5. Every Sunday, I look at the week ahead of me and figure out what days are best for me to run, whether it's better to run in the mornings or evenings, if I'm going to be able to fit in my standard 5 days or if I know that's going to be difficult.  I plan evening events around running.
6. I look forward to the many daily emails from Active.com and Runner's World with little tidbits of helpful running information, updates on events, new running trends and training tips, etc.  (Because of my Active Advantage membership, I get special emails with free race entries- I've now claimed 2 and my membership has been paid for!)
7. I actually get envious when I see runners EVEN IF I've already run that day!  I get antsy and it makes me want to run with them!  
8. I have to remind myself every week that at least 1-2 days of rest is absolutely necessary.
9. On planned trips (such as this weekend's Easter venture to California), I look for races in the local area or I plan my schedule around what days I will be able to run.  It would be a lie to say I didn't look for races in the Fresno area for this weekend.  Even though I had no intentions of doing a race (considering I've participated in events the past 3 weekends), I still went to Active.com to see if there were any events planned for the area...  On free weekends, I look for events I may want to run.  I look for races in other parts of the state (or in other states in general) to see if there is any interest.  I'm on active.com or the Run Georgia calendar (best comprehensive running website for Georgia) looking at events at LEAST once a week now
10. I truly get upset when I can't run or go to the gym.  For example, I was sick all of last week and even though it was HELL, I made myself stay home and rest for 4 days.  I couldn't tell you the last time I spent 4 days out of my running gear, probably the last time I was sick!  It pains me to not be able to run.  I also get bothered on my days off from the gym.  I know I have to let my body rest and recover so those recovery days are absolutely necessary; doesn't mean I have to like it though!

So those are just a few of my running quirks.  My mentality has completely changed about running and working out and living a healthy lifestyle in general.  I never thought I would be able to give you a list of runners' habits that also fit me, but it makes me proud.  A lot of people say I'm crazy for running 20-30 miles a week, but it makes me happy.  Running has become my catharsis and an outlet for stress relief.  I love the way I look now.  I love the way it makes me feel.  I love being connected to nothing but my music and thoughts for 30 minutes to an hour while I'm running.  I take a sense of pride in what I've accomplished and I look forward to continuing my lifestyle and being healthy in the future!  I hope we can instill in our kids the value of living a healthy lifestyle and how it would be SO much easier to start learning those tricks and tips at a young age.  I've wished on many occasions that I would've learned about a healthy and active life but working out, running, and going to the gym didn't interest me when I was younger.  I didn't care about what I was eating; I just wanted it to taste good.  Now that I've learned these things, I hope to carry them over to teach our future babes and I always want to be considered a resource for anyone interested in running and living healthy!

Expect another post soon with updates on the SFX Fitness Challenge and Color Run!  Happy reading, happy Hump Day, Happy early Easter!!

xoxoxo, 

Britt!

Half Marathon Madness!!!

Hey kids!  Happy Thursday!!!!  I hope this finds everyone well and that everyone is enjoying the warm weather that seems to have struck our lovely nation!  I don't ever remember it being 80+ in the middle of March, but I am NOT complaining!  I am SO happy warm weather has finally graced me with it's presence!  

So you may be able to tell from the title of this post that I accomplished a HUGE goal on Sunday!!!!  I ran (and finished) my first half marathon!!!!  The Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon is one of the premiere running events in Georgia and I can VERY proudly say that I crossed that finish line!  My official finish time was 2:02:19 which is even more of an accomplishment for me considering I did not train outside; I'd been training indoors on the treadmill.  I was very nervous about the hills I'd be running Sunday morning as I only did a few outdoor runs over the course of my training plan.  My "training" plan consisted of runs ranging from 4 miles up to 12 miles.  After deciding to run a half marathon, I knew I needed a training plan to follow.  Because I also knew the Publix Half was less than 12 weeks away, I had to slightly tweak my plan and actually entered on Week 7 of the program.  After printing my training program and comparing it to the runs I'd logged from my official start date (Dec 27, 11), I realized my runs pretty closely correlated to those of the training program which made me feel better about training for the half marathon.  The weekend before the Big Race calls for a 12 mile run and because I wasn't planning to run the Publix Half Marathon this past weekend, I never logged the 12 mile run, only got up to 10, which also made me a little nervous.  After thinking about it though, when you've run 10 miles, what's another 5K, right?!  So I didn't do the long run as the training program suggested, but nonetheless, I completed 13.1 miles, something I never EVER thought I'd be able to do!!

Hubs met me at the finish line with  a big wave and a HUGE smile on his face!

When I decided at the beginning of 2012 to run a half marathon, I initially chose the Publix Georgia Half Marathon as my goal.  I didn't think I was going to be able to run it though because the registration fees had become very expensive ($100+) so until the end of last week, I'd pretty much written off my chances of running this event.  Until my great friend Shannon came through to the rescue!  She forwarded me an email from a coworker who was selling her bib for the early registration fee ($55, MUCH more doable for us!) and next thing I knew, I committed to buying her bib!  Thank you thank you thank you Shannon for thinking of me in that moment!  (On the same day, I also managed to register for an entry into the Atlanta Color Run which has been sold out for months- that's next weekend- stay tuned for fun pictures and commentary!)  After I committed to buying the bib and as the next few days progressed, I got more and more anxious, more excited, just READY for Sunday to get here!!  

To prepare myself for the Big Race, I skipped my strength training class on Thursday and Saturday (did do the abs portion on Saturday though), but did an easy 4 mile run.  Friday, I did my usual 5 mile run and on Saturday, did another easy 4 mile run.  After my run and class, I went straight to the Race Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center and for lack of better words, it was one of the coolest things I've ever attended!  There were vendors everywhere, ranging from running companies to representatives for other races (local and far away) to food and nutrition companies, the list goes on!  I did end up buying a few things- a few running shirts that were on a closeout sale from One More Mile Running (including the shirt I wore for the race) and of course my 13.1 sticker for my car (it's tie dye awesomeness) as well as a few magnets!  I also bought some Gu- a nicely packaged gel with a consistency I cannot even begin to describe but contains the perfect burst of energy needed to finish a long run!  I tried it on Saturday to determine if my stomach would accept it's oozing thickness of terrible flavor.  My stomach reacted like normal- no complications!  I then relaxed by the pool with a good book for the rest of the afternoon, ate a nice, healthy dinner with some good carbs, and Tom and I watched movies the rest of the night.  I was so incredibly anxious for the race that I needed distractions throughout the day and sleeping was difficult.  I did finally manage to contain my excitement though and fell asleep but was wide awake after the first alarm went off!  No snooze button needed whatsoever!

Race morning couldn't have come soon enough for me!  After soliciting a few friends in the running community over the previous days, I made a mental note of everything I needed to do.  I ate a protein bar first thing in the morning to give me some energy, drank some G2 for electrolytes and hydration.  I made sure my bag was packed with everything I needed both pre- and post-race.  I made sure I was 100% ready for this race.  On the way to Centennial Olympic Park, Tom and I enjoyed a nice morning car ride together where he offered many words of encouragement to calm me down.  I was just ready to be at the starting line!  After Tom dropped me off, I made that last minute potty break, warmed up a little by running around Centennial Park to the gear check tent, then made my way to my start corral!

View from the Starting Line- 18000+ participants

When the starting gun sounded, I turned on my music (which somehow managed to change playlists and turn off the shuffle- put it back on the correct playlist but didn't care about fixing the shuffle at that point) and when I crossed the start line, it was on!  I paced myself nicely and enjoyed the scenery, volunteers, and spectators along the sidelines.  I ran through parts of the city I'd never been able to enjoy because we passed too quickly in the car.  I ran through 13.1 miles of neighborhoods within the city and some of the architecture I've never been able to appreciate was truly breathtaking.  The course started at Centennial Olympic Park, went through Five Points, Midtown, Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands, on to Midtown and Georgia Tech, finishing back at Centennial Olympic Park!  The crowds were encouraging, especially within the last mile!  I tried to sprint to the finish line and I may have very well been sprinting but I at that point, my legs were the consistency of Jello, so I'm not sure how much of a "sprint" I got in, but I pushed as hard as I possibly could to get across that finish line!  

After finishing, I continued down the finish lane where I found the most wonderful "sprinkler" spraying cold water on anyone that wanted it!  I stood under it for a good 30 seconds before moving on to where I found Tom, beaming with pride and waving like a little kid to get my attention!  He watched me cross the finish line but I was too focused on not trying to trip over the plastic casing that covers all of the cords and timing equipment that I didn't even notice him cheering me on!  After getting all of my things together and meeting up with a few friends that also ran the half marathon, we made our way back to the car to spend the rest of the day in relaxation!

Showing off my finisher's medal post-race!

I love shiny things!

The rest of the day proved to be very relaxing.  Tom and I got home, I took a LONG bath full of Epsom salts!  After that much-needed soak and cleanse, Tom took me to brunch to my FAVE brunch spot- Marlow's Tavern where I felt I could have eaten the entire menu 3 times (I was quite hungry after burning 1600+ calories).  Later that day, I relaxed by the pool with a friend and because my legs were still sore, I got in the icy cold water up to my thighs, which actually helped a LOT!  The rest of my day was 100% dedicated to getting in some R&R- I didn't feel like doing much of anything, just wanted to have a low-key afternoon.

Words cannot begin to describe the sense of pride I still feel about accomplishing such a huge goal.  Until recently, if you asked me if I'd ever run a half marathon, I would've laughed in your face, said something along the lines of "Do you see this body?  No way in HELL it could ever run 13.1 miles!", but look at me now!  I am an almost daily runner, somewhat of a gym rat, and because health and fitness have become such a big part of my life, I look back and laugh at my old sedentary attitude.  I'm still amazed that I was able to finish a half marathon and now that my legs have recovered, I can't WAIT to run another one and hopefully set a new PR!  Hopefully the next course won't have so many hills!  I plan to keep my current "training" schedule and run 4-5 times a week, 5+ miles at a time (4 miles on some days) so that I'm still in half-marathon condition when the next one rolls around!  I also plan to run more organized races this year.  I'm running a 5K Fitness Challenge in Roswell this Saturday (I got a free entry thanks to my Active.com Advantage membership- yesssssssssss!), doing the Atlanta Color Run (5K) next weekend, and plan to run the Historic Roswell Kiwanis Spring K Classic (10K) in support of a good friend's organization mid-April and hopefully will be able to make it to San Francisco for the Bay to Breakers 12K late-May for which my mom signed me up!  I've registered for the lottery for the Peachtree Road Race and should find out soon if our group is selected for that huge event!  I had a goal awhile back to do one race per month but when it got cold, that goal fell off the map- I'm not partial to outdoor cold-weather runs.  I'm hoping to reinstate that for at least the warm months!  I do love races as they are energetic and fun and they support the local community and charities!  Hopefully I can accomplish this goal and be able to check it off my Goal List when winter rolls around!  More to follow on that!

So far in 2012, I've accomplished 2 of my goals and the first quarter isn't even over!  I started my blog (thanks for reading) and I finished a half marathon!  I'm going to start looking into triathlons and hopefully can find a good training program for a good triathlon in late summer/early fall.  If anyone has suggestions, I welcome them!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!  Be back soon!

xoxo

Britt!

A Small Family Reunion and a Wedding!

So as you can tell by my obvious lack of posts, things have been a bit busier than usual in the Piper household! Between Max destroying things (like Tom's favorite football- oopsies!) and my running endeavors and work and play and life in general, I haven't had a chance to keep y'all updated on what's been going on!  For that, I apologize!  I am going to try to be much better about this and update y'all more often!

So let's start with the weekend my parents flew in town for a wedding!  Mom and Dad flew in that Thursday afternoon.  A good friend got married that Saturday and it was an absolutely beautiful wedding and reception.  He was in our wedding, was in my brother's wedding, lived across the street from us as kids; we grew up together!  I never thought I'd see the day this kid got marrieid (I told him that, too) but I could not be happier for him!  He snagged a GREAT wife and she is one of the absolute sweetest women I know!  I wish them both the best of luck as they start their new life together! 

Hubs and me at the wedding

The Best Parents a Girl Could Ask For!!!

Tom, me, Mama, Daddy, Colleen, and Brian- The Whole Family!!!

So back to Mom and Dad!  I did not realize until that week how much I'd missed them!  I talk to my mom just about every day on the phone and if for whatever reason our schedules conflict too much to talk, we at least text (she's gotten SO much better at texting- she's making her daughter proud!).  I talk to Daddy a few times every week as well, not as much as I talk to Mom, but at the very least, once a week!  My parents are very special people to me and take slots 2 and 3 on my list of "Brittany's Most Important People" (Tom is obviously my #1 and my brosef #4) and in all fairness, I can't really rank them that way as I love my family with my whole heart and would do anything for any of them!  But for the sake of expressing my love for my parents, we'll use my favorites list.  So all that being said, I got SUPER anxious the week they were flying in- I was very giddy and very anxious to see them as it was Thanksgiving that I'd last them!  Three + months is 3+ months too long to go without seeing my parents!  So not only did the entire family get to celebrate the marriage of someone who's been in our lives for 20 years, but we also got to spend some quality time together.

The weekend started with a girls afternoon with mani/pedis then led into a fabulous dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's house!  Brian did a fantastic job on the grill, as always, and Colleen and I worked on the sides together (Colleen also has a fabulously delicious recipe for a salmon rub and Beans, if you're reading this, I'd like that recipe, thank you love!).  It was a great start and dinner to welcome the parents back to Atlanta for the weekend!  Friday evening, a group of our friends came over to go to dinner and see my parents while they were in town.  Let me tell you, Jim 'N Nick's BBQ never gets old!  It is something that I could eat  everyday but then I'd be the size of a barn!  Let's not get back to that point in my life!  After dinner, we enjoyed Harrison Ford's presidential movie Air Force One, then called it a night (I'd forgotten how terrible the graphics were in older movies).  Saturday, mom and I were supposed to participate in the Chattahoochee Road Runners 10K, but due to nasty rain and thunder, we opted for the more comfortable option- we got our happy butts right back in bed and slept for 3 more hours!  We did breakfast with Brian and Colleen at a quaint little establishment (West Egg- DELISH!) then ran some errands and got ready for the wedding!  

As I previously said, the wedding was beautiful!  The bride was beautiful, the groom was nervous but handsome, and everyone had a great time!  Tom actually danced and this is something that rarely ever happens [in public]!  It was great to see everyone dancing and having fun.  I wish all of our married friends and future married friends wonderful and happy lives!  Weddings always put me in a spirit of love and happiness.  They are also a means of reflection for me- a time to look back on the years of our relationship and marriage and appreciate the blessings God has put in our lives, the love we have for one another, and the lifetime of happiness that lies ahead.  I wish Matt and Karen all the joys of the world that marriage and companionship have to offer!!!

The newlywed Gills and The Pipers!

So after Tom and I dropped Mom and Daddy off at the airport, it REALLY hit me how much I've missed them! I didn't want them to leave!  It was SUCH a great weekend and I look forward to being closer to my parents hopefully soon!  There aren't any updates on that by the way.  I interviewed for a position (over the phone) with the county, but unfortunately wasn't selected.  I really wanted that job and prayed hard for it, but it just means that God has a better plan for me and I have to continue to trust Him as he knows best!  I'll update you as I know things though!  This was a brief update.  Stay tuned for my next BIG update!!!  Can't wait to share!!!

All my love,

Britt!

Thanks for 

A Favorite Healthy Recipe!

So I'm a big foodie and LOVE to eat!  In my fitness and weight loss journey, I have tried finding healthy recipes or revamping some of our favorite foods to make them much healthier!  One of my absolute favorite meals that Tom introduced me to are stuffed bell peppers.  Before meeting Tom, I'd never had them and boy was I missing out!!!  This recipe is VERY easy to make and it's very yummy!!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Photo quality is a bit grainy and for that, I apologize :)

Ingredients

4 green bell peppers- medium in size

1 box Zatarain's Dirty Brown Rice

1 pound ground turkey

2 cans Old El Paso enchilada sauce- buy the smaller cans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut the tops off of the bell peppers (you can chop them and use them for the stuffing- that's what we do).  Core the peppers so that no seeds or core remains.  Mix together dirty brown rice, ground turkey, and chopped bell pepper tops (minus stem).  Add mixture evenly between the 4 peppers. Place peppers in a broiling pan.  Pour enchilada sauce over the tops of the peppers (the majority of the sauce will pool at the bottom to cook out the flavors; can also be spooned back onto peppers when served for extra flavor).  Cook for 45 mins to an hour or until turkey meat is fully cooked).  Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information per serving (1 pepper)

430 calories

18 grams fat

25 grams protein

46 carbs

**This may seem high but keep in mind that one pepper is entirely satisfying.  Sometimes, I cannot even finish an entire pepper depending on the size of the pepper.  Also, if you are not a big fan of enchilada sauce, you can use minimal sauce and that will cut your calorie count as well.  With this recipe, you have veggies, protein, and grains in one little package!

ENJOY!!!

All My Love,

Britt!

2012 Goal Wrap Up!

GOAL #5- The last initial goal for 2012!

As many of you know, the Lenten season in the Anglican/Episcopal church is now upon us.  To me, this means making sacrifices just as Jesus made sacrifices for those 40 days spent in the wilderness.  This year, I've decided to give up all things sweet!  I have a HUGE sweet tooth and generally eat a little something sweet every day.  Well, that won't be the case for the next 40 days.  Technically I can eat whatever I've given up on Sunday's Feast Day but I'd rather not.  I want to make it 40 days without a single cookie, pastry, chunk of chocolate, piece of cake, etc.  I've made it almost a week and I've actually found great substitutes for my sweet tooth: fruit, yogurt, a small spoonful of peanut butter, and Costco trail mix (dried cranberries and cherries, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios- no chocolate) to name a few.  Tom has given up not only sweets but breads and most high-carb items as well.  So that means no more delicious fresh-baked Panera bread will be entering our house anytime soon.  Because he's given up bread, I will essentially be giving it up as well.  I'm not an overly big bread person anyway unless it comes in the form of toast or a vehicle for dipping (hummus and dips) so it shouldn't be too difficult of a feat for me.  Giving up bread and sweets will be MUCH harder for Tom than for me anyhow considering his work environment.  He's doing well so far!  The way that our Lenten sacrifices tie into my final 2012 goal is that I want us to grow our faith in God even stronger than it currently is.

This goal is something that is very personal to me.  I've always grown up in the church, got married in the church, but recently haven't been able to attend church as frequently as I should.  I don't feel this has any bearing on my faith and belief in God or Christianity as that is something I've never doubted; I just want to be closer to God.  I pray multiple times a day, a LOT when I'm running because that's my "me" time where I have no one to really distract me and no dog or house to tend to.  It's a time where I reflect on my day (or morning) and I pray as I run.  I also say my blessings before each meal and I always try to say my bedtime prayers but sometimes sleep encroaches before I can finish.  After we move, I want to become more involved in the church (also part of my overall health and wellness goal).  I want to start singing in the choir again.  I want to be more involved with church functions and events.  Tom has now requested Sundays off so we can start going again every week which I am VERY excited about!  I love listening to our services and sermons and hearing God's message delivered through our clergy!  I know this may sound super cheesy, but I always leave church in a lighter mood and feel as if I've learned something.  And I LOVE that feeling!

In college and for a few years thereafter, I didn't go to church, but still always believed in God.  Now that I'm past the party phase of my life and into the settled-down phase, I want us to get back into our regular church routine.  I want to raise our family in the church and I want to show God's love through our actions.  I want to continue my spiritual growth as I think it as essential part of my overall well-being.  My faith in God always brightens my days and lifts my spirits and I can only hope that I can show God's love to others and especially to our future babies.  

2012 GOAL #4!!!

GOAL #4


This goal is pretty generic so I don't have a lot of specifics about it.  I simply just want to continue on my journey to overall well-being!  This goal encompasses not only health and fitness, but also my mental well-being.  My half marathon and triathlon goals will obviously contribute to the physical fitness aspect, but to me, overall well-being isn't about just the physical being-- it includes your mental health and stability as well.

My mental state of mind is very important to how I react to situations and how I live my everyday life.  If I'm upset, my day is ruined.  If I'm happy, I'm on top of the world!  I want to become a more well-rounded person and start looking for more volunteer opportunities within the community.  When I was younger, I did a lot of volunteer work and community service.  I want to be that person again.  I want to help the community grow and I want to grow as a person.  Community service always made me feel better.  I loved knowing I that whatever I did, I was helping the community and its citizens.  I was helping people less fortunate than me, people who couldn't get by without visiting the food pantry, people with disabilities, people in need of help.  Knowing that I offered just an inkling of help meant a lot to me.

I'm hoping to find at least one organization to work with and be an advocate.  I've got a few ideas rolling around in my head.  The thing I would really love to do but know if I could handle it would be to work with the local pound or animal shelter. I would LOVE to play with the furbabies but I don't know if I could make it one day without bringing home a brother or sister for little Maxwell.  And Tom would kill me.  I'd also be really sad to see the animals that don't get adopted.  I think I would get too attached to my favorites and cry when they don't get adopted or if they were there for awhile, I'd bring them home.  And again.  Tom would kill me.  So I went to my next thought: a local food pantry.  When I was in high school, I volunteered at the food pantry every week, usually two nights a week.  I helped them organize their food, pack up families' requests, unload new loads of foods, the list goes on.  (I also reconnected with an old friend when I volunteered there so it contributed to my social life as well.)  I'm also thinking about doing some sort of community service (if it exists) to advocate addiction awareness and education.  Because of Tom and what I've learned about addiction, I want to share with others the knowledge I've gained to help them in living with an addict.  I want to start by going to Al-Anon meetings.  I should have started going a long time ago, but better late than never, right?  I want to find a mentor to help me continue to grow and is someone I can turn to when I feel overwhelmed.  I then want to locate an organization in the area to join, if one exists.  If not, I will continue with further educating myself about addiction to be able to offer the necessary support for Tom.  These are my starting points for community service and hopefully those will lead to even more opportunities.

In addition to community service, I want to look into joining local community organizations.  I want to look into joining Kiwanis, a Rotary Club, or possibly the Chamber of Commerce.  I want to network with more people and become a more active figure within the community.  I want to be someone that is viewed positively within the community, someone that can help make an impact.  I'm hoping that by the end of 2012, I'm involved in at least one volunteer organization and one community organization!  Wish me luck!

Happy Friday!

Britt!

2012 GOAL #3!!

GOAL #3!!

I want my fitness goals for 2012 to be realistic but ambitious.  I'm no longer in the "losing weight" mentality but rather in the "let's get in even better shape" mentality.  If I happen to slim down while toning more, so be it, but I'm not really trying to lose additional weight.  I'm at a very healthy weight for my height and I'd rather weigh a little bit more and have more defined muscle. It's all about how your clothes fit anyhow, right?!

That being said, my next fitness goal for 2012 is to train for and complete a sprint triathlon.  A triathlon consists of three parts: swimming, cycling, and running.  However, I didn't know until doing a little bit of research into triathlons that there are different types of triathlons because they vary in distance.  The longest is an Ultra Distance Triathlon (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride, and a marathon run), which is more commonly referred to as the Ironman Triathlon- no thank you.  It involves running a full marathon and maybe one day I'll do a marathon (let's be realistic though- I doubt I'll ever have the desire to do a full marathon), but at this juncture in my life, I have ZERO desire to run a full marathon.  Next we have the Long Course Triathlon which consists of 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike ride, and a half marathon- still no thank you.  The Intermediate/Standard Triathlon, more commonly known as an Olympic Triathlon, consists of a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, 10K run.  This is doable in the future but I'm talking baby steps here.  Then we have the Sprint Triathlon which is more my style for 2012.  It consists of a 750 m swim, 20 km bike ride, and a 5K.  Assuming I do well on that and don't feel like dying when it's over, I may consider pushing myself a little more and do the "Olympic" Triathlon.

I've always enjoyed swimming.  I used to swim competitively back in the day (middle school era, ha) and dabbled into water polo when I lived in California in my early high school years.  It's a great way to stay in shape and is one of the hardest sports out there.  I haven't done any swimming for fitness though since I lived in Jacksonville, FL which means I haven't swam for fitness since 2008 (we moved to Atlanta in March 2009 and that is still too cold to be in an outdoor pool in Florida).  The next feat would be getting past the bike ride.  Ever since I fell off my bike on a camping trip summer before 4th grade, I haven't really had much of a desire to hop back on the bike!  I know I can still ride a bicycle thanks to my parents owning them and I decided one day to ride the bike down the driveway and around the cul-de-sac.  Keep in mind this was probably in summer of 2009 after they moved back to Atlanta so it's been a few years since I've ridden a bike.  The running part will be no problem because as you all know, I have been running consistently for about a year and a half, so I'm not worried about that.

I think the part of the triathlon about which I'm most concerned is the biking.  I almost have this irrational fear of falling off my bike again like I did when I was 8.  That little spill resulted in 14ish stitches and a nasty scar on my left leg (thank goodness it's faded a lot over the past 19 years).  I wasn't hurt too badly but to this day, it has left an impact on my feelings toward riding a bike.  I don't want to get an injury so I've just always stayed off the bicycle unless it's stationary.  It'd be pretty difficult to fall off of a stationary bike!  To conquer this fear, I am going to start by working on the stationary bike (I plan on looking into a spin class) then I can take that training onto the open road!  Let's hope it helps me get past this little bicycle issue I've had for almost two decades!

I will more than likely put off the training for this until summer so that I can complete the triathlon in early/mid fall as I don't want it to be too hot come race day.  I also need to buy a onesie bathing suit (or a competitive swimming 2-piecer which I think I'd prefer).  Another area of concern is the "transition area" between the triathlon components because I have NO idea how to effectively change from a bathing suit to bike clothes then bike gear to running gear.  I guess I'll learn that when I start a training program as I definitely do not want everyone and their mother seeing all my goodies!  I'm not necessarily worried about how quickly I can finish (even though I am ULTRA competitive and want to be the best at everything I do); I just want the self-satisfaction that I have completed a triathlon, a new milestone in my fitness journey.  If anyone has ANY experience in triathlon training, I welcome any advice!!  I'm looking forward to training for it though!  It will certainly be  tough, but I welcome it!  Just as with the half marathon, I can't wait to say I'm a TRIATHLETE!

More to come when training is underway!!

All my love,

Britt!

2012 GOAL #2!!

Goal #2: Run a Half Marathon


So for those of you that know me, I'm already a runner.  I started running in August 2010.  I never EVER would have thought way back when that I would become a legitimate runner.  I am by no means an Elite runner and never plan to be an Elite runner.  They can run a mile in 5-7 minutes and MAINTAIN that pace throughout an entire race.  That blows.my.mind!  I'm happy with  my 8 minute miles!  That being said, when I started running, my goal was just to simply complete a mile.  I started in baby steps.  I remember the very first time I ran when Tom and I were out on a walk.  We ran the last half mile back to my parents' house (yes, we lived with my parents for a period of time when I lost my job until I found a job and we could get back on our feet) and I.was.dying!  I could not believe how out of shape I had become.  I'd been walking for a few months and I STILL was really out of shape!  But because I was starting to plateau with walking, I wasn't feeling like I was getting in a good workout.  When I'm at the gym or out on a run, I like to sweat.  And I sweat a LOT when I'm running (my trainer makes digs at me because of how I sweat more than a leaky faucet).  A good sweat makes me feel like I've actually done something.  Anyhow, from my half mile running venture, I added small increments of distance (quarter mile to half a mile) every 1-2 weeks, depending on how I felt after completing the current week's distance.  Unfortunately, I didn't know about the Couch to 5K (C25K) program, but I made my own C25K program.  I ran my first 5K on Thanksgiving 2010, Henry's Huffin' for Stuffin'.  I finished in a little over half hour (33ish mins I think), so about a 10 minute mile.  I continued to run my little heart out and build more distance.  My next 5K was the Sacred Journey Hospice St. Patty's Day 5K.  My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes and I did!  Barely.  But I did.  I finished in 29 minutes and some change.  After that, I ran the Kaiser Permanente Corporate 5K in September 2010 and finished in 27 mins and some change.  The same weekend (KP 5K was on a Thursday), I ran the Vinings Downhill 5K and finished in 26:42, 23rd in my age bracket (out of 104) and  89th in the women's division (out of 529).  I don't know though how I did overall as the results weren't broken down that way.  In October 2011, I ran the Spooktacular Chase 5K and finished in 27:34, 74th out of 311 overall and 5th out of 28 in my age bracket.  Because I am entirely too competitive with myself, I wanted to beat my previous 5K time, but I was happy with my results for one reason only: I'd been sick as a dog the entire week prior and it was 28 degrees outside when I ran this.  It probably wasn't my smartest decision to run in those kinds of temps, but I'd already paid for it and I wanted my long-sleeved technical shirt!

Since that last race, I've continued my running journey and I'll be running the upcoming Chattahoochee Road Runners 10K on March 3.  My goal is to complete it less than an hour, which is definitely doable!  Right now, I'm maintaining around 8 min miles (range is from 7:30 on some miles and up to 8:20 on some miles, depending on terrain and how I'm feeling that day).  Even though I'm just now "starting" a training program for a half marathon, I'm planning to run the Publix Half Marathon in Atlanta on March 18 (assuming we're still in Georgia and assuming it isn't too expensive by the time I'm able to register).  I've compared a few training programs and even though I haven't been following a training program exactly to the tee, what I've been doing for the past 6 weeks is pretty close to both training programs (running 4-6 miles on each run).  I'm going to start following it more closely but starting in week 7.  That means I will have an 8 mile run ahead of me on Saturday and it will only go up from there!  I can't WAIT until the day I can say I've completed a Half!!  I have a consistent runner's high now but I'm sure I will be on a cloud in Heaven when I finish my first half marathon!  It will be a huge accomplishment for me considering how out of shape I was a few short years ago!!

Running for me has become a catharsis, an outlet for me to relieve stress, anger, frustrations, etc.  I never in a million years thought I would enjoy running but it just makes me feel so much better about myself.  Living a healthy lifestyle in general makes me feel better about myself!  So for me to go from being inactive a few years ago to where I am today is already a HUGE accomplishment in and of itself!  I love setting new fitness and running goals for myself so the completion of my half marathon will be an even bigger accomplishment for me!  I will let y'all know how I do in the Chattahoochee Road Runners 10K in a few weeks!  I'm very excited to run my first "official" 10K!  I've run 10Ks on my own in the past, but never in an organized event, so I'm looking forward to having an official 10K time!!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!!  Updates to follow!!

Love and Laughter,

Britt!

2012 GOALS!!

So as I've already said, I'm done setting New Years Resolutions.  For the past few years (and for the first time EVER), I've actually stuck with my New Years Resolutions (to get healthy and get back into shape) so I think it's time to start goal-setting.  Because I have multiple goals, you will get to read multiple posts!

Goal #1: Start and Maintain a Blog and/or Write My Book

So as you can see, I've already completed part of this goal.  I've started my blog.  Now I just have to maintain it, but I don't foresee that being an issue.  Just in writing this post, I get excited about keeping a blog!  It's such a great way for me to focus my thoughts and get them written without having to go at a snail's pace of manually writing in a journal.  I enjoy being able to document my life through words.  Although Tom did mention that he wasn't a huge fan of being mentioned in my blog.  I told him that because he's involved in 99% of everything I do, he has to be involved and pretty much didn't have a choice.  I reassured him that I'm not putting our entire lives on display, just the major events!

I'm writing this blog with the intention of sharing life's trials and tribulations, our joys and happiness, the blessings bestowed upon us, basically the milestones of my life.  It is a fun way for me to document my experiences and share them with my readers.  I also am trying to reinvent recipes to make them  healthier.  I want to share any of my health and fitness tips as that has become such a huge part of my life.  I'm looking forward to maintaining my blog and welcoming readers into my life.  Thank you for your support!

Now about my book.  I have a concept for my book and I have ideas.  I just have to get them organized and in writing.  SO.  Here's the background behind my hopeful book.  For those that know me, I used to be VERY overweight (like 80+ lbs over the heavier end of a healthy weight range for my height).  Until recently, I've been heavy essentially my entire life.  I've battled weight loss, done the crash and fad diets, tried to change my life, was always too busy, blah blah blah, excuses, excuses, excuses. I was never overly concerned (I've always been self-conscious, just not over-the-top) about my actual weight until I stepped on the scale in October 2008 at the lady doc and saw the number.  It.was.TERRIFYING!  It was probably the first time I'd stepped on a scale since I graduated college on Cindo de Mayo '07.  I'm still ashamed of that number, ashamed I let myself gain that much weight and get so big.  Fortunately for me though, I am 5'10" so I could hide my weight pretty well.  But still.  I wasn't thin nor did anything about me appear thin.  I didn't truly realize my size until I stepped on that scale on that fateful Autumn day.  In hindsight, I should've applied for one of my fave shows ever, The Biggest Loser, but I'm proud of myself for what I've accomplished on my own.  Now that you know a little bit about my lifelong weight battle, here's a brief update: I'm now 100+ lbs lighter (never thought I could accomplish that), 6 sizes smaller, I am in the best shape of my life, I've never felt better physically, mentally, or emotionally, and I'm still living a healthy lifestyle! I want my book to go through the journey of growing up heavy and what I've done to change my life.  I want it to expose my vulnerabilities and offer insight to others of what it's like to grow up heavy.  Sadly, I hated myself for being fat and was envious of skinny people.  Of course I never let those emotions show but instead decided to harbor those feelings; I didn't want to appear vulnerable and unhappy.  Over my weight loss journey, I have cried and had emotional breakdowns but I kept going; I was NOT going to lose this battle again!  I learned discipline and self-control.  I retaught myself how to eat healthy (portion control played a HUGE factor).  I started working out 5+ days a week for at least an hour a day.  I completely changed the way I was living.  Before this journey, I could barely run half a mile.  Now, I run 4-6 miles at a time EVERY time I put on my running gear.  I can do military-style push ups as well as other, more difficult types of push ups, something I was never able to do growing up.  I LOVE being so much healthier and feel SO much better about myself!  I want my book to expose everything about my journey from childhood to present in dealing with my body image, self esteem, weight loss, etc.  And if it ends up being a manuscript that never gets published, at least I can say I wrote a book.  I will say that I have already started it.  So far, I've completed the title page, Acknowledgments, and Introduction and I've started Chapter 1.  It will be a year-long process as books simply don't get written overnight.  I will keep you updated as I go!  I'm very excited about the idea of being a "novelist" and publishing a book.  I hope I have enough content to make this dream become a reality!

I will post more goals in subsequent posts, so be on the look out!

Hasta la pasta!

xoxo
Britt!

Weekend Escape to the Woods

I'm not going to be a daily blogger because even though I think my life is fascinating, it's probably not as entertaining to everyone else.  Initially though, I will post for a few days consecutively as I want to go into my 2012 goals (no resolutions anymore, just yearly goals).  First though, I want to go into our winter camping extravaganza last weekend.

So last weekend was a very fun weekend for The Piper Household!  It started off Friday (Jan 27) with the Blake Shelton concert.  Now I'm not an overly big fan of country music (although I LOVE older country music circa Brooks and Dunn era) but during and after that concert, I started becoming more of a fan!  Blake Shelton put on one AWESOME show!!!  He was energetic and interactive with the crowd!  It was SUCH a fun time!  We went with one of Tom's coworkers and his girlfriend (after many attempts for the four of us to hang out, it finally happened) and even though we got stuck in a ton of traffic, we still had a fun time enjoying good company.  Blake Shelton put on one of the best shows I've seen and I would definitely buy tickets for another one!

We were so close to the stage!  Blake Shelton and all of his beauty

Saturday morning, Tom and I woke up and prepared for the next 3 days.  We were spending the weekend in the woods at Red Top Mountain State Park.  This is BY FAR my favorite Georgia State Park!  The campgrounds are nestled right next to Lake Allatoona with miles and miles of hiking trails, beautiful lake views, and plenty of trees for shaded summer camping trips (not that it really makes a huge difference in Georgia- summers here can be unbearably humid).  After packing everything and running around like crazy people, we finally hit the road and got to Red Top early afternoon.  Now Tom and I have specific responsibilities when it comes to camping trips.  We unload the car as soon as we pick our site (this trip, it was right next to the bathroom because I was NOT making a long hike to the ladies' room in the middle of the night in sub-freezing temps).  After we unload and pitch the tent, Tom goes off for firewood and I organize everything, make the bed (thank goodness for air mattresses), situate everything in the tent, organize the foods stuff, basically make sure everything can be easily found, especially in the dark.  We each understand our camping duties and get right to work!  Our system works very well as I am VERY Type A so I have to have things organized my way and he loves to search for firewood.  We never argue over who has to do what; we just do it.  It has been this way since the very first time he and I went camping together.  It makes for an easy set up and breakdown!

Our site this past weekend, tent all set up and ready!

Tom's absolute favorite part about camping is hunting for firewood and chopping it up with his oh-so-big camping axe!  On many occasions, I have been enjoying a good book by the fire, Tom disappears and returns 30 minutes later with huge logs, ready to let his inner Paul Bunyan shine and do his job.  So when I say it's Tom's absolute favorite part about camping, I'm serious.  So after we got the tent up, Tom disappears in the Jeep in search of firewood.  As always, he comes back with the entire back filled with logs, branches and limbs, kindling, pine cones, basically anything he could find that would burn.  This exact scenario played out a few times on our trip-- it was too cold to let that fire die!

Hubs works so hard to get the firewood chopped

Once we got our fire going, it didn't go out the entire weekend.  Sure, it died down a little overnight since we couldn't tend to it, but Tom built the BEST fire we've ever had that literally burned for days!  The rest of the weekend was so incredibly relaxing!  It was great time for Tom and me to escape the city and civilization for a few days, spend time with each other and Max without the everyday distractions such as TV and internet.  It was wonderful to just sit by a fire, roast 'mallows, make s'mores, talk and enjoy each other's company all weekend!  Max wasn't on the same page as us though...  He was FREEZING!  And when I say freezing, I mean his little 15 pound body was convulsing with shivers.  We did have an electric heater in the tent so when he couldn't stay warm after the sun started to drop, we put him in his crate to enjoy the heater blowing directly into his pop-up crate.  He survived, but wasn't too thrilled with the chilly mornings and nights.  Sunday night though, we did spend more time with him in the tent so that he could be warm and not in his crate.  He DID enjoy that!  

One of my favorite parts about camping is definitely the scenery!  I usually get really great views when I go running as I run throughout the entire park.  This weekend was different because I took the entire weekend off from running.  It was just too cold to take off the layers (I was in at least 2 layers of clothing at all times- running compression tights, fleece pants, tshirt, long-sleeved compression shirt, one of Tom's long-sleeved tshirt, sweatshirt, my heavy North Face with the fleece zipped in at night.  At bedtime, I swapped out the sweatshirt and fleece pants for my fleece footie pajamas- best.idea.ever).  Even though I didn't go running like usual, I was able to enjoy God's beauty in our surroundings.

Lake Allatoona shoreline

The barren winter woods along Lake Allatoona

Sunset in the woods

While these scenes may not seem beautiful to everyone, they are to me!  God's beauty is something to always be enjoyed and Mother Nature is a fine example of His wonderful creations!  To sit back and enjoy nature and the outdoors was so serene and relaxing for us.  For those who know me well, you know I would rather be outdoors on any given day!  Florescent lighting and recirculated air isn't my idea of a great setting unless it involves being at work.

Our weekend fortunately got to extend into Monday!  I took the day off so that we could finish our weekend off with a day of relaxation and that is exactly how it ended!  We unpacked the car, took showers (we smelled like our fire pit and I hadn't washed my hair since Thursday night thanks to the cold- I didn't want to get sick), and parked ourselves on the couch and hung out the rest of the day!  It was a perfect ending to a fabulous weekend!  I can't WAIT until our next weekend venture into the woods!  That will probably be in California somewhere so I hope the camping and outdoor scene is great there, too!

This weekend means cleaning up for us!  We are getting rid of things, listing items for sale on Craigs List, going through things and packing things up!  Well, that's the plan anyway.  We'll see how much actually gets done!  Hope y'all have a great weekend and thanks for reading!  Be back soon!

All My Love, 

Britt

xoxo