So I Run....

I have turned into that crazy runner friend. You know, the one that can only talk about the races she has ran or is going to run, who talks about carb loading, and can't hang out because she has a long training run. Yup, that girl.

Let me start this by saying I was not athletic in high school. I was the girl who failed gym, and had to take three periods of gym back to back senior year so I could graduate. Hated gym, hated exercise, hated everything about it.

Fast forward thru all of my weight loss. Found a love of Zumba. Yadda yadda ya. In February of 2013, I was sitting around, minding my own business, when my girlfriend was like, hey, we should do a 5k.

Insert bank stare here. HUH?? Has she met me? The most exercise I got was Zumba. I didn't run, unless it was away from something. But ok, I can accept a challenge. We decided to sign up for Color Me Rad. If you aren't familiar with it, it's  5K where at certain parts of it, they throw colored powder at you, and then at the end, you and your friends throw colored powder at each other, and you turn out to be a big pink and orange mess.

Seems harmless right?

So we signed up for the race. We downloaded the Couch to 5K app. We got our butts to the gym, hopped on a treadmill, and nearly died after the first five minutes. No kidding. C25K is a program that spreads out over 8 weeks. You start out slow, running 30 seconds, then walking 2 minutes. As you progress thru the weeks, the intervals change, focusing on more running and less walking, until at the end, you run a 5K. That first time we hopped on the treadmill, we literally both almost died. We both thought, "This thing wants us to run for 30 seconds?? Are you crazy??" We did not die like we thought we were going to. But we limped home, and were back at it 3 days later.

We finished Color Me Rad in 38 minutes, which was huge for us!

I had so much fun, I signed up for Color Run in August. (Same concept, different name). Somehow, I managed to finish that in around 30 minutes!

OMG, was I running? Me, clutzy, clumsy, hates strenuous physical effort me, a runner? The strange thing was, I LIKED it. I am always so busy between work, school, and family, that I forget to do something for me. The time I spent running was my time to  myself. I let my mind wander, listed to my headphones, and just went!

A couple months after the Color Run, I was playing on Facebook, and got drawn into someone's post about running a race in Disney. HUH?? You can run races in Disney? I did some poking around, and discovered that you can run all sorts of races at Disney. Short ones, long ones. I wanted to do that! I love Disney, what better thing to do then to run through the happiest place on earth? With some more poking and digging, I discovered Disney World's first race of the year is Marathon Weekend. It's a whole weekend of races! And Marathon weekend has a challenge called the Dopey Challenge. It's four races (a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon, and a full marathon), over four days, for a total of 48.6 miles. I wanted to do that, never mind that all I had run up to this point was two 5k's. I signed up for it as soon as it opened.

My friends thought I was out of my mind. Like really out of my mind. I think they were ready to have me committed. And I have to admit that it was a crazy thing to do. But I am stubborn as hell, and let someone try to tell me I can't do something, I will do my damnedest to prove them wrong.

So the first thing I had to do after signing up for Dopey was get a proof of time. You want to submit a POT so Disney can place you in a corral, and hopefully it is not the last corral (The better the corral you get placed in, the better the cushion that you have). I signed up for the May 2014 Buffalo Half Marathon. I downloaded Couch to Half Marathon, and started training 3-4 days a week.

And guess what? I ran my first half marathon in 2:29 and some seconds! I was a half marathoner! I cried when I crossed that finish line, I really did. I would never have pictured the girl who thought she was going to die on the treadmill after 30 seconds the year before would have turned into a runner!

How did I follow that first half marathon up?

I did a Tough Mudder:

And I ran another half marathon:

July 2014 started full fledged Dopey training. Running 5 days a week, Tuesday, and Thursday - Sunday. Tuesdays and Thursdays I did 3 miles. Fridays I did 5 miles. Saturdays I started at 5 miles, and every week added on a mile until I got to 10 miles, and kept doing 10 miles every Saturday after that. Sundays I started with 5 miles, and I would add on a mile every week until I hit 20 miles. Once I hit 20, my plan was to back it down to 16 miles on Sunday, and build back up to 20 again.

During training, I ran another half marathon:

And another:

And yes, one more:

Somewhere along the way of training for Dopey, I became a runner. A full fledged, crazy runner. I became a person who fell in love with running. Like really fell in love with it. As much as it is hard work, and it can hurt, and suddenly you have aches and pains you may not have had before, there is something so satisfying about running miles you never had before. There is something so soothing about just you, your music, and the open road. Nothing beats doing something people thought you couldn't do.

How did I fair during Dopey? Did I cross the finish line? You'll just have to wait and see!

25 Random Things

1. I hate feet, and think they're gross. (yes, anyone's lol.)
2. I've been in love w/ the same person for almost 17 years, even if we weren't always on the same page.
3.I'm obsessed w/ reality TV, even the really bad ones.
4. I can't live w/out a good tattoo artist/piercer, Sephora, and wedge heels.
5. I'm secretly a big nerd. (and proud of it lol)
6. I've always thought Mints was way more fun then Peppermints.
7. I live for bubblebaths.
8. I can't believe my oldest son is almost 16. He'll be learners permit ready in like 10 months!!!!!
9. I'm an Apple snob.
10. I live for all things Disney.
11. You don't wanna talk to me in the am until I've had at least 1 cup of coffee!
12. I sleep w/ my son's stuffed puppy, since he's WAY too big to sleep w/ us!! (and has been for years now:-( )
13. I love flip flops, I think I own at least 50 pairs!!!!
14. Ditto w/ purses.
15. I'm addicted to facebook, I'm trying to quit.
16. I'm terrified of haunted houses. And scary movies. Pretty much anything that goes bump when it shouldn't.
17. I can't cook. But I can make great desserts!
18. I'm a white girl w/ no rhythm, but get a couple drinks in me and I think I'm ABDC, lol!
19. Can't stand pop, it hurts my belly.
20. I sing in the shower, tho prolly not well.
21. I can shop til I drop.
22. I love, love love arrozz con gandules, and the hubs doesn't know how to make it! Whats up w/ that?????
23. I hate when Win beats me at the punch bug game.
24. I love all things pumpkin.
25. Thank god this is done, I couldn't think of anything else!!!!!!

How I lost a couple small children....

As of last week, I have lost 80 lbs.

That is crazy right? 80 lbs? I was carrying around 80 lbs of extra something on me! That's a member of Big Time Rush. That's a Backstreet Boy. That is the weight of two of the baby dude!

Sixteen years ago, I was a nice, skinny, high school senior.

Soon after, enter oldest dude. I gained 60lbs during my pregnancy. (Sorry no pics, I can't seem to find one. It's quite possible I burned them all they were lost in the move) Fine, all I craved was McDonald's, and mac n' cheese. But still. Oldest dude could have been born a teenager with all of that weight. I think I just thought my skinny teenage body would bounce back on it's own, but it doesn't work like that. And anyone who has a child knows that when they finally, finally, FINALLY go to sleep, the last thing you're doing is hitting the treadmill. Maybe in my dreams I was, but I was hitting the bed first!

I did lose some of the weight eight pounds. But I was no where near my skinny high school self above.

And then over a couple years, I gained more back. I can bake your socks off, and of course I was gonna try everything that I baked. And I hate cooking, so sure, let's go out to dinner! And oh, let's have popcorn and M&M combo mix at 10pm at night!

Enter baby dude. When I got pregnant, I was already 25lbs heavier then I was in high school. Strangely, during this pregnancy, I craved nothing but fruit, veggies, and yogurt. But I weighed the same when #2 was born as when #1 was born, because I started out much higher with #2.

And the cycle repeated itself. Dream treadmill, baking...until one day I woke up and saw:

Was that me? Where the heck was my neck? Why did my husband not tell me I had no neck!? Why did he not tell me every time I asked him if this shirt made me look fat did he not say, yo, eat an apple?? What the heck happened????

Don't get me wrong, I knew I had gained weight. But I didn't really see myself looking like that. I thought I carried my weight well.

So I decide to change things. I wanted my skinny high school body back. I wanted to show my kids that you can be healthy, and that you can do anything that you put your mind to. I wanted to shop in a section that didn't have a plus in its title.

One year later, thru Weight Watchers, Zumba, and running, I'm 80 lbs down, and 10 pant sizes smaller:

When I first started Weight Watchers, learning about portion sizes was hard. Not eating everything in sight was hard. It's easy to gain weight, it takes more effort to lose it. But weight watchers worked for me where no other diet before did. And believe me, I tried them all, Atkins, grapefruit, etc. On WW, if I wanted a slice of pizza, I could have it. If I wanted a piece of chocolate, I could. It wasn't just about portion control, and healthier habits, it was learning about moderation. But once I started shedding the pounds, it motivated me to keep going. It forced me to get creative, to cook, to get out there and move instead of sitting on the couch.

A little over a year ago, I added Zumba into the mix. I started doing it at home. Hubby dude bought me Zumba for Wii. I am clumsy, clutzy, and have absolutely no rhythm, so it was perfect for me. There was no one to embarrass myself in front of. I could do it from the comfort of my own home! I loved it. I loved everything about it, the music, the moves, the sweaty mess I became after. I loved it so much I ventured outside of my comfort zone, and took a class at a gym. And then I took another. And another. By that third time, I had a gym membership.

Running comes into play soon, I promise, just not in this post. I know, I'm a tease.

Fitting into a size 8 for the first time, I cried tears. Like loud, messy, hysterical tears. Like to the point that I think I scared the dressing room attendant. It had been so long since I'd seen me, I forgot what that was like. It had taken me so long to find myself again. WW helped me succeed where I had continually failed before.

I'm not done yet. I keep changing my goal, because I have exceeded my original goal beyond my wildest dreams. But I did it. Weight Watcher's helped me. Zumba helped me. Running has helped me. Not wanting to be the 600lb woman helped me. WW saved my life, and gave me ME again. It's been a battle the whole way, because some days I just want to sit on the couch and eat Doritos. But that's how I got to my before. 

If I can do it, anyone can. And if you need a cheerleader, I'll be there! I know what it's like.

Me

I am new to this blogging thing. I sort of feel like that doofus person who throws a party. "What if no one shows up?" In my case, "what if I write and no one reads?" I'll start by telling you a bit about myself, and then I guess we'll see where this goes?

My name is Vanessa. I'm from Buffalo, NY. I have three dudes in the house:

Oldest Dude: He is 14 going on 30. Interested in girls, Xbox, and bike rides. Extremely forgetful. Oldest dude has always been super independent, so he is quite content to wander by himself. Helpful, patient, and snarky all at the same time.

Baby Dude: Yes, I know he is not a baby. But I called oldest dude my baby until he was ten! (I will never be ready for how fast my babies grow.) He is the ultimate snuggle bug. He is shy, but he is creative, and imaginative, and oh so loving. His best friend is oldest dude, which I love. (Oldest dude does too!)

Hubby Dude: We have been together for 16 years, and married for almost 7 now. We met when I threw peanuts at him at the restaurant that we used to work at. Two kids, and so many years later, and he is still my best friend. Well, unless he leaves the toilet seat up. Then it's war.

Spazzy, shaggy puppy: Enjoys stalking and killing all forms of stuffies, begging for food, and peeing on mommy's brand new pair of boots. Oh, and terrorizing any and all groomers. Seriously, do not come at him with a brush....or comb....or scissors...or clippers...... Beyond freaking terrified Scared of garbage bags.

And then there's me:

I'm a Disney stalker fan. Seriously. I want to live there. I fully believe I missed my calling as a princess. I like tattoos and books (and when I say books, I mean real books. There is something so satisfying about cracking the spine of a brand new book.) I'm probably the most rebellious book nerd you'll ever meet. I have turned into that crazy running friend who can only talk about mileage, tapering, or carb loading. (More on that later.) I am a silly, goofy, kid at heart, even with the odd grays popping up every once in a while. I'm an instagram fiend who still can't figure out twitter. Oh, and I bake. Like a lot. Fridays at work have become known as diabeetus Friday's.

If you're not snoring yet, hey hey, I'm on the right path! Hopefully I'll see you soon!