My First 14K!

Little Miss is content watching Wild Kratts, Hubs is snoring (quite loudly) in the bed, so I have a few moments to put together this blog post!

If you follow me on Facebook, you will already know that I completely surpassed my goal time! I didn't really feel like I was running that quickly but it was soooo cold! I guess I just ran as fast as I could to A)keep warm, and B)finish so I could warm back up in the field house!

Of all the races I have completed, I got the most sleep the night before this time. My Hubs is awesome, he told me to get to bed at 9pm and he took care of Little Miss. I ended up waking up every two hours and drinking water, so I would check in on them. They both ended up sleeping on the couch watching "Peter Pan". So not only did I have the bed to myself, I didn't have to deal with the Snore Monster. I ended up getting about 9 hours of sleep! 

When I woke up, I ate my usual breakfast and turned on the news. I wanted to check out the weather. All week the prediction was no rain, highs in the low 40s. Okay, at least it wasn't around freezing. Lies, all lies! The weatherman was saying while the temps were going to be in the 40s, it was going to "feel like" the 30s. Why, IN THE WORLD, do the weather peeps do that crap? I want to know what its going to "feel like" outside, opposed to what the actual temps are. Grrr. I dressed as warmly as possible then headed out. 

I had to get to the field house early before they closed the roads. So I just hung out in my car as long as possible, trying to absorb as much heat as possible. I had to meet up with my sailor gal friends so I could get my super cool valentine's day themed shirt. We definitely had the best T's in the race. Lots of people were huddled up in the field house then all at once (with like 5 minutes left til start time) everyone filed out and proceeded to their assigned corrals.

*Oh, so funny story about the corrals.* 

I once had a friend tell me this story about how she accidentally entered in the wrong race time when registered for a race and ended up in the first corral with all the super serious racers. On race day, she put herself in a more appropriate corral and tried to keep her number covered up so others wouldn't notice her mistake. All the other races I have run, there have been quite a few corrals. The day before the race when I picked up my number this time, I didn't notice until I got home that I was in corral #2. I freaked out, I was like,

OMG I PUT IN THE WRONG RACE TIME WHEN I REGISTERED....and I am going to be totally mortified on race day!
 
I have never been in that low of a corral number. I was making plans to go back up to the field house and fix the situation so I could get into the right corral before race day. I ended up texting one of the sailor gals and asked what corral she was in, they were in #3. Oh. Then I checked the race's Facebook page. They said there were only 4 corrals total. Oh. Phew. Hubs thought it was pretty funny how I freaked out. 

Okay back to the original story.

So we lined up in our corrals. Lots of people were wearing tutus. Lots of hearts. Quite a few couples were racing together. Total Valentine's Day themed race. All of us were shivering though! I just wanted to dang race to start so I could run and warm up.

I was right, once I started running I warmed up. Though my fingers did stay numb for quite a while even though I had gloves on. The wind sucked. Especially when the trees disappeared and there was nothing to block the wind. I encountered strong winds when I ran the Wicked 10K (compliments of Hurricane Sandy), but this was different because it was so frickin cold. The race path was pretty nice, mostly paved with a few spots in the grass. It had rained significantly the day before so I was happy we were on hard surfaces for most of the run. Watching people try to avoid the mud puddles while avoiding other runners was pretty funny. You had some people that weren't watching where they were going somehow and were totally shocked when they plowed through the water or mud. Other people gracefully lept over the road hazards. Then just a few seemed clueless as to how to go about getting around the mud....they totally stopped running when they reached the edge of the puddle and stared at it, like they were waiting for it to dry or move out of the way or something, *shrug*.  


I do have a few snarky remarks though. While I was in the field house before the race, a lady next to me was stretching. I now know she wears grey leopard VS panties under her black pants. And so do the other 10 or so people that were standing there too. One girl had a wardrobe malfunction during the race. I don't know if the waistband broke on her baggy crop capris or if she just didn't have them tied tight enough, but her butt definitely came out of her pants around mile 5. But no worries, she has on her white cotton granny panties. For once, I am glad someone wore panties under their running pants! No worries though, without missing a step she yanked her britches back up and secured them without slowing down. Either she's had practice doing that maneuver, or she is totally pro. 

And to the one woman that ran in a teddy and yoga pants...I am actually speechless. 

I only slowed down once to get a few sips of Gatorade, I was so proud that I didn't have to stop and use a port-o-potty! I have this nervous fear that I will pee on myself while running so anytime I feel like there is anything in my bladder, I get anxious. My left IT band started bothering me towards the end, but I knew that would happen. They had a "Candy Corner" near the end of the race route, even though I love chocolate I didn't want to eat it just yet so I took off my gloves and shoved the M&Ms into them. I figured Little Miss would appreciate them. I also snagged some beads one of the radio stations handed out just so I could give them to her too. The race ended inside of the field house which was nice, but I was kind of blinded for a moment. It was bright & sunny outside, so when I ran on the ramp into the field house my eyes freaked out from the sudden change of light. Other than that, they announced your name as you crossed the finish line and that was a very nice touch. Maybe they have done this at other races and I haven't noticed? But its pretty cool hearing your name as you cross that line. 

I collected my free goodies: medal, water, gatorade, banana, and beanie. I promptly drank my water and searched for my friends. We enjoyed our 2 free Yvengling beer and chili from Baker's Crust. But once we sat down, it was not so easy to get back up. Since I parked closest, I shuttled everyone to their cars and headed home. All I wanted to do was go home, shower, then sleep!

I was totally stunned by my running time. My goal was to run a 9:30/mile. When I run on the treadmill, I go at a 9:40/mile and the last race I ran I did a 9:20/mile so I figured my goal should be somewhere in between because the weather was going to be much colder than what I was accustomed to. My stats from this race are:

Chip Time: 1:17:01 Gun Time: 1:19:08 Pace: 8:52/M

I am so happy with how I ran. I guess I am stronger than I thought! I would definitely run this race again, it was a great event and I liked the race path. 

I "mustache" you a question, will you be my valentine?

The next race coming up in this area is the Shamrock, they have a full marathon, a half marathon, and an 8k. I totally planned on running the half marathon...but its the same weekend that we are going to be in Disney! So I can't really be sad because well I will be in the happiest place on Earth, but I do wish I could be in two places at once. I guess the next race I will run will probably be in October, there is a half marathon that I can do. I need to see  if there are  e what other events are going on in my area so I can do something sooner!

Now I guess the next thing I can prepare for is...

SWIMSUIT SEASON!   
 


 

Race Day is Coming!

I can't believe that race day is Saturday! It totally crept up on me. I didn't enter the race until maybe 2 weeks ago because I wasn't sure if Hubs would have duty. I mean someone does have to be home with Little Miss, I'm not a fan of racing with her in the jogger. 

The last time I ran an event was the Blue Moon Wicked 10k back in October, I did better than I expected in that race. I finished in 57:54 at an average of 9:20 pace! I have to give credit to my running buddy who pushed me the whole race. She almost decapitated herself on the Christmas lights they were setting up along the Oceanfront...it was an entertaining run to say the least! Lots of people were in costume, her and I dressed as a cop and a "runaway" convict. The Blue Moon beer and Baker's Crust chili were amazing after the race too.

So the race on Saturday in the Virginia is for Lovers 14k. Its a Valentines' Day themed race, they even have a "Lovers Lane" with signs people paid to have posted (proceeds go to the Navy Seal Foundation) and a section with cheesy pickup lines. There are a few sailor ladies I have grouped up with and they made super cute running shirts so we will all match. There is one thing I am concerned about: the cold weather. I HATE running in the cold. I was raised in south Louisiana, I don't have lungs I have gills. When its cold, the air is dry and man my gills don't like it much. I ran outside last weekend in the cold and did better than I thought so I'm not so worried about it now.

My goal this time is to run at least a 9:30 mile. When I run on the treadmill, I run at a 9:40 pace. I usually run faster outside so we will see!

When I think about this race and I think about what shape I was in 3 years ago, its just crazy. I was 40 lbs overweight. I hated what I saw in the mirror, I hated how my clothes fit. I hated what I had allowed to happen to my body. People told me, its okay you had a baby a few months ago! But I had let myself go. I ate so much fast food, I didn't take care of myself. Growing up and even in college, I was very active. When I got pregnant I just stopped doing anything that resembled exercise. When I ate tons of food I just told myself that I was eating for two so its okay, I will just lose the weight by breastfeeding.

FYI, breastfeeding only helped me lose probably 10lbs.  

My metabolism had changed. The only way to lose the weight was the tried and true method: Eating less and moving more. I was too embarrassed to work out at the gym. So I started out simple, I worked out using the Wii Fit at home. I cut out the fast food. I started cooking more. I would get winded just from running in place!  To think that was 3 years ago and now I have the energy to run 8.64 miles FOR FUN!

Its been a long journey and it still amazes me to see how far I have come. After losing the weight, I came up with new goals. I wanted to be strong, I wanted to do things to show the strength I've gained. I can do pushups, like real pushups chest to the ground pushups. I can't do a whole lot, but I'm working on it. I can flip big tires too! Running these races also proves to me how strong I have become.

I think the biggest change for me has been that I don't need to live my life based on numbers on a scale. In order to like what I see in the mirror, I need to like myself first. Even if I am at my goal weight, if I am not happy with myself I will still not like my reflection. 

Like every weight loss journey, there are setback. Holidays, deployments...but what matters is not letting those setbacks deter you from achieving your goal. Getting back up after being knocked down shows alot more character then letting the setback define you. 

I hope that by sharing my story, it helps someone else realize they can do it too. By no means do I think I am special or spectacular, I was just motivated to change. As long as you keep fueling that motivation, you too will be amazed at what you can do. 

 

Couponing is Addicting!

Hello, my name is Shannon and I may be addicted to couponing. 

Just ask my husband, when he comes home from work I tell him about how much money I've saved. He's such a sweetheart, he's never asked me once why we need 20 Digiorno pizzas in our chest freezer, or why there are 10 boxes of cereal in our garage, or why do we have enough laundry detergent to wash 700 loads of laundry. He just nods at me and says, "That's good honey.". He's pretty awesome like that.

Here are my brag worthy purchases this week:

I saved 66% at Walgreens this week. I go on Tuesdays (15% military discount!), combined with coupons I spent a whopping $17.53. With that I purchased almonds, cereal, chex mix, nutrition bars, and toilet paper, 10 items total. 

I go to Farm Fresh on Wednesdays, they double coupons up to $1.00 that day. I usually end up with a few freebies from here, this time I ended up with 2 free boxes of Wheat Thins, a free Digiorno pizza, a free 2 liter of coke, and 2 packages of free chicken breasts.

Target was my favorite this week though. I love their "unadvertised" sales.

So the eyeshadow was discounted for 2 reasons, it was something from the holidays and one of the eyeshadows had broken. I paid $7.50 for 143 different eyeshadow colors, that is about $.05 per e.l.f. eyeshadow! I am having so much fun with this palette, it has so many great colors. It will be a while before I need eyeshadow again!

I found these hot rollers at the end of an aisle, they were the last box. Originally $34.59, on sale for $10.37. No damage at all, I guess Target is no longer carrying them though. I currently have a set of these that I use and I love them. I couldn't pass up such a great deal on a good set of rollers, I haven't decided whether to use them myself or save as a gift! 

I bought enough laundry detergent to wash 440 loads of dirty clothes and paid around $.07 per load! Target was running a deal, you would receive a $5 Target gift card if you bought 2 172 0z All laundry detergent. I had a few coupons to go along with it, here is the math: (Thanks TotallyTarget!)

2 All laundry detergent - $11.99 x 2 = $23.98
-$1/1 All laundry detergent 172 oz., Target website coupon
-$1/1 All laundry detergent 172 oz., Target mobile coupon
-$2/2 any All detergent products, coupons.com
= $19.98
-$5 Target gift card for buying 2 All laundry detergent
= $14.98 for 2, or $7.49 a piece, each bottle does 110 loads which is around .$07 per load!

This trip was my first one using the Target mobile coupons, to get them text GETCOUPONS to 827438. With the Target website coupons, I could only use one of them per transaction (even though I was allowed to print 2 coupons for the All laundry detergent, the coupons specified only one offer per guest). BUT they let me also use the Target mobile coupon which was the exact same as the coupon I printed from the Target website. So today, I went back and did this transaction again (my amazing husband let me subscribe to the Target mobile coupons on his phone, like I said he's pretty awesome). After this weekend I ended up with 4 172oz All laundry detergents, enough to wash 440 loads of laundry.

If you are interested in this whole coupon craze going on, I suggest you check out The Krazy Couponing Lady's Beginners Couponing Guide. They walk you through it all, from how to change the way you shop to how to make your own coupon binder (they have free printables!).

To get my coupons, I have one Sunday paper delivered to my house (I pay $20 for a year subscription). I also follow quite a few couponing pages on Facebook that post online coupons that I will print at the end of each day as well as weekly coupon match-ups. I probably spend an hour or two a week clipping and printing coupons, then preparing my shopping list for match-ups. 

I started out small, I just did my couponing at Walgreens, Target, Farm Fresh, and the Commissary. This week I added in Rite Aid to my list. I will head to Rite Aid on Sunday, Walgreens on Tuesday (15% military discount), Farm Fresh on Wednesday (double coupons up to $1.00), then go to the commissary and Target whenever it fits into my schedule. 

I do find that sometimes I will go to a store twice in a week. Especially if a coupon appears mid-week that makes for a great deal, or an "unadvertised" sale. This week I went to Target twice to take advantage of the laundry detergent deal.

I do not know why I didn't start couponing sooner. I used to think I couldn't eat healthy and coupon, but I've proved myself wrong. I've been able to get the items and brands I like at better prices. I've even been able to try out new stuff! 

I have a few goals with my couponing besides the monthly savings on groceries. I've decided all the gift cards I receive as part of savings deals, like the Target ones this week, I will save until Christmas to cash them all in for gifts. I use the Ibotta app, I will cash that out at Christmas too for gifts. So far, I have $30 set aside! If I could save that much each month, by December I would have $330 to use for Christmas gifts. That would make for some nice gifts for Little Miss!

I have also started couponing for baby shower gifts. I have quite a few friends that are preggers so I have started couponing for baby items like diapers, baby shampoo, & baby lotion. My goal is to collect enough items to make cute baskets full of baby must-haves!

I hope I can keep up with this all year and I can't wait to see how much I save!
 

 

Lessons from the Real Housewives

Its no secret that one of my guilty pleasures is watching all of the "Real Housewives of ____" on Bravo. My favorite is OC, followed closely by the ladies of NJ. Right now, BH and ATL are running their seasons.

Bahahaha I just noticed my use of acronyms, can you tell I'm a military wife?

Okay back to the important stuff, Real Housewives and their so-called reality. We all know the show isn't totally real and these women are pretty damn dramatic but this all makes for good TV. I know most people connect to the characters on these shows by finding parallels between their lives and their own. Alot of people identify with Jacqueline from NJ because of her struggles with fertility. Or Brandi from BH because of her (now ex) spouse's, very public infidelity. Or the dynamic of the sisterly bond between Gina and Caroline on NJ. For myself, I just watch the shows to get my dose of drama. I don't like it so much in real life, but for an hour I will live vicariously through these women to get my fill.

Usually these women find themselves in situations that I will probably never ever get myself into. Like selling stories to the tabloids about my friends. Or getting sued for slander. Or being accused of making a copycat booty workout video. Maybe the closest I would get would be eating a piece of cake before it had been ceremoniously cut...haha! 

Well after watching an episode of RHOBV, I found myself thinking, "Hey I've been in that situation before and I am glad I did not handle it the way she did!". To sum up this catfight, these two women were friends (Brandi & Adrienne) and for some reason or another the friendship started going bad. Then because of her bitter feelings Brandi revealed some big secret about Adrienne, something so secret that lawyers are involved.

I think we have all been there, the ending of a friendship. It happens for many different reasons and sometimes they are are quite dramatic. I had what I thought to be a very close friendship end very suddenly. Both of our feelings were hurt. But instead of turning this into a reality TV situation, I kept my mouth shut despite what other parties involved were doing. Whatever secrets or confidences were told to me when we were friends, I kept it that way despite our friendship dissolving. I am adult and I am aware that whatever comes out of my mouth is a reflection of me. That is what you should have done Ms. Brandi from RHOBV. When Adrienne told you that secret, it was because you were close friends. Just because the friendship ends doesn't mean you can run around telling those secrets, even if you feel like Adrienne had wronged you or was running her mouth.

*NEWSFLASH* When you gossip about someone else, it only temporarily makes you feel better. In the long run though, it makes you look worse and you will feel that way too. 

When you open your mouth and air out someone else's dirty laundry, you are the one that looks like an a**. Why would anyone trust you after so publicly telling someone else's business? Instead of making her look like a fool and gaining sympathy points for yourself, it backfired and you are the one that looks likes an idiot. At least now I know what would have happened had I decided to run around town telling my ex-bestie's darkest secrets. I mean, I doubt she would have lawyered up but I get the gist of it.

So thank you Real Housewives for showing my how NOT to deal with situations. I love love love the drama on your shows but not-so-much in my real life.