Park Problem Solved! :)

Looks like I have found my park! It's about 10 min. away driving, but it is totally worth it! My run wasn't all that exciting, but the Park was! :)

Here are my new running buddies! :) They are fun to watch while running by! :)

 Yes that's my finger...The sun was very bright and I didn't see it! lol :)

I just love it all!

 Stopping to take pictures! :)

I have to Thank my mom who actually Google Maped this Park for me! :) So glad she found it! :) 

As for the run, I really don't know how long the trail is, so I don't even know how far I went! I made it all the way around, walking, in less than 15 min. so I am thinking that it is at least a mile. If it is, then I did 3 miles today! If not, then...I don't know! It's times like these that I wish I had my Garmin! :) For the first 2 laps, I decided to just Run/Walk. I would run 5 min. walk for 1 or 2 min. Then the last lap I just walked the whole time. Just to enjoy it! I just have to say...the hills are killer! I love when you get to go down, of course, but going from flat land in my hometown to a hill every 5 seconds...I just know I will feel it tomorrow!!!  It will take some practice to get back up to running 30 min. straight without walking up those hills! But I will do it! I have time to work on it right now, since I am still unemployed! :) I can't wait to go back again tomorrow! :)

And what's better than icing your shins after a nice run?

Sticking them in a 30°F pool!!! (There is actually a gauge for temp, that's how I knew) It was pretty out by the apartment's pool today,  so I decided to sit and relax for a moment! It felt good, until my toes turned purple. :)

Off the park topic for a moment....For all of you Pumpkin lovers...

I give you the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie with Bubbles (Tapioca) from Fat Straws!

OMG it was yummy! My brother Jeff introduced this to me yesterday! It was so good! :)

BTW...He's playing Guitar tomorrow at the Opening Bell Coffee Shop in Dallas, TX! Everyone should come by and hear! He's great! :)

Do any of you have a favorite place to run, walk, bike...or just picnic?

Wanted: Park with Trails!!

I drove to 6 different parks in my area today. It is great that there are TONS of parks in my area, but NOT ONE of them had trails for me to run!!! 

This is Lake Arlington Park...Very Pretty, but no running trails!

So what did I do after not finding a park?

Why I went shopping of course!

Mostly window shopping. Since I don't have a job at the moment, I don't want to waste money on silly things. I did however buy a piece for my Halloween costume!

This is just a hint of who I will be...More to come this weekend! :)

I did, however, make time to get to our apartment office. There is actually a Treadmill in the "workout" room in the complex, but it has been broken. The office manager let me know that it should be fixed by the end of the week...I hope it is! That would give me more time to find a good park!

I also had a nice time on our patio "car watching" with the puppies!

The puppies had fun too!!! :) 

The wind has been blowing today, so the weather was surprisingly nice!

I can't wait until it gets cooler out!

I did another 2 miles on the elliptical last night. At least I am able to keep up my cardio. I just so need to run! I am just afraid to do it alone without my hubby on these streets! Now that he has a "real" job, I will have to wait on him to get home! :) 

I am still in the process of job hunting. I got 2 calls today, but I'm not sure they will turn into something. They always want me to have "1 more year experience, or one more certification in something else". Get's you down when you keep hearing that. I'll keep trying though! I know there is a need for nurses somewhere around here!! :)

My day tomorrow looks like this:

Eat breakfast

Apply for jobs

Eat lunch

Apply for more jobs

Possibly go on the elliptical

Eat Dinner

Probably apply for more jobs! :)

Oh and take the dogs out to potty every 10 min...

I am attempting to re-potty train them in the new place!! :)

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!! :)

Just keep Swimming...

Today I found out that I won a Giveaway hosted by Running Diva Mom! It was a gift certificate for Amy Cornwell Designs! This is what Amy made for Running Diva Mom:

 Of Course...I will have to have one with A Runner's Heart on it! Haha :) Just trying to decide on the design! :)
She has the cutest designs from necklaces, to bracelets, keychains, and even clutches made with fabric! Everyone should go check out Amy's designs!  Looks like a great place for Christmas shopping! :)

My title "Just Keep Swimming" of course comes from Finding Nemo! I love that movie. It is very fitting for me right now. I have found my self in a new city and without a job for the first time in 8 years. It's crazy! I was trying to think of stuff I needed to do next week....looks like running and applying for jobs are the only 2 things on my To Do list! :) I'm not sure if I like this or not! I hope boredom eating doesn't start crawling back! I have to admit....I have been a little scared about running in a new city. I had become comfortable on my little 3.6 mile trail. I knew who to expect out there at night and became comfortable with my surroundings. Now I have to find a new trail, in the daytime, with HILLS! It is a little intimidating. I keep putting of running because...well...I don't really like change. But...It is time for a new adventure! Tonight I went to our apartment "workout" room (if you can call it that haha) and did 2 miles on the elliptical. I just needed a little confidence boost that I still have it in me. Tomorrow I will be doing more on the elliptical and I am hoping to go and find a park to run in. I have to just jump in and do it! Wish me luck! I do have a Half-Marathon to train for! :)

6 days!

It has been 6 days since I have ran or blogged! I feel like I haven't done anything except drive and stare at cardboard boxes for the last 6 days! We spent all day Friday packing up the Uhaul. It took almost 6 hours since we had to carry everything we owned down stairs! My in-laws, my mom, and our friend Cla came to help us. We then then drove to my parents house to stay the night. We were so exhausted that we were in bed by 8:30PM and asleep by 9! We were up at 7AM Saturday to make the long drive to Fort Worth. It took us almost the full 6 hours to get there, because we had to drive slower in the Uhaul. It was a good trip, however. Very little traffic! When we arrived at the apartment, several friends and family members showed up tp help us move in. It took less than an hour to bring everything in! We had almost 10 people show up to help! 

Thank you Cla, Jeffery, Keith, Brad, Cheri, and Alan! And of course a HUGE thanks to my parents and in-laws!! You guys are the best!!! :)

On Monday night our friends Jackie and Brad cooked us a wonderful home-cooked meal for dinner. It was great! We were so sick of eating fast food, so this was a fabulous option! Thank you for making us feel so welcome in our new city! :) Looking forward to many more dinners together now that we are so close! :)

We came back to my parents yesterday so the hubby could work his last day at the church and so I could clean the old apartment and turn over the keys. My mom and mom-in-law came to help with the apartment today. It looked great! Thanks moms! :) 

We drive back to the big city tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to going to our new home and just sitting! Haha :) The last 6 days have been exhausting! The hubby starts his new job Monday, so we will have at least 3 days to be on our own and just rest. We have a cute little patio now and we looking forward to sitting and drinking coffee in the mornings! :) We are ready to explore the area and see what our new city looks like!

Still excited about running in our new city...not looking forward to all of the hills! I never realized how hilly that area is! Haha! I just hope it'd not like starting over with my training! :)

Packing Break!

This will be my last post from my hometown...

We will be loading the Uhaul tomorrow and heading out Saturday Morning!

I have been packing so many boxes that we don't have any more room to put the boxes in this apartment! I have no idea how we crammed this much stuff in this tiny place!

 There are even more boxes in the bedroom!

We are going from a population of 113, 866 to a population of 727,575. And that is only in Fort Worth! The DFW metroplex has 6,447,615!!! That is so big! Not what I am used to, but I am up for the challenge!! :)

I ran the last time here as a resident of the city. We will back, all of our family & friends live here, so I can't say it will be last run here ever. I decided to run in the morning. This is the first time I have done this since about July...It was beautiful outside and there was a very nice breeze. I will have to make it a point to run more during the day though. The sun beating down is something I will have to get used to before my race. I was actually faster on this run than I am when my hubby runs with me. It was surprising since he always pushes me. My walking was slower though. I was just so tired! I know it had to have been from the sun. I was just so drained and thirsty. I learned I need more water on my runs in the sun to! Ha What a concept huh? :) I am excited to run my first run in Fort Worth! It will be the first day of Week 9 and a 30 min. run! I am hoping to make it to 2.25 miles. 2.5 would be fabulous though! :) After Week 9...it's 1/2 Marathon training time!!!

10-10-10 = 10K❤

In honor of 10-10-10...My hubby and I decided to head out and run a 10K! 

That's right! 6.2 miles done in 1 hour and 30 minutes! :)

Me after the big run.

Now yes, we did walk a bit...but a 14 minute mile, even while walking...is impressive for us! WooHoo! 

The whole run went great. I did have a few new pains, but they made me feel more like a runner! My lower back even started hurting! And it's kinda sad that I am excited about this. But I am beginning to feel more like a "real runner" (as opposed to a "fake runner") HaHa! :)

Tonight made me realize that I can definitely do 13.1 miles in March! Even if I do have to walk a bit, I know I can do it! :) I am so excited about my new Goal! I can't wait until March!! :)

I hope everyone had a great 10-10-10! I know I did! :)

Rock 'N' Roll!

This is where I will be March 27, 2011!!!

I have decided to take on my first 1/2 Marathon!

I am so excited! This year there was around 15,000 people...so yes, it will crowded! Ha

They have local bands playing every mile and then a festival with a Headliner band at the end! I won't need my iPod!

Now my training must increase! I have 5 days left of C25K and then I will be jumping right into my training plan. I will be running 4 days a week, working my way up to 13.1 miles in 12 weeks! So exciting! I can't wait to get started! :)

New Bondi Band! :)

I know it's backwards, but it says Run ❤!!!

I Love it!! This will be the headband I wear for my race's! 

I also got a pink sweat wicking hat from them! It is not quite as flattering with my straight hair. I will post a pic soon of me in it with curly hair. It will definitely be great in the winter. At least what we call our Texas winters haha :)

I want one that say's 26.2 eventually! I will have to work my way up! :)

I Love Bondi Bands!
Everyone should go over to their Facebook page and "like" them!
And while your at it, go buy one! They are great for all activities!


And FYI...I AM OFFICIALLY UNEMPLOYED!!!
The only reason this is a good thing is because we are moving to Fort Worth in 7 days!!!! :)
Then I have the unpleasantness of trying to find a new job...Yipee! HaHa :)

2 whole inches!

For over a year now, I have been inputting my fitness and some of my daily food intake into SparkPeople.com. That site is an absolutely wonderful tool for someone as OCD as me! I love data entry for some odd reason. HaHa It makes me feel productive I guess. :) The site has helped me realize that I eat way to many calories...but it has also motivated me to keep on track with attempting to eat less. For a while during the summer I was addicted to the site. I would go every day and read everything I could and get as many SparkPoints as I could for the day. Now that I am running I have swayed from counting my calories. I am not sure why. I don't know if it's because I think I can eat more now that I am running or just because I became lazy. More than likely...a mixture of the two... I do love the site though.

I say all of this to tell you that on the site tonight, I found some measurements I had taken June 2009. I decided to go ahead and measure again just to see if there was any improvement. Well... there was! I have lost 2 inches in my waist AND my hips! WooHoo! Go me! I am finally seeing some results! It only took 13 months (I started exercising in Sept. '09), but at least I'm seeing something now! As for weight-loss...Since Sept. '09 I have lost 16 pounds and counting! 

I love to see the scale going down, but I love seeing inches fall off even more! :)

Now onto my run tonight...New Record for me!!!

I started week 8 of Couch to 5K tonight. (Only 5 runs left! ) It was a bit cold this evening, as I ran out in my tank top and capri's. I knew, however, that I would be warming up fairly soon. The run started out well. It just wasn't quite as fast as I had been wanting. I picked up the past for mile 2. I knew I had done a 29 min mile the last time I ran, and I knew I had to do better than that this time. I picked up the pace and ended up going over the 2 mile mark in 28 minutes! I was so exited! I have two more 28 min. runs this week, and then three 30 min. runs and I am done with the C25K program! I can't wait to see how far I can go in 30 minutes! I finally decided to time myself at 3.1 mile marker tonight and I finished right at 48 minutes! This is an awesome time for me! Even with walking the last mile!  My final time for the 3.6 miles was 53 minutes and 15 seconds. Cody and I have not gone under 54 minutes yet, so this is our new record to beat! So my record of a 5K in 45 minutes is looking pretty good right now!


Now if I can just get Santa to bring me one of these



for Christmas...I would be in Heaven! It really stinks not knowing the exact time's for your run! Especially when I am (like I mentioned above) OCD about these sorts of things! :)

Hope everyone has a great evening and weekend!
I will be working all weekend, but it is my last weekend at this job!
Only 9 days until the big move!! :)

Let your hair down!

Tonight I decided to run with my hair down! I'm not sure why I decided to do this, but I did! My hair stayed straight  the whole time! This is actually an "after" picture! This is also the first time I have run in a t-shirt. I usually run in tank tops. Yeah, probably won't happen again. It was too uncomfortable. I don't think I will be cold after I start going, so I'm not going to worry about longer sleeves during the winter. Unless I can find some sweat wicking shirts. :) The hubby ran along with me again to keep me company. :) He is getting better at motivating me to keep going. I ❤ him for this. :)

As for the run...We ran 2 miles in 29 minutes. Yes I added a minute, but I took 4 days off before this run. Life happened and I just couldn't get out there....I hope this never happens again. My calves were so tight and sore almost the whole run! The weather, however, was amazing! A cool 65 degrees! I'm loving the fall weather! Just not sure what winter will bring! I just hope it doesn't hurt my breathing...We walked a half a mile and then decided to run the last half! It was great! I am almost confident that I will be able to run an entire 5K very soon! 

Tonight I found out that the track I have been running, this whole time, is actually 3.6 miles and not 3.1 like I had assumed! Tonight it just felt like something was off...We walked the first quarter mile to warm up. We then ran 2 miles. Then we walked half a mile and then ran another half mile. It just didn't add up. Then I looked it up, and come to find out..That first "quarter" mile is actually longer! It all equals 3.6! Weird, I know! So I have been going farther than I thought I had been all along! So when I completed the whole track in 54 minutes tonight...I may have done almost a 50 minute 5K! Which is closer to my 45 minute goal on race day! I'm so excited! I can't wait to get my Garmin Forerunner, so I can really track my mileage! :)

Pre-run I had half of one of these...

The hubby had the other half. It was so yummy! I liked it better than the Chocolate chip ones!  Also drank half a cup of coffee for a bit more energy. It was the Dunkin Donuts coffee! Oh so yummy! :)

I just wanted to add this picture from the Lamar Cardinals Football game on Saturday! I thought it was a great pic of us :) We got our Red on! (To bad we lost, lol) 

Pumpkin and Football!

This morning, I decided to be a bit adventurous. 

I decided to make Pumpkin Oats for breakfast!

I have been reading all of these other blogs and these women are putting Pumpkin in everything! So, I decided to jump on it and try it also! 

Yummy!

In the bowl is:
Dried Oats, Almond Milk, Canned Pumpkin, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg!
I just cooked the oats like the container said to (with Almond Milk instead of water), and then added the rest to taste! I think I added way to much Nutmeg this time. I know better for next time. They are still so yummy though!

I am so glad Fall is starting to hit around this area!
I can't wait to move and be able to have a patio to sit on to enjoy the weather!

Today Cody and I tailgating and going to see the Lamar Cardinals game!
This December will mark 5 years since I graduated college...
This is the first year they have had Football in 21 years!
I always wished I could have gone to a college with football, so now everyone in town is making up for all of those lost years!

This was the very first home game in 21 years on September 11, 2010.

The stadium holds 16,000 people...They sold 20,000 tickets!
It was standing room only and amazing!
They won 21-14!

Tonight will be the second home game playing Sam Houston State...
Can't wait to watch!!!