Color Runner

We leave for Portland tomorrow!

I Tri’d And Made A New Friend

As part of my effort to become more fit, I have joined Anytime Fitness in LaGrande, in addition to starting other activities on my own.  Part of my membership involved meeting with a trainer (Summer), and she suggested I enter the ‘I Tri’d Triathlon’ in Baker City as a jumping off point.  It was a short course, so I thought it sounded like a good idea.  I may  have been rethinking the whole “good idea” opinion halfway through the race.  🙂

The triathlon was last Saturday.  I completed the swimming and bike portions of the race, but wasn’t able to do the run.  I unexpectedly had a tooth extracted the Thursday before, and by the time I was done with the bike ride, my mouth was done and over with.  At first I was pretty disappointed I didn’t finish, but after thinking about it I am thrilled that I was able to do it at all.  I have been exercising regularly for just under a month.

In each wave. participants shared swimming lanes.  I got to share lanes with Mary.  She is a sweet little girl (I think she’s about 10-11), and I am so glad I met her.

Mary and Me – Before the Race

TWLC3 – My Starting Point

Last year I participated in a fitness/weight loss challenge coordinated by Jenna at That Wife.  It was called That Weight Loss Challenge, and I joined as motivation to get into better shape, not necessarily to lose weight.  In the six months following, not only did I get into much better physical shape, I lost quite a bit of weight, and most importantly, I got “me” back – the me that is happy, carefree, confident, and outgoing.  I wrote a detailed post about why I was participating and my feelings about it, and at the end, I published another post talking about the success I felt at meeting my goals.

AFTER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BEFORE
The Results TWLC1 - The most dramatic change.

I have to admit, that since completing TWLC1, I have not been as diligent about what I eat and how I exercise.  Initially, I was blaming my inactivity on injuries that prevented me from exercising, but then I just had to admit that I’d gotten off track and it was my fault.  Fortunately, I have only gained a couple of pounds back since finishing TWLC1, and mostly I have lost fitness and gotten out of shape.  I did not participate in TWLC2 because I was super busy with school, still recovering from my broken foot, and just trying to figure out life as a full-time college student with kids.

Getting Started Is The Hard Part

I really liked this post by Mark Fischer, and thought it was worth reposting:  Getting Started Is The Hard Part.

By Mark Fischer

You knew it was time to do something, you have been looking in the mirror for months and justifying your weight gains. Your designer pants don’t fit right, your shirt or blouse makes you feel fat, and baggy clothes seem to be really comfy, but are not flattering at all. That one occasion or instant that pushed you over the edge has arrived, and now it’s time to do something about it!

She Fights Like A Girl!

And I couldn’t be more proud!

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in November, and out of respect for her wishes, our family has not openly talked about her fight.