Anniversary Weekend Wrap-Up

What a wonderful weekend it was. :) Thankfully the weather was 10 times better than it was last year in Iowa when we had our ceremony.

It was freakin' cold that day ... and windy ... and rainy! But, thankfully Jessica got some great pics. :P

 This year, we kicked off the one year anniversary with a nice little 10k. Being the healthier people we were than a year ago (I have lost 26 lbs since that day and the wife has lost about 10 lbs), I thought it would be a great way to start the day. It would also help to slightly offset what we would be eating that day. :)

I finished in 54:30 and the wife finished in 1:12.43. Go us!! :) We even got medals ... I heart medals!

Since the race was at 7am that meant we had to get up at 5am so we definitely headed home from the run to relax for awhile. We hit up Ann Sather for a cinnamon roll each and headed home to indulge in some chillin'... :P We caught up on some DVR and enjoyed the deliciousness of the cinnamon roll.

We decided to head to a 12:25 showing of Puss In Boots in 3D. Yes, my wife married a 5 year old, but I don't care. :) The movie was awesome, funny, adorable and just overall great. We split a small movie popcorn to help the calorie count a little.

Afterwards, it was time to do something more adult-esque ... so we headed to Rock Bottom for a couple drinks and some wings.

Since we are parents, we couldn't just stay out all afternoon and head straight to dinner. Nope. Had to head home to take care of the pups. After taking care of the four-legged critters, we headed out to an early dinner (6:30) at The Weber Grill. Mannn do I love that place. Now you know why I had almost all my Weekly Points and my Activity Points stored up for this day! ;) There was pretzel rolls, butter, steak skewers, onion strings, mashed potatoes, steak and of course Sangria. I want to give The Weber Grill a special thank you for the amazing dessert they gave us! Yummmm...

The food was delicious as always. It was nice to just kick back with some yummy steaks and some sangria and just reflect back on the last year.

It was tough that only a month after we got married I had my back injury. That darn back injury put me into a bad funk for about 6 months. Not a fun way to spend the first half of your marriage. But, thankfully, I am back to normal - nah, I would say better than normal now. :)

Overall, it was a great day. I got to just hang out with the wife (since when work is busy I rarely get to do that), enjoy the moments and get to bed early since we were up at 5am. :P I didn't even worry over my Weight Watchers points, but I did take the time on Sunday to write down everything I ate - even if I didn't calculate the point values.

Sunday was a nice relaxing day. It was time to get back on track eating. I did two workouts: a 10am Spinning class and a 2pm Hip Hop/Funk class to help combat some of the damage from Saturday. :P

I hope that this weekend gave me just a glimpse into how AWESOME our week in Hawaii will be ... especially minus the pups! ;)

Chicago's Perfect 10 10k - November 2011

I cannot believe I have finally completed my four-straight weekends with road races. :) It has definitely been fun though. Yesterday, I actually completed my first 10k race in years. I have been really sticking with 5ks since my back surgery besides the Half Marathon in August. Yesterday marked our one-year wedding anniversary and what better way to celebrate than making the wife get up at 5am to run a 10k at 7am :) Doesn't she look happy. :P

The race was supposed to start at 8am, but because of scheduling conflicts with another 5k in Chicago that day ours was bumped up to 7am. Thankfully my friend Miguel was running the 10 miler that day (it was Chicago's Perfect 10 miler or 10k run) so he was actually able to give us a ride, which saved us a lot of time in the AM.

We got to Navy Pier, one of the biggest tourist stops in Chicago, and got settled. This was actually the first year of the run so it was a kind of lackluster pre-race scene. I also wasn't sure whether the runs had separate starts or if everyone was starting at once. Well I walked up and down the Pier until I finally found someone to ask - the photog. He was able to ask someone else and determine we all started together. Nothing like finding that out about 10 minutes before the run started.

We went back to our corrals. I was in the 9 min/mile group and Miguel/Tori went to the 10 min/mile area. I couldn't really hear anything from where I was, but finally figured out we were started when I heard a random horn. :P

The run was to take place along the Lakefront, which I have run a lot so I sort of knew what to expect ... or not at all.

We started heading South and I was around an 8 min/mile pace. I wanted to make sure I didn't get swept up in my new 5k speed so I made sure I wasn't pushing too hard since I had an extra 3.1 miles to run.

As we embarked on Mile Two, I saw the aquarium ahead. Damn! I was not happy. There isn't a lot of running space around the aquarium. It was actually a problem the Hot Chocolate 5k run used to have before they changed their course this year. Thankfully it didn't bottleneck too much, but it was still a tight portion of the course and slowed everyone up in my group.

Once we got by the Aquarium, we encountered a hill. I did NOT expect that. But, I just powered up it. I really think my Spinning classes helped me with that extra push to get over the hill. After the hill, you either continued straight for the 10 mile run or turned around (at 3.1 miles) for the 10k. This was perfect. Now my big running group thinned out.

I was finally able to get into a groove now that I wasn't running on top of people. But, just as you turned around you had to climb back up the hill. :P Thankfully once again Spinning helped me and I just dug in.

As I hit the Mile 4 marker, I looked at my Runkeepr and it said 4.1 miles. Not sure if they measured wrong or if my GPS was slightly off. Either way I hit that spot still on a sub-9 min/mile pace. Wow! I was super proud of myself.

I just kept telling myself to keep going. Even when at Mile 5, I had to take off my hat, undo my braid and put my hair back in a bun - all while continuing at my current pace. I was sure I would wipe out, but thankfully I survived.

It was finally time to head back down the Pier. It felt like I was running in place. I never thought the finish line would come. Finally, I saw the Mile 6 marker and I just gave it everything I had. I really wanted to finish in under 55 minutes (even though my original goal was to finish under 60 minutes).

Crossing the finish line was an amazing feeling. I grabbed water and a banana before getting my medal. I heart medals!!

I chatted with a couple girls while I waited for Tori to finish/find her amongst all the runners.

It took awhile to find the results online, but I officially finished in 54:30 (8:48 min/mile). I was 175th overall out of 952 and 27th out of 184 in my division.

It was my first 10k in years and it was a blast. I felt good the whole run. I didn't have any of the wardrobe or technological setbacks that I had last week. The weather was amazing. Overall, it was a great way to kick off the day!

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We are off to Hawaii November 18-25 so my next race is the Santa Hustle 5k on December 3.

One Week Til Hawaii...

I can’t believe I am really saying that tomorrow is our 1-year wedding anniversary. How can time pass this quickly? Honestly? Well I will have more to say about the anniversary itself this weekend, but for now I am thinking about our honeymoon inOahu,Hawaii! One week from today we will be on a flight fromChicagoto LA toHawaii.

I cannot wait to have a full week to just hang with the wife and be without the pups. ;) It will be a whole week away from work. This is my first real vacation in 10 years so I don’t really know how to even prepare for it.

My number one goal was to go into the week feeling happy with myself. I am on Day 11 of tracking everything I eat and have been doing activity everyday. As some of you know, I also hit goal on Tuesday so I want to make sure I don’t undo all my work in one week. ;)

We talked in a meeting one time about vacations. You can be in one of three states of mind: 1) I don’t care what the scale says when I come home; 2) I am going to keep tracking in mind, but not deprive myself or 3) I am tracking everything.

I am going to most likely be in the second mind frame. I have done the “I don’t care” mentality before and it doesn’t bode well for me.

I know I will not be able to track everything I eat or be in control, while on vacation – but I do plan on bringing some tools with me (measuring cups, food scale, etc).

I am uber excited to get some outdoor activity in … while it isn’t 39 degrees out. :P I think a run along the beach will be a great change of scenery. I also am pretty psyched to be hiking up a volcano. How cool will that be?

Thankfully, we did not buy the “all inclusive” package for this vacation. Now, I know I will not be hitting up a ton of buffets or drinking more than I want to just because we paid for it.

The one biggest obstacle will be clothing. I don’t really have any summer clothing that fits so I will be rocking a lot of my Lululemon workout clothes and possibly purchasing a couple items while down there.

What tricks do you have to walk the line between vacation and on plan?

I'm Not A Morning Person...

... I just play one in my workouts. As I was running with El this morning, I was thinking how much I enjoy working out in the morning rather than in the afternoon. I was planning on writing down my thoughts on the matter when my buddy @SuperErizzle asked me to share my secrets to getting up at 5:30 almost every morning. So here goes nothing ... no pressure, right? ;)

1) I set out my clothes the night before. I do this every night. I will put out either my running clothes/workout clothes and sneakers either in the bathroom, kitchen or living room to make sure I see them en route to the bathroom in the morning. :) If the clothes are out, you have to go, right?

2) I get a workout buddy so I am held accountable. I hate letting people down so if I know that someone will be waiting for me, I am more apt to get up and get going. Thankfully I have my friend Rina for Wednesday's 6:00 am spinning class and El for our 6:00 am Thursday morning runs.

3) When the alarm goes off, I remind myself how less crowded the gym will be at 6/6:30 am compared to after work. Other people really don't enjoy working out in the morning which frees up my favorite machines. We all know how annoying it is to wait in lines for machines.

4) Find morning classes that you want to try or love. I have fallen in love with Spinning. It is an amazing workout that is really helping my running. My gym offers Spinning M-F at 6am then not again til maybe 6:30 pm or 7:30 pm. For me, once I am home it is harder for me to find the motivation to leave the house again. But, if I go in the morning, I get a great burn, I am ready to start the day and ... leads to number five!

5) Your evenings are free!! I no longer need to keep an hour or two free after work to head to the gym and fight the crowds. Now, I am free to do whatever I want after work . Nine times out of 10 that means get back in my PJs and catch up on the DVR. ;)

6) I read somewhere ... don't quote me on this ... that it helps your metabolism to do your workouts in the AM. I don't honestly know where I got that, but I always think to myself that I will burn more calories throughout the day if I get the workout done in the morning. Hey, it may not be accurate, but it gets me out of bed. :)

Well, there are a few of the things that go through my head and actually get me out of bed at 5:30 or 6:30 in the morning and either hit the Lakefront Trail or visit my gym.

Let me know if you have any other motivators that get you up and moving when it is still dark out! ;)

Half Marathon Update – 8 miles

I finally took my race singlet for the January Half Marathon out for a spin today. It was great … besides the fact that I look like a marshmallow with all my layers. :P

Last night, I went to the Fleet Feet Chicago fashion show. Wow! I wanted to buy almost everything they showed off. :P Especially since most of the items were geared towards cold-weather running.

The fashion show also got me super pumped for today’s training run with El. We met at 6am per usual, but this time it was actually light out. Why thank you Daylight Savings Time!! :) It was such an odd feeling walking to the Lakefront and not having it be pitch black.

As you can see from the pic above, I was layered. I wore the same stuff as last week, but added a nice Fleet Feet Chicago hat (which we got in our goodie bag from last night’s show). The hat was a great addition. Next up: gloves!!

We kicked off our run and I did not plug in my headphones. It was nice. I really wanted to get into the groove of running … just like last week. It felt awesome to just hit the pavement, get in a groove and chat with El.

I switched up our route a tad bit on her. Muah ah ah - having the power in the run. :P I had us run farther North so that we didn’t have to get hit by waves again like last week. The Lakefront path ends at a certain point so we kept running up along the sidewalk. It was nice to take in a different view of Chicago.

As we hit just short of 4 miles, we turned around to start the trek back. We both thought the pace was slower than last week, but comfortable. Well, come to find out. We actually finished about a minute faster than last week. We finished 8.02 miles in 1:17.46 (9:42 min/mile pace).

Overall the run felt great. I was happy with my clothing options, but I know I will need to adjust as the temperatures continues to plummet. The fashion show last night gave me some options to think about and I will really have to sit down and create my “cold-weather running plan” soon.

What do you do to combat the chilly weather? Any brands you recommend?

#7daychip Number Seven :)

Truth Tuesday ... GOAL!

Never did I think this day would come. I remember walking into my first official Weight Watchers meeting November 2, 2009 and being asked: What is your goal weight? Hmmm... sitting at 217.4 lbs I couldn't fathom what to write. So I figured out the weight that was at the top of the BMI Healthy Range for my height and went with that: 164 lbs. Wow! Was that a daunting task to look at or what? I would have to lose 53.4 lbs to make that happen. Wow! Could I do it? I had never stuck with a weight loss plan long enough to see a goal through. Would this finally be the time it clicked? Flash forward to November 8, 2011 - just over two years after that first Weight Watchers meeting and BAM! There is was on the scale starting back at me: a 1 then a 6 then a 3. I had done it. I had hit that magical day when I could say ... I HIT GOAL!!!!!

I couldn't laugh. I couldn't cry. I couldn't even smile. I was in such shock that it finally happened. I believe my exact words were: "FINALLY." I just felt a sense of relief wash over me. My hard work. My dedication. My time in the gym. My passing on the pizza. My turning down that offer to hit up the bars. All of that finally paid off.

On October 4, I weighed in at 165. I needed just 1 lb to hit goal and life got in the weigh. Between work and general business I missed four-consecutive WW meetings. Ugh, I was spiraling. I was weighing in at home, realized I had gained 3 lbs in 3 weeks and got refocused. Yesterday I got on the scale and saw a 2 lb lost since that long ago weigh-in...

Starting Weight: 217.4

Today’s Weight: 163.0

Total Lost: 54.4

Pounds From Goal: -1.0 ;)

I still look at these numbers and can't believe I did it. But, for the first time in I think forever, I had one whole day where I thought only of positive things about myself. Yesterday, I allowed my brain to accept all the compliments, congrats and love from friends, family, Facebook world and the Twitter community. I allowed myself to relish in my accomplishment. I thought about the journey and gave myself an imaginary pat on the back.

What I loved about Weight Watchers through this entire journey (which is still ongoing) is that they allowed me to live my life. I didn't have to hide at home with frozen foods. I wasn't deprived of my loves: wine, beer, peanut m&ms, etc. I have learned how to truly live a healthier lifestyle, while still indulging my cravings ... just in moderation.

Sure, there were weeks where I completely fell off the wagon - we all remember the 6.6 lb gain one week - but WW was always there to pick me back up when I was ready.

The Healthy Guidelines have been an unmeasurable motivator. I try my best everyday to fulfill the 5 main Healthy Guidelines - healthy oils, liquids, veggies/fruits, vitamins, milk/milk products - and have felt such a difference since starting that plan. I just feel healthier when I check them all off. Plus, I love seeing the smiley faces when you complete the task on the iPhone app. ;)

I owe Weight Watchers, my leaders, my wife, my friends, my family and all my other supporters a huge Thank You for sticking with me while on this journey. But, I really need to thank myself. As I was talking to my dad yesterday, he said I could've kept putting losing weight off. During the past two years, I could've kept on the path I was on over the past two years and put more pounds on, but instead I took control. I was the one that signed up for Weight Watchers. I made myself attend the meetings. I make myself get up at 5:30am to go to the gym or out for a run. I am in control and it feels amazing. I am stronger and more valuable than I give myself credit ... and this journey has taught me that.

I really think hitting goal turned a little switch in my head. The positive self-affirmations came streaming out of me yesterday. More in one day than in the past few years combined ... and it felt awesome! I am worthy of the positive thoughts and I think it made hitting this milestone to make it click!

I had been toying with the idea of running my second Full marathon (and first since 2006) in 2012. I told my wife if I hit goal yesterday I would sign up ... and I did. I am going to OWN the Rock 'n Roll Full Marathon in Savannah, Georgia on November 3, 2012. I am ready for the challenge. I am ready to improve on my first marathon time (5:59).

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As I let the 163 lbs since into my head, I could hear my doctor in the back of my mind: 155 ... 155. Prior to my back surgery in January, I had a physical and was discussing goal weight with the doc. I told him how my goal was 164 - the top of the healthy range on the BMI and asked his opinion. He said for my height I should really shoot for the middle of the BMI, which would be 155. Well, I am ready to take on the challenge. 155 may be unattainable for me, but I am ready to give it a go.

Pounds From New Goal: 8.0

 There is one thing I do know ... I will never go back to being that miserable, unhappy, unenergetic 217.4 lb person again.

Hot Chocolate 5k - November 2011

Sorry for the delay all! I was waiting on the final results from the race, which we were posted last night after a late minute change in course race morning, but I will get into that later. Saturday (November 5) marked my third-straight weekend with a 5k race. I did not intentionally do that I just kept signing up for races. :P Yes, I am plenty aware that I am back being addicted to running ... and I am A-okay with that!

The Hot Chocolate 5k was actually the first race I ever did in Chicago (November 6, 2010). It also marked the first race I had done since the marathon I completed in September 2006. After that marathon, I labored through injuries and just an apathy to working out/running in general. Last year, I completed the 5k in 29:25, which was a PR at the time so I was really hoping to dominate this year's and improve my time by at least 4 minutes.

I woke up race morning and it was cold. The Hot Chocolate race consists of a 5k, 15k and a walk so the 5k is the first race to kick off and it starts at 7:40, which meant a nice 5:30 wake-up. I was really looking forward to this race not only because of the chocolate fondue at the finish, but because they updated the course from last year.

We actually got a late start, but still managed to get to the race grounds with about 40 minutes to spare. We located the gear check, which was on the opposite side from the start (closer to the finish line). We dropped off our stuff and headed to the corrals. I was pretty proud that this year I had jumped from the open corral to the C corral (Corrals go A, B, C, D and open)

I was in the zone, listening to music and ready to get to work. Then there was the announcement: the start would be delayed 15 minutes. Ugh! It was getting wicked cold just standing around so I was looking forward to starting on time. But, apparently, a semi truck got stuck under one of the bridges along the course and the organizers/police had to quickly re-route the course.

I give RAM Racing and the police a lot of credit for being able to lock down streets, etc in 15 minutes.

We finally kicked off just before 8. My start was horrible. I felt anxious being near the faster runners - completely out of place. Then I had some wardrobe and technology malfunctions. I was wearing my new Lululemon long pants for just the second time and had to get the strings all set, while running. Then my arm band with my iPhone kept sliding down. Either way the first half mile felt like a disaster.

I came up to the 1 mile marker at what it said was 9 minutes. Man, I felt like I was really hauling butt and 9 minutes seemed off.

I knew my Runkeeper would be off since we were running downtown and GPS + Large buildings = totally skewed numbers. So I basically gave up on trying to figure out my pace as I went along.

As I mentioned, we were running in the streets and there were people trying to cross the street, bikers trying to get across, which just gets frustrating. I was almost taken out by a biker. If I had tripped, I was going to let him have it. :)

I got to Mile Two and the clock said 17 minutes. Okay well that put me at  8:30 min/miles, which seemed okay. But, I wanted to go for a PR.

So I just let my body go. I was booking it until I hit the final bridge/hill. Where that came from, I have no idea. Who puts it so close to the finish is beyond me. :P Same thing happened during the Half Marathon. Damn old city!

Anyway, I booked it. I pushed my body and crossed the finish line at 26:05. Noooo!! I wanted to finish under 26 minutes. So no PR. I was really bummed. But, I got my water, my free pieces of chocolate and waited for the wife. Okay, while waiting I hopped in line for a solo post-race pic then got back to waiting.

She finally came through and she was saying how she felt the course was longer than 3.1 miles. We took a final picture together then headed to gear check so we could get to the real prize: the chocolate fondue!!!

Mmmm... it is the main reason I do this race and it is soooo worth it. But, I was a good Weight Watchers girl and figured out all the points. The entire tray came to about 6 Points Plus then I had 2 free chocolate squares for an additional 5 Points Plus. Thank you weekly points!!!

Overall, RAM Racing did a great job. It was a smoother course, no bottlenecking at any spots and quicker lines to the fondue than last year. Of course, it stunk that the course was longer than 3.1 when it came to official times, etc - but that was out of RAM Racing's control. A fellow Hot Chocolate runner made a good suggestion - maybe a chocolate medal next year? I would definitely take that over the Hot Chocolate. ;)

The final numbers were announced last night. I finished 3.25 miles in 26:05 and RAM Racing estimated my 5k time was 24:52 (24 seconds faster than my previous 5k PR). This broke down to a 8:02 min/mile pace - a PR by 0:12 min/mile. I finished 862 out of 18,361 overall, 66 out of 3,111 in my age group and 263 out of 13,721 females!

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Now I look towards my fourth-straight weekend with a race: I am kicking off my one-year wedding anniversary on Saturday with the Chicago's Perfect 10 10k! :)

Two-Year WW-versary – 11/2/11

I cannot believe it has been two years since I looked at that dreadful Halloween picture of me from Saturday, October 31 and immediately signed up for Weight Watchers on Monday, November 2. I don’t think I can really put into words how much my life has changed for the better in that span. Well, life changes a lot in two years no matter what.

Since 2009, I have gotten engaged, gotten married, gotten a puppy, had major back surgery, the wife had major knee surgery, moved apartments – twice and much more…

I had half attempted Weight Watchers while in college. Basically, I took my friend Lindsey’s books, photocopied them and tried to follow the plan without paying for it. Hey! I was a poor college student, what do you expect?

I tried it for awhile and had success, but then I got lazy and the rest was downhill.

Well, I can certainly say it has been different the second time around. Attending meetings has made a world of difference. Having the accountability of standing on a scale every week will definitely keep you honest! You can lie, but the scale can’t!

I wish I had started this blog at the beginning of my journey. It would be fascinating to look back on the early entries. You know, when you are still in the honeymoon stage with WW. You all know what I am talking about.

(Note: If you are just starting your weight loss journey, I highly recommend documenting the progress. I know how you probably hate taking pictures, but that is something I regret now. I don’t have many pics to compare with...)

Over the past two years, I have learned a lot about myself in terms of goals, determination, will power and boundaries … or lack thereof. There are disappointments along the way of course – how I gained 6.6 lbs that one week will still haunt me – but they were all learning experiences.

Weight Watchers has taught me how to eat a more well-balanced lifestyle. Because to be truly successful, you need to embrace it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. There is no way you are going to keep the weight off unless you change the mental aspect.

Speaking of mental aspect. That may be my biggest struggle to date. I am very good at motivating others and making sure that others see the positives in their lives. But, when it comes to me, I am my worst critic. I have talked about this before, but it is hard for me to compliment myself. It is hard for my brain to process compliments.

I honestly want to work on this.

This anniversary gave me a reason to focus on how far I have come in this journey. I don’t often put pictures side-by-side from the beginning and now. It is something I recommend to everyone. It really puts the change in perspective since you see yourself everyday.

There are days when I look in the mirror and I still see the old me. I now keep this comparison picture as my profile picture for my blog’s Facebook page. Now I have to look at it on a daily basis. It is a consistent reminder for me that I am no longer that person.

I am now a person that will get up every morning at 5:30 and go to the gym or Spinning or out for a run.

I no longer hide behind excuses. I no longer hide behind being lethargic. I no longer hide behind 50 lbs of protection.

By no means am I 100% comfortable in my own skin, but I am getting there. I realized that this morning as I suited up for my 8-mile training run with a friend. I left the house wearing only running tights. I didn’t put shorts over them. I didn’t take them off and wear baggier pants. Nope. I was okay enough to wear the pants in public … and I survived. :)

I am most proud of being considered "an inspiration." Since I have joined WW, I know at least a dozen of my friends and family who have also signed up - all because of little 'ol me. The extended support is amazing. Seeing a friend hit their first 10 lbs lost and knowing I had something to do with it - is a feeling that cannot be topped.

Besides thanking my many WW leaders over the past couple of years, my supportive wife and my friends, I want to thank me. No one, but me made the choices I have. I took ownership of my life and I have never been happier.

I raise my water glass to the next couple years of this journey. As I fight to finally hit Goal and most importantly Lifetime! It will happen. Why? Because I said so.

Half Marathon Update - 8 miles

Well, winter - in my opinion - has officially hit Chicago! This morning was brutal. While walking from my house to the Lake, I felt as if I was walking in a wind tunnel. It was like walking in place. But, for some odd reason. The wind settled down near the Lake for the start of the run. El and I met at our normal 6am time. I layered up this time: sports bra, running tank, long sleeved under armour shirt and running jacket. I also broke out my new Lululemon full length running pants. So today was the testing phase of what will work to run in this winter as I train for the Half Marathon.

We started out with the wind at our side. Just lovely. Thankfully we got into our usual running/chatting rhythm that I tried to block out the wind as much as possible. The news kept saying it would be raining during our run, but thankfully it held off.

As we headed North, the wind picked up the closer we got to the Beach, but at all times it was bearable. Until the turn. There is a nice roundabout around Mile 3 where we turn around and head back South towards our starting point. That turn was wind filled. :P Thankfully once we completed the turn, the wind was at our back for once. It remained at our back until we hit the 6 mile mark.

Today, it was time to push El to a new running mark. She had previously gotten to 7 miles and instead of just letting her hit 7.5 - I wanted her to hit 8. I nice round number and c'mon it looks like a snowman, which was perfect for today's running conditions. :P

So I told her, once we hit 7 miles - we obviously were in new unchartered territory for her - we would play it by ear, but I would really like to hit 8 if possible.

As we continued on in Mile 7, we ran South towards the city - still along the Lake. Well, the Lake is closer to the path the further South you run than when you are running North. While you run North, you have some soccer fields, basketball courts and just green shielding you from the elements a little bit.

So as we headed South, I told her we had to get to 7.3-ish before we could turn around. Well the wind was definitely picking up and was at our back until the turn around. You guessed it, the final 0.7 miles of the run was RIGHT INTO THE FREAKIN' WIND. Oy vey! It felt like I was running in place - no scratch that - it felt like I was running BACKWARDS. It was so strong. But I told El, we have passed 7.5 so let's keep going to 8!

We bared down, got our game faces on and got to business. We got hit with water from the Lake. Yeah, wind and waves were strong enough to hit us on the path. Let me tell you that didn't help, but it did push me to keep going.

I was never happier than to hit stop on my Runkeeper after hitting 8.01 miles. It was a great feeling. I could've slept in. I could've just blown the run off once I saw the weather conditions. But no! We pushed through and finished what we started! It took 1:18.55, but we did it ... and sub 10 minute/miles to boot.

To put it in perspective, the first time I did 8 miles when training for the Half in August - I finished in 1:26. That is 7-8 minutes slower than this morning.

Since having major back surgery in January and being banned from running until June, I can't believe what I have accomplished. Training has really paid off. The early morning wake-ups have paid off. The commitment has paid off.

I am feeling stronger each run and I love it! :)