I'm proud to be a Tough Chik!

I started this blog to keep track of my daily journey towards health and fitness thru running. Obviously that didn't happen (one post since Nov. 2010), so...

My goal for this blog from here forward will be to post a weekly update of that journey, along with any funny, interesting, or completely unrelated stories that I decide to share along the way.

I want to start by saying how excited I am to have just joined Team Tough Chik.  I am excited to be kicking my training up and having this amazing group of strong women athletes there for support and comraderie.  I don't run fast, but I run with my whole heart and I'm proud to be a Tough Chik!

So far this year I've done 3 races...all of them new to me (2 of them inaugural events).  In January, I'm pretty sure the coldest day of the year here in the mitten, I ran an 8k race along the Port Huron waterfront called the PoHo Hot Cocoa Run!  It was a ton of fun, mostly because my sister was there with me.  She was doing the 5k walk and it was her first race ever!  In April I ran the Meteor 10K that was part of the Martian Invasion of Races.  Really well organized and a great event overall!  And last weekend I ran my first ever trail race :)  It was AMAZING!  It was a fundraising event for the Boy Scouts and was held at the Silver Trails Boy Scout Reserve in Jeddo, MI.  I was completely unprepared for how tough this race would be...it was only a 5k, but was by far the hardest race I've run to date.  We are talking hills that you had to climb on your hands and knees, pulling yourself up by treeroots...MUD everywhere!  And the 'stream' crossing turned into a river crossing since we had heavy rain for 2 days prior to the race.  But as soon as I crossed that finish line I was planning on how I could prepare to run it better next year!

I'm the one in black and my friend Katie (who talked me into this race) is in red.

Coming up I have the Back to the Beach 10k race this weekend.  My sister is doing this one, too :) I was orginally registered to run the Half Marathon at this series, but choose to back it down to the 10k.  You see, I'm a huge fan and supporter of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and my team, Team Fearless, is doing a fundraising event...and the only date available was the night before the race.  Team Fearless and Relay for Life will always be my priority so I choose to step down my race event. Our fundraising event will be held at a local bar with a live band and tons of 'fun'! I'm confident that I can run a decent 10K (not a PR for sure) extremely tired and possibly a bit hung over but I'm choosing not to put my body thru 13.1 miles in that condition :)

I'm registered for a handful of other races through the rest of the summer and into the fall, including the Detroit International Half Marathon (I ran that one last year, too), but I'll talk about all of those as they happen.  But one I'm super excited about is the Swampfoot4Mile...it will be my very first obstacle course race and I've got a good group of people committed to doing it with me!  It's not until September first so I've got time to step up the cross training and focus on some upper body strength.  Good thing because my upper body is definately my weakest link :(

Okay, I guess that's a enough rambling for now.  I'll be back next Monday to tell you all about this week in the life of...

~ running2bfit

Eating to be fit...

As the name of this blog implies, I am a runner and I run to be fit. As the name of this post implies, I will be writing about eating to be fit (which is an issue for me, as you will see). 

I started running just over a year ago, to honor a very special person who passed away after a long battle with cancer.  I have run 3 5k's, an 8k, 2 10k's and a half marathon. 

I am a very goal oriented person who goes after those goals with focus and determination.  And yet...I still struggle with my weight.  At only 5'1", I am about 30 pounds overweight.  I don't quite understand how a 10 mile training run doesn't make me the least bit nervous, but faced with a donut I lose all track of my goals! 

I am already registered for another half marathon on May 20, and am planning on my first full marathon this fall.  I know these races will be easier on my body when I start losing these extra 30 lbs I'm carting around.  I just haven't figured out how to get the same focus I have on my running, to translate to my diet...yes, I am running2bfit, but I also need to be eating2bfit! 

I would love to blame my weight issues on my thyroid issues, but that wouldn't be productive or honest.  While it may play a small role, I certainly have the power to overcome that issue with a more healthful diet.  I know what I should be eating to fuel my body (and my running), and I start everyday with intentions to do just what I know I should.  But I cave to the temptation of unhealthy food time and time again.  It's rather embarrassing that I am so strong in every other part of my life and yet cannot seem to get a handle on this!

My hope is that by putting this out there for all to see, I will be held to an accountability level that will make a difference in this struggle.  If you're reading this post, please feel free to comment and follow up...This is the one area of my life I struggle with the most, and it's the one that has the most impact on my health. 

It's time I start eating to be fit!