To run or not to run....

So today I took a much needed sick day from work.  Lately I feel run-down!  I'm pretty sure my thyroid is acting up...again!  I'm on a new set of meds and I'm not sure my body likes them.  On a brighter note today I decided to try running!  After almost one week without it (other than the walk/jog I did on Tuesday for school) I was curious how my shins would hold up.  I decided that I would run until they started hurting....okay they ALWAYS hurt, but I would run until they hurt ALOT!  I wanted to go at least one mile and what a coincidence that at 1.03 mi they started burning.  So I stopped.  Here are my stats:

13:46 minutes; best pace was 10:37; 1.03 miles; 152 calories

They hurt pretty bad after I stopped so I walked for a while and stretched.  Once I got back home I iced and popped some IBprofin.  As of tonight they feel pretty good!  I think I might try a one-miler tomorrow too.  I guess we'll see how I feel in the morning.  It felt good to run.  I've been feeling guilty for not doing it the last couple days, so hopefully these shins will hold up! 

P.S. Just about 2 wks and counting until the BIG day!!! My very first race! THE 5K!!!!!

Happy LOVE Day!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!! I "LOVE" love!  But there is one thing I DON'T love about this splendid day!....ALL THE CHOCOLATE!  In case you didn't know I am an addict.  I've tried rehab, I've tried a 12 step program but nothing works!  "Hello, my name is Taylor and I'm addicted to chocolate"  Whew! It feels good to get that off my chest, I heard the first step is to admit your problem!  So I thought I'd start my day off with something HEALTHY!!!!!

PB&J green smoothie for 160 cals!  Seriously tastes like a pb&j sandwich!  Plus the added nutrients from the spinach (which you don't taste! I PROMISE!)

I felt like I was doing pretty dang good!  I had my nutritious (and delicious) smoothie, I had my Healthy Choice frozen meal, I even had my jug of water with me........but then it happened I walked into my classroom to see a PLETHERA (yes it's a word!) of this on my desk:

Chocolate, cookies, fudge, chips, doughnuts, cake, cupcakes...if it had over 1500 calories in one serving, it was there!  I tried to be good, I promise, so instead of eating 5 cookies and a box of chocolates, I only ate 10 chocolate covered strawberries and a box of chocolates.  (Didn't you know that if you eat chocolate with fruit it counter-acts the bad stuff! DUH!)  So in other words I am SICK to my stomach! 

But there is some good news to this disgusting calorie packed story!  Today, at school, we had our Annual Fun Run/Walk for all the students.  They map out 1/2 mile around the playground and give you 20 minutes to do as many laps as you want!  So I jogged 3! Hey that's 1.5 miles.  Not to shabby.  Unfortunately my shins were on fire (dang you shins).  As for the rest of my night...it includes lots of cuddling and kisses from my 3 favorite men!

What are you doing for V-Day???

Any suggestions for SUCKY shins?  Can I have them replaced???

HAPPY LOVE DAY!

Preparations....

A GREAT man by the name of Thomas S. Monson said in a talk once, "Preparation is not a matter of perhaps or maybe. It is a mandate. The old phrase “Ignorance is bliss” is forever gone. Preparation precedes performance." 

I couldn't agree more!  So I've taken this weekend to "prepare" for the upcoming change in my life!  Now, I feel like I do pretty darn good when it comes to working out BUT my food/calorie intake kinda....well....sucks!  So I prepared.  Here is my dinner and workout schedule for this week:

MONDAY:Insanity Plyometrics...Teriyaki Chicken and green beans
TUESDAY: Valentines Day  REST DAY...Dinner out with my boyfriend ;)
WEDNESDAY: Insanity Cardio Resistance...Breakfast 4 Dinner
THURSDAY: Insanity Pure Cardio...Lemon Chicken, roasted veggies
FRIDAY: 2.5 mile jog...............Chicken Fajitas
SATURDAY: 3 mile jog............Breakfast 4 Dinner
SUNDAY: The day of rest! ;)
I'm going light on the jogging to see if I can get rid of these shin splints!!!

I bought one of these this weekend:

It's one of the "single" portion blenders!  I'll make a smoothie for breakfast each morning.  I'll add both fruits and veggies in the smoothies.

For lunch I have one of these everyday:

I know it's not as healthy as "real" food but I'm a working mom and this is SUPER convenient!

For snacks I got fruits, veggies, pickles, nuts and light string cheese!  I AM PREPARED!!!  Now it's time to execute!

Ready or Not here I go!

I believe that life consists of moments that can alter it's course forever.  In life we set goals and sometimes we follow through and sometimes we don't.  This blog is one of those moments.  One month ago, I entered my very first 5k race.  I am NOT a runner.  But amazingly in the last 4 weeks I have run my first mile, then 2 miles, and this last Monday I ran 3.2 miles.  I'm slow....I mean really slow, but surprisingly I don't care.  I feel like obstacles are EVERYWHERE!  At the moment, I have shin splints that could probably kill a large elephant, seriously, it hurts just to walk....but I choose to do this.  I choose to be healthy.  I choose to finally lose some weight.  I choose to run.  Join me on my journey....trust me, I'm going to need the company.