Ironman Kona!

This Saturday is spent watching Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. If you want some inspiration check it out, here.

I've got to admit, I'm routing for defending champion Rinny Carfrae and American Tim O'Donnell.

But really the women's and men's race is going to be a tough one. Can't wait to hear about the age groupers as well, who can be so amazing.

Back to watching now!

Beckley 5K

Lordy, Lordy I've been busy. Things have been going well though. I'm down to 10mg of prednisone. Woot Woot! After blood work next week, hopefully I can reduce some more! I've been working on my running and a little indoor biking, but it's still hard. The extra weight mixed with legs that still feel like lead makes everything harder. But I will persevere.

I thought I'd share a few photos of what I've been up to lately....

Pumpkin Patch Fun.

Hiking with two kids and two dogs. I'm quite proud I didn't yell at anyone.

Inducing child labor. In my defense, he volunteered.

Tried out a new trail. Went for over 22 miles on the bike!

 I don't have a picture of the Beckley 5K that I did yesterday. It's the same 5K that I did for my very first race.

2011

The only thing good about this race is that I did beat my time from 2011. My time was 36.39, my first race in 2011 I came in a little over 39 minutes. It was just a hard run. It was once again freezing. I believe it was right at 40 degrees when the race began. My legs just kept feeling like lead. This race runs really close to my house and the thought of just running home did cross my mind! Mentally I was struggling as well. I couldn't get over how hard it felt and unfortunately I didn't have any support at the race to look forward to. I ended up walking a total of four times I believe. Of course, my watch was dead, so I'm not sure how long my walk breaks were. I finished the race though. Honestly, the pace of 11:48 is pretty consistent, if not a little faster, than what I've been running while training. So I shouldn't be too disappointed with my time. I guess I was just hoping that once I got out there, the atmosphere would pull me along and it would be less hard.

It might have hurt me that I haven't been very consistent with my running lately. I've been going to my niece's volleyball games during the week and trying to hang out with them on the weekends or I'll have some event or another. I haven't been as good as juggling my time as I used to be (mainly because I haven't been this social in quite a long time!).

But this race can be a good starting point. I know I've got to lose the extra weight and just keep at it. I went for a gorgeous two hour bike ride today on a rail trail in another county and it was so relaxing! The good thing about me being busy, I do work in activities that involve moving, but I still need to make sure I get my runs in so that I can get my heart rate up and my muscles stronger.

3.1 Miles

I may have skipped a week or two of my Couch to 5K today. Last week I walked 1 minute and ran 4 minutes, for 30 minutes. My runs were a little off though. I tried to squeeze one in while I was watching my niece and nephew after a trail walk, that only last about 20 minutes. The next day I did the full 30 minutes on the treadmill and other than sweating to death, it felt good to run for a longer period at a time. Then Friday I could only squeeze in 25 minutes before I had to go to dinner for my mom's birthday. And I did all of those runs in three consecutive days. I had a family reunion on Saturday and just wanted to make sure I got my runs in before that. My legs were feeling quite tired!

So I didn't run or do too much yesterday at the reunion, other than fail at playing volleyball. Today, my schedule was to walk 1 minute, run for 4, for 35 minutes. I did an out and back with my dog today. I went a little further out than I really needed to and when I was at 35 minutes I was really close to 3 miles, so I walked for my one minute and decided to just run for the next four minutes like I had been.

Obviously this was an extremely slow 5K, slower than my first official 5K even. But I did it!

This was my first time over three miles since the Biggest Loser 5K in June. This was also Mattie's longest run yet! My legs were feeling heavy, which seems to be the normal now, but I'm still hopeful that will get better with more running. I think I will keep my runs at 40 minutes for this week and then maybe keep the same routine for next week but add in an extra day.

Tuesday I go to see the rheumatologist. I'm hoping that the taper of prednisone will continue, maybe even at a faster pace. Starting today, I'm down to 30 mg, but I need to get under 10 for the side affects to lessen. I can't even tell you how much weight I've gained. The batteries quit working in my scale and I've decided to leave it that way for now. I'm still watching my food intake. I splurged yesterday at my reunion, but did well at my mom's birthday. Mentally I am not doing well with the weight gain. I just borrowed pants that are a size 16. Before all this, I was wearing 10-12's. I just hope I can get back to that. I don't think the weight is going to come off before I get off prednisone, but I can still be healthy! I'm just ready to feel like myself again. I feel uncomfortable all the time in my body. It just better be temporary.

Couch to 5K...Again

Week One:

Day One: 5 minute warm up, alternate 1 minute run with 90 seconds of walking for twenty minutes

Day Two: Supposed to be same as above, but I did more of 1 minute run with 1 minute walk for twenty minutes

Day Three: Same as Day Two.

Starting the Couch to 5K is definitely like starting all over. I'm out of breath quickly, my legs feel tired and heavy, and it's just hard. But I know this time around I can do it. So far I haven't had issues with being incredibly sore afterwards, maybe a little, but I'm fine the next day which is important. If I experience soreness for days, then I know I've gone too far and need to pull back.

I've been incorporating the bike on the trainer. I haven't ridden outside yet, just because my arms get tired easy and I don't want to have to deal with hills. I've also been trying to add in light hand weights and ab work on the stability ball.

My weight hasn't budged, in fact it keeps going up little by little. But I'm still pushing with keeping track of food during the week. I meant to start tracking this weekend, but friends coming in out of town just kind of threw me off. I've also been extremely munchy lately. I guess it's the meds, I don't know, but I feel out of control sometimes. But I'll keep forging on. I know I have to keep at it, even if my weight doesn't change, because if I were to just let go, I may gain fifty pounds instead of 15.

Week 2:

90 seconds run 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes. It ended up being more than twenty by the time I got home, more like 25 plus my warm up walk of five minutes.

I ended up running home after a charity game of kick ball.  There were some hills and oh my it was rough. I was really sore the next day. So Monday I didn't run but decided to do an arm workout. I did do some squats which caused some soreness the next day. I took Wednesday off just to make sure I wasn't pushing too far, but Thursday I felt just fine!

I'm thinking about following more of the Spark People 5K plan which is the plan I did the first time around. But we will see.

Week 3:

Walk 2 minutes and run for 3 for 25 minutes.

 This is more of the Sparkpeople plan.  Shew, it was tough. Three minutes seems like a long time when running. My knees are feeling the weight gain and my shin splints acted like they may come back. But once I got warmed up, I didn't have issues. I used this week to concentrate on form. Landing well on my feet and making sure I keep my back straight, with my should pulled back not hunched over which I can tend to do.

Week 4:

Walk 2 minutes and run for 3 for 30 minutes.

On Saturday I went on a hike and I definitely felt it on today's run! I was tired. I ran with Mattie, my dog, and a friend. Thank goodness for my friend. He pulled me through and made sure I didn't go extremely slow. We ended up with 2.36 miles in 30 minutes. This is a far cry from what I used to do. But I'm trying to remind myself distance doesn't matter right now. Going out for time and getting my body back is shape is what matters.

Overall, I feel like my legs are heavy all the time. It's easier on the treadmill, but I like going outside too much to keep to the treadmill. I'll get there though. On a good note, the running hasn't affected my muscles as far as my Polymyositis. All my blood work is normal. I've started reducing my prednisone, I'm down from 60 mg. to 40 this week. In two weeks, I'll get to reduce to 30. After that will probably depend on more blood work.

And to make this post a little more interesting, here is some pictures of my hike on Saturday. It was another gorgeous hike! 

Love it.

Mattie Loving Life.

Courtesy of my friend Brian

New River Gorge Bridge

Weekend Splurges

Prednisone aside, my weight gain has to be blamed on what's going into my mouth. I do well during the week, I even track my food, but come the weekend all bets are off. I tend to be very busy on the weekends with friends and family. This leads to eating out or ordering food and no matter what I choose, I tend to over indulge and my weight just goes up and up. Of course during the week my weight will come back down some, but not enough to make up for the weekend weight gain.

So what can I do to change this? Stop hanging out with friends and family? Become a hermit? Workout all day Saturday and Sunday so I can't overeat? I don't think those are the answers. I know it's all about balance, but sometimes trying to balance can lead to overeating!

This Saturday I went to the West Virginia State Fair. I had in my head to allow myself one treat. Well I started out well with some shredded chicken with just a tad of barbeque sauce on it, with a small roll, mashed potatoes (which I only took a couple of bites of), and green beans. Then I had roasted corn on the cob (truly the best corn ever!), due to it being so hot I got an ice cream cone. I was doing pretty well, until we went to see my cousin bull ride and I got a bag of kettle corn, which I ate my weight's worth. Then I had a few bites of a funnel cake! It could have been worse, but not as good as I wanted. Then on Sunday, I started out with a simple breakfast of toast with jam and fruit. I had a snack of these two blueberry fig bars (they are yummy) so I wouldn't get hungry while out on my kayak. Theeeen my boyfriend, a friend and I went to Dairy Queen where I had a grilled chicken sandwich, small curly fries, and a small ice cream cone. That wouldn't have been so so bad, except later that evening I had two and half slices of pepperoni pizza with two pieces of chocolate chip cookie. UGH! I just can't handle it! If it's in front of me I eat it!

So I thought it would be a great idea to share this article of what to we can do on the weekends to not ruin our eating habits: You can find the article here, from Sparkpeople.com.


1. Squeeze in a longer workout. The best part of the weekend is that you have more free time. So while you might not be able to squeeze in a 30-minute run over lunch during the week, you can use the weekend to go for a longer run at a beautiful park nearby. Or go to the gym to try a new hour-long class. Use the weekend as a time to refresh your workout and get more activity in without feeling rushed.

2. Eat like it's a weekday. When you think about it, it doesn't really make much sense to eat differently on the weekend than you do during the week—especially if your food choices during the week keep you fueled and energized. It can be easy to skip meals on the weekend and then make up for it later by overindulging at dinner. So, make a point to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner while sitting down. Pack snacks for when you're on the go, and follow a schedule just like you would during the week. Your body will thank you!

3. Stick to your usual sleep schedule. Are you someone who has a firm bedtime during the week only to stay up late and sleep in on the weekends? Changing your sleep patterns could throw off your schedule (hard to eat breakfast when you get up at noon!), and could also interfere with weight loss. Just think of all those times you stayed up later than usual, got hungry and ended up eating something unhealthy! Changing your sleep schedule can also make it harder to fall asleep on Sunday night which could set you up for a tired Monday.

4. Get outdoors. Because most of us work indoors during the daylight hours, the weekend provides a nice opportunity to get outside, see the sun and connect with nature. Heading outside can boost your body's production of vitamin D, plus studies show that people are happier when they spend time out in nature. So, get out there and enjoy the great outdoors!

5. Fuel yourself for weekday success. Ask yourself honestly if you pushed yourself too hard with workouts or restricted your food or calories too much during the week. If so, come Friday, your body may be hungry and tired, which can lead to overeating and underexercising on the weekend. Remember to practice moderation every day, eating and exercising in a way that you can sustain for the long haul—not just a few days or weeks.

6. Limit your drinks. While many of us forgo the soda, beer and wine during the week, we loosen up over the weekend and drink more of our calories. Just remember that the calories in beverages can add up quickly if you're not careful. Go easy on the drinks, or try healthier drink swaps if you just can't forgo that fancy coffee or sweet tea on Saturday! Practice moderation when it comes to alcohol, too. Just because you were "good" during the week doesn't mean that it's OK to make up for that with one night of all-out binge drinking. Here's what you need to know about fitting alcohol into a healthy diet.

7. Plan for relaxation. Most of us are busy during the week and even our weekends seem to become non-stop errands, chores, work and travel. So how do you find time to relax? Take the whole weekend (or at least part of it) to schedule some downtime for at least an hour or two. Whether it's practicing your favorite hobby, seeing a movie with friends or even meditating quietly, do something every weekend that recharges you. You'll not only feel better, but also beat stress (which may also ) help you drop a few pounds.

8. Break the on-again, off-again diet mentality. If you have a history in yo-yo dieting, make sure that you're not alternating between being "good" and "bad" throughout the course of a week. View the weekend as time for you—not a time to rebel or "cheat" on your diet and exercise plan. Remember that being at a healthy weight is about sustainable healthy lifestyle changes, not just a diet and exercise plan that you can maintain Monday through Friday. Revisit your goals and recommit to making healthy and realistic choices every day that set you up for success in the long term.

9. Weigh in Monday morning. If you need extra help being accountable over the weekend, schedule your weekly weigh-in for Monday morning. Knowing that you'll step on the scale at the start of the week can help you to stay accountable and be more aware of your weekend choices.

10. Plan for the week ahead. What better way to stay healthy on the weekend than by using your extra time to continue to set yourself up for success? Take a Sunday afternoon or evening to plan your meals, hit the grocery store, and do some big batch cooking for the week ahead. That way, when your busy week gets even busier, you'll already be ahead of the curve and able to stay on track! Don't forget about laundering your workout clothes, packing your gym bag, and getting prepared for workouts, too.


 I know I need to start scheduling my long workouts for the weekends again. I've not been doing that since I got sick. I think I also need to make sure I'm drinking enough water on the weekends. I'm probably more thirsty than I am hungry and then end up over doing it on food. With these tips, I'm hoping to make better choices this upcoming weekend! I'm still working on Couch to 5K, biking, a little strength training, and kayaking when it's not raining!

Here's a couple of pictures of where I went yesterday, Bluestone Lake in Hinton, WV. I went about five miles. I love it!

Source

Source

I've got to get ready for my run. Unfortunately, it will be on the treadmill since it's been pouring rain all day, but at least I get to run! Have a good and healthy week!

Outdoor Adventures

Hello there August, what happened to July??

Since I can't 'push' myself in exercise, I've been coming up with other ways to get in exercise. Of course I've been walking around my neighborhood, but I've also been trying to come up with more exciting avenues.
Hiking was the first adventure:

Please ignore my wet hair and no mascara!

I felt like a bad West Virginian. I've lived near some of the best trails in Fayette County, yet had never been on them. My friend remedied that a couple of weekends ago! I also tested out my Camel Back water pack. I liked it a lot, couldn't even feel it, but I still need to test it out on running.The trail we chose led to a shut down Coal Mines. It was really pretty and had the bonus of neat history.

Kilmoor Miner's Trail

There is a set of a billion stairs that we will have to go back and conquer when my legs are stronger!

That same day, due to a good sale, I bought this....

On the lake after I bought it.

I'm so excited! I've been wanting one since I did a Run, Row, Ride race. I took it out for over 2 miles the first time and that was after hiking 4.5 miles! Not too shabby. Unfortunately, it's been unseasonably cool and rainy lately, so I haven't had another chance to take it out. But I will soon darn it!

The next weekend I had a camping adventure. I haven't been camping since...too long to remember. My sister decided a while ago to go and it turned out to just me, her and her two kids. We were afraid of not being able to put up the tent or able to make a fire, but we did! We were proud!

We even took my niece and nephew for their first kayak adventure. I didn't bring mine, so we rented some.

We took a tram up into the mountains, saw various waterfalls, enjoyed some s'mores, went swimming, and even did a little fishing. We saw lots of wildlife too, including a raccoon that was trying to steal our food and come into our tent on Friday night! Little rascal. We had a great time, until it started storming Saturday around midnight or so. Turns out there was a small hole at the bottom of our tent. My sister got completely soaked. We decided to just get up get everything together and go home. We were out of there by 6:30 am.

Then today included a small kickball tournament, for Make a Wish Foundation through Starbucks. It was fun. I participated in two games. We lost of course, haha. Then I ran home as part of day three of Couch to 5K, that I started this past week. The plan is below. I did day 1 as is and then day 2 and 3 I ran for one and then walked for one for twenty minutes. I've continued getting my dog to come with me. She's been doing well. It's a little weird to run with her and the leash, but I hopefully I'll get used to it! I'll update as I get further along with my running. This post is long enough!

Day 1 of C25K Done!

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

Moon Face

One of the many fun side effects of taking prednisone is developing a 'moon' face.

Feels something like this.

This may be more accurate.

I can feel the changes in my face and see it. Other people may feel like it isn't so bad, but when I look into the mirror all I can see is all the weight I strived so hard to lose back on my face and stomach.

When the photos were posted of my race last weekend, all I could think is how puffy my face looked.

Here is a picture of the same race last summer (the 10K).

And here are a few from this past weekend:

I was dancing a little at the finish, haha.

I almost didn't post these pictures, but I figure what's the point in having a blog if I don't document the good along with the bad? No these aren't pretty, but hopefully they will be a reminder one day of where I came from! Once I can resume regular exercise I will lose this damn weight. I've been doing better at not eating sweets and eating more fruits and veggies! So that's a good start.
 
Sometimes I get so mad and frustrated that I can't do my normal things, like running and biking right now. I have to remind myself that it's only temporary, but the further I go from my goals, the more depressing it all is. I should be thankful that I could do the race last weekend, and I am. I just wish these damn meds would hurry the hell up!

Speaking earlier of food, a couple of friends came over last night to have 'experimental cooking' night.  We wanted to cook something that none of us had ever done before. We decided to make flatbreads aka small pizzas with different toppings.
First of all, we used all-purpose flour, instead of self-rising, so the dough didn't really raise, but it turned out pretty well.

One of our masterpieces, I know it looks like a cheesy mess, but it was tasty! It included pizza sauce, chorizo, gouda cheese, peppers, onions, artichokes, and tomatoes. MMM! I also made a dessert that I got off Facebook from SkinnyTaste.com which turned out well, but I forgot a picture! It was a cookie with cream cheese icing and fruit on top. Here is their picture:

Source

 Mine didn't look like a flag though. My friend was supposed to find out the gender of her baby so I did half blueberries with blue icing and half strawberries with pink icing. It turned out pretty cute, but she didn't get to find out the gender! haha. Not sure this was exactly 'skinny' but it tasted pretty darn good!

Well I suppose I should get to some laundry before celebrating the Fourth with my family. Not looking forward to my dogs barking all night at the fireworks! Soon I'll do a post on how it's going training my dog to eventually run with me. Once we progress a little more. Have a good weekend all!

Biggest Loser 5K

I had originally signed up for the Biggest Loser Half Marathon in Charleston, but due to this pesky muscle disease I dropped to the 5K. I wasn't sure until Thursday that I was even going to do that much! But what can I say, I like a challenge, I wanted my medal, and I knew I would regret it if I didn't at least try!

I decided to skip the packet pickup the night before this year and just go the day of the race. I had other things to attend to Friday, such as eating delicious pizza that I was too busy eating to get a picture of. And I went to a baseball game

See important stuff!

Anyway, going the morning of turned out to be a mistake! They ran out shirts! I've been pre-registered for this race a long time and I had to choose between a shirt like the one I got last year or a generic run/walk shirt. Since the shirts last year were white and I hate white, I went with the red generic one.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm disappointed. The other shirts were kind of an obnoxious orange, but they had a pretty picture of the state capitol on them. And they ran out of bags! But I was able to go back after the race and pick one of those up. It's just crazy that they don't keep out a certain amount for preregistered people.

Anyway, so the game plan for this race was to finish! One way or another. My family doctor told my mother that I was absolutely not allowed to run or I could risk injury or cause the swelling to come back. So I tried to be conscious of that and not push it. But let's be honest I did some running. I also did lots of walking though. It kinda sucked. My legs would hurt if I tried to run too long and my arms started hurting in my bicep area. But it was totally worth it. I loved being out there again. And the good thing about the Biggest Loser races is that you see ALL different types of people. The emphasis that they put on the walk option allows for a lot more diverse people to show up. It really is inspiring to see so many people with challenges of their own get out there and move!

The last mile I decided I would walk from one light to another and then run from that one to the next one. I did that a few times, but then I could see the finish line and I couldn't let myself walk to the finish!
And I did it!

Finish Time/Chip Time:

41:51.9

Gun Time: 1:09:54.9

Minutes/Mile:

13:30/M

I actually had to email about my time. They had my chip and gun time as the same. But they quickly resolved that. I'm actually pretty pleased with my time considering my situation and the walking I had to do! A 13:30 mile average isn't too shabby! I'll post race pictures once they have them up.

The rest of my day consisted of going to heave, aka a Teavana tea shop. I'm trying to drink hot tea in the evenings instead of eating, so this place was fantastic! Wish we had one in my town!

Enjoying a cup of Caramel Salt Tea (with a splash of milk)

Then I rode with my mom after getting back home to watch my sister and boyfriend play softball in a charity tournament. It was a lot of fun! They lost horribly in both of the games they played, but it was still fun.

Starbucks Softball Team aka Bad News Bears! haha

After their final game and getting a bite to eat, we headed home. Then my boyfriend and I went to his parents house to celebrate his grandmother's birthday. They were setting up a pool so they were all doing that, but I was feeling tired and my arms were hurting so I decided to just go lay down for a few minutes on their couch...

TWO HOURS Later....

I woke up. I had completely passed out. I'm blaming it on the muscle disease, but it was slightly embarrassing.

As far as an update on how I'm doing. I still experience muscle pain and some trouble swallowing but it all continues to get better. I may have pushed it at the race on Saturday, but other than some arm pain and some tightness in my legs I feel like I'm doing pretty well. My weight is just out of control though. I don't even like looking at how round my face is right now. At this rate I'll have to buy a whole new wardrobe! The only thing I know to do is try my best to eat healthier foods, which can be a bitch because prednisone is making me want to eat all the freaking time! But I'm trying. I don't know if it will help slow down the weight gain, but it has to be better than just going free for all on junk food! And I'll continue to walk. I have to take days off in between to give my body rest, but it's just what I have to do right now.

I just have to keep in mind it's not forever, it's a temporary set back. And you better believe it will make me appreciate running and biking a lot more!

Fast and Furriest 5K/ 1Mile Walk

Hello there little Blog!

Things have been busy! I'll skip all the little details and get right to the fun stuff!

Last weekend I participated in the Fast and Furriest 5K/ 1 Mile Walk. It's an event to support the local Humane Society. As I mentioned before, my sister is involved with doing community work through Starbucks, so she offered to give out free coffee and tea. We also volunteered to walk shelter dogs!

I however, had the grand plan of walking my own dog to the soccer fields, where the event was held, walk the one mile and either walk back or get a ride back. The soccer fields are about a mile and a half from my home, so I didn't think it would be a problem. What I didn't count on is the fact that my little dog (the one that is friendly with other people and dogs) is out of shape and a bit pudgy now!

This is Sherlock, about a mile in.

About a mile or less into the walk, Sherlock was ready to go home! He stopped a couple of times and tried to turn around even! In the picture above, I was heading the opposite direction! But we finally got to the soccer fields and my pup was happy to be around other dogs and people. Haha.

This is a super small race, with all of the timing done by hand(!), so I quickly got registered for the 1 mile walk, got my shirt, and the volunteers handed out dogs to be walked.
My niece got the sweetest dog, Babe. She was timid around other dogs, but really friendly with people and listened well.

My sister on the other hand got the exact opposite. She received a very enthusiastic pitt bull, named Pebbles.

Here they are trying to wrangle him.

Pebbles was really fun, but a lot to handle! Thankfully we had a couple of extra people with us, so they all took turns being walked By Pebbles!

Headed to the start line.

Strutting our stuff on the mile walk.

This little guy didn't quite make it the whole mile. He got plumb tuckered out ;)

Starbucks Crew making people happy with caffeine!

It was a really good time. The only problem is, people had to wait around a long time to get the results from the 5K for awards and such. If the race continues to grow (this is only the second year of having it), they will have to figure out a different method for timing.

And by the end, Sherlock was done. My sister gave us a ride back to my house. Haha.

Afterwards, we got a bite to eat and we took my niece and nephew to see How to Train Your Dragon II. It was very cute! But I must have over done it a bit, because after that I took a good two hour nap! It was probably all the pulling I had to do to get Sherlock to walk with me!

Speaking of which, I have a bigger dog, half German Shepherd, half Lab maybe, that I've been trying to take on more walks. I'm going to try to get her to be my running dog. Since I'm starting over and just have to walk right now, it's a good time to start her out slowly. Hopefully she will do well. She doesn't do well with lots of other dogs and people, but I think she will be okay with just us. As long as we keep moving that is...

I'll update more about how I'm doing in my next post, which will include my first run/walk race since March when all of my muscle issues started!