HOLY CRAP... I HAVE A FOLLOWER!

Hello LewisFamilytexas! I am so excited to have my very first follower - I feel like this is a monumental benchmark in my blogging career! :) So thanks for following and feel free to say hello when the mood strikes ya! I wanted to write you a personal message, but as I have mentioned a few times I am technologically stunted and became confused when they asked me to sign-in and follow my own blog (all things I had to do before I sent you a message apparently). Anyway, I wanted to wish you the best of luck with your own weight-loss adventures. Let me know how it's going - you'll be in my thoughts and prayers!

Update on #5 on the Bucket List

    #5 - Join a sports team. For a former fatty and a lifelong unathletic awkward girl, this task seemed fairly insurmountable. I mean, first of all what sports team would want me? Second of all, was I up to the challenge of making a complete ass of myself everytime we'd have practice or a game? Well the answer to those questions came to me about four years ago when I was on one of my many weight loss kicks and was trotting (aka huffing and puffing at a mild walking pace) at the local high school's track. Below where the track sits are the school's softball fields and I observed people my age (and older) playing on the fields. Every time I looped the track, I'd crane my neck to get a glimpse of the action. And I said to myself, "I want to play softball; I might suck, but at least I could meet some new people and also have a new method of exercise that wouldn't bore me to tears." I returned home and told my dad (who has always been incredibly athletic and has played on numerous softball teams even in his older age) that I wanted to play and I thought that he and I should find a team and play together. We promised one another that we would look into it and get ourselves signed up to play the following year, and as luck would have it we didn't have to look too far. A friend of ours, a pastor at a local church, was attempting to start a team for his church to play in the league; now even though we do not attend his church, he was recruiting and we were dying to play. So in a serendipitous twist of fate, my dad and I joined the NCCC team for that following summer.
     This year will be my third year on the team and I have to admit, I'm still not great. But obviously, after having lost 100 pounds, playing has gotten a hell of a lot easier! We had our first scrimmage last night and I was AWESOME. And not just awesome compared to how I used to be, but awesome compared to the normal scale of athleticism! I was smacking the ball into the outfield, I was playing second base and right field, when I used to hide behind the plate as catcher. I was sprinting around the bases scoring one run after another - I was on fire. Now, instead of feeling trepidation for upcoming games and practices, I am super excited. To be honest, I guarantee I'll still have errors and flubs, but I'm out there playing better than I ever have and I'm having a blast doing it. I can't ask for anything more than that!

Kickin Ass and Takin Names...

   So I am a little more than two weeks into my intense Tri-training routine, complete with "brick" workouts (which are two segments of training back to back, like a swim and a run or a bike and a run, etc) and I am feeling GREAT! Last weekend I ran my first (unofficial) 5k and on hilly terrain no less, so I was pretty pumped about that. Forget the fact that when I got home I threw myself on the couch and took a BIG FAT NAP and was practically vegetative and useless for the duration of the day! Hmm... I gotta find a way to keep my energy up or else I'm gonna be laid out for a week after my Triathlon!
     But I have been consistently working out no less than 5x a week, swimming most days and alternating biking and running. Let me tell you, I am a sexy sight in a tight speedo racing suit, swim cap and goggles... if I didn't fear acquiring a stalker, I would post pictures of the beauteous sight. (Dear God, I hope you know I'm kidding!) Actually, I have a funny story - the first time I attempted a brick workout I attempted a swim/run combo. I swam .3 of a mile (about 30 laps in the pool) in about 20 minutes and then hustled to change and hop on a treadmill. So I start jogging mildly and out of nowhere I acquired the most WICKED charlie-horse in my leg, so help me god, I almost went right down. And all I could picture was me hitting the treadmill belt with the thud of a large water buffalo and then flying off the back and crumpling into a heap behind the still moving tread. So sexy.

100 Pounds Down!! WOOHOO! I Did It!

    Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for... well, at least the moment that I have been waiting for (for a very, VERY long time): as of yesterday morning, I have officially lost 100 pounds. Holy Crap. It is unbelievable, even to me. In fact, I am waiting to wake-up and realize that I'm in a dream. 

    But you know what, it's not a dream because I worked my ass off (literally!) and I made my dream my reality. So yay me! YAY ME IN A BIG WAY! I feel like if I can do this, there isn't anything that I can't do. I decided that as much as I don't really want to, I am going to post before and after pictures. The reason for my apprehension is because it is hard for me to look at those pictures now and not be disgusted with how far out of control I let my weight (and my life!) get. But it's ok.... what doesn't kill us makes us stronger and maybe it can be a source of inspiration for someone else and hopefully continued inspiration for myself. (I'll try and get a full body photo up soon - I'm just not accustomed to taking any of those!)

It took me two hours to gather the courage to include this picture.
This is crazy for me to look at, just crazy.

Yup, I'm the rotund blonde on on the left next
 to my amazing and beautiful best friend, Christina.

Me and my svelte sister, Laura, on vacation.

ANNND NOOOOWWW!!! ... 

Woohoo!

My family - now I actually look like them!

Whoa... Where Did April Go?

    I wish I could say that I missed adding to my blog during the entire month of April because I have been too busy training for my upcoming triathlon - but I can't say that, so I don't know what happened. Don't get me wrong, I am training, but I feel like I've been talking more about training than actually doing it. Yikes - July 23 is going to be here before I know it.  Thankfully this epiphany hit me and as of the past two weeks, I have been getting more serious about training. I have been running 2 miles+ stints and feeling pretty damn good. This morning I ran a 2+ mile course with some pretty intense hills. Go me! On Monday, I am going to an athletic club to sign up for membership; this club has an indoor pool, hence my swim training will begin on Monday. Now I just have to get on a bike and we'll be good to go.
    I have also been reading a book called Slow Fat Triathlete by Jayne Williams (which has been pretty amusing and rather informative) and in it she discussed mental preparation as well as physical training. She said to develop a mantra to repeat when things become difficult, either in training or on race day. So as I was running today mine came to me: "I am never going back." I am not returning to a sedentary lifestyle. I am not going back to being a recluse. I am not going back to a time when I didn't step out of my comfort zone.  Look out bitches, cause this new me is here to stay.