And now, back to your regularly scheduled program

I have to confess, this week has been a little light on workouts. More functional fitness than scheduled fitness. The elliptical and I have an appointment this afternoon, so I'll at least have that on the books before tomorrow's long run with The Moms.

This week we'll be running for 75 minutes, continuing with our 2:1 intervals. I swear, that 1 minute goes by really quickly. I'm still super slow, but forward is a pace, and the miles all count towards the virtual races I'm doing. So far, I've completed the Firefly 14k and the Firefly 14 miler. Now I'm doing the Sherlock 22 mile race. I like virtual races because you do them at your pace. Even dog walks count if you track the mileage. The cause for these races is great, too. It's to raise funds to rescue and rehabilitate Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds), and to raise awareness of their plight. To learn more about this race and the cause, go to http://sherlockrun.weebly.com/     The group of people involved in this race are amazing, and the community that has evolved around these races are great. Hopefully I will meet some of them in real life one day. :)

Have a great weekend!

Kyra

A side effect of training with TNT that I didn't expect

Pain. No, not the "I did my long run yesterday and now I can't walk upright" pain, but the loss of a father pain. This week marked the 13 year anniversary since he passed away. I recently asked my mom to send me a copy of her favorite picture of my dad. It arrived yesterday and I immediately started sobbing when I looked at it. I love what TNT does for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I just didn't realize that so much would come back up to the surface by becoming a part of one of their groups. Everything seems fresh, and the noise I mentioned the other day has faded in to the background, and the pain is so sharp. It really hurts, dammit. It seriously sucks. I'll keep pushing on, though, even when it's a struggle. Quitting won't bring him back and it won't make this hurt less. I'm just having a meltdown today, and I miss my Daddy.

It's been thirteen years since we lost you

It's hard to believe this, but it's true. Today is the thirteenth anniversary of my father's passing. The pain is still there, but the crazy chaos that is daily life somehow dulls it. Not that it's less, but that there's so much "noise" that you can't hear or feel everything at once. I'm reminded more of his loss because I am running in the Rock N Roll Half Marathon here in Dallas with Team In Training in March. So many people have been touched by leukemia and lymphoma. I wish I wasn't one of them, but I am. If my fundraising helps spare even one family the heartbreak of what my family went through, then it's worth my every effort. If you are at all able, please consider making a donation to help me with my fundraising efforts. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/momsnt14/KyraStuart

1935 - 2001

February Progress Report

It's been just over a week since I stepped on the scale to discover that I had gotten so off track that I was 182. (182.6 to be precise, but I did have some clothes on.) Since then, I have gone to the gym, dusted off my elliptical (and used it), done two group runs with my Team In Training group, and logged enough miles to complete my Firefly 14k virtual run. As of Saturday morning, I was down to 180.6. Progress! I know that some of this was water weight, but still, it's a step in the right direction.

New Month, New Start

It's still a bit dark out as I sit here writing this post. This very unexpected post. I know I've let myself slip these past couple of months, but I didn't realize how far down the rabbit hole I'd fallen. (Hi, Hoppities!) To be fair, I know a couple of pounds are from water weight because we went out to Abuelo's for dinner last night with a friend. Never go to Abuelo's when you're famished. Their chips and salsa are fantastic, and very easy to suck down.


But I digress. The good, the bad, the ugly.


Height: 5' 5" (in flats)
Weight: 182
Waist: 35
Hips: 42.5
R: 25.5
L: 25


There you have it. I am 3 pounds heavier than I was when I first joined Weight Watchers in October 3 years ago, and 20 pounds more than I was at the end of the summer. But, it's a new month and a new start. Luckily, I actually can still fit in my running gear, because this morning, in an hour and a half, I will be participating in my first group run with the Team In Training Moms In Training chapter. (Yes, I know, I'm not a human-mom, but dog-moms count, too.) Today will be 45 minutes, slow and easy. This won't be easy, it won't be pretty, but I'll be off my ass and moving towards a better, healthier me. Wish me luck.

Why I signed up for a Team In Training event

This weekend I spent some time with a good friend of mine. She told me about a meeting that she had attended on Saturday morning. It was a kick-off meeting for the new North Texas Moms In Training chapter of Team In Training. She said she was going to start training to run a two person relay in the Rock 'N' Roll half marathon at the end of March, and that she'd love it if I would be her relay partner. While I have never participated in a Team In Training group, many people I know have, and I have tried to support them when I was able. Well, to make a long story short, I decided that I would sign up, train with her and the new group, and start raising funds. This particular thing is not easy for me, but, in memory of my father, I am going to try. You see, he had leukemia, but he lost his long fight with this horrendous disease in February of 2001. I am raising funds to help fight this disease, so other families don't have to go through what my family did. 

If you could take a moment, and go visit my fundraising page, I would appreciate it. If you could make a donation, no matter how small, I will say thank you, thank you, thank you.  http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/momsnt14/KyraStuart