Friday, May 29, 2009

Where Did That Come From?

Just got the final results in the "Biggest Loser Challenge" I was competing in with my friends. I've been leading the last two weeks, working my butt off (literally) and even managed to drop two more pounds in the last two days, but somehow lost. To the person who was in third place just two days ago!!! How does that happen?

I'm pissed.

Don't worry, I can hear you through the interweb. I can hear you saying, "but Hera, look at what you've done in the last six weeks. You lost 15 pounds. Started running. It's so great........Blah, blah, blah."

Bite me.









Apparently, I do have a competitive bone in my body. Not sure when that happened.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

These Are The Days of My Life

Let's face it, we all know I spend a good portion of my blogging time ranting and raving about something and not a lot of time commenting on the goings on in my life. So tonight I thought I'd shake things up a little and take some time for an overall update.
  • I've been fortunate enough to gain some new readers in the last few weeks/months. Some of you have inquired about the reasons for the anonymous status of my posts. The answer to that question is two-fold. A) There are weird ass creepers in the world. Unlike FB and other social sites on the interweb, Blogger doesn't have an abundance of privacy controls. Now I realize no matter how much I try to protect myself on FB, if someone wants to see my profile they will find a way. (Not that I put anything too specific on those sites though.) But at least I can feel better and make some attempt to control who can and cannot see my stuff. With Blogger there's really no way to do this. At least not that I've seen, or when I set this thing up. B) In the beginning this was sort of a way to vent about the job I had at the time and the things that were driving me mad there. While I have since moved to another city and am in a new job that makes me pretty happy (most days), like everyone and their job I still have days that rile me up and I have been known to use this little blog to vent about it. Thus the anonymity. It's been going for so long now that it's just become it's own little blogging thing.
  • When we last heard from me I had just begun my quest to train for my first 5K. At that time I was just entering week two of the Couch to 5K program. I have now completed week three and will have my first week four session when I run tomorrow. So far, so good.When I've ran in the past I've had problems with shin and knee pain after only a few sessions. This time I have really great running shoes--my Nike+ shoes, which I love so much. My little Nano and me use the Couch to 5K podcast and just go. It's great to see how I'm progressing on time and distance, too. This time around I also have the benefit of easy access to a great park with awesome running trails. This particular park has paved trails and trails like this. I think you call that chat. Yes? Anywho, it's basically finely ground gravel. You can tell it feels a little spongier when your feet hit. I've determined that running on pavement is super hard on my legs and running on this stuff is way better. Probably all in my head, but it's helping me keep my mental state and keep going. So woo-hoo for those trails! Also, it's crazy how quickly you notice your body change through running! Which brings us to.....
  • About two months ago my best friend, her boyfriend and several other great friends came to visit for the weekend. An unbelievably fun weekend I might add. She, her boyfriend and several other friends talked me into participating in our own "Biggest Loser Challenge". I was pretty happy with the weight I saw on the scales then, but like everyone knew dropping a few pounds couldn't really hurt. Thankfully, when Maverick and I got our Wii Fit it didn't tell me I was obese. Rather, it was just above the normal BMI. Although, that little bitch of a Wii Mii shook her little head and cried when she told me I was "overweight". I believe "bite me you little asshat!", were my exact words at that moment. Back to my point--I was at a good weight, but like most Americans could stand to lose a few pounds. Between eating very, very well and my running I've dropped 15 pounds in this competition. As of yesterday morning I was leading. Final weigh in is tomorrow and hopefully I'm victorious. At $2o per person to enter there's a lot of money on the line! Which will be very handy for......
  • Maverick and I have booked a seven night Western Caribbean cruise for a much needed vacation away and birthday celebration for yours truly. Sidenote, yes, I'm turning 25........again! And you people go getting any ideas and start planning for any sort of different number type activities on this birthday. Maverick and Mama Hera have been well informed that no such thing is allowed. That particular day does not exist on the calendar this year. Hah. The cruise will be my third and Maverick's first. I'm really excited. I love the Caribbean and in my last few trips have done an all-inclusive resort. It'll be nice to shake it up, and to enjoy sharing something I love so much with him. Now I just have to do the "please no hurricanes that week" dance.
  • I'm really looking forward to this weekend as it holds lots of planned activities for us. As some of you know, Maverick works in the front office (group sales) for one of the city's professional sports teams. The team is currently in the middle of their regular season. His job means he has to work every home game. The team's recent schedule means he had to work the last 19 days straight. This will be our first weekend together in three weeks. Lots of errands to complete--grocery shopping and the like--and then date night planned for both nights of the weekend. Should be lots of fun.
  • My mom's family has a big reunion every other year. It's a Catholic family, so there are many of us, and there are plenty of characters in her family to enjoy! I adore my parents, brother and sister-in-law and (most of) my cousins. There is a pretty good group of us who love each other very much and have the best time when we get together. Hours of beer consumption and yummy food intake, whilst laughing our heads off makes for a good time. It sounds so cheesy, but I really look forward to this hootenanny, as we've come to dub the reunion. Living away from them and missing them can be hard, so we make the most of the several times a year we get together.
  • Work is going to be very interesting in the coming months. The organization I work for just agreed yesterday to merge with another organization in the city. Now comes all the work of moving forward and developing all the plans, moves and necessary changes to make this happen by the projected end of July deadline.
And there you have it. The (recent) days and times of Hera.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Commitment

I exercise.

I go for brisk walks.

I use cardio machines at the gym.

I use my Wii Fit.

I kickbox.

I, however, AM NOT a runner.

Something inside me though has long had a desire to show I can conquer my fitness wall and train for, and complete, an actual race. My ultimate dream is to complete just one marathon in my lifetime. I go through phases where I contemplate beginning to train, but my "not being a runner" always scares me out of the commitment factor at the last minute.

I've been going through one of these phases recently and just so happened to receive an email about an upcoming 5K in my city.

I thought, why not start small? Train for something very, very, very small scale and see if you can stick to it? Then, see if you could commit to the training for a marathon.

I mentioned this to a friend, who pointed me toward a couch to 5K program that gets you ready in just nine weeks! She even showed me this awesome podcast I could download for my ipod that changes music at the proper intervals, telling me when to walk and when to run. (That girl is always inspiring me to do great things. ;)

I was very intrigued.

Therefore, I have taken the plunge and am attempting to train for this 5K.

I am on week two of the couch to 5K program.

Root me on and keep me going! I'll need it!