Ah... I work out!

Before the wedding, due to a combination of healthy habits and unhealthy stress, I got down to my lowest weight that I ever remember. I felt good though...healthy, and I was getting strong.

Then came the honeymoon cruise in October, where all I did was eat. The buffet was open nearly all day...there was 24 hour room service...a pizza place...a deli...ice cream machines all over the top floor...you could not escape the food! And it was good food too!

After the honeymoon came Thanksgiving. Chris' parents are divorced and both happily remarried, so we had multiple gatherings to attend. We forgo having our own Thanksgiving this year (though I'd like to host one year when we get a house) and went to his Mom's, Dad's, and step-mom's family's houses. Then again on Christmas, we did the same thing.

3 Thanksgiving meals and 3 Christmas meals!

Needless to say, I gained back just about all the weight I had lost.

As I mentioned before in a previous post, I've been eating better and exercising more since January 1st, and am slowly but surely getting my healthy-self back.

One of the ways I've been doing that, is my running (I know, what? Me!? Run!?!?) and bicycling.

Chris has fallen in love with bicycling in the last year. He bought a road bike, and is on it whenever he can be.

About a month ago, we took his road bike and my mountain bike up to Lake Hefner to ride on the trail that circles the lake. It's a sidewalk trail (for the most part) with two lanes, so runners and cyclists can enjoy a safer run/ride as if they're on their own little road. There was only one part that it was only one "lane" wide, and on the shoulder of the real road (which was only one way at that part).

It's about 10 miles or so around, and we made two laps (Chris probably could have done another, but it was really windy and it's difficult to ride in wind. Especially on a mountain bike when the you're trying to ride against the wind...which we did).

It was a lot of fun to ride, though I did mentally curse at the wind a time or two as we were riding.

While it's still hard to ride in to the wind, road bikes are a lot thinner and lighter than mountain bikes, and they can go a lot faster because of it. My mountain bike is heavier and bulkier, and I can't go near as fast as Chris can. I tried to average about 10/11 miles an hour, but there were times when I was riding that I got down to 6/7 miles an hour just because the wind was so stinking bad.

Speaking of stinking...I had forgotten how bad it can smell on the shoreline from fish and birds! Those can be some smelly animals!

Other than our Lake Hefner ride, Chris and I have only rode around Norman. Once I rode to the library and back to return some books, kill time, and just ride my bike. Just the other weekend, we rode to Wal*Mart to pick up a few things, then rode to Chelsea and Kalen's house for a cook-out (let me tell you, it's not easy trying to ride a bike with chicken, fruit and chips hanging off your handle bars. It makes for a very unsteady ride).

My other outdoor workout has been running.

I've always hated running, and it's still not my favorite exercise, but it's easy, and it works.

After coming with me to the gym a couple of times, Chris decided I needed to do a 5k. So he called up his mom and had her enter me in the Elmore City Footloose Festival 5k. Oh joy...running 3.1 miles in front of 80 other runners plus spectators!

In all honesty, the 5k wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'd almost say I enjoyed it (but I don't know I'd go quite to far as to actually say it). I forgot my running shoes, left my camera at the house, had to wake up at 6:45am and stand around in the chilly morning weather until it started...but I'd almost say it was fun still.

Chris, Randy, and April came along to cheer us on, and Randy came prepared with a stop watch to give us the official times (oh wonderful).

All my practice runs I managed in about 40 minutes. Considering I haven't really ran since middle school, I was just happy I could jog a mile non-stop at all, no matter the time it took me.

Jeanette did the 5k with me, along with about 80 other people (of all shapes, sizes, and athletic ability). Somehow I managed to shave 7 minutes off of my time, and I came in at 33 minutes and 25 seconds. 33 minutes! That's just over a 10 minute mile, and I walked a good portion of it too (you really didn't think I ran/jogged the whole thing did you? I'm not quite that good). My best mile time in school was 9 minutes. I was so proud of my 33 minutes!

Jeanette came in at 39 minutes, which compared to her 50 minute 5k she did over a year ago, that's great! She shaved 11 minutes off her total, and walked some of it too.

We were so happy with our times, and after catching our breath, we trekked in to town for some Footloose Festivities and (my favorite part) a pancake breakfast.

My 5k was two weeks ago. Chris though had his first event on this past Saturday.

We headed down to Jeanette's the night before and woke up bright and early again, but time time, we headed in to Pauls Valley, and I wasn't the one getting ready to run. Chris was getting ready for his first big bike ride...the Valley Ralley.

There was a 28 mile ride, a 47 mile and a 67 mile. Chris did the 28 mile since it was his first big ride, and though I'm not an avid cyclist, I think he did great!
Off he went with a police escort through town, and 150+ other cyclists.
You'll have to check his blog for the details of his ride, since I wasn't there and didn't experience it.
Jeanette, Randy and April came with me to cheer for Chris, and to help me kill the two and a half hours before he crossed the finish line. The BrickFest was also happening in Pauls Valley that day, so we stopped by there for a while and browsed. There were quite a few jewelry booths set up, and I treated myself to a new pair of earrings. There was also a BMX stunt team, so we watched their show for a while. There were 5 guys, and all but 1 were under 21 years old. They were doing all sorts of flips and tricks, and they made it look so easy, when riding a bike in itself can sometimes be a challenge!
After patiently waiting though, and a few updates from Chris as to when he hit the rest stops, we made it back to the park and stood at the finish line waiting to see my hubby cross.
When his time came, we cheered and congratulated Chris on a ride well done.
I'm so proud of him and how far he has come with his cycling. His goal is still to make it through Hotter than Hell this summer in Texas, and if he keeps at it as diligently as he has the past few months, I think he'll be able to do it. Though I'll admit I am worried about the heat, considering it's in the middle of summer.

I promise to try and be better about my updates...like I was before the wedding. Love and hugs to you all!

Easter with a side of tornadoes

I haven't posted an update in a while...so I think I'll break up everything that has happened in to a few posts so that I can really focus on details instead of skimming over everything.

Easter

This year, I spend Easter at Chris' dad and step-mom's house for his step-mom's mother's birthday (and Easter). Most of his step-family showed up for the event, much like for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There were four kids (6 and under) and over 300 eggs, both real and plastic. Everyone hiding the eggs ran out of places in the backyard and we just started throwing plastic eggs out on the lawn!

After the kids had their fun...the adults had their fun! Chelsea bought some lawn games (you can always count on her to bring the games) and one was called ladderball. Basically, there is a stand with three horizontal bars, and you toss a rope with a ball on each end and try to wrap it around the posts.

 

People took turns all day playing, some more successfully than others.

Another game that got brought out was Headbandz. I am terrible at this game...but they made me play anyway.

It seems simple enough, but sometimes you find yourself thinking too hard and just confusing yourself.

Basically, everyone wears a headband with a card attached on your forehead. The card will have a famous person (alive, dead, fictional or real), a place, or a thing on it, and you ask the group yes or no questions to help you guess what or who you are. I always get stuck with people and I am terrible at guessing people. I get stumped after "Am I fictional?" "Am I young?" "Am I a guy?" Once those three questions are asked...I usually clam up. Sometimes it's funny watching people try and guess. Chris, for example, had Darth Vader and though you'd think that'd be an easy card to guess...it took him at least 4 turns to guess it (I probably would have given up).

 Though I did have to throw away my flats when we got home (it had rained and the grass was muddy and wet, which then soaked through my shoes on all sides) it was a good day. We got to see Jeanette and Randy (we took April with us to the Easter gathering) which was nice. I really got lucky and have a great family-in-law that I love to visit.

Weather

How is it that many Okies live without ever having a real tornado threat to their homes...and my first tornado season as an Oklahoma resident...a tornado forms and goes not 2 miles from my apartment when I'm alone at home?

A little before 4:00pm on the 13th, I was getting ready to leave the apartment to go to work when I heard on the news that a tornado had touched down in Norman near I-35.

Needless to say, I freaked out. I called Chris, who told me to call work and say I wasn't going to be in, then get to the bathroom and take the mattress if I could. The tornado sirens started to go off, and I started to cry. I was shaking so badly that it may have seemed comical to anyone that saw, but I was terrified. I grabbed my laptop and went in the hallway with my cell phone and listened intently to the news streaming from my laptop. We have yet to invest in a battery operated radio, so I was relying on the power to stay on so I could listen to my fate (sounds dramatic now, but I was so scared).

After the tornado died down and the storm was moving northeast of me, I raced (carefully) to Riverwind to be with Chris, because I did not want to be home, and I did not want to trek all the way to work. The storm fizzled out after another hour or so and we figured I was safe to drive to Newcastle, so off I went. My co-workers were all very happy to see me. Apparently my manager had been trying to call my cell phone to check on me and it had kept going to voicemail. I'm guessing it was when I was in the back at Riverwind, because my cell service is pretty bad back there.

Chris and I now know where the closest shelter is, and we will be getting a battery operated radio in the immediate future. Storms are picking up again, and I'm really wanting to invest. Tonight there have been at least 2 tornadoes in northern Oklahoma, and it's raining with incredibly strong wind gusts. No tornadoes nearby, but lots of rain, hail, and wind.

Stay tuned for my second update, all about my recent biking and running!