Dr. Who??? (And I don't mean the Time Lord 😉 )

I DID IT!!!!!!

I went an entire 31 days with zero Dr. Pepper.* None. Zip. Nada. I've gone months and months without it before but that was years ago and I was really feeling like I would never be able to give it up. BUT I DID!!! I haven't even craved it!

And it doesn't end there! There is no way I'm going back to feeling like I have to have a bottle of Dr. Pepper. No.way.at.all.

Here is something most people don't know about me. I hate - absolutely loathe -the thought of addiction. To anything.

Not because of the dangers, although those are real. But because I watched my dad try to quit smoking so many times in my life that I knew I didn't want to be chained to something like that. 

I've watched enough people lose their ever-loving minds using drugs of various types and drinking alcohol. And while that's their business and something I can't/won't judge anyone for, I, myself, can't stand the thought of losing control.

Yep, I'm a control freak. There, I said it. I simply cannot stand the thought of being controlled by a substance in anyway.

The thing is, though, we are warned about the effects of drugs, alcohol, and nicotine in school. I proudly wore my D.A.R.E. t-shirts for years.

But there is a substance that is even more insidious than those things. It's legal. It's completely socially acceptable - even encouraged. It's distributed everywhere. EVERYWHERE. And it's soooooo much cheaper than the substances mentioned above.

SUGAR. SUGAR!! It's added to everything these days and it is wreaking havoc with our health. It's the drug no one warned us about. And I am completely addicted to it. And guess what? It's has just as much -or more-  of an effect on our brains than cocaine does.

So much for my being in control. I mean maybe I'm not "completely addicted". I don't put myself into debt to eat it. Or kill people for it. Or steal it, etc, etc. But I know its harmful to my body and yet I still eat it every day in some way or another.

But that's okay. Because I can change that. It started with giving up soda. And that's a fantastic first step!

Wait. What?

That's better!!

*Disclaimer - I had Sprite twice and half a bottle of Pepsi once. So I almost when completely soda free!!!!

~KC

Have Courage and Be Kind

Happy New Year!!

Another year, another blog post...seriously, the last time I blogged was New Years Day 2016. Good thing this isn't my job because I'd be broke or fired...or both...


I got this great new planner called Ink + Volt. Its designed to help you figure out your goals and then keep you focused on them, daily, weekly, and monthly. So far, I love it! Part of this planner is to create a theme for the year. After brainstorming one stormy night in a hotel in Texarkana, I came up with the following theme: Have Courage {to do hard things} and Be Kind {to myself as I am to others}.

Have Courage {To Do Hard Things}

Life is hard. I mean, really, its hard. Things happen that we don't think we can handle and yet, we somehow -usually- make it through them. We, all of us, are capable of handling things that we didn't think we could handle. We are capable of doing things that we didn't think we could do. Sure, sometimes we need help, but that's why we have family and friends, churches and prayer. This past year has been very difficult for me for a few reasons. 2017 promises to be just as difficult, as those reasons are carrying over into the new year. Blank Slate? Nah, that doesn't happen often. Having courage is going to be important to my survival this year. More courage than I have had to find within myself in a very long time. One of the most important things I can do this year is to find a better way to deal with stress than reaching for the chocolate and Dr. Pepper. I need a clear head to handle the stress that comes my way and sugar just doesn't do it for me. It feels like it does, but its a false comfort. Taking care of my health is vitally important, not in spite of stress, but because of stress. So this year, I have to have courage to face difficult challenges and to be as healthy as possible while doing so.

Be Kind {To Myself As I Am To Others}

This part of my 2017 theme is equally important but a bit more difficult. I am notoriously hard on myself. And not always kind about it. I'm a pretty nice person to everyone else...or almost everyone else. I serve people in small and large ways anytime I get the chance. I listen to people when they have problems and help them work through them as much as I am able. I don't judge people based on anything, except their actions, and even then, I'm not a harsh critic...mostly. But myself? That's a different story. I judge myself on every thought, action, reflection in the mirror, and whether I have worked out that day or not or how much soda I've had to drink. I don't rationalize or justify anything even when there is a valid rationalization or justification to be made. I expect perfection, but only from myself. Which is quite ridiculous, as none of us can be perfect. We can try to be perfect, but we can't actually BE perfect. Because we are human. And in our humanness, we are perfectly imperfect. But that's how we learn and grow and become better. Imperfection is necessary. And in this imperfect world, kindness and grace to others and ourselves is of paramount importance. And we should always include ourselves in that. After all, Jesus admonished us to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we don't love ourselves very much, how can we love our neighbors in the way that He wants us to? I'm pretty sure he didn't want us to look at our neighbors and tell them they need to lose weight or count the number of gray hairs they have. Or tell them that they obviously aren't as good as the neighbor down the street is. But that's exactly what we do to ourselves. We look in the mirror and we nitpick our reflection. We judge ourselves based on what we see on social media, forgetting that we have a full picture of our lives, but only a tiny bit of others' lives. We compare our whole story to highlights of others' stories.


I have made some goals for this year, and I will (probably...maybe) blog about them later. But my overarching theme for this year is to Have Courage {to do hard things} and Be Kind {to myself as I am to others}. Allowing this theme to permeate my life will allow me to grow and learn, to become a healthier, happier person. It will allow me to truly love others as Jesus would have me do and to have the strength to do so. And it will allow me to face the hardships of 2017 head on and come out the other side a little bit stronger. Or at least in one piece.

~KC

A visual of my brainstorming and a preview of my goals:-)

And So It (2016) Begins...

Dusting Off The Old Blog:-)

 

Looking Back...

This morning, while eating breakfast, I decided I should take out my journal and write down some goals for 2016. When I opened the journal, I started reading what was already in it. This didn't take long as I am a very inconsistent journalist. But what I read upset me to my core. I had written out some goals in June 2013, not long after we moved. 6 months later, I had written down my resolutions for 2014. I never wrote anything else after that entry.

And I met one and only one of the goals that I stated on those two occasions: to pay off our van.

That's it. Fitness/Weight loss goals: Epic Fail; Financial Goals: Just the one; Spiritual goals: Nope. Nada.

How sad is that? I was shocked to see this written proof of things that I told myself I would accomplish and then not only didn't accomplish, but somehow ended up further away from. I know, I know, New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken. I suppose.

But should they be? I don't think so. I've always been goal oriented and my Patriarchal Blessing (Mormon thing) tells me I should be. And I've typically met any goals I set for myself if I still considered them worthy in the months following their conception.

Until about 3 years ago. Since then, I've been struggling with making and meeting my goals. I don't know the reason but I have to figure it out.

Looking Ahead...

Needless to say, I did not set any goals today. I couldn't bear the thought of failing at them, yet again. But then, this evening I was listening to the LDS conference talks from October. The two I read were Your Next Step by Elder Randall K Bennett and It Works Wonderfully by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

In the first talk, it says, 'We fail only if we fail to take another faithful step forward. We will not, we cannot, fail if we are faithfully yoked to the Savior—He who has never failed and will never fail us!' When I heard this, I realized that I haven't yet failed. Maybe I also haven't yet met my goals, but I haven't failed because I'm still trying to meet them. They permeate almost every thought and action in one way or another, whether specifically stated or not. And if I can attune my spirit more toward my Savior, Jesus Christ, then I cannot fail as long as my goals remain worthy. This is powerful to me.

This same talk ended with, 'Your loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, live. They know you. They love you. They lovingly invite you to take your next step toward Them. Don’t wait. Take it now.' Exactly what I needed to hear today. Especially today.

The second talk spoke about simplifying things. Not being a perfectionist. Starting where we are. How perfect for this New Year's day. My favorite quote from this talk is, 'I learned in my life that we don’t need to be “more” of anything to start to become the person God intended us to become. God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you. All you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord.'

These are the thoughts with which I'm ending my New Year's Day 2016. Tomorrow, I will remind myself of my goals, prioritize them, and create a plan to knock them out. But tonight, I will focus on the words that I have read and heard and remember that as long as I am alive and moving forward, I haven't failed.

~KC

Week one of {Half} Marathon Training...

Is in the books!!!!

So here are a few things I learned:

• When you plan to go for a run, don't forget any necessary equipment, or else you will have to power walk instead
• On that note, power walking is a valid way to spend 30 minutes of training because learning to walk faster is better than walking slower
• Its okay to admit to your running buddies that you had to power walk your first day of training because you forgot to change into your sports bra (see the first bullet point)
• Your husband will possibly lap you on your 3-miler. So, when we comes up behind you and speaks near your shoulder, don't freak out...too much
• After taking more than a month and a half off, expect to lose some speed
• If you cheer your running buddies on when they get started on their running journey, they will do the same for you when you take a month and a half off and are nervous about running again
• And lastly, don't take a month and a half off

Over all, it was a good week. I have some ground to regain, but I am up for the challenge. Plus, my most favorite running buddy is off the injured list. Happy to be running with you again, my dear:-)

Here is what's in store for Week 2:

Monday: Cross training = 30 minutes of kickboxing at 9Round Bentonville
Tuesday: 30 minute run
Wednesday: Cross Training at 9Round
Thursday: 30 minute run
Friday: Cross training at 9Round
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: OFF!!!

Wish us luck:-)
~KC

9 Rounds Anyone? Maybe a Half Marathon or Two?

Why hello there. Long time no see--er, read--something like that anyway:-) Let's see, what's happened since my last post? We got ready to move. I ran the Speedy Skunk Run, which was my first repeat race. I set a small PR on that course. We moved. I ran the Run For Vets run on the 4th of July. 4 miles on the 4th. Pretty cool. I did okay. Slower than I would have liked but I hadn't been training. So I'll take it. Oh and in there some where Joey had foot surgery, I began working from home and Kara made the Lincoln Junior High basketball team. Lots of big changes in a very short time.

As you may imagine, my running and general weight loss quest took a back seat to getting us all somewhat settled in. I have kept it up as much as I can, but its been very sporadic.

I'm one of those people who goes to the gym, sees rows upon rows of equipment and gets very overwhelmed. Then I end up getting a sub-standard workout because I have no clue what I'm doing. So Joey and I tried a program that gave us some direction, and I think it will be good but it wasn't a cardio workout. I know that I need more than cardio to lose weight. But there was almost no cardio and that wasn't helping me become a stronger runner. I'm not in great shape but I'm by no means in horrible shape. With this program, I would leave the gym feeling like I hadn't really gotten a workout.

Then a new place opened up. Its called 9Round -Bentonville. The first workout was free and we knew the owners, so we gave it a shot...

It was so much fun!!!! Its a kickboxing kind of thing but probably not what you think it is. They have nine stations set up. You stay at these stations for 3 minutes each. They vary from punching and kicking to jump roping to core work. My favorite is the kicking:-) After 3 minutes, you have a 30 second break. Except its an active break, which means you keep moving. What?!?! Yeah, not really a break, huh:-) The total workout takes 30 minutes. There are no set class times. You come in, get started and get your butt kicked (by the workout, not by people. Strictly no contact:-) while you kick butt. Joey's favorite is the speed bag, but I'm not very coordinated so I'm still working on that, lol.

The really cool thing is that the trainers are RIGHT THERE the WHOLE time. They encourage, check your form, encourage, give pointers and encourage some more. If modifications are needed, they help with that too.

We went to our second workout today and even though the equipment stayed the same, each circuit was different than it was yesterday. So it will keep us on our toes and not get boring. I'm excited about it and not just because I get to wear these beauties:

Cool, aren't they?

I leave that gym knowing that I just worked out. I pour sweat and my muscles get a workout. But my heart and lungs also get a workout and that's what I need to become a better runner.

Speaking of, Joey and I committed to, not one but two, half marathons in the next year. I actually committed to three but the third one is a trail run that I don't think I've told Joey about yet (its actually a 25k, sorry Dear:-). We will run the Fayetteville Half in December and the Bentonville Half in April. We start training for the first one on August 20th. I will be posting about our progress in both that and 9Round.

Wish us luck:-)

~KC

A Tale of Two {Totally Unrelated} Races

It is so hard to find time to blog! That's why, in one awesome post, you will hear of two totally unrelated races. Well maybe not totally unrelated. They were both in Oklahoma; they were both ran by Joey and myself; they were both fun; and they were both, well, races. Other than that, however, they were totally unrelated:-)

Race Number 1: St. Paddy's Day race in Poteau, OK --not on St Paddy's Day

On March 9th we attempted another family 5k. This was quite brave of us after the fiasco of the last one but what the heck. It was a smaller race and I checked and double checked that strollers were, indeed, allowed. And it was a daytime race, unlike that other one that still gives me nightmares. Still, I was nervous in the days preceding the race. The verdict? It was an absolute BLAST!!! The kids had fun. Strollers were really no problem. The race was well organized and most importantly the people were nice. Everyone in our family PR'd, Even Josiah, since I pushed the stroller slightly faster than last time:-) Joey, Kara, and Andrew all placed second in their age groups. We ran with three friends, all of whom placed first or second in their own age groups! Pretty successful little group:-)

So for your entertainment, here are some pictures:


The Chronics. Aren't we an awesome bunch:-)
*Note: Ignore how absolutely unflattering this picture is.

Kids love medals. What of it?!

The Victorious Runners!

Josiah testing my medal to see if its real gold.



Race Number 2: Snake Run in Tulsa, OK --on St. Paddy's Day, no snakes {whew}

I had been looking forward to this one for about six or seven months. Originally, it was going to be on my birthday (this Saturday!) but, alas, they changed it to March 17th. My madre watched the kiddos so that Joey and I could spend Saturday evening in Tulsa and not have to drive there early on Sunday morning. That was pretty awesome since we had not been on a trip by ourselves since before Josiah was born. 

 

Anyway, back to the race. The Snake Run is actually a trail race on top of Turkey Mountain in Tulsa. You have three hours to complete as many miles as you can. The only thing you HAVE to do is complete 4.2 and you get a nice, slightly disturbing medal.

 

I didn't sleep well the night before. I kept having disturbing dreams about not running the race and leaving Paula high and dry in Tulsa. (*note: Her husband was there with her so I don't know how we would have left her high and dry, but there you have it.)  Well, as it turned out, we very nearly missed the race because we decided that we knew exactly where we were going and ended up hiking (climbing may be more accurate) in the wrong direction (mainly of the uphill variety) for about a mile and a half or so, only to have to hike back to the beginning and drive to where we needed to be. Long story. Suffice it to say, we were a trio of fairly intelligent people and we nearly missed our race. No race route markings, no aid stations, and yet we kept going. Finally, I brilliantly pulled out my phone with its Google Maps app and we got some directions. I say 'brilliantly' very facetiously because I had the blasted thing the entire time and it had only then occurred to me to use it.

 

Not to worry though. We made it to our race with plenty of time to spare. Seven minutes to get your chip attached and your bib pinned is plenty of time. I was not a happy racer lining up at the starting line but I did it. And in that three hours, I completed 11 brutal, bone-jarring, tiring, excruciating, treacherous (that's only a slight exaggeration), fabulously fun miles. I tripped before the first mile and have a nice bruise to show for it. I turned my ankle before the fourth mile and kept going. By the 8th mile, I wanted to quit. I had already earned my medal. But I kept going because I wanted to get to mile nine. Then I talked myself into mile ten. I even successfully talked myself into mile eleven, even though I was in pain and my back hurt with every step I took. There was only three minutes left at that point so I knew I could stop and be satisfied that I had given it all I had.

 

I was sore and stiff almost immediately. I could barely change into clean clothes and shoes. But I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. I was sore the next day but it wasn't so bad. Paula and I were already discussing the next Snake Run. Yeah, I know, we're crazy, but I'm not sore anymore and I still have that sense of accomplishment. Totally worth it! So time for more pictures:

That's right. Snake Run = Snake Medal.
Scary, isn't it?

This was at the Trail Head that we erroneously took.
Appropriate don't you think?
*Note: Photo credit goes to this blog because I was too
tired to snap a picture and this one is good:-)

 

I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way!

Okay, so I'm not a Gaga fan at all. Not even a smidge, but even I have to admit that song is pretty catchy.

What a great week! Andrew and I started karate again Monday and it was awesome! I wasn't even as stiff as I thought I would be. And we remembered everything! Mostly, anyway. Both of us had a lot of fun.

Tuesday, we started a new Couch to 5k group at work. They totally kicked butt! I love seeing people go out and do things that they didn't think they could do. And I love seeing them get excited about the possibilities. Especially when one of them is my very good friend who is determined to be healthy. She has made some changes over the last six months that has definitely gotten her on the right track:-) I couldn't be more proud of her.

After we finished the C25k run, I decided to run a little longer. I mean the sun was shining and I was already warmed up, so I couldn't resist. I felt so good that, about a quarter of a mile in, I decided to do a mile test. This is something I do on occasion to see where I'm at on getting faster. I was pleasantly surprised that I was only 4 seconds slower than my current record! And I felt great! And that was running against a head wind for a large part of the distance. Seriously, I turned a corner and got smacked in the chest by the wind. Had I not had forward momentum at the time, it would have knocked me back a few steps.

My goal is to run an 8 minute mile by the end of the year. For some people, like Joey (cough, 6 minute mile, cough), that's kinda slow. But for me, that would be a huge improvement. My current mile record (as an adult, not as a pretty fast teenager:-) is 9:51. That's a considerable goal but I will try to attain it.

Today (Thursday), we ran the C25k again. We had even more join us! I was so excited and it was so fun:-) And, of course, they did awesome! I explained to them that the other runners that were running ahead of us were the very same people who balked at running for 60 seconds back in September. And now those runners are consistently running 2 and 3 miles with no problem. I'm not sure our newbies believed me when I told them they would reach that point if they stick with it. But they will. I know they will. I've experienced it myself, so I know they can.

After we were done, I decide to run a mile with Paula to see how long I could hang with her. HAHAHAHA! That was rather foolish and I only made it .60 miles. And I'm pretty sure she was holding back a bit. She's my running hero though, so I'm okay with that. I mean she recently got bit by a dog on her long run...AND KEPT GOING!!!!

All in all, it was a pretty good week. And Saturday, the family and I will be running a 5k together. Here's hoping it doesn't become the disaster the last family 5k became.

~KC