Happy New Year?

Can you see the moon?

I think this is the latest I have ever posted for the first time in a new year.  What happened?  I kicked off 2022 by running a half marathon on New Year's Day.  It was windy, but I got it done.  We started revival at church on Tuesday night, January 4th, and by the time we got home I was feeling feverish and achy.  I woke up Wednesday feeling horrible and so did Les.  Chills, fever, cough, the works.  We tested negative for COVID, so it appears we "just" had the flu.  The worst of it was over for me after a few days, while Les got hit a bit harder.

 

 

Last week I felt back to normal and revival continued at church.  This week started off good, then we got our COVID booster on Tuesday.  Like clockwork we both started feeling sick by that night.  This lasted about 24 hours and now the only thing left is a dull ache in my upper arm at the injection site.  I've told several people that we are just getting all the yucky stuff out of the way in January and now the rest of 2022 is going to be fantastic!

I went for a trail run this morning and it was wonderful!  We got a lot of rain in late December and a little bit this week so the trail is in fantastic shape.  I ran four miles before turning around.  All the pictures in this post are from this morning's run.  At about 4.6 miles I saw two cows - one on each side of the trail.  Neither of them were the least bit interested in me.

I finished 2021 down a total of 32 pounds.  I had been down 33 but picked up a pound over Christmas.  As of this morning I am down a total of 34.5.  One pound from the goal weight I set a little over a year ago!  It's been slow but steady.  I've enjoyed birthdays, weddings, and other celebrations.  We've traveled, eaten out, eaten pizza and ice cream.  What I've done is gone back to the basics of tracking what I eat and eating reasonable portions.  My running is better than it has been in years.

We're closing out our third week of revival and it has been so good. We've had many services where we just lingered in the altars.  God is still moving and I'm excited to see what He has in store for 2022!

Friday Fitness

 

Les and I have made plans to go to Yosemite next month.  With that in mind I'm trying to get more hills in my running.  This morning I headed out for a trail run with the plan to go higher up the trail.  I knew there would be more hiking than running on the upper portions.  I also had the added challenge of Santa Ana winds.

I was on the trail before the sunrise, but there was enough light that I could see.  The first 3.5 miles were challenging but I was able to run quite a bit.  At the 3.5 mile mark I had gained about 550 feet of elevation.  The next mile was the meat of the outing and I gained about 570 feet!  It was so steep that I was only able to power walk it and my heart rate hit 155.

I was at the top of what we call Sunshine Mountain at the 4.5 mile mark and decided that was far enough.  I took a few pictures, then started back down.  Getting back down the first mile was more walking because I didn't want to lose my footing.  Once the trail evened out I was able to run most of the way down.

Total stats:  9 miles in 1:55:17, 12:47 pace.  Max heart rate 155, average 135.  Calories burned 832.

 

I also ran a half marathon last Saturday.  It was a great run!  I was able to run the entire time, no walk breaks.  My average pace was 10:16 a mile.  The first half I averaged 10:26, and the second half I was able to kick up the pace and average 10:06.  Total time on that outing was 2:14:36.  Max HR 148, average 130.  I burned 900 calories.  This is only my second half marathon this year.  The one I ran in April I averaged 11:42 a mile.  I'm loving the improvements I'm seeing.

And finally, on another happy note - I am now down 30.5 pounds!  I had gotten down 29.5 and couldn't seem to get to 30.  Last week I was up a pound, but today I was back down.  It has taken a long time to get to this point, but I have continued living and that means celebrations like birthdays and weddings, it means traveling, it means ice cream!  I know I need to be careful about what I eat, but I also know that I can enjoy occasional treats.

Friday Fitness Surprise

 I realize I've been pretty quiet here on the blog this month.  We have been BUSY!  All of our plants are now in - a total of 11 trees and 158 plants!  Yes, you read that correctly.  We have six trees in the front with 56 plants, and five trees in the back with 102 plants.  Our final plant went in Monday night:

All the weed barrier and irrigation lines are in.  We have just a little more decorative rock to do.  I'll do a full reveal next week.  But here are a couple shots:

I headed to the trail for a run this morning.  About 2.5 miles up, I saw these guys:

I made it just passed the four mile mark before turning around.

I was enjoying myself on the way down, but also aware that cattle could be around the next curve.  Much to my surprise, there were three calves!  Two of them were walking across the trail just as I came around the curve.  By the time I had  my phone out, they were already off the trail.  I had to stop for a few more shots:

8.17 miles total in one hour, 37 minutes.  Almost 1,000 feet of climbing (and descending) and 626 calories burned.  My weight loss has been stalled for the past month.  I hadn't gained, but I also hadn't lost anything.  I was finally down another pound this morning for a total of 27 pounds and 28.5 inches in 26 weeks.

Friday Update

 It's been a few weeks since I posted about my weight loss journey so I thought I'd give an update.

A little over a week ago I got really sick.  Pre-2020, I would have just let it take its course, but you know, COVID.  I went to the doctor last Friday and it was confirmed that I had strep throat.  I was pretty sure that was the case because it is the one illness I have had repeatedly through the years.  I started on an antibiotic on Friday.  Sadly, I had to stay home from church on Sunday since I still wasn't feeling good at all.  I've slowly come out of it and was able to go out for a five mile run/walk this morning.  At least it wasn't COVID, right?

 

As far as my weight loss goes, I've continued doing really well with my eating.  When my throat was at its worst, all I wanted for several days was yogurt, pudding and ice cream.  I've stayed within my points budget throughout and hoped for the best. Today was weigh in day for week 15 and I am now down 22.5 pounds!  That continues to be an average of 1.5 pounds per week.

Obviously, seeing so much movement on the scale is a huge motivator, but I'm also feeling so much better overall.  I'm trying not to spend too much time kicking myself over the fact that I gained the weight at all, or that I didn't do something about it sooner.  That is the past.  Today I choose to healthy, even as I recover from strep throat!

Hapalua Half Marathon

As I've been working on my health, not just my weight, but overall health and fitness, I've started enjoying running again.  Les asked if I ever thought I'd do another marathon.  The jury is still out on that, but I had been thinking about attempting a half marathon...

 

I received an email last week from the Hapalua Half Marathon.  It's known as "Hawaii's Half Marathon" and in all the time we have spent there over the past 8 years I've never been in town to run it.  This year, as with many races, it's a virtual event and will take place in the month of April.  We have a little trip planned for my birthday at the end of April, so I decided to sign up and run the race before our trip.

 

Me at the finish line of the 2014 Honolulu Marathon

I found a 12 week half marathon training plan.  When I signed up I only had 6 weeks of training to go, so I'm following the second half of the plan.  I have already run one 10 miler this year, so I feel confident that I can finish 13.1.  I haven't done any speed work in a long time, so it may be my slowest half marathon to date, but I'm excited to see how it goes!

Anyone want to join me?

My Weight Loss Journey

Near the end of 2020, while trying to find pictures for our Christmas card, I was forced to look at pictures of myself.  I faced the reality that they were not flattering!  I knew I needed to get rid of the excess pounds and I was determined to do so.  I was a faithful member of Weight Watchers for many years and had been successful.  When I saw a link for "3 Months Free" I decided to give it another try.  Here's my journey so far:

WW Green

Weight Watchers rebranded themselves at WW.  They also have three different programs you can follow.  I went through their quiz and landed on WW Green.  Why green?  It has the fewest Zero Points foods.  I tried one of their "Smart Points" programs a few years ago and it was an utter failure.  They had so many zero points foods, I didn't feel like I was tracking much.  Why didn't that work for me?  I'm the person who always balances her checkbook.  Tracking my eating feels the same way.  With so many zero points foods, I felt like someone said, "You don't have to track expenses for necessities like gas, groceries, and mortgage.  Just track for fun things like travel or new shoes or clothes."  That didn't work for me.

 

Keto, Low Carb, Mediterranean, Paleo?

Believe me, I researched every type of diet out there.  Many, actually most, will bring about weight loss.  But what happens after the weight loss?  I've always believed that any weight loss plan needs to be sustainable AFTER the weight is gone.  So if I'm not willing to cut out carbs for the long term, I'm not going to cut them out for the short term.  I also wanted to be considerate of Les, he does NOT need to lose any weight!  I'm not willing to cook two different meals for us, so I calculate the points and eat smaller portions of the SAME foods as Les. 

My January "No Bread" Experiment

For the past several years, Les and I have done "No Desserts January."  It's a great way to start the year after all the indulgences of the holidays.  Sadly, I didn't actually lose any weight.  This year I decided to cut out bread for a month to see what would happen.  (Please note: I only cut out bread, not all carbs.)  I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as a teenager.  I've always dealt with what I call "food headaches."  It's when my blood sugar drops.  About two weeks in, I noticed one significant change - I wasn't getting a food headache mid afternoon.  Around that same time I found a fascinating article called "Is Bread to Blame for Weight Gain?"  These two sentences grabbed my attention:

We digest flour of all kinds rapidly, which can spike blood sugar and insulin levels and create a blood sugar “roller coaster” and potential for overeating. Some breads can send blood sugar soaring faster than many candy bars.

What?!?!   Faster than many candy bars?  That blew my mind!

A sugar high is all well and good, but what inevitably follows is a crash.  It's that crash that usually causes my food headaches.  Since I wasn't having bread (toast for breakfasts, sandwiches for lunch) I wasn't on the sugar roller coaster.  I have now reintroduced bread on a limited basis, but typically with dinner.  I use bread as more of an accessory than the focal point of my meal.  We typically eat a wrap for lunch using Mission Carb Balance tortillas - we actually like this a lot more than bread because you can taste what's in the wrap instead of so much bread!

 

Age and Weight Loss

I've heard for years and years that "it's harder to lose weight the older you get."  Being the record keeper that I am, I have my weight loss trends from when I did WW in the past.  I first joined in September, 1997 at the age of 33.  After 12 weeks I was down 21 pounds.  My second go round was October 2005 at the age of 41.  After 12 weeks I was down 17.8 pounds.  As of today, at the age of 56, I am down 18 pounds in 12 weeks!  That is a healthy 1.5 pounds per week.  The key is making quality food choices and getting, or staying active.  But know this - you can't outrun a bad diet!  Believe me, I've tried.

The Addition of Strength Training

I've been a runner and cyclist for many years.  With four marathons under my belt, I'm definitely an active person.  What I've neglected is strength or resistance training.  My legs have always been strong, but my arms and core were flabby.  After my horrible fall last year, I decided my core needed some work.  I determined that I would add that this year and I have been consistent with 2-3 workouts a week.  I don't work out with heavy weights, my favorite is resistance bands.  Don't worry, I will never look like a body builder!  But my arms are no longer waving back at me.

Not All Pounds Are Created Equal

I've posted about this many times, but I have to address the old, "Muscle weighs more than fat" myth.  This is not a true statement. A pound is a pound is a pound. But a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. 

 

This is what 5 pounds of muscle looks like:

 

 

This is what 5 pounds of fat looks like:

 

So while I am happy with movement on the scale, I am even happier with what the tape measure tells me.   There have been a few weeks when I was feeling leaner but the scale stayed the same.  But the way clothes are starting to fit, and the number on the tape, tell the real story.  So while I have a "goal" weight, it's not set in stone.  I'm looking forward to going on a "shopping spree" in my spare closet!

Pink Pause

I'm pausing in my Philippines trip posts today...  

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  (I wrote about what that means to me here.)  This topic is very close to my heart.  My Mom had an eight year battle with breast cancer.  That battle ended 21 years ago today.  She was only 58.  I was thinking about Mom this week.  She would have loved hearing about our trip.

Mom is the inspiration behind many of my posts.  Her Bible has been the source of encouragement to me for many years.  The one aspect of our lives that is different is our approach to health.  Mom's motto was "no news is good news."  She tended to bury her head in the sand until something major happened.  I believe it's important to have regular check ups.  As of today, I am healthy and I want to stay that way.

Through the years, I've jumped on my pink soapbox more than once.  But it's not just cancer awareness that we need to pause for.  Healthy hearts, lungs, minds and bones are important as well.

I don't focus on my health because I want to fit in a certain size dress.  I focus because I want to continue being involved in God's kingdom.  Mom was an amazing teacher.  She taught both Sunday school and at the Christian school.  She was incredible with children.  When her cancer returned, she was only 54 years old - younger than I am today.  I often wonder how many more children she could have influenced if she had taken better care of herself.

In honor of my Mom, I ask my readers to take a little time today.  Take inventory of your health.  Are you healthy?  Keep it up!  Need to make some changes?  It's not too late!  God created our bodies to do amazing things, it's our job to keep them healthy so we can do great things for Him!

My Tuesday Trail Run

Welcome to another edition of "We Fall Down..."  or maybe just "Kathy Falls Down!"

I was up early Tuesday morning for a trail run.  I ran 4 miles up the trail.  The last half mile is insanely steep - averaging over 10%.  I took a bunch of pictures before heading back down.

I was cautious that first half mile going down - it's super steep and I didn't want to lose my footing.  After that I picked up my pace and got into a nice groove.  Until about 1.5 miles to go...

I don't really know how it happened, but I twisted my right ankle and went flying!  It was a short flight and I landed with a thud.

It took me a few minutes to get back up.  My left hand was scraped up and so was my right knee.  I wasn't sure which side to try to get up from, but eventually I did.  I limped back to the car.  My right side took the brunt of the fall - mostly my ankle and shoulder.

It just so happened that yesterday was my annual physical.  My ankle was still tender and swollen.  My doctor said it is definitely a sprain and said it would be about six weeks before it is fully recovered.  (I've twisted my ankle numerous times in my life, but it has never been swollen like it is this time - three days later the swelling is going down but still obvious.)  I also received a tetanus shot in my right arm and a pneumonia shot in my left arm.  Just the walking wounded here!

On a positive note, my doctor ordered a bone density scan while I was in the office.  My results were outstanding!  He said I have the bones of a 25 year old.  So in spite of a few tumbles, all my running through the years is paying off with healthy bones!

1965: Talking, Walking and My First Hero

My baby book was filled with tidbits from 1965:

Kathy is showing her personality - 11 months.  When she is having a fit she doesn't lay down and scream like most children, she sits down, kicks and screams "mad, mad, mad."  I heard about this my entire childhood and sometimes wondered if it was just a family myth.  When I found my baby book, this particular trait was recorded not once but twice in my baby book!  Does this little angel look capable of such an act?

Kathy took her first step on her ten month birthday.  She had been standing alone for about two weeks.  Now, at eleven months she walks fairly well.  We've stopped counting steps.  Rodney coaxes her, she is practically his shadow.  These two are really close, in every way.

Her walking worries us now - 14 months - she is quite bow legged. 

18 months - pigeon-toed quite badly.  Each foot is in a plaster cast.  The casts were only on for 2 1/2 weeks.  Didn't help at all.  Now she has a Denis-Brown splint which turn her feet out 60 degrees.  This is worn at night.

I don't remember the casts or splints for my legs, but we have an old home movie (reel to reel) of me in the splints.  The scene is pretty funny - Kim was "helping" me walk, then decided to let go.  I fell backwards and was left on the floor like a turtle on its back, unable to get up.  Siblings - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!

It's kind of amazing that in the middle of the page about my walking, Mom recorded my relationship with Rod.  She could not have known at that time just how close the two of us would grow up to be.  I've written dozens of posts about Rod, but my first post dedicated to him is still a favorite.  He wasn't perfect but he was my first hero, the one I wanted to follow everywhere.  I've got one more place to follow him - heaven!  He won that race in 1994 and I'm still chasing him.  I like to think that somewhere he is among the great cloud of witnesses cheering me on as I continue to run the race (Hebrews 12:1.)

I'm thankful that in 1965 I recognized a hero when I saw him.

Weight Watchers Founder Jean Nidetch Dies at 91

USA Today carried the story yesterday of the passing of Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers.  She weighed 214 pounds in 1962.  After trying many fad diets, she decided to try a diet program run by the New York City Board of Health in Manhattan. She lost 20 pounds in 10 weeks. Then she decided to invite some overweight friends to her apartment to tell them about the diet. "I am a sharer," she said. "When you give of yourself, you get back. I had to share it, so I called all my overweight friends.  I only had overweight friends."

The article had so many wonderful quotes and stories of weight loss victories.  

In The Jean Nidetch Story: An Autobiography, Nidetch wrote, "At that first gathering ... I told my story, and the beautiful thing was that people really listened. And then they began talking and contributing one at a time.
"One woman stood up and said, 'I'm a schoolteacher and I've been teaching for years. I have to say this. Seven years ago, I watched one of my students throw away half a doughnut into a wastebasket. It happened at school at the end of our noon recess period, and from noon until three that afternoon, I couldn't stop thinking about that half doughnut. After I dismissed the class at three o'clock, I immediately closed the door and reached down into the wastebasket, pulled out the doughnut, and ate it. ... It's troubled me for years. ... And I've never been able to tell anyone about eating that doughnut until now.'
"At that moment, all of us in that room became her allies," Nidetch said.

I became acquainted with Weight Watchers in the 70s when Mom started attending meetings.  Through the years the program has changed, but when I joined in 1998 the fundamentals of support and knowledge were still there, stronger than ever. Weight Watchers is the only diet I have ever tried and I know it works!  It works because you can eat real food.  You are taught portion sizes, decision making, tradeoffs, and so much more.

I lost 30 pounds, twice, because I didn't learn enough the first time around.  I stopped attending meetings as soon as I hit my lifetime status in 1998 and the pounds slowly crept back on.  The second time around I kept right on going to my meetings.  I always tell people we know we need to pray and read our Bibles, but we still need to go to church.  Weight Watchers members know how to eat and count points, but that accountability and check-in with others is a huge difference maker.

Nidetch said weight loss is often a matter of putting food into perspective. "Food is not your remedy for problems. Food is not going to change your life. If you are lonely, food is not going to be your company. If you are sad, food is not going to give you solace."

Hats off to a woman who took what she learned and willingly shared it with anyone who was willing to listen!

Question to my readers:  Are you a current or former WW member?  Tell me your experience!

Goodbye 2014 ~ My 50th Was a Mighty Good Year!

I just want to spend a little time reflecting today.  I'm going through my posts of 2014 and am writing as I think, so this may be a little disjointed!!

I wrote my number one goal for 2014 on January 1st.  Based on Psalm 119:65:  "Love His Law, so that I will have Great Calmness of Mind; Leaving it All in God's Hands, I will be Kept Safe, and Nothing will Cause Me to Stumble!"  I have had many opportunities to be offended this year - more than any other that I can remember.  People have been cruel at times, but I have prayed and held on to the promise that as long as I love His law, nothing is going to cause me to stumble.

Of course the key in all of this has been spending time in God's word (loving His Law.)  I finished my Bible reading this morning.  My plan was to finish today - not in June!  My goal was to read my Bible EVERY day.  I think there may have been about 5 or 6 times that I got behind, but never more than a day.  Today's reading included:

Malachi chapters 3-4 - the Lord has certainly opened the windows of heaven in my life and poured out more blessings than I've had room to receive.
Psalm 150 - Let every thing that hath breath (that's me!) praise the Lord!
Proverbs 31:25-31 - Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Revelation chapter 22 - Even so, even so, come, Lord Jesus.

So many times my reading for the day was EXACTLY what I needed.  There have been several times when a message was preached and I have told Les, "That was in my Bible reading this week."  God's word is always new and rich.  I have also learned so much from the many commentaries in e-Sword.

Of course this year has been full of wonderful friends.  My friends far outnumber those who have hurt me.  It's easy to forget that when you're being hurt, but I am so grateful for so many.  Friends far and near who text, email, call, or leave blog comments.  Dear ones who see me at church and simply ask, "Are you okay?"  You'll never know how much you've helped me.

I am blessed to have two church families who are so dear.  Victory Tabernacle and New Life Pentecostal both seem like home to me.  Hugs and handshakes, smiles and shared prayer times.  God's family is the best!  Heaven is going to be an amazing, wonderful place.  I think the food will be delicious, too!

My health has been very good.  All my tests came back normal.  My biggest concern the past few years is always when I have my mammogram.  Mom was my age when her cancer was found, so I get a little nervous going in and rejoice when I get the notice in the mail that every thing is fine!  I've continued to run and ride my bike.  I finished my third marathon a few weeks ago.  I don't write as much about running here anymore, but if you want more (such as my training plans and weekly recaps) you can read them at McMarathon Moments.  It's private, but I'll happily send you an invite if you're interested.

We were so blessed to be able to attend Elder Morton's retirement service in March.  It was a wonderful evening of reflection, laughter and tears.  Outside of my family, his is the greatest influence on my life.  I've only been back to Truth Tabernacle once since then, but I am so happy to see the church continuing on in revival under the leadership of Pastor Tim Lackey.

I turned 50 in April and Les declared it was "50-50 Time."  From April 27th until August 18th, we would both be 50 and would enjoy as many 50-50 bar type desserts as possible!  Our favorite being shave ice with ice cream on the bottom.

One of the greatest parts of 2014 has been the tremendous revival that is taking place at Victory Tabernacle.  I don't know how many have received the Holy Ghost and been baptized, but I know it's more than we've ever seen before in a single year.  Nine children and young people received the Holy Ghost at Youth Camp.  Every service there are visitors and new converts. There is always someone to pray with in the altar and that is a beautiful thing!  I love sitting behind this little doll who has finally started smiling at me...

Les did a beautiful job remodeling our downstairs bathroom.  There really isn't anything he can't do.  Last week he completely stripped all the parts off one of his bikes and moved them to his other bike as an upgrade.

When we "moved" home in February, we really didn't know how often we would go back to Hawaii.  Our first trip was at the end of April.  We were only there about 10 days.  Les quickly realized that he needed more time in the office than that.  We then went back in August, October and December.  God has blessed Les in his job.  2013 was one of the worst years the company has seen, but 2014 was the best!  He was on a business call at 6:00 this morning and it looks like 2015 is going to be even greater!

I had a lot of fun hosting Flat Dustyn while we were on Oahu in October.  I loved this picture from his teacher - he is so fun and 100% boy!

I continued to find encouragement from Mom's Bible. It doesn't take the place of an actual conversation with her (I still miss those so much!) but it is a help. I've also enjoyed reading many books.  Top of the list for 2014 was "Run to Overcome" - lots of life and running lessons by Meb Keflezighi, winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon.

We spent some of the final days of 2014 on Maui, in our favorite condos - The Aston Mahana at Ka'anapali.  Each room is ocean front.  We watched giant sea turtles from our lanai, and on our final morning spotted whales in the channel between Maui and Molokai.  We saw them breach several times, something we didn't see on our whale watching adventure.  It was a special show just for us!

And finally, this guy:

There's no one I would rather spend my days with.  He works hard.  He loves me unconditionally.  He supports me and encourages me and prays for me.  He makes me laugh like no one else can.  I'm so blessed to be going in to 2015 with him!

Happy New Year! Wherever the road may lead, may 2015 be YOUR best year ever!