Running buddies:

I hope you had time to read Rache E's awesome story (previous post). She has really stuck with her training and even recently completed a 5k at 28 weeks preggers!
Proof that even the tightest, largest of bellies can work hard!


{coco, sarah b, mom}

This morning, I laced up the ole running shoes with one of my oldest friends (we'll call her Coco) and my mom (we'll call her Mom). We gave a big eye roll to the snow, and headed out to the clearest running lane we could find- the bypass... not ideal, but we sure got a lot of looks and honks to keep us going. We put in about four miles and visited, huffed and laughed all the way through it.

Thank you girls for keeping the momentum going!!!!

(be prepared, this video is not only cheesy, but also poorly produced, and the actors were not paid)...



Give us a break, we're not winning Oscars here...
(but seriously guys, you could have been a little more in tune to what I was trying to do here....)

Keep moving, guys. PLEASE keep your eye on the prize! When you are healthy, you have the strength to make the world healthy around you.

And now, I will talk trash to some snow.

My inner monologue/pre run pep talk this morning:

What's that, snow? Oh, you think you are making it hard to get out and exercise?
You think just because you're all cold and slick and slushy that I'm not going to want to get out and MOVE?

Well, I think you're just a bunch of frozen precipitation preying on me through weather man scare tactics.

What?
Yeah, I heard you slipping off my roof.


I think it's time we took this outside.



What's that?
I didn't think so.

Sarah B. - OUT.

Winter Shminter

It is snowing, and I do NOT want to get out and drive in this mess:



However, I DO have a treadmill. Or, as my friend Jenn calls it, the "dreadmill."
But it only works if you get on it. After blogging away the morning and playing in the snow with my two-year-old, I thought I had stalled enough (and I read the previous post for a little more inspiration)...

So whaa whaaa- what is 30 minutes on the treadmill? I started off walking while talking on the phone (a breeze!)...



Don't have a dreadmill or any other gym apparati in your home?
FEAR NOT! Chances are GOOD that you DO have google. Isn't this true?????????

I googled: "creative, at home exercise."
I found:

(click to see awesome tips such as five-minute clean, counter top push ups and jumping jacks!!!!)

Now I know it is cold outside or it is dreary or it feels better to watch a movie today instead of finding time to fit in some exercise, but really, you have no excuse. And besides, won't you feel better? (you already know the answer to that)

Oh, and jumping jacks are FUN to do with your kids, which encourages them to move, too!!
Or also fun for entertaining your significant other, cats... you get the picture.

The blog heard around the world

I am adding this post to ALL IN STRIDE because it needs to be known and because it gives me credibility- HA!

Last week, my status on facebook read: "Sarah B. Gilliam has found the fountain of youth."

A couple of friends commented and it didn't take me long to come up with an answer.

And this isn't some crazy Biggest Loser story- I wasn't 600 pounds or something, just unhealthy and not living life to the fullest, but I'm getting there. And you're helping me.

It isn't enough to live- you always enjoy life more when you have someone there to experience it with you. You can quote me on that.

Now, onto my facebook note:

the fountain of youth discovery, explained:

Maybe you remember my status a couple weeks back- overwhelmed, tired, sinking, etc...
Here, I found it (Jan. 9):
"Sarah B. Gilliam can NOT get motivated (in general). It's easy to cheerlead for everyone else."

Well WATCH OUT, 'cause I'm about to TESTIFY!!! (can I get an AMEN)

First, the back story:

As of 2006-07, I was SMOKING about a pack and a half a day, sipping Sun Drops (it's a southern thing for you northerners reading) and eating my FAVORITE thing in the world: China King Buffet.

Slowly, I started cutting all of that out of my life- I quit smoking with the support of my awesome hubby, Patrick (we both smoked for about 10 years at the point), and then I started brainwashing myself BACK to choosing the RIGHT things to eat - and making those things taste yummy instead of tasting like a big, nasty rice cake- gag.

Then, I got preggers (that was NOT a part of my diet/weight loss plan), SO, I kind of fell of the wagon, which, if you're planning a family, may I suggest not going into it while NOT feeling your best... while I loved being pregnant, I did not love being FAT and pregnant. Who does??

Baby Jack arrived in January of 2008, and I had HAD ENOUGH. I was fat, pregnant fat and it was mid-winter. YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!

*****************TURNING POINT IN OUR STORY*********************

***********

Around month 2 of parenthood (Feb-March) I got back on the healthy plan - not some fad diet, not a crazy, serious health plan- just a normal diet with normal splurges. I bought a cheap jogging stroller on craigslist, bundled that little sprout up, and I have never looked back.

HOW I DO IT:
Eating Well: Healthy in a Hurry
Cooking Light Weeknight
GOOGLE: light chicken recipes, easy chili, blah, blah, blah
NO NO NO NO NO NO FAST FOOD (if I have to, Subway, granola bars in the car)
WATER
WATER
WATER
WATER

Think you missed the part where I got back into the gym, back with a trainer, back to Kettle Bells? No. I had never EXERCISED IN MY LIFE. I still have NEVER been to a gym, done pilates, whatever- I'm sure that's great, but I have a limited amount of time and a limited budget.

HOW I DID IT:
I went to Fleet Feet.
I bought shoes.
I started running using this Website ONLY: www.runnersworld.com.

Then, I got the crazy idea I'd run a marathon. And I did.
That's another story, which you can read here:
http://gilliamlife.blogspot.com/2009/04/bucket-list-marathon-check.html

And for goodness sake, you DO NOT have to run a marathon!!! You don't have to RUN!
30 minutes a day is a great start- on your bike, on your feet, in a pool. Cut out that sitcom and walk around your yard, your parking lot, your neighborhood, your park.

The fountain of youth = exercise and diet.
Really, really.
You don't have to take it from me: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20091201/molecular-proof-exercise-keeps-you-young

OK, more TMI time. I have been blue, blah, bummed for about two or three months, and when it came down to it, I looked at my calendar and saw that I hadn't ran since October.
I have been out three times this week, and you know that psycho cleaning mood you get in? You know the one- yeah, I've been high on that feeling EVERY DAY THIS WEEK.

I am glad you hung in there to read this. I've never really felt like sharing this little story with everyone, but when you feel this good, it is hard not to want to share :)
Maybe this will inspire someone who is blue, or someone who is tired of fast food.. I just hope my story shows that if a smoker, chinese-buffet eating, couch potato can do it, you can, too.

Thanks for 'listening.'

QUESTIONS??? ASK AWAY!!!!

Mix it up!

Now that I am technically a long-distance runner, I have found that the same ole running paths get a little old.


Percy Warner Park (Google Images)

This week, our running group (which, if you don't know the story there- I stalked them on the Greenway in Murfreesboro and have been running with them ever since- about two months now)... anyway, we're going to Percy Warner Park to do some hill training.



On my Runners World training schedule, I'm supposed to log 18 miles Saturday, but if you've been to Percy Warner, you know why I won't need to put in quite that much. This park has the hills, folks. OH Man.

For any of you running the Country Music Marathon this year, their Web site lists Percy Warner as a great place to run. They also list several other places to check out.

And I can't emphasize enough the benefit of finding a group to run with. Running has become a very important part of my life, and I am lucky to share it with folks who feel the same way. They are a great source of encouragement, support and expertise.

There are runners EVERYWHERE. Find a buddy and get out there!
Sarah B.

Call me crazy

It is 21 degrees at 6:30 on this brisk Saturday morning.
I'm going to run 8 miles. What are you doing?

*****


Great run this morning- it was hard leaving the comfort of my car's seat warmer, but worth every minute. After about the first mile, I was warm and in a great pace.