I just gained back 90 pounds!!!!

   Ben got the idea tonight to try an experiment with a couple of back packs and some of the weights we have around the house.  We slipped 80 pounds of weights into the bags, and then had me put them on.  Needless to say, it was an eye opening experience. In the past year, I have lost 90 pounds.  So putting on the bags with close to that amount of weight really made me understand just how much I have taken off of my body.
    Simply walking around the living room for about two minutes was hard.  My knees felt sore, my breath was shorter, and I couldn't even do three squats.  I have no idea how I functioned on a day to day basis back then, when I weighed 260 pounds.  Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't function.  I just existed.
    It is always an eye opening experience when I look at my old photos.  I realize how miserable I was and how horrible I looked and felt.  It was embarrassing when we moved in to our new apartment with a stair well, and I had trouble going up and down the small flight of stairs.  My knees would ache, and I would find myself out of breath at the top landing.
    I have to sit and ask myself WHY I let my body to get to that point.  I think, honestly, I let it go because I did not see what I had done.  More accurately, I did not WANT to see what I had done.  I did not want to see that my poor choices had caused me to experience health issues that no twenty-six year old should have to deal with.
    So tonight, as I tried to walk around the living room with the added weight on my body, I found myself thankful that I finally did something.  Thankful that I finally took back the health that I had so easily tossed aside.  I never truly appreciated what it meant to be born with a healthy body, until I no longer had one.  It is amazing what we take for granted, until it is gone.  I never want to go back to that place again, now that I know what healthy feels like.  Though it may be hard to believe, I did not realize how poor my health was, until I began to experience what it meant to be fit and healthy.
     After my experience tonight, I want to try something.  I want to find a weighted vest, one that hopefully can bring me close to my old weight.  And then I want to spend a day or two trying to go about my normal routine with it on.  Just basic things like doing laundry, playing with the kids, teaching a lesson, doing this or that at work.  I hope to record my thoughts and experiences on here if I get the chance to do it.  Putting on the weighted bags tonight truly made me appreciate the changes my body has gone through in this past year. I know that I'll appreciate the changes even more when I try to go a day or two with the weight back on my body.

Amazing what can come from a little bit of inspiration!
Kristina
   
   

The extra mile...and a little insanity.

    So I can not deny that I have been slacking a little bit on my running. I'm trying to adjust to my new work schedule, dance is picking back up, and trying to run outside during the short daylight hours reminds me of that scene from the Mummy Returns where Rick is trying to run Alex into the temple before the sun hits his bracelet...only I am racing the sun set! This means I am trying to find ways to squeeze in work outs, while still having time to do housework, take care of the kids, and maybe even relax!
   I think I am finally getting a good schedule down, now, though. And I have slowly, but surely, started to work my way back up to where I was back at Thanksgiving, when I ran the Turkey Trot.  As of right now, I can officially say I am training myself up to run the Azalea Trail 10k!  I had a bit of a shocker the other day.  I looked on the calendar to the day of the race, March 23, and realized that it looked a LOT closer on this side of Christmas.  Time to get my butt back in gear!
    Tonight I finally had a little bit of free time, after my dance class, and went for what I had planned to be a short three or four mile run tonight.  Let me tell you, by mile three, I was ready to give up!  Something pushed me on, and I managed to fight my way to that fourth mile.
    I sat on the bench at the track, and stared at my phone.  It was still pretty early, and I had managed to push past my wall, and I decided to go....

Duh Duh Duh!!!!!

THE EXTRA MILE!

     If you had a tape recorder of my thoughts for that mile, I'm sure it would make for a very amusing clip to listen to.  No two runs are ever, mentally, the same for me.  Going in to one, I sometimes have no idea where my thoughts are going to take. As I started out on my fifth mile, my mind grew more and more entertaining to listen to.

Lap 1-
   The song "I feel good" is finishing up. I quietly mouth the lyrics, while doing a little dance.  I have the track to myself, no one can see me! Oh crap, I forgot about the cameras.  Oh well, who cares!

Lap 2-
   Oh man, I'm hungry.  I can't wait to get home and have some of that chicken, coated in Sweet Baby Ray's.  Hey now stomach, no misbehaving, we aren't home yet!  I wonder if we have any King cake left.  Oh come on Kristina, one slice of that will totally ruin this run.  But the cream cheese precious...it's cream cheese!  No! *gollum gollum* No cake precious....

Lap 3 and 4-
   Ooh, Sandstorm.  I like this song.  Hey, wait, where is my Darude CD?  Oh well, I'm sure it's around.  I wonder if they'll play this at the Jag's games again this year.  I hope so, I can't stand that other song.  Oh man, I miss football. Well, sort of, it is nice not to have to pack up the kids every dang Saturday and haul all that stuff to the jags games.  Aww man, I missed the song. Shut up brain!

Lap 5-
    Oh Lord, why did I decide to run five.  *Insert cartoon angel and devil on my shoulders*
 Devil: If you stop at six, it will be close to five miles right? Come on Kristina, just be bad tonight.
Angel:  Now, now Kristina.  You want that race right?  Keep on going, you are almost to six laps.

Lap 6-
   A commercial....go figure. I start to mentally sing a really annoying intro song for Inuyasha.  Why, Lord, why?  I hate this song, why am I singing this.  That's it, I've gone crazy.  This extra mile has stripped my sanity.

Lap 7 and 8-
Me:  I'm not gonna make it, I can't maneuver
Gold Five: Stay on Target
Me: So close...but so far
Gold Five: Stay on Target!
Me: Loosen up Kristina...

Lap 9-
   Mental image of the death star blowing up....yay!!!

Lap 10-
   I have so much to do tomorrow.  Groceries, pick up apartment...oh look, the lights got turned off.  Hey wait, I'm still up here.  Oh wait, never mind, the track lights are still on.  I'm good.  Ignore my girly scream.

Lap 11-
   I like this song, it makes me happy..."I feel so close to you right now, it's a force field."  Wait...that doesn't make sense.  Isn't a force field supposed to keep things out, or away?  This guy obviously is NOT a sci fi nerd.  If he was, he would know better than to use force field.  It should be tractor beam you idiot!!!!

Lap 12....
   *Insert chariots of fire theme*  Five miles, yeah buddy, I did it!!

  Thus ends the strange perspective of Kristina's thoughts while running.