It's Resolution Time!

I have lots to share today! That, and the fact that I have to work until like midnight tonight will result in a nice long post. I work at a casino so obviously NYE is one of our biggest nights of the year. I figure if you have to work on New Year's Eve, you might as well work at a party hot spot, right? It could be worse....
So anyway, I wanted to share some pictures I took about a week ago on a solo 6 mile run. This was the shortly after Bex ran the Half Marathon, so I decided to run alone one morning at around 6:30am. A while back I had posted that all you City Mice should be jealous of the running scenery I get to look at on every single run! So I finally took some pictures and wanted to share with you our sleepy little Delta town that I am quickly falling in love with:

This is the intersection of River Road and School Street...the two main drags! Can you see the lit Christmas stars on the telephone poles?

This is the Court House on School Street....again, decorated for Christmas

Here we are coming down the road where the private school, Tunica Academy is located. It was foggy this morning, but aren't the colors in the sky great?

Uh-oh, speed limit is only 20 miles per hour! I better slow down! :)

The sun rising over the trees at TA...see that white streak in the sky? As I took this picture I wondered where that plane was going, and who was on it.

This is one of my favorites...that big orange ball coming up over Tunica County! Rise and Shine!

This is our downtown park. Isn't it cute? The Main Street Society does a great job of decorating for the holidays, don't they? I love this park because there is a track around it. Four times around is a mile.

And one of the most lovely things in downtown Tunica...our Veteran's Memorial Park.So there you have it! I feel blessed to have this to wake up to every day. It was cool watching the farms be harvested this fall. To go from green and lush and full of buds down to just pure dirt again. All from one morning to the next. This spring we will get to see them grow again, maybe I'll post more pictures then. If you would love to see more pictures of Tunica and the surrounding Delta towns, this is a great website.

Weight Watchers Update: We weighed in yesterday and I lost 1.5 pounds! So I'm down to 170. I was pleased considering I actually lost weight over the Christmas holiday. I am eager to see what I can do when I really get to it this week! No excuses now!

Okay, so down to our 2010 resolutions. I have a few I'll share, but there is one last big one that I'm waiting to share with you. I'll explain why later. When my dad makes his resolutions he does something kind of cool...he calls it The Five F's. The Five F's are Fitness, Finance, Family, Faith, and Fun. He makes at least one resolution for each of the Five F's. So I thought I'd give it a shot:

Fitness 2010

1. Run two Half-Marathons. One in January (only 10 days away!), and one in December
2. Committ to Weight Watchers for *a minimum* of 10 weeks
3. Lose 20 pounds as a result of #1 and #2

Finance 2010

1. Get our finances to a place where we will feel comfortable starting a family (don't get excited...the Tom Withers family probably will not increase until some time in 2011). This means paying off our credit card AND accumulating enough savings equal to 12 months worth of fixed expenses.

Family 2010

1. Since ours is a happy family of two, I'm not sure what to resolve to do for the 'Family' category. I guess just to grow each day as a couple, and as a team.
2. I often find myself laying down to go to bed at night and thinking, 'I did not even kiss my husband today.' Life can just get in the way, you know? So I always shake Tom and say, 'Oh! I forgot to kiss you today!' He always snickers at this, but I know he secretly loves it. So I think I'll resolve to kiss my husband every day in 2010 no matter how mad he might make me. :)
3. Send birthday cards to my extended family.
4. Spend more time babysitting my precious neice, Lilly!

Faith 2010

1. Tom and I have stuggled with finding a home church in Tunica where we feel comfortable and welcomed. This is probably my most important resolution...for us to find a home church nearby and attend regularly.
2. I will resolve to grow closer to God and become a vehicle for Him and His Word.
3. I will become more patient with my everyday life and not focus on the negative.

Fun 2010

1. Take at least one vacation with Tom...somewhere we have never been together. We went to San Francisco and Napa on our honeymoon and had the. best. time. Every day we did something tourist-y and fun. I would love to take another awesome trip like that with him. I am thinking skiing in Telluride, snorkling in Mexico, somewhere wonderful where we can have a fun experience together.
2. Go kayaking. I don't care where or when but at some point I want to do it. Tom and I have talked many times about it, but have done nothing about it! 2010 is the year!
3. Go camping with friends.

That's all for now I guess. Do you think 14 resolutions is enough?! :) What are your resolutions for this year? Do you tend to keep your resolutions or do they wind up becoming empty promises? I find that if I set small-short-term goals to my resolutions they are more likely to actually be KEPT!

How are all of you going to spend the first day of 2010? I am going to kick off the New Year by running 12 miles in the morning. So while all of you are warm and hungover in your sweet little beds, think of me sweatin' it out for a long two hours and twenty-something minutes!

The Final Countdown

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I have not blogged in some time (I know yall have been waiting with bated breath) because of all the holiday craziness. Over my mini-break for Christmas I did absolutly NO running but was able to get back at it yesterday with Bex by my side. We did a quick 5-miler. Although I thoroughly enjoyed being holed up with my mom and aunt watching movies and drinking wine all weekend, it was nice to get back in the groove. I loved returning to the cold bright outdoors of the Delta! And of course it didn't hurt that I was able to try out many of my Christmas gifts! I looked like an Under Armour ad, and I think the clothes made me run faster and farther (thanks Mom!). We had a great run considering how long of a break we'd taken. We ran an 11 minute mile the whole way which is right on track. So here is our plan for the week. This week will be our last long run before the Big Day! Only 11 days left!

• Sunday: 5 miles - check!
• Tuesday: 8 miles - yikes!
• Wednesday: 10 miles - ouch!
• Friday: 12 miles - YOWZA!
• Saturday/Sunday: Rest

So that is the plan for now. I will feel very comfortable if I can run a 12 miler a week before Race Day. Race Week we will just do two quick but short runs probably on Tuesday and Thursday, then rest until Saturday. Wish me luck! This is the final countdown!!

In addition to NOT running all week, I also did NOT abide to all rules de la Weight Watchers. I mean, what do they expect, getting us started the week of Christmas? Whatev. I don't feel bad about it. I had a great time eating and drinking and eating and eating and eating with my family all week. But now it is down to business I suppose. So on Saturday (12/26) I began recording my points simply to see where I fall in regards to What I'm Eating vs. What I SHOULD Be Eating. And let me tell you it was not good. According to the Weight Watchers gods, I am supposed to eat 23 points per day (if you are unfamiliar with how the Weight Watchers points systems works, click HERE).

They calculate this number by age, weight, height, how you spend most of your day, your yearly income, popularity, credit score, political views, etc. Anyway, per my calculations on Saturday and Sunday I was doubling this number. As in, I was eating like 40-50 points per day, when I'm supposed to be eating 23. Hello, HEFFER! So clearly to begin leading a healthier lifestyle I do need to *bring it on down now.* So today I am consciencely counting and recording my points. So far I have eaten 13 points after having breakfast and lunch. So I am allowed 10 more points for a snack and dinner. We'll see how that goes. I gotta tell you, I'm pretty hungry. I am fighting with that hairy shapeless orange Hunger Monster you see on all the WW commercials. Yes, he is real. The Hunger Monster Lives.Each week we will weigh in. My starting weight was 171.5. I will try to update yall each Wednesday after the weigh-in so I will be held accountable for my progress!

Healthy Holidays

So the whole purpose of this blog is to track my progress during my half-marathon training. But with training for any sport comes nutrition as well. What we put into our bodies is just as important as the activities we engage in to stay healthy. Although I have posted a few figure-friendly recipes over the last few weeks (one more in this post), I need yall to understand that I am a very bad (and I mean like VERY BAD) eater. Okay, and drinker. I love my wine, what can I say? Also, it doesn't help that I am happily married to a wonderful man who loves my cooking, and loves to eat. One of our favorite things to to together is cook and eat. And eat some more. So I suffer from the age-old problem of "I-just-got-married-and-now-I-can-stop-looking-for-Mr.-Right-and-let-myself-go-because-he-loves-me-and-always-will." It's a problem I'm CERTAIN other newlyweds have as well.

I heard a saying once...."Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." A likely story. Are you trying to tell me that there is something better than the taste of freshly delivered pizza? Or those Ched-R Peppers and Route 44 Cherry Limeade from Sonic when you are way hungover? Or those two (or three, or four, or if you're me, five sometimes) glasses of chardonnay at a girl's night? Gimme a break. Nothing can be better. Well, I am beginning to think something can be better than the above mentioned delicacies. That something being a size 8. Or even a size 6. Or no matter your dress size, simply looking good NAKED. Am I right, ladies? I think I am.

So that being said, I have decided to embark on an additional challenge. I am joining Weight Watchers at my place of employment. Where I work, we have a WW Club, and this is how it works:

You simply sign up for a five-week session and write a check for $55. The club meets every Wednesday. At the meetings, they supply you with all things Weight Watchers. Point values, recipes, exercises, ideas for healthy living, etc. Also at each meeting, you weigh in. It's a great support system, and a great motivation...getting up on that scale each week in front of everyone! And here's the best part: If you lose a measly 2.5 pounds in 5 weeks, the company pays for it. Hence, they just rip up that $55 check and you get your health & new svelt figure for FREE! Does your company do anything like this? It is a win/win for everyone because healthy employees=less sick leave and better insurance discounts! If your place of employment does not already have something like this set in place, why not talk to your boss and suggest somthing? Just a thought. So anywa.....the only downside to our Weight Watchers Club is that the first meeting is next Wednesday, December 23. Who's crazy idea was THAT? Asking us to start WW two days before Christmas (a.k.a. one of the Best Eating Days of the Year). O-well, it is what it is.

So I will keep you posted on any progress. During this training process, I have noticed a difference in my body. I don't know if I've lost actual pounds (haven't been weighing myself, just tracking my progress by distance), but I can tell my body is stronger and leaner. I have gained a significant amount of muscle mostly in my core and lower body, and my clothes are slightly looser. It's like everything has just shifted and tightened. Which is a good thing. I can only imagine what a knock-out I'll be once I bring the good eating into the equation! Jessica Alba, eat your heart out.

Here is another easy healthy weeknight vegetable recipe. I tried it out last night on Tom and his dad and they loved it!

Ingredients:

8 large carrots, washed and peeled (use approx. 2 carrots per person)

2 yellow squash (or 1 squash per person)

1 bundle of asperagus

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 cloves minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Chop vegetables into bite-size peices. Disgard the very ends of the asperagus...they can be tough and wood-y to eat. Toss vegetables in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet (might want to line your cookie sheet with wax paper just for easy clean-up). Roast for 15-20 minutes. Voila! So easy, yes? Get creative with your veggies and try others.

Git it Gurl

So after my little pity-party-boo-hoo post last week I am feeling much better this week. Reba has not run with me since then, but I'll explain why in another post because I'm waiting on some pictures (the suspense is killing you, I know).

On Monday Bex and I did 5 miles. Had to walk like almost a mile in the middle. Just wasn't feelin' it. But this morning it was like 28 degrees and we busted out 7 miles like it was nothin'. So awesome. For some reason we were just feeling so much better and so ready to run. I am learning that when there are hurdles and you feel like you just can't do anymore, if you push through that wall you can do anything! So we were really happy with ourselves, and ready to do a long run of 9 or 10 miles on Friday. I'm happy to say (for lack of a better term) I've gotten my groove back!

So the countdown as begun...only 22 days until The Big Day. Three of those days being Christmas, New Years Eve, and New Years day when, let's face it, the idea of distance running will probably not be on my priority list. But I can do it! I'm ready!

ps....thanks Erri and Allison for your encouragment! Y'all are sweet....

"Hmph." post continued....

...after I wrote that last post I Googled "Dog Leash For Runners" and this is what turned up. What do you think? Think Reba could handle it? Or do you think trying this gadget would result in Laura being pulled, face down, arms out, leggs flailing behind her all the way down School Street? Hmmmm....

Hmph.

(notice I no longer have to put "Tunica:" in front of each post title since I am the only city involved now.) So this week is the first week after Bex Half Marathon, and she has understandably decided to take a break from all things fitness. I think she has made a couple trips to the gym, but other than that there hasn't been much happening on the running front. I knew she was going to take a week off, so I had planned to run with an interum partner until her return. That interum partner being my oh-so-entergetic and beautiful daughter, Reba the Retriever. I mean, look at her. What's not to love, right? Right.

Let me be clear that Reba is a dog of many talents (these talents include but are not limited to: sitting, speaking, laying down, dancing, getting on the couch...seriously, if you say "Reba get on the couch!" she'll do it.....chasing tennis balls/squirrels/chew toys/ham bones/chunks of concrete or hard dirt, 'giving love'....giving love=jumping on you and trying to bite your hand off....etc.). One of these talents is not walking on the leash. Like all curious one-year-old-70-pound dogs, she is a CrazyTrain on the leash. Lurching then jerking, then running calmly beside you for about 2.5 seconds until taking off like a bolt of lighting in persuit of what she thinks might be a tennis ball/squirrel/chew toy/ham bone/chunk of concrete or hard dirt. Needless to say she is not easy to run with for an extended distance. However, after a few times around the block with the world's second greatest invention the Choke Collar (first greatest invention being the Sports Bra), she was an old pro! Now please don't leave me some angry comment about how Choke Collars are inhumane or something. They aren't. They are necessary. And trust me, they don't hurt her physically, just hurt her feelings basically. So nothing you can say will tear me away from my Choke Collar.

Anyhow, after a little training I decided she was ready to go for a run with me on Monday afternoon. We struggled a little starting out (lurching, jerking, etc.). But in Reba's defense, the stretch of road that we started out on was lined with fenced-in Chiuauas and Labs barking violently at the sight/smell of another dog nearby. Also, it was about 2:30 in the afternoon so it was like Noisy Public School Bus Central on our route. Clearly it took a little getting used to, but about 7 minutes into our run she was trotting along beside me with the control of a Seeing Eye Dog and determination that would be Westminster-worthy. Such a proud puppy she was! And let me tell you she made it all four miles with ease and grace. And as we turned the corner onto our street, with our house in sight, she picked up the pace as if she knew we were on the home stretch, grinning from ear to ear (don't Goldens always look like they're smiling?). So sweet. I will have to take her with me again soon.

Although I am oh-so-pleased with Reba's running performance, I am sad to say I've been feeling a little defeated and deflated this week. I have not run since Monday because...um...it's been so cold? Oh, who am I kidding. I just haven't felt like it, OKAY?! But I'm stressed by my lack of running because my Half-Marathon is right around the corner. I think I am just feeling a little burnt-out and over it to be honest. We all have our moments, and I guess this week has just been one long 'moment' for me. What with the holidays, the lack of my partner Bex, my house is disarray and under construction....I mean, even the finale of the Biggest Loser didn't get me up and at 'em this week. Pitiful. So I need your encouragment/prayers/positive thoughts/advice/ideas/help/compliments (heavy on the compliments, please) even more this week! Any and all advice (and compliments) are welcome and helpful, please and thank you.

Tunica: Sad News

Well, you may have noticed that there has been a slight change to the blog. That is because I have some slightly sad news to share. My great friend and partner-in-blogging, Caitlin, has decided to blog no more. Therefore, I am goin' out on my own, people! This blog is mine all mine now. As many of you know, Caitlin is in grad school, working part-time, and has a really cute boyfriend, all of which are very time-consuming. A busy girl such as herself simply does not have enough hours in the day to devote to this little 'ole blog. So with that being said, I have changed the name of the blog and URL (I say 'I changed,' I had to get Caitlin's said cute boyfriend to help me do it) to runninginthedelta.blogspot.com. I figure this is more appropriate since Nashville is no longer part of the equation. I am sad that she will post-no-more because her posts were always witty, funny, and informative, as well as full of funny web photos. So Caitin, know that you and your writing skills will be missed.

Don't fret...she wont be gone completely...I will update you periodically on how Caitlin and Ben are progressing on their runs, as I hope parting from the blog will not effect their running schedule. Caitlin and I have been friends since we were like, four years old and during the past 20+ years we have participated in many sports together. Those sports included but were not limited to slow-pitch softball (go Diamonds!), fast-pitch softball (go Rebs....we may have had a losing record but we were by far the prettiest team in Knox County...and Blount County for that matter), basketball, volleyball (come on now, who can forget the Webb Middle School Spartans). She has always been ever so slightly more athletically-advanced than myself, so I know if I can do it, SHE CAN DO IT! So get to runnin' girl. Just think, 'If Laura can do it, I can do it.' And you'll feel motivated.

So long...farewell...auf wiedersehen...good-bye...

Tunica: I'm baaaa-aaaack!

Whooooooaaaa....long time no post! I mean, my email box and my voicemail have been FLOODED with loads of adoring readers who have missed my blogging terribly. Kidding, of course. But I think Tom did say the other day, 'Hey, you haven't updated your blog in a while.' So here I am. Updating. And with quite a few updates to share....

First of all, as you noticed Bex and I ran our longest run ever of 12 miles. We were so proud of ourselves by the end of it we couldn't even speak! Or maybe it was the gasping for breath and limping into the driveway that kept us from talking. In all seriousness, we had a great 12-mile run and felt petty decent when it was over. We ran 6, took a water break. Ran another 6. By the 11th mile I was thinking, "I am OVER this run. Ready to be done now, please and thank you." So I was able to pick up the pace a bit. That, combined with the Black Eyed Peas blasting on my iPod is what got me through that last mile and a half. After our run, I had to go to work all day and let me tell you I did not feel 100% normal until late Wendesday night. Now I understand why most races are scheduled on Saturday mornings...you have two full days to recouperate and get back to normal!

Speaking of last Wednesday night....after work Tom and I hit the road to the lovely city of Knoxville, home town to the famous Laura Estelle Frazier Withers. Thursday morning my dad and I decided to run the Thanksgiving Day Hot-to-Trot 5K put on by the nice folks at Fleet Feet of Knoxville. It was such a GORGEOUS Thanksgiving morning, so I dragged Winston out of bed as the sun was coming up and coerced him to the start line. This was the first year for this race, so they expected about 150-200 people. They wound up with over 1000 runners that morning! A huge success for this race, so I'm sure they will do it over and over for years to come. Something about Thanksgiving morning makes you want to run....I think it has something to do with knowing you're going to be a worthless football-watching-couch-holding-down-turkey-eating-and-wine-drinking-grommet for the next three days. Why not start the holiday season out by burning off a couple hundred calories to off set the thousands you're going to consume in the coming weeks? So anyway, I finished the 5K (3.1miles) in 29:59. Under a 10 minute mile, thankyouverymuch. So I was happy with that. AND I got to spend some good QT with my good 'ole Daddy-o so all in all it was a very successful morning.

After the race we went home and I got to cookin'! I made two pumpkin pies, an Rendezvous plate, a spinach dip, and homemade pita chips to take to Louise's house for the big meal. I wanted to share my pita chip recipe because (unlike everthing else on my T-day menu) they are very figure-friendly, and a great alternative to store-bought chips.

Ingredients:

1 pack whole wheat pitas

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

seasonings of your choice....I used garlic salt and fresh cracked pepper. I have also made them with rosemary and thyme. Just use whatever you have on had, or whatever is your favorite.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut pitas into triangles. See how the pitas are pockets? Separate those two layers so you have a flat, crispy chip. Each of the two layers should give you 6 triangles for a total of 12 triangels per pita. Spread pita triangles on cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle seasonings liberally all over. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Easy and impressive. People are always impressed and think you slaved all day when you tell them 'these chips are homemade.' Ha ha, joke's on them cause it's soooooo easy. I hope all of you and your families had a great Thanksgiving holiday with lots to be grateful for!

Now I have to give another shout out to my sweet friend Bex whom I am so very thankful for this year! If it weren't for her I never would have started running again thus never blogging about it. And what a tragedy that would have been, yes? I feel lucky to have a friend who will get up before the sun does, drive 15 mintues to my house, and run with me. I enjoy her company because we go at the same pace, talking and laughing the entire way! I hope we will be able to run together for many years to come. Tomorrow is her first Half-Marathon, and I am so proud of the progress she's made and the dedication she has shown. Yall, this time last year she was only walking on a tredmill, and was probably thirty pounds heavier with baby weight. Now a skinny-minny size 4, she will cross that finish line tomorrow with a smile on her face! Way to go Bex, I am thankful for you and even more proud of you! Love ya!