Governor's Fitness Award- Seriously? Seriously.

Picture this, if you will: The State of Michigan is closed due to record snowfalls and poor road conditions. I'm at home, watching Netflix in my basement, sweatpants on, 1 serving of chocolate covered peanuts in a bowl in my lap. Then, the phone rings. It's a State of Michigan office calling. I panic, thinking maybe I was supposed to be at work?!

"Hello?"

"Hi, Elizabeth? This is so-and-so from the Michigan Fitness Foundation. I'm calling to congratulate you on becoming a finalist for the State of Michigan- Governor's Fitness Award for the Conquering Obesity Award. I wanted to give you details about the award process, selection, and the award ceremony. Is this a good time to talk?"

...what?

I tell the lady that she must be mistaken, that I did not submit anything for an award. She told me my friend, Jodi, nominated me and the committee was moved by my story. Therefore, I was chosen as one of three finalists to win this award for 2015.

I. Was. FLOORED. Are you kidding?

I take down the information about the process over the next few months, thank Ms. so-and-so for the call, and text Jodi.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! Why am I a finalist for a Governor's Fitness Award?! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

She replied with a simple smiley face emoticon.

All of the Award Nominees @ the House Chamber

 I started taking care of myself a few years back for me- I never realized I had inspired others to do the same. Heck, I still saw myself as my 300+lb self in my head- I was nowhere near my idea of "fit." When I started to S-L-O-W-L-Y share the news with people (I was extremely embarassed), I got back, more often than not, "Well of COURSE you're a finalist! That's awesome! You inspire so many- you got ME to run my first race!" OK then... I inspired people. Somehow.

I made light of the award nomination- it was because the committee ran out of nominee choices, I was the token female in the category, they wanted someone with a normal story... every excuse came out of my mouth.

In the meantime, I signed up for marathon #2 in Oklahoma City. I was finally going to go and meet the famous Marathon Man himself, Kris, from the From Fat to Finish Line group. I find out that the award ceremony is the night before I fly out to OKC to run. In talking to Kris one night about my upcoming trip, I say "I should probably just skip the ceremony anyway. I'm not going to win, so why go to eat crappy food and clap for the winner politely?" Kris said back, "Whatever. I've never been nominated for an award for my healthy habits. You HAVE to go- you're a bad ass. I don't get why you wouldn't go, even if you don't think you will win. This is awesome!"

He was right. Probably the first and only time he was right, but he was... he was right.

I started to tell more people, and I started to be proud of the nomination. I knew I was not going to win the final award, as the other two in my category were absolutely amazing -one lost over 300lbs and the other lost about 150 while overcoming a mental disability- however I was recognized by someone who I admire (Jodi is one of the strongest, most amazing women I've ever had the chance to work with) and the nomination alone was like winning to me. Plus, even if I didn't win, I still get to go to the award ceremonies, and get to run a marathon 2 days later. Neither of the other nominees have run one, let alone 2, marathons. So there. 

Before the ceremony itself, I was interviewed by a Detroit-area newscaster for the "video entry" portion of the event. Each nominee met with the reporter at his/her town and told the reporter their story. I met the reporter and her camera guy at Amy's studio in Lansing. They asked a few questions about my journey, interviewed Amy and myself, then... had me change into workout clothes to work out on camera. I was NOT prepared for that in any way. The reporter was... odd. And, after finding her on Twitter, I learned that she had already picked out her favorites for each category-- and I learned who my fellow nominees were.

So one nominee lost over 350lbs in less than a year, another one lost about 100lbs while battling cerebral palsy.

I was not going to win. And I was OK with that. I still campaigned for the People's Choice Award, where anyone could vote for any person/group over all of the categories, but I didn't get too worked up about it. Or at least tried not to!

About 3 weeks prior to the award ceremony, I was contacted and asked to send a photo for the program-- after YEARS of hiding from cameras, I had to take nice photos?! One that wasn't a selfie? Katie arranged for me to meet up with her friend, Jodi, who is a photographer. Jodi took some great headshots and I was able to send in a decent, non-sweaty selfie to the committee.

The day of the award ceremony started out with a legislative session where all nominees were given a plaque with their name and category on it, and all nominees were recognized (as a group) by the state Senate. It was a very nice ceremony- one that my mom, some close friends, and my co-workers attended. To have that amount of support was amazing!

That evening, my mom (she was my plus one!) and myself went to Ford Field for the Gala. The night started off with us being allowed onto the field itself, then to the VIP area where we had some drinks (I had water- I was 2 days out from a marathon!) and observed the other nominees. It seemed as though nobody was really comfortable being there, but people were friendly- for the most part. I was really put off by one of the other nominees in my category as he was quite... rude when I went to introduce myself, saying I was truly impressed by his hard work and his online community. He couldn't look me in the eye and just brushed me off. So weird for a guy that has over 2000 followers on Facebook.. but I digress.

Dinner was nice and small, awards were handed out, videos were played (montage, not each person's video), and they highlighted the part in my video where I said my mom was my greatest inspiration. She's honestly the strongest woman I know- between raising 2 kids on her own, getting remarried, then juggling 4 kids, a house, a husband, and a full-time job... I don't know how she does it. My mom started to tear up, and all I could do was grin.

Of course, I did not win my category nor the People's Choice Award (but it went to an amazing guy out of Okemos-- someone who has literally helped me with my running!), but to have these other nominees come up to me and recognize me, saying they were inspired by me.. what a powerful night. One I definitely won't forget. 

Disney Wine and Dine- November 2014

I was invited a few months back to do the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon with some of my friends. The 4th in their group was injured and didn't think she would be able to run it, so I got to run in her place. WOO! Of course, Disney frowns upon the reselling of race bibs, and reselling or transferring of bibs is strictly prohibited-- which I don't understand. You're not running across any international borders, and if you're injured and can't run, you're not entitled to a refund or a deferral, so why eliminate the ability to sell your bib?

But I digress.

So for the last few months, I've been running with Kerry and Amy - they would complete their long run for the week as I completed my mid-week medium run as I trained for the Detroit full. It worked out perfectly. Neither of them have run a half marathon before, and they were excited. The fourth member of the group, Terri, was also preparing for her first half marathon with these girls, but she lives out of town-- so most of her preparation was done on her own.

The weekend of the race finally came- we left on Friday morning and landed in Florida without incident.Thankfully. I was informed on the ride to the airport that Kerry is a nervous flyer- and that description didn't even cover it. She was ok once we were in the air (no turbulance) but getting her onto the plane was a trip in itself. We got on the Disney Express, a nice... 90 minute bus ride to Disney and all of its resorts. I didn't expect that long of a ride, but hey, it was free (included in our hotel reservation), and they delivered us right to the front door of Port Orleans, our home for the weekend.

View from the room

We met up with Terri in the lobby and got checked into our room. Walk around the resort a bit, find our room in the back (fine with me!) and.. its a little tiny. I should have expected it, but I was surprised how small it was for being a Disney "resort." I hear "resort" and think big spacious rooms, luxury bathrooms, 24/7 service. This was none of those things. It was a hotel. It was a FINE hotel, don't get me wrong, but my expectations were way off.

After unpacking and relaxing a little, we went out to the Expo to pick up packets and see what was going on. This was at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, outside of our "resort" area. We ran into one of Amy's friends there, and she buddied up with us through the pickup and expo. The expo was nice, but Detroit's was better (I'm biased, I know!). However, THIS expo had Jeff Galloway. If you're not a runner, you're probably not impressed. But I'm a runner and I was impressed- and I stood in line to talk to him and say thanks- between his Galloway Method and Hal Higedon's Training Plans, I was able to complete my first half and full. The man made it possible for me to be able to run. I got to say thanks, get his autograph, and feel giddy for the rest of the night.

Me and Galloway!

After packet pickup, we went to Downtown Disney to get dinner and check out the sights. The last time I was in Disney, I was 14. I'm grateful that my parents took me, but I don't remember having too much fun there- I was more geeked out for Universal. We didn't buy passes into the parks on this trip, but Downtown Disney is free and since we're staying at a resort, we had free transportation to/from the area. My one request for Downtown Disney was to go to the newly-opened Pandora store and buy my travel charm.

Let me talk about the charm thing for a second. My mom bought me a Pandora bracelet for Christmas 2013. She bought it thinking that my ex and the kids could pick out different charms for me (with different price values), and it would a nice addition to my nearly non-existent jewelry repertoire. The bracelet would "tell the story" of my life with him and the kids. Of course, as luck would have it, the ex and I split 3 weeks prior to that Christmas, and the bracelet was already purchased. So I've made this bracelet MY bracelet- it's telling the story of my reemergence into the person I was before the relationship. I love it. Mom started me out with an "E" charm (for Elizabeth- duh). The day after Christmas, I bought a ladybug charm for good luck. In January, I bought the Vegas dice (2 piece set only available IN Vegas) as that was my first trip/major mark of my recovery since the split. When I got my house in April, I bought a little house charm. I later bought the Detroit "D" charm to represent my home and my first half- and full- marathon. You get the picture. So the Disney Pandora charm was something I put money aside for and wanted to buy for myself.

Expo Fun!

Pandora partnered with Disney just a few months prior to this trip, and the grand opening of the park stores was on Wine and Dine weekend. You can get Pandora charms anywhere, but they're starting to put "exclusive" charms in certain areas. Like in Vegas, you can only get the dual dice charm. In Disney, as of that DAY, you can get "park exclusive" charms. The one I wanted (blue sorcerer's hat) was sold out- it sold out in 15 minutes, according to the sales clerk!- so I got the Minnie Mouse hat charm-- which sold out 5 minutes after I had it in my hand. Whoa. I heard the announcement as I was leaving the store that the charm was out.

I put the charm on my bracelet immediately, and we went to dinner. Dinner was at the Rainforest Cafe- yes, it was touristy, but it was the only place not swarmed with people- and we got to sit outside in the bar area. That would have been totally fine if the temp had not dropped by like 20 degrees. We all ate our dinners, teeth chattering, wrapped up in our free Disney expo shirts. We didn't do much else after dinner, as the next night was the race, so we went back to the hotel and crashed.

Next day, we wanted to limit our walking around a bit, since we had a half-marathon to do that night. I spent some time by the pool, went down the waterslide (I have no shame- I waited in line with the kids), took in some hot tub time, took a nap while the girls went to Downtown Disney.. it was a really nice rest day. Then, it was time to get dinner, get ready, and board the buses to the race.

We all decided prior to the race to run in costumes loosely based on specific Disney characters, complete with tutus. I had a Snow White theme happening, with a blue top, red cape, blue/yellow/red tutu, and yellow shorts and running pants. Amy had a Stormtrooper Princess thing happening, Kerry was decked out in Ariel (Little Mermaid) colors, and Terri was rocking the Princess Ana (Frozen) look. We looked adorable-- until the rain hit! Then the three of THEM looked adorable. But I'll get to that later...

So the race was set to start at 10:30pm-- for those who submitted proof of time. Our corral was the non-proof of time group, which was mixed with walkers, runners, and just other randoms. We had to get to the race location by 8pm. TWO AND A HALF HOURS EARLY! But, Disney did not disappoint- they had music blaring, a stage show going, and characters out in costumes to pose for photos. Of course we got our pictures taken with Minnie Mouse and Goofy- why wouldn't we?!

While waiting in our corrals when told to move into the groups, it started to rain. First, just a light misting. Nothing too bad. Then it started POURING. Thankfully I had a poncho- which Amy tried to "share" with me. Know what's worse than running in the back of a race with people who don't care if/when they finish? Running that in the rain, on crowded streets. It rained THE ENTIRE TIME! We didn't even get to cross the start line until about 11:30pm!

Kerry and Terri took off at their lightening pace, while Amy and I held back and took our time. We finished the race 3 hours later, soaking wet, and glad to be done- you run in the parks for only about 4 miles. The rest are all Disney service roads, back alleys (past dumpsters and back lot entrances to the park), and ... just nothing special. I ditched my soaked tutu somewhere outside of the Animal Kingdom, since it felt like it weights 1000 lbs thanks to the water. Some Disney characters were out on the course, where it was dry (under awnings), but since it was pouring, many of the characters were not out. We did stop and get our photos taken with Woody and Buzz Lightyear (Kerry and Terri waited around for us a bit to do that photo), and Amy and I stopped for our photo with Darth Vader and Boba Fett. I accidentally hit Boba Fett's shoulder when getting in for the photo, and, well, you can see that he wasn't amused as I tried to apologize. Right before that photo was taken, my yellow pants ripped. I tried to pull them up a little (remember, they were water logged) and I guess I pulled too hard on my $2 Amazon pants. Let me tell you a little something about ripped pants and big girl thighs. There is rubbing, there is friction, THERE IS CHAFING. Holy crap did I hurt after the race!

I really DID apologize...!

It was cool to run through the Wonderland of Light display, which was out and in full force. Since it was now November, the light display was out and on and ... gorgeous. This was my favorite part of the race, and it helps that this was at like mile 9-10. We were running in tank tops and shorts, soaking wet from the rain, and surrounded by Santa Clause images and Christmas lights. It was kind of crazy.

We crossed the finish line with me cheering on Amy and yelling for her to kick it in- I wanted her to finish strong, and she did! We collected our medals and tried to find Kerry and Terri- and go to bag check to recover our dry clothes. Dressing rooms were packed, so I went to collect my wine while the girls waited in line for a porta john to change in.

THEY. WERE. OUT. OF. WINE.

How is that possible in a Wine and Dine race?! It's not like they didn't know how many people signed up for the damn race! And you have to turn in your drink ticket FOR a glass of wine! I must have looked absolutely dejected, because the wonderful guy working the station offered me TWO Diet Cokes. The man knows the way to my heart!

We got dry clothes on (eventually) and headed over to Epcot, where the food was located. Of course, since the race had now started over 4 hours ago and it was still raining, many of the vendors were hiding under awnings and were hard to find. In fact, we didn't find a single one. We learned that Soarin was open at Epcot, so we went in for a ride- it was super cool! Of course, that was the first time any of us had sat down since the bus ride to the race, so getting out of the seats at the end was nearly impossible. I think I even heard one of the girls whimper a little...!

We made out way out of Epcot, found the shuttles back to the hotel, and passed out around 4am. Needless to say, we were all tired, a bit miserable, and a bit glassy-eyed, but we were all rocking those medals-- as 3 of us had just finished their first half marathon.

The next day, we took it easy. We slept in, walked around Downtown Disney a bit more, took naps... it's all we could do with our sore legs! Thankfully the rain let up a bit and we were able to enjoy some time in the hot tub (with the medals on, of course) and pool. And when we went to Downtown Disney, we hit it HARD. There were drinks flowing, staggering steps taken... and we just had a great time. It was a nice last night in Disney- way more fun than the race itself (in my opinion).

We flew home the next morning. Our flight was a little rough, which wigged Kerry out a bit (note to self- drug her up before the next out of state race!). But we wore our medals and race gear (Amy bought a half zip coat) with pride, all the way home.

All in all, it was a great trip with the ladies. I had fun- but I wasn't too impressed with the Disney race, especially knowing how much it all cost a runner. With about $150 in registration fees, hotel stay, flights, it wasn't really worth it to me. Now if there was more running in the parks and a better rain plan in place, maybe. But it's Disney. They are usually prepared for everything- or everything that they WANT to be prepared for. This wasn't the first ever Wine and Dine, it was the 3rd or something like that. OH YEA! The third is correct-- because people who have ran all 3 got a "Wine and Dine Spatula" as a special gift. The damn spatula had it's own Twitter and Instagram feed- it was hilarious. People were irate that this was the gift for the returners, but expressed their frustration in a .... creative way.

I'm not sure if I will do another Disney race. I've never been a huge Disney fan, and this experience didn't change my mind any. But if the group of people going is as good as this group, then.. I just may become a Disney convert after all.

Heart Rate Monitor Training

I have some friends who swear by heart rate monitor (HRM) training for weight loss and for just general physical conditioning. I've use the HRM before, but never really know what to do with the numbers that show on the fancy watch after my workout.

From Polar HRM site

What is HRM training? The theory is simple: The harder you work the higher your heart rate. The body doesn't burn fat at a high heart rate, rather, it will burn more fat while working at a middle (aerobic) level. Exercising below your aerobic range is said to increase the percentage of fat burned in a workout.  Energy used from fat is less likely to be replaced. So people looking to lose weight should be exercising at about 60-75% of their maximum heart rate to lose weight fastest.

WebMD states doesn't necessarily subscribe to the HRM weight loss theory- "To shed pounds, you must burn more calories than you consume. And when it comes to burning calories, the greater the exertion, the greater the rate at which calories are burned. Working out at about 60% to 75% of your maximum heart rate burns fewer calories than working out at 75% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. But caloric burn depends on a workout's duration as well as its intensity- and it's easier to work out longer when exercising at a lower intensity." 

 One fitness blogger suggest that for marathon runners who want to lose weight, you should run once a week  at a sub aerobic heart rate for 50 percent longer amount of time.  If you usually walk at a 16 minute pace per mile for two miles, then you should walk at an 18 minute pace for 3 miles.

I'm mentally fixated on going faster. I'm generally a slow runner, usually not topping over 12 minutes/mile. I want to BE faster, I want to finish my second marathon in under 5 hours. That means 11:30/mile. And now HRM training wants me to start running slower once a week? It's hard to wrap my head around that one. 

Let's look at my numbers and what I would have to do to have effective HRM training:

• Today's resting heart rate: 62 BPM (maybe I need to drop back on the caffeine..)
• Calculating out my maximum heart rate, I take 220-my age (34) = 186
• To reach 60-75% "fat burning" HRM, I need to stay between 111-139.5 BPM
• To reach 75-85% "max zone," I should be between 139.5-158 BPM

When I went running earlier this week (1/1/15), I wore the HRM to get an idea of where I was. Over a 35 minute span, my HR was at an average 149, with me hitting 181 as my max. I hit the max zone within 3 minutes of me being on the treadmill. And this was a slow, easy run for me! Prior to this, I tried doing a run in my "fat burning" zone and ... I was walking most of the time. It felt awful and slow and like I was moving through molasses. I wanted to do more but my HRM was telling me not to.

So I'm making a deal with myself. I will run however I want to run, at whatever pace I want to run, and not worry about the HRM. I'll wear it when doing cross training/weights and keep tabs on it, or I'll add on another "run" day, knowing I need to walk/keep it slow for the burn. I'm curious to know if it works or not, especially because I'm stuck in a weight loss rut at the moment. And I'm definitely curious to see how my overall heart health improves as I continue to train- my HRM recommends that I take a monthly evaluation to compare/contrast. So far, I like what I see...!

Revaming the Blog to Represent the New Me

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." 

That's right, I'm renaming this blog. I'm no longer only 30 years old, I'm WAY past that 30 lbs, and now, my big goal is to hit the 100's. I haven't been in the century club since...junior high? I think it's about time to re-join the fight and get back to a weight I don't even remember. Honestly, the least I can remember myself weight was still in the 210's. That's scary-I don't know what I will look like nor what I will *feel* like when I hit the 100's, but it's happening.

The Biggest Loser keeps using the phrase "onederland" - people who left the 200 weights behind them and entered, backward, into the 100's. It kind of stuck with me while watching this last season. Not very creative on my part, because I stole it from a TV show and other weight loss bloggers, but it resonates with me. Why? Because it would be wonderful to be back to under 200. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with my body. I'm a lean, mean, running machine. My body fat % has been dropping. I'm toning up. I don't see the changes, but others do- and they're letting me know.

...and every time I hear "wonderland" I think of that John Mayer song that catapulted him into his douchebag years, "Your Body is a Wonderland." While I know he wrote this song for Jennifer Love Hewitt and my body in no way resembles hers, I can get behind the idea of a guy telling me my body is a wonderland. 

So, a new name it is. New name, same old Liz. Sometimes the remake is better than the original, right?