Dani Dishes 2-17-14
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I am looking for help with self-love, self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. Check it out and offer up any suggestions you may have!!
*GUEST POST* Never Say Never... By Suzi Storm
/Regaining weight after hitting goal or getting close to goal is something I get asked about often. Thankfully, I do not have first-hand experience with gaining weight back (besides after healing from my eating disorders - which isn't the same). Soooo I asked my dear friend Suzi (aka Suzi Storm) to share her story about regaining weight after hitting her goal weight and starting the weight loss journey all over again!!
Suzi & I at her wedding in June 2013
Take it away Suzi!
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Never Say Never…
Dani is a friend that is near and dear to my heart. So when she asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest post I said “hell yeah”…
So if the title didn’t give it away already…this is a post about where I come out…for my love of Justin Bieber.
Just kidding. ‘Never say never’ is his song right?! Otherwise this post is already heading in a horrible direction.
My “success” story in a nutshell…I lost 101 lbs following the Weight Watchers program in 2010. In 2011 my life went on the wildest rollercoaster that I have yet to experience in my 30 years on this planet. It kind of goes like this…go to NYC to do a success story shoot for Weight Watchers Online…get chosen to go to Chicago to be on Oprah & be one of the 100 people who have lost 100 lbs or more for her very last weight loss episode...do numerous amounts of local news and newspaper interviews who want to display my story…get chosen to be featured in the Weight Watchers Winter/Spring ‘Believe’ campaign & go on to be featured in magazines along with having numerous television commercials…am asked to contribute my story and have my very own little section in former Weight Watchers CEO David Kirchhoff’s book ‘Man Meets Scale’. Oh and within this year I would go to Boston to train and become a Weight Watchers meeting leader not once…but twice (well I didn’t train twice, I just was a leader for a few months, stopped, then became a leader again…and stopped).
That literally happened all in ONE YEAR!! Oh and did I mention that I made Lifetime (that’s when you have hit your goal weight and maintained it for 6 weeks) on December 23rd 2010…and in January I was off to NYC…pretty much all of the events I mentioned above were spaced out within a few months of each other.
When you lose weight, no matter the amount, the questions are generally all the same. “How did you do it?” “How long did it take you?” “What was your AHA moment?” “How do you feel about yourself now?”…
In mostly all of my interviews I used to say “I will NEVER go back to being THAT person again!!” Before losing the weight I was depressed, angry, and hated myself every day for the choices I was making…of course I thought I would never go back to being THAT person again!! I was a size 6 and feeling AMAZING!! And did I mention all the cool shit I got to do?!
I will never be THAT person ever again…what a naïve thing to say. Because guess what…it’s 2014 and I am THAT person again. Did I *want* to end up back in this situation? Did I *want* to repeat the whole weight loss journey again? Hell no!! Who ever wishes for stuff like that?! But sometimes we lose control and sometimes we are so lost that we can't grab a hold of ourselves until we are hanging out with George Clooney & Sandra Bullock in space. Never say never, because you never know what will happen.
I have gained all of my weight back, plus another 30 lbs. I am officially the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I even had to be put on blood pressure medication and last year I thought I was having a heart attack and had to be hospitalized. Come to find out, it was just a panic attack. Something that was happening often and I had to be put an anxiety medications.
I didn’t *feel* anxious per say. But when I think about it now I guess I did have a lot of anxiety. I feared going to public places where I might run into someone who saw me when I was at my goal weight. I dreaded seeing family members who hadn’t seen me in a few months. See, I gained the weight back very quickly. After I ran my first (and to date my only) marathon in October of 2011 I pretty much stopped running. Then I started drinking more (Beer is my poison and my most tempted lover) which of course lead to eating more…which lead to more hangovers, which lead to less movement, which lead me back into my couch with my sweats on and a beer in my hand…the same exact picture of the girl I said I would never be again.
See, I never got to just *BE* with my new body. Losing weight is hard and is a transformation for anyone but losing 100 lbs is some serious life changing stuff, and I am not talking because of all the amazing experiences I got to have but I am talking about your body. Your physical body and your mental state…they take a dramatic change. And I never really got to understand that until it was too late.
I think around spring of 2012 was when I really fell back in the hole. I was up about 30 lbs so you would think I would’ve stopped there, but my self-hatred for those 30 regained lbs ate me and ate me and I just continued to drink and eat and drink and eat and drink and eat. Everyday I would ask myself “How in thee f*ck did I get back here?!” But that wouldn’t stop me. Sad part is, this wasn’t the first time I had gained weight back. Years prior I had lost 55 lbs on the program. I didn’t hit goal weight. I didn’t even have one set. But I was pretty close to a healthy weight and felt great. But then I had gained that back plus another 50 lbs.
So here I am now…2014 and at my highest weight yet. Do I give up?? Do I throw in the towel and believe that I can’t lose weight and successfully keep it off for more than a year and half at a time?? HELL NO!!!!
I got married last June and it was the happiest time of my life. But aside from my wonderful marriage (& I must say that I am so lucky to have a husband who has loved me & has supported me no matter what)…I have been living in my own personal hell over the past year. My drinking might be the worst it has ever been and it has forced me to look at my patterns and my habits. This is something I am still seeking answers to and not something I am ready to publicly share until I come to peace with it myself.
And my food intake?? If it’s cheesy and bad for me, well then I will put it in my body. Sure, every now and then I get these so-called AHA moments (I always hated this question and I think that I now truly believe that there is no one AHA moment) and I start to track my food again and count my points…this usually lasts for a week or two but then I am right back into my old, disgusting habits again. And my exercise?? I sign up for races and then never train again to them. I went from running ½ marathons and a marathon to not even being able to run a ¼ mile straight.
Something over the past few weeks has changed though. I don’t know if I am just, as they say, sick and tired and of being sick and tired. But I have really been taking a good look over the past 8-9 years of my life to try to see what the patterns are…what the triggers are. I think I have figured some of them out. Others, well they are a work in progress. I never did this before though. It was just about weight and unhappiness. I knew I had bad eating and drinking habits but I think that my mental thought was “well if I track them they are OK.” That’s not always the case.
But one thing is for sure…I will NEVER give up!! I may fall and I may fall really ‘effing hard, but I will always try to get back up. It’s not easy. Especially since all I want to do is get back to being healthy and fit again. But I have to try to keep learning to be patient with myself. Change never happens over night. And even though I have learned SO many valuable lessons along the way about this journey, I still have many more to learn. I have *so* much more to learn about myself. I’m not a quitter. I am a fighter.
You know what…I am NEVER going to be THAT girl again…I am going to be BETTER!!
Maybe you are or have been in this situation. Maybe you are at your goal weight and struggling. Or maybe you have maintained your weight for 10 years. Either way, we are all in this together. But we all have our own individual seats on this ride. All we can do is scream and cheer for not only ourselves but for each other. Never give up and most importantly...never stop believing in yourself.
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New Orleans: Arrival, Expo & #RnRTweetup
/Did you all know I was excited to head to New Orleans? You may remember this post about it - check it out if you don't.
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I arrived to the airport early since I was heading solo and I am a worrier. Plus I like a pre-flight beer at Boston Beer Works.
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If you don't recall, I was heading down to New Orleans on Jet Blue. Thanks frequent flyer miles. When I rolled up to the Gate, my name was being called over the loudspeaker. Oh man that is never a good sign - is that I said to all the people around me.
BUT IT WAS AWESOME!! It is the 10th anniversary of Jet Blue being in Boston and I was the 10th person to check into my flight so I won...
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... 10,000 Jet Blue Miles and a $10 Dunkin' Donuts gift card.
Aaaaahhhh-may-zing way to kick off the weekend.
The flight itself was uneventful - little napping, little TV, little people watching. The usual.
I arrived in New Orleans and took a cab to my friend's place. I would be staying with Kenlie from All The Weigh for the weekend.
We checked out the amazing view from her rooftop and I had to dip my toes in her pool. I didn't care that it was chilly ... it was warmer than Boston so I had to do it. :P
We headed out to grab dinner at a cute little sushi place before checking out Bourbon Street. It was my first time to New Orleans so it seemed like a "must do." It was definitely a sight to be seen.
After a long day of work, traveling and adult beverages, it was a deep sleep. Plus Kenlie's couch was super comfy.
I sprang out of bed off the couch Saturday because it was finally #RnRTweetup time.
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I was excited to finally meet these lovely bloggers in person.
Kenlie was nice enough to drop me off at the Expo. Little did I know the convention center was MASSIVE. I entered at Hall A and the RnR Expo was at Hall J. I was shockingly running late, which is rare for me.
I made a quick stop at Starbucks to grab a coffee. :( It was no Dunks.
But I hustled down the covention center and made it to the Expo with about 15 minutes to spare.
I headed over to the Stage area. Ahh I would be up there talking and hopefully people would be there enjoying it.
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Oh and our names were even on the poster.
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I was geekin' out!
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There were the ladies! I have been chatting with these ladies online for years and it was finally time to meet them in person.
From left to right: Me (Duh!), Sarah from Mom Running On Empty, Mindy from Road Runner Girl & Abby from Back At Square Zero!!
We all hopped on stage and got the party started!
It was a BLAST! The time flew by and I was happy to see so many familiar faces in the crowd. :)
Here are some amazing shots captured by Ashley from Rock 'n' Roll.
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Not the most flattering photo of me, but I am probably talking about my love of Race Bling! ;)
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What do bloggers do when they get together at a tweet up? This picture sums it up perfectly! :P
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I can't express how awesome it was to meet such amazing women at one time. I was overwhelmed with love and happiness. It was a magical morning.
A big thank you to Rock 'n' Roll for letting Abby, Sarah, Mindy and I have such a once in a lifetime experience. How about we make it more than once in a lifetime? Huh Huh? Tweet me Rock 'n' Roll. ;)
I want to thank some amazing folks for attending the tweet up.
My friend and Team Chocolate Milk teammate Angela from We Beat Fat
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Tanee from From Fat To Fit Chick
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Leah from Glitter On The Go
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And others who I didn't nab a pic with.
Just as the #RnRTweetup ended, my girl Christine (aka Dubyawife) arrived. :) We have hung out at the past two Fitbloggin' conferences and she drove an hour from Baton Rouge, LA to hang out. I was PSYCHED to see her.
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After giving tons of hugs to the girls, Christine and I headed to pick up by bib. 'Cuz ya know I was in New Orleans to run. I forgot. :P
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As soon as I had the swag, we headed to the Got Chocolate Milk booth so I could grab my wristband for the VIP tent (sweet perk), snap a pic with the chocolate mustache and see some teammates.
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Even Christine got in on the fun!
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And then I ran into some of my amazing Team Chocolate Milk running mates.
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Aren't they handsome fellas? :)
After chit chatting with the guys, it was time to head to my second must-see booth at the Expo: Sparkly Soul.
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I was wicked excited to see Pamela. She and her sister run Sparkly Soul and are great great people.
Who here went to the booth and said "Weight Off My Shoulders sent me" and got a free headband. I would love to see you showing off the sparkle. I thank the ladies for giving me that opportunity and the 10% off everyone else received. :)
I love representing good and authentic companies.
Christine and I took a little spin around the Expo before heading out to grab lunch. We ate at Ernst Cafe, where we received a free beer thanks to checking in on Foursquare! Yay social media! :)
After a great time catching up, it was time for Christine to head home and me to head back to Kenlie's for a quick recharge.
I re-bonded with Kenlie's couch before heading out to meet up with my girl Dacia from My Roots To Grow.
Dacia, her boyfriend and I had a great time walking around the city, trying Crescent City brewery, dinner at Gordon Biersch and just catching up. It was a nice relaxing pre-race evening. The pizza at Gordon Biersch was delicious. The crust was just the way I liked it.
We parted ways and I headed back to Kenlie's to get some sleep.
It wasn't until this point that I realized I was in Central Time Zone not the Eastern. Yeah I am not swift on the uptake. :P
But with a 5am wakeup call, I was ready to crash before 9pm ... and I did.
Not before laying out Flat Dani of course.
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And if you didn't realize before, Kenlie's couch was comfy so it was "Hey I should get more ...Zzzzzzzz"
Hello 5am!
Tune in next time to hear how the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon turns out...
I'm Rockin' n' Rollin' To New Orleans!
/I'm Rockin' I'm Rollin'
I'm Runnin'
... to New Orleans!!
WOO!
That's right folks your girl Dani is off to New Orleans for the first time! :)
I am ready to take part in the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon on Sunday (February 2nd).
This trip will be about fun, friends, social media, sparkles, chocolate milk, running and of course beer! ;)
Many folks how I travel so much for races. Here's a couple of things that help me out:
I am flying on the cheap ... $7 cheap to be exact. How you may ask?
I'm free fallin' of course!
Okay not really. I am using the last of our frequent flyer miles to head down South. Jet Blue down and United back. Including taxes the flights cost $7.
We have just two credit cards that we use for all purchases - 1 that racks up Jet Blue points/miles and 1 that logs United points/miles.
BOOM! :)
My lovely friend, Kenlie (author or All The Weigh), is graciously opening her couch to me!! <3 I will pay her in hugs, love, snuggles and a meal or beer or two. :)
Thank you Fitbloggin' for connecting us. Kenlie lives in downtown New Orleans so she is not only close to the action, but in the perfect location for me to walk to and from the RnR Expo and Race. :)
But, Kenlie won't be my only Fitbloggin' friend I will see ... Dacia of Run. Ride. Repeat. and Christine aka Dubyawife!!!
WAHOO!
I am happily heading to New Orleans to run the Half Marathon as a member of Got Chocolate Milk's Team Refuel! I will once again rock my orange singlet and chug on some sweet low-fat chocolate milk after I #FinishStrong.
As a member of the team, I have the gift of running the race for free. Thank you again Got Chocolate Milk ... and for all of you that helped vote me on to it! :)
Now besides running I am ready to explore the city with my amazing tour guide Kenlie and see what New Orleans has to offer - both food and beer wise! :P
But I will also be spending my Saturday morning at the Rock 'n' Roll Expo, which is being held at New Orleans Morial Convention Center • Hall J.
The Expo opens at 9am on Saturday and I plan to be there with bells on.
Why so early?
Because the amazing Abby from Back At Square Zero and I will be co-hosting the #RNRTWEETUP, which starts at 10am!!
Please join us!! You do not have to be running the race to attend the Expo. It is free and open to the general public.
Abby and I have known each other for a couple years, but strictly online. So what better way to meet for the first time in person than on a stage. Right? It will be AMAZING!!!
We will also be tweeting and meeting with such lovely bloggers as:
Cecilia from Mommies Run. Debi from Girls On The Run 901 Holly from Running & Baking Oh My Mindy from Road Runner Girl Sarah from Mom Running On Empty
* I am hoping to see local Tanee from From Fat To Fit Chick as well.
Sooo if you are in the New Orleans area please come check out the #RNRTWEETUP and the Expo as a whole. I always have a ton of fun at at RnR Expo.
You can take silly pictures in front of a green screen.
RnR Los Angeles 2013
RnR Philadelphia 2013
RnR Providence 2012
(Note: all of the folks in those two photos I met through Twitter!!)
You can also swing by the Got Chocolate Milk booth to make your own video to try and join the Team Refuel crew!!
Or take a picture with a chocolate milk mustache.
Also take in all the vendors. You know I will be stopping by the Sparkly Soul headbands booth. My collection could always use more sparkle. If you meet the ladies of Sparkly Soul, be sure to tell them Weight Off My Shoulders sent you! :)
PLEASE NOTE: The first three people that stop by the Sparkly Soul booth and say: "Weight Off My Shoulders sent me" ... get a FREE headband!!!
And I will DEFINITELY be hitting up the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Jewelry (aka Terry Berry) booth to find my New Orleans bead to update the awesome RnR bracelet my wife got me a couple of years ago. :)
It is an amazing way to keep the RnR memories alive on a daily basis.
So if you are in the New Orleans area, come on down to the Expo Saturday morning, Hollah at me on race morning or grab a beer with me at night. Either way say Hi if you can.
Won't be in town, but have been to New Orleans - offer me some suggestions!
What do I need to see, eat or drink?
3-Year Anniversary of Back Surgery!
/I herniated a disc in my L4-L5 in mid-December 2010 – unfortunately I still don’t know how it happened. That's right folks! I hurt myself and have no idea how it happened. The "oh my God" pain set in while on a walk with Laney (she was still an adorable puppy that we had only had about a month) on December 11. I bent over to pick up her present for me and a shooting pain went through my lower back and left leg.
I was working for the Cubs and immediately called our team doctor. Thank goodness I had that man on speed dial. He assured me that I could go to the Patriots-Bears game the following day because it wouldn't damage my back anymore (Phew!) but I would have to see another team specialist on the Monday.
We celebrated our one-month wedding anniversary with a Patriots win! :)
What followed was a 6-week endeavor of doctor's appointments, MRIs and physical therapy. It was a herniated disc and we were going to try physical therapy to see if we could help ease the pain.
The biggest pain (besides in the back of course) was coursing down my left leg - sciatica. The herniated disc was not only pinching a nerve, but cutting it. It left me with little to no strength in my left leg and a series case of dropfoot.
Which meant no working out. I was officially off the work out train and not happy.
Okay maybe I snuck in a 5k on New Year's Day 2011 - but the wife made sure I walked the whole thing ... nice and slowly!!
I started my weight loss journey in November 2009 and was picking up some serious steam by this point. I was nervous that without my workouts my weight loss would stall or go in the opposite direction.
Thankfully I had Weight Watchers on my side. Even if I couldn't work out or really even walk more than to work, I could count Points. And count I did. I measured every little thing that went into my mouth.
I asked folks to send Edible Arrangements rather than flowers. Hello pre-cut zero point goodies. :)
The physical therapy didn't improve the situation. I was offered a cortisone shot, but it wasn't covered by my insurance. A "possible" solution would've run me over $4k. It wasn't guaranteed to work and I didn't want to take that risk.
So on Monday, January 24, 2011, I walked into my doctor's office, the doctor told me the herniation had gotten worse and I would be on the table for surgery on that Friday.
Woah! That was hard to take and I immediately started crying. I was nervous. I knew it was a big risk, but it had to be done. Thankfully my dad had a lot of vacation time available and was on the next flight he could take out of Boston to be there to help the wife.
Time passed quickly and on January 28, 2011, I had a microdiscectomy. It was tough, but the pain subsided immediately. Like literally immediately. :P I awoke from surgery and the pain was gone from my leg. I could wiggle my toes and they weren't getting caught on the sheet. That meant I had enough strength to control my toes. Hallelujah!
I was in the hospital for observation for 23 hours. When I finally got to my room, my wife and dad told me the surgery actually took almost three times as long as he had expected. The disc had gotten that bad and had cut a larger slit in my nerve than they thought.
Wow! I was happy to be hearing that while in recovery.
I love my one goal: Get Well! :)
I headed home to start recooping. The excitement at first was being able to walk around the apartment ... then to work ... then for 30 minutes on the treadmill.
I wasn't able to bend over so the wife got me this sweet grabber! :P
I finally got the go-ahead to go back to stationary bike at the beginning of May 2011 and returned to running in June 2011.
I listened to everything my doctor and physical therapist said to do because I wanted to return to activity as quickly as I could.
Between mid-December 2010 and May 2011, I managed to lose 10 lbs. I was ecstatic. I followed the Weight Watchers plan and still lost. I lost while laid up from an injury. Woo! I felt like a million bucks.
The doctor wasn't sure I would be able to run again because of how the sciatica lessened my strength in the left leg.
But I took that as a challenge! ;)
I started back running in June 2011 and completed a half marathon in August 2011. I felt amazing. I took the training and tweaked it for my body. I made sure to listen to how my back felt and go from there.
I kept a Zensah compression sleeve on my left leg to help keep the blood flowing while I ran. It was an amazing accomplishment for me.
Having this experience taught me to never take moving/exercising/running for granted.
On the one year anniversary of my back surgery - January 28, 2012 - I ran the F^3 Half Marathon in honor of the Ryan Dempster Foundation.
Now, my back isn't 100% and I knew I would never regain complete strength in my left leg, but I work to improve it every day. THAT is a major reason why I strive to keep the weight off and why I work on my core. I want to give my back everything it needs.
I mean c'mon it's missing half a disc back there. :P
But I listen to my body. I know I cannot sit for more than a couple hours without getting uncomfortable. I need to adjust and stretch.
It's worth it.
Since back surgery, I have completed over 70 races including three marathons, 15 half marathons and two triathlons.
And I am just getting started! :)
Dani Dishes 1-27-14
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I'm letting you (and me) know that it is Okay Not To Be Okay! Let the emotions flow and find out how I deal with them and depression.
2013: Finish What You Started ... 2014: Consistency
/2013 proved to be a year. The End.
Oh is that not how a "Year In Review" blog happens? Not gonna lie I haven't really done one of these before. :P I guess because big things happened at the end of the two years this little slice of the internet has been around.
2011 - deciding to move back to Boston from Chicago
2012 - Grampa unexpectedly passing away on December 27, 2012.
2013 rounded out without major issue so let's see what kind of review I can put together.
The year was truly defined in April. It gave me the mantra for the reminder of the year: Finish What You Started!
I can't believe how long ago the trip to Disney in January 2013 feels.
It may have been just 365 days ago, but it seems likes a world away.
Why?
Simply put.
April 15, 2013.
That date will forever be engrained in my mind ... and tattooed on my body.
On that day, I lined up for the Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team in honor of my Stroke Heroes - my grandparents.
For those that read the blog you know the ordeal and if you are new - 1st Hi! :) and 2nd feel free to read about my Boston Marathon Bombing experience here. I was lucky to cross the Finish Line 1 minute before the explosions happened and for all of my friends/family/teammates to make it out of the area unscathed.
But that one single event impacted the rest of the year. It never truly leaves you or your memory. Months later it is still hard to walk down Boylston St or to hear folks talk about the events on that day, but it made the city of Boston and the country come together.
It gave me a sense of purpose for the remainder of the year. Simply put: Do things those hurt/killed on that day can't!
So I set out starting in May to live in the moment with friends and family, find new fitness challenges to conquer and earning some amazing accolades.
Friends And Family
Friends, Family and Folks I have met through the interwebs became the backbone of 2013. I needed those faces, those hugs and those interactions to remind me how lucky I was to be living, to be breathing, to be walking.
One of my BFFs, Lindsey, & I enjoying wine! :)
In June I had the honor to attend Suzi Storm's wedding in update New York. We had not met in person before that day, but had formed just a tight friendship through social media that I happily jumped in a car for about 7 hours to witness the biggest day of her life.
This amazing meeting led into Fitbloggin. An amazing weekend for bloggers that I attended in 2012 for the first time. After encountering about 8 hours of delays on my way out from Boston to Portland, I finally made it. Fitbloggin has a special place in my heart. You can read why here.
Fitbloggin occurred at the perfect time. I needed to be surrounded by the love and in a judgment-free zone. Many of the people at that conference were the first to check on me after the Marathon Bombings. The hugs and love experienced that weekend are still felt today.
My other best friend, Sarah, and her family moved to Bar Harbor, Maine (over 5 hour drive from Boston) at the end of May so when her daughter - my Joanna - turned 1 in July. We took the long trek to see them. We spent over 12 hours in the car to spend 12 hours with them ... and it was worth every minute in the car.
Wouldn't you agree for that face?
But just a couple weeks after that, we faced a roadblock. My wife, Tori, underwent an ACL replacement the day after her birthday. It put a big hinge on our summer/fall plans, but seeing her have a healthy recovery was worth the sacrifice.
As a result of the surgery, Tori missed out on the adventures I had meeting new friends through racecations in September and October.
Philadelphia
Cape Cod
Providence
Brooklyn
Los Angeles
I even hosted my first meetup/tweetup in Los Angeles. It was AMAZING to meet so many folks that I had only interacted with before online.
Check out the pics and recap here.
As I mentioned, the theme of this year was to hold on to the loved ones and it spawned meeting social media friends IRL (in real life) and it was magical. I loved seeing online relationships foster into real friendships.
Oh social media.
Fitness Challenges
In the beginning of 2013, I focused on the Walt Disney World Half Marathon and The Boston Marathon. But I knew I needed to keep signing up for races in order to push myself farther outside of my comfort zone.
During Memorial Day weekend, my friend Kim and I took on a special challenge. We were going to take on two races in one day: The Boston's Run To Remember Half at 7am-ish and the Cambridge 5k Freedom Run 5k at 9:30am.
And we made it!! Kim experienced a leg injury/cramp during the Half, but I refused to lead her side and she finished like a champ - leading to this amazing embrace being caught at the Finish Line.
But on that day we did, we conquered 16.2 miles! :)
Then came the obstacle races. These scare me more than a marathon. I have limited upper body strength so they freak me out. But in 2013, I conquered two obstacle races and even got to do the second with a team of Boston bloggers. :)
In September, I took on the challenge of completing two half marathon in two days in two different states - ZOOMA Cape Cod (9/28) and Rock 'n' ROll Providence (9/29). It was an amazing experience and went smoother than I thought. :)
Oh and I even dabbled in more intense trail running. Yup, that included one at night - thank you See Sharp Run for being my light - in more ways than one and one in the big mountains of Maine, which reminded me I am injury prone. :P
Haunted Trails of the Night 10k
But the biggest fitness challenge of 2013 - the one I dreamed about for ages - was...
tackling my first Sprint triathlon!!! It was something I never imagined myself completing, but it was a blast. And yes, I was quickly hooked! Which may have led to one of the 2014 fitness goals. :)
Amazing Accolades
Weight Watchers bestowed a couple amazing honors on me in 2013. In our annual April celebration, I earned the Rookie Leader of the Year award and Diamond Leader status.
In October, I was contacted by WeightWatchers.com and told I would be featured on the website as a Success Story. While I can't show any of the photos from the photo shoot yet (it hits the web in March 2014), I can share a couple pics from the trip to NYC itself.
Great dinner with fellow WW Sucess Stories - over 330 lbs lost in this pic
Little trip to Statue of Liberty with the wife
For the second year in a row, I won a spot on Got Chocolate Milk's Team Refuel. Thank you all again for taking the time to vote! :)
Out Of The Comfort Zone
This year I made two big leaps outside of my comfort zone.
At Fitbloggin in June, I was asked and accepted a spot in the new Fashion Show that took place during lunch one day. I was nervous, but knew if there was a place to make an attempt at walking in a Fashion Show it would have to be at Fitbloggin.
Look I even tried to strike a pose. :P
I even put myself out there with a goal of running 1,000 miles in 2013 ... and you know what? It happened!! :)
What was even cooler? I exceeded it. I ended up setting a 2nd (1,111) and finally a 3rd mileage (1,150) goal for the year.
It was one of my proudest moments. Seeing my body accomplish such a big goal that seemed so daunting when I set it in January 2013.
But even with injury and sickness, I pushed forward and used that goal guide me!
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So to say 2013 was eventful is an understatment. It had it's lows, but with the help of friends and family they turned into highs. It was a trying, yet fulfilling year.
What could 2014 possibly bring?
Consistency.
My goal is to be more consistent in life. Have I fully defined that yet? No. It will be a work in progress as 2014 dictates. But I know I let some old emotional eating habits creep in in 2013 and I am ready for those to quietly fade away.
What about fitness wise?
The big goals of 2014 are: The Dopey Challenge January 9-12, The Boston Marathon April 21 and my very first Half Ironman September 7.
Wow! I would've never imagined myself signing up for these five years ago, but now is the time to learn, to love and to push my limits.
Bring it 2014!
My quest to 1,000 Miles in 2013!!
/2013 Total Mileage To Date: 1,150.00
January: 75.39
February: 102.22
March: 140.5
April: 76.89
May: 83.00
June: 72.01
July: 80.29
August: 129.00
September: 128.90
October: 65.40
November: 54.50
December: 141.9
Happy running!
Dani Dishes 12-23-13
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I need to say THANK YOU to all of the readers/viewers/followers of mine! I even had to give a shout out to a few I was able to meet in real life this past week!
Dani Dishes 12-2-13
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I'm talking about what is really going on in my brain and how I want to enter 2014 - why has my confidence taken a hit lately? injury? sick? Seasons changing?
