There and back again: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

My Journey to 13.1

I did it! I finished the race and ran all 13.1 miles. My official finish time was 2:57:01 or an average of 13:31minute miles. My original two goals were 1) finish and 2) have fun and I absolutely met both of those goals!!

At mile 6.8 (or so) when I not only knew I was going to finish,
but knew I was on track to beating three hours.

As many of you know, it was up and down quite a bit for the month before the race and I was really unsure whether or not I'd even be able to attempt it, let alone finish it. But before I dive into the ending, let me tell you more about my long and hard journey here. It's a long post but don't worry, I'll never know if you scroll down to the end!

Those of you who knew me in high school might be surprised to hear I gained a lot (a whole lot) of weight in college. It was partly not having self restraint and largely part of a greater pattern of self destructive behavior. Without turning this into a public therapy session, I'll just say that even with as many physical health improvements I've gone through, the emotional/mental health improvements I've made over the last few years greatly outweigh (snort) the physical.

In 2008 I finally got my medications balanced and lost about 10 pounds as a result. In 2009 I started slowly losing some weight on my own purely by portion control. I began doing things like choosing ice cream or beer (but not both) and the sheer exhaustion of grad school put me into an "eat to survive not because it tastes good" mode. Though most of the ladies in my cohort put on the pounds that year I lost 10. Contracting pertussis probably accounted for 5 of those pounds. I lost another 5 pounds on our trip to Europe where I walked many miles a day for the first time in my life. Down 25 pounds in 2.5 years, not so bad!!

In the late summer of 2010 I joined Weight Watchers. Some of you have heard about my Weight Watchers experience but for those of you haven't: Weight Watchers has changed my life forever and empowered me to be in control of my health. I have a lot of opinions on a lot of aspects of the program. My number one thing I want to share is this: Weight Watchers did not "work" for me. It didn't "fix" me and certainly didn't lose the weight for me. No, I did that for MYSELF. Weight Watchers was the tool I chose to give myself the support and education I needed to move past my nearly one year plateau. I did all the work, all the meal planning, most of the cooking, all the emotional and mental battles, and ultimately I lost all the weight myself. Yes, I used Weight Watchers as a main tool and a huge support. But there are thousands of people who join Weight Watchers and wonder why they don't lose weight... well the bottom line is that with any personal change, it has to come from within and it has to come with determination to make lifetime changes. And, honestly, you need a supportive spouse. Having Mark there to hold my hand, encourage me to learn how to cook new things, and most importantly, to keep his junk food at work/out of my sight really helped me make the changes I needed. If you're curious about my experience with Weight Watchers or weight loss in general, feel free to contact me! I love sharing about it and I try to be very open and honest about what I liked and didn't like, what worked or didn't, and any other details.

By the time we moved to Blacksburg in 2011, I had lost another 25 pounds, bringing my total up to 50 pounds of loss! However, even though Weight Watchers teaches that nutrition and exercise are meant to go hand in hand, I still had not yet learned to incorporate any sort of physical activity into my life. My idea of a workout was grocery shopping (hey, it's an hour on my feet!) or doing laundry (carrying the basket up and down the stairs is hard!) But, after moving out here to Virginia, I started going on hikes and realized I had absolutely no physical endurance, despite all the weight I'd lost. However, unlike when I was heavier, I was starting to feel a motivation to build some fitness! And so that's why weight loss was so important for me on my journey to running a half marathon. I realize that many people start exercising while they are trying to lose weight and that the famous "they" will tell you to exercise while reducing and/or changing the content of your food intake. But for me, changing the way I ate was so drastic of a change that I just wasn't ready to add exercise in until I'd lost almost all the weight I wanted to lose.

And so, 50 pounds lighter and a whole lot smarter about my daily nutritional needs, I started looking for ways to be active. This was a very internal, personal change that came about slowly. I didn't just wake up one day and decide to become a long distance runner. When we adopted Sadie, I started walking with her. At the beginning, it took me 45minutes to walk 1.5 miles around our neighborhood and I was sore, out of breath, and sweaty by the end. But I was walking, feeling good, and falling more and more in love with my dog.

About that time I decided that it didn't really make sense that I was still having severe knee, back, and neck pain. My doctor referred me to an orthotics specialist. It turns out that not only did I have one leg longer than the other (by 1/4 of an inch!) but as a result I had a minor case of scoliosis. I got my custom lift built in with orthotics and over the course of a few months, my back straightened out and my knee stopped hurting! I couldn't believe that after nearly a decade of knee and back pain, something so simple as a quarter inch wedge could literally hand me a pain free life back.

By September, I was up to walking 2 miles with my dog several times a week. One day I tried running. I ran past three houses and was gasping for breath. But Sadie had so much fun I decided to try it again the next day. I ran by six houses the next day. And it continued like that for months: I would think, "hmm I wonder if I could make it a block? two blocks? Walk for 3 miles?" and soon I was walking for an hour or more. I started jogging for thirty seconds, and then walking for five minutes. My pattern was very similar to the couch to 5k plan, though I didn't know it at the time.

At some point I realized that jogging, even though it was so slow and not for very far, just wasn't comfortable in jean shorts and a normal bra. So I did my research and tried a few different ones and finally found one that worked for me. I also found some cheap but nice running clothes from Target and eventually bought special running-only tennis shoes and socks. It was weird to me to buy those things, not because I was "going to try to start" running, but because I was ALREADY running and needed them!

In December, I ran four miles with Mark and Dad. And I thought, well dang I'm pretty hot stuff! In January, I decided that if I could run four miles, there was simply no reason not to run 13.1 miles. A few long hours spent looking for races, reading through runners world, and education myself on training, and I was completely committed.

As I trained, I had to really learn how to be kind to myself. Someone once asked me "if you can't be kind to yourself, how can you ever learn to be kind to others?" I'm sure learning to be kind to yourself looks different to everyone. For me, it was learning to be happy with running any distance, regardless of how far I walked. It meant being proud of myself for doing any activity, not mad at how slow it was. And, as I started gaining weight, it meant not quitting. (I'm actually about ten pounds heavier than I was last year, but between muscle and learning not to over-reward myself for my long runs, this isn't that shocking.)

After I started regularly running five miles, I had to stop running with Sadie because she just couldn't last that long. At first this made me really sad, but I have a smoother and more even gait without her and running has become highly personal and private for me. When I run, sometimes I am able to work through the hard stuff. You know, stuff like grief, regret, anger, jealousy, hatred. The stuff no one teaches us how to cope with. And sometimes when I run I don't think at all. And sometimes I think about really happy, fun, beautiful, and exciting things. Like I said, it's highly personal.

By March my training schedule was nice and comfortable and conservative. I took days off, stretched, iced, and only added a little mileage at a time. However, towards the end of March I developed some excruciating hip pain. I was convinced it was related to my orthotics so I kept going in to get them tweaked. I brought my weekly mileage way down (4-5miles/week instead of 20-25) and tried to rest. Finally, ten days before my half marathon, my orthotics specialist said I was as squared up as I could possibly be and any pain I was having was likely being caused by something else. He guessed it was bursitis and sent me back to my MD. So off I went!

I am so lucky that my MD is also a runner... in fact she runs ultramarathons. A quick exam (about 72 hours before the race) and she declared my pain to be most certainly bursitis. Apparently that was a good thing because it was so easy to treat! She put me on a high dose of advil round the clock and gave me strict instructions to ice and heat. Most importantly, she gave me the go ahead to try to finish the race. By Friday, I was feeling nearly 100%. So the race was on!

When we checked into the hotel Friday evening, I started getting really nervous. Everyone there was walking around in their race tshirts from previous races. They were all super skinny and buff. None of them seemed to be concerned about taking a wrong turn or having to stop part way through the race due to bursitis in their hip joint. I was getting psyched out and all the "You suck! You're a terrible person!" voices that I had worked so hard to delete started bouncing around in my head. Mark helped me talk through them and my dad had a lot to say that helped me too.

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 5am. I was really nervous but mostly excited and I and synced back into my positive thinking space and in general, was ready to have fun!

Stretching before the race

Here I am stretching before the race. I was feeling good. Confident, happy, strong, and excited. I made sure to start the race in the very back of the pack because I knew I would be one of the slowest. And, in fact, I was! Admittedly, this bothered me a lot more than I wish it would have. Logically I want to be able to say "I ran my own race against myself and it was fun and rewarding!" But truthfully, I was really upset at being one of the very last runners. (Actually I ended up finishing 3rd to last) However, I started the race and after the first mile I was absolutely certain I would finish the race. Miles 1-6 flew by very quickly and I was right on target at about a 13:30 mile. I'm so short that 13:30 is actually a run for me, not a fast walk!

Mile 6.8 (or so)

Here I am a tad before mile marker #7. I'm feeling strong, cocky, and awesome. At this point I'd already demolished several "hills" and was thinking "frak you you frakking hills and your puney inclines!" As you can see, I was all 'tude and feeling great.

Just before mile 10

At mile 10 I had official ran more than I had ever run in my entire life. I put my hands in the air to celebrate and all I could think was "I can't believe I'm still running!" Somewhere around this point is where LMFAO starting telling me that I'm sexy and I know it. Little did I know my brick wall was waiting for me two miles down the road.

Sure enough, at about mile 12 I hit THE WALL. This is where being really, really obstinate comes in handy. I decided to run through the wall no matter what. I settled into my deep yoga breathing and Stephanie came and started running next to me, coaching me and distracting me and being amazing support. At mile 12.5 I hit the last hill and the Olympic Fanfare came on my playlist. I dug DEEP. I found emotional and physical strength I didn't know I had saved. At mile 13 I forwarded to the song Celebration. Any other HMB kids out there know you only play that song after a WIN! When I saw the finish line and saw that I would indeed finish under 3 hours, I started sobbing.

THE FINISH LINE! Mile 13.1

Here I am crossing the finish line, with my "finisher" medal in hand and sis-in-law running right next to me! I'm so glad she was there to help me through the toughest 1.1 miles of the whole race!

After quite an emotional break down (I just kept thinking I DID IT!!!) I made it to the grass to sit and hydrate. Since I was so far at the end, most of the aid stations were out of gatorade by the time I got there (luckily they had water). And there was no after party since most everyone had left. Dear race organizers and sponsors: You suck for leaving before everyone was done with the race. I was a solid half hour faster than your cut off time and I really wanted a frakking sandwich!

Post Race Rest

So, despite finishing 3rd to last, I am pretty damn proud of myself. I met my two goals (finish and have fun) and I continually improve on being kind to myself. I'm already looking at planning my next half marathon, which I hope to run with my Dad this fall. Hopefully I won't get sidelined during training so I'll have an easier recovery and potentially a faster time, but regardless my goals will continue to be the same: finish and have fun.

And, for those of you who only knew me in high school or haven't seen me since college, here's my before/after pictures. It's taking a lot of guts to post these, but here they are.

2007

2012... 45 pounds smaller and about to run 13.1 miles!

Being smaller is really nice. But learning to be kind to myself, to be proud of what I've done and I can do, learning how to be kinder and gentler, and seeing myself positively are way, way, way more awesome than anything the scale can ever show. And as we all know, if anything at all, I'm AWESOME.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

House Hunters, Lingwood Edition (Episode 2.3)

First, I should acknowledge that much like last year's house hunters posts, I made sure to write up each house as a viable potential contender. It wasn't so much my intent to deceive you all but rather to not give anything away. All three houses were all very serious contenders. We very nearly chose house number three so for those of you who guessed that, you weren't far off! Also, if I had posted all the facts, it would have been way too obvious. Lying by omission? Probably. Diabolical? Yes. Taking my cues from HGTV? Absolutely. I have to make it a good story! But it's all the facts and only the facts from here on out. I'm going to share a little bit more about the house we chose and the whole process in general because it’s just so darn crazy and unexpected. As Mark says, we shocked even ourselves. It's a long post, so grab a coffee and read on!

As of now, the sellers have accepted our offer and in the next couple of days the whole thing will be put in the bank's hands. If we don’t hear anything from the bank in the next forty-five days, we’ll head back out to California to start looking for a different house. If we find a different house at that point, we can withdraw our offer on the short sale. For now, we’re just hoping and assuming everything will go smoothly. We’re not fooling ourselves about potential issues with the house. In addition to the standard inspection, we’ll likely be getting a chimney inspector and getting a contractor/specialist to give us some bids on fixing the front yard. The house needs a termite inspection too. We’ll also have a contractor give us some estimates on expanding over the garage. Finally, if there’s anything the main inspector pulls up, we might pull in additional specialists such as an electrician, plumber, and potentially someone to inspect the foundation because the area is known for clay foundations. We might want to get the sewer scoped, the house checked for earthquake retrofitting, and who knows what else will pop up?

Prior to this week, Mark and I had pretty much resigned ourselves to living at least a twenty minute drive from St. Mary’s. We also thought for sure we would want a mostly move in ready house given the distance we’re buying from. Even though we had a generous budget, for the area it wasn't that much and it certainly wasn't enough to get us closer to St. Mary's. Realistically, based on the comparable home sales and the current upswing in the market, if we don’t buy this house we’re not likely to ever have another opportunity to break into the Lafayette market. Considering the low inventory, we were shocked to have so many options near campus. It is one thing to say “four minute drive” or “2 miles” or “close to work”. But when you actually drive it and get to your destination before your car warms up, it’s a whole different feeling. After checking out Lafayette more and imagining a life that involves Mark being able to come home for lunch or duck back into work after dinner, we really started putting more value on a walkable/bikeable/short drive for Mark. We actually looked at three houses that were all under a four minute drive to work. One only had 1.5 baths (and was actually only a few houses down from the one we chose) and the other house had a creepy vibe and was located next to a busy street and had a lot of street noise. There were two more houses that were a tad further out but had absolutely no back yard. We felt that if we were going to choose Lafayette, this short sale fixer was our best bet.

Location, location, location!

As far as the houses further away, even though we liked many of them, we just didn’t feel like we would be getting good value for the money. House number three, for example, would not likely appreciate very well considering its location and the fact that there were no upgrades we could do ourselves. I also really had to think about that kitchen, because no matter what we did it was never going to be nicer without encroaching on dining/living space. House number one was at the top of the budget and would have put Mark in a situation where he is facing a lifetime of an hour in the car every day and we still wouldn't have a fourth bedroom. My mom and I also looked at several houses that we just plain didn’t like. For example, we saw one house that was a tri-level and I would have to walk up two flights of steps just to get to the kitchen. Another house we saw had a nice big deck but no grass or yard space so it was eliminated. In yet another house, I could hear the BART squealing by every five minutes. A few of the houses would feed into a decent elementary school but the high school wasn’t all that great. Many had ugly popcorn ceilings, poor layouts, and bad vibes. Most importantly and hardest to articulate with pictures, none of them felt right. 60s mod, 70s ugh, and 80s huh? just didn't quite fit our style. My mom and I looked at over twenty houses and we took Mark to six.

source: www.cartoonstock.com

There is simply no getting around the fact that we chose a fixer. We see the dream and have great vision for the house, and it has great flow and character. And, it felt right. Assuming we get the house, the very nature of the house and the improvements we want to make has changed the next several years of our lives. Before we even move in, we have to get a fence up for Sadie and the house needs a total scrubbing. We also plan to refinish the hardwoods and hopefully paint the walls/ceilings before all of our stuff gets in the way. After we move in, first on the list is to fix up the master bath. Luckily we can use the main bath. Second is to put in a new kitchen. I am especially excited about the new kitchen because hardly any of the other houses had potential for a nice big new kitchen and I love to cook. At some point, we will have the front yard completely re-graded and have a new retaining wall put in. We think we can fix up the backyard ourselves, but we will want to have some experts check it out to make sure we’re not messing up the hill and to make sure we get any drainage issues addressed. Possibly the biggest and most ambitious plan we have is to expand the house into the room over the garage. Stupidly or not, we actually put in the offer without ever getting into the garage because it was locked with a separate key. There was a window into it that we peaked into and there is already an existing stairway and second story floor where there are laundry hookups. Ideally, we’ll be able to connect this space to the main house with French doors. We haven’t made any firm decisions yet but we might make that space a guest/office combo with a third bath, or potentially just make it our own master suite. Another option would be to make it more living space and move the laundry down into the bottom floor of the garage.

Possibly our biggest compromise on this house is the lack of a fourth bedroom. We so very badly wanted to be able to have a dedicated guest room, even if it was a dual purpose and combined with an office or craft space. However, in the end living in the prime location was just more important. We're hoping to create good space with the expansion over the garage, but even if we don't we'll be keeping our spaces flexible and we wants guests to feel welcome to come visit!

Something that doesn’t come across in any of the pictures is the 50s charm and family vibe of the house. Despite the fact that the house is one of the smallest we looked at, we could both so easily see ourselves growing up together in that house and raising a family there. And, from the hardwoods to the crown molding to the cute open space in the hallway that we've dubbed the atrium, the whole house is simply charming. Already, the house has made itself a new character in our story.

The characters in our story

Everyone always says that the number one rule in real estate is location. Frankly, we’ve always scoffed at that notion because so much more goes into deciding on a home purchase than location. However, as it turned out, for us we decided location really was the trump factor. The street is very quiet and several other families live in nearby houses. The neighbors across the street have two young babies and next door there is a little boy who has a turtle shaped sandbox. Around the corner there is a huge park with baseball and soccer fields. About two blocks away is the elementary school where our kids will go and a little past that is the community center and community pool. I’ll be able to go for my runs, long or short, straight from the house because the trail is just down the street and around the corner. In fact, we can ride our bikes on that trail into downtown. And, perhaps most important of all, Mark will be able to spend his time at home and not in the car commuting.

Entrance to the park by our new house
What you can't see are the kid sized cleat marks on the trail!

As you can tell, given our options we agreed that we’d rather improve the house than hope we can make do with the location. And, once the remodeling is finished, I’m confident the place is going to be awesome. After all, with Mark and I at the helm, how could it be any less?

Mark's new license plate

PS: Shout out to Kristina at http://kristinatravels.blogspot.com/ for the inspiration to add random pics/comics to my text heavy post!

Monday, April 9, 2012

House Hunters, Lingwood Edition (Episode 2.2)

After a lot of mulling over and revisiting the top choices more than once, Mark and Kristen made a decision!

They chose….

....

wait for it….

....

It’s gonna be legend….

....

I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the next part is….

........

House number 2, the short sale fixer in the prime location!!!

(DAIRY!)

Are you surprised? Did they pick what you would have picked? Because of the nature of the short sale, they are not yet under contract. Mark and Kristen put in an offer late Friday night and now have to wait for the sellers to accept. Given the holiday weekend, it could be another couple of days. Once the sellers accept, Mark and Kristen will have about 45 days after that to wait for the bank to approve the sale. Then, after all that waiting, assuming everything is approved, a standard 30-day escrow will start with many, many inspections. Although the sale is considered “as is”, that doesn’t mean Kristen and Mark have to accept it as is. Should something deal breaking come up in any of the inspections, they can walk away.

If, and only if, all of the above goes smoothly, the couple will be embarking on budget and calendar busting home improvements. No one can say they don’t seize a challenge! The real question is, who is willing to come help pull weeds and paint?

Find out why we picked what we picked and more on the next episode of House Hunters: Lingwood Edition.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

House Hunters: Lingwood Edition (Season 2 Premier)

Last year’s House Hunters posts were and still remain some of our most visited posts of all time. In light of their popularity we’re bringing back House Hunters: Lingwood Edition for a second season!

Kristen arrived in Walnut Creek on Monday evening with her mom in tow for help and support. Starting on Tuesday, she and her mom began the hunt in earnest with Mark helping remotely via phone and internet. Mark arrived on Thursday night and the couple spent Friday viewing their top contenders and making a final choice.

The real estate market in the area has really shifted in the last month or so. Inventory is low and homes are not staying on the market for much more than ten days. Often homes are selling at or above asking price with several offers. Some sellers are even dictating which days they will review offers and other sellers are limiting the viewing times to only one or two open houses. In fact, two of the homes Kristen and her mom viewed on Tuesday and Wednesday sold before Mark could view them on Friday.

Kristen and Mark decided to narrow their search to the areas of Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Lafayette. From the beginning, they knew that they would have to make a compromise between commute, price, square feet, and condition of the house. Unlike most first time buyers, the couple is determined to buy a long-term family house where they can settle down and someday raise a family. Here are their three finalists!

House number one is located in one of the best neighborhoods of Walnut Creek and is at the top of the budget. It has three bedrooms, two baths, and a sparkling pool and hot tub. There is a shed in the backyard that could easily be converted into an office. Although it needs updating, the house is in pristine move in condition and has gorgeous curb appeal in a family orientated neighborhood. Mark’s future commute would clock in at about thirty minutes. The neighborhood is fantastic and has wide streets and great sidewalks. The pool would need a fence and there isn’t much space for the dog to run around, though parks are nearby.

Great curb appeal with cute coordinating brick inlay in the driveway and front walkway
Clean but outdated kitchen has a window overlooking the backyard and good bones but limited storage.

Living room has good space and good light but an unfortunate fireplace mantle.

Dining room has nice French doors out into the backyard and connects to both the kitchen and the living room

Beautiful pool is in perfect condition, but would need a fence around it while our children are young.

Because the pool is large, there is not much grass or play space in the yard. The shed is in great condition and is already wired for electricity. We would just need to add insulation, drywall, and flooring.

Laundry room has great storage and convenient access to the garage.

Family bath is spacious but not updated.

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Master Bedroom

House number two is priced $55,000 less than the first house and can be considered a true “fixer.” It is a bank approved short sale, which means the selling bank has already approved the sellers as short sale candidates and they have approved the sale price. The asking price is under market value and somewhere around one or two hundred thousand (yes you read that right) less than the entry home price for its neighborhood. However, as a short sale, the home would be sold as-is and could potentially take a long time to finalize the sale. The house is in a fantastic neighborhood in Lafayette and is located only four minutes away from Mark’s new job. There is a park, an elementary school, and a community center all within walking distance. The running trail is also down the street. At only 1388 square feet, the home is quite small and has three bedrooms and two baths. The entire house needs work and updating but is full of charm and loads of potential. The lot is on a hill and needs major re-landscaping work but there is plenty of space for the dog and future kiddos.

The front has potential for cute curb appeal. As it stands now, the front yard needs to be re-graded and have a new retaining wall put in.

Good flow, with a small but cute living room. Hardwoods are original to the 1954 house but they need to be refinished.

Dining space is right off the kitchen and flows into the living room.

Charming kitchen is livable as is, but the footprint is there for Kristen to upgrade to her dream kitchen.

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

The master bedroom is good sized and has two closets and attached full bath.

The family bath is original but in remarkably good condition for its age and for a short sale.

Master bath needs to be redone but is connected to the master bedroom and has space for the shower, sink, and toilet.

The garage is about 1.5 stories and there seems to be potential to expand the living space out into a FROG (finished room over garage) or possibly a master or guest suite.

The backyard has a large hill with mature trees. It needs a fence on one side of the property and a lot of sweat equity.

House number three is located at the edge of the Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill border. Mark would have a twenty minute commute. The location has easy access to BART and the freeway, is close to a nice park and community center, and close to running trails. It’s at the end of a cul-de-sac on a large lot with a well-maintained front and back yard. Listed at about $16,000 less than house number two, this house has four full bedrooms and two bathrooms. The house is fully updated with nice carpet, new kitchen, and laminate floors. This is a truly move in ready house, though there is some suspect drainage problems and the crawl space would have to be totally cleaned out. Parking is limited on the cul-de-sac and one street over is very industrial with a mix of businesses and apartments. Inside the house is quiet but the 680 can be faintly heard from outside. The lot is the largest of the three lots and boasts plenty of flat lawn space for playing with the dog or someday playing soccer with future kids.