Fit with Ruthie

OK.. so as part of the wedding dress challenge I said I would take progress photos at Thanksgiving and Christmas.... so here they are ............. this is before if you will notice my tummy and that the dress is not zipped very much in the back above was taken Friday after Thanksgiving .. I think my belly is smaller and I can definitely zip it about 2 inches more than in my before shot! the above was taken for before .. notice how loose the dress is right above my hands.. this is because it is not zipped much at all... You can see on this one the dress looks tighter.. and it is because I can zip it more! :) oh I look awful in this picture LOL .. but it was right before i was to workout so no hair or makeup OK.. so you all know I HATE progress photos.. but there you go :) I do like the fact I am seeing some progress! When i get back in my dress I want to buy a new dress to wear out when we celebrate our anniversary :) I have been looking but havent found a "dream dress" so ...

just finished 4 miles WHOOOWOOOO It is cold here today... a front came through today.. and although it was only in the 40s the wind was blowing and I really didnt feel like fighting the wind... So.... Milly (the treadmill) and I ran 4 miles. one mile warm up then a quick stretch... then 2 miles at a moderate pace THEN IT was SPRINT time! During my 4 th mile.. I ran 6 sprints the first 5 being at 9.5 or 9.6... and the ending sprint was at a level 10 (as fast as Milly could go :) .. needless to say I was drenched with sweat and exhausted! after I caught my breath I stretched and did abwork .... lots and lots of abwork ending in daplank :) it feel soooo good!

Turkey drawing created my by son.. i just love it! :) Well.. I had PLANNED to run with a group of gals from our track team this morning at 9am but looked at the weather last night and it said it would be 42 degrees so i called my friend and canceled because it was going to be soooo cold!... planning on maybe running with them later today. WELLLLLLL when i work up I had the urge to run. I felt the need to destress and get out of the house and be alone. (you ever have that feeling?).. so.. eventhough it was 28 degrees outside I bundled up. I had 5 layers on top (a sleeveless shirt, a thermal long sleeve, a long sleeve polyblend shirt, a fleece long sleeve with a zipper neck and then a jacket.... leggings under my running pants, gloves, hat, and two pair of socks and I hit the road :) here is right after :) I got a half mile in and had to take off the jacket... then got to the mile mark and had to take off the fleece got to the 2 mile marker and had to push my sleeves but.... I was nice a...

my newest article is up on Happy Housewife Club.. Click HERE to read it :)

July 4th Lake City Co.. a hike .... I hated this photo... but today I like it cause it shows that I have made progress :) The rolls are going away :) This was taken this morning.. the same pants I wore a few weeks ago and was soooo excited cause the fit again! today the were ever looser! These are 6s.. a pair I have held on too and havent been able to wear since my back injury last October! :) It took a year but I am back in em! wooowhooo! This was taken for my 'starting over' video... In June I think This is today :) And before I go... I decided I need to post a before picture of my biceps...I will be focusing on getting some guns again :) so this is before.. will take after shots on 12.22 :)

oh my ... I dont remember when I had a run that felt that good! the weather?> perfect (no wind in the high 60s) the pace? started out about 10 per mile and then gradually increased. aches and pains? one slight side stitch, and just a few aches along the way but all left as i kept running :) Music? yes.. its been a while since I ran with it and I loved it... "relax take it easy" helped a bit :) layers? yes (just on bottom... shorts with pants over... after 2 mile I stretched and took the pants off and tied around my waist) anyone yell at me? yes ..whats up with that? .. but have not clue what they said as I had my music on :) how did it feel? GREAT As always the hardest part is getting out the door ... I am happy it is done and it went so well.. I felt like I could run forever when i was at mile 6.... but but mile 8 I was ready to take a rest :) now to get those bicurls in.. might wait and just lift tomorrow :)

8 miles tomorrow :) Longest run since 26.2 :) but today.. today I did: lunges chest press lat pull down and lots of ab work (hip ups, leg raises etc) I am debating... music? no music? go first thing or wait until it warms up? If I go when its chilly.. how many layers? UPDATE: well.. it was layers.... 4 on top.. shorts and two pants on bottom.. pig tails and I went for the music...... BUT DH needed my help at work.. so I wore my running clothes to his work and helped him.. by the time we were done I was HUNGRY... so ... I came home and ate, put my paint clothes on and started painting (i am taking a short break right now)... I WILL go for that run (not just get dressed for it).... either tonight but probably tomorrow...... I am still looking forward to it... :) On a good note.. I am SORE! from all those lunges and weight lifting... I will do bicep curls after while cause I didnt get to those yesterday :) I can tell too (and DH has noticed) I am leaning up :) top abs poking out :) :)wo...

up and out this morning for a quick 2 miler with Su. the sunrise was beautiful, the wind.. not so much ... it was a cool 54 degrees with a wind so I bundled up and hit the road :) only 2 miles but it was at my fast pace.. the only bad thing is I am getting to where I dont like running with Su... Its funny... the longer I am a runner the more I want to be by myself totally and completely... no friends, no dog, no music... just me. I always wondered how those runners i saw out alone with none of that stuff could really enjoy a run.... but now I know. ... for me running is so much about being alone, in the quiet, with my thoughts .......I use to hate to hear even my foot steps, much less my heavy breathing LOL... what am i turning into?? now its time for co-op .. today is SWIM DAY! . we go to the local Y and swim, have lunch and come back for a movie and popcorn.. gotta LOVE swim day! :) ... then track tonight :) its gonna be a good day! quote a thon? any guesses as to who said these: ...

you know what I think????? I think EVERYONE should have one of these! this is the garage gym... but the part I am talking about is the wall behind the equipment.... Its a bit of a mess and we like it that way :) .. filled with things that motivate and inspire! race #s, Band posters, the kids photo,.. and the best of all.. Mine and My hubbys cover from Muscle Media (those of you who are old Body for Lifers will remember this magazine... which we loved.. is no longer being published).... When my hubby and I were in the middle of one of our challenges I came to bed and found this laying on my side! He had taken our photos and pasted them over the models heads..... I.. of course thought it was GREAT and to this day it makes me laugh! :) The new additions are the signs friends and family made when i ran my marathon! Everyone needs some of those! OK.. enough of that.. now to this: \ Yes, I lifted weights! whoooohoooooo!.. I did bench press on the smith, lat pull downs, and then chest flies a...

7 miles with no ipod and no ponytail would have been torture a year ago... but one of the many things that changed when I trained for a marathon is the fact that sometimes i like it to just be quiet and I like my hair down too :):LOL I planned on running with my music today but it wasnt charged so I ran free and it was GREAT! almost PERFECT weather... little wind and in the 70s.... but it wont last long.. we have a cold front coming and tomorrow will be a different story :) The Beatles-I want to hold your hand by moumous59 I was surprised by the sound of a college boy screaming from the car he was riding in... "I wanna hold your hand!!!!!!!" really really loud at me.... HA! How funny is that! I just wanted to scream back at him.... "I am FOURTY ONE youngster!" .... I am so thrilled our garage gym is ready to go again... I will post pictures after I get a few more things added to the wall of motivation :)

so now our garage gym is more a gym again and less of a garage/yard sale holding area :) Its been a week of getting rid of clutter and it feels GREAT! I have just a small pile to get in the attic tomorrow (mostly art teaching supplies) and the job will be done. So happy our weightlifting equipment is clean and ready to go! I plan on running 7 tomorrow sometime... I am really looking forward to it! I am also very happy to report my foot is GREAT!---back to normal :) I really think my issue was running sprints during my 5 mile stretch.. I will not make the same mistake tomorrow... is steady as she goes the whole way no matter how great I feel :) All this cleaning, painting and moving boxes and boxes and bags of things.. my shoulder has been bothering me again.. what I call popping in and out (its a ligiment that snaps out of place i guess).. painful but I can get it back in... all this to say gonna take it easy on shoulder lifts as always... guess some injuries are ours for the long hau...

Taking a break from a painting :) before (the white patch was just a test.. we didnt go with it) the wall I couldnt wait to git rid of.. AFTER! ... its a gray green color.... :) I am seeing the light at the end of the house redo tunnel.... I have trim to paint but getting the pink off the wall makes me happy :) As far as workout... today I ran hills with the kids at track.....about 20mins of hills... of course we had a warm up and a nice jog after :) they ran sprints after... I just jogged a bit and yelled :) hehe.. I am still sore from yesterdays workout :) now to get ready for a day of cleaning and decluttering... garage sale this weekend and hopefully by this Sunday evening my garage gym will be all gym and NO clutter :)

beautiful morning here! Woke up very thankful today woke up yesterday morning and my foot seemed lots better... THEN I painted our living room alllllll day.. and by 3 my foot was hurting worse than before. I texted coach to tell him we wouldnt be making it to track but when the kids found out they had nothing to do with that plan... so we loaded up and headed out about 530ish last night. I couldnt run so I stayed at the track while the kids ran warm up ... while they were gone I did one legged squats, 30 on each leg-- dips (that work your tricept) 30 of those, and push ups on the incline (using the bleacher for my hands and my feet on the ground) 40 of those. I also did abwork with the kids and coach after they did their workout. Sore? .. uh.. understatement! :) feels good. I knew eventually something would throw a kink in my running... thats just the way it is when you run for a lifetime... stuff happens.... so I will try and take it easy and keep on working out until my foot is back...

When I was a kid I always thought 'when I grow up I....' : want to be a fireman, want to be an artist, want to be a prof. musician, want to travel the world, want to own a horse and live on a farm, want to own a mustang (car), Now a days I still think about what I want to be when I grow up.... the 41 year old me still thinks that way.... I look to other older women I know and think "i want to be like her. or her" My today self says "when I grow up I want to be" an artist, a personal trainer, a distance runner, a trail runner, a person who uses her life to help others, a confident healthy woman who has many choices with what to do and where to go, someone who helps other people understand their potential, a woman who shares her faith and how who we are directly effects what we become and who and how we serve others. I want to be more than I am today..... how bout you?

Yesterday during my run I had a bit of pain on my right foot. it didnt last long but last night and today my foot has been bothering me. Specifically, my 2nd and 3rd toes and the area just below them that connects to my foot. Today I ran with the kids at track practice this morning.. just a mile at the track so it was a soft surface. I am hoping that a bit of rest will resolve the problem with my foot. Tonight at evening practice I didnt run but I did do the ab work that coach dished out :) I jumped on board with Josha and joined the Transformation Holiday Challenge. You can find my blog on their website here . My goals are to get back to 120s, run my half marathon on the 1st, get my eats back to 6 meals a day and 10 glasses of water a day. As always Eats are a challenge for me. not to good on eats today ( i ate chips with my turkey burger, and didnt get all my meals in) but I do plan on doing some planning tomorrow to get myself on track :) I am looking forward to lifting weights tom...

this was after 2 with Su and before getting on the treadmill went for a 7 mile run today. 3 alone... ran my "new loop" came home got a drink, got the Dog and headed back out. Su and I did 2 miles together.. the last mile (#5) was GREAT we ran sprints and oh we felt like we were flyin!!!!! The last two miles I ran on the treadmill (millie) cause my DH had to leave and I didnt want to leave the kids home alone.... I walk the last .75 of a mile but am thrilled I got 7 miles in. funny how hard it was..... I MUST get my runs in alone and not keep using track practice to count as my workouts. I will have to figure out when......... Glad I got it done... its a good tired :) now time to go cook supper.

It reminds me of the hikes I took up in Colorado :) and the fun memories of running with Josha up the mine road :) These photos were taken at todays track practice :) It's AMAZING out today and in the 70s! just a perfect day :) Do you see the cross up the trail? Nate- my 8 year old running Cat (she just turned 13) running by the cross One of the little girls running ahead of me she is 9 years old the leaves are just beautiful! Mighty Purty for West Texas :) I didn't run very much today... needing to rest my left shin a bit as all those hills are making my leg do some second thoughts :) but I know just taking it easy will do the trick :)

Yesterday I ran with the kids..I have no idea how far.. a few hills thrown in.... made myself not run the complete cool down with them because my legs are telling me to take it easy... this old body is not use to running hills.. :) we ran in the "woods" again and I just LOVE it there! Makes me dream of doing some trail runs this summer..... hum????? busy week so I will just learn to be happy with the runs I get in at practice until Saturday when i can get 7 miles in :) looking forward to that :) now to go do the mom thing Progress.... not perfection

HEY! This was me in the middle of the mess that was my boys room! Can you see the determination in my eyes???? I was focused .. LOL... I have been working since Saturday afternoon and it is ALMOST done! Here are the kids and me with the hat.... starting to cover up the mural I painted when we first moved in. The room is clean at this point but I cannot tell you how much work it was to go through, sort and organize! I spent 2 hours just on clothes! We get hand me downs .. which are GREAT but they tend to pile up! When it was over... 10 bags of trash! (broken toys, and well.. trash! urgh) and boxes and boxes of things to garage sale or give away. I mentioned to someone I cannot believe the amount of stuff that my boys had when they have virtually no income! yikes. :) Here is the final shot of the mural .... I wont miss it! I never finished it so it was always a reminder of something I hadnt finished. another wall (this is where Nates bed will go when its done) this was to have horses ru...

I was happy when I bought those two new pair of jeans about 4 days before my marathon. I loved them! they fit perfectly. not anymore. It is interesting how all of a sudden weight is dropping off of me, I have been running and watching what I eat. But I did read that it IS hard to loose weight when training for a full marathon simply because your body holds onto calories for the energy it MIGHT need! My body has decided it doesnt need to hold on any more :) I like that! Happy Pants Lesson #1. never by a new pair of jeans, no matter how bad you need them, 3 days before a marathon. Said jeans are still wearable but both require a belt! and one pair I can take off without even unbuttoning them! THATS how many inches i have lost in my hips since the marathon. Another happy pants story came this morning when I was getting ready for church. I decided to try on a pair of my "favorite" kackie jeans (ones I got for 5bucks but retailed for 112.00!) I have been holding on to them for a ...