Tears of Pride

Today I completed 100 miles in 29 days for the challenge, Just Do It June, created by my dear friend, Stephanie. There were days I didn't want to go to the gym. There were times it was flat out difficult to get motivated. Thankfully, those days were few. I missed three days out of 29 and managed to make those days up. Doing the intense cardio became such a stress relief that I really enjoyed it. The support group that developed as a result of the challenge helped immensely. Stephanie is creating another challenge for us in July and I can't wait. My chiropractor wants to join now!!! I had to do five miles today to finish and when I did I walked right into Sonya's office. (Sonya, owner of the gym, my cheerleader, and friend) I said, "I did it. I did it. I did 100 miles in 29 days." Then my tears came. And so did Sonya's. (This is what makes her such a great cheerleader! Sonya cries when I cry in pain, sadness, or joy. Mostly, Sonya reminds me of how far of I have come in this journey. She vividly remembers the day when I walked into the gym. I told her I was going to give it a try. She reminds me of the lack of self confidence I had on that day. The growth has been amazing.) I'm so blessed to have Sonya there to share these celebrations and milestones with me. She is a blessing for sure. As I left the gym I called my mom, "I did it mom. I did it. 100 miles in 29 days." "Oh Honey, I am not surprised. I knew you could do it." I cried again. My mom has been a big cheerleader for me in this as well. I came home and saw my honey. I said, "I did it. 100 miles in 29 days." He said, "I knew you would and I was the first person to respond to your post. Read it." Dave gets to see me at my worst through this whole thing. Whether it be the time commitment (19 hours and 20 minutes this month) or the sore muscles. He is another great piece of my support system. All my messages on FB from followers. Wow that helps so much. Keep em coming. I appreciate them so much. We had another member of the challenge who was doing no exercise, started the challenge 10 days late and is already doing 5 miles in an hour and five minutes. It's stories like this that continue to inspire me. We all have to continually seek our inspiration from others because it's never easy. A weird thing happened last Sunday. I had to go give a presentation for the Northland Childhood Hunger Fund (great charity with which I am involved). Anyway this presentation took place in a very nice home. I was standing in the foyer and I happened to glance a person. I don't know how to really explain this except that I was looking into the biggest mirror I had ever seen. It was 14 feet long. Once it occurred to me I was looking at a mirror I did a double take. The person I had caught a glimpse of was ME!!! It was ridiculous. I didn't readily recognize me. It's a strange phenomenon for sure when you don't realize you are looking at yourself. It reminded me of a conversation I had with Trainer Mike on the phone before ever meeting him in person. He asked me what my goals were and I said, "I want to be able to look in the mirror and not be disgusted." Readers, I'm not disgusted anymore. I'm PROUD! During the challenge I didn't measure...EEEERRRR! I'm going to do that soon. I did weigh. I'm 5 pounds down. 5 in a month. I realized I haven't added some pics on here in a while. The following one was taken this week.

Tears of Pride...I was moving. I did more cardio for these past 29 days than I have done in any month since beginning this journey two years ago. AND I was going for longer periods of time at much higher intensity than ever before. I am proud at how far I've come. Thank You to each of you for cheering me on and supporting me! If you hear of some random girl announcing to everyone she sees..."I did it. I did 100 miles in 29 days" Just say, "Ya. I know. That's my gal Bunchy. :) Cause seriously, I told the checkout lady at Wal Mart. Now...I'm getting off of here. We are leaving for Yellowstone tomorrow morning. VACATION HERE WE COME!!! When I get back, I'll post about the newest challenge. And even though I will miss the first week, I'm going to make it my goal to meet the challenge. :)

Little Shocked...A Lot Proud

I know you are shocked that I am writing two days in a row. I have BREAKING NEWS!!! I wasn't really in the mood to go to the gym today. I tried to talk myself out of it actually. I didn't feel good. I had too much to do. Thank goodness I ended up there. I planned on doing three or four miles on the stepper and running a mile. Both of the steppers were taken. I had to get on the treadmill. You need to know that normally I do two miles on the treadmill and I am done. Last week I hit my personal best in running. Today, not only did I hit my new personal best as far as time goes, I ran for 3.1 miles!!! I'm still in shock. I can't believe I did it. I had tears in my eyes. Thank God for Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, and Kenny Chesney. Those boys helped me through. However, the best was when my friend Sonya came over beside the treadmill and was cheering me on. She's so fun and a huge fan! I LOVE her!!! There is one strange thing...ever since I finished...I can't stop sneezing. It's weird. I hardly ever sneeze. It's an event when I do. I bet I've sneezed 50 times since my run. Holy Cow. To all of you pro runners out there. I still don't know how you do those 10 minute miles. But...I didn't know how you ran at all until recently! :) This is what the journey is all about the SWEET reward of finding something within you that you didn't even think was possible!

Bootcamp!!!

The 17th of June and I have 62 miles down! I'm not kidding this is tough. Not physically tough so much...but the time required is excessive. It's like a part time job! I'm loving the changes and I love how I feel. I've also started a bootcamp class on Thursday nights. CHALLENGING for sure. I've done it twice and the first time I thought I was going to throw up if we had to squat one more time. I made it though. The soreness didn't hit until Friday afternoon. It was just in time for the Saturday morning kickboxing class I started the same week. I LOVE kickboxing. Talk about a way to get rid of stress. When the instructor tells me to kick or punch the pad...watch out!!! If that pad were in front of me right now, I would kick the heck out of it... Have you ever known people that get so caught up in doing things their way because it's the only way? It's the RIGHT way. Highly frustrating. Good thing I went to counselor school. It provides some insight and reminds me when I should just bite my tongue because there is no arguing with these type of people. It doesn't do a bit of good. Feeling very frustrated. On a GREAT note. I LOVE being a principal. I'm having an incredible time!!! So grateful for this opportunity!

100 Miles or More

Three weeks since I posted??? What in the world have I been thinking??? Well let me tell ya! The morning after my last post I opened an email at work from the gatekeeper to those who want to do research in my district. Two years ago I had met with the superintendent and assistant superintendent and interviewed them regarding teacher evaluation. At the end of the interview, I shared with them that teacher evaluation is my area of focus for my dissertation. The superintendent shared with me that he was extremely passionate about changing our evaluation to make it more meaningful for teachers. He shared that a committee would be formed and the instrument and process revised. I asked how I could get on the committee. They told me I was on. For the first year the committee met at least monthly for no less than four hours at a time to identify best practice and rewrite the process and instrument. This past year teachers and administrators have been using the new instrument and process. I had been up front with the committee about wanting to interview teachers and administrators to find out if they felt the new evaluation had impacted their classroom practice. I sent my formal request for research to the gatekeeper who asked me a gazillion questions and then took it before the research committee. DENIED!!! Reason? I'm too close to the research and my data would be skewed. Six months of intense writing to develop chapters 1-3 of my dissertation and 2 years of intense committee work. I'm a counselor. I understand the stages of grief. I was able to identify each of them as I have gone through. The first night was shock. I intended to work through the stress by going to they gym. I came home and fell into bed while crying. I didn't eat. I was done. I am now stuck in the bitter stage. I'm trying to let it go. I realize bitterness is not doing me any good. I have the worst case of writer's block I have had EVER! Thank God for an amazing advisor. She made some contacts at the state level with policy makers who are rewriting the teacher evaluation policy. I've already been in touch with them. I will be going to Jeff City to conduct interviews. This has saved me a lot of time and headache. I won't have to start from scratch. I will use some of the work I have already done and change from a program evaluation to a policy analysis. I'm hoping to meet with my advisor this week and maybe talk through some of the block I'm having. With that and May being so busy, I did not meet my 100 mile goal. In typical Bunchy fashion, once I realized I was behind on the goal, I quit keeping track. I have no idea how close I was. I kept up with friends who surpassed 100 miles and am very thankful Stephanie is keeping us on track by starting us fresh in June. I'm nine miles in. Again, I'm really excited about the challenge. I've completed these first miles on the PRECOR step machine which seems to be my favorite. My goal is at least 100 miles. I'm really hoping for more!!! Please remember how important it is for you to get some form of exercise every day!

Since we are in our extended school year (summer school) and I get off earlier each day, I plan to add strength training back into my workouts. In other shocking news: My husband has developed this craving for chocolate Frosty's from Wendy's. There is a Wendy's ten minutes down the street from us. The first night he wanted one I jumped in the car and came back with a cookies and cream treat for me. The second night I was tired and refused to go. (Please note it had nothing to do with knowing this wasn't good for us.) He shocked me and went and got it and came back with a vanilla one for me. (Yes, I always choose vanilla over chocolate ice cream!) The third night he wanted one I put my foot down and told him we could not get into that habit. I'm grateful he didn't override my decision! Since I've started this journey he has been the hard nose about me not having ice cream. His cravings could be a road block for sure. Tomorrow I have my first day as summer school principal.We worked on Thursday to get ready, but tomorrow it is official because all of those smiling little ones are going to join us! SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!! Be it my weight loss journey or my goal to become a principal..the following quote seems fitting. :)

It's a Wrap

Last night I had ten friends over for a Wrap party. We all had our stomachs wrapped except one who had her thighs wrapped. Before and after pictures and everything. I don't just jump into things like this. I had seen people posting on FB about these drastic results they were getting after being wrapped. I didn't even know what that was. I finally found out and then two friends started selling them. I contacted one and she said that had she not seen the results with her own eyes she wouldn't have believed it. Out the door went the modesty. The girls came one by one into the bedroom to be measured, have before pics, and get wrapped. After an hour we unwrapped, remeasured, took the after pic, and rewrapped. I slept in my wrap. After the first hour I had lost an inch. This morning I woke up with three more inches gone and two pounds down. During the process you have to drink a ton and I mean a ton of water. I'm a little tired today because I was up multiple times going to the bathroom. :) I'm at 21 miles right now in my 100 miles in May challenge. I'm four miles behind where I need to be. I will catch up. I have a plan. It will happen. I am totally loving this challenge. Thanks again, Stephanie. We have a group on FB where we check in and it's so inspiring. Tonight I did some walking and in an effort to increase my mileage I started running. Tonight was a ten minute sprint followed by some five minute sprints. Where did this girl come from? Who is she? I'm hoping to get up in the morning for a four mile walk before work and then I'll do another 3-4 after work. This should get me back on track! I fell behind because being the chair of a 5k in 90 degree humid weather zapped my exercise effort for the day. The picture below describes how I feel about my effort in this challenge!

Saturday was the school district education foundation 5k. We have started from nothing and this is our fifth year. It was so inspiring to see so many people out there walking. My mom walked by herself. She was jamming to her tunes and booking it. She walked it in 52 minutes. I'm so proud of her. The participant that stole my heart was one of my fourth graders. She came with her mom who was running the event for the third year in a row. This mom runs marathons and her daughter decided she was going to do it too. I have to check her time again, but that little thing ran the whole thing. I ran across the finish line with her as I had tears in my eyes. Very inspiring. And on the job search... No interviews for next year yet....HOWEVER...I had a long talk with God on Sunday night. I told him I know he has a plan for me and I do trust him, but after being at the job search since January I was feeling a little frustrated and impatient. I told him I needed some encouragement. Less than 24 hours later I had a phone call asking me to be principal at one of our elementary schools for summer school. I heard you loud and clear God. I'm so excited. The school in which I taught for five years is where I get to go. WOOT WOOT! I kinda see that as a double sign. I've always had a dream of working as a principal there. Even though it's only for four weeks it counts on my list.

100 Miles in May

My dear dear friend, Stephanie, posted a challenge on Facebook last night. She is going to run 100 miles in May. I don't have to run all 100 miles. I can bike, step, use the elliptical or walk. No brainer. I'm in. What a great way to motivate some more cardio. It's the third and I'm already at 5.65. All I have to do is average 3.6 miles a day. I figure on the weekends or evenings when I have extra time I'll so some extra. I've been averaging about 2 miles maybe a little over a day. Increasing to 3.6 will be a great boost for the metabolism. I'm always up for a challenge and I'm quite excited about this one. When I say Stephanie is a dear dear friend...I mean it. I've known her since Kindergarten. She always makes me smile. It is rare you find someone as humorous, caring, and loving as Stephanie. Friend, thank you for the 100 Miles in May. I really appreciate it. Great idea! I haven't the time nor energy to go back through this blog and figure out how many times I have said I'm going to be a runner, but I've been running a bit. No distance. I do 2-5 minute sprints. Those of you who have been reading since the start know that running triggers anxiety for me. I haven't put any pressure on myself. On days when I go to the gym and feel like it, I hop on the treadmill and go for it. It relieves a lot of stress for me. And there is still that challenge word. Jeez I'm motivated by a challenge. Grandpa Update: Grandpa was diagnosed with prostate cancer close to ten years ago. The cancer was maintained by oral meds and shots for a long period of time. Shortly after my uncle passed away from cancer in 2010 the doctors found the cancer had spread to Grandpa's bones. Again the numbers didn't grow a lot with the oral meds and shots. Recently, the cancer has started growing. A few weeks ago Grandpa underwent his first chemo treatment. The treatment almost killed him. He ended up in the hospital for a week and then rehab for another week. Last Saturday I went and had a wonderful visit with him. I really wish I could bottle Grandpa up. He is one of the finest people I have ever known. When he has had every right to complain, he doesn't. When others question God or their faith, he turns deeper to prayer and the Bible. On Saturday we had an hour long discussion about faith. I spent my childhood years raised in a Quaker church. Since then I've attended baptist and a variety of non denominational churches. I told Grandpa that I still struggle with finding the right church. He explained things to me about the foundation of the Quakers of which I had not been aware. These fundamental beliefs are what have been at the heart of my unsatisfaction with other churches. I've felt more at peace about this aspect of my life since our conversation. If I could bottle some of Grandpa's spirit I would. We need more of it in this world. My prayer is that Grandpa will not suffer with the nastiness of cancer. I love that man. Dissertation Update: I'm now waiting on my district to let me know if the study is a go or not. IRB is at a standstill until I get approval from the district. I'm trying everything I know to keep my mind off of the fact that we are ticking away at the days in May when I am supposed to be interviewing. Job Search Update: One interview. I felt it went well. The district is much smaller and pays way less. I haven't heard anything yet. More applications are out. I'm trying to keep my mind off of this as well. Ha! After writing this, I realize it's no wonder I've been compelled to run. Want a little stress with your life? Alright...I need to wind down. Tomorrow is 5k Friday. The day before the 5k I chair. Lots of prep to be done. Lots of packets to be handed out. I can't wait. This is year number 5. It started as a small dream of mine and now it's grown into an annual tradition!

Trainers and Life Thereafter

I had my last session with Kelly on Saturday. We met at the park and she made me work for it. The sun came out, the humidity went up, and I was doing a lot of squatting. I could barely move yesterday. Now it's on to life after the trainer. I feel as though I am ready to take this challenge on. I know tons of people who are successfully changing their lives without a weekly session with a trainer. I have become friends with people all over the world on FB who are faced with the same weightloss battles as I. While Mike inspired me to 1) enter a gym and 2) do things in a gym I never thought possible, Kelly taught me about eating and routine workout sessions. By routine, I don't mean easy. I mean which body part to work when and how to fit cardio in the workout. Kelly also told me that no amount of working out can make up for bad eating. The picture above is pretty fitting. She also taught me how to get out of a plateau by working with my training heart rate. I have the tools. Now it's time to put them to use. I think it is going to be a lot like what I've been learning about food. PLAN PLAN PLAN I can't just show up at the gym and workout. I have to know what I'm going to do ahead of time. I did cardio tonight. Tomorrow is going to involve abs and more squats. See...I have a plan. I also have this cool ap on my phone that shows me lots of different exercises for each body part. I guess I should add that to my list of tools. The thing that's different now is I enjoy going to the gym. I love sweating. I love the changes I'm making. The spark has been ignited!

On the employment front...not one. single. interview! It appears that right now the market is saturated with people who have experience. Other districts wouldn't even consider an interview. Our district had openings. I didn't get an interview there either. HOWEVER, I did something I would have never done before the changes I've made in my life with working out and the doctorate program. I sent an email to our assistant superintendent and our superintendent. The tone of the email was one of curiousity and confusion. The assistant superintendent met with me and explained that there had been over 90 applicants for the jobs and 90% of them had experience. I explained to him that I am frustrated because my principal gives me a lot of experience, but I can't put it formally on a resume. He was extremely encouraging which I appreciated. I am still pretty bummed that it's not happening. Friends tell me God has a plan and when it's time he will move me. I truly believe that. I just wish the time was now. I do LOVE my principal. We make an outstanding team. She's one of my biggest cheerleaders. So it's not that I don't want to stay where I am. I like my job. I'm just ready to move. Bottom line: keep the prayers coming I need them.