Chariots of Fur

Me and Jedi at Chariots of Fur in 2015

I've decided I'm going to walk a 5K in February. It's called Chariots of Fur -- and Jedi gets to go with me. How fun is that? I've walked the Mutt Mile the last two years, and chickened out the two years before that. This year I’m going to do the whole 5K!

Up until this year Chariots of Fur has been hosted by St. Francis Animal Hospital. It was a big fundraiser for their Helping Paw program. The race is under a different organization this year. Other changes include:

• Later start time
• Slightly higher fees (that increase the later you enter)
• Fun Run and 5K are same price and start at the same time
• Medals will be awarded to the first 700 finishers
• Ribbons are given to all participating dogs
• Dogs' names are on the entry form so dogs can be announced at the finish line!

I have several friends that are going too. We've done it together for the last couple years. Some walk, some run, some do the mile, while others do the whole thing. Regardless, we all meet up after the race to socialize. Last year we ended up at a dog-friendly restaurant for pizza and beer.

Interestingly, St. Francis Animal Hospital is still hosting a dog-friendly 5K. They’ve moved the date to March and changed the name to Paw Prints in the Sand. I'm debating entering that one too. (I'm a glutton for punishment.)

To get my fat ass ready to go, I've downloaded a walking plan. Here it is if you want to see it: 5K Training - Walkers Program. Wish me luck? I need it!

P.S. I want a medal, dammit!

Coaching, Week 3

Posted on Facebook

So, I only hit half the goals from last week. I did walk at work for about 15 minutes each time. Pretty good!

However, couldn't find the stupid Fitbit. Hubby got tired of hearing me whine and he bought me a new one. And this one is pink! Hopefully it's harder to lose.

This week we talked about personal goals. Then I was given homework. With a little soul-searching I decided that:

I want more . . .

• Time with friends
• Time to read
• Healthy foods
• Structure
• Sleep
• Training with Jedi
• Exercise
• Creativity
• Cooking at home

I want less . . .

• Junk food
• Clutter
• Stress
• Wasteful spending
• Forgetting to take my meds
• Negativity
• Mindless TV watching

Then I had to prioritize what I wanted. I don't know how well that'll work out. Coach is optimistic. But she's only known me three weeks. I happen to know me better. Teaching me to organize is probably as easy as teaching a pig to sing. Fortunately, there's this:

Look: singing pigs!

So, I'm still a big hot mess. But now I'm a mindful hot mess!

Coaching, Week 2

I did pretty good with last week's health coaching goals.

First, I made a double batch of seasoned ground beef. We had tacos for dinner one night and the second half was saved for taco salad. It turned out pretty damn good too. I also made a giant batch of fried rice. It reheats well, though I don't think it's diabetes-friendly. Stupid pancreas.

Finding healthy snacks is harder than I thought. I try to keep fresh fruit on hand along with some Fiber One bars. Low-fat yogurt and 100 calorie packs of cashews are stashed at work. Still, when there are donuts in the break room it's hard to walk away.

This week we're tackling exercise. I've got to find that damn Fitbit! Anyway, I pledged to walk 15 minutes a day at work. It's not much, but it helps.

I told Coach I was toying with entering a 5K in February. She got all happy, like when Jedi sees the Pupperoni bag. Guess I can't back out now. Dammit. Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain.

Health Coach

I saw an email from HR the other day. Work is offering five weeks of free health coaching -- on the clock. I went ahead and signed up. What do I have to lose? Maybe a coach will help me get my act together. Maybe not.

The first meeting was today. Coach and I discussed how I feel and where I'm at. Basically:

• I eat like crap
• Sleep like crap
• Don't exercise and
• I'm way too stressed.

Coach didn't look at me like I had four heads, so that's a good thing. There were some tears. We discussed everything, but decided to break it down in a teeny tiny parts.

** Kelley needs baby steps. **

What's first? My eating. I came up with two small goals for the next week:

1. Buy healthy snacks to keep on hand.
2. Preplan dinner for two nights.

Hopefully that'll keep me from mindlessly grazing and hitting the drive-thru. We'll see.