It's the Final Countdown

It's the final count down ... <cue Europe and their synthesizer melody, and sing along>! OK, so while the lyrics really have nothing to do with my excitement about it only being a few days before my first half marathon, the hook sure is catchy isn't it?! It's not uncommon in my house for me to break into song and that unforgettable riff... "It's the final countdown ... do do do do ... do do do do do..." In case you have no idea how it goes ... here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Lyrics | Europe lyrics - The Final Countdown lyrics

OK, back on target! I'm so excited (and I just can't hide it ... sorry, when I get really excited I continue to break into song!) that Sunday and the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is almost here! I thought I'd be nervous. I thought I'd be hesitant. But I feel almost like a little kid the night before Christmas who can hardly wait to open her presents. I feel like I'm completely prepared for my first half marathon on Sunday. Coach Missy and personal trainer/life coach Chris have given me all of the tools I need, and helped me build the strength to accomplish my goal of crossing the finish line at Neyland Stadium on Sunday.

Interested in cheering me and other participants on in Sunday's races (starting at 7:30 a.m.)? Some popular spectator spots are Western Plaza Shopping Center, Tyson Park, KMA (the split for the half & full marathon). Spectators will also be able to enter Neyland Stadium through Gate 9 and sit in Sections A-P to watch participants cross the finish line. Also, if you're spectating, there's tons of entertainment to keep the party going -- check out this lineup! I look forward to hearing my pal Mike Mauldin  playing near the Ag Campus ... and although I'd love to hear my fave Jason Ellis on Sunday ... that would mean I decided to do the full marathon, and then you all would KNOW I'd lost my mind!

Although I'm really excited about Sunday, I will miss built in time with my teammates after we complete our event. I think we've all bonded, and are so dedicated to the fitness improvements that we're making right now that we will try to keep up some of our group exercise, like walking on Saturdays. I've always wondered how reality show contestants like folks on American Idol and the Biggest Loser become so close in such a short period of time ... but now I get it! When you've got so much in common with a group of people, and you've shared so many similar life experiences, and you spend quality time (like walking so many miles with them) with them every few days, there's no way you won't become close to them. I know I could not have accomplished the things I have accomplished in the past few months without my teammates.

Speaking of accomplishments -- last week I hit a milestone. I've lost 30 pounds since June!

Here's where I was in June ... 

Here's where I was yesterday...

I can't wait for our team to be able to show off our before/after pictures that should be released soon -- so everyone can see our complete team transformation! We had an awesome team celebration last night where each of our team members received a trophy and special recognition for their contributions to our team. It was such a fun night, and I can't remember the last time I got a trophy! 

I hope everyone has a great week! If you're a praying person, please say one or two for me and my teammates as we embark on a fabulous journey this weekend!

Here's some inspiration for the days to come! 

Even a rainy day won't slow us down!

I wanted to blog sooner this week, but it's been a whirlwind of a week! This week I had my post-fitness test at Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center, and also my last visit with the dietitian at Covenant Weight Management Center, along with my final weigh in. Our Biggest Winner Team is gearing up for April 1 and the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, and along with that comes lots of housekeeping type stuff.

As I mentioned earlier this week I had my post-fitness test, and was excited that the results were definitely what I wanted to accomplish! They showed that I'd gained strength, flexibility, and was in overall better health.

In December I could do 14 push-ups until I was fatigued...this week I could do 25!
My average flexibility on the sit & reach test in December: 13  inches. My average flexibility this week: 16.3 inches! My body measurements also all moved in the right direction ... except for my calves, which they explained was most likely due to added muscle.

At my weigh-in: I'd dropped one more pound on the scale, but converted 2 more pounds of fat to fat-free mass. Bringing my to-date totals to: 8.5 pounds ... but the more exciting number is converting 12.5 pounds of fat to fat-free mass!

I also had blood work done this week and was able to compare it to my initial blood work in November.
My cholesterol was 139, and is now 135. My triglycerides were 177, and are now 130. My HDL (good cholesterol) went up! Yay. It was 42 and is now 48! I still need to get it above 50!  My LDL (bad cholesterol) went down 1 point, and is still in the desirable range at 61. I'm eager to see if there's been any change in my A1C when I visit my endocrinologist in April!

This week our Thursday night strength training session was lead by Coach Kane and Joe Mitchell, former contestant on the NBC show Biggest Loser. We had lots of fun ... which is they key to our successful workouts!

Joe challenged us with some crazy exercises working on upper body strength and core stability. Below is LeeAnn punching out her frustrations, and then below Melody trying to balance while laughing at our teammate Randy.

Saturday for our long effort -- we began to taper our mileage! We were supposed to get in 7 miles, but about 3 miles into our walk it started raining. At first it was refreshing, and then it just rained harder and harder, and we got wetter and wetter. We ended up around 6.5 miles, but knew we would add mileage later in the day walking from our cars to the Women Today Expo. 

It was a beautiful day to start off on Cherokee Boulevard, part of the half marathon course.

"Here's your sign!" This is how we felt when we first started out! lol

But enjoyed it anyway!

Here's our teammate Edee who is going to hand cycle in the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon!

And then it started raining harder. We had to pause on the greenway (about a mile before we were finished) to memorialize the day! Our canine walking pal Zombie was also NOT a fan of being so wet! 

Well, an hour after we were done walking we were supposed to be at the Women Today Expo downtown to present on the Conversation Stage. I was so wet I ended up stopping by my parent's house to re-dry my hair and myself to change for the event. By the time I got to the Expo, the sun was shining again! A crazy, but beautiful day! 

My teammates Darla, Edee, Peggy and Melody all made it out for our presentation at the Expo. Coach Kane talked through our weight loss journey, and we all shared different info about ourselves and things we've learned along the way. We had a packed house in our seating area. And to close our segment we invited the audience to get up and do some fun exercise with us -- the Cha Cha slide. Although some were hesitant at first -- we had a pretty big group dancing with us at the end! It was a lot of fun! 

Here's just a few snap shots from the afternoon.

Well, just a little inspiration to wrap up for today! Enjoy this beautiful sunshine! Get outside and move! 

Overcoming Triskaidekaphobia

tris-kai-dek-a-pho-bi-a: [tris-kahy-dek-uh-foh-bee-uh] noun, fear or a phobia concerning the number 13.

If you'd asked me a year ago where I saw myself in 1 year ... I'm pretty sure my answer would not have been, "walking 13 miles!" But here I am training for the 1/2 marathon event at the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. Each Saturday when our group gets together to walk I accomplish than I ever thought I physically could. This past Saturday was no exception as we tackled Cades Cove.

Former Biggest Loser TV show contestant Joe Mitchell and his family joined us for part of our walk! Even though the morning started out a little cool ... it turned into a gorgeous day!

Very early in our walk the creek had flooded the road, and the water was several feet deep. We debated taking shoes off and wading through the icy water, until Coach Missy had a better idea-- hitchhike! A nice couple from Alabama helped us cross! Thanks to Missy for the truck pics!

Saturday was a beautiful day to walk! And I was reminded again, that we live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country! 

The goal for the day was completing the 11 mile loop. In true Amanda-fashion the walk ended up closer to 13.01 miles instead of 11...but I've never been great at math. lol.

Here's my completed route, thanks to my Humana Vitality phone app. Sidenote: I just love that I'm earning employee wellness points for all of this exercise! 

Although I was hoping to see a bear during our adventure, we didn't. We did see lots of deer, though.

And more beautiful scenery!

And fortunately, we made it alive! :) 

I don't remember Cades Cove being so hilly! But my legs are still feeling the burn today!

Saturday was meant to be our longest training distance at 11 miles. When training for a half marathon you generally don't train all of the way to 13 miles prior to the race. Well, so much for that theory! The good news is ... I know POSITIVELY that I can make it through a half marathon alive! 13 doesn't scare me anymore! 

Woo whoo! OK, I'm sure many of you had no doubt I could make it. And even though I talk a good game, and have convinced myself I can do it ... Saturday was a nice added-bonus to prepare me mentally for April 1. 

I'm so thankful to have wonderfully supportive teammates with whom I can laugh and commiserate! Saturday my walking buddies were LeeAnn, Melody, and our friend Beth. We're pretty sure that we decoded that "runners high" is actually delirium that sets in after about 10.5 miles. The finish line is ultimately, "just around the corner!" I couldn't ask for a funnier, sarcastic, and strong group of women with whom to share Saturday's adventures!

Since we've reached our longest distance prior to the Half Marathon, we'll now start to taper our walking and our workouts. I'm looking forward to slowing down a bit, but praying to not run out of steam. 

I'm sure my husband was thankful to see Monday roll around so that he didn't have to witness me limping through the house muttering, "ow!" with every step! But the good news is that as they say, pain is temporary. At least I think I've almost convinced myself of that! 

As usual ... I like to extract inspiration wherever I can! So here are a few of my favorites for the week! 

This one is especially for our trainer Chris, who reminds us daily how amazing we are! 

This is good advice no matter who you are, or what you're going through!