Well, I made it! What I thought was impossible became possible! I thought there was no way I could live without sugar, no way! My family thought I was crazy, co-workers would look at me and say "why are you doing this to yourself?" I would answer, "because I am tired of feeling like crap!" I did not realize the side effects of sugar! I knew when I would consume a pop and candy bar mid-afternoon I would feel groggy and tired, but I didn't have sense enough to realize the culprit was the sugar. The first week was easy; I even made my husband an apple pie and didn't take one bite. About day eight, the cravings came. I wanted ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, a milkshake, anything. I continued to eat fruits and nuts and eventually the cravings were no more. I learned to read lables, especially ingredients. If I can't pronounce the ingredient, I don't want to consume it. I lost two pounds, I have energy and feel great! I have suffered from cystic acne for YEARS; my face has immensely improved. I still have a few spots but nothing like the painful, huge knots I normally have. My husband and kids are now on board with healthy eating, which is a huge help to have their support. I am now very anti-sugar/anti-processed foods . I drive by fast food places and can't believe I actually ate the food that is offered on the menu (I still go to Subway, which is way better than McDonalds).  I can't see myself going back to enjoying junk food. Yeah, I am sure I will eat a piece of cake or a few peanut butter M&M's once in a while, but not as a snack. Now, I am 100% dedicated to living a healthy living for my family and I.

I'm 8 days in the sugar detox. I haven't craved sugar until TODAY! And, I would love a Pepsi, some ice cream from Braum's, chocolate chip cookies..my mouth is watering just thinking about it. DON'T CAVE!  

I badly need to improve my eating habits. Food is my weakness! I want to do the twenty-day sugar detox; does the detox include artificial sweeteners such as Stevia? How about gluten-free? Is this a good diet for runners? And how about beans like kidney and black, is it okay to eat them if they're canned? I've always heard you should eat fresh, frozen, then canned if you have to. If anyone has any suggestions to nutrition, I would greatly appreciate it! 

This 13.1 mile trail race was certainly a learning experience for me. Earlier this year in July, I ran a 5 mile trail, and enjoyed every minute of it, and since then I have eagerly wanted to trail run again. The opportunity came about, and I took happily took it. Race day came; I was nervous because I knew I would be running along with experienced runners. I wasn’t running this race for time but for the experience and enjoyment. The gun fired.  Up the hill and through the woods on a trail run we went. The first mile was slow, but I was eventually able to get in my zone. I overheard some interesting conversations from men running behind me; they started out talking about trails, then football and then kids with ADD/ADHD, luckily I had my ear buds and was able to block it out. I was glad when we came to the first aid station, which gave me the chance to  flee from the presence of the two gentlemen who were trailing behind my partner and me.  On we went, my pace was a slow 13:20, but hey, I had to be attentive when running on terrain I’d never ran on before.  Plus I didn’t want to face-plant or sprain an ankle. I arrived at the second aid station; the pretzels were the best.  I grabbed a small cup of water and was off again. Still maintaining my pace, jamming to Aerosmith Radio on Pandora, I felt good and was enjoying the view. The turnaround point aid station (at 6.55 miles give or take) was the bomb! Burritos, French fries, cookies and candies--all were tempting, but I only partook in a chocolate cookie topped with Reese’s Pieces and some water.  Did I mention I detest port-a-potties? Next time, I will venture off into the woods…After the snack and pit stop, my partner and I resumed our run and headed back to finish the race.  Probably around mile 8, my feet started cramping; by mile 10 I had jelly legs, plus my shoes were caked with mud and leaves which made it more challenging not to fall.  (I didn’t!)  By then, my pace had slowed significantly and I was upset about it. My strategy was to use the first 10 miles as a warm-up and the last 3.1 miles I had planned to give it my all (per Eric’s instructions). Unfortunately, it was not happening as planned.  I only had 3.1 miles to go. I made it to the last aid station, opened a GU and choked it down (blackberry flavor isn’t the best). Within seconds I had a burst of energy and was determined to finish this race--cramps, mud, and all.  My partner and I got separated after leaving the last aid station, so I was by myself for a while. I walked a lot during the last 3.1 miles and even got lost for about 5 minutes until another runner came in sight and I followed her on down to the finish. I was so relieved to cross the finish line. I was thirsty, hungry, and still had jelly legs. My finish time was 3:21:04. That day, both my race partner and I decided trails are not for us; however, the next day, we were texting and agreed to get together once a month and go run a trail so we can get better acquainted with trail running. Learning is experience! The end. 

What to do, what to do?...A friend hit me up about running a half marathon December 15th; I'm totally in! Then, I got to thinking my goal for this year was to run a full marathon, and I have yet to accomplish this. So, do I want to go for it and run the full instead of the half since this will be the last opportunity for a marathon this year? Of course I do, but my longest run to date is 20 miles (October 11), and my last 'long run' after that was a 15k (October 19); my daily miles have been between 4-8 with no long weekend runs lately...I guess I am afraid I will hit a wall around mile 20 and crash and burn and not finish the race...decisions, decisions!