Happy New Year! It’s the first weekend of 2019 (and how the heck did that happen?), and that means it’s time to pour yourself a bloody Mary cup of Joe and sit down for a chat!
If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am starting the year in what is not the best shape of my life. I would say I did fair (and not much more than that) throughout the year, but a mid-December week-long trip to Las Vegas followed by non-stop eating and drinking throughout the holidays landed me at probably the heaviest weight of my adult life. So I’m in a bit of a funk.
Over coffee I would tell you that I’m not one to sulk. So I’m being proactive about said weight gain. I’ve revamped my diet, cut off all alcohol (at least for now – let’s not get crazy here), and have gotten back onto the workout train. Let’s face it. I’m not getting any younger, and I am well aware that the longer I let this go, the harder it will be to lose the weight. Besides, I feel like crap.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that though hectic, my holidays were pretty awesome. My husband and I flew to Las Vegas on the Wednesday two weeks before Christmas, then two days later my eldest and youngest sons flew in to meet us. We did some hiking and of course some gambling. Add to that way too much eating and drinking, and a good time was had by all! On Sunday my husband and my eldest son flew back home, but my youngest and I stayed for two additional days. The four of us saw Absinthe, and the youngest and I saw Mat Franco after the other two left. Both shows were fabulous.
We arrived home late on the evening of the 18th, then the next two days were a flurry of shopping and wrapping since we celebrated Christmas with the kids on the 21st. Holding onto the dream, we waited for everyone to be home and decorated the tree that day. We had lots of fun laughing and playing games late into the evening. Then on Christmas Eve we hosted my husband’s extended family for dinner, and on Christmas Day hosted for the few of my family members that are still talking to me. C’est la vie.
As I pour another cup, I’m counting in my head the number races I want to run in the coming year. I’m currently signed up for a sprint triathlon, a 10-miler, three half marathons, and two marathons and have my eye on several more. So many races, so little time!
And last, over our final cup of coffee, I would tell you I am in the midst of revamping the blog. I’ve added a page for discount codes for races and gear, so be sure to check it out! Just click on the medal labeled “Discount Codes” at the top of this page. Happy shopping!
What would you share with me over coffee? How were your holidays? Did you fall off the diet and exercise train? Any good races on the horizon for you this year?
I’m linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date and also with Fridays with Fairytale and Fitness!
Your Vegas trip sounds really fun and full of family time. I think we all feel a little out of shape and blah after the holidays. I am ready to get back to my normal schedule as well. Thanks for joining us for coffee!
With Vegas so close to Christmas, it was a disaster waiting to happen. I’m glad to be back on track!
I think marathon training saved me from holiday weight gain. I baked minimally (cookies are my downfall) and that helped too cuz I’ve gained nada. What a handsome bunch of guys you have!
Your training is really paying off. You are looking stronger every day! I’m enjoying following your progress toward Tokyo and London!
When I went to Vegas 20 years ago (!) hiking never crossed my mind – it would now for sure! LOL on all your holiday celebrations. We just had one, on the 23rd, so I was very relaxed the rest of the week.
What 10 miler are you doing?
We’ve probably been to Vegas seven or eight times but we’ve only hiked the last two. There are so many beautiful places just a relatively short drive away.
I am doing the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC with some of the other bloggers. I’m really looking forward to a fun weekend!
The Vegas trip sounds like a lot of fun! It can be hard to avoid the holiday gain – I fully indulged and have no regrets 😉
Sounds like you’ve got some great races planned! Cheers to a great 2019!
I’d like to say I have no regrets over my overindulgence, but my belly says differently!
Those desert views, though!
I love how proactive you are being about the stuff you want to change. The right attitude is everything.
I am still working on my race calendar. I desperately need a few more half marathons but it’s making sure I have the time to travel to them that’s holding me back from registering.
Time I have (usually), but oh, the money! I’m trying to do as many races on the cheap as I can, but it adds up fast! Luckily there are plenty of races in and around the Chicago area, so that helps.
Our scale’s batteries need changing, so I have no idea on the weight gain/loss LOL I think I’m maintaining, though, because all of my clothes fit the same as they did pre-holidays. I have some new-to-me races happening this year, so that’s gonna be fun!
I’ve gone from obsessively weighing myself in my 20s to not weighing myself at all. Now I do a Monday morning weigh-in every week just to keep myself in check
I’m glad your holidays were awesome, and I hope you feel better soon! I didn’t go too crazy over the holidays but I definitely did have some treats and also haven’t been exercising consistently, so I’m planning on getting back on track soon with that!
It’s so tough–especially with your crazy work hours! I think most of us are making moves to get back on track after the holidays.
your holidays sound like they were awesome! being that I was JUST in Vegas in November I do know the eating and drinking game well… I did not do any gambling but I did think about it a lot… the trip was not so cheap for me so I’m glad I could rein that feeling in. Besides I was having fun running and hanging with my Canadian Sister from Another Mister and seeing my best friend from school who lives there now.
I have been in the weight loss game (again for the trillionth time) since end of April, came back a few kilos heavier from Vegas so I tried to at least start over again and say no to all the extras at work at least so that I could enjoy at home or out. So my loss was really minimal but you could say I maintained throughout the hols. We don’t do anything big for Christmas, though we did have the kids plus the step-daughter’s boyfriend over for Christmas Eve dinner. We’ve just done Berlin for New Year’s and… I didn’t get on the scale yet. This year I really am going to get down to my optimal race weight and that means I’ll have to seriously think about my food and drink choices.
Lots of races ALREADY on the calendar, the training has started and I’m looking forward to my HIGHLIGHT which is 281 days from now, CHICAGO!!! Love to meet up with you at some point while we are there!
You’ve also got some amazing stuff to look forward to – and I’M looking forward to hearing how it all goes!
I love Vegas but I like too gamble too much. I’d go broke if I lived there full time! I do love all the other aspects of it, too, though – the food, the shows, the people-watching! I think I remember you hiked at Valley of Fire when you where there, right? It’s such an awesome place.
We will definitely meet up when you are in Chicago. Closer to the date we will look at your plans and figure something out. Looking forward to meeting both you and Ron!
Sounds like a wild, fun holiday! Mine was much more sedate but there was all the food and wine. I need to drop a few lbs so I’ve cut back on wine (no need to do anything drastic). Damn menopause.
Looking forward to our DC adventure in April!
We have so much fun when all of the kids are together. Lots of games and laughs, and now that they’re all of age, we can pretty much go anywhere and do anything!
I’m sure my alcohol intake was a big factor in my weight gain. That was an easy one to cut. Now if I can just keep up with the workouts.
So looking forward to DC. We will have to start talking travel plans!
Your holidays sounded crazy busy but awesome! I love the holidays, despite all the insanity, they always are such a fun whirlwind. Though there were definitely toooooo many treats weaved into those weeks, though, lol.
We really do have a lot of fun! Like you said, it’s a whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!
Wow you have a lot of races already lined up! I only have my eyes set on one marathon – Nashville Rock n Roll and been procrastinating signing up for tune-up races beforehand.
I understand where you’re coming from – with all the celebrations surrounding the holidays – it makes it challenging to tame our urges when we’re surrounded by food and drinks all the time! Looks like you already have a plan set in place to tackle it though.
I think Nashville would be a great place to run a marathon. You will have a blast! I’m usually not so bad over the holidays, but this year was a doozy. Hoping to stay on track for good this time!
I would LOVE to go to Vegas! I actually wanted to get married there, but …
I managed to come down with a cold on Christmas Eve which is just going now – a real shocker of one. Ugh. But then I missed a Christmas Day lunch where the turkey didn’t defrost, so ups and downs!
Happy racing in 2019. I have two booked which is double what I did last year!
Sorry you were sick over the holidays. That really stinks. It’s exhausting even when you are feeling good. Happy new year and happy racing to you as well! I’m looking forward to seeing what’s ahead of you this year!
I also know that I gained weight over the holidays because let’s face it, lots of goodies and not so many workouts…haha. I’m looking forward to getting back to somewhat of a routine. I’d like to do another triathlon this year cus I really enjoyed training for my first last year, however it would have to be just the right one ( not as hilly as last year)!
Thanks for linking up for the Friday link up.