a day with no spark time

Friday, May 17, 2013

No one said it would be easy. There will be bumps in the road. Unknown



yesterday I found that bump in the road No spark People
I went to check in Thursday afternoon and catch up with spark friends and get a little support.


attend a with Spark member Chris and our 100th day Olympic challenge we are training like the Olympians are. What a shock when I could not get into Spark People.
The message told me the site was taking to long to respond ideas provided to many people trying to get on the site my sever was blocking the site for some reason tried again and even turned the computer off waited a while before turning it back on tried again and was told the site is taking to long to respond I called my provider to see if they were having sever issues. . They told me it had to be a site issue and I would just have to keep checking thought out the afternoon / evening. What and awful feeling NO SPARKING no spinning of the wheel we all know and love. Even though it has not been kind to me this week stopping on 2 or 3 points all week.
Knowing I was not along being with out Spark and the support of the site was somewhat helpful I was not the only one in spark withdrawal
No spark friends, no trackers, no spark coach … withdrawal was setting in fast

I had peanut butter cookies in the oven !!!! And on the cooling rakes !!!! Fear set in I thought how much I would enjoy a few warm cookies.
Decided to do a little Face Book visiting.
What a surprise Spark guy had been leaving messages! Felt a little better it was not something I had done.

Yes I gave in eating 5 cookie
I wondered what do those spark x friends do that have left the site like so many have and those who have not experienced the benefits of the site.
Then took some me I time like a team 4 seasons team encourages I could hear my spark buddies
reminding me how far I had come and then telling don’t beat your self up over the 5 cookies it could have been more
Owe Spark guy a big thank you he was great at leaving updates even a hint to get a mini work out in! They are working on ways to keep our streaks in tack that helped a lot i can mess up on my own wheel spinning will stay intact
I Learned how much I depend on popping in to Spark thought out the day when mindless eating sets and you just want to visit friends and the push the panic button! Which I am sure many at Spark wanted to do when the site went down.
Now appreciate the food tracker and exercise tracker more than before .
Just in case you wonder The cookies are done and now up stairs in a spare bedroom cooling. I made then for a friend who lost her Father in law for the luncheon after the service. I might have had to change it I made cookies for my friend. If I had not move them out of site and smell range
decided that Chris and i could heading into day 101

Not having Spark for a while makes you very thankful for the site and the staff and coaches that work so hard to make the site special and full of helpful tools to use as we travel along the spark trail. Provide us a place to visit with and get and give support to each other.

Thank you Spark guy for developing this site and keeping free for all to enjoy.
Turned on the computer the morning and went right to face book yo see hoe Spark was doing and their was the note we all wanted to see WE are Back Spark Guy
so spark time here I come
thank you Spark guy and your team.thank you team mates and it back to visiting with each other Happy Friday Everyone

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no scale what would you do ? my answer

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

spark coach of the day is one i often think about as I hike the Spark trail


Today, imagine that you live in a world where scales do not exist. How would you measure your success? How would you know if you were healthy and fit?
I now live without scales! I was so stressed with the scales when it would go up one day and down the next. When I stepped on the scales in the bathroom by the tub I was one weight then by the toilet I was another weight. I would carry them to the kitchen and weigh three different weights depending where I was in the kitchen. They may have found a new home since I gave them to the church yard sale.
1. I use how my clothing fits.
2. I just completed my 12 K race Bloomsday. When the training started in March I was doing 22 to 25 minute miles. At first I had to stop and catch my breath was stiff and sore after my training by the end of April I was doing 19 to 21 minute miles
3. not getting short of breath while walking.
4. I am Able walk on the tread mill longer and get not get short of breath just get very board since I do not have an I pod or I phone to listen to as I walk away.
5. I enjoy going the gym four to five days a week
6. Completed the race course in 2 hours and 32 minutes able to enjoy walking back to the car and was not among the walking wounded .
7. A tape measure might help but I did not take them when I started my journey
8. now wear size 16 petite or 16 regular depending where I shop
9. two sizes smaller Bra from when I started Spark People.
I just need to learn how to use the scales as a tool and and not let it rule my journey maybe some day i will let a scales back in the house. for now I will use the gym scales and check it one time a month. I know the new book tells us to check our weight weekly but when it refuses to move it causes me to mindlessly eat which is not what we on the spark trail need.

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My 49,755 noodle run known as Bloomsday a 12 K

Friday, May 10, 2013

My Race Story







Tom (brother) and I went to pick up our packets on Friday afternoon and enjoy our down town park.
Where each runner was given a purple bracelet to wear Bloomsday Stands with Boston.

Tom enjoying checking out the runners at Riverfront Park


Fran enjoying the falls in the park. on our way to the trade show.

A special runner was here for the race Bill Iffery he lives in the Seattle area and was the runner seen falling after the bombing at Boston. He has run several Bloomsday and winning his age group several times. In an interview he said “Bloomsday has a key distinction from most races you do not get a shirt for registering for the race . You have to put in the miles and make it down the finish shut to get the shirt.” More about Bill to come
Another fact is the shirt is kept a secret until the are delivered to the finish area. The are not put on the tables until the first runners cross the finish line and the area is not able to seen as runners leave the down town area it started at the first race 37 years ago!

May 5 was a bright warm sunny day for Spokane s Big race Bloomsday Tom and headed down at
7 AM a walk though the park and attending the short service before the race where we remembered the events of Boston and the lose of a flight crew from our Air Force Base lost in the crash on Friday.


Then we were off to the starting area and the security check points and wait for our turn to head to the starting line. The group we were in did not leave until 10 AM people watching is always fun and playing with beach balls is a good past time.

The Honor to drop the start flag to t our great event was Bill Iffers the runner from Boston seen falling at the finish around the world. he is from Western Wash. the race is underway at 8 am with elite wheel chair races then the elite runners start and the wave of runners start it takes 1 hour and 14 minutes to get all races on the move.
10 AM arrives and our color group is off on our journey.
church bells ringing and music along the way to make the journey easier.

A few fun fact about the journey where else will you find 356,000 water cups on the street from 5 water stations found along the way.
88,257 gallons of sweat that is enough to fill 50 foot long pool 30 feet wide and 8 feet deep!
Spark guy would be proud of this number 39,866,250 that is the number of calories burned while runners are completing the course.

The race covers seven hills but the one Hill everyone worries about is Doomsday hill .

They even time how long it takes a you to complete this hill its length 3800 feet (0.72 mile)
Elevation gain from the bottom to top 145 feet a grade of 6.5 %
My time was 8 minutes and 30 seconds.

the fastest time 2 minutes by a elite male last year

The race course is flat now until the last .46 mile, which is down hill until finish line.
2 hours 32 minutes and 28 seconds latter I was across the finish line

and heading to reward area.and get my shirt
And the reunion party in the park . Not very Sparky but so good Pizza ! and diet pop. the fun facts came from some math whiz who is on the Bloomsday planning team and they were on trading cards

I thought the noodle one was very fun fact and interesting it would take that many noodles to cover 7.46 miles

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Bloomsday is done

Sunday, May 05, 2013

no official posting of finish times yet but it was a safe and GREAT RACE back with a blog latter and pictures need to get it planned out first and get my official finish time. thank you for the goodies and words of encouragement for the race.

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Bloomsday week end is here !!!!

Friday, May 03, 2013

Just a short note to let my spark buddies I am not gone just have family here for the week and we are enjoying doing a few sparky fun things like walking part of the course getting flowers for the garden and doing a few of those honey do things you always have. going for our race packets this after and a walk though our River Front Park

will share some picture soon. have a Sparky day everyone and remember like i need to remind my self.
If you FAIL, never give up because F.A.I.L. means "First Attempt In Learning."
END is not the END. In fact, E.N.D. means "Effort Never Dies."
If you get NO as an answer, remember N.O. means "Next Opportunity."
BE POSITIVE ALWAYS and bring your perfect smile with you.

Fail to plan = plan to fail

"Never, never, never, never give up" - Winston Churchill

have a sunny day

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