Successful trial run for trail running

Ok, so this is super duper exciting for me ... FINALLY, I have found a way to love running!

As you know, I've struggled with this. I want to love running, I really do. However, I don't. It's boring and each morning my run just feels like 30 minutes of torture that I endure so that I can feel proud of myself for said torturous endurance the rest of the day. Sure, I feel fantastic after my runs - but I feel miserable during them. Until yesterday.

Kevin and I joined a Meet Up group that goes hiking every other week. We drove about 45 minutes out of the city to a small state park and joined 24 others in a lovely four-mile hike. We took Chester (dog) and had a blast.

About half a mile into the hike, Chester decided he needed to relieve himself. Kevin bagged it up and we left the bag planning to come back at the end of the hike so we wouldn't have to carry the stink package with us. So, after our hike and a lovely little picnic lunch, we rested and went back into the woods to retrieve Chester's doggy bag.

Feeling refreshed, we decided to run the trail. And it was AWESOME! Admittedly, it was a hard run. And I was pretty ashamed when I realized I could barely breathe after running a mere quarter of a mile, but the shame was replaced with joy as I realized how much fun I was having. First off, while running this trail, I felt very in-tune with my surroundings. I wasn't worried about anything but where to put my foot next and whether I was going to fall and roll down a hill to my death. The exhilaration I felt while gravity and my athleticism (ha, yeah right) propelled me down the steep hills was indescribable.  My blood was pumping, my lungs were burning, and my face was lit up with delight.

Basically, I loved every second of the hardest run I've ever tried and am not even disheartened by how hard it was (um, hello: wearing pants + full stomach from lunch + already hiked 4 miles that day = exhaustion and lack of energy). I said something to Kevin about the idea of trail running and he said he really enjoyed it, too.

Lucky for us, we live in an area of the country with a lot of trails to run. And we've decided to run them. I visited Active.com today and found a great article about the best trails to run across the country. That, plus my decision to register for an actual train race in the next few months has me very excited for fall and training. (I'm pretty sure this will be a race I run ... or this one ... or both!).

Yes, there is a lot of training ahead of me - and sadly during the week very little of it will get to be on trails - but I'm excited for weekend runs. That's right. I'm excited. About running. How awesome is that?

I Heart Hungry Girl

Me with Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien

Most nights that include a coat check tend to be pretty amazing but tonight also had cocktails, calorie-friendly munchies, and Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien - one of my favorite low-fat foodies - so it was amazing with sugar on top!

The evening started with a Nervous Natalie arriving at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center not knowing what to expect. I entered the revolving doors and was bombarded by women dressed in varying shades of red (in honor of heart health month), a red carpet and flash bulbs. Yes, flash bulbs. They really created quite a scene for this Girls Night In fundraiser!

I scoped out the scene, checked my coat (I rarely go to places with a coat check, so when the option is there, I'm all about it!) and then bypassed the cocktail bar (hello wasted calories!) and went to find my table.

It was at Table 66 that I met some lovely ladies from my area who all shared a love of Hungry Girl, food, and safe ways to eat the foods we love. We talked Weight Watchers and our fave HG recipes. We discussed swaps and talked about how much weight we'd lost. I was pretty much in heaven. The loved the idea of grilled cactus. And you know all the nutrition stats I bore you with? They ate it up like - well - like chocolate cake!

Then, suddenly, there she was! She just dropped by the table to say hi and thank us for being fans. Thank us? Are you kidding me? We couldn't stop thanking her! The entire evening was full of an energy I can't describe. I was on the verge of tears most of, thrilled to be one of the few who was lucky enough to attend. "They" said she received more than a thousand emails from people hoping to win the contest - and I was one of the lucky 10. I still can't believe.

I feel like I have been rewarded for my will power and diligence over the past year. I just feel so lucky and blessed to have been part of it!!!

We were treated to a 3-course meal made from the Hungry Girl books.

First was her Lucky Four-Leaf Salad with Feta and Apples and Cheesy-Good Cornbread Muffins (not as good as mine, but not bad).

Then, it was on to Glaze-of-Sunshine Apricot Chicken, BBQ Mango Tilapia, Too-EZ Mac 'n Cheese (holy awesome, Batman!) and Mostly Roasted Veggie Explosion.

Finally, we were served to mini portions of Holy Moly Cannoli Cones, Blask Forest Fillo-Cups (BFFs), and S'mores Krispymello Treat (HELLO AMAZING).

After dinner we were treated to Hungry Girl herself and got to hear her talk about her motivations and hear some first-hand tips. I took notes for y'all and am going to blog about those in the morning so that they don't get lost in this long post.

One of my favorite parts of the evening was after I told the women at the table about this blog. They all pulled out their cell phones and typed in our URL and checked out 50n50. Yay! Then, in a later conversation with one my fellow award-winners, she said "How much did you lose?" After I told her, she shook her head and said, "You don't look like you were ever overweight. You look like you've always been a petite girl."

What a great night!!!