Where in the world was Suzi??

So if you follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook, you already know my secret “big news” since I quickly posted it between flights last night…

I had made sure when I found out about this amazing news to check and see if it was alright that I announced it to everyone, because I wanted to SCREAM it across the universe.  Of course, they told me that unfortunately I had to wait till two things happened:

1.) It was taped

and

2.) The air date was set

Well folks…both of those things have happened so now I can share all my amazing news!  Here is where I traveled to this past Tuesday:

(I have my own pictures, but they are not uploaded from my camera yet…and I’m currently stuck in an airport with no cable to upload them.)

CHICAGO!!  The windy city as they say…and no shit people, there’s some real wind going on there!

And here is the reason *why* I went to Chicago….(drumroll please…….)

……………………..

……………..

……..

I’m going to be on The Oprah Winfrey show!!!!!! 

Seriously people….OPRAH freaking WINFREY!! 

This episode is her Weight Loss Finale show and I am *so* honored & blessed to be able to say that I was able to be part of it. 

How did I get to be part of it you wonder??  Well I submitted my story a little while back and then the rest is unbelievable luck…

Now before everyone starts asking me for my autograph (I  will take pictures & sign them for like $5) , I didn’t actually sit down and like *interview* with Oprah or anything.   They chose 100 people who’ve lost 100 lbs or more to be part of this show and I was one of the lucky 100 that were chosen! They really did their best to showcase all of us though and I will *definitely* be on film.  They put the 100 of in special separate sections and they did something special to show off our weight loss that I will hold back the details on until the show airs so you guys can see it….but it was *VERY* cool!

And just for the record, this wasn’t a “Weight Watcher” specific show or showcase.  It was 100 people who’ve lost 100 lbs or more the healthy, natural way.  And man oh man, what an *amazing* group of people we had there!!

So when can you see it??…..May 10th is the air date!

(And no, we didn’t get a car or like a million dollars or a crazy ass makeover…you’re going to have to watch the show to see if we got something!)

I will have a full report of my trip, along with pictures and details sometime next week.

As of right now, I am stuck in the Philadelphia airport waiting for my flight out to Boston.  (I’ve literally been traveling in airports since Tuesday….I am beyond *exhausted*!)

The weather is awful here on east coast and my flight in from Syracuse was the bumpiest one yet (I’m probably jinxing this).  How I managed not to barf all over the place is beyond me!  Right now I’m on a standby flight which I most likely will not get on but if I don’t get on this 12:00 flight, I’m all set for the next one at 1:15 (I’m probably jinxing this too), which means I will be pretty late for the start of BLS (my Weight Watcher Leader training which I am attending for 3 days). Awesome.

The only positive lining I can find about my situation at this very moment….

the bar is open ;)

And to all a good night…

So some of my new followers are probably thinking “what the fuck?? doesn’t she ever post??””

Yeah…sometimes, LOL.

The thing is…this week coming up is HUGE for me…huge is an understatement.  I can’t share all of it right now (I know, I’m a tease…whatever…you’ll see soon enough).  But I go to do something extraordinary right to going to BLS for Weight Watchers…that’s pretty much like Weight Watcher Camp for upcoming leaders.

Needless to say….

I have a lot of traveling to do in just 5 days.  I have a lot of life changing experiences to discover in just 5 days….

If you’ve emailed me, messaged me of tweeted me in the past few days, I probably havent responded.  I hate writing half thought out emails or tweets.  If you send me a message, I want to sit down and really think about what I write to you…just know, that I am thankful and so appreciative, and I WILL get back to you!!

I am going to go unplugged for a few days…tomorrow just to spend time with Frankie since I get crazy homesick when I am away, and also because I need to clear my head….

But when I come back….it is on.  On like Donkey Kong!! 

So please sit tight my dears and know that I will be back soon.  I know you guys will be sending me your love and support and I will carry that will me throughout all these trips.

xoxo-Suzi

Run Free on #watchlessmondays!

The sun is out and shining brightly…
The birds are chirping a lovely song…
What a beautiful day for a run…

So you get your ass out of bed, you put on your running gear, “maybe some shorts today” you say to yourself. You lace up your sneakers, put on your RoadID, grab or iPod or Garmin and head out the door.

That first step you think “brrrrr”…not as warm as you thought. But you know that as you get going you’ll warm up. You find your favorite running track, you fire up your Nike+ or Garmin or portable satellite dish, hit START and off you go running….

Doooo deeee doo dee dooooo…ahhhh this feels great. Legs aren’t too stiff….Muscles are warming up nicely….the songs are rocking you along….

Laaaaa la lala laaaaaa lalaaaa la laaaaa (you apparently are listening to one of today’s current pop hits)….

You figure you’ve been running a good 5 minutes or so, at least a ½ a mile, so you decide to look at your fancy new age technical gadget to check your pace/distance….
WHAT THE F*%K?!?!?!? I’VE ONLY RAN .26 MILES AND APPARENTLY AT AN 11’13” PACE!!!!! NO F*!CKING WAY!!!!! THAT’S SOME BULLSH*T!!!!

F*%CK YOU NIKE+!!!!!!!! F******%%%%CK YOU!!!!!!!!

And at this point you may do some of the following:
• Throw the first thing you see, including your iPod or tracking device.
• Punch the first person you see right in the face (not recommended)
• Throw yourself into on coming traffic (also not recommended)

More than likely though, you will STOP running. You will get frustrated and you will get upset. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. I track my runs using the Nike+, and while it’s not awful, its not great. Some day’s it just doesn’t seem to be working. Now you may say “is it YOU that isn’t working??”…well maybe, but when I’m on the treadmill using the same settings, or even FASTER settings and I can physically FEEL myself pushing…wouldn’t it make sense for my pace to be quicker, not slower??

The point is…sometimes the quality of our runs really have nothing to do with pace, time or distance. Take the above example…that could have turned out to be one of your all time favorite runs, if you hadn’t checked that damn gadget.

So that’s why some of us have been inspired to start #watchlessmonday!! RUN FREE OF ALL TRACKING DEVICES ONE DAY A WEEK!!

It doesn’t have to be on Monday, it can be whichever day of the week you want. Just chose one day to go gadget free! For a great overall review of #watchlessmonday go check out Davids blog post all about it. This whole awesome idea was created by the brilliant minds on Twitter: @runningbecause, @ahealthydad, @262milejourney and yours truly @suzistorm.

You can also follow these awesome peeps over at their blogs:
Running Because I Can
A Healthy Dad
A Journey of 26.2 Miles Begins With A Blog

SO WHO'S WITH US??  Scared??  Good...you should be!! It wont be easy.  It will be down right frustrating.  But once you learn to let go, you begin to grow.  This will not only give you added physical strength, but added mental strength as well.  So again....WHO'S WITH US????

Program Alert!!

Want to hear some shenanigans??

Well then come check me out, LIVE, on the ‘Geeks In Running Shoes’ show tonight where I have been asked to be a featured guest!!  We are going live at 9 pm east coast time, 8 pm central, and sometime west coast…don’t ask me to convert it…up until this morning I thought it would be 7 pm my time.  :/ The show last for an hour. An hour of me?????  Can you handle that????

You can check out the show here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geeks-in-running-shoes

I am *VERY* excited about this.  We will talking about all sorts of things, and drinking, and talking, and drinking.  I am so honored to be asked to do this.  If you don’t already listen to this show, tonight is a great time to start cause those boys ROCK!

Now…Suzi, try not to get *too* drunk before 9pm tonight  

5K it your way, On Weight Watcher Walk It Day!

I came up with that blog title all by myself…I know…I am a freaking genius.

Incase you hadn't heard…dooms day is May 22nd, 2011…

I kid, I kid!  IT’S THE WEIGHT WATCHERS 5K WALK IT DAY!!

Instead of using peer pressure to get all you kids into walking a 5K on May 22nd (what? you’re not already signed up? Hmmm…smells like loser all of a sudden :/ weird)…I am going to give you reasons why you might think to NOT participate in a 5K and then reasons why you should!!

5K fables and Foes:

• You think you win 5K in dollar bills at the end
• You think that walking a 5K is equivalent to walking the plank
• You can be lazy for about 5K miles on my couch
• You’d rather watch a 5K on TV
• You can drink 5K (5 Kegs) faster than you can walk a 5K
• You have 5 friends who are doing a 5K so I think I’m covered
• 5K? NO WAY JOSE!
• 5K’s are for those skinny, athletic people
• As a baseball fan, you want no part in 5 strikeouts
• I can’t even think my way to a 5K

5K Facts:

• You can brag to all your coworkers “I did a 5K and you didn’t! Im awesome! You stink!”
• There’s some pretty Tiffany inspired jewelry you get if you are a Weight Watcher member
• You feel AWESOME when you cross that finish line!! Seriously…there's nothing better
• You get to meet new people possibly! (they’re not that scary…I promise)
• You get to not only GET support but GIVE support!
• You earn AP’s baby! You burn those calories! You get to drink more beer later on!
• You are allowed to celebrate with a beer after walking/running a 5K….it’s a rule.
• All the cool kids are doing it…you don’t want to be “that” person do you??
• You can’t think of 5000 reasons NOT to!
• If your boyfriend/girlfriend didn’t do a 5K that day, you have a free pass from any house chores that day
• I think you can put “5K” on your resume….somewhere...somehow
• If you have a stupid friend with  a lot of money you can bet them that you cant walk a 5K for 5K…hey, you never know

OK…enough kidding around…lets be honest…Weight Watchers 5K Walk It Day is not just about saying “I did a 5K”…it’s about getting out there and MOVING!!  Don’t think you can walk a mile?? THAT’S OK!!  Walk what you can… 1/4 mile, 1/2 a mile…IT DOESN’T MATTER!!  You, showing up with your fellow members/friends is what matters.  Their energy and support is what will bring you THAT much closer to being able to say “Hey! I just walked a 5K!”

Even if you show up just to cheer the other walkers on, or pass out water or refreshments…your presence makes a difference and you will feel that…it will inspire you…it will ENCOURAGE you!! 

Don’t let the 5K be a burden to you.  Don’t the 5K scare you.  Let it encourage you…let it inspire you.  Not 5K material yet?? That’s OK…just work towards getting there…MOVE, MOVE, MOVE MORE! 

There is a woman in my meeting…her name is Sue…she is an amazing person.  She comes each week with her daughter Chrissy who I love as well. They are what I call my “meeting rocks”…they’ve been there since day 1 and I when I see them, I want to cry cause they are a constant reminder of where I came from and who I am.

Walking a 5K is hard for Sue.  Walking any long distance is hard for her.  But last year…she came! (We had rain and thunder and lighting so the plans got foiled, but whatever…point being…she showed up!)  Knowing that she was even WILLING to come out and support us, made us want to walk harder and faster!  I think in some ways, we inspired her too…that’s why she came!! There are *SO* many benefits to showing up!!

YOU DON’T REALIZE THE POWER THAT YOU HAVE!!

Chrissy on the other hand….she’s had a 5K goal for 2 years now.  I want to make it my personal goal and mission to make this happen, if she is on board with that.  I can feel her passion, I can feel her desire…she is GOING TO do a 5K on May 22nd…even if I have to drag her across the finish line!  As long as she is willing for the challenge…..??????

SO….what are YOU doing on May 22nd??

You are Special…

“Why did you decide to lose weight?””….ummmm….because I weighed  252 lbs?!?!?  It’s not rocket science…

I’m one of many…I’m one of THOUSANDS out there, especially online, who have lose weight.  A lot of weight. 

As special as I may feel, I’m not that special….online.

Everyone loses weight.  Everyone works out.  Everyone sets goals.  Everyone meets their goals.  Every wants to run.  Everyone will run.

I’m not special online.

Everyone struggled…everyone has their own “roadblock”….everyone has their own “fight”…and everyone will win their own “battle”…so I’m not that special online.

You sent me a tweet….it made me feel special.

You sent me a direct message…it made me feel special.

You wanted to send me something…it made me feel special.

THEN….

you see someone else get all the same things!!  You hear/see the same talk…”oh we love you… you’re great…what an influence….”

All of a sudden… you’re not special…online….anymore…

BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!

Have you lost 100 lbs????  Have you lost 50 lbs????  Have you lost 20 lbs????  Have you lost 5 lbs????

If so, then you are my hero!!

This is not high school…what is the average age of most healthy living bloggers anyways??  C’mon!!

You don’t need to participate in any #fitblog #sheblog #blogher #blogit #beerit (what?) #iblog #youblog #webblog #mymomblogs #yourmomblogs #yourmomsmomblogs #youstink

YOU ARE SPECIAL!! YOU ARE WORTHY!!

I am not trying to downplay any of these *awesome* associations…I’m just saying….

YOU ARE SPECIAL….YOU ARE UNIQUE…YOU ARE ONE OF A KIND…

DON’T LET ANYONE…EVER….TAKE THAT AWAY FROM YOU!!

2011 American Heart Association Run

Last year, I ran the in the American Hear Association Run…I ran in mostly in the honor of my father who died of a heart attack at the age of 34.  You can read all about the race here.

I have decided to go ahead and run again this year, but this time I am running it completely in the honor of my neighbor, Beth Borrowman, who passed away too soon of a heart attack on March 17th, 2011.  Beth was such a great lady.  She’s the mother to my friend Tara (who is also my neighbor…they lived together) and my other neighbor Iggy (are you confused yet??) along with another daughter, son and many beloved grandchildren.  She will be severely missed by her family and friends. 

Beth had such a jovial personality and she was always fun to talk to.  She was the only one in the neighborhood who actually gave a shit about my tomato plants.  Working on my garden this year wont be the same.  I miss seeing her in the mornings and having her wish Frank & I a good day…I miss coming home from a run and having her ask how far I went today.  She may have only lived next door for a couple of years, but it was a joy seeing her everyday.

I will be running the 5 miles again, and while this isn't a chip timed race or anything, I still want to try and do my best.  I will use this race as a good training run.  It’s been awhile since I’ve raced (Halloween I believe) and I need to get that rush back before my 1/2 marathon in May.

Last year I raised $100….this year I would *LOVE* to raise $200.  I know that’s a lot of money, especially to raise in just a week, but I will try.  If I could even reach $100 I would be happy. 

I know that times are tough, and money is tight for everyone, but if there is any way what so ever that you could contribute, it would be *SO* appreciated.  Unfortunately, they have a poor setup and I think the minimum online donation amount is $25…but as much as I hate asking for stuff like this, it’s a cause I feel is worthy of begging for.

If you can and would like to donate, please go here to help donate towards this amazing organization and that helps to save hundreds of lives. 

Let me also take a quick moment to remind everyone how important heart health is!!  We don’t just eat right and exercise to look and feel good…we do it for our HEALTH!  Not smoking, getting some cardio in, practicing healthy eating habits…those are just some of the ways we can help to reduce our risk of heart disease. 

Thank you so much in advance. 

Not every day…

Not every day starts out great.  Not every day starts out spectacular.  Not every day turns out like you expected.  Not every day will be great.

Everything happens for a reason.

Some day's you will believe this, other days you will not.  But try your damn hardest to remember…not every day will be great.

You may wake up recharged and full of VROOM, VROOM!  You may wake up and say “This is the day I take back control!!”…

But then…something happens.  Something small like someone refilling the candy basket at work, or something big like learning the ill news of a dear friend….

Not every day will be great.

You may be on a streak, a long one or a short one but a streak none the less.  A streak of greatness and empowerment.  A streak that makes you feel like you are the king of the castle and NOTHING…I mean NOTHING can stop you…
But then someone just makes one comment or one remark…and your streak comes to a sudden halt.

Not every day will be great.

You will get on that scale and it will be your best friend. But you get on it the next day, and well...

Not every day will be great.

You will track all the way up until dinner. Not every day will be great.

You will get to the gym a few times but skip your favorite class.  Not every day will be great.

You say you will just have a few chips, but then the bag is gone.  Not every day will be great.

You will say to yourself….I’VE LOST 101 (insert your own weight loss here) LBS GODDAMNIT !! But still…

Not every day will be great.

You will fuck up.  You will fall.  You will slip.  You will stumble.  That is how it goes.  That is what makes us stronger and that is what makes us FIGHTERS!  The minute you think you will be perfect is the minute you take the road towards failure. 

Many days you will wake up saying “this day will great!” and hopefully, if you are lucky and work hard, 85% of them will be…but just remember something very, *VERY* important…

Not ever day will be great. 

But that is OK.

I’m still a runner…

Even if I…

• Don’t know what the BQ (Boston Qualifying) time is for my age bracket.
• Don’t care what the BQ time is for my age bracket.
• Thought that BQ was short for a Boston Dairy Queen for the longest time.
• Take a week off cause I just don’t feel like running damnit!
• Don’t have a HR monitor.
• Thought HR only stood for Human Resources and wondered what they could do for my running??
• Sometimes think that poking myself with a scalding fork sounds like more fun than going for a run.
• Refuse to run in anything below 30 degrees.
• Don’t log 100 miles a week,
• Don’t plan my vacations around races.
• Don’t know what a Fartlek is but it sure makes me giggle!
• Don’t understand what 3 X 400’s and 4 X 600’s mean…I’m not a mathematician for Christ sake!
• Hate “training plans” and refuse to follow them.
• Think the RunKeeper app sucks ass.
• Don’t sit down at the beginning of the year and make my race schedule.
• I skip a couple long runs.
• I don’t get “the runs” on my runs.
• Stop to walk every now and then because it just feels good!
• Have never taken an ice bath, or plan to…EVER!
• Don’t run as many races as I want simply for the fact that I can’t afford them.
• Am pretty sure that drinking beer & eating Cool Ranch Doritos WHILE I’m running would improve my speed!
• Saw this commercial and almost went and bought some…

Can it really make me go that fast??

• See runners out running in –10 temperatures and snowing and think “suckers!”.
• Don’t have the word “Run” “Running” or “Runner” in my Twitter name.
• Don’t get asked by companies to review & giveaway their running-related products (though I’m not against it!).
• Don’t weigh 120 lbs & wear what looks like a bikini while I run.
• Use Nike+ to track my distance & pace….no matter how angry it makes me!
• Never get a chance to run the NYC Marathon, Boston Marathon or other Big City Marathon.
• Wont lose sleep if I never get a chance to run the NYC Marathon, Boston Marathon or other Big City Marathon.
• Think that the NYC Marathon is way cooler than the Boston Marathon.
• Occasionally run in cotton instead of moisture wicking.
• Don’t have the latest & greatest running gear & gadgets.
• Become best friends with the treadmill some months.
• Don’t place in the top anything at one of my races.
• Don’t run further than my friend on Twitter or DailyMile did this week.

OK…you get my point.  Of course, not every one of those bullets up there pertain to me but they bring me to this very valid point…

If you run…you are a runner.  It doesn’t matter what you look like, what you wear, what you carry with you, or where you’re running.  If you get up and get running YOU ARE A RUNNER!  Don’t over think it!

It’s my personal belief that unless you are a professional athlete and actually run for a living (think Ryan Hall, Kara Goucher), that you have absolutely NO right to judge other runners in the least bit!

Don’t worry about how others run.  Don’t worry about what other runners have.  Just get out there AND RUN FOR YOURSELF!!

There was a quote recently on Twitter that really sparked this blog post.  So often I see people say “I ONLY ran 2 miles” or “It took me 12 minutes to run almost a mile…ugh!”…Sure, I get that way too, but we have to remember that when we go out to run, there is so much more going on there than just the physical aspect of running.  Running means so much more than the movement of putting one foot in front of another.  Here’s the quote I’m talking about…

Then, there was this quote today by the genius Bart Yasso and I sums it all up….

Duh…WINNING!

My wit and charm seemed to have left me this past week as I just couldn’t manage to get a blog post written out.  This one might be utter crap too so I apologize in advance.

I’m a lot like Charlie Sheen in some ways…

We both have goddesses who live in our house.  Mine are named Phantom & Amelia…

As you can tell by these pictures they are some wild & crazy gals, just like those broads shaking up at the house of crazies.

I also enjoy me some Tigers Blood, although around these parts we just call it “wine”.

Unlike Charlie Sheen though…I am winning lately…

I did it!!  I went 8 1/2 days with NO BEER!!  It felt amazing…but I’m not going to lie…that first beer tasted pretty damn amazing too…

To amuse myself I rocked this shirt almost every night I went without a beer…

I will have a separate blog post about those 8 1/2 days and my journey back into being a healthy beer drinker.  Back to winning…

I won a SPIbelt from Rebecca’s blog giveaway!!  Her blog is awesome and you should definitely go HERE to check it out!!

I ran with it on the treadmill and out on the road…it’s not bad.  There’s very little bounce & its definitely comforting having my phone with me on my runs and not having to worry about squeezing my GU’s open and having a sticky mess all over the place.  However, I did find that once you open the pouch and move stuff around, say to grab your phone or a gel, that it kind of difficult to get everything to stay back in place.  I don’t know if its my phone or what (I have a droid) but the pouch kept flipping back and forth.  In general though, it’s a great product and I am VERY happy I have one.  Especially with all the long training runs I will be out on the next few months.

Check me out before my treadmill run w/ my ghetto $12.99 drugstore compression socks (please read below for update on my compression sock future) & my funky SPIbelt….

Then my boy Doug over at I'm Really Not a Runner had this kick ass virtual race called “36K for Miracles” challenge.  You paid to enter in a “virtual” race and you could choose from a 5K, 10K, ½ marathon or the 36K.  All the money raised went to the Children’s Hospital in Boston.

I signed up for the 5K because I hadn’t been out on the roads running much (thank you Central New York weather!) but to make this a true race, I couldn’t bring myself to run it on the treadmill. 

The weather that day was sunny but the air was cold and brisk.  But I bundled up and made my way to Onondaga Lake Parkway.  I ran a mile to stretch out before hand and recalibrate my Nike+.  Then I took off….took off on what I felt like was an awful run.  I couldn’t catch my breath and my lungs were screaming.  I finished and looked at my time: 28:37….not awful I guess. I still didn’t feel great about it.

But here’s the thing….I WON 1ST PLACE IN THE WOMENS 5K GROUP!! Wow…I was NOT expecting that.  For placing 1st I get a RoadID certificate and some Stuffitts Shoe Savers! SCORE! 

And it gets better….Doug had some AWESOME prizes to give away as a raffle to everyone who entered in the race and guess what I WON A RAFFLE PRIZE!! 

Not just any prize people…I won a pair of Compression Calf Sleeves from Zensah!!  Holy mother of god am I excited about this!!  Can I tell you how badly I have wanted some compression socks??  And can I tell you how poor I am that I can’t ever afford to splurge and by them for myself??  I can’t wait to get those babies on my legs!!  (I would send you pictures of all my goodies but I haven't received any of them yet…Dougs a busy guy, running marathons and stuff)

I would like to urge everyone to head over to Doug’s blog, give him a follow, and if you are willing and able to, make a donation to this wonderful cause by clicking on this link please.   He is taking donations all the way up to the Boston Marathon which he is also running and is going to ROCK!!

In other news…I ran 10 miles on Sunday.  It felt great (don’t ask me about how I feel today though).  It was a gorgeous day out, although a bit windy.  I drove with Frankie out to the driving range (on the other side of town) and decided to run back towards home.  The plan was that when he was done hitting some balls (that’s what she said) that I would hop in the car and ride back home with him.  I got to about 6 ½ miles by the time he caught up with me.  I rode with him for about ½ a mile, and then asked him to pull over.  I knew I had another 3 ½ miles or so till the house so I got out and ran from there.  The last 2 miles were kind of brutal but I pushed through and finished a strong 10 miles in 1 hour and 40 minutes.  I wanted to stay around the 10:00 mile pace and I did at 9:59. Holla! 

Oh yeah…I succumbed to peer pressure and signed up for Facebook.  I’m not happy about this, but I will promote it anyways…So if you like me here, and you like me on Twitter, then feel free to like me on Facebook (or friend me or whatever you cool kids call it)….Suzi Storm is how you find me.  

If you think that I haven’t won enough these past 2 weeks (really…this is strange for me cause ask people who know me in real life…I’m one of the unluckiest people they’ve ever met, honest.) then I urge you to go over to LivLuna and sign up for their site!!  I joined a few weeks ago and I think it’s GREAT!!  It’s such a breath of fresh air.  They are really growing and expanding and I’m looking forward to what's coming up in the future for them! So if you’re a fun, fearless, kickass female please go create an account and play around on the site!  If you sign up and reference me, I could win some credit towards some new clothes (you know I need me some new clothes!) and here’s the thing…so could YOU if you get your friends to enter too.  We could both be WINNING!!

So, how are you WINNING this week??  Brag on about something you succeeded at this past week…