TWO DAYS, TWO STATES, TWO HALVES & A PIG

Second Monday of the week.

Well, this past week has been sooooo chock full of stuff! In the last 9 days I have run 3 half marathons in 3 states, owned an adorable little pig for 5 of those days, had holiday pay issues at work, and another nagging family issue just in time for the holidays and otherwise have been soooo exhausted.

Weight? I have no idea right now. I will weigh when I'm less tired. But I do know I need to get back on track like I did a few weeks ago.

Isn't he cuuuuuute?

Pig? Yes, a pig. Briefly, I have wanted a pig my whole life. I had an odd opportunity to adopt one but he was quite a bit older than I wanted to start with. This would not ordinarily be an issue except he was used to a lot more animal and people company than I have at my house. He grew up with a history of expectations and I couldn't provide those. I didn't want him to get lonely and bored (they are so smart) and develop bad habits due to that so I had to give him back to his foster mommy. It was a heartbreaking decision but the best one for him.

Cooper the cute

When I am ready I will start with 2 little pigs or a little pig and kitten that can grow together with only that life to get to know and expect. Pigs and kitties get along very well.

Cooper fostering a babe :-)

Anyway, I miss him so  much but I know in my heart it was the right thing to do. Apparently he is fostering a sickly runt pig and they are both doing very well :-).

Ok, races. This week I banged out another 2 states, Alabama and Mississippi. Two days, two states, two half marathons. It was so cold. It actually snowed the night before our half in Alabama.       Fortunately it didn't stick.  This race was cute and small. It ran     along the gulf coast for the most part.                                                    

I missed beating my PR by 30, or so, seconds. My legs were so cold I felt if I tried to push them I would have snapped a muscle. I'm super happy with almost matching it though! 

Moving on to Mississippi. This was a much bigger race. Biloxi was really pretty. It wasn't quite as cold but it was plenty cold. We had fun dressing festively.

I believe this made it state number 12. So many to go! I will have to do a lot more back to back half marathons to get to 50 before I croke.

Well, there may be one more half before the year ends this coming weekend but I won't know till the day before. I do have a Santa Dash with my kiddos on the 22nd. That will be a blast!

TTFN

5 AND DONE!!!!!

Second Monday of the week,

Well, it's done! The last of the 5 year series of races for the Space Coast Marathon & Half Marathon. I completed the Intergalactic Challenge. One of those medals is the 5 year completion medal and the other is the actual race medal. I do love that each year highlighted a different shuttle. The rest is the shirt and my bib.

It was a fun series of races but it got hard to go away on Thanksgiving weekend for 5 years in a row. I have to say I am so glad I can just vegetate Thanksgiving weekend next year!

But the weather was about 5 degrees cooler for this race than all the previous years. That really helped. What weight I have managed to keep off has helped, too. I did weigh myself just before Thanksgiving and I managed to lose about 3 lbs of the stupid 9 I gained BUT I have been afraid to weigh since then because I am convinced I erased that accomplishment over Thanksgiving, lol. I will weigh tomorrow and take my hit.

It occurred to me come March 1 it will be a year since I started Weight Watchers and I still haven't reached the 25lb mark and, in fact, gained back 9 of the 24.5lbs I lost! Grrr! So, between the actual holiday days, themselves, I need to get my butt back on track. It is my goal to get that damned 25lbs mark by the end of this year!

Anyway, despite the weight issue I managed to PR this half marathon. I ran a 2:06:50! Heck yeah!!! I'm afraid I will never be able to do that again but we will see. I need to shave off another 35 seconds/mile to get to a 2:00:00 half marathon. That's a lot to ask! Then I need to try to break a 5 hour full...

I have the annual Reindeer Half this coming Sunday and two back to back in Alabama and Mississippi the weekend of the 9&10th. I will run the first one but sight see on the second one, lol.

No fancy costumes on this one. We wore themed outfits which we made year one and wore them for all five years. Yes, I haven't bought the official photos yet, lol, but I will. So, for now you have to put up with the photographer's logo all over the pic.

Well, cheers, Y'all!

TTFN

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS APPARENTLY GOES ON A BLOG

Second Monday of the week.

Ok...whew, what a busy weekend! I'm exhausted. The weekend in Vegas was awesome. The races were great and all went so well.

My friends and I absolutely played up the Vegas experience. It was my first time there and there was so much to see. The strip is a lot bigger than you'd think!

Ok, so one of my friends I was with and I ran both the 5k and the half marathon. My other friend ran only the half marathon and opted out of the 5k but for a great reason as she had just run the New York Marathon the weekend before!

The 5k went really well. I wasn't going to try to run it for time because I didn't want to feel spent for the half the next night. But the air was soooooo dry and the temps so cool that I ran faster than I thought. I ended with a finish time of 28:30 and I felt like I put no more effort into it than a training run. Weird how weather can make such a difference.

Our outfits for the 5k were just fun and simple. Nothing crazy...that was the half, lol.

We got to see the headliner band the Goo Goo Dolls after the 5k. They were really good.


  We went to various sights  including Mandalay Bay.

The field across the strip where the shooting took place is still cordoned off. So sad...

The first sight we ran past for the half marathon was the current memorial at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign on the strip. It was very sobering. Apparently they will build a museum and move the whole sign and tributes left at it.


The half marathon went really well. The police and security were absolutely off the charts awesome! It was sad to see that it is now necessary to have police on scissor lifts with weapons and gear on. But I was so glad to see them there protecting us so we could play. I thanked every officer I could along the run. They were at all the intersections and the streets were blocked off a block back by buses and garbage trucks.

View of start line from my corral

View of corrals behind me

We ran down the strip and through down town. So many lights!

There were so many people, too! About 50k strong.





Ok, so now for our Vegas running outfits. We went in Vegas camouflage, lol. We really did blend in! All 3 of us ran in this outfit but we were different colors.
   

After the half with my medals

We looked so silly but it was so much fun! We sported a light-up bra which blinked, a light-up tutu, fish nets, a feather boa and the running stilettos I showed in the previous post. We got a lot of compliments too, lol. When you go to Vegas you have to come back with Vegas memories! And that, we did!

I have to say, running in dance tights was actually pretty comfortable....;-). There was no PR for this race but it felt really good to run. My friend and I decided to stick together since we felt a little silly in our outfits, lol. That was more fun, anyway and made for great pics!

Left-5k, middle-Remix, right half marathon

For the 5k and half marathon we got 3 medals. One for each race and a third for doing both races completing the Remix Challenge. The half medal glows in the dark, too!

But we have to wait for the Heavy Medal in the mail. We get that for completing 2 Rock-n-Roll marathons or half marathons in the same calendar year. Can't wait to see that.


TTFN

JEANNIES & VEGAS

OMG! It's the third Monday of the week already,

Why OMG? Because tomorrow is the day before I fly out to Las Vegas to run the Rock & Roll half marathon! Time is flying by so fast. I haven't packed and I haven't even posted about my I Dream of Jeanie half...

It went well. I didn't run it for time or a PR as I was running with a friend who was Major Nelson and we just wanted to have fun. It was a season opener for us and we did have oodels of fun!

Our Costumes looked great! We finished in a comfortable time of 2:25. I was pleasantly surprised that that pace was slow enough to be very comfortable and I was not at all tired at the end.

If I feel it I will try for a PR in Vegas.  But, we'll see. Those efforts may be hampered by....

...Ok, I had a coming to Jesus moment on the scale the other day. You know how, for some reason, it has been a struggle to get back with the Weight Watchers program . Weeellll, when I saw I was up *9* lbs I about had a heart attack. I have worked way too hard for the 24 lbs I had lost and, come hell or high water, I ain't giving it up!

So, for the last two days I've been really good on the program. Haven't even had the desire to eat wrong. The scale hasn't shown it, yet, but I'm hoping I am just holding back flood waters that need to be loosed! LOL.

I feel the lbs I have put on every time I go run, too. Yuck! It's harder to run. I hate that feeling. So the Vegas run may not go as well as I had hoped in terms of a PR but we'll see.

...Just wait till you see what we have in mind for our Vegas costumes, LMAO! You're going to think we've lost our dang minds but the outfits are hilarious!

Here's a hint...

Ha ha....wait till you see the rest :-D!

Ok I'll write more after Vegas. #VegasStrong

LONG TIME NO WRITE

First Monday of the week.

Wow, it's been a long time since I have posted anything. It's been...stressful...on a variety of fronts. One big stress is that I seem to have fallen off the weight loss wagon for about 2.5 months, now. Not sure why, completely.

I gained 5 lbs some time ago and as of my last weigh in I have maintained that. I really need to get back on that wagon... This is part of why I am stressed. I can feel the 5lbs when I run. I am about 15 seconds/mile slower on average and it feels a bit harder. Ugh.

I have a half coming up in 2 weeks. It is an "I dream of Jeannie" themed race. I will be wearing a quasi Jeannie outfit. I would really like to have this 5lbs off by then. Not that this would help me look svelte in that outfit, or anything, but at least I wouldn't be feeling as bloated as I do right now. The way you feel, as opposed to the way you look,  goes a long way to happiness. Don't get me wrong, I desperately want to look like Jeannie, lol! If I can get back on the wagon I will eventually get to a much closer place to that...note, I said "closer" not that I could look like her for real...sigh.

Anyway, I will post a fun pic or two after the race. My running buddy is dressing like Major Nelson:-) . His uniform is made of Drifit and it looks amazing! I need to look the part! I need to hurry up and finish my costume.

I am wearing a pink tutu instead of Jeannie pants. I will modify the top of the tutu to look like the Jeannie pants on the show. The top will be a pink dance tank with a bolero-like dark pink jacket like Jeannie wears. I will make that out of another tech shirt.

About that, I already tried to make the bolero but accidentally cut the shirt up the middle on both sides due to the way I had it folded....I was so mad. It was the perfect shirt and I got it on clearance for $5 and it was the only one. I had to buy a replacement shirt for $10. It is painfully apparent I haven't got the faintest clue how to sew. Thank goodness for Stitch Witchery and fabric glue! LOL.

I will try try, again...

Under all that I will wear my anatomically correct girl shirt. It's so funny that it looks so much like I am not wearing a shirt till you get close. It's the same one I posted a pic of on an earlier post regarding our mermaid running costumes.

 ...sorry, it just occurred to me I never posted the mermaid costumes. Here are a couple pics...

When/if I ever reach my goal weight I will ditch the shirt and show my real 6 pack!








Got the RnR half coming up, too...in Vegas. I have such mixed feelings about that. I want to be, and am, super excited, but I am also so incredibly sad about what happened there and a little afraid, too. They thought about canceling the race but after talking with authorities about security decided to let it go on. Another source of stress...

I'm going to put my happy face on and try to have fun. The costumes my friends and I are wearing for that are hilarious. I'll discuss that on another post, later.

Well, I will let you know if I can catch the wagon this week.

TTFN

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER....

It's actually Monday.

I totally forgot I saved this post in my drafts because I ran out of time to finish it last Wednesday. So, better late than never....here it is.

Wednesday 9-13-17
Went for a run this afternoon, part of which, was around a lake on the university campus where I work. I ran 5 miles. It felt pretty good.


Along the way I was looking at the water levels so abnormally high in the lake just expecting to see alligators sunning themselves feet off of the sidewalk...and I did.

I occasionally see these guys sunning themselves and while I know they would really rather be left alone I am still paranoid they will leap out and try to eat me, lol. Don't let their statuesque like demeanor fool you. These guys can move like a burst of lightening! Just be aware of that should you come across one. Don't get too close. You never know...






 


I also ran past the Physics building where I saw a huge, grand, old oak tree down due to Irma. This was sad to see. I loved that tree. It had to be hundreds of years old. It was sooo big.

Well, there is always an up to a down. I always try to keep the opposite in mind when running, lol. But the up, in this case, is that maybe they can plant several more trees in it's place. There are so many beautiful kinds of trees. I'm afraid they will be afraid to plant a tree here though... I will wait and watch as I run around campus over the next year seeing what they decide.

Well, TTFN

BYE BYE IRMA!!!

Third Friday of the week.

 Well, Irma came and went!

Irma: 9-11-17

It's been 13 years since Florida has gotten bamboozled by hurricanes. We were struck with 4 hurricanes in a row, one every 2 weeks, in 2004: Charley, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne. Ivan just wouldn't leave! that one kept coming back over and over! My son was born the night Hurricane Francis struck. That was loads of fun trying to get to the midwifery center while in active labor during a hurricane after the mandated curfew to be off the roads, dodging downed trees and sideways rain. Anyway, all is safe and sound here, today, thank goodness.

As fortune would have it my city got off pretty easily with a few proverbial scrapes and bruises.

Tree on power line near my house

My neighbor's yard

There are still some folks with no power and some flooding and my heart goes out to them.

But when I see the utter devastation in the Keys, Miami, Naples... and Jacksonville and St. Augustine just an hour and a half north of me I thank my lucky starts that I am in the position I'm in. Now I can help others.

It was scary to hear the screeching wind and gusts as they came and went. I found myself holding my breath each time the wind kicked up really hard hoping none of my roof would fly off or that a tree or tree branch wouldn't wind up as part of my roof. All this as Irma passed through my area as a weakening category 1 hurricane. I simply cannot imagine what a cat 5 would be like...

I made the best of a bad situation. With no power I was still able, and desperate enough, to make coffee. It took an hour for the water to heat up enough by candle power to make coffee! But the coffee was quite smooth, lol! I will be investing in some camping equipment....

But now comes the part of the storm that, unless you live in an area that gets this kind of weather, most people would not understand. This is the part where so many more deaths will occur. The surge.  It takes days to maybe even weeks for water levels in rivers and lakes and wetlands to get back to normal. But to get back to normal the water that was pushed and sucked inland by the hurricane starts to rush back to where it normally is but is accompanied by excess water from the rain and, if you're on the coast, ocean.

A highway I travel everyday

It's been 2 days since Irma and now we are starting to see some real flooding in a lot of areas. Rivers are still rising up to 35 feet above normal. Roads are starting to flood due to water overload in the marshes and swamps our area is inundated with. This is when things like alligators and snakes start to become a real problem... This is a pic of a highway I travel everyday. The right side under the water is where the 2 west bound lanes are. The water has flooded one of the east bound lanes leaving only one lane for traffic to use in each direction. This highway was totally clear of water the afternoon after Irma hit. ...surge!

I so badly wanted to get out and run the morning after Irma passed. It was so cool and the wind, while still appreciably strong, was really nice to feel. But, not having slept a wink all night long I was simply too tired. However, after being a nervous Nelly for a couple of days prior to Irma my silly cat was able to finally relax and get some shut eye, lol.

Now it is hot, again. I spent all day yesterday cleaning debris from my yard and now my knee is bothering me. To add to that, I think I might be getting sick. I have felt a little weird the last few days like my sinuses were off, I feel oddly bloated and my body aches, especially my back, shoulders and ankles.

To be fare, part of me wonders if it is because I have been eating a lot more wheat than I'm used to over the last couple weeks. I know when I do that my joints start to feel uncomfortable and I do feel bloated. When I lay off the wheat I start to feel better. So, from this point forward, no more wheat. This will be interesting to see if it is virus or wheat.

I know I have gained weight! I can feel it. I refuse to get on the scale right now. I need to get back on my badly neglected WW plan, again. I didn't even try to track during Hood to Coast, and in all honesty, you really can't. It is very hard to do that. But, admittedly, I also stopped tracking about a week before and ever since I've been back from Oregon.... :-D . Of course, I really didn't care to track before and during Irma!

I did go to my WW meeting last Sat. and I was up a little over 2 lbs. I'm actually relieved that was all. I know it is more now and I don't want to depress myself so I will just have a few good days on WW and then I will weigh.

As for my running times at Hood to Coast I was really pleased with what I saw. There is a system that one of the team members uses to predict more accurate finish times for each leg a runner has. But for it to be accurate you need to use your best and ideal conditions 10k time. Well, since I had lost almost 25lbs since my last race, which was a half marathon, I had no clue what my 10k, or any distance, time was anymore. So, all I had to go on was my summer training run times. Since I have been running a 10minute/mile average in the Florida summer weather that is what I had to use. He predicted my first leg to be at an 8:45 pace and my other two legs to be around 10:20. I was happy with that except I thought that first leg time was nutty since I can't run 5.23 miles that fast-even if it is downhill.

Turns out I apparently ran my first leg at a 7:50ish pace and the other two legs (6.23 miles and 5.3miles, respectively) around a 10 min/mile pace.  I was floored. I can't wait to see what it will be like to run 35lbs lighter than now!

Well, I'll leave you with a really neat pre-Irma sky photo I took. At least hurricanes can also bring some odd weather that can show some really unique and beautiful things that don't occur otherwise.

Pink sky with a rainbow...pre-Irma.

WOOPWOOP!!!

It's actually Friday.

Well, Hood to Coast Relay 2017 is in the Books. One week ago today we ran off the top of a volcano 199 miles to the coast of Orgon. May I just say, "WOW!" What an amazing experience. I met 6 new friends, the other half of our team from Oregon. What a great bunch of people.

Me and my team! Southeast by Northwest

I can't begin to describe what a life experiencing event this was. It took us 32+ hours to run from Mt Hood to Seaside, Oregon and in doing so learned so much about myself and my team mates. I learned what my strengths are and weaknesses and areas I could improve on.

 I saw so many funny things like the other teams' vans and how clever they were in decorating. Learned about funny and cute traditions that go on through the race.

The other runners were so nice. Even the elite runners were thoughtful enough to get in a quick "Good job"" or "You're doing great" as they flew by on fleet feet.

Mt. Hood from my plane window

I got to see breathtaking parts of Oregon that would have gone completely unnoticed if I had been in a car just whizzing by. I got to experience adventure, exhaustion, exhilaration, frustration and accomplishment! It was, in a word, AMAZING!

My first leg. Mt Hood.

I had so much fun. The weather was absolutely perfect for running in. It started at 48F for my first leg from the 4000 foot level on Mt. Hood. My friend kept me warm till the first runner reached me with the bracelet.


But once I got running the temperatures felt amazing. I think I didn't even sweat, lol.

Leg 2, through Portland

I think it was in the upper 70s to 80F (but dry) for my second leg through Portland. This was the hardest of the three for me. I think it is because I had only gotten about 5 hours sleep in the previous 42 hours due to travel and other frustrating circumstances before the race....part of the test! But I truly had fun, nonetheless!







It was in the 50s for my third night leg.

The night was so peaceful. I ran through rolling hills and past farms. Through the valleys of the road the fog was so dense I could barely make out the white paint on the edge of the road to guide me. There were parts of the road where the edge just dropped off into nothingness. It was a little unnerving with the dense fog.

Every breath out turned into a dense cloud of foggy condensation blocking my view as my head lamp lit it up. It was so quiet that only the rhythm of my foot steps and whisper of my breathing were heard to keep me company.

After my third leg! About 5am.

Oh, and what about my stick figure you ask? That was pretty cool. I didn't have enough reflective tape to do my thighs but it looked pretty good otherwise :-) .

The reflection was so bright it reflected internally in my camera lens, lol. Next time I will have the skirt and head element, too!













Would I do it again-oh heck yeah! We are all planning for next year, already, lol.

Woop Woop!!!!

TTFN!

9 DAYS!

Third Monday of the week.

Ok so, my running is getting back on track! Yay! My pace has been pretty good but my endurance seems to have taken a little hit. But today I went out for another 5 miler and while it felt like I was running in a sauna my strength and endurance feel like they are cooperating again. Talk about the 11th hour, jeez!

Went to physical therapy last week. My PT has given me very targeted strengthening  and stretching exercises to do. I really feel that between the rest and PT my hip is doing really well. My PT says he has seen this particular hip aggravation in many runners. Turns out my right hip is sooooo much weaker than my left. Its super weird. I thought I had strengthened it up but apparently NOT. So, this is my next goal...to make both hips do the same amount of work.

9 DAYS! 9DAYS TO HOOD TO COAST!

I am so excited. I'm so nervous, too. This is definitely a bucket list race for me. I am runner 2 of the 12. I get to start near the top of Mt Hood.

                                                                        I designed our team logo.

 Half our team comes from the southeast and half from the northwest so we cleverly call ourselves Southeast by Northwest. A play off the movie North by Northwest.

I get a night leg too, well actually the wee hours of the morning. Why am I happy about that? Because I am goofy. I ordered sew on reflective tape. I'm going to safety pin segments of the tape to my legs and arms in addition to the reflective vest we have to wear. I'm going to be a reflective running stick figure! LOL. Gotta figure out how to do the head....

 I know, I'm weird. But this is going to be so fun ;-)

TTFN

CURSES!

It actually Friday.

Well, it's been a long time since my last post. I've been busy getting ready for Hood to Coast! ....and frustrated because my training was utterly stopped about 4-5 weeks ago due to an aggravated hip. I kept trying to rest it a few days then go for a run and get stopped at about 2.5-3 miles because my hip would start hurting. Ugh!

Went to the Doc and he said it looked like a soft tissue problem and anti-inflammatories and rest were the best thing. I swear, for it to have been bothering me this long it must have been a tiny sprain or something.

I've been off it all together for about 2 weeks now. It's been feeling pretty good for this past week. I did swim laps earlier this week as a completely non impact way to get aerobics. Then a few days ago I tried the elliptical for 30 minutes. Felt pretty good the next day, too. So today I will try a small walk/jog to see what happens.

Did I mention this totally SUCKS???? Curses!

So, of course, I started stress eating and I haven't lost a lb since this hip thing stopped me. At least I haven't gained either but that is just another stress I don't need!

Well, I'll let you know how it goes.

TTFN

PR

Third Monday of the week.

Well, I PRd a 5k this week. I Ran a local 5k called the Melon Run on the 4th of July and finished it in 26:53. I'm pretty happy with that. I was hoping to be around 28:00 since that is about as fast as I could go before losing weight. The funny thing is, is it wasn't that hard. I was stunned to see the first mile marker when I did as I was guessing we had only run about a half mile. That was so weird.

I have been underestimating 3 things, I think. 1) the effects of weight loss, 2) the strength training I've been doing and 3) the training I've done by intentionally running on tired muscles, running in the heat and targeting hills.

Had another great weigh in last week, too. I lost 1.6lbs so I'm down 23.6lbs, now. Inching closer and closer to goal.

BUT, there's always a but...I have eaten poorly this week because of the holiday. I feel so bloated. I am considering not weighing in this week...I just don't want to see an uptick but I need to face the music, lol.

Well, today is stadium day. Oh how I hate stadium day. But this will also help me to atone for my bad eating. It is currently sunny, hot and feels hotter. It is 94 degrees but "feels like" 99! The humidity is gross. It's amazing how the humidity just makes it feel like you're wearing a sweater when you're working outside. It's not like dry heat where you can evaporate and cool. Nope, the sweat and water just stay on you and drip, drip, drip! No cooling. In fact, you have to wipe off your arms and face every so often to thin out the moisture on your skin so you can cool a little.

But, like I've said, it can only make me a better runner in the cool, dry weather.

Well, I'm gonna change into my run stuff, now, and get ready to melt.

TTFN

PLEASANT SURPRISE

Second Monday of the week.

Well, I had a pleasant surprise at weigh-in this week. I thought I was going to have another flat week but I actually lost 1.2lbs! So I am officially down 22lbs even! 

I cleared out my drawers the other day. I was tired of not having any room to put away the clothes I always wear in favor of storing ancient clothes I never where. So, I cleared them all out. To my surprise, I collected 2, 13 gallon bags of clothes that were all too big for me! I did buy some new shorts and pants about a month ago since my usual clothes had gotten to big but I had no idea I had so many more big clothes. It was very liberating.

The cool part is even some of my shirts are starting to get too big. Wow. I can't wait till my body shape starts to change. As it is, I am smaller but I am still the same shape. Honestly, I feel like I

look like a sack of potatoes.

I want my lumps and bumps to go away so I look good in a bathing suit. A sack of potatoes, no matter the size, just doesn't look good in a bathing suit, lol.

I want my stupid boobs to shrink a cup size so I don't feel like a massive linebacker. Y'all that aren't overly endowed let me tell you something. Boobs that are too big can actually make you feel unfeminine. I feel like when I walk through a doorway my boobs are the first thing to enter followed by the rest of me at some point. BUT, I *think* my boobs may be starting to shrink. My bra is feeling a little looser. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The day I get to buy a new bra will be a great day!

Sigh...but that is still quite a ways away. But, chin-up, it is on the way.

On the running side, running is definitely easier. It is regularly easier to move my body. This is exhilarating. I have gone running a lot, lately, while very tired, both mentally and physically. It has been getting pretty hot these days, too. Summer is definitely here. But I went out Monday and ran at 3:15 in the afternoon (I had to, it was the only opportunity). It was the heat of the day and I was so sleepy from a crappy night's sleep.

But you know what? I was still able to run without feeling like a lead balloon! That is so weird and new to me. I love it.  I am surprised and proud of myself for this run. I still keep thinking every time I go for a run I will feel like a lead balloon. I know that will happen at some point but I'm enjoying the feather footed feeling I'm experiencing.


Then there's this, what does it feel like to run at your ideal weight? I just can't wait to find out.

REIGNING IT IN

Monday.

Ok, time to reign it in. So, I kinda had a good and bad weigh in this week.

The good news is that I stayed utterly flat lined. Why is that good? Well, I sort of got too liberal and lax with my eating last week (that's not good...). I think the only reason I had any kind of good weigh in was because I upped my exercise a bit which balanced it out (which is good).

The bad news is that I stayed utterly flat. Same reasons.

So, if I'm going to lose the amount of weight I would like to before Hood to Coast Aug 24 then I need to realign myself and reign in the eating. I can do that.

I have just been lazy about preparing my own food. I need to just pony up the effort and do that. So, another week at 20.8lbs down. Oh, I think I need to make a correction on that. I think I said 20.2lbs in my previous post but it is 20.8. I'll take every oz I can get, lol.

Ok , let's see, The race is 10 weeks away. If...no, when...no, while I get back on track I need to lose 1.5lbs/wk average. That means 15 more lbs I could conceivably lose. I'd be down 35lbs. I think that still keeps me on track as per my original plans. I could go into that race at 144lbs. Cool!

I went out for a run this morning and decided to weigh AFTER that, lol. I was really surprised to see 157.2.  Usually, I see 158.something. Now, 157 is what I call my dehydrated weight. BUT, I have seen that number 3 times which means I'm flirting with more lbs down. I usually see a new number on the scale a couple times before it becomes official. I'm pretty excited by that. I even saw 156.something once. I need to really encourage that this week. I. WILL. NOT. MESS. UP! It would rock if I could get 2 lbs down this week. I could catch up a little from Flat Line World.

Two steps forward, one step back. I'll keep marching on.

TTFN

B&A

Actual Monday of the week.

Well, great news from WW. I am officially down 20.2lbs! I took a before and after comparison pic but I'm a little disappointed. You can see a difference but it is hardly noticeable to me. I see so many other people post 15, 20, 25lb before and afters and there is such a dramatic difference but there is no drama for me :-(. But I said I would post a B&A pic at 20lbs so I will.

Me minus 20lbs

So, here it is. I guess upon seeing here like this there is a bigger difference than I thought but still, I wish it were bigger. BUT, I'll take it! About 35 more to go. Gotta keep the glass half full rather than half empty!

I did get to buy new clothes last week. For the first time in a long time doing that was actually fun. I started at a size 16 and am now in a 12! To that end, the size 12 fits perfectly, not tight! Unfortunately 10s are a bit tight but I can actually get in them, lol. They resemble sausage casings when on but, none the less, they are on, lol!

Running, in general, has gotten easier. It just doesn't feel as hard to move my body. There are days when you go out to run and just feel like a lead balloon 'cause you're tired or something. I have had a couple of those days lately. But even on those days the quality of the drag-ass feeling is different. I still feel like I can move easier. It's weird. A good weird. These feeling and experiences are all new to me.

I was in Wal-Mart this weekend. I stopped in the sports section to look at some stuff. I saw the weights there and picked up 2 10lb weights and handed them to my daughter. "That's how much weight I've lost!" I told her. She was amazed. I took the weights and held them up straight over my head and walked around to see if I remember feeling like that when I was heavier. I can't say that I did but I was amazed at how much weight I felt bearing down on me. Wow...and I have 35 more to go! That's soooo much heaviness! How could I have been running marathons like that????

Well, I will post another B&A pic at -30lbs. Huh, I'll be on the flip side of the weight loss journey by then :-). I will have lost more than half of what I want to lose. I can't imagine that. I can't wait!!!

TTFN

FINDING BALANCE

Third Monday of the week.

Ok, weigh in last week was good but I think it was better than what showed up on the scale. I was down another half lb BUT I think it was more. Here's why. I ate a large dinner the night before weigh in but it was a near zero point dinner. It was, however, a large dinner and when I woke up I was still full! I thought it would digest before the morning because it was only a bunch of stir-fried veggies easy for the body to deal with and I thought I would go through the normal morning "duties" before weighing in...but I didn't! Ugh... That being said, I was still down a half lb at 161 even for a grand total of 18lbs gone...bam!

....of course, over the Memorial Day weekend I sort of went overboard. But I'm still within striking distance. I'm less than a lb up from weigh in. So, I'm trying like Hell to get myself to the 160lb goal for weigh in this week. I think I can do it.

I seem to have found a great balance between running and eating. First, it took a couple months for my metabolism to adjust to trying to run and have a lesser general intake of food, I won't lie, it was uncomfortable going out to run and feeling lower on energy than I was used to. But now I think I have learned what is good to eat on a run day and when to eat it and still stay within my WW point limit.

I went out last Friday for an 8 mile run. I was sooooo sleepy. It was really hard for that reason. I had gotten such a crappy night's sleep for some reason. But I made myself go out for my run AND it was a hill run, to boot! I'm so proud of myself for getting out there and doing that. It was not any faster than my typical 8 mile pace. Actually, it may have been a little slower due to my being so tired. I managed a 10:45 pace but I still think that's just fine, especially under the circumstances.

Just LUUUV those ramps!

Yesterday, I went to the stadium and did my stadium workout. I only had a half hour to workout but it went better than I expected. I was able to run the dreaded ramps more times than I could before.

 I didn't do any bleacher steps or bleacher seats, though, because it was raining and lightening. I just won't run in the lightening. So I stayed within the walls of the stadium, mostly.

It wasn't this bad but was close enough!

It was a good and challenging workout. I still hate stadium workouts because they are hard. But therein lies the reason I do them, lol.

Well, TTFN

WOOHOO

Third Monday of the week.

I can't wait for Friday. Three day weekend! Woohoo! And speaking of woohoo, last blog I wrote about how I was hoping my WW weigh in would be what my scale said, 161.4, and it was :-D. I really hope I can come in at 160 this Saturday. That would be UH-MAZING! When I get to 159 that will mark my 20lb point! Maybe I'll post a before and after pic of some sort then.

For the first time this week I have had 3 people ask me how much weight I've lost! That's so cool :-). It's noticeable. I don't notice it so much in terms of looks but my clothes definitely fit better and are even a little loose. Actually, I got into 2 pairs of pants that I haven't been able to wear in years. They fit perfectly. I love that. I can't wait till those are too big.

I am consistently running sub-10 minute miles now. BUT, I really need to test that on a moderately longish run, maybe 8 miles, soon. I actually have no idea what my pace would be beyond 6 miles right now. That's about the longest I've gone lately. Yup, gotta put my nose to the grind stone and up those miles more.

But, on the upside, I have not missed a run day in 4 weeks. Training is going well, despite the heat. It is in the mid 90s now on a regular basis and it really makes running those longer distances hard. But, I have been running in the heat to acclimate to it. If I can do well in the heat then I will have a ball in cool weather.

Well, gotta go. Chat at y'all soon.

TTFN

I'M GOOD WITH THAT

Finally Friday!

Well, as of my weigh in last week at WW I actually was at 162.4! Woohoo! I saw 161.4 on my scale today but I don't know if that will hold up for weigh in tomorrow.... I'm still afraid the WW plan won't work but so far so good. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed to lose at the very least 14 more lbs by the end of August for the Hood to Coast Relay. That's only 1lb/wk. That's totally reasonable. That would put me at 148lbs. I' good with that...as long as it keeps going beyond that after the race.

I have been keeping a little higher running schedule. Not nearly as much as it needs to be but I'm slowly building up distance, again. I've been maintaining 13-15 in-week miles and strength training the last month or month and a half. I know that doesn't seem like much but I was at about 6miles/week for a while because of my marathon burnout, lol. So, I'm building again. If I can average about 25-30 overall miles/wk over the summer I'll feel pretty good. I just gotta rock those miles.

I'm trying something a little different for training this year. I'm trying out shorter but harder workouts/runs in lieu of crazy long runs. I'm not training for a marathon; I just need a break from fulls this year. But, I want to crush the half. I want to make or break 2:00:00.

I've been reading about how shorter but harder runs and speed work can get you faster for the same long distance but with fewer injuries. I'm intrigued. So I think my longest runs this year will be the occasional 15 miler but mostly 10-13.

Well, I will let y'all know how weigh in went.

TTFN

T MINUS 37 AND COUNTING

Fourth Monday of the week.

Super excited today! I stepped on the scale and saw a brand new number I haven't seen since going in the wrong direction. 162.4! Woohoo! I'm down another 2 lbs for about a total loss of 17 lbs. I hope this is a real number and not an anomaly but I'll take for what it is!

I did exercise hard yesterday, though. I did my stadium workout for about a half hour then went for a slow jog (not by choice,lol) for another 20 minutes after that.

Weather for the next 10 days! Ugh!

It was so hot, 94 degrees, and the ramps and stairs were so hard. I'm so happy that I was rewarded with the lower number on the scale. I hope it doesn't reflect dehydration....hmmmm. I tried to stay well hydrated, though. I guess I'll know tomorrow.

Well, it appears summer is almost here. When the humidity matches the temperature it's summer. I might as well enjoy the dry air while I can despite the heat :-(.

I need to acclimate myself to the heat, anyway. It will make running darn near anywhere else so much easier since it's hard to match the heat here and harder, still, to match the heat coupled with the level of humidity we get.  It will just make me a stronger runner in cooler temps ;-P.

I guess elevation might negate the cooler temps since I am at sea level. Well, I'd be willing to try! I can't quit running, anyway, till I at least run a half or full marathon in each of these great 50 states! I think I have 42 to go. Let's see, I have done, in alphabetical order: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Washington DC. I know DC is not a state but I have to include the capital of the country in my endeavors. Ok, so that is 8 plus DC. ...can't wait to do Hawaii some day! This year I'm hoping to add South Carolina. I'm definitely getting Nevada in November. Wow, that would be 20% of the country. Cool!

Ok, enough for today. Gotta go.

TTFN