Wonderful Weekend

There's not much in life that a weekend in Ocean City can't cure.  Not in my world, anyway. 

Marigold, the Flowers and I, Daisy and our cousins, aunts and uncle spent a weekend laughing and talking the weekend away.  We ate too much junk food, shopped 'til we dropped in the outlets in Dover, DE and spent time on the beach playing in the sand (fully dressed). 

I took leave on Friday and we left for Ocean City just after lunchtime.  It was quite chilly and windy upon our arrival on Friday afternoon and remained windy on Saturday, but we were tough and braved the beach anyway. Here are Daisy, Rose and Chrysanthemum enjoying each other at the beach:

I maintained my momentum and training for my half marathon by waking early on Saturday and hitting Coastal Avenue for a solid three mile run.  It was windy as all get-out, but I warmed up quickly once I started my run.  I was in good company with several other dedicated souls pounding the pavement.  Later Saturday morning, we made our way down to the waterfront to admire the tremendous beach waves.  The sand and salty air gave us the emotional boost we all needed.  There's something special about sitting on the beach watching the water even when it's too cold to venture into the water. 

Marigold treated himself to nine holes of golf while we treated ourselves to great deals in the outlet stores, then we met up for dinner. After dinner, we all drank too much wine and managed to watch a few $0.99 Red Box movie rentals before I called it a night well after Midnight.

I'm still very excited about my decision to prepare myself for a half marathon this December.  I feel happy and inspired whenever I think about it and I feel good about my decision to tackle this tremendous goal this year.  I revel in telling my friends and family about why I see no point in postponing this until next year.  I'm just going to do it!!!  I'm continuining to read everything I can about staying healthy and making my training efficient.   Today I'm feeling confident and unshakable in my abilities to run this race and do it in a healthy and focused way.  I hope I continue to remain confident. 

How about you - what are you feeling good about today?

Keep on runnin' yall!

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 Gratitude Journal
1. A weekend away with family
2. Feeling rested and knowing that I've successfully reset my zero
3. Commitment to oneself
4. Knowing that God means for me to be where I am and being happy in this place

Another Great Race!

Today I ran in the 17th Annual Navy Federal 5K Run/Walk.   It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the race with many of my colleagues whom I have grown quite fond of.  There's something that bonds people together after spending hours and hours in the gym together, sweating and working hard to improve one's physical fitness. 

It was a great race, winding through the beautiful strees of Vienna, Virginia.  The weather was absolutely beautiful - picture perfect.  There were lots of lovely homes to admire (my favorite kind of eye candy) and just enough people to keep it interesting.  The Morning Meeting Notes that our VP sends out every morning shared that 400 people had registered for the run, but lucky for me, I don't think there were quite that many people in attendance.  Large crowds of runners still make me a bit nervous, but this was manageable!  All the runners were very respectful of each other's space and the competitiveness, while still present, was not overwhelming. 

And the best news of all is that I shaved two minutes off my last 5K time with a net time of 36:12, an average of 11:39.  My first PR!  Woo hoo!  Now if I can just get a 5K done in 30 minutes, I'll be happy.  Actually, I'm quite happy now.  I wanted to finish upright and on my feet, with some evidence of time improvement and I'm happy with my two minutes!  I'm slowly getting faster!

Today will be a great day, as Daisy is coming down to spend the day with the Flowers and I. A bit of shopping is in order.  Marigold is going to cook on the grill so the eating will be good tonight! 

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Gratitude Journal
1. Marigold cooking on the grill tonight!
2. Running in the sun, knowing I'm a child of God
3. Finishing a 5K and my first PR!
4.  Feeling great in my size 14 jeans!

I Survived! And Enjoyed It!

My first 10K was a success. It was a very well-organized race put on by the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce. You can see the race pictures slideshow here. I'm in slides 16, 17 and 18. In slide 16, you can get a good look at me doing my deep yogi breathing, the way I begin every run. 

It was actually a great deal of fun. I think I've turned into one of those nutty runner - a person who enjoys pushing my mind and body to the limit with the competitive sport of running. I'm still not much of a competitor, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I compete against no one but myself.  In running my first 10K I made no PR and I certainly broke no records, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was a gentleman who ran pretty much the entire race while juggling five red balls. And he lapped me! Gee whiz. Talk about a show off!  I guess he was my entertainment. 

Lucky for me, the Piedmont School of Massage was one of the sponsors and treated the runners to short massages after the run.  That was such a wonderful gift - it was truly priceless.  Thanks to my massage, I had no soreness and no joint stiffness. 

My final time was 1:18. I'm still a turtle, but a soon to be very fit and trim turtle.

Tomorrow I'll be running in Navy Federal's annual 5K. It should be lots of fun and I'll be in good company as there are 400 registered runners.

Week 1 of the 40 Pounds By Christmas Day, So Whatdoya Say Challenge has come and gone. I've lost one pound toward the effort. I met my weekly goal, so I'm feeling good about that.  My total weight loss is now at 51.5 pounds.  At least it was before I ate three slices of pepperoni pizza for dinner! 

Keep on runnin' yall!

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Gratitude Journal
1. Life and love
2. Running and the mental clarity it brings
3. My Flowers and the joy they bring me
4. Healthy food and clean water

Going For Broke: My First Half-Marathon

I'm doing it!! I see absolutely no reason to put this goal off until 2010. I readily admit that I'm going to need a lot of emotional support and perhaps I'll even need to pay someone to help get me physically ready, but in spite of all this, I know I want to do it more than just about anything right now.

The official date of my first half-marathon, the VA Runner Blue and Gray will take place on Sunday, December 13 2009.

This gives me 12 weeks to prepare my mind, body and spirit. I've found a training program that I plan to begin on Monday. I can't wait. I'm so excited I could just about burst!

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Gratitude Journal
1. Goals
2. Life and love
3. A job that allow me the flexibility to leave and get my Flowers when illness strikes

Keep on runnin' yall!

New Challenge!

40 pounds by Christmas Day!! Join the fun! You know you want to!!!
I found this challenge on weight watchers community boards. I believe it's the perfect solution to my desire to bake and eat lots of warm comfort foods as the weather begins to change. Not only is my craving for baked goods spinning out of control, but my weight loss has slowed down some. I did manange to finally rid myself of the six pounds I gained celebrating my birthday last month, and I also lost another half pound bringing me to another decade! While I'm not bold enough to advertise my current weight here, I will reveal that I've lost a total of 50.5 pounds since August 29, 2008.

I need to make a plan for this - this challenge is serious business! The challenge officially began yesterday, September 10 and will end on December 26th. That's 15 weeks away.

Here's the description of the challenge:
With the holidays around the corner, we need to get ourselves ready, emotionaly and physically. I want to shout from the roof top, "Hey Ol' man I've stayed on the Plan. I've lost 40 pounds, how does that sound? I'm not hungry and I'm not fat, so what will you put in MY sack?" Sorry, I couldn't resist. I want to have a weekly check in with weekly challenges to keep us accountable for ourselves, the good and the bad. So what do you say...Are you ready to shout?

Who's with me? Keep on runnin' yall!

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Gratitude Journal
1. Savoring the last juicy red strawberries of the season
2. The excitement I feel about my first 10K race tomorrow
3. It's FRIDAY!
4. My Flowers successfully made it through their first week of 4th and 1st grades, respectively.
5. Making decorating plans and daydreaming in Michael's for the perfect autumn touches for our house

Lawd Help Me!

I'll be running my first 10K race (6.2 miles) this Saturday, in the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce Sponsors Life Without Limits 10K Run to Benefit United Cerebral Palsy.

I've been working hard in preparing my mind and body for the race. I've discovered what lots of runners already know and it a secret no one tells beginner runners: one of the greatest challenge of running is keeping one's mind occupied during the event. Sure, 3 miles goes by in a bit more than a flash, but anything longer than that, and it really helps to have something solid to think on, i.e., world peace or how to be truly satisfied with only 1250 calories per day. All joking aside, it really boils down to quite the mind game or mind trip, however you prefer to call it.

It is truly harder for me to push myself mentally into that sixth mile than it is to convince my cranky hip flexors that they can handle the pressure. For you experienced road runners out there, what tips can you share with me on keeping my mind occupied during longer runs?

Tonight I will run five miles to further prepare myself. My longest run to date is 5.5 miles, so the 6.2 miles on Saturday will be a nice challenge for me. The weather is supposed to be cooperative (no rain please!!), so that should make it pleasant.

My only goal is to run to finish - I'm not out to set any time records, not that I could even if I wanted to.

Keep on runnin' yall!

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Gratitude Journal
1. Running keeps me healthy and happy

Still Water Runs Deep

No, I didn't fall too far off the deep end, although it has been a while since I last wrote. I fell into a bit of a pity party, although it was a short one. I had to kick my no-fun guest out fairly early (that would've been me!) and ended the party early in the game before the blues set in. I didn't like my down-in-the-dumps attitude, so I had to quickly get back to positive self-talk and remind myself why eating properly and exercise are so important - much more important than the numbers on the scale.

Speaking of the scale, I have not boycotted it. I have made an executive decision that I will not weigh myself weekly, as I did while on Weight Watchers. I weigh myself bi-weekly, or every other Friday. This method works for me, as weekly weigh-ins became a significant source of stress and anxiety. Besides, I'm only interested in long-term weight loss and the weekly weigh-in seemed to show more micro or minute gains or losses that I believe are a normal part of life. Water weight, sodium, and hormonal weight seems to come and go every 2-3 days for me, so weighing every seven days seemed to more dramatically highlight those gains/losses that I may have not been able to avoid.

I weighed myself on yesterday, and while I was somewhat upset to see that I have not lost the entire six pounds I gained while over-celebrating my birthday, I have shed three of those pounds. They've reported to me that they're happy with their new home. I've given them the green light to remain with their new host. I will not need them to return and I don't miss their company.

Today I decided to treat myself to a different workout: water aerobics. Actually, it was unintentional, as I had only planned to swim laps and then sit in the whirlpool and relax my over-taxed muscles, but as I was finishing up my swim, the lovely water aerobics teacher invited me to take part in the class. What a treat it was! When she told me it combined deep- and shallow-water activities, I was worried someone had developed a plot to rub me out by drowning, but when I saw the buoyance belt each participant wore, I realized it wasn't a hit on my life.



The class incorporated water weights and noodles (for resistance) and various activities including swimming and running in place for cardio. It was a great class. I definitely felt I got a great workout and with minimal soreness, as in the water, I'm weightless. The other ladies in the class were lots of fun as well, hooting and hollering to each other and laughing at our frequent confusion over exactly what the instructor was asking us to do: "Legs where?" "Weights or noodles? Neither? Oh, okay."

Yesterday I ran four miles on the dreadmill. I'm still loving the running, but I also understand the importance of participating in other physical activities, i.e. the water aerobics, which will only enhance my running and endurance. I'm committed to running a minimum of 20 miles per week, while also participating in other cardio and strength training in an effort to shed these last 30 pounds. These pounds can't find their way to new owners too soon!



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Gratitude Journal:
1. Water aerobics and the cleansing effects of playing in the water
2. The Flowes will be back home tomorrow after a week with their Grandma and cousins
3. Getting stronger and feeling it
4. My quiet house to myself today and tonight

Holy Crap

I got on the Tanita scale at work yesterday (as I do every other Friday) and my weight is up six whole pounds. So much for celebrating my birthday responsibly! Holy Schnikey, Bat Man! It's time for some serious reconfiguring and recallibrating.

Time to revisit (seriosuly) journaling my food and beverage intake and counting points.

Well, if only it were that simple. I have to go through the motions of convincing myself I'm worthy of losing those six points and getting my eating back on track. No more Burrito Bowls from Chipotle for me.

In order to make it home yesterday, I had to stop for gas. I stopped at a gas station and loaded up on my "screw it, it's Friday night and I just got fat" cravings: salt and vinegar potato chips and an industrial sized box of Dots. I got home and immediately proceeded to eat the entire $2.19 bag of chips leaving my tongue a raw and irritated oversized worm in my mouth then proceeded to start on the Dots. I could only get through about half the box before the desire to sleep overcame me. I had put myself into a salt-induced coma.

In a mattef of about eight hours, I had transformed myself into a self-defeating, eating all the wrong crap, loser on a self-destructive mission, MESS. I felt fat, unworthy, confrontational, ugly and sleepy.

Today has been better, so far. I woke up and hit the dreadmill with the plans to run five miles. I only made it through four before I decided enough was enough. My tongue still felt raw and swollen, making my run long and uncomfortable.

Still four miles is four miles, right? I didn't make my goal, but there's always tomorrow.

So much for my self-loving, 'I deserve to be thin' mantra and foolishness from Thursday. I feel like a fat fraud today. With a swollen and irritated tongue.

That's what getting on the scale and seeing a HUGE gain will do to your self-esteem: throws it into the trashcan of your self-esteem.

I'm going to eat some more dots. Than take a nap. Blah.

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Gratitude Journal
1. Running four miles even though I felt like crap
2. Knowing that God loves me, despite my shortcomings
3. It's Saturday! No matter how bad my day is, I'm at home
4. Rose's first sleepver tonight with her best girlfriends
5. Breakfast on my deck in our new deck furniture: pure bliss


Keep on runnin' yall.

I Deserve to Be Thin and Healthy

I squeaked out four and a half miles on the dreadmill yesterday. Again, I made up my mind how far I would run and I ran it. It took me a smidge over an hour, but it was a great investment in my body and my healthy future. My middle and back are sore, despite a good amount of stretching before and after my run, but hey, I'll take it. It means I had a good workout. No pain, no gain, is that still the rule of thumb?

I'll readily admit to struggling with my food intake again recently. As Oprah said about her weight, "I can't believe I'm still talking about this!!" I've been blaming it on my birthday (and over-extended celebration of it), but in reality, I know it stems from a lingering self-defeating need to sabotage my weight loss efforts. As soon as it registered in my thick skull that I had lost a total of 50 pounds, the desire to sabotage kicked in and I've been eating more than I need and craving really stupid, unhealthy things (puffed Cheetos, for example - but so far, I've been able to avoid actually eating them; I just think about them regularly). I've been overindulging in cake and cupcakes and baked goods in general and right now, I'm sucking down a sugary-sweet iced latte from McDonalds. I'm proud to say that I did manage to avoid a breakfast menu item from there, but the coffee called my name and I convinced mytself I deserved it because I had sat on I-495 for over a half an hour with a zillion of my Washington area neighbors as a car wreck inconveniently occupied two lanes of traffic. I never drink crap like this. Well, not never, but very rarely. Most mornings it's fiber cereal with a banana and hot green tea with Spleda and honey. Today I had oatmeal and this coffee drink think loaded with enough sugar to send a diabetic into a coma.

Anyway, I'm struggling right now. The mantra that was in my in-box this morning was exactly what I needed to kick myself back into mental gear and lose the rest of this weight.

I'm going to adopt it as my mantra for the coming days and weeks of struggling with food and consumption. You can read it here (I've modified it some to meet my needs):
• "I deserve to be healthy and thin!"
• "I have a great healthy body!"
• "I've had plenty of food today, my body is healthy!"
• "I love my body and it's important to me that I take good care of it!"
• "I like to diet, I feel in control of my life!"

It's only food! It's just a meal...you are going to have another one in a few hours! Eating is not an event! ...it's not a hobby! ...it's fuel!

I understand you LOVE to eat! BUT, you prefer to look good in your clothes, feel self confident about the way you look and be healthy!

There are NO advantages to being overweight!

Not only do you cause yourself to be a victim and suffer everyday, you shorten your life span considerably!

Being overweight isn't healthy! Obesity is responsible for 325,000 deaths every year!

Starting and staying on a diet that's healthy means having a plan!

You have nothing to lose (except unwanted fat), and everything to benefit!

Diet and get healthy! The world is kinder to you when you are kinder to yourself (this was reinforced through my therapy session recently, I'm slowly starting to realize it's true)!

Diet and get healthy! It's great to be fit! Diet and get healthy! This is not a dress rehearsal!

This is your Life!

I love this. Not only am I posting it here, I've also created a Word document with it and I plan to frame it and keep it somewhere visible.

*Taken from Meditations for Weight Loss - Your Daily Meditation Please stop by, they send regular e-mails that are full of motivating tips and affirmations. It's free!

Keep on running!

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Gratitude Journal
1. Running and knowing it's making me healthy
2. Coffee drinks that insert caffeine in super speed
3. Safe travels
4. Summer camp payments are over!
5. Daisy and her love for me and the Flowers
6. Projects at work that I enjoy