If the Pants Fit

This week my exercise has been less focused. I ran a good run on Monday, then Monday evening I was trying to avoid stepping on the cat, who was four steps up from the bottom of our stairs, and I slipped and fell hard on the tile floor. My left knee took the brunt of it. So I went easy on it for the balance of the week and went walking instead of running. I think it's fine now.

I just tried on a pair of pants that might work for my reunion and they fit beautifully now! I bought them at an outlet store sometime this past year, a size down from another pair I love, but that are too big (especially after I've worn them an hour or two). I know, I know. You should never buy clothes that don't fit. But I'm glad that I did! Now I just have to find a top. I think I might treat myself to something new.

Movement!

Finally, the scale has budged enough and consistently to report here that I'm down five pounds. I'm not sure having a specific goal weight in mind for a specific date is really the best course for me. I want to handle it surely and wisely, not do anything dramatic. And the course I've been taking is changing my body in the positive ways I was hoping for.

My 30th reunion is one month from today. Losing 25 pounds by then is not something I actually want to do at this point (well, I'd like it, but not at any price I'd have to pay).

My goal now is to stay on course to look and feel as good as I can by then. That's totally doable.

Progress:

40 pounds lighter than top weight (1994ish)

5 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of this blog

10 pounds lighter than I was on my wedding day

25 pounds heavier than I was when I graduated high school (and 1996-1997ish)

*I'll think I'll be pretty happy when I get back to this weight if I'm also physically fit

45 pounds heavier than I was when I started college (my lowest weight as an adult)

*This was nice, but I'm not sure I want my life to be this focused on weight stuff

I Need to Step Things Up

I'm still doing my 3.5 mile run every other day (alternating with walking, now on the canyon path), even though the 5k has come and gone. I feel good about my momentum.

The frustrating thing is that the scale has been stuck at exactly the same place for weeks. I can tell my body has changed - I'm definitely more toned and stronger - but I really want the scale to reflect my effort as well.

I've been making fairly responsible eating choices - and have been for a long time, which is likely why I lost 15 pounds over the winter without actually realizing it. I will work to tighten my diet up a bit more. One commitment we're making as a family this month to help with tightening up our finances is to avoid eating out. That should help with my goal here as well.

I also think that when I teach fall and spring semesters (classes ended just over a month ago), I actually get more exercise than I realize. Not the level of cardio I get running by any means, but I think I'm pretty active standing, moving around, gesturing while I teach 6 hours a week. I also walked a fair distance from my car to my classes. Maybe the 5k training didn't add quite as much exercise to my routine as I thought it would.

Next Friday I hope to report actual weight loss. Yes, that would be nice.

Done

Thursday I ran 3.5 miles, Friday I hiked 5 miles in the mountains, and this morning I ran the 5k I've been building up to. I did it!

My main goal was to run the whole 5k, and I did that.

My realistic goal was to run the whole 5k in under 40 minutes, and I did that.

My wishful goal was to run the whole 5k in under 35 minutes. I didn't do that, but I split the difference and made it in about 37 1/2 minutes. About 12.3 minute miles.

Before the run, I saw my friend Diane, who lost her teenage son in a freak accident last summer. In the packet for today's run there was a little flier announcing a 5k on August 27th that is named for her son: The Brandon Curtis Forever Strong 5k run/walk.

I'm going to sign up for that run and beat my time by at least 5 minutes in honor of Brandon and his family.

Oh, and now that I have met my goal for the 5k, I need to start focusing on my weight loss goal. I weighed myself yesterday morning, and I haven't really lost anything since I started this whole project, though I can tell that my body is changing for the better - more muscle, for sure!

Sound Track

My run felt pretty good today. I'm still not running as fast as I wish I could, but it wasn't hard to go the 3.5 miles, even up the hills. I am confident about running the 5k on Saturday.

I've decided on my soundtrack for the 5k: A CD my sister made for me of American Idol songs from the season David Cook won. I ran faster today when the podcast I was listening to ended and I shuffled the songs from that CD. This is the time of my life!

In Spite of Myself

Bad weather all morning and I dragged my feet. But then the sun came out, and I found myself walking my route without giving it much of a second thought!

After lunch I was restless and determined to eat something I shouldn't. I browsed the cupboards and fridge and couldn't find anything that sounded good. I settled for a small bowl of cereal. Healthy cereal at that!

Glad I've apparently got some subconscious momentum. But I don't think I can count on it.

Rain, Rain, Rain and More Rain

I got home about 10 minutes ago from my run, just in time to beat a major wind and huge, dark, threatening clouds. For more than a week we have had rain, rain, and more rain. I'm afraid I've let it get in my way. Rain and, at the risk of TMI, cramps. Today, though, I exerted a great deal of mental power over my body and chose to run rather than take a nap this afternoon.

I can report that I have been running my full 3.5 mile goal the last couple of times I've been out, including today. But I can't report that I've been out 6 days a week like I planned. I also decided not to weigh myself on Friday because, well, it was that time of the month. A week ago Friday, I weighed myself and found I'd lost barely one pound despite a solid week of running and walking.

So, the 5k is now five days away. I feel completely confident that I can run the entire 5k, but I wish I was running a bit faster. Who knows? I might surprise myself if I can keep up my training schedule this week.

Sometimes setting goals ends up being counterproductive for me. As soon as I decided it was possible to lose 30 pounds by my 30th reunion everything seemed to conspire against me, including my very own self. But I'm determined to find my way on this.

Cold Weather

I am amazed at how much power cold, rainy weather has over me and my resolve. The past couple of days it has been a challenge to get out there, but I did it. I walked the route both days--no running because I was wearing jeans and, well, I didn't want to look like a total dork--but I did it!

I've decided that I'm going to just weigh myself once a week, at least for now. Fridays, I think. I'm not gutsy enough to post what I weigh on the blog, but I will report changes.

It should warm up a bit tomorrow. Maybe even mid-60s. That will be nice.

The Run

Creating this new blog has already paid off! I started getting nervous yesterday when I figured out the math. The 5k is only three weeks from today. Yikes! When I set out this morning, I decided I'd try to run as much of the loop as possible after a short walking warm up (my house to the main road).

Because I wanted to report back here (even if no one reads it), I ended up running 3.5 miles with a walking cool down from the main road back to my house. I did the 3.5 mile run in 46 minutes (averaging 13-minute miles). I am so happy that I have already proved to myself that I'll be able actually run the whole 5k as long as I keep up my training. What I'd like to do is run the 5k in 35 minutes or less. I think that's respectable, and more importantly, possible.

The only time I thought I wasn't going to make it was going up the second hill after I'd already run 2 miles. But I pushed through and was rewarded with a gentle downhill slope to recover on. I also started to lag when the end was in sight, but I made a choice, dug deep, and finished strong.

Day of rest tomorrow :)

The Plan

I realized today that if I lost about 30 pounds in the next three months or so, I'd be about the same weight I was when I graduated from high school just in time for my 30th high school reunion.

So I'm going to go for it! And I'm hoping that if I blog about it here, I'll be extra motivated to have good things to report in case someone happens to read it. I'll probably write really boring updates, like exercise and weight loss reports.

Initially my focus will be on getting ready for a 5k run at the end of May. I'd really like to run the whole thing. So my plan is to do a 3.8 loop six days a week until then. Initially I'll walk it Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and build up to running the whole loop on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

I started this past Monday and have met my goal so far. I'm only running about a mile of it so far (including both of the uphill stretches) because I don't want to push too hard too fast, but I'm feeling optimistic.

Here's my current benchmark: Yesterday I walked/ran the 3.8 loop in one hour, averaging just under 16-minute miles. Today I walked but didn't time myself, especially after stopping to chat with some neighbors. Tomorrow I hope to run a larger portion of the loop and shave 5 minutes off my time. Sunday I will rest.

By this time next week I expect my muscles will be up for more (i.e., not aching like they are a little bit while I'm writing this), and I'm hoping to be up to two miles running. I'd like to be up to three miles within two weeks so I have a week to train the full run. Okay, I'm feeling a little less optimistic now. But I'm still going to go for it. What's the worst that can happen? I'll have to walk the 5k? No problem!