Overweight NOT Obese!

Ok, that is a crazy title, but stay with me, it is great.
I have been running off and on, mostly off, but with ambition. Last year I ran the High Rocks Celtic Knot 5k. I weighed about 223 pounds and finished the short race (it was 2.9 miles instead of 3.1) in about 35 min and 11 seconds. That shortage might not seem like a lot, but I did some math and figure that on a good day that means the extra distance would have probably taken me about 2 1/2 minutes to finish. That adjustment makes my finish time modified to at least 37 min and 41 seconds.

This year I ran the Celtic knot weighing 213 and by my watch I finished a full 3.1 in 36 min and 36 seconds - a full minute faster. Yay, me!
Where does the Overweight NOT Obese part come in? According to my Wii scale - 214 is where my BMI changes from Obese to Overweight. I made that transition last Monday and have been holding off on believing it until the week was over, but now I know it is the real thing! Yay me somemore!
Now I need to keep it up. The weather seems to be getting better and I am looking forward to a good bike ride. I am even interested in getting back into some hayfield running. We had to put a new road in through the back woods a few weeks ago. The idea of running on it has my interest. It isn't a long road, but it has a nice climb and leads out to our hayfield. I can circle it when the cows aren't in the field, but they are on the way and they will probably take up napping on the nice shaded and cool dirt of that road, so no luck there.
Either way, biking, running, or climbing the hills it will be a new twist for my fitness plans so I ought to drop a few pounds until my metabolism catches on to my sneaky plan. I hope so anyway.

Tired Days

I have seen Twofifteen and it needs a nap!
Thursdays are my tired day. On that day, by the time I climb the 3 flights of stairs to the floor that holds my work space, I have been running, biking, walking and stair climbing for at least 4 days. This week that includes 18 miles of biking, 4 miles of running, a bit of walking and 2160 stair steps. All on less than 1800 calories. (I am trying to whittle that down to 1600, but I don't like being cranky, either does FabHub). So on Thursday mornings I am tired. This week it finally paid off.I got on the scale this morning and saw 215. I know it won't last, this is just the morning low point. Tomorrow will probably be 216 again, but that is normal. I know that a low number will bounce about two pounds and then come down to a new low number, which will bounce back up and then come down again. It has been happening for 15 pounds in the last 2 months, I am starting to depend on the bounce.
So how did I celebrate on Friday? I biked another 7 miles. Now I need a shower and then I am going shopping for a chainsaw chain and some groceries and then baking up some pepperoni rolls for Saturday's crew lunch. We have a bulldozer coming to cut a road so the guys can get some storm damaged trees out of the woods behind the house. While they are doing that I will be climbing around in the woods watching and taking picutres (check my other blog for those). I will probably also end up stacking the branch trimmings, but that is a good healthy outdoor workout. Sunday I think I will take that nap - oh wait, I said I would run a 5k in town if it is above 35 degrees. I might not bounce this week!

January - End of the Month Update

When we got back from Christmas at Mom's with the treadmill, FabHub and I were both in bad shape. We had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and Mom's cooking, but it had begun to show. Badly. What didn't help was that it rained every day that we were there so it really killed my plans to run and burn up some of those calories.
Since then we have been getting up every morning and walking, running, or biking. We also do some of the Wii Fit exercises, but mostly use the Wii for its tracking capabilities. I am using SparkPeople to keep track of my calories and FH's too recently. We are both a lot more conscious of what we eat. I even look at restaurant menus and come up with a good dinner plan for us before we go. I don't force the issue though. Sometimes you gotta enjoy life.
So, what kind of results do we have? In the month's time FabHub is down 15 pounds and I am down 10 pounds. If I could manage to let go of about 3 pounds instead of playing yo-you with them I might be further along, but it will straighten out.
What analysis do I have on our weight loss? Well, according to Wii we seem to gain weight on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. Compare that with SP nutrition and I see that on Monday or Tuesday we usually have a somewhat big dinner. We eat good on the weekends too, but due to the extra work Bill does on the farm and my long run/walks we burn off more than usual so it makes up for it. Thursday and Friday are usually down days too. Awareness is the key to further success. We are aware so we will do better.
The search for my buddy Oneninetynine continues. Those analysis numbers will follow as soon as I reach the first partial goal.
Keep moving, it can only help!

Exercise and Diet Works

The changes, they have begun. No not those changes, this isn't a place for political talk. The changes I am talking about are for FabHub and me. We have been exercising for two and a half months now and are finally starting to see the scale move. Put in the work and eat right and all will be good. An old story, but one that is so hard to keep following.
I have been keeping track of miles completed on my basement bike and treadmill to motivate myself. I have also been doing at least one Spark People video a day. Together it is working. FH has been using the treadmill and other Wii stuff every morning for his workouts. Both of us are finding our clothes fit better and watching the numbers drop on the Wii's BMI scale. Good news is I am almost done with being Obese and am within a few pounds of being Overweight! I guess I broke that threshold last summer, but didn't know it at the time and then I lost it anyway. FH still has a way to go on that chart, but he is doing great too.
It is very evident by our weight increases and decreases that we eat pretty much the same thing. When his weight goes up, so does mine. When my weight goes down, so does his. So, we are having success and seeing some progress. It will continue.
I am looking forward to the day it is warm enough that I can take my new road bike out. All of these basement miles should have me in good shape for that.
Running has been difficult for the last few weeks. I put on a few pounds over the holidays and it really slowed me down. I never ran much anyway, but that extra weight... so I have been walking and doing minimal amounts of running. Today I spent a lot of time on the treadmill and did some jogging intervals. It went pretty well so now I will start building miles again. I have a 5k in March to improve upon. I might even get FH to join me. The trick will be keeping him from beating me!

Wii and Mii

I started my day with the Wii telling me that it is Sunday and I should take the day off. HA - I will take the advise for the most part. I still have to complete the 10 minute video challenge from SparkPeople, but am saving that for when FabHub goes to do the farm chores.
Originally, I didn't like the running in place aerobics part of the Wii and I still don't, but I have figured out how to combine it with the treadmill. I just use the remote receiver near the treadmill and run with the Wii Mii. I am even learning a good habit. I don't normally swing my arms enough, but I have to for the movement to register on the Wii. I am not sure if there is an equal level between swings of the arm and step of the feet, but I do know that I am moving more than if I was doing nothing.
I use the Wii yoga and strength training to stretch and then the step aerobics to warm up and then the Free Run mode on Wii to run and walk my way through whatever amount of minutes I want to do. All about the accountability.

Fitness for Christmas

OK we have no more excuses. We eat; therefore we need to get fit.
A few months ago we bought a Wii. Then we got the Wii Fit. FabHub has been very good about using the Fit even on the weekends. I on the other hand have been using it too during the week, but weekends are more for the games than the Fit. FH has also been doing more of the aerobics, but I don't really like that feature and switched to non-Wii running, walking, and bike riding. I still do the yoga stretches and some of the strength stuff while remaining accountable to the Fit scale and graphs, which by the way are not very happy at the moment.
Over Christmas we sort of went nuts. Academy Sports had our favorite shoes, Asics 2130s on sale, FH actually found some in his 4EEEE size! So now he has a pair for around town and one to be fit in. I already have a pair and am using last years model for casual use.
Then we looked at the treadmills available in the local stores. The sports store had lots of fitness apparel, but their selection of fitness equipment in the treadmill department seems to be on the low-end of the scale. Kind of wobbly, narrow belts, light weight frames, and electronics. The prices were all under $1000, but maybe should be more under $500. The other store option that we could find was Sears. They had the Nordic Tracs on sale, and the T7 Si won us over.
Wide and long belt, solid construction, nothing wobbled, good feel to the electroics, and a nice salesman. Load it up! Why buy it? Well, it seems my concerns about the Fit aerobics have been heard. FH wants to start being more mobile and the treadmill will put some forced effort into that plan. Personally, I like the idea of being able to mix up my early morning bike rides with a run or uphill hike, so this will work very nicely.
I really thought that was the end of our shopping adventure, but then FH says, let's go to the bike store and get my birthday present too. Oh Boy! The guys are going to call me crazy on this one. This is another area where the sports store seems to be low end. Most of their models are similar to another more popular store's selection.
The local bike shop carries a couple of brands - Giant and Specialized. Jimmy, the owner, first talked us through the different types of bikes and their materials. Then he threw in some prices and since we didn't run screaming into the night he showed me some models. I liked the Giant FCR 3, road bike mixed with mountain bike.

Light frame, road tires, flat bar, low gears, and strong brakes. It was almost closing time and though I know he would have stayed late, I wanted to do some research and told him we would be back on Monday. He probably thought we were not serious.
I looked up the Giant and found the price he quoted fair with other specialty stores. Then I went to the website the guys bought their road and tri bikes on and compared the specs with what was available there. The quick look I got showed that the price was less than $100 different. Plus Jimmy would make sure I got the right size and tune it up everytime I bring it to town. So we went back to the bike shop on Monday and bought me a bike.
Oh yeah, a while back I bought some Pearl Izumi bike shoes on a nice clearance sale. I like these shoes because they have recessed clips. The tread on them is deep enough that with if I have to get off the bike and walk I can without having the metal clip protuding under the ball of my foot. They even have some flex in the toe area to make walking or a little running possible. They are really classified as mountain bike shoes, but they were great for me. Now I just have to figure out how to use. It has been too cold to even think about going out there and trying them out.

The new bike had regular pedals and when Jimmy found out I was interested in changing to clipless, he threw in the Shimano pedals. Yes his mark up was obviously plenty. I am happy though. These replace the normal pedals. The shoes have clips on the bottom that snap into the spring loaded brackets on the pedals. They can also be loosened so that I can practice releasing myself. What good are they? Since they attach the shoe to the pedal it lets a person pull up on the pedal. That way there is power both by pushing down and pulling up. Might help me with the hills too. I know I will need it. Jimmy also told me to take it slow at getting used to that, it is a workout on the legs.

He also gave me a lesson on shifting and since I won't be able to come back in a month, how to adjust the cables if they stretch. I took it out in Mom's neighborhood when we got back to the house. I need to learn when to change gears, but I did manage to climb the hill without getting out of the seat. My hills seem possible now!
So what has happened since we got home? Day one and the treadmill has about 2 hours on the clock. It is just as we had hoped. Solid frame and plenty of motor to keep us moving and climbing. The bike is lounging in the garage for a few days yet. We had snow and very cold air temps today. I am looking forward to the first sunny and dry day.
Now if we can get the food intake sorted out we might actually get fit!

Starting Point, again

Hello Again, Long time no visit. I haven't been overly active on the outside of the web either. I had a race on the 1st, that was the Pumpkin Run at Pipestem. I got the motivation to train for that the week before it happened and so I ran a few miles that week. I did better than any previous runs, but still not very good. I finished 4th in my age group. If I can knock 7 minutes off of my time I might win it next year! LOL
This past week I turned on the motivation and treadmill ran on Mon and Wed, lifted weights on Tue and Thurs and did Wii Fit every single day. We bought that Fit board Sunday, Hubby wanted it, so he is using it too. Saturday I plan to run in town.
I have a new picture to share.

A couple things about it the picture:
One - I know it isn't that flattering with that muffin top, but I have seen worse, hopefully in a couple of months I can post an update with a better look.
Two - it is my own design.
In case you can't see it, the design is a stick figure runner in the background and the print says "I Eat; Therefore I Run"

I designed it in Paint, went to Cafe Press and put it on a shirt. Then I ordered two of them. One for me and one for my friend in Germany... if she is reading this - oops. Merry Christmas - look for a package.
So anyway, I am starting again, wish me luck!

Pumpkin Run 2008

The 31st annual Pumpkin Run has proven to be a great measure of fitness once again. In my case, not so much. I did take a full two minutes off of my run from last year, but once again I have left myself with plenty of room for improvement. I finished the 5k in 37 minutes and 23 seconds. Not really bad for me, so I am happy.
I haven't been doing much running until this week when I "crammed" for the race. On Tuesday I walked a miles, ran 2 miles, and then walked a mile on the treadmill. On Wednesday I walked a quarter mile, ran 2 3/4 miles, and then walked a mile on the treadmill again. Today, Saturday, I ran a mile walked some uphill, ran about a mile, walked some uphill and then ran the last part. I should have done better, but I felt good that I finished before any of the 10k runners caught me this year. Some of those guys are fast! I noticed something too, lots of the people who beat me are carrying a lot less weight around. Maybe I should try that approach, lose weight and run faster. LOL
So, I have made progress on this particular race. Maybe I can keep up the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule and have a bunch of progress on the next race too.

New Adventures in Fitness

I am trying a new way of getting fit, bike riding.














This bike is as old as it may look, but it is my try out version. I am trying some routes that are in my area to see if I can ride them comfortably. I don't really mind casual uphills, but long casual down hills still bother me. I will keep looking and maybe getting more relaxed about the down hills. If I continue to ride I will look into getting something different, but until then it is a good workout.

I got the bike for free from a guy at work and made a few changes. I cleaned and painted, changed the tires, raised the seat, and played with the gears to know how they work. I haven't ever really had a 10 speed before. I had a 3 speed back in the old Minnesota days, so this is something new.

Besides that I actually ran another 5k yesterday. I finished in 37 minutes, which is my average these days. If I worked at it more I would do better, but well... that takes more training than I seem to do. The Pumpkin Run is on November 1st. I want to run the 10k, but I will probably stay with the 5k and try to get a better time. Either way, I need to keep working on losing weight. I have gotten used to being where I am, so it is time for another drop.
Thanks for checking in on me.

Fair 5K

I ran the Mercer County Fair 5K this morning. Well, most of it anyway. I need to run more often is all there is to it. The fact that I showed up and ran it, finishing last in 0:39:02 ought to count for something. It is Sunday morning now, I just saw the results. I really appreciate the rest of the race participants waiting for Betty and I to finish since most of them crossed the line several minutes before we did. The course has lots of cross country elements, grassy fields and hills, a dirt path through the woods, a bit of gravel, all mixed with some track, pavement, and sidewalk made for a pretty tough run in my book. Oh and don't forget the rain, but even I finished before that got bad and we moved the trophy awards inside, so it wasn't a big problem. I got a trophy too, 3rd place in my age group. Yes there were only three of us. It is funny, I finished last and got a trophy, some of those kids who were so speedy didn't. I will be back and in better condition next year. Hey at least I have lots of room for improvement.
The worst part of the whole thing was the way the Mercer County Fair directors handled the parking. Their plan was to collect $8 from everyone who came on the property. That $8 was to pay for parking and entrance to all the main events i.e. the tractor pull, rodeo, and lawn mower races.
Well, when we saw they were charging parking for the people who were participating in the 5k it got messy. So then they said ok, just pay for the people who are not running, but came along to watch. That was insane too! It was even crazy to charge the Pancake breakfast people. We were already paying a premium to particpate in the race and breakfast and nothing else was even happening that early. Just don't stamp our hands and expect a little honor among people who decided to stay. I mean really, who was going to come at 7am to run or eat and stay all day long anyway? There really isn't much to do at the fair in the first place!
OK rant is over, but give me a chance to voice this again and I will. There is a lot of work into putting together these races and they don't need the property to cause a problem that is this dumb.
Besides that we enjoyed the rodeo last night. Except for the really wet pink stamp on our hands that really had no purpose since everyone had to get one! Check my other blog for some video of the rodeo later on this weekend.

Humidity

I have discovered another advantage to living in Germany. The humidity level seems to be far below what we have here in WV.
Jen and I ran twice while I was there. When I got done I was tired, but not soaked in sweat like I have been the two times I have run since being home.
Billy and I walked miles every day that we were there, well just about anyway. I can't walk over to feed Poochy without noticing the heat.
Crazy.
A couple of days ago I was going to run after work, but walked outside my office and changed my plans. I went on home and then at about 7pm headed out to the hayfields with the dogs. We were all tired after that one.
I really noticed it tonight. Billy dropped me off at Concord while he went over to his Mom's. I spent about an hour finishing 4 miles or so and when I caught up with Billy... I was soaked.
Well, that is enough of that.
Saturday at 8am I will be running a 5k at Pikeview High School on their cross country course. That will be sort of new. I run the hayfields all the time, but never a cross country race.
Wish me luck.

Running In Germany

Yes I did. I brought my running shoes with me because somehow when I got started with this running thing I inspired my friend Jenny to start getting fit too. She never thought she would start running either, but she had the same experience I did. Walking is good, but running burns calories faster and gets you home faster.

Besides that, with these paths to run on who wouldn't! There are paths running all over the area behind the town that she lives in.
The first day we went out we covered about 3 miles. It was a nice rolling route, we walked and ran and walked and ran. Very nice.
The second time I went out with her we did about the same distance I guess, but it was a really long slight downhill run. We just kept going and going and going. Then we walked up to the ridge again and then ran down into town.
I should have gone out a third time, but that was the day before we left and I was really worn out. Fabulous hubby and I walked a lot on our zippy trips around Germany and the Czech Republik. It was a wonderful trip.















A quick warm up walk on this uphill, winding gravel path that leads from the town took us out into the open between the farmer's fields.

Running on these roads was great, I would have preferred my trail shoes to road shoes though. The gravels can be a pain in the foot.














The starting point for our runs after the warm up walk was by the tree line in the upper right quarter of this picture. Then we would come down this paved piece of road to an intersection where we would turn a gravel road again and head back up the hill winding to the left of this awesome scenery.

When we got back up to the top of the ridge line again there are several paths leading into just about any environment you want to run in. Stay in the open between the fields on gravel or switch to pavement.














Or do like we did and head down the gravel paths into the woods. This section is actually pretty open compared to some we ran. The tree top cover was so thick in one area it provided a permanent shade. In others the underbrush was really thin, but tree covered.
Really a great place to run.

I also went to the base fitness center with her one day. They have all sorts of equipment. Including a StairMaster, which has steps that roll like an escalator. You have to keep moving. I used one of those in Saudi Arabia, but hadn't seen one since then. I would like to have one to use around here!

All the walking and running pretty much held off the schnitzel, pommes (fries), and pastries so all is good. Oh, and the beer, lots of beer. Now I just need to get started again.

Taking Off

Ok June has been pretty sad in the running perspective, but great in the maintenance area.
I ran a little the first week of the month, I did 2 miles on a treadmill each of two day during a business trip - nothing better to clear the mind than running a little bit. I would have run further, but I ran out of time - I had a half hour, but that is how fast I run. Ha. Then I had no reason but laziness for the next two week. On the maintenance side I am doing fine, no weight gain and I feel good. I figure if I can maintain without trying to hard I am doing pretty good.
Now the month is over and we are on the way to an awesome vacation. I am bringing my running shoes, partly because other than my walking sandals they are a better option than the other shoes I have for long walks. The other reason is that my friend Jen has also started running and I really want to check out the paths she has been using. She knows what my hayfields look like - though we weren't actually "using" them back then. Now I want to see what she has available for running and walking.
Since I haven't been doing much lately I won't expect too much of myself, but I love the idea of being able to do something active like that to help compensate for the beer and schnitzel that are coming my way. woo hoo!

Swimming in Georgia

We went to Mom's in Georgia last weekend to spend some time with her away from our house and catch up on some maintenance things that need to be done. Saturday morning I headed outside to run the circle in her neighborhood. You may recall I did this at Christmas too, or attempted to I should say. While the road next to her house is pretty flat, when I get to the part that makes the big circle, there is a long downhill on one side and a short steep uphill on the other side. I didn't do much running on that road in December.
This time I went out and ran the first mile in about 11 minutes, What? How did I do that? The second mile was done in about 12 minutes. Still not believable. I was done with those two mile in about 24 minutes. I just looked at my watch as if it were crazy, and walked the last mile. Why did I walk? Because I had just gotten to the steep hill again and had hit my limit in that climate.
I think the reason I was running so well was that I was moving at a quicker pace than usual. Previously I had concentrated on just keeping myself moving, which usually meant about a 13 minute mile or so. Now I have been putting more effort into meeting a pace of between 11 and 12 minutes. That has improved my 5K time. The only problem is I want to do a 10K so I need to start adding miles on to that. Good news is the hayfields are getting cut so I will be able to run out there for a few weeks until it gets tall again. That is a really good work out so I can't wait to get started on it.
Now what about the title of this blog? Running in Georgia at 7:30 am is not like running in West Virginia at the same time. In WV you have to stay off the grass or you feet will be soaked. In Georgia the ground is dry, but the air is thick with humidity. When I got back to the house after that run I walked in and Mom asked me if I had run through a sprinker, my skin and hair were soaked. It took about 15 minutes for me to cool down enough to take a shower. I also proved the value of dry wicking clothing, my shirt didn't hardly show any moisture at all and my feet were dry. Doesn't mean I would have gone out to the store right then, but wasn't like cotton that is for sure. Well that was swimming in Georgia. Who needs a pool?

Roth 5K and Bluestone Run

I just realized I hadn't commented on the Roth 5k that I ran last Tuesday evening!
There were a LOT of people at that race. I finished 79th with all but one of the walkers behind me - but that guy isn't natural! So there must have been a good 125 people.
This was the first time I ran this course on a clock and my time of 37:46 was a few seconds faster than the other 5Ks I have finished. The more acccurate scale of how I am progressing is that in October I ran those same streets and it took me 42 minutes by my watch and I was in pretty worn out shape too. At that time I could barely consider running in public. I never figured I would use the main road to run into town. I spent most of my time in the hayfields.
Contrast that with my latest project.
I am working with some other people on a fund raising 5K at Bluestone SP that will run on 21 June. MP scouted out the route for us a few weeks ago, he and KT ran it last week and evaluated it at a 7 out of 10. I ran it after work today. There is a "speed bump" in the road and MP expects me to fuss at him about it, but you know what? It was great!! I managed to run the whole thing, very slowly on the long up hill, but I wasn't walking.
Kind of curious about how I had to walk some at the Roth and was able to just keep 'not walking' today all by myself out on the back roads of Bluestone. Maybe it is just easier to give in to the walk when other people do too. I don't know. I do know that it was very nice to finish that run today in a decent time. I hadn't seen the route before, but now that I have I know that we are going to have a great event in June. I also know that we need lots of signs!

Starting Over

I read a blog post by someone who said she was going to try and kick start a platue by starting over. I think I will give that approach a try too. I spent the winter stuck at 225 and now I have been at 218 for a couple weeks.
I know that the problem is my own, I eat more than I should and haven't been very consistant with my workouts - lots of excuses, but all my own doing. I am pretty happy with where I am now, shopping in the "normal" size versus the "plus" size department is great! Though I haven't really bought much because I am right onthe edge and want to get further from that border.
So the new plan. I started this whole thing last July by walking the stairs at the office, I can do that again. Every day I already bypass the elevator, but now I will target the 60 steps to the parking garage and back up at least once every hour. It only takes a couple of minutes and works my quads so I can balance out my legs.
I will run more consistantly. I have been disappointing myself because I don't run faster, which is silly. I can run one 12 minute mile, but any more than that and my average is more like 13 minutes. I think that I still need to lose 20 pounds before I can speed up much. I really don't want to damage anything.
I will continue step aerobics on Tuesday and Thursday. OOH! Except for this week, I have a 5k to run in Athens Tuesday night, the Roth Memorial. Other than that though... I have already changed my routine for those nights, now I do a nice low-range aerobic run/walk before step class and burn lots of calories!
And finally I will eat less for dinner. I am usually not hungry anyway, I just eat too much.
That is the plan - oh and by the way, if anyone is in Southern West Virginia on June 21st come out to Bluestone State Park before 9am and run our new 5k. It is a Relay for Life event. If you don't run I can put you to work monitoring a corner or something. It will be a great time! bluestoneriverwild5k.blogspot.com/

The Payoff!

I had 4 really motivating things happen in the last week.
First was a relative commenting that I am "wasting away". Kinda funny since I am still over 200 pounds, but I am down 15 pounds since the last time she saw me in September when I could just walk 3 miles, now I can run those miles!
Second was another relative commenting that people can tell when someone is working out because their body transforms and shows the changes. I said thank you.
Third is a clothing relation to those comments.
I wanted to go watch a basketball game at the school. I pulled out my old trusty cotton blouses and realized (Finally! some people might say) that it was too big. So I got a different one, too big. I looked at the available options and saw one that I hadn't tried in a while. It fit! The significance of this is that the blouses that were too big - I bought them when I started job hunting after the Air Force in the summer 1994. I have been wearing them ever since, they were actually a little too small at one point. The blouse that fit - I do not recall EVER wearing it since living in this state. Certainly not since I bought the other ones. 14 years! But it fits now!
Fourth continues that line of fun.
I shopped in Belk's yesterday and not in the Women's department! I have never bought anything more than socks there. Their clothing is very nice quality, but I never liked anything they had in the W department. Though as you can tell, I don't shop for new clothes often.
What did I get at Belk's?
I bought a short sleeved sweater in size XL - ok not tiny, but that was a Ladies XL not a 1X or 2X.
I bought a button up woven blouse in size 16! The 18 was TOO BIG!
The funniest part was that there seemed to be something off in the store's register because the sweater was on 25% sale and started at $50, well I got it for $1.98. I love it!
The plan for today is to clean out the closet, again. If it is too big out of there! I have a few things to wear now and a few that are still a little small. Good thing I don't worry about fashion either, some of those clothes have some age on them. Rarely worn though. Mostly purchased during the weight gain days. It doesn't matter, they will fit again.
I am smiling! I hope you are too. Keep moving everybody!

Finding New Ground

I have been waiting and working slowly all winter long for this to happen and I have had success. I BROKE THROUGH TO THE TEENS! 218 for two days in a row.

I saw it coming and supported the goal by running 3 miles on Sunday, running 2 miles and walking 1 mile on Monday, and an hour of Step Aerobics on Tuesday. Now I need to keep those numbers rolling down the scale.

Challenges coming this week. One of my project managers is coming to the office Wednesday, that means lunch out at the BBQ place. I will be running after work and have cereal for dinner I guess.

Thursday I begin an out of office project, I have no idea what will happen there. I plan to go check out a different fitness center since I will be in town for the next couple of months. That should be interesting.

My sister-in-law is visiting from out of town for the weekend, that means dinner out at the steak house on Friday. They should have something light on the menu, but will I order it? Friday is my day off from running, but I plan to do some stairwell laps during breaks.

Saturday is a family picnic. I can be moderate, especially when I want to run a hard loop in town afterwards.

Sunday will be a long easy run in the hayfields. Okay there is nothing easy in the hayfields, but I can keep my heart rate in a middle zone and be good.

So anyway, this week will be a challenge, but those will happen forever to come. We just keep dealing with it. Goal for next week - 216.

Girl Power

Today was a club 5k run at Pipestem. Only 3 of us members showed up to run and none were men. It was about 32 degrees out so I am sure that had a lot to do with the low turn out. I finished last again, but set a Personal Record on this course - 37:18. Two minutes and 8 seconds faster than when I ran the same course in November. WOOHOO for me!
As for the run, it was cold. The other two ladies started in front of me and slowly gained distance, but they looked back to check on me every now and then. I am just slow. As I was running I set mini goals.
Make it to the top of the hill, now just jog down the other side.
The mountain bike race people are watching, don't stop!
Make it to the horse barn, now the top of the hill isn't so far away and just keep running down the other side.
Run to the turn around, now it is a lot of down hill so keep going.
There are the bike people again, don't stop now either!
Big hill now, but you ran this far, now it is flat and then a down hill.
One last up hill, fast isn't important, just keep running.
33 minutes! Now it is all down hill you are going to beat your PR!
Did It!
Girl Power is awesome!
And now there are snowflakes in the air.

Earlier this week I had a pretty good run in the hayfields. I did 8 laps of the barn field, which totals out to about 5 miles. I ran around three sides and then cut up the middle to the tree, walked a bit and then ran around to the tree again. I did that trip five times and then walked a lap and then ran two more. The dogs all went swimming in the middle of it, but they stayed with me for the most part. Poochy was cutting corners toward the end though.

After writing all of that, I am thinking I should be able to run 4 miles straight out if I can find a nice flat route for the first attempt. Might get crazy and map out a flat 5 just in case I feel good.
That is it for this week. Keep moving everybody.

Competition Brings on Real Running

Today was the High Rocks Celtic Knot 5k. The knot part is right! The race winds and twists through the streets of Lewisburg. The promo said "a flat race with one big hill". There was very little flat, unless you consider that the long uphills were on level streets. The one big hill - big is a word for it. Monstrous is another. I walked half of that one and another hill that I couldn't force myself to run and finished in 35 minutes 11 seconds. 4 minutes and 15 seconds faster than my last race. There is some dispute that the milage was only 2.9 miles - maybe a certain GPS needs calibrated? Or maybe the route was a little short. Even if you add in a couple minutes to make up the missing portion I did better than last time. So all is good, I am running more than I am walking these days.

Next big race is a 10k (6.2 miles) in May. That means next weekend while I plan to complete 8 miles, I need to run at least 4 of them to build up for that race. I should be able to add another mile 2 weeks later and another 2 weeks after that, if not sooner. Might be aggressive due to the amount of weight I still need to lose, but it has to be attempted.

I also have to be able to finish a Half Marathon (13 miles) in September. It will be hot. All I can say is I am not afraid to walk some of that one. I am hoping for a freak cold front to go through Ohio that weekend. Since I am not relying on that hope I am requiring myself to lose at least 25 more pounds and I need to run in the sun. Hmmm running with sleeves warms me up in 40 degree weather, ought to consider that for this summer. With plenty of water stashed around the hayfields of course.

I have a lot of work to do, but I Believe it can be done!