On My Way to 10k!

Hello everyone!  I hope you've had a great week since I last updated. 

Since I last posted I have:
- Started a Zero to 10k running program
- Decided to *attempt* a half-marathon in June (yikes!)
- Lost half a pound (or 2 1/2 lbs, depending on which day I weighed...)
- Only taken one day off

So let me expand on these a bit.  Before this last week I was exercising 3-4 days per week.  Nothing was happening to my weight (besides going up a little, as I pointed out last week) despite the exercise and eating well *most* of the time.  Last Friday I was having a little bit of a bummer day (and a lazy one, at that).  I was planning to skip exercise that day until I found out my sister-in-law would be going to the rec center that night.  So I put on my big girl panties (literally) and went to meet her.  I did what was actually Week 1 Day 1 of Couch to 5k and LOVED it.  It was hard, brutal towards the end because I have zero stamina or endurance, but I was determined and felt really fantastic afterward.  Like I could conquer anything.  It made me realize that things are harder at this weight, I'm uncomfortable and my body is in pain because of what I've put it through the last several years.  But, at the same time, it helped me realize the discomfort I feel doing day-to-day things is no excuse to sit around and not take care of myself.  It also helped me realize my body is more capable of some things than I give/gave it credit for.

The half-marathon thing is something my mom and I talked about doing last year.  She's fit and healthy and I'm sure would be able to walk 13 miles no problemo.  But the weeks of "training" came and went and pretty soon I was out of time.  Being so out of shape I knew that I didn't want to attempt walking 13 miles.  It would've been too hard a feat, mentally and physically.  This year, however, I believe I can do it.  My sister-in-law is excited about get healthy and fit again and she and I started the Zero to 10k program.  It's roughly 10 weeks long, and from there I'll start a half-marathon event training program that's 12 weeks long.  We're about 22 weeks away from the half so it's good timing I suppose.  Right now I'm planning to run half of the half marathon.  About 6 1/2 miles.  If I can do more by then, great.  If not, it will still be an incredible accomplishment.  I've always envied runners.  In all their huffing and puffing glory they usually seem at peace and like it's a real joy for them.  I've always admired their commitment when it's 30 degrees outside, or 95 degrees outside, or 6 o'clock in the morning.  I hope I can adopt that persistence and drive someday. 


Last week we had pizza four times.  Crazy, right?  Once we made it here, once we ordered, and twice we had it at someone else's house.  When we were NOT eating pizza I was eating really quite well, and that plus the treadmill paid off for a half pound loss this week from last Wednesday.

Weight this week: 243.4

I'm getting verrrry impatient about breaking through into the 230s and have made it a goal to be at 239 or lower by the end of the month.  Two weeks, four pounds.  I think I can do it.  The running I've been doing on the treadmill has shown me how I should feel when I'm doing cardio.  The program pushes me to the brink of death before giving me a tiny break and then torturing me again.  Normally when I'm on my elliptical in the safe and private confines of my own home I go at a leisurely pace, in comparison.  So what I'm trying to say is, the Zero to 10k program is pushing me harder than I would choose to push myself.  I think this will pay off.

On a different note, I've been logging my work outs in a calendar on my kitchen table with stickers.  I've found that I really like seeing more stickers than blank spaces and at the end of the month I'll be happy to post a photo here of the sticker-filled January as well as my measurements and progress pics for the month. 

I hope you all have an awesome week, and make more good choices than poor ones!