Almost Run Over at Starbucks

I almost got run over in the parking lot at Starbucks this morning. No joke, I know I tend to exaggerate on occasion, but this time I'm serious. If I had not jumped (literally) out of the way, this guy would have backed over me! Clearly, he should have taken some time in Starbucks to drink some of his coffee to wake up. I will have to take more care in the Starbucks parking lot in the morning - crazy people who don't look behind them when they start to back up their vehicle go there. It's a dangerous place.

Stunning Results

I lost 4.6 lbs. this week. I have no idea how it happened. For the past week, I have been doing much better at following the program, but I didn't think I was overly successful. Since last Friday, I've had homemade mac-n-cheese, lots of beer, bratwurst, german potato salad, pizza, grilled cheese, french fries, reeses cups, and pad thai. Not exactly the best choices when one is trying to make a lifestyle change and lose weight. In fact, listing all that stuff out, how did I think I was doing better at staying OP? Maybe I just did a good job at portion control? I have no idea. And it wasn't exercise because I haven't really been exercising. I'm utterly baffled, but I'll take it. Hopefully, it won't bite me in the ass the next couple of weeks. Generally, I'll have a big loss and then either not lose any weight or gain a little weight even though I'm OP. It's frustrating and I pray it doesn't happen the next couple of weeks.

Best Stuff Ever...

I have just discovered the best drink ever - Sugar Free Cranberry Apple drink mix. It's from Walmart. It's the Sam's Choice brand, I think. It is fantastic. I'm so tired of the boring old Crystal Light flavors, plus I absolutely love cranberry juice and have missed being able to drink it. There are other things I would rather spend my points on...like chocolate and ice cream. So I'm very excited about this new drink mix. Actually, I don't know if it's new, but I've never seen it before. My brother started buying it. I wonder if they make a Cranberry Grape version because that would be even better. I will have to look.

No Self Control

I don't know what my problem is, but I have absolutely no self control. One minute I'm determined to get back on track and I'm doing better and the next I'm shoving a Brazenhead burger in my mouth for lunch. And let's not forget the Snickers bar I had for dessert last night (the neighbors brought over an enormous bag of full-sized candy bars and 2 lb. bag of peanut M&Ms) or the breakfast of champions I had this morning - Pop Tarts and a diet Pepsi. I guess at least I jogged 3.25 miles yesterday, but I doubt it's going to make a difference given how much crap I've eaten in the past 6 days. I must find a way to get back on track.

The Next CR

The 2nd Annual Law School Girls Reunion was a blast. I ate so much that I'm still not hungry two days later. I don't know how that's going to play out on the scale on Thurs., but oh well, girls will be girls. I'll just work extra hard the next 4 days to be OP and exercise and hope that I maintain. At least we did go hiking on Sat. instead of sitting around eating the entire day. We hiked for about 3 hours at Hocking Hills State Park. I think it was about 5-6 miles. So I worked off some of the calories I took in...maybe. All in all a good weekend. I'm looking forward to next year's trip already.

By the way, I hope your first day in your new section is going well, the Next CR. ;-)

FIF Week 3

This week wasn't the greatest. I lost 0.5 lbs. this week, which is fine, but what really bothers me is that my week was unsuccessful on the exercising front. I did so well for 2 weeks waking up early to either go to the gym or do pilates with my mom. This week...bleck. I only exercised once - Mon. The other days I overslept. It was ridiculous. I could not get up for the life of me. And it wasn't because I was staying up too late. Most nights I was in bed by 10-10:30pm. I don't know what my problem is/was. Next week must be different!

Aside from that, everything is going pretty well. I'm very excited about going to Hocking Hills this weekend for the 2nd Annual Law School Girls Reunion. It's going to be a blast. I am sad that not everyone can make it this year. JM, we'll miss you! Also, Broccoflower, I demand (because I'm the boss of you ;-) ) that you attend next year's Hocking Hills trip. With the advent of SkyBus, there are no excuses. Just putting that out there.

Fabulous in Fall Week 2

I'm down 2 lbs. this week. Hurray! Working out is paying off. I've been doing pretty good at getting up in the morning. I have only missed 2 scheduled workouts in the past 2 weeks. I'm already noticing a difference which is nice.

It's also nice that I have been making better food choices in the past week. Well, except for eating my weight in tortilla chips and salsa at Abuelos on Wed. night, so maybe I would have been down more had I not done that. On the other hand, I did not order my customary burrito; I got 1 steak and 1 chicken with veggies skewers. It was very tasty and Core program friendly.

In any case, I intend to keep up the good work this week as I'm finally moving in the right direction again. I need to fit back into the clothes I bought for Vegas in time for St. Thomas, plus I've gotten some really cute, new work clothes that I want to wear, but I need to lose a few more pounds for them to look nice. Curses for being in-between sizes again! Ok, I'm out.

Challenge Week 1 Synopsis

The week didn't go very well. I made good choices during the day, but fell back on bad habits at dinner time. Mostly because I was eating dinner at my parents' house. It's not always an easy thing for me to make the best choices there. No loss this week.

On the upside, exercising in the morning went very well. I was up and exercising by 6am everyday this week. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be. On to the next week - hopefully it will be better for the food choice and weight loss endeavors.

Day 2

Today is Day 2 of my new routine of getting up early to exercise. So far, so good. I realize that it's early in the game, but it hasn't been as difficult getting up these past two days at 5am as it was over the winter when I started training for the Indy Mini. Hopefully, it will continue to be easy.

On Mon., Wed. and Fri., I go over to my parents' house and my mom and I do pilates. It's very interesting to say the least. The dogs don't know what to make of the two of us pilate-ing on the floor and will randomly jump on us. We're going to have to work on that. On Wed., I'm also going to go to the gym after work for weight training. (Well, I'm going to try anyway.) On Tues. and Thurs., I go to the gym in the morning to jog. I'm not so excited about using the treadmill again, but unfortunately, there isn't any place to jog outside by my house where I won't get run over by a gravel truck. Not the way I want to die - if I get hit by a car, it had better be a luxury sedan, i.e. BMW, Jag, Mercedes, etc. That way my parents will be more likely to get some settlement money to pay off my massive credit card debt. But enough about that...

Nothing else to report really. I haven't been doing too well food choice wise for the Challenge, but I'm working on it. I'll be back in fighting form for next week.

Fabulous in Fall

That's the name I came up with for the new challenge. I like symmetrical names apparently - Fabulous in Fall, Viva Las Vegas, Hot for the Holidays (a challenge name I came up with after FiF). So far, my first full day of the Challenge is going well. Hopefully, my self-control will last through happy hour with J this evening and on through the weekend. I need to start going to WW on Mon. maybe. Right now, I go on on Thurs. evenings, so I have M-Th. to redeem myself if I have a bad weekend. But maybe that thought process is what has been holding me back. I'll have to think about this.

Nothing else exciting is going on. Well, that's not true. I'm very excited to go to Boston in Nov. to see my best friends from high school. I haven't seen them since right before my parents moved to Columbus last summer. So that means I haven't seen them in way too long. So yay for that!

My car battery died of old age on Wed. evening. Of course, there was no one left in the office at 6:15pm and no one who works downtown and might have still been there was answering their phones, so my dad had to drive down to jump my car. I am now the proud owner of a 72 mos. Interstate battery, which may outlive my car since it has 119,000 miles on it. On the other hand, my car is a Honda Accord and they do tend to last a long time. My grandpa is still driving his 1991 Accord that goes to South Dakota every year from Pittsburgh and has been to Alaska twice. So I guess we'll see.

The Dawning of a New Challenge

Next week will be the inaugural week of a new Challenge. And not a moment too soon. As of last night, I was up 11 lbs. from Memorial Day. That's huge, and not in a good way.

So begins the Challenge. I will be joined by the usual suspects - you know who you are :-). It will last a total of 11 weeks, so until Thurs., Nov. 1. The Challenge is still unnamed, so if anyone has any suggestions for something catchy, let me know. Let the games begin.

Bad Starfruit

It has been extremely long time since I've posted anything. I've thought about it and then decided that I didn't have time. It makes me feel especially bad since I always harass Kmbuckeye and B about not blogging when they have been absent for a while. But I'm back.

Things have been pretty crazy for me lately. I think I have finally found a real job. Hopefully, it will continue to work out. I need to rustle up some clients though, so if you need help defending against ethics charges or legal malpractice or criminal allegations or if you have employment issues, I'm your girl.

On the family front, things have also been very crazy. For those who don't know, my uncle has been in the hospital since the end of June, which means my mom has been at the hospital everyday. And since she's pretty much the dictator, I mean director, of our family, things are in disarray to say the least. Not too mention, my little sister also has to have surgery sometime in the next couple of weeks and will be bedridden for 2 weeks. Things are hectic.

Finally, it turns out I am not going to be able to do the Columbus 1/2 Marathon with Kmbuckeye like I had planned. Instead, I have to go to St. Thomas from Oct. 18-23. I know, tough life, right? One of my good friends from Cornell is getting married and there's going to be a mini-Cornell reunion for the wedding. Since I haven't seen anyone pretty much since graduation, I definitely couldn't pass up the opportunity. Now let's keep our fingers crossed that there isn't going to be a hurricane.

I think that's it for now. I promise that I going to get back on track with blogging. Maybe it will help me get on track and stay on track with WW and going to the gym too. I can only hope.

Getting There...

I'm slowly getting back on track. I feel like everything has been spiraling out of control lately, but hopefully that has stopped. I jogged for the first time in a while on Saturday. I just picked up with my training schedule. It felt good. It was a 4 mile jog and while I was slow, I didn't have any problems completing it, which made me very, very happy. Also, just the fact that I was out doing something made me feel better. I've been feeling very gross and disgusting lately.

I'm also tackling getting back on track with WW. Some days are better than others. I just can't seem to get everything together at once. I'll start out really well in the beginning of the day, but by the end, it's all over. I need to get back to cooking for myself and not eating dinner at my parents' house so much. Or if I do eat over there, making healthy substitutions - like brown rice, instead of my mother's very tasty baked rice that I know for a fact has an entire stick of butter in it. I maintained last week, which was shocking. I hope that doesn't translate into a gain this week. We'll see.

P.S. - I read the entire new Harry Potter book on Sat. (although I didn't let myself go pick up my reserved copy until I completed my training jog - how's that for motivation?). It was fantastic. I won't comment on the content, in case people haven't read and/or finished it yet. But everyone needs to read it if they've kept up with the series. Or read the entire series. You're seriously missing out if you don't.

I Need Some Motivation...

Weight loss and 1/2 marathon training efforts were abominal last week...as in nonexistent. Mostly due to working insane hours trying to get my appellate brief done; hopefully, this week will be better. I really need to get back on track. There has been no excuse for my laziness/eating. I wore a shirt yesterday that I had gotten for Vegas - it looked great then, it makes me look preggers now. Not a particularly good look for me at the moment. I need some:

M ake short-term goals
O ut with the negative thoughts
T hink of why you want it
I magine how you will feel
V isualize the future you
A cknowledge your successes
T reat yourself with respect
I nvestigate new ideas and foods
O bserve your healthy lifestyle
N ever give up and never give in

-Author unknown

Back to Law School...

I am officially in appellate brief hell. I feel like I'm back in App. Ad. I hated App. Ad. Not to mention, true to form, the brief is due tomorrow at 5pm - no more extensions allowed - and I'm only about half way done. I work best under pressure. Some of my best work has occurred between 1am - 4am. Hopefully, the client, and more importantly, the appellate court thinks so. On the upside, I will get to argue the case in court most likely. On second thought, I don't know if that is an upside or not. Again, hellish flashbacks to App. Ad.

Back on the Wagon

It's officially time for me to get back on the wagon - for WW and 1/2 Marathon training. I have gained a heartstopping 9 lbs. since the Indy Mini Marathon in the beginning of May. That is completely unacceptable and I feel gross. Not too mention I haven't really worked out since the 1/2 Marathon, so since the beginning of May. Again, this is unacceptable.

Today is my first day completely back on WW. So far, so good. Hopefully, I'll make it through dinner tonight because my brother's girlfriend is making Dirt Cake. I absolutely adore Dirt Cake, plus it's TOM so anything chocolate I want to eat. It will be a struggle.

This week is also my first week of 1/2 marathon training for my next race. I'm doing the Columbus 1/2 Marathon on Oct. 21, 2007, with Kmbuckeye. Actually, not really "with" ~ she will leave me in the dust. But I will definitely see her at the finish line :-).

Goals for the Next Couple of Months:
1. Lose the weight I have gained by being lazy and off program, so lose 9lbs.
2. Complete ALL the training days on my schedule. I didn't really do all the training I was supposed to do for my first 1/2 marathon, i.e. the cross-training.
3. Keep myself accountable on my blog again. I've gotten away from doing this, but no more.

YAY for new computer!

Well, I purchased a new computer today. Technically, my dad purchased it and put it on my tab which is growing larger by the second. I owe him at least a semester of college for my little brother. But I have 2 years before my brother goes to college, so I have a little time.

Back to the computer. I'm very excited about it. I got another Toshiba laptop because I loved my old laptop and it lasted me almost 6 years with no problems that I didn't cause myself (i.e. flipping it off a tray table and breaking the power pin). So far, so good. I'm not too sure how I feel about the Vista OS and Office 2007. They are both very different from previous versions, so we'll. My new computer also has a fingerprint reader for security and a built in webcam (neither of which I will probably use, but they're cool). Alright, back to playing with the computer.

Horrid Woman at the Liberty Twp./Powell YMCA

Ew...I have just lost a lot of respect for the YMCA. My mom and I just went down to the Liberty Twp./Powell YMCA, so my mom could sign up as a program member. (I've been a YMCA member for almost 4 years.) We wanted to do the pilates classes that they offer. When we got to the front desk to sign up, my mom double-checked to make sure that the program membership covered those classes and the woman said that it did not because it was a free class. That didn't make sense, but that was fine.

It was the conversation that took place next that really pissed me off. I mentioned that maybe they might want to clarify on their website that the free fitness classes aren't included in the program membership because right now all it states is "program members may participate in classes only." (In my mind, that would include pilates - a class offered by the Y.) The front desk woman replied "We don't control that. It's not our problem." (As if it's my problem their website isn't clear.) Her entire demeanor was dismissive and rude. She barely even glanced my way when she made her statement, as if addressing a member's concern wasn't worth her time. I've never been so poorly treated by an employee of the YMCA. I don't know that I'll ever go back to that particular YMCA.

I wish now that I would have paid more attention to her name, because I'm definitely going to be letting someone at the YMCA know of my displeasure at the discourteous treatment. Let's face it, she didn't have to do much to not piss me off. She could have said: (1) "I didn't realize that. We don't control the content of the website, but I'll make a note of your concern and let someone know." or (2) "We don't control the content of the website, but let me get the name of the person who does and you can let him/her know of your concern/suggestion" or (3) "We don't control the content of the website, but there is a feedback form on the website where you make suggestions or voice concerns." It would have maybe an extra 30 seconds of her time. She is a wretched woman.

The Biggest Loser

I'm becoming addicted to the reruns of The Biggest Loser. I'm currently watching the one where they picked competitors from the 50 states. Although, I do have to ask: Did anyone who watched that season notice that all the girls in the final 8 were from cold, northern states, i.e. Idaho, North Dakota, Alaska, and most of the guys were from the south, i.e. Arkansas, Missouri, Florida? What are they trying to say? That girls up north really pack on the pounds to stay warm? Although that thinking falls in line with some comments made by some Georgia frat boys on spring break one year, referring to my group as the "fat" girls from up north. All of us were from New York, except for one who was from Massachusetts. Anyway, it hit a sore spot (if you couldn't tell).

Where's Waldo?

It's in Ohio. Right off of Rt. 23 & Rt. 98. And you are correct if you are thinking it's in the middle of no where. Why do I know where Waldo is? Because the G&R Bar in Waldo has the BEST fried baloney sandwiches in the world. I was there on Wed. for a "staff meeting/going away party for Starfruit", which is kind of funny because I wasn't at work on Wed. when the judge decided to have this staff meeting/going away party that evening. So I had to make a special trip to the middle of nowhere. In any case, it really was a great sandwich and they have great pie too. Apparently, the G&R was featured on the Food Network for its fried baloney sandwiches. Anyway, it was worth the drive. If you ever find yourself in Waldo, you should stop in.

Nothing Important

Vegas was awesome! I had a blast with everybody. I won a total of $175 with an investment of only $39. I won $140 playing roulette. Yay for my dad, who told me to bet $20 for him on Black 22. I found a table at the Sahara with $1 chips/$4 min. bet and on my second spin, it hit Black 22 and I won $140. I got to keep $70 for my efforts :-). Then I won $35 on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine. I was happy.

Other than that, nothing exciting/important to report. I've been extremely lazy lately and haven't exercised. I need to get back on the wagon. I also need to find a new job. This is the last week I'm working for the judge. I'm thinking about running away and joining the circus. I think I would make a good clown. Or maybe I'll become a Carnie; I've always wanted to work a food cart at various local county fairs. Anway, just a thought.

Viva Las Vegas

I'm going to Vegas this coming weekend and I'm very excited. First, I have never been to Vegas. Second, the group I'm going with is awesome and we always have a lot of fun. Third, I can't wait to get out of the hellhole that is Ohio for a little bit. (I like to blame Ohio, being the black hole of the Earth, for everything going wrong in my life.) I haven't been on a real vacation since right after taking the Bar when I went to Ocean City with B.D. and M.G.. So in 2 years. I can't wait...only 3 more days.

In other news, I did Race for the Cure this past weekend. It was fun. I didn't realize that the race in Columbus is the 10th largest Race for the Cure. There were more people there than at the Indy Mini Marathon. Very impressive. Somehow B, J and I missed the start for the runners (probably because I had to make a bathroom stop on the way to start line), so we walked. Apparently, I walk very quickly, which doesn't surprise me because I don't really enjoy walking for the sake of walking. So I wanted the 3.1 miles over and done with quickly. Anyway, that's all for now. I'm out like a fat kid in dodgeball.

Indy Mini Marathon - May 3, 2008

Anyone want to do the Indy Mini Marathon next year? (Besides Kmbuckeye & B, that is.) I signed up today to do the race again next year. Apparently, the spots are going like hotcakes - all 35,000. The race does sell-out; it sold out by Nov. 27, 2006, for this year's race. Anyway, if you're interested, let me know!

Nothing New Really

Not a lot going on right now. Just counting down the days until I leave for Vegas (for the 30th birthday of someone who will remain nameless). Weight loss is going okay. I've lost 6.4 lbs. over the past 7 weeks. Too bad it's weight that I've gained and lost several times now. I really need to get on the ball and break out of this cycle.

I also need to get back into running...like tomorrow. I've taken the week off since the 1/2 Marathon last weekend. I think I'm going to do another 1/2 Marathon in the fall. Specifically, the Columbus 1/2 Marathon on Oct. 21. So I need to keep up with my running, although I won't need to really start training for the race until the middle of July. If anyone wants to do the 1/2 Marathon with me, let me know! I'm also going to try to do 1 race per month for the foreseeable future. On May 19th, I'm doing Race for the Cure [5K] and potentially, on June 1st, I will be doing B's Race for the Kids (?) [5K] in Dayton.

Finally, I think hell has frozen over because I have purchased a pair of cropped/capri khakis from the Gap and I wear and like them. Some people may know or have noticed that I haven't worn shorts in public since high school (so, in at least 9 years) due to short, fat legs and that I have continually refused to wear capris since they have come back into style over the past few years. Mostly, it was because when they first came out, I never was able to find a pair that looked nice on me, and I didn't think such a pair existed. But apparently, they do. Now I need to address the problem of glow-in-the-dark white legs because they haven't seen the light of day in quite a few years.

3:17:04 & 24696th Place

That's right, folks, I was able to do my very first 1/2 Marathon this past Sat. I jogged/walked 13.1 miles. WooHOO! It turns out my foot was only sprained and my doctor gave me the go-ahead to do the race a day and a half beforehand. I just had to wrap my foot for the race and then ice and ibuprofen afterwards.

The race went pretty well considering I didn't train at all the 2 weeks prior to it and only half-heartedly the 2 weeks prior to my injury. I finished in 3 hours, 17 minutes and 4 seconds and I was the 24,696th person to cross the finish line. And while I acknowledge it is a large number, I wasn't at the complete end of the pack. A total of 29,213 people finished the race.

I averaged a 15:03 min. mile, which is extremely slow, I know, but it worked for me. Plus, I was never in any danger of being picked up by the Sag Wagon. I had hoped to average about a 13 min. mile. Maybe next time. I walked a lot more than I wanted to, but it was probably a good thing because around 11.5 miles, my foot really started hurting. The pain would hit randomly, but it was so intense, I would limp for a few steps before I could get back in stride. I was worried that I had reinjured it. Luckily, I didn't. It doesn't hurt to walk on it now; it's just swollen. Surprisingly, I'm not very sore either. I'm very thankful.

The actual race was very cool. Downtown Indianapolis was virtually shut down. There were pit areas with water or gatorade about every 1/2 mile or so. Also, along the entire route there were bands every few blocks which was also cool. It was like having an iPod the entire race. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. I would recommend the race to anyone.

Suckiest Week EVER (well, this year)

This has officially been the suckiest week of the year. First, I left my driver's side car window down Tues. night, which wouldn't normally be a problem, but it rained/stormed all night. My car was soaked when I ran out to the car (in the rain) to go to work (already 45 mins. late). It's been raining pretty much since then, so my car seat is still wet because I can't leave the windows down to let air in and the sun hasn't been out. Stupid Starfruit.

Second, all my 1/2 Marathon aspirations have been cruelly crushed a little over a week before the race. My left foot has been hurting since my training jog this past Sun. It got worse over the week, so I went to the doctor yesterday. Apparently, I have either a stress fracture or a sprained/ruptured ligature in my left foot. The doctor can't tell from x-ray, so I go in for an MRI on Tues. Either way, it doesn't look like I am going to be able to do my 1/2 Marathon next Sat. or even jog for a while. I'm really, really upset and disappointed. I might ignore the doctor and go anyway and try to walk the 1/2 Marathon. I know it's not realistic because the more I walk on my foot, the more painful it gets...but right now, the thought of attempting to do the 1/2 Marathon is the only thing that makes me feel any better. I want my t-shirt from the race; it will be the most expensive t-shirt I have.

The only good thing that has happened this week is that I lost 3.7 lbs. No clue how that happened. Maybe the pain in my foot prevented me from walking to the frig./cupboard to get food as often. Or it could have been the homework from my WW leader - no eating after 7pm for the week. I think that will be a rule I continue.

I'm Having Second Thoughts

About this whole 1/2 Marathon thing. First, I got my race booklet in the mail a couple of weeks ago and it has completely freaked me out. There are 26 starting corrals with approximately 1500 people per corral. That's like 35,000 people. Plus, there are these rules and an emergency weather flag system. It's kind of scary.

Second, I have really slacked in my training over the past three weeks and it shows. I barely made it through my 8 mile jog yesterday and I had to walk the last 2 miles or so of it. In my defense, it was pretty breezy and due to the direction of the wind and trail I was on, I jogging into the wind coming and going. But in reality, that is no defense. The 8 mile jog should have been a piece of cake yesterday and it wasn't. This distresses me. Not too mention the thought of having to do another 5.1 miles on top of that. I wouldn't have made it yesterday. I hope I can pull it together in the next 2 weeks.

On a good note, I did lose 1.5 lbs. last week. So that made me happy. Hopefully, I can keep it up this week.

Backslide

I gained 3 lbs. this week which doesn't surprise me since I started eating last Friday and haven't stopped. I did so well last week not eating crap, not going out to lunch everyday and sticking with my training schedule. This week...not so much.

Not too mention that I'm supposed to do my 13-14 mile training this weekend and it's supposed to rain and snow on Sat. and Sun. I don't want to run in the rain and snow. If it's raining and snowing in 3 weeks in Indy, I'm going to be pissed. Sorry, I'm being so whiny.

Anyway, I'm off like a prom dress.

HAPPY EASTER EGG! (as my little sister likes to say) I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Down 4.2

Yay! I'm down 4.2 lbs. this week. It's the 4.2 lbs. I gained over the previous 2 weeks from eating out for lunch at fast food restaurants pretty much everyday. It's a blessing, but also a curse, because I wasn't a 100% on program this week and I had a huge loss. With Easter this weekend, I have to be extra careful, so that I don't make so many splurges that it equals a gain. Ok, that's all. Except, welcome back, Kmbuckeye :-) !

Wow...

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted. I had no idea. Well, this is what's going on with me. I finally did my 11-12 mile training jog. Actually, that makes it sound longer than it was - I completed 11.02 miles. Not a short distance, but not exactly close to 12 miles either.

I learned a couple things too. First, I'm not part mountain goat. Second, you should do research before deciding to try out a new outdoor trail. Since it's been nice, I've been jogging outside. I decided to try out Highbanks Metro Park for my jog this past weekend. Silly me, I thought it would be relatively flat given that it's in the middle of Ohio. I was wrong; hence I discovered I'm not part mountain goat. I made it about 4 miles before deciding that I wasn't going to jog up/down hills for another 7 miles. So, I went back to my parents' house and jogged the final 7.02 miles there. I'll probably go back to Highbanks in the future to jog, but not when I have an extremely long distance to go.

This coming weekend I have a short training jog - 7 miles. I've been doing pretty well on my during-the-week jogs too. I'm averaging about a 12.50 min. mile which is down from 13.26 min. mile. And I'm also jogging over 4 miles during each jog. Last night I hit 4.46 miles in 60 mins. and that includes a 5 min. warm-up and 5 min. cooldown. I felt good after the jog too - not overly winded or tired. I probably could have jogged further had I needed too. So I'm happy.

Weight loss efforts are going enh... I'm doing better this week than I have in the past month, but I haven't been 100% on program. I'm working on it though. Hopefully, my efforts will show on the scale. If not, I will just focus on my non-scale victories with my 1/2 Marathon training. If I hadn't been training for the 1/2 Marathon, I would totally be a blimp after my eating habits of the past month. Just tatoo Goodyear on my bum.

Dirty, Little Secret

My dirty, little secret is that I punked out on my 11-12 mile training jog this weekend. I didn't do it on Sat. because I had plans for St. Patty's Day. And I had every intention of doing it on Sun., but I didn't. I got up, put on my jogging gear, got all my stuff together and went over to my parents' house for breakfast and to throw in some laundry. Yea, I ended up staying there all day and falling asleep on the couch for 3 hours. Real nice.... I'm a lazy bum. It was a really good day to jog too. A little on the chilly side, but sunny, and not a whole lot of wind. Oh well. Better luck this week.

11-12 Miles... Yikes

Well, this weekend is my 11-12 mile training jog. I'm really nervous about it. Last weekend I completed my 10 mile training, but it wasn't pretty...at all. First, although I finished, I had to walk the last 1.5 miles because I just couldn't jog anymore. Second, after I finished the jog, I was sick for about an hour and puked. Not good. Not good at all. I hope that doesn't happen this time around. It wasn't an enjoyable experience. Part of it can be explained, I think, by the fact that it was the first time I had attempted a training jog outside. I wasn't very good at pacing myself. Sometimes I would be jogging at a 13 min./mile pace and other times at an 11 min./mile pace. I wasn't consistent. Other than that, I can't explain why I felt so bad afterwards.

The upside of my jog last weekend was I got to use my brand new Garmin Forerunner for the first time and it was fantastic. I love it, love it, love it. I don't know why I've waited so long to use it. Oh wait, I know why, because it's been winter and it's been gross and I haven't wanted to jog outside.

On a slightly different note, my weight loss efforts haven't been going so great. I had a 0.6 lb. loss over the past 2 weeks, but it was pure luck. I ate a large, doublecheeseburger extra value meal from McDonald's yesterday for lunch. Not my finest moment. The rest of the past 2 weeks haven't been much better. I don't know why I can't get back on track...it's very frustrating. Hopefully, better luck this week.

9 Down, 4.1 to Go

I jog/walked 9 miles yesterday. Yay for me! It went pretty well. I was doing great for the first 6.25 miles. I felt great; my legs weren't overtired and my lungs didn't feel like they were going to explode. But then I got a really bad cramp across my ribs, so I had to walk for 7 mins. (about .5 mile) until the cramp went away. After the cramp, I had to slow down a little bit and switch from a 3 min. jog/1 min. walk split to a 3 min. jog/2 min. walk split, but I made it in about 2 hrs., 10 mins. I'm not going to be breaking any records (except for maybe the slowest 26 year old ever), but at least I'm going to finish the race.

I have approximately 8 weeks of training left before my race. My goals for the next 8 weeks are (1) do ALL of my scheduled training (code for stop skipping the cross-training days) and (2) get back on track with my weight loss efforts, so I don't have to carry as much weight 13.1 miles on race day.

I'm Back

Sorry, I have been MIA lately. It's been a combo of things - busy with my job, computer issues, laziness. But I'm back. Things have been up and down the past couple of weeks. One thing that has definitely been up is my weight...boo. I've gained about 3 lbs. this month despite my 1/2 marathon training. I think the weight gain is, in part, due to my new office mates at work. They have atrocious eating habits, i.e. most of their meals come from the vending machine and consist of chips and/or candy and soda. Due to my lack of conviction and almost non-existent will power, they have led me down this path as well for the past couple of weeks. Lucky for them, they don't have to worry about their weight, but for me, it all ends today.

Training has been going okay. Last week was a bad week. I only made it to the gym once for my workouts and on Sat. I didn't complete my 8-mile training jog. I did 4 miles and then did almost 7 miles on the bike. I copped out; I just didn't feel like jogging anymore and I told myself that it was too busy at the gym to continue for another 4 miles. I had been kicked off my treadmill because people were waiting, but I could've waited about 5 mins. and gotten another one. This week has been much better. I felt good during my shorter jogs and cross-training this week and tomorrow I WILL complete my 9-mile training jog. It might take me forever and a day, but I will do it.

My final observation for this post is: Britney Spears foreshadowed her own demise. Have you ever really listened to the lyrics of her song "Lucky"? I pondered this on the treadmill a couple days ago when the song played on my iPod.

"She's so lucky, she's a star
But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking
If there's nothing missing in my life
Then why do these tears come at night

Lost in an image, in a dream
But there's no one there to wake her up
And the world is spinning, and she keeps on winning
But tell me what happens when it stops?"

Apparently, when it stops you marry K-Fed, pop out 2 kids in short succession, have a mental breakdown and shave your head. This should be a lesson to everyone ;-).

Level 2 - Snow Emergency

HELP! I'm stranded in my house and I want to eat everything in sight. I'm bored...work is boring when I don't have co-workers to chat with. When I'm bored, I eat to break the monotony. And there is an alarmingly large amount of bad food to eat. My mom made my favorite sugar cookies with frosting for V-day. They are extremely tasty, but I want to eat them all. Boo!

Non-Scale Victory

I posted 1/2 lb. gain this week, which was a bummer. But on the upside, I had a non-scale victory this week. I tried on a pair of jeans last night that are a size smaller than I currently wear and they fit! Well, they fit much better than they used to. I've been able to get into them and zip them up for a while. But now I look more like a girl wearing a pair of jeans and less like a stuffed sausage in a jean casing. Apparently, the past 4 weeks of 1/2 Marathon training are paying off. I'm not quite ready to debut the jeans yet; maybe after a couple more weeks of training and a couple less lbs.

Pleasure

I have discovered the BEST treats ever! Keebler 100 cal. pk. Fudge Stripe Mini cookies. They are so tasty. They look and taste like the actual real Fudge Stripe cookies, which I adore. It's official, I'm addicted. And the best part is, 1 package is only 2 points.

In addition, here's the recipe for my breakfast oatmeal. It sounds boring, but I've finally hit on a combination for oatmeal that is Core and not completely repulsive and/or baked.

1/2 c. Quick Cooking or Old Fashioned Oatmeal
4 tsp. Splenda (or 2 pkg.)
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 c. Fat Free Milk
1/4 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Mix together in a microwaveable bowl and cook according to directions. Approx. 3-4 mins. in the microwave.

Note: Sometimes I substitute 1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice for the Cinnamon.

Crime & Punishment

The Crime: Skipping my 5 mile training jog on Sat.

The Punishment: The worst workout EVER this morning. At least, it was the worst workout since my first week of training, which admittedly, wasn't that long ago. I managed to struggle through the workout; but it was painful. I thought I was going to die. My calves felt like they were going to explode, along with my lungs. Like I mentioned, it was a bad workout.

Maintain

Sorry I'm so late in posting for last week. I've been really busy at work or in the alternative, extremely lazy when I'm not at work or the gym. In any case, I maintained this week, which didn't really surprise me. I didn't have the best week foodwise and it was TOM. Hopefully, I will see a loss this week on the scale.

Now I must confess my dirty little secret - I didn't do my 5-mile training run this weekend. I feel horribly guilty right now, but I definitely didn't feel guilty this past weekend. It all started out that I needed to go over to my parents' house on Sat. to watch my little sister, when I was supposed to be at the gym. I figured that I would just do my run on Sun. But yesterday, I was really lazy, like didn't get out of my bed except to get food and drink or get dressed until like 5pm, when I left to go over to my parents' house (again) to watch part of the Super Bowl. So I'm bad. I need to get back on track with my training and I will, starting tomorrow. Today is an off day.

Woo Hoo!!

I'm down 4.8 lbs. over the past 2 weeks! That makes me very happy. Too bad I was just re-losing the weight I lost during the Challenge, but I'll take it. I must have a more competitive nature than I thought. I know I'm competitive about a lot of things, but who know I would be competitive about weight loss as well? I did so well staying OP during the Challenge, but then right after Christmas, I lost the drive to stay on track.

Anyhoo, I got up at the crack of dawn this morning (5AM) to go to the gym. Actually, it wasn't even the crack of dawn because the sun hadn't risen yet. It was interesting; I'm not sure how much I like exercising that early in the morning. Plus, now I'm kind of tired and it's only 9:20 or so in the morning and I have a long day of legal research ahead of me. Boo.... On the upside, it wasn't very crowded, so it would probably would be easier to fit in my entire jogging session if I went in the morning instead of at night. It's really crowded right now at the gym in the evening due to New Years Resolutions; I figure by the middle of Feb. it will calm down because I think most people give up on their resolutions by then. In any case, I've completely lost my train of thought, so that's all for now!

1/2 Marathon Training & Weigh-In

Well, yesterday marked the end of my first official week of training for the 1/2 Marathon in May. It went alright. I didn't do the cross-training days like I was supposed to, mostly because by the time I got home from work and ran errands, it was late and I was tired. That is no excuse though. This week I'm going to do much better, I promise (to myself). I think I might try working out before I go to work instead of after work. Although I don't know how well that is going to work, because I would have to leave my house by 5:30am in order to have enough time to work out, shower and get to work by 9am. And technically, I'm supposed to be at work by 8-8:30am.

On the upside, I was able to jog 3 miles with no problem, so that made me happy. I think I'm going to jog-walk the 1/2 Marathon, not jog the whole way. The training schedule I'm using is for jog-walk. I think the cycle is jog 4 mins., walk 1 min. for the entire distance. We'll see.

As for WI, I didn't go this past week. I was supposed to help out with the concession stand at my little brother's wrestling meet, but instead, I stayed at my parents' house with my little sister while my parents both went to the meet (Mom to work the stand, she's in charge of it; Dad to watch Zach get smacked down, literally). That was my excitement.

9 Healthy Habits of Weight Maintainers

Note: I got this in an email from my WW Leader and thought it was interesting.

There is a mountain of information available telling you how to lose weight. However there is precious little guidance telling you how to maintain your body weight.

So what are some habits that keep people lean? We all know someone who eats like a horse, but resembles a beanpole - however this is the exception rather than the rule. Most people who maintain their weight do so because they have implemented some positive habits.

1. They have pre-planned sessions of exercise. Incidental exercise is good, but in all honesty - it's not enough. People who maintain their weight have learnt to schedule dedicated times of exercise. Those times are not torture sessions, but times when they look forward to the stress-release and the positive feelings of well-being after the session.

2. They take an interest in nutrition. Most people that look after their bodies know exactly what they are putting into it. They know how to read food labels, and they understand what it means. They know the difference between processed foods and whole foods.

3. They eat mindfully. Eating mindfully means you are fully aware of how much you are eating. Everyone can get distracted, but the maintainer knows which situations make it difficult for them to eat mindfully (buffets, TVs, stress).

4. They go easy on fast food. I've seen people who scarf down cheeseburger after cheeseburger and yet maintain their weight... and then they grow out of their teens and into their late twenties and thirties and discover a bulging waistline. The maintainer knows that fast food consumption has to be carefully managed, and good choices must be made. They know the good choices because of #2.

5. They know how to vary their food intake. Some days you eat more, some less. Sometimes you have big meals, sometimes small. The maintainer knows that if you overeat, then you must balance that out - and that overindulgence is an occasional thing - not a daily habit.

6. They know when they've had enough. A common issue today is that people have lost track of when enough is enough. Whether due to hormonal imbalances, poor food choices, or behavioral issues - we don't seem to know when to stop eating. The weight maintainer has learned to follow cues from their stomach, and to stop eating before they are uncomfortably full. And even when they can't trust their belly - the maintainer knows what an appropriate portion size is.

7. They've learned that good things take time. Someone who maintains their weight knows that a crash diet will never have the long-term affects that they desire. They know that quick-fixes are not the answer; and that many things - including building fitness, losing fat, building muscle, take many months or even years of dedication.

8. They have learned new coping strategies that don't involve food or alcohol.

9. They have learned how to enjoy a healthy, balanced diet as part of a new lifestyle.

Source: diet-blog.com

Up One

NOTE: I tried to post this on Jan. 12, but for some reason Blogger was being a pain in the arse.

I'm not too upset about my gain this week - I've been eating like a pig. Luckily it wasn't a bigger gain, otherwise I might not fit into the dress I bought for Broccoflower's wedding. I'm very excited about the dress; it was a fantastic deal. I got it off the clearance rack at TJ Maxx for $16.01. Yay! I'm also very excited for the wedding. It's going to be a blast.

I start my 1/2 Marathon training this coming week. It should be interesting. Last week, I finally returned to the gym after taking like an 11 week vacation. I'm suprised I didn't drop a lung on the treadmill. I also got my Garmin GPS Forerunner 301. I can't wait to use it for my first outdoor run. The thing measures my distance and heart rate and it has a "virtual partner" that will tell me whether I'm going too fast/slow for the pace I've set. It also does some other neat crap. I think I'm a little too excited about my nifty gadget.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope 2007 is going well for everyone so far, even if it is only 1 day in. This post is going to be devoted to my New Year's resolutions. I'm trying not to go too crazy, so that I don't set myself up for failure. But, just like everyone else, I feel like I need to set some goals for myself for the upcoming year.

Last year's resolutions were:
1. Return to high school weight by my birthday (but birthday was crossed out at some point and Christmas was inserted) - I'm still 42 lbs. from my HS weight...whooops.
2. Go to gym 5 times per week - Until about 11 weeks ago, I wasn't doing too poorly. Again, whoops.
3. Lower cholestorol - I will be making an appointment in a couple of weeks to see if my meds are working.
4. Get employed - I was semi-successful with this one. I have been employed in 4 different part-time jobs this past year.

Here is my initial list of 2007 Resolutions:
1. Reaffirm my commitment to losing weight AND continue losing weight. I ended 2006 18.3 lbs. lighter than I began it. It's not the most auspicious loss on record, but I hope for at least that amount of success in 2007.

2. Train for AND complete the Indy Mini-Marathon on May 5, 2007. Training begins tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't die on the treadmill :-). I have 123 days to whip myself into shape.

3. Get employed FULL-TIME. I needed to qualify this resolution for the upcoming year. I crave stability and a steady paycheck. I'm very tired of being poor and uncertain as to my employment status.

I'll probably amend or expand the list over the year. But for now, three things is all I can handle at once. Just for fun, I'm also going to include what my top 5 resolutions should be based on my astrological sign (Leo) according to MSN's Astrocenter Team. They are suprisingly appropriate, so I might keep them in mind. However, they also fall under the "Setting myself up for failure" category, which is why none are added to my official list. Without further ado:

Leo:(July 22 - August 22)
1) Serious? Yep. Lately, anyway. So first, resolve to enjoy life again.
2) Aim for romance, romance, and more romance, from June through September.
3) Choose one of those playmates and have a real, live relationship by November.
4) Turn your most-loved hobby into a part-time income, at least.
5) Make it the way you earn your daily bread by the time you hang the mistletoe.

Happy 2007 to everyone ~ "May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door."