My run this morning didn't turn out quite how I'd wanted it to...

Miracle beyond miracles... I lost 8/10ths of a pound this past week!!!

Huh??!!

I debated about weighing in at all. I went to bed Friday night saying, "I'm definitely taking a no-weigh-in-pass tomorrow". After all the cookies and cupcake pops and whatever I wanted to eat for Christmas dinner, there was no way I could face another big gain. I'd gained 3.6 pounds the previous week for eating the exact same way as I did this past week.

And I'd told myself I wasn't going to do this either. I was going to make it through these holidays without gaining... or if I gained, it would only be just a smidge. But here I was, sitting there Friday night looking at my building tummy on the night before weigh in knowing that is exactly what I'd done.

But when I got up Saturday morning, I decided I'd weigh in. I figured, if I gained, I'll surely lose it right back off during the coming week and then I'll have no proof of losing anything. I remember doing that last summer: I gained 7 pounds in one week then I took a no-weigh-in-pass and over the next week was able to get 5 1/2 pounds off but when I weighed in, it showed I'd gained a pound an a half. I didn't want to do that again.

So I weighed in. And lost. Saweet!

I'm thinking it was probably because my 3.6 lb gain last week was really just water gain and then over this past week, I really did gain 3 pounds and it all washed out as an 8/10ths loss.

Well, whatever it was, I was SO stinking surprised and happy for the loss.

So this morning, I got up and headed out for my 12 mile run. I mapped out 2 possible routes last night and when I woke up this morning, I decided to take the more scenic of the two. So, I told hubby my route and headed out the door. I got to the end of the driveway and he popped his head out the door and shouted "be careful". He'd never done that before. It kinda spooked me, like, uh oh, is there something I should be watching out for??

It was cold (50 degrees) and overcast (not a bit of sun)—perfect weather for running! I wore layers and gloves so as I got warmed up, I could peel off the layers and get into the grove.


So after about 3 miles, I turned onto this long, straight stretch of pavement (maybe a half a mile long) that leads from the main thoroughfare to a footbridge that goes over a major interstate and I spotted two hooded individuals almost all the way at the other end of the path. They were walking the same direction as I was running. One was wearing a black hoody with long pants and the other had a gray hoody with long shorts on. I slowed my pace down because I didn't want to catch up with them.

Now walking, I got to the end of the long, straight path and looked up at the roundabout walk way that leads to the interstate overpass and saw the 2 of them trudging along. I stopped and watched them slowly walk across the overpass until they were out of my sight on the other side. Then I started running, very slowly, up the roundabout.

When I got to the end of the overpass, I could see them just every once in a while, but not steady. When I got down the other side of the other roundabout, I saw them at the end of the long pathway that lead to the other thoroughfare on the other side of the interstate and saw that they'd turned right—the exact path I was taking. I started getting real scared because they did not look like they were exercising, in fact they just looked like trouble.

I saw the tops of their hoods cutting through a parking lot to the right, rather than them staying on the sidewalk at the other end of the path. Then I could only see just the gray hood, which was odd because the black hoody was taller than the gray one. Then all of the sudden, the gray hood popped straight down out of sight. Like it was all of the sudden trying to hide from something. THEN, like 5 seconds later, a cop car drove by. Man, that really got me!!

I was walking again because I wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. When I got down to the end of the pathway and was about to turn onto the sidewalk (right where I last spotted them) another runner crossed right in front of me traveling on the sidewalk that I was about to turn onto. Whew! I tucked in behind him and stayed as close as I could to him until I got past the last place I'd seen those hoodys.

But man was I just darn scared.

There was another runner coming up behind him, about 50 feet or so, so I was sandwiched between these 2 male runners and felt somewhat safe. But I was so spooked I didn't think I could go on. The next part of the path was totally secluded and meandered through farm land through a tunnel of beautiful canopy trees. I just didn't think I could feel safe running through that usually beautiful part of the trail.

So I called hubby to come and get me.

I ran towards the closest public area I could find which was a small shopping plaza. He stayed on the phone with me until he got there.

I'm so mad because I felt so strong and so empowered when I started the run, but once I saw those two guys, I felt so helpless and scared. It's a shame our world has come to this. Sad.

So, needless to say, I didn't get to run the full 12 miles. I only ended up running 4 miles. But when I got done, I looked down at my heart monitor and it said I'd burned almost 800 calories. I think it was because my heart rate was up so high during the encounter with those two guys.

Oh, well, I'll just keep on running in the mornings throughout the week. Then next weekend, I'll run the other route. It's a more public the whole way. It follows a major 4-lane road the whole way. So I'll get to smell yummy car exhaust the whole way. Would rather be able to inhale the beautiful smell of trees and flowers, but at least I'll be safe.

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My manditory 30-minute lunch period...

I'm sorry I haven't had much time to blog lately. Had it not been for this "forced" 30-minute lunch at work, I probably wouldn't have been able to blog until after Christmas. Both my bosses (before they left on vacation) said that the "higher ups" would let us go around lunch time today. So I was planning on that. Then the "higher ups" sent this email around:

* Closing Early Today - Word has come down that lunch today should be only 30 minutes and then everyone can leave at 2:00 p.m. to get started on their Christmas holiday. If you opt not to take a 30 minute lunch, you still need to stay until we close. Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!

And this one came an hour later:

If you are taking a 30-minute lunch, it needs to be 11:30-12:00, 12:00-12:30 or 12:30-1:00 with everyone back no later than 1:00 p.m. Thanks!

How sweet... not only are they letting us go in the middle of the afternoon—2 hours past lunch time—but we have a 30-minute mandatory lunch. Oh, and by the way "Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!" with 2 whole exclamation marks! Wow.

So here I sit, just finished eating my vending machine lunch, well, what I could find. There's absolutely NOTHING healthy, low-cal or remotely good for you in any of the machines. Would it kill them to put a piece of fresh fruit in there? How about a yogurt? Or even a "reduced fat" anything! I had to resort to a 2-pack of mini White Castle burgers. Yuk! And so this means, I'm going to have to either go running tonight to work it off or eat uber light tonight for dinner to make up for it.

I know, I should be grateful. They could have let us go home a half hour early.

Ok, enough of my groaning!

This past Saturday at weigh in, I gained 3.6 pounds. Yea, that's right... 3.6 lbs!! Why? I didn't track my food and didn't weigh myself all week. I basically winged the whole week. Won't do that again!!

This week, so far, I've done good. I've only had 3 cookies and they were small ones. One each day. I went on a LONG run Sunday morning—10 miles. That's the longest I've ever done in one stint. I did great, too. When I got done, I felt like I could keep going. So next Sunday, I'll try 12 miles.

I've been reading alot about marathon training and they all pretty much say the same thing—do a long run once a week at a very slow pace then 3-4 short runs during the week at a faster pace. The smaller runs will build up my speed and the longer one will train my body to run farther. So that's what I've been doing. I ran 4 fast miles on Monday and 3 fast ones on Tuesday. I'm taking a break today and tomorrow and will run another fast 3-miler on Friday.

Did I tell you they canceled my marathon? It was scheduled for Jan 24th in Clearwater, FL, but due to some sort of permitting issues it had to be canceled. So I found another one that I like MUCH better. It's in Gainesville on Valentine's Day. It's what they call a "Five Points" marathon which is to raise awareness to the five types of blood donation. Very cool. I'm a huge advocate for giving blood so it sounds like a perfect fit. And the route is through the Univ of FL campus, mostly, and by a lake at one point. Looks great. Can't wait!!!

What have you guys been up to? Oh, yea, that's right, Christmas. :]

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

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Mr. Squarepants is still grounded...

Weigh yesterday went better than I'd expected. I lost a full pound.

I tell you, though, it was a rough week. Remember I hid my scale in the closet last Saturday? Well, it was hard not weighing myself each morning like I've been doing for the past 2+ years. I found out that my weight each morning would dictate how I ate for the day. If I was up a couple of tenths, I'd back off and eat ultra smart for the day. If I was the same or was down at all, I could eat normal (and by normal, I mean on plan). I had no idea how to eat the whole week. I just kept saying, "I hope it's okay that I'm eating this."

So evidently it worked out. Or there's another theory... Because I gained 6/10ths last weekend, this could just be my body compensating for the gain. Who knows.

I've decided to give it another week, though. I'll keep Mr. Squarepants in the closet another week and see how things go at my next weigh in. I'll just do the same thing I did this past week and see how it goes.

How did you guys do without weighing yourself last week?

I wanted to comment on some of your comments from my last blog post:

Debbie, did you watch the Biggest Loser finale? The comment you left on my last blog post reminded me of it. When the skinny version of the top 4 contestants walked out on stage and their fat version was standing there right next to them. Wasn't that amazing!! I love it when Rudy patted the butt of his former fat self. Was awesome. That's how I need to keep imagining myself. I keep forgetting how fat I used to be. So I can give my old self that big hug you mentioned and tell her I did take care of her. So cool.

Miz, no I haven't read Born to Run, but its on my wish list. I just have 4 or 5 books ahead of it that I've committed to reading before I get it. But what an amazing book. You guys should check it out. Among other things in the book, he talks about the problems we've had with our feet, etc. since the invention of running shoes in the 70s. He sells these shoes called "Birthday Shoes" that make it feel like you're running barefoot. Here's an excerpt of the description of the book: Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

It's so funny that ScrewDestiny said "who wants to run a marathon in the winter?". You obviously live up north, huh? =D Me, I'm in Florida where you could ONLY run a marathon in the fall or winter. Preferable in the winter. After February, who could stand the heat to run 26 miles. Ugh! Thought that was cute, though. :)

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Whoda thunk? Me? Train for a Marathon???

I'm making an official announcement...

"I am going to run a marathon."

And I started training for it today.

Okay, well, not officially training for it, but as best as I know how.

I stopped by the local running store yesterday at lunch and talked to the lady behind the counter about running a marathon. First, I have to admit, I really expected her to laugh out loud or at least snicker when I told her I wanted to run a marathon. I even hesitated after I said it waiting for that response. But she just smiled and looked at me like I was absolutely serious. Well, I am.

I asked if they had any marathon training coming up or if she knew of any marathons this coming Spring. She said their marathon training was coming to an end. It started in June and will end in January. She said there are a couple of marathons in January, but not much after that. Darn!

She suggested waiting until the next marathon training course and aim for running a marathon next fall. But this isn't all bad. Because right now, my pace is WAY too slow anyways. At my current speed, it would take me... oh... 7 HOURS to finish the race. And I've heard they have sweepers that come along and pick you up off the street if your pace is too slow. How humiliating! I'm running along, running my heart out, and some bus comes along and says "excuse me ma'am, you're running too slow, you have to get off the road". Okay, well, I'm sure it won't happen exactly like that, but still. I need to get my pace up a bit.

So I talked to her about how to do that and she suggested something that I can't believe I didn't think of! I remember when I first started running, I'd run for 30 seconds then walk for 2-5 minutes til I caught my breath and then repeat. That's exactly what she suggested as a way to get my pace up. Run full out for 30 seconds then run at my regular pace for a couple of minutes until my heart rate comes back down off the ceiling. Then keep doing that until I can go for more than 30 seconds at a time, etc.

I'm so excited!!! That's exactly what I did this morning. And I had so much fun doing it.

I can't believe I'm blogging about having fun running. Me??!! I was almost 300lbs 2 1/2 years ago. If you'd have told me back then that I'd be training for a marathon now, I would have laughed so hard and loud people would be looking at my like I was a crazy woman. It still baffles me how I can actually get out there on the road and run for more than 5 minutes without keeling over and passing out. Really!

I think that's why I'm so smitten with running. Because I can do it. I never would have dreamed that I would be a runner. Not in a million years, much less 3 years. But now that I can run, I just want to run as much as I can.

So step one... increase my pace.

Oh, and you remember how I decided not to look at the scale all this week? I'm really having a hard time with that. The scale is still in the closet. I miss it terribly, though. I don't know how I'm doing without it. Like, am I down or am I up. Do I need to eat less or eat more? I don't know what I'm doing. I feel so out of sync with everything in my life right now. Mr Squarepants is haunting me from the closet. Make him stop!!!

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I think I've completely lost my mind...

I did something real weird this morning. I'm almost embarrassed to mention it. I think I'm going to come off sounding very bizarre and maybe even mental.

So, I told myself before I went to bed last night that I was going to get up and go running this morning. So I set my alarm clock for 5:30.

I actually got out of bed about 6:15. Getting up out of that warm, comfy, cozy bed is about the most impossible thing for me to do. I swung my feet over the side of the bed and sat up and said to myself 'I do not want to go running'. But I got out of bed.

I went in and brushed my teeth and as I'm looking in the mirror I say 'I do not want to go running'. I pull my hair back in a pony tail then walk over and start putting on my workout clothes. I stop and look at my sneakers and say 'I do not want to go running'. I put my sneakers on.

I sit back down on the end of the bed. I contemplated just staying right there for the rest of the morning. I thought, who'd know, right? I'd be the only one who knew if I didn't go running, right?

Then I stood up and walked to the kitchen and fixed a bowl of bran flakes with almond milk (quite a good combination for a pre-workout). I sit down on the love seat and eat my cereal while watching the Today Shoe. They're talking about Tiger Woods again. Ugh! I'm so sick to death about hearing about that man's problems. Why don't they just leave him the heck alone!!!???

As I sit there eating my cereal, you guessed it, I said to myself 'I do not want to go running'.

I put my empty bowl in the sink, grab my purse and iPod and head for the door. I tell hubby good bye and grab for the door knob. I say to myself 'I do not want to go running.' I hesitate for just a sec. Hubby asks me what's up and I say 'nothing' and walk out.

I get in the car and drive to the gym. I arrive at the gym and have to park in the back of the lot because they're a bit crowded. I turned the car off and picked up my iPod & cell phone and I look at the cell phone in my hand. It's blinking. That means I have a tweet or an email waiting for me. So I unlock it and look to see who's tweeting me. It was Ali Sweeney (of Biggest Loser and Days of Our Lives). Yea, she's a twitter buddy, though I'm sure she doesn't know me from Adam. But I like reading her tweets. She's fun to follow.

I sit there in the car, after I've read all possible emails and tweets and I start starring at the people on the tread mill. 'Look at them,' I say, 'Sure looks like an awful lot of effort'. I look at this one lady who's younger than me and running faster than the rest of them. I think, 'I wonder if I look like that when I'm running.' But I stay sitting in the car watching the people exercise.

I sat there for about 10 minutes. I couldn't find the will power to get out of the car and go work out. Seriously! I just sat there!

I never got out of the car.

After about 15 minutes, I guess it dawned on me that I was not going running so I turned the car back on and headed back home.

Can you believe that? I went through all that effort to get to the gym but I never got out of the car to actually exercise. Have you ever heard of anything so strange in your life?? I know I haven't!

In fact, if I'd have read one of your blogs that you had done this, I think I'd think that something was a little "off" upstairs.

The thing of it is, I really did want to go running. I went for an 8-mile run on Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it! I took Monday off because I pushed it a little too hard on Sunday. I was actually looking forward to getting out there again. Maybe it was the gym that was turning me off. I had even thought about going for a run once I got home from "not running" at the gym. I love running on the road SO much better than on a tread mill.

So there it is. I'm weird. I think I'm a little off my rocker. You agree?

Oh, speaking of Twitter. Check this out. I tweeted to Ali Vincent (the 1st female winner of Biggest Loser) about my 100 lb loss and how she inspired me to lose it and look what she tweeted back to me:





Can you believe that? How cook is that. Ali Vincent thinks I'm a rock star!!

Well, I gotta get off here because the Biggest Loser Finale is about to start. I can't wait to see who wins. Would be SO cool if Amanda won!!

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Mr. Squarepants is grounded...

Weigh in this morning... I've been weighing myself at home all week watching the scale inch its way down closer to the 100 lb (loss) mark. As of last Saturday's weigh in, I was only 1.8 lbs away. This morning, on my scale at home, I was doen 8/10ths from last week. Before I left to go to weigh in, hubby asked me how I thought I'd do and I said I was down around 6 or 8/10ths. He gives me this big hug, wished me luck, and off I go to weigh in.

So I weigh in and Barb, as she holds up her hand and pinches her thumb and forefinger together, says "just a little bit".

So I get my booklet back from her and it says 6/10ths. Whew! I breathed a sigh of relief.

So I go sit down and get ready for the meeting and I decide to tweet my loss. I go to pull my phone out of my purse and realized I left it home. Bummer. I hate when I do that. I feel so naked without my phone.

So I sit there and do the math in my head to see how close I am to getting back down to the 100 lb mark. I pull my booklet back out of my purse. I open the booklet and see the total number of pounds lost to date is 97.6. Wait a minute. Last week it was 98.2! What the heck?! Am I missing something??

Then it hit me... I GAINED 6/10ths of a pound!!!

Again... What the heck??!!??!

How on God's green Earth could I have gained 6/10ths of a pound? My scale at home says I'm down 8/10ths. That's a huge spread. I know there's always been a 1 pound difference between the home scale and the WW scale, but the numbers I was comparing was from how much I weighed BEFORE I go to weight watchers. So when I say how much I weighed last week and compare it to this week, I'm comparing the number on my home scale, only.

I was so mad I threw my weigh in booklet back in my purse. I crossed my arms and started to cry.

...

Then I pulled myself together and put on a brave face and congratulated everyone else on their losses. The lady next to me lost 2 lbs which made her reach her first 5%. I was so happy for her.

So I make it home and walk in the house and go straight for the piece of cake that was sitting on the stove (leftover from cupcake pops I made for the company craft fair yesterday). Hubby stops me and asks me how I did. I tell him all about it. Then I head for the cake again.

He stops me and says "wait a minute, come here". He scoops me in his arms and cuddles with me on the love seat. He says he doesn't want me to do anything I'll regret and he wants me to take a minute before heading for the cake. I cry in his arms for a bit and then pull myself together. What a sweet man. He just wants me to meet my goals and be happy. I'm so lucky.

So, two things...


#1, there is definitely something wrong with my home scale.

#2, I just hid the scale in the closet. I've never been able to go a whole week without weighing myself, but I'm going to try doing that this week. I feel like I've put the scale in time out. Like I've grounded my scale or something. We'll see how it works out. Wish me luck.

P.S. I did eat the cake. And I did not regret it. :(

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