10K Success!

As I mentioned in previous posts, I decided to run my first 10K race on January 30th in honor of my mom who would have celebrated her 71st birthday. She was always there to encourage me every time I tried to lose weight. This is the longest I've ever stayed focused on this journey, acknowledging that it's a life change NOT a weightloss plan that will be done when I lose xx number of pounds.

SO, 10K = 6.2 miles and I'd never done that distance before...not even on the treadmill but I was determined to do it. My average 5K time has been about 42 minutes so I was really hoping that I would finish the 10K in 90 minutes or less. WELL LET ME TELL YOU... it was LESS alright! At the half mark (5K) I was at 38:38 so that was a new personal best. AND I finished the 10K in 1:20:32 (official time from the race website). It was invigorating and I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I was done. Mikki was so supportive and was there at the finish line to take this picture.


Just before the start of the race, I met Vicki who was doing her first 5K! So excited for her as she starts her adventure. GO VICKI!

Not Making My First Goal - Want to know WHY?

Failure
Fear
It didn't come easy
Lack of trying
No commitment
Eating from a place other than hunger
Lack of focus
FEAR of Failure
Fear OF SUCCESS
Feeling like CRAP

So, mom's birthday is Sunday the 30th. My goal was to be at or below 225 by then but it's NOT going to happen. The closest I got was 231 and since THAT day, I've been completely out of control. I start my day with a decent breakfast and my days are pretty good but there is something about the evening that my brain just clicks and I'm back to terrible choices. I suppose this is likely the primary reason for my recent headaches...migraine even. I hadn't had one in quite a while but boy they came back with a vengence.

I'm not sure how I'm going to come out of this...but I AM coming out of this. I'm afraid to get on the scale for fear that I've gained a TON of weight back. Where is the resolve stored? Is it in my heart, my head, my belly??? Hell if I know but I'm not giving up the fight to find it and move forward. I wish I could say that "TODAY IS THE DAY" this is the very moment where this tailspin stops but I can't say that with any confidence.

My first 10K race is on Sunday...I'm likely going in to this unprepared but I'm doing it anyway. When I completed 4.75 miles last Saturday (the last time I actually did any REAL excercise) I finished it in 60 minutes. I felt like I definitely could have kept going so the 6.2 miles isn't impossible. Maybe I'll have some revelation while I'm in with myself on this walk/run.

New Record!

About 9 months ago, I attempted to do the "Couch to 5K" program. It's a program that takes someone from a sedentary lifestyle to theoretically being able to actually run a 5K race. Week one of the program has you alternate walking for 90 seconds (I think) and running at a comfortable pace for 30 seconds. I could barely do that without feeling like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. I did the first two or three weeks before I had to give it up due to knee pain. Turns out, at my weight back then, running just wasn't for me.

BUT, I didn't give it up completely because I do enjoy it and the treadmill is my friend. I've kept doing my cardio on the treadmill continually trying to better my speed or endurance. Yesterday was GREAT! I set the time for 60 minutes (it wouldn't let me set it for 90) and started moving. Typically I walk briskly for a while and then bump up the speed to 5.0 (I know not super fast but it's a good jogging pace for me). I've gotten to a point where I usually can jog for about 7 minutes at a time before I have to bump it back down to the 3.5(ish) mark. I'm pretty proud of myself because I used to feel like I was going to die trying to do 30 seconds. WELL, yesterday when the notice came across that at a speed of 5.0 I was doing a 12 minute mile, I decided to try to run for 12 minutes AND I DID!!!! I was so excited and proud of myself that I was grinning from ear to ear. I'm sure the people around me thought I was nuts but I'm ok with that. After the 12 minute run, I walked at a brisk 4.0 for another 8 minutes and then I DID IT AGAIN! I ran another 12 minutes. AWESOME!

I finished my 60 minute stint on the treadmill at 4.7 miles so I know my upcoming 6.2 mile race on Sunday is doable. How long will it take me? I'm hoping for 90 minutes but if it takes longer than that so be it! I refuse to give up and although there are days when it feels like giving up and living a fat life would be better...I WON'T DO IT! I'm worth the effort it takes to be healthy. AND SO ARE YOU!

Whatcha gonna do to sweat today?

Survived a Crazy 2 Weeks and Total Loss So Far

Alright, I worked both jobs for every day for two weeks straight (minus Satudays) and I'm completely wiped out. I have these great ideas for blog posts and then forget what I was going to write about. For now, I'll just post my weight update. I missed posting the pictures but I didn't miss taking them! So, week 20 looked like this:


And this most recent Monday was week 21 which looked like this:



My official total weight loss so far is 44.4 pounds. I'm still hoping for 225 by my mom's birthday which is January 30th. On that day, I'll also be honoring my mom by running/walking my first 10K race. 6.2 miles...I may not break any time records, but I'll step up to the start and I'll cross the finish line. I'll keep you posted!

Planning Makes a Difference/ LOVING my Body Media Fit Armband!

Wow...what a difference it makes when you take the TIME to plan for the week ahead. I've read it countless times, suggestions from the experts...hell suggestions from friends on this same journey of change! SO, I realized that the first half of January was going to be complete chaos if I didn't plan. Not planning would be setting myself up to fail. I posted earlier that I hope to be at or below 225 by my mother's birthday which is January 30th. She would have been 71 this year and I know she'd be very proud of my progress. Anyway, without planning my meals and my exercise schedule, combined with working both jobes Sunday through Friday for the entire first half the month, I would have been doooooomed!

Today is only day 2 of utilizing my plan but WOW!!! I feel so much more peace when I'm not stressing about what I'm going to eat on the run between jobs or while I'm sitting at my desk. It's all right there...written in a nice little notebook, day by day. Aaaaaah. Thank you Mikki for helping me get it all jotted down and thank you to my frister for holding me accountable to my bedtime! That's often a challenge for me. There's always SOMETHING I could be doing other than going to bed. I'm a night owl....makes getting up at 4:30 am for a visit to the gym a little difficult!

AND about my body media fit armband...I'm really enjoying the stats I get by using it. I find myself feeling more accountable and wanting to move MORE so that i can see the results on the graph once I synch my armband with my account. I know there's a way to post some of the data but I haven't figured all that out. I'll work on in and see what I can figure out for next week. One cool thing it does is measure your sleep efficiency. COOL HUH?


So, here's my weigh in for Week 19! I'm excited to see what next week brings!