Brrrrrr!

It's quite chilly this morning, and windy, as well. And can you see those overnight lows? Maybe summer is finally over!
And may I just say, "Hallelujah!" You won't hear me complaining about cold weather. I have an eight-mile run scheduled today; for the first time since I started training for City of Oaks, I don't feel like I have to get out early to avoid the heat. I might even wear the new long-sleeved high-tech shirt I bought in DC.

In other running news, I just learned [I'm a little slow] that the top American finisher at LaSalle is from a little town about an hour away from me. He coaches at Concord University and will be competing November 3 in the Olympic trials.

About Chicago, he said it was 'brutal.' I don't think anyone who was there would disagree. Right, Jess?

Since Mr. Shrinking Knitter didn't learn how to operate my camera before he hit the spectator area, I had to depend on ASIPhoto to get a good shot of me at the Army Ten-Miler. This is the best they could do. They didn't get a decent finish-line shot; this one, obviously, was taken much earlier in the run, when I wasn't feeling quite so grim. And was also looking kind of dorky, maybe? Oh, well.

Jodi wants to know: "i've never lost my appetite, over anything, what is that like?"

It is, in a word, astonishing.

When that particular side effect kicked in last month, I was planning to go to my new granddaughter's baptism. That's a four-hour road trip and usually, for me, a license to eat a little more liberally. While I love McDonald's Asian Grilled Chicken fresh salad, I also love something sweet, or salty, or carby, or … well, you get the idea.

On that trip, though, I didn't eat a thing. Coffee and water, that was it. My son and his wife had lunch stuff at their house when I got there; I had half a turkey sandwich and some fruit. Half a sandwich! Dinner that night was in a lovely Italian restaurant, where I ordered grilled chicken with mixed fresh vegetables. I sent almost all of it back. Breakfast next morning? Fruit. Coffee.

During that time I lost six or seven pounds, I started feeling more normal, my energy level increased dramatically and I thought that maybe this was something I could live with.

You know the rest. I start the full dose tomorrow; we'll see if I get the same results.

The down side – there's always a down side – is that in order to finish a lengthy run, you have to readily access some kind of fuel. I realize I have a lot of fat to lose, but that's not what helps you run. And I've had several hypoglycemic episodes in the past after not eating for long periods of time. I'd hate for that to happen out on one of my running routes. Thus, my decision to force-feed for future pre- and post-runs.

The other down side is that I still don't like taking pills. Since my mood is mostly a result of my inability to lose weight, no matter what I do, maybe if I'm able to make a dent in the excess poundage I'll be able to feel better without them. Eventually. So I look at this as a short-term experiment.

I'm not setting any time limits or goals, though. That's a surefire route to failure, going on past experience.

One day at a time …