Moving day

Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I have determined that today's the day to move the computer to the second-floor office of the garage.

I need a moment. To sob.

I spend a couple of early-morning hours in front of this screen, writing and reading and surfing, almost every day. I'm not sure how easily or often that's going to happen when I have to creep out in that cold and dark hour before sunrise to log on. [Our garage is not attached to our house and, um, it's winter here in the Middle of Nowhere.]

We shall see. Blog posts may happen later in the day, and workouts may happen earlier. That might not be a bad thing, all in all.

Speaking of workouts, I'm about ready to start weight-training again, after the minor snow-shoveling injury. I rearranged things in the garage yesterday to make my little workout area more inviting. I have lots of wall space for the poster and inspirational quotes. Photos to come. Someday.

And speaking again of workouts, I did six treadmill miles Saturday at a 13:12 pace, slightly faster than the schedule called for [13:25]. That's pretty slow, I know, but it was a challenge. I can really tell that my fitness level has declined since last fall. I can also tell that I'm improving since I did the home surgery on my right foot. It makes such a difference to run pain-free. Imagine that!

Today is an easy-peasy two miles at the same slow pace. I might get to do them outside, if I wait until later. We're supposed to reach a high of 50° sometime today. My last outdoor run was January 12 – seems like longer than that.

Congratulations to Jess on a great finish in the Miami Half-Marathon. Her recap is full of enthusiasm, and makes me want to keep on running.

Inertia

Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I are getting ready to move my little office from our house into a bit of space in the large office/family room which is otherwise known as "upstairs" – the second floor of the garage. We designed the garage together and had it built about five years ago, I think. It seems like it's always been there. And it's always been his office.

We'd like to turn my office in the house into a tiny den/TV room, as neither of us really likes having a television in the bedroom, and our living room – well, there's no place to put one. On one side of the room is a large fireplace; the other walls are all sliding glass doors. We did not design the house.

In order to accomplish this move, I need to go through filing cabinets, bookshelves and storage bins to weed out what I no longer need and to determine what will go where. In other words, it's time to purge.

But I don't wanna.

We've already had a two-line phone jack installed, in order to hook the computer up to the very slow dial-up internet connection. [While arranging for this, a Verizon representative told me it looks like broadband will be in this part of the Middle of Nowhere February 17. I'll believe it when I see it.]

At any rate, I'm at a point where if it is to be, it's up to me. And I Just. Can't. Get. Started. It's overwhelming. I need Flylady standing over me, cracking the whip every 15 minutes.

I'm a crafty kinda gal. I need a clear surface for working on paper crafts, beading and bookmaking. And the stuff one needs to do these crafty things takes up space. I have several storage tubs full of supplies, as well as a six-cube storage unit stuffed full of, well, stuff. Most of my yarn and knitting tools are already up there; at least that's done.

What does this have to do with weight loss or getting healthy? Not much. But maybe talking about it here will spur me on to some action.

Thank goodness this inertia hasn't migrated over to the fitness part of my life. I'm following my training program to the best of my ability, which is to say I'm not quite getting the mileage in for the speed drills, but I'm pushing myself farther each week. Speed drills have always been my least favorite part of training. Fartleks – a Swedish word for 'speed play' – are more likely to happen than a sustained 11-minute mile.

I'm going to make up the missed mileage from yesterday sometime today. I was supposed to have done five; I did three. About half of that was at 5.5 mph, and I felt good when I was done. But it wasn't long before I felt really drained and, consequently, no work got done in the office.

Hopefully these almost-daily runs will become routine soon, and I can work on the rest of my life.

Since this post isn't terribly inspiring or motivating, I invite you to go visit Jonathan, who has some really terrific thoughts on how losing weight has changed more than his body. He really does maintenance well, and offers lots of good reasons for continuing to whittle away the pounds, if that's what you're trying to do.

Course correction

It came to me in a moment of clarity yesterday that there was no freakin' way I'd be ready to run a full marathon this spring. I was supposed to run nine miles today, on the treadmill. I nearly cried at the prospect.

This is supposed to be fun. In order to make it fun again, I've made an executive decision to stick with the half. Today's long run is six manageable miles.

I may be ready for a full next spring, depending on the amount of weight I lose this year. [How's that for positive thinking?] And I'm setting a definite goal of running a full on or near my 60th birthday, which isn't until 2011. That gives me plenty of time to not only condition myself, but maybe, perhaps, hopefully, even look like a runner.

One of the things I'm acutely aware of when I – heh – "race" is that I don't look like most of the women out there. I'm soft and pudgy and short. I'm always checking to see if there's anyone bigger than I am on the course. I know that's horrible, but there it is – my dirty little running secret.

They, on the other hand, those real runners are strong, lean and tall, with defined muscles and nice tans. And cool clothes.

There I go again, comparing myself to people I don't even know, most of whom I will never see again.

My training last winter was fun, and all I wanted each week was to do better than I'd done the previous week. My body amazed me. I remember the first time I ran seven miles. SEVEN!!! I also remember collapsing for the remainder of that day, but still. I ran seven miles; I'd never done that before.

This time I've done that and more. I could get that thrill by running 14 or 18 or 20 miles, I know I could. But I wouldn't be able to walk the next day. The extra weight I'm dragging around is hard on my joints and especially hard on the soles of my feet.

And it's hard on my spirit, too. I've done really well this week with those little things. It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to stop eating before 6:30 p.m., to drink two liters of water each day or to log every morsel. The scale has given me a tiny gift; I'm hoping I still have it on Tuesday, which will be the three-week point in this year's effort. Only then will I feel like I can report any progress.

Mr. Shrinking Knitter made it home just fine, about 8 o'clock last night. He isn't anxious to go back, which is unusual because he considers Vegas the ultimate vacation destination, and he's always ready to go to Vegas. Maybe this is a course correction for him, as well.

I see a treadmill in my immediate future

Need I say more?

Did I say I was going to row and lift weights yesterday? I forgot about a late-morning board meeting at the prison, and by the time I remembered I had to shower, dress and go. I'm not one to take two daily showers, especially in dry-skin-inducing winter, so I bagged the workout.

Then when I got home I felt like such a loser, so I lifted weights. Briefly. So I wouldn't, um, glow. Heh. Anything's better than nothing, right?

I did all my regular moves – curls, presses, lunges, squats, etc. – but instead of two or three sets of 12 or 15, I just did one set of each until I couldn't do any more. I counted the bicep curls, to get an idea of how many I could do, but stopped after 30.

Perhaps I need to move up to a heavier dumbbell. Hmmm.

Thanks for all your good wishes about the babies-to-be. It will be no surprise to some of you that I have enough yarn for all three blankets "in stock," so to speak. But the brown isn't quite right, so I ordered more. One will be blue, one will be cream and one will be brown, to match the nursery, although I guess babies don't sleep with crib blankets any more.

And a belated thanks for all your good wishes about this round of race training. It's so cool to have so many cheerleaders out there in blogland. Mr. Shrinking Knitter does what he can, but race training isn't quite the novelty it was the first time around.

Remind me I said this when I do a 20-miler, 'kay?

I'm starting to wonder how in the world I'm going to be able to find something to photograph every day for the rest of the year. This seemed like such a good idea a week ago. I've already stooped to stealing ideas from others. Perhaps I'll come up with a monthly theme. I might actually have to go on these things called "photo shoots" instead of just hanging 'round the shanty looking for inspiration.

What a concept.

Today is the first day of the next 16 weeks

Training begins today! As I've mentioned previously, I'm not sure if I'm going to run the half or the full in Nashville in April. I've already registered for the half, but I'm training as if I'm going to run the full.

Gulp.

I've printed out two schedules [since yet another marathon book still isn't here to advise me]. The Runner's World Smart Coach plans vary the mileage each week – a three-week increase and then a cutback week. The plan from MarathonRookie.com calls for a steady increase in mileage from Week One until the two weeks before marathon day.

What I like about RW's plan is that it suggests a pace for each run, and for the easy and long runs it's a pace I can manage. The tempo/speed runs will be more challenging. Those of you who routinely run eight- or nine- or even 10-minute miles will laugh at me, but here's the thing. While I have run three miles at an 11:45 pace, long ago in another galaxy, I haven't done anything even remotely like that in a couple of months.

I have to do that day after tomorrow.

The Marathon Rookie plan's increasing numbers would, I think, give me confidence that I actually could run 26.2 freakin' miles. Right now I'm not so sure.

But I guess I only have to do it a mile at a time, right?

Anyhoo, training for an event really pumps me up, and I'm looking forward to today's easy three-miler. For today, at least, both schedules are the same.

For the next four months, expect to be bored beyond belief with training talk, including injury reports, nutrition evaluation, wailing about how hard it is and worrying about my weight. I know if I were smaller this would all be easier. And I know not to expect to lose weight during training.

Hope springs eternal, though; surely training for a marathon will burn more calories than training for a half.

I might be crazy.

A smidge of progress

If you're just joining us here, the Shrinking Knitter has been keeping a precise count of calories in/calories out for the past two weeks. After week one, she experienced a net weight gain of two pounds. It's now the end of week two, and one of those pounds has vanished!

Can you believe it? Me, neither. Heh. Here's the breakdown:

Week One: 1258 calories eaten, 438 calories burned, 48 minutes daily activity
Week Two: 1245 calories eaten, 449 calories burned, 51 minutes daily activity

I'm going to micromanage this for one more week, so I'll have three weeks of data to present to the doctor.

It's not worth it, y'all. If I have to work this hard to lose half a pound a week, I might as well go have a hot fudge sundae and say the hell with it.

After I run, of course. I crack myself up.

This is a cutback week in my training program, but I think instead of today's scheduled "easy" three miles I'll just head out the front door and do the 6.6- or 7.3- or whatever-it-is-loop again. I've got the Shuffle culled down to 90 minutes of tunes with a true running tempo. Maybe that'll help me get all the way up the hills.

Here's something you probably don't know about me [this has nothing to do with weight loss]. The plane Steve Fossett was flying when he disappeared Monday is a souped-up version of the one I got my pilot's license in. Yes, I'm a licensed private pilot, single-engine, land, but not current [meaning I would not be permitted to take a passenger up with me, since it's been so long since I've had a flight physical or check ride].

I was 29 or 30 when I started taking flying lessons in my dad's Bellanca Citabria ["airbatic" spelled backwards, which means the plane was designed to do loops and rolls and spins, oh my!]. Fossett's Bellanca Decathlon is the Citabria's big brother, with a more powerful engine and an inverted fuel system, so it can actually fly upside-down. The Citabria couldn't do that for more than a few seconds before the engine would quit.

We called the plane the "City Brat." Here's what it looked like:

Dad sold the plane when he moved to Florida 11 years ago; I moved to West Virginia shortly after that, and I haven't been pilot in command since. It makes me kind of nervous to fly commercial because I like to see what's going on out the front window, not the side! I guess the flying chapter of my life is over, but it makes for nice memories.

P.S. I forgot to tell Wendy that no, I don't count out 48 pretzel sticks for a serving, but I do weigh them in a container on my food scale. Aren't I a good little weight watcher?

I do loooooove a good rest day!

Mondays are rest days in the new training schedule, and yesterday I really rested. Not rested as in "slept," but rested as in "sat on my ass and watched 'How Do I Look' and knitted all day and didn't break a sweat."

I probably shoulda/coulda done yoga or lifted weights, but I truly believe in a total rest-from-exercise day once a week.

I didn't used to. And maybe – just maybe – I need to go back to working out hard every single day in order to get where I want to go. But I'm not quite ready. Yet.

Now that I've written it down, I'll probably be ready next Monday. Heh. Hey! It could happen!

I also truly believe in following the training plan, unless it says "Easy Run. Two Miles." I can't seem to just run two miles any more; four is the minimum. If I'm going to change clothes and drive to a flat road and work up a sweat, I'm not going to do it for just two miles.

I can't seem to lose weight any more, either. Or still. Whatever. The latest issue of Health magazine showed up yesterday – I don't remember subscribing to it, but whoomp, there it was! – and in it is an article about how The Biggest Loser show contestants lose weight.

Among other things, they do 90 minutes of high-intensity exercise daily. I only do that on Sundays – the day of my long run. They are also active in a less intense way several hours the rest of the day. As opposed to sitting on their asses watching "How Do I Look." And knitting. And, of course, they strength-train three or four times a week.

I have a ways to go. In more ways than one.

Summer's winding down …

but you wouldn't be able to tell it from the still-lingering heat and humidity. I was reduced to a puddle of sweat yesterday when I finished running seven miles. I started too late, of course; it was nearly noon when I finished. The only parts of my shirt that weren't soaked through were the lower edges.

However, I've been noticing the falling leaves and changing colors. Our dogwoods have lots of red leaves on them now, and the distant mountains are gradually becoming more colorful.

I announced to Mr. Shrinking Knitter that I would never register for a fall race again. EVER! Training in late summer is brutal and hard and makes me feel like a failure nearly every time I go out. This is not at all how I felt preparing for my first half-marathon last spring.

For Lori, who asked about Roanoke NoSo, I've gone every year except two, I think. This is the 10th year it's been going on. I like this knitting get-together because it's small – attendance is limited to 100. In addition to donating an item for charity, attendees are encouraged [but not required] to donate leftover yarn for the inmates at Alderson to use for their charity knitting and crocheting. My car is always packed to the rooftop with bags and bags of otherwise unused stash, and the women at Alderson are so grateful!

They make and donate sweaters, hats, mittens and scarves to needy Appalachian school children, and blankets to nursing-home residents in the area. There are no funds for this project; they depend entirely on donations from the public, and the public has always come through with enough supplies to help about 60 children every Christmas. It's a win-win-win situation.

I started my charity donation last night and have made really good progress, especially considering it's an Aran design. I'd printed it out from this site ages ago, but have never made it. Worsted-weight yarn and size 8 needles mean fast knitting, whether it has lots of cables or not!

The site has tons o' free craft patterns and registration is free. If you're a member, the pattern I'm using is the Sweetheart Sweater Set in the Children's Clothing category.

The astute among you may have noticed a new link in the sidebar. I've started a food log blog – I thought it would drive readers away if I started adding my daily menu to this one. But if you're interested my calories in/calories out, click on the "my food log" link. And after you analyze the data, please tell me why I'm not losing any weight! Heh.

You've got a question ...

I'll try to answer.
Jodi wondered yesterday, regarding running, how I stay motivated. She said in her comment that while she was training for her 5K she did fine, but she can't seem to find the love any more.

Until I registered for my next race, I also found it easy to slack off. I remember telling Mr. Shrinking Knitter that I planned to run at least 20 miles a week after I finished the Country Music Half-Marathon – maybe even 25. That never happened.

I then blithely assumed that once I signed up for the Army Ten-Miler and the City of Oaks Half-Marathon, my training mojo would return, as strong and wonderful as it was last January when I started training for my first half.

But I had no idea how hard it was going to be to train in summer. I'd rather run outdoors than on the dreadmill, and the heat and humidity has been brutal. [The humidity is much worse than the heat. I was outside for a little bit yesterday afternoon when the temperature was 90°, but the humidity was so low that I felt like I could have done an easy four miles.]

Lately, though, I can feel the motivation returning as race day approaches. Eight weeks from today is the 10-mile race; the half is four weeks after that. My suggestion to Jodi is to register for another race. Plunk down the cash, find a good training program [I like the one at Runner's World] and get busy, baby!

I did a Google search for motivational tips and found a couple of sites, here and here.

I'm no expert, though. If you have other ideas, do jump in with suggestions!

I did a half-hour of weight training yesterday for my cross-training day and my shoulder and back muscles are yelping at me. I've quit using the four-pound dumbbells and am doing more reps with the eight-pounders. Still can't do more than two sets of 10 with the 12-pound ones.

The weather this morning is pretty darned perfect for running, and today is my long run – six miles at a 13:24 pace. It's sunny, but the temperature is in the low 60s. I'd better get going before Mother Nature changes her mind!

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

I did Thursday's five-mile speed drill yesterday, which was a scheduled rest day. Wow, what a difference a day makes! I walked the first mile and was supposed to have walked the last, as well, but I was feeling so good that I only walked the last half-mile.

Because I'm not trying to break any records when I, ahem, "race," I took Wendy's offhand comment from Thursday's post to heart. She said speed drills would be so much more manageable if they were quarter- or half-mile intervals instead of those grueling full miles.

Also? I can only run full-tilt for a half mile. I then completely sputter out and have to jog or even, gasp!, walk to recover.

Also also? Y'all know I don't run fast. Nor do I time myself while I'm running. I just hit the stopwatch when I leave my car and hit it again when I get back.

I was supposed to do the two speedy miles at an 11:24 pace. So I figured if I did the entire five miles in 65 minutes – warm-up, cool-down, recovery intervals, oh my! – I would have covered the distance with a passing grade.

65:38.

And I felt great the whole time. That's what running is supposed to feel like!

I'm so grateful for days like that, especially after sucky days. It really does make me want to go again. And again.

Jennifer asked yesterday if I gain weight eating more than 1400 daily calories. I'm glad you asked. I gain weight eating more than 1200 daily calories, actually, but I'm throwing the extra 200 in there because I'm running more miles than I usually do while I'm training. My net calories yesterday ended up at about 700 – I ate 1268 and burned 574 [I counted the five miles as two running at 5 mph and three walking at 4 mph].

In AA we talk a lot about acceptance. I'm not ready to accept that this weight is where I'm supposed to be. But perhaps if I surrendered to it, I would break through whatever psychological barrier is keeping me here.

Or maybe I need therapy. Heh.

I suck at yoga …

but the lovely and stick-thin Patricia Walden assures me that with practice, practice, practice I will, one day, be able to do this:

Yeah, right.

I will, however, maintain a positive mental attitude about it and maybe schedule some plastic surgery in the meantime. My lovely lady lumps get in the way when I do forward bends; if I got rid of them I could certainly bend better and I'd probably lose a few pounds, too!

Hmmmm. Gives weight-loss surgery a whole new meaning, doesn't it? Heh.

Every yoga class I've experienced, whether in person or on DVD, has been led by flat-chested women with six-pack abs. They have no idea what we lumpy Rubenesque women go through when instructed to 'gently lean forward and wrap your hands around your toes.'

I was more body-conscious yesterday, more aware of how I moved and carried myself. That's what I love about yoga. Even practicing sucky poses, I get the benefit of better posture and more graceful carriage.

Moving on … it appears that Mr. Shrinking Knitter has found a home for the stray dog, who has certainly made herself at home here in the Middle of Nowhere. One of his co-workers has agreed to adopt her. We're keeping her this weekend and then Monday she gets to meet her new family.

Today's run is a five-mile speed drill – run like hell for two miles with a half-mile recovery jog after each. Plus warm-up and cooldown miles. I'm still at the "I can barely jog a continuous mile" stage of training, so I'm not promising anything, to you or to myself. I'll be happy to do five miles and still breathe somewhat normally.

Done, done, done, done, done

I slept later than I'd intended – couldn't get to sleep last night and ended up taking a Benadryl shortly after midnight. Sometimes those things really knock me out. So I woke up about 7:45 a.m. to find it pleasantly and suprisingly cool outside. Still humid, but not as bad as it has been.

Today's long run was six miles at a 13:45-minute pace; I did them [with a lot of walking] at 13:14 – about an hour and 20 minutes when all was said and done. Or run and done.

I did the stash-the-water-bottle trick, this time two of them, which helped a lot. There were times when I thought I could just keep on going at the same steady pace for miles and miles and hours and hours. It's at those times when I speed up a bit, lengthen my stride on purpose and totally wear myself out. Then I have to walk for a minute or so to catch my breath and feel comfortable enough to run again.

But it's also those times when I realize how much I love to run. Even at a snail's pace.

Hope those of you who are training or racing today had a great morning. I know I did!

For you knitters, have you seen Vogue Knitting's revamped site? Worth a look – there are several free patterns, some of which I might even knit, and they've begun an online stitch dictionary. Only a few designs so far, but the eyelet herringbone looks good enough to knit!

Friday Quote Day

I dwell in possibility …
Emily Dickinson

Thank you all for your comments yesterday. It still makes me smile thinking of that guy handing me that cold bottle of water. He even took the empty on my way back!

Isn't today's quote terrific? It seems gentler than the "consider the possibilities" tagline in that old Visa credit card commercial, but still leaves you thinking the world is your oyster.

I was certainly dwelling in possibility when, last December, I got the crazy idea to run a half-marathon last spring. I'd never done anything like that before. Challenging myself physically was, in fact, completely off my radar.

And I knew, even before I crossed the finish line, that I would do it again.

The training challenges this time around are as different from the last regimen as they can be. Instead of snow and ice and freezing temperatures, I'm dealing with thick, oppressive, moist air that you can practically see and touch. When I registered for the next two runs, one in October and one in November, I knew I'd be training in August, but I had no idea how brutal it would be.

The heat absolutely zaps my energy. I'd gotten to the point earlier in the summer where I could run four or five miles in the morning and then mow the lawn, tidy up the house and do a couple loads of laundry. Now? Not so much.

I'm just not acclimated to a 90/90 heat/humidity combo, and you can't really get acclimated because, at least this time, it happened rather suddenly. A couple weeks ago the high temperature was in the mid-70s.

I still don't know how you deep-south runners manage it. I know your homes, cars, offices and stores are all air-conditioned, just as ours are. But you do seem to get used to transitioning between cool indoors and steamy outdoors better than we wimps up north do. That must be why we get heat-index warnings and Florida doesn't.

Every morning I dwell in the possibility that today will be the day the heat wave breaks.

Judging from today's first quick trip outdoors with the dogs, I don't think so.

But I'm ready to run, and I will run, because it's part of the schedule and because, when I'm done, I know I'll feel good and because it won't be possible to run eight or 10 or 13.1 miles this fall if I don't do five or six or seven now.

Possibility doesn't become reality without footwork.

Friday Quote Day

Without a sense of urgency,
desire loses its value.
~ Jim Rohn

Honestly? I wish I were still at my son's, instead of waking up here in the Middle of Nowhere with an entire baby-less day stretched out in front of me. Y'all were right: Babies trump everything. Heh.

I ran only once during my stay there, and then only for 30 minutes. I used MapMyRun to determine the distance and it was only 1.77 miles. Pitiful! But I did a lot of almost-eight-pound curls and lifts, along with a new maneuver that will soon be catching on in gyms across the world: rocking.

My main role while there was Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, but I was glad to be able to provide baby relief so her parents could get some rest here and there. She loves to be rocked and held and fortunately my son and daughter-in-law don't think it's possible do too much of either.

Okay, moving on … are you wondering what today's quote has to do with the last three paragraphs? Well, I'll tell you: Nothing! But that quote kind of sums up why I wasn't stressing about not getting my training runs in while I was away from home.

[You may be wondering exactly why I didn't run more often. My Middle of Nowhere is in southern West Virginia. I was four hours south of home. South, people! In late summer! Need I say more?]

The training plans at Runner's World can be as long as 16 weeks, which is what I started with, or as short as two. I'm going to create a new plan for 13 weeks, since that's how long it is until the City of Oaks half. Also? Thirteen miles, 13 weeks. There's something about that symmetry that appeals to me.

I'm still going to have to juggle some runs around in September due to a couple of short trips. I think that having a good solid month under my belt will be the foundation I need to keep that sense of urgency going. Because today? It just ain't happenin'.

I sort of feel like a slacker, but if I pretend that I just sent in my registration fee yesterday …

Thanks for all your comments on my last post. Isabelle, feel free to join M@rla and me as we continue to bust our butts and stay the same weight, but learn not to care about numbers. I'm inspired by M's excitement and delight as she gets stronger and fitter. I'm inspired by her perseverance and dedication to her health and well-being. We agree that it would be great to pull something off the size-8 rack and have it fit. But it's becoming just as satisfying to pull a heavier weight off the rack and lift it overhead!

Progress!

The long run

Yesterday was the first long run – seven miles – of this training session. I was reminded with nearly every footfall of that time last January I ran seven miles on the treadmill. Quelle boring! But outside, on a little-traveled road, in the country, along a river? It was lovely!

I might have gone faster if a bear had been on my tail. Or if someone had dangled a donut on a stick just out of my reach. Seven 12-minute miles were sandwiched between 16-minute warm-up and cool-down miles. So nine total in less than two hours.

If my last – and only! – experience with race training holds true, I'll continue to get faster and take fewer walking breaks as my endurance improves. I had to stop and walk four or five times yesterday morning.

The other thing I remember from last January's treadmill run is that I didn't do anything the rest of the day except read and nap. Not so this time. I did a couple loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, fixed lunch and dinner – in other words, I continued with my normal routine.

I'm glad today's a rest-from-exercise day, though.

Because we were on the road, I didn't weigh myself last Friday. I hopped on the scale this morning and am down one pound. I hope to make another dent in it this week.

My new favorite breakfast is a smoothie made with Activia Light Vanilla Yogurt, half a cup of skim milk and a scoop of chocolate-flavored protein powder. Thirty-two grams of rib-sticking protein and only two grams of fat, and about 250 calories. I wasn't hungry for hours afterward.

Rereading this post, I can't imagine that anyone is still awake, if you've even made it this far. It sounds like a second-grader's "what I did on my summer vacation" theme. Running seven miles has apparently sapped my ability to write. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Hope you have a great Monday!

Surprise! A Thursday quote day!

We have been taught to believe
that negative equals realistic
and positive equals unrealistic.
Susan Jeffers

I'll be away from the computer for the next couple of days. So Thursday is the new Friday this week.

I think today's quote pretty much sums up where my head has been at lately.

Remember when I started training for the Country Music Half? And I learned that it's not likely you'll lose any weight while you're race-training? And how I was totally okay with that? Well, it's starting again, but this time I'm not okay AT ALL with it.

Since January I've gained nine pounds (14 since last fall). This is not acceptable! It's also not helpful when you're lumbering down a road at 12mph.

My intake has been fairly steady, between 1200 and 1400 calories per day. I'm exercising six days a week from 45 to 60 minutes each day.

The sodium count the last couple days was a real eye-opener, and I was able to slash that number in half yesterday.

The way I interpret today's quote is that not losing weight during training [negative] is something I should accept. Losing weight during training [positive] ain't gonna happen.

Just knowing that's the way it was before is making it easier for me to accept it now. And I'm not even one week into training! This is the lightest week of the schedule, fewer miles than what I've been doing on my own. There's no reason I have to accept the reality of not being able to shed pounds preparing for another half.

What I do have to do is be much more vigilant about food. My nutritional analysis says I'm not getting enough protein [only about 80gm/day] and I'm getting too much fat [slightly less than 60gm/day, which is more than I'd like]. Carbs have gone through the roof, but they're good carbs. Heh.

I want to break free of the commonly held theory that losing weight during training is not just hard, but impossible. This may be the beginning of Bloody Head Syndrome, and if you think it is I hope you'll keep your thoughts to yourself. I need cheerleaders! Bands! Pep squads!

And you do, too. Isn't that why we're all here, tap-tap-tapping away, sending these messages out into the world with the hope that someone on the other end will see it, read it, get it?

What negative belief have you accepted for your life? More importantly, what unrealistic expectation are you willing to turn upside down? Let's make it happen!

One more quote this morning:

I'm not worthy!
Mike Myers as Wayne in Wayne's World

Grumpy Chair left a comment for Wendy yesterday in which she said when she doesn't feel like working out she thinks of three people: Wendy, Laura and me.

I sooooooo don't deserve that, especially after yesterday. I did my pyramid weight routine, and also did some bench moves, but when I got on the rowing machine I only lasted six pathetic minutes. SIX! I think my arms were just so plumb tuckered out [that's Southern-speak] from the lifting that I couldn't pull that rope any longer. I even tried reducing the resistance to make it a little less challenging. No go.

Next rest day I'll have to break up my workout sessions – maybe do the weights early and the rowing later in the day. At any rate, thanks to GC for putting me in such good company, but I really don't qualify.

Changing my weigh-in day

So. Nobody wants to take a tapeworm pill with their breakfast, eh?

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a Weight Watcher leader. ["Hi, I'm Debbi and I've lost 32 pounds on the Weight Watcher program and I've kept it off for two years!" ::Wild applause::] Tapeworm stories were tossed like lettuce at training meetings, but I never met anyone who had met one up close and personal.

I weigh myself every time I walk past the bathroom scale – kidding! – but record my "official" weight on Tuesdays. I do scale hop a lot, though, and all week long I've shown a two-pound loss from last Tuesday. Until this morning. Which shows no loss. I'm feeling so good about not eating sugar and drinking lots o' water and exercising regularly [six days out of the last seven!] right now that it would be Just. Plain. Demoralizing. to record yet another "stayed the same." So I'm going to make Friday my official weigh day from now until the next time something demoralizing happens, when you can be sure I will shift things around again.

The only reason I can think of for today's news is that yesterday was a pretty salty day. In fact, I felt so bloated and uncomfortable leaving my drawing class at the prison last night that I could barely walk. Lovely mind picture, isn't it? I don't think I've ever experienced a salt reaction like that before.

I usually don't eat canned foods, but canned beans [unrinsed – never again will I neglect that step!] were on the menu last night and I believe I've paid more than enough for that transgression.

I have another horse-feeding gig this week and next. Mornings only, which is good. It gets me off the computer in a timely manner and the horses live near one of my running routes, so I can hit the road as soon as I finish feeding, before it gets too hot and humid to make excuses.

Yesterday was the first day of 16 training weeks; I lifted weights and did a rowing machine session, since Mondays are rest-from-running days. I will run 348 miles in the next four months. If I headed west from Cleveland, I'd end up in Chicago.

A couple of blasts from the past

First, thanks for your nice comments about Saturday's run. I think Mary Christine has the right idea: Go for the big races. The larger venues truly do have runners of every shape, size and speed. I hated being the fattest person on the course, and I hated knowing everyone was waiting for me and Mr. Geezer to cross the finish line so they could get on with announcing the results. It's not their fault that I was so slow, and I really was pleased with my time. I doubt I could have gone any faster.

I did my Sunday run on the hilly road I live on in about 52 minutes. At one point going up a hill I passed three Amish horse-and-buggies. I felt like Rocky at the Philly Art Museum. Of course, they smoked me going downhill!

A friend sent me some images of old ads, two of which are relevant for those of us who are busting lard. This first one, especially, falls into that category:

And the second is just appalling! I guess the FDA wasn't around when this product was being marketed:

Today is the first day of 16 weeks of training for the City of Oaks Half-Marathon. Mondays are rest days … woo hoo! Heh. I'm going to lift weights and do 30 minutes on the rowing machine, because rest days also can be cross-training days and I'm motivated to start this session off on a positive note.

The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful

One of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs, and slightly appropriate to today's report.

We've seen a dramatic cooling in temperatures this week, meaning I don't feel like I have to leave the house at 6 a.m. [not that I ever have, mind you] to get a good run in. It also means I don't feel like a wadded-up washcloth when I'm done.

Yesterday I walked a brisk half-mile warm-up, ran three miles and walked slightly less briskly for a half mile. The total time was 55 minutes. The three-mile time was 33:15. Adam was moaning about how much his 11-minute pace sucked and I was giving myself a high-five because I thought I was so awesome!

It's all relative.

Here's what the temperatures looked like at the start and finish. I'm not sure the starting humidity was accurate; it didn't feel that close or damp. Coming to the finish was great, though. One of my most satisfying runs all summer.

And no sugar yesterday! One day down, the rest of my life to go.

I ran on an empty stomach in the morning and had a scoop of tuna salad [made with light mayo] with a fresh tomato when I finished. Mid-afternoon I had some cheese and whole-wheat crackers. Last night was a Greek salad topped with grilled salmon. A pretty high-protein day, all in all, and I didn't have any cravings for sweets. Well, maybe a little, but I talked myself out of it because I knew y'all would be wondering.

Training for the City of Oaks Half-Marathon starts Monday. Like Mary Christine, I love training. I love the discipline, I love crossing off each day when I'm done, I love knowing I will be doing whatever that little schedule says to do, no matter what. There's no "will I or won't I" once the schedule kicks in. I should live every day in training.

For the two or three people who find my blog every day [seriously!] by Googling for "Sicko in WV," the wait is over. The Great Escape theatre in Nitro, WV is now showing it. Nitro is north of Charleston and east of Huntington. Enjoy!

What's next? That is the question.

First, once again I want to thank everyone for all the great comments. If you're thinking you don't get enough comment love on your blog, go out and run a race. Heh.

Lots of those comments are coming via DietGirl, 'cause she put me in her sidebar! Thanks, Shauna!

Reading your messages brings all the excitement back again, which is a good thing today. According to the Penguin, who wrote the book that gave me the confidence to undertake this endeavor, the third day post-race is probably the toughest. You're back to normal life, you're probably still in some pain, you're not training, there's no carrot on a stick dangling in front of you. It's. Just. You.

Mr. Shrinking Knitter was here yesterday to help ease the transition from spending the weekend with my daughter and her family and 30,000 of my closest running buddies. But he's gone today and it's just me and the dogs and the mop and the lawnmower.

The thrill is gone. Heh.

I'll answer a couple of comments about the future, and then I need to get back to Normal Life.

Jeannie wanted to know how many miles I was going to do this week; ws remarked on the fact that as soon as I hit the finish line I was planning next year's strategy, and Mariah asked, "What's next?"

I was rather surprised at myself that I'm sooooo going to do this again. I remember after Lainey finished her first half she said she was so over long-distance running. [But not running! Oh, no, she's already training to be part of a relay team for the Edinburgh Marathon!] I really loved the discipline of training, the excitement of race day, the sense of accomplishment when I finished. Nothing I've ever done – ever – has made me feel the same. And being the kind of girl whose favorite drink was More, I think More Races are inevitable.

John "the Penguin" Bingham says in the book that if you're older than 40 you need twice as many days to recover as the number of miles you've just run. That means 26 days, but it doesn't mean a month-long slugfest. I walked almost two miles yesterday with Mr. Shrinking Knitter. I'll walk again tomorrow and Friday, hopefully for four miles each day, and start running again next week, if my knees feel okay. Today and Thursday I'll start a serious weight-training program, eventually adding a third day. M@rla, I'll be in my garage, thinking of you! It's not so gloomy and awful with the door open. [I can't help but think of Kevin Spacey in American Beauty when I lift weights in my garage. And my favorite line from that film? "I rule!"]

I usually wear patella straps when I run, but I forgot them for the race. No harm done, but after a short, leisurely walk yesterday my right knee was very painful. I need to remember I'm 55, fercryin'outloud! It feels perfectly fine this morning, no "clicking" sound when I bend it and no tenderness or pain going up or down stairs.

Next will be another half in the fall, probably in Huntington, WV, in November. I don't relish training in the summer, but early mornings are cool here even in August, so all I'll have to do is rearrange my blog-writing schedule and get used to busting my ass at 6 a.m. instead of sitting on it. I also want to find some 5- and 10K races around here this summer.

Y'all have been great ... I couldn't have done it without you. And now, we return you to your regular progamming.