Cleanliness is next to Godliness - or Goddessness :)

I kept repeating to myself "I gotta have a CLEAN week"... 

 

No fast food, no outrageous lunch or dinner orders, NO OVERDOSING ON TIMBITS.

 

And what do ya know?! IT WORKED!! I posted a significant loss and I feel AWESOME!  No guilt and no stress from "oh man I hope all this crap I ate doesn't show up on the scale" 

 

... ya right.

 

One of my favourite current sports figures once said: "Hope is not a Strategy."  

 

Truer words were never spoken.  I'm glad that for this week, I had the guts to take charge.  I PLAN - NOT HOPE - for a repeat performance every week from now till Race Day.

 

My deadline is approaching - remember? I picked a date waaaaaaaaayyyy off into the distance to give myself more than a reasonable amount of time to reach my goal weight.  Well, now I have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 20 days remaining.

 

MAY 15, 2011.

 

This is the day I stop weighing myself, stop stressing about the last few pounds and officially enjoy a responsible and active summer.

 

I think I might extend my deadline though - to May 29th - the day of my first half marathon of the year.

 

This way I can discuss training as well as weight loss and end this series of blogs with a final weight and a finish time of the Buffalo half marathon.  Sound good? Good.  Then its settled. :)

 

WEIGHT CHANGE 

-3.5lbs - HELL YA!!!!!!

HOW MANY LBS TO GO

10lbs

GREAT HEALTHY FIND OF THE WEEK

Everything my mama put on the table for Easter Dinner!  She made an amazing lentil casserole (with cheese), made garlic mashed cauliflower (not a typo - try it sometime!), a type of zucchini bake, a KICK ASS coleslaw (that I hope she makes at every holiday now), and my Grandma brought the turkey! Oh yes, it helps when dessert is only 120cals a serving as well!  Holiday dinners can still be GOOD even when they're good FOR you, and when they're THAT healthy, you need not worry so much about reaching out for seconds - I know I did!

INDULGENCE OF THE WEEK

Hmm... I didn't really have any.  I went out on the town two nights this week, both nights I drank my signature Vodka/Diet (60cals/serving) and made sure I drank a big glass of water between each drink.  I must pat myself on the back, because I did well without sacrificing much this week... and of course the thought is immediately - WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS ALL ALONG? - but that question needs to be removed from my mind, because it is more important to learn as I go and keep forging ahead!

COMMENTS ON ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE PREVIOUS POSTING

Other people really use their own "support groups" as well! And it seems as though those people who don't have a strong support system around them have a much tougher time sticking with their 'program'.  I am no expert on anything, except maybe rambling on and on and on and on, but if there is anything I can do; lend an ear, share some stories, show up and go for a walk... DO NOT HESITATE.  

 

Life is best served among friends who live it to the fullest.

Its NEVER too late to be brand new.

Work out ALL you want, but if a restaurant is preparing your food all week and you have no say - the sweat will all be for not.

As you can probably guess, I got VERY lazy last week.  Not only did I NOT have the proper groceries and prepare my meals, I didn't even TRACK my meals this week!

If I think back... I ate at least 3 "chicken something sandwiches" from random restaurants, I ate sushi (which wouldn't be so bad if I didn't order my 'dinner order' on a random lunch hour), I even had a Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich at some point, and more timbits than I care to recount...

We all have bad weeks.

No, I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan, but when I heard this line it rang true and I use it whenever it fits - and it fits describing my attitude from here on out...

TODAY IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE BRAND NEW.

I have work to do - I got away with a rough week last week, but not two weeks in a row!! Let this be my wakeup call!

Even if not just for the weight gain - because yes there was weight gain.  

I need the proper nutrition to fuel my body to knock 6 minutes off my 1/2 Marathon time in just 39 days!!

 

WEIGHT CHANGE 

+2lbs

HOW MANY LBS TO GO

13.5lbs

GREAT HEALTHY FIND OF THE WEEK

Its ok to add your own ingredients to a home-cooked meal even if the meal isn't at your place! While away this weekend I grew a conscience about some of my food choices earlier in the week.  Although it felt a bit awkward discussing the menu for dinner at my friends parents house 4 hours from home, I did mention that I'd like to stop at a grocery store so I can make a salad (with the particular ingredients that I like), and the idea was welcomed with open arms!  Making the right choices for yourself are easy if you just SPEAK UP! Good people in your life will support you no matter what!

INDULGENCE OF THE WEEK

See paragraph #3

COMMENTS ON ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE PREVIOUS POSTING

I offered to help with a TRULY BEGINNER learn to run clinic in May.  I'm so encouraged by the amount of friends and family that are interested in joining! I will do my best to keep you all posted!!!

I SURVIVED the tigers home opener!!

So, I'm riding high from last week's weight loss post and successful completion of my 10 mile race, so I did the 2 things any female runner WOULD do (post-race)...


1) I booked a pedicure
2) I booked my next race


Since Ali and I did so well at the race, we treated ourselves to a nice pedicure... and while I had her stuck in the chair next to me for an hour or so, I sold her on the idea that if she could run 1O MILES OF HILLS, she could certainly run A FLAT HALF MARATHON (its only 3.1 more miles after all)!


Someone please remind my boss that I AM good at sales lol..


So we looked around (from our smartphones with our feet being pampered of course) and found the Buffalo Half Marathon - May 29 2011.  We are both officially registered.


ITS ONLY 46 DAYS AWAY


This gave me all the more reason to have one last hooplah and really go out and enjoy the Detroit Tiger's home opener - which I certainly did.  


On the day of the home opener my diet consisted of the following:


a) BEER
b) HOT DOG(s)
c) REPEAT


Let me tell you how glad I was to see a big fat goose-egg on the scale this week! NO CHANGE! which means I SURVIVED the home opener with NO GAIN! WOOOT!!


Its all business now though folks.


Buffalo Half Marathon Goal: 2:05:30

WEIGHT CHANGE 

0

HOW MANY LBS TO GO

11.5lbs

GREAT HEALTHY FIND OF THE WEEK

This may sound strange but I rediscovered milk this week.  I hadn't had a glass of milk in years - yes years.  I poured a glass for my son (who has a glass every night before bed) and it looked SO good! Milk has some calories so I want to be careful (Bob and Jillian from the biggest loser always say DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES), but I will now focus on having a small glass every night that I run. 

INDULGENCE OF THE WEEK

Tigers Home Opener.... Bud Light and mystery meat hot dogs... all.  day.  long. 

COMMENTS ON ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE PREVIOUS POSTING

Thank you for all the kind words for myself and my mom as we completed our 10 miler!

The Post-Race Blog (surviving the Miracle 10-Miler)

All that training, all those hills, all the words of encouragement - and its all over.

 

I finished the Miracle 10 Miler at Malden Park with the following times:

 

2010 - 1:59:30

2011 - 1:52:25

 

Although I didn't quite finish with the time I wanted, I can't complain about shaving 7 minutes off my time in the span of one year (especially when that one year included a broken foot).

 

My mom KICKED BUTT AND WON HER AGE GROUP!!! She also did a healthy whoopin of MY butt as she finished with a time of 1:41.

 

Ali, one of my dear BFFs completed her FIRST EVER 10 mile race, and finished NOT EVEN CLOSE to dead last, with an impressive time of 2:01 - killing her goal  time!

 

It was difficult for me to mind my nutrition this past week, because leading up to the race I ended up with a horrible cold and fever, and needed to just eat and rest and respond to whatever my body requested, so that I could get back out on the road before the race.

 

I was afraid to weigh in this week because I KNEW how much I had eaten.  One night when my fever was really bad, I ACTUALLY ATE 2 DINNERS... 2 WHOLE DINNERS.... 

 

But the scale was kind to me this am..... 

 

This Friday though is the Detroit Tigers Home Opener... Lets see how disciplined I can be...

 

WEIGHT CHANGE 

-1.5 lbs!!

HOW MANY LBS TO GO

11.5lbs - yes, now that I'm this close - I'm counting half-pounds.  Deal with it.

GREAT HEALTHY FIND OF THE WEEK

I listened to my body this week.  Rest when it needed it, Ate when it needed it, and tried my best to just get better instead of draining myself through a cold.  It was difficult to not work out and to knowingly eat "more", but I'm glad I listened!

INDULGENCE OF THE WEEK

I had a couple of beers Friday night at the OHL Spits Game, and a Smoothie from an ice-cream store which could have been 200 cals or 2,000 - I wasn't sure because it wasn't listed.

COMMENTS ON ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE PREVIOUS POSTING

Thanks for all the well wishes on my race and my accomplishments thus far! I have a new mission now: OPERATION BIKINI SEASON. (one word - eeeeeeeeeeek!)