After being 155 for 3 days, on this my "official" weigh in day, I shoot up 1.4 pounds . . . there ought to be a law!
Yesterday we went hiking and this morning we went for a 5 miler. We went on the route that we had so much trouble on the other day. Luckily, today it was uneventful. After our run we were talking to someone we know who lives in the same development, just a different phase, as the one with the private street. Anyway, she was saying that one day a lady was pushing a baby stroller down their private street and was told to get off their street. Can you believe these people?
Anyway, today we're going on a bike ride, once we have some lunch. It's a beautiful day outside so I might as well get out there and enjoy it.
I went to my PT yesterday for a reevaluation and he agreed I was not at 100 percent - DUH! But he told me to do these other 2 exercises for a month and if I wasn't at 100% by then I need to see an orthopedic specialist. So, this better fix things because surgery is NOT an option for me. Especially since I know someone who just last winter had such a terrible outcome. Nope, not an option.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
155
Really, I have no time this morning. I just wanted to update things, so here you go:
- Yesterday's long run was a running disaster in terms of ability. Almost all junk miles.
- Last night we babysat the grands. They continue to be cute and charming.
- I'm stopping in to see my PT today at his request. The shoulder is still an issue.
- We resigned from being poll workers, maybe I'll got into detail later but basically because our co-workers are all senile. OK, not all, just enough of them to make it a miserable experience.
- We're going on a hike this afternoon.
- Tomorrow we're scheduled to run the route where the people hate us and have threatened physical violence if we run their street.
- The weather is beautiful.
And that's about it for today.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
155.2
For a second day. Can that be a complete sentence? I think not, but it is. So there.
We're hoping to get a long run in today. The weather could go either way and it could easily change during the run. But I need a long run today. I really NEED it for my mind and spirit.
The grands are coming over tonight. We're starting our Thursday night babysitting which will repeat for a lot of the summer. It gives us good time with the kids so it's actually nice. Enough time but not too much.
I have to get some things done so this is all I have time for right now. Bye!
We're hoping to get a long run in today. The weather could go either way and it could easily change during the run. But I need a long run today. I really NEED it for my mind and spirit.
The grands are coming over tonight. We're starting our Thursday night babysitting which will repeat for a lot of the summer. It gives us good time with the kids so it's actually nice. Enough time but not too much.
I have to get some things done so this is all I have time for right now. Bye!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
155.2
I'm not sure what the reason is for me to be down a couple pounds but I'm glad nonetheless. Yesterday, we were able to go for a 5 miler but it turned into such a fiasco hat it took several hours. There was nothing bad about the run itself, just the "delay" we encountered.
We went on our usual 5 mile route. The same route we've been running for about 6 years now. As I mentioned in the past, we're tired of dogs running after us. So we've decided to call animal control when loose dogs run into the street after us. Yesterday, as we were going through the Legacy subdivision, we encountered the same loose dog that chased after us last time. Last time this happened, I told the animal control officer I did not want to have the owner (an old lady) cited, but rather I wanted her "educated". To make a long story short, she still doesn't put her dog on a leash because she says it hurts her when the dog pulls against the leash. Instead, she says the problem is that we run down her private street.
For clarification, the street is privately owned and maintained by the subdivision but it is open to the public and passage is not prohibited. She was notified of this fact when we last had the problem. Anyway, in my ignorance, I thought this problem was taken care of, until yesterday.
So we're running along, in the first half mile of our run, and we encounter the same lady and her dog. The dog sees us as we round the corner and runs out to us. The lady has no idea the dog is running into the street until he gets near to me and starts barking. So I do the usual, I stop (so the dog will not continue to chase me) and I shout "go home" to the dog. Then I look at the lady and ask her if she didn't learn anything from the last time we went through this (pointing out that I requested she NOT be cited for the loose dog, despite the leash law). So her response is to start yelling at me for running down her private street. I mean, really, hadn't we been through this before? I really didn't want to take the time to bother with this (again), but she was yelling at me for running in HER neighborhood and it was pissing me off.
So I told her that the leash law was written for ALL dog owners to obey and that it is actually for the dog's protection as well. This is falling on deaf ears of course and in hindsight I wonder why I'm bothering to even say anything. So we call animal control . . . again. The lady goes into the house and starts calling her neighbors. I think she has them on speed dial.
To cut to the chase on this story, pretty soon we end up with a lynch mob of her neighbors all yelling at us and telling us we're "small" people just trying to terrorize an old lady. One lady said that we're "rich people who live on the hill" and just trying to tell them what to do. This lady's husband was chest to chest with my spouse telling him he was going to "knock him on his ass" and if we ever ran down this road again he'd personally run into the street to trip us. The women pace the sidewalk with looks of disgust on their faces, spewing words of anger and hatred (that we sometimes cannot make out but it's obvious we're about as welcome as cock roaches at an open house).
It was really quite amazing that these people became so irrational and mob like. Anyway, when the one man started threatening spouse with physical violence, we called 911. One officer responded and as soon as he saw the mentality of thy lynch mob, he called for back up.
And all we wanted to do was run down the middle of a street without any animals or people trying to assault us . . . less than 60 seconds and we're past their homes. Is that REALLY asking for so much? Were we REALLY disrupting their lives? We we really the faces of evil that they portrayed us to be? I mean, we weren't breaking any laws.
Anyway, the police (again) explain to these people that it is not illegal for us to run down their street. Despite this fact, one man is wanting to know if he can take a restraining order out against us. The neighbors all lie and say the dog never did run out into the street and that we're just picking on this old lady. Of course, the only problem with that was that the dog owner, who may be stubborn and ornery but is not a liar, confirmed to police that the dog did in fact run into the street after us.
This whole event lasts around 2 hours. You'd think some rough, tough motorcycle gang was trying to invade their neighborhood and take it over. In the end, the angry mob was dispersed and the officer asked if we wanted the old lady cited. I thought about her being honest when all her neighbors were lying (as they mentally put the noose around our necks and searched for a tall tree) and I surprised myself by saying, "No, we'll give her another chance". The police officer went in to tell her and we left, to continue on our run.
Now, at this point I'm sure of several things. I'm sure this old lady will still not put her dog on a leash and I'm sure the neighbors are going to devise a plan to keep these 2 runners off their street. I'm also sure that this whole situation has escalated into something much bigger than it ever should have been.
So in an effort to diffuse this mess, we've decided we'll ignore the loose dog when it continues to chase us down the road. And we will no longer stop our run to prevent it from chasing us further. If it chooses to chase us for the whole 5 miles, then I guess that's what will happen. I guess somebody's going to have to learn how to run in order to catch it. Because the other thing I know for sure is that until such time that it actually is illegal for us to run down this particular street, we're not changing our route. As a matter of fact, when I think about this guy threatening us with bodily harm if we should ever run down his street again, I am quite sure that after running down that street for 6 years I'd like to continue for another 6 years. Because if he's treating us like that, he's doing it to someone else too.
Yeah, we COULD find another street to get us past this problem area. And they could be more reasonable and not yell at people who are just running down the street. But I don't think either of those things is going to happen any time soon. Anyway, since we're planning a long run tomorrow, we'll be on a different route. But we'll be back on this route on Saturday. Our plan is to just ignore these people and run down the street. Is that REALLY asking for so much?
We went on our usual 5 mile route. The same route we've been running for about 6 years now. As I mentioned in the past, we're tired of dogs running after us. So we've decided to call animal control when loose dogs run into the street after us. Yesterday, as we were going through the Legacy subdivision, we encountered the same loose dog that chased after us last time. Last time this happened, I told the animal control officer I did not want to have the owner (an old lady) cited, but rather I wanted her "educated". To make a long story short, she still doesn't put her dog on a leash because she says it hurts her when the dog pulls against the leash. Instead, she says the problem is that we run down her private street.
For clarification, the street is privately owned and maintained by the subdivision but it is open to the public and passage is not prohibited. She was notified of this fact when we last had the problem. Anyway, in my ignorance, I thought this problem was taken care of, until yesterday.
So we're running along, in the first half mile of our run, and we encounter the same lady and her dog. The dog sees us as we round the corner and runs out to us. The lady has no idea the dog is running into the street until he gets near to me and starts barking. So I do the usual, I stop (so the dog will not continue to chase me) and I shout "go home" to the dog. Then I look at the lady and ask her if she didn't learn anything from the last time we went through this (pointing out that I requested she NOT be cited for the loose dog, despite the leash law). So her response is to start yelling at me for running down her private street. I mean, really, hadn't we been through this before? I really didn't want to take the time to bother with this (again), but she was yelling at me for running in HER neighborhood and it was pissing me off.
So I told her that the leash law was written for ALL dog owners to obey and that it is actually for the dog's protection as well. This is falling on deaf ears of course and in hindsight I wonder why I'm bothering to even say anything. So we call animal control . . . again. The lady goes into the house and starts calling her neighbors. I think she has them on speed dial.
To cut to the chase on this story, pretty soon we end up with a lynch mob of her neighbors all yelling at us and telling us we're "small" people just trying to terrorize an old lady. One lady said that we're "rich people who live on the hill" and just trying to tell them what to do. This lady's husband was chest to chest with my spouse telling him he was going to "knock him on his ass" and if we ever ran down this road again he'd personally run into the street to trip us. The women pace the sidewalk with looks of disgust on their faces, spewing words of anger and hatred (that we sometimes cannot make out but it's obvious we're about as welcome as cock roaches at an open house).
It was really quite amazing that these people became so irrational and mob like. Anyway, when the one man started threatening spouse with physical violence, we called 911. One officer responded and as soon as he saw the mentality of thy lynch mob, he called for back up.
And all we wanted to do was run down the middle of a street without any animals or people trying to assault us . . . less than 60 seconds and we're past their homes. Is that REALLY asking for so much? Were we REALLY disrupting their lives? We we really the faces of evil that they portrayed us to be? I mean, we weren't breaking any laws.
Anyway, the police (again) explain to these people that it is not illegal for us to run down their street. Despite this fact, one man is wanting to know if he can take a restraining order out against us. The neighbors all lie and say the dog never did run out into the street and that we're just picking on this old lady. Of course, the only problem with that was that the dog owner, who may be stubborn and ornery but is not a liar, confirmed to police that the dog did in fact run into the street after us.
This whole event lasts around 2 hours. You'd think some rough, tough motorcycle gang was trying to invade their neighborhood and take it over. In the end, the angry mob was dispersed and the officer asked if we wanted the old lady cited. I thought about her being honest when all her neighbors were lying (as they mentally put the noose around our necks and searched for a tall tree) and I surprised myself by saying, "No, we'll give her another chance". The police officer went in to tell her and we left, to continue on our run.
Now, at this point I'm sure of several things. I'm sure this old lady will still not put her dog on a leash and I'm sure the neighbors are going to devise a plan to keep these 2 runners off their street. I'm also sure that this whole situation has escalated into something much bigger than it ever should have been.
So in an effort to diffuse this mess, we've decided we'll ignore the loose dog when it continues to chase us down the road. And we will no longer stop our run to prevent it from chasing us further. If it chooses to chase us for the whole 5 miles, then I guess that's what will happen. I guess somebody's going to have to learn how to run in order to catch it. Because the other thing I know for sure is that until such time that it actually is illegal for us to run down this particular street, we're not changing our route. As a matter of fact, when I think about this guy threatening us with bodily harm if we should ever run down his street again, I am quite sure that after running down that street for 6 years I'd like to continue for another 6 years. Because if he's treating us like that, he's doing it to someone else too.
Yeah, we COULD find another street to get us past this problem area. And they could be more reasonable and not yell at people who are just running down the street. But I don't think either of those things is going to happen any time soon. Anyway, since we're planning a long run tomorrow, we'll be on a different route. But we'll be back on this route on Saturday. Our plan is to just ignore these people and run down the street. Is that REALLY asking for so much?
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
157.2
Yesterday it rained almost all day. In terms of getting outside for more than a 15 minute window, it was a wash out. So to combat the boredom of a rainy day, we ended up going to a new restaurant. A bad idea you say? Oh, you are so wise!
Anyway, the place we went to was called Goodwood. Sort of like a Dave's BBQ, or Tony Roma's with the exception that the service was beyond excellent and the meat was devoid of all fat and/or grissel (how DO you spell that?). Now that I have said this, I'm sure our next experience will be disappointing. We'll probably have to wait 20 minutes to have our order taken and the food will make us puke. However, for this one time, our first time, it was excellent.
After the restaurant, where I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with steak fries, we stopped for an ice cream cone. I guess I decided to be totally bad in terms of making wise decisions. Oh, but wait, there's more! Later in the evening, as I stood up to go brush my teeth (and therefore stop eating for the day) the next thing I knew I was making a PB&J&M (peanut butter, jelly on an English muffin). Finally, after that, I brushed my teeth and stopped eating.
So today, I am paying the price for being stupid yesterday. Seems like I'm always paying the price. Maybe one day I'll stop being stupid. Maybe when I am dead, but until then I'm pretty sure I'll always struggle with this issue. See that's the thing . . . just because the number on the scale is smaller it doesn't mean I (you/me/we/us) have any better grip on the situation.
Moving along . . . we WERE going to go on a long run yesterday but were rained out on that. Today I don't have enough time for a really long run because I have a piano lesson later in the day. So we'll just have to go for a 5 miler. Since I need to have fresh legs for a long run, that moves the long run to Thursday. So, we're hoping to do a 5 miler today, 10 miler on Thursday, then another 5 miler on Saturday. Then if all goes according to plan, we'll resume a normal running week next week with a 13 miler on Monday. That IS putting 2 long runs pretty close together but I think I can pull it off. And if not, I guess I'll be bitching about another injury, but hopefully not.
So that's the plan, now I just have to make it happen. It should be pretty easy as long as the weather cooperates. Decent weather has to come sometime doesn't it?
Anyway, the place we went to was called Goodwood. Sort of like a Dave's BBQ, or Tony Roma's with the exception that the service was beyond excellent and the meat was devoid of all fat and/or grissel (how DO you spell that?). Now that I have said this, I'm sure our next experience will be disappointing. We'll probably have to wait 20 minutes to have our order taken and the food will make us puke. However, for this one time, our first time, it was excellent.
After the restaurant, where I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with steak fries, we stopped for an ice cream cone. I guess I decided to be totally bad in terms of making wise decisions. Oh, but wait, there's more! Later in the evening, as I stood up to go brush my teeth (and therefore stop eating for the day) the next thing I knew I was making a PB&J&M (peanut butter, jelly on an English muffin). Finally, after that, I brushed my teeth and stopped eating.
So today, I am paying the price for being stupid yesterday. Seems like I'm always paying the price. Maybe one day I'll stop being stupid. Maybe when I am dead, but until then I'm pretty sure I'll always struggle with this issue. See that's the thing . . . just because the number on the scale is smaller it doesn't mean I (you/me/we/us) have any better grip on the situation.
Moving along . . . we WERE going to go on a long run yesterday but were rained out on that. Today I don't have enough time for a really long run because I have a piano lesson later in the day. So we'll just have to go for a 5 miler. Since I need to have fresh legs for a long run, that moves the long run to Thursday. So, we're hoping to do a 5 miler today, 10 miler on Thursday, then another 5 miler on Saturday. Then if all goes according to plan, we'll resume a normal running week next week with a 13 miler on Monday. That IS putting 2 long runs pretty close together but I think I can pull it off. And if not, I guess I'll be bitching about another injury, but hopefully not.
So that's the plan, now I just have to make it happen. It should be pretty easy as long as the weather cooperates. Decent weather has to come sometime doesn't it?
Monday, May 26, 2008
156.8
it's raining outside
going to rain all day they say
not sure what we'll do
our plans WERE to do a long run
i wonder why i'm putting everything in lower case
who do i think i am, ee cummings
i've ignored my punctuation
i suppose it makes me feel free
free from the bonds of punctuation
maybe i'll start misspelling too
maybe i'll ignor grammars
is thes wierd orr what
i aint got no idea
o i loved that duble negative two, didn't ewe
thes mite be dum butt i like it
bee sides, it's my blog so eye kin dew what eye whant
have an nice dey
going to rain all day they say
not sure what we'll do
our plans WERE to do a long run
i wonder why i'm putting everything in lower case
who do i think i am, ee cummings
i've ignored my punctuation
i suppose it makes me feel free
free from the bonds of punctuation
maybe i'll start misspelling too
maybe i'll ignor grammars
is thes wierd orr what
i aint got no idea
o i loved that duble negative two, didn't ewe
thes mite be dum butt i like it
bee sides, it's my blog so eye kin dew what eye whant
have an nice dey
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Reality Check
I updated my ticker graph on my blog page today. I haven't done that in awhile because I've been "up a couple pounds" for quite some time now. I need to get back to some of the good habits that I had in the past. One of these is to have an "official" weigh in day. Oh, I've continued to weigh in monthly with Weight Watchers. But I don't think that's enough pressure on me. I need a bit more pressure, a bit more focus, a bit more caring.
So I'm going back to my official weigh ins on Saturdays. I think I might update the graph I used to keep in my bedroom too. I've been too lazy about my weight loss and as a result haven't really lost anything for months and months. Perhaps part of that is because of my "phony" weight loss goal of 145 pounds. I've explained before that it really doesn't matter if I ever reach it or not because I REALLY am just happy at 155 pounds. But the only way I can maintain 155 pounds is to be "on plan" and working towards a lesser amount, namely 145.
Well, this was all fine and dandy for awhile, then it's like my mouth found out what my brain was really up to. So now I've been sitting at 155-157 for awhile now. That isn't acceptable because I need a "safety net" and at this weight there really isn't one. So now I am really, okay, I mean REALLY, going to try to hit 145 pounds. I've watched a number of target dates/events come and go so this time I need to pick one that I REALLY (not just lower case really but the upper case REALLY) am going to try and reach.
My first target event will be the 4th of July. On this date I will try to weigh 151 (or less). The second target event is later in July when I run the Bryce Canyon half marathon (July 19), at which time I will hope to weigh 140 anything. Then, when I run the TOU Half marathon (August 23), my target will be 145.
I couldn't help but notice I typed "I will try" and "I will hope". I think that sounds too passive, too noncommittal. OK, I'll revise that and say, with complete conviction and total certainty:
OK, I said it, I wrote it, and I posted it. Now I just have to make it happen.
So I'm going back to my official weigh ins on Saturdays. I think I might update the graph I used to keep in my bedroom too. I've been too lazy about my weight loss and as a result haven't really lost anything for months and months. Perhaps part of that is because of my "phony" weight loss goal of 145 pounds. I've explained before that it really doesn't matter if I ever reach it or not because I REALLY am just happy at 155 pounds. But the only way I can maintain 155 pounds is to be "on plan" and working towards a lesser amount, namely 145.
Well, this was all fine and dandy for awhile, then it's like my mouth found out what my brain was really up to. So now I've been sitting at 155-157 for awhile now. That isn't acceptable because I need a "safety net" and at this weight there really isn't one. So now I am really, okay, I mean REALLY, going to try to hit 145 pounds. I've watched a number of target dates/events come and go so this time I need to pick one that I REALLY (not just lower case really but the upper case REALLY) am going to try and reach.
My first target event will be the 4th of July. On this date I will try to weigh 151 (or less). The second target event is later in July when I run the Bryce Canyon half marathon (July 19), at which time I will hope to weigh 140 anything. Then, when I run the TOU Half marathon (August 23), my target will be 145.
I couldn't help but notice I typed "I will try" and "I will hope". I think that sounds too passive, too noncommittal. OK, I'll revise that and say, with complete conviction and total certainty:
By July 4th I will weigh 151 or less
By July 19th I will weigh 140 something
By August 23 I will weigh 145
OK, I said it, I wrote it, and I posted it. Now I just have to make it happen.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
156.2
Yesterday COULD have been a disaster, in terms of eating. I COULD have fallen into the "it's my birthday so I can eat whatever I want" mentality. I COULD have spent the entire day "pampering" myself and splurging on all the high calorie treats that I have denied myself for a long time. Notice I used the word "could". It was a choice. A choice that was totally up to me. There for my choosing. So the question is, what did I choose?
I chose to NOT go overboard because it isn't worth it. What I deserved was to be fit and healthy. So, the extent of my birthday splurge was this:
And that was it. So, this morning, instead of kicking myself, I'm feeling good about making decent decisions on what COULD have been a weight loss disaster of a day.
Kudos to me!
I chose to NOT go overboard because it isn't worth it. What I deserved was to be fit and healthy. So, the extent of my birthday splurge was this:
- A cup of frozen yogurt at Costco
- An upgrade on bread, chips (Sun Chips instead of baked Lays) and cheese on my 6" oven roasted chicken breast sandwich.
- A chocolate chip cookie
And that was it. So, this morning, instead of kicking myself, I'm feeling good about making decent decisions on what COULD have been a weight loss disaster of a day.
Kudos to me!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
155.6
Happy Birthday to Me!
I've officially survived 52 years on this earth. There were many times I would have doubted I would make it this far but now that I have, I'm shooting for another 30-40 more. All healthy and active of course!
These past 2 days I've gone out to eat twice and been able to maintain control so that my weight has dropped each day. Now all I have to do it make it through today and not do anything crazy. I'm planning on going to a Mongolian Grille later on so that means lots of food but very low in calories since it's mostly all vegetables. Then, I'm done eating out for awhile and it will be a bit easier to stick to my plan.
It's a rainy day today so I don't think I'm going to be able to get a run in. If I can't go running before I take my shower then it just doesn't happen (most of the time anyway). I'm not sure what this day will bring to me. I'm like a blank page . . . no plans, no expectations, just kicking back and waiting to see what will happen.
I'm starting a new piano piece today so I'll probably work on that this morning. I always like starting out a new piece because it's like walking down a road I've never been on before. Some things remind me of familiar places but I really don't know what I'll find. So much music and so little time!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
156.4
I just don't seem to have a lot to talk about today. I went to dinner with some gal pals last night and I'm happy to say I stayed with my plan of what to order so I didn't go over my calories. I basically used Beck's "NO OPTION" technique and it worked like a charm. Of course, it always does . . . I just need to DO it.
Today I'm going to lunch with a friend who is going to be moving away. Then, I have a dinner tomorrow and that should take care of all my eating temptations. Of all the temptations, last night's could have potentially been the worst in terms of eating too many calories. I'm still paying the price for the buffet on Saturday. I think that's one of the important skills to master . . . to be able to splurge, then reign it in to avoid any "cumulative damages" AKA weight gain. So hopefully I'll keep my wits about me and make good choices these next two times.
Today I'm going to lunch with a friend who is going to be moving away. Then, I have a dinner tomorrow and that should take care of all my eating temptations. Of all the temptations, last night's could have potentially been the worst in terms of eating too many calories. I'm still paying the price for the buffet on Saturday. I think that's one of the important skills to master . . . to be able to splurge, then reign it in to avoid any "cumulative damages" AKA weight gain. So hopefully I'll keep my wits about me and make good choices these next two times.
Monday, May 19, 2008
157
I'm down from yesterday, but still too high. I really didn't eat very well on Saturday. I knew when we decided to go to Golden Corral after the race that it would be a decision that would haunt me. And I was right.
I'm going to dinner tonight with some friends I used to work with when I did auto insurance claims (bodily injury). I checked the online menu so I could make a reasonable selection, in terms of calories, and my mouth about fell open when I saw how high in calories all the food was. The menu prints out in tiny print and now I know why. If I was this company I wouldn't want people to notice this either! I guess I'll just have to make the best choice I can.
I went running this morning but only made it 4 miles. My quads were just too sore. They were sore from the downhill on Saturday's race, then yesterday we went bike riding for over 18 miles (18.41 to be exact) and I think my quads just need a bit more recovery time. Oh well, 4 miles is better than no miles!
I have a lot of eating challenges this week because my birthday is Wednesday. I'm going out to eat 3 times and there's the fear that my mind will be making decisions through the "birthday celebration" lens. Oh, that's where many bad decisions are based! This could potentially be a very scary week!
I'm going to dinner tonight with some friends I used to work with when I did auto insurance claims (bodily injury). I checked the online menu so I could make a reasonable selection, in terms of calories, and my mouth about fell open when I saw how high in calories all the food was. The menu prints out in tiny print and now I know why. If I was this company I wouldn't want people to notice this either! I guess I'll just have to make the best choice I can.
I went running this morning but only made it 4 miles. My quads were just too sore. They were sore from the downhill on Saturday's race, then yesterday we went bike riding for over 18 miles (18.41 to be exact) and I think my quads just need a bit more recovery time. Oh well, 4 miles is better than no miles!
I have a lot of eating challenges this week because my birthday is Wednesday. I'm going out to eat 3 times and there's the fear that my mind will be making decisions through the "birthday celebration" lens. Oh, that's where many bad decisions are based! This could potentially be a very scary week!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
RACE DAY REPORT
As usual, I like to make a full report of my races. Mostly for my own benefit I think. So here's the report on Saturday's race:
We had to get up at 3:30 a.m. because the buses that would carry us up the canyon were a "single load" at 5:00 a.m. There's nothing worse than being rushed on race day morning, so that would give me ample time to get up, have a bite to eat, do my stretches and of course (and actually THE most important thing that needs to happen on race day morning), "Heed the call" of Mother Nature!
It was already over 60 degrees outside but after a quick check on the computer, only 48 degrees at the start of the race. We figured we'd start the race in the lower to mid 50's. For a brief moment I considered not taking warm up sweats. (In hindsight that would have been a big mistake.)
We left the house just before 5:00 a.m. I mean really, will 4,000 people ALL board the buses at the same time? I think not, so there's no reason to hurry. As we drove though our little town I noticed there were very few other vehicles on the roads. "Cops, runners and drunks", I remarked to spouse. Other than that, there's no reason to be out and about so early on a Saturday morning. We found parking and then started walking the few blocks to where the buses were boarding. I always enjoy seeing the mass of runners as they make their way to the buses. I think about the lemmings heading out to sea (didn't they all die?).
We got lucky and our bus was a tour bus instead of a yellow school bus, (the kind that has the seats so close together that your knees are jammed in under your chin). Maybe that was a good luck sign I thought. The ride up the canyon was quiet. I remarked to spouse that this was the first time that I was on a bus, heading to a start line and the bus was quiet. I wasn't sure what to make of this. It's almost unheard of, a quiet bus. Usually, there's a lot of runner chatter about this race and every other race anyone has ever done or thought of doing. But this was pretty quiet. I could hear a few quiet conversations around us but mostly it was just a quiet ride. Weird I thought. So I concentrated on getting my mind ready for the race.
My focus for the race was to beat my time from the March race (Moab), and of course to beat last year's time from this race. It was really rather unexpected when I started feeling sort of emotional. I started getting a sense of what a privilege it was for me to be physically capable of even doing this (or any) race. I thought, there are a lot of people too lazy to undertake such a thing, but then there are those who really would want to but were unable. I actually started tearing up and was glad it was dark. I thought this was crazy, tearing up, over what exactly? I didn't know. Even in hindsight it doesn't make sense. I only know I felt very honored to stand at the starting line.
Once we got to the start line location, we got off the bus and headed for the porta potties. NO LINE! Yes, I said NO LINE! Actually, there were several lines but there were so many porta potties that you need only look a couple units down the line and there were plenty of them that were empty (I think that qualifies as no lines). Did these people not know this? I almost felt sassy as I looked to the "green handle" and made a quick trip into the porta potty. After that, we headed to the warming fires.
There were so many people this year that we couldn't even get close to the fires. So I was glad I had my warm up clothes on. We chatted for just over an hour when we were getting the signal to line up for the start. After another quick trip to the porta potties (same scenario, people lined up and lots of empty ones available for the taking) I headed back to the fire that I couldn't get near before. Enough people were lining up at the start that I could finally get warm by the fire. I pondered whether my running shorts would melt from the intense heat. I waited for the "serious sounding" call to line up before I budged. Maybe this is why they say that trying to herd runners is like trying to herd cats. The sun had come up over the mountain and it was a beautiful morning.
As I made my way to the start, I saw the pace signs. I dropped spouse off at the 9:00 pace and made my way back to the 10:00 pace. I wanted to run faster than that but my motto is that it's better to pass than be passed. After a 7 minute delay, which included one false start, the gun went off and we were off and running . . . sort of.
Anyone who has ever run a race before knows they all start the same way. Too many people try to make their way ahead of each other and all end up bottled necked, then try not to run into each other all the while jockeying for position. And of course this was no exception. We weren't more than a quarter mile into the race and people started walking already (yes, I cussed Jeff Galloway's method at this point). I admit I did feel a jab of anger as I avoided crashing into these people who suddenly just stopped running. I wondered why they didn't line up further back in the pack. This wasn't so much an issue of running style as it was safety. It isn't wise to stop moving while everyone is still tightly moving in a forward direction at a common pace.
Anyway, finally we got off the narrow start and onto a two lane road where we had the whole road. Since I haven't mentioned it yet, I have to add at this point that it is probably THE most beautiful race course in the world. Set amongst the mountains, it is truly a feast for the eyes. The beauty of God's creation is its best for this race. Okay, meanwhile, back to the race . . . at the first mile we had the only big hill on the course. It was followed by two small inclines but this was the only real hill. And I just cruised right over it with my 51 year old legs. After all, I've been running some serious hills for months and at this minute it paid off big time. I was still pretty cold up to this point and wishing I had worn gloves. But the hill got my blood stirred up enough that I was at a good running temperature. So I put it on auto pilot and headed down the road.
We ran along the dam for a couple miles, then crossed the dam and headed down the canyon. As we started heading down the canyon, along side the river, I noted that things were feeling pretty good. No aches, no pains, and breathing was good. I was aware of the presence of someone at my side. This person had been there awhile now. Unknowingly, I was keeping pace with them without consciously acknowledging their presence. I stayed even. They were running strong and so was I. Neither of us was pulling ahead. This person had been there for some time now. We were going the same exact pace. It was carrying on like that for long enough that I thought perhaps they were irritated by my continued presence. Finally, I turned to my side to fully see this person. It was a young female, in her early 20's. I said,
After a couple miles we pulled into an aid station for some water. At that point she introduced herself. I told her my name. We slugged down the water and started running again. Not speaking but still in perfect harmony of how we moved down the road. We were running along the river ,with a gently breeze and the sun at our backs, focused on the finish line.
I'm not sure exactly how far we ran together but I suspect it was about 10 miles. All the while we just ran, without talking. Each one feeding off, yet giving to, the other. When we reached the 11 mile point I noticed her sneaking a sideways glance at me. I suspected she noticed fatigue was setting in and I was slowing a bit. Finally I told her not to let me slow her down that she should go on ahead of me. She laughed and said she was getting tired too. At that point we came to another aid station and when we gulped our water, I intentionally made sure she headed out in front of me. I watched her for a short while, just ahead of me. I thought about catching up to her again but thought it might be too selfish of a thing to do. So I let her go on.
It was about this point that I looked at my GPS for the first time to see what my time was. I glanced at it several times during the race to see what the mileage was but never to see my time. When I'm running, I ask myself if I'm giving my best. If the answer is "yes", then I NEVER look at the time until I'm close to the finish. My best is my best, no matter what the numbers read. But I'm not a fool either. All you need to do is miss a goal by 10 seconds to know that it might be a good idea to see what the time is before you see the clock at the finish line. So after checking, I knew there was no way I would hit the 2 hour mark. Not unless I could run a mile in 3 minutes and I was pretty sure that was impossible for any human to do, not just me. But I did realize I was going to beat my March time for the distance. I could come in under 2 hours and 10 minutes if I didn't do anything stupid in this last mile. So I ran on, trying my best to fight off the fatigue and stay focused.
On this course, the last (apx.) 8 tenths of it is on a city street. It starts at a park up in the canyon, goes along the dam, follows the river down the canyon road, at mile 10 it lets out into a (paved) parkway running/biking trail. As it leaves the trail, there are just over 5 city blocks to the finish line. Every year this 5 blocks seem to get longer and longer. Anyway, as I'm running this last 5 blocks, some of my fellow runners start walking. Not all of them, but enough of them that I'm jealous. A guy comes along side me and flatly states,
My legs were tired but they weren't "pounded out". My feet never did feel achy. My quads were glad I was no longer on the downhill part. And my mind just wanted to cross that finish line. So I did.
I couldn't have felt more proud if I was the one who "broke the tape".
We had to get up at 3:30 a.m. because the buses that would carry us up the canyon were a "single load" at 5:00 a.m. There's nothing worse than being rushed on race day morning, so that would give me ample time to get up, have a bite to eat, do my stretches and of course (and actually THE most important thing that needs to happen on race day morning), "Heed the call" of Mother Nature!
It was already over 60 degrees outside but after a quick check on the computer, only 48 degrees at the start of the race. We figured we'd start the race in the lower to mid 50's. For a brief moment I considered not taking warm up sweats. (In hindsight that would have been a big mistake.)
We left the house just before 5:00 a.m. I mean really, will 4,000 people ALL board the buses at the same time? I think not, so there's no reason to hurry. As we drove though our little town I noticed there were very few other vehicles on the roads. "Cops, runners and drunks", I remarked to spouse. Other than that, there's no reason to be out and about so early on a Saturday morning. We found parking and then started walking the few blocks to where the buses were boarding. I always enjoy seeing the mass of runners as they make their way to the buses. I think about the lemmings heading out to sea (didn't they all die?).
We got lucky and our bus was a tour bus instead of a yellow school bus, (the kind that has the seats so close together that your knees are jammed in under your chin). Maybe that was a good luck sign I thought. The ride up the canyon was quiet. I remarked to spouse that this was the first time that I was on a bus, heading to a start line and the bus was quiet. I wasn't sure what to make of this. It's almost unheard of, a quiet bus. Usually, there's a lot of runner chatter about this race and every other race anyone has ever done or thought of doing. But this was pretty quiet. I could hear a few quiet conversations around us but mostly it was just a quiet ride. Weird I thought. So I concentrated on getting my mind ready for the race.
My focus for the race was to beat my time from the March race (Moab), and of course to beat last year's time from this race. It was really rather unexpected when I started feeling sort of emotional. I started getting a sense of what a privilege it was for me to be physically capable of even doing this (or any) race. I thought, there are a lot of people too lazy to undertake such a thing, but then there are those who really would want to but were unable. I actually started tearing up and was glad it was dark. I thought this was crazy, tearing up, over what exactly? I didn't know. Even in hindsight it doesn't make sense. I only know I felt very honored to stand at the starting line.
Once we got to the start line location, we got off the bus and headed for the porta potties. NO LINE! Yes, I said NO LINE! Actually, there were several lines but there were so many porta potties that you need only look a couple units down the line and there were plenty of them that were empty (I think that qualifies as no lines). Did these people not know this? I almost felt sassy as I looked to the "green handle" and made a quick trip into the porta potty. After that, we headed to the warming fires.
There were so many people this year that we couldn't even get close to the fires. So I was glad I had my warm up clothes on. We chatted for just over an hour when we were getting the signal to line up for the start. After another quick trip to the porta potties (same scenario, people lined up and lots of empty ones available for the taking) I headed back to the fire that I couldn't get near before. Enough people were lining up at the start that I could finally get warm by the fire. I pondered whether my running shorts would melt from the intense heat. I waited for the "serious sounding" call to line up before I budged. Maybe this is why they say that trying to herd runners is like trying to herd cats. The sun had come up over the mountain and it was a beautiful morning.
As I made my way to the start, I saw the pace signs. I dropped spouse off at the 9:00 pace and made my way back to the 10:00 pace. I wanted to run faster than that but my motto is that it's better to pass than be passed. After a 7 minute delay, which included one false start, the gun went off and we were off and running . . . sort of.
Anyone who has ever run a race before knows they all start the same way. Too many people try to make their way ahead of each other and all end up bottled necked, then try not to run into each other all the while jockeying for position. And of course this was no exception. We weren't more than a quarter mile into the race and people started walking already (yes, I cussed Jeff Galloway's method at this point). I admit I did feel a jab of anger as I avoided crashing into these people who suddenly just stopped running. I wondered why they didn't line up further back in the pack. This wasn't so much an issue of running style as it was safety. It isn't wise to stop moving while everyone is still tightly moving in a forward direction at a common pace.
Anyway, finally we got off the narrow start and onto a two lane road where we had the whole road. Since I haven't mentioned it yet, I have to add at this point that it is probably THE most beautiful race course in the world. Set amongst the mountains, it is truly a feast for the eyes. The beauty of God's creation is its best for this race. Okay, meanwhile, back to the race . . . at the first mile we had the only big hill on the course. It was followed by two small inclines but this was the only real hill. And I just cruised right over it with my 51 year old legs. After all, I've been running some serious hills for months and at this minute it paid off big time. I was still pretty cold up to this point and wishing I had worn gloves. But the hill got my blood stirred up enough that I was at a good running temperature. So I put it on auto pilot and headed down the road.
We ran along the dam for a couple miles, then crossed the dam and headed down the canyon. As we started heading down the canyon, along side the river, I noted that things were feeling pretty good. No aches, no pains, and breathing was good. I was aware of the presence of someone at my side. This person had been there awhile now. Unknowingly, I was keeping pace with them without consciously acknowledging their presence. I stayed even. They were running strong and so was I. Neither of us was pulling ahead. This person had been there for some time now. We were going the same exact pace. It was carrying on like that for long enough that I thought perhaps they were irritated by my continued presence. Finally, I turned to my side to fully see this person. It was a young female, in her early 20's. I said,
"You know eventually you're going to pull ahead of me and leave me in yourShe pulled out her i-pod ear buds, smiled and replied,
dust"
"No I won't because I'm using you to keep pace".I laughed and replied,
"No, I'm using you to keep pace".She said that she just wanted to finish the race and that it was her first race. I told her she was looking good and I was sure she'd have no problem. She replaced her ear buds and we continued running. Our foot strikes matched up perfectly. Our strides seemed to have been matched to the millimeter. As I cut each tangent, she followed my move as if we were Siamese twins. As I targeted someone ahead to pass, she smoothly passed them on the opposite side. We ran like art work, we were a living song. She young, me old, both of us runners, just trying to give our best.
After a couple miles we pulled into an aid station for some water. At that point she introduced herself. I told her my name. We slugged down the water and started running again. Not speaking but still in perfect harmony of how we moved down the road. We were running along the river ,with a gently breeze and the sun at our backs, focused on the finish line.
I'm not sure exactly how far we ran together but I suspect it was about 10 miles. All the while we just ran, without talking. Each one feeding off, yet giving to, the other. When we reached the 11 mile point I noticed her sneaking a sideways glance at me. I suspected she noticed fatigue was setting in and I was slowing a bit. Finally I told her not to let me slow her down that she should go on ahead of me. She laughed and said she was getting tired too. At that point we came to another aid station and when we gulped our water, I intentionally made sure she headed out in front of me. I watched her for a short while, just ahead of me. I thought about catching up to her again but thought it might be too selfish of a thing to do. So I let her go on.
It was about this point that I looked at my GPS for the first time to see what my time was. I glanced at it several times during the race to see what the mileage was but never to see my time. When I'm running, I ask myself if I'm giving my best. If the answer is "yes", then I NEVER look at the time until I'm close to the finish. My best is my best, no matter what the numbers read. But I'm not a fool either. All you need to do is miss a goal by 10 seconds to know that it might be a good idea to see what the time is before you see the clock at the finish line. So after checking, I knew there was no way I would hit the 2 hour mark. Not unless I could run a mile in 3 minutes and I was pretty sure that was impossible for any human to do, not just me. But I did realize I was going to beat my March time for the distance. I could come in under 2 hours and 10 minutes if I didn't do anything stupid in this last mile. So I ran on, trying my best to fight off the fatigue and stay focused.
On this course, the last (apx.) 8 tenths of it is on a city street. It starts at a park up in the canyon, goes along the dam, follows the river down the canyon road, at mile 10 it lets out into a (paved) parkway running/biking trail. As it leaves the trail, there are just over 5 city blocks to the finish line. Every year this 5 blocks seem to get longer and longer. Anyway, as I'm running this last 5 blocks, some of my fellow runners start walking. Not all of them, but enough of them that I'm jealous. A guy comes along side me and flatly states,
"I just want it to be done".
"Yep",I replied, "I'm about done too".
My legs were tired but they weren't "pounded out". My feet never did feel achy. My quads were glad I was no longer on the downhill part. And my mind just wanted to cross that finish line. So I did.
The official chip time results: 2:07:55.13
Pace: 9:41 min./mi.
Place in age group 11th (out of 38)
I couldn't have felt more proud if I was the one who "broke the tape".
Friday, May 16, 2008
155.2
Wow - this day is going by fast! Tomorrow is our half marathon. This morning we got up and went to the expo to work at one of the registration tables. When we finished our shift, we went to a nice outside restaurant for lunch. By that time, I really had the "race fever"! Then we went to a "sample sale" that the Suunto/Solomon headquarters was having and got some good deals on water bottle carriers. After that I committed a huge sin: I stopped at Great Harvest and ate a tea scone. For those who are living unaware, they are about 700 calories each. Damn, I have a lot to run off tomorrow!
Last night we went to a reception for Jeff Galloway, of running fame. Although I do not prescribe to his run/walk/run methods, it was a good time nonetheless. Here is a copy of an e-mail I sent to some friends describing it:
This informal meeting took place outside the sponsoring business's office (Suunto). They had a tent with very healthy refreshments (veggies, fruit, etc). An informal "lecture area" was set up with a podium and some rows of chairs. Bob and I were the only ones who sat in the front row. There weren't very many people in attendance, maybe about 20 people. A very intimate setting. Jeff Galloway came out of the building and came up to Bob and I and we just started chatting about running. We told him about the race we did in Knoxville last summer and he talked about running in the south. He has a very obvious southern accent, just short of a drawl. When we were ready to begin, and after very minimal words from the sponsor, Jeff Galloway was introduced.
Due to the small size of this gathering, Jeff decided to just informally talk with the group. Instead of standing at the podium, he stood next to where we were seated and addressed the group. He talked about his run/walk/run system as well as training issues, the importance of doing a VERY SLOW long run, and basically a question and answer that covered a huge range of topics of interest to runners. After he finished talking, a representative from Runner's World gave Bob and I his card and asked us to e-mail him our thoughts about the gathering and the race on Saturday. The sponsor invited us to eat more food and to take the "gifts" that were on the table. Our gifts were a current issue of Runner's World magazine, the best running cap I've ever seen because it was designed to absorb sweat and fit my head absolutely perfectly, and a spiral bound runner's journal from Runner's World. Then after, we talked with Jeff's wife for a bit and then it was over.
For those of you who do the run/walk thing, you might find it interesting to know that Jeff is often doing a 1:1 ratio (1 minute run/1 minute walk). He did the Athens marathon this way because there was a 13 mile hill. He said after mile 18 many of the people he coaches just run the rest without the walk breaks (with his blessing). For speed work he advocated running 1 mile intervals with a 30 second walk in between miles, building up to about 14 miles. He said the best way to knock time off the marathon or half time was to go longer on the training runs. He suggested a 29 mile long run (for the marathon) at a pace several minutes SLOWER than what your marathon pace is expected to be, and incorporating the run/walk/run system.
Although he didn't sell me on the run/walk/run system it was still very interesting to meet and talk with such an experienced (and famous) runner. Oh, the gifts were pretty cool too (love that hat).
So that's the scoop on the reception. It was nice that so few people were there. Today when we were at the sample sale I was talking to a Suunto representative and raving about how great the hat was and she said she was going to send me some more when she got back to her home office. How cool is that?
Anyway, like I said, tomorrow is the race and I still have to get some things done. I haven't even figured out what I'm wearing yet! But I do know it's going to be a hot one. So everyone, think positive thoughts for me. I'd love to come in under 2 hours and 10 minutes but I think it's way too hot for that to even stand a chance. But wouldn't it be nice if I did? Details to follow for tomorrow!!
Last night we went to a reception for Jeff Galloway, of running fame. Although I do not prescribe to his run/walk/run methods, it was a good time nonetheless. Here is a copy of an e-mail I sent to some friends describing it:
This informal meeting took place outside the sponsoring business's office (Suunto). They had a tent with very healthy refreshments (veggies, fruit, etc). An informal "lecture area" was set up with a podium and some rows of chairs. Bob and I were the only ones who sat in the front row. There weren't very many people in attendance, maybe about 20 people. A very intimate setting. Jeff Galloway came out of the building and came up to Bob and I and we just started chatting about running. We told him about the race we did in Knoxville last summer and he talked about running in the south. He has a very obvious southern accent, just short of a drawl. When we were ready to begin, and after very minimal words from the sponsor, Jeff Galloway was introduced.
Due to the small size of this gathering, Jeff decided to just informally talk with the group. Instead of standing at the podium, he stood next to where we were seated and addressed the group. He talked about his run/walk/run system as well as training issues, the importance of doing a VERY SLOW long run, and basically a question and answer that covered a huge range of topics of interest to runners. After he finished talking, a representative from Runner's World gave Bob and I his card and asked us to e-mail him our thoughts about the gathering and the race on Saturday. The sponsor invited us to eat more food and to take the "gifts" that were on the table. Our gifts were a current issue of Runner's World magazine, the best running cap I've ever seen because it was designed to absorb sweat and fit my head absolutely perfectly, and a spiral bound runner's journal from Runner's World. Then after, we talked with Jeff's wife for a bit and then it was over.
For those of you who do the run/walk thing, you might find it interesting to know that Jeff is often doing a 1:1 ratio (1 minute run/1 minute walk). He did the Athens marathon this way because there was a 13 mile hill. He said after mile 18 many of the people he coaches just run the rest without the walk breaks (with his blessing). For speed work he advocated running 1 mile intervals with a 30 second walk in between miles, building up to about 14 miles. He said the best way to knock time off the marathon or half time was to go longer on the training runs. He suggested a 29 mile long run (for the marathon) at a pace several minutes SLOWER than what your marathon pace is expected to be, and incorporating the run/walk/run system.
Although he didn't sell me on the run/walk/run system it was still very interesting to meet and talk with such an experienced (and famous) runner. Oh, the gifts were pretty cool too (love that hat).
So that's the scoop on the reception. It was nice that so few people were there. Today when we were at the sample sale I was talking to a Suunto representative and raving about how great the hat was and she said she was going to send me some more when she got back to her home office. How cool is that?
Anyway, like I said, tomorrow is the race and I still have to get some things done. I haven't even figured out what I'm wearing yet! But I do know it's going to be a hot one. So everyone, think positive thoughts for me. I'd love to come in under 2 hours and 10 minutes but I think it's way too hot for that to even stand a chance. But wouldn't it be nice if I did? Details to follow for tomorrow!!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
156
Oh, it was sweet while it lasted. That's one of the bad things about going to Weight Watchers and doing my monthly weigh-in. It puts me in the frame of mind that now I can afford to be reckless for awhile. I'm sure that has something to go with my gain this morning although I didn't over eat THAT much! I over ate by 1 frozen yogurt cup at Costco and 2 (large) cookies. I'm not sure how much that adds up to but it is no where near (almost) 2 pounds. The Internet lists the yogurt around 300 calories and the cookies could have been as high as 200 each. The total damage is in the neighborhood of 700 calories. So the scale went a bit over board in "punishing" me for my bad deeds yesterday.
Today we're going to a reception for Jeff Galloway. If you don't know who he is, he's a runner and contributing writer to Runner's World magazine each month. Anyway, he advocates a run/walk system. Although I don't subscribe to this method, he still gets to the finish line a lot faster than me so he may have something to offer. Besides, it's free. Oh yeah, and there's refreshments too. Hopefully, I'll pass on them.
The weather for race day (Saturday) is heating up. Warm temperatures do not generally present a good opportunity for fast racing. So I hope this doesn't present too much of a challenge because I really WANT to do this race (a half, 13.1 miles) in 2 hours. My last half, in March, was 2 hours and 10 minutes (if I recall correctly) but it was a more difficult course than this one on Saturday. But since Saturday is going to be hot, it may negate the benefit of the better course. I guess I'll know on Saturday. Anyway, the race starts at 7:00 a.m. so I hope it isn't too hot by 9-ish.
Speaking of races, we've decided to do the Long Beach International Marathon in October. We're just going to do the half marathon but if through some freak of nature this summer is not record breaking hot, we might train for the full marathon and change races at the expo. But, the odds are against it. Anyway, it will probably be the last long race for the year so hopefully by then I will have gotten my half marathon time UNDER 2 hours. Wouldn't that be sweet, and at my age!
Oh, in addition to the race, when we're in the LA area I'll be able to meet my Diet Buddy. She's my diet pal that I "met" through www.mydietbuddy.com We've gone through this weight loss journey together and faithfully e-mail one another every day to discuss progress, problems, and a host of other things. Anyway, we'll be able to finally meet. Pretty exciting, huh?
Today we're going to a reception for Jeff Galloway. If you don't know who he is, he's a runner and contributing writer to Runner's World magazine each month. Anyway, he advocates a run/walk system. Although I don't subscribe to this method, he still gets to the finish line a lot faster than me so he may have something to offer. Besides, it's free. Oh yeah, and there's refreshments too. Hopefully, I'll pass on them.
The weather for race day (Saturday) is heating up. Warm temperatures do not generally present a good opportunity for fast racing. So I hope this doesn't present too much of a challenge because I really WANT to do this race (a half, 13.1 miles) in 2 hours. My last half, in March, was 2 hours and 10 minutes (if I recall correctly) but it was a more difficult course than this one on Saturday. But since Saturday is going to be hot, it may negate the benefit of the better course. I guess I'll know on Saturday. Anyway, the race starts at 7:00 a.m. so I hope it isn't too hot by 9-ish.
Speaking of races, we've decided to do the Long Beach International Marathon in October. We're just going to do the half marathon but if through some freak of nature this summer is not record breaking hot, we might train for the full marathon and change races at the expo. But, the odds are against it. Anyway, it will probably be the last long race for the year so hopefully by then I will have gotten my half marathon time UNDER 2 hours. Wouldn't that be sweet, and at my age!
Oh, in addition to the race, when we're in the LA area I'll be able to meet my Diet Buddy. She's my diet pal that I "met" through www.mydietbuddy.com We've gone through this weight loss journey together and faithfully e-mail one another every day to discuss progress, problems, and a host of other things. Anyway, we'll be able to finally meet. Pretty exciting, huh?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
154.2
Yesterday's 5 miler turned out to only be a 4 miler. That almost never happens to me but I guess this cold kicked me a bit harder that I thought. I just ran out of energy. All my reserves must have run directly out my nose. Anyway, today I feel better. I just need to be 100 percent by Saturday!
For some reason, this morning when I got out of the shower, I was inspired to go to Weight Watchers and weigh in for the month. I'm glad I got that done and didn't wait until the last minute like I did last month. I also hope it doesn't let me think I can go crazy for awhile either. I want to weigh 153 something for the race on Saturday.
Yesterday, when Shane brought over the "grands" for us to babysit, he also brought over a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies. We bought them a stove last week and he wanted to show us his appreciation in addition to see how well it baked cookies. I'm here to tell you it was a fantastic oven because those cookies were baked to perfection. But the thing that was most interesting was as soon as my eyes spied those cookies I gave up all my power and control and resigned myself to eating the whole plate and gaining weight. Luckily, my brain kicked in before I could take action (thank you Beck Diet Solution) and I only ate what I could allow within my calories available for the day. Wow - control in the face of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Now that's what I call progress!
For some reason, this morning when I got out of the shower, I was inspired to go to Weight Watchers and weigh in for the month. I'm glad I got that done and didn't wait until the last minute like I did last month. I also hope it doesn't let me think I can go crazy for awhile either. I want to weigh 153 something for the race on Saturday.
Yesterday, when Shane brought over the "grands" for us to babysit, he also brought over a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies. We bought them a stove last week and he wanted to show us his appreciation in addition to see how well it baked cookies. I'm here to tell you it was a fantastic oven because those cookies were baked to perfection. But the thing that was most interesting was as soon as my eyes spied those cookies I gave up all my power and control and resigned myself to eating the whole plate and gaining weight. Luckily, my brain kicked in before I could take action (thank you Beck Diet Solution) and I only ate what I could allow within my calories available for the day. Wow - control in the face of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Now that's what I call progress!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
153.6
I have to say that seeing these numbers on my scale this morning made me do a double take. I had no idea they were headed my way. Of course, my gut feeling is that it will be up tomorrow. I guess I'll just let tomorrow take care of itself.
I never got a run in yesterday. I was still feeling too worn out from this cold. I think today I'll get out though because I do feel better. Still not 100 percent, but better. I need to be 100 percent for Saturday since it's our half marathon. It's going to be a hot one too. Depending on who is right, they're saying it will be between 80-82 degrees. In terms of running, that's pretty warm. Hopefully I'll get my butt in gear and hit the finish line before it heats up too much.
In the past I always carried water with me, especially for a longer race and definitely for a hot race. But this past year I've stopped doing that and I have to say I've gotten spoiled by not carrying anything around my waist when I'm running. I have a single bottle carrier and a camel back but my preference is to leave them both at home. But I'm reconsidering my thinking for this one on Saturday. I have gotten a bit thirsty on occasion. Once last summer, I asked a man who was outside with his kids for a drink of water - yes I was THAT thirsty! Anyway, hopefully the water stops will be plentiful and I can get away with not carrying additional water.
The "grands" will be over later today. I suspect they were the ones who gave us these colds so hopefully we're immune. And for my sake, hopefully the little grand girl is feeling better than she was on Sunday. Nothing worse that babysitting a child who is not feeling well. These two are usually nothing but smiles and happiness so it is very unusual for one of them to be cranky.
I have a piano lesson later this afternoon. I picked up my music books from Kinkos and they put a tear on the front cover of one of them. I didn't notice it until after we left and didn't want to hassle over it (what could they do anyway) so I just put a piece of tape on it. Anyway, I have a lot of music that I am really anxious to start playing. So much music . . . so little time. Isn't that what it all boils down to anyway?
I never got a run in yesterday. I was still feeling too worn out from this cold. I think today I'll get out though because I do feel better. Still not 100 percent, but better. I need to be 100 percent for Saturday since it's our half marathon. It's going to be a hot one too. Depending on who is right, they're saying it will be between 80-82 degrees. In terms of running, that's pretty warm. Hopefully I'll get my butt in gear and hit the finish line before it heats up too much.
In the past I always carried water with me, especially for a longer race and definitely for a hot race. But this past year I've stopped doing that and I have to say I've gotten spoiled by not carrying anything around my waist when I'm running. I have a single bottle carrier and a camel back but my preference is to leave them both at home. But I'm reconsidering my thinking for this one on Saturday. I have gotten a bit thirsty on occasion. Once last summer, I asked a man who was outside with his kids for a drink of water - yes I was THAT thirsty! Anyway, hopefully the water stops will be plentiful and I can get away with not carrying additional water.
The "grands" will be over later today. I suspect they were the ones who gave us these colds so hopefully we're immune. And for my sake, hopefully the little grand girl is feeling better than she was on Sunday. Nothing worse that babysitting a child who is not feeling well. These two are usually nothing but smiles and happiness so it is very unusual for one of them to be cranky.
I have a piano lesson later this afternoon. I picked up my music books from Kinkos and they put a tear on the front cover of one of them. I didn't notice it until after we left and didn't want to hassle over it (what could they do anyway) so I just put a piece of tape on it. Anyway, I have a lot of music that I am really anxious to start playing. So much music . . . so little time. Isn't that what it all boils down to anyway?
Monday, May 12, 2008
155.4
Last night the marathon bug was really biting at me and I was really thinking about doing a fall marathon. This morning I'm thinking Imight be getting over it - ha! ha! Actually I wouldn't mind training for a marathon if only I knew if this summer was going to be record breaking hot again. It takes a long time to train to run 26.2 miles and if I did another one (I've done 2) I'd want to run it a lot faster than either of the others. And that means training well.
Saturday's 5K went well. I got a PR with a pace of 9:18. I'd like to run a half marathon with a pace of nine anything. That's my goal. I really planned on training hard and doing some speed work to get ready for the half marathon on Saturday but with the Achilles problem, the shoulder problem, then the kidney/back problem, I just ran out of time. Luckily, I'm able to run the whole distance without a problem since we usually stay in shape to run a half at any given time. I just wanted to run it faster than what I think I'll run.
I'm suffering with a cold right now. A couple nights ago spouse and I got sore throats and then it developed into a full fledged cold. And just when I was saying I made it through winter without getting a cold too! Anyway, I'm feeling rather tired still, although it is an improvement over how I felt the past 2 days.
We're babysitting the grands tomorrow. The rest of the week we have things to do that are associated with Saturday's race. We're working the registration tables on Friday so we have a training session on Wednesday. Then there's a reception for Jeff Galloway on Thursday. Personally I don't subscribe to his run/walk method but since it's free I'll go see what he has to say.
I found some new music books I liked and they were on clearance so I dropped them off at Kinkos yesterday to get them spirally bound so they'll lay flat. I hate battling music that won't lay flat. Once I turn a page I want it to stay turned!
I guess I'm not going to make my "anything in the 140's" goal by Saturday. Oh well, I'm really not that bothered but I do need to get back to the 153's again. I've been away for too long and that is NOT a good thing. Even though I'm only about 2 pounds away I need to remedy the situation while it's still small and easy to remedy. When it comes to weight loss and/or maintenance, ignorance is NOT bliss!
Saturday's 5K went well. I got a PR with a pace of 9:18. I'd like to run a half marathon with a pace of nine anything. That's my goal. I really planned on training hard and doing some speed work to get ready for the half marathon on Saturday but with the Achilles problem, the shoulder problem, then the kidney/back problem, I just ran out of time. Luckily, I'm able to run the whole distance without a problem since we usually stay in shape to run a half at any given time. I just wanted to run it faster than what I think I'll run.
I'm suffering with a cold right now. A couple nights ago spouse and I got sore throats and then it developed into a full fledged cold. And just when I was saying I made it through winter without getting a cold too! Anyway, I'm feeling rather tired still, although it is an improvement over how I felt the past 2 days.
We're babysitting the grands tomorrow. The rest of the week we have things to do that are associated with Saturday's race. We're working the registration tables on Friday so we have a training session on Wednesday. Then there's a reception for Jeff Galloway on Thursday. Personally I don't subscribe to his run/walk method but since it's free I'll go see what he has to say.
I found some new music books I liked and they were on clearance so I dropped them off at Kinkos yesterday to get them spirally bound so they'll lay flat. I hate battling music that won't lay flat. Once I turn a page I want it to stay turned!
I guess I'm not going to make my "anything in the 140's" goal by Saturday. Oh well, I'm really not that bothered but I do need to get back to the 153's again. I've been away for too long and that is NOT a good thing. Even though I'm only about 2 pounds away I need to remedy the situation while it's still small and easy to remedy. When it comes to weight loss and/or maintenance, ignorance is NOT bliss!
Friday, May 09, 2008
156
After a good 5 miler yesterday, all the while thinking about my "Just Do It" mantra for the day, I went to the grocery store, saw some day old donuts and my mind said, "Just Do It". So I did. I bought a dozen and ate 3 of them. So whatever my run burned off, the donuts more than replaced. I deducted the rest of the calories from my daily allotment so this morning I weighed the same. Not bad but the original plan was to weigh less.
I have a 5K race tomorrow and a half marathon a week from tomorrow. Anyone who has never raced is missing out because they are lots of fun. Even if you don't run, you can walk them. While I was running yesterday I thought of a response to a certain situation. As a runner, I often have people tell me that they can't run because they have bad knees. They usually add that my knees will surely be shot from running when I'm older and infer that I will regret running now.
First of all, many of these people are very out of shape so I imagine their knees do hurt, not just to run but for other things as well. That isn't running's fault! Anyway, studies support that running actually builds up the supporting muscles and ligaments to joints and therefor strengthen the joint. So that argument is out the window. But these people just like to argue for some reason. So my new response to this is simply going to be: "Too bad for you".
I have a 5K race tomorrow and a half marathon a week from tomorrow. Anyone who has never raced is missing out because they are lots of fun. Even if you don't run, you can walk them. While I was running yesterday I thought of a response to a certain situation. As a runner, I often have people tell me that they can't run because they have bad knees. They usually add that my knees will surely be shot from running when I'm older and infer that I will regret running now.
First of all, many of these people are very out of shape so I imagine their knees do hurt, not just to run but for other things as well. That isn't running's fault! Anyway, studies support that running actually builds up the supporting muscles and ligaments to joints and therefor strengthen the joint. So that argument is out the window. But these people just like to argue for some reason. So my new response to this is simply going to be: "Too bad for you".
Spouse took this photo of baby grand girl. She's sooooooo cute. If you don't have a grand girl as cute as this, well . . . too bad for you!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
156
Yesterday was my first day, in what feels like a long time, that I didn't go over my daily calorie allotment. Finally! So as a result, I'm down a titch today. Today is also the dry day between two storms so I'll be able to get a run in as well. So, that's the plan.
I was e-mailing my "diet buddy", and as I was signing off at the end of the message, a thought came to my mind. Eating right (or dieting) is just like Nike's slogan, "Just Do It". Yep, stop whining about the unfairness of it all, how hard it is, how much of a hassle it is, and Just Do It.
It seems so simple doesn't it? Maybe we make it more complicated or difficult for ourselves when we drag all this emotional baggage into it. Just Do It. I like that. So that's my attitude for today when it comes to eating right and staying within my calories . . . Just Do It.
I was e-mailing my "diet buddy", and as I was signing off at the end of the message, a thought came to my mind. Eating right (or dieting) is just like Nike's slogan, "Just Do It". Yep, stop whining about the unfairness of it all, how hard it is, how much of a hassle it is, and Just Do It.
It seems so simple doesn't it? Maybe we make it more complicated or difficult for ourselves when we drag all this emotional baggage into it. Just Do It. I like that. So that's my attitude for today when it comes to eating right and staying within my calories . . . Just Do It.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
156.4
It's supposed to rain today so we might not get a run in. Too bad because I really do need to burn off some calories!
The "grands" are coming today (instead of yesterday), due to a change in their parent's schedule.
I'm just not in the mood to write anything else right now. I have some things I need to get done so I better get to it.
The "grands" are coming today (instead of yesterday), due to a change in their parent's schedule.
I'm just not in the mood to write anything else right now. I have some things I need to get done so I better get to it.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
155.8
I feel like I "got away" with my poor eating from yesterday by only going up 2 tenths this morning. Isn't that sad, that I run such a long distance and instead of being disappointed to see the scale went up, I'm relieved it only went up 2 tenths. So you have to know from this that I ate way more than I should have after I got done running. Yep, I did . . . again.
The run ended at 12.19 miles. At that point we were thirsty and tired so we decided it was a good stopping point. When it comes to a training run for a half marathon, 12.19 is just as good as 13 (miles) so there wasn't really a lot of incentive to push on. Besides, it was getting a bit warm too. I was also covered in a fine layer of salt from sweating for 12.19 miles. So when spouse stopped and said he was "pounded out" and ready to stop, I wasn't going to argue.
I guess the whole problem is that once I get home and shower, I feel lazy after a long run. I'm not terribly tired, just lazy. My body has worked really hard and it just doesn't want to do anything more, except maybe to eat. It's a bad combination for any weight watcher. I plan to do one thing, then I just don't have the will power to enforce my plan. So yes, I'm glad I only went up 2 tenths this morning. Hopefully eating right today will mitigate any further damage.
It's really pathetic isn't it? I know, but I really don't know how to combat it. My will power is almost nonexistent after a long run. I'm okay for a 10 miler but anything over that and I turn into an eating machine afterwords. I'm like PacMan (is that still around?). Thankfully, we only do them once a week. Our next "long run" will be our race on the 17th. And even that won't leave me as tired as the training run because it should be cooler (much earlier in the day) and I won't have all the up hill that we have on our training run.
So anyway, that's the deal. 12.19 miles and up 2 tenths. Kinda sucks, huh? Oh well, really . . . I'm not bothered . . .much.
The run ended at 12.19 miles. At that point we were thirsty and tired so we decided it was a good stopping point. When it comes to a training run for a half marathon, 12.19 is just as good as 13 (miles) so there wasn't really a lot of incentive to push on. Besides, it was getting a bit warm too. I was also covered in a fine layer of salt from sweating for 12.19 miles. So when spouse stopped and said he was "pounded out" and ready to stop, I wasn't going to argue.
I guess the whole problem is that once I get home and shower, I feel lazy after a long run. I'm not terribly tired, just lazy. My body has worked really hard and it just doesn't want to do anything more, except maybe to eat. It's a bad combination for any weight watcher. I plan to do one thing, then I just don't have the will power to enforce my plan. So yes, I'm glad I only went up 2 tenths this morning. Hopefully eating right today will mitigate any further damage.
It's really pathetic isn't it? I know, but I really don't know how to combat it. My will power is almost nonexistent after a long run. I'm okay for a 10 miler but anything over that and I turn into an eating machine afterwords. I'm like PacMan (is that still around?). Thankfully, we only do them once a week. Our next "long run" will be our race on the 17th. And even that won't leave me as tired as the training run because it should be cooler (much earlier in the day) and I won't have all the up hill that we have on our training run.
So anyway, that's the deal. 12.19 miles and up 2 tenths. Kinda sucks, huh? Oh well, really . . . I'm not bothered . . .much.
Monday, May 05, 2008
155.6
We're doing our last long run (before our half marathon on the 17th) today. We're aiming for 13 miles. The route we've been taking is very difficult, very hilly. The bad thing is that it's warm enough that we'll need to carry some water with us and there aren't a lot of restrooms available on this route. So we might need to make some adjustments before we leave. I can just barely do a half marathon race without peeing but for some reason on a training run I need to pee before I get finished running. Maybe I drink more water, I'm not sure.
Anyway, it's after my long runs that I have the incredibly strong urge to over eat. So I'm trying to brace myself for that to hit me later in the afternoon and evening. The thing I'm doing differently to change that, is that I'm not going to just use the total calorie deficit as a means of weight loss. Instead, I'm actually going to increase the cap on my total calories for the day by maybe 500. I'll burn at least 1300 calories from the run so maybe that's why I want to eat so badly. So if I allow myself more calories maybe I can hold off that intense hunger I so often get on long run days (and often the day after as well).
I want to be back in the 153's by the time I run the half on the 17th. Awhile back I wanted to be in the 140's but . . . well, I guess that just isn't going to happen now is it? Anyway, I'm pretty happy in my "153ish world" so there isn't a whole lot of incentive to work too hard to get to the 140's. However, for the record, it is still my desire to hit 145 and I really do think that sometime this summer I'll get there. Anyway, I'll never stop trying (I hope).
I gotta get ready to head out. 13 miles . . . oh, it feels so good when it's done!
Anyway, it's after my long runs that I have the incredibly strong urge to over eat. So I'm trying to brace myself for that to hit me later in the afternoon and evening. The thing I'm doing differently to change that, is that I'm not going to just use the total calorie deficit as a means of weight loss. Instead, I'm actually going to increase the cap on my total calories for the day by maybe 500. I'll burn at least 1300 calories from the run so maybe that's why I want to eat so badly. So if I allow myself more calories maybe I can hold off that intense hunger I so often get on long run days (and often the day after as well).
I want to be back in the 153's by the time I run the half on the 17th. Awhile back I wanted to be in the 140's but . . . well, I guess that just isn't going to happen now is it? Anyway, I'm pretty happy in my "153ish world" so there isn't a whole lot of incentive to work too hard to get to the 140's. However, for the record, it is still my desire to hit 145 and I really do think that sometime this summer I'll get there. Anyway, I'll never stop trying (I hope).
I gotta get ready to head out. 13 miles . . . oh, it feels so good when it's done!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
155.2
I stayed with my eating plan yesterday. It's not a complicated plan. I just weighed my food (to the gram), counted my calories, wrote it all down, and stopped eating once I reached 1400. It's a simple system yet sometimes it's easier to run 10 miles than to do the last step (stop at 1400). Well, you know how it goes.
Anyway, yesterday went well although there was a moment or two where I thought I'd blow it. We went to a place that had a bunch of vendors and many of them had dishes of candy . . . bite sized candy bars actually. That was tough but I did resist them. Kudos to me because lately that hasn't been the case. I've let old habits start to sneak back into my behaviour. Isn't there a vaccination for that? I thought once I built up some "over eating antibodies" I'd be protected for awhile. Nope, it doesn't work that way does it?
See, that's the thing every one who has ever had a weight problem HAS to learn. The struggle does NOT end just because you're a smaller size. The only difference is that while we struggle with our minds, our bodies are much healthier. So . . . here's to health!
Anyway, yesterday went well although there was a moment or two where I thought I'd blow it. We went to a place that had a bunch of vendors and many of them had dishes of candy . . . bite sized candy bars actually. That was tough but I did resist them. Kudos to me because lately that hasn't been the case. I've let old habits start to sneak back into my behaviour. Isn't there a vaccination for that? I thought once I built up some "over eating antibodies" I'd be protected for awhile. Nope, it doesn't work that way does it?
See, that's the thing every one who has ever had a weight problem HAS to learn. The struggle does NOT end just because you're a smaller size. The only difference is that while we struggle with our minds, our bodies are much healthier. So . . . here's to health!
Friday, May 02, 2008
155.6
OK, the tantrum has passed. I'm over it and welcoming a new day. Of course, being down on the scale doesn't hurt as it surely has a lot to do with my improved attitude.
Yesterday, I recognized the "severity" of the situation and was very diligent in writing down all my calories and when I used up all my allotted calories, I promptly brushed my teeth thoroughly, using my Oral B 3D electric tooth brush. My normal routine is to use the Oral B, then the Water Pick, then to do a fluoride treatment. I do that every morning and evening. So since I like the idea of the fluoride on my teeth, I really do hate to eat anything and have to do it all over again (minus the fluoride as you can't do it too much). So it usually (though not always) is a good enough deterrent to eating any more.
The weather is on the up swing again. For how long, I don't know - since the forecasters are often times way more optimistic that what things actually pan out to be. Today we're supposed to hit 55. Wow - I'm excited about 55 in May. That's how much I've suffered. 55 is looking pretty good to me in May. Once it hits 50 I can run comfortably in shorts. And if I can do my 5 miler this morning wearing shorts, well, it will help my frame of mind as well.
So despite my profanity laced tantrum yesterday, I stayed on plan. I knew I would. I didn't even threaten not to, did I (how stupid would that be)? And I'll continue on this journey until one day when I can declare "I've arrived"! And then I'll still be counting calories, and measuring out food portions . . . and I'll still have the same issues with eating and food. I'll just weigh a couple pounds less because as anyone who's been through this knows: It never really does end, does it? Carry on friends!
Yesterday, I recognized the "severity" of the situation and was very diligent in writing down all my calories and when I used up all my allotted calories, I promptly brushed my teeth thoroughly, using my Oral B 3D electric tooth brush. My normal routine is to use the Oral B, then the Water Pick, then to do a fluoride treatment. I do that every morning and evening. So since I like the idea of the fluoride on my teeth, I really do hate to eat anything and have to do it all over again (minus the fluoride as you can't do it too much). So it usually (though not always) is a good enough deterrent to eating any more.
The weather is on the up swing again. For how long, I don't know - since the forecasters are often times way more optimistic that what things actually pan out to be. Today we're supposed to hit 55. Wow - I'm excited about 55 in May. That's how much I've suffered. 55 is looking pretty good to me in May. Once it hits 50 I can run comfortably in shorts. And if I can do my 5 miler this morning wearing shorts, well, it will help my frame of mind as well.
So despite my profanity laced tantrum yesterday, I stayed on plan. I knew I would. I didn't even threaten not to, did I (how stupid would that be)? And I'll continue on this journey until one day when I can declare "I've arrived"! And then I'll still be counting calories, and measuring out food portions . . . and I'll still have the same issues with eating and food. I'll just weigh a couple pounds less because as anyone who's been through this knows: It never really does end, does it? Carry on friends!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
157.6
No freaking way . . . no freaking way can I gain this much weight since I just weighed in at Weight Watchers on Monday. I was this same weight yesterday too. So, in 2 days? What a bunch of shit.
WARNING: Apparently the remainder of this post is going to be me using very fowl language in the attempt to whine about the unfairness of my several pound weight gain. It will contain no evidence of "reasonableness" or sanity, just me, bitching up a storm.
OK, I'm tired of counting calories. EVERY freaking day I count my calories and write them down on a piece of paper. I measure out every piece of food before it goes on my plate. I eat food that is pretty much tasteless in order to reduce the calorie content. I eat shit that I would never feed any one else because it is devoid of any flavor. Low fat, low sugar, low calorie. And then, after I let myself enjoy something that is not so tightly or rigidly controlled, up I go in weight. I did not eat enough to gain 3 pounds. I did not do it . . . do you hear me??? I did NOT eat that much extra food. And do I need to mention that I normally run at least 20 miles (or more) each week? I mean a long run of 10-12 miles each and every week. And where does that get me? I'm damn near 52 years old and I have to run my ass off just so I can eat. I mean, come on, I can't have an extra treat after running like that? Give me a fucking break. Just give me a fucking break. Yep, I broke out the "F-Bomb". Fuck . . .fuck . . .fuck . . .give me a fucking break!!!
WARNING: Apparently the remainder of this post is going to be me using very fowl language in the attempt to whine about the unfairness of my several pound weight gain. It will contain no evidence of "reasonableness" or sanity, just me, bitching up a storm.
OK, I'm tired of counting calories. EVERY freaking day I count my calories and write them down on a piece of paper. I measure out every piece of food before it goes on my plate. I eat food that is pretty much tasteless in order to reduce the calorie content. I eat shit that I would never feed any one else because it is devoid of any flavor. Low fat, low sugar, low calorie. And then, after I let myself enjoy something that is not so tightly or rigidly controlled, up I go in weight. I did not eat enough to gain 3 pounds. I did not do it . . . do you hear me??? I did NOT eat that much extra food. And do I need to mention that I normally run at least 20 miles (or more) each week? I mean a long run of 10-12 miles each and every week. And where does that get me? I'm damn near 52 years old and I have to run my ass off just so I can eat. I mean, come on, I can't have an extra treat after running like that? Give me a fucking break. Just give me a fucking break. Yep, I broke out the "F-Bomb". Fuck . . .fuck . . .fuck . . .give me a fucking break!!!
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