Yesterday, I went to Dillard's to check out their Additional 30% off Clearance sale and as I was walking amongst the racks and tables of clothing I ran into a table leg. I can't believe that they even used such a table to display merchandise because it is a hazard waiting for a shopper to crash into it. It was a taller table, and the legs jutted out from the corners, as if to assure no one could pass by without mishap. So there I was, just gazing the area, looking for Clearance Sale signs and suddenly my quad (yes, my "tired-from-too-close-of -long -runs" quad) made contact (like a bird in a window) with this table. My quad went into shock. It hurt so bad I think I exclaimed out loud, my animal like moan of pain. So today, my quad is sore and swollen. I'm thinking the bruising should show up any time now. Damn it!
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the TOPS program. I saw this thing in the newspaper and looked up the web site and it said they have activities and competitions to help people take off the pounds. Competitions? I love competitions! I usually do very well with competitions! Anyway, I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this organization. I need a little more than the old standard of "take the stairs and park in the furthest spot in the parking lot" to charge me up.
Not that my eating has been bad. I've been really pleased with how I've been eating, very sensibly. But the reality is that yesterday's weigh-in was too close for comfort and I am up from my 155 goal. I MUST get it back down!!!!!
Speaking of getting back down, Kirstie Alley, former spokesperson for Jenny Craig is supposed to be on Oprah today to explain how she regained all her weight. I'm thinking Oprah will be a sympathetic ear since she has so much experience doing that very thing - in front of God and the whole world with a TV set. I would be horrified. The less witnesses to my weight failures , the better (hmmmm, something to do with my blogging my weight?). I hate being up 3.4 pounds, much less what they're contending with. But, I really do think that if you can only lose the weight by doing some sort of gimmick or buying special foods, then you're destined to regain it as soon as you reach your goal and resume "normal" eating. It may take longer to lose weight by the old standards of diet and exercise but by George, it's proven over time to be the best shot at lasting results!
So that's where I am today. Whining about my quads (although I plan to "test" them with a run tomorrow) and looking for something to energize me a bit to knock off a couple pounds. Any ideas?
Jinxy - Congrats on your weigh-in. I'm going to hold you to your post vacation goal!!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
158.4
Sometime between today and tomorrow I need to do my monthly weigh in at Weight Watchers. I went for a 5 miler this morning and weighed myself when I got home, and I was really wishing I could go and weigh in that very minute. I was dehydrated enough that I know I would have come in under the line. Frankly, I'm getting tired of myself talking about this . . . I should just go do it and if I'm over, then I'm over. Maybe I will . . .
Anyway, about the run, it was about 52 degrees with a steady breeze. It was perfect conditions to wear my new sleeves. They worked great. I think without them, I would have been too cold. But it was about right. The thing that wasn't right though, was the way my quads were feeling. I think they are definitely upset about doing two 13 mile runs within 5 days of one another. The thing I'm trying to figure out is if they are just extra fatigued, or if I'm headed into the same situation I had at the first of the year when I added miles onto my long run. I hope it's the former because I have a race in 2 weeks (from Saturday). I know I said the other day it was 3 weeks but I guess I have no clue as to what day it is because spouse advised me it was 2 weeks from Saturday. So, I have no time for any quad issues!
Anyway, back to the run . . . while I was running, I was thinking about how important it is to remember where we've been before. Not just in terms of weight, but in all areas. If you don't remember where you've been, you have no sense of where you are now.
When I was in college and took Psych 101, there was this concept or principal or something similar, that basically said as we move up the ladder of success in our life, we tend to keep comparing ourselves against the people ahead of us, not the people on the same rung, or the rungs below us. I suppose there are benefits to this, but it causes us to never really be satisfied with where we are at this particular moment in time.
When I remember where I was, I can remember when I weighed 230+ pounds. But I can also remember (those 15 minutes) when I weighed 130 pounds. I can also remember when I couldn't run 10 yards much less than 10 miles. I even remember a lot of stupid decisions and a lot of wasted time. At this point in my life there are many things that I can look back on. But when I look up at the higher rungs of the ladder, I'm not real tempted to move up. At this point I don't think I want to risk falling off the ladder.
Anyway, about the run, it was about 52 degrees with a steady breeze. It was perfect conditions to wear my new sleeves. They worked great. I think without them, I would have been too cold. But it was about right. The thing that wasn't right though, was the way my quads were feeling. I think they are definitely upset about doing two 13 mile runs within 5 days of one another. The thing I'm trying to figure out is if they are just extra fatigued, or if I'm headed into the same situation I had at the first of the year when I added miles onto my long run. I hope it's the former because I have a race in 2 weeks (from Saturday). I know I said the other day it was 3 weeks but I guess I have no clue as to what day it is because spouse advised me it was 2 weeks from Saturday. So, I have no time for any quad issues!
Anyway, back to the run . . . while I was running, I was thinking about how important it is to remember where we've been before. Not just in terms of weight, but in all areas. If you don't remember where you've been, you have no sense of where you are now.
When I was in college and took Psych 101, there was this concept or principal or something similar, that basically said as we move up the ladder of success in our life, we tend to keep comparing ourselves against the people ahead of us, not the people on the same rung, or the rungs below us. I suppose there are benefits to this, but it causes us to never really be satisfied with where we are at this particular moment in time.
When I remember where I was, I can remember when I weighed 230+ pounds. But I can also remember (those 15 minutes) when I weighed 130 pounds. I can also remember when I couldn't run 10 yards much less than 10 miles. I even remember a lot of stupid decisions and a lot of wasted time. At this point in my life there are many things that I can look back on. But when I look up at the higher rungs of the ladder, I'm not real tempted to move up. At this point I don't think I want to risk falling off the ladder.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
158 - Food For Thought
I have really been working on hydrating since yesterday's long run, in hopes of holding off the dreaded post long run weight increase. If I continue slamming water and green tea today, I think I will have accomplished it. But it sure seems to take a lot of effort!
It amazes me that my body knows the things it knows. If I'm rehydrating well, it knows fluids are coming on a steady basis and it doesn't have to hold onto every precious drop of water it gets. It just amazes me how wonderfully created our bodies are. To see the transformations it makes when adapting to long distance running (or any other sport) is nothing short of amazing. I think we need to stop every now and again and realize that despite our frustrations with our imperfections, we have incredible bodies!
I think if we can appreciate the way our bodies take care of us, it's easier to take care of our bodies. And of course by doing that, we need to start thinking of food as a fuel. Food is nothing more than a chemical that triggers other chemical reactions within our bodies. I think the Dr. Oz book, "You On A Diet", really drove that point home with me. It made me realize that food is not love, comfort, joy, or any of those other things I associated with it. Food is a chemical. All food, no matter how natural or organic, no matter how good or bad for us, is just a chemical. Once ingested, it is part of a chemical reaction that either causes something good to occur, or something not so good, less desirable to take place.
That was quite an epiphany for me when I understood that. Now, I just have to remember it. And I have to keep reminding myself of it. Because I keep forgetting it. But for this moment in time, I do remember it. Food is just a fuel, a chemical the body needs . . . nothing else.
It amazes me that my body knows the things it knows. If I'm rehydrating well, it knows fluids are coming on a steady basis and it doesn't have to hold onto every precious drop of water it gets. It just amazes me how wonderfully created our bodies are. To see the transformations it makes when adapting to long distance running (or any other sport) is nothing short of amazing. I think we need to stop every now and again and realize that despite our frustrations with our imperfections, we have incredible bodies!
I think if we can appreciate the way our bodies take care of us, it's easier to take care of our bodies. And of course by doing that, we need to start thinking of food as a fuel. Food is nothing more than a chemical that triggers other chemical reactions within our bodies. I think the Dr. Oz book, "You On A Diet", really drove that point home with me. It made me realize that food is not love, comfort, joy, or any of those other things I associated with it. Food is a chemical. All food, no matter how natural or organic, no matter how good or bad for us, is just a chemical. Once ingested, it is part of a chemical reaction that either causes something good to occur, or something not so good, less desirable to take place.
That was quite an epiphany for me when I understood that. Now, I just have to remember it. And I have to keep reminding myself of it. Because I keep forgetting it. But for this moment in time, I do remember it. Food is just a fuel, a chemical the body needs . . . nothing else.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Run Done
When we headed out, it hadn't hit 50 degrees yet but I guess one can only wait so long. It would have been a wonderful day for wearing my new "sleeves" but when I said I was thinking about wearing them, spouse replied (in an authoritative manner) that I wouldn't need them. Well, it was a bit cool for the first 5 miles and parts of the last 8 miles. It would have been perfect for sleeves. When I commented to spouse that I wished I'd worn them, he replied "Oh, I thought you said fleece".
Oh well, it was a good run anyway. My legs felt good although I did get tired by the last couple of miles. It just occurred to me today that our next half marathon is only about 3 weeks away. It felt like I had at least 4 weeks - ha! ha!
Guess I better get up to the track and do some speed work. This race is the one I did really well at last year so my old time will be tough to beat. But for now, long run (13 miles) done!
Oh well, it was a good run anyway. My legs felt good although I did get tired by the last couple of miles. It just occurred to me today that our next half marathon is only about 3 weeks away. It felt like I had at least 4 weeks - ha! ha!
Guess I better get up to the track and do some speed work. This race is the one I did really well at last year so my old time will be tough to beat. But for now, long run (13 miles) done!158.2 - And Another Long One
The weather forecaster said last night that the weather we've had the past few days is more typical of February. Oh, so that's why I've been freezing my butt off!
We decided to go for another long run today, even though we just did one last Thursday. It is a bit risky doing another one so soon but I haven't run since Thursday so hopefully, my body will forgive me for it. We're doing it so soon for two reasons. First of all it's one of the few days it isn't supposed to be raining, and secondly, we want to get back to our Monday schedule for long runs. Mostly it is the weather issue driving the decision. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't chance it until later in the week.
So we're shooting for a 13 miler, on the usual (hilly) route. I'm thinking of adding a twist or turn wherever I can so that I'll hit the 13 mile mark a bit earlier than usual. That way we get a nice cool down walk before we hit Great Harvest - ha! ha!
I guess I shouldn't be joking about Great Harvest since I'm running out of time to do my monthly weigh-in at Weight Watchers. Hopefully I can pull it off just "in the nick of time". I'll have until Thursday for my weight to "settle down" from the long run. Oh, the games we play, huh?
My eating has been good since we've been home so I guess I'm doing what I can reasonably do. I'm below where I was when we left, but there's no safety net for the weigh in. Hopefully, it will be good enough. If not, I guess I'll cross that bridge IF I get there, because it will be the first time.
It's rather cold this morning (low 30's) so we're just waiting for it to warm up a bit before we head out. I don't want to drag any extra clothing around with me for 13 miles so I'm hoping for 50 degrees before lunch time. Our high was just updated to 58 so maybe that's asking too much. Either way, I'm out the door by 11:00 at the latest. I'll probably update after the run.
We decided to go for another long run today, even though we just did one last Thursday. It is a bit risky doing another one so soon but I haven't run since Thursday so hopefully, my body will forgive me for it. We're doing it so soon for two reasons. First of all it's one of the few days it isn't supposed to be raining, and secondly, we want to get back to our Monday schedule for long runs. Mostly it is the weather issue driving the decision. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't chance it until later in the week.
So we're shooting for a 13 miler, on the usual (hilly) route. I'm thinking of adding a twist or turn wherever I can so that I'll hit the 13 mile mark a bit earlier than usual. That way we get a nice cool down walk before we hit Great Harvest - ha! ha!
I guess I shouldn't be joking about Great Harvest since I'm running out of time to do my monthly weigh-in at Weight Watchers. Hopefully I can pull it off just "in the nick of time". I'll have until Thursday for my weight to "settle down" from the long run. Oh, the games we play, huh?
My eating has been good since we've been home so I guess I'm doing what I can reasonably do. I'm below where I was when we left, but there's no safety net for the weigh in. Hopefully, it will be good enough. If not, I guess I'll cross that bridge IF I get there, because it will be the first time.
It's rather cold this morning (low 30's) so we're just waiting for it to warm up a bit before we head out. I don't want to drag any extra clothing around with me for 13 miles so I'm hoping for 50 degrees before lunch time. Our high was just updated to 58 so maybe that's asking too much. Either way, I'm out the door by 11:00 at the latest. I'll probably update after the run.
Gotta run!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
158.6 - Vision
I said I'd do it and there it is, my weight after vacation. It came down some but it is still too high. But isn't that what I'm always saying? Still too high . . .
Anyway, the thing on my mind this morning is "vision". I think that it's critical to have vision when it comes towards working on a weight (or any other) goal. It's a hard enough journey but if you don't have any vision as to exactly where you're going, how do you really know how to get there?
As I was losing my 30+ pounds, I had a clear vision of how life was going to be once I met my goal. First of all, I want to qualify that statement. I think it is imperative that it be a realistic vision. If you think that losing weight is going to make your kids smarter, your bills easier to pay, or your cheating man change his ways, forget it. You need to have a realistic vision or else you will surely be disappointed.
So first of all, I knew I had to be realistic about even setting a goal. I weighed 130 pounds for about 15 minutes (many years ago) and I love how I looked. But, like I said, it lasted about 15 minutes. So it was important to me to not lose any more weight than I can maintain. So it looks like my 155 goal was about right because I keep gaining a couple pounds, then losing them again (in time to do my monthly weigh-ins at Weight Watchers). Anyway, I think I can still claim my victory even though technically I am 3.6 pounds high today.
OK, back to vision. I had in my mind how it was going to feel to weigh 155 pounds. I knew how it would feel to have clothes fit good. I knew how it was going to feel to buy a smaller size and not be ashamed to tell the sales person my size. I knew how it was going to feel to run without needing to take special measures to avoid chafing. I knew it was going to continue to be a struggle to maintain the loss too. I think I did a good job of keeping a realistic vision. I posted graphs, pictures, signs, lists, anything I could to keep my vision before my eyes.
One of the things that helped me with this was my list of reasons I wanted to lose weight. I kept focused on all those reasons (they were posted all over the house too). Some of them I reached after part of the loss. Actually, before I hit 155 pounds I think I reached them all. But I had a clear vision.
I'm not writing this to toot my own horn, but rather I'm writing it to remind myself that I need to maintain my sense of vision. How it feels and what it's like to maintain 155 pounds. I thought of this last night when I went into an art show for graduating students of our local university. They had a pretty good spread of refreshments. I didn't expect this so for a second it caught me off guard. I really wasn't hungry but those cookies sure did look good. Then it came back into my mind the technique from "The Beck Diet Solution", called NO OPTION. At the moment I realized I was tempted (and it is important to realize that is what is actually happening). I just told myself there was NO OPTION of having any of that food. No discussion, no turmoil, no temptation, no excuses, just NO OPTION. Yes, in my mind it was in capital, bold letters too. No way in hell was I going to eat any of it because it was not part of my vision of maintaining my weight at 155.
The important thing about this, and I don't recall how Beck explained it, is that when we tell ourselves there's NO OPTION, it isn't a wishy-washy sort of thought or decision. It's just as firm as saying I will NOT shave off all my hair today. NO OPTION! I will NOT walk naked down the street in front of my house! NO OPTION! It is NOT going to happen. And that was the mindset I used last night. You don't need to worry about will power or temptation when you truly employ the NO OPTION technique. Because whatever it is, it just IS NOT going to happen!
So, again, back to my thoughts on having vision. I think, making a poster or scrapbook of whatever the vision is, is a good idea. (I'm thinking of doing this of something not weight related.) I think the clearer we are, the more apt we are to get where we're going. Whatever our goal is, if we know how it looks, feels, tastes, smells, etc., if we have an intimate knowledge of that particular thing, or state of being, the better our chances of getting there and avoiding distractions that waste our time and energy.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Choices
This morning I went to coffee with a couple friends. I had a wonderful time. We chatted for over 3 hours. We took this picture and it looked good in the camera but now it looks a bit fuzzy to me. Must be too much caffeine!
My legs are no worse for wear after yesterday's long run. Actually, my legs feel much better today than even before the run. I think going for a run somehow works to reboot my body. It evens everything back out and gets me back to normal. My two friends in the photo are also runners although Mary, the middle one, is in rehab because she broke her ankle this winter. (Poor Mary!)
This morning my weight came down some. I really wasn't sure what to expect. I expected it to be down some (remember the 2 pound "airline" gain?) but the long run usually brings it up. So when I stepped on the scale I figured it was just a roll of the dice to see what would happen. Anyway, I was glad to see a smaller number. Now I just have to keep that trend going for awhile.
So now that I'm back home, I'm back to weighing out my food and counting all my calories, and somehow I find that comforting. While I was on vacation, not knowing exactly how many calories I was consuming (other than the fact it was too much), left me feeling sort of anxious and out of control. I don't like being in that gray area. When it comes to eating, ambiguity is not a good thing. It's too easy to convince myself I'm not eating "that bad" when in fact I'm eating way too many calories. Besides, I know I cannot be trusted. I mean, I'm the one who's gotten me fat on several occasions!
I know me better than that. I think that is an important part of weight loss/maintenance, being true to yourself. You can't be honest with yourself and be 50 pounds over weight. Well, technically you can but you know what I mean. It takes some self deception to get to that point. Actually, it takes self deception to even get 10 pounds over weight. Probably even less than that but I'm not sure where to point the arrow so I'll just go with the 10 pound number.
I guess the bottom line is that we need to be honest with ourselves. And we need to remind ourselves of that, time and time again. We need to remember that the food choices we make each and every day will impact us either positively or negatively somewhere down the line. All the little choices we make accumulate into an end result. And that result is either over weight or not. It is your choice. It is my choice. And I choose NOT.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
There's No Place Like Home!
We left the greater Boston area, headed to Hartford, Connecticut, yesterday morning. It was a nice drive and we arrived in Hartford with plenty of time to kill. We decided to visit the Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) home. It was magnificent!
It's a huge house and there's no way it would fit in the screen of the cell phone camera lens. They don't allow photos of the interior but it is beautifully restored. Our tour group consisted of spouse and I, along with a couple from Italy. So it was an intimate tour of the home.
Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, lived in this home for his most productive years. Although he was poor, he married a woman from money. They had several homes but by the end had lost much of their wealth.
I couldn't help but think how often this seems to occur to people who find themselves in a supposedly financially secure position. It is fleeting. It just shows you, the more you have, the more you have to lose.
This house was located across the way from Harriette Beecher Stowe's home but we didn't have enough time to go through it. 
It was an interesting run because we ran into 2 people we knew along the route and ended up chatting with them. Additionally, the Ghetto store we regularly stop at for our first pit stop had a fire while we were there. The Mexican lady who runs the cash register (and maybe owns the place) was standing at the door telling me "just a minute". Turns out she didn't know the English word for "fire! A trash can sitting against the building caught fire and had just ignited the building. Some other customers helped put out the fire. and then we continued down the road. It was great weather for a long run and I'm glad we got it done, despite the fact I wasn't really "in the mood".
It's a huge house and there's no way it would fit in the screen of the cell phone camera lens. They don't allow photos of the interior but it is beautifully restored. Our tour group consisted of spouse and I, along with a couple from Italy. So it was an intimate tour of the home.
Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, lived in this home for his most productive years. Although he was poor, he married a woman from money. They had several homes but by the end had lost much of their wealth.
I couldn't help but think how often this seems to occur to people who find themselves in a supposedly financially secure position. It is fleeting. It just shows you, the more you have, the more you have to lose.
This house was located across the way from Harriette Beecher Stowe's home but we didn't have enough time to go through it.Once we got to the airport, we went through security and headed towards our gate when we saw that our flight was already delayed by half an hour. Since the lay over was only 60 minutes we pretty much decided at that point our luggage would probably stay for an extended visit at JFK. We found a comfortable couch and got out books to read.
About an hour later, spouse went to the restroom, then came back and said he heard our names paged. So we went to our gate and found out we were rerouted through Cincinnati (since JFK was really backed up). This was fine with us because it got us home a bit earlier. We wondered what the odds were that our luggage would be rerouted.
I'm happy to report that the flight was fine, no delays and our luggage arrived with us! We couldn't have been more surprised. By the time we got home it was almost midnight. I decided I HAD to unpack because I didn't want that task facing me in the morning, so we unpacked and I separated stacks of laundry for wash in the morning.
It was a beautiful night. We actually were able to sleep with the windows open! So this morning when the sun peaked through the window (actually it was more day light than sun since it was cloudy) I was awakened to the sound of the wind chimes gently singing in the morning's breeze, accompanied by a bird who was very serious about singing to greet the new day. I just stayed in bed, enjoying the morning for about 15 minutes.
After a bit I decided to flip on the TV and see what the weather was going to be like. It turns out that today was to be a warm day and the next 6 days were cold and rainy. Oh crap, I needed to get a long run in (since we were "washed out" on Monday!
So I got out of bed (yes, I did weigh myself) and asked spouse if he wanted to do a long run this morning. My legs felt all stoved up from the flight(s) so I knew it wouldn't be my best run. But, I needed to do a long run, so we did (13 miler).
It was an interesting run because we ran into 2 people we knew along the route and ended up chatting with them. Additionally, the Ghetto store we regularly stop at for our first pit stop had a fire while we were there. The Mexican lady who runs the cash register (and maybe owns the place) was standing at the door telling me "just a minute". Turns out she didn't know the English word for "fire! A trash can sitting against the building caught fire and had just ignited the building. Some other customers helped put out the fire. and then we continued down the road. It was great weather for a long run and I'm glad we got it done, despite the fact I wasn't really "in the mood". I wanted to quickly add something about my weigh-in. I seriously tried to not weigh in because I knew I would be up. I planned to not weigh in. I had a long discussion with myself on the plane ride home. But the bottom line is that I HAVE to know. I can't hide from myself. Actually, I CAN hide from myself and that scares me enough that I had to weigh in. I actually got on the scale before I went to bed last night, then again this morning. As I said before, I'm giving myself 2 days before I post my weight, but I did gain 2 pounds. You might recall that I have a "2 Pound Weight Gain From Flying" theory so I hope that is it. But, I was up when we left so it is sadly still with me. So, now I have to refocus and I'm glad to say that so far, so good.
I want to thank you for your comments while I was away. I didn't have the time to respond to them all but I appreciated every one of them. Jinxy, chances are your luggage will not get lost so don't stress out too much and enjoy your trip.
Oh, it's good to be home!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sober Again
This morning, as we pack our bags and prepare to fly back home, it's like being sober after a week long drunk. I didn't really over eat (or binge) but I sure made some really bad choices. I've had fries with some meals and had some things that were just plain high in calories. On top of that, we were not able to get a long run in because it poured rain all day. So this morning I am feeling remorse for my lack of good judgement.
I guess the worst of my behavior was demonstrated yesterday when I was eating an ice cream cone and we walked past a Weight Watcher's and I was thinking about having Spouse take a picture of me eating an ice cream cone in front of Weight Watchers. What the hell was I trying to say with that idea?
In defense of me, I will say that I haven't been tooooooo bad, just not too good. I do need to weigh in before the end of the month once I get home. There's no doubt in my mind that this month will be one of those "last day" sort of weigh ins.
I have this theory that flying and the effect it has on the body causes a 2 pound weight gain. Really, I think this is true. As such, I am granting myself a 2 day reprieve from posting my weight once I get home. I find that somehow that makes it easier to get back on track. And I do need to get back on track!
Hopefully the airlines won't lose our luggage on the way home. But at this point it's just a lot of dirty clothes.
Yesterday, as I mentioned, it rained all day. We went to the outlets in the morning, then after lunch went to the birth homes of the Adam's family (John & John Quincey), then finally the bigger presidential home. By the time we finished and grabbed a Subway for supper (I should have done that more often) it was 8:00 p.m. We got back to the hotel in time to see the later part of The Biggest Loser. I can't believe Kristen got voted off!
Since we have a late flight, we won't get home until after midnight. But tonight I will sleep in my own bed. Then my priority will be to get a run in so hopefully all the great weather they had while we were gone will still be around once we get home.
We've had a fun time here in New England but there's no place like home!
I guess the worst of my behavior was demonstrated yesterday when I was eating an ice cream cone and we walked past a Weight Watcher's and I was thinking about having Spouse take a picture of me eating an ice cream cone in front of Weight Watchers. What the hell was I trying to say with that idea?
In defense of me, I will say that I haven't been tooooooo bad, just not too good. I do need to weigh in before the end of the month once I get home. There's no doubt in my mind that this month will be one of those "last day" sort of weigh ins.
I have this theory that flying and the effect it has on the body causes a 2 pound weight gain. Really, I think this is true. As such, I am granting myself a 2 day reprieve from posting my weight once I get home. I find that somehow that makes it easier to get back on track. And I do need to get back on track!
Hopefully the airlines won't lose our luggage on the way home. But at this point it's just a lot of dirty clothes.
Yesterday, as I mentioned, it rained all day. We went to the outlets in the morning, then after lunch went to the birth homes of the Adam's family (John & John Quincey), then finally the bigger presidential home. By the time we finished and grabbed a Subway for supper (I should have done that more often) it was 8:00 p.m. We got back to the hotel in time to see the later part of The Biggest Loser. I can't believe Kristen got voted off!
Since we have a late flight, we won't get home until after midnight. But tonight I will sleep in my own bed. Then my priority will be to get a run in so hopefully all the great weather they had while we were gone will still be around once we get home.
We've had a fun time here in New England but there's no place like home!
Monday, April 20, 2009
113th Boston Marathon
Well, today was the big day, the day we've been waiting for all week. The whole city, heck, maybe the whole state, was preparing for today. The Boston Marathon is not the biggest marathon, I think it's third, behind New York and Chicago, but it is the oldest, the most prestigious, the Grand Dame of them all.
I thought I'd head this post up with my picture by a local sign. I just liked that sign. Can anyone guess why?
I thought I'd head this post up with my picture by a local sign. I just liked that sign. Can anyone guess why?
When I got up this morning, I decided to wear my new t-shirt that I got at the expo. I thought it was fitting that the inaugural wearing would be for the Boston Marathon.
We started off by heading to the start line. Unfortunately, it became quickly apparent that for us to get to the start line, if we even made it in time, (it was 6 miles and we only had 90 minutes to get there) it was looking pretty tight. We couldn't even get close to it. So it reasoned that trying to leave it and get to the finish line would also be complicated. Although we had a map showing road closures, it was a navigational nightmare. So we quickly abandoned the start line plan and headed directly to the finish line.
We started off by heading to the start line. Unfortunately, it became quickly apparent that for us to get to the start line, if we even made it in time, (it was 6 miles and we only had 90 minutes to get there) it was looking pretty tight. We couldn't even get close to it. So it reasoned that trying to leave it and get to the finish line would also be complicated. Although we had a map showing road closures, it was a navigational nightmare. So we quickly abandoned the start line plan and headed directly to the finish line.We parked by the Boston Commons park ($40) and walked to the finish line. The camera crews were getting set up and all the volunteers were preparing for the arrival of the runners. People already started lining the streets.
There was a jumbotron nearby that gave us a look at what was happening along the marathon course. Kara Goucher was the female leader for most of the race, "pushing the pace" the announcer kept saying.
Anyway, "back at the ranch", the volunteers were waiting for the runners, wheel chairs in hand. And those wheel chairs did get used too!
The crowds gathered behind the gates. I might mention at this point what the weather was like. It was awful! I can't speak for the runners but for the spectators it was freezing cold! On top of that, we had a wind with gusts up to 25 mph. The cold cut right through. And for those who know me, I was NOT the only person complaining about the cold. It was the one thing all the spectators had in common. I think the runners were impacted by it too because many of them that came through the finish line seemed to be suffering from uneven muscle constriction. 
This is a long shot of the male leader. It didn't show up very good with my cell camera. Oh well, it's a good photo of the Boston P.D.!
One of the leaders, I couldn't pronounce much less spell his/her name but I assume he/she was from Kenya. (Looks female but has a male bib number).
I forgot who this is but it must have been someone important for me to take the photo. At this point I'll mention that there were several runners who got so cramped up they had to stop in front of us. The couldn't carry on to the finish line. The crowd would cheer them on until they got running again. I saw this one female front runner who was so cramped up, yet continued to run. Her body was contorted into a position like I've never seen. I can only describe it by saying hat her back was arched so far back I thought she was going to do a back bend while running. I bet that hurt and I'm guessing she made use of one of those wheelchairs!
This runner impressed the hell out of me. I only wish I remembered his time but trust me, it was impressive for someone with 2 legs. Of course, he had no legs. But that is no reason to not run the Boston Marathon. I gotta love and respect that attitude!
After a few hours, we moved to a position behind the finish line. We were so frozen we had to abandon our position for a cup of coffee and thawing out time at a Dunkin' Donuts (I can't believe how many they have here, between Dunkin Donuts and Star Bucks, they take up 2 out of every 5 stores!). We were also waiting for Bill Rogers to come in. For those who don't know, he is "Boston Billy", winner of 4 prior Boston Marathons. He is now 61 years old and just finished chemo for prostate cancer. His finish time was 4:06:40 (9:25 pace). At least being such a late bloomer, in terms of running, I won't have such a long way to drop down as my age affects my running. That's the hope anyway . . .
It's hard to tell if you weren't there but Bill Rogers is in the background, surrounded by reporters and other people important enough to be in the runner area.
Again, the crowd around Rogers. He kept bobbing back and forth and I was trying to catch a shot of his name on the back of his shirt.
Damn that crowd, they're ruining my photo op! (Good thing Spouse was taking video of it all). You'll just have to trust me that he was in the center of the crowd at the back of the photo.
Anyway, that was the race. We left shortly after that. Had the weather been less of a factor I probably would have watched the finish line a bit longer but we were so miserable that we decided to leave. So, you might be wondering, you might be asking . . .
There was a jumbotron nearby that gave us a look at what was happening along the marathon course. Kara Goucher was the female leader for most of the race, "pushing the pace" the announcer kept saying.
Anyway, "back at the ranch", the volunteers were waiting for the runners, wheel chairs in hand. And those wheel chairs did get used too!
The crowds gathered behind the gates. I might mention at this point what the weather was like. It was awful! I can't speak for the runners but for the spectators it was freezing cold! On top of that, we had a wind with gusts up to 25 mph. The cold cut right through. And for those who know me, I was NOT the only person complaining about the cold. It was the one thing all the spectators had in common. I think the runners were impacted by it too because many of them that came through the finish line seemed to be suffering from uneven muscle constriction.
Since the women runners started in front of the men, they were the first ones through the finish line. And it was a real race too, the first 2 runners were separated by a second but it looked like it was "by a nose" with one of them falling as she crossed over the finish line.
Our position at the finish line was a good one. We were right in front of the crowd, about 200 yards from the finish line. Spouse was taking video and I was snapping photos with my cell phone. This next picture is of Kara Goucher (who placed 3rd). Unfortunately, I only caught her foot as she passed by. I was torn between taking the picture and actually watching her. I settled for something in the middle, doing service to neither.
This is a long shot of the male leader. It didn't show up very good with my cell camera. Oh well, it's a good photo of the Boston P.D.!
One of the leaders, I couldn't pronounce much less spell his/her name but I assume he/she was from Kenya. (Looks female but has a male bib number).
I forgot who this is but it must have been someone important for me to take the photo. At this point I'll mention that there were several runners who got so cramped up they had to stop in front of us. The couldn't carry on to the finish line. The crowd would cheer them on until they got running again. I saw this one female front runner who was so cramped up, yet continued to run. Her body was contorted into a position like I've never seen. I can only describe it by saying hat her back was arched so far back I thought she was going to do a back bend while running. I bet that hurt and I'm guessing she made use of one of those wheelchairs!
This runner impressed the hell out of me. I only wish I remembered his time but trust me, it was impressive for someone with 2 legs. Of course, he had no legs. But that is no reason to not run the Boston Marathon. I gotta love and respect that attitude!
After a few hours, we moved to a position behind the finish line. We were so frozen we had to abandon our position for a cup of coffee and thawing out time at a Dunkin' Donuts (I can't believe how many they have here, between Dunkin Donuts and Star Bucks, they take up 2 out of every 5 stores!). We were also waiting for Bill Rogers to come in. For those who don't know, he is "Boston Billy", winner of 4 prior Boston Marathons. He is now 61 years old and just finished chemo for prostate cancer. His finish time was 4:06:40 (9:25 pace). At least being such a late bloomer, in terms of running, I won't have such a long way to drop down as my age affects my running. That's the hope anyway . . .
It's hard to tell if you weren't there but Bill Rogers is in the background, surrounded by reporters and other people important enough to be in the runner area.
Again, the crowd around Rogers. He kept bobbing back and forth and I was trying to catch a shot of his name on the back of his shirt.
Damn that crowd, they're ruining my photo op! (Good thing Spouse was taking video of it all). You'll just have to trust me that he was in the center of the crowd at the back of the photo.
Anyway, that was the race. We left shortly after that. Had the weather been less of a factor I probably would have watched the finish line a bit longer but we were so miserable that we decided to leave. So, you might be wondering, you might be asking . . .
HOW WAS IT . . . To Be At The Boston Marathon?
My answer: The Boston Marathon sets the bar pretty high in terms of defining the marathon. The name comes with a definite expectation. All I can say is that the runners who came across the finish line had the same determination and joy of finishing as any other marathon I've seen. The success and joy is in conquering the distance, not the name on the medal. Of course, as a spectator (and not a participant), I felt less connected to this race than any other race I've watched.
It's a lot like any other thing (or person) in life. If something (or someone) looks, too glamorous, too perfect, too special, too far removed from my norm, the closer it/they are inspected, the more glaring the ordinariness becomes. The closer the look, the easier to see the flaws and imperfections. The mystery is replaced by knowledge. The specialness is replaced by familiarity. I guess the bottom line is that it really is just another marathon.
I'm glad we came to see the Boston Marathon because it reminded me that things that seem so remote, so "untouchable" for me, are in fact, not. I am just as capable as anyone else of accomplishing whatever I decide to make a priority. (I'm really going to have to focus on that when we get home and I step on the scale to see the measure of my "New England sins").
As I watched the runners come in from their 26.2 mile run (with a challenging head wind), I recalled what was going through my mind a few years ago when it was me crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles. With focus and perseverance, anything is achievable. All we have to do is want it bad enough to take it . As Pam Reed told me last fall, ". . . just keep putting one foot in front of the other and don't stop." I think sometimes it's too easy to forget those last two words, yet they are probably the most critical, for success is impossible without them. So no matter what the goal, no matter how far the distance . . . don't stop.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
10K Report
This is a photo of me wearing my new sleeves that I bought at the marathon expo yesterday. Don't they make me look fast - ha! ha! I really quite like them. They are perfectly snug. Not too much, not too little. They stayed up really well too. It was very cool at the coast (where our race was located) and there was an evil wind that really was very biting. But the sleeves helped make it bearable and I was glad I had them. They are Ascics brand and we paid $7. Spouse got a pair and he likes them too. The official race photos of Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall show them both wearing sleeves. They must be the "in thing" right now. Anyway, a good investment!
After the race, I put on my new Red Sox fleece. I was so glad to have something warmer to wear since it was so windy. And of course the Red Sox did win last night! The reason this photo was taken was because I received a medal!! I was surprised to find out I was 3rd in my age division.
This is the front of the medal. (As you can see by this time I put on gloves too.)
The back of the medal has the name of the race engraved in it. I've never had one that was engraved before so I thought that was pretty cool. The money from the race pays for school scholarships and is in memory of a young man who was killed in an auto accident. They also gave out long sleeved t-shirts. All for $15! Quite a good deal for a race I'd say.
This church is located across the street from where the race started. I quite liked it but I was really interested in the structure behind the church. It turned out that it was built around a water tower, in the early years, by the man who donated the land to the town. Gotta love New England!!
This is a shot of the starting line for the race. There seemed to be a lot of older people running it and I wondered if it was because the younger ones were running the marathon tomorrow. Anyway, it was very obvious that the community supported this race. There was lots of police assistance at the intersections, and the list of sponsors took up the whole back of the shirt.
Just a crowd shot.
Spouse & me after the race. The man who took the picture told us to take off our hats and sun glasses so our faces would show up. I said there was no way I was going to get a photo with "hat hair". Spouse was less vain about it.
The sign in front of the lighthouse on the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.
The lighthouse.
We had a great race. It was well organized and a fun course. Now we need to work out our strategies for tomorrow because the traffic will be terrible. Our hope is to watch the elites start and finish. And of course, lots in between too. It's supposed to be in the 40' s and the runners will have a headwind the whole distance. The rain isn't supposed to start until 5:00 p.m. so the runners will be done by then. The "regular people" start at 10:30 a.m. and the elites will start prior to that (ladies first at 9:30 and men at 10:00). So, it should be an exciting (and cold) day here in Boston!
The race course was really nice. It was on narrow roads, rolling hills. It went out to a light house, then back to the start. It was more of a loop than an out and back. I knew from the start that it was going to be a good run (must be the sleeves) because my legs felt really good. And of course being at sea level didn't hurt either! Anyway, this photo is of me coming into the finish line.
After the race, I put on my new Red Sox fleece. I was so glad to have something warmer to wear since it was so windy. And of course the Red Sox did win last night! The reason this photo was taken was because I received a medal!! I was surprised to find out I was 3rd in my age division.
This is the front of the medal. (As you can see by this time I put on gloves too.)
The back of the medal has the name of the race engraved in it. I've never had one that was engraved before so I thought that was pretty cool. The money from the race pays for school scholarships and is in memory of a young man who was killed in an auto accident. They also gave out long sleeved t-shirts. All for $15! Quite a good deal for a race I'd say.
This church is located across the street from where the race started. I quite liked it but I was really interested in the structure behind the church. It turned out that it was built around a water tower, in the early years, by the man who donated the land to the town. Gotta love New England!!
This is a shot of the starting line for the race. There seemed to be a lot of older people running it and I wondered if it was because the younger ones were running the marathon tomorrow. Anyway, it was very obvious that the community supported this race. There was lots of police assistance at the intersections, and the list of sponsors took up the whole back of the shirt.
Just a crowd shot.
Spouse & me after the race. The man who took the picture told us to take off our hats and sun glasses so our faces would show up. I said there was no way I was going to get a photo with "hat hair". Spouse was less vain about it.
The sign in front of the lighthouse on the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.
The lighthouse.
We had a great race. It was well organized and a fun course. Now we need to work out our strategies for tomorrow because the traffic will be terrible. Our hope is to watch the elites start and finish. And of course, lots in between too. It's supposed to be in the 40' s and the runners will have a headwind the whole distance. The rain isn't supposed to start until 5:00 p.m. so the runners will be done by then. The "regular people" start at 10:30 a.m. and the elites will start prior to that (ladies first at 9:30 and men at 10:00). So, it should be an exciting (and cold) day here in Boston!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Boston Marathon Expo
Today was sure a fun day. We went to the Boston Marathon Expo. Talk about a big expo! There were a zillion vendors and about 10 zillion people. It was unbelievable how many people were there. We all must have picked the same time to arrive. I always enjoy looking at all the new runner stuff so I was really in my element. Spouse and I both bought Boston Marathon jackets.
I really liked the fact that they're embroidered, not printed. Here's what the back of them looked like:
Me, rooting around all the stuff.
The expo was well organized but you can only do so much with a large mass of people. Speaking of large mass, this is not a very complimentary picture of me but I'll keep it in just to give you a sense of the vibe! (I really liked that shirt until this moment).
After the expo I was able to score my first purchase as a new Boston Red Sox fan. It looks pretty bulky on me because I'm actually wearing another jacket (the new Marathon jacket)under this fleece. It was a cool day and I was wearing shorts. And anyone who knows me knows I am always cold. So even though this fleece was expensive I thought it would get good use. (Hey Ellen, how do you like it??
After the expo we went on the 3 mile Freedom Trail. We didn't finish the whole trail because we got side tracked (hence the Red Sox purchase) and then it started raining.
Me, rooting around all the stuff. The expo was well organized but you can only do so much with a large mass of people. Speaking of large mass, this is not a very complimentary picture of me but I'll keep it in just to give you a sense of the vibe! (I really liked that shirt until this moment).
After the expo I was able to score my first purchase as a new Boston Red Sox fan. It looks pretty bulky on me because I'm actually wearing another jacket (the new Marathon jacket)under this fleece. It was a cool day and I was wearing shorts. And anyone who knows me knows I am always cold. So even though this fleece was expensive I thought it would get good use. (Hey Ellen, how do you like it??
After the expo we went on the 3 mile Freedom Trail. We didn't finish the whole trail because we got side tracked (hence the Red Sox purchase) and then it started raining. This is a photo of the start line. We drove most (but not all) of the course. It isn't an easy course but goes through some great neighborhoods. I swear there is no possible way anyone could come to New England, specifically Boston, and not have an appreciation for the beauty of architecture. So many exquisite buildings! Did I mention that I just love Boston??
This sign denotes the start of the race. We figured we wouldn't even be able to get close to it on Monday. You may not be able to tell but we're wearing our official Boston Marathon wind jackets. It's funny because all these people were asking us if we were running on Monday. We corrected them and said we were not, but we were doing a 10K on Sunday. We further added that we've done marathons before, just not Boston. After repeating and clarifying this so many times we've just decided to lie and say we are running it on Monday. I hate being dishonest but everyone asks old people wearing the jackets just because they can't believe it would be possible. So, yep, running 26.2 on Monday if anyone asks again.
This is a banner that is in front of a church that is located at the start line. It has a great scripture quoted on it but I am going to have to blow up the photo to read it because I forgot what it was.
This photo was just a crowd shot from where we got side tracked during the 3 mile Freedom Trail walk. Lots of people in Beantown today!
This is a shot of the finish line. They had it up but part of it was covered (not sure why).
And as a matter of fact I did run across the finish line of the Boston Marathon and spouse took video to prove it . . . just on the wrong day - ha! ha!
In the morning we're headed out for our 10K. The weather is supposed to be pretty bad but hopefully we can get an hour's worth of decent weather. I stopped at K-mart and bought some gloves. I'm really wishing I brought some tights with me because we're running right out to the coast and the wind is supposed to blowing in on us and it's going to be cold! I did buy some "sleeves" at the expo today so that will help. If I survive it, I'll update tomorrow.
This sign denotes the start of the race. We figured we wouldn't even be able to get close to it on Monday. You may not be able to tell but we're wearing our official Boston Marathon wind jackets. It's funny because all these people were asking us if we were running on Monday. We corrected them and said we were not, but we were doing a 10K on Sunday. We further added that we've done marathons before, just not Boston. After repeating and clarifying this so many times we've just decided to lie and say we are running it on Monday. I hate being dishonest but everyone asks old people wearing the jackets just because they can't believe it would be possible. So, yep, running 26.2 on Monday if anyone asks again. 
This is a banner that is in front of a church that is located at the start line. It has a great scripture quoted on it but I am going to have to blow up the photo to read it because I forgot what it was.
This photo was just a crowd shot from where we got side tracked during the 3 mile Freedom Trail walk. Lots of people in Beantown today!
This is a shot of the finish line. They had it up but part of it was covered (not sure why).
And as a matter of fact I did run across the finish line of the Boston Marathon and spouse took video to prove it . . . just on the wrong day - ha! ha!
In the morning we're headed out for our 10K. The weather is supposed to be pretty bad but hopefully we can get an hour's worth of decent weather. I stopped at K-mart and bought some gloves. I'm really wishing I brought some tights with me because we're running right out to the coast and the wind is supposed to blowing in on us and it's going to be cold! I did buy some "sleeves" at the expo today so that will help. If I survive it, I'll update tomorrow.
Friday, April 17, 2009
I "heart" Massachusetts!
I love the whole freaking state of Massachusetts! People here are kinder, nicer, and happier. I love all the trees, the colonial homes, the narrow winding roads, all the flags and everything else about this state. I just want that on the record. My love is not solely for Boston, although I do love Boston, but for the whole state. It make be little bit it has a big heart!
We drove into Milford today. It's about 9 miles from the start of the marathon. This will be our home base for the rest of our time here. It was a beautiful day too. We got up and had a leisurely morning before heading down the road. We stopped at a colonial town on the way and checked it out. I like the colonial period as a whole. I like those little colonial lady hats.
Anyway, once we got here and checked into our hotel, the priority for the day was to go running. I haven't run since Monday and my weight was up when we left home, and with all the drama and stress over the luggage, I dearly NEEDED a run. So we changed clothes and headed out. Since we have GPS's, we were able to just start running. We started out heading towards town, then made a left on a road that looked interesting. We continued UP that road. It was narrow and winding but it was charming too. The hill went on forever but that was okay. I needed to burn some calories. Every now and again we'd stop for a quick conference on "which direction now".
It was unusual because no one tried to hit me with their car, no one honked or yelled at me/us. I passed one kid who was throwing a ball across the street and he stopped for us to pass. (I think at home the kid would have just hit me with it.) I said he looked like a good pitcher and he said, "Thank you". NO dogs chased us either! The only person who shouted anything at me was a man, who I suspect was a fellow runner, who shouted, "Save some for Monday!" Now how great is that? Anyway, we finished up 7 miles by the time we got back to our hotel.
Once we got back and showered, it was supper time. We had Subway for lunch so we decided to go to someplace local for supper. We ended up at a local Greek restaurant. We had no idea it was Greek until we opened the menu. I ordered salad and Moussaka. It was fantastic! It tasted just like the moussaka we had in Greece. The portion wasn't huge but it was filling. The owner of the restaurant does all the cooking. Her Greek accent is still very much with her and we had a nice conversation about how Greek people no longer cook authentic food (yet say they do).
So, a few more calories than I'd hoped for. I'm still optimistic that I can go home weighing less than when I left (maybe I'm just a fool in denial). After we ate we headed to Starbucks. I hadn't had my coffee for the day. Our GPS took us on a real tour to find one and we ended up stumbling on one ourselves. Then, we came back to the hotel and this is where I am kicking back and catching up on my blogging. Once a blogger, always a blogger.
Speaking of blogs, Sharon wrote something that has really stayed on my mind. I saw it this morning but didn't have the time to read it but just seeing the few words, it stayed on my mind. I thought about it during my run. It's one of those life changing statements you hear every now and again and I fully plan to steal it from her. It's:
So tomorrow, we're headed to the marathon expo. We'll check out the start and finish lines too. Then we're going on the 3 mile freedom walk. After that, we'll just go with the flow and go where the winds blow us. Speaking of winds blowing, last I heard, the weather is going to start going bad on us. I keep hoping it will change. Anyway, our 10K on Sunday looks like a cold one. I really don't have anything warm to run in so I'll have to make-do. Maybe I'll use the t-shirt the airline gave us as a throw away shirt to keep warmer at the start. Hopefully, it won't be too cold.
Anyway, that catches me up on everything. I plan on taking a bunch of photos tomorrow so I'll plan on posting them. I have high expectations for the expo and am excited to check it out.
We drove into Milford today. It's about 9 miles from the start of the marathon. This will be our home base for the rest of our time here. It was a beautiful day too. We got up and had a leisurely morning before heading down the road. We stopped at a colonial town on the way and checked it out. I like the colonial period as a whole. I like those little colonial lady hats.
Anyway, once we got here and checked into our hotel, the priority for the day was to go running. I haven't run since Monday and my weight was up when we left home, and with all the drama and stress over the luggage, I dearly NEEDED a run. So we changed clothes and headed out. Since we have GPS's, we were able to just start running. We started out heading towards town, then made a left on a road that looked interesting. We continued UP that road. It was narrow and winding but it was charming too. The hill went on forever but that was okay. I needed to burn some calories. Every now and again we'd stop for a quick conference on "which direction now".
It was unusual because no one tried to hit me with their car, no one honked or yelled at me/us. I passed one kid who was throwing a ball across the street and he stopped for us to pass. (I think at home the kid would have just hit me with it.) I said he looked like a good pitcher and he said, "Thank you". NO dogs chased us either! The only person who shouted anything at me was a man, who I suspect was a fellow runner, who shouted, "Save some for Monday!" Now how great is that? Anyway, we finished up 7 miles by the time we got back to our hotel.
Once we got back and showered, it was supper time. We had Subway for lunch so we decided to go to someplace local for supper. We ended up at a local Greek restaurant. We had no idea it was Greek until we opened the menu. I ordered salad and Moussaka. It was fantastic! It tasted just like the moussaka we had in Greece. The portion wasn't huge but it was filling. The owner of the restaurant does all the cooking. Her Greek accent is still very much with her and we had a nice conversation about how Greek people no longer cook authentic food (yet say they do).
So, a few more calories than I'd hoped for. I'm still optimistic that I can go home weighing less than when I left (maybe I'm just a fool in denial). After we ate we headed to Starbucks. I hadn't had my coffee for the day. Our GPS took us on a real tour to find one and we ended up stumbling on one ourselves. Then, we came back to the hotel and this is where I am kicking back and catching up on my blogging. Once a blogger, always a blogger.
Speaking of blogs, Sharon wrote something that has really stayed on my mind. I saw it this morning but didn't have the time to read it but just seeing the few words, it stayed on my mind. I thought about it during my run. It's one of those life changing statements you hear every now and again and I fully plan to steal it from her. It's:
It's brilliant. It applies to not only weight loss, but so much more. Maybe I'll take it as my motto! Maybe I'll get it printed on a shirt, maybe I'll get it tattooed on my body!If not now, when?
So tomorrow, we're headed to the marathon expo. We'll check out the start and finish lines too. Then we're going on the 3 mile freedom walk. After that, we'll just go with the flow and go where the winds blow us. Speaking of winds blowing, last I heard, the weather is going to start going bad on us. I keep hoping it will change. Anyway, our 10K on Sunday looks like a cold one. I really don't have anything warm to run in so I'll have to make-do. Maybe I'll use the t-shirt the airline gave us as a throw away shirt to keep warmer at the start. Hopefully, it won't be too cold.
Anyway, that catches me up on everything. I plan on taking a bunch of photos tomorrow so I'll plan on posting them. I have high expectations for the expo and am excited to check it out.
NYC
Oh, we have been busy . . . unfortunately it wasn't doing what we wanted. As you recall from my last post, the luggage was supposed to be delivered to the hotel just after midnight on Wednesday night. Well, after sleeping without my jammies, and with teeth that felt nasty, we awoke to find that the luggage did not show up. So we called the airline, and they said it would be in at 10:00 a.m. We made a quick trip to a local drug store and dropped almost 30 bucks on crappy hair products. I'm not sure why we didn't get one of those overnight packs from the hotel. I think we were so burned out we didn't even think about it.
Anyway, we headed back to the airport. Since we wanted to head out to NYC, we didn't risk having the luggage delivered (we had no room reservation for Thursday night anyway). We got there minutes before the plane, patiently waited for it to be emptied out, and guess what, no luggage.
So back to the lost luggage office only to find out that Atlanta swore it was sent and Hartford saying it wasn't. The fact it was not scanned after Atlanta, did support it was still sitting in Atlanta (it was).
So we ended up leaving without our luggage and headed to NYC, My hair looked flat because I was using crappy hair products and the in-room hair dryer that has 2 speeds (way too low and way too high), and I was on day #2 of my socks. At least I had clean underwear!
We had a deadline to pick up the David Letterman tickets and luckily, we made it in time. Spouse & I:
It wasn't cold enough to be wearing this jacket outside but I anticipated a very cold studio so I had it with me. Luckily, the studio wasn't bad. We had great seats, 4th row, directly across from the guest's seats (Matthew Perry, Alicia what's-her-name, and Rascal Flats). The camera caught us on a pan that appeared just before Alicia whats-her-name came on. We had a fun time and parking was ONLY $30! Speaking of parking, we ended up in a Toyota Rav which has been nice. So . . . guess where we went to lunch?
Yep, Rupert's Hello Deli is right around the corner from Dave. Actually it's the same building. We were very impressed with our sandwiches - delicious. The place is very tiny and ended up packed with people by the time we left.
Anyway, we headed back to the airport. Since we wanted to head out to NYC, we didn't risk having the luggage delivered (we had no room reservation for Thursday night anyway). We got there minutes before the plane, patiently waited for it to be emptied out, and guess what, no luggage.
So back to the lost luggage office only to find out that Atlanta swore it was sent and Hartford saying it wasn't. The fact it was not scanned after Atlanta, did support it was still sitting in Atlanta (it was).
So we ended up leaving without our luggage and headed to NYC, My hair looked flat because I was using crappy hair products and the in-room hair dryer that has 2 speeds (way too low and way too high), and I was on day #2 of my socks. At least I had clean underwear!
We had a deadline to pick up the David Letterman tickets and luckily, we made it in time. Spouse & I:
It wasn't cold enough to be wearing this jacket outside but I anticipated a very cold studio so I had it with me. Luckily, the studio wasn't bad. We had great seats, 4th row, directly across from the guest's seats (Matthew Perry, Alicia what's-her-name, and Rascal Flats). The camera caught us on a pan that appeared just before Alicia whats-her-name came on. We had a fun time and parking was ONLY $30! Speaking of parking, we ended up in a Toyota Rav which has been nice. So . . . guess where we went to lunch?
Yep, Rupert's Hello Deli is right around the corner from Dave. Actually it's the same building. We were very impressed with our sandwiches - delicious. The place is very tiny and ended up packed with people by the time we left.We checked out Broadway and Times Square and before we left town also went by the Statue of Liberty. I was glad to leave town because all the hard stop and go traffic makes me motion sick. The traffic really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It was a nice surprise.
There are city people and not-city people. I am the later. Besides, I could never live in a place that has so many great bakeries.
We got a call from the airlines and they said our luggage had arrived. They talked about sending it to JFK since we were in NYC but we said not to risk it, we would pick it up ourselves. Now that it was found, we didn't want to risk anything more going wrong. All this time we'd been thinking about what essentials were in the suitcase, and realized Spouse packed his running shoes & GPS in it along with both of our running clothes. Critical stuff! Besides, I wanted my jammies and my toiletries and hair dryer.
We got a call from the airlines and they said our luggage had arrived. They talked about sending it to JFK since we were in NYC but we said not to risk it, we would pick it up ourselves. Now that it was found, we didn't want to risk anything more going wrong. All this time we'd been thinking about what essentials were in the suitcase, and realized Spouse packed his running shoes & GPS in it along with both of our running clothes. Critical stuff! Besides, I wanted my jammies and my toiletries and hair dryer. After we left NYC we decided to drive back to Hartford and get the luggage. Although it was 2 hours away we decided it was better to just do it so we could awaken this morning to "normal". So just before midnight, we finally got the luggage and stayed in Hartford. This morning we're headed to Boston.
It's a beautiful day here and tomorrow is supposed to be nice too but I think it's going down hill after that. The weather for the Boston Marathon is looking really bad. But, things seem to change quickly so you never know. And on that note, I'm outta here!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Landed
We finally arrived in Hartford after flying all day. The first flight was late by half an hour so by the time we got to Atlanta we had enough time to run through the airport and board the connecting flight. Unfortunately, our luggage doesn't move as fast as we do so we're still waiting for that to arrive.
We picked up the rental car, got on the highway headed to the hotel, and was almost run off the road by someone who wanted the exact spot we were already occupying on the road. I hate it when that happens.
We checked into the hotel and went to the room. It reeked of cigarette smoke. So we had to go back and change rooms. Then we went to Walmart to get some supplies but they were closed. The only 24 hour place was Walgreen's and they don't have anything there. So I'm really hoping the luggage arrives because all my toiletries are in that bag, along with my pj's. I have other clothes in my carry on bag but I want the other stuff and I want it now!
All I've eaten all day is bananas, granolas, and Mini Delites. I am sick to death of this crap! Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. Hopefully, our bag will arrive and I can have a nice breakfast before we head into NYC. Otherwise I know it will be a bad hair day!
We picked up the rental car, got on the highway headed to the hotel, and was almost run off the road by someone who wanted the exact spot we were already occupying on the road. I hate it when that happens.
We checked into the hotel and went to the room. It reeked of cigarette smoke. So we had to go back and change rooms. Then we went to Walmart to get some supplies but they were closed. The only 24 hour place was Walgreen's and they don't have anything there. So I'm really hoping the luggage arrives because all my toiletries are in that bag, along with my pj's. I have other clothes in my carry on bag but I want the other stuff and I want it now!
All I've eaten all day is bananas, granolas, and Mini Delites. I am sick to death of this crap! Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. Hopefully, our bag will arrive and I can have a nice breakfast before we head into NYC. Otherwise I know it will be a bad hair day!
Biggest Loser
I'm writing this as I watch The Biggest Loser. So be warned, it will be full of spoilers. First of all, I am really irritated with Ron's attitude. During the challenge he barely got started and then his knee(s) started hurting, so he quit. Come on Ron, exercise hurts sometimes, a lot of times in fact. It seems like he always quits right after it barely starts. Is he able to handle any discomfort at all? The show (to my knowledge) hasn't said he has a specific knee injury so I assume it's weight related. I'm out of sympathy for him. I hope he gets voted off tonight. Sometimes we have to keep on, despite the pain. Tough love, ya know?
The make overs started and I'm excited to see how everyone looks. There are several of them who really need a hair cut! Felipe looks so much better with a hair cut. I was wondering what they would do with Kristin's hair. I really like the new color and cut. It's much more flattering. One of the stylists said something about how important it was to make a change that is consistent with the change in their bodies.
I think redefining ourselves as we go through these types of changes is important. It's actually fun because we get to learn about the new person we've become. Maybe it's time to challenge our assumptions about ourselves!
OK, back to he show. I was glad Ron's beard was shaved off. I like beards but Ron's looked nasty. He should have had them cut off more hair though. My heart breaks for the obese son (Max, only 17 years old) still at home. I can only image how he feels looking at his father and brother. My heart breaks for him. He cried. Unfortunately, I don't think Michael really understood why it was so hard for Max to see Michael and Ron. I think he really feels isolated now.
Michael did say something important though. He said if anyone was waiting for a Biggest Loser opportunity, it probably wasn't going to happen, they just needed to do it. I think that is an important message. It's like what Meryl Streep once said, "The best way to get started is to get started". So simple, so true.
It's hard to believe that Tara weighed almost 300 pounds (294). Her face is so thin now. I'm rooting for her to win the show. I was also surprised that Kristen was married. I don't recall her ever talking about a husband. Of course, who knows what's on the cutting room floor? If Tara can't win, then I'd vote for Kristen. She has a great attitude and stays focused.
Laura's stress fracture was a shocker. But it's almost a surprise that it hadn't happened sooner on this show. After all, they're taking inactive, obese people and putting them through some very intense training. I can't help but wonder if her hip pain was worse than Ron's knee pain. Yep, it's pick-on -Ron day isn't it?
We're getting ready for the weigh-in. Who's going to be under the yellow line? I wish they'd just weigh in without all the drama. It takes 45 minutes to do the weigh in! Only 7 people are left. Michael, who started at 388 pounds, broke the record for "most pounds lost on campus" with a total loss of 145 pounds (in 15 weeks). Surely that cannot be healthy! I guess I wouldn't mind if he won. He's worked hard and done it all himself (despite Ron's thinking that he helped him do it). Besides, he has a good heart.
Ron's 6 pound loss is surprising since my impression is that he doesn't work out very intensely. Tara's weight loss seems to have slowed down quite a bit so she may have a few struggles in the upcoming weeks. She's lost a lot of weight and works out hard, but the numbers have been low.
Isn't it amazing that I'm flying out in the morning and still have the time to do this blow-by-blow accounting of the show? I'm either very organized or really need to get a life. Actually it's probably a bit of both. OK, back to the show.
Helen's 7 pound loss was a surprise. She's getting pretty low in her weight so such a big number is rather unexpected I think. When Kristen only got a 2 pound loss, I couldn't help but wonder what happened. She's still very heavy but she works out pretty hard and, unlike Ron, doesn't give up. To only lose 2 pounds seems so unfair. But maybe not as unfair as Laura's 3 pound gain. Laura started out as a whiny, weakling but she really evolved in the process and turned herself around. It would be scary to go home and not be able to exercise due to an injury.
Why couldn't Ron be the one on the chopping block? OK, a commercial break now but luckily, I'm not including them on my blow-by-blow account. I am really entertaining myself with this! I'll set it up to publish in the morning in case someone stops by, there will be a post to read. OK, back to the show.
Laura pleads her case, as does Kristen. Everyone seems to be crying or is otherwise emotional , hearing them state their cases. Ron makes the case to boot Laura so Laura can get healed. Game players support booting Kristen, but I think it'll be Laura who gets voted off. I think these conversations probably change a lot by what they cut out and what they leave in. Dang, more commercials.
OK, back to the show. Blah . . . blah . . . blah . . . cry . . . cry . . . cry . . . Laura gets the boot with Felipe making the deciding vote. The program is providing Laura medical support during her recovery process, so that is good, but I suspect they are doing it to avoid any legal implications (risk management). Laura leaves campus at 208 pounds. They didn't give her current weight in the update but did say she has maintained the loss.
The scenes from next week show Michael asking Ron why he didn't do anything to help keep the sons from being so obese since Ron himself was so aware of the struggles of being obese. I'd be interested in hearing that answer, especially since the mother is normal sized.
OK, this ends my blow-by-blow accounting of the show. So for now . . . ta! ta!
The make overs started and I'm excited to see how everyone looks. There are several of them who really need a hair cut! Felipe looks so much better with a hair cut. I was wondering what they would do with Kristin's hair. I really like the new color and cut. It's much more flattering. One of the stylists said something about how important it was to make a change that is consistent with the change in their bodies.
I think redefining ourselves as we go through these types of changes is important. It's actually fun because we get to learn about the new person we've become. Maybe it's time to challenge our assumptions about ourselves!
OK, back to he show. I was glad Ron's beard was shaved off. I like beards but Ron's looked nasty. He should have had them cut off more hair though. My heart breaks for the obese son (Max, only 17 years old) still at home. I can only image how he feels looking at his father and brother. My heart breaks for him. He cried. Unfortunately, I don't think Michael really understood why it was so hard for Max to see Michael and Ron. I think he really feels isolated now.
Michael did say something important though. He said if anyone was waiting for a Biggest Loser opportunity, it probably wasn't going to happen, they just needed to do it. I think that is an important message. It's like what Meryl Streep once said, "The best way to get started is to get started". So simple, so true.
It's hard to believe that Tara weighed almost 300 pounds (294). Her face is so thin now. I'm rooting for her to win the show. I was also surprised that Kristen was married. I don't recall her ever talking about a husband. Of course, who knows what's on the cutting room floor? If Tara can't win, then I'd vote for Kristen. She has a great attitude and stays focused.
Laura's stress fracture was a shocker. But it's almost a surprise that it hadn't happened sooner on this show. After all, they're taking inactive, obese people and putting them through some very intense training. I can't help but wonder if her hip pain was worse than Ron's knee pain. Yep, it's pick-on -Ron day isn't it?
We're getting ready for the weigh-in. Who's going to be under the yellow line? I wish they'd just weigh in without all the drama. It takes 45 minutes to do the weigh in! Only 7 people are left. Michael, who started at 388 pounds, broke the record for "most pounds lost on campus" with a total loss of 145 pounds (in 15 weeks). Surely that cannot be healthy! I guess I wouldn't mind if he won. He's worked hard and done it all himself (despite Ron's thinking that he helped him do it). Besides, he has a good heart.
Ron's 6 pound loss is surprising since my impression is that he doesn't work out very intensely. Tara's weight loss seems to have slowed down quite a bit so she may have a few struggles in the upcoming weeks. She's lost a lot of weight and works out hard, but the numbers have been low.
Isn't it amazing that I'm flying out in the morning and still have the time to do this blow-by-blow accounting of the show? I'm either very organized or really need to get a life. Actually it's probably a bit of both. OK, back to the show.
Helen's 7 pound loss was a surprise. She's getting pretty low in her weight so such a big number is rather unexpected I think. When Kristen only got a 2 pound loss, I couldn't help but wonder what happened. She's still very heavy but she works out pretty hard and, unlike Ron, doesn't give up. To only lose 2 pounds seems so unfair. But maybe not as unfair as Laura's 3 pound gain. Laura started out as a whiny, weakling but she really evolved in the process and turned herself around. It would be scary to go home and not be able to exercise due to an injury.
Why couldn't Ron be the one on the chopping block? OK, a commercial break now but luckily, I'm not including them on my blow-by-blow account. I am really entertaining myself with this! I'll set it up to publish in the morning in case someone stops by, there will be a post to read. OK, back to the show.
Laura pleads her case, as does Kristen. Everyone seems to be crying or is otherwise emotional , hearing them state their cases. Ron makes the case to boot Laura so Laura can get healed. Game players support booting Kristen, but I think it'll be Laura who gets voted off. I think these conversations probably change a lot by what they cut out and what they leave in. Dang, more commercials.
OK, back to the show. Blah . . . blah . . . blah . . . cry . . . cry . . . cry . . . Laura gets the boot with Felipe making the deciding vote. The program is providing Laura medical support during her recovery process, so that is good, but I suspect they are doing it to avoid any legal implications (risk management). Laura leaves campus at 208 pounds. They didn't give her current weight in the update but did say she has maintained the loss.
The scenes from next week show Michael asking Ron why he didn't do anything to help keep the sons from being so obese since Ron himself was so aware of the struggles of being obese. I'd be interested in hearing that answer, especially since the mother is normal sized.
OK, this ends my blow-by-blow accounting of the show. So for now . . . ta! ta!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
159.2 - All Packed & Ready To Go
Holy crap - that is such a high number I think my eyes are burning just looking at it! Really though, I don't get too stressed out for 2 days after a long run. Because anything can happen . . . but still . . .
I'm all packed and ready to go. I ended up with 2 carry on bags and a huge bag to check that spouse and I "shared". I mean, just putting my running shoes and shower bag into a carry on pretty much filled it up. So we had to check a bag so we went for the biggest one we could. One carry on bag holds almost all my clothes. The other one is for stuff I want to make sure doesn't get lost, medicine, GPS, stuff like that.
The weather in the Boston area is going to be nice some days, and very cool (cold) on other days. Plus right now they're forecasting rain on the marathon. So I need a light jacket, some sweaters for layering, a warmer jacket and a rain coat. Most of this stuff is very light, except the sweaters which are bulky. I am taking jeans and shorts. For the first time ever, and this is traumatic for me, I am taking just enough clothing to wear. No extras. You'd think this would be a piece of cake since I pretty much always wear the same stuff anyway, but when it comes to traveling for some reason it is so much harder.
So here's our itinerary:
Wednesday: We're flying pretty much all day tomorrow. Since we are using frequent flyer miles we don't have the best flights. But, as they say, the price is right! We have a layover in Atlanta and will fly into Hartford, Connecticut around 8:00 p.m. Then we will drive to our hotel. We liked flying into Hartford because we saved a ton on the rental car and it is half way between Boston and NYC.
Thursday: In the morning we head into NYC to act like tourists and go to the David Letterman Show. We have parking reservations so hopefully that will go well. We don't have reservations for Thursday night but we'll probably just get out of the city and find someplace.
Friday: We'll finish up with NYC and then go to Milford (outside of Boston) we have reservations there for all but our last day). It would be nice if we could get a 5 miler in on this day.
Saturday: We'll go to the Boston Marathon expo and do stuff in Boston.
Sunday: On Sunday we have a 10K race, then we'll do the tourist thing.
Monday: Monday is the marathon so I'm thinking that will take the whole day.
Tuesday: We are hoping to do a long run, it's really the only day it will fit in our schedule. We haven't decided if we'll do that on the marathon course or in the countryside.
Wednesday: We fly back home. Gee, it goes quickly doesn't it?
I'm trying to figure out my best options for eating on the travel days. Since we're spending a lot of time flying, we need 2 meals, lunch and supper, on the way out. On the way back we'll just have an early supper, then a snack on the plane. We get in really late. Any suggestions?
I'll have my Acer with me so I'll update my blog and hopefully get a lot of photos. I imagine I won't post anything tomorrow though.
Also, to make my intentions "official", I will declare my goal weight for when I get home:
I'm all packed and ready to go. I ended up with 2 carry on bags and a huge bag to check that spouse and I "shared". I mean, just putting my running shoes and shower bag into a carry on pretty much filled it up. So we had to check a bag so we went for the biggest one we could. One carry on bag holds almost all my clothes. The other one is for stuff I want to make sure doesn't get lost, medicine, GPS, stuff like that.
The weather in the Boston area is going to be nice some days, and very cool (cold) on other days. Plus right now they're forecasting rain on the marathon. So I need a light jacket, some sweaters for layering, a warmer jacket and a rain coat. Most of this stuff is very light, except the sweaters which are bulky. I am taking jeans and shorts. For the first time ever, and this is traumatic for me, I am taking just enough clothing to wear. No extras. You'd think this would be a piece of cake since I pretty much always wear the same stuff anyway, but when it comes to traveling for some reason it is so much harder.
So here's our itinerary:
Wednesday: We're flying pretty much all day tomorrow. Since we are using frequent flyer miles we don't have the best flights. But, as they say, the price is right! We have a layover in Atlanta and will fly into Hartford, Connecticut around 8:00 p.m. Then we will drive to our hotel. We liked flying into Hartford because we saved a ton on the rental car and it is half way between Boston and NYC.
Thursday: In the morning we head into NYC to act like tourists and go to the David Letterman Show. We have parking reservations so hopefully that will go well. We don't have reservations for Thursday night but we'll probably just get out of the city and find someplace.
Friday: We'll finish up with NYC and then go to Milford (outside of Boston) we have reservations there for all but our last day). It would be nice if we could get a 5 miler in on this day.
Saturday: We'll go to the Boston Marathon expo and do stuff in Boston.
Sunday: On Sunday we have a 10K race, then we'll do the tourist thing.
Monday: Monday is the marathon so I'm thinking that will take the whole day.
Tuesday: We are hoping to do a long run, it's really the only day it will fit in our schedule. We haven't decided if we'll do that on the marathon course or in the countryside.
Wednesday: We fly back home. Gee, it goes quickly doesn't it?
I'm trying to figure out my best options for eating on the travel days. Since we're spending a lot of time flying, we need 2 meals, lunch and supper, on the way out. On the way back we'll just have an early supper, then a snack on the plane. We get in really late. Any suggestions?
I'll have my Acer with me so I'll update my blog and hopefully get a lot of photos. I imagine I won't post anything tomorrow though.
Also, to make my intentions "official", I will declare my goal weight for when I get home:
Nothing over 157!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Run Report
If God ever decided to create the perfect day for a 13 miler. . .
surely He would have created a day just like today.
It was great!158.2 & Stressed
Why do I weigh this again? I'm not sure but it has been here for 2 days now. My eating has been really good (not perfect, but good) so I'm not sure what is UP with that. I guess I won't weigh in before we leave on Wednesday. Speaking of which . . .
I am so stressed, just thinking about packing. I've had 2 nights of "packing dreams". We're attempting to make this a light trip since we don't want to pay a bunch of money for luggage. So we're doing 2 carry ons and sharing a huge suitcase. OK, we really know the "sharing" of the suitcase will be 95% mine and 5% spouse's. I think maybe I'll start sorting out how much space I have available to me sometime after the long run.
Yep, it's Monday, long run day, another 13 miler. That will probably pretty much zap all my stress away. It looks like a really nice day for it too. So hopefully the winds won't kick up too much, or too soon. I'll probably update after the run, unless I'm too busy packing.
I am so stressed, just thinking about packing. I've had 2 nights of "packing dreams". We're attempting to make this a light trip since we don't want to pay a bunch of money for luggage. So we're doing 2 carry ons and sharing a huge suitcase. OK, we really know the "sharing" of the suitcase will be 95% mine and 5% spouse's. I think maybe I'll start sorting out how much space I have available to me sometime after the long run.
Yep, it's Monday, long run day, another 13 miler. That will probably pretty much zap all my stress away. It looks like a really nice day for it too. So hopefully the winds won't kick up too much, or too soon. I'll probably update after the run, unless I'm too busy packing.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
157 - Chasing Numbers
Here I am again, another even number. But this time I'm glad it's 2 pounds less than yesterday. At least that confirms my suspicion that I didn't "earn" the penalty of the higher weight. I think I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll always be chasing numbers. I already accepted the fact that I'll always be tracking what I eat, but somehow that didn't translate into the realization that I'll also be chasing numbers on the scale. This is really a black and white issue, with me anyway. Maybe some people can fall into the gray zone, an ambiguous land where normal people eat and live, but not me. I either am paying attention to it, or I'm gaining weight. It goes one way or the other.
I read the book "Intuitive Eating" awhile back. I really wanted to believe in it. There were some things that I took and used in my own "eating life" but for the most part, I just couldn't buy into it. I mean, the whole premise of it is that you have to allow yourself (REALLY allow yourself) to eat what you want and listen to your body's signals, otherwise you go into the "last supper" frame of mind and start eating like a squirrel packing away nuts for winter. Yes, that sounds good in theory, but I just don't buy it. I have personal history where I was free to eat as I chose. And isn't it a funny coincidence that I also weighed 230+ pounds? Hmmmm . . . maybe it works for some people, but not me.
What I did take from the book though is to really give myself permission to eat ANYTHING I wanted, but with the provision that I worked it into my calorie plan. For instance, I used to try to not eat the Great Harvest tea scones. Those babies are a whopping 700 calories! Sure, I can say I'm only going to eat half of one but you know how that goes. So, I'd avoid them, drive past the bakery time and time again, then when I could take it no more, I'd go in and get one. So that would give me an additional 700 calories on whatever day I lost my resolve and finally broke down. Since I was already "breaking down", they were usually high calorie days anyway, and the tea scone just made a bad (calorie) day even worse.
Since giving myself permission to not just eat one, but REALLY enjoy it, I've worked it into my plan and can now enjoy it, totally "guilt free". After we finish our long run on Mondays (usually Mondays), the ending point is at the Great Harvest bakery. Having just burned a lot of calories (1300 average for a 13 miler, using the "industry standard" calculation of 100 calories per mile), I can easily eat a 700 calorie tea scone with no ill affect (calorie-wise) whatsoever.
My old frame of mind was to just try not to eat anything extra and use the high calorie burn towards weight loss. Great in theory, but the reality is that after burning all those calories, (several hours later) I was awfully hungry. So I'd end up over eating - even considering the big calorie burn.
So here's how I work it. (We're generally running through our normal lunch time.) Immediately after running, I buy the tea scone and, of course, have a slice of bread. I eat the bread slice as we walk back to our car (satisfying the immediate need to replace some carbohydrates) and hang onto the scone for later. I go home and shower, then sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy the tea scone. After eating it, I am very full so my hunger is easily held off until supper time. About supper time, I am hungry but I just don't feel like eating a lot so that's when we have lunch, soup and a sandwich. A few hours later I have a light snack. So by the end of the day I haven't over eaten and I feel like I was able to have a special treat - a guilt free treat!
Doing it this way (for the past few months) works out great (except last week when they were out of tea scones but that's a whole other post). I get my treat, it satisfies me both physically and mentally, and I don't over eat.
I guess the bottom line is that I just have to learn about, and ultimately know, myself and figure out what works for me . . . just me. Because no one is exactly like me . . . only me.
I read the book "Intuitive Eating" awhile back. I really wanted to believe in it. There were some things that I took and used in my own "eating life" but for the most part, I just couldn't buy into it. I mean, the whole premise of it is that you have to allow yourself (REALLY allow yourself) to eat what you want and listen to your body's signals, otherwise you go into the "last supper" frame of mind and start eating like a squirrel packing away nuts for winter. Yes, that sounds good in theory, but I just don't buy it. I have personal history where I was free to eat as I chose. And isn't it a funny coincidence that I also weighed 230+ pounds? Hmmmm . . . maybe it works for some people, but not me.
What I did take from the book though is to really give myself permission to eat ANYTHING I wanted, but with the provision that I worked it into my calorie plan. For instance, I used to try to not eat the Great Harvest tea scones. Those babies are a whopping 700 calories! Sure, I can say I'm only going to eat half of one but you know how that goes. So, I'd avoid them, drive past the bakery time and time again, then when I could take it no more, I'd go in and get one. So that would give me an additional 700 calories on whatever day I lost my resolve and finally broke down. Since I was already "breaking down", they were usually high calorie days anyway, and the tea scone just made a bad (calorie) day even worse.
Since giving myself permission to not just eat one, but REALLY enjoy it, I've worked it into my plan and can now enjoy it, totally "guilt free". After we finish our long run on Mondays (usually Mondays), the ending point is at the Great Harvest bakery. Having just burned a lot of calories (1300 average for a 13 miler, using the "industry standard" calculation of 100 calories per mile), I can easily eat a 700 calorie tea scone with no ill affect (calorie-wise) whatsoever.
My old frame of mind was to just try not to eat anything extra and use the high calorie burn towards weight loss. Great in theory, but the reality is that after burning all those calories, (several hours later) I was awfully hungry. So I'd end up over eating - even considering the big calorie burn.
So here's how I work it. (We're generally running through our normal lunch time.) Immediately after running, I buy the tea scone and, of course, have a slice of bread. I eat the bread slice as we walk back to our car (satisfying the immediate need to replace some carbohydrates) and hang onto the scone for later. I go home and shower, then sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy the tea scone. After eating it, I am very full so my hunger is easily held off until supper time. About supper time, I am hungry but I just don't feel like eating a lot so that's when we have lunch, soup and a sandwich. A few hours later I have a light snack. So by the end of the day I haven't over eaten and I feel like I was able to have a special treat - a guilt free treat!
Doing it this way (for the past few months) works out great (except last week when they were out of tea scones but that's a whole other post). I get my treat, it satisfies me both physically and mentally, and I don't over eat.
I guess the bottom line is that I just have to learn about, and ultimately know, myself and figure out what works for me . . . just me. Because no one is exactly like me . . . only me.
Friday, April 10, 2009
159 or 157.6 Your Choice
I said I'd post my weight this morning so there it is. The reason I have two different numbers is that when I first got out of bed and weighed myself I was 159 (damn that sucks!), then after breakfast, when I was getting into the shower, I was 157.6. Odd, huh? For the sake of total disclosure, I was wearing PJ's with the first weigh-in (I usually do) so with PJ's I would have added another 4 tenths (my summer pj's are very light). So, there it is. Either number is still too high, it's just that one of them is real *&%$#@ high. But, I'm working on it.
Today is supposed to be warm, but so far there's been a pretty steady 13 mph wind coming out of the south. We're planning on a run but I hate running into the wind. I feel like I've been running into the wind for months now. We're hoping that by afternoon it either will have died down some or warmed up enough to negate the chilling affects of the wind. Either way, there's a run on the agenda. We'll do at least a 5 miler. If the wind dies down I'd like to go out on the 7 mile route, (it's usually windier on this route).
I read a couple blogs and people are talking about the temptations of Easter candy. I am happy to say that I'm not having this issue at all. Actually, I'm doing pretty good in terms of my eating, even if my weight on the scale doesn't reflect it. Usually, if I hit 159 pounds, I'd feel fat but for some very odd reason I'm not even feeling fat. But, I do respect (and fear) that number so I'm being extra careful because make no mistake, this is NOT acceptable!
The Elton John song books I ordered arrived yesterday. It was very enlightening to see how many lyrics I've been wrong about for these many years. So last evening, I got the keyboard book and my i-pod together and started hammering out "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". The cool thing about the song book is that it is written EXACTLY as Elton plays it. So I could play it along with hearing it in my ears. Well, I better qualify that statement . . . I could play a couple measures as I heard it in my ears. Let's just say I have some fingering to work out before Elton and I can tour together. Anyway, I was singing with my ear buds in my ears and playing along with Elton. I am sure the neighbors heard the horrifying sounds I was making. My voice has a range of about 2 notes (see Ellen, at least you have 3) and is consistent only that it's flat and off key. But I was having a good time (even if I did keep going over the first few lines, over and over). And it didn't even include one calorie!
Today is supposed to be warm, but so far there's been a pretty steady 13 mph wind coming out of the south. We're planning on a run but I hate running into the wind. I feel like I've been running into the wind for months now. We're hoping that by afternoon it either will have died down some or warmed up enough to negate the chilling affects of the wind. Either way, there's a run on the agenda. We'll do at least a 5 miler. If the wind dies down I'd like to go out on the 7 mile route, (it's usually windier on this route).
I read a couple blogs and people are talking about the temptations of Easter candy. I am happy to say that I'm not having this issue at all. Actually, I'm doing pretty good in terms of my eating, even if my weight on the scale doesn't reflect it. Usually, if I hit 159 pounds, I'd feel fat but for some very odd reason I'm not even feeling fat. But, I do respect (and fear) that number so I'm being extra careful because make no mistake, this is NOT acceptable!
The Elton John song books I ordered arrived yesterday. It was very enlightening to see how many lyrics I've been wrong about for these many years. So last evening, I got the keyboard book and my i-pod together and started hammering out "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". The cool thing about the song book is that it is written EXACTLY as Elton plays it. So I could play it along with hearing it in my ears. Well, I better qualify that statement . . . I could play a couple measures as I heard it in my ears. Let's just say I have some fingering to work out before Elton and I can tour together. Anyway, I was singing with my ear buds in my ears and playing along with Elton. I am sure the neighbors heard the horrifying sounds I was making. My voice has a range of about 2 notes (see Ellen, at least you have 3) and is consistent only that it's flat and off key. But I was having a good time (even if I did keep going over the first few lines, over and over). And it didn't even include one calorie!
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Marley (Reggie & Leroy)
I cried my eyes out last night. We watched Marley & Me. It was against my better judgement but Spouse wanted to see it. Besides, we got it free from Redbox. Spouse and I are "dog lovers in recovery". Long time readers know that we lost our two dogs, in two consecutive Februaries. So some of the scenes hit really close to home. I miss having a dog but I don't miss the hassles of having a dog. I love my new carpet too. So those are the thoughts I cling to and hopefully we won't relapse and get a dog. I'm fairly certain it won't happen. Sometimes when we go to Wal-mart and there are people with puppies in the parking lot, I just have to keep my eyes forward. Don't slow down and take a look. It's like an alcoholic walking through a liquor store.
My eating was good yesterday but my weight is still up too much. It came down almost a pound but trust me, that still wasn't enough. Tomorrow I'll resume posting my weight again, no matter what it is. I could take drastic measures and do unhealthy things to get it down again but I'm not into that. I'm not into suffering either. I just get it to 1400 - 1500 calories a day and given enough time, it will come around. It's sensible and sustainable over a long period of time. It's a good plan. It's also healthy, that is the most important thing.
This Saturday we have our 4 year old grandson coming over to "help us" color Easter eggs. it should be fun and exciting. Oh, trust me, exciting is probably a good word to use when contemplating a 4 year old and food coloring. It could be a dangerous combination but we're going to give it a shot. After that, we're going to have an Easter egg hunt. Then we're sending it all home with him for his parents to contend with. I love doing that!
I can't believe the Boston trip is coming around so quickly. I hope the weather is good for the marathon. It's been pretty cold out there so far. Our 10K is the day before the marathon. It will be fun to run someplace new. Monday's looking good for our long run too. I think spring might be here, despite the fact that this morning the lawn is covered in snow. At least this time I know I just need to go a couple blocks down the hill and there isn't any snow.
I didn't blog about The Biggest Loser this week. I think that's because nothing stood out enough for me to get excited about. Although it does seem that Sione didn't lose much weight after he got home. I wonder what his stats are, anybody know? I thought for sure he'd be under 200 pounds when they did the "where they are now" segment. Of course, I thought I'd be under 155 by now too. Oh well, we're all gonna just have to keep on keeping on. If we take care of each day as it comes, the weeks and months will take care of themselves. Dang, that almost sounds wise!
My eating was good yesterday but my weight is still up too much. It came down almost a pound but trust me, that still wasn't enough. Tomorrow I'll resume posting my weight again, no matter what it is. I could take drastic measures and do unhealthy things to get it down again but I'm not into that. I'm not into suffering either. I just get it to 1400 - 1500 calories a day and given enough time, it will come around. It's sensible and sustainable over a long period of time. It's a good plan. It's also healthy, that is the most important thing.
This Saturday we have our 4 year old grandson coming over to "help us" color Easter eggs. it should be fun and exciting. Oh, trust me, exciting is probably a good word to use when contemplating a 4 year old and food coloring. It could be a dangerous combination but we're going to give it a shot. After that, we're going to have an Easter egg hunt. Then we're sending it all home with him for his parents to contend with. I love doing that!
I can't believe the Boston trip is coming around so quickly. I hope the weather is good for the marathon. It's been pretty cold out there so far. Our 10K is the day before the marathon. It will be fun to run someplace new. Monday's looking good for our long run too. I think spring might be here, despite the fact that this morning the lawn is covered in snow. At least this time I know I just need to go a couple blocks down the hill and there isn't any snow.
I didn't blog about The Biggest Loser this week. I think that's because nothing stood out enough for me to get excited about. Although it does seem that Sione didn't lose much weight after he got home. I wonder what his stats are, anybody know? I thought for sure he'd be under 200 pounds when they did the "where they are now" segment. Of course, I thought I'd be under 155 by now too. Oh well, we're all gonna just have to keep on keeping on. If we take care of each day as it comes, the weeks and months will take care of themselves. Dang, that almost sounds wise!
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Ug Oh!
For the second time in a week, I must refrain from titling my post with my weight. It jumped even higher today and I'm granting myself another 2 days reprieve to "get it under control". I think part of it is from the long run on Monday. It often spikes up for 2 days. But in all honesty, I haven't been eating really well the past two days either. I haven't been real bad, I just haven't been real good. So, part of it might be "deserved" too.
Yesterday morning my weight was already up. Then, spouse reminded me he had "tickets" for a free pie, two of them in fact. So, because if anything is free he has to take advantage of it, (it's in his DNA) we went to cash in our tickets. Once we got there, they were offering slices of pies too. So I had a slice of banana creme pie. Was that real whip cream? It probably was but that didn't slow me down at all. I enjoyed my slice of pie. I also handed them a ticket and exchanged it for an apple pie. I like apple pie! What the hell was I thinking? A whole apple pie? In my possession?
So after we got home, we hadn't had supper yet, I turned on The Biggest Loser and had some apple pie. Now that is just wrong, isn't it? Here I was watching these people sweat and I'm having apple pie for supper? This was going bad in so many different ways.
I never claimed to be perfect, just improved. Some days I'm just more improved than others.
Anyway, when I got up this morning, this is how much apple pie I had already eaten:
Not terribly bad, but still, considering what I had already eaten, not a good choice. Still, I have to recognize that the "old me" would have probably eaten the whole thing. Spouse had eaten ALL his cherry pie. Did I mention he didn't gain an ounce? That really irritates the hell out of me.
Anyway, I'm not happy when my weight is up (who is?) and that apple pie was not going to get the better of me. After all, who was in control here? I am. Even if I keep forgetting it, I need to remember that all the choices are mine. And that apple pie had to be gone as quickly as possible!
So as you can see, without eating one more bite of it, the pie went into the trash. (And for those doubters, yes it did STAY in the trash). It is very empowering to do such a thing.
So after my pie disposal, I decided we'd better go for a run. The weather was great (60 degrees, mostly sunny) but I had the assurance of the morning's forecast that it would soon go down hill. Besides, I was looking forward to running with my new Phiten star necklace. I wondered, would it "work"?
As I started off on the run, I was very aware that I was not alone. And the longer I ran, the more apparent it was that I was in the company of two elites, Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliff. After all, we all wore the same necklace.
I kept trying to analyze how I was feeling, was the necklace doing it's "thing"? Judging by my pace, probably not. Not that my pace was bad mind you . . . it was a really good in fact. But it was really good last week too, when I wasn't wearing the necklace. I reminded myself that last week my legs were fresher since I didn't do a long run, and this week I'm just 2 days post long run and my time was still good. So, maybe it was "working"? I don't know.
What I do know is that all the while I was running, Paula and Kara were right there beside me, one on either side. They were matching me foot strike for foot strike. As a matter of fact, they were cheering me on, telling my what a great job I was doing and what a great morning it was for a run. I was impressed that they didn't run ahead of me, after all, they do run much faster than I do. I was just having fun running with these two elites, the three of us just running down the road together. . . running down my road together.
Now, you might think I have quite an imagination to be enjoying this run with Paula and Kara. But isn't this the same mind that tempted me with pie last night? Isn't this the same mind that empowered me to throw out the remaining pie this morning? So why shouldn't this same mind let me enjoy the pleasure of going for a run with two elite runners, (who, by the way, were very impressed with my run!)?
Yep, these two ladies cheered me on the whole way. And we all three finished together at 5 miles.
Yesterday morning my weight was already up. Then, spouse reminded me he had "tickets" for a free pie, two of them in fact. So, because if anything is free he has to take advantage of it, (it's in his DNA) we went to cash in our tickets. Once we got there, they were offering slices of pies too. So I had a slice of banana creme pie. Was that real whip cream? It probably was but that didn't slow me down at all. I enjoyed my slice of pie. I also handed them a ticket and exchanged it for an apple pie. I like apple pie! What the hell was I thinking? A whole apple pie? In my possession?
So after we got home, we hadn't had supper yet, I turned on The Biggest Loser and had some apple pie. Now that is just wrong, isn't it? Here I was watching these people sweat and I'm having apple pie for supper? This was going bad in so many different ways.
I never claimed to be perfect, just improved. Some days I'm just more improved than others.
Anyway, when I got up this morning, this is how much apple pie I had already eaten:
Not terribly bad, but still, considering what I had already eaten, not a good choice. Still, I have to recognize that the "old me" would have probably eaten the whole thing. Spouse had eaten ALL his cherry pie. Did I mention he didn't gain an ounce? That really irritates the hell out of me.
Anyway, I'm not happy when my weight is up (who is?) and that apple pie was not going to get the better of me. After all, who was in control here? I am. Even if I keep forgetting it, I need to remember that all the choices are mine. And that apple pie had to be gone as quickly as possible!
So as you can see, without eating one more bite of it, the pie went into the trash. (And for those doubters, yes it did STAY in the trash). It is very empowering to do such a thing.So after my pie disposal, I decided we'd better go for a run. The weather was great (60 degrees, mostly sunny) but I had the assurance of the morning's forecast that it would soon go down hill. Besides, I was looking forward to running with my new Phiten star necklace. I wondered, would it "work"?
As I started off on the run, I was very aware that I was not alone. And the longer I ran, the more apparent it was that I was in the company of two elites, Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliff. After all, we all wore the same necklace.
I kept trying to analyze how I was feeling, was the necklace doing it's "thing"? Judging by my pace, probably not. Not that my pace was bad mind you . . . it was a really good in fact. But it was really good last week too, when I wasn't wearing the necklace. I reminded myself that last week my legs were fresher since I didn't do a long run, and this week I'm just 2 days post long run and my time was still good. So, maybe it was "working"? I don't know.
What I do know is that all the while I was running, Paula and Kara were right there beside me, one on either side. They were matching me foot strike for foot strike. As a matter of fact, they were cheering me on, telling my what a great job I was doing and what a great morning it was for a run. I was impressed that they didn't run ahead of me, after all, they do run much faster than I do. I was just having fun running with these two elites, the three of us just running down the road together. . . running down my road together.
Now, you might think I have quite an imagination to be enjoying this run with Paula and Kara. But isn't this the same mind that tempted me with pie last night? Isn't this the same mind that empowered me to throw out the remaining pie this morning? So why shouldn't this same mind let me enjoy the pleasure of going for a run with two elite runners, (who, by the way, were very impressed with my run!)?
Yep, these two ladies cheered me on the whole way. And we all three finished together at 5 miles.
I think the necklace "worked"!
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
158.4 - Necklace Report
Yesterday, shortly after getting home from the long run and taking a shower, my new Phiten Star necklace arrived. I bought the black one, 18" like the one Kara Goucher was wearing in the Runner's World Photo. Paula Radcliff has the red one if anyone is wondering. Anyway, I was interested if it really "works". So here is what my experience has been so far:
Normally, after a 13 miler, my legs are fatigued. Sometimes, I'll have some mild stiffness but not always. Typically, my right ham string will tighten up (more often than not). The day after the run, I almost always have a tight right ham string and may or may not have very mild stiffness in my legs. So, that's what I'm using as a comparison model. As unscientific as it is.
After wearing the necklace, by evening I did notice that my legs didn't feel as fatigued, it was notable. Sure, they were a bit tired but I felt like I could go knock out a couple more miles. This morning, my legs feel good, like I could run a 5 miler (except that my ham string is predictably tight). Usually my legs don't feel energized the following day but today they feel pretty good. In terms of stiffness, on a 1-10 scale I'd put it at a 1 (very minimal stiffness, almost none). But that could be normal too. Is it from the necklace or just one of those things? Who knows.
Spouse tried it on yesterday and swears that in the time he wore it, which was very minimal, (just long enough to put it on, walk down the hallway to look in the mirror, then come back), it make his neck feel better. Actually, to be more precise, he said it "cured" it. His neck was sore from the time we got finished running up until the time he put on the necklace.
We are both intelligent people and strongly suspect there's a placebo effect going on here. But, I guess there isn't much difference between it actually "working" and just thinking that it was actually working because of some noted improvement. Here's what it looks like:
Normally, after a 13 miler, my legs are fatigued. Sometimes, I'll have some mild stiffness but not always. Typically, my right ham string will tighten up (more often than not). The day after the run, I almost always have a tight right ham string and may or may not have very mild stiffness in my legs. So, that's what I'm using as a comparison model. As unscientific as it is.
After wearing the necklace, by evening I did notice that my legs didn't feel as fatigued, it was notable. Sure, they were a bit tired but I felt like I could go knock out a couple more miles. This morning, my legs feel good, like I could run a 5 miler (except that my ham string is predictably tight). Usually my legs don't feel energized the following day but today they feel pretty good. In terms of stiffness, on a 1-10 scale I'd put it at a 1 (very minimal stiffness, almost none). But that could be normal too. Is it from the necklace or just one of those things? Who knows.
Spouse tried it on yesterday and swears that in the time he wore it, which was very minimal, (just long enough to put it on, walk down the hallway to look in the mirror, then come back), it make his neck feel better. Actually, to be more precise, he said it "cured" it. His neck was sore from the time we got finished running up until the time he put on the necklace.
We are both intelligent people and strongly suspect there's a placebo effect going on here. But, I guess there isn't much difference between it actually "working" and just thinking that it was actually working because of some noted improvement. Here's what it looks like:
(Of course, the runner girl necklace I'm also wearing is not part of the Phiten necklace.) The Phiten would absorb sweat but you can wash it in cold water after a run.
Spouse liked it enough that he ordered one yesterday. I'm looking forward to trying it out on my next run and see if anything is different. So there you have it, make of it what you will.
PS - If you want the link to where we bought them, look at the post of Paula, Kara & Me, just a couple days ago. It's listed there.
Monday, April 06, 2009
13 Miler
Sunny and warm enough for shorts.
Just finished coming up the mile and a half hill.
It's about distance, not speed. But I was happy with my pace anyway.
Just finished coming up the mile and a half hill.
It's about distance, not speed. But I was happy with my pace anyway.
157 - Long Run Day
I
Another day that I weighed in at an even number. Unfortunately, it's a full pound up from yesterday's even number. Oh well, what ya gonna do? Today's long run will "mess with my numbers" anyway.
I got up this morning and it looked like a perfect day for a long run. Yee Haw!! We're just waiting a bit for the sun to warm things up enough that we can run in shorts. We're probably still a couple hours away so for now, I'm just killing time.
I packed my supplies into my spibelt, 2 packages of Sport Beans (one each at miles 5 & 9), 2 A & W root beer barrels (no substitutions), a piece of Trident White wintergreen gum (again, no substitutions) and my cell phone. These are the supplies I need for a long run. We prefer to not hassle with carrying water so spouse carries enough money to buy water if there aren't enough fountains on our route. On this route, we have one free water opportunity so we'll end up buying water at the 5 mile point.
I call the store we stop at for water, the "ghetto store", because right at the cash register they sell rolling papers, single razor blades, tiny little Brillo pads, and little crack size baggies. So, all the supplies a drug dealer (or user) needs to get them by in a pinch.
Speaking of "crack baggies", you can buy them at Wal-mart in the craft section. I actually buy them all the time because I like to put my Sport Beans in them because the regular package the beans come in is difficult to open, and with sweaty hands it's even more difficult. In the past I've also pinned them to my shorts and they pin better and don't make a crinkle noise either. They're also handy for putting your medication in them when you travel. But I'm sure it looks "interesting" to any law enforcement who might see them.
When we went to Moab a few weeks ago, I put my fiber additive in the little baggies to make it easy to put it in my water. Once I used the first one and realized I had a "crack baggie" with white power residue in it, I hid it in my bags. I didn't want the housekeeper to find it in the trash and alert authorities or something. I mean it really does look suspicious. But they're so darn handy sized. So when we were at Wal-mart the other day I told spouse,
When spouse and I run, we run together, yet apart. At any given time he is either in front of me or behind me, never along side me. It works out better that way since he runs faster than I do. That way I'm not pushing myself for the whole run and he's not holding back. It allows us to both run our own pace and still be out there together. At the end of the run he always has more distance than I do because he circles around parking lots or takes diversions onto side streets so that he doesn't get too far ahead of me. So if I don't see him while I'm running, I know he'll pop up in a short time. And if not, I'll call him on the cell phone.
There have been a couple times that one of us cannot run (usually me) due to injury or something else. In those cases, the non-runner will follow along with a bike, carrying supplies like water, maybe a light jacket for the beginning of the run. It's actually pretty nice for the runner to have the support system following right along.
This morning I noticed my lifetime mileage. It looks like I should hit my 6,000th mile sometime in June. Hard to say which week I'll hit it since the weather is still so off and on. If you recall, my 2009 goal was to run 1200 miles. Right now I'm behind the curve but that is to be expected since I'll pile on more miles once the weather clears for longer periods of time. I just need an average of 100 miles a month. Barring any injuries, that is easily doable in decent weather.
I guess that's all for now. I'll probably update things after my run.
Another day that I weighed in at an even number. Unfortunately, it's a full pound up from yesterday's even number. Oh well, what ya gonna do? Today's long run will "mess with my numbers" anyway.I got up this morning and it looked like a perfect day for a long run. Yee Haw!! We're just waiting a bit for the sun to warm things up enough that we can run in shorts. We're probably still a couple hours away so for now, I'm just killing time.
I packed my supplies into my spibelt, 2 packages of Sport Beans (one each at miles 5 & 9), 2 A & W root beer barrels (no substitutions), a piece of Trident White wintergreen gum (again, no substitutions) and my cell phone. These are the supplies I need for a long run. We prefer to not hassle with carrying water so spouse carries enough money to buy water if there aren't enough fountains on our route. On this route, we have one free water opportunity so we'll end up buying water at the 5 mile point.
I call the store we stop at for water, the "ghetto store", because right at the cash register they sell rolling papers, single razor blades, tiny little Brillo pads, and little crack size baggies. So, all the supplies a drug dealer (or user) needs to get them by in a pinch.
Speaking of "crack baggies", you can buy them at Wal-mart in the craft section. I actually buy them all the time because I like to put my Sport Beans in them because the regular package the beans come in is difficult to open, and with sweaty hands it's even more difficult. In the past I've also pinned them to my shorts and they pin better and don't make a crinkle noise either. They're also handy for putting your medication in them when you travel. But I'm sure it looks "interesting" to any law enforcement who might see them.
When we went to Moab a few weeks ago, I put my fiber additive in the little baggies to make it easy to put it in my water. Once I used the first one and realized I had a "crack baggie" with white power residue in it, I hid it in my bags. I didn't want the housekeeper to find it in the trash and alert authorities or something. I mean it really does look suspicious. But they're so darn handy sized. So when we were at Wal-mart the other day I told spouse,
"Oh, yeah, don't forget we need crack baggies".If anyone overheard us I'm sure they were trying to figure out why these two old farts are buying crack baggies. But I guess I'm getting side tracked again . . .
When spouse and I run, we run together, yet apart. At any given time he is either in front of me or behind me, never along side me. It works out better that way since he runs faster than I do. That way I'm not pushing myself for the whole run and he's not holding back. It allows us to both run our own pace and still be out there together. At the end of the run he always has more distance than I do because he circles around parking lots or takes diversions onto side streets so that he doesn't get too far ahead of me. So if I don't see him while I'm running, I know he'll pop up in a short time. And if not, I'll call him on the cell phone.
There have been a couple times that one of us cannot run (usually me) due to injury or something else. In those cases, the non-runner will follow along with a bike, carrying supplies like water, maybe a light jacket for the beginning of the run. It's actually pretty nice for the runner to have the support system following right along.
This morning I noticed my lifetime mileage. It looks like I should hit my 6,000th mile sometime in June. Hard to say which week I'll hit it since the weather is still so off and on. If you recall, my 2009 goal was to run 1200 miles. Right now I'm behind the curve but that is to be expected since I'll pile on more miles once the weather clears for longer periods of time. I just need an average of 100 miles a month. Barring any injuries, that is easily doable in decent weather.
I guess that's all for now. I'll probably update things after my run.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
156
Two days in a row that I've weighed totally even numbers. I find that odd. But I'm not complaining! I want to do my monthly weigh in at Weight Watchers before we leave for Boston so I'll try to have the best "safety net" possible. I have to say, I think these monthly weigh-ins have been critical to my maintenance phase. They force me to be accountable. It's just too easy for me to put off dealing with little increases until "tomorrow". Well, we all know how that works, don't we?Yesterday, I really wasn't in the mood (cold & gloomy) to go running but we went anyway. And, for the third time this week, it was a fantastic run! My average pace for three different 5 mile runs was within 2 seconds of each other. Some miles I ran the same exact time, to the second. I find that data fascinating. I am also confident when I say the quad issue is totally behind me. I know I said that before, but now I'm saying it with a lot more confidence. My legs are back to normal, my speed has increased and I feel strong.
It really did suck for those 3-4 weeks that my quads were killing me and I felt too weak and sluggish. I think the longer distances (15+ milers) and the cold weather worked together to cause a strain problem of some sorts. Anyway, it seems that is behind me now because I feel like my old self again.
I always wear a (Garman) GPS when I run. I started out (years ago) with a Timex brand but it was heavy because I had to wear a battery pack on my arm. Then I discovered Garman with the small, built in rechargeable battery and I love both of the ones I've had so far. My newer one is so much smaller and easier to wear too.
I couldn't imagine running without it, I'm so used to getting the data feedback. There were a couple times that I inadvertently had a dead battery and so I had to pull my old one out but I guess it's no surprise that I need data! When I'm running, I only check the distance reading. I very rarely look to see what my pace is. About the only time I check pace is at a race, maybe about the 10 mile mark. It gives me an indication of whether or not I can meet whatever goal
I'm chasing. But for
training runs, I try to focus on how I feel and what my effort feels like. Often I'm surprised when I check it at the end of the run.
training runs, I try to focus on how I feel and what my effort feels like. Often I'm surprised when I check it at the end of the run. The older Garman (model #201, shown above, rectangle shaped) is a good GPS but it does tend to lose the satellites if there's a tree or tall building nearby. The newer one is also much more comfortable to wear since it's smaller. But if I'm doing speed work on the track, the older model has a better interval training mode than the upgraded model #205. But, if I could only have one, it would be the 205, hands down.
Once I get home, I check the mile splits. I keep a running log and since most of my routes have been run a zillion times, I can compare how I ran against how I ran the prior week, or even the prior year. Anyway, I jot down the average pace for each mile split. Sometimes I can see I ran the whole thing either fast or slow and other times I can see that one mile was so much faster/slower than the others that it impacted my pace. Anyway, I am always trying to improve against myself so it is valuable information. The other thing I like about wearing a GPS is that when we travel, or deviate from our route, I don't have to wonder what my distance is. It also totals my miles, making it easy to check yearly totals, etc.
I know some runners would hate to track that information (I call them purists). I enjoy the run for the sake of running, but want the data for afterwards. I guess I'm a techie runner.
On a totally unrelated note, we have guaranteed seating for the David Letterman Show on the 16th. I don't know who the guests are but they called and gave us the information on how to pick up the tickets and told us we were in confirmed seating. So, since I went to Leno last fall, I can compare the two. I've never been to New York City before. I've been upstate, but have avoided the city. But if Letterman wants me, I guess I'll go check it out.
Tomorrow we're planning on a long run. We'll do our usual 13 mile route. I SHOULD be able to wear shorts because they're calling for a high of 60 (it's a miracle!). So it should be a great day for a long run. I think in a lot of ways it's easier to run 13 miles than 5 miles. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe because on long runs I don't worry about pacing (for the most part). Besides, with the long, steep hills at the front of our long run route, pacing is not a priority.
I do enjoy my long runs. I can't wait for tomorrow.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
157 - Kara, Paula & Me
I'm back to regular weight postings and back to a "reasonable number". My world is once again in balance.
The other day, when I got my new Runner's World magazine, there was an article in there on Kara Goucher. It had all kinds of information but the thing I found most interesting was on what she was wearing. It mentioned a necklace that Paula Radcliff told her about, one Paula wore in the Olympics. The reason this caught my attention is that I just happened to notice how many (Olympic) women runners wore necklaces. Running itself is not very feminine and with all that sweating and huffing and puffing, it doesn't tend to make you feel "girlie" at all, but I like the necklace idea. I liked it so much that I bought a "Runner Girl" necklace last winter. I wear it all the time because I like what it says about me.
So I did a little bit of checking into this necklace that has caught the attention of these two elites, and it turns out a lot of professional sports players are wearing them (you can even order them with your team's name on them). They are titanium necklaces and come with some rather bold claims.
The Phiten Classic Titanium Necklace it is good for :
I also read in the magazine that Bill Rogers AKA Boston Billy, may run the marathon this year. How cool is that, the year we're going to be there he might be one of the many who cross the finish line! We're hoping to get some good video of the elites. Our plan is to get them taking off at the start and get to the finish line to see them finish. My understanding is that zillions of people line the whole 26.2 miles of the marathon, so getting from the start to the finish faster than the elites can run it could possibly be a problem. Especially since roads will be closed, etc. So we might have to modify that plan.
I'm hoping Boston has some spring weather while we're there. I wasn't planning on taking any cold weather running clothes but after seeing their temperatures lately I might be wise to throw in a running jacket.
We sure haven't had much spring weather here. Our high for today is only in the 40's (again) and it's gloomy too. But Monday is supposed to be warm and sunny, so we're banking on it and resuming our Long-Run-On-Monday schedule. I like doing long runs on Monday because it's a great way to start out the week and most people are at work so there's less traffic. Besides, if you don't work, what better way to spend a Monday than do a long run?
The other day, when I got my new Runner's World magazine, there was an article in there on Kara Goucher. It had all kinds of information but the thing I found most interesting was on what she was wearing. It mentioned a necklace that Paula Radcliff told her about, one Paula wore in the Olympics. The reason this caught my attention is that I just happened to notice how many (Olympic) women runners wore necklaces. Running itself is not very feminine and with all that sweating and huffing and puffing, it doesn't tend to make you feel "girlie" at all, but I like the necklace idea. I liked it so much that I bought a "Runner Girl" necklace last winter. I wear it all the time because I like what it says about me.
So I did a little bit of checking into this necklace that has caught the attention of these two elites, and it turns out a lot of professional sports players are wearing them (you can even order them with your team's name on them). They are titanium necklaces and come with some rather bold claims.
The Phiten Classic Titanium Necklace it is good for :
- Stiff shoulder relief
- Fatigue reduction
- Built up stress release
- Relaxation
- Enhancement of athletic abilities
Their claim: Titanium Products help relieve joint and muscle pain, improve blood circulation, reduce swelling, keep muscles conditioned and flexible, alleviate stress and prevent fatigue.
Hmmmm, pretty bold statements! I checked a couple sites, some had comments and reviews from buyers and it seemed like people either went one way or the other. It was either great or "crap". But really, I don't care if it works or not. I just like the idea of wearing the same necklace as these elite runners. You know that old saying, "fake it till you make it", meaning, act fit, be fit, act healthy, be healthy, etc. I mean IF it works, that would be great. But if it doesn't work, well . . . if Kara and Paula believe in it then by George, I'll believe it too. So I have mine on order (the same color and style Kara is wearing in her photo in the magazine). Silly, maybe, but if it makes me run faster it's worth it. After all, most of running is mental anyway.I also read in the magazine that Bill Rogers AKA Boston Billy, may run the marathon this year. How cool is that, the year we're going to be there he might be one of the many who cross the finish line! We're hoping to get some good video of the elites. Our plan is to get them taking off at the start and get to the finish line to see them finish. My understanding is that zillions of people line the whole 26.2 miles of the marathon, so getting from the start to the finish faster than the elites can run it could possibly be a problem. Especially since roads will be closed, etc. So we might have to modify that plan.
I'm hoping Boston has some spring weather while we're there. I wasn't planning on taking any cold weather running clothes but after seeing their temperatures lately I might be wise to throw in a running jacket.
We sure haven't had much spring weather here. Our high for today is only in the 40's (again) and it's gloomy too. But Monday is supposed to be warm and sunny, so we're banking on it and resuming our Long-Run-On-Monday schedule. I like doing long runs on Monday because it's a great way to start out the week and most people are at work so there's less traffic. Besides, if you don't work, what better way to spend a Monday than do a long run?
Friday, April 03, 2009
A Line In The Sugar
I've been thinking about Jen's comment on yesterday's post concerning freaking out about our numbers. I think I've made a lot of progress in not freaking out whenever I step on the scale and there's an increase of a pound or two. Normal fluctuations, we're going to have them so we might as well get used to them. As frustrating as normal fluctuations may be to us, there's an element of grace in them too. Have you ever stepped on the scale and seen an increase and thought to yourself that it was a normal fluctuation when in the back of your mind you know full well that you've been over eating? Yep, I thought so, me too. But do I REALLY want to start "dieting"? Aw . . . it's only a pound or two.
The thing about being on maintenance is that I don't have to be as disciplined as I was when I was actively trying to lose weight. I can afford to eat an extra bite here and there. I can totally "get away" with it. However, I can't keep doing it. I still need to eat the way I should, at least most of the time. Having that little bit of freedom, and believe me it really is just a little bit, can often seem like giving a little shot of whiskey to an alcoholic. One is too many and two is not enough. Those habits that got me fat are still there. I just learned some better coping methods, that's the only difference.
You see, one day I woke up and without any notice, I suddenly weighed over 230 pounds. It just happened over night. Was it REALLY over night and without warning? No, of course it wasn't. There were signs, even though I didn't regularly weigh myself, all the symptoms of obesity were there. I just ignored them. I got real good about not freaking out about numbers. Oh, the thought would creep into my mind on occasion, particularly if I had to dress up for some special occasion or see someone I hadn't seen in a long time, but I was pretty effective in my methods of ignoring the situation.
So now flash forward to my life today. I've been up and down the scale all my life. I've lost and regained huge amounts of weight, several times over. I'm nearly 53 years old and frankly, I'm tired of playing this game. It got old a long time ago. So the only way I can break this cycle is to NOT regain my weight. Are the odds against me? Oh yeah, but so far I've kept it off for 16 months. Every month that I successfully weigh in at Weight Watchers and am within my goal weight, I get closer and closer to beating those odds. (And for the record, I've successfully weighed in EVERY month.) Oh, I've had a few "close calls" but I still retain full bragging rights.
So, now, back to the comment.
I firmly believe that there is a point that I HAVE to freak out about the number that appears on the scale. I think there is a number that if I see it on the scale, I MUST tell myself that everything comes to a halt and my eating becomes Priority #1. Nothing else is as important as reviewing my situation and turning it around. It is time to take control. It is time to be disciplined. It is time to refuse to gain weight. It is time to look at that number on the scale and loudly proclaim,
"Oh, hell no!"
It is time for a reality check and to get real about the fact that my weight is up and odds are it is NOT a normal fluctuation.
Since my goal weight is 155 pounds (despite the fact I keep toying with the idea of 150 pounds), I don't get too bothered if it hits 158 pounds. That's my fluctuation zone. I'd much rather be at 153 pounds so I have a "safety net" but, as long as I don't go over 158, I'm not going to get too bothered by it. If I hit 158 point anything, I start paying attention to what is going on with my eating. If I just finished a long run, chances are it's water gain. But if I go over that, alarms go off. And that's good, because alarms NEED to go off. I need to pay attention to what is happening. Because I know I can ignore weight gain for a very long time. I've proven that to myself before. So I am grateful for the alarms. I am grateful that I have drawn a line in the sand (sugar) so I know where I do not want to cross. Because if I don't have what it takes to lose 3 pounds, how can I expect to muster up the discipline to take off 5, 10, 15, or more pounds?
So the long answer to Jen is yes, we do need to stop freaking out over our numbers. But, freaking out isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes a good "freak out" is exactly what we (I) need.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Two Day Reprieve
As some of you noticed, yesterday's post was indeed an April Fool's prank. However, most of the post was true. The parts that were not true were: my weight (the hint was the odd numbered decimal), the hitting of the mail box, and the subsequent apprehension and arrest of the Oxycontin robber (the Rite Aid store really did get robbed though). So everything else was true and it was spouse's birthday which leads me into today's post . . .
I've decided to give myself a 2 day "reprieve" from posting my weight. It's spiked up rather high right now and I'm not sure if I'm ready to "own it", at least publicly. I did eat extra calories yesterday since it was spouse's birthday, so I've decided anything still "with me" after 2 days, I'll have to own and deal with it. But I'm giving myself 2 days to get my act together.
Last night I knew I was going to weigh high today, mostly because I really was high yesterday morning, and that was before the extra food I anticipated eating. Then last night, before I went to bed, I considered my options. I thought I could either weigh in the morning and just deal with it, or weigh right then so I had a "preview of coming depression" or just not weigh for a couple days so I didn't have to subject myself to the "horror" of seeing an uncomfortably high number. There are ups and downs, pros and cons, to any of the decisions I might have made. But I guess the bottom line is that I really do think I need to know what it is and ultimately "own it" so I can control it. So even though I know what it is, I'm not accepting it as a label for 2 days. Weird, the funny little things we do because we don't like our number, huh?
So today started out with me really hammering myself for weighing so much. I was doing a lot of negative thinking and being rather abusive to me. Not a very good way to treat myself but you know how it goes. As I was getting into the shower, I saw myself in the mirror and was surprised to see that I didn't look as fat as the number on the scale "insisted" I was. But, I saw THAT number, so it must be true.
Anyway, this morning I had to go in for a dexascan, (to check for bone density). I had my initial one 6 years ago. Part of it is that they weigh you (damn, why now?) and measure your height. Good news, I'm still 5'9" so no shrinking there, and I did weigh less fully dressed, then when I stepped on the scale this morning, over a pound less which goes against all the conventional wisdom dictating that we weight less immediately upon wakening. Anyway, I was glad for that.
After I checked in, they showed me into the little dressing room. I had to put on a top drape and a pair of pants with a draw string on them. When I picked up the pants to put them on, I couldn't help but notice they were huge. Not just large, I mean really, really, huge. So I put them on and had to tug on the draw string "forever" to tighten them up enough so they wouldn't fall down around my knees. I was grateful they were huge and I was not, because I know there are women who actually need all that fabric. I might have been gaining a bit of perspective on my morning's weight gain.
After changing, I went into the little room with the machine. I assumed that the technician would not give me any information, they never do after all, so I just asked her if my results would be measured against my 6 year old results, and if the information would be credible since it was 2 different machines. She assured me it would be, and that it was. So she did the first of 2 scans, repositioned me with my knees up, then did the second one. After the machine finished scanning, she pulled up the scan to see if it looked okay and to my surprise and amazement she blurted out,
Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Running doesn't just do a heart good but it is good for building strong bones. Nothing is better than a weight bearing, impact activity to build strong bones. And apparently, I'm a poster child for strong bones.
The technician continued on to say that I'll probably never need another bone scan and that she wished hers was as dense as mine (indicating there was a very remarkable difference).
So I took my stuff and headed back to the little dressing room. I was feeling much better about my body. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. I even caught myself mentally singing a song:
"She's a brick----house. The lady's stacked and that's a fact, ain't holding nothing back. She's a brick----house. She's the one, the only one, who's built like a amazon . . . "
I've decided to give myself a 2 day "reprieve" from posting my weight. It's spiked up rather high right now and I'm not sure if I'm ready to "own it", at least publicly. I did eat extra calories yesterday since it was spouse's birthday, so I've decided anything still "with me" after 2 days, I'll have to own and deal with it. But I'm giving myself 2 days to get my act together.
Last night I knew I was going to weigh high today, mostly because I really was high yesterday morning, and that was before the extra food I anticipated eating. Then last night, before I went to bed, I considered my options. I thought I could either weigh in the morning and just deal with it, or weigh right then so I had a "preview of coming depression" or just not weigh for a couple days so I didn't have to subject myself to the "horror" of seeing an uncomfortably high number. There are ups and downs, pros and cons, to any of the decisions I might have made. But I guess the bottom line is that I really do think I need to know what it is and ultimately "own it" so I can control it. So even though I know what it is, I'm not accepting it as a label for 2 days. Weird, the funny little things we do because we don't like our number, huh?
So today started out with me really hammering myself for weighing so much. I was doing a lot of negative thinking and being rather abusive to me. Not a very good way to treat myself but you know how it goes. As I was getting into the shower, I saw myself in the mirror and was surprised to see that I didn't look as fat as the number on the scale "insisted" I was. But, I saw THAT number, so it must be true.
Anyway, this morning I had to go in for a dexascan, (to check for bone density). I had my initial one 6 years ago. Part of it is that they weigh you (damn, why now?) and measure your height. Good news, I'm still 5'9" so no shrinking there, and I did weigh less fully dressed, then when I stepped on the scale this morning, over a pound less which goes against all the conventional wisdom dictating that we weight less immediately upon wakening. Anyway, I was glad for that.
After I checked in, they showed me into the little dressing room. I had to put on a top drape and a pair of pants with a draw string on them. When I picked up the pants to put them on, I couldn't help but notice they were huge. Not just large, I mean really, really, huge. So I put them on and had to tug on the draw string "forever" to tighten them up enough so they wouldn't fall down around my knees. I was grateful they were huge and I was not, because I know there are women who actually need all that fabric. I might have been gaining a bit of perspective on my morning's weight gain.
After changing, I went into the little room with the machine. I assumed that the technician would not give me any information, they never do after all, so I just asked her if my results would be measured against my 6 year old results, and if the information would be credible since it was 2 different machines. She assured me it would be, and that it was. So she did the first of 2 scans, repositioned me with my knees up, then did the second one. After the machine finished scanning, she pulled up the scan to see if it looked okay and to my surprise and amazement she blurted out,
"Oh my God - you have the bone density of a brick wall!"
Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Running doesn't just do a heart good but it is good for building strong bones. Nothing is better than a weight bearing, impact activity to build strong bones. And apparently, I'm a poster child for strong bones.
The technician continued on to say that I'll probably never need another bone scan and that she wished hers was as dense as mine (indicating there was a very remarkable difference).
So I took my stuff and headed back to the little dressing room. I was feeling much better about my body. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. I even caught myself mentally singing a song:
"She's a brick----house. The lady's stacked and that's a fact, ain't holding nothing back. She's a brick----house. She's the one, the only one, who's built like a amazon . . . "
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
156.3 A Bit of Excitement
We had a bit of excitement at our house last night. Shane and Rachel and the grands came over to bring Spouse his birthday present (today is the official day). Little Carly has learned to say her name. If you ask her what her name is she says "Car key". Is that cute or what? She isn't even 2 yet. Anyway, I'm getting side tracked.
I'm not sure how many people know it, but Shane works for the Sheriff's office. He worked in the jail for a few years, and has been a DARE officer for a few years. About a year ago they split up his duties to where he works as a DARE officer and also works on the road, traffic enforcement sometimes. That's a critical piece of information as to what happened. The other thing you should know, not critical to what happened, but just an interesting fact, is that when we built our house almost 10 years ago, Shane built a mailbox to match the house. It's one of those nice ones, made out of brick. Anyway, on with what happened . . .
As they were leaving and making their way out the door, it had started snowing. It was raining earlier and turned from hail and sleet into snow (again). The roads were cold enough that it just started sticking to the roads. As I've mentioned (probably many times) before, we live on a steep hill. When the road is slippery, cars have a lot of trouble so the city is usually pretty good about getting the road cleared or sanded, or both. Anyway . . .
So here they are, making their way out of the door, and this vehicle comes down the hill, apparently had just turned onto the street since it dead ends 3 more houses up the street, and it is fish tailing, sliding all over the road. It is clearly going too fast and out of control. It ends up hitting our mail box and bricks go flying everywhere. Luckily, the kids didn't get hit by a brick but one came close to little Carly (who was wearing her hair in pig tails for the first time and looked soooo cute). So anyway, once the car hit the mailbox, it swerved across the street (another dead end) and came to rest on the front lawn of the house across the street (the one that is for sale).
So Shane and spouse go running over there while Rachel and I stay with the kids. The driver gets out of the car and starts running. Well, of course, Shane, the cop and spouse (who used to be a reserve officer decades ago), take off running after this guy. He didn't get very far though and they both tackled him. By this time I had called 911 for the police but they hadn't arrived yet.
I forgot to mention that Shane was in uniform still, so luckily he had his hand cuffs with him. I'd have hated to have to have loaned him mine (OK, just kidding). So he cuffed this guy and brought him back across the street and sat him down by the demolished mail box. In about a minute the local police show up and "take the scene". Well, long story short, it turns out that this guy was whacked out on Oxycontin and had in fact robbed the Rite Aid store at 5 points just prior to this all happening. So, I guess we're just trying to keep the city safe, one crook at a time. And, of course, now Shane has to rebuild our mail box for us once the weather clears up.
Other than that, we're just kicking back, celebrating spouse's birthday and having a nice April Fool's Day.
I'm not sure how many people know it, but Shane works for the Sheriff's office. He worked in the jail for a few years, and has been a DARE officer for a few years. About a year ago they split up his duties to where he works as a DARE officer and also works on the road, traffic enforcement sometimes. That's a critical piece of information as to what happened. The other thing you should know, not critical to what happened, but just an interesting fact, is that when we built our house almost 10 years ago, Shane built a mailbox to match the house. It's one of those nice ones, made out of brick. Anyway, on with what happened . . .
As they were leaving and making their way out the door, it had started snowing. It was raining earlier and turned from hail and sleet into snow (again). The roads were cold enough that it just started sticking to the roads. As I've mentioned (probably many times) before, we live on a steep hill. When the road is slippery, cars have a lot of trouble so the city is usually pretty good about getting the road cleared or sanded, or both. Anyway . . .
So here they are, making their way out of the door, and this vehicle comes down the hill, apparently had just turned onto the street since it dead ends 3 more houses up the street, and it is fish tailing, sliding all over the road. It is clearly going too fast and out of control. It ends up hitting our mail box and bricks go flying everywhere. Luckily, the kids didn't get hit by a brick but one came close to little Carly (who was wearing her hair in pig tails for the first time and looked soooo cute). So anyway, once the car hit the mailbox, it swerved across the street (another dead end) and came to rest on the front lawn of the house across the street (the one that is for sale).
So Shane and spouse go running over there while Rachel and I stay with the kids. The driver gets out of the car and starts running. Well, of course, Shane, the cop and spouse (who used to be a reserve officer decades ago), take off running after this guy. He didn't get very far though and they both tackled him. By this time I had called 911 for the police but they hadn't arrived yet.
I forgot to mention that Shane was in uniform still, so luckily he had his hand cuffs with him. I'd have hated to have to have loaned him mine (OK, just kidding). So he cuffed this guy and brought him back across the street and sat him down by the demolished mail box. In about a minute the local police show up and "take the scene". Well, long story short, it turns out that this guy was whacked out on Oxycontin and had in fact robbed the Rite Aid store at 5 points just prior to this all happening. So, I guess we're just trying to keep the city safe, one crook at a time. And, of course, now Shane has to rebuild our mail box for us once the weather clears up.
Other than that, we're just kicking back, celebrating spouse's birthday and having a nice April Fool's Day.
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