Slow and Steady

Well it happened again today. This is a dangerous trend. I came to work in Victoria Secret crop workout pants.  And a sports bra.  I try and make it not as obvious by throwing on an actual shirt over the top of my workout clothes and wearing casual shoes (not tennis shoes just yet).  But alas, it’s all a cover for the comfy clothes that I am wearing.  This is so dangerous because life is so much easier lived in workout spandex.  I already spend my weekends in these clothes and now it’s transitioning to an everyday occurrence and its scary.  I should really make an effort to dress like an actual human being from time to time.  Maybe.

But it’s Friday and I actually feel okay today.  Like perhaps the food comma or crap food is starting to drain from my body.  I ate like horrible yucky poo poo up until Tuesday.  So I’ve had 2 solid days of clean eating and today marks day 3.  I’m not complaining. Kind of.  I mean, I had no intention of going on vacation and worrying about calories or food. I am not so sick in the brain that I want to spend all of my life focusing on things that don’t matter.  But I can feel the effects of said crap food and I honestly can tell a noticeable difference this morning in how I’m feeling.  Detox is the process.  Right now I feel excellent but it’s only like 10 AM and typically this is peak feeling good time. The slump doesn’t hit until mid-afternoon.

I am trying to not be too hard on myself all things considered.  I really can tell I feel worlds better today and that might be because of the detox process and a little bit of exercise these past 2 days.  Maybe that means come Sunday I will be able to endure a half marathon? Oh, I am still petrified.  But I’m going to do it.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s happening my friends.  It may be horrific but it’s happening.  Actually I am secretly hoping that it’s exactly what my body needs. That despite the pain and torture that it will be the catalyst to remind me that I do love running and it’s fun and epic.  If I go too long without an organized race it’s easy for me to forget the excitement and thrill of accomplishment.   But I don’t expect miracles either.  I fully expect this race to be brutal on me.  Oh well, right?

Last night I planned on doing strength training. That didn’t happen. I went to Amanda’s gym and she had a class at 5:30 and she kind of was thinking I was doing it and I couldn’t tell her no. There was only 3 people including me so I just did the class. It was a HITT style class so cardio crap.  Lots of burpies, etc.  It was like 45 minutes and I burned 335 calories.  After that I was like you know what, I am done.  Like I ran 5 miles already and burned close to 600 calories and then I sweated my ass off for another 45 minutes so I was at like 925 calories or something like that burned for the day. Good enough.  I did pretty good on my eating all things considered.  I finished the night with 1,353 calories consumed.  I keep saying that my goal is between 1200-1400 calories a day. But realistically it’s always much closer to 1400.  Whatever, a girl gets hungry right? Plus 1,400 seems like a decent amount for my body.

According to my marathon training plan today is a 3 mile run.  I am going to do it although I am not 100% certain that I really need to.  I mean, the plan then shows the next 3 days as rest days and I will be running 13.1 miles on Sunday. Technically I could skip today and apply Sunday’s half to the run, but that’s not like me.  Honestly, I need the 3 mile run today mentally to just ease into the half marathon on Sunday.

I am going to go to the gym after work today. Thus the workout clothes already being on.  I was toying with another outdoor lunchtime run but I think I’ve decided that I just want to go to the gym and get on a treadmill and run out 3 miles.  But I’m going to my old gym.  It’s still my comfort zone and my go-to.  When I want a solid I know how to do it kind of workout I head there.  Basically I have logged a lot of hours on those treadmills and I know if I was solid running I can head there.  I’d love to crank out a 3 mile run at 6 miles per hour.  That would make me feel so much more confident going into the half this weekend.  If I could just do 3 miles in 30 minutes I’d be thrilled. This is why I am heading to my old gym. This is where the magic happens for me.  It’s in my comfort zone. Plus I still pay for the thing so clearly I am entitled to work out there whenever I want.  Afterwards I will/should really do some strength training.  I’ve been slacking and I feel it. But I’m calling it the ease of getting back into the game. 

I am taking tomorrow off from exercise to let my body rest to be ready for that half on Sunday.  I actually have to drive the hour to Eugene to go to packet pick up. So that is going to happen.  1 hour there, 1 hour back.  Yes, I drive a long distance to run. Yes, I am sometimes crazy.  And the race I think starts at 7 AM on Sunday and it’s an hour drive so I am going to have to wake up butt crack early to run. The things we do.

I hate to say it but my main focus is going to be to lose some weight in the next 18 weeks.  I’m giving myself this week as detox. Will weigh myself next Thursday and then I will have 18 weeks from next Thursday before Maui.  I don’t necessarily advocate losing weight when you are happy and healthy just as you are. I think my 150 pound body is perfectly happy and healthy, but it’s okay when I have a goal in mind.  I have a targeted goal that would benefit from dropping 10 pounds.   Yes, there is some vanity involved. Who doesn’t want to go to Maui and wear a bikini and feel okay?  Not that I honestly will feel oaky even at 140 pounds.  It’s so mental.  But whatever.  18 weeks is quite a decent amount of time and I should easily be able to lose the 10 pounds if I just focus.  Which I intend to. My head really is finally in this.  Yes, there is vanity, but there is also a much greater more motivating factor which is the running.  10 pounds would make a difference in my ability to run 26.2 miles.  That is far more important to me.  Getting from the start to the finish line as quickly as possible which won’t be quick mind you. But 10 pounds would help.  That is actually like 7% of my body weight. That is a decent amount.

So starting next Thursday May 14, I will have an 18 week goal and I’m going to be laser like focused.  I’m saying my weight is 150 but honestly it’s probably a little bit more than that. But 140 is the goal. 140 is always the goal. Or better, but I’m not going to push my luck. I really hate being fixated on numbers, it’s not how I like to live my life but for the next 18 weeks I guess I’ll just go with it because the weight does play a factor in the goal.

Regardless it’s good to have goals. It keeps me going honestly. I don’t really have too much else on my mind these days.  I’m in full on Maui/Marathon training mode now.  I live for Maui. It really is my favorite place on earth.  So glad that in 19 weeks from today I get to go there. Crazy.

I guess that’s about all I have for the morning. I will be back this afternoon with probably more ramblings and Fashion Friday. Which is really limited this week but whatever.