Links I Love #4

O.M.G. TWO Wednesdays have passed without a Links I Love post! For shame. And I have collected quite a few since last time, too. Maybe I will do half now and save the rest for next time. Without further adieu, here you go.

I run slow. Do you run slow? Who cares?

I am so excited to connect with this Buffalo, NY all-things-bikes organization. I'm going to be taking a couple of their community classes in July, and I can't wait!

A corrollary to that, cycling in the city scares the bejeezus out of me, but I want to get past that.

These tips should help, too.

God bless the broken road. Amen. The journey is indeed littered with potholes.

Embrace the plateau!

Some unexpected benefits of running.

Even nutritionists are human beings. And we're all awesome.

So many lessons to be learned from yoga. This is one of them.

Now that I am another year older, rest is even more important.

***

I'm still recovering from the stupid cold I picked up over the weekend, but starting to feel better – no more sore throat or coughing or sneezing (well, I was coughing a bit in bed last night), but I still have a stuffy head and I still feel loagy and woozy and not quite up to snuff. This thing is turning out to be not as bad as I thought it would be, though. So there's that.

Despite my birthday, eating has been on track. I haven't overindulged in sweets. Which, to be honest, is a little disappointing – I wanted a decadent chocolate cake with chocolate frosting – but I did have some tastes of good stuff here and there. Teasers, really. I also want an ice cream cone, and gosh darnit, I will have one sometime this week!

It's been really helping that my boyfriend is now also working on losing weight. He's a lot more conscientious than I ever am, and he's also got a competitive streak so anytime I snack on some pretzels in the evening, he's all like, "See, that's why I am going to beat you!" which cracks me up every time. Yet, at the same time, I kind of don't doubt it. When he is determined about something, he gets it done. I'm excited for him and hope he does beat me to it. Another thing is that he wants to exercise – well, he wants to play tennis – as much as possible. Like every day. That's awesome, but we're going to have to balance it out with my running, especially when my group starts up again soon. Either way I win because it is so much more fun to exercise with someone else. I love that he wants to be more active now. LOVE IT!

One thing I am a little sad about is how I got totally off my Galloway 10K training plan. I made it through 4 weeks' worth and then I just petered out, didn't feel well, and/or life got in the way. If I had stuck to plan, I'd be running five miles by now.

Yet, at the same time, I feel like that was a little unrealistic for me. Sure, I have all my running friends telling that of course I could do it, and maybe they are right, but honestly, three miles is still so hard I just don't know. But whatever! I am not quitting or anything. I think I really needed a bit of a meaningful rest, and once running group starts again I'll be in a new groove. I'm not worried. And it's not like I've been totally idle, not while I am living with crazy tennis boy.

I feel good overall, even with the cold. Things are headed in the right direction. I have a lot to look forward to – one thing I was thinking about last night was that this time next year, for my 46th birthday, I should solidly be into regular sized clothing. I might even be teetering at around 200 pounds for the first time in 20 years! Now that's something to really get excited about. I can't wait.

For some reason, this song has been playing in my head this morning. I have no idea why, but it rocks well enough and I like the line "Get Free!" on its own as like a mantra or affirmation.