Attitude Adjustment

I picked up my race bib and shirt today on lunch break! I am ready to rumble on Saturday!

It's only Tuesday, I know, but the week is going great so far. I've really needed to get a couple good days under my belt again, for my own sanity. I was feeling so down on myself the past little while. Setting up an exercise schedule again couldn't have been a better idea – stepping things up just a little bit is making a huge difference. Being more active for just these couple days has boosted my energy, my confidence, and my ability to deal with food. It's pretty amazing. Some light switch got turned on again.

I'm embracing this feeling and I will try not to take it for granted ever again. I remember when I was bitching about weighing 271 for a week, and now? What I wouldn't give to be there again... I cannot take any of it for granted anymore. I'm really trying to focus on how great it really is to have maintained most of my weight loss for over six months – I mean, that is something that I have never done before, not at least that I can remember. I'm 99% sure because most of my life I've been yo-yo dieting. I never kept losses off. Obviously. So yeah, it's a pretty huge thing, right?

Perspective.

Now that No Boundaries is in full swing again and I'm taking my running to the next level, I am thinking more about how much losing more weight would help me perform better. I mean, if I can do what I am doing now at 270-some pounds, what the what could I do with 20 pounds off? 50? 100? By the time I reach any of those goals, I'm going to be kicking some hard ass as a runner. I am now. Think of it. I am 27– pounds and I can run five miles.

Running is saving my life.

I've been working on eating better and less this week, so far, so good. This means not getting lunches out, which really helps. Probably not much dinner out, either, if at all. I'm also kind of trying to limit my intake of obvious sweets (chocolate, donuts, etc. – processed things, not fruit); in fact I am trying not to eat it at all, but today I had a few nibbles of those mini candy bars that my co-worker always has at her desk. Mainly it was because I knew I was going to get about 4 miles' worth of running in (in fact, I did 4.4! Yay!), so whatever. But I'm also just thinking about trying to get the taste out of my mouth, if you know what I mean. The less you eat it, the less you crave it kind of thing. I just don't want it to backfire on me!

Anyway, group run tonight was great. It was challenging, but in the end I am always happy to have completed it. Tuesdays are speed work, and tonight's was intervals with 3 minutes of hard fast running and 1 minute recovery (walks in my case), x4. Plus a one mile warm up and one mile cool down. Even before all that I did a quick mile with a couple friends just to up my mileage. To say that I am tired and will sleep like a baby tonight is an understatement. I'm pretty thrilled at what I was able to do.

By week's end, according to my workout log, I'll have 20 miles' worth of running and walking in, the most in like, forever. I'm going to crush it.

This week is MINE.