Along with the weather improving and feeling more summer-like, I am improving and feeling more in control!
Gone has the desperate "I just can't do it anymore" thinking and has been replaced by a "Let's formulate a plan and kick some ass" type thinking!
With the Half Marathon planned for 15 th July, I hope to lose 2 stone for it (only one more stone after that to lose to be at ultimate goal!). So, I devised a plan and made the big step back to meetings!
I changed my on line membership over to include esource and meetings. Previously I tired meetings but the leader was uninspiring and I didn't leave the meeting feeling that I can away with anything productive.
But, the previous leader left and now we have an awesome woman called Sarah! I love the way she presents her meetings and a lot of thought has gone into it. It meant changing my weigh in day as previously I had been weighing in at home on a Monday morning, butt naked and before eating anything, whereas now the weigh in is on a Wednesday evening at the meeting. I was happy enough to discover there was only a 2 lb weight difference by doing it later in the day, although by the time I get home it means having a later than usual dinner.
Also, as it's the evening and I can't log on to WW online until the next morning, I've changed my weigh in day on line as Thursday morning. No problemo!
So.... this is it - the final push!
We have set my initial goal weight to 11 stone 1 lb - as that's the top end bracket for healthy weight for someone my height (8 st 13 lb - 11 stone 1 lb). However, I doubt I will stop when I get to that number. I am aiming for 9 st 7lbs really and even then we'll see how I look and feel. I say all this because you have to bear in mind that I have osteoarthritis, and I'd like to do more long distance running, so the lighter I can be (within a healthy range), the better for my knees it will be. Also, the lighter I get, the faster I will run! hehe
I am 100% happy, 100% motivated and 100% sure that this year at some point I WILL hit my goal!
It wasn't as much of a struggle as i thought it'd be either. I'm not saying running uphill is a breeze but there's hope that this tough Half I've signed up for - won't kill me!
My running is supposed to ramp up to 5 miles on my steady run this weekend, but I'm not feeling 100%, so I'm going to see how I feel on the day. I have a couple of issues; firstly my glands are up and my throat is sore. I think it's just from a lot of stress I've been under lately and all the running around sorting things out this week has run my battery down and I feel tired, worn out and under the weather - hence I also took a day off the gym today. Plus, I had to go back to that damned 'clinic' because my Mirena is being an 'issue' and giving me all sorts of 'women's problems'. They checked it out and seem quite sure that it's still in place properly, as far as they can tell without a scan and they think it's just settling in. I have to go back in 3 weeks if things haven't calmed down. But for now I'm going to have to reach for the pain killers and operate on those when I need them.
I also have some other news that has made me extremely happy but I can't post it here just yet, don't worry, I'm not pregnant and I haven't got a date for the wedding yet. It's just someone made me an offer that made my year! I will explain all when the time is right ;)
So, as the weight watchers weigh in was in the evening, I'm just gonna have to suck up that 2lb end of day additional weight and update my little tracker at the top and also my side bar weigh in. I kinda feel the pressure on now to have a loss next week - so i am going to work my damn hardest and not give my body any reason to have anything other than a loss at that weigh in!
Oh and I brought some new yoga pants to wear for my weigh in - they were nice and light-weight, hehe. I brought them in a UK size 12! OMG! They fitted fine! That's the first time I've worn that size in this journey and whilst I know I could never fit into size 12 jeans or probably anything else for that matter - it was still a small NSV because as I've gone down in sizes and shrunk, I start by buying one thing in a smaller size that actually fits but then I notice I gradually start buying other clothes in that size because my 'old' new size is just a little too baggy around the waist!
The largest item of clothing I ever owned was a UK size 26 - so that means that those size 12's I brought are a massive 7 UK dress sizes smaller! I'm shocked, I'm stunned, I'm so happy I could cry!
Will have to be careful with that crying thing - I've burst into tears in TWO different public places recently - both were 'meetings' of sorts. I'm sure it's hormones or something and just feeling so fed up with my health issues at present.
I just want to get on and run - some of us want to train for a half marathon, so my plea to my body is to co-operate, pretty pretty please! I'm over-riding my brain's instinct to stuff my face to make you a thinner body that it more capable of doing amazing things and reducing the amount of stress and weight my bones have to bear, so please, in return, can we just stop it with the 'woman issue' thing, otherwise I'll have to get hormonal again!
doing great .. keep it up
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris!
DeleteRunning has really gotten under my skin and feels Luke a natural part of me. It was the part of me that was missing all through my married years and to have it back again, feels like I've found myself again. My journey hasn't just been one about weight loss but about re-discovering myself after divorce and finding out that I can do anything if I put my mind to it.
Thanks again for your encouragement, it really does help :)
Hey, that sounds exciting about the better meetings. I hope they help you.
ReplyDeleteI'm also very excited by the weather changing. I'm also just very eager for more distance. I figure the speed will take care of itself for the most part. But as I said, working in speed or strengthening training wouldn't be a bad idea, maybe for either one of us.
I bet you feel this way too, but I'm really starting to want to do a lot more -- like marathon-distance more. I feel that I could go out and with enough water/food easily run 20 miles, today. And part of me is getting overly-anxious. I feel that these shorter distances are a bit of a joke for me now. I'm trusting in the coach, but after this half-marathon if I'm still feeling great I'm for sure looking at a marathon for the fall, if not beyond (maybe an ultra somewhere). I have to check with my heart doctor though, that's the only "catch" here.
Do you often feel anxious in terms of wanting to do vast distances? I think for me it's the hiker coming out. I like to explore and venture out, and running is like this new way for me to do that, and I'm very excited by it.
I'm looking forward to hearing what this new exciting announcement is! Yeah, I pretty much assumed it was either a wedding date or a baby, lol. Glad you cleared those two up for us!
Awww thanks Bert, I always love your comments. I feel like you know how my mind connects to my activity.
DeleteYeah, I planned on doing some drills once a week - high kicks and exaggerated type running/jumping. I know my muscles don't fire properly (pointed out by my chiropractor) so I knew exactly what drills I needed to do once a week to help engage my muscles properly and then I was planning on doing hill reps once a week too. I was hoping to incorporate it all this week but my health issues have taken a turn for the worst. So, although I have the plans in my mind, I have to wait a little while longer before I can incorporate them. Which is kinda okay, I figure I have a 2-3 week window for injuries, illness etc. It's just totally frustrating because I just want to go run every day! Haha
Oh yeah, I'm chomping at the bit for a marathon, but this year I wull find out how my knees hold out on longer distances and yes, I often ponder on ultras! I like the idea of being able to run slow but forever. I could manage that because once I get into a comfortable 'zone', I could run forever. Hehe. I am always refining myself in at present. I often finish my current 4miles in the hills, thinking I could at least do double that distance. But I have to be patient, I'm increasing my longest run by 1 mile each week, so tomorrow should be a nice little fun 5-miler, I desperately want to go but my health problem might put a no go on that! Ugh!
Before I did my running, I did a lot of hiking and I'm planning on bringing it back most Sundays.
I will let everyone in on my little secret next week, the plans are drawn up so I think im good to announce it and why it means so much to me. Hehe. Have a good weekend my friend :)