Wednesday at my weight watcher meeting I lost 7 LBS!!! Holy crapola! Nothing like the hospital diet.... although I don't recommend it, trust me. I usually don't talk about my weight in my blog but I realize now that I've put out for the world to see what my starting weight is...why post how much I've lost and pretend people aren't able to subtract?
So right now, I am 8 lbs from GOAL!!! That is, my doctor's goal of 180lbs. We've talked about where he thinks I should be several times and he thinks this number is appropriate but we agreed that I would continue with what I'm doing now and see where my body settles at a happy weight.
Since I am 5'7", the ww goal for within normal BMI range is 160lbs. I really want to get to this number, because I want the BMI scale to agree with modern science and my doctor. Right now I am very healthy. More healthy than many people within the healthy BMI range, according to my doctor- and the cardiologist I saw last weekend. Actually the cardiologist said I was in elite athlete condition!! Every time I think of him saying that I can't help but grin like an idiot.
 |
| BIG GRIN! |
So, Dr. Eyer thinks 160 is unrealistic for my body type (muscular) and given my extra skin. I understand what he is saying but I can't help to want to be closer to 160 than 180, whatever that will look like. There are a ton of reasons why like BMI scale, smaller sizes, overall hotness, etc- but one big one that stands above the rest: running will be easier on my body. Heck, all forms of exercise will be. 28 lbs less than right now would make that much more difference on my knees, which will be thanking me for years to come.
It's no secret that running has really turned into something I am not just doing for weight loss like initially, but something I sincerely enjoy doing. It's a great way to either get out of your head and shut out the world, or the exact opposite- think and plan things without interruption. I run to keep sane and keep the stress of work, life, etc from overtaking me. It works most of the time.... :)
 | ||||||||
| Why do you run? |
So, if you keep up with my blog, you know that I set a new running goal for myself: finish a half-marathon. I'm not going for a specific time per say, but I have one in the back of my mind as a reference that I would like to reach. Basically, complete all 13.1 miles with minimal walking breaks and cross the finish line running, not hobbling, staggering, or limping.
Update- I still want to do this. I still have my eyes set on the Harrisburg Half on September 9th. I have 12 weeks to build my mileage up from my current longest run being around 5 miles. After the terrifying trip to the hospital and the resulting exhaustion, I feel pretty much back to normal. My body and heart can handle this, now I just need to get my brain on board. The mental game has always and will always be the hardest for me.
I have already knocked down a few mental walls- a big one being "once I start walking I won't be able to start running again." First off- why did I get this in my head so strongly? Seriously, it was cemented in there. Yes, it is harder for me to go from walk to run to walk to run but sometimes your body needs to walk for a few seconds/minutes to catch your breath and then you just pick yourself back up and keep on running. No harm, no foul. I broke down this barrier during a particularly hot and hilly run on the battlefield about a month ago, where I had just powered up a monster steep hill and wanted to just quit the run I was so hot and drained. I felt my body draw to a walk and my brain started in with it's doubts but less than 15 seconds later I started running again and I felt better. I had to do that a couple times that run and each time I kept going and ran more. I need to remember this attitude while I'm training for my half because I am going to have moments during my long runs that I might need a breather. A few seconds of walking is certainly worth it, if it results in me then completing the run.
In other news, I am so proud of myself over how I handled my morning run today. I woke up feeling ready to run but my left hamstring was tight (been having a lot of tightness here lately). So, I went out for a little warmup jog and it just cramped up almost immediately. I came back in and stretched, foam rolled and changed into my old running sneakers. If I wasn't going to be able to run today, there was no way I was headed to the gym for an easy bike- it was too beautiful out. So I walked to the Y (about a quarter of a mile) thinking relaxing thoughts to my hamstrings and low and behold, the more I walked the better I felt. I was going to do the Spirit of Gettysburg course because it is a hilly, sunny beast and I wanted to run it one last time before next weekend's race. So, I started jogging on Seminary Ridge, where the race starts, nice and SLOW. Like even slower than my usual turtle pace. The tightness had dissipated a lot so I kept at it, paying attention to how my legs felt and was ready to walk if need be.
And then I ran 4.3 miles.
Surprised? I sure as heck was! My original plan was the Spirit course then a loop of Woodcrest for extra mileage so it would have ended up being closer to 5-5.5 miles but since I wasn't planning on running I changed my shoes. Bad idea because with these older running shoes, I could actually feel the start of a blister around mile 4 today on my right foot, right by my big toe. Ummmmm, no that isn't going to happen right before I go to Portland for a week! So I made the hard (but right) decision to turn in when my body felt good but my foot was ready to rebel. And no blister, success!
So, think skinny thoughts for me tomorrow as I am going to weigh in at the Fairfield meeting before a week long trip to Portland. I know I have to be prepared for a potential gain after losing so drastically last week, but I don't want a gain! ::pout::
You have already reached your goal, baby. The numbers are just catching up to you! :-)
ReplyDelete