Day 113--Measurements

Someone pointed out to me that I've been lax in updating my blog. I decided today would be a good day to update everyone on my status. I'm still running, and continually improving my speed and distance. I also noticed that I haven't done any measurements since Tax Day. That's 2 1/2 months ago. Time to remeasure and see if biking to work and running has made any difference there.

My weight is at 128.3 pounds. Still not at the goal of 120, but well within a healthy range.

Waist still 29 1/2, Hips 37 1/2 (Down 1/2 inch) Weirdly, that pushed my waist to hip ratio higher, which is worse, even though I've lost weight and inches.

My body fat percentage is 27%, which is still a few percentage points above the ideal of max of 22%.

All of my other measurements are the same.

I think there are more telling things than the actual measurements, though. The fact that I haven't thought about my measurements for months is a sign that I'm viewing the process as the destination. I'm working out to work out, not to lose weight or inches. I'm enjoying running and cycling. I love that my body can do more things than it could do at the beginning of the year. I love that I can run farther and faster than before and that my speed and distance are constantly improving. I wouldn't dare suggest that I've achieved a perfect body, but I love my body. I think I'm back to the beginning when I couldn't actually define what "perfection" is in any concrete way.

Day 112--Still going

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I've still been exercising. Mostly biking to work and climbing on the treadmill. I've been setting the incline to max and walking like it's a steep hill. I haven't been running, but hope to get back to that tomorrow. I don't have any plans until the afternoon, and the weather is supposed to be less oppressive. It's been so hot this week, that most nights I've been hiding in the bedroom where the window A/C resides.

I haven't picked out a race for July yet, but I've been looking into a few. One is an all female race on the 18th, and the other is a race against skin cancer on the 25th. Fewer races to choose from in the hotter months than in the spring months.

Day 111--Race Day (#3)

I did not hit any of my goals today at all. It turns out that running a 5K after a week of food poisoning is not easy at all. I managed to finish, and my time wasn't horrific, but I wasn't in the top ten for my age group, or under 29 minutes. I suppose I should be happy with my 32:11, but it's a few minutes slower than my last outing and I really hoped to shave some time off.

I'm also 10 miles behind in my goal of averaging a mile a day, every day in June. I could still hit my goal, but only by running over 3 miles each day Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. I won't get a run in tomorrow because I'll be heading to the Pride Parade early tomorrow, and that will be my entire day.

My vacation set me back a bit, which I was expecting, but the food poisoning was not something I had expected. It wasn't the worst case that anyone's ever had, so I was able to keep eating some after it hit. That's the bright side of it. I guess the bad side is that I didn't lose much weight during it. :)

Day 110--Falling behind

I'm now 6 miles behind my running goal for June. I have the desire to catch up, but not the strength or energy. I have low blood iron, and am trying to get caught up, but it's taking me a few days. I'm taking supplements, and trying to eat more iron-rich foods. I don't eat meat, so this isn't as easy as eating a plate of liver. I go through this every year or so, so I know that it's easily treatable, but it's never as easily diagnosed as I'd like. The first day or so, I just think I'm sleep-deprived. If only I would start taking the iron at that point, I could keep myself from getting as exhausted as I currently am. I did manage to bike to work today, but my speed was off a few MPH from normal. I'm hoping I can get back up to normal by Sunday so I can get in a long run or two before my vacation so I'm not horribly behind when I get back.

Day 108--Back to the bike

I'm 5 miles behind in my goal of running a mile a day, every day this month. I planned on getting in a long run this weekend to get caught up, but it rained and rained. I may have to run a 5K or more when I get home from work to make up some ground. I'm not sure how much running I'll get in next week when I'm on vacation. The hotel does have a small gym with a treadmill, so I will pack running shoes and clothes so I don't have that as an excuse. I may still have exhaustion, time and alcohol as ready excuses though.

I weighed in this weekend and my weight stayed the same over the last week. I really don't think I'll get back to 120 before July 1st. I have lost some weight this month, which should make me happy, but I really wanted to hit 120. I may be able to hit the 125 that's on my driver's license, though.

day 107--Cycling

I didn't ride to work every day this week. Two days off for bad weather and today off because of the Hawks' rally outside my building. Wasn't sure where I'd put my bike without worrying about damage to it from the 2 million people who were in the streets. I'm also two days behind on my running, so I will need to get a long run in this weekend. I don't like running without a destination, so I'll need to figure out a good place to go that's at least 4 miles away, or find a good 4+ mile loop to run.

I also need to get myself on a scale. It's been about a week since I last weighed in. I have no idea if I've lost anything, gained some or maintained.

Day 106--Mile Run

I ran my mile in 8:18 today. That's over 10 seconds faster than my prior best time. I'm starting to think that 8:00 is really doable by the end of the month. That makes me feel better, because I'm less confident about my other goals. My weight does seem to be coming down, but still need about 8 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks. That's a pretty big loss in a short time. I will hit the mile a day average, but can't guarantee my standings in my 5K in June. I hope that my other goals will help me improve my race-day standings, but the standings have the "other runners" factor that I can't control. I plan on a long run again this weekend, which is something I hadn't done before, but seems to be part of everyone's 5K training plans.