A little running, a little scale talk and some bike news

Headed back out to the trail today for a run.

I just opted for the 2.6 mile run today. And it felt good. I felt like I was keeping a decent pace, but I was a bit surprised when I finished and looked at my watch. 31 minutes. Something like an 11:30 pace. Hmm. Oh well.

I'm still blaming my super slow pace on the extra weight I put on due to the medicine I needed to take to boot the Monster out of my head. But the good news is even though it's taken me longer than I was hoping, I'm starting to see some results. I'm down 11 pounds and I've got some goals in mind: drop another 5 pounds by the time the starting gun goes off for the High Cliff Triathlon next month and lose the last 15 to fit into a super cute dress I already own for my cousin's wedding at the end of August. Both do-able goals I think.

And on a non-running, non-weight loss front, I sent in my registration for the Strong Kids Ride at the end of the month. I toyed with going for the 30-mile route, but ultimately selected the 20-mile route. Maybe I'll be able to change my mind on the day of the ride. But at this point? I just need the nasty lake flies to go away so I can rekindle my friendship with my bike, which I've been neglecting all week. Eek!

Reviewing the challenge

So remember last month I decided to join a fellow blogger and try a 33-day challenge?

Remember I was aiming to complete some kind of workout, whether it was running or biking or taking a walk, every day until the end of November?

Well, November's done. And so is the challenge.

I have to admit, I didn't get a workout in every single day. But 21 of 33 days I did something active. I mostly biked and ran, but I did fit in a walk or two. Sadly, I didn't dive into the pool and swim, but I'm going to make myself get back in the pool soon. Maybe sometime in December, cause I haven't swam since July (eek!) and I kind of miss it.

During the last 33 days I

... ran 21.75 miles.
... biked 81.2 miles.
... took a few walks, but didn't record any distances.
... lifted a few weights.
... ran a Santa Scamper and a Turkey Trot. I didn't see Santa or a turkey, but I did see an awful lot of reindeer.

And I don't know if it's because of the challenge, or because the nasty medicine has finally decided to leave my body, or a combination of both, but the number on my scale? It got smaller this month! Three pounds smaller! I know it's not a lot, but remember I'm looking at an extra 30 pounds the nasty medicine and the Monster left behind when they decided they'd overstayed their welcome.

Overall, I think the challenge was a success. I think I'm going to try to keep it up, maybe not aiming to hit the gym everyday. But 4 or 5 days a week sounds do-able to me, especially since the holidays have arrived.

A challenge

I'm joining Teacherwoman.

Starting tomorrow, for the next 33 days there will be some kind of workout. Running, biking, walking. Maybe I'll even pull out the Billy Blanks Tae Bo tapes I have. Or, gasp! Maybe I'll even get in the pool, a place I haven't been since July.

And besides, maybe the scale and I will get along a little better after 33 days and it's the end of November.

I can do it.

Anyone care to join me?

I'm hoping to become friends with the scale again

I admit. I have a love-hate relationship with the scale that sits in my bathroom. Most days we get along OK, but lately? Not so much.

Let me back up a bit.

It was four years ago. I stepped on the scale in the morning, still half asleep. But those three numbers that flashed before me woke me up quickly. There in a scary, blood-red color was my weight. Not too surprising since I was on a scale. What was different was that those three numbers were the highest I'd ever weighed in my life.

The highest.

Scary. Depressing. Motivating.

I made a decision that morning to change the numbers that were flashing before my eyes. I started watching what I ate, using Weight Watchers to count my points. I gave up regular soda, switching to Diet Coke. I tossed the snacks and cookies from my kitchen cupboards.

And I started hitting the YMCA on a very regular basis. I admit, when I first started going, running a half mile was tough. But I set the treadmill on a low speed and started putting one foot in front of the other. Gradually I worked up to running a full mile. Then a mile and a half. Then two. Eventually I was up to running three miles following it up with some time on the bike and then hitting the weights.

And all the sweat paid off. A little more than a year later I stepped back on the scale and I liked the number that was flashing before me. A number that was 50 pounds less. I felt good about myself.

I maintained that weight for almost three years.

But things took a turn for the worse when I got sick last winter. For starters, there was the Monster in my head. But the cure for the Monster? A nasty medicine. One of those that proudly list weight gain as a side effect. And even though I spent my spring and summer running, biking and swimming as I trained for a triathlon, I wasn't able to fight the weight gain. The number on the scale? It went up.

By 30 pounds.

And those scary, depressing feelings that flooded me that morning four years ago have returned. There's nothing left to show of all of the hard work I put in trying to lose the weight the first time.

I took my last dose of the nasty medicine on Friday - 10 months and two weeks after taking the first dose. I gave myself the weekend off, but starting tomorrow? I'm in Operation Lose Weight mode again.

I'll be watching what I eat, counting my points and hitting the gym again. To kick start my efforts, I've joined in with some other bloggers in a weight lose challenge, hopefully it'll give me the added motivation to get my butt back in gear and start shedding the pounds - because starting is sometimes the hardest part.

I'm not aiming to look like a supermodel. I just want to get back to the point where the number on the scale gets back to what it was in December, a weight I was comfortable at. I'm hoping I can get back to that number by late spring, maybe April. I figure 30 pounds in 5 and a half months sounds doable, doesn't it?

I know it will be hard. And honestly, sometimes I worry that I won't be able to do it. But I'm going to try. Because I don't like the way I look at the moment. And I don't like it that I have a closet full of cute clothes that I'm unable to wear right now. And I don't like it that it's so much harder to run right now, carrying around an extra 30 pounds.

So tomorrow I start. A healthy lunch and a packed gym bag will be ready for me when I walk out the door at 5:50 tomorrow morning. Since I'm only working until 3 p.m., I have no excuses. I will go to the YMCA if it kills me. A little treadmill time followed by some time on the bike. And I might even venture over into the weight area.

Wish me luck.

Hopefully I can keep this up

Day One of project "Repair My Relationship with the Scale" is done. And I have to admit, it went OK.

I behaved myself at my work potluck lunch. A little pasta salad, some taco salad and a brownie. Washed down with a Diet Coke. The rest of the day? Some Wheat Thins and water.

And I made it to the YMCA tonight after work. I logged an hour of cardio time, with a 2.5 mile run (my longest since being sick) and 7 miles on the stationary bike. I could have pushed it on the bike for a bit longer, but by this time it had been quite a long time since lunch and I was getting hungry. So I went home.

Now I'm ready for a quick shower before I start winding down for the night. Since I have to be up before the crack of dawn tomorrow and at work by 6 a.m. Why'd I'd volunteer for that shift again?

That isn't a pretty number

I will be the first to admit, the scale and I? We haven't always gotten along.

But for the past two years? It's been a decent relationship. It's one we've formed through sweat and tears. Namely, the year I spent in the gym and watching what I ate. And it paid off for me. As I dropped 50 pounds.

It was hard work and there were times I was frustrated. But I kept on working. And after a year, I was proud of myself. I was at a weight I felt comfortable at and I managed to maintain it. Yes, the number on the scale would vary by a pound or two. But I was always right at that magic number. And yes, there were days when I just wanted to lose those last five pounds. But I was OK if they didn't disappear. I felt good about myself.

Like I said, the scale and I? We were getting along.

Note the key word: Were.

The scale and I haven't been as friendly the last month. It's beginning to be a relationship that's a bit strained. As in, the number? It's been creeping up. And I'm not happy.

The worst part about it? It doesn't have to do with my eating habits. Rather I think it's due to a combination of the medicine I'm taking, the fact that winter is never ending and the difficulties I've had re-establishing the willpower to get back to the gym after being really, really sick.

For starters, the steroid I'm taking? What's one of the side effects? Weight gain. But I also admit, it's been hard for me to get back into the habit of going to the gym multiple times a week, especially after I was so sick in December, the month I barely remember. And everybody knows it's inevitable that you put on an extra pound or two during the winter.

So it's like I'm dealing with a triple whammy. Not fun. And that's why the scale and I aren't on the best of terms at the moment.

People say it doesn't really look like I've gained any weight. But there's a part of me that feels like I have. And while it isn't a lot, it still doesn't make me feel good about myself. I mean, I worked so hard to shed it before and I don't want to see all that effort wasted just because of a medication I'm on that's supposed to be fixing my head.

So this morning, after I had my daily dose of disappointment from the scale, I made a decision. Starting tomorrow I will get back to the YMCA at least three times a week. And I'm going to start making a good effort to watch what I eat again. Because these extra seven or eight pounds that I've put on? They've got to go.