Short but Sweet

I don’t know how, but I completely forgot to share some big news with the blog world.

I’ve lost 85 pounds! I am currently at 175.8, and I can’t even REMEMBER the last time I saw that number on the scale, but I’m guessing it was during my senior year of high school, which was 10 years ago. I am feeling really good and am really happy that I’ve managed to lose 5 pounds so far this year despite the fact that I’m running more than ever (and despite the fact that it’s Girl Scout cookie season!). I think tracking all of my food has helped tremendously, as has my increasing awareness of my obsession with food and my determination not to let food control me.

I’ve had a lot brewing in my brain the past few days, and if I figure out how to articulate some if it, I’ll share it soon. For now, I’ll leave you with this quote that has really inspired me: "If hunger isn’t the problem, then food isn’t the solution!" Can I get an AMEN? :)

What quotes inspire you?

Slowly But Surely

I almost gave up on my half marathon training this weekend.

I was scheduled to run 8 miles, and while I made it through (well, mostly--it ended up being 7.8 miles), it was one of the worst runs I can recall. It was windy, the route was not as flat as I had thought, I was cold the whole time, and my hips were bothering me. Oh, and did I mention that I ran without music? As I was running I kept thinking, "Why am I doing this? This is torture. How will I make it through the half marathon if the race is like this?" It was bad, friends. Honestly, I probably would have quit if not for the fact that I was nowhere near my car. So I trudged along, hating every minute of it, and finished in 91 minutes. I have never been so relieved to finish a run, not even after the 9 miles I ran the week before.

The experience left me doubting something I had felt so sure about just a week earlier. Could I do the half marathon? Did I WANT to do the half marathon? Did I want to go through more hip pain, more frustration, more torturous runs? On Saturday, I didn’t know the answer to those questions, but I was struggling with them a lot. I thought about it all weekend, and then yesterday I was rereading some of my posts from the last month and was almost surprised to read these words in the post I wrote after my first 5 mile run on the treadmill:

"Even if you're not a runner, there are going to be times when you feel like giving up, whether you're trying to lose weight or trying to learn a new language or trying to change careers. But if you find yourself at that place where you just want to surrender and stop trying, think about all the hard work and time you've already invested. What if you knew that next week, you'd be at your goal weight? What if you knew that next week, you'd have a breakthrough in your language training? What if you knew that next week, you'd find the perfect job? Would you give up? Of course not! You'd keep trying. Sometimes we have to push through those feelings of quitting, stop focusing on how hard everything is right now, and think about how AMAZING it will feel to achieve what we've been striving for!"

Wow, talk about being blind sided. These words were exactly what I needed to remember, and it’s so strange that I wrote them not that long ago and yet was already forgetting the truth of them. I know that if someone told me that next week, I would successfully complete a half marathon, then of course I wouldn’t quit. So I have to keep trying because deep deep down, I still see myself crossing the finish line. I may be hobbling across it, but as long as I cross it, I will be happy. I will be smiling. And it will be amazing (I hope!).

This weekend I’m supposed to run 10 miles, and while I am scared, I am going to do my best to stay focused on my goal and envision that finish line.

Was there something you thought about quitting but were later glad you didn’t? Please share!

February Check-Up and March Goals

First, I want to thank all of you for your supportive comments on my last post. It is so comforting to know I’m not alone and that I’m not crazy. :)

Second, Stephen and I got a Wii!! We got a tax return, and we looked for a Wii for a few weeks, but everywhere was sold out. Finally, Stephen found one online from Walmart, and it arrived on Friday. It’s so fun, and naturally we spent a good chunk of the weekend playing it.

Now, on to business!
February starting weight: 178.6
February ending weight: 176.8
LOSS of 1.8 pounds 

While that number is definitely small, I am thrilled that I lost anything, and I would be happy just to maintain through March as I continue my half marathon training.

My February-specific goals:

1. Stop picking at my nails. I did really well with this the first two weeks, but then I completely failed the last two weeks (and it shows–my nails are stubs!). I am definitely going to keep working on this, though.

2. Don’t eat after 8:00 p.m. I didn’t keep a daily record of how I did on this, but if I had to guess, I’d say I did this about 85% of the time.

3. Go to the gym 8 times. 100% success. I went exactly 8 times.

My goals for March:

1. Run in one race. I haven’t picked out the race yet, but I know there are several to choose from. It will more than likely be a 5k.

2. Go to the gym 10 times. Since I did well with this last month, I want to increase the number to keep challenging myself.

3. Get up at 5:15 a.m. at least 4 times during the work week. I’ve written before about my struggle to find time for exercise and Bible study, and getting up early is really the ideal solution because I can accomplish both things and start my day off right. For the past month I’ve been setting my alarm for 5:15, but the days that I have actually gotten out of bed at 5:15 were certainly outnumbered by the days where I got up at 5:30, 5:45, or 6:00 a.m.. I am committed to making 5:15 my regular time, so I’m going to set a concrete goal to help me get there.

As for my year-long goals, here’s a quick recap of those:

Fitness minutes: 848 (goal for the year: 12,000; total so far: 1,368–I’m not sure I’m going to make this goal)
Calories burned: 8805 (no goal set–I just like tracking this) :)
Miles ran/walked/biked: 50 (goal for the year: 800; total so far: 78.5–Not sure I will make this goal, either)
Books read: 1 this month (goal for the year: 20; total so far: 5). The book I read is called A Praying Life by Paul Miller, and it was such a wonderful, practical book on prayer. It challenged me a lot about the way I view and approach prayer with the Lord. I highly recommend it. I’m also about 2/3 of the way through a fiction book, so I already know I’ll get more than one book read in March.
I blogged 3 times a week every week but one.
I am still working on finding a set time for daily Bible reading and prayer, but I'm getting it done.
I have not yet run a 10k or half marathon race.

Phew, that was a lot of stuff! Bless if you if you actually read all of that. :)

What are your goals for March?