Major Milestones

Holy flannel shirt! It has been a while since my last post, so let me bring you up to speed: new school year going ok, house still messy, idiots still parking in my spot, and I'm still single. There have been some MAJOR milestones achieved in the running department, however. Just a week or so ago, I jogged 2 miles non-stop, outside, and in the rain. I finished in 33 min and 30 sec. I must say, it was a personal best for me. Until today. Today, I ran for 40 minutes, 2.75 miles straight. Now, I will admit that it was inside, on a treadmill- not as hard as outdoor running, but let's remember that I was the fat girl in PE who couldn't run a lap without stopping. Forty minutes is HUGE for me! I'm not sure I'll be able to do it every time, but I did it today, and I'm wayyyy proud of myself.

The Libra Curse

I am a Libra. My sign is the scales. I'm not into astrology much, but apparently Libra's have trouble making decisions and sticking to them. I think I am suffering the Libra curse. I bought a new couch, only to get it delivered and not like it. I thought it was exactly what I wanted. But now I'm not convinced. Maybe I just need to give it a few days and see how I feel then. Good thing there is a 30 day return policy.

Cookies the Key to Success?!

If you happen to have a drum, find some sticks and give me a drum roll, because I accomplished something HUGE today. But before I blow your mind, let me set the stage...

It is a dreary, rainy Tuesday. I am officially back to school tomorrow. I use this morning as my last break morning to sleep in. I roll outta bed around 9, have some coffee (I love you, Coffee), eat some cereal, and then jump in the shower. I have to weigh-in today, and I want to get to the Learning Post store before my appointment.

After my shower, I jump in the car (it is pouring) and make my way to WDM. I get what I need at the teacher store, and on my way out, I manage to run through what feels like a small pond in the parking lot. Great. Now my shoes and socks are wet.

I finally get to my weigh-in and lay it down with honesty. This has not been my best week. I'm stress eating and it's not gonna be good. On the bright side however, I have kept up with my exercise every day. Too bad that exercise doesn't erase the damage I've done =( I'm up a little over 2 lbs. Booooo!

So now I feel bad (and hungry) so I go to Target on my way home and get a 6 count bag of Target bakery monster cookies- cuz, geez, that'll make me feel better about myself...NOT! I proceed to eat 4 and then top it off with a banana (WTF?) and call it "lunch". Clearly, this did not make me feel better.

Soooo, I head to the gym for my workout. (Side note: I was gonna get up early and do it before my weigh-in, but the alarm rang, and I told it to fuck off.) It is a running day and the 1st day of week 5 training for 5K. The schedule for today is to do 40 min of run 5, walk 3, repeat. I start off with my 5 min warm-up walk, then get into it. I ran 5, walked 3, ran 5 walked 3. Then all of a sudden, something (4 cookies?) came over me. I decided to just keep running. I swear it was Forrest Gump style. It's like my leg braces came off and a little girl was in my head yelling in a slow-motion voice, "Ruuuuuun, Kaaaaaatie! Ruuuuuuun!"

I ran for 20 minutes straight- no stopping. I have NEVER done this in my ENTIRE life! I remember running for 6 minutes in junior high (only because Mrs. Hart mad me) and for 15 minutes when I started this whole running thing, but never 20 minutes.

So that leads me to the following question: Are cookies the key to running? Granted, they are sitting like boulders in the bottom of my stomach, but could the sugar have given me treadmill superhero powers? Stay tuned...

RESERVED PARKING

RESERVED PARKING. That's what the sign says. There are painted numbers in each spot. The purpose of these numbers is to define which parking space belongs to which home owner. There are even nifty little "V" painted spots that identify parking spaces for visitors. I do not find this a difficult concept to comprehend. It really seems so simple. If you own a home in the building, you also own the parking spot located outside the building which has been branded like a scarlet letter with your unit number. You may do whatever you like with your reserved parking spot- within legal limits, that is. You can park in it. You can leave it empty. You can lie down in it and draw a body outline with chalk. You can set up a lemonade stand. You could stand on a soapbox and sermon to everyone coming in or out of the building. You could roll out your dinner table and eat a 7 course meal. I don't give a !@#$ what you do with your parking space. Just stay outta mine.

Self-Doubt Can Suck it!

Today was a day I had been worried about. The 1st 3 weeks of 5K training were pretty easy- and by "easy", I mean the running was fairly balanced with walking. (And by the way, I still can't even believe I am running at all.) But week 4 was the week where things were gonna get real. Week 4 involves running sets of 5 min and 3 min broken up by shorter walking spurts. I wasn't so worried about the time amounts- I've done 5 min increments before- but I was concerned about the low recovery walk time. Would I be able to do it? Could I actually run 5 minutes, walk 90 seconds, and then pick back up and run 3 min- over and over and over?

Well, you can suck it, Self-Doubt! I did it! And what's even better is that it wasn't too bad. Dare I say I actually enjoyed it? In fact, to get my full 40 min of cardio in, I ran 6 min at the end just to wrap it up. I'm so proud of myself that I would undoubtedly be irritating to be around at this time.

My Eliptical Angel

I would like to thank the lady working out on the elliptical next to me, a.k.a my elliptical angel, for her random act of kindness today. As I finished my cardio, she leaned over and said, "I just want you to know that you are an inspiration to me." My eyebrows rose while I thought to myself, "Huh? For what? Doing the elliptical?" She continued, "I've been at this gym for about 2 years and have watched you get smaller and smaller. I used to recognize you by the green Saydel shirt you wore." "Thank you," I stammered, "That's so nice of you to say. The green shirt is too big for me now!" We chatted a bit more and then went on with our workouts. I never did ask her name- I should have. Her words definitely lifted me up today, and I plan on paying it forward. =)

Technology, dumb boys, and diets... Oh my!

My tv died. It had been sick for a while- suffering from Black Bar-itis. I was coaxing it along to "hang in there", but my pleas were simply not enough. It's gone. Over. And I am devastated. Not necessarily for the TV itself, but for the lack of instant entertainment. It's amazing how many times I have attempted to turn the tv on only to remember that it's dead. I've missed The View, Friday Night Lights, The Soup... I can't get to my DVR or even watch a DVD! Dear God, the agony! I need to get rid of the body and move on. I have my eye on a Samsung. The next question is: 32 or 37 inches? I think I'll have to see it in person to make the final decision. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Boys are dumb. Even in their 30's. I have very little experience in the game, but I already hate it. No, I take that back. I guess I like the flirting- it's exciting and new and gives you butterflies in your tummy. But at some point, there needs to be a move forward. Like, for instance, A FIRST FREAKING DATE! I used to think that I was overly slow and cautious- which can totally be smart and a good thing- but a month of texting and talking back and forth is pointless if there is no physical attraction, and the only way to know that is to meet the person IN PERSON. And by the way, friends, I know you are soooo over me talking about this. But let me just say in my defense, that I never got to talk about boys in high school or college, so I'm kind of making up for lost time. Please just smile and nod and bare with me.

And finally, this morning, I came across an article (which I tore out of a magazine while working out at the gym- is that a crime? Defacing property? I'm sorry! I'll return it!) titled, "Good Girls and Rebels: Which kind of eater are you?" by Geneen Roth. I discovered that I am mostly a Restrictor- I thrive on rules, tips, and lists. I like regulations because it "provides me with a sense of control" and "predictability". I realized that I don't know how to NOT be on some sort of diet or eating plan. My life is a cycle of gaining weight-losing weight-gaining weight-losing weight. I am a classic yo-yo dieter. I follow all the rules and play the good girl until the facade breaks and I binge: case in point, dinner at Hu Hot last night! Then I feel all guilty and bad about myself, and I get back on plan. I wish that I could eat like a normal person. Eat when I'm hungry. Stop when I'm full. No "bad" foods. Sadly, that is not me, but I'm working on it.