feeling a wee bit puffy

the wedding was lovely! the bride was beautiful, the groom cried and we had some yummy cook out food for dinner. i was picture perfect as far as food goes yesterday, so why did i go salt crazy today?! idk. it was a choice (or several) and i made them... but now i feel like how a dirigible looks, definitely not lighter than air... blaaaah.

full disclosure: friday's run was a success, but didn't go as planned. instead of a 2.5 mile run, it became a 2.5 mile HIIT session. after 1 mile straight, i needed to slow the pace and decided HIIT would suit me better, for some reason i was lagging. it rounded out to 2.5 miles in 30 min 25 sec (a very similar time to my steady running). i was pleased, but a little irked that i changed it mid-run. i decided to include HIIT next friday, it might be the thing i need at the end of the week.

next week's schedule:
m - 2 mile run and weights
t - shred and pilates
w - 2 mile run and weights
t - shred and pilates
f - HIIT on the treadmill (40 min)

3 day weekend next week!!! i'm pumped... which means this week will be the longest week ever known to man.

busy bee

OMG YOU MUST GO SAY CONGRATS TO FLG ... C25K MADNESS!!!

just a quick update from me, i don't have anything as exciting to report as FLG :)

a friend of mine is visiting this weekend, yaaay! we will be going to another hs friend's wedding tomorrow (should be interesting, details to follow). i haven't seen the bride since hs, so who knows who else will be there... haha. i love a surprise.

the shred and pilates were a success last night, completed after project clean room/wash linens.

have a lovely weekend peoples!

ps 2.5 mile run this evening fo sho

fresh and so clean clean

mmm i love a good shower... after an awesome workout!

2 mile run - check.
weights - check.

i did the 2 miles in 23 minutes 22 seconds. faster than my 5k tempo, i think i'll push a bit more friday. i'm kinda excited about it!

i love love loooved every comment on my last post. thanks for giving me motivation for my workout fellow bloggies!

gosh darn it!

how do i feel like a slacker when i've dutifully done the 30 day shred everday for... let's see... yesterday was the 12th day... why do i feel like a bum?! i know why. i've only had 3 runs in that time period and i know i have to keep it up or i'll lose my progress! i also need to realize that if i do a run, i do not have to, nor should i really, do an extra work out if i don't feel the energy for it.

i'm very "all or nothing" with my work outs. i wanna push to my limits... or lay in my bed. now that i've done the 5k distance, i need to realize that not all runs have to be a 5k, i can run 2 miles and still have accomplished something grand. i get overwhelmed by the thought of running longer and totally flake out on doing it at all... lame. i wanna have the extra cardio and insane endorphines that running provides, so i'm gonna try posting a schedule that will keep me aware.

today: 2 mile run - weights
thursday:30 day shred and pilates
friday: 2.5 mile run - weights

okay 3 days. i can stay focused for 3 days... right?

i'm on it.

give me a goal i can sink my teeth into

"disappointment equals the difference between expectation and reality"

i think everyone who has ever attempted this crazy thing called weight loss has felt disappointment. as i was reading an excerpt from living the low carb life by jonny bowden... that quote struck a chord with me. too often i have expected results or set goals far too lofty to achieve... and what does that do? it promptly causes a crash and burn scenario. "well, i might as well not exercise today" or "if i'm not losing, why not eat this cake?"

unfortunately for me and for many, goals are what pull us through the crazy mess of weight loss. acheiving them gives us the mental push and excitment to stay on course. the key, i guess, is to make goals... but only those that are reasonable. i've learned to extend my deadlines and to see the positives in the day to day struggles. and yet, i'm still having trouble recognizing how far i've come, i fear that if i accept any sort of success... i'll become completely complacent and revert suddenly to my old self. irrational thinking, i know, but it all comes down to the mental aspect of weight loss. the part that i have to catch up on, and i'm guessing it will take quite a while. i lived almost my entire life as that person, i lived as an overweight girl who stereotypically relied on intelligence and humor to interact with practically everyone. don't get me wrong, i pride myself on both my intelligence and humor... but i look forward to getting to know this self, or maybe just reconcile what i thought i was and who i actually am.

thus ends my rambling for this evening.

in other news... today i jogged 5k in 40:42!! slow, but holy crap! the last 7 minutes were torture... well maybe not torture, but i sure as heck wanted to stop at every moment. (this feat gave me that super elated wonderful, i can do anything feeling) then i did the 30 day shred and thought "why on earth did i do both today?!", then i drank a ton o' water and took a well deserved rest.

droopy

my eyelids are droopy... that means i must must must go to sleep imediamente!

today's bullet points...

1. drank water with a fervor (that doesn't make much sense, but you catch my drift :D)
2. ate yummy foods, maybe a little too much... related to nerves i think... darn emotions! (see bullet number 3)
3. saw a posting for a local choir audition, practiced and went to said audition, passed scrutiny of the choir director (although i don't think the bar was set very high) pleased anyways.
4. decided to skip shred... then decided to do it... then decided to skip it... then did it (i'm a flip flopper on the exercise front)

cheers to hump day! have a good one folks :)

ps i was right about the bouncing of the scale... but i'm trying to stay focused on my fitness and athletic goals now, so the scale can do what it wants, biotch! (said to the scale)

pps i love parentheses. hahahaha.

bonkers

number one - confession. i will not be doing a run today. i will continue with the shred (this being day 3). i just don't have time before leaving for my mini-trip and i underesitmated the shred (see number two). lame excuse, but i'll take it as this is weigh in day and i'm pleased with this past months results.

number two - when i said that the 30 day shred wasn't that hard... i hadn't done it 2 days in a row! even that first evening i could feel it in my legs and i realized i'm not even using hand weights yet. i really, really didn't want to do it last night when i got home from the fest, but i did it anyway! yes, jillian i feel the friggin' burn and like any sane individual i loathe the squat. i will be completing day 3 momentarily.

number three - i made bavarian apple cheesecake and feel quite pleased with my baking abilities. i would show you a pic, but it's one of those not as beautiful as it is sooo delicious recipes, lol. also pleased with my ability to a have a sliver and be satisfied. it helps that it is crazy flavorful. :) i'll be taking it with me on my trip, to share the wealth!

number four - weigh in. to preface this weigh in, i really think this number is bonkers! (like crazy, not like bonkers the cat, who is also crazy i might add) i'm more than likely going to see a bounce back up tomorrow, maybe a pound (especially considering i'm heading off to watch a football game... including snacks, haha). i'm extremely happy about it though, and even with the possible bounce i'm looking at a 10 pound loss for last month and a few pounds past by weight goal! thanks to c25k again i believe, and of course sticking to my guns on the food front. well, i might as well show ya...

number five - this whole getting to my "goal" weight business freaks me out. i am very excited and feel accomplished, but i also know that i'm not as physically fit as i want to be. it also makes me fear any slight gain (i guess a little of that is good, but i'm a worrier by nature... i've never written worrier before and i think it looks funny, funny weird, not haha). at this point i will still strive to lose more, not sure how much just yet. i'll let my body do the thinking on that one, i'll just do the leg work... concentrating on toning and fitness. in short, i am far from truly claiming "goal", but i'm well on my way. thank you for all your support, even if i just steal your mojo from reading your blog... i love this blogging community and the insights it provides. i'll delve deeper into my thoughts on this next stage of weight loss via blog when i have a little more time to contemplate it. for now, have a great little saturday folks!

time flies

i don't think this work week was really that fun, but the time sure did fly. i ran both sunday and tuesday this week. this evening i realized it was too dark to run outside and too late to go to the y (it's only open til 9 during the summer, boooo).

in lieu of the gym, i decided to do an exercise tv work out. jillian michaels sucked me into her 30 day shred. it was a nice short work out, definitely got my heart rate up, but much lighter than my gym work outs. it was interesting to see which muscles i'm obviously not using enough of at the gym. i think i'll do the 30 day shred in addition to runs starting today. has anyone else done them? she also has a 2nd and 3rd level shred, that i may progress to if i don't get bored with her. she's sassy though, and i generally enjoy the sass.

tomorrow i have a part time job interview right after work, and then i'm meeting my sister at irish fest. another weekend, another fest :D at this one they have dogs! all kinds of irish dogs, irish ales and irish sausage. oh and irish dancing, irish music... you get the gist, lol. i'll have to do the shred post-fest and squeeze in a run saturday morning before i head to beaver dam. i'm singing at a friend's church sunday and we have to practice saturday evening... and watch the first packer's pre-season game! i'm really excited to sing a bit, it's been far too long. it's with a small group from my college choir, we'll be singing 5 spirituals, and i can't wait!

have a lovely weekend you! yeah, you! :)

down and dirty

a short one, as it is late and i have to work in the early am. i will most definitely try and sneak another more informative post in tomorrow at work. tonight i ran outside! much slower than on the treadmill i think, but total 2 miles running. i'll take it! i was pleased and it was beautiful tonight. we are right on lake michigan, so i ran along the lake and the marina. pretty, cool and peaceful. idk if it will become the norm or not, i just couldn't resist the perfect weather. :)

me post run

because sweaty face pics are all the rage
at the state fair last weekend there were pigs that loved one another...
pigs that liked to bite other pigs' feet...

gigantic horses! i swear this horse was 10 feet tall... pictured with my mom for scale... when he standing straight he looked like a loch ness monster coming out of his stall, serious...

and racing pigs! those baby pigs race for cheese doodles... when i was a kid they raced for oreos...

my boss is on vacay

is it bad that i kind of slacked off today? we just closed the month, so there is a lighter work load anyways. i just want the weekend to start already! i didn't really slack off, i just didn't look for extra work like i normally do. whatevs. the 2nd in command didn't notice/didn't care, so all's well. i'm one of those ultra loyal, crazy work ethic people, so it was quite different for me. when i had to quit my last job, i nearly made myself sick over having to tell them i was leaving. i definitely have issues. wah waaaah. i enjoyed the faux slacking though :)

i've decided summer is just insane, there is a festival every weekend and i just can't get enough of em. milwaukee is the best place for festivals btw. however, this weekend is the mother load... the state fair. this is an annual family extravaganza. we go every year, and as many of you might know... every state fair is centered around the local food delicacies. here in wisconsin... cream puffs, fried everything, fried meats on a stick and well, fried everything on a stick... the fair website now has a "food on a stick" section, no joke. i am prepared. i know what i will have and i will not be overwhelmed by the scents and ambiance of the fair.

of course, there are many things at the fair that are just as important as the food. the racing pigs. the kids from wisconsin (basically a show choir, i'm a sucker for singing/dancing troupes). cows! baby pigs! baby goats! baby animals of all kinds! (i try to not think about the impending doom of most animals at the fair, as the signs hang above them saying how much they cost per pound) and several local bands that i thoroughly enjoy. it will be grand. before that i'm making a quick trip to see a friend in a musical revue, which also fulfills my singing/dancing entertainment quota for the weekend. whew! it hasn't happened yet, and i can already imagine a nap sunday afternoon lol.

ps i ran 2.8 miles straight in 35.30 after work today and i am beaming, so please pardon the semi-rambling post. today was good. slow and steady :)

all i want for christmas is you

on saturday i bought a few dollar cds at half price books to have in my car. one of them was mariah carey's christmas album... i have heard it many a time and have it on my computer, but i couldn't resist it for a dollar. my roommate and i in the dorms used to listen to it on repeat all year long, good times. since buying it i have been listening to the track all i want for christmas is you over and over again, whenever the radio doesn't please me. (anybody wanna watch love actually? i do.) i currently have pandora set to a station based on all i want for christmas is you and it's making me happy to clean my room. christmas!

my last 2 runs have been consistently 2.5 miles and although i'm really eager to increase the distance (to the point that i'm kinda disappointed when i'm unable to push through it...) i'm happy to report i'm still enjoying it. the enjoying part usually comes after the run, but the post happiness is worth every second of "oh my god, what am i doing? why am i doing this?!"

having a clean bedroom does wonders for clarity of mind... i feel so fresh and calm... the christmas music ain't bad either :)