Fat Chance

• I started running - and ran my first mile ever without stopping
• I learned to drive in the snow
• I bought real, adult furniture for my house
• I discovered Doctor Who
• I met the internet in real life (and then did it again a second time)
• I got engaged
• I learned to cross stitch
• I found the new love of my life
• I grew a garden
• I made my own beer
• I did 100 push ups
• I went camping and looked amazing in my swim suits
• I celebrated my blog’s 1st birthday
• I survived a hurricane
• I met Stephen King
• I joined a gym
• I convinced my BFF to join tumblr
• I was talked into signing up for a marathon by my good friend, Scooter
• I took a boot camp class
• I started working from home
• I lost my grandma
• I ran my first race
• I got to see my family twice in two months

This year was definitely a big one.

1) Clean eating - plain and simple.

2) Get back to drinking my gallon of water a day, I’ve really gotten off track with this one.

3) Kick it up with my running - I want to actually feel like I’m making progress.

4) Be a better blogger and not forget the community aspect of this little fitness community

5) Actually, you know, lose some weight

1) Kick my first race’s ass. Done and done. It was amazing.

2) Resist holiday related foods (especially difficult because I am a SUCKER for festive packaging - seriously, I’m an ad-man’s dream). Better than in previous years - but not great.

3) Keep up with marathon training. Totally owned this. Only missed two runs the entire month.

4) Get back to the gym for strength training. Heck yes, I did.

5) Maintain my awesome level of productivity, even though I know work from home. Also a total win.

But I’m making up for it by starting today off right with a run. And I got to use the new running swag I got for Christmas:

• Garmin Forerunner 210 from Luke
• New tech shirt from my baby sister
• New socks (sans holes!) from my twin sister

I don’t care if my family is visiting. I’m going to keep running, and not use them as an excuse to eat all the things.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas, wherever you may be.

That was me today.

The GPS on my phone was doing weird things, so I just settled into my run, listening to Christmas music and enjoying things. Yeah, actually enjoying the run. I was doing AMAZING. I felt great and I was going FAST. I hit my usual mile mark and looked at my phone - 9:57? WHAT?! That just made me speed up faster and keep going. I took like maybe three walk breaks the entire time. IT WAS GLORIOUS.

And then I did the rest of the run I had mapped out in my head and came home, hopped on the computer to see just how blazing fast my five miles was.

I actually ran 3.86 miles. Womp, womp.

But I did run the first mile in about 10:45. So there’s that.

Imagine me saying that with that announcer voice for monster truck rallies.

Show of hands: WHO IS READY FOR THIS FRIDAY? Yeah, me too. Because this weekend is going to be so completely full of awesome it’s ridiculous:

• I’m going to make my house effing SPARKLE
• I get to wrap all my presents for everyone (I actually like wrapping things)
• I get to FINALLY hang up some curtains in my bedroom (only took me two years…)
• I get to watch It’s a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve - arguably my most favorite movie ever (my holiday tradition)
• I get to eat Chinese food Christmas Eve (Luke’s holiday tradition)
• I get to sleep in new PJs my mom bought me (my holiday tradition)
• UM, THEN IT’S CHRISTMAS

• Then it’s Boxing Day (a day I may or may not love more than Christmas - you can thank my New England/Canadian family for instilling the Boxing Day spirit in me)
• And Boxing Day means…. MY DAD AND SISTERS WILL BE HERE FOR, LIKE, FIVE WHOLE DAYS!!!

I’m seriously desperate to know: what is the most amazing and awesome thing about your weekends going to be?

• Stop by Lowes and get my last Christmas present that Luke told me we needed last night
• Go to the gym
• Go to the bank
• Eat breakfast
• Run
• Work
• Laundry
• Wrap Christmas presents
• Explode

I keep trying to look at some of my tagged posts by typing in the usual URL: http://[username].tumblr.com/tagged/[whatever the hell you tagged it] but it’s not working. And it’s only for some of my tags. Some of my other tags work fine.

Anyone else having the same issue, or is it just me?

Starting Weight: 205

Last Week: 169.2

This Week: 168.2

This Week’s Weight Loss: - 1

Another whole number gone for the third week in a row? Yes, please.

Fastest mile time in the past year. My fastest ever was 10:15, but I’m really starting to think that was a total fluke.

And I felt great the entire time. Then, of course, I looked at my phone and my brain was all, “hey, body, you just ran a mile in 10:44, you should hurt and feel tired even though you aren’t.” And my body was all like, “oh, yeah, you’re right!” So the rest of my run wasn’t as great.

But still effing amazing.

SW: 167.4

CW: 167.8

Loss this week: 1.4

Total Lost: + .6

What I’m proud of: Coming back and essentially losing all the weight I gained after my grandma’s death and my subsequent trip back home to California for Thanksgiving.

What I could have done better: Obviously I could have, I don’t know, LOST weight during this challenge… That would have been nice. But I let things get the better of me. It’s cool, though, because I am back on track and ready to kick my own ass.

Okay, now who do I have to send presents to?

I’ve decided that I’m going to make this an amazing week. Here’s how:

1) It’s the week before Christmas

2) All my presents are bought

3) I only have to ship three presents this year

4) My family will be here in a week!!!

5) I’m making Christmas cookies

6) I get to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, hands down one of my favorite movies of all time

7) Stress is over with at work

8) I’m ready to have some amazing runs

9) I’m ready to continue to eat well

So let’s get excited for this week! Don’t think about all the crap you still have to do (well, I mean, you do have to think about it, but don’t stress on it) - think about the fun stuff you get to do. Because it’s effing Christmas. And Christmas is magical.

Things that happened on this run:

• I swallowed about a pound of my own spit and snot - you’re welcome
• Rusty and I helped a woman find her lost dog
• Rusty and I both almost got bit by an old golden retriever
• I ran the farthest I’ve ever run
• I actually had a great time doing it

I want to cry.

I was in the middle of baking Christmas cookies - mine and Luke’s tradition that we decided to start last year - and I realized that my oven was no longer hot.

Luckily we have our old (perfectly fine and functioning stove) in the garage. The one I’ve been using is Luke’s parents’ old one, which was nice because it has convection. Luke is going to swap them out tomorrow.

But all my Christmas cookies were half-baked and had to be chucked. And the turkey breast I was getting ready to make for dinner had to go back into the fridge.

I didn’t even get to run today.

This is an extremely whiny post, FYI.

I’m going to go hide under blankets on my couch and force my animals to snuggle with me.

• Rusty loves wearing his antlers - no joke, when I take them off he just sits there and stares at them with a sad face
• My big fat work project will be DONE today
• I’m getting my car detailed finally (my seats have grown these inexplicable watermarks on them over the past year…) by a company that comes to your house to do it, so I don’t even have to get out of my pajamas
• We are bottling our gingerbread beer tonight - supposedly it will be ready to drink in a week, just in time for Christmas!
• Luke and I are making Christmas cookies!!
• Luke and I are FINALLY going to clean up the guest room and his office in anticipation of my family coming to visit for the holidays
• I’m going to finish all of my Christmas shopping in just ONE DAY at two stores (which are right next door to one another) - does it get easier than that?
• Um, it’s almost Christmas!

24thoughtspersecond:

lifehasmespinning replied to your photoset: I told you I love Christmas. My whole house is…

It looks like Pinterest!

Hands down the best compliment I have ever gotten. Ever.

So that’s out of the way. All I have left is to run 3 miles at some point.

PPS: I’m totally owning this work project.

PPPS: I’ve gotten all my online Christmas shopping done. All that’s left now is to go to two stores (that are right next door to one another) and my shopping will be DONE!

Seriously, I am.

I’m getting a ton of work done and not feeling so stressed. I’m blazing through this project.

French onion soup is in the crockpot for dinner.

I bought about 42% of the Christmas presents I need online.

All I have to do now is keep working, then run with Rusty to tire him out before taking him to the vet. He loves the vet. He loves people. And other animals. Not all of them love him. He has yet to learn this.

Back to work!

I’m kind of freaking out.

My boss is trying to get us to get a ton of stuff done before Christmas.

Unfortunately, I was lazy this year and haven’t done ANYTHING as far as presents yet.

I feel like there’s no way I can work this overtime and get everything done. Even though I know I’ll get it all done somehow.

Christmas shouldn’t be stressful! It should be happy and fun and amazing.

That’s it, I’m going to get the project done. Starting right NOW.

Starting Weight: 205

Current Weight: 169.2

This Week’s Weight Loss: 2

I’m ready to have another week just like this one.

Because he just came home and wants to spend time with me. Disgustingly cute, I know.

I am fully prepared to spend at least 33% more money on food items that he’ll see and exclaim: “we never have this!” “why don’t you buy me these?” “can we have this for dinner tonight?”

Over the years, one of my pinky toes has decided to grow curved and underneath my other toe instead of straight out. So I have to tape/bandaid up my other toe before every run, or otherwise things get bloody.

The past four runs I’ve had were all at a horrible and slow 13+ minute pace.

Today? 12:00 pace, baby. I’m going to break it down for you.

Mile 1 - 11:26 - “It’s effing cold! Damnit, Rusty, why do you always have to start so fast. I’m going to die, and they’ll find my frozen body in that ditch over there.”

Mile 2 - 12:36 - “There’s people, I better keep running so I look cool. Damnit, Rusty, stop stopping in front of me. Walking in a winter wonderland…”

Mile 3 - 11:53 - “What are the lyrics to that one Christmas song again? Damnit, Rusty, do not run in the middle of the road to greet cars. Hey, there’s my neighbor walking her two hairless dogs. They have on Christmas sweaters! Rusty would eat a Christmas sweater…”

PS: When I was home I went with my BFF to the dog park, and a girl there had a dog named Jim. I so wish I had thought to name Rusty that. Then I could be all: “Damnit, Jim!” It would be awesome.

But I’m going to go do it. And do it fast. To get it over with.

SW: 167.4

CW: 169.2

Loss this week: 2

Total Lost: + 1.8

What I’m proud of: All the exercising that I’ve been doing. I’ve been doing all my training runs, and I even started going back to the gym.

What I could do better: Food. It’s been good - but it could be better.

I may not have lost weight in the competition, but I did lose two pounds in the last week - which is AMAZING to me.

Good thing it was just a dream.

Now all I have to do is:

• Laundry (my least favorite chore in the planet)
• Empty the dishwasher
• Pay bills
• Call the vet
• Look up how to return a stupid broken flashlight to Amazon
• Write Christmas cards
• And work - which I’m doing before all the other things

I’m going to be super productive today. Mondays are not nearly as bad when you don’t have to actually go into an office.

That is all.

I started late, and it got too dark to run anymore safely.

But it was a pretty darn good run. So I’m okay with this.

Not having any fat in it made it really thick. REALLY thick.

I would suggest not straining it for as long as the recipe says to.

All I did was add a few tablespoons of fat free sour cream - problem solved.

And he wants me to do it with him.

I just took a look at the suggested meal/food guide - and am not sure I’m a fan. Over time they decrease the amount of protein you eat and up the amount of carbs so you’re eating an “athlete’s diet.” Um, we are not athletes. Also, for my “nutrition level” they say I should only have two servings of vegetables a day… That just seems really wrong.

Have any of you done the P90X thing? Did you follow the suggested food guidelines? Am I freaking out over nothing?

Things that are amazing about today and the weekend to follow:

• I’m going to attempt to make my own fat free ricotta cheese
• I’m making soup for dinner!
• Luke and I will be moving our Christmas gingerbread ale from the fermentation bucket into the carboy - which is one step before bottling, which is another step before drinking
• I’m going to be a cross stitching FIEND!
• I’m going to sleep - a lot

Seriously, those are my only plans. I’m excited.

My plan for today is to make today awesome by:

• Finishing my work for work
• Heading out for 3 miles
• Going to the gym
• Eating my leftovers from my favorite BBQ place for lunch (smoked turkey on whole wheat…. YUM)
• Working on cross-stitch Christmas presents

Hope you all have an awesome day, too!

I’m not even joking. Tastes just like a fluffernutter sandwich. And it has a whopping 16 grams of protein.

Starting Weight: 205

Current Weight: 171.2

This Week’s Weight Loss: + 4.6

This is my first weigh-in in a month. The past month was spent: grieving the loss of my grandma, being sick, and being home in California.

I’m back, now, though, and ready to get this number back down to where it was before all of this happened.

Let’s do it.