W4: RD2 - Weighing In On My Weight

I found running because I needed to lose weight.  Way back in February 2010 I wanted to do the Couch to 5K program and complete a 5K  I began the program, but I was too slow.  I could run when it said, and walk when it said, but I couldn't cover the distance it wanted me to.  Then in Tae Kwon Do, I sprained my ankle, those two things combined stopped me from running for a while.

I am now about 34 pounds lighter than I was in February 2010, and I'd still like to lose more weight.  Yes, I've been really slow about it, but there's been a lot going on in my life since February 2010.  I hoped marathon training would help me lose weight, but it hasn't, and that's okay.  Sure, I'm burning some calories, but because of the long runs, I need more calories to get through all those miles.  It comes down to what I want more.  I could stop training and focus on weight loss, or I could keep training and maybe lose a few pounds.  I choose to continue training.

Do I wish my stomach would lose inches?  Yes.  Do I wish a bit of my inner thigh would not jiggle quite so much?  Yes. Do I wish that the lovely toned look of my legs would start spreading to the rest of my body?  Yes.

I won't lie and say I'm not having a hard time accepting that while my body will get a bit stronger, it may look like this a little while longer.  I want to be a bit leaner, I want to be done trying to lose weight.  I don't want people to ask me if I'm pregnant, because so much of my weight is concentrated in the middle.  I was never seeking perfection, I don't need to be a certain size, or a certain weight.  I could be happy weighing 131 pounds if it were a leaner 131 pounds.

I'm not going to give up on losing weight while I'm in training.  I'm just going to adjust my goals.  I used to try to lose two pounds each week.  Now I'm going to shoot for half a pound, or at most one pound.  If I lose, I lose, if I don't, well, as long as I'm still on track with my training, I'll be happy.

W3: RD1 - Weight Gain

Well, after my triumphant return to the 120s last week, I have crossed back into the familiar land of the 130s, but I don't mind.

Running has given me the opportunity every week to measure my success without a scale.  I have never run nine miles before, but I did last week.  I have never run ten miles, but I will this week.  Weight loss is more like the icing on the cake, than the cake itself.  I guess I should work on finding a better metaphor, since I don't much like icing.

I did a little extra cardio today, just some light walking.  I need to do that more on cross training days, in addition to finding fun ways to cross train.  I get too antsy on Monday, but if I do too much on rest days I could impact my runs later in the week.