Are you a fair weather runner?

Wind. Rain. Cold. Getting dark. Tired.

On Thursday, I had every excuse to NOT run. Ever notice how all these runners magically appear in the spring and summer?

In spite of how I was feeling and the weather, I decided to lace up my sneakers quickly and get out there. The more you sit around and think about it, the less likely you'll be to follow through.

It was so cold those first few minutes, I had a hard time slowing my breathing. But about 10 minutes in, I was able to relax and even enjoy the Northwest spring evening. On my way back, it was starting to get dark, so I picked up the pace just a bit.

This is one of those runs I'm truly proud of and will remember. Not because it was long - it was just 3 miles. And it certainly wasn't run that fast - something about an 11 minute per mile pace. I'm proud because I was able to go for my run in spite of the excuses.

Here's the thing - there will ALWAYS be an excuse you can use to not workout. I know I've used my fair share in the last couple years. But the fact I'd go out and run in the wind and rain in the evening proves to me that I have made some positive changes over these past few months. I have successfully gotten back into the habit of working out.

Tonight I was going to plop down and watch Celebrity Apprentice and write this post when it occurred to me I was going to use this as my excuse to not workout! Talk about hypocritical, right? So I sat down the laptop, got into my workout gear and did squats, push-ups, lunges and jumping jacks for an hour of the TV show!

After Apprentice, the local news came on. They're expecting a spring storm with strong wind and lots of rain. Goody. I'll be waiting!

Photo credit Panti Marta

Weigh in Monday: I forget what week it is!

Oh goodness, it's been a couple weeks since I posted a weigh in! I don't know how many weeks I've been at this now, but for those just joining me, I started first of December. So that's about 4 months.

Lest you think I'm jumped off the bandwagon, let me tell you that as of today, I weigh 146 pounds!! Yes, you read that right! I'm down a total of 16 pounds since I started my weight loss adventure - I've lost a whopping 9.8% of my body weight! How awesome is that?!

This morning, I had a GREAT 5 mile run, too. It was my perfect running weather, too: slightly chilly, overcast, but not raining. It felt so good to breathe in the sweet, fragrant air of spring. It was a pretty hilly run, and I finished it in 59 minutes. Not fast by any stretch, but for endurance runs like these I'm just focused on getting used to the distance.

It's time to transition into marathon training now. I've dropped substantial weight, I've achieved some fitness these past few months, and I have a half marathon on the calendar for June! Time to get cracking!

To avoid injuring myself or over-training, I'm simply going to be adding a second day of running per week. I'll also keep up with 2 days of weight-training focus and a 3rd cardio session as I'm able. In a few weeks, I'll replace that 3rd cardio session with another run. But I don't plan on running more than 3 days per week - even in the height of my training season.

Here's the plan for the week ahead:

Monday: 5 miles - DONE!
Tuesday: Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones (this is a 50-minute workout)
Wednesday: 45 minutes cardio
Thursday: Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 3 miles
Sunday: 30-Day Shred, any level

Overall, I'm pleased with my progress. I have 10 more pounds to go and am confident I will reach my goal as I train for my races!

St. Patty's Day 5K last Saturday!

Pictured above: the running crew! From left to right: Jessie, me, Tia, Kaia, and Christine.

These last couple weeks have been...well...busy. Extraordinarily busy. I've not kept up with my workouts or eating like I should. To make matters worse, I've been coming down with a bit of a cold.

Even still, I had a 5K to run last Saturday. The St. Patty's Day 5K dash in Tacoma. It was 10 years ago I did my first race - the St. Patty's Day 5k dash in Seattle. It seemed fitting to be doing a similar race to kick off a new era of running.

The course was mostly flat, with a couple small hills - one right at the start, the other (of course) just before the finish. I couldn't find my watch the morning of the race, so I had to just push myself hard and hope I'd end up with a decent time.

I did pretty well keeping the same pace throughout the race, and was able to really sprint through the finish line. Overall, I felt I'd done a pretty good job.

My results? 30:47 - a pace of 9:56! I have NEVER completed a race with a pace under 10:00 - this is a first for me! In addition, I finished #43 of 128 for my division. Another first - I've never finished within the top half for my division! I'm so proud to see how far I've come in these past few months - from being in the worst shape of my life to hitting some new PRs.

It was also a special day because I was able to run with four special ladies (pictured above) - and none of them had ever done a fun run like this (though two of them had done cross country in the past). One of the gals, Kaia, actually placed #3 for her age group - not bad for her first 5K, huh?

So where do I go from here? The time has come to up my distance and prepare for marathon season. I officially registered last night for Portland on 10-10-10, so I'm committed to doing this thing!

30 Day Shred Challenge - I didn't "phone it in!"

A little more than a month ago I had this wacky idea of doing a workout called the 30-Day Shred Challenge. Basically, I'd do all three levels of Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred workout. Sort of a tribute to the workout that kicked my weight loss into full gear.

To let you know how it went, I thought I would photo document the process. Let me say, be glad you cannot smell through the computer. VERY glad. I had the sweat flying across the room by the time it was over.

Here I am, ready to go!


And here I am, after Level 1. I have to say, this workout is SOOO easy for me now...I can't believe I was dying doing this workout just a few short months ago!


About halfway through Level 2, I started feeling it it. My arms were starting to tense up, but I kept at it and survived.


Did I make it? You bet I did! Here I am at the end of Level 3. Those final circuits were tough, but I pushed on through.


Overall, this challenge wasn't as bad as I'd thought. I was able to stick to most all of the advanced moves. And in case Jillian ever reads this post, she'd be proud to know that no, I did not "phone this one in."

Challenge done!

Weigh in Monday: week ten (the late version!)

I'm feeling the best I have on this journey! My size 8 khakis - which were completely unwearable even a month ago - not only fit, they fit perfectly!! That horrid belly bloat is melting, folks. MELTING.

As of this AM, it looks like I weigh about 147.5 pounds. I don't have a digital scale, so it's hard to gage the exact weight, but it looks like that ticker is directly between 145 and 150 pounds! And so my descent down that scale continues! Yeah!

As a reminder, I started this journey in early December at an all-time high of 162 pounds. I've since lost nearly 15 pounds...can you believe it? My goal is to reach 136 pounds - a total weight loss of 26 pounds.

I'm really excited about tomorrow's workout...it's something I've had in the works for awhile now. I'm calling it the 30-Day Shred Challenge workout, and here's how it's going to go down in case anyone is interested in killing themselves with me:

Do 30-Day Shred, Level 1
5-minute water break
Do 30-Day Shred, Level 2
5-minute water break
Do 30-Day Shred, Level 3
Collapse in heap on floor

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!