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| Daylight! |
This morning was my first early morning run in two weeks. Last week, since we were scaling back, I didn't run Tuesday morning. I was elated to see such a difference in the morning light. There was a huge difference in just 2 weeks! I actually finished my run this morning in broad daylight! Yay! That means that spring is really coming. This makes me very happy. Very happy indeed. Although, as I type this, there is a storm rolling in that should be bringing 20-30cm of snow with it. That's 8-12 inches for my American friends. I hate it when snow and weather disrupts my running. All I can say is that the sidewalks and streets better be cleared before my scheduled run tomorrow night!
I'm getting butterflies in my stomach. My half marathon is this Sunday. Although I'm confident in running it, and my hamstring feels the best it has since I injured it, I'm still a touch anxious. I'm a bit bummed because one of the Back of the Rat Pack Girls is not feeling great (knee injury), and may have to sit this one out. This is a pretty upsetting turn of events if it actually happens. More upsetting for my friend for sure, but I was looking forward to sharing this experience with her. I've given her the name and number of my physiotherapist. He said that although he won't be able to fix her by Sunday, he'd give her a good and thorough assessment to determine if she should run on Sunday or not. I'm hopeful that the assessment will go well. Fingers crossed!
This week at work, a few people either claimed to not recognize me, or people who I know well, walked right by me without acknowledging me. I get it that I look different. Especially with the bangs! Which incidentally are getting too long and need a trim. I got some photos from October 25, 2011. I had been on the Dr. Poon diet for one month and had already lost 20 pounds. Michael snapped the old ones at my desk. Today Mary snapped the new ones for me. You know, when I was morbidly obese, I never envisioned my face looking the way it does now. I don't know what I thought it would look like thinner. I admit that I don't look like myself. So if you know me and you walk right by me, I understand. I still do a double take sometimes when I catch a glimpse of myself in a window or a mirror.
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| About 270 pounds. |
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| About 168 pounds. |
So Monday is a big day for me. I'm back onto phase one of Dr. Poon's Metabolic Diet. I'm getting mixed reviews on my decision to lose another 10-15 pounds. Trust me, I have some fat I can still lose. Mostly in my mid-section, glutes and upper thighs. And lets not forget about my fat calves! Remember? I still can't wear regular width calf boots! And it's not muscle either, trust me! But the added weight-loss is strictly for running performance. Fifteen pounds of fat to a runner is a big deal. Dropping excess fat will help with my pace. So I'm back on phase one for 6 weeks. Six weeks is nothing. I once stayed on phase one for 6 months. I can do anything for six weeks!
After six weeks, I'm back on maintenance. And that's when I'll start speed training. I'm sure that I'll be eating like a horse again in no time. Speed/interval training is a very effective fat burner and I'll need all the extra nutrition I can get my hands on. The good stuff though. I don't think I can ever deviate too far from the diet plan I follow now. It's sort of ingrained in my head. That's a good thing. The only way that I'm gonna become addicted to processed carbs and sugar again is if I start eating them again. You can't miss what you don't have. That's why it's so easy for me to stay away from them now. Nothing is worth returning to where I've been. Nothing tastes that good. Trust me.
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| Where I've been... Julien still doesn't think this is me. |
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| Where I am. Note the role in my mid- section, and my fat calves! |