Checking In

So my past week has had more ups and downs then the hills I will be facing in the half marathon.

It started with the passing of our sweetest and oldest girl, Nakita. She was nearly 16 years old when she left us. She became a part of our lives at about a year old and she was a rescued strayed. She was also the first pet Michael and I had gotten together just before we got married. To lose her was losing a piece of our hearts. She lived longer than either of us expected and we knew the day would come but it doesn't make the heart break easier.

I promised myself I would start my adapted version of a "Couch To 5k" program last Monday. But I started coming up with reasons why I should start Tuesday...which led to Wednesday...which led to, well it led nowhere. So I'm already getting myself behind. But I did stick to a few changes I was determined to make. I've cut back on my portion sizes during meals. I'm trying to be more aware of what I'm eating and making better choices then I have in the past (note I said trying...not all choices were the best when comfort foods have a way of entering the picture). I also discovered this week that I'm not an emotional eater. I eat/graze mindlessly when not occupied by something busy. If I sit and watch tv, I eat. If I putter around the house or blog on the computer, I don't eat. This bit of info is good to know and to remind myself of some detrimental patterns to avoid. I am also working on not being a closet eater. This would require a trip to the couch so I will just leave it at that!

The good news is I've lost another 3lbs. Considering the only exercise I did for 7 days was last week's bike ride, I'm happy with that. So I shifted my mentality of exercising for this week. I went for another bike ride yesterday and I went for a walk today. I love that feeling of completion but I can't help but whine about the start. So I have recruited folks to help me. I have a friend/coworker that has recently joined our local YMCA, I plan to do the same. There are 2 locations convenient for me. During the week on 2 days, her and I will go to the gym to work out. The other 3 days I will spend doing walk/run intervals with a friend to prepare for the 5k in September (my goal is to run the entire 5k under 36 minutes) and then the half marathon in December (my goal is to finish it under 3 hours~last time I did it in 3:24). On the weekends I also have a buddy system. Saturday will continue to be long bike rides with friends and family and Sunday will be long walks with my aunts that I hope to turn into long runs soon. Dang, I'm tired just typing all that activity! =)

I know I cannot take this journey alone and I have the greatest friends and family that want me to succeed and are willing to help me accomplish my goals. I just hope they still love me when I'm cussing 'em out. You may have noticed, I put a ticker at the top of my blog. Check back from time to time to see me work my way to the end and beyond.