I rule!

This morning, I got up at 6:30am and ran 9.75 miles in 2 hours (12:30 min/mile average). Then I walked 3 miles back home.

I rule. :)

That is all.

No PR0N here.

My dad took one look at the pictures below and stated that I have now put p0rn on my website, because "That isn't a shirt--that's underwear!" When I explained the existence and proliferation of the "tank top," his reply? "I'm the Dad." 'Nuff said, apparently! :)

Speaking of Dad, he's down 83 pounds, and it's been just under 3 months since he had surgery. That's practically a pound a day, which is just awesome and a little maddening how quickly he's losing. He just joined a gym, so I bet he'll keep chalking up some big losses this next month. He's only got 62 more pounds until he hits goal--and I bet he'll be pretty darn close by the time six months have passed for him. Wow. That is just amazing--already over 50% there (57%!!)!

I had my weigh in today at Weight Watchers, and I would say I was disappointed with my .4 loss, but I really think that is all the effort I put in this week. I missed my workouts on Friday, Saturday, Monday, and today (I try to run the morning of my weigh in--I'll go to the gym still tonight). And, I didn't make very good food choices while in Atlanta or when I came back home for that matter. It's interesting--I lost my "QuikTrak" (aka food journal) last week, and I just didn't write down my exercise or food for the week because of it (as if there was a paper shortage and NOTHING. ELSE. WOULD. WORK. to journal my food!). I have a new QuikTrak for this week, and I intend to use it faithfully. I am 30 pounds (by WW's scales) from my first goal score of being at a normal BMI. I want the vast majority, if not all of those pounds to be gone, gone, gone by my birthday, which is just 11 weeks away. That's an aggressive goal, but why not be aggressive, so long as I approach my diet and exercise regime with the same aggressiveness?

For the Moses Challenge:
My penalty for not meeting my goals this week: No ice cream (that is a serious motivator!)
My reward: I think I'll treat myself to a bit of tanning--my legs are whiter than white and I have some weird tan lines from running in the sun last weekend.

Tomorrow, I have my one year appointment with Dr. Harrington. I did my blood work earlier this week and I hope he has it back to show me tomorrow. I weighed in at 200.5 there two months ago, so I hope the scale is kind to me this time. Although now that I'm looking at this, that's really only about 6.5 pounds in 8 weeks--ugh. But, I've definitely gained a lot of muscle since then due to my marathon training--I've gone down a size from 16/18 to 14/16 since then too, so I am going in the right direction. Still, it makes me wish I had been even more exercise pro-active while I was going through the rapid weight loss because it would have been great to be 20 pounds lighter now!

Ok, I need to get off to the gym and start my new week off with a good, clean four mile run. See ya!

525,600 Minutes

525,600 Minutes
How do you measure a year?

In inches?
In pounds?
In sizes?
In energy?
In happiness?


I year ago today, I was a whole different person. The old me couldn't walk more than a few steps without breathing heavily. The old me couldn't reach her rear end to wipe without crazy contortions. The old me avoided social situations out of shame. The old me hated the old me.

The new me finds it hard to believe that the old me even existed. Did I really have *trouble* fitting into those jeans? Did I really take the bus every day to work when it is such an enjoyable 1.5 mile walk? Did I really pretend to buckle my seatbelt on airplanes to avoid having to ask for the seatbelt extension?

525,600 minutes.
140 pounds gone.
Over 70 inches lost.
From a size 28/30 to a 14/16.

Some of the things I can just DO today:
* sit in a booth
* ride a bike
* walk without huffing and puffing
* walk/run up stairs with a quick recovery
* run. RUN!
* fit in an airplane seat and sinch the seatbelt.
* Have room in a theatre/stadium seat.
* Wipe. :)

This has been an amazing year--I feel like I've grown so much emotionally while I've shrunk physically. And let's be honest, this isn't easy. I didn't have any co-morbidities going in and I didn't have any surgical complications. But it takes a LOT of mental stamina to stick to your Doctor's eating plan. It takes a lot of personal conviction to fight the demons that caused you to turn to food as comfort or control in the first place. It's a daily struggle and somedays are better than others.

But, would I trade any bad day or emotional breakdown if it meant I had to go back to where I was one year ago--177 pounds overweight and gaining? NEVER. EVER. EVER. I've done a lot of amazing things in my life, but this has to be by far the BEST THING I've EVER DONE for MYSELF.

I'm not yet to my goal--I want to lose 23-37 more pounds. What is amazing though, is that for the first time in my whole life, I can see the finish line in my weight loss journey. In marathon terms, I'm 21 miles into the race, with just 5 more miles to go. When I was looking at the weight I had to lose from the starting line of this marathon, the task seemed insurmountable. I'd gone 5 miles before, but never further, and I always ended up farther away from the starting line the next time. This surgery gave me the opportunity to speed through those 21 miles. The last 5 miles--I've done those 5 miles over and over again and I KNOW I can do them this time, especially since they are the 5 miles that will take me to the finish line, instead of the first 5 miles into the weight loss marathon. (And how apropos that I am training for an actual marathon now!)

525,600 minutes.
How does that look?












525,600 Minutes
This has definitely been a year for love.
Love of myself.
Love for my body.
Love for life!

Back in the Saddle

After a few days of less than stellar eating habits, a horrible Sunday workout, and a SKIPPED Monday workout, I really needed to make today count. Especially because TOMORROW is my surgiversary!!

Again, I left my workout stuff at work, thwarting plans for an early morning short run. But, I packed my office clothes, walked in my gym clothes to the office, made a better route around the mall (the Washington DC mall, not a mall mall) and set off. I think I'll let the numbers speak for themselves:
Lap 1: 10.57
Lap 2: 10:09
Lap 3: 10:42
Lap 4: 11:06

That's an AVERAGE lap time of 10:44/mile!!

And, I went to the gym this morning to shower and weighed myself (post run) and I weighed 191.5!! Last week, I weighed at the gym Wednesday night at 194.5 and weighed 194.8 at WW the next day, so if I can keep this number on the scale tomorrow, I have a chance at losing a couple pounds this week, which would be awesome!

I'm also going to try to sneak back into curves tomorrow and see if they will measure me (even though I'm not a member anymore). I'd really like to see how many inches I've taken off this past year.

And, my gym is having a party tomorrow to celebrate the grand opening of a few other stores, but it's so apropos that MY GYM is having a party on MY SURGIVERSARY!! :)

Tomorrow, I'll try to do justice to my one-year post op with photos and stats and a tear-jerker of a post! :)

Note to Self

I seriously just had the worst run ever. And, really, it wasn't the worst run, but it certainly FELT like it.

I'm up to an 8 mile long run, but when I got up this morning, I realized I forgot my GPS thing at work--I can't run without it because I NEED to know my lap times. So, I decided I'd walk to work, grab the tool, and then run from there. By the time all of this happened, I didn't start my run until 11am. Outside in the full sun. On a 75 degree day. Am I stupid or what?

Lap 1: 9:23 (downhill, but I didn't realize I was running this fast!)
Lap 2: 11:33
Lap 3: 11:30
Lap 4: 12:05
Lap 5: 13:48
Lap 6: 18:21 (gave up and started walking)
Lap 7: 13:15 (but .84 miles, not 1 mile)
Lap 8: 13:51 (1.16 miles, on the treadmill at my gym)

I didn't plan my run route well enough, so I was in the sun too much, having to stop and cross streets a lot, and then running uphill for the last 2 miles. Obviously, you can see I gave up in mile 6 and then started running again in mile 7--but to my gym, so I finished the last mile and a bit on the treadmill in the gym, which was better than quitting, I suppose, but still really dumb.

Things I learned from this:
1) I can't afford to sleep in on long run days because the weather is too hot to deal with later in the day.
2) I need to map a route for long run days that enhances my chances for a successful run, not works against it (trail runs vs. city runs, shady runs vs. full sun runs).
3) I can't expect a 12 min/mile pace in my long runs. I was actually aiming for 12:30 min/miles today, but you can see I average a 13:00 m/m. If I had been aiming for a 13 m/m, I'd feel a little more successful right now.
4) I may need to find a running partner or a running group to do long runs with because I really battle my mind on the long runs and it would be helpful to have some support pushing me along.

I need to walk home now, eat, shower, and get ready to be picked up for the barbeque I'm going to this evening.

Remind me to tell you about my four part model for success:
Advocate
Believe
Call for Help
Do your Duty

Best Compliment Evah!

One of the vendors we work with came to the office yesterday--it's been a while since he was last in. He spots me and goes to shake my hand and says:

Vendor: "Who are you? Who are you?" (while looking me up and down).
Me: chuckle
Vendor: "You must be David Blaine's assistant!"
Me: "Why?"
Vendor: "Because you are disappearing!"

Man, that cracked me up. :)


I'm off to Hotlanta for a whirlwind day-long seminar tomorrow(that I'm presenting with a last minute A-team of other teachers). I'll be back tomorrow evening and I'm am already visualizing myself getting up Sunday morning for my EIGHT mile long run. Wish me luck.

"I'm a winner, things are gonna change, I can feel it."

To: Jem
From: Fitness Program Manager

RE: Body Fat Loss Contest

Hey Jem,

I just wanted to say CONGRATS GIRL! 2% drop* in 4 weeks is really great progress. Its also just enough to inch past Susan (the other top female contender) to WIN THE CONTEST!!

I need to run it past our GM, but if he OKs it, I'll see if I can get you double the prize money for making you wait a few extra days to take your measurements.

See you in the club!

Best,
FPM


--------------

That's right! Chalk up a win for me! Whoo-hoo! I'm a winner!

*She said 2%, but it was really 1.3% total, but I lost 3.5 pounds too during that period (based on the gym scales and weighing in only at night).

-------------

Tuesday's 4 mile run (almost completely up/down hill--very little level ground)
Mile 1: 11:15
Mile 2: 12:00
Mile 3: 12:01
Mile 4: 12:44
Average: 12:00 minute miles!

Thursday's 4 mile run (there is a big hill at the end of the first mile that I run down and at the beginning of the fourth mile that I run up, then it's relatively level ground)
Mile 1: 10:56
Mile 2: 10:27
Mile 3: 11:55
Mile 4: 12:56 (includes walking up the hill)
Average: 11:33 minute miles!

I think on my long run this weekend, I won't be able to keep my pace this fast and still finish, but it is exciting to see that I'm improving!

---------
I went yesterday to the orthopedic surgeon's office to discuss my knees/hips/shoulders, all of which have various issues: knees hurt when running (just wanted to make sure I'm running as safely as possible), hips hurt when not active, shoulders are "crunchy", especially when I'm lifting.

He said that I have "bursitis" which is medical speak for inflammation of the bursa. What the hell is a bursa, you say? "A bursa is a fluid filled sac that allows smooth motion between two uneven surfaces. For example, in the hip, a bursa rests between the bony prominence over the outside of the hip (the greater trochanter) and the firm tendon that passed over this bone. When the bursal sac becomes inflamed, each time the tendon has to move over the bone, pain results."
It looks like this:


I've been prescribed a three week dose of Medrol, which is a steroid, although my Doctor was quick to point out it wasn't a "Barry Bonds" steroid. Let's look at the side effects, shall we?

Side effects include fluid retention, weight gain, high blood pressure, potassium loss, headache, muscle weakness, puffiness of the face, hair growth on the face, thinning and easy bruising of the skin, glaucoma, cataracts, peptic ulceration, worsening of diabetes, irregular menses, growth retardation in children, convulsions, and psychic disturbances. Psychic disturbances may include depression, euphoria, insomnia, mood swings, personality changes, and even psychotic behavior. (emphasis mine).

So, if I start gaining weight, sporting a beard, and wildly ranting, blame it on my hip, ok? :)

Title courtesy of Beck.

Body Fat, Awesome Stats, What is up with That?

Ok, seriously? My gym's body fat challenge finished YESTERDAY. Did I win? Did I lose body fat? Do I KNOW?

NO.

Why? Because some stupid woman at the club named Michelle "borrowed" the body fat measuring gadget and then locked it in her office SINCE LAST WEEK and NO ONE AT THE CLUB can figure out how to get it from her. Even though she works EVERY DAY. People, I am competitive, and there is nothing I like better than winning. How can I win when people named Michelle are thwarting me? How?? Arrgh. (Supposedly, I will go to the gym today and they will have the machine and I will be measured and I will win. I'll tell you later if that worked).

In other news:
This weekend, not only did I bike TEN miles to my cousin's house on Saturday, but I then ran SEVEN miles on Sunday. AND, AND, people? I ran the SEVEN miles in a record breaking (for me, which is what matters) 12:05 average mile! That is a minute off of my mile speed since I began training for this marathon, which is excellent! And, this morning, I ran four miles uphill both ways (seriously--I run uphill and then downhill and then turn around and run back uphill and then back downhill) and did it in 48:11, which means I still averaged a twelve minute mile, even running with a grade, which means I rock. :)

Also:
I've always had good teeth. I went all through school with no cavaties. UNTIL, right before law school my gma took me to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned and Dentist of Doom (DOD) said that I had THREE cavaties. Since I'd never had a cavity before and I was 24/25 years old, I figured my time had come and I had him fill them (without novacaine, which is a story for another day). Anyway, since these "cavities" have been filled, the ONLY teeth I've ever had a problem with are the teeth DOD messed with. In fact, I was recently talking to my mom about DOD and my stupid teeth and she said, oh, those? The dentist has been trying to convince us to fill those "cavities" since you were in elementary school. Which means, people, that THEY DIDN'T NEED TO BE FILLED. And I was bamboozled by DOD. And! Now! My Stupid Teeth Hurt! One of the fillings fell out last year and I haven't been back to the dentist (not DOD, because he is on my list, if you know what I mean) to get it fixed, because, guess what--once that stupid filling fell out, that tooth stopped hurting, so I just brush really well in the "space" where the filling was and screw the dentist. Last week, my other two fillings (they filled in the space between two of my upper molars) began hurting. Yesterday, I'm flossing and seriously, the pain that occurred when I got into the filling space was ridiculous. So, I look in the mirror, and what do you know, that filling has started coming out too. But this time, it hurts. So, now I'm going to have to find a dentist in my area (I haven't gone back to dentist since DOD, not because I'm afraid of dentists--see no novocaine--but because I think they are shady!) and have him clean my teeth and fix the filling and probably hear about how I MUST have x-rays and I have more "cavities" and I'm about to die. ARRGH.

In recap:
*Michelle is stupid, but I will win.
*I am an awesome runner.
*Teeth suck but only because dentists are lying liars.
*The Decider is insane. (That one's for you, dad).

Moses Challenge 2006

Today is weigh in day at Weight Watchers. Quick recap: I began WW April 21st, weighing in at 201.8 (this isn't a weight gain, their scale is just about 6 pounds heavier than my home scale, which tends to weigh people lighter). The first week, I lost 2.4, (199.4). Last week I lost 2.8,(196.6).

This week I lost .8 (195.8). That's 6 pounds in three weeks, which is great! I knew I had slowed down a bit this week, but it's still at a good rate and since the Moses Challenge is going to require me to write every bite, I know that next week I'll be able to post bigger losses. At weigh-in, there is one receptionist I know from my last time doing WW and I do *not* like her. I almost had to weigh in with her today, and was literally contemplating letting someone cut in front of me in line because I just KNEW that I'd post a gain if she weighed me.

I mentioned yesterday that Jacky and I decided to start our 42 day challenge today. (Pause: I'm reading my own post to see if I mentioned what I'm about to say here. Ok, nope, I didn't, we are good to go.) So she and I are chatting on IM (Google Chat is too new and cool to be blocked by law firms--yea!) and we have the following convo:

Jacky: I need a challenge. Can you create a challenge?
me: Yes, what kind? exercise?
Jacky: I was thinking a 40 days and 40 nights challenge.
me: ah, the ever popular "Moses" Challenge.
me: Wait, wasn't Moses in the desert for 40 years?
me: was that Jesus in the desert for 40 days?
me: was it Noah and the ark?
me: I'm going to hell.
Jacky: You are going to hell. :)
me: :)
Jacky: Well, let's at least leave good looking corpses!

And the Moses Challenge 2006 was born.

As I told you yesterday, we decided to draft up a contract for our MC'06. Actually, Jacky decided to draft up the contract. This morning, I recieved the following email:

From: Jacky@her job
To: Jem@gmail

Subject: Contract Attached

Per our discussion yesterday, please find attached the relevant contracts. Please review and sign if they meet your approval. Edits can still be made if you have questions or concerns regarding any of the clauses.

Jacky, JD.

And the attached contract (one in each of our names) reads as follows:

Agreement

This Agreement dated May 11, 2006 is by and between Jem "Mother Teresa"* Welsh (JW)and herself.

Background

In an effort to continue the stellar progress in her weight loss and personal health initiative, JW declares her intention to further challenge herself by partaking in the Moses Challenge of 2006 (the "Challenge"). The Challenge shall last for 42 days commencing on May 11, 2006 and concluding on June 22, 2006. The parties have the option to mutually extend teh contract up to and including July 7, 2006.

Intending to be legally, morally, and ethically bound, the parties agree as follows:

I. Obligations of JW

A. JW agrees to complete no less than three workouts per week for the duration of this contract.

B. JW agrees that the weekly workouts shall be of the intensity and duration to result in "28 points earned" based on the Weight Watchers® Points Booster tool. JW agrees that she will fairly and accurately assess the intensity of her workouts using the Points Booster tool. As a general rule, "high" intensity requires profuse sweating, huffing and puffing and the inability to carry on a conversation during the workout.

C. JW agrees to comport her eating with the guidelines set forth in the Weight Watchers program. This includes weekly attendance at meetings, tracking points on a daily basis (regardless of whether JW remains within her allotted points range for the day), and abiding by the 'healthy guidelines' set out in the program.

D. At the commencement of each week, JW agrees that she will establish her "weekly penalty." The weekly penalty will be enforced if JW does not abide by all rules set forth in Sections 1(A) and 1(B) above. The weekly penalty should be of sufficient deterrent effect to motivate JW to abide by said sections. Further, the weekly penalty will be enforced when JW fails to maintain her weight or fails to lose weight when weighed in at her official weekly weigh in.

E. At the commencement of each week, JW agrees that she will establish her “weekly reward.” The weekly reward will be enforced if JW abides by all rules set forth in Sections 1(A) and 1(B) above and either maintains or loses weight at her official weekly weigh in.

F. Further challenges and motivational tools may be implemented during this challenge upon consultation with legal counsel for JW (Jacky).

G. JW does agree to spend the weekend of July 7 at a beach of mutual agreement ("beach weekend") with Jacky. This agreement will be enforced by the threat of loss of friendship if this term is breached. Valid reasons for breaching this term are limited to death, dismemberment, hospitalization aid threat of termination from vocation.

H. Agreement to attend aforementioned beach weekend presupposes duties associated with consultation and/or procurement of suitable garments to wear during the beach weekend.

I. As often as practicable during the challenge, JW will provide motivational counseling to herself and to Jacky. JW agrees to 'initiate'** chats via gmail at more regular intervals than she has in the past.

Obligations of Jacky

A. In return for the concessions granted by JW in I(I), Jacky promises to provide reciprocal motivational counseling to JW during the challenge.

Signed:
Jem Welsh, May 11, 2006

Affirmed by:
Jacky, May 11, 2006


We are really fun, people. Fun!

*The nickname Mother Teresa occured as a result of the following chat.
Scene: Wednesday afternoon, Jacky & I discussing details of MC'06
me: What happens if we don't do it? Do we need a penalty?
Jacky: How about a penalty AND reward system?
me:Ok. Are we talking $$ penalty?
Jacky: I don't know. Where does the money go--to each other?
me: Oh! I know! What about a food penalty? like if you don't meet your goal, you can't have chocolate for the next week?
Jacky: oh boy! or no alcohol for the week (gasp)!
me: whatever hits the hardest. No ice cream bars! Ahhh!
Jacky: so, for the reward, we flip it around? Say you get chocolate if you meet your goal? Or would that be counterintuitive?
me: you can't have food rewards. it's bad psychology.
Jacky: ok pysch guru.
me: well, isn't food rewarding what got us here in the FIRST place? (I DESERVE chocolate, dammit!)
Jacky: Yeah, apparantly I deserved A LOT of food.
me: please. According to my starting weight, I was a freaking Mother Teresa shoe-in.
Jacky: HA! LOL!
me: I'm seriously laughing out loud!
Jacky: me too! I think I just snorted.
me: we are so funny.

**Apparantly, we need couple's therapy. I don't "initiate" enough. :P

Aren't you lucky?

In an effort to update more often, especially since I keep pimping this blog to my support group (hi support group!), I realized that a) I have to write more and b) I have to stop writing so many freaking long posts.

So I'm going to try writing more often but shorter, more interestinger (it's a word, trust me) posts in the next few weeks. We'll see how it all pans out.

Things I want to discuss:
* Body Fat Challenge at my gym. I am weighing in tonight because I skipped the gym Monday night (remember the SIX miles on Monday morning, though?) and last night the person who had the body fat gadget had locked the office and so I couldn't get measured. BUT, the trainer in charge told me (after I asked/begged to know) that I was in the lead for the females, which Yea! We'll see how this week goes, and MONDAY (like 5 days from now) is the last weigh in, so I don't have a ton of time to mitigate if I'm not winning after tonight's weigh in.

* Weight Watchers. My friend Jacky is a lifetime WW member and has also resigned up to help her kick it into gear in anticipation of her wedding that is seriously 8,000 years away from now (september 2007!). We also did WW together back in 2001-2, so we are old hands at it. In order to add to our "challenge" (read: personal accountability), we devised a 6 week WW contract with each other. (Seriously, this is how lawyers have fun). We have to get in our 28 activity points each week (you earn activity points by exercising, but based on your "intensity level" and your weight, you earn different amounts. For example, running for a 1/2 hour equals 4 activity points, but it would take about 80-90 minutes of walking at a normal (not brisk) pace to earn 4 points). And, because the point of this is to exercise more frequently, we instituted a minimum 3x per week exercising clause (again, we're lawyers--what do you expect?) We also have to either maintain or lose weight each week (no gains). If we meet our goals, we get a reward (that we've chosen the week before); for example, purchase a magazine, go to a movie, etc. If we DON'T meet our goals, we get a food penalty (like no ice cream for the week). At the end of the 6 weeks, we are going to the beach for the weekend as our treat. And, we both weigh in on thursdays for WW, so we are starting tomorrow.

Can you tell I like having challenges? :)

On Marathon Training

I ran SIX miles today. I was supposed to run six miles on Sunday, but after my weekend o’ driving (I literally drove 1,200 miles in the span of 43 hours), I needed some down time. I got home about 1am on Saturday night (Sunday morning, to be precise) and slept until noon. I got up and had some lunch and then went back to bed at 1:00pm until 5:00pm! I got up again and had dinner, read a book, watched a movie (Dodgeball—ESPN 8: The Ocho is still cracking me up today for whatever reason. I wish there was an “Ocho” because it would probably show past years of Spelling Bees, Scrabble Tournaments, and even RPS Tourneys, which would be so awesome!), and was back in bed by 11pm. I guess I needed the sleep, eh?

So, anyway, I ran SIX miles (when you run SIX miles, you must put the number SIX in all caps because SIX miles is a lot of miles) this morning to make up for my non-run Sunday. I got this coolio new GPS gadget from Garmin called the Forerunner 101. It was $99 at Target. I wanted a GPS thingy because now that I am running distances like SIX miles, I wanted an easy way to track when I need to turn around and begin running back home. Instead of walking/metro/driving to a location where I run, I just start running from my apartment and run to the trail. When I was running 3 or 4 miles, running through the zoo was a pretty good route. But with longer runs, I need to run through Rock Creek Park, and there are no good markers on a park trail that I can look up on a map and say, “Oh, here is the three mile mark.” Hence, the GPS thingy. (OK, and I like having fun gadgets. But it’s a necessary fun gadget, so there!)

It took me forever to calibrate it to find a satellite signal when I first bought, so I didn’t actually use it for two weeks. Why did it take me forever? Because the instructions said to stand outside in one place for 15-20 minutes to allow the satellite to home in on the GPS thingy. And, peeps, standing outside in one place for 15-20 minutes sounded lame to Ms. Busy Important me, so instead I put it on a window ledge in my apartment for 45 minutes. Which didn’t work. So then I waited a week and put it on the window ledge at work for an hour. Which still didn’t work. Then I stood outside for 15-20 minutes outside my work building, which happens to be in a “weak signal” area. So that didn’t work. Then, Ms. Smartypants decided to move to the corner so there weren’t so many tall buildings obstructing the flow of satellite goodness from space to my wrist, where my preciousssss forerunner was perched, and guess what? It worked!

In addition to the obvious features (GPS mapping, distance & time measurements), the F101 has a really cool Virtual Trainer feature. You program in the distance you want to run and the time you want to run it in and the screen shows two stick figures running—you and your “trainer.” Your trainer will always run at your preset time/distance figure and your stick figure will track your actual time/distance in real time. Then the screen will show you how far ahead (or behind) you are from the trainer. I used this function on my first SIX mile run and it was pretty cool. I plugged in a 13 minute/mile pace for SIX miles and ended up beating the trainer by 2 ½ minutes, which was good for my competitive self.

The F101 also has auto lap and auto stop features, so it can break down your running time per mile for every mile of your SIX mile run and when you stop to wait for traffic at an intersection, it pauses your timer, so you get an accurate count of distance/time. Using these features, I found that I ran the first mile (which also happens to be the most downhill mile) in 11:16 (2 minutes faster than my 13 min/mile pace!). I ran my second and third miles at 12 minutes (12:11, 12:08, both slightly downhill, or at least down grade). Running back uphill (and obviously in the last half on my run), I ran a 13:05 mile 4, 13:25 mile 5, and a 13:23 mile 6, which is pretty good considering the last part of my five and first part of mile six cover a hill that I have to walk up, which slows my time quite a bit. So, my average pace has improved from a 13 minute mile to a 12:35 minute mile, even with terrain, which is excellent!

Given that it’s only May and I don’t run the marathon until the end of October, I feel like I might even be able to shave some significant time off my pace before then. I’m going to be happy just finishing the race, because that is a huge accomplishment in and of itself, but I’d really like to finish in under 5 hours, which means having an AVERAGE pace of 11:27 or better over the 26.2 miles.

And, I’m running a 10k in June (which I may have mentioned before but am too lazy to go look at my archives and see), and I just realized that I pretty much ran a 10K on Monday, because a 10K is 6.2 miles! Sweet, huh?

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

So, the good thing about having a blog is that you have a place to blather on about nonsense. The bad thing about having a blog is that you have a place to blather on about nonsense AND people read it!

Apparantly, I can only write here once every two weeks. In my head, I'm a daily blogger, but I just don't have time to log on, write and blah, blah, so two weeks it is. And, you will LIKE it. :)

Ok, updates.
First, I joined Weight Watchers (WW) on April 21st They had a plan where you buy ten weeks for $120, which I did. Regular price is $14, so I get $2 off for signing up, plus the benefit of having the "sunk cost" in WW, so I might as well attend. I weighed in at 201.8, which is so evil of the WW scale!

The first week was a really bad week for me, eating-wise. I was really really busy (see the schedule below), and I pulled more than one all-nighter and I just ate whatever I wanted and snacked whenever I wanted. I think one of my BEST days that week was a 43 point day (I get 24 points per day). But, I was faithful to my marathon training program and exercise in general. Actually, the thing I was most proud of that week was that while I was in NYC on business, I woke up EARLY (6:30am) and ran 2.5 miles in Central Park before going to my business meetings for the day--that is dedication, people!! When I weighed in the next week, I'd lost 2.4 lbs!! Which seems crazy, but I think the combo of increased metabolism from all the working out + heavy day 1 weigh-in + malabsorption (even if I count all 43 points, my body isn't able to digest all the calories from those meals, so I'm "eating" less calorically then I say I'm eating) contributed to the loss.

Obviously, losing 2.4 was a big boost, so I really stepped up my game in week two. I still had some issues with snacking, but was overall much more in control of eating (it's easier than you'd think to combine the protein!protein!protein! mantra of WLS with the points-system of WW), and kept up again with the training. My mom was in town for much of this week, and she was in constant awe of how much more active I am. She couldn't believe it when I got up early TWICE during the weekend to run before starting our day, including a Sunday morning run of 5.5 miles!! In my weigh-in this week, I'd lost 2.8 pounds, for a total loss of 5.2 pounds in two weeks!! I'm excited that my plan of using WW to bust my plateau has actually come to fruition. In fact, this week, I saw 189 for the first time EVER on my home scale, which was capital-A Awesome!


It was also interesting to me to see how much my weight had effected our visits in the past and how her weight still contributed to the "shape" of our visits. In the past, my mom would always have been more active than me--I was such a slug, especially when I had "down time." Even she commented that I used to always ask people to get things for me and now I'm go, go, go. And that was weird because I had to slow down my pace a lot to accomodate my mom in terms of walking and just doing stuff all day long. This isn't really a cut on my mom, it was just a realization to me of how much I'd changed because normally she would be setting the pace and I'd be trying to keep up with her, not the other way around.

Attitude:
I've been doing a lof of thinking (or reflecting, as the therapists like to call it) about the impact of attitude on my environment. I recently reread a chapter in Scott Adam's The Dilbert Future on affirmations. That chapter really had an impact on me the first time I read it and had an equal impact the second time. Basically, Scott Adams writes about discovering affirmations (short, present-tense, positive, declarative sentences repeated daily to oneself, e.g., I, Jem Welsh, am a millionaire). Scott has used affirmations to help him achieve his desired score on the GMAT (business school entrance exam), overcome a medical scare, become a successful cartoonist, and I'm sure more.

What really impacted me about this chapter is a) you don't have to believe the affirmation, you just have to repeat it and b) it produces results that cannot be explained by conscious behavior alone. While I haven't taken the time to write any affirmations down, I've been conscious (however you spell that freaking word) recently of having very positive self talk, even when I don't believe it AND trying to find the positive aspect to every situation. I cannot tell you how much this has helped me the last few weeks! (Well, I can, see the 5.2 pound weight loss above!). But not just weight loss--it's like life is a little easier to deal with when you don't waste energy focusing on the bad or lamenting the impossible.

Case in point: Last week, I had a huge grant due to the local government by 4pm on Thursday (huge in terms of 25-30 pages of writing and worth upwords of $1 million if we get approved). I also had a huge proposal due at midnight on Wednesday (about 15 pages and worth at least $150,000). I finished the Wednesday proposal at 12:30am and turned it in and then had nothing left to give the Thursday grant (and I KNOW I shouldn've waited until the last minute, but hindsight, ok?). So, I crashed on a couch in my office for a couple of hours to recharge to do another marathon writing session. The whole rest of the day Thursday was a blur--I was shouting orders across the office for so and so to research this issue and so and so to write this criteria, meanwhile, I'm trying to get the budget from my boss, who was in Turkey at the time, and my version of word keeps crashing. All of a sudden, it's 3pm and we're not finished. It's 3:30pm, and we are frantically plugging in the last pieces of the puzzle when my computer crashes again and I lose 40 minutes of data. It's 3:45pm and we are copying papers like mad. The proposal must be delivered to a location that is technically 4 minutes away by car, but seriously, it's maybe 10 minutes away by cop car with lights, given the traffic. At 3:55pm, I literally run out of the office and hop into a cab practically screaming at the guy to break every traffic law to get to this address and I'll make it worth his while. For a minute in the office around 3:46pm, my heart sunk because I KNEW we weren't going to get the proposal in on time and I'd have to tell my boss that I lost us a million bucks. Then, I pushed the thought aside (visiously) and concentrated on HOW we were going to make it happen. The contractor who collects proposals has a hard and fast rule that there are NO late proposals. I call her on her cell phone at 3:58pm when I am ten blocks away. She tells me that it is already 4pm and she's leaving the office. I respond, "Honestly! It isn't yet 4pm. Seriously!" She asks me how far away I am. I tell her ten blocks. She says curtly, "You have 5 minutes," and hangs up the phone. I shout at the driver some more--cut off that van, run this light, pass him in the oncoming traffic lane, GO, GO, GO! About a block and a half away, we are stuck at a light at a busy intersection. I throw a $20 at the cabbie, leap out of the car and dodge traffic, running the last block and a half to my destination. I buzz in and the woman is all packed and on her way out the door (for the second time). She accepts our proposal and walks me out the door. I collapse back into the cab and phone the office to let them know we made it.

Honestly, though, I don't believe that we DID make it. This woman is a STICKLER on time and we were definitely late. I have to believe that me spending the last 14 minutes before 4pm working out how I could make it happen instead of lamenting on how it wouldn't happen made all the difference.

I'm in the education business, so I am frequently in a position to give advice to students (and teachers). A few weeks ago, I spoke with a small group of 8th graders about attending college. Actually, I was kind of pissed that I was speaking to these kids (although they would never have known it) because the group that I was donating my services had told me I'd be speaking to 300-400 high schoolers in four groups and instead I spoke to about 15 high schoolers and 13 8th graders over the course of EIGHT hours. (That is non-profit planning for you.) Anyway, so I don't have any "real" material for these kids--I'm supposed to be talking to 10th and 11th graders about SAT's and ACT's, college applications and financial aid and it is just cruel to get 13 and 14 year olds all worked up about a standardized test they won't be taking for THREE more years. So instead, I'm just speaking off the cuff on why it is important to do well in school starting in 9th grade and how decisions they make now really do impact their future (in terms of colleges/financial aid, which then determines career paths, etc).

A couple of the students began complaining about how so and so was a bad teacher and they were getting bad grades in his or her class but it wasn't their fault because (blah, blah, blah). I instantly took a stand on this issue. I said if they didn't understand the material b/c the teacher wasn't explaining it well, talk to the teacher after class to get more help, or go to another teacher of the same subject who you do have a repore (sp?) with, or go to the tutoring center--basically, FIND HELP and don't stop until you get it. And, if they were getting a poor grade because the teacher is *ist (fill in the *), then advocate on your behalf--talk to a counselor, or a parent, or a mentor, or your principal, or another teacher, but don't stop talking until the situation is resolved to your satisfaction. I ended my mini-rant (but rant in a good, high energy way) by saying that the student's future was up to THEM and THEM alone. It is great when everything works out well and you love all your teachers and your parents are super supportive and, and, and. But if it isn't all roses and sunshine, then what? Do you just give up on your dream? Just tell people that you aren't a doctor because your chemistry teacher was mean? You can't let ANYONE or ANYTHING get in the way of achieving your goals. YOU are the master of your destiny. YOU decide what you want and stop at nothing to get it.

While that powered up the 8th graders for a minute there, I can't believe what an impact those words had on ME. Really. I'm a lawyer (at least by education). I'm trained to advocate on behalf of others. And ask any of my friends or family members--I'm a absolute pitbull when someone is being treated unfairly (or just read the post about my dad being in the hospital--that should give you some idea of how I can get). For anyone I love, I would go to ANY LENGTHS to make their situation better. And, I know I can do the same for myself.

Today, for example. I'm tired. I got up at 3:30am to drive to West Virginia to pick up D, one of my students who finished up his freshman year of college and needed a ride home (with an entire dorm room full of stuff). It's 8pm and I have to be back up at 7am to drive six hours down to North Carolina so another student of mine can visit her top choice school, NC State. It'll probably be midnight before I get back home tomorrow. I DESERVE to rest, right? But, I want to run this marathon in October. And my training says I need to run 3 miles twice a week and 1 long run on the weekend. If I don't run tonight, I'll have missed one of my 3 mile runs for the week and have to run the 6 mile run on Sunday on just 1 day of run-training. So, I do deserve to rest, but I also deserve to push myself to meet the goals I set for myself. With NO excuses. I could have run on Tuesday, but I was tired then too. I could have left work earlier to run today. Since I've already made those choices, I just have to deal with the choice I have left--to honor my commitment to myself or to succumb to the "reasons why I can't/won't/don't/didn't .....".

Have a great weekend--I've got to run. :)

Jem