Day 5, Week 13: Running with the large dog--Another unhelpful FAQ

It's Thursday, people, and that means I have to get up an hour earlier than normal to get to work super early (it's a regular Thursday thing).  Since "an hour earlier" means "3 AM," I wisely schedule a short 3 mile run as a workout on Thursdays.  I got the large dog in his running duds and away we went into the darkness.

Too cool to look at the camera.

Now, I get a lot of questions about running with large dog so I put together this helpful FAQ for everyone, because we all know how helpful my FAQs are.  (Clarification:  They're not.)

Did you have to teach your dog to run with you or did he just, you know, run with you?

I had to teach him how to behave on a leash first.  And by "behave" I mean "walking without having to sniff every piece of gravel and blade of grass while pulling as hard as he can on the leash, almost tearing my arm out of its socket."  After he learned how to behave, we went for longer and longer walks.  And then that progressed to slow runs, and, then, you know, to faster and longer runs.

Why did you want to run with your dog, anyway?

Because I like my drywall and baseboards where they are instead of in his stomach.  Also, the cats don't like being covered in slobber, either.

Does running wear your dog out, then?

Let's just say that after a run, the cats' heads are safe for about 10 minutes.  Then they better take cover.

Does running with a dog affect your pace at all?

Large dog runs like a complete rookie every single time--he starts out too fast and then, just when you need him to pull you through the last few miles of that 10 mile tempo, he bails on you and finally starts running beside you.

Also, him yanking me into ditches for no reason and trying to chase cars by yanking you in the opposite direction does tend to slow your pace.

Does it ever bother you to run with a dog?

Well, besides the aforementioned ditch-yanking and car-chasing, he also constantly turns around to check to see if I'm still behind him.

"Still there?  Good."........"Still there?  Good.".........."Still there?  Good."........ times 3,000,000.

Buh.

Do you take him to races?

Yes.  And everyone cheers him on when they first see him coming.  But then, when they see me attached to him, start half heartedly rooting for me as an afterthought.

Do the cats ever thank you for taking him running and saving their heads?

No.  Because they are cats.  They punish me for the head-eating by touching me with their claws on my face at 2:30 AM.



After the run, small dog kept photobombing my post-run selfie and the phone kept taking pictures as I tried to shoo him out of the selfie area.

I think he just couldn't keep himself away from my running outfit.  I have to admit it was pretty much a train wreck; you just can't look away from something that looks that bad.  But when it's 3:45 AM and you're getting dressed for a run, making sure your clothes coordinate isn't exactly a priority.

Large dog, however, thought my prioritization skills when dressing for work worked out nicely.

Nice outfit.  Now for some cat heads.

This is proof I don't exist entirely in running clothes.  Although that sure would be nice.



From this post we have learned:

• I still suck at writing FAQs.
• That is one of the best night running selfies I've ever taken.
• I think large dog thinks we're training for an obstacle course race with all that ditch-yanking and car chasing.
• Cats.  They never appreciate anything you do for them.
• Those boots make my feet look huge.  Because they are, I guess (9.5).

Tomorrow's workout: My last tempo on the training schedule!  And of course it's at the fastest tempo pace of the plan!

Day 4, Week 13: 4 pictures, 4 sentences, 3 race photos, 1 barbell.

Picture #1: I was stupid like I said I would be at the end of yesterday's post and did Cathe's Boot Camp because, well...barbell.

I see you judging my puny weight selection.  Knock it off.

Picture #2: Race photo from Saturday be like SURPRISE I'M RUNNING A HALF MARATHON, Race Photographer!

Picture #3: I'd like it known that in this race photo I am NOT ruining it for the runner in front of me, even though I totally should have because she passed me in the finish chute.

Picture #4: Face translation: I may be at the finish line but *REALLYbadword* I have to run back to my car now.

And these photos have taught us that:

• I can take serious race photos when I've really run 20 miles instead of 13.
• I listened to the same four songs for the entire race, like "I have these four songs...I'm good."
• My race bib-putting-on skills need some work.
• Using my barbell, like remembering being chased by goats, always makes me smile.
• I obviously did not have a ton of time to post today so these four pictures are all you're getting, bucko.

Tomorrow's workout: More running with large dog in the 4 AM dark.

Day 3, Week 13: My running guilty pleasures which may or may not include jazz hands.

This morning I just hung around on my treadmill and did a little speed work.

Managed to convince the cat to get some exercise, too.

It was a 5 x 1000m repeat session, which I breezed through unlike last week's 8 x 800m workout.  This is because I was smart enough to crank up my headphones this time so as to not hear how badly my lungs were wheezing their way through those 1000s.  I also did not watch the little dot move slowly around the track for the entire workout, and instead actually looked up at the TV every once in a while.  One thing I did do during my recoveries (200m of walking) was start singing to whatever song was on my headphones, which accidentally woke up the hubbs.  Here's the exchange we had after he came downstairs to find out what the heck was happening:

Hubbs:  What was that noise?  Is everything OK?!?

Me: What noise?  The treadmill?

Hubbs: No; the other noise.  The high-pitched irritating noise I just heard.

Me: ........you mean when I was singing?

Hubbs: .*turns around and walks back upstairs*


I felt so guilty about waking him up I took a post-run mugshot.

WANTED: Singing horribly while running

(Confession: I didn't really feel guilty.  This is the same man that wakes me up almost every night by yelling at the dogs not to tromp on me and wake me up.  And those dogs don't feel guilty about that at all.  See evidence on non-guilt below.)

Guilt level: ZERO

Singing on the treadmill is one of my running guilty pleasures.  I know other runners have their own guilty pleasures, but here's the rest of those little things I love to do that I would never actually do when not dressed in running gear:

• Sneakily pacing someone during a race.  I know I can ask to run with people and most will gladly oblige, but I do like being in stealth pace mode for some reason.
• Snot rockets.  Lots of snot rockets.
• Counting how many people are wearing colored tights vs. black tights during a race.  This helps the time pass by a little easier.
• Justifying a new running shoe purchase with "BUT I HAVE A MARATHON COMING UP AND I NEED THEM" (To which the correct reply is "You always have a marathon coming up!")
• Listening to lots of dance/club remixes of songs while running and always being one second away from head-titling to that dance beat like the SNL Roxbury guys.
• Justifying buying a slew of new dance club remixes from iTunes with "BUT I HAVE A MARATHON COMING UP" (see the correct reply above)
• Continually signing up for marathons.
• And finally....post-run jazz hands.

In front of caricatures of me and da hubbs, no less.

Prepare yourself for the learnings coming at you right now:

• I'm convinced the only reason hubbs puts up with my running quirks is the fact that he ran cross country in high school.  
• I also tell hubbs he has to put up with my running stuff because it was in the wedding vows but he just doesn't remember it
• How do other runners not snot rocket during a cold race?  If I don't I will suffocate on my own phlegm.
• Any purchase that is related to running is always justified.  Because I said so.

Tomorrow's workout: A weight workout of some kind.  I'll probably be stupid and do some Boot Camp, though.

Day 2, Week 13: 4 pictures, 4 sentences, 1 happy dog, 2 relieved cats.

Picture 1: Cats be like PLEASE HYOOMAN take large dog for a run he keeps eating our heads.

Picture #2: Large dog and I went for that run this morning, but it's hard to take pictures in the 5:30 AM dark so you'll have to settle for this intensely accurate indoor re-creation.

Picture #3: Large dog was pleased with the three miles we did and his face gave it five stars.

Picture #4: It is completely unfair that I can't wear running clothes to work.

A few learnings from the above pics:

• I love how large dog is sleeping in my running re-creation.
• It's always time to run the dog when you come home and the cats' heads are crusty with dog slobber
• If I could wear nothing but running gear all the time my life would be so much happier.
• Have I ever posted a picture of me without a running hat on before?  I can't remember.

Tomorrow's workout: The 5 x 1000m workout is making a comeback from the first weeks of training.

Day 1, Week 13: A little heavy weight-lifting & a little freakout about fat.

This Sunday was a weird day.  I normally procrastinate all day long about doing my long run, and then finally suck it up and go out and do it and then get angry that I had to do the last of it in the dark.  But since I ran long yesterday, I had to do something different.  And by "different" I mean "lift heavy weights."

I did lift more than one at a time I swears.

I did my usual Cathe Ramped Up Upper Body, also with the usual dog obstacles in my workout space.

But I knew this would be the last time I would be doing this type of heavy lifting because it's taper time, kiddos.  The mileage will be reduced, the weights will be lighter, and everything will be geared towards making sure I have enough energy to run 26.2 miles at a 9:20 pace so I can cross the finish line at the Dallas Marathon in a 4:05.

And that means I don't have energy for freaking out like I did this morning about the tank top I was wearing for my workout.

That tank top was new, and I had bought it months ago but had never had a chance to wear it because it got buried in my dresser drawer.  I put it on, looked in the mirror, and then promptly freaked out about how fat I looked like OMG LOOK AT ME I AM HUGE.

Now, we all know that statement is complete nonsense because huge is what I used to be, not what I am now.  But hey--old habits die hard when you were once a size 22, and since you're trained basically from birth to be entirely overcritical of your body if you are female.  So what's a girl to do when she's in the middle of a "I'm so fat" freak-out?

Take ridiculous selfies, of course, to make yourself realize it's not as bad as it seems.

Embrace my mid-section fatness.

Maximum ridiculousness here.

See?  I did lift 2 weights at once.

Ridiculousness always makes me feel better.  And realizing that I am not defined by my perceived fatness makes me feel better, too.  While I could have ripped off that tank top off and put on a big baggy t-shirt, I was determined to show that shirt who was boss.  I kept it on and realized about 15 minutes into the workout that I didn't care how fat I felt in the shirt--I was too busy concentrating on how well those heavy weights were being lifted and not letting Cathe down.  Or letting the weights fall down on my head.

I'm glad I spent more energy on the workout than obsessing how I looked in a shirt that no one was going to see me in (until I decided to post those ridiculous selfies, that is).  From here on out, I resolve to not freak out about how I look in anything and instead spend way more time freaking out about hitting my time goal in Dallas in a few weeks.

And here we go with the learnings again:

• While I still think skinny doesn't equal pretty, it doesn't stop me from freaking out about looking fat.  I'm working on it.
• If you're ever in the middle of a downward spiral of "I'm so fat"-ness, ridiculous selfies are always sure to drag you out of it and give you a new perspective.
• Animals in my workout area.  The struggle continues.
• The freaking out about hitting my time goal has begun.  You have been warned.

Tomorrow's workout:  An easy early-morning run with large dog.  He hasn't been run in a week, so here's to hoping I won't get dragged into a ditch every 3 minutes.

Day 7, Week 12: A 20 mile run masquerading as a half marathon.

Because I am apparently addicted to Turkey Trots, in addition to the 4-mile one I busted out on Thursday I ran another one this morning that was a half-marathon. 

You already knew, however, that I was going to turn this race into the 20 mile long run that I missed last weekend because I am a complete idiot who knows better than to try and make up miles...but I will do it anyway.  Let's talk about how those miles went, shall we? 

Well, we'll talk about them after we admire how awesome my crop tights were that I wore to the race:

They have POCKETS, people.  So awesome.

OK, admiration complete.  On to the race recap.

The morning started with me getting up at my normal time and driving about an hour to the race location.  It happened to be in a scenic forest preserve that has copious amounts of running paths.  I know this because this was the same half marathon at which I first broke the 2 hour mark, so this race is kind of special to me.

All the specialness is just shining down.

Look!  Water! You don't see that every day.

I then busted out 5 pre-race miles on the paths around the start line because I figured getting more miles in before the race started was better than having to do all 7 of the extra miles afterwards.  And by now I think we all know that anytime I say "I'll do it later" that "later" really means "lol never, suckers."

By the way, the last 0.2 of those 5 miles were spent dodging members of the lead pack of the 5K that were barreling towards me on the path.  That sure will get the heart rate in the zone, let me tell you.

Afterwards, I spent some time running little distances to the port-a-john (always a must), as well as back and forth to my car to ditch that sweatshirt and grab extra gels.  I did record those itty bitty distances because every little bit counts, doesn't it, when you're trying to make a 20 miler out of a 13.

The 0.25 is what happened pre-race.  Obviously, the 13.13 distance is the actual race itself, which considering there was a freaking strong, cold, and gusty wind the entire time, went pretty well. 

I have no idea what my hand means.  It was early.

Well, the race went well except for the fact that I was supposed to run the damn thing at a 9:35 pace and, as you can see, it ended up being at a 9:15 pace.  While I had a few 9:30 splits, my legs again decided to not listen to me at ALL and do their own thing.

I kept trying to get behind people and pace them to slow down, but I think the sound of my breathing/wheezing was forcing them to slow down to look at whatever was making that noise (me), so I just had to keep passing them one after the other.  And then the finish was upon me, where I grabbed the boxed water they were handing out (yes, boxed!), squatted a bit to stretch my quads out, and then walked back to the 13th mile marker and started running the 1.5-ish miles back to my car.

Now, I know you read the end of that last sentence and were all like, "Yes, Terie, it makes perfect sense that you would run back to your car after running 18-ish miles, 13 of which were a race."  OK, maybe you were more like "crazy woman you RAN back to your CAR?!?" Yes, I did.  That was by design.  I could have taken the shuttle back to my car, but I knew getting back to my car was pretty good motivation for me to finish off those 20 miles.

Plus I have taken the shuttle before.  It takes forever.  It was faster just to run back to the car, trust me. 

Once I got back to that car I tried to take a cool pic of me with my medal but the wind kept making the ribbon do weird things so instead I got one that looks like I'm strangling myself with it.

When I got home and showed large dog my medal, he was highly impressed, especially with the fact that I managed to make a half marathon turn into a 20 miler.

Just oozing with being impressed.

Post is done, learning has begun:

• Can you tell that's my fave running hat since it's in almost all my race pics?  
• Even if large dog isn't, I am impressed that I actually pulled off 20 miles today.  I thought for sure I'd wimp out and just do the race.
• When I was running back to my car, people finishing the race kept telling me I was running the wrong way.
• When I told those same people I had already finished, one of them yelled, "And you're *reallybadword* still running?!?"
• Hubbs wants it noted on record that I am, indeed, a crazy woman.

Tomorrow's workout:  I honestly have no idea.  Maybe weights?  Maybe yoga?  I'm all discombobulated because I ran long on a Saturday instead of a Sunday.  Stay tuned or the resolution of this fitness cliffhanger tomorrow.

Day 6, Week 12: Yet another post about weight lifting on my running blog.

Everyone has a favorite number.  I have several favorite numbers; let me show you what they are:

These are most of the delicious weights you get to use in Cathe's Total Body Giant Sets, along with my beloved barbell and a sliding disc to make some of the leg exercises that much tougher.  The woman does not play in this video-while the sets aren't that long for each exercise, the weights are pretty challenging.  Lift big or go home, indeed.  Well, you would go home if you weren't already working out in your home.

Anyway, I've learned a lot about my fitness capabilities since doing Cathe's Strong and Sweaty series.  While I've been doing Cathe for quite some time, this series has really done a lot for helping me look like I actually have muscles as well as helping my running and cycling prowess.  Below is a nice list of what this series has done for me because it has been way too long since I overwhelmed everyone with bullet points.

• This series helped me see that I can use all my big girl weights more than I thought I could.  Before this series, those 25s and that 30 pound weight was for back work only; this series has forced me to use those for some of my upper body exercises, which a year ago would have been nothing but crazy talk.  You never know what you can do until you push yourself.
• I now know that heavy weight work can also work your heart rate.  The "sweaty" part of the title is serious-Cathe has put together some exercises in all of the workouts that get your heart rate pumping.  And, as someone who is constantly training for a race, I appreciate the fact that I can sneak cardio in during a weight workout that is also helping me get swole.
• I understand that you can always have more barbell.  While Cathe doesn't use the barbell in all of the workouts in this series, when she does its use isn't gratuitous (meaning it's not just thrown in as a gimmick). The boot camp workout in this series uses the barbell in every single set, which as a barbell lover I greatly appreciate.  
• If I use 20 pound weights on my chest presses instead of 15s I will not die like I previously thought I would before the Strong and Sweaty series.  Evidence that I survived (along with an awesome bonus shot of my armpit) is below.

• Workout supervisors are still easily surprised when caught sleeping on the job.

• Weight workouts don't have to be long and boring in order to be effective.  Cathe used to be a little notorious for longer workouts and in some series she has there are a lot of repeated exercises (Low Impact Series, for example).  I'm glad this series is structured differently--the sets are pretty short but the exercises and weights are obviously chosen for maximum effectiveness.  And because the sets are short and she doesn't repeat exercises that often, the workouts move along pretty quickly without me ever wondering when the heck the set will be over.
• Large dog will never be impressed with my weight workouts.  Ever.

And now for more bullet points in the form of learnings:

• I meant that whole "you never know what you can do until you push yourself" stuff.  That's true for weights, running, your job, life, etc.
• I got a fever, and the only prescription is more barbell.
• You're welcome for that shot of my armpit.  It's a refreshing change from sweaty running pictures in front of creepy children statues, I bet.
• In terms of workout supervisors, I guess I can't expect any better considering they just work for treats and whatever large dog can steal off the counter when we're not looking.

Tomorrow's workout: I have a little half marathon race that I'm turning into a 20 miler.  More about how well that goes later...

Day 5, Week 12: Turkey trotting and dogs in ties.

It's Thanksgiving, and to runners that only means one thing:  All nonrunners have a day where they are free to eat like runners without all that crazy "running."

Just kidding!  It really means that we runners get up early, suit up, and get out there and turkey trot 'til we can't trot no more.  At least, that's what I did.

I did a mile warm-up and then the plan was to run the 4 miles at my moderate tempo pace (8:48), because that was the run that was on the schedule.  As you can see above, that didn't happen.  It, like, WAY didn't happen. For some reason my legs were all like "WE WILL RUN THIS AS FAST AS WE WANT WHEEEEEE" and took off without me.  The only reason that first mile was slower than the rest was because those legs of mine had to dodge and weave around a lot of people that were walking or running slower than me. 

The overall result of my legs taking over?  13th out of 133 in my age group.  For this 42-year-old bird, I'll take it.  I'll also take the awesome tights I was wearing any day of the week.  And night, for that matter.

I also saw a man just walking his pig and some statues of children playing whatever game it is that they are playing...for eternity.

I don't try to explain these things.  I just show up for the turkey trot.

Anyway, after the race I went home properly ready for all of the food I was about to inhale in the name of family, togetherness, and giving thanks.  So the hubbs and I put on our best "You better not run out of turkey or you're gonna get it" faces and headed to where our family feast was being held.

The dogs had gotten dressed in their Thanksgiving best to go to dinner but, unfortunately, I had to break it to them that they couldn't go with us.  And then I prayed there wouldn't be any new holes in the drywall or carpet ripped up whilst we were feasting without them.

Even though the dogs weren't with us, the feast was good, the conversation abundant, and it was a nice time to get together with family.  Now I have to think about how I'm going to burn off all of the pumpkin bars I ate during this gathering of family and food.

Thanksgiving learnings coming at you right....NOW:

• Not gonna lie--I was pushing the pace into the 7s during the race and had to stop and walk two times to force myself to slow down.  It didn't work because my legs were in charge, after all.
• You could tell I hadn't run in the 7s in a long time by the loudness of my breathing during the race, which some might call "wheezing"
• Those children statues?  Creeptastic.
• Don't worry-there was plenty of turkey.  We didn't have to rough anyone up.
• While we came home to no new drywall holes or carpet tears, one of my defenseless socks was heavily molested while we were gone.

Tomorrow's workout: Total body weights coming a day early...I'll explain tomorrow.

Day 4, Week 12: Workout-interrupting animals. Buh.

1) When you just want to do the tricep kickbacks in Cathe's PHA workout but, you know, animal interference...

I'm so over those kickbacks.  And animals in my workout space.

2) And when the cat refuses to get off your mat so you can do your ab workout...

Hyooman.  Scram. 

3) ...you feel like you ran an obstacle course full of cute yet stubborn animals rather than a sweaty and awesome weight and ab workout so it's time to rejoice just completing the damn thing.

Please note self-satisfied workout-interrupting animal smugly snoozing on the couch behind me.

And what have we learned?

• An animal will always be right behind you when you're trying to do step-ups on your step to be stepped on.
• Any stepped-on animals will glare at you and you will worry about what you will find when you come home.
• Cats are naturally attracted to mats.  FYI.
• I'm convinced this is payback for leaving them at camp/home alone all last weekend.
• There ain't nothing like a cat grabbing your arm with its claws every time your elbow comes down during chest presses on the step.  

Tomorrow's workout: A tempo run that will look a lot like a 4 mile Turkey Trot to show I am thankful for the food I will devour afterwards.

Day 3, Week 12: A peek into my mental sabotage.

Hey hey hey it's Tuesday!  And we all know what that means:  It's speed work day, people.

Except for mile repeats, I am generally jazzed about speed work.  When I got on the treadmill this morning, I was all "Oh yay it's just eight 800m repeats this will go by SO FAST."  At least that's what I thought during the mile warm-up.  I was a little less optimistic after the first repeat, and by the third repeat my mental mantra was "MY GOD I WILL NEVER DO ALL 8 OF THESE" rather than "No sweat!  8 by 800 is great!"

But I kept on trudging through those repeats at warp speed, wondering what the heck my problem was this morning.  It wasn't until the 6th repeat that I realized the cause of my mental anguish:

I had the sound turned down on my headphones.

Now, I know what you're thinking--that I'm an idiot and you should click away from this blog forever.  But before you get all clickity-click happy, let me tell you why that was the cause of my speed work issues this morning.  You see, by turning the sound down on my musical motivation, I could now hear my crazy breathing whilst running at warp speed.  This made me think that I couldn't run at warp speed, that I would therefore never make it through all the repeats, hence I suck, and as a direct consequence my marathon is doomed.

As you can see, I spiral down pretty far pretty quickly when I decide to mentally sabotage myself, which is exactly what I did this morning.  What's good about it is that I pushed through and finished the workout, which became a bit easier once I cranked up my headphones and could no longer hear the extent of my own suffering. 

However, the suffering I had just endured was pretty evident post-workout.

The suffering is that dark purple color on my shirt.

After thinking about my mental sabotage this morning, I began to think about other ways I I like to sabotage a run or a race, sometimes even before it begins.  Here are some of my more common tactics:

1) Heat.  If I check the weather and see if the temps for the race will be unusually warm, my race is pretty much done at that point.  This is because I am a moron.  If I don't check the weather and just deal with the temps as they come, I am much better off (Example: my recent Chicago marathon performance).

2) Bike envy.  Obviously, this applies to when I get my duathlon on.  As soon as I am in the bike transition area I start looking at all the other, newer, more awesome bikes in there...and then I start thinking they are all faster than my bike so I should just take my crappy little bike and go home.  But I never do because I know the hubbs will mock me if I do that and the animals will shoot me looks of disdain for the rest of the day.

3) Assuming every person at a race is faster than me.  I do this without realizing it at almost every race, and I can't seem to break this habit.  It really gets me down at the start of a race; the good thing is this quickly dissipates once the race starts because then I actually get to pass some of these people.

4) Cold.  This is the exact opposite of #1, in case you didn't know.  I become convinced that really low temperatures will cause me to suck and tank a run or a race.  Well, at least tank it before I freeze to death on the course.

5) Judgmental cats. They never believe in you.  They only want you to fail.  And then feed them.

All I have to say is that it's a good thing I have some antidotes for my mental sabotage techniques.  And some of you might feel that it's a good thing that this post is over now.


Stop--Learning time:

• I love speed work.  Really, I do.
• I also love it when I suck it up, buttercup, and get the workout done.
• What can I say-mentally, I'm a mess when it comes to running sometimes.  But I always get out there and see what I'm made of, even if what I'm mostly made of is "wimp."
• I kept falling asleep during this post because work has been wringing all the energy right out of me.  
• The cat does not accept my "falling asleep" excuse.  Ever.  Because cats are jerks.

Tomorrow's workout: Some weight-lifting goodness with Cathe's PHA workout.  Hopefully no mental breakdowns while doing the workout.

Day 2, Week 12: A weight-loss learning: Skinny doesn't mean pretty.

What I wanted to start out with was the fact that I did Cathe's Ramped Up Upper Body for the third Monday in a row but instead I'm going to start with this:

Holy cow it's week 12 already!

I know it's day 2 of week 12 and most normal sane people would have noticed that 12 yesterday, but I was so tired last night that I didn't even notice.  But I'm noticing now.  And my noticing means that I am starting my gentle slide into "what do you mean my marathon is only 3 weeks away WHAAAAA" mode, where I start doubting myself all over the place and really kicking myself if I miss a run.

But I'll get over it.  I usually do, and it's usually right before the gun goes off at the start line.  What was harder for me to get over during my seemingly never-ending weight loss journey to all of my start lined was that the equation below just isn't true:

Skinny = pretty

If you've been reading this blog at all, you already know that I used to be more voluminous than skinny.  It definitely wasn't healthy.

When I first started losing weight back then, my goal was just to get to a size 14 from a 22.  I really, really, REALLY wanted to wear clothes and not be marked by them all day.  And I really really wanted to not wear holes in brand new pairs of pantyhose just from my thighs rubbing together while walking.  Well, I got to a size 14, and then kept right on going down to a size 2.  I thought a size 2 was awesome.  It was magical.  To me it meant I was soooo skinny.  And, in my mind, skinny meant pretty.  And, by default, happy.

Well, let me show you some of those size 2 pictures.

Just look at my twiggy little arms.  Now that I look back on these pictures, I may have been healthy because I was running and no longer smoking, but I certainly wouldn't call that exactly pretty.  I mean, I look normal enough; I don't think anyone would be going around diagnosing me with some weird digestive disorder that was preventing me from absorbing nutrients from food or anything.

But I wouldn't say that level of skinny on me was exactly pretty or flattering.  I was just trying to lose weight to be skinny, not to be healthy.  I was a slave to the number on the scale.  I was working out for the skinny I would get from it.  I was just going for all skinny, not fitness.  I was doing it for the wrong reason.



Now I know that while skinny may look ok, "skinny" is not the goal of weight loss.  Fitness is.  Healthy is.  Confidence is.  Knowing that you can do things in your 40s that you never, ever could do in your 20s is a goal.  And, of course, the rightest reason of all to lose weight and get fit is the simple ability to lift heavy weights and look like you could take someone down if they even looked at you the wrong way.

And an even righter reason to go for fitness and health over skinny is to look like you're kicking the marathon's sweet patootie rather than the other way around, especially when it's your second marathon two weekends in a row.

21st mile ain't got nothing on me.

Time to hop on the learning train and end this post:

• I write way better posts when I'm not passing out on the keyboard from exhaustion.  Well, I think so, anyway.
• I think I hammered the point home that achieving "skinny" isn't necessarily the point of weight loss.  Think about why you're doing it.
• Now before people freak out, I'm not saying skinny is ugly.  For me, skinny was the wrong goal in terms of weight loss.  I feel better being fit than I did being skinny.
• While I would love to be a size 2 again, I love these guns of mine.  A lot.  You should get some, too.

Tomorrow's workout: SPEED, BABY.  A delicious 8 x 800m repeat session is on tap.