The Race

So, today was race #3. Out of the 3 I have done, this one was probably the most weighing, psychologically. First of all, I did it 100% alone. I knew no one there, which if you know anything about me, doing anything alone gives me slight anxiety, but I am a lot better, and I push myself because I know, in the end, it is going to be fine. It was a tad awkward – mostly teenagers and parents, a few other runners, but I did not know anyone there (or so I thought!)

We begin near the edge of the high school and the first mile went by pretty good. I know I still need to work on my breathing – it is difficult with limited nasal breathing, allergies, and asthma, but given the circumstances, I think I am doing okay. There was an old gentleman in front of me, I kept as my “running buddy”, but just after the mile, my pace was slowing a bit. We had to go down a very long road, cross, and go back up it. I had to stop maybe 3 or 4 times, but no more than 10 seconds each, which was a huge improvement. At mile marker 2, my brain started going crazy – I didn’t know the course, and I thought I was right around 2.5 at that point. Just at that time, a young lady passed me, and I coined her as my new running partner, and I ran the rest of the way. I’m not sure what clicked, or how I even kept breathing, but I did. “Yellow” came on at just the right time, and gave me some extra energy.

When I finally made it back to the school, I mentioned to the girl that she motivated me to run the final mile – and it was a friend of my friend Carey whom I met a a week prior.

Running is very psychological, but also given my breathing and nasal capabilities, it becomes a bit more daunting – luckily the music outweighs those deficits and pulled me at 27:14 ! I beat my time by over a minute!

Other Times

  • Healthy High 5k : 29:56
  • Old Town Animal Orphanage 5k : 28:42
  • Old Town HS Key Club 5k : 27:14

At some point, I won’t be able to beat my personal best, but knowing I have improved by over 2 minutes in 3 weeks feels pretty good. I want to do a race this coming weekend and the weekend after as well so I can say I did 5 – 5ks in 5 weeks.

Racing on Wheels

After the running, I booked it down to Deer Isle for a friend’s bridal shower, which was a good time, and booked it back here for skating. I am getting better at skating, but know I am still missing some core pieces to be able to do it with speed and greater ease, but with time and practice, hopefully I will get there. It certainly is a workout at the very least, and now I have blisters, but it is also a fun, social, and active thing to do! It beats sitting at home playing video games or watching tv all the time!

NSV

Non-scale victories are the best kind. After we got back from the wedding, I dropped of my friend Stephanie and remembered I needed to weigh in on her wii fit to make my mii no longer obese. I wanted to see him shrink. The BMI went into the overweight category, but I didn’t see much of a difference in the size – maybe I just didn’t pay attention, but seeing the meter fall was nice and the goal is to make the mii skinny by the end of summer!

The big NSV this week is clothing (isn’t it always). I only have one pair of pants that really fit me well (and those are starting to get a bit big on me as well). I went shopping for some pants, and thought I didn’t end up getting any I got several new pairs of shorts (all my old ones are 42s) at SIZE 34! I haven’t seen this size since middle school at least! Maybe high school, but even so – I can’t remember having to buy pants in the last 7 years that were anything lower than a 38, and within the last couple of years a 42. It’s not all brands, as always, but I have several pair.

The other big thing, and I think this is a brand thing as well – I got a few shirts at Kohls that are MEDIUM! I know I def have more stomach weight to lose – everyone online says it is the last to go – good riddance when it does. I need to start the lifting to get some lean muscle in those areas. I honestly cannot remember the last time I EVER was in a medium in my life. I can’t remember buying a shirt for myself that was ever a medium. Again, I think this brand runs a bit big, but it’s a great confidence booster and I will take what I can get.

Scale Fail

For the last week and a half, the scale has been my enemy. My next milestone is under 200 and it is just TAUNTING me at 203, 204, 202, 203, 204, etc. The last few days have been 204, and I don’t know why, I have been under my goal, and have been running, skating, and lifting. Some could say muscle, which COULD be true, but I want to hit under the 200 DAMNIT! My goal is May 19th anyways, so I will have some time, but I think now that I have seen some of the changes in myself, I just want to get there. I don’t want to bypass the work whatsoever, I just want to feel like the scale is reflecting my effort!

Anyways, it has been a good day with friends, running, personal records, skating, and generally just feel good about life. I just want to reiterate that my confidence lately has been the highest it has been in so many years, and I feel great – it’s amazing what it feels like to take complete control of your life and not fall victim to yourself! I know it’s said too much, but “If I can do it, anyone can” !