This is not your typical case of the “in-laws” moving in. My house guests are of a different sort. I should add that my in-laws would be welcome to stay with me any time they wanted. They are fabulous. No, my house guests have been with us for quite some time. Given the length of their stay, you might even call them “fixtures” rather than guests. No matther how you categorize them, they have worn out their welcome.

Up until now, it has really been no trouble keeping them around. They do not eat any of my food, and they have even been useful at times. Now, I know that they are guests rather than family, but I have a few expectations given that I have continued to provide a roof over their heads. May I also point out that housing does not come cheap in the Bay Area these days. The problem of recent days has been in the area of loyalty. Since my husband’s passing, they have turned on me. I am left to wonder what role Tom had in keeping our relationship positive. The change has been subtle, but I can not longer be pretend to not notice the injustice.

The question is: What can I do about it?

I am not one to name names but, in this instance, I will make exception as I think their names provide an important context. The first of these guests is named “F.L. Mirror”. He has always been one to compliment me. He has given me a flattering view of myself – no matter what angle I question. But since Tom has passed, he has been less than flattering. Lately, he has been down-right insulting.

The second guest goes by the name of “Scale.” He provides insists that he has no first or middle name, no initials. He is just “Scale.” It is now a little creepy to think that I barely know this peculiar guest whom has made his resting spot in the room adjoining my bedroom. Furthermore, he insists that he will not leave the room, even when I am showering – fully exposed and vulnerable. I probably should have been weirded-out earlier in this game, but Tom insisted that I had nothing to worry about.

Truthfully, Scale seeing me naked is not my biggest concern. Again, it is the change in his communication since Tom died that gets to me. He used to flash me numbers that made me feel like an Olympic gymnast who had executed a perfect performance. Now, similar to F.L. Mirror, he only upsets me with his offending commentary. I just grab my towel and slink away in a cloud of sadness.

I cannot take this abuse any longer. I am vulnerable enough already. Since these guests have been with us since before Tom’s passing, I am motivated to work on the relationship if there is any hope in doing so. I just need to determine the best way to change the relationship between myself and these two guests. If this cannot be done, I will be left with no other option but to send them packing.

Continue reading "Unwanted house guests" »

Posted by Juls at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

"Anonymous" struck again with the notion that I am "hot." The comment strikes a cord with me. As I double over with stomach cramps, puffing out my stomach far more than the usual, and creating a muffin top so large that would please a Giant, I wonder about this statement. Am I Hot? The answer is "not."

I am not being overly critical. I am being honest. I really have no desire to be hot; but the terms healthy, fit, toned, and even sexy appeal to me.

It's true that the blog-o-sphere has only the photos that I choose to post to gauge how "hot" I might be. I am not any less vain than the rest of you; I only post the good ones (where I have successfully sucked in my tummy but am still able to smile).

The truth is that I would like to be thinner, but after the struggles with Jenny Craig, I am not willing to take on the inconvenience. It was a success, in some regards. I lost 7 pounds - from someplace other than my waist. I remember looking at my feet, even before the onset of my overuse injury, and thinking how they looked bonier than before. Weight loss in my feet wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Since I've tossed aside my Jenny plan, I have gained back 2 of those 7 pounds. In my head, I have reasoned that I will be better about toning my stomach, arms, butt, and back. So far this year, however, the efforts have been ALL in my head. I haven't put in the energy required to bring sexy back.

The truth is that I need a "plan." I've known this about myself for some time (years). I am motivated into action by my training plan. When I am in training for my running, I am also more conscious about my strength training.

As much as I know that the time has come to begin a new training plan, I am scared to step it up. I am afraid that my bony feet won't be able to take the pounding. But I won't know unless I try.

I think it is time to get serious about getting back into shape - MY shape (only better). If being in shape, in the select photos that I am brave enough to post, appear to be "hot" then great. A few flattering comments from "anonymous" can be motivating too.

Posted by Juls at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I had worked so diligently to get my weight and fitness in order during this past year. Being on Jenny Craig for the first time in over 10 years, was a definate change in my eating habits. It was ever-challenging trying to lose weight as my marathon training was accellerating to "full steam ahead" mode. I was ready for my 1st, of two, 20 mile runs when my injury hit. I had lost about 7 pounds by that point, but my weight had been hovering at that point for several weeks.

Since my injury, my weight had remained stable. I had backed off on the JC plan, eating more meals with the family than not. I continued to watch my portion size and tried to avoid the danger foods. Regardless of my efforts, chips and salsa "moments of weakness" do happen. Dark chocolate still happens too; while exercise rarely does.

I still weigh myself on most mornings, prior to returning the leg to the boot. My weight has been creeping downward ever so slowly. As of today, I've lost 10 pounds in total since July. While I want to rejoice at the number, I know deep down that the loss includes some muscle loss. *sigh* I am happy that I am not gaining weight.

I did some abdominal strengthening yesterday prior to booting up. I had planned to use the rowing machine at the YMCA in the nearby town (where BoBo was going to play with the friends that he made prior to us moving from there 2 years ago). Alas, my discovery of YaYa's lingering, or rather "returning", ankle problems put a stop to that.

What's a girl to do? I could do the obvious things like clean my house again, read more of the Memory Keeper's Daughter, walk the dog, or perhaps get a jump on my holiday shopping. *sigh* All of these ideas, except the final one, are good options. But 1st, I think I will eat some breakfast.

Posted by Juls at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It is easy to wallow in self pity, to feel overwhelmed with "poor me", and let the feelings of helplessness creep into the other aspects of your life. For me, this past days since my injury at Rock 'n roll have been increasingly hard. I quit caring about my weight loss efforts, and could see images of me sitting out both Nike and CIM. But that is NOT what I am wanting to create from this.

The self pity lifestyle has left a bad taste in my mouth. Litterally, I have had a metalic taste that won't go away unless I am eating. So, I have eaten often (even when I didn't want to) and I have eaten stuff that I wouldn't say were worth the calories. I just didn't care.

The metalic taste is nauseating, but not to the point of throwing up - just so that you never feel quite right. Today, I didn't feel like eating. I didn't feel like being nauseated either. I went home from work and went to bed.

My doctor had responded at 10:30 pm (last night) to my message requesting an x-ray. She agreed that an x-ray was a good idea but she wanted more information. But since I didn't get her response until this morning, I called the advice line to leave the details - "right foot, lateral aspect, hurts on flexion like my bones are locking up (like a stick). Oh, and it's making me nauseated too."

Continue reading "Done Wallowing" »

Posted by Juls at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I am weak. I didn't run today. I didn't do any exercise at all. I basically sat on my butt reading blogs and eating ice cream. I ate ice cream last night too. Because I have no will power when it comes to mint chip ice cream (especially if it is Breyers).

When I got on the scale at the doctor's office today, I scowled at the nursing assistant when she happily wrote down the number. I was *fully dressed* - doesn't she know that that number was not "accurate"?! Doesn't she know that I have been dieting for the 2nd time in my life? The scale might as well have had neon lights saying "cheater, cheater - ice cream eater."

And then the blood pressure. It was up. 140/86. Of course it was. The cuff she used could fit around my thigh. The doctor rechecked it after I explained that walking in from the waiting room and immediately having your BP checked was not an accurate way of taking a reading. It's NOT.

But my blood pressure wasn't a lot better. *sign* My doctor said that I could have "white coat hypertension." When I reported the numbers that I have been getting at home, she advised me to have my blood pressure machine checked at the health education department - just to be sure.

My ego is now deflated. I had been *so* proud of the finally losing the "baby fat" that I gained with YaYa. I know he is 8 years old, but I had lost the other 30 pounds that I had gained. The last bit didn't seem so important. I was proud of myself anyhow because dieting is HARD.

As for my blood pressure, I probably deserve a little humbling. You see, sometimes at night I lay in bed, relax as much as I possibly can, and take my blood pressure. Then I declare my superiority to the family - gloating my supposed "health".

Now, all I can do is try to convince the doctor, and perhaps myself too, that I AM healthy! I am. Really. I will now be eating humble pie instead of mint chip ice cream. Actually, I won't be eating anything until after my fasting lab work has been drawn. Hopefully, I won't have any other alarming numbers to make me reassess my health.

Posted by Juls at 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

We all know that running is great for health. Not only does it help maintain a healthy weight, but it is a great stress reliever too. It was critical as a teenager, when my appetite for food was ravenous and my life's stressors were numerous. My diet is healthier by far than it was in my teen years, but my plate has been full so-to-speak as far as stress is concerned. In my 20s, I discovered meditation as another means of stress management. But, now that I am in my 40s, I have been lazy in incorporating regular meditation into my life.

Jon's post, on the Complete Running Network, referred to visualization as a part of weight management where you visualize yourself as that lean, quick runner that you want to be. He joked about picking up beads and incense to complete the spiritual surroundings. I am here to tell you that meditation can be simple and can be done almost anywhere.

In fact, just yesterday, I took a few moments to "find my space" and visualize the pounds of excess weight, and other baggage, being washed away as I sat in my van in the drive-thru carwash. I visualized myself as lighter, thinner, leaner, and more efficient in my running economy. All aspects of my day went remarkably well. Could it be that taking a couple of minutes to meditate would make days like this a regular occurrence?

Later on Tuesday, I forced myself to run easy on the 'mill for the scheduled 4 miler. My max heart rate was 154 (if the treadmill reading was accurate) for the run which puts *this* run into the fat burning range. I usually work out with a much higher heart rate than the recommended fat burning ranges that I have read; I have wondered if that has played into my lack of weight loss. I recently found an article, however, that encourages higher intensity workouts and dubs the "fat burning zone" as a myth. Myth or not, I will not change my training plan for the purpose of weight loss, as my goal for Boston Qualification (BQ) is my primary goal.

At my last visit to JC, Katie offered to do body measurements more frequently to give me a different way to gauge the progress. My weight remains at a stand still. Although Katie had emailed Jenny Craig Corporate, she still didn't have a response for the best caloric range given my marathon training. But her advice was helpful none-the-less. Katie suggested that I be sure to eat some protein in my afternoon snack since this is the time that my hunger is really intense. The fruit that I have been trying to eat has not been curbing this hunger, which leads to chips and salsa attacks (or - even worse - the quest of dark chocolate). Yes, I have been known to deviate from the JC plan more times than I care to admit. We all fall off our "plan" from time to time.

As for my "training plan", it's speed work day. I think mile repeats are on my plate for today's lunch. What's on your plate for lunch?

Go ahead, "give it up" (that's what Tom would say); you know it was clever. Come on - LOL, giggle, or give me the virtual high-five. (Pun intended)

Posted by Juls at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I had a good run at lunch time. I ran 4 easy miles and felt great. But that was then, and this is now.

NOW, my stomach is in knots. Mild cramping that leaves me wanting to crawl into a ball in the corner of my office and try to hide from it. I've got gas, and when I decide that it might be safe to release a bit of it, someone walks past my office. I fear that they will walk in and discover my less than lady-like activity.

Yes, my stomach is about to blow up. There will be no sucking it in right now. I am doing all that I can to push my belly out over my waistband to bring some needed relief. I can really push it out far (so I look about 5 months pregnant). But, that is just sad.

I've been on the Jenny Craig (JC) plan for 10 weeks now! Yes, that would be *me* who has been eating the reduced calories, but *my husband* has actually been losing the weight. Go figure.

Continue reading "Big Belly" »

Posted by Juls at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Must Have
These days, we are bombarded from all ends with commercialism. Take chocolate for example. Verizon Wireless is just one company whose advertisements constantly prod you that "everyone wants chocolate". In their case, it is a cell phone that is named "chocolate." The ads are so convincing that my 8 year old spent several minutes, in the grocery store, asking me when he would be old enough to have a cell phone. He clarified this to include that he wants his cell phone to be the "chocolate" phone....or he could also have an "iPod nano"...or some other expensive device. He says that Elijah has TWO! *sigh* I doubt *that* is true. The message, however, is clear: "Must Have."

What do we do with all of this media bombardment and the "must have" message?

It doesn't stop there.
YaYa has a fundraiser at school to sell wrapping paper. He got his paperwork yesterday and wanted to go door-to-door selling the stuff. It is one, of only two fundraisers, that his school does. And while I want to encourage him to earn money for the many items that schools no longer receive funding for, I am a little bothered by the way the school bribes the kids into action. Like any fundraiser, I suppose, there is reward levels for the number of items that you sell, but I only wonder if the cause gets lost in doing this. Again, he is driven by the "must have" message.

Is it that important to a kid at this age? My husband posed this question to me as I tried to curb YaYa's excitement when I went online to purchase my gift-wrap in support of both my son and his school. Perhaps not.

It's not just YaYa; I am a victim too.
*sigh*

Continue reading "The message is clear" »

Posted by Juls at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I spent a lot of time on Friday creating a diet plan for my upcoming week. My weight loss has halted, although it goes up and down a pound or two from morning to morning - it is essentially the same. With my training moving into the serious stage, I am concerned about getting enough calories in the upcoming weeks. I researched the amount of calories burned for 4, 7, and 14 mile runs as well as for 60 minutes of cycling. I input the information into the spreadsheet, added the baseline JC foods, and then began supplementing until I reached a reasonable caloric deficit. Then I brought my spreadsheet to my JC appointment. This week's order was pretty small since I have somehow gathered a stock of JC foods in my freezer.

I only ordered:
7 Strawberry Bars
2 boxes of (vitamin fortified) Peanut Butter Bars
7 Toffee Bites
1 Double Chocolate Cake
1 Lemon Cake
7 Balsamic Dressing Packets

Patti, my usual JC girl, was off this week. I was looking forward to seeing someone else. Patti pretty much lets me dictate what I want; I am sure that she realizes that she doesn't have the nutritional information level that I need. I have become more and more resistant to seeing her because she says, "AW" entirely too much. I feel like she is belittling me as she says it when I explain that the weight measurement at 1:45 pm is not accurate. If I've just run for 2-3 hours, then it is likely to be too light due to sweat loss. It takes a while for me to drink up the lost fluids. But as my appointments have been later in the day, the weight is then too heavy due to my drinking. She can write down any number that she wants, I just want her to quit saying, "aw." But, I could never *tell* her to stop, so who am I to complain. Instead, I am just changing centers - which is what I discussed with Patti's substitute consultant.

Continue reading "The inequality of salads" »

Posted by Juls at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I have these really cute and comfy pants that my boys gave me for my 40th birthday. The waistline is low-raise and, since they are made for skateboarding, they are made with material that stretches. I love them, but I have to keep pulling down most of my shirts to keep my back from getting cold. Over the weekend I found a shirt to match them that is made longer so that it pulls over the top of the hips. Being so short, I could probably pull it down over my whole butt. Anyhow, this shirt is only as flattering as my stomach is flat so I'll be sucking it in all day long. I hope that will burn some extra calories.

At lunch, I had a good work out in the fitness center where I did my 3 mile run followed by the required strength work. I focused on arms and core, with just a touch to my legs. Consequently, my salad felt heavy in my arms as I climbed the 3 flights of stairs to my office.

In the fitness center, I was happy for the mirrors. Not only does it remind me to suck it in, but also I can see the muscles working. I love that. It's so rewording to actually see the cuts developing. If only my stomach responded as well as my deltoids have to the added attention. I'll be patient for now and, in the meantime, I will continue to suck it in.

Posted by Juls at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I wiggled out of the middle of our queen-size bed at about 5:40 am. YaYa had crawled into bed with us in the wee hours of the morning. This usually translates into a less than optimal sleep. We were all a little tired when the time to wake up rolled around.

I made my way in the dark, down the stairs and into the kitchen for some coffee. I checked in the dryer for BoBo's football pants to see if they had dried completely. They were gone; BoBo must have retrieved them last night.

I returned upstairs with 2 cups of coffee. I left 1 by Tom's side of the bed, and went to the scale prior to taking a sip. 122.5 lbs - 20% BF. *sigh* My weight yo-yoed up a 1/2 pound. I took a sip from the cup. Whatever.

It's Friday. Friday means a forced rest day. It also means "casual" dress at work. In California, casual Friday means jeans.

I searched high and low for my jeans. I looked in the clean clothes on the couch, and in the dirty clothes by my dresser. I even looked in my dresser drawers. No jeans.

So, I headed to the garage where I found a pair of jeans that I had placed in a bag of clothes to be donated to charity. I pulled them on. They're snug. But there minimal muffin-top effect. My loose fitting jeans are beginning to be too loose. I might just have to keep these jeans after all. If I ever get those last 5 pounds off, they will fit quite nicely.

Posted by Juls at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I held my head down as I pedaled away on the road to nowhere. Actually, it is hard to go anywhere when your bicycle is connected to the stationary trainer. With my iTunes playing, I pedaled to the music. A nice quick tempo took me on a hard ride. Sweat beaded up on my shoulders and all down my arms. It rolled from my forehead, downward along my face and into my eyes. It dripped from my nose and mouth; I closed my eyes, held tight to the beat of the music, and tasted the salt as it crept into my closed mouth.

In 35 minutes, I'd soaked my shirt, sportbra and cycling shorts with sweat. I took it as a sign that I'd done well, though I probably didn't undo my extra caloric intake of the day. The darn chips and salsa were my downfall. They are always my downfall. But they sure are good.

Posted by Juls at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We all survived the Birthday Bash. For a small celebration, it sure took it out of me. The gang of boys was late in getting settled in the tent. I stayed up a bit longer to be sure that all of the little boys were asleep and happily dreaming. The dog sat guard outside the tent all night long. I had high hopes that these boys would sleep in a bit, but no such luck.

At 7 am, I heard the sliding glass door open and all four of them came into the house. It's funny how those little bodies can make so much noise when the walk. It sounded much like a stampede might sound. I made my way downstairs to be parental, but was more like a sleepy child until the 2nd cup of coffee kicked in.

I was tired and my eyes hurt. By 10 am, I was ready for it all to be over and began to worry that the parents would not be coming for their offspring any time soon. These kids sure had energy. They were back at it - tackling each other in the tent, playing tag, and doors were slamming shut all over. I gathered up each child's things and piled them together with the "goodie bag." I wanted to be ready when the time came for each to depart.

My head was swirling, and I was figuring in my head how I would get the required 6 miles done. Thank goodness that this week is a step-back week. 6 miles is not a hard thing to fit in and I planned for YaYa to ride his bike as I ran behind him on the bike trail. But, I didn't have to do that even.

Things were nice a quite after the last kid left and my husband agreed to stay home with the kids. They were planning to go through the neighborhood selling the coupons that the football team has to sell - $200 worth - due on Monday!

Anyhow, I went to the bike trail anyways and managed to fit in a 5 1/2 mile run before my JC appointment. I kept trying to remind myself that this was supposed to be at "long run" pace even though the run was no long at all. I didn't pay much attention to the pace reading on garminia, but watched the distance and the time of day closely so as not to miss my appointment.

I tried not to be too upset when the girl in turquoise blew past me in the last mile. I heard her coming; her footsteps were quick. After she passed, I marveled at her defined arm muscles and made a note to be more diligent in getting my strength workouts completed.

Continue reading "The Not-So Long Run" »

Posted by Juls at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Early morning and I'm dropping off the kids. YaYa to daycamp. BoBo to football practice. The runners and walkers are out in force. I look on with envy, wishing that I also had the luxury of time enough to get in a morning run.

I'd laid out my clothes (running and clothes for the day), made lunches for the kids and myself, and set my watch alarm. I was feeling good about it all when my head finally hit the pillow.

But it was still dark out when the watch woke me up. By 6 am, it was no use - 5 miles takes too much time and the kids don't get up without my intervention and assistance.

So, here I sit in the jury waiting room. I've got my morning snack, and lunch packed. I have hope that I can get some hot water for my JC package soup. I have a feeling that I am in for a lot of tuna salad kits over the next several days. Yum...

Continue reading "Making the Best of It" »

Posted by Juls at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Okay, believe it or not, I am actually NOT perfect. Sometimes, I get grumpy, lazy, and I even cheat on my diet...sometimes. I miss the days when I could just eat whatever I wanted and how ever much I wanted. Papa called my "chow hound" and that summed it up. But those days are gone and now I am left to struggle to get down to a better running weight. A weight where I just feel better.

I was doing so well today. I had my morning latte, my JC hot cereal, and even the wretched tasting anytime bar. I like the peanut butter version, but the other bar this week. Yuck. Anyhow, we had a potluck today at work. I have no idea why. Someone said that it was sort of a "last supper" thing.

Well, I had forgotten my contribution so I figured that I just wouldn't participate. I busied myself in my office. I even had a real problem that I needed to take care. Then, on the way to the copy machine, I was called over to the feast by my new boss. "JU-LIEEE, arn't you going to eat?" I was caught. You see everyone was sitting there staring at me and there is NO way that they would understand why I am trying to lose weight. They have no idea what lurks beneeth my clothing - the rolls, and bulges.

Continue reading "I Hate "Rest" Day" »

Posted by Juls at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My husband's family has a story that they repeatedly tell about when a member of the family was humiliated for licking his ice cream wrapper. He was young and his Dad was strict. Upon seeing his son licking his ice cream wrapper, the father told the young lad, "If you want to eat like a dog, you can eat with the dog." He actually made the boy take the wrapper outside, put it on the ground and with his hands behind his back he had to lick the wrapper. The dog joined in. The five other siblings all imprinted the image deep into their memory banks for future humiliation. That is how it is with families. Once is not punishment enough.

I was reminded of this story the other day, when I could not resist the temptation to lick my JC plate. It wasn't that the food was all that good. It was just that I was not satisfied. Not starving, but not satiated. YaYa and Tom caught me in the act. And the dog was at my feet with his tail wagging away.

Every morning, I strip down after the first void of the day and hop onto the scale. The scale is only accurate to the 1/2 pound and I see it blink between two numbers. It settles on the higher and I try again just to be sure. No still the same number as yesterday. I must not complain. I have lost weight, but only to the point that I have done on my own. To make it all worth it, I want more. Please scale, show me the lower numbers soon so that I don't end up eating with the dog. I don't want future generations having that story to pass on.

Continue reading "Eat With the Dog" »

Posted by Juls at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

At 9 am I took a short break for my run. I was the only one in the fitness center at this time of day and it was nice. With my music playing my chosen “running tunes,” I began my run on the ‘mill at a modest pace and a 2.0% incline. I quickly advanced the speed until I reached my targeted marathon race pace.

Limited on time, with a long teleconference beginning at lunch and ending at 4 pm, I ran a short 3 mile run. I have a long run planned for tomorrow as well, so it seemed a reasonable distance. By the completion of my 3 miles the elapsed time read 26:13 with a “yummy” 341 calories burned. Hurray!

I didn’t get a run in yesterday and the difference in the caloric balance is staggering. So I had some issues that prolonged my day. It began with me working through lunch, followed by a few extra errands and, the final kicker, car issues – my yesterday didn’t set me up for dieting success. With YaYa complaining that he was hot, and thirsty, and hungry, I left the car that wouldn’t start for Starbucks. We shared a package of cheese, crackers, and fruit. YaYa was quick to grab the fruit. By the time I got home, I was tired and off the planned menu already. So after cooking the chicken and corn on the cob – I ate it. And it was tasty. The calories burned was still more than the calories in, but it was barely. The scale this morning was forgiving though. I can’t make that a habit.

In the gym, since I was the only one there, I could get a nice view of both my running form and my side profile. I wondered how my future “improved” profile would be different. Only time will tell.

Posted by Juls at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We sat together for dinner last night; they ate pizza while I ate JC Turkey Chili and steamed broccoli. I eyed the crumbs on Tom and YaYa's plate and longed for a piece of pizza. Could I put this "diet" thing off another day? My 1st day of dieting had gone fair, but I don't like the un-satisfied, always hungry feeling that fills my waking hours.

Today, I tried to spread the food out a little better. It seems that my hunger is at bay until after my mid-day run. That's no surprise. It was no surprise yesterday, when I reviewed the "free foods" list and then ate nearly a whole bunch of celery stalks. I am sure that it will get better; I'll get used to the calorie change and the pounds lost will fuel me to continue. Until then, I am obsessive. I've logged my miles into my Palm based Diet & Exercise Assistant. JC gave me a menu to follow and log my activity. I know that I write BIG, but there just isn't enough room to track everything so I started my own spreadsheet. Now, don't you think that the JC staff will be surprised to see that? It not only adds up the calories, but also has built in formulas. It calculates caloric intake minus the sum of 1555 calories expended (BMR based upon my sitting job) + the calories burned per my garmin. I want to show them why I am concerned that their caloric intake will not work when I've really gotten going in my marathon training. My "Intake minus burned calories" showed - 890 yesterday, and IF I stick to the plan for today will be - 1281. No wonder I am hungry. I think the better target would negative 480-500 calories/day.

Perhaps I am being difficult.
You think?
Humm.

On a running note, today's 6-mile run was nice. The weather has cooled down a bit. It’s now only 90 degrees outside. The pace was slow, but the plan was to just do it. As we ran past people we greeted them "with a smile" but there was no return response. I think the heat must be affecting people's hearing or, more likely, their mood. Go figure.

Posted by Juls at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Staying motivated can be difficult to maintain. For some, "getting" motivated may be a difficult task. I like to set goals, and then set out on the attack. Pacing my attack is my challenge. I have to be careful not to set the hurdles too high for myself. I don't want to set unrealistic, unachievable goals for myself.

I *have* asked the question of whether I am capable of qualifying to run in the Boston Marathon. For those of you who have attempted this task, you know that it is not easy. It is not something that everyone can easily achieve. I have run 10 marathons so far and my best is 3:55 - that is 5 minutes slow of my current BQ time. Although, I have asked the question, I still answer that I can do it.

Hence the plan:
· Hal Higdon's Intermediate I program
· Run the sorta-long runs at Tempo pace, Yasso 800s, or Mile repeats.
· Lose weight

Continue reading "Goal Setting" »

Posted by Juls at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)