Afoot and Light-Hearted...

On October 2, 2011 I will run my first half-marathon (13.1 miles). This is a HUGE deal for me. Growing up as the chubby chick and becoming an obese adult, I never in a million years would have ever given any thought to running. Now I have set my sights on 13.1 miles in Hampton Beach, NH. Come along with me on this journey....should be fun. Hoping to blog about my training as well as my ups and downs as well as the things I 'find' while out on the road. It might be funny, sometimes it may be frustrating...hell I may even find out more about myself along the way. Who knows....all of this could take me to Boylston Street some day right?

Well folks another one on the books - I successfully completed the Falmouth Road Race this weekend with a PR for the course. The weekend was fairly low key - did a little sight seeing on the Cape on Saturday, went to the Race Expo to get my 'bag o' stuff' and had a fairly early dinner. Sunday morning my friend Christy showed up and we got it done. Here is my recap of the course - because I know there are some of you that want to know. Mile 1 is all hills/climb out of Woods Hole. You need to take it a little easy here as unless you ran a mile or so ahead of the race start, you are getting warmed up. Easy on Mile 1 is the rule with this course.. As you break out of Mile 1 you get to the Lighthouse, which of course is one of the more famous items along the race course. If you ever run this race, when you reach the lighthouse look behind you - you can see the 'sea' of runners behind you and there is a true sense of solidarity with your 'people...

As the weekend approaches, I am excited!! Yes - this weekend I will be heading south to Cape Cod. Nice right? Well...I am not going down to move into my summer home nor am I going to lay on the beach. No sir (I wish). This weekend I am heading to the Cape to participate in the 39th running of the Falmouth Road Race - (www.falmouthroadrace.com for those interested). The Falmouth Road Race is a 7-mile run starting in Woods Hole, MA and follows the coast line and ends in Falmouth. This is my second year running in this race and I am really looking forward to running it with my friend Christy. Now Christy is someone I met about a year ago when she wanted to run her first 5K. We ran a number of times together to help get her ready and she successfully completely her first 5K on Thanksgiving Day 2010. Now she will take on her first Falmouth Road Race....which I am sure will be a challenge but worth it once you get over that finish line. Of course I have not told her about the ...

"Let me hear your body talk...." ...no no no...I am not going to go on singing that chart topping hit by Olivia Newton John, even though I was a fan of the singer and the song.... This week I had my annual physical. Yep - went back to the scene of the crime - where 4+ years ago the same doctor who told me that at 250lbs I was a candidate for bypass surgery. Oh how I cried! That was totally then. This is now. Over the last couple of years, my visits to the doctor have been improving. No longer do I dread having to step on the scale or have my weight questioned. I'm up for the conversation and even engage the doctor in asking for advice as to things that are on my mind. The 'win' moment for me came at the end of my exam. During our wrap up, the good doctor checked his records and said to me "Your blood pressure is dam near perfect and you do not need any blood taken to check your cholesterol this year - the last two have been fanatic, so there is no need. ...

This weekend I participated in the "Warrior Dash" in Amesbury, MA. Check it out if you are interested www.warriordash.com The Warrior Dash consists of three (3) miles of mud and obstacles. The mud was a little more than expected but I rocked it and was able to execute all of the obstacles successfully! When presented with a wall and a rope (the 1st of 2 walls I scaled mind you), I immediately had flashbacks of gym class. Yes, all year long you run laps and try to avoid being picked last for teams and then the teacher hands you the rope with the knots and you are supposed to climb as high as you can - um - no thanks. I kicked it's ass yesterday - and I dedicate this Dash to all of my gym teachers!

This weekend I have been fighting off a cold that has been giving me it's best shot. For the past few days I have had that 'run down' feeling and I feel like I am right on the edge of feeling completely horrible. Having said that....NOT running since Wednesday (3 days, ack!), I am feeling somewhat psychotic. I am not well and you should avoid me unless you are ready to have me give you that 'look'. If you know exactly how I feel....nod your head. I will be ok though...no need to call 911. I am dressed, hydrated and am ready to hit the pavement for a light run. All should be well in the world in about half an hour...peace will be restored to the force.

For a long time, I used to attend WW Meetings. They were on Wednesday evenings and I absolutely LOVED my leader Maryanne. My schedule changed and I started working with a Personal Trainer on Wednesday nights, so I am not doing the WW thing on-line only. Now as a point to consider - I lost 70 pounds doing WW online with no meeting, so I am a fan of the online environment so don't get me wrong. It's there for you when you have a question, and when you weigh in it does provide feedback. It fits into my schedule - anyone that 'gives up' on WW because they can't make a meeting should use this tool and stop making excuses. Thursday is now my weigh in day. Yesterday, I blogged about starting to reduce the amount of bread/flour/refined sugar carbs I was ingesting and so far things have been ok - I don't find that I miss them too much (even though I may still occasionally look longingly at the bread bowl) It was NOT being done to lose weight...as I still use the WW...