Update on the Red Runner

The what? Who? I named my ipod nano The Red Runner. 1.) because it is red, and 2.) I use it primarily for when I run. It has the Nike+ thingy app and I decided to use it this week. My current route is 2.90 miles according to The Red Runner, which is about right because I have driven it with my car and checked it on google maps. I burn about 270-290 calories, but who knows if that is accurate. My times started out at about 37 minutes and now at the end of the week, down to 35 minutes. And I average 12 minutes and 45 seconds per mile. But that takes into account that I don't start running the second I exit my front door, I walk about 2/10ths of a mile first and walk a bit when I cross the main road at the stoplights and wait up to a minute to cross sometimes.

It's been a long process, this new me who exercises regularly. I have been noticing changes, loosing inches in places, and seeing actual muscle tone. I have never been comfortable in my own skin. Perhaps when I was a kid, but I never thought about such things back then. Not until high school. It wasn't till then that I remember thinking about my body and not liking it. And the not liking it has stuck ever since.

I've noticed subtle changes like I said earlier, but I still wasn't happy or comfortable with my body. This last two weeks of my latest challenge (run 5 days a week, focus on fat tire) I have been seeing myself in a new light. More muscle tone in my legs and those thunder thighs and actual definition peeking through that tire. I'm almost liking myself. *gasp* Don't get me wrong, I don't sit here hating myself. I don't. I'm like practically ever other woman in the U.S. with body image issues.

But I'm kind of shocked at myself. The fact that I was liking the shape I am becoming. And then I weighed myself. Wistfully thinking that I had finally made it to my ultimate weight loss goal. Only to find that instead of the 3 pounds I had left, it was now back up to 10.

I then stopped working on this post for over a week.

I was so mad I ramped up the workout to 3.2 miles per day, five days a week plus a 15-20 strength training with my dumbbells. I lost a pound. One would think that a normal person doing this for 4 weeks would loose weight. Nope, not me. Clearly, I am not normal. If I had the money and the space to actually do it, I'd be tempted to do the P90X thing. But I don't. And no money for gym membership, not that I like gyms anyway, I don't. So next best thing?

Now I am working on making a new workout that still combines cardio and strength, but ramps up the metabolism better and changes every three weeks to avoid muscle memory and plateaus. I think I have decided on what I will do for the first three weeks. Starting tomorrow since today I did a 2.2 mile run with my fasted mile time to date and did the regular strength workout I had been doing the past 5 weeks. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be shorter runs, either the 2.2 or 2.4 mile routes plus the new strength training which involves doing three exercises with the dumbbells for 30 seconds each, moving one to the other without stopping, and then resting for 90 seconds and then repeat for a total of 6 circuits. On Thursday will do the long run of 3.2 miles and no strength training. Because today was the whoops day. The plan will be for Monday, Wednesday, Friday full short run/strength training, Tuesday, Thursday long run only.

Don't know what I will do for the next three week set yet (I have three weeks to think about it). I'm going to try this for 9 weeks. Three 3-week sessions. So perhaps a new and more upbeat update will happen at the end of 9 weeks. The last day will be April 19th if all goes well and I don't get sick... again!

I haven't quite accepted the fact that I may never reach my weight loss goal. I know my body can reach it, just not sure that if I do, I can maintain it. Especially since I have been bouncing between 4 and 10 pounds over it for almost a year now.