Blissfulness

I had one of those moments last night.
They are the moments that I live for.
I look for them all the time, in everything,
but when you’re looking, they are hard to find.

They are simple.
They come on slowly and require no effort.

Sitting with a full stomach from a home cooked dinner,
surrounded by newspaper and pumpkin guts,
I look across the table and tell the Captain…

I am so happy.

Other Stuff:

Take ONE guess how The Captain carved in his pumpkin.

Seriously, the man is obsessed. HA HA.

On the Workout Front:
Four mile tempo run this morning. A “Blog Buster” combined with a "Daydreamer" (if that's possible) according to Vanilla's types of blogs. Nothing to report, except I managed to keep a 9 min pace, finishing the 4 miles in 35 minutes, which is way fast for me.

On the Challenge Front:
I drank 2 glasses of wine last night. Not on the "plan." I ate ONE peanut butter cup, but just one. Also, we are going out tonight for Halloween - pics tomorrow hopefully! But this means that drinking will commence again (and in mass quantities) tonight. I'm thinking blueberry vodka!!! Also not on the plan. Maybe I will drink enough to puke, hence actually LOSING weight~! ha ha kidding. (Not a good diet plan, kids). Seriously though, I will make up for it this weekend - with some kick ass sweaty work outs.

Song of The Day: I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett

Ode To My Muffin Top

As I button my pants, there you are
Over the top of my jeans, looking so bizarre

No difference it makes to suck you in
Impossible to hide, like a double chin

But numbered are your days, my friend
I see light at the tunnel end

I’m eating right and working hard
To get rid of you, tub of lard

With running, weights and occasional spin class
I’ll be sure to kick your ass

Now it’s time to say our Goodbye’s,
My next target is my Thunder Thighs

Song of the Day: Let's Get Physical (remix) by Cat 5

Holiday Weightloss Challenge

Alright, so here it is. A nice and simple individual weight loss challenge.

• Post your current weight.
• Post your goal weight.
• Post your prize to yourself.

Then Mondays we can all post your current weight to check the status. We need to reach our goals by February 1st in order to give yourself your own prize.

Whether you have 5lbs to lose or 50 lbs to lose, you are only competing against yourself. But, you have us to share your success with (because there will be no failure!)

My Stats:

• Current Weight: 146 (All time high was 168; All time low is 134)
• Goal Weight: 135
• My Prize: Day at the Spa - Facial and Massage

Let me know if you're in. Good luck everyone.

***UPDATE: Database Diva has set up a lounge for us! Yeah - she rocks. So, please check it out, sign up and all that stuff! ***********
Holiday Weighloss Challenge



In other news, I started my training program this weekend and it's off to a great start. I ran my easy peasy 3 miles this morning. A little bit of hip pain, but I'm used to it. The girls in my office are eating bagels. I am not. I had a piece of whole grain toast with cottage cheese on top and some pineapple. The sunrise was awesome this morning, I had to take a picture (with my cell phone, so it's not that great):




Song of the Day: One Night In Bangkok Remix by Vinylshakerz

Weightloss/Half Marathon Plan

I warned you about my borderline OCD.

Here is my work out plan - in an excel spreadsheet. Seriously. I have issues.
I think if you click on the plan, you can see a bigger version.

Weight loss challenge anyone??

How about "Moment of Truth Mondays" weigh ins??

D-Day of the Fat A$$

Holy Mother of All Things Crappy.

No. No. No. This can't be true.

Here's how last night shook down:

Enter Gym.
Spot scale from across the room.
Slowly walk towards it.

Deep breath.

Step on scale, simultaneously covering the results.

Jump off scale.

Wait. That did not say what I think it said. Deep breath.

Step back on scale.

There must be a mistake.

I hope nobody saw. (looks around)

OH MY GOD ~ HOW CAN I CONFESS THIS ON MY BLOG???
I feel like I have to.

So, here it is. 1-f''n- 4 - g'd -6.
There, I said it. 146.

Seriously - what the F%$* happened? How did I gain 12 G'd lbs?

Jess - It wasn't willpower that kept me from the scale. It was pure fear.

Mendy - You're on! We can do it.

So my goal is out there. 135. That's 11 lbs. I want to be there by race in Feb.

For me, it's mostly about eating, so here are the rules:

1. Breakfast: Egg White/Cottage Cheese, Kashi/whole grain bread, Fruit

2. Salad for lunch with no dressing (I do this already)

3. Protein and veggies ONLY for dinner

4. Wine/Martinis - only once a week

5. No bread at dinner/lunch. Ever.

6. No chocolate. No cookies.

7. Weigh self once a week only

9. Stick to work out plan

10. Don't be psycho by talking about it all the time. Only blog about it. (So get ready, cuz all my psychosis will be directed to ya'll.)

I did it before. I can do it again. I just thank God I caught this before it got out of control.

Does anyone want to see my workout plan??? Not sure if it's annoying to show that shizz.

In other news, The Captain is returning on Saturday from a week long fishing turned gambling trip. Can't wait until he gets home! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Song of the Day: Here Comes Your Man by The Pixies

Truth in Numbers

Being borderline obsessive/compulsive, I have steered clear of the scale lately. To be exact, I have managed to avoid the scale for 16 weeks. When I decided to train for the marathon, I thought it better that I paid attention to being healthy and eating properly for training, instead of trying to cut calories, etc. So, now that they marathon is over and ALL MY PANTS ARE TOO TIGHT, I think it’s time to step on the scale again. I don’t have one at my house, so I am going to use the gym scale.

I’m freaking out. I’m scared of what I will see.

Let’s talk real numbers here people. This is very hard to do because WE ALL LIE about our weight. I have lied on my driver’s license about my weight since I was 16. But I’m going to be honest today. My highest weight was 168. Ouch. That was not pretty. I’m a tall girl, but not tall enough for 168. That was 2 years ago. I got down to 134. I was very happy there. I can wear a size 4 at 134. I think I have a lot of muscle, because my goal was 130 and I just could not get that low.

So the scale thing happens tonight.

I have taken the following preliminary action to deal with what I see on the scale tonight:

***I HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THE SURF CITY HALF MARATHON IN FEB '08***

Half marathon training is perfect for weight loss for me because the mileage is low enough where I don’t want to eat everything in site. I have created a great training program that I am very excited about it. It starts Oct. 28th. That’s this Sunday.

Local friends - Anyone want to join? PT Friend, Booch, Shevon, Saaaaaaarah??? anyone? anyone? There is also a 5K if you don't want to commit to a half!

New Goals:
* Weigh 134 again – before race in Feb.
* Half Marathon in Feb – run it under 2 hours (prev time was 2:04)
* Incorporate Core Training & Strength Training twice a week

Song of the day: Maniac from Flashdance Soundtrack

My Gym: Deconstructed

Last night was my first night back to the gym. The 4 months that I trained for the marathon, I used running as an excuse to NOT go to the gym. As I do with running, I also have a love/hate relationship with the gym.

I LOVE lifting weights and doing cardio besides running and all the other "gym things." I actually worked at a gym for 5 years, which perhaps contributed to the HATE part. The thing that irritates me the most is that there are OTHER PEOPLE there too. If I could just have the gym all to myself, it would be perfect. Or even just some free weights, maybe a bike or Precor, oh and a sauna and jacuzzi.

Anyway, back to the OTHER PEOPLE. I was observing them last night and I have a feeling that most gyms have similar "annoyances." Let's walk though some of the basics and perhaps some of the more unique:

FRAT BOYS - These young fellows are commonly found in the free weight section, typically lifting dumbbells improperly and staring uncomfortably at your breasts while you do lat pull downs. Easily identified by their "Delta Delta Delta Beer Bong Bash 2006" T-Shirt.

STEROID GUY - Easily identified by his unnatural ginormous muscles, back acne that seeps through his too-small tank top and loud grunting noises/weights banging on the ground. Steer clear of him, don't ask to 'work in' and don't fill up your water bottle at the drinking fountain if he is waiting in line. He doesn't just look mean - he is mean and might snap at any minute(blame it on the juice).

SORORITY GIRLS - These gals usually linger in the cardio room. You will typically find them on the PRECOR machine on level 1 with their US Weekly magazine. Their short shorts tend to have "Juicy" or something similar sprawled across the butt and I've noticed a resurgence of knee high socks. They workout in pairs and TALK loudly to each other about Jacobs party last night and how Lisa is a total whore.

P.S.N. - Also known as Plastic Surgery Nightmare. These are very common in Newport Beach, but can be found in most big cities these days. Not really fond of the treadmill due to too much bouncing, they usually stick to the bikes or aerobics rooms. Even though they are at the gym for 1.5 hours, they leave with not a drip of sweat on them. The protruding cheek bones, swollen lips, fake blue contacts, dyed blond hair extensions, full make up, perfectly carved abs and extremely large 'pectorals' will cause all heads to turn. Some heads will turn in interest, some will turn in curiosity but all will be unsure whether she is pretty or pretty creepy.

NIGHT CLUB GUY- (Or Wanna-Be) These are also common in Newport Beach and are easily identified once you know what you're looking for. Generally a decent looking breed with muscles. Tattoos and spiky hair, probably an "Affliction" T-shirt. Dark circles under eyes from partying the night before, probably has a stuffy nose from the night before, too. They are very important and will want you to know how important they are by answering their 30 phones while on their 20 minute cardio session.

COUGARS - Cougars exist all over the world, however they seem to flourish in the OC area. They are not easily identified because you can not usually guess their age. These women are often in the gym because their bodies totally rock and you can tell ALOT of work has been put into getting those skinny triceps muscles to pop. You might find yourself not only jealous of her body, but also her couture wardrobe, her young model boyfriend and slick new Range Rover/Mercedes/Lexus. However, although her body is hot, she really should not wear that white mini skirt because, well she is 55 years old.

There are a few more, perhaps we can talk about later.
* 80's Rocker Chick
* Fat Personal Trainer Girl or Guy (my all time fav)
* Personal Trainer who smokes behind the building and thinks nobody can smell it Guy.
* Sweaty guy who doesn't use towel
* Forgot-To-Use Deodorant Guy
* Cell Phone Talking Person

This is all just in good fun. I am not generalizing people - I was simply describing SPECIFIC people that saw last night. Maybe my PMS made everyone seem more annoying than they really were, but probably not. They're just irritating.

Did I miss any???

Song of the Day: Shake That (feat. Nate Dogg) by Eminem

Red Alert

I took this picture from my street corner. The foreboding cloud is actually SMOKE (from the CA fires, if you have been living under a rock.)

Considering that the sky looks like this and everything is layered in ASH, I have not run at all. I'm bummed because I am ready to get out there again. So tonight I will be hitting the gym (first time in MONTHS) and feeling thankful that the only effect the fire has had on me is that I can't run. It is actually really scary and I can't believe how out of control the fires are. What makes it so much worse for the Orange County fire is that it is suspected arson. Some idiot actually did this on purpose. Parts of Southern California look like a war zones - I'm so sad for everyone who lost their homes and the firemen risking thier lives to save them. (I'm from a fireman family, so my heart especially goes out to them.)

Song of the Day: Smoke and Ashes by Tracy Champan

Brightroom Madness

Lessons Learned from Brightroom Running Photos:

1. I am not shy.

2. I make very funny faces when I run .
3. I am always on the lookout for cameras and can spot them from a mile away.

4. Arms - keep to one's side

5. I am a total nerd.

6. I really need to not wear a fuel belt.

7. Black sports bra/white shirt. Enough said.

8. Mouth - Close it.
9. Thumbs up move (pic 3) - just lame.

10. Try to act normal when camera is around.

Recovery

I am enjoying recovery. To me recovery means drinking wine at night, sleeping in and being totally lazy. As much as I adore all of these things, there is no way in HELL I can wait 26 days to run again. I think I'm afraid that I will just become super lazy and get stuck in a rut.

I went for a walk last night and it felt good. I had to hold myself back from starting to jog. I had The Captain’s iPod with his 1990s rocker music on it, so that helped me to not break out in a run.

So the plan is that I am going to go to the gym on Saturday to just ride the bike and do some upper body weights. I think I will try to wait at least another week to actually run.

But running keeps me sane and is cheaper than therapy so for the sake of everyone around me, I need to get back to it.

Happy Friday everyone!

Song of the day: Dream about Me by Moby