Ch-ch-changes

I've decided to not weigh-in weekly. I find, and have found this in the past, that when I go to the gym regularly, my scale either stays the same or goes up. And it's not healthy (mentally) to bog yourself down on that number.

SO I will make measurements and take my weight down monthly. It's the ides of March, so I set a reminder to take all measurements on the 15th of every month. We'll see where this goes from here.

157.6 lbs
43" hips
32.5" waist
36.5" chest

I know and follow at least 3 women online who lost weight and got fit through running. Part of me really wants to get back into it. I remember that runners high and satisfaction of conquering miles... but then I remember how much it physically hurt. How my hips grinded and my toes bled... Still, I get this twinge of jealousy when I see them posting pictures of their run or a sweaty selfie. Not saying I'm going to run another 1/2 marathon, but I'm thinking about it... (Sheena, talk me out of this!!)

(Unrelated), I recently splurged on Spotify Premium. And my splurged, I mean a whooping $12.99 a month! Anyway, it's awesome. It's like, all the music you could want, new, old, classical, story time jams, anything! It's great for dance class, and it's great for toddlers who need to shake it. No regrets.

My future with running

I've decided that after my 1/2 marathon in August, I'm taking a break from hardcore running. I've also decided that 6 miles is going to be my limit.

Last Friday I ran 8 miles (again, for the 3rd time during this training session). After I finished, and took my cool down lap around the track (which was excruciating), I laid on the floor for 15 minutes. Someone even asked me if I was okay.  I was, I just needed to not move for a while. When trying to get up, I laughed at my helplessness, as I failed multiple times.

Anything after 6 miles just doesn't feel good anymore. It hurts, and not a good hurt either. Not like after leg day hurt. More like, cut my legs off hurt. I can't describe it.

So, I'm terrified for this Friday, when I have to add another mile and run 9 miles. I miss enjoying my long run days, now I dread them.

I did it.

I can't tell you how a person can run so much, and manage to gain weight. Is it muscle? Probably. Is it still annoying? Definitely. Does it matter? Not really.

Yesterday morning I did something I've never been able to do before. I woke up in a slump. The scale jumped to 167 (yikes), and I wasn't happy about it. I trudged to the gym for my run.

I carry a notebook with me so I can write down my times, distances, and dates. Before I put my gym bag into my locker, I noticed I had a sharpie sitting at the bottom of my bag. Without thinking, I grabbed it and wrote down these few sentences on the cover of my notebook:

You are good enough.
You are beautiful.
The size of your body doesn't matter.
BE YOU.
YOU ROCK.
KICK ASS.

I felt instantly better. I went upstairs to the track, and proceeded to run my fasted mile yet at 8 minutes 46 seconds. That's under 9 minutes folks. And it felt GREAT.

This is the first time I pulled myself out of a slump without help from anyone else (mainly Peter). With my own will and self confidence, I was able to turn that negative energy into positive energy, and was able to fuel that towards my run. I wasn't sad and I wasn't upset. I refused to be.

3 miles and a Macbook

I ran 3 miles today in 32 minutes and 26 seconds. I think that's pretty good. Little less than 11 minutes per mile.

The past few days I have been running around to Best Buy and the Apple Store trying to figure out what kind of battery my macbook takes. It doesn't charge anymore and if I take it off life support it instantly dies. The computer itself works great, and even the Apple Genius said it was just the battery. So, basically, I'm saying fuck it for these reasons:

1. Replacement cost through the Apple Store is $129 plus taxes.
2. Apple Genius refused to tell me what kind of battery was in my computer, and just told me to Google the model. 
3. Problem is there are still 12-thousand different kinds of batteries. And if I google, "Macbook Pro 15 inch mid 2010" the results I get are all over the place. 
4. The Amazon reviews are horrendous. The few batteries I did find had 10 1-star reviews to the 3 5-star reviews. 
5. The only source I trust to buy the battery online is out of stock ($40 for a used one) or really expensive ($159 for a new one). 
6. I never move or go anywhere with my computer. It's basically a desktop anyway.

So, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. I'm switching back to PC after this laptop anyway. 

1/2 Marathons... WHAT?

My dear friend Sheena sent out an email to her runner friends the other day. It was advertising the Chicago Women's Half Marathon and 5K. I tweeted her asking which she was interested in, the 1/2 of the 5K. I said I'd sign up for the 1/2 and train/run it with her. So... that's what we're doing!

I can't believe I'm doing this.......

13.1 miles, that's more than 2 10Ks, one right after another. What happened to the girl who loathed running the mile in high school? Nowadays, 1 mile is a cakewalk. I like running because it allows me to prove something to myself. It allows me to conquer something I once hated, and it makes me feel strong. I like myself when I'm running.

Anyway, I printed out a 24 week training schedule using the same design and layout from my 10K training program. I liked it, and it worked well for me. I must admit, it's a bit terrifying seeing my long run days. 11 miles, 12 miles, 13 miles. I'm petrified. But also excited. It begins March 17th with a 4 mile run. I have 3 months to get to the point where 3-4 miles is considered easy.

LET'S DO THIS.

Happy Friday!

Today was a loooong day. It started with applying for a job in Carol Stream. It was about a 30 minute drive, which really isn't bad considering the job pays $20 an hour. Worth it! It's still a part time job, but it's a library job, which is better than a retail job.

Before heading into work tonight, I went for a run outside. Using this website, I tracked how long my run was. Ultimately it was a little over 2 miles. I didn't run the whole time because it was kinda hot, and also because I just didn't want to. Official training for the 10K doesn't start until July 1st, so I'm definitely going to take it easy until then. No use injuring myself before training even begins!

I wanted to say something about my running fashion... but then I realized no one was home to take my picture (and also that I'm so not into fashion), so you're stuck with a MySpace-esque picture of me in my little shorts. I made the shirt in Craft Club my Junior year of college. The shorts are Old Navy, the shoes are New Balance, and the bra is sports. I know, real classy.

Take note of the pile of Converses and of the Chubby butt.

I... was... running!

Yesterday I had a great victory within myself when it came to my run. Since it was hot outside (nearly 80 degrees F), I decided to run in shorts. Now, I've never been comfortable in shorts. In high school and most of college I never wore them. I thought my legs were fat and jiggled and they had so many imperfections, I couldn't let anyone see them.

I'm starting to get out of that funk. Yesterday I donned my best pair of athletic shorts, and went for a nice run in Old Montreal, near the water. This part of Montreal is filled with cobblestones, horse and carriage rides, and best of all, tourists. SO MANY TOURISTS.

And you know what? I ran past those tourists in my short shorts gleaming with pride. I didn't care that they were riding up, or that my thighs were burning. I was proud to be running, and proud to be comfortable with myself, so that I didn't care what people thought. I never thought I'd get to this stage. I never thought I'd enjoy running so much. It's strange, I like it.

DDPYOGA

Sorry for my lack of Feel-Good's and Freak-Out's. Julien has been using my mac a lot lately, so my prime blogging hours have been compromised.

Yesterday I did another 5K for the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital in Laval, QC. My sister in law was running it (as a manager, not literally), so I got a discount to participate. Seeing as I was less ready for this one, my time was a bit worse, but only by a few minutes. I clocked in at 36-something minutes. But, I did enjoy this run more. Instead of running around a racetrack with nothing to look at, we went around neighbourhoods, surrounded by houses and cars. Definitely a lot more interesting. There were also a lot less people (700 to last weeks 7000), which I enjoyed.

In regards to my exercise habits, I'm going to start relying less on the gym. For many reasons, I no longer wish to go there, but the main one would be the $43 a month I have to pay to be a member. Now that it's nice outside, I'd like to start running first thing in the morning. This is the plan:

• Cardio (running) every other day.
• 30 Day Shred every weekday (weekends off)
• Walking Chubbs nightly, if possible. 

When the 30 Day Shred is over, and if I liked it, I'd like to try other Jillian Michael's workouts. Start a tiny collection of work out DVDs.

I'd also like to try DDPYoga. DDP, you know, like Diamond Dallas Page, the professional wrestler. I've always had a soft spot for him, not quite sure why... Anyway, I first found out about it through the video below. I highly recommend you watch it.

realization

Hello. My name is Aimee, and my weight doesn't matter much to me anymore.

I've been getting really frustrated with myself lately because I've been working out, eating better, but not seeing any improvements on the scale. None. I've thought to myself, If nothing is changing, why bother? I've thought that many times...

But, you know what? I think I'm in one of those bodies where it just needs toning. And I think that's why I haven't seen any changes on the scale. You know how, when you first begin a weight loss journey, you lose quicker than towards the end? For example, with me. I lost the bulk of my weight in middle school, and have been sitting where I am now (basically) for 8+ years. And it's only now that I'm really wanting to tone up and get firm. Muscles and what-not.

Now that I realize I'm at that stage, the scale shouldn't doesn't matter to me. Instead, I'll just be taking measurements every 15th of the month.

Today I ran/walked aimlessly for a good 45 minutes or so. It's been a very stressful few days, so it felt good to just run. So... you just ran!