November Progress :
-6lbs / -58 total
Turkey day has come and gone, and while there was some indulgence, I lived through Thanksgiving week and managed to lose a pound. How? I did my research, I guess. I packed my gym bag along with my other necessities for a two day trip south of Boston. While we got in late Wednesday night, we (my lovely sis/fellow road-tripper) were greeted by takeout my dad had picked up for us at the local Italian joint. I chose chicken and broccoli - safe enough, no? Oh, I wasn't aware it was going to come with nearly a pound of penne! I ate all my protein and veggies first, and munched on a few pieces of the Italian pasta goodness, but finished with about 3/4 of the pasta still left in the dish. Win #1. I kid you not, that took some serious self control, I LOVE pasta.
Thursday morning. The night before I used my maps app to figure out that there was a park right across from the hotel. I convinced my sis to come with me for a pre-turkey run. Wide awake at 8:30, we made it to the park by 9, running a few laps in the park (and I should mention my fastest mile ever since I have been tracking them). Win #2 - but this was a significant one. I have NEVER exercised on this holiday. I nearly always travel to Boston, but I have never used the hotel's gym. I made it a point this time to plan ahead and just get it done. This made it easier to eat healthy as we headed over to my aunt's for the giant meal.
I passed on stuffing, crackers, pumpkin bread, wheat sheaths (basically a large pan full of egg-washed bread). On my plate were green beans, a slice of turkey and a small serving of mashed potatoes. Instead of having pre-meal snacks that are more like a meal in themselves, I munched on a few shrimp, holding my hunger adequately until mealtime. This thanksgiving (although taken with a few glasses of white wine) was surely different. No seconds, no breads, no pie. But I didn't need or miss them. My buzzed self had a bite or two of leftover cannoli back at the hotel (ya, did I mention that Italian takeout included cannoli, too?). But all in all, I controlled myself. Sitting across from my ballerina step-sister at dinner, who made similar food choices made it easier, as well.
Of course, the holiday was laced with it's share of compliments like "Jessie, where did you go?" and "you are looking so thin" (I don't know if this was a compliment, healthy would've been a more appropriate adjective), and relatives inquiring about my exercise routine and my upcoming 5k. But, for the first time in a long time, I braved several camera shots of myself and my family. I wasn't afraid of being shocked at what I looked like in the photos; in fact, I actually really liked some of the photos taken.
This week's workout :
Monday : Spin & Sculpt = 440 calories
Tuesday : Bodypump + 5 min run = 480 calories
Wednesday : Short walk (1.5 miles) = 210 calories
Thursday : 3 mile run in Quincy! = 340 calories
Saturday : 3.1 mile run = 480 calories
This Week's Workout :
Monday : 3.1 mile treadmill run = 450 calories
Tuesday : Bodypump = 410 calories
Wednesday : Spin & Sculpt =490 calories
Friday : Cyctone = 520 calories
Sunday = Santa 5k! + 2 mile walk = 720 calories
So, the Santa 5k. There is nothing quite like being all dressed in red, in a sea of red. Over 2000 Santas raced and in short, it was joyfully incredible. I had never run the actual route before but had made sure to do a 5k run about once a week for the month of November. The race stated and I was pretty pumped. I got my stride pretty early, weaving in and out of people and pushing myself to run up the massive hill that was Battery Street (wowsers!). I thought for sure because of that hill I was not going to meet my goal of under 35 min. I stopped to lower my heart rate twice, I think, for not more than 15 seconds after I got up the whole hill section. Racing is a completely different atmosphere than just running by myself. It was easier to pick up the pace, turning corners and seeing everyone cheer you on. The home stretch up Church street was the hardest part, I think. Slightly uphill but really pushing myself to finish strong. When I stopped at the end I was pretty glad I hadn't eaten breakfast because I'm pretty sure my stomach nearly turned upside down. Maybe I pushed myself a little too hard but that's my style, I guess. And my time : officially 33 min, 39 seconds. I am so proud of myself. That's nearly 13 minutes faster then when I first attempted it early this year. What a rush the entire race was, can't wait for another one (although there might not be one as cool as this one). Here's some pics from the event :
I'm in the snowflake pants in the top photo. It's all of the Dealer.com racers (ya, I was a racer!). But I think I finally understand what running a race is all about. A little competitiveness, an adrenaline high and a great reason to get your body moving. I checked a goal off my list before the end of the year, as well. Consider me hooked.
Before I sign of on this post, it's end of month so I guess I should wrap up with stats! November I lost six pounds, down 58 total! Another inch off my waist, and one off my hips. I've learned not to let the scale dictate my progress so much. How I feel has become increasingly more important to me, and I'm liking what I see in the mirror more & more. I'll even pose for pictures now. Changes, indeed, in the best possible ways. I get you all another pic at -60, not so far away now!
Sorry, this was a long one. So much to share :)
