Stronger than a Jelly Bean...

Well, after a whopping 4 weeks, I show no weight loss, but also no weight gain. This is actually a small victory, considering that I was on vacation for 2.5 weeks. Of course it's disappointing to waste 4 weeks not losing weight... but whatevs. I have plenty of other things to be stressed out over today.

I ran 2 miles yesterday on the dreadmill, and I tried to push myself a little harder than I normally do. I figure if I'm getting to run indoors, on a flat surface, in front of a TV, I better do something to make sure I get a real workout out of it. So, I ran the first mile at 12:30 min/mile, and then sort of split the second mile between 12:13 and 12:46. The result? I was completely crapped out after 2 measly miles. How embarrassing. Also embarrassing: there was one other person in the workout room with me, who happened to be on a dreadmill two down from mine. I really really like my personal space, ok? I was at least lucky that he didn't choose the dreadmill directly next to mine. I would have had to leave! Occasionally he'd attempt at conversation, but I could scarcely answer with all my huffing and puffing.

I've decided that I'm going to actually start logging miles in Excel. I plan to do this very soon... But so far my lack of existence of a running log (nay a running plan in general) is only the tip of the iceberg when describing the complete and utter chaos that my life has become. Let's examine just today, shall we?

I have just returned from 2.5 weeks of completely unstructured vacation, where I did not stick to an eating or exercise plan. I've just returned from vacation to a huge pile of work. People are late delivering necessary data for me to do my job. My diet/weight loss have been all up in the air since I left for vaca a while ago, resulting in no loss (but no gain) in the last month. My house is a wreck because I've just moved and I still have cardboard boxes sitting everywhere. I can't find time to sort out my bills and my running log (both Excel projects that I'd hoped to get done last night). I can't find time to exercise because, while people are late on their deadlines to me, my boss still expects me to meet my deadlines. The dog escaped from his outdoor pen today and a neighbor retrieved him, so SoxFan had to drive my car 20 miles back to our unpacked wreck of a house to deal with the dog, only to find that the cat (!) crapped on the floor. I will likely work 12 hours today to meet said deadline and will not get anything remotely useful done tonight. To top it all off, a well-meaning colleague (in order to repay a favor I'd done for him a while ago) bought me a HUGE bucket of Jelly Belly jelly beans. You will all remember how fond I am of the Jelly Belly's right? I even dedicated my halloween costume to them last year? (I insert this here because someone at the Jelly Belly company read this post today, so I'm hoping they'll consider becoming my sponsor, and thereby will provide me with a lifetime supply of Jelly Belly's... All 49 flavors except black, please!) Anyway, they beckon to me from the corner of my desk. All. the. time. Every time someone walks by, they ask for one... and I see a Strawberry Cheesecake... or a Caramel Apple... and I think "oh, just a few jelly beans can't hurt"... and little by little, I'm LOSING THE WAR AGAINST THE JELLY BEANS.

As a side note: I do quite enjoy the Jelly Belly energy beans that I often enjoy during my long runs. They are quite delicious (moreso than say your average shot bloks or other gu substance). It's like candy, on a run, that gives you energy. That's a sponsorship I'd love to have, people.

Could you carry this kayak for me?

Like I said earlier today, I've had lots on my mind recently, so I was looking forward to a good run this evening. I delayed the run until 7:30PM because it was blazing hot out. (By the way, when did summer arrive in Denver? I generally prefer to sort of ease into it rather than being shoved kicking and screaming into the 90+ degree heat.) I tried to take a nap between work and running, but for the most part I just ended up lying in bed worrying about all the things I needed to do (including running).

Finally, I got out there. It had cooled down considerably, and there was a teeny bit of a breeze, at least at first. Unfortunately, before I laid down for my "nap", I ate dinner. I seem to remember posting about how I should never eat before running (at least no more than a banana or something), but that didn't stop me. I had a full on dinner at 5PM then laid down until 7:30PM then got up for a run. I'm a genius.

I ran 2.5 miles today in a record 32ish minutes, and I covered just over 3 miles total. My pace went as follows:

Mile 1: 12:55 min/mile
Mile 2: 13:06
last 0.5 mile: 7:05 (13:49 pace)

It felt great to be out there tonight. I was sweating a lot and I certainly regretted my untimely dinner, but all in all, I felt good. No knee/hip pain or anything. I'm really enjoying my audiobook, too.

The extra 2lbs of "food weight" that I carried through this run got me to thinking about the weight that I used to carry on every single run, whether or not I'd just eaten. I thought it would be interesting to come up with some kind of physical representation of the weight I've lost (nearly 40lbs). So, for your viewing pleasure...

I have lost:
This dumbbell. This is an obvious choice, I suppose.












This desk chair. You'll just have to take my word for it. The online store had specs that listed this chair at 40lbs.










This kayak (not including passenger). Seriously? I mean, I realize kayaks are probably optimized for mass, much like the Orion spacecraft. But seriously? I've lost a kayak?




This 4 year old child. I have no idea who this person is, but she must be 4-5 years old, and apparently she weighs 40lbs. I have lost the equivalent of a large toddler. Nice.









So, if you can, imagine me running around the streets of Lakewood with a kayak or a kicking toddler strapped to my back. I suppose it's no wonder that running is easier and less painful than it was 6 months ago. :) I'll take it.