When the Cold Wind Blows..........Stay Inside.

I remember in Michigan never being cold.  Not ever.  I used to laugh at people down here all bundled up when it is 40 degrees out.  Now I am that person.  Mostly because I have lost over 100 pounds and I don't have that hibernation warmth.  But I am always cold.  I am cold when I run.  I am cold when I go outside to my car.  It's funny because when you are really fat, you become accustomed to being fat and warm.  I haven't been this weight, really, ever in my adult life.  Dang, I even asked for a fancy wind proof, rain proof jacket.  I never even owned one in Michigan.  Not even my double husky fancy $160 North Face fleece can't even defend me from the cold crisp air of the mid Atlantic.  It's terrible.  I always have to have gloves on too.  And in my office, last winter I made fun of all my coworkers being cold.  But at the end of the day, I would rather be cold or wearing really baggy clothes.

This is just one of the prime examples of new feelings in my life.  Another one was this past weekend at a holiday party.  I was a bit overwhelmed with all the flattering remarks from the people who haven't seen me in a long time.  I also needed to go out and buy a nice casual dress shirt for functions because I literally have no clothes left in that department.  Most the new clothes I have are either for exercise or work.  No social event clothes.  But again, it makes me feel good.

You know, there is no code, book, idea, or story anyone can tell you when you lose weight.  No one ever told me how much it would change me emotionally and physically.  No one ever told me how people would react.  No one ever told me I would hear a bunch of naysayers.  It's funny when you hear people say, "you have lost too much weight".  Like really, I am still clinically obese.  My doctor will tell me that.  Any medical professional would.  As I struggled two weeks ago about what I should do at Weight Watchers I reminded myself of why I am doing what I do.  My doctor had written me a note that I can be at lifetime weight at 230 pounds (which I have already surpassed).  After kind of getting the cold shoulder from my coordinator, I went home and thought long and hard.  I decided that I am not at my lifetime weight.  No way of cheating.  I haven't weighed in since I last weighed in but I know I am still going to lose pretty easily.  So I need to regroup, meet with my doctor and figure out a good goal weight.  I am scared to have to maintain.  I am also scared of not having a low enough goal weight.  But I want something that I can accomplish.  And MAINTAIN.  I am probably going to go with 210.  I need to meet with my doctor but I think that would be a good weight.  My dad was always around that weight.

Another funny story is when I went shopping Monday before my movie. I sent a picture to my wife with a top I found.  It was sweet.  But it wasn't something I would normally wear.
It was a large.  Which blew me away too.  But I liked it.  Last night i am talking to my wife and she says, "That's not something I have ever seen you wear".  I was like, "I know, that's because I was never able to fit into normal size clothes and they never sell cool things for fatties."  I learned this week that a positive of being thinner is being able to buy clothes that are more fashionable or hip.  use whatever you want to call it.  But it felt great.

Everyday I struggle with my new identity.  I know people around me do to.  But it is here to stay.

This shirt is pimp

Maintenance

For a long time.  My dream weight loss goal was 100 pounds.  It was crazy to think I would even get here.  I didn't expect to actually hit it.  I guess I was just not ready to handle it.  And I am not.  I have been pretty stressed out since I hit the 100 pound mark.  This past weekend I had a conversation with my Weight Watchers leader and we talked about maintenance.  Quite frankly, it scares me.  I have never been in a place in my life where i just need to maintain.  Either I need to lose weight or, oh, wait, that's all I have ever needed to do.

I am scared if I don't lose, I will gain.  I am also scared that I will just gain it all back.  It's just new territory.  I have never been here.  I also don't know where I need to go.  Should I go lower?  How much lower?  It is hard because so many people think I have lost too much weight.  Which annoys me.  It's not the thing you want to hear when you worked so hard at losing weight.

Overall though, I am happy I am here and I know what it took.

VB Turkey Trot 10k Recap

So I finally got home from hunting camp.  I didn't shoot anything.  But I can say that i am very happy with my weight loss.  It made hunting and all the hard work so much easier.  Anyways,  I ran the Turkey Trot 10k in Virginia Beach.  it went really well.  Actually my fastest time ever.  It definitely doesn't have the tradition and feeling of the Turkey Trot in Detroit, but it will have to suffice for the rest of my life.  I ran fantastic.  It was my fastest pace ever.  I ran a 56:20.  Which is faster than the last 8k I did.  I also ran past a coworker of mine.  He was pretty surprised that i passed him.

I am just proud of how much faster I have been and how much healthier I have been.  I am looking forward to my 2015 goals.

100 pounds

This weekend was a bit crazy.  A lot of stuff is going on personally but a lot of things are going on with the family.  It is that time of year.  But the best thing happened.  After 14 months of hard work and making healthier decisions, I finally hit the century mark for weight  loss.  I LOST 100 POUNDS.  Actually, I have lost 103.  Its crazy, the last few weeks have been pretty stressful leading up to this.  It's just a huge number.  It's a significant marker in life.

It has been a whirlwind weekend.  A lot of ups and downs.  We had our unveiling of our Christmas lights Saturday.  We had some friends and family over.  We also decorated the inside yesterday before our big hunting trip.

I don't really have another Weight Watchers goal.  Which scares the hell out of me but I know I am in a happy place.  I just need to pick a new one.

I never thought I would be in the 220's again.  But I am very happy.

0.8 pounds

Saturday i weighed in for the first time wondering if I was really going to realize my goal weight loss of one hundred pounds.  I needed 3.2 to lose.  The week before I had lost that amount so I knew it was possible.  I also did really good during the week even with all the stress.  I was really hoping I would hit it.  My goal was to get the one hundred pound weight loss before thanksgiving.  It was key to my success because I wouldn't be weighing in for a few more weeks due to hunting.

I lost 2.4 pounds and I am 0.8 away from hitting 100 POUNDS.  As much as 2.4 is a great week and I shouldn't be complaining, I was pissed.  But I knew it was fine.  I was going to have another great week and hit this Saturday.  It's crazy, it's been 1 year, 1 month and 25 days since I started this weight loss journey.  I am basically at a weight where I haven't been other than when I was in prime Lacrosse shape in High School.  It's the only time I have been this low as an adult.

As annoyed as i was, I am still proud of myself.  I keep killing it week after week and it hasn't let up.  I do work hard at it.  More than most people do.  As I have mentioned before, I work out hard and eat healthy.  it is the simplest method to losing weight.  Weight Watchers has also taught me to be honest with myself and be honest about what you eat. I track everyday.  I think it's funny when people don't.  it is so simple with the WW app.  And they actually remind you to everyday and congratulate you if you do it.  I can't remember when was the last time I had either of those reminders.  But I do know I remind myself everyday that I don't want to go back to what I was because I look at the pictures of my wedding day or any other picture and I am so thankful I am here.

So, today, my motivation is the next 0.8.  It isn't a lot but it is all I need to be proud of myself.

The Light It Up Blue Moon Harbor Lights Course Preview Run

So Sunday was the preview run for the new half marathon in Hampton Roads sponsored by J & A.  I really wanted to do this race in a few weeks but it just doesn't fit in my schedule due to family obligations, the holidays and hunting.  But family is more important than running a race.  One of my fellow ambassadors is a pacer for the half and he asked me to run the preview run with him.  It was a lot of un.  The Running Etc. Ambassadors were asked to be pacers for the race.  I wanted to do that but I wasn't sure how I would feel about doing it after my first half.  So I met up with Randy yesterday and it was fun to see all the ambassadors with our new singlets on.  They look great.  Pretty cool to know we have a custom singlet that is based of off Nike's Oregon singlets.

For the preview run, I followed Randy Cook and we paced at about 10:16.  Good enough for me.  We talked the whole way and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him.  He is a local running legend in these parts.  he was one of the best runners back in the day around Hampton Roads.  he is also a history buff who lives in Norfolk which made the run even more fun.  It was fun having conversation most the run.  It was also nice to run in new territory in and around downtown Norfolk.  Really cool city, nice area, and a lot of history.

I am glad he forced me to come out and run with him.  I had some physical issues after the race but I will make sure I take care of that next time.

Running Gear 2014

So I was thinking of doing this post for a while.  I remember starting this thing called "jogging (I think the J is silent)" in January.  At that time I had just dropped below the 300 pound mark and I knew I needed the next step in exercise to get me where I wanted to be.  (It worked.  Almost 100 pounds down now).  I always had running shoes because that's what I used when I worked out.  I had a pair of worn out Brooks Beasts from 2013.  Even though my dad was a runner my whole life and he repeatedly reminded me to never run in worn out shoes and to buy the right shoes, I started with a pair of worn out shoes.  The last time I had had my gait checked was at Hanson's Running Shop in Michigan, probably in 2005.  I had gain a ton of weight since then and my body had changed a ton due to age.  I just decided to run.  I started running one lap around my local spot.  It was 1.7 miles.  I wanted to do the Shamrock 8k in March (I was scared shitless to run that far and I kicked ass).  I learned right before that race my shoes were way too worn out and I needed different ones.  I ordered new Brooks Beasts because thats what I knew.  Came to find out after finally checking out the local running store that the Beasts were the wrong shoes for my feet.  LOL.  Anyways.  So I started running with just whatever I had.  I used my baseball dad pullovers and my old running socks from long ago.  Now, almost a year into running, I have a whole selection of running gear.  Things I made fun of people for.  Some I had no clue about.  I took a picture of the most important things I use on a regular basis.  This does not include my Compression Socks.  Which are AMAZING.  Best running invention ever.  So here it goes.

Shoes: Brooks Glycerin 12 12 EE  - I have always loved Brooks but this are like giant magic clouds.

Head Phones: Motorola S11 Headphones - Greatest invention ever.  Bluetooth Wireless Headphones.  Water resistance.  Not perfect sound quality.  But the usefulness and quality outweighs the little minute sound complaints from hardcore music lovers.  But who expects perfection in sports headphones.

Visor: Running Etc. Head Sweats Visor - Man.  From 2003 to 2014, the running equipment technology has drastically improved.  This visor was a godsend during the summer in the South.  I hate running hats and visors.  But with this, I am not only repping my local running store (I am an ambassador) but this brand makes awesome products.  I love the bright yellow with reflective materials.  I have learned running in a rural area that the brightest colors and most reflective materials are very helpful from oncoming vehicles.

Running Belt: Amphipod running belt.  This also saved my ass for those long summer runs in the South.  Also purchased at Running Etc.

Foam Roller: Trigger Point Foam Roller - Enough said.  this thing is amazing.  Best purchase ever.  Use it daily or at least try to.  Every runner should have this.  Don't need to explain where I got it.

Arm Phone Case:  I am not a big fan of buying a $300 watch for my running.  I would like one but it is not a top priority.  Since I have unlimited data with Verizon still, I will stick to my phone as my go to music player and running app. I found this arm band on Amazon and there is no need to tell you which one because there are about one trillion arm bands out there for phones.  They are inexpensive.  So buy one and try it out.

Race Belt: J & A, the local big race company sells an awesome race belt that you can put your race bib on without pins.  It's great.  it is cheap and it is perfect for what you need.  Very minimalist.  You can order it here.  Race belt

Safety Lights: So I went to the local running store last week because I needed some kind of lighting to help me while I run on the back roads.  Since the time change, It is very dark at night.  So I purchased these.  DuraVisionPro Safety lights are amazing.  They have 2500+ feet visibility.  I have used them twice now and love them.

Things I forgot to take pictures of:
Running shorts - Nike Running.
Running shirts - Running Etc Brooks long sleeve
Running outside layer - Target Brand Running gear
Running Socks - Compression Socks.  get with it.  It's the greatest technology.

Thoughts: As I was typing this, I thought about how important it is for your community to buy local.  Shop local.  My running store is Great.  If you go to the Running Etc. Virginia Beach store, ask for Drew.  The kid is awesome and helpful.  I learned from my dad that the local running store is the key and champion for runners and races in your area.  Buy local.  These stores not only can help you, but they support the community, your local schools and many other things.  Plus the employees eat, sleep and live in your area.

As I keep running and start training for a full marathon, I will re-do this next year.