Quick Update: A Setback in Week 2

Good afternoon.

Yes, that's right, it's a Thursday afternoon and I'm blogging ... because I'm not at work. I took two days off to move. Yes, that's right, still moving. Yuu-uu-uuck. I just took a brief lunch break and thought I'd take a few moments to ensure you all that I did run this morning as planned.

An interesting thing happened, and I'm not entirely sure why. I finished with a full minute on the clock, whereas last time I ran this workout (Week 2), I had a full two minutes on the clock. The difference between these two occurrences? I started the workout walking with someone else -- my mom.

Now, she's a slow walker, even by my standards (which is slow), but she walked quickly with me for the five-minute warm-up. I guess it wasn't quick enough and I didn't even realize that I might have been walking slower than usual. But, I'm thinking that's the main cause for my slowness. In fact, for a few of the running portions, I thought I was going quite fast.

Eh, whatever. It was gorgeous at the park today, so it was worth it.

One last thing. 'Tis the season for 5Ks, and I know I've brought it up before, but I need to decide if and when I can try one. Many of you offered great feedback on the kinds of runs I should try, and I defintely agree. I appreciate the advice too; I would never have thought to distinguish between a serious 5K and a fun one. But now that you've mentioned it, I know exactly what you all mean.

There's a 5K run/walk happening in my neighborhood, literally a baseball's throw away from where I live now -- okay a really LONG baseball's throw. It's at the end of May and the route is quite hilly, so I'm a little reluctant. There are also a few throughout Cincinnati that I'd like to take a shot at: the Reggae Run (organized by one of my professors), the Reds 5K, and the Hyde Park Blast. Basically, anything with a party at the end is going to be a safe bet, I'm guessing.

Okay, I must get back to packing and moving. Forgive the short and icky post; I'll do better next time. Check back soon for my feature on BBW* exercise.

*See the asterisk at the end of my last post.

Vegetarian Woes: I WANT MEAT!

So, like any proud round girl, one of my favorite televisions shows is on the Food Network: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Guy Fieri, my hero. Along with Anthony Bourdain, of course.

Anyway, I watched an episode this weekend for the first time in ages, and it was hard. There was meat. Juicy, saucy meat ... on bread ... with stuff on it. Drooool.

Needless to say, this weekend was rough. I've encountered just a few of these rough days so far in my adventures in vegetarianism, and yikes, what a challenge! In fact, this weekend was so difficult for me, I started worrying about my ability to keep this up. Can I stay a vegetarian? And, if not, how long should I do it? Should I set a goal for myself? The lamest part is that I do still eat meat -- it's called fish. Fish is not a hamburger. Fish is not a hot dog. Fish is NOT boneless buffalo wings. And meatless pepperoni is not pepperoni. (Surely someone has simply added pepperoni spices to some soy protein, WITHOUT the nasty fake meat flavor and liquid smoke I hate so much. Blech!)

Sadly, I haven't talked to my doctor about this diet decision yet, and I'm curious about what she'll say. Surely she'll just be glad I'm paying attention to what I'm eating at all. I'm paying attention to how much protein I'm digesting, but am I paying enough attention?

Just some (vegetarian) food for thought. I'll post more later on this topic. But now, I must move my crap from one apartment to the next. Toodles!

Unexpected Developments: Part 2

Well shoot. I need to get in the habit of writing down all the topics I want to blog about before I start. Otherwise I end up forgetting my main points. Hello, distractable!

So, the second unexpected development that may alter my running patterns in the near future: I totally just won a free session at Cincinnati Adventure Boot Camp for Women. Honestly, I'm petrified. The thought of me in "boot camp" at 5:30 in the morning -- shivers down my spine. Can I keep up? Will I be able to breathe? Am I going to hurt myself? Am I going to die? All reasonable concerns, right?

And it's coming up soon too. The next one in my part of town starts REALLY SOON. We're talking DAYS. Ehhh!

Needless to say, I'm going to need some egging on. I think most people call it encouragement. I'm already starting to formulate some excuses for missing sessions.

Breathe!