Change of Perspective

Monday and Tuesday I attended a work retreat.  It was held at the Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa in Southern MD.  I decided to go down on Sunday evening in order to avoid an early rise and questionable traffic.

I got some work done on Sunday night and went to bed.  When I woke up on Monday morning, the first thing I did was look out my window.  It was a beautiful morning.  The sun was just coming up over the water.  The water was calm.  The colors in the sky and reflected on the water made a stunning view.  I just stood there, taking in the whole peaceful scene.

The very first thought I had was "I wish I had brought my running stuff".  That is literally the first time that I have wanted to run in a long time.  I didn't bring my running stuff because I really didn't expect to have the desire to run.  I was trying to save space in the suitcase so I didn't bring anything "extra".  There was a time when my running stuff would never have been considered "extra".

The retreat started and I got wrapped up in the meetings. I learned a lot and consider it a very valuable use of my time.  At the end of the session on Monday, the instructor told us about a running path.  Several of the class members mentioned that they were going to run in the morning.  I was disappointed that I couldn't join them. 

I don't know what happened to trigger this change of heart about running.  For at least a year it has been a struggle to run.  Maybe I just needed a break.  Maybe I just needed to take the pressure off.

Whatever the reason, I am hopeful that this mindset continues.

Next Saturday is the Osprey Triathlon.  It will be the 3rd time I'm doing that race...the first time was my very first triathlon.  I am undertrained.  I am not "race ready".  But I am looking forward to getting out there and participating.  It was at this race that I crossed the finish line and fell in love with triathlons.  I hope to experience that feeling again.

Down 8 Pounds!

The first week of my "diet", I focused on only my food.  I did not swim, bike or run.  It was very time consuming to prep all of my food for the week and pack my lunches.  I had migraines for 3 days straight.  But at the end of the week, I was feeling a lot better.

The second week I started adding athletic endeavors back into my routine.  I continued to follow a strict diet, although there were events where I had to "make do" with what I could.  We traveled to see Ryann at KSU and we had many meals in restaurants.  I realized that it's probably not 100% clean eating, but it is pretty easy to be healthy if you just make the right choices and be sure to ask for what you want from the waitstaff.

I am now 8 pounds lighter but the big difference is how I am feeling.  I am completely off my caffeine addiction and I am not consuming sugar of any kind.  No dairy either...which surprisingly I don't miss at all. 

My clothes are starting to feel normal again.  They had become so tight and I refused to buy larger sizes.  So now, even though I am pretty far from my ultimate goal, I am moving in the right direction.  Losing the weight is the first step towards getting all of my training 100% back on track.

Stepping Back to Move Forward

So this blog has kind of gotten stale.  I haven't posted regularly and I'm sure that anyone still out there checking my blog is either related to me or just really bored.  So I've decided that I am going to change things up a little. 

The reason I haven't posted is that I haven't had much to say.  I have been very sporatic with my training since my foot surgery.  I have also gained a lot of weight, which mentally weighs me down and physically holds me back in training.  SO, now that September is here, I've made a decision...I am going to take a step back in order to move forward. 

What does this mean?  Well, I will still swim, bike and run but it will be with the goal of getting myself into a good, healthy place instead of with goals of going longer, harder, faster. 

I have always done better when I am being held accountable.  So, I will make a daily post on this blog that talks about the challenges or the successes I've had that day.  This will include both my workouts and my eating, however this will never be a weight loss blog.  I'm just not that kind of girl!

Feel free to chime in if you are on a similar path.  I am by no means an expert and will take any feedback or support that anyone will give me!

So, day 1...here goes...

Success: I have eaten "clean" all day.  Only meat, veggies and fruit today so far.  I have given up my treasured hot tea with Splenda in the mornings.  I have been drinking water all day.  I actually enjoyed my healthy lunch.

Challenges:  I probably did not pack enough food to get me through the day since it is almost 3 pm and I feel very hungry.  My sleep was not good last night so when I woke up this morning with the intent to run, I chose to reset my alarm and go back to sleep.  I did not plan ahead for dinner so I am probably going to be challenged there.