Still Running...

Hello! Some time has gone by since my last post, but as you can see from this awesome group Turkey-Day photo, I'm still running!

On Thanksgiving morning (aka my birthday), two good friends and I ran a turkey trot (4 mile). It was cold; it was hilly; it was worth it.

My time hasn't improved much, in fact, I gained a minute from the September race, but considering this course was far hillier than the first, I'm not shocked.

It was a good "get your booty in gear" start to the holiday and it kicked off a great day spent with friends - one where I wasn't feeling guilty all day for eating snacks and butter-laden casseroles.

I don't have another run scheduled yet and I'm dedicating this winter to becoming fitter, leaner, and hopefully, faster. Yes, I can run several miles, but well, not at all quickly.
I've added the help of a personal trainer and am hoping that helps me reach some goals between now and the spring time, when I hope to be able to do at least a 10K.

Here's me - really glad to be done!
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Just check out that crazy ponytail!

Talk about making your birthday count. I could have slept in and really relaxed. No way. I've got too much riding on this whole fitness thing. :-)

This race was family-friendly (see: Big Turkey mascot) and though not as well attended as the September Fort4Fitness, it brought in a crowd of over 3,000 to the small, quaint University of Saint Francis area.

Back to the regular fitness programming...

I've been working with a trainer for about a month now. Sadly, I haven't seen any pounds lost, but have gained some muscle definition and feel a lot stronger and healthier.
(Well, except for this week's bout of the stomach flu.)

I confess, watching the scale jump manically between 5-10 pound weight gains and losses each week makes me feel crazy. However, my clothes fit; I feel good (most of the time); and I have to be making progress. Somewhere.
My workouts have gone from once or twice a week to sometimes 4-5. My training appointments hold me accountable for three of those days, which is awesome, and those appointments make me excited to work out alone. :-)
(Wait, that's not exactly how I meant it...)

My diet?
Still needs work. Big time. I'm considering going back to low-carb, but it's too soon on this program to just give up on the new whole grains.

I hope to check in more frequently, but I've gotten caught up in the living part of this and not the documenting and I'm still trying to balance it out.




Happy Holidays!