Blubber To Runner

*HOUSEKEEPING NOTES*

*  You may have noticed a name change… 🙂 Well, that also means the URL has changed as well.  So, if you have my blog bookmarked, make sure you update it – it’s now http://blubbertorunner.blogspot.com

*  If you’re viewing this on a computer and not your phone, you’ll also notice a new layout!  Let me know if you like it, hate it, etc. – I enjoy feedback!

*  Lastly, if you’re into this sorta thing, I also started a ‘Blubber To Runner’ board on Pinterest!  It’s like the Reader’s Digest version of the blog, if you will.  I’ll be posting movtiational quotes/ pics, probably some funny stuff, etc… so follow along HERE if you want!  I hate clogging up everyone’s FB feed all the time, so this way you can follow there if ya wanna see that kinda stuff.
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OK… So… the running program is going, dare I say, very well. I can feel the changes that my body is having when it comes to my workouts – how they are becoming easier, how they are extending in distance,  the little pains take longer to feel, etc.  All the normal stuff a person should be feeling as they are going through a successful workout program.

Notice I said I can “FEEL” the changes.  What I can’t do is “SEE” the changes.

This isn’t gonna be some blog post about low self-esteem when you look in the mirror.  Nope – I’m WAY past that.  This is about actual facts and me trying to put things in perspective, because I’m honestly confused a little.  See, as I am running more, I realize that I need to ‘fuel’ more.

‘Fuel’ = ‘consume’… ‘consume’ = ‘eat’… more.

Yeah.

Here’s the deal – after I work out I feel GREAT.  But, I’m STARVING.  1 thing I did learn through this whole process is that when you ‘feel’ hungry (re: hunger pains) that’s actually your body telling you that you’re dehydrated, not hungry necessarily.  So, that knowledge – combined with the fact that I just ran 7 or 8 miles – puts me right into water/ Gatorade/ Pedialyte mode.  And I devour it.  I drink 75-100 oz of water a day and STILL wake up dehydrated.  I seriously can’t seem to drink enough.

But, I also need to eat.  And whatever it is I am eating, I can’t seem to lose significant weight in the last few weeks.  I’m not REALLY complaining, because I have lost weight at every single weigh-in, but for someone running 20-25 miles/ week I would think it would have been more than .5 – 2 lbs/ week.  My eating patterns have changed a lot – I haven’t been eating lunch consistently and my healthy snacking during the day is essentially non-existent. I’m eating a decent breakfast then also eating dinner… which is always amazing but not always the healthiest of options.  So these are the things I realize I need to get back into doing… but I wanna know if there’s more it than just that.

So this gets me to the ‘plateau’ conversation.  “Gach, maybe you’ve hit the plateau and that’s gonna be your loss from this point forward!”  Last time I hit the plateau I was 260.  Suffice to say I’m not 260… I won’t even be 260 when I run the half-marathon in 2 months.  Could my body have changed?  Sure, it’s 100% possible.

BUT GAHDAMMIT I WANNA KNOW.

So, any advice out there in Friend-land would be most helpful… I really wanna figure out how to continue to drop the pounds while I continue to up my training regimen because, at least at this point, I can’t seem to quite find a beautiful balance between the 2.  What I would love is some things I can eat that will help me feel more full but also has that energy boost I need.  Items, resources, etc… just let me know.  I try to educate myself on stuff before I talk about it/ put it out there, but this one really has me stumped.

Lastly – I’ll try to better about keeping y’all posted on how the weight portion of this process is going… I’ve talked a lot about training, but have been lax in the diet dept.  I’ll step that up – promise.

… a runner.

There… I admit it.  Finally, I can say that I do honestly believe that I am, in fact, a runner.

Now, this hasn’t been easy for me to wrap my head around; I mean, I clearly don’t LOOK like what people think of when someone says ‘what does a runner look like to you?’ I definitely don’t set records on my runs, like my brother did in HS (or some of my training partners can do if they chose to), but…

I am a runner.

Since New Year’s Day, I have run 101 miles… on a treadmill, outside in a bunch of different parks – in nice weather, cold weather, and ‘seriously what in the HELL are you doing out here?’ weather.  I have run alone, with friends, even made friends while running (the Jamacians loved me)

I am a runner.

So this leads me to what I’m doing right now.  For those that don’t know, I’m prepping for the Unite Half-Marathon which will be held at Rutgers University on April 22nd. Yes, I’m running 13.1 miles.  It’s not gonna be easy, but the Team Immediates Running Club has been a HUGE help and we’re sending 4 of us out to do it.

That’s a pretty special date for me too… it’s my goddaughters birthday.  She is pretty much the most important person in the whole wide world to me and even though, as she turns 7, she’ll have no clue how important what I am doing really is to me (other than she’ll want me to get done fast so I can come over for her birthday), but it will be pretty awesome to say that I did it on her special day.

And it gets better – if I can actually pull this off there are rumblings of a possible Las Vegas Marathon (26.2 miles) at the end of the year!  Hell, my Dad even said if I pull this off, the flight to Vegas is on him if we do it.  If we do that, the 18-mile LBI run in October will probably make the schedule as well.

Now, what does this mean for my social calendar?  It’s definitely different than one would expect.  It used to mean heading to karaoke, knocking back a few Jacks, singing a few songs and admiring ‘the view’.  Now, my fun time w/ my friends is actually spent at the gym going through the Siddons 90 Minutes Of Hell, lining up on the treadmills, movie ‘dates’ in the Retro Fitness movie room, or getting together in various parks across Northern/ Central NJ at 7a on the weekends to knock out some ice-cold long runs.

And I couldn’t be happier about this.

Seriously, this is how I actually wanna spend my time now.  3 days a week I pick up one of my best friends at 4:50a to hit the gym when it opens.  Once a week, I’m at a park with 2-3 of my best friends knocking out 7 or 8 miles then grabbing breakfast – or hearing about life-changing news :).  We all try to get together for strength training when we can.  This is the life I now lead.

Because I am a runner.