Friday, September 07, 2007

Let's Try That Again

Tomorrow is pace day. It's 6 weeks into marathon training, and I've yet to hit my first pace run on pace! For a while, it was the blood donation explanation, but I think that has since expired. Maybe my timing for a 3:45 marathon is just too ambitious. Anyway, I'll give it my best shot again tomorrow for a 6-mile run and see what happens. C'est la vie!

I think I've dropped 5 lbs since this thing started. I now hover between 155 and 160. If I could eat normally instead of thinking I constantly need to fuel up like there's no tomorrow, I'd be lighter and faster. Food is now mostly viewed as carbs, protein, or hydration. Things like taste, expiration dates, and "how old are these leftovers again?" are no longer relevant.

For an entire week, I went to Central Market for lunch (it's like a Whole Foods), and I'd get the same thing - a small salad from the salad bar, and a big tub of cottage cheese. I never ate so much cottage cheese in my life. After a week, the taste just got to me and I couldn't take it anymore. I took a week off, and darn if I didn't start yearning for that cottage cheese again! So back I went, and now it's a regular cheese on, cheese off, thing.

Alcohol is verboten too. That's usually not a problem as I'm not a big drinker. Of course, as soon as I took this stance, we had an obligatory client dinner at an old traditional steak house in Tampa last week. "Yes, I'd love an ice tea on the company nickel please". Then I followed that up with a wedding reception for S.'s cousin at the Four Seasons here in Dallas. "Yes, I'd love an ice tea from the OPEN BAR please. Make that two ice teas." %$!@^#*&!

In other news, summer is so over already. School started two weeks ago, and we now have two 6-graders who have moved up to middle school and a new kindergartner started in our old elementary school. Soccer, volleyball and gymnastics are back in full force. The local race season is heating up again too, but I'm not signed up for anything. Oh, except my first corporate challenge 5K coming up week after next. And possibly the Tour de Fleurs 10K/20K after that (yes, Susan, I'm still thinking about it!).

8 comments:

peter said...

Summer's ovah? Why am I always the last to know? (Oh, no kids.) Six weeks deep and 5 pounds down. Pretty impressive.

massoman said...

i know summer is over because my nose told me. it is now rag weed season.

jeanne said...

oh isn't that always the way? the minute you start with the cottage cheese...it takes over. i will issue this little warning about cottage cheese (ok, all dairy) combined with the long run. i'm just sayin' ...not so good.

and good thing you didn't have to pay for those ice teas! thank god!

go, pace on, young man.

Anne said...

I use cottage cheese in lieu of dressing in my salads. Great when it's greens and traditional veggies only, but it gets complicated in the taste department when something like beets enter the plate.

I'm already waxing nostalgic about the summer, when the sun stayed up longer and the intrusions were down. Glad to see I'm not alone.

David said...

Cottage cheese? What is WRONG with you? Yech! There must be a tastier nutrition product somewhere.

Your life reminds me of the good old days when I had kids in the house. Enjoy it while it lasts. Then enjoy it when they're gone and you can still run.

Rae said...

Great job with the 5 lbs! I always pork up when I'm marathon training, it's so frustrating!!

Runner Susan said...

5 lbs? loser. i've dropped none. I'm like rae. hope to see you at the fleur . . . my friend marta is coming with me for the 20k - she does 8 min miles, you could run with her.

Rhea said...

Whaddya mean, no alcohol?! Not that I drink much, b/c of running early on weekend mornings. But, still. One martini now and then can't hurt ...