Weight loss for Wishers and becoming Leaner Meaners!

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning, Lean Mean Brigade!

I'm pleased to report I did my new strength workout yesterday, and also 5M this AM on the TM. I'm so pleased I've already worked out for the day...it wasn't easy getting up this morning, but then I thought about running 5M after work, and up I got!

I've also stuck to my ww points this week -- which is getting easier each day, but was really hard at first. When I go off and eat a ton, I seem to have to ease back into eating less. Lesson learned -- don't go off and eat a ton!

Vicky -- When you wake up and feel that tired, you should give yourself a break. Some days I just need the sleep more, and I do honor that. It's not worth risking illness or injury!

Debra -- I am getting so excited about our trip, I'll be waking up in Universal just two weeks from today! DS gave us his "plan" for our departure day this morning at breakfast. He thinks we should go out for a family lunch before we go to the airport. That was his way of using my phrase to get another meal out. We'll see. Our flight leaves after 4 and I want to be at the airport by 2, and he doesn't get out of school until 11:30. The "family lunch" may be at the local diner! This is not a sit down for a long lunch kind of day.

Don't let the weight gain get you down. We all go through those times, and getting back to what we do normally just makes it easier. Now you've got the Meanies with you, the weight will just melt away!

Beth -- How are you doing this week? Is everyone pretty much back to normal? Are you ready for your race? You are such an athlete!

Jackie -- Ditto to you, athletic woman! I know what you mean about limited dining times. Friday night we will eat early at the POR food court, and Saturday I have to leave open, so all I have is Thursday

Manda -- Running for 5 minutes can seem like it will never end. My secret is to have a really great song ready to go on the i-pod. If I'm really into it, the time just flies!

Cindy -- How are you feeling? Is that nutritious fuel I see entering your body? I know this weather is odd, but I'm pleased it hasn't turned cold yet. I'll be happy if it stays this way, well all winter, but that's certainly not going to happen!

Jeanne -- How are those tootsies feeling? Once you can stand it, there should be a pedicure. You have certainly earned it!

Ok, I'm going to get back to that pesky work. The piles on my desk are getting smaller every day. I feel so lucky I can have my personal effects around -- I like being comfortable and sympathize with those of you who have been stripped of your goodies. It wouldn't be my desk without sitting on top of my computer core!

Maria

 

[jeanneg]

Yay.....Debra got her internet back!


Good news for me: I got my surgery approved by insurance.....not exactly a co-pay, but definitely alot cheaper than having to pay for it all out-of-pocket. So when you see me in January, there should be less to love!

This will ba a quickie post....I am off and running...AGAIN. Since the end of September we have only been home ONE weekend! Headed to MI for a big fat Greek engagement party...OPA!!!!!

Hugs to you all!

 

[Creativebeth]

Just a fly by to let you know that Richmond went well! I PR'ed for the third race in a row...... 2:16:58! Catch up later!

Beth

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Beth -- So very proud of you!!! I knew you were going to rock it!! Now go enjoy your moment!

Maria

 

[Creativebeth]

Thanks Maria!

I looked back at my races this year, and here's the breakdown for my 1/2 marathons:

Cesar Rodney (3/15) 2:35:58
Lehigh Valley (5/4) 2:28:38
Chicago RnR (8/2) 2:26:00
Va Beach RnR (9/6) 2:22:44
Philly Distance (9/20) 2:18:30
Richmond (11/14) 2:16:58

I took 22:00 minutes off from the beginning to the end of the year! I am really happy with that!

Yesterday was raining and cool. I really didn't feel that it would be a good race. I got held up in the porta-potty line......really bad. No toilet paper.....not a good scenerio. My knee hurt most of the race, but I tried not to focus on that.

I had the pacing for a 2:15:00 race on my arm....not with much hope for that though. I actually ran pretty fast in the first miles. I actually had a cushion of 1:30 by mile 4 for the 2:15 pace. I knew the later miles would chew that up. I was at perfect pace at 9 miles with 1:32:41. By ten miles, I was a minute behind. I tried to keep up, but I couldn't. I hate mile 10 to 11.....it's close, but still 3 miles away. I saw my family at 10, and that kept me going......I struggled but kept running (slow). By 11 - 12 I saw that I still had a pace for a PR, so I picked it up. I finished pretty strong with the downhill.....for a new PR! I took a moment to celebrate that! and then had to find another porta-potty!

The course was hillier that reported. We went through a park with alot of rolling hills.....I wasn't happy with that.....it killled my pace! But I kept things rolling!

I am really happy ( and a little proud) that I accomplished my goal for the year (a few times!) My new goal next year is not to fade in the later miles!


Beth

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hey Lean Meaners! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Mild weather here continues... I'm hoping it sticks around one more weekend so I can get my 10K in. That would be great!

Beth - Congratulations!! That's an awesome time, especially because of your knee! I'm so proud of the amazing improvements you've made in your 1/2 times this year! You rock!

Maria - You know, I never thought I'd like running in the morning. Getting up is still tough but like you when I think about running when I get home from work, that gets me up pretty quickly!

Jeanne - Glad to hear that your surgery will be partially covered. Do you have a date set up yet? Btw, I read your RR and loved it! I felt like I was right there in NYC with you!

AFM - The past week has been kind of meh - not too thrilled about our new office and the training runs have been stonkers. They've all been sloooow but I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes. It does feel like a little bit of a let down after a couple weekends of really great runs.

Eating wise - well, it's a new week so a new start, right? Maybe that's why the running's been meh. I guess I can't put junk in the bod and expect great performances. So here's to a new week and a new start of clean eating

Have a great day everyone!

 

[jeanneg]

Beth: Congrats on the PR........That is an awesome time!
How did Jackie do?

Vicky: yes, I do have a date....towards the middle of next month
I should be in pretty good shape by Christmas and just about totally healed by WDW marathon weekend. Glad you enjoyed my race report

 

[MouseDogMom]

Beth - CONGRATULATIONS! And yes, there were a few hills. And what about the lack of toilet paper? I've told everyone that it was truly the best run marathon I've ever run, except for one "small" detail - NO TOILET PAPER! Awesome time though. That downhill finish did wonders for everyone's time.

Jeanne - 5:53:45. Felt great for miles 1-12, then hit a low point and decided I was going to drop out of Goofy and just run the half. Passed the 13.1 mark and wanted to stop. At 19 a coach for one of the local training teams gave me a Peppermint Patty and truly saved my race. At 22 some of the locals were handing out Yuengling, and I had a couple of sips of that and started a whole new race! The two friends I was running with thought I was on my last legs; then they couldn't keep up with me. I looked at my Garmin during our last run segment on our way to the finish and it said 8:36 for the pace!

I'm still evaluating Goofy...

Jackie

 

[jeanneg]

WAY TO GO, JACKIE!!!!!


I knew you were going to rock it....AND YOU DID!!!!!!

Gotta remember the Yuengling advice!

 

[Creativebeth]

Jackie: Great race! I hear ya about the beer......I had some too! Never had beer during the race, but I was feeling really bad about then.....so what the heck, couldn't make me feel worse! I actually think it picked me up mentally....and helped me finish strong! I always hate miles 10 to 11......that's when I feel bad. To close to quit, but still 3 miles away! Next year I am hoping to start training longer distances to help that problem out a little.....or that's what I am thinking now, who knows?

Glad you finished strong! Yeah, the Goofy's a whole other story.......!

Beth

 

[MouseDogMom]

So I got on the scale this morning. My official post-Richmond weight is 141.3 (new scale number.) I've put it in writing for you guys. If I'm going to do Goofy - note I'm still saying "if," although I am riding that post-race high and not on that mid-race low, we have to get that number LOWER before January 9th!

BTW, DD called me while I was in Richmond and asked me what the dates were for marathon weekend. It just hit her that we were going to be at WDW for her birthday (the 9th), and she'll be back at school! Last year we celebrated her 18th during marathon weekend, but we're not taking her this year. I won't repeat what she said to me, but it's safe to say she was not a happy camper!

Jackie

 

[deekaypee]

Vicky: I love that you're going to have a coat tailored for you. That's commitment to a quality coat--and your sleeker body. I'm also impressed with the food journaling. I've been bad, bad about that. You're so right about eating junk food and getting junk results. I know that's a part of my mood and performance issues, so it's good to get the kick-in-the-booty reminder from someone else who's thinking about her training and life.

What's your upcoming 10K? And what's this about a new office--seems like I've missed SO much.

Maria: Wait, wait, wait! DS goes to school the day you leave for Universal? Oh I so couldn't concentrate. I'd have to have a consolation lunch to make up for the indignity. Then again, I love diner food as much as it loves sticking with me. How is your workplace every going to survive without you? I just don't see it!

Jeanne! YAY for having your insurance approved. That can be the biggest hurdle. Less of you to love = more concentrated love in what's left. Right? How did the engagement party go? Any stories?

Beth: Yet another PR! Wow. I'm so happy for you--and impressed. You've earned every second shaved. Or should I say minutes. You've gotten A LOT speedier. I'm glad your family was there to cheer you on, and that you can say you've PRed this season under some very challenging conditions (not the least of which is rolling hills). And PRed so often! I need a picture of you on my inspiration wall.

The no toilet paper thing is one of my race fears, btw. Ugh.

Strange that you're thinking about longer distances--that's what I'm trying right now. Next year, though, I'm going to focus on the half distance and speed. The Goofy is hard to love (so I understand Jackie's feelings, really, I do.)

Jackie: You can't drop out of the Goofy. Just think, you'll do the half on Saturday and be so deliriously tired on Sunday right from the start that you won't hit the wall. You'll be carrying it. Right along with me. And wowsa--that's a smoking hot last segment! You've definitely got those runner's legs that will carry you through marathon weekend.

Oh, that's right about DD's birthday.And you simply couldn't top #18 anyway, so she might as well not go. We all love the Mouse, so I would be a little upset too. But then again, maybe she can celebrate #19 with DBF and new college friends. Certainly that's got to be better than a family trip.

As for me: DOOD hit a deer Thursday night, or rather, the deer swerved in the same direction he did to avoid it. Our new (used, but new to us) car. Yay for increased insurance. I had a lackluster running weekend--just one LR of 10 miles (as my scheduled called for). I keep getting slower and slower as training progresses. Too many b2bs, I think.

The good news is that I'm rejiggering the schedule and my diet to find the missing motivation. Of course, that's because I caught a rather unattractive glimpse of myself in the mirror. Still, whatever it takes, right?

 

[MouseDogMom]

The no toilet paper thing is one of my race fears, btw. Ugh.

Jackie: You can't drop out of the Goofy. Just think, you'll do the half on Saturday and be so deliriously tired on Sunday right from the start that you won't hit the wall. You'll be carrying it. Right along with me. And wowsa--that's a smoking hot last segment! You've definitely got those runner's legs that will carry you through marathon weekend.

Oh, that's right about DD's birthday.And you simply couldn't top #18 anyway, so she might as well not go. We all love the Mouse, so I would be a little upset too. But then again, maybe she can celebrate #19 with DBF and new college friends. Certainly that's got to be better than a family trip.

I forgot to add that after I got back to the hotel room and unpacked my fuel belt, I discovered that I had not one, not two, but FOUR tissues stuck in various places that I had very carefully packed on Friday night. COMPLETELY forgot about them when I was whining that I would kill for a tissue to blow my nose and/or use for toilet paper...

As for DD, I am SO going to forward your comments to her. She's skipping coming home for Thanksgiving to spend it with DBF and his family, so why would we expect that she'd want to spend her birthday with us anyway? And you're right, we can never top #18 (she even said so last year), so there's no reason to waste our money trying.

Count me in as one who is ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY, after January, concentrating on the half marathon distance for 2010. I'm tired of the training for 26.2, and I'm tired of hitting a wall around mile 16 that lasts for miles. I want to enjoy the distance, and I can do that with 13.1.

Jackie

 

[mandac]

Beth – I looked at sparkpeople. I haven’t really committed to it yet – but it looks like it has a better database of foods than the last site I tried to use. That was the hardest part of tracking was when I actually had to enter the nutrition information. Too hard.

Maria – That sounds like a great Christmas party! I am getting really excited for the holidays.

Debra – Hi again! Welcome back to the team. I am very impressed with the soda commitment. My DH was trying to convince me to drop the Diet Coke since I get migraines and other headaches whenever I stop. But I have a hard time committing to that. I just love my diet coke.

Vicky – Sorry the runs haven’t been great. Good job on starting again!

Beth – congrats on Richmond. I found out my cousin flew out from Utah to do the race. She said she had a blast.

Jackie – Congrats to you too! Glad to hear you had fun!

AFM - not much to report. It has been slow going the past couple days. It snowed all day Thursday, and then again on Saturday, so there was no going outside to run. I did finish Week 4 of C25K. That was with two segments of 5 minute running. Today I start Week 5 - which will be R5W3. I think I will like that. My DH is coming with me. I get a little frustrated, because he actually slows me down a little. But it is probably good because then I don't die by the end. It is nice to have someone to run with too. He was a runner when I was a walker, so we could never really go together. I am hoping we can stick together for our 5K next week. We won't break any records (though it is both of our first 5K, so I guess we get PRs) but it should be fun!

My mom went in for surgery this morning. Everything went well. We will find out the results of the tests later. The new rules at the hospital make it really hard to visit, so I will probably not check in on her until tomorrow. They can only have 2 visitors at a time!

Hopefully I check in sooner than later! I hate posting when I only have bad news to report.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hi Lean Meaners!

Debra - Scary stuff about the deer! Hope DOOD is okay - what happened to the car? I think the journalling only works if it's going to make you aware of what you're eating. I journalled an Angry Whopper and fries last Friday so... The new office has been in the works for a while. Our company decided to move most of the head office employees into a single building. I'll have to send you an email about that one

Yeah, my running is getting slower and slower too. Go figure - is that a sign of over training? I don't think that can be my excuse since I'm only training for the half.

Manda - How are things with your mom? I love that you're now faster than DH - very cool!

Jackie - I've also got to get things under control so I can lose a little more weight (or inches) before January. This part of the year is tricky - Halloween, cold weather, Christmas, New Year's... I guess it's all about staying focused I figure if I can lose some more weight, I'll reward myself with a trip to the outlet mall when I'm there.

Cindy -

AFM - I decided to change things up a bit this week. DF isn't around until Friday so I'm going to give running in the evenings a shot. Maybe the change will help improve my pace.

My order of winter running stuff came last night. Naturally, the temperature is going to be 10C (50F) tonight. Believe me, I'm not complaining about that at all.

Well, that's about all for now! Hope everyone is having a great day!

 

[Creativebeth]

Good morning Lean Meaners!

I haven't been able to catch up since the weekend news......

Vicky: I think the training we do wears us down sometimes. There are days that my runs are sluggish....but then I usually will have a speeder day later. It isn't good to run at the same pace all the time anyway. I change this up on purpose. My LR's are usually slow......just getting the mileage in...... So, I don't think you have to worry. I didn't think I was in PR shape this weekend either.....didn't even consider it until I was out there running!

Debra: Oh no! The 'new' car damaged already! Those PA deers are wrecking havoc to all of us. There are too many of them again. I hope all is not lost.....and I hope that your DOOD is ok. I am glad that you have internet again!

Maria: How's it going? Miss you!

AFM: I am back at it today. Yesterday was a loss for diet and exercise. I couldn't get out of bed to save my life. I was way tired......so I didn't run before work. I drugged myself around all day yesterday.....no energy at all. I was eating everything within my sight to boot. Oh, vey! My running this year was fantastic, but I think all the training and 1600+ miles caught me unaware! So, I took the day off.......!

Today, the hunger bug has me, but so far staying on track. I ran 5 miles this morning (working around the major case of chub-rub from the weekend's race) in an hour. I am still tired and run down, but feeling better than yesterday.

Hopefully, things will get better!

Beth

 

[Cindylou]

Good Morning Lean Meaners.

Sorry I've been away so long. Things are starting to get very busy for me lately. I'm trying to get most of my Xmas shopping done in the next week. Not sure that will actually happen since I just have no idea what to get some people.

Beth: HUGE CONGRATS to you on your latest PR. To have taken 22 minutes off this year is AMAZING!! I'm so glad you are being rewarded for all of your hard work. I'm glad you took the day off on Tuesday. Your body probably really needed it. Hopefully you've gotten back on track with your eating. Just one day of non-stop eating is OK, it's when it's 3 weeks or so, like me, then it's a problem. Your list of healthy changes are great. It's a good reminder that weight loss/healthy living is not a complete mystery. There are concrete things we can do to have success. I hope you've gotten back to it.

Vicky: I'm sorry to hear about your new work environment. I am so lucky to have a boss that thinks as long as my job is getting done well, the rest doesn't matter. I have pictures plastered all over my cube. I hope you are able to enjoy your alone time this week without DF and benefit from the change of routine. Thanks for buying all your winter wear, because it's really helped with our temps down here too.

Manda: I'm glad your Mom's surgery went well. I hope the test results were good. Snow? Already? I hope it won't keep you from your runs. That's great that your DH is running with you, hopefully he'll improve quickly and stop slowing you down.

Jackie: I hope you decide to go for the Goofy. Just remember that it will probably be an extra fancy medal since it's the 5th anniversary. And once you've done it one time, you'll never have to do it again. You'll have so many WISH friends to run with you that it shouldn't be miserable. I think you'll regret it if you change your mind. Congratulations on your finish. 8:36 pace at the end of the race is fabulous. Sorry to hear that you had a tough time. Way to go sticking with it and catching a second breath. Sorry to hear you've gained a few lbs. I'm with you on that one. It's a tough time of year to be losing weight, but it can be done. Good luck to you.

Debra: Love the rejiggering word. Hope you've got the schedule all fixed now. I should do some rejiggering myself, but I think I'm going to go with the flow for January. I'll train, but I'll figure out what to do as I go. It takes a lot of the stress off. I may regret it in January, but we'll see. Hope the car situation is fixed. Glad that DOOD wasn't injured. Great news on the internet being fixed.

Jeanne: I'm glad you are able to have surgery. It sounds like it will be a speedy recovery.

Maria: Sounds like you are still doing well with diet and exercise. Good for you. Hope work is easing up a bit. Getting very close to your trip. I have been thrilled with our weather lately. I really hope it lasts right up till Christmas, then we can get 4 inches of beautiful white snow, then moderate temperatures until Jan 8th. Then I need it to be moderate again for Feb, March and the first 3 weeks of April. Then what ever. Not too much to ask, is it?

I have finally gotten the out of control eating out of my system. I'm actually eating like a normal person for now. I'm not necessarily staying within my pts, but at least I'm not eating everything in sight. I've decided to try to do at least 1 hour of exercise each day. That will give me a few more calories to eat so I'm not feeling so deprived all the time. It's going to be tricky to fit that into my day every day. On Tuesday I got out for 20 min of swimming at 5 AM, then after work I got the kids dinner and tried to do a Jillian Michael's DVD. The change in their routine just made the kids goofy so they were all fooling around instead of eating. My DH was working late, so that didn't help either. I'll have to try something different, since I don't really like giving up the family dinner. They all like to do the DVD with me, so maybe that will be our pre-dinner routine.
I haven't made it back to WW for a while. Things keep coming up in my schedule. I'm really hoping to get there next Monday. I'm going to the Patriots' game on Sunday, so that will involve tailgating. It's going to be hard to eat reasonably with all the temptations there. Then of course T'giving next week too, another temptation fest. But after that I'll have 4 solid weeks before Christmas to buckle down. Last year during December I lost 5 to 7 lbs, so I'm really hoping to do the same this year. It really made indulging at christmas more enjoyable because I really felt like I had earned it.

Have a great day everyone.
Cindy

 

[mandac]

Vicky – I would love to feel 50F again. I high is going to be about 30! Yep I said high – below freezing, and it is only November. I feel a long winter coming my way.

Beth – Good to hear you got the miles in this morning. I wish I had advice for staying away from the food. But I don’t! I give in way too much. Just remember that it won’t make you feel better. I tend to want to eat when I am tired and run down. My brain knows it doesn’t help, but my stomach and mouth are very persuasive.

Cindy – Impressive that you lost weight last December. It is sort of the dreaded month for me. Well it used to be, lately every month has been dreaded! You will have to let us know how you manage to fit the hour in. I don’t have kids and I still have trouble finding time.

As for me – like I said, I am having trouble finding time to exercise. I haven’t been able to wake up because I just haven’t been sleeping. I was up all night last night and almost just gave up about 3:30 and hit the treadmill, but I figured any more sleep would be a good thing. We went to visit my mom again last night. She is doing well (thanks for the hugs and WISHes). They think she will get to come home today – but no one would give us a real answer. The results haven’t come back from the lab as to the tumor, but the surgeon said he believes it was benign, so we are hoping for that. It would be a good start to our holidays to have her home and healthy!

The plan is to go out again tonight with DH and do W5D2 of C25K. We are planning on running outside for the last time in a while. The Forecast is freezing and snow again this weekend. I was hoping to go out for some extra mileage on Saturday, but with a high of 30 and snow, I may have to do it on the treadmill. Much less fun.

My weight has stayed about the same for the past couple weeks. Time to kick it in again. I am tracking my eating (using Sparkpeople – thanks for the recommendation) again. I just seem to fall off track when I don’t write it down. The habits are not in place yet. Hopefully that will happen someday.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Hey Lean Meaners!

Sshhh. Don't tell anyone -- I've been coaching on the BL thread this week (using virtually all my DIS time, Sorry!), and today is my last day. I should be over there encouraging everyone, but instead I have to get a post up to the Meanies!

Manda -- So glad to hear your mom is doing well! Sometimes we need a break to refocuse and get used to a new weight, and then are bodies are ready to tackle more. It could be you've been taking just such a break, and now your ready to move!

Cindy -- Good for you with the Christmas Shopping! I'm done with a lot of the kids, but haven't even started on my own I have another trip to the Mall this weekend, and then I should be able to start on ds and dh. I'm glad you've got your eating where you want it! I am losing all motivation. We leave in six days, and that's pretty much where my mind is

Beth -- It sounds like you really needed a day off. Sometimes you have to listen to your body and go with it, so I'm glad you did! I have a list of things to do before the Thanksgiving trip and I'm working on it, but I feel like I'm missing something big. I don't know what it could be, maybe it will come to me...

Vicky -- Let's keep ordering that winter stuff and keep it at bay! I need some long underwear, so I'll order it when I get back. That should be good for another week of warm weather!

Jackie -- I'm sorry I haven't made it here sooner to Congratulate You on Your Fabulous Race! I read your report and cheered, and I should have posted then. The tissues aer something I would totally do -- and trust me, they will be stashed all over the place before I do Donald!

Debra -- So glad to hear DOOD is ok, even if the transportation has had a mishap. I know what you mean about switching things up. I just knew last night I wasn't going to get up and workout this morning, and of course I didn't. I stayed up until midnight (unheard of for me), and I just felt out of it all evening. I'm having a hard time focusing, I think I may have to just give up (other than my 7M Sat.) for this week. Sunday starts a new week for me, so surely I can commit to 4 workouts before I leave!

Jeanne -- We want details on the engagement party, it sounds like just the event for you! And so glad you have a date for your surgery, I know it is going to go great!

Ok, so this has not been my best week. I did my workouts Monday and Tuesday, but yesterday and today have been big busts. I just want to go home and sleep -- and then I don't want to get up early and run. I had a massive (for me) loss last week of 3.8 lbs, and now I just seem to have no motivation. I'm sure when I get on the scale Saturday it's going to be up. Maybe not a lot, but I know I didn't lose anything this week.

I seem to have lost my focus on weight loss. I was letter-perfect last week, and I just don't seem to have it in me this week. I am considering this week over after my 7M Sat (I'm committed to doing those, even if I walk or go slow, I need to do the distance). I'm giving myself a fresh start on Sunday.

Maria

 

[Creativebeth]

Hey Meanies,

Coming to you from the road. On the way to the Baseball Hall of Fame with the family. We are going to a sleep over at the Museum tonight. The boys are thrilled, me not so much. I don't think it will go well for me sleeping on the floor. I think the family forgets that I am OLD!

Maria: Christmas shopping? What's that? I never start before Adam's birthday on the second of December. I try to start thinking about it around Thanksgiving, but nothing ever comes of it.

Manda: Hope all the results from your mom's surgery goes well.

AFM: I am back at it. I actually ran Thursday on the rail trail with my friend Heidi. We were going at a pretty fast clip for 5 miles. I think a little faster than 10 min miles. My legs were still pretty tired, but they held up ok. I got 5 miles in this morning before we left.

I am eating some better, but not perfect. I am sure the weekend won't be either.......I will be back at it on Monday!

Ok, the latest news......I am pondering a marathon in 2010. I know I have said I am done with the 26.2 mile distance, but it keeps coming up in my head. My marathon in 2007 just wasn't stellar. My time was bad, I was heavy, and it was very uninspired. I want to look back at the marathon with some success.......anything better that the 6:22 I ran in Toronto. I would love to do one in 5 hours. I am probably dreaming, but that would be the goal.

My plan for next year is to train longer for the 1/2 marathon distance and try to break 2:15, a 5K in less than 30 min ( I think that is very doable right now), and maybe the marathon in the fall. We all need goals now, don't we???

Beth