Jede Tag

I'm trying to figure out where to begin this true story.

Let's back up to this past November.
I had been biking to work some days, but then it started getting cold and dark out with the time change. I was also sitting around a lot at work, with not a lot to do, and I read about a slow carb diet.
I was also reading Anne of the Island at home.

The slow carb diet touted that you could lose weight without exercising. This, of course, works for humongous people, but not for those of us trying to lose 10 pounds.
So I cut out bread/carbs for like a week and a half (during Thanksgiving week - LOL) and only saw a little bit of difference.
I was also taking walks at night because that's what they do in Anne of the Island and it's just delightful.

The Sunday afternoon following Thanksgiving, I was out walking in my subdivision. They had just completed the roads to make a full loop, so I was exploring new cul-de-sacs with no houses. It was unseasonably warm, and I was just listening to some music walking along, enjoying watching the geese pecking in the grass, being careful to avoid their droppings on the pavement.

This older couple came running up and passed me.
I watched their gait, and they made it look so easy.
Suddenly, I wanted to go faster than walking.
I wanted to run.

So I started running just like they did. Nice, small steps at an easy pace.
When I got back to the house, I thought- I'm not even out of breath.
And since I had been taking walks consistently every day on the holiday, my legs didn't even itch.

The next nights after that, I just had to get back out there and do that easy-like run. I would drink coffee before hand, and as soon as I stepped out the door, I was ready to go.

It was just me and the dark. The moon and the night. Sneakers on the pavement.
Savannah lights to the east, Pooler lights to the north, and uncharted territory to the southwest (where is Fort Stewart anyway?).

I started enjoying my time alone. I looked forward to jamming to some old tunes like Hello Saferide's San Francisco. Some days when I didn't "feel like running" I'd still dress up and go out there. Before long, I would suddenly feel like running again, and then I would.
There was something so energizing in the air. Or maybe it was the fact that everyone else was inside watching TV and I didn't feel self-conscious about, you know, exercising in public.

Also, it's really not that cold out at night. It's like, what, 56?

So then Christmas came, and I was still trying to run 1-1.5 miles every day. Sarah and I decided to sign up for a color run in Savannah that was deeply discounted. It would be my first 5k.
I knew I was going to be slow, but I wanted to see if I could run the whole thing.

I didn't run the whole thing.
BUT I was close. I probably only walked a quarter mile. I even sprinted the ending, which turned out to be a lot longer than I thought once I turned the corner into the parking lot. So I get bonus points for that.

Anyway, the fact that I (almost) ran a 5k? That's pretty impressive for me because I used to be all anti-sweat like this comic.

And now just 3 weeks later, I'm actually at the point where I can run 2 miles straight, and I've been trying to work in some interval training to improve my endurance.
Don't I just sound like a douchey douchebag gym-going douche when I say that?
(It's okay. You can agree with me.)

As you know, I went to the movies last weekend and saw American Sniper with some friends...

Just for fun, I looked up what US Navy SEAL training is like, which led me to look at what basic military training is like, which led me to realize "omg, I still have a long way to go before I even meet the minimum poo bar for the military".

So then what did I do? I signed up for a 10k.
And this isn't just any old 10k. This is the Savannah Bridge Run 10k.
I will be running on the bridge in the background of the first picture in this post.

Go ahead. Scroll up. I'll wait.

5.5% uphill grade, baby. This is going to be hard, but I have like 10.5 months to train for it.
And I'll get a free* t-shirt.
*With purchase of registration

The cool thing is that I've already lost about half the weight I've wanted to lose.
I guess what started off as a meager attempt to lose a few pounds has now turned into a hobby?

Like I needed another hobby.

Seriously- I haven't sewn anything or played guitar in weeks since I've been focusing on running and learning German. There is just not enough hours in the day to do all that I want to do. Can I get an amen?

Goals:
1. To lose the remaining ___ lbs and keep it off.
2. To be able to do at least the Liberator standard for BMT.
3. To run a couple miles with my cousin the next time I see him and not have to catch my breath every eighth of a mile.
4. To run that 10k.

I remember the stupid things, the mood rings, the bracelets and the beads,
TWS

Third Eye Blind; Never Let You Go