Time to Move

I'm still here! I've just been swamped with working two jobs - one of which was retail during the Christmas holiday... Yikes! I haven't had time to consistently be in the gym like I would like to be, but I have been careful about what I eat. Like Nicole, my sweets have been allowed, but minimal. Rather than grab a dessert plate at Christmas, I picked one cookie and ate it off a napkin so I wouldn't be tempted to pile up the goodies. I peeked at the scale on Monday morning to have it read: 138.8! I am at my goal weight, even slightly below it! Of course, I still have muscles I'd like to improve. But I'm happy that I am at a healthy weight and have really changed my eating habits!

I went to put in my measurements on my WW tracker a couple weeks ago. To my surprise, one day several months ago I had put in my measurements! So here is the change to date:

Waist:
Feb 2011 38"
Nov 2011 30"
Change: -8"

Hips:
Feb 2011 42"
Nov 2011 36"
Change: -6"

Bust:
Feb 2011 41"
Nov 2011 40"
Change: -1"

Clothing:
Feb 2011 12 pants; XL or L shirts
Nov 2011 8 pants (loosely); M or S shirts
Change: 2 sizes

I didn't realize how far I had come. I still don't feel small. Just ask Nicole - I squirm or make a funny face when she calls me skinny, even more so when she adds the word "super" in front of it. I will try on, even buy, shirts that are a size or two too big because I just haven't adjusted to the reality that I can wear a small. The weight loss portion of this journey is over for me. I'm where I have spent the last several years dreaming about being. Honestly, it still kind of feels like a dream. It almost doesn't seem real.

But the journey of a healthy lifestyle is never over. Now, my focus becomes on my fitness. And with the half marathon less than two months ahead, the gym will easily become my second home. Here is the 8 week training plan I will begin and stick to

This is the training plan I used for my very first half marathon, so I know it works. It will have me in the gym 6 days a week - that's 6 more than I have been doing. But 2 or 3 miles will go quickly. I have a tendency to avoid the gym because getting off work at 10pm, I just don't have the energy to be working out until midnight. But if I keep telling myself "these miles will be done in just X number of minutes" it feels doable.

I'm still trying to figure out how many of my runs I should do outside versus on the treadmill at the gym. It's freezing right now, and it certainly won't be this cold in Florida - even in February. My current plan is to get outside and run the Sunday long runs at the lake if the weather is nice enough to do that. If not, then the treadmill will suffice. Any other tips or tricks or ideas for me as I jump into training?