Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Does this guilt make me look fat?

So I live in one of those cities where you feel bad if you don't work out--because EVERYONE works out. Like on a weekend if you choose to have brunch instead of running, and drive to your destination (vs. biking), you pass millions (ok, millions don't live here)of people jogging biking, swimming (due to the humidity, I'm pretty sure that walking counts as swimming.) So many mornings a week I get up when it's dark and get in a run (so I fit in.)

In my adult life I ran when chased. I start with adult life because honestly, anything before college doesn't count. I mean, we could go back to childhood where I had endless amounts of energy and my parents put me in every sport possible so that when I got home I was exhausted. I've grown out of that phase. So you can only count it if you are my husband who is a gazelle and ran CC in college. Ok, maybe he's a gazelle that drinks a lot of beer, but he still recalls how to run. So yesterday he decided he's going to get in shape again--which will take him like 2 weeks and he won't have to stop drinking and he'll lose like 20 lbs in 2 days. Jerk.

In college I participated in many a choreographed dance. Oh... how I love a group dance scene. (for rush, sing song, homecoming...) Step aerobics was at it's height back then so I took some of those classes too... Oh, and I swam for a class and took yoga. Grad school.... eh, is a wash. I went, worked out, got married, got fat, graduated.

Then Nikki and I started running--and eating biscuits and gravy after our 5k races. Then we started running and going to weight watchers. This proved to be a more effective option. Then I joined Team in Training for my first endurance event. I was going to run 13.1 miles. This was beyond my realm of comprehension, but I did it.

I'm now on my 3rd event--training for my 2nd FULL marathon. As my alarm went off this morning I sat there thinking about how great sleeping for an extra hour would feel. And I got out of bed, changed my clothes, put on my NEW running shoes (which are the same as my old ones but NEW and purple), pulled back my hair with my new sweatyband* and off I went at 6:10AM. It's amazing what a good dose of guilt can do for you.

Well, guilt, wanting to fit into my clothes, continuing to get to purchase fab running clothes, and finding a cure for blood cancers. I've become one of those people. I run a million miles on Saturday mornings before you've had your first cup of coffee. I talk about needing a little more protein. I am likely to have some gu in my car, probably some socks, possibly a sports bra. SO my workout for the day is done. Now I can move about my day... sports watch in tow.

*a sweatyband was not a mis-spelling. It's an amazingly cute, amazingly durable, amazingly non slip head band.... and perhaps I'm wearing one at work.)

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