Slowly getting back on track

My awesome LBD I found at Goodwill!

I've slowly been getting over the crud, thought I'm still not quite 100%.  I ran 3 days this week.  30 minutes around the neighborhood ( not including a 5 min warm up and a 5 min cool down, so really it's 40 minutes worth of exercise).  I steadily get better and better each time I do it!  Today was my 3rd run, and I did my 4 mile trek to the swamp.  I ran 10, walked 2 and completed 4 miles in 46 minutes and change.  Wow!  The track to the swamp is along the back roads and is mostly flat.  It took me 48 minutes and change to run my 5k, so I'm pleased with the improvement!  I keep feeling all paranoid that I'm going to gain weight, but my size 10 jeans are still fitting perfectly and my 14's fall off.  I've never lost any significant amount of weight before, so I'm just unsure how hard it's going to be to maintain.  The only bummer thing about this running thing is my left heel is KILLING me again.  I had NO problems doing Insanity, despite the high impact of it.  My right leg/heel is perfect, but my left heel/calf is super sore.  This was week 2 of doing not much, next week will be two more until I ramp up the Insanity one more time.

STILL sick:(

A rare GA snowfall!  From 2010

As of today, I STILL have a thick, persistent drainage in the back of my throat.  I feel like coughing up a lung, I keep clearing my throat, but at LEAST I don't have feverish body aches or anything (knock on wood).  Again, I feel like this week has been a loss, exercise wise.  Monday I did "cardio recovery", and was sore on Tuesday:)  I was happy for that.  Tuesday-today (Sunday) I've tried to rest and take it easy to hopefully RECOVER from this CRUD.  Today I feel ok, other than the thick drainage, so I decided to head out on a run this evening.  I set my alarm for 30 minutes, and began hitting it at a pretty decent clip (for me, anyway!).  I did roughly half a mile more than my last run about 10 days ago:)  My endurance was perfect, what was hindering me was my knees and a small stitch in my side.  So, I'm up to about 2 1/2 miles in 30 minutes, which I'm proud of!  If I keep at it, I'm sure I can get 3 miles in that time!

I am standing at quite a crossroads right now.  I TRY so HARD to just love my life.  I don't suffer boughts of depression, I never feel sorry for myself, and I work hard to find the positive in every situation.  But ... I'm tired.   I'm ready to actually have time (well, MONEY) to SHOW my OWN horse.  I'm actively trying to make some changes, but of course change is hard.

I'm happy to report I haven't gained any weight in the last 2 weeks with my sad lack of exercise.  I've tried to eat well, and "clean".  I honestly don't have a desire to actually LOSE any more weight.  I'm down in an 8 in a dress size, a 10 in jeans, and I'm VERY happy with how I look in the mirror.  A little more toning is fine with me, but I'm super happy with my body for the first time in forever!  Tomorrow starts a new week, so hopefully this persistent crud will go away and I can get in my 3x a week runs and my 2x a week Insanity.  Not gonna lie, it's nice to know I have 2 whole days off from working out vs. just 1:)  I'm actually pretty lazy by nature!

If y'all can find it in your hearts, prayers for me and family would be much appreciated.  I don't post all over facebook with vague prayer requests because I think it's mostly just a cry out for attention.  I'm actually a pretty private person (believe it or not, lol!), and my relationship with God is hard for me to put into words.  I DO know that He is always in control, and things always happen exactly the way they're supposed to, so prayers for the ability to make good decisions is in order, I guess.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for the support!!!

A bit of a loss ...

Blech.  I feel like this week has been pretty much a total loss:(  I have been sick all week, STILL have sinus drainage making me crazy.  I've had a pretty bad cough, and I pushed through Monday and Tuesday to do my "max" workouts, but Wednesday I just had to take the day off.  I felt TERRIBLE.  Yesterday and today I did 'cardio abs'.  I subscribed to the theory of it's better to do SOMETHING than nothing.  It's only a 16 minute workout, and with the exception of the 4 minute warmup, it's not terribly cardio intensive.  It's counter productive to do an hour long cardio workout when you're hacking up a lung.  Oh well.  At least I reached a goal, despite my "slacking" ... a little black dress in that elusive size 8!  Single digits!!!  Holy moly!!!  I've always fit in smaller sizes "up top" vs. shoving my shapely hips and thighs into smaller pant sizes, and the dress looks simply smashing on me, I must say!:)  I bought it for my friend's wedding on Sunday, can't wait to dress up.

Not planning to do any workouts this weekend because I still need to get well, and I've got a horseshow all day tomorrow, and my friend's wedding 2 hours away on Sunday.  Monday I start my "modified" schedule for 4 weeks ... hopefully I've gotten over this creeping crud by then!  I HATE being sick.

Creeping Crud:(

 

The creeping crud is trying to take over my life, ugh!  I HATE getting sick:(  Been eating grapefruits like crazy and drinking Airborne twice a day.  Hopefully I fend it off for as long as possible.

Got my pics for this month!  Great change:)  I didn't expect such a change on the 30 day pics, but I feel GREAT.  The "max" week is definitely a nice shaping workout.

This is my last week of Insanity.  I plan to take 4 weeks "off", and go back to running 3 days a week.  On the 2 'off' days, I will alternate Insane Abs and one of the 'recovery' workouts.  I will need to go back to entering my calories in SparkPeople so I don't gain any weight over the next month, but I think it will be fine:)  I just want to make sure I don't blow it and balloon back up to my size 14.  The holidays are coming up over the next 2 months, obviously, so I just need to make sure I make smart choices and watch my portion sizes! Without further ado, here's the month's pics!