Still kickin it

Hola Blogstars! Oh, I'm a bad blogger, so I am. Only know that I am here in spirit, even when not in print. I am mere weeks into my new work gig and have found it has required some very long work days just to settle in and get up to speed. It has meant adjusting my goals and expectations somewhat. Achievable goals and moderation are huge for me. So I decided to shoot for 2 early mornings during the workweek to either do some strength training at home (e.g. 30 Day Shred) or hit the gym for sprints or some other quick and intense cardio. (I guess I could take the run outside, too, but I have not tried that yet.) Then do activity on both weekend days. Ideally a long run and a long hike and/or yoga.

It's quite likely this isn't enough for weight loss - at least not at current food intake levels. (I haven't been tracking my food, either. Another thing I hope to reincorporate - soon!) But it is my way of carving out what I'm willing to do without going into "now I'm off this plan" mode. No all or nothing thinking here! So I will continue to weigh in weekly. And if I see the trend moving upward, I'll know I need to reevaluate. Hopefully I'll soon be more established in a work routine so I'll know where the give is. I don't like admitting I don't have all the answers, but I'm happy I'm hanging in there and willing to work it out with time.

I will also maintain this blog - just not as often. I'll shoot for once a week. I've already given myself a calendar reminder to go off weekly so I can't forget to weigh in like I did a couple weeks ago.

Just did a 4-miler in the Park. It was crap rain in the a.m. and then the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful, sunny, breezy Saturday afternoon. Time for a shower and a smoothie. Enjoy your weekend, wherever you are!

Spring extremes

It is officially Spring and it is extremely pretty out there. It also got extremely hot out there. In my naiveté, I went running for a good 3.5 miles or so in the 86-degree heatwave the other day. My sweet spot is definitely 40-60F (with no wind, hills, or humidity por favor!) Today it is extremely cold again, so it's getting difficult to know what to wear.

Funny slip: in the paragraph above I wrote "funning" for "running." Is it possible I'm enjoying myself out there? I don't think so. Well, I'll admit I always enjoy the post-run endorphin rush and love that sense of accomplishment, but lately I have noticed more moments of enjoyment (or less moments of "how much longer do I have to do this?", "how far to the next functioning water fountain?") during the run.

I'm still incorporating the at-home component (mostly Shred or whatever looks interesting on the Exercise On Demand channel on cable), though not as much this week. I've been job interviewing quite a bit lately (angst!) so like the weather, my mood and motivation have seen extreme highs and lows as well. Overall, I'm trying to sustain some equilibrium and keep up with my exercise regime and food tracking as best I can. This week, I'm operating at about a 7.5, I think.

Running on (away from) St Patrick's Day

No, I did not eat this cupcake!

I just thought it made a better image than snapshots of the happy (drunken) revelers outside my building all along Second Avenue. It's sunny and in the 60's here in NY today. And the celebrants have been belly up to the bar since the dog's first walk a little after 8:00 this morning. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So of course I wanted to take my run outside on this fine day. And where better to run than Central Park? Except the parade route lies between me and the Park, so I had to head east instead and run along the East River. It's "a-ight"...the path is nice, but while the river flows calmly on one side, there is a highway on the other side of you. (Cough, cough) I was so dehydrated. Like, couldn't swallow level of dehydration. I may have to get one of those crazy velcro belts that hold the little water bottles.

I have been taking my run outside the last few days now that I'm feeling better and the weather is warming up. And now that the awful cold and the dreary rain are behind me, I've also just noticed how bright and sunny it is later in the day, which translates to even more time to wile away the day reading blogs and stuff before I realize it's time to hustle to get that run in before the freaks come out. (Just kidding, there are absolutely no freaks in New York.)

Other than that, I've been really focused on my food choices and tracking my eating and using the bodybugg to track my daily caloric deficit. I'm feeling pretty good about this because in the past I've typically treated each day in isolation as opposed to keeping tabs on the running total overall. Which is a better gauge since of course there are higher and lower calorie input/output days and how they average out is more important than any given day alone.