This is 40 pounds

This picture seems sort of an odd way to lead off a post having not posted for a few weeks now. It has been rainy, I had a vacation in there, kids returning to school, more than the usual work chaos in addition to a bunch of other things. In other words life has been happening.

The rain mixed with the late rising of the sun in the morning has made it difficult to squeeze running in. I have given up doing it a lunch because there are no facilities to clean up and cool down well and that was creating more issues.

I have come to realize how much I have integrated that one activity into my life and have come to depend on it as a stress outlet in addition to keeping the weight under control. Rather than reach for the food in times of stress I'd much rather grab the shorts and sneakers and head outside for a while even if it is just a couple miles out and back.

This past week, even though it was a short one, was one of the worst I can remember at work. Late hours and heavy issues, I got to the point where any meaningful thought was difficult. My brain seemed to hurt.

So Friday I threw my hands up, left a few minutes early, vented for a while when I got home then went out for a 3 mile run in the moderate dark into and around the downtown and back home. The town was bustling with alfresco diners and tourists walking around as I sweatily made my way through and around them. The fog was starting to lift from my mind. When I got back I was ready for dinner and to relax for the evening. Then this morning I went for another 5 mile run and was able to process a lot of the craziness that went on last week.

After eating breakfast then cleaning up and popping on the scale to see how things were going, I discovered that I had practically met the weight goal I set 2 years ago when I took on running, which was to drop at least 40 pound. I was at 39.6 pounds lost. Of course I realize that some of that was that I had run and probably hadn't fully replace the water lost, but when I hit these marks it usually means that my weight will hover up and down around it but eventually if I keep up the running and eating paces, will become the new normal.

As I think of this I realized that what I had been carrying around was the equivalent of this 40 pound bag of pellets. Totally gross and disgusting when I think of it and I keep that as a reminder and motivator to keep me getting out there and watching what I consume.

So, the new and probably final weigh t goal is 5-10 more pounds and the secondary goal of training for a 10k the end of the month and working toward a half marathon next spring. That will be difficult with the normal challenges of exercising in the winter but it is a goal.

So, this has been a post of total personal reflection/obsession. Pehaps I'll finish the more general and creative ones I'll started and have sitting out in "draft". But first, it is mowing the lawn that has grown long with all this rain and cleaning the stove to be able to burn this bag of pellets.