The week of the Wicked half

There is always this part of me that freaks out the week of big races.  I don't want to run, walk, be outside, be inside, be around children or dogs or anything that might injure me or make me sick.   I have read so many blogs recently where people have gotten sick or injured the week of and have had to miss BIG races.  While this is just one half in a long string of halfs I am doing this spring, I really don't want to miss it, since it is a local race.  While my ankle is still cranky and hurts on and off, the pain has gotten much much less and has gone back to no pain during my run.  I am still doing ice, compression, and advil in the morning and before I go to bed, just in case.  I am also slightly worried about stella.  She's fine don't worry, but the prospect of a longer race with her is staring to worry me.  She has done almost 15 miles with me, so the distance isn't a problem for her, but I just worry about the what ifs.  What if she steps on a piece of glass and cuts her foot?  What if I don't fuel her properly and she runs out of gas?  What if, what if, what if.  It's kind of like dog agility, you are a team, both parts of the team have to be 100% and work together.  I know we will be fine, but I like to randomly worry about everything anyway, so I am choosing her at the moment.

And I got this this week too:(  No MCM for me but that is okay.  I knew it would be a LONG shot, but I went for it anyway.  Maybe I should do a west coast marathon, so I can use the time change to my advantage:)  Still waiting to hear about chicago and if that is a no, will go for a local marathon like KC or Wichita.  Not giving up on my goal at all!

I also started this last week.  I know it isn't the best way to loose weight, but it is time for me to do something, and this is a step in the right direction.  I like how it syncs to all of my apps, and I get credit for calories earned during running.  I also decided to get back into tracking how many steps I take a day, so after careful consideration, I bought a vivofit from garmin.  I did like my little fitbit, but the fact that this one doesn't have to be charged at all made it a winner.  I always forget to charge the dang thing and miss out on a whole day of steps.  I am not sure what happens when it finally dies but heck, it came in purple and that is another mark in it's favor.  I really like the band better as well, still hard to put on, but I really like the little sleeve that goes over the clasp, so it can't be accidentally bumped open.  

Anyway, back to my dieting (yes I call it a diet as it is a restriction in something and that is what dieting is).  I have only had one day that I went over the calorie allotment of the day.  I have decided that one day a week will be a cheat day, where I will still log but  not freak out if I go over.  I have made some decisions to not eating something because it isn't worth the calories (bye bye fru fru coffee and deserts I really didn't need anyway).  As with all of the other dieting programs I have done, the first week is always the hardest, and then my body adjusts and I am fine.   I seem to already be over that hump, thank goodness. I do know I need to be cognizant of just more than the calories I am putting into my body. I am trying to pay attention to the chart that this app gives you everyday of the types of nutrients you are putting into your body and the goals it sets for you for each of those nutrients.  

This was from a pretty good day.  I tend to take in more fats that I need and less protein than I need, so working on that for sure.  Most of my friends are using this app, which made it an easy decision to pick.  They all have lost weight and inches and look great.  For me, I like loosing weight, but it is more about how my clothes fit and boy were they super tight lately:)  Seems like I always pack on 3-5 lbs in a training cycle, so I need to be aware of that and correct that.  

This has been my mentality for a long time and I need to change it.  I had posted something on FB about calorie counting, and my favorite response from one of my friends was, "but you run, how could you possibly gain weight?".  Well, this mentality is why, and it is time for me to be more aware of what I am putting in my body and how it is affecting my running.  I have made some awesome changes over the years thanks to multiple times at Weight Watchers, and not one but two coaches that were very well educated on nutrition.  

Well enough for now.  T minus 2 days till Wicked!  See you after the race!