Half-Marathon Training {Weight Loss}

I am going to do a half-marathon.
Me.

Yes, me.

I don’t really think that is all that crazy, but you’d be surprised at the looks I get when I tell people I am training to walk/jog a half-marathon.

Maybe I shouldn’t tell them such things as I am eating a breakfast taco in front of them?

I suppose not.

But, no really, I am going to do the Rock ‘N Roll San Antonio Half-Marathon in November of THIS year. And I am truly excited and I am truly terrified. Mostly I am terrified I’ll be too slow and have to get escorted off the course and won’t get my medal.

And I would be livid if I went through all this training and then didn’t get my medal because I did NOT FINISH.

Oh my lord. Seriously. Thoughts like that cruise through my mind at least 10 times a day. Also cruising through my mind 100’s of times a day is the joy I think I’ll feel when I cross that finish line and get my medal.

A bit obsessed with the medal, eh? I am. Definitely.

I am following this half-marathon training plan meant for walkers, in addition to still attending 1-hour Zumba classes 2-3 times a week and strength training.

It is a lot of exercise, and yet I am still bulbous. For as much as I have exercised this year, I feel like my body doesn’t show it. What it does eloquently show is my love of breakfast tacos. And margaritas. And Whataburger.

While I fully feel I will eventually get better and hopefully achieve a 14-15 minute mile in time for the race, I still haven’t conquered the food demons. In late April, I had gotten down to about 26 pounds loss. Today I weighed in, and I am 21 or so lost. I am so pissed with myself because in 2 months I’ve essentially made NO progress. The year is almost half over, and I am not halfway to goal weight. I didn’t hit the 50 pounds mark by BlogHer like I wanted to. I just completely and utterly gave up and lost focus with food journaling from about late April til about a week ago. That is so much time wasted, and it almost makes me sick to my stomach to think about it. I could have made so much more progress if I hadn’t thrown in the towel.

Looking back, I don’t know why I got off track. I mean, I went to a conference, but that week I inadvertently lost 2 pounds because of food poisoning. I think I just wanted to eat all the foods I had forbade myself since January 1st. I went nuts—like food was going to all of a sudden disappear and I’d be left to starve. My other reasoning behind my diet hiatus is that I let work overwhelm me. Extremely. Then I used food to cope with it knowing food does nothing to help cure problems.

Food demons, I tell ya.

I am back on track as much as I can be, again. This time around I am not going to be super militant about it. I have increased my calories and just plan on not eating that many of my exercise calories earned. If I slip up, I am going to track it and make better choices the next time. I think it’s about time I find a balance so that this will be a lifestyle rather than a 12-month diet.

Yup.

I do have a few questions for you lovely readers, especially those of you who walk/run/exercise outdoors.

1.) I need headphones. The cheapo $3 pair I got from Wal-Mart slip out of my ears because I am sweating buckets when I do my outdoor walks. And I wear glasses. So with those 2 things in mind, what do you recommend?

2.) I need new tunes. What songs pump you up when you’re running/walking? My fave song lately is The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga followed by Selfish by Britney Spears.

3.) Any tips to get through this half-marathon training? Any tips to get me to my goal weight without anymore unplanned hiatuses?

I’m on the edge of glory. I just know it.