Just as we did returning to elementary school many years ago, I feel the need to write about my summer. It was rather uneventful, consisting of many days of work, or days off doing little things around the house. I haven’t accomplished much, but I intended to. Isn’t that enough?
In June, I began a training program to become a figure competitor (read: sometimes extreme dieting with intense lifting while little running and removing anything fun or social about life, especially if it includes eating food that is not chicken or protein powder, god forbid you enjoy a glass of wine) in part due to my knee pain stopping my running .
While I have 100% respect for figure competitors and body builders, it’s just not a lifestyle for me. They have perfect discipline, which I do not. They also don’t mind going on and off diets, taking fat burners, cleansing, etc… Eating disorders are rampant on the message boards and the extremeness of it all wasn’t something I’m willing to do to my body right now. I would love to look the way they do, but I would also love to look like an elite marathoner (once again, I’m completely looking at opposite ends of the spectrum and want both, but I do always tend to lean towards the marathoner look).
A positive side-effect was that my eating habits have improved and my knee pain has all but disappeared. I still really feel that Michael Pollan’s got the best advice for healthful eating.
In August, I gave up that dream… but I found the more intense lifting strengthened my legs and my knee stopped hurting. This was a big deal for me, because I love to run (I wonder why I say this, because during the act of running, I absolutely hate it!).
During the summer my weight went up and down continually. I am not happy with the added 7lbs I’ve been carrying for a year now (131+7=138), since my wedding last September. Luckily, I was 132lbs all last summer, but the week of my wedding I went up to be 137lbs on my wedding day. So, I haven’t “gained” weight, but if I lose weight I can always say, “I weigh less than I did on my wedding day!”. What a consolation prize!
Here I am, the summer is coming to a close. My goal of looking like a muscle-bound woman has vanished, but in it’s place a new found future of stronger running, healthier eating and a positive outlook with a great plan to get started… um, on Monday? It wasn’t a bad summer, I tried something new, it didn’t work out. I try things all the time and then give up on them. I guess I’m just destined to be me, whoever that is.
I’m still going to attend the show I wanted to compete in, but as a spectator. It’s okay, because I’m more excited that I mailed the check to sign-up for the same Half Marathon I ran in 2007… and my sister-in-law is going to do it again with me!I took off most of 2008 from running, but I think that break brought me back to the sport with more knowledge, interest and fascination. This fall, I’m preparing myself to reach further goals than ever before when I compete again in 2009.
The biggest lesson I learned is that I need to see results on paper. While lifting, writing down or logging my workouts wasn’t enough motivation and changes were slow to appear. While running, I see my distance numbers rack up after every run. Watching my weekly, yearly or lifetime mileage tick up is the greatest satisfaction for me. It has been stagnate this year, but no longer…
The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank. ~George Sheehan
