YIKES ... Catching up!

I am WAY behind on posting.  We got back from Disneyland Paris, and while my running didn't fall off, my posting did!  So here's a summary of the runs I've done since we got back a week ago.

Week 4, Day 3: Wednesday, November 7
Time--30:59
Distance--2.25 miles
This distance is an estimate; I ran on an indoor track and the GPS went all wonky on me.

Week 5, Day 1: Friday, November 9
Time--33:59
Distance--2.32 miles
Ran this in our little village.  The uneven sidewalks hurt my knees but I'm sure it's just a matter of getting used to the change of surface.

Week 5, Day 2: Sunday, November 11
Time--27:59
Distance--1.98 miles
Another run in our village.  It was COLD for this run--I could see frost on the ground for the majority of my run!

Week 5, Day 3: Monday, November 12
Time--29:59
Distance--2.10 miles
Back to the track on base today.  This run was hard--started off with a nine minute run!  I was a little surprised at how my body just kind of went on auto-pilot on that long run, though.

The next run (Week 6, Day 1) will be a doozy ... two nine-minute runs.  It's gearing up for the first 20-minute run.  TWENTY MINUTES.  Hopefully my body will go into auto-pilot with that one, too!

Bonjour ... voulez-vous faire le jogging??

So, I ran into a dilemma this weekend.  We had a trip planned, and our two travel days were Friday and Monday--two out of the three days I run during the week.  I had a choice: wait an entire week between runs, or take jogging stuff and do at least one run on vacation.  So, surprising even to me, I took my workout clothes and actually went for a jog on vacation.  And this is where I ran:

Photo taken by Dean Thomas at Aspex Design

It's the lake at the Disneyland Paris theme park.  Let me say that again: I RAN AT DISNEYLAND PARIS.  Dare I say it ... have I become *GASP* a runner?  I think when you make time to run when you're at a theme park in France, you can't avoid calling yourself a runner any longer.  And that's what I have been doing: avoiding labeling myself as a runner LIKE THE PLAGUE.  I think part of me is still terrified that I will fail at it somehow--stop running, or not be as good as I would like--but I also think part of me knew that if I call myself a runner, there's no turning back.  It's something that you ARE, and something that is a part of you.  And I guess I'm not afraid anymore to commit myself to that way of life.  Yes, running is hard, but it really does make me feel good after I've finished.

So, I guess I should say ... JE SUIS UNE JOGGEUSE!

Workout summary:

Time: 30:59

Distance: 2.25 miles

Weekly Weigh-In

Today's measurements are for twenty-four weeks on plan:
Weight: 169.0
Chest: 38"
Left Bicep: 11.75"
Waist: 34.5"
Hip: 39.5"
Left Thigh: 22.5"

Total weight lost as of today: 69 pounds
Total inches lost as of today: 48.75"

I also finally got my scale to start showing all the measurements that it was supposed to show me from the beginning.  It measures the percentage of my weight that is body fat, water weight, muscle mass, and bone mass.  This is the first time I have seen these numbers, so I have taken the liberty of looking it up on "the Google" to see what is normal for my height and age, and those numbers are in parentheses beside my actual measurements:

Body fat: 33.3% (average is 20-21%)
Water weight: 48.2% (average is between 37-49% for my body fat %)
Muscle mass: 28.4% (average is 36%)
Bone mass: 4.0%

Looks like I have some work to do still!  Next week I will have my numbers again, so I can see how much they are changing from week to week.  It will give me a better gauge on how I'm doing, since my weight loss seems to be slowing down a bit.

(I have another "during" picture to post, but I don't like the ones I took this morning ... I will take more tonight or tomorrow and post it then!)