I've got to do what?!??!

A moment of insanity or a moment of courage; they often can seem quite similar. 

As you all know I began in earnest my training period for the Oak Barrel Half and Country Music Marathon Half this past Saturday.  It was a great morning for a run.  Brisk, sunny and I saw so many friends.  I ran with a fairly fast clip and had fewer puffs on my inhaler than I had feared at the beginning.  Life is good. 

I also jumped feet first into a new challenge and one that I have high hopes will help me reach the long sought after weight loss goal.  There is a program that is just beginning here called the Git Fit Murfreesboro Challenge.  The object is to see how FIT you can get within a 12 week period.  Lots of great prizes and incentives are to be had but mostly the end result, being more fit, is a great motivator.  I really hadn’t given the Challenge much thought prior to this weekend because I thought I was on my way to reaching my goal on another path, didn’t think that I really qualified for the program since in the grand scheme of things I don’t have a lot of weight to lose and in my own way, I am already fit.  After all, I run!  But after some depressing thoughts about how my weight loss journey had stymied, knowing I was about to start hard training and thinking back to how I was constantly hungry and unhappy the last go around, I thought “what the heck!” and decided to give it a try.  I signed up, got measured and yesterday I went to get my menu, etc. 

Imagine my surprise, nay, HORROR, when I was told that I really needed to give up what I laughingly, but not really, refer to as my life’s blood, coffee.  According to the diet plan I was given, the food recommendations, etc are all determined by blood types and your activity levels.  OK, so the blood type seems a bit weird but I was really happy to finally hear someone ask me about my activity level.  What I do, when during the day I exercise, what races, etc I was working toward.  Instead of the “stick with the plan, the plan works” I heard we need to fuel your body and when you get where you are adding more mileage and before your big races, we’ll tweak your menu to get you ready.  What?  You mean I don’t have to be hungry???

My new “diet coach” also said that my blood type determines how my body processes and reacts to certain foods, etc.  Oh boy…I really didn’t want to hear some of the things he said I needed to cut out, especially when he said COFFEE, but after I got to thinking about it, some of the foods he said were bad for me do actually kind of bother me, like cabbage and certain beans.  He also said that my beloved coffee could be part of the reason I’m not having any luck losing weight since it works against my body/blood type. OoooooKayyyyyyy.   So, with a positive mindset (we will not discuss the withdrawal headache I am currently sporting) I ditched my coffee this morning for a cup of approved green tea. PATOOIE!  As I type this blog post let it be noted I am currently over 24 hours without coffee in my hand, system and life!

I’m not sure what all I will be eating as the twelve weeks progress but what I have been given for my first week menu is amazing and full.  I am scheduled to eat three meals a day and three healthy/light snacks.  Even if nothing was added, I feel like I could train hard with this week’s menu and not be starved.  There is a lot of food on there!  There are a few things I’ll have to learn to love, like almonds, but there are also lots of items I have always loved but wasn’t allowed, like cherries.  If I can just successfully get past this first coffee free week, without bloodshed, I’ll have made it.  I will still have a cup with my runner friends after our long Saturday runs if I so desire, but one cup a week compared to an average of 5/6 per day should balance out.

Relay running!

You also know I’ve had visions of Ragnar running through my head for some time. In May there is a local 55-mile relay race that a bunch of us Boro Diva ladies have jumped on like white on rice.  I am on an “Ultra” team of 5 ladies. The teams are either 10-person or 5- person.  When we Boro Divas heard about the relay, we all went nuts and formed approximately 6 teams right off the bat, long before the race sponsor even really started promoting the race! It is going to be so much fun!  I think this will also be a good test for me to see if I really want to do Ragnar.  This is kind of like a mini version.

Courage, ho!

This diet and fitness challenge is like my commitment to running, it is going to take more than a fair amount of courage on my part.  There will be times when I am discouraged and want to toss in the towel but I’ve committed.  Just like I have currently committed to The Oak Barrel Half, The Country Music Half, the Rutherford Relay and also the Women’s Half, the Git Fit Challenge and I are in this for the long haul.  A fresh diet plan, new ideas and a more activity/training focus are things that I am hopeful will get me over this hump and back on the road to where I want to be.  Thinner, healthier, stronger and more fit. 

I’m sure I’ll have some negative thoughts to share with you about all this later but right now the only thing that appears in the negative is my separation with coffee.  I’m telling myself that it is only 12 weeks and I can do anything for that amount of time!  Remember back when I started my running?  The NoBo program was only 12 weeks and I could tough it out that long, even though I hated it.  Yeah, now look at me!

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6