It feels like it has been a long time since I set a PB at any distance.

After my last attempt at a half marathon, in March at Comox,  I was a woman on a mission.

In the 4 weeks before Comox I ran a total of 53km, thanks to the injuries I sustained in that nasty fall I took in February.  In the 4 weeks before BMO I ran 153km.

I felt strong, I felt confident. I felt ready to run a PB.

1:52:something was the goal.  1:40something was the dream. And in the week before the race, I thought it was going to happen.

Then the weather forecasts started to talk about the coming heat.  We were going to have a record breaking weekend.  And I was going to try and run my fastest half marathon ever?

The morning started off well.

I woke up at 4:45 am, at the home of the parents of the incomparable Jess.  I had my clothes laid out, and everything ready.  I got dressed and headed down to the the kitchen were Jess had already started the kettle boiling for my breakfast.

Her awesome dad got up at 5:15am on a Sunday to drive us, along with Jess’s sister, to the start line of our respective races. Paisley was running the 8K, I was running the half, and Jess was tackling the full. We had the entire event covered.

We got to the start area, checked my back and headed over to my corral at the start line. Jess hung out with me for a little while, before she went off to check her bag and get ready for the start of her race.

For some unknown reason, I was in the first corral. I was at the front of the thousands of runners who were lined up.

Knowing my pace, I found myself a spot near the back of the corral and started chatting with another runner.

The race started 25 minutes(ish) late, and for those of you who know how I am about timing my food before my races, you can imagine how annoyed I was getting.   (I will never understand why race directors feel the need to waste our time with aerobics instructors leading a warm up. No one wants to do something new on race day. Don’t waste our time, just start on time!)

The majority of the race is a blur. But I’m going to run down the parts of it I remember.

I remember the first stretch was down hill, and I had talked about this with my coach, and other runners who had raced this course last year. I knew what to expect and I had a game plan.

Hold back.

Don’t get out of control and run too fast on the downhill, it will kill your legs for later.

I checked my pace on my Garmin regularly in the first few kilometers, to make sure I wasn’t going too fast.  I stayed comfortable.  Down the hill, across the bridge, past BC Place & Rogers Arena (and the old finish line), then over toward Science World. A hairpin turn and back where we came.

Out and backs are some of my favourite parts of races. On your way out, you see the fast people who are way ahead of you, and on your way back, you see the people who think YOU are one of the fast people.

Pretty soon it was time for the first up hill of the course. We went through the gates China Town and climbed a hill.  I remember this hill being on the full marathon course back in 2011.

After that, we twisted and turned through Vancouver, and I was starting to get hot and tired.

Plan A was to aim for about 15km before taking a walk break, Plan B was to make it until at least 10km.

My first walk break happened just before the halfway point.  I needed to slow down, get some fluids in and gather myself together.

By this point we were in the west end, nearing Stanley Park.   I was hot and tired, but still on track for a 1:52:00 half marathon.

Between 13 & 14 kilometers, I was having a hard time choking down my fuel. Warm Gu can be a little hard to swallow.  At this point we were winding our way through Stanley Park and it was getting hot.

Around the 15K mark, I really started to feel the impact of the heat. It was draining. And it was clear to me that others were feeling the same.  It was around this point I started to see runners going down.  Some of them slowly realizing they were done,  others just coming to a sudden stop and sitting down, and a few who were already flat on the ground before I passed them.  The last 6km of the course kept the medical volunteers busy!

It was also at this point I saw one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen at a race.

There was this guy running to my right side, and every now and again, he would reach his had out for someone I couldn’t quite see who just just behind me.  He would say things like “come on, we’ve got this” and “just 3 more K, that’s less than 20 minutes”, or “you’re so close to the finish now”.  He was pacing (who I assume was his) girlfriend through the race.

I had realized back at around 17k that I wouldn’t be making my goal. The heat had taken too much out of me so, I jokingly said to him “I know you’e saying that to her, but I’m pretending it’s for me too”, to which he replied “well now I’m doing it for both of you”.

After that, he talked the both of us through the last 2K.

With about 1km to go, we exit the park, and head down the last stretch of downtown streets to the finish line.

This year, you could see the finish line in front of you for about 800m, which was a bit difficult. But between the encouragement of my newly adopted friends, and the cheers of the crowd, I managed to push though.

I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 1:55:57,  about 2:30 slower than a time that I would have been happy with. But, just on the other side of the finish line, after the volunteers handing out the medals, my new adopted friends were waiting for me to share a post race high five!

Now this is where the perspective comes in.

If I had written this post in the hours after the race, it would have been angry and disappointed about not making my goal. But in the days that have passed, I have realized that, as much as I want to set a new half marathon PB, sometimes you have other victories on race day.

This year, at the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon I only took 3 walking breaks. I ran the first half of the race without stopping, then I only took 3 breaks int he second half.  That is a HUGE step towards my goal of running a half without any breaks in the near future.

The heat really took a lot out of people at BMO this year, and that is one of the reason I don’t like spring races. I don’t like training in the cool, dreary winter weather, then racing on a warm spring day.  Weather is a HUGE factor on race day!

I have another half marathon coming up soon, about 2 weeks from now. It’s much closer to home, so I will be able to sleep in my own bed the night before. Hopefully the weather will be cooler and I will be able to give 1:52:something another shot.  I’ve run this race 3 times before, with my course best being 1:55:28, so wish me luck that I can shave 3 (or more) minutes off of that on May 26th.

Yesterday was a hard day as a runner.

To see the finish line, a place that should be filled with such joy and pride, turned in to a place of devastation and fear.

My first thoughts when I heard of the explosions was of all the people I knew personally who were running. Thankfully they are all safe and sound.

My second thought was absolute shock at the images I was seeing.  Blood stained sidewalks, the finish line torn apart.

I just can’t imagine.

The Boston marathon isn’t just a day!  The Boston Marathon is the culmination of months and years of training.

I just can’t imagine what it must be like for those who have dreamed for years of being there, and then having this happen.

It kills me that this was ‘aimed’ at spectators.

Spectators make the race. Having loved ones at the finish line to call your name as you complete the event has more meaning than most people know.

To target these innocent people, it kills me.

An entire family was torn apart. An 8 year old boy died, his sister lost limbs, and his mother is in serious condition, all because they wanted to support his dad and see him cross the finish line.

Yes. This is a lot of random thoughts spouting out of me right now. My brain has been filled with randomness since it all happened.

I want to also acknowledge the thousands of runners that started the race, but never got to the finish line. They were stopped with less than a mile to go.  They dreamed of this day, of crossing the Boston Marathon finish line for years, and someone took that away from them.

Last night I ran. The calendar had a rest day scheduled, but I couldn’t not run. I needed to run.  This attack hit home. I needed to run!

My thoughts are with everyone impacted by this event, but I can tell you one thing for certain, this will not stop me from running, this will not stop me from racing. If anything this fuels my fire and makes me want to run & race harder and stronger.

Life has been busy! Taking on a 3rd WeightWatchers (long-term temporary) meeting, and covering for coworkers when the need arises, plus working a full time day job, while training for a half marathon goal race has sucked up a lot of my time. And on top of that I’m trying to make it a priority to be social and spend time with friends.

So somewhere, something had to give, and unfortunately it was the blog.

Last time I posted, I said I would be back once the bandages were off of my hand and I was able to type better.  Well, the bandages have been off for almost 3 weeks now!

So why were the bandages there in the first place?

Back in February, I was out for an evening run with one of my coach‘s other athletes when I took a nasty fall.   We were running at night, in the dark and I guess my toe caught some uneven side walk, and the next thing I knew my jaw was hitting the ground and I was laying there, arms extended fully in front of me, wondering how I ended up on the ground.  To make a long story short, I ended up with a sprained ankle, both of my shoulders sprained, a bruised knee and a bruised/swollen/sprained baby finger.

All in all, the fall resulted in a lot of missed, or cut back runs, and a lot of pain and stiffness.   When I saw my chiropractor after the fall, he said it would take at least 6 weeks to get back to normal, that was 5 1/2 weeks ago.

Since that fall, I haven’t run longer than 13K. I’ve been listening to my body, taking it easy and letting myself rest when I need it.

2009

Yesterday I headed up to Courtney for the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon. This is(was) a favourite of mine because it was my first half marathon 4 years ago, on March 22, 2009.  I have a love affair with this race because I remember the sense of accomplishment I felt when I crossed that finish line! (2:07:32) I have a funny little tradition when it comes to running Comox, I wear the same outfit each time.

The thing about Comox is that it is fun course. It’s an undulating out and back, with the out being mostly uphill, but the back being mostly down hill.

2011

In 2011, I set my current half marathon PB at this race. (1:53:41)

The 2011 Comox Half Marathon also has the distinction of providing me with my WORST race photo ever! I mean seriously, what kind of cruel photographer hides out IN the finish chute to catch the look of pain on your face as you push as hard as you can to get across that line?

2012

2012 was the year Team #yyjrun took on the Comox Half as a group.   Speedy Damian led the team, then came back out on the course to cheer on those of use still out there.  Skye came up, even though she wasn’t racing, and jogged out on the course to meet Kat and run her in.

Afterwards we had delicious home made Nanaimo Bar Cupcakes and had a good time hangin gout as a ‘team’ watching the awards.   2012 was really a fun year!

I have such a great connection this race, it is(was) one of my favourites to run regularly. I’ve now run this race 4 times, which makes it second only to Bazan Bay, which I have run 5 times.

Every year I go in to it with high hopes. I know the course so well, I think I could go up there and run it without the marshals there to direct me.  I know the ups and downs, and the turns, like the back of my hand. This is a good thing, and a bad thing.  It is good in the fact that I know what to expect.  It is bad in that in can lull me in to a false sense of security, a false sense of “ease” with the race.

Yesterday I went up there with a ‘celebratory’ attitude. This race isn’t about setting a new PB, even though it is always in the back of my mind that it would be nice if everything went my way and I did mange to set a new one.

This year, this race was about enjoying the fact that I CAN run a half marathon.  4 years ago I ran my first, yesterday I ran my 16th, and that is a big deal to me. Every time I run a half marathon, it is a big deal to me.

The race started out well enough. Although I know I was going a little fast and my neck and shoulders were just not comfortable.  I’ve always run long runs using the 10 & 1 method (run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute) but this time around I ran straight for the first half hour, before taking a walk break.  After that I only took walk breaks if I needed them. If the alarm went off on a down hill, I skipped the walk break!  I’m not going to waste the assistance of gravity by walking!

My plan was working well until just after the 15K mark.   Somewhere after 15K, I was letting gravity do the work, and enjoying a down hill stretch when my left foot hit some uneven pavement and gave me a good jolt.  I kept enjoying the downhill stretch for a while, until my next walk break. At this point I took a walk to take in some Gu and was faced with every distance runners worst nightmare!  My bladder was screaming at me!  MUST PEE NOW!

When the walk break was over, I picked up the pace again and managed to get a good rhythm going, until I started to notice that my left leg was angry after that jolt.  It just wasn’t moving smoothly.  I kept pushing myself, but it was getting uncomfortable, so I took an unscheduled walk break, only to be greeted with my screaming bladder again.

Somewhere around this point is when I started to notice that my left shoulder HURT.  My posture was falling apart, my gait was uneven, and my bladder was screaming.  But hey, at least it wasn’t a goal race.

In the last 3K I was out of sorts and feeling defeated, and with about 2K to go, Jess  caught up to me, and was quite concerned about the fact that I was walking. She slowed down to walk with me and informed me that she had bonked at about the 8K mark and had been struggling ever since. (Something about a 30K training run 4 days earlier!) So for the last 2K we ran, we walked, we laugh, we complained, we cussed, and then we did it all again!

When we finally crossed the bridge and made the final turn towards the finish, I just remember Jess saying “Where is the finish? I can’t see it, it’s too far away”.  We pushed, we knew the time on the clock wasn’t going to be what either of us wanted, but we finished, side by side and we had a BLAST! A grumpy, whiny, complaining BLAST!

It may not have been my best half marathon, and it certainly wasn’t my worst, but it was my SIXTEENTH half marathon, and THAT is worth celebrating!

After the race I thought about it, and it is clear that my body just wasn’t ready for the distance yet.  It was the furthest I’ve run since the fall, and clearly I am not quite 100% yet.

Now it’s time for a couple days rest & a trip to the chiropractor,  then it’s back to training for my goal race, The BMO Vancouver Half Marathon!

I apologize for the lack of updates lately, but I’ve injured a hand, and typing too much causes it to start throbbing.

I have to save all my typing time for work.

I have many updates & topics planned for when I return.

Thanks for your patience.

K.

Well, I bet you can guess that I have had one of those recently!

What is more stressful than money stress?  Is there anything out there that can send you flying off of the handle more than someone else screwing up your money and leaving you in a (temporary) mess?

Last night, when I was heading over to a friend’s place to watch a movie, I discovered a situation like I described above and decided that the only logical solution to my problem was to stop at the store and pick up not one, but two flavours of Haagen Dazs to drown my sorrows!   I mean really, what goes better with the 4th installment in my James Bond movie quest that Haagen Dazs, Vodka & maple syrup whisky?

This is all perfectly logical, right?

So here we are, snuggled up under blankets on the couch, 2 pints of ice cream and 2 spoons, eating away my stress!

Now I have to say, the ice cream was delicious, the vodka was calming, the whisky was smooth and the movie was hilariously retro!

But this morning, it the harsh light of day, reality set in.   Yesterday was my 12th consecutive day of tracking honestly & accurately and I had ruined it by having a free for all ice cream binge!! Just to be on the safe side, I was going to have to write off all 49 of my weekly points and the 15 activity points I had left in the bank!

Or was I?

A quick text message to my friend, and I had the information I needed to figure this out.

I was told that we ate about 1/8th of one flavour of ice cream, and 1/2 of the other flavour, so with a little research I was able to figure out that flavour #1 was 30pts+ for the entire container, and #2 was 36pts for the same.  I then asked how much of that my friend thought we each had and was told it was 50/50. So from there I figured out that I had 1/16th of flavour #1, which works out to 2pts+ and 1/4 of  #2, or 9pts+ worth.  So that means I had 11pts+ worth of ice cream!

Now, on to the alcohol. Vodka is 2pts+ for one ounce, and there was less than an ounce left in the bottle. That fact alone was probably a lifesaver, because I am sure that the points spent on Vodka could have been much higher had there been more available to me!  The maple syrup whisky is a bit tricky to figure out the points for, since it’s not your average item that is in the Pocket Guide! I gave it a value of 4pts+ based on the fact that it is definitely a sweet liquor, and most sweet liquors are 4pts an ounce!

So instead of the 64 points I was going to count to atone for my sins, it turns out that by taking a look at the facts I figured out that it had only been a 17pts+ night!

And if you look at the fact that I still had one daily point left, and 15 activity points in the bank, it really wasn’t that bad!

I am SO GLAD I took the time to sit down and figure out exactly how much ‘damage’ I had done last night.  It turned out to be nowhere near as bad as I thought., and once I go for my run tonight, my activity points will be back in a positive balance. If only I could say the same for the balance of my bank account.  Unfortunately that problem is going to take ’2-3 business days’ to resolve!

Have you ever taken the time to look back and figure out to get a realistic idea of what you did, rather than just writing off all your points, or worse, just sliding down that slippery slope of “well, I already screwed up the week, so why bother?”?

Before we sign on the dotted line and accept a job as a WeightWatchers leaders, we are members. We live the program, we lose weight on the program, we sit in those same chairs that every other member sits in.   Yes, I am a WeightWatchers Leader, but I am also a member. I am a WeightWatchers Lifetime Member, and I am above goal .

When I first joined WeightWatchers, I knew how it worked. I knew that once you reached your goal weight and maintained it for 6 weeks you became a lifetime member and no longer had to pay your weekly meeting fees, as long as you maintained your weight.  Free meetings were a great incentive, and I had it in my head that I would set my goal weight at 160lbs, which is the absolute highest weight someone of my height (5’7″) can set their goal weight with WeightWatchers.

The thing is, once I got down to 160lbs I knew that was not where I wanted to stop. I no longer knew where I wanted to stop, so I decided to keep going until it felt right to stop.  I finally got that “I’m here, I’m at goal” feeling around 148lbs, but decided to set my goal at 146.

For me, 146 made sense because, with WW lifetime membership, you are considered “at goal” as long as you are no more than 2lbs above your goal weight. That meant I could weigh 148lbs and still be ‘at goal’, and that I could never see anything above 150 on the scale again.  I never wanted to see 15_ on the scale again, because I knew that would be the start of the slippery slope leading to 16_, 170_ and so on.

I hit goal in April of 2008, and got lifetime membership in May of 2008, and for a long time, I never saw a number higher than 148 on the scale.

Until recently.

I’m not sure what happened.

Maybe it is the adjustment from 2 straight years of marathon training, in to shorter distance running.  Maybe it’s just complacency.  Maybe it’s laziness. Maybe I was just tired of following rules and I just wanted to rebel.  Maybe I’m Only Human.

Whatever it is, it has to come to an end.

I recently weighed in over 150lbs, and that does not sit well with me.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect when my area manager for WeightWatchers sent out an email inviting staff to attend a special meeting and put on their member hats. We were specifically told that this wasn’t the place to ask work related questions, it was the place to talk about our ongoing weight loss journey.

Remember, it’s called LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP for a reason.  Weight management is an ongoing journey, and everyone is going to have bumps in the road.

At the meeting, I committed out loud to tracking.

When I was in constant marathon training, it was easy to live “Simply Filling” because I was earning so many activity points every week (50-80pts+) that I could enjoy all the foods I love, but I’m not in marathon training anymore.  My running is focused on shorter distances, which means I will be earning less activity points, so I need to readjust my eating habits, because obviously, they cannot continue the way they have been going!

So now it’s time to make a plan, set goals and move forward.

Goal 1: get back in the 140′s

Goal 2: get back to goal

Goal 3: get comfortably below goal and possible reset a newer lower goal.

I’ve also set a non-scale goal.  I have a pair of jeans hanging around the apartment belonging to a previous man in my life. They are a men’s 31″.  Normally I wear a women’s 28, but these men’s jeans are currently too tight on me.  My goal is to have them be super baggy and comfy by the end of March.

I now have one of our fabulous new TRACK books, and it goes with me everywhere.

I picked a start date, wrote out a plan and prepared myself by getting all the foods I needed to be successful.

Today is day 3 of the new plan, and I’m not going to pretend it has been an easy adjustment.  But, with the help of the new “ROUTINES” potion of the WeightWatchers 360 program, I have decided on 3 things to focus on daily, and it really helps having the check box on each page of the tracker, to check off when you’ve completed each routine.

For this week, the three routines I have chosen are:

1: bring lunch from home everyday (except Thursday).

2: eat fruit twice a day.

3: COOK a healthy dinner everyday.

And I’m happy to report that I have completed all 3 routines every day this week, so far!

So please, forgive me readers, for I have sinned.

I am one of you, and sometimes I struggle,but now that I have set new goals and have started to work towards them, I feel motivated again.

So tell me this, what is that you do when you feel your motivation starting to slip? What is the one piece of advice you would give someone who is struggling and trying to get back on track?

K.

I cannot tell you how totally proud I am of her for putting those words out there, for saying it “out loud”.  But even more so, I am amazingly proud of her for having the determination and strength to do this ‘on her own’.

I’m not going to copy the entire thing over here, you can click the blog title above and go on over there to read it all for yourself. What I want to share with you guys is something that really stuck out for me in her post, something that I think everyone trying to lose weight needs to understand.

Nikki wrote: “Something happened in August. Honestly, I have NO IDEA what it was. Some weird awakening that something needed to change and that I COULD ACTUALLY DO THIS.”

Those are the key words “I could actually do this”, and I think everyone who is on a journey to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle needs to have that moment, that realization! Everyone needs to know that they CAN do this, they can make it a reality!

I remember the moment I had my realization. It wasn’t before I started my journey, it was half way through.   Before I joined WeightWatchers I knew I NEEDED to do this, but I never actually thought I could.   It wasn’t until one random Tuesday, somewhere in the middle of my journey that I realized I could do it.

I had gone to my WeightWatchers meeting and stepped on the scale, only to see disappointing results.  Sure, I’d lost weight that week, but it wasn’t as much as I hoped.  Well, Charlotte, the lady behind the scale said something to me, I don’t remember what, but I remember my reply. I said to her “I don’t know, this is really hard, I don’t think I can do it” and she looked me straight in the face and said “enough of that, you CAN do it, and you ARE GOING to do it”. I said, “okay”, stepped off of the scale, and took my seat in the meeting room, thinking to myself “well, if she thinks I can do it, why don’t I think I can do it? Hmm, I guess I CAN do it.”

So tell me this, have you had your moment yet?  If so, what was it? What made you realize you can ‘actually do this’?

In my neck of the woods, we always start the year with the Island Race Series, a series of races every second weekend from January – April with distances varying from 5K to half marathon.  The series starts each year with the Pioneer 8K, a fun, friendly, race just outside of Victoria.  It’s a great start to the year!

After a disappointing race in 2012, I was ready to take on the course and set a new PB (Personal Best).

This was my 5th consecutive year running this race, so I’m pretty familiar with the course, which I think was definitely a benefit to my race plan.  In the days leading up to the race, I would visualize the course and how I was going to tackle each kilometer.

Start line, down hill, hold back, don’t go too fast, left turn, slight downhill, keep holding back, right turn, flat, stay consistent, right turn, smallish hill, don’t slow down, around the roundabout, right turn, keep pushing to the crest of the hill and ride the downhill to the halfway point.  Then a slight up hill, keep it up, your legs will be tired by now, don’t let them win, past the start line, left turn, this is where it gets hard, keep going, right turn, hairpin turn, left turn, straight with a slight downhill, keep pushing, right turn, finish line in sight, it’s up hill, keep pushing, don’t let the hill win, right turn, uphill finish!

The plan was in my head, I knew where I had struggled in the past, so I knew what I had to push through.

2 years ago I set my 8K PB, finishing this same race in 40:14. I knew a new PB could be possible, but I also knew that I had missed a few runs leading up to the race, and I hadn’t done everything I could have to prepare.  Then there was the fact that last year’s time was over 3 minutes slower than 2011. On top of that, I hadn’t run a time ‘short’ distance race in 8 months! I went in to the race having no idea where I stood, or what to expect from myself, all I knew was that I was going to give it my all!

I set a goal for this year, I actually set 3.  The ‘BIG’ one was to break the 40 minute mark, second was to set a new PB and third was just to be faster than last year.

I am really pleased with how I ran the race.  I stuck to my plan, and for the first time in the 5 years I’ve run this race, I did not stop to walk once. Not on the hill, not through the water station, not when my legs were tired.  I did not stop to walk at all!   I knew that I was going to blow my #3 goal out of the water before I even got to the half way point, but I would have to wait until I crossed the finish line to see if I beat my #1 & #2 goals.

It turns out that breaking the 40 minute mark wasn’t in the cards, but I did set a new PB.  I started my Garmin as I crossed the start line, and stopped it moments after I finished. It showed a time of 40:03.  The ‘official’ race time is ‘gun time’, which is the time elapsed from the gun, to when I crossed the finish line. That means since it took about 8 seconds to cross the start line, my official result was  40:11.  Not bad, I guess, 3 seconds faster than my previous PB, but PAINFULLY close to my #1 goal of getting under 40 minutes.

I’m pretty hard on myself when it comes to race times, so I have to admit that I have spent some time contemplating where I could have pushed harder to make up the time I would have needed to get under. But the thing is, when I look at the bigger picture, I am happy with how I ran, I am happy with how I raced.  I made a plan,  I stuck to that plan and I performed well.

And speaking of people who performed well, I want to give a shout out to my friend Nikki! This race was her very first timed race, and she rocked it.  Seriously, you guys should go on over to her BLOG and read all about it!  And I have to tell you, I am in LOVE with this collage she made to celebrate!  Look at all the support she had on race day!   And rumour has it that she’s got the racing bug now and is considering a HALF MARATHON! Go Nikki!

All in all, I think this was a great start to the 2013 year of racing. I had a blast hanging out with my #yyjrun  crew, and I am so proud of everyone for getting out there and kicking some 8K butt!

Sometimes, the conversation about weight loss is a medical conversation. I want to live longer. I want to take less pills. I want to control diabetes.

Quite often, the conversation about weight loss is a conversation based in vanity. I want to LOOK better. I want to DRESS better. I want to wear a size ___.

Occasionally, the conversation about weight loss is a conversation about fitness. I want to run further. I want to run faster. I want to lift more weight, or do more reps.

And then once in a while the conversation takes an interesting turn, and I’ve been hearing this one more and more often lately.

Let’s look at all the benefits of weight loss for a moment, shall we?

When you start to lose weight, you will start to not only see physical improvements in your body, but you will also notice emotional improvements as well. Your mood will improve, as will your energy. Your body will begin to change on both the inside and the outside. Not only will your size be getting noticeably smaller, but you will begin to see muscle definition in your arms and legs. As your size begins to get smaller, you will start to need to buy new clothes that will fit your better and be more flattering, therefore improving your self esteem and self confidence. As you start to feel better about yourself, the people around you will notice the changes. Your energy level will start to increase as the new, healthier foods you are eating begin to fuel your body, and you will find you can do more now that you are carrying around a little less weight.

With all these physical & emotional changes taking place, perhaps it won’t be a surprise to you that one of the hidden benefits of weight loss is an improvement in your life ‘between the sheets’.

Think about it, if you’re feeling better about yourself, no matter how much or how little weight you’ve lost, you’re going to be feeling more confident, and the people in your life are going to notice this. You will be feeling more attractive, and they will notice this. Not to mention the increase in energy you will experience, that can be put to good use!

More and more lately, the people around me are telling me about the ‘bedroom’ benefits of weight loss, and how they would have done it sooner if they had known!

Perhaps they should put THAT in the commercials?

I realize that sounds crazy, but it’s true. I often refer to myself as a ‘fat person in a skinny body’, since I will ALWAYS struggle with my food weaknesses.

Most people who know me now never knew fat me. They never new the girl who would buy A&W on the way home from work, order the Chubby Chicken sandwich, regular fries, a side of onion rings (with honey mustard dipping sauce) and a DIET coke,  then eat it form the bag in bed, with my laptop on my knee.  (That meal, by the way, is 42 PointsPlus Values, which basically means I’d have to run a marathon to burn that many calories!).  They never saw me roll over in bed, throw the A&W bag on the floor and go to sleep.  No one who knows me now knows that I used to get in to bed at 5pm after work and stay there until I got up for work at 6am the next day.  I actually don’t think anyone who knows me now would believe what I just wrote.

The thing is, I know that’s how I was, I still remember it. And even now, after 6 years on WeightWatchers, with almost 5 years at goal, sometimes I forget how far I’ve come.

When you look at my ‘statistics’  from a logical standpoint, they will tell you I am a fit, active person.  5 marathons, 16 half marathons, multiple 10, 8 & 5K races.  Hundreds of kilometers run on an annual basis, not only on the nice weather days, but also in rain, wind and snow. I see the race bibs and medals on the walls at home all the time. My apartment is filled with reminders of what I’ve done.  But sometimes I still forget I’m not fat anymore!

This past weekend, I went on an adventure to a place called Myra Falls, in Strathcona Provincial Park.  It is an absolutely gorgeous place, well worth the almost 4 hour drive!

As you can see from the picture below, there is plenty of snow on the ground up there. In fact, when we arrived, we found that the access road to the parking area was still covered in snow, so we would have to park on the road and walk in.

I remember my first reaction to having to walk in being “ugh, I didn’t sign up for hard work today. This is going to be hard!”.   Then once we walked in to the parking lot, we saw that the trail to down to the falls was covered in untouched, knee deep snow.  Again, my reaction was “ugh, this is going to be hard”, but I kept my thoughts to myself and we proceeded down the trail.  I took the lead, since I was the only person wearing actual snow boots, and made my way down the never ending hill.

At one point we rounded a corner and I saw fallen trees blocking the trail and tried to use it as an excuse to turn back, but I was overruled!   It was at this point that I turned to look back up the hill and realized just how much of a climb the return trip would be!!!  And yet again, my reaction was “ugh, no! This SUCKS! I’m never going to make it back up that hill!!!”

After spending about half an hour or so having snowball fights, taking pictures and admiring the falls, it was time to head back up the trail to the car.  I was DREADING this!  In my mind on this day, I was still a fat, lazy out of shape person, and there was no way I was capable of climbing that hill back to the car!

In my head, I was remembering a summer day about 15 years ago, in a previous life, when N’s parents were out here visiting from Winnipeg.  We went on a hike out to Sooke Potholes and I swear, it almost killed me!  Walking up the hill to the old abandoned resort site I was huffing and puffing and whining about the hill, and the heat, and how hard it was.  In my head, I was still fat, and today was going to be just like that day, only I’d be whining about the cold instead of the heat!

Hmmm, turns out I was wrong.  It turns out it was all in my head! (Imagine that!)

I admit, I was breathing heavy on the way back up the hill, but then that’s normal.  The thing is, I didn’t really struggle.  My legs didn’t hurt, my heart rate wasn’t excessive, I wasn’t completely out of breath, I didn’t need to take a breather. I just walked back up the hill like it was nothing.

It turns out that I’m not actually fat & lazy anymore.  It turns out I am a fit, active, energetic person who can easily do things that she would have once avoided because of the physical inability to actually do them!  It turns out, I am the new me!  (haha, that was cheesy!)