Yesterday was my first attempt at an uphill climb. We had a 2.25-mile round-trip route -- up a steep hill for the first half, and down and back for the second half. It was about a 300ft increase in altitude (and it felt like all at once). I ran as much as I felt I could, which was only a bit over 0.4 miles, before I started the run/walk up the remainder of the hill. And I watched as my running group got farther and farther away from me. Once I reached the top of the hill, I was alone. I was in a park, it was dark, it was not well lit ... not a huge fan of how I felt at that moment. Wished I had someone running alongside me for the hill climb, but alas, I felt like I was doing it alone. Eventually I started the descent which was a bit easier, but not super easy (it's a different kind of pain in your legs!) as I was only able to shave a little under a minute off of my mile time (yesterday I did the first mile in 15:41, and the second mile in 14:53). It was slow, yes, but it was also my first time attempting a hill climb (and then descent). It's a baseline. The great part was, when I was finishing up the run, the rest of the running group was outside the gym waiting for me to finish and they cheered me on as I ran towards them. That was nice to come back to that.
Today I wanted to weigh myself at the gym as it was a week since my first weigh-in since running. I knew that I was also eating better - I have been logging all my meals and snacks in the Weight Watchers tool - so I was hoping to see at least 1.5-2lb off. What I did see was only a 0.7lb decrease in overall weight. However, that is just one number that doesn't really paint the right picture. When we did the body assessment, what I learned is I actually LOST 1.5lb of body fat (and was down 0.7% BFI) and GAINED 0.4lb of skeletal muscle mass! This is exactly what I want to see continue. Now, I know being at 196lb is still over 30lb heavier than I want to be, but I am definitely going about this in the right way. Lose the fat, gain the muscle.
I've definitely made an effort this week to reel in my eating. I've only been drinking water, my snacks are now fruits and vegetables instead of what I can get from the vending machine, and my lunches have been chicken caesar wraps or salads. I still do Blue Apron meals for dinner and those servings are quite large (between 600-800 calories per serving), so I may need to rethink portion sizes or add more vegetables. But -- I was proud of myself for the week. I am also realizing how incredibly hard it is to say no to things like chocolate, bread, and cheese. I still have those more ad-hoc, but the craving is there, and it's real. The nutrition part is really tough for me.
I had personal training tonight, and I actually felt amazing doing it. It's a moment that I hope I remember -- that the combination of doing my best in running (and surprising myself) coupled with better nutrition is truly helping my performance, and makes me feel fearless. I hope this is the motivation I need to keep it up! But yes, this whole journey is an uphill climb.
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