The sun will come out tomorrow ...

The plan for today had been to do my first fourteener and you'd have been reading about that late tonight or some time tomorrow.

Instead, we got rain on and off all night last night, and this morning as well.  And because I'm a native and we live in a drought state*, I'm not allowed to complain about rain (PSA:  DO NOT COME TO COLORADO AND COMPLAIN ABOUT RAIN.  EVER.  WE WILL RUN YOU OUT OF TOWN).  Truly; I'm not.  I really do love when we get rain.  But it did put a little crimp in our plans for today ....

And in fact, the rain wasn't really the only reason I didn't go today.  For the last 3 days, I've been battling a summer cold and/or allergy something-or-other that makes me feel less than 100%.  So although I really really wanted to do that hike today, it's probably better that I don't; and so I did feel a little relieved when I got the email last night that it was cancelled for sure.

In preparation for this epic hike, I have a new Camelbak, and I had my trailrunning shoes ready, and I'd thought a lot about what I'd wear, and what food I'd take, and ... well.  It will just have to wait for another day.  And as you can imagine, I was still disappointed that it was cancelled

And so I woke up this morning feeling a little sorry for myself.  A little pathetic.  A little full of nose.  A little scratchy of throat.  And a lot "wah! I'm not doing a fourteener!"

And then I saw this:

down 75 lbs at 175!

And now I feel a lot better :)




*Much of Colorado is a very dry state averaging only 17 inches (430 mm) of precipitation per year statewide and rarely experiences a time when some portion of the state is not in some degree of drought. The lack of precipitation contributes to the severity of wildfires in the state such as the Hayman Fire, one of the largest wildfires in American history, and the Fourmile Canyon Fire of 2010, which until the Waldo Canyon Fire of June 2012, and the Black Forest Fire approximately a year later, was the most destructive wildfire in Colorado's recorded history.

I got an email this morning ...

this email!

Do these numbers mean anything to you?

1,043.42
596
240,685

They blew me away.

Let me put it this way:

• My grandmother passed away on April 18, 2012.  I was in Alabama during that time with my siblings and other relatives.  That was the trip when I found out about the Epic Loseit Battle my brothers were engaged in.
• My neighbor and I started walking together on April 24, 2012 but the very next day I left for a trip to New York with some friends, and history would make you (and me) assume that the Girl Who Cried Skinny would let "walking with the neighbor" fall by the wayside ... again.
• On May 2, 2012, I wrote on my calendar "Loseit for serious."
• My neighbor and I walked pretty much every weekday morning from then on.
• On June 5, 2012, I started using MapMyWalk, and those numbers?  Well....

They are part of my "lifetime stats" on MapMyWalk, and they represent
1,043.42 miles (YES OF WALKING!)
596 hours (YES OF EXERCISE)
240,685 calories (YES BURNED)

And the only reason I even looked at this today was because I got that email from MMW this morning, saying I'd worked out 450 times.  What the?!  Surely this is not the work of the Girl Who Cried Skinny?!


And just for fun, there's this pic.  I walked a hole in my shoes :)

"Limping is still walking"

I can't remember if I blogged about it or just talked about it a lot (and clearly I'm too lazy to go back and check), but in the first half mile of the half marathon, we passed a (larger) girl walking with a pin on her backpack that said, "Limping is still walking".  It kind of choked me up!  As we pulled up next to her, I told her I liked her pin and she smiled.  Poor thing was walking by herself -- slowly -- but she was doing it!  I was so impressed!

A few days (or weeks or months) ago, this was in the SparkPeople email:

I don't know why this has been on my mind so much lately, but perhaps you need some encouragement and so I needed to post it.  Let me just tell you -- moving slowly is still moving.  Walking slowly is still moving.  Running slowly is still moving.  Lifting 2-pound weights is still moving.  Doing 10 situps is still moving.  Get it?  Do not be discouraged!  Here's something else I pinned to my "bodyspiration" board months ago:

Let me tell you:  THIS. IS. TRUE.  I used to huff and puff and sweat like a pig for 2 miles with my neighbor (and fear that I couldn't make it up the last teeny tiny uphill at the end before our street).  Now I regularly do 6 or more miles and run some.  And recently I went to my first Zumba class.  During the first 3 minutes, it occurred to me this is like 80s aerobics and I will probably die soon.  Imagine my surprise that although I did sweat like a pig, I didn't run out of air!  And I did the whole hour.  Shock.  That's the only word for it.

So be encouraged.  You too can be shocked by something you never thought was possible.  If you've already experienced it, tell me about it!  Maybe it's something as simple as:  one day you're sitting in a chair and you realize you can cross your legs.  And it's been YEARS since you did that.  YEARS.  And even though there's no elegant way to take a picture of your own legs crossed, you still do it because ohmyHEAD I CAN CROSS MY LEGS!

Yes, I really did walk a half marathon!

And I'd like to tell you about it :)

Warning:  this entry is long, picture-heavy, and may not be in complete sentences.

about to begin our epic adventure

So ... where to begin?

It was hard.
but not impossible.

Cheering Gramma and the Boyz

We set (and kept) such a good pace that my poor brother-in-law who had planned out all the cheering spots on the route, based on me telling him I did 15-minute miles ... totally missed us (but they were all there yelling at the end!).  I felt horrible that he'd worked so hard to get my mom and 3 squirrelly little boys to those spots on the map and then he felt bad for not meeting us and then Sharon made a good point:  if we were missing our cheerleaders because we were walking at such a fantastic pace, that was a pretty awesome thing.  Also, at least one of the boys thought one of us would win and/or break a record.  Love that.

There was a point at which I thought, "am I going to have to stop?"
and shortly after that I thought, "I'm just going to have to tell Sharon to go on ahead and I'll just finish it much more slowly."
I got a little bit choked up when I realized we were on the final incline into the stadium.
...and shortly after that we were done!

Yes, I'd do it again.
Although maybe not in cold, wet Seattle (but there's something to be said for sea-level).

obligatory fog shot

And in case I didn't make it clear in my "night before the marathon" post, let me be clear:  although my legs will never be shorter, losing all this weight has made a HUGE difference in how I feel about flying.  Seriously.  While not actually "comfortable", my flights to/from Seattle and again at Christmas to/from Vermont were totally new experiences for me.  Flying 50+ pounds lighter is just plain nothing like it was when I was heavy(ier).  Fitting into the seat and not spending the entire flight pushing down the armrest that my fat is pushing up makes the whole flight so pleasant!  And although I never used a seat belt extender, I'm pretty sure I was on the way to needing one.  Thankfully I will never experience that and even though my hips are still pretty wide, they now fit in the standard coach seat just fine, thankyouverymuch.  Amazing. 

Love this pic of my sis and her oldest

There's a picture at my sister's house I've always liked.  It's from when we lived in Turkey, and for some reason my sister (age 5?  6? no older) went jogging with my dad, who was the Chief of Police on base.  The pic was taken by an "official" photographer and I think ended up in the base newspaper or something.  When I saw this one of my sister her and her (oldest son) manchild, I got choked up because it reminded me of that other picture. I love their smiles here, I love that even though she told him to go on ahead without her he stayed with her, and I love the man he's becoming!



And here is my fabulous oldest niece.  Her foot hurt, and she had to slow down, but you'd never know it from this pic.  This is the happy, sunny girl I have known since ... hmmm ... since she was 4 months old at our wedding.  I love this beautiful, smart, funny, thoughtful girl so much!  I'm so, so glad she did this race with us!

And here we are, about to cross the finish line.  I realized later that all the stuff I had in my vest pockets made me look pregnant, but oh well. Those kinds of things don't actually bother me as much anymore.  Funny, that.  Also?  In all the official pictures of the race, my mouth is open.  I may or may not have talked Sharon's ear off.  Whoops.

Here is the whole squad at the end.  I  seriously love this shot. We did it!  We all did it! (sis is wearing a warming blanket -- that question has come up a lot)  See our medals?  They are surprisingly substantial-feeling.  And I wished I'd worn mine on the flight home.  Oh well.  Now I know.







And here are some of our cheerleaders and two of the runners, warming up ... in the warming room.  I have very cute nieces and nephews, no?






If you are considering walking or running a half marathon, I can recommend a great post-marathon routine:

• Go to the evening service at church.
• Try to stay awake.  It's HARD.  I'm not gonna lie.
• Have Chipotle for dinner (seriously, a burrito as big as your head is a GREAT way to begin to fill the huge hole in your gut that won't be satisfied).
• Followed by chocolate chip cookie dough.
• And a pedicure the next day.

chocolate chip cookie dough: post marathon win

• 
  

Or a lemon-basil martini the next.  I recommend all of the above :)

That was then, this is now

Here's the blog entry version of a "picture book".  Basically, just a post of some comparison pics -- that "thousand words" thing and all :)

For Halloween of 2010, we went to a costume party, and then recreated our looks (me with a different top) to give out candy on the actual day (w/ local bro & SIL)

Halloween, 2010

Halloween, 2012

2010

2012

In case you can't tell, I'm trying to hide behind the hubs in that pic from 2010. Not very successful. And geez, baby got back!

Pretty happy with my DIY costume this year - this is a huge tunic top I haven't ever been able to button, and a pair of leggings I would never have gone out in in public a year ago!

Election Day, 20

And here I am performing my civic duty:

Election Day, 2008

Oh, and this year?  I walked to and from my polling place :)

It's the little things ...

My RoadID came!  I think I've mentioned before that when I walk by myself, the hubs has asked me to carry ID.  For some reason, this is a big annoyance/inconvenience to me :)  Oh sure, I want to be identifiable if I pass out on the side of the road, but taking my license in and out of my wallet, putting it in the back of my phone case every time I walk, and then remembering to put it BACK in my wallet after I'm done is REALLY annoying.  If I walk with a friend, I just walk out the door, but by myself?  Ugh, the annoyance.  I can't explain why this is such a problem for me, but I live in fear of not remembering to put my license back in my wallet!

Maybe this isn't one of your "things", or maybe you haven't carried ID for outside walks/runs/etc., before, but now that I've mentioned it, you realize you should, too.  Well.  Look no further, friends!  I have been saying to my husband for several months that I'm sure there's somewhere on the Internet where I can order a set of dog tags, or something like them, and stop with the license messing around-ness.  And I was right!  Remember that 5K I did?  On the back of our race bibs was an ad for ... you guessed it:  Road ID!  Yay!

And ... because I ordered one, I can pass on a small discount to my friends :)  And ... because the suggested letter they sent me tickled me, I paste it below with a grin:

Dear friends,

I just ordered one of the best products ever. It's called a Road ID - perhaps you've heard of it. If you haven't, go to their website and check it out. Road ID is a great product that could save your life someday.

When I ordered, they gave me a coupon that I could pass along to my friends. Here's the coupon number:

Coupon Number: ThanksMargaret18361476

The coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 11/17/2012. To order, simply go to RoadID.com or click the link below:

http://www.RoadID.com/?CID=ThanksMargaret18361476

If you prefer, you can call them at 800-345-6336.

You can thank me later,

Margaret Vincent

Oh by the way, their website is awesome, the customer service is outstanding, and the owners are very smart and good looking.

I also posted this code on a FB group of people trying to be healthy, and I have no idea if anyone used it or not, but the email said it could be used 20 times by November 17.  So ... if you want to ID yourself when outside ... via dog tags, a bracelet, a shoe tag or whatever, check it out!

Also and because I loved it, I'm sharing this too:  my friend Mol pinned this list of 50 running tips.  It's a great, informative, helpful list.  Including #41:  There's no shame in walking.

...which also made me grin.

11 miles, on purpose

Do you remember when I accidentally walked 9.5 miles?  Well, on Saturday, I walked an 11 mile training walk in preparation for the Seattle Half Marathon.  And I just have to say ... I AM SO FLIPPING PROUD OF ME!

It was a perfect Colorado Fall day, I had a banana before I left, a LÄRABAR Apple Pie around mile 6, and ALL of my water.  I've been fighting some sort of cold-related thing, and was slightly concerned that I couldn't do the whole thing.

Mile 1:  I'm going to be walking for 3 hours.  Can I do this?
Mile 2:  I'm going to be walking for 3 hours.  Can I do this?
Mile 3:  This is all downhill, and not bad at all. Going home is going to suck.
Mile 4:  Text hubs to say I'm good because -- shock -- I am doing ok, although I have a faucet for a nose.
Mile 5:  Was it a good idea, or a bad idea, to spend the three miles in the middle walking around Kendrick Lake?
Mile 6:  Another lap around Kendrick Lake.
Mile 7:  Will this lap be sufficient?
Mile 8:  Headed back home. Yes, this hill sucks.  Also?  Exhaust fumes.
Mile 9:  Back in familiar territory.  I'm tired.  Will my kleenex supply last this walk?
Mile 10:  I am so close to home.  I have almost done this.  I have a blister.  I have a blister?
Mile 11:  ALMOST DONE!  OHMYWORD, I AM ALMOST DONE (so excited that my mile splits revealed I cut 45 seconds off my per-mile pace at this point)!

Other than my ankle (which has been questionable completely on its own) and my runny nose, I felt fine the next day.  A little hungry, but fine.  And THAT -- even more than walking the 11, makes me super happy.   The realization that I require almost no recovery time from 11 miles is astonishing to me.

Here's something else that made me happy recently - a note from the hubs on our kitchen dry-erase board:

Just to be clear ...

Walking outside > Walking on a Treadmill

pics from last Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday

...in case you were wondering.

5K? Cakewalk!

A couple of months ago, my friend Lori asked me to walk The Justice Run 5K with her.  A friend of hers had asked her to run with them, and after she finished laughing at them, she said she'd walk it.  I was glad she asked me to go with her - anti-human-trafficking is a cause near and dear to my heart and that of my family.  Also, the last 5K I did was the Komen Walk several years ago, and I huffed and puffed through that thing.  Knowing that a 5K is only 3.1 miles and I do that on a regular basis, I thought it would be fun to spend some time with Lori and her daughter, since I don't see them very often.

photo credit: www.moresugarthanspice.com

So we suited up and walked our walk.  See?  We did have fun :)  (we're both wishing we could remember what we were laughing about, but ... it'll just have to be a good memory to know that we did)

Pic sidenote:  it's one of the ones the Justice Run posted on Facebook, so I tagged myself in it.  My sister told me she had to look closely to be sure it was me!  I guess 42 lbs does tend to make a difference in one's looks, huh?

Anyway, as you can see, Lori is wearing her 6-month-old daughter, who looked like this during the time that she wasn't sleeping:

Yes, I asked Lori if I could plaster her baby's face on the Interwebs

Seriously, how cute is that darling little face?  So cute that I sent this pic to my sis and the aforementioned Sharon to tell them to please arrange for me to look at something equally cute when we do the half marathon.  My sister offered her dog, which I told her was not even remotely close.  Thankyouverymuch but try again.

I'm pretty sure that being distracted by a cute baby could make almost any walk bearable.  Maybe Lori will just come with me to Seattle.

Postscript on that walk is that on Tuesday, I did my Safeway walk with grocery backpack, and weighed it when I got home.  I did half of that walk with 12.5 lbs on my back!  And thought I was kind of a stud, too.  Until I SMSd Lori to see how much her baby weighs.  Uh .... she did a whole 5K wearing 18 extra pounds.  I guess I'll shut up now :)

Post-postcript on that walk is that my sister pointed out this little medical treat:  for every pound lost, it's a 10 pound force reduction on your knees when running.

So there's that.

In terms of "progress", I can tell you unequivocally that this walk was a true example of the progress I'm making, and I really hope it encourages you to get moving.  Here's the thing:  as you know, I'm training to walk the Seattle Half Marathon at the end of November.  Training.  (I know, LOL)  But I really do have a training plan I'm following!  And Sunday was supposed to be my "EZ" (yes, that really is supposed to be "easy") day.  Are you listening?  3.1 miles IS easy!  Yes, friends, at the end of my 22nd week of walking, and now as I train to do 13.1 miles, 3.1 is absolutely, positively, beyond a shadow of a doubt, classified as EASY.  WOO HOO!

Edit:  I just remembered my plan to include more "progress" pictures on this blog AND that I have a pic of that last 5K.  I was carrying a sign that said "Fight Like a Girl", and listed names on it of people I was walking for.  Here I am in October 2008.  Evidently I wear pony tails for 5Ks :)

Non-Milestone milestones

What's the word for something you noticed -- that isn't exactly concrete (like being down 25 pounds or walking 10 miles or something) but is still significant?  Milestones are big and monumental, right?  And yet, I recently noticed something, and then I noticed something else that ... seemed remarkable.  To me, anyway :)

Thing 1:
You know how when you're crossing a street and it's obvious a car is waiting for you to finish crossing so they can turn?  It's human nature to speed up to get out of their way as quickly as possible, right?  Well, I've noticed in recent years in that situation that I couldn't actually run very well.  Or if I *did* run, just that short distance, I'd be out of breath and feel that "run" in my shins and other body parts for quite a while afterward.  Sad.  Except not so much any more!  You know what I can do now?  I can actually sprint across the street.  A real, honest-to-goodness sprint!  And I can keep running after I cross it.  Or stop running and resume walking ... without being any more out of breath than I was on the other side of the street.  Which is pretty remarkable to me :)

Thing 2:

And then the other day, I walked 8 miles (I know, right?  And that's not even the Thing!), and realized something amazing when I got home.  One of the pairs of pants I walk in are a very snug pair of capris.  At some point during my walk (usually near the beginning), the bottom hem inches up and they are gathered at my knee for the rest of the walk.  I might pull them down at a stoplight, but basically, they are a small tourniquet around my knee for most walks.  Only THIS day, when I got home and did some stretches on the front porch, I realized something amazing.  They were still capri-length!!!  This is a big accomplishment and definitely one for the non-milestones milestone list.

Oh, and my reward for doing 8 miles?  I saw three deer at Mile 5!

They were super close.  Seriously.  Cars were slowed down, people were taking pictures ... it was amazing.

Good Equipment is Good: product placement

If you've exercised for any amount of time at all (or if you've tried and then stopped, partly because of "equipment"), you know it's actually helpful to have good shoes (as I discussed here).  If you're walking or running (and you're a girl, I suppose), it's helpful to have a cute running skort (as I discussed here), or at minimum, some sort of athletic pants with pockets (I've discussed my need for pockets ad nauseum; won't bore you with links).  You also need good/motivational music to get going (as I mentioned here).  Trust me; I'm the Queen of Excuses and I KNOW how hard it is to get going!  Let me tell you unequivocally that eliminating the "bad equipment" or "no equipment" excuse is helpful and will get you off the couch and out of the house sooner.

And so today I was pleased to find a new piece of equipment that I love!  Last night I went to a "favorite things" party ...

Sidebar:  a "favorite things" party is loosely based on Oprah's annual "Favorite Things" episodes.  Basically, you bring a number (we did 3) of items you love (we also put a dollar limit on it because we are not Oprah), tell your friends about them, and then take some items home.  We distributed them in traditional White Elephant fashion, but you could do it any way you want.

... and my friend Ash brought a package of headbands that she loves.  She talked about how regular headbands always slide off or slide back while you're working out (and sometimes you don't even know it!), but THESE didn't.  Well, she certainly talked about it like she knew what she was saying, so I believed her.  And I took one for a spin this morning.

Top left:  me in the headband, before walking
Top right:  the packaging (there's French text too, so it's probably even available in The Canadia!)
Bottom left:  me after 5.5 miles:  HEADBAND INTACT!  Repeat:  Headband intact!
Bottom right:  I even put my pony tail up in a skank bun just after mile 2 and the headband stayed in place!

So there you have it:  a headband that will stay on all the way to Redbox (to return a movie) and back.  On fine, thin hair, even!  Yay Ash - I love your favorite thing!

Things that make you go, "WHOA!"

Recently I noticed that the Denver Post had a challenge on MapMyWalk (that's the app I use to track  my daily walks/hikes).  It seemed do-able -- run, walk, or hike 26 miles in the month of August.  I didn't think much of the number - just that it would be fun to do, so I signed up for it with my MapMyWalk account.  And then on the 12th, I got this email!  I'd already done it!  The challenge!  A month's challenge!  I'd completed it on the 12th!  And I didn't even start it on the 1st!  Yay me :)

So today I was clicking around the MapMyWalk site (there's more info there than on the app on my phone), and I saw a link for "lifetime stats".  And clicked on that.

And here's what I learned:  since I started using MapMyWalk (which hasn't even been as long as I've been doing this, I have walked 234.31 miles!  TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR MILES!  ohmyword.  Also, MMW tells me I've walked 62 hours.

You remember that "yourecard" I posted a while ago?  The one that says "one of the greatest moments in life is realizing that two weeks ago your body couldn't do what it just did."  Well, that.

Because when I started, I could barely get through a mile.  And I was walking with my pregnant neighbor, hoping the baby would slow her down.  And now I'm disappointed if I don't do 5.  Really!

Last, because I said I wanted to post more pictures, here are some comparison shots.  The first is from a workday several years ago.  I recently wore the same shirt to another workday, and because it fit so loosely, I took a pic (bonus:  paint pants!).  Wish I had a better pic, but it's fun to compare when I realize I have pics of me in the same clothes.  Suffice it to say that there was no extra room in that shirt back then, and there is now :)

Here's the vid of the recent workday.  I wore this XXL shirt to the public school where we were working, and then they gave us a shirt at the event, in case you're wondering why I look different in the video.  Also?  Did you ever do an event like this where they gave you a shirt?  Do you know how much stress it always causes both to ask for a double XL in advance, and then worry that they won't have it when you get there?  Ugh.  That makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it.  The recent event?  Sharefest?  I took an XL, on the spot.  A standard, plain old XL.  And it fit!  That's a first in a very long time :)

Things I learned while walking

What I've learned while walking:

• Take water.  Always take water.
• Most everyone will greet you while you're walking.  If someone doesn't, it will be a male, age 30-50, on a mountain bike.  And when I say "greet you," I mean wave, nod, smile, say "good morning," or comment on the weather.  Some people are even so happy to see you they will greet you from across the street!
• People walking dogs think everyone likes dogs.
• People walking dogs think you'll look at their dog before (or instead of) looking at them.
• If you look at the ground, you'll see all kinds of interesting bugs and wildflowers.
• If you look at the ground too long, you will start to hunch like a hobbit.
• Which will convince you that you should do yoga.
• Everything looks different on foot.
• Diesel trucks are as stinky (or worse) as you always thought they were.
• My nose runs while walking.  I have no idea why, but I take Kleenex now.
• It doesn't matter how many times it happens; hearing a biker yell, "on your left!" is always startling.
• If you look around, you'll see interesting things, like skis as fence reinforcement.

Yeah, I made that.

I almost forgot to blog about this!  See this sidewalk?  I made it!

Left: from the west/Right: from the east

Ok, that might not be totally true.  But there's a space of land my neighbor and I like to walk on that goes from our neighborhood to a dog park along a busy street.  Part of it has a nice, wide shoulder/bike lane, but part of it (this part) just had really tall weeds and a trail the width of a bicycle tire.  It basically made a really nice walk not so nice (and made me worry for both my ankle and my pregnant neighbor).  I wrote to the City of Lakewood a couple weeks ago to ask if they'd consider making a sidewalk there, and I almost fell out of my chair when they called me.  The nice lady said that there is supposed to be a wide sidewalk from one corner (where I'm standing in the right-hand side of the shot) all the way to the highway (a mile or so?) as part of the agreement with the developer who is building on that land.  But, the developer isn't obligated to make the sidewalk until more homes/buildings are completed to the west.  That part was good news, but then she said it could literally be 3 more years.

HOWEVER

The public works guy or community planner or somebody (I love) had gone out that morning (the day after they received my email) and looked around, took pics, etc.  And he thought they could put something in -- have the plow guys dig out a decent-width path, and fill it with something (she said something about recycled asphalt that I didn't understand at the time).  Anyway, THEY DID.  And they did it supah-fast!  I'm still in shock, honestly.  Of course it would be nice if it went all the way to the dog park, but as you can see in the left-hand shot, they did it up to and a little bit past where the shoulder/bike path starts, so I won't complain.  And it's really recycled asphalt - you can see parts of it that have yellow paint on them :)  So there's that.

Math has never been my strong suit. Or any suit.

I've said before that I'm using loseit.com to track my intake and output.  If you think about this type of "program" (or if you are one of my brothers), you'll know that it's pretty much straight math.  If you take in less than you burn, you lose weight.  It's really that simple (ha!).  Ironically, the girl who had a long ago AOL screen name of DontDoMath is now losing weight ... because of math.  This week has been all about the maths:

Last night my husband walked into the living room and said something like, "not to throw a wrench in the monkey works .... but you know you're losing weight because of math, right?"  Funny guy.  Yes, I get it.  Math is saving the world.  Whatevs.

Saturday morning, my neighbor (not the pregnant one) and I started out on a "long walk".  I described to her where I thought we could go, and that I thought it would be about 5 or so miles.  However, when we got to the place where I thought we'd turn in and go through the neighborhood, she suggested we "keep going, cross under the highway, take the bikepath up along C470, and cut over on Alameda".  It sounded rather long, but like a good challenge.  Plus, it was still plenty early and we were under the influence of a nice cool morning breeze.  Let me just say that it was a good challenge.  It also kicked our butts!  We walked 9.5 miles!  (click here for the walk we did)

After I got home and looked at all my data on MapMyWalk, I was sitting at my desk feeling rather smug.  We walked almost 10 miles!  10 miles!  That's straight-up crazypants!  Hey, we basically did the Bolder Boulder!  Gosh, I'm impressed with myself.  Then it hit me:

OHMYWORD!

The Bolder Boulder is a 10 K!  K!!
(that's 6.2 miles for those of you not familiar with foreign measurements)

Bolder Boulder?  Bolder Schmoulder!  We just kicked the Bolder Boulder's butt!  Yeah, we did!

And then I got to thinking about the year I did the Bolder Boulder (2010).  A group from our church did it to raise money for Living Water International.  Some people ran, some walked, and some did a combination.  I started it with two other walkers, and then one of them left us at the 5K mark to run the rest.  I seriously thought I could die at the end.  Or at least just lay down on the pavement and never get up again.  We finished, but boy were we tired and slow.  This really shouldn't be a surprise - look how round and lumpy I was!

The BB is always on Memorial Day (Monday), and I remember being stiff, sore, and rather miserable for a good week after doing it.  I had big plans to get into shape in advance - I never thought I could run it, but I knew I needed to do some training.  It should come as no surprise to anyone reading that The Girl Who Cried Skinny had grand plans ... and didn't do them.  Yup, story of my life.  So on that day, I was woefully unprepared.  And although I'm smiling in these pics at the end, I am exhausted on a molecular level, and it took a week to recover.  Oh, and I haven't even mentioned that that was an XL or maybe a XXL shirt that I had to cut up the sides to wear.  Sad.

Fast forward to the day after I walked 9.5 on a whim:  I wasn't even sore!  I was a little hungry (!), but honestly, not stiff or achy.  I could feel it a bit in my ankle, but that's a ligament thing (I'm getting PT for that), and has nothing to do with the shape I'm in.  Honestly, doing 9.5 miles sounds HUGE and AMAZING to me.  But far more amazing to me is that I am no longer in the shape I was in.  I was fully functional and able to live my normal life on the very next day.  Yay, me!

Friends, if you need encouragement, think about this:  today is only Week 13 for me.  I have been working on this for 13 weeks.  Here I am last Friday - I took this pic because the lumpy saddlebags I'd been seeing were finally starting to go down :)

The Girl Who Cried Skinny has been gaining weight since the week after our honeymoon (not kidding) in 1991, and she is finally reversing that process.  By walking!  You can do it too.

Twenty*Veinte*Twintig*Zwanzig*Dwadzieścia*Twenty

WOO HOO!  I AM TWENTY POUNDS LIGHTER!  Tuesday was a very exciting day.  I was finally down 20 whole pounds.  W00T!  I also used my grocery backpack, AND I met friends for tea in a sleeveless shirt.  These are things I never would have done at 250.

So to start, have I mentioned that my brothers are both on loseit.com?  They are :)  One of them got so excited about me being able to walk to my grocery store that he ordered a grocery backpack for me.  LOL.  Tuesday morning, I used it.   The right-hand pics are before I left the house, so it's empty.  In the one where I'm pointing to the Safeway sign, it's serving a purpose.  I bought two boxes of Puffs Plus and a large container of peanuts.  That's in the top "dry goods" section.  In the "thermal" compartment are the doughnuts my neighbor bought to take back home :)  (don't tell my brother that's what was in there)

So that was fun, and yay! I can buy groceries and packhorse them home (yeah, I verbed it).

But the real big news of the day for me was the big Two Oh!  I am down 20 pounds.  And since my sister said to take a pic every 10 pounds, here it is.  Ironically, I think my face looks rounder in this shot than the 239.5 pic below, but whatevs.

Also?  I actually went out in public in a sleeveless top (<-- this one).  I honestly don't remember the last time I did that.  Maybe 15 years ago?  It certainly wasn't recently.  It helped that it was a gazillion degrees out, I suppose.

So there you have it - a milestone post.  Yay!

Of course, I have never wanted to weigh 229 so much in my life.  What an odd desire :)