Swimming to Cool My Temper

I almost forgot to write on here!  I'm just going to be very brief because I need to be getting in bed if I expect to be getting out of it tomorrow morning for running.

First of all, I had an awful day.  I rarely get mad about anything, but I was severely miffed today about the management of my apartment changing contracts without notifying their tenants and thus losing my right to park at my own apartment.  Because of logistical issues relating to that, my swim was delayed, but gave much more enjoyment once it happened.

A friend asked me what I was up to, and I said, "Off to swim!"  I could have easily said, "Nothing much," and so had a more sedentary evening of hanging out, but I resisted.

I swam 40 pool lengths, which is a little over half a mile.  I am wiped, though.  I am going to add one lap every week, though, and by the end of the year I will be swimming a mile each time!  Then, I'll start working on reducing the breathing breaks in between laps so that I can endure it for the full mile.

I weighed myself at the gym today as well, and as of today I have gained back five pounds since June.  I may have gained more than that since July, though, since I was still very active and probably lost a few more pounds after I last weighed.  No matter, though.  Five weeks of inactivity, five pounds.  Not as bad as I would have expected, and it certainly explains why my clothes still fit.  So I now have a new starting weight.  Everything is new, and I have high hopes for this semester.  My body is thanking me already.

Day 17: Going for a Smoothie

I couldn't think of a title, but then I talked to Kyla, and she inspired it with: "My roommates and I call it going for a smoothie because it makes your mind smooth, your emotions smooth, and your body smooth."

I was told today that I look like a new person.  I finally got the nerve up to weigh myself at the gym, and I did so with absolutely NO emotional response.  I refuse to diet, but I am trying to eat like a normal person without food issues, and it's difficult.  The book I'm working with, Eat, Drink, and Be Mindful - which I highly recommend, by the way - is about overcoming eating disorders, and some of the best advice that I've read exclusively in this book is that if you can't weigh yourself without an emotional response, don't weigh yourself.  So the no emotional response thing is a good thing, and it's the reason why I haven't weighed myself since December.

I weighed myself out of curiosity to see if I had lost weight or maybe just carry myself differently, but apparently I've lost 16 pounds since then..  I know that those pounds started coming off before I started running due to not having as much time to eat because of stressful school stuff and a little bit of watching my habits, but still.  Running has probably accelerated it somewhat, both in that I'm burning off more calories and in that I'm burning off a lot of stress.  I'm not looking to lose weight, but it is one more "measuring stick" on which I can see progress being made.  I tell myself it's now okay to weigh myself as long as I don't get bogged down emotionally by it and as long as it's not the ONLY measure of my success or failure.

Friday was also the last day of my running for Lent.  Don't worry, though; I'm not going to quit just because Easter is here.  I'm addicted now, and since the idea of Lent is repentance, I actually have to stick with it if it's going to be a real amending of my life. I'm a runner now.  And in a few more months I'll be over this endurance hurdle and start working on speed for a real 5K race!

My workout was:
Week 4, Day 1
2.10 miles in 32 minutes, 2.0% incline
Average Mile Pace: 15:05