Pleasant Surprises

OK, first and foremost--I lost 2 pounds this week!! I don't get it, I don't know how it happened, and I certainly didn't deserve that number, but there it is! I weighed myself 3 times to make sure. I'm now at 201.6...and less than 2 pounds away from being out of the 200's! I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I'm going to commit extra hard this week with both nutrition and exercise. In fact, I've already done a little strength training routine today and I'm definitely going for a run this afternoon.

Second--and this was an awesome surprise--I was tagged in Jeff's blog to answer 5 running questions.  This actually came at a great time for me, because I really needed to sit down and remember why running is important to me and why its worth fighting for. I've let myself cop out too much lately, and that's over.
Jeff (Detroit Runner) is new to blogging but he is already attracting a large following  and his blog is just cool. From what I can tell, he is an AMAZING runner and too damn modest about it. Everyone should check him out. Anyway, here are the questions:

1. What are you most fond of accomplishing in 2010?
This one is easy. My half-marathon in October. It was the first thing that I ever finished, and also the most fun experience of my life. I also never thought that I would be able to do it, so pushing my boundaries like that really changed my life permanently I think. Plus I finished 10 minutes under my goal, and I ran the entire thing, albeit slowly.

2. What is your favorite race?
I only did two races this year. The Run for the Roost 5k in September, and the 3rd Annual Augusta Half-Marathon in October. Obviously, the half was my favorite race. It took place in the town that I grew up in, and I got to run through familiar streets, which put a nice air of nostalgia into the whole mix. My childhood best friend was there as well, along with my parents and my husband and some dear family friends. It all added up to be a perfect day.

3.What are your running goals for 2011?
I'm glad this question is in there. I've given it a lot of thought, and I've decided to stick with my original goal of doing the Rock n Roll Savannah Marathon in November. I think I can be careful to not let it interfere with my weight loss, and I'm going to follow through with this because it is important to me. I would also like to be able to run a 5k in under 35 minutes...I hate speed training,but I'm hoping that I will naturally get faster as my weight drops.

4. What is your favorite holiday guilty pleasure?
Hmm. I would have to say Pannettone. It is an Italian sweet bread, sort of like a fruit cake, only GOOD. It makes for awesome French toast, and my parents get me at least one loaf every year. As I type, it is sitting in my kitchen mocking me, and I know I'm going to break down and eat it soon.

5. What was your most embarrassing running moment?
I don't really have any embarrassing stories to tell, if you decide not to count the fact that people probably see how slow I'm going and then laugh at me. I will say this, though--all the expert advice tells you to not run a race in any gear that you have not previously tried and they are RIGHT! I ran in a pair of new capris during my half, and it wasn't until the race started that I realized they were too big!! They kept slipping down, and I kept having to pull them up for the first couple of miles. After that, they were ok...I still don't know why they stopped falling off, unless God decided to have mercy on me? At any rate, I was thankful!

Here are the people I'm tagging because I think they are awesome and I love reading their blogs:
1. Kim at Bookworm Runs
2. Crystal at Am I a Runner or Just Crazy
3. Suzy at Happy with 13.1
4. Meredith at Run is the New Walk
5. Andrea at Mama on the Run

I hope everyone has a great week! I plan to be back very soon reporting on all of my running adventures-remember, its accountability that wins the fight!!