Green with envy

I admit that I can get a little competitive at times. I don't think I'm uber-competitive, but there's a little bit of fight in me which I think is the case for everyone. BUT, I think I may need an intervention. I was watching the news tonight and saw a piece on kid triathletes. Yep, you heard it here first (or perhaps second). There are children who are competing in events like "IronKids." I'm talking 6-year-olds. Here's where my crazy self gets, well, a bit more crazy. I checked out some of the results and these kids are good! They can swim just as fast as me and the fastest mile I ever ran was slaughtered by a tot! I have a lot of work to do. The upside—this past week Jeopardy hosted Kid Jeopardy and I killed it!

I found the new me!

I was killing time in Duane Reade when this magazine caught my eye. Yes, I like Anna Paquin (and of course True Blood), but that's not the reason why I picked it up. She's wearing my bathing suit and I have to say, if I dropped 15—okay 20—pounds and got a tan, we could be body doubles! Seriously though, I think I'm going to take a "before" photo of myself in this same pose and use her version as inspiration for my "after" transformation. I could be that skinny. I just need to stop eating. Starting right after lunch.

Room to grow in.

It's been quite a while since my last post. Why? I'm not sure. I haven't really felt motivated to write and/or to workout. Add them together = no blog. I admit it. I'm in a bit of a slump. So much so, I did something over the weekend that I'm a little ashamed of. It was really hot in NYC, and I needed some shorts. So I bought a pair. Of shorts. With a drawstring. And a slightly elastic waistband. They feel so good as I eat my Mister Softee.

Spin Cycle

Today I took my first spin class in about four months. After pedaling what seemed like for an eternity, I stole a not-so-stealth glance at the clock and saw that only 10 minutes had passed. Ten minutes and I was already drenched in sweat, wishing I was back at my desk reading tmz.com like I normally do during lunch. Needless to say, the remaining 35 minutes crept by in a very slow, painful way. But I made it through! As I was walking back to work, smile on my face, a man in a wheelchair tried to flirt with me. He may have been homeless but that's okay.

And a-round we go

I had a delightful conversation last night with someone who asked to remain anonymous.

ME: I think I'm finally starting to slim down. I think my face is a little less round then it was. (Note: I admit and acknowledge that I have a naturally round face.)

PERSON: Yeah, actually I've noticed. Your face does look slimmer.

ME: Really?! You can tell?

PERSON: Yeah, it looks normal now.

ME: So, what did it look like before?

Person: Um, [long pause] abnormal?

And my complex continues.

More Physique Please

I am once again reinvigorated about working out and it's largely due to a new workout I've started, Physique 57. I did a few classes about a year ago and have just started it up again, partly because it's a really good workout and partly because there's a slight chance I'd run into Kelly Ripa who's a big fan (and so skinny)! Okay, she's the main reason I signed up again. Kelly is tiny and she does the classes, so logic tells me that if I do the same classes, I'll become really tiny too. Make sense, yeah? And it's actually quite addictive. I've only done two classes so far but am already looking forward to my next one.

No photos please

It's been my experience that running photos are never great. Whether it's a bad angle, a horrific facial expression, or the lighting just isn't hitting you right, running shots are not good. However, I have to say I don't think I've ever had that photo you look at and become repulsed by the image. That is until today. My NYC photos are up, and I look horrid. The good news, I've lost my appetite for lunch.

NYC Half Marathon

I ran the NYC half marathon yesterday and as with all races, there were some good moments and some not so good ones.

The good:
* I finished the race!
* It was a beautiful day to run.
* After burning all those calories, I didn't feel guilty celebrating with a few beers.

The bad:
* My foot (which I injured a few weeks ago) hurt for about 9 out of the 13 miles.
* Because of my foot pain, I ran pretty slow and my time was really disappointing.
* An old woman passed me at mile 10 and as she did, asked if I was okay.

Overall, I feel okay about the run. Aside from the foot pain, I actually felt good as I was running. I wasn't really tired or winded. With that said, I'm determined that my running season can only get better from here. Cheers!

I'm A-Okay

Apparently I'm healthy. Too healthy if you ask me. I had a physical a few days ago and my blood work showed that I have no problems—at least physical ones. I was kind of hoping for a mild thyroid issue. You know, something simple that medication could fix but would give me a reason to explain my constant weight gain. No such luck. I may get a second opinion.

Boot camp starts now

I went to the mall near my work today during lunch to pick up a little something—a new outfit or a pair of jeans perhaps. I left with the following: some hair clips from Anthropologie, a pretzel from Pretzel Time, and a bad attitude. During the walk back to work I made an emergency call to my trainer. And there we have it.

**Just as I finished writing this post, the song "Can't Get It Right Today" by Joe Purdy comes on my Pandora stream. Happy Friday!

You've got to be kidding me.

On the first of each month, I go to astrologyzone.com to check out my horoscope so I can prepare for what's to come. Yeah, it's kind of silly but I really enjoy it. Anyway, as I'm reading through my horoscope this afternoon, I came across something that is a little troubling:

"Once you get to the weekend of March 20-21, you will need to take it slower. This is not a weekend, for example, to clean out closets or paint the living room, nor the right weekend to RUN A RACE or do anything else that could be called strenuous."

Umm, I'm running the NYC half marathon on the 21st. And I was planning on doing it at a faster pace than I've ever run before. I'm a little freaked out. But, she's been wrong before. Like in November when she said I was going to get engaged. And when I was supposed to get engaged again last month. Sigh. I guess I'll still run it.

And the project begins...

I was riding the train home last night when I realized something—something, dare I say, tragic. I have a birthday coming up in May. Birthdays are usually tough enough but this one is not your run of the mill, ordinary birthday. It's my—wait for it—30th. How did I get so old and so quickly? Actually I shouldn't be asking "how," I should be asking "why"? Thirty. It gives me the shivers, but what can I do. Well, I'm going to tell you. I have 76 days until the big one hits (yes, I counted). In that time, I am going to become the fittest I've ever been. As god is my witness, I will age gracefully. If I have to binge, purge, or invest in surgery, I will look amazing come May 12th.

DON’T let them eat cake!

I just ate a piece of some old, dry cake left in the kitchen at work. Why? Because it was there. I have a problem.

Houston, I think we have a problem

I was out of town for a week and upon my return, something very disturbing happened. I'm not talking about the 4 am wake-up call or the four-hour delay—two of which was spent sitting on the airplane—something bigger. My pup Grace has put on some weight. I'm probably talking 10 pounds. In a week. Now, I know I have some weird weight issues with a touch of distorted body image but I'm concerned. I just happened to mention this to Gracie and today she barely touched her food. And she threw up. Could she be bulimic?

Jeggings anyone?

Jeggings. You know what they are—part legging, part jeans. Luckily for me they're pretty popular as my normal, everyday jeans have now transformed into a pair of skin-tight jeggings. I kid you not. I guess they were unhappy with their straight-leg cut fit and decided to start the new year off with a big bang. I have to say, they're not as comfortable as a true pair of cotton jeggings I guess would be—I have the red imprint on my hips to prove it—but it is quite magical that when a simple pair of jeans wants to make a change, yes, it can be done. And now I own a pair of jeggings, without having to spend a dime.

Hair part deux

My hair has relaxed a bit and it's actually looking better. Still a little shorter than I wanted but I can work with it.

Anywhere from 1-6 inches please.

I spent my hard-earned cash this morning on a haircut. On the way home, I stopped by CVS to pick up some hair growth-enhancing vitamins. I could leave it at that, but I'm not going to. When the stylist put the apron-bib-robe thing around my neck, it was snug. Actually, it was really tight. So tight it was almost chocking me. I thought those things were supposed to be one size fits all, no? Maybe I was wearing an x-small? It can't be that my neck is so fat, it exceeds the allotted width allowance, right?

Dare I say...

...my pants are a little less snug? Call it a miracle. Call it pure luck. Call it whatever you want but while getting dressed this morning I didn't have to suck in my stomach as I zipped up nor did I do the shimmy dance. The zipper flew to the top without a care in the world. I guess all my working out is finally paying off! That plus my new budget which prevents me from eating. Hurrah!

My very own mini me

Gracie is taking after her dear mama. She just had her second round of shots and during her visit the vet weighed her—she's gained a little over four pounds in two weeks. That's about my going rate. I'm so proud.