Weight Loss Week One: So I Guess This is Happening

I’m not even going to go into specifics about how much I ate over the past week, and how much weight I gained (clearly, the opposite of what I was supposed to be doing). I will tell you, however, that I ate at Eagle’s Deli twice on Sunday, and as most of you know, this is the worst possible thing you could do for weight loss, your heart, your digestive system, your skin and basically any type of overall health. For breakfast, I ordered a #6, which is basically one of everything. And for dinner I had mozzarella sticks and french fries forced upon me by my cousin Elizabeth (you know her as the cute girl behind the register). Ugh. Even if I hadn’t eaten anything for the next four days it still would have been a gain week. So to punish myself for it, I’ve decided to run a half marathon.

Now, I make these kinds of promises to myself all the time. After last year’s Boston Marathon, I was telling people that, in 2011, I’d be running 26.2 just like them. I think I walked/ran to Coolidge Corner and back once before determining that “running just really isn’t my thing.” And then summer came and it got really hot out and “heat just really isn’t my thing.” So before “my thing” becomes weighing 1,000 pounds and eating at Eagle’s Deli for every meal, I really want to conquer this half marathon once and for all.

The ING Rock and Roll Half Marathon takes place in several cities, including Chicago, L.A., Nashville and Seattle. But since my cousin Sammie lives in Philly (and it’s the only one happening in the Northeast), we’re shooting for that one on September 18, a mere 29 weeks away. Definitely doable.

Sammie sent me an 11-week training schedule that basically looked like this: run, don’t run, run, don’t run, run 13 miles, you’re trained. And while I’ll agree that the more I run the better I’ll become at it, if you read the fine print on the schedule you’ll see that I actually have to train for the training – for in order to do it, you need to be running for 30 minutes straight for at least four weeks. I ran 30 minutes straight a few weeks ago when I was home in NY. Two days later I attempted to run a 5K on the treadmill at the gym and got a cramp after 10 minutes and had to stop. So, there’s that problem to contend with.

But what I do have motivating me is the fact that to run well you have to be healthy, and I’m hoping the biggest thing I’ll get out of this is a better eating routine. You know, one that actually includes fruits and vegetables. And I know this will help with my weight loss. And maybe I’ll reward myself with some cute Lululemon pants at the end.

So I’m kind of scared about this, but I really want to do it, and I’m considering it my big challenge of 2011. I mean, I jumped out of a freakin’ airplane last year. How hard could this be?