Apparently, I got ready for hibernation too!

So I've been training for and running half-marathons for the last 11 months. I started up in March 2008, ran my first half-marathon at the Quad Cities Marathon in September 28th and the Walt Disney World half-marathon in January 10th. I've since been training to run the St. Louis half-marathon on April 19th. It's been going swell and I've been getting much faster since I had an issue with my IT band that I need to work on improving my form to get rid of. And my form is better when I run faster.

But running history aside, all winter I've been avoiding the scale and eating what I want. I've noticed some increase in the ring of pudge around my middle, but have tried to ignore it. But today, on a whim, I stepped into the upstairs bathroom and jumped onto the scale and was surprised what I told me. Before winter, I weighed about 119 pounds, give or take a pound on any given day. I expected, at most, 121... 122... but what did I get?

124.8!

How could this happen? Yeah, I eat Little Debbie treats and potato chips and sneak candy like nobody's business... oh. That's how. Maybe I shouldn't hoard food away in my room or sneak candy after my dad goes to bed or pig out every time I get a chance. Perhaps I shouldn't fill myself up completely at nearly every meal even though the food is good. I could always spend less time wishing I had food and spend more time thinking about other things. I could try not to compulsively eat whenever I bored or in the kitchen...

This sounds like a good plan.

It's February 11th and I have basically two months and 8 days to lose 5-10 pounds. Not only will this make me feel a lot better about myself, feel more healthy and make it easier to pick flattering clothes every morning, this will help me run a sub-2:00 half-marathon. My first was 2:18:34, my second 2:06:45 and this one I'd like to take those 7 minutes off... if not more. And losing 5 pounds at least would aid in that a lot

So let's see how it goes, shall we?


EDIT: My dad and I are now having a bet. He wants to lose weight too, so we are going to see who can lose 5% of their body weight the fastest. Whoever loses owes the winner the gap of the two percentages, times $5. It's quite fair and our first "weigh in" is this weekend. Nothing like some good old competition to get the ball rolling.

JANE AUSTEN WILL DIE!

Ugh. After reading nothing but Jane Austen novels for the last 2-2.5 months for AP Lit, I swear on my life I will never pick up another Jane Austen book for another 10 years. I am so tired of the humorous societal satire and the hand-touching, eyes-meeting romantics. Give me something, anything, with different themes and storylines!

I'm dying to read something new. I can't even open Mansfield Park without wanting to kill myself.

Hopefully, at the end of the term, I can get some people in my class to read The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce) with me.

At least, I can go to class every day, comforted with knowing I will listen to my classmates butcher the pronounciation of words and rhythm of speech for plays such as Othello, Oedipus and Tartuffe. That's not Jane Austen!