A Skinny Girl No More

Know what this FitGal just can't hold anymore?  Her liquor.

That's right.  I said it.  I overdrank.  Went to a party to celebrate what's known in these parts as the "Big Time."  Which is actually very small time, but with lots of alcohol and Italian deliciousness.  The food - not a problem.  I'm finding that vegetarianism is an incredibly easy transition for me.  Just like that workout switch flipped for me way back when, the meatless switch has been flipped as well.  So no biggie there.

The alcohol - problem.  See, I totally forgot that I haven't had a drink since...well...it's been a really long time.  I don't typically indulge at home or when we go out to dinner (which is a fairly infrequent occurrence in and of itself), nor do I join in every time we head out to a gathering.  It's just not my "thing" anymore.  But on this occasion, Hubby was nice enough to grab me two bottles of Skinny Girl in brand new flavors - and that stuff doesn't even taste like alcohol. 

But it is.

I felt great for about an hour...and then AWFUL for the next twenty-four.  I know everyone praying to the porcelain gods makes the same promise, but I can swear to you now on my new Adidas TR 170's...NEVER AGAIN. 

I spent a good deal of yesterday in recovery mode.  Missed my scheduled fit test.  Barely left the bed.  Drank a Dr. Pepper.  And it got me thinking very seriously about how I had just treated the body I typically handle with such care.  I mean, what had I gained from this?

The answer was clear: absolutely nothing.  I would have had a fabulous time anyway, and I would have had it longer.  I would have completed my fit test on schedule (instead of having to double up my workouts today).  I would have gotten lots of chores out of the way, done my weekly food prep, and spent more quality time with the monkeys.  No drink tastes so good that I would trade all of that. 

So this once hard-partyin', holdin'-her-liquor Queen isn't goin' soft.  No...I'm just adding another segment in my FitLife.  Turns out, I am so careful about what I put into my body on a regular basis that it just can't tolerate when I throw it a curve ball.

But guess what?  I actually feel really great about that.  I don't drink enough to miss it, nor do I need that crutch in a social situation.  So I'm good.  I'm sure I'll face some backlash here and there.  But I hit that at every step, I've found.  Some were irritated by my zest for exercise.  Then it was the lean diet.  Now the vegetarianism.  Soon, it'll be my alcohol-free state. 

Screw 'em.  I am solid in my decision and I know my body will thank me. 

Besides, I find life so more fun when my face isn't hanging over toilet water.  Don't you?

Easy Street

After my first QiDANCE master class

Rest week, shmest week.  My QiDANCE DVD came in the mail today and I had to get my groove on.  I just about have the first song down, hip swivels and all.  This is probably where not having a full length mirror comes in a little handy; I can imagine I look just as sexy as I feel.  And after more than a week of jammin' out to the CD, the moves are coming pretty naturally with the music.  I have about a month left before the first class and I plan on bein' readier than ready. 

Strolling

Hey there, sheep.

Aside from my new dancing obsession, I'm taking it slow and easy (aside from a Tabat Boot Camp class on Monday, but I kept it within range).  I actually took an entire day off yesterday, leaving me feeling at loose ends and as though I was forgetting something all day.  Today, the babe and I strolled leisurely along part of my regular running route, stopping for some photos and to say hello to the sheep.  And then, of course, my QiDANCE extravaganza. 

And all the while, several times a day and sometimes several times an hour, that marathon is racing around the back of my mind.  I have created and recreated a mental checklist for the day prior and the morning of.  Both involve the camera, of course.  And the afternoon after involves Skinny Girl cocktails (after I replenish a few calories) and friends and family to celebrate.  I keep contemplating a tiara but try to convince myself that my new medal will suffice.  What I haven't been concentrating on is the actual running of the race.

Along my route

I've been training for approximately seven months with this marathon in mind.  I don't skip training and I don't quit when I feel tired.  I eeked out some runs and blasted through others.  Most importantly, I have finished each and every one.  (Well, except for the one that was interrupted by some nasty shin pain...but I made that up the next week.)  I have put my time in.  This body is ready.  The race is not the hard part; the hard part is over.  I finished seven months of the hard part.  I know I can do five hours (or less!) of the easy part. 

A view on each run

A friend and fellow runner just reminded me that I will only get one first marathon, and I don't intend to waste it worrying.  I want to relish every moment (and I will relay many, so consider yourself warned) and keep the day as special as it ought to be.  This is just the public culmination of the days, weeks, and months I've spent preparing.  But, hey...we all know I love a good public spectacle involving myself.  And the fact that I get a medal at the end of it just makes it that much better.

The Photographic Evidence

It's a quick one tonight, folks.  I had a day full of fevers, vomit, and gymnastics (although the last one was blissful, as I finally got to sit and watch my Bear flip and tumble whilst perusing the latest from Runner's World) and it is off to Skinny Girl Margarita-ville I go.

Anyway - I pledged to at the very least share my meals/snacks/etc from here on out, and so I felt obligated to stop by and do just that.  I have already been a sometimes faithful user of myfitnesspal (and I highly recommend it to anyone trying to lose or gain weight - it's free and it works.  What more can you ask for?).  This week, I was particularly faithful and have eased myself back into a normal eating plan vs. the good-all-day-gorge-at-night plan I had been following in recent weeks.  I alternated that with the it's-a-special-occasion-because-it's-Bear's-birthday/we're-out-to-eat/I-just-freakin'-feel-like-it-OK?!? diet...but that one, believe it or not, did not get me the results I was after either.  So it's back to basics, as it should always be, and I have given myself the added accountability of taking photos of each morsel consumed (pre-consumption, of course) and sharing the resulting photographs with all of you.  On the edge of your seat yet? Drumming fingers anxiously on your computer desk?  Well, stop it.  That's annoying.  (I won't care in a few moments, as I mentioned previously that my good girl liquor awaits).



Is it everything you dreamed it would be?

So there it is.  Ta-DAAA!  That's my daily breakfast, although the yogurt is typically substituted with a form of fruit.  I am weaning myself off of Nutella, but that shit is made out of crack.  The peanut butter crackers - from a vending machine after gymnastics.  I was starving and about to be Sponge Mom Angry Pants if I didn't get something in my belly.  Hubby outdid himself once again, mixing leftovers with cupboard leavin's (you know those packages of stuff that you never recall buying and never seem to get used?), so we had pasta with chicken and sauce for dinner.  Perfect on a chilly and rainy day.  Lunch - I did that myself!  I used fridge leavin's (leftovers and previously cut veggies and/or fruits so I only have to put forth minimal effort) and concocted a pretty bangin' salad for myself.  And...at long last...thank you, Bethenny Frankel, for the gift of Skinny Girl.  Tastey and low-cal enough that I feel no guilt over two servings (certainly not after two servings, as I have become a total lightweight in this arena). 

There you have it.  Not every day will be this detailed (I will be back to my random rants/ravings/blatherings as of tomorrow), but if you're truly curious about what I'm ingesting, friend me on myfitnesspal.  My username is Miller343 and my diary is public.  And hey, I can use all the eyeballin' I can get to keep me on track and eating like the athlete I picture myself to be.