149.6

Woot woot!

The last time I was below 150 was in 2015!
I know it's one weigh in...and we must factor in all of last week.

1) I focused more on hydration last week.  This week, with a similar goal, I will hydrate better in the  morning/early afternoon hours.  Too much water before bedtime = not a solid night's sleep.  (lesson learned or still learning)

2) I logged my food diligently every day.  (minus Saturday - more to come about that)
Keeping track of my intake slows down my evening snacking, or shifts it to a healthy snack as opposed to half a pint of ice cream or a pile of cheese and crackers.  I'll measure the evening snack to not overdo it.

3)  I cut sugar from my morning coffee.  Since I have 3+ cups each morning, the teaspoons of sugar added up quickly.  I'm drinking some higher quality coffee, so milk is all that I need.  

4) I shifted gears in my workouts.  While the Iditarod challenge was a blast, I fell into a groove of cardio, cardio and more cardio, specifically at the gym to log my minutes.  Since completing the challenge I've shifted a few workouts a week to road work either biking or riding or a combo of both. I've also started a GRIT (HIIT) class once a week.  It has left me sore each week, but in a good way.  It definitely kickstarts my metabolism and kicks up the heart rate in a way my road work does not do. I'm thankful for the virtual classes at the gym and a crew committed to meeting at 5:30 on Monday mornings.

5) I've started a weekly schedule for my workouts.  Even though I'm not in training for any specific race at the moment, having a schedule in place helps me a ton!   Without mapping out the week of exercise, I'm not so sure what I'm doing each day.  I've found that the structure, while there is flexibility in it, helps me stick to my weekly goals of an hour (or more) of exercise 6 days a week.

6) Also, a race on Saturday was a boost.  It was the Hard Cider Run at the Hauser Estate Winery, home of Jack's Hard Cider.  It was a 5K that I was invited to sign up for by a friend.  (Thanks, Ktea!)
It'll be fun, she said!  We have a team, Cider Sisters!  Okay, I said, I'm in.
Needless to say, I stepped up my game and signed up for the Hungry Apple Challenge.  I was in for the option to take home a second medal as well as eat a donut at each mile marker of the race.  What I did not realize was how "scenic" the course would be.  (In our house, when describing a race course you need to know that scenic = hilly, very hilly.) Anyway, it was like a cross country course, on the grass, around a field and through the growing vines.

I think the donut breaks at each mile were a good chance to rest and catch my breath and keep my carbs going in full force.

(My personal race photographer {aka. husband of the year, Billy} was at mile two and caught this gem after telling me how proud he was of me for not walking at all.)

I took selfies at each mile to prove to friends and parishioners that I actually at the donuts at each mile and that they were actually whole donuts, not just munchkins. I was having a blast!

I was surprised to see Billy as I came out of the first set of vines.  

He completely captured my joy in running this race.  

I did not cramp up with the extra carbs, and resting to eat a donut helped me catch my breath for any "scenic" parts of the course yet to come. I didn't worry about my time, I just kept running and eating. 

I will say that after 3 donuts, a nice cold, crisp cider hit the spot to wash them all down at the end.  This was also the first race that I finished and was not hungry, at all.  

Needless to say, the three donuts, extra beverages and a stop for a filling lunch at Troegs on our way home meant that my caloric intake was much greater than the hills I ran that day.  It didn't matter.  I enjoyed the day and the experience.  

The moral of this week's story is that I worked hard all week and truly enjoyed a splurge day at the end.  Knowing it was coming, I didn't splurge on other treats mid-week.  

This coming week with May the 4th and Cinco de Mayo, I'll have to run the distance of the Kessel Run before eating delicious homemade tacos.  Win.  Win.  

At this point, weight-wise, I'd like to maintain a weight of under 15olbs.  I know it will still take work, so I'll continue logging food and exercise as well as focus more on my food intake, like proteins, whole grains and tasty veggies.  

I'll keep you posted.  

Thanks for reading. 

Until the next post...