Last Saturday, my sister and I attended the Black Girls Run! Preserve the Sexy Tour. I follow BGR’s Philadelphia Facebook page, so when I saw a post about this event, I had to check it out.
I have wanted to truly get involved with BGR for awhile now. I’ve never gotten around to running with the group, especially since I have my own Running Club that meets the same time and place as BGR on Saturdays.
So I thought this would be an opportunity to get involved, especially since my sister is now running too!
In an earlier post I gave a review of the Asics GT-2000’s…the most beautiful pair of shoes I’ve ever owned. Unfortunately, what started off so great came to an abrupt, sad ending. I just took them back today.
Why? Because I started to experience serious pain in my arches! This has never happened to me in my entire life! The Asics are so-called “stability shoes”…I overpronate and these shoes are supposed to compensate. But my feet weren’t feeling that at all.
I was hoping I wouldn’t have a post like this, but reality has sunken in: dieting is not easy. It is especially not easy when you go home to your family and they want to feed you.
To start from the beginning, I’ve started seeing a dietitian. I actually only had 2 sessions with her thus far, and since August 1, I’ve been following a very specific diet plan in order to drop a few pounds.
I think for the first week, I was really aggressive about sticking to my diet, making sure I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. I was probably unbearable to be around, but we had plenty of healthy food stocked and I was getting in a good groove.
But then things started to take a turn…August has been a very social month. My boyfriend passed his CFA exam so we celebrated with drinks. I went to NYC and had to make “smart” choices at restaurants. Then I went to my hometown for a weekend full of baby back ribs, baked beans, potato salad and bacon cheeseburgers…not to mention a little bit of pizza and wings. And this weekend was my birthday, so…shots anyone?
I knew that this would be difficult. But I didn’t think that eating well would start feeling like a chore, and it kind of has! As my bf always does, he’s given me a big old bag of Skittles for my birthday. And there it is, sitting on the table. The old me would’ve bust that bag by now! Now I’ve got to scrounge for fruit and yogurt and other wholesome stuff! What a drag! lol
I was really excited that this “diet experiment” would be winding down. I was scheduled to meet with Danielle this Wednesday. But guess what, my boss scheduled a meeting that conflicts, so now I have to wait a whole extra week before I weigh in and see where I stand.
I haven’t fallen off the wagon yet though. While I feel super guilty when I eat “bad” food, I still think I’m doing a decent job. I’m really ready for this to be over!
How do you cope with a diet? How do you keep yourself motivated? I’d love to hear suggestions!
There’s no place like home, as the old saying goes. This past weekend I was back in my hometown of Buffalo, New York for a high school band reunion. My boyfriend was kind enough to come along for the ride.
I was able to show him around town and give him a taste of the place where I spent almost 18 years of my life. I got all warm and fuzzy when I showed him my old high school, and the park next door where we used to run around at track practice.
On Sunday we went for a run down to the waterfront. I have so many memories of going there as a kid, mostly on school field trips. My mom gave us directions to get there and within 15 minutes, there it was!
Down by the marina…nothing here has changed!
As we ran for about a mile or so, I decided we should just walk. My GPS was acting up and I was getting frustrated. But the walk was so calming as we were able to just unwind a bit. It was so quiet out there! Buffalo is nothing like Philly on an Sunday morning. It was so refreshing.
I’ve been practicing improving my form. My boyfriend says I swing my arms too much when I run, which may be causing some of my issues. So now I’ve been consciously keeping my arms closer to my sides. Uncomfortable, but necessary.
Most of the time, I’m WAY too hard on myself when it comes to running. The reason I named this blog “Run With No Regrets” is because it is a philosophy that I strive to follow. I’ve had a lot of challenges along the way with running, and as I struggle, I have to remember how far I’ve come.
Things aren’t perfect right now…not even close. My knees still pop all the time, my new shoes may be too much of a change for my feet (constant arch pain), and it feels like it takes more and more effort each time I go to run. But I can’t have any regrets, and I won’t give up. I love to run, and I want that love to manifest…so as advised by my bf, I will take more time to run gadget-free: no watches, no Runkeeper. Use the time to reflect, to escape, not to hit a quota for the week.
Attitude is everything, and hard work always pays off. It is worth it. No regrets!
