After work today, the last thing I wanted to do was exercise. I’m so tired from a complete lack of sleep this week, but I know I need to get my ass in gear and back with the program, so I went out and did my short little run. Today, I made it in 12:36, while yesterday was 12:49. Slowly but surely, I’m getting there.

It’s hot here. I swore after the ridiculous winter that we had this year, I wouldn’t complain about the heat in the summer, but it’s just awful. Some days, it feels like I’m literally going to suffocate when I go outside and as I don’t have access to a treadmill, it’s ruined me. I’ve started back into my running, but right now, I’m working on a mile at a time. I want to build up my speed, and as of today, I’m at a 12:49 minute mile.

Unacceptable. Short term goal: I want to be down to a 12 minute mile by the end of this month and dammit, I will!

Last night’s run wasn’t amazing by any stretch of the imagination. I did 1.52 miles which is almost embarrassing after hitting the 3 and 5 mile marks, but as freakin’ hot as it was, the last thing I wanted to do was push too hard and end up passing out on the side of route 50.

Can we say embarrassing?

I didn’t run for my whole 30 minutes, but I did walk to ensure that I got that time in. I’ve also done really, really well as far as not eating out goes and truth me told, I feel like this whole thing is finally starting to pay off.

This morning, one of the Sgts at work commented about how much weight I had lost and I can’t even begin to describe how good that made me feel. I still have a little ways to go, but I’m definitely getting there.

Today, I packed my own oatmeal and string cheese for breakfast, I brought chicken and wheat macaroni and cheese for lunch and will probably have the same for dinner since I have leftovers.

After dinner last night, I managed an 8 mile bike ride (60 minutes rather than my required 30) and I just feel so *good* today. I mean, I’m not gonna lie: sitting for 10 hours after riding a bike isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but I feel pleased with myself.

We’ll see how today goes.

In case you were wondering (and not keeping up with dailymile.com), I finally hit the 5 mile mark. Now, whether or not it was just a fluke remains to be seen. I’ve started back to work and with the heat being so ridiculous, I haven’t had a chance to try it again.

In my little hiatus, I’ve come to a conclusion:

I don’t want to be one of these people who sets an unrealistic goal and then fails miserably. Do I want to look like pre-public meltdown Britney Spears? It would be nice. Is it realistic? Not at all. So I’m setting a couple short-term goals for myself:

1.) Give up french fries. I’m a huge french fry eater. I could eat them 24/7 and never get tired of them. And unfortunately, it shows. So I’m determined that I’m not going to let my potato addiction beat me.

2.) Take a daily multivitamin. This one is a big one. I’m so tired of hearing how amazing everyone feels after exercising when I feel like complete crap. I don’t have more energy and I’m hoping that this will help.

3.) Do some form of exercise every day, even if it’s only for 30 minutes. Whether it’s running, riding a bike or yoga.

4.) Limit eating out to 1 day a week. That’ll help with my wallet too.

I committed myself to my running program and the results were amazing. I went from not being able to run 60 seconds to running for over an hour. I want to show that same level of commitment to other aspects  of my life, and I’ve decided it starts now. I’m not doing this for anybody else, I’m doing it for me.

And it’s time I finally realized that.

I was a little slower than usual on this run, but I was more concerned with distance rather than speed because it was important to me to get as close to the 3 mile mark as possible.

And I did it :)

I know I’m not the fastest runner, and I know I probably look funny when I do it, but why do you have to constantly pick it apart? Why can’t you ever just say “Wow, you’re doing such a great job!” or “Wow, you look amazing!”

Instead, it’s hysterical to you.

Thanks for that.

The first mile and a half of my run last night was brutal. And I do mean brutal. The backs of my legs were burning like nobody’s business, but since I didn’t run on Wednesday, I knew I had no choice but to keep going.

After that initial mile and a half, things started getting better and they stopped hurting. By the time I reached the 3 mile mark, I knew I still had a lot left in me, so I decided to keep going and see how far I could get.

I reached the four mile mark and I can’t even tell you how amazing that feels. At this rate, it won’t be long before I’m at 5!

Today, I made it in 37:43, which was better than my time on Sunday. Unfortunately I’ve developed a nasty blister on my foot. Any suggestions for dealing with that?

So, as a present to myself, I’ll get a tattoo once I hit the 5 mile mark.