Dawning Realisations

I sat watching the sky, waiting for the sunrise. Waiting for the day to begin; it was already 8AM.

I was up and ready for the day.

The day, on the other hand, was not ready for me.

I watched as the sun began to rise; the sky slowly brightening to the east. As the sky brightened it highlighted the oncoming cloud bank from the west, dark and foreboding as it approached.

Before the sun could make an appearance above the horizon, the dark grey cloud bank enveloped it, swallowing the sunlight. A harbinger of the season approaching; winter and winter’s cloak of darkness.

The dark cloud bank was also a harbinger of another one of winter’s companions; snow.

Under the slate grey pall that passed as daylight, I donned my running shoes and headed out for my Sunday run.

I managed to complete my run before the sky felt compelled to favour the city with its first dose of winter.

That was about two weeks ago; I haven’t run outside since.

It’s not that I dislike running in the winter – ok, it certainly isn’t my favourite thing to do.  It just takes more effort, mentally and physically. I have to weigh the tedium of the treadmill against the "wonders" of winter - the poor footing, the wind-chill, the down-right-bone-chilling-cold.

A consideration made easy for my weekday runs - which all take place well before the sun even hints at approaching the horizon; “when you can't see where you’re putting your feet outside, best to run inside” is my philosophy. Last thing I need is to hit a patch of ice invisible in the pre-dawn darkness and end up giving myself a concussion.

So it is, in the winter, that my Sunday runs are generally preceded by an hour or two of me sipping tea, consulting the current weather conditions, peering out the window at the still-dark morning and sighing heavily. Is it too cold to be outside? What’s the wind chill? Is it snowing? What does the footing look like?

So the debate begins –

Inside and face the treadmill tedium or outside and flirt with frostbite?

Inside or outside; either way, hibernation is not an option.  Depending on the conditions and my mood one or the other wins out and I dress and head out.

This is my new running reality.

Welcome to winter.

Losses and Other Wins

When I was in Weight Watchers (oh, about 18 years or so ago) there was one, I'm not sure what you call it; Meeting Leader? Overweight Overseer? who would "run the meeting" and any time she'd mention weight loss she'd always follow it with "I don't like to call it weight loss, because I don't want to find it again. Most things you lose you want to find again, *giggle, giggle, giggle*".  I would sit at the back, roll my eyes and silently ask myself if there wasn't a better way, but at the time, there wasn't and also at the time, it worked! 

I can't remember what trite term she came up with to replace "weight loss" and I think because the term weight loss worked for me (even if the concept didn't always, well, more accurately the PRACTICE didn't).

But six weeks ago something changed. 

I have been harping on, for well over a year, about how much I want to lose some weight but never really did anything substantial about it.

Six weeks ago I did a cleanse/detox and saw a big loss on the scale.  In retrospect that turned out to be mostly water weight, but still, the scale moved and in the right direction, for a change, so I was encouraged.  Since the cleanse, I have been watching what I eat; planning my day's food intake and I have been seeing results.  Down 11 pounds (5 kilos for anyone who thinks about weight metrically) and counting.

But if I shouldn't focus on the losses, than I shall focus on the wins.  I have discovered (at least for now) a sense of control over my body and my weight.  I have found pride in my appearance.  I have developed a level of discipline that I am (and others are) proud of.  How many average folks can claim they have spent the last 41 days, consecutively, of doing 30 minutes, or more, of weights and/or cardio per day?

But, alas, all of this success has gone to my head - no, don't worry, I don't think I am God's Gift to Men - Heaven Forbid!  What I mean is that all this success has gotten me thinking about what other things I have been wanting to do of late that I have been putting off or neglecting.

Blogging, for instance, springs to mind (hence, I sit here madly typing instead of heading to bed) and then there is that pile of paperwork on the desk that I keep pushing out of my way...

I think maybe it is time I expanded my spreadsheet keeping (as that's where I've been tracking my calories consumed and exercise expenditures) to include such things as making time for blogging, paperwork and other worthwhile pursuits.

What other bad habits can I lose, what other good habits can I create that will tip the win/lose percentage firmly in my favour?

Stay tuned and may the victories continue.