By now you realize that these “week in review” segments are only partially a “look back”, because the more important part is the “look forward”.  Looking back is important for one critical reason, and one reason only…….and that’s Learning!  Learn from the Past, and ……..Change your Future.  Ta-Da!!  There’s the magic.  Genie goes back in the bottle.  Job done.    “>)

Part One of this Phase of training is Get Leaner.  This part is going really well.  This week I lost 1.4 pounds, and I’m really happy with that.  I had alot, ALOT going on with work this week.  I spent a night in Ct, which involved a cocktail party with folks at work, followed by a dinner, both dripping in wine and food.  AHHHH!!!!!  Scary!   but it went well.  No, I take that back — I handled it well.  Me.  Moi!   I had a plan and I executed the plan.  It was like more Magic.  Wish #2 from the Genie!!

What was the plan?   Well…I brought all my food, my lunch, and snacks like usual.   And I made sure I didn’t walk into the cocktail party hungry.  I ate a greek yogurt with blueberries right before I went in — so I was full-ish, and the edge was off.  The cocktail party plan involved Seltzer with lime and no eating the appetizers.  Nope.  Fruit platter only.  Well sheesh Diane, that sounds lame and punishing.  Why?  Well..because Part 2 of the plan was ….Dinner.  Yeah, I’m going out with friends for Dinner.  We were going to a nice Italian place.  And it was there that I would allow myself to have a nice glass of Red Wine, and pasta for dinner.  The rest of the Dinner plan was this…..No Bread.  Nope, just skip it.  Order wheat pasts with red sauce.  And whatever you do — take 1/2 of it home so it can be lunch tomorrow.  AND THEN — you can have a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.

All in all, a good plan.  And it worked.  And I was happy.  And I felt normal.  And come Saturday on the scale….I lost 1.4 pounds.  Wow, if that’s not Magic, I don’t know what is!

Part Two of this Phase is Get Meaner.  This part is on course, more the same from last week.  I continue to look for successes in my running.  Here is where the Looking Forward part really kicked in this week.  No matter how much Marathon Brian tells me, no matter how often I remind myself NOT to look at the schedule — there it is.  In September.  The first Sunday Long Run of Marathon Training Part 2 — Sunday, September 16th — with a Big Ole’ 10 Miles in the box.  10 Miles.  GULP.  It’s scaring me, all the way back here in June.  So I texted Marathon Brian and he agreed that what needed to happen was to get the Sunday Long Run back on the calendar.  So this week, I’m going to start a long run on Sundays– staring at 3 miles.  Each week, I’m going to add 1/2 mile…..and do a nice slow, steady build-up over the summer.  This way — come early September, I will already be running 8 miles or so, and that double-digit “ask” on September 16th won’t be haunting me so much.   It was during this chat with Marathon Brian where he chuckled again….you know that knowing laugh somebody gets when they know something you don’t know yet…..but you are about to learn it….the hard way??  You know that laugh??  Yup, that was the one he gave me.  He said, “Diane, it’s those 6 mile runs during the weekdays that really hurt.  The Long Runs kinda become a pleasure.”

Uh.

What?

I just kinda let it go.  I WANTED it to go in one ear and out the other.  BUT…..the d@mn sentence stuck in my grey matter….and now I look at the number 6, and get a bit nauseous, a little nervous, a little scared.  Those 6’s start to show up in October.  So, perhaps its apropo that around Halloween, I start being haunted by little ghosts and goblins with the number 6 stamped all over  them……..ahh…..October.

Boo!

Scared ya, huh?  Nah.  I just scared myself!!  The word’s gotta go!  Like Soon!  Really Really Soon!

Ciao for now…..Diane