Beginning (Yet) Again. (Whole40, Day 1)

And we're back.

The San Francisco Hot Chocolate 15K was insane. We got horrible storms this weekend and the course was actually shortened to about 9.8K...so technically I didn't run a full 15K but I don't know that I would have been able to anyway. I undertrained, and my knee was giving me a lot of problems, and the rain and wind were miserable. Also nearly the entire course was uphill. GRAAAHHHHHH.

I was happy to finish the (shortened) course and get my medal and my chocolate, but even happier to get a shower in my crappy hotel room. Getting my sodden cold wet gear off and washing with hot water was outstanding, followed by nice warm dry clothes. My friend Jenny and I hung around in San Francisco for a few hours, which was much more fun than the run itself: she took me to a few of her favorite haunts in Hayes Valley, and we had an amazing lunch and some awesome ice cream and sweets.

Yesterday was my "day off" after the Whole5 and before the Whole40 which began today. I knew today's weigh in (my first since Christmas Eve) would be disappointing, but I didn't know how much so: I've gained 13.8 pounds since my last official weigh in and several inches all over the place (some I suspect is bloat, some is actual fat.) Just. Fuck. Ugh.

Anyway I'm glad I weighed in and measured, to give me a jumping-off point. I'm hoping to knock off 14 lbs during this 40-day period, which I know is a long shot but I gotta fuckin' try.

This morning for breakfast I had spaghetti squash with my homemade meaty tomato sauce. It was my first time trying the recipe and I really liked it; I'll definitely be making it again. I cooked the squash in my new Instant Pot, which is awesome and so super helpful. Worth every ounce of hype.

Rehearsals are back under way for The Country House, work is semi-organized chaos as always, and I'm about halfway through one of the year's "big books," Anna Karenina. It's not at all what I expected, and I find myself getting peeved more often than I should. I'm enjoying Levin's storyline much more than Anna's.

Auditions for summer Shakespeare are in about two weeks and I'm pretty nervous. I want very much to be a part of the action this season. Other than that...I've decided to take a week off of running and then start the Half Marathon (13.1) training program over again. I don't have a Half Marathon coming up, but it was helpful in getting me running comfortably and it'll keep me limber in case I sign up for shorter runs (like The Color Run) during the year.

Sorry for the disjointed post. I'm not feeling myself today.

Seventeen (Whole5, Day One)

What's up? I haven't visited this blog since last year HA HA HA...ok no more dad jokes, down to business.

2016 was a frustrating year overall, and I will be using my frustration to channel positive actions in 2017. But! I do not want to discount (or forget) the cool stuff that happened, including:

1. A bunch of running "firsts"
1. First official 5K event, The Color Run in San Jose
2. First runDisney event, the 5K at Disneyland Paris
3. First Half Marathon, Disneyland Paris Inaugural Half
4. First runDisney Challenge medal (Castle to Chateau, at the Avengers Half in Anaheim)
5. First Turkey Trot (also first 10K!) on Thanksgiving in San Jose
2. Kept the weight off for the whole year (110+ lbs)
3. Saw all eleven shows in Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2016 season, and re-upped my membership with them
4. Performed in two plays for Shakespeare in the Park (a leading role in one and an iconic supporting role in the other)
5. Performed in "A Christmas Carol" for the third year running, in an all-new track
6. Got one step closer to actually becoming Lisa Simpson (& fulfilled a lifelong dream)
7. Cleaned out my closet, made a bunch of lists, learned a few amazing new recipes and in general set up for progress in 2017

I love the number 17. I always have. The last few years I guess it's been at the back of my mind that I want to make 2017 an easy fun year for myself. But it doesn't look like it'll be that way. So I've spun it in a new direction: I'm spending 2017 taking care of myself and my life and the people around me. 2017 is about self-support and self-love (including the occasional tough love). Starting with food (because, as we've heard so many times, It Starts With Food.)

This year's WholeSchedule is as follows:

• Whole5: Jan 3-7
• (Day off Jan 8 for the Hot Chocolate 15K)
• Whole40: Jan 9-Feb 17
• (Day off Feb 18 for closing of The Country House)
• Whole10: Feb 19-28
• (5 Days off for Seattle trip and Filmapalooza)
• Whole50: Mar 6-Apr 24
• (5 Days off for Ashland Trip I)
• Whole75: Apr 30-Jul 13
• (5 Days off for my 33rd birthday)
• Whole60: Jul 19-Sep 16
• (8 Days off for Ashland Trip II)
• Whole60: Sep 25-Nov23 includes Thanksgiving
• (Day off for Slack Friday)
• Whole30: Nov 25-Dec 24 includes Christmas Eve
• The rest of the year off for Christmas, New Year's, and prep for 2018

If all goes to plan this'll put me at 330 days total for the whole year, which beats my current best record of 300 days and will hopefully help me get some more of this weight off. I'm very happy I didn't gain it back this year but am not pleased that so much of it is still kicking around. I'm not close to goal weight and I don't like this plateau thing.

In addition to the eating, my vision for 2017 includes:

• Brown bagging my lunches to work (and dinners to rehearsal) every day
• Learning to lift weights in order to crosstrain with the running (and hopefully break the weight-loss plateau)
• Continue learning to run and earn 3 more medals (Hot Chocolate 15K, The Color Run, and another Turkey Trot are what I'm aiming for, although something else might come up)

It's off to a pretty good start:

Today's lunch includes two Instant Pot creations, curried broccoli soup and braised kale and carrots, recipes courtesy of Nom Nom Paleo. I got the Instant Pot for Christmas and I. Am. Obsessed.

Although, it is raining outside so I don't know if I'll be able to get a run in. Foo. I'll figure something out.

I *still* have to recap the Disneyland Avengers Half Marathon Weekend, and probably the Turkey Trot, as well. Not sure if anyone's reading this but if you are, please know that I'm on it and I appreciate your patience.

I guess that's it for today! I'm going to be better about record-keeping so you should see more of me than last year.

Happy New Year, friends!