Down Another Pound

I'm down to 180 this morning. I don't think I've been here since 2005. It's a pleasant feeling. I finally wore my heart rate monitor last night while working out. It said I've been burning more calories than I thought. That was a nice little surprise.

I finished With the Old Breed. I really enjoyed that book. It didn't seem like he had an agenda when writing it, other than to show how the war really was. He was brutally honest when they did things that were less than ethical. It was well told and a good read. Now I'm reading Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper. I'm only a few pages in, but I'm hooked.

On Track

Just a quick update on my weight: I weighed in today and I'm at 181. Not too shabby. Not even 40 pounds left to lose before I can talk to a recruiter. I think the BL Workout and the 30-day Shred are really helping. I need to keep focused and not get sidetracked again.

I was supposed to see my mentee today, but when I got to her house, she wasn't there. That kind of bums me out. I was really looking forward to helping her on her homework tonight. I hope she doesn't end up dropping out of the program. That would not be beneficial to her at all.

Almost There

I managed to do 2.5 miles today. Just a half mile to go to the PFT distance, then I can work on time. Right now, I can do the 2.5 in 34 minutes without pushing myself to the point of collapse. I do distance runs two days a week, and intervals two days a week. I think I need to increase the number of intervals I do in a day, though.

I signed up to be a mentor, and I met my "mentee" today. Her name is Tina and she's 11. I helped her get her notes for a report on Harriet Tubman all done tonight. She has two younger siblings who were disrupting us and her home situation is less than desirable, so I'm going to make it a point to take her somewhere each week, even if it's just the library. That way I can give her some one-on-one time and maybe help her with her homework. I think I'll save up some money and take her somewhere fun once a month.

Courage is endurance for one moment more…

-Unknown Marine Second Lieutenant in Vietnam

I did nearly 2.5 miles today. I could see the marker; it was so close. My legs just wouldn't run any further, though. I probably could've forced myself to do it, but I know I wouldn't have been able walk the rest of the 4 miles if I did (ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration). I will do 2.5 on Saturday. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Today, the coordinator for the Eckerd Mentoring Program contacted me. I officially have a mentee. I get to meet her this weekend. It was between two sisters, but I'm not sure which one she chose. One is 8, one is 11. All I know is that her name is Tina, and she is doing a report on Harriet Tubman, but doesn't have a book. So I'm going to the library tomorrow to get a book or two for her to use. We'll be spending at least an hour a week together.

My reading has slacked off a bit. I'm still working on Gates of Fire. It's a good book, but now that I've stepped up my exercising, I have less time to read. I'll have to renew With the Old Breed again.

One of my favorites

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day.

I ran another two miles today, plus a little. I'm going to add to it each time I run, and before you know it, I'll be running three miles.

I started the Biggest Loser Workout on Thursday. It's six days a week, for about a half hour a day. There are four workouts. For the first three weeks, it alternates low-intensity cardio and strength/sculpting. For the last three, it's high-intensity cardio and "boot camp," which combines both cardio and sculpting. I also got the 30-day Shred, which I'm going to add in next week.

On another note, I've decided that it's OK if it take until June to get to the right weight. If I push myself too far too fast, I'll hate it, and I don't want to get to the point where I'll give up. I want to enjoy it and be excited about losing weight. It shouldn't be something I dread every day. I went shopping today and got new jeans. The last time I went, I was a size 18. Today, I tried on 16s and was thrilled to find that they were still too big! I bought two pairs of 14s and two shirts (both large, where before I was 2x). I think this may be the first time I really enjoyed getting new clothes.

Current weight: 184
Push-ups: 25
Sit-ups: 25

Two Miles

I finally ran two miles today. Two miles straight. I've never run two miles, period, even with a walking break. My main focuses while I was running were posture (shoulders back, away from the ears); deep, steady breaths, exhaling completely; knees slightly bent at all times; back straight; hands and arms loose; focus on heel-to-toe. I felt like I had slowed down, which I was ok with since I wanted distance, not speed, but I managed to shave three minutes off my typical two-mile time! Needless to say, I'm proud of myself today.

Update

I went to the park today and did a total of 5 miles. Only ran 1.75 of that, and I'm sure it was because I let myself be embarrassed about it (I get red as a tomato and puff like a dragon once I hit a mile or so). The USMC poolees were there, and the recruiters were sure working them. I saw the Sergeant I spoke to on the phone.

Right now, I'm roasting my first chicken. I used a recipe for Cornish Hens, so hopefully it'll turn out alright. Worst that could happen is it ends up a little dry. Then I just put it in stuff instead of eating it by itself.

New Routine

I've decided I need to change up my routine and really start losing weight if I want to join the Marines before it's too late. I would like to go to scheduled PT, but even if I managed to get my co-worker to switch shifts with me, I still wouldn't get to leave until 5:30. So I have to do it on my own, at least for now. If I lose 3 pounds a week, it will take me about 12 weeks (April 28). 4 pounds a week is 9 weeks (April 7).

Running
Intervals: Wednesday, Friday, Sunday- Running 2 min per 1/4 mile for increasing periods of time.
Distance: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday- Running non-stop for increasing distances (currently at 1.75 miles)

Strength Training
-Hundred Push-up program MWF, regular push-ups, column 2. Currently on week 2. Can do a total of 50
-Two-Hundred Sit-ups program MWF, column 2. On Week 1. Can only do 40 max.
-Leg exercises from www.military.com TRS
-Find a good routine to do at home with no equipment.

Stretching
-Follow daily routine from http://www.ocs.usmc.mil/.

Nutrition
-Limit apples or sugary fruits
-Limit: One soda a month
-At least one salad a day
-Limit: Pizza once a month
-No more Starbucks
-No white bread
-Limit: Order out once a month if all other goals met (excluding Thursday lunch at work)
-Track everything on Sparkpeople.com, even if I feel guilty seeing it.
-No more candy! I don't need it.
-Plan meals every week.

Knowledge
-Learn the following before going to the recruiter:
  -Rank Structure
  -11 General Orders
  -Code of Conduct
  -Rifelman's Creed
  -Marine's Hymn
  -USMC Core Values
  -M16A4 Rifle Characteristics

Talked to a recruiter

I called the local RSS today. I asked to come in to talk to someone so that I'm ready to go once I reach max weight. She basically told me to call back when I hit 149. She did mention that PT was on Thursdays at 5, but I work until 6. I guess I just need to lose weight faster.