That's what I heard in my head Wednesday morning when I stepped on the scale and saw... wait for it... 149.5! Finally, out of the 150's! Based on my saved Weight Watchers data, the last time I weighed in under 150 was November 19, 2008. Since that time, I have gone as low as 151 and as high as 158.5, but always stayed in the 150's. So, even if I go up a bit in the coming weeks (my usual pattern is down a lot, up a bit, back down again), it was super-exciting just to see a number in the 140's.
It was also super-surprising. Here's a bit of advice to those of you trying Weight Watchers for the first time: your weigh-ins sometimes make no sense. There will be weeks where you do everything perfectly and then stay the same or gain. Likewise, there will be weeks where you totally blow off the plan and lose anyway. Last week was the latter for me. I had two special events (the Striders' banquet and my brother's birthday) where I ate whatever I wanted, and I definitely did not balance those days out during the rest of the week. So, I was not expecting a loss, but there it was. The point is, don't put too much stock in the weekly weigh-in. As long as the overall trend is downward, you are doing fine.
Speaking of milestones, this Sunday will be my second running of my first half-marathon: the B&A trail half-marathon in Severna Park. Training for and running this race last year was a huge deal for me. Prior to joining the Striders' 2010 half training group, I had never followed a training plan or trained with a group before, and my two longest runs were one 5-mile race and a poor attempt at a 9.3-mile race. So, pretty much every week in training involved some kind of milestone. As race day approached, I was worried that I would not be able to finish in under 3 hours, and told my mom (who was coming to watch the finish) not to worry about getting there until at least 2 hours and 45 minutes had passed. To my great surprise (and my mom's chagrin), I finished in 2:24, while Mom was still en route.
Last year's B&A race is still my fastest half to date, owing to the good training I put in, perfect weather on race day, and the flat and fast course. I came within two minutes of that time back in October at the Baltimore Half-Marathon on a course that was nothing but hills, which makes me hopeful that I can knock several minutes off this weekend. Unfortunately, it looks like the weather is not going to cooperate with my plans, but I'm trying not to worry about it too much. Its nothing I can change!
Check back for a race report Sunday or Monday. Until then, have a great weekend!
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