I feel the need. The need for speed.

I hate stationary bikes. Like seriously hate them. Thus why I have to force myself to get on it in the first place and I stare at the clock counting down until I can get my numb, tingling butt off that seat. I think I'm a runner--an outdoor, wind in my face kind of runner. I like to feel like I'm making progress and moving somewhere. I'd make a horrible hamster.

Before summer took over, I was working on lengthening my running spurts and improving my endurance. During lunches, I'd lace up my sneakers and take off. I had time to think, pound the pavement and gravel, and find some clarity. That's not a possibility right now and since I have other priorities before work (see: getting Little ready to go and brewing a homemade Frappe and occasionally being a cleaning whirlwind) and at night (see: getting Little ready for bed, making dinner, catching up on home organization stuff, admittedly pinning up a storm on Pinterest, and lounging on the couch with the Hubs eating Smart Pop butter popcorn) so running has taken a back seat and I have made an effort to substitute biking. While the Hubs puts Little to bed, I'll sneak it in, or while we catch up on the DVR shows. Sure, it feels good. Afterwards. During, I hate every. stinkin'. second.

Probably why I'm logging maybe 2 bike rides a week at best for the past month. I'd rather clean for twice as long than bike.

I need to run. Despite the heat, I need to run.

Perhaps I'll recruit our Husky mix, Budaj, to join me on a night run. Or more accurately, a huffing, puffing, wheezing training session. It'd be slightly cooler outside, but there would be shadows and I always have the abnormal fear that someone might jump out from a shadow. Thus why I'd bring the street-wise Budaj. I'd be intimidated by him if I didn't know him. He loves his Momma. I'd take Gracie, but our individual fears might collaborate and make a super-fear. Though Gracie has a track record of protecting me. Once when we were on a long walk when she was just over a year old, I spontaneously started to jog. I wasn't paying attention to the sidewalk, which had been torn up by construction (though I'm skillful at tripping without such an obstacle). I tripped, flipped heels over head, totally messed up my knee. There was blood gushing and I had about a mile and a half to go. It started to downpour once we got moving again, by the way. In the process of tripping, I dropped the leash. Now, pertinent to know is that Gracie is a scaredy dog and at that time, was an escape artist. There wasn't a collar, leash, or harness she couldn't slip herself out of. My mind immediately jumped to her running into the busy street (there was no buffer between the sidewalk and the street) and getting hit by a car. I desperately tried to grab hold of the leash again. But Gracie didn't run. Instead, her heroine doggie instincts kicked in and before I knew it, she was standing between the street and me, legs rigid and chest out, protecting me.

This is why I'm so attached to Gracie and why I trust her so much with Little. She looks at her the same way she looks at me. Like she'd throw herself in front of a car to protect us.

Anyway. Now that I have the desire to run home and hug my giant dog, I'll move along. (I'll just order her something special online.)

I do think I will start some sort of running regimen to build up to longer distances again. Even though it's hot. I'll build up slowly, but at least I'd be doing something and something I enjoy. Plus, a quote on Pinterest set on a photo of someone running in the desert got to me: "There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people." Ouch. I won't repin or repost, but this photo is inspiring:

All that said, I had a good week after the mystery of a gain last week. :eyebrow raise:

Technically, I lost 3.2 pounds this week, but there were some extenuating circumstances so the true number is a bit lower. Fun fact for you--my precise weight this morning is my fake driver's license weight from years ago. (Why do they even ask this when people are most certainly going to fudge it?) My current faked driver's license weight is 5 pounds more than I weigh right now. That's pretty cool, isn't it? I will most certainly make a point of getting a new photo and correcting my weight on my driver's license at some point.

I have exactly 5 pounds to go. My weight chart thus far--slow & steady?

It was a good week mentally since my body started cooperating again. I also cleaned out my side of the closet. I removed clothes that don't fit. Yeah, not a whole lot left, but it's much easier to sort through in the morning! I divied everything up into piles for donation, to sell on eBay, to throw out, and to use for sewing projects. Did I mention I'm getting a sewing machine? I'm turning into a DIYer and I have soo many projects I want to do that require the ability to sew. Sooo, my practice sessions will involve making pillows and maybe simple dresses for Little out of the shirts that don't fit (if I like the fabric). So there will be life on this blog beyond weight loss soon. I'll hopefully have some excellent projects to share.

I also got my order of tall pants from Old Navy & Banana Republic. Um, I'm in a size I never thought I'd wear. When I tried on too-short pants in store, I tried on a size bigger than what I'm wearing and my immediate thought when they were loose on me was "Wow, designers are making their sizes bigger." Ha. Brain, could you please keep up?
So things are going well. Probably not likely to meet my goal by the end of this month, but we'll see what happens. I'll be there by my 29th birthday (uh, surreal, but I'm totally okay with it) and that's a really great accomplishment.

Oh and my bathing suit that I just bought 3 months ago is saggy. Um hmm. Saggy tushy, saggy around the middle. Yuuuuuup.

What a difference. In my clothes, my closet, my attitude. "Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now."

Oh and because he's awesome and I'm so, so proud of him--the Hubs? Almost 43 pounds lost.