1 mile.

Today, the girl who quit soccer because her coach was going to make her run, who took 20 minutes to "run" the mile in middle school, who always made excuses why she WOULDN'T run (waiting to lose weight, waiting for summer, chest hurts), RAN A MILE without stopping. And she did it in 15 minutes.

If that isn't the success of all successes so far. :)

I have never felt more proud of myself. I wanted to tell every single person at the gym on my way out that I, Heather Frank, had just run a mile. My first mile EVER. A mile 25 years in the making. It didn't HURT, it just sucked. Like, I knew I could do it, but I would rather have been doing anything else in the world for those 15 minutes. I put "Shake It" by Metro Station on repeat and let my feet fall into the beat.

I ran it while I was there with my friend Jenn. Every time I hit a good marker, 1/4 mile, 1/3 mile, 1/2 mile, I'd look at her and yell it. People probably thought I was nuts. What a damn good feeling.

By the way, this makes my NEW mile time 15 minutes. That's 50 seconds faster than 2 weeks ago.

I can't wipe the smile off my face. :)

Love letter to my body #1

I went to the gym last night in a bad mood.. rough day with kids, irritated at friends. I decided to kick it into high gear and I dug out the "death intervals" workout I found on the web awhile ago. The last time I did it, I couldn't go above 3.5 mph and did my runs at 5 mph. This time, I followed the regimen almost exactly as it was... 3.5 mph at 2% interval increases every 30 seconds, recovery, 5 mph sprint, recovery, 4.5 mph at 2% interval increases every 30 seconds. Then I had to do a 3.2 mph recovery instead of a 3.5, but I did the two 6 mph one-minute sprints! I couldn't do the 5 mph intervals, so I dropped back to 3.5 mph. My chest was tight and I was wheezing, but my god, I did it. I did 3/4 of the entire program!

After I wrapped up, I did 8 minutes at 15% incline, trying to build up my incline endurance. (Is that even a thing?) I'd like to do that for an hour sometime this weekend. I try to do that, then drop it down to a negative, down-hill incline, then back up to prepare myself for the hike next year.

I really am amazed at how my physical abilities are changing. That's more motivating than actually seeing the weight come off.

Yesterday afternoon, two of my girlfriends and I went off to explore the city. I had just done laundry and one of my two "good" (read: fits without making my legs look like sausages) pairs of jeans was still a little wet from the dryer. I dug through my closet and pulled out a pair of Old Navy jeans that I don't think I've worn comfortably since I went back to school in 2007. I wore them to walk Lucy one day a few months ago and thought I might die on the way out because they were SO. TIGHT. I threw them on real quick, just to see, and lo and behold... THEY FIT! They're a tad bit tight in the knee, but other than that, they were super comfortable. Perfect around the waist, if not a little big, and butt.. thighs were good.. and they made me look THINNER because they weren't hanging off of my ass and sagging in the thighs. We even went out to eat at Hoss's and I wasn't uncomfortable in them after gorging myself on the salad bar.

I feel like all I've done this weekend is go out to eat. Friday afternoon, some of my co-workers and I went to a Mexican restaurant. I took half of my meal home with me. Friday night, I went to Cracker Barrel with some girlfriends. Once again, I took half of my meal home with me. Yesterday I ordered a dinner with my salad bar and I took the ENTIRE dinner home with me. I won't have to buy groceries at all this week! It's good to see that I'm leaning self-control. A few months ago, it wouldn't have been odd for me to eat three plates from the salad bar AND my dinner. It actaully disgusts me to think about that. It was so filling yesterday that I ate my salad bar around 2:30 and I wasn't hungry again until almost 11 last night.

Inspiration.

I was so caught up in beating myself up earlier that I forgot to mention this story.

Last night when I met up with Tasha at The Waterway, as soon as I sat down she goes, "Holy shit, look at your face!" I was like.. WHAT?! What's wrong?! She goes, "You've lost SO much weight, at least 15 pounds!"

Last time I saw her was the first weekend I was in York by myself.. about 3 months ago.

It makes me feel really good to hear someone say that.

Inspiration.

I got hit on as I was walking into the gym tonight. Twice. Now THAT is motivation!

Inspiration.

I feel like I need to link to this man's site: http://www.344pounds.com/. (Hi, Tyler! In case you ever read this.)

I was googling elliptical workouts and I came across his page. I am entirely inspired by everything he's achieved. Reading his posts has taught me that I need to stop looking at the goal of the Mega next year and focus on little goals, like being able to do the inclines at 3.7 mph instead of 3.5 mph. For someone as out of shape as I am, that's a hell of a big accomplishment.

Not running.

I guess I didn’t run with this blog the way I had planned on it. You know me, I don’t like to do anything for longer than a week at a time…

I was home this weekend to support my mom and dad in the Bald Eagle Mountain Megatransect. I did it last year, but I only made it through 8 miles before I cried like a bratty child and had my ass carted off the mountain. (I still say that if I had known they had Raisinets and peanut M&Ms at the first checkpoint, I would have hauled ass up that mountain.) I felt guilty for not doing it this year, but not guilty enough to make an actual effort to get ready for it and do it.

Anyway.

As my sisters and I were driving into the finish line to meet my parents, I saw a man with a prosthetic leg finishing up the hike. Yes. A man with a prosthetic leg could finish a 25-mile hike. I couldn’t. I made every excuse in the world as to why I couldn’t do it this year and I really had no good reason. He had every excuse in the world not to do it but he made the conscious effort to do it.

I found out yesterday that the guy who finished first completed the course in 4 hours and 20 minutes. He is 48 years old.

Do we see the problem here?

I’m 25. I should be in the best shape of my life. And I’m not. I’m not even close. My God, I got winded walking up a short hill to watch my parents come down the road.

If this is not an eye opener, then I should sit on the couch and eat Twinkies and Ho-Hos until I suffocate in fat..

So, moral of the story.. yesterday, I signed up for a Planet Fitness membership. I pass one on my way to and from work every morning. If guilt doesn’t get me, then nothing will.
I went today and I busted my ass. I ran 7 mph sprints and 15% inclines. I thought it was interesting that walking at a 15% incline at 2 mph brought my heart rate up to 181, but a 7 mph sprint only brought it up to 170. I don’t do stuff like this. I was going to time myself on the mile, but I kept messing up the treadmill. Comfortably, I can walk at 3 mph. I need to get this up to 4.

I’m already sore as hell, but it feels good to have actually done something today. Something positive.

Ohhhhhh fat girl, you go girl.