5 pounds down and a Congrats to Barbie!

I have officially lost 5 pounds so far on my ediets.com diet.  My weigh-ins on that website are on Wednesdays, but I still weigh-in on my blog on Sundays.  That gives me a mid-week checkup to see how I'm doing.  I started ediets at 160 pounds, and was 155 when I jumped on the scale this morning.  I am so happy to be getting closer to my "normal" weight of about 153 pounds.  I can already fit into a couple pairs of my jeans, but they are a little snug.  A few more pounds and a couple more inches, and they should be fitting great.  My ultimate goal is 140 pounds, and if I stick with the diet I know I can get there.  I'm going to be increasing my mileage each week, so the only thing that can hold me back is my eating. 

This year is going to be quite a good year, I think.  For one, I'm finally committed to a nutrition plan that works for me, so I should be able to reach my goal weight.  Secondly, I am going to be so far ahead on my running as compared to last year, that I should be able to shave some time off when I race the CDR in September.  Last year, I spent most of the summer just building my mileage, and I didn't hit the 10 mile long run till July.  August I had built up to 14 in preparation for the 15 mile CDR.  This year I will be at half-marathon running distance by May.  So, I will be maintaining a great weekly mileage of about 30+ miles per week, and maybe even increase to 40 miles per week while training for the CDR.  I will have a chance to greatly improve my speed, and I'm really excited about that.  I definitely want to get faster, but I know it will not only taking me hitting the track for lots of speedwork, but it will also take me reaching my goal weight.

On a running note, I ran 8 miles today.  The weather was beautiful, but I didn't get out to run till it had turned overcast and windy.  It was still warm, though.  I was afraid it was going to pour the rain on me, but I'm a trooper and was prepared for that.  Luckily, it only sprinkled on me a little bit.  It was a good run, and I have no complaints.  Other than the fact that my Garmin froze on the main screen that only shows the time!  It was still keeping track of my run, I just couldn't see my pace or distance.  I was fine with it and decided to just continue to run at a comfortable pace.  My comfortable pace ended up being slightly faster than I wanted it to be.  I was trying to keep an 11:30-ish pace, and ended up running an 11:05-ish pace the last 3 miles that my Garmin was acting up.

Running stats:
Total miles: 8
Ave pace: 11:11
Time: 1:29

Before I go, I have a huge congratulations to give to Barbie over at Barbie Runs.  She ran the ING Georgia Half Marathon today and beat her old time by 19 minutes!  Go Barbie!