Thursday, August 23, 2012

Let's Get Real

Ok, it's time to get real. I really did not want to run Tuesday night. I ate way too much for dinner, and I just didn't want to go, so I whined all the way out the door. For a split second, I thought about not going, but then I remembered that I promised to check in with a friend and reader from back home. I knew that I would feel so guilty if I messaged Hannah at the end of the week knowing that I didn't do all my workouts. There are so many reasons I didn't want to run, and I kept finding all kinds of things to complain about in my head as I ran. Some of them are legitimate downfalls to running in the area I live in, but then I decided that I needed to start making a list of the things I love about it here too. Today you will get an accurate picture of what my life is like, and a list of pros and cons for the area I live in.

First of all, I am slowly on the decline from the heaviest weight I have ever reached in my whole life. This spring I tipped in at around 165lbs.  I remember thinking I was so fat in high school because I was constantly comparing myself to the other girls at my school who were all so tiny, but looking back I realize how stupid I was to think I was fat when I weighed 130lbs. Now, I will share a picture of myself shortly after moving to Philadelphia, but I will admit that there are two contributing factors to how terrible I look. 1) The picture was taken at a terrible angle because Matt was at a lower vantage point than I was, and 2) I was wearing a shirt that I have had since high school. It is a fact that nothing that fit you when you were 30lbs lighter actually fits you when you are 30lbs heavier, even if you can still put it on.


165lbs with street art by GetUp
in Center City Philly.

Now I started gaining the weight before I moved to Philly, but I can say that living here has not at all helped my cause at all. However, I do know that it is not the area, but rather my lack of self-control that is currently causing me to pack on the pounds. If you were unaware as I was, I am going to drop a bombshell on you right now, but Philly is the land of Phood! I have eaten the best foods ever since I moved here, but of course they are all super bad for you, and I have been indulging like a tourist instead of acting like a townie. I am going to do something strange for a fitness blog and show you some of the best foods I've had here.

        
My first and second Philly Cheesesteak, the best thing ever: Grilled Cheeseburger, and CRACK-like chips!
And let me tell you, this is only the very tip of the iceberg! I didn't even show you any pizza!

This brings me to the first thing that sucks about running here. When I started my running journey in Missouri, I lived in a rural community, so traffic was not something that I really had to worry about. Now that I live in an urban area on the outskirts of Philadelphia, I have to worry about all that comes with that from the second I start out on my run. I start on a very busy street that runs from where I live, all the way into the heart of Philly. The cars speed by at speeds more than double the posted speed limit, which more than anything just messes up my pace in the most annoying way. It also sucks because I have to run right by pizza parlors, sandwich shops, bakeries, hoagie and hot dog stands, and a drive-thru grocery store all on just the first two blocks of my route. Seriously.

Now along with the hustle and bustle of living in an urban area, comes locked buildings. I did not have to carry my keys with me when I ran in MO, but I can't even get in my building, let alone my apartment, if I don't have my keys with me. I thought I had come up with a way to carry my keys on my shoe, but it ended up being super annoying, so I just carry them in my hand now.

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Before I moved to PA, I always pictured a beautiful fall scene with gorgeous trees turning to autumn golds, reds, and oranges. Trees was definitely the correct picture to have in my head. There are even trees everywhere in the city! I love the tree cover because I can run at night without the heat billowing up from the black pavement like it does in the evenings in Missouri. I also use the trees as a way to take my mind off of wanting to start walking. When I feel the mental barrier kick in, I start reaching up as I run under a tree to see if I can grab some leaves. This game is way better to play as an adult than it was as a kid because I can actually reach most of them now!

I am far from reaching my goal weight at this point, but I am working. There are still times when I indulge in those delicious Philly Phoods, and there are weeks where I don't loose a single pound, but I am going to keep working. I know that I can meet my goals if I am willing to put in the time and effort. This is one of those goals that will take a lot of time and effort, but I know it will be worth it in the end. 

Thanks for reading and motivating me to stay on track, and remember that you can do anything for 10!

1 comment:

  1. I hate carrying keys with me when I run. I found two solutions. The easiest one is just putting it on your shoestring before you tie it. It stays on if you double knot your running shoes, and you can always look down to make sure it's still there throughout your run! Also, if you wear an armband for a phone or ipod, just slip the key in there with it. That's what I do now because it's very secure, and it's easier to take off at the end of a hard run than bending over to untie your shoes! (hahaha!)

    I am also with you on running in a city. I mean, I have lived in a city for two years already, so I was used to it being semi-busy (and let's face it; I ran in a big city in high school all the time, but Warrensburg kind of ruined me)... but out here, I lived in apartment complexes on either end of the city in smaller neighborhoods, so it wasn't so bad. Now, I am living in a house downtown (which is amazing!), and that makes running very difficult. I have to wait at so many stoplights, and I HATE stop and go running -- it makes my knees hurt. I've been driving to a park to run, but that same loop over and over again is getting old. :-/

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