114

114.

After IMLP, I really didn't train. I rested for five weeks, then did the Vermont Half coasting on the base I had built up.  About six weeks later I did the Empire State Marathon, once again pretty much coasting.  I mean, my long run for that was 15 miles. Seriously.

114.

I never really changed my eating habits to compensate. In fact, I ate a lot more junk food.

114.

I stayed away from the scale, but could tell that I was getting softer and my clothes tighter. I broke the zipper on my skinny jeans, which used to be my normal jeans.

114.

That's what the scale said on January 1st when training started and I finally had to admit that the excuses were over - I was done recovering, off-season was over, and I'm going for some HIM PRs, one of which is on a hilly course.

That's nine pounds above race weight. Include fat loss and muscle gain and it's more like 15 pounds to get to my race body comp of 105 lbs, 20% bodyfat.

My coach gave me a laughably low volume of work to start out with (less than I had been doing during my self-coached off-season), so I knew I wasn't going to BURN those pounds off, at least not yet.

So for the past two days, I've been eating more of this:

And less of this:

Am I craving unhealthy foods? Hell yes! Am I cranky because most of the time I'm letting myself be a little hungry? Yeppers. But I'm also already feeling lighter and cleaner. The scale said 113.2 this morning. It could be water weight gone from dumping the junk, it could be a daily fluctuation. But it did make it easier to keep at it today.

114. Today 113. One pound at a time. Getting not just leaner, but healthier and full of good, clean food.