40 Days to Go

...what? 40 days? SERIOUSLY? I just finished a 16 mile run 2 days ago, and you're saying I have 40 DAYS until I'm expected to run 26.2?!

Well, crap.

I'm starting to get everything lined up. The training schedule is ticking along, progress is being made, but I'm still getting scared. Excited, but really really REALLY scared. 26.2 is a long way to go- can my body handle it? Can my brain? Do I have enough fuel, let alone the right kind of fuel?

I'm constantly tired. All I ever want to do is go home, sit on my couch with some crappy tv show on, and rest. My days have turned into work, training, eat, repeat. Not a whole lot of variation. And that's ok. I like the predictability of my days lately. What I don't like is the feeling of complete exhaustion by the end of each run. I don't feel "energized" when I'm done, rather, I feel...blah. Accomplished? Sure. But all pumped up and ready to go? Nope.

I've been working with a dietician the last few weeks, so I can properly fuel for the marathon as well as lose some weight. She still has me at 1500 calories/day which, on its own, would make me lose weight. But even on run days- and LONG run days- I'm still supposed to aim for around 1500 calories. I've noticed that while I'm making better choices and sticking somewhat close to the 1500 calorie mark, I am not seeing much of a weight difference. She explained that training for the marathon and weight loss is not 100% mutually exclusive, but it's very difficult to lose weight while training- because you're gaining muscle at a rapid rate.

I get it. I'm a smart girl. But how can you NOT lose some weight when you're running 20+ miles a week?! But I digress.

Some members of one of the online communities I belong to, From Fat to Finish Line, is starting a blogging/weight loss challenge to correspond with the new season of The Biggest Loser. This starts up on Thursday. So come Thursday, I'll post measurements, weight (!!), and whatnot- all in the hopes that I will lose some weight along with those in TV land.

Maybe it's the push that I need...!