Lots of catching up to do

First, though, it's Monday, and we all know what that means, right? Here in the Middle of Nowhere it's weigh-in day. Sadly, I didn't make my mini-goal of weighing what I weighed when I got married seven years ago TODAY. In fact, I gained a pound.

[Insert very sad face here.]

I find it very difficult to blog when I have houseguests, and even though my houseguests were really yard guests – my son and granddaughter camped in our back yard over the weekend – I still didn't find time to post anything more than photos.

So. Last week was the fourth of the Cto5K training workouts. I figured out that if the walking interval came at the bottom of a hill, I could just walk back up it and run down for the next running interval. Maybe a bit of a cheat, but OH WELL. Here are my stats:

I felt really good about last week's training. What I really wish is that I didn't have to drive to the flat road. I'm a teensy bit uncomfortable running there alone, as it's quite a Deliverance–like setting. Except it has a road. But if I go with my husband, I'm leaving him in my dust.

Hah! Makes me sound like Speedy Gonzalez, doesn't it? He used to be concerned about performance, but is so over it. He's very encouraging of my pursuits, though, so that's good. Maybe we'll go this morning, it's a lovely day already. Except for the almost ever-present fog.

Saturday morning we went on what we thought was going to be not-very-challenging three-mile hike to see the Cascades, near Pembroke, VA. It turned out to be a fairly challenging four-mile hike that took three hours! (And, according to LoseIt!, burned 1139 calories.) Because I thought it wasn't going to be very difficult, and because I thought it was going to be three miles, I made sure I got up early and ran/walked three miles before we left. That made Saturday the first day this year I burned more calories than I consumed.

We had a choice of taking an easier out-and-back trail to the falls, but we chose the more difficult (and more scenic) route out, and then looped back on the easier trail, which still wasn't especially easy since it was a constant descent. I'm glad it wasn't very scenic, since I was looking at my feet almost the entire time (trying not to trip and lose my balance).

It was nice to have the waterfall as the halfway point, and the way the trail is carved into the landscape has you make a little turn and then it suddenly bursts into view. QUITE impressive. My granddaughter and I had made some trail mix before we left, and we all truly felt we'd earned it when we got to the falls.
We ate lunch after the hike at a local Mexican restaurant, which was part of our plan. I was able to order grilled chicken and a small salad with guacamole. I ignored the rice and tortilla that came as sides. So far, so good.

We wolfed down campfire-roasted hot dogs for dinner. I couldn't believe how hungry we all were. I ate one with a bun and one without, and finished off dinner with two s'mores. Total carb count for Saturday topped 300. I try to keep carbs below 100/day. Another OH WELL.

I wish I'd lost that half-pound this week, instead of gaining one. You can't always get what you want, though, and I wouldn't have done anything differently. My plan to eschew grains/legumes/dairy and sugar does not include being on the outside looking in for family get-togethers. If we got together weekly, I would definitely feel – and eat – differently.

Looking back, though, the s'mores probably weren't worth it.

My granddaughter would disagree!