Updates!

Oh, hey!

It's been a long time.  Since the last time I blogged, I finished up my long training runs (missed the 20 because of injuries and a bad cold), ran in the marathon, and ran a half marathon.  I plan on writing separate blogs about the Boston Marathon and about the Run to Remember (half).

So here's what's new... since I last blogged, two shows opened and closed (A New Brain with Moonbox productions and Legally Blonde with NextDoor Theatre), I've been cast in three shows (Fiddler on the Roof as Fruma Sarah with Reagle Music Theatre, A Little Princess as Miss Amelia with Fiddlehead Theatre, and Company as Amy with Moonbox).  I started teaching a new club- Shad Hall at Harvard Business School, plus I'm still at the North Suburban YMCA and Today's Fitness.

A New Brain.  Just a typical day. Tutu,
spinning plates, dude dressed as a frog in a blazer.

Ok. I have to admit, I've been struggling with tracking and staying on plan food-wise.  It's not hard. I know it's not hard.  I've done it before, I'm just having some trouble.  I've put some weight back on, and it's coming back in different places than it used to!  This ends. Now. Seriously.  I know I need to get back to meetings and that will help a ton.  I keep thinking back to what one of our meeting members in Woburn said about becoming lifetime and staying at goal.  Once you hit lifetime, you only have to weigh in once a month, but Frank said he goes every week and weighs in because otherwise, you're just "playing games with the scale".  He's totally right.
I was on plan yesterday, and I'm on track today!  I'm going to go to a meeting this Friday in Burlington with my favorite leader from the now closed Woburn location.

To inspire myself, I bought a new cookbook, Appetite for Reduction: 125 Low Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Last night, I made:

I promise, I'm wearing shorts.

 Delicious!  Toasted cumin seeds will soon make their way into other things I cook.  Also, I made way too much quinoa, so there will be a lot of quinoa dishes this week...

I tried a hot yoga class yesterday!  I was the first one to sweat. Like... before class started, already sweating.  I'm going to add it to my routine.

I'm also training to teach Insanity this weekend!  I'm terrified.

So many things....

Well, it's been a while and a lot has happened. First- I got married!  Kevin and I eloped in Hawaii in June. It the perfect week. Very romantic and relaxing. Perhaps too much food and beer... Here are some pictures for now, but I need to put an actual "Hawaii" blog together.

Now I have to admit... I'm having some trouble on the Weight Watchers front.  I'm having some issues staying on track and I know that's ridiculous.  I've been pretty good about keeping up with my exercise, though I've had trouble fitting the running in because I've been subbing a ton, but the food and drink is slightly out of control.

I know I can do it. I'm just struggling a little.  I'm hoping that admitting it here will help.  Ok.

On a positive note- I have BodyCombat training coming up!  On a scary note- I totally injured myself!  I think it all started with Bye Bye Birdie.  I was positive I could still do a split, even though I haven't tried in years. Turns out, no, I can not. Also, I pulled my hamstring.  I let it rest a day, switched to a jazz split and it seemed ok, just a little tight.  (Bruised and cut the other knee, though. I'm old) That was about a month ago.  Yesterday in BodyCombat, I pulled my calf (same side- left if you're interested). I stopped and went home and took care of it.  I have an appointment set for tomorrow with a PT place.  It feels a lot better today, but I really want to take care of this now so I don't keep injuring myself.

Oh- and this is what I looked like while injuring myself in Bye, Bye, Birdie-

WISH ME LUCK! CLEAN SLATE TOMORROW!

Lifetime and other things

It's been a while since I've blogged!

First off- I hit Lifetime at Weight Watchers!

10% key chain with 25lb, 50lb, 75lb,
16 week, goal, and lifetime charms

This is the closest thing I currently have to an after picture... I'm sorry it sucks... It's even like a month old...

It feels great and a little strange, much like goal.  Like I have said before, I think when I started Weight Watchers a long long time ago, I viewed goal and lifetime as an ending, and I see now that it's really not.  For one, I still have to track food and exercise since NOT tracking food and exercise is how I gained weight.  I also still have lots to work on fitness-wise.  Please don't misunderstand- I am so proud of how far I've come with my weight loss (97lbs currently!!!) and my fitness level (more about that later), but I can always set a new goal to work on. I could run more miles, I could run faster, I could try a new activity, etc.  And I don't think that's a bad thing.

The Full Monty at Stoneham closed a very successful run a couple of weeks ago! It was a really great experience with some wonderful people and I got to wear this wig for one song- 

This happened.

and I got to share a dressing room with these hot chicks

Aw, I miss you girls.

I also had a cabaret this past Saturday at Arts After Hours. It was a lot of fun!  I think I saw Corey taking some pictures?  Corey, do you have any?

This is also the big audition season in Boston.  Ok. I'm done making excuses for not blogging....

So bad news on the marathon front- I will not be able to afford the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge in 2013!  Turns out getting married is expensive and so is the race and a trip to Disney World. So... maybe next year. But I am still going to find a marathon to run in 2013. I'm open to fairly inexpensive, not too hilly, and pretty suggestions.  I am still going to run the Race to Remember May 27th.  (crap, I have to register for that)  The training is going pretty well!  My last long run was 10 miles and if it hadn't been raining, and I hadn't eaten tortilla chips before bed, I think it would have been pretty good.  I have no cold rainy running gear, so I ran in a wet and heavy sweatshirt.  

Ok- I'm going to admit something now.  I've had a rough week staying on program and I have no explanation.  Life can get in the way, but I know how to handle that, I just haven't very well.  I let myself have an extra beer or two on a couple of occasions, I indulged in the basket of chips at a restaurant, I had more almond milk ice cream than I should of, etc.  I've kept up the exercise, but I can feel myself slipping every now and then on the eating.  I'm hoping that putting it out there in this post will help me get back on track. If you see me pick up a chip, just slap it out of my hand (don't really do that, please).

Ok- onto my goals for this summer... 

1) I want to find a marathon to train for.  

I find that I like running more if I have a goal in mind.  Not just running faster or longer, but "I need to run this long or fast on this day, so I shouldn't skip this day of training".

2) I want to train to teach Les Mills Body Combat.

3) I want to play more than four chords on the guitar. 

I played along with the fabulous Josh Martin at the AAH show, but I would love to be able to play on my own without terror :)

4) I want to purchase and learn to play a ukulele.

Pink. Nuff said.

5) I want to be more mindful of the kinds of food I eat. 

I eat a lot of healthy food.  I also eat some junk food.  I really notice the difference in how I feel when I run. We had this wonderful pot luck between shows the last Saturday of The Full Monty.  People really outdid themselves!  Anyhow- I ate things like wheat berries, chick peas... whatever the hell it was that I brought... oh! Succotash.  I ran nine miles the next day, and if I didn't have a matinee, I could have run more. I felt amazing!  The ten miles I ran the next week? Not as good. The rain, sure, but the tortilla chips.  I counted them. They were within my points, but they really didn't give me much energy.

Alright- that's it for now!