Diet Bet is Over

A month ago I posted about a challenge I was doing this month:  DietBet

The challenge is to lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks.  You put money down to enter, and all winners split the pot.

I entered 3.

The first one was sponsored by Jillian Michaels, it had over 7,600 participants with a pot of over $238,000.  Wow!

The second one was a random one I found on the site.

I started a third one, and got a handful of friends to enter.

The Jillian weigh in was about a week ago, right after I got back from a week in New York.  Bad timing - I lost by a few pounds.

I still had a shot at the other two, but it was going to be tough!  I buckled down the last week and put everything into it.  I would also need a lot of luck to make it happen.

When the DietBet ends, you have 48 hours to weigh in.  My random one and my DietBet ended a day apart, so with each 48 hour window, there was a day overlap - my hope was that on that day, I would hit my goal, the weigh in would count for both, and I'd be a winner.

That overlap day was today.

Yesterday, I woke up a few pounds away.  I ate minimally (not the greatest idea), went for a run after work, and stepped on the scale before bed.  I had a shot, but it would depend on how my body processed the next 24 hours - I could see it going either way.

I woke up today and stepped on the scale - my target weight was 222.5.  The scale read 223.0.  So close!  I went for a run, which usually knocks off a little bit.  I got back on the scale when I got back home- 222.4!  I did it!  I ran to grab my camera (you need to submit a couple photos as proof), and when I got back, the scale read 222.6.  I got off and back on.  222.6.  I tried again.  222.6.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

So, I hastily bundled back up and headed back outside - did a quick couple of sprints and jogged back.  I approached the scale for one last try.

222.0.  Snapped a picture for weigh-in 1.
222.2.  Snapped a picture for weigh-in 2.

I uploaded the photos I needed, hoping that they would be officially accepted, because I knew next time I stepped on the scale I would likely be back over the .5 mark.

Then, I got this email:

I made it!  Barely, but I did it!  9 lbs down in a month - and I can't wait to see what my winnings from the two are!

Boom!

Falling in Love with Running All Over Again

Since I ran my marathon in June, my motivation has been gone.  Since I moved to Gunnison and its 7700'+, it's been hard to run.  The last few months have been brutal.

I have tried to keep running and get back into the swing of things.  I've gone running several times, ran a few more races, and just kept at it.

Real Talk:  I didn't like running any more.

For me, when running is a chore, when it's hard to get out, and the miles are a challenge, it just isn't fun.
I ran a 10K this past weekend.  Somewhere in the middle of mile 4, I fell in love with running all over again.  The miles came easily - my feet were gliding on the pavement.

I was free.

Kooky Spooky 10K

With October winding down, I decided that my race this month would be the Kooky Spooky Race in Golden, CO.

I originally signed up for the half marathon, and for the last couple months tried to get ready.  That didn't happen.  Between adjusting to running at 7700', busy schedule, laziness, and several other excuses, I couldn't do it.  My longest training run was 6 miles - and I just couldn't get myself to double that on race day.  So, I decided to switch to the 10K.

Since I started running, I've always said the 10K is my favorite distance - just long enough that it pushes you, just short enough that you can still run pretty hard during it.  Which is funny to me, because out of my 40+ races I've done, only 3 previously have been 10K.  This was my first 10K in about a year, and I was really excited for it!

I got to the race site early so I could make the switch, then just sat around until a little before race time.  As it got closer, I started to get ready.  I gracefully dropped my handheld water bottle, immediately breaking it on impact.  Uggghhh...  Luckily, I had a spare in my trunk!

The race director made a comment about the hills - she hoped either you love them or at least you knew about them, because they'll destroy you if you're not ready... YIKES!

We gathered near the start, and there was the countdown... 5...4...3...2..1... GO!

We started the course and it was an easy downhill for the first mile and a half to two miles.  Piece of cake!  I ran at a faster pace than normal, which I usually try to avoid to start the race, but I was feeling great and I knew the course was going to get tougher.

Miles 3-4 the hills started - people started walking left and right - I had one goal: I didn't care how slowly I ran, I would not stop to walk.  So I just plowed ahead one step after the other, my pace slowed by about a minute and a half, but I kept trudging on.  Then at mile 4, we hit the fun part - a mile of steep downhill down a windy path - I FLEW down this.  The whole time I wondered if I was going to run out of gas after this portion, but I didn't really care - it was FUN!  At mile 5, it was a relatively flat, easy hills to the end.  I kept pushing and pushing and hit the 6 mile marker.  The final stretch was uphill - enough to take everything out of me.  I kept trying to push, and the finish got closer and closer.  I crossed the finish line, heard my name announced, and just smiled.  This is my first run in 4 months that just felt GREAT.

I ended up setting a 10K PR by over a minute, and in this one race, fell in love with running again.