After spinning class today, I skipped on over to the treadmills to do a one mile run.  I just started, and then I see him.

[No, not the Elf on the Shelf.]
Coach Monster. He’s walking towards me.  Oh no, I think… my chicken wing! My hideous run form!

He says, “I’m just going to get on this treadmill behind you, so I can watch you.” I immediately throw up my chicken wing in protest.
This was the longest one mile of my life.  To have someone watch your form for a mile.  To have an Iron genius watch for a span of eleven minutes. Holy guacamole, I was trying way too hard. 
Anyway, the mile was over, and Coach M summoned me over (while he’s running on his treadmill at pace so fast he’s a blur, mind you).  He says,  “Looking better” and gives me a few pointers.  
He also confirms the remarkable absence of the Chicken Wing.
I thank him, and off I head to do some drills.  A few minutes later, Coach M appears, ninja-like, out of nowhere.  We chat some more, and then he says that my form looks 60% better.  SIXTY PERCENT!  Wooo hooo.  That is exciting.  

Afterwards, I popped in to see Ilana, my nutritionist, and had a very uplifting weigh-in (down 4 pounds), and the standard food psycho-therapy session.  [BTW – if any of you are struggling with your food choices, Illana is great.  Her plan is so reasonable, simple and smart.  She’s also an Ironman. I highly recommend you emailing or chatting with her.  Long distance is no issue. Her company is Optimal Nutrition for Life.]

(This is how I feel today. Not how I look, in case you were wondering.)

Food is my safe haven.  I am learning that.  Along with wine.  Wine I have given up for two weeks, and isn’t really a big deal for me.  It’s more about the relaxation nation with wine;  I am finding other ways to relax.  Food, obviously, a person can’t live without.  Which Ilana always says is “the” issue:  when our addiction is actually something we must have to live (food), then it’s a whole new world to control.  


Coinciding with my food frustration is life frustration. 

I am unbelievably frustrated by a few people in my life right now. Unbelievably frustrated. I am concerned, because these people are pretty damn unavoidable. But they are seriously driving me up and over a wall, and into a cave.  I have been paying attention to life stressors and how I eat in light of stress. Yes, I am a stress eater.  When I am around one of these “trigger” people, I find myself shoving M&Ms into my gullet like a freaking squirrel. 

So my tasks for the upcoming week:  control eating, keep myself sane, make it through 38 miles on the same hilly course as Sunday, and ignoring the wall climbing. 
Happy weekend friends. 

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5 Responses

  1. Awesome the chicken wing is gone!! I'm going to drink some wine this weekend with my best friend while we celebrate Xmas together with our families….shhhhh…don't tell anyone! 🙂

  2. Glad your form is showing improvement and the chicken wing is gone! I can relate to the stress eating issues…I have that issue as well and lots of stress at the moment. Thank God for exercise (and wine) – it keeps me sane!

  3. Yay for the dramatic improvement in running form!

    I'm intrigued by your nutritionist/food-therapy. I just… YEAH, I have many of the same food issues and have struggled for years and years to get it under control. I can do well for a little while, drop some weight, and then I fall off the wagon and put it all back on. I literally eat cookies like I'm some kind of addict. That's a goal for this new year – see if I can address my food/weight issues from inside my head…

  4. I like your darker hair – I think it really suits you right now. 🙂

    I have struggled with food for as long as I can remember – it is my drug of choice. A few years ago, I found the book "Overcoming Overeating" which is out of print but you can still get used copies on Amazon – which helped me understand why I eat what/when I do – it is a coping mechanism and way of soothing myself during difficult times – has been so helpful for me. No, I haven't stopped – but just recognizing the behavior and the reasons for it feels like a step in the right direction. Thanks for the honesty of your postings – I love it.

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