Ran well today. All the way to Hulett, walked Hulett, ran the street to my house. So I ran maybe 1 1/2 miles. Took me a little over 1/2 hr. The first part--the part through the parking lots before I get to the trail--is the hardest. I don't like my surroundings and that makes a huge difference.

I have worked out every day for the past 9 days. It went like this:

Tuesday: Stephanie
Wednesday: walk
Thursday: run/walk
Friday: walk
Saturday: weights
Sunday: run/walk
Monday: Interval/walk
Tuesday: Stephanie
Wednesday: run/walk, 4 miles total including a walk later that day after the run/walk

I feel really good about that. My weight was up yesterday but that might have been because I ate a big lunch. My waist measurement had gone down 1/4 inch, and my fat % was back down to 35.5 (it had crept up to 36.5 the week before.) Today I weighed myself and I weighed 3 pounds less than what the MAC scale said, so I really do think it was because of the lunch and the time of day. I'm still holding steady at around 150 (it was 151 today.) Sort of discouraging, but I'm just working away at it. I have to remember it's a number on the scale and what really matters is measurements. I would like to lose another 1/2-1 inch in my waist in the next six weeks.

I'm going to K-zoo tomorrow. Hopefully, if the weather's nice (and it's supposed to be) Dad and I will go fishing. Then Saturday Mom, Dad and I will go out to Smith Lake. I don't remember if Mom said there would be people there or not, we'll see. Sunday Mom and I will lie out by the pool in the afternoon and there's the 4th of July block party that evening. I really like the olive oil mayo Stephanie recommended so I think I'll make a pasta salad using that as the dressing. I will use rainbow rotini, artichoke hearts, cucumber, red pepper, and black olives. Then the mayo to top it off. It is really yummy and low in fat and cholesterol.

I think it would be lovely to take a bath, so now I'll say--

Hanging up now...

I tried to run Sunday but had a lot of trouble. I walked most of the course. My shins were hurting me. Several of my running friends have told me about a class at Playmaker's that teaches you the correct way to run. It's on Thursdays, which means I will have to wait until after the show to start going to it.

Last night we ran all of Act I except for the fairy scenes. It went really well. We didn't have Scott to play the music but we still did a fantastic job considering it was our first time through. Lionel and Beauty are perfectly cast, as is the Midnight Fairy. The chorus has a lot to do in Act I, and that's fun. We have individual lines in the song "Going to a Christening" and there's a cool harmony part I get to do. We're on break now until next Tuesday.

I am going to Remya's shortly for a lesson and roti. I need to get ready so for now I'll say...

Hanging up now...

Walked my course today and found out it is roughly two miles. I walk about a 22 minute mile and it took 43 minutes. That means I have been running about a 15 minute mile. A lot slower than I thought. Well, I can only go up from here, right? Tomorrow I'm going to run the whole way and try to do it in 30 minutes. That should be doable.

Rehearsals for SB are going really well. We will choreograph "Forgive and Forget" tonight. I have bought a pair of black ballet shoes for the show. As I said before, I like to start working in the shoes I'm going to wear in the show as soon as possible.

I decided on a name for my character: Nerissa. I took it from Merchant of Venice; Nerissa is the name of Portia's servant. I wanted the name of a servant because I'm not a lady. I thought about and rejected Ursula and Margaret from Much Ado. I thought of some other generic names like Anne and Elizabeth but they didn't seem to fit. But Nerissa is perfect. It's pretty and yet doesn't sound too high-class.

Kathleen has been experiencing some back pain so we're not going to walk tomorrow. That's why I'm running. Then Friday I will either do Strength and Stretch or do weights on my own at the gym. I will try to run again Saturday. I would like to run 2-3 times a week. My ideal schedule would look like this:

Monday: Interval
Tuesday: Stephanie
Wednesday: walk alone or with Kathleen OR run
Thursday: walk alone or with Kathleen OR run
Friday: Strength and Stretch OR weights on my own
Saturday: walk alone or with Kathleen OR run
Sunday: rest day

I have yet to achieve this schedule. It includes 3 weights days and 4 cardio days. If I was able to do this every week, I think I would be able to lose those last 5 or so pounds.

Time to cook dinner before going to rehearsal, so I'll say...

Hanging up now...

Didn't work out enough or eat as well this week, and my numbers showed it. I was up to 152 with a bf% of 36%. I will get back at it--tomorrow I walk with Kathleen and Friday I'm going to run. I will also lay off the eating later at night and work on drinking less soda. Both of these have increased lately.

I made the first of my summer salad attempts yesterday. It was a Thai Cucumber Salad with jalapenos and basil.It was very yum. Next I'm going to make 4 Bean Salad For a Crowd. These recipes are out of Jay Solomon's "The Global Vegetarian: Adventures in a Meatless Kitchen." It's a good book Margaret and Doug gave me when I was living in San Francisco.

I dreamt about New Francisco a few nights ago! I got to visit the coffee shop. It didn't have sandwiches like the other one, just coffee and little things. There were a bunch of Middle Eastern men leering at me. I guess they were a holdover from the market. I'm very glad I dreamed about NF, because I haven't in a while and was wondering if I would again. It's scary to think I might have lost such a wonderful dream city.

We had our first rehearsal on stage last night. We choreographed the processional at the christening. I didn't have the right shoes but at least I didn't wear my flip flops like I was going to. Tomorrow I will get a pair of ballet shoes at Bottoms Up. My costume is taken care of--I'm wearing my Renfaire costume. The cloth bodice really had to be laced up tight! Very happy about that. That means that I am smaller than I was when I bought it. So my weight is up a little--so what. I'm still fitting in stuff better.

I'm a brunette now. I love it! Everyone has been complimenting me on it. Stephanie especially likes it. It's really interesting to look in the mirror and see someone new staring back at me.

Both the cat and I need to be fed, so...

Hanging up now...

Ran/walked again today. The whole track took me 35 minutes. I ran from my house to Hulett, walked and ran up Hulett to my street, and walked and ran down my street home. I know the Hulett part is a mile, but I'm still not sure how long the other part is. It took me about 20 minutes to run the course from my house to Hulett by the trail. If I run a ten minute mile, that would make it two miles. That would make the last leg 15 minutes, which seems about right given the fact that I walked part of the way. So maybe the whole thing is 3 miles. That's almost a 5K. And if I can do that in 35 minutes, that's pretty good time! It would be great if that was indeed 3 miles. That means I am practicing for my 5K every time I go out now. My next goal is to run all the way from my house, up Hulett to my street, and walk and run from there home.

I was fighting the heat today but I drank lots of water so I didn't overheat. I can run the course for the 5K I want to do at the end of July so I get a handle on it. Right now, I'm just proud that I'm running the whole trail and part of the last leg. In a week or so I should be running the whole thing. That may shave my time down to 30 minutes or so.

We went through the music last night. We actually sing two songs and there is choreography for both of them. There's also choreography for the tree sequence, of course. So I will actually be learning three sets of choreography. I will have my notebook handy! It can't be any harder than Joseph. Now that was some tough choreography. It was demanding cardiovascularly too. I was in pretty good shape even though I was overweight, and the dance didn't wear me out or even make me breathe hard.

Tomorrow I am helping pull costumes at the LCP costume shop. Then Mom is coming and we're going to lunch. Tomorrow night I'm going to Beggar's Banquet with Adam and Gretchen and then on to the Barneys. So it will be a fun day.

I'm going to bed soon and I want to check FB before I go, so for now I'll say--

Hanging up now, painting the wind...

I think that I shall never see/A part as lovely as a tree.

Just heard from Mycah a little while ago. I'm in the ensemble. There's one song, a dance, and a sequence where I play a tree in a dance battling the prince. I was a little disappointed, but I think it's going to be fun. It's not a big commitment, and it means I will be free to do lots of fun stuff with my summer rather than learning a lot of lines. Sure is a nice break from the last show!

Barneys are coming up on Saturday. I'm hoping Bremen Town will win some awards. I really can't lose as far as best children's show is concerned, since I was in both of them. I love the Barneys because it feels like our very own Oscars (or Tonys, if you prefer.)I tried on the dress I'm going to wear and it's LOOSE. It was tight the last time I tried it on. Very cool.

Weighed in at 150.8 today both at home and at the MAC. Fat % was the same; just about within healthy range (35.5%.) I was thinking today that I could reconcile myself to weighing 150. I don't seem to be losing any more. Maybe this is the weight I should be. However, the running may change that. We'll see.

Stephanie was happy with my eating this week. I felt good about it too. I'm eating more fruits and veggies and not snacking late at night, for the most part.

One more thought before I go: I want to go back to go to brown hair, maybe a chestnut. If I had gotten the ditzy fairy, I would have left it blonde for the duration of the show. But I asked Mycah about it and she said I could do anything I want with it. So Brunette Town, here I come!

Hanging up now...

Goals and victories

I ran all the way to Hulett today. I also ran quite a bit on the way back to the woods, even though I told myself at first I was going to take it easy. Then I ran all the way through the woods to my apartment. So I think I did more than 3/4. It took me 1/2 an hour. That's very exciting! I felt good when it was done but I didn't do much else today.

What I did do was go audition for Sleeping Beauty. Auditions were last night and tonight. I felt really good about the way it went. Mycah had me read for pretty much everything (except Beauty) and I did my best. My song didn't go so well, at least according to me. But several of my friends thought I was good. We shall see--Mycah will contact us tomorrow.

I've been eating really well this week, I think as a result of the running. Yesterday I went to the zoo with Tim and his nephew, and they got nachos for lunch. I had an opportunity to share or even get my own, but I got a veggie tray instead. I was so proud of myself! Little victories...

Didn't go to Interval today; I ran instead. Tomorrow I work with Stephanie. Wednesday I will go to Interval and Thursday I'm hoping to walk with Kathleen. Then Strength and Stretch is Friday and I will run again Sunday. I will continue to eat healthy. And maybe I will be down to 145 by July 4th!

Hanging up now...

Run two

I ran/walked again tonight. I ran all the way to the housing development. After walking a bit, I ran again for a bit, and then walked to Hulett. When I turned around I ran all the way through the housing development to the woods. I ran about half of the way through the woods. After walking to my complex,I ran through the parking lots to my apartment. So I would say I ran a little over halfway. Tomorrow I'm going to try running all the way to Hulett, walking back to the woods, and then running back to my apartment. That will be about 3/4. I didn't check the time when I left, but it was 8:20 when I got back. I think I did it in about 25-30 minutes.

One of my FB friends wants to sponsor me in a race. I really don't think I'm ready for that. She thinks I am. I want to at least get over this first hurdle of running the whole trail. Then I will start working on the trail+the Hulett leg. That will probably be about three miles. If I were running a 10-minute mile, that would take me 1/2 hour. That would be a nice starting workout. From there I could work up to four miles, then five, and then I feel I would be ready for a 5K. I'd like to set myself the goal of running a race by the end of the summer.

My friend Sandy thinks that since I've been working out, I'm ready for a race. What she doesn't realize is that I've never worked out this HARD. I lift and do the elliptical, once in a while an Interval class, but this is so much harder. The endurance entailed is entirely new to me.

However, it's great to be out there. I don't need music, there's the sounds of the forest around me. Tonight I saw a heron, lots of robins, three bunnies, and a gaggle of geese (goslings and adults.) The adults hissed at me to keep away and I hissed back. I probably shouldn't go too late, although it is Okemos and there are lots of people walking and some running on the trail. I will probably go out around 1 tomorrow.

Yes, I'm running tomorrow. Kathleen had to cancel because she has the opportunity to work on a film. I'm going to ask her if we can do it during the week, maybe on Wednesday. That would mean Interval on Monday, Stephanie on Tuesday, walk with Kathleen on Wednesday, "run" Thursday, Strength and Stretch Friday, "run" Saturday, and off Sunday. That would be an awesome week!

Each time I go, I get better and more fanatical about it. I probably need new shoes. I will get some after I work with Remya a couple more weeks. She wants to work with me twice a week. That will mean 40 bucks a week. Yippie! So once I work with her two weeks, I should be able to get a nice pair of running shoes.

I realized that if I taught 10 hours I would be pulling down $200 a week. That's almost as much as I made working at Cracker Barrel, for much fewer hours. I would love to have 5-10 students, especially if they were 1/2 kids and 1/2 adults. It's easy to work with adults because it's really just talking. Remya did pretty well with her pronunciation yesterday. I had her read aloud from a Good Housekeeping magazine and stopped her when I didn't understand what she said. She has trouble with v's and w's. I showed her how to make the two different sounds and by the end she had pretty much caught on. It was good to see that I was helping her and that she was able to remember.

Okay, so there's laundry to fold, clothes on my bed that need to be put away or in the dirty clothes, and diet 7up to buy, so I'll say--

Hanging up now, painting the wind...

P.S. I have no craving to get a sub or anything, even though I had a small dinner and a light after-workout snack of a handful of dried apples and a small dish of nonfat yogurt. Is this the workout's doing? Whatever it is, I'm happy!

Feelin' strong

Well well well! I didn't go to Interval today but went for a run/walk instead. I ran like a runner, rather than a walker that happened to run short sprints. It was amazing! I just kept running and running. I shortchanged myself sometimes and slowed down to walk and drink my water. But for the most part, I pushed myself and ran. It took me 35 minutes to do a course that went from my apartment complex to the woods, past a housing development and out onto Hulett Road. I could have made the run longer by going up Hulett to my street, and then home, but that would have been another mile. So I just turned around and went back.

I feel amazing!!! I would like to know how far I ran. It felt like a couple of miles. As I've said before, I can walk 2 miles in 45 minutes, and this took me 35 minutes. Maybe this was 2 miles? Eventually I would like to go the route up Hulett, which would add another mile. When I get better at running, maybe running that 10 minute mile, maybe I will do that. But for now, I feel like I got a really good workout and feel very strong.

I'm walking this route with Mike's wife Kathleen Saturday. She may want to take the route up Hulett. She lived on the east side of Okemos Road and would walk a long square around there. So maybe we will do a longer walk. It might take us an hour or so. I'm looking forward to walking with her. I've never had a walking buddy. My mom and I used to jog around our neighborhood when I was in middle school, but we didn't keep that up. And I used to walk around the hood holding hands with my middle school boyfriend, but that's a different kind of walk.

So what else is new?...Remya and I had a good first session. She is understandably shy and hesitant with her English. Ageesh wants her to "work on her accent", but I told her, as I will tell him, that she will never lose her accent. People who learn a second language after puberty don't ever speak that language without an accent. What I can do is talk with her and help her learn to pronounce things more clearly.

She is so isolated. It was an arranged marriage and she hardly knows her husband. She's cut off from the other Indian women here because she doesn't speak their dialect. She can understand a little Hindi, but she can't speak it. Ageesh insists that they speak English in the house, but she speaks her native tongue anyway. She doesn't know anyone here; she has a friend in Farmington Hills but Remya doesn't drive and Ageesh is busy at school/work. She must be incredibly bored and lonely. I only hope I can help her open up and learn. We are meeting again tomorrow and I hope we will work two days a week, maybe even 3.

I had that Cottage Inn sub last night...ick. However, I had them leave off the bacon and didn't eat the chips. The sub itself was pretty healthy; the bad part was that I had it at 10:30 PM. I really shouldn't eat past 9. Kathleen doesn't eat past 8 PM, and she's pretty skinny. I don't have to be skinny, I just want to be as fit as possible. Maybe I will run a 5K someday!

Went to Meijer and got some healthy food. I'm going to have an Amy's frozen dinner tonight. Then I'm going to walk down to Dunkin Donuts and back. Can't stop movin'!

Hanging up now, while painting the wind...

I have no excuse...

Dishes are done, plants are talked to, sheets are washed, apartment is reasonably clean, workout achieved, cat is sleeping happily, evening walk postponed due to rain...so I'm sitting here bored out of my mind. Why? I have a great book I should be reading. I could be writing in my other journal, the more private one (yes, people, there are things I don't discuss here.) I could be shopping for the ingredients for all the wonderful summer salads I'm going to make. But instead I'm sitting here writing in a blog that gets sent out into cyberspace and probably doesn't even get read. And playing on FaceBook. Which as we all know is a great way to spend our time.

What I was doing just a while ago, what usually takes up my time, is rehearsing. I miss Uncommon Good. I miss being challenged and working hard to create an unusual, passionate, verbose, brilliant character. There will probably never be another show like this one. Bremen Town was a different kind of challenge, the challenge to be bad and have fun with it. I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it but I rose to it. I like to think I did the same with Uncommon Good. I hope if I get into SB that it will be a labor of love, a family show both for actors and audience, something really fun.

I am very excited because I am going to Silverleaf with Mom July 18th! I don't know how much I've talked about Silverleaf, but it is the renfaire that is closest to my heart. It was the first one I ever went to and more people seem to dress up than people at Holly (Michigan Renaissance Festival.) I think the more people that dress up, the better. I have several costumes: a "lady" costume that was made for me with hidden pockets (very cool), a leather bodice, and a cloth bodice. I wear the bodice with a white top and silvery skirt. The funny thing about the top and skirt is that they're not really authentic at all; the top came from Express and the skirt was a Lane Bryant buy. It's got a drawstring waist and is very voluminous. It's awesome. It also resists stains of any sort, even butter from corn on the cob. Both pieces are machine washable, as are the shoes I wear (my Teva sandals). I complete the effect with a burgundy cloak, if it's cold and rainy, or my parasol, if it's hot and sunny. I had a traditional belt but it's hard to loop it right so I just use a regular black belt. I want to get a new belt pouch this year because the one I have now is hard to close. It's leather, and it's nice; it just doesn't do what I need it to do. I don't need someone reaching in and taking out my phone or my wallet.

There's also Holly, which I will probably go to with Mama K, Anna, and whoever else. Like I said, not as many people dress up for Holly. There are a lot more spectators than participants. And there's the beer tent...Nothing against drinking at the renfaire, it just contributes to the spectator sport atmosphere. But it's nice to see people going and having fun. They learn a little bit about a different kind of life, and the performers get to call them up on stage and make them do embarrassing things.

New this year is Bristol. Kevin and I are going the last weekend in July. It's about 4 hours from Chicago. That will be a lot of driving; I will go up on Friday and we will go to Bristol on Saturday. I know it will be worth it, though. I'd love to go to as many as I can! I don't know if the performers will be the same or not. I know some of them do the circuit, but I hope to see some new ones.

Weighed in a little heavy this week, and my fat % went up. That might just be because I had lunch before I went to the MAC. I need to work out harder, though. I can do Interval again tomorrow so I'm doing that. Thursday I can run/walk on my own. I have a friend that wants to start walking together so I sent her a message on FB asking if she could start Saturday.

Tim and I are planning to go to the zoo Sunday. I hope the weather's nice. I don't have the problem many people have with zoos. Very few animals in zoos today were taken from the wild; they are usually here because of breeding programs. There are a few rescue animals. The exhibits are for the most part condusive to the animals' welfare and they seem to be happy. One of the big attractions at the Potter Park zoo is the otter exhibit, which was put in a few years ago. It's good both for the viewers and the otters.

I don't have much to eat, and NOTHING sounds good. I guess I could have peanut butter on celery, or 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich. I'm afraid I'll order a Cottage Inn sandwich again. I know I have control over what I eat but it's so easy to slip. It's harder when there's nothing in the larder.

Well, I'm going to try to make some good food decisions...I'll let you know if I fail or not...

Hanging up now...

Everything's coming up...sunflowers???

Well, I am the proud owner of a sunflower plant. Here's what happened: I put my daisy plant that I got from Mike out on the porch to get some sun. Then when it was sitting inside one day I noticed a shoot that was definitely NOT a daisy. I thought about it and realized the only thing it could be was a sunflower seedling; I have sunflower birdseed out on the balcony, and a seed must have fallen into the soil. A little Internet research told me I was right. I wanted to keep it, so I went to Lowe's today and talked to them about it. They said I could just shake them apart and put them in two separate pots. So I have done that and they are sitting out on the porch, far away from the bird feeder.

I really want this sunflower to grow. It's a little droopy, so I put a pencil in for a stake. The plant is secured to the pencil with twist ties. I'm my father's daughter, jerryrigging her way through life. I hope the metal in the pencil won't hurt the flower, or that the lead will seep through the wood into the soil.

I work with Ageesh's wife today. I have no idea what her level of comprehension is. Maybe I should have talked to Ageesh more about her. I don't even know her name! I will learn more about her when he introduces her to me. We are meeting at 5:30 at the clubhouse.

Went to Interval today, even though I didn't feel like it. I was really glad I went. We did a workout where we did a cardio exercise for 1 minute, a weight sequence for one minute, and then repeated that combination three times. We worked our way through many sets of combinations over a 45-minute period. We did some abs and stretched at the end. It was a GREAT workout! There is also an Interval class on Wednesday, which I haven't been going to since I work with Stephanie on Wednesday. But we have changed our time so I can do that now. Ideally, I would do Interval twice, Stephanie once, Strength and Stretch once, and run/walk outside once (a week for all). That would be three weight training workouts and three cardio workouts a week. I would definitely be able to lose those last few pounds if I did that!

Just went out on the balcony and looked at my new babies. They look fine as far as I can see. I really hope I do right by them. I would hate to kill them by re potting them. I had bad luck with an African Violet once. I watered it from the top down--no one told me I was supposed to water them from the bottom up. It died. That's the last time I tried to grow a plant. I thought that Spot would try to eat the daisy so I put it on the TV and so far she hasn't done anything. If I keep them out on the balcony for the summer, it won't be an issue.

I'm going to head over to the clubhouse to get ready for Ageesh and his wife. Hanging up now...

Didn't write about my last day with Dami, so I'll do that now. I got her brother "Horton Hears a Who" and got her "Misty of Chincoteauge." Instead of getting Suk a book, I got her a neck pillow which she can use on the plane. Dami and I went over her last grammar lesson (in which we talked about the "boring" passive voice), and then we started to read Misty. It's a better level for her than Paint the Wind. Most of the words are familiar and it has a real slam-bang beginning. After our lesson, we had dinner. There was chapchae, Korean miso soup with crab, kim chee, bean sprouts, rice, and acorn jelly. It was all very good, although I wasn't too hot on the acorn jelly. But the kim chee, soup, and chapchae were all very good. Afterwards Suk and I talked until it was time for me to go. I took a picture of them and Suk got my email address. I'm sad but I'm excited for them, especially Dami. I hope she does well in school and has fun in life.

I got a new student to take her place! I was in the locker room at the gym and my phone rang. It was Ageesh. He said his wife wanted to start taking lessons. I will start working with her Monday. It's great!

Walked 4 miles to Meijer and back. It was a little humid and rainy, but it was better than the sunny and hot weather I ran in the other day. Stephanie says you burn 100 calories a mile walking, so I burned 400 calories. That's a pretty good workout! I did Strength and Stretch yesterday. Tomorrow the gym is closed because they are having staff meetings, but maybe I can go for a run/walk if it's nice.

I went out to lunch with Tim C. from the show yesterday. He is such a funny guy. He makes me laugh and laugh. I hope we can be good friends. We'll see where that goes.

Last night Adam, Will from Bremen Town, and I went to see Light in the Piazza at Riverwalk. We went to see Gretchen who was in the chorus. I didn't try out for the show because the "chorus" doesn't sing; they are more like "extras" who are Florentines, tourists, servants, etc. But Gretchen was very excited to be part of the show and I was glad for her.

And how was the show...? Well, only one of the best things I've seen on the Riverwalk stage. The music is soaring, operatic, incredibly demanding and indescribably beautiful. The cast was made up of very strong singers who were able to carry the music very well. There really wasn't a weak performance in the bunch. And the set and lights were perfect, as well as the costumes. It was just a beautiful show. Makes me all the more excited about SB because, if I get in, I will be a part of a wonderful theater with a great reputation.

I was originally going to sing "Is It Really Me?" from 110 in the Shade, but I decided if I wanted to go for the ditzy fairy I needed something a little different. So I'm going with "Popular" from Wicked. If someone else does it, I will have "Is It Really Me?" with me as a backup.

Okay, so it's getting late so I'll say...

Hanging up now...

Endings, beginnings, and in betweens

I have ended things with Shawn. We met in Ann Arbor Saturday and had a nice time, I just feel we're too different. I told him today and he took it pretty well. There are, as the site says, plenty of fish in the sea. I just haven't had much luck. Well, maybe someone around here will turn up. We'll see...

Picked up Checking Out today and reread it. It has a lot of potential. I see some problems but a lot of it is really pretty good. I think this is part of what I was meant to do.

Went to Kalamazoo for Memorial Day and had a great time. What was really nice was at the picnic several of the women remarked on how good I looked. I haven't seen them since Labor Day, which is before my big weight loss. I have lost 16 lbs. since November; that's a significant difference. They asked me what I was doing and I told them: eating less and better (usually) and working out 4-5 times a week. I was very good at the picnic, skipping dessert altogether. I did have one hot dog, but other than that I ate pretty healthy--lots of fruit and no potato salad. I brought my salad with artichoke hearts, cucumber, feta, red pepper, and cucumber ranch dressing. It went over very well.

Margaret is in Kalamazoo and will come over for lunch and pool laziness. She is a runner and really shows me up. She is in the best shape she could possibly be in. I can only hope to be like that. I ran/walked today but I can hardly run more than a few blocks. It was also really hot and I didn't have a water bottle. So I took it easy on myself. The whole thing took me an hour, which surprised me. It must be more than 2 miles. I'm going to measure it with my car.

If I could keep it up, I could run a ten minute mile. I found this out last week when Stephanie gave me 2 minutes 30 seconds to run the track at the MAC. I finished it in 2 minutes. She said this meant that I could run a mile in ten minutes. That's pretty good! 6 miles in an hour--I'll take that! If I could only keep it up...I don't know any fat runners. I've seen fat walkers, but no fat runners. That would be amazing if I could run. Some of it's endurance, some of it's psychological. Mostly endurance, though.

Tomorrow I will either do Interval or work with Stephanie. It depends on whether Stephanie can schedule me for tomorrow or not. I need to sign off now so I can be ready to do either of those things. So...

Hanging up now...