100 Days of No Kitchen

This has got to have been the most insane/busy/crazy/chaotic 4 months of my life.  I managed to lose quite a bit of weight last year, and I was keeping it off in the beginning of this calendar year while I was running so much, but then eventually this whole "eating out every single meal of the day/week/month" has caught up with me and its gotta stop.  We've been kitchenless for now an entire 100 days and a good chunk of that has been in my "no running" period.  So, why the impetus now?

I still don't have a kitchen.

I feel like a porker.

I don't like the look of my body now.

I don't like this lack of stamina that the ITBS injury resurrected.

I'm tired every evening, much more than when I was running.

My clothes are getting tighter on me!

I still do not have a kitchen....and I still need to eat out for every meal.

This...quite simply...sucks.

Now, I know i need to turn this around quick before I gain ALL the weight back.  I can handle getting rid of the 10 pounds that I have gained...but it cannot become more than 10!  I have to promise myself that.  In reality, I haven't stepped foot onto a scale since this whole kitchen fire fiasco began, so I'm estimating the 10...for fear its more and I would simply cry in shame at seeing a bigger number. But, I digress....it feels like its 10 pounds, so thats what I need to focus on.

I had my run where I realized that I need to do some work....it was a hard realization, but honestly it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be!  So, now the rebuild begins.  I'll be focusing on mileage/frequency more so than diet.  Even if you order healthy options, you still put on more calories than you would eating the same exact meal at home.  Whether its because of the quality of the ingredients or the hidden portion sizes or the fact that you are not actively MAKING dinner and instead sitting on your ass while someone else works for you....well, lets just say I can't control most of the food intake until i get my kitchen back.  So, the goals are activity-focused:

• Monday night, I will run a 5k.  I will not go for time (as I know I'm slow still), but I will go for distance.  
• Tuesday night we have plans, so I don't think I'll be able to get out for a run that evening, but if there is no alcohol involved, I will definitely try, even if its a measly 2 miles.
• Wednesday night, Joe has baseball.  If it gets cancelled, I will go for a 5k.  If it doesn't, I will go on the elliptical for two 15-minute sessions...or just take this as a rest day.
• Thursday, I will run a 5k in the morning.
• Friday, I will run a 5k in the morning, or take it as a rest day.
• Saturday, I will run 4 miles in the morning.
• Sunday, my first "long" run will be a total of 4.5 miles.

Yep, thats the plan for the first week back.  Hopefully I can accomplish more than 75% of it, but its doable if I don't get distracted too much...tons of short runs to ensure my stamina is built sufficiently.  Fortunately, I'm not starting over completely.  My bones have a solid year of strength building and while the last 5-6 weeks has not helped, my bone strength is pretty much where I left them off.  Therefore, I CAN run every day...so if you are new to running, please do NOT try this same protocol!  I have no idea how much muscle strength I have lost, but at least my cardio strength should get considerably better by this weekend at least.

I just need to ensure that I do not compare myself to where I was a few months back. Its pretty close to summer down here, and I need to go slower, so speed should not be an issue. I want to get to a comfortable 6-mile long run within 2 weeks.  Then, a 9-mile long run within 2 months.