My dad gave me some money for my birthday for me to buy myself something nice. Yes, my birthday was two months ago, but the money has just been sitting in my wallet while I debated what to spend it on: new bicycle or facial; bicycle or facial; bicycle or facial?
I’ve been wanting a bike for a while. There are plenty of places around town to ride a bike, something I love, love, LOVED to do as a kid. I spent hours on my bike as a youngin’ because it meant freedom. I know I wouldn’t quite get that same feeling of freedom from riding a bike as a 20-something, but I still wanted to see if I loved it as much.
I probably really, really need a facial. I have really bad skin on my face thanks to over a decade of acne and a teensy habit of zit popping. I’m trying to take better care of my skin before it starts making me look twice my age, but it’s probably going to need a little extra TLC regardless.
So what to do, bike or facial?
Here’s what I decided:
Yes, I’m well aware that the above photo is neither a bike nor a facial.
I’ve really been getting into this running thing way more than I ever expected to. I’m on Week 5 of the initial training program, and it’s going great!
And in going great I mean let me share with you my latest Weight Watchers weigh-in numbers.
-lost 3 pounds this week!
-minus 9 pounds since the start of Weight Watchers 10 weeks ago
-minus about 12.7 pounds since I started keeping track four months ago.
Three pounds! My biggest weekly loss yet! I really have no other way to explain it than the running. I’ve been kind of lax in keeping track of my WW points every day, although I am trying to stick with all the healthy-eating lessons I’ve learned.
After getting up to running for 5-minute periods with 3-minute walking periods in between, I figured I needed to be running in shoes that weren’t 3-year-old cheap New Balances that never had any support to begin with. And I figured, if I was going to do this running thing right, I was going to get some proper shoes. The Modern Beau needed new shoes for his marathon training, so we hit up the local running store on Saturday where they made us walk barefoot around the store and they inspected our feet before pulling out a couple different pairs for us to try on.
And I love my new shoes. They’re light, they’re cushy, they fit well (apparently I have a size 9 foot not 8.5). They’re also Nike-Plus friendly in case I ever get an iPod Nano w/Nike-Plus to replace my old-school iPod Mini.
And I swear they’re making me run faster.
YAY!
Anything that makes you run faster is stellar. 😉
Weird question: I’ve always been curious about how one tracks the run this many minutes/walk this many minutes. Do you time yourself? (Duh!) Personally sometimes I lose track of time or am so delirious that I don’t know how long I’ve been out.
Yay! Way to go on all of it!!
Are you suuure that’s not a bike…
Yay! Also, running shoes usually run a half size small, so it’s normal that you had to go from an 8.5 to a 9.
Also, that Nike-Plus is pretty cool, but I think its version of a mile is actually closer to like .80 of a mile. This hypothesis is due to many loops around Lakeshore where the nike plus says one thing and the length of the trail times the amount of go-arounds says another.
Woo! I think you made the right choice.
I really do like my Nike+. When you have a good run or beat some previous time, you get a congratulations message from Lance Armstrong or Paula Radcliffe. It’s enough to make you want to keep running more.
Congrats on your milestones!
The shoes are crucial! When I started running a couple years ago, I was in a worn out pair and kept having foot problems until I got some new ones. Keep track of your miles in them and retire them at 400.
That said, I was looking forward to seeing your new bike. Maybe next year.
those shoes are totally going to make you run faster! : )
and congrats on the weight loss that is so exciting!
Yeah for the weight loss and the new shoes. I try to get a new pair every 3 – 4 months. I notice a HUGE difference when they get too worn-out.
However, I would really really like a new bike. I don’t own a single one and the Husband has two! Not fair. Bike riding would be a great cross-training activity to make the runs even faster. Maybe when December roles around…
Fishing Around: That would be my pretty purple Timex watch.
Noodles: Thanks!
Ben: Well, I do move with them … but somehow I seem to be working way too hard for it to be a bike.
Em: That’s good to know. Maybe I’ll wait before I shell out the money.
Courtney: Thanks! I think so too.
Noelle: Is Brad Pitt available?
Mickey: I am going to try to adhere to the new shoes every 400 miles deal, but I know my cheapskate side will fight it tooth and nail. I’m still saving for a bike though.
Alexa: Thanks!
Ashley: It kills me to know my parents have my old bike but it’s 400 miles away and doesn’t fit in the back of my car. Boo.
The shoes are adorable! And they look super comfy. Nice choice!