Rings

I feel like this week has gone by way too fast! Actually, this whole summer is flying by. I can't believe it's August already. Yesterday morning, I had plans of running at the hotel before we came home, but my shoes were still completely soaked from Cedar Point, so I just waited until we got home. I ran five miles on the treadmill.

Renee came over for wine last night. It had been forever since we got together for wine! I bought a bottle several months ago for us to have, and we kept having to reschedule for one reason or another, so it was long overdue. Yesterday felt like the longest day ever, for some reason, so it was nice to unwind and catch up with Renee.

This morning, I made an English muffin with Biscoff Spread for breakfast. I haven't had Biscoff Spread in my house in a very long time. I've been doing really well with staying on track for a few weeks now, so I feel strong enough to have it around. I'm not going to allow myself to have it straight out of the jar, though; that makes it way too easy to eat it all! I used two tablespoons on the English muffin, and it was delicious.

I had six miles on the schedule today, so I headed out after breakfast. Normally, I don't use earphones when I run, but today I really wanted to try to zone out and take it easy, so I brought along my iPod and listened to a Jillian Michaels' podcast. (Once I started running, I wished I hadn't brought it, however; it was more annoying than helpful).

The first couple of miles were rough. I just felt so tired. Ever since I started training by the Hansons' method, I've noticed a trend in my running; the first couple of miles feel really hard, and after that, it feels easier. That was definitely the case today.

A few miles in, a little dog ran out in the road, yapping at me. I stopped, hoping the owner would come out and get the dog. Right then, a car was coming down the road, and the dog ran out in front of the car, causing the driver to stop. I could see her cursing at me through the windshield. Then a woman in the house next to the road started yelling for her dog, so I knew where it belonged.

The driver of the car got out and started to scold me for not having "my" dog on a leash! I told her it wasn't my dog, and the woman at the house was still yelling for the dog to come (the dog had no interest in listening). The two women started bickering at each other a little, so I took that opportunity to continue on my way.

When I got home, I was disappointed to see I'd only burned 441 calories on a 6-mile run. My heart rate was in high-Zone 1/low-Zone 2 the whole time, and it was humid outside (100% humidity this morning). I was expecting to see a number close to 600. I've had this Garmin for a year and a half, and I never changed the battery in the heart rate strap, so I changed it this afternoon to see if that makes a difference. I'll find out tomorrow on my 10-miler.

After lunch, Jerry and I went to a jeweler to get his wedding band resized. He hasn't been able to wear it in a few years because it falls right off of his finger. Since our 10-year anniversary is in a couple of weeks (August 16), we thought it would be a good time to take care of it. While we were there, Jerry asked about getting my rings refinished.

The jeweler asked why I didn't have them soldered together; when he inspected them, he said that because they weren't soldered together, they were rubbing against each other and wearing out the gold. I guess I just never thought of doing it, but it does drive me crazy when my rings twist around. So, I ended up leaving my rings to be soldered and refinished. We'll pick them up next week. It feels so strange not to have them on my finger right now! When Jerry gets his ring back, it will probably feel strange to have it on, because he hasn't worn it in so long.

This feels like it was a hundred years ago

It's kind of funny; through all the ups and downs with my weight, my rings have never been resized. When Jerry and I got engaged, I was probably about 185 pounds. When we got married, I was 160. When I was pregnant with Eli, my weight got all the way up to 271. I wasn't able to take my rings off for several years, because I'd gained so much weight. They wouldn't budge! Now, at 135, my rings are still the same size. The jeweler checked them out today and said they seem like a good fit.

It's not to say that my fingers haven't changed size; they are much slimmer now than they were five years ago! But my rings were WAY too tight then ;)