180 Days

I realize it's been almost a week since I blogged. There is no specific reason for this, other than I haven't felt as though I have had much to say.

Something has to change. In life. In weight. In food. In... everything. Have you ever had that overwhelming urge to change something? Not just your lunch menu, but your whole life? Yea. I'm right there.

So, what does 180 days mean? It's 180 days till I run the Rugged Maniac 2012 in Southwick, MA. 180 days to get myself in shape to pull myself over walls, trudge through mud-bogged trails, run up hills, down hills, balance while climbing up over stumps, and generally try not to kill myself.

180 days seems like a long time, but in terms of getting strong enough to do this race, it's not. So, this will become my countdown.

I am going to be 34 on Saturday. I do not feel like celebrating this. A year has gone by, and not much change has occurred. I don't know what the hell I have been doing, but it obviously hasn't been much, going by the scale anyway. I am hoping this new fitness goal, continued recovery, and NOT the number on the scale, will be a better marker for the next 6 months.

I don't usually do longer term goals like this. But, frankly, I paid the damn admission fee. I'm on a team (I know, poor them!) so it's going to happen with or without me.

So, gluten update - hmmm... the plot thickens. It does not appear that the lack of gluten has any effect on my tummy problems. I know some die-hard anti-gluten peeps would beg that I try it for a bit longer, but frankly, I really just want to find the culprit of the gas that can clear a room tummy issues. So, I am trying to eliminate most dairy. This morning, I got my Starbucks skinny mocha, but I got it with soy milk instead. Taste wise - impressive. Quite yummy. And, as of 1:53PM, not one sign of any issues. I am not going to count my chickens, however. I am weaning down my cheese consumption, which is a big protein staple for me. It will take at least a few days till I'm off cheese, then I should give it at least a week totally off dairy to see if there is a difference. Blah, blah...

You know the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, I wish I had listened to that saying a few weeks ago when I freaked out about my weigh in, and when I freaked out about the gluten. It seems that when I try to "fix" what is already working the way it should, I screw myself up royally. Should I heed this advice re: dairy? I don't know... I have to do something about this unbelievably stinky, I can't believe my husband still sleeps in our bedroom issue. I guess all I can really do is be hyper vigilant about how I am feeling, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and go from there.

Ok, peeps. How are you with long-term goals? Love em? Hate em? Got any?