Ab-solutely Flabulous

Why on earth I woke up at 5:30 am this morning, I don't know. Why on earth I then decided spontaneously to trek to East London to run a 10K, I also don't know. I'm crazy like that.

(Yes, I did the 10K. In 54:56. Not bad for sleep-deprived last-minute run, especially because I am – and seriously feel – heavier than I've been in a year.)

Then I met Peridot and her bf – aka my magnanimous rescuers from magma-induced misery -- for lunch and walk along the Thames. I never ever get tired of walking in London, particularly the bridges, and on glorious days I (like today) I have to pinch myself that I live in this city, and in this country. If I could cartwheel, that's what I'd have been doing down the river path. Seriously.

Yes, I'm feeling much better. A week of clean eating will do that. As of this morning's weigh in, I've rid myself of 10 of the 21 pounds I stacked on in Dorset. Unfortunately, I think the last 11 pounds are not going to budge easily – it took me a year to lose them in the first place. Not great timing with (a) summer (such as it is in this country) coming, and (b) wedding of one-of-my-best-friends-from-college-who-I-also-once-dated. A wedding, I might add, that I'll be attending by myself, knowing few if any of the other guests, the day after my 35th birthday. Do I know how to have a good time or what? (The tortured history actually is worse than I'm letting on, too.)

I'm not sure how much I can do about the weight in the 3.5 weeks before the wedding, but I'll be giving it my best shot. I'm also attempting Angela's Whittle My Middle Challenge. (She did it in January, but hey, better late than never, right?) I'm already spewing lava at the miserable plank-ups so I'm going to be posting here for accountability's sake!

April 17
• Front plank: 105 sec.
• Side plank: 45 sec each side
• Torso twists: 20 reps (holding Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian out of lack of anything better to use. Hmmm. Must sort.)
• Plank ups: 10 reps
• Boat pose: 30 seconds
• Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps
• Side plank w/ twists: 10 reps each side

April 18
• Front plank: 3 minutes
• Side plank: 60 seconds each side
• Torso twists: 21 reps
• Plank ups: 10 reps
• Boat pose: 30 seconds
• Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps
• Side plank w/twists: 10 reps each side