weight, fitness, and the petite section

I didn't weigh in this week. I suspect that I'm about the same as I was last week, and this whole up-down, forward-back dance is frustrating. And entirely self-inflicted.

I skipped my workouts on Thursday and Friday, and I think if Champions Fit hadn't started on Saturday, I would still be a couch slug today. However, since it did, I was up at the crack of seven on a Saturday to get over to the Y by 8 am. I signed up with the walkers group, and we did a 1.5 mile fast walk. It was good. No one talked to me on the walk, but I don't really give off that friendly vibe. Rob will be going next week by himself while I'm at the running clinic, and then the following week we'll go together. I'll also bring the iPod, so not talking won't be an issue. This week, though, it was the longest mile and a half I've ever walked.

This convinced me more than ever that I need to get back to running. Walking is boring. Seriously booooooring. Even if I've got music, walking's just not fast enough. I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything (like running on a treadmill like a gerbil on a wheel is accomplishing anything--but I digress). It doesn't feel like real exercise. Intellectually, I know it is...but mentally it just feels like I didn't get much of a workout.

This is on of the reasons, when we went to the gym in the afternoon, I got on the treadmill and tried the week 2 workout for the Cto5k program. I was pleasantly surprised that my wind doesn't seem to have gotten any worse...running wasn't any harder than it was before, and I felt like I could have gone longer than 90 seconds. I followed the common advice to do less than I thought I could, though, and stuck to the program (2m walk, 90s run). My knees twinged a little, but there was no more shooting pain. Progress! I iced them when I got home, too, and took some Aleve. I figure if I do week 2 of the program this week (when I quit I was on week 3), I'll at least be ready for the clinic this weekend.

On other fronts, I have discovered the wonders of the Ann Taylor Loft petite section. I've probably mentioned this before, but I'm not generally much of a girl. When I was at my biggest, I was most comfortable in men's clothes--big polos, khaki pants, anything loose and shapeless.

Until this weekend, I had never set foot in an Ann Taylor store. The closest I ever got was to gaze longingly at the tiny tasteful clothes in the window displays, and think to myself "it would take two of those to cover me." It was a store for tiny grown-up career women who wear suits and carry briefcases, and have perfect hair. I am lucky if I can find matching socks and my keys before I rush out the door. I am not their demographic.

After reading about the Loft stores on the Donut forums and discovering that a new one had just opened near my house in May, I decided to give it a shot. To my surprise, not only am I no longer too fat for Ann Taylor, but I'm also a petite. I guess I should have known this...my height hovers between 5'4" and 5'5", and the regular lengths of things are almost always too long. I'm also fairly small-chested and short-waisted.

Still, I had never shopped in the petite section anywhere. It was like walking into a whole new world--you mean, there are girly clothes that look like they're made to fit me? There are shirts that don't sag in the bust or bunch on my hips? Skirts and dresses that hang like they're supposed to? The heck you say!

I spent about 2 hours in the store, trying on pretty much everything they had. I ended up with three shirts and a pair of capris that were a little tight in the butt right now, but made my calves look great (I'm still not a 14 below the waist, sadly). I put several things back that I really liked, because I'm not independently wealthy and most of my clothing budget (and every other miscellaneous budget) went toward buying a car this month. I will definitely be going back soon, though. And poring over their website regularly. I'm wearing a cranberry red one of these right now. :)

After my shopping victory at ATL, I walked across the walkway to the also-new gigantic Barnes & Noble and sat there for another hour reading a magazine. (I totally love this new open-air mall addition...I may never shop anywhere else again. Except Target.) Rob called and I met him at the gym, where I did the aforementioned running. Then we went to Chili's. And that was my Saturday.

Sunday was church, lunch, and good intentions to work out that never really materialized into actual working out. Did some laundry, flew into a panic because I had two hours notice on the very first showing of the old house, and I still hadn't cleaned out the upstairs bedroom, and played some Inspector Parker.

A pretty good weekend.