Birthday Weekend Wrap-Up

We had an awesome time in Chattanooga! Ok...let me back up a bit...

I left work two hours early on Friday afternoon so that I could get my Friday run in.  I ran slow (hah!) and easy, and had no trouble with my knee, thank goodness, so I was able to complete the run and do well.  Just knowing that I stayed on track with that gave me a tremendous boost going into the weekend.  Friday night, we met Keith's brother and sister-in-law in Chattanooga, and had a few drinks in the hotel bar while we caught up.  Since I had done well all day on plan (and hydrated WELL), I had the calories to spare, and I ordered a cup of gumbo for dinner and stayed with straight liquor on the rocks instead of a mixed drink...much fewer calories!  So, Friday was a definite success, all around.

Saturday was a very busy day for us all.  We started with a late buffet breakfast in the hotel (veggie omelet and some melon for me), followed by a tour of the Chattanooga Whiskey distillery (including a flight...yes, flight...of whiskey), a quick peek inside the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel, which is undergoing renovation, a delightful lunch (salmon and veggies) at the Terminal Restaurant (and another whiskey while we waited), a tour of the National Towing and Recovery Museum (not nearly as boring as it sounds), a tour of the DeBarge Winery distillery (with a flight of wine samples, natch), and finishing up with a wonderful dinner (and another whiskey) at the Blue Water Grill ( more salmon and veggies...yumm!! But this time, a few bites of shared dessert at the end). Even with the alcohol consumption, and the dessert at the end, I only went over my daily calorie allotment marginally, so I consider that a huge success. We played a quick game of cards before bed, and turned in at a reasonable hour with plans to meet up for breakfast at 9am the next morning.

My original plan, as I had stated Friday, was to get up early and run before everyone else was up.  I had already done my recon work and found that the Chattanoogan Hotel where we stayed (beautiful facility, btw...highly recommend!) did indeed have a quite nice workout room (and spa, and pool...and I digress) complete with treadmills, so I felt like I was all set.  I got up, and immediately started searching my purse for the Clif Bar I had brought for just this occasion...to no avail.  Even after turning my purse literally inside out, I could not find it.  And I knew better than to try to run that early in the morning with no fuel, so I crawled back in the bed with my hubby, grumbling to myself, and resolving to run that afternoon or die trying so as not to break my so-far-perfect record.

We had a wonderful, leisurly breakfast at the Tupelo Honey Cafe (salmon and asparagus omelet for me( and about half a biscuit...serious no-no, but oh, so wonderful!) before saying goodbye to our cohorts and heading back to the Tri-Cities.  The weather all weekend was wonderful...overcast and cool, but not raining as had been predicted.  We couldn't have asked for more!

We stopped just before we got back into town, and I grabbed a grilled chicken sandwich before dropping off Keith and heading toward the track.  I had made sure to stay hydrated as well as possible all weekend, especially since I knew there would be alcohol involved, and I was very glad when I got to the track.  I felt good, my knee was pretty solid, and I ran steady to the end, averaging a 15:21 pace over 3.31 miles.  I was very happy with that, and again, I stayed well within my calories all day.

I'm back solidly on track this morning, and it feels really good.  Although I feel like I made great choices all weekend (with my food, at least, lol), I can tell the difference in my body, and I'm ready to feel 'clean' again....meaning the way I feel when I'm eating as clean as I usually do.  My body is thanking me already, and I've only had breakfast so far.

It's really nice to get away for a weekend here and there.  It's nice to know that I can have a great time right along with everyone else, and not go overboard.  There will always be situations like this going forward, and I don't ever want to feel like I'm the 'odd man out', because I 'have to be good'.  Rather, as long as my head's in the right place, and I approach the trip with a plan and some common sense, there is no reason why I can't reasonably enjoy myself right along with everyone else.  Did I stay perfectly on plan this weekend?  Decidedly not.  Did I make the best, healthiest choices I could under the circumstances?  Aside from a couple of bites of dessert and half a biscuit, I'd say yes, I did.  And a few drinks and/or a few bites of something off plan once every few months is not going to make or break my routine or my results.  It's when that becomes a daily occurrence that it becomes an issue. 

As long as I continue to work this plan, this plan is going to continue to work for me; of that, I have no doubt.  The important thing is that I keep working it....every single day.