1500 Days to Freedom

Think different and escape the rat race.

Mrs. 1500’s Second to-Last Half-Marathon Post

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Hi there, Mrs. 1500 today.

I have been pretty silent about my run training and weight loss journey as of late, mostly because there haven’t been many updates to make.

I’ve lost the same 5 pounds about 10 times, only to have them creep back on again. It’s not very inspiring to read about, and it sure isn’t fun to write about.

My running has taken a nosedive as well, as life, work, second job, and motherhood all fight for first place.

See how I slipped a second job in there? I’m a real estate agent – and have been for a while now. However, I have a different day job, and have not been doing much with my license. Until 2019, when literally everyone I know (and a few new people) have reached out, ready to buy or sell or both.

You can make a lot of money when you help someone buy or sell a house. What started off as a one-off thing has turned into SEVEN transactions so far this year – which may not seem very busy for a full time agent, but is extremely busy for someone with a full time job who is also training for a half marathon, while attending the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, visiting my sister in Chicago, attending a conference in San Diego and being the Troop Cookie Manager for my daughter’s Girl Scout Troop.

Boy, this working mom thing is tough!

Coupled with the fact that I HATE RUNNING, it was super easy to let that fall by the wayside. What did not fall, was my weight.

I’ll Go Tomorrow

“I’ll go tomorrow” turned into I’ll go never. I was running with Angi every Wednesday around our local lake, which is a 5k trail, but we’ve had a rainy winter and rain plus dirt equals mud.

We have a gym membership with a nice track inside, but it’s so easy to make excuses why I don’t want to go. “I’ve got a house to show.” “I’ve got to make dinner.” “I have to get to work.”

Now, before any of you hop on Mr. 1500 and tell him to step up, he’s REALLY been taking on a lot of the duties that I have traditionally done. Our marriage is really one out of the 50’s – but we both like it that way. I prefer to do the cooking and cleaning, and he does the lawn and shovels the driveway and makes repairs and all of that.

And if your marriage isn’t like this, that’s fine too. I’m just sharing how we do it.

But this year, he has really stepped up to help with the dishes, some cooking (I’m still a way better cook and can cook a LOT more recipes than he can) and kid responsibilities like getting them off to school and helping with homework. (I intensely dislike how he folds clothes, and would rather do them myself.)

Mr. 1500 Note: I’ve come a long way from my SpaghettiOs and peanut butter and jelly days. But yeah, the Mrs. is the superior cook. Also, I don’t fold clothes, I roll them. Similar to the thermostat war, there is NO common ground.

Look at this air-fried, peanut butter tofu? It doesn’t suck.

Oh, and he’s also my Real Estate Assistant. (Oh man, this got way off track…)

Back to running and weight loss…

Actually, there’s very little running left for me to do. The half-marathon is tomorrow, and I’ll be running and walking it. The amount of time it takes to train for a half marathon is a bit ridiculous – especially if you’re not already a runner. You start off small, and eventually build to running 6, 8, 9 miles BEFORE you run the actual race. At my blistering 15-minute mile pace, that takes several hours.

I probably should have researched this a bit more before saying yes…

I’ll post a quick update with my time in my final half marathon post. Spoiler Alert: I will be setting exactly zero land speed records.

Neato Keto?

And now, let’s talk about my weight. Hahaha. My favorite subject.

I have never been the type of person to hop from diet to diet, although reading these posts you’d never guess.

I’ve read so many accounts of people who have lost mass quantities of weight in very short amounts of time (and without running) by going on the keto diet. So we’re trying that now.

Both Mr. 1500 and I are doing this together, and while it’s nice to have someone going through it with you, one of us is losing weight at a much more rapid pace. Sigh…

Still, it’s only taken a week to lose 4 pounds, all while eating lots of very satisfying foods like avocado, butter, cream cheese, sour cream, etc.

We’ve coupled this with Intermittent Fasting, another weight loss popularity contest winner. I don’t eat breakfast until 9 or 10, and try to be finished with dinner by 5:30.

(If you’re trying this Intermittent Fasting thing out, GO SLOW. Take your current meal time, and push it back by 15 minutes. Then 30, then an hour, then 90 minutes until you get to where you want to be. It’s really difficult at first, and then you get used to it.)

This post isn’t particularly easy to write. I set a goal to run a half marathon and didn’t complete it. I won’t run the whole thing.

I think my goal was unrealistic, and that helps a bit. I’m not a runner, and trying to be someone you’re not won’t turn you into that person.

Surprisingly, Jenna Jameson’s weight loss journey has been really helpful. She’s over at Jennacantlose on Instagram. Lots of before and after pics of her journey.

I hope I have a more positive weight loss story to share with you in about a month. (30 days seems to yield huge results on keto if you follow it correctly.)

Mr. 1500 Epilogue: Mrs. 1500 and I both have realized that our mutual enemy is that we’ve overbooked our lives. In Mrs. 1500’s case, she has a full-time job, a family, an overly successful side-hustle, and a husband who plans too much shit. In retirement, the Mrs. and I have swapped roles, but I still find myself way too busy.

So, we’re changing things up at home; there are weekends where we don’t put anything on the calendar and we’re trying to live slower. Mrs. 1500 is also going to make some changes to free up time. At this point, the limited hours in the day are our most valuable resource.

It’s not fun being constantly busy. It’s like you’re on a bullet train gazing out the window watching your fly by at 250 mph. The fun in life is the journey. No need to get to the final destination any quicker than you have to.

Join the 10s who have signed up already!

Subscribing will improve your life in incredible ways*.

*Only if your life is pretty bad to begin with.

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Comments

  1. Good luck tomorrow!!!! I’ll be running my first half next weekend and I’m really nervous about it, but you reminded me that the real point of the race is to have fun.

    Can you imagine how you would feel if you’d passed on the SEVEN real estate opportunities and all of the other awesome stuff that you’ve done this spring to focus on something that you hate (running)? It really sounds like you made the right choice;-)
    Beckett @ Birchwood Pie recently posted…Weekly Eats: Treat Week and a 5k PRMy Profile

  2. Stop beating yourself up! Who cares if you don’t run the entire thing – you are still DOING a half marathon! That’s insane! You signed up, I’m sure if you think about it there are some great memories in there with Angi and you daughter when you did get some training in, and you got yourself to a point where you can go out and finish it. It may not be the results you hoped for, but you have made gains and are further ahead than you would have been if you never signed up or set the goal. If we are smashing every goal we ever set, we are setting our sights way too low. Take the half at YOUR pace tomorrow, enjoy the moment and the scenery, and be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished! And have fun!
    Financially Fit Mom recently posted…How to Reduce Credit CreepMy Profile

  3. hey good luck. you’ll only be sore for about 10 days following. i gotta thank you for getting me off the couch when you said you were going to take this on. i don’t run very far, just 3 miles on a work treadmill but am running those faster than when i was about 19 years old. it’s like a crazy miracle and i lost 20 pounds this year without any other diet/lifestyle changes. it’s all about the process but if you don’t enjoy it it’s less likely you’ll do it. i hope you get some of your free time back soon.
    freddy smidlap recently posted…Portfolio Update, May 6, 2010: Shopify (SHOP) carries the dayMy Profile

  4. And after tomorrow, you can take running off your plate! Great to free up time for other stuff you like and fit your lifestyle better. I’m also a recent convert to the Sunk Cost Fallacy, so if you happen to wake up tomorrow and think, “Majorly F This!” no judgement from me 🙂

    • I enjoyed spending time with Angi, so we’re going to continue our Wednesday morning runs. I definitely had that Majorly F This! thought during the race. Near the end when they decided to sneak in a hill…

  6. Whew, that’s a lot going on! I’m training for a half marathon myself (currently up to about ~9 miles!) and it’s no joke. After a run like that, I’m dead for hours. The fact that you need to do that kind of run for months to build up endurance is crazy. Good luck increasing up to that half-marathon distance!

    • This is one of the things I learned, is that training for something like this is a HUGE time commitment. Probably should have done some research before jumping in with both feet…

  7. Good luck! I hate running, too. There’s some who say doing exercises you
    Hate will ward off alzheimers. So try to remember that when you are running. No pun intended. As for working out, you could try the “5 minute” rule where you just do 5 minutes as a minimum, usually momentum will keep you going. Especially if you are in a hill and trip,
    I understand the not haVing time. I’ve let a bunch of walking slide by recently.
    Cathleen cooks stuff recently posted…Frugal packingMy Profile

  8. Yeah, running does not knock weight off. That’s true for almost every runner. It will let you eat more for the same weight but it usually will not cut your weight unless you restrict calories at the same time. But I love you hate running because as a guy who has run over twenty thousand miles, fifteen full marathons but no half’s, I can honestly say I hate running just as much as when I started over twenty years ago! I even got up at two thirty AM and ran twenty miles before my day job a few times. Talk about something awful, being up and running at three in the morning knowing you were going to have to work until at least five PM that afternoon. I hate running but I love being a runner. I hate marathons but I love being a marathoner. It’s crazy but it works for some of us.

    • I am reading! I DID survive, although I am SOOOOOOO tired! Under 3:29! And I didn’t come in last place!!!

  10. Mrs1500- you rock! But maybe just stop with the running and find something else you like instead? Zumba? Yoga? Strolling with the Mr. (he walks around a lot)?, swimming? “fun” calisthenics with the kids…?? Exercise shouldn’t feel like a punishment. And have I mentioned that you rock?

  12. Just a couple of quick comments: I’m a middle aged lady and it’s not easy to lose weight just by that mere fact. In terms of running – I’ve experimented with training and running different distances over the years. It’s fun to have a big goal of a marathon or half marathon on the horizon; however, in terms of actual fitness achieved, I got in the best running shape of my life when I focused on 5K training. It’s shorter, more intense workouts and I got stronger and faster without having to spend a ton of hours doing it. My form was better, and the wear and tear on my joints was a lot less. Plus, it’s just more fun to run faster. 🙂 Maybe try running again albeit with a smaller goal where the every day required behaviors to reach that goal simply take much less time and effort? Time your 5K and see where you are and set a time goal for a race 6 months from now?

    You do a ton of different and interesting and important things. Don’t beat yourself up. I think there is something to the time restricted feeding and eating more “keto”, but watch out for the cholesterol changes with the keto.

    Regardless, you rock. I know us ladies are taught to strive to be good at and “do everything”. I lived thinking that way most of my life. I try to eschew that BS these days. It takes a conscious effort to do so, but it’s definitely worth it.