Do I Hear 75?

I just looked back and I reached 70 lbs down on the scale September 24.  It is now one month and one day later and I still haven't reached that elusive 75!  My how the losses have slowed.  I know, I know, a loss is a loss. But I'm getting a little burned out, I must say.  I feel like I need to get to the next phase of this journey - maintenance!  I have stayed off the scale as planned this week, but tomorrow morning I am really hoping for that big 75.  December 31, 2010 feels like it is right around the corner and I want to reach my goal!  Perhaps I should stop eating so much bread! 

Anyway...today is a great day because I completed my run before work!  Now, for the first Monday in months, I do not have to fit in a run and a shower in the evening!  Woohoo!  I can go home, make dinner, and have some good family time before hitting the hay at 9:00. 

I'm doing a one week experiment.  Remember my goals will only span a week's time now instead of that crazy month long thing.  My experiment this week is to see if I can go to bed by 9:00 and get up by 5:00 to exercise each morning before work.  I only work 4 days so this should be doable, but getting up is so hard for me.  Well, going to bed is the hard part, but that makes getting up hard.  I am a night owl, I always have been.  I love to stay up late and sleep in.  But, I also like taking only one shower per day and having my evenings free to do home and family stuff without having to fit in a workout.  My long term goal is to become a morning exerciser.  But I'm taking it one day at a time.  The main challenge is to go to bed early and then get up early, but I also want to see how I feel when running in the morning.  If I don't feel good and strong, I'm going to go back to evenings. 

It's only a week, one week at a time!  I will run Monday and Wednesday and do the Shred DVD or the No More Trouble Zones DVD on Tuesday and Thursday (or some other workout I can find On Demand).  Friday is my day off and I will run, hopefully at least 5 miles.  At this point I still plan a weekend run to keep my mileage up, however, I usually rest two days and this schedule only leaves one day for rest.  I'll see how it goes.  After all it's only a week.

***Leg update***
I have run three times with the new orthotics and I am not in love.  The first time felt just okay, the 2nd time I got shin splints, and the third time my legs felt very achy during the run and most of that day which was Friday, my long run day.  I didn't even make it 4 miles, let alone 5 or 6!  I just wasn't feeling it. Yesterday I ran on the treadmill in different shoes without the orthotics and felt just okay.  This morning, it was the same, but I felt pretty good until afterwards when my shin was hurting.  I admit I'm feeling discouraged over all this trial and error.  Running is hard enough without feeling pain with every step, KWIM?  Ugh. Oh well, I will persevere. 

I was asked in the comments if I've been professionally fitted for shoes.  Well, I have gone to the running store and I have had shoes recommended to me, and I bought a pair of the shoes they recommended.  However, I didn't buy them from that store because they didn't have a color I liked.  I ran in the shoes for a couple weeks before having any issues with my leg--going as far as buying a different purple pair along the way.  I have been trying to make these shoes work for me because that's what was recommended, but if these orthotics don't help and I have to forget my beloved purple shoes after all, then I will most definitely go back to the running store and let them sell me whatever they want regardless of color.  I'm just tired of thinking about shoes and pronation, supination, pain and whathaveyou.  I want to move on from all this.  Aren't you sick of reading about it?  I feel that a solution is possible, I just haven't found it.  I share the story because there's bound to be someone who has some great advice to offer or will benefit from what I find out.  Maybe...

Well, best get back to work.  Lunch time is over.