We're BAAA-AAACK!

Hopefully you won't get the same creepy chill up the back of your spine as you did when Carol Anne said the same thing about the TV people.

We took some time off from the blog. It was not intentional. Life has just been THAT busy!

I know some of you are probably wondering....did we finish the Power 90? If so, what was the result? So, here goes...

Power 90 Results Edition:

We DID finish the Power 90. (Insert cheers and confetti, here!) However, it was more like the Power 95 for us. As the holidays approached, we missed a couple days here and there and had to make them up.

Which means that we did every prescribed Cardio & Sculpt routine, just not within the EXACT time frame. We did our final workout on December 30th. We even exercised on Christmas day. Twice, actually, we started the morning with a run/walk in the snow. I even have photographic evidence!

Christmas run/walk - a new holiday tradition!

So, did we see results? Well, yes and no. Read on for details.

Valerie's results

• I lost 9 lbs total
• I lost 3 inches from my waist
• I lost 3 inches from my hips
• I am seeing muscle definition in my arms and legs
• I found out that I could enjoy strength training

I had hoped to have better results, but considering we were doing this during the holiday season, I guess I should be glad to have any results at all. For example.....

Jeff's Results

• He GAINED 1.4 lbs! Yikes.
• I will grant him this - I can see the improved definition in his arms

Run/walk progress:

December was not a good run/walk month for either of us, especially me. It was tough for me to have time and energy to do both the Power 90 and run/walk. But, I knew that once we finished, I would try to find a way to get back to the roads. Which leads me to ....

Where do we go from here?

The Power 90 program is finished, however our journey has just begun. Clearly, I have a lot more than 9 lbs to lose to get back to the size I was when we first met. Anyone remember the goal number? Anyone? Buehler?

The next phase of our journey is a return to half marathon training. Specifically, training for the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati on May 1st. We are racing in honor of my sister April who turns the big 4-0 in May!

The real challenge here is not just getting myself back to half marathon distance. I also need to finish with an average pace of 16 minutes/mile or less. This is no problem for Jeff, but past history shows it is not necessarily a given for me.

We have developed our training plans. Mine is a bit aggressive, hitting challenging mileage early and increasing my ratio of running. So far, January has been a great training month and I am on track!

January Half Marathon Training Update

I started January with a "long day" distance of 3 miles and an interval of 45 seconds running/90 seconds walking.

Last Saturday, my long day was up to over 6 miles and I have increased my interval to 60 seconds running/90 seconds walking. Yay! for early progress.

I am also doing well at cross-training on my non-running days. In the past, I have not really cross-trained on off days. Thanks to the Power 90, my body is used to 6-days-a-week exercise, so it is not such a struggle to cross-train.

What does the scale have to say?

I am pleased to report that my progress has continued through January. I am down an additional 4.4 lbs so far! That makes 13.4 down since the journey began.

The year is off to a great start, and I am looking forward to seeing some more results this year. Who is with me?