Guilt free

Today was probably one of the best of my life - definitely top ten!

Not only did I walk 11.5 miles this morning (only a mile and a half short of a half-marathon), but I followed it up with a short game of golf and am now blogging on my porch while dinner cooks on the grill.

I ate a peanut butter sandwich before my walk and Kevin had brunch ready by the time I returned. He called to check on me while I was starting my final mile and asked what I wanted for breakfast. The answer was easy: everything. I was starving!

Walking 11.5 miles burned 1400 calories - that's more than I eat in a day! So, I was stoked when I saw that he had made me pancakes, eggs (substitute), bacon (turkey) and sliced watermelon. It was half of my usual caloric allowance, but I didn't care. I'd just walked 11.5 miles!

We rested for a couple of hours and then met a friend at the golf course. I didn't play a full round - just a few holes, but I walked some more and had a grand ol' time. When Kevin got the munchies and the beer cart came by, we split a Twix (one half is only 125 calories!). I'm not really counting calories today - considering how active the day has been for me, I think I have deserved this.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not going crazy and eating anything I want, but I am allowing myself to splurge a bit. After all, a good workout isn't the ticket to the buffet line. But it does mean you can relax a bit.

I ate a candy bar, guilt free. Now, I am drinking regular beer (as opposed to light) and waiting for cheese-stuffed chicken breasts to cook on the grill. Oh, did I mention the tortilla chips I'm crunching on? After calculating it all, I am looking at about 1600 calories - and to be honest, on the weekends I usually let myself have 1500 so it's pretty darn awesome.

The freedom of today has just been so uplifting. And in that lies the silly smile that won't leave my face. I was intimidated by the scheduled walk today for my training. I was supposed to go ten miles - longer than I'd ever knowingly walked before. When I got home and mapped out my actual course, I was pretty thrilled to see how far I'd actually gone.

Scheduling golf in the afternoon was a great way to keep my muscles from cramping or getting too sore. Plus, driving around in the gold cart, feeling the breeze all around us was amazing. I'm pretty sure God was hanging out with me on that golf course this afternoon. He blessed me with a beautiful day, a wonderful boyfriend and a chance at a new life.