Days 24-25: on the run

On day 24 of this diet, a letter turned up fromVirgin London Marathon, saying I'd won a place in the ballot.  That means I get a place on the London Marathon in 2013, and I don't have to beg it from a charity.  In fact, if I do fundraise, I get to do it for any charity I like, and they don't have to pay Virgin for the privilege of getting the money I raise.

But the main thing is - I'm going to be running a marathon in less than 7 months!  I'm not sure whether to be thrilled or terrified.  I'd signed up in the euphoria of seeing my husband finish it last April.  I never really aspired to do such a thing, but you sort of get caught up.  At any rate, I'm very glad I started my diet before this, because people say that trying to lose weight and train for a marathon at the same time is not a good idea.

I plan to finish the diet anyway while I start my training, and to try to make the two fit with each other for the next 2 1/2 weeks.  Exercise is a part of the OMG programme (if not a big one), and sensible eating is part of the training for the marathon.  It must be possible.

On the other hand, carb counting is not part of the marathon training ideal.  I think I will have to deal with this by making sure I get my full complement of 60g of carbs per day in ways that deliver useful content for muscles - perhaps not grains, or sugary foods, but rather lots of vegetables, and a bit more fruit than I've been having.

And I suppose I'll have to play it by ear.  The good news is that I am able to train despite all the weight loss - I'm not weaker, but rather stronger!  I went for a run today for the first time since week 1 of the programme.  I found it much, much easier than on any run in the past year, and in fact genuinely enjoyable.

I'd gone out a few times before in the pleasant summer weather, but I found the running exhausting and hard to keep up.  At that time I was about 15 pounds heavier.  Perhaps the fact that I don't have to haul all that weight around is making the running easier.  They say that exercise doesn't really help you lose weight.  But maybe losing weight helps you exercise....