So, what's the verdict?

Well, my January 2nd weight was: 176.

That's one pound higher than my goal of 175.

BUT ... it is also 5 pounds LESS than what I weighed on January 2nd, 2011.

To recap, I started 2011 at 181 -- and then began training for a half marathon that I ran in April. On race day, my weight was 172 -- a loss of 9 pounds over four months (2+ pounds a month). Following the race, I ran off and on -- and maintained a weight of 173-174 through summer.

Since October, I have been up around 175 or 176.

I haven't seen 180 since February of 2011 -- and I'm hoping it will stay that way for a long, long time.

I'm now beginning to train for the April 2012 half marathon. If I can lose just one pound a month during this training, I'll end up at 172 again. But, I'm hoping to do more -- perhaps 9 pounds again -- which would put me below 170 for the first time in at least 10 years. I'll take 167-170 as my "ideal" weight. And, I'm realistic -- if I can maintain a weight of 172 or lower, I'll be happy. I felt GREAT last year at 172 -- I feel very good now in the 175 range.

The one downside - -if I get below 172, I'll probably need to buy a new size of pants... A very good problem to have, I'd say!