Sunday, August 12, 2012

Mid-August Already!?

Another week of training has gone really well.  I'm proud of myself and relieved to feel my love of running come back.  No doubt the cooler weather has something to do with the miles getting easier.

I am bummed that I won't be going for a longer distance race this year.  I think the Ed Hansen will be it for me, and that leaves me wondering what I'll do after that.  I'll probably keep running and biking much like I do now.  Eventually, winter will drive me indoors more, and then I can focus on weight training and planning for next summer.

I will do that marathon.  I don't know when or where, but I will do it!

Monday, August 6, 2012

10 K Training

I have jumped into the last five weeks of a basic training plan to get ready for the Ed Hansen.  It feels good to have some direction again.  I'll be running three or four days a week with two or three days for cross training and one recovery day off.

This is the first race I've trained for with a concrete time goal in mind.  Last year I ran this race in 1:02:59; this year my goal is to finish in under an hour.  That's not a huge improvement, but I think it is a reasonable goal for me.

I'm also trying to get a handle on my diet with the goal of losing weight again.  I reached my goal weight late last summer, dipped about five pounds under that goal, and then gained steadily through the winter.  It has been frustrating but also a learning experience.  It takes me hours every week to burn hundreds of calories.  It takes just a few minutes at any time to eat hundreds of calories.  That's why exercise alone will never get me where I want to be- I have to watch my diet also.  Besides, if I want to perform like an athlete, I have to eat like one.

Yeah.  That's all I've got today.  Now I have to go see who is screaming and why.