Rain or shine

It's Saturday around 2 pm and I have already ran 6.6 miles, had brunch with a friend and went to the grocery. For some reason, I hate grocery shopping but today I went with Heather to the commissary and it was a pleasant experience since I didn't lolligag like I usually do. I also got great deals!

This morning, several of us met on the Canal for a run. It was supposed to rain but let up before our run started. We had decided to do between 6 and 8 miles but I knew for me it would be closer to 6. We're not in training yet so I don't see the need to overdo it. My legs are still sore from doing strength training on my hamstrings this weekend. They are like little lead weights right now but getting better. Note to self: probably no need to do hamstring weights. Doing it is more trouble than it is worth.

I have been a little tiny bit under the weather this week. I felt a sore throat on Monday night and started pumping myself full of Vitamin C: 2000 mg in the morn and 1000 mg at night. I also sucked on zinc lozenges. It never developed into a full blown cold but I have been blowing my nose and my energy levels have been a bit low. Also, my heart rate was up a couple of mornings to 49 when it is usually around 43. I tried to get to bed early each night (no later than 11) to get enough rest. I kept up my exercise regimen and ran two miles on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday I did the elliptical for an additonal twenty minutes and walked on an incline for 10 minutes. On Thursday I ran about 4.5 miles in the morning and then did the stationary bike for 30 min in the afternoon. Friday I ran about 3.5 miles on the treadmill followed by strength training. This is my second week following my self-designed strength training program. I have actually made a spreadsheet of the exercises so I can track my weights and reps. I used to prefer weights to cardio but now I prefer running to strength training. I am going to try to limit my cardio to 30 minutes or so during the week and spend more time on my strength. Two reasons: 1) I want to lower my body fat (lose fat, not muscle), 2) the more muscle I build, the more calories my body will naturally burn.

Last week was my first week back from the Christmas holiday and I think I hit it too hard and that may be why I am suffering from a sore throat. I worked out in some form every day from Tuesday, Jan 2 until today. I am definitely taking a rest day tomorrow (Sunday). Last weekend I went on a two hour bike ride on Saturday after helping Heather move things in the morning. It was 70 degrees here!! Unbelievable! I rode my mtn. bike 18 miles in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Everyone was out on the trail so I had to really pay attention so I don't run over anyone. On Sunday, Heather and I ran in the rain. At first I was peeved it was raining on us but then I came to enjoy it. It was cold, damp and getting dark but very liberating being out there while people are passing by in cars and you realize that deep down you must love this or have an addiction.

My discipline exercising and eating paid off...I lost 4.4 lbs. last week.

A New Year!

Well, it's a new year and of course I am busy assessing my situation. I am not a big believer in setting a New Year's resolution but I can't help but feel motivated and ready to make changes during this time. I think it's normal.

I took some time off from running over my Christmas holiday. I told myself that I would only run if I felt like it. Since December 22, I only ran twice. Once on the morning after Christmas (about 4.5 miles) in the neighborhood next to my Aunt and Uncle's house and I ran yesterday for about 4.5 miles in McLean. My run yesterday went really, really well. I had no agenda, just run. I also took it easy and steady. I told myself to do 3 miles but just kept going. I probably would have done more, but it was getting dark.

2006 was a FABULOUS year for me. Ok, bad news first...My only complaint is that since the marathon at the end of October, I have gained some weight. I must admit my self-control had waned and my portion sizes or how much food I need have become distorted. That's ok, I have taken stock of the situation and my resolve is strong. I am armed with the knowledge of the ideal weight for me and it is a larger number than my original goal weight. This has also been an important lesson for me in realizing that it is unreal for me to expect my weight to stay within 3 - 5 lbs. of a certain weight. Over my lifetime, my weight may fluctuate 10 lbs. or so at a given time and this is ok as long as I am aware of the situation.

Now onto the good news. A list of my accomplishments this past year in terms of my health and fitness:
I maintained my weight from January until November.

I ran my first half marathon in April.

I ran my first marathon in November.

My resting heart rate is currently 43 bpm (that's down 6 points since March!) and reached a low of 41 bpm.

My body fat percentage went down about 2 % from July until November.

I ran 11 races this year with times of 4:49 for the marathon, 2:18 for the half marathon, and best times of 57:50 for a 10K, 45:41 for an 8K, and 26:54 for a 5K.

I ran over 1,050 miles this year. WOO HOO!

With the start of the New Year comes a new training schedule. I am trying to decide if I should follow a training schedule for a 10 miler or for the half-marathon. I am already registered to race the St. Patrick's Day 8K again, then the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on April 1 and I plan on running the Country Music Half Marathon again at the end of April. This year, I want to focus on improving my speed.