Four Weeks - Wedding in three days

First, a week three summary: I've maintained my running distance of approximately 3.5 miles per run, and have increased the weight I'm lifting slightly. The Power 90 Sculpt 1-2 routine is pretty simple, but I enjoy it. I've also maintained the overall frequency of my workouts. I ended up taking two rest days instead of one due to a weekend trip to the mountains. On Saturday rather than run, I hiked for about 2.5 miles at a brisk pace over a rather aggressive amount of elevation change. Max, my fearless beagle, couldn't handle it. We started out the hike with him pulling me to go faster, and ended with me coaxing him up the mountain while attempting to maintain our initial pace that he had set.

I've slacked off a bit into week four. My left shin has been aching following the weekend camping trip. This is nothing new. When I began running and increasing my distance back in 2008 I would frequently have to ice my shin post-run. It's strange that it's cropping up now, since I'm not pushing any abnormal amount of distance when I've been running. I think perhaps it's due to the age of my running shoes. I've ordered a couple of new pairs of the ones I love (Saucony Progrid Guide) off of Amazon. This release of the shoe is no longer in production, but two more pairs should keep me going for about a year. Come to think of it, I've been running in the same pair for a year, so it's a good thing I'm replacing them now. I'll be sure to recycle my old pairs at my local running store so the materials don't go to waste.

UPDATE: The shoes came! That was fast - two days of turn around? Way to go UPS and Amazon.

I didn't want to run until I got my new shoes. I'm going to ease into it and not push my pace too hard when I do. Today might not be the day for a break-in run. While I'm not opposed to running in the rain, I'm just not feeling it right now. I'll try to sneak in a weight routine, and get a run in tomorrow before leaving Friday for the wedding weekend. I double checked, and the hotel has a gym, so I should be able to continue to keep up some semblance of my exercise regimen this week. Then I'm going to reevaluate. I've been thinking about training for a race...and while the wedding has kept me reasonably on track, I'm much more excited about the prospect of pushing towards an athletic goal.

Getting Hot - Week One Progress

I've worked out six out of the past nine days. I'm just starting to feel myself coming out of the, "What the hell are you doing to me, ramping up physical activity like this?" phase. After that I'll start entering the, "you need this to feel normal," phase. I love that phase, and I hope it gets here in full soon.

As mentioned, I'm incorporating elements of Tony Horton's Power 90 and running for at least four days a week. I plan on incorporating cycling when I acquire a gym membership (spinning!), or when it stops raining, whichever comes first. I can deal with running in the rain, but cycling is just too much. I ran 3.5 miles last night in a cool drizzle, continuously wiping my glasses with sweaty wet fingers, changing the blurriness of my surroundings from a hazy prickled star field to twin murky smudges. It wasn't a bad run, my time was 31:48. That's a pretty respectable pace for me, and I wasn't pushing myself that hard. I need to keep my heart rate in the ideal fat burning zone if I want to see more immediate physical results, but I tend to enjoy running at slightly above that rate. Either way it's a great workout. At a higher cardio zone I'll be burning sugars instead of fat, but also increasing my muscle mass, lactic threshold, and cardio endurance. I'm okay with that. Muscle burns more calories than fat.

I've lost just under two pounds so far. I'm taking weight readings about every other day, at the same time of day. I control for added clothing weight and meals by weighing myself in the morning right after I wake up, right after my morning shower. Two pounds a week is a pretty healthy amount. Any more and it is more likely to be water weight, or has more potential to return. Weight should be taken with a grain of salt since it can fluctuate so much naturally. Most experts agree that the best way to see results is to take measurements of the various parts of your body. I tend to lose weight from the top down. That pesky belly and love handles are the last to start to go. The way your clothing fits is a good indicator without all of the measurement work. I measure my success using the holes on my belt. We'll see how long it takes to move that buckle one more notch! I'm sticking with it.

Running in the fall

Last night I went for what could be said to be my first real, true run this fall. I really love running outside this time of year. I've noticed many people almost immediately switch to a treadmill as the temperature drops, but I think they're robbing themselves of something special. The air is so crisp and cool, and the light in the evening is almost ethereal. The lower light enables me to really look around and absorb my surroundings. Wearing glasses instead of contacts and sunglasses when running really limits your ability to observe a lot in the summer, when the sun is shining so brightly. The cool temperature allows me to push myself without worrying about overheating, and the drop in humidity can be said to be glorious. Running in the summer in Northern Virginia can be compared to swimming in a hot tub. Running in the fall is the opposite of this. When I step outside it's almost too cool; I'm almost cold, but as soon as I start my workout my body temperature rises and all thoughts of the temperature just fall away, and I find my rhythm.

I ran approximately 3.4 miles at an easy pace, putting my total run time at 35:16. Not too bad for not having run any true distance in a couple of weeks. I felt fantastic afterwards, which is exactly what I want when it comes to maintaining a positive attitude towards a workout plan. When I returned home I did the Tony Horton Ab Ripper 100, which is basically the most painful series of ab workouts I've ever done, and I know that isn't saying much. Afterwards I cooked a quick stir fry dinner with Lis and we relaxed with friends. It was a great evening.

So far so good.