Time for Thanks

Again, it's been a while since I've posted. The training sessions with trainer-Steve are moving along well and up until last weekend I'd really improved on my consistency with eating and hitting my daily calories. I'm trying to avoid getting on a scale until my goal date of January 3rd but it's difficult, maybe next week when I'm at my halfway point...but so far it's worked if I just focus on the workouts and not so much the number on the scale.

Last weekend I was in New Orleans for a couple of days; what a great, fun place to visit. Got into town Saturday around 3:00 and had a show to see that started at 7:30 so not a lot of tome for seeing much. Sunday morning I ran a 5k and then spent the rest of the day walking the town, watching the Browns stink things up and eating. Before I new it, it was Monday morning and time to head home.

A couple of weeks ago when I decided to increase my weekly running goals, plantar fasciitis set in on my left foot. But an evening of icing and a day off here or there seemed to keep things in check...until New Orleans. Apparently running the 5k and then walking around for about 4 hours, yeah not so good! Needless to say it's been a slow week of recovery and the injured foot has we to some back issues and I haven't run now since the race and have a podiatrist appointment on Monday.

As for the 5k, it's nice run somewhere completely unfamiliar. The race was in a new location this year and the course was in a region that was slightly hit by Katrina. And other than one or two boarded up homes, the recovery process was moving along. The stadium that we had started and ended the race at had just celebrated its reopening. The course was mostly flat and I had hopes to run a quicker race, but with my foot issues I guess I can not really complain.

56 days

With the exception of a few work issues, it was a Great week! I started off positive knowing I'd hit my weekly mileage goal the previous week and then deciding to play hokey mid-week helped some more.

11/03 - 4.5 miles
11/04 - 3.5 miles -- gym time cut short, wanted to vote before work - only took 13 minutes
11/05 - 7.0 miles -- split this up, 5 miles then an additional 2 miles just for fun!
Took the day off work (mental health day, sorely needed!); beautiful day out got all of my yard work done!
11/06 - 0.0 miles -- session with trainer-Steve, took day off from running having issues with sore feet, painful left heel and tender right shin.
11/07- 4.0 miles
11/08 -5.0 miles on elliptical
11/09 - off

Totals for week - 24 miles

Got weighed and measured on Saturday the 8th, it's been just over 5 months since I started working out with trainer-Steve. This is a couple weeks past due on my targeted goal date, but I was in no hurry to remind trainer-Steve, since I absolutely dread getting on the scale and being measured. BUT, I tried to approach it this time with a more positive attitude (key word there being "tried"). First thing was the scale...ok, now I KNOW I'm down almost 3 sizes from where I was when I started so I don't really know why I don't look forward to this part but I don't...I missed my target weight by 2 pounds! (dang it), total lost 33 lbs (yes, I need to focus on the 33 lost not the pesky 2 that I missed). Next came the body fat count and the measuring...total body fat is down 10% - AWESOME! (this is down a whole 5% from just 8 weeks ago), and total inches I don't remember because I was really happy with that body fat percentage, I forgot to grab my print out with all the numbers on it so I will have to get that from him.

Finally, since my target date has come and gone it means that it is time to set a new goal. My intention was another 5 lbs; trainer-Steve's intention was another 10 lbs. -- which would take me to a weight that I probably haven't been at for at least 13 years and even then I don't think I was there for very long, and I explained this to trainer-Steve and how I felt that number might not be realistic. However, as per usual, trainer-Steve stuck with his intentions and then informed me that the target date for this goal is January 3rd! What?!?! Is he nuts?

I was really fretting about this new targeted goal and date. 12 lbs in 8 weeks. I just was not confident that I would ever be able to drop a pound and a half a week. Then, I did some math. My last time I was weighed was 59 days earlier and in that time I lost 10 lbs... hmmm, my new target date is 56 days away and it's only an additional 2 lbs that I need to drop. It's been 24 weeks since I started up with trainer-Steve -- 24 weeks and 33 lbs, that's 1.38 lbs/week on average. Crap. This is do-able, isn't it? I mean since my last weigh in I'd dropped my calories and really focused on eating better than I had during the summer months, but although I've been doing much better I still miss the mark about 40-50% of the time. If I start hitting that mark consistently, I can do this!

So here it begins...my 56 day challenge is on! And a challenge it may be with New Orleans in less than 2 weeks, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. But I've come such a long way in these 24 weeks, there's no turning back now!

Upcoming races: November 22nd - Ole Man River 5k in New Orleans; November 27th - Turkey Dash 5k in Avon; December 6th - Reindeer Run 5k in Lakewood.

Getting Caught Up...again

Side note observation: apparently having the iPhone isn't helping me keep my blog updated...will try to do better in the upcoming weeks...

When last I left off I had decided to start adding up how many miles I am logging each week, with the hopes of this to motivate me to do more, go father, get stronger, be faster! Since I usually take Sunday's off I was adding up my hours basically from Monday through Saturday but now the last couple of Sunday's I've been tossing in some running to try and help to hit the 20 mile mark -- I know, it is a far far cry from some of the 50 and 100 mile weeks some people do but hey, it's a beginning!! So to recap (and since I've changed my weeks to end on Sunday's) here's what I've done since the beginning of October:

week ending 10/05 - 14.65
week ending 10/12 - 12.79
week ending 10/19 - 15.62
week ending 10/26 - 23.65
Total for the month - 66.71

week ending 11/02 - 21.40

So all-in-all not too bad and about where I am wanting to start this all out at.

Other quick notes, I ran a 5k back on October 26th out in Amherst and even though side-stitches once again plagued me around the 2 mile mark I was able to finish in 32:36... which is a PR for this year, and only 1.5 seconds off of a PR since I started running last year.

Future races -- there is one in Euclid next Saturday that I am thinking about running with a cousin, but it that fall through then I may not run another race until I am in New Orleans on the 22nd.