Change in Plans

I decided not to run the Avenue of the Giants in May. It's a 4 hour drive from my house and that leaves me to spend the night somewhere up North. Of the places I called to get a reservation, they are all filled. The ones left are expensive and I really trying to be careful with my funds as I have had quite a few unexpected expenses over the last couple of months.

So...I'm signing up to do the SF Marathon (1/2 for me) in July. The neat thing about this race is that you can decide whether you want to run the first 1/2 (across the Golden Gate Bridge), or the last half which has a greater time limit but may not be as pretty.

I'm also thinking about "Bay to Breakers" at the end of May with my daughter which will be more of a fun people watching feast than anything. But it would be a way to get her out there, train lightly for a 12k, and just have some fun!

As far as a full marathon is concerned, I probably shouldn't shoulder yet the expense of doing Chicago in October, that one may have to wait a year. I'm also leary about doing those 15+ milers on my own (boring)--but I really want to do another marathon.

I know the Nike Marathon is going to sell out within a month so I have to make a decision soon!

One last thing: OSS week results 4 and 5 pretty much sucked...I guess I'm happy to say I haven't gained all my fat and weight back. I promise to post week 6 results and subject myself to riducule if my results bad.

T.G.I.S.

I'm so glad it's the weekend. It's the first weekend in ages that I have nothing I need to do. Besides training, I plan to get the house straightened up a bit and get plenty of R&R. Only a week and 1/2 before true baseball season starts--I've already got a place (pub with food) picked out to watch a few games during the season.

Running is better this week, thank goodness...it's always a rollercoaster. I'm actually looking forward to the 6 miler tomorrow (and thank goodness for recovery weeks).

Work-wise, I'm going to have a hectic 2 weeks. We are very busy and the boss has told us that we are going to have to work some long hours to get the backlog down. Not that I mind too much as this happens only a couple of times a year. But I think my boss is starting to tire of my realisitic attitude (which she is reading as being negative). I tell her that things are different now; the product we are supporting has grown so complex and customizable that it's just HARDER (and takes longer) to solve the issues. She sets unattainable goals, and I set mini-realistic goals and she views that as giving folks motivation to not work as hard.

She fails to see that the game has changed.....I think I'm just going to put my head down, work hard, and keep my mouth shut, I've already said what I need to say to her and we will just have to wait and see if she comes around.

Status Quo

Not much to report.

A small gain OSS for week 3 partly because of my over-indulgence over the weekend. Let's just say I fell off the sugar wagon completely. Today is my 2nd day of being good.

OSS Week 3 results:
Weight: 128.4 (-1.6 lb loss overall )
Fat % : 21.4 (.6% loss overall)

I'm diagnosing myself as a bipolar runner as my 2 previous posts can attest. At this point, I'm just trying to get out there and do the miles, however long it takes.

And Sunday I have to do 8 miles--only question what mood is my body going to be in?

I Hate Running

Sometimes I really hate running. I was supposed to run 7 miles yesterday and barely did 5 and most of that distance I walked. It was just NOT happening. I even found a new scenic place to run.
I just didn't want to do it. It didn't feel good to be out there (although I really didn't have any physical complaints) and I couldn't make myself think otherwise.

It just sucked.

I think I just needed a mental health day away from running. Maybe I should make every DST change day a running holiday.

I hope I get my mojo back.

Runner's High

My six miler on Sunday went wonderfully. It felt good to be out there. I finished well below my target time.

I have forgotten how great you feel after doing a long run.

After the run, I took a nice long shower, got dressed and met my sister for lunch. I felt happy, energetic, powerful, and even a little sexy. The beer at lunch couldn't have tasted better, the sky couldn't have been bluer, the world simply could not have felt any better.

I was in my element.

How did I forget this?

In other news OSS week 3 results:
Weight 127.4 (2.6 lbs loss)
Fat % 22.2 (-.8% loss)

Stalling........

It's a beautiful Sunday morning! I'm scheduled to do a 6 miler this morning (solo)--this is the longest distance I have done since the marathon last October. I should be out the door by now, but I'm in my PJs and thinking about other things......

What sort of things....you ask??

Ahem....well it's a little embarrassing...It's almost the last thing I think about before I go to bed, and one of the first things I think about when I wake up.

You see, I'm a little obsessed at the moment....

Now you're dying to know....I can tell.....

Alright, fine....You all are my bestest RBF are you not? and I can tell you almost anything.....

I'm a little in love at the moment....

with.......

This sweather I'm knitting (and yes...I'll post a pic when I'm done).

I'm afraid I have developed a passion for knitting and high quality yarns.

My goal is to be able to knit socks soon and then perhaps develop a perfect running sock (merino wool blend of course). That would be so awesome!

Sigh....I know I'm pathetic...Sis laughs at me, because I'm always knitting when she calls....I should probably get out more.......

On that note....time to get those running shoes on....Wish me luck......

O.S.S. Week 2 Results and Other Stuff

Without further ado:

Week 2 weigh in results:

Weight: 127.4 -- 127.4 lbs (-2.6)
Fat % -- 22.2% (- .8)

I like this trend. I fully expect a leveling of the weight next week, and hopefully a little
more fat loss as my eating becomes more normalized.

My daughter has given up on her quest to run the 1/2 marathon in May. It's just been too dark, cold, and rainy for her to really want to run 15+ miles a week. She is still coming out and doing a mile loop with me and then leaves me to complete the mileage. I hope that maybe she'll consider running a 1/2 marathon in the Fall. So, so much for the matching running outfits--at least for now. I'll still post some pics of us soon....

But now this leaves me to consider what kind of personal goal I want to have for myself for the Avenue of the Giants 1/2 marathon in May. I did run the first half of the marathon with sis in 3:08....actually a minute a mile faster and that would put me at 2:55. A nice even time, wouldn't you say?