Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - 3/10/12

Today was my "long run" day of the week - 9 miles.  Are you serious?  That's what I was asking myself as the alarm went off at 4:45 this morning.  But that was the test.  If I am really going to run a marathon, 9 miles eventually is going to have to feel like the appetizer, not the main course.  So I set MJ to shuffle and went after it.


About 6 miles in, my legs started to get a little heavy, but just then MJ starting singing "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."  I followed the man's advice - because I hadn't yet had enough - and pushed through to the end.  Another goal met!


Workout Recap
3/9/12 - Running & Abs
Pace - 6.0 miles (6.7 mph, 1.5 incline)


3/10/12 - Running 
Pace - 9.0 miles (6.7 mph, 1.0 incline)

Why I'm "obsessed" with working out - 3/9/12

Some might say that I am "obsessed" with fitness.  Most mornings, I wake up at about 4:30am to work out.  On occasion, I have been known to get up at 2:30am to get a work out in when I have an early morning flight and know it will be my only chance to get it in.  On the road, I will drive for miles to find a suitable local gym.  But am I obsessed? No.  I call it "driven."

I am driven by visions of the future.  Driven by a vision of my son walking across the stage to accept his diploma, looking into the crowd but not seeing me.  Driven by a vision of my daughter being walked down the aisle on her wedding day by her brother because her daddy died of a heart attack when she was 12.  Driven by the thought of all the lonely walks they would take in their lives if I insisted upon looking like the top picture on this page rather than the bottom one.

Am I obsessed? No, but I am focused like a mother - check that, like a father.  Obsession is a word often used by people who don't recognize focus, drive or passion when they see it.  They are confused by the strength of your "why."  They cannot comprehend how you are able to find the motivation that so often eludes them.

I have no such confusion.  Check the picture above.  My "why" is crystal clear...

Mixing It Up - 3/7/12

This week, I'm taking the next step in my marathon training by trying to mix in some longer runs at a steady pace. Prior to this week, I was running approximately the same distance every day - last week it was 7 miles - and trying to end each run with a "finishing kick". Starting this week, I am trying to get my mind wrapped around running longer distances.


I will run the same 28 miles I ran last week with a couple adjustments. Rather than running them in equal parts, I will run some shorter and some longer. My runs this week will be 5mi, 8 mi, 6 mi and 9 mi. I will also keep the pace steady throughout (9 minute mile pace), but increase the incline on the treadmill to better approximate running outside.


NOTE - Admittedly, I'm a punk when it comes to running outside when it's even the slightest bit cold. I know I will have to run outside eventually, but I am delaying it as long as possible.
So far, so good. Two runs down, two to go!

Workout Recap
3/6/12 - Running & Abs
Pace - 5.0 mi (6.7 mph, 1.5 incline)


3/7/12 - Running & Abs
Pace - 8.0 mi (6.7 mph, 1.5 incline)

Easy Like a Sunday Morning - 3/4/12

Six days per week, I set my alarm early (4:25am on weekdays, 5:25am on Saturday) to work out.  Why so early?  Two reasons:

1.     I need to start my workout before "life gets in the way" and throws me off track

2.     I get a little joy from knowing I am working out while most of my timezone is asleep

But on Sunday, I rest.  It took me a while to get right with this in my mind and some days I still struggle with it.  If some is good, then isn't more better?  Not always.  Especially not when it come to working out.  I am the type to press on when I should stand down.  Working out through pain that just may be an injury.  Pushing when I ought not push.  So sometimes, "taking it easy" is a struggle for me.

However, I am learning that rest in the right proportion actually makes my body stronger.  It's the reason we are wired for sleep every day.  And now I am starting to value the day I don't work out.  Often, I have this song running through my head.

Workout recap

NONE!!

  

Just a few inches more... 3/3/12

Every day, I just try to do more than the day before.  A little faster, a little longer, a little better.  It's may sound cliche, but gaining even a few inches every day, if you stay at it long enough, will put you miles ahead. Sometimes, I look back in amazement at how far I have come by just trying to gain a few inches every day.


It was not that long ago that the mere thought of running would make me break out in a sweat, a cold one.  I still don't really consider myself a runner, but I may have to change my self-definition.  This week, I ran 28 miles by simply adhering to my motto - a few inches more.  Four runs of seven miles each.  


Sometimes, I just sit and wonder.  Where will I be next week, next month, next year if I can continue to focus on those few inches?


Makes me think of a scene from a famous movie...


Workout recap
Workout - Running
Pace - 4.5 mi (6.7 mph, 1.0 incline); 2.5 mi (7.5 mph, 1.0 incline)