10K Team in Training - week 2

The mid-week workouts are basically Monday - repeat Saturday's distance; Wednesday - go further than that; Thursday - change to cross-training of some sort such as elliptical. Sunday, Tuesday and Friday are rest days. The rest on Tuesday seems weird to me since that is a normal gym day for me. This week, I lifted on Tuesday and rested on Friday. Since I wasn't on the treadmill on Tuesday, I did both arms and upper body the same day. Ouch! DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness. That was me on Wednesday and Thursday. My pects (aka Man Boobs) hurt like hell Wednesday and Thursday. On Monday and Wednesday, I ran / walked on the treadmill way further than my program called for, and topped 650+ calories on each of those days.

Yesterday, we did our long weekly run outside. After a very brief discussion, it was a 2-mile day. The morning was crisp - in the upper 30s to start (it was <20 the previous morning), so dressing correctly became a challenge. A sleeveless wicking shirt first, followed by a long sleeved wicking workout shirt. My top layer was a sweatshirt - not the best choice but the best I had. I think I will try to find a better top layer for next week. On my bottom, just workout pants (wicking type). On my head, I wore the 180 ear grips made for running. I finished this outfit off with my 180 brand running gloves. I love those gloves! I've had the ear grips and gloves for a couple of years now and they both work really well in cold weather.

I ran the first mile with a bit of effort, but kept going for another quarter mile or so before starting to walk. I do walk quickly, so didn't lose much of my place in line. I picked back up running again until the hill - then walked to the top and finished with almost 1/2 mile run. All in all, I felt good about both my effort and the fact that I was about the 12th fastest in the novice group. Monday, I will have to do 2-miles on the treadmill, so I will have to see how that goes.

I am determined that this training will not kill me - I will push myself physically - further than I have since high school. I am not as mentally tough or as physically strong as I was then, and many pounds heavier. However, I have done more physically in the past 12 months than in the prior 20 years. After the first few months, my weight hasn't drastically changed at all. But, I do have less fat and significantly more muscle than I did a year ago. A few changes to my eating need to occur (like bringing lunch and eating oatmeal for breakfast). So, this next 9 weeks will help get that kick started. I don't want to be lugging this weight around for 6+ miles on March 31st!