My run this morning was my fastest yet. I've been trying to get in a 4 mile run, outside, on the weekends. Now that it gets light earlier I have started running outside but I don't have time for more than 2 or so miles before I have to be back for Morgan to leave for work. I also usually have a walk song in the middle of my playlist for a break but today I decided to skip the walk song and just keep running. So with the exception of the warm and cool down songs (about 3 minutes each) I ran the whole way. I almost had to stop and cry toward the end I was so proud of myself.
I have another race on April 14th and I've been working on getting faster. I also want to run father but the faster part is more important to me right now. I've found that I run faster when I run outside rather than when I use the treadmill for pacing. Although the treadmill helps me push a little bit more because I can time my sprints.
In addition to running I have worked in three weight classes a week at the Y. Two of them are at 5:30am which has been surprisingly easy for me to get to. I like having my workout done early in the morning. It helps me get in a good mindset for the day and whatever else I have to tackle throughout the day I know I've gotten the hardest part out of the way. Some days I don't always get it in before work but it does get done. A workout has just become part of what absolutely has to be done during my day. And while I would prefer a good heart pumping workout every time some days get so busy that a workout is just a 20 minute walk with the dog. Those days don't happen very often but my goal is to get some kind of exercise every single day and a 20 minute walk counts. Earlier in the month after all the snow as gone Morgan got my bike street ready and I've been riding that and inline skating too.
In the past it seemed like Morgan and I were always on different pages of the exercise book. When he was fit and getting a lot of exercise I was busy holding down the couch. Or, well, I guess there hasn't really been an opposite when Morgan was holding down the couch! He's pretty good about fitting exercise into his day and knowing the importance of it. I think what's changed for him more than anything is a decrease in his metabolism. Morgan was that guy who could eat anything and everything (and did) but it didn't show on his body. He ran and biked and skied and that took care of whatever he ate. Now that we are older he has to watch it a bit more (or double or triple is workout time) to be at a weight that he is comfortable with. One of the downfalls of aging! At this point in our lives we both seem to be on the same page and focused on maintaining our health and fitness because if we don't we don't feel good and can't do the things we want to do as easily.
Yesterday was a good example of how all this fitness has changed my body. O and I went to the Farm (part of our county park system) with some friends and we hiked and walked and played on the hay bales and in the past when I would have been winded or felt tired, yesterday I did not. I ran with the kids. I climbed and jumped on the hay bales. At one point Owen needed to get back up onto the hay bales (which are those big round ones that are about 5 feet high) and I took hold of his hands and hoisted him up. O weighs 46 pounds. And I am only 5 feet tall. It was not a difficult task at all! There are other countless instances when I realize that all the work I do for my fitness is so worth it and I feel so much better than I did 6 months ago.
I still have a lot of work to do in terms of what I eat. I am not always good at getting regular meals or eating the right things but I am increasingly aware of what I'm eating (or not eating) because I am keeping track of it. And as a result of all the effort I've lost 12 pounds and I don't know how many inches and I'm down at least 2 pants sizes!
