In about six weeks I will run in the Iron Mom Half Marathon...and I'm starting to feel a little worried. I'm not concerned about finishing it because I know that I can cover the distance. My concern is how well I finish. I believe firmly in training so that I finish strong. In my humble opinion, you enjoy the race more if you feel strong throughout. Yes, you'll have tough spots and low points but overall I like to finish feeling like I conquered the world and can kick a little more chicken, as my Pastor would say.
Currently I'm training for the half while also finishing up Jamie Eason's LiveFit program. My miles and my real life are suffering so I'm thinking I need to rethink my plan. I know part of the issue is that I'm not eating enough to fuel my body for everything I want to accomplish. Thirty minutes into a run I feel like every ounce of energy I have is gone. The longest I've run so far is a little over five miles.
So, as much as I love lifting and love the results I've seen with the LiveFit program, I think I need to revise my plan. I don't want to lose the lean muscle I've gained so I will continue to lift, just not as heavy and not as frequently. Right now I'm lifting six days a week, running three days a week, cycling one day a week, and swimming one day a week. Plus softball (doubleheaders) once a week. The result is that I'm too pooped to be effective in other parts of my life, i.e. laundry and dusting.
To keep myself balanced over the next six weeks I'm going to cut back lifting to three times a week on my non-running days, run three days a week (speed, tempo, and long run), cycling one day a week (on one of the lifting days), and swimming once a week (on Saturdays, after my long run). That means I won't be finishing Phase 3 of LiveFit, which sucks, but I'll pick it back up mid-May and continue to focus on cutting my bodyfat.
In the meantime, I think I will take a CEU course on nutrition to help me with fueling adequately. Over the course of four years I've lost and kept off over 100 pounds but I still have about 30-40 pounds to go before I reach my tentative weight goal. This is probably the toughest part of the journey because the weight is not wanting to budge and I have to adjust my approach. The things that worked before don't seem to be working right now, so I need to rewind and come again.
To quote Jay Z, "It's all about progression...can't be afraid to fail, in search of perfection." Not that I'm pursing perfection, but you get the point. Sometimes you have to tweak things and readjust along the journey, and that's okay. Just don't ever stop or reverse route. Move it forward!
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