Not a Bad Week

Today, I polished off a pretty decent week of training with a 6-miler. That is the longest distance that I have run in several months. Overall it wasn't too bad, although I chose a very hilly course so the run was quite challenging. The good thing is that I know the next time I run the same route it should be easier. Just as I left to go running, it began snowing outside, and by the time that I finished, the snow was coming down pretty fast. I'm glad that I finished when I did because within an hour or two, the roads became very slushy and sloppy.

The past week was busy, and I feel pretty good to have done as much training as I did. Monday I was off work for President's Day so I didn't do much but veg out and do some small things around the house. I also went out and de-iced the driveway from the snow and sleet the week before. On Tuesday, I went to the gym after work and got in a pretty good weight workout followed by 20 minutes on the recumbent bike and ~23 minutes walking on the treadmill. Wednesday was a very nice day in the upper 40's so I went for a 3-mile run on one of my well-worn running routes by my house. On Thursday, I had a dinner function after work and didn't get home until 8:00pm. I had planned to go to the gym, but it just got to be too late for that. It was cold and windy outside on Friday so I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at work. I ran a pretty challenging program with lots of long and steep hills so I really got a good workout. Saturday found me back in the gym. I trained shoulders, hamstrings, and lower back. I warmed up with 10 minutes on the bike and had planned to do a total of 60 minutes of cardio along with the weights, but I ran out of time. I was glad to have at least gotten to the gym and worked out though. As I mentioned earlier, I capped off the week with a 6-miler today.

I am still planning to travel to State College in two weeks to do the Laurel Switchback 10K, but that is somewhat dependent on the weather. If it is snowing or nasty outside, I'm not going to undertake the 2-hour drive just to run a 10K race. Before long, the local race season (mostly 5Ks and 5-milers) will kick into gear, and there will be plenty of opportunities to test my fitness level. I am starting to be able to see the weight loss in my face, and I can see and feel less bulk around my middle so that is a good sign. I can already feel some tightness in my calves so it's apparent that I'm going to be a little sore from today's effort. When I'm sore this soon after a run, I know that it was a strong effort. I don't find the soreness unpleasant at all. In fact, I love it. Bring it on! Tomorrow it's back to the gym to begin a new week of training.