Three Weeks to Go

Weight: 243 (-2 lbs, -9 total)

Well, it turns out the scale battery is fine. It was set to kilograms for whatever reason. Anyway, I'm down another 2 lbs, and just wrapped a great week of exercise. Today I topped it off with a run to the gym, 20 mins on the elliptical, a weight lifting session, and a run back home. I felt good. I've noticed though that when I run, the first 5 minutes are the toughest for me. I really struggle to get my breath and get into a rhythm. I always wondered why runners run before their races, and I think I'm going to try that at the 5K this Friday. I'll have plenty of time, so I'm going to go for a short half mile jog just to get my lungs and legs warmed up and then try to run the race. My goal is to finish under 30 minutes, which would be cutting 7 minutes off my time since November. Not too shabby!

My goals for this week are to really try and eat reasonably healthy. I want to feel good when I run on Friday. I usually do a good job of drinking water, so I'll keep pounding the water. I'm going to try not to eat anything real heavy or rich. I plan to go to thy gym on Monday to do some cardio, then run on Tuesday. Wednesday will be tough with the t-ball game, so I may take off Wed, then do some more cardio on Thursday. If I do that I think I'll be in good shape for Friday.

After that I am going to go into full Warrior mode for two weeks. I'm going to give up the sweets and greasy foods I love. I'm going to focus on being in the best possible shape I can be in for that day. I know its going to be tough, and I know I probably could have done more to get ready, but I feel as good and healthy now as I've felt in a long time.

I also want to acknowledge Kathy's accomplishment this weekend. She ran the Odyssey half marathon in 2:15. That's unbelievable. And to know how far she has come in two years is just really inspiring. She eats healthy, she's completely dedicated to running, and her dedication has clearly paid off. She looks great, and she's probably in the best shape of her life. I am so proud of her. I wish I could find that well of determination that she has. She does say that a lot of it is just mind over matter - overcoming the mental challenges. I always argue that when you have the limited mental abilities that I have that it doesn't really matter so much, but I get what she's saying. I know I can run the 5K under 30 mins. I know that I just have to keep those legs moving.

So that's it. Kind of a rambling update. I feel like I'm boring anyone that's reading this with the same updates week after week, but I also feel like I have to keep writing this to stay accountable to my goal. I promise a more entertaining update post-Warrior Dash.

I'll update Friday evening with the results of the Jeremy Jedi's 5K. And as mentioned before, if anyone wants to run or walk with me (come on work friends - we're in Malvern anyway...) you can sign up here (and there's free food after the race!!!)

http://jeremysjedi.org/

Lastly, if you can, please support my fundraising efforts for the Warrior Dash. All donations are for St. Jude Children's Hospital. I can't be the only one who sponsors me! Sponsor me and I'll buy you a beer next time I see you. Thanks!

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=746301&programId=901&eventId=259854