Well it’s been way to long since my last blog so here we go. Since my last one I have ran two 5k races. I did well in both of them. The first one was May 9th. I ran 24:59 and came in 11th out of about 90 people and 3rd in my age group. I got a bronze medal (my first ever performance based running award). I was so happy to get a 5k under 25 minutes. The other 5k was July 4th. I thought about doing the 10k instead but I have been nursing a sore knee so I opted for the 5k. My time was 24:30 and I was 12th out of about 90 people. I got 2nd in my age group and got a pretty cool dog tag medal. 24:30 is starting to get pretty quick. It gives me hope that I might start getting pretty competitive at the 5k distance.
The July 4th 5k was the kickoff to my official marathon training. That’s what this blog is all about now that I completed my ½ marathon. My next scheduled race is The Middle Half. It’s a half marathon in Murfreesboro on October 3rd. Then it’s crunch time. I want to run a full marathon before the end of the year. Here are my 3 best options…
-Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in Fort Oglethorpe, GA on November 14th.
-St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, TN on December 5th.
-Run Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Al on December 12th.
Currently it looks like I will be traveling for work the first 2 weeks of December, so I will probably be doing the Battlefield Marathon. Its limited to only 600 people so at least it won’t be as crowed as the Country Music Half. I am hoping to have a much larger sense of accomplishment after doing the full marathon. The half just wasn’t fulfilling enough. In regard to my knee soreness, I self diagnosed myself with an inflamed Iliotibial band. I took some time off and also purchased a Pro-Tec Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap. I have used it on every run since I got it and have not had any pain.
Finally, I am still working on losing weight and getting fit. I still teach spin class on Tuesday nights and fill in occasionally on other nights. I have settled in on the following workout schedule…
Mondays – Short Run
Tuesdays – Teach Spin Class
Wednesdays – Lift Weights
Thursdays – Short/Medium Run
Fridays – Lift Weights
Saturdays – Long Run
Sundays – Lift Weights
I am focusing more on my weight lifting currently. I am drinking GNC’s Amplified Muscle Meal after each weight session. I like the results I am seeing so far. I am getting stronger and leaner. My only concern is that my muscle gains will cancel out my fat losses. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I would like to lose another 10-15 lbs to make running that much easier.
