Pheidippides’s BodyBlog

Running is coming along.  My first real running fitness test was a 5K the Sunday before last. I finished in 20:40, well off my PR of 20:04 last Labor Day.  I was disappointed, but not really surprised.  I’m coming off a lull in my running, and I’m a few pounds heavier than I was for that last 5K.  Training is going pretty well, and my mileage is increasing, so I’m confident of improving soon.  My first goal is to get that 5K time under 20 minutes before mid-summer.  Then I’ll concentrate on training for a 10K, with my goal of running under 40 minutes by the end of the year, before I run the California International Marathon again in December.

No progress on weight loss so far, due to lack of discipline.

This is my first post since Feb. 4, when I was gearing up for a 4 mile race, my first of the year.  The result was a big disappointment, and for the next five weeks I scaled my running way back.  The consequences were putting on a few extra pounds, and losing a bit of my fitness.  The upside was giving my body time to heal and recover from some lingering injuries.

I’m now back into a serious fitness regimen.  The focus this year will be on running, but incident to that I plan to lose some weight, do some modest strength training, and continue working on gettign leaner and fitter overall.  I currently weigh 175.2, well over my low point last year, but not terribly so.

My pre-Memorial Day goals are to get my running mileage up to about 30 mpw or more, do a couple of races, try to get my 5K pace back to about 20 minutes (or better if possible), and drop six pounds to close to 169.  I’m doing regular pushups as well, and will work at supplementing running with some cross training (swimming and gym machines, and maybe some cycling) and light strength training.  If I can lose weight I know I will be able to set new PRs in races this year.  At the end of the year I plan to run the California International Marathon, and next April I’ll run the Boston Marathon (I qualified with last December’s performance).

I’ve already started eating better — watching portion size, avoiding bad carbs, avoiding deadly late night snacking, that sort of thing.

Ultimate goals this year: 1) Get weight down under 165 pounds; 2) run 5K in well under 20 minutes, half marathon in under 1:30, and 10K in under 40 minutes sometime before the marathon.  I still don’t have a clear marathon goal, but at a minimum I’d like to beat 3:10.