Shedding the pounds

Before signing up for my next 50K - I am making a commitment to loose 25lbs. It'll make me faster, leaner and stronger. I'm really excited to get this phase in check to see where and how far I can run by just loosing my midsection. So tough - and I love beer so much. Ugh. Starting on Monday and allowing myself one beer and a little chocolate on those long run days. I'm still completely maintaining my running and get in a 8-10 mile run once a week so I don't loose out on all the work I've done so far.

It was so hot and humid on this weeks trip to Chicago... boy, I felt like I ran double the miles as my chest was heaving from that heavy air. I love the fact that I can run out my hotel anywhere in the world. Such a perk to becoming an addict. Not necessarily to running itself but to how good I feel when I stop.

I always feel better when I'm standing in my booth for 8 hours if I've run that morning.

Still excited for this journey I call my life.

Accountability

The 30-Day Challenge is still on it's way. We are near the end of Day 9... and it looks like everyone is still on track. If they did skip a day - it looks as if they've made it up along the way. My countdown to finding another 50k is on and I've already started adding up the training days again. This time I'm going to intermingle bicycling and running to get my legs stronger for longer runs and the hilly, mountainous terrain I have come to love.

Now - starting tomorrow is where it's going to get a bit tougher and I'll need all the support I can get while I dial in my diet. Trying to cut down sugar and starch... oh, how I love my starch. I will allow it for breakfast to kick start my day and workouts. I'll be focusing in on protein, fruits, veggies and nuts.

I figure if I write it and post this - I'm a bit more accountable to it. This will be the toughest week to overcome. If I can do it - anyone can.

Thanks for joining me on this new chapter in my journey to 50k and beyond.

If you want to still join us on the 30-DAY CHALLENGE - click the link.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/30-DAY-CHALLENGE/112345338809563?ref=ts

Make it a great day!

Battling Belly Fat

Since I've been training for my first 50K. Diet has been an incredibly important aspect to recovery and fueling my exercise. So I decided to post this video - because I found it helpful and family proof. Hope it helps you!

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/video.aspx?vid=1b5ec37c-6114-444f-aacf-e8a89f3ab7ee

Bring On The Challenges....

So, I did the Wildwood trail on Saturday - which is the same trail that I'm running the 50k on in May. I had only done a few hikes and a short run in the past few weeks up there. I decided to take my longer run to the trails. Miles 1 - 8 were awesome. I mean sure the up hills were tough, but not quite what I expected coming back down. I think the 16 miles in a trail environment (felt like a paved Marathon), especially muddy, unstable and it being really cold was tougher on my body then expected. My left foot is sore on the outside area and I think the repeated pounding of the slippery downhills was rough on my knees. Sunday was fine, just a bit sore (but a good sore) and my foot seems to be feeling better. The trail was gorgeous and I'm looking forwarded to conquering it, in the meantime Advil is my friend. What it showed me, was that I have to now do all my runs up there with one flat run during the week for endurance. If my foot continues to hurt, I may need to buy a new pair of trail runners that have more cushioning - as I've never run on terrain as unsteady as that before. Smooth fire roads in Arizona or desert trails are completely different. Also, I have no ego when it comes to taking a step back, adding in some additional P90X yoga / core synergistics (like today) and taking on Wildwood Trail 6 miles at a time while building up to the 22 miler in the coming weeks. I guess that is why pushing myself this week was a positive experience. I wouldn't have know otherwise. I know then, that adding on 2 miles will be fine a week - while increasing the weekly mileage total until day of race. I have definitely gotten better at listening to my body. After reading in the new issue of Running Magazine, an article about Zen Running - I tried to apply a few of the principles. Listening to one's breath, the sound of foot steps, focusing in on the trail and not external thoughts. In fact, I ran this 16-miler without any music! Huge for me! Since it was a complete 360' from what I'm used too. I absolutely loved listening to the sounds of birds and the wind whip by. I felt as if I was running through a jungle. It was pretty cool.

I definitely don't have as much weight coming off for all that I am doing. So, I'm back on my daily plate (Livestrong.com) to start calculating everything again. I would love to strip away 10-12 lbs in coming month and I know I can do that with a few extra gym workouts - core - running - and watching my intake for sure.

Now all I can say is I'm eating lean to be lean, lifting light to feel light, and running up hills to get stronger. Bring on the challenges that lie a head - I will conquer them one mile at a time! Thanks for reading!