A few changes

Saturday, January 12th

7:30 PM - 6 Miles, 41 min
Winchester loop

Another busy day so I didn't get out for a run in the morning. I also had to stay late at work to talk things over with my boss, so by the time I got home, I wasn't very motivated to get out for a run. I was exhausted from the week so I just did an easy 6 miles and called it good. I was able to make it through most of the Pats game and at least see them get a comfortable lead before I passed out on the couch in the 4th quarter. I woke up a couple hours later and went straight to bed which is why I didn't get my post up on here.

So I've been talking about all this stuff going on but haven't filled you in at all. The reason things have been crazy at work was because Tony has been planning to sell the store. I've known about this for a while now and thought things were pretty much settled with the buyer that I had met with several times and was already considering my new boss. However, on Friday, Tony came into the store shortly after lunch and told me he had just sold the store to a different buyer. This took me completely by surprise and still has not really set in yet. So currently, I am no longer the manager of Runner's Edge, but rather the manager of Marathon Sports (the Melrose Branch). I now work for Colin Peddie and Tony works for me. It was not an ordinary day.

Sunday, January 13th

11:00 AM - 13 Miles, 84 min
Fells (Trails!)

I was able to sleep in a little today and recover from a busy week. It was a great day for a run and I was finally able to get back onto the trails (something I probably won't be able to do tomorrow). There were still some icy spots here and there and parts that got pretty buddy, but overall, the conditions were pretty good. It was certainly nice to get off the roads for a change.

I felt comfortable through most of the run as I was running a decent clip, but started fading towards the end and feeling a little energy depleted. When I got back, I had a huge brunch (eggs, pancakes, a bowl of fruit, and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter while cooking) ...I was pretty hungry! I used to feel guilty about eating so much after a run, but I have come to realize that it's necessary for me at times and my body is just telling me I need more calories when I fall into that energy deficit (Rupprecht has helped me understand this more as well). Even on days that I don't run as much (or at all), I know that my body is still working hard to recover from the days before so I know now that I don't need to worry about cutting out extra calories or a whole meal just because I ran 6 miles less than I did the day before. I've certainly worked hard in the last year to lose some weight and in turn make myself a faster runner. I am quite a bit thinner than I was at this time last year, and I have improved my times quite a bit in that period. However, this isn't the only thing that's contributed to that. I have changed a lot of things about my lifestyle, including my job, my attitude towards my training and my overall work ethic. In the last few weeks, I have been doing a lot more core exercises and strength work in order to build faster and stronger muscles... something that will hopefully move me around the track a little more efficiently. But as I'm doing all this, I need to also be careful about my calorie intake. I can't be putting myself into deficit the way I have in the past. I am the lightest I've ever been and now I need to focus on my strength. I can't expect to build that strength or run those times if I'm depleting my body of the energy it needs. So I have gotten better about eating more often and not worrying about whether or not it will add another digit on the scale. Because I realize it is what will make me stronger.

The start to my track season is just around the corner and I am both very excited and very nervous. I feel like I have a lot more to do before getting out there but have to realize that my outdoor season is the main focus this year and everything I do now is just a stepping stone toward that. I have quite a few things coming up in the next week... I'll be discovering more about my roles at work with my new boss, I'll be starting with a new chiropractor (Dr. John Marchase), I'll be going to NYC to visit Paul and watch a great race at the armory, and I'll hopefully be running fast in what should at least be an interesting mile race at Harvard.

So that's it for now but I will certainly have more to talk about soon. Right now, I'm heading down to the great "Ocean State" to visit my lovely sister, Christine.

Training Log (Jan 7-13)
Monday: 7 Miles, 47 min
Tuesday: 4 x 1200 w/ 3.5 mr, avg = 3:23.2; Total- 10 Miles, 69 min
Wednesday: 12 Miles, 75 min
Thursday: 8 Miles, 56 min
Friday: 5 x mile w/ 1 mr, avg = 4:51; Total- 12 Miles, 73 min
Saturday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Sunday: 13 Miles, 84 min

Total = 68 Miles, 7 runs
Decent week considering my hip thing and everything else that was going on this week. Again, I'm looking forward to this next week and hope to be feeling a little stronger.