Weigh in Monday: I forget what week it is!

Oh goodness, it's been a couple weeks since I posted a weigh in! I don't know how many weeks I've been at this now, but for those just joining me, I started first of December. So that's about 4 months.

Lest you think I'm jumped off the bandwagon, let me tell you that as of today, I weigh 146 pounds!! Yes, you read that right! I'm down a total of 16 pounds since I started my weight loss adventure - I've lost a whopping 9.8% of my body weight! How awesome is that?!

This morning, I had a GREAT 5 mile run, too. It was my perfect running weather, too: slightly chilly, overcast, but not raining. It felt so good to breathe in the sweet, fragrant air of spring. It was a pretty hilly run, and I finished it in 59 minutes. Not fast by any stretch, but for endurance runs like these I'm just focused on getting used to the distance.

It's time to transition into marathon training now. I've dropped substantial weight, I've achieved some fitness these past few months, and I have a half marathon on the calendar for June! Time to get cracking!

To avoid injuring myself or over-training, I'm simply going to be adding a second day of running per week. I'll also keep up with 2 days of weight-training focus and a 3rd cardio session as I'm able. In a few weeks, I'll replace that 3rd cardio session with another run. But I don't plan on running more than 3 days per week - even in the height of my training season.

Here's the plan for the week ahead:

Monday: 5 miles - DONE!
Tuesday: Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones (this is a 50-minute workout)
Wednesday: 45 minutes cardio
Thursday: Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 3 miles
Sunday: 30-Day Shred, any level

Overall, I'm pleased with my progress. I have 10 more pounds to go and am confident I will reach my goal as I train for my races!

*REVISED* training schedule

It was recently brought to my attention that the half marathon is in JUNE and not JULY. So I'm obviously gonna need to tweak my running schedule! Here is the new schedule to get me trained in time:

January
(Pre-training schedule)
Week 1: 3 miles (done!)
Week 2: 3 miles (done!)
Week 3: 3 miles (done!)
Week 4: 3 miles (done!)
Week 5: 3 miles (done!)

February
(Pre-training, cont)
Week 1: 3.5 miles
Week 2: 3 miles
Week 3: 3.5 miles
Week 4: 3 miles

March
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: St Patty's Day 5K (Tacoma) on March 13th
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 5 miles

April
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: 6 miles
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 7 miles

May
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: 9 miles
Week 3: 4 miles
Week 4: 10 miles
Week 5: 4 miles

June
Week 1: 12 miles
Week 2: 6 miles
Week 3: 4 miles
June 26: Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon

July
Week 1: OFF
Week 2: 5 miles + a magical mile (I need to read more about this)
Week 3: 6 miles
Week 4: 15 miles
Week 5: 6 miles

August
Week 1: 17 miles
Week 2: 6 miles
Week 3: 7 miles + a magical mile
Week 4: 20 miles

September
Week 1: 6 miles
Week 2: 7 miles + a magical mile
Week 3: 23 miles
Week 4: 6 miles

October
Week 1: 7 miles
Week 2: Portland Marathon on October 10th
Week 3: OFF

The major adjustments come in June and July. I've opted to NOT do the Sound to Narrows race given the half marathon is the same month. I want to be fully ready and reserved for that race.

I completed all my January 3-mile runs, and starting this weekend, it's time to up my game and transition into some longer distances. I'm ready; bring it on!

The year ahead in running & racing

I've finally settled on the races I want to participate in and the schedule I want to follow this year. This time around, I've decided on (loosely) following the Galloway Training Cycle. His is a 30-week cycle - much longer than the 16-week cycles I'm used to. His plan takes you way up to 26 miles, and I'm gonna modify that slightly making my longest run 23 miles pre-race. I'm also opting to spice things up by adding a few races into the mix.

So here is my long-run and race schedule for 2010. Each of these distances is a single run most likely completed on a weekend. For January, I will run once a month. In February, I may add a second running day per week if I can get get below 150 pounds (I want to avoid injury.) Once I get into the thick of my training, I will run 2 30-minute sessions each week in addition to my long run - that's it!

January
(Pre-training schedule)
Week 1: 3 miles (done!)
Week 2: 3 miles
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 3 miles
Week 5: 3 miles

February
(Pre-training, cont)
Week 1: 3.5 miles
Week 2: 3 miles
Week 3: 3.5 miles
Week 4: 3 miles

March
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: St Patty's Day 5K (Tacoma) on March 13th
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 5 miles

April
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: 6 miles
Week 3: 3 miles
Week 4: 7 miles

May
Week 1: 3 miles
Week 2: 9 miles
Week 3: 4 miles
Week 4: 10 miles
Week 5: 4 miles

June
Week 1: 12 miles
Week 2: Sound to Narrows on June 13th (12K)
Week 3: 13 miles
Week 4: 5 miles

July
Week 1: 15 miles
Week 2: 5 miles + a magical mile (I need to read more about this)
Week 3: 5 miles
Week 4: Seattle Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon on July 26th
Week 5: OFF

August
Week 1: 17 miles
Week 2: 6 miles
Week 3: 7 miles + a magical mile
Week 4: 20 miles

September
Week 1: 6 miles
Week 2: 7 miles + a magical mile
Week 3: 23 miles
Week 4: 6 miles

October
Week 1: 7 miles
Week 2: Portland Marathon on October 10th
Week 3: OFF

Beyond this, I'm unsure what I'll do. I *might* consider doing the Seattle 1/2 or full Marathon as well in November depending on how I'm feeling. But right now, October's my target!

Photo credit Felipe Wiecheteck