Well, I haven’t been posting lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working out. In fact, I’ve been particularly motivated for the last few weeks: This morning, I ran the Sporting Life 10k.
When last I posted, I had just signed up for a membership at Extreme Fitness. The membership was a good idea: I’ve been working out at the gym regularly, developing a rhythm that’s really working for me. I work a three day split that I chose from the excellent ideas on stumptuous.com (which, by the way, is a fabulous site – one I highly recommend for anyone interested in weight training):
- Mondays: medium weight
- Wednesdays: light weight, more reps
- Fridays: heavy weight, fewer reps
I’m really enjoying the variety this setup offers, in particular the heavy days. I’m increasing the weight I lift and surprising myself with how strong I’m getting.
When I decided to run the 10k, I added running to the mix: shorter runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a longer run on the weekend. I had tried out the treadmill last fall when I first joined the gym, but didn’t stick with it. It seems I lacked motivation – hence, the 10k. I knew from experience that signing up for a race would definitely encourage me to actually train; sure enough, once I’d officially register for the race, I got back on the treadmill.
I did make one technical mistake: I didn’t truly believe people who said that running on a treadmill is not the same as running outdoors. Trust me: they’re right. I trained for six weeks on the treadmill, gradually increasing my pace, running intervals, including long runs. Then last weekend, the weather was actually nice enough for me to take my long run outside – and I nearly died! It was so much different than running on a treadmill! I returned from the 10k thinking that there was no point in actually running the race because I’d either collapse, or my time would be an embarrassment.
Thankfully, my sweetie encouraged me to give it another chance, and counseled me to taper down as the race approached. It worked: Not only did I run a personal best, but I beat my goal time of 1:10 by almost four minutes. I’m actually thinking that next year, I might just be able to crack the one-hour mark!
So now I’m setting myself a new goal: In the five months since I joined the gym last fall, I’ve been working out quite regularly, getting stronger and improving my running, but I haven’t been worrying much about what I eat. I’ve gained both muscle and fat in that time: the “bulking” phase. Now, I’m going to focus on “cutting:” losing the fat. I’ll continue to lift the weights and run (though maybe not quite as often), but I’m going to start counting the calories and making sure that I keep the intake lower than the output. I’m feeling really good after today’s run, so I’m motivated.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I’ve got a high-school reunion in three weeks…