Tired, But Encouraged

Monday night I was back at the gym and on a treadmill for the first time in almost two months. I ran two 5k races in October and an 8k in November but then I took a break to enjoy the holidays and all the food that comes with it. More importantly, I was looking to stay healthy - and for a 6"5 guy like myself, the rest is huge for my joints.

My goal was fairly easy: 2 miles in around 20 minutes. At first, I wasn't sure how out of shape I was going to feel, but a minute into "Bridgeless" by Umphreys McGee and I was hitting my stride. I set my pace early and hit my goal with little trouble. I also got a big lift from Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" - one of my favorite running tracks.

Yesterday was a rest day and gladly I didn't even feel sore. Today I was back on the treadmill for another 20 minutes, but with a goal to increase my pace and mileage. I hit 2.1 miles with ease while looking out the gym window at 10 degree weather and an imminent snowstorm. I'd like to be brave and do an outside run, but that's just not in the cards in the near future.

As soon as I get up to about a 5 mile run at a 9:00/mi. pace I'm going to start mixing in a spin class, mainly for the cardio, but also to start getting used to the saddle. I'm also looking to cut my weight down to about 195 by the end of February. On the days I run, I allow myself to eat a little more and on rest days I eat a little less. I am also keen on trying out a fat burning run early in the morning in the next few weeks. I read about the concept on Phil Gaimon's blog (http://bicycling.com/blogs/livingthedream/) as it relates to cycling. Well, that's all for now.

Tomorrow's Goal: 10 minutes, 1.25 miles and core workout.

Weight: 213.0

- Joe

Twitter: @Run_Bike_Paddle