Half A Mile of Thanksgiving

Like many other people today, I meditated on my many blessings. Unfortunately, it seems that my "many" blessings took me all of a quarter mile to conjure. On the other hand, I think it's so short because I don't need many things. I think I live simply and humbly. I don't need anything I don't already have. I have all my basic necessities: a home, clothing and food. Everything else is just really good dessert (which I incredibly passed up tonight). Here's what I remember...

For starters, I'm thankful for my terrific wife. To quote Jerry Maguire, she "completes me." I'm amazed at how well we've clicked together over the years and I'm honored to have her as my life partner. We both have loving, fun and supportive families.

I have great friends, close friends. Too many to mention, but some have watched me grow since I was a teenager.

I love my job because it continues to challenge me to learn and grow. My work environment is the best I've ever had thanks in large part to my colleagues who I would never want to let down.

I have an adorable, sometimes feisty parrot that says "hey good lookin'" among other gibberish.

As I was running in the park, I realized how fortunate I am to be living in this part of the world. Cenntral Park is a wonderful escape from the concrete jungle. I also realized how fortunate I am to be healthy and to be able to run and enjoy the nice cool autumn air.

Lastly, I'm thankful that I have a relationship with the Creator of all things. If there is anything that grounds me, it's knowing that I'm a spiritual being interconnected with everyone and everything in this universe. I get what I give, and will continue to aspire to share a loving and positive energy with others.

Still sore?

I think that I've transitioned out of running. Went for a really light run last night on the Central Park bridle path and covered about 7 miles. I'm surprised that I'm sore from that run. Granted I took a week off running, but I did spin hard a couple of times and did lots of walking.

So tonight, in staying with this taking November light theme, I skipped my running class and went on a dinner date with Sara at The Eatery. I think I enjoyed that much better. Skipping class also enabled me to pick up my hard drive at UPS after dinner :-) And for tonight's workout...I decided to do lots of reps with light weights for various shoulder exercises and about 50 pullups total. I lost count of my shoulder reps.

I Did It!

I managed to stay away from running for one entire week! Yep, that's big news for me. Along the way, I managed to make up for most of my calorie deficit the last few months of training...seriously. As I blog, I just finished off a pan of brownies Sara made tonight after dinner. I decided to go down this week in a blaze of glory and try to enjoy every sinful culinary delight and for the most part, I think I've succeeded.

I don't know why it's so hard for me to not do anything active. It's not that I don't enjoy vegging. I really do. I've entertained the idea of gaining lots of weight and then try to compete on The Biggest Loser. After this week, I don't think I could even if I tried. I feel really sick, and all I got from that was three pounds. I was hoping for about five.

Tomorrow, it's back to business. I won't be logging many miles on my feet, but even though I haven't run since last Sunday, I managed to do some pretty good spin sessions at the hotel. If I can do three or four Tabata intervals for each session followed by weights, I'll be in pretty decent shape.

Time For Weights!

With the running season behind me, it's time to start regaining some lost strength. Went up to the gym today and boy, did I feel weak. Having lost ~5lbs of muscle over the last few months, I expected it. Nevertheless, it's still a humbling experience to not be able to lift the weight I was accustomed to lifting. I figure it'll take a couple of weeks to get back into the groove. As a new regimen for this off season, I've also decided to incorporate more HIIT in the form of Tabata intervals on the spinner. After what the sports doc told me, I'm going to limit my running to 3, maybe 4x per week and keep the mileage in the 20's over the next few weeks. All the while, I hope to regain some lost upper body strength and flexibility. I'm also curious to see how the Tabata intervals on the spinner will affect my running.

What the Sports Doc Told Me Today

Referring to my lower back area - "You're all messed up down here."

On my general physical condition - "Runners are the most worn and torn people I come across."

Had never seen a sports doc before, but since my health insurance would cover my visit, I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage. Had hip x-rays taken and flexibility tests. Generally, I'm healthy...just kind of stiff.

Feeling directionless...and hungry

It was hard to get out of the apartment and go to the NYRR running session tonight. I had such a nice relaxing day at home with Sara and I just wanted that to continue. Thankfully, Sara started workout out (on purpose) around the time I needed to leave. She knows I can't sit around if she's working out. Smart girl.

I'm still feeling a general lack of motivation. Even though I saw this coming, it's still somewhat difficult to go from a razor sharp focus on training to zero direction and training. My running does not define life or who I am, but it sure feels like there's a large hole to fill right now. I think I just need to accept that for the next couple of weeks, I'll be doing nothing but light running just to maintain the training base I've gained the last few months.

Another thing I'm struggling with is the diet adjustment. I'm not averaging 50 mile weeks anymore so I don't need the extra energy. I miss the extra intake. It's 10 to midnight and I'm craving brownies. Ugh. Right now, I feel like eating whatever and whenever I want is reason enough to run.

Recovery Week

Ran only twice last week. That's the least that I've run since, well, can't remember. I'd have to look at my logs. I think that I needed the recovery though.

Volunteered at the NYRR Cross Country Championships in the Bronx yesterday. I'm glad to have completed my required volunteer work to do the marathon next year. It was a good experience to be rooting on runners during a race. It was a small race so the work went by pretty quickly. The only regret I had was not taking running clothes with me. It was a perfect day for a run.