I originally had planned to run with the Rock group tonight, but after my car gave up the ghost I was transportionally limited, so I canc'ed that plan. Instead, I did my fourth Tuesday/Thursday spin class session in a row. I don't think I've ever gone to 4 straight classes with Renee.
I was too wasted afterwards to work on strength training, and I needed to get back to the office anyway. I'm running a pretty good calorie deficit for the week, been getting 60-70 minutes of good cardio each day, and STILL feel pretty good: fresh, no fatique or injury.
I think I'm ready to run again. I'm going to give a light-paced 3 mile jog a try tomorrow. I'm assuming that things will be fine, in which case I'll do 6-7 miles on Saturday. Sunday is going to be a rest day. (I might swap Saturday and Sunday, depending on what else is going on this weekend.)
The AFC half marathon is a week from Sunday. My heart and lungs are ready; my running muscles and joints are not, so this is going to be quite interesting. If my calf acts up, then it's REALLY going to be interesting. But barring total catastrophe, I'm going to finish, even if it means walking a bunch. The last thing I want to do though is re-injure something and then put myself behind the power curve for starting up my marathon training in September.
Speaking of training, I forgot I was going to sign up for masters swim this month. Even though I had swimming on my weekly plan, I haven't even gotten into the pool on my own. Since Renee's going to be gone next week, I think I'll try to emphasize swims next week during my "taper." (je je.)
Another thing I need to take care of is schedule a physical. I've done this concerted cholesterol-reduction diet and exercise regimen for the past 6 weeks. I'm anxious to see if there is any movement in my lipid counts. I've lost 3 pounds of fat and I think I've really done well in getting my omega-3 fatty acids ratio into an ideal range. I thought I'd be down to 15% body fat by now, but I'm still in the 16s.
One thing I've noticed is that an overabundance of carbs (approaching or exceeding 60% of my daily calories) leaves me hungrier and more lethargic/sleepy. I feel much better and more energized when carbs are around 50% and aren't made up of grainy foods. It's been a little psychologically nerve-racking to have my fat calorie percentages consistently around 20-25% and even 30% of total, but I think they are a good balance of Omega-3 and -6s. That and the attention to protein, I think, has helped me feel more energetic.
The lack of running might actually have something to do with it too, since relying on other cardio activities and more emphasis on strength training has had less hard impact on my muscles, bones and connective tissues. After all the running I'd been doing, this short respite might have been just what the body needed. Maybe my calf pulling up slightly lame was to serve as a governor to get me to take a break before burning out or causing a more significant injury.
Nevertheless, I look forward to getting my running legs back. I'm hoping the recent reliance on crosstraining will prove to have been a benefit and catalyst to improved running going in the Fall.
No comments:
Post a Comment