Catching Up

It's been a good couple of weeks' worth of training. I didn't get a lot of runs in during my last week in Chicago, but the runs I had were quality. And my birthday run -- the Big Peach 5K -- was a comfortable sub-9 minute pace 5K.

This last week has been really good, though. I got in three runs, including a nice series of hills on Wednesday (before it got crazy hot) and any easy 4+ miler yesterday with the Morning Run crew. I can tell I'm getting stronger. There's still a long way to go, but the base is beginning to be set. Laura and I run another 5K race -- I think we both need more practice getting prepared for and running well under race conditions -- next weekend, and then I think we'll take a bit of a break until the Peachtree.

I'm also committed to working more biking/cross-training into my workout schedule. Laura's parents were nice enough to give me a Performance Bicycles gift card for my birthday, and I cashed it in for sunglasses and a new jersey and shorts. Nothing fancy but all very functional and comfortable. So this morning I took off for a 30+ mile ride through Buckhead and points north. This route is a substantial portion of the Buckhead Butt-Busters ride that Mari sponsors as a MS fundraiser. And it will bust your butt.

I have to come to terms with the fact that I'm 1) not as a strong on the bike as I used to be and 2) carrying too much damned weight to be efficient. Between this difficult ride -- and let's be clear here, it would have been difficult for me in my 20s and 30s -- and the slower times I'm posting for runs, I'm trying to figure out what it is I'm really coming to terms with. I think I've still got a few "fast" years left in me. The trick will be consistent training and better nutrition. Easy enough to say, and I am beginning to make steps in the right direction in both regards. But the proof will be in my decreasing waistline and similarly decreasing times. Game on. Let's do this.