Mid March Update

The first half of March has been very challenging. The first week of March my wife and I were in the Bahamas for a work meeting / event. It was great to be in the warmth but the full day of travel to and from, along with the activities we needed to attend, coupled with nothing but concrete to run on, plus a lot of really good food, bottom line I didn't get the mileage in I should have and ate way too much food and gained some weight.

The second week went much better. I was able to get back into my routine and put in the mileage. I was able to go run Saturday with my son Josh. We went out to Antelope Island and ran the first 19 miles of the 50 Mile race that Josh is in there on March 26th. He is so much faster than I am that he has to drag me along the entire route. It really makes me press my time but I know it forces him to really slow down from what he is accustomed to. It was great to spend the time with him and the time went by much faster by having a running partner. I am very excited to see how he does in his race on the 26th, I think he will do extremely well.

Summary for the first half of March. Still a lot of work related stress, it is simmering down but is still huge. I ate better the second week than the first. I put in 50 miles the second week, my first 50 mile week ever. I am hammered physically due to the time change and not enough sleep for the mileage I have put in. All that being said the mileage is good and my weight is right where it was 2 weeks ago due to the weight gain from the week in the Bahamas and then a good week after getting home. This current week I should have another 50 mile week and hopefully can get down to about 195 pounds by the end of this week. I am optimistic that the work stress will continue to ease up, that should help me as well. Unfortunately my Dad's health is not good, I am hopeful that his health stabilizes and I don't worry quite so much about he and my Mom.

End of February Update

I am so happy to see February behind me. The days are getting longer and warmer and on the 13th we switch to daylight savings time. Daylight savings is great for the extra daylight in the evening but it still keeps me running in the dark every morning, but I'll take it, I love having it light longer in the evening. I can get a lot more done around the house. Also my work stress has gone down just a tiny bit and I look forward to March being a little less stressful in that regard.

The last two weeks has seen my running mileage come in at 40+ each week with last week coming in at 42. My weight is at 196.0, and still slowly going down. This week will be a real challenge for both my mileage and my weight as I will be on the road for a few days. While on the road I have a difficult time eating properly and also getting my mileage in. Time will tell how it works out.

This last Saturday I ran with my son Josh on the parkway. We ran 18 miles, I slowed him way down the entire way and he made me stay honest and punch out consistent mileage times. I can't believe how much faster he is than me! I am hopeful that by this fall I will be able to be a better running companion for him and at least only slow him down by a minute a mile, instead of 2! I appreciate him running with me and I enjoy his companionship and conversation on our runs. We talked about a lot of different topics, including salt intake while running. This is something I have no experience with and need to get educated and do some trial and error with it before my 50 miler on June 4th. He gave me a lot of insight, now I just need to try it on some of my long runs and get adjusted to what it does to my body and how it makes me feel. The middle of a 50 mile run is no place to try to figure something like that out.