Thursday, July 2, 2009

OK, Let's be real

So, I go to a race, injured, out of shape, overweight, and not ready for extreme heat. Yeah, I'm going to retire. Sure I am.

As many of you have already pointed out, it's not likely to happen.

So, I think I have a plan for the rest of the year.

These are my goals:

1) Lose Body Fat
2) Run one ultra - the Maine Track Club 50 miler, in under 11 hours.
3) Reapply to WS

#1 will hopefully happen with the use of Precision Nutrition's coaching program. I did so poorly in that program last time that I decided to repeat it. It was my fault that I did poorly, and I dropped about 6 pounds over six months. My weight at WS was the second most I've ever weighed for a 100 miler. The program includes lots of lifting and limited endurance work. However, I'll make sure that I use my endurance days to full advantage, doing long runs every chance I get.

#2 is the easiest fall ultra in the northeast. It's a fairly flat 4-mile loop that I've run many times. It's about the easiest WS qualifier that I know about.

#3 is kind of obvious. It's not so much that I want to try again next year, but rather, I want to start the process of getting into the race in a future year. I think 2012, when I'm 50, would be perfect. And, assuming I don't get into WS next year, I probably need to run a different tough 100 to prove I can still handle this sport.

When I do get picked again, I'm thinking I may take the winter off from ski instruction, simply so I can focus my winter of running fitness rather than skiing. I don't know if I could handle not skiing all weekend, every weekend, but it's something to think about.

I'm going to continue to live without alcohol in my life. That is one of the main reasons that my weight didn't drop through the winter and early spring, and I need to simply avoid the stuff. Maybe after I finish WS someday, I can go back to my old bad habits. But, for now, I need to focus on getting rid of body fat and improving my overall health.

My arms are sore from an upper body weight workout last night. I'm afraid that tonight's lower body workout will leave me too sore to walk tomorrow.

3 comments:

Harriet said...

I am going through a "what in the heck do I want to do" phase in my training as well; I had thought about training hard for the upcoming Big Shoulders 5K but then

1. Found hope that my walking technique might actually improve and
2. Found that on the weekend of Big Shoulders, there will be a racewalking clinic (2 day) in St. Louis.

So I am reevaluating my plans as well and only swimming 1-2 days a week.

Damon said...

I think ultimately that we should all do what we enjoy and what keeps us fit. I think I'm feeling a bit like Tom2 right now. I have no pressure to run, and I might only run 1-2 times per week for a while, but they'll be quality runs.

I think you have even more issues, because you try to do more different things than I do. My bike riding is simply dabbling - basic endurance fun. Other than that, I have running and lifting. OK, skiing in the winter.

The real imperative for me right now, if I'm going to continue to pretend to be an athlete, I need to be leaner. Getting rid of alcohol will certainly help there, but it's not all of the problem. I think it's very true for many of us, especially older athletes, that we cannot outtrain a bad diet.

David Ray said...

Amen to that last statement.