August Review

I had a great overall month in August, despite a relatively low number of running miles.

I ran 57 miles, in a total of 11 runs, with a long run of 10 miles.

I rode my road bike 3 times for a total of 95 miles, with a long ride of 46 miles. All three rides were hilly.

I lifted 15 times during the month, doing body split workouts each time (upper body or lower body only in a single workout).

I played around with my diet, virtually eliminating grains and sugar, just to see what would happen. I did have one meal during the month that included bread and a dessert, but otherwise, I stayed away. My weight dropped four pounds during the month. I also believe that I gained some muscle mass, so my fat loss is probably greater than 4 pounds. It was easier to make these changes than I thought it would be. I used fresh fruit for my carbohydrate needs during or after workouts.

I completed my 3rd consecutive calendar month without alcohol. I can't remember the last time a summer passed without a few or more gin and tonics passing my lips. I'll continue that habit into the fall.

My hamstring didn't get any worse, and my running gradually got faster through the month. I don't know if that's because I dropped a few pounds, because my hamstring is slowly healing, or something else. But, my runs this past weekend were the best I've had since before I got hurt in April.

And, I bought a new used electric guitar.

All in all, it was a pretty good month.


This morning, I started September with a tough upper body lifting day, including 5x5 of neutral grip pull-ups. I actually managed to get through the pull-ups, something I could not have done a month or two ago. I added some core work to the end of the scheduled workout today.

Tonight after work, I'm going to take the dogs out for a walk, but nothing tougher than that. Tomorrow, I'll go for a run. It looks like the first half of September is likely to be sunny and warm, despite cold temperatures last night and tonight.

Eight days until the PRP treatment.