Good News, Bad News and Big Decisions

I apologize to my faithful followers. I've been really busy and that means some things lose priority. Like Weigh-ins, Journaling, Book Club, Finances, Recycling and this Blog. But life is full of good news, bad news and major decisions. So sit back, relax and enjoy. I’ll start with the bad news…

Bad News #1 – 18 miles!!! (More or less.)
Today we ran 18 miles; well my group ran 18 miles. I started having knee issues after mile 13 and my feet were wet and swelling beyond the limits of my shoes. Did I mention it rained the entire time we were running? But after mile 14, I switched into a power walk for the last 3-4 miles because I figured I could walk as fast as I could run at that point and it put less pressure on my feet and knees. I also wasn’t ashamed to cut out the last mile and take a short cut back to the starting line. I saw no point in torturing myself any longer than necessary. We have 2 more long runs left this season; a 20 miler and a 22 miler. I think I’ll do the Half Marathon course on those days seeing how I’m not running in a marathon this year and I see no need to sacrifice my knees if it’s not necessary.

Good News #1 – 9/24/05: My Very First Triathlon!!!
On September 24th I'll be traveling to Bethany Beach Delaware to compete in my very first Triathlon! Yeah!!! My friend Vijay, the “Tri-athlete”, is doing the complete triathlon. He invited me to participate in the relay with two of his friends. I’ll be competing in the anchor leg which is a 10K race. My 10K time is somewhere between 1:15 and 1:30. But they said they weren’t trying to win, but just be able to participate. I wonder if I should be offended. Anyway, I have to raise $275 dollars for the Make a Wish Foundation in order to compete. Vijay left off this detail when he asked me to do this race. So, if you’d like to support me by making a donation please do so at the following website - http://wish.kintera.org/runvalerie

Good News #2 – Return to Gia-ninh’s Step Class
If you remember a while back I was literally gushing over the best step class offered in Washington, DC. It’s taught by this little Asian guy named Gia-ninh (pronounced gee-ahn-knee). He’s fantastic because he comes up with the most challenging step combinations that I’ve ever seen and he has so much energy and enthusiasm that people can help but flock to his class on Friday nights. He’s so popular that you have to reserve a spot in advanced. Well after weeks of withdrawal, I finally made it back to his class and had a great time. I’m still not able to do all the combinations, but the basics are still pretty challenging. Sorry to say with the new job, I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back out there but I’ll definitely try.

Decision #1 - Taking a Break from School This Fall
Well, it’s official; I’m not registering for classes this fall. I looked at my up coming schedule. In addition to 6 races, I’m also looking into scheduling personal training sessions to get into better physical condition and doing more long runs alone to get ready for the Disney Half in January. This semester, although not tough, I really felt like I put little or no effort into really absorbing the course material. The majority of my studying was crammed into Sunday nights in order to get the assignments in before the deadline. So, I decided something had to give. Winter session starts right after I return from the Half. Then I can take a break from training and focus on my classes.

Decision #2 - Getting a Personal Trainer
After DCFit ends in October I’ll be on my own in terms of training for the Half. I think the beauty of running with a group is that I was obligated to demonstrate progress each week. This is part of the reason why I made an effort to run during week, so I won’t look bad on Saturdays. I think this is the same effect Weight Watchers has. I was more focused on losing weight when I had to get on the scale each week. Anyway, I’d like to schedule a trainer through my gym that will work on strength training and toning. So, far I don’t do any weights and I need to build muscle to improve my endurance.

Good News #3 – Saving the Best for Last
Hard to believe that I’m going to put this in my blog, but it is blog-worthy information. I’m seeing someone. What's that you say? Yes, I’ve been seeing this guy for a few weeks. We met in July and we've been out a few times since then. Things have been going well. Which means it’s only a matter of time before I screw everything up. But he’s also into running and working out. He’s got this charming, nerdy, nice guy thing going on which sort of grew on me. So, he’s coming to Bethany Beach to cheer me on in September. So, we’ll see what happens. Wish me luck.

Off to the Races
Here’s the list of Races I'm Registered (or Planning to Register) for...
9/11 - Fairlakes 8K (Registered.)
9/24 - Sea Colony Triathelon (Registered)
10/2 - Army 10 Miler (Registered.)
10/30 - Marine Corps 8K (I’m going to do it, but haven’t made it official.)
11/6 - Veteran's Day 10K (Registered.)

And the big one....
1/7 - Walt Disney World Half Marathon (Registered.)

I'll try not to be such a stranger.
- Gotta Run