DCFit is Over

Wow… Has it been a month already? Gee, where has the time gone? I can't say I was busier than usual, but most of the time I haven't been able to focus on the blog. The blog was always on my mind, but there were nights when I'd rather watch "Phil of the Future" than update the blog. But I promised to keep the blog going until the big race and I intend to do that. The last month was full of ups and downs. And this is another long one. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

The Downs… DCFit is Over (sniff sniff cry cry)
DCFit is over. We celebrated the end of the season with a survivor party on November 2nd. Everyone who competed in the Marine Corps Marathon wore their finisher medal and I was so jealous. I had never planned on running in the Marine Corps. My big ambitious race was going to be the Disney World Half Marathon. I bragged on about it like I had just registered for the Ironman World Championships. But as I began training with DCFit I started to feel like I could possibly finish a marathon. Unfortunately reality sunk in when my training was impacted by a knee injury that reduced my weekly mileage. After that I was kind of glad I didn’t register for the Marine Corps. But once my knee got better, I decided to go to the race and cheer everyone on. Although I was happy for everyone in the race, part of me wanted to be out there running as well. Some how the Disney Half doesn't feel like the major challenge I thought it would be when I signed up back in April.

DCFit is over. It's getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Not only is finding the time to run getting tougher, but finding the motivation is also getting harder. I'm the type of person that's motivated by having to demonstrate my progress. But without the weekly Saturday run, I'm finding it difficult to get up at 5:25am, go outside in the cold, dark morning air and start running. So, far my morning runs have been pretty successful. I think I run better in the morning. Plus it'll prepare me for getting up and getting ready for these early morning races. I usually do 3.5 miles around the neighborhood in about 46 minutes. My speed hasn't improved, but considering that my route is fairly hilly, achieving a 13 minute/mile before 7am isn't too bad. Anyway, I have to focus on my endurance. I'm hoping that I can add another 1.5 miles in the upcoming week, but there's this stupid policy about being at work on time so I may have to cut my run short from time to time.

DCFit is over. No more long runs. The last time I ran more than 6 miles was 4 weeks ago. When will I be able to go out and run 13.1 miles? I've done it more than once during the summer, but when can I get out and do it again? These are the things I think about late at night. My problem isn't that I can't do it alone. My problem is that I'm not organized. If there is no set time so do something then I may never do it. (Kind of like keeping up with this blog).With DCFit they had a set time, every Saturday at 7 (or 6) am. All I had to do was show up. I'm not sure why this is such a difficult problem. All I have to do is get up early like I did every Saturday this summer and run. But that's easier said than done. I tend to waste time and make things more complicated then they need to be.

DCFit is over and I still haven't made any reservations for Disney. This is yet another thing that I think about before falling asleep. When I signed up I had sort of an entourage that was going to come with me. Then a few of my running mates from the Red Team were also registered and we were thinking of doing a girls weekend. But that was months ago. I am so bad about following up with people and even worse when it comes to organizing people. Like the other day it was my job to plan a birthday dinner for my friend Wesley. Just pick a time and place when everyone can get together for dinner. Simple enough, but it wasn't until 3 weeks after Wesley's birthday when I was finally able to get everyone together and even then Wesley switched restaurants and I forget to get him a gift. So, imagine how hectic it would be to plan a trip to Disney World that will accommodate everyone. So, I'm at the point where I'll just make reservations for me and Al. He's so sweet to come all the way out to Disney World to cheer me on.

DCFit is over. In the last month, I haven't lost any weight, I haven't gained any weight and I haven't been to a Weight Watcher's meeting. I often decide that my time would be better spent working out or running errands than sitting in those meetings. Although I think they are very useful and informative I find that lately I have better things to do. I'll join up again when I have more time. I've lost 40lbs with Weight Watchers and I'm going work hard so that I don't gain it back.

DCFit is over and my new shoes are taking a while break in. I don't know what's wrong. They're the exact same brand that I had before. It's weird that the left shoe feels fine, but the right one needs to be adjusted every mile or so. Also my hair is thinning. This is yet another thing that keeps me up at night. But no surprise here, my hair has been thinning for years. I think the constant sweat has accelerated the process. I often fantasize about shaving my head. That way I can finally take swimming lessons because without hair I can finally get the swim cap to fit my head. Plus I'll be more aerodynamic when I run. No more drag forces caused by my big hair flying in the wind. And while I'm taking swim lessons I can start bicycle training because I can finally get a bike helmet to fit. Combining all this together over the next few years will definitely get me ready for the Ironman World Championship in 2008. Yeah!!!

The Ups... DCFit is Over (Yippee!!)
DCFit is over and I can sleep in on Saturdays, but I don't really want to.
DCFit is over and I ran a sub 12 min/mile at the Veteran's Day 10K! Whoo Hoo!!
DCFit is over and I'm still seeing the greatest guy I know. Who actually beat me at the Veteran's Day 10K. Now I have to train harder. His enthusiasm for running has definitely helped to keep me motivated.
DCFit is over and I bought some new cold weather running gear from UnderArmour. It helps me to keep warm while running in the cold morning air so that I can stay in shape to beat Al at the next race. Sorry sweetie, you're going down.
DCFit is over and I started taking yoga classes. I'm not too shabby at this yoga thing. I'm a lot more flexible than I thought.
DCFit is over and I got a new dishwasher. Just thought I throw that one in. My last dishwasher was a 17 year old piece of crap. Good riddance.

Races I'm registered (or planning to register) for....
January 2006 - Disney World Half Marathon
March - St Patrick’s Day 10K
April - Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
May - Training with DCFit
September - Rock and Roll Half Marathon, Philly Distance Fest
October - Army 10 Miler, Marine Corps Marathon
January 2007 - Disney World Marathon

Well that about sums it up for now. I don't have much else to say so I leave you with pictures.

Thanks for the flowers Sweetie.

Happy Halloween!!!