6 Weeks

I have committed to refraining from sweets (candy, cake, donuts, etc.) and alcohol for the next 6 weeks.  I started this abstinence last Wednesday and it will until Sunday, March 20th.  You'll notice that this period coincides with Lent.  While I'm not a particularly religious person, a combination of things moved me this year to participate in giving something up.

The countdown begins (1)

One of the motivators for me was that I've been eating way too much sweet junk food.  My overall diet is pretty good, but I tend to overindulge on cupcakes, candy, cake, and other baked items.  I don't sit down and eat a whole box of donuts, but even eating one donut (or cupcake or piece of candy) a few times a week can really add up.  I know from experience that when I eat crap, I feel like crap.  And lately, I just haven't really been feeling my best.  So the onset of Lent was a great way for me to hit my reset button, to clear out my house of sweets, and to practice some self-constraint.

 These look sooo good... (2)

A cleaned up diet is certainly a worthwhile goal, but the main motivator for me this year was my Grandmother.  Gram was always a devout Catholic and always gave up something for Lent.  She was also one of the sweetest people that I've ever met and was very influential in my life.  Although Gram passed away over two years ago, I still miss her every single day.  So I'm also practicing something that was important to her as a way to honor her and her memory.

In memory (3)

So how's it going so far?  I'm only one week in and to be honest, it's been a bit of a struggle.  It was hard resisting an awesome looking cupcake when I was grabbing a cup of decaf coffee in the afternoon.  It was a challenge to refrain from buying gourmet cookies at the grocery store during my weekly shopping trip.  It was a struggle to refrain from buying Easter (!) candy that is already out on the shelves.  But every time I am tempted, I remember why I'm doing this and so far, I've been successful in avoiding indulgence.

I am hopeful that with each passing day, the desire for extra sugar and baked goods will fade a bit.  I am hopeful that by the end of this time period, sweets will again become more of an occasional treat and not something that is indulged in every day.  I am also hopeful that by cleaning up my diet, my running performance will improve.  It may be a coincidence, but it already seems like I am running slightly faster at my lower heart rate.  I guess time will once again tell.

1. Calendar, by Dafne Cholet, CC BY
2. Cupcakes, by Karen, CC BY
3. Marguerite, by Frederic Bisson, CC BY

Ten Tips for a Long Distance Treadmill Running

Phew. So glad it's the weekend! This has been a very busy week. I had hoped to post at least once but as you can tell, it didn't happen. I'm still trying to figure out a consistent schedule - as is everything in life, this blog is a work in progress!

Anyway, I'm happy to report that despite my packed schedule, I was able to get in some pretty good mileage this week. Five on Tuesday, six on Wednesday, five on Thursday, and 10 on Friday.  Running my long run during the week is not usual for me, but I knew due to the cold snap I was going to have to run it on the treadmill and since I had the time and opportunity on Friday, I thought why not?

MAF Test #3 (The Redo)

After my last MAF test, I was feeling pretty discouraged about my running and whether or I was making any progress at all.  So, as I promised myself last week, I went to the gym yesterday morning to re-test to see if last week was just a fluke or if it is truly where I'm at.

In order to control some of the test variables (gym overcrowding and temperature), I arrived at the gym a little earlier in the morning than last week - 9 AM vs 12 PM.  I was hoping that the gym might be a little less crowded earlier in the day.  Unfortunately, the gym was still pretty busy at 9 and the majority of the treadmills were occupied.