Sunday, January 10, 2010

The January Challenge has been in effect for 10 days now. I have ran for 11 days in a row, since I also went for a run on NYE. My longest running streak ever. How is everyone else doing on it? We're almost half way there!

None of my 11 runs have been very long (6 miles max), and some of them were only exactly 1 mile. But getting out the door every day for at least one mile has been a suprising challenge. It has highlighted how I have an excuse for everything and can rationalize just about anything to myself. "Oh, just this one cookie, I was good all day" or "it's okay if I skip this one workout, I'll just do extra tomorrow" or "I'm just not feeling so hot and it's okay to cheat/rest/be a total sloth today". However, when I put a challenge out for myself and really dedicate to it, I have a tendancy to stick with it to a fault. I'm battling an injury in my foot...it may be minor or it may be major, I don't know yet...but I have still ran every day this month. Because I said I would. Which leads me to my next challenge for February. I think it should be food based, but I haven't decided yet. Maybe no sugar, or no processed food, or something like that.

My week in review:
I worked a lot. The first part of the year is always nuts-to-the-wall crazy for me. It's okay, since it's not a year round thing, but it's hard to adjust after having the holidays off. So I spent most of this week either working, running my 1 mile for the day, or sleeping.

I succeeded in eating healthy all week. The only sugar/processed food that I consumed was in the form of chocolate covered espresso beans (these things are what got me through the week) and a little bit of ice cream on a couple of evenings. I feel 10 times better because of it.

Since I can't seem to get up when the alarm goes off at 4:30, all of my runs have been done after work. In the dark. I have almost been mowed down by cars like 6 times this week. So I bought a new reflective vest. (Please excuse the hair...it had been a long day.)
And, as much as I hate to admit this, I have done too much too soon while barefoot or in the Vibrams. And I hurted my footses. Rookie mistake. Even worse, I sort of knew that I was doing it. But I loved being barefoot so much, that I didn't want to stop. And after being barefoot or in the Vibrams, my regular runners felt like I was wearing truck tires on my feet. So even when my foot hurt, I resisted going back to the running shoes. *Sigh*. I tried to compromise by getting a pair of racing flats, but the damage is done. I see the tootsie doctor tomorrow. Please think positive thoughts that it is only an irritation. That half marathon in 2 weeks should be a blast...
I managed to get a couple of trainer rides in. And 1 glorious outdoor ride -- AWESOME in January! Sadly, we forgot to take a photo. Total training for the week = 6 hours.