A Good Restart...

Last time I posted it was to put a public commitment out there regarding weight loss and run performance.  In regards to both I had established an end point or milestone of the end of April 2013. 

I'm proud to report that I've taken concrete steps on the right path.  On the weight loss program I'm hoping to be able to say that by the end of today - or about 3 weeks into my effort - that I will have lost at least 6 pounds.  Would I have liked to have lost more?  Absolutely.  But is 2 pounds a week a good rate of loss?  Yes, and probably the safest level of weight loss (at least to my way of thinking) given that I'm also trying to ramp up the volume and quality of my workouts at the same time.  Still having moments of failed willpower and there are still steps to take to ensure my success - those damn potato chips still keep calling my name...and probably still have work to do on managing portions on my plate.  But getting there and it is getting easier each day I'm on the plan.

On the workout side of things I had, for me, what was a good weekend of workouts.  Even with a long weekend and family in from out-of-town, I was able to get in a 10 km run on the Saturday, a 45 km indoor bike on the Sunday, and another 10 km run on Monday!  I haven't had that kind of consistent effort in a long time.  I was happy not only with the quantity of the workouts but also the quality of the effort.  I've been very conscious of the effort I'm going to have to put in if I'm going to finish the half-marathon in under 2 hours.  And so I've been pushing up my effort and getting used to a higher level of intensity.  So far so good.  My base comfort level on the run is certainly higher than it was in my Ironman years.  And I pushed hard enough on the bike to feel it.  The other comforting part is that, other than the hours immediately after the workout (when I'd like to nap) my recovery has been very good.  Waking up the next day and ready for more!

I've also taken steps to map out my race year as well.  Already booked my first target race - the Edmonton Police Half-Marathon on April 28, 2013 - and plan to register for several other run events through to September.  In addition, I plan on registering for the 100 km version of the Tour de l'Alberta again this year.  Accomplished it last year with very little training and don't want to repeat that mistake.  I really coasted on the base I had established in my previous Ironman training.  So I finished the effort but paid for it!  Hoping better training and lower weight will combine to make the ride a little more enjoyable! 

So all-in-all making progress towards my goals!