3 Down 15 to Go

Another solid week of training! I've been able to wake up early on days I run for the past three weeks. This is a major accomplishment for me. In the past, I've never sustained early rising for exercise for more than a couple of weeks. Then again, I've never tried to run this often in this kind of heat (105 heat index several days last week!).

Biking is also going great. My gel padded bike shorts were a godsend! The bruising is...still there but less noticeable. And, it's unbelievable how much it loosens all the muscles that running makes tight. My left hip has been an issue since I first started running. The more weight I've lost, the better it's gotten. But, after a long run, or several days in a row running, it still gets very tender. The foam roller helps, but the bike is like a miracle. When I went out biking this morning, it was pretty sore. 50 minutes later, it felt like new.

So, if you recall, a few posts ago, I was contemplating how to eat to fuel my high level of activity. I've been trying to eat healthy and spread the calories around throughout the day. When I started this, I was 8 pounds away from my goal weight (as I have been for like 3 months). According to my calorie calculator, I'm supposed to stick to 1,200 a day. Some days this works. On days I do a long run or if I do a run and strength training or an extra bike ride, it's just not enough. I get light-headed and tired. I won't pretend all my eating choices have been perfect since then (hello, frozen custard last night), but I'm up 2 more pounds. It's super disappointing to step on the scale and see that. I feel like I'm looking more toned and muscular, but the numbers don't lie (and I don't want to make excuses b/c that's what got me where I was before). I'm constantly starving lately and craving bread and trail mix...Any other long distance runners have advice on handling the ravenous appetite that comes with it? I just want to reach my goal already!!!

I'm taking a couple of days off this week going into the holiday weekend--And, oh do I need it! Lots of physical, mental, and emotional stress lately. If I don't check in before, Happy Fourth!