ShannonAlbert.com - June 2009

This week was the first week of half-marathon training which entails exercising 6 days a week. The exercise varies between running, cross-training and lifting weights. Today, I ran 4 miles in a better time than I had expected and that was my "long run" for the week. Eventually the long runs will work up to a half-marathon.

I chose to ride my bike this week for cross-training, going 4 miles both times. I discovered that I'm kind of a bike riding wimp. I just don't go as fast as most people can but I think that means I should keep trying. I can feel it a lot in my hamstrings and glutes which are the parts of me that need the most work anyway.

Andy did some of the cross-training and running with me this week which made it more fun. Luckily his shins haven't been bothering him and he's able to run again.

On the weight loss front, I've been stalled at the same weight for a few weeks. My clothes are fitting better but the scale hasn't moved. That's incredibly frustrating for me since I'm working out so hard and being very strict with food. I'm going to change some things this week and see if that helps.

Andy has actually lost quite a bit of weight since he's been able to exercise lately and has chosen to eat healthier. It's always easier for men. I'm happy for him and a wee bit jealous that the same isn't happening for me.

Next up is week 2 of half-marathon training which is an exact repeat of the first week. Not too bad...looking forward to it!

Lessons learned this week:
- I hate running on a treadmill now that I'm going multiple miles. I did it once this week and it was the most boring thing I've done in ages. The temperature at the gym also isn't kept low enough for me to run multiple miles so I was sweating more than I ever have. Yuck.
- Hard to run while wearing glasses. Finally got new contacts which helped a lot.
- The 6 days a week schedule is hard but knowing that Marcy is following the same schedule helps me to stay on track. The ability to exchange Garmin 405 data makes it possible to train together without actually being together.