Annual Review

As I sit here typing after the 5th time that I have begged/demanded that my children go to sleep, I can't help but reflect on how far I've come in the last year. It seems particularly proper for this self reflection at this time since I started my fitness training in earnest just last August. So let's take a look at what has happened in the last year.

Last year, the majority of my free time was spent playing video games all night and racing up the stairs for another bag of chips during lulls in the action. My weight had topped out (or at least so I say) at a whopping 210 lbs. My exercise regime was sporadic at best, consisting mainly of yoga, stretching exercises and some light weights for 30 minutes in the evening, 3 nights a week. My diet was mostly 3 big meals of red meat, bacon, pie, some fatty carb, bacon and more pie. I would wash it all down with 4-5 Diet Sundrops per day with a couple of glasses of juice or flavored water for good measure. My sleep cycle lasted a measely 4 hours, barely long enough to scratch the surface of whatever nocturnal fantasy was lurking in the dark recesses of my brain. The thought of running 1 mile, much less 26.2 miles, was so incomprehensible to me that I could only imagine doing so if there was bacon and pie sitting on a table of money at the end of the race. And while I never timed myself, I imagine that I would have been lucky to run a 15 minute mile without stopping.

This year, the majority of my free time is spent blogging, facebooking, running and planning runs. My weight has bottomed out (or so I say) at a lean 155 lbs. My main exercise is running (what a shocker!) 4-6 days a week. My weekly mileage is anywhere from 20 to 40 miles total. I used to spend more time cross-training and lifting weights, however lack of time and a desire to increase my distance has me focusing less on weight training. I now try to eat 6 small meals a day. My diet is mostly high protein, healthy fats and carbs, and low sugar. I'm down to 1 Diet Sundrop, 4-6 bottles of water, 1-2 bottles of Gatorade, and 1 class of low-fat chocolate milk a day. I don't really count fat grams or calories, but I do try to keep them on the low side. My preference is organic or mostly unprocessed foods to eat and snack on during the day. I even make my own trail mix! My sleep patterns regrettably haven't changed much. I prefer to get 6 hours of sleep a night, but I'm usually lucky to get in 5 hours of sleep which is barely enough time to allow my body to rest and recover from the beating it takes putting up mileage. I have been trying to run a race every month, on top of my marathon training. I completed my first 1/2 marathon in April and am registered for my first full maratihon in October. I'm also planning on helping coach my son and daughter's cross-country team. At the beginning of this year, I was doing 5k's at 9:30 mins/mile, but now I'm clocking 7:30 min-miles for 5k's.

I've surprised even myself with the progress I've made this year. What doesn't surprise me is that I've had to beg/demand my children another 4 times to go to sleep as I've typed this out. Sigh. Some things never change. I guess I'm out. Later kids.