training plan

Last weekend I completed an event I never dreamed of signing up for: the TC Marathon. I'm still not sure why I signed up, given my resentment towards the "endurance" crowd of fitness folks, especially given that my training hasn't been very running-centric. That said, I wanted to spite several people who said that my conditioning through other means (oly lifting, crossfit, etc) would not get me through a marathon.

Welp, I proved them wrong, and 26.2 miles later I finished in just over 5 hours. It was, indeed, brutal. It hurt, badly. It was probably the most difficult physical event I have done to date, having done multiple 100+ mile bike rides and been training for a good chunk of my life.

That said, I didn't really train for it. If I would have, it would have been less brutal. As they say, you get out of it what you put into it... and after that, this motif certainly rings true. While fun and exciting, I didn't "get" much out of it. It even feels odd to me to receive congratulations from people who learn that I finished. Feeling this way, I believe it is time to make significant changes in my life, in order to get more out of life in general. I have gotten away from my days of training early, watching what I eat, and, in general, caring for my level of fitness.

I'm beginning a plan today and starting as simple as I can. One thing I want to work into my daily life is getting up early to go to the gym and break a sweat. It doesn't need to be a gruelling back-busting workout, but the simple habit of rising early has made huge impact in my life previously, so I am going to bring it back.

I will keep this short for now... tomorrow I will be rising early to train. With this small change going well, I plan to incorporate other healthy habits back into my life such as being more mindful about how I sleep, how I eat, and how I carry myself through the 9-5 life that I have not adapted so well to since I was in school just a few short months ago.

Daily report:

• Body: My body fat is higher than I would like it to be. I am not sore, but I do not feel "fit."
• Mind: I think well during the day, but still I am drained by headaches that did not occur when I was training as hard as I used to. At times, I feel I am not in control of my emotions or thinking.
• Spirit: I have not been reading as much as I used to. Nor have I been engaging in the sort of discussion that I really enjoy. I plan to begin regular attendance to church and incorporating mediation into my days.
• m/f/s: 6/1/1