Week 4/January Re-Cap

Okay, so I technically have one more day left in the month, but I thought now would be a good time to review the past week as well as reflect on my first month of running. This week I've been in San Antonio, and as far as running goes, it has been nothing short of fantastic. I didn't do any any weight lifting or calisthenics this week, but that was mainly because I didn't want bring my computer (which has my workouts) into the gym. Still, I made it a point to do a lot of running which will hopefully counter act the increased calorie consumption caused by eating out twice a day. Now I know I could eat "healthy" while still eating out, but c'mon! I'm in San Antonio, Texas. There are too many BBQ, Mexican, and other great restaurants I can only get here, though not necessarily specific to San Antonio (i.e. Texas Land and Cattle, Freebird's, Taco Cabana, Chris Madrid's, The Smokehouse, B&B Smokehouse, Mi Tierra, and the Menger Hotel's Sunday Brunch). In other words, even though I'm running a lot, I don't anticipate of losing weight while I'm here.

Like I said, it was a fantastic week for running. Here are the stats:
Total Runs Logged: 6
Total Miles: 47.3
Total Time Spent Running: 5 hours, 33 minutes, 38 seconds
Average Pace: 7:05 min/mile

Yeah, it was a good week, and with the month all but done, and 4 full weeks into my running program, my "as of" totals are:
Total Runs Logged: 28
Total Miles: 168.6
Total Time Spent Running: 20 hours, 53 minutes, 16 seconds
Average Pace: 7:26 min/mile

From Monday through Saturday, I had 3 runs that were greater than 8 miles, and every one of them was "Great" (actually, I'd say darn near incredible). On Wednesday I ran 10.2 miles at a 6:55 pace!! If I've ever run that distance at that pace, I don't remember. I know that part of the speed is a result of increased running, but I know a good deal of it is also due to the colder weather. Although it has chapped my lips and hands and the cold air "burns" the lungs, it has certainly helped me run faster. When I return to Guam, it will be interesting to see what my pace is for longer runs. I would expect to slow down a little, but hopefully not too much.

REFLECTION TIME!
30 days into the year, and I'm well ahead of schedule. If I was to keep this rate up I'd hit 2000 miles before the end of year. Still, I'm hesitant to adjust my running goal just yet. Although, I've had lots of running success so far, it's hard to judge just how much running time I'll have for the rest of the year. Perhaps in a couple of months, I can reassess my progress and determine if 1500 or 1800 is possible for the year (though I'm not changing the website's name). Although I've had some soreness in my legs, and I'm currently sporting a small blister on my big toe, I've really not had any problems. There is also occasionally minor chaffing, but nothing I can't overcome. Although, I'm running with 3 different pairs of shoes, none of them are new so it won't be long before I need to buy new ones. I'll get into the "gear" later on, but for now my runs are going well, and I'm looking forward to running and other athletic "events" quickly approaching. Hopefully I'll see success in these events as a result of my running. If nothing else, it will certainly be something worth blogging about.