Running in Zam (Week 34)

There's probably a great comparison between the deployed life, and running on a treadmill. It's monotonous; the scenery doesn't change, and you find yourself either zoning out to pass the time, or giving the death stare to the clock just waiting for it to all be over. Still to put this all in a positive spin, much like running on a treadmill, you can use your deployed time to make improvements in your life. Learn a hobby, take college level classes, and communicate more with people than you probably did before you deployed. Still the most popular thing for deployed people seems to be "workout and get fit." The treadmill is great for that. With some music playing to break up the monotony of running in place, you can really use a treadmill to get faster and lose weight. Unlike running on the road when you set a pace on a treadmill, you are forced to go that pace. Now you can change the speed on a treadmill with relative ease, but if you push yourself to go a little faster or a little further than before, you'll start to see big improvements.

I still love running at my own pace with a constant change of scenery, but during my first week at Zam (Zamboanga is too hard to pronounce, and too long a word) I did all my running on the treadmill. As a result, I had some of my fastest paces in my entire year of running.

My totals for Week 34 (21-28 August) are:
Total Runs Logged: 6
Total Miles: 33.6
Total Time Spent Running: 4 hours, 3 minutes, 31 seconds
Average Pace: 7:15 (min/mile)

My new "as of" totals are:
Total Runs Logged: 41
Total Miles: 212.3
Total Time Spent Running: 27 hours, 35 minutes, 14 seconds
Average Pace: 7:47 (min/mile)

My new total mileage for the year is: 960.6

Now fours of running a week is good, but it doesn't occupy all my time. Additionally, besides sleeping, working, and eating, there isn't much else to do on the camp. What else do I do with my time? Well, as mentioned previously, the food is pretty good, and there is plenty of it. Now there are no "Surf and Turf Wednesdays" or "Mongolian BBQ Saturdays" like we had when I was deployed to Balad, but there are cookies, soft serve, and short-order grill cooks that can make you just about anything you want to include Double Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissant Sandwiches (YUM!). There are plenty of smart and healthy choices, but 4 hours of running might not keep the pounds off. I also realize that while I've spent a lot of time focused on running, I haven't spent that much time working on my strength. With that in mind, I have started working out twice a day. My plan is to run in the morning before work and do a strength training workout (focusing on upper body, body weight exercises like pull-ups, dips, and push ups) in the evening. This should not only help pass the time, but also improve my overall fitness level. I starte on Wednesday, so it hasn't even been a week yet, but I'm optimistic I can keep it up for the duration of my deployment.