Half-Marathon Progress: Nov. 2nd until November 22nd

 You know how I like to post weekly updates. Well, obviously that hasn't been happening, so I wanted to catch you up on how things are going - or in this case - how things are NOT going. 

Week of Nov. 2nd

On Sunday, Nov. 2nd, I hiked 3.5 miles with my wife. This was just under 12 weeks until the half marathon. I did nothing for the rest of the week. I was just slammed with work and by the end of the day, I was exhausted. both mentally and physically. I'm not sure if something happened when I turned 58, but my motivation and energy are in the toilet. I talk a lot about embracing the suck and just getting out there even if it's just to walk. I can't even get myself to do that. 

Week of Nov. 9th

This week, I forced myself to do something. Anything. On Sunday, Nov. 9th, I went for a hike with my wife. Another 3.5 miles which was nice and relaxing. 

On Monday, I ran 1.5 miles and did some arm curls along with front and side raises. 

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I did the same arm curls, front raises and side raises. 

On Saturday, I hiked 5 miles with my wife. This was a really fun hike because there is a new Troll exhibit at the NC Arboretum. Trolls: A Field Study. It is awesome if you're in the area. 

Week of Nov. 16th

Sunday thru Friday I did nothing. I did have PT on Thursday night, so I guess that's something, but just a wasted week. 

On Friday and into today, Saturday, Nov. 22nd, my calves are insanely tight. I'm not sure why. We did a lot in PT work on my calves so perhaps it's delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Today, I did manage to hike 3.6 miles. Today is also officially 9 weeks until the Half-Marathon. 

Half Marathon Training Update: Weeks of October 19th & 26th

 Started out Great, but Overall - Two Bad Weeks! 

Week of October 19th - Started Great but then...

On Sunday, I had a great hike with my wife. We hiked DuPont State Forest and covered about 5 miles. We saw Triple Falls, Hooker Falls and High Falls, plus the really cool covered bridge at the top of High Falls. I weighed in at 197lbs which was .2 lower than last week, but .2 higher than two weeks prior. Frustrating to say the least, but my wife just keeps making really yummy pasta dinners. 

On Monday, I went out for my long run and ran 6.2 miles. A 10K! I had purposely picked the hilliest course I could think of in West Asheville and ran it in 1:34:28. This is not good. Not good for where I need to be. The Half-Marathon will be hilly for a good portion of it and at the very end. This was an average of 15:14 per mile. I need to be at or under 13:44. I have some serious work to do. I felt good. But the hills really kicked my butt. I ran the whole way, so that wasn't the issue. Just slow. 

Tuesday and Wednesday I was just exhausted from work. I did nothing. 

Thursday night I had physical therapy and felt great after the session even though work was crazy today. I did some arm curls, side raises and front raises before bed. 

Friday & Saturday I didn't do anything. My Birthday was coming up and my wife and I just went sightseeing, did a whiskey tasting, and other fun stuff, but no exercise of any kind.

Week of October 26th - Birthday = Great Time, But After...What a Sh!t Show!

Sunday was my birthday. And it was a great day!! My wife and I went for a hike at the Arboretum. We did a long one too. We started at the pond and took Wesley Branch to a smaller trail that hooked up with Hard Times. We went up Hard Times and then to Owl Ridge, Rocky Cove, and then Bent Creek to the Carolina Mountain trail, through the gardens, and back to the pond area where we parked. That night we went to Outback with my step-daughter and daughter so that was awesome. We then went back to the house and they surprised me with a GIANT Double Doozie Cookie from the Great American Cookie Company. 

A great weekend, and then the world blew up. Work became insane with pre-election crisis after crisis. I was on the road constantly and one night, I didn't get home until almost 11 p.m. This continued, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Saturday, the 1st of November, I had some energy and managed to do 12 push ups before bed.