Commitment

This past weekend, Meredith and I were cleaning out some piles of papers, and I came across the training plan from my very first marathon: Columbus 2004. I noticed a couple things.

1. My training plan started with one mile daily runs. One mile! Guess I've come a long way since then. And if you've ever thought about doing a marathon, triathlon, etc...five years ago, I couldn't run more than a mile.

2. My commitment level is a lot different today than it was five years ago. The most striking thing about the papers were the planned weekly miles and actual weekly miles. I saw things like 7 planned (4 actual). 12 planned (5 actual). 15 planned (7 actual). Is it any wonder that I underachieved?

Last year, having a coach definitely ramped up the accountability, and I did a much better job of sticking with my plan. But I think the process of training for Ironman changed my thinking as well. This year, I have a better understanding of what it takes to get to the start line, and then to the finish. My challenge to myself now is to take the next step and be focused and accountable in my training. No, I won't hit every workout from here to September - life will get in the way. But I can sure do my best, and not just go through the motions.

As a preliminary step to this season, I'm trying to slim down a bit. Not a drastic change, but having gone through IM training once, I know that it won't happen once the miles and meals increase. I don't know exactly where my ideal weight lies, but I'm guessing somewhere around 160. To reach this goal, I've been counting calories since I've started base training again. I want to make sure that I'm neither going over nor under the calories I need. So far, no distinct change, but I'm not giving up yet. Meredith and I also took pictures and measurements, but we'll save that for a before and after. And if there isn't a good after picture, we'll forget this conversation ever existed. :)