I successfully made it through week one of the Spring 2012 semester AND stuck to my training schedule for the week. It was not easy. Granted, I spend more time in the gym than the average person but it was often difficult to carve out that 1 to 1 1/2 hours each day to exercise. I don't handle multi-tasking very well so when my mind is full of chemistry and biology nonsense coursework I find it hard to switch gears to the exercise mind-set.
The key to sticking with a training schedule, at least for me, is establishing a routine. If I tell myself that I can go to the gym whenever I want to during the day then I will invariably put it off and run the risk of not going. If I establish a routine of going to the gym after class (or at a certain time of day) I'll be much more likely to get the workout done without having to force myself to go. So far this is working well as I can stop by the gym on my way home from college.
This week I ran 2 miles in 15:40. That isn't my fastest time ever. My PR is 15:20 which I ran in 2007. I believe I can beat that PR. After all, I wasn't running as if I was racing for that 2 miles, I was just following the pace dictated by the training schedule. It wasn't an easy pace but I wasn't completely wasted afterward either. I haven't concentrated on speed at all really during the past year as I've been focusing mostly on building up my endurance. It was a boost to my ego to see that I wasn't too far off my 2 mile PR especially a PR I set over 4 years ago.
I've volunteered to help with the Peachtree 5k/10k next weekend. I figure that I owe a lot to the volunteers who have given me water, cheered from the sidelines, and handed me food and other goodies at the finish line so that it's only right for me to volunteer for a couple of races this year. I haven't gotten word on exactly what I'll be doing or anything but I'm looking forward to being a spectator at a race for the first time. I hope it'll be fun or at least fulfilling!
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