In the long run

As I had mentioned before for some reason unfathomable to me, i have started running on a consistent nature. Actually I do know why I started running again, i want to lose the last of the 'college' fat that i picked during grad school, and trying to stop eating doesn't seem like a good plan. So I have managed to keep a up a three day a week, 3/4 miles a day running schedule. And I have noticed a few things, I am not running all that must faster, but I am recovering a hell of a lot faster then i did at the beginning of the season. The first month i would run three miles and then my legs would be sore and stiff for days afterwards, usually ending with me running the next time with legs still sore from the first. But slowly that started to get better; soon i would only hurt the following day but would be fine by the next time to go running. Finally now i only am only sore (and its really just sore i don't hurt like i used to) just for a couple hours after running and by that evening I am doing good. With of course means i need to start running longer and harder ^_^ So I set myself a new goal for this summer, I wanted to run from my place to around Lake Elkhorn and back. The route!! This run would be just a hair over 5.5 miles (a way a bird flys, there are a lot of elevation changes on this route). I figured that would be a fairly good goal i could reach by the end of the summer. Well this morning I finished the run in about an hour. ( I know I was shocked too) It was a shockingly great morning, (its almost lunch time, i still have the windows open its so nice out there) the plan was to run just to Lake Elkhorn then back, which is right at 4 miles round trip. This is (was i guess now) the upper limit of my running range, but since I didn't have to go to work today I wouldn't mind the extra time this morning. So i made it to the lake and I noticed that I was still feeling fairly strong. My legs hadn't started hurting yet (they normally do a little at two miles) and nothing had cramped up on me, so i figured what the hell, I'll run around the lake and see how far I could make it back before my legs gave out underneath me. The lake was shockingly crowded for a weekday late morning as usual. And about halfway around the lake i started regretting my foolishness, but I pushed on telling myself, "All you have to do is keep running." For some reason in my tired stupor that actually worked i a continued going. The run back actually was easier as i felt there was a gentle push behind me prodding me along, and obvious sign that i was hallucinating. But I managed to slowly work my way back and made the whole loop without stopping. I stopped at the apartment complexes gym on the way back and weighted myself for the first time since I started running. I have lost eight pounds since I started running. That may not seem like all that much, but I was far from being considered over weight. Eight pounds is about 5% of my total body weight.


On a unrelated side note, the angry noisy downstairs neighbors are moving out today (actually they are getting kicked out ^_^)!!!!!!!! Now I am going to meet up with a buddy from work for lunch to celebrate the wonderful weather. I think this is starting to turn out to be a really great day!!!!