Weigh-in Wednesday - Holdin' Stead

After some thought (and help from April) I figured out why I gained weight last week. I've been doing my runs Monday and Wednesday mornings, so that by the time I weigh-in, I've exercise (and sweated) for over 30 minutes.

Last week, I had to shift my long run to Wednesday and there was no way I was going to get up early enough to run 7 miles in the morning. My dreaded 126.2 weight was my early morning sans running weight. After Friday's morning run, I weighed in at 124.8.

After hiking (and eating to make up for it) this weekend, then slacking for the 2 days to follow I was a little nervous to step on the scales. Since its getting cooler, I've been able to shift my runs from the mornings to the afternoon/evenings, so today's weigh-in is sans run also: 125.4.

Which means I'm not doing to badly with this whole maintenance thing!

Training has hit its first few little road blocks - the first was just life happening. I couldn't drag myself out of bed Monday or yesterday to get my runs in, so I'm having to squish everything up at the end of the week.

Its gonna get done though. I'm gonna squeeze 7 workouts into 5 days. Since tomorrow is a strength day, it won't be difficult to add a run in as well. Then Friday for my cross training I'll just pretend I'm Christie and do a bike and a swim in the same day.

The other road block is mental - I mentioned it on Christie's Open Water blog about facing your fears, but I found out today that its worse than I expected.

My comment on her blog: Nuclear radiation is one of my biggest fears, crazy for someone who was barely alive for the end of the cold war. guess I'm facing it a little (not really) running my half in Oak Ridge, TN the maker of WWII's "little boy" - the first atomic weapon used. ever. on Hiroshima.

Yesterday I emailed the race director for the half asking for an explanation of the "standard deluxe" terminology (we have a "standard deluxe" hill on mile 8 of the course).

His response brought me to tears.

(But I am a cry baby who's about to be visited by Aunt Flow so I'll blame that.)

It is a pretty good hill, “standard” for many like it in Tennessee, and it does have a “deluxe” climb at about 100 feet vertical over approximately ½ mile. So I thought “standard deluxe” could be a fairly accurate description for actual course conditions.

The course is on Department of Energy property and runs by the historic K-25 building (you overlook the building at the top of the standard deluxe hill.

Seriously?

The hill I can take - a little hill training at the end of my long runs and I'll be ready for it.

But running by the Mother responsible unleashing nuclear terror on the world??

Okay so that's a bit dramatic, who said phobias were calm and reasonable?

I can do this.

I can.

And if I do, nothing will ever hold me back again!