Marathon Success: Week 22

It's hard to put last week's training in one word. My beloved maternal grandmother went to heaven, I thought I was being followed by a ninja during my short run (it was my Asian neighbor practicing martial arts) and I had a winning long run with my running group on Saturday.

My biggest challenge was to track all my food intake so that I could get back on the weight loss track. Thank God I was able to lose 2.8 lbs so I'm back on track to reach my goal of a normal BMI.

I was looking at some pictures of myself and decided to make a comparison:

If I can do it, so can you. Keep working my friend, we'll get there!

The first thing I noticed is that I really don't go to the gym to look fashionable (or to match). All jokes aside, it seems that sticking to my goal has worked. As I stay committed to my health journey I will continue to see changes from the inside out. Back to training:

• Warm Up Series - I haven't been able to be part of the Houston Marathon Warm up Series yet but before the series is over I have faith that I will be able to compete. Next week several people in my running group are competing in the 25K but those who don't, usually meet for runs. I'm planning on running with my friends and adding one extra mile to the 15.

•  New Shoes - I was blessed with new running shoes so I'm starting to break them in this week. My 'old' shoes are great but the update feels even nicer.

• Grieving - The loss of both my grandmothers have been very difficult but I am also feeling comforted. Running takes some edge of the stress of grieving but at the same time it can be overwhelming. Last Saturday as I was finishing the 13-miler I was thinking about my grandma and talking about her. I never had asthma but if felt like my breathing was turning quite asthmatic. I took some deep breaths and started thinking about something else (such as paying attention to traffic!) so my breathing went back to normal. Right there I learned that the whole 'dedicate each mile to a person you love' thing is NOT for me. I much rather think about the bagel and the americano I'm gonna eat the end of the run. Big smile!!!

• I'm in the build up phase of marathon training and there's no turning back. It seems that my biggest decision right now is: "what will I eat when I cross the finish line" because training is non-negotiable. 

Have an amazing week and continue to pray for my family and I friends. 

Previously in this Series:
• Week 21
• Weeks 14-20
• Weeks 1-10
• Marathon Training Basics (Video)