Weekly Planning

Oh, how the weeks just go so quickly. Last week's mileage was pathetic, but otherwise, the week was okay:

MONDAY: 5-mile trail run, 30-minute weights session
TUESDAY: yoga, 2-mile walk
WEDNESDAY: 6-mile run with the hill from hell + trail, 2-mile trail hike
THURSDAY: 40-minute weights session
FRIDAY: off
SATURDAY: off
SUNDAY: off

And so here's this week's plan:

MONDAY: 5-mile trail run
TUESDAY: yoga, something else if time permits
WEDNESDAY: 6-mile run with the hill from hell + trail, weights
THURSDAY: 2-mile trail hike
FRIDAY: 10-mile run
SATURDAY: off
SUNDAY: off

We are out of town again this weekend. We're heading down to Parkersburg for some scooternerd time -- although it's looking like we'll be on Triumphs. As long as the weather holds, we're riding down on the bikes and meeting our friends in Athens at the lunch stop (no desire to ride down there Friday night via the highway in the dark; plus this way, we can run after work).

We haven't really done any riding on the big kid bikes, so I'm looking forward to it. There's a 40% chance of rain here on Sunday and a 20% down there. I don't really feel like riding back in the rain, so I guess we'll see. If the weather looks too shitty, we'll just drive down Saturday morning.

I don't want a repeat of last year's horrendous ride back from Athens.

Last year's Triumphs getting all wet

Vitamin D

Not Vitamin Dallas. (Forgive me.)

When I went in for my annual physical this year, I got my bloodwork done (typically I do it every couple of years right now - guess I'm getting to that age that it'll get more frequent). My doctor added in the vitatmin D test because he's been seeing more and we live in Ohio. Turns out, I do have a deficiency.

(My other bloodwork is normal. My cholesterol is 202, which is borderline high according to the internet. My LDL is 125. He wasn't concerned at all about my cholesterol, so I won't be either.)

Apparently a normal vitamin D level in the blood is 30 to 100. Mine is 6, so definitely low. My doctor prescribed me a supplement that I'll take once a week for five months. Then I'll go back for retesting. I'm guessing between spring/summer running and the supplement, my level should be within the normal range. He said once it's within normal, OTC supplements should be able to keep it there.

I'm making other changes - skipping the sunscreen on short runs (well, except for my face and my tattoos) and trying to take my vitamins/supplements (like fish oil) regularly. I also got Carnation Instant Breakfast to have in replacement of my chocolate milk that I have for breakfast once or twice a week (along with a banana and whatever nut butter I have around). (Most milk is fortified with vitamin D because it helps the absorption of calcium.) Other nutritional sources for vitamin D include fish and eggs, two things I don't consume much of.

We apparently get most of our vitamin D from the sun. In Ohio, that can be hard enough, but considering that I try to use sunscreen religiously, it's even more difficult.

Vitamin D is pretty important because you need it to maintain normal levels calcium and phosphorus (the Mayo Clinic says it can lead to rickets and bone problems). There's evidence that it might protect you from osteoporosis and high blood pressure, as well as provide some protection against some cancers and autoimmune diseases.

New habits

I am trying to get used to running with the Camelbak (carrying it even on runs when I don't need it), but my inability to remember the bladder is annoying. Both Friday and today, I packed the pack itself and readied the bladder - and then forgot to take the bladder with me. Gah!

I guess I won't run with the Camelbak after work tonight. (It makes no sense to go all the way home to get the bladder just to run 6 miles.)

Making new habits is hard. It's taken me a while, but this running thing is pretty much a habit (although the increased distance has pretty much eliminated morning runs; I suspect as the weather warms up, I'll get back into those morning runs). What still isn't quite habit: stretching (especially after runs), foam rolling, icing and strength-training. That's a lot.

And I'm trying to get in the habit of eating better. I'm hoping to see a correlation between what I'm eating and drinking and how well I run. I'm not sure how I want to track this - I'm kind of an electronic person, but sometimes pen and paper works better. I don't think I need to get all fancy and use Live Strong and measure everything - that's not really my goal. (Plus, I went into Live Strong today, and it pissed me off because I think the calorie counts are way too low.)

I suppose I could use this blog to log what I'm eating and how my workouts feel, but I don't know that I'll actually review it if it's online. I have to run errands at lunch, so maybe I'll buy a new notebook that I can record stuff in.

I'm always afraid of pen and paper, though - I would be so embarrassed if, say, I lost it and my coworkers or friends found it. I could keep the notebook by the bed and use it at night right before going to sleep; I could use the iPhone/iPad notes app to record things during the day. That's an idea... I'd have to make it, you know, a habit.