Things have been rolling pretty well. I’ve lost about 10 lbs, which is roughly half of what I gained over the winter months. The workouts have been going well, been able to lift heavier and starting to be able to go faster on the treadmill. Right now, what’s lacking most is flexibility and endurance, but that will come with diligent stretching and consistency.

As we’ve learned the past few years, I tend to need a solid goal to work towards. Apparently, “quality of life” isn’t enough, wanting to look good for weddings sort of works but that motivation doesn’t stick (I already have 2 this year, btw!). But what does seem to motivate me (most of the time) is 5k races.

So on the Facebook page, I linked to a few 5k races that’s been coming up and put out the message, “If anyone wants to do any of these, I will do it with you…..”

Low and behold, one thing I’ve been blessed with this entire journey is a good support group. So when I reach out in an instance like this, that means I get TWO race signups within a week!

I am a man of my word and signed up for both of these. At least they’re spaced apart a bit, with the Disney trip in between them.

The first of which, the Chicago Bears 5k, is only 3.5 months away and I’m VERY far from PR shape. So I have to think of a realistic goal once things start getting closer.

Training Plan

Now, it would be silly for me to go for that elusive 45 minute time as I’ve always had in the past. Even with my improvements, my base pace at Orange Theory has been 2.8-3mph, my push pace is 4-4.6mph (usually held 1-2minutes) and all outs sprints have been between 5-5.5mph. Which is well below what I’d done in the past.

Something else to consider is while I’m feeling really good right now, down the water weight so my belly feels smaller, I’m still larger than my previous “largest” size. So the stress it’s putting on my body even at the pace I’m going now, I’m pushing it.

In fact, just yesterday while doing “step up” exercises, I started to notice some discomfort in my right knee. I did feel some this past weekend when working out when visiting the family. Maybe it’s due to the increase in intensity as I’ve gained more confidence in my physical ability and I’m desperately trying to get to my former glory, maybe I just walked funny somewhere.

I’m apt to think that it’s still part of the chain because my Achilles is slightly achey as I’ve increased intensity. Nothing like when it was full blown, but definitely shows I need to rebuild those muscles in my legs.

In any case, I took a full rest day today, even though I said I’d start adding in longer walks in my current rest days. Now that the weather is getting better, I feel I should do something daily, or at least 5-6 time per week. I’ve been going to Orange Theory about every other day, so adding in a lower intensity walk on the off days, and then slowly adding in some jogging in maybe a month to build up endurance.

Of course, a lot of this is predicated on losing weight. They say every pound of weight loss is 4 pounds off the joints, so maybe I’ll have to keep the Orange Theory intensity at bay and go for higher frequency at a lower intensity and then revisit in a couple weeks.

So, that’s my check in for now. I’m keeping an eye on my knee and Achilles, continuing to try and eat as healthily as I can (after this weekend of family parties, 2nd consecutive weekend, I plan to really step it up), and keep up the consistency and stretching.