Archives for September 27, 2006

We all know that running is great for health. Not only does it help maintain a healthy weight, but it is a great stress reliever too. It was critical as a teenager, when my appetite for food was ravenous and my life’s stressors were numerous. My diet is healthier by far than it was in my teen years, but my plate has been full so-to-speak as far as stress is concerned. In my 20s, I discovered meditation as another means of stress management. But, now that I am in my 40s, I have been lazy in incorporating regular meditation into my life.

Jon’s post, on the Complete Running Network, referred to visualization as a part of weight management where you visualize yourself as that lean, quick runner that you want to be. He joked about picking up beads and incense to complete the spiritual surroundings. I am here to tell you that meditation can be simple and can be done almost anywhere.

In fact, just yesterday, I took a few moments to “find my space” and visualize the pounds of excess weight, and other baggage, being washed away as I sat in my van in the drive-thru carwash. I visualized myself as lighter, thinner, leaner, and more efficient in my running economy. All aspects of my day went remarkably well. Could it be that taking a couple of minutes to meditate would make days like this a regular occurrence?

Later on Tuesday, I forced myself to run easy on the ‘mill for the scheduled 4 miler. My max heart rate was 154 (if the treadmill reading was accurate) for the run which puts *this* run into the fat burning range. I usually work out with a much higher heart rate than the recommended fat burning ranges that I have read; I have wondered if that has played into my lack of weight loss. I recently found an article, however, that encourages higher intensity workouts and dubs the “fat burning zone” as a myth. Myth or not, I will not change my training plan for the purpose of weight loss, as my goal for Boston Qualification (BQ) is my primary goal.

At my last visit to JC, Katie offered to do body measurements more frequently to give me a different way to gauge the progress. My weight remains at a stand still. Although Katie had emailed Jenny Craig Corporate, she still didn’t have a response for the best caloric range given my marathon training. But her advice was helpful none-the-less. Katie suggested that I be sure to eat some protein in my afternoon snack since this is the time that my hunger is really intense. The fruit that I have been trying to eat has not been curbing this hunger, which leads to chips and salsa attacks (or – even worse – the quest of dark chocolate). Yes, I have been known to deviate from the JC plan more times than I care to admit. We all fall off our “plan” from time to time.

As for my “training plan”, it’s speed work day. I think mile repeats are on my plate for today’s lunch. What’s on your plate for lunch?

Go ahead, “give it up” (that’s what Tom would say); you know it was clever. Come on – LOL, giggle, or give me the virtual high-five. (Pun intended)