Restarted Base Building Mileage

Quote: "I never once believed that someone or something else was responsible for my success.  Running taught me long ago that there's danger in that kind of thinking.  The moment you leave your future in the hands of things outside of your control is the moment you place it in the hands of circumstance.  And circumstance doesn't much care about your success."  --Dave Griffin, from the article "After the Last PR," Running Times Magazine, January/February 2011, pg 59.

Last week I restarted my base building after a short hiatus due to resting my lungs.  All my mileage was easy running within the heart rate zones of 60-70% of my MHR (maximum heart rate.)  The following is a short sketch of my exercising:

Monday:  Easy Run, 3 miles.  Swam 20 laps.
Tuesday:  Easy Run, 4 miles.  Upper body weight circuit training.
Wednesday:  REST DAY
Thursday: Easy Run, 3 miles.  Swam 25 laps.
Friday: Easy Run, 4 miles.  Upper body weight circuit training.
Saturday:  Easy Run, 6 miles.  Cycling, 30 minutes.
Sunday:  Easy Run, 3 miles. 
Total Weekly Mileage: 23 miles.

Next week I plan on continuing the slow process of building my base running mileage with easy aerobic running as well as losing more weight.  I also will continue to crosstrain in a variety of disciplines.  I viewed an interesting video called, Learn How to Skip Rope, and I'm considering purchasing a jump rope...even though I was a total klutz when I was young and couldn't jump rope!  I'm thinking during a slow night at the airport's cab holding area I could jump rope.

My wife gave me a $50.00 Border Books Gift Card for my birthday and I quickly spent it on books and exercise magazines!  I purchased the book, "Performance Nutrition for Runners," by Matt Fitzgerald, which I hope will help me eat cleaner, perform better, and perhaps lose a few more pounds.  Last week I joined a weight loss competition that's on my favorite running forum site, called about.com Running & Jogging Forum.  I hope Fitzgerald's book will be helpful in that endeavour.

Last Sunday my weight was 178.8, today it's 177.9, almost a whole pound!  My strategy is to lose one or two pounds per week as to reach my racing weight of 170 pounds.  The weight loss competition ends on May 29th, and if I lose one pound per week I could be less than 170 pounds on my six foot frame by that date!

I purchased another chess book, I know I already have over 3,000 chess books, but I just had to have the recent book on Bobby Fischer, "Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall — From America’s Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness." by Frank Brady.  Should make fascinating reading when I'm in my cab during those long waits in line.