My To-Do List

The first week of July has brought about some interesting insights and a resulting To-Do list.

I did two short runs (a four miler and a three miler), I BodyPumped once, and I did, technically, finish a 16-mile run/walk on Saturday the 3rd. It wasn't as clean as I would have wanted, but I completed it. I used intervals of 4 minutes running/1 minute walking-- except for miles 12 and 13, which I walked in their entirety! I did resume jogging for the last two miles.

In all, the process took me 4 hours. I learned a number of things.

1. I need to lose some weight. I've actually gained 5 pounds over the summer, and I have no excuse for it. I've been eating like crap and drinking beer at night. I wanted to be 10 pounds lighter than I am now by Mongolia.

2. I have to drink A LOT more water on a daily basis. I have serious hydration issues. When I ran on Saturday it was cooler than it's been in the past, but still hot and muggy. My exposed skin (arms legs) had goosebumps and NO SWEAT. That's a classic sign of heat exhaustion due to improper hydration. I don't drink enough water on a regular basis. I have to change that.

3. I need to start doing more short runs during the week. Two is not enough. I should be doing 4! I have few excuses for why I can't do three miles at some point during the day.

4. I'm dealing with some anxiety around these long distances. I'm running slow enough and using the intervals that it shouldn't be a problem for me physically. But I actually had a panic attack at one point. It took me a good 10 minutes to realize that was what was happening. Once I did I concentrated on my breathing and worked through it. But I definitely need to start reading some articles on how to combat anxiety. I do NOT like these new distances and routes that I've never done. I start to panic, which is silly.