Week 3

WEEK III:

   A grueling but fun moment from this week was our run on Wednesday. I woke up late that day, at around 10:45, after a bad night. My body was sore from hitting legs the day before and I had a headache from the lack of sleep. Nonetheless, I called up Bowen and let him know that I'd be at his house in fifteen. I then proceeded to make my coffee, eat half a banana, and choke down as much water as possible in the five minutes I had left. 

    Once I picked up Bowen, I drove us to one of our classic running spots: the Fairmont Loop. The Fairmont Loop is a rolling 3.4 mile loop with roughly 450 feet in elevation gain. Because of its difficulty, I usually like to run it early in the morning when it's unpopulated and still cool out. This wasn't the case on Wednesday, though. Our late arrival meant temperatures approaching eighty degrees and plenty of other pedestrians. 

  As we got out of the car, I seriously contemplated calling the run off. And, to be completely honest, I probably would have if I had been alone. But, because I was with Bowen, I kept my mouth shut and got myself ready. Once our legs started moving, I started to feel much better. About a quarter mile in, I looked down at my watch and saw we were going at a sub-seven minute pace. I thought to myself, "Wow, this isn't hard at all! I could keep this pace up all day."

    However, as always the case with Fairmont, I seemed to forget that the beginning of the run is a downhill. So, once we got to the first uphill, I was done for. Our pace dropped substantially and my legs were on fire. But, I did not stop. I channeled the mental fortitude that I have been improving upon throughout our project and pushed through the pain. We finished the run roughly twenty minutes later, averaging a 7:35 pace. Although this was definitely not the fastest I've ever run, I was proud of myself for overcoming the unpleasantness of the run and my body's soreness. 

    I have definitely noticed large improvements in my running abilities since the start of the project. Although my journey has not been strictly linear, my average pace for 5k's has improved by roughly twenty seconds. I would be interested to graph the pace and date of each of my runs once I finish the project to get a more precise examination of my progress. I have also been noticing good improvement while lifting too. I have been able to up the amount of weight I lift for certain exercises and can even do another full set sometimes. 

    Also, before I wrap up this blog post, I wanted to clarify something about the pancakes we've been making. I realized that all three of us have put them in (I think) every blog point up to this point, and never specified that we aren't eating just regular pancakes. We use a pancake mix from a brand called 'Kodiak' that are multi-grain and high in protein. Three 4" pancakes amount for 14g of protein at only 200 calories. Due to their high protein, they are extremely filling, which is great for helping to prevent unhealthy snacking throughout the day. 

(Polish Sausages, High in Protein)