Michael & Liz are Bloggable

Well it has been 5 days since the start of my challenge and holy cow do I have a lot I want to say about the month so far. I doubt I'll be able to fit it all into this one post since I want to try and keep these updates brief (yeah right, like I can ever keep anything brief). Here is an update on the numbers:

So far the month has been awesome. I've really enjoyed it a lot. It definitely has been hard and I have worked my butt off, but it has been really rewarding. Rewarding is probably the best word to describe it so far. It feels really good to get to work and know that it took effort to do it. It's an awesome feeling to stand at an intersection and get looks like "what are you doing?" I also can't help but laugh as I get on my bike to ride home today after having run 5 miles in the gym. I want to be all I can be! It really is empowering.

So I think the best thing to do now is to break the post into two sections. The good stuff and the bad stuff, because let's be honest, there is definitely a good amount of both.

The Good Stuff:

• My metabolism is through the freakin' roof. The other day I ate 7 tacos for dinner and still lost weight the following day. I have been eating a ton more this whole week and yet my weight is still continuing to drop a little bit every day. I'm still hovering at 170. I'd like to maintain 165 by the end of the month.
  
• I have come to LOVE showering at the gym showers. It is much more private than I thought it would be, the water pressure is nice, and we save on hot water at the house.
  
• I can already tell my legs are stronger and my biking endurance is getting better, and both will benefit my running.
  
• Assuming I keep up this schedule, we are going to save $100 this month on gas alone. That's insane! $100 just because I put in a little effort. I'll take it!
  
• I have to bike on two roads to get to the trails on my way to work, and it's no longer scary for me. I'm still not willing to bike on the busier roads, for those I stick to trails, but I'm no longer nervous at all about traffic.
  
• From the second I close the garage door in the morning, it takes me 45 minutes to bike to work, shower, change, and get into my cube. That's not a bad commute AT ALL.
  
• I really enjoy packing my lunch these days. It's so nice not to have to leave the building and I enjoy catching up with friends at lunch. That is one thing I might do more often even after the month ends.
• My plan has worked out well, between leaving my computer at work and having a locker at the gym, it hasn't really been a struggle coordinating the days.
• To be honest, I sometimes get a small case of road rage when I drive. Stop lights and their stupid sensors really tick me off and I am somewhat competitive when it comes to being passed. But when I'm biking, I LOVE stop lights. It's a chance to rest, I'm not in a hurry and my stress level is extremely low. And I don't have a desire to go super fast. Maybe it's the exercise, but it's so soothing to just get a constant rate going and put out a little effort like that in the mornings.
  
• I am getting up earlier every day so I can still get to work at the same time. If that continues when the month ends, I'll get work even earlier in September when I drive to work more often.
  

The Bad Stuff:

• It has already affected my Marathon Training schedule. On Wednesday I was supposed to run 8 miles but I woke up feeling incredibly sore like I had gotten run over. I think by the time 4PM rolled around, I could have still run, but I didn't pack my running stuff for the day, so it was a no-go. Today I ran 5 miles and felt totally fine and energized, so the soreness and tiredness didn't last long.
  
• I can't remember the last time I went a day without sweating. That's annoying.
  
• We will be doing an extra load of laundry each week to wash the clothes I stink up from biking.
  
• Even though I am not carrying my computer or anything, my bag is still pretty heavy with all the crap I have to bring. Not a big deal though, just a pain.
• Getting to be on time is CRUCIAL these days. I went to bed at midnight on Monday night, and I still got to work on time, but I was dragging in the morning.
  

One thing I've been surprised by is how easy it has been for me to stay ahead of my car miles. I was really hoping that during the month I wouldn't have to go to the gym and just bike endlessly to keep up, and I don't think I'm ever going to have to do that. Tomorrow I am going to bike to work and get 10 more miles, and Saturday I have to run 18 miles for my marathon training. If I don't drive anywhere during that time, I'll be up almost 50 miles on my car by Saturday. Sunday I am going to bike home from church again, and on Monday I took the day off and will bike to the gym and run some more. If that all happens, I really don't see how I can lose this challenge.

I am actually enjoying it so much that I'm starting to dream up other challenges and goals. Could I bike to work half the work days in 2011? What about 3 out of 5 work days every week in 2011? Ideas are welcome!

I think updating the blog on my progress every 5 days sounds good. So look for update 2 on the 10th.


"Those that say it can't be done should get out of the way of those doing it." - Chinese Proverb