We have had a lot of rain this week and this morning was no exception. So, I put on my Performance IllumiNITE shell and a baseball cap and headed out the door. Right away I unzipped the pit vents as I started the walk portion of the workout. I still ended up getting pretty warm during the workout and figured I would have been better off just accepting that I was going to get soaked in my t-shirt.

During the workout I considered what I want to do about dealing with the weather. My general preference is to just deal with it. In the past I've done run workouts in 11 degrees below zero. But, I need to have a place where I can do swim workouts anyway. So, if I've got a membership to Lakewood's recreation centers, it may be worth thinking about when I should head indoors. I also need to think about whether I want to use my rollers for bike workouts when the weather is sub-optimal.

With the above considerations in mind, the next things on my list of to-dos are to check out the Lakewood recreation center memberships and triathlon training groups. I also want to have a look at whether any Olympic distance triathlons have been posted for the 2014 season. I'll probably need to join USAT again, too.

Now that I've run through all the general commentary, let me post my thoughts about today's workout. When I started the run I thought, "Wow this is so much easier since I'm not pushing Eli in the stroller." But, I must admit that as I settled into the workout I didn't find it any easier than when I had settled into the workout pushing Eli. I didn't wear a HR monitor or watch on either workout. So, I don't have any idea how my pace compared between the two workouts. In any case, I felt fine overall and didn't have to focus much to get myself to complete the two loops around the lake. I'm starting out nice and easy and that's just the way it feels.

When I was meditating this morning and deciding whether I should head out for a run, I first thought that it had been so many days since my last run workout. Then I realized that I had just gotten out on Tuesday (two days ago). I guess I got myself confused since I have gotten out for lots of walks since Tuesday morning's run. I think that at the moment I am going to plan to run three times a week, continuing the 3 Mile Kendrick Loop. I don't know when I will feel it's time to bump up the distance and / or change the route.

One other thing I am going to have to decide how to handle is the diet regimen I have been following. Quick (or not?) recap: I had put on a good amount of weight over a period of time (something like 15 pounds). At first I thought I could just work the weight off by increasing my exercise. I realized that I needed a combination of diet and exercise. So, I spent about three months substituting a Vega shake for my lunch during the week. I would say that I had great success with the strategy. However, I didn't want to keep spending the money on the Vega powder. So, I had to come up with a new plan to manage my caloric intake. I started following the 5/2 diet (Michael Mosley's take, Wikipedia's take). My "2" days are Monday and Thursday. I think that I will need to make sure that those days don't fall on workout days. What will I do when I reach the point that I am doing workouts six days a week? Maybe at that point it will be fine to fast on just one day. Or, maybe I will be burning enough calories that I won't need to fast at all.

As far as the diet and my workouts this week, I think that I'm not going to do the fast today because Saturday is Yom Kippur and I will be doing a true fast for ~24 hours. (Happy New Year to all who celebrate these Jewish holidays!)