More than running...

As I mentioned in my first post, this is about more than just running a half-marathon. I'm also trying to lose weight and get in better shape in the process. One would think they would go hand in hand, but anyone who watched The Biggest Loser this past season saw that Daris ran a 4-hour marathon, but also gained 2 pounds while he was home (I know the being home had more to do with it). In an effort to actually lose weight as well, I'm going to be severely limiting or giving up a lot of foods and drinks that I really enjoy, such as:

• Sweet Tea/Soft Drinks -- Water and Unsweet Tea for me from now on, unless I need some Gatorade for training
• Fast Food -- this is one that will be unavoidable at times, but I'm going to learn to make smarter choices
• Candy/Chocolate -- another thing that shouldn't be too hard to do, but it's more about resisting temptations

Those are the major things I've thought of, but mostly it's about eating healthier and that will also involve eating several small meals a day. I went to the store today to stock up on healthy items. You would have thought I was suffering from scurvy with all the fruit I bought, but I know that is one of the best ways to get my vitamins, some fiber, and when paired with peanut butter, some protein.

Anyway, tomorrow the training begins. I'll be doing an interval run of 1 minute run then 2 minutes walk for 6 cycles. Shouldn't be too difficult and sounds like a good start. I'll report on the results tomorrow night.

And now for the obligatory movie quote:

"Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!"

-Forrest Gump