First off, the shopping days leading up to Christmas are stressful. I have trouble finding the right gift for people and more importantly - outside my immediate family - I'm never quite sure who is even on my Christmas list.
Here is a good example: I made a dozen or so jars of blackberry jam this fall intending to give them out as gifts to my son's teachers, coaches, etc. But then I was told* that teachers don't want homemade "crap" and just want gift-cards so they can buy what they actually want. So apparently I'll be eating my homemade crap for the next few months - which suits me just fine. My jam is awesome.
*he/she shall remain anonymous.
Secondly, I'm a creature of habit. Unless I'm in my normal routine, I find it very difficult to train and eat right. The holidays provides a perfect storm: Lots of travel & lots of good food. For example:
- My step mom's cooking
- My dad's holiday treats
- My aunt's cooking
Not to mention all the fast food stops while on the road.
I did a better job with exercising, but I was never in the groove and I had to improvise a bit. Here is my journal:
Monday, December 22: Weights (pre-trip)
Tuesday, December 23: Precor Stepper (pre-trip)
Wednesday, December 24: Off - traveling
Thursday, December 25: Hill repeats on my dad's mountain bike (3 times ~ 40 minutes)
Friday, December 26: Hill repeats on my dad's mountain bike (5 times ~ 1 hour)
Note: My dad's bike needs some work. The gears sometimes slip when I push too hard... which meant the hill repeats weren't as intense as I would have liked.
Saturday, December 27: Off - traveling
Sunday, December 28: Off - Busy with family
Monday, December 29: Stair repeats in hotel (16 stories 9 times, 45 minutes)
Tuesday, December 30: Weights (40 minutes) in hotel gym. Only free weights available.
Wednesday, December 31: Off
Thursday, January 1st: Stair repeats in hotel (16 stories 10 times, 50 minutes)
Friday, January 2nd: Off - Traveling
Saturday, January 3rd: Elipical Machine & Pullup intervals (moderate intensity)
Sunday, January 4th: Floor exercises and burpees (light intensity)
All in all, I managed to survive the holidays without too much of a setback. I didn't gain any weight and I managed to exercise enough to keep most of my fitness. But that isn't the complete picture. A couple weeks before the holidays, I caught a virus which curtailed a few key workouts, so in reality, the entire month of December was a complete wash.
That means that the next four weeks are going to be critical. The Empire State Building Run-up is only for weeks away and I'm going to have to train hard and eat right in order to do well.
That means that the next four weeks are going to be critical. The Empire State Building Run-up is only for weeks away and I'm going to have to train hard and eat right in order to do well.
My fitness levels have to step up a notch and more importantly I need to lose 2-3 pounds before I start feeling race ready.
Lessons Learned:
- Pack more of my own food on road trips.
- Staying in a hotel with a decent stairwell was a big plus. I stayed at the Arlington Hyatt which has 16 floors and 240 steps. It was only $99 per night, but they get you with $23 parking (note to self - there was a nearby parking garage that was only $15 per day)
- Fix my Dad's bike.
- Walking around DC was tiring, but the exercise was welcome.
