For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here for why.

Summary

I’m still a likely “no shot” for the NYC marathon but I’m keeping some hope alive. I tried Yoga for the first time this week and liked it. And I’d love your thoughts on what my winter Fitness goals should be. Read on.

Subjective Data

As I mentioned last week, my running days are over for the foreseeable future. My foot hurt most of the week, but by Sunday I was able to walk 4-5 miles without being in a lot of pain. I had a light cardio week where I didn’t swim (didn’t feel motivated to get into the water), did some weight work, and tried Yoga for the first time in my life. All in all, it was an enjoyable week but I’d still like to be on the road…

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I’m kind of in limbo at the moment; I’m pretty sure the marathon is shot, but I’m unwilling to call it until I have to (Oct 24). Therefore the key focus this week was maintain some cardio-endurance, and work on weights (and the six pack challenge). Given the challenge, I’ve started cutting body fat again just to see if I have a shot at winning (which led to a very funny dinner conversation with some friends on Friday when I passed on dessert). On the suggestion of a friend, I tried Yoga for the first time; it was fun, challenging, and relaxing. I’ll have to do that again.

I’m also starting to think about my post-November-4^th/winter fitness goals. Here’s what I have so far, let me know what you think:

1. Be able to swim 1km (80 laps) without stopping by March 1^st (starting at 5 laps between breaks now): Basically get my swimming form down for a triathlon in the spring.
2. Be between 163lb and 168lb with a 31-32 inch waist by March 1^st (starting at 155-158 and 31 inches right now): Weight training and weight gaining for the winter – the challenge here is gain the muscle without the fat, which shows up as belly-fat on me. That works out to around 0.5 lbs a week of muscle gain.

I did a series of tests on Wednesday to baseline my measurements (bodyfat, dimensions, and max-weights) for the winter. (I’ll put together a new dashboard based on whatever goals I ultimately pick in the next few weeks so you can play along at home if you’re interested.)

The timing of the test was fortuitous. I was feeling down about the marathon (likely) being shot and I almost cancelled the (previously scheduled) test. But afterwards, and especially when comparing my results to my August 2006 test results, I looked at things in perspective. Sometimes, especially when one of my big goals looks shot, I lose faith, but the numbers reminded me that (a) I’ve made a lot of progress in the last 15 months and (b) this is a process, not an event.

Plan

Plan for next week:

• Keep weight cutting (through November 5^th‘s 6-Pack Charity Challenge);
• Do some spinning, yoga or swimming.
• Keep weight training going at current pace.
• Come up with another draft of goals for the winter.
• Don’t run.
• Do smile.

As a reminder, I get to decide on October 24^th whether to try to run the marathon anyway, or take my guaranteed spot next year. Let me know your thoughts.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

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