Progress :)

So, if you’ve been following my running escapades, you know that I now have a Coach?  So late last year I asked him for tips on improving my pace, I wanted to run faster. He said I needed to get lean first. What??? I explained to him that getting lean wasn’t going to happen. I told him about my frustrations with my weight increase. You see, in the 2 years leading up to December 2016 I had steadily gained weight and circumference in spite of my well planned activities and interventions.  Even increasing my running distance didn’t seem to help. I explained to him, patiently, that there comes a time in a woman’s life when hormones take over, and the body specializes in storing fat.  My problem was hormonal, and not diet or inactivity. I just needed to wait it out until the process reversed, some light years from now.  I had all the theories why getting lean wasn’t an option, at least for such a time as this. He said it could be done. And asked me to increase my running frequency to 5-6 times a week, at least 10 kays each run with a longer one on the 6th day (Saturday). WHAT??? I went ahead and explained to him why what he was asking me to do wasn’t safe, healthy or practical. My muscles needed to heal in between runs etc.

He listened to me as I went on and on over several days, through training runs with him.  Finally, he observed that I had a lot of theories LOL! He asked me how my theories were working for me? Of course they weren’t. He asked me if I wanted to stick to my theories or try his practicals. Now, when he put it like that … LOL! And at this point I reasoned that he had worked with several athletes through  the years, including our First Lady; and we all know how well our First Lady has done in running half marathons. So he asked me to give his practicals a try for 6 weeks, and if nothing changed then we’d go back to the drawing board. OK, I accepted the challenge though I was skeptical, I must admit. And starting the 2nd day of this year, I hit the road running 5-6 10 kay runs per week, with some Saturdays going in excess of 10 kays. After 2 weeks, I weighed in and I had lost a pound! What??? That  my scale was going downwards, albeit by 1 pound, was a first in over 2 years that was nothing short of a miracle!!!  WHAT??? Maybe it was possible, I reasoned. Maybe I could get lean after all hehehehe … and I was managing the runs well, I must say, and loving it. The skeptic in me began to pay attention and believe that I could get lean in spite of my hormones and stage in life.

Long story short, almost four months later, 774.85 kays in 77 workouts, I have lost 8 pounds and 2 inches round my circumference!  Yay! My pace has improved to roughly 7:40 minutes per-km-run down from 8:51 minutes per-km :). I am excited, and thankful for my Coach.  I am hopeful that I will run the Lewa half marathon better this year :). I am most thankful to God for keeping me and bringing me this far. It’s been lots of hard work, waaaaa! But it’s paying off, and that’s encouraging.  I am still a work in progress, and the hard work continues. God willing, I will get leaner; and better :). It can be done! Thank you, LORD! Thank you, Coach :). I got this ;).