3 months to go...

I've been sick for the last week, which has been unfortunate. I've only been able to walk and lift a little. I tried to play tennis last week, and that was a huge disaster. The only good thing about the last couple weeks is that I've contined losing weight. I'm right on the pace that I decided I needed to maintain to give myself the best chance according to the formulas I've seen. My coach is back in the states (He was in Europe for the beginning of this), so we will be getting together 2-3x per week to hit the track. All in all, things are looking really good.

Outside of running, I've gotten into 2 schools so far: UC Santa Cruz and Pittsburgh. I won't list all the rejections (they are too numerous), but I still have 5 to hear from.

I'm gonna spend this weekend playing a few tournaments and it is back on the track Monday.

7:00 and no longer obese (according to the CDC)!

I'm in a stream-of-consciousness mood, so I'm just going to write in bulletpoints:

• I'm at a 7:00 mile, so I think I'm where I need to be.
• I'm no longer obese according to the CDC, which states that a BMI > 30 is obese.  Still a ways to go...maybe 30-40 more pounds.
• I signed up for the Shamrock'n Half-Marathon on March 15th as a way to commit to putting in the long runs that I need for training.  Anyone who wants to join me is welcome.
• I'm thinking about signing up for the Lodi Mile at the end of March to see where I'm at and see how I respond to race conditions.
• I had a successful interview with UCSC, so I don't think I'm going to go 0/18 in PhD applications, thankfully.
• I want to start paying friends to lose weight.  I've offered a couple people the chance and surprisingly both people declined.  Humans never cease to amaze me.  

That's it for now.  I don't know if people get geeked out on training techniques or diet, but I'm happy to share what I'm doing if anyone is interested.

I'm a professional athlete?

This title comes from an old college friend I had dinner with recently who said "You're basically a professional athlete." Funny. I hadn't thought about it like that.

Frequency will be increasing from this point on, and I'll mainly be posting workout details. I pretty much have an established routine of a fasted workout in the morning and another in the evening. My weight is the lowest it's been since college, but I still have a ways to go in that regard.

I recently ran a 7:15 indoors, which I was told will be faster outdoors. We will see since my next one will be outdoors. I attended a running form seminar today and was given tons of drills that will improve my cadence, stride length, and leg pull. Ultimately, this should make me more efficient. Leave no stone unturned...

Oh, I almost forgot. I registered to run the Shamrock Half Marathon in March. I think this will serve as a great commitment device to make me hit all my long runs, which are super important to middle distance training.

Last PhD applications are due tomorrow, and then it's home free.