Big Day Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is January 30... which means, it has been 30 days that I have been trying to make healthier decisions for my life.

For one, I have been going to the gym at least 4 days each week for the past month. This was to focus on the "Exercise" portion of the old addage, "Diet and Exercise."

Regarding the diet, I have made a number of changes. First (wait for lightening), this may come as a shock to some of you, but I have not had a drop of alcohol during this time. Yes, it's true. The man with a kegerator has not consumed his favorite beverage since last year... uh... December 31.

I chose to do it for a number of reasons. For one, the alcohol really does a number on the body when you're trying to train for a Half Marathon. It's very dehydrating, and it makes for a difficult run the next day.

My other reason is a request from my Doctor. Yep... she wanted me to stop so she could get an accurate liver reading during my quarterly blood tests. Being one of the millions of people who take medication for high cholesterol, it typically raises the levels in your liver.

I've also been eating healthier. For example, today I went to lunch with Mel at Rockfish. We both ate fish, mixed veggies, and had a rice pilaf. Man oh man... I cleaned my plate. And the best thing was it gave me a lot of energy for the afternoon!

So I bring all of that up because tomorrow is Exam Day! I go see my Dr. in the morning. Won't she be surprised when she finds out what I've been doing? The loss of 10 pounds has done wonders so far - my blood pressure has normalized, my energy levels are up, I'm not huffing and puffing walking to and from my truck, and I just feel so much better overall.

Tonight I had to run 4. I'll be honest, it was very difficult. Chandra and I have come to the conclusion that weeknight runs are the worst, and I believe Thursday just tops them all! You're carrying the weight of the week on your shoulders, and it's hard to get up for it.

But I did it... pushed through and finished strong. I wanted to quit... I really did. Between miles 2 and 3 I thought I would just drop the speed down to an easy walk... but I couldn't. I had to do it... I wanted to have one good run in me before I met my Dr. in the morning!

I should have the results by Monday... and I've promised Chandra to make it until February 1st until the "no alcohol rule" is thrown out the window. Oh, I won't be boozing it up... I've come so far this month, and I have many more miles to go.

But believe you me, by the time kickoff happens at the Super Bowl, this guy will be enjoying his first beer of the new year... that sweet-sweet nectar of the Barley gods!