Week 1 Training Plan

I have been working on a 3 fold plan with the goal being to loose 20 lbs. and run a sub 2 hr. 1/2 marathon. Part 1 of the plan I have titled "Mouth." It will be about what I'm eating, the nutrition part of my plan. Part 2, "Motion," will cover running, and strength training. Finally, part 3 "Mind" will be the things I am doing to keep my mind and heart engaged. The hardest part of putting this plan together is that my "reward half" the Rock 'n' Roll Va. Beach is 21 weeks away. That's like a lifetime y'all! Yet I know I will need every bit of this time due to the fact I have a husband, 3 children and priorities that shift in the ebb and flow of family life. Having this much time will give me the flexibility I need as a wife and mom without having to stress over a time crunch. My plan as of now is to post my schedule and the results weekly. I am doing this for both accountability as well as hopefully someone might be helped or motivated by my postings. So here it is:

Part 1 Mouth:

HELLOOOO --- I Moustache You a Question?

I know that in order to succeed on any diet it must be simple. Second, as a runner it must fuel. This can be a tough act to balance but I think with this plan I will see good results. My eating plan for this week is 3 meals and 2 snacks. To eat protein, carbs, and a small amount of fat in every meal. Below is only a sample day but one I will stick very close to.
  
Breakfast: Green Monster smoothie (pre-run meal) I'll discuss this decision and recipe in a later post.
 
Snack: 1/2 C (fat free) Cottage Cheese w/ tomato 1/4 avocado chopped.
 
Lunch: 1 whole and 2 egg whites chopped on 1 s whole grain bread. (a little mayo to hold it together) 1 C veggies.
 
Snack: 1 T nut butter on celery sticks
 
Dinner: 1 Protein (fish or chicken) 2 veggies (no starchy carbs)

I realize this may not be enough calories for the day so I will adjust/add more as I listen to my body. In all honesty my biggest problem is, I don't eat, then I binge, so success for me will be to eat at the right times and the right foods. Also you might have noticed no desserts on this list-gasp! Pray for me...

Part 2 Motion:
The plan here is based on my goal for a sub 2hr half. I had mentioned in a previous post about a new fancy scale that I had bought that gives you both weight and body fat percent. Well people I'm in the 30% range. Ouch! Ugh! Sigh! What this means is I am at risk for all kinds of medical issues and being 40++ this is a serious concern. I know that I need to work on building back some of the muscle I have lost over time and the way to ensure that is I am reducing my mileage for two runs a week so I can give more energy to weight training. Here is my plan, I will actually repeat this schedule over the next 6 weeks.

Mon. 4 mi. run + strength training

Tue. 5 mi + 6x hill repeats

Wed. 4 mi. run + strength training

Thur. 5 mi + 6x hill repeats

Fri.  Rest with lots of stretching

Sat. Long run

I know I am being rather broad with my list here, but I will get more specific in other post's. For now my plan is to concentrate on upper body and abs for strength work.
 
Part 3 Mind:
 This part is really the back-bone of my workout plan, the key to my success. Having my mind girded for action. How do I plan to do this? I'm glad you asked :) First is to get in the Word of God first thing in the morning. I have a reading plan that I've been using that takes me through the entire bible in a year. One of the things I love about this plan is that I repeat books of the bible several times so I get to really chew on the Word. The other thing is, I plan to memorize another whole book of the bible. Many years ago I memorized the entire book of James, all 5 chapters, word for word,  it was life changing. I decided to take on this challenge again and I am looking at memorizing I Peter. As many of you know that have followed me for the past several years God has taken me through some deep trials over the past few years. I have also shared that my physical condition has a lot to do with how I handled didn't handle those trials. Since our move to Houston God has restored so much...it's as if I have taken a deep breath for the first time in a very loooong time. I know that it is by His strength and grace daily poured out in my life that I will have any success at all. I must have my mind fully engaged in the battle ahead. "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" I Peter 1:13

So there you have it, my three fold plan of attack; mind, motion and mouth. I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and anything you have found that helps you keep pressing on.