Quest Accepted

I signed up for the 2010 Twin Cities marathon this afternoon with a feeling of nonchalance. It has become like any other annual event like a birthday or holiday. Even more so for the fact that I can plan on spending around $100 for it. I'm not feeling particularly excited or motivated about it yet, but I expect anticipation will grow once the ice and cold start fading. As for now, I've been continuing with my 3 day a week lifting routine and trying to get in 3 days of running in between. I'm mostly running 3.5-5 miles per go--not nearly enough to be in marathon shape, but enough to keep my weight in check and keep my cardio at an acceptable level. I'll be raring to go once I can get off the treadmill.

My upper body work has been going well as of late. I've been increasing my reps often and am up to around 3 sets of 33 pull ups and dips and 3 sets of 80 push ups. I am pleased that I have been able to increase my upper body strength to this point while maintaining a weight right around 177-180. While upper body muscle mass does not translate well to distance running, I enjoy the workouts and don't feel that it has interfered with running. If anything, I feel that keeping my heart rate up around 120-130 bpm for an extra hour 3 days a week could be a good thing.