And Then It All Fell Apart:

Last week was a good week for me. My favorite blogger/runner "Frayed Laces" not only completed the Boston Marathon, ( Injured no less ) but actually found and commented on the blog article I did about her, which meant a lot to me.

On top of that, I set a new 5K treadmill PR on the same day as the Boston Marathon, which I give total credit to Frayed Laces for my inspired performance, ( Or maybe it was because it was Adolf Hitler's birthday? I'm not sure which ) while also setting a new 5K road course PR, and a recent bench-press PR, ( By a full 10 pounds ) all in the same week.

But on Sunday, ( 04/26/09 ) while feeling good and confident, I had a very slow running session, in what was supposed to be speedwork. Hey, it happens every once in awhile. But Monday ( today ) was even worse.

Was it the heat? ( We have had unseasonably hot weather around here lately )

Did I gain a lot of weight? ( I hadn't weighed myself since March 17th, when I reached a weight-loss goal )

Putting on a tiny bit of weight wouldn't be so much of a nightmare, and would explain why I PR'ed on the bench press. So I decided to weigh myself. Gulp. I had gained 36.2 pounds in 41 days, about 17 more than I had expected.

This would actually be easier to swallow if I was still running fast, but two bad days in a row when I am feeling good is abnormal for me.

So what to do now? I guess the obvious answer is concentrate on the weight loss again, and try to run faster.

But I am worried, because my outdoor racing season is approaching quickly, and I want to keep my streak going of a new PR in every race I've ever run, at least for the rest of this year.

You remember how I bad-mouthed the programmable feature on my treadmill? Well I think I will start off by taking back what I said and going back to that program.

Hey, I'm allowed to change my mind about something.

But this really sucks. I need to find a way to PR again, and soon, but my instincts tell me it's not going to come quickly, even though I am only one week removed from setting it.

Oh well, we'll see.