Lenten Discipline

I'm sticking to my goals two weeks into Lent, so am thinking it's safe to share what's up...

First off, I have more free time on my hands now than at any time in the past several years. No kids' sports until later this month and basketball has been over for a while. What a huge difference this makes!

With evenings available I'm a little surprised that I haven't had to fight the temptation to fill time with hard training. Instead I've been sticking to a steady diet of 5 runs per week with a few core training sessions and a bike ride or two. I peaked at about 40 miles per week and have been taking my resolution to take ample recovery time seriously. I'm tapering this week for Sunday's half marathon.

So what have I been doing? For one - dusting off my trumpet. I've been playing every night with the goal of rehearsing 40 times through Lent. Playing the horn is very similar to athletic training - you're just training trumpet playing muscles instead of running & cycling muscles. I really want to be strong for Easter services this year. It has been a great outlet. I'm definitely a more gifted trumpeter than endurance athlete!

Time with the boys, reading, and working... those are my other activities these days. You won't hear me complaining about work. Better to be working 50+ hour weeks than none at all.

My other vows are alcohol and caffeine abstinence. Alcohol is pretty easy anymore... I allow myself one drink per week - usually in a social situation. Caffeine is going well, too. I had three "no caffeine" days last week. At first I struggled with caffeine withdrawal, but seem to be past that barrier now. The most I've had in two weeks is half a cup of real coffee in the AM and a Diet Coke in the PM. I'm definitely not as high strung without the caffeine... Those closest to me are hoping I give it up for good!