Update on 2 Running Bets

About time for an update on my 2 running bets I have going concurrently with two different people. The first is with Jeff ("40 for 40"), second with Joe ("Joe vs Chris: The Bet").

I won't go into details on the bets themselves (you can read about them in the links above), but here's the summary for each. I'm optimistic about achieving both of my goals.

Chris vs Jeff: I'm winning (for now)! Jeff has not lost 40 pounds and I've reached 40 miles/week a few times. I'm certainly more consistent with my mileage than he has been with his weight loss. We are both improving, but I've made more progress so far. I wish us both well in our continued attempt to be successful with our respective goals (mileage for me, weight for Jeff). We both agreed to be "on-track" by Howl at the Moon race on August 9. If so, we should each race well for those 8 hours.

Chris vs Joe: It's a draw (for now). Neither one of us has lost a week of the bet. We still have 18 weeks to go, but it's looking good for both of us. I think I have the lead on speed (on target for half-marathon goal time), but we each are struggling a bit with keeping mileage, speed, and our bodies intact. We've utilized our "free passes" well so far, but those will run out. Recovery is vital for both of us to make it through this bet unscathed. I have too many races so it's hard to prioritize and achieve all my goals. For now, the bets (with Joe and Jeff) have motivated me to run more than I would have on my own. We can all use a little extrinsic motivation. I am on track to break 1:35 for my October 19 half-marathon race...not sure Joe is ready for a sub 1:50. We'll see.

Thanks guys for keeping me on-target and motivated. We still have a long way to go. Stay strong.