Thursday, December 30, 2010

(sprint) Triathalon here I come

This is my first week of tracking my run/bike/swim distances.
Week starting 12/13/2010
13 Miles run
15.6 Miles biked
1.6 Miles Swam

All those numbers look very small to me compared to how much time I spent in the gym this week.    I would have had more running, but I slept through my outdoor run on Saturday.  The only time I get to exercise is early in the morning or late at night so its extra tiring (mentally mostly)  to get miles in for all three disciplines.  My swim still concerns me.  I can do the required 1/2 mile in a session at the pool, but I'm a long ways off before I can do it continuously.   Good thing I have 9 months to get ready.   However, as  I do more research I've found out there  are several sprint triathlons in NH starting in June.   So maybe I only have 6 months.

(on a blogging note, this should have been posted a week ago).

Monday, December 13, 2010

Momma said there would be days like this....

I don't know if its a lingering cold in my chest,  the 5 pounds I seemed to put on just this weekend, or just an off day.  What what a crappy day of workouts.   Did 20 laps in the pool this morning, although I was ready to give up after 4.  I could hear a gurgle in my chest as I was breathing heavy.    I did do a 50 meter swim (a full lap down and back non-stop)  for the first time so thats good.  It wasn't pretty, but it doesn't have to be yet.

Then the plan at night was do an almost 5 mile bike ride (in gym)  then hop on the treadmill and do 3 miles like I did last Thursday.  I did the bike ok,   a little slower than I did it the other day but that felt fine.  But when I stepped on the treadmill my body and mind was just not into it.  So I did hill intervals for a mile,  started at 1% for a minute, then walked a min, 2% an min, walked, up to 2 sets of 4% and then I was done.  Nothing left.

And this follows a poor outdoor run on Sunday.   I really hope its my weight that makes me sucky athlete.  I would hate to lose 25 more pounds to find out it doesn't make a difference in my performance.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Let the Tri-athalon Training Begin!!!

Foots / Ankle better.  Nuff said.

1/2 Mile Swim,   14 Mile Bike Ride.  5K run.    Roughly 9 months from now in September at Clough State Park.

The 5K run I have covered.  I figured no matter how tired I am, I can still run (or walk)  it under an hour.

14 Miles Bike Ride, well, I have no bike.   So thats an issue.   I figure around my birthday I can find a used bike to use, and I can drive myself over to lake and do the bike route.  Until then the gym is full of bikes I can pedal until my stubby legs fall off.

Then there is the swim.  This is what excites me most about the triathalon.  Swimming is something I've never done.  The concept of swimming a 1/2 mile in a lake is so foreign to me.    I'm starting from scratch, very much  the way I did with running.    Every day I swim, which is usually twice a week, I learn something new or see some improvment.

The other day I did almost 5 miles on a stationary bike, then immediately ran a 5K after on a tread mill.    My last swim workout, Friday Dec 10th,  I completed around 20 laps total.  18 is 1/2 mile.  So I can swim a bunch now compared to how I was 3 weeks ago when I started, but I can't do those laps consecutively.  There is a lot of rest between the laps or even the lengths.  And when I get tired, I get super sloppy.

Should be interesting on what happens in the next 9 months.  I still have at least one half marathon to worry about before then.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Don't call it a comeback (yet)

After the half marathon, I felt great. The race was on a Sunday, come Monday I was a little tight but wasn't too sore. I expected to be incapacitated but I wasn't (probably an indication I could have pushed myself harder). I had no pain, just felt like I did an extra long run. I thought I got away with doing a half-marathon I physically wasn't quite prepared to do. I believe it was Tues when I noticed my right ankle I was a little sore when I dorsiflexed and plantarflexed my foot (basically pointing my toes up and down). The next day it was even worse, with pain that spread a bit to my shin area. This was my biggest fear of doing the half marathon, an injury.

Over the next few days the tendons in my foot became extremely tight, to the point of when I pointed my foot up, the tendons would actually squeek. At first I thought I was imagining the squeek because of how bad it felt, but Erika heard it too. I knew I would never run again. (although I know this seems stupid, when you are injured all sorts of wacky thoughts go through your head).

I stopped all activity (let the weight gain begin), and proceeded to R.I.C.E for the entire week. No improvement, but I did start cross training. Stationary bike, elliptical and SWIMMING ( I love the swimming). Even though the swimming hurt my ankle, all the cross training kept my spirits up.

After two weeks of rest and a lot of ice (while still cross training), I went to see my jack-ass of a Dr. The entire appointment lasted about 37 seconds, and he diagnosed extensor tendinitus. Although not all the symptoms fit, it seemed reasonable enough. I left with a steroid pack to help with the inflammation. A week passed with little relief. Now I have an appointment with a specialist (it was a week away when set up, but I haven't gone yet, it happens tomorrow).

This passed weekend, I worked out Friday, pool and cardio. Over the weekend I didn't do anything, other than play with the kids. Monday came and.... Poof. No Pain. No discomfort. No tightness. Nothing. I didn't think much of this because of the past three weeks, there would be moments when things got loosened up and felt good, but then would get all tight and janky all over again. I went to the gym Monday night, did a solid 35 minutes on the elliptical. Everything felt great, so I walked over to the treadmill.

1 mile. 11 minutes, 9 seconds. No issues. No pain. The following night, did 15 bike, 15 elliptical, and did a half mile on the treadmill. Still no issues. So far so good.




Friday, November 19, 2010

Manchester City Half Marathon 2010




Time to change my my blog to 13.1 Fuzz.

On a freezing Sunday morning in November, around 7:50am, I took my first step towards completing my first half marathon. It was truly a
fantastic experience. The running one was thing, but what I found most enjoyable about the running was the people. And not being much of a people person, that says a lot.

I met up with my cousin Denise and her friend Nancy a few minutes before the race. It was very nice to see someone I knew before a race. Once the race started, I was going a nice easy pace, well aware that the distance before me is not one that I've tackled before. While running down Commercial St. I said good morning to a fellow runner. After chatting with her, I found out her name was Dianna and she's a special ed teacher from NJ, who was running her 20th marathon of the year. She had to drive back to NJ that night because of a teachers conference the next day. Then I met Andrew, from San Fransisco, who wasn't enjoying the cool weather too much. Next was Marla from Pompey, NY. Her husband was running the full Marathon and she didn't want to wait around 5 hours for him, so she was doing the half. We talked about how we just wanted to hit the 6 mile mark before getting passed by the fast runners (non-early starters). For the record, made it past the 7 mile mark before getting passed. Yay!

The last person I met was a VERY nice older gentleman from Texas, Larry as he introduced himself. He could have introduced himself as Larry Macon, Guiness World Record holder for the most marathons in a year. He was the nicest guy to chat with, and he personally thanked every volunteer on every corner he came across, talked with every person cheering the runners on. It wasn't till after the race I when I was looking up finish times for Larry and the others I met, did I figure out who he was.

All in all, a great bunch of people with fascinating stories. After the mile 8 marker, I was pretty much on my own.

As for the run, Manchester City Half Marathon is very hilly course. I believe I did the first couple of miles non stop at pretty casual pace (as if all my paces aren't casual). The first two or three miles were almost, dare I say, easy. Soon I started hitting some of the major hills on River Road and took to walking any of the significant hills. I knew the course well enough to know where the downhill parts were going to be so I could make up for this walking. And I've learned from the experienced runners (like Mr. Macon), there is no shame in walking when it comes to a big hill.


The first 6 miles went really well, very little difficulty. I was tired because after all, it was 6 miles. But no issues. Although, I did turn my ankle twice right before the 6 mile mark (more on this in another post). My big concern was my lower and upper back, and it held up just fine, not only the first 6 miles, but the entire race.

Mile 10 I started walking more and more. I just didn't have much left in the tank. I ate most of a bag of Sharkies between miles 8 and 9, and drank Gatorade at every station so I think my nutrition was holding up as well as could be expected. Before this race I never did more than 8 miles, so at mile 10, I was on borrowed time/miles. From mile 10 to 13, the mid-packers who started at the normal time had caught up with me. 100's and 100's of runners were passing me as I struggled to keep up any consistent running down Hanover street (the last 3 miles was a straight shot down Hanover street). Although I knew this was going to happen, it was still a bit disheartening. Occasionally a passing runner would offer encouragement, but at that point I didn't want any acknowledgement of my existence. Most of my issues, I believe, were mental. I was tired as heck, but I probably could have pushed harder.


I sucked it up the last 1/4 mile and managed to run my way on to Elm St and across the finish line. Erika was there waiting for me, camera in hand. The pics she took were way better than the pictures from the event photographers. Thanks Sweetie!

With a time of 2:48:17, which is a pace of 12:51 I was content with the race. Over all, it was an accomplishment, but I can't help but think I could do better. Time wise, preparedness wise ect.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

My Dogs are Barking because the race was TOO long.

October 16th, 2010 was a cold and WINDY day. But there was no snow or rain, so I won't complain too much. The animal rescue league of Bedford was holding their first annual 5K race. This is the place we got Dixie, my sleeping compadre so I have a special fondness for them.

I was feeling good, no issues that I could point to. Hoping for a new PR, as always. Roughly 200 runners, so it was cozy, and it was fundraiser so I knew there were a bunch of walkers so I knew there were some people I would beat.

The race started off at a good pace, hit the first turn and WHAM! Into a wall of wind. Bye-Bye PR. It wasn't just breezy, it was holding me back. I picked a girl as my rabbit, but after a mile either her pace picked up or mine dropped (probably mine dropped) and she pulled ahead. At that point I was pretty much running alone, which was fine by me. For the most part, if I don't stop, I'm happy with my race.

The race was really uneventful. At two miles I was feeling ok, the wind still taking its toll on me. As we completed the half mile, someone asked how much further. I said ".6 miles" (thanks iPhone GPS). Then there was this little girl, probably 8, who doing great running, but then stopped to walk, as I passed her I tried to give an encouraging "less than half a mile to go". I think thats the most I've ever said to other racers. We're down to .3 miles left, I tell another woman who asks how much further. What a nice guy. At .2 miles, I start to kick it into high gear. On my death bed, I'll still have enough energy to push through .2 miles. Its nothing. So I pumping my stubby little legs like my life depended on it, pulling away from the ladies that I just told the distance. Still holding out hopes for that PR! Funny thing though. I hit the 3.1 mile mark, and I was no where near the school that we started at. 3.2 miles. Still no school. 3.3 miles. WTF! 3.4 miles. Someone needs to die. At this point, all the extra energy I had was out the window and I'm beyond winded. Finally cross the finish line at 3.46 miles.

The extra distance wasn't a big deal, it was the extra push toward the finish that wasn't where it was suppose to be that killed me. My finish line photo makes me look like a monster that ran .36 miles more than he expected to run.

It was a fun race and I look forward to next years.

3.46 Miles 36:10. A 10:27 pace, not bad for me.


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

8 Miles and Half Marathon

I've increased my mileage to 8 miles. And oh yeah, signed up for a half marathon. Manchester Marathon /Half Marathon. My cousin Denise suggested it, because she's walking it, and suggested I do it as well. After thinking about it for 10 min, I was in.

8 miles. 13 miles. Close enough. I feel like I'm cramming for a test I didn't prepare for. Going to get at least a 10 mile session in this Saturday and see how my body handles that. I will have a week to take it easy before the big day.

I am VERY excited.
Biggest concern. My lower back and nutrition during the race.
Time prediction.....3:20. <-- lots of walking after the 10K mark.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

7 Miles

On October 12, 2010 I ran 7.0 miles. I ran very slow, because thats how I run, but I did it non stop. When I started running in April, I never thought I would be able to run a couple miles continuously, never mind 7! Still stuck at my weight (due to my own poor eating decisions), but I'm really excited about the possibilities. Now as I look in the future for races, I'm not restricted just to 5k races. Now I'm looking for 10Ks! 6.2 miles. Easy-peasy!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Erica's Run To Strikeback Against Cancer 5K

My 5th race of the year was pretty uneventful. It was in Merrimack NH on a beautiful September morning. It was a race of about 250 people, a good majority of them were just walkers as this was a charity event. I love walkers. Anyways. The course was a flat loop. 3 times around. It was my first loop course and I didn't think I would like it, but it really didn't matter. Although being lapped wasn't a highlight. But I showed some of those walkers who the boss was by lapping them.


Good Things: I didn't stop, but the weird thing is I was about 100 yrds from the finish line and I almost stopped. It was like a little battle was going on between my head and my legs. Head won, but legs were pissed.

Personal record. Only by about 30 seconds.

Bad things: Only knocked 30 seconds off my personal best. I run better than that now a days. At least I should.

I was tired! I think my big mistake was not taking a rest day before the race. The day before I did a 5.1 mile run (at a blistering 10:19 pace I might add) that really wore me out. I didn't think it would matter, but it was clear it did.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Still 215, but 5 miles instead of 4.

So I'm really stuck at this 215 weight. I've seen it dip down, but 215 is just where my body wants to sit for a while. Hopefully I'll break through the barrier at some point. I've added weight lifting to my routine two days a week so maybe that will help.

The more exciting thing is that Sunday I hit the 5 mile mark running. 5.07 miles in 1 hour and 2 minutes of continuous running. I was running and felt pretty good, so decided to go for 4.5. Then at 4.5, decided to go for the big FIVE-O.

I feel pretty good, took the next day for total rest just so I wouldn't push it (did 12 miles total this weekend (Fri, Sat and Sun).

A 5K in Merrimack on Saturday. Hopefully I can improve my times a little bit. Excited to try.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Wild Rover 1/2 Way to St Patricks Day 5K

I didn't stop. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I wanted to stop. At one point I couldn't even take a deep breath because I tweaked a muscle in my back/shoulders that was cramping or something. I remember running down Chestnut St not being able to take a breath, an issue that would have been debilitating even if I was walking. I kept pushing one step at a time (cliche, I know). The weird thing is I don't remember when it stopped, but as my legs kept going, my issue simply went away.

So as I mentioned my goal was not to stop, and didn't really care about time as long as I kept moving. The race took us up Elm St, which is a pretty big hill. I was mildly proud of myself as I ran up the hill, and people all around me had to stop and walk. This is what I've been doing in my runs around the house, hills (not a fan). It was nice to see work I've been doing paying off.

Once I crossed Webster St., which I guess was about a mile away from the finsh, I was very confident I was going to go the distance. I was looking for a 'rabbit', someone I could follow to pace myself. The problem was everyone I started following, either slowed their pace or ended up walking. I wasn't used to the situation of passing people. I was always the pass-ee. So that was another plus.

I finished up the race with a 33:52. More than 4 minutes better than my last race roughly two weeks prior, so that was another positive of the race. Then, after I was huffing and puffing from just coming across the finish line, a lady came up to me and thanked me for pacing her the entire race. ME! I paced someone!

Anyways, a very fun race. Its fun to see that I'm improving as a runner.

The pictures are pretty random, just me taking them of the crowd (finish line and the starting line). I didn't know anyone and no one knew me.








Tuesday, September 7, 2010

215 and 4 Miles

I have another 5K coming up on Sunday. I'm not sure I'll do any better at the 5K, but my running has got a little stronger. Over the long weekend I managed 3.88 (fri) 4.08 (sun) and 4.01 (mon) mile runs. First runs ever over 4 miles. On Monday my run was extra enjoyable because I went to the dam / state park by our house and did my first trail run (3 miles of it was trail). It was cold, peaceful and relaxing. I want to make a habit of doing that run when I don't have a race on a particular weekend. I turned around at the 2 mile mark because I didn't want to push past the 4 mile mark round trip, so I still have a little more trail to explore.

Here is the exercise activity summary for the run (with pics embedded, pretty neat):

Also the weight is slowly going down again. I weighed this morning (not after a hard sweaty workout like I like to do, hey it makes me feel good) and I was exactly 215. 40lbs down. 15 to go before the New Year. Not sure why I'm picking 200lbs by Jan 1st, but it seems like a good round number (no pun intended), and I have 3 months to lose 15 lbs. Very doable.

4 more races for the rest of the year. Would have more but Oct is a busy month for us. Hopefully I can find some in November.






Sunday, August 29, 2010

Loco Moose 5K Concord NH 2010


Things went... well. My time was 35:15, which is a 11:23 pace. Over 3 minutes faster than my last 5K about two weeks ago. I'm pleased, but not really happy. Still there was too much walking. The first mile I did in a little over 10 minutes, so again out of the shute too fast. My exercise program spoke into my ear and said "Your average speed is 6mph" and at that point I knew I was in trouble. I have very limited reserves and using them to push that pace on the first mile spells doom for the next two. I think I had to start walking at the 1.3 mile mark, I was so pissed at myself. For all the exercise I do, I should be able to run longer than I do. So I did my normal walk / run thing.

I would have come in a few seconds faster but I felt stupid / rude zooming past this little 16 year old girl at the last few seconds, so I just let her keep her lead. Despite my not being able to run long distances, I have a good finishing 200 meter speed. I just don't like to use it for evil.

Here are the results:

It was a good event. I won a raffle. Grabbed the book that was on the prize table, should have grabbed one of the mugs.

Sad things from the results:
I'm the last Male to finsh the race.
I'm the last in my age group by far (next closest guy was 5 minutes ahead of me)

Next 5K in another two weeks. I don't foresee another 3 minute improvement. I'll shoot for 1.

EDIT: I think the race was mis-measured. My GPS on my phone measures everything pretty accurately, and it measured 2.98 miles. My GPS hit the 1 mile mark and 2 mile mark right on the button with what they measured. And when I think back to the race instructions, I thought we were suppose to go on the far side of a building instead of where we went. So my "PR" of 35:15 was pretty much BS. I was in back (big red guy in the picture) so I was just a lemming following the pack.

Race Day!!

For a tiny little 5K that no one really cares if I'm there or not, I do get myself worked up quite a bit over these things. Last night I woke up at 2am, not being able to fall back asleep. When I thought I did fall asleep, the next clock check revealed 2:20. It was a rough night. Eventually I managed to put togther some stretches of sleep that got me to 6am.

So my plan / goal:

36:00. There is NO reason I shouldn't be able to do this. This is a fast and flat course, although I think its a trail and I've never run on trails (since highschool at least). I need to go out of the gate slow, and do reverse splits (look I'm a runner, I used 'reverse splits' in a sentence!!! Hope I'm using it right). Current personal best is 38:31.

Also I'm trying to decide if I'm going to wear headphones or not. I never have on the road/ race and I don't really want to, but it may take my mind off some of the pain I'll be experiencing.

Just had breakfast, bowl of cherrios with blueberrys, and an english muffing. Will probably have a piece of pita bread with peanut butter before I leave.

OH boy!

Friday, August 27, 2010

COOLEST THING EVER!

Daves Morning Workout

I want to go on another run to use this again! Did my local 5k this morning. Slow, but pretty steady. Only stopped twice very briefly because I was getting sick to my stomach (just like highschool).

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Broke 2 Barriers

First, as seen in my last post, I broke the 220lb barrier. I think I was a teenager since I last weighed below 220. I was 217 this morning, but I'm done talking about my weight until I hit another milestone. Hopefully 210, but I'll probably mention something if I hit 215 soon.

Second, last night I did a non-stop 5K on the tread mill. I get so bored on the treadmill, even with TV and music or podcasts its tough to keep my legs moving. This time I decided to go slow, a 5mph pace and just keep it constant. I'm reading the book Born to Run and a great quote that comes out of it is:
"If it feels like working, then you're working too hard."

With the quote dancing in my head, I just found a comfortable pace and ran the entire 36ish minutes. It wasn't easy, but I wasn't dieing either (until I cranked up the speed to 6.5 the last 400 meeters). I was going to take a rest day today, but I'm excited to try it again tonight.

Race is on Sunday, figure I can do an easy workout Friday and rest Saturday. After all its only a 5K, not like I'm prepping for a 1/2 or anything.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

219

219!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Feeling Better

So last nights trip to the gym was a good one. Did my 3.1 miles in 37:45. Its not thats its a good time, it just felt pretty good. I think I ran for 24-25 minutes non-stop which is my biggest problem. Hopefully I can have another good night tonight. Four more workouts before the next 5K on Sunday. Probably take Saturday off.



Sunday, August 22, 2010

Bad Running Day

Yesterday morning I did my neighborhood 5k, in 38:30 which is a great time for me. The course I have mapped out is insanely hilly and there isn't any part of it I would consider flat. Either up or down. So this time really made me happy.

Then this morning I tried the same route again thinking I would do even better. The complete opposite happened actually. I managed to do the first mile ( up the a killer hill) in pretty good time, but it drained the life out of me. I started to jog the second mile but my body just shut down. I'm pretty sure it was 75% mental. My back felt tight and my legs weak, but I probably could have kept going. So I just walked home, thinking. This is when the discouragement reared its ugly head.

I've been doing this since on March 31. I've made a great deal of progress, from not being able to run 30 seconds to (sometimes/rarely) running as long as 40 minutes. But every mile still kills me. Whenever I start a jog, I'm out of breath within seconds. The first 1/2 mile of just about every run my legs feel like they are going to fall off. I'm sure if I weighed less it would help a great deal, but I've seemed to plateau at about 221-222lbs and its not budging. I'm getting frustrated, which is something I've avoided the past few months of doing this.

And now, next Sunday I have a 5K with a local running club. Based on last years results I should finish in 5th place. I mean 5 spots from last place. Ugh. What was I thinking?


Thursday, August 19, 2010

First sub 12 minute pace for 3 miles

To be exact it was 11:59 min / mile, but that still counts! I'm feeling very zippy in my new shoes, but my feet are still getting used to them. Feet are kind of achey, and starting to form a blister near my heel. I'm going to take tomorrow off because I've done 5 days straight days this week (almost 14 total miles, almost 33 for the month so far. Hopefully will hit 50 for the month). The plan is on Sat and Sun to do my neighborhood 5K. Or maybe Sunday do the long version which is roughly 4.something miles.

Last Sunday (this was probably running blog post worthy to help me keep track) but I managed to do my neighborhood 5k without stopping once. Under 40 minutes, which is really slow, but its extremely hilly. A nice milestone.

Brand new Wheels!!!

I treated myself and got some new shoes for running. Like little clouds on my feet. Also, most expensive shoes I've ever bought (they don't give running shoes away!!!). I did a casual 2 miles on the treadmill last night breaking them in, and they felt ok after I got them adjusted right. When I did a 400m at 6.5 mph I couldn't feel my feet hitting the deck, I was so light on my feet. I have 10 days till my next race to break them in. Look forward to running on them tonight.



Friday, August 13, 2010

Cigna 5K



Another race down. This time the 5300 runner strong Cigna 5K. What a zoo, but it was a lot of fun. Erika wasn't feeling very well so she didn't run with me, but it worked out great because she got some great photos. There are benefits to having a talented photographer as a wife...


My net time was 38:31. It took me 3 minutes and 23 seconds to get across the starting line, and during those 3 plus minutes I was starting to panic a bit. I was in the walkers section and personally I was worried about my time and it was very clear the people around me weren't so when I finally did get to the starting line, it opened a bit and I did some fancy dodging and weaving to get some room to run.

My first mile was way too fast (for me), around 10 minutes. This killed me. It was the adrenaline and the running with others. My finish pace was 12:24, which is already a minute faster than I ever do in training. Need to pace myself, and make my legs stronger. I'm such a disaster as a runner :)

After my previous race in June, I didn't get back to serious training (as serious as I get) till the end of July. For the next race ( whenever that is) my training isn't going to have a gap. Now to find a race thats big enough I won't be in last place.

Pictures...
The important thing (at least more than the actual running) is my weight has been maintained. I weighed 222 this morning, which is as low as its been since April 30th when I started this (at 255lbs).

Monday, June 21, 2010

One Down...

On June 19th I completed my first 5K race. I came in 183rd place (6 seconds behind my wife, she tripped me on the home stretch). For me, a sub 40 time was the ultimate goal, so getting under 39 minutes I'm very pleased with. On top of losing 30 lbs since I started this adventure, I'm content. But not too content.

I had a great time, and it was a lot of fun running with my wife. I've signed up for the next race, one of the largest 5Ks in New England. This isn't till Aug 12.

Next goals: 15 lbs (210)
36.5 5K

Back to the gym tonight!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Need to stay away from my house.

What a horrible horrible eating weekend (long weekend no less). I just need to stay away from my house.

AND the Y start their stupid 'summer hours' which means they are only open till 9pm. I'm going to have to adjust my workouts cuz usually I don't get to the gym by 8:15 and leave by 9:15. So now I have to get to the gym earlier... but I can't get to the gym earlier. UGH.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

50 Miles!

I hit the 50 mile mark this month! I had to do 4.5 miles last night to hit the mark, but it was a good milestone. I realize there are 3 days left in May, but the Y isn't open on Monday and I don't usually run on the weekends.

And I was 224lbs this AM, but I believe that was due to severe dehydration :) Still nice to see.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Another week, more progress.

Having recovered from last weeks illness, I was looking forward to pushing myself this week. Hopefully work on stamina and get a little better pace. After all, its only about 3 weeks until the 5k.

The running went well this week so far, even though I chose not to run on Tues because my back, Mon and Wed runs were strong. Mon was a 42:30 5k, and Wed was a 40:45 5k. Mind you this is still on a tread mill (at 1%). I think I'll do an outdoor run this weekend and experience some fresh air when running.

I was 225lbs at this morning's weigh in. Thats 30lbs since March 30th. I'm trying not to obsess over the weight part too much, but the numbers (both running time and weight) are part of my motivation process.

I hope to be under 220 pounds by the time of the 5k. I think its doable.

On a side note, I'm using "Running Log" by Wink Pass on my iPhone to keep track of my running statistics. I love it! Its a very easy interface and can quickly give you your mileage totals for any given week, month, or year. This month I've managed 45.57 miles. As long as I get my runs in Thurs and Friday I'll be at 50 total miles in a month!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

229! But...

A stomach bug and no eating for a day is what lead me to hit the 229 mark. It counts I guess. I did 20 straight minutes on Monday (0% incline), and Tues morning (around 2:30am) woke up with a stomach issues. So no exercise on Tuesday, and Wed my wife became infected, so no exercise again. Going to have to make up for it on Thurs and Friday.

Erika is doing the 5K with me! Even more motivation! It'll be a lot of fun. We never do anything together so this will be a treat.

Exactly one month to go. As it stands (based on my current treadmill performance), I'm looking at a pathetic 45 minute 5K (1% incline). That's just a little faster than a walk. There's still a month.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

I signed up

I signed up for the 5K race on June 19th, so its official. Last week was ok in terms of running. I skipped Wed because I didn't get home from work till after 6 and I was still full by the time gym time came around, and Friday I was exhausted from a day trip with my kiddo so instead of running I boosted the incline and worked some different muscles.

This morning (Tues) I weighed 231 so it means the weight is dropping still, but slowly. I did a 5K yesterday in 44 minutes with an incline of 1%. My record to date is 42 minutes with a 0% incline, so I think my body is getting used to the incline which is great. Its amazing the difference the incline makes.

39 days to go. Hopefully next post I will be in the 220's, which I haven't seen in roughly 8 or 9 years.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Another week gone by

Did pretty well this week, despite having some gym and eating mis-steps. 

Went to the gym 5 times this week (m thru f) , and did a total of 14.74 miles and a total time of 3 hours and 32 minutes.     My pace is still horrible, but at least I have a pace.  There would have been more miles but one day I didn't have correct gym stuff and another day I was dead tired.  

Sat morning I hiked S. Uncannonuc.  

Last time I weighed I was down to 234.2.  I think I've hit a plateau,  Seeing thats 21lbs since March 30th, thats ok cuz it was bound to happen.    I'll just keep running.   

Really unsure about being able to run the 5k.  Treadmill is one thing, running a race is a whole different ball game.  Anytime I add an incline to the treadmill (used to simulate the difficulty of running outside)   it just kills me.   Got about 2 months for it not to kill me I guess. 

Sunday, April 25, 2010

I need a better way to organize this info

After my workouts I edit a text document on my iphone to keep track of what and how I did. When I started I didn't think I would keep using this to track, so I didn't even have dates and its all a mess. Pretty much what I track is total time, time for a 5k, num of calories. I did lose data on 4/22, but I know I did the 5K in 44:00 minutes.


Two years later... still fat.

I forgot this blog was here. It was almost exactly two years ago to the day I made the 112 days... post. Like every other time I decided to lose weight, something happened and I went off that plan. I don't remember what, but I probably hurt my back, had issues at work or some other excuse. I know it doesn't take much to derail my efforts.

So I started again the end of last month, the 31st of March. No real goal in mind when I started. I just figured it was time. So I headed to the Y one morning before work and did a workout. Then the next day I went again. And the next day.

Its been 27 days and I've gone to the gym a lot, along with done other exercising. 255 when I started. 236 right now. I'm quietly proud of myself, while at the same time embarrassed I'm as overweight as I am.

I'm going to use this blog to track my status. I'm working towards... wait for it... a 5k race. But this time its not 112 days away, but instead 45 days away.

The gym has been basically all treadmill, which normally I hate running. I like the challenge and the different ways you can measure progress. Each day I do at least a 5k, even though I'm not even close to being able to run it non stop yet. On the first day, I couldn't jog for more than 45 seconds. Last Friday I did 13 minutes. Progress. I feed off of that.