Wednesday Weigh In

     Sore is the only word that comes to mind when I think about how I feel right now.  Today I had my longest run yet, and as great as I feel I am so glad next week is a step back week to allow my body to rest a little.  

     As far as my weight loss journey is concerned, the losses have been a little smaller than usual but steady non the less.  Now this week on the other hand, the increase in mileage combined with my ability to maintain a reasonable calorie intake (except last Friday of course) I finally had a big weigh in.  I was shocked but quite happy!  If anything I was pretty surprised following my pig out session on Friday.  A whole plate of nachos and large greasy breaded wings in BBQ sauce, Mmmmmm I am getting hungry just typing this, better change the subject :) Just looking back at the last 7 days, I managed to burn roughly 4800 calories just in my running alone.  Now combine that with maintaining a good calorie intake and the rest of my daily activities, I guess it is no surprise how much I was able to lose.

7/30/14 official weigh in

182.5 lbs

Change: -2.5 lbs

Total loss from heaviest: 134.5 lbs

Current BMI: 28.5 (overweight)

Change: -.4

     As I stated earlier, today's long run was my longest yet!  Seventeen miles sure is a long way and to think that I just got done running that truly amazes me.  Sometimes when I sit here and type out these run recaps, I think back to the days when running one mile was such a challenge for me and how I would run a few laps and then have to walk a few over and over, always wondering if I would ever get to run a mile non stop.  Its times like this when the mantra I adopted "Only the Committed will Survive" really rings true.

     

     Last night I mapped out my route using the course function at runningahead.com.  Its a great little tool that allows you to draw your route on a map and gives you the mileage and elevation changes.  I don't want to finish to far from home and I don't want to get back home only to have to head back out because I didn't get enough miles so by using the course creator I know exactly where to go so I finish right back at my house.  I also checked the weather as thunderstorms were forecast for today.  I new I would be out for almost 3 hours so I got up a little earlier so I could finish by noon and stay ahead of any potential weather, which didn't show up till almost 6:00. 

    

      I got all packed up and ready to go and noticed it was mostly overcast and the temp was still quite cool.  Last week when I took off, even though I held a steady pace it felt tough to get any pace much below the 10 minute per mile mark, today it felt so much easier and was actually hard to keep my pace slow.  My body just kept wanting to go faster and I had to fight it most of the run.

     My run got a little slow around mile 6; I seemed to have taken a funny step because my ankle began to hurt.  I tried pushing through it and slowed my pace down.  The pain wasn't more than a 4 on a scale of ten so I pushed on and eventually the pain vanished.  Mile 10 was the other time things got a little slow for me.  I think my legs were just trying to get me to say hey its ok to quit or take a little break, but I pushed through and ignored them.  I was also proud of myself for maintaining a nice steady pace in the middle of my run while I was listening to a podcast.  If you remember last time I did this my pace fell off quite a bit and had to shut off the podcast and put my music back on to recover my pace.  I listened to the entire 45 minute podcast and only slowed a couple of seconds per mile.  

     I am happy to report that the Clif Shot Bloks are working quite well for me.  So far I have not had any GI issues and I have been able to get down every one I attempt to eat.  As of now I have been eating one blok every 2 miles and taking a drink immediately after swallowing it.  The one thing I notice this time is at around 2 and a half hours my stomach was grumbling a little telling me I was starting to get really hungry.  I may need to rethink my strategy a little bit and consider adding a more tradition food to my fueling strategy.  

     Once I hit mile 15 I was again breaking new ground as I went 2 miles further than I ever had before.   To top it off, those were my two fastest miles out of the whole run.  I decided to take the governor off and not worry how fast or slow I was going and just go with what felt good.  It was nice to see I could go faster on tired legs! 

 

Marathon Training Week 3 Recap

     

     Another week is in the books and for the most part it was a good week.  I had a little trouble with my eating habits on Friday night, new shoes and breaking new ground with my long run.  I'll let you read about below.  

Sunday:

     I am surprised I was even able to walk let alone run and run as good as I did.  For those that regularly read my blog you know I have been doing some remodeling work in one of our bedrooms and I spent a solid 4 hours Saturday evening after being on my feet at work all day working on it.  Climbing ladders and stepping up onto a platform over and over really worked over my legs.  I was going to just skip it, but I though this may be the best way to simulate when I am in the last few miles of the marathon and my legs are tired and sore.  It wasn't extremely hot out but the humidity was pretty bad and I wished I had taken some water with me, but like a dumb ass I didn't.  Once I got started I felt pretty good at the slower pace but I was sure once I hit my race pace I wasn't going to be able to hold it for long.  Well I was wrong again!  I gotta stop doubting myself and know that I can push through it when needed.  I managed a nice consistent pace right in the middle of my 10 second range.  When I hit mile five I was starting to get a little thirsty and the slower pace for my cool down was a welcome addition. 

Monday:

     I started taking some ibuprofen to help with the sore muscles and stayed away from finishing up the little miscellaneous stuff in the bedroom so I could give the legs a rest.  I did do a few light stretches but nothing major, I just wanted to try and stay loose.  

Tuesday:

     Today was an easy pace run that I did an out and back on the paved bike trail.  I had to stop once shortly into my run for an equipment adjustment ;) and I had to stop a second time to keep from becoming a hood ornament when I came to a road crossing.  This morning run I had a lot of company on the trail with me.  There were quite a few bats flying above me and many were swooping down to catch bugs flying in front of me.  They weren't bothering me at all, but I had this fear that one was gonna dive bomb me or fly right into my face.  Lucky no excitement though and I was able to finish with out any animal attacks.

Wednesday:

     Today's long run went pretty well despite the start.  I mentally was not prepared to go out for that long, cuz I just wanted to quite after three miles.  The temp was in the low 70s with cloudy overcast skies, but the humidity and dew point were up there because it had rained all night.  Like I said I just wasn't feeling a long run today, short run, ok I could grind it out but man 15 miles what was I thinking.  I got to the half way point and my mental funk finally quit and I was starting to enjoy the run.  The humidity dropped and combine that with the light breeze, it was starting to keep me pretty cool.  I had finished mile ten and the urge to water the grass had come over me and there just happened to be a perfect spot for me to go.  I didn't shut my Garmin off when I stopped so mile eleven looks a little out of place, but I was able to push back and get the best time possible out of it.  After that I bounced back and had a nice steady pace for the final miles.  At roughly mile twelve it started to rain very lightly but quite steady.  It sure did feel pretty good and made those last couple miles feel so much better than the first few that started my run.  Previously 14 miles was my longest run to date so today I broke new ground, and despite how I felt when I started I was very happy with how I finished!

Thursday:
     I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be after my run yesterday.  My legs are a little stiff and a little sore but nothing really that bad.  I got my new shoes in today, New Balance 1080v4, I wore them at work all day today to break them in a little.  Lately I have been running in the 1080v3, but New Balance no longer makes them, but they did come out with the v4s to replace them.  I plan on giving them a try on Saturday, its a shorter easy run so should make for a good test run after spending today and tomorrow in walking around work in them.

Friday:

     As the miles start to increase on these weekday runs I have to get up earlier and earlier to fit them in and still have time to get ready for work in the morning.  It was a little chilly this morning, but once I got started the cool air felt good.  Today was my 10K tempo run pace, mix that with the cool air and man I was off to a good start.  My pace held steady really well today despite my legs feeling like I was wearing cement shoes the last 2 miles.  Not really sure why the legs felt so tired those last two, but some how I was able to make it work and stay steady with my pace.
 I wore my new shoes to work again today to continue breaking them in.  So far they feel good but week will see after the run tomorrow.

Saturday:

     Last night Mandy and I headed to a local restaurant for bike night and to get some dinner.  I have a hard time finding something to eat there that isn't "bad" for me, but its one of our favorite places to eat so I pretty much just say fuck it and eat want I want.  Well last night was no exception. I really ended up saying fuck it, because I ended up eating my own plate of nachos and a full plate of some large breaded bbq wings and man were they good :)

     Humidity was up again but with the sun not up yet it wasn't to bad.  I wore my new shoes for this easy 4 mile run.  I wanted to see how they feel compaired to the v3 and after the first go round I was happy with them.  I want to hit a few more miles before I make my final decision on if I need to look elsewhere, God I hope not. 

Week 4 begins now

* For quick access to my entire Marathon training journal click the "Marathon Journal" tab just below the Running In The Fat Lane header

Wednesday Weigh In

Happy Batman Day everyone!

     Yes, DC Comics has officially named today Batman Day as they continue to celebrate 75 years of the Caped Crusader!  What does this have to do with my running and my weight loss?  Absolutely nothing what so ever, but out of all the superheros out there Batman was my favorite growing up.  I thought I would show you a little throwback to 1989 when I got this awesome haircut in preparation for Tim Burton's Batman movie.  Getting the logo cut into your hair was all the rage back then for us Bat fanatics.  I figured since today is Batman Day I thought I would share a little glimpse into my youth.

     Anyway, work this week has stressed me out a little more than usual, nothing I can't handle, but it is worth mentioning.  I have been pitching in and helping one of the other departments as well as running my own, which has been fun, but also challenging me to keep sharp so I don't drop one of the balls I am juggling.  Also the ceiling repair and painting of one of the bedrooms has taken its toll on my body and trying to rest my body while continuing marathon training has been a little tricky.  Thankfully, with some help from my wife, I am almost finished and starting to move stuff back in.  That has made Mandy happy, now that our living room isn't filled with all my crap! 

     As far as my diet goes, I did pretty well!  Other than last Wednesday, I only went over my allotted calories once and it was by less than a 100 so I was pretty happy with that.  Wednesdays are the only day I go way over my calories and that is because of my long run.  For example, my estimated caloric burn for today's run is around 2100 and I will allow myself to go over my 2000 calorie allotment by roughly 500.  So let us see where I landed for this weeks weigh in.

7/23/14 official weigh in

185 lbs

Change: -1 lbs

Total loss from heaviest: 132 lbs

Current BMI: 28.9 (overweight)

Change: -.2

     The one thing that has surprised me is I thought the pounds would just be falling off now with all the miles and calories burned, but they really haven't.  I am not complaining at all because any loss is a good loss, but it made me do a little research.  What I found is there seems to be two to three major reasons for lack of weight loss or even weight gain during marathon training.  The first and most obvious is that people eat more.  They think because they are burning so many calories they have an open ticket to eat whatever they want, which is not the case at all, but they do and poof they gain some weight. 

    

     Another reason is muscle growth.  Your muscles are getting stronger and if you are adding any kind of weight training that can add to your muscle mass.  We all know the old saying that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you notice your clothes fitting better, but the scale isn't going down this could be the reason. 

     The last reason I found was that as you train your body to run longer and longer distances it adapts and learns it needs to store more energy, also called glycogen.  Glycogen when stored also stores water along with it, here is an excerpt from an article on RunnersConnect.com - "for every ounce of glycogen, the body also stores 3 ounces of water. That extra water your body is storing will show up as extra “weight” on the scale. Water weight will contribute even more to overall weight if you are being more diligent at staying hydrated than you were before beginning your training regimen.  Water weight will fluctuate throughout the days and weeks and is not reflective actual weight gain as fat mass. Remind yourself that being able to store extra glycogen and fluids is a good thing- you will need this for training and especially race day."

     I would guess I am a little bit of the second reason and a lot of the third reason for slow drops in weight and quite possible a gain from time to time.  With that said, I am wondering if the best time to weigh in is after my long run but before I eat anything.  At this point my body would be at its most depleted state of glycogen and fluids and would be my most truest weight.  Sounds like a science experiment to me.

     Today's long run went pretty well despite the start.  I mentally was not prepared to go out for that long, cuz I just wanted to quite after three miles.  The temp was in the low 70s with cloudy overcast skies, but the humidity and dew point were up there because it had rained all night.  Like I said I just wasn't feeling a long run today, short run, ok I could grind it out but man 15 miles what was I thinking.  I got to the half way point and my mental funk finally quit and I was starting to enjoy the run.  The humidity dropped and combine that with the light breeze, it was starting to keep me pretty cool.  I had finished mile ten and the urge to water the grass had come over me and there just happened to be a perfect spot for me to go.  I didn't shut my Garmin off when I stopped so mile eleven looks a little out of place, but I was able to push back and get the best time possible out of it.  After that I bounced back and had a nice steady pace for the final miles.  At roughly mile twelve it started to rain very lightly but quite steady.  It sure did feel pretty good and made those last couple miles feel so much better than the first few that started my run.  Previously 14 miles was my longest run to date so today I broke new ground, and despite how I felt when I started I was very happy with how I finished!

 
 

Marathon Training - Week 2 Recap

     

     Week 2 is in the books and for the most part it went pretty darn well.  Legs were feeling it pretty much all week, but despite a little discomfort I was able to put in a solid week of training.  Next week I break new ground in my running career by running farther than my previous longest distance of 14 miles.   

Sunday:

     Boy was I glad today's pace was an easy one.  I didn't have to work today so I slept in till around 9:30 and when I crawled out of bed my legs were stiff as boards.  The weather was overcast with a threat of rain.  It wasn't really hot with the sun obstructed from the clouds but it was damn humid.  I got dressed and did a few stretches to loosen up my legs but it didn't seem to help.  I headed out and despite what my pace shows it sure as hell didn't feel like I was moving that good.  I swear I had bricks strapped to my feet.  By mile 3 the legs were starting to loosen up and feel pretty good.  Mile 3 was also my slowest mile do to a pretty good head wind for almost the entire mile.  The last two miles went pretty well, unfortunately the sun started coming out and made it really hot.   

Monday:

     A well deserved rest from running but did some work on one of the bedrooms.  I had to do some repairs to the ceiling, the dry wall is fine it was the textured coating that need some repair.  Working above my head has my arms and shoulders a tired today.

Tuesday:

     Nothing like a little scare to really get the blood pumping on this run.  I had 4 miles at an easy pace this morning and due to my work schedule I got up around 4:40 this morning to make sure I had enough time to get it in.  The sun doesn't really start lighting things up until 5:30ish here so I wear a headlamp and a red flashing butt lamp.  I wanted to stay at the fast end of my pace allowance, which I did keeping each mile right around my 9:45/mile pace goal.  I was about a mile and a half in when I saw two eyes glowing from my headlamp back at me.  It was still pretty dark so I couldn't quite make out what it was but it was low enough to the ground I was sure it was probably a dog.  I had no idea what breed it was and didn't want to take any chances.  I clapped my hands a couple of times and yelled, that caused the dog to stop and flip a 180 and took off into a sprint.  At that point I had no doubt that it was a dog but I still couldn't tell the breed.  I kept my eye out for him, but I never saw the animal again.  I tell you, a strange animal coming up on you when its dark really gets the blood pumping.  I hit my turn around and headed home incident free.  All in all the run went very well and I was extremely happy with my ability to maintain a pretty steady pace from one mile to the next.

Wednesday:

I had to be at my sister's by 11:30 so I got up around 7am to head out on my 13 mile long.  I ate a Clif brand crunchy granola bar for breakfast, loaded up my Camelpak and headed out.  We have had a cold spell come through this week so it was really nice out, mid 50's with minimal clouds and a light breeze, perfect running weather.  When I started I really didn't want to be out there at that point, I wanted to still be in bed sleeping, but I had to make my available time work for me.  Once I got a couple miles in I felt much better and was feeling pretty good.  My pace felt really good and I kept it pretty consistent throughout.  At miles 6 and 7 I switched from my music to a podcast and you can tell that it affected my pace, as I dropped into the low 10s.  When my podcast was over I threw the music back on and my pace came right back.  I finished strong and felt great. 

Thursday:
     Rest day is always welcome :)

Friday:

     I know I must sound like a broken record but man I hate mornings.  I would much rather sleep in than get up to go run, but I have no better time to fit it in plus I do feel much better afterwords.  It took a while to get going but once I hit the door and felt the unseasonably cool morning air I woke right up.  I couldn't seem to get my pace to settled down.  My pace kept bouncing up and down from where I wanted it even though it stayed pretty much within the range I was shooting for. 

Saturday:

     Sometimes I seem to sabotage myself when I try new things and today was no exception.  I have been hearing about dynamic stretching vs. static stretching before a run.  At my running club meeting I received a handout on some dynamic stretches to try and this morning I gave them a try.  Most of the stretches were more like lunges and I must have over did it, because man did my legs pay for it.  It quit raining just as I started but quickly returned about a quarter mile in.  The rain stayed light and actually felt pretty good.  My pace felt consistent but when I checked my times mile two was quite a bit slower.  My only thought is with the cloud cover and I was under major tree cover so maybe my Garmin was just having a little problem keeping track of me. 

Week 3 begins now

* For quick access to my entire Marathon training journal click the "Marathon Journal" tab just below the Running In The Fat Lane header

Wednesday Weigh In

     Hi everyone!  busy, busy, busy is my life this week.  Work has been so crazy for me this past week and its only going to get busier for me once August gets here.  I had to pack a lot into today, which left me with no time to relax and even less time to write this up, but I here I am typing away!  Lets get the reason for today's post out of the way.  Saturday, Mandy took me out to my favorite pig out restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, for my Birthday and the cookie shop for desert.  Other than that I did really well all week sticking to my calorie count.  The only day I go over the 2000 calories is Wednesdays when I do my long run, so I figured a would see a smaller number on the scale from last week.

7/16/14 official weigh in

186 lbs

Change: -1.5 lbs

Total loss from heaviest: 131 lbs

Current BMI: 29.1 (overweight)

Change: -.2

     The important part of my day was getting to my sister's on time to pick her up and drive her to the Detroit airport.  She is flying down to Georgia to help my Mom take care of my Dad after his knee surgery that is coming up.  I know a knee surgery isn't as risky a surgery as say a heart surgery, but any prayers that it all goes well would be appreciated.  I had to be at my sister's by 11:30 so I got up around 7am to head out on my 13 mile long.  I ate a Clif brand crunchy granola bar for breakfast, loaded up my Camelpak and headed out.  We have had a cold spell come through this week so it was really nice out, mid 50's with minimal clouds and a light breeze, perfect running weather.  When I started I really didn't want to be out there at that point, I wanted to still be in bed sleeping, but I had to make my available time work for me.  Once I got a couple miles in I felt much better and was feeling pretty good.  My pace felt really good and I kept it pretty consistent throughout.  At miles 6 and 7 I switched from my music to a podcast and you can tell that it affected my pace, as I dropped into the low 10s.  When my podcast was over I threw the music back on and my pace came right back.  I finished strong and felt great.       

     Once I got back I got my post long run meal cooking and I hopped in the shower.  I had 45mins to shower, get dressed, cook and eat my food.  I cut up some pre cooked chicken breast that Mandy had made up for me the other day, mixed that with some Prego traditional spaghetti sauce and laid that on top of a bed of thin spaghetti pasta.  Unfortunately, I had to hoover that down and get headed out the door.

     Fast forward a couple of hours, I got home and quick changed and got started on my next project, painting one of the bedrooms.  I had enough time to get the ceiling trim and the ceiling painted before I had to make dinner and head to my Fremont Elite Runners Club meeting.  While I was there, my friend April gave me a new Bondi Band with the Fremont Inland Trail Turtles running group logo on it.  They are a run/walk group for the runner/walker who is just starting out, recovering from injury or just likes to run at a slower pace.  I defiantly fit that description with my whole knee/IT band issues I had.  The group gets its name from the name of the paved bike path that runs through Fremont called the North Coast Inland Bike Trail.  I am sure you can figure out why the turtle is their mascot. Thanks April !!

Marathon Training - Week 1 Recap

    

     I sit here looking back on my first week of marathon training feeling satisfied with how it went but also knowing I got a long way to go.  Basically what lies below is a quick little synopsis of how each day went and how I felt.    

Sunday:

     Day one is in the books and it felt pretty darn good.  I had 4 miles with 2 at race pace so I hit miles one and four at a easy pace and picked it up on the middle two.  I kind of like that set up; it gives me a chance to stretch my legs and get into a rhythm.  My average for the day was a 9:24 pace and I was able keep my pace pretty steady for each mile.  All in all it made for a perfect start to the week.

 

Monday:

     Yep a day off already, but this is how my plan is set up so I will take it when I can get it.

Tuesday:

     Today was an easy pace run and I felt like I struggled to keep my pace steady throughout the run, but when I got back and saw how my miles landed I guess I didn't do to bad.  I wanted to stay at the fast side of my pace allowance, which was 9:45, and other than getting a little fast on mile two I did just that.  I love these early morning runs just as the sun comes up.  It is still a little to dark for my when I head out so I use a head lamp and a red flashing butt lamp for safety, it is so peaceful out.  I hate having to crawl out of bed in the mornings and it is very easy to just skip it, but I always feel so much better after I am done.

Wednesday:

      My long run went very well today.  I tried out my new Camelbak Marathoner vest, and to say I was in love by mile one would be an understatement.  I will be posting a full review of it later, but I will say this; it made my run a lot more enjoyable from start to finish.  Without having all that extra weight hanging on my hips I felt like my running form stayed solid throughout my entire run.  I still don't know at what mile markers the marathon will have their aid stations set so I decided I would refuel every two miles with my Clif Shot Bloks and hydrate at those points as well.  Do to the heat factor I also hydrated a couple of other times during my run, just for a safety factor.  My goal was to try and not go out to fast and try to maintain a steady pace from mile to mile.   My pace was a little faster than I had scheduled for myself, but I was feeling good and I managed to keep my pace pretty steady throughout.  I only had two miles that dropped off a little bit more that the others, while my first and last two miles were my fastest, which makes me feel real good about where I am at.

Thursday:
Ahhhhhhhhhh a much needed rest day.  Legs are a little tired today, but all and all I still feel pretty good.

Friday:

I got up this morning and the last thing I really wanted to do was go for a run, but I need to be committed to this so I crawled out of bed and did it.  Turns out it was all worth it.  Last week I hit by accident my fastest mile ever without the aid of a long steep down hill.  Today I was just starting mile 2 and I was feeling really good so I decided to give this mile a go at my mile record.  I finished mile 2 with a 7:55 and was extremely happy with that.  I am sure I could have pushed harder but I still had 2 miles left to go and my goal isn't the fastest mile its the marathon.  Other than my work in mile two I did pretty well keeping my pace fairly consistent.

Saturday:

     Wow today was a tough one!  I woke up exhausted for some reason and my legs just felt like jello.  I got ready anyway and headed out the door.  If you look at my times for all three miles you probably wouldn't think this was so tough for me, but it sure was.  I will say I did find my groove pretty early and my legs started to open up a little after a half mile or so.  Today was just slightly more humid than the last couple of days, so take that and add a sunrise run on a bike path surrounded by trees and you have a perfect combo for the bugs to be out.  I hate to say it but I probably got 1/3 of my required protein for the day while on this one.  I maintained good pace and even though I was tired and didn't want to do it, I got out there and plowed through it.

Week two begins now!

* For quick access to my entire Marathon training journal click the "Marathon Journal" tab just below the Running In The Fat Lane header