Thanks to our city water service program, we got two, free, water-saving toilets. So, what are we to do with the ones we replaced? Well, we can think of a couple things to do with them. This is a running joke here in S. Texas. In some neighborhoods you'll find "flower pots" like these. Maybe when we replace our bathtub, we'll have to look for a statue of the Virgen de Guadalpe. I bet our new neighbors would love it.
Violi's dad came over last week while Anna was in town. He brought a truckload of memorabilia from the ladies' childhood. The sisters were talking about taking their old quinciniera dresses and hitting the riverwalk after the kids go to bed.
Yesterday we took a trip to the Witte Museum. They had an exhibit displaying the works and ideas of Da Vinci. Pretty neat stuff. Elliot liked it because you could touch most of it. We also got to try out their "Treehouse" with exhibits that are designed for children. He's having more fun at places like this since we can let him run around and explore more now and doesn't have to stay in his stroller as much.
I've been slacking pretty badly on posting on this. My training is coming along. I took a couple weeks off of high impact (running) workouts. Left calf feeling a twinge. Same feeling I had prior to really injuring myself back in April. So I rode my bike a for a good ride and started doing some resistance, circuit training. I really needed to start doing some resistance work anyway, so I plan to keep that up 2-3 days a week.
I got a new pair of shoes and my feet are feeling better than they have in the last 4 months. I'm going back to my old type Mizuno Wave Nirvana. I wish I had never switched from these. They feel so good and give me so much support for those longer runs.
In race prep news. I've signed up for two half-marathons this fall. The first is one that goes along Mission Trail here in San Antonio and will be on October 11th. It'll be a local race, but should be pretty fun. I hope to use it as a good practice for the 2nd race, in which I hope to set a personal best. The next one is in the middle of November and is the Rock N Roll Marathon in San Antonio. There are expected to be over 15,000 runners and possible up to 20,000 for the race. It should be pretty much a party atmosphere as there are expected to be bands playing all along the course and a big headliner band the night of the race.
It's a good feeling to register for the races because it helps psychologically with the training. I'll scheduled to do about 10.5 miles this week. That's not a bad distance, but I'll soon have to do a 15 mi. and a 17 mi. run along with some speed work, which is the harder thing for me, considering I'm such a slow runner.
That's what my feet have been saying to me the last few weeks. After I cut back my mileage to ease up on my calf, I got a new pair of shoes. I thought I may have needed a change and so rather than getting the same shoe, of which I had worn through three pairs, I decided to go to the running shoe store and have them match me up. Long story short, it didn't work for me this time. Finding a good running shoe consultant is a bit like finding a good mechanic or dentist. Once you find them, you want to keep using their service. Unfortunately, I didn't get into the right pair at this store.
They said that I didn't need all the stability I was getting from my Mizuno Nirvanas, so I tried a neutral shoe, the Brooks Glycerin. It felt okay at the store and I even ran around on the pavement outside for a minute, but it's not quite the same as going several miles. Since then, my feet have been pretty achy. So I went to a different store to get a pair of insoles that I had used previously when I had a similar problem a couple years ago. As I was checking out, I was chatting with one of the workers there. With just barely looking at me he could see I was an over-pronater and with a quick check of my shoe he said that I really needed to stay with the stability grouping of shoes. So, next time I buy a new shoe, I'll go back to that store and run on the treadmill there so they can give me even more sound advice.
I ran with my insoles today (Super Feet, green) and my feet have been thanking me all day. Ahh... it makes such a big difference running when you're fee feel good. I can't wait to get out again.
It's Flag day today and we had a nice little race at McAllister today. I had marked this as the race for me to attempt to beat my personal best for 10k a couple months ago. After a injury last month, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen, so I set a different goal, under 1 hour. My previous best was 55:18 or something like that. It wasn't too bad of a day, a bit humid, but good cloud cover. The race was not very well organized and got off to a late start. The lack of a large crowd probably was a good thing, the trail weren't crowded at all. I started off faster than I anticipated with the first two miles in 18 min. flat. I crossed the halfway point at 28 even. I slowed just a little and completed the next mile in 9:23, then 9:06., then 1.1 mi. in 9:48. So, I pretty much kept up the same pace over the course of the race.
The day I set my personal best, happened to be my first ever 10k. It was a bit cooler that day and the biggest difference was I had much more left at the end that day. I did the last mile in about 8 min. with my brother-in-law pushing me along.
So, a mixed bag today, I was close enough to my pb to be disappointed that I didn't get it, but I also finished in 56:19, which was about 4 min. faster than I thought I would, so I'm happy.
It's been difficult the last couple week getting motivated to train. These close to 100 degree temps are not good for running. I guess I don't have much to complain about, I could be in Iowa where I wouldn't find many dry roads to run on.
I haven't had a run so psychological defeating as I did today. I guess I shouldn't say defeating. I accomplished that which I set out to do, run six miles, but it really took a toll on me. I feel good that there were several places where I could've taken a short cut back, but I continued on and made it through. I say psychologically hard because my body didn't really feel all that tired or run down, my head just had a hard time telling it to keep going. I guess you can blame it on the humidity, the late start (9am), the heat, the mound of cookie goodness I ate last night, but it was just a tough day.
This time of year is always tough in S. Texas for running. I've got my bike in the shop getting tuned up, so hopefully when I get it back, I'll be branching out to biking for more of my cardio work. It's much easier to ride in the heat than to run it. It'll also give me an opportunity to do a little tri training. There's a short tri coming up in July I've got my eyes on. I think it's 800m swim, 20 mi. bike and 6k running. Should be just about my level for right now.
I've signed up for a 10k in two weeks. Originally I had planned to try for my personal best, but as it gets closer, I don't think I'll push it. I don't want to strain my achilles any more (though it hasn't hurt in a couple weeks), but also the heat will be bad and I'm not sure what the course will be like. It's at McAllister, so some of the trails may be pretty narrow and depending on how many people are there and the course, it could be pretty crowded. I'm thinking I'd be pretty happy with a time less than 1 hour.
Well, I'm finally starting to run again. I did my best over the last three weeks to keep up the cardio work. I got a few hours on the eliptical and several times in the pool. I've done a couple short, slow runs this week and everything feels really good. I have to thank the Athlete's Foot staff person for fitting me with a good pair of shoes. The Brooks Glycerin. Apparently, I didn't need all that stability, it may have been keeping my tendons from bending enough, or something like that. I had always thought that I was an over-pronator, but apparently, I have a very normal foot strike and roll. I need a lot of cusion, and my arches are flat and wide, so most of the pressure is on the outer part of my foot. The two runs I did were about 2.5 and 3.5 miles. I'll try to go do a 6 or 7 miler this weekend, i think.
Since I wasn't running as much in the last couple weeks, I took the time to get my mountain bike functioning and I am stoked about having it ready, now. I've done 3 rides now to McAllister Park. It has a bunch of trails that are a blast to ride on. It's the first time for me to really do actual off-road biking, but it really is a lot fun. I'm looking forward to incorporating it more into cross training.
I've got about 3 weeks left until a race I've been hoping to do. It's a 10k and I was hoping to try for a personal best. I'll have to see how I progress of the next three weeks before I decide to try for it or not, if not, I'll have to look for another race to run later.
Well, it finally hit me. I've been injury free for some time now. I think my last running injury came a few years ago when I was struggling through plantar fasciitis. It started with a little soreness in my heel, achilles area. I ran with it and hoped it would go away. I lingered for about 2 weeks or so, but then this last Saturday after about 3.5 miles, I had to call Violi to come pick me up. After some minor research, it looks to be achilles tendonitis. Hopefully a couple weeks of rest will do it good. I hope to do swimming/cross training during that time to keep up the cardio aspect of the training. Lots of stretches should help as well, and with a good warm-up I should be able to run on it when it doesn't hurt any more.
One cause that was listed on some of the sites I visited was a sudden increase of hill work along with poor stretching or sprinting. At first I blamed my interval training, thinking that I was pushing myself too much, but I think I probably exacerbated a slight problem by running in Indiana last week. French Lick had some beautiful roads to run on, but it is super hilly. Now that I think about it, that was about the time I started noticing the problem.
I still hope to run in the 10k on June 14th, though I'm not sure I'll go for the personal best on that day, it will depend on my injury progress. This injury might also help me to focus more on what I'm eating.
I'm sitting here typing following an early morning run which pretty much tuckered me out. Thankfully Elliot is still sleeping, so I get a few more minutes to relax before the day starts. I've had breakfast, my coffee and after getting up at 4:45 to go on a 8.5 or 9 mi. run, I'm about ready for a nap.
It was a tough run this morning. It was dark and cool which was nice, but I had a hard time getting my body going. I was doing some tempo runs (1 mi. easy, 2 faster, 1 easy, 1 faster, 1 easy, 2 faster, 1 easy), but it added up to a pretty long run for me. I felt like I was doing penance for the sins I committed in my diet over the past several days. You see, we threw a baby shower (well, Violi did) for her sister at our house. It was a very successful event, but not as many people came as were expected due to various reasons so the trip to Costco which provided some really yummy food, turned out to by our weekly shopping trip. Only problem is a diet made up of croissant, wraps, cookies, crackers, dip and cake really isn't ideal. But, when faced with the choice of letting the food go to waste, I knew I needed to do my part. I know, I do make some large sacrifices, I don't like to toot my own horn or anything...
Anyway, this week in my training calls for two runs that total 9 miles each along with interval training. So, it's my toughest week yet and a good thing that it came this week. I was feeling yucky yesterday from the buildup of sugar and simple carbs, but I think my run today got me grounded again reminded me that I have to work off the excesses that I eat, so wouldn't it just be simpler to not eat that piece of cake? Hmm...
It's been really busy lately. AFter a long weekend to Arizona, we're doing some work around the house in preparation for a baby shower for Violi's sister. Painting, yard work, cleaning... all that stuff make it difficult to be disciplined in eating and exercising. I'm not doing too bad, however. Since I did the 5K, I've really bumped up my pace in training runs. Today I did intervals and had to do 2x1600 at a 8:00 min/mi. pace with 400m rest interval between. Then I had to do an 800m at a 7:47 pace. It felt tough, but I felt like I really did well afterward.
I got in a really beautiful run out in Prescott. There was a great little trail through some woods. Lots of hills, perfect temps and no humidity. I did have to walk up one hill because it seemed like it would never end and then when I thought I was close to the end, it turned and just got steeper. Then, after I'd been running for about 45 min. one way, i decided I should think about going back. There was a trail that split off, so I thought I'd take it to see where it went, I thought it might go back toward town (at this point I hadn't seen a house or car in the last 20 min., for all I knew I was on a Javelina path). I told myself that I'd run on it for 15 min. and see where it went before I decided to maybe turn around. I was definitely getting closer to town, but I had no idea where it would come out once I got there, so I decided to just keep going and when I made it out to a road, I'd call Violi to have her give me directions. Another 15 min. and I see a path to a road, but amazingly, I came out about a block away from Violi's grandpa's house! What a relief.
One of my favorite things to do when I visit somewhere, is to go for a run and get acquainted with the area. I'm looking forward to a couple nice runs in Indiana in about a week. I might even have some company which is always nice.
I've found my next race for which I hope to run. It's June 14th and part of a series of runs that are geared to prepare for the San Antonio marathon/half marathon in October. It's perfect timing giving me 12 weeks to prepare and gun for that personal best. I did about 6 or 6.5 today with Elliot and at about 9:30 pace, which is great considering I had a stroller with me. I need to recalibrate my nike+ipod because it adds about 20-40 seconds to my actual pace, I'll have to find a track sometime soon to get that done.
I participated in a 5k this weekend. It was my first one and I was really happy with how it went. Apparently, I need to re-calibrate my nike+ipod because it was slightly off for my time. I finished in 25:26 which is about an 8:11/min mile. Considering I was thinking I'd try to go out at a 9:45 pace in the first half (9:30 if I was pushing it), I was pretty surprised. When I looked at my watch at the 1-mile checkpoint, it was only 8:22. The course was mostly uphill the first half, so I knew that if I could just keep it up for another mile, the last one would be easier. I think I did the last mile in about 7:50. What I'm most excited about, is that my prediction now for a 10k is below my personal best at that distance (same for half marathon), so I know I am making good progress, now to start the 10k training program...
That is what I wanted to shout today when I finished running this run.
It was the best run I've had in a several weeks. I did intervals (5x1000m) at about a 9:10 pace. Man it felt good. Gave me hope, joy, and lifted my spirit. It's funny, but I often reflect on how running is related to faith. It's true in a lot of ways, but I really feel a sense of peace and wholeness when I run that is hard to describe, but I want to share that experience with other people. Same is true for my faith and my belief in Christ as Savior to the world.
The latest podcast by Steve Runner, Phedippidations, comments on the reasons we run. He reported the many different reasons people run and had a lot of comments from listeners writing their thoughts. I think the reasons can change and evolve over time, and I've related to almost all of what people mentioned. Personal health reasons is often toward the top of the list. This is big for me, and it's not only physical health, but mental and spiritual health as well. A friend of mine often would say, "Being a follower of Christ makes me a better husband, father, friend, brother, neighbor, etc." I feel that being a runner makes me a better person as well, in that it keeps me healthy in mind, body and spirit so that I can invest in relationships with others. My hope is that it makes me a better husband and father. Yes, I want to live long enough to see my boy grow up and enjoy life. I know that running isn't a guarantee of long life, but it definitely increases your chances.
But it's not really all about long life though. My aforementioned friend would also quote a mentor of his by saying, "Believing is not about heaven someday, it's about Christlikeness, now." Meaning, I shouldn't worry about heaven or hell, but about being obedient, today. God created this world the one I'm in, right here, right now and he cares for it. In the same way, running is not about long life-someday, to me. Sure, it'd be nice. But it's about an improved way of living today. It's about having energy, facing challenges and enduring, peace, patience, self-control. Wow, as I write this list thinking of running, it's funny how many of the adjectives are fruits of the spirit as well. Hmm...
Okay, enough late night ramblings. All that to say, I feel rejuvenated. Easter is a time of hope and joy.
Progress report: I've run/walked 181.4 miles so far this year and I'm down to 119.5, down 24.5 lbs. since I started this. I'm hoping to run a 5k within the next month or so so that I can gauge my progress on my pace goals, but I think I've knocked about a minute/mile off my pace for a 10k from what I was running at the beginning of the year.
Thanks for reading and for your encouraging comments. They really are a driving force.
Well, it's been a little while since I last posted progress. Maybe that's because I've been procrastinating and allowed some complacency into the picture. Yeah, the move did take a little toll on my workouts. I've been busy getting the house ready (painted) and then moving, then upacking, then getting the old house ready to sell, etc. So I haven't gotten the three runs in the last two weeks, or the cross training days. I did get two 6 milers in in each of the last weeks, so it wasn't a complete waste. My diet on the other hand, has been not so good. Hard to eat healthy when your pantry is in boxes. But I'm getting back into it. I did weigh this past weekend and it was better than I expected. I'm weighed in at 221 which is down a couple pounds from about 3 weeks ago. I need to remember that this is a long process and not to worry when I don't lose 1-2 pounds a week. I also need to not get discouraged when I've had a hectic week and forget why I started this. At this point I'm more than halfway to 200 and running is getting better and better.
I love being able to go running to the park from my front door and not having to drive there. Elliot and I went today and it was beautiful. I've started using an online program to track my workouts called Buckeye Outdoors. It's a great online program to use and if you run or do any other exercise, you should check it out.
I've also been thinking about my races for the year. I'm really looking forward to doing the 3rd annual Phedippidations world wide half marathon this October. It's a race that brings people from all over the world together, and it's free! It's really encouraging to take part in it and hearing all the race reports and cheers on Steve Runner's Phedippidations podcast. There's also a "Kick the Couch 5k." So if you're thinking about picking up this running thing or maybe even thinking about doing a half marathon. Let me know, it'd be really cool to train with people and run with out on this weekend. Think about it! You won't regret it!
I just checked my personal best time for the 10k, and bettering it is going to be a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. I ran this in my first ever race, it was the Mission Fiesta 10k in 2005. I had my brother-in-law Shawn to thank for pushing me. I remember feeling pretty bad for the first 4 miles. Probably started out faster than I should have, I was fighting through a cramp. Shawn and his friends were out of sight and I was just trying to finish. Then I got my wind and I caught a glimpse of them ahead. I picked up my speed and I think I remember running the last mile in about 8 minutes with Shawn keeping pace. I finished in 55:18 which is an average of 8:53/mile. I'm nowhere close to that right now. To get it done I'm going to really watch what I'm eating, which I haven't been doing well with in the last few days. Long story short, we're getting ready to move and things have gotten kinda hectic with all the things we need to get done and painting I'm trying to do before we move into our new house. Anyway, when I start feeling a little pressed, it's easy to so 'yes' to that chocolate cake that is calling out in the darkness, or those Somoa Girl-scout cookies that are looking for a friend.
I did get a 6 mi. run in already this week and I need to do another one tomorrow. I am really excited about this move. We'll still be in San Antonio, but we'll be really close to the biggest park in SA which has pretty decent trails. We'll also be closer to a pool I can swim at, so it'll only take me 5 mi. to get there rather than 15 if I go at night. I'm pretty sure I'll get back on track after we get moved and settled in a couple weeks. I'm not going to feel guilty much about eating poorly. Just try to compensate by staying active and get back to the healthy diet after the move.
Another decent week down. I didn't get my cross training in this week, but I got three good runs. Here's my run for today:
Another beautiful day for a run. It was about 50 degrees and cloudy. I think I'm up to about 135 miles for the year, which feels pretty good. No news on the weight front as I've decided to step off the scale for a while. I am noticing my clothes fitting better and a general improvement in energy. I'm looking for runs to do this year. I looked at a schedule around here and I can't really decide on a run to do. There's a 5k in my neighborhood in a month or so, I may do that and then start on the 10k training schedule and see what happens. I do plan on doing the San Antonio Marathon (I'll be running the half-marathon) in November. It'll be a "Rock N Roll" marathon this year, which should be fun. I'm also planning on participating in the World Wide Half Marathon this year. If you've ever thought about doing a race, this is one to consider. It's free and people will be running in it from all over the world. There is also a "Kick the Couch 5K" if that is more of your distance.
So, this week I went to Whole Foods to do some shopping. I hadn't been in a while, but I wanted to see what it would be like to buy most of our groceries from there. I was mainly interested in the produce, but since I was there I got some of their meat as well. So, this is my question if there is anyone out there. Is it a good thing to buy meat that has never been given antibiotics, has no artificial growth hormones, and is allowed free range the majority of its life? I heard an interview on NPR a couple months back about this subject, so I'll have to go back and look for it, but I remember the person talking about the difference even between cage-free chickens/eggs and free-range chickens. So, if you have any thoughts about the subject I'd enjoy hearing them. Given the choice and equal price (without any research done), I'd choose the meat from Whole Foods. The real question for me would be how much of a premium would I be willing to pay in order to buy this meat/poultry.
Wow, it was a good week this week. I got in my three training runs and two cross training swimming times. Here's my run from this morning:
It was a really fine run. I can feel my runs getting easier, and today I passed a milestone. 6 mile in less than one hour. What was nice, was that I didn't feel like I was really pushing myself too much. I recovered easily and my muscles aren't sore. I was supposed to run it at a 10:26 pace according to my schedule, but I was just feeling good. I may need to go back in a couple week if this continues and adjust my training schedule to reflect the faster times.
Yesterday was another good day for swimming. As I mentioned earlier, I started doing the somersault turns last time. This time, it felt like I was starting all over as a swimmer. Now I don't consider myself an experienced swimmer, but I could at least go out and swim 1200m or more sometimes without stopping for a rest. What I found out is that it's a lot easer to get in a quick little rest when you do the above water turns or whatever you call them. So I found myself trying to put 100m runs in. After about 6 of those, I went to 200, then I tried a 400m, then another. It felt great. I think I just had to find that sweet spot where I wasn't pushing myself past the point of optimal oxygen consumption. That sweet spot, as I'm calling it, is a good thing to find for any endurance endeavor you're in. Once you find it, you can lengthen your time doing a motion and gradually work on increasing the intensity.
Big thanks to everyone who has posted a comment about this blog. You don't know how much it helps to know that there actually are a few people out there following this. It really keeps me accountable to do my runs and make good choices with the food I'm eating.
Progress update:
Weight: 223 (21 pounds lost) Total distance: 117 miles (one 6 mi. run under 10:00/mile pace
I think I'm probably getting to the point that I'm not going to see much dramatic movement in weight loss. So I'm going to step away from the scale for a while. I won't weigh for at least two weeks, but hopefully longer. I'm at a healthy pace the last few weeks, about 2 pounds a week. That'll probably slow down to about 1 in the weeks to come.
Okay, close your eyes. Now picture you're in the African safari and you wander along a watering hole. There's plenty of wildlife there, including a hippo sipping from the cool water. Now, picture that hippo getting an itch and needing to scratch his rear end. Why are we doing this exercise, you might ask? Well, that's the imagery that popped into my head as I was swimming yesterday. You see, I decided to work on something that I had been putting off for a while. Instead of focusing on a good cardio workout, I decided to focus on trying to turn (one of those underwater, somersault turns). I used to be able to do this when I was in Elem/Jr. High School. But since I hadn't really tried to do it much since that time, it was a bit difficult. I picked last night to do it, because there was hardly anybody at the pool and I relative anonymity. By the end of the session, I was getting okay at it. I say that, not because it was technically sound or pretty, but because I was able to put several (about 8) lengths together with underwater turns. I found that it is much harder to keep my wind when I turn underwater, but I know that it'll help push me to gain endurance for when I try to do any open water swims in the future. So, from now on, I'm planning on only using the underwater turn and not the easy breathing turn in order to further my training.
Slightly on the same topic. I've told many people, but in case you haven't tried it, swimming is probably my favorite way of exercising. I think I appreciate it more after running in hot Texas because when you're finished with the workout, you are very tired, but at the same time, your body doesn't hurt. It also was my exercise of choice while I was training for the two triathlons I competed in because I was pretty afraid of not being able to swim the entire route. I had the best results with weight loss while I was swimming and hopefully I'll see that again if I make it a regular part of my routine. So far, I've gone two weeks in a row and I'm hoping to go again on Friday.
I passed the 100 mile mark for the year this morning. Here's my certificate to prove it!
This morning is turning out to be a good morning, though it didn't seem like it was starting that way. Elliot wok up about 3:50 and I went in and gave him his paci and blanket. He quieted for a while but woke up again around 4:25. So I went in and rocked hiim back to sleep. I was going to "try" to get up at 5. So, I had a choice to make at 4:45. Should I go back to bed because I hadn't gotten much sleep in the last hour, or do I just get up and go run. Well, I just did it, thanks NIke. Another interval workout. 5x800m with 400m rest intervals. Total, about 6mi, which brings my total for the year to 101.85. It's a great way to start off a week with a run. It feels like you're ahead of the game and not trying to play catch up. I don't feel this way often because I've always been a procrastinator, but it feels good. I'm really enjoying the quietness of the house before Elliot wakes up.
I did the interval runs this morning. Not as hard as I thought it might be. I guess 2:15 400m is still pretty slow. I could've walked the 400m rest intervals, but I felt good, so I just jogged them. Ended up with over 6 miles including warm up and cool down.
Sad day, though. My favorite running podcaster, Steve Runner, said in his latest podcast that he was going to be reducing the number of podcasts he does from weekly to when he feels like it. I think he'll continue to do them regularly, just hope it doesn't gradually whittle away until he hangs it up altogether. I'm not sure what it is that draws me to listen to them. It's not entertaining to people who don't run, I don't think. But he's a pretty witty guy that enjoys doing the podcast, and it feels like there is a community of runners that I'm a part of, since I do almost all of my running solo.
Another week down! Let's get the stats out of the way:
Current Weight: 226 Mileage this week: 10.5 (including walking)
I didn't get the interval training in yet, but I plan to do that tomorrow. I'm interested in seeing how I do trying to run 400m intervals in 2:15 when I've been pretty comfortable running a 10:30 mile for so long. I'm scheduled to do 8x400m at 2:15 with 400m rest intervals inbetween. I didn't get my full long run in this week either. I went to McAllister to run with Elliot and he started getting hungry/fussy about half way through. It was only a 5 miler and I had done a 6.2 miler at a quicker pace that I was scheduled to last Saturday (before I started FIRST), so I don't think it'll affect me much. Must just carry on with the training. At this point, it's more about losing weight than getting in the miles anyway.
I did get a good swim workout in yesterday. I love the way I feel after a good swim. I'm tired and I can tell I've spent a lot of energy, but my body doesn't hurt.
Now, I'd like to comment on one of the "tools" I'm using on this quest. I think I owe much of my success so far this year to a website called dinnerplanner.com. It's a business that provides busy people with a weekly meal menu, recipes and shopping list. It has two different menus, one labeled a "Family Friendly" menu and one termed a "Heart Healthy" menu. We're using the healthy menu and it has made quite a bit of difference in how we're eating. We haven't been eating out or getting take-out as much and the food we've been eating has been much healthier.
I used to dread making up a shopping list and a menu for the week. It was time consuming, I didn't always get what I needed, and I ended up going from one end of the store to the other because my list wasn't organized. I was about to write that I think this is a great product idea for stay-at-home parents, but it's would probably be even more useful if both parents work because of the time it would save. Now, the meals aren't always your 30 minutes or less meals, but they are pretty easy and usually don't take much time to cook up.
The details. You get 7 meals a week with a color coded shopping list, for about $10 for 8 weeks. I've been saving the menus/recipes in .pdf format and plan to reuse them at a later date. The recipes use healthy meat like fish, chicken, lean turkey and beef, lots of vegetables, and some grains/breads. It usually makes more than Violi and I can eat, so we have leftovers for a healthy lunch the next day.
The site allows you to try a free sample menu (not the heart healthy menu) to get a feel for the product they offer. I looked at another website mealmixer.com which allows you to do more customization according to your family eating habits and lets you plan for breakfasts and lunches. The downside and reason that we didn't use it, was that you have to pay for a whole year ($52) in advance.
Either way, I think this type of idea is a great way to save time, money and eat better. I love hearing what other people's ideas for either eating healthier or getting more active, so drop a note anytime!
I've decided to try the Furman FIRST training program as I'm working toward my goals of running a personal best in the 10k and in the half marathon this year. It's a running program that stresses doing only three runs a week but focusing on quality runs with specific goals/purposes for each run. The have a book that you can read more about the programs that is entitled, "Run Less, Run Faster."
Right now, I'm not where I'd like to be to actually start the 10k training. It calls funs of 8-10 miles just a few weeks after you start the 12 week series. I'd like to focus on losing weight first and then begin this program as I get closer to my goal weight. So, I'm going to start with the 5k training program. This seems to be close to the same mileage that I'm already doing, about 5 or 6 miles, three times a week. It does get up to 8 miles around week 7, but that'll be the longest distance. It's not really so much the distance that I'll be going, but the time that it'll take to run more than 8 miles. As a slow runner, if you start running 10+ miles, it kinda eats into your day, and I'm not quite ready to spend that much time training yet. Instead, I'll run a 5K race and set a personal best for that distance without a doubt (I've never run a 5k).
The program consists of three runs a week, with 2 cross training workouts. The three runs are broken down into Interval runs, where you run your 5k pace for 400m-1600m with rest intervals between sets. The second run is a tempo run where you do a warm up mile then 2-4 miles at a predetermined tempo that is close to your 5K pace. The last run is a long run which varies between 5 and 8 miles and is run at close to 5k pace as well. This will be challenging for me, because I have for the last couple years focused so much on endurance that I have neglected speed, but I am looking forward to the challenge.
Well, it hasn't quite been a full month since I began this blog, but it is February and I returned to running and eating healthy close to four weeks ago, so here's the one month progress report.
This morning was a perfect day for running. I've started taking my Saturday morning runs during Elliot's first nap of the day, so it was about 9 am when I left the house. It was about 60 degrees and sunny, with a slight, refreshing wind. It's days like today that keep a runner going during those really tough, hot summer runs. I'm really excited about the improvement I'm already seeing in my 6 mile run times. This graph is from today when I ran a 10k at about a 10:08/mi pace.
That's a 0:41/mi pace improvement over where I was only a few weeks ago. Here is the graph of my first 6 mi. run this year.
I'm really starting to feel momentum when it comes to exercising and eating right. The first few weeks are usually the hardest. That's when you're changing habits, changing what your body is used to, and just being different. I think the body and the mind have a tendency to fight that. But now that I'm 4 weeks into it, I'm almost craving the road and not wanting to eat something that's set me back.
Though, it also helps that I'm not completely restricting myself either. Like yesterday we went to my favorite pizza place with Violi's family. Usually I would cram as much pizza as possible in my face and then maybe one more for goodwill. Instead, I ordered a greek salad and one slice of pizza. There was a lot of pizza left over, but I had my fill already. You get a sense of empowerment when you do something like that. It also makes it easier to say no the next time, because you did it before already.
Now, for the weight loss issue. I started out at a whopping 244 lbs. and I'm pretty pleased to report that I'm down to about 229 lbs. That's about 15 pounds in four weeks. I did weigh myself following my run today, and the scale said 225.5, but it'll be back to the 228-229 area tomorrow morning, if I were to weigh. I'm not expecting these kind of numbers in the future. I'm hoping to lose a pound a week or every 2 weeks in the future.
All in all, I'm feeling really good and I have a good outlook for keeping up my regimen of running and eating well for the forseeable future.
Wow, this blog is going to get pretty boring real fast if I just keep on posting my runs and not much else. Oh well, no time to do anything too exciting now. Here's my run for today:
What is it about running that I'm willing to get up at 6 am on a Saturday to make sure I get my run in? Hmm...not sure really. I know it's something that can't easily be explained and most people don't get unless they come down with the running bug themselves. I enjoyed the latest podcast from Phedippidations during my run. I really like listening to this podcast by Steve "Runner" because it makes me feel somewhat connected to other runners, though I'm mostly running alone. Steve Runner has a real gift for putting thoughts to words and I identify with a lot of what he says.
This afternoon we took a 3 mi. walk through McAllister Park. So that brings my total mileage of the day to about 9. Not bad, and good thing after I didn't go anywhere yesterday and didn't get swimming in this week. Through today, I'm inches away from putting in 60 miles so far this year. That breaks down to 2.3 miles a day. I'd like to get in a few more miles a week, but I'm happy with how I've done so far.
No update on weight this week. I'm staying off the scale until February. I should have an update on the competition between my sister and me next week. Eating-wise, I'm been doing fairly well and I don't fee guilty about what I've eaten this week. Today, we went to a nice cafe called Quicksands. My meal wasn't too bad, and better than it could have been, but I did indulge in a marvelous piece of carrot spelt cake. Mmm...
I'm looking forward to another good week next week, and hopefully a good checkin on the scale.
My run for today took me to McAllister Park. I didn't get up early like I was planning, but it worked out better since I went for 6 mi. rather than 3 or 4. I took Elliot and he slept the whole way. It was about 50 degrees and a little drizzle, so I had to run without my glasses, but I felt great afterward. Doing a 10:43 pace pushing a stroller is making progress.
Yesterday, I took the day off and ate one bad meal. It was Championship weekend in the NFL, so I had a couple slices of pizza (small - Kashi), one brat and lots of chips and Queso, oh, and one beer. I didn't feel guilty, seeing how I'm not trying to follow a diet, but I know I'll have to be good for a whil again before I can eat like that. I'm shooting for two weeks of good eating, with Superbowl Sunday being open for any foods.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to go swimming ini the evening, so I get to sleep in again!
I didn't want to make this blog public until I had already put in some time working on the goal. It's been two weeks since I weighed in on my sister's scale. She and I are competing (Biggest Loser style) to see who can lose the biggest percentage of weight in the first three months of this year. Winner gets their car cleaned and detailed by the loser.
I initially weight in at a whopping 244 lbs. I know, that's a lot! I hadn't been that heavy in about 5 years. I've managed to do several runs, 2 six milers, some walks and one trip to the pool in this two weeks and I'm already feeling much better. I've been eating much healthier as well and I"m remember what it feels like to be hungry (a feeling I had almost forgotten after spending a week back at my parents with my mom cooking and cookies freely available.
When I stepped on the scale today it read 232.5. Now, this was a different scale and it was in the morning rather than the afternoon, so there's usually some fluctuation, but 10 lbs or so is a pretty good start, so I'm feeling good.
I'm using a Nike+iPod pedometer to help me track my runs. You can follow along, my ID is Nate in SA. Here are my two 6 mile run graphics:
I've also been eating quite a bit better than previously. I'm not doing any specific diet. I've done diets like South Beach before and had good success, so I've incorporated much of the same ideas, however, I didn't go through the two week extremely low carb phase to send my body into "ketosis." So, I'm eating a lot of whole grains, greens and lean meats, and skipping on the sugars and simple carbs. Then I'm trying to use the novel idea of leaving the table a little bit hungry, or at least not completely full. I've signed up for a service called dinnerplanner.com that gives us great menu ideas with a grocery list. We're doing the healthy option and we really like it. I'll review it more in a separate post.
I believe that one of the best things a person can do for themselves is set personal goals. My friend Chris has a list of 100 things he wants to accomplish/do before he dies, kind of like the Bucket List movie out there, except he's young and not planning on dying anytime soon. I like to choose a few goals to focus on at once and this blog is to document my progress toward achieving the goal of good (or at least better) health. Now, as a school psychologist I learned about operationally defining goals and writing them so that they are measureable and attainable, so the goal "Good Health" doesn't quite live up to that. Here's how I'm going to define the goal of good health for me: I'd like to lose weight, I'd feel a sense of accomplishment if I get to 210, but I'd love to weigh under 200 lbs. I'm not very keen on just making a goal about weight. I don't like to focus on the scale and would rather not weigh myself that frequently because it's going to be a long process and I don't want to lose heart. So, I've come up with a couple other goals for me to focus on that will help me to reach my goal weight.
1) I want to set a personal best in the 10k 2) PB in a half marathon 3) Compete in a triathlon
In a future post, I'll hopefully talk about each of these goals and give history/times for each one, but I'll have to do a little research before i can do that.
Why am I trying to lose weight and get down to 200 lbs.? Well, it's not so much the number, but that number has always been in the back of my mind. I think I remember being in maybe 6th or 7th grade and stepping on the scale and seeing 197 lbs. and vowing to myself that I wasn't going to pass 200. Then the next time I stepped on, it said something like 205. I remember being pretty discouraged then, but I never really changed any behavior in order to lose weight. The heaviest I remember seeing on the scale was 277 when I was a senior in high school.
So, this has been pretty much a lifelong battle and it's not at all healthy to be as overweight as I was, or even as I am now. Elliot provides even more motivation to get healthy. I know that I'm not guaranteed to live long and prosper if I lose weight and eat right, God may take me at any time. But, if it's up to me, I want to be healthy so that I can spend as much time with my family as I can and do so with energy and life. Other, less consequential reasons I have include turning 30 this year and a nagging lower back/sciatic nerve issue that I'm sure will be somewhat ameliorated with less stress, i.e. weight, on it every second of the day.
This is the first post of what I hope to be a long and fruitful endeavor. My sister mentioned to me the other day, that when someone gets to a goal weight or to a threshold, the likes of which they haven't seen before, they call it "Wonderland." We were talking about this because for me, 200 lbs. was wonderland and I had briefly obtained it about 16 months ago. It had been the culmination of about 3 years of off and on work both with diet and exercise. Since then, I've slowly, but surely, packed the weight back on. Sure I've got excuses...I started working a full-time job which was stressful and didn't leave me with much time to exercise during the week; my right foot began to hurt and kept me from running those long runs that had helped me keep the weight stabalized; and of course, I had to eat extra to gain sympathy weight for Violi while she was pregnant.
Well, I've come to a point where my desire to change has increased enough to actually do something about it and I want to use this blog as a mode of accountability.
I've had this post up now for a couple days trying to get time to write and start off the blog with a bang. But I just decided that I need to just get it done and post my other thoughts as we go a long. This will be a long process, so I'll have plenty of time to write.
