4 Weeks In

Well its been 4 weeks and I'm still going strong on the weight lifting front.  I've been attending a 1-on-1 training sessions every monday and a group (3 people) training session on thursdays.  I've been getting in a few runs here and there while also trying to increase my awareness of my calorie intake.  The calorie intake has been suffering some and so I'm trying a new technique I've read about that will hopefully focus my mind on how many calories I'm eating by confining my eating window to an 8 hour period.  It's called intermittent fasting and I learned about it on leangains.com.  I've been at it for a week now and I am down some weight, not much, but it makes me think about my food choices a little more.  Essentially I just don't eat for a 16-18 hour window and then consume all my calories for the day within the next 6-8 hours.  I try to make the calories in the window have a good balance of carbs and protein.  Another thing I've been doing is consume a snack of chocolate milk right after my weight lifting as it is suppose to have a good combination of protein and carbs that your muscles are shown to have a high uptake of immediately following weight lifting and will increase recovery.  

Up until yesterday, my strength gains had been minimal.  Now its not that I haven't felt stronger but more that I haven't been reaching many of my goals when I go into lift.  I kept stalling out at 11 reps instead of getting 12 or something similar but yesterday I went it to work out and it was totally different.  I had felt tired all day and really not that motivated but being that I had a scheduled training session, I was going to go get my butt kicked no matter what.  This time they switched it up and I did legs first and from there on out, I either achieved or exceeded my goal reps for every single machine I had to do for the day.  It felt really great to see that progress and that had even happened on the few machine I had achieved my goal on previously.  I felt much stronger and encouraged.  Then I woke up this morning and weighed myself and saw a nice drop in weight, clocking in at 295.3.  I hadn't been expecting immediate result weight wise due to the muscle building phase that was occurring but I was hoping it would start taking affect sometime soon even if it was slower.  I also decided to take some measurements to keep track there and I'm going to do this Bod Pod to get an accurate assessment of my body composition.  My current measurement where 48" Waist (around belly button), 47" chest, 16.5" bicep, and 28.5" thigh (around upper thigh).  Hopefully keeping track of these will yield some other results that show progress over the next few months.  My goals are to lose 25-30 pounds decrease waist and chest measurements and increase bicep by the time I go for my trip in February. 

Let the Destruction Begin

Of my muscles that is.  I went in for my first 1-on-1 training sessions yesterday and although they only last 1/2 hour, they are brutal.  This training is high intesity training and in the allotted time we did 10 exercises and after each one I felt devistated.  I'm sore today but not too bad but I feel good about starting it.  I'm marking today as the start of a new journey on the weight tracker.  I'll be going in to get a full body composition assessment in a month or so and will share those results.  My weight would have been better this morning but last night we went out to watch the football game and for a friends birthday, had a few beers and eat some food so that has propped the number up some but not too bad.  It's abotu 2.5 lbs higher than it was after my workout.  I check my weight too much but I do have a healthy understanding of my fluctuations because of that and realize what certain actions will do to my short term weight.  Although I'll be tracking my weight as a tool to keep myself on track, the real goal is to fit into my clothes better and look better overall.  In 4.5 months I'll be in a sandy paradise and would like to look my best for the occassion.  I'm also trying out a new breakfast of rolled oats with milk and some granola instead of an omellete or a muffin.  Curious to see how this helps as it comes strongly recommended by many.

Far from Perfect

Well it was something I said I never wanted to see again and I saw it today.  The scale hit 300 again.  That means I've put back on 15 of the 40 I lost.  Even though I wasn't posting, I was lifting and working out during August and September but my eating habits were extremely poor.  On top of that over the last 2 weeks my activity has disappeared and the scale has shown it.  I refuse to let this stand.  I'm starting a new workout program on Sunday which entails 2 High Intensity Training weight lifting sessions with a personal trainer per week.  On days off I'm going to get in 1-2 simple cardio sessions of 30-45 mins and 1 interval training cardio that will only be 10-15 mins long. 

I used to work as a personal trainer in the weight room at my high school when I was 15-17 and worked with our strength training coach at the time who had worked for the Minnesota Vikings for a short period of time.  I enjoy these types of workout and I was in great shape.  I then found out that my coach at the time had opened a training studio and that is where I will be training.  The reason there are only 2 workouts is to ensure proper rest time from a highly intense workout for you body to recover and build maximum muscle.  I will be doing a Bod Pod session as well which uses displacement to determine lean mass, fat mass, and body fat % in about 3 weeks. 

My goals will be first to get back into proper healthy activity and diet.  I'm not going to specifically follow any sort of diet but will be consciously making smarter eating decisions and that will be helped by eating more home cooked foods with my girlfriend.  Weight wise I'm want to begin trending back in the correct direction towards 225 and hopefully get much closer by the end of next February as I will be traveling to a Caribbean island and would like to look better by then.  My cardio will be doing distance running again because the temperatures have cooled off here in MN and I can survive again :).  I'll be tracking my workouts here and some gains as well.  Starting next Monday I'll begin tracking my weight here as well.  I'm sure I will struggle in the beginning but reading through my earlier posts here is very motivating and I hope to push my weight back under control soon.

Wake Up

Didn't realize it had been a week since I had posted.  Just put up a 4 mile run yesterday which still involves some walking even though the temperatures are cooling off but it really is only adding about 30-40 seconds per mile to my total pace.  I'm progressing slowly but I feel much better in general due to the increase in exercise.  This weekend will be a big test because I'm going out of town and need to make sure I still get in my 3 mile run on Saturday and 5 mile run on Sunday.  I'm a little concerned about the upcoming long distances for training but hopefully it will start to come back to me.  On the eating front, I have been eating and cooking healthier and my weight has reflected it slightly.  I'm currently hovering around 291 and am hoping to be in the low 280's by early September.

Sticking to the Shade

The shade has been my friend lately when running.  I look for it and seek out the side of the road that I can find it on.  Honestly running in direct sunlight is brutal right now.  Yesterday I put down 4 miles but couldn't quite do the entire run without walking some.  I got to the bottom of a large hill at the 3 mile mark and had to walk to the top of it (about 1/4 mile) before I could get my legs under again.  It probably wasn't the smartest thing I could do but I did cut the lawn before going for a run hoping to get some cooler temperatures, but cutting the grass takes 1.5 hours so it was quite a bit of exercise.  I'm pretty sure once the temperature drops down some I'll be better but that time couldn't come sooner.  If only I lived somewhere that was 60-70 all the time; Great running weather.  Confirmed the fix with my foot pod again yesterday which makes me happier about the thought of running indoors this winter.  Week 2 ends with a 3 and a 4 miler on Saturday and Sunday respectively.  Weight wise my appetite has been stronger lately and I need to get ahold of that.  I'm trying to drink some hot tea to help suppress it.  My goal is to be at 280 or near it by Labor day and hopefully into the low 270's or upper 260's by race day in mid October.

Summer Heat

It's a bit discouraging when you get out there for a 3 mile run and can only go half way before needing to walk but thats what happened yesterday.  I'm not going to let it get me down.  The temperature was in the upper 80's with a very high humidity but it wasn't too bad when I left the house in mostly shade.  However between the 1 miles and 1.5 mile (turnaround) point, there was no shade and it zapped all the energy I had in me.  It's very difficult to get back into running in heat like this, but I have no choice because I will run that half marathon come hell or high water.  And I'm seriously considering running the half marathon in Las Vegas in December.  If that means I have to walk some during this heat, thats fine but I will do the full distance and I will achieve these goals.  There is a possibly I could go use the gym track to escape the heat and I may do that today especially since I've finally got the app to correctly gauge my distance using the foot pod.  At least I don't have to count laps or guestimate based on time. 

As much as I don't want to, I know I must focus on my eating again because my weight gain is affecting my clothes.  Even though I did not gain much (5-10), my clothes are feeling a little tighter and I want to remedy that quickly.  One thing I'm struggling with is late night hunger which I never had before when I was using tobacco but without tobacco, it seems the craving for nicotine was replaced with food.  I think the running will help suppress some of my appetite because it has in the past but if nothing else I just need to make better choices as well.

First of many long runs

It was a decent start to my training week, I did miss a run due to a wedding for a friend that I was in but otherwise everything was good.  I got in my long run yesterday but instead of running outside (93 degrees) I went to the gym and ran around the track for 40 minutes which at my usual pace is 4 miles.   I didn't take an exact measurement and actually felt like I was running so I probably went over which is just fine.  I usually run a lap in a minute and its 10 laps to a mile but I was doing some laps in less than 1 minute according to the clock which was nice to see since I had been a little slower outside since I started but was pretty sure that it was because of the heat and now I know that is why.  My weight didn't do me any favors this week and I'm not 100% sure why with the increased activity.  I need to watch what I eat better so I can begin losing more weight.  On to week 2 of the 1/2 marathon training, nothing really crazy this week but I may utilize the gym until this heat calms down. 

I've had better days (but it was still pretty good)

It wasn't the prettiest of returns but at least I came back.  Starting a new running schedule felt good last night.  I was a little slower and yea I did have to walk but after 3 miles I felt pretty damn good considering it was 89 out and I hadn't run in almost 2 months.  The warmest temperature I'd run in up until now was only in the upper 70's with little humidity.  All things considered, it was a major success.  I'm back at it and with only a 5 lb gain, I'm really not too far off of being right back where I left off.  The next step is to officially sign up for the 1/2 marathon I want to run and then I'll have no excuses.

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, I've been gone for almost 2 months now but starting today, I'm back.  I have not been running or eating very well but that is going to change.  A big reason behind it has been the girl I've been seeing.  I can't get enough of her and so I spend a lot of my time with her.  Another big reason has been some house projects that I've been spending all my other time outside of work on.  But the plan was to run the Whistlestop half marathon on October 15th and starting today is my 12 week program to train for it.  I was at the point of running 11 miles before and I know I can do it again.  The best part is my girlfriend and best friend will be running it as well so there will be plenty of motivation.  I may not be posting as much as I was before I quit but I'll be around.  I'm really hoping to carry this running stint all the way through the winter into next spring as winter is typically a bad weight gaining time of year for me.  I'm gained a little bit of weight but still feel good about my weight loss up til this point.  This journey will be about running a half marathon until October and the weight loss will be an added bonus.  I've gained a different perspective and my happiness and now derived more from my friends and girlfriend than the way I look.  I want to be healthy to be able to do more and be with them longer and I know the rest will fall into place. 

I have done something very healthy for myself in the last month that has made things a little more difficult on the food front.  I used to be a chewing tobacco user and on June 23rd I quit and haven't had one since.  I really don't miss it and most if not all of the cravings are gone, but I do seem to have more of an appetite than before.  I believe its is just as much related to the lack of exercise but in the end quit tobacco will be 1 million times better for me than just about any other decision I've made up until now and soon it will be a long distant memory.

Loss of Motivation

I've been losing motivation to run lately.  I don't want to but it has happened and I need to find a way to break through it.  I haven't been running nearly enough since I ran the 11 miler.  Between going on dates with my new gal or just making up excuses to do other things, it hasn't been getting done.  I need to find a way to get this motivation back and get my butt back out there.  I'm considering switching things up for a little while.  The switch would involve running less but lifting weights.  I want to build some muscle to help in the weight loss.  I don't mean I will cut out running at all.  I just mean instead of 4-5 milers maybe just doing 2-3 and lifting for 45 mins.  Something has got to change because as happy as I am to have lost 40 lbs I don't want to stop losing anytime soon.

100 Push Up Challenge

BTW, Last Week I started the 100 Push Up challenge and now am on to Week 2 Day 2 tomorrow.  I felt I was losing some muscle and wanted to regained any lost upper body strength.  I'm hoping to transition this into a strength training program by August or September.  Right now I'm doing the lightweight version because I've always had a sensitive shoulder and quite honestly push ups at 283 pounds is still lifting a lot of weight.  Once I'm done with the lightweight version, I will either do the regular heavy weight version or a modified heavy weight version and by modified I mean starting at the week 3 of the heavy weight and creating my own additional weeks to push myself beyond  to keep adding strength.  I know I don't have many followers but Who is with me?  It's really not all that difficult and takes like 10 mins to do so why not.

It's been a long tough month

Just like the title says, its been a long and difficult month of May.  My weight loss slowed down significantly and I kind of started slacking in my running, not in being active just running.  One problem with summer and the nice weather is there are so many other things to do between yardwork, Twins games, walks around the lakes, etc.  However, it looks like I had a pretty good break through weight wise this week and lost 2.2 lbs which is the biggest loss I've had in a while and I'm happy to cross over the 40 lbs lost mark and set sights on 45 lbs.  My clothes are getting much baggier and my work slacks are almost to the point I can't wear them. 

When entering in my weight today I realized it was my 20th week on here and started to think back on the journey so far.  I'm happy to be where I am now, if you would have told me I would do this well back in January, I would take it 10 out of 10 times but I'm not satisfied with the end result.  I don't plan on just being happy where I am and settling in here.  I've got another 58.8 pounds to go to be where I really want to be.  The biggest things this journey has taught me is patience.  I don't have to get to that weight immediately but as long as I keep going in the right direction, I will get there eventually.  If it takes me a full year or more I'm fine with that.  Would I like to be further along, sure but I know I've been my own worst enemy from that standpoint.  I've made steps in the right direction that aren't drastic or impossible to maintain.  I can keep going forward on my journey because really its just the way I'm living now and hopefully the weight loss just keeps up.  If not I will makes changes but for now I like the way this is going.

Measuring Up

Well I haven't posted a picture in a while but I did take some measurements yesterday so I thought I would share them.

Neck: 17.5"  (18.5")
Chest: 47.5"       (50")
Shoulders: 56"
Waist: 45"    (49")
Hips: 46"         (49.5")
Thighs: 27.5"   (28.5")
Arms: 16"    (17.5")

Almost all of these are drops except thighs and neck since the last time I measured, but from the start they are all big drops.  My original numbers are next the the new ones. Total I've lost 16" (counting each thigh and arm loss).  Also this morning my weight was down to 282.4 which  always has me wanting to move my weigh in's to Tuesday because they are typically the lowest but oh well.  I'm getting close to the 270's and haven't been this low since late 2005.  I'm more confident about myself and happier.  Also an ex-gf of mine who is a really good friend now will be in town this weekend and she hasn't seen me since last November where I was either right around 325 or maybe even a little higher.  I'm excited to show off a little.  I also talked to a good friend of mine yesterday who wants me to be an usher in his wedding and I'm looking forward to where I will be at the time of his wedding and how I'll look in a tux.  Yesterday's run was good, 5.5 miles up some pretty terrible hills.  I wore the HR monitor for the first time in a long time and had some interesting results.  I'm not sure why but its seems that the HR monitor was reading much higher than it should.  I wouldn't expect it to be too high without proper skin contact more too low.  I check it to another HR monitor before I left and it was right but its says I was in the highest zone for 37 mins, the next highest zone for 13 mins and the last few for the rest.  My average HR was 169 so I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if I just have an extremely high HR while running.

Guilty Weekend

So running and working out did not happen at all this weekend.  But I'm still down weight for the week and I'm very happy about that.  I know I will get there eventually and there are times I wish it was faster but I had a great weekend so I'm not too concerned right now.  First Friday night was a great night on a brewery tour of a smaller brewery that my friend and I all love.  It was fun to listen to the owner talk so passionately about the business and about how they go about making their beer.  He was willing to answer every question with enthusiam as well.  I stayed out that night with friends and had a great time.  The running was really shut down this weekend by the crazy storms around the area.  There were major thunderstorms all day Saturday and Sunday including hail and tornados that destroy some areas of minneapolis.  Even where I work there are trees that are easily 50+ years old pull right out of the ground.  So needless to say I wasn't going to run in that.  I could have gone to the gym and maybe should have but didn't.  Instead I spent most of my weekend with someone I just met and really enjoy.  And so I decided to take advantage of the fact that at 40 lbs down, a better look, and a new sense of confidence, I could get back in the dating scene and try to find someone to be happy with.  It's only been 3 dates so far but I like where things are headed.  Getting back at it today.

A difference in thinking

Well the last few days have involved zero running.  This is probably not good considering I'm planning to run 12 miles this weekend and most likely a half marathon in 2 weeks.  However, Tuesday involved some pretty heavy yardwork for about 3.5 hours so there was plenty of sweating and exercise involved.  Today I have to drive my friend to the airport and immediately go to my softball game so it looks like I may miss today as well.  And yesterday I had a date which felt good and it went really well.  It's been over a month since my last relationship ended which I didn't say much about, but I'm back out there and hopefully it won't interfere too much with the running schedule.  (Thankfully this one is a runner so maybe I can make that into a date sometime.  5k around the lake sounds nice to me)

The best part about this whole thing is that in the past I would have easily drifted away from my program or been worried that I might not get it started again.  This time I'm not even worried.  I've felt bad about missing a few running days but I know I'll get right out there as soon as I have time.  Also on Tuesday I know last summer I would have been dead after about 1 hour of the work I did and I went 3.5 hours and really wasn't that tired, the sun was just going down so I ended because trust me I still have plenty of repairs still to do.

New to IKEA

Well my weight loss wasn't quite where I wanted it to be this week, but it's still down and I'm happy about that.  It may drop some more today as on Saturday I was out having a good time with friends, aka drinks, and usually after a day or two my weight drops off from the gain of all the liquid so it may just need some leveling.

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day but it was beautiful outside.  Really a great day when you can just open all the windows and let the crisp air in; very refreshing.  I also learned about IKEA this weekend.  Yes, I knew what it was and had looked online at it before, but had never actually been there before.  I've been missing out.  That place is fantastic and I was able to find a new bed frame and nightstand to really class up the bedroom and it only cost $300 and my other options at the typical furniture store was upwards of $800-900.  It's not as nice of material but for what I'm trying to get out of it, IKEA had exactly what I needed.  Looking forward to adding some additional furniture to my house from there in the future.

Crank it right past 10 to 11.

Yep you heard me.  I was going to do 10 this week because I did 9 last week but I found a group called Team Ortho that is organizing the Marathon/Half that I might run at the ending of my training that has training runs.  The setup on the long run of the week and people can come run on a new course each week and there are water stations along the way.  It was nice to explore a nice running area and not have to worry about needing to have water with me.  However, the run they were doing this week was 11 so I went with it.  It was terrible weather, 45 F, cloudy, windy, rainy, ie not so fun.  I kept a good pace and felt great until around mile 8 it started getting really tough and around mile 9.5 I felt like I hit "the wall" because all of a sudden I had nothing left in my legs, no energy what so ever and I thought I was going to have to stop.  The only thing that kept me going was the mental aspect and telling myself not to quit and then it was over and I had a new rush of energy which carried me to the end.  I finished in 1:50:39 and although my glutes and hamstring felt incredibly awkward and painful, I was happy I woke up early to do this run.

I cannot believe I ran that far for that long today.  Anytime I had ever heard someone talk about running 10 miles, I couldn't comprehend that distance on foot.  Hell until about 1.5 months ago I couldn't comprehend running for more than an hour.  Then today I put out almost 2 hours worth of running in terrible conditions and really only needed about 20 more minutes and I had a half marathon.  One step at a time, but this is somewhere I always wanted to try and get to but was always too scared to do it.  Not anymore.

Hail Storm

Well my run yesterday did not go very well.  The temperatures were in the upper 80's with high humidity and I am not acclimated to that at all.  I went for about 2.5 miles before I had to cash it in because I was totally drained.  I really hope it isn't this difficult running this summer or that I get used to it sooner rather than later.  A positive on the week is that my weight is down over 3 lbs so far since monday and I'm almost to the 40 lbs mark.  Something to note is that although my numbers for my sleep apnea have gotten better since I started running and I had been sleeping better, my sleeping this last week has been sub par.  I'm not sure if the sleep apnea is kicking in again due to the uptick in humidity meaning I need to change my settings or what, but it has been troubling that getting up in the morning has been a little more difficult lately.  Hopefully it will pass.  BTW tennisball sized hail showed up in our area last night.  Of course it wasn't anywhere near my house which could really use to take a beating because I'd be more than happy to pay my deductible to get my siding replaced but no such luck.

New Shoes

Yesterday I ate well and went running.  It was a first day in the new shoes and it was tougher than I expected.  I'm not sure why but my legs felt very heavy and my feet didn't feel as good as I'd hoped.  Once I finished the 3 miler, I rested for a bit and then started the 100 push up program that I found an Iphone app for.  It has you do multiple sets of different amounts of pushups and keeps track of the rest time for you.  Its a simple way to do some strength training at home.  Work is crazy and with the temperatures set to reach 80+ today, I'm not looking forward to a longer run tonight.

Mother's Day

Well let me say I had a great weekend.  I took Friday off and was extremely productive.  I got up and went to Home Depot getting all kinds of things I needed to spruce up my yard.  Then I went and got a sports massage and an oil change.  Then  I went to pick up some last minute mother's day gifts.  Finally I came home and went to work on fixing up the yard.  Friday night I kept it pretty low key and Saturday morning I got up ready to do the 9 miler.  It went well and I tried to slow it down some because I felt I was killing myself on my previous long runs where I came in at around 9:40 mm where this time I went for closer to 10 mm.  I came in right at 1:30:08 so almost on the nose.  The last two miles were still incredibly difficult and although the course feels flat for the most part, after looking at the elevation profile, it looks like it is slowly downhill on the way out and uphill most of the way back.  There are only a few parts where it is really visible but I'm guessing that is why the last two miles are so killer each week.  I felt good after the run but my feet were killing me and had some blisters.  I decided to go to the running store to see if it was time for a new pair of shoes and although I may have some mileage left on them, I did get a new pair of shoes which feel great.  When trying them on I put the new shoe on the left and the old on the right and when standing up straight, the added cushioning on the left shoe was making that leg about 1/2" longer so I figured my others were pretty worn out.

Sunday was obviously mother's day and so I went over to my grandma's house where everyone gathered to have some food and visit.  I haven't seen most of my family besides my mom and dad since christmas. Now let me just say I have the greatest and most supportive mom ever and she tells me all the time how great I look.  However, it felt great that everyone noticed at the family get together and were blown away that I had run 9 miles the day before and was alive to talk about it. 

The scale didn't drop as far as I had hoped but I didn't eat especially well over the weekend so it was somewhat expected.  I did do better so that counts for something and as long as I'm still going down I'm happy because I will get there.  Maybe not as fast as I'd like but I will get there.  I'm thinking about increasing my number of workouts just to give a boost to the calories and probably making them strength training to add some muscle to increase the RMR.  We'll see.

Spoiled with Energy

I was impressed with myself yesterday because my legs were very sore and tight and I didn't even think about it, I just got home strapped on the shoes and ran.  I went 5 miles yesterday at a slightly slower pace since the legs were hurting but not much 49:27.  The weather was awesome but after my 5 miler yesterday I figured I should bring some water so I ran with my camelbak on which helped.  I was psyched to run which quite honestly had been a struggle the last few weeks.  Not that I didn't enjoy running but back to back days had been tough to motivate myself for and yesterday it wasn't.  I felt great and I still feel great today.  My legs are still very sore but tonight I have a softball game so no running outside of that.  Tomorrow will probably consist of some light crosstraining of some sort and Saturday is going to be a 9 miler which I'm not sure how I feel about yet.  Nervous but excited, I guess.

All I want is another Good Time

Quickly, yesterday's workout involved a 5 mile run around the normal route but the farther I expand the normal route, the more of big hill I must deal with.  In other words I had to go down the backside of it only to come right back up to the top of it.  Good run though.  5 miles 48:16.

Something I was thinking about during my run yesterday is just how much I want this.  I want to be able to go out and not think about how I'm the biggest guy there or how it sure would be nice to be able to ask a girl out without trying to determine if my weight puts her out of my league.  I'm sick of being judged based on that and look forward to the day when I'm not.  I'm not mad at anyone that does judge me based on that because I let myself get this way and I'm going to be the one to end it.  I've got plenty of things to be insecure about as do all of us, but at least weight I can control and getting near the 40 lb mark I'm already feeling more confident but I still have a long way to go.  My weight loss has slowed to a crawl and I've got to change something soon to continue on my journey.  I don't plan on ever giving up running and I don't need instant gratification but I would like to at least keep up a 8-10 lb/month weight loss so I can reach my goal someday in the near future.  Hopefully I'll break this plateau this week at I'm shooting for 287 on the scale next monday.

10k Wrap Up

So Saturday morning I woke up around 5:30 and grabbed some coffee and a bowl of cereal.  After the previous weekend I knew I'd want to eat something.  The weather outside was awful.  It was low 50's and rainy but I had already made the committment and wasn't going to back out.  We headed down to the park at about 7:15 which was nice because even though we were early, we got a decent parking spot and just waited in the car since the rain was coming down pretty hard.  By the time the race began, the rain and slow to barely a drizzle.  The first mile was a little tough but I was starting to get loose and avoid all the people (I think there was something like 5000 people between the 10k and 1/2 marathon which started together).  By mile 2 I was feeling much better although I knew something was up and by mile 3 I knew I had no choice but to stop at a restroom (I'll spare you any further details).  I timed my stop because I don't really want to count something that has nothing to do with how long I was actually running.  It was 2:30 after waiting for a few people.  I got back out there and of course my legs had gotten stiff from wainting around so the next mile or so was spent getting lose again.  Once I began crossing the bridge to the finish line I got a boost of energy and began to up my pace and per the way I like to finish my run, I sprinted about the last 100 or 200 yards.  I finished with an official time of 1:00:38.  I was hoping to get under and hour and still almost did even with the bathroom break.  Now since I timed my stop, I know that my total running time was really 58:08 and since I'm not competing for any prize other than my own pride, that is the time I will be using. (Plus my friend who used his Garmin said the course was really about 6.27 miles and I'm not couting that).  My pace at the 4 mile point was 9:25 mm and at the finish it was 9:23 mm.  That means the last 2.2 miles I actually ran 9:19 mm which is about the best pace I've ever kept especially after running 4 to start.  Guess race day added some adrenaline.

Weight didn't move this week, although on Sunday morning I was down about 3 lbs but not today, I guess my body held on to everything I ate and drank yesterday to recover from the race even though I didn't eat all that poorly.  It ok because the other day I found some shirts on the other side of my closet I had been holding onto that I liked but didn't fit anymore.  I grabbed them and tried them on and they fit great now, even a little loose so it was still a victory.

I would also like to send out a big thank you to the troops for the last 10 years that have been fighting to find Osama Bin Laden and a big thanks to those who tracked him down and got rid of him yesterday.  The biggest bastard on the Earth is gone and I think everyone can rejoice in that today.

Last Minute Race Sign Up.

Well I've been bad on exercise this week.  I only went on Monday and Tuesday, but in my defense the weather has been terrible and I had a baseball game I had to go to last night.  I've been eating good though so at least my weight is hovering around the same spot.  In other news, I signed up for a 10k for Saturday and am shooting to finish in under 1 hour.  I think I'll be able to do this if the weather stays ok and in that case the couple days off will probably be good for preparation.  Now I just have to determine if I should eat a bunch of carbs today and what if anything I should eat for breakfast so I don't feel sick like I did last week after the 8 mile run.

40 degrees and It's almost May WTF

So the weather yesterday was horrible.  It was in the low 40's, raining, and super windy.  I wasn't about to skip a workout so back to the gym's indoor track I went.  I did get in about 43 minutes which I'm estimating to be about 4.5 miles based on my past times, the fact the course was flat, and I counted the first 10 laps to guage my mile pace.  It was crazy dry in there and so I had to stop every mile or so for a splash of water.  Made me a little nervous about what it will be like next winter because it doesn't seem like much fun now that I know what outdoor running feels like.  Oh well, I'll find a way, if I'm still doing this when next winter rolls around I will be happy as a clam and I'll figure it out then. 

PS. Loved when I went to ask one of the personal trainers about an issue I noticed when I sit down after a long run and she wanted to know what I meant by a long run.  I told her 8 miles and she gave me a look like she didn't believe me.  It felt good in a way, I'm sure it's not often she has a 290 lb guy asking her about leg issues after an 8 mile run :).

Molly and Me

So yesterday I went for a 3 mile run and decided to take my dog Molly with.  I've never done this before because she is terrible at walking and pulls constantly.  Also she is a small dog, granted with a lot of energy, but I was concerned about how she would do at this distance.  Well the run went great, she did pull a bit much but it really didn't affect my pacing and although it was a slower time I think most of that was when I got stuck at a stop light twice for an extended period.  She really seemed to love the run and I enjoyed having her there.  I need to train her to pull a little less and so I went and got a harness that goes around her chest instead of just a regular collar.  I'm also considering getting an elastic leash so she can roam with it pulling on my arm so much.  I'm also looking forward to getting her a back pack to put some water in that we both can share but I don't have to carry :).

BOO

Disappointed to say the scale only moved 1 pound for the entire week.  Its difficult to see and although I only worked out 3 times and had 1 softball practice which really wasn't a ton of work but it was moving around for 1.5 hours, I still put in 17 miles and expected better because the runs were difficult.  I didn't eat great over the weekend but I didn't eat awful either.  It's weeks like this that worry me about if I ever get to a maintanance stage of weight loss.  I feel like if I don't exercise for a day, I gain weight.  What about all the people who lose weight without ever exercising at all?  How am I not getting the added benefit of an increased metabolism during times I'm not exercising?  Its frustrating because I ate way below my calculated BMR, exercised for 3 hours and loss 1 pound.  Maybe it was just a bad day to weight myself and I'll see a bigger drop in the next few days but it still worries me about ever being able to maintain a healthy weight when I only lose a pound with the effort I put in to do it.

Getting Stronger

Well I moved the long run for the week to today as I have a Twins game tomorrow and I'm sure that running 8 miles after sitting out in the sun for 3 hours will be the last thing I want to do.  That said I pushed myself, got motivated and ended up on the track today.  The first 2 miles were the typical warm-up and I felt great after.  Got to the turn around point feeling amazing but at mile 6 I started to hate life.  Every minute that went by felt like an eternity and the next 0.5 mile segment that is announce by the iphone felt like it was taking forever.  I didn't walk and I finished.  My time up to 6 miles was 9:30ish per mile but dropped quickly the last two miles as my legs felt like lead.  But its done, I won the mental battle and I will be stronger for next week.

Beating a Lame yet Relevant Fear

First off if there was one thing I didn't want to do yesterday, it was run.  As much as I tried to get motivated, I had nothin'.  Typically I would only have to do 2 miles or 30 mins cross training but since I have decided to join a friends softball team, which practices and plays on Thursdays, I have to get the second longer maintanance run in on Wednesdays.  Finally convinced myself to go, as it looked nice out.  Little did I know it was going to start raining half way through.

Once I got into the run all the feelings of not wanting to run melted away and I felt great and then I got close to the hill.  On all my runs up until now, I've avoided this hill.  It starts at about 1.8 miles in and ends at about 2.25 miles.  If I take a left before this I can avoid the steep climb.  My roommate runs it nearly every day but I've always been afraid of it because it is an intimidating climb.  Yesterday I saw it in the distance and decided I was done being afraid of a stupid hill and so I went up it.  The 2.25 mile mark was my turn around point so as soon as I got to the top I turned around to come back.  It sucked but not nearly as bad as I thought and I'm glad I learned that I could beat this hill.  Running these hills (as there is another one that is shorter in length but steeper) has really improved my long runs which I run on a flatter surface.  They give me the extra push I need.  4.5 miles, 42:44.

On an even better note, the scale said 288.2 this morning and seeing as I take all my weigh in's in the morning, it counts.  I finally hit the 280's and its been a while.  Next up the 270's which is where I gave my last workout real hardcore efforts about 6 years only to see little if any results.  That will not happen this time.  Also new goal set: Be down 50 lbs be the completion date of the Hal Higdon Half Marathon training.  The final date for that is June 5th which is a Sunday so the weigh in on that Monday will be what will count.  After today's weigh in that leaves just over 13 lbs to go so maybe I'll be able to get a little extra.  Also my birthday is June 29th and would really like to be in the 260's be then, so I've got some goals to shoot for.  Only 3 more lbs and I'm at a loss of 40!

Side Stitch from Hell

Yesterday was shaping up to be a pretty good day.  No drama at work, bad weather had held off, and I was feeling good about my weight loss.  Got home and out the door I went for my run.  I was planning 4 with the possibly of pushing it to 4.5.  The wind was brutal but otherwise everything was good.  I know I started out too fast with my first 2 miles in 18 mins.  I got a little side stitch about mile 2 but no big deal those happen and it went away.  I had made it to the point where I knew I was over half way and this usually is the point where no matter how long the run, it starts to feel better as I'm working my way to the end.  This time, not so much.  At mile 3 I got a side stitch that very sharp and no matter how I contorted my body while running I couldn't get it to go away.  I just kept thinking to myself "It'll will go away just focus on something else", but it wouldn't go away.  It finally got to the point where it hurt so bad to breath that focusing on other things had no effect.  I slowed down to a walk.  This was the first time I had ever had to walk since February when all my runs were a planned distance or time.  I've never had to stop, I've always been able to push through anything that was bothering me at the time.  This time it was unavoidable, with about 1 mile still to run I had to walk.  I'm glad I did, after about 20 seconds I was good to run again and for the most part the pain had dulled down and when I got to the point where I could either quit at 4 miles which I had seriously considered or run another lap around the block (which I found out is exactly 0.5 miles from a friend), I decided that since I walked I had no choice but to fight it out.  Finished 4.5 miles in 43:43.  Not a bad time but considered at the 3 mile mark I was at 28:10, it was a slow finish.  I'm not sure if it was my faster than usual start, maybe too few calories for the day, or dehydration that caused this, all I'm hoping is it never happens again.

One this that felt great though was right after the run I hit the showers and did a quick scale check and saw 288.8.  Now I know thats cheating because I hadn't rehydrated or eaten dinner but who cares it felt great to see myself in the 280's, a weight below my driver's licence, a weight that shows progress.  I'm not counting anything officially, but it made me smile.

Pre Run Shot:

Fun Picture I just got from Chicago Weekend.

Breaking my mold

Well I've been silent for a little bit here but I'm still around.  It was a busy end to the week work wise but it didn't affect my workout schedule, just my blogging one.  On a side note I was never a fan of blogging at all because, why should I care what other people think or say, but I never looked at how much of a tool it can be to keep yourself accountable.  I don't want to post a gain or a missed workout and so it pushes me just a little extra to get things done.  Well this week was my top week for distance so far.  I ran 4 miles for maintenance runs twice this week, did 40 mins of cycling on the spin bike on Saturday and upped my long distance Sunday to 7 miles in just under 69 mins.  The run on Sunday was tough, at first my legs felt very heavy and keeping a good pace was tough but as usual, one I make it to the halfway mark and turn around, it really isn't bad at all.  I was getting very dry mouth on the way back, not thirsty as much as just needing a shot of water so I will have to start doing something for that on my upcoming long runs.  I'm a little ahead of the HH program because I pushed it last week instead of repeating and just added another mile this week.  I've felt good so I figure I might as well. 

Another positive note, the scale dropped last week which has been frustrating me because its been a little back and forth lately.  I'm really going to concentrate on eating well this week so that I can crack into the 280's somewhere I haven't been in at least 5 years.  If anyone is reading this, any ideas why my weight has fluctuated so much even though I've still been burning calories like crazy with the extra miles?

It's becoming a stronger habit

Ok so yesterday was a day I had thought about for a week or so.  I have a 20 game season ticket package to the Twins and yesterday was going to be my first game where I also had a scheduled run.  I know we get back too late to do it afterwards and let's face it I just am not going to get up early and do it.  I was worried I'd cave to my brain telling me its ok to miss it.  I wasn't too focused on it but yesterday afternoon I looked at the clock, and decided to go home around 4:30.  I got home was able to do a 4 mile run in 40 mins take a shower and go to the game.  I would never have done this in the past but now I know I always have time to get it done and can't make any excuses about it.  BTW I feel its pretty awesome that my daily maintanence run on my training program is now 4 miles.  That just seems crazy to me because I remember back in February when my friend had told me that the 5k we were going to run was a 7k (he was mistaken about which race we were running but I didn't know that at first).  I was freaked because I didn't think there was any way in hell I could run that far and know its practically my maintanence run.  7 miler on Sunday should be interesting.

On another note, I've noticed that my maintanence runs always seem more brutal than my long run.  I always do my maintanence runs in the area around my house which is very hilly and has one big nasty hill that is in the last mile of the run which pretty much makes me want to shoot myself when I'm going up it.  These hills have really been making my long runs easier because I typically go to this nice long trail a little ways from my house to run them.  It is a very flat and somewhat scenic trail but the hills around my house make those extra miles go by much easier.  If you are looking to increase distance I recommend giving it a shot, it seems to work well.

Simple Day

Nothing too exciting yesterday just went for about 2.75 mi that was very hilly but I kept a good pace of under 9:30.  It was incredibly nice out and really felt great being out there running and seeing all the other people out and about.

Fun Weekend = Not the best for my Plan

Ok so today I posted a slight gain for the week which isn't great but being that I missed a few workouts and didn't eat particularly well, it was expected.  I was really hoping to break even, but things could be worse.  As for working out, I said I missed Thursday due to some personal issues and then had a baseball game to go to Friday and stayed out with friends that night so not much opportunity for workout there.  Sunday was a planned long run but since it was suppose to storm, I decided to go on Saturday.  A couple of my friends who are runners wanted to come with me even though its not quite their pace.  I was planning on doing doing 5 miles as that is the scheduled distance and then I thought I should do 5.5 just to push it a little.  Well I ended up doing 6 because the run was going so well and not only that, I did it in 57:43 which is way faster than I've been running when it comes to the longer distances.  At the 5 mile mark I was a full 3 minutes faster than last week.  I was very pumped about that and even my runner friends were saying how impressed they were because one hadn't seen me run yet and thought I was going to be way slower.  I was going to do the cross training on Sunday but with the Masters on and thinking I should take a day of rest as it says to always do in the training plan after a long run, I didn't workout.  Normally Mondays are a rest day but today I'll be working out so in the end I should only miss 1 workout.

I'm very excited about how far my distances are getting and also about gaining some unexpected speed.  I've also gained some new free time due to a relationship ending and so I plan to put that added time towards working out and I'm thinking about starting the 100 pushup plan and seeing where that goes.

Space Brain

Well yesterday didn't bode well for my run.  I had some personal things to deal with and I couldn't focus on anything especially on getting out and just running.  I'm sure it would have helped me looking back on it but it didn't happen.  Too bad because it was a beautiful day.  Yesterday brought about a big change in my life and I need to focus and buckle down so it doesn't affect my new found "love" of running.  I say it in quote because I obsess over it sometimes and sometimes it is just hell.  I enjoy running most of the time but I still know I'm at the point where I could easily slip out of my running habits and I don't want that to happen.

Boring Day

Simple update as not much happenend yesterday.  I swam for about 25-30 mins after getting a new swim suit that fits so I can turn quicker without them pulling off.  Today is a 3.5 mile run.  I'm looking forward to this week ending as I've got tickets to the Twins opener tomorrow.

About Time

Well it's quite an amazing thing to see, but the Twins finally came back and beat the Yankees.  I can't stand the Yankees and I know it doesn't mean much but it was a lift up after a long stressful day.  Work was rough and some other factors were chipping away at my sanity.  I ran 3.5 miles in 33:30 which is pretty quick for me and I wasn't even trying to go fast.  The run helped with stress and not for very long.  I'm hoping today is going to better but it's not starting out that way.  Scale is down some today which is nice and I'd really like to see the 280's by next week.

Terrible Game

Yesterday was a day off from working out according to schedule and I felt I needed it as my legs were sore.  Today I'm suppose to do 3.5 miles and I'm looking forward to it since its in the 50's and sunny today.  So yesterday I watched the Twins lose to the Yankees in usual fashion and probably the worst national championship for basketball I've ever seen.  It was as if they installed smaller rims on the basket or something because no one could make a shot.  I also downloaded an app in my boredom between the two games from calorie count to be able to better decide what I should eat or just how many calories I'm eating.  I put down about 1900 calories yesterday and according to my BMR, I burn 3692 doing nothing but I'm thinking that is inflated.  I'm happy to be under 2000 and that was with a poor choice at breakfast.  I'm hoping the app helps me make better decisions.

Progress Photos

Ok here are some progress photos.  The one with the shirt is February, the one without is March.  I see it mostly in my face but probably because of the shirt.

Cherish your mental weapons

Today was one of those days where running was the last thing I wanted to do.  I was lethargic and unmotivated. Go figure it's the day of my long run for training.

I stood up and just told myself, I gotta get out there no matter what.  It was a mental battle from the beginning.  The entire run I was doubting myself, after a half mile I was tired and sweating pretty good, I didn't hydrate very well before hand, and my legs were feeling very heavy.  I just kept telling myself to push farther and that was already at 1.5 miles normally that hasn't been needed until about a mile left.  Once I got to the 2 miles out distance, I was extending my normal route to a new area which seemed to give me somewhat of a boost or at least a distraction to my mind telling me to just quit.  Then I got to 2.5 miles, all I had to do was turn around and go home, I knew where I had to go and exactly how far and what it would feel like.  The last 2.5 miles wasn't bad at all, the mental wall had fallen down and I knew I was going to be able to do this.

I finished 5 miles in 50.5 minutes.  My legs felt great afterwards, hell I still feel great an hour later.  The sense of accomplishment is incredible.  I'm not sure why but 5 miles just always seemed to be a distance that was way far out of reach.  I always thought "I could probably run 3 miles if I had to", "4 is long but maybe if I walk I can do it", "Ha, 5 miles, not a chance." Well so long to that thought.  Actually I've just pushed it farther out, there is something about 5, 10, 13.1, 20, 26.2 that just seem like roadblocks.  I've crossed one off the list now its on to the next.

Falling Down

Yesterday was a stress filled day.  I felt like Michael Douglas, an overworked engineer that was about to snap on someone, but I knew I had one exit for relief.  As soon as I got home, I changed into my running clothes and hit the road.  I had 3.5 scheduled and did 3.67 and it felt great.  It let me forget all about work and just focus on me and the rest of the night felt good too.  Granted I was a little sore but I wasn't going to rip anyones head off.  My confidence has been growing all week for the 5 miler coming up on Sunday.  What I'm not looking forward to is a party on Saturday that I said I would attend.  I don't want to fall into that trap of drinking and eating stupid like I tend to do on the weekends but my plan is to stay sober enough to drive aka maybe one drink an hour and try to still stay social which can be a challenge at times when I want to unwind from a stressful week.  Knowing I have the 5 mile run the next day should help that and give me a good excuse.

On a side note, the scale read 295 this morning.  When I started my first job out of college in 2006, I weighed in the fitness center as a part of the fitness assessment required before joining the company fitness center.  At that time I was 295 and I don't believe I have been below that point since.  I flirted with it once when I moved back from AZ in Dec 2007 and was on nutri-system at the time but the food on it was so terrible I just couldn't stick with it.  It feels good to know that I'm getting back to being me.  When I went to college I was 245, but I don't think I've ever looked as big as I've actually weighed.  None of my friends had a clue I was over 300 when I started this, most thought I was around 270 - 280, little did they know I was well over 300.  Well not anymore.  I want to get back to my college starting weight at a minimum because I know at that point I was in great football shape and liked the way I looked.

Finally Nice Out

Well it has finally been two days back to back nice enough to run outside.  There is just something about running through the neighborhood not counting laps around a track that makes it seem so much easier.  Yesterday was to be a cross training day or run 2 miles but to make up some for missing Sunday, I ran 4 miles in just under 39 mins.  I was going to do 4.5 but there was a giant hill in front of me right at 4 and decided not to kill myself for todays 3.5 mile run.   I really like doing the out and back route as I know once I turn around exactly how far I have to go not having to wonder about times or distance; I'm done when I get back to my place.  The run felt good, lower legs were a little sore but otherwise it went faster than I thought I was going.  Hadn't put a weight down this week because I wanted to show a loss and so this morning I was at 296.6 and I'm using that for my weigh in this week.  I've got to take it easy on the weekends and cutting out drinking may be the key to some of it.  I enjoy having beers with friends and look forward to it all the time but it gets me in trouble and so I've either got to start cutting it out some until I can control myself better or I'm going to be stuck spinning my wheels here.

Rough Day

Yesterday was an all around tough day.  First work was hectic and non stop meetings which led to a quick late lunch which didn't tie in well to my run.  I had hoped to get in 4-4.5 instead of the schedule 3.5 to make up some for missing Sundays run.  As I started running I knew this wasn't going to be a good idea.  I felt sick to my stomach the entire run but I did manage to get in 3.6 miles in 37 mins.  Today is typically cross training or 2 miles but I'm going to get in the 4-4.5 miles I was thinking about doing yesterday to make sure I stay on track with the running being that yesterday was my first run in 3 days.

Chicago

Well this weekend was a great time but a bust for my diet and fitness.  Although I got my workout in earlier on friday so I wouldn't miss it Saturday,  I wasn't able to get my run in on Sunday.  Saturday involved driving to Chicago and meeting up with a friend to go out for the night.  We were all over the city on Saturday night.  On Sunday my friend convinced me to skip my run because they wanted to explore the city and truthfully so did I because I had never really visited Chicago before.  We hit up the Sears tower, Gino's Pizza, saw Soldier field, the bean, millenium park, etc.  It was a great time and I don't regret it.  Then I went to the Volbeat concert at the House of Blues (entire purpose of the trip).  Then on Monday we headed home.  By the time we got back I was exhausted and really didn't feel like make up the run on my planned day off.  I didn't eat very well over the weekend and consumed plenty of beers but had a great time.  I did fall back on the scale staying exactly where I was last week and really only missed one workout but I plan to make up for it today by running extra this week.  Hopefully next week will show a bigger drop.  I'd really like to permanently make my way into the 2's.

Getting ready for Chicago

I'm very excited for this weekend but I have to keep in mind to stay healthy and still have a good time.  One of my favorite bands, Volbeat, is coming to the House of Blues, and I'll be driving there with my friend Dan (from the 5k).  Got really lucky too and used Priceline for the first time ever and got a sweet 4 star in downtown Chicago for my first $80 bid.  I was always too nervous to use the site because I have a hard time committing to something I don't know all the details of, but I'm working on it.  So the plan as of right now is to leave for Chicago on Saturday and come back Monday as the concert is Sunday night.  Which means I'll be there on my scheduled long run for the week and I've been looking around for a good spot to run 4-4.5 miles and it looks like I'm fairly close to a large park so that might work out well.   Yesterday was to be an easy 3 miler but I got it in my head that I wanted to do 3.5 (I know huge stretch huh).  It was more about just pushing myself to go above and beyond what is expected of me.  I did it in around 35 mins so I wasn't running real hard and I had to run on the dreaded track because its still cold out, but I did it.  One big mistake I made yesterday was to run that when I had missed lunch and only ate a bagel earlier that morning. I had no energy what-so-ever but I'm still alive and ate good last night with a burrito bowl from Chipotle.  My calories were probably too low yesterday but hey the scale looked nice this morning and if I stay healthy this weekend I may post a 4-5 drop which could put me @ 30 lbs down in less than 3 months and I won't complain about that.  It's not as fast as I would hope, and certainly doesn't compare to Travis C. or Bendoeslife but I'm just happy that I'm becoming healthier and this is turning into more of a drive to run a half marathon than a drive to lose weight.

Swimming is harder than it looks

So yesterday was cross training day and I thought I'd take advantage of that and get a little more mileage on the vibrams to build up the muscles slowly without interrupting my half marathon training runs.  I put on about 3/4 mile and felt pretty good.  I felt a little more pounding yesterday than on Monday but overall it was good.  Then I went swimming for 30 mins.  I must admit I've always been able to swim but I'm by no means a good swimmer and so lap swimming is very difficult and quite the workout right now.  I assume I'll get better with time but I did about 15 laps in 30 mins and was exhausted.  Scale is down a little but not much.  I really need to look at what I'm eating, might do a log for a couple days because I'm just not dropping the weight I would expect for the effort I'm putting in at the gym.  Today is an easy 3 miler, might go 3.5 just to get ready for the long run this weekend.

Minnesota in March = Depression

Every year this state does it and every year we fall for it.  Just when you think spring is here and things are getting better, you get a big snow storm that screws everything up.  Up until last night, almost all the snow on the ground was gone and the streets were getting clean of all the salt and sand through out for drivers in the winter.  Then I wake up this morning to at least 4 inches of snow, a complete mess on the roads because there didn't seem to be any plows out, and driving winds so its hard to see as if the snow wasn't bad enough.  UGH!

Yesterday I hit the gym for my easy 3 miles as prescribed.  Decided to use the regular shoes not the vibrams because I didn't want to stop part way through to change shoes and didn't want to over do it in them.  Got 3 in on the track in just under 30 mins.  Looks like me and the track will have to become friends again, at least for another couple weeks until I can get outside again.

Total Distance

Just was checking out MapMyRun where I've recorded everything I've done so far and I didn't realize it, but I cleared the 100 mile mark last week and am now at 111 miles total since I started.  I would never have thought I could put that many miles down in just over 2 months but I'm very happy I did.

New Shoes

So yesterday was supposed to be a rest day/strength training day.  I had decided earlier that day after seeing a special @ REI that I was going to get a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes.  My good friend has been running in them and absolutely loves them.  I know you are suppose to take it really easy when first getting them and warming up to them.  They are supposed to switch your running style to a barefoot type forefoot landing and help eliminate injuries.  They are also suppose to improve running form and make you an overall better runner.  Being that it was a recovery day and I'm suppose to start slow, I only went a mile in them but without really pushing myself at all I ran under a 9 min/mi which is faster that I normally run and they felt great.  I threw in some upper body lifting and core and called it a day.  Below is what they look like.  They are the Trek Sport version.

I hate the scale

Ok so I didn't have a great weigh in this morning, not bad just not what I hoped for.  Although I didn't eat that great this weekend (which is becoming a problem that I need to get ahold of), I did work my ass off running 7 miles and swimming for 30 mins in 3 days.  I didn't gain just think the scale has it out for me. I really wanted to be able to mark a weigh in into the 200's but instead I got 300.0.  Ugh.  Oh well at least it went down.  Gotta work harder and not give in to easy temptations.  Still feel great about the 4 miler yesterday.  This week is another 4 miler then a 5 miler next week. 

A New Personal Record

So, first I had to move my thursday run to friday and so I did 3 miles in like 31 mins.  Yesterday I punched out 35 mins in the pool.  I was trying to count my laps so I brought coins.  I got 13 laps in and then they made me switch to swimming across the pool the short way because they normally open the lap pool up for the kids even though they have a huge pool on the other side with water slides and everything else apparently that isn't enough. So myself and about 4 other people had to stop lap swimming so 6 kids and some older women could splash around in the lap pool because they apparently couldn't in the other pool.  Anyways rant over, went 10 laps across the pools which I estimated at 25 meters for a lap so I got about 800m not sure if that is a good pace.  And it was really about 30mins because of have to stop and adjust.

Then came today.  I was worried because its the first long run of the training program and I had never run 4 miles straight.  But now I can say I have.  I did 4 miles in 39.5 mins and feel great right now.  It isn't the nicest day out, very cloudy and gloomy and not real warm but I feel like a million bucks now.

X-training day

So I had the option of a 2 mile run today or cross training for 30 mins.  I choose the longer workout and with a recently purchased pair of trunks I jumped in the pool.  I haven't gone swimming in forever, mainly because I'm overweight but also because I haven't gone out and gotten a pair of swim trunks that fit in probably 5 years.  I was mainly doing the front crawl and did a few laps of breast stroke.  At first I was going to fast and was wearing myself out at the end of each lap.  Then I timed myself to see how long each length of the pool was taking and it was right around 35 seconds.  I knew that was way too fast for 25m and started doing some math in my head to slow myself down to a pace that would be good enough to finish the limited time Ironman swim.  Now I can't go that far for that long but I probably could keep that pace for about 30 mins.  That is just over 77 laps and with a time limit of 2 hrs 20 mins, That puts me at just under 2 mins per lap.  Once I slowed down to this pace I was able to keep swimming fairly continuously.  It was a tough workout but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to swimming being my cross training from now on. 

Around the Lake

Well it wasn't really around the lake but more across the lake that I ran.  Yesterday was an easy 3 miler according to the training plan and thats what I did.  Most of the paths were pretty well cleared off, however, I was very sore from lifting on Monday so my time was kinda slow.  I also didn't quite make it the full 3 miles because I didn't read my GPS tracker right and went off the foot pod which I'm beginning to see is off by about 10% but I found the screen that shows GPS distance not foot pod distance.  Anyways it was a good run and its supposed to be super nice the rest of the week so I'm looking forward to running some more outside.

BTW, I really appreciate all the comments and they do provide some motivation to know I'd be letting some people down besides myself if I don't get out and run.

Something I haven't mentioned

Yesterday was the beginning of the Hal Higdon Half marathon training.  The novice program is setup to be 12 weeks long.  I don't have a race planned but I'm still doing the training anyways because I want to be able to run that far first.  So Mondays are either a rest day or strength training day and so instead of slacking I went and did some weights.  Nothing too crazy but I can feel it today.  I'm looking forward to building myself up and although my weight is still a focus mainly so I continue to be mindful of what I eat.  I believe that with time and discipline to this program it will come. 

One thing I don't think I've talked about much on here is that I have sleep apnea.  I wanted to get tested for it right out of college but the doctor didn't really think it was necessary.  Then after a couple years and being at the point where everyday was a struggle to get up and make it through the entire day without being completely exhausted I got tested.  I was moderate to severe and needed a CPAP machine.  That was in November 2009.  I thought I would have all this energy and be ready to attack my weight issues but I didn't and the machine while working some was still not making me feel how I knew I should feel.  I had another sleep study in October 2010 and my pressure needed had gone up (and so had my weight) and from some research I had done online, I asked the doctor to prescribe an AutoPAP machine which adjust the pressure throughout the night.  Since then I've felt great and it really makes a difference in being able to workout.  I have the energy to attack it at the end of the day which I never had before.  I hope to get rid of the sleep machine someday and it looks like with my weight loss that is already beginning to happen.  I originally was a pressure of 11 when diagnosed and after my second sleep study I was a 14 and the autopap would go higher than that sometimes.  Since beginning to workout and lose weight the autopap has been lowering the pressure and as of this morning it was a 9.8.  That is a huge difference.  Also I measured my resting heart rate yesterday and it was a 51.  It has never been that low as far as I know and from what I read the less your heart has to beat, the less stress on it and over the course of a life the longer it will last.

5k Recap

Ok I got everything ready the night before and went to bed early, especially for a Friday.  Woke up around 6:45 the next day and felt ready to go.  Let the dog outside and realized it was crazy cold.  Now I knew it was suppose to be cold but didn't expect this.  Got layered up with about 3 compression shirts and a pair of under armour leggings and borrowed a pair of gloves from my friend.  We got there earlier enough to find parking which took forever as it is a tight neighborhood and there were a ton of people running.  The temperature was about 20 degrees with a windchill around 5.  The 10 mile portion started at 9 sharp and the 5k was at 9:15.  It was cold standing around waiting to run.

The 10 mile left and we started piling into the chute for the 5k which was very narrow.  At the start there was walking for quite a ways.  It probably took at least 0.1 to 0.2 miles before it was clear enough to run at my normal pace.  I started passing a lot of people and felt good about not really getting passed much.  The night before it snowed a few inches and that had already been churned into a sand like chop along the path by the 10 miler and so it was tough to run and have good footing so my legs were getting tired.  At this point I was actually doing about 8:40 min/mile due to some adrenaline except for the first part of walking/slow running.  Then I hit the first hill and it sucked.  At the top of the hill I saw the 1 mile marker and got some energy but coming down was a log jam since it was very slippery.  Up to this point I have been zig zagging through the crowd of people which was getting tough on my legs as each one was like a little mini sprint to get ahead of them.  At the end of the hill it started to open up and I was mainly around people going my pace.

The mile 2 marker seemed to be taking forever to come up and my legs were getting very sore.  Then I started passing people who had run up ahead of me and now had to walk because they were too tired.  I wasn't going to let that happen to me so I slowed down some.  My friend was running right around me up to this point but was up ahead of me now and actually gave me something to keep trying to catch up to.  This was a very easy run for him and so he was just keeping pace with me.  We passed mile 2 and looking across the lake we were running around I could see the finish line and got some adrenaline pumping.

Mile 3 was going pretty fast and I could see myself getting closer to the finish line.  Little did I know there was another killer hill coming up and a little detour so mile 3 was going to be longer than I thought.  I felt like I wasn't going to make it up the hill but a good song came on and I kept going all the while my friend was just holding on trying to keep me going.  I got up the hill and went down the small decline and saw we were on the straight away of about 0.1 miles left and with what I had left I decided to sprint through the finish line.  Getting close to the finish line, I saw someone in an Aaron Rodgers jersey running and as I've said before, I HATE the packers especially him so I ran even a little faster just to beat that person to the finish line and I did.  It felt great to finish and I was not even thinking about the cold. 

I took this picture with my friend and then the cold set in and we had to get back to the car quickly.  My heart was still pumping but the my sweat was now freezing.  We got back to the car went home, showered up and went out to an after party they had at an Irish bar nearby.  It was a great experience.

When I got home I weighed myself, which I probably do too much but:

This is what I saw.  Granted it was post race and I hadn't rehydrated totally but I'll take it. :p  Its been a few years since I've seen that 2 in front and although I knew it was short lived, I almost was there this morning.  I was at 300.6 and almost full 25 down.

Today is the beginning of my half marathon training and involves me doing some strength but no running.  It is the Hal Higdon program for novice half marathons.  I'm looking forward to the training and getting up into the longer distances.  The weather is getting nice out and I'll be doing most of my running outdoors.

5k: Check More to Come: Check

Short post real quick, I finished the 5k in 30:59 and ran the whole thing.  There were a few hills that killed me and the fact that it snowed about an inch last night (which was all soft and churned up on the course), it was 20 degrees out, and there was a 20mph wind so it was 5 degree wind chill.  I am very happy about my run, I didn't quit, my best friend ran it with me and pushed me along the whole way without even saying a word.  He was just running about 30 ft ahead of me and it was enough to keep pushing.  Also I think I could have had a much better time but it took 2.5 mins before we went to walking out of the gate to running somewhat normal and even then there was a lot of zig zagging.  I did it though and it felt great and now I'm going to train for a half marathon.  I've decided to start monday using Hal Higdons program and hopefully in 12 weeks I'll be able to put that notch on my belt.  Now off for a celebratory beer.

I've been boring

I realize I've been a little boring (even thought no one probably read this too much :D), so I decided to take a picture and add it today.  Got a cold outdoor run in yesterday, took it pretty easy and did 2.5 miles in 24 mins with a few nice hills in there.  My legs aren't tired today and I'm taking tonight off to prepare for tomorrow morning, Race Day!  I've decided that immediately after this race (by that I mean Sunday or Monday), I'm going to begin training for a 10k.  I'm nervous about that distance but being that spring is coming (eventually) I will be able to run outside and I can already do 35 mins just gotta push it up to 60-70 mins.  I'd really like to try running one of these by May or June and then in the back of my mind I have the aspiration to run a half marathon by the end of the summer.  Scale is sitting strong at about 301.5 this morning so I don't forsee getting below 300 by tomorrow due to the lack of exercise today but you never know.  Below is just a shot of me at work.

I didn't get a run in yesterday because I was going to the Irish Comedy Tour and wanted to get a few things done between work and that.  I'm planning to go today after going to get my stuff for the 5k on Saturday.  I'm really looking forward to this 1) Because its my first race ever 2) I'm getting antsy to start extending my training to a 10k.  I've held back some on the distance because I wanted to make sure I was good at the 5k and didn't get injured so I could do it, but after this with daylight savings coming and some nicer weather I'm looking forward to running outside and kicking the distances into high gear and maybe even run a half - marathon before the end of the summer.  One thing that was pretty cool to hear came from my roommate who is a fast runner and has done a few marathons was "I didn't realize you could get going that fast."  Felt good to hear that especially because he saw me at almost the end of my 5k run.

Forgot to add that the scale also ticked down today.  I know I probably look at it way too much but when I'm looking for some motivation and it goes down it really helps.  Soooo, I was at 301.8 today.  Hoping to get under 300 for the race.  I'm not sure why but lets go with on that day, I'll be doing something for the first time (5k) that I plan to do I'm going to do the rest of my life and I'll be out of the 300's and will never see them again the rest of my life.

Ready for the race

Yesterday was a great day.  I was driving home and looked down at my temperature gauge only to see that it was 41 out and figured if there was ever going to be a day to get a run outside in before the race it was now.  I've had worries that my stride sensor was not being accurate but its tough to tell on the indoor track.  So yesterday I turned on the GPS and ran.  I went the full 5k and did it in 28:56.  Thats right it was even faster than I had run indoors and that was with a pretty decent hill to climb on the way back.  The first half was in 14 mins so I figure I can maybe even hit 28 on the 5k because it is a flat course and that hill on the way back took a lot out of me and probably dropped me the extra minute.  But the run felt great and gave me a ton of confidence.  Normally I have to have water every mile as well when on the track because I get so dried out and I ran with a camelbak yesterday and didn't have to touch it once.  Hopefully the weather will keep nice for the run and thankfully we are only getting an inch or two of snow which had once been predicted to be 8-10 inches.  I can't wait for the race but for now I know I've run a for sure 5k faster than I wanted to and it can only get better from here.

Side note I had dinner with my parents who I hadn't seen in a while and they were pointing out how good I looked and could tell how much I'd lost weight.  And even though it their obligatory response, it still felt good to hear.  Its harder for those around you to really see a difference but when someone knows you well and hasn't seen you in a little while they can really see it.  I'm not quite seeing it yet but I know its there and I need to take some pictures and post them here.  I took some in the beginning of February and I'll take some tomorrow and try to get them posted.  I know its there because my shirts are looser, my pants fit better, and the 3XL shirt that kind of kicked this whole thing is now too big on me.

Work is getting hectic

So the day has been a complete loss as far as actually getting work done.  Between meetings and training I am fried.  I'm getting tons dumped on me and I had to take a break to write for the day.  Yesterday was a tough workout because I am coming off the cold but I was able to run 35 mins straight which according to the stride sensor was 3.7 miles.  It wasn't my favorite run ever but I felt good afterwards and was glad I did it.  I plan to do the same run today.  I'm really hoping my stride sensor isn't off by much when I go run that 5k because  I have kind of settle on what I think my pace is and would really like to beat 30 mins which I can do right now every time but if the sensor is off by like 10% or something then I may not make it.  We'll see...

Scale ticked down today and I'm vowing to eat good this weekend so I can get under the 300+ mark and into the 2's never to go back.  To be honest I've told some of my friends what I weighed when I started and was ashamed.  They didn't believe me at first because of how I carry my weight and thought I was like 265 but I am still much bigger than that even after losing 20+ lbs.  I'm trying not to let my weight get too much in the way of my running motivation because I know if I keep running (without eating like a fool), it will come off and I'll be a better runner/more fit person in the end.  But right now its the only thing I have that I can watch.  After this 5k, I'm going to begin training for a 10k and by increasing my times and maybe speed I'll have something else to watch.  However, being a better runner is hard to translate into being more fit and healthier if I'm still fat, I know I will be but not very believable.  The way I am currently people would never guess that I have been running for 2 months and I want to get to the point where if I tell someone I'm a runner they don't look at me with such a puzzled look.

Getting ready for the race

Well the 5k is this Saturday and I'm pumped for it even if it means running over packed snow.  I didn't get any runs in this weekend as I was out of town and when I got back on Sunday I was still fighting some stuffed sinuses and a cough.  It's better today and I'm hoping for it to be gone in the next day or two.  Not doing spin class this week because I've got something planned that would conflict with it but I think that is a good thing.  My plan is to run 35 mins tonight, tomorrow and wednesday.  Then just a really easy workout on Thursday maybe a couple miles with some walking spread in there.  If I can get outside for any of the runs this week I'm going to try to so I'm more prepared for the race. 

The scale ticked up over the weekend which was to be expected but overall I'm ok with things.  I've lost some discipline lately but not terribly and I know I need to refocus.  The last few weekends have been my down fall and I'm going to concentrate more on watching what I eat and getting in that fifth day of exercise in on the weekend.

Need for speed

Ok speed is a relative term here.  But I've been a little congested lately but still want to work out good yesterday and I thought I would see just how fast I could run one mile.  I didn't make it the full mile and it was just too hard to breathe and get what I needed but for 0.6 miles I was at an 8:02 pace but I feel I could easily have gotten four more laps at this pace as it wasn't too bad on the legs but I was just not getting the air needed.  I walk a bit after that then went and did some fast walking on an incline on the treadmill followed by a little bit of abs and back stregthening.  I've noticed I tend to slouch when I get tired during running and usually try to correct it quickly but it keeps happening and that isn't good for my running so I'm going to incorporate some abs and back work into my daily workouts to improve my posture.  My ab strength has always been poor and I need to improve that and my back strength could use it too.  My dad has a terrible back and I don't want to end up with that.  Cheers to a good weekend.

Feeling Pumped

Yesterday was spin class, I got there early and did some light spinning for about 30 mins prior then did an hour long class.  There was a new instructor and she was brutal, I was trying to keep up and about half way through I had to tell myself to take it down a notch so I didn't destroy my running days coming up.  I'm doing spinning for cross training and not because I want to be an amazing cyclist and so as long as I get a workout and dont' destroy my legs then its a good day.  I really want to try either adding weight training or swimming to my routine.  I'm unsure what I should do for weight training and I want to ease into it.  I used to lift all the time in high school but everytime I've tried to get back into it, I always hit it too hard and then can barely move for like a week and soon after, I give up on working out.  I have to avoid that extreme soreness this time around.

The scale is back to being my friend again and I'm now down 1 lb from where I was last monday and am sitting at about 303.3.  Its incredible that I dropped whatever my body was holding over the weekend in the form of 9 lbs but I don't know where it went.  The usually methods haven't been noticably more frequent and although I've been sweating a lot this week, I've also been drinking a lot of water to backfill.  Crazy, but I like it!

Almost back to normal

So I went to the gym with a goal last night and I hit it and went way faster than I should have but I pushed through and finished it.  I did 35 mins and 3.83 miles and I knew I was running faster but it was just the groove I fell into.  My real goal was to do the 35 mins because I want to make that my new minimum run time and then eventually 40, then 50, then an hour.  If I was up to running an hour on average everytime I went running by the summer, I would be very happy.  I not even worried about the distance just more about getting the time in to build leg strength, fitness, and lose weight. 

The scale responded again this morning and I'm back to being 1 lb above where I weighed in last week and that means I've lost 7 lbs in 2 days so something was definitely acting funny in my system.  I feel better and less sluggish and hopefully might still make my goal by the 5k of being down 30 lbs.  Its going to take a lot of work but if I eat right and stay focused, I'll be ok.  If anything I'd really like to be under 300 by then.  I know its just a number but its one I never want to be associated with before.  I told a friend of mine what I started my weight loss at, and he was shocked that I was over 300.  I'm over 300 now and I've lost 20 lbs.  I just hate this 300 stigma and want to be smaller.  I'm still an instant gratification type guy and I need to lose that part of me to make this journey easier but getting skinny cannot come any sooner, however I'm glad its not because its gives time for this workout addiction to take hold :).

Back in the Saddle

Ok after some time off, I got right back at it yesterday.  I realized I was feeling sluggish due to not exercising and didn't like that feeling.  Although the run was tough, I punched out 30 mins and 3 miles and felt good and good about myself afterwards.  The flushing seems to be helping and clearly a lot of this was my body retaining fluids or something because this morning I was down 4 lbs.  I'm really hoping I'll see another 4 lbs drop in the next few days so I'm back to where I was beginning of last week.  I was worried that I had lost 3 weeks worth of progress and although I may have lost some 3 weeks would be tough to swallow.  I feel better today and am looking forward to getting back out there tonight.  It's pretty nice out too and I was even considering going for an outdoor run to practice for the upcoming 5k.

Unsure about what is going on

So I'll admit I didn't have a very good weekend as far as the diet and exercise went.  I haven't been to the gym since wednesday and I can't let that happen, but I am going to get back on my 5 day a week schedule.  However my body must be doing something very strange.  I ate bad over the weekend and by bad I mean an extra 1000 calories a day so maybe 2800-3200 but somehow from Wednesday when I was at 304 to today, it went up 8 lbs.  I don't know how that is possible, 8 lbs is 28000 calories, I could have understood a pound or even 3 but 8!  So today I'm going to flush with a lot of water and get some extra fiber as I feel like my body is retaining everything.  I think it will help I just hope it helps a lot.  In any case I'm not going to fall off the wagon because I am changing for life and maybe I just delayed how quickly I'll drop weight but it is still going to come off eventually.  I read about people who have cheat days all the time and I never do it, I have a cheap 2 days because friday and saturday were really my only bad days and this happens!! Guess I won't ever that happen again.

Pick me Up

Went to spin class last night and although my plan was to take it a little easier than I did last week, I didn't.  My legs aren't too sore today but every time the instructor would say to do something I would do it.  I got a good workout but it absolutely wiped me out.  Got a good nights sleep from it last night not as well.  Scale is being pretty steady this week which is no fun so might only be a 1-2 lb week.  Hopefully it goes down really all that matters. 

Looking forward to a bar crawl this weekend with friends called the Pub & Putt should be interesting just got to make sure I don't go overboard.

So haven't been doing as much work as I probably should today but I found an article about subconsciously training yourself to get up in the morning that I think I'm going to try.  Apparently you are supposed to practice while you are awake by getting ready for bed set the alarm for a few minutes ahead and then close you eyes while in bed with the lights off.  When the alarm goes off you are to get up turn it off and pretend as if you are getting ready in the morning.  Sounds interesting and I'm going to try it.  I think my association with being tired is that I can never get up until like an hour after my alarm goes off while hitting the snooze a bunch.  This is very annoying and I want to change it.  Plus side would be if I can do this before the weather gets nice, I could train myself to do morning runs which is suppose to help with weight loss.

On another note I'm going to try to get some more followers here as the more I get the more dedicated I feel.  Any suggestions?  Also is the content interesting at all or am I just being boring?  Maybe I need to spice things up, let me know.  Thanks.

Feeling Tired

Yesterday was a simple 3.3 miles around the track.  I ran too fast in the beginning which made it tough to go the whole way so  I walked for about a lap in the middle.  Other than that the scale ticked down a little today but lately I've been feeling very tired and have a hard time getting up in the morning even if I go to sleep early.  When that alarm goes off it is very difficult to get out of bed.  Once I do finally get out its not too bad but I'm definitely in a haze for a while.  Not sure if my CPAP isn't working as well or what but my pressure has been descreasing as I've been exercising.  I have an auto machine and so since January it has gone from 14.0 at night to around a 10 each night which is a significant reduction but now I don't feel like its working as well.  Spin class today YAY, yea not so much!