2015 Volcano Half Marathon... I did it!

I have finished my second official race, The Volcano Half Marathon!

And here's my second official race photo... no finish line shot, unless the race organizers got one. I was sore, tired, hungry, and thirsty; but glad to be on the other side of that finish line! 

Edit: Race results are now in, and I did indeed set a PR for this distance! My final time was 2:07:57, and they have my pace at 9:33.8 per mile -- no wonder I was exhausted! My previous PR at 13.1 was 9:50 pace! That puts the volcano course at 13.38 miles long After alerting race officials to the error, they have since recalculated, and my pace was what I had originally figured: 9:46 per mile (still a PR).

I don't have official race results yet, but based on my RunKeeper app, I should have set a PR (by about 3 seconds per mile). While my overall pace was better, I think the change in routine and crazy early wake-up helped contribute to approaching the dreaded "wall" once again. I also may have pushed it too hard on mile 11, as that was my best mile of the entire run -- which led to me fighting off leg cramps and the feeling that I was going to toss my bananas on mile 13 -- which ended up being my slowest mile of the run.

The course was gorgeous, meandering through Oregon farmland, and there were spots where I felt like raising my arms and letting out a "woo-hoo!" roughly half way through -- but the last mile was hell.

But I got 'er done, so I won't complain too much. 

I'm pretty sure I'll do another one, possibly at the end of the summer... but I'll wait and see how I feel on Monday before I sign up for it. Monday edit: Signed up. :-)

All day long... barely!

Running A Better 13.1

Today was another long run day in my half marathon training, so I decided to do a complete rehearsal, except for the time and venue -- I'll have to just roll with those variables on race day. I knew I could complete the distance, since I accomplished that two weeks ago, so my goal for today was to do it better!

The first part in the process was hydration and carb-loading, which commenced on Thursday. Carb-loading seemed a little strange since it is almost the opposite of my normal diet, but for a few days I can handle it. The rest of the improvement process would happen during the run itself, in the form of drinking water every few miles, and consuming a gel energy packet around the five mile mark. 

After getting good advice about hydration from one of my nurse friends who also runs, I opted to try out a Nathan QuickShot Plus Insulated flask, complete with wrist strap and pocket for an energy gel. The flask only has an 8-oz. capacity, but I figured that was better than the ~2-oz. I quickly chugged mid-run last time. I'm still not sure if I want to carry the flask during the actual race, or rely on the hydration stations.

While perusing various running blogs, I kept reading that a boost of carbs part way through the run would provide extra energy towards the end, so I decided to try a gel packet. Some said that the packets made from honey were easier on the stomach mid-run, so I opted for Honey Stinger Gold gels, as they are 95% honey. I'm happy to report that it tastes like honey, as advertised, and seems to have made a performance difference.

Here are the graphs from today's run:

I tried to start off at a slower pace than I did last time, keeping it right around the "all day long" pace I had been training at, and then stepped it up after about 11 miles. I don't know if it was the hydration and energy gel, or if it was the downhill stretch at the end, but obviously I was able to accomplish a better 13.1 mile run all around. I finished this run at 9:50 per mile, down 9-seconds per mile from two weeks ago; and there was no "hitting the wall" this time!

Now I rest for a week, train for a week, and then do this all over again for the real deal. I will be very pleased if I can repeat this performance on race day!

All Day Long!

1-Year Check-In: Pre-Diabetic, No Mas

Today I had my 1-year check-in with my doctor, who happens to be a runner himself (and he's running a marathon the same weekend I'm running my half). He was thrilled with my progress, and I have to admit it felt good weighing in 36-lbs. lighter than just 12 months ago.

It's obvious that what I have been doing has made a physical difference, and I know that I feel tons better with the weight gone, but the real test was going to be how my lab results came in this time. My doc didn't order any cholesterol numbers today, as those were under control a year ago.

The main concern was with the A1C numbers, as they are an indicator of average blood glucose levels over the last two or three months. As I discussed in a previous post, obesity can stress your bodies cells to the point that they won't allow insulin to efficiently transport glucose into them, and you end up with excess glucose in your blood. Since I have family history of Type II Diabetes, I am even more at risk. 

Here is a breakdown of where my A1C levels have been the last two years, including today's visit. Note that anything 5.6% or below is considered normal, and anything between 5.7% and 6.4% is considered pre-diabetic.

2013: 5.7%
2014: 5.8%
2015: 5.6%

I am no longer considered pre-diabetic!

This is the news I wanted to hear, and one of the main reasons I have been working so hard. Now my goal is to maintain what I started, and see if I can gain a little ground in the blood glucose level department. If I can help it, I WILL NOT let this disease catch me!

To everyone who put up with all of my fitness posts over the last year, and those who encouraged, supported, and joined me in this battle for improved health: Thank you!

For those who are just now stumbling across my blog, I hope you have found something to inspire or motivate you in your own battle to 'Thrive'. My doctor told me today that since I seem to have figured out the keys to good health, I need to share with others, and encourage them to start their own journey to healthful living. So I hope to continue to post updates periodically -- especially with my first half marathon race quickly approaching.

Live well. Be well. Thrive.

All Day Long

As I look back on the last four years (off and on) of trying to improve my health, I can remember the things that have inspired and motivated me. Sometimes it's a song lyric or beat, sometimes it's a saying, and sometimes it's an event.

I can remember having a head cold and thinking I couldn't go out and run, and then watching Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks play through an NBA Finals basketball game with similar symptoms; and I can remember getting off the couch after the game and going for a run. Nowitzki's incredible performance inspired me to get out and move.

I also found inspiration in the very first song that came up on my running playlist in 2011 when I first started running: "40" by U2. It's a song that has moved me since I first heard it back in the eighties, and it's a song about looking to a Power greater than yourself to pull you up from a pit of despair, and the lyrics are pretty much straight from Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the Lord
And He inclined to me and heard my cry
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction
Out of the miry clay
And He set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm
He put a new song in my mouth
A song of praise to our God
Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord

Sometimes it's just a piece of a song that motivates me as I run, like "Every day, every hour; turn that pain into power" from the song "Superheroes" by The Script. Sometimes it's a combination of beat and lyrics, like "Marchin On" by OneRepublic -- there's no way I'm going to even think about giving up and walking when that song comes on Pandora.

During the short time that I have been doing half marathon training, a new phrase has been running through my mind, "All Day Long". This is a phrase that the Sensei at my son's karate dojo uses to inspire the participants during belt tests, and now it has become my slogan. All I have to do is find that right pace, breathe, and keep putting one foot in front of the other; and I feel like I could go all day long.

So, what motivates and inspires you? What helps you make it through when things get tough?

13.1

13.1 -- that's how many miles I ran this morning. 

No, I didn't run in an official half marathon, although I am registered to run my first one on May 3rd. Today was just a trial run to see if I could actually do it. I was going to follow a more gradual lead-up to the 13.1 mile mark, but I changed my mind for a few reasons:

Reason #1: I felt really good in the 6-7 mile range, and I just decided to see how far I could take it. By the time I got to 12.1 miles, I was already a third of a mile away from my starting point, so I decided I may as well finish it.

Reason #2: In the week since I registered for the Volcano half, I have done quite a bit of research on how to prepare for the race. All of the running websites and blogs say, "Never try anything new on race day!"; so why would I want to run 13.1 miles for the very first time *on* race day? #logic

Reason #3: Many running articles also talk about "hitting the wall" during a distance race, so I went searching for it. Again, why would I want to hit the wall for the very first time on race day? At first I wasn't sure that I had found it, but after looking at a graph of my pace, I think maybe it reared its ugly head right around mile 11, which would be where I had to do some stopping and going due of heavier street traffic, which caused my legs to start feeling a bit crampy -- which meant I had to slow my pace and shorten my stride to keep going. Here's the graph from my RunKeeper app:

I was able to keep a steady pace between 9:51 and 9:54 per mile for most of my run, but hitting the wall quickly pulled me back to a final average of 9:59, which is about what I expected. I would hope to better that in the race with some real carbo loading, but would definitely happy to hit this pace again. I finished this morning in a total time of 2:10:58, and I burned a total of 1824 calories, according to RunKeeper. This explains why I have been hungry all afternoon, despite my constant eating.

Now the plan is to back off a little on my once a week longer run distances, and keep working shorter runs during the week -- 6-7 mile runs on Tuesdays, and shorter / faster paced runs on Thursdays. I may even take a few days to rest about 2 weeks before the race -- that seemed to do well for me the first two weeks of March. My foot seems to be holding up fairly well considering the mileage I have put on the last two weeks (22.2 last week, 24.3 this week), but I think it could use a break in there somewhere.

Speaking of running through pain, one of my favorite running blogs that I stumbled across, Shut Up and Run (aka SUAR), just did a blog entry that says it better than I ever could. I don't know who she is, but I love her straight-forward writing style. Here's the article on running through pain: Running Hurts Like Hell, But Why?

The first SUAR blog post that I came across was one that really made me want to read more of her writing -- the honesty in this post is so refreshing! How To Not Crap Yourself On the Run. I'm happy to report no close calls in this department today.

And now I am really tired... no more running until Tuesday!

#10kmbefore10am

"I don't have time!"

One thing I’ve learned in life is that we all manage to make time for the things that we consider to be priorities, and we make excuses for not doing the things we really don’t want to do. I do it, too. Often times when we say, “I just don’t have the time for that”, we are really saying, “I choose not to make that a priority, and would rather be doing something else”.

A couple weeks ago, as I was doing some stretching after going for a run, I overheard some parents at the karate dojo lamenting the fact that neither of them can find time to do any exercise. Never mind the fact that I had just knocked off a 6-mile run in the time they had been sitting there (complaining about everything that is wrong with the world).

Sometimes it just takes finding the right slot in your week to make exercise happen, and sometimes it takes eliminating other less important activities to make time. But regardless of when you fit it in, I pretty much guarantee you will need to stop making excuses. Stop saying, “I don’t have time for that”; and instead say, “I’m going to make time for that”. Otherwise, “I don’t have time for that” can really be translated to, “I don’t really care enough about my health to make exercise a priority”.

Do you watch TV in the evenings? Plant a treadmill in front of it and walk for half hour to an hour. Do you have a Wii? Get Wii Fit and do a “step” workout while you watch your TV shows. Do you have a sidewalk that runs in front of your house? Go see if you can find where it ends. Do you have a dog? Have Fido help find the end of the sidewalk. Prefer to pedal? Get on your bike and ride. Don’t have much time during the day to leave the house? Try a High Intensity Interval Training program. Hanging out at your kid’s sports practice? Go walk or run – you don’t really need to watch every minute of the practice.

Stop making excuses. Start making priorities. Send those extra pounds packing.

10km before 10am

My new Saturday morning slogan is 10km before 10am.

Since my last update, I have decided that I don't need to start taking in more calories as a New Year's resolution, but actually need to stay vigilant for a while to try and burn off extra Holiday calories. I have also stepped up my running game, and am trying to run at least 6.2 miles (10km) per run, but really have been trying reach 7 miles when time allows.

On Saturday mornings, I have a full two hours to run while Noah does karate, so that is prime time to break the 7 mile barrier. My routine is to get up around 6am, drink two large cups of French press coffee with my Schwan's Sausage Egg Biscuit and banana. Noah and I are out the door by 8:00, and I hit the streets by 8:30. After a 5 minute warm up walk, I find my stride with the goal of running 10km before 10am.

My body has mostly tolerated the increased mileage, although burning 1000+ calories at one time can really wear you out. It has also caused a few flare-ups of tendinitis in the instep of my left foot, but the pain has been manageable, for the most part. Getting in a 6.5-7 mile run in on weekday afternoons is especially challenging, as my body is a little more worn out after a day of work, etc. -- it's still a good feeling to get a long run in then, but not quite as exhilarating as gettin' it done by 10am.

I have thought of registering for an actual 10k race sometime in the future, but I'm not really doing this for competition purposes. The only real race I've done was a 5k back in September 2011 -- I had just completed the Couch to 5k program, and weighed about 200-lbs. If I run a real 10k race, I will definitely have to work on my finish line pose...

If you are still looking for your own Glutton Free lifestyle habits, I recommend getting up early on Saturdays (or whatever your day off is), and getting a workout done by 10am. It's a nice feeling to accomplish something early in the day, and it gets it frees up the rest of the day for other things. Obviously you can't just start out running 10km at a time, but just adjust your motto to fit your workout routine. 5km before 10am? 1km before 10am? T25 before 10am? C25K before 10am? Whatever it is... get out there and move, and git-r-dun!

#10kmbefore10am

#10kmb410am