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

Post-Thanksgiving Update

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, without a doubt. It isn't as commercialized as a lot of the other holidays, and it isn't about getting something (if you don't count Black Friday), but giving something instead -- that would be giving thanks for what you already have. It's about reconnecting with friends and family, and getting together to share in the delicious bounty that this earth provides. This year, my in-laws were in town, which meant two meals with turkey and all the trimmings -- and both my wife and mother-in-law come from a line of talented cooks!

So, how does one handle two Thanksgiving feasts while trying to live Glutton Free? Run, Forrest, Run!

The kids' school was hosting a very casual "Turkey Trot" 5K (3.1 mi.) run/walk the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so our family decided to participate. I was able to make better time than what I normally run for a 5 mi. trek, thanks to one of the teachers setting a good pace just ahead of me. The pace was fast enough that I was actually sore the next day, and I've been running two or three times a week for 7 months now.

We had our first feast Wednesday evening, and was it ever a good one -- I was able to limit myself to a reasonable dinner portion, but I especially enjoyed the two pieces of chocolate cream pie that I had. So, that just meant I was out the door at around 9:00 Thanksgiving morning for a 5.2 mile run at record pace (9:24 per mile) before we headed out to feast number two. Once again, I was able to limit myself to just one delicious plate, but then there was pie. Key Lime Pie. Yeah, I had two pieces of that one, too.

Saturday morning was my next opportunity to run, and I was able to keep a pace very close to my Thursday run. It felt good to be able to run my usual route at a faster pace than before.

The Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, I decided it was time to face the music and see what the damage was, so I stepped on the scale. I had weighed in just over 181-lbs. two weeks prior, and was fully prepared to see a few pounds added back. But all that running must have worked, because my weight was down just under a pound!

I was only able to run one time in the week since then, and I added a steep hill to my run for the first time (I had always walked it before). When I weighed in this morning, the scale showed 178-lbs.! Not since sometime in 1992 have I weighed that little. Okay, I guess it's time to figure out this "maintenance" thing, because this is about as far as I really want to go. 

I ran my numbers through the caloric intake calculator once again this morning because my weight is considerably lower than when I started my fitness plan. In the process, I realized I had never changed my exercise level to "intense" instead of "light", something I should have done as I started running rather than walking. The recommended caloric intake level the calculator spit out was a full 350 calories per day higher than the goal I was shooting for. Or I can just keep doing what I'm doing and not worry about all the Christmas goodies that are starting to show up around the office... :-)

I'll make it a New Year's resolution to eat more calories... maybe.

Cold Weather

Oregon's Willamette Valley maintains a fairly mild average temperature during the winter, but during times when there is an inversion present (warm air aloft, cold air below), the wind sheltered areas can drop well below freezing at night. This makes early morning walks or runs a bit of a challenge.

Frosty

This morning it is 22 degrees Fahrenheit (or -5 Celcius, for those north of the 49th). I don't like going out to exercise in that weather, but I have Under Armour ColdGear, and the skies are clear, so I really can't start making excuses on a day like this. At least the fog hasn't set in yet. Let's git-r-done!

Does anyone have any cold weather exercise tips they'd like to share? (comment below)

On a side note, I have to say that I am pretty excited after this morning's weigh-in (if I was in California, I would be 'stoked'!). I have not weighed myself in almost a month, and have not really stuck to my diet/exercise plan 100%. With the combination of going on a family vacation and getting a minor head-cold, I went through a 2-week period where I only ran once. I also ate a few things I normally wouldn't have while on vacation.

So I am especially happy to report that I weighed in at 181 lbs. this morning! That is over 1-lb. lighter than my last weigh-in 3+ weeks ago -- I was fully expecting to have gained weight since last time. If I can maintain similar fitness performance over entire winter, I will be thrilled come spring.

Before & After

I never intended this weight loss blog to be an "oh look at me" kind of thing, but as my cousin, Ms. Tammy, pointed out in an email conversation, it might be helpful for those who stumble across my blog to see 'before' and 'after' photos. So here you are -- now you can see the difference between me at over 240 lbs., and me at just under 185 lbs. 

May these photos inspire someone to embark on their own journey of healthful living.

January 2011

October 2014

Most people say that they can really see the weight loss difference in my face, so I posted the close-up photos first. I believe that January 2011 was when I was at my absolute heaviest. I may not be quite as heavy in the following 'before' shot, but it's not too far off...

June 2009

October 2014

Now let's keep this journey going!

Let the music move you...

One thing that keeps me moving when I am walking or running is music. It's nice to have a beat to move in time with, and sometimes the song lyrics can motivate you, too. Whether it's an iTunes playlist or a Pandora station, on an iPod or on a phone, the music will keep you moving.

While I was running yesterday, the song "I Lived" by OneRepublic played on my Pandora station -- this song has both the music and the lyrics to make you want to step up your pace. It made me want to just loop the song over and over and over...

#ilived 

LET THE MUSIC MOVE YOU!