Marathon #20. Portland Marathon

Well, well, well……….  This marathon was a totally different experience.  It was not even slightly the same as other marathons that I have run, even other Portland Marathons.

It was a mighty good challenge to say the least and I am very happy to say that I got a new PR and actually finished in like the top 10% of all runners.  That was something very pleasing and new to me.  I ended up with a time of 3:33 for the marathon.  This is an improvement of 25 minutes compared to my former personal record marathon time.  For that day, on that course, using the strategy I used; I COULD NOT HAVE GONE FASTER.  That was it.  I gave it my all.  I have had to fight off the disappointment of not finishing the marathon with my goal pace range of 7:30-7:50 miles but I am trying to focus on the positive.  In the last 10 months I have went from a 4:14 (9:41 miles) to a 3:33 (8:06 miles).  This is a vast improvement and my hard work paid off very well.

One mistake that I made was to try and do the marathon using the strategy of the Pace Groups.  They use an effort based model where each mile is run in a different time in order to create the same “feeling” or “effort”.  This is not how I have practiced.  I always run mile goal paced miles strictly within my 7:30-7:50 range.  Using the pace group strategy I was doing some miles in the 6’s and that just was to fast for me even if it was only for one mile at a time.  I normally stick to my plan, go slower on the uphill and make up for it going down the hill.  This has always worked out well.  I should have been more confident in my own plan.  I may not have finished with a 3:20 (the pace group I ran with) but I would have probably finished better than I did.  But like I said, I did the best I could with how things were in reality and I exploded my previous PR.

Running a marathon faster like this is totally different than what I am used to.  It is not as enjoyable to run like this but it has it’s own special appeal and allure.   It is very satisfying in it own way.  For one, you run along side some very focused people and you are just going, going, going, very focused like.  There are also WAY MORE SPECTATORS.  This was shocking to me.  Usually by the time I go by most of the spectators are gone because there person has already passed through.  Being in the top 10% made it that 90% of the people had not yet passed through so 90% of the spectators were still waiting.  And that was a lot of family and friends.  It is fun though, they call out your name (it is on the bib) and it is motivating.

Overall I am pleased with how things went.  I am also sore as hell today.  Much more than normal. 

Here I am waiting for race walker champion Tammi. Fellow blogger who won the race walk division. I am also getting teared up by watching everyone push through and finisher their own marathon

Progress in running and marathon #20

I have been waiting for this moment now for a long time To be exact, I have been waiting and running now for 2 years and 7 months.  For some reason 20 marathons is a major milestone in my head.  It is a big deal to me.  Not only is it a big deal to have 20 marathons under my belt, but this will be the first marathon that I really go for it.  It is also neat that for my first goal paced marathon and for my 20th marathon, I will be doing my 3rd Portland Marathon.  It is kind of an anniversary marathon I guess since it was my first marathon ever back in October 2007.  My time in that first marathon was 5:45 or so.  I can’t exactly remember now but I am pretty sure it was in the 5:40’s.

There are many areas of running that a person can see improvement and I am going to share some of the growth in running that I have experience.  My goal is to inspire hope that sooooo much more is possible for us than we think when we are first starting out.  I remember that when I first started out with a long run of two miles that I wanted so bad to someday be able to run a mile in the 7 minute range.  Now I will be trying to run a marathon with 26 consecutive miles in that range.  I hoped to be able to run a marathon in about 6 hours, now I will be running one in hopefully half that time.

My goal was to run injury free and still love running after a long time.  I have done this.  I have not sustained an injury nor have I given up the most basic of exercises.  Despite my general sense of low self-esteem, I have been proud of what I have accomplished with running and weight loss.   This is possible you guys.  It is possible to be transformed from an overweight person who hates exercise to an athlete with many accomplishments.  Here is a little bullet list of what is possible.  At least this is how it worked for me.

• All out mile: 9+ min., 7:52, 7:07, 6:56, 6:41, 613, 5:41 is now my new PR.
• Half-marathon: 2 hrs, 56 min, now it is 1:32 (7:02 pace)
• Marathon: 5:45, and my new PR is 3:58.
• 50K:  5:35 to a new sub 5hr
• 41.2 miles: 7:51 to a new 6:56
• I breathe about as hard running 8:30 minute miles as I did running 13:45 minute miles in 2007.
• My legs heal faster and my soreness is gone on the third day compared to being sore for almost 6 days after my first marathon.
• I increased my long run from 2 miles to 50 miles.  That two miles seemed just about as hard as 50 at the time, at least mentally.

I am a new man.  I hope that this little changes that I have made can inspire you to believe that you can make sure strides yourself.  Thanks for listening.

What is running? What does it mean to you?

I was thinking this morning about running.  While thinking on the subject, a grand vision appeared in my mind.  A wonderful and true landscape of beautiful running.  As I sat there in thought regarding why us adults hate exercise so much, I was reminded by the vision of a wonderful time in my/our lives. 

When I was young and in grade school, we had recess time.  I think we all must have had it.  In my little vision I recalled a most common phenomenon about recess.  IT IS THE SPRINT!  When we got out of class for recess, practically every kid big and small sprinted as fast as they could the short distance to get to the playground of the school.  It was only maybe 20-100 yards depending on what classroom you were in.  But we all ran together, we all ran hard, we all ran with complete and utter joy.  I remember running with everyone else.  I remember laughing histerically inside about all of us running.  I loved it but what was the point.  I even thought that as a kid.  Why were we in such a hurry to get to a place that was so close.  Walking could have gotten us there probably only one minute slower.  In fact, the teachers were probably yelling at us not to run until we got there.  But we did.  We ran because it felt good.  We ran because it invigorated us for more play and exercise.  We ran for the increased joy that it brought us for our short time at recess.  We ran because it gave us the most bang for our buck time wise.

Sometime later, as I/we got older and started going to highschool, all of a sudden this joyful activity seemed stupid.  It seemd uncool to run as fast as you could to go do more exercise.  But still, even at that older age, running was easier and not such an evil to trudge through.  And still as time passed us by even more, running became something of a long lost memory where I could only remember coming in last in the one mile trial with all my friends in P.E.  It became something you did as torture for football and basketball practice.  IT BECOME BORING AND TIDIOUS.  IT WAS NOT FUN ANYMORE.

What happened to the meaning and joy of running?  What happened to us is the real question.  Running has not changed really.  It is the same as when humans first started doing it to get food and what-not. 

Here is what running is to me when I can remember it’s novelty.

• Running is the great escape.  It was the release from the pressure of the classroom to start a fun filled 30 minutes.  It is still the wonderful release from a pressure filled adult workday.  It leads me into fulfilling thoughts and feelings.  It helps me, even if only for 30 minutes, to forget the junk and remember the basic joy of movement and life.
• Running is the opportunity to live right now.  When I am running, I am living right then.  Right at that moment I am alive.  I am not weighed down.  I am flying high.  Nothing else matters.  Just the pitter-patter of my feet taking me away.
• Running is fun and joyfull.  When the weather is nice and the spring times flowering is exploding, I glide along the country roads of my home town with a grateful heart.  I take in the beauty of it all.  In a sense, I become part of the big explosion of life.  I take part in the growth and the life.
• Running means “I CAN” more than “I CAN’T”.  No matter what the pace, running is an opportunity to know that I can and I did.  I got out there and did it.  Not because I had to, not because I am obligated, but only because I CAN.  Just like recess and the playground only being 100 yards away.  As kids, we ran because we could.  We ran because it enhance the whole thing of recess.  We ran because we wanted to.  When running to recess, we all went as fast as we could but there was not first or last, we all just got there and kept having fun.

My running workout today!

Speedwork is tough.  It is a great character builder if you ask me.  I have only had a couple of speedwork sessions that were kind of easy.  The rest are just plain hard.  Today I had 6×1000 meter reps with one minute breaks in between.  The laps are done as part of a 6 mile total for the run.  Here are my stats for today’s workout.

1st 1000 meters= 5:55 pace

2nd 1000 meters= 5:55 pace

3rd 1000 meters = 6:03 pace except I almost puked and had to stop at 600 meters and take a 4 minute break. HAHAHAHA

4th 1000 meters= 10k pace @ 6:28  minute miles

5th 1000 meters= 6:30 pace

6th 1000 meters= 6:30 pace

Overall pace counting running to the track and taking my one minutes walking breaks was about 8:04 average pace.

I was supposed to do the laps at 5k pace which is about 6:08 for me.  I went out to fast and this hurt me especially on these longer reps.  Usually I do 400 meters at this pace.  Needless to say, I could not keep that aggressive pace for all those reps.  Also needless to say though is that I built up mental strength (physical too I guess) because I did not quit and I just adjusted my paces so that I could finish.  My coach says that paces between 5k-10k are considered high quality paces for high quality workouts.  In two weeks,  have my last easy/slow marathon prior to my PR attempt at the Portland Marathon.  Hoping all will go well.

More on food, WW, life, etc. in the morning.  See you later.

Marathon #18 and more golf

I had a good but slightly lonely marathon weekend.  I went to bend/sunriver, Oregon on Friday night so that I would be able to pick up my race packet on Saturday morning.  I went to bed as soon as I got there because I had to get up at 4 a.m. to do a 10 miler before I went golfing at a really special golf course in Bend.  My 10 miler went very smoothly with no hiccups.

Saturday I played two rounds of golf so I got in a lot of activity even after my 10 mile easy run.  I didn’t play well but I had a good time.  I got done golfing around 8 p.m. and again went to bed right away so that I could get up around 3 a.m. to do 10 miles before the marathon start.

Sunday came in a hurry as I struggled to get out of my warm bed.  I was able to fit in 8 miles and finished this run about 5 minute before the marathon start.  At 7 a.m. the race started and all 112 marathoners took off up the 14 mile hill.  At first the hill was not very bad at all and I was able to run most of it with no problem.  I did a 4:1 run/walk ratio for the entire marathon except from miles 11-14 where the hill was just to steep and I walked.  Once we got to the top is was smooth and fun sailing down to about mile 20 (my mile 28) where the course flattened out.  Over-all the marathon was not really hard and it was enjoyable too.  I finished in 4:50.  This pace has allowed me to have post-race days without much soreness at all.  That has been VERY nice.

It was a good weekend and although I played golf and ran with many great people, I was really lonely without my wife.  I love her so much and she is my best friend.  I don’t like going to bed at night without her.  I don’t like not being able to see her in the evenings.  The good things is that she was able to have fun with her visiting family while I was gone.  I was happy for her in this respect.  She loves her family and that is a great thing.

Bye bye now!

White River 50 Miler Race Report! Long post with pics.

This was by far the most difficult event that I have ever experienced!!  I did this same race last year but this year was much harder.  Many ups and downs.  Many calm and chaotic moments.  In fact, it seemed as though I experienced just about everything during this race.  It was an intensely humbling and cleansing 11 hours and 48 minutes.  I have several pictures and stories of the race so keep reading.

Here I am at the start of the race at 5:30 a.m.  I have my three drop bags in my right hand and my water bottles in the other.  At this point I am a bit nervous about the journey but also very excited.  The early starters took off in into the mountains with a calm spirit.  Two miles into the race my watch beeped to let me know that the signal from my foot pod (the thing that tells me my pace) was lost.  I stopped for about 10 minutes to look for it and finally found it.  Then I looked at my shoe to find the clip that holds the pod onto the shoe and it also was gone. I got mad and threw the foot pod out into the forest.  About a mile later I realized I was looking at the wrong shoe and the clip was still there. DAMN IT!!  I thew a $100 foot pod away for nothing.  This was mentally discouraging because from that point on I never knew how far nor how fast I was running.

Here is a nice shot of what much of the 50 mile trail looked like.  Lots of roots, lots of elevation change, and lots of dust.  My legs were almost black at the finish line.  The fact that it was a trail run is also a major factor in what and how sore I get.  My ankles are very sore now because of the different terrain.  There is also a lot of leaping and jumping involved.

Miles 1-8:  After losing the foot pod my mental side of things kind of pooped out.  Around mile 6 my legs were burning on the up-hills.  This was also alarming but I knew I had to press on.

Miles 9-17:  This was basically the first climb up the first major hill.  It is a very steep and long hill that occasionally had ladders/stairs to get you up to other parts of the trails.  I was still in pretty good spirits though and I usually pass a lot of people going up because my walk is pretty fast.  The down hill sections are the ones were I usually get passed by others.  Once I got to the top of the first hill it was a relief but I knew that it was still only the beginning.

Here I am at the 27.2 mile aid station.  It took me 5 hours and 23 minutes to get there.  My wonderful wife met me with some water and socks.   I washed off my feet and changed socks.  What a refreshing feeling it was just to change my socks.  I had a blister developing on the ball of each foot at this point.  These blisters were not show stoppers by any means but they were still there.  At this point I told my wife that I was having a tough time with the run and that it was harder than last year.  It did feel good to be half-way finished but the long down-hill tromp took a tool on my legs.  The turns at the switch backs were really hard because you have to come to almost a stop to make the turn and that takes a lot of leg power when going down hill.

After a 3 or 4 minute rest, I am off again to tackle the second major climb of 8 miles.  The second climb is a bit shorter but also a bit steeper.  By the time I got to the top I was stumbling around a little. HAHAHAHA  Feeling a little fresher from my rest felt good mentally but I knew that the next 8 miles was going to hurt.  This section is also mostly exposed to the direct heat of the sun.  This complicated matters for my attitude.

Miles 27-37:  This was gruesome.  I inched my way up that gigantic hill running any flat or down hill portions.  This hill also contain lots of rocks which frustrated my ankles and hips.  When I got to the top one of the aid station volunteers was worried about me because I was stumbling and maybe swaying a little.  I told her that I was stumbling and that I planned to sit down for about 10 minutes to rejuvenate.  So I did just that.  At the top of the mountain I sat down and the aid station people when to work on me.  They sponge bathed my head, arms and legs.  Got my water bottles filled up with my calorie drink.  Got me some Mt. Dew to drink to get me pepped up right away.  They asked me questions to make certain that I was coherent and ready to run again.  After that I was off to tackle the most difficult section of the race in my opinion.  It is a steep 7 mile down hill on a gravel road.

Here are two photos of the view from climb #2.  That is Mt. Rainier with the snow on it.  Keep in mind that the trail that I was running on was basically a ski resort without the snow so that gives you a small glimpse of the steepness of the trails.  And believe me, running down the trails IS NOT EASIER than running up the trail.

This is just another view of the majestic wilderness of the Mt. Ranier National Forest.

My beautiful wife came to the race with me.  Boy she makes it so much more fun.  I love my wife so much and her presence at this race made so much difference to me.  You know when you are a kid and you hurt yourself out of the presence of your mom. You don’t cry at all but the moment that you see your mom you start to cry.  Well, that is exactly what I did.  After I finished the race my wife asked me how it was and I told her it was the hardest thing I had ever gone through and started to cry.  I held it in because so many people were around but if they weren’t I would have just balled right there in her lap.

Crossing the finish line was a major relief.  I thought probably 100’s of time that I just couldn’t make it but I did.  Races like these go much deeper mentally than shorter ones.  It was a very trying experience but I would certainly do it again.  When I finished, there were still about 90 people out on the course and about 50 of those would eventually finish.  The rest either did not make the 14 hour cut-off time or just had to stop running for whatever reason.  Whatever happens, everyone who gets to the starting line is a winner in my book.

Moments after the finish I took a much appreciated rest on my wife’s blanket to take in some hydration and watch others finish.  The after glow was nice and the amazement of the accomplishment was very heavy in this picture.

Q&A Post: Weight gain after events, sore muscles, and hard efforts.

I was asked this weekend about gaining weight after an intense effort or an event.  This is an extrememly common question to me and one that I also hear in my WW meetings all the time.  Here is the basic question that I recieved:

“I read that one can gain 2-4 pounds in water retention when muscles are sore ……….  Do you have any experiences with how some of your hard runs/races have affected your weigh-in’s?”

Here are some simple points directly from my own experiences.

• I have gained weight after EVERY event that I have run in. 
• I have gained weight most of the time after HARD EFFORT workouts.
• I have gained weight EVERY time when I do my weigh-in with very sore muscles.

Now I don’t have a Doctoral degree in musculo-skeletal issues, but I do have some experience with the issue at hand.  I have found that hard efforts (that is whatever pushes YOU hard), your muscles get sore, and this translates (for me) into gaining weight on the very short term.  This NEVER ends up being permanent weight gain.  In fact, after a gain  at the school I will almost always post a loss the next week after the healing process of my muscles.  Hear is what I have heard as to the reasons a person can gain weight even after buring 4000+ calories:

• After are hard workout, glycogen is depleted and when you eat sugar (from simple or complex carbs) your muscles will soak up a fair amount of it along with some water right away.
• When you work out hard, you get tiny micro-tears in your muscles.  To repair, they retain some water to help the process along.
• Once your muscles get better even though maybe not fully healed, your body starts to move the water, waste, blood, etc. through you muscles much more normally causing you to “lose” the weight.

In reality, the weight gain is false.  It is part of it.  It is possible to lose weight after events especially if you get dehydrated but once you begin to re-hydrate you will gain it back.  This little yo-yo in your weight should not be taken to seriously.  I do not weigh-in anymore after most of my hard events just so that I don’t feel bad for gaining because I am pretty positive I will and I also know that it is essentially meaningless.

So keep your head up and don’t worry to much.  In this type of circumstancial weight gain, the weight will come off just as easy as it seemed to come on.

Running alone doesn’t keep the weight off!!

I know this might sound impossible but it is sooooo accurate.  Running/exercise will not keep you from gaining weight.  It can help you out a lot in the good fight for healthy but standing by itself it will not do it.  EATING! is the determining factor.  I mean you can gain, lose, or stay the same without exercise.  You might not be as healthy overall but your weight can be stablized or moved in the direction you desire.  Of course the best combination is using both exercise and proper eating to lose or maintain weight.  This is a hard lesson for me as a runner.  I dreamed of the possibility that running could offer me a carefree life regarding food and treats.  How far from reality my thinking was.

It is very easy to eat more than you burn while exercising.  Even after running 50 miles you can eat more calories than you burned even before you go to bed that night.  Here are some examples from real life calorie expenditures that I have experienced and what I could (and have) eat to still be able to gain.

• 6 miles @ 7:28 pace= 857 calories.  My normal is to eat 3 maple bars.  This adds up to 1,380 calories.  I actually do this too!!!
• Marathon @ 10:19 pace= 3,617 calories.  After this last marathon I ate: 32 oz of Mt. Dew @ 440 calories.  I then ate two sausages with buns: 1,100 calories.  I also had a two scoop ice cream cone at B&B: 565 calories.  So that is 2105 calories within about 2 hours of the marathon.  This does not include the 1,400 calories I ate during the marathon nor does it include my dinner and snacks later in the day.  So adding what I wrote up I have already consumed as many calories as I have burned just 2 hours after the race.

This are real life examples and it is here to prove to myself that eating is far more important in weight issues than is exercise for me.  I can do the exercise but I need to focus on proper eating again.  It is a myth that endurance  and vigorous exercise makes you hungry.  Good exercise actually supresses hunger.  It does not however supress the thoughts of entitlement to food though.  Hopefully you enjoyed a small journey into the depths of my life. HAHAHAHAHAHA

Another good marathon experience

My 16th marathon (The Foot Traffic Flat Marathon) went very well.  It was a hot day but it did not bother me at all.  It was a smooth and controlled effort which produced the desired training effect: Run 30 miles on tired legs that are not yet recovered from last weeks 36 miles.  I finished the marathon portion of my 30 mile run in 4:29 with negative splits meaning I did the second half faster than the first. The marathon was much larger than I thought it was going to be so it was festive and fun.  The course was very beautiful as is snaked through the farms of Sauvie Island.  All and all it was a great experience which helped increase my fitness for the 100 miler.

My next race will be on July 25th at the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.  This will be a 50 mile trail run with around 17,000 ft of elevation change.  It is a tough race but it will also end up being a good experience regardless of how it goes.  The race is called the White River 50 Miler.

My first run since the race recovery

It felt so good to get back on the roads.  I took a decent amount of time off from running to recover from my 40 miler.  I am sure that I am not all the way recovered even now but I am good to go for easier running.  I was invigorated during my three mile jaunt around the lake.  I did the run at around an 8:55 pace.  It seems fast but for a three mile run, it is not really that fast.  For a 20 mile run that would be fast, but not for a three mile run.  I felt easy and relaxed throughout so I feel that it was within the limits of recovery.  I am not expert though but I do know how to listen to my own body when it comes to running.

Anyway,  just wanted you all to know that I am back in the game.  My new running schedule will be in my email box soon.  Who knows what is in store for the next four months.

Questions, Questions, ultra-running questions.

Now that the Strolling Jim is over, I look to my future goals for running.  I alway have a goal in mind prior to the attainment of my first goal.  That way I can keep the momentum going even after I achieve my goals.  Never resting, never sitting still without a purpose.  that is my theory.  Anyway, I have so many questions about this 100 miler thing.  I am caught up in my thoughts regarding the training, nutrition, run/walk strategy,logistics of the aid stations, night running, etc.

One thing about me if you haven’t figured out already, is that I like to know and be prepared.  It brings my confidence up a lot to know that what I am doing is the best way to prepare for the particular race.  When I get to the starting line and have doubts, I like to be able to know that I did the physical training part of the preparation the best I could.  I helps to know that I am ready physically but how does one know that they are ready to run 100 miles??????  I don’t think anyone ever really knows.  They go into it in the best shape possible but just finishing the 100 miles and making it through all of the obstacles that “could” happen is the main goal for each runner.

I just thought I would write this out to make myself feel better.

3 days and counting. Ultra-marathon #5.

IT IS COMING!!!!  The strolling Jim 40 miler marks the celebration of my 2 year anniversary for running.  April 27, 2007 I started running at my gym with a long run of 2 miles at a 13:30 pace.  I tried to maintain a 10 minute mile that day but I just couldn’t do it.  NOW!!!  I am going to run 40 miles at that 10 minute pace.  During this past two years my life has shifted from barley believing that I could run a marathon to being blessed enough to be part of a group of runners takes up about 1/100th of a percent of the total population on earth.  Ultramarathoner.  Yes, that is what I am even if I don’t believe it my own mind, that is the fact.

Today I will run an easy 3 miles, another easy 3 miles tomorrow, and then take Friday off.  On Saturday morning at 7 a.m. I will listen for the conch shell to blow as I embark on a fantastic journey.  A journey of self-realization.  A journey of testing mind and body.  A journey of celebration and fun.  This 41.2 mile  journey will have approximately 62,000 foot strikes that will exert around 6,180 tons of force per foot by the time I finish.  Work work work fun fun fun!!

After the race I plan to indulge in the post-race southern barbecue.  Only a few hours later I will be at a remote location indulging once again with fine dining inside of a restaurant built inside of a 100 year old mill with the original wood flooring and machinery.  I will be sitting near the window looking out on a water fall that used to power the mill all the while rubbing my sore and restless legs.  HAHAHA

In the morning I will wake up, limp to the shower, and then take off with my wife, dad, and step-mom to the Jack Daniels Whisket Factory to take a tour.  Then it is on the plane to come home.

6 mile easy run

Here I am at mile 14 as Audrey joins in on my run with me.

Yesterday was my “easy” running day.  It is a day the seperates hard workouts with easier paced running that aids in recovery while maintaining fitness.  I enjoy the easy days.  I am thrilled to report that my “easy” pace is about 2 minutes per mile faster than it was about this time last year.  That is pretty cool.

I ran around the lake where I work.  My route is three miles exactly and it is very flat.  It is the perfect route for an easier run.  My legs were tired though.  Maybe it was from my 6 miles with 6 hill repeats from the day before.  I guess that is why I get easy run days.  Tomorrow I have 12×400 repeats at 5K pace at the track.  The run will also total 6 miles with warm up and cool down running.

Weight watchers and running weekend recap.

Winston Churchill

I did not eat on program this weekend at all.  I did do my run though.  I am hoping that my run cancels out my bad eating for the last two days.  The past week at work has been stressful to the max and it really took a tool on me.  I was also stressed out about things I wanted to get done at home but felt that I did not have enough time to do them.

Now to the long run.  I had to go into work on Sunday which sucked but at least I just had to show up and open the building.  Then I got to take off on my run while stuff was getting done.  I ran 35 miles on Sunday.  It was not easy to do this run.  I woke up Sunday morning with sore legs and back from working in the fire pit for the last couple of days.  My legs were tired from the very start of the run.  I never gave up though and the run took me around 5 hrs and 45 minutes to finish.  I was happy with that.  Since I was running in the town were my work is I had to do a lot of repetitive loops and that made the run pretty difficult mentally.  It was not easy to keep passing up my truck and not just call it a day.  My foot gave me no problems either.  Overall it was a true ultra-running experience laden with lots of physical and mental challenges.

The day before I ate bad with the excuse that I was going to burn it all off in my long run the next day.  So what did I eat?  I went to my old evil stand by of some donuts and I also ate a fast food bacon cheeseburger.  I have not had one of those for about 2 years.  It hurt my stomach a lot once I was finish and it was kind of disappointing in the end.  Before my long run I ate 1 banana and some coffee.  That is all I ate until about 3:30 Sunday afternoon.  As soon as the run was over I went home and mowed the lawn and sprayed for weeds so I never really wanted to eat anything because I was focused on getting a job done that really really needed to be done.  When I finally did eat, I had Caesar salad, two bread sticks, a small cup of chili, one cornbread muffin, macaroni and cheese, and a bowl of ice cream with nuts on it.  Later Sunday night I had pizza and chocolate covered peanuts for dinner.  That was it for the day as far as eating went.

I slept like a baby.  I am a little sore today but not really to bad at all.  Hopefully I won’t be more sore tomorrow.  I am usually the most sore on day two after a hard workout.

Big weight loss journey success.

Skinny guy with the fat mind

I finally got to run again last night.  It felt so good.  I did 6 miles with three hill at 5K pace.  It was kind of a combination of Wednesdays and Thursdays workouts.  I did not want to push it to hard yesterday because of my foot but the foot felt fine for the whole run.  It also felt fine after the run all night but I do feel it a little this morning.  Not injury like but just feel that I have a foot.  Normally you don’t notice that you have a foot, it is just there.  Well, today I feel that I have a foot.  So the run went great, I lifted my spirits a lot, and I ended up doing it at around an 8:40 pace.

My eating was also very very good.  I woke up late yesterday so I did not have time to prepare my normal daily work food.  I just through my “healthy fast foods” into a bag an took off.  The good thing is that this left me with 20 points for my dinner.  I ate 15 points in the evening so that put me at consuming my 35 maintenance points for the day.  I did not touch my weeklies or my AP’s.  I was happy with that.  I earned 6 points on my run so it did not necessitate that I eat any of my AP’s (I only force myself to eat AP’s when I get 8 or more in one day.

Before my run, I went to the rock place and hand picked some rock.  I got 6 small boulders (300 pounds) to finish the fire pit and an 8 pound piece of ledge stone that is of the same sort that my flagstone path is made of.  This will be a base for the step to my cross sculpture.  It is a piece of stone.  It has lots of lichen on it and lots of colors.  If I don’t have to work tomorrow I will be getting my fire pit, patio, and cross sculpture are finished this weekend.  If all goes well with my wife. HAHAHA

Blah!

I don’t have to much to say today.  Just not feeling bloggy.  I did pretty good last night on weight watchers.  I stuck to my points just fine.  I felt full and satisfied.  I ate two homemade burritos, veggies, and popcorn.   It was actually a lot of food.

I skipped running because of my foot/ankle.  It was the best thing for it as it is on the edge of being all the way better.  One more day helped it a lot I am sure and today it is feeling pretty much 100%.  I will do my 6 miles tonight after work.

I also dug up the fire pit.  I really don’t know what I am going to do with it now.  My wife wants it to be a totally different way than I want it.  Her way is very difficult and time consuming and I might have to hire someone to do it.  My way is more nature/camp site like which is my goal for the area in general.  She just doesn’t like it.  I am totally confused at this point and want to just say F it.

Two big weeks of running before the taper to 40 mile ultra-marathon.

Goooooood morning everyone.  I wanted to share my running schedule with you all today.  I have two big weeks of running left before I begin my taper (reduction in milage).  Runners taper prior to a significant race so that their bodies can get fully recovered for the race effort.  Tapers last anywhere from 2-4 weeks.  The weeks just prior to the taper are usually the biggest running weeks.

As you know I will be doing the Strolling Jim 40 miler ultra-marathon in Wartrace, Tennessee.  You can see my on the entrants list.  Another cool thing is that an occasional reader of run4change will also be there doing the early start with me.  Although I am quite the introvert, it will be nice to meet him.  So for the next two weeks I am going to be pretty busy with my running.  I have some hill work, speed work, and some pretty long long runs coming up.  Here is the schedule.

Week 1

Mon & Tues & Sat:  Off  

Wed: 6 miles with 5 hill repeats @ 5k pace

Thurs: 6 miles easy

Fri:  6 mile tempo run with middle 3 miles @ 10k pace

Sun: 35 mile long run

Week 2 (The point of this hard week after a 35 mile long run is to give my body one last chance at learning how to run on very tired legs)

Mon & Tues:  Off

Wed: 6 miles with 6 hill repeats @ 5k pace

Thur:  6 miles easy

Fri:  6 miles with 12 x 400 track work at 5k pace and 1 min rest between repeats

Sat:  6 miles easy

Sun: 2o mile long run with last 10 at race pace

So there you have it.  This is what I will be doing in my final preparations for the Strolling Jim.  My goal is to break the 7 hour mark.  Last year I got 7:51 so this year I want at least a 6:59.  You get a different colored shirt for each hour category so I am hoping to get a red shirt this year.

You CAN run an ultra-marathon!

image credit: news.bbc.co.uk

GOING BEYOND 26.2 MILES IS TOTALLY INSANE!!!!!!!!!!  The image above is a guy working on finishing the Badwater Ultramarathon.  It’s a 134 mile race from the lowest part in the United States to the Highest.  That’s hardcore, not to mention that the race goes through Death Valley in the summer when the average temperature is 120. An ultramarathon is any race longer than 26.2 miles. It can be done, but ultramarathons are not something you do to get or stay healthy.  They can really beat your body up.  I am not saying never try it, I did it, but it’s not for everyone.  Even before I wanted to do a marathon I desired the ultra.  I read about a guy who ran 50 miles and I just could not believe it.  That made me want to do what I couldn’t believe was possible.  It took me a long time to do it.  I did several marathons first and then I slowly worked my way up the ultra ladder by doing the shortest races first until I reached 50 miles.  I just don’t have the time to train for anything longer than that.  If you have running experience you can give it a shot.  I also talked to my doctor before I did an ultra.  He was not real excited about it, but he told me I was healthy.  You should do the same.  If you don’t have experience and want to do an ultra, keep it on the back burner until you have some, but don’t forget about your dreams.  Here are some resources to help you get started.

• Ultra running resource site.  Just about all you need to know.
• Runners world ultramarathon training
• Hal Higdon 50 miler training
• UltraLadies 100 miler training schedule

You CAN run a marathon.

Image credit: San Diego Rock&Roll Marathon

You can run a marathon.  Maybe you can’t even walk for 30 minutes, but if you keep up with your activity, you will eventually have the ability to finish 26.2 miles.  Is finishing a marathon one of your lifetime goals, one of your impossible dreams?  I believe that you can do it.  It is not easy to get to the starting line nor the finish line.  However, it is possible.  As you probably already know, I started out at 307 lbs and only able to ride a stationary bike for 12 minutes.  If I could do you it, you CAN do it.  You must take it slow and build up your fitness.  I talked to my doctor about it before I started to train for one, you should too.  Below are some resources to get started towards  your goal of finishing a race that only about 1% of people finish each year.

• Jeff Galloway marathon training
• Hal Higdon marathon training
• Marathon Reviews and Calendar

Running perfection but I went nuts with weight loss efforts

Last night I found these dirty little son’s-of-a-guns.  These dang nuts are from the devil I swear.  See how the can says heart healthy.  Well dang, I bet they aren’t good for your heart when you are practically laying down so you can pour them down your throat.  BAAAAA HAH AHA HA!!  I didn’t really do that but I kept going back to them gosh dangit.  I guess it is better than eating chips and candy but geesh.  Other that driving myself NUTS I did pretty good.  I had a big potato, some wonderful lean beef, avocado, a famous sister shake, and a giant WW fudge bar.  Yummy nummy for my tummy.

Before all the knock down fighting with the nuts, I had the blessed run.  An easy 4 miler was on the menu for yesterday.  I ran relaxed and easy. AHHHHH.  What a refreshing run.  It was running perfection.  I felt like I was effortless gliding along in the sunshine.  I ran along the river in the cool brisk air.  It was amazing.  I think I smiled for the whole first 5 minutes and then on and off.  

I also got some new ear bud head phones yesterday.  Boy did I need these.  I spent the extra money and got some really nice ones that fit into my ear but don’t cause me to have to go to the hospital for ear pain after every run.  I love these new things and I highly recommend them.