Gooch.. thanks... I'm a man... yet I know I am still carrying an extra 15-20 pounds around... 165 is not going to be to thin... I am not small framed... and yet by no means am I large framed...
I would say I am aiming right now at 168 and will then try to hold that weight for 1/2 a year or so or at least not actively try to loose more. I may go for a lower weight later depending on my running/fitness goals at the time.
I'm a huge boxing fan... So I like to look at my weight in terms of weight classes... I am no longer a Heavy Weight... and I was a cruiser weight for some time... this morning I checked in under the light heavy wieght limit (175) at 174.8! Next I go for super middle weight (168) then I stay there for a while... perhaps someday I'll move down to middle weight (160) but not anytime soon.
I took thurs off from running as I was just run down. I felt really good on sat and the 8 mile run went well. I had just a bit of soreness in my right Achilles at the end of the run.
I feel good... !!!! Na Na NA Na Na Na NA
Off BP meds now for 1 week and this mornings bp was 131/67 with a pulse of 47... the 131 was weird but... come on!!!! over 67 and a pulse of 47... YEAH RIGHT... I need beta blockers like a whole in my head... oh guess what... when the alarm clock goes off I don't feel like I am being risen from the dead... I wake up refreshed!
I checked in at 173.8 this morning but at 18.5% BF I must be just shedding water... glycogen... etc... no way I am actually down to 173.8... We will see...
Bp was good this morning... 101/? I forget the bottom number but it was ok... pulse 53... so BP is doing well.
Ran 4 miles... first 3 in 25 minutes... and 4 in 33 and change... not bad. I was cooking... could have went a bit faster but that was really quick for me. I probably should back a fast run after my long run but I'll take it nice and easy today... take wed off... run 6 on thurs.. take friday off... then go for 8 or 9 on sat...
really not bad... I ran a bit too hard the day after my last post and I am still trying to recover from that... I shouldn't have pushed miles and tempo... back to back to back... my achilles are OK... it is my right knee bothering me... ??? haven't had that before... I felt better after the run on wed... and yesterday it didn't bother me at all while running but that night it bothered me a bit...
feels ok today...
I weighted in at 172.6 this morning... I dropped a whopping 5 lbs over night... WOW... I updated my sig... I am now easily a Light Heavy Weight... getting close to super middle... ;-)
I just can't believe that I was 264 several years ago... I also can't believe I have broken the 180 mark...
I really am excited about getting down into the 160's and breaking solidly through the 18% body fat mark... I think I would like to get measured in the water tank figure out where I really am when I get to about 168...
Docs in 11 days! Getting excited about it...
parkersburg 1/2 marathon next month... I feel good... if my little knee trouble goes away I'll be fine...
weighted in at 177 this morning??? wow must have had a lot of salt yesterday? Family reunion....
oh well I know there is not way I consumed 11,000 calories yesterday... 5000 maybe 11,000 um... not a chance... lol...
also constipation problems... started taking fibercon again... and I am feeling really full...
Ran 11 miles on sat... we were supposed to do 10 but a new runner who was doing 14 came with us and we agreed to go a 1/2 mile farther on the way out... leaving her with 3... perhaps that was too much as we just added 3 miles to the long run.. .???
Honestly the 11 felt easier than the first week we did 8... and I felt I could have put in another 3 miles.. but was pretty sure I would have paid for it... but the point is that after doing this another week I think I am ready to run a 1/2 marathon without suffering through it... I just hope my knee holds out until the race.
I am still having knee pain... it is medial (inner) knee pain. it doesn't get worse when I run... it actually feels better once I loosen up. there was no injury that occurred that caused it... it just came on... woke up one morning with the pain...
I did an ice bath sat after my run and that really helped the knee and also the rest of my legs recover..
I played softball with the family yesterday and did some sprinting in the outfield... and my hamstrings are a bit tight today...
hamstring feels better... not so tight... been doing stretching at night...
Knee is a bit better... been loading up on Moltrin... 800 mg 3x a day monday and tues... today no moltrin but it feels good...
Intersting little thing.. my right knee looks smaller than the left in terms of swelling??? perhaps when they were the same there was some swelling?
ok did 4 monday and 4 today... nice and easy... will do 6 on thurs and 11 on sat...
I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike yesterday at what felt like a pretty good effort... equivalent of a tempo run... and I could only get my bp to 102-110... and that was ranging from 75 rmp to 120 rpm... I jack up the difficulty and got my HR in the 120's but my legs started burning something fierce... just a note... my aerobic fitness is pretty good from running! My legs are the limiting factor on the stationary bike... not my heart & lungs... ;-)
My weight has jumped up a bit... as I am retaining some water from family reunion this past weekend... or perhaps I did gain a few from that one day of eating? I was 175 this morning but monday morning I was 177??? I only dropped 2 lbs over night as well? which is bazaar for me... normally I have been dropping 3-5... usually 4...
1 month to my 1/2 marathon... I am going to try to run it in under 2:10... which is roughly 10 minute miles... I fairly certain I could do it under 2 hours... and think I could do around 1 hour 55 without killing myself too much... but my goal for this one is not to RACE it... but to run it and just run well and not just survive it... plus this is a hilly 1/2
So I will go out and run 10's to start... there is a big hill at 11 that is about 1/2 mile long... if I feel good when I get to the top of that I will try to kick to the finish... so anything under 2:15 and I will be happy... and if I am not crying in pain I will have won... then I will see about RACING one before the seaon is over... IF... my knee isn't bothering me... if it is I will back off and do some biking...
doc appointment next tues... and my BP jumped yesterday to 12x/high 80's but this morning was over 70 something again...
can't wait to go in there an surprise him.. he will probably freak but oh well...
weighed in at 172.8 with 17.5% BF this morning... yesterdays run felt good... the knee felt good last night and this morning but was really stiff at lunch time today...
6 on trails tonight...
BP was elivated a bit last night... but back down this morning... cutting cafein... I know I have been hyped up the last few days...anger is popping through much easier the last 2 days...
172.2 this morning 17.0 BF felt pretty dry this morning... I got a minor pull in my left quad last night... man my left leg is just falling apart...
I notice some my stride has just a tiny bit of breaking in it... I think if I plant more under my body instead of in front of me it would be more efficient... .. I am going to work on it in my long run... because it only happens when I run slower... I think keeping my turn over rate higher when going slower would help... shorter steps... instead of slowing my turn over and keeping the same stride length... I would bet that is what is bugging my knee and now kicked my quad...
I also think I need to eat more on thursdays when I run at night... I am going to add a 3:30 snack to my daily routine... at least on wed...
OH BP was good it was 127/72 with a pulse of 58... man I was stressed today at work... perhaps I can relax on the way home... I'll see what it is tonight...
oh 11 miles tomorrow... hopefully my quad is healed for that... it is pretty sore today... thinking of 2 days off after sat... then tues.. thurs... sat the following week... cut out the back to back try to heal up some...
Weighed in at 171.2 17% BF had 175 with 15.5 last night! I am eating! I at like a maniac on sat.
But I also ran 14.25 miles... I know I was only supposed to do 11... but the crazy thing... I felt fine... my knee feels better... very little bothered me... feet were a bit tired... the soles of my feet were tired...
OK I pulled the trigger... I bought a road bike on Sunday... I was thinking trek 1500 or cannondale caad 8 but then I got to the store... and saw cannondale caa9 was just 200 more than the caad 8 and it had better hardware... then I saw the trek 5000 was just a few hundred more... and I wanted to try it...
So I tired the CAA9 and it was fun (hadn't been on a bike that wasn't a wizard of Oz style bike since I was 16)... FAST... then I tried the trek 5000 and something about it was way better... strange... kind of like shoes... 2 shoes both your size and one just feels better...
They set up the bikes for me identically... same seat (sorry saddle) too...
I took them for a spin and the CAAD9 felt a bit more responsive... BUT the 5000 just seamed to fit better... oh they also pointed out that I have a very short torso for my height... and on top of that short arms...
I took it out for my first ride 14 miles... and it was a blast... I really enjoyed it... wow a different type of workout... but boy did I work... probably too hard... but it was fun... I was super scared the first time I got up to 25... and I have to admit I was scared when I hit 30 as well... I did catch 22 mph for a good mile or two where it was basically flat...
Wow I was either breathing harder than I thought or the wind simply dries your mouth out... because I was really thirsty at the 1/2 way point and again when I was almost back home...
off day today... run easy! on tues... wed off... (or bike)... thurs trails... sat long... (considering scaling back and only going 10 or 8)...
Wow Congrats on getting rid of the beat blocker. That is a huge accomplishmment that many people only hope for. You should be very proud of yourself! Congrats on the new bike too. AS for your knee problem, have you tried glucasaime with chondroitin? I find tha thelp with my knee pain. Best of luck and keep up the great work.
Thanks missy... the knee prob isn't cartelidge (sp) related... it is tight muscles pulling on tight tendons and ligaments... BUT it can't hurt I guess to look into it...
BP check at docs
Tomorrow is the day I go to the docs... I thought it was the 24rth but All knowing wifey corrected me and let me know it is thurs... tomorrow...
ok... so BP been good... HR good... weight good... had one little 3 day burp in my bps when I got attacked by bees but it has come back down... and is stabilizing... at just under 120/80 117/78 seams to be my "normal"... 54 seams to be my "normal" HR... although I do occasionally hit 60 and last night I had a 46!
So I tell him... here is my BP's HR's and weight.. and body fat... I quit taking the bp meds on June 21st... after slowly weaning for about 3 weeks.
... 170.8 lbs this morning... 17% BF... Ran 4 yesterday in 40:04 and I am pumped I was able to not go fast... I felt STRONG and wanted to kick it up... but the guy I was running with was having an bad day and was keeping the pace down...
Rest today... trails thurs (6 miles)...
If doc agrees tomorrow all is well... I end this journal and start a new one... I have to think of a good title...
Good news... Doc has cleared me to live drug free with his permission... no more Beta Blockers... no bp meds... WHooo HOOOO!
I decided this has been a journey... but it is one where the journey never ends... when I decide the journey is over... I arrive back where I started... in other words... this isn't over... I can't rest on my laurels... or I will be back on the meds... The BP meds are in remission... they may rear their ugly heads at any time...
I was going to start a new journal to make the accomplishment... but now that it is here I don't feel that it is appropriate... I have accomplished part of my goal... which is to get off the meds... but that is not enough... I want to live without the meds... so now my journey continues as my quest to sustain this achievement...
Ran about 7.25 at trails... sprinted up horsey hill. I am not really sore today but my right knee is tight... I need to do good stretching tonight...
I want to get out and ride my bike BUT... I know I should take it easy... going to Cedar Point sat... (amusement park) so I have 2 days of walking around all day in front of me... after a 10 mile run on sat morning... so I think I'll give my legs a bit of a break...
I have 182 miles on my Asic nimbus shoes... and I have done 80 miles this month so far... so just a quick calc says I'll be ok for the 1/2 marathon on these shoes... after the 1/2 I'll start working the new shoes into the rotation...
ok I went and pulled my results from the fall classic...
2:10:30.2 9:58/M
that was a super duper flat 1/2 marathon... elevation change of about 5 feet... lol...
Parkersburg has an elevation profile that is up and down... and has a couple 100 foot hills... so that in itself should make me slower... BUT I am trained... I am prepared... I am ready this time... heck... I ran more last weekend... than I did the whole 3 weeks leading up to that 2:10...
I am more and more convinced I can break 2 hours...
BUT that being said my goal again was not to race this one... but to finish and not be dead... crying in pain...
to break 2 hours should be my goal for the next one...and if I don't kill myself there is a 5k the next weekend I would like to run... and if I am not sore I think I can pull off a 23 minute 5k... I am pretty sure with a month or two to train I could do 22 minutes... after the marathon I would like to do a 1 mile test to see how much faster I have gotten... I'll bet I can do 6:45-6:30...
did 10 on Saturday... legs were dead... went to Cedar Point (amusement park) later that day and sunday... walked a tun... my 5th metatarsal on my right foot is sore... I took monday off from running because it is still sore... I'll take today off too.... however I did put in 20 miles on my bike yesterday... ave 14 miles an hour... there were a couple of really nasty hills too... one is a 200 foot climb with an increasing grade... it averages 5% over .8 miles but the steepest is 10% for 1/4 mile... I was in my lowest gear... standing and was breathing all out... going up that monster... at the 18 mile point in my ride...
Wow it gives me an appreciation for those guys in the tour de france... wow...
I really like riding... I like how it isn't as jarring on the legs... of course I have to toughen up my rear... but today it isn't hurting as I actually am making a point of getting my sit bones situated properly...
171.8 this morning with a 17% BF... last night I was 174 with a 14.5% BF after my ride... wow! WOW! ok this is good I was able to eat a bit more over the weekend and at the end of last week to put a self imposed platue in the plan I was dropping at bit fast there for a few weeks...
ok i try to just let things go this week and next an probably settle into low 171 or high 170...
3 saturdays from now is my 1/2 marathon... 2 more training long runs... and then I am off to parkersburg...
Ran 3 walked 1... they guy I run with wanted the extended cool down so he doesn't sweat all over his desk when we get back to work...
We ran 10:15 the first mile... 9:30 the second and spot on 10:00 the third... and the 3rd was up hill...
was 170.2 16.5% BF this morning... was 167 after my run and a good BM...
WOW...I loaded my food for the day into fit day... and I'm only at 1225 calories so far... 3000 is my estimated expendature... so I need to eat another 1300 calories for dinner and snack... ? ok... I need to add a bit to lunch... as I only scarfed down 480 at lunch... I'm at 83 grams of protein... and my balance is 58% carbs... 28% protein and 15% fat...
ok I am probably going to eat 800-1300 for dinner and throw in 100 cal snack later... ok this is good... BUT at some point... I'll have to stop loosing weight... and that will mean eating more at lunch...can't eat more at breakfast... after a cup of grapenuts and a protein shake I am full as can be...
167.7 this morning... forget the BF I think it was 17%
still dropping lbs even though I am not working at it... I am eating well and excercising... I'm not complaining... when I get around 14% I'll start trying to not loose...
Ok sub 170 will be good for all the hills coming up in parkersburg... I feel good and am ready to run the 1/2 marathon...
#11 I skiped one...so that was 2 miles... and the last split included an additional .1
I went out slow... then picked it up... There were a bunch of hills... and I was ready for them... I did my thing up the hills and didn't worry about folks passing me... I only got passed by 2 people and I eventualy got one of them... (in the last mile) the other one got too far away... and when he passed me he was really cooking... at about mile 8...
my point was in the up hills I just relaxed and kept my turn-over rate... it seamed like I was passing people in gobs after the hills and in the descents...
I really settled into a nice rythm and that 9:00 mile pace was very comfortable for me. This race seamed like it was divided in 2 halfs... the first 10 miles... and the last 3.1
I got to the first 8 smoothly 9 & 10 were a bit of a struggle... BUT at the 10 mile mark I was at 1:30:22 and knew I was running 9's 3.1 miles left and if I get under 30 minutes I break 2 hours... BUT mile 11 was rough... there was a long hill... up a bridge and my legs were getting a bit weary... I was alone in the middle of a gap in the field...
mile 12 had the 13th street hill... somehow I managed to miss a mile marker (probably didn't hear the people calling splits over the grinding of my teeth)...
I pulled off back to back 9's and knew when I passed the 12 mile mark that I was going to make it as long as I didn't crash... but my legs didn't have much left... the slight down hill and finally catching the group in front of me helped me kick through the last mile and run an 8 minute mile pace to close the race...
Wow Congrats on getting rid of the beat blocker. That is a huge accomplishmment that many people only hope for. You should be very proud of yourself! Congrats on the new bike too. AS for your knee problem, have you tried glucasaime with chondroitin? I find tha thelp with my knee pain. Best of luck and keep up the great work.