A goal accomplished!

It's been a long time since I've written because I've been so busy training, so this post it long overdue!

When I started my journey, one of my only goals was to complete a 10k run. At the time I thought that would be a stretch goal because I couldn't even run 30 seconds.  But, I knew that with a little determination, and some luck not getting hurt, I could do it... (maybe)

During my training, I've already run up to 11 miles so completing the 6.2 miles doing the Bellin Run shouldn't be too hard. I was prepared.  What I wasn't prepared for was the emotion that would follow once I crossed the finish line. More on that in a moment. 

It was a warm June morning and we were getting ready for our run!  Nikki and I had a light breakfast and headed over to Heidi's house to meet her, Mom, and Amber. Mom headed to Nikki's sister's house to watch the race and Nikki, Amber, Heidi, and I walked to the park to join the race preparation.

Amber and I did some light warm-up jogging and then I headed off to corral 4 while they headed for number 7.  While waiting for the race start, they played the national anthem - a simple saxophone version. I can be a very emotional person when it comes to stuff like that, so I did tear up just a bit. I tried to focus on the run rather than the emotion of it.

The race soon started - 14 minutes after the start of the race, I finally crossed the start line.  There were nearly 18,000 people in the race so it took some time for me to get there, and even longer for the girls.  By the time I crossed the start - the elite runners were already at mile 3.  By the time the girls crossed, the first place woman crossed the finish line!

I had a preset goal in mind for my first mile. I wanted to keep to this pace so I didn't go out too fast in the excitement of the event.  I was able to keep my pace quite well, but quickly learned that some others that had signed up to run faster than me already started walking with their children at 1/4 mile into the race.  I had to weave in and out which seemed to slow my overall speed and time (I had hoped for a personal best)

The first water stop arrived at mile 2 and I learned that running with water and trying to drink it at the same time doesn't go so well. I managed to take my GU energy gel with some water and dumped a cup over my head. I headed down toward mile 3 and came across Mom and Nikki's family cheering us on.  I knew where they would be so I tried to get their attention, but they didn't see me until I was right there and then gone. 

The wonderful people of Green Bay cheered us on, played music, rang their cow bells, and sprayed us with hoses and sprinklers to keep us cool. That was wonderful and much needed! As I headed into mile 5 - which was my hardest mile because it was in direct sunlight and I was starting to get tired, I thought of walking but I looked at my wrist and saw the Team In Training bracelet, which reminded me not to give up. I was no running for a cure!

Here's a picture of me running during mile 5, taken by their event photographers that the bring in.  I didn't know they were right there or I would have focused on my form and facial expression!

Notice how wet I am from all of the hoses and sprinklers! As I came into the final stretch, back in Heidi's neighborhood, the crowds were louder and they really helped pull me through faster and stronger at the end of the run. As I crossed that finish line and was walking through the cool-down area grabbing water and food, it hit me. I had just achieved my goal, something just a few months ago I thought wouldn't be possible, that it would just be another goal I set and would never finish. To actually complete it felt wonderful. I started thinking about all of the changes I've made in the past 6 months. The knee and shin pain, the good days and bad days training, the dietary changes, and the 50 pounds I've lost. It hit me, I did it. I walked back to Heidi's house as I didn't really feel like breaking out in public. I grabbed my water, sat on the porch and let it out. Nearly a lifetime of weight struggles, yo-yo fad dieting, body image struggles, and at times unhappiness came pouring out in the form of tears running down my cheeks. 

I had done it. I just overcame all of my previous struggles, and ripped that demon off my back in just 1 hour 3 minutes and 6.2 miles on a beautiful but warm Saturday morning. What an amazing feeling. I sat there and reflected on what this meant to me and soaked in the feeling of accomplishment until Amber arrived about an hour later.  

An amazing feeling indeed! (minus my nearly bloody nipples - lesson learned for next time) 

Not too much time to savor this moment, as I have had to continue my training for the 1/2 marathon on July 4th! (now, just a few days away because it took me so long to write about this.)

Tomorrow is my monthly weigh-in.  Tune in for an updated measurement and picture post!

Measurements: Month Six

Wow, how time flies when you're having fun!  Hard to believe it's been six months already!  Training is coming along well, and I have my first run this next weekend... the Bellin Run 10k.  Hard to believe that was my original goal when I started, and I thought it would be near impossible to finish it. I'm scheduled to run the Red White and Boom half marathon one month from tomorrow, then of course the Dublin Marathon in October!  Busy months and weeks lie ahead!


Here's the measurements for month 6 - midway through my journey:


Weight: 227 (lost 54 lbs lost 6.5 lbs from last month)
Neck: 18" (lost 1.5" no change from last month)
R and L Arm: 14" (lost 1" and 1.25" no change from last month)
Chest: 46" (lost 3.5" gained .5" from last month)
Waist: 43" (lost 6.5" no change from last month)
Hips: 42" (lost 4.5" no change from last month)
R and L Thigh: 24.75" (lost 3.75" and 3.75" no change from last month)


As you can see, there wasn't much change in my measurements this month. I attribute that to my body adapting to all of this training, and not doing quite as much cardio work as I have in the past. I'm on a set training schedule for the marathon, and I want to stick with that. I do need to find a way to add another day of cross-traininig in there ... like some biking or something.  


Here's my pics:

And now for this month's silly pose picture:

Ok, I'm off to go clean the house now.  I'm having a hard time finding time to keep up with that as I have some sort of training each night of the week. On a refreshing note, I did find time to lay out in the sun yesterday and work on my tan, so I can avoid that farmer tan look on my legs from my socks, and from my shirt too.

Have a good week!

First team training for the marathon!

It was a busy week coming off of a very relaxing and wonderful stay-cation last week. The week went super quick!
I was busy getting my fundraising letters (the first 101 anyway) ready to be sent out. That took about 3 hours actually signing the letters, folding, putting them in the envelopes, addressing them. I've since started my second 100, and hope to have them finalized this weekend.
On Wednesday night, I went to the Team In Training kick-off party at one of the local universities.  There were probably over 100 participants there - some of them couldn't make it.  I met my mentor Randall, and his step daughter Kelly who is also a mentor. I also met one member of the Dublin team - Ryan. It's his first marathon as well, but he's done quite a few half marathons, in fact he is doing one today which is why he couldn't make our first training session.  The kick off party was very inspirational. Our honorary team captain was there - a 4 or 5 year old little girl who was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in September. She's been through treatment, and is working through recovery. She was so full of life, running around, giggling, laughing, and making people smile. Her mother spoke about the experience, and how The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has helped her financially, as well as emotionally. It really was an inspirational night.
We posed for team pictures, and had a number of workshops about fundraising, the event, and met a few of our business partners where we can get discounts (my favorite store - Run 'n Fun is one of them!) Needless to say, I've already used that 20% off discount this week and bought a new pair of running shorts.  I used them today for the first time, and they worked great.  They're a bit shorter than what I had been using, and they are lighter and more airy as well.


After 2 tough workouts with my trainer Eric this week (we did a lot of leg work) and I even did "tire flips" with a big tractor tire out in the parking lot!  So, my legs were a bit tight this morning. I didn't get any running in this week with everything that was going on.  
We were scheduled to meet at 7:15 at Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. Now, I wasn't really excited about this early start time, but I did it.  I met up with the team, we went through some housekeeping items, then we were off.  The path was pre-marked for a 1.6 mile run along Lake Calhoun to Lake Harriet.  My mentor Randall ran with me, and we led the pack of the middle group (seemed like people of different speeds end up in packs). He was great, not pushing me, but always asking how I was doing, and if the pace was ok.  We ended up doing a 9:49 pace for the first 1.6 miles.  When we got to Lake Harriet, we all did a boot camp for 30 minutes.  We were doing lunges, squats, sit ups, planks, knee-ups while jogging in a circle, jumping jacks, and some other sort of jump, I think it was called a power jump, I can't remember.
After bootcamp, we started the run back to Lake Calhoun.  I think we were all a bit tired after that bootcamp, but I found my way to a group of girls that were running a good pace for me. 6 people beat us back, we were in the 2nd group of 6 or 7, then the others followed in as they finished.  
They had water and gatorade at both points today, and one of the mentors made banana bread (which I didn't eat because of the eggs and milk).  We talked for a bit and got to know each other better, then slowly started filtering out.
All-in-all, it was a good experience.  We split into 2 groups on Wednesday (east and west, I'm in East Metro). I like my coach Jen, and Randall is a good guy too. Looking forward to what the summer will bring!


I've had energy after that, so I mowed the lawn, had lunch, went and bought flowers and planted them in the plants outside.  I feel like I got so much done already today!  Maybe a bit of a nap is in order though, just for fun! :)


Have a great day!

First running pic

I wrote my fundraising letter for the marathon the other day, and I wanted to include a picture of Jon (who I mention in the letter) and I running.
We went to the community center trails, where I've put on a number of miles on that pavement this year!  We snapped a few pics while running, and here you have it... my very first running pic!

A copy of this picture can also be seen on my fundraising page by clicking HERE.

Cheers, it's time to start fundraising!


Oh, on a side note (before taking these pics) I ran my best 10k time so far - 1:07.48.  I was hoping to get to 60 minutes for the 10k on June 9, but now that I've added the Dublin Marathon as my year-end goal, I've been focusing more on distance than speed.  I better start mixing some interval sprints into the mix to help build my speed.

Wind Tunnel

It was a beautiful day for a run today... sunny, warmer than it's been, and no rain! (it's been raining for what seems like a week straight) I'm on vacation from work this week, so I had a nice relaxing morning, then got ready for what I wanted to be a pretty easy 6 miles. I put on my new Team In Training tech shirt, my Garmin watch, and my ipod shuffle and off I went.

The sun felt great! My first 3 miles were clipping right along, at a near 10 minute/mile pace. 
I was nearing 3 miles, and my mind started to play tricks on me, telling me I was tired. (I guess I may have been, because that was my best 3 mile time yet!) I rested on a bench for a bit and soaked in the sun before heading back the remaining 3 miles to get home.  I don't know what it is about this path I took along the river in downtown St Paul, but the last time I ran this path in 2009 I also had a problem.  It was like running into a wind tunnel again. Head on, with what seemed like 30 mph winds right at me. (lesson learned, stay away from this path next time).
I ran mile 4 at an 11 minute pace, then walked the remaining 2 miles home - jogging, walking, jogging, walking etc, into the wind. 
My total time was 1:07.47, which included the walking.  Here's the link to today's run. I felt pretty crappy about this, but when I looked back to the time I ran my first 6.2 miles - my time there was 1:12:14 and I ran that full distance!  That helps put things in perspective.

 

So, today I wasn't at my best. What if I wake up in Dublin on race day and I'm having a bad day there too? I just have to hope I can overcome it!


Another positive thing about today... this is the BEST STUFF EVER! Not kidding! :)

Correction: Athlete!

So after I did the 8 mile run I posted that I was now an athlete. Apparently, I was wrong!
You see, I was working with my trainer this morning, it was a pretty tough routine today (and, I have trouble with the 10am workouts for some reason - I think I'm better at night).  Anyway, I was a sweaty, tired mess. I went into the locker room and rested for a while, drinking some more water and sipping on my protein shake. I stood up to put my track pants on, and darted off to the bathroom. I just reached the toilet, opened my mouth, and out it came! I threw up, 3 times!  Lots and lots of liquid.  Boy, that was a tough one. First time I've ever done that.


So, as my sister Kim said today... "Now you're an athlete, welcome to the club!"


I did 11 miles last Sunday... what is in store for this Sunday?  I think I will keep it to a 6 miler, weather permitting.

10k!

I completed my first 10k yesterday!  Ok, well it wasn't an official race, or a race of any sort for that matter, but I ran my first 6.2 mile run! (jogging is more like it)
It was a bit cooler out, but I went for it. I had to run on the treadmill inside for the previous 2 days, and I decided after being outside, I really didn't like the treadmill anymore!  Funny how that works, not long ago I was afraid to go outside to run!

My average pace was an 11:35 mile.. not bad. I've run faster before, but I really wanted to try to get this 10k out of the way.
Oh, by the way, I can now check off one of my goals for the year... to complete a 10k without walking.  Ok, I'll half check it because it wasn't an official race.  At least I know I can do that one now.
I was so tired last night after I iced my knees (doing again as I'm typing this today). I thought for sure I would be sore today, but surprisingly I'm not too bad.  My knees are just a bit tender in one spot, but I think with some rest today, and more ice, I will be good to go.  Nothing to worry about!
I took my pic after I finished yesterday... a bit sweaty, but at least I could still smile! :) (although I look quite dorky in the pic.)

more to come... just a few more days and I can update my pics and measurements for yet another month.  Come back on Sunday for that update!

5 miles!

The warmer weather feels great, and it's especially wonderful getting outside and jogging! I've been working on building my mileage, and trying to control my pace over the past week.  Tonight, I quickly knew I was in "the zone" and decided to go for a new personal best distance.  I did it!  5.14 miles, with an average pace of 11:17/mile.  Woo hoo!  I have a feeling I could have kept going, but the hills were starting to make my legs a bit tired, so I decided to save the full 10k for another day, maybe next week.  For now, it's time to enjoy my new best.  It feels amazing! My goal for the 10k was to be at 5 miles by the end of April... I'm just over a month ahead of schedule!

Following this map from my run, makes it look like I was running in circles... I kind of was!  It's nice, I got a mixture of trail (paved) and road running in. 

Hope you're having a good week!

Get outside!

After a busy and exhausting week traveling last week, then spending a great weekend with my sister Heidi, I was a bit out of my routine... remember I also took off the week before.  It was great to get back to the gym today!


I did my workout inside - back, biceps, and abs.  Then I hit the trails outside at the community center.  Why, it's March 14?  Because of this:

How great is that? 72 degrees at 6:49 pm, and thanks to daylight savings time last weekend, it was still sunny.

Now, I was a bit worried about getting outside.  My previous attempts at running outside led to me hurting a foot or ankle or knee or something. So, I wanted to take it a bit easy.

I found a loop on the trail that ended up being 1/2 mile (per my GPS app on my phone) I jogged the first lap, then walked a shorter nearby loop, then jogged again.  The app showed me at a 10:18 mile pace, which would be my fastest yet!  I will have to build upon that distance, but I feel pretty good about it.

I got home, and a book I ordered arrived today (Running The Edge) and in the book was a surprise...

How fun is that?!  I have no idea what I would do with it, but it's fun!

Here's to a good week of workouts, and getting back on a regular schedule!

Happy spring!

New Shoes!

I've had my current Nike and Asics shoes for quite a while. The first half of their life were spent in day to day routines.  But now that I've been exercising regularly, they are starting to get a bit tired and worn out. Especially the Nike's.  So, I went to my favorite (and my other people's favorite) running shoe store and checked out some new pair.  I couldn't decide which I liked better. The guy told me it's actually good to rotate pairs between runs so they have a chance to "recover" Later this concept was confirmed by my sister so that's good because now I feel like I wasn't taken advantage of.  Anyway, if I bought 2 pair, it was 20% off on each.  So now, I have 2 shiny new pair of shoes, and I can continue on my journey!  Yay for new shoes!

Intervals

I did intervals on the treadmill tonight at the gym for an hour.  I've been jogging at 4.7 mph for quite a while, and now that I've hit the 4 mile mark, I want to start improving my speed.  So, I did intervals.  For 20 minutes, I jogged at 4.7 mph for 4 minutes, then at 6.0 mph for 1 minute and kept doing that for the 20 minutes.  Then I changed it up for the next 30 minutes to walking hill intervals at 3.5 mph, going from 6 degree incline, up to 10 degrees and everywhere in between.  I finished with 10 minutes of walking and jogging intervals at 6.0 mph. It really got my heart working, and I sweat a ton. I burned 889 calories in that hour.
It's funny how to this point, jogging at 4.7 was a pretty decent speed for me.  After this one set of 6.0 mph intervals, it seemed 4.7 was a walking pace right when I got done with that minute set.  Nice.  Progress is good.
My 3 month weigh-in is just 12 days away.  What will that bring?  We shall see in a few days!

4.0!

I've been going strong on the workouts, and feel great!  My vegan diet is going well, and I'm still on track!


To change up my workout routine and help avoid a plateau, I'm changing it up this week.  I've deemed this week "cardio blast week."  All cardio, no weight training. (ok, maybe some abs work).


Today I felt pretty good, so I decided to get on that treadmill and go.  And I did.  I hit the 4 mile mark tonight.  No pain, no excessive gasping for breath.  Woo hoo! And I burned 887 calories doing so.  Exercise sure does do wonders for your weight, and allows you to have that "forbidden snack" every now and again.


Looking forward to the rest of cardio blast week!

Are you high?

Yes.  High on whatever chemical exercise releases into your body.  It feels great!

So, I've been in a bit of a rut this week. I had 3 days off last weekend to take a little road trip to visit with Mom and Heidi. I came back on Monday and decided to do intervals on the track, because it had been a while. I did 2 laps jogging, 1 walking intervals which I haven't done yet. Being on the harder surface rather than the treadmill bothered my knee a bit.  So I decided to not jog this week, to change it up.  My workouts started to seem routine, so I changed it up.

I was thinking I hit a plateau today, but then I checked my weight tracking chart and I'm still losing weight, so I figured it's just my routines.  Progress does feel good.

So in my spirit of shaking things up this week, I started with the leg machines, and added 40-60 pounds onto each exercise on top of what I normally would do.   

Then, I decided to do a full 60 minutes walking on the treadmill, at an incline, which I haven't done in forever. I worked to a 3.7 mph pace, and up to a 12 degree incline!  I burned a total of 931 calories during that hour.  (not sure if you will be able to see that in the pic) That felt really good, but I have a feeling with all this leg work, they will be quite sore tomorrow morning, or the next day.  Cheers to pushing yourself!

5k!

It's interesting that just last week, I was struggling to get past a 1.5 mile jog.  Last Friday as you know (if you read this regularly) I pushed through and got the 2 miles in!  Then on Tuesday this week I hit 2.5 miles.  Then tonight:

Ta-da!  I hit 3.1 miles - a full 5k.  My goal was to hit 3 miles by end of February, so I'm well ahead of schedule.  Maybe I can work on my time now, to improve that.


Tomorrow will be my 2 month weigh in and measurement day.  I'm excited!  Stay tuned!

30 days of vegan!

Today is day 30 of practicing a vegan diet.  Wow, that firs month has gone by so quickly.  I feel great, and I've had no cravings for meat, or eggs, or even cheese. The best part has been trying new recipes and new flavors of food.  
And, I've been able to find good substitutes for the foods I loved in the past, like hot dogs, milk shakes (I make soy smoothies now) and even pizza!


Oh, and my exercise is coming along pretty good too.  I hit 2.5 miles jogging on the treadmill tonight!  woo hoo!


My 2 month weigh in is coming up, so check back in a few weeks for updated pics and measurements!

2.0! Well, 2.02.

I was determined to get the 2 mile jog in today, so I could try to fit another one in next week before the end of January.  I slowed down the pace to a 12:45 mile, but I got the 2 miles in! The distance and endurance was more important today than the pace.  Now that I got that in, I can keep adding to it, and work on the time as I go.  Good way to end the week!

I have...Runners block

Ok, so I'm not even sure "runner's block" is a real term, but it sounds good in my head.  I have a goal to jog 2 continuous miles by the end of January, so I can stay on schedule for my 10k in June.  All I have to do is add 1 mile each month after that.  Sounds easy, right?
Well, I have tried twice this week to push the 2 miles.  I just can't get past 1.5 miles.  I should be happy and excited about that, right?  I mean, just 3 weeks ago I couldn't even do a quarter mile without stopping.  I need to find a way to break through this block.  I'm going to try again Friday night.  And if that doesn't work, I have 2 days off this weekend, then 2 more days next week to meet my goal.


Step up Brad!  Time to get it done!

Inspiration

So, part of my inspiration to get healthy and fit, besides me wanting to do it, was this last push by a video I saw online.  Ben Davis of Ben Does Life started jogging one day.  He kept jogging, and eventually lost 120 pounds.  You can see his video by clicking here. So anyway, after working on this for more than 3 weeks now, I wanted to order one of the shirts so I could wear it for the Bellin Run in June!  It came in the mail today!  Not a good pic, but here is is! Yay!

Intervals

With all the working out I've been doing, my body was getting a bit tight so I thought I would get to the chiropractor for a bit of alignment, or shall I say re-alignment.  That felt great!


I've been working pretty hard, so I decided to take Friday and Saturday off.  That felt good, my body must have needed it, as I slept until noon on Saturday!  That was wonderful as well.


But with that, I was a bit concerned coming into today's workout.  You see, in the past once I miss one day, then another, it turns into a week, then a month, and well you get the picture.  So, although I had a filling replaced at the dentist after work today, I made no excuse, and I got to the gym.


Tonight I did my chest, triceps and abs.  Then, I got on the treadmill to start intervals.


If you recall a few weeks back, I could barely do intervals of jogging a lap and walking 3 laps, then jogging a lap, etc.  Tonight, I did 1 mile intervals!  So, I jogged a mile, walked a mile, jogged a mile, and walked another mile.


That felt really good to complete that!  Each time I do something I didn't think I could do, or wanted to quit midway through, but finish it, it feels really good.  I have a history of not finishing what I start.


Happy jogging!

Breathing

I jogged another mile tonight, on the treadmill this time. Felt a bit different, but I finished it, probably easier than last time.  I slowed down the pace on the treadmill to a 12 minute mile, because yesterday was my off day.  I do need to get my breathing under control though when I'm jogging. Otherwise I'm never going to make 6.2 miles.  Probably high because when I got done my heart rate was 161.  Seems a bit high.  As I get into shape I'm hoping this gets better.  Pressing on until then!


Cheers.


It's cold today.  14 degrees with -4 windchill.  I guess winter is here, at least for a few days.  Hard to believe it was 55 just 2 days ago and I was walking outside at lunch with not coat!  I guess we were spoiled so far this winter.