Bad Run

Some days are better than others and today just wasn't a good run day. Isaac and I got out at about 9 am and were planning on a 10 mile run. It was only about 80 degrees out, but the humidity was around 75% (according to www.weather.com) so I just couldn't cool off. At mile 4.5, I decided to turn back and got in between 5.5 and 6 miles. I'll hop on the bike (INSIDE) later today and see if I feel any better.

Weight today is about 168. Ideally I'd like to maintain between 165 and 170 and drop to 160 or so for my next race. Monitoring GI intake seems to help - which means a lot fewer sweets!

Feeling Skinny

Ok, in the belief that "better late than never" is indeed a true statement, I am officially feeling skinny. Had I "thrown my weight into it" sooner and gotten serious, I'm sure I could have attained my goal of 165 on race day. It's still possible, but more likely a post-race weight, which wasn't really what I had in mind. I got on the scale today and am maintaing at 170.8 (body fat at 9.5%). In an ideal racing world, I would be about 5 pounds lighter and around 8% body fat, but this is a good testament for trying new things.

I tried fiber... LOTs of fiber and that's still part of my approach. The thing that has really curbed my appetite is more protein - something I needed anyway to recharge my muscles. Those of you who know me realize that I'm not downing cheesburgers or steaks. As a (quasi?) vegetarian (I do eat fish, dairy and eggs), my protein consumption comes primarily from egg whites in the AM and fish at lunch or dinner. The single major change was breakfast, which had previously been cereal with craisins or banana and skim milk versus the 2-3 egg whites with a single piece of whole wheat toast. When we have it stocked in the house, I also drink 12 ounces of V8 (2 servings of vegetables). I try to have an apple as a mid-morning snack, sometimes a handful or two of almonds. I just find myself less hungry and more resistant to the candy and donuts that proliferate the office. Note, I didn't say immune, just more resistant.

Anyway, I feel full of energy am lighter to boot.

Uphill Grind & Weigh-in

Squeezed in a "brick" yesterday evening. Started with 45 minute interval session on the trainer using The Uphill Grind "spinerval" DVD to get my legs tired out. Average watts = 220 which was considerably higher than previous sessions with the same DVD. I felt pretty strong as I hopped off the bike and changed shoes. I felt some initial calf tightening on the first half mile of the run, but I tuned into my turnover and breathing and otherwise felt pretty good. Air temperature was over 85 degrees, which simulates race day well. Finished the 3 mile run and was smiling.

Weighed in this AM at 170.5, so I've been slowly shaving the pounds. Hopefully I'll be below 170 for the race next week.

Saturday Run

I'd always thought that I should do my long bike on Saturday and long run on Sunday, but I've been reading The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training by Ken Mierke, and he encourages just the opposite. His theory is that running is more stressful on the body (and I concur with that) and that utilizing Sunday for the long run increases risk of injury. That said, he suggests that following the long ride on Sunday, one can do a short brick - which is what I will try tomorrow.

I'm also learning quite a bit about the glycemic index and weight loss for athletes. I've tried to understand the insulin cycle before and have read a few books, but this is the first time that I think I get it. He spends a lot of time debunking the calories in / calories out theory that we are all so programed to accept and explains how certain foods, combinations of foods, and timing of eating plays a role in weight loss / gain. There are some key learnings that I will work to implement over the next several weeks to see if I can't get down to that 165 goal after all.

Isaac and I went on a 13 miler today - nice and easy. I really tried to watch my exertion level as I didn't want to give myself another headache and I fear that on many of these runs, I've been pushing too hard. I didn't have my heart rate monitor on today, but I'm pretty certain I was in Zone 2 (under 155) for most of the workout. I got plenty of fluids and calories and although it was 80 degrees or so and some humidity, it wasn't brutal hot.

Thirteen Miles

This morning, before the rain hit, Isaac and I got out for about a thirteen mile run. I didn't have a heart rate monitor or watch, but it felt very evenly paced. Even with pushing the extra 50 pounds (25 of carriage and 25 of Isaac), we managed to complete the 13 miles in just over 2 hours for about a 9:19 pace - nothing stellar, but I'm fairly pleased. For the half-ironman, I'd be happy with anythng under a 9:00 pace for the run. Everything else constant, it would drop my my time by more than 4 minutes.

Although the run itself felt good and I don't feel like I was red-lining at all, I know that I lost too much weight. I was 175 before the run and 170 after, even though I drank 32 ounces of Gatorade. It wasn't particularly warm, but my sweat rate must have been high. I ate within 30-45 minutes post-run, but I started to feel light headed and tried to take a nap, waking up with an awful headache similar to a migraine but not quite as severe. Two hours post-run I still felt bad, but by four hours post-run I just had a slight, lingering headache.

Need to work on nutrition DURING my run.

Week #3 Weight Loss Stats

Everyone is slowing down a bit but still progress:

Scott: Baseline 263.8, NOW 253.6 (3.87% to date)
Bob: Baseline 221, NOW 211 (4.52% to date)
David: Baseline 176.6, NOW 174.2 (1.36% to date)

GO TEAM!

Team Approach to Weight Loss

A few of my colleagues have engaged me in their weight loss efforts and today marks the completion of WEEK #1 of the 20 week program (my target is to get there by 7/20/08 and maintain). So, here are the stats:

• Scott: 259.1 (from a baseline of 263.8)
• Bob: 217.4 (from a baseline of 221)
• David: 174.8 (from a baseline of 176.6)

Scott gets the award for biggest percentage lost this week: 1.78% It's good to have a team!