Upgrading my running acumen...

I learned a few important things about running today. Thou shalt not discount the following factors during a run:

1. RACE DAY ADRENALINE: In yesterday's race, I was so pumped that my pace (probably around 7:00/mi) was pretty damn fast for the first 2 1/4 miles. Today I settled into a slower pace for the majority of the run.
2. RUNNING WITH A PACK: I thoroughly enjoyed doing this in the race yesterday. I was able to keep up a pretty fast pace by focusing on staying with a few key runners and allowing them to push me and motivate me.
3. WIND: SUCKS. The wind this morning was pretty wicked and kept my pace in check. It made quite a few of the sections very rough this morning.
4. KNOWING THE COURSE: There is no replacement for knowing where you're going and what's coming up next. Even though I ran slower today, I felt much more comfortable on the course.

So why did I run slower today? Was it due to the first 3 factors (no race day adrenaline, not running with a pack, major wind)? Was it because I haven't done a lot of morning running? Or was it that I just plain old ran slower? I guess we'll have to experiment a little more.

Either way, I really like this neighborhood course and and will make it my major training course...until I can find another. I even like the couple hills. Although that one on Bilby up to Metropolitan towards the end of the run is pretty tough.

Second Race!

The Sierra Morado 5K Walk/Run by Pulte Homes started off AMAZING. I was keeping pace with some of the top runners and was in the top ten pack (the guy in first was WAY in front and killed the rest of us). Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance and sprinted up a dirt hill thinking the finish was just beyond that. Turns out it was a little more than a half mile further down the course. My sprint took a lot out of me and my legs and slowed me down significantly for the last section of the race. I'm certain had I just kept my pace/known where the finish was, I would have finished within the top ten and somewhere around a 7:30 min/mi pace. However, I am proud to say that even with that disappointing setback, I was able to finish strong, sprinting the last bit through the finish. Here are my results:

Race #: 2
Distance: 5K (3.1 mi)
Bib #: 391 
Time: 25:42 
Pace: 8:17/mi 
Place: 14/142 overall

P.S. Kudos to Aaron as well for finishing the race strong! (gotta get him on DM)

P.P.S. I gotta get a pedometer/interval watch or a Garmin to track my distance and progress so this doesn't happen again :(

Next Race: April 10: Catalina State Park 5.2 & 10.35 Mile Trail Run!

Race Day #2: Sierra Morado 5K Walk/Run by Pulte Homes

Race Day #2!


A little story to commemorate the day: Way back in early February, I started thinking about running. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep myself motivated since I had never before been interested in running. So I asked my friend Aaron if he wanted to train for a 5K with me. Before I even finished asking, his eyes got wide and he said, "Hell yeah." Our plan was to run the Midtown Sertoma 5K (March 13) but life got in the way (for him, not me) and he wasn't able to run it. Now, finally, Aaron and I are running in a race together, as we had planned all those weeks ago.


So pumped!

100 Push-up Challenge: Back to square...2

Damn moving screwed this routine up too.  Starting Week 4 over again but so friggin' determined to get this that I'll do what I have to.

Week 4:

Day 1 (3/24/10): These all went really well.  My form's getting better so my shoulder doesn't hurt after these anymore.

Day 2 (3/26/10): Had to take a bit of a longer break between sets 4 and 5 but rocked my 10 above rule for Set 5.

Day 3: Sunday (3/28/10): 120 seconds between each set.
Set 1: 23 pushups

Set 2: 33 pushups

Set 3: 29 pushups

Set 4: 29 pushups

Set 5: Max (minimum 40)

200 Sit-up Challenge Redux

Moving last weekend threw a wrench into my planned routine for the 200 Sit-up Challenge.  It was going really well for the first couple days and since I'm pretty damn gung-ho about completing these challenges, I'm starting over tonight.

Week 3 Redux:
Day 1 Redux (3/23/10): After missing a few days and starting Week 3 over, this went really well.  It jumps up pretty high for the next day.  We'll see how it goes.

Day 2 Redux (3/25/10): These went pretty well, too.  Can feel my core getting stronger every set!

Day 3 Redux: (3/27/10) 60 seconds between each set.
Set 1: 33 sit-ups
Set 2: 42 sit-ups
Set 3: 30 sit-ups
Set 4: 30 sit-ups
Set 5: Max (45 min)

Faster and faster...

I was planning on running 5 miles today but due to a fascinating but long lecture on Roman Mosaics in Tunisia (and some chatting with the lecturer), I got to Reid Park pretty late and decided to just run 5K.  The run felt really great pretty much the whole way which is why I was able to run it faster than I ever have before.  My PR time for the 5K was 23:00 flat (7:25 min/mi pace).  I am SO looking forward to the prospect of another PR in Saturday's 5K race.

Back with a vengeance!

On the heels of a very disappointing 5K on Wednesday and a day off yesterday, I decided to do a long run. Long run = understatement. I stopped off at Fleet Feet for some advice on hydration and nutrition during long runs and got some great advice and bought a few different brands of gels to try them out.  Here's my time breakdown:

4.25 mi in 00:35:00. (8:14 min/mi pace) Took my first gel, orange flavored Accel Gel.
7.5 mi in 1:06:00. (8:48 min/mi pace) Took my second gel, orange flavored GU gel.
10.75 mi in 1:41:00 (9:23 min/mi pace) Took my last gel, orange flavored Hammer gel.

Legs were pretty beat up so I had to walk a little between short runs to get through the whole half marathon distance. But I did it!!!
First Half-Marathon Distance: 13.1 mi in 2:12:00 (10:04 min/mi pace)

I just couldn't continue running after this so I walked the rest of the way back. Finished the whole 15 miles in 2:45:00 (overall 11:00 min/mi pace).

My longest previous run without walking was 7 miles. Beat that by 3.75 miles and destroyed that 7 mile time by 6 minutes! My previous longest distance period was 9 miles. Beat that by 6 miles!

The gels were an interesting new twist for me.  I wanted to compare the effects of the 3 different brands but realized that no matter what I'd be more tired after the second and third ones.  Even so, I didn't like the taste of the Hammer gel and didn't really feel much from it.  I think I'll try the Accel and GU again.

I think I'm going to start taking it a bit easier.  I have to remember that I have plenty of time to get ready to run a marathon and don't need to injure myself by doing too much, too soon.  I got pretty frustrated after my poor showing on Wednesday that I overcompensated today and just ran until I could barely walk.  I'm going to focus on my next 5K and following 10K and shelve the 13.1 milers for a little while.

They can't all be PR's...

Today was just not my day on the course.  Everyone has their up days and down days, so they say.  Sure I've had some rougher running days but this one was a doozy.  And it's unfortunate because it was such a beautiful day out.  So perfect for running.  I guess after running a distance PR of 9 miles on Monday, a 5K time PR of 23:34 on Tuesday before an ass-kicking yoga session, I was bound to have an off day.  I spent all day debating whether or not to run since I was so damn sore from the yoga but decided to just push through and take to the course.  I swear I'm going to take the day off tomorrow (except for my sit-ups) and get pumped for a solid weekend of running and cycling.

It just gets better and better...

I had planned to do a light running warm up before yoga but it turned into a fullout run at a pace faster than I've ever done before. I started at an 8 min/mi pace, which was my racing pace.  Instead of lowering the speed on the treadmill when I got tired, I raised it, pushing myself even harder.  For the last 3/4 of a mile, I was running at a 7 min/mi pace and when I finished, it felt AMAZING.  I turned in a 23:34 5K.  This pace would have lifted me up to 26th place in the last race I was in.  I'm getting better and faster and loving every second of it!

And to add to the excitement of the day, when I stepped on the scale, it read a feathery 165 lbs.  15 months ago, I weighed 235 lbs. and when I started to get healthy and fit, I made 165 lbs. my ultimate weight loss goal.  It took a lot of time and hard work but I lost 70 lbs.  That's 30% of my body weight!  But I'm not going to sit on my much slimmer laurels.  My new goal is a further transformation of my body.  While the loss of 70 lbs. of fat has given me a more svelte figure, it is still going to take some time to get my body into tip top shape.  But if reaching this goal is any indication, I'm looking forward to conquering this too!!!

While I'm at it...why not another challenge?

I am really starting to love putting my new body, my motivation, and my spirit to the test.  A year ago, I wouldn't have even dreamt that I could run a 5K, let alone 9 miles, or do 100 pushups.  So what's one more challenge?  Introducing, the 200 Sit-up Challenge, from the makers of the 100 Push-up Challenge.  I keep hearing that I need to strengthen my core, in order to become better at...well...everything.  Better runner? Strengthen your core.  More flexible?  Strengthen your core.  Better in bed?  Strengthen your core.  Better student?  Strengthen your core.  So, to that end, I'm taking on the challenge.  I took the initial test and was able to knock out 54 crunches putting me in the "Good" category.  So, like the push-ups, I'm starting on Week 3.

Day 1: (3/16/10) I'm not used to doing actual crunches.  I'm used to using an ab machine so these are going to be a bit rough going at the beginning.  But as with the rest of my exercise regimine, I'm pushing myself to get it done.  Just like the push-ups, I'm going to try to stay 10 above the minimum in Set 5.  Was able to get through it today.  Jumping up 8 more per set for Day 2.  Should be a pretty good challenge.

Day 2: (3/18/10) I don't think my form was all that great for Day 1 which is why my neck hurt.  I decided to do today's with my knees up.  They were a bit easier and didn't strain my neck as much.  I'll stick with this style for a while.

Day 3: (3/20/10) Moving this weekend threw a wrench into the routine for this challenge so I'm starting over next week.

Where in the world did this come from?

9 miles? 9 miles? Holy crap.


Hello, absurdly long run, my name's Kevin. Nice to kick your ass. I have no idea where today's run came from but I felt like the freakin' Energizer Bunny, I kept going and...well, you get it. I had to walk a few times and grabbed some water out of my car each time I passed it but I was still able to stay under a 10 min/mi pace through the whole thing. This makes me think with a little more training, I'll can actually do all of the races I'm planning! This was BY FAR (2 miles) a PB for me in distance. Thank you new running shorts and new (functioning) iPod!

Hundred Pushup Challenge...one step closer

Week 3 went pretty well.  Was able to get through all of the pushups and maintain my "10 over minimum" rule for Set 5.  My bad shoulder took a beating in the last set of Day 3.  Not sure how it'll hold up this week, but I'm going to find out!

Week 4:

Day 1 (3/17/10): Just like today's run, these were pretty rough.  Still pretty damn sore from yoga yesterday so each set was a trial.  I had to rest a little more than 60 seconds between the 4th and 5th set so that I could still push myself to get it done and hit my "10 over" mark for Set 5.  Shoulder held up well, though.

Day 2: Friday (3/19/10): 90 seconds between each set.
Set 1: 25 pushups

Set 2: 29 pushups

Set 3: 25 pushups

Set 4: 25 pushups

Set 5: Max (minimum 36)

First Race!!!

Just finished my first race!  I ran the Midtown Sertoma 5K Run & Walk for Better Hearing.  It was a pretty cool event and I look forward to doing it again next year (this was the first annual).  I ran at the pace I'd been training with for the last week, exactly what I wanted.  Thanks to Russ and Maggie for training and racing with me!

Race #: 1
Distance: 5K (3.1 mi)
Bib #: 29
Time: 24:56
Pace: 8:02/mi
Place: 41/262 (8/14 in age group)

Next race: March 27: Sierra Morado 5K Walk/Run by Pulte Homes

5Ks 1 and 2!!!

First 5K in 2 days!!! Just registered for the 2nd! I'm running the Race for the Cure on April 11. If you're interested in sponsoring me, go to: http://sazraceforthecure.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=333453&u=333453-286485252

Thanks!

A Hundred Pushups...almost

Just signed up for the Hundred Pushups Challenge (http://hundredpushups.com/).  Started at 30, have 4 weeks to bring it up to 100.  That'd be pretty awesome.  Let's see if this works!  Anyone want to join me?

Started at Week 3 (as instructed).
Day 1 (3/10/10): Not so bad.  Last couple were tough but the first 4 sets went great and my set 5 max was 30.


Day 2 (3/12/10): Went well!  Same as last week.  Last few were hard but my set 5 max was 35.  Going to try to stay at least 10 pushups above the Set 5 min.

Day 3 (3/14/10): This time my bad shoulder really started to affect me performance in the last set.  Still, I pushed through the pain and reached my 10 over minimum for Set 5.  I'm going to pay for that.  Hopefully it will be better enough to hurt again in three days!


On to Week 4!

Race Week

It is officially RACE WEEK!!!  Only 4 more days before my first 5K and I am PUMPED!  Here's my plan for my last week of training (which will be easier since I was laid off today):

Monday: Well, since I've already completed my Monday training I'll just summarize.  Ran 3.75 miles on the race course at about 8 min/mi.

Tuesday: Run minimum of 4 miles and maximum of 5 miles at Reid Park at a lower than 9 min/mi. pace. Late class.  Took the evening off.


Wednesday: Gym Day!  Warm up with elliptical then lift weights and give my legs (and the rest of me) a really good stretch and workout. 5K run at Reid Park at 8 min/mi.


Thursday: 5K run at Reid Park at 8 min/mi. Gym Day! Warm up with elliptical then lift weights and give my legs (and the rest of me) a really good stretch and workout.


Friday: Chill Out!  No running, no weights, no stupid activity that's gonna get me injured the day before the race (because I'm just that lucky).  Some good stretching, maybe some yoga at home. Biked 5.5 miles to stretch the legs and get some exercise in before the big day.


Saturday: RACE DAY!  KICK SOME ASS!!!


*All of the above is weather-permitting.  We've gotten some pretty stormy weather round these parts the last few days but I have a good feeling that it's going to be clear skies all week!

Indoor Rock Climbing

In looking for new, fun activities to add to my cross training arsenal, I remembered that Tucson has a pretty sweet indoor climbing gym.  I went for the first time 2 weeks ago with Jill and loved it so much that I've been trying to get back since.  It's a pretty awesome full body cross training workout.  This weekend Jill and I finally got to go again and brought Melissa and Eric with us.  As always, Melissa brought along a camera.  If only it were a little cheaper, I'd go VERY often.

*Thanks to Melissa for the pics!

Mountain Biking

In an attempt to expand my 5K cross training to fun, new experiences, I went mountain biking with Melissa at the Sweetwater Preserve.  I only started cycling in May so this was the first time I'd ever really been out on some awesome mountain trails.  Mel had found this trail a couple of weeks earlier but it took some time to coordinate schedules before getting out there.  It was pretty freaking awesome!

*Thanks to Melissa for the pics!

View for mountain biking don't get much better than this round these parts.

Cross Training

Training for one's first 5K can be tough.  That's a hell of a lot of running, especially for someone like me who is not used to running.  High impact indeed!  My feet and knees were very, very angry after the first few runs.  Now, some people say that the only way to really get better at running is to run...and run...and run.  Others suggest cross training to alleviate the impact on the legs and work different muscle groups.  Since I've never been much of a runner, I figured cross training would be a fun way to get ready for the 5K.

1. Gym: I'm not sure if running on a treadmill can be considered cross training but it's a bit less impact than running outside.  Cardio on the elliptical or stationary bike and various weight training routines are definitely cross training.

2. Cycling: When I moved back to Tucson, I began to bike as much as I could.  I biked around town, to and from work and the gym, and even went mountain biking.  This will certainly help when I race in my first triathlon!

3. Yoga: I'm surprised how much I've enjoyed my yoga classes.  I haven't been able to go every week but even after only 4 classes I can see an increase in flexibility.  This really helps during my pre and post run stretches.

4. Rock climbing: Started doing some indoor rock climbing at Rocks and Ropes.  This really works out a lot of the muscles in the body.  I am REALLY enjoying using this to cross train.  If it weren't so expensive I'd do it more often!

5. Swimming: Once it gets a little warmer out I'll jump into the pool and start doing laps.  Not only is the VERY LOW impact and good for endurance and upper body work outs but I'll need to get some good swimming practice in for the triathlon in July!

New Fitness Goals and Abridged Training Summary

After completing some pretty heavy health and fitness goals, I decided to put my new fit and healthy lifestyle to the test.

5K: A few goals associated with this first step.  I was never much of a runner so even though I was more fit and stronger than I had ever been, running still did not come to me very easily.  I didn't know how long it would take me to actually prepare myself for a 5K but I decided to register for the first upcoming race.  I gave myself one month.

5K Goal 1: Finish 5K at 10:00/mi pace.  Finished? Yup! I was able to complete this the first time I ran.  However, I wasn't able to run the whole way.  


5K Goal 2: Run the whole 5K distance.  Finished?  Hell yeah!  2 weeks after beginning my training I tore up the course.  Ran 3.5 miles in under 29 minutes without stopping.  Just under a 8.5 min/mi pace.


5K Goal 3: First Distance Run: Finished?  Definitely!  2 days after completely running my first 5K (see #2) I ran 7 miles without walking in 1:08:00.


5K Goal 4: 8 min/mi pace: Finished?  YES!  2 days after my first long run (see #3) I ran 3.85 miles in about 31 minutes...a pace of 7:55 min/mi.

5K Goal 5: Run a 5K race at under 8 min/mi.  Finished?  Not yet.  First actual race is in 1 week!


The goals don't stop with 5Ks.  Check out my 2010 race schedule!

Original Fitness and Health Goals

So, in January 2009, I hit a pretty miserable milestone.  I was 235 pounds.  Clearly overweight, and decidedly unhealthy.  While so many factors in my life potentially aided in gaining so much weight and living so unhealthy, I really only have myself to blame for letting it get so out of hand.  I decided then that I had to do something about it.  I made some goals and although it took over a year, I finally reached them.

Health and Fitness Goals:

1. Weight loss: My BMI on Day 1 was 32.8.  According to the BMI index, that classified me as obese.  Normal weight for my height (5'11") was below 180 and I badly wanted to reach that.  Finished?  Hell yeah!  Broke 180 in January 2010.  New Goal: 165 pounds (BMI 23.0, right in the middle of normal range)  Finished?  Almost!  168 as of 3/6/10.

2. Eat Healthier: A big reason that I got so heavy was my really horrible eating habits.  I ate fast food...a lot.  And my food portions were just over the top.  Finished?  Definitely!  I tried to do it on my own for almost a whole year before realizing that I needed help.  So I started the South Beach Diet in December '09 and used its plan to learn about healthy eating.  I quit drinking and eating fast food.  I shop local and organic and cook everyday!

3. Exercise A LOT MORE!  Finished?  For sure!  Joined Gold's in Tallahassee to start getting in shape.  Joined Gold's in Tucson when I moved.  Got a free PT session and used his advice to create a customized cardio and strength training routine.  Shortly after moving to Tucson, I bought a bike and have been riding it like crazy.  I was never much of a cyclist but I am learning to LOVE it.  I bike around town, to and from work, and recently went mountain biking for the first time.

In December '09, my friend and I started our own little "Biggest Loser" competition.  The person to lose the largest weight percentage by the end of January would win.  Both of us were trying to lose weight so this was a perfect motivation!  My starting weight was 190 pounds.  Our weigh-in on January 31 showed that I had lost 18 pounds giving me a 9.5% weight loss, the victory, and taking me below my 180 weight goal!

It was about a week after the weigh-in that I realized that my new fit and healthy lifestyle needed to be put to the test.  At that moment I made some new fitness goals.

C25K Warrior!

Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Swet Willie and I'm a C25K Warrior.

First, the name.  Well, that's kind of a weird story.  If you're really interested in where it came from, find Maggie K. (in Tucson) on Dailymile.com and ask her (also, tell her how awesome she's doing with her run training!).  I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you.  After all, she was there when it was invented.

Ok, the C25K Warrior thing.  For those of you who don't know, C25K stands for Couch to 5K.  Technically, I took a bit of a different route to get to the 5K training than you're ordinary C25Ker.  In fact, I didn't hear of C25K until over a year after I started getting fit and healthy and 2 weeks after I started actually training for my first 5K!  C25K Warrior is a term I made up meaning that while my first race is going to be a 5K, I am not even close to stopping there.  Here's my race schedule for 2010:

March 13: Midtown SerToMa 5K for the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind
April 11: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K
May 2: Tucson Heart Group Cinco de Mayo 10K
July 4: Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon
November 7: Saguaro Physicians 5K
December 12: Holualoa Tucson Half Marathon

If I can complete this, I will indeed be a C2-Half Marathon Warrior!  That Half Marathon is pretty damn intimidating but honestly, so were the other fitness and health goals I've reached in the last 15 months.  But I am passionate and motivated and I know I can do it!