7 seconds, with some pizza on the side

7 seconds - that's how much time I shaved off my mile "test" this month. When I stopped the watch and read 7:48, I was almost disappointed. It's not an all-out mile, but I really felt like I had gone a lot faster. Maybe I just wanted it to be faster. In the big picture though, 7 seconds is pretty good. It's an improvement, yet there's a lot to work on.

Following the mile test, I decided to add a couple quarter-mile intervals on my way home. The first, which was fairly flat, was in 1:39 -- my fastest quarter mile so far this summer. I was pleased, considering that it was coming after the mile. My second quarter mile, which started on a slight incline, was a little slower in 1:51. By that time I think I was just too tired. After all, I actually didn't plan on doing this until tomorrow, my usual speed day. The weather, though, was absolutely gorgeous this morning -- mid-60s, low humidity. It just felt right. Tomorrow morning's weather is supposed to be the same, if not a little bit cooler, so I may extend my miles just a bit.

On the nutrition side of things this week, I am having my final chain-brand pizza tonight. For whatever reason, I was craving some greasy mess from Papa John's, so I decided this week would be a good week to have it for the last time for a while. I likely won't give up pizza altogether -- my wife and I enjoy making it at home every once in a while. Homemade, or very close to homemade, pizza is much better. Plus we are much healthier with the ingredients. But for one final night, I'm digging into some unhealthy, but tasty Papa John's. In the past, I've been known to dig into pizza a couple of days before a race, but this summer I'm going to approach it a little differently.

Lastly, I've created yet another blog. This one is devoted to my Dave Matthews Band experiences. Click here to go to it, or go to dmbforever41.blogspot.com.


Workout since last post
July 1: Walk - 1.5; Run - 3.7

First the fries, now the Coke?!?

Ignoring what might have happened on my birthday, my quest with giving up ice cream and french fries has gone well. This week comes something completely different -- it's all about the drink. No, I'm not giving up beer just yet -- although that'll come eventually for a short duration. Instead, I'm opting to give up soft drinks -- diet and regular.

I'm not really a big soft drink drinker. I'll have a Coke Zero or Diet Pepsi every once in a while. By no means am I addicted. In fact, I'm always shocked at how caffeine gets me going -- I drink coffee only once or twice a year. The challenge with this comes when visiting family or heading out to a summer party. I'm not really tempted by it -- it's just convenient to grab a glass and pour. Mix in some Captain Morgan rum and it's even better.

Living in the south, I won't give up sweet tea -- a man has to have some kind of pick-me-up every so often. There's just something about soft drinks, though, that disgust me sometimes and this is one of those weeks in which I'm ready to say "no more" for quite a while.


Workout since last post
June 26: Walk - 1.3; Bike - 5.1

I won't have fries with that

One of my favorite foods has to be french fries. Better yet, pour some cheese and bacon over them and I'm set. Well, last week's lifestyle change was going to be no french fries until after my half marathon, but without even thinking I dug into some when a group of people ordered from Five Guys. Then the next day I had some with my barbecue sandwich.

So now that the vacation has come and gone, it's time to eliminate french fries once and for all until after Aug. 31. It'll be harder that the ice cream commitment I gave two weeks ago, but I'll survive. I've done it before.

To make it a little easier, here's a look at the calories in some french fries according to calorieking.com. I won't even get into the fat that's in these things:
* McDonald's medium (4 oz.): 382
* Wendy's medium (5 oz.): 424
* Burger King medium (4.1 oz.): 359


Workout since last post
June 19: Walk - 1.8; Bike - 4.1; Weights; 60 setups on Bosu ball

An Oreo Blizzard would hit the spot

No ice cream for three months? No problem. For the first week of lifestyle changes, I've decided to give up ice cream until Aug. 31, among other things that see my lips for a while. While ice cream doesn't seem like too big of a deal, it's kind of tough thinking about giving up cold treats in the heat of the summer. What also makes it tough is having both a Bruster's and a Cold Stone within a couple of miles of my house.

There are several alternatives though, such as frozen fruit bars. Plus, the off brands of those are much cheaper than ice cream. I'll survive not having ice cream easily, but others will likely find it odd when they're around me. Oh well ...


Workouts since last post
June 3: Walk - 1.3; Bike - 5.2; Weights - 3 sets with bench press; Plank - 1:12
June 4: Walk - 0.5; Run - 4

Pre-race excitement

Tomorrow morning I'm running in my first race since the marathon. I'm pretty excited about it too. Having dealt with being sick, being injured and slowly getting back into shape, this will be a good test for me before the half marathon next month. It's an 8k, and I've only done one other 8k before (plus two 5 milers - close enough, right? Except I can have totally different PRs).

I'm not really setting up any specific goals -- I just want to be able to run a nice steady pace the whole time. Not having run a race for three months is a pretty big gap considering what I did last year, so I'm eager to test it all out. If I set a PR, that'll be nice, but I'm not really worried about that.

I weighed myself today and am mad at myself for letting a few pounds creep back. It's kind of odd with increasing my mileage and seeing the weight go up, too. I know that it's actually common for that to happen, but it's frustrating all the same. I've been doing great with getting focused on running, but no so good when it comes to food I guess. Plus I'm at this age where I can tell things are starting to change too. I know, I know, you're saying that I'm only 29, but I can really tell that my metabolism is changing and that I can't just eat what I used to. I'm mad at myself because I was so determined after the marathon not to gain weight back, but it's just like last year all over again. I guess I have to lay off the goodies at work and get back to eating apples instead. :)

If you ran on Thanksgiving, then ate twice as much as usual, this blog's for you.

Am I the only one who is tired of hearing/saying/reading about running so you can eat whatever you want during the holidays? With yesterday being Thanksgiving, and the Festival of All-You-Can-Eat Turkey continuing through the weekend, all I can think about is getting up tomorrow morning and going for my longest run since the marathon. While it'll probably only be four miles or so, it'll help my mind, and it'll help my body get into calorie-burning mode. But I'm getting tired of eating whatever I want to during the holidays and then thinking running makes it OK. I feel fat and bloated and sick just thinking about it.

For those who ran a turkey trot yesterday, that 5k or 10k or whatever distance doesn't give you free reign on a 500-plus calorie piece of pecan pie (please, click on the link) or six slices of ham. But we do it anyway, don't we? Sure, running helps and we're certainly entitled to dive in a little more than some people should, but why do we go so crazy? (If anyone can figure out how to make pecan pie still taste the same at half the calories, please post a link to the recipe.)

I've heard that a local YMCA is doing a campaign of "Maintain, Don't Gain" this holiday season. What a great idea -- instead of packing on a few winter pounds, maybe we should focus on being happy with what we have and focus on not over-indulging. A few extra cookies along the way won't hurt, but an extra piece of pie probably will. Make tomorrow your weigh-in day and challenge yourself to not gain weight between now and Jan. 2. It's likely from all this eating since yesterday that you'll have a few pounds that haven't worked their way out of your body, so that'll make the challenge even easier.

I feel like maybe I should apologize for this mini-rant, but after losing 40 pounds a few years ago, I am tired of gaining a few pounds during the holiday season. Each year it gets harder and harder to shed it off. It's time for me to stop it, and it's time for many others out there to stop it too.

Decisions ... but not before 1,000 miles

I have a lot to think about while on my journey to 1,000 miles. I don't want to rush into decisions about 2008, and that's why I am committed to hitting 1,000 miles this year before I fully plan out next year. That doesn't mean I can't start asking myself questions on what I want to do.

Four days after becoming a marathoner, my legs are only sore when going up or down stairs, and nothing else hurts. I've gone on a few short walks this week and have felt great. I'm obviously still winded from running 26.2 miles, but I never expected to feel this great in such a short time. I'm not jumping back into anything though. I'll have a couple of short runs this week and three short runs next week. I seriously contemplated a turkey trot on Thanksgiving, but I don't want to risk injury by running hard within two weeks of the marathon. I am about 95 percent sure of doing the Bedford Christmas Classic on Dec. 1 -- whether it's the 5k or 10k is something I'll decide later.

My plan between now and Dec. 31 is to have a reverse taper to get back to 8-10 miles as my standard long run. I'll smartly do what I have to do to get to 1,000 miles. I should have no problem hitting that mark as long as I stay healthy. As far as training goes for the Shamrock Half, I'll lay out those plans later. But beyond that?

You should've heard me after the 30k in October. I said I'm never training for a marathon again! My wife properly ignored the crazy talk. In my head I was preparing a blog entry on how much I hated anything past a half marathon. Those long training runs were boring; it was hot; I was running alone after moving; it was eating too much into my weekend. But after Nov. 10, I have that itch. I've seriously thought about the Charlottesville Marathon in April. That would make Shamrock a perfect warmup, and instead of laying off the mileage too much before summer, I could increase the long runs, then get some rest in late April/early May ... which would then be perfect to train again for Richmond. Basically it would be: good rest between now and late December, train January-April, rest in May and early June, then build back in July. I think I could get in the 40-50 miles a week range rather than 30-40. Or I could focus on getting better and stronger in shorter races. I haven't done a 5k in a while and I've missed that distance. 10ks continue to be a big challenge for me. And half marathons seem just the right distance. I feel I have it in me to make my current 5k pace be my half marathon pace. I'm in competition with myself, and these shorter races are so much fun to go out and try to beat my previous times. There are plenty of half marathons out there -- including Richmond next November. They're less time consuming and not so hard on the body. But then there's the endurance challenge of the marathon, and I have that one 4:13 time sitting there.

The good thing is, I don't have to make any decisions right now on any of that. I'm still enjoying my marathon experience for at least a few more days. I'll enjoy some french fries a couple of more times before signing up for something else in 2008. Tonight, I think I'll have some Oreo cookies for the first time since ... well, I don't really know when. You can bet, though, that as soon as I hit mile 1,000.1, I'll have something figured out.

20 more foods...

There's 20 days to go until the Richmond Marathon. The 20 miles didn't go as planned, so dammit, I'm adding 20 more foods and drinks I won't eat until after the marathon ... or never again. I must stress that many of these things are items I don't eat anyway, it just feels good to write them down. In case you missed it, earlier this month around the 40 days to go mark, I put a list of 40 foods and drinks I'm not eating until after Nov. 10. Since Halloween is near, there are lots of candy references here...

Pizza Hut pizza, any food from a Mexican restaurant, white bread, potato bread, bacon, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, 3 Musketeers, fireballs, jawbreakers, Reese's peanut butter cups, Resse's pieces, funnel cakes, Domino's pizza, Italian sausage, Tootsie Rolls, marshmallows, restaurant cheeseburgers, onion rings, lollipops.

French fries anyone?

I’m a little past the 40 days to go mark, but October and the first 10 days of November are crucial weeks for me to get in tip-top shape for the marathon. So I thought I’d make a list of 40 things I don’t plan on eating until after Nov. 10 … or really ever again. Many of these things are things I don’t eat or drink anyway, but it makes me feel better to write it down. Like my blog’s subtitle says, it’ll help keep me held accountable.

So here goes: french fries, cupcakes, (most) ice cream, candy corn, McDonald’s quarter pounders, Burger King’s Whoppers, Wendy’s double cheeseburgers, fried shrimp, Papa John’s pizza (although I’m not ruling out pizza), Coke, Pepsi, Miller Lite, Bud Light (although I may have a dark beer or two), hot dogs, fudge, potato chips, doughnuts, chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken, twinkies (ahh, it’s been years), M&Ms, egg rolls, Snickers bars, hash browns from any fast-food place, milkshakes, fried chicken fingers, fried fish, Arby’s roast beef, chocolate pie, birthday cake, gravy, pepperoni, Long John Silver’s fish, IHOP’s stuffed french toast, gum with sugar, brownies, Combos, Cracker Jacks, Miller High Life, pork rinds (never actually had them), elephant ears.

When I first started this blog, I had hoped to discuss things about my weight, but never really have. Honestly, I haven’t worried about it too much this summer. However, this month I am focusing on my weight as I’d like to get to 175 or less by the time the marathon gets here. My 5-foot, 10-inch medium-build frame was at 180.8 this morning – 5 pounds lighter than when this training first began, and 5 away from where I want to be. When I first lost weight in 2004, 175 was my lowest ever, but that didn't last. I've basically maintained 180-185 since then. It seems for these big races I can get to 180 or slightly less, but then gain back a few pounds very quickly. It’s actually very tough losing weight when training for a marathon when you have to eat a lot to be able to maintain the energy. What I’ve lost has basically been from extra miles, but with less than six weeks to go, focusing on my diet is one of my top priorities.

13.1 ... the next day

When I went to bed last night, I thought I would wake up and have that usual race pain. But I didn't. While I was a bit sore, I could walk normally and nothing unusual hurt. My knees, which I am most concerned with, were fine. I originally had planned to take an easy 2 or 3 mile jog, but instead went for a nice long walk with my wife and dog. By the end of the walk, whatever soreness I had was gone. By not running today, I once again fell just short of 30 miles for the week, but yesterday's run makes me feel great about where things stand right now.

Next week will be a bit complicated as my move to Richmond gains speed and the following week my new job begins. Things personally are going well and by mid-September I will be living in a great neighborhood to run in, with easy access to more neighborhoods and a great park. Moving will offer some good cross training, but what's important is to make sure I still find time to run and avoid eating badly. It's already been hard with people wanting to go out to lunch or dinner every day before we leave town, but I'm doing OK. I manage to avoid french fries no matter what.

Pass the salsa, please.

I used to hate Mexican food. Couldn't stand it. Now, I eat it just about once a week. I love it. I'm usually fairly good about it by ordering off the a la carte portion so I don't overeat. Two items (one with chicken) and some chips are enough. And salsa is one of the best health foods out there. Sometimes though, no matter how good Mexican food is going down, it isn't always the same later on. I once again learned this morning that a run longer than 3 miles 12 hours after a Mexican dinner isn't always a good thing, if you know what I mean. To say I won't eat Mexican food the night before any kind of run again is an understatement. I'll be saving it the day before a rest day. As Forrest Gump says, that's all I have to say about that.

On the road again

A vacation from work can't come soon enough, but a vacation right as I am feeling great about where my training is isn't quite ideal. I've gotten in my head that 16 weeks of training for the Richmond Marathon is what I want to do, and that doesn't actually come until the week of July 16. Right now is all about mentally preparing while creeping my mileage up. These past two weeks have been a great bonus to unofficially begin the training. I want to feel like "officially" training for the marathon is nothing but a smooth transition from what I'm already doing.

People often think that when they're on vacation, they can't exercise at all. But I'm already trying to figure out when I'll get some good runs in, while still relaxing. Saturday and Sunday mornings will be the best, since I'll simply be visiting in-laws and my wife is off doing things women do when they're in weddings. And I'll be in Ohio where it's a bit cooler and considerably flatter. So I figure that Saturday would be a great day to run an easy 7 miles. It's been a while since I've hit that distance and it would be a great way to end a week that's been full of speed workouts. And I don't get a chance to have a run without any hills because quite simply, I hate the track when I'm by myself. Today I let my body rest after that speed workout Tuesday and yesterday's mile race. Tomorrow I might go for a jog before I hit the road, but I'll really wait and figure that out in the morning. I'll be venturing back to Virginia on Wednesday after a couple of days in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, where I hope to get a few miles in.

The hardest part about vacation is nutrition. In the past two weeks, I've gotten a lot better with eating the right things and voiding certain foods/drinks altogether. I think this mini-transition period will help tremendously when it's all-you-can-eat dessert night. When I return from my trip, I will be keeping tabs on my weight and letting you in on my goals. I've been through the story of losing weight, but it's time to hold me accountable again to get to where I want to be by the time the marathon rolls around.