greggorunner

The next several weeks involve “easy” weeks and “long” weeks. This was an easy week of 15 miles total. The coming week is a longer week, with a total mileage of 25 miles. In the coming weeks, we will have totals up to 50 miles.

Last week, we completed four runs and two cross-training workouts. Saturday was a rest day. This week we will do the same plan, but add an additional cross-training work out on our shortest run day. We will see how it goes.

We worked on breathing and running form this week. We’re also getting more dedicated to proper post-run stretching, as well as doing some yoga-type stretches throughout the day.

On the weight front, I was pretty unnerved last week to step on the scale and see that I had gained a little less than a pound. That really bugged me, but I decided to refrain from pushing the panic button. Instead, I reviewed my food logs and looked for things that might be improved. I reminded myself of the principles I now try to live by, and I committed to better planning.

This morning at my weekly weigh in, I had lost over 2 pounds, so I’m glad I didn’t fall into trying anything radical. I did have one wheels-off eating experience at night last week. I caught myself and regrouped. It was weird – it was one of those times when I thought I “should” be hungry based on how long it had been since I had eaten anything. I didn’t have a plan, and I felt cheated – like I wasn’t getting everything I imagined should be coming to me. Bottom line – I ate when I wasn’t hungry, and I immediately regretted it. This would have been a perfect time to dig in and resist the urge to eat when I’m not hungry. I didn’t pass the test. However, I didn’t get into any kind of spiral either. Rather, I moved on from it.

This bridge is on the running trail between my house and Steve’s house, so we cross it a lot. I like this picture of it. It reminds me of the journey I am on. I started crossing that bridge in January, when running for 15 minutes with walk breaks seemed really difficult. I cross it now, anticipating an enjoyable run of an hour. It’s the same bridge, but I have to keep moving across it. It’s been a part of the journey nearly every day for nearly 6 months. It will continue to be. Same basic decision daily. Slow and steady progress.

I forgot to post last week. Oh yeah, Memorial Day and all that. Hope yours was good.

Week 7 felt very successful to me. I had plenty of energy on all of the runs. We were rewarded with a short “long” run of only 5 miles, which anymore feels quite short. I did cross training at CG twice. The only yuck factor for the week was that the Texas heat is upon us. High humidity and warm mornings. Sweatfest.

While I’m here, and while I have the benefit of knowing that week 8 went well as well, I’ll risk documenting why I think things were easier for me. First, I’ve continued to lose pounds, and every pound makes a difference in the “pounding” that I have to take. Second, I think the cross training has been very helpful in strengthening my body all over. The squats and lunges, and even the sprinting have all helped. I completed 5 weeks at CG, going only twice per week, and even that little bit has helped to strengthen everything I use to run 4 times per week. Finally, I gave in to a bit of a mix in my macros…[STOP] Let me explain.

[BEGIN RANT]
First off, talking macros annoys the crap out of me. It is also a potentially dangerous trigger for an overeater. I don’t want to get into this too much right now, but put simply, if your problem is overeating and/or eating for the wrong reasons and/or compulsive eating and/or food addiction and/or compulsive dieting (that should cover lots of us), then diving into nutritional analysis, calorie counting, elimination diets, and micro tweaking are potentially dangerous. Why? Because they are all forms of continuing to love and focus on food. They’re sort of the other side of the coin. In other words, I can continue my love affair with food as I think about it all the time, analyze it, dissect it, weigh it, etc. etc. So, I gotta watch myself. My goal is to relax about food, enjoy food as God intended, eat when I’m hungry, and stop when I am (or should be) satisfied. My plan includes being mindful and intentional about eating and getting to the bottom of issues rather than soothing stuff by eating. If this makes no sense to you, you probably don’t have the issue that many of us deal with, so skip this and go have an ice cream or something. I won’t and don’t argue this anymore. [END RANT]

Back to reluctantly jacking with macros. CG suggested that I up my carbs a little. These days, that kind of advice sends shivers down the spine of just about everyone. However, I agreed to do so. I’m not putting the numbers here, because you will lose focus if I do. Suffice it to say that I increased my carbohydrates a little bit, to more than I was used to, trying to be somewhat healthful in my choices. You know what I mean.

Here’s what I found. I had increased energy and better endurance on runs. And, I continued to lose pounds. When running, I just felt better. I was afraid that upping my carbs was going to equate to a gain on the scale. So far, not true. I know not all carbs are equal, so please know that I’m keeping them as healthy and varied as I can.

That brings me to Week 8
During week 8, we increased our run time on the run/walk method to 6:1, and continuing to make one of the runs non-stop. This is for the purposes of varying things and building endurance. This week’s long run was 13 miles. Honestly, I was a little nervous about the 13 miles because I struggled a bit in the last mile and a half on the 11-mile run. However, we committed to running slowly, and we had to slow down a few times in the early miles. We GU’d three times, and we had hydrated well for the previous three days.

We both got through the 13 miles feeling strong. Ready to stop at 13.1, but not feeling spent. We both felt we could have run a little faster, and that is exactly what we set out to do. For me, the last mile and a half was fine. I was glad to be done, but more than that, I was proud that we achieved our goal. We were patient, and we hit our marks. We were blessed with a slightly cooler morning and glorious cloud cover. That makes a huge difference. I got through this one still anxious about dietary changes but committed to continuing the plan.

I’m going to post up a link on Facebook today with my fundraising link and put it out there that I’m really doing this. I’m going to appeal for money over there only once per month. I’m going to direct people who are truly interested to come here so that people don’t have to hide or unfriend me because they get sick of hearing about running.

This next week, we have an easier week with a shorter long run. Looking forward to a good one. I hope that you have a great week as well. If you want to talk with me about anything you’ve read here, I’d love to have that conversation. DM me or get in touch with me. I’m not hard to find.

AND FINALLY, PLEASE SUPPORT MY EFFORTS TO RAISE $3,000 TO BRING CLEAN WATER TO PEOPLE WHO DESPERATELY NEED IT. GIVE TODAY! HERE’S THE LINK.

Week 6 went well. Four runs, two cross-training workouts (CG), and a day of rest. That day was helpful since I had a pretty bad toe blister problem on the long run. At any rate, this week was all about our first double-digit run (11 miles) of this training cycle. I wouldn’t exactly say it was a breeze – it got pretty warm, my pinky toes were killing me, and I noticed the uptick in the mileage.

Earlier in the week, we had two runs of 45-50 minutes, and one run of 25-35 minutes. Our pace per mile has been gradually coming down, though it is of zero concern at this point. Running naturally, we’re in the 11:15-11:45 per mile zone. On long runs, we intentionally slow the pace down to 1.5-2 minutes slower than that. So with this run averaging 13.0 per mile, we’re right in the proper training zone. I anticipate that the natural per-mile pace will continue to improve, though, as I have stated, it is not a factor. Successfully covering the miles is the one and only goal. 

Since our water bottles are good for about 6-8 miles, I left early on our long-run day and dropped a thermos of Nuun water in a park that I knew we would hit around mile six. Conveniently, that particular park also has a real restroom. Both of us needed that!

The 9th and 11th miles were the hardest for me mentally. I just got to the point where I wanted to be done. I had to talk myself off that ledge a couple of times. Plus my toes were on fire! I knew they were being rubbed raw. I will spare you the post-run picture. But it will take a little time for the new skin to develop properly.

My best feel-good accomplishment this week was that my weight loss was more rapid. I’m starting to feel better. Down a shirt size. I have more energy. I’m feeling good about continuing with the very few principles that I’m following. Basically, waiting until I’m hungry to eat, eating slowly enough to notice when I’m full, and stopping there. Doesn’t really seem like that is hard work, but for me, it is. More on that later.

I got to dog sit my daughter’s extremely affectionate dog, Leo, this weekend. He was really happy that his Paw Paw returned from a run all salty.

Next week, we have a shorter, 5-mile run on the weekend. Looking forward to a decent week of training. Please give to support my effort to raise $3,000 for clean water projects in Africa. A mere $50 will provide clean water for life for one person. Please give! Follow this link to my fundraising page.

This week’s training went pretty smoothly –

4 days of running (T, W, F, Sa), and two CG days (M, Th). Our “long” weekend run only needed to be 4 miles. Starting this week, the long, slow, weekend miles accelerate fairly rapidly with stepback weeks in between: 4, 11, 5, 13, 5, 15, 5, 17, etc.

My buddy Steve was out for a couple of the runs this week due to a most unfortunate I-forgot- glide long run. He was seriously down and out for a few days. I felt bad for him. I had a couple of run alone days, one of which felt seriously sluggish. Not discouraging, but I just felt I couldn’t really move all that well.

But, I did get all my workouts in, and I continued to work on my food principles:

• Make some wise choices / have a plan
• Eat when hungry
• Stop when full
• Drink water; get sleep
• Address reasons for eating other than hunger (don’t love this one, but it’s part of the deal)

So, I ended the week feeling pretty strong.

Link to donate to Team World Vision

I’m raising $3,000 to help bring clean water to children and communities in Africa. $50 will provide access to clean water for one person. Will you help?

I’m feeling pretty good overall about where I am currently in the process. I’m feeling healthy, strong, encouraged, determined, and optimistic about this training. That said, I wrestle daily with the two emotional blocks to success: I’m still over my running weight (although I am 3 pounds down this week), and I’m slow (though that is intentional and the pace is NOT a factor in this part of the training). The battle is in staying focused on the first list while creating a new reality on weight and pace. The fact is I’ve come a long way in four months. And I’m doing this.

So, here is the report on our long run Sunday. It went well. We covered 9 miles with 10 hill repeats. It was getting fairly warm by the time we got to the hill repeats, but I think we did well on them. We were very consistent with the times. We took an extended walk break halfway through them. We kept the clock running the whole time. We then finished out the rest of the mileage. Steve forgot to use Glide…so…OUCH. Very bad idea. I bet he won’t forget again.

9-mile course

Hill repeats!

We were able to do negative splits in the second half, which is usually an indication that enough energy was reserved in the first half. I wish I had turned on to this earlier. It is a good feeling to finish a distance run feeling like I could go on.

As for the early part of the week, I was traveling on Monday, so I missed CG, but got my runs in on Tuesday and Wednesday. CG on Thursday and then missed my Friday run as a result of staying out and up WAY too late Thursday night. CG on Saturday and the long run on Sunday.

After my nice run on Sunday, I managed to cut the tip of my right index finger off…trip to the ER…pain blood, gross…Now I have a funky bandage on for the 7 stitches I got to re-attach the tip of the finger. Call me Frankenfinger. I’m afraid my hand modeling days are over.

OUCH! Frankenfinger

Looking forward to a good week of training this week that started with a good CG workout this morning.

This picture was taken during week 3, on a 7.5 mile run that included 8 hill repeats. This was what the sky looked like when we started the hill repeats. Had to take a picture. It was one of those moments when you’re so thankful that you fought through getting up early enough to see the beauty of the skies.

We had to be flexible this week due to both of us traveling on the weekend. Our “normal” schedule is to run Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (long run). This week, however, we switched Friday and Sunday so that we didn’t have to scout out places to do hill repeats and a long run while out of town. Worked out great for me, because I found myself in far Southeast Georgia on Sunday morning. Flat, flat, flat! I suppose I could have worked something out on the treadmill as a last resort, but what a pain. Easier simply move the days around a bit. We elected to do our long run early Friday morning, making Sunday an easy 40-50 minutes. Which I was able to accomplish!

I’ve found in training that flexibility is important. Having a plan is important, too. Priorities have to be outlined. However, my job takes me out of town on weekends frequently. Thankfully, my running buddy is flexible. We’re able to work things out.

I added cross training in to the mix this week. I had to fight through some insane soreness on my Tuesday and Wednesday runs, but I got through it. For my cross training, I have returned to Camp Gladiator. I’m doing camp on my “off” days. It’s a one hour boot-camp-style workout. It’s great. The trainers are great, and the workouts are full body.

It made me feel GREAT to get back to camp. Still heavier than I would like, but I feel progress.

Speaking of heavy, I’ve continued to slowly lose weight. It’s going slower than I would like, but since January first, I have lost 32 pounds. I need a bunch more off of me to make this upcoming marathon more enjoyable. I feel like I’m in the fight of my life in many ways. I’ll post about all of that shortly.

All in all, training is going very well. No injury. Foot feels good. I’m loving the fact that I’ve consistently exercised for four months.

FUNDRAISING! I’m running this marathon with Team World Vision. Here is my fundraising page.  My goal is $3,000. $50 will provide clean water for one person! Please donate. Please donate. Please donate.

RECAP
Monday CG
Tuesday 47 minutes
Wednesday 27 minutes
Thursday CG
Friday 7.5 miles including 8 hill repeats
Saturday Rest
Sunday 42 minutes

In my next post, I’ll address the pacing issue. Thanks for reading.

This week was a good week.

Tuesday = 46 minutes
Wednesday = 27 minutes
Friday = 44 minutes
Sunday 6.3 miles

Total miles = 16.1

I think I mentioned that we are training Galloway style. This week (and last), we did no breaks in the shorter (27 minute ) run, with normal breaks in the longer and the weekend long run. We intentionally ran a hilly course on Sunday, and it felt OK.

Steve got pretty sick midweek, so he unfortunately missed the Friday run. He was OK by Sunday, so we had a good morning. Cool, clear skies. Beautiful morning.

I had a 3.2 pound weight loss over the last 2 weeks. Not as aggressive as I would like, but I’ll take it. Celebrating every victory.

This morning, (Monday), I started back at CG (Camp Gladiator), which will be my cross training activity for the duration. I’m planning on three times per week on our Sunday run schedule, and two times per week on our Saturday run schedule.

This week, due to my weekend travel schedule, we will be moving our weekend hill workout / long run to Friday morning. Thankful that Steve is willing to adjust with me on that. That will make it easier to get my run in on Sunday while I’m on the road.

I don’t have much more to say for this one, except that I made my marks this week, and that feels really good. I also set up my fundraising page (hint) for World Vision. I have a goal of $3,000, but I’d really like to blow right past that. So help me!

I’ll try to update mid week with some really profound stuff. No promises.

The thing about blogs is that thinking about updating them is not the same as actually updating them. I’m working on it, really. I do have some stuff I want to share. Hope I remember to do it.