Body-smithing...

I'm one week away from the Marathon. Last week I was very nervous, and I suppose I still am, but last week I was dreading the run. This week I'm feeling better about it and am looking forward to accomplishing something big. On April 26th, the day I turned 37 years old, I ran 20 miles. It took me 3:35:20 and I was a bit sore for the next 24 hours. I'm on the downslope with my training. My "long" run yesterday was only 8 miles. This coming week I have 3,4, & 2 before taking two days off before the race. I've taken the liberty of photographing myself in my skivvies to keep a bit of a photo log of my progress.

This is the "before" picture. This was December 22, 2007. My first 1.5 mile run was on Dec 21, 2007 and hurt like the dickens.

This was taken May 3, 2008. After about 4 1/2 months of running I'm quite a bit lighter than I use to be. I think Jennifer is the primary beneficiary of the results. ;-)

Running for my life...

I'm up to about 30 miles per week now. My mileage is increasing but my pace isn't getting much better. It's mostly the last few miles that really kill me. I ran 16 miles last weekend and averaged 10 min/mile. I was averaging about 9 min/mile for about the first 10 miles and then it got a bit more tough. I think my "wall" is currently at about 13 miles. I'm going to have to push that back about 10 miles if I expect to do well on May 17th.

The Dirty Dozen...

When I was in Graduate school at UNLV, I ate 12 Krispy Kreme donuts in one day. It didn't take much will-power and I felt terrible for the next few days. Yesterday I managed a dozen of a different sort. I ran for 12 miles. For someone who has never run more than two miles in a day, the distances I'm running now are getting a bit ridiculous.

It was VERY windy yesterday. I ran on a highway six miles out and six miles back. It was getting progressively more windy as I continued to run. My last six miles were into a pretty stiff headwind and during my last three miles it was blowing about 30 mph right into my face. I was leaning forward quite a bit just to keep my momentum going forward. I also pulled my shirt tight around my waist and tucked the extra material in the back of my shorts. This helped me avoid my shirt becoming a sail and blowing me backwards. I couldn't breath very well, and some might say that no one can breath very well 10 miles into a 12 mile run; but have you ever tried to breath with your head out of a moving vehicle like a dog? It is very difficult and I needed all the air I could get. When the trucks would blow past me I could barely breath for a step or two.

Hopefully the wind lightens up next weekend. I've got to go 13 miles.

Continuous Improvement (Implementing Lean)

My running is going well. I'm not as blazingly fast as my friend Joe yet. Last week I did three 3 milers during the week and a 10 miler on Saturday. This week I've been in Dallas to help at one of our sites there. I've done two 3 mile runs on the hotel treadmill. I'm the scoutmaster and we're going on our winter campout tonight and tomorrow. It is a step-back week for me so my long run is only 7 miles. I may have to shorten that since I won't be getting home until about 4pm tomorrow, and I'll be very tired after sleeping in the snow.

Over the last 4 weeks my minutes/mile on my 3 mile runs has been getting progressively better. My long runs are just done at a comfortable pace so I don't kill myself or get injured but they are improving as well. It is very surprising to me how this is going.

Last 5 weeks of "Long Runs"

6 Miler: 64 min (10:40/mi)
7 Miler: 75 min (10:43/mi)
5 Miler: Can't remember
9 Miler: 87 min (9:40/mi)
10 Miler: 94 min (9:24/mi) (1st 5 miles were at a 9 minute pace, then I had to slow a bit.)
I've ordered some GU and I think that may help with the 2nd half of my long runs.

My last 4 week averages for my 3 mile runs:

9:26/mi
9:04/mi
8:42/mi
8:20/mi

It still hurts to push myself, but it's now my legs that protest rather than my lungs. My weight is much more under control at this point. In beginning this process I changed my diet. I eat a smoothie every morning made of 4 frozen strawberries, 1/2 of a frozen banana, a whole orange, 4 ice cubes and some water. It's a tasty treat. I'm also doing the Subway:Jared thing as well, except I go to Port-O-Subs which is a Nevada chain. I get a small ham, no cheese, no mayo, olive, lettuce, tomato, pickle, peppers, and avocado. I think my stomach has shrunk, because this small sandwich fills me up now.

I started at about 183 lbs. and I'm currently at about 168-9. After my 10 miler last weekend I was at 166.6 but most of that was water loss. Now that I'm 14 lbs. down from my starting weight, I'll be focusing less on the weight loss and more on my running speed.

Weights and Measures

I completed my 7 miler in 1:15:06. My average per mile was 10:44. I am now two weeks removed from that run, and today my long run was 9 miles. I finished in 1:27:00, which was better than expected. That was an average of 9:40 per mile. My total time was actually 1:30:23, but I was stopped by a police officer asking if I was OK. I was running on a highway outside of Silver Springs, Nevada, and apparently not many people do. She asked when my marathon was, where, how far I'd run that day, etc. etc. as if she needed someone to talk to. I didn't stop my watch, but it was at least a few minutes before she completed her verbal field sobriety test and sent me on my way.

With a bit of input from my friend Joe, I've started to do a bit of speed training. That is, I run a few miles a week at an increased pace in order to get use to running a bit faster. As you can see from the info above, I've already taken over a minute off of each mile. The 10:44 pace would have me finish the marathon in 4:41:00. Not stellar. The 9:40 pace would have me finish in 4:13:00. A few weeks ago I did a bit of math like this and figured 4 hours was not a realistic goal. Now I feel that it is entirely achievable, although it will take some work yet.


My kids poured a bunch of water over my digital scale rendering it inoperable. I bought a new one today with all the bells and whistles. It too is digital but it has sensors and a little computer in it. It keeps track of your starting weight, goal weight, date, time, and the sensors monitor your body fat percentage. I am currently rated as "Good" for my age, but am headed toward "Excellent". :-)

Since my kids ruined the last scale I haven't been able to check my weight in about 10 days. I weighed in at 169.4, meaning I've lost 13 pounds since Christmas. I still have bits and pieces I could do without, and I think I'll start the marathon somewhere in the low 160's. Two weeks ago I put on a suit that I haven't worn in a few years and it was snug back then. Now it fits great, so my wardrobe is increasing as my size decreases.

Goal number one...check.

In running a marathon I knew that things would go much easier for me physically if I would loose a couple of pounds. When I started this process I was 182.5. I have since dropped my first 10 pounds. I weighed in at 172.5 this morning which should make the strain on my knees a bit easier to handle. Pick up a 10 pound bag of sugar next time you're in the grocery store and see if you'd like to carry it for 26 miles. My drivers license lists me at 180, but in January of '07 I weighed 190. I didn't feel great and I didn't look great either.

As a testament to what improved fitness can do for you I offer the following: Near the end of my first run of 1.5 miles the outside of my right knee began to hurt. After the run the pain got progressively worse and wasn't completely gone for 2 days and after a lot of ice. After my first 3 mile run a week later, I had the same strong pain but not until about 2 miles into the run. When I ran six miles last weekend I felt the pain during the last half mile and it was gone by morning. This week I've done two 3 mile runs so far and didn't feel any pain during or after either run. In running 7 miles tomorrow, I feel that there is the possibility of minor pain after the run, but with my fitness level increasing, and my weight decreasing, it wouldn't surprise me to have no pain when I'm done.

Secondly, just prior to starting my exercising a month ago, my pulse was around 65 bpm. I just took my pulse and it was 52. That will keep the ticker working much longer.

I'm in the 2nd week of my 18 week training program (although I had to do some pre-training just to get ready for the actual training). Last Saturday I did my first long run of 6 miles. It took me 1:04:12. Not lightning, but I ran for over an hour without stopping and although I felt tired, it was very satisfying. I'm hoping to do my 7 miler in about 1:10, but won't be on as good of a road as I ran on last week so we'll see.

Some vacation...

I spent the week over New Year's Day in Utah at my brother's house. I had decided before I went that I would try and work out at least twice. When we got there, the ground was a foot deep in snow and running would have been impossible. On Wed we went to my brother's athletic club and played some very light basketball, but I followed it up with 1.5 miles on the treadmill. On Thursday I used his eliptical and went for 45 minutes. I was tired but on Friday did the same thing. I got my 3 workouts in, but none of them were actually running on the street.

Most of my family was together which included 4 of us 6 kids, my parents and about 15 of the grandkids. I ate like a cow all week, but was measurably better than I would have been a year ago. I think my stomach is a bit smaller than it was a few months ago, so I get filled up quicker, and I'm making better choices about what I put on my plate.

I assumed when I got home that I would be back up to 182 lbs, but I was 180.5, and by morning was 178.5 again. It's nice to have gone that week and not to have gained any weight. I can focus on dropping some more now that I'm back in control of my own fridge again.

My 18 week training schedule actually begins in one week, so I've got 7 days to drop a couple more pounds and get my knees a bit more accustomed to running. I'm not going to make any predictions on finishing times or even completion at this point. I want to move through this as sensibly as possible and not get ahead of myself in my training; although, how a person can talk of doing a Marathon, and do one sensibly is a bit of an oxymoron.