2012 Year in Review

2012 was the first of hopefully many years of activity. After my "post-baby" weight gain was causing my size 36 pants to be too tight, I decided I needed to lose weight and get in shape. (Yes, guys can gain weight with a newborn, especially if he never sleeps and you eat whatever as "treats" for not getting any sleep).
I first weighed in at 217.6 lbs and today I weighed 196.6 lbs, a loss of 21 lbs. I still have about 10 lbs to go and hopefully that will happen once the holidays pass (I haven't lost anything since Thanksgiving).
In the 20 weeks since I started running in August, I completed two 5Ks, and I have another scheduled in 2 weeks.

2012 Races
Oct 27 - Pumpkin 5k - 29:21 (9:28/mile)
Nov 22 - Turkey Trot 5k - 28:22 (9:09/mile)

Totals for the Year
Run (Started in August)
# times: 56
Total Distance: 140 miles (+49 miles of walking - warmups, cooldowns, etc)

Biking (Started after Thanksgiving)
# Times: 13
Total Distance: 68 miles

Swimming (Started in December)
# Times: 6
Total Distance: 5450 yards

First BRICK = Miserable

After a week off exercising due to Christmas traveling, I forced myself back into a workout. It is hard when everyone is laying around the house. It is tempting to do the same. However, my free time is very limited, so I take an opportunities I can get.

On Friday, I ran. On Saturday, I biked 12 1/2 miles. On Sunday I decided to try a BRICK (Bike + Run). My Saturday bike ride was the longest I had ever done. So when I hopped on the bike, my butt was still very sore, and my legs felt like jello. I planned two laps around the neighborhood (5.5 miles), but only managed one. The transition seemed fairly smooth, but I forgot to take my fleece off which soon proved to be hot. (Time = 2 minutes) The beginning of the run felt very weird. After about 400 yards, my calves were tight so I had to stop and stretch. I also went about 1.5 hrs after a big lunch, so my stomach gave me troubles. I would have like to go later, but with both kids napping, it was the best time to get out of the house. After many many thoughts about quitting the run, I push myself to do my original planned distance of 2.25 miles. It felt miserable. On the brightside, when I calculated my run time, it came out to be 9:24 mile, which I am still in disbelief over. It felt much slower.

Last Workout Before Christmas

We'll be doing some traveling over Christmas so I wanted to hit it harder this morning since I won't be able to do anything again for about a week. It was quite cold for Houston (34 F) at 5am. I ran 5.6 miles, which is my longest distance ever. I was running for distance and didn't care much about speed. I felt I was at my "Energizer Bunny pace" (I could keep going and going), which is currently about 10:30/mile. As I wasn't out of breath at all when I finished, though my legs were getting tired and I was started to get a blister on my foot. I could have easily hit 10k, but I was at a good stopping point and needed to get back to help get the kids ready.  Now my legs are good and sore, so they can recover over the next week.

I have a 5k in about 3 weeks. My goal is to break 9:00/mile (I was 9:06 last time), but I haven't been doing as much running (in lieu of biking and swimming), so I'm not sure if it will happen.

Strong Cyclists Have the Advantage

I am a numbers guy. I keep detailed records of my workouts. I was curious to see what average times were and the differences within each discipline. The below stats are from 30-34 year old male age group of the 2012 CB&I Woodlands Triathlon. 

If you are an above average swimmer (25th percentile), you would save 3.09 minutes over someone who was a below average swimmer (75th percentile). However, if you were an above average cyclist (25th percentile) you would save about 8 minutes over a below average cyclist (75th percentile)

Kinesthetic Awareness

With Christmas, it'll be tough to get any workouts in for about a week, so I am trying to push myself this week. So I went for an 8 mile bike ride this morning, upping my average pace to 14 mph. I am trying some kinesthetic awareness (riding, self diagnosing issues, and then using google to find answers).

1. My butt gets sore
2. I think I still might be a little low in the saddle.
3. I still need to learn to ride with one hand. (How else can I drink any water or eat?)

(1) From the indefatigable Sheldon Brown:

You'll notice that I do call them "saddles," not "seats." There is a reason for this. A "seat" is something you sit on, and is designed to bear essentially your entire weight. Recumbent bicycles have "seats," but conventional upright bicycles have saddles. A saddle is intended to carry some, but not all of your weight. The rest of your weight is mainly carried by your legs, and some by your hands and arms. (Me: I may not be carrying much weight with my legs)
 A cyclist who is out of cycling shape from being off a bicycle for a few months or more, will start out strong, but the legs will tire rapidly. When the legs tire, the rider sits harder on the saddle, and that's when the trouble starts. (Me: Yes) Many saddle complaints are actually traceable to fatigue caused by starting out the season with a longer ride than you are ready for.

(2) Again from Sheldon Brown:

You cannot judge the saddle height to any accuracy by just sitting on it, or riding around the block. As you get close to the correct position, the clues get more and more subtle.Most people start with the saddle too low. .... Riding with the saddle too low is like walking with your knees bent. If you walked that way all the time, you'd also get used to that, but you'd think that half a mile was a long walk. The way the human leg is made, it is strongest when it is nearly straight.
I suggest gradually raising your saddle, perhaps half an inch (1 cm) at a time. Each time you raise it, ride the bike. If it doesn't feel noticeably worse to ride, ride it for at least a couple of miles/km. If it had been too low before, your bike will feel lighter and faster with the new riding position. If raising the saddle improved things, raise it again, and ride some more. Keep doing this until the saddle is finally too high, then lower it just a bit.
When the saddle is too high, you'll have to rock your hips to pedal, and you'll probably feel as if you need to stretch your legs to reach the bottom part of the pedal. Another indication that the saddle may be too high is if you find yourself moving forward so that you are sitting on the narrow front part of the saddle. 

(3) From How to Ride Your Bike Like a Veteran

Learning to ride with one hand takes a bit of skill and coordination. Your weight needs to be firmly placed on the seat, with the one steering had locked out for support and stability. Bent elbows are a no-no here. Some folks find that engaging your core muscles can help!

Swim Improvement

In the last week since I last went swimming, I bought swim jammers (just had standard trunks) and have been watching a lot of YouTube videos. I actually saw some serious improvement over my previous times. My 100 yard time dropped from 2:45 to between 2:14 - 2:31 depending on the set.

I've mostly been doing blocks of 100 yards. I figure if I can concentrate on my stroke the best when I am not out of breath. Endurance swimming can come later. I found that these drills, addressed some of my weaknesses. I definitely hadn't rotated my body when swimming, but this is because I learned it was bad ("rotating is wasting energy").

I breath out of my right side, and I notice I start pulling with my left hand too early (when my hand is by my thigh). It was a little difficult to correct with the "catch-up" drill or the similar "slow arm recovery" drill, because I notice I start sinking and I use the pull to keep my head above water so I can breathe. I think I need to keep my butt up closer to the surface as I must be dragging. I need to have someone video me when I swim.


Update: Via the wonders of the internet and google, I found an answer to my question. The entire post "Bigfuzzdoug's Ten Points to Swimming" is awesome, and one of the points directly addressed my issue:

 

4.)  “Torpedoes move faster than oil tankers.” You have to try and maintain a slim, sleek, torpedo shape.  Back and legs straight as a board.  Think of your body swimming through a narrow two foot-wide-tube.  Most swimmers legs tend to sink.  You need to overcome this by two things:  First, improve your back, abs and oblique core muscles.  I can’t stress enough how good exercise like Pilates are for swimming!  And second, “press your buoy.”  By lowering your head and pressing your chest down, you raise your legs.  This is known as “downhill swimming”.
Unusual Training Tip:  Try to look at your feet!  That's right.  As you swim, I want you to try and look under and behind you.  This is going to drive your head down, get your feet up and make you more streamlined in the water.  Your chin should be against your chest.  Not so tightly that you can't breathe or that it's uncomfortable, just so that you're leading with the top of your head, not your forehead and driving your head down.  Again, the goal is to raise your legs and look like a flat, horizontal torpedo in the water....

The most common mistake by amateur swimmers (me not excluded) is that they convert their breathing stroke into a vertical support stroke to push their heads up and out of the water further.  It doesn't work and it's wasted energy.  It slows you down (dramatically) and creates bad habits.  Keep that chin in tight to your shoulder and use that stroke to go FORWARD!   ...

Most people suffer in that as they're recovering an arm, turning up, getting their mouth out of the water to take a breath, they begin the next pull to push down and keep their head up to breathe.  They've immediately decreased their length of waterline by two feet or more and this immediately creates wake drag.  You have to be able to put your ear on your bicep with a fully extended arm and keep it their throughout the entire breath.  Recovery arm meets the extended one, rotate back down and THEN begin the next pull.

White Oak Bayou Trail

Normally, I got around the neighborhood in the morning, but with all of the stops and intersections, sometimes getting a good workout can be a little difficult. Since I had some more time today, I took a trip over to the White Oak Bayou Trail. The total trail is over 5 miles, and you can ride from 43rd street to Antoine/West Little Work (a 3 mile distance) without any intersections. The Bayou made for decent scenery and you can quickly forget you are pretty much in the ghetto until you get to Antoine. The underpasses along the way made for some practice riding on "hills."

I certainly got the workout I wanted. It was only my 7th time out on my bike, but I decided to ride for a long distance no matter how slow I rode. I did 11.5 miles and that took me an hour. Some of that was interrupted by lights and intersections getting to and from the trail. My average pace on the trail (6 miles) was just over 13 mph and my best mile was 16.44 mph. I didn't really get out of breath, but my legs got tired. (My butt also got really sore.)

To put this in perspective, in the 2012 Woodlands Triathlon, the 90th percentile of participants in the 30-34 age group was 16.4 mph over 15 miles. So I have a looong way to go. However, it was only my 7th time, and it took about 35 times running for my standalone 5k time to be within the 90th percentile of the same triathlon athlete times for the 5k portion. I have about 30 weeks my planned triathlon, so if I can ride twice per week, that is 60 more training rides. Patience, Chris.

The First of Many Laps

I spent my lunch hour at a pool trying to work on my stroke. I've read that it is better to work on the stroke than swim for endurance. I've tried to put instruction from YouTube videos into practice. The results were not immediately successful. I think this will be a long road.

I tried some of the drills recommended in my triathlon book (Complete Triathlon Book by Matt Fitzgerald), but they weren't so successful. I tried the "catch-up" drill, but got out of breath (when do you breath and how). I tried the "count stroke" drill, but got out of breath and also lost track. I also tried the "close fist" drill (swimming with close fists) and that worked better. I found that doing 100 yds and being concious of my form was possibly the best.

Among others, I did 3 seperate sets of 100 yards at freestyle, all were 2:44 or 2:45. I wasn't trying a all-out pace, but a pace I could somewhat maintain. I also did 100 yards of backstroke and I clocked it at 2:40, even though turns were much more slow and awkward (I cannot do flip turns).

It will be a long road. I have to remember that I have gone running 53 times since August, but this is my 4th time in a pool. I plan on trying to go twice per week.

Helpful Online Swimming Videos

This is a work-in-progess post. I've been scowering YouTube looking for helpful videos. I've found a few  and tried to put them into practice. When I find additional ones that are good, I will add them.


Freestyle Swimming Technique

 

Freestyle Body Positioning

"Breathe to Air"

Three good swim drills ( "slow arm recovery," "quick catch" and "high swingers")

Common Freestyle Mistakes in Swimming

Preparing for Open Water Swim

 Breathing in Freestyle

Freestyle Stroke Analysis

Grant Hackett - Front Crawl Technique

The Swim Arm Cycle

Open water swimming - sighting technique with Keri-anne Payne

From "The Race Club"
Secret Tip - Head Position Part 1
Secret Tip - Head Position Part 2

Helpful YouTube Running Videos

The benefit of running today as opposed to trying to run in 1995 (when I was in high school) is the advent of the internet and YouTube. Information is much more readily available, but sometimes the good information may be hard to find.

If someone was starting running, and especially if they were prone to shin splits, I would heavily recommend the first two videos. As for the five mistakes, I was making four of them. Implementing the tips from these videos has changed my view of running from "I hate it" to something much more managable (I still don't love running).

Five Beginner Running Mistakes:

Forefoot running explained:

Newton is a new shoe company that has designed their shoes around forefoot running. I started running on my forefoot a few months before I bought their shoes. Watching the video made me realize it wasn't a gimmick. It made sense. I've owned them for two months now, and I am a happy customer. My joint pain is less and I think my run time is up because the pain is less.

Newton has other good videos, but this one below hit home for me. Despite trying to run on my forefoot, I would still feel some shin pain from time to time. I think this is why (I was still overextending).

Longest Run Ever (5 miles)

I ran five miles on Saturday. Yup. Five miles. Since my in-laws were in town for my son’s 1^st birthday, my and I were able to go together. I first ran with the Mrs. for 2.4 miles at her pace (11:29/mile), and then I ran 2.7 miles at a faster pace (10:14/mile), but slower than my recent training pace.

I didn’t really care about time at all, though. Since my previous furthest distance ever was 3.28 miles, so running 5.1 miles has been a huge ego boost. I now have confidence that I could run a 10k. At the end, I wasn’t out of breadth, but my legs were very tired. They are still sore today.

Back in the Pool

So I got to go swimming over lunch. The place is really nice and the cost was low ($5/visit). So I swam a total of 650 yards in about 18 minutes. I started with 250 yards, but got myself all out of breath and I couldn’t probably recover even switching to backstroke. So I stopped, rested and started again. I did 300 yards, all freestyle. It was slow, but I was happy to be able to maintain the stroke, since that is where I want to get to eventually.  Backstroke laps won’t really help my eventual goal. However, the overall time was as a slow as when I did add in backstroke. Later in the season they are supposed to switch the lanes to lengthwise so each lap will be 50m, which means less turns. I stink at turns, but there is no point in learning them if tri swims are open swims.

I’ve gotten my 5k time down to 28:22 minutes, so part of my mind was expecting to immediately be producing equivalent times on the bike and the swim, but that is far from true. While I’m not quite at square one as I was when I started running, I am much further down on the learning curve.

Time on the Bike

I got to take my bike for another spin this morning. It’s basically the 4^th time I’ve taken it out for exercise. I went 5.5 miles. I didn’t really get too out of breadth, but my legs get tired. Cycling definitely used different muscles that running – more the quads rather than the calves.

Part of mind thinks I should be able to do 15 miles at 20 mph already. I’m not like I was with running August, but there is some build up required. The other part of my brain has me practicing things like going over potholes or rounding corners (trying to get a feel for the speed to make a certain turn). The rationale side of me says all of these things take time to practice. I am still getting used to being on a bike again. I still have 21 weeks until a triathlon. For reference, I’ve been running for 17 weeks.

Longer than 5k

I did run on Sunday for 3.28 miles, which is my new longest distance and still maintain a pace of 9:50 min/mile, though I felt tired when I started. I think if I can build the endurance to run a 10k, then I should be able to have the endurance to do the triathlon. Similarly, I should be able to swim 1k (all freestyle) if that is my only exercise. I might try going swimming tomorrow. I’ll start with 500m. I haven’t swam in 7 weeks. For reference, at that time I was running 2.5 miles at about 10:45 a mile.

My New Bike!

I bought a bike too! It’s a very lightly used 2011 KHS Flite 300.

I took it for a ride on Saturday and my bum hurt afterwards. I slid too far forward so all my weight was on the wrong place. Today, I went again. It was cold and my hands were freezing, but I don’t hurt as much on my bum. After a couple miles, I came home and moved my seat forward and it felt more comfortable. Overall, I’m getting a little more comfortable riding the bike. Frequent intersections in the neighborhood prevent me from going too fast because I worry about cars and traffic. I’ll eventually have to get a bike rack and then take it to a bike trail.

2nd 5K is Done!

The Turkey Trot is in the books. I ran it in 28:22 (9:09 min/mile) which is almost a minute less than my Pumpkin Run time. That also includes dodging walkers for the first ¾ of a mile, which was annoying. It was sprint, weave, slow down, repeat. I imagine I ran more than 3.1 miles due to that. Oh well, it just means that it’ll be easier to beat that time in the next race. It’s definitely a time which I can hold my head up and be proud about. I’ve come a long way in the last 15 weeks. One of my early efforts including 0.73 mi run at a 11:28 min/mile pace.

Shopping for a Road Bike

I've been doing a lot of research into bike recently. There are so many different brands and options it can be overwhelming at times. Back when I got my bike as a kid, you got what your parents gave you. 

I have visited several bike shops and tried out a few. The first time on a bike was nerve-racking. It had been 17 years since I got on a bike and about 19 years since I rode regularly. Starting and stopping were awkward, but otherwise, the saying is true.  Overall,  I have realized the different bikes are too similar to try to distinguish given my inexperience. So I will get the one on sale.

I got the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I’m not worried about running a 5k distance, it just depends on what my time will be. Granted that I did the 1^st 5k at a rather quick time, so beating it will require a lot of huffing and puffing.

Onward to the next Race

I have found running to be a bit easier and a bit faster in the last week. My pace for 2.5 miles is down about 30 seconds / mile in the last 2-3 weeks, and I don’t have constant thoughts of quitting at the halfway point.

I’m still transitioning into my new shoes. Newton said to expect calf tenderness in the first 2-4 weeks.

Two weeks in and I still have a sore calf. I am getting better at running on my forefoot instead of sometimes running on my forefoot and getting sloppy when I get tired. The result is that I don’t have any shin pain and my joints seem better. The new shoes are designed with cushioning under the forefoot unlike my old shoes which are designed for heal striking.

I have my next 5k in 2.5 weeks but  I perhaps this time I’ll be under 30 minutes again, but this time with less pain.

First 5k!!!

Hell yeah! I finished my first 5k in a time beyond my wildest expectations – 29:21 (a 9:28 min/mi pace). The course on Allen Parkway has a big steep hill at the end. When I came up and saw the finish line I saw the clock. I forgot that the chip discounts the time it takes for you to get across the starting line, so I saw the clock counting up towards 30 minutes and I knew I could make it. I think my gun time was 29:58 or something. My time was about 3 minutes shorter than my practice run on Wednesday, so I still can’t believe it. Of course, I was beyond exhausted crossing the finish line and I heaved a little.

Since it was Halloween-time, some people were in costume. I got passed by a ketchup bottle so I didn’t think it was going all that well. I crossed the line at the same time as a guy in a Gumby suit. My friend thought his time would be at about 37 minutes, but he was faster than me.

I went running again this morning, but only 1.8 miles. My calves are sore (not a strain, but combination of the new shoes and the uphill run on Saturday.

Final Training Run!

Final training run before my 5k! I ran 3 miles this morning (my first)! My original plan was to take it slow and at a pace I could sustain without hating the run. Time didn’t matter, just completing the run. Well I did and I still had a time (10:39 min/mi pace) that I was quite happy with. When I was finishing I felt like I could have continued without much trouble. It’s gotta be the shoes? In the 10 ½ weeks since I started, I have done 34 training runs (plus two swims).  

I’ve been thing about a game plan for Saturday. I think I will maintain that modest pace for the first half of the race and then perhaps pick up the pace for the 2^nd half. I remember from college that running a semi-fast pace throughout yields a better time than going slow and sprinting the end.

To make my morning better, I also weighed in a 199.9 lbs. Now, I just need to do some pushups tomorrow. I missed Tuesday’s upper body exercise day.

Stomach Bugs Stink

I caught a stomach bug over the weekend. I was largely feeling better yesterday afternoon, albeit a bit lethargic, I decided to run this morning. It was hot and gross and I wasn’t feeling 100%, but I suffered through and ran 2 miles, but resulted in a surprisingly reasonable time (10:46 pace). If I didn’t run today, my wife would want to go tomorrow (she started running a few weeks ago), and that would only leave me with Wednesday to run prior to my 5K on Saturday.

I bought some heel inserts and focused more on forefoot running, so I feel better in that area. My legs don’t seem to be as sore today as with my other shoes given the forefoot padding that the Newton’s provide.  I haven’t run a full 3 miles yet, so I should on Wednesday if I feel better. I imagine that having the crowds and other runners will greatly help my performance.  

2nd Swim - No Better

I swam again yesterday. Finding time to get to a pool has been difficult. My new goggles helped to save my eyes, but I didn’t have any better time, despite my improved endurance from running and my pushup regimen. I swam more laps freestyle (4 backstroke versus 9 in 500 yds), but some of my freestyle were forced and slow when I was out of breath. I sucked ass on the turns - the timing would be poor and I would end up losing air and then gasping for it on the way back. The stopping and turn, just kills my rhythm. I feel like I could swim 2 min/100m if my endurance improves and I didn’t have to deal with turns. If I am out of breath, it is probably better to switch to backstroke, catch my breath, and then continue, instead of going super slow at freestyle.

My New Shoes - Newton Gravity

So I got my new shoes! I got a pair of Newton Gravity. Newton is rather new company, but their shoes have been designed around forefoot running. Forefoot running has really reduced my shin splits and other joint pains. However, my old shoes had no padding under my forefoot, so my legs would still feel the impact of landing on asphalt with minimal cushioning. Newton shoes put the padding under the forefoot instead of on the heal like most shoes. They aren't minimalst shoes that mimic barefoot runners. (Barefoot running trend also requires running on the forefoot)

They feel good, but they remind you went your form falls apart. You can feel the impact on landing on your heels. I also think I was overextending (due to being tired and trying to stretch my stride) is a cause of some leg paid. My heels hurt later, so I’m going to have to be more careful. However, the cushion on my forefoot felt good as well. I only ran a mile as recommend. Given my heel pain, I can see why.

How I learned to stop worrying about time and love the run

I ran my 2.5 miles at my slowest pace yet today (11:16 pace). Recently this has caused my consternation: I would hate trying to run faster, but then kick myself for “not trying hard” afterwards. Today I didn’t care as much – just finish the run without quitting and enjoy it a little more. As long as I am running, my heartbeat is elevated and endurance is building. I can give it 110%  on race day. I also felt I could have gone longer than the 2.5 miles, so that is good news for my next run.

I am about to buy new running shoes. Given that my current shoes are about 7 years old, I think I am due. While these shoes haven’t gotten a lot of usage, the rubber is likely worn and they have minimal padding under the forefoot (where I’ve been running). I want to take them running on the 5k and I think I should have enough training runs to break them in. 

The Last 1/2 Mile

Another 2.5 mile run in the books (my 5^th), but going to 3 miles seems daunting. I think part of it is mental. Part of my brain was contemplating quitting and walking, but I realized, I wasn’t out of breath, my legs didn’t really hurt. There was just no excuse. It does highlight the benefit of running outdoors versus a treadmill. I still had to get back home and it would have only taken much longer had I walked. I have four more practice runs before the 5K. I haven’t really seen much improvement over the last several runs. I did run slower than Saturday, but my knee hurt a little at the start. I’ve read to cut training by 30%-50% every 4^th or 5^th week, and I think I am due.

It's Only Running from Here On Out

The Couch to 5K program ends walking/running when the longest run segment is one mile. This of course, doesn't count walking in warmup or cooldown. I decided to try to modify that and run two sets of 1 ¼ miles with a ½ mile walk in between, with the idea of slowly shrinking that 1/2 mile walk. 

I ran the 1 1/4 mile well, but I stopped to walk, I broke a decent rhythm that was tough to get back into when I started running again. So it’ll be back to a straight 2.5 mile run and then I’ll build from there.

Two and a Half Miles

I signed up for a 5K on October 27^th .  I discovered a friend of mine has also started running back in July. He was signed up for this 5k, his first as well. It is earlier than I expected, but I think I can do it.

Yesterday, I ran 2.5 miles in 27:11, so a 10:56 pace.  I have 8 training days until then. Seven training days prior, I ran 1.7 miles at a 11:58 pace, so I figure I could at least do the 5K in under 34 minutes (10:56 pace). My minimum goal for the Turkey Trot is 32 minutes (10:18 pace), but my stretch goal is under 30 minutes (9:39 pace). I have 11-12 training sessions in between the 5Ks.

First Two Mile Run

I've been religiously continuing with my running. I've now gotten out the door and have run / walked 21 times over 6 weeks. This last time was for 2 miles, which I did at a 11:28 pace. I have 8 weeks until my 5k so I think I will have enough time.

While I’ve been showing improvement on running, my pushup training has been poor. I think I figured out why. With running, I start by walking for warm-up, then jog and slowly increase speed. A normal pushup is like full on sprinting – I usually get out of breath before I get tired (because for some reason I end up holding my breath). My consistency has been poor, but it would also be poor on running if I knew I had to start sprinting the moment I stepped out the door. So I started training at a 45 degree angle. Yesterday my arms got really tired (still sore today) for the first time, plus I was eager to go back for additional sets. I will need the arm strength in a triathlon swim. I think I have a good potential to do 500 meters in 10 minutes, but I need the strength to maintain freestyle. I did ½ of laps with backstroke when I went, which is slower plus I would always go of course and hit the lane line.

First Swim, First Long Run

I had a busy weekend of exercise:

• On Friday I went swimming. I did a total of 50 laps (25 yd pool). I did two sets of 500 yds. I basically alternated between crawl and backstroke. My freestyle pace was baout 3 min/100m and my backstroke pace was about 3:40/100m.
• On Saturday I did a longer continuous run of 1.69 mi at a pace of 11:58 min/mi. My legs were getting tired before I was getting out of breath.

I am definitely a better swimmer than runner. Even though it was my first time in the pool and I could swim at a rate that is not far off a reasonable triathlon times and have enough gas left to do it again, but I would like be almost last in the run, even if the run was my only event. Swimming did reinforce my need to do upper-body exercises on my off-run days. So much of the crawl is upper body and conditioning my arms to do most of the work would save my legs for a bike or run. I have signed up to run the 5K on Thanksgiving day.

Long term, I am aiming (long-term) to run the Woodlands triathlon next May. I figure I’ve had enough intellectual accomplishments in my life, I better get some physical ones before I get too old. I also don’t want to be a fat dad. I want to be active with my kids when I am 45. One of my goals is to get into the old Navy PRT standard for my age group

Back from Calf Strain

The calf strain sidelined me for a long week. It was frustrating because I'm amped up to go run, but I can't. I treated the calf strain with rest, ice, and some heat. After about a week of this, my running was uninhibited by any injury and I’ve had three good runs since.

I doing this “Couch to 5K” program, which usually divides segments into running and walking, but next run I want to see if I can run 2 miles,  no matter how slow.

I am still interested in getting to triathlons. However I need to practice swimming (need access to a pool) and I need a bike. I haven’t ridden a bike since I was probably 15, but I hear you don’t forget. I have looked at some bikes but there are tons of options, choices, and things I need to learn (change a flat, etc). It is somewhat overwhelming.  I also need to add in more upper body exercises on my off days (I only run every other day). I sometimes do some pushups, but I need to do three sets consistently. I really hate pushups. By the way, I weighed  in at 207.7, so I’m down about 10 lbs from my first measurement .

A Calf Strained

I was continuing on my Couch to 5k and I got a calf strain. What happened is that I saw a guy I knew walking, right around when my walking segment was supposed to begin, so I walked and talked. However, he was walking much slower than my typical walk segments and I ended up walking for much longer than my alloted time. So when I started back up, it was straight into running. It happened instantly, and it was a sharp searing pain. I tried streching it, but it was of no use.

FYI, there has been no weight loss in the last 10 days.

Couch to 5k

So far my training has been haphazard. However, I found a simple online training program - Couch to 5K. It is a schedule to get to a 5k in 9 weeks. It calls for only running every other day. Since my race is 11 weeks away, I may modify it to stretch it out. I did a total of 9.5 minutes of running over six segments. I want to run at a fast pace in the run segments, and then ideally shrink the walking segments.

I also found this link 100 Beginner Running Tips to be rather helpful as well.

Visions of Grandeur (a Triathlon)

I’ve been on my eat healthy and exercise kick for about 3 weeks now, which means it’s the longest stretch of exercise and eating healthy. I weighed in at 210.7 lbs today, so that is a loss of almost 7 pounds in 3 weeks. I think I want to try to run the Turkey Trot, a 5K on Thanksgiving Day, which is 12 weeks away. It’s far enough away to get in shape, but close enough that to stay motivated.

I’m having visions of grandeur about running a triathlon. I’m a fairly decent swimmer if I can get my stamina up. I would also need to completely learn everything about riding a bike as I have not done that since I was about 15. Anyway, I think I need to do at least two 5Ks before I even consider adding an event. Then perhaps do a swim / run event. Given the cost of getting a bike and related gear, I want to make sure that this isn’t a flash in the pan.

I have been suffering from some shin splits, which has been my nemesis in the past. I never get passed them and always quit. I decided to research shin splits and how to get rid of them. That led me to article and YouTube. I’ve realized I’ve done a lot of things wrong.  

These videos were the most helpful:

Beginner Running Tips

What is Forefoot Running

New Lifestyle Change

I started my kick to lose weight about 2 weeks ago. I weighed 217.6 lbs and many of my size 36 pants were getting very tight. I didn't want the shame of having to buy larger pants, so I started watching what I eat. The changes were rather simple: no more "large" sizes at lunch plus very small dinners.

Back in 2003, I was about 212 pounds and I lost about 25 lbs through  a simple "Eat Less, Walk More" type diet. It wasn't a formal plan, just keeping in mind "calories in vs. calories out." Slowly since 2008, I gained it all back and then some. The really killer, was the birth of my son in December, who slept very poorly. I compensated my lack of sleep by eating.

I'm not viewing my diet as a diet, but a lifestyle change. I want to be a Dad that is fit and healthy. I don't want to have to need bypass surgery. Weight loss is a goal, but I think it will come off naturally if I eat healthy.

About a week ago, I started walking / running. I really don't like running, but it is an activity that I can get out of my house and do immediately. Despite that I don't like running, I hate gyms more. I don't like treadmills because it is too easy to quit. One time, I decided to run a mile and to see how long that took: 12:33. So it is up to me to improve on that.