The Iron Geek

My personal journey of going from an overweight IT leader to an Ironman.

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16 posts tagged weight

The Bet and The Last Minute Race

So we had some friends over this weekend and of course the topic of triathlon and racing came up.  I was telling the husband of the couple that was over about my weight loss goals for my upcoming Ironman in November.  I let him know that I still had about 35 pounds to go before I hit what I think my best race weight will be.

He said something like “Yeah, I really need to lose weight too.  I used to be fit and skinny, but now, not so much.”

Long story, short: We now have a bet on who can be the first one to lose 35 pounds.  I wont say how much it is, but I will say that it is a big financial incentive to be the first one to lose the weight.  To sweeten the odds and get him on board, I’ve offered him 3:2 odds on the bet.  Basically, I have to pay him more if he wins.

Ironically, when we weighed in that night, we both weighed the exact same weight, down to the tenth of a pound: 222.2.  (Side note: He is almost 4 inches shorter than me.  It theoretically should be easier for him to lose the weight).

The day before, on Friday, I had been on Active.com looking for a local 10K race on Memorial Day weekend (I figured that would be a fun distraction).  While searching, I discovered that there was a Sprint Triathlon being held less than 5 miles from my house today (Sunday).  It took about 2 minutes to make that decision. (I still havent registered for anything on Memorial Day)

So I had my second, and unexpected, race of the season today.  It was a 400 yard swim, 10 mile bike and 3.1 (5K) run.  So slightly longer than my last outing.

The Swim: It’s funny, but my swim felt really, really good.  Considering I have been stressing about my swim for so long, I think it’s really funny that over the last two races, this has been my best leg.  I managed to keep a smooth and steady stroke and found that if I sighted less (looking up for the bouy) I went a LOT faster.  Just 3 extra strokes before sighting made a huge difference.

The Bike: Was hard!  Just like last time, I had some troubles on the bike.  This course was much different with several LONG hills.  It was an out-and-back course so you hit them both ways.  Nothing like hitting 36 mph flying down the hill knowing you are going to have to muscle your way back up it.  I got a massive, massive headache at about 4 miles into the bike.  I felt horrible.  The hills were pretty tiring, and there were two near the end that I actually considered I might have to walk up.  They were so bad I was up out of my seat, pounding my pedals in the lightest gear and barely moving.  It sucked.

The Run: What I have learned over the last two weeks is that I have to train more about running in high-heart rate zones.  I have really struggled finding a rhythm when running after getting off the bike in these races.  Unlike my brick training where I keep the heart rate in Zone 2, I am in Zone 4 when I get off the bike in a race and just feel exhausted.  On the last 1/2 mile of the race, I finally found my legs and started banging away 8:00 min/miles.  But before that I was shuffling 12:00 min/miles with walks way to often.

I came in 1:27:58 - 10th in the Clydesdale Division and 152 out of 202 overall.  My swim time was excellent, my bike time was weak and my run time was very poor.  I need to build up that stamina.  The best part of the day was my 8th place time during Transition #1.

Even though I had a tough race, with a screaming headache, I felt great on the ride home.  There is just something about going through that before many people have gotten out of bed on a Sunday morning that made me feel good about myself. 

After I write this post, I am going to lock down my training schedule for the week and pack my bag for early in the morning.  

Giddy Up!

One Year Later…

   

My very first road race was the 2010 Bun Run last year in Austin.  I just got the photo from this year’s Bun Run race.  

I was carrying around 40 less pounds and finished almost 12 minutes faster.

Looking Forward…

Looking Ahead

Having completed my marathon, I’m looking ahead to the next phase of this journey.  Last August, after a minor bike crash and a significant case of burnout, I had taken almost 3 months off from training.  Then I made the decision to focus specifically on my running in preparation for the Georgia Marathon.  I had became overwhelmed with the Ironman workout schedule and concentrating on my running was the right thing to do at the time.

But now the marathon is over and it’s time to get back on that horse.  With 31 weeks and 6 days until my Ironman, there is no time to lose!

I have worked with my coach and landed on a great schedule of warmup races this year.  They are as follows:

  • 5/14 - Super Sprint - Peachtree City, GA
  • 6/11 - Sprint - Savannah, GA
  • 7/10 - Olympic - Chattanooga, TN
  • 9/25 - Ironman 70.3 - August, GA
  • 11/5 - Ironman 140.6 - Panama City Beach, FL

I also plan on sprinkling in various 5K and 10K races as we go, as well as some fun stuff (like the Warrior Dash on 5/15).

My top 3 goals for the next 32 weeks:

  1. Improve My Swimming
  2. Lose Weight
  3. Increase My Speed

You may remember that my swim is in pretty bad shape.  My overall swim fitness is low, my stroke needs some work and I need to get comfortable in the water.  I have signed up with a swim coach at my gym.  We seemed to hit it off on our first visit and as both a swimmer and a triathlete, he understands what I need.  I’m looking forward to working with him.  My triathlon coach wants me to focus on beating the swim cutoff for Ironman (which is 2 hours and 15 minutes).  That means I need to be able to do 2 laps in the pool in about 3 minutes, 42 times!

Losing weight is another top priority.  I estimate that have 47 pounds to lose before race day.  I’m not going to force my weight to a certain level, I say that I should be about 180 pounds based upon other people that I know, and consider to be in good shape, and using their relative weights.  The fact that I woke up to a 227 this morning, compared to the 235 I have been at for weeks, is a great start.

Finally, I need to increase my speed.  I just re-read a great book called Brain Training for Runners.  It talks about how your mind does some internal calculations about the distance you are going to run, and the pace you can run to meet that distance/time.  The book goes into ways that you can train your brain to increase that pace.  I would absolutely love to get down to an 8:30 pace.  My last 10K was at 1:05, and that involved too much walking.  An 8:30 pace would put me at just under 52 minutes, so that is my new 10K goal.

I’m writing this post at 5:30 in the morning, getting ready to head out for my workout, so hopefully that is a trend that will continue.

I Just Watched “Super Size Me”

I eat a lot of fast food.  I have for my entire adult life.  I’m also a bit of a documentary freak, so it’s funny that it’s taken me this long to watch this movie (about eating nothing but McDonalds for 30 straight days)

Alright, it is probably because I really didn’t want to see it.  I didn’t want to find out what happened to this guy.  I didn’t want to know because it was a little too close to home.

As I’ve said a few times before, my diet is one of the biggest things holding me back, and fast food is the biggest flaw in my diet.  When I carry my daughter in my arms and try to run, I realize what I used to be carrying around with me when I started this journey, and it is unbelievable.  To think that I have another 50 more pounds to go is almost crazy.

And then I saw myself in the high-def video camera at Best Buy today. There is at least 50 hanging out around my mid-section.

If this guy put on almost 27 pounds in a month, it’s no wonder that I am not losing any weight, even though I am running so much.

I have come to truly understand how diet and exercise are really two sides of one coin.  You can make some progress by focusing on just one, but if you don’t conquer them both, you wont truly make it all the way.  Working out 6 days in a row means squat if I’ve also been eating unhealthy.

I had Wendy’s on the way home from my 18 mile run.  Damn you little red-headed demon!

With 4 weeks left until my marathon, I have decided to post all my meals and workouts to Tumblr.  Maybe the guilt associated from posting bad decisions to my blog will help me make better ones.

I just got off the scale, my weight right now is 236.4.

Let’s see what happens next…

Running With The Devil

I ran for 3 Hours and 45 Minutes Today.  Straight.

Okay, well it wasn’t all “running”, but it is by far my biggest running workout, covering close to 18 miles.  My previous longest runs were my two half marathon attempts (13.1 miles).

The run was not very enjoyable.  I decided to run the Silver Comet trail in Georgia, so I could do a single out-and-back.  That way I would be forced to do the entire thing (versus doing smaller loops that would allow me to bail out early).  

I apparently had overlooked the fact during my previous bike rides on the Silver Comet that the first 5 miles are up-hill.  Granted, it wasn’t steep, but it was up-hill FOR FIVE MILES.  Add to the never-ending hills a bout of GI issues, and it made for not so much fun afternoon.

I’m watching “The Spirit Of The Marathon” on Apple TV right now.  I’ve rented it a few times, I should have just bought it.

I have 4 weeks from tomorrow until the Georgia marathon.  I do not feel ready.  My last two races (13.1 miles and 9.3 miles) went very well.  In both cases I had beaten my previous best for pace, with the last race coming in at 10:39 min/mi pace.  But today was not that kinda run.  I just couldn’t keep it going, finding myself walking far more than I wanted.  

But that being said, spending almost 4 hours running, you find plenty of time to think.  I end up thinking about just about everything, but the biggest thing that I thought about today was this:

A Nick Tahou’s Garbage Plate

For those not familiar with the culinary work of art, that is macaroni salad, home fries, covered with two cheeseburgers (no bun), mustard and covered in hot sauce.  It may not look like much, but it is one of the best tasting concoctions you could ever hope to consume.

If you are wondering why I spent a lot of time thinking about a Garbage Plate, it is because it is one of the biggest contributors to my weight gain.  Well, that and this:

When I started college, I was 155 pounds.  I was very active, playing several supports, including a ton of volleyball.  I had one of those metabolisms that allowed me to eat whatever I wanted to and not gain a pound.  But when I started working full time and stop playing sports, the wheels came off.

Due to my “economic status”, I used to enjoy these things once in a while during college.  But after getting my first “real” job (and “real” paycheck), I started consuming both of these at significant rate.  Instead of eating a “plate” once a month, I started have 2-3 a week.  I went from 155 pounds:

to over 210 pounds seemingly overnight.  (yes I was very drunk in this pic).  I remember discovering one day that my pants didn’t fit.  At first I thought they had shrunk 2-3 inches.  Guess not.

I spent some of my time running thinking about how these workouts are penance for all of those Garbage Plates.  I found myself wondering how many miles I needed to run for each one that I had eaten.  So many years living in the “now”, not caring about the “later”, all bearing down on me as I ran down the trail.  

Eating fast food, sitting at a desk all day, drinking my share of beer (Damn You Happy Hour!)  It felt so good at the time. (IF this is wrong, I don’t wanna be right…)

But I’m paying for it now.  I’m paying for the way that I have lived my life for the last 15 years.  I’m running and biking and swimming my way to redemption.  But it’s worth it.  I do it for me.  I do it for them:

Devil went down to Georgia, and so did I.

Weigh In Wednesday


My weight loss is starting to get back on track.  230 pounds is a “threshold” weight for me.  I can definitely tell when I am above or below that mark without getting on the scale.  Hopefully with consistent workouts and my new diet plan, I can keep shedding the pounds.
  • Starting Weight: 260
  • Goal Weight: 185
  • Current Weight: 229.4
  • Total Weight Loss: -30.6

A funny side note, I decided to pick up some new dress shirts for work with all of these crazy sales that everyone is running before Christmas.  I needed to because all of my old dress shirts were way to big.  I could wrap the buttons all the way to my armpit on both sides.  Leaving the top button undone, I could easily button my 5-year old daughter and myself into one shirt hand have plenty of room for the both of us.

I had never really thought about it, but anyone else think it is bizzare that mens dress shirt sizes are soley determined by neck size???  Sure there’s sleeve length, but the size of the shirt is set by the size of the neck.  I guess if you have a fat neck you a screwed.  How odd…

I was able to drop 1/2” on my neck size and moved into a “tailored fit” shirt.  It makes a huge difference on how it looks and feels.  There is probably 12” less circumference with this shirt compared to my old shirts.  

NSV: I’ve also been able to stop doing the 80s tuck.  Back in the 80s it was stylish to tuck your shirt in to your pants and then pull it out a few inches and let it hang.  I had to do that to cover up my protruding belly.  Not so much anymore.  

5 Months - From 5K to 13.1

I decided to post the compare and contrast pictures of my first 5K on May 2nd, 2010 with my first 13.1 on October 3rd.  I don’t want to call them “before” and “after” because that sort of implies that I am finished, and that is absolutely not the case.

It’s fun to look back and see where I have been over the last 5 months

  • The person on the right weighs 35 lbs less than the person on the left
  • The person on the left couldn’t run a full 5K without walking about 1/3, the person on the right ran a 10K walking only twice
  • The person on the left used music to distract him from the run, the person on the right thinks music is a distraction
  • The person on the left had a bunch of clothes that fit, the person on the right needs new clothes because the one he has are too big (but is too cheap to buy them knowing he has 50 more pounds to lose)
  • The person on the right has a 13.1 magnet on his car

It has been a fun ride.  I can’t wait to see what the future brings…

My First Triathlon: Holy Crap That Was Hard!

My first triathlon kicked my ass, and hard!  That was 10x harder than I thought it was going to be.  I was feeling pretty good about the event, leading up to that morning.  I have trained hard and have come a long way, including huge fitness gains and losing close to 35 pounds.  But guess what?  I took an absolute beating on this course.

“I haven’t seen a beating like that since they shoved a banana down my pants and turned a monkey lose!”

This was a sprint triathlon: 400 yard swim, 15 mile bike and 5K (3.2 mile) run.  I completed the event in 2:05:17 - 287th place out of 291 people.  

Not quite dead-last, but pretty damn close.

Anyone who calls this a “mini triathlon” or a “baby triathlon” can kiss my ass.  There is nothing mini or baby about this distance when you are 225 pounds of Nick Tahou’s fed, Labatt cooled, mass of couch potato like myself.  To me, this was the hardest physical thing that I can remember ever doing.  Period.

The Swim

As I took my warmup in the water, I felt pretty good about the swim.  Sure it was dark and muddy, couldn’t really see in front of you, but the water was warm and my stroke felt good.  We had a wave start, with 4 different groups of people starting every 3 minutes.  As luck would have it, I was in the first wave.

After the horn went off, I let everyone else start swimming before I started.  I wasn’t going to join the mele of swimming in close quarters.  After everyone had gotten a few feet out, I joined in.

For the first 50 yards or so, everything was going fine.  I was swimming well, breathing well, and just focusing on my form.  And then, just before the first turn buoy, it all started to go to hell.

I got slapped across the back from a random arm heading in the absolute wrong direction.  A bit freaked out, I lifted my head only to be hit from another arm, heading in almost exactly the opposite direction.  I am heading straight at the buoy and one arm is heading towards 9:00 and one is heading towards 3:00.  Then someone grabs my ankle.

What the hell is going on?

From that point on, I was never ever really able to gain my composure in the swim.  I was forced to back-stroke or doggy-paddle often to just keep my head above water.  At one point, I was floating on my back, trying to catch my breath, when from behind me I see a CHURN of water.  Turns out the next wave was about to run me over!  I rolled onto my stomach just in time to have a girl swim right over the top of me and just keep going.

After about 300 yards, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it.  My shoulders hurt and I was having a hard time keeping my breath.  They support crew kept asking me if I was okay, and I told them yes.  I was going to make it out of the lake under my own power.

I got out of the water a little over 18 minutes later.  I was staggering like a drunken sailor and didn’t even have the strength to waive to my kids.  I was like a walking zombie.  

The Bike

The bike went the best out of everything.  It took a little over 3 miles to calm down from the swim and finally catch my breath.  But once I did, it was pretty uneventful.  I managed to pass about 12 folks or so while on the bike, and probably myself got pass 6 or so times.  

There was one downhill where I was really flying.  I was pedaling hard in my top gear, down on my aero bars, puttin’ the boots to her. I’m not sure how fast I was going, but it was awesome.  I got off the bike 55 minutes after I got on it.  I was happy with that time.

The Run

Oh the run.  Maybe I should call it the walk.  My previous best for a 5K was 31 minutes.  That was not going to happen today.  As I started to run out of the transition area, it felt like my chest was going to explode!  My heart was racing and I couldn’t catch my breath.  I was absolutely exhausted.  Between the swim and the bike, my body had told me that this wasn’t going to work.

I started walking about 100 yards from the transition area, and then for more than 1/2 of the entire 5K.  My body was really struggling.  Every time that I would run for 100 yards or so, my heart would be racing again.  I just had to keep walking.

As I’m walking, I am getting passed by the few people that I had managed to beat out of the water.  I am watching people go by with age markings that say “60” or “54” or “59”.  These people were running.  Damn.  I managed to run the last 300 yards across the finish line, with no energy to “sprint” across the finish.  Time on the “walk” was 48 minutes. 

Moving Forward

So it’s obvious that I have a lot of work to do.  My next sprint triathlon is in 5 weeks in Peachtree City.  I have already talked with my coach and we are going to focus on improving my swim (Job #1) and improving my fitness, including losing at least 10 lbs before the race (Job #2).  

I feel that if I had a better swim, I wouldn’t have been in such bad shape for the rest of the race.  And if I can lose weight, that will turn more of my energy into propulsion versus carrying weight.  Besides, if I look that fat (the pictures above), I can’t imaging what I looked like before!  It’s time to start dropping LBs again!

I am very glad that I did it.  Overall, I enjoyed the day (everything but the swim).  I am confident that by keeping at it, I will get much, much better at things as time goes on.  

I have completely re-dedicated myself to achieving my Ironman goal.

Bring it!

Clues To The Great Weight Mystery

Dave Thomas of Wendys

It was the fry-cook, in the kitchen, with the spicy chicken sandwich.

After examining all of the facts, studying all the clues, and much careful deliberation, I believe that I have solved the case of “Great Weight Mystery”.  It was this man, Dave Thomas, that is ultimately responsible.  Where’s the beef?!

You see, I have been unable to withstand the temptation of that tender, juicy, mouth-watering Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich (with Cheese).  I mean, how is a mere mortal like myself supposed to forgo what is undoubtedly the best tasting drive-thru offering ever created?

I haven’t.

I have consumed one at least twice a week for the last month.  Constantly on the go and needing to consume food to fight off that ravenous hunger caused by a tough workout, Wendy’s drive-thru has been an oasis in the desert.

But wait!  I have also discovered that Dave had two accomplices that must also be held accountable.  

Captain MorgansMost Interesting Man In The World

These two men have infiltrated Team Iron Geek through work related dinners and meet-ups with friends.  They leverage the stress of a long work day and the oppressive heat of an Atlanta summer, to seduce me into consuming their weight-loss antidote. 

I don’t always drink, but when I do, I drink too much for an Ironman in training.

Now that these conspirators have been out-ed, I am taking active measures to protect myself in the future.  I am working hard to plan out and schedule my meals well in advance, so that I am not caught in a moment of weakness driving home from a workout.  I will keep healthy snacks available for desperate times.

And it’s time to find that wagon again and hop back on.  The short term satisfaction of an ice-cold beer on a hot summer day will be of no consequence when struggling on mile 20 of the last leg of an Ironman.  It’s time to enact some self discipline and make sure that my short-term actions are aligned with my long term goals.

Sober

Got to keep heading in the right direction…

I Stormed Into The Party Like My Name Was El Nino

Running A Million Miles An Hour…

First, the big news is that my wife and I are having a little boy!  Ultrasound confirms that there is indeed a stem on the apple.  We are both very excited.  Currently we have two little girls: Kendall (4) and Jolie (2).

I am battling some pretty bad shin-splints.  I first encountered the problem two days before my 10K race.  Since the race, they have been really bad.  I have struggled walking some days.  To combat the issue, I have removed the running from my workouts this week (swapping for elliptical) and added nightly routines involving ice massages and stretching.  They are feeling better every day, so I am hopeful that this will not be a big deal.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Last night at the pool I was finally able to swim 500 yards without stopping.  This is the distance of my first sprint triathlon next weekend.  Up until this point, I had not even come close to getting any type of long distance swim completed.  Last night I was able to do 500 yards twice.  This really helps my confidence going into the first race.  Now I just need to focus on getting faster.  At least fast enough to out run a catfish. 

I have signed up as a volunteer at Ironman Florida 2010.  By volunteering at this year’s race, I will not only get a lot of learning about how the race works, but I will get to see the course first hand.  Bonus is that volunteers get to sign up for next year’s race before the general public.  This is important because the race tends to sell out in a matter of minutes or hours (a full year in advance of the actual race).

It has been decided that Ironman Florida 2011 will be my first full Ironman race!

I have also added a bunch of new races to my calendar.  Some are to fill out 2010, and the rest are my 2011 schedule.  Here is my list of races:

  • Schlotzsky’s Bun Run - 5K: May 2nd, 2010 - Austin, TX (Complete - 39.20)
  • Alpharetta Mayor’s Race - 5K: May 16th, 2010 - Alpharetta, GA (Complete - 36.01)
  • Peachtree Road Race - 10K: July 4th, 2010 - Atlanta, GA (Complete - 1:09)
  • Tri2Remember - Sprint Triathlon: July 18th, 2010 - Jefferson, GA
  • Anacortes Art Dash - 10K: July 31st, 2010 - Anacortes, WA
  • Peachtree City - Sprint Triathlon: August 21st, 2010 - Peachtree City, GA
  • Tugaloo - Olympic Triathlon: September 11th, 2010 - Lavonia, GA
  • 13.1 Half Marathon: October 3rd, 2010 - Atlanta, GA
  • 70.3 Ironman: October 17th, 2010 - Austin, TX
  • 13.1 Half Marathon: January 20th, 2011 - Atlanta, GA
  • ING Marathon: March 20th, 2011 - Atlanta, GA
  • 70.3 Ironman: May 15th, 2011 - Orlando, FL 
  • 70.3 Ironman: August 14th?, 2011 - Lake Stevens, WA
  • Ironman Florida: November ?, 2011 - Panama City, FL

I need to figure out a way to move the race schedule to the side bar of this blog.  I will put that on the to do list.  

I continue to have people compliment me on my weight loss.  The best so far is a random encounter in an elevator with a co-worker.  ”Holy shit you’ve lost a ton of weight!!  I mean, not like you were morbidly obese before, but wow!”  Thanks?!?!?  

As I was lying in bed last night trying to go to sleep, I discovered something that was somewhat alarming: I can now feel the end of my breastbone (just below the rib cage).  For the last 15 years or so, that has not been “on the surface” of my body, it’s been buried under a bunch of fat.  I was startled to find it (What is THAT doing there???).  Who knows, maybe someday I’ll wake up started by the fact that I no longer have man-boobs.

Everybody have a great weekend!

It is all a matter of perspective

Weight: 227.2

You’re so fat, your BMI is measured in acres (Overheard on the trail)

Ahh, the ups and downs of triathlon training.  I had a very tough training week last week.  Per my earlier post, I had committed to really nail what was a very tough training schedule.  But in the end, I did not do so well.  I missed several of my workouts, mostly due to work dinners that somehow involved a late nights and beer, which made if very difficult for those 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls. (Yes, I blame you Childers)

I guess the good news is that this morning I managed a 26.2 mile bike ride, my longest to date.  It really felt good (well, everything except my “seating area” did).  My fitness and legs both felt fine after, which was awesome!

It did however put some things in perspective:

  • 26.2 miles is the same distance as a marathon (the run at the Ironman).  I now know exactly how far that is, and let me tell you, that is a long damn way to run!
  • I then remembered that I have to do that run, AFTER biking for 5x as long as my ride today!
  • And then it hit me, I have to do that AFTER swimming 6x as long as my evening swim!
  • DOH!

Just for giggles, I went through a little exercise to see just how far 140.6 miles takes me.  With this online tool, I found that travelling 140.6 miles “as the crow flies” from my house in Roswell, GA, I could be in:

  • Birmingham, AL
  • Knoxville, TN 
  • Greenville, SC

Now that is some perspective!

Is that Wilfred Brimley???

Weight: 229.4 (Awwwww Yeah)

Do you remember the scene from Cocoon with all the old people in the pool?  I’m pretty sure that they filmed that at my YMCA.

I managed to over-sleep my Masters Swim class last Thursday (yes Childers, I blame you).  So I was forced to do a make-up swim at the YMCA at lunch time.  As I peered through the glass at the pool coming down the stairs, I knew I was in for a time.  There were about 15-17 senior citizens floating around the pool, taking up all but one lane (which was filled with about 10 little kids).  

As I got into the pool, I discovered that they were mostly heavy-set Russian women with shower caps on, with a few skinny white men, who were barely moving (that didn’t talk much).  

I’ll spare you the long version of the story, but I’ll give you the high-level summary:

  • I was asked by the Russian woman that I was splitting the lane with “Why you stop and rest so much?  You sick?”
  • Every time I stopped I half expected to be tapped on the shoulder and have someone talk to me about die-ah-beat-tis.
  • I got out of the pool after seeing my 3rd band-aid on the bottom of the pool.  Have I mentioned that I swim with my mouth open?
  • Gotta love those YMCA prison showers.  I’m pretty sure the producer from Borat was taking a shower.  I’ve never seen a hairier, fatter and more wrinkly body than the guy singing to himself in the shower that day.  I walked into the shower and he was bent over, covered in suds, washing himself.  I threw up a little in my mouth.

I have to say that that might be my last trip to that Y.  I’m trying to figure out if I bail on all the local Y’s and switch to a different gym, or what.  The Y is convenient to the office, to my house and to our Austin office.  They also have big pools.  That was the draw in the first place.  All I can say that was disgusting.  I ended up skipping lunch.

Some other (much better) highlights of the week:

  • On Thursday night I ran a full 5K without walking or resting.  That is the first time that I have ran longer than 1.88 miles in a single stint.  Running 3.2 felt awesome.  I did it just by running.  I didnt look at my watch, my heart monitor or anything else.  I just concentrated on my breathing and taking rhythmic steps.  In the end it worked.  I was very happy about that.
  • On Sunday morning I had a 21 mile bike ride.  That is also my longest ride to date.  I could have easily gone farther, but got a late start and just ran out of time.  I needed to get back to the house to get my work done for the weekend.
  • I took the advice of a friend and have purchased some additional workout clothes (to keep the frequency of laundry down) and I stopped weighing myself everyday (the watch pot never boils).  I had gotten pretty frustrated with no real weight loss in about 2 weeks.
  • I have put my shorts sized 40 (and 42) in storage.  They just fall off me now.  I am back in my 38s.  I will be doing the same with my dress pants later this week.
  • I have been looking for several weeks for a good bike jersey. I found a perfect jersey today, and it was on sale.  (Boooh-yah!)

Oh well, the Celtics just took a 3-2 lead in the NBA Championships, I guess it’s time to head to bed.  Good night!

What does the scale say? One at a time please!

Scale

Weight: 231.4

If one more person tells me that that “…muscle weighs more than fat.” I’m gonna smack ‘em.  I have hit a bit of a weight plateau and whenever it comes up in conversation, that seems to be the default retort from friends and family.  

I have been working extremely hard over the past week.  Each workout seems to be tough and most days there are two workouts a day.  I logged my longest session ever in each of the three sports this past week.  I also logged the greatest amount of total training time in a single week, and yet my weight continues to hover between 230-235.

I know the other side of the equation is food.  It’s not like I have been doing bad on eating either.  I have been eating ground chicken instead of ground beef.  I have been eating at least 6 times a day, with several meals being either shakes or bars.  I continue to eat healthier (by far) than I ever have.

My body composition continues to change.  My waist is getting smaller.  I had a pair of shorts almost fall off of me in the store the other day.  I have swapped out for my 38” shorts and they fit well.

At some point this week, I am going to need to try on all of my pants and see what still fits and what doesnt.  I believe that all of my 40” waist clothes are headed for storage.  The only problem is that is most of my pants (I have worn that size for at least 5 years).  

Now I just want that scale to start heading south.  I keep looking for a number in the 220’s.  

Too legit.  Too legit to quit.

It’s funny, but I feel taller…

Weight: 233.8

When I was running last night, I was struck with the oddest sensation.  I felt taller.  I know it sounds weird, but as I was running, I was struck by the fact that I am a tall person.  I have been 6’ tall since I was 16 years old.  It’s not like I hit a growth spurt, but I did absolutely 100 percent feel taller.  It was confirmed again on my run this morning.  It’s the oddest sensation.  It’s like I some how magically was given this new perspective.

I think that it has to do with my body composition changing.  While the scale is not reflecting any huge gains, my body is definitely changing.  I don’t lead with my stomach any more, especially when I’m running, I lead with my chest.  I think that is what is causing me to feel taller.  

Or it could be that I was delirious from getting up at 4:30 in the morning to travel an hour to do a 90 min workout in the pool and follow that up with a 45 min run last night.  After all, that might make anyone feel a bit trippy, right?

A Milestone at 5:11 a.m.

Mileston

Weight: 234.6

8:00 a.m. breakfast meetings make for a VERY early morning when training for an Ironman.  It felt like I had just gotten to sleep when my alarm went of at 5:09 this morning.  Even though I was tired, I had already missed a day of training last week, and I needed to make it up today.

As per my normal morning ritual, the first thing I did was to get on the scale.  I still had sleepy-seeds in my eyes, and had to do a triple-take at what I saw: 234.6.  

Feel-Good #1: The reason that number is a milestone is that I have not seen a number on the scale below 235 in at least 5 years (since I have been married), if not longer.  I cannot remember a time that I saw a number that small.  235 is a watershed number for me.  It’s all downhill from here.

Feel-Good #2: On Saturday, I noticed a bunch of clothes on our couch.  They were mine, so I went to put them away in the closet.  My wife piped up and said, “Those are your close that you outgrew a while ago.  I figured now was a good time to pull them out.”  

Feel-Good #3: I’m out of notches on this belt, in the “right” direction

Feel-Good #4: I ran 1.5 miles today without taking a break and walking.

These are some pretty good reasons to get up at 5:00 a.m.  I have never in my life been excited to wake up and look at the scale.  Damn skippy!

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