Trying to Avoid a Fat Relapse

Two months ago, the last time I blogged; I was feeling very proud of myself, I had just completed my first half marathon and I had maintained my 100 pound weight loss for over a year.  As I sit here today, two short months later I find myself a bit concerned.

For a little ,more than a year I maintained my new weight consistently weighing in between 196 and 202 I had become very active always running or riding my bike or going to the gym. In the lead up to the half marathon I perhaps had gotten too lazy with my diet and began to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted... I was burning enough calories to get away with it.

After the half marathon, my knees (mostly the left one) hurt anytime I run, and my running has suffered for it. Add to that the 3 weeks I spent in a hotel eating out and it is easy to see why my pants are suddenly a bit snugger. It didn't really hit home for me though until one of my customers commented on Friday that I "was putting a few pounds on."

I got on the scale and I have gained 10 pounds in the last 2 months. I must get a handle on this...NOW!

I have some plans for the exercise, I am going to begin a new round of Insanity Tomorrow morning. Also I have signed up to run my next half marathon on October 14.

My bigger concern is my diet, or lack there of... I can't stop eating... I feel like I am starving.... I must find the discipline I once had and get control of myself.

I would appreciate any help I can get... I can't let myself have a relapse... I need anyone reading this to help hold me accountable for my food choices....

Rocked It! or At Least Survived It!

I began training back in December to run my first ever half marathon. The day finally arrived last Sunday, and quite frankly it is a day I will never forget! The race was on the same day as my daughter's 9th birthday, so we planned a family mini-vacation and spent a long weekend in New Orleans.

We took the girls to the zoo on Friday and of course made a visit to Sucre' for a little decadence.

On Saturday we went to the Audobon Insectarium where we learned a lot about bugs and dung and even had the opportunity to eat a bug! That's right I ate a bug, but I was just trying to make sure I got enough protein

At the expo the day before

The more I read and the closer t got to race day, the more I began to get nervous. After all I learned there were going be over 22,000 people running; had I trained enough? Would my knee that had been bothering me hold up? Was I going to embarrass myself? Had i bitten off more than I could chew? The closer it got to Sunday the tighter the pit in my stomach began to feel.

I got a bit more nervous when I went by to pick up my number and race packet on Saturday and realized the race organizers had set up a huge expo of all sorts of running gear, supplies & memorabilia.  I could not believe how many people were there and how crowded and yet well organized it was.

We had a great opportunity to see some old friends from when we had lived in Texas, they were there to run as well. It was great to see them and glad they were doing so well.

Finally Sunday arrived and the race was scheduled to start at 7:00am. I was out of bed getting ready by 4:30. The beautiful wife and kids dropped my off in Downtown New Orleans around 6:15 and I begin to make my way to the start village. On my way I bumped into an old Schoolmate and co-worker who had decided to run his first 1/2 marathon as a fundraiser for a child who had died from a rare skin disease. You can learn more about Scott's race on his page.

Pre-race

It seemed like we waited an eternity, but finally the race started and all the nerves were behind me, it was an absolutely perfect day for a run, not too cold, and not too humid, the huge crowd wound through the  streets of New Orleans and the atmosphere was amazing. There were crowds all along the roads and the sidewalks cheering for the runners as we passed, there were bands every few miles keeping everyone in good spirits.

I was feeling great and having a great run. my body was feeling great and I was keeping a pace of less than 10 minutes per mile until Mile 7. I learned a very valuable lesson. Never let your nervous energy get the best of you and "over hydrate" I drank too much water and had to stop at a port-a-pottie. even more unfortunate is that I was not the only one. After standing in line for nearly 3 minutes and finally relieving myself I really struggled to regain my rhythm. My pace never got below 10:00 again, but I was still feeling good

Look at the mass of humanity

9 Miles in and feeling great!

I finally saw the family around mile 9 and as you can see from the pic I was still feeling pretty good. As i passed the 10 mile mark I kept telling myself I only had a 5k left to go. I was going to need all the encouragement I could muster as I was really starting to feel some fatigue. In my head I begin to really battle with myself as I approached the 11 mile mark. I new I was winding down, but I was also starting to hurt from my feet up to my knees.

The last 2 miles I actually had to walk a little bit, but I would not allow myself to walk more than a few steps then I would keep running and keep encouraging myself, I was almost there. My goal for the race was to finish in 2:15:00 and I am a little disappointed I did not make that, I am However thrilled that I finished. When you consider the toll the bathroom break took on my time 2:20:15 isn't too bad!

DONE!!

Crossing the finish line felt so relieving, exhausting, and amazing! I have rarely had the kind of sense of accomplishment I felt in that moment, I have also not felt quite so worn out, nor do i remember my feet ever feeling so much pain. Overall, it was a completely amazing event, I had so much fun.

For now, I have to focus on recovering and resting; but I can't wait to do it again, only better!

Search Results (Search Criteria : Runner Number (bib) = 14898)

OvrPl	Bib	Name	City, State	Time
6801	14898	Eric Collum	Ocean Springs, MS	02:20:15

 

DO I look Like a TomTom: Redefining a Great Run

Last week was the first time I have ever ran 10 Miles, and I did at less than 10 minutes per mile, I was proud, but I was beat. They say the best teacher is experience, and while experience can't teach you everything, it can help you realize how much you do not know.

For anyone reading this thinking "Why in the world would any sane person run 10 miles?" Well, I can't speak for a sane person, but the reason I ran 10 miles is because I am training to run in the Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans on March 4th. This is an amazing event in an amazing city and I am really looking forward to it, but I am also a bit anxious as I have NEVER ran 13.1 miles in my life. Honestly never thought I had a reason to.

Anyway back to the subject at hand, What did I learn from last weeks run, and how did this weeks run go? After completing the run last week, I felt light headed, drained, and quite frankly a bit worthless for the rest of the day. I thought there was a legitimate chance I might pas out on my cool down walk home. I thought I was in pretty good shape I had just ran 8 miles the previous week, why had the extra 2 miles felt like such torture.

I took this week to talk to many of my running friends who have more experience than I do in distance running, I also read a lot of articles about training; turns out, there is a lot I still have to learn about running. First let me say, I had sort of a messed up macho view of running, I thought the goal was to go as far as you can, as fast as you can without stopping for anything, especially not food or water. Seems that isn't very smart.

I decided to change a few things up this week, as awkward as it seemed I carried a water bottle in my pocket, and I also carried a protein gel to consume so my body would have some fuel to burn. I also made a point to try not to focus on my  pace as much as I usually do.

It was a windy, but otherwise gorgeous day in OSMS and I chose a route that would take me along as much beach and avoid as much sidewalk as possible. It is a good thing I decided not to focus on my pace, as it was blown out of the water early and often. Before I had gone a mile I had to stop and tie my shoe. Then before I had made it to the 3 mile mark I was flagged down by a couple looking for the Daiquiri Shop, which I have never been to. I tried to be gracious and give them directions, hope I got them somewhere close.

Just about half way I walked for a few feet while I ingested the Gel and some of the water. I was surprised that I did not hate the Gel, I was also surprised at how well it worked. As I was on my way home some where between mile 7 and 8 I got flagged down again this time directions to the marina, Seriously, I am in running clothes dripping sweat and obviously trying to get somewhere, do I really look like a TomTom? I am sure after they tried to follow my directions they wished they would have had a TomTom.

Splits

mi	Pace (min/mi)	Elevation (ft)
1	9:41	-5
2	9:49	5
3	10:29	4
4	10:01	-18
5	10:28	-6
6	9:55	11
7	10:15	10
8	10:35	-2
9	10:14	4
10	10:23	6

I finished my run, it took 3 minutes longer than last week, and my pace was off by :14 per mile from the previous week, the good thing, my pace on the last two miles was better than my pace on those same 2 miles last week and I have actually had a lot more energy after the run this week.

I guess sometimes we have to change our definitions. I would never have called a run that was that far off of my pace a good run; however this is the first time I have ever finished a run and actually believed I really can make it 13.1  miles. The way I felt after this run and the fact I went double digits means this really was a great run!

I want to thank Lisa, Tish, Kelly, Gerry, Brian, Sabrina, and anyone else I may have forgotten for all the time and advice this week. I finally feel like I will be ready for the challenge!

Distance

10.03

mi

Duration

1:42:18

h : m : s

Avg. Pace

10:12

min/mi

Avg. Speed

5.88

mph

Burned

1,606

calories

t