Status of first 1/2 marathon - DONE!

I did it.  I finished the longest run of my life (to date).  I completed a half marathon on 11/27/10!

It was cold yesterday.  At about 8:20am, as I got out of my car and walked to the starting point it was about 20 degrees out!  By the time I finished it must have been about 32 degrees out.

The first 9.5 miles were fine.  Somewhere between mile 8 and mile 10 I started to feel my legs and back getting stiff though.  I didn't think much of it, but by the time I hit the 10 mile mark I was struggling.  My legs felt like bricks.  The muscles in my back and lower body seemed to become very tight and this made running hard.

I was on pace to hit a 2:35:00 (approximately) finish time but the last three miles really screwed me up.  I'm going to chalk it up to a lack of preparation.

My family and I attended a post-thanksgiving brunch at a friend/relative's house after the race on Saturday afternoon and a frequently asked question was whether I'd do it again.  Heck yeah I said.  I know there is a ton of room for improvement and the 13.1 mile distance is, now looking back, very manageable.

After the run I went to a party, then I went out to dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse and enjoyed a cigar after dinner.  I was out until midnight.  I woke up Sunday morning and felt fine.  Yes, I'm a little sore but nothing serious.

I'm not running in any organized races in December 2010.  My 2010 races are now done!

Now it's time to think about and plan for the races in 2011 which I will partake of.  I want to put together a mix of 5Ks, 10Ks, 15Ks (10 milers) and half marathons!

This is at about mile 3.5 to 4 - that's
why I'm still smiling...

It's finally here... Under 12 hours to my first 1/2 marathon!

I'm under 12 hours away from my first 1/2 marathon.  Gulp!!!

I'm nervous.  My training has been pretty good.  I can do the distance.  The cold temps concern me a bit, though as I've found cold weather running is not enjoyable for me.

The race starts at 9:00 am.  I hope to post a message here sometime tomorrow.  Wish me luck!  And if you'd like to help - please make a donation in my name to Team RWB.  Team RWB is a 501(c)(3) charity that works to help wounded veterans.

Thanks!

Two thanksgiving dinners, two workouts

My brother had us over for thanksgiving dinner #1
yesterday - really good eats...

Thanksgiving day was tough!  I attended 2 full, blow-out thanksgiving meals.  One was in the afternoon and the second was in the evening.  One was at my brother's house and the other was at my wife's aunt's house.  There was a lot of food at both places.  And it was good.

I ate the traditional thanksgiving spread at the first meal and enjoyed some ethnic cuisine - lamb biryani - in the evening (the evening meal featured the traditional thanksgiving items plus some Indo-Pak dishes as well).  I ate well.  On thanksgiving that means something a little different than on most other days.  Here you should read that as "I stuffed myself".  It wasn't easy and I didn't want to but I didn't want either of my hosts to feel bad (I'm just a real trooper in that regard).

I also didn't want to be saddled with a ton of guilt afterwards so I did what any reasonable person would do.  I worked out yesterday.  Twice.

In the morning - just as the first football game got underway (Pats vs. Lions) I took to my basement for workout #1.  I ran 2.25 miles - slow - on the treadmill and then did about 10 minutes on the stationary bike.  It worked up a sweat at least.

Workout #2 was in between meal #1 and meal #2.  We came home from my brother's house with about 2 hours to kill so I went down to the basement and ran 1 mile and then rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes.  This time I watched the Cowboys vs. Saints game (in part).

Neither workout was strenuous.  I know I didn't put a dent in the the extra calories I consumed yesterday.  But it felt good to exercise and as expected, I feel good about myself today!

Today I'm going to lift weights.  I'll do about 1 hour of exercise this afternoon.  I've got another family dinner at one of my cousin's tonight.  Again, a traditional thanksgiving spread.  I love my family too much to disappoint them so I'll force myself to partake of the feast.  Yup, I'm very generous that way!

I need to be home by about 9pm so I can wind down, get all of my stuff ready for tomorrow and get to bed at a reasonable time.  Tomorrow morning - Saturday, November 27, 2010 - is my first half marathon!

I'm excited and nervous!  But I should be able to plough through it, albeit at a very deliberate (read: slow) pace because tomorrow night is a dinner out with some of my cousins and my younger brother followed by cigars!

Under 1 week to go... and the phantom aches are beginning!

Well, well, well!  It's been 10 weeks since I started training for the half marathon and now I'm under 1 week away from the big event!  And not surprisingly the phantom aches are turning up like clockwork!

Today I'm feeling a bit achy in my right ankle.  This is the ankle most prone to gout attacks (which I haven't had since starting my fitness journey in February 2010).  I know it's nothing but my insecurities over the upcoming race.  Yesterday I thought I felt some aches in my left achilles tendon but some how I was able to knock off 5 miles on the treadmill and 15 minutes on the stationary bike without too much trouble.

The last 10 weeks of training were good.  I'm going to really enjoy this week of tapering.  I'm going to lift weights, do some shorter runs and put in some time on the stationary bike.  I may well up the time I spend working out (to compensate for the extended thanksgiving feasting happening in my family).

Tonight, after everyone goes to bed, I'm heading into the basement to lift weights.  If I feel good I may do a mile or two of running on the treadmill!

Strong workout at Xsport Fitness

I went to XSport Fitness on Tuesday night for a workout.  I accomplished exactly what I set out to get done.  I warmed up with a 1 mile run.  Next I went to the free weights and did barbell bench presses, lat pulldowns and seated behind the neck military presses.  Then I wrapped up the workout with a 2 mile run on the treadmill.

My highpoint of the workout was during my bench presses.  I worked my way up to 245 lbs.  I got a spot from one of the young guys working out nearby.  I was able to get 8 reps without any help from my spotter.  Afterwards the young kid said "Dude, you're pretty strong."

I came home and told my wife.  I narrated the progression of weights and the spot I got and the statement the young kid made.  Without so much as a moment of reflection my wife said "He meant strong for an old guy."  Doh!

Tonight's workout - lifting and running at the gym

I took yesterday off.  My legs were sore and I felt the beginning of a chest cold (I felt congestion in my chest but luckily it hasn't evolved into a cough yet).  I feel better today.  Today I want to lift weights and run.

I'd like to start out with a warm-up run of 1 mile.  Next I'd like to lift weights (chest, shoulders, back).  And finally, I'd like to wrap it up with another run of 2 miles.  The running will be on the treadmill and the entire workout will be at Xsport Fitness.

I'm off tomorrow for a religious holiday.  Tomorrow I'll be eating a ton of food.  I'll have a few hours between lunch at my parents and the dinner at my house.  Maybe I can squeeze in a 5 mile run outside in between.  Actually, I really do need to do this because Thursday will be much more busy (work, a meeting after work, getting together with colleagues for drinks after that and then the Bears game).

Where I started and where I'm at now... 9 month status check

Before and After
Before picture taken 12/4/09 | After picture taken 7/29/10

I created this side-by-side comparison photo this evening.  It's not out of vanity.  It's an effort to visualize how far I've come and a stark reminder of what will happen if I don't stay the course.

The first photo (on the left - obviously) was taken at a friend's birthday party on December 4, 2009.  The funny thing is that I remember that night and I don't remember feeling bad.  When I look at that picture, especially next to the more recent one I feel a sensation of being bloated and sluggish.  However, back then I felt just fine.  We had a nice time at the party and then left for a late dinner at Weber Grill in downtown Chicago where I recall eating a burger and fries.

The second photo was taken at a bar association function on July 29, 2010.  Frankly, at the time I took this picture I felt like I wasn't losing weight fast enough.  Before writing this blog post I looked back at what I was writing on this blog in July 2010 and found that I was looking at jump-starting my dieting to shed another 20 to 25 pounds.  And now I look at this picture - right next to the old me - and feel pretty good and grateful.

I know that I've got a ways to go still in my fitness goals.  I've still got a gut that's slowing me down.  I still need to make a lot of strides in my running in particular.

In fact, this morning as I was leaving the house to go to work I saw a guy out running.  I watched him run by the house as I walked to my car.  As I watched him run by I couldn't help but feel envious.  This runner's strides were smooth and he was moving fast.  His face looked focused but not strained.  I felt envious because I'm sure I don't look like that when I'm running.  When I'm running I feel like I'm lumbering.  I can only imagine that it's not pretty watching me plod along!

That's fine though.  I'm not getting down on myself.  On most days I can knock off 5 miles without any trouble and I can cover 7.5 miles with just a little more thought and focus.  That's pretty darn good, but I know I can improve and that's what the self-criticism is about - improvement.

A good running weekend...2.12 miler followed by a 12 miler

This is part of the course I'll be running for the 1/2
marathon on 11/27/10!

On Saturday (11/13) I ran 2.12 miles outside.  On Sunday (11/14) I ran 12 miles - 7.5 miles outside and the remaining miles on the treadmill.  It was a good weekend of running.

Saturday's run was the "race among friends" rematch.  I won the first race back in August in Tampa, FL.  My chief competition, S.T., clearly prepared for the rematch as she beat me very convincingly.  I came in second.

S.T. probably finished a solid 10 to 15 seconds ahead of me.  She was always within sight but I just didn't have the kick to try closing the gap in the home stretch.  Frankly, I was a bit worried about being overtaken in the final part of the race.  My wife came in 3rd (she came in 4th last time) and then my friend M.H. came in 4th (she came in 3rd last time).  The only constant was M.H.'s husband F.H. who came in last both times (although he wasn't very far behind this time around).

All the long distance running had no impact on this short distance race.  In hindsight, I should have training for this distance for a few weeks prior, and if I had done so, I may have been able to win this race.  The re-match will be in April 2010.  It will be a 5K.

On Sunday afternoon I went out (after the Bears vs. Vikings game ended) to run 12 miles.  By the 7.5 mile mark it was getting dark and I felt the rain starting.  I moved indoors and finished my run on the treadmill in the basement.  I felt the soreness in my knees afterwards.

Both days were cold.  Saturday's race was cool and rainy.  Sunday's run was cold and windy.  As of today (Monday) I think I have a little cold as a result of my time running outside!

Over the course of the next week (between now and Sunday) I hope to run at least 3 times and cover about 15 miles with one outing being at least 7.5 miles.  Then, in the following week I'll really taper it down so that I'm running a little bit everyday.

The Schaumburg Park District Turkey Trot 1/2 Marathon is on Saturday, November 27, 2010!

Good runs on Wednesday & Thursday - what's changed?

I've been off my game so to speak last week.  The last good runs I had coming up to this past Wednesday were my 11.20 mile run and the following Saturday's 7.5 mile run (both Saturday long runs).  All of last week my runs suffered from a lack of focus and my mental inability to deal with the cold weather (there may have been some soreness too but that would only account for a small part of why I didn't run well).

Thanks in large part to unseasonably warm temperature and a lack of precipitation, I've had a good week of running this week.  On Wednesday I went out in the evening and knocked out 5 miles and felt great afterwards.  Yesterday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and rode the stationary bike for 20+ minutes, and again, I felt great afterwards.

I'm going to invest in a few more articles of cold weather gear so that I can get the training done for the upcoming 1/2 marathon (11/27/10) and then for the 1/2 marathon itself.  Heretofore the only thing I've added to my running equipment is a long sleeve mock turtleneck tech shirt from Under Armor (the cold weather kind).  I need a warm but thin jacket, some kind of sweat-wicking beanie or cap and maybe some long compression pants.

Tomorrow morning I've got the 2.12 mile race with my friends and my wife so I'm not going to run tonight.  I'll lift weights tonight and maybe ride the stationary bike a bit.

Because tomorrow I'll have a very short workout and also because last week's 12 mile was such a miserable experience, I'm going to try 12 miles again on Sunday.  I need to conquer this mileage milestone going into the 11/27 race.  I need to know that I've done it so that there is a psychological edge on race day.  I'll do the run in the afternoon after the Bears game.

Even after running 12 miles on Sunday I'll still have a solid 13 days to rest (relatively speaking).  I'll be able to run shorter distances with the comfort of knowing that I've already covered the long miles!

A 2.12 mile race among friends - 11/13/10

This past August I went on vacation to Florida with my family.  We went down with another family to visit another friend.  Our little group of middle aged parents decided to have a little running race while on vacation.  It turned out to be a 2.25 mile route and the results weren't what my wife and our friends anticipated.  I won quite convincingly.

My wife and friends weren't anticipating the Clydesdale of Hoffman Estates lumbering to victory the way I did.  So, in the face of this little upset victory (or loss from their point of view) they decided to make a bunch of excuses for themselves and demanded a re-match in the fall.

It's been about 3 months since our first race and the time for our re-match has arrived.  This Saturday - 11/13/10 - our friends will be coming over and we'll be running a 2.12 mile route in Hoffman Estates.  Apparently my wife and our friends have been training.  Will I be able to repeat?

Frankly, I'm not sure!  I've been doing a lot of longer and slower runs since the summer.  It's been largely due to my 1/2 marathon training.  While I've been able to successful run 11.20 miles without much trouble, I'm concerned that a fast 2.12 miles may be as hard, if not harder, this Saturday.

I actually went out and ran 2.12 miles on Monday night.  At my 11 minute/mile pace it would have been a cake walk.  I tried to maintain a 9 minute/mile pace and it was nothing short of HARD!  I was really winded after 2.12 miles at the faster pace!  I finished the first half of the run at the 9 minute/mile pace but the return leg was slower (approximately 10 minute/mile pace).

When I walked out the door before the run on Monday night I told my wife I'd be gone for about 1.5 hours.  My plan was to run the 2.12 miles fast and then slow it down for a longer run for about 1 hour.  Well, by the end of the 2.12 miles I didn't have the drive to keep running so I came inside and finished up my workout in the basement with about 50 minutes of weight training.

I took yesterday off since I'd worked out several days in a row without a break.  I was feeling the onset of a cold anyhow so the break was probably in order in any case.

Tonight I'm supposed to run again and then lift weights.  I've got a bit of a cold, but I think I'll go ahead and do my scheduled workout.  Tomorrow I'm going to try running twice - once in the morning and then again in the evening.  On Friday I'll lift weights again and by Saturday morning I should be ready for the 2.12 mile race among friends!

Running in cold weather - so far, no good!

I went outside for a run yesterday.  It was a bit windy and the temperature was about 37 degrees.  I wore a t-shirt, an under-armor cold-gear mock-turtleneck and a sweatshirt and running pants.  I also had on a knit hat and gloves.  It wasn't enough.  I felt miserable.

I need to wear better gear if I'm going to run for 2.5 hours or more outside.  Miserable.

Getting ready for a 12 + Mile Run

I've finally reached the point in my training where I need to run a 12 + mile run.  Gulp!

This weekend I did a 7.5 mile long run because it was a "step-down" week.  This weekend I'm supposed to run 12 miles or more.  Two weekends ago I did 11.20 miles so 12 miles should not be too hard.  If I decide to try for more then it may become harder.

My diet has been absolutely horrid.  I've been eating junk food and fast food quite a bit.  It has been so bad that I've been gaining weight but it certainly isn't helping me get stronger.

I have a bit of a challenge this week (above and beyond running 12 + miles).  We're going to Michigan on Saturday morning.  I'm not going to be able to run on Saturday morning.  It looks like I'm going to have to run on Friday after work.  That's not only not ideal, it is horrible.  I don't know if I'll have the energy to do it.

I may need to take a half day on Friday to allow myself time to get my run in.  If I can started by 3pm then I can be done just as it is getting dark.  I'll probably run the large neighborhood loop (2.46 miles per), because the forest preserve closes at sunset and I'd like to not be in the middle of the preserves when it gets dark!

Once I finish this week's long run I will not have any more long runs until the half marathon.