Success and Frustration — Weekend Report

Yesterday (Saturday) I ran a race that was both successful and extremely frustrating. I did a 5K, not as my goal race but just to see where my fitness is … and as I haven’t done a 5K since last year, I decided to try to set my PR (which as of last year was 22:25).

I was certain I’d set my PR as I’m a lot stronger these days. So I went out to run about a 7:00 pace — and that’s exactly what I did, until the last 800m when I ran almost an all out sprint at 5:00 pace.

I ended up beating my PR by 4 mins at 18:23, which is impossible, until I found out from other runners that the course was short!!!

How FRUSTRATING!!!

I ran the course again and found out that someone put the turnaround cones (it was an out-and-back course) in the wrong place. Whoever measured the course had marked where the turnaround should be, and it was .22 of a mile further than the cones were. Which means, as it was an out-and-back course, that the course was short .44 of a mile.

Assuming I would have run a 7:00 pace for that .44 of a mile, I would have easily set a PR. My calculations put my run at about 21:28 for a 5K, nearly a minute faster than my PR. As it is, because someone messed up, I don’t have a new PR!!!

Oh well. I ran a great race, came in 16th for the men and top 5 in my division, and I should just be happy with that. I’ll run another 5K in 2-3 weeks to see if I can actually set the PR.

—

Other than the 5K, I did about 40 mins of easy running after the race to finish at around 7 miles for the day. I’m taking a rest day today (Mother’s Day).

As for eating, I”m not going to log my food this weekend if you guys don’t mind. I did pretty well for most of yesterday, eating my usual stuff in the morning and afternoon, but in the evening I cheated as we had a Mother’s Day get-together. I ate little bits of different things and don’t really know how to log it all. I ate a lot, but with my running in the morning I’d guess I was still in a slight calorie deficit.

Today, as a rest day, I won’t be in deficit. It’s another cheat day. I had a Mother’s Day brunch with my family this morning, and ate a decent amount, and have another get-together this evening and will probably overeat a bit. :)

Oh well. :) I’ll get back on track tomorrow (although it’s Eva’s birthday and we’ll probably go out and overeat for dinner). I’m doing a long bike ride tomorrow morning and am looking forward to that.

Hope everyone’s having a great weekend! Happy Mother’s Day!

Feeling Better – Fri 05.09.08 Report

So after a recovery day on Thursday, I felt a bit tired this morning and skipped my morning workout with the option to do the same later in the day if I still felt tired. But I felt better in the afternoon and did a heavy weight workout and then a light run later.

Eating was good until dinner when I complimented my Asian salad with a McDonald’s apple pie, half a choc chip cookie and some fries. Not good, but nevermind. :)

B: Coffee. Rolled oats w/ brown sugar, raisins, dried apricots, soymilk. 360.

S: Soy yogurt w/ blueberries and Kashi Golean Crunch cereal. Peanut butter toast. 400.

WO: Weights, 4 sets per exercise. 120.

S: Post-workout shake (actually had some before workout too). 435.

L: Amy’s Kitchen Tofu Scramble. 320.

WO: Easy 3-mile run. 360.

D: McDonald’s – Asian salad w/ almonds, no chicken, half packet of sesame ginger dressing. Apple pie. Half choc chip cookie. Fourth of medium fries. 630.

Totals:

Ate: 2145.

Burned: 2300 + 480exercise = 2780.

Deficit: 635.

Lesson Learned: A Reflection on Training Intensity

As I mentioned in the previous post, yesterday (Thurs) became a recovery day for me because I kinda overdid it on Wednesday with a hard run in the morning followed by a really hard bike and run brick workout in the afternoon. I was wiped out following the workout, and tired and sore all day yesterday, and am still tired and a little sore this morning (Friday) and have already skipped another workout.

This means that my hard workouts on Wednesday required at least 36 hours of recovery if not more (I’m still playing it by ear). A recovery of that long means that I’m skipping some important training — which is fine for now, but I can’t make that a regular thing or my training volume will be greatly reduced.

So, reflecting back on my workouts, I realized that I have to hold back my intensity if I want to continue to train almost every day. This is something I’ve read about before, of course, but it’s also something you tend to forget in the middle of a workout when you’re feeling good and want to push yourself.

This has been a good lesson, I think. For my regular training days (non-race days), I need to hold back the intensity. I can’t go all-out if I want to train the next day or even the day after that.

So, for those of you following along at home, take heed: training intensity should be somewhere between easy and medium-hard, but never very hard, or you’ll mess up your training schedule — either that, or you’ll continue your training schedule while tired and risk injury or burnout. And remember to alternate hard days with easy or rest days to ensure that you’re recovering properly from workouts. I might even redo my schedule because I’m doing three hard days in a row and that’s not ideal.

Recovery/Cheat Day – Thu 05.08.08 Report

I was feeling tired and sore from yesterday’s hard workouts (hard run in the morning and hard bike/run in the afternoon) so I decided to give myself a rest today. I did an easy 4-mile run in the morning but skipped the weight workout (will do either Fri or Sat instead depending on how my body feels) and skipped the swim workout (will do Friday probably). I just felt like my body needed a rest and didn’t want to overdo it, although it was tough to skip workouts.

I also decided to give myself a cheat day and ate a bunch of junk food. I’m not even going to log it today if you guys don’t mind … I feel like it’s better if I just put that day of cheating behind me and move on to healthier days. :) If your curious, I started the day with one of my usual fairly healthy breakfasts but late in the morning had part of a muffin, some french toast, some tofu fried rice, a mocha coffee … and then in the afternoon had a bunch of nachos covered in cheese and a bunch of Skittles. I felt horrible afterward but oh well. :)

So I’m glad I gave myself a rest as my body needed it. We’ll see how it feels on Saturday as I’m still sore and tired at the moment and will take an extra rest day if necessary.

I’m doing a 5K on Saturday to see how my running is — kind of a test — I’m even going to shoot for a PR if I feel good.

Totally Wiped Out – Wed 05.07.08 Report

I started the day with a great run — a shorter tempo run where I warmed up for 2 easy miles, then did 2 miles at tempo pace (which for me is between 8:00-8:15 min/mile pace) and then another mile cooldown for 5 total miles. It was the first time I did a faster run in awhile and it felt great, although a bit tiring.

But it was my afternoon “brick” workout that wiped me out: a 1 hr 15 min bike ride that included a bunch of sprint intervals and hard pedaling into a strong headwind, followed immediately by a fast 2-mile run, mostly at 5K pace (between 7:00-7:15 min/mile for me). Boy did my legs feel like Jello on the run following the bike! And when the workout was over, I was drained. Great workout.

After a shower, I then took Eva out for a great past dinner (with a glass of wine) immediately afterward for the third leg of my “brick” workout. :)

WO: 5-mile run w/ 2 tempo miles. 730.

B: Coffee. Piece of pop tart (before workout). Rolled oats w/ brown sugar, dried apricots, diced apples, raisins, flaxseed. 480.

S: Sprouted toast w/ almond butter. Cottage cheese w/ banana. 430.

L: Gardenburger on sprouted toast w/ tomatoes and lettuce and dijon mustard and veganaise. Blue corn tortilla chips. Half a Corona beer. 590.

S: Kashi Golean Crunch cereal w/ soymilk. 260.

WO: 1 hr 15 min bike ride including sprint intervals and strong headwind. Followed immediately by 2.3-mile run mostly at 5K pace. 1145.

S: Clif Bar cranberry apple cherry. 230.

D: Penne pasta w/ tomato and peppers. Garlic bread. White wine. 1,160.

Totals:

Ate: 3150.

Burned: 2300 + 1875exercise = 4175.

Deficit: 1025.

Feeling Strong – Tue 05.06.08 Report

Had a nice run and then a great strength workout this morning — increased my sets from 3 to 4 and I really felt the workout. Then did an ocean swim in the afternoon and felt very good afterward, much better than I did a few weeks ago with my first ocean swim.

My body’s tired but I feel strong and fit.

B: Coffee. Apple. Sprouted toast w/ almond butter. 320.

WO: 4.25-mile easy run. 495.

S: Pre-workout protein shake. 145.

WO: Strength workout, 4 sets each exercise. 120.

S: Post-workout shake. Cottage cheese w/ peaches. Club crackers. 640.

L: Amy’s Kitchen tofu scramble. 320.

S: Soy yogurt, almonds, banana. 290.

WO: 21-min ocean swim. 205.

S: Peanut butter crunch Clif Bar. Apple. 340.

D: Salad w/ feta, nuts, avocado, veggies, light dressing spray. Veggie burrito wrap. 415.

Totals:

Ate: 2470.

Burned: 2300 + 820exercise = 3120.

Deficit: 650.

My Favorite Salad

Eva just made one of my favorite salads and I thought I’d share. It’s pretty basic but I love it.

There are obviously many variations but here’s the gist:

• Raw spinach
• Maybe some romaine lettuce if you like
• Sliced carrots
• Raw broccoli, chopped
• Diced avocado
• Feta cheese
• Sliced almonds
• Pine nuts
• Sliced strawberries or diced mango optional

Spray with some light salad dressing and dig in! Yumm. I’m gonna go have some now. :)

One Month Assessment!

I’ve been doing this training blog for one month (started on April 6, 2008) and I thought now would be as good a time as any to assess my goals and progress.

First, I’d just like to say thank you to all of you readers who have read my daily progress reports, have given me encouragement and motivation and feedback and valuable advice. I couldn’t have made it this far without you.

OK, let’s take a look at my goals from a month ago, and the progress I’ve made on each:

My overall goal is just to get myself in good shape for my honeymoon in late June, and then after that to prepare for my 3rd marathon in December. Progress: I’ve been exercising almost every single day and eating pretty healthy in the last month. I’ve added triathlon training to my running and weight lifting and feel fitter than ever. I’ve lost an inch or two on my waist and about 5 lbs so far, though my weight has plateaued a bit. I really feel fitter than I was a month ago and feel like I’ll be seeing even more results in the next few weeks.

My sub-goals:

1. Start and stick to a regular strength training routine. I’m going to do 2 full-body workouts a week, just 6 exercises: bench press, standing rows, shoulder presses, pullups, bicep curls and squats. I might add deadlifts and dips later, and maybe a 3rd day per week once I’ve gotten into the habit (after 3 weeks maybe). Progress: I’ve stuck to this strength training routine extremely well so far, doing more than 4 weeks of this schedule. I’ve gone from one set per exercise to four (starting today) and have increased the weights for each exercise. I also feel stronger than ever. This is my longest ever to stick with a weight routine!

2. Build my running back up to a decent level. My focus won’t be on running, but I’d like to have a decent base (maybe 30 miles per week eventually) before I start my marathon training. I’ll also do a faster workout once a week, to increase fat burning and to get me in good shape for some shorter races I’ll be doing for the next few months. Progress: I’ve not only built my running back up to a decent level (20+ miles per week and still increasing), but have started doing hills/speedwork once a week and am feeling strong on the run. Also, not in the original plan, but I’ve begun triathlon training and am doing more cardio than ever before. I feel amazing!

3. Eat lightly. I’ll go into more detail on this in a future post, but I’ve created my own meal plan, and will be eating 4-5 times per day, about 300-400 calories per meal. Sometimes a little more. Eat when I’m lightly hungry (instead of ravenous), eat slowly, eat until I’m lightly full (not stuffed), eat light foods (not heavy). Allow myself to cheat a couple meals per week. Progress: I have definitely been eating more often, and eating less per meal, and eating healthy foods for the most part. The cheat meals haven’t been too bad, and while I haven’t stuck exactly to the meal plan, I think my eating has been really good in the last month. I eat when I’m hungry and don’t starve myself, but don’t stuff myself either — very healthy eating style.

4. Stay accountable. I will be trying to post daily (or so) here on this training blog, as well as keeping a public training and eating log on FitDay. Progress: I’ve posted reports each day (though I was late on a couple) so I’ve been pretty much perfect here. And while I don’t use FitDay anymore, I’ve switched to the much better The Daily Plate (see my diary) and have been logging faithfully every day. The accountability of this log and this blog have really helped keep me on track. Thanks everyone!

Overall Assessment

As you can see from my progress on each sub-goal above, I’ve been doing great on every account — overall fitness, strength training, running, eating healthy, and staying accountable. I’ve also added swimming and biking and am having a blast!

A few indicators:

1. Weight: Started at 189.5 and have dropped to 185.5. While my weight loss has leveled off, I think the overall loss is decent and the plateau is probably temporary.
2. Waist: Started at 38 inches, down to 36 inches as of today. Hooray!
3. Strength: Went from 1 set of light weights to 4 sets of heavier weights.
4. Running: Went from running 4x a week, 13 miles a week (my first week) to running 5x a week and 21 miles a week (last week).
5. Overall exercise: Went from 6 workouts in a week the first week, total of 2 hrs 40 mins, to 11 workouts last week for a total of 8 hours and 20 minutes! That’s an increase of more than 3 times my total exercise minutes!

I’m obviously very happy with the last month and hope to just continue the exercise I’ve been doing and continue my healthy eating. I will continue to progress gradually with all four sports (weights, running, cycling, swimming) but will obviously not make the same kind of increases in total exercise time. If I just continue my schedule, I should do well over the next month.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement!

Rest Day – Mon 05.05.08 Report

Today was a scheduled complete rest day for me. It’s a sign of how addicted I’ve become to exercising that rest days are the toughest days on my schedule — I feel so sloth-like when I don’t exercise! And when I eat a lot, I feel more guilty if I don’t have the redeeming power of exercise.

However, I just tell myself that I need the rest days to recover, and my body is always refreshed after a rest day, ready for another week of great workouts.

B: Coffee. Cinnamon Life cereal w/ soymilk. Third of an apple. 270.

S: Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and raisins. Cottage cheese w/ peaches. Toast w/ almond butter. 665.

L: Burrito w/ whole wheat wrap, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, corn, black beans, sour supreme. 290.

S: Pretzel sticks. Dark chocolate. Watermelon. 355.

D: Amy’s Kitchen veggie w/ brown rice. A little spaghetti w/ marinara sauce. 505.

S: Honey Bunches of Oats w/ strawberries, with soymilk. Soy Dreamers ice cream sandwich. 225.

Totals:

Ate: 2310.

Burned: 2300.

Surplus: 10.

First 20-mile Bike Ride! Sun 05.04.08 Report

What an amazing, awesome bike ride this morning! I was out at about 5:30 a.m., and I did 20.5 miles, my longest yet, for 1 hr and 40 mins. I was tired afterward, but it felt great. Not only that, but I did the ride on a road by the ocean, and had incredible views of the water and beach as I rode, and it looked just gorgeous in the early morning light. I felt glad to be alive.

S: Coffee. Clif Bar cranberry apple. Banana. Gatorade (during the ride). 530.

WO: 20.5-mile bike ride. 1 hr 40 mins. 1,120.

B: Blueberry whole wheat pancakes w/ maple syrup and Smart Balance margerine. 555.

S: Apple. Almonds. Soy Dreams ice cream sandwich. 430.

L: Amy’s Kitchen palak paneer. 270.

S: Watermelon. Almonds. Apricots. Apple. 410.

D: Soft tacos w/ black beans, veggie refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, sour supreme. 600.

Totals:

Ate: 2795.

Burned: 2300 + 1120bike = 3420.

Deficit: 625.