Its not about if, but when it will happen...

There are times when I think to myself that I have gotten over all my injuries.  I think my body is finally realizing the ability it has and is strong enough to push through after the weight loss and changing of lifestyles and running styles.  However, I think the new thought is not if something will happen anymore but when.  I have worked hard the last 2.5 weeks in my beginning preparations for the Baltimore Marathon.   This past Wednesday during my ultimate frisbee game (which we won!), I rolled my ankle.

Rolled might be an awkward way of putting it.  When it happened there wasn't pain, I just heard a pop or snap.  It hurt though when I tried to continue to run and kept on rolling lightly... just became plenty weak.  I took myself out of the game after a few points but played the final point.  We were tied and won like 16-15 or something like that, by one.

The point I am getting to is that injuries happen and I am realizing slowly that when they happen, it is about doing what is right and healing correctly.  I do not have swelling and no pain when I walk, but it hurts and easily bends and is painful then.  I am still icing, resting and getting it back.

There was a time before when I would think I am strong enough to work through it and continue to run through the pain... then I was out for 6 months.

I am waiting until Monday to start running again to give myself the opportunity to heal as much as possible.  I do not believe missing half a week will affect me too much in my overall training.  Things like this just happen and I am learning it is not about getting frustrated with it but just roll with the punches and just do what is possible.

Almost There and New Running Partner

So as promised, I did my Monday weigh in today.  I weighed 186!  I have 1 more lb to go until I reach my 100 lb mark.  For the next two weeks (the final two weeks in my 30 good days) I will be working hard to lose some more weight so I can stabilize at and below 185.  There is still some fat to lose and I am planning on taking the winter months after the marathon to really work on fitness and cut back on the running then.

On a more running oriented note, this past week I started running with a new partner... NPR.  I will admit that I believe I am addicted to NPR.  I listen to it all the time and if you are around me, the words 'so I was listening to NPR and...' come out plenty of times throughout the day.  My friend Doug who I met in Israel mentioned before that he ran to pod-casts or books on tape.  I decided to run to NPR this past Saturday during my long run.  Great idea!

I ended up listening to the news for the first twenty minutes and then Car Talk came on for the last hour of the run.  It was funny, intriguing and great.  Something that I dont always need to pay attention to but to pop in and out of was great.  I really enjoyed it and even ran to NPR for my 3 mile run today with Cody.

Cody is coming along well.  We ran again today for 3.25 miles.  It was a pretty slow pace after the first half but he is slowly going to get better and better!  He seems to enjoy it so we will keep on working.  He seems to get really worked up while running and tends to bark and other dark meanly or other passerby'ers (I am making up words... yes) occasionally.  It is something I am trying to reel in but will do some research on this week to see what others say.

Week three is in progress!  Stay classy Cleveland, Ohio!

14 Good Days

I am almost there... I hope.  Today was the end of two strait good weeks.  I have eaten well and I also have completed the first two weeks of the training for the Baltimore Marathon.

Here is a quick recap of the training from this past week:
Monday: Day off, I really needed it
Tuesday: 5 Miles
Wednesday: Summer League Frisbee
Thursday: 5 Miles
Friday: 7 Miles
Saturday: 10.5 Miles
Sunday: Bike 13 miles, yoga, and FUPA

I have been running much better and think I will start running with a watch very shortly.  Soon enough I suppose.

On another note, I will update another post tomorrow with my two week weigh in.  I usually weigh myself on Monday mornings and have spent this evening getting ready for it.  I hope to be at 189 but will take anything 191 and below.

On a final note, I feel as though I had a few good post ideas and can't really think of them right now.  When I update my weight tomorrow I will make a full post of it.

Until tomorrow, stay classy Cleveland, Ohio.

Week 1 Recap and More!

Just a quick recap of my training this week.  It was good to run with Cody on Monday and hopefully he will slowly get better conditioned so we can run faster.  I dont doubt he will get there.  Good day with sprints and had to mentally push for something I havent really done before.  All in all a good week and didn't really have a day off due to frisbee.

Monday - 3 miles w/ Cody
Tuesday - 1 mile warm up, 8x 400m, 1 mile cool down
Wednesday - off/Summer League
Thursday - 5 mile run
Friday - 5 mile rund
Saturday - 10.5 mile run
Sunday - Cross: 30 minute bike ride, yoga, and FUPA frisbee

Week two here I come!

On a more important note.  I have completed the first seven days of the be well challenge.  A month ago, I bought a sea salt Godiva chocolate bar.  It is my favorite type of chocolate and it seems to be the hardest to find.  I haven't seen this Godiva before and hope it is good.

 I have been saving it to have after a good week.  I will have one serving of it at the end of these next few good weeks.  By how the servings work, it will only last the first three weeks. I hope that if everything works well, I will be 185 by the final week and plan on baking something special for it.

I even saved calories in today's count for the chocolate!

Stay classy Cleveland, Ohio!

Best Part of Starting a New Training Schedule....

In my opinion, the best part of beginning a new training schedule is getting to buy new shoes!  Yea yea yea.... I am a guy and when it comes down to shopping in general I usually couldn't care less.  Regular shoes? eh...  Clothes? eh...  Running shoes? COUNT ME IN!

With my lack of a digital camera, I will look for it somewhere in this house sooner or later because it is around, I had to get a picture of the new shoes from online.  Newton Distance!  I actually bought a pair of shoes at the beginning of the week that were blue but they just squeezed down on the top of my feet too much and I had to exchange them back.  Second Sole is always really good at helping you find the perfect shoe for you.

It was the only color they had but at least people will see me coming from miles away!

On the topic of starting anew, as I stated earlier I am going to work on 30 good days of eating and being well.  It is now Saturday and I know the day isn't over yet, but each day this week from Monday - now I completed all my training (my body definitely is starting to feel it) along with I stayed below my calorie intake.  I have been using My Fitness Pal to see calories.  I have a daily 'max' of calories to intake and I usually try to stay under it between 500-1000 calories.  I have done quite well so far and day six is almost in the books.  I don't want to jinx anything but it seems I have a good chance of hitting 185 when all is set and done in 25 more days or so.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my weekly wrap up and weekly favorite quote!

Stay classy Cleveland Ohio.

Keeping an Honest Report

It has come up many and many times... the desire to eat and be well for 30 strait days.  I am going to finally take advantage of take advantage of this blog to physically benefit me.  Not only for the next 30 days will I be beginning my marathon training for Baltimore (began today), but I will also let the entire world know that I mean business this time when I say 30 days of being well.

At the end of each day I will create a post detailing my calorie intake and how well I did along with my training progress.  I use My Fitness Pal to help me with my calorie counting here or there.  It is time though to be serious about it all.

Also Judy will be arriving in around 22 days so it will give me a good start for her when she arrives and we can celebrate the 30 days ending together! (Shout out obviously).

Stay tuned tomorrow for post 1/30.

Second Wind/Second Attempt!

It has happened, I have gone crazy.  For those who do not know, I tried to run the Cleveland Marathon this past May and after doing something odd to my knee and an intense heat I was not expecting, I had to withdraw at mile 23.  Forever more, I will remember lying on the side of the road at the water station waiting for my mom to come pick me up just thoroughly exhausted.  I will probably throw a few more race recaps here or there throughout the next few months about what went wrong and what I will fix from the marathon.

In terms of quotes, the first thing I told my mom when I was picked up was 'it is just too damn long'.  Throughout the race I lost sight of why I was running and I can say with complete honesty that running that marathon was the single hardest thing I have ever tried to do.

Well... I have gone crazy and decided to try it again.

The Baltimore Marathon, a race I have read many good things about over time has surfaced as a race I will try to work towards running.  I have completed my training plan and after the first month (the end of July due to a rate increase), if I am still going well, I will sign up.

See my Baltimore Marathon training schedule here.

I mixed up my plan a little this time and the two main changes which I will comment on are the 3 mi every Monday and all the speed training.  The Mondays are so I can run with my dog Cody every Monday no matter what and maybe done the road he can run some of the 5 mile runs with me too.  Also, I figure I would like to work on some speed that will also aid me in increasing my 5k and 10k times and the interval training will do just that.  I ran a 5k a couple weeks ago finishing in 10th overall and 3rd in my age group at 19:30 (without my normal running shoes on a trail course).  Maybe I will break 19:00 in a coming race.

More to come! Especially now that I will have a computer that I can get into Google with and post through.

Beginning my marathon today to the finish line in October.