Dashed (Warrior Dash)

So we ran the SE Warrior Dash last weekend. To read about it check out my personal blog here.

We were tired afterward. Not so much from the race, just the entire weekend surrounding the race. We (and the pug) slept like we were dead last night. Today began the return to training for health/weigh loss again. Still gonna run, lots, but not the main concern now. I've got a real problem with my left heel/tendon (Achilles) area that I've gotta let rest and heal up. Cardio for the next couple of weeks will be all on the spin bike, the elliptical, walking around the lake, and walking uphill on the treadmill. I don't want to tear whatever is wrong with my foot, so not much running this week and next. When I raise my toes upward while keeping the heel of my foot on the ground it feels like something is about to snap, and hurts a lot. It even huts to touch it. So in my expert medical opinion, I need to rest it awhile.

Warrior Princess Kim & the Warrior Pug!

I'm returning to a lower calorie daily intake for a while. 1500-1850 or so. No breaks on weekends. No breaks on vacations. Just back to normal (NS normal). My training switched today too. I trained with weights first. Cardio after. Today was chest. Lifting first I felt pretty strong. 1 warm up set and then 3 working sets of hammer strength bench presses, then 3 sets of incline presses, 3 sets of decline presses, 3 sets of machine flies, and 2 sets of push-ups. Most sets were between 8-12 reps except for the push-ups, which were sets of 30 & 20 reps. Cardio at the gym was 15 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes walking uphill on the treadmill. I did run for about 2 minutes on the treadmill testing out some new shoes. I finally found a pair of Vibram fivefingers! Pretty cool, geeky looking shoe. Think toe shoes. I'll post a pic soon. Anyway, the shoes are supposed to force you to run as if you are barefoot, which is supposedly better for you. As I ran on the treadmill, they did force me to land much more forward (the ball of the foot, I guess) and lessened the impact on the heel. I'm looking forward to running outside (on dirt/grass/trails) wearing these. Just gotta wait on the tendon/heel the get better. Late this evening Kim, Jumping Jack Flash, and I walked about 2 miles around the lake. I wore the Vibrams and was very pleased with the way they felt.

Kim and I just after the race.

Food today was granola cereal for breakfast. Some lean ham and chicken for lunch. Post workout was a protein shake. Dinner this evening was a NS Buffalo Chicken Wrap. Dessert was a white chocolate chunk cookie. Good day!



BTW, someone ran the race (5K with obstacles) in 15:48. That's fast, yall!!!! We don't know our times yet, they'll be posted later this week. We are both beet up. Scratches and bruises all over. So much fun though. We're running another one on June 26th, assuming my foot heals up.

Pain Free Run

Today I was able to run again. After resting my poor foot for two days I returned to the treadmill for what I had intended to be a moderate run. I ended up running 3 miles in 23:39. Pretty good for me. The real good news is (up to now anyway) my foot isn't hurting at all.

After finishing up 30 minutes on the treadmill I trained back. 3 sets of hammer strength pull downs, 3 sets of hammer strength rows, 3 sets of lat pull downs, and 3 sets of straight arm press downs. I finished up my time at the gym with 15 minutes on the elliptical machine.

Once back home I had a small lean cuisine meal (macaroni and beef) and then rode the spin bike for 45 minutes as I watched the Braves game. BTW, the Braves came back from a 7 run deficit in the 9th, winning the game on a walk off grand slam. I high fived the cats and the Pug! Unbelievable.

I hope to get in a walk with Kim late this evening and then another run tomorrow before we head to Mountain City late Friday for the Warrior Dash. I don't know if we'll get to run at all on Saturday before the race on Sunday.

Newest Injury

My newest injury (had it a few days now) is killing me. I couldn't run much at all yesterday. I made it less than a mile before having to give up and walk on the stair treadmill. The pain eased up a bit. Walking down stairs hurts like hell, but going up is not so bad. I'm gonna try to rest it for a few days. The inside of my foot between my ankle and heel is swollen and hurts to touch. Weird. I don't remember twisting my ankle, tripping, or anything that could have resulted in this pain. Hope it goes away soon.

I rode the bike for an hour yesterday and trained chest while at the gym. 3 sets of presses, 3 sets of decline, and 3 sets of flies. No walking or anything else last night.

Today I'm gonna try to ride the bike for an hour (no pain at all while riding) and train shoulders. I'm not gonna run at all today. I'll ride the bike again this evening for some more cardio.

Food has been lots of cereal, lean cuisine, NS snacks, protein shakes, and even a slice of Pizza (a single slice mind you) out last night.

Good Time on the Treadmill

This week I've decided to only run once per day leading up to the Warrior Dash on Sunday. I'm still doing other cardio, like the spin bike, elliptical, walking uphill on the treadmill, walking at the lake, and the stair treadmill.

Yesterday was kinda busy for me. I had to train, eat, go to the dentist, and squeeze in a little bookwork. My morning exercise was an hour on the spin bike. After the bike I headed to the gym and ran 3 miles in 23:49. I think that's my best time yet. I didn't feel as if I was going to die while doing it either. I spent the remainder of the 30 minutes allotted for the treadmill walking slowly uphill. I didn't have time to lift, so I went home to eat before going to the dentist. Late in the evening Kim, Jumping Jack Flash & I walked 2.25 miles around the lake for my final exercise of the day.

My newest jogging related injury (I have a new one every few days now) is a very sore left heel/tendon. It really hurts walking down stairs. I need to baby it for a day or so and then be ready for at least two outdoor runs before Sunday.

Great eating so far this week (meaning Monday and breakfast on Tuesday). Cereal in the AM, lean cuisine for lunch, NS snack, NS dinner, more cereal, and finally a skinny cow ice cream sandwich. ~2100 calories. Burning between 4000-4500 most days I train. Weekends I let the calories get high & not worry about it. I think the middle of June is when I'll go back to being "on" during the weekends too.

Today I'm gonna get my hour on the bike, run on the treadmill at the gym, train chest (& maybe shoulders), stair treadmill, & walk around the lake. All that after I get the HVAC repaired this morning. Priorities!

One Week Out!

The rest of the week my training (& eating) has been all over the place. After getting left in the dust on my Tuesday run I had to take Wednesday off, but then ran a fast paced (for me) 3 mile run on the treadmill on Thursday. 3 miles in 24:17. Then I trained shoulders and triceps. Easy workout. 3 exercises for shoulders (military presses, rear delts, and side lateral raises) and two for triceps (press downs, and rope press downs). Friday I was unable to train again because I had to unexpectedly work some during the day. Saturday Kim and I ran in the AM and then walked late in the evening. I hope to get in a run on Sunday morning and then get in a workout later in the afternoon. I've been working the spin bike back into my daily routine. At least an hour on the bike, every other morning. I've also added some stair work. No more than 15 minutes at a time, only at a moderate pace. Adding these to my routine has pushed me above the 4500 calorie burn level easily each day.

Next week I've decided I'm only going to run once a day leading up to the Warrior Dash on Sunday. One day inside, the next outside, and repeat until Sunday. I've also decided not to train legs again until after the run. No need in being sore the day of the run.

My meals have been good for the most part. Every day begins with granola cereal. Lunch is typically a lean cuisine or protein shake. Some days I eat another bowl of cereal after my workout, some days I have yogurt, and occasionally I have a lean cuisine. Dinner is usually grilled fish (still). Twice this week I ate "out". Wednesday we had dinner at an Indian restaurant (I had a chicken dish and ate less than half, last year I'd have eaten 2 meals) and Friday we ate sushi. Not perfect eating, but not bad. I'm still not concerned with eating off once or twice a week. I think sometime in June I will return to a very strict (no "off" meals) routine for a while and try to push down below 190.

So next week is the Dash. The week after I'm in Texas for a bit. The next week is my Dad's birthday, followed by my birthday in the middle of June. I think just after my birthday I'll make the change.

I read a great post this evening by a friend on NS. She commented on how eating bad foods make her physically ill, and how she feels successful because the change in diet has become a change in lifestyle. I've felt the same way for a while. If I ate a cheeseburger I'd be sick for days. While I do still eat my off meals, I do control the portions (one of my main goals to master on NS) and never over eat. Her post mirrored a lot of the feelings and thoughts I had, but stated them a little better. I think she received a little hate mail as a result (just as I did when I attempted a similar post after the first of the year). Anyway, I feel ya Lili. Keep at it!

Smoked during my run...

Sunday morning Kim and I ran our little route around the lake. We made it two miles before needing to recover a little. This is the best Kim has done so far. She's only been able to train once a week or so, so this much progress is great. We'll try to slow down and stretch out the distance on the net run.

Monday I ran 3 miles at home, then rode the spin bike for about 30 minutes before heading to the gym. At the gym I planned to get in an hour on the treadmill. I began with 15 minutes of a HIIT run. 2 minutes 30 seconds at 6, then thirty seconds at 9.5, then repeat. I stopped after 15 minutes. My legs felt weird, for lack of a better word. I guess just a little different from the small amount of near sprinting. I moved on to the stair-treadmill. 15 minutes on it and then back to the treadmill for a 15 minutes uphill walk. After the cardio I trained chest. 3 sets of incline presses, 3 sets of decline presses, 3 sets of machine presses, and 3 sets of flies.

Today I rode the spin bike for an hour then went to the gym. At the gym I got my ass handed to me. I ran into one of the local trainers who proceeded to invite me to go on an outdoor jog with him and some of the guys he trains. He assured me that they were going to run a slow, easy, deliberate pace......And I'm sure it was, for him. I did real well the first mile and a half, then we arrived at a rather large hill and I watched them run off into the distance. I walked up the hill, and then resumed a SLOW paced jog back to the gym. My slow and their slow are two very different things. Getting left so far behind is a sign of the shape I'm really in. Good for me, but not so good. It's great motivation to train harder, continue losing weight, keep running, and get to the point where I can not only train hard in the gym, run well on the treadmill, but also run at a decent pace outdoors (7:30-8 minute miles instead of the 9-10 minute miles I run outdoors now). After I got home from the gym (I didn't even work out after the run) I rode the spin bike for another 35 minutes. Hopefully Kim and I will be able to get in a little walk after dinner.

My meals have been very good so far this week. Cereal, protein shakes, Lean Cuisine meals, fish, and vegetables. I'm kinda growing tired of grilled fish. Well, the thought of it anyway. I always enjoy it when we eat it.

2 Weeks to Go

Two weeks until Warrior Dash! I've lengthened my runs outside to 4+ miles, and my treadmill work has got me running 3 miles in about 25 minutes.

I recieved and email through the NS site a few days ago from a contact concerned that by not eating NS any longer and working out I would backslide into gaining weight. I guess my posts of late have dealt more with training than with eating. If anything, I'm eating healthier than when I was eating NS alone. The reduction in sodium has been tremendous. I've increased my protein amounts and reduced the fat in my diet. I'm sure I take in more calories than most on NS do, but then again I train at least 2.5 hours a day, 6 day a week.

Monday through Friday my current diet consists of granola cereal for breakfast (I eat a large bowl with skim milk ~ 500 calories). Pre workout (after my first run of the day) I usually have either a protein shake or a cup of yogurt. After the gym I have a small lunch (lately I've been eating either sushi [not rolls, either nigiri or sashimi] or a Lean Cuisine meal). Late in the afternoon I sometimes have a NS snack or something similar (Skinny Cow for example). Dinner most days is grilled fish. Typically either salmon or mahi mahi. We use no oils, no butter, usually only jerk or pepper seasoning. We have a salad with dinner along with some type of veggie. Dessert is usually a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich. This puts me between 2000-2500 calories per day. Along with the food I take a vitamin pack from GNC (athlete stack) and drink LOTS of water.

This routine varies on the weekends. I usually have one meal out at night on the weekend (this weekend we ate a delicious meal for Mother's Day at St. Johns in Chattanooga). Last weekend we ate at a Korean BBQ. Sometimes we eat Mexican or a good seafood place. I even eat a dessert on the nights out. I'm not concerned right now with the weekend meals potentially negating the work during the week. After months and months of battling and losing weight every day, I NEED a little rest. The main thing is that I'm not gaining any weight now (and probably losing a little each week, just not the 3-5 pounds I was losing before). I am in better physical shape now than 2 months ago (just ending the NS program). I'm much stronger, have much more stamina (longer runs, more often), and can train harder. I'm sure in another couple of weeks, say a little after Warrior Dash, I'll be ready to go back into a mindset of losing another 20 pounds or so. I'll use our upcoming wedding as good motivation to lose down to around 180.

The eating routines I developed on NS have become a lifestyle. Smaller meals, smaller portions, salads, healthy snacks, and eating breakfast EVERY morning have been key. Most importantly I have removed FAST FOOD from my life. The NS friend's email was trying to make a point to me that I already know, and have even talked about with anyone who will listen often. Exercise is great, but the proper diet is a must.

Back Day

Wednesday is back day for me at the gym. It's not as demanding as leg day, but still kinda rough. Before hitting the gym I began the day with a 3 mile run around the lake. I did manage to actually run the full length, but still slower than normal. Maybe a couple of more days and I'll be back to my usual pace. Once at the gym I ran 3 more miles on the treadmill before beginning my workout. 3 sets of y-bar rows, 3 sets of t-bar rows, and 3 sets of lat pull downs. I planned to walk with Kim later in the evening, but she had to work a little late and then I had a little work to finish late as well, so no walk for us.

Food was good on the day. Cereal, lean cuisine for lunch, more cereal, skinny cow snack, salmon for dinner.

Tomorrow I'll be back outside running & training arms at the gym. Woohoo!

Still Here

After a weekend off from running (letting a sore foot heal) I'm still not back to where I was before we went to Myrtle Beach. My eating has been good (other than the weekend), but my training has been sub par.

Monday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill, but it seemed like it took forever. I also rode the spin bike about 45 minutes too. The bike is still easy, so at least there's that. I returned to my strength training after taking the previous week off. Monday was chest day. 3 sets of machine presses, 3 sets of incline presses, and 3 sets of machine flies. Afterward I did about 15 minutes on the elliptical to finish my workout.

Tuesday I was able to run outside. Horrible. I ran about 2 miles and slowed to a walk for a bit. Then I picked up the pace for about half a mile, then slowed again for a bit, then finished off running the rest. 3.75 miles. It felt like 30. Once back home I hit the spin bike for 30 minutes and then got ready for the gym. My plan was to run intervals on the treadmill. 2.5 minutes at level 6, then .5 minutes at level 9, repeating until I'd run about 30 minutes or so. I made it ten minutes. The workout wasn't too hard, nor was I winded or hurting, I just felt exhausted overall. I slowed to an uphill walk for ten minutes, and wanted to finish the last ten minutes at a 7mph jog. Nope. I made it about 5 minutes and then returned to my uphill walk. Yup, it sucked. My workout for Tuesday was shoulders. 3 sets of shoulder presses, 3 sets of lateral raises, 3 sets of upright rows, 3 sets of shoulder shrugs, and 3 sets of rear delts. Again I returned to the elliptical trainer for about 12 minutes to complete my gym workout.

Food has been cereal and protein shakes in the AM. Sushi for lunch. Dinner during the past two days was seared swordfish on Monday & grilled jerked salmon on Tuesday. PM snacks have been either skinny cow treats or more cereal.

Wednesday I hope to push a good outside run (even at a slow pace, whatever, just finish without having to walk) and then some type of interval cardio at the gym, followed by a back workout.

Warrior Dash is rapidly approaching. We've finally secured a very nice looking cabin for the weekend. Kim's trying to plan a practice run at our lake the weekend before. If she can get it together it should be fun. If you're running it (or just wanna come run through the fields with us) let me know.

Weekend Full of Asian Foods

Friday I returned to running outside. It was terrible. My first problem was my foot. The bottom of my right foot hurt (I guess from running so much on Thursday after having so many days off). The second problem was I was running later than usual, thus a little warmer than usual. And finally I extended the run from 3 miles to 4.3 miles. The first part of the run was great, right up until I hit the 2 mile mark. I decided to walk a bit and then run some more. Overall I was very unhappy with the run, but I burned a lot of calories (~1000). I later went to the gym planning to get a 3 mile run on the treadmill. The sucking continued. I managed another 2 miles and then retreated to the elliptical. Finally late Friday evening Kim & I walked 2 miles around the lake, bringing my total to around 9 miles for the day. I burned ~4400 calories on the day, but never really got in the intensity out of the workouts I was looking for.

Saturday Kim & I went to Atlanta to look at some wedding dresses for her. The only exercise of the day was a 30 minutes ride on the spin bike before we left. I did get a little walking in at various shopping locations, but noting with any intensity.

Sunday I planned to run outside, but my foot was still sore from all the running on Thursday/Friday, so I decided to get all of my cardio in on the spin bike. I'll return to both running (albeit on the treadmill because we're expecting lots of rain) and training Monday morning.

My eating on Friday and Saturday was good for some meals, not so much for others. Friday everything was great in the AM (cereal, protein shake, and then sushi for lunch) but dinner was a pork (carnitas) burrito. Saturday AM was again good (cereal) and lunch was good also (Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup). Dinner again was not so good. We ate at Honey Pig in Atlanta. It's a Korean place. Lots of pig and kimchi. Yum. If you're interested in reading about our meals, check my personal blog here for pics and links to the restaurants.

Three weeks to the Warrior Dash! Yippee!