jfrankovich

Definitely feeling more full than I did for the past few weeks when I was eating less and running more, but not so much that I find it difficult yet. I had a good variety of protein sources this past week: chicken, turkey, ham, bacon, pork, steak, eggs, cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, almonds, protein bars, and an evening protein shake on days that I worked out and/or was a little low. And yes, that steak was the best of them! (The sliver of caramel ice cream brownie cake afterwards wasn't half bad, either.)

Nice work, and good luck with your fast.

Week 2 Recap On Saturday I did a whole array of exercise: two stroller walks with the little one, a 4.4 mile run including 8 sprints (about 20 seconds each), 15 minutes of jumping rope (alternating easy and intense intervals), 50 push-ups, 100 squats, 12 broad jumps, and a little basketball (just shooting hoops by myself). Sunday we're celebrating my niece's 12th birthday with a homemade steak dinner. Accomplishments for the week: 2 runs totaling 7.4 miles, including sprints (half marathon recovery week)3 solid strength workouts, plus a few other sets700 yards swimming lapsGot bikes ready and rode 3 times (about 1 hour total)1 jump rope sessionParticpated in the Scout Mini Challenge: Crossing the RiverProtein intake: Mon 145g, Tue 153g, Wed 163g, Thu 151g, Fri 122g, Sat 152g, Sun 167g (150g average)Trimmed beard onceKept cell phone charged all week

Week 2 Update #3 Wednesday at lunch I swam laps at the local pool. It was my first time doing laps... I'm not very good at it yet (fitness-wise or technique-wise), but it was still fun and I felt good afterwards. It's definitely something I'd like to get better at, especially if I ever want to give a triathlon a try. In the evening I went for a 25-minute bike ride at an easy pace. Thursday I was home with the toddler, since Mrs. JF had a special work assignment and daycare was booked. I trimmed my beard while she was down for a nap. When she got up we went to the store and found her a perfect little bike helmet, and then we came home and tried it out. She loves it! Later on we went on a second ride with Mama, but it was pretty cold and windy so we didn't go very far. In the evening I did some random strength sets as well as an easy 3-mile run (my first since the half marathon on Sunday). It was nice to run again! I've been looking into upcoming races but I think I'll wait until after we've settled into our new house a bit in May. Protein intake so far this week: Mon 145g, Tue 153g, Wed 163g, Thu 151g

Great job with the morning run. Keep up the good work!

Great pic, Nicole. Now I'm inspired to go try some tree pose myself!

Or as Quentin would say: Good luck this weekend! Excited for you and to Hear how it all goes. Have a great race!

A pain in the knee Can be very bothersome. Glad you found a fix!

Missing them is better than hitting them, though, right? ¡Ser seguros!

Week 2 Update #2 Tonight I did another strength workout, this time focused on push exercises: bench press: 140x8, 140x5, 135x6, 125x6 shoulder press: 65x9, 65x11, 65x10 triceps press: 55x9, 55x10, 55x7 plank: 1:00 I also packed a bag for swimming tomorrow. Protein intake so far this week: Mon 145g, Tue 153g

Here's a good brain recipe for you: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/majorcan-style-brains/

I've heard from many sources that it's best to do dynamic movements (jogging in place, jumping jacks, punches, etc) to warmup before exercise, and static stretches after exercise when your muscles are already warm. It sounds like you might be experiencing the classic "side stitch." Here's one article with some tips for preventing and eliminating them: http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/four-ways-stop-dreaded-side-stitch

Glad you had a good day. Keep that positive momentum going! PS: Looks like your signature could use an update... it still says you're a Level 1 Ranger, but from what I can tell you're a Level 4 Scout this time around.

Wow, 7:30!! Halfway to 15!

Yay for endorphins! Nice job!

Week 2 Update #1 Felt pretty good today despite having run a half marathon yesterday... just a little stiff, especially after sitting at my desk. They posted the official HM results on the website today. Here are mine: Official Time: 1:45:22 Overall: 114th out of 1118 Males: 79th out of 441 Males, Age 30–34: 12th out of 62 Males, Age 34: 1st out of 7 I came home for lunch and worked on our bikes, filling the tires and lubing the chains, and doing a short test ride. I also checked the pool schedule... they have lap swimming at lunchtime, so I'm thinking of giving it a go on Wednesday. In the evening, I assembled the child seat and mounted it on the back of my bike. Now all we need is a helmet for the tot. After that I did a 25-minute workout with primarily pull exercises: pull-up: 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 4, 3 (31) bent-over row: 40x12, 40x12 biceps curl: 40x8, 40x8 upright row: 40x12 reverse crunch: 12

Ha! A spot-on observation. And yet somehow I still managed to take the little one on two stroller walks later in the day!

Thanks, everyone. Yeah, I figured that might be the reason for the difference. I was really just noting it to explain why the time for my last segment was 1:08 (a 5:58 pace over 0.19 mi rather than a 10:18 pace over 0.11).

*Hugs* for Frankie (and you!). We have 3 cats (down from 4)... it's really hard when they pass on but the memories are still wonderful. We're enjoying some bonus time with our eldest, who survived cancer and a rear leg amputation about two and half years ago.

Good job, Shukar. All this reading about cubing is going to get me motivated to practice mine again...

Week 1 Update #6 Half Marathon Report Well, I successfully ran my first half marathon! My unofficial time was 1:45:23, or about 8:02/mile. My goal was to do at least an 8:20 pace, and 8:10 or better if I was feeling good, so I was really happy with how I did. Looks like I trained well, thanks in part to the Nerd Fitness challenges and all the support from my fellow rebels! I was up around 5:40 this morning, and got to the race at 7:00. My wife dropped me off, so I didn't have to worry about parking and keys. After a well-timed bathroom stop I did my warmups around 7:35, and then went to the starting area. Before the race began, a woman from Lansing who had been in the Boston Marathon but had to stop half a mile from the finish ran her last half mile to our finish line... it was inspiring to cheer for her. They also announced that the Lansing Marathon was the first one in the United States since Boston. At the start of the race, the temperature was in the upper 30s (F), but the sun was out (I was glad I grabbed my sunglasses from the car) and it wasn't too windy, so the conditions were quite good. The early part of the race was kinda surreal, since it was my first big race (~1500 runners)... it was strange to be in such a large pack for so long. It was hard to keep from running faster early on, but I did a pretty good job. I was glad that I brought my own Gatorade on a hydration belt... I found it to be more trouble than it was worth to grab some at the aid stations, and I just skipped a few of them. Miles 4 through 10 felt great... very consistent and around an 8:00/mi pace on average. I didn't bring music with me and never felt the need... the time seemed to pass quite quickly. Miles 11 and 12 were a little tougher, but then the adrenaline kicked in at the end, especially since my family shouted out to me at around the 12.2 mark. The very end was emotional because I was thinking about the people in Boston who lost their legs, and how fortunate I was to be able to do something like this. I kicked hard to the finish line, got my medal and some snacks, and then found my family members. All in all it was an awesome experience, and I'll definitely be doing it again... just have to figure out when and where, and whether I want to try for a full marathon next or do another half or two first. Here are my mile times according to my GPS watch, which measured the course at 13.19 miles, so they're a bit off (especially the end segment), but still close: 8:12, 8:07, 8:15, 7:55, 8:04, 8:02, 8:02, 7:50, 8:04, 7:50, 8:06, 8:12, 7:36, 1:08 Here I am afterwards with my medal, Nerd Fitness shirt, and Boston Strong ribbon: And a closer shot of the medal (pretty darn nice!):

Week 1 Update #5 Friday report: · Cheerios, yogurt, and a bagel for breakfast · Tilapia, wild rice, cheese, and an orange for lunch · Chicken soup and apples for dinner · Granola bar, jam sandwich, and cereal for snacks · Drank 48+ ounces of water · Completed third training run (2 miles) · Visited the alternate race course · Slept for 7 hours Saturday report: · Bagels and a banana for breakfast · Grilled cheese sandwich and dried cherries for lunch · Indian rice, bread, and chickpeas for dinner · No junk food all day · Drank 48+ ounces of water · Slept for 6 hours Saturday morning I went to the race expo and picked up my bib... number 2222! In the afternoon I got all of my gear laid out for the half marathon... it really helped to have the checklist prepared in advance. I also got to enjoy a nice visit from my brother and his girlfriend. They took us out to dinner at an awesome Indian restaurant (I got the mild seasoning so as not to risk an upset stomach!) and then we saw the musical version of Catch Me If You Can (the tickets were a Christmas gift). By the way, I completely forgot about my third set of stretching and massage sessions. Full report of the half marathon to follow...

I suspect I'll have a mini-binge on the bowl of leftover Easter chocolate at our house on Sunday after my race, after a whole week of giving it up in preparation.

Thanks, both. And yes, I promise to provide a full report of the race next week. Today I've been studying the alternate race course they posted due to parts of the original course being flooded.

Keep Going!