wykcira1

So just one last post before the end of the challenge. Please do not mistake my absence on this as a lack of commitment to improvement. I've been looking for my next half to complete my goal of running a half in under 2:00:00 before the end of the calendar year. It has been super busy at work but I've been keeping up going to the gym. I've cut down on the treadmill miles and increase the cross training. I might take up sessions with a trainer again to get the most out of my visits and stay motivated. One of them turned me on this site to being with, one of the is a holistic life coach, and one of the biggest segments of their membership is people coming in for sport specific training (golf swing, horseback riding, running). So it is basically their specialty. I did set a new PR for 1 mile without trying last week. It was just supposed to be a warm up mile and I was running by feel, when I was done Garmin told me I just set a PR for a mile. So maybe I'm holding myself back right now. I need to find a way to get out of my own head when running. I felt like I had been listening to my body but I think I've still been a little too focused on the wrong things. I'm not sure how to clear the hurdle but I'm confident that a breakthrough is on the horizon.

So i'm just really bad at updates this challenge. Work has been super crazy (in a good way). But I do have a report on my Half. 2:06:36. With all the hills in Pittsburgh. I ran a GREAT race. My buddy fell off my pace around 5 miles but was only a couple minutes slower than me in the end. Such a great experience. I'm excited for the next one. I've been taking the week off. I did some light cross training yesterday but I've been a lump otherwise. I'll probably get a few miles in tomorrow.

Ankle feels great. =D This is my first half Marathon. It is this weekend. I had my last long run of my taper yesterday. Since Pittsburgh is known for hills I ran the hilliest course I could come up with around my neighborhood. We have a large number of hills or it was pretty easy to find as many hills as possible. I ran my favorite, closest hill. It is about .25 down and then of course .25 back up. I climbed almost 500 feet in total over 7 miles. The elevation on my garmin has almost NO level area. I was gaining or losing the whole time. I did NOT hit my race pace BUT I had less sleep than usual (long night but no drinking) and the amount of hills was more than slightly excessive (maybe only 300~ feet elevation game for the half). But I did hit some good pacing through the middle. Traffic and safety seemed to get in the way the most. But I also made the decision to run the whole thing on the streets since it is a city half. I had been doing a lot of training on gravel trail. And I was at the tail end of being sick. So now that I have all of my excuses out of the way on the training run there is no reason I'm not going to kill it on Sunday. But there is not longer time to train harder. It is all smooth sailing from here. I made it without (running related) injuries, I still had family time. And as a side note as I stepped on the scale this morning I was down a total of 75LBS since Jan of 2013. See you at the finish.

So I definitely missed out on the start of the challenge. Don't think that means I've been slacking off. I am now in the home stretch of training for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. Just a week and change as of right now. I went to the local running store's weekly track workout. It was definitely intimidating going but my new running buddy (from the other store runs) was there and that made a world of difference. Funny how one familiar face and name can make all the difference. I also took the kiddo for her first 5K on the 18th. It was on City Island in Harrisburg. It was far too hot. We made great time despite my having to pit stop and her getting moody in the last mile. I did have an unfortunate accident earlier that day, I mildly twisted my ankle. But we still ran the 5K. I took the next day off and now I'm back at full strength. Work had been super busy so that means less time to post. But it means bigger pay check. Ebbs and flows. A nephew has started a running series. He is in Kindergarten and the series is 1/4 mile. He came in first on the first race. It is Sunday night near Victory Brewery. So not only are we going to see him race but we'll have great food and beer too. what else can you ask of a Sunday? that is about it for now.

Today was a great run at the gym. It was all treadmill but it was 5 miles at goal pace. The race threw a little wrench in the training but i'm back on track now. Speaking of tracks, there is a local running store that sponsors track/hill workouts and I had always been a little embarrassed to go. The person in charge was someone I went to high school with, just seemed.....weird. know what I mean? Well I AM GOING ON Thursday. I think I like running with a group as much as I can. It helps to get better when you are able to train with better runners. And for $1.00 a session I think some group coaching might help in the home stretch heading into the half marathon. I have been still doing great with daily hip flexor work. I missed 1 day over the past week. And I finally (to finish big) started doing daily push ups. I think my goal it to be able to break off 50 push ups to start and finish my day. 100 daily push ups seems like a good number. I need to work on 50 at a time first. I can do about 15 before I need a break. But that is OK as I could barely do 5 12 months ago. And that was without really focusing on it. So now that it is a focal point I think I can make some great strides.

Thank you everyone. It was a great race yesterday. is was aiming for 57:00 and I made it in 54:40. GREAT DAY!!!!! There were over 26,000 other finishers despite the temperature being 34F. The crowds were amazing for the cold. Thank you to the girl in the AUBURN Univeristy sweatshirt and teal headband. I'm pretty sure she did not know I was pacing with her as she was in front of me MOST of the time. But on her hip I SCHOTCHED the 2nd 5K in 26 minutes. Personal best 5K. BRING IT ON PITTSBURGH!!!!

You deserve to smile to yourself and everyone around you. My co-workers are probably getting SICK of hearing me talking about running so much. They are closing a main road for the run on Saturday. We also start in waves. The people that are going to win the race start at 8:00. Then they start runners ever minute for an hour. Then ever 3 minutes for another hour. The starting group I am in doesn't even being until 9:00. So the winners will already be done and sitting by the time I get to start the race. hahahaha. I am not resting up yet. This is just a step in my training. I am registered for a half marathon in May. So the 10K is my tempo run for the week. It honestly fits perfect into my training schedule. Some times the universe just works out.

Sometimes inspiration come from the strangest places. I had been feeling a little down this week. Not really sure why, maybe just nervous about the amount of people that will be in the 10K this weekend. But then I got an e-mail about a 10 year reunion from college. There was a yearbook that I never purchased. I had forgotten they did a write up on me. I'll save you the write up but i'll include some pictures. Now they are not true before and after but these are from my heaviest, 10 years ago about 310lbs. I've really only been working to get healthier in the past 15 months but i think you get the point. I am feeling much better, accomplished and ready for more.

deep breaths. just head over to the respawn room and let's get after this again. We are only keeping up with ourselves from yesterday. I bet you can HAMMER it today!!! Have a great one. we got your back.

That sounds like am AMAZING Race. Did it feel good doing it? My 10K is this weekend in Richmond, VA. I'm nervous about it as it is going to be a HUGE number of people running (35,000+). But I think you will have won the "race" I don't think I'll be under 52 minutes. =D

So things have fallen off a WEE bit. But we are still mostly going great. I missed 3 days of hip flexor exercises. I'm not sure how much they are ACTUALLY helping but it is giving me a sense that it is helping, so I need to keep working on it. I was at the gym on lunch yesterday without a plan, so I did about 1.5 on the treadmill (the only part that WAS planned) then I kinda putzed around for another 20 minutes. I need to get focused and decide how to move forward. I did get back on track by the end of the day, I did 2.8 (for a total mileage of 4+) with hill sprints. The first 2.25 was with 20lbs in a backpack as I ran home from work. Yes, I am lucky enough to live about 2 miles from where I work. I am going to be better at doing this commute other than in a car more often. I did look at the scout mini challenge and gave that some thought. Do I need to update my challenge, where do I need to be now? It is funny how just a few weeks can really impact not only habits but also outlooks. So I am going to make a small adjustment. I am going to focus on daily push ups for the remainder of the challenge. I have always struggled with upper body work. In the self fulfilling prophecy vein, I was never really strong in that area so I never really worked on it. So it never improved so I was always not upper body strong. So I think in the last few weeks I can work on make some good daily pushup habits and hopefully carry that forward.

I had a GREAT run yesterday. My running goal for 2015 is to finish a half marathon under 2:00 hours. To do this I need a 9:10 mile pace. Since this is the goal, I am using these numbers to train. I haven’t even finished my first half yet, but why just finish if I can get my goal, right? So I did a 4 mile tempo run yesterday with a fast mile of 8:43 and an average pace of 9:00. Just got to keep doing what I’m doing.

It was a casual day running on Saturday. It took me 1 hour and 38 minutes. I am shooting for a faster pace but I did have a few hiccups. I managed to keep running the whole time but the water fountains I was expecting to drink from were not yet turned on AND the paths had ice and slush. So it was like running on cold, slippery sand. So I feel like it was GREAT to be able to complete. WE LOVE Dominion. We played it with friends on their anniversary. The wife turned to the husband and said, "Whatever plans you have tonight, cancel them, lets go buy this game instead." We played it with my sister and her husband. The bought it. THEY played it with his parents. His parents immediately bought it. Such a fun deck building game. There are a bunch of expansions. Start, like running, with the base. =D

The run to the bakery is too far me at this point in time. BUT that does not mean it won't be forever. Something to try to do in the future. I just try to do what I can. Thanks for the support.

Weekend was great. Got to see so many old friends. It is hard to think that something so terrible brought us all back together. It is always a confidence boost to see people from college. When I graduated I was 310lbs, worst shape of my life. As of TODAY I am no longer overweight by BMI standards. (184 for my height). Not bad headed into my 10 year reunion. Too bad that it was mostly just the past 26 months and not sooner that I started taking care of myself. I did my 9 miles on Saturday. It was warm and rainy, I thought the trails would be clear. NOPE!!! I was running on 2 inches of ice and slush. And when the ice WAS melted it was mud. Needless to say it was an AMAZING TIME!!!!! I never thought I would be able to do that. The me even from this time last year would have called it quits, turned around and sat back today. The me now said what's a little slush? Its more fun that's what it is. Just another way to improve. On the cake front, I did mange to get rid of the cake that had been in the house. BUT a friend recently opened a bakery and brought samples. So it was only SAMPLES. It is good that they aren't closer. Oddly enough, they live just off a rails to trails that goes past our house as well. I'm sure if I did the 23 mile run I could have some sweets when I got there hahaha.

We had a great weekend. I did get my 9 miles in on Saturday. It was a struggle but I made it through and it was great. I'm excited to go further next time. I haven't played terra Mystica, Dominion is a big game with all of our friends. We ended up playing that on Sunday. The kid loves the banana card in win/lose/banana. I bought Chopstick Dexterity Challenge 3000, but we have yet to play it. There are a lot of games out there without luck. I love the strategy games, something to really sink your teeth into.

Any weekend adventures planned? We might be trying out some new boardgames today. I am yet to go for my run, waiting for the downpour to stop.

No royalty fees, just keep paying it forward.

This week has been mostly great so far. I had a good tempo run on a treadmill Tuesday. Yoga is still happening daily. food logging is daily. hip strengthening is daily. all completed checks right now. On lunch today I did 2 miles with intervals on the treadmill. Hopefully the snow is going to finish melting off the walking trail. I really don't want to run in the parking lot. That is just asking to be hit by a car. I am going to do 2 more miles when I get home today. I'm taking the jogging stroller out for an initial run. Sans kid. I'll throw 30lbs worth of weight in it just to see how it handles. So that all is on the great side so where does the mostly come in? Well I could bore you on how too much of the leftover cake has made it past my lips. But I really want to take a minute and remember my friend's husband. He did not survive a vehicle accident earlier this week. Icy patch into a utility pole. He is just a few years older than I am. I went to college with both him and his wife. It just really pushes things back into perspective. extra cake doesn't seem so bad right now, huh? I've been thinking about what I can do to make every decision the best possible this week. Not to be a downer, but remembering that at any point, what you are doing could be the last thing you ever do. Are you making the most of it? Now spending your life always trying to be the best possible sure does sound exhausting. But if you think of it THAT way it seems insurmountable. It kinda brings me back to 2+ years ago thinking that losing weight would never happen, running would never happen. I should just stay where I was. But this journey over the past 2 years has made me realize it doesn't HAVE to be that hard. Things happen one decision at a time. I can only do so much at once, so what I'm going to do it going to be the freeking best that I can make it. If I can just keeping building one great decision on another great decision, that NEXT great decision just got easier. So that is what I am going to do for the rest of today, this week and this challenge. Try to make the MOST of EVERY decision that comes my way. The rest of that cake is going to meet the inside of a trash bag when I get home.

been running with your neighbor yet?

Of course I say today i'm not going to eat cake and someone gets cup cake from the specialty shop down the street. I have spent the afternoon walking the long way around the office so I don't have to be near them. Not a bad thing though, the steps on my Garmin are through the roof for a work day. Maybe I should start talking the long way even when there are not sweets to avoid.

The best part of ear buds. hahaha.

Did you make it out for intervals today? I think the progress in your challenge so far is awesome. I have been having a heck of a time with sweet over the past two weeks. We have had leftover birthday cake in the house (2 parties in 2 weeks). I have told my wife I want to throw it out as I keep eating it. Her solution is to freeze it, but we all know that you can't forget something like that is in the freezer. I WILL manage to make it without eating cake today.

I am jealous of your 10K venue. My wife was an exchange student to Paris in college. A 10K entry in the city of lights might be the only way to bribe her to start running. =P How was the phone call? I'm not sure if it works in cities. I have the forerunner 15. I run mostly in slightly wooded and suburban areas. No where that ever loses cell phone reception. I image that as long as it can keep the satellites it should keep you covered.

What a weekend. We had the FINAL b-day party for the kiddo. It was great. The "healthy" food that I made all went, the wife thought we would be eating leftovers for a week. So that was really refreshing. Unfortunately we have ANOTHER half cake left in the fridge. I think I might have to throw it out, otherwise I will keep eating it. My long run was great. I did a store run with a FLRS. It was sponsored by brooks, it was a local scavenger hunt. Super cool. I got to run with some new people which was a great experience. I found some new hills to sprint on. I also won the raffle for a new pair of Brooks. So just for showing up I got a new shoes. I can't wait to break them in. =D I have been doing great with daily yoga and also daily hip flexor exercise. I can definitely feel a difference since starting the hip flexor exercises. It seems like I have added mobility and also strength in my stride. I think it is just the coolest thing that I can REALZIE there is a difference. Cheers.