Week 23

My goal was to keep a pace better than 8 minutes per mile during my 10k, otherwise I'd have been a failure.  I did much better than my goal.  I finished in the top 7% of participants.  I also learned something very important at the race.  There was a guy there that was an acquaintance of a friend that ran the 10k also.  He was tall, probably 6'4".  Thinner than me.  Every external sign indicated that he was in much better shape.  His pace over the 6.2 miles was a little worse than 10 mins per mile.  Honestly, it was a pace I think I could have matched when I started my comeback back in January.  I think what that tells me is that my weight is different than a lot of other folks' weight.  I was a mildly in shape dude, that used to be an athlete underneath 50 lbs of fat.  That is a much, much different thing than someone who is just 50 lbs overweight and has never been active or even someone who doesn't have a weight problem but isn't in shape.

My point is this ain't a exercise in vanity.  I'm doing this because I want to recapture some former athleticism.  The highlight of the race for me was the last stretch.  I was in a dead sprint for the last 50 yards.  Because 6 people were going to beat me and I wasn't having it.  I cam around the corner closing in like freight train and left them looking at the back of the biggest son of a gun they ever saw run that fast.  Next year I want to get down to 7:15/mile.

Week 23 - My First 10k

Basketball Events: 1
Strength Training: 2
Softball Games: 2 (Game 1: 3-5, Double; Game 2: 1-3; Double)
Running Events: 2
Race Events: 1

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 26:16 
• Minutes per mile: 7:30 (Second week in a row at 7:30/mile pace)

Race Results:

• 10k or 6.2137 miles
• Mile 1 - 7:25.48
• Mile 2 - 7:25.76
• Mile 3 - 7:45.92
• Mile 4 - 8:01.15
• Mile 5 - 8:02.75
• Mile 6 - 8:07.3
• Last Stretch - 1:18.59
• Finish - 48:06.95  (It is very likely I had the fastest time among those 230lbs and over.)
• Pace - 7:44.61/mile *15 seconds better than my goal of 8min/mile!*

Weight: 247 - No weight lost, but my belt keeps getting tighter!

Week 22

In one week, I'll be doing something I never would have done last year, running in a 10k. Since this is Amurka! and we don't use the metric system, I'll be running a 6.214 mile race. In a little more than half that distance, you've noted that in the past few weeks I've been able to sustain a pace of about 7:40 per mile. Over the greater distance, I expect my pace will be slower, but I plan to do at least 8 minute miles. If I do worse than 8 minute miles, I think that will make me a failure. I'll be spending the coming week training my body to the pace. Wish me good training.

On Saturday I decided to play basketball for 2 hours and then help a friend move. But then I thought it would be cool to run to the move and run home after. No problem. Being in shape is way more awesome than being fat. Also the Red Sox are starting to close the gap in the AL East. Good week.


Week 22 - Good Week

Basketball Events: 1
Strength Training: 1
Softball Games: 2 (Game 1: 2-3; Game 2: 3-4, Double)
Running Events: 3

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 26:10
• Minutes per mile: 7:29 (closing in on the freak time)

Weight: 247 - No weight lost

Week 21

My mom came to visit.  We went on a very rainy 6.1 mile run using umbrellas.  That was the first time I'd ever run that far in a long while.  I'll be running in a 10k (6.2 miles) in June, so it was good practice.  At the pace we ran I was fine and was able to finish strong.

While my mom was in town we went on a quick walk to this old homestead house in the forested park near downtown Portland. It was a cool walk, though very rainy, and the destination was awesome.  I carried Claire down the switchback and back up which was a good workout.  My softball games got rained out, which always sucks.  All in all, a pretty rainy week.  Friday didn't rain, so I got a good time trial in.  Put in my second best time, and I thought I was cooking.   But I still didn't even approach the freak sub 26 min time from a couple weeks ago, but I'm demonstrating that 7:45 per mile is a very comfortable pace for me.

Week 21 - Rained out

Basketball Events: 2
Strength Training: 0
Softball Games: 0 (rained out)
Running Events: 2

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 26:50
• Minutes per mile: 7:40 (Not a horrible pace, but I want it at 7:30)

Weight: 247 - *LOST 1 POUND*

Week 20

So I am fairly certain that the Week 18 time trial was a freak show performance, that I'm unlikely to match or beat for a while yet.  In other disappoint news, I had a disappointing showing in softball in Saturday.  It was an all day tournament for Intel.  And my team made it unbeaten to the championship game and we lost in the bottom of the last inning.  Though I'll admit I was been playing third base like Brooks Robinson all day and especially well in the championship game, my bat, which had been hot all day, died in the last game.  No hits.  Including the last at bat where I would have been the tying run, but instead was the last out of the game.  It was a long fly ball that came up a good 10 feet short of the wall.  Pretty much described the week.

Week 20 - Pop flies

Basketball Events: 2

Strength Training: 0
Softball Games: 8 (6 on Saturday) (Thursday 5-8;  Saturday 14-22)

Running Events: 2

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 27:15 
• Minutes per mile: 7:47 (Not a horrible pace but it ain't great either)

Weight: 248 - Same as last week.

Week 19

The important thing this week was the return of softball.  Last week got rained out, so we made up one of those games on Wednesday.  I was concerned that without the weight somehow my power would be gone.  Not true.  I'm just faster, a lot faster.  I hit a home run in the first game of the year on Wednesday and then on Thursday I hit another one in the 2nd game of a double header.  Two homers in three games to me says that my power isn't gone, I'm just faster.  I made use of it.  In the base paths I was moving like I haven't in years.  I was stretching extra bases, getting to balls I usually couldn't get to, and beating out throws to first on deeply fielded grounders that used to get me.  Sometimes it takes losing weight to realize how much the extra baggage really holds you back.

We also got a new stroller to accommodate both little Henry and Claire.  It has inflatable tires, so it can double as a jogging stroller.  I tried it out on my 3.5 mile course.  It is hard work.  I did get one legit time-trial in, and it was dismal.  Starting to wonder if my time last week was a freak accident.

Week 19 - Softball Returns!

Basketball Events: 1

Strength Training: 0
Softball Games: 3 (Game 1: 4-5, HR; Game 2: 2-4; Game 3: 2-4, HR)

Running Events: 3 (1 with the stroller)

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 27:38 
• Minutes per mile: 7:54 (Dismal pace - have to go back several weeks before I was that slow)

Weight: 248 - *LOST 1 POUND*

Week 18

I hope that I saw my weight in the 250s for the last time this week.  The other breakthrough is that on Saturday, I turned in a time a full minute better than my personal best putting me just below 26 minutes.  It was weird.  I started running and almost immediately felt heavy.  I felt heavy the whole way out.  Then I hit the lap button at the midway point on my cell phone stopwatch and checked the time quickly and was astonished to see 12:35.  I was on pace to beat 26 mins (previous best was just under 27 mins).  Invigorated by my pace, I didn't feel as heavy on the way back.  My pace was 7:11 per mile out and 7:35 back.  Averaged 7:24 per mile.  That's a respectable pace (also first time keeping an average pace below 7:30/mile).  My final weigh-in put me at 249.  I've lost 31 pounds since New Year's Day!

Week 18 - Good Bye to 250s.  Don't let the door hit you in your fat butt on the way out!

Basketball Events: 1

Strength Training: 1

Running Events: 3 (0 on Treadmill)

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 25:52 *NEW PERSONAL BEST*
• Minutes per mile: 7:24

Weight: 249 - *LOST 2 POUNDS.  Finally done with the 250s!*

Week 17

I can't wait to wake up one morning and see 249 on the scale.  The 250s have been like watching a movie that's really bad and really long.  I'll be glad when it's over.

Week 17 - I'm tired of the 250s

Basketball Events: 0

Strength Training: 1

Running Events: 2 (0 on Treadmill)

Best Time:

• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Time: 27:05 
• Minutes per mile: 7:44

Weight: 251 - *Finally lost 1 friggin' pound*