lose 25 pounds

going to do this by half marathon date, 2/15/09, instead.

I focused my eating and running habits. That’s it.

Plan to keep it up all the way to my goal.

In the past month, I lost 6 pounds and 1 inch off my waist. Let’s hope I can do this again before March 6th. The half marathon is coming up on the 18th and I am stoked to do that (and have it over with).

That makes 3 times this week. Is it safe to say I am back? I am still not at 100% (winter crud won’t seem to go away), but at least I’ve gotten out there on the trail.

The real question will be…how much of my bloat weight will be gone tomorrow morning? A preliminary reading suggests it could be as much as 4 pounds.

Pretty much gave up on exercise for 4 weeks. Am still not 100%.

I ran this morning for the first time in a month. I did 40 minutes of easy jogging. Heart rate was more elevated than it should have been and there was a little coughing, but overall it was alright.

It was nice to be outside given the fact that it’s been almost 80 here in Austin. Unbelievable.

Oh, and unfortunately, my weight is way up. Sigh.

A pound and a half. Am obviously stuck. Pondering what actions to take…

This weekend, marathon training took me on a 10.4 mile journey. This gave ample time for each joint and muscle to become enflamed. ;-)

It wasn’t so bad. Average heart rate was 166 and time was 2:08, giving an average time of 12:18 min/mile.

A few weeks ago I ran the Tulsa run (9.3) at a 10:45 pace. The weather was much cooler for that race. I can’t believe how hot it’s been this winter in Texas.

Here’s the latest. I am rocking on the workout schedule and mostly rocking on the eating. I’ve cut back on alcohol (except for the weekends). I think it helps, but it is tough for a wine lover. ;)

Here’s the deal:
208.0 – 9/19
205.0 – 9/26
205.5 – 10/3
204.0 – 10/10
203.5 – 10/17

The trend is downward. But it doesn’t move easily.

I am marathon training 4 times/wk + 2 times/wk at the gym. I walk and ride my bike places I use to drive. I am eating healthier and at home more.

I ran to Whole Foods Market (4 miles away) and had a sandwich the other night. I basically ran Guadalupe all the way down. It was cool to go past all the open restaurants, shops, and coffeehouses along the drag (by UT). The weather was perfect. In the 70s. I jogged a little on the way back, but mostly walked.

So things are going well. This weekend, the long run is 7 miles.

Well, a lot of time has passed since I last posted.

My weight actually shot up to as high as 212.5 in the last month. Probably a fair amount was bloat from a vacation/work trip that I went on. But still, way too high.

So I decided to get serious.

Ever since then, I’ve been on a new schedule and have adopted new eating habits. For example, six days out of the week I eat a healthy balanced diet with more fruits and vegetables and no fried foods. One day per week I allow myself whatever indulgences to help keep me sane.

I’m training for the Freescale Half Marathon, but am doing the Austin Fit Marathon Training for the full marathon. In this way, I intend to ‘trick’ my body into thinking it has to be better prepared. I’ve run both the Half and the Full marathon here in Austin so I know what they are like.

I’ve adopted a new training schedule for the past three weeks. A large part of it revolves around running because of the marathon training.

4 days marathon training, 2 days of cardio+strength training at the gym (one of these overlaps), 2 days off.

My weight is stabilized at 205 and I can feel the changes in my body and my habits propeling me forward. Really good things are happening.

I’ve also recently moved into a much more walkable and rideable area of town and I now ride my bike to the gym, to eat lunch, or get a coffee. I can and do walk to places. It’s great to combine an errand with exercise.

Now that the weather has turned cooler here (just in the last 24 hours, actually), I can’t wait to run and ride the bike.

WEIGHT: 205
BMI: 28.6
FAT %: 27.0

GOAL WEIGHT: 175
GOAL BMI: 24.4
GOAL FAT %: 15.0

Last night, I felt quite tired and sluggish but I forced myself to run in the 8 o’clock hour anyway. I had to walk more and I wound up with a time of 56:14 for 4 miles (a 14:04 min/mile avg.)

I weighed this morning and was 205.5. Life has been fairly hectic, so I wouldn’t say I’ve been doing the things I need to do get on the right track.

I just read an article in Runner’s world about the FIRST marathon training program which actually requires less time running per week but you have to run faster. You mix a lot of different types of runs including three major types: tempo, speed, and long.

More information—> http://www.furman.edu/first/fmtp.cfm

After July 11th, I should be able to get into this 3 days running, 2 days cross-training schedule.