The Glade 4.0

7/28-29 - Rest
7/30 - Planks (Side and Front), Abdominal Ball Pass, some barbell curls, lat pulls, and chest flys and presses, mainly working towards good form and technique.

7/31: Morning Run - 4 Miles
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42561752

This was my first run, where once I warmed up (first half mile brisk walking), I was able to run 3+ miles without stopping. The goal was to keep my heart rate below 160 while maintaining a 'trot' for three+ miles, and I was mostly successful. The only time the heart rate went above 160 was up an incline or dashing across a crosswalk, and I recovered fairly quickly (back to 155 or so). I was getting pretty tired towards the end, but pushed the pace (and the heart rate) a little, just to see what I had left.

Not much pain in the legs. The rest definitely helped. My left hamstring is a little tight, no matter how much stretching I do. It doesn't start to feel good until I've run a mile or so. Not sure what's up with that. Hopefully that'll go away with time and increased strength. I drink lots and lots and lots of water, and have been supplementing it with coconut water (more potassium than bananas), so I don't think its a deficiency.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_water
http://store.vitacoco.com/v/Vita_Coco_C ... -p180.aspx

I drink a small glass of this before and after my workouts for hydration (electrolytes, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc...)

Edit: added run details...

8/1-2: Rest
8/3: 3Mi Run - Prep for Sunday's Footzone 5k
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/43083119

Running is starting to feel pretty good. It's no longer a challenge mentally to convince myself to A) do it, and B) keep running once I start. I've finally gotten where I can run pretty comfortably without pain or discomfort, without stopping for heart rate recovery, and I can do it without having to think about it. I am finding that I can run and be day dreaming, mind wandering, and paying attention to my surroundings, rather than having to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. In fact, I would I'm actually starting to enjoy it, which is a complete surprise.

Also, I'm recovering from the runs much faster. My short term heart rate recovery is probably cut down by 70% since I started, and long term muscle (soreness) recovery is down to 2 days (from 6 days after my first attempt at running). And I'm not nearly as fatigued immediately afterwards. After last Saturday's run, I was completely wiped and had to go home and lay down. This evening, I actually felt pretty good. I probably could have gone 2 more miles, or taken a couple of minutes off my time if I wanted to push.

I am running a 5k this Sunday, and I won't run again between now and then. I'll do some upper body and core stuff at the gym, and maybe a short ride on Friday just to loosen up the legs. I've decided I'm going to shoot for running the 5k in under 40 min, which is very doable, if I'm feeling good. Who knows, I might shoot for 35 min if I'm feeling particularly good. =)

Although I would not go so far as to say I loved running, hitting this point was a big milestone for me too. I really enjoyed the way a good run can clear your head and let you be alone with your thoughts.

_________________
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

Bike Commuted today. 27 Miles total for todays riding.

To Work
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/43317321

Walked for an hour (3 Miles) during lunch today as well, but didn't have my watch with me to record the activity.

From Work
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/43317316

Now for two full rest days before the 5k on Sunday. =)

Great work! Very impressive.

_________________
Memento Vivere

I have local knowledge.
That sandbar was not there yesterday!

Ok, so the 5k was a bit of a disappointment. There were apparently some logistical issues where the local Police could not block off all of the streets necessary because of fire codes or something, and apparently they didn't find this out until the day of the race. They ended up shortening the course to 2.3 miles or so.

It was probably for the best anyway, as the weather was crappy. Cool and drizzly. It made it very difficult to get warmed up, and my hips were really tight and sore from all the walking I did this week. I never really got very loose, and never really got into the run before it was over...

Anyway, I ended up doing 2.3 miles in about 30 minutes
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/43708570


Feeling a bit disappointed, after having preparing for this, I decided I needed to get the rest of my miles in, so I stopped at the gym on the way home and ran 2 miles on the treadmill. I set it for a 12:00 min mile pace (5mph) for the first mile and a half, then cooled down at a fast walk (3mph) for the last half mile.

Because my right hip and left hamstring have been sore this week after my last few runs, I think I'm going to shorten the runs down to to miles from three to four, and focus on pace. Once I can do two ten minute miles, two to three times a week, then I'll stretch it out to three, and then four miles, if the legs hold up. =)

The garmin is pretty much fail indoors on a treadmill. I have the footpod for it, but I forgot to turn the GPS off, so it was trying to calculate my distance using the spotty GPS coverage inside the gym, which would have been zero anyway... If I had remembered to disable the GPS on the watch, the footpod would have estimated the distance based on average stride the last time it was calibrated... this is not terribly accurate if you mix walking and running..

oh well..

Edit: I just realized if I had kept up the 12.4 minutes per mile pace for the full 5k, it would have put me at just under 40 minutes for the run, which was my goal. And considering I did another mile and a half at 12.0 even 45 minutes later, I'm gonna count it as a goal me.

I'll be running the Snoqualmie Railroad Days 5k next Saturday (if my legs hold up), and will hope for better weather, and shoot for 12.0 min/mile pace as my goal.

8/10 Rest
8/11 General Random Fitness Day.
Having the 5k coming up on Saturday, I decided today was going to be a 'little of everything' day, so i could rest the next two days. I'm bound and determined to have a good run on Saturday. The weather is supposed to be much nicer (warm!).

Anyway, today, I snuck out of work a tad early, because it's a chamber of commerce day here (70 and bright sunshine). I went straight to the gym and spent about 20 minutes in the True Stretch cage (LOVE that thing), and then I ran a single 12 minute mile on the treadmill, just to knock some of the stiffness out of my legs. Then I did a little random light lifting, again, mostly for form. Barbell curls, dumbell presses, and a few other things I don't know the name for (upper body/shoulder stuff).

Then I did some 'core' stuff. Planks, crunches, leg lifts, etc...

Then, I got on the bike and went out into the glorious sunshine and took a 25 mile ride down the Samamish River Trail to Marymoor Park and back.

None of this activity was terribly intense. I even rode very casually.

Now for two rest days before the Snoqualmie 5k on Saturday (Elevation 5000' - yikes!).

Been taking it easy on the workouts lately. Mostly just sweat heavy cardio, and a little light lifting. Not much running because the legs are not feeling great, and today my back is pretty stiff...

However, I do continue to see results. I don't measure once a week like I did when I was on the Doctor supervised program, but I do know that I had to go clothes shopping this weekend because my old jeans were falling down and I ran out of holes in the belts.

After trying on various sizes, I finally settled on a couple pairs of Levi 505 Standard Fit jeans in a 38 waist and 32 inseam. They are a tad snug, but not uncomfortably so. Hopefully they will continue to loosen up as I lose a few more pounds. When I started this journey, I was wearing Levi 560 Tent Fit jeans in a 44/34, and the were on the snug side. So i've gone down from 44 to 38 in the waist since early June. Needless to say, I had a pretty big grin on my face in the fitting room when those 38/32's were fitting.

And, another milestone. As of Saturday morning, I officially weighed in at 239lbs. This is the first time in many years that my weight has been in the 230's. This bring the official total to 60lbs weight loss since late April.

The best part is, that I've not just lost quite a bit of weight, but I'm physically in much better health, and have *much* healthier (but *MUCH* more expensive) eating habits. I've also transitioned from being "on a diet", to having made permanent, long term lifestyle changes.

Pretty cool stuff! =)

Update. Had a set back on Wednesday. Went to the gym at lunch for a quick workout. Was warming up on the Elliptical at about 5 minutes in, I felt a 'pop' in my right calf. It has been tight and sore from running, and I didn't do enough stretching before I jumped on the machine (drat being in a hurry). So I'm paying the price now, with a very sore calf.

I'll be missing the 5k this Saturday unfortunately. Fortunately the gym here has a lap pool, so while I can't run/walk/bike, i can jump in and do some laps in the pool, once pain subsides in the calf. I can also focus on upper body and core strength exercises, which i'm sorely (hehe!) in need of.

How are things going?

_________________
Memento Vivere

I have local knowledge.
That sandbar was not there yesterday!

I'm still doing well. After having the back issues flare up, at the advice of my Doctor, I stopped working out, other than 30 min walks at lunch a couple of times a week.

I'm still feeling well, other than the back pain and numbness in my foot and leg.

I've transitioned from being on a formal diet, to just general healthy eating and rest habits. My main focus is still keeping the glycemic load low, so I'm staying away from any sweets and most of my carbs come from vegetables and a few whole grains.

My blood sugar is still excellent and my latest blood panel numbers were great as well, so I think I'm doing the right things. It's really nice to not need meds to control these things. =)

The weight loss has slowed down to a pound or so a week from 3-4 pounds a week back in May and June. I'm actually quite happy with this, all things considered. I still have another 20lbs or so to lose, so I'll probably go for another hard push for weight loss later this fall and try to knock off the stubborn stuff.

I really miss working out. Especially the running. I had grown quite fond of this. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is, that with my back in the condition that it's in, I can't risk doing it. At least not until the surgeon removes the extruded piece of the L5/S1 disc that's giving me the trouble.

I'm going to try to hold off having the surgery as long as possible, and am going to start working with a physical therapist/ trainer to balance the strength in my core to see if that helps.

Thanks for checking in. =)