It's Go Time!

Tis the night before my Ironman and I've lost 25lbs.

It's Go Time.

My set my goal a year ago to lose weight and so I signed up for this race. Now that I've lost the race, I'm wondering why I really need to get up at 4:30am and destroy every muscle fiber in my body when my goal has already been accomplished! I was 206lbs at my peak and was 180.5 lbs at my last weigh in before coming down to Arizona. I'm sure I've lost a little more out of nervousness.

My goal now- to enjoy the day and all the work that went in to getting me to perform each event. All the late night swim workouts that support this mass swim I'm in; all the long weekend rides alone or with Keith and friends to support the looping, mentally challenging course, and finally...the runs I did to support a marathon completion- however that pans out. I hope for the best and will just enjoy it. I enjoy being around all of these people, half of whom are making their dream come true for the first time, and that will keep me going. The race support and most of all- my TEAM SUPPORT will drive me home - Venessa, Keith and Anna who without them I would just be here doing this alone and solitary. So to have them here and knowing they're around every corner will keep me shuffling along, step after step, rather than walking, pushing me past the mental anguish so that I can get to the finish line strong and proud.

I will take whatever happens, I'm just happy to be here with people that I love, supporting what I've achieved to get here.

Cippo '09

It's been a while

I'm back after a long, long hiatus from blogging.  I just read my old blogs and feel good about what I read, given where I am now.  Here are the developments:

-I'm still heavier than I've ever been! nice!  Not really, but that's ok.  why do you ask?

-Because I'm in much better shape now, up to 12-14 mile long runs, 5,000 yard swim weeks and easily crushing my old bike wattage numbers for 50 mile rides.

I'm training for the San Diego marathon (5/31/09), have lost 10 lbs. in the last 3 weeks and am finally feeling better and gotten out of the rut of low fitness and heavier weight.  I did an 11.5 mile run this past friday in 8:50 pace and recovered relatively well from it.  Back in December and January I was doing bike rides where I'd average 160-180 watts.  I did a ride 2 days ago, after a morning swim of 1500 yds, and average 220 watts over the 40 mile Paradise ride.  I wasn't killing myself so that makes it even more encouraging that my strength and aerobic fitness is getting strong.

Today Venessa and I are going to London- her for 5 days and me for 10 days.  I have to be diligent about just getting the minimal workouts in so as to maintain, because business trips lend to laziness.

Bigger Fish to Fry

I've been away for a while, mainly in misery.  I started taking medication for nerve pain that I have in both of my legs, and the medication made me gain 10 lbs....ok, the food and booze I put in my mouth did that, but the medication does something funny such that weight gain is a side affect.  Damn! The doc didn't tell me that.  So.....

I "ballooned" from 195 to 205 lbs.  Holy cow!!! I've never hit 200 except for when I got out of the hospital after surgery, pumped full of fluids.  So that's why I haven't checked back in, because of not feeling good about myself, thinking that I overate during the holidays and that now that I'm older, my body has changed and there's nothing I can do about it.

But alas!, I WILL do something about it.  In my absence, I've hit a rockier rock than rock bottom, but am now getting back up.  I've been pulling myself out of the gutter, forcing myself back on my bike, even though there are now more things that fit me like a glove, than my biking gloves.  The jersey, the shorts---everything is tighter.  I don't care, I've pretended it was good for me because it was making me work harder; was making me stronger and when the weight came off, I'd be more fit than when I was thinner and fit- if that makes sense.

But it's not working.

...Yet.  The weight loss that is.  However the power performance on all my gadgets are telling me that I'm getting stronger on my rides, much stronger.  nice!!! stealth weight training in the winter.

Actually, it sucks, but that's ok, I'll get through it.  I'm eating better now in 2009, a.m focusing more than ever on my runs and riding mileage each week and will try to stick to the plan of increasing the mileage without injuring myself.

When I first bought that Garmin 405, I was running 1.9miles for each run, that it.  Now I may be 10 lbs heavier, however am running faster and farther.  I ran 5 miles today at 8:32 pace.  That's very good for me.  The heart rate is still high, at 156 bpm average (including 2 stops for water) however that's fine.  I see progress and will try for another 5 miler this week, with another shorter run to keep it safe.

Next week, perhaps a 7 miler, 5 miler and a 3 miler.  Easy does it, not too much too soon.

I signed up for a 10M race at the end of March.  I have my eyes set on the Rock & Roll San Diego Marathon for May 31st as a possibility, which is 20 weeks away.  I bought a "Run Faster" book today and it actually has a marathon plan in it for, you guessed it, 20 weeks preparation for a marathon!  Perhaps an omen.  I have never truly trained for a marathon, even though I technically have 5 under my belt (2 untrained marathons and 3 Ironmans).  

So I'd like to see what I can do, and not wait till I'm too old and slow to know how well I can do.  I don't want to always wonder what my time could've been.  Actually, my peak has passed but that's besides the point.  Now is the time to do that marathon!  I have a bigger fish to fry at the end of the year anyway...

2 Miles and 5lbs.

Knocked off some weight quickly and did a short run on Monday.  The inside of my knee is hurting though so even though there virtually no mileage, I think the 4 day run week to start my running probably irritated it a little.  I've had this specific pain before and it's indicative of something around my meniscus in the knee.  It's internal pain, almost towards the back, and not in the kneecap. I've also had this pain when I tried to do too many bike miles before getting the body used to that movement in the legs.  It's fine for now.  Maybe there's something in there that's cut up, like a meniscal tear, but I'm not going to worry about that now.

Going for a flight today and will run or do something tomorrow.  Maybe a swim this eve if I have the time.

197 lbs!!!... and today starts my official training

I write only to boast about this magnificent weight gain.  I typically hover in the mid to upper 180's and only when I surpass 190 do I really make an effort to knock it back down a bit.  But I must say, I've never sustained anything close to this.

This weekend however, I took it to a whole new level.  Wine, pizza, more wine and some more pizza.  The weigh in is real- I checked it a few times, tested the scale by holding something heavy enough to change the read out...It's legit.  I look fine and feel sort of fine, but am proud to say that "I won't take this lightly", no pun intended.

I set my alarm for very early as usual and snoozed for an hour, wasting away that precious time needed for an early morning workout.  I always feel adventurous about the next day when I'm setting my alarm but it never pans out.  But alas, I packed a gym bag capable of supplying three different types of workouts so we'll see what happens.  I hit traffic on the way to work and got here too late to feel like I've earned a lunchtime workout.  Maybe I'll pull something off.  

Regardless, watch over the next week as the pounds shed off of me like pulled pork.

I predict I'll be back at 189.9 lbs by this time next week.  A combo of a modified South Beach diet, aka North Beach, with some running and it'll all be fixed.

Week Total: 7 miles running

Big week on the new Garmin GPS watch- 5 miles! (plus 2 before I got the watch)...this week's goal, 10 miles total....taking it slow.

1.95 mile run, wow!

That was last night and I'm actually not sore today.  Amazing.  The run was fine, the heart rate was high as expected, 148 beats/min.  It's 75 degrees today in SF so I might just head out for another run even though I was planning to wait till tomorrow.