Two Cold Outdoor Runs And Too Many Indoors

In the 11 days so far in 2010, I have run 7 times - all but 2 have been inside on the treadmill. Have I become a gym rat??? (or perhaps a hamster in a wheel???)

My two outdoor runs came on Tuesday during lunchtime and on Saturday afternoon. Both days the temperatures climbed above freezing to 35 degrees - and on both days the wind chills were about 24 degrees. Hard to believe that this was during the warmest part of the day!

I think the hardest part of these runs was getting out the door. The first mile is always difficult - running faster than I should just to warm up - but once I get going I don't feel so cold.

Tuesday's lunchtime run quickly became a tempo run. Mile 1 was in 9:05 and since I was relatively warm at that point I had no interest in slowing down. There were a few points during the run where gusts of wind made me feel like I was running in place, but overall I was able to cut through the wind and finish my 4.5 miles in a 9:16/mile pace.

My plan for Saturday's run was to be 7 to 8 miles so I could hit 20 miles for the week. I was reading torah at synagogue that morning (and had to be there on time...) so I decided to run afterward. Good thing as it was much colder and windier in the morning when I was walking the quarter mile to synagogue.

Again, my first mile was faster to warm up - a 9:32 pace - but then brought it closer to a 10:00/mile pace. After about 4 miles of pretty clear sidewalks and roads, I started to hit stretches of snowy, icy sidewalks and heavier gusts of wind. On top of all of that, my nasal passages were starting to rebel a bit.

On my community-perimeter route of a little over 7 miles, there are a few "drop out" points to cut the run short to 5.5 miles or 6.25 miles. I nearly took the 5.5 mile drop out, but I pushed forward. As I approached the 6.25 drop out point, I decided that this was the way to go. I finished the 6.25 miles at a 9:50/mile pace. My weekly run total was 18.7 miles...not yet 20 miles, but close.

I actually had another chance to push my weekly total over 20 miles as I ended up at the gym on Sunday morning with the rest of the family (the kids actually love going to the babysitting room as they get to play Mario Kart!). However, I used this as a cross-training day instead of running. I did a bunch of stretching and core exercises and used two pieces of equipment that were new to me - the TechnoGym Wave and the Nautilus Stairmaster machine.

WOW! These machines KILLED me! I was only on the Wave for 8 minutes and my quads and glutes were burning. I could not get myself to move very smoothly on that thing and I was tired of the herky-jerky movement, so I decided to get off and move on. I went over to the Stairmaster. This machine looks like an escalator - an endless escalator. I stayed on that machine for 22 minutes and I was dripping with sweat....I actually felt like I was melting! It's pretty ironic that I can run for over an hour and never get that sweaty, yet 20 minutes on the Stairmaster and I was done for. I guess if I do these machines more often, my body will get used to this type of movement and it will get easier.

One other item from the gym. After running on the treadmill, I normally go to one of the sets of pull up bars and hang from them for a few seconds. I get a nice stretch and release in my shoulders and neck (I think "release" is chiropractor speak for snap, crackle and pop!). Well, the other day after my stretch I decided to try to do a pull up (I have NEVER been able to do these). On my first try last week I got about 3/4 of the way up - not bad! Today I made it all the way up and did my first unassisted pull up! I'm hoping there will be many more to come...having a goal like this makes going to the gym a little more palatable.

Sneaky Cross-Training

Today was a rest day for running.  However, I did get some cross training in at lunch time...a bit unexpectedly.

I brought my car in for service early this morning and I was working at the dealership (they have free WiFi in the waiting room lobby - genius move!)  However, the car needed a part that was not in stock and they could only get it in the afternoon.  So I had them drive me to my home office so I could work from there.

I had scheduled to meet some work colleagues for lunch at a restaurant 3 miles from my house...but at this point I had no car.  However, I do have a bicycle - and it was a beautiful day!

So I biked to and from the restaurant during my lunch break.  6 miles round trip.  How's that for a little cross-training???

Sunday Afternoon Cross Training

This morning was my wife's turn to work out...only fair, I went out to run yesterday morning.  So, I was with the kids in the early morning while she went to the gym and I was delegated to a "rest day".

However, I found a "loop-hole".  My older son had a birthday party to attend this afternoon...so I offered to drop him off or pick him up and I would go to the gym during the birthday party - score!

I did 30 minutes of the elliptical machine and then some stretching and crunches.  Not enough stretching and crunches, but you have to start somewhere...

This week I'm hoping to get back on track with the training plan.  30 min tempo run tomorrow, Hill Sprints on Wednesday, Short Strides on Friday and a Long Run on the weekend.  I'm thinking I may run the Riley's Rumble 1/2 marathon next Sunday for my long run.  I've run it the last two years and I like it because it's cheap (it is a "low-key" race of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club).  Otherwise I would hate it because it's hot, humid and a demanding course with lots of steep hills.  I'm not sure if a half marathon is a good thing at this point - since my long run the past two weeks have been 6 and 7 miles - however, it's a great opportunity to run 13 miles on a course with water stations (instead of schlepping my own water) and some other people to help you along.

Bye Bye Bally's!!!

I went to the gym this morning for some cross-training on the elliptical.  I went earlier in the week to use the rowing machine.

I know that I have complained a lot on the blog about the gym I belong to - Bally's Total Fitness.

Well, this week Sherry and I finally decided to switch back to a local gym - Fitness First.  I was a member here a few years ago, but switched to Bally's when my company started a corporate membership plan with them, as it ended up being a lot less expensive.  As they say, you get what you pay for!

Here's a list of some of my gripes about Bally's:

• Child Care - this was the biggest gripe.  The caregiver at the child care was consistently late (posted Sunday hours started at 8am, however, she would rarely be there before 8:45am), and she did not interact with the kids much.  The room did not have many toys - and what they did have were old and not in great condition.  At Fitness First, I've been there twice now, and when my kids walked in this morning, the caregiver asked my older son how his karate class went the other day - it's a world of difference!
• Equipment - Bally's was missing one of my favorite cross-training machines - a rower.  Fitness First has two Concept 2 rowers in both of the locations that I have been to.  There are also a bunch of weight machines for abs - which Bally's did not have.
• Environment - Bally's felt like a factory.  And it was always too warm.  Fitness First has a much more relaxed atmosphere and there are fans near the cardio equipment!
• Locker Rooms - Fitness First has shampoo, conditioner and body wash in the showers - Bally's had only the industrial soap.  Another nice touch - Fitness First provides plastic bags to put your sweaty clothes in (it's simply a roll of the produce plastic bags that you find at grocery stores...but it makes such a difference).
• Television - Bally's claims their TVs are controlled by "corporate" so they can't change them.  Even if there is an important game on (i.e. Game 7 of the Celtics/Pistons Eastern Conf Finals...).  At Fitness First, if you want to change the channel and it's OK with others around you, they'll give you the remote control!  Also, a bunch of the treadmills have built-in television screens (which I don't like to use...I somehow can't run while continually looking down)
• Weekend hours - Bally's opened at 8am on the weekend; Fitness First opens at 7am.  Since my family wakes up early, this is definitely a plus.

That's some of the main issues I had with Bally's.  I'm soooo glad to not be there anymore.

Down On The Farm!!!

No running for me today, however, I got some exercise (cross-training?) as a "farm hand" at our CSA farm today.  We joined the House In The Woods Farm - a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Frederick County, MD - and continued again this summer.  We have half a share - which means we go up to the farm and pick up a full share of vegetables every two weeks and we have to work at a minimum two "farm hand" days during the summer.

I learned so much about farming, which crops are in season at what times and was introduced to many new vegetables last summer.  Right now, greens are in season - so we have been receiving kale, chard and lettuces.  Last week we got some bok choy and tatsoi which I made into a great salad with ramen noodles and a soy sauce based dressing...yummy!

I can't wait until later in the summer when we get into tomato season.  Their heirloom tomatoes are amazing!  I won't have to worry about getting salmonella or e-coli because I know exactly where my produce is coming from.

This morning I went to the farm to work.  I helped set up some t-posts in the tomato patch to add support for the wiring holding up the cages around the tomato plants.  The contraption that I was using to knock the posts into the ground was made of metal and vibrated each time I hit the post.  My "delicate" hands took a beating and I have two or three blisters and a bunch of cuts on them.    This experience definitely gives me a great appreciation for our farmers and helps me not take for granted the food that I eat each day.

Monday Weigh-In

I had started counting calories again this week. Earlier in the week I was very diligent (and HUNGRY!) and it kind of tailed off during my business trip on Thursday and over the weekend. Neither day did I go "hog wild", but I'm certain I ate more than I normally would have in a losing-weight mode.

I decided to get an elliptical workout in yesterday, since I'm trying to be more conservative with returning to running due to the aches and pains I'm still feeling when I run. Even though I'd rather be running outside, getting the blood pumping felt good.

One thing that took me off course a bit were brownies. My wife recently became a Pampered Chef consultant (if you like Pampered Chef products, you can now order them directly from her website!) and she had a cooking show yesterday morning. For the demonstration she made these delicious chocolate, caramel, nut brownies - and unfortunately she brought the leftover brownies home. I only ate two of them yesterday...but that was two more than I really should have eaten.

Nevertheless, I stepped on the scale this morning to good results. I had lost a pound since last week. I now weigh 162.5 pounds according to my home scale. 7.5 pounds to go to...

Cross-Training This Morning

Still no running.  After Thursday's attempt, I'm going to give my body a bit more rest.  So I hit my community workout room and hopped on the elliptical for 35 min this morning.  It was nice to get the blood pumping again!

I'm not sure when I'll start running again - I'll probably take a few more days off.  Also, I'm going to be giving blood again on Monday...it's been 8 weeks since my last blood donation, so I'm thinking this will be a good week to do it as I'm still recovering from the marathon and I'm not planning to run much.

The Weather Is Relative

During my training over the winter, if there was an overnight low of 44 degrees with a 40% chance of showers, I'd most likely lay out shorts and a long sleeved shirt and a baseball cap.

That's the forecast for tomorrow morning, and I'm considering wearing running tights, and a windbreaker over a long sleeved shirt. It's funny what a few weeks of warm weather will do to you!
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Day 1 of The Taper Week has gone pretty well. First of all, I'm able to eat breads again - so I had a bagel for breakfast. YUMMMM. I definitely missed bagels! I had black bean burritos with baby spinach for dinner - I missed Mexican food as well :-)

Since I didn't cross train yesterday, I went to the gym this morning and did 36 minutes on the elliptical. It was nice to get my body moving - even if it was not for a run.

Rick left a nice comment for me about how strange this week will be in terms of my runs. 3 miles, 4 miles and 2 miles - and then rest, rest. I know I'm going to WANT to run more. But I will respect the taper.

I'm also trying to hydrate a bit more this week. I had a liter of water with NUUN tablets at my desk today. I'll try do drink a lot of water and/or electrolyte drinks during the week this week. And I'll try to cut down on the alcohol...not that I'm a big drinker, but I normally have about 2-3 drinks a week due to doctors orders to help raise my HDL cholesterol (seriously...those are doctor's orders!).

It's kind of a bummer, as I was going to have a drink tonight to celebrate - I took my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Exam at work today and passed on the first try! OK...perhaps I will have a small glass of wine in celebration as we have an open bottle of Shiraz in the fridge...

Passover Is OVER!!!

Finally.

This year - because Passover officially started on Saturday night and you're not supposed to do work on the Sabbath, Passover was 9 days instead of eight. So I was REALLY ready to eat some bread this evening!

My wife and I had originally planned to go to a nearby Ethiopian restaurant after the kids were in bed. However, I called them this afternoon and found out that they close at 7pm on Sunday evenings. So we decided to go to Dogfish Head Alehouse - a micro-brewery restaurant nearby. They have an awesome grouper sandwich - on grilled pumpernickel bread with cole slaw, swiss cheese and Russian dressing - and we split a beer sampler. YUM!

I'll most likely take my son out to our favorite bagel place tomorrow morning...

...after I hit the gym. Today was supposed to be a cross-training day, but I did not get to the gym. So I'll hit the elliptical machine early tomorrow morning.

It's the last taper week - so my runs are much shorter - 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Wednesday and 2 miles on Thursday. Then two full rest days before THE BIG DAY. I can't believe how close it is!!!

Two Rest Days In A Row

Sundays were supposed to be "cross training" days, however, they have pretty much become an additional rest day. I do lead an Israeli Folkdance session for two hours each Sunday evening - so I do get some exercise - but it's not as intense as hitting the elliptical machine for 45 minutes like I was doing earlier in my training program.

Today my legs are still a bit sore and tender - I expected this to be the case after running 20 miles yesterday! - so 30-45 min on the elliptical may have been a good thing to get the blood pumping.

Now that I'm starting my taper period, I'll try to be a bit more diligent about doing the cross-training.

Tomorrow will be an official rest day. Then it'll be back to running on Tuesday.
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And talking about running...Rick finished his first marathon in 4:38 today. Way to go!!!!!

I can't believe that 3 weeks from today I'll be running my first 26.2 mile race. YIKES!

Sunday - Sore Day =)

Yesterday's Total Calorie Intake: 3874

(Exercise Calories: 1925)

Total Net Calories:  1949

I'm pretty sore today.  I guess 17 miles - and over 3 hours - of running will do that to you.

Specifically, my left knee is sore and my calves are sore.  I'll try to ice the knee and stretch the calves at some point today.  I'm not going to go to the gym to do the elliptical for cross-training.  I had a "semi" cross-training workout early this morning - I walked my 5-year old son to the Star Diner this morning for breakfast (1/2 mile each way).  Of course, at points he wanted to race me -and running hurt this morning!  I also have Israeli Dancing tonight, so I'll chalk up the mile walk and dancing as my cross-training today.

This week I'm going to rearrange the training schedule a bit since I'm giving blood tomorrow at lunchtime.  I'm definitely going to run Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.  However, I may move the longer run to Monday morning (8 miles) and then do the shorter runs (4 and 5 miles) on Wednesday and Thursday since I'll still be recovering from the blood donation.  I also have some meetings in Columbia, MD on Tuesday morning, so by not running that morning I should be able to avoid some traffic.  I'm going to make all the runs this week easy runs - no speedwork.  That should also help me recover quicker.

Cross-Training Day

Yesterday's Total Calorie Intake: 2944

(Exercise Calories: 1574)

Total Net Calories: 1370

Sundays are my cross-training day. I actually get exercise twice - once in the morning at the gym and then again in the evening during Israeli Dancing. At the gym I tried a different elliptical trainer this morning - a machine that works arms along with legs. It gave me a good workout, but I'm not sure that it worked the muscles in my legs as well as the Precor machine did. Also, my knees hit the axle that the arm handles were attached to a few times during the workout - that was kind of annoying.

All in all, I feel good today. Not much soreness from yesterday's long run which is a good thing. Next week's long run is 13 miles - the distance of a half marathon which is the longest I have run to date. Unfortunately, there are no half marathons in the area next weekend so I can't run a race for my workout.   Actually, due to scheduling next weekend, there is no way I'll be able to go to a race - we're pretty much jam packed!

A Little Ache-y, Cross-Training and This Week's Plan

The past few days I've been a bit ache-y in my muscles.  I'm not in real pain - luckily I have not had any injuries so far and I haven't even needed to ice my knees or feet yet - but I believe it's just the pounding of 100 miles in 6 weeks taking its toll.  I believe my body will get used to it.  If not, I can always take one of the weekly "easy" runs out of the plan and substitute it with an extra rest day.

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Today was a cross-training day - I hit the elliptical machine at the gym this morning for 45 minutes and listened to Led Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti".  I love the song Kashmir - much more than Led Zeppelin's classic Stairway To Heaven.

Cross-training at the gym was the easy part of my day.  Schlepping kids to birthday parties - Doron, my 5 year old had two of them today.  One of them was 45 minutes away at about the time that Matan, my 2 year old, naps.  Since Sherry tutors at that time, I offered to take them and have Matan nap in the car...and since I was going anyway, I offered to take two other Kindergartners who were at the first party to the second one.  There I was - driving a mini-van with 4 kids in car-seats in the car!  Luckily, I was able to drop the kids off at the party and then drive my 2 year old around so he could nap...a little peace and quiet amongst the commotion.

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This week I'll be going on a business trip leaving late on Tuesday night, so I'm going to switch my running days around.  I'll run on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday - taking my rest day on Wednesday instead of Monday.  My mid-week long run is 6 miles this week and my long run this weekend is 12 miles.  I'm getting tired just thinking about that 12 mile run...

Avoiding the Super Bowl Binge...

Yesterday's Total Calorie Intake:  2655

(Exercise Calories:  1258)

Total Net Calories:  1397

Tonight is the Super Bowl.  We have an annual tradition to get together with two other families (the three of us were friends at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), and we always serve lasagna and one of the families brings a cake that is frosted like a football field.  Of course there is always chips, beer and other goodies as well.

I will most likely not count my calories so strictly today (i.e. tonight).  I've had a good week so far - especially yesterday with the 10.7 mile run!  I also will have my normal Sunday cross-training routine of the elliptical machine in the morning and two hours of Israeli Dancing (I'm holding the group in the afternoon today so that it does not conflict with the Super Bowl).   So I'm not too concerned about the weigh in tomorrow.

The one thing I AM concerned with is the fact that I am having my cholesterol checked tomorrow.  I go to have my cholesterol checked every 6 months to monitor since I had very elevated cholesterol for my age and a family history of high cholesterol and heart disease (more about this in a later post...).  As a result, I will keep to one serving of lasagna and I'll try to stay away from any other foods that are high in fat.  Worse comes to worse I'll have to consume more low-fat items - like beer - to fill up.  Woe is me...

BTW - for those of you who are trying to lose weight as well and have a choice of soda or beer during the game, choose either diet soda (no calories) or light beer (normally 100-150 calories per bottle...Amstel Light is only 95 calories per bottle).  One 20 ounce bottle of regular soda has about 240 calories (that's equivalent to 2 1/2 bottles of Amstel Light!).

Getting Into a Sunday Morning Groove

Yesterday's Total Calorie Intake: 2556 

(Exercise Calories:  1079)

Total Net Calories:  1477

The past few Sunday mornings have worked out very well.  We all go to the gym as a family - I do my cross-training on the elliptical machine, Sherry runs on the treadmill and the kids go to the babysitting room and play / watch television.  Everyone is happy!

iPod Found!!!

I went to the gym this morning for cross training on the elliptical machine.  I noticed that the manager was there although I was previously told that he works M-F from 11am to 7pm.  So I stopped him and asked about the iPod shuffle and gave him the description.  He went to the lost and found cubby at the front and...."ta-da" he had my iPod!!!

Boy, was I lucky!

One thing that I realized is that I should really have a log of serial numbers for all of my gadgets that may get lost (iPod, Palm Pilots, cellphones, laptop computers, etc).  This way would be the most convincing way to claim a device if lost or try to retrieve it if it was ever stolen.

Long Run Days

Yesterday's Total Calorie Intake: 2606

(Exercise Calories: 985)

Total Net Calories: 1621

Yesterday was my second long run day. I was a bit sore towards the end of the day, but I feel really good this morning (ready to hit the gym for some cross training). I was a little worried yesterday since it was only a little over 7 miles that I ran - what's going to happen when I start running 10, 15 or 20 miles? I think the main thing I'll need to do on my long runs is slow it down a bit...my heart rate was a bit too high on yesterday's run.

One other observation on long run days - I burn so many calories that I'm going to be able to eat pretty much whatever I want! It was great to sit down in front of the game last night have some beer and chips and know that my body will burn right through those extra calories (hopefully...we'll see tomorrow morning when I weigh in!).

Off to the gym to hit either the stationary bike or elliptical machine!

Cross-Training Day

Today's Total Calorie Intake:  2107

(Exercise Calories:  522)

Total Net Calories:  1585

Today was my first cross-training day on the training plan.  I did 30 min on the elliptical machine at the gym.  I also have the Israeli Dance class that I lead on Sunday nights which will be some extra cross training each Sunday!

The weather is scheduled to be beautiful during the next two days, so I'm going to shift my running days to Monday, Tuesday and Thursday this week - instead of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Overall it has been a good week.  I feel great so far!