Inspiring

Easy Tuesday

Tonight was strength night. I spent around 45 minutes doing my normal full body routine and even did some light leg work. I'm really pleased with how quickly my body recovered from the 10.3 miles last night. This morning was rough but once I got going the soreness was minimal. I'm looking forward to doing a nice easy 3 mile run tomorrow night. It will probably go by very quickly.:)

Completing that 10.3 miles last night really gave me the confidence to know I can complete that half marathon in April. It wasn't like I had doubts but that run last night just help confirm in my mind that the 13.1 distance is right there and I'm looking forward to it. Well, tomorrow is the last day in February and I'm hoping I can squeeze out one more pound or two in the weight loss department. Overall February was an active training month for me and I'm very pleased with my progress. Here is a snap shot of my running mileage and weight loss since October.

Running Miles
November: 24 Miles
December: 47.2 Miles
January: 50.6 Miles
February: 66.9 Miles

Total: 188.7 Miles

Weight Loss
October: 13 pounds
November: 8 pounds
December: 13 pounds
January: 8 pounds
February: 5 pounds so far

Total: 47 pounds

I would be an idiot to be disappointed with those numbers and I'm looking forward to the next 5 months. I hope everyone has a safe Wednesday. - Jason The Running Man

Personal Goal Achieved

Run: 10.3 Miles
Time: 2:00:22 (11:40 pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 63.9
Biking Miles: 57.4
Total Miles: 121.3
Weight Loss: 5 Pounds

Back in the beginning of November I set a personal goal to run 10 miles before the end of February. Tonight, I achieved that goal.

I started my run around 8:30pm and went a total of 10.3 miles in 2 hours and it felt awesome. I am incredibly sore at the moment but that's to be expected. I'm anxious to see how I recover from this long run. Tomorrow is strength training and an easy bike ride. I will tell you that there will be no leg workouts in that strength training session.:) Tonight I had two dinners, one at 5:30 and another at 7pm, as well as about 32 ounces of water. I will tell you that I did not hydrate or fuel myself during the run in any way. My next 10 miler will be different and I will take my sports drink and water in a fuel belt for that distance. However, I didn't feel like I suffered by not hydrating on this run and still had energy to finish the run strong.

What an amazing feeling to set a goal like that and complete it. Running a marathon has been a goal of mine for several years, that and complete an Ironman event and it wasn't until I really started my journey in May of 2004 that I started to think more about those goals. So tonight was just another smaller step closer to those larger goals. Check out the overview of my run from tonight. - Jason The Running Man

Sunday Rest Day

Today I decided to take another rest day. I haven't had too many this month and enjoyed the time playing with my daughter and just hanging out. The official race results will be out tomorrow and I will update when I get them.

This morning I'm down another pound on the scale weight. That brings my February total weight loss to 5 pounds. Since October I have lost a total of 47 pounds and I'm really pleased with the progress. A little slower this month then I would have liked but still good none the less. I did make some changes to my diet last week to assist in breaking through a little plateau and so far it seems to be working.

No matter how hard you train losing weight is still about calories in and calories out. I do have people that think I'm crazy for counting calories the way I do but by counting calories there is no guessing game I know how much is coming in and a rough estimate of what's going out which allows be to be as accurate as I can. It's never going to be exact but I believe it's close and my experience proves that for me. Once you figure out what your BMR (Basal Metebolic Rate - the amount of calories you would burn if you stayed in bed all day) is you can then figure in your activity level which will give you the amount of calories you need to consume everyday to maintain your weight. Once you have that number you can then subtract the amount of calories based on how much weight you want to lose each week. If you want a detailed description please read this post. I will lose weight even while training for my events because I've done my math, and because I track my calories I can really dial it in.

I still have about 40 to 50 pounds to go before I stop my cutting diet and go to maintenance or even a bulking phase to add 10 to 15 pounds of muscle. The bulking phase just doesn't mean I hit the weights harder but more importantly it will be consuming more "clean" calories. Your nutrition really has to be dialed in. In fact, if your trying to lose weight my advice is to get your nutrition dialed in before your workouts because it doesn't matter how far you run, bike, or swim if you are still eating more calories then your burning you won't lose the weight. I have been recording my calories since January of 2005 and here is a snap shot of my weight loss and weight gain since that date. Have a great Sunday night. - Jason The Running Man

Jan 2005 - Present (Weight Loss/Gain)

Green Valley Road Race 8k - Race Report

Run: 5 Miles

Time: 51:21 (Unofficial)

Last night I hit the sack around 11pm and I think it was around midnight before I fell a sleep. The alarm went off around 6am after hitting snooze three times I finally got up around 6:30. After my shower and getting dressed I made it in to the kitchen and had about 32 ounces of water and a large banana. By the time my wife and daughter got up and ready we were pulling out around 7:30. We parked the car and got my daughter all bundled up in her stroller and headed to the start line...The Wonders of static electricity....

when all of a sudden I hear...Hey number 115!

It was Neese and her husband. We had a great prerace chat and some pics before I headed to the little boys room. When I came out Neese had already made her way to the start line and as I was walking up looking for her, I finally found her and we were able to start the race together.

After a few minutes the race started and we were off. My legs were real tight for the first half mile or so and then they loosened up. The first mile or so Neese and I were step for step and at around the mile and half mark she dropped back behind me. I thought she was right on my hip for a while but when I looked back I didn't see her. At mile 2 my legs felt strong but I just kept at or around the 11 minute mile pace. At mile 3 my 5k time was about 31:35 which is slower then my normal pace time so I decided it was time to pick up it up a bit. From that point I pushed to around a 9:40 minute pace and I just seem to get stronger. I did slow down on the hills a bit but was able to push through. In the last half mile there was one more hill to traverse and it nearly made me pass out as I slowed to about a 13 minute mile pace. When I finally reached the top I struggled for about 100 feet to recover but once I turned the last corner I was able to push back up to a 9:30 minute pace and finish strong. When I crossed the finish line I think the time read 51:15 but not sure. I forgot to stop my Garmin right away but when I did it read 51:21.

After getting some water and catching my breath I walked up the course a little to wait for Neese. I kept looking at the clock because I knew she wanted to come in around 55:00. As she turned the corner I decided to run the last 200 feet to help push her in and she finished under the 56:00 mark! WAHOO Congrats Neese. We talked for about 20 minutes or so and then came on home. I had a great time meeting Neese and her husband, fantastic people. It's amazing to me how these blogs bring people together. Thanks Neese for a great Saturday morning and Congrats on your run, you did great!:) - Jason The Running Man

Here is my race pace and elevation...

Race Eve

Tonight I went down after work and picked up my race packet and I'm number 115. The race starts at 8:30 tomorrow morning and I'm jacked up and ready to go. Feels good to just rest and relax today. I think I may have a slight bruise on the bottom of my right foot and I do have some slight pain but nothing I can't run through. I will be watching it closely. I have not seen any course maps for this race tomorrow so I have no idea what to expect and I like it like that.

On the weight loss front I did lose another pound this morning and kept my eating very clean today. Hopefully the weight will continue to drop and not stall like it has been doing. So, the changes I made seem to work pretty well it looks like. Well, wish me luck and I will update tomorrow after the race with happy pictures! - Jason The Running Man

Crunching Data

Run: 5.2 Miles
Time: 57:06 (10:54 pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 48.5
Biking Miles: 57.4

Well all I have to say is WOW! I love my Garmin! What an incredible tool. I did spend a little too much time looking at it but that's to be expected.

I felt great tonight and decided to do the 8k distance tonight and then take my well earned day of rest tomorrow. Didn't get out to run until about 9:30 pm. The weather has just been fantastic as today the temp reached 78 degrees. I would say it was still in the high 50's on my run, perfect. I mapped out my run with the RunningAhead site this morning before I got my Garmin and RunningAhead had the distance at 4.94 miles. When I finished and looked down my Garmin read 5.2. I've noticed with the route websites that they are all off about .2 to .3 miles. On my bike I have the CatEye Micro Wireless computer and I noticed the same trend, as well as driving the distance. The run was great and a good one to finish before the race on Saturday. I'm pumped and ready to go. My goal for Saturday is to just finish in under an hour. Based on tonights run that should be achievable.

On a cool side note one of the blogs that I read is Neese who is also from Greenville and is also running the Green Valley on Saturday. It will be cool too catch up with her and chat. These blogs have a way of really making this a small world! Check out the neat data from Garmin's software, Training Center, from tonights run. Have a great night. - Jason The Running Man

New Toy Has Arrived

My Gramin arrived this afternoon and is now charging. I mapped out my run for tonight using RunningAhead but I will also take my Garmin to compare. It is much larger then I thought it would be but not bad. I will take a picture tonight and post it and my first experience using it. Nothing like a new toy to help motivate you!

Well gotta get back to work. - Jason The Running Man

Struggling With Cold & Sinus Issues

Run: 3.7 Miles
Time: 38:28 (10:24)
February Totals
Running Miles: 43.3
Biking Miles: 57.4

Tonight was tough. I'm still struggling with this cold and sinus issue. I decided instead of 6 miles to just do the 3.7 I did last night. I did push a little harder then last night coming in a full minute plus faster and felt like I could have gone a little harder. I just want to take it easy and dump this cold/virus before Saturday's race. What I do tomorrow will depend on how I feel, so we shall see.

It seems like I am still not totally through my weight loss plateau as I struggle to push past three pounds lost this month. I'm going to change up the amount of calories and what I'm eating tomorrow to see if I can stimulate my metabolism a little bit. I'm going to restrict my calories and spread those out over more meals. I'll update tomorrow night on that front. Well, have a fantastic Thursday morning. - Jason The Running Man

Just Do It

Run: 3.7 Miles
Time: 39:49 (10:46)
February Totals
Running Miles: 39.6
Biking Miles: 57.4

All day I've been fighting this head cold. By the time I got home and ate some dinner I was really settled in.

I looked up at the clock and it read 8:00. I was in full procrastination mode and not ready to get up for my run, so, I sat.....looked at the clock again and it read 9:00. You see where this is headed don't you? What seemed to be a few minutes passing I looked again and it was 9:50 and I was still sitting. I sat up and said to myself, "what am I doing", get off your bum and do your workout. So, I got up, put on my running clothes, laced them up, and headed out to run. It would have been very easy to just blow my run off and go to bed early but I didn't. I was able to overcome. I was able to push through all my excuses and I'm glad I did. Turned out to be a really good run. I did have some breathing issues due to the head cold but after the first mile I was able to find a good rhythm. I also did not take my Ipod on this run and it didn't bother me like I thought it might.

I know I've said it time and time again but if you give in to those excuses you will never be successful. Just do it....get it done....don't give in....get up....and just do it! You will be glad you did. - Jason the Stuffy Head Running Man

New Event Update

I finally found my half marathon. I was originally going to do my half around mid May to June but yesterday I found a local half marathon at the end of April. A little earlier then I wanted but looking at my training plan it only required adding a mile to a couple of my long run days.

April 22nd I will be doing the Greer Earth Day Half Marathon

I may try to find a 10k race in the middle of March instead of the Cooper River Bridge on 3/31. Will see what I can find. Have a great Tuesday afternoon. - Jason The Running Man

Busy Monday

Bike: 10 Miles
Time: 35:00
February Totals
Running Miles: 35.9
Biking Miles: 57.4

Well, I woke up this morning with a sore throat, runny nose, and a terrible sinus pressure headache. I took extra Vitamin C drank plenty of fluids and I hope to sweat this thing out. So, instead of running in the cooler weather I decided to hit the gym again. Today I got 10 miles on the bike in 35 minutes and a 45 minute strength training session. I did the exact workout from Saturday.

Here is my plan for this week's workouts:

Tomorrow: 3 Mile Easy Run
Wednesday: 3 Mile Tempo Run + Strength Training
Thursday: 6 Mile Easy Run
Friday: Light Strength Training
Saturday: RACE DAY! Green Valley Road Race

I'm really hoping my Garmin gets here by Wednesday, I'm so excited to get it. Like a kid in a candy store! As far as my diet goes today I got just over 2400 calories in and over a gallon of water, I would guess around 138 ounces or so. Hopefully this "cold" or whatever I have will be gone before the race this weekend. I hope everyone has a safe Monday night. - Jason The Running Man

New Toy

Well, I did it. I convinced the wife. Yesterday I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 205. It should be here before my race on Saturday. This is such a powerful training tool here is a rundown of the features.

The Forerunner 205 keeps you on track with innovative features including:

• New! Sleek, stylish, lightweight design that "wraps" the GPS antenna around part of the wrist for a better view of the sky, improving reception during training
• New! High sensitivity GPS receiver provides faster acquisition times and improves tracking under trees and near tall buildings
• New! Customizable screens let you view up to 12 data fields on 3 data screens for immediate feedback on the information you need most when training
• Multi-sport™ capability lets you seamlessly transition between sports without resetting the unit, so you can use it for running, biking, and more

Easy to use — no calibration required. Just turn it on and go
Customize your Forerunner 205 to get the most out of your training. To help you achieve your personal best, the Forerunner 205 includes the following smart features:

• New! Courses feature lets you download recorded courses and compete against previous workouts
• Auto Pause® pauses and resumes training timer based on a specified speed so you never have to start or stop the timer
• Auto Lap® records lap data when you reach a specified time, distance or position so you never have to punch the lap button
• Virtual Partner™ lets you train against a digital person at specified time, distance or pace goals
• AutoScroll™ cycles through data pages during a workout

Included Garmin Training Center software helps you tailor workouts to meet specific goals and objectives. Create your own workouts or use workout templates included on the CD. Interactive analysis tools let you chart performance overlaid on a map.

Data acquired by the Forerunner may also be analyzed with MotionBased.com, a web-based application that has partnered with Garmin. MotionBased™ provides in-depth analysis of your workouts, online mapping and route sharing that will take your training to the next level.

Endurance athletes may also use the Forerunner with TrainingPeaks.com, an easy-to-use web based training system designed to help athletes train for any event.

Forerunner 205 Features:

• GPS: High Sensitivity SiRFstarIII™ architecture
• Weight: 2.72 oz. (77 grams)
• Display (WxH): 1.3” x 0.8” (33mm x 20.3mm)
• Physical size (WxHxD): 2.1 ” x .7 ” x 2.7” (53.3mm x 17.8mm x 68.6mm)
• Lap Memory: 1,000 laps
• Battery: Rechargeable internal lithium ion
• Battery Life: 10 hours (typical use)
• Waterproof: IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 mins.)

I'm really looking forward to receiving it this week and testing it out. Have a great Monday.

Cycling Sunday

Bike: 17.4 Miles
Time: 65:00
February Totals
Running Miles: 35.9
Biking Miles: 47.4
Weight Loss: 3 Pounds

Well, today I decided to do a long bike ride instead of my long run. I ran four days last week and I feel good about giving my joints the rest from the pounding. I decided to do my ride on the stationary bike at the gym which allows me to practice a good cadence and measure my heart rate. I felt really strong through the first 15 miles and the last 2.4 tested me pretty good. I really feel good about my cycling training so far.

My calories today will be above 2400 so much better in that department. This week will be concentrating on running and getting ready for my 8k on Saturday. I really haven't thought about any time goals for the race. I guess I would be happy running in the 11 minute mile pace range. This will be my first race beyond the 5k distance and I can't wait it should be fun and challenging. I hope everyone has a great Sunday night! - Jason The Running Man

Super Saturday

Bike: 11 Miles
Time: 40:00
45 Min Strength Training
February Totals
Running Miles: 35.9
Biking Miles: 30
Weight Loss: 3 Pounds

This morning I had a homeowners association board meeting. I've been the president of our community association for about a year now and what an interesting challenge that can be. We hired a management company to do most things and they aren't holding up their end of the contract and it has been very stressful trying to get everything back in order.

Anyway, I won't bore you with the gory details. After the meeting I was able to eat a good lunch and then an hour later hit the gym. Here is the rundown of my strength training session:

Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 40
Lat Pull down: 3 sets of 10
Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 20
Regular Curls: 3 sets of 20
Leg Press: 4 sets of 10 (Added weight)
Bench Press: 4 sets of 10 (Added weight)
Incline Press: 3 sets of 10
Decline Press: 4 sets of 10 (Added weight)

After my strength training I took about a 30 min break or so and then hit the stationary bike and went 11 miles in 40 minutes. Great bike workout. The lifting session was great as well as I was able to add some weight to a couple of exercises and I lifted them with ease. I'm definitely seeing my strength increase. Overall a pretty active Saturday and will see how I feel tomorrow. It's supposed to be a long run day but if I'm feeling any tightness or soreness I will probably move the long run to Monday. Next week my schedule will have to change some anyway because my race is on Saturday so I may do my long run next Monday as well. I will probably make Friday my rest day. I always like to have a rest day before a race anyway.

On the weight loss front, I was a bit excited when I went to put on my jeans this morning and they were too big!! I tried on my 34 jeans and although they were a little snug they fit good enough to wear! WOOHOO...always motivates me! Actually, they say 34 but I think there more like 36's. My waist is about a 36. Big difference from my waist being a 40 on October first 2006! So, it just goes to show you that even though the scale isn't moving you will still lose inches. I do weigh myself but I also go by how I look in the mirror and how my clothes feel. The weight loss battle takes time. You didn't gain all your weight overnight and you won't lose it all overnight either. If your struggling with the weight loss and you are truly following your plan it takes time patience is a big key to success losing weight. Stay positive and don't quit! You can do it! I hope everyone has a great Saturday. Well, I'm going to go make sure my daughter Gracie isn't apprehensive about anything!:) - Jason The Running Man

Three In a Row

Run: 2.8 Miles
Time: 31:42 (11:19)
February Totals
Running Miles: 35.9
Biking Miles: 19
Strength Training: 5 Sessions
Weight Loss: 3 Pounds

Tonight was my third day in a row running. That's my limit right now. I can definitely feel the affects of three consecutives days of running. Tomorrow is strength training and an easy bike ride and I'm looking forward to it.

Before I get into tonight's run I have to tell you a funny story. My daughter Gracie has the most amazing vocabulary for a four year old. Last night my wife was telling her that her Oma (Grandmother) and Pa (Grandfather) were going to watch her at her gymnastics practice tomorrow and then they would all go to lunch at Red Robbins afterward. Gracie says to my wife "Momma I'm a little apprehensive about eating a hamburger", Ashli says, "Gracie, what do you mean apprehensive?", Gracie says, "I'm nervous about eating hamburger!" How dare she challenge her on the definition of the words she uses! See Gracie doesn't eat red meat and she knew that was a burger place so she was explaining to her that she was apprehensive...perfectly normal thing to say......unless of course your four! I could go on and on and it never ceases to amaze me what comes out of her mouth, too cute.

Anyway, tonight's run went well. The 2.8 to 3 mile runs are becoming shorter and shorter as my long runs get longer! Did that make sense?:) The only problem on the run was how cold it was. I think the temp was about 30 degrees and I know to some of you that might be considered warm but to us in the south that's still really cold! Today my calories were again in the 2200 range so I'm happy to be able to keep those numbers up these last two days. Well, I hope everyone has a great Friday night! Be safe. - Jason The Running Man

Running Hard and Feeling Blessed

Run: 5.7
Time: 1:07:38 (11:52)
February Totals
Running Miles: 33.1
Biking Miles: 19
Weight Loss: 2 Pounds

Tonights run started at 8:30 this evening with the temp around 28 degrees. The run was really uneventful until about mile 4. From mile 4 to the end was brutal. That last 2.7 miles tested everything I had and then some. Just seemed like every muscle in my body was screaming, to the point where I almost abandoned the run. I really don't know how I finished that last 2.7, oh yeah I remember, my faith.

Once I finished stretching I went in and took a shower and now I feel much better. I seem to really recover quickly, so that's good. Not sure why I had the problems I did. I think I jinxed myself yesterday when I was rambling about how good yesterday's run was. I guess that's what I get. I still feel so thankful that I have the ability to have bad runs and I'm feeling really good about my training. It's so easy to fall prey to negative thinking but I'm determined to succeed and with my faith and family support I will be successful. - Jason The Running Man

Nutrition Review

I finally broke though a weight loss plateau this morning. Since the beginning of Febraury I've only lost 1 pound until this morning. Down another pound this month and hopefully it will continue to drop now. Here are my numbers so far from this week:

Monday
Calories: 1817
Water: 1 Gallon

Tuesday
Calories: 1710
Water: 96 ounces

Wednesday
Calories: 2287
Water: 1 Gallon

Thursday
Calories: 1937
Water: 1 Gallon

Numbers are a little low for me. I really should be at least up in the 2200 range. I will need to work harder in this department. I'm going to add another meal in the mornings to help get the numbers up there. I do preplan all my meals for the day the night before. So, tonight I will add a meal in the mornings. This added meal will probably be fruit. Apple with all natural peanut butter, banana, or whatever else I have on hand. I will update after my run tonight. Have a great Thursday. - Jason The Running Man

Nice and Easy

Run: 3.4 Miles
Time: 38:53 (11:26)
February Totals
Running Miles: 27.4
Biking Miles: 19

Tonight was my 3 mile easy run. I actually ended up doing about 3.4 just because of the way my route took me. I got out on my run right at 8pm tonight and wow, what a strong run. What I mean by that is, I felt like I could just run and run for miles. I fell into a great pace that just felt fantastic. No joint soreness never really got winded at all. I wish all my runs felt like my run tonight.

The reality is...I will have bad days but like I said before the good ones far out way the bad ones. Wow, great run and I still feel fantastic an hour and half after. Last night I signed up for the Green Valley Road Race 8k on February 24th and I'm looking forward to this race because it's my first race beyond the 5k distance and it is a very hilly course so it will be a challenging 5 miles to say the least.

I've had several people ask me what I use to record my caloric intake. I use an Excel spreadsheet that calculates my calories, fat, protein, fiber, sugar, and saturated fat. I've been using the same spreadsheet since January of 2005 and have not missed one day of recording my calories good or bad. Tomorrow I will update my caloric intake from the past few days. I hope everyone has a safe Wednesday night. - Jason The Running Man

PS. For those who follow American Idol we have a local boy that made it to the top 24. Chris Sligh from Greenville is a fantastic musician and goes to church with my coworker. Check out his blog when you get the chance...Chris Sligh

Double Duty

Bike: 5 Miles
Time: 20:00
Strength Training: 45 Min.
February Totals
Running Miles: 24
Biking Miles: 19
Weight Loss: 1 Pound

Today was double duty. I actually was going to run 3 miles tonight but the weather was not playing nice as we had some storms roll through so, I decided to get my strength training in tonight and I'll do my 3 miles tomorrow night. I also put in 5 miles on the bike today. Workouts felt great here is a rundown of my workout from tonight.

Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets of 50
Lat Pulldown: 3 sets of 10
Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 15
Regular Curls: 3 sets of 15
Leg Press: 4 sets of 20
Bench Press: 3 sets of 10
Incline Press: 3 sets of 10
Decline Press: 3 sets of 10

Tomorrow will be my three mile easy run. I was really pumped went I got to the gym tonight and just felt like I hit a zone. Felt really good. I know I will start seeing the benefits of my strength training not just from a fitness level but even on my runs from hills to overall endurance it will pay off. I hope everyone has a great Wednesday...these days are just flying on by and my Duathlon will be here before I know it. - Jason The Running Man

Supplements and Stuff

Today's rest day came at a great time. I will continue to schedule a rest day after my long run days, just makes sense.

I wanted to post the supplements I actually take. First, let me explain that most of my calories come from real food. However, here is a list of the current supplements I have used, with the exception of the Succeed products. I placed an order for what is listed and look forward to trying them out.

Multivitamin: GNC Megamen
Protein Powder: Nitrean - This is a blend of whey (isolates, concentrate, hydrolyzed), casein, and egg proteins from Atlarge Nutrition. Great taste.
Meal Replacement: Opticen - 1 serving contains 52g of protein and is a blend of whey, casein, and egg proteins from AtLarge Nutrition. The best tasting vanilla protein I've had yet.
Joint Support: - Puritan's Pride Triple Strength Glucosamin Chondroitin
Succeed Amino: - Enhanced endurance, reduction of mental fatigue, faster recovery, and immune system support.
Succeed CLIP2: - Energy, alertness, better recovery after long runs, and prevention of muscle breakdown during long runs.
Succeed S CAPS: - Alleviation of cramping, buffers to stabilize stomach, protection against hyponatremia, sodium and potassium in effective amounts, phosphate and citrate for energy production and delivers the correct amount of electrolytes
Clif Bars: - I love Clif bars! I know there not considered supplements but I do think they play an important part in my training, simply put, ...The Natural Energy Bar. I eat the regular Clif and the Builder's bars.

I'm looking to get a new multivitamin and I think I found one I like. I will do a post on the one I choose and why. This rest day has been great but I look forward to tomorrow's workouts. Have a great Monday night! - Jason The Running Man

Weekend Nutrition

This morning my daughter woke up with a 102 fever. Thankfully by lunch time she broke the fever and was acting like herself again. Work this morning is going rather well for a Monday and if I say anymore I may jinx myself.

Here are my nutrition totals from the weekend.

SATURDAY
Calories: 2177
Carbs: 225g
Fat: 97g
Protein: 116g
Saturated Fat: 21
Sugar: 39g
Fiber: 26g
Water: 128 ounces

SUNDAY
Calories: 2617
Carbs: 314g
Fat: 98.5g
Protein: 121g
Saturated Fat: 16g
Sugar: 40g
Fiber: 38g
Water: 128 Ounces

Sunday's calories were the most I've had in a single day since the end of September. I felt like I ate a ton of food but I know that my calories will probably increase even more as my mileage goes up.

Some of those added calories will come from different products by Succeed. Their ULTRA drink is for shorter distances, CLIP2 for longer runs, the SCAPS are salt caps for added electrolytes, and the AMINO provides enhanced endurance, reduced fatigue, and Immune System support. These products will add 140 to 150 calories per serving. I will probably utlize the AMINO and CLIP2 products for sure. Tonight I will provide a rundown on all the supplements I take. Have a great Monday, by the way, it's sunny and 61 degrees here today! Love it. - Jason The Running Man

Long Steady Sunday

Run: 7.2 Miles
Time: 1:25:48 (11:55 pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 24
Biking Miles: 14

Started out on my run around 1:20 this afternoon and I don't mean to brag but it is sunny and 51 degrees. I couldn't ask for better weather! I started out on a nice easy slow pace and the first three miles felt great. When I hit that fourth mile I really started to feel it in my legs. At the end of mile five I started to get a second wind and was able to push a little harder. Mile six I started to feel soreness in my back and it only seem to get worse as I started my last mile. I was glad it was my last mile but I was able to finish strong and fight through the back soreness. I'm really excited about my conditioning through the run. Not once did I have to stop and walk and the only time I got winded were on the hills. I hit my goal of under 12 minute mile pace..WAHOO!

Keep in mind I did not hydrate or fuel myself in anyway during the run. I did about two hours before the run have 32 ounces of water and about 700 calories and I have to say I felt ok. I will probably pick up a fuel belt before next Sunday and take water on my next long run just in case. There were times I had to fight the urge to just stop and walk and those are the mental battles you have to win to be successful, and today I was able to do that. Great day, great run and truly a well earned rest day tomorrow! Yahoo! My last full rest day was February first, way too long to go. I will update my nutrition totals from this weekend either tonight or tomorrow morning. Hope everyone has a great Sunday afternoon! - Jason The Running Man

Sunny Saturday

Today's weather has been great. A little cool but great. I got to the gym at 12 noon for my strength training session and the gym was packed. It took my a little longer to go through my routine then normal. Today's workout was good I'm already starting to see some strength gains as I had to add weight. Here's a rundown...

Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets of 25 - added weight
Bench Press: 4 sets of 8 - added weight
Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 15 - added weight
Regular Curls: 3 sets of 15 - added weight
Leg Press: 4 sets of 20
Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10 - added weight
Decline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10 - added weight

I could have added weight to the leg press but since my long run is tomorrow I kept it light. Speaking of log run, I mapped out my run for tomorrow and it comes to 7.1 miles and I'm looking forward to it. My nutrition has been very clean all week and my weight loss has seemed to stall a little bit. I'm not concerned one bit because I'm still seeing the inches come off and my run times going down and my lifts going up. Couldn't be a better situation.

On another note I went over to my in-laws this afternoon and my father-in-law has been working on redoing his 1971 Buick Skylark GS for a while now. He just put all new carpet in since his seats are at a local shop getting completely redone. He also wanted to show me the work hes been doing on all the dashboard components and they look great. The car has a brand new 342 posi rear, with a rebuilt Chevy 350 motor and all new disc brakes. He still needs to get new rubber all the way around, a front air dam, headliner, and the new seats in. I've driven the car and it's a beast, pulls very hard. If I had to guess it's probably pushing 320 to 330 horsepower and is fun to drive. Anyways, I figured I would post a pic...enjoy and have a great Saturday. - Jason The Running Man

A Good Night Stroll

Run: 2.8 Miles
Time: 31:57 (11:25 pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 16.8
Biking Miles: 14

Tonight's run went well. I did struggle a little on the hills but seem to recover nice on the flats and downhills. Tomorrow I will be doing strength training and I also will be doing an easy bike ride. I'm going to use the bike to map out Sunday's long run of 7 miles. I'm looking forward to Sunday's long run to see what my pace is. I would like to stay in the 11 minute pace range but will see. I will be happy to finish it strong.

As I close in on the end of my first week of my 16 week plan I feel really good physically and feel good about the plan itself. I've seen some really good gains over the past 2 months so I'm really happy with my progress so far and I'm looking forward to the next 15 weeks.

Have a great Friday night! - Jason The Running Man

Thursday's Nutrition

Tonight I have my 2.8 mile easy run and I'm looking forward to just enjoying the run! Sometimes, like last night, that's a hard thing to do. Hopefully I'll leave my "concrete shoes", at home!

Here are my nutrition totals from yesterday:

Calories: 2018
Carbs: 220g (43.61%)
Fat: 80g (35.68%)
Protein: 98g (19.43%)
Saturated Fat: 13.5g
Sugar: 35g
Fiber: 26g
Water: 80 ounces

My water intake over the last week has been a little lower then normal but otherwise I feel great. Hope everyone has a great Friday and I will update tonight after my run. - Jason The Running Man

Concrete Shoes

Run: 5.6 Miles
Time: 1:04:07 (11:27 pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 14
Biking Miles: 14
Weight Loss: 1 pound

Tonight was my 5.6 mile run and I got out around 8:10 tonight. The weather has been really mild here as of late with the temp around 44 degrees and clear. My first 2 miles were just very difficult, it felt like I had concrete in the shoes. Several times I wanted to just stop and walk but I kept plugging along. As I approached mile 3 I started to get my legs and decided to push harder. By the last mile I was feeling good but also glad it was the last mile. I finished up with a PR for this distance at an 11:27 pace which surprised me based on my early struggles but I'll take it.

It still amazes me that some runs that I have like the other night are fantastic where you get that runner's "high", and others that are just an absolute struggle to complete. I guess I can't complain too much because my good runs far out weigh the bad ones. I'm altering my plan a little bit over the next two days. I originally was going to do a 2 mile easy run in the morning and strength training at night. However, because of my run tonight I think the better plan would be to just do my 2 mile easy run tomorrow night and save the strength training till Saturday afternoon. Sunday late afternoon will still be my long run day and Monday will be a rest day. I will report my nutritional totals in the morning. Hope everyone has had a great Thursday and keep running. - Jason The Running Man

Temptation

Last night my wife and daughter sat down for dinner and while I was eating my eggs and sprouted grain bread toast they were digging into there freshly baked pizza! Of course, the whole house smelled of freshly baked pizza which only made it worse. I wanted to dive right in but I didn't. I was able to overcome that temptation.

So, this morning I get to work and my boss brings in a bag full of fresh assorted bagels with full fat cream cheese. I wanted to dive right in but I didn't and once again I was able to overcome that temptation. Could I have eaten a bagel with cream cheese and not gained any weight? Sure, but it's not about gaining weight as much as it is being disciplined and sticking to my plan. Temptation is not an easy thing to overcome but I'm determined to be successful.

If your struggling with temptation keep fighting, and never ever give up. How bad do I want it? Bad enough not to eat a bagel! What is the "it" for me? To complete my marathon, to complete a duathlon, to complete a triathlon, to complete a half Ironman, to complete an Ironman, to complete an ultramarathon, and most importantly to be fit and heathly for my family. The "it" are my goals, what I want to achieve in life. The "it" is what drives me to pass up that bagel! So, when you tell me its just a bagel now you understand that it's so much more then just a bagel.

Here are my nutrition totals from yesterday:
Calories: 2008
Carbs: 258g (51.39%)
Fat: 65g (29.13%)
Protein: 98g (19.52%)
Saturated Fat: 11g
Sugar: 38g
Fiber: 32g
Water: 96 ounces

Tonight is my tempo run. I will do a one mile warm up, three miles at tempo pace, and a one mile cool down. Check back for tonights update. - Jason The Running Man

Feeling Stronger

Tonight was strength training night. I got to the gym around 9pm tonight and had a great workout. I stuck to my normal routine of exercises and got in and out. I don't like to waste time in the gym. I rest a minute and half to two minutes between sets and with some I will work two different muscle groups one after the other. I'll do my first standing calf raise set and then jump right to the lat pulldown machine and do a set then jump right back to my second set of calf raises and that really helps me get my heart rate up. Can't do that when the gym is busy but that's one of the reasons I go at 9pm.

Here is a rundown of my workout:

Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets of 25
Lat Pulldown: 3 sets of 10
Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 15
Regular standing curls: 3 sets of 15
Bench Press: 4 sets of 10
Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10
Leg press: 4 sets of 20
Weighted Crunches: 3 sets of 10

Tomorrow is my 5 mile tempo run. I'll be doing a 1 mile warm up, 3 at tempo, and a 1 mile cool down. I hope everyone has a great night. - Jason The Running Man

Fight Your Battles Head On

Bike: 4 Miles
Time: 23:20
February Totals
Running Miles: 8.4
Bike Miles: 14

The morning put up a good fight but I came out victorious! My morning started at 5:45am as I dragged myself out of bed. I was out the door and on my bike by 6am. This was just an easy ride as I am working to get some good base miles in on the bike. There was nobody around and I had the rode to myself. It was short and uneventful and I am looking forward to doing much longer rides.

Overcoming the want to stay in bed this morning was a big win for me and a step in the right direction. Everyone has their battles to fight, just make sure you fight them hard. I just kept telling myself this morning "How bad do you want it?" Well, this morning I wanted it bad. Will I ever lose anymore battles? I hope not, but I can asure you if I do I will pick myself back up and fight even harder next time.

Here are my nutrition totals from yesterday.

Calories: 1968
Carbs: 244g (49.59%)
Fat: 65g (29.73%)
Protein: 98g (19.92%)
Saturated Fat: 11g
Sugar: 36g
Fiber: 30g
Water: 96 Ounces

Tonight is strength and Core training. Will update tonight, have a great Wednesday. - Jason The Running Man

Counting Blessings

Run: 2.8 Miles
Time: 32:54 (11:45 Pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 8.4
Biking Miles: 10
Weight Loss: 1 Pound

Tonight was an easy paced 2.8. I didn't get out to my run until 9pm. The weather wasn't bad tonight with the temp. a mild 42 degrees and clear skies. In fact the sky was so amazing it was like every star was on its own stage shining bright...amazing. It's a good thing I looked down from the sky when I did because I almost ran straight into a parked car on the street! Youch...close one.

Now that I have everyone laughing at my expense, the run was exhilarating and I just wanted to keep running and running and running...like Forest Gump. Such a high when I finished and I can't wait to do my long run on Sunday. I feel so blessed to be able to run everyday, it's so easy to take things for granted. Just when I think I have it bad or I catch myself complaining about things I read or hear about a story that puts things into perspective for me.

Tonight I find myself counting my blessings and I hope you can too! Have a great night and I will update tomorrow morning on my morning workout. - Jason The Running Man

I fought the Morning...

and the morning won! Yep missed my workout again this morning. I probably got around 4 hours of sleep last night, again not enough to get me up. I woke up at 6:30 this morning which does not give me enough time to get my workout done and get to work on time. I'm not new to working out in the early morning back when I was working on losing the 100 pounds I did a majority of my workouts in the morning. I also was getting around 7 hours of sleep then. Tonight I have 2.8 miles and I'm going to make sure I get at least 6 hours of sleep.

I have an easy bike ride scheduled for tomorrow morning and this thing is NOT going to beat me. I will win this battle. The two bike workouts I missed were 5 mile easy rides just getting my cycling base down. If I don't get a chance to make it up this afternoon I will do them on Saturday morning. I knew it was going to be a challenge but just like I said last night I will win the fight and tomorrow I get a chance to prove it.

Have a great Tuesday Morning. - Jason The Running Man

Pushing Hard

I didn't get a chance to get my bike in today. I ended up staying later then usual at work, so I will have to make that one up. I'm glad I got that 10 miles in yesterday. Tonight was strength training. I got to the gym around 9pm tonight and had a fantastic workout. Here is the rundown from tonight.

Standing Calf Raises: 5 sets of 25
Lat Pulldown: 4 sets of 10
Bench Press: 4 sets 15
Incline Bench Press: 3 sets 10
Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 15
Regular Curls: 3 sets of 15
Leg Press: 4 sets of 20
Crunches: 3 sets 15

I just seem to have more energy tonight then normal. The one thing I have done is up my calories. Here is a rundown of my nutrition totals from today.

Calories: 2243
Carbs: 304g (54.21%)
Fat: 71g (28.49%)
Protein: 109g (19.44%)
Saturated Fat: 12.5g
Sugar: 44g
Fiber: 34g
Water: 96 ounces

Tomorrow morning I have an easy bike ride. Hopefully, I will be able to sleep better tonight and get up for my workout. For me the challenge will not be the workout tomorrow morning but getting out of bed at 5:30am. I will be successful. Have a great Tuesday morning. - Jason The Running Man

Bad Start

Just a quick update. I missed my first morning workout, geez, not a good start to my new training plan. For whatever reason I could not fall asleep last night until about 3am. Doesn't make for an easy wake up at 5:30am. So, I'm going to get that workout done this afternoon right after work. Tonight I have strength training. I'm going to follow my normal workout with the exception of adding some abdominal exercises.

Here were my Sunday nutritional totals:

Calories: 2458
Carbs: 318g (51.75%)
Fat: 89g (32.59%)
Protein: 120g (19.53%)
Staurated Fat: 14.5g
Sugar: 53g
Fiber: 33g
Water: 96 ounces

Will update tonight after my workout, have a great Monday!

Windy Ride on Super Sunday

Ride: 10 Miles
Time: 1:07:54
February Totals
Running Miles: 5.6
Bike Miles: 10
Weight Loss: 1 Pound

Today was easy bike day for me. I got out around 2pm this afternoon and the wind was just blowing me around. My route takes me over several hills and when the wind is 21mph blowing straight at you it made it very difficult. Even so I got in 10 miles in 1:07:54. I'm actually really excited about that. Almost half the distance I will go in my duathlon in June. Not bad for only my second time on the bike in over 5 months.

Training Plan
So, here is an overview of my training plan starting tomorrow morning.

Week 1
Mon: Easy Bike AM (5.6 Miles) - Strength Training PM
Tue: Easy Bike AM (5.6 Miles) - Easy Run PM (2 Miles)
Wed: Easy Bike AM (5.6 Miles) - Strength Training PM
Thur: Tempo Run 5 Miles - 1 Miles warmup, 3 at tempo, 1 Mile cooldown
Fri: Easy Run (2 Miles) AM - Strength Training PM
Sat: Rest Day
Sun: Long Run 7 Miles

Week 2
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: Easy Run (3 Miles) AM - Tempo Bike (5.6 at Tempo pace) PM
Wed: Easy Bike (8.4 Miles) AM - Strength Training PM
Thur: Speedwork (5 Miles 3x1600 w/800 warmups & cooldowns)
Fri: Easy Run (2 Miles) AM - Strength Training PM
Sat: Long Bike Ride (10.8 Miles)
Sun: Long Run (7 Miles)

Week 3
Mon: Easy Bike AM (6.5 Miles) - Strength Training PM
Tue: Easy Run (3 Miles) AM - Easy Bike (6.5 Miles) PM
Wed: Easy Bike (6.5 Miles) AM - Strength Training PM
Thur: Tempo Run 5 Miles - 1 Miles warmup, 3 at tempo, 1 Mile cooldown
Fri: Easy Run (2 Miles) AM - Strength Training PM
Sat: Rest Day
Sun: Long Run 8 Miles

There is an overview of the first three weeks of my training. I will probably be tweaking the mileage as I move forward. I also may change my speedwork sessions as I move through the weeks. I will be adding "brick" workouts, and plan on doing those once a week starting from week five to week 16 leading up to my race. The other thing I may add is some speedwork on the bike. Still thinking about that. The running builds up to a long run of 13 miles and I will at least work the bike mileage up to 25 miles. I will not sacrifice a rest day as those will be important with this plan. My morning workouts will start at 5:30am and my evening workouts will start after 8pm. Now on to my nutrition plan.

On my two a day training days I will be consuming roughly 3100 calories a day and on my single training days I will consume around the 2500 mark. The exception will be on my long run and bike days. I may get more calories on those days. I still want to lose the max 2 pounds a week so I will be monitoring my weight loss and my energy on full days, and try and find that balance. The breakdown for those calories will be 50% carbs, 30%fat, and 20% protein. It will be a challenge but I will find it.

This training plan will be a challenge but I'm ready to take it on full steam ahead. I hope everyone has a great Super Bowl Sunday and I guess I'm going to pull for the Colts and Peyton Manning.

Colts - 38
Bears - 24

Enjoy the game! - Jason the Running Man

A Daddy's Love

Run: 2.8 Miles
Time: 0:28:10 (10:04 pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 5.6
Biking Miles: 0
Weight Loss: 1 pound

Today was great going out with my daughter we had a blast. Just went down to Target and goofed around. She just turned four last month and she does have me wrapped around her little fingers. Funny story...this last Christmas all of my family got together. I have two fabulous sisters and one older brother. My one sis has three kids and they are all older then my daughter Gracie. My nine year old nephew David was looking for his shoes to go out and play and my daughter, three at the time, says to him, "Well David your shoes can't just get up and walk on their own", and David looks at his father and says, "Dad, why does Gracie always talk like an adult?" Kids say the funniest things!:) Ok, one more story, the other night at dinner my wife gave Gracie some more peaches and Gracie says, "Thank you mother I really appreciate it". I could go on and on. Anyway, she the best daughter in the world!

Well, on to tonight's run. I got out to run around 8pm. It was around 31 degrees with a slight breeze. I decided to push a little bit instead of taking it easy and I'm glad I did the run felt fantastic. As I came in at my finish mark my watch read 28:10 which is pretty much my race pace at 10:00 minute miles. I really had that "runners high" going at the end of this one. I wanted to keep going but I know I need to push back as my training starting on Monday goes to the next level. Here's how I did nutritionally today.

Calories: 2002
Carbs: 276g (55.14%)
Fat: 60.5g (27.20%)
Protein: 102g (20.38%)
Saturated Fat: 11.5g
Sugar: 69g
Fiber: 30g
Water: 96 ounces

I did mention that I was going to continue the Nutrition discussion from my previous post and I will. I will talk about where we get those calories from and what are macronutrients? Probably will be posting that at some point tomorrow. I will also post my full training plan tomorrow as well. Stay tuned and enjoy your Saturday night. - Jason the Running Man

Building Strength

This morning I got up and had my morning Clif Bar (Oatmeal Walnut Raisin) my favorite and headed off to the gym. My strength training is progressing nicely. Here is my workout from this morning.

Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets of 25
Lat Pull Downs: 3 sets of 10
Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 10
Regular Curls: 3 sets of 10
Leg Press: 4 sets of 20
Bench Press: 4 sets of 10
Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10
Decline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10

Workout felt good and not a lot of soreness. Tonight I'm going to do another easy paced 2.8 miles. My wife is at a wedding shower so its just me and my daughter Gracie today. I think I'm going to take her out on a daddy daughter date!:) Looking forward to that. I will post my finalized 16 week training program tonight as well. Have a great Saturday.

Nice and Easy

Run: 2.8 Miles
Time: 0:29:40 (10:36 pace)
February Totals
Running Miles: 2.8

That snow we got is all gone, welcome to the southeast! Today reached a high of 50 degrees but kind of windy. Went out to eat tonight with my wife and daughter and had a good time. My brother called me tonight from the Amway Arena in Orlando, FL. He was at the Magic vs Nets game tonight having a good time. I wanted to make sure he was ok since Orlando was hit with some really bad tornados early this morning. Thankfully everything was fine.

I finally got out to run around 8:45 tonight. Very cold but luckily the wind had died down quite a bit from the way it was earlier. My intention is for all of my runs to be nice and easy the rest of this week since I'm starting my 16 week program Monday morning. Run was a good strong run and I felt fantastic when done. I strolled in at 29:40. Had some water and chatted with my brother on the phone.
Sunday morning I will post an overview of my 16 week program and what my calories will be for training days and non-training days. I will also continue my discussion on Nutrition I started yesterday. Thanks for all who have stopped by and keep checking back. - Jason the Running Man

Calorie Confusion

Today is a rest day for me. I don't know why but sometimes I feel guilty for taking rest days. I feel like If I'm not training I'm losing out. However, I do know how important these rest days are to staying injury free. I am really excited to move full steam ahead with my training and diet plans on Monday. With all the physical activity I will be doing my daily calorie intake will need to be higher. How much higher? Keep reading...

Right now my goals are to still drop weight or "cut" as we say. The art of losing weight is about burning more calories then I consume.

There is a very careful balance between losing fat and burning muscle. With all the physical activity I will be doing in my training it's important for me to make sure to consume enough calories to sustain the level of energy my body needs but not too many that I halt my weight loss progress. So how do I figure it out? Well, there are several methods used today to figure out what we call your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the number of calories you would burn if you did nothing but sleep all day. The more common method used to calculate your BMR is called the Harris Benedict Formula...

BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kgs) + (5 X height in cms) – (6.8 X age in yrs).

Right now my weight in Kgs is 102.5 and my height in cms is 177.8 and my age is 33. The formula to calculate my BMR would be...

=66 + (13.7*102.5) + (5*177.8) - (6.8*33)
=66 + (1404.4) + (889) - (224.4)
=66 + 2069
BMR = 2135

Good conversion site... Online Conversion

Not done yet. Now I need to figure out the amount of energy I burn through activity and this chart helps me to do that.

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) – BMR X 1.2
2. If your are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days a week) – BMR X 1.375
3. If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days a week) – BMR X 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) – BMR X 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or training twice daily – BMR X 1.9.

Because my training plan is extra active I'm going to follow number five which tells me to take my BMR (2135) and multiply that times 1.9.

2135*1.9 = 4056.5 Calories

So, 4057 is the number of calories I need per day to maintain my current weight. Well, I don't want to maintain my current weight as I mentioned above I want to continue to lose weight. So, the question now is how many calories do I take off in order to burn fat and not muscle? The recommended amount of weight loss per week is 1 to 2lbs max. I would actually like to lose 2 pounds a week and to do that I need to understand that 1 pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So, for me to lose 2 pounds a week I need to take 3500*2 divided by 7 days.

3500*2 = 7000
7000/7 = 1000

To lose 2 pounds a week I need to subtract 1000 from my maintenance level (4057).

4057-1000 = 3057 calories

So whats all this junk mean? I just figured out that in order for me to continue to lose 2 pounds a week at the level of activity in my training plan I need to consume 3057 calories a day. That's my magic number!! If I consume below that number I risk the chance of burning muscle instead of fat. There is no "magic pill" or "potion" to lose weight it's all about calories in and calories out. If you consume to many calories your weight will go up, it's that simple.

If you've been on a diet for a while and your frustrated that you're not seeing results I challenge you to record your daily calories. You may be consuming more then you think. Use the formula above to figure out what your intake level needs to be and follow that number. Speaking of numbers here are mine from today.

Calories: 2007
Carbs: 266g (53.01%)
Fat: 62g (27.80%)
Protein: 104g (20.73%)
Saturated Fat: 14g
Sugar: 66g
Fiber: 32g
Water: 128 ounces

Now that you have a good idea how many calories you need to consume the next thing we have to figure out is where do we get those calories from? What are Macronutrients? Stay Tuned....

Jason the Running Man - OUT