A1A Half Marathon Wrap-up!
This was one of the best races and times we have had in a long time!
I will start with a trip down memory lane. But first……….
I decided to start Saturday morning with a soak in the hot tub!
The hot tub
Now, on to memory lane…..
This is the 11th Avenue Bridge. It is one of the few bridges here in South Florida, that turns instead of going up like a draw bridge. To the immediate left of this bridge, was a home owned by one of my fathers friends. He used to let me come over and crab off of his dock. Good times for sure!
The 11th Avenue bridge.
This is the Evergreen cemetery. It is the one of the oldest cemeteries in Broward County. Back when I was in high school, we used to jump the fence, which was lower than it is now, and have parties til all hours of the morning. The phrase was, we are having a party Saturday night…and everyone was dying to get in!
Evergreen Historic Cemetery
After driving around Broward County for a while, it was time to visit the Expo. As always, this Expo has just about everything you could want for running and fitness. We got our race packet, shirt, poster, sport beans, all in 40 minutes!
Expo
Expo
Expo
Lexus isle at the Expo.
Next, we took Marshall to his Aunt Rose Maries where he got to spend the weekend! After that, time to check into the hotel. When I went to get a hotel for this race, everything was booked, at least what was in our price range. So, we had to “settle” for the Ritz Carlton! The standard rate for this room was $599.00 per night……………unless……you have Marriott Rewards points! Since we use our Marriot credit card for everything, we have an abundance of points, so, 50,000 points deducted, and the room was free!! And what a room!
This has to be the best hotel room we have ever stayed at. Click on the link Ritz Carlton, just to look at the place. Below are a few pictures of our room and the view. As an aside, the service is unbelievable! Everything you want is a fingertip away!
The Bed
Bathroom vanity
The bathtub
The toilet room..with a phone………… and a TV in the bathroom!
The view from our balcony.
The view from the 7th floor pool deck.
After we settled in, we decided to have a few drinks on the patio overlooking the Intracoastal waterway. The Miami boat show was going on the same weekend, but we had our own private boat show!
Bridge opening…..
Sailboat.
A nice boat….
A real nice boat……
A really, really, really nice boat!!
After viewing our own private boat show, it was time for dinner. We decided to walk around to burn off a few drinks and ended up at the Quarterdeck Lounge. This is a place that as youngsters, we used to frequent. Maybe when you get older, you notice more, but this place was a dump. After waiting 20 minutes for service, and none ever came, and being subjected to a smoker who appeared to be in the final stages of some sort of death disease, we decided to eat elsewhere!
We walked around some more and ended up back at the hotel to see about getting dinner reservations. All booked up. We walked back down “the strip”, and ended up at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Looking at the menu, there wasn’t much that appealed to me, so we moved on. Eventually, we arrived at the H20 Cafe.
The wife used her phone to look up the reviews and most were positive, so, we decided to eat here for our Valentines dinner.
We were seated immediately and our waiter asked for our drink order. My current training drink is Jose Cuervo tequila and diet Sierra Mist. It is a zero carbohydrate drink and not as fattening as my normal Tequila Sunrise. Since they had no Diet drinks of any kind, we had to improvise. Tequila, Seltzer water, lemon, lime, and Splenda!
With the drinks out of the way, time to order food.
First was the appetizer, Cozze Posilipo….which is “Mussels in a light tomato wine sauce with red onions and a touch of fresh tomato and basil.”
Cozze Posilipo
Mussels in a light tomato wine sauce with red onions and a touch of fresh tomato and basil.
This was absolutely fantastic! I was tempted to get another order, but seeing the portion size, figured the dinner would be plenty!
Speaking of which, I had the NY Strip Steak and the wife had the Risotto Champagne. Both were outstanding! I highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever in the area.
New York Strip Steak
Risotto Champagne
Risotto with baby shrimp and asparagus in a champagne cream sauce.
The view of Fort Lauderdale Beach from our dinner table!
Time to head back to the room to watch the sunset and go to bed around 8:30 pm.
Sunset…
Sunset….
Nite nite……..
What is that sound? Ah, the alarm…..it is 3:00 am!!!
Remember that hotel service I mentioned earlier?
Can you send us up a pot of hot coffee?
Although it was 20 dollars, it was worth it!!!!! And, it arrived 10 minutes after the call and was fresh and hot!!
Now it was time to bathe, get dressed, and do everything else that you have to do before you head out to a race. We made a phone call to the valet, yes, it is mandatory valet parking, and when we got downstairs, our car was waiting for us! We even picked up a girl runner who was waiting for a cab, and we offered her a ride to the race.
Five minutes later, with a little “creative” driving, all routes to and from the hotel were blocked off and I had to navigate several cones, we were at the VIP parking lot, which is at the finish line. So far, so good.
Next we got on the bus and headed to the starting line, which is normally a 15 minute ride. Unfortunately, due to construction, several of the “usual” roads were blocked off and our driver seemed to have a hard time understanding what some of us locals were trying to tell her! Eventually, we ended up near the starting line, the driver pulled off to the side of the road, and we all got off and made our way to the start.
The Starting Line!
We only had to wait 20 minutes until the Star Spangled Banner was played on a saxophone. Then the wheeled racers were off. At 6:00 am, the race started. This race, unlike the Disney races or any other race we have run, is a mass start race. Everyone gets into position by markers for their projected pace. The only issue with this is that some of the slower runners, jump to the front of the line, which, later in the race, causes some runners, to have to weave around these other runners after you catch up to them.
In any event, I preferred this start as I only had to wait 6 minutes to get to the Starting line as opposed to the half hour or more at Disney.
As I started to run, I realized that I felt really good. I had no pain and also, no tightening up of my calves. I was running effortlessly, but still trying to keep a 13:30 pace. For the first nine miles, I never was slower than a 13:29 pace. The first 4 miles were run in an average pace of 12:55!
5K time:38:48, which is a personal best! The view of the 5K marker, which is now a castle instead of the previous sailboat.
5K castle.
Running along, at miles four and five, the sunrise….
Sunrise…..
Now it was time to focus on running. I was running at a consistent pace, 13:04 or so for a majority of the race. At mile 10, I finally had to urinate as I had been holding it for six miles! Miles 10,11,and 12, were my slowest miles. I was fighting a toe cramp in my left foot, as well as pain in my left hip. Luckily, those pains went away and to my surprise, and I didn’t know this until I looked at the tracker later, my fastest mile was my last! Mile 13 was at a 12:51 pace!
Here are the official and unofficial results:
Endomondo:
Distance: 13.27 miles
Duration: 2:57:09
Average Pace: 13:20
Official time:
| First Name | Last Name | Age | 10k | Gun Time | Net-Time | Pace |
| Eric | Van De Ven | 54 | 1:18:46 | 3:03:50 | 02:56:38 | 13:29 |
Not a personal best, but considering I was 15 pounds heavier than last year, I was only 2 minutes slower. And, no pain except for a little soreness.
Also, using the run/walk interval method and the low carbohydrate diet, I felt fresh after the race.
While waiting for the wife to finish, I took a few pictures of the beach and surrounding areas.
Fort Lauderdale beach!
More beach….
In the instruction manual of our new Canon camera, it says not to look at the lens if you are taking a picture of a bright object…like the sun!
The Bahia Mar hotel..
A cargo ship…that was probably at least a half a mile away. That zoom really does work!
Wishful thinking!
Almost there!
The finish line! I took this picture while running with the wife to the finish!
The best thing at the finish…ice cold low fat chocolate milk!!!!!!
Victory!!!
Now that the race was over, what to do? We got an extended checkout, so, went up to the room, rehydrated, and packed. We called the bellman and they took our luggage downstairs and held it for us. Meanwhile, we went to the pool patio deck and had lunch. But first, drinks!! Now that the race was over, carbohydrate fever! A Mojito for me and a Bahama Mamma for the wife!
Mojito and a Bahama Mamma!
A quick burger and Mahi Mahi sandwich..time to enjoy the view!
Bacon cheeseburger.
Mahi Mahi sandwich!
Bye bye Lauderdale…… 😦
This was a fantastic trip. No injuries and no drama..except for nearly missing the race! 😉
We are already planning for the race next year and it may be a 2-night stay this time!
Next race up….Disney Wine and Dine 2015!
A funny thing happened……
On the way to running retirement! Pain free runs!
Since the last post, I got the results of the latest MRI and it is more of the same, torn rotator cuff, partially torn biceps tendon, but no torn labrum. So, an injection or two, and the left shoulder is returning to service.
Meanwhile, I have been training for the Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon. Since switching shoes to the Saucony Omni 13s, I have had no pain after any run. The mileage has been creeping up starting with one mile and getting to 7 miles last week. A brisk 3-mile run yesterday was also pain-free and the fastest run since I resumed training.
Saturday night is a scheduled 10-mile run to simulate race-day, then one more 3-mile run Tuesday, and that will be it for training.
The goal is a 13 minute/mile pace. The Wine and Dine has always been a problem race for me, between the crowds and cramping, I have never performed well there. I am hoping that will change this year. Moving to Palm City, it was apparent immediately, that somehow, there is more humidity here than back in Coconut Creek. This is evidenced every morning when everything outside looks like it just rained! The good news, is that I have as of yet, not experienced any cramps during any run. I am hoping that trend continues during the race, if so, I may kick things up during the last 5 miles of the race. I have also not experienced any pain, and by that, I many any pain, after any run. I suspect whoever was playing with the “Eric voodoo doll” has put it away for a while!
After this race, I will reevaluate everything, to determine if I will continue. Right now, it is a very good chance I will keep running. I am not sure about running the A1A race in February this year, as it is down in Broward, but who knows.
I will be posting the playlist next week and a final race-day post.
Stay tuned………………………………
Wine and Dine training has begun!!
At long last, it is time to start training for this race! But first….a run-down of the previous months activities.
August started off with some very good news. Our son, who has a cyst on his brain, got his annual MRI done. Last year, the result was that the cyst had shrunk, slightly. This years result was that the cyst has shrunk considerably and that we do not have to put our son through the MRI process for another three years!!!!
Moving on…..Spring Lake 2013.
Since 1992, when I received an invitation to Spring Lake Golf and Tennis through my business, I have gone every year to “get away from it all”. Somewhere in the 90s, I decided to make it a tournament and invited a few friends. Now it has morphed into a 5-day event filled with drinking and golfing, complete with hats, trophies, and a good time for all.
And now, finally, actually time to start training!
The first thing was to go on the Atkins diet and eliminate a bunch of carbohydrates. Then it was time for a new set of shoes.
While we were up in Stuart, we decided to visit a running store Fleet Feet. This store, is where Jeff Galloway has appearances and also a running team.
I spoke with one of the individuals in the store, told him about my injuries, and more specifically the recent injuries to my tibia. He recommended that I switch to a stability shoe.
I tried on a bunch of shoes, and ended up with the Saucony Omni 12 in size 11 and a half. The shoes in the store were too narrow, however when I got home, I ordered the shoes from Zappos in size 11 and a half, 2E.
I first tried a quick half mile run around the block. There were was no pain in my shins or knees. I gradually worked up to a mile running in these shoes.
Last week was my first official training run which was 3 miles. The time was a lot slower than what I was running at but there was no pain.
- DISTANCE 3.33 mi
- DURATION 45m: 59s
- AVG. SPEED 13:49 min/mi
- MAX. SPEED 9:17 min/mi
The next run was 3.8 miles and again no pain.
- DISTANCE 3.80 mi
- DURATION 54m: 01s
- AVG. SPEED 14:12 min/mi
- MAX. SPEED 7:14 min/mi
Saturday night was my first long run which was almost 7 miles. The heat is still present as well as the humidity! The run was accomplished at a 14 minute mile pace which is about a minute and a half slower per mile, then what I was running before.
- DISTANCE 6.54 mi
- DURATION 1h: 36m: 51s
- AVG. SPEED 14:48 min/mi
- MAX. SPEED 9:57 min/mi
The good news, is that there is no pain in either leg! The run also was done, as have the other training runs, with no Advil or any pain killers of any type. Now it is time to work on the speed. This run was also done at night to simulate the Wine and Dine race conditions. If it is going to be 83 degrees and 250% humidity, I am ready for it!!!
I was going to trim the running down to two days a week, but, I have some ground to make up, so, Tuesday and Thursday, will be short run days. Saturday will alternate between long runs and speed runs, of 4 miles.
I am still working on the strength training, chest and arms, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, back and shoulders, Tuesday and Thursday. I appear to be fully recovered from the shoulder surgery. Every workout I am getting stronger and in a few weeks, I will just work on weight training using lighter weights.
The weight is at 230 pounds and I am hoping to lose 15 pounds prior to the race, in six weeks.
We also purchased new phones, the Galaxy S4. All of the running apps work flawlessly on this phone! This phone also does almost everything my computer can do! In fact,most of this post was done on the phone!!
I’ll try to give daily updates, but more than likely, it will be one post, Sunday.
Back in Black!
Since I wore my black Tower of Terror shirt to the gym, that is the title of the post today!
Speaking of the gym:
| EXERCISES | Calories | Minutes | Sets | Reps | Weight |
| Strength Training | |||||
| Seated Biceps Curl | 3 | 15 | 70 | ||
| Shoulder Press | 3 | 10 | 90 | ||
| Shoulder shrugs for traps | 2 | 20 | 35 | ||
| Standard Bench Press | 3 | 12 | 155 | ||
| The 21’s | 3 | 7 | 15 | ||
| Triceps Pull-down | 3 | 12 | 95 | ||
| TOTALS: | 0 | 0 | 17 | 76 | 460 |
A very nice workout, with no pain. So far, I have managed to have a workout and a round of golf with no pain! I can’t wait to start running next month. Seeing the wife come back from her six-mile run yesterday really got me antsy!
In preparation for my return to running, I am on a full-blown Atkins induction diet for the next two weeks. After that, I will be in Sebring for almost a week for my annual golf tournament. I’ll try to stay on the diet………………………………….. 🙂
This is a big week for young Marshall as he has orientation Wednesday and his “entrance exam”, really, an entrance exam for kindergarten, Friday. All we had to do was show up! He is excited because we went to his new school, Renaissance at University, last week to drop of his medical clearance, and doesn’t want to go to his “crappy” old school anymore. Saturday we got uniforms for him..another $200.00! We have to get all of his school supplies this weekend.
Tomorrow would be a run day, but, as I am still under the doctor imposed ban from running, I’ll have to find something else to do. The last three months, and in particular, the last two weeks have really added a few unwanted pounds, which will be gone in a short week! I think a round of golf may be in the works as nine holes in a year really isn’t a good tune up for 100 holes of golf!
The food diary will be posted tomorrow along with whatever type of “cardio” workout I decide on.
Everyone have a great day!
The monthly update!
It is really hard to believe how fast the days go by! Almost a month since the last post!
To start with, I am adjusting to playing Mr. Mom. Things are not quite as hectic as I have figured out the key words to get young Marshall out of the house on time. The wife is beginning to get a little bored with the hour drive each way to work, but, she loves her new job.
Speaking of work, that four-letter word has been haunting me! I have already started to break into the Stuart/Palm City market and am averaging one inspection a week there. By the time we move, I should be doing three inspections a week and fishing two days a week! Still on the house hunt and waiting for one of two options to open up. We are thinking of buying a home that is a little larger than this one, moving in, then selling this home and buying a rental property….or three! I figure with three rentals, that should pay the mortgage on whatever home we decide on and put a few bucks in the bank! The other option is to buy our “dream house” on the water..which we haven’t found yet! Next year will be a big year!
Meanwhile, on the body front, I am finally pain-free, well as pain-free as a soon to be 53 year-old can be! I managed to play my first round of golf in almost a year, and aside from a twinge or two of pain in my right shoulder, everything feels pretty good. Only got in 9 holes, but, hey, you have to start somewhere! In three weeks I have four days of golf so we will see how much pain I am in then. 🙂
September brings the long-awaited return to running!!!! I am really excited as I have a bunch of new nutritional information as well as running information to test out. I am planning on a gluten-free, low-carbohydrate, no fructose/lactose diet as the wife has informed my the these items may be contributing to some other “issues” I seem to be having. Getting old sucks!!!
Until next month………………………………… 🙂
Update and Friend Making Monday!
The update is, that we will be moving next month!!
It looks like our move next year has been hastened by the four hours of driving time between my wife and myself and the $1,200.00 fuel bill last month!
We will be moving to either Stuart of Palm City where we will rent for a year to get the “lay of the land” then, sell our home here and buy up there. In the meantime, we will be renting our home here in Coconut Creek.
As the boat will be moved soon, it was time for some repairs. First, the complete flush of the tilt/trim motor fluid and now the motor goes up and down, like it should. Next, a set of tires for the trailer and then a little engine and canopy work, and the Mako will be back in action!
I have cancelled my membership at the gym and July will be my last month there. In Palm city, they have a 24 hour fitness!!
On the running front, the left leg is completely healed and there is no pain in my right leg. It is probably 80% healed so, it looks like training will resume in September. There is a running store in Stuart and also I have access to physical therapy, to prevent any further injury. It appears as though the stock $29.95 shoes from Target are the best shoes to walk around in. Those inserts I got from Sports Authority never made it back to the store, fortunately for me as they are now in these shoes. That appears to be helping in the recovery!
It looks like the size 12 shoes in the neutral pronation will be my new shoes. We will see what the running store gurus have to say.
August is a big month. My annual golf tournament, Marshall gets his tubes out and his annual brain scan, then….off to school for him!
I can’t wait until September!!!!
And now, courtesy of my friend Kenlie, Friend Making Mondays!
Ten Simple Questions
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Why am I here?
2. Do you prefer to pay for things with cash or plastic? I use the credit card for everything..we get rewards points for our Marriott and Disney cards! 🙂
3. What is one word that you use too often? It is a phrase, “In the end”..
4. Who is the last person outside of your family who said “I love you” to you? My friend Paul…a “survivor”!
5. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone and mailed it?About 25 years ago.
6. Have you ever been called upon for jury duty? Yes.
7. How many keys are on your key ring? None! The Durango has a start button and a key fob. I do have 150 of those plastic things for every store imaginable!
8. List two characteristics that you want to change about yourself. I wish I could relax a little more…..
9. Do you bring your own shampoo and conditioner when you travel, or do you use what the hotel provides? Yes, but they are in Disney bottles!!
10. What is your birthstone? Do you like it? Peridot, some sort of green stone. It is what it is. I’d prefer either Ruby or Amethyst.
Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions. Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments! Happy Monday, friends……
Break a leg…or two!
Last week, I went to get a full body scan and it showed that my body, to quote my friend Colette, “Is that of a cadaver”! Monday was the official reading of the report.
My doctor, Dr. Baylis, has been treating me for 15 years. He has performed six different surgeries on me, so, he no longer has to sugar-coat things. When he walked in, I could tell by the look on his face, what was to come next. Aside from that, I peeked at the written report on the computer, so I knew what was coming as well.
He informed me that I had a stress fracture on my left tibia and a severe stress fracture on my right tibia. Had I continued training and ran another race, I more than likely would have shattered my right tibia. This is of course, is very bad news, but, could have been worse. A shattered tibia would take roughly, at my age, two years to fully recover from.
The bad news about this type of fracture is that it takes longer to heal than a clean break. Right now, I have been ordered not to do anything aerobic for three months! Normally, this type of injury would require crutches, however, due to the fracture in the left leg, using crutches would put pressure on the left leg, so, it is a walking boot, rest, ice and nothing else for three months.
The more serious problem is what caused this. I suspect it has something to do with my running style and shoes. I have been doing a lot of reading and the shoes, even for a mild pronator, may be putting too much stress on my lower legs. The weight is also an issue and although I have lost 30 pounds, I still have another 30 pounds to go. I will be doing a bunch of research before I begin to train again in August. I will also seek out some more running professionals and may even resort to custom shoes. In the meantime, I’ll be returning to the gym for cardiovascular upper body and core exercises as well as continuing my diet.
I am still going to run the Disney Wine and Dine this November and if all goes well with that race, since I am already registered for it, my first marathon, The A1A Marathon in February 2014. The goal is still Boston in 2015 and if I can recover from this injury and then prevent it in the future, everything else should fall into place.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the blog followers, comments, e mails and encouragement I have received from the “internet family” and friends. Your words are inspiring.
Another week goes by……………………
This week was filled with that four-letter word..W-O-R-K!
The good news, plenty of do-rae-me! The bad news, the first week of the Mr. Mom era was quite demanding! Getting Marshall ready for school, taking him to school, doing an inspection, or in some instances two, doing the reports, and then, picking him up from school and making dinner, my boobs are sagging! Actually, it isn’t that bad, but it is a change! With the wife commuting to Stuart everyday, that leaves me to do everything else, but it is well worth it to see her happy! 🙂
In family news, the swim lessons have paid off as young Marshall actually can swim now! As a reward, he got a new pair of flippers, a mask and snorkel! Pretty soon, he will join Team Mako for a dive for lobster!
Monday is the day I get the bone scan. I hope there is nothing broken as from what I have read, a stress fracture would severely hamper my work as well as my running training. There is no use worrying about it, but, the 13th of may, I’ll know for sure. In the meantime, I have managed to drop a few more pounds and am currently at 221 pounds! When I do start training again, which hopefully will be the 14th of May, I should be much lighter!
A bit of old news…I am still thoroughly disgusted with myself for my performance at the Race Around the Lake. Had I paid attention, I would have drunk much more water and avoided the massive cramps which severely hampered the effort. I am sure I could have gotten to the goal of a 2:36 time and possibly faster. For the fist seven miles of that race, I was “loafing” along saving it for the last half and had a PR!! I am sure I could have gone much faster than the first half. It really irritates me!
In any event, I am eagerly awaiting the results of the bone scan. I am really going to crank up the training as our next race isn’t until the Disney Wine and Dine. That race, unless you are in the A corral is notoriously a slow race. Most of the people I have talked to say it is one of their slower races. I hope to change that. The results of the bone scan will determine if I am going to run my first marathon in January at Disney, or wait until February at the A1A, which I am already registered for.
Tomorrow will be a rest day…at the beach if the weather holds out. Next week will be back at the gym, now that I know what time the wife has to leave the house, and there will be more weight loss…hopefully!
Everyone, Have a great rest of the weekend!!
Onward………………..
Now that another race is in the books, it is time for some evaluation.
The last race and for that matter, each race I have participated in, I have learned something about myself. This time out, it was that I can work my way through anything. Some other lessons learned were that I feel much better on a low carbohydrate diet. I don’t know why, but I just do. The other notable item from the previous race was the lack of pain in my hips. That was a big worry that has gone away. That also clears the way for marathon training. Later today, I will be signing up for the Disney Marathon in January 2014. But first, a visit to the doctor is in order to check out my entire right leg. Three days after the race and there is still pain present. It is eerily reminiscent of when I broke my elbow. The stabbing pain coming from what appears to be a bone. Thursday I will find out for sure.
In the meantime, yesterdays food diary:
April 22, 2013
| FOODS | Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Cholest | Sodium | Sugars | Fiber |
| Breakfast | ||||||||
| Jones All Natural Golden Brown – Breakfast Sausage Link-Fully Cooked, 4 Links | 333 | 1g | 32g | 9g | 60mg | 507mg | 0g | 0g |
| Lunch | ||||||||
| Kraft – Monteray Jack Cheese, 3 oz | 330 | 3g | 27g | 21g | 90mg | 570mg | 0g | 0g |
| Dinner | ||||||||
| Steak – New York Strip, 10 oz | 550 | 0g | 11g | 29g | 54mg | 66mg | 0g | 0g |
| Snacks | ||||||||
| Generic – Jones All Natural Fully Cooked Sausage Links, 2 link | 170 | 0g | 16g | 5g | 30mg | 254mg | 0g | 0g |
| Claussen Pickles – Kosher Dill Halves, 1/2 pickle half | 5 | 1g | 0g | 0g | 0mg | 270mg | 0g | 0g |
| Liquids | ||||||||
| Diet Sierra Mist – Diet Soda, 24 oz | 0 | 0g | 0g | 0g | 0mg | 70mg | 0g | 0g |
| Lipton – Decaffeinated Tea Bags, 3 Tea Bag | 0 | 0g | 0g | 0g | 0mg | 0mg | 0g | 0g |
| Supplements | ||||||||
| Bsn – N.O. Xplode, 1 scoop | 25 | 6g | 0g | 0g | 0mg | 235mg | 0g | 0g |
| TOTAL: | 1,413 | 11g | 86g | 64g | 234mg | 1,972mg | 0g | 0g |
Low carbohydrate and low-calorie!
Checking the ketone strips, I am back to dark purple on the scale, so, the weight loss should continue. If I do indeed have a broken leg or damaged knee and I have to take time off from running, at least I will be losing weight!
The rest of today will be resting. Wednesday and Friday I have inspections to do and Thursday is Doctor day! Thursday is also the first day of the wife’s new job which means, I will start taking Marshall to school and picking him up every day. I am about to become “Mr. Mom”!
I will continue to post the diet diary and Thursday will be the next big post. I hope the doctor brings good news!!
Race around the lake recap Part 1
Here is the recap for the weekends racing event. It is being broken down into two separate posts. This entry will be the race, stats, preparation, etc. Part two will be a review of the event itself.
Friday: The wife and I left for Clermont around 1:30. At 5:00, we arrived at the designated place for our race package pickup. We went in, the wife and Marshall went to the bathroom and I got our race packets. In all, it took four minutes!!! I also got some inside information from one of the volunteers to park on 5th street. This would be the last thing to go right at this event. Turns out, by driving down fifth street, you ended up at the start/finish line parking spot!
We then drove over to Tealas fathers house, which was only two miles away and set out to dinner. The usual dining spot for the pre-race meal is Carrabbas. We went in and got seated right away.
This week, I have been limiting my carbohydrate intake to less than 30. I managed to lose 12 pounds by race-day and also, seemed to feel lighter. There wasn’t the “full” feeling after meals and, as always seems to happen, I felt great all week, with the exception of Tuesday. During Tuesdays run, I heard a “snap” from somewhere in my right knee. After the run, my lower right leg was sore and I could hardly walk. During the week, I iced down the leg, took several baths and used the 18-inch foam roller as much as possible. By Friday, I was about 90% healthy so I was going to race! Back to dinner……………………………….
I had read recently that someone competing in a 100 mile iron-man race, did so on a low carbohydrate diet. I figured this race would be a good time to test this diet out.
Here is Friday nights dinner:
April 19, 2013
| FOODS | Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Cholest | Sodium | Sugars | Fiber |
| Breakfast | ||||||||
| Jones All Natural Golden Brown – Breakfast Sausage Link-Fully Cooked, 4 Links | 333 | 1g | 32g | 9g | 60mg | 507mg | 0g | 0g |
| Lunch | ||||||||
| Eric’s burgers – hamburger , 1 patty | 200 | 0g | 11g | 22g | 75mg | 75mg | 0g | 0g |
| Dinner | ||||||||
| Carrabbas – Mussels “Cozze Bianco”, 464 g | 570 | 12g | 20g | 48g | 10mg | 350mg | 2g | 0g |
| Carrabbas – The Johnny (From Website), 1 Serving | 700 | 6g | 47g | 60g | 188mg | 989mg | 1g | 1g |
| Carrabbas – Shrimp Scampi Appetizer, 1 serving | 1,200 | 1g | 22g | 26g | 247mg | 392mg | 0g | 0g |
| Carrabbas – Chargrilled Ribeye Steak 10 0z., 10 oz. (208g) | 539 | 4g | 36g | 50g | 162mg | 179mg | 0g | 0g |
| Liquids | ||||||||
| Fb Red Wine – Fb Merlot, 2 container (8 oz ea.) | 400 | 13g | 0g | 0g | 0mg | 19mg | 3g | 0g |
| Supplements | ||||||||
| Bsn – N.O. Xplode, 1 scoop | 25 | 6g | 0g | 0g | 0mg | 235mg | 0g | 0g |
| TOTAL: | 3,967 | 43g | 168g | 215g | 742mg | 2,746mg | 6g | 1g |
As you can see, the carbohydrates were limited at this meal and the calories were nearly 4,000. The waitresses were all looking at me as I finished the rib-eye steak. I had already eaten the mussels, shrimp, and “The Johnny”, and when I asked for the rib-eye, our waitress asked, “Is that to go?” Believe it or not, I wasn’t “full feeling” but I was not hungry!
Race-day Saturday April 20, 2013:
3:30 am: Woke up and had my serving of Noxplode and a Zero Carb protein shake.
4:00 am– Eliminations (drinking game participants imbibe)
4:30 am: Attach race bib to shirt and also get all of the water bottles filled and make all preparations for the race.
5:00 am: Load up the Durango and head to the race..unfortunately, someone wasn’t ready…………………………
5:45 am: Head to the race.
6:00 am: Arrive at the race
6:30 am: Take all needed medications (Advil, Vicodin, Nitrix)
7:00 am: Start race……..or so we thought!
7:25 am: Everyone at the race recited the “Pledge of Allegiance” and had a moment of silence for those who lost their lives and the injured, in Boston.
7:30 am: The start of the race………………………….
Mile 1: 12:26 This was the fastest I have ever started a race!!!
Mile 2: 11:55
Mile 3: 11:59 (5K time 36:20 a PR!!!!)
Mile 4: 12:04
Mile 5: 11:53 (total time: 1:00:17 another PR!!!!!)
Mile 6: 12:07 Still cruising and at this point, there was no pain..at all!
Mile 7: 12:59 At this point, things began to go horribly wrong!
Mile 8: 14:18
Mile 9: 16:12
Mile 10: 14:01
Mile 11: 13:05 And I never fully recovered…………………………………
Mile 12: 12:49
Mile 13: 13:19
Total Miles: 13.2 Total time: 2:51:53 Average pace: 13:20
Chip time: Total Time 2:50:59 Average Pace: 13:03
As you can see, almost near the end of mile seven, I developed a pain that I have never felt before. I had cramps in both legs from my buttocks all the way down to my ankles. The best way to describe it, was being hit by lightning and then, having 20 hands grab and squeeze your legs as hard as possible. At the Tower of Terror run last year, I had cramps in my calves. It went away and wasn’t that bad. In this race however, the pain was severe and it was instant, there was no warning. I was nearly paralyzed. I staggered over to a nearby fence, and tried to stretch, but this didn’t help. I continued walking and massaging my legs and finally, a water station was in view so I ran a little bit. When I got to the water station, I refilled my water bottles and also drank four cups of water.
I continued to walk and halfway into mile 10, began to run. There was still slight cramping, but it was a lot better. I drank all of the water in my fuel belt…60 ounces, by the time I reached mile 11. I refueled the bottles again and had a couple of cups of water while the girl was filling my bottles.
Mile 11-13 I ran and walked at a reduced setting on my run/walk interval app. 45 seconds running/60 seconds walking. By the time I finished, I felt fine. I crossed the finish line in a full sprint with two other girls that were running with me most of the race. We would pass each other during walk intervals, and sort of developed a little race banter as they were also wearing the Boston tag in the picture above, that I was.
Looking at the numbers from Endomondo, I have to conclude that this race was about a half a mile short. When I made the final turn, the Endomondo tracker voice announced 13.1 miles……..before I even finished!
I waited for the wife to finish and ran with her as she crossed the finish line.
We went back to the Durango, had a couple of beers and went back to her dads place for Marshalls second birthday party of the month.
Conclusions:
- Running the race on a low carbohydrate diet can be done and will be done in my future races.
- The cause of the cramping appears to be related to a lack of water consumption. I remember at the Tower of Terror race, everyone was complaining about the heat. It wasn’t the heat, it was the humidity, which if I remember was around 95%. For this race, it was 93%.
- Although I did have a major scare with regards to the cramping, I now know, I can run through it. It never happened in the training runs, but I did adapt to it during the race.
- After consuming the nearly 4,000 calorie meal, I was full of energy all day before, during, and after the race. We didn’t go to bed until around 9:30 pm.
Injuries: The injury to my right leg, which I thought had healed, clearly hasn’t. In fact, I could barely walk on the way up the stairs going to bed Saturday night. Today was no fun either. I will be calling the doctor tomorrow and try to get in to see exactly what is causing this pain.
My left knee, and in fact every other part of my body feels fine. I could probably go out and run right now.
Even better news, is that the hip pain that usually shows up around mile 11, was nowhere to be found! Today there is still no pain in my hips!! This was the one thing that wold have prevented me from running in a full marathon as when my hips start to hurt, they actually “lock up” and I can barely move my legs.
Equipment:
The new Motorola 600 headphones worked perfectly. The Motoroal Atrix2 phone, also worked perfectly. The fuel belt now requires an adjustment as I have lost around an inch from my waist! The new Saucony shoes show little wear and the wear they do show is very even. This is great news and I appear to be running using a mid-foot strike, which in the long run, will be much better than the heel to toe style I was using before.
Although I am disappointed, for the first 7 miles, I was well on my way to a personal best and very close to a 2:30 pace. That will have to wait until the next race, The Disney Wine and Dine!!!!
Tomorrow will be part two of this post which be a review of the race.
As a small preview, when my wife finished, they had run out of medals…….and it goes downhill from there.
Eric Van De Vens Blog 