Race week..Wine and Dine 2014 is here!

It seems only a few short weeks ago, we moved into this house and now suddenly, it is 10 months later!

Time to pack up the tribe and head north to Disney for our third Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon. All of the packing is done, well, most of it, and thanks to our Mousekeplanner, Jennifer Upton, our upgraded room should be ready when we arrive early Thursday morning.

On the training front, last Saturday night was supposed to be a simulation run for the race. The temperature dropped into the 40s and I was painfully reminded, that surgically repaired bones do not perform well in the cold! Back in 2010, I was wandering aimlessly around Disney in one of the coldest times of the year. The result of that trip was surgery number 5 on the left knee! It was the beginning of the “floating debris” that has been accumulating in my knee. The end result is that the back half of my knee locks up……which is detrimental to running!

Saturday night, the same thing happened. I was able to work it loose, and continue to run, but, I decided to cut the run short at 4 miles. There was swelling in the knee, which has since subsided. I guess the voodoo doll is back from vacation!!

Prior to the 2013 A1A half marathon, the temperature dropped into the 30s, which for us native Floridians, is close to arctic conditions! The workaround was to put the cold/hot gel packs in hot water then apply them to my knees. That worked and there were no problems with either knee. Hopefully, as the temperatures are supposed to be in the high 50s, I shouldn’t have to use the gel packs, but I am bringing them!

The weight loss is coming along, but I will still be running at the heaviest weight, probably 235 pounds on race day, that I have ever run at. I’ll just have to make the best of it. I am going to run a conservative race and shoot for a 14 minute/mile pace. Anything faster than that will be a bonus.

My playlist is done and I have three hours and seventeen minutes of music. Hopefully, I won’t need it all!

All that is left is to make the trip north.

Thursday will be Wine and Dine day as we eat and drink our way around Epcot.

Friday will be race packet pick up, Animal Kingdom, and possibly Magic Kingdom. Park orders are subject to change…and most likely will! 🙂

Saturday is race day and starts with Marshalls race in the morning followed by a day of relaxation and then race prep and the race for Teala and I.

Sunday will be a day where depending on how we feel, either a visit to a theme park or, an early return home…hopefully uninjured!!!

Wish the team luck!!!

 

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!

 

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……

A busy week is behind me….

This week as well as last week have both been very busy as far as work goes. Add in the “Mr. Mom” duties, and it would appear as though someone has stolen about six hours out of every day!

Taking Marshall to and from school every day and then fitting in inspections, doing the reports and running a business, it is a little taxing. It also means I have little time left for training. The good news there, is until I get the results Monday, the official results, I can’t train anyway.

Time for a game! Name Eric’s injuries by looking at the body scan below!

We can start by saying, from what I have read, the white areas are “hot spots” which are areas of trauma.

Starting at the top, the right shoulder:  recent surgery. The neck, injuries that are a result of a car crash in 1998. The left shoulder. Not too bad, but there was an incident in 1985 at a Super Bowl party, where some of my close friends decided to “sack” me, for no apparent reason. The result was a separated shoulder! Moving on down the line, the left elbow, which doesn’t show up well in this scan, three surgeries as detailed in the “Ugly Elbow” post.

The big blob in the middle is water in my stomach! The hips, nothing to see there which is great news!

On to the left knee. Five surgeries as noted in The Pain at Wounded Knee post. The right knee has some slight arthritis. The left heel, which comes out better on the rear version of the scan, what appears to be an ever-growing bone spur! Here is the rear view:

And, finally, the reason for the scan in the first place, my shins.

The picture above is a front view. There is a small bit of white on the left shin. On the right shin, there is a large amount of white, and a concentration in the center of the shin. From what I have read, this is more than likely a stress fracture. The left one may be as well but is either small or an old injury that has healed.

Hopefully, it is minor and won’t take a long time to recover from.

After I visit the doctor,  I will know for sure.

In the meantime,the weekend will be spent relaxing by the pool. Next week looks to be a little slow, for now, work-wise  so, time to get some much-needed work done to the Mighty Mako as fishing season is here!

Everyone ..enjoy your weekend and Happy Mothers Day!

Back from the Doc…………………………………..

I have returned from the doctor and the news is mostly good! X-rays were taken of my entire right leg, knee and ankle, and…………………………..no fractures were detected. We are still going to do a bone scan for my right shin to make sure there are no stress fractures, so training is on hold for now. My doctor thinks that the new-found pain is a result of changing my running style. He advised me to slow down a bit until my body can get used to the new running style, which is a mid-strike landing as opposed to a heel to toe landing. I think, in the long-term, this will be a better running method as the heel to toe method wears out the heels of my shoes in about a month! Plus, that method hurts my hips and the mid-strike method does not. Since I got the clean bill of health, it is time to register for the Disney Marathon in January 2014!! This will be my first marathon!!!! 🙂

On to the diet. I stepped on the scale today and weighed 226 pounds! If all goes well, I will finally break on to the other side of the 220 pound range and then, lose even more weight. Speaking of food, yesterdays diary:

April 24, 2013

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Jones All Natural Golden Brown – Breakfast Sausage Link-Fully Cooked, 2 Links	167	1g	16g	5g	30mg	253mg	0g	0g
Lunch
Chicken – Breast, meat only, cooked, fried, 0.5 breast, bone and skin removed	161	0g	4g	29g	78mg	68mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Pork – Fresh, loin, center rib (roasts), bone-in, cooked, roasted, 1 piece, cooked, excluding refuse (yield from 1 lb raw meat with refuse)	571	0g	34g	61g	164mg	103mg	0g	0g
Snacks
Kraft – Colby and Monteray Jack Cheese, 3 oz	300	0g	27g	18g	75mg	660mg	0g	0g
Peter Pan – Crunchy Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp (32g)	100	3g	8g	4g	0mg	55mg	2g	2g
Liquids
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:	1,324	10g	89g	117g	347mg	1,374mg	2g	2g

I am trying to keep under 20 carbohydrates and in the 1,500 calorie intake range. The best part of the low carbohydrate diet is that I really do feel much better. I can breathe better and “feel” lighter.

Tomorrow is more work, Saturday is Marshall’s third and final birthday party, and Sunday will be spent relaxing in the pool! For Marshall’s party, we will be having smoked Boston Butt for pulled pork, smoked ribs, smoked/grilled chicken, cole slaw, baked beans and dessert. I’ll try to make a blog post with pictures!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

It’s Hump Day!!

Today is Wednesday…the supposed middle of the week! This feels like the longest week of the year. Possibly, because I am waiting to hear what hopefully will be good news from my doctor tomorrow. It certainly doesn’t feel like good news is coming my way, but I can still hope for the best.

The pain in my leg seems to be located in my ankle, knee, and the center of my leg bones. I don’t think I broke everything, but then again………………………

Yesterdays food diary:

April 23, 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
Boar’s Head – Black Forest Ham, 2 oz – 28.3 g	60	2g	1g	10g	30mg	440mg	2g	0g
Kraft – Sharp Cheddar Cheese Block, 1 oz	120	0g	10g	6g	30mg	180mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Cabbage – Raw, 0.25 cup, chopped	5	1g	0g	0g	0mg	4mg	1g	1g
Chicken Breast – Barbecue Chicken Breast (No Skin), 100 g	150	0g	4g	22g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Snacks
Kraft – Pepper Jack Natural Cheese Kraft 3 oz Pkg, 1 oz (1/3 pkg)	110	1g	9g	7g	30mg	190mg	0g	0g
Claussen Pickles – Kosher Dill Halves, 1/2 pickle half	5	1g	0g	0g	0mg	270mg	0g	0g
Liquids
Lipton – Decaffeinated Tea Bags, 3 Tea Bag	0	0g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	783	6g	56g	54g	150mg	1,591mg	3g	1g

Yesterday was a light day, and it was by accident. I’ll have to eat more today!!

Off to work…everyone have a great day!!

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!!

Pre-Race Day!

This time tomorrow, if all goes well, I should be finishing or finished with the Race Around the Lake!

I decided not to run on Thursday as my right leg was still bothering me. As of now, it is about 80%, so by tomorrow morning, I should be good for the race.

Got my bib number, 455, so now I am officially excited!

On the weight front, the Atkins diet is wonderful! As of this morning, I weighed 228 pounds which is a loss of 10 pounds in a week. I hope that it doesn’t affect my endurance. I am also going on a low carbohydrate approach. The dinner tonight will be a large steak and some sort of seafood.

The plan for breakfast is to get up around 3:00 am, have scrambled eggs and sausage along with a no carbohydrate shake. If all goes well I should be able to finish this event at 2:30. That is the goal which will be under a 12 minute pace. After looking at the map, I may get lost!

I will post the results Saturday if I can get an internet connection.

Stay tuned……………………………………….

Tuesday run….

After what happened Monday at the Boston Marathon, it is truly a very sad day for runners and the human race. The cowardly act to injure innocent bystanders, most, waiting for their spouses or friends to finish the most prestigious race in the word, is to me, beyond belief. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Here is a site: Runners United, where you can sign up to run 26.2 miles virtually. Last night, after working all day and prior to dinner, I got my first 3.1 miles in. Here are the results:

Mile 1: 10:48 <——————–WOW!

Mile 2: 12:33

Mile 3: 13:00

Total: 3.14 miles                                 Time:   38: 15                                       Average pace: 12:11

As you can see, mile one I was a little amped up! That could be my fastest pace to date. I decided as I have a race Saturday, I slowed down the pace for the last two miles. I also had to mess around with the phone as several apps stopped working! It looks like this may be the last race for the Atrix2! Speaking of electronics, my replacement headphones arrived today. These are much different from the other ones as these are just ear buds and then the wireless part is just a cable instead of a solid band. They sound better…let’s see how long they last. 🙂

Today is work and cleaning up some chores around the house. Tomorrow will be some maintenance work on the Durango and then a 3 or 5 mile run Thursday. Friday is an off day and then, off to the “lake” to get our race package and then dinner. Speaking of food, since switching to the Atkins diet Sunday, I have lost 7 1/2 pounds! Hopefully, I can lose 4 or 5 more and get to 225 pounds for this race. For whatever reason, I feel better on a low carbohydrate diet. I don’t know how that is going to work out in a 13.1 mile race, but I was reading that there are several taking this approach as some of us have plenty of fat stores!! 🙂

Thursdays run will be posted and then updates from the race.

Everyone, enjoy the rest of the week!

A quick post….

I forgot to do the food diary!!

Work has been very busy, but I did manage to get in a run on Tuesday.

Here are the numbers:

Mile 1: 12:08

Mile 2: 12:43

Mile 3: 12:27

Mile 3.5: 7:17

Total:   3.56 Miles                           Time:  44:37                                   Pace: 12:32

The run would have been a lot faster except that the phone acted up and then, my new set of Motorola headphones stopped working!!! The Motorola people are sending me an upgraded set  Moto SF600 Wireless headphones  We will see how these perform.

It is also nearing the time to purchase a new phone. I am waiting for the next price drop on the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the introduction of the Motorola “X” phone. I may also just get the Motoactv sports watch, which is supposed to be able to run android apps with the latest software update.

More work today and tomorrow, but I do plan on running five miles this afternoon and 10 on Saturday.

Everyone have a great day!!