Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon 2014 (race day)

It would appear, that Thursday night dinner would be the high-point for this weekend!

Marshall was a bit Grumpy when he woke up this morning and wanted to “postpone the run until he was better rested”!

We loaded up and drove to Wide World of Sports for the Kids races.

The required picture under the ball at Wide World of Sports!

Marshall ready to run…..He is getting some last minute advise from his coach!

A few trips through the obstacle course, and Marshall was warmed up!

Marshall finishing. If he didn’t trip at the start, he might have finished first in his wave!

Marshall and EJ at the finish.

Now it was time to take Marshall to his grandparents. We got back to the room and ate and tried to rest.

As I was on a gluten-free and mostly low carbohydrate diet, I made six cheeseburgers before we left. They came in handy for race fuel!

We got ready and headed to the bus in front of the hotel at 7:00. We arrived at around 7:45.

We mingled with some friends and got a picture taken:

The air was crisp, temperature around 65 degrees, and a slight wind…..when we arrived at Wide World of Sports!

That changed.

Right around 9:45, it started to rain. Just a slight drizzle. It never stopped!!!!

On to the race……

I was using the backup phone wrapped in a sandwich bag. The apps running were: Endomondo, Run/Walk interval, and Winamp for music.

The Motorola wireless headphones were also used.

Mommy ready to race!

Yours Truly

And we are off………………………………

The Start

Right off the bat, I knew this would be a slow race. Between the large amount of participants, especially in the corral I was in, I knew I would be lucky to finish this race.

Mile                            Pace

Mile 1:                     14:55

Mile 2:                     13:33

Mile 3:                     13:26      Fastest lap! But, problems developed!!! 😦

Mile 4:                     13:56

Mile 5:                     14:02

Mile 6:                     14:13

Mile 7:                     15:01

Mile 8:                     14:41

Mile 9:                     15:05

Mile 10:                  15:31  More problems!!!!!!

Mile 11:                   15:55

Mile 12:                   16:11

Mile 13:                    16:51

Endomondo:      3:13;20     Pace: 15:04

Chip time:            3:21:37     Pace: 15:23

Considering the conditions, and the fact that I weighed 245 pounds at race start, I guess I can live with the results.

Problem one developed right after mile three. The insert inside my shoes, started to move and eventually, was crinkled up under my foot. I tightened up the laces on my right shoe, and that seemed to solve the problem, for that foot! The left shoe, however, was still having problems all the way to the end of the race. I tightened the laces three more times and it got better, but about every mile and a half, I had to stop, take off my shoe, straighten out the insert and re-install it. This cut into my time.

Problem two developed around mile 11. I get a warning that my battery is low in my headphones. Shortly thereafter, no headphones!! I managed to finish by counting on my fingers to forty for the run intervals and 50 for the walk intervals. At some point, it was quiet enough where I could hear the commands from the phone speaker. So could everyone else!

Problem three: While tying my shoes around mile eleven, I got a cramp in my left calf! Great!! The previous races “up north” I have cramped badly. This race I took special care to prevent that from happening. I was taking potassium, drinking a bunch of water and Gatorade, and doing everything to prevent cramping. The good news, was that when I got up to run, the cramps went away. The bad news, I had to adjust the insert three more times! Each time, I feared the cramps would return, but they didn’t. 🙂

After I crossed the finish line, I grabbed my bag and headed to the after-party. I met my wife and we decided that since I was shaking uncontrollably, we should go back to the warmth of our room! Once back to the room, I took a hot shower and then crawled under the covers!!

The aftermath………………………

As with all of these races, it is a battle between your mind and body. Your body keeps trying to find ways for you to go and lay down. Your mind says no. This year, the mind won as going into this race, I didn’t know if I would finish. After the race, I am pain-free. Nothing hurts and I could go out for a run today. I have never felt this good after a race. No pain in the shins, no pain in the knee or feet. I am actually quite surprised as after the race, due to the awkward running style caused by the failed insert, my left knee hurt. Sunday it felt fine and today, you couldn’t even tell I just ran one of the toughest half marathons in my life!

What’s ahead?

Depending on what happens regarding the wife, she fell at mile three, hurt her knee, and continued to mile 7, before finally surrendering to the pain, the next run will either be a local 5K and/or the A1A half marathon in February.

I wish to thank all of those who cheered us on at the event, and those that have wished us well on the blog, and Facebook pages.

Stay tuned……training resumes Tuesday! 🙂

 

 

 

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!!

The week in review…..

That’s right…a whole week!

Normally, there would be a food diary. Unfortunately, I was so busy I didn’t keep one and, even worse, no workouts this week!

Monday, I was supposed to do an inspection at 10:00 am. I get a call from the client at 9:00…cancelling the appointment. No problem, as we had to get a bunch of stuff ready for an upcoming consignment sale, I spent the day cleaning stuff up and getting everything ready, so when the wife came home, she could tag everything.

Tuesday. I had an eleven month inspection on a home that was next to the new home I inspected last month, which is probably headed for a lawsuit.  This inspection took around six hours and, I hurt my shoulder trying to get into the attic, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, the Clients pest control guy is trying to kill the family! He had placed a bunch of little packets around the home that contain boric acid. After telling the homeowner that they were safe, I showed the homeowner the package where it specifically states, “Keep out of the reach of children and pets! If ingested, contact poison control immediately!”

Not only did he put these packets everywhere, he also decided it would be a great idea to place a bunch of Boric Dust in the air handler closet…..where it can be drawn into the system and spread through the entire home! Back in the days when I did pest control, this product was only permitted to be used in sealed areas. The attic and wall voids mostly.

Wednesday. Time for my yearly physical exam. As usual, I am in perfect health. I still have to get a bunch of blood work done, but everything looks good. With the exception of my calves. Since my fast run last week, both calves have been hurting and are not getting better.  We will see what the rest of the week brings.

After my exam, time to drop of the 150-plus items at the consignment sale. Finished that task in 45 minutes!!!! Now, it was time for physical therapy, where it was discovered that my shoulder has been re-injured. My therapist worked on it for almost 40 minutes trying to get it to loosen up. Finally I was able to use it and do my exercises.

Some unfortunate news. When we got home, I looked at the answer machine and the message indicator was blinking. I played the message and it was our neighbors daughter informing us, that our neighbor, Don, who was diagnosed with cancer, had passed away. Rest in Peace Don.

Thursday. An inspection on a home that was vacant for two years! Oh Joy!!! I was still recovering from the Boric Acid poisoning and now, mold!!!!

This inspection only took two hours, because it is easy to do the inspection when everything is wrong!

I get home and do the inspection report. I feel like crap as the combination of mold and boric acid is wearing on me!

Friday. This was supposed to be an off day. Not the case. The phone started ringing at 8:00 am and continued the entire day. E mails about wind mitigation reports, open permits, you name it, it happened! I also decided to try a new supplement, Actigin, which we got at some trade show. It appears as though this product doesn’t play well with other supplements or, I am allergic to it!

I developed a violent rash all over my entire body. I was hot and my skin turned red. I also experienced a “heavy” heartbeat.  I didn’t know it at the time what the cause was. I am still feeling the effects of this as I type this entry, Saturday morning. Friday night, we went out to dinner with Marshalls Aunt Rose Marie and Uncle Ted. We went to a place called J Alexanders. I seem to remember this place being pretty good. Since we weren’t going to Carrabbas for the pre-long-run meal, this would have to do. I ordered the Prime Rib and smashed potatoes. Along with, a Ceaser salad. After dinner we went home and time for bed, at 10:00.

At 12:30, I woke up withe severe cramps, gas, and, for those playing the drinking game, several trips to the bathroom. This went on until approximately, 3:30 am. Did I mention I was going to wake up at 4:30 am for the 17-mile run today? Of course, as I returned from the bathroom adventure, not one, but both cats decided to play their usual games. Sophia, with her big head and loud purr, was right in my face demanding that she be petted. Then, Samantha took over with the usual treading on my bladder for 15 minutes, prior to her falling asleep on my chest.

Sophia

Samantha

Finally, I fell asleep…only to be awakened by the alarm going off…followed by the wife storming off into the middle bedroom to shut off said alarm!

I knew that no run was happening today, between a lack of sleep, all of my fuel being “washed out”, the effects of Boric acid poisoning and the supplement, along with my aching calves, the run today has been postponed until next Saturday.

Tomorrow will be the last day of the RenFest, and then, a full week is in-store for next week already. I will try to post everything.

In future events, we have signed up for the half marathon “Race Around the Lake” in Clermont, the 20th of April, so, another race to train for! The goal for this race is to finish in under 2:30. The next race is the Disney Wine and Dine in November. We are already registered and thanks to our friend, Jennifer Upton, Mousekeplanner Extraordinaire, our rooms are locked in as well! If any of the followers of this blog are attending the Wine and Dine race, or any other Disney event,give Jenn a shout! 🙂

Until next week..Have a great weekend!!

The Weekend Wrap up

The wrap up actually starts Friday.

Friday, I had two inspections to do. One home started out life as a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home and has morphed into an entity all of its own. The home had no master suite, but did have an illegal addition on the back of the home, which the clients think they are going to turn into the master suite. The most effective way to do this would be to knock down the addition and start over.

House number two started out as a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom home, which has a combination of an original home, three additions, concrete block construction mixed with wood frame, fuses and two-prong receptacles mixed with a rusted out breaker panel…….and the list goes on and on! The Clients were going to choose between one of these two houses. If it were me, I would choose option C, none of the above!

The problem with homes like this, is that the things that are wrong are not easily documented. When doing an inspection report, I try to paint a picture of the home so that anyone reading one of my reports understands everything about the home. This takes a great deal of time to complete.

I finished the inspections and got back to the house at around 4:00. I received an e-mail from the city of Margate which had a review of a restaurant, LaPizzaria, which offers gluten-free pizza!!! The wife and I used to frequent this establishment early when we were dating and it was sort of a “hole-in-the-wall” strip mall pizza joint. Not any more!

When we arrived, we were greeted by a couple of the hosts and seated immediately. The whole place, as we found out after talking to the owner, was bought and redone a few years ago. The interior of the restaurant has been upgraded to faux finish walls, wrought iron gates and framed art work throughout. The tables, and why can’t any restaurant fix this, were nice but wobbled! The chairs were standard chairs with padding.

On to the dinner. I ordered the 12 inch pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions with the anti pasta salad. The wife got the calzone. The pizza arrived in about 20 minutes:

They did not have any gluten-free beer to go with the pizza, but did allow me to bring my own!

Gluten free pizza usually consists of a cardboard crust and minimal toppings and sauce. This pizza, as you can see, looks almost like a regular pizza. LaPizzaria always had good food, but when I found out about my gluten issues, it was one of many places I couldn’t go to eat. Now, it will definitely be put back in the rotation!

The crust was crunchy, but not too crunchy and had almost a pastry flavor to it. The toppings were fresh and this was the first decent pizza I have had in years!!!

Saturday morning, the family went to the heart walk and completed the 2-mile, it was supposed to be a 5K, course. Teala got to run the 2 miles while Marshall and I ran/walked it.

Marshall is in training for his first race, at the 2013 Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon, he will be competing in the 200 meter dash!

After the run, time to get to work on the inspection reports…which took all day!!!! In fact, I didn’t finish until around 11:00 pm!

Sunday, was a day to relax and since we lost an hour of sleep, it was much-needed.

Today I have to work and then I will go to the gym. I didn’t keep a food diary this weekend, but will resume that today.

Speaking of food, those that are playing the drinking game should have already had a “few”, so here is one more for you.

In preparation for this Saturdays 17 mile run, I have decided I need more fuel than what Carrabbas can supply. To that end, I will get up at 3:00 am and make the following:

That would be three Vans gluten-free waffles, one banana cut up, liberal doses of peanut butter, and syrup! Delicious! I’ll have to see how many calories this is and combined with a Boost, should be enough to get me through the run. I just hope I can “contain” everything during the run!

Tuesday is a work day, Wednesday I have my annual physical and a return to therapy for my last two sessions, then, Thursday  I will do a slow 3-mile run in preparation for Saturday. Friday will be an off day with the exception of therapy.

A busy week ahead…………………

I am sore..it must be Monday!

Last nights food diary:

March 3, 2013

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Planters – Cocktail Peanuts, Salted, 28 g	170	5g	14g	7g	0mg	100mg	1g	2g
Lunch
All Recipes – Stuffed Green Peppers, 0.5 Pepper	338	30g	16g	19g	52mg	396mg	0g	2g
Dinner
All Recipes – Stuffed Green Peppers, 0.75 Pepper	506	45g	25g	28g	78mg	594mg	0g	4g
Snacks
Cheetos 100 Calorie Pack – Baked Crunchy, 1 package	100	14g	4g	2g	0mg	180mg	1g	0g
Liquids
Salazar – Tequila Sunrise, 2 standard glass	464	48g	0g	2g	0mg	240mg	0g	0g
Diet Sierra Mist – Diet Soda, 24 oz	0	0g	0g	0g	0mg	70mg	0g	0g
Supplements
Bsn – N.O. Xplode, 1 scoop	25	6g	0g	0g	0mg	235mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	1,603	148g	59g	58g	130mg	1,815mg	2g	8g

Just under 1,700 calories! Stuffed green peppers go a long way!!

The workout today:

March 4, 2013

EXERCISES	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Strength Training
Seated Biceps Curl	Right arm		5	15	10
Triceps Extension	Right arm		5	15	15
Seated Biceps Curl	Left arm		5	15	30
Triceps Extension	Left arm		5	15	25
Standard Bench Press			5	15	115
TOTALS:	0	0	25	75	195

The workout was highlighted by a trip to the “other” side of 100 pounds on the bench-press. All in all, still an easy workout, although, the weight numbers are beginning to creep up. Another two months and I should be back to the strength level I was at prior to the shoulder surgery.

Now, on to the aftermath of Saturdays 15-mile run. I was pretty sore after the run, most particularly, my left shins. I am pretty sure that it was caused by the excessive padding in my shoe. The run tomorrow may confirm that, although, tomorrow is a speed run of only three miles at a 4:1 pace. Walking around in my old Sacouny shoes, most of the pain has gone away. Of course, there is new pain in my calves from washing the boat last night with my son, Marshall. It seems that whenever he is involved, things take twice as long!!!

Two short runs during the week, a little work, and Elementary school open house. This week should be an easy week as we have the Heart Run this Saturday, which is only a 5K.

If you wish to donate, you can do so at this link: Heart Run Donations.

The wife and I do this or the Breast Cancer run/walk almost every year. Sometimes both! 🙂

Next post, after the run tomorrow, hopefully in the morning and with good news!

Sunday Sitdown

After the 15-mile run yesterday, I relaxed most of the day. Just like the A1A 1/2 marathon, I had slight discomfort after the run. Until, later in the evening! At which point, my left calf and shins began to hurt….badly! For a while, I thought I may have fractured something in my leg.

Some Advil and a drink or two, and today, my leg feels much better. As I was trying to figure out exactly what caused it, I believe I have found the answer..ME!

In my logical mind, since the padding I added under my arch stopped the pain in my arch on my left foot, I decided to add some padding under my heel as well as the outside of my left foot. Upon further review, what I actually may have done, was to lengthen my left leg enough to cause an imbalance as opposed to my right leg. This conclusion is drawn by looking at the bottom of my shoes, which only have 30 miles on them. The left shoe is worn out severely, especially at the heel.

I am going to go to a different running store this week and get analyzed to see exactly what shoe I should be using. It is also time for a follow-up visit with my foot doctor to monitor the Achilles tendon bone spur. Since I started wearing the plantar facissia brace at night, my heel hasn’t bothered me at all.

Monday..back in the gym……………..

Another 15 miles in the books……………………

Yesterdays food diary, note the calorie and carbohydrate intake!

March 1, 2013

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Lunch
Tinkyada – Organic Brown Rice Pasta Spirals – Gluten Free, 1 oz (56g) dry	100	22g	1g	2g	0mg	13mg	0g	1g
Kraft – Sharp Cheddar Cheese Block, 1 oz	120	0g	10g	6g	30mg	180mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Carrabba’s Italian Grill – Ceaser Salad, 1 salad	360	0g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Carrabba’s Italian Grill – Chicken Bryan, 1 serving	710	11g	38g	38g	0mg	1,067mg	7g	2g
Carrabbas – Mussels “Cozze Bianco”, 464 g	570	12g	20g	48g	10mg	350mg	2g	0g
Carrabba’s Italian Grill – Garlic Mashed Potatoes, 1 cup	459	45g	28g	6g	40mg	1,080mg	3g	5g
Liquids
Carrabbas – Blackberry Sangria, 2 cup	500	80g	0g	0g	0mg	100mg	0g	0g
Supplements
Bsn – N.O. Xplode, 1 scoop	25	6g	0g	0g	0mg	235mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	2,844	176g	97g	100g	80mg	3,025mg	12g	8g

The reason for the high calorie and carbohydrate intake, was for the run this morning.

And, here it is:

Mile one: 12:43

Mile two: 12:17

Mile three: 11:38                              36:38

Mile four: 12:47

Mile five: 12:09                                  1:01:34

Mile six: 12:19

Mile seven:12:04

Mile eight: 11:37

Mile nine:12:15

Mile ten:11:39                                       2:01:28

Mile eleven:13:31

Mile twelve: 13:15

Mile thirteen: 13:17                            2:41:31

Mile fourteen: 14:39

Mile fifteen: 15:08                                3:11:18

Totals

Miles: 15.15                                Time: 3:13:30                               Average pace: 12:46

 

EXERCISES	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Cardiovascular
Running (jogging), 5 mph (12 min mile)	3,187	194
TOTALS:	3,187	194	0	0	0

The goals were to finish each 5-mile block in one hour. The second block was close as I was trying to get the 10-mile time under 2 hours. This affected the remainder of the run.. especially the last mile!

The only pain was in my left leg which alternated from my knee to my ankle to my shin in random cycles. I hurt my left knee avoiding one of the miscreants that was wandering aimlessly and asked me, while I ran by, “if I had a cigarette”? To avoid him, I hopped over a curb and the inside of my left knee had a stabbing pain which became a dull pain for the remainder of the run. Thanks jackass!!!!!

I am now going to take a bath and then, relax for the remainder of the day as we have nothing planned. Hopefully, no new pains rear their ugly head as we would like to go to the RenFest tomorrow.

Everyone have a great weekend!!

3.5 more miles ….

Yesterdays food diary:

February 27, 2013

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Bsn – N.O. Xplode, 1 scoop	25	6g	0g	0g	0mg	235mg	0g	0g
Kraft – Sharp Cheddar Cheese Block, 4 oz	480	0g	40g	24g	120mg	720mg	0g	0g
Lunch
Nature’s Best Perfect Zero Carb Isopure Creamy Vanilla – Creamy Vanilla, 2 scoop	210	0g	1g	50g	5mg	320mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Eric’s burgers – hamburger , 1 patty	200	0g	11g	22g	75mg	75mg	0g	0g
Udi’s Gluten Free – Classic Hot Dog Buns, 1 bun (61g)	170	29g	5g	4g	0mg	330mg	4g	4g
Snacks
Egg – X-Large Hard Boiled – Egg X-Large, 3 egg	240	0g	14g	21g	600mg	225mg	0g	0g
Fruit – Pink Grapefruit , 1 grapefruit	52	13g	0g	1g	0mg	0mg	9g	2g
TOTAL:	1,377	48g	71g	122g	800mg	1,905mg	13g	6

I forgot to add some french fries I had with dinner, so the numbers are a little off, but not much.

On to the run today:

Mile one:   10:52

Mile two:   11:40

Mile three: 12:42 <——————I was out of fuel!

Total miles: 3.51  Time:  41:45 Average pace: 11:54  <——————Personal best!

This was a short run and I was trying to see how close I could get to the 3 miles in 30 minute pace. I was 5 and a half minutes shy of the goal, but, I waited too long to run. I should have run two hours earlier. In any event, the weight is down to 228 pounds and after modifying my left shoe pad, there was little pain in my left shin/calf.

On the equipment front, my Motorola headphones stopped working Saturday, but the good folks at Moto sent me a new set and they arrived yesterday. My phone, I fear, is beginning to succumb to all of this running as Winamp stopped working after five songs. I am looking at getting a different run tracking device. The wife’s Garmin will only track the runs, which Endomondo does as well as automatically sending the calories burned to MyFitnessPal. That is what I use for my food diary above and to keep track of my workouts. It really is a great little app!

I have been looking at the Motoactv Sports Tracker/Music player. Some of the early versions had less than stellar reviews, but I know the Moto support is excellent. I am going to wait until we get our new phones to decide if I am going to continue using the phone and associated apps or, switch to another tracking method.

Tomorrow is a workout in the morning. Speaking of which, today was the first day I felt that great feeling. The feeling of soreness in my chest and arms. I always feel better when I work out with weights and, also, have an abundance of energy after the workout! In the afternoon tomorrow, I have physical therapy and then, dinner at Carrabas for the pre-race dinner. Saturday is 15 miles and I see the weather fairy has arrived with temperatures expected to be in the 40s! Why does that sound familiar? A1A 1/2 Marathon!

If you are planning a trip to Disney, contact Jennifer Upton and she will take care of you. Jen knows Disney!! Here is her Facebook Page: Jennifer Upton Disney Specialist

Day two back at the gym…………………..

Before I get into todays workout, here is yesterdays food diary:

February 26, 2013

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Bsn – N.O. Xplode, 1 scoop	25	6g	0g	0g	0mg	235mg	0g	0g
Jones All Natural Golden Brown – Breakfast Sausage Link-Fully Cooked, 3 Links	250	1g	24g	7g	45mg	380mg	0g	0g
Lunch
Claussen Pickles – Kosher Dill Halves, 1 pickle half	10	2g	0g	0g	0mg	540mg	0g	0g
Hillshire Farm Deli Select – Honey Ham – Thin Sliced 142 g (5 oz). 57 g Per 6 Slices, 28.5 g	35	2g	1g	5g	15mg	375mg	2g	0g
Dinner
Birds Eye – Steamfresh Fresh Frozen Vegetables Asparagus, Gold & White Corn, Baby Carrots, 0.3335 cup	35	7g	0g	1g	0mg	8mg	2g	1g
Lettuce – Iceberg (includes crisphead types), raw, 1 cup shredded	10	2g	0g	1g	0mg	7mg	1g	1g
Arin’s Chicken – Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast , 4 ounces	120	0g	2g	26g	65mg	75mg	0g	0g
Snacks
Cheetos 100 Calorie Pack – Baked Crunchy, 1 package	100	14g	4g	2g	0mg	180mg	1g	0g
Kraft Natural Cheese – Extra Sharp Cheddar, 2 oz or 28g	240	0g	20g	12g	60mg	360mg	0g	0g
Albertsons – Grapefruit, Raw, Pink & Red, All Areas, 1 fruit	104	26g	0g	2g	0mg	0mg	16g	4g
Correct – Bannana 6″-6 7/8″, 1 medium ( 6″-6 7/8″)	90	23g	0g	0g	0mg	1mg	12g	3g
Yoplait – Greek 100 Calorie Fat Free Yogurt – Vanilla, 1 container	100	11g	0g	13g	5mg	55mg	7g	0g
TOTAL:	1,119	94g	51g	69g	190mg	2,216mg	41g	9

If you look at the numbers, somehow I am low on calories. I have also added fruit to my diet as well as some vegetables.

On to the workout today:

February 27, 2013

EXERCISES	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Strength Training
Bench (Chest) Press, Machine (right arm)			3	15	30
Seated Biceps Curl (right arm)			3	15	5
Triceps Extension (right arm)			3	15	10
Bench (Chest) Press, Machine			3	15	50
Seated Biceps Curl			3	15	35
Triceps Extension			3	15	20
Standard Bench Press			5	15	65
TOTALS:	0	0	23	105	215

Exercise Notes

Lower weights are with the right arm only.

I increased the weight slightly on all exercises and also increased the number of sets on the bench press to 5. It appears the shoulder surgery has really, really, weakened my right arm. During the triceps workout, my right arm was shaking to the point where I had to use the left arm to stabilize it. I got through the workout and didn’t hurt myself. That is the key goal here, to avoid any setbacks.

The only benefit  visually anyway, of the surgery, is that when they reattached the biceps tendon, it stretches it and, the end result is a very nicely formed biceps muscle! I’ll have to get the wife to get a picture of it. Although it is very weak, it looks good! 🙂

As I had to work yesterday, I decided to postpone the run. Also, because there is still some pain in my left shin and at times, my left ankle. I am going to change the run/walk settings to 3 minutes running and one minute walking for a three-mile run tomorrow. I want to see how close I can get to breaking the 30 minute barrier. Saturday will be a 15 mile run and by the looks of the weather report, a cold run!

Our next confirmed race is the Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon in November. It looks like there will be one race in between, the Run Around the Lake, in Clermont…a block away from Tealas Parents house! We will have to see how their schedule is before we commit to that race. We are also waiting to hear back as there doesn’t appear to be any medals! We run for the hardware!!!! We are also hoping that they have chip timing so this race will qualify for the Wine and Dine race. Although we both have improved our times at the A1A race, we would like to trim at least another 15 minutes off of our next race time. The goal for me is to run the next race in 2:30 and then, hopefully, the Wine and Dine at 2:15. If I can trim another 15 minutes off by January and run the Disney Marathon in around 4:00-4:15, I will be very happy!

There have been some that have questioned my sincerity as it pertains to the ultimate goal, competing in the 2015 Boston Marathon. I assure you, that is the goal and I have every intention of attaining it. I am quite confident that barring serious injury, I will be getting one of those cheesy Boston Marathon finisher medals, the A1A medal is quite a bit nicer, but, Boston to me, is the ultimate achievement!

Tomorrows post will have the food diary for today and the early morning run results.

Stay tuned…………………………….

A quick 5 miles!

As the A1A marathon draws closer, I am starting to get excited! For several reasons! One would be that it is another race and more hardware to add to my collection! Another would be, that after this race, the real training begins as it will be the beginning of marathon training! The Wine and Dine race will just be a training run…well sort of! More on that later.

On to todays run.

This run was supposed to take place yesterday, but, by the time I got all of the work related chores done, it was already noon, so the run got moved to today. The first issue is that there is pain in my left foot where the bone spur broke last year. To solve this issue, I pulled out the makeshift pad I used for the Tower of Terror race last year, installed it, and the pain went away, for the most part. With that out of the way, now down to the running.

The first mile was done in 11:49…way too fast!! I changed the run/walk settings to 1:30 running and 1:00 walking. Although this produced the desired result, a sub 12 minute mile, it also had adverse effects. Mile 2 was done in 13:35 which is where I want to be for the first three miles. It allows me to warm up as apparently, it takes at least three miles to warm up. By mile 2, my calves were aching. Remind me to crack my physical therapist for making me do a bunch of squats on Monday with my shoulder exercises. Mile 3 was done in 14:37 and a three-mile total was 40:01, which is a little slower than I liked, but, in a long race, starting out slow is better.

Miles 4 and 5 were done in 13:46 and 13:43 respectively for a 5 mile total of 1:07:30, which nets a 13:23 pace or so. Not really what I was looking for, but, at least all the pain stopped after mile four! The grand total was 5.28 miles in 1:10:43.

I am still on the Atkins diet which explains the slow times. I didn’t get out to run early enough and was out of fuel, but, still had some energy left to sprint to the finish. Also, the weight is down to 230 pounds and after Fridays run, I should be back in the 220s.

Now that all of the major party events are over with, it is time to get serious about the weight loss. I have two more runs this week and one next week, then race-day, a week from Sunday. We are also going to the Renfest for the next six weekends in a row, so that may put a slight ding in the weight loss! “Get me another drink wench”!!!

Speaking of the Renfest, I’ll be posting some pictures on the blog as well as some race pictures from the A1A race.

Stay tuned!!