I am : LOCKED IN
So, my little plan of upping my calories has worked! Let that be a lesson to all of you "dieters" out there. Eating less food will not get you where you want to go. Moderation is important, but you must also consider when you eat, what you eat, and what you do between the times that you are eating. I increased my calorie intake by about 200 calories a day...and lost a pound and a half! Ha! Anyway, my body is sore, but in that good kinda way. I ran 15 miles on Saturday, most of which was during the middle of an enormous thunderstorm. Luckily I didn't get chafed. Anyway, I finished in just over 2 hours, which put my milage pace at about 8:20 per mile. I need to be able to stay under 9 min/per mile in order to finish the marathon sub-4 hours. I CAN do it!
Miles Since 4/23/05: 329
I am : OBVIOUS
So, I increased my carb ratio and calorie intake, and waddya know? Better runs. This is important for me to know. I really need to start paying attention to how my body responds to my intakes. Not just weight/body fat, but mood/energy levels/motivation etc are also important to track. I also learned that I can't eat tuna right before I run...bad for the gastrointestinal!
I've rededicated myself to getting to low body fat percentages. I'd kinda been slacking off for awhile, but now I'm back to Xcel formatted food intake, which is what I used to make my initial gains.
Miles Since 4/23/05: 302
I am : MEASUREMENTS
So, I don't think I'm eating enough food. My body fat actually went up a little bit, so now I'm gonna eat a bit more, maintain my level of cardio and weights, and see what happens. Since my online database doesn't accept decimal places, I'm gonna have to enter my measurements right here, so bear with me.
Body Fat: 16.5%
Weight: 175.8 pounds
Weights: 3 times/week for one hour
Cardio: 4-5 times/week for 45 minutes minimum
Calories Per Day: 2460
Macronutrient Ratios (Carbs/Protein/Fat): 33/41/26
Like I said, I don't think I'm eating enough. I'm definitely not eating enough to support my running. This week, on the lower calories, I've been feeling fairly un-motivated to run. Definitely shouldn't feel that way. So...here we go! Miles Since 4/23/05: 296
I am : HUMBLE
Ok ok, I know you might be saying, how can a guy who is writing a fitness-look-at-me type blog consider himself humble? Well, for the following reason. Lately I've been concerned with maintaining a "positive" and "optimistic" attitude, that I think i've been bordering on cockiness. Like they say to athletes before games: Be Confident, Not Cocky. Therefore, I must remember that while certainly I have made some extraordinary gains over the last couple of months, I still have a
long way to go. I think remembering that I have goals that are attainable, but still in the future is important. My attitude will continue to border on the positive side of realism, but it will definitely contain that necessary practical element.
Why is all of this coming up?
I ran 18 miles last saturday, and it
killed me. It was so hard. I was completely dead at the end of the race. The other day Jake asked if I could run a marathon today, and I said "probably". Now, my answer is "no". I am not ready to run the marathon. But, I WILL BE! OH I WILL BE! I WILL BE SO READY TO RUN THAT MARATHON AND GET AN AWESOME TIME, I CAN'T WAIT ITS GONNA BE UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
Sorry about that. Had to get myself pumped up.
In the meantime, I'm trying to incorporate some non-running type cardio (swimming, cycling, ellipticals) just so my feet, calves, and joints don't get completely obliterated.
Miles Since 4/23/05: 291
I am : BECOMING
Little bit of a delay. Sorry 'bout that! I worked out again with the triathletes on tuesday...and I'm still not recovered! They sure kick my booty. The odd thing is that its not like I'm lagging behind. I'm definitely towards the front, its just what the coach is asking me to do, what what I'm making myself do (because I'm accountable) is really pushing my boundaries. And I need that. My new take (based on Daniel the Australian) is to run my long runs and a steady, slow, and consistent pace, and go super hard on my track work outs. I think that'll be easier on the body. I don't think I'm gonna run tonight, maybe just stretch for half an hour. Worked on a new stride techinique to increase speed, and it destroyed my groins!
Miles Since 4/23/05: 262
Oh yeah, shout out to James and my new blog regarding our basement renovation project:
www.basementblast.blogspot.com
I am : GRADUAL
So, I had my long-run-saturday. The group has moved the start time from 8am to 7am because of the heat. Getting up that early and running for two hours is quite the exercise in will-power! It went fairly well, though my legs were sore from the run I had done the night before. I should only to ellipticals before and after the long-runs. We'll see how that goes. My weight has remained constant this past week, though I've lost a percentage of body fat. I will continue this level of calories for one more week, and if no change?....then something new.
Miles Since 4/23/05: 251
