Moving Along

Its been a good week, though, somewhat undeserved. It started last weekend with a new PR, in terms of distance runs, with a 7-mile long run with my wife. Tuesday I managed a 5k distance late-evening training run just 6 seconds off my 5K race PR. But, in all reality, I’m twenty pounds lighter than I was when I earned that PR, so, were I to actually race a 5K at this point, I’m sure I could finally break the 30-minute barrier.

Because of an out-of-town jaunt to catch a Ken Stringfellow (of The Posies and R.E.M.) Wednesday evening, having to make it through Thursday on three hours of sleep, and an Audio Adrenaline concert last night,  I had three straight days without any running, stretching, or strength training. That, I fear, has put me a bit behind. Subsequently, I need to ramp it up this week in terms of strictly sticking to the schedule: Today’s 6-mile long run, 4-mile runs on Tuesday and Thursday, and strength/core training tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday. Then the 8-mile long run next weekend – another new distance PR, if I can get it done.

Despite the off-week of training I had some good numbers, though! As of this morning I am down to 214.2 pounds – since college, a new low weight for me, a nearly-37 year old man. In addition, my February blood sugar average was 89.6, tied exactly with my October ’12 average for my lowest month since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in early 2010.

Finally the Beards Hands & Feet Project fundraising effort, leading up to 4/27’s Country Music Half Marathon, has raised $900 so far to benefit orphans in Haiti through The Hands & Feet Project. I’m thankful to each of the donors! If you’d like to learn more about it, check out the Facebook page for my fundraising effort or the Official Hands & Feet Project website.

ONWARD AND UPWARD!

 

4 Miles And A Plan

My planned schedule, as of 6/3/12, to be able to participate in and complete the Athens Half Marathon in Athens, GA on 10/21/12.

With a couple of appointments at the running doc, a week and a half of doing prescribed core-strengthening exercises, and a pain-free four miles in today (my longest distance run so far in 2012), my optimism is gaining speed and I’m beginning shift my attention back to the bigger picture. With a sense of very cautious optimism I’ve been reading MARATHONING FOR MORTALS of and on for a month or so and I finally feel like I can now start carefully moving forward with a plan to build my mileage in advance of the AthHalf Half Marathon in Athens, GA in October.

The book, in combination with numerous other sources recommends 2-3 short runs during the week to be followed by a longer run on the weekend. In addition, to the short runs, cross-training should be sprinkled in with a rest day or two. So, with that information in mind, my typical schedule will look something like this (with inevitable minor adjustments as necessary from week to week):

• cross-training (e.g., low-weight/high rep strength training, elliptical machine cardio, core strengthening exercises as prescribed by Dr. Duffy at Greenapple Sports & Wellness)
• short run for 30-40 minutes
• rest/core strengthening exercises as prescribed by Dr. Duffy at Greenapple Sports & Wellness
• short run for 30-40 minutes
• cross-training (e.g., low-weight/high rep strength training, elliptical machine cardio, core strengthening exercises as prescribed by Dr. Duffy at Greenapple Sports & Wellness)
• long run (see schedule to the right)

The long run, in general, will never increase in distance by more than 10% from one week to the next and, during some weeks, will either level off or cut back a bit. According to a lot of what I’ve read, this will hopefully increase my chances of being able to build mileage without as much of a risk of overuse injuries on account of my body not being ready for the extra workload.

In terms of my general weekly update, after hitting my lowest weekly blood sugar average last week since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, my blood sugar average for this week inched back up a bit from 91.3-94.8. My weekly weight average, however, inched lower from 231.5 to 231.2. This morning’s reading was a beautiful sight and a great way to start of this week: 229.8! I’m finally back under 230 for the first time since putting 26 pounds back on during the winter. This time its staying off for good!

After running two 5K’s in 2012 (setting a PR in March with 30:39) I’ve decided to put them on the back-burner in the interest of maintaining my focus and sticking to my half-marathon plan. I still might try an 8K or a 10K once my mileage gets a little higher, but, 5K’s are not important at this point.

All in all, I’m excited. I’m feeling good and I remain extremely grateful to those who’ve played a role in encouraging me along the way. Most notably: Bob Marchinko, Kevin O’Neil, Gerry Ayers, Jared Shoemaker, Claire Watts, Kelley Vinson, Bryan Graff, Christa Graff, Sandy Gunger, David Miller, Gary Ferro, Dave Fish, Nick Miller, my wife Angela Rockwell, and, certainly, my late father James A. Rockwell who gladly handed over some extra cash (things were a bit tight at the time) for me to purchase my first new pair of quality running shoes (now worn out and retired) There are also a number of others – too many to mention – who’ve made encouraging comments along the way and I am grateful to each of them.

Thank God for running.

2012 Angels Among Us 5K & Family Fun Walk

That's me in the green. Note the left leg and the direction of my foot.

Today marked one year since my first 5K since high school. In that year I lost 14 pounds, gained 16 back and have lost 6 of those 16 for a second time. I’ve also run over 250 miles, lifted a good deal of weights, swam many laps, and read a good deal about running. It’s that last part that I wish I did more of in the beginning: the reading. I’ve learned a lot in the last year about running from stretching to diet, but, what I didn’t know may have doomed me. Turns out that if you pile on a ton of miles instead of gradually building your weekly mileage from one week to the next (ideally by no more than 10% per week), you’re putting yourself at a high risk of injuring yourself – exactly what I did. Because of this fact, I’ve been trying to run very conservative mileage, every other day, for the past month or two in an effort to allow my body (specifically my right hip and knees) a chance to, possibly, heal up and rebuild in a manner that will allow me to maintain a regular running routine. Part of the curtailed running load caused me to make the decision not to push myself for a race-pace time in today’s 5K, but, instead, to just take it east and have a good 5K distance jog and that is just what I did. The good news is that, even while maintaining (what I now consider to be) a comfortable and easy pace, I still beat my time in the 2011 Angels Among Us 5K by 20 seconds with a 2012 time of 33:31. This is notably slower than my 5K PR established last month (30:39), but, again, today was just a jog and I’m pretty pleased with it.

What I’m not so pleased with is a photo that I came across today that a friend who was behind me took in the midst of the run. My entire left leg is turned toward the outside! This can’t be good for my muscles and joints and just may shed some light on the hip pain and knee issues I’ve been experiencing! If you, the reader that I am so humbled to have actually reading this dribble, have any experience or advice with regards to running form, the actual effect this kind of posture has on my body, and how to fix it, I’M ALL EARS! To confirm the presence of this problem I had my wife go outside with me once we got home and watch me run. She confirmed. My running for is a mess. I think it’s finally time to see a sports doctor to get some help. I don’t think I’ll ever meet my marathon goal, or even a half, if I don’t get this stuff squared away soon.

 

Stopping For Gas

After over a week of great daily blood sugar level readings in the 80’s and 90’s I spiked this morning with a 117. It blew me away until I started thinking about what I’ve eaten in the past 48 hours: lots and lots of fibrous grains/beans – trying to clear the system! I’ve got to find the ideal mix of grain-avoidance diet/just enough fiber to maintain a balance that doesn’t have me running from one extreme to the other. The approach works great for keeping my blood sugar in check and, at times, promoting my weight loss, but, otherwise, ends up causing fits at times when the traffic backs up. Anyone with advice is welcome to comment below. I’m all ears.

I did a two-mile run today at the Greenway in town. This and the last one have been particularly more difficult than they all seemed to be just 1-2 weeks ago. According to my chest strap heart-rate monitor on my Garmin, my heart rate has been higher (confirming the fact that the runs feel more difficult), but, the pace hasn’t been. They were both moderate-to-slow runs in relation to my normal pace, but, both challenging. I’m perplexed.

The left hip, also, continues to be a problem.

All in all I’m starting to wonder whether or not I should even pursue a race pace for the Angels Among Us 5K on 4/28 that family, friends, and I will be taking part in to honor my late father who died from a brain tumor this past February. My long-term goal is to complete a marathon and being able to do so will likely require that I resolve what is happening with my hip. Everything that I’m reading is advising me to err toward the conservative approach which would be to simply jog the 3.14 miles at Duke. Running puts a great deal more pressure on the legs and everything within them and, they way my hip feels right now, more pressure may not be the best choice. We’ll see. Anyone else have experience with hip-joint pain?

A Great Day!

I’m pleased to report that the 5K at my school was an all-around good day. The turnout was pretty good and everyone seemed to have a good time. As far as the race goes, conditions were pretty good for a run. An overcast sky prevented the sun from beating down on us and temperatures were mild. My wife set a new PR and finished ahead of me, as usual. But, I set a new PR as well! My previous PR of 31:31 (set in May 2011 and then tied in October 2011) was improved upon by 51 seconds with a time of 30:39. I guess the next goal needs to be breaking through the 30:00 mark. I think that is certainly a realistic goal if I can continue shedding these pounds back off and get below the low of 225 that I was at last October.

Racing with my Garmin on hand (wrist) was a mixed bag. It certainly helped me to pace more effectively, but, because I failed to hit the button hard enough as I crossed the finish line I didn’t end up with an accurate time until I was able to see the official times posted online later in the day. Another technology glitch struck with my iPod which, for some reason, didn’t want to start my playlist at the beginning of the run and then, with about 1/4 mile to go cut out altogether.

The run itself was as painful as expected. I felt really stiff for the first mile only to have that complaint give way to the pain that was a massive hill about 1.5-2.0 miles in. I remember distinctively asking myself, in the last mile why in the world I was doing this to myself. I firmly believe that any runner, fast or slow (me being the latter), experiences a great deal of pain if he/she is giving their all and I definitely was.

The post-race euphoria of a new personal record and the pats on the back from friends, family, students, and colleagues at school eventually gave way to the reality of my meddlesome left knee and hip issues, though. They were feeling a bit tender during the run and after. Today the knee has been pretty sore. With about a month to go until the next 5K (the Angels Among Us 5K to benefit the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University) I’m going to take my time working back into running this week and spend some extra time reading a book I ordered on managing/preventing running injuries. A doctor’s appointment will be set up as well so that, hopefully, I can be a bit more proactive in the hopes of keeping the issues under control so that I can continue to do what I’ve grown to love so much: run.

Race Day…tomorrow.

The Millbridge Elementary 5K starting gun fires at 9:00 AM tomorrow. My nearly year-old PR of 31:31 will go down then.

Made some adjustments to my iPod playlist that will provide the soundtrack for my run. The final playlist:

“True Love Will Find You In The End” –  Josh Harmony

“Cochise” – Audioslave

“Do The Evolution” – Pearl Jam

“All the Best” – R.E.M.

“Ugly In the Morning” – Faith No More

“Don’t Drag Me Down” – Social Distortion

“Five Minute Cousin” – Blenderhead

“Ty Cobb (Live at Crosby Hall, Del Mar – 11/30/1996)” – Soundgarden

“Time For Livin'” – Beastie Boys

“Moanjam” – King’s X

 

This one was one of the new editions and it will carry me to the finish line:

 

Two More Days – Three More Nights

Two more days and three more nights to go until my first  5K of 2012. I mention the nights because sleepy time has been a significant issue for me in the last five or six weeks, going back to a week or two before my dad passed away from brain cancer. I seemed to hit a short string of half-way decent nights until the last few which have found me getting out of bed way too early simply because I couldn’t stay asleep. Now I’m looking ahead over the next couple of days and wondering if there is any chance of getting a good night’s rest before the 5K on Saturday.

I’m giddy and nervous about the race all at the same time. I want to get out there and feel the rush of taking part in it and pushing through the pain as I attempt to best my adult-fat-man PR of 31:31 that I set in June last year and tied again in October. The Millbridge Elementary School 5K is providing me with a goal that I’ve been able to look forward to and a 30+ minute-spanning-moment in which I will  attempt to achieve it.

Of course, the big picture through which this running thing was established a little over a year ago is the quest to, in my mid-thirties, get back down to a healthy weight which I haven’t really seen since college. On that front, I’m making progress in steps. After dropping 35 pounds from January (260) through October (225)last year, I added 15 back on this winter. Now, as of this morning, I’m back down to 236, my blood sugar is in control (95), and I’ve got running on the brain with goals in mind to take me through fall 2013 when I hope to be able to complete a marathon. We’ll see.

I’m learning that life isn’t always fair and that it’s certainly not predictable. That being said, I’m going to “keep putting one foot in front of the other,” as my dad would say, and see how far I can get. The next few steps involve doing what I can to get some sleep between now and Saturday morning. Then finish faster than 31:31.

Featured selection of the day from the iPod playlist that I’ll be racing to Saturday: “Don’t Drag Me Down” – Social Distortion

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Intake: A typical day – egg/spinach/cheese breakfast (though I did have two rare slices of whole wheat toast with sugar free jam) for breakfast. Pure Protein bar and coffee to get me through the morning. Mixed veggies and Morningstar veggie crumbles with cheese and yogurt for lunch. Pear for afternoon snack…followed later by a nut/fruit bar and a Diet Pepsi. Supper was a large fruit/veggie/cheese/chicken salad with water. Evening snack: fruit/nut/yogurt mix.

Countdown To My First 5K of 2012: 4 Days To Go

Blood sugar: 103

Weight: 235.8 lbs.

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Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach, 1/2 apple, 2 veggie-sausage links, Fiber One bar, skim milk, slice of cheese, onion

Snack: Pure Protein Bar, coffee

Lunch: marinated chicken breast, peas, broccoli

Snack: 32 oz. Powerade Zero, low-fat yogurt

Supper: large salad – chicken salad, spinach, apple, tomato, cucumber, red wine & vinaigrette dressing, skim milk

Snack: Fiber One bar, bowl of dried-fruit/nut mix, fruit

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Millbridge Elementary 5K race iPod mix track #2 – “King Nothing” – Metallica: I’m not a real Metallica fan, but, at one time, I did own this album and this song was one that I thought would fit perfectly with this mix.

Weak End

My achy left knee has been the main issue in keeping me from running since Tuesday. That is the worst of it, though. Everything else that I laid out in my lets-go-manifesto last Saturday has taken hold pretty well. I”m eating well and making an effort to get a bit more sleep. Consequently, my blood sugar has stayed relatively low this week and the weight has been steadily coming off in slivers from one day to the next.

The left knee issue has taken precedence in terms of discomfort over my moody left hip and I’m hoping that this morning’s trip to Run For Your Life (University location in Charlotte) will help. There my wife purchased a new pair of Mizuno running shoes and I purchased the updated editions of my current shoes, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS-12. Largely, I suppose, because I have size 9 feet supporting nearly 240 pounds, I require an extra wide width that is not typically carried by the store, so, my shoes won’t arrive until later in the week, but, hopefully, my legs will thank me once I do lace them up and get a few runs in with them.

This morning’s blood sugar level was the highest its been in a few days – 111. But, this is fairly understandable. While I have been successful in keep it relatively low this week overall, the number has incrementally stepped up each day that I didn’t run since Tuesday while I gave my knee and hip a break. Today, however, I got in a decent 35 minute strength training workout in at the Y. I hope to see the 111 drop a bit tomorrow. If not, it should drop Monday morning since I plan on getting an easy three miles in on a gentle surface tomorrow. We’ll see!

For breakfast I had 2 slices of whole wheat toast and some no-sugar-added blackberry jelly, along with my coffee. I had some Powerade Zero and a couple of slices of sandwich cheese as a snack before enjoying a large salad at McAllister’s Deli in Charlotte for lunch, with a large unsweet tea. I can’t remember for sure, but, I think I probably had some dried-fruit/nut mix and 1/4 of a large chocolate chip cookie (free with lunch for customers wearing green today). For supper we had spaghetti, turkey sausage, and a side of tossed salad. I found myself willing to forego a good deal of the noodle portion of my spaghetti/sausage entrée, but, I did have some and was satisfied. Snacks this evening consisted of low-fat yogurt, dried-fruit/nut mix, strawberries, melon, a little no-sugar-added ice cream and a cup of green tea.

Perhaps most significantly this evening, I finished off the playlist that I’ll use as a soundtrack on my iPod for my first 5K of the year, next weekend’s Millbridge Elementary 5K. I’ll probably post a few selections from it with my updates throughout the week. Up first, after the gun goes off and I hit ‘start’ on my Garmin: “Cochise” by Audioslave…

Wednesday-Thursday, 3/14-15/12

Weight: 237.8

Blood Sugar: 103

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Breakfast: Both days were decent. I think I had a large bowl of mixed fresh fruit combined with my dried-fruit/nut mix on one day and 2 eggs with spinach,  mozzarella, 3 veggie sausage links, blueberries on the other.

Snack: Wednesday was the typical Pure Protein bar along with coffee, but, today was the bar in addition to a small bag of Doritos (free hand-out on a school field trip and I was hungry!) and 1/2 can of Cheerwine cherry soda (another not-so-good-for-me-freebie).

Lunch: I honestly can’t remember yesterday’s, but, today I had two banana’s, a cup of frozen peaches, and a Fiber One bar. It was a weird lunch, but, again, I blame it on the field trip.

Snack: Yesterday? Pear and a handful of dried-fruit/nut mix; Today? 32 oz. Powerade Zero, coffee, handful dried-fruit/nut mix

Supper: Yesterday? 2 eggs with mozzarella, spinach, onions, turkey sausage, banana; Today? Chicken bruscetta, broccoli, tomato, 1 1/2 rolls, Diet Pepsi

Snack: bowl of mixed fresh fruit with low-fat yogurt and dried-fruit/nut mix

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Workouts: took both days off due to ornery left knee

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Reflection: The knee issue (and sometimes hip – also on the left) is making me nervous. The knee didn’t become bothersome until mid-summer last year. So, tonight, after doing some reading on the topic of omega 3 fatty acids and aching joints, I’m going to give fish oil pills a try: 3 a day. I think I tried them before and found that I was gaining weight, I suspected at the time, because of them. We’ll see what happens this time. I spent a few minutes doing some general stretching this evening, too. I also ordered a book on injury prevention and care from RUNNER’S WORLD. This weekend I may look into some new shoes, too. My Brooks Adrenaline GTS-11’s that I bought last spring only have about 210 miles on them, but, during the majority of that time I’ve weighed anywhere from 225-255 lbs and the wear on the treads and the cushioning is evident. From what I’ve read, shoe wear can sometimes contribute to injuries, so, it might be time to try something new. A trip to Run For Your Life in Charlotte is in order. The first 5K of the year is coming up on 3/24 at my elementary school. I’m confident that I’ll be able to give the goal of besting my PR of 31:31 a good try, but, how many more races, let alone longer ones, I’ll be able to do looks like a wait-and-see situation. I’ve got to figure this overweight 36-year-old body out if I’m ever going to complete a marathon.