Just a quick note to celebrate passing 100 miles for the month of October. I am sure this is a common achievement for most runners, but I was excited about it, especially given the number of days I had to take off due to illness and only two runs of 10 miles or more. I am sure as marathon training ramps into full gear in late December 100 miles will seem like a light month...
Run fat!
It's been a few weeks since I last posted. Here's a quick synopsis of what's been going down in the life of the Fat Runner.
Yes, I am still fat. Some things never change, but I am working on it.
The 2007 "3 for 30" marathon schedule has now been set in stone. Marathon One will be the Pine Line Trail Marathon in Medford, WI on April 28th. Number two will be Cellcom Green Bay on May 21st. The third and final race (for 2007 at least) will be Lasalle Bank Chicago in October. Oddly enough, since April is relativly early for a spring marathon, I have to begin my 18-week training schedule on Christmas Day. That should go over with the family like a pregnant pole-vaulter. "Sorry, kids..I'd love to spend Christmas morning with you, but Daddy needs to go run six miles. Toodles!"
My brother fancies himself a chef. While a goodly number of his creations are hit-or-miss, he can throw together a cheese steak sandwich and a batch of bread pudding like nobody's business. The whole meal was something else. Now, if we can just convince him to stick to recipies more often and not try to make something "his own" we'll all be sitting pretty.
Did forty minutes on the elliptical today. Monday's are going to be devoted to cross training from this day forth as that is what my marathon training schedule dictates. Might as well get into the swing of things now.
If you aren't watching Battlestar Galactica, your life clearly doesn't have meaning.
This past Saturday I wanted to get back into the groove of long slow runs. I really enjoy running distances of 10+ miles. It makes me feel like I have actually accomplished something. I haven't done a long weekend run since the birth of my twins. So, I decided that I would go out for a twelve miler in the bright Saturday morning sunshine.
This was a huge mistake on several levels.
Since my twins were born two months ago, I have been running around 20 miles a week. Conventional wisdom says that you shouldn't increase your mileage by more than 10% a week. For those of you with better math skills than I, that means I should have only added TWO (2) miles to last weeks tally. Instead I decided to add twelve. That's 10 more than 2 and a ridiculously boneheaded move on my part.
I started out fine. For the first four or so miles I was in the zone, listening to myPod, and enjoying the pastoral fall scenery that this time of year in NE Wisconsin has to offer (I saw cows!) Then the knee started to twinge. I had forgotten to put the strap on my knee and could tell right then and there that things wouldn't be pleasant when I got home.
I tend to think of weight loss in terms of tens. Very rarely will I have a specific weight goal in mind;rather I will have a ten pound range in which I would like to be. For example, I might currently be in the someting-80's. I want to get down into the something-60's.
Before you even ask, I am far too insecure to actually reveal my weight. My transition to womanhood is almost complete. All I need is some box wine and a "Chicken Soup for the..." book.
Suffice to say that when I stepped on the scale yesterday, I was delighted to see that I had moved into the next lower ten-pound range (by one pound, but still). I am two "ranges" away from my goal, but it was nice to see that some progress is being made. Weightloss isn't coming as easily as it did three years ago. Maybe I am getting older, maybe I am not trying as hard. But, either way, slowly but surely the weight is coming off. I'd like to be in the next range sometime next month. That would be something.
Today was hill repeats followed by weight training. Went fine...just fine.
This morning was a seminal moment in the lives of your friendly Fat Runner and his family. Today is Wife of Fat Runner's (WoFR) first day back at work since giving birth to Johnny and Shannon (Children of Fat Runner (CoFR)) eight weeks ago. Because she is now back at work, and I have been back at work for a while now, CoFR were dropped off at day care this morning for the first time. I hope we aren't horrible parents for putting our kids in day care. But, it's the way it needs to be. We live with what is and move on.
So, last night felt kind of like the last day of summer vacation. Up until last night, WoFR has been kind enough to handle night duties since I was working during the day (I have been handling all night duties (or "doodies" as the case may be...HA!...get it?) during the weekends. Since we were both needed to be up and at work this morning, we shared the tasks last evening. It was after the 11 p.m. feeding that things...took a turn.
There are a few genuinly honest and thoughtful folks out there writing personal blogs (Juls, I am looking at you). But in general, there is a disconnect between what blog writers want you to think about them and what they actually think about themselves. It's the same type of syndrome that attackes people when they must fill out personality profiles about themselves. Here is what a typical blogger tries to put forth:
Hi. My name is __________. My blog is awesome. It's better than anything you will ever read. Here you'll find all sorts of interesting things that are totally relateable to your daily life. My writing style is whimsical yet professional. My thoughts on why Abba rocks or how fast my kid can eat a grape are in keeping with universal and transcendental themes of Truth, Love, and Beauty. I will employ all the new and varied trends and tactics to keep you interested. I wll rmv vwls frm sntncs n rdr t mk thm lk cl. I will write all posts with a left-wing/centrist/right-wing bent that will appeal to you and you alone. I don't care if you like what I have to say as I will keep writing it anyway. I don't need anyone's approval as to how great my writing/family/recent trip to the Grand Canyon was. My thoughts and feelings are interesting and there is no reason others won't find this interesting.
Now...what do bloggers most REALLY think (and I am no exception)? Read on.
Well, now. Where were we?
Oh, yes. I was about to tell you why I am a complete and total idiot. Here is a small but distinguished list of fitness mistakes I have made this week.
Monday - I woke up at my my appointed time of 4:45. Rolled over and went back to sleep for fifteen minutes. CoFR started getting fussy, so I helped WoFR tend to them. Took a shower and went to work in order to leave the office as early as possible (Father of Fat Runner (FoFR) was in town). Stopped at McDonalds for two (2) McGriddles on the way to work. Caloric deficit for the day is completely out the window.
Tuesday - Woke up at 4:45. Had a sore throat and felt a little achy. Tended to CoFR for a little bit, packed my five meals for the day, and drove to work. Ran 6 miles in 35 degree weather with no jacket. Felt increasingly crappy for the rest of the day. Splurged on some Hall's drops from the company store. There was no soothing mentholyptus for me, however.
Wednesday - Woke up at 3:30 due to CoFR. Felt like hammered crap on a cracker. Whole body ached, runny nose, sneezing, etc. Went back to sleep until eight, went to work, but waited until almost 1 in the afternoon before investing in some DayQuil (a.k.a liquid crack). No workout today...just not up to it. Didn't pack any food for the day and drank Mountain Dew like it had a beer-flavored can.
Thursday - Felt a little better than Wednesday. Humped to the trail for a horrible six-miles, after which I felt like dying. Drank remainder of Liquid Crack and got a new bottle at lunch. Drinking half a bottle of DayQuil at a sitting is not recommended, boys and girls. Was up off and on until two in the morning with CoFR...that was fun. Which meant that on...
Friday - Slept late (if you think seven is late) due to CoFR sassiness. Felt okay except I pretty much had all bodily fluids running out of my nose since the previous evening. Undoutedly have given said sickness to WoFR and CoFR. Brought running gear to work and "ran" three miles at lunch. It. Was. The. Worst. Run. Of. My. Adult. Life. I'm pretty sure that I did die...albeit in a Sylvia Plath spiritual kind of way.
So what's the lesson here? Take a goddam rest day if you are sick and do your best to not drip snot on your children. They don't seem to like it.
Okay.
So this past weekend was a big one in the life of the Fat Runner. More specifically, I should say it was a big weekend in the lives of the children of Fat Runner (CoFR), my twins Johnny and Shannon. We took them to our local church and had then set right with God. They were baptised into the Catholic Church and we are all happy about it. A huge event such as this is almost certainly going to attract family from all over this nation. We had relatives and friends from Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and everywhere in between. And they brought food...a lot of food.
Ordinarily I take an all-or-nothing approach to food and weightloss. I can't have the candy or else it will lead to three Big Macs. I know it will. But every now and then you need to take a break from the dieting and fitness and enjoy yourself. The baptism and party was on Saturday...I started my "break" on Wednesday. I have been sweating grease and saturated fat out of every pore since that day.
This morning was my first run since last Wednesday. It. Was. Hor. Rible. I started out just fine. The first mile felt good as I chugged along at a fairly slow 9:30 pace. Then the Code Brown kicked in. Then my legs turned to lead. Then my head started to hurt. Then my left arm fell off. Name the ailment and it was happening to me for miles 2-6. I think my colon prolapsed at around the four mile mark.
I still covered the distance (although I am trying to run 8 miles on Tues-Thurs) in a reasonable time (1 hr), but there was nothing fun about it. The thing is, when I take these little breaks from my fitness and weightloss regimen, this always happens. I go for a few days of debauchery, end up feeling like crap, then wonder why I can't make any performance gains.
I think the issue would be resolved if I smoked more.
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