Marathon Training - Week 8 - Pre-13.1 Miler

Marathon Training - Week 8 - Pre-13.1 Miler

The rumors of my demise have been marginally exaggerated. It's been a bumpy ride over the last few weeks but I think I'm on the upward angle again.

My last post had me coming off a great 9 mile weekend run and getting ready for a 10 miler that weekend. I didn't get a very good run that weekend because I had to take my dog into the vet because we thought he'd sprained his knee. Well that 'sprain' turned out to be a venomous bite of some sort and over the course of a very long next week of very expensive and gut wrenching nights and days of intensive care we ended up having to put him down. That experience is one of the worst I've had to go through, and being the decision maker that had to choose to end the life of one of my best friends is something that I'm still struggling with coming to terms with. But as a result of all that I didn't get any runs in for a week after my failed 10 mile run and then coming back from that week I didn't do very well during the next week's run. So I went from a great 9 mile run to a failed 10 mile run, a week off, a poor week of training, and then attempted to do 12 miles last weekend.

12 miles. That alone seemed like a huge milestone and it would have been my first 'double digit' run if I had finished it. But it wasn't to be. I got started and got 5 miles into my run without alot of issues. At the 5 mile mark I walked for a few minutes will I took my 'gu' and rehydrated. But for whatever reason, I never could get restarted. I'm not sure if it was mental, or physical, or what but I never got restarted and ended up walking the 5 miles BACK to my house. Not the effort I wanted to put forward.

BUT THERE IS HOPE!

So far, this week has been a great running week. I got a good run in Tuesday and finished a 6 mile run on Wednesday which I hadn't been able to do for a few weeks. Yesterday's run was good as well and I'm optimistic about my chances to finish my 13 mile planned run tomorrow. I think part of my issues are running my 'long' runs by myself so I looked up a local running group that is training for a marathon around the same time mine is and I'm going to meet up with them this weekend and see how that run goes. I'm hoping that running with other people might be what it takes to keep me going or restart me going during my run. I'm really hoping that I'm able to finish 13 miles or what is essentially a half marathon.

This is a big mental milestone. If I can get 13 miles under my belt I think that's going to give me the motivation and prove to me that I'm able to do this. If I'm not able to do this weekend or at the very least get close I'm going to start to feel that I'm falling behind. If the most I've ever been able to complete is 9 miles with about 10 weeks left I'm going to start to be concerned with my ability to finish the full marathon.

We'll see how tomorrow's run goes. It'll be interesting if nothing else.

Marathon Training Week 5 - Mid-Week Recap

Marathon Training Week 5 - Mid-Week Recap

I continue to struggle to find the time to do the things I want to do but I have kept up my running. This week I haven't hit all my distances 100% but have felt pretty good running.

Tuesday's run was suppossed to be 3 miles but only ended up being 2. I believe I ran too close to eating dinner because I never really felt right running and I kept getting side stitches no matter how I adjusted by breathing or pace. At 2 miles I felt like my shorts might be chafing and I had had a side stitch for over .5 mile without being able to get rid of it so I just called it a run. I was a bit bummed, but I believe even with the issues I was having I could have finished the run if it was a race.

Yesterday was the midweek run of 5 miles this week. I went out to a new park that has an 8k 'trail' run and actually had a great run. I met a friend out there who isn't as far along as I am with running but he was able to keep up with my pace for the most part. We got 2.5 miles in before he was dying and needed to walk. Not wanting to run off an leave him we walked for 3 minutes before getting another 7 minutes or so in before another quick walk. At that point we were close to a 'loop' and I got him to run out the remainder. He ran 3.5 miles in about 40 minutes which I was really impressed he was able to keep up and do. Given the walking I believe we kept up a pretty decent pace. I kept running and did another side trail and when I was circling back around my car it was just over 50 minutes so I decided to call it. I ended up being about .4 miles short of my mileage but felt great overall and given the walking I'm sure I could have finished the run 'on pace'. Not sure how often I'll go back out to this park but it's nice.

I'm finding that I am needing to break up my running routine some. The same 1 mile course was fine when it was 2-3 miles at a time for 8-10 a week. But doing the same look for 20-30 miles a week is going to drive me insane.

Feeling good overall. Can't wait for the extra work that I've picked up to die down so I can get back to sleeping a more regular schedule and relaxing. With everything going on I'm struggling sometimes to cope with the added stresses which isn't something I normally struggle with. Luckily I haven't fallen off the eating wagon this week so hopefully we'll be able to see some progress this next weigh-in.

That's all for this update. Might try to update again after my run tonight, but I'll definitely get my 10 mile update in if I don't before.

Marathon Training - Week 4 , 9 mile run

Marathon Training - Week 4 , 9 mile run

I missed Thursday's blog entry. I ran 3 miles. I struggled with the motivation to get out of the house and tried to rationalize not going for some time, but in the end my better judgment edged out and I went for the run and it turned out to be a decent run.

Now onto the main event, the long Saturday run. I can't properly describe the anxiety that I had about this run coming up to it. The last long run I successfully did was the 6 mile run on the first week. The next attempt at a longer run was 7 miles and that week was so hot or something that the run was terrible and I was left with this horrible 'I'm never going to be able to do this' feeling that I haven't fully been able to shake over the last few weeks.

Anyways, this morning I woke up and stretched out a bit and went for a run. I packed a gel packet and a took a water bottle and started out feeling great. I ran down the road for 4 miles or so and then stopped and took a gel packet and washed it down with about half a bottle of water. At the turnaround I was feeling really great. After the brief walk while I took some gel, my legs felt decent but got a little tight at times. Miles 5 and 6 were pretty good and Mile 7 and 8 were a bit of a struggle but I was able to keep running 'on pace'. My iPod ran out of battery just after 8 miles and it was at 1:22 which was a 10:19 pace. So I figure I finished the run somewhere under 1:33:00 which is everything I could have hoped for.

I didn't have any significant chafing, and I felt like I might have been getting a blister on my left foot but it hasn't developed. My heels are sore to walk on barefoot and my "index" toes are a bit sore and I think I've got some under-nail bruising. Legs still feel pretty good and while my knees are a little sore I think overall I'm doing great.

I'm full to the brim of 'Maybe I can do this after all' and I'm not as all concerned about next weekend and the distance it entails. I'm a month out from running 13 miles and essentially the half-way point but I think that if I can keep up the training I might be able to do this.

Anyways, having a great 4th. I'm glad that everything went as planned with my weekend so far. Maybe there is something to this training plan afterall.

Marathon Training - Week 4 - 4 mile run

Marathon Training - Week 4 - 4 mile run

Yesterday was my long "weekday" run. The way my training program is set up it slowly increments and eventually the Wednesday runs gets a little longer culminating in a 10 mile Wednesday run on the same week as my longer 20 mile run on Saturday.

Anyways, yesterday was slated for a 4 mile run and that is what I completed. I slowed down my back to a "comfortable" pace and ran to a neighborhood close to my house and back. I ended up doing it in 42 minutes or so for around a 10:30 pace. The pace was pretty comfortable to maintain and I think I could keep that up for a longer run so we'll see if I can't end up with a run similar to that this weekend.

I'm not sure if it was my shorts or what but I ended up with some chafing after my run last night. That doesn't happen often but it's annoying as hell when it does, I haven't noticed it much today so I am still planning on running my planned run tonight but we'll see. I don't really want to slather up vasoline or whatever you do for longer runs just to go out and run 30 minutes here and there, but if it becomes and issue I might have to.

I've been thinking that the shorts I use for running are more "athletic" shorts and less running shorts. I'm looking to maybe get a pair or two of shorts that are more tailored to running but at my local track store those shorts are 30-40 bucks a pair. That's alot to pay for a pair of shorts I'm not even sure will do anything. Maybe I need to just bite the bullet.

Does anyone out there run with specific running shorts? If so what brand and where did you get them.

Marathon Training - Week 4, 3 mile run

Marathon Training - Week 4, 3 mile run

Today was a pretty good run. I decided that I was going to go out and try and do some "speed" training and just see how quick I could run the 3 miles. I felt really really good for the first mile and clocked a very fast first mile. I kept up the pace for another half mile or so but by mile 2 I was slowing down and battling side cramps because my breathing got off pace.

I finished the whole run in under 28 minutes which is pretty quick for me compared to my normal runs and I'd be giddy to finish a 5k in under 28 minutes.

It's amazing the ups and downs you go through over just one run. It's funny that you can start and feel great, then feel terrible, then want to quit, then in a matter of moments feel great again. It's really sometimes a roller coaster but I guess that's why you develop such mental stamina from being a long distance runner.

Chicago Marathon Training - Recap

In light of the celebrity deaths of the last week I feel I should dust off my blog to let people know that I'm still here. The last few weeks have been incredibly busy but I've managed to continue my marathon training to the best of my abilities. P90x however has been chosen as the sacrificial lamb of my schedule.

The core issue with my time suddenly vanishing is that I picked up some side work for a company I know and that has been consuming my nights. Where I would normally be dozing off around 10-11 I'm now up till 1-2 banging out code for money and it makes waking up early impossible. I did it for 2 days before I was so worn out I could barely function. I could maybe find a way to fit the training in somewhere but with running my main focus now I'm just going to cut back on the amount of open time commitments I have outstanding right now in favor of sanity. This project will likely only last a couple more weeks and when it's done I'll look at picking up elements of P90x again. I don't believe I'll be able to do a full routine until after my marathon but I can likely do strength training of the off days.

Running has been going well. My weekday runs are going as planned and while I haven't been able to hit every run perfectly I've done almost all of them or done the best I could on the ones I did. Two weekends ago I was suppossed to run 7 miles but I could only get 2.5 miles in the morning before the heat stopped me and then I only got 5 miles that night before fatigue stopped me. That's a combined 7 miles, but I still wish I had done that distance non-stop. Last weekend cut back to 5 miles and I finished that without issue and it was one of my best runs ever.

This week is 3 mile Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday, 9 miles on Saturday. 9 miles!. I really really am intimidated by this distance. I haven't ran anything farther ever in one continual run thatn 6.5 miles or so. I'm desperately hoping that I can complete this run without walking and "on pace" because I think if I can it'll be the exact thing I need to motivate me to keep going. If I'm not able to do it or have to start walking at 5-6 miles I'm worried that it's going to discourage me into the "if I can't do this what makes me think I can do that" mentality. I mean afterall it does only get harder every week.

I'm trying not to let negative thoughts into my head so we'll see where I end up.

Eating has been poor the last week or so. Not sure why I went off the page so much but I did. I haven't got on the scale but the last time I did I was down to 230.5 so we'll see where that number is on Friday when I weigh in again. Maybe I'll weigh in Saturday post-run to see what that's like.

Things are well overall and I'm going to attempt to revive my blog. I'm going to wish I had blog entries for all my runs in the future so I need to get back on the wagon.

P90x Round 2, Day 31,32 No Workouts, 3 Mile run, 1.25 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 31 & 32 No Workouts, 3 Mile run, 1.25 mile run
Diet :
Poor

Summary:
I hit the bottom the last two days but I'm hopefully on the upswing. Diet Wednesday was good for breakfast and then at lunch I decided to throw that in the trash and just eat junk. Same after work and then at home for dinner I ate more just to do it. Today's breakfast was ok, but lunch wasn't as good as I wanted it but dinner was ok. I think I've got the mental stuff worked out now and can get back focused.

Running Wednesday was really tough. I had to walk some which I wasn't thrilled about, but I finished. I thought that maybe my problem was that I was getting bored with the course so I tried a new run today down around my local park. I'd never tried the trail before and it was unbearably hilly. At some points it was almost like climbing. I got 2 laps around the trail in at about 6pm and called it a day. It was too hilly to realistically "train" and while I should have gutted it out I didn't.

I'm really looking forward to my longer run Saturday. I'm hoping I can work out some of my issues with an hour to myself.

I think instead of marking this whole week as "missed workouts" I'm just going to pretend it didn't exist and start over with this week again next week. It'll put me a week behind on finishing, but I think I'll feel better about it overall.

My routine has been really thrown off lately. I've picked up some side contract work and have been doing that after hours. Unfortunately it's been getting me to sleep later which makess waking up harder which I believe is at the root of this week's issues. Not sure how I'm going to resolve this because I can use the work and I'm not sure I can get enough done and get to sleep in a position that would get me up and feeling rested. We'll see. It's probably only going to last a few weeks, maybe I'll suffer through it.

P90x Round 2, Day 30 - Missed Workout, 3 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 30 - Missed Workout, 3 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Raisin Bran
Lunch: Salad with Turkey, Cottage Cheese, Carrots
Snack: Jello Pudding, Fruit Cup
Dinner: Spinach Ravioli, Leftover Pizza, piece of lemon pie
Unplanned Snack: None

Summary:
I'm up too late tonight which means tomorrow I'll be in the same boat that I was in this morning. I was exhausted and couldn't get out of bed and when I finally did I managed to get my run in and nothing else.

I have to keep focused on the fact that running is my main goal right now, but that doesn't mean I can just start blowing off P90x unless I just agree that I can't do a full P90x regiment and maybe I'll do M,F,Sunday and use my other days for running. I could do my weight days on those and maybe overload saturday with stretching.

I'll think about that idea.

Day 30 was today. Weighed in and am down to 232. That's a total of 14 pounds lost for the first 30 days. My "goal" is to be under 225 at day 60 if not closer to 220.

Feeling good today, just tired.

P90x Round 2, Day 27 - No workout, 6 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 27 - No workout, 6 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: 3 egg veggie turkey and black bean omelet, Juice
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Snack: None
Dinner: Caesar Salad and PIZZA! (planned cheat)
Unplanned Snack: None

Summary:
Today was very plus/minus. I had a friend come into town that I haven't seen in a few months and he ended up hanging out at the house all day. So I opted to skip Yoga and the begging of my wife who desperately wanted to skip her workout as well.

This could have been a wasted day fitness wise because I didn't get up in time to run this morning but I made the right decision and went for a run later in the night. The planned distance was 5 miles but I ran a "penalty" mile for missing the last two distances. It wasn't the best run ever because I was burping up pizza for potions of the run and it was hot and humid. BUT I GOT IT DONE. 6 mile in just under 1:02:00 which I'm pleased with. Because I was able to do this I'm going to sign up and pick my official charity tomorrow for the Chicago marathon and my official training starts next week.

So not the best last 2 days but not the worst either. Will probably "rest" tomorrow instead of stretch because I have alot of work to do around the house, but if I'm feeling like I need a good stretch I'll change my mind.

P90x Round 2, Day 25 - X Stretch, 3 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 25 - X Stretch, 3 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Juice
Lunch: Salad with Turkey, Cottage Cheese, Carrots and Celery
Snack: Granola Bar, Jello Pudding, Strawberry Jello w/ Fruit
Dinner: Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potato, Green Beans
Unplanned Snack: None

Summary:
Today went exactly according to plan. Got up early and rocked out 3 miles on the run. Probably the best run to date and I finished 3 miles in just under 28 minutes which is really fast considering my normal time. I felt really really good and finished feeling great.

The workout this morning was Stretching. It's usually my Sunday exercise, but during the "recovery week" I do it on Thursdays. It was nice to stretch out after my run and I was sweating bullets during a good portion of the stretch.

Diet 100%.

Looking forward to weigh-in tomorrow.

P90x Round 2, Day 24 - Kenpo X, 2 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 24 - Kenpo X, 2 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Juice
Lunch: Salad with Turkey, Cottage Cheese, Carrots and Celery
Snack: Granola Bar, Jello Pudding, Mixed Fruit Cup
Dinner: Vegetable Fritata
Unplanned Snack: Serving of Vegetable Pasta, Skinny Cow Bar

Summary:
Another day in the books. I went out for another run this morning BEFORE my Kenpo workout to try and change things up and it worked out for the most part. I only got 2 miles instead of 3 in because I had to head back to the house and use the restroom. I have no idea what I will do if this happens during a longer run, I guess I'd go back to the house, use the restroom and then continue my run. Same thing I'd have to do during a race I suppose.

Got a good Kenpo workout in after the run. I fast forwarded through the breaks to keep my heart rate up and give me a better workout. All in all a good workout.

Diet today went well until after dinner. Was pretty hungry so I ate a small portion of leftover vegetable pasta and a 100 cal ice cream snack. Feel better after eating it, but I might have been able to get along without it.

Running and Stretching(?) tomorrow. Strange to have stretching mid-week. I think I'll do the stretching after the run in order to maximize the stretching.

P90x Round 2, Day 23 - Core Synergistics, 3 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 23 - Core Synergistics, 3 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Juice
Lunch: Salad with Turkey, Cottage Cheese, Carrots and Celery
Snack: Granola Bar, Jello Pudding, Mixed Fruit Cup
Dinner: Shrimp and Rice, Corn on the Cob
Unplanned Snack: 3 orders of celery and some ranch.

Summary:
I can't believe I didn't post the blog last night. It's irksome, but I honestly forgot. I went out with some friends and on the way home made the mental note several times to blog when I got home. But when I got home I let the dogs out and went to sleep without it even crossing my mind. Go Figure. At least I only missed the blog and not the workout.

Yesterday was Core Synergistics. I'd like to say that after the 100% with Yoga on Monday that I turned around and rocked out this workout as well, but it didn't happen. I gave a mediocre effort to this workout and only made it about 30 minutes into it before I just lost interest. Rather than refocusing and finishing the workout I ended it early and went for my run.

The run was the highlight of my morning though as any effort I neglected during my workout came out during my run. I as able to run 3 miles running the slightly tougher course loop than I usually run and finished in 29:50 which was really satisfying to see.

I felt good about the effort as a whole for the morning workout even though I didn't do as well as I wanted to with Core synergistics.

Diet was good. Went out with some friends and they hadn't eaten yet so we ended up at a Buffalo Wild Wings playing trivia. They got food and while I didn't avoid eating, I did order alot of celery and ate that instead. I ate probably 50 pieces of celery or some retarded amount like that. But celery is good for you I guess. I also drank probably 2 gallons of water yesterday so that was good I suppose.

P90x Round 2, Day 20 - Kenpo X, 5 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 20 - Kenpo X, 5 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Gatorade 2, Protein Bar
Lunch: Turkey and Pepperoni Sandwich with baked Lays
Snack: Granola Bar, Yellow Rice
Dinner: Healthy Lasagna, Garlic, Berries and Whip Cream
Unplanned Snack: None

Summary:
What a long day. Woke up early this morning and hit the road for another 5 miles run. That's two weeks in a row with a good long run on Saturday. It's nice to get the whole run in and not have to walk and I think after another 5 mile saturday and next week's training runs I'll be ready to start my marathon training. It's hard to believe that in a matter of weeks I'll be running 6,8,10,12 miles at one time. Luckily it's getting slightly easier to run on a regular basis. I'm not sure if it's conditioning or losing the weight that I am, but I imagine it's some combination of those two.

I started a Kenpo workout later in the afternoon with my wife thinking I might be able to double up on it like I did last weekend but that didn't work out as well as last weekend. I was just too tired to put in another cardio workout. I was on the move from the minute I woke up and by the time the afternoon rolled around I was just out of gas. I got about 1/2 the workout in and then decided to help coach my wife and get her some encouragement to get that little bit extra out of her workout.

Diet was good today as there weren't any cheats planned or unplanned and we had some friends over for healthy lasagna. It's actually really good. Turkey, cottage cheese instead of ricotta, fat free cheese, whole wheat noodles, and then pack the sauce with TONS of vegetables. We haven't had it in a while and it was really quite delicious. Might eat it for lunch tomorrow.

I imagine if I hit the scale tomorrow I'd be pleased with the results but I'm going to hold off for next Friday and hope that I can give 100% this week and put up the best numbers I can for my first 4 weeks and new pictures. I'm really interested to see how the pictures turn out and I'm really interested in the Day 1 to Day 120 pictures as I imagine those will be the biggest change. I doubt I'll post them online, but if things keep up like they are I'm pretty sure I'll post the Day 1-Day 180 pictures at the end of this round.

Recovery week isn't my favorite thing, but I'm going to fight to give it my best effort. 2 Yoga workouts and no weights. And on top of that the Core Synergistics really taxes my back sometimes. But we'll survive I'm sure.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

P90x Round 2, Day 17 - Shoulders and Arms, 2 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 17 - Shoulders and Arms, 2 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: 2 pumpkin muffins, orange juice
Lunch: Turkey and Roast Beef Sandwich, Carrots
Snack: Granola Bar, Jello Cup, Mixed Fruit Cup
Dinner: 6" Subway Club, Baked Lays
Unplanned Snack:

Summary:
I didn't sleep very well last night and it reflected this morning when I woke up. I almost skipped my workout and had rationalized it to the point of acceptance before I realized that it was fruitless to try and avoid it and got out of bed. I got a good workout in spite of not originally wanting to do it and then got a good run in.

I only got in 2 miles this morning instead of the three I had planned, but I felt pretty good after 2 miles so I'm sure I could have gotten in 3.

I'm not sure what is up with my diet for this week, but we'll see how Friday's weigh-in goes. Last two weeks I put up great results but had pretty low energy. So far this week my energy has been really high and I'm wondering if that means my results will suffer.

I can't believe it's only Wednesday this week is going so slow. Yoga tomorrow. I'm sure that will be even slower.

P90x Round 2, Day 16 - Plyometrics, 3 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 16 - Plyometrics, 3 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: 4 egg whites w/ onion and green pepper
Lunch: Turkey and Roast Beef Sandwich, Carrots and Celery
Snack: Granola Bar, Jello Cup, Orange Fruit Cup
Dinner: Leftover Chili Mac Soup
Unplanned Snack: Ice Cream

Summary:
Not the best workout today. Not sure if it was the Ab-Ripper or what from yesterday but I woke up this morning with a fairly sore back. I tried to rock out the Plyo but I could only get about 2 sets into it before my back was just bothering me too much. All the squatting and jumping was just really uncomfortable so I stretched out a bit and went for my run to see how that felt.

Run went great. It was sprinkling some outside which kept it nice and cool. It's amazing how 2 days off rests up the legs and makes running more manageable. I'm sure running tomorrow will be a chore.

Diet was about 90% today. Went well except for the stupid after-dinner ice cream. It's low fat blah blah blah, but still I didn't need it and I shouldn't have eaten it but it's done and there we are.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

P90x Round 2, Day 13 - Kenpo X

P90x Round 2, Day 13 - Kenpo X
Diet :
Breakfast: None
Lunch: Turkey and Roast Beef Sandwich, Whole Wheat Goldfish
Snack: Granola bar, Jello Pudding, Pumpkin Muffin
Dinner: Steak and Shrimp Japanese Food, Spicy Tuna Roll [PLANNED CHEAT]
Unplanned Snack: None

Summary:
I was able to sleep in a little this morning and work up feeling like a million dollars. I got out of bed, stretched a bit and went out and ran 5 miles in just under 53 minutes. It was a pretty tough run but I finished it without stopping and felt pretty good about it afterward. It's still interesting to me how different every run is to me. I would assume that it'd be similar every run, but it's not. Some days 3 miles is a breeze, some days every step is a chore, I suppose that's part of the allure of running. I've got to repeat this same running schedule next week so it'll be interesting to see if next week's 5 miles is any different.

I almost called it day with the running, but the wife was doing Kenpo today and I figured I would be her moral support and do it with her to encourage her. Alot of work I didn't want to do but after finishing it I guess I felt better.

Cheat meal was today. I feel a little groggy after eating it with the additional intake, but I think overall the day wasn't off the charts. It'll be nice to get back on schedule tomorrow and stretch out and get to work again.

Feeling alot better today and I'm hoping I can ride this energy into better results next week.

P90x Round 2, Day 11 - Yoga X, 3 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 11 - Yoga X, 3 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: 3 Egg Whites, 2 Pieces of Turkey Bacon, Banana
Lunch: Salad with Turkey, Cottage Cheese, Carrots and Celery
Snack: Granola bar, Jello Pudding, Mixed Fruit Cup
Dinner: Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans, Rice
Unplanned Snack: Skinny Cow Ice Cream Snack

Summary:
Yoga today was as hard as I had imagined it would be. Not only that but it was LONG. The fact this is an hour and a half without anything else to break it up is never lost on me during this workout. The fact that I've actually completed it 2 weeks in a row is testimony to how hard I'm trying to turn the leaf and give 100% to this new round. I get one hell of a workout doing Yoga, but it just drags on. Then when I'm finished I had to go out and run 3 miles.

Running today was tough. If I hadn't stretched out with Yoga I'm not sure I would have made it but I finished it. I'm going to be so glad to not be running tomorrow. I need the day off from this week of added running before Saturday's 5 mile run. I'm worried that I might be pushing the envelope some with the running and bordering on over-training, but I hope not.

Eating went well today. I didn't get to eat before I left the house and had to eat at work. I usually eat terrible at our cafeteria but today I went for 3 egg whites and turkey bacon which for me in that environment is a big step forward. I'm still sorta hungry all the time so I'm thinking of adjusting my intake upwards slightly next week.

Can't wait to weigh in tomorrow. I'm really hoping for a good number. If it's the same as last week I'm going to really struggle with the "why the hell am I doing this" demon.

P90P90x Round 2, Day 10 - Shoulders and Arms, 3 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 10 - Shoulders and Arms, 3 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Bowl of Raisin Bran
Lunch: Salad with Turkey, Cottage Cheese, Carrots and Celery
Snack: Granola bar, Jello Pudding, Oranges Fruit Cup
Dinner: Irish Chicken Breast, Broccoli and Cauliflower
Unplanned Snack: Granola Bar

Summary:
Today went by very fast. Waking up this morning seemed like a bit of a chore but I ended up with a really great Shoulders and Arms workout. I absolutely regret not keeping a workout log during my first Round of P90x. I honestly can say that probably cost me some results I could have had in the first go round. Today during my workout I referred back to my previous numbers several times to see what reps I should try to improve on or what weight I used last time and based on my log inputs from today compared to last week I can tell I got a much better workout overall. I've only got up to 20's right now for dumbells and I'm going to have to very soon make the decision to either buy more weights, or invest in something like the bowflex dial-a-weight.

Running was very difficult this morning. I wanted to quit running at almost every point along the way but I kept going and finished my 3 miles in around 33 minutes. Not the fastest time I've posted, but I could definitely tell that my legs were still feeling the 3 mile run from the day before. I'm suppossed to run 3 tomorrow as well before taking Friday off from running but I'm not sure how that is going to work out. I keep telling myself during the runs to keep going because the urge to quit is only going to be stronger as I increase the mileage and so far that's keeping me going when I really want to give up. I mean if I can't do 3 what makes me think I can do 5 this weekend, or 10 two months from now. It's not the best logic, but it's helping me at the moment.

Meals went good today. I went out to hang out with some friends tonight. I was feeling a little hungry when I left the house and I knew that bar food was going to be too tempting to not grab some fries off somebody's plate or something. So I grabbed a Granola bar from the cabinet before I left and ended up having to eat it when I was there to avoid cheese fries and nachos that my table ordered. But I ended up leaving only eating that bar and drinking water so I'm pretty glad that happened. I weigh in again this Friday and after last week's super amazing results I'm hoping to put up another week of good numbers and the closer I get to Friday the more I want to resist cheating. I'm still getting really hungry about 2 hours after meals and sometimes even after I eat I'm not really "full". I know alot of this is because my calorie count is low but I'm hoping as I lose weight this will sort itself out. So far it's not dramatically affecting my workouts or my overall energy so until then I'm going to stay the course. I would be easy to increase my snacks to something more substantial if need be.

Overall things are going well. Yoga tommorrow. I'm sure that workout is going to drag on forever and then I still have to run. What a long morning I'm in for.

P90x Round 2, Day 9 - Plyometrics, 3 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 9 - Plyometrics, 3 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Bowl of Raisin Bran
Lunch: Salad with Turkey,Cottage Cheese, Carrots and Celery
Snack: Granola bar, Jello Pudding, Mixed Fruit Cup
Dinner: Flat Iron Steak, Parmesean Potato Fries, Corn
Unplanned Snack: One bite of a brownie, Skinny Cow Ice Cream Bar

Summary:
Plyometrics is the worst and best workout in the P90x series. I end up at the end of this workout drenched in sweat and physically exhausted. I finished today's workout exhausted and still facing the demands of having to run 3 more miles before I was finished with my workout. I didn't know if I was going to be able to get out and run the full distance today but I found a way to get it done. After having 2 days without running it was really more of a struggle than I would have liked to run today, but it might have had something to do with the fact that it was unusually chilly outside this morning. I was so hot inside working out that when I went outside and it was so chilly I was actually really cold for the first 1/2 mile or so before I warmed up. This week is 3 miles during the week and 5 miles on Saturday. Saturday will be a tough run.

Eating still went well today. I'm starting to adjust I think to the eating and exercising schedule but we'll see Friday if the results are still there. I can't imagine cutting back even more on my diet so I'm hoping that's not needed.

Overall things are going well. My back is a little sore, but we'll keep and eye on that. If need be I can take a day off and stretch.

P90x Round 2, Day 6 - Kenpo X, 4 mile run

P90x Round 2, Day 6 - Kenpo X, 4 mile run
Diet :
Breakfast: Raisin Bran w/ Skim Milk
Lunch: 6" Turkey Subway sandwich w/ double meat
Snack: Peanut Butter and Strawberry Protein Shake
Dinner: Red Beans and Rice w/ Sausage, Grilled Potato Salad, Caesar Salad, Hush Puppies
Unplanned Snack: None

Summary:
Today was a long day. I decided against waking up early to do my run favoring sleep instead, but I got it all done later in the afternoon. The wife and I are both doing P90x this time around in case I haven't mentioned that. She's doing the P90x "Lean" but after the first two days for the week we are on the same schedule which is nice. So today we worked out together and rocked out some Kenpo X. I love this workout. It's absolutely the best workout in the program and it really flies by and I barely feel like I'm working out.

Today was also my "long" run. I didn't know if I'd be able to get 4 miles finished because I should have been running that distance for the last 2 Saturdays but I wasn't able to get it finished. I was able to get it finished today though. It was brutally difficult and hotter than hell when I decided to run it, but I finished it. I'm not sure how I'm going to finish 5 miles next week though. I ended up sweating off about 40 gallons of sweat, but I finished it. I'm sure I'll be wrecked tomorrow.

Today was cheat meal day. We ended up going out to a local southern cooking place and there wasn't the healthiest stuff on the menu, but I ended up doing what I felt was ok. I didn't sweat it too much though because it was my cheat meal.

Anyways, I'm tired and my calves are exhausted but overall I'm doing pretty well and I'm looking forward to wrapping up week one with a good stretch.