Well all, today was awesome. I only got in 21 of my 40 goal. That really sucked but the AZ sun and heat exhaustion / dehydration set in and nothing I could do about it. That is the downfall of running ultra marathons not in a race setting. No aid station every mile really makes in challenging. I really started out too late. If I would have gotten out at 5am, I would have been done by 1 which is when the sun really starts to hit. My last 11 miles I had 126 oz of water, 2 tangerines, 1 orange, 2 spoons of salt, 5 sports legs tabs and still bonked. So there is nothing I could do about it. But here is the awesome part............


I was thinking about my running the past three weeks and how I had averaged 53 miles a week for those weeks and how I still looked at myself as a fat dude trying to run ultra marathons, Ironman, etc. I finally realized that I run about as much as anyone I know. When I'm swimming seriously, there is ony one dude that I personally know that swims more than me, my brother Dan. and when I cycled, I could pull centuries, long rides and maintain 20 + mph for hours on end and at 290lbs. Now I'm at 260 and dropping like crazy and probably 4 months away from hitting my goal weight. I finally realized that I am an ultra endurance athlete. I think today's run, I mentally set out for 40 but at 18 (before I became dehydrated) I had set out to do 50 because I felt awesome and I knew I could handle it. I think that speaks to my base and abilities.

So I finally put away the fat dude running races and I am considering myself as an endurance athlete. It feels good to get rid of that past and put my fitness into perspective today. If I can do all of these things at 260, I cannot imagine how strong I will be at 175. The future looks so bright and today's run was more than about getting in miles. It was the run that I needed to learn something about me. What a breakthrough day.

Jeff

Well it's official! I just mapped out my 50.22 mile run in Newport Beach, CA for next month. I realized that I would probably need some support crew on this run so my buddy Josh threw in his hat and agreed to MTB the run with me and be my support. That rocks.

 

The course has a max elevation of 600 feet so that makes it really easy on me. My main issue is going to be my Newtons. To date, my longest run in the Newtons was 29 miles. I followed that up with two other mid-distance runs and a 19 miler, all 59 miles within 7 days. My legs were fully recovered but the ball of my right foot and big toe hurt, so I need to evaluate if Newton's are going to be the answer for these ultra marathon runs. TBD on that.

 

Nutrition is awesome. I have ton's of energy, I have my water to electro drink ratios perfect and other than a small amount of lactic buildup that I get religiously round mile 20, I'm good to go. I actually got Sports Legs pills to see if that helps. I wanted to try that before I started pounding the salt. I really want to avoid dehydrating out and getting thirsty on the run, so I hope this is a good alternative.

 

I have a 39 mile prelude on the 28th of this month, which is 6 x 6.55 loops around my community. That will be a good gauge to see what issues present themselves on what I would consider my first long ultra marathon. Looking forward to the challenge and gearing up for that. Have a great month racing and training everyone.

Got in a solid 19 mile run this morning. Gearing up for a 31 mile run at the end of the month, so I needed to get in a mid-distance run today. I was so stoked that I was able to pull off such a solid run a week after my 28 miler last Saturday. I did run twice last week and felt great, so my recoveries for long run days of marathon distances and beyond are now like 1-3 days. That is really encouraging.

The run was going solid and then mile 16, I ran out of nutrition and water. I figured I'd just power through it and sure enough, mile 18 I flippin bonk! I had to just laugh as the progression began. Hip flexors lock up, calves and then feet. Was reduced to a walk with 100 yards to go. I figured it would happen so planning on it, I wasn't so surprised.

Got in my protein, carbs, stretched and now onto the honey-do-list. Looking forward to watching my brother come in at IMSG on the IM Live Coverage. Happy Saturday all.

So man, talk about a day. I planned out my runs for the week and today was supposed to be 13.1. Well, I have a buddy that had only ran a 10K to date. He is athletic but didn't believe that nutrition in running was important. AND>>>> he didn't think that me being 265 lbs could run a marathon. He didn't realize that I could throw down those miles! So, I challenged him. I said you run 13.1 today and I'll run 26.2 (I should have put money down on it). He laughed.

 

 

Needless to say, I paced him at 2:43:29 for the 13.1 and then I ran the rest of my portion totalling 5:21:22. First really significan in my Newtons, so it was good to get after it. Funny, I actually set out for one more 6.55 loop to get in 31.55 and my wife drove after me 1 mile into it and yelled "you didn't mow the lawn, weed all the flower beds and cut the bushes back!" Ugh. I literally got 5 minutes of rest, 3 hours of yard work and an Icebath.

I feel incredible and it's nice to go on a long run and not have my legs feel shattered! My times are getting better and I decided during my run that I am going to do a marathon a month in preparation for the Rocky Racoon 100 miler. Now, If I can just find a way to drop 80lbs overnight, I might actually be quick!

 

 

So the first quarter is in the books for 2010 and it has been a terrific one for me. I am down over 30 lbs for the year so far and moving closer to my goals. My fitness level has increased, ran a marathon last month and planning on another one for May 29th. I decided I'd run a marathon every other month for this year to help gauge my progress as I lose weight.

This month, my focus is really on increasing my run times, increasing strength and speed in the pool and specific weight training in preparation of my new triathlon bike in the next couple of weeks.

One of the biggest changes to my diet has been moving to the Thrive Diet by Brenden Braizer. This is a diet that plant based and carbs to protein ratio are 4 to 1 but the carbs are 80% from plant based foods. So although I am increasing my carbs, I am able to keep caloric intake under control and good fuel sources for nutrition. I have lowered my caloric intake by 1/3 shifting to Thrive and my energy levels are off the charts. So the thought behind Thrive is that if something happens and I cannot exercise at the level of fitness I am at now, I won't have a spike in weight gain or loss in energy. I feel like I have complete control over my diet for the first time in a long time and couldn't be happier.

I have also joined a couple of support groups and making myself present at WLS evens / meetings. I am speaking at a seminar in June and look forward to my support meetings. I didn't make this a part of my life when I moved to Arizona, so attending these meetings has showed me how important relationships and knowledge from my peers are.

Life is great and enjoying the ride!

Jeff