SlimCache

Join me today at the Table! I'll be co-hosting today's show with Steve Runner of Phedippidations and Toni from London to talk about where we run, and topics on selecting and plotting routes with Ben from BuckeyeOutdoors. We will be recording live at 4PM EST on TalkShoe. Please join us! There's always room at the Table.

Thought I might hammer out a little race report on Sunday's 5K. Going into it I was feeling really good knowing that Sunday's weigh-in had brought a weight loss of 1.2 pounds. Way to start the morning off right. I was also quite confident that I would pull a PR since I've only done two other races, one of which was WWFoR. Being that that's a virtual race I went with my previous record set of 33:43 which was last fall. I've been running quite a bit since then and was pretty sure I had this one nailed but didn't want to get overconfident. Honestly I was still a little nervous but not sure why.

Electric atmosphere. More people than I've seen in one place. I guess that's primarily because I haven't run that many races. That could also explain how I can still manage to feel completely alone in a large crowd of people. I know running is a social sport but really just haven't gotten into that aspect of it yet. Maybe I should pin a sign to my back saying 'Portions of this race will be recorded and posted on RuncastTV' just to start conversations.

Starting out I was quite sure I was pulling out too fast. It's a short race though, and I should be able to sustain this pace for 3 miles right? I decided to rein it in slightly. Somehow a race atmosphere gets the best of me, just like most other runners I've talked to. First mile was done in 8:43. That's an unheard of pace for me. Wasn't sure I could keep that up. Until the 2nd mile marker. I didn't track my own splits but my time at mile 2 was 17:33. I was sustaining! Incredible! The second mile was the real slog out of all of them too. I hardly even remember mile 3. Maybe it was just the buzz. It felt pretty nice being the one to do the passing rather than being passed for a change. Yup, I've climbed the ranks from the waaaayyyy back of the middle of the pack to a bona fide midpacker.

I even managed to muster up a sprint at the end. I wondered about the couthe of this. Aren't you supposed to pour it on at the end? I saw no one else attempting the hard push that I did. I wondered what the other racers would think of this display. Would they think I think myself flashy? No, it's just that I've been integrating strides into the end of every workout lately.

I dragged my tired butt across the line in 26:52. My best practice run recently was 28:06 so honestly I was just hoping to come up with a time comparable to that. A PR is a great feeling. I wasn't really competing against anyone out there in particular except myself. That's evident in the final results where I placed 47th out of 60 in my age group, and 340th overall. How can I feel so satisfied having come in 340th? It's pretty easy actually.

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Is it possible I could actually pull this mission off? It was starting to look pretty bleak there for a minute. Now I feel as though I'm back on track. I'm writing this on Monday as Sunday was a really busy, exciting, and positive day. More on that in my other post about the race.

I now only have 4 pounds to go with four weeks remaining until my birthday. I think it's achievable. I'm holding myself up to a pretty high standard, as I've hit every goal I put in front of myself so far. Unfortunately that has meant being too hard on myself at times. Last week's setback taught me a lesson I needed to address. Now I'm back on top with a fresh outlook.

This week brings another new challenge. I'll be co-hosting The Runners Round Table this Wednesday at 4 PM EST with guest Ben Deutschle of BuckeyeOutdoors.com. We'll talk about choosing and plotting routes and integrating GPS data into our workouts. I'm really excited about the topic and I think it's truly in the spirit of this blog, endorsing the blend of tech and fit. Ben will also be revealing some site changes that lend themselves toward community interaction, something none of us seem to be able to get enough of. Check it out!

I also need to say thank you to the community at large for all your support. Integrating my Twitter and this blog to my Facebook account has done great things for gathering the support I need from all my family and friends. Thanks so much for your support.

Starting weight : 315 lbs. Last week : 220 lbs. This week : 218.8 lbs. Since previous weigh in : -1.2 lbs. Total weight loss : 96.2 lbs

I don't know your name or occupation. I don't know your hair or eye color either thanks to your helmet and sunglasses. I know I was just happy to see you today, guy on recumbent bike who passed me a few times on my six mile run.

The first time you passed me it was just general pleasantries.
You : "How's it goin'?"
Me : "Good, thanks. You?"
You : "Great."
And you were right. It was great out today. We couldn't have picked a better day to get out and enjoy our respective healthful outdoor pursuits. It finally feels like spring around here and everyone is taking advantage, us included.

You must have stopped somewhere along the way because a few minutes later I was surprised to see you pass me again. I didn't have time to gauge a response.
You : "Wow, you're really flyin'."
Me : *huff puff grunt inaudible*
But that comment is probably what powered me through today. It's almost impossible to get someone to even crack a smile out there, let alone interact with you. Here you come with a glowing complement like that for someone like me who, at best, is at the rear end of the middle of the pack. You and your bright yellow jersey just made my day. But it wasn't the last time I would see you.

It was about 100 meters from the end of my run so I was kicking into strides when you pull up alongside again. How did I keep getting past you?
You : "Wow. Look at you. You've run a long way today."
Me : "Yeah, and I think I'm finally petering out."
It was a front. I petered out about a mile ago. I was just running sprinting at the end because I had to. It just happened to be a convenient time for you too spot me for the fourth time today.

So thanks complete stranger on funny looking bike. You completely made my day. You couldn't have possibly known that I was having a crummy couple of weeks regarding my fitness but your words of encouragement couldn't have come at a better time. Keep ridin'!

I've found myself a little in the dumps this week. I was really happy with my three pound loss during the last weigh in. You may even say I got a little overconfident. I've only got three pounds left to go in six weeks, so it's in the bag right? That was my thought when I went out to lunch Sunday afternoon. So I ordered myself a big beer or three, and even though I opted for a veggie wrap at lunch, those veggies were tempura fried and served w/ Thai peanut sauce and fries. After that I proceeded to the my favorite local craft beer store and picked up a 4 pack of Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron of which I had 3 when I got home. Dark, delicious, decadent, calorie laden Palo Santo. I was really living.

That seems to have opened the floodgates. I started emotionally eating at the beginning of this week, and by Wednesday found myself up 11 pounds from Sunday's weight. Shame spiral ensued. I've spent the better part of this week beating myself up. It took me a long time to realize that this likely wasn't the end of the world. I'm incredibly lucky to have such a supportive spouse who knows me well enough to know just what to say to put these things in perspective and get me back on course.

With that in mind I headed into the gym today, understanding that it was time to knuckle down. If I'm to lose weight this week, maybe even just break even, I can't continue to lay down. I wallowed enough earlier this week and this was my first workout since Saturday. I need to make them count. I've decided that it's possible for me to get over 15 miles in before the end of the week. It starts now. 6 miles done on the treadmill today plus some time on the elliptical. No more excuses. I've not got much farther to go. It's crunch time.