the dumbass in me

my most feared nightmare came true.

after many weeks of anticipation and planning, i was injured playing in a fun-yet-competitive game of flag football. one week ago, on thanksgiving morning, a few friends planned a friendly game to start the day off. there were people pre-trash talking, team t-shirts... very fun stuff happening.

my wife and i woke up at 5am that morning because we couldn't sleep and just sat in bed and talked for an hour or so. after that, i got up and made some breakfast, got dressed, and left. we picked up some kolaches/donuts from a local bakery and brought them to meet with our team. we get to the field at around 9am -- beautiful sunny skies, clear open field, and just a perfect day ahead of us.

we jostle around for a few minutes playing catch and toss, take a few pictures, etc. at 9:20, we start the game. the other team gets the ball first. rules: 4 downs to get 20 yrds, 1 down must be an ATTEMPT to a girl if previous plays do not result in a first down. we intercept the 2nd pass and take over. Toko -- pretty much our team captain -- takes charge at qb and gives us route assignments. 3 completions and 2 first downs later, we're in the zone and nearing touchdown territory. grinning ear to ear, i take the next route inside across the middle, a la wes welker! i catch the ball as my lower body is facing forward and upper body is corked backward. i straighten to face forward, knowing that my friends' high school kid brother is on my tail. i take two hard sprint steps cutting left.

and that's when i felt it. a little bubble of weirdness in my lower right leg. my next step landing on my right foot is tender and my knee buckles slightly. no pain. i couldn't straighten my leg. now, i'm still moving at a fairly decent speed, but realized that i couldn't run any longer....so i hobble out of bounds as my flag is pulled.

people set up for the next play while i hold my right calf. still no severe pain, but something definitely wasn't right. my initial thoughts were that i just pulled the muscle and i could walk it out. i attempt to stand straight after a few minutes bent over and a shot of pain ran up my whole right leg causing me to flinch back into a bent knee position. as long as my knees are bent, there is no pain and nothing seems to be wrong. but when i stand straight, it hurt like no other!

i limped back to the sidelines and sat on my ass to try to stretch it out. it was extremely tight, but not as painful as i thought it would be. a friend helps me try to stretch, which actually felt good despite a slight pain. but every time i got up to try to walk, it just wasn't happening. i knew after 15 minutes that my day was done. i was left to cheer for the sidelines the rest of the morning. very disappointing indeed.

even more disappointing is that i haven't ran for a week. my training is compromised and my calf is still tight. i also have 1 week to decide to switch to the 1/2 marathon as well. i didn't realize muscle strains produced bruising. it's quite ugly. sigh.......

the good news is that i feel i've made significant progress in this short amount of time and if i can run a little this coming weekend along with a decent 6-8mile run by Wednesday of next week, i'll probably stick to the whole marathon training. i've been lucky enough to get a few walking distances and upper body workouts in. at least i'm burning calories. surprisingly, i'm still around 147.5 lbs.

gotta cut this entry short....!
EZE

the halfway point

on saturday, it marked week 10 of marathon training with 8 more weeks to go. i ran 14.5 miles...on a treadmill. well, i'm not going to lie - i ran AND walked intermittently 14.5 miles. it was supposed to be 15 miles, but i felt a serious need to get off the treadmill after they started playing "Anger Management" on the tv. also, the reason why i ran indoors was due to the rain that came through late friday/early saturday. i must say that running on a treadmill for that long is not fun.

the outlook for this weekend looks much better, so i guess the 16 miler should be a breeze! my main obstacle for the week -- thanksgiving day gorgefest. i'm pretty sure the holidays won't make it easy for me. i've also slacked off on keeping up with my morning drink cleanse. i don't know why, i've just been lazy to make it. need to get it going again.

as for everything else, it's pretty much the same. some good friends of mine just had their 2nd child, so very exciting news there. oh yes -- some developing news on my actual training -- i'm debating whether or not i should purchase new shoes moving forward. in the running world, this is serious business. your shoes are basically the one (most important!) piece of equipment that you need to succeed. so far, my current shoes (Under Armour) have been great, but i'm just not convinced they are best shoe for me. i guess i should talk to an expert....duh.

EZE

the slacker

i knew one of these weekends would get me. driving up to dallas, eating out, meeting with friends and an open bar wedding proved to be too much for me to fit in a 13 mile run. if u really think about...that's basically a 1/2 marathon. and if i recall during my previous two 1/2 marathons - i didn't go out the night before and eat chicken tikka masala with 2 beers and sleep at 1245am. no sir - most definitely not the training regimen of champions. unfortunately, the day prior to the marathon, my wife's best friend is getting married. i've already warned that i'm leaving at 930pm. it just wouldn't make sense to waste all the time training for one night of debauchery....at least not that particular night.

so, now that i've missed my long run from last weekend, i told myself that i would at least make up some of the loss by doing some more short runs this week. the weeks proposed schedule:

sun: cross
mon: rest
tues: 3 mil
weds: 7 mil
thurs: 4 mil
fri: rest
sat: 10 mil

i didn't do anything but drive back from dallas yesterday but eat like sh*t, so today i ran 4.5 miles during lunch and probably will do a cross training session tonight. the 7 miler doesn't look very appealing, but i think i'll be able to do it at night. saturday, i'll do 13 miles instead of 10.

truthfully, i must say that i feel that the training is helping quite a bit. this time last year, i was starting up hal's 1/2 marathon guide..... and my success rate to follow that guy was a supurb 15-20%. so u could imagine how much i struggled during 1/2 marathons. but last week - i ran 12 with fair ease...and felt good afterward.

gotta keep my focus and even though slip ups are bound to occur, i have to keep them at a minimum...

-EZE

up the mountain

this past saturday i ran 10 miles. i was supposed to do it the prior weekend, but i was drinking heavily in orlando so i was only able to do 5 then. 10 miles done, and for the next 10 weekends, i will be running no less than 10 miles on a saturday. needless to say, keeping my friday nights reserved for early dinners and resting.

a few obstacles ahead include: 2 weddings (coming this weekend and next) and thanksgiving and christmas holidays. respectively, i'm supposed to run 12, 13, 16, and 20 miles during those weekends. this doesn't include the 2-3 days of running during the mid week as well (which is now creeping upward!)

this weeks proposed training schedule:

sun: cross
mon: rest
tues: 3 mi
weds: 6 mi
thurs: 3 mi
fri: rest
sat: 12 mi

i rested on sunday and today, i did cross training. since i'm most likely going to cut out one day of running during the week, i'll probably cut thursday's run. my legs are thanking me for it as there is significantly less pain and recovery needed.

weight update: 147.5 this AM.... but i was 146 after my 10 mile run on saturday! i guess Denny's for brunch and Miyako Sushi for dinner doesn't help yesterday...

-EZE

no fun...

overall lately, i feel i've been in a bit of a gloomier than normal. i'm not sure what to make of it. work has been busier than normal, i'm starting to slack on my training, and i'm not as excited about much in general. this could be attributed to a few or combination of factors. my lack of sleep will catch up to me by midweek and before you know it, i have to do a long ass run.

this past weekend, i went on vacation with some friends. i was able to sneak in a 5mi and 3mi run. with the crowd i was with, that's actually quite impressive....especially considering how much i ate and drank. more surprisingly, i only gained maybe 1 lb over the whole trip. this is GOOD NEWS.

what i came back to at work is a whole other story. problems after problems just kept popping up and still haven't been resolved by the end of the day. i'm here now just hoping that tomorrow will be better. i have a 10mi run this weekend (since i didn't do it last wknd). i also have weddings to attend to over the next 3 wks. this means plenty of drinking, late nights, and probably money spent. great....just what i needed.

externally, i probably seem normal. internally, i just don't feel like my normal excited-self. like i'm just going through motions without much to look forward to.

i hope this feeling passes soon, cuz i hate to think that it would affect my training. running without seeing the benefit or reward can wreak mental havoc!

-EZE

shortcuts...

over the last 2 weeks, i've noticed a tightness the inner part of my lower left leg, just above the achilles, but below the main calf muscle. during my 3 mile run last night, i felt really good. when i started to cool down and walk, it was tight and had some pain. i have a feeling this may be something that could derail some training....especially since that most mornings lately, it has been very tight and i have to limp downstairs until it's somewhat stretched out. we shall see what happens.

training update: currently on wk 4

Sun - rest
Mon - 3 mil
Tue - cardio class
Wed - 4 mil
Thur - cardio class, 3 mil
Fri - supposed to rest today, but i'm probably going to do weight training
Sat - 9 mil anticipated

there is a 100% chance of rain today, so it could be a long dreaded treadmill run tomorrow morning..... but i feel it has to be done.

i was a little proud of myself last saturday during my 5 mile projected run, i decided to run the full 6 (memorial park is a 3 miles in diameter). it isn't much, but knowing me, i always try to find shortcuts or excuses to an easier training. mentally, i felt really good after the run, which is an indication that old Hal knows what he's talking about. this weekend will be my longest run so far in training, and i will check how my leg feels after that. i sincerely hope it isn't a slight fracture (which was my wife's nutty idea).....

-EZE

achievement

weight update - 145.5 lbs after breakfast, a 7 mile run, and then a banana and fruit smoothie. 10 lb initial goal - CHECK!!

agua, agua, agua

every person, article, or suggestion regarding losing weight has always had one common thread - drink plenty of water. water is the most important thing, it's makes up most of your body, blah, blah, blah. whether its drinking the suggested 8 glasses/day to keep you regulated, or even so-called diet weight loss pills that make u chug over a gallon/day, water has always been the constant between everything.

over the past few years, i cut down on sugary soda drinks, teas, etc. it wasn't necessarily for the weight loss, but rather, i just developed less desire for those types of drinks. water was always cheap and available and so everything works out, right? i'd have the occasional coke every now and then, and of course the more-than-occasional happy hours, but up to now i've drastically cut down on unhealthy beverages.

i've been putting down a good 70-80 oz of water daily for over a month. before that, i really only drank during meals. with my weight loss over the past month, i can be nothing short of a believer. i mean, water has no calories or no fat. it gets absorbed, then either pissed or you sweat out. i don't see the harm.

on a side note, i'm happy to see that some of those around me have joined in efforts to better themselves as well. though i don't think i could do some of the methods out there (BEYONCE MASTER CLEANSE!), i'm just happy that people are taking notice and doing something about it. after my month of losing weight, i'm happy that i've maintained the loss, but i'm still aiming toward the another 8 lb goal. high school skinny has never been so close...though i'm still 20 lbs removed from that weight...haha!

-EZ

EZE 3.0

it's not an easy thing to incorporate and embrace change. some people like it, while others flat out reject the thought. are we creatures of habit? do we like to do the same thing over and over again until perfect? or are we determined to make changes in our life to become better?

i texted a friend of mine that i rarely see or speak to anymore and checked how she was doing. given her personality, her answer back wasn't surprising, yet it still stuck in my mind: "just relaxing and still trying to figure out why we are here." she was convinced that human beings weren't meant to sit at computers all day...and to some extent, i agree.

as previously mentioned, when i turned 30 in june, i realized that my lifestyle needed a little change. slowly start to eat better and incorporate a little more exercise. so far, i've fared well and a lot of help goes to my wife for the support. we've kept up with the vow to avoid our beloved weekly chicken wing outing. i think we've only had them once in the last 4 months, and only because it was the one thing to eat at a friends gathering. i don't remember mentioning this before, but starting about 3-4 yrs ago, whenever i had wings for dinner (along with a few beers and fries), i had trouble sleeping at night. and it wasn't just a toss/turn uncomfortableness, but rather i started feeling very hot and greasy. i know, not attractive. but anyways, i would lie in bed and say to myself, 'man, i shouldn't have eaten wings tonight' while my wife would get annoyed. some may say it's not a big change, but i propose this: how many people can give up something they truly like and eaten every 1-2 weeks (for years)? it's not an easy thing to do.....man, i miss those wings.

yesterday, i ate a chili cheese hot dog and fries for lunch. i went back and got a second plate of chili cheese fries (it was free). look - no one is perfect!

i think for the most part, i'm off to a good start. long term, if i'm 40 and feel 30ish, then i'm doing my job. my entire 20's life was a party-like-a-rockstar binge fest. i made several piss poor attempts to work out, be active, and change.....all of which obviously failed.

my 3.0 life is here and if it takes several months to over a year to get me back to satisfaction, then so be it.

-EZ

full training...

it's been about 2 weeks since my last post. i want to say that i've been more busy than anything else, but truthfully, i just had a small case of blog writers block....if that were a term.

today marks 18 weeks from the official marathon day. i'm supposed to start Hal Higdon's (my choice) novice training guide which for week one looks like this:

M: rest
Tu: 3m run
W: 3m run
Th: 3m run
F: rest
Sa: 6m run
Su: cross train

I think ol' Hal was assuming that the person starting this 'novice' training is already in somewhat decent running shape. 6 miles on week one can be brutal for anyone who hasn't run very much. even though time is not an issue with this training, i'm still aiming to start keeping track of my mile splits. it would be something new to me since i never really watch the time, because i believe that the effect is mentally draining ("i've been running HOW LONG?!").

weight update: 146.5 this AM (no breakfast at the time). i think my metabolism is catching up! over the past 2-3 weeks since the end of the meal plan, i've mainly kept up with all meals and snacks, but i've eaten bad quite a bit as well. i took a vacation trip to philly where i admit that my diet was surely not under 1500 cals/day. i will give props to my wife - she kept me motivated to workout/run - while out of town.....something i never do on vacation.

so, i'm fairly proud of myself as i'm on the cusp of hitting my 10 lb initial goal. is it fair that i've already set another goal to hit 140? probably not, but with the marathon training (LOTS OF RUNNING) only set to increase in mileage over the next 4 months (week 15 is 40 miles total)....i don't see why i couldn't be high school weight once again (the latter years of course). according to the official BMI (body mass index) scale, i'm currently considered overweight. to be in the 'normal' zone, i need to be 132 or below. i highly doubt i'll be considered normal weight anytime soon!

i'm not promising to keep up 100% with the training guide i'm following. i will throw in a few modificiations every now and then, but i should at least get the long runs down.

-EZE

minor inconvenience

weight update: 149 lbs (after breakfast!)

after getting up a little late this morning, i ate breakfast and got ready in my normal fashion. the routine is actually quite cumbersome: snooze button a few times, get up, put on shorts, walk the dog, poop (the dog...and maybe me), feed dog, prepare/eat breakfast, lay out work and workout clothes, shower, clean ears, deodorant, get dressed, put on contacts, brush teeth, gel hair, put on cologne, put on hand lotion, blow nose, use allergy nasal spray, get wallet/phone/keys, attach blackberry to hip, put on right sock, then left sock, then right shoe, then left shoe, grab workout bag, walk downstairs, grab lunch/snacks in fridge, and walk to car, drive to work. whew. i've actually thought about my morning routine DURING my morning routine. it's pretty sad, but i'm not lying when i say this is 95% of what i do every weekday morning.

THIS morning, however, upon walking up to my car, i notice that there is a bunch of junk/papers all over both front seats. about 2 seconds later, i realized that my car was broken into. i looked quickly at the windows and didn't notice any glass broken. i looked at the door locks and they were open. could i have forgetten to lock the doors last night after coming back from the gym? there's no way - i'm usually very anal about stuff like that..... but i stood in amazement questioning myself. upon further investigation, i found glass in the rear seat. apparently, the thieves/vandals broke a small triangular vent window on the rear passenger door and reached in to unlock the door. i call them vandals instead of thieves because, well.... they didn't appear to steal anything. how can one steal if there is nothing of value TO steal?! i chuckled internally for a moment.

i screened the front seat area: old air freshener, 50 spf sunblock (generic brand), old lottery tickets, 2 prs of sunglasses. it was clear that my cheapy sunglasses weren't of any value to the suspects. i mean, who wants to take sunglasses worth less than $5?! i could see the vandals cursing themselves....."man, there ain't sh*t in this car!". everything that i could remember being there...was there. in the glove compartment, they took out all my honda maintenance paperwork and napkins. they LEFT my old radar detector! no cd's were taken and my trunk was unopened because i locked the switch from inside a few weeks ago when Hang wanted to stash her purse inside while we went to a bar/lounge. they couldv'e taken my bowling ball and workout tire if i hadn't done so! overall, i took some pictures of the area and moved about my business. i told the maintenance guy in our complex and when i got to work, i called the non-emergency line for the police to file a report. i'm set up for 7am tomorrow morning to pay $85 for the window replacement. probably going to eat IHOP while he's fixing the problem, then go run at memorial - 6 miles.

after a quick heat-of-the-moment panic, i stopped and realized that this ordeal is really minor and relatively comical. the car Gods are evening up my tallies from all the stupid crap i did back in high school to other people. i guess it's a little bit of karma. good thing i never killed anyone......right?! this morning, i watched news of a girl that was kidnapped at the age of 11 in 1991 reappear with her captors. 18 yrs in a backyard compound made up from tents, shrubbery, and extensions cords. she is very close to my age...with an 11 yr old education and 2 children bred from her sicko captor. those children have never been to school or a hospital. my thoughts on this are endless, but lets just say that i feel there are some people in this world that deserve a public beatdown. my $85 window and 2 hr inconvience is nothing.

so...an eventful friday so far. possible dinner at a friends tonight and early bedtime so i can get my errands done in the morning. maybe my good spirits will net me the texas lottery tonight or this weekend. i promise to keep updating (and running) if i win....

-EZ

mid week thoughts...

i need to post some more pictures of my progress after the meal plan. friends and family have stated my noticible weight loss...especially in my jelly belly area. positive reinforment is always good.

less than a week after ending the plan and my weight is at a solid 149. the 147.5 from saturday was a fluke in my mind, since i just ran 5 miles and easily saturated my clothing with sweat. i'm keeping up with the morning liver cleanse drink upon waking. a combination of two reasons: i feel it's actually doing it's job and i still had enough to keep going for another week. considering the 'benefits' of what it supposedly does... i figure that it can't hurt to keep it up for awhile. i mean, losing 7-8 lbs in 3 wks is a considerable amount for someone my size imo.

anyways, it was a little weird this morning when i found myself a giddy inside. i was thinking about the 6 miles i was going to run this coming saturday. could i possibly be excited to run? was i looking forward to getting up early and braving through the houston morning humidity?--which i guess is better than midday humidity. all i know is that i have to do it regardless. i guess it doesn't hurt that the marathon kickoff party will also be at memorial park handing out info on running groups and serving refreshments (read: BEER). who passes that up?

next week i have a planned vacay with the wifey. looks like austin and possibly dallas for 3 days. austin should bring us a little reminder of our engagement. should be a fun and relaxing trip, although vacays are hard on us. we tend to eat a lot and not do much exercise. we do a fair amount of walking, but it's never enough. i've made a personal reminder to actually use the hotel gym provided this time. i think they even have a pool, so it's even better.

very sleepy this morning for some reason.....
-E

embarrassment

quick update on weight: i hit 147.5 this past weekend after a 5 mile run. i still had good energy after the run which was great. congrats to me.

the 21 day meal plan is over and my wife and i decided that it's best to somewhat keep up with a healthier eating lifestyle. we agreed to buy breakfast foods and cook them on sunday to be available during the week in addition to making snacks for me to munch on during the day between meals. the first result this morning was great. turkey breakfast tacos with corn tortillas, egg whites, low fat cheddar cheese, and salsa. also boiled some red potatoes with seasoning to mix it up later in the week.

the meal this morning was a much better result than my disastrous quick dinner last night. in a bit of a rush, i had some chicken breasts thawing with the assumption i was going to cook 'chicken cooked in butter' from a recipe book i've had since my single living days. the recipe called for the use of flour, which i didn't have. so, in my quick-witted thinking, i said i would just bake the chicken in a lime and garlic marinade.

*quick background note - i would like to disclose that my wife and i are NOT cooks. since living together, we've maybe cooked 15-20 meals together in the last 2 1/2 yrs. we love food, just not the work that goes into it...sad.

anyways - i preheat the oven, squeeze the lime, and mash the garlic. i drizzle the marinade over the chicken that is resting on some foil in a shallow baking tray. after checking that the base of the chicken is surrounded by the juices, i place it in the oven to bake for around 30 mins. i heat up some green giant niblets corn as a side dish in the meantime. after confirming that the chicken was fully cooked, i neatly assembled everything on a dinner plate and set our normal places in front of the tv. over the next 10 minutes, i sat and ate the worst chicken i've ever had. i understand it's not hard to mess up chicken, but in my lack of cooking experience, i was able to do just that. it was dry, tasteless and bland. it looked like a poor pale chicken breast in desperate need of a tan. the chicken didn't even taste like....chicken. it had no taste. i was lucky that i dribbled the leftover marinade onto our plates. my wife hadn't said anything after a few bites over 5 minutes. her eyes were set on the tv watching food network. i had gone through about 3/4 of the large chicken breast before i stopped and blurted out, "this is the worst chicken i've ever had". Hang looks at me and laughs. i dunno if she wanted to be nice, but she smiles and says... "it is a little bland" and keeps eating. ugh. i told her i couldn't eat anymore and cut a few pieces for my dog and placed them in his bowl. to my amazement, Peanut ate up the chicken bites, but only after he had a few quick pick-up and drops to make sure it was up to his standard. great - i wondered.... how bad would this be if my DOG didn't even eat this?! a sigh of relief came after i noticed he consumed everything. i even forbid Hang to take a picture of it after she found my thoughts to be hysterical. there was no way i wanted to remember this meal, but unfortunately when you've had the 'worst' of something...forgetting about it is hard to do.

-E

runnin' ain't easy

i'm not into the full-fledged marathon training just yet, but sometimes i like to test where my body is at when it comes to some longer runs. after a days rest on sunday, i reluctantly decided to run at the gym rather than swim...which has been my main choice of workout lately. i've said it before; i loathe running, but i've gotta get out of the mindset and kick my ass in gear!

so i started on the treadmill on at 9:17/mile pace and surprisingly, i kept it going for 3.3 miles without hesitation and with light breathing and plenty of energy to left. i would have ran longer if the wifey didn't cut her workout to 30 mins max. anyways, i felt extremely good after the run which i hope affects my mental state of mind in the coming months. training for this marathon is not going to be easy by any means. i'm short, overweight, and my right knee tends to hurt after some workouts and runs. i'm taking double the amount of steps, compounded by the pressure of the extra lbs hammering at my joints. i read somewhere that when u run, at any given step, u are putting at least 3x the amount of weight on your joints, and if u jump straight up, u place almost 10x that amount. if i can lost 10 lbs...i could potentially be knocking off about 30lbs of force in each run step. that alone sounds good to me.

weight loss first....training starting next month. that's the plan.

-EZ

quick update

i hit 149 lbs at one point over the weekend on the scale. it was monumental, but short-lived. my 'cheat' meal from saturday has kept me at 150 for 2 days straight! it's my last week on the meal plan and my wife and i planned to buy healthier food to cook a few days out of the week starting next monday. the goal is still in sight...

ROCK ::::me:::: HARD PLACE

weight update: 151 lbs


for most of my adult life, i've been in the upper 150's in weight. the peak being around 167 lbs in my cheap-beer drinking and glutton-fest known as my first disney internship in 2002. it was definitely fun, but heavy-breathing times. at one point in 2007, i gained 8 lbs over a 2 week period. needless to say, not one of my finer moments.

i haven't seen a scale display 149 in at least over 10 yrs....the closest being at my current 151, same as my wedding weight last april. i worked out heavily twice/day during that time for the prior 2 months, though i still was eating junk food and drinking alcohol more than occasionally. burning calories > intake calories. it's simple math when u really think about it. this time around is a little different. i'm on this meal plan to eat better while doing moderate exercise. vigorous 2-a-day workouts aren't practicle. and while i have been losing weight, i'm still waiting in anticipation to see the digital scale to read '149.5' at some freakin' point. the past 3 mornings, i've gotten up straight out of bed just to check and it's still the same old straight up 150. though my 'official' weight is 151 after breakfast and my liver cleanse, since that was how i weighed myself on day 1. everything should be fairy measured right?

well... i think the mental aspect of getting over (or under for this matter) that hump of the hellish 150 is killing me. i just NEED to see it, then maybe i can just move forward and start shedding more weight without great anticipation. i often wonder what my joyful and gay expression would be when i finally could hit that initial target. my overall goal prior to all out marathon training is still 10 lbs... so in the end i would need to be at 145, but for some reason, i think my scale has it out for me.

damn....i sound like an old, whining fat lady.

-E-

chugging along...

weight update: 152 lbs.

nothing new happening. i've stuck to the diet 99% as i probably overate a little during my 'cheat' meal on saturday. one cheat meal per week and it happens to land on the night a friend is having a bday dinner....at a brazilian steakhouse (basically buffet style). ugh. went to a lounge afterward and i refrained from drinking. pretty hard to do when u have every person in your group trying to get u to take one sip of tasty goodness.

if i veer from the meal plan/liver cleanse, then i have no one else to blame but myself, right? i can't make an excuse that the plan sux or doesn't work.. it would be my own selfishness. in any case, i didn't falter.

mental note: GET BETTER SLEEP aka SLEEP EARLIER!

-E-

minor injuries

last night i played in the finals of the sportsmonkey sand volleyball league that's been ongoing weekly over the last two months. during the last game, i sprinted and dove for a ball in an attempt to save from falling..... in doing so, i felt a very strong tightening sensation in my left calf muscle. i laid there for a few moments to let the soreness wear off. although i knew it wasn't something serious, it was also something that i shouldn't take lightly. stretched it out a little and lost the match in the end... boo!

before going to bed, i felt my calf tighten up even more in my normal gait. i've decided to take it easy on my 'early' running training the next few days. yesterday i ran two miles during lunch and i don't plan on doing heavy running for at least a week. i haven't ran any long distance over 5 miles since the 1/2 marathon this past january. the upcoming months should be interesting.

i've been lucky (knock on wood!) enough my whole life to never have been sidelined due to a serious injury. i'm greatful that i never broke a bone, torn muscle/ligaments, or experience head trauma. the one time i can remember was getting hit in the mouth during my 2nd grade kids-pitch little league baseball game. i never missed any time, but it put fear into playing the next season...for both my parents and myself. i often wondered what i would be like to train for something for a long period of time, only to have the goal taken away because of something out of my control. i'm sure the devastation and initial feelings would be strong, but i think my personality is such that could handle bad news and move on. i just hope it never comes to that point...

today's meal plan:
breakfast - migas
snack 1 - 2 snack tacos
lunch - hawaiian chicken
snack 2 - 2 snack tacos
dinner - beef tenderloin w/veggies

i don't think i've ever eaten so much chicken, fruit and veggies in one week. it's most definitly for the better. i'm never super full, but i'm never extremely hungry either which i guess is the point of eating 5 times/day. hooray for healthier eating!

E

21 Days

as i mentioned in my first post, i started a meal plan that will last 21 days. the company is called My Fit Foods and they are located in various areas in houston, most being in upscale neighborhoods. it was created by an ex marine who became a local fitness and health guru...i believe his name is Mario. site here: http://www.myfitfoods.com/

i found out about the company from doing a 515am boot camp workout last month with some people from my work. a rep who knew our trainer brought some sample breakfasts and explained the benefits of doing a 21 day program. guys were typically expected to lose 8-10 lbs if they follow the diet and work out on a regular basis. after a few fellow testimonials from upper level execs in the class - i decided to give it a try.

first off - this is not a cheap program. you get 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. you start by eating a larger breakfast and progressively eat every 3 hrs after that rotating snacks and meals. there is also a 'liver cleanse' drink that you make first thing in the morning. i bought all of the ingredients which consists of water, unsweetened cranberry juice, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. not great tasting, but it wasn't as bad as what their packet warned. i went into this program with the agreement from my wife that she would cooperate and not try to steer me away to eat out over 3 wks. the avg cost per day for the meals is around $30 (catered to my size/portions). 30 x 21 = 610. yikes. i do however get 20% off the first week as a promo for my company. my wife and i figured that if we don't go out to eat on the weekends as we normally do, then the total amount wasn't much higher than our normal monthly spending for junk food and restaurants. she's been a great support...coupling the fact that she gets to chow down on the stuff i normally don't like to eat (fish paste?!).

meals/snacks - the meals and snacks come in prepackaged microwavable plastic containers which are sized small, med, and large. i was given medium meals and small snacks. the food is apparently cooked and prepped on certain days of the week, packaged, refrigerated, and good for 4-5 days if stored cold. microwave for 1 1/2 mins and your meal is ready to go. being as skeptical as i am, i wasn't expecting much in terms of taste. fortunately, i was proven wrong. my first breakfast were breakfast tacos - three decent sized corn tortillas filled with 4:1 egg white ratio, ground turkey, diced onions, and low fat cheddar cheese. the nutrition consultant (salesperson) said i could add a little salsa if desired. they were a little dry without salsa, but nonetheless a good meal. my first four days of food are pictured above...

i'm on Day 4 and it's 930am - i'm actually eating a Chocolate Almond Patty snack as i type. as i'm calculating my daily caloric intake (every container has the food statistics conveniently on an outside label), i see that i'm taking in around 1500 cals/day while getting an enormous amount of protien. i used to eat 1500 cals in ONE horribly satisfying, yet fat-laden Whataburger meal. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT is stated in their packet of information. ugh.

i'm finding that the basic principle of this program is not a quick money maker for the company, but overall wellness and education to be aware of what you are eating and when u should eat it. you don't have to stop eating bad food, just eat it less often. by eating 5 well balance meals throughout the day is much better than eating 2-3 meals, even if they are low in calories. 2-3 meals will spike your energy levels, which comes with the downfall of a crash in energy later. the 5 meals keeps your body on a consistent supply of fuel. there's even a little diagram in their packet which should impress the layman. basic science never seemed so....interesting.

turning 30 last month made me think a little bit. i really should be in the best shape of my life at this age. typical athletes peak at around 30 with their experience and work ethic...why can't i be the same? even if i can't follow this phase 100% of the time moving forward, at least i can say that i've tried and experienced it. and who knows.... the littlest of change may bring suprising results...


plenty more to come,
-E

intro...

on july 17th i signed up for my first full marathon that will be held in january 2010. though i have ran half marathons the past 2 years, i am by no means a long distance runner. avg time was 11:30/mile and 10:30/mile, respectively. it has been a goal of mine to complete a marathon during my lifetime, and having just turned 30 yrs of age, why not now?

this blog is being created so i can keep track and monitor my progress as i move forward. i'm not telling anyone that i'm publishing this other than my wife. if someone stumbles upon it accidentally, so be it. here's a quick breakdown of information, goals i've set, thoughts, etc:

- link to site: http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/Marathon/index.cfm

- course map: http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/Upload/documents/2010%20Course%20Map.pdf

- height: 5'1", weight: 156 lbs....current status: NEARING OBESITY (damn height/weight ratio)

i have a personal goal to lose at least 10 lbs before starting full training in september. i've actually had a goal to lose 10 lbs for the past 10 yrs.

- in addition to above, most of the posts this month will be regarding the 21 day meal plan i started with a local nutrition company. 3 weeks of complete meals, snacks, and supplements all day, every day. i will admit it is fairly pricey, but if i'm able to lose the weight, then i figure to be able to keep it off once marathon training starts. today is actually day 3 of the meal plan. i wanted to start this blog last week to get my thoughts together, but unfortunately time did not allow.

- marathon goal time of 4hrs - 4:30 hrs. this is a VERY lofty goal considering i typically don't keep track of my mile splits and my 1/2 marathon times were not close to this kind of pace. i actually ran just to finish, but considering the heavy mental aspect of running 26.2 miles, i think i may have to do some pace monitoring.

back to work for me. i will post some pics and update soon.