5 Days to next 5K

So I have 5 days until my next 5K. This one will take place in Las Vegas! Its the Midsummer Night Dream 5K\10K . This is the race I have been training for the past 3 months. Just think, 3 months ago I couldn't even run a mile and now I am running my second 5K in 2 weeks! Feels pretty good! The only thing I am worried about is the heat. I mean come on, it is Vegas in the middle of the summer. I looked at the forecast for Saturday, 102 degrees. Nice! yeah right. Good thing I am only doing the 5K and not the 10K. So tomorrow I am going to change my training plan a little and bike tomorrow as planned but run 3.5 miles on Wednesday becuase I am working during the day on Thursday and won't have any time to run.

This past weekend was the Blessing of the Fleet in Narragansett. This is a huge weekend event in the town and it is kicked off by a 10 mile road race and seafood festival. A few of my friends ran in the race. I wish I could have been there to cheer them on. Next year I will be running in the race. I'll have to put that on my goal list! I guess I should get ready for the biathlon first.

Slacking

Ok I have been slacking on my posts. But it has been a rough couple of days with my daughter waking up at 12:30 and not going back to sleep until 2:30am, then waking up at 5:30 with my son and on and on. But I have managed 2 runs so far this week.

So I have developed a training schedule to get me ready for the 17th Annual Shoreline Biathlon which will be held on September 16, 2007. It is a 5 mile run and a 16 mile bike. Since I have not ran 5 miles and probably only rode my bike 16 miles once, I created a structured schedule that incorporates a gradual increase in time in both running and biking. I figured with this training schedule instead of going for a certain distance I would put in times for both areas for the given day. With 7 weeks to train for this event, I should be able to finish with a decent time.

Today I hit 228 for my lowest weight so far. My goal of 220 before myVegas trip might not happen, but 225 or so will do just fine. I figure by the biathlon I should be around 215 - 210. Hopefully by tomorrow I can lose 1 more pound to 227 and that would put total weight loss at 40 lbs! We'll see!

First 5K!!!

What a great race today! My first 5K done and over with. It was a good event. I would say there was about 300 people there. I started at the back of the pack to let all the fast people go ahead of me. Well lesson 1, don't start all the way in the back. it took me a good 20sec to even start running, then I had to watch out for people slower then me, what a traffic jam. So next time I'll start in the middle. My goal for this race was to come in under 32mins. I figured a little over 10 min mile pace would be a good goal.

The first mile was good. It took me a while to get a good pace going for myself. It was differant to me seeing people on the side of the road cheering and handing out water. I grabbed a cup of water and tried to take a sip but half of it went up my nose. Guess I need to work on that.
First mile done in 9min 55sec.

The second mile was pretty more of the same. I took a 45sec walk break to catch my breath and give my legs a rest. After the break I was ready to go again, feeling nice and refreshed.

Heading into the final mile we turned the corner and there I saw Kim, Brady and Reese. It was great to see them there, cheering for me, even though once Brady saw me he wanted to run to me. The final mile felt like it took forever. But at the turn around I picked up my pace a little bit and when I saw the finish line I ran as hard as I could.

Final time: 31:03min @ a 10min mile pace.

Lessons learned:
1. Pee before the start of the race.
2. Dont start in the back of the pack
3. Leave it all on the road, you can rest when you cross the finish line.

Now I can't wait for the Vegas 5K. That will be alot of fun!

Race is on for Saturday

Well I signed up for the Celebrate Summer 5k that will take place in Snug Harbor. I am kinda nervous already about the race. I know I can finish the race. I just need to do it! So now for the next few days I need to prepare myself for it. So since I will be working until midnight on friday, I will get as much sleep as I can before work on Friday.

As for training, I ran 3.6 miles today with one, 1 minute walk. My main reason for signing up for the race is becuase of the distance run today. Plus, I found a $20 bill on the ground while running so I kinda took that as a hint to run the race. The run felt good. I find if I concentrate on my breathing helps me not think about my legs getting tired and other things. For some reason the first mile seems harder then the other 2 miles. Plus the walk break works wonders!

Well now I have my first race coming up and I can't wait.

Do I or Don't I

For the past week I have been thinking about running the Celebrate Summer 5k in Snug Harbor. I know I can run the race and finish, but how well I do at the run is questionable. Maybe I should just do it. I was checking the times from last years race and it seems like I at least won't be last. I will think about it over night and talk it over with Kim to see if we have any plans for that morning.

So today I took a nice long bike ride around town and up the bike path to the train station. In all I logged a little over 14 miles. I definately need a road bike, or at least a mountain bike that fits me to make the long rides a bit easier.

Long Term Goals

I have been thinking for the past few weeks what my long term goals should be. The past few months I have been meeting my short term goals:

• Hit 229, my lowest weight since getting out of the navy
• Running 20 minutes without stopping
• Running 3 miles
• After almost 2 months I finally got my pool clean and clear, no green!!!

So I thought I will make a list of long term goals and a new list of short term.

Short Term - 2 months:

• Run my first 5K in Vegas
• Lose 20 more lbs
• Run 5 miles
• Bike 25 miles

Long Term - 3 months to a year:

• Hit 190lbs
• Run 10 miles
• Bike 40 miles
• start a swimming program
• Train for my first Sprint Triathlon.

The Sprint Triathlon will be my ultimate goal for next year. I think by this time next year I will be ready to complete a sprint tri and not totally suck while doing it. Oh yeah, probably buy a new bike in the next few months too. I don't think riding 25 miles on a mountain bike is to much fun.

Long 4th of July Week

Well the 4th of July has come and gone.... GOOD! It has been rough for the past week trying to stay on my "Diet" and not eat to much bad stuff. From my birthday on the 1st, the 4th of July and my 6th year wedding anniversary(Went on a Breakfast buffet cruise in Boston, lots of good food and desserts!) on the 8th, I gained 3 lbs and now weigh 232. So I am going to spend the next week trying to lose the weight I gained and jump back into my training schedule.

So for the past few months I have been eating powerbars before my bike rides or runs. So today I thought of trying those Cliff bars. Damn are they good!!!!! I almost felt guilty eating one. I had the Chocolate chip one and it was so good. So from now on its CLiff Bar all the way!

Today I ran a little under 2 miles, 2.7. I struggled with the first mile or so. It was probably do to the heat. By mile 2 I was soaked from sweat and couldn't wait for the run to end. So I pushed myself until the end of my run.

For food:
Breakfast: bowl of wheaties
Snack: a little slice of heaven called Chocolate Chip Cliff Bar
Lunch: small piece of pork chop
Snack: handful of peanuts
supper: turkey sandwich on Pumpernickel
snack: either some lite peaches or a yogurt.

Later!

First 3 Miles!!!!!

My first 3 miles! It felt great! I decided to run through town today instead of the side road I have been running on. I figured running through town would give me more to look at and keep my mind off of running, breathing, leg pain..... After 2 1/2 months of training I finally ran the 3 miles. Now I feel I am ready to run a 5K, even if I only ran 3 miles once. I felt strong in today's run. Now I am going to build on these 3 miles and get myself ready for the Hot 5k in Vegas in August.

Feels good to accomplish one of my goals!!!!!

Hello

I think I am going to sign up for 13th. Annual Celebrate Summer 5K Road Race that will be held on July 21. I have been feeling really good about my running and I think I can finish the race. Its a local event and I know the roads so it shouldn't be to hard. I really want to see how far I have progressed in these past few months.

I have thinking about my long term goals and the one I have been thinking about the most is doing a sprint tri sometime next year. I think in another year I would have enough training for me to accomplish a sprint triathlon. I figure for the rest of this summer i will work on running and bike and during the winter I will start on the swim. I can swim, but not that far, maybe 50 yards without stopping. So by the end of the winter I will start to incorporate all 3 areas and by this time next year I will be ready to go.

2miles on the Road

Today was another hot day, but wasn’t as hot as yesterday. So this morning I decided that I would do a 2 mile run on the road today. To be honest, the treadmill is getting kinda boring. So after 2 circuits on the Nautilus machines I headed out for the run. Before I even got to the Y I drank almost a whole bottle of Gatorade and ate a powerbar. So I started the run and it wasn’t long for my shirt to be soaked. It was hot but I was feeling good. At the end of the first mile (basically the turn around at the end of the road) I was a little winded but my legs felt good. But as soon as I turned around to head back to the Y I was really starting to breathe harder and my legs started to get tired. So I thought about what I have been reading in a lot of other’s training blogs about walking during races to give your body a little rest and to catch your breath. Let me tell you it works. I timed my self and only walked for 1 minute, but that minute made all the difference. I started to run again and for the rest of the run, I wasn’t winded at all and my legs felt great. So for that reason I pushed a little further then 2 miles. Overall it was a good run. Time: 21:20 for just over 2miles. The pace was around 5.9 which is faster then I am used to on the treadmill.

My weight is down to 231. So close to the 220’s! I can’t wait to hit that 229 mark.

Later!

Very Hot Out Today

Today was a very hot day. I picked today to be a rest day for myself. But even though it was hot, I thought I would take a bike ride to the kid's daycare and drop some stuff off. So drank 2 glasses of water, filled my bottle with Gatorade and jumped on the bike. I didnt even get to the end of the road and my shirt was soaked. Reese was eating her mac and cheese that I made for her lunch. She was so cute sitting there. So I dropped off all her little snacks, gave her a kiss on the head and went on my way. I was going to see Brady, but I kinda figured he would flip when I left, so I just peeked in and saw him playing.

So after I left Daycare, I went down onto Main Street in Wakefield and sat on a bench under a tree next to the river and ate a powerbar. The vanilla crisp powerbar is actually pretty good!
After that I just took a nice ride thru town, around Old Mountain Field and back to the house. I was well tired after I got back. During the ride, I didn't push myself at all. It was just nice to get out and enjoy the day. Tomorrow its back to the Y!!

I jumped on the scale today and it read something I haven't seen since before I was married, 231.5. Wow! I just feel so good these past couple of weeks. And to see my weight drop to almost 230 is such a confidence boost.

Breakfast: bowl or Wheaties
Snack: Powerbar
Lunch: Roast beef sandwich
Snack: Handfull of peanuts
Supper: Lean Cusine Pizza
Snack: Fat Free Yorgurt

See Ya!

June 26

All night last night I was looking forward to today's workout. Its pretty cool knowing the I can't wait to workout. That might be strange to some people, but working out is fun. I went to the Y early today since Kim was home from work. When I got there I did a quick circuit on the Nautilus equipment and then jumped on the stationary bike for a quick 10 min ride to loosen up. Then jumped on the treadmill for my 2 mile run at a 1.5 incline and 5.6rpms. While running it helps to listen to my mp3 player and watch TV. Keeps my mind off of the running. I think it was last week that I forgot my MP3 player and the only treadmill available was looking out the window and the whole time all I could think about is my breathing, how my knees felt, can I go the distance. It really was a pain!!! Anyways, after the treadmill I jumped on the Eliptical for 4 miles at level 8 for 30 minutes. Overall another great workout!!!!!

I have been thinking about signing up for the Shoreline Biathlon taking place in Westerly, RI. Its a 5 mile run and a 16 mile bike in September. I have my reservations about signing up since it is 5 miles and I haven't even run 3 miles yet. But it is about 3 months away. So I will be thinking about it for the next few weeks. There is another road race I was going to sign up for that takes place at the end of July, the Snug Harbor Celebrate Summer 5K walk/run Road Race. I was thinking that it would be a good test for me to see how well I can run this 5K before the Vegas 5K. I will think about this one also!

Later!

Back on Track

So since last Thursday things have been quite busy. My father was up from Florida for the week and we had alot of plans for Friday and the weekend. Friday my brother, my dad and myself tried to go fishing but the motor for my boat would start to overheat if I went above 4000RPMs and the chop was bad. So it justed ended up being a nice boat ride. That night we meet up with my Uncle and went to Mohegan Sun in Ct until 2:00am. The next day we had a small little bbq for my father. It turned out to be lots of fun, great food and great company! That night we all went to a bar in Westerly to hear my brothers band play. Again another late night. Sunday was basically a recovery day. Took the kids on a little walk to a playground, the went out to eat at the local seafood resturant with Kim, Dad and my uncle. Then for the rest of the day we just hung around the house and didn't really do anything.

Today it was back to the weight loss, 5K training. I decided that I would ride my bike to the Y and then continue on to Narragansett beach. It was hot today so before I left, I drank 2 glasses of water. The Y is about 2 miles away with a few little hills. It was a quick ride, but the heat was slowing me down a bit. Once at the Y I just jumped on the first treadmill I could find and ran 2 miles, 1.5 incline in 21 mins. The run seemed easy. I think the bike ride to the Y warmed up my legs. Cool!

After the run, I jumped onto my bike and went down to the beach. Stopped at a market and picked up a bannana and a powerbar which I ate sitting on the wall that was overlooking Narragansett Beach. By the time I got home, my legs were aching. Today was the first time I combined running and riding.

After the long weekend, I am back on track!

Breakfast: Advantage shake
Snack: bannana and a powerbar during the ride
Lunch: bowl of Wheaties
Snack: handful of wheat thins
Supper: Turkey sandwich on Pumpernickel

June 21

So far today has been a good day. I would have slept until 6:30 this morning but my wife calls me up and tells me she is going to be on the radio at 5:50 this morning. At least she won some movie passes, Go honey!

Working on 5 ½ hours of sleep my energy level was kind of low. I had to be at work early today so I really didn't have time to do a full workout. So I went to the YMCA and completed 2 circuits on the nautilus equipment and then jumped on the treadmill for 2 miles. Not a complete workout but still felt good! Running 2 miles has been getting easier and easier. Next week I am going to push for a consistent 2 ½ miles each time I run. I am hoping by the end of the first week in July I would have run 3 miles on the treadmill at least once. I think a month of running 3 miles from the treadmill to the road is enough for me to finish the 5K in Vegas.

As for food, this morning I ate a half a bowl or Wheaties and a banana, mid morning snack was a handful peanuts. For lunch I had a fat free yogurt and a ham and turkey wrap with lettuce, tomato, green pepper and mustard. For dinner tonight I will have a salad and probably another yogurt. For a snack this evening I will munch on some sunflower seeds while I sit in front of my computer.

The scale read 233.5 this afternoon.

Later!

For the First Entry

For my first entry I would like to say that since I have started working out and losing all of this extra baggage that I have been carrying around, I have never felt better! After the Navy I started packing on the pounds. Through school and after Kim and I got married, the pounds keep coming. For the past couple years I have battled with so many different weight loss diets. For me, no matter what diet I was on, I just never really had my heart set on losing weight, and i would fall off the wagon just months into the programs. I felt safe and secure with my weight and the way I look. Then my Brady was born 2004 (the year the Sox took the Series!), then Reese in 2006. After they were born, I knew I needed to control my weight.

Around the end of September, early October I started going back the the gym and watching what I was eating. After a month I went from 267 to 255, a loss of 12lbs. Started feeling good about how my mind was totally committed this time about losing weight and getting fit! Then in the 2nd week of November I suffered a minor herniated disk in my lower back. Not what I needed. Stayed in the hospital for 2 days, couldn't even walk the first day. This was a major setback. After 2 weeks of not doing anything and eating what I wanted, all weight came back.So I started going back to the YMCA, maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I really felt like this was my time to get a hold of myself and just bust out!

As of today I weigh 235 and feel so good about myself and what I have accomplished so far. I am running almost 2 miles a day and started riding my bike again. I probably feel better then I have since my Navy days. I have been setting small weight loss goals for myself, but the ultimate goal is 190.

Currently I am training for my first 5K which I will be running in Las Vegas on August 5th. I am meeting up with Mark, Naret and Tree in Vegas for the weekend so I thought why not run a race there. Yes I know it will be hot but I like the challenge!

Well I hope you enjoy reading this Super Happy Fitness Journal of mine.

Shawns Photo