Still Waiting for the Runner's High

Treadmill and crunches = good combo

2012-02-01T22:46:00.003-05:00

I wouldn't go so far as to say I've "fallen into a routine," but I've noticed that I tend to naturally follow my treadmill C25K runs with 60-80 Swiss ball crunches. It works out pretty well, and I'm in and out of the gym in less than 45 minutes. And I feel great when I'm done!

I finished Week 3 of C25K today. Less than 60 days now until the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. Honestly I don't know if I'll be up to 10 miles by then. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle it from a cardiovascular standpoint, but I'm still just worried about doing too much too soon and getting another stress reaction in my metatarsals, like I did back in aught-nine. But we will see how I feel a couple weeks before the race; if I can't handle it, I'll drop down to the 5K and shoot for 30 minutes. :-) (OK, 35 minutes.)

Today's C25K didn't feel quite as easy as a couple days ago -- my body is likely still rebuilding from the 9 mph I threw at it! -- but I did keep the treadmill between 6 and 7.5 mph on the running portions, I didn't have too much tightness, and I felt pretty good overall. It's still hard to believe that in just two weeks I'll theoretically be running 20 minutes without stopping! That's what the program calls for anyway. We'll see if that happens.

I'm not sure exactly how high my pulse got while running, but just after finishing the last 3 minute run it was around 170. Yesterday I ordered a Polar heart rate monitor, so starting with my next run I will be able to monitor my heart rate continuously over the treadmill. I enjoy heart-rate training, as it lets me know quite naturally when I should pull back, and when I can push harder.

My new job starts tomorrow and I am super pumped... it's back to a journalist's life for me! I won't be able to workout tomorrow, and maybe not Friday either, but I will hit it again on the weekend and I'll try to figure out a way to incorporate fitness into my daily routine once I actually have to leave for work every day by 8:30!

(Say what you want about unemployment, but I will miss the lazy mornings and 11 am workouts.)

Here's a picture from today between sets on the Swiss ball! Good runs + good crunches = happy Matt!

9.0 mph ACTUALLY EXISTS on a treadmill

2012-01-31T03:37:00.005-05:00

Tonight, in an attempt to make my cardiovascular system capable of running 10 miles without stopping just two months from now, I flung myself down to the gym, where I set the treadmill to a 1% incline and proceeded to do Week 3 of Couch to 5K.

Here's the news: I started my first running segment (90 seconds) at about 5.8 mph, but I was feeling good and quickly pushed it up to 6.2 mph. Did the second running segment (3 minutes) at 6.5. Third running segment (90 seconds) zipped along fairly easily at 7 mph. Fourth and final running segment (3 minutes) started at 7, but my footfalls weren't keeping up with Aerosmith's beat, so I pushed it up to 8. Now I was barely keeping up with the beat, but I still felt like I could do more...

For the first time in my life, I pushed the treadmill up to 9 mph!

I kept it there for over 30 seconds before my body forced me to pull back. I quickly dropped down to 8, 7, 6, and finished the last 30 seconds with a 5.5 jog.

The key takeaway here is not just I managed run at 9 mph for half a minute and not go shooting off the back of the belt (that's a 6:40/mile pace!), but also that my speeds were generally off the chart the whole time. Except for that part at the end where I really pushed myself... it was all so... easy! When has 7 mph EVER been easy? Sure, I didn't hold it for very long - just 90 seconds - but just a few weeks ago, even holding a 5.5 mph jog for 90 seconds was treacherous. I felt like I was going to die. And today it was EASY!

Is this all just a quick reaction to a bit of applied exercise? Sure that's part of it, but I think there's more: For one, my diet today was pretty clean. I started with a spinach florentine bagel with butter, and coffee. With butter, cream, and sugar, we're probably close to 700 calories. So far not so good, but after that, the next thing I ate was a wild rice mix with grilled chicken breast and sauteed walnuts! It was positively delicious, and probably no more than 600 calories. A few hours later, I had some whole wheat pasta with three turkey hot dogs: 500 calories, perhaps. And throughout the day, I had been partaking of sweet Honeybell oranges. Add 200 calories for the juice and fiber.

All told, before I went out running at 9, I had consumed about 2000 calories for the day, most of them pretty solid grains and protein. My body had no gooey cheese to contend with, no disgusting deep fried BLECH to clog the veins. I was appropriately fueled and my body had rebuilt itself from the last time, and I was ready to go.

(Oh, and due to frequent massages with The Stick, my calves didn't tighten up at all.)

For the first time in years, a really good run! To cap off a really good day. I might just make this 10 Miler after all.

--

Addendum: Upon reviewing the archives, I am shocked to learn that tonight's experience is about exactly where I was, cardiovascularly, in 2003 -- nine years ago! Take a look at my 2003 description of a treadmill run. I wasn't knowingly using the C25K program, but my method -- run till my pulse hits 170, walk till my pulse hits 130, rinse and repeat -- is essentially exactly what I'm doing now. Wow! This means that I might be in just as good shape as I was when I was 23; I just have a little extra padding around the middle, that's all!

Sickness derails fitness: NEWS AT ELEVEN

2012-01-27T23:55:00.002-05:00

Ah, January 16. I remember it well. As readers of this blog may recall, I worked out harder than I had in years. I warmed up with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike, then did an intense upper body workout, and THEN did a bunch of running on the treadmill. I got the speed up to 8 mph at one point. I felt exhausted, and amazing.

But there's something I neglected to mention in my last post. You see, while I was running I felt great, but right afterward, I felt a tightness in my chest. It wasn't a heart attack or anything, but it did feel kind of hard to breathe. I've never really had asthma, but it felt kind of like what I thought asthma might feel like. I came home and Googled "exercise-induced asthma." Such a thing exists, so I chalked it up to that, and vowed to take it a little bit easier in the future.

Then, calamity: Over the next week, I got very sick. My main symptoms? Fatigue... and chest congestion. It turns out that while I was KILLING myself at the gym, my body was also trying to fight off a bug that has been going around DC, and which has cleared all the DC-area drug stores of every formulation of Mucinex. By working out so hard, I inadvertently compromised my immune system.

I fell off the wagon. I couldn't exercise, and because I was sick, I decided it was okay to treat myself with some of the foods I love.

When you go to the gym every day, and exercise hard, and eat well, you build up a momentum and it is easy to keep it going. You always have energy and you WANT to exercise! You WANT to eat nutritious foods! You just naturally want to build on success. Your body has no desire to consume pizza and donuts, because it will just make it harder to exercise, and it will undo the very real gains you are making at the gym.

The flip side is also true. Once you fall off the wagon, it's really hard to get back on. The momentum is lost. It sucks, and it's hard to get started again.

And I don't even want to think about how much pizza I've eaten over the last week. And donuts. Ohhh the donuts.

I know what happened, I know what I did wrong, and in the future if I feel myself coming down with something, I will take it really easy until I know I'm in the clear. I've had almost two weeks off, and my diet has been horrible, and the scale reflects that. Now it's time to get back on the wagon. It will be hard for a few days...

But then it will be easy again.

The Hardest Workout in YEARS

2012-01-17T00:52:00.005-05:00

I don't have a lot of time because I want to go to sleep, because I am exhausted, because of what I am about to discuss. Today I was at the gym for two hours and I pushed myself harder than I have in years. I started with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike to warm up (getting my pulse up around 150), then did about an hour's worth of upper body resistance training, and THEN to follow that up, I decided to do one of the Couch-to-5K Week 2 programs. This means I was walking for about 15 minutes, interspersed with 9 minutes of running for 90 seconds each. And this wasn't just any running. It went something like this:

Walk 5 minutes
Run 90 seconds at 5.5 mph
Walk 2 minutes
Run 90 seconds at 6.0 mph
Walk 2 minutes
Run 90 seconds at 6.5 mph
Walk 2 minutes
Run 90 seconds at 6.5 mph with 1% incline
Walk 2 minutes
Run 90 seconds at 7.2 mph with 1% incline
Walk 2 minutes
Run 90 seconds at 7.5-8.0 mph with 1% incline

During that last run, when I pushed the treadmill up to 8 mph and held it there for at least a minute before I "dropped it down" to 7.5 (normally "dropping it down" would be to 4.5 or 5!)... just WOW. I felt incredibly invigorated. My arms were pumping. And I absolutely could not have gotten through it without Aerosmith.

Another cool thing is that I took my pulse right after the final run, and it was just a little over 160. I wasn't even in my top 10% heart rate zone!

And when I learned that, I realized something pretty awesome: I don't know if I'll be able to train myself to run the 10 Miles on April 1st, but I have no doubt I'll at least be able to run the 5K. And not in 42 minutes like 4 years ago, either. I've got 74 days left till the race. I haven't even begun to fight!

Mmm dinner

My food today was equally healthy:

Chocolate protein shake and banana (500 cal, 44g protein)
Grilled chicken with whole wheat pasta and sauteed peppers (~700 cal, 40g protein)
Vanilla protein shake with skim milk (500 cal, 54g protein)

TOTAL: 1700 calories, 138g protein

I know, that's pretty low calorie-wise, but I just haven't been hungry. Whole grains and slow-digesting protein powder keep me pretty full.

The scale has been hovering around 210 lately but I'm convinced 208 is at my doorstep!

--
Addendum, 7:50 am - 208.4!!!

Regrets and Rebounds

2012-01-13T01:21:00.001-05:00

I did a bad thing. On Sunday night, after eating well all week and losing weight, I decided it would my "Free Day" (a la Body for Life), and I treated myself to a major eating binge. MAJOR. I ate basically a large stuffed crust meat lover's pizza from Pizza Hut, AND an order of cinnamon sticks with extra icing.

It was tasty. I felt like I was getting away with something. I went to sleep, fully intending to get right back on track in the morning.

When I woke up on Monday, I literally felt like I had a hangover. I could feel my body trying to fight all the poison I had fed it. I was dizzy and nauseous and lethargic all day. Even the next day, I still felt out of it. I slowly got back on the healthy eating wagon, but it wasn't until Wednesday that I finally felt like myself again.

That's the bad news. The good news is that I came back to the light. For the last couple days I've been eating clean, and working out hard. On Wednesday I did 20 minutes on the recumbent bike, a bunch of heavy leg presses, and 60 Swiss ball crunches! Today I did week 2 of "Couch to 5K," putting the treadmill on a 1% incline, and toward the end I had pushed my speed up to 7, 7.5, and then 8 mph! My pulse shot up over 180, but I felt great, and I could have kept going, and I could have pushed it even faster. And, even more amazingly, my calves didn't tighten up at all! I have been massaging them regularly, but I was still surprised the tightness has left me so quickly. I haven't run without tightness in years!

I am in love with Syntha-6 protein powder, both chocolate and vanilla flavors (although the vanilla may be a bit too sweet for me -- I'll have to see if I can tone it down: does anyone know how to make something less sweet?). This protein powder keeps me full for so long, that by evening I'll wonder why I am suddenly hungry, and then realize that I've only eaten 1200 calories the whole day!

All told, the pizza-and-cinnasticks incident pushed my weight up by 2.6 pounds, but as suspected, most of that was water weight, and as of this morning I was lower than last week. I am soon to cross the 210 threshold. Next goal: 200. Final goal: 190. Then I'll reassess.

Onward! :-)

--

Thursday's Food Log:

Banana - 100
Vanilla protein shake - 200, 22g
Grilled chicken, spinach salad, wild rice - 500? 30g?
Vanilla protein shake - 400, 44g
Banana - 100
Orange - 50
Glass of chardonnay - 100
Whole wheat pasta and chicken breast - 800? 50g?

Total: ~2250 calories, 146g protein

Beautiful night for a walk

2012-01-06T23:19:00.001-05:00

Today after work I went to the gym where I used a really nifty machine called the "Vertical Traction" by Technogym. It's kind of like a high-tech lat pulldown machine that really works your arms. I LIKED IT. Unfortunately I had to cut my workout short because I forgot my sneakers, and I looked ridiculous sitting there in shirt, shorts, and... black dress shoes.

So I showered and left to go meet some friends at a pub about 1.5 miles away. I could have taken the Metro, but it was such a beautiful night, I decided to walk!

About halfway there, I realized I was right in front of the White House, and I took a few moments to make several Skype mobile video calls to some somewhat amazed family and friends.

"Who WOULDN'T want to FaceTime with that handsome man?!?" -Ari

I then thoroughly threw away my healthy eating plan for today by sharing a trio of appetizers with friends: Big fried pretzel things, vegetable spring rolls, and grilled chicken skewers (at least there was one healthy option). Oh, and a pint of Strongbow.

My eating choices for today were not that great, mostly because I didn't make my meals last night and I waited until I was hungry before heading out for lunch. But I kept the calories low enough that I won't gain today:

FOOD LOG:
Syntha-6 Protein Shake (400 calories, 44g protein)
Chipotle burrito: chicken, brown rice, pinto beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, guac, lettuce (1200 calories, 65g protein)
Bar food: Deep fried pretzel thing (~300), chicken skewer (~100 / 15g), veggie spring roll (~150), Strongbow 20 oz (230): (~800 calories, 15g protein)
TOTAL: ~2400 calories, 124g protein

Definitely not what I would call "healthy," but perfectly adequate for a resistance-training Friday. And I have to have some fun sometime or else I won't be able to stick to a mostly-healthy eating plan for the rest of my life! (...eek, it sounds scary when I put it like that).

Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend for lunch at a deli about a mile away, and I've already decided that if the weather isn't too bad, I'm walking. My friend Josh lost a TON of weight by walking all over Boston (and watching what he ate). I can too!

The smallest belt hole!

2012-01-06T00:08:00.002-05:00

Today I noticed that my pants were loose so I went to adjust my belt, and it turns out I only had one belt hole left! Now I am on the smallest one and that just feels so awesome. And look at the awesome graph! It looks like this "Calories In < Calories Out" thing really works!

Food Log

Syntha 6 (400 calories, 44 grams protein)
Chicken, rice, quinoa (~600 cal, 30g)
Subway 6" turkey melt (400, 25g)
Chicken and barley soup (160, 14g)
Two sticks of string cheese (160, 16g)

Total: 1720 calories, 129 grams of protein

I'm not purposely starving myself, I swear. That protein drink just keeps me SO full, and by pre-emptively eating just before I get hungry, I am basically never hungry at all and don't get any cravings!

I'll probably get hungrier once I'm exercising regularly -- things are really tight right now with rehearsals every night, but after Saturday the 14th my rehearsal schedule will drop down to ONE PER WEEK. I am sincerely looking forward to having almost every other evening free. It's time to take care of Me.

PS - I just noticed how many exclamation points I used in this post. Please accept my humble apologies.

Forgot my shoes AGAIN

2012-01-05T02:18:00.000-05:00

Well, I was planning to hit the gym today and do a little running on the treadmill, and I managed to bring everything I needed -- shorts, T-shirt, extra socks, extra underwear... the only thing I forgot was my SHOES! Again! I always forget my shoes! Alas.

The good news was that my calories were pretty low today:

Protein shake (400 calories, 44g protein)
Potbelly Tuna Sub + chips + Mt Dew (1400 calories, 50g protein) - yes yes, I know, but it kept me full forever)
Chickarina soup (260 calories, 16g protein)

Total: < 2100 calories, 110g protein

I've got chicken and rice cooking in the kitchen right now, so my lunch tomorrow should be back on track. I'm on this.

Tomorrow's lunch!

Food log

2012-01-04T00:09:00.001-05:00

Coffee with cream/sugar (100, 3)
Subway Cold Cut Combo (900, 42g)
Protein drink (400, 44)
Chicken and dumpling soup (320, 14)

Total: 1720 calories, 103 grams protein

Thoughts: Boy that protein is filling!

Stats for Vacation Week

2012-01-03T01:55:00.000-05:00

FOUR: excursions to the gym, at which I lifted many heavy things, began to learn to run, and kept my pulse up very high, hovering around 150 but blowing past 180 when necessary!
THREE: healthy meals taught to parents: Whole grain rice with tofurkey sausage and peppers; whole wheat thin spaghetti with butter and chicken; and the tastiest protein shake you'll ever find.
TWO: family members who are PUMPED to continue eating right and working out. AND
ONE: redheaded man who has returned to the DC, eager to get back on the eating-right gym wagon. Left DC at 214.8 lbs; returned to DC at 212.6 lbs.

The long green shaded area is the VACATION!

On the Wagon, Even at Home

2011-12-31T18:16:00.002-05:00

I have spent the past week in Michigan, but that hasn't stopped me from exercising and (mostly) eating right. My dad has a membership to the local Planet Fitness -- an amazing gym for the price -- and his membership comes with guest privileges, so I have been working out hard every couple days. And I've been showing my family how to eat well, cooking them whole wheat spaghetti and making wild rice and Tofurky sausage and peppers -- ya know, all my classics. And they really like it! Eating healthy doesn't have to taste bad.

I have also started to train for the 10 Mile Cherry Blossom Run on April 1st. Just 92 days left (according to my nifty countdown app). It starts off slowly -- a minute of running, 90 seconds of walking, repeat 8 times -- but I have really been pushing it on the last couple minutes of running. Yesterday I pumped up the Aerosmith and pushed the treadmill up to 7, and then 7.5 mph! I kept that pace up for a whole minute and I felt totally exhilarated by the end.

Then I slept like a baby.

I will admit I've been eating more Thai food than is normal, and going out to eat with old friends. That will taper off soon and I plan to get right back to my healthy diet once I'm back in DC. And then... onward.

The Planet Fitness that has been keeping me sane this week.

2011-12-25T01:48:00.001-05:00

Today I didn't eat so cleanly but I kept the calories low AND I started Couch to 5K.

I know it's silly but I already think my face looks a little thinner. I'm SO tired from all the exercising but I am also a lot more chipper!

Bagel with cream cheese (400), coffee/cream (100), 15g protein
Beefaroni (420, 16g)
[EXERCISE: C25K Day 1]
Grilled chicken with jasmine rice and butter (600, 35g)
Chocolate chip cookie (200)
Chickarina soup (260, 16g)
Syntha-6 (200, 22g)

TOTAL: ~2,200, 104g protein

ONWARD

2011-12-23T11:48:00.003-05:00

My weight cannot be as bad as I think because today I wore pants that I bought 6.5 years ago, and they still fit perfectly. And they are not the kind of pants that would stretch over time. Sooo at least some of the weight gain has to be muscle mass.

HOWEVER, that changes nothing. My resolve is strong and I will succeed.

I would type more, but my chest, arms, and shoulders are incredibly sore -- Wednesday's workout has finally hit me, and it was almost impossible to put my jacket on tonight.

I can do this.

--

LOG

10:30 am: 2 servings Syntha-6 chocolate protein powder, with 10 oz. of 1% milk (400 + 120 = 520, 54g)
1:30 pm: Potbelly's: Big Wreck on Wheat, thin-cut (835, 42g) + Zapps chips (120, 1g) - half
3:00 pm: Other half of Potbellys
6:00 pm: 2 servings Syntha-6 chocolate protein powder, with 10 oz. of 1% milk (400 + 120 = 520, 54g)
[8:30 - LOWER BODY WORKOUT + 27 minutes on the recumbent bike]
10:30 pm: Chicken breast with 1/3 cup of rice (400, 30g)

TOTAL: ~2400 calories, 181g protein

No More Complacency

2011-12-22T14:06:00.000-05:00

Okay.

Looking over the other day's insane graph, three things jumped out at me:

1. When I pay NO attention whatsoever to my diet, and eat whatever the hell I want, I generally gain 1/2 to 1 pound per month.

2. When I vaguely pay attention to my weight, and generally try not to pig out, but allow myself a fair number of indulgences (regular pizza, Chinese, etc), I always gain 1/4 to 1/2 pound per month.

3. When I pay close attention to my weight, and choose my food wisely and with purpose, I always lose 1-2 pounds per WEEK.

That is not a typo. When I actually try, I lose up to two pounds a WEEK. And that's with diet alone. When I throw exercise in there, my numbers are even better.

In other words, complacency makes me fat. Luckily, that graph gave me a kick in my complacency. I simply cannot eat whatever I want anymore. I have to reverse the trend. If I do not, if I just amble through life vaguely paying attention, eating whatever I feel like, and not getting exercise, I will continue to gain 1/4 pound a month. That's 3 pounds a year. In 10 years, that's THIRTY POUNDS.

You may be thinking: Oh, come on, surely you'll notice and stop the trend before it goes that far. Well, I'd like to think so too, but the numbers speak for themselves. Go look at the graph. Yeah, in June of 2008 I started paying attention, and dropped 20 pounds over the next five months, but then I got complacent again and look what happened: The line started back up at a rate of over 1/4 pounds per month. The linear trend line from high school graduation to now is a perfect fit.

If I keep on my present course, then in 10 more years I will be pushing 250.

It's so easy to become complacent. Three pounds a year is nothing. "Oh, I'm almost the same as last year," I say to myself contently, every year, every year. After a decade, that becomes a pretty wide gulf.

I don't want to get back to my high school weight. I was a scrawny little twerp with absolutely no muscle. But I would love to get back to my pre-law school weight of <190, and even my post-Body for Life weight of <180. It's not just about looking better; it's about feeling better. I never had more energy than when I was working out six days a week and eating healthy. (And yes, I looked pretty damn good too!)

It took several false starts before I finally completed a Body for Life 12-week challenge. What caused me to succeed that last time? I finally realized that I had to make a big change. Well, it's time for another big change, and I think I'm finally realizing that.

---

FOOD LOG FOR DEC. 21, 2011

Spinach florentine bagel with butter (400 + 200 = 600, 17g protein)
Large turkey Italian wedding soup from Zoup, with sourdough roll (240 + 170 = 410, 10g protein)
Random food at Lobby party: 3 veggie dumplings, 5 small meatballs, 2 meat pie things (600? 20g?)
2 servings Syntha-6 chocolate protein powder, with 10 oz. of 1% milk (400 + 120 = 520, 54g); Radishes and hummus (100, 5g)
1 serving Syntha-6 chocolate protein powder with water (200, 22g)
Pack of sliced deli chicken breast (275, 50g))

TOTAL: ~2700 calories, 178g protein
EXERCISE: Upper body work out (chest, back, shoulders, triceps, biceps; recumbent bike)

FOOD LOG FOR DEC. 22, 2011

1 serving Syntha-6 chocolate protein powder with water (200, 22g); 1/2 cup of Kashi GoLean Crunch with 1% milk (150, 8g)
"Blackened chicken gyro" from Devon and Blakely (700? 50g?)
Naked Protein Smoothie (450, 32g)
Turkey sausage and 1/2 cup of Jasmati rice with tbsp butter (750, 34g); Radishes and hummus (50, 2g)

TOTAL: 2250 calories, 158g protein

Oh Crap.

2011-12-21T15:54:00.003-05:00

Observations on food to energy correlation

2011-12-07T01:29:00.001-05:00

Today I ate:

* Soy crisps
* Coffee with cream and sugar
* A smoked salmon sandwich on multigrain
* Some Junior Mints
* Jasmati / wild / brown / red rice with canned chicken, and a bit of butter/salt/garlic/olive oil

And I have had tons of energy all day.

Note also that I started the day with a deeply discounted Bob Harper's "Smart Weight Loss" pills - basically some vitamins and caffeine.

So I've had a lot of caffeine today -- but none since about 2 pm.

Looking at the day, I see that I never pigged out (yet was never hungry), and had a lot of caffeine. The result? Lots of energy.

I'll be interested to see what happens going forward...

My tummy is big!

2011-10-19T14:46:00.001-04:00

.....that is all.

David Garcia is My New Hero

2011-01-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

Back in high school I had a pal named Dave Garcia. David was friendly, and funny, and - most relevant to this post - portly. Actually, that's putting it mildly. David was a BIG GUY.

David and I were both thespians to varying degrees, and I once acted with him in a performance of Into the Woods. Beanpole thin, bright red hair, the kind of guy who might truthfully have a cow as his best friend, I was immediately typecast as Jack of the Beanstalk.

David was also typecast: He played the Baker. Just by looking at the cast, even a stranger would have been able to tell that David was the baker. He looked like the kind of guy who spent all his time consumed by, and consuming, sugary dough.

David and I didn't hang out much in high school, but I do remember the one time I came over to his house after school. Offering to make me a snack, he reached into his freezer and pulled out, among other things, a large box of deep fried beef taquitos. A snack to me might have meant 2 or 3. He emptied the box of 16, putting half on my plate and half on his. I was surprised but delighted at this unexpected gluttony. After all, I was a teenager and I could pretty much eat anything I wanted and stay thin. What I didn't necessarily realize at the time was that, for Dave, this wasn't a one-time treat. He ate like this all the time.

David and I both attended the University of Michigan, but we didn't really see each other much in college. We emailed back and forth about the then-dwindling quality of the Simpsons, and one time I went to his dorm room so he could critique me on an audition monologue I was preparing. But after that, I lost touch with Dave, and I didn't run into him again until our ten-year high school reunion.

Me with David (and a mutual friend) at our 10-year reunion

Just as I remembered, David was friendly and funny and boy had he gotten portly. As I said, he was always a big guy, but the years had paid their respects and Dave had to be pushing 400 pounds. I didn't care, of course. Dave was a friend and I didn't care how much he weighed as long as he was a good person. And if he was happy with being 400 pounds, then that's really all that mattered.

What I didn't know at the time was that David was not happy. In fact, it turns out David had been far less jolly in high school than I had originally thought. He had gone through some pretty rough patches. Depression had hit him pretty hard. And he wanted to make a change.

I know all this because David keeps a blog. The blog is called, “Keep It Up David!”, And it details his weight loss journey. How big of a journey, you may ask? Well, a year ago David tipped the scales at 402 pounds. Today, he is under 250.

Over 150 pounds in one year.

Any particular weight loss secrets? Yep. Four words: Move more, eat less. It is the simple wisdom of every person to have ever shed massive amounts of weight. Oh, sometimes they reverse it: Eat less, move more. Either way, it's four words and it works.

The problem, of course, is sticking to those four words. You need motivation and you need dedication and you need accountability. David is lucky enough to be a pretty optimistic guy after all is said and done, and he desperately wanted to lose the weight, so he had the motivation.

Accountability on the other hand, that is harder to come by. You need somebody there to report to. Be it a reader on a blog, or a best friend, or one's family, or… Richard Simmons.

Richard Fucking Simmons!

Sequined Serendipity

David had been some sort of production assistant on Ellen, and one day Richard Simmons was the guest. While David was helping with production, Richard gave David his personal e-mail address and told David that If he wanted help, Richard was there for him.

A few weeks of deliberating, a promise to e-mail Richard a food log listing everything David ate for the last year, and a lot of healthy choices and Richard "Slimmons" classes later, and voilà. Skinny Dave.

David returned to the Ellen show last week not as a staff member but as a guest. Ellen was stunned at David's new body, the crowd gave him a standing ovation, and the show gave him thousands of dollars in gift certificates to high-end clothing stores and Whole Foods. Watching the segment, I couldn't help but tear up as David revealed his new physique, and reveled in his hard work and fantastic achievements. See for yourself, and try not to shed tears of joys for my dear friend.

And yet, even as the tears fell, my next thought was a sobering one:

David Garcia is skinnier than me.

This is kind of a big deal because of what happens when you turn that sentence around.

Matt Schwartz is FATTER than David Garcia.

Today, although my Body Mass Index is still technically lower than David's, if the two of us took a picture together, I might conceivably be described as the Chunky One. Indeed, if our high school drama teacher were typecasting Into the Woods today, David might very well be Jack; I might very well be the Baker.

Talk about lighting a fire under me.

I have to lose weight. I know that. I have been overweight for the past several years, ever since law school. I don't feel good at 210. I don't look particularly good at 210. I know from experience that I look and feel my best when I'm below 190–and ideally 180. I've wanted to get back there for a long time. And seeing David accomplish such an amazing feat is enough to really inspire me to get out there and work hard.

And for the last couple weeks, I have been working hard! I joined a gym! I've gone five times, doing four weightlifting workouts and one killer boxing workout that left me panting and vomitous on the floor! And it sucked at the time but now every time I cough or laugh I feel muscles I didn't know I had, and it makes me happy! And already I can feel myself getting stronger, and more energetic, and even people at work have noted that I've started slimming down.

David Garcia used to be the Big Jolly Fat Guy. Now, he is the Amazing Energetic Inspiration. He has achieved "Biggest Loser"-level success. If he can do it, I can do it. And I'm lucky in that I've only got about 25 pounds to lose.

So, thank you Dave. You're an inspiration to us all, and I look forward to one day visiting you in Los Angeles, feasting not on deep fried taquitos but on healthy and delicious food, and maybe even celebrating my own weight loss success with you.

Cheers to old friend David Garcia, my newest Weight Loss Hero!

I know.

2010-07-09T14:05:00.001-04:00

Yeah, yeah. I know.

drinking and running don't mix

2009-09-13T23:37:00.003-04:00

On Friday night I got drunk and signed up for a 5K two weeks from now.

I am not ready to run a 5K in my current state of conditioning.

But I will try to get ready.

On speed work and exceeding expectations

2009-08-06T00:59:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! Matt here, coming at you from the middle of August 2009, in the hot and humid district known as our nation's capital. To what do we owe the pleasure of my reappearance today? The answer is known to runners everywhere as the dreaded and yet exhilarating "speed work."

Speed work is where you work on running fast. This does all sorts of fancy technical things like work your fast twitch muscle fibers, help build your quads for explosive movements, help burn tons of calories, and generally just help you run at a faster speed even when you are not consciously trying to run at a faster speed. Basically, it speeds you up. And we all know I need speeding up.

I traditionally run my easy days at a very slow pace. A typical easy run, for me, has me jogging between 4 and 4.5 mph. This equates to a mile pace of about 14:17/mile, which is fairly comically slow for anyone else. but for me, it helps me build my endurance. Now, normally I am running through the neighborhood, which is very hilly, and so my slow pace reflects that. Today, however, I went to the place where speed work is traditionally done: the track.

Now, I have not been to a track in several years. The last time I was at a track was probably sometime in 2001, when I was trying to get in shape doing Body for Life. Since then, I have had no Need to go to a track. Until today. You see, I have spent several months building up a base of endurance -- the ability to traverse a large distance at a slow pace. But I really want to work on my speed. So to the track I went, with running buddy Dawn.

Now, when I talk about my increased endurance, you should know that that is relative. I have absolutely no endurance compared to someone who is actually in shape and a runner, like Ian of defunct blog "Short Man Running" fame. To me, the word "endurance" means that I can go a couple of miles without collapsing in a heap of sunstroke induced unconsciousness.

But I still cannot run four times around the track without stopping. At least, I think I can't. I haven't tried it in several years. I probably could, but it would be at the slow pace that I discussed above. And, as I also said, my goal is to get faster. To that end, my speed work tool of the day was interval training!

Interval training, for the uninitiated, is where you go fast and slow and fast and slow, repeating it until you collapse into a pile of semiconscious drool. I am proud to tell you that this is what happened to me today. First, Dawn and I walked around the track a couple of times to warm up. (I have found that simply walking for a half-mile is a very effective way for me to limber up my muscles and not get cramps.) Then, I wanted to jog around the track once at a moderately easy pace and see how long it took me. I walked around the track once more, and then jogged it once at a slightly faster pace. I repeated this twice more, walked around once more to cool down, and called it a day.

Here were my results:

Running lap one: 3:05 (12:20 minutes/mile pace, ~4.86 mph)
Running lap two: 2:30 (10:00 minutes/mile pace, ~6.00 mph)
Running lap three: 2:05 (8:20 minutes/mile pace, ~7.2 mph)
Running lap four: 1:49 (7:16 minutes/mile pace, ~8.26 mph)

Folks, this might not seem like a lot to you, but I'm pretty damn impressed with how I did today. I have not tried to maintain over an 8 mph pace for a quarter-mile in years! It was hard as hell, and my pulse got up to 186 at least, but I did it. And I did it in 85° heat at 60% humidity! Wearing a plain old cotton T-shirt! None of these technical wicking fibers for me. Oh no. I will wear my Cherry Blossom technical running shirt to the bagel store, but give me sweltering summer heat and humidity, and I am old school, man. (Okay, I forgot to wear it.)

A few more observations: the first lap was very easy. True, I only went around once before walking, and I'm sure had I continued trying to run, it would not have been that easy anymore. But for one lap, it was easy. The second lap wasn't quite as easy, but it was still nothing too difficult. Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing my heart rate monitor, so I have to go with my amorphous perceived rate of exertion, which is subjective and faulty at best, but I would say my heart rate did not get much over 160 for that lap. Not exactly a heart rate that I want to maintain on my easy days -- I prefer to keep things in the low 150s on easy days -- but it was still doable.

Running lap number three was pretty damn hard. I would give it an eight or nine out of 10 on the perceived exertion scale. And the final lap was a nine out of 10 up until the last hundred meters, at which point I was running close to full out. I wasn't sprinting like this was the final hundred meters of a marathon and this last bout of exertion meant the difference between gold and silver, or even like this was the end of the 5K that I wanted to set a personal record on, but... come to think of it, I suppose I wasn't running a level 10. Probably a level 9.5. But still pretty damn hard.

After all was said and done, I walked 1.5 miles and ran 1 mile at a pretty quick pace. Not an Olympic feat, by any means, but still pretty fun and pretty damn good for me. And now that I have found this excellent track just one mile from my house, I can say without hesitation that I'll be using it frequently. I can easily foresee an easy one mile walk/jog to the track, a one or 2 mile jog at a moderate pace on the track, and a 1 mile cooldown walk/jog home.

The only downside about this day, fitness wise, is that I bought a pizza to help me through the So You Think You Can Dance finale and voting marathon. (Go Evan!) But my weight is still down from where it has been, and reaching 200 is looking less like a possibility and more like a certainty.

Woo track running! Woo speed work! Woo Evan!

Mid-Summer Update: Running Partners Rock

2009-07-07T13:08:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! I see that I haven't posted in a while, so I just want to give you a little update.

I've been exercising fairly regularly -- not killing myself or anything, but trying simply to Move More. And the big news is that I've started jogging with a running buddy! I'm actually beyond Dawn in endurance, so we are working on building up our running time. We started with 1 minute of walking, 1 minute of running, and repeated it until we got up to about 2 miles. That worked well for the first day or two. Then I noticed Dawn was huffing and puffing a lot less, so for the last 2 times we've been doing 90 seconds walking, 90 seconds running -- and we've been going a little faster too. But again, the huffing and puffing has mostly ceased, so next time it'll be 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off.

It's GREAT to jog with someone else! The run goes by SO much faster, because we are talking the whole time. And it also provides a good way to pace ourselves -- the advice to "keep a conversational pace" takes on a whole new meaning when you are actually trying to carry on a conversation.

We mostly jog together, but toward the end I often jog on ahead or keep on going after the 90 seconds is up. I eventually walk back to her, but those little bursts of solo running are quite fulfilling. Last night, after feeling heavy and plundering for the first mile or so, I started to get into my groove in the second half of the jog, and I fell into a hard yet satisfying pace. It was awesome.

I've also been asked by ~~a couple~~ several Choral Arts people who hadn't seen me in a couple months, "Have you lost weight??" I have lost about 5 pounds in the last month or so. I am told I look good. And I do look better in pictures lately. So that's nice. :-) Here's what I looked like this weekend when my friend Donnie came to visit:

So, that's all! I'll keep on jogging with Dawn, and walking 5 miles a day when I'm playing Tourist with friends who come to visit, and I'll try not to stuff my face too much, and hopefully there will be a lot more green triangles in my future. :-)

Back On the Road

2009-04-28T00:51:00.004-04:00

After laying dormant for two months, I got back out on the pavement today. For most of the day it was way too hot to do anything (90 degrees in April?!!), but by evening it had cooled into the 70s. I set out on an easy 1 mile loop through the neighborhood, not pushing too hard, and stopping to walk for a bit here and there.

I could have kept going -- cardiovascularly, I felt great -- but I have to be cognizant of what caused the two-month lay-up in the first place. Two months ago, in preparation for the 10 Miler, I hurt myself by doing too much too soon. My heart, lungs and muscles (once I solved the tight calf problem) might have been ready for a 70 minute jog, but my bones weren't. Suddenly I was able to run as long as I wanted -- but my feet couldn't take it.

But today, there was no pain. And with no Mandatory Distance Goal on the horizon, I'm just going to work up to 30 minutes and keep it there for a while. I'll head out every other day, and I'll aim on getting faster within those 30 minutes. I think a sub-30 minute 5K is a worthy goal -- one that I was only last able to accomplish about 5 years ago.

I enjoyed getting out there today. I'm glad that my hiatus hasn't changed the fact that I still find running to be -- gasp -- fun! I'm looking forward to getting back out there regularly.

The Rise and Fall of Matt the Runner

2009-03-13T16:36:00.006-04:00

You have missed so much over the past 6 weeks, you have no idea.

First let me answer the question on everyone's mind: Why haven't I posted anything here since early February? Have I been slacking off? Have I fallen off the wagon? Have I hopped aboard the one-way train to Fatsville, USA? (aka Detroit)

None of the above, my friends. I was silent because I was spending my free time running instead of blogging!

Here's the short version:

Longtime Still Waiting visitors will no doubt remember that I have long had issues with tight calves. For some reason, after 10-15 minutes, my calves would tighten up to the point where it was difficult for me to keep running. This problem has plagued me ever since I can remember.

One day in February, I figured out why my calves were so tight and how to fix them. I had been very concerned that the tightness was due to Compartment Syndrome, which seemed to match my symptoms exactly. The only cure for that is surgery. Desperate, I Googled and Googled until I figured out that the tightness might be caused by Trigger Points -- knotted up parts of the muscle. The cure for that? Deep Tissue Massage. I took my thumbs and found the part where my calves were tightest and I PUSHED DOWN HARD. After 5 second, the pain dissipated. I repeated that treatment on both legs, several times a day. And a miracle happened: My calves got the blood flow they needed to rebuild themselves, and I was able to run as long as I wanted with no tightness!

Literally. As long as I wanted. I picked up a heart rate monitor and planned to keep my pulse in the 150s. It turns out that as long as I jog slowly, I can keep my pulse in the 150s, and this way I don't fatigue myself and I can basically go indefinitely. One day last month I went out the door and ended up jogging almost 5 miles, with just a little walking thrown in every 10-15 minutes or so. It was amazing. The next week, I went out and, for the first time in YEARS, jogged 30 minutes without stopping.
I was unstoppable. Or so I thought.....

NEXT TIME: Too Much, Too Soon OR "What the heck is a Stress Reaction?"

Aborted

2009-02-02T16:30:00.004-05:00

Things were going quite well. I had made almost every scheduled training run since the training period began, and I usually made up any I missed. My endurance was progressing nicely, as 2 minutes running grew to 4 and then 6. On Saturday I did 6 repeats of 6 minutes running, 1 minute walking. I felt good.

Then came Sunday. I was scheduled to run 7, walk 1, repeat 4. The day was beautiful -- 60 degrees and sunny. Up until then my standard run took place in 30-degree temperatures or less. Sixty would be awesome! I threw on shorts and a T-shirt and headed out the door.

Right away, I could tell something was amiss. Barely one minute into it, I was breathing far more heavily than normal. I slowed my pace and pressed on, making it about 6 tenths of a mile until it was time to walk. Halfway through my second 7 minute jog, I had to stop and massage my tight calves. I tried jogging again, but I was so easily out of breath. What was going on? Why was this so much harder? Halfway through, I cut my losses and walked home.

Why was it so hard? It could have been the poor nutrition I expose myself to on the weekends. It could have been the fact that I was trying to run less than 24 hours after a particularly strenuous effort. But after some discussion with Diana, I realized that the fact it was 30 degrees warmer than normal probably had a huge impact. Apparently my body has become acclimated to exerting itself at cold temperatures, the sudden increase was too much for my wittle body to bear.

Tonight it's supposed to be in the low 40s with a little rain. The plan is to run 8 minutes, walk 1, and repeat 3 times. We'll see what happens!

Lessons from the Frozen Tundra

2009-01-16T15:40:00.006-05:00

Things I Learned Last Night:

1. When internal motivation fails -- e.g. when it's approaching single digit temperatures -- it's extremely helpful to have external motivation.

2. When running in a sub-arctic frozen tundra, make sure to bundle up appropriately, and THAT INCLUDES CHEEKS.

3. When my calves don't tighten up, it turns out that my endurance is actually pretty good, and I can run longer than I thought I could.

4. Hills aren't so bad once you get used to them, and

5. It's a lot easier to run when you are distracted by conversation, even if it's through a tinny speakerphone, and even if your mouth is too cold to properly speak English.

Details

Focus!

2009-01-14T23:30:00.003-05:00

I am the POS. I lack discipline. Focus.

With that ToughLove mantra in mind, I ventured out into the nipply cold tonight, attempting to build up the endurance I will need to last 10 miles without a break. I am happy to report that after suiting up in enough gear to keep me ~~warm~~ not too cold in the 30 degree temperature, I managed to do 10 repeats of Walk 1 Minute, Jog 2 Minutes, without too much calf tightening, and nary a smidgen of foot numbness. Woo, Superfeet!

After the jog, I broke out the George Foreman grill and cooked up some chicken breast with Italian seasonings, and put it over romaine lettuce drizzled with olive oil, with a pinch of salt and pepper. It was DELICIOUS. My body must have really been craving greens, because I felt almost a primal urge as I was devouring the lettuce. Mmmm. (Pizza and Chinese taste great, but I never get the same feeling when I'm eating those foods.)

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I [Heart] Impromptu Online Pep Talks

2009-01-13T17:46:00.003-05:00

Ben:  get back on teh treadmill

Matt: my treadmill SUCKS

Ben:  NOW

Matt: it doesn't have an accurate spedometer
      it doesn't have an incline function
      it's not long enough
      it's a POS

Ben:  you are the POS
      focus
      you lack discipline

Ben has signed off.

First Run of the Season is a Rousing Success!

2008-12-10T22:50:00.005-05:00

The 10 Mile Cherry Blossom Run is in less than 4 months and I went out tonight for my first jog in almost 8 months, expecting to be wheezing after 3 blocks, but.....

I MANAGED TO JOG 1.5 MILES WITHOUT STOPPING! I could have gone longer if I wasn't facing a 4% incline for the last quarter mile! So I walked most of the last bit home. Next time I should consider reversing this run so that I end with a very slight incline.

It is amazing what losing 14 pounds and getting properly fitted running shoes with inserts will do! I got the shoes a couple weeks ago, after two visits of 1-2 hours each, during which the good folks at the new Potomac River Running Store at Cleveland Park poked, prodded and analyzed me sitting down, standing up, walking and jogging. A pair of $95 Asics Cumulus and some inserts later, and my feet and legs never hurt or got numb at all!

Remembering what they told me at the running store after evaluating my gait, I shortened my stride and increased turnover. My back/left shoulder was a little tight in the last half of the jog but nothing major. Pretty balmy for December. 61 degrees and misty!

For once I realize how one can do an "easy run" and maintain a conversational pace and not take any walking breaks and actually enjoy it. Wow. I am really looking forward to this training period.

12/10/2008 Route
Find more Runs in Arlington, Virginia

The Incredible Shrinking Matt! - OR - I Need a New Pair of Pants, AGAIN

2008-11-10T21:23:00.007-05:00

One of my goals in this weight loss odyssey has been to wear my old pants again. You see, for one, I am kind of stingy, and I don't like buying new clothes when the old clothes are still perfectly good, and I could fit into them again with just a little discipline. Second, my goodness, what a thrill when they actually fit!

I am pleased to report I have had just such a thrill this week. My pants had been getting extremely loose, and I was below the smallest hole on my belt (where's an awl when you need one?)... On a whim, I ventured into the darkest recesses of my closet and pulled a pair of 33" corduroys off a hanger. Now, I had tried these on a month ago, and while I could squeeze into them and barely button them closed, they were very tight. But when I put them on yesterday, they fit... perfectly!! I hadn't worn those since 2004! (For reference, 2004 was my first year in law school, and the year I took the awesome picture at left.) As evidence that it's not just the brand of pants that let me fit into them, I point to the 34" Levi jeans I bought last month, which are now loose on me.

Loose!

This is all very satisfying, if a little odd: The last time I could fit into size 33-34 pants, I was 10 pounds lighter. This all leads me to believe I have gained some muscle in the intervening years. Awesome.

How is Matt losing all this weight? Has he broken down and started spending hours in the gym? Or has he stuck mainly to creating a diet-based caloric deficit? Will Matt ever breach the fabled 200-pound mark and sail down through a scale world that begins with "1," a world he hasn't seen for over four years?

Stay tuned for his secrets...

OCTOBER 2008

Trivia: Do any astute Still Waiting visitors know where the second part of today's headline comes from? Hint: It has to do with a Segway.

I Have a Major Confession to Make

2008-10-23T20:31:00.008-04:00

I have a major confession to make. This confession will chill the bones of every long-time Still Waiting visitor. Dearest visitors, you may be aware, from your frequent perusal of this site, that I have recently made substantial progress on my weight loss goals. I had hit a plateau, hovering around 207 to 208 pounds. It seemed that nothing I could do would push me below that 207 threshold. Then a few weeks ago I started to make stunning progress, now clocking in (as of this morning) at 202.8 pounds.

So what is my confession? Simple: I have not exercised at all. That fantastic home gym that I set up, costing me several hundred dollars, has gotten essentially no use over the past several weeks. I broke through the plateau with nothing more than a sustained caloric deficit. Any exercise I may have done was, shall we say, "nontraditional," and certainly "unintentional" in that it was not meant as exercise: I pranced about a theater singing songs with my friends. There were no weights, no spandex shorts, no technical T-shirts, and no running shoes involved. There were no Swiss balls, BOSU balls, tennis balls, baseballs, basketballs, or really any balls involved. Not once did I set aside time to exercise, put on my gear, and force myself to go to the gym or to run around like an unleashed mongrel up and down the rolling hills of my suburban Washington neighborhood.

All I did was move more and eat less.

This is a fairly monumental discovery. My friend Josh lost about 50 pounds a few years ago and when I asked him what his secret was, he told me, "I am following this great new plan!" I asked him, eagerly, what it was. He responded, with a big smile, "It's just four words!" I was beside myself. Good God, man, what is it! What are the four words!

He responded: "Move more, eat less."

Of course, I never believed it was truly that simple. Surely he had followed some sort of convoluted exercise and nutritional program. Surely a plethora of fancy electronics was involved, requiring straps and cables and sensors and various frequencies penetrating one's body and hooking up to a computer for detailed analysis!

Nope, none of that. He just stopped eating crap, didn't eat when he wasn't hungry, and walked around more. No Turbulence Training workouts, no killing himself at the gym, no supersets or drop sets or inverted half pyramid sets with a mandatory "10" at the end.

All he did was walk around and put the fork down!

So it turns out, that after many years of reading about all the different ways of losing weight, and analyzing all the various bodybuilding programs, I have been -- surprise, surprise -- over analyzing! You don't have to kill yourself. You just have to maintain a caloric deficit. It really is that simple.

Of course, it's not really that simple. You have to eat enough calories so that you don't lose muscle. And you have to eat generally the right type of calories -- 2000 calories worth of Baileys Irish Cream might be a good time but it won't do your body any favors. But as long as you eat a good combination of carbs, protein and fat, and burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.

Building muscle is certainly important. I spent several years going to the gym and pumping iron -- and believe me, the muscle is there. I catch glimpses of it regularly, hiding behind the Big Paper Towel. But at this point in my life, my main goal is not gaining muscle; it's losing fat so that I can see the muscle I have. For that, lifting weights doesn't appear to be necessary!

So I will continue doing what I'm doing, and -- barring any unforeseen binges -- continue making progress. At this rate I should hit 190 by the New Year!!!

My Superhero Name is "The Green Triangle"

2008-10-23T02:47:00.003-04:00

You may ask, is it hard for me to lose all this weight? The answer is, no. Once you find a rhythm that you can live with, it's no big deal at all.

Mobile post sent by DCTenor1 using Utterli. Replies. mp3

Yet Another Glowing Review of the BodyBugg, or Better Living Through Technology!

2008-10-03T21:26:00.009-04:00

Anyone who knows me will be able to tell you that I am a technophile, wholeheartedly and unreservedly. Any time a gadget is introduced that promises to measure me, count me, cajole me, intimidate and or encourage me through the use of electronics, well, I am powerless to resist the pull.

It is even better if the particular electronic in question is capable of precisely measuring, and keeping track of, the vital signs of yours truly. Yes, if you can strap it on me and turn it on and measure the resulting heart rate/calorie burn/number of steps/whatever, well then my money is as good as gone.

If the gadget can further take those statistics -- the numbers, data points, and sloping trajectories that define who I am and what I'm doing -- and automagically graph those measurements, and give me a plethora of charts that I can feast my eyes upon, I will not just give you my money... I will give you my allegiance!

Well, friends, my allegiance now belongs to the BodyBugg, a miraculous device that used to cost $500, but now due to the miracle of advancing technology and the need to clear out inventory, only costs $200. $200 for a device that graphs and charts and loves me? Surely you cannot be serious. Oh, but I am!

Okay, so the question now is what exactly does this machine do. I'm glad you asked. I first saw the device strapped to a fattie on that hit reality television series, The Biggest Loser. The way it works is simple: you strap it around your arm, and go about your business. When you see fit to press a button on the device and wirelessly connect to your (sadly not yet Mac compatible) computer, the graphs miraculously materialize before your awed and inspired eyes.

As you will see below, the graphs show exactly how many calories you burn minute by minute, how many calories you burned for the entire day -- or whatever period you are looking at -- how many steps you took, when you took them, how much "physical activity" you got (where "activity" is defined as any time that you were burning more than 3 calories per minute), and much much more! The benefits of this piece of technology is that you can know, finally and demonstrably, exactly how many calories your body burns. You can then use this information to know exactly how many calories you need to consume each day in order to lose weight.

Here is a screenshot of my activity for Thursday, October 2:

The first thing you will notice is that I burned approximately 2800 calories -- which was my goal for the day -- and consumed below 1900 calories -- which is far below my upper limit of 2200. You will also see exactly when I burned those calories throughout the day. It is extremely useful for me to know how many calories I burn and when I burn them, because then I can plan my weight loss with an extreme level of specificity.

For instance, from the graph I see that I burn approximately 1.5 calories per minute when I am sleeping or sitting. This is very good to know because it means that, in the absence of any physical activity, I will burn about 90 calories an hour. So if my goal for the day (midnight to midnight) is to burn 2800 calories, and if I don't want to do any sort of exercise after nine in the evening (because it keeps me up), then I know that by 9:00 PM I need to have burned (2800 - (90 x 3)), or 2530 calories. (This time-based target will be much more useful to me when the "digital display" arrives -- this is a watch that is continuously synchronized with the BodyBugg and tells me how many calories I have burned at any given time. Until then, I will have to synchronize the device with the website in order to see the calories that I have burned.)

I also now know that walking will burn approximately 6 calories a minute, depending upon the elevation grade. So if I look at my watch see that it is 8:00 PM and I have not yet burned 2440 calories -- say I am only at 2380 -- then I can simply walk for 10 minutes and get up to 2440, thus putting it on track to reach my 2800 goal for the day!

Now, for many people, this kind of micromanaged caloric expenditure may seem like overkill. Skwigg, for instance, will probably just tell me to drink more caffeine and spend my free time running after the dogs like she does, and not worry about the specific calories. Fair enough. But for people like me, this level of numerical specificity gives me a feeling of control over my weight loss destiny that I otherwise would not have. It encourages and thrills me when I can set a numerical goal, meet or exceed that goal, and then at the end of the week look at graphical evidence like this:

Just look at that. A week ago, I was burning approximately 2400 calories during the day, and walking just a couple of thousand steps. By setting specific goals and making a daily effort to reach those goals, I was able to get to 2800 calories and over 8000 steps yesterday. Most of the steps came during rehearsal, but I have learned that where the steps come from doesn't matter at all; all that matters is that you take steps. Walking around the block or walking back and forth on the stage do the same exact thing! All that matters is that you move!

And, in the end, that may be the best thing about the BodyBugg: It PROVES, once and for all, that all you have to do is move. And it encourages you to move because you really want to see those "calories burned" numbers go up!

Now all I have to do is maintain an average daily caloric deficit of 600, and the pounds will melt off at a rate of approximately 1.25 pounds per week. At that rate, I will be below 200 pounds by Thanksgiving, below 190 pounds by mid-January, and below 180 pounds (!) by the beginning of April, just in time for the Cherry Blossom run. All without unduly killing myself at the gym, or unnecessarily restricting calories to the point that I become famished and cranky.

I haven't been 180 pounds in five years. If my new toy can help me get back down to that fit weight -- if it can encourage me to get back into a healthy and active lifestyle -- then it will be money well spent. And, more importantly, it will be yet more proof that one can achieve Better Living through Technology. And that will make this gadget-lover oh so happy!

* Note: This technophile wrote the entire blog entry you just read with my nifty MacSpeech Dictate voice recognition software. 99% accuracy. Better Living through Technology, indeed!

Matt's Fitness Goals

2008-09-11T15:59:00.003-04:00

Okay. I was a bit too care-free with my weekend eating this past weekend, and so my weight seems to be leveling off around 209. While this is way better than my high of 221 in June (still can't believe it went that high... really? WTF?), it is still far from my ultimate goal (for the last five years now) of 180.

To that end, I now set forth realistic goals, and a plan, that will get me to where I want to be.

GOALS

Phase 1: 205 pounds, 36" waist (by end of September)
Phase 2: 199 pounds, 35" waist (by end of October)
Phase 3: 189 pounds, 34" waist (by end of December)
Phase 4: 180 pounds, 33" waist (by the Cherry Blossom Run -- i.e. early April)
More energy throughout the day, and quick sleeping at night.
Have the confidence that comes with looking and feeling great.

PLAN OF ACTION

Make time to exercise at least three times a week. Heavy weights. On extra days, throw in cardio (riding bike to work would count).
Never let myself be in an unexpected eating situation where cravings might take over.
Healthy pattern of fruit and a protein for breakfast (peanut butter counts); big lunch (but try to cut back on the Dew); light dinner (but never skip dinner -- at least have soup or protein).
Don't go crazy with food on weekends just because you "can." Eat what you want on weekends but only if you REALLY want it. (You know this, Matt. You've been here before.)

Major Greenage

2008-08-27T09:13:00.002-04:00

It's almost ridiculous. I've lost over a pound EACH of the past three
days. Before you go and accuse me of starving myself, here's my DGR
for yesterday:

10 am - Wheat bagel with eggs, cheese and bacon (est. 700 calories)
2:30 pm - Half of a tuna melt (rye, tuna, cheese, lettuce, lots of
alfalfa sprouts), bag of chips, bottle of Mountain Dew (600 calories)
4:30 pm - Other half of tuna melt (250 calories)
8:30 pm - Can of chicken breast, two tablespoons of hummus, two
teaspoons of olive oil (at least 300 calories)
Other fluids - A few glasses of water, and a couple big glasses of
pink lemonade Crystal Lite (20 calories)

TOTAL: 1600-1800 calories

And I wasn't hungry. Yes, it's true that I am keeping my calories very close to my Base Metabolic Rate, and possibly just under, and possibly losing a teeny bit of muscle in the process. But I'm sure the bulk of this is fat loss. I also know that when I start exercising regularly again, my weight will go up temporarily as my body adjusts, holds more water, builds some more muscle, etc. But for now this is pretty good! I'm back where I was a year ago!

Preparations

2008-08-25T13:25:00.005-04:00

So. Weekly weight graph continues to go down, with a fairly predictable pattern:

As you can see, I eat what I want on the weekends, and cool it during the week (basically having a light dinner on most weekdays). My weight spikes on Sunday or Monday, but then it goes down, and each week my weight is lower and lower. With (currently) very little exercise, I'm losing 1/2 to 1 pound a week.

But that will all change very soon, my friends. I am about to blast off. Last week my Powerblocks arrived, and they are truly wonderful. But I need a bench to really make good use of them. So I've also ordered a weight bench, and a Bosu balance trainer, which is really wonderful for working a lot of stabilizing muscles you otherwise never use. Once everything is set up, I will take a picture of my nifty home gym and post it for the world to see. And I will, of course, use it, on a daily (or mostly daily) basis!

My friend Jeremy is also on a quest to lose weight (about the same amount of weight as I want to lose), and he is succeeding. So I want to congratulate him on his perseverance, and assure him that he will not be the only one sporting a fit and trim look this New Year's...

It's great to have a recumbent bike in my house

2008-08-11T23:54:00.003-04:00

Having just upgraded to a place with central air, I recently traded my now unnecessary room air conditioner for a very necessary recumbent bike. It's not very fancy and it only uses magnetic resistance controlled by a knob (as opposed to the hydraulic-based computer-controlled bikes at the gym), but it gets the job done.

Tonight I did 30 minutes on the bike, getting my heart rate up to 182 at one point - up around 95% of my max! As you can see from the graph, I generally like to keep my pulse around 70% of max, but it's crucial for me to really push myself a couple times in a half-hour workout. I learned the importance of pushing hard during my Body for Life workouts, when I had to hit an intensity level of 9/10 for several minutes, and 10/10 for at least a minute, to achieve the best results and the longest afterburn (body burning calories after I get off the bike). Any time I get my pulse over 180, my energy levels go through the roof for days or weeks afterward. It's awesome.

I'm already feeling very energetic -- it's like a shot of caffeine but without the jitters!

Calories IN

2008-08-02T12:19:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! So, the darndest thing... I haven't gone to a gym and exercised since my last post. Yet I have lost several pounds since then. In fact, I'm down to below 210, which I haven't been at since late December. Before you start yelling that it's muscle loss from not lifting, let me deflect that criticism by saying that my pants are looser and I look much better! Go ahead, scroll down to the bottom of the page and marvel at my weight graph.

I'll wait.

So, how do I do it? Simple: Don't eat as much. We all know that Calories In < Calories Out is the key. I have really been focusing on the Calories In part of the equation. I have a light breakfast, usually consisting of a banana and maybe some granola. I have a big lunch that I spread out over the course of an hour or two, usually consisting of a big turkey or chicken sandwich and, yep, a little bag of chips and a soda. That keeps me full for the next several hours. When I get home, usually after 7, I will have a light dinner -- an "Eating Smart" healthy frozen dinner from Safeway, or a can of soup or something. If my roommates want to order delivery I will usually go in with them, but I don't pig out anymore. For instance, a few nights ago we split a thin crust pizza. The first night I had 3 pieces, and the next night I had 2 pieces.

And the scale continues to go down!

It's not hard. You just have to not pig out.

Calories In < Calories Out. Pretty simple.

I look forward to the boost when I start upping the Calories Out side of the equation by riding my bike to work!

Exercise Cures Cancer! News at 11.

2008-06-26T02:25:00.004-04:00

Last week I was so lethargic I briefly entertained the idea that maybe I had cancer.

I can laugh now, but the fatigue was INTENSE. I woke up tired, caffeine had no effect, I was tired throughout the day, and yet I couldn't fall asleep at night despite being tired. Once I finally fell asleep, even if I got 8 hours, I didn't awake refreshed. I awoke tired. And the cycle continued...

...UNTIL I hit the gym hard. On Saturday, in spite of my sluggishness, I forced myself to go to the gym and work out. I managed to bench press 50 lb dumbbells -- pretty good for me! -- and I did some ab work, and 20 minutes of interval cardio on the recumbent bike.

Friends, guess what! I don't have cancer anymore!

Almost immediately, I experienced boundless energy. And so, once again I have demonstrated to myself that lethargy stems from inactivity, and exercise cures it.

I've been packing and cleaning up to move from DC to Arlington this week, so I haven't had much time to continue the exercise, but I did bike 2 miles uphill last night, and today during a lull at work I stole 20 minutes to go downstairs to the basement gym and work the dumbbells. I've also been trying to eat (somewhat) healthier, and I have found a really good breakfast routine: a banana, a tablespoon of creamy organic peanut butter (mmm), and a baby cucumber! (Rudy loves it too, and has taken to flying to the top of the refrigerator in the morning and squawking to remind me that it's time for his Morning Peanut Butter.)

For the past week, I have awakened with energy and I don't need ANY caffeine throughout the day! No longer am I rushing to the coffee machine first thing at work. Indeed, I find I have no desire for it, because I just don't need it -- my energy is all there.

So, I'll keep sticking with my banana/peanut butter/cucumber breakfast and small meals throughout the day, weight lifting downstairs when I can squeeze it in, and bike rides to work. My new house is going to be about 6.5 miles from work via bike trail, so I'm sure the addition of 13 miles on the bicycle a few days a week will really step up my results even more.

Woo!

Preparations

2008-06-15T23:27:00.002-04:00

I've been pretty torn up about the whole Tim Russert tragedy this weekend, and I used it as an excuse to veg out on the couch with comfort snacks as I watched the coverage.

But also, my Strength for Life book showed up this weekend and, as Skwigg promised, it is chock full of OMG-get-the-highlighter quality quotes. I look forward to starting the program.

I have been feeling very sluggish lately and I know that the best way to fix that is to get to the gym. So tonight I walked there and laid down on the incline bench with a 35-pound dumbbell in each hand and WOW did it feel comfortable in a familiar sort of way. I miss that feeling. I look forward to getting back into it.

In Transition

2008-06-12T00:53:00.004-04:00

My few faithful readers have probably wondered where I have wandered off to in the past couple weeks. Am I still running and working out? Am I still eating healthy and tracking my weight on a daily basis? One glance at the weight graph on the bottom of the page should give you the answer to that.

What has happened, you ask? Simple: I got a new job at a law firm downtown, and the past two weeks have been a time of transition. Now I am not blaming my job or anything ridiculous like that; I am simply saying that when I am in a time of transition, fitness tends to fall by the wayside. I promise it will return.

Today I found the gym in the basement of the building where I work. It's not very big but there are cardio machines, weight machines, and some free weights. By free weights, I mean dumbbells up to 35 pounds. How am I going to tire out my pecs with measly 35 pound dumbbells? Probably do a lot of push-ups beforehand. :-)

Incidentally, I tried briefly doing bicep curls with them, and I did four with each arm, no problem. This is kind of a big deal, because 35 pounds dumbbells used to be way too heavy for me to curl with. To progress!

Anyway, I plan to get down a workout routine soon. I have to, because the scale is creeping up and my energy level is going waaaaaay down... Per Skwigg's recommendation, I ordered a copy of Strength for Life (by the brother of Bill Phillips, who wrote Body for Life), and that will get here on Friday. So I'll get started with that soon

If the Mayor can do it...

2008-05-30T00:46:00.009-04:00

I rode my bike to work again yesterday, and the results were encouraging -- I shaved 5 minutes off my time, traversing the 6.8 miles in about 32 minutes! For comparison, it takes between 20-25 minutes to drive to work in the morning, depending on traffic. So I'd say I make pretty good time on the way there. (The way back is a different story. That 300 foot ascent in 2 miles is killer -- little wonder it takes me 20 minutes longer to ride home.) As usual, full stats available here.

But this is not why I write. I write because today there is an interesting article in the Washington Post about Mayor Adrian Fenty, who, despite being mayor of our nation's capital, still finds the time to run three times a week and bike and swim twice a week for two hours at a time. Those around him say his dedication to fitness mirrors his dedication to hard work in office. I greatly admire anyone who can fit in regular strenuous exercise into an already busy schedule, and I hope to be able to emulate Mister Mayor even after my new law firm job begins next week (sapping away any extra time I currently have).

But what really intrigued me in the article was this gem:

At 6 feet and 180 pounds, Fenty appears the picture of fit, but he hasn't always been that way. In 2000 -- the year his twin sons were born, he wrapped up a long campaign for a D.C. Council seat, and he and his wife renovated their kitchen -- Fenty did not run a single time. He also reached about 215 pounds.

Six feet tall, 215 pounds, let work and life get in the way of his fitness... hmmm... remind you of anyone? The inspiring part is that he was able to drop the weight, keep it off, and now he runs amazing times (65 minute 10-miler; 3:40 marathon) and can bike 33 miles in 90 minutes. Oh, and has managed to become mayor in the process.

Fenty's fitness success story just goes to show that even if you have some rough spots, if you keep persevering, you will succeed in the end. A great story -- one I hope to emulate!

First day commuting with the new bike (which I continue to love)

2008-05-20T23:55:00.005-04:00

I rode my bike to the office today and I felt great! Here's how it played out:

The first 2 miles are essentially all downhill from my apartment to the Key Bridge. The biggest problem in this leg was making sure I didn't go TOO fast -- the pavement was wet and if I went too fast it was harder to brake. My max speed was about 20 mph but I could have gotten it up to 30 or more -- this is a FAST bike.

Then I crossed the bridge and went onto the Mt. Vernon trail, which is mostly flat but also has some lightly rolling slopes. The biggest surprise was that my rate of perceived exertion was way off. When it felt like I was working at a fairly easy 135 bpm, I looked at my Garmin and saw that I was actually working at 155 bpm! At certain points my heart rate got up to near 170! I would have been really working hard if I kept my heart rate that high while running -- but biking, it felt far easier to me. I think this is because my quads are WAY more powerful than my calves and core, so it wasn't nearly as hard for me to pump hard and keep the bike moving. Don't get me wrong -- it was still a major workout, and as the graph shows I kept my pulse above 150 for several miles -- but it didn't feel as intense as it actually was, if that makes sense.

After about 5 miles I started to grow a bit tired, but then I saw Reagan Airport in the distance and I knew I was nearing my destination. Shortly after the 6 mile point there was a Crystal City "exit" on the trail. The exit saw a fairly steep (but brief) uphill, and before I knew it, I was at my building!

I had no problems with traffic or pedestrians or anything. As I was on the trail most of the time, there was no car traffic to worry about, and because it was drizzly I only saw a few other cyclists and a handful of runners. There was plenty of room. I was wearing my bright yellow rain slicker just in case it started pouring. I didn't really need it for the rain, but it made me highly visible and it blocked the wind!

When I got up to the office I realized I was sweating profusely, which I hadn't really noticed before since it was so windy and cool on the bike. I was tired, but a few minutes later I felt great. Slightly tired but at the same time totally energized -- just like I feel after a great gym workout. The whole thing was about 6.8 miles and took 37 minutes.

The ride home wasn't quite as fun because whereas this morning I was starting with a 2 mile downhill, this time I was starting with 4.5 miles of flat land and ending with a 2 mile UPHILL. The ride took me about 10 minutes longer -- it didn't help that I had a massive headwind the entire ride. On the extra steep uphill portions I dismounted and just walked the bike up a couple blocks. But all in all I still had fun and got a GREAT workout.

When I got home, I freshened up and then rode the bike another 0.7 miles to rehearsal (and then back home afterward). In total, that's 15 miles today!

I am very excited about riding my new bike -- it's fun, exhilarating, and gives me an excellent workout. Here's a map of my journey...

View Larger Map

What Happens When I Don't Pay Attention. Also: Loving My New Bike!

2008-05-17T12:51:00.007-04:00

It appears I've gone radio silent the last couple weeks. Brief recap: The Green Triangles continued for about 3 weeks, but then I stopped paying attention to my diet for some reason. I just stopped trying, relapsed into my old habits - a pizza here, a chinese meal there - and within one week, I'd undone the weight loss of the previous three. Ugh.

It's just so annoying to always have to be aware of what I'm eating, but it's fairly clear that if I stop paying attention for more than a couple days, the weight comes back with a vengeance.

It hasn't helped that I haven't gone running in a month! I know, I know. But after it became clear that I couldn't do the Detroit Half Marathon in October because of another engagement (I am singing "Springtime for Hitler" in a community theater production of The Producers!), my desire to give my legs a pounding every other day dwindled rather quickly.

BUT -- I got a bike! It's a Trek 7100, a hybrid, it didn't cost all that much, and it has a very comfortable upright riding position. The seat and handlebar grips are a very distinctive brown leather, and the frame itself is nickel/copper colored. Very classy -- it looks like the kind of bike one might ride to the market to pick up eggs and a baguette. I love it!

I've been meaning to ride it to work -- there are miles and miles of paved trails around here -- but it's been pretty rainy during the weekdays lately. Weekends, however, have been glorious, and this morning I rode up and down rolling hills to Foster Brothers to enjoy my blended chai, bagel with lox and cream cheese, and newspaper. I then rode up to Diana's place so she could ogle my new toy, and then she jogged alongside me for a bit until I bid my adieu and rode to Borders. After browsing for a while, I rode back home -- mostly downhill at that point.

In total, I rode about 8.5 miles! And it was fun! Here's the map:

Biking is a little harder than Segwaying (where you move with the power of thought), but it's more socially acceptable. No one stares. Well, I do, but only when I catch my reflection in a storefront window.

What? I'm a handsome man!

Two Weeks of Green Triangles!

2008-05-02T16:41:00.005-04:00

I am very happy to report that I have had green triangles since April 20th! This means I have had almost 2 weeks worth of steady weight loss. As of this morning, my weight was 211 pounds, which I have not been for at least a month and half. Yes, the middle of March through the middle of April can best be described as "Month of the Red Triangle," in which I must have been carbo-loading for 30 days straight in a Herculean effort to beat 43 minutes on my 5K. Success!

The preceding paragraph is brought to you by PhysicsDiet.com, which I continue to recommend to anyone looking to lose weight. I tried a competing weight logging website, SkinnyR.com, but it lacked a very important feature: the blue moving average line. You see, as each one of us is essentially just an "ugly bag of mostly water," our weight fluctuates every day based on what we put into this bag. It can fluctuate as much as 5 or 6 pounds, sometimes more. It often amuses me when I go to dinner with a relative, who eats a lot, and then the next morning tells me he looked at his scale and OMG he has gained 6 pounds! Of course, the only way to gain 6 pounds of fat is by consuming approximately 21,000 more calories than you burn. Obviously, this happens all the time -- but it usually takes six months to a year for most people. Six pounds in one day? Food and water weight -- nothing more.

The moving average line is designed to smooth out the daily fluctuations in weight caused by food and liquid intake. If you look at my lovely green triangles, you will see that I did not technically continue to lose weight every day; at least three times over the past two weeks, I woke up the next morning to a weight gain of at least 1 pound, sometimes almost 2. But because I was still below the moving average, I knew I was making progress. Without those wonderful green triangles proving I was trending in the right direction, look what the last two weeks would have shown (on right). I certainly would have freaked out and eaten an entire pizza to comfort myself. I am happy to say I have not done that for at least a month or two!

To what do I owe the pleasant greenness? Simple, my friends: a caloric deficit. (You thought I was going to say Miracle Noodles, didn't you?) Of course the zero-calorie noodles are part of it, as is the extra walking I have done over the past week or two, as is the sporadic session here or there at the gym. But it is worth noting that I have not gotten to the gym in over a week, and I have not gone running in two weeks, and yet the scale continues to drop. nutrition and exercise are both important -- but when it comes to weight loss, Nutrition is King.

That said, the caloric expenditure needed for physical activity definitely contributes to the caloric deficit, and to that end, I have decided to purchase a bicycle! I ordered it on Amazon.com yesterday and it has arrived TODAY. I plan to spend this weekend putting it together. If all goes well, from now on I will be biking to work when it's nice out. That should really help with the calories. Expect a post on My New Bike soon!

Miracle Noodles are Simply Divine!

2008-04-23T21:30:00.011-04:00

Last week I came across an intriguing text advertisement atop my GMail inbox. It stated simply, "Miracle Noodles! 0 calories, 0 carbs, www.miraclenoodle.com."

Well played, Mr. Noodle. You have my attention.

Wary, I clicked my way onto the site, where I was greeted with the intriguing slogan, "Imagine a World Where the Noodles Are Calorie Free"; a news report extolling their noodly virtue; a gazillion testimonials praising the Japanese for having the sense to create a zero-calorie noodle out of fibrous plant material; and a money-back guarantee offering to refund all of my hard earned dollars if I did not absolutely love the noodles.

Well, you know what?

I absolutely love the noodles. They're made of a water-soluble plant fiber that simply passes through your body. It has no taste of its own, but rather absorbs whatever sauce you put it in. I ordered the 20-pack of angel hair noodles and I'm already planning my next order. They are very easy to make -- all you have to do is rinse them in hot water for a few minutes and then dry them with paper towels. You then throw it into the sauce and food, and voila!

I have been waiting for something like this MY WHOLE LIFE. You see, fitness and nutrition experts have long known that most people eat the same dozen or so foods regularly. This definitely applies to me -- for years, my diet has consisted of cream-laden coffee for breakfast, tuna and turkey sandwiches for lunch, chicken and rice at night, and the once or twice weekly consumption off an entire "Meat Lovers" pizza or a General Tso's chicken combo with dumplings.

It was quite literally a recipe for disaster.

Some of those meals were fine -- there is nothing wrong with tuna or turkey on whole wheat. But there is something wrong with consuming large quantities of starchy rice at the end of the day.

Indeed, for the past several years, at dinner, I generally have eaten chicken with a packet of Uncle Ben's microwavable 90-second rice. It makes for a filling and tasty dinner, but it's about 500 calories of rice. In other words, it adds up. I have no doubt it has contributed to my half-pound-a-month weight creep over the last several years.

But I can't just eat chicken plain, or with vegetables and nothing else, like some cow or vegan or something equally weird and unnatural.

That's why these Miracle Noodles are indeed so miraculous! For the last couple of nights, I have used this as bedding for my chicken, and I am extremely pleased to report that it makes the meal no less delicious, and get this -- it keeps me full for hours! They taste kind of like rice noodles, except just a bit chewier. I have already lost weight!

Part of me is still suspicious -- how can anything this good have NO calories? Even celery has calories! In recent days my mind has wandered back to the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Elaine found a "fat free" frozen yogurt shop that tasted delicious but was too good to be true. My friends, these noodles are equally too good to be true -- and yet they ARE true!

In other words, I was touched by His Noodly Appendage and I can never go back. BUY THESE DIVINE NOODLES TODAY!

Healthy Meals for Today

2008-04-21T11:34:00.009-04:00

0.2 pounds heavier each day?

2008-04-17T09:24:00.003-04:00

I don't understand it. I work out, I watch(ish) what I eat, and yet the scale still goes up 0.2 pounds a day. What's the deal?

Guess I just have to be more strict with my diet. Today's plan:

Hot & Spicy V8 (I swear I am addicted to these)
Smoothie I just made (berries, protein powder, Greens+, flax seed oil, honey)
Turkey on whole wheat with hummus (To whomever stole my mustard and mayo: THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY)
Almonds and raisins (keep them on my desk at work and graze throughout the day)
Dinner with a friend (don't know where we're going but I'll try to keep it light)

Tomorrow I'll jog another 4 miles, this weekend I'll keep working at the gym... Gotta have faith I guess?

The Inspiring Ali Vincent is the First Female Biggest Loser!

2008-04-16T12:05:00.000-04:00

STANDING ON STAGE last night, Ali of the Pink Team looked like a strip of beef jerky: skinny, yes, but all muscle. She lost more weight than everybody else that season, dropping 112 pounds of blubber to become a 122-pound piece of iron. I am thrilled for her.

It is good to see a woman biggest loser. Over the past five years, the men have dominated. That's because they simply have so much more weight to lose. Honestly, when the American public decided to vote Roger into the finale, I thought that Ali might be at a huge disadvantage. She was already tiny when the "on-campus" period of the show ended, and contestants were sent home to fend for themselves for the next six weeks. Roger, on the other hand, still had significant weight to lose. And he had been losing double digits each week.

In the past, every other winner has lost approximately 1/2 of their body weight. This time, however, nobody broke the 50% mark. Roger may have been able to: he started at over 360 pounds. Get below 180? Definitely doable with $250,000 on the line! However, when Roger weighed in, he was only down to 199. At that moment, I knew Ali was a shoe-in. She had lost 99 pounds on the ranch, and now in order to win she only needed to lose a total of 106 pounds. Seven pounds in six weeks? For the most dedicated and intense Biggest Loser competitor in ages? No problem!

Indeed, she ended up losing 112 pounds to finish at a sinewy 122. In the process, she had changed her entire lifestyle and focus. She began to believe that anything is possible. Indeed, as übertrainer Jillian "Beatings Beatings Beatings" Michaels likes to say, "when you connect your mind and your body and your intention, anything is possible."

Ali inspired me to get off my ass this morning and spend an hour at the gym. I did 25 minutes of intense bodyweight and dumbbell exercises, followed by 20 minutes of interval training on the recumbent bike, and afterward, I felt great. I was wearing my technical T-shirt that I got at the Cherry Blossom run, and the trainers there asked me how it was. I told them it was rainy and cold but exhilarating. I love having a race T-shirt! Not only does it make me feel proud, but it also lets other people know that, apparently, I'm a runner! Who would have thought?

I was also inspired to work out by the fact that yesterday at choir rehearsal, someone came up to me and told me that I look "skinny." What? Me? Skinny? Yes, she said, perhaps it was all the running I had been doing. Maybe, I responded, but my weight has basically been holding steady. The people around me nodded: that often happens when people start running, they said.

Well, yes, of course I know that. Muscle builds, fat melts, weight stays the same... but I didn't realize it was happening to me to such an extent that others noticed I look thinner! Anyway, that little bit of encouragement was enough to get me out of bed this morning and into the gym -- if I can look "skinny" after just a couple months of sporadic running and a few strength training sessions, imagine how I might look this summer!

Anyway, take a look at Ali's interview this morning on the Today Show. So inspiring!

Be Inspired by the Biggest Loser Finale TONIGHT! Be there or be FAT!

2008-04-15T16:14:00.004-04:00

I would like to implore all of my readers to turn on NBC tonight at 8:00 PM and watch the live grand finale of The Biggest Loser, which has proven to be one of the most sentimental and inspiring shows on television.

Tuesday night has become my "Crying Night." Most of the week, I am impervious to emotional sabotage, a veritable brick facade through which no emotional daggers or spears can penetrate. But on Tuesday night, when the fat people start blubbering because of how horrible their lives have become, or when the newly-thin people start blubbering because of how wonderful they now feel, and when their friends and families start blubbering because of how great it is to have their new-and-improved friend back with them after five months on a Fat Ranch... well, it is impossible for me to remain stoic and calm. (I'm glad I watch the show alone! There's no crying in baseball!)

But that is what this show does to people. It is wonderful because it shows that even though everyone faces much adversity, with enough willpower and emotional support, one can succeed despite the odds. And, wow, have these people succeeded! As of the penultimate show, the four remaining finalists had lost insane amounts of weight, and no longer looked like contestants on The Biggest Loser. I am very eager to see what they look like tonight at the live finale, because since the last show, they have had six weeks to continue to lose weight. Frankly, I don't see how they can drop many more pounds without becoming anorexic or something, but they can all definitely build muscle and tone up. In previous years, formerly 400-pound men have turned into 190-pound musclebound cover models. It is really quite striking.

In addition to simple curiosity about how these people have fared, I also eagerly watch the show each week because it is so inspiring. If these ginormous people can lose so much weight, then surely I, a comparative Munchkin, can get off my ass and go for a jog every now and then.

So, remember, tonight at 8:00 PM EST, you will get to see a real life transformation. It will inspire and amaze you. Check back with Still Waiting tomorrow for a recap.

See Matt Tired... See Matt Wired!

2008-04-15T09:17:00.003-04:00

I didn't want to run. I was exhausted. I just wanted to lay down and watch TV. But I forced myself to get out there, ended up running 3.8 miles, and I am so glad I did. It's also the first time I've run with music -- wow! So motivating, so inspiring! I'm never going back.

The Motivating Power of Statistics

2008-04-11T11:18:00.013-04:00

SHOW ME A GADGET that can record my heart rate, pace and global position, and I will show you my checkbook. As it turns out, however, some people aren't nearly as brimming with technolust. They just like to lace up and go.

More power to 'em. But in addition to missing out on real-time stats that can help them fine-tune their effort to squeeze the most out of every workout, they also miss out on stats that show encouraging long-term trends.

Take the above table, which displays some of the stats kept by my Garmin Forerunner 305. Last night I walk/jogged 3.4 miles along a very hilly route that I have run several times before. This time, it felt easier (see the previous post for more details).

Today I compared this most recent run to one along the same route one month ago. I am immensely pleased by the results:

It turns out that currently, despite running 11 seconds/mile faster, half a mile longer, and 75 feet higher, my average heart rate was 10 beats per minute lower than it was one month ago! This means I required less effort today than I did last month to push my body farther and faster.

Sometimes I'll borrow a page from my technophobic friends and head out the door with no wires attached. But that's an anomaly, and I'm glad I usually take the time to strap up: Subjective feelings of improvement are great, but objective measurements prove I'm getting stronger. And that's all the motivation I need to keep on improving!

I finally had a great run!

2008-04-10T21:17:00.007-04:00

My first post-5K jog around my hilly neighborhood turned out great! I am very pleased to report that my legs neither tightened up nor went numb, and I was able to mostly jog (walking during parts of the uphills) at a conversational pace and maintain a fairly steady pulse, as the graph below shows. FINALLY!!!

New Goal: Drop the 'Law School 30'

2008-04-09T16:18:00.008-04:00

I am sick and tired of the 30 extra pounds I have been carrying around since law school. It is time to get rid of them, once and for all.

Higher education has never been good to my waistline. When I graduated from high school, I was 166 -- mind you, I had neither muscles nor endurance, but at least I wasn't fat. ;-)

By the time I was a senior in college, my weight was up to 205. I had gained about 40 pounds -- that's 10 a year, on average. I was tired of it. And so, at the urging of high school chum Ian, I decided to lose it. In 2001, after a summer of hard Body for Life workouts and healthy meals, I had dropped 25 pounds. I was at 178 and feeling great. (And, as the 12-week before/after photo shows, looking pretty good too!)

From 2001 to 2004, I hovered around 185, give or take a few pounds. I didn't eat that clean but I didn't stuff myself on a regular basis. I exercised regularly, often making it to the gym 3-4 times a week, and I ran when I had the chance.

Then law school happened and I threw myself into studying. I stopped exercising as much as I had been, and I didn't pay much attention to what I was feeding myself. Like many law school friends, by the time 3 years were up, I had gained 30 pounds. As this seems to be fairly common, I am officially dubbing it the "Law School 30."

For the last couple years, I have been holding steady around 210. Sometimes I lose five or gain five, but I usually return to 210.

I don't like being 210. I feel gross and out of shape. I don't look as svelte as I like. (NB: It doesn't seem to concern the ladies, but I'd still like to look my absolute best.)

So now that the 5K is over, I am setting out on a quest to get back to my pre-law school weight -- 30 pounds. To that end, I plan to eat healthy and go to the gym regularly, following the Turbulence Training program, as well as maintain a base mileage of around 10 miles a week in preparation for the official half-marathon training I will start sometime in June.

I plan to post my meals in many of the blog entries, so that my readers can see what I am eating and encourage me and keep me on track.

I am confident that if I drop the weight, my running will improve to the point where I could run many many miles without stopping, and maybe one day even experience that elusive runner's high...

Wish me luck!

Today's Meals

Cup of low-fat cottage cheese (160)
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat (300)
Tuna sandwich on whole wheat (300)
String cheese (80)

Projected
Chicken, rice and veggies (700)
Protein shake (200)

Total: 1740

Workout

30 minutes of bodyweight and dumbbell exercises
17 minutes of interval training on the recumbent bike

Local Man Sets 5K PR; Still Waiting for 'Runner's High'

2008-04-07T23:00:00.002-04:00

WASHINGTON, April 6 -- On a windy, rain-soaked morning in our Nation's Capital, a tired yet strong 28-year-old stood in the 5K Run/Walk corral about a block from the Washington Monument. As the bearded redhead hopped up and down, running in place to stay warm before the race began, he still didn't know quite what he was doing here.

"Everyone talks about the adrenaline rush I would get on the morning of the Big Race," Matt told me the next day over a plate of grilled chicken and steamed-in-the-bag vegetables, "but I never got an adrenaline rush. The whole thing was just too surreal. I was on 4 hours of sleep, and all I kept thinking was, 'I'm running a what, now? Who signed me up for this? Why am I not in bed?' I didn't know 8 a.m. actually existed on a Sunday morning!"

But early hours did exist on Sunday, as Matt found out when his cell phone alarm went off at 6, waking him from a fitful slumber that had only taken hold after 1 a.m. He pinned his number (20076) to his long-sleeved technical shirt, downed a cup of orange juice and a handful of Cheerios, and headed out the door. He arrived at the National Mall around 7:30 -- a full 70 minutes before his starting time.

"It appears somebody miscalculated," Matt said, cursing the efficiency of the DC transit authority. "Anyway, it was really neat down there, almost a carnival atmosphere. The whole thing was just like July 4th, except everybody was running!"

Having arrived so early, Matt had no choice but to walk around, sometimes jogging lightly to keep warm. By the time the 5K race was set to start, Matt had been warming up his legs for about an hour.

There was no "On your mark, get set, go!" that Matt had envisioned in his dreams. The only way Matt knew the race had begun was that everyone in front of him started slowly shuffling forward. It took about 90 seconds to cross the starting mats, and then Matt started.

To Walk or Not to Walk

"Everyone had warned me about starting too fast," Matt recalled. "They said I would get caught up in the excitement of running with a thousand other people. They said I should slow down! So I did. But not enough."

MILE 1 | 3:07 + 3:00 + 3:07 + 3:10 = 12:24
MILE 2 | 3:54 + 3:32 + 3:51 + 3:26 = 14:43
MILE 3 | 3:26 + 3:48 + 3:23 + 3:14 = 13:51
0.11  | 1:21

Indeed, as evidenced by Matt's unofficial mile splits, he hovered between 4.9 and 5.0 mph for the first mile. That speed, he says, would have been fine had he taken walk breaks from the beginning. But because of his excitement, he felt he was strong enough to run the first mile without walking.

"This was a race," Matt said. "I was supposed to push myself. I would have felt like a total idiot following Galloway's advice and taking walk breaks every few minutes."

However, after pushing himself for a mile, Matt -- who had originally signed up for the 10-mile run -- needed to walk.

"I was strong enough to run the first mile," Matt said. "But then I needed to slow down." For the next mile, he took minute-long walk breaks every 2-3 minutes.

At the 2 mile mark, he decided to try to push himself harder. "I had read somewhere that on a 5K my heart rate should be around 90-95% most of the time. Well, I generally was at around 170 for the few minutes at a time that I could maintain a run, but on my walk breaks I gradually dropped down to 150. I decided that I was going to only walk until my pulse hit 160, and then I'd pick it back up again."

So Matt's walk-breaks grew shorter. And yet, short as they were, whenever Matt walked, something ominous happened...

Battle with the Race-Walkers

"The entire race was a battle between me and the race-walkers," Matt recalled, poking at a microwaved baby carrot. "I noticed them as I ran past in the first mile. And I noticed them again as they walked past at the beginning of the second mile."

For the rest of the race, they would be lingering just behind, in the shadows, waiting to take the lead.

"There's nothing more annoying than a damn 50-year-old woman grinning giddily, holding her elbows high and pumping her arms as she marches past me while I am briefly recuperating at 2.5 mph."

2.5 mph?

"I'm a slow walker."

The battle continued until mile 2.5 or so, when Matt picked up the pace.

"If you look at my quarter-mile splits, you'll notice that the walking basically stopped with a half mile to go. Sure, I walked for a few second here and there, but I really wanted to give it my all."

With a half mile left, he left the race-walkers in the dust.

'Looking Strong, Number 20076!'

"People on the sidelines kept saying, 'You're almost there! It's just around the corner!' And I was still under 40 minutes, and I figured I might actually be able to meet my arbitrary goal of 42ish minutes."

"As I turned the corner, the cheers grew louder. I could see the banner in the distance. I had about a quarter mile left to go, and I vowed to finish without walking. I took off my hat and glasses and just steamrolled forward. My pulse was at 171, 172, 173, and around then I felt my entire body flush. I have felt this before at very high efforts -- I am positive it is my body switching from aerobic to anaerobic."

What does anaerobic energy production feel like?

"Like I said, it feels like a flush is overcoming my entire body. Everything suddenly feels warm -- my arms, my chest, my legs -- it's just different. It comes with a really hard effort, and when I feel that flush, I know I won't last more than another minute or so.

"With about a block to go, I closed my eyes and dug deep inside for the effort to keep going. As I opened my eyes I noticed that I had just passed a camera man -- he had snapped a picture of me as I entered the mental part of the race. Now that's a picture I'll pay money for!

"The finish line was 50 feet in front of me. I heard the announcer say, 'Looking strong, number two-zero-zero-seven-six!' It was like my winning raffle ticket had just been called. 'Yes!' I shouted, pumping my hands in the air. With a final burst and a huge smile, I crossed the finish line."

Matt's final time was 42:29 -- a pace of 13:41. It was his fastest 5K effort to date.

Final Thoughts

"I'm pretty happy with the time," Matt said, finishing his chicken and veggies. "It's about six minutes faster than I had ever traversed 3.1 miles before, and do you know why? Because my calves didn't tighten up at all. The past two months, almost every time I tried to run more than 1.7 miles, my calves would get extremely tight to the point of cutting off blood flow to my peroneal nerves, and then the entire front of my shins and top of my feet would go numb! This time, for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Maybe it was the frequent Stick massages, or maybe it was the flat course, or maybe it was hour-long warm-up. All I know is that finally, my legs worked as they were supposed to."

Matt has signed up for the Detroit Half Marathon on Oct. 19, which he plans to run with his good friend Diana. He already has a general plan for the next 6 months.

"I'm really going to have to focus on weight loss," he said, sipping a glass of filtered water. "I was 182 when I started law school; I'm 212 today. I was essentially running with a 15 pound dumbbell in each hand. Imagine how much easier this would be -- how much faster I could get -- if I just dropped the dumbbells."

Matt plans to consistently eat healthy, add regular strength training to his fitness plan, and exercise at least 5 days a week. He will start "officially" training for the half-marathon sometime in June.

"People ask me why I run, when it is so difficult for me. What they don't understand is that they've already answered their own question: I run because it is difficult. I run because I want to get better at it. It's a noble goal in itself, and it will bring me so many side benefits: more health, more discipline, more confidence. I run because I cannot... and I run because I can."

Matt and Heather after the run

T-minus-10 hours and counting.....

2008-04-05T22:12:00.008-04:00

Well, the 5K is tomorrow morning and I am starting to become nervous. Not because I'm concerned about times (I just hope to finish strong, no matter what time it is), but because I'm a little nervous about logistics. I take a bus to where, now? Metro to what? Who? And what do I do when I get there? And the Web site says I have to check my bags by 7:30 am but isn't that just for the 10 Miler at 7:50? The 5K doesn't start until 8:40!

I'm also a little concerned because the forecast calls for lower 40s and rain, and I haven't really run in the rain in a while.

Mostly though, I'm just curious about how my high-maintenance calves will act tomorrow morning. I jog/walked 2.5 miles this morning, mostly downhill, and it turns out they dislike running downhill almost as much as they dislike running uphill! They're like a prissy girlfriend I used to have: everything has to be just so, they need to be massaged twice a day, and they need The Stick on a regular basis.

Speaking of The Stick, I went to my first race expo ever today, and encountered the Stick guys! They were massaging people, sometimes forcibly. My friend Heather refused to fall prey to the Power of the Stick, but I was giddily trying them all out ("This one is the Big Stick, look at how stiff it is! Great for back massages! This one is the Little Stick! Perfect for shin splints!")

The whole thing was a lot of fun. I bought a nifty Nike shoe wallet I've been wanting for a while, and got my race goodie bag (which I haven't really looked through yet). And I heard a talk by Catherine Ndereba, known in the running world as "Catherine the Great" -- apparently one of the best Kenyan women runners ever. Fascinating Q&A session, in which I asked her why Kenyans are so good at running. Her response?

In Kenya, people run everywhere from the time they're kids because there is no good public transportation. Her school was 4 miles away, and sometimes people would run home for lunch, and they'd have to run back fast because if you're late the schools have corporal punishment! So that's 16 miles of frenzied running a day from the time Kenyans are little. Yeah, I'd say that would help breed fast runners!

She signed my race number and let me pose for a picture with her. I told her this would my my First Race Ever, and she seemed genuinely excited for me as she wished me luck!

On that note, it's off to bed for me. Wish me luck. Look for my first ever post-race write-up soon!!!

Apologies to the One Person Fooled

2008-04-02T20:14:00.006-04:00

I want to take this opportunity to apologize to the one person who was fooled by my assertion yesterday that I had completed a 5K in 28:13, when previously my best time was approximately 48:00. I'm not going to name this person -- she knows who she is -- but I will say that I fear for the future of crime-fighting in this country, when an expert criminal behaviorist with the FBI is so easily bamboozled. Here are some of the clues that should have tipped her off:

1. "...this morning..." -- I do not run in the morning. I may intend to. I may SWEAR TO GOD I'm going to get out from under the warm, cozy covers and fling my ass onto the streets below to run around like a little gerbil. But despite my best intentions, it is physically impossible for me to drag myself out of bed. Someone else might be able to -- in high school, my dad would resort to throwing water on me -- but it is physically impossible for a sleeping Matt to throw water on himself.

2. "...drove to the Washington Monument..." -- Even if, by some miracle, I managed to get up early to run, there is no possible way I could ever force myself to drive five miles away in order to run. Why? Just because it's flatter there? Because I want to "simulate race day"? Come on. Again, I may have grand designs, but in reality, I'm just going to run around the block.

3. "...free of any GPS technology..." -- I cannot doff my gadgetry that easily. I paid good money for the straps and cables and global positioning technology and the computer to link it all up to afterward and analyze my data to be able to determine with absolute precision whether I am running at the speed of a turnip or a kumquat. (There's a big difference.) I might forgo it for a brief jaunt around the block, but if I actually wanted to simulate race day, I'd definitely bring my gear.

EDIT: 4. "April 1..." -- The post was made on April Fool's Day. Everything should be taken with a giant grain of salt on April Fool's Day!

So, She Who Shall Not Be Named, I apologize for "fooling" you, but I am concerned that you were able to be fooled so easily. I tremble for my country when I reflect that ~~God is just~~ you are responsible for solving crimes.

I kid, I kid! I'm sure you're a great crime fighter. Just remember, you're supposed to hold the skinny side of the magnifying glass.

In other news, that healthy chicken and veggies dish I made the other day? It remains just as delicious using different brands of chicken and steamed veggies. I had it again tonight with a bit of whole grain rice and it was absolutely delicious. It was actually better than my General Tso's chinese combo that I am in love with, except in a different way. It was delicious in a tasty, wholesome way. I did not feel all weighted down and disgusted by all the deep fryer oil. Blech. It turns out, Fresh is Good!

I ran my practice 5K in 28 minutes!!!

2008-04-01T14:24:00.006-04:00

Friends, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to report that this morning I donned my questionable running shoes, drove to the Washington Monument, and proceeded to line up at what will be the starting line of this Sunday's 5K. I was loaded with caffeine, and fairly excited to see that the course was as flat as mapmyrun.com predicted.

Armed with nothing but shoes and a will to run without stopping, I toed the line, free of any GPS technology, and -- on my mark -- get set -- GO!

I took off at an extreme pace... and all of the tight calf problems I have been having seemed to magically disappear! Pleased, I decided to throw pacing out the window, and just see how fast I could git this thing done. At the halfway mark, I looked at my watch and was SHOCKED to see that only 15 minutes had passed -- and I was still filled with energy!! Remembering that Diana likes to aim for negative splits, I decided I would attempt the same, and instead of lengthening my stride, I followed Galloway's advice to quicken my turnover.

It worked.

As I approached the finish, which on Sunday will have a banner over it but today was just covered by an imaginary banner in my mind, I couldn't believe that I was under 30 minutes. And not just by a few seconds, but by a few minutes! As I passed under the imaginary banner, I stopped the timer on my watch, and looked down:

28:13

Ladies and Gentlemen, although I am still waiting for the runner's high, I finished that run in a state of euphoria. I can't believe I ran a 5K in 28 minutes!!!!! If I can do that on only a couple months of training, imagine how strong and fast I'll be by the time next year!

Here is a picture of me at the finish line. I can't wait to repeat this showing at Sunday's race. Thank you all for your kind words and support so far.

Video: Making a Healthy Dinner!

2008-03-31T22:55:00.001-04:00

Compartment Syndrome?

2008-03-30T14:58:00.005-04:00

The 5K run is coming up in one week and, although I am not yet nervous, I am becoming ever more curious as to whether my body will be able to hold up. I've been doing some research on the chronically tight calves that I have, that cause pain and numbness on many of my 2+ mile runs. Although shin splints do share some of the same symptoms, a telltale sign of shin splints is that the pain continues even after exercise ceases. In my case, the pain and numbness dissipate very quickly as soon as the exercise is over.

After much Googling, I am afraid I have come to the conclusion that I am most likely afflicted with what is known as "exercise-induced compartment syndrome," also known as chronic exertional compartment syndrome, which basically means that when I exercise, my calf muscles connected to my shin expand to such a degree that the sheath that contains the muscles, known as the fascia, does not have enough flexibility to expand and allow the muscle to function properly. According to the various websites I've seen, this leads to a very tight feeling in the legs, pain with each step, and tingling or numbness in the front of the lower legs and on the top of the feet as the expanding muscles and tight muscle sheath cut off blood flow to the peroneal nerve. Sound familiar?

The bad news about exercise-induced compartment syndrome is that the only foolproof method to completely relieve the symptoms is surgery. Apparently they cut along the length of the fascia, which gives the muscle room to expand without pain. However, surgery, like war, is a last resort. I have had this problem in the past, and I know from experience that when I drop a lot of weight, and generally get into better shape, my compartment syndrome symptoms virtually disappear. So I am hopeful that I can avoid a trip under the knife.

Currently, I have been able to reduce the symptoms by frequent deep tissue self-massage using The Stick. By massaging my tight calf muscles several times a day, I am able to effectively "pre-stretch" the muscles -- and possibly the fascia -- so that I do not get the symptoms while running. Most of the time, this is effective. Yesterday, I flung myself out the door and jogged 2 miles, walking twice for about 1-2 minutes each time, and I am very pleased to say that my legs were neither tight nor numb! However, a few days before that, I attempted a two-mile walk/jog, and my calves tightened up to the point where the pain was excruciating, and I had to walk most of the route. So, who knows. I have one week left until the race, and I will just do the best I can to keep my muscles limber until then.

I am also going to look into getting new shoes. I am told that several symptoms of compartment syndrome, and tight calves, and numbness, can be alleviated with the proper running shoes. Now, I had thought that my running shoes fit me just fine. But I haven't actually gotten fit for running shoes in seven years -- I have been using the same model ever since I was fit in a New Balance running store in 2001. All my friends who run in DC tell me to go to the Georgetown running company, where they will watch me run on a treadmill, and give me a shoe that will solve all of my problems. I am looking forward to this magical shoe, and I plan to go there as soon as the 5K is over. Well, maybe that week, as I am pretty sure that right after the 5K is over, I will be limping home and crawling into bed.

A great treadmill run -- finally!

2008-03-22T21:05:00.004-04:00

In my experience, the days when you really don't feel like running are the days you have some of the best running experiences.

Today was one of those days for me. I had told myself that I was going to see if I could run a mile on the treadmill without stopping, but when today actually came, and I had free time, I really didn't feel like getting off the couch. Watching television is so much easier than running -- why run when I can watch reruns of Star Trek Voyager?

Ah, the Eternal Question. But instead of laying there, pondering, I decided to get off my fat ass and walk three blocks to the gym. I am glad I did. What followed was the best treadmill workout I have had in years.

I have never been able to test my Run-a-Mile-Without-Stopping ability when running outside, because I live on the set of The Sound of Music -- you know, rolling hills that are so much fun to spin around and sing songs on but a bitch to run on? I can't run a mile around here because I hit massive hills after half a mile!

Outside, I have been training at about 4.2 mph, which is a fairly slow shuffle. Today, I wanted to go faster. My goal? Run 5 mph, without stopping, until I have traversed one mile. Twelve minutes of nonstop running. Doable? I thought so. But it was going to be tough.

Once on the treadmill, I walked one minute to briefly warm up. Then I pushed it up to 5 mph, and we were off! The first five minutes were a breeze, as my pulse steadily rose from 130 to 150. I was still below 75% of my maximum heart rate, so it was still easy. But my pulse continued to rise, and soon it was approaching 165. Now it was getting tough. I knew that once I hit 13 minutes, that would be the one mile mark, so I was eagerly counting down the minutes until I could stop running. As I counted down, my pulse continued to rise. 170, 175, 179...

And there it hovered, around 175, for the last two minutes. It was hard... but I did it! As the clock hit 13 minutes, I hit the off button and jumped up on the handrails. Sweat was dripping from every part of me, but I had done it! I know it is kind of pathetic that my heart was working at 90% of its capacity to finish one mile at 5 mph, but I was still ecstatic. The last time I had an okay treadmill workout was one month ago, but at that point I had to use The Stick every few minutes, my legs tightened up incredibly, and I had to walk every few minutes. This is the first time I have been able to run one mile on a treadmill without stopping in several years. (I had been using The Stick religiously the past few days, and it paid off -- no tightness, no numbness!)

After the mile, I got off the treadmill for a few minutes, walked around, talked to some trainer friends, and eventually got back on the treadmill. My only goal for the day was really to see whether I could run one mile without stopping. Having accomplished that goal, I was fairly open about what to do next. I ended up jogging for a few minutes, walking for one minute, and repeating that several times, trying to keep my pulse around 150. Once I had hit 2 miles, my instinctual reaction was absolutely unprecedented, and it went something like this:

"Well, I have already gone 2 miles -- I might as well go 3!"

I cannot remember, ever in my life, having uttered something like that. I've already gone 2 miles, why not keep on going? What the hell is that? That is something a runner says! I'm not a runner! I'm a guy who is trying to run -- there is a big difference.

Unfortunately, just as I was a couple of tenths of a mile into my third mile, having pushed the speed up to 5.5 mph, the damned treadmill shut off. "WORKOUT SUMMARY," it said. Noooooo! Alas, my momentum was lost. After several seconds, I was finally able to turn the treadmill back on, but I only ended up running about 2.5 miles. Still, pretty impressive for me. :-)

After the 35 minutes of running/walking, I felt great. Hungry, as I hadn't eaten in about seven hours, but great. Full of energy, chipper, and just generally content. It was a great run, and I am extremely glad that I got off the couch today. Star Trek Voyager is nice, but not nearly as nice as an unexpectedly great running experience!

Mountains and Flatlands

2008-03-21T16:02:00.008-04:00

I have been slightly hampered in my training so far because I have no idea how fast or far I can run on flat land. You see, I live in the middle of what must have been a prehistoric mountain range, because it is impossible for me to run a block in any direction without feeling like I should have brought ropes and carabiners.

The 5K that is coming up in just over 2 weeks, however, is flat. How flat? As the map below shows, other than a slight 20-foot downhill at the beginning (and corresponding uphill at the end), it is completely flat. (Yeah, yeah, there are a few bumps here and there, but after routinely covering 300 feet of elevation on my training runs, a 10 foot hill over the course of a block is fairly inconsequential.)

Now, it is possible that my constant walk/jogging on hilly terrain will make running on flat land a piece of cake -- I know things get much easier once I hit the flat straightaway on Wisconsin Ave. after 2 miles of uphills! (See: When I'm Not Jogging Up a Mountain, I'm Actually Pretty Good at This.) But I do wish I had more flat running experience, if only to give me the psychological boost I need. Right now, having not really run on flat land from the beginning, I'm not sure how I will do.

So... maybe I should pre-run the course this weekend to get my bearings?

Tight calves, numb feet, and the power of prayer

2008-03-21T00:47:00.005-04:00

I am surprised that I haven't updated my blog in an entire week. Well, work week anyway. I want to say a lot has happened in the past week, because it feels that way. But really, not lot has happened. I completed a jog of 3.7 miles Wednesday night, but I am using all of those phrases very loosely -- it was not really a jog, I barely completed it, it wasn't really Wednesday, and so on. Honestly, the whole thing was a mess. My calves tightened up within a half-mile, and although the soreness did not preclude me from running, it did get fairly excruciating at points. Oddly, the trouble this time was really with my left calf, specifically with a band of muscle that got so inflamed that I could actually see it swelling and pushing out my skin. Not a pleasant sight.

Oh yeah, remember how a few weeks ago my right foot and outside of my lower right leg went numb? Yeah, about that... this time it happened in both legs. Yes, that's right, after about 1.7 miles both of my legs started to go numb. As you might imagine, this made training difficult. It was distracting to try to practice proper form while I could not feel my god damn feet! I sat down for about five minutes outside the National Cathedral and prayed to Jesus for sweet, sweet relief.

Well, I wasn't really praying, and if I had it would not have been to this so-called "Jesus" character; it would probably have been to Obama. But anyway, that's all beside the point because I did not pray. I just rested. And after a few minutes, the feeling in my legs came back, and I was able to run the last mile or so -- with a liberal amount of walking.

The point is, I am a mess. Things are tight and numb and just plain rotten. But I persevere, because I am some sort of masochist, or something. Or maybe it's because I know things will get better as my fitness level increases, my legs become more used to carrying my weight, and for that matter, my weight drops. I know I am about 30 pounds heavier than my ideal. And I also know, from experience, that once I reach my ideal, the problems with my calves virtually disappear.

Unfortunately, I don't see how I can drop 30 pounds before the Cherry Blossom 5K, which is just over two weeks from now. Looks like I'm going to have to learn how to run through excruciating calf pain and numb feet...

Or pray to Obama.

Disgusting General Tso's Feeling

2008-03-17T23:18:00.004-04:00

I just ate an entire meal of deep-fried chicken, fried rice with little bits of pork, several steamed dumplings filled with meat, and an egg roll.

I feel absolutely disgusting. If you look at my Twitter account, which is quoted at right, you'll see that I have come to a revelation of sorts: a good, solid run of 3 miles can make me feel far better than a good General Tso's chicken combination platter ever can. This is, in many ways, a momentous epiphany, because that is not something I would ever have said several years ago, or even several months ago.

On Saturday, after my easy three-mile walk/jog, I felt absolutely invigorated. It had taken 45 minutes, I worked up a good sweat, kept my pulse beating at a vigorous 150 beats per minute, and by the end, I had a big smile on my face.

Instead of taking the 45 minutes today to consume a massive meal that I did not need, I should have taken that time to go out and do the run that I was planning. I told myself that the reason I was not running is because it was too late and the run would keep me up. But, the answer in that case is not to consume a gigantic meal that will leave me feeling awful. The answer, if I choose not to run at all that night, is to have a light meal and do the jog early the next morning.

I am going to sleep now, and hopefully, I will be able to do the run in the morning. I know this has not traditionally happened. But, I also have not traditionally had such an epiphany as I have had tonight.

"...an entire meal of deep-fried chicken, fried rice with little bits of pork, several steamed dumplings filled with meat, and an egg roll."

God, even reading that makes me feel nauseous. I don't want to feel disgusting anymore. I want to feel invigorated. I want to feel like I felt at the end of my last run.

Plan for Tonight...

2008-03-17T13:38:00.004-04:00

The 5K is coming up in a very short three weeks, and it is time to start adding some speedwork into the fold. Not much, because I am a weakling, but enough so that I'll feel it. So tonight I plan to jog to the nearest high school track, then do a couple "fast" laps on the track with rest in between. My goal is to run the full laps at 80-90% of my MHR, without stopping to walk.

4 miles, including half mile on the track
Find more Runs in Washington, District Of Columbia

The Amazing Shuffle

2008-03-15T20:51:00.004-04:00

I have been reading Jeff Galloway's book on running, called something very obvious and momentous, like, "Galloway's Book on Running." In the book, Mr. Galloway explains that on our easy jogging days, we should be keeping our heart rate around 65%. Definitely no more than 75% of our maximum heart rate. Now, my maximum heart rate is somewhere in the vicinity of 190 -- 195. When I run -- and I am using the term loosely -- my heart rate quickly exceeds the "easy" or "recovery" heart rate that I am supposed to be maintaining. On my last run, my training software told me that I was in the "zone four" most of the time. this means that my heart rate when I try to run is somewhere between 80 and 90% of my maximum. This is not good. Apparently, if I train too hard too often, one of three bad things will befall me:

Massive injury.
Susceptibility to nasty bugs and viruses.
Something called a "slump," in which a sad looking pencil drawing of a man is slumping against a wall.

I routinely suffer minor injuries, such as calves that get extremely tight, legs that turn into numb blocks of ice, and a bruised pride whenever I tell somebody I ran 3 miles in 48 minutes, and they respond, "isn't that just like a brisk walk?"

Yes, asshole. It is. I'm learning.

I'm not sure if I have slumped yet, as I am neither drawn of pencil, nor have I had to lean up against the wall in lethargy anytime recently.

I am pretty sure, however, that several nasty bugs and viruses have set up camp in my throat, from which they have launched their weeklong invasion on the rest of my body, leading to fatigue, lethargy, and the desire to slump up against a wall. I can only imagine that the reason I have been so susceptible to viruses is because I have pushed myself on what are supposed to be "easy" days.

So today, I tried something different. I stepped out the door with no intention of keeping a particular pace, or finishing in a certain time, or wowing my friends with tales of 13 minute miles. No, ladies and gentlemen, my only goal was to keep my pulse around 150 beats per minute, which would put me at about 75% of my maximum heart rate, ensuring that the entire run would be "easy" and the nano invaders in my throat would soon be destroyed by virtue and good health.

The first few minutes started out like they always do: I walked for a bit to warm up, and then I started jogging at a too fast pace of 5 mph. My pulse was steadily rising, surpassing 120, 130, and hovering around 140. Great, I told myself, everything is going according to plan.

Soon, with my steady pace, my pulse continued to rise. As it was still below 150, however, I was still okay to go. Then, the hills. As most of you know, it is impossible to run up hills at the same pace while keeping your heart rate steady. My pulse quickly began to rise, and I quickly began to walk. The next half hour was an amusing journey, in which, every 30 seconds, I looked down at my watch to find out what my heart rate was, saw that it was over 150, and backed off. All told, my average pace -- not that I am worrying about these sorts of things -- was 3.5 mph. Yes, that is a brisk walk. Not even all that brisk, come to think of it. But that is also a rather slow shuffle. And that is what I did: shuffled over 2 1/2 miles. I kept my pulse at an average of around 150 the whole time, except on the very steep downhill in which I had to actually run at around 5 mph in order to keep my pulse high enough -- characterized as over 145.

So, here are my findings: I felt like kind of a jerk shuffling along at 3 1/2 mph under the guise of "running." But I managed to keep my pulse around 150 the whole time, I added almost 3 miles to my running base, and for once, I would actually characterize my run as "easy." Yes, I was running at a very slow rate, but I felt great. I felt like I was getting exercise, and I finally understood what an "easy run" is supposed to feel like.

I realize that I am very out of shape, that I have never run before, and that I am starting out as a pure beginner. But I also realize that, if I continue to do this by the book -- Jeff Galloway's book -- I will build endurance and cardiovascular fitness at a slow, steady, and maintainable rate. If I keep this up, jogging two or three "easy" days a week (including my long-run), and one harder day in which I push myself and keep my pulse higher for a brief time, I will quickly improve.

I'm not sure if I will improve quickly enough to beat a time of 45 minutes in the very upcoming cherry blossom 5K, or whether Granny Smith with her walker will walk the 5K more quickly than I will shuffle it, or whether my name will forever be inscribed in the annals of the cherry blossom website as "that guy who was beaten by several 80 and 90-year-olds," or --

Wait, where was I?

Anyway, the point is, even though my run was pathetically easy, it was just hard enough, and I feel great. And I look forward to feeling great on a regular basis.

Taking it easy...

2008-03-13T18:49:00.002-04:00

I have decided not to run tonight. I have a lingering chest cough, and I'm still under the weather. It is possible that a slow jog, in which I keep my heart rate less than 150 beats per minute, will knock everything loose inside and get the blood flowing and help me feel better more quickly... or the run could just keep me out of commission even longer.

Not that I'm making excuses, but I do have a choir concert this weekend, and I want to make sure I'm healthy!

In other news, my new voice recognition software arrived today and it is amazing. It is called MacSpeech Dictate and it is exactly what I have been waiting for... for as long as I can remember. This program works like magic. What does this mean for you? Probably a lot more blog entries. :-)

Realism

2008-03-12T01:56:00.001-04:00

It's a good thing I took the time to run last night because, as I predicted, there was no way for me to squeeze my exercise in today. Now, the plan was to run in the morning tomorrow, which I thought would be feasible because I was exhausted all day today, and I was positive that tonight I would flop down in bed and pass out. Unfortunately, I am a total geek, and choir rehearsal revived my spirits like a jolt of caffeine!

I want to be optimistic but I have to be realistic: there is essentially no way I will be able to wake up early enough tomorrow to run three miles.

I can try to squeeze it in tomorrow after work and before dress rehearsal at the Kennedy Center, but again, I have to be realistic. The odds are I will be able to squeeze it in on Thursday, which will mean I'll have gone two days without physical activity.

Perhaps I can fit in a few push-ups tomorrow. Ha!

This is the problem with being a Night Owl. I have fun at night, but I cannot run because it will keep me up for several more hours. Yet I am still unable to go to sleep early enough to run in the morning. For God's sake, man, something has to change!

When I'm not jogging up a mountain, I'm actually pretty good at this

2008-03-10T23:59:00.005-04:00

I'm coming off an illness, which is why I haven't posted in a while. I tried to run on the treadmill this weekend, but I was stymied by weak and tired (sick, really) leg muscles that couldn't carry me more than half a mile.

Today, after not running outside for 9 days (!!!), I felt mostly back to normal, and this evening I set out for a 3 mile jaunt. Out of shape as I am, I find it interesting that "going out for a quick 3 mile jog" doesn't phase me anymore! It seems like for years, 2 miles was this arbitrary limit, above which was the domain of Athletes and Runners, and as I was neither, I wouldn't even attempt it. But tonight was the third time I've attempted 3 miles, and it's kind of become the New Normal.

Not that a "quick 3 mile jog" is either quick or a jog. It's more like a "a 45-minute 3-mile jog:walk." But that doesn't have the same ring, does it?

Fearing tight muscles, I brought The Stick with me, but I found that I didn't really need to use it. (NB: It feels neat to run with a 20" stick in my hand -- it's like I'm carrying a baton in some sort of relay race!) Jeff Galloway's tables say that at my pathetically slow pace, I should actually be running 30 seconds, walking 30 seconds, and repeating. But I can't bring myself to walk that much! So I ran 2, walked 1.

It was slow going. I had gotten about 1.5 miles into it, and I was exhausted. This was hard. I started shortening the running segments, and then lengthening the walking segments. I was really exerting myself, even at my slow pace, and I felt as though I was carrying a massive invisible weight... why was this so hard?

Then I turned the corner onto Wisconsin Avenue. And suddenly it was easy.

I had been running uphill for a mile and a half. THAT'S why it was so hard.

As soon as I got to level ground -- not a decline, just level -- it was as though that invisible weight was lifted. After 2 minutes of jogging, my watch beeped to signify that it was time to walk for a minute -- but I ignored it. I'm going to keep running! After a minute, the watch beeped again to tell me to start running, and I kept at it! Here I was, halfway through my run, and I had the energy to jog for 5 minutes straight. A few cycles later, I did it again. I was 2.5 miles into my 3 mile run, and all I could think was, To Hell with the walk breaks!

I felt good. I was heading into a downhill. I was flying. My right foot started to go numb, but I didn't care. I had just finished reading Dean Karnazes' Ultramarathon Man, about a man who ran hundreds of miles at a time. He routinely lost feeling in his feet! Granted, this was after dozens of miles in brutal conditions; mine was after 2 miles at about 4 mph. Still, I felt kind of like Dean. I knew I'd get the feeling back. So I kept flying.

Near home, I finally listened to my watch and walked the last block, with the biggest smile on my face. It had taken a long time, but I had made it 3 miles, and I felt great. And ya know what?

I could easily see myself going 4. :-)

Running While Sick?

2008-03-04T22:17:00.003-05:00

I skipped my planned 3-mile run today. Well, "skipped" is rather harsh; I prefer to think of it as "postponed" until tomorrow.

The reason I pushed the run back is because I felt kind of under the weather today. I have had a scratchy throat for the past few days, and today I felt lethargic and just kinda out of it. So I decided that a run might do more harm than good: it might push me over the edge of healthy into SICK.

One rule of thumb I've heard says that if your symptoms are in the head -- i.e. stuffy nose, sniffles, sinus congestion -- you can run. If symptoms are in the chest -- chest cough, chest congestion -- you should rest. But my symptoms were in my throat! Where does that count? Should I have run or not?

(The suggestion of Ian -- ever the engineer -- was that since my symptoms were halfway between my head and chest, I should simply run 1.5 miles instead of my planned 3. "It's simple," he said. Gotta love engineers.)

We are Okay to Go!

2008-03-02T17:30:00.011-05:00

I am very pleased to report that my planned 3-mile run with longtime friend Diana went off without a hitch yesterday! The numb foot of Thursday night was, thank God, nowhere to be found. Perhaps this was due to the regular stretching and massaging I had done over the past couple days, or the new "parallel lacing" scheme I found on runnersworld.com that relieved pressure on the top of my feet, or fact that it was now a pleasant 45 degrees and sunny out. It was likely a combination of all of those things.

End result? A slow as hell 48:38 5K over very hilly terrain -- and by "hilly," I mean a 14% incline at one point. Ugh! Add to that Diana's refusal to let me deviate from her predetermined 3:1 run:walk ratio, and my 16 minute pace left me exhausted. They say you're supposed to maintain a "conversational" pace while running -- that is, be able to have a conversation without panting or gasping for air. Well, Diana will confirm that I did indeed keep it conversational... for about the first 8 minutes. After that, the conversation went something like this:

Matt (gasping): They ---- say ----- should ---- be ---- able ta ----- talk but ---- I can't ----
Diana (perfectly fine): Don't talk.
Matt (panting): Why --- can't ---- walk for ---- TWO minutes.....
Diana: No. We can reduce the running time if you want, but you can only walk for one minute at a time.
Matt (dying): Why --- aren't --- you ------- tired!
Diana (not tired): I am tired. I'm just not breathing heavily.
Matt: Wha? Howza?
Diana: I learn breathing techniques in Yoga.
Matt: bzz kjes fp eeee z (gurgle)
Diana: Don't talk. Focus on your form.
Matt (dead).

Mind you, this is all even more ridiculous than it sounds, as we were literally jogging at about 4 miles per hour. The only time I ran faster than that was when, around 2.5 miles into the run, Diana told me I could rest once we got to that Starbucks up there.

Zooooom!

Yes, I sprinted 1/10 mile to the Starbucks, doubling my speed to 7-8 mph, because that way I could rest sooner! Diana chastized me for sprinting -- "You shouldn't sprint at the end of your run! You're not going to get any benefit out of it! You're just going to get sore!" -- but I was just happy to finally have a chance to rest.

Shortly thereafter, Diana and I parted ways, as I jogged a final 1/4 mile around my block to hit the 3 mile mark, and she took the bus home.

No, she actually jogged the 2.5 miles home, on top of the 3 she jogged with me, on top of the 2.7 it took for her to jog to my place in the first place!

I hope I am never as crazy as Diana.

A Zone of Beautiful Contradictions

2008-03-01T00:20:00.002-05:00

It is 9 p.m. on a chilly winter night in our nation's capital. The temperature is below freezing and our hero is sitting on the side of the road, immobile, poking at the top of his right foot and wondering why he can't feel anything. It looks fine, he thinks to himself. It can't be frostbite. He is a mile from home and afraid to run, for fear of doing even more damage. He has no cell phone, no money for a cab or for the bus. He has no choice but to hobble home, increasingly aware that although he was dressed warmly enough for running, he was nowhere near insulated enough for walking. As his Garmin counts down the minutes until he reaches home (20 minutes at his current crawl), he thinks back to a scene in one of his favorite books where the protagonist is left outside in the cold too long, and has to have his feet amputated. Surely that won't happen to me, our hero tells himself. Still... is this the end of my Cherry Blossom aspirations?

Tough Beginning

The training schedule said 3 miles, and even though I had gotten home late, and I don't normally like to run in the late evening because it keeps me awake, I had no choice. I mean, I had drawn up that nifty little 5K map and told the whole world about it -- and I couldn't disappoint the world, could I?

It was cold outside, but sweats, a long-sleeve wicking shirt, gloves and a hat keep me warm enough. I was rested, caffeinated even. I could make it.

After mapping out my route I uploaded it to the Garmin, so that it could beep at me angrily when I inevitably veered off course. I started on my adventure and my pulse began to rise... I walked for a minute every 3-4 minutes because that was the plan... but then around half a mile my calves became incredibly tight! I have had problems with tight calves for years, but I thought I had gotten over the problem several weeks ago. I stopped to stretch, and then continued running, and got tight again, and stopped to stretch. After about a mile, the pain hadn't let up, so I looked around for a stick to press against my muscles -- a poor man's version of the rolling-pin-like Stick that I use daily at home.

I found a suitable stick, rubbed it up and down my calves over my sweat pants, causing an oddly relieving pins-and-needles sensation. I felt better.

In the Zone

I pushed ahead, trying to keep my pulse in the 150-170 range. I jogged at a slow pace until my pulse hit 170, and then walked until it dropped to 150 -- since it usually takes one minute for my pulse to drop 20 points, this worked out well, averaging out to a jog 2-3, walk 1 pattern.

The jog wasn't altogether pleasant, but then something interesting happened: For a few minutes, I felt almost like I was in a Zone of Beautiful Contradictions:

I was exerting myself, working hard, and it was tough -- yet I felt like I was in a groove and could continue the exertion with minimal effort.
It was very cold out, the people I passed were bundled up from head to toe, and I could see my breath -- yet I felt comfortably warm.
All I could hear was my own breath and the pounding of my feet on the pavement -- yet with my steady 2-2 breathing pattern, the sound was rhythmic, quiet, and almost tranquil.
The world was dark and it was hard to see -- yet what I did see was beautiful: houses and paths bathed in the yellow glow of the street lamps.

At one point I passed an elderly couple walking a dog. One of them said to the other, "Hold the dog, there's a jogger coming." It took me a second to realize that they were talking about me. I smiled. Me? A jogger? Come now; I spend frigid winter evenings watching TV.

A Sudden End

As I passed the 2-mile mark, I felt good. With the walking and stretching, my overall pace was abysmal, but I told myself it's not about pace at this point -- it's just about conditioning my body to be able to keep moving. Speed will come later. Don't worry about it. Just keep putting one foot ahead of the other, focus on the feeling of each foot hitting the pavement.....

....hang on, is my right shoe coming unlaced?

I looked down. My shoe was fine.

....That's odd. Why can't I feel the shoe?

I stopped moving. With my left foot, I tapped the top of my right foot. Nothing.

Uh oh...

Contradiction #5: I had finally hit a running groove -- yet I couldn't feel my right foot.

I started to become a little panicky. I took off my sock, afraid of what I would find... but my foot looked perfectly normal. I reached down to feel it, but there was no sensation. It was as though the top of my foot had fallen asleep, along with the front and outside part of my right calf. Completely numb.

I didn't know what had caused the numbness, so I didn't want to risk exacerbating it by jogging the mile home. I didn't have my wallet with me so I couldn't catch a cab or take the bus. I had no choice but to walk. I realized that when you're jogging in sweats, 30 degrees feels like a comfortable 50. When you're walking in sweats, 30 degrees feels like THIRTY F#@$ING DEGREES.

On the walk home, I had a lot of time to think about what could be causing the numbness... and by the time I got home, I had figured it out.

Mystery Solved?

The working theory I had developed on the way home was that because I didn't warm up, and because it was very cold, and my right calf was far more tight than usual, the muscles in my leg ended up swelling so much that they cut off blood flow to the nerves running down the outside calf into the foot.

Within a few minutes of returning home and removing my shoe and sock, the feeling returned -- thank God! I turned my attention to ~~the Oracle~~ Google -- and I think I confirmed my theory. Several other people have reported the exact same symptoms, and no one is quite sure of the exact cause, but everyone is generally in agreement that it's some sort of pinched nerve.

But why did the numbness come on suddenly at the end of mile 2? Enter technology:

Look what happens 1.8 miles in: the elevation shoots from 330 to about 400 feet. That's equivalent to a treadmill incline of about 8 or 9 percent! Think about the angle that the foot hits the ground with a 9 percent incline -- it restricts the blood flow even more. End result?

Reduced blood flow to the nerve.

Conclusion

Now that I know what happened (I think), there is no need to stop my training. I just have to make sure I warm up before I go jogging in the cold, and I make sure to stretch and massage my calf muscles religiously. If it continues to happen, I'll make an appointment with a doctor, but this is the first time my foot has ever gone numb during a run -- and hopefully the last time for a while.

Next step: 3 miles with Diana. I am looking forward to showing her the Monster Hill that I have to face every time I jog through my neighborhood. It's not that I'm sadistic, just that I much prefer it if others suffer with me.

The 5K I am about to attempt...

2008-02-28T18:31:00.001-05:00

Very Hilly 5K
Find more Runs in Washington, District Of Columbia

The Endurance of a Kumquat

2008-02-27T17:56:00.005-05:00

My GPS/HRM is providing some very useful data: Specifically, it has analyzed my heart rate as I attempted to jog for a couple of miles but petered out just before completing the first mile -- on completely flat terrain, mind you -- and it has determined that I have the endurance of a kumquat. I already knew this, of course, but now I have a neat little graph showing that I can only exert myself for about a mile, at which point my wittle heart just can't take it anymore. To-wit:

It's very interesting to be able visualize what I have felt on my "runs": I hate that first mile. I just can't get over how much I hate it. And it's not because I'm running too "fast" or anything; I seriously keep my pace at 4.5 mph, which is the speed at which most Washingtonians walk. But as you can see, on that first incredibly slow mile, my pulse increases slowly but surely from 150 to about 164, even though I am running at a steady pace. (Note: Ignore that little spike around 0.3 miles; I was dashing across the crosswalk at 7.5 mph before the light turned green!)

Anyway, what the graph shows is that my endurance SUCKS. A mile progressively taxes my body because I am apparently in very bad shape, and afterward, I can bring my heart rate back up but cannot maintain it. This results in a lovely series of peaks and valleys. Great for admiring. Not so great for building endurance.

I guess I will just persevere, and really try to stick to the Gallowalking program that has brought success to so many beginners. I am told that it will get easier, but there are no magic solutions. I just have to slog through it.

In other news, my Garmin Forerunner 305 is apparently smarter than me. About 1.5 miles into my jog on unfamiliar terrain last night, I got completely and utterly lost. Thanks to the Miracle of Technology, if you click here, you can actually see a little red dot run around aimlessly on a map, retracing his steps several times. That little dot, of course, is me. (Couldn't you tell?) In fact, the only reason I didn't keep on going in the wrong direction at the 26-minute mark is because I realized that the Garmin has a nifty "Return to Beginning" function, which will point a big stinkin' arrow in the direction of my starting point.

I suppose it is worth noting that even when the Garmin told me I was back where I started, I refused to believe it, and almost started panicking, until, on a whim, I pulled out my keychain and pressed the button. HONK! "Holy crap, I am where I started!" I said aloud to no one in particular.

This proves that not only do I have the endurance of a kumquat, apparently I also have the intelligence of a kumquat.

Carry on.

First Runs with the Garmin Forerunner 305

2008-02-25T14:44:00.005-05:00

Well, this is momentous: I have actually stuck to the training plan so far (although I did have to jigger the days around somewhat to fit in my schedule), and I ran 6.5 miles between Thursday and Sunday!

As you know, my Thursday 2 mile treadmill run was tough as hell, but left me energized. Thursday night saw the arrival of my Garmin Forerunner 305, which I purchased from a once-technologically-minded friend who has since eschewed all running technology, preferring to run au naturale. (Apparently that also includes no longer updating his running blog!)

On Saturday, I had my first chance to strap up and use it. I must have pressed a wrong button or something, because the thing lost the satellite signal around .89 of my jog, and didn't find it again until I restarted the device. Oh well -- I still managed to go about 2.5 miles AND run right past everyone's favorite news personality, Tim Russert! (My brain didn't realize it was him until about 3 seconds had passed, and by that point I thought it would have been a little scary for me to run back to him, all sweaty, and tell him he was my role model.)

Saturday was also momentous because it was basically the coldest outdoor run I have ever attempted. Now, it wasn't that cold -- only in the mid-30s. But for a running novice like me, the fact that I actually attempted and COMPLETED a run in such frigid weather was fairly monumental! I suited up in wicking shorts, sweatpants over that, my long-sleeve wicking shirt, a zippered sweatshirt over that, a knit cap, and gloves. It was a pretty good combination! About 20 minutes in, I had to take off the hat and gloves because I was getting toasty, but other than that, I felt just great throughout the entire run. I was only planning to run 2 miles, but because of the GPS mixup, I ended up running about a half mile more. Total: 2.5 miles.

On Sunday, I went out again, this time in the opposite direction. I had mapped out a route that would take me to the National Cathedral and back along a circular route that didn't have too steep an incline. At least, that's what I thought from looking at the little upward sloping graph on USATF.org. It turns out that a little slope on the computer translates into a fairly intense hill in real life, especially when that hill comes around Mile 1, which is currently the point where I am most tired before I "get over it" and settle into a more "comfortable" higher heart rate zone. My pace was still excruciatingly slow, but that's because of all the hills. I'm hoping that when it comes time to run on a flat course, I will be more than prepared.

And my Garmin worked perfectly on Sunday! Click here for details about my run. (Note: The "8.8 mph max" from Sunday's run was on the last 1/2 mile, which is a very steep downhill. Now that was fun! Felt like I was flying!)

I pushed myself pretty hard this weekend so I'm giving myself a day or two off. The next run is 2 miles, and then after that I am attempting 3 miles. I think I'll be okay as long as I can find some flatter terrain. Wish me luck!

TRAINING LOG

Thursday, 2/21: 2 miles
Saturday, 2/23: 2.5 miles
Sunday, 2/24: 2 miles

TOTAL: 6.5 miles*

*For logging purposes, my running weeks will end with the Sunday "long run."

Slowest pace, hardest run

2008-02-22T15:29:00.002-05:00

As you can see by the nifty Training Plan up at the top of the page, I have decided to give the Cherry Blossom run an actual sustained effort. Whether I can sustain that effort in the long run is debatable, and, frankly, unlikely if history is any guide. But this is the first time I have ever signed up for an actual race, so I am hoping that, like in my work and academic lives, the deadline will make all the difference.

So in order for the Runner's World SmartCoach program to calculate my suggested pace, I had to tell it how fast I can run a mile. That is, if there were an actual race and I was all pumped up and my friends were cheering me on, how fast could I run a mile?

I entered in "10 minutes." I think that is fairly reasonable, as back when I was in great shape a few years ago, I could do it in less than 8. And I could probably keep up 6 mph for 10 minutes...

Okay, it's a stretch. Anyway, the training program came back and told me that I should do my easy runs at a pace of 13:37 per mile. That is equivalent to 4.4 miles per hour. A slow jog. A fast walk.

"You gotta be kidding me!" I shouted aloud to no one in particular. "I can go much faster than that!"

But I decided to give it a try. Yesterday I stepped on the treadmill, set it to 1% incline, and set it for 30 minutes. GO.

The first couple minutes were easy as cake. I looked around, worried that the athletes around me would start snickering when they saw how slow I was going, while they were all at 6mph or above.

Then 2 minutes turned into 3. And 4. And 8. And that slow ass pace became HARD. I wasn't taking any walking breaks yet, and I guess I wasn't used to moving that fast for that long. I walked for one minute once I hit 10 minutes in, but then kept jogging until I had traversed a mile.

My time? 13:50.

I know this is pathetic. I know that it's 30% slower than I used to train at, and almost 50% slower than my best mile ever.

But it is also a beginning, and it was less than 14 minutes, which is good because 14 minutes is the slowest pace they allow in the Cherry Blossom run, as you have to complete the 10 mile course in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Any slower, and you have to jump on the Stragglers Bus.

It's not like I wasn't trying either. By the time I hit the 1 mile mark, my pulse was up to 170 and I was not able to carry on a conversation, as is the recommended effort level on Easy days.

I stretched for 30 seconds and then walked for the next couple minutes, before jogging again. I hit the second mile mark at 28:44, which means that second mile took me 14:54, including 3-4 minutes of walking.

At about 27 minutes, I had pushed the speed up to 5.0 mph and set the incline to zero, because I had wanted to try to break 15 minutes for that second mile. 5 mph, normally very easy at the beginning of a run, was brutal now. I was at an intensity of 9 or 9.5, and when I hit 2 miles, my pulse was up to 180.

I walked for a couple more minutes and then got off the treadmill, having gone about 2.1 miles in 31 minutes. I know, I have a long way to go. But even a journey of 10 miles begins with a single step. (Sorry for the cliche but it is true.)

An hour after my run, I felt great. I was relaxed and refreshed and full of energy. I felt renewed. And while I still don't like running, and doubt I ever will, I love the idea of challenging myself. And this is sure to be one hell of a challenge.

Habits

2008-02-19T11:19:00.001-05:00

I was planning on ordering my standard General Tso's combo with dumplings last night, but I didn't feel very well and I wasn't that hungry so I just ended up making soup. And it was delish! And I didn't gain 5 pounds from all the deep-fried chicken that I missed out on. :-)

Haven't run in a few days. I cannot find THE STICK, and without THE STICK my calves tighten up to unbearable levels when I try running. I will have to find it soon or else buy another one. Eek.

Come ON!!!

2008-02-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

FORCE YOURSELF TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND EXERCISE!
The bed is NOT THAT COMFY!!
COME ON!!!

PS - I ate another General Tso's combo with steamed dumplings.

Got to

2008-02-13T13:17:00.001-05:00

I've been so busy with trying to find a new place to live. It takes up all my evenings and so much of my weekends. I haven't had time to prepare healthy meals or to exercise. I have GOT TO make time. I am exhausted currently, and it's because I'm not exercising.

Matt Actually Enjoyed an Evening Jog

2008-02-05T22:09:00.001-05:00

Executive Summary

1. I don't hate Ian.
2. I have found one of my joys of running.

Incroyable!

I managed to run for 5 minutes without stopping!

2008-01-31T00:06:00.001-05:00

Twice!
And then a few minutes more!
And my legs didn't tighten up!!!

This is gonna be tough...

2008-01-22T00:30:00.001-05:00

So I went jogging today after 8 days of not, and my calves got so tight I could barely jog at all. I walked for 1 minute, jogged at 5 mph at a 1% incline for 3, walked 1 jogged 3, then I had to take 5 minutes out to run The Stick up and down my tender, tender calves. I got back on the treadmill to go again, but I only managed a few minutes before I had to stop and massage my calves again.

I know I can get over this hurdle with constant stretching and frequent exercise, but right now I feel frustrated because my cardiovascular system is more than willing to jog for much longer than I can right now. It's the damn musculature that is the weak link. Grrrrr.......

Yes, but look at the ONE month graph...

2008-01-18T12:47:00.002-05:00

I know that if you look at my total weight graph o' doom since I started keeping track of it, it looks like I've gained about 5 pounds. BUT if you look at the one month graph, the results are much nicer:

This means I am holding steady. So far so good. Next step: a DOWNWARD trajectory.

I vow this, my friends: One Day we shall rechristen the graph. No more shall it be Weight Graph o'Doom, but rather it shall become the Weight Graph o' Delight!

A Jog and Healthy Meals

2008-01-08T00:25:00.000-05:00

Good news bad news good news.

The good news is that I doubled my walk/jog from yesterday. The bad news is that "doubled" means I managed a mile and a half before collapsing, compared to my paltry 3/4 mile yesterday. The good news is that I have a lot of time until the 10-mile run in April.

I got ahold of the Beginner training schedule from a couple of years ago, and this is what the first week of training looks like:

Jan. 23 - 30 minutes
Goal: Walk for 1 minute and then run for 2 minutes. Do this 10 times.
Jan. 24 - 21 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes (7 times)
Jan. 25 - Rest Day
Jan. 26 - 32 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes (4 times)
Jan. 27 - 24 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes (6 times)
Jan. 28 - Rest Day
Jan. 29 - 36 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes (12 times)

Once again, the bad news is that I am totally a beginner, and this training plan actually looks appropriate for me. The good news is that I am starting to train about three weeks before the training schedule kicks in, so I should be ready to go in a few weeks.

My meals today were good. A soy breakfast burrito this morning, a South Beach bar, South Beach chicken alfredo whole wheat frozen dealie, an apple. I did have a burrito from Baja Fresh, but it was after my jog and I was famished. The really good news is that I grilled a sirloin burger for dinner and ate it without the bun and it was DELISH. Then I had some baby carrots with hummus.

I'd say my calories for the day are around 2200, which is right on track. I have no idea what the Weight Graph O' Doom will say tomorrow -- I'm hoping for a green triangle instead of a red one -- but whatever happens, I know I did well today.

I think today's dinner provides a good model for the future. It's like a compromise: I can eat as much protein and veggies for dinner as I like, as long as I lay off the carbs. It'll work out because I can't see myself gorging on saturated meat or anything. Maybe two chicken breasts? A couple sirloin burgers with no bun? I'm not concerned.

Onward...

Starting 2008 off right?

2008-01-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

So that green triangular area up on the graph from last week, that was when I went home to Michigan and dropped about 5 pounds. Of course, I probably didn't lose 5 pounds of fat -- much of it was likely water weight -- but it shows that when I don't eat big meals late at night, when I don't eat sodium-filled meals, and when I generally curb my calorie intake, weight loss comes quickly for me.

As you may have also noticed, the graph has jumped back up to my pre-Michigan levels. This is because two nights ago I ordered Chinese food, and last night I had ramen noodles. Both carry massive amounts of sodium, so I have no doubt retained several pounds of water.

It is interesting to note that the General Tso's combo I had two nights ago was incredibly delicious, but after I consumed the entire thing, I was completely incapacitated. Apparently 2,000 calories (at least) of a fat-laden meal, consumed quickly, causes me to get very very drowsy, become unable to do anything, and fall asleep.

Huh.

Some other interesting news: Yesterday I "began" "training" for the 10-miler in April, and I had an interesting finding... it seems I am unable to run a mile. Not because of any cardiovascular issue (my pulse didn't go above 120, when I am easily capable of maintaining 160+ for a long time), but because my calves were incredibly tight. This always happens after a long period of dormancy, and after massaging my calf muscles with THE STICK, everything worked fine again. But this shows that it will take me a couple weeks before I can get up to the distances necessary to properly condition my body for 10 miles.

Clad

2007-12-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

Ian and I went to the Running Fit store in West Bloomfield yesterday to pick up running gear for me: lined shorts, a long-sleeved shirt, and socks. They're all the wicking kind, which makes perspiration magically disappear or something.

I looked for a hat or headband to keep the sweat out of my eyes and glasses, but because my head is monstrously ginormous, nothing fit -- UNTIL we made it to Dick's later that night. Dick's Sporting Goods is an amazing and awesome store, able even to wow the least athletically gifted among us. (Me.) Long story short, I picked up another wicking T-shirt AND, after trying on all the hats, I found a Nike wicking visor that just barely fits me on its largest setting.

Running is so much fun!

But... now I'm told I have to actually put these things on and run around and stuff. Yeah....... not sure about that one.

Okay, so here's the deal

2007-12-25T18:07:00.000-05:00

I am aware that the (newly rechristened) Weight Graph o' Doom is on a seemingly unending upward trajectory.

I am aware (Diana!) that I haven't posted in a while.

I am aware that fitness has not been a priority.

That all must change.

I recently signed up for the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run on April 6, 2008. I have to start training for that soon, because currently I can run no more than 1 mile before I collapse into a steaming pile of perspiration. I am working overly long hours, but one of the guys there works the same hours (longer, actually) and still manages to fit in a 4- or 5-mile run every day. He just takes a long break in the middle of the day, and then uses the office shower on the 9th floor. If he can make time, so can I.

I'm not sure when I'll fit weight lifting in, but again, I have to make fitness a priority. I was at 213 this morning -- that's about the same as a year ago, so I haven't really gained, but 213 is not ideal. 183 is ideal.

So we have a number now. Thirty pounds. Let's break that up into easier chunks: 3x10. I will call them my Challenges. Challenge 1: Lose 10 pounds, bringing me to 203. Challenge 2: 10 more pounds, to 193. Challenge 3: 10 more pounds, to 183.

Godspeed.

Wow, a month already?

2007-11-18T00:08:00.000-05:00

The title about sums this one up. I knew I hadn't posted in a while but I can't believe it's been an entire month! Huh. Well, here's a brief recap:

I started on Turbulence Training, which details incredibly efficient and ass-kicking workouts that one can accomplish in about a half hour a day for six days a week, or an hour a day three times a week.

I did this for a couple weeks, and found my muscles very sore and my energy buoyed, but then I became inundated with work.

I haven't run in the past month. It got cold and I got busy and that was the first thing to fall off the plate. But I still intend to do the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in April, so I'll have to get started training soon. Ian has promised to pay for the entry fee as a birthday present. I told him that was an ingeniously twisted present.

If you look at the big honking graph at the top, you will see that my "weight loss challenge" is not proceeding very well, as I am up a few pounds from the start. But you will also notice that the green areas -- which signifies prolonged weight loss -- were immediately proceeded by a 2-mile jog. So it appears that that simple-yet-incredibly-difficult endeavor is quite successful at blasting away the pounds.

Right now I am supposed to do lots of work every day -- basically 10-12 hours a day doing contract attorney work -- so that doesn't leave a lot of time for exercise. But it turns out that there is a Washington Sports Club right across the street from where I work. It's not "my" club, but I am allowed to work out there during "off-peak" hours. I checked, and that's 2-4 pm. Perfect! I can work from 8-2, take a break by going to the gym for an hour or two in the middle of the day, and then return to work from 4-9. This will allow me to get my hours in (thus making gobs of money, woo!) while also getting my exercise in (thus destroying gobs of fat, blech!). The bad news is that I won't be able to implement this until after I return from my Thanksgiving trip. The good news is that the schedule should help me counter the recent weight gain and, hopefully, begin a downward trend that will see the newfound fitting of my oldfound pants.

come ON!

2007-10-18T23:53:00.000-04:00

FORCE YOURSELF TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND EXERCISE!
The bed is NOT THAT COMFY!!
COME ON!!!

PS - I ate another pizza.

Truths

2007-10-17T00:29:00.001-04:00

Seeing the scale number jump so high this morning was upsetting, but it was not a shock. Two nights ago I had a General Tso's combo for dinner, and last night I consumed an entire pizza. The massive water retention that accompanies such sodium-filled eating is not surprising. I knew it was coming.

The good news is that this is almost certainly all water weight, and it is just as easy to lose as to gain. Well, not JUST as easy, but just as simple. Don't binge on crap for a while.

I was going to jog today but I couldn't because I didn't wake up early enough and I had rehearsal directly after work, and after rehearsal it was too late to exercise because exercise keeps me up.

But I will have time tomorrow. Odds are I won't be able to squeeze it into the morning, since my sleeping schedule is not on track yet, but there is no reason why I can't hit the gym after work. The night is clear and I want to make progress toward my goal.

I saw a rather bad picture of myself yesterday. It was taken at church this Sunday, and it is what I look like when I am singing on stage with the rest of the choir. As you can see, the double chin is HUGE:

It's photos like that which I want to avoid. I know from experience that when I lose weight, it first comes off my stomach, and then my face looks a little less round, and then, finally, it starts slowly coming off from under my chin. It really is a genetic thing: some people can be 50 pounds overweight and not have a double chin, and some people can be a perfect weight and still have some flab under there. It's genetics and there is nothing I can do about that, EXCEPT to try to minimize it as much as possible.

oooooh that's a pleasant surprise

2007-10-13T21:45:00.001-04:00

I just weighed myself at the end of the day and the results were good! I normally put my weight into the physicsdiet log in the morning after i use the bathroom, so i'm not sure if my weight will be this low in the morning, and I want to document it now so that I can be publicly pleased:

205.6! Body fat is also down too.

If you look at the little chart, you'll see that i'm basically as low right now as my low point a couple weeks ago. So I have gotten over the weird red triangle hump, and hopefully it will continue. :-)

I didn't run today because I was quite tired, but yes yes I will jog tomorrow.

Really not a lot to eat today, as I was not hungry:

Breakfast: Coffee with cream
Lunch: Chipotle (chicken, barbacoa and guac) + barq's root beer

And...... that's it. I know, not exactly a proper diet, but I kept the calories down and I wasn't hungry! And believe me, I got enough protein in that burrito to maintain my muscle mass.

Good Day Today

2007-10-13T00:46:00.001-04:00

I had a good day today, with the only indulgence being an order of fries with my late lunch (I wanted to fill myself up because I knew I wouldn't be eating again for a while). Here is what I had:

Bagel and a bit o' coffee w/ cream, sugar (300)
Turkey wrap with hummus - tasty! (200)
South Beach bar (140)
BIG pita sandwich filled with chicken, hummus and veggies; fries (yeah yeah); Mountain Dew (900)
Spicy lentil soup with ripped up turkey breast; some raisins and peanuts (300)

Approximate rounded up total = less than 2000

It seems I don't need more than 2000 calories to feel generally satisfied during the day. I absolutely don't need to scarf down a whole pizza at night! I am hoping the scale will be back below 207 tomorrow, but who knows - I might have a delayed rebound upward from last night's pizza experience.

I haven't been able to jog in a few days because I have been uberbusy. But I am absolutely making time tomorrow afternoon.

AGAIN

2007-10-11T21:24:00.001-04:00

I DID IT AGAIN I ORDERED AND ATE A WHOLE PIZZA EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T HUNGRY I DID IT OUT OF HABIT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME THERE'S GONNA BE SUCH A RED TRIANGLE TOMORROW

---
Edit: Aaaaaand the scale went down. Green triangle. I'm confused.

Failure to plan

2007-10-11T00:34:00.000-04:00

It is easy to overeat the day after a hard run, buoyed by the lingering satisfaction of a job well done, the emerging second-day soreness in my calves. It feels like I deserve it. It's also easy to overeat when you don't plan, when you don't eat every 3 hours, when you become famished at night and inhale the entire box of Kraft Mac & Cheese with cut up chicken sausage even though you told yourself you would only have half of it.

400 calories for bagel and coffee at breakfast. Then I was in the car for hours and succumbed to a Wendy's spicy chicken COMBO (yes, with fries) because it was right there, even though I didn't NEED it. Some peanuts and raisins tided me over after that, but 5 hours later I couldn't help but inhale the mac and cheese.

If I had kept my blood sugar steady by eating protein and carbs every 2-3 hours, I wouldn't even have had the DESIRE to overeat late at night.

Okay. Tomorrow is another day. But I will not be surprised if the scale's up tomorrow -- overeating ups the sodium which makes my body hold water like a sponge. Eek! Anyway, if I have the energy tomorrow evening, it will be time to jog.

A positive day

2007-10-10T00:12:00.000-04:00

I would characterize today has a positive fitness day. I managed to run two miles even though it was excruciatingly hot outside. I do not intend to do that again. From now on, I will either run in the morning or in the evening, but not during the middle of the afternoon when it is approaching - or surpassing - record breaking temperatures.

So I ran two miles - well, walked and ran two miles - and did not ruin my diet today:

Kashi GoLean Crunch with low fat milk - 300
Half a pound of chicken breast with couscous and delicious hot sauce - 500
Four pirogues sauteed in olive oil - 400
A little bit of fat-free lemon sorbet - 100
A diet lemonade and lots of water

Total: 1300 calories... is that right? I could have sworn that I ate more than that! I know that I have to eat more than that in order to maintain my muscle mass, because my base metabolic rate is around 2000.

That is very odd - surely I am missing something. But I can't think of anything - okay, time to have a protein shake and go to bed. :-) By the way, for any of you who are attempted to chastise me for low calorie intake, rest assured that I am not hungry! Don't worry - I would not purposely deprive myself too much. I know that I have to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle for life.

ADDENDUM: I remembered what else I ate today -- I grazed sporadically on raisins and low-salt mixed nuts, some organic peanut butter, and some cauliflower with hummus. I'd say it's an extra couple hundred calories worth. I also just ate a chicken sausage for 150 calories + some hot sauce. Still under 1800 calories for the day, and I was never hungry!

Katherine's Nutrition Tips

2007-10-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

Tips from my Sister Katherine...
with editor's commentary from me!

1. chicken stir-fry. so easy. get your veggies and some sesame oil and some cut up chicken. use garlic salt or curry or whatever. but it's delicious, low-fat, and filling.

Yep, I too am a fan of the chicken stir-fry. I don't use as many vegetables as I should -- in fact I usually don't put veggies in at all -- but it is still delicious and low-fat and filling. I also use olive oil instead of sesame oil because it's very good for you.

2. cauliflower and hummus. one of my favorite snacks. also amazing with red pepper. it almost seems too good to be good for you!

I tried this suggestion and Katherine is right! Cauliflower + hummus = muy tasty, and filling too!

3. sugar free snacks. if you eat like ONE or TWO of the candies, it's much better for you than eating real sugar things.

I'm not a big sugar guy anyway, but good tip.

4. Wyler's lemonade. 0 calories, 0 grams of sugar. I live off of these things when I need something sweet. And it makes me want to drink water more.

If only I could figure out where to buy these... right now I'm getting my lemonade fix from Minute Maid Light Lemonade, 5 calories per can. Pretty tasty.

5. Ground turkey. Last night I browned ground turkey and added onions, broccolli, and some cheese with sesame oil. I didn't make a lot, but it was amazing!

I am also a fan of the browned ground turkey (in olive oil), but unlike Katherine I don't add veggies. That's not because I don't like veggies, but only because I am too lazy to cut them up and throw them in there.

6. SALADS! a key to success. add good things like turkey bacon or chicken. and stick with lite dressings or fat free dressings. cuz those will get you.

DO NOT LIKE SALADS. I am hoping there is another key.

7. if you are going to eat carbs, only eat WHEAT. and not fake wheat. there can't be any enriched flour. only whole grain flour. wheat bread, wheat pasta, brown jasmine rice. a serving size of spaghetti is equal to the circumference of a quarter.

"If you are going to eat carbs.." hahaha... I love my carbs. Eating them is a given. I cannot go through life remaining healthy and fit and SANE if I am forced to give up carbs. But yes, I try to get the whole grain stuff -- it keeps me fuller longer.

Progress is being made.

2007-10-09T02:40:00.001-04:00

My run two days ago accomplished several important and positive things. As soon as I returned home, I realized that I had no cravings whatsoever for any bad foods. Whereas traditionally I have a very high chance of ordering pizza in the evening, after I returned from my two mile run, during which might pulse reached the very high number of 193, I had absolutely no desire for pizza. Or Chinese food. I actually had a hankering for - get this - vegetables!

The next day, I felt refreshed. Quite invigorated. Instant rejuvenation is a common side effect of exercise for me, and so when I do jog, for instance, I can take solace in the fact that even though weight loss may take several months, I will feel energized within days.

I was going to go for a run tonight, and I even when so far as to put on all of my jogging clothes, attach my heart rate monitor, and warmed up my muscles. But I was procrastinating because the thought of going back out there and running for two miles was not pleasant.So by the time I was finally ready to go, it was after ten o'clock. And there have been several crime alerts in this area recently. I am not making excuses! Alright, I am. But I did manage to walk around the block, and I swear to God I will go jogging tomorrow.

There is more good news though, which is that my resting pulse was at 72 beats per minute today! A couple of weeks ago there was nothing I could do to bring it under 85. It is amazing how fast cardiovascular changes can occur when starting - or, in my case, restarting - a fitness program!

One more thing: I find it very amusing that the graph of my weight fluctuations that the top of this page corresponds exactly with the days in which I have chosen to eat healthy, binge, and eat healthy again! Seriously, I could draw a box around the red area on the graph and write, "pizza!" And it would be exceedingly accurate and appropriate.

I saw my reflection in the door way to my apartment building yesterday, and it was very easy in my mind's eye to visualize what I would look like as a skinny person. I liked what I saw.

About to run... well, jog/walk

2007-10-05T19:35:00.000-04:00

Long-time chum Ian, who told me about "Body for Life" 1/4 of a lifetime ago, just told me about another book, called "No Need for Speed." It's about running, and it is aimed at people like me -- we who have never thought of ourselves as "athletes." It's very motivational, and so far it's working.

I have long had a love-hate relationship with running. I hate getting out there, and yet when I'm out there it isn't so bad, and when I return, I usually feel pretty good. Tired but good. The longest run I've ever done was 6 or 7 miles, back when I was a senior at the University of Michigan. The date was September 28, 2001. I ran from central campus all the way to north campus, rested, and ran all the way back. Wow! I was thrilled! So proud of myself!

I didn't run again for years.

I don't know why. Maybe I thought I couldn't surpass that one-time burst of activity. In any case, I know that running has great benefits, both on the psyche and on the waistline. My mother has taken off 60 pounds in the past year by putting one foot in front of the other on a treadmill, and she looks and feels great now.

If she can do it, I can do it... Here is the 2-mile route I mapped out (well, 1.96 -- close as I could get):

At my peak running efficiency (mid-2003), I could jog 4.5 miles without stopping. It took 45 minutes, so it was slow, but it was steady and constant. Today, I'll be lucky if I can do the 2 miles in 45 minutes. :-) Anyway enough procrastinating. Time to get out there.

---

Addendum: I DID IT. I missed one leg of the job because I took a wrong turn, so it was more like 1.86 miles, but there were a SHITLOAD of UNEXPECTED HILLS and I sprinted toward the end and got my pulse up to 193 at one point. It took 31 minutes. I HATE IAN.

Yeah. I know.

2007-10-02T12:20:00.001-04:00

Today is Turkey Day

2007-09-26T22:18:00.001-04:00

I made a tasty meal today. For several months, ground turkey breast has been sitting in my freezer. I don't even remember purchasing it - it must have been during one of my many weight loss kicks. Anyway, the "use or freeze by" date on the label was July 31st, and I know I had frozen it by that date. So today was Turkey Day!

Rudy, my little parrot, is enthralled whenever I am in the kitchen cooking. He was positively ecstatic as I ground over a pound of turkey breast at once, drizzling it with olive oil and my many spices. As usual, the most important consideration when cooking over a pound of turkey breast and a bunch of pasta is portion size. I scooped out about one-quarter of the dish, put it on a plate, and put the rest in the refrigerator. Together, Rudy and I feasted on our turkey pasta!

Starbucks Eggs Florentine sandwich and grande iced chai (700 calories)
string cheese and raisins (200 calories)
turkey pasta (600 calories)
a couple of diet lemonade (10 calories)

I plan to have a bit more food today, but as of now I am holding steady at just over 1500 calories. Pretty damn good. And I am really not even hungry. Seriously, it is all about portion control. If I were not obsessed only trying to watch my food intake, I would have absolutely no problem ordering a pizza right now. I just have to tell myself, I will not lose weight unless I make a concerted effort to.I have not yet made it to the gym, but as you can see by the trend line above, I am losing just under half a pound per day. I am sure that will even out, but it is still nice to see - with out even setting foot in the gym!

Weight: 205.4 - 208.4