"Where am I going?"

The race starts just outside Autozone Park (the minor league baseball field in Memphis), and ends in the park itself. I was really impressed with the amount of close, cheap parking that was available. The weather was brisk, but not too cold so I stashed my jacket and pants in my gear bag and left them at the bag drop. I wandered around a bit and ran into my Nashville running buddies Joe and Karen. They were planning on doing the full marathon. We chatted for a moment and then went our separate ways.

Due to an utter lack of training, my main goal in this race was to finish with dignity. I was mainly aiming at a 2:25:00 finish, but would have been satisfied with anything under 2:30:00. I headed down to the start line and took up position in my corral. I chatted with some of the runners around me, one from Kentucky and one from Hermitage (not too far from my old apartment).

Pretty soon we were off to the races. My first mile was pretty slow just running with the crowd. I had set my watch for 5 minute run intervals with 1 minute rest intervals, but pretty much ignored it as it beeped. After a mile or so, a lady in front of me dropped her lipstick. Who carries lipstick in a race? And why would you need it? She got several laughs as she stopped to go back and get it.

The next couple of miles were through the streets of downtown Memphis. There were lots of people cheering on the sidelines, probably the most I’ve seen at a race. Lou and Victoria who ran Ragnar with me showed up to cheer on the Nashville crew and they were standing on the corner cheering for just about everyone. The crowd got really dense in a few places, so much so that the running lane was only a few people wide.

After downtown we headed through the St. Jude campus. The crowd here was tremendous and extremely enthusiastic. There were lots of high fives to be given out and even some hugs and pats of the backs for a few participants. It was a great boost of energy.

We then headed into Midtown and the meat and potatoes of the event. The crowds thinned out as we headed down into a residential area. I started feeling fatigued at this point. At mile seven I realized that I had not stopped running since the beginning of the race (except for at the water stops when people just stopped right in front of me). I decided then that my goal would be to not take any rest intervals and to just run the whole thing. it would be hard considering how out of shape I was, but I felt like it was something worth attempting.

We next entered a park and the running lane became narrower, but the runners had thinned out a bit. I was still maintaining a decent pace and even tried to step it up a bit. As we came out of the park though, things started to get a little hilly. The hills were small rollers, but there seemed to be more up to them than down. This was the terrain for most of the rest of the race. It really started to get to me after a while and by mile 11, any hopes of a PR were finished, but I was still running and had not stopped.

Around mile 12.5 or so, we topped the final hill and headed around a curve. Victoria came up behind me and handed me a Star Crunch which I gladly accepted (even though I only managed to eat half). With her encouragement I slogged on through although I was at an extremely slow pace at this point. People were passing me at will. The end finally came into view and from out of nowhere a last reserve of energy was found and my legs took off. I passed back a lot of people and finished with a time of 2:20:09.

I skipped the after race festivities. It was just too crowded and too confusing to try to figure out how to get to the post race swag. The only real gripe I had with this race was the pre and post race setup they had. It just wasn’t as runner friendly as it could have been.

While I wasn’t at the peak of my training, this turned out to be a pretty good race. I ran the whole thing, finished just 4 minutes off my PR time, and got to see and hang out with some great people. If you’ve never been to Memphis or have never raced in Memphis, this is one you ought to try.

I’m also nearing my previous record low weight of 207 lbs which I recorded on August 30, 2010. After bumbling my way back up to 220 lbs right before the holidays, I’ve managed to knock 8 lbs off of that already. Last week’s official weigh-in was 211.8 lbs, and I’m on track for another pound or two of loss this week as well (official weigh-ins are on Mondays). My short term weight loss goal is to beat Tyler from 344pounds.com to 199.9 lbs. Previously I had missed that boat when he got below 200 lbs, but he put 25 lbs back on while I wasn’t reading his blog, so I have a new opportunity to race him to the bottom now that he’s losing again (even though he doesn’t know me or know that he’s racing someone).

I’ve still got a long, long way to go before I reach my ultimate fitness goals, but I’m glad that I am now back on track and headed in the right direction again. And you can come with if you want. All you have to do is decide that you want to do it and then make it happen. The only person holding you back is yourself.

Not my actual feet!

Now on to the updates I promised in the title. I’m already well on my way to my goal weight. I’ve lost 8 lbs since mid-December (current weight 212.4), mostly thanks to a website called MyFitnessPal. The web site takes your current stats, asks you a few questions about your weight loss goals and life style, then generates a daily calorie goal. You then update the site with the food you eat and the exercise you do. It does all the math and keeps a running total of how many calories you have left. For example, based on me wanting to lose 2 lbs per week, my lifestyle (light activity), and my current weight, the site says I need to eat about 1600 calories a day. Now, if I were to burn 400 calories exercising, the web site would add that to my total giving me 2000 calories to eat that day. As long as I don’t go over my calorie limit (whatever it may be), I should lose 2 pounds per week. So far it seems to be working just fine.

I also took a step towards spending less time on the internet by canceling my DSL. I can still tether my laptop to my Android phone and get internet access, but that one step has already reduced the amount of time I’m online. It also saves me the money on DSL service and that will help me towards my goal of paying off my credit card debt. And speaking of that, I’m probably getting a huge tax refund this year. I’ve already planned out how I’m going to use it all to pay down my credit card debt. If my calculations hold true, I should be able to cut it in half!

I’ve already made a little progress on some other goals too, but I’ll leave that for another post. Now go get you some toesocks!

2010 Stats:

• Miles run: 688
• Time spent: 131 hours
• Average pace: 11:26 (min/mi)
• Pairs of running shoes: 2
• Weight lost: 44 lbs
• 5K PR: 28:31
• 10K PR: 1:06:08
• Half Marathon PR: 2:16:03
• Ran or walked at least one mile every day in July.
• Went Skydiving.

For 2011 I want to continue on with some tangible running goals, but I also want to have some more success at weight loss and general fitness and nutrition as well. In fact I would like to focus more on weight loss and nutrition this year and less on running goals. Of course running will be a big part of my weight loss goals. And as I lose weight, my running goals will get easier to attain.

I also want to extend the “Out of Breath” concept to more parts of my life besides running, eating, and weight loss. I want to live my work, personal, spiritual, and financial lives as well as I intend to live my physical life. I want to bring that same amount of dedication and focus to all aspects of my life. Some of my goals I will list below will reflect this and I hope to write more about those things on this blog as well. Since I’m still working on some of these things, I will just give general goals in some areas and will update later with more specific goals. If I don’t, call me on it!

2011 goals:

• Reach my goal weight of 160 lbs (lose 60 lbs)
• Run 840 miles for the year
• PR in the 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances
• Develop and execute a non-running exercise routine
• Update this blog at least once a week
• Eat more veggies
• Eat less fast food
• Visit a state I’ve never been to
• Pay off my credit cards and close the accounts
• Learn about meditation
• Read at least one book a month
• Spend less time on the internet
• Develop a love life :-)

I’m sure more things will come up, but I think this is a good start and I will be keeping you posted on at least a weekly basis. If you have any advice, criticism, or encouragement, feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think.

First, I took a look at my goals and previous training experience and decided to work from there. I knew I wanted to run 4 days a week. I thought about making it 5 days, but from previous experience, I know that I start to get aches and pains running 5 or more days a week on a consistent basis (probably due to weight). I also wanted to run in the 20 to 25 miles a week range. Another consideration was my goal of running a 5K and half marathon double. I wanted to make sure I’d have enough mileage to prepare for that.

After consulting several training schedules that I found on the internets (just Google “half marathon training schedule” and you’ll come up with dozens), I started by picking the days I wanted to run and the days I wanted to take off. I then entered my race days and long runs, building distance progressively. I also picked a day to do cross training that might also serve as a running day or rest day. On race weeks, and the weeks prior to races, I built in a taper to make sure I was feeling good on race day. The remaining three days of the week consist of two short runs and a medium length run.

So it’s not scientific and I didn’t consult a doctor or running expert, but I think my plan will work for me.

Feel free to check it out and offer suggestions or tips. I’m also working on a new weight loss plan and that will be the subject of my next post which should be in a few days.

So to that end, I’ll be recommitting myself to running and eating better and living a better life overall. Over the next few days I’ll be posting a new training program for my upcoming races and will also start posting my weight loss progress again. I’d also like for you, my dear readers, to continue to read along, comment, offer advice, and hold me accountable.

Let’s do this!

I just fixed the cable, see?

I'm gonna throw you off this building, see?

It was awesome, so I decided to up the ante and go for the full sky diving experience at Sky Dive Las Vegas. If you ever get the chance to jump out of a plane, I say do it. And if I hadn’t started running and losing weight, I never would have had videos like the one below to post.

After a stop over in Murfreesboro for some pre-race pasta, we continued down to Chattanooga to get our hotel at around 9 or 10pm. After settling on sleeping arrangements, I announced that I was going to head out to seek something to drink. Phil offered to go with me and asked what I wanted to drink. I said, “I really want a beer.” He said, “I knew I was walking with the right guy.” After a night filled with, obscure brews, stinky bums, stolen darts, women with wiffle ball bats, and a possible wholesale steel deal, Phil and I ended up in the hotel swimming pool at 5am waving to van 1 as they left to go running. We then headed upstairs to catch a few zees before heading off to run our legs a few hours later.

My first leg was pretty brutal. It rained for most of Phil’s leg right before mine, but the sun came out at the end and that’s how I started mine. The sun only lasted for about 5 minutes though and then the clouds and rain came back. Then the sleet came and was blowing directly into my eyes. I was running with my eyes closed for about a mile until the sleet slacked up and turned into a light, wet snow. It then rained on and off the rest of the run. At the end I came in under my goal pace of 10:15, but was wet, cold, and spitting blood. I warmed up at an outdoor store in Monteagle and bought some Little Debbie Star Crunches and immediately ate four.

After Erin and Victoria did their legs (the picture above was taken during Victoria’s leg down Monteagle), we stopped to eat and catch some sleep. I had brought a tarp and spread it out on the ground and got in my sleeping bag. After an hour of sleep it started raining again, so I put my junk back in the van and Phil and I went over and drank some free hot chocolate and chatted with some race volunteers. A while later, van 1 showed up and they handed over to us and we were off to the races again.

The best leg of the race by far was leg 14 which Lou ran. It was out in the middle of nowhere, TN and the night sky was crystal clear at this point. Simply beautiful. My next leg was through Shelbyville, TN and was short, but cold and I was running with 3 hours of sleep. I slogged through it starting out quick and not entirely sure where I was going. The middle part was a bit slow, but I finished strong and got my pace under 10:00. I quickly jumped in the van to get out of the cold.

Our next hand-off spot was in the Cool Springs area of Nashville. Healthways, a sponsor, had opened their building for the use of the runners. I threw my tarp down again to sleep on the grass in the office park and this time Erin joined me rather than trying her luck in the van. We slept for an hour or two and finally got up when the noise was too loud to sleep through. We went in the building to use the bathrooms and eat breakfast. I stripped down for a quick whore bath using my baby wipes (if you bring nothing else on your Ragnar adventure, bring baby wipes) and then got a bagel sandwich.

It was then our turn to run again, this time in the Nashville Metro area. My leg was through the historic Belle Meade area and was hilly and not much fun after running 10 miles the day before with limited sleep in cold cramped conditions. My pace was probably around 11:15 or so with a lot of walking incorporated. Still, I finished as best I could. After Erin’s final run we dropped Victoria off for the last leg and headed for the finish on 1st Avenue in Nashville. We parked and hurried over to the meeting area where we met the people from van 1 (who were clean and showered) for the final 100 yard dash. We got really excited when Victoria came into view and everyone took off running at nearly a sprint to finish up the race. We all ran across the finish line together with an official time of 36:40:06 for the 195.5 mile distance.

Despite finishing dead last (which we expected considering out team name was “First Out Last In”), despite the cold, the sleet, the lack of sleep, and the chafing, this was the funnest race I have done. I met a lot of great people and had a ton of fun with everyone in my van. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat and hope I can do it again next year.

I started this race 10lbs heavier and with almost no training under my belt since the Chicago half marathon I did on August 1. Naturally I did not expect to do very well and wasn’t planning on taking this race very seriously. My main goal was to finish under 2:30:00 which was 12 minutes over my PR. It was just going to be a fun run and for most of the race that’s exactly what it was. Up through mile 9 I rarely checked my watch and mainly chatted with other racers, watched the cheerleaders, and thought about my old college days at MTSU. At mile 6 I even stopped and took a rather lengthy bathroom break.

I was really enjoying myself and the run at mile 9. I wasn’t fatigued and was on pace to finish at about my PR time, it was at that point that I decided to go for it at mile 10. The plan was to run the last 5K at or near my 5K pace if possible and get a new PR. The plan worked pretty well as I ran as hard as I could for 5 minute intervals and walked for 1 minute for recovery. With about three quarters of a mile to go I decided to run it out to the finished. I started getting a little tired with a quarter mile to go, but at that exact moment I came up on a couple (with matching running gear, how cute!) who were struggling a bit, but trying not to let me pass. I kicked in that lower gear and started pulling away from them and as I left them behind I could hear the guy start wheezing. At the last tenth of a mile, I stepped it up to a sprint and gave it everything I had in the tank and passed about 20 people for a time of 2:16:03 which was a PR by exactly 2 minutes! True to form for most of my races, I nearly collapsed at the finish line and was asked by a volunteer if I needed help. No thanks!

This race was probably one of the funner ones I have done. Everything about it was well done and the small size allowed me to run the race I wanted to run. As long as I live in Tennessee, I’ll be doing the “Middle Half.”