A New Low!

I came back from vacation having gained 8 pounds and weighing 226. Now, six days later I weigh in at

215

42 pounds down from when I started running. Eleven down in just 6 days!

And I'm doing it without counting calories. I'm just restricting my carbs.

And running.

Lately, I've been eating bacon. Sprinkled on a salad or a couple strips for breakfast. I've also been eating peanuts in the shell. They have carbs, but I really like them for a snack. And my new found love is In and Out Double Double Protien style. That means no bun and wrapped in ice berg lettuce.

Picture for Marcy

When I was in Indiana, at an old bookstore near the campus of Purdue University, I thought of Marcy.

A bathroom shot. Or is it a storage room shot. This gives you the chance to pee and bag your own books at the same time. My first bathroom shot, just for Marcy.

Happy Blogaversary!

One year ago today I started keeping records and a blog of my running. In that time I ran 753.3 miles, three half marathons and over a dozen races total. This is my 225th post with 32 posts in my first month alone.

During the next year I will look back quite frequently to compare. The first week of August last year showed that I was battling a hurt achilles. I got 7 miles in that week, but most of the miles were walking. The highlight of the week was a 3.3 mile workout around the block. I had to circle it 10 times and I walked most of it. It took me 59 minutes to complete. I weighed 25 more pounds than I do today.

Thanks to all that have read my blog and have helped to keep me motivated. This past year has changed my life completely, but I expect this next year to be even bigger.

Here's a before and after shot of me. Tyler and I went camping about 2 years ago. We camped on the Mogollon (Muggy-own) Rim in northern Arizona. It's beautiful there, but the picture of me isn't so hot. The second shot is of me finishing the PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon last month. I was about 6 pounds heavier then, than I am today.

Weight Loss

Here's a great article about a man that lost half his body weight.

CNN Article
I get all choked up when I read about great victories like this. One of the things he mentions is to list all the things you cannot do because of your weight and then when you reach your goal, go and do those things.

I plan to start that list. Now he was 500 pounds and I am 229 pounds, so the things I can't do may not be because I can't fit, but because I can't do them well. But, none the less I will make a list.

So, far:

Run a Marathon
Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Fit into 34" pants or maybe smaller
Ride a horse (this maybe for the horses benefit)

Soon, I will add to my list. If anyone has any ideas to add to my list, please feel free to let me know.

My Weight:
Last June I weighed 257 pounds. That's about the highest I've ever weighed. On December 1st I weighed 234.1 pounds, a loss of almost 23 pounds. Now I weigh 227.5. Almost 7 pounds in about 7 weeks time and half of that was this past week. I knew I would just try to maintain thru the holidays. That stretched out to until the Rock and Roll Half marathon. Now it's time to shed some pounds and get my weight under 200. Well maybe after lunch, my wife just suggested we go to Someburros for lunch. They have this chimichanga to die for. It is huge with sour cream on top, rice and beans on the side. Hummm, I bet they might just have something low cal too. So, what do you think? Will I eat the Chimichanga or be good and eat something healthier with none of those free chips.

Latest Runs:
Thursday I ran a 59 minute and 23 second 5 miler in the neighborhood. It was great weather. 63 degrees, sunny and I got to wear shorts and a tee. I really like running in shorts instead of my sweatpants. My first mile was in 9:59. It tied my best mile ever back in November. I then ran 2 miles in 22:30, 3 miles in 34;30, 4 miles in 47:30 (another PB). I did do a bit more walking than I would have liked. I believe the bit of sluggishness I experienced was due to the fact that this was the second day in a row of running. I'm trying to run every other day with a back to back mixed in during the week. A run like this is good for the soul.

Greg from North Dakota

I was just logging my weight in on Runner's World's online discussion groups when I read about Greg in North Dakota. His story is worth reading for any of us that are losing weight. He, also runs sub 2 hour half marathons, so I think he's great.

Thanks Greg for sharing.

Greg's Story





Weather: On a side note. It snowed in Phoenix today. Really. Here's the story.

photo courtesy of Michal Chow/The Arizona Republic

My Weight Loss

You can get graphs like this here. Click on the graph to enlarge. If you'd like to see a more complete history of my weight lose, you can click on the link to the side of this called: pounds lost.

A Track Workout

Here's a neat graph. It shows each of my workouts and races graphed at what my weight was on that day.

I've run two races and I was 10 pounds lighter on the second run. Consequently, I ran the second race almost 8 minutes faster. Does this mean, if I lose another 40 pounds I'll finish a 5k before I even start?

Last night I ran with Team in Training (The Luekemia Society) at the Andersen Junior High Track. We ran 6 sets of 5 minute runs with a two minute break in between. I estimate I ran about 3 miles. It was a good workout and a chance to meet some of my teammates.

I'm getting pretty excited about running the New Times 5K this Sunday. It will be the first big race for me. I'll get to run over the Tempe Bridge, Tempe Lake and around downtown Tempe and the ASU Campus. My report to follow.

Humidity

The past couple days have been humid. At least as far as AZ goes. 60% compared to 20-30% that I am more used to. Because of this, my running times haven't been so hot. Four miles in 53:53 on Monday and 54:23 on Tuesday. At first I was dissappointed with my Monday time. Searching for a reason, I came up with the humid weather. Could this be the reason why I gained a bit of weight too?

So, chime in and give me some 'words of wisdom'.

Which is harder to run in, higher tempatures or higher humidity?

Does higher humidity cause your body to retain water and therefore add to your weight?

I'll have to do some research, but I would like to hear from anyone with an opinion.

Article about weight: I read this article on MyFoodDiary.com. I keep track of my eating and exercising at this website:

https://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/articles/track_body_fat_not_weight.asp

Miles Run: You'll notice on the right hand side there's a couple new features from RunningAHEAD.com. My year to date, weekly and lifetime miles, as well as, my last 8 runs.

slow but steady

Today's the day for the bi weekly weigh in. I know I want to see slow steady improvement, which is what I am seeing, but it would be nice to see a big drop in weight, inches, etc.

Patience.

My weight today is 242. It's been as low as 239.5.

waist: 44.5

Hips: 46

Chest: 45.5

Neck: 18.5

Thigh: 26.75

Bicep: 14.5

Calf: 19

My low weight is always listed on the left hand bar. Click on the number for historical stats.

You can also click on the labels - "tipping the scales" to see all posts relating to my weight. Yes, these posts are somewhat painful. Hopefully, someone that is losing weight too will find it motivating.

I guess I should add this paragraph, because the post so far sounds somewhat depressing. I have losts 15 pounds so far and about 2 inches off my waist. I have gone from being able to run 1/10 of a mile to running 2 miles straight and I can run/walk over 7 miles. I am very happy with my progress to date.

Bi Weekly Measurements

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.~ Winston Churchill

8/30/2006: 248 lbs, Waist: 46 1/2", Hips: 46", Chest: 47", Rt thigh: 26 3/4", Neck: 18 1/2"

Today: 246 lbs, Waist: 45, Hips 46.5, Chest: 45.75, Rt thigh: 26.5, Neck: 19.5, bicep 14.5

So, I'm down 2 lbs. But, on September 9th I weighed 243.5. My waist is down 1.5 inches, my chest is down 1.25 inches, thigh down .25".

But, my hips are up. Could it be normal fluctuations or my wife, Amy not measuring in the same spot. Maybe I tucked my glutes in last time. Either way I'm not worried about short term numbers, just the overall numbers.

gotta run, Pat

Bi Weekly weigh In

This is the first of my bi weekly weigh ins. You get pictures, weights, inches and all the gory details. In June when I started this running thing I weighed 257 lbs. On August 2nd when I kicked my running into high gear I weighed 251.5 lbs.

Today: 248 lbs
Waist: 46 1/2"
Hips: 46"
Chest: 47"
Rt thigh: 26 3/4"
Neck: 18 1/2"



And these were the good pictures. I picket out this t shirt because I always liked it, but didnt' wear it because it was too tight. I thought for the photos I should wear something tight. Of course, now it's not as tight as it used to be.

I'm also a big Reds fan and they are in the hunt for a playoff spot this year. Yeah!

I got the idea of pictures of my progress form Katie, a blogger who has lost a lot of weight. She, eventhough she probably doesn't know it is an inspiration to me and probably to others. Check her blog out at http://www.k80k.com/index.php