Revel Canyon City Marathon Training - Five Weeks Done, Eleven Weeks To Go

It's been two weeks since I shared an update on my marathon training, so here's the good and the bad.

The results so far are good. As of Saturday, the end of Week 5, I had dropped nearly sixteen pounds.

And my weight dropped from 235 to 219.2.

While the results were good and I'm happy with them, I know they could have been better. And I say that knowing full well that I was inconsistent over the last two weeks. I ran every scheduled mile during Week 4 but I missed three training runs in Week 5. That hurt my overall performance numbers for the Five Week Total:

Worse than missing a run, though, I also made some poor eating choices over the last week. I let my laziness bleed over from the exercise to the nutrition, and that also had a negative affect on my results.

Am I happy with the additional weight loss? Sure, of course I am. But I'm also honest and know that I can't expect results from work I didn't do.

So going into Week 6, I know what to do. Commit to the training plan and make good food choices. It's as basic as it gets.

And I can do this.

Revel Canyon City Marathon Training - Let's Talk Weight.

I'm now four weeks into my training program to prepare for the Revel Canyon City Marathon in November. And so far, it's great. Not only am I running farther and faster each week, but there's also a very tangible benefit.

As of this morning, twenty-eight days after starting my training program, I am no longer carrying the equivalent of these three things:

Each of these - the bag of sugar, the sack of potatoes, and the two-liter bottle of soda - weigh approximately five pounds each. Combined, that's a total of fifteen pounds. And that is the same amount of weight that I have dropped since hitting my high of 235 pounds on July 19th.

Think about that for a moment. Every single day, all day long, lugging these things around with me. Running with them. Walking with them. Heck, just carrying that weight as I try to sit comfortably.

And now, those fifteen pounds are gone. In case you're wondering, yes, I feel pretty great about it!

Now, let's take a look at how they came off. Because weight loss works like a science but shows itself much less specifically. I have been doing the right things each day, being more active and reducing my overall calorie intake. You would think that my weight would drop a little bit every day. But that's not how it works.

Here's the chart showing the number of pounds I've lost over the the last four weeks. First thing you notice is that there is a lot of give and take. I weigh myself the same time each day, so all things in my control are the same from day to day. And yet, I lose a little, gain a little, lose a lot, gain a little, lose a little, etc.

Why am I showing all of this detail? Because I think it's important to be honest with myself AND because I think it can help others who may be discouraged on the days they gain a pound or two. I am proof that weight fluctuates even when a person does all the right things. That's no reason to give up or to feel like a failure.

I still have eighty-three days before my marathon and nearly eleven months before my self-imposed one year weight-loss deadline, and I have already dropped 20% of my overall goal of seventy-five pounds.

Think about that, too. In four weeks, I've dropped fifteen pounds. I only have sixty pound to go and I have forty-eight more weeks to do it.

Does that mean I will lose it all faster? Perhaps. But I know there will be plateaus. There will be setbacks. There will be days when I am doing all the right things and the weight stubbornly hangs on.

When those things happen, I will look back on these early blogs and find comfort. They will remind me that weight loss comes in waves, not necessarily equal measures.

And I will press on. I will not give up. I will have faith in my training and nutrition plan and I will push on.

Because I didn't put the weight on overnight and it won't come off that way, either. But I am worth all the effort it will take. My health is worth it.

Right now, though, I'm going to just enjoy the moment.

Because this:

makes this guy very happy.

Revel With A Cause - Semper Fi Injured Marine Fund

For those of you in a hurry and brought here through a friend's shared link, here's the short version:

1.  I'm running a marathon.
2. Semper Fi Fund is an amazing charity.
3. Friends are donating money.
4. You can click here to donate.
5. Consider yourself thanked!

For the rest of you, here's the longer blog post:

As most of my friends know by now, I'm training for my seventh full marathon, the Revel Canyon City Marathon. Nearly four weeks into it and I'm doing great. I've dropped more than ten pounds already and my running is stronger every day. So far, all systems are go.

"Gosh, John. This sounds awesome."

(It is.)

"I'm so proud of you."

(Thank you.)

"I wish I could get involved with something like this."

(Oh, really?)

Three years ago, as part of my training for the Pasadena Marathon, I made the decision to raise $1,775 for Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. Through the generosity of so many friends, we raised that and more. And unlike other wounded veteran charities, Semper Fi Fund has an outstanding track record of spending 94.6% of every dollar donated directly on program services. So the money raised really did do some amazing things for our injured veterans.

Now, I'm back for another round of fundraising. Thanks to the amazing folks at Revel Events, I will be running with Bib No. 1775 to honor the Marine Corps and our veterans and to highlight the money that we are going to raise.

Click here to donate.

Now, as always, I am so grateful to each and every one of you able and willing to donate to such a worthy cause. Your support means the world to me.

And as I've written before, knowing that people are donating money really changes my mindset about my training. Instead of just doing it to do it, I consider each of your donations a paycheck and my training runs are my job.

I will work even harder to honor your faith in me and your support for these amazing veterans.

Canyon City, here we come!

Revel Canyon City Marathon Training - Three Weeks Done, Thirteen To Go

Last month, I shared that I am starting a new training program to prepare for the Revel Canyon City Marathon in November. It's been three weeks and so far, so good. Not perfect, but good.

First, the background. In the first half of 2015, I ran less than ten times (three of which were in the same relay race in February). I don't know why, but I just quit. I tried to restart several times but I just couldn't find the motivation.

In July, I started the Run Selfie Challenge. It was a good idea but trying to run at least one mile every single day was a bad idea. My shins hurt, my motivation fell off, and I quit after a week.

But I didn't give up. I turned my attention to the marathon I am running in November. I created a new challenge and got right back in the game. But this time, I made some significant changes.

1. I started running at the gym on the treadmill instead of on the pavement. It is allowing me to get my "runner legs" back without injuring my shins.
2. The treadmill also allows me to run at a slight decline. Normally, I would consider that cheating. But my next two big events - the Yosemite Half Marathon and the Revel Canyon City Marathon - are both mostly downhill, so it is actually more helpful and productive to train that way.
3. My training includes rest days.
4. I am as focused on my eating/nutrition as I am my running.
5. My marathon training is part of an overall larger plan for the next year.

So, let's talk about the results so far. 

The first week was good. I followed a walk/run interval plan and was able to do the nine miles with no problem. I also made sure to track my eating on MyFitnessPal and stay within my general calorie ranges for each day. I wasn't perfect but I was much more conscious of my food choices than I had been all year. And that makes a big difference. As I have been reminded many times, you can't out train a bad diet.

The second week was trickier. It started off with a pet having seizures and needing 24/7 attention, and I allowed that to disrupt my training. I did stay on track with the eating, though, with an exception or two. So even though I didn't run, I still managed to drop a couple of pounds through the week.

The third week, I was back on track and all in. I made the miles, even setting some new 2015 personal records for speed and distance.

I'm back. And I was reminded of how amazing it feels to commit to a goal and stick with it. Knowing I ran a near 9-minute mile fees great. Who knows what records I may set this coming week?

If you take anything away from this blog post, I hope it's that you can start right now, right where you are, and do something to make yourself feel better. I'm proof that you just have to do SOMETHING that moves you in the right direction.

Now let's get out there and be awesome.

Once More Into The Breach.

And here we go again. This week marked the beginning of my sixteen week training program for the Revel City Canyon Marathon on November 7th.

This is my running plan. It's not particularly aggressive, but it is enough to get me ready to run the 26.2 miles.

Fun fact: This marathon is mostly downhill, and that is going to work just fine for me right now.

Having been out of the running game for months now, starting back on the roads caused a lot of pain for me in my shins. The treadmill is a more forgiving surface, so my first month of training will be done exclusively indoors. That also allows me to work the treadmill decline to simulate closer the downhill slope of the marathon course.

Day 01 - Three miles.
They weren't pretty, but I got them done.
And I was faster than I had been for months,
so I'm feeling good about that. 

Beyond the running, my biggest challenge will be my eating. Over the last year, I have really allowed myself way too much junk food and empty calories, and my weight reflects that. I have no one but myself to blame, but the upside is that fixing that behavior is also completely within my control.

I will be using Runkeeper to track my activity, MyFitnessPal to track my eating, and this blog to capture all the glory (and pain) of this training.

I have already run six full marathons, so I know what is ahead of me. It will be long miles and a brutal day of running. But if I stick with my plan, respect the training, and eat within my calorie range, I can be as best prepared as possible for Revel City Canyon.

I got this.