52/15

First things first, running recap from yesterday...

I meet up with Cubbie for a seven mile loop at the Landings. It was pretty humid for 6:00pm, I had my handheld bottle and drained it by mile 5. We took off fast. I figure we were doing about 10, 10:30 mile pacing for the first four miles. It felt really good to open up and really run. After 4 - 4.5 miles I couldn't take the pain anymore and had to pull back. Cubbie kept the throttle down so I had something to shoot towards. By mile 5 I was completely gassed, just like that I was walking. I told myself, two minutes! After my time was up I started running again, I saw Cubbie at a turn and trying to close the gap. There just really wasn't anything in the tank. I had to walk twice more over the last two miles, both times less that two minutes of walking allowed. Cubbie double backed in the last half mile and we finished together. Overall I finished at 1:18:52, somewhere around an 11:20 pace. I was happy with that considering I mixed in a couple of walk breaks. I am really looking forward to getting to a point where I can consistantly run my long runs at a 10:00 pace or less, I imagine the heat adds a little time but also know my fitness level and the amount of weight I am carrying has a big factor.

Speaking of weight... I am throwing down the gauntlet! I got on the scale this morning and it read 215.4. I have 52 days until the marathon and I want to be under 200 pounds by race day...I figured it out and I am looking at about 2 pounds a week for the next 7.5 weeks....very doable. June 2008, we had a "biggest loser" contest at work. I started the contest at 245 and dropped 35 over three months to win the contest. A great mix of running and healthy eating got me to that victory. After the contest was over, I began to slip here and there and gained 15 pounds back over the winter. So, as I began training for this marathon the weight started dropping back off. However, I have been stuck at this current weight of 215 for two months! I want to drop this weight and keep it off.

For a guy who is 5'9 (5'10 with the right shoes) I really should tip the scales in the neigborhood of 160, 165 max. That is 50 pounds away. long term/short term goals here and now in writing (on my monitor, whatever!)

Long term goal-50 pounds by the summer of 2010

Short term goal-15 pounds by the start of the Marathon. (or right after I cross the finish line, can you say water weight?!?!)

Hitting these goals will also cause my times to drop like a pair of panties at a Maxwell concert...(too much? How about a Barry Manilow concert? Justin Timberlake?)

Deep down inside of me there is a runner. He WANTS to escape. I have run a 22 min 5K/48 10K in this century...2001 to be exact. I can get there again...One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.