Real-Life Training Log: 125 Days Of Preparation For My First Marathon [Archive]

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Ben E Lou

10-28-2013, 10:19 AM

I have some fairly lofty goals for my first marathon, and I feel that I could use the accountability of posting a daily training and nutrition log. I have a blog, but I don't think something as detailed as what I want to do here is appropriate for it. A dynasty thread seems perfect.

THE RACE
I am registered to run in the Albany, GA Marathon on March 1st, 2014: Albany Marathon in Georgia (http://albanymarathon.com/)

This particular race seems to be a fit for several reasons:
I don't want to have to deal with the unknowns and variables that I dealt with in my first race: hotel, unfamiliar city, where to eat, etc., so the #1 criteria was that I could easily drive from my home or a family member/close friend's home on the morning of the race. One of my older brothers lives in a suburb of Albany.
I ran a Half Marathon (http://results.active.com/events/myrtle-beach-mini-marathon--3/half-marathon/ben-lewis) on October 20th, and wanted to allow some time to recover and transition to my next plan. The 16-week "Run Less, Run Faster" plan very much appeals to me for reasons I'll discuss later. I'd like to do the entire plan, so the timing of Albany is pretty much perfect as well. I can do the entire plan starting the week of November 11th and have a bit of time to prepare for some of the pieces of it that look intimidating.
Albany is low-altitude and flat. There were a couple of other late-winter/early-spring races that would have been fits, but Albany is by far the closest thing to my native training environment. My typical training runs don't get above 60ft. Albany's around 200 feet.TRAINING PLAN
I'm planning to use the "Run Less, Run Faster" training plan. I've purchased the read the book and it feels like a great fit. Based on my time at the half marathon in October, I've entered the RLRF training times and attached a spreadsheet. The core of the plan is having just three key runs per week, but they are all significantly faster than those of most other marathon training plans. Interestingly enough, when I created my own plan for the half marathon, I used (without knowing about this plan) the same three key runs as the RLRF plan. My interval training wasn't as fast, but my long runs and tempo runs near the end were very similar, if not a little faster, than the RLRF times.

INITIAL RACE GOALS
I've got 4+ months from this writing until race day, so I'd like to write these out now and be able to look back at my progress. Based on my time at the half marathon, the various calculations on the internet predict my race time for a full somewhere between 3:31 and 3:34. That said, it's my first marathon. I'll be pretty proud of myself for finishing. :p So, that said, here are what I see as my tiered goals:
I'll be pleased if I... ...finish in 4 hours or less.
I'll be very pleased if I... ...finish in 3:45 or less.
I'll be extremely pleased if I... ...finish in 3:30 or less.
I'll be thrilled if I... ...qualify for Boston (3:25 or less).To be honest, by writing them out this way, I'm trying to keep myself in check. The reality is that I want to run a Boston-qualifying time, that's my real internal goal here, and I'll probably be a little down if I don't make it--and that's a little silly. I don't want to run a 3:40 in my first marathon and be disappointed in it. Sure, all indications are that I can do better than that, but I want to keep perspective as well. And with that...

PERSPECTIVE FOR MYSELF IN CASE I DON'T QUALIFY FOR BOSTON
On 3/1/2013, a year before the Albany Marathon...
you weighed 256 pounds
your best speed for any appreciable distance was around 4 miles at a 12-minute pace
the farthest you'd run in your life was 4.68 miles
On 9/1/2013, six months before Albany...
you were THRILLED at having run 14 miles at an 8:48 pace a week or so ago
you were THRILLED at almost having broken 50 minutes in a 10K training run
the farthest you'd run in your life was 14.4 miles Just writing this down now in case I need to re-read it on 3/1/2014. ;)

CURRENT WEIGHT/RACE-DAY WEIGHT
I weighed around 175 on race day at Myrtle Beach. Based on the remaining fat pooch around my belly, I suspect that my ideal race weight is going to be 5-10 pounds lighter than that. According to this calculator (http://fellrnr.com/wiki/VDOT_Results?Distance=11&Hours=01&Minutes=41&Seconds=41&Temperature=&TempUnits=Fahrenheit&Weight=175&WeightUnits=Pounds&Mileage=45), losing on the low end of that amount may get me close to 3:25 without any improved fitness. (And of course, I'd expect at least some improved fitness over the next 4 months of training.) I'm not going to do anything particularly special other than continue eating healthily to try to drop those pounds. The main thing is just to stay focused, so I will be posting my weight in here, hopefully on a daily basis, for accountability. Starting weight as of this morning was 176.8.

NUTRITION
I will continue to use the LoseIt app/web site to set a calorie budget and log food eaten. I've set it to "Lose .5 Pounds Per Week" to decide my calorie budget. I typically don't eat my exercise calories back, but I intend to do so to some degree at this point. I think my rule is going to be that if I exercise more than 500 calories, I'll eat enough back to get back to no more than a 500 deficit. In other words, my budget is around 2200 calories. If I burn 900 calories running, I'll eat 400 more calories that day to get to around 2600.

In addition to the calorie numbers, I'm generally trying to stick to the following per-day averages.
at least 150g protein
at least 35g fiber
25g or less saturated fat
60g or less sugarsI'm not really attempting to hit these every single day, but I'd definitely like to hit them as averages every week.

LIABILITIES/PITFALLS/CONCERNS
My #1 fear/concern coming into the training is that I won't be able to do some of the Tuesday interval runs. They are unquestionably faster than anything I've done. For example, the first Tuesday has me running three one-mile intervals at a 6:50 pace. I don't think I ran even a single mile at 6:50 during training for the half. In the two weeks before the official plan begins, I'm going to work on this exact workout, maybe twice per week, to try to get my mile time in line with the plan a bit more. (On the flip side, the Thursday and Sunday runs and times look very doable based on my current fitness, and I tend to think they'll be too easy. I guess I'm better at endurance than speed.)

The other issue is that training will go through both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'll be traveling for both. Both will be to much hillier locales than my normal Lowcountry training, so there should be some benefit to be had there if time allows me to complete my scheduled runs. Time could be a concern on both trips, and weather could be a factor on the second.

OK. I think that's all the prelim stuff.

Ben E Lou

10-28-2013, 10:31 AM

WEEK OF 10/28/2013 PLAN
Monday--rest day, possible incline treadmill or cycling if I get some unexpected extra time

Tuesday--Interval run. Initial goal will be three 7:15 miles with 440 rest intervals. I want to see how close I am to the 6:50 goal. If the first one is easier than I think, I'll go faster in the next two.

Wednesday--Cycling. I've never really used the bikes at the gym, so I'd like to get comfortable with those workouts as well before the official start.

Thursday--Depends on how Tuesday goes. Either a tempo run or more intervals.

Friday--Off if I get to cycle on Monday. Cycling if not.

Saturday--Long run. Probably 12 miles at around an 8:20 pace. Plan calls for 13 @ 8:35 two weeks from this day. I did 10 @ 8:03 a couple of days ago, so I'm not concerned about being able to hit the times. I just want to stay sharp on the long runs and comfortable with long distances.

(Note: I also usually do strength training. The plan right now is to do upper body on Tuesdays and Fridays, lower body on Wednesdays.)

HerRealName

10-28-2013, 07:10 PM

I'm going to be following along very closely. I also picked up Run Less, Run Faster but I haven't had a chance to even open it up yet. I'm looking at a late April marathon so you'll be ahead of me by a couple months.

Ben E Lou

10-28-2013, 07:32 PM

MONDAY, 10/28 RECAP
Training--None, as expected.
Nutrition--Stellar. Large servings of raw spinach and kale at lunch and dinner, respectively. Right on calorie budget. Only 12g saturated fat. 164g protein, 49g fiber, 53g sugars.

<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2892" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2891"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2890"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2889" style="padding-bottom:12px;">
</td></tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2896"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2895" style="padding-bottom:6px;" align="center">https://loseit-email.s3.amazonaws.com/general/EmailLogo.jpeg </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-bottom:6px;" align="center" height="1px"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="60%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#fdfdfd" width="4%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#fafafa" width="1%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#f8f8f8" width="4%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#f4f4f4" width="4%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#efefef" width="4%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#e9e9e9" width="1%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#e6e6e6" width="3%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#e4e4e4" width="58%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#e6e6e6" width="3%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#e9e9e9" width="1%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#efefef" width="4%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#f4f4f4" width="4%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#f8f8f8" width="4%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#fafafa" width="1%"> </td> <td style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;" height="1px" bgcolor="#fdfdfd" width="4%"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Daily Summary for Mon, Oct 28th

for Ben Lewis
<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2910" style="padding-bottom:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2909"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2908"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2907" valign="top"> <table style="padding-right:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding:3px;margin-bottom:7px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">Calorie Summary</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Daily calorie budget</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">2,216</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:10px;">
</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Food calories consumed</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">2,215</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;">Exercise calories burned</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">0</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Net calories for the day</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">2,215</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:10px;">
</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">+/- for the day</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:2px;"> 1 under budget </td></tr></tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table style="padding-bottom:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding:3px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;">Daily Log</td><td style="background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">Calories</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Breakfast</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 848 </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Steel Cut Oatmeal With Blueberries</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">12 Servings</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">434</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Almonds, Sliced, Bulk</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">44 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">251</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Chia Seeds by the gram</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">13 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">64</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="font-size:.8em;"> Nutrient data missing for: Chol.</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Banana by the gram</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">111 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">99</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Lunch</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 521 </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Sweet Potato By The Ounce</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">6.25 Ounces</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">161</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Chicken, Breast, Grilled</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">9 Ounces</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">279</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Tomatoes, Grape (by Grams)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">84 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">30</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Baby Spinach (by the gram)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">221 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">51</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Dinner</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 497 </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Salmon, Wild Caught, Cooked</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">148 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">269</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Kale by the gram</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">101 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">53</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Tessemare's Glaze (Lemon Pepper)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">15 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">114</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Cheese, Romano, Grated, Fresh</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">2 Tablespoons</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">60</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Snacks</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 350 </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Almond Milk Vanilla Unsweetened</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">1.5 Cups</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">45</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Walnuts by the gram (bulk whole foods)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">15 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">95</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Blueberries (by the gram)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">140 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">80</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Protein Supplement, Whey</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">1 Scoop</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">130</td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="padding-bottom:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding:3px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;">Nutrient Summary</td><td style="background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">% Calories</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Fat </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 88g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 34.8% </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Saturated Fat </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 12g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Cholesterol </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 333mg </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Sodium </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 1,611mg </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Carbohydrates </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 205g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 36.2% </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Fiber </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 49g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Sugars </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 53g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Protein </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 164g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 29% </td></tr></tbody></table>
I'm going to be following along very closely. I also picked up Run Less, Run Faster but I haven't had a chance to even open it up yet. I'm looking at a late April marathon so you'll be ahead of me by a couple months.It was an easy read for me. Very practical and enjoyable.

DaddyTorgo

10-28-2013, 09:02 PM

If you qualify for Boston I'm somewhere north of 95% certain I can get you free accommodations if you actually plan to run it.

MartinD

10-29-2013, 01:50 AM

Good luck with the training, Ben - looks like a solid training plan for the next few months, and I really like the 'to put things in perspective' points that you've made.

Something to be aware of - my understanding of the Boston entry process is that running under the qualifying time doesn't guarantee you a place, as the organisers changed the rules a few years back to stop the race selling out on the day that it opened. As a result, the amount of time that you 'beat' your BQ time by is now taken into account - the more you beat your qualifying time by, the earlier you're able to enter and the more likely it is that you'll get a place. If you're just a few seconds under the time, don't be surprised if the race fills up before they get to you...

This is probably a better explanation: 2014 Boston Marathon Cut-off is 1:38 Under Qualifying Mark | Runner's World & Running Times (http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/2014-boston-marathon-cut-off-is-138-under-qualifying-mark)

DaddyTorgo

10-29-2013, 08:41 AM

My town has some bibs for Boston (we're the halfway point)...I wonder if I could get one and then not actually do the running myself?

Ben E Lou

10-29-2013, 12:45 PM

If you qualify for Boston I'm somewhere north of 95% certain I can get you free accommodations if you actually plan to run it.That's very kind. Of course, it's an awfully long way off, and something of a long-shot. But I'm guessing that the wife would want to treat it as a major vacation and stay in a semi-fancy hotel or B&B.

Good luck with the training, Ben - looks like a solid training plan for the next few months, and I really like the 'to put things in perspective' points that you've made.

Something to be aware of - my understanding of the Boston entry process is that running under the qualifying time doesn't guarantee you a place, as the organisers changed the rules a few years back to stop the race selling out on the day that it opened. As a result, the amount of time that you 'beat' your BQ time by is now taken into account - the more you beat your qualifying time by, the earlier you're able to enter and the more likely it is that you'll get a place. If you're just a few seconds under the time, don't be surprised if the race fills up before they get to you...

This is probably a better explanation: 2014 Boston Marathon Cut-off is 1:38 Under Qualifying Mark | Runner's World & Running Times (http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/2014-boston-marathon-cut-off-is-138-under-qualifying-mark)Yes, I do recall reading something about that, now that you mention it. Guess I'll have to run a 3:20 or so to be safe then, eh? ;)

Ben E Lou

10-29-2013, 12:57 PM

I did my first mile intervals this morning. The target for training is to do all three in 6:50. I haven't tried to run a single mile "fast" at all, so I really didn't have any idea of context here. I really just wanted to complete all three today, two weeks before the "official" program start, in decent times to get a feel for where I am.

Interval 1: 7:24, AvgHR 161
Interval 2: 7:03, AvgHR 165
Interval 3: 6:54, AvgHR 167

That's better than I would have guessed. I'm thinking that I'll do these one more time (next Tuesday) before the week of the 11th and try to get under 7:00 for all three of them.

Link to today's workout: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/397017129

DaddyTorgo

10-29-2013, 01:02 PM

That's very kind. Of course, it's an awfully long way off, and something of a long-shot. But I'm guessing that the wife would want to treat it as a major vacation and stay in a semi-fancy hotel or B&B.

Of course. Just thought I'd offer, as hotels can be mucho expensive during Marathon time.

Ben E Lou

10-29-2013, 08:46 PM

TUESDAY, 10/29 RECAP
Morning Weigh-In: 176.2

Training--3x1M Intervals, as mentioned above. Strava Link: Run Profile | 3x1-Mile Intervals | Times and Records | Strava (http://www.strava.com/activities/91967977)
Exercise calories burned: 691

Nutrition--Darned good. Greek yogurt with low-sugar bulk granola from Whole Foods, almonds, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and some Ezekiel granola for breakfast. Grilled chicken, black beans, and homemade guacamole for lunch, pork tenderloin, broccoli, and quinoa for dinner. Had a large pear for the pre-run snack, and 1oz. dark chocolate with 1.5 oz. walnuts as an afternoon snack. Burned ~700 calories on the morning run, so ate an additional ~200.

Daily Summary for Tue, Oct 29th

for Ben Lewis
<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2406" style="padding-bottom:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2405"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2404"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2403" valign="top">
<table style="padding-right:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding:3px;margin-bottom:7px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">Calorie Summary</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Daily calorie budget</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">2,212</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:10px;">
</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Food calories consumed</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">2,445</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;">Exercise calories burned</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">691</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Net calories for the day</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">1,754</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:10px;">
</td></tr><tr style="padding-bottom:10px;"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">+/- for the day</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:2px;"> 459 under budget </td></tr></tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2424" style="padding-bottom:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2427"><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding:3px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;">Daily Log</td><td style="background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">Calories</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Breakfast</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 849 </td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2453"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2452" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Almonds, Sliced, Bulk</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">58 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">331</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2451"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2450" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Morning Delight Granola (bulk)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">30 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">120</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2449"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2448" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Triple Berry Blend (by the gram)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">140 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">80</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Yogurt, Greek, Plain, Nonfat</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">10 Ounces</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">175</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2447"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2446" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Ezekiel 4:9 Flax By The Gram</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">45 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">142</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2445"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2444" style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Lunch</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 574 </td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2443"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2442" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Chicken, Breast, Grilled</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">8 Ounces</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">248</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2441"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2440" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Homemade Guacamole</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">6 Servings</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">194</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2439"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2438" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Rinsed Black Beans By The Gram</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">100 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">132</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2437"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2436" style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Dinner</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 433 </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Broccoli, Steamed (By The Gram)</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">152 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">53</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Pork Tenderloin</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">8 Ounces</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">260</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Quinoa By The Gram</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">100 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">120</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2435"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2434" style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;margin-bottom:4px;">Snacks</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 590 </td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2433"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Pear by the gram</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2432" style="padding-right:30px;">259 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">150</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2431"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">85% Dark Chocolate</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2430" style="padding-right:30px;">28 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">173</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2429"><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Walnuts by the gram (bulk whole foods)</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2428" style="padding-right:30px;">42 Grams</td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;" align="right">266</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2426"><td style="font-weight:bold;padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;padding-top:12px;">Exercises</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383135609283_2425" style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-top:8px;padding-right:3px;" colspan="2" align="right"> 691 </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Nike+ Workout</td><td style="padding-right:30px;">50 Min</td><td style="padding-right:3px;" align="right">691</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="padding-bottom:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding:3px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;">Nutrient Summary</td><td style="background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">% Calories</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Fat </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 108g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 38.7% </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Saturated Fat </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 21g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Cholesterol </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 250mg </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Sodium </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 1,462mg </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Carbohydrates </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 219g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 34.6% </td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Fiber </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 62g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Sugars </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 59g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Protein </td><td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 169g </td><td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 26.7% </td></tr></tbody></table>

Ben E Lou

10-30-2013, 11:50 AM

Heh, so the Runner's World Smart Coach (Rodale Central Authentication Service (CAS) Login (http://smartcoach.runnersworld.com/smartcoach/)) includes a "predicted race time if you follow this plan." I'm of course skeptical, but I figure it's at least worth writing these down to look back at 'em four months from now. ;) It's saying that based on my current running volume and HM race time, if I were to follow their plans at the following intensities from 11/11 to 3/1, I would achieve the corresponding times:

"Maintenance" Intensity: 3:32:58
"Moderate" Intensity: 3:25:47
"Hard" Intensity: 3:21:46
"Very Hard" Intensity: 3:17:56

All of their plans other than "maintenance" come with suggested speed improvements over time, I guess assuming fitness improvements by training. Looking at their plans, right now...

Maintenance looks way too easy. I definitely want and expect to improve. It would have me running my tempo runs in January and early February 10 to 15 seconds more slowly than what I'm doing now.

Moderate is significantly easier than RLRF, and doesn't look absurdly easy like Maintenance, but still looks too doable without pushing myself. For example, it schedules the week of December 15th for me to run 3x1mile in 7:03 each with twice the recovery time of RLRF. (1/2 mile versus 1/4 mile.) And the Easy Runs in the 5-9 mile range start at 9:02 per mile and only increase in intensity to 8:48. I'm currently doing those at around 8:45.

Hard looks challenging, but not overly so. It's still definitely easier than RLRF, but it does look like it would push me. For an apples-to-apples comparison, RLRF has me doign a 20-mile run with an 8:35 pace on January 25th. On the same day, SmartCoach is suggesting 20 miles @8:46.

Very Hard looks to be just slightly easier than RLRF. That same 1/25/14 20-miler is at 8:41 versus the RLRF 8:35.

I do like the SmartCoach plans better than any others I've seen besides RLRF. It's a four-run-day-a-week plan. If it turns out that I can't keep up with RLRF, I could definitely see myself switching over to the Hard or Very Hard program, and I could also see myself using one of these for a shorter distance as a change of pace after the marathon is done. *shurg*

Subby

10-30-2013, 12:12 PM

Ben E Lou

10-30-2013, 07:41 PM

If possible you may want to ratchet back a little bit on your carbs. You aren't burning all of those carbs in a workout, and the ones you aren't going to burn become fat. What about 150g carbs per day?Is that still the case when I'm in a calorie deficit though? I'm pretty sure that my daily budget is fairly accurate for a daily 250-calorie deficit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the body uses up or eliminates mostly all of what you eat when in a deficit.

First day on an indoor exercise bike. Ugh. I'm going to need to charge my Kindle Fire or steal my wife's iPad. Very boring. I'll do a full recap in the morning, but the bottom line is that I got in a somewhat-abbreviated upper body strength training workout and did some indoor cycling cross training on a very busy work day, so I can't complain too much.

Tempo run tomorrow. I'm thinking 1 mile easy, 5 miles at whatever feels right for pace (maybe 7:20ish), 1 mile cool down. For whatever reason, I seem to feel most comfortable with the tempo runs.

Subby

10-31-2013, 07:46 AM

I think you are supposed to replace those carbs with protein - so more nuts or lean meat.

Ben E Lou

10-31-2013, 08:57 AM

WEDNESDAY, 10/30 RECAP
Morning Weigh-In: 174.3

Training--38 minutes exercise bike. Welcome to Flow 1.0.1 - © Polar Electro Oy 2013 (https://flow.polar.com/training/exercise/1957738)
Upper Body Shortened due to time constraints (Apache Tomcat/7.0.42 - Error report (http://runkeeper.com/user/benelou/strengthtrainingactivity/374830))

Nutrition--As I figured, the accountability of posting this daily in a thread is helping, at least so far. Breakfast was steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries, apples, and walnuts. Grilled chicken breast, black beans, and guacamole for lunch. Pork tenderloin with a spinach/kale salad for dinner. 2 eggs and 40g of pistachio nuts for a snack. Only 33g sugars.
Daily Summary for Wed, Oct 30th

for Ben Lewis
<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2021" style="padding-right:30px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2020"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2033"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2032" colspan="2" style="padding:3px;margin-bottom:7px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">Calorie Summary</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2031" style="padding-bottom:10px;"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2044" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Daily calorie budget</td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2030" style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">2,200</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2029"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2028" colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:10px;">
</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2027" style="padding-bottom:10px;"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2047" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Food calories consumed</td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2026" style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">2,207</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2025" style="padding-bottom:10px;"> <td style="padding-left:3px;border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:30px;">Exercise calories burned</td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2024" style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">459</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2046" style="padding-bottom:10px;"> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">Net calories for the day</td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2045" style="padding-right:3px;padding-bottom:2px;">1,748</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2023"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2022" colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:10px;">
</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2019" style="padding-bottom:10px;"> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;">+/- for the day</td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_2018" style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:2px;"> 452 under budget </td></tr></tbody></table>

<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1936" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1935"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1934"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1933" colspan="2" style="padding:3px;font-weight:bold;background-color:#e1e4ea;">Nutrient Summary</td> <td style="background-color:#e1e4ea;padding-right:3px;">% Calories</td> </tr> <tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1942"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1941" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Fat </td> <td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 103g </td> <td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 41.4% </td> </tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1944"> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1943" style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Saturated Fat </td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1945" style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 16g </td> <td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td> </tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1947"> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Cholesterol </td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1946" style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 638mg </td> <td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td> </tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1949"> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Sodium </td> <td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 1,620mg </td> <td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383227658329_1948" style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Carbohydrates </td> <td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 169g </td> <td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 30.2% </td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Fiber </td> <td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 45g </td> <td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Sugars </td> <td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 33g </td> <td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right">
</td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding-left:3px;padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> Protein </td> <td style="padding-right:30px;padding-top:3px;"> 159g </td> <td style="padding-right:3px;padding-top:3px;" align="right"> 28.4% </td></tr></tbody></table>

Ben E Lou

10-31-2013, 09:06 AM

I think you are supposed to replace those carbs with protein - so more nuts or lean meat.I guess I'm still trying to figure out why that would be. I'm getting on the very high end of any protein recommendations I can find. I'm not a bodybuilder, but I'm getting very close to 1g per pound of body weight. I'm not afraid of getting more fat from nuts, but it's already in the 90-110g range typically, so I'm not sure it's necessary. I guess my main confusion here is that nearly everything I read seems to indicate that runners need more carbs than the average person. RLRF suggests 60-70% of calories coming from carbs, and unless I'm missing something, it seems that most other sources suggest 40% or more. I'm typically in the 30-40% range, which often makes me wonder if I'm getting enough carbs, and now I'm being told that I'm getting too many. :confused:

Alan T

10-31-2013, 09:22 AM

Ben E Lou

10-31-2013, 09:52 AM

I think it really depends on the nutrition ideology that you are following perhaps. In the book racing weight, he argues that for long distance runners, including marathoners, it seems almost impossible to eat too many carbs.

The one catch though, is they are talking about good carbs, not refined white breads or things like that. So eating more vegetables and fruits are highly recommended in the book.

Their balance for this is to reduce even further the amount of fats that you take in. Bringing in fats in specific places are ideal where it helps the most (whole milk is one of the examples that I remember), and removing excess fats that don't add any benefit (like most deserts and sweets).
Yeah, I'm totally on board with that. Other than for rare and intentional indulgences (pretty much only on race day and sometimes on our once-a-month-ish date overnights,) I eat close to zero added sugars, never eat white bread (or whole wheat, for that matter....I don't really like bread,) and get the great majority of my carbs from fruits, veggies, nuts, and steel-cut oats. The mild weight gain/stagnation early this month was mainly from eating too many nuts. ("Bah, I'm still well under 180. I'll grab a handful of walnuts before bedtime when I've already eaten my calorie goal for the day and not bother to weigh/log how much of 'em I'm getting!") I don't have much to compare it to, but I tend to suspect that the general makeup of my diet is fairly close to ideal for a runner, and maybe that's the best explanation for the rapid performance increase. For example, I was reading this article a couple of days ago:

The Best Foods For Runners | Runner's World (http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/best-foods-runners)

I eat 12 of the 15 foods mentioned there several times per week, and it's pretty rare that at least one of the items mentioned on that list isn't in a meal. (Today's meal plan includes 7 of the 15. Egad!) The only three that aren't in the regular rotation are oranges, whole-grain pasta, and whole-grain bread. On the rare times that I eat bread, it is whole grain, but we're talking less than once a month. I rarely ate pasta before I started running, and haven't picked it up since. I don't know why I don't eat oranges. I like them, and after reading that article, they've been put on the list for our next shopping run. I don't really see adding the bread and pasta. 13 out of 15 ain't bad. ;)

Ben E Lou

10-31-2013, 08:03 PM

THURSDAY, 10/31 RECAP
Morning Weigh-In: 173.2

Training--Running. 1 mile warmup, 5 miles at tempo pace. As expected, I'm ahead of schedule for this run. 5 mile tempo run paces range from 7:35 to 8:05 in the plan laid out for me. The tempo portion of today's run was done at a 7:32 pace. The last mile was 7:19. Run Profile | 1-Mile Warmup, 5-Mile Tempo | Times and Records | Strava (http://www.strava.com/activities/92339352)

Nutrition--Still on a bit of a roll here. Big portion of sweet taters at lunch, big portion of broccoli at dinner. Wild-caught salmon and chicken breasts for meats. The run burned 700+ calories, so ate an additional 200 or so.

<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2055"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2054"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2053"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2052" colspan="3" style="background-color:#F0F0F0;">Nutrients</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2057"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2059" style="padding-right:15px;">Fat</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2058" style="padding-right:10px;">84g</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2056" style="text-align:right;">32%</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2066"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2071" style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Saturated Fat</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2065" style="padding-right:10px;">16g</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2069"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2070" style="padding-right:15px;">Cholesterol</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2068" style="padding-right:10px;">592mg</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Sodium</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">1138mg</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Carbohydrates</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">208g</td><td style="text-align:right;">36%</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Fiber</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">45g</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Sugars</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">48g</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2080"><td style="padding-right:15px;">Protein</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">188g</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383267496982_2079" style="text-align:right;">32%</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color:#F0F0F0;">Summary</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Food Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">2,338</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Exercise Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">704</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Net Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">1,634</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">+/- Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">-559</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Weight</td><td style="text-align:right;">173.2</td></tr></tbody></table>

Ben E Lou

11-01-2013, 08:03 PM

FRIDAY, 11/1 RECAP
Morning Weigh-In: 173.5 (up .3 from yesterday, down 3.3 from thread begin)

Training--Today's training defined "Cross-Training." ;) Started off with 3 rounds of the "Seven Minute Workout (http://fattofitat44.blogspot.com/2013/08/short-on-time-no-equipment-heres-great.html)" with a one-minute rest between each round. From there, 15 minutes on the indoor bike, 10 minutes easy, then 5 minutes up-tempo. Ended with 5 minutes of high-incline (15%) treadmill walking at 3.7mph. Nice variety kept me from getting bored, and per my HRM, burned right around 500 calories.

Nutrition--I grilled/smoked my meats for the next couple of weeks today: salmon, flank steak, chicken, pork tenderloin. And as is typically the case on grill day, I grazed a fair bit and didn't log it all. I probably ate another 300-500 calories of mostly protein above what is shown below.

<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1677"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1680"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1679"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1678" colspan="3" style="background-color:#F0F0F0;">Nutrients</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1682"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1725" style="padding-right:15px;">Fat</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1727" style="padding-right:10px;">125g</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1681" style="text-align:right;">43%</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1723"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1722" style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Saturated Fat</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">28g</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1728" style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1721"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1720" style="padding-right:15px;">Cholesterol</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">232mg</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1719"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1718" style="padding-right:15px;">Sodium</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">864mg</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1717"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1716" style="padding-right:15px;">Carbohydrates</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">167g</td><td style="text-align:right;">26%</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1715"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1714" style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Fiber</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">57g</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1713"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1712" style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Sugars</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">34g</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1711"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1710" style="padding-right:15px;">Protein</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">201g</td><td style="text-align:right;">31%</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1684"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1689"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1708"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1707" colspan="2" style="background-color:#F0F0F0;">Summary</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1706"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1705" style="padding-right:15px;">Food Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">2,559</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1704"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1703" style="padding-right:15px;">Exercise Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">509</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1702"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1701" style="padding-right:15px;">Net Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">2,050</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">+/- Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">-145</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1688"><td style="padding-right:15px;">Weight</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383353844657_1687" style="text-align:right;">173.5</td></tr></tbody></table>
I'm telling myself that it's ok to indulge a bit during this time when I haven't hit the "official" start of training. ;)

Tomorrow morning: long run. I think I'm going to do 12 miles in a "pyramid" style, with paces something like...

Mile 1: 9:00
2: 8:45
3: 8:30
4: 8:15
5: 8:00
6: 7:45
7: 7:45
8: 8:00
9: 8:15
10: 8:30
11: 8:45
12: 9:00

No particular reason for doing it this way; I'm mainly just playing around with styles I haven't tried before I start the official RLRF program in 10 days.

Ben E Lou

11-02-2013, 07:45 PM

SATURDAY, 11/2 RECAP
Morning Weigh-In: 173.9 (up .4 from yesterday, down 2.9 from thread begin)

Training--12-Mile "Pyramid" Run. Here's how it went, compared to the goal paces I had for myself:

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="199"><colgroup><col style="width:48pt" span="2" width="64"> <col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:2596;width:53pt" width="71"> </colgroup><tbody><tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;width:48pt; font-size:10.0pt;color:white;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style: none;text-line-through:none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black; border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black;background: black;mso-pattern:black none" height="17" width="64">MILE</td> <td class="xl63" style="width:48pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:white; font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:none;background:black;mso-pattern:black none" width="64">GOAL</td> <td class="xl63" style="width:53pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:white; font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none;background:black;mso-pattern:black none" width="71">ACTUAL</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">1</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">9:00</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">8:55</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">2</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:45</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">8:40</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">3</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:30</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">8:29</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">4</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:15</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">8:10</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">5</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:00</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">7:57</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">6</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">7:45</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">7:45</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">7</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">7:45</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">7:34</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">8</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:00</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">7:43</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">9</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:15</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">7:51</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">10</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:30</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">8:11</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:none;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">11</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: none;border-left:none">8:45</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:none;border-left:none">8:16</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl63" style="height:12.75pt;font-size:10.0pt;color:black; font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through: none;font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none; border-bottom:.5pt solid black;border-left:.5pt solid black" height="17">12</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:none;border-bottom: .5pt solid black;border-left:none">9:00</td> <td class="xl64" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;font-weight:400; text-decoration:none;text-underline-style:none;text-line-through:none; font-family:Arial;border-top:.5pt solid black;border-right:.5pt solid black; border-bottom:.5pt solid black;border-left:none">8:14</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Overall, 12 miles @ 8:09 Pace. Avg Heart Rate 158.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/398679702

In general I find that I have a hard time slowing down on runs like this once I get going, so it's no surprise that the final 6 were faster than the first. Maybe the next one I do like this needs to be faster so that I need the slowdown.

As far as the comparison to RLRF, the long run two weeks from today is scheduled for 13 miles at an 8:35 pace. Definitely feels doable. The book recommends that when all three runs become not challenging, it's time to increase the pace. Looks like at first my challenge will be to reign myself in on the tempo and long runs to make sure I have enough for the intervals.

In the book, Sundays are an "optional cross training" day. I might do upper body + incline treadmill walking.

Nutrition--I use the lowest calorie-burn estimate for my runs, which is always from my Polar HRM (though now that I have a Garmin, it's just a hair lower than that. So far the two are close enough that it's pretty much interchangeable.) The Polar estimated the burn from the 12-miler at around 1400 calories. I didn't eat an extra 900, but did enjoy have the extra calories. I did manage to keep the sugars at goal and only went a little over on saturated fat, and much of that was from coconut, so I'm not really troubled by it.

By the way, I discovered a new item at Sam's Club. I don't think they've carried it before: unsalted frozen broccoli/carrots/cauliflower in steam-able bags. Suh-weet! I had them for the first time today. They tasted pretty much like fresh steamed veggies, and were extremely easy to do. Very nice find.

Here's the recap:

<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1683"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1682"><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1711"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1710" colspan="3" style="background-color:#F0F0F0;">Nutrients</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1686"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1685" style="padding-right:15px;">Fat</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">137g</td><td style="text-align:right;">43%</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1681"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1716" style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Saturated Fat</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1684" style="padding-right:10px;">28g</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1719"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1718" style="padding-right:15px;">Cholesterol</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1723" style="padding-right:10px;">261mg</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1721"><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1720" style="padding-right:15px;">Sodium</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1724" style="padding-right:10px;">830mg</td><td style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1726"><td style="padding-right:15px;">Carbohydrates</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1725" style="padding-right:10px;">244g</td><td style="text-align:right;">34%</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1727"><td style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Fiber</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">61g</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1728" style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1730"><td style="padding-right:15px;padding-left:15px;">Sugars</td><td style="padding-right:10px;">60g</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1729" style="text-align:right;">
</td></tr><tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1732"><td style="padding-right:15px;">Protein</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1735" style="padding-right:10px;">160g</td><td id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383437298275_1731" style="text-align:right;">22%</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color:#F0F0F0;">Summary</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Food Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">2,793</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Exercise Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">1,401</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Net Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">1,392</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">+/- Calories</td><td style="text-align:right;">-805</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:15px;">Weight</td><td style="text-align:right;">173.9</td></tr></tbody></table>

Ben E Lou

11-05-2013, 08:49 AM

Busy these last few days, so no posts. Catching up...SUNDAY-TUESDAY, 11/3-11/4 RECAP

Morning Weigh-In Tuesday: 174.5

Training--

SUNDAY
50-Minute walk on the treadmill, mostly at 3.8mph with 15% incline. When I do these treadmill walks, I'm much more interested in heart rate and time than I am in distance. Average heart rate was 146, including right around 30 minutes in the middle where it was 150 or higher.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/399690223

MONDAY
Upper body strength training and 40 minutes on the exercise bike

TUESDAY
3x1-Mile Intervals. Goal is eventually 6:50 for all three. did them today in 7:02, 6:58, 6:54. Much better than last week's 7:24/7:03/6:54.

Nutrition--Bad day Sunday. Took the 4-year-old to Golden Corral for breakfast. Usually I'm fine there, but they had a new dish they called "bacon candy." Yeah..bacon chunks coated with maple syrup. I'm just surprised that I'm only half a pound heavier now than I was the day before. ;) Other days good to great on nutrition.

Subby

11-05-2013, 10:05 AM

If you can't eat bacon candy once in a while then there is no point to any of this. :D

Ben E Lou

11-05-2013, 10:15 AM

If you can't eat bacon candy once in a while then there is no point to any of this. :D
:thumbsup:

Young Drachma

11-05-2013, 02:52 PM

Go Fred Go

Ben E Lou

11-09-2013, 04:45 PM

The in-laws came to town this week and sent us on an overnight without the kids. We got a hotel near the beach, and I decided to enjoy the culinary delights of downtown Charleston for the last couple of days.

On the positive side, I got in some good training this week, capped off by a 15-mile run with an Atlantic Ocean view this morning.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/401810806

8:39 pace with a 151 HR. I'll take that for a run that long. Picked up the pace for the last couple of miles and still felt pretty good.

With the type and amounts of food I ate downtown these last couple of days, even with the 15-miler, my weight is probably up a bit, possibly over 180. We'll see tomorrow morning. With the beginning of the official training on Monday will also come much more of a focus on eating cleanly and tracking/recording everything.

As for comparing today's run to the RLRF plan, the first 15-miler is scheduled for 2 weeks from today at an 8:50 pace. The fastest 15-mile run is in early February: 8:20 pace. I have to feel good about where I am so far.

Ben E Lou

11-10-2013, 07:43 AM

Heh. 183.6. Baby dedication for Renee and a "bad" meal after that, then back fully on the wagon tomorrow morning. 1 pound a week for 16 weeks gets me right in that 165-170 range on race day, which is probably pretty close to my ideal race weight.

Ben E Lou

11-11-2013, 04:35 AM

Evidently, I'm not only capable of epic and rapid weight loss, but epic and rapid weight *gain* as well. I'm sure some of this is water weight due to high sodium in the meals we had after the dedication, but still. Wow.

I begin marathon training today at 188.1. I probably need to ditch eating my exercise calories, at least for a while. Not a biggie. I didn't eat any exercise calories for the better part of 8 months when I got rolling with weight loss.

Subby

11-11-2013, 02:29 PM

Cut carbs and burn more fat. As long as you have a full glycogen store for race day you'll be fine.

Ben E Lou

11-11-2013, 02:46 PM

Cut carbs and burn more fat and you should be fine. As long as you have a full glycogen store for race day you'll be fine.I listened to the Noakes podcast you were talking about. He spent ~60 minutes talking about why runners shouldn't eat carbs, and 10 seconds saying one *crucial* sentence. The sentence was very early on, at around the 7:30 mark. To paraphrase, he said "you will either burn the carbohydrates you eat in your exercise or the rest of the day, or turn them into fat." He then spent the rest of the podcast ignoring the first option he mentioned: burning the carbs, instead insinuating the rest of the way that they turn into fat. My guess is that spending too much time on calories in vs. calories out instead of preaching low-carb doesn't sell many books. ;) My experience has been pretty simple: I eat more calories than I burn, and I put on weight. I eat less calories than I burn, I lose weight--no matter if those calories come from carbs, fat, or protein. The bottom line is that I lost 100 pounds typically eating 175-225 carbs per day. (I'll see if I can do a LoseIt data dump to double-check that right now.) I'm a "dance with you brung ya" kinda guy.

Subby

11-11-2013, 02:49 PM

I think you'll be fine. Ketogenic diet is always pretty trendy, though. I like the principals - mostly because I am always interested in thinking that goes against accepted theories. That said - 200 carbs per day worked fine for you. As long as you are burning through them and they aren't turning to fat, you're good to go.

Ben E Lou

11-11-2013, 03:04 PM

Yeah, the bottom line is that I ate a truckload of food over the long weekend. ;)

FRIDAY NIGHT

First we went to the rooftop bar on top of a big hotel overlooking Charleston Harbor. (Pavilion Bar Food (http://www.marketpavilion.com/pavilionfood.cfm)) My wife had a glass of wine. I had:

Appetizer 1: Tuna Tower tuna tartare, lump crabmeat and avocado with lemon chile oil

Then we went to Lowcountry Bistro (Page Not Found - Lowcountry Bistro (http://www.lowcountrybistro.com/dinner-menu-2/)). I had shrimp and grits AND fried green tomato appetizers. The wife had maybe two bites of each. (She had zero bites of the tuna tower.) Then I had chicken and waffles for dinner. Ate the whole dang thing. Half a chicken (fried, of course), pecan butter, syrup, two sweet potato waffles.

SATURDAY
Got up Saturday, ran 15 miles, showered, then went to the breakfast buffet at the Francis Marion Hotel (http://www.francismarionhotel.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Saturday-Breakfast-Buffet-2-2013.pdf)

I have no idea how many pieces of bacon I ate and how many of the stuffed french toast pieces I had, but suffice it say that after a 15-mile run, a brutha can eat a LOT. ;)

SUNDAY

Oh yeah, and then Sunday we had ribs and ice cream after Renee's dedication.

So, yeah, epic eating, epic weight gain. They go together. :p

Ben E Lou

11-12-2013, 04:44 AM

WEEK ONE, DAY ONE (MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH) RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
188.1

EXERCISE
I've put together a full-body circuit workout that I think should work well. It alternates between push, pull, and lower body so that there's little/no rest between exercises. I'm expecting this to maximize my time and a side benefit is some additional calorie burn due to the heart rate not having time to recover as much. I expect this to be my normal strength training workout through most of the next 16 weeks.

3x (pushups, lat pulldowns, squats)
rest 30 seconds
3x (dips, pullups, lunges)
rest 30 seconds
3x (curls, triceps kickbacks, arnold press)

350 calories burned per my HRM. HR Avg=117, 45 minutes

After that, I did the RLRF-prescribed exercise bike routine: 10 minutes easy, 10 minutes "tempo", 10 minutes easy. HRM calculated 304 calories burned. HR Avg = 127, 30 minutes.

NUTRITION
Budget: 2041
Consumed: 2002
<table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="left" width="100%">
</td><td style="vertical-align: bottom;" align="left">
</td></tr></tbody></table><table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" cellspacing="0"><colgroup><col><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">58.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">26.3%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">8.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">338.3mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">658mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">186.5g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">37.3%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">48.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">62.5g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">181.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">36.4%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: greek yogurt, berries, granola, almonds, chia seeds
Lunch: wild-caught salmon and a buttload (315g) of steamed broccoli
Dinner: I smoked a turkey! Had 7 1/4 oz of that (no skin) with 100g quinoa
Snacks: Large pear before the workout
Water Consumption: 96 oz. + a couple of glasses in the evening. I'm shooting for 96 per day. FWIW, I basically never drink anything but water. Maybe once or twice month I'll have a glass of wine, but there's a pretty good chance that during the next 16 weeks I'll drink nothing but water, unless you count a protein smoothie here or there. ;)

COMMENTS
A very good day overall. Weighed in at 185.2 this morning, down 2.9 from yesterday.

Alan T

11-12-2013, 04:50 AM

I've found "maintaining" weight has been much more difficult than losing weight was myself. Losing weight for me was pretty close to what you mentioned eating less calories than I burned. Maintenance for me so far has been kind of a guessing game at times. I've been yo-yoing between about a 8 pound range for two months.

I'm interested to see how it goes for you during the marathon training. Most of my marathon friends have told me that losing weight and marathon training do not work well together, and most of them actually gain a little during a marathon training cycle.

Subby

11-12-2013, 07:56 AM

Ben E Lou

11-12-2013, 10:34 AM

TUESDAY
3x1-Mile Intervals. Goal is eventually 6:50 for all three. did them today in 7:02, 6:58, 6:54. Much better than last week's 7:24/7:03/6:54.That was a week ago today, and 10 pounds lighter. Did these today in 6:52, 6:52, 7:02.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403381707

I'm feeling very encouraged by that run. :)

Ben E Lou

11-12-2013, 11:38 AM

Interesting to see your snacking was just one pear. For a long time I was pretty wedded to the "eat every 2-3 hours" school, but now I am not so sure. There are some pretty good articles out there on fasting, meal sizes, frequency, etc..I did a fair bit of experimenting with eating more than 3 meals, bigger snacks, etc. Based on my experiences and reading the experiences of a fair number of others (mainly on the LoseIt forums,) I'm under the impression that eating more meals can help speed metabolism a little, but not in enough of a hugely meaningful way to make it worth the extra time and effort. I tend to suspect that the much bigger benefit of eating more frequently is that it keeps you from feeling hungry, and therefore helps keep you from overeating at any one meal, or going on a crazy snack binge and downing an entire bag of Doritos or whatever.

For the most part, I only snack when I feel like I need a snack before a run or going to the gym. That's why I had the pear yesterday: I went to the gym shortly before lunch. I figured I'd use lunch as the post-gym protein, but because it was 5ish hours removed from breakfast, I wanted to eat a little something to give me a boost. Today, I ran mid-morning, just a couple of hours after eating breakfast, so I didn't eat a snack at all and there isn't one in the plan. I just had 8 ounces of flank steak, and 4ish oz. each of veggies and quinoa. That oughta hold me until dinner just fine. ;)

Ben E Lou

11-12-2013, 07:24 PM

WEEK ONE, DAY TWO (TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH) RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
185.2

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170

EXERCISE
Referenced above. 3x1Mile Intervals. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403381707

Overall run was 7.01 miles, 8:26/mile pace, 836 calories burned.

NUTRITION
Budget: 2022
Consumed: 2015

<table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">81.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">36.6%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">16.8g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">594.9mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">960mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">154.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">30.9%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">37.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">32.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">162.1g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">32.5%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: steel-cut oatmeal with whey protein powder, blueberries, apple, and walnuts
Lunch: flank steak, mixed steamed veggies (broc/caul/carrots), quinoa
Dinner: salad made with kale greens, smoked chicken breast, 2 boiled eggs, dry roasted edamame, red wine vinegar (no oil)
Snacks: None
Water Consumption: 96 oz. + one glass

COMMENTS
Great day. It looks like I'll be down another 3ish pounds from this morning at tomorrow's weigh-in. :eek:

Ben E Lou

11-13-2013, 04:46 AM

Great day. It looks like I'll be down another 3ish pounds from this morning at tomorrow's weigh-in. :eek:Wow. Down 4.2 to 181.0. I spent nearly two months maintaining in the 172-178 range. It's like my body is fighting to get back there ASAP. ;)

Ben E Lou

11-13-2013, 08:53 PM

WEEK ONE, DAY THREE (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH) RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
181.0

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170

EXERCISE
Strength Training: Did the circuit workout mentioned earlier in the thread, but added 60-second planks to the first circuit and 15 crunches to the 2nd circuit, so it's now...

3x (pushups, lat pulldowns, squats, 60-sec plank)
rest 30 seconds
3x (dips, pullups, lunges, crunches)
rest 30 seconds
3x (curls, triceps kickbacks, arnold press)

Two exercises each for chest, back, core, and legs, then one isolation exercise for upper body. On some days I'll probably swap out dumbbell rows for pullups and dumbbell bench press for pushups or dips, but I think I'll stick with the basic chest/back/leg/core setup I have there. Here's what it looked like today:

http://runkeeper.com/user/benelou/strengthtrainingactivity/384031

Cycling: Per RLRF, I did 10 minutes easy, then 3x (2min hard, 2 min easy), then 10 minutes easy. 32 minutes total.

Roughly 650 calories burned in the two exercise routines, per my HRM.

NUTRITION
Budget: 1994
Consumed: 2015

<table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">48.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">22%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">10g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">657.4mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">959.9mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">219.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">43.9%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">48.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">35.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">170.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">34.2%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: almond milk with protein powder, whole foods "morning delight" bulk granola, raspberries, sliced almonds, chia seeds (all in a bowl, ate it like cereal)
Lunch: pork tenderloin, quinoa, steamed broccoli, grape tomatoes
Dinner: salad: kale greens, baby spinach, smoked turkey breast, boiled eggs, red wine vinegar (no oil)
Snacks: Had a 9-oz sweet potato an hour before going to the gym
Water Consumption: 96 oz.

COMMENTS
Another very good day overall. Maybe back under 180 in the morning?

Subby

11-14-2013, 08:00 AM

Were you really hungry at any time during the day? What is the timing of each meal?

Ben E Lou

11-14-2013, 08:36 AM

Were you really hungry at any time during the day? What is the timing of each meal?I was hungry, but not what I'd call "really" hungry, at dinner time. Other than that, no. As far as timing...

Breakfast for me is almost always between 7 and 7:45, and because I'm helping get the girls up and ready during that time usually, sometimes I'm taking a bite here and there of breakfast FROM 7 until 7:45. ;)
I ate the sweet potato at around 10:45, left for the gym around 11:45. That's pretty normal for gym days. The gym we belong to is 3 minutes from the house, so I try to work out there during standard lunch time and eat at my desk afterward.
Lunch was a few minutes after 1pm.
Dinner was right around 6pm.Those are all pretty standard times for me on gym days. On non-gym days, breakfast and dinner are about the same as above, but I eat lunch around noon. (One major advantage that I suspect I have on the diet side is that I don't watch TV in the evenings, other than some football, so I'm not really tempted to snack in front of the TV at night like most people are.)

Maybe back under 180 in the morning?178.7. I'd love to get back to a place where I'm (weeks to marathon/2) pounds away from, say, 165 so I can feel comfortable bumping up the calorie intake again.

Subby

11-14-2013, 09:33 AM

I think it's really interesting that you eat big meals and don't really eat between meals. I think the content of your meals is probably why you aren't as hungry (level blood sugar) plus you drink a ton of water. Looking at your daily nutritional intake, you consume a massively low quantity of sugar compared to the average american.

Ben E Lou

11-14-2013, 10:42 AM

Yeah, I'm trying to keep sugars under 60g per day, which basically means in practice that I eat very little added sugars. I think maybe the Greek Yogurt has some, and one of the bulk granolas that I get from whole foods (coconut almond...freakin' YUM) has a small amount of honey. Neither is excessive, though. I typically eat 12 oz portions of the Greek yogurt: 13.5g sugar, 34.5g protein, nothing else. And on a heavy day I might eat 3 oz. of the coconut almond granola, and that's only 9.2g sugar. And yeah, I suspect that the water helps a lot, too.

Ben E Lou

11-15-2013, 04:57 AM

WEEK ONE, DAY FOUR (THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH) RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
178.7

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170

EXERCISE
RLRF had me doing what it calls a "Short Tempo" run: 2 miles Easy, 2 miles @ 7:24 pace, 2 miles Easy. I probably went a little too fast on the first two and last two for them to be considered "Easy," but I did managed to hit the 7:24 pace exactly on the middle two miles.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/404110800

707 calories burned per my Polar HRM.

NUTRITION
Budget: 1979
Consumed: 2012

<table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">90.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">40.5%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">13.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">232.3mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">766.5mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">135.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">27%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">37.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">42.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">163.1g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">32.5%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt, Ezekiel 4:9 granola, walnuts, triple berry blend (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Lunch: flank steak, normandy blend veggies (broc/caul/carrots)
Dinner: salad: salmon, broccoli
Snacks: none
Water Consumption: 80 oz.

COMMENTS
The Normandy Blend veggies have been a great discovery for me at Sam's Club: easy-steam-in-the-bag frozen veggies with no added...anything. Good price, too. My local Sam's has "Normandy Blend" and just plain broccoli. They steam perfectly in the microwave. Good stuff.

Rest day on Friday, then a 13-miler is planned for Saturday.

Ben E Lou

11-15-2013, 07:02 PM

WEEK ONE, DAY FIVE (FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH) RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
175.5

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170

EXERCISE
Scheduled rest day today, and I took it 100%. I did not leave the house today at all.

NUTRITION
Budget: 1958
Consumed: 1951

<table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">68.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">31.4%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">12.6g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">631.8mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">1,245.6mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">172.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">35.2%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">46.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">36.1g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">163.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">33.4%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: Steel cut oatmeal with blueberries, whey protein, apple, chia seeds, pistachios
Lunch: pork tenderloin, normandy blend veggies, quinoa
Dinner: salad: kale, grilled chicken breast, 2 boiled eggs, dry roasted edamame
Snacks: none
Water Consumption: 96 oz.

COMMENTS
I think I really needed the rest day today. Hope to feel refreshed for the 13-miler tomorrow. Still on a roll on the nutrition side of things.

Alan T

11-16-2013, 05:09 AM

Ben E Lou

11-16-2013, 05:15 AM

Do you keep track of your resting HR every morning out of curiosity? For any signs of overtraining or needed cutback/rest days?

Your comment about really needing the rest day made me curious if you did.I check it most mornings, but it's not something that I track or use for sings of overtraining. My comment about really needing it was based purely on feeling generally tired and beaten up. (FWIW, I feel quite refreshed this morning and the HR is 53, which is on the low side for me in the morning.)

Alan T

11-16-2013, 05:19 AM

I check it most mornings, but it's not something that I track or use for sings of overtraining. My comment about really needing it was based purely on feeling generally tired and beaten up. (FWIW, I feel quite refreshed this morning and the HR is 53, which is on the low side for me in the morning.)

Out of curiosity, what was your RHR yesterday morning, prior to your rest day?

I've been trying to track my RHR better lately. For me any time I get closer to 60, its usually a sign that my body is not going to respond as well that day. Having a good 55 or less RHR for me is a sign that I should have a pretty good training day.

Ben E Lou

11-16-2013, 06:32 AM

I didn't check it yesterday morning. It was 57 Thursday, 56 Wednesday, and 56 on Monday after a Sunday off.

Ben E Lou

11-16-2013, 06:33 AM

(I don't track it in a spreadsheet or actually examine it, but the app I use to measure it does store it, so I suppose I *could* go back and look at it more carefully if I had time and desire...)

Ben E Lou

11-16-2013, 07:04 PM

WEEK ONE, DAY SIX (SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH) RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
175.3

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170

EXERCISE
RLRF had a 13-mile run at 8:35 planned. It was warmer and more humid than it has been in quite some time here today, and I didn't get started until 8:30am due to being on kid duty this morning. I completed the run faster than the prescribed time (13.11 miles @ 8:27,) but it wasn't easy. Strava scored it as my 2nd-highest "Suffer Score" ever at 275: Run Profile | 13-Mile Run. Warmer than it has been (71F/71% at end.) | Times and Records | Strava (http://www.strava.com/activities/95392812)

Here's the Garmin version: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/404839762

NUTRITION
Budget: 1956
Consumed: 1965

<table class="GMHKSTVBGND" style="font-size: 13px; width: 340px; margin-top: 8px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(247, 248, 249);" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt; width: 340px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt; width: 340px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="left" width="100%"><table class="GMHKSTVBCRC GMHKSTVBKQC" style="font-size: 10pt; height: 21px; background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAMAAAAVCAYAAACDp1Q5AAAAJUlEQVR42mN49frdfxhm+Pfv338YZnj74fN/GB7enGfPX/2HYQBD9u/+iUpYbQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==); overflow: visible; width: 320px; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="left" width="100%">
</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td style="vertical-align: bottom;" align="left">
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt; width: 338px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px;" cellspacing="0"><colgroup><col><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">72.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">32.9%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">19.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">368.6mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">1,281.4mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">170.1g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">34.4%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">42.5g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">36.8g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">162.1g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">32.8%</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">
</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: Almond milk with whey protein mixed in, Whole Foods bulk coconut almond granola, chia seeds (eaten all together as cereal)
Lunch: Wild-caught salmon, sweet potato, 1 box Green Giant Healthy Weight veggies (carrots, peas, black beans, edamame)
Dinner: smoked turkey (dark meat, no skin), broccoli
Snacks: none
Water Consumption: 96 oz. + however much I drank during my run (probably less than 16oz.)

COMMENTS
This has been an unfathomable week of weight loss, and it doesn't appear to be over just yet. It's looking like I could be under 174 tomorrow morning. If that is the case, I'll switch to .5 pounds per week of loss, upping the calorie intake by 250 per day, and maybe eat a little extra on Saturdays to compensate for the long run.

Ben E Lou

11-17-2013, 03:43 AM

Yeah, 173.1. Making the change right now...

Ben E Lou

11-18-2013, 03:35 AM

WEEK ONE, DAY SEVEN (SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH) RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
173.1

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 172.4 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
Sunday is a "Cross-Train Or Rest" day in the RLRF plan. With the intensity of the Saturday workout this week being ramped up by the temperature, I chose to just rest.

NUTRITION
Budget: 2192 (this was the first day back to the "1/2 pound per week" LoseIt plan, so the budget increased by 250 per day)
Consumed: 2250-ish*

<table class="GMHKSTVBGND" style="font-size: 13px; width: 340px; margin-top: 8px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(247, 248, 249);" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="198" width="340"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt; width: 338px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px;" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">93.1g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">36.2%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">22.5g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">285mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">867.8mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">206.1g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">35.6%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">57.6g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">67.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">162.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">28.2%</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">
</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: Greek yogurt, triple berry blend, walnuts, morning delight bulk granola
Lunch: pork tenderloin, black beans
Dinner: smoothie: 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milke, 50g kale, 100g blueberries, 2 scoops whey protein
Snacks: apple and assorted nuts*
Water Consumption: 64 oz. + one glass

*--The wife made a Whole Foods run on Saturday evening, which means that the three big bins in the pantry got filled up with walnuts, almond slices, and pistachios that we buy in bulk. They are my biggest "unplanned and unlogged snack" temptation right now. I'm going to try moving those to the back of the pantry and put the bulk stuff that has to be cooked (black beans, quinoa, steel-cut oats, etc.) in front to make it harder to just grab some. Sunday's calorie and nutrient totals include estimates for the amount of nuts I ate. I may not have made this clear prior to now in this thread, but otherwise I weigh/measure virtually everything I consume these days, and almost always pre-plan my nutrition for the day.

COMMENTS
Even with the nuts yesterday, I'm still on target for a bit of loss from yesterday, and may well be 15 pounds lighter than last Monday's 188.1, though that weight was inflated, I'm sure, by the high sodium of the ribs I had on Sunday evening, and the fact that said ribs and the butter pecan ice cream and extra pecans that I had for dessert were at least partially undigested when I weighed on Monday. Bottom line: it's good to be back near the lowest weight I've seen since my early 20s (172.4 on October 14th and October 17th of this year).

Ben E Lou

11-18-2013, 08:33 PM

WEEK TWO, DAY ONE RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
172.1 (new 25ish-year low)

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 172.1 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
Did the same full-body circuit (http://runkeeper.com/user/benelou/strengthtrainingactivity/387197), followed by the RLRF-prescribed workout on the recumbent bike at the gym: 10 minutes Easy, 10 Minutes Tempo, 2 minutes Easy, 3 minutes Hard, 5 minutes Easy ( polarpersonaltrainer.com (https://www.polarpersonaltrainer.com/shared/exercise.ftl?shareTag=8ac66e1e89294599ac263bf154e45123)).

HRM estimated 332 calories fro the strength training, 280 for the bike.

NUTRITION
Budget: 2185
Consumed: 2230

<table class="GMHKSTVBGND" style="font-size: 13px; width: 340px; margin-top: 8px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(247, 248, 249);" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt; width: 340px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt; width: 338px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px;" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">98.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">39.5%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">13.7g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">668mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">1,916.7mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">180.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">32.2%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">47g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">34.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">158.6g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">28.3%</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="font-size: 10pt; width: 340px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries, apples, walnuts, protein powder
Lunch: grilled chicken breast, black beans, homemade guacamole
Dinner: wild-caught salmon with 2 eggs
Snacks: None
Water Consumption: 96 oz. + one glass

COMMENTS
I moved the nuts I like to the back in the pantry, behind the black beans, quinoa, and steel cut-oats, all of which have to be cooked. I found myself going into the pantry this evening to grab a handful, but then didn't bother to do so because of the inconvenience of having to move the other stuff. Using my own laziness against myself ftw!

Ben E Lou

11-18-2013, 08:40 PM

Looking ahead to the rest of the week's runs...

Tuesday: 880x4 in 3:20 with 2 minutes rest in between. Hmmmm...I think I can do the 3:20, but only 2 minutes of rest is going to be tough. I might need to just walk that rest time.

Thursday: 1 mile easy, 5 miles @ 8:05, 1 mile easy. This one sounds very doable, maybe even a little too easy.

Saturday: 15 miles at 8:50 pace. I did 15 @ 8:39 two Saturdays ago (and was nearly 10 pounds heavier). This appears to be very doable.

So one again, the Tuesday run looks the most daunting.

Subby

11-19-2013, 08:55 AM

How crazy is it that you are probably less than 2 weeks away from weighing below 170 pounds? :)

Ben E Lou

11-19-2013, 09:50 AM

Yeah..that's crazy!

I was wrong about the rest time. I did walk to begin the recovery times, but it turns out that my HR was recovering down to 140 in 40-50 seconds. Once I hit 140, I jogged the recoveries. User error on my part with my running watch. I set up the workout, but forgot to start it as a workout, so had to do the lap timing by hand. Two of the intervals ended up at .51 rather than .5. Goal was to hit each of 'em in 3:20:

Interval 1: 3:18.8 (.50 miles)
Interval 2: 3:23.1 (.51 miles)
Interval 3: 3:17.0 (.50 miles)
Interval 4: 3:20.8 (.51 miles)

Overall pace: 6:35.9, so 3:17.5 average. Very happy with that. The intervals are the toughest part of RLRF for me, so it's nice to hit goal times on them today. :)

http://connect.garmin.com/splits/406307197

HerRealName

11-19-2013, 08:21 PM

Ben E Lou

11-20-2013, 04:56 AM

Great job. Those interval sessions are downright scary looking. The other training runs all look very manageable. I'm due to start on Jan 6, thanks for being the trailblazer on this one.

I still haven't read the book but my daughter's basketball season is winding down so I should be able to get to it soon. Does it say anything about whether it is acceptable to run faster than the prescribed times? That certainly won't be an issue on the speed work but I lack patience on long runs... and i don't see that improving as the temp keeps dropping.Interesting that you mention that today, actually. They don't speak to it directly other than to say something along the lines of "you may be tempted to run faster. You need to make sure you can recover enough to complete all three runs in a given week." I take that to mean "if you find that you can recover and do all the runs faster, go for it!" ;)

I say that it's "interesting" because I've been thinking about doing just that and was re-reading some of the book with an eye toward that just last night. Specifically, the book includes training plans for Boston Qualifying at the specific age/gender-based times. The BQ plans are identical in structure to the one I'm using, just faster. With the Tempo and Long Runs not looking as challenging to me, I'm thinking about ratcheting those up to the speeds of the 3:25 plan. The plan for me based on my HM race in October has me doing 1M easy, 5M@8:05, 1M easy for my Tempo run tomorrow, then 15@@8:50 for the long run this weekend. The 3:25 plan has the Tempo at 7:49 and the Long at 8:34. I'm pretty sure I can pull both of those off on Thursday and Saturday, so I'm leaning heavily toward doing just that. The prescribed plan for me is very close to their 3:35 plan, so basically I'm looking at doing the 3:35 plan on Tuesdays for the intervals, and then the 3:25 plan on Thursdays and Saturdays until I'm ready to approach the 3:25 speeds on Tuesdays as well.

The book *does* state that if you can do all three runs in a given week and don't feel challenged, it's time to speed up. They don't have a 3:20 plan, but right now some of the 3:15 speeds look close to doable. I suspect that before I'm done with this, I'll "create" and use a "3:20 plan" by just splitting the difference between the times at 3:15 and 3:25.

Ben E Lou

11-20-2013, 05:05 AM

WEEK TWO, DAY TWO RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
172.0 (new 25ish-year low)

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 172.0 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
Previously-mentioned interval run. 4x880 @ 3:20 was goal. Actual average for the four was 3:17.5. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/406307197

NUTRITION
Budget: 2185
Consumed: 2183 + a small amount (200ish calories worth) of pine nuts.. I wasn't particularly hungry, but they were staring at me after dinner and looked really good. ;) The numbers below don't include the pine nuts.

<table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" style="font-size: 8pt; width: 338px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">85.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">34.1%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">21.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">217.8mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">861.6mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">206.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">36.7%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">51.9g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB" style="background-color: rgb(237, 240, 243);"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 15px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px;">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">57g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB" style="padding-left: 4px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px;">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">165g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB" style="padding-left: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">29.3%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: fat-free greek yogurt, triple berry blend, ezekiel 4:9 flax granola, sliced almonds
Lunch: smoked turkey breast and sweet potato
Dinner: pork tenderloin, normandy blend veggies, broccoli
Snacks: 85% dark chocolate + walnuts + coconut almond granola---FREAKING YUM!!
Water Consumption: 96 oz.

COMMENTS
The chocolate/walnut/coconut almond granola snack was carefully planned. I intentionally had extra-lean meats and fat-free yogurt to fit that snack into the budget without getting crazy on sugars or saturated fat. WORTH IT! ;)

Ben E Lou

11-21-2013, 05:20 AM

WEEK TWO, DAY THREE RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
171.9 (new 25ish-year low)

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 171.9 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
I was particularly productive with work in the morning, allowing a little extra time at the gym for cross training. Also, the cycling workout looked a little easy so I wanted to do a bit more. So I worked out as follows:

Cycling (per RLRF)--10 minutes easy, 2x(1minute hard, 3 minutes easy), 10 minutes easy
Strength Training--Full-body circuit: Apache Tomcat/7.0.42 - Error report (http://runkeeper.com/user/benelou/strengthtrainingactivity/388786)
Incline Treadmill Walk--20ish minutes, 3 to 3.5mph, 15% incline: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/406711214

247 calories on the bike, 305 strength training, and 213 incline treadmill

NUTRITION
Budget: 2184
Consumed: 2177

<table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">76.8g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">31.7%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">14.8g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">273.8mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">992mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">210.3g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">38.5%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">45.5g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">42.2g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">162.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">29.8%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: morning delight granola eaten as cereal in unsweetened vanilla almond milk with added whey protein, sprinkled with chia seeds
Lunch: flank steak, broccoli, sweet potato
Dinner: salad: baby spinach, kale, pistachios, smoked turkey breast, olive oil & vinegar dressing
Snacks: had a banana late morning before going to the gym
Water Consumption: 96 oz.

COMMENTS
I'm starting to feel a little hunger near the end of the day when I exercise hard. Given that my weight is getting close to where I think it needs to be and I have 14 weeks to go, I'm thinking that it's time to start
eating some of those exercise calories. It may start as early as today, but I'd say definitely with Saturday's 15-miler scheduled. Right now I'm thinking that I'll keep the base budget at 1/2 pound a week, then add half of the reported exercise burn to my daily budget, so yesterday's estimated 765-calorie burn would have added around 385 calories to the day, which sounds about perfect.

Ben E Lou

11-21-2013, 10:42 AM

The 3:25 plan has the Tempo at 7:49 and the Long at 8:34.So the Tempo today ended up being at a 7:33 pace. That might have been a little too much. We'll see what I've got on Saturday. :)

Ben E Lou

11-21-2013, 06:49 PM

WEEK TWO, DAY FOUR RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
171.0 (new 25ish-year low...for the 4th day in a row :D)

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 171.0 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
1-mile warmup, 5 miles @ 7:33, 1-mile cooldown. 7:48 overall average pace.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/407004777

RLRF had the five-mile tempo portion at 8:05 for me, which seemed slow, so I took it up a few notches to what felt "comfortably hard" as I've read about how Tempo Runs should feel.

NUTRITION
Budget: 2178
Exercise Calories: 807
Consumed: 2524

<table class="GMHKSTVBOWB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">120.8g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">42.2%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">25g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">286.8mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Sodium</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">2,111.2mg</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">210.6g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">32.7%</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Fiber</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">54.7g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GMHKSTVBBXB"><td class="GMHKSTVBAXB GMHKSTVBPWB">Sugars</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">49g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GMHKSTVBPWB">Protein</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">162.4g</td><td class="GMHKSTVBCXB">25.2%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries, diced apple, walnuts
Lunch: grilled chicken breast, homemade guacamole, black beans
Dinner: smoked turkey (dark meat) and steamed normandy blend veggies
Snacks: Despite having eaten nearly 1700 calories by lunchtime today, I was *really* hungry at 2:30pm, so I had a very big "snack": 11 oz. full-fat Greek yogurt with unsweetened cocoa powder, sliced almonds, and some Ezekiel 4:9 cinnamon raisin: almost 600 calories. That held me over until dinner, where I cut back a bit on the original plan, but still totaled over 2500 for the day. I suspect I'll record another loss tomorrow morning despite that, though.

Water Consumption: 96 oz. + 2 glasses

COMMENTS
I guess it's time to try to figure out the proper balance of caloric intake with my exercise. I had a big breakfast and a big lunch and was pretty ravenous by 2:30pm. Given where I am weight-wise, I'm certainly not against eating some of those exercise calories, but getting a good handle on "how much more" seems pretty crucial.

Subby

11-22-2013, 08:54 AM

Ben E Lou

11-22-2013, 09:07 AM

Looking forward to see how you handle hitting and staying at 165ish. At that point you are probably going to be looking at eating upwards of 2500-3000 calories per day to maintain weight.

Good problem to have. :)
Yeah. I'm curious about that myself. At this point I'm thinking that it'd be nice to go ahead and get there sooner, rather than later, so I can get that figured out well before the marathon. I'm sure there's going to be some trial and error.

Possible problem: Carter has been *begging* to go back to Golden Corral for breakfast, and I relented and promised to take her tomorrow morning. I've got a 15-miler planned beforehand. Must...resist...bacon...candy! I'm thinking I'll eat something at home after the run and before GC so I can keep myself to just an omelette and steak there.

Subby

11-22-2013, 12:35 PM

digamma and alan and anyone else might want to chime in, but I think you always want to eat something within 30 minutes after your long run is done. I have seen varying recommendations, but I know that this is supposedly when your body is most receptive to glycogen rebuilding. Something with 200-400 calories with a good blend of carbs and protein should do the trick (whether it be a power bar or apples with almond butter, whatever).

Ben E Lou

11-22-2013, 12:41 PM

I always eat something shortly after my long run. I'm freakin' starving!

Ben E Lou

11-22-2013, 12:42 PM

(Usually way more than 200-400 calories. It's usually my full breakfast, more like 700-1000 calories.)

Alan T

11-22-2013, 12:49 PM

Yes, that is what my coach has told me, to make sure to eat/hydrate and roll my muscles within thirty minutes of the long runs. You don't "have to", but as Subby says, it is when the body is most receptive to it and you get the most bang for your buck so to speak.

If I remember correctly, the ratio I have been told is for recovery, you want 4:1 ratio of Carbs to Protein, with Carb amount being 0.5 gram of carbs per pound of body weight. So for 170 pounds, you would be looking at something like 85g of carbs and 21g of protein roughly. A common favorite that many like is low-fat chocolate milk, and 24 oz of that would be like 90g of Carbs, 24g of protein and 532 calories.

I personally have been getting into the habit of Peanut butter &Jelly on whole wheat bread after long runs, but I really do not like chocolate myself.

Ben E Lou

11-23-2013, 04:22 AM

WEEK TWO, DAY FIVE RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
171.0

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 171.0 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
None. Rest day. One of the most sedentary days I've had in nearly a year, actually. I never went outside, not even to get the mail. The pajama pants never came off. I even took a 90-minute nap.

NUTRITION
Budget: 2178
Exercise Calories: 0
Consumed: 2175

<table class="GNQKRV4CAXB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">92.4g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">38%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">23.3g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">223.4mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Sodium</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">1,034mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">166.8g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">30.5%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Fiber</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">44.8g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Sugars</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">47.8g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Protein</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">171.9g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">31.4%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: greek yogurt, coconut almond granola, walnuts, triple berry blend
Lunch: flank steak, quinoa, green giant "healthy weight" frozen veggies (carrots, black beans, peas, edamame)
Dinner: pork tenderloin, broccoli
Snacks: none

Water Consumption: 96 oz.

COMMENTS
Not much to say here. It was a prescribed rest day per the training plan. I felt like I could have exercised. If I'd had the time, I might have gone to the gym and done some slow time on the exercise bike, but I had other things I wanted to do, so I just let it go.

Ben E Lou

11-23-2013, 09:27 AM

The 3:25 plan has the Tempo at 7:49 and the Long at 8:34.Actual: Tempo: 7:33, Long: 8:33. It was significantly warmer than normal for the Long Run. I'd say that the temperature combined with doing the Tempo Run too fast made the Long Run cut it closer than it needed to. Still, it's nice to feel like I'm at least partially working the BQ plan now.

Next week's interval run looks fun, but I have no earthly idea how difficult it will be. :)

3/4 mile in 5:02 (220 Recovery)
5/8 mile in 4:10 (220 Recovery)
1/2 mile in 3:16 (220 Recovery)
3/8 mile in 2:26 (220 Recovery)
1/4 mile in 1:36 (220 Recovery)

Based on previous runs, I know that I am capable of the 1/2 and 1/4 intervals, at least in a vacuum. I'm looking forward to doing these five on top of each other, each one a little faster and shorter than the last. Sounds pretty cool.

Ben E Lou

11-23-2013, 06:21 PM

WEEK TWO, DAY SIX RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
170.5

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 170.5 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
Long Run: 15 miles.
RLRF Plan for me = 8:50 pace
RLRF BQ Plan = 8:34 pace
Actual run = 8:33 pace
Garmin Connect - Sign In (http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=458)

NUTRITION
Budget: 2175
Exercise Calories: 1768
Consumed: 2856
Surplus/Deficit: -1087

<table class="GNQKRV4CAXB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">119.3g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">39.1%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">22.4g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">244.9mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Sodium</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">2,727.4mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">259.7g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">37.8%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Fiber</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">62g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Sugars</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">69.6g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Protein</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">159.2g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">23.2%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: greek yogurt, walnuts, triple berry blend, morning delight granola, almonds, ezekiel 4:9 flax, chia seeds (1108 calories...ate right after the run)
Lunch: black beans, guacacmole, smoked chicken breast
Dinner: salad with spinach, kale, turkey breast, apple, Danish blue cheese, 8 oz. red wine
Snacks: 1 banana before the run, 1 gu energy gel during the run

Water Consumption: 128 oz. + whatever I drank during the run

COMMENTS
I just ramped up the caloric intake today mostly by feel. At least I wasn't hungry. :) The wife talked the little one into pushing Golden Corral back to Sunday morning.

Ben E Lou

12-01-2013, 06:34 AM

Week 3 (Thanksgiving Week) Recap

It was a busy week and I didn't get around to posting any detail. Great week for exercise, not so good for nutrition. I gained around 5 pounds. Here's a quick recap of the three key runs.

TUESDAY (intervals): The intervals were scheduled to be progressively shorter and faster, with a 220 for recovery. Goal times and interval lengths were...

3/4 mile: 5:02
5/8 mile: 4:10
1/2 mile: 3:16
3/8 mile: 2:26
1/4 mile: 1:36

Actual times were 5:02, 4:11, 3:15, 2:29, and 1:30, so overall I did them in three seconds faster than the goal time. Nice to hit my interval times. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/409012921

THURSDAY (tempo): 1 mile warmup, 5 miles tempo, 1 mile cooldown. Goal pace was 7:55 for the 5 miles per the original plan, 7:34 to hit the BQ plan. My pace was 7:41. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/409784375

SATURDAY (long): 17 miles. 8:50 pace per my plan, 8:34 for BQ plan. Actual pace was 8:34, but with a low (for me) average heart rate of 148. Very encouraging. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/410381553

I also did both cycling workouts, and got in one full-body and one upper-body-only strength training.

I'm not sweating the weight gain at this point. It was Thanksgiving and I indulged a bit. At this point, I'm thinking I'll get back down to 170ish by Christmas, then probably back up to 175-177 again during that holiday, push back down to 170ish by the end of January, then drop to 165 by the end of February for the race. Or something like that. I'm 176.0 as of this morning.

Ben E Lou

12-03-2013, 12:20 PM

Tough intervals today. Weather was a little warmer, I'm a little heavier, and I'm battling a head cold. The goal was to do 5 1K (5/8 mile) intervals at 4:10 each. I had a pretty good idea that with the circumstances, I wouldn't be able to do it, so I programmed the watch for a 6th interval (run more, run slower!) Interval times were:

1: 4:14
2: 4:13
3: 4:20
4: 4:23
5: 4:35
6: 5:00

I'm trying not to get too down about this, but it's the farthest off I've been on any of the interval workouts so far. Oh, and I skipped the cycling entirely yesterday because of the cold.

Tempo run scheduled for Thursday. Those usually go pretty well. Looking forward to feeling better and hopefully performing better by then. And I'm hoping to get back under 175 by the beginning of next week. I can definitely tell a difference--not in looks, but in running performance.

Subby

12-03-2013, 10:55 PM

Spring marathons are so much tougher than fall races. You have to train all winter and through the two biggest holidays. The fact that you have a structured plan in place means you'll get through it, but you'll occasionally hit a rough patch. Just crank through it (which you are doing obviously). No need to be discouraged about anything.

Ben E Lou

12-09-2013, 06:12 AM

It's pretty remarkable that I can have the self-discipline and focus to go from ~280 to the low 170s in 9 months and then lose self-discipline and focus to get from the low 170s to 165. ;) I've been farting around with not logging calories and just eating to hunger the last couple of weeks. That ain't working. It's time to get back on a strict calorie count. I weighed in at 181.4 a few minutes ago.

To update on the rest of last week, dealing with the head cold, I decided to just do the three key runs--no weight training or cycling. Tuesday's update is above.

Thursday--Tempo Run. 1 mile warmup, 4 miles @7:35, 1 mile cooldown. I did the tempo portion @ 7:25 and felt pretty good: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/412417430

Saturday--Long Run. 20 miles @ 9:05. Actual pace was 8:42. Garmin Connect - Sign In (http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=458)

As I said, I really need to get back to a strict calorie count. I'm going to go with the 1/2-pound per week plan for now, and only eat additional calories for exercise on long run day. That seems to work well for me. I get plenty to eat so that I'm not hungry, but lose weight consistently. And logging. I need to log my eating and exercise here daily like I was. I'd really like to be at 165ish by February 1st so I'm not trying to lose any weight for the last 4 weeks before the race. I do seem to run a little stronger when I'm eating a bit more, but it seems that the ideal would be to run the race with as little excess belly fat as is healthy.

Alan T

12-09-2013, 06:59 AM

I do seem to run a little stronger when I'm eating a bit more, but it seems that the ideal would be to run the race with as little excess belly fat as is healthy.

Most suggestions seem to be to try to work at getting to your ideal weight or even a pound or three below that before the start of the marathon training, and then over the course of the training plan just focus on maintaining and feeding the workouts. Trying to cut weight while increase intensity is a good way to possibly hit the wall very hard. Most of the elite marathoners have said they usually end up gaining a few pounds over the 12-20 week marathon build up cycle by just fueling enough to do quality workouts.

Ben E Lou

12-09-2013, 07:28 AM

Right, but elite marathoners don't have 10-15 pounds of excess belly fat at the start of training, either. ;)

It's not that I care about whether I weigh 170 or 180. I just want to strike a good balance between ideal training and not having to haul a bunch of unneeded baggage for 26.2 miles. And quite frankly, the reality is that to get to 181.4, I've eaten enough to feel completely stuffed to the point of mild discomfort a few times. I don't feel hungry eating 2200 calories per day. I've just been enjoying myself a little too much. I probably had close to 3500 calories yesterday, for example. We'll see how it goes.

Ben E Lou

12-10-2013, 04:53 AM

WEEK FIVE, DAY ONE RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
181.4

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 170.5 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
RLRF cross training called for 10 minutes easy, 30 minutes tempo on exercise bike. I did that workout in the morning and burned 406 calories.

Full-body strength training in the afternoon for 313 calories in 36 minutes. Apache Tomcat/7.0.42 - Error report (http://runkeeper.com/user/benelou/strengthtrainingactivity/400138)

NUTRITION
Budget: 2247
Exercise Calories: 719
Consumed: 2285
Surplus/Deficit: -681

<table class="GNQKRV4CAXB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">122.9g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">47.9%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">25.7g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">343.1mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Sodium</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">2,363.4mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">139.8g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">24.2%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Fiber</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">38.5g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Sugars</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">40.1g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Protein</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">161g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">27.9%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: steel cut oatmeal with protein powder, banana, walnuts, and some leftover link sausage (just wanted to get rid of it and it fit the budget)
Lunch: smoked pork tenderloin, normandy blend veggies
Dinner: smoked turkey breast, broccoli
Snacks: apple with almond butter before the cycling, dry roaster edamame before the lifting

Water Consumption: 128 oz.

COMMENTS
I leave for Christmas two weeks from today. I think a good short-term goal for me is to have 14 straight days like yesterday, where I log everything and eat within 50 calories of budget. And of course over that time I want to average less than 60g sugar and 20g saturated fat, and more than 150g protein and 35g fiber. That should get me back in the low 170s heading into Christmas.

Ben E Lou

12-10-2013, 09:41 AM

Interval run this morning in some pretty tough conditions. It was almost 70 degrees (probably over 70 by the time run was over,) humidity 90-95%, and windy. I didn't hit my mile interval goals but I'm not really worried about it. I pushed myself pretty hard. The HRM saw 182 for the first time in a long time.

Ben E Lou

12-11-2013, 06:28 AM

WEEK FIVE, DAY TWO RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
180.5 (down .9 lbs)

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 170.5 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
Mile intervals on a warm/humid morning. Bad for times. Good for calorie burn. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/414318522

NUTRITION
Budget: 2241
Exercise Calories: 859
Consumed: 2262
Surplus/Deficit: -838

<table class="GNQKRV4CAXB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">82.2g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">32.8%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">11.8g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">588.6mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Sodium</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">1,757.2mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">208g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">36.9%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Fiber</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">47.1g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Sugars</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">59.9g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Protein</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">170.3g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">30.2%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: greek yogurt, morning delight granola, triple berry blend, walnuts
Lunch: skinless chicken (breast and thigh) with normandy blend veggies
Dinner: shrimp/kale/parmesan/red wine vinegar salad
Snacks: sweet potato after the run, 1 oz. of pistachios mid-afternoon

Water Consumption: Around 110 oz.

COMMENTS
Another solid day. Work and family schedule today may preclude any exercise at all.

Ben E Lou

12-11-2013, 08:14 PM

WEEK FIVE, DAY THREE RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
178.9 (down 1.6 lbs)

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 170.5 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
Indoor bike: 5 minute warmup, 3x(5 minutes tempo + 1 minute easy), 10 minute cooldown. 279 calories

I felt a little beat-up, so I decided to put off strength training until tomorrow.

NUTRITION
Budget: 2230
Consumed: 2221
Exercise Calories: 279
Surplus/Deficit: -288

<table class="GNQKRV4CAXB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">103.4g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">42%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">16.2g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">368.6mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Sodium</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">1,633.6mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">162.9g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">29.4%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Fiber</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">35.8g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Sugars</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">39.5g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Protein</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">158.6g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">28.6%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Breakfast: steel-cut oatmeal, apple, walnuts, cinnamon
Lunch: chicken, thigh and breast, no skin, normandy blend veggies
Dinner: pork tenderloin, sunflower seed butter
Snacks: banana and peanut butter before the workout

Water Consumption: 96 oz.

COMMENTS
Still rolling along. Tempo run and strength training tomorrow, Friday off, 18 miles Saturday.

Ben E Lou

12-13-2013, 04:30 AM

WEEK FIVE THURSDAY RECAP

MORNING WEIGH-IN
177.6 (down 1.3 lbs)

Thread Begin Weight: 176.8
Training Plan Begin Weight: 188.1
Race Day Goal Weight: 165-170
2013-14 Low: 170.5 (represents my lowest weight since I was in my early 20s, maybe late teens)

EXERCISE
Tempo Run. 2 mile warmup, 3 miles @7:25, 1 mile cooldown. I did the 3 miles at exactly the goal pace of 7:25. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/415045421

I ended up not having time to do strength training. I'll try to get in upper body only on Friday. (I've got an 18-miler on Saturday, so I'm not going to push for lower body.)

NUTRITION
Budget: 2222
Consumed: 2220
Exercise Calories: 715
Surplus/Deficit: -717

<table class="GNQKRV4CAXB" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">107.4g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">42.7%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Saturated Fat</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">17.4g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Cholesterol</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">218.2mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Sodium</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">961.9mg</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Carbohydrates</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">168.5g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">29.8%</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Fiber</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">44.7g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr class="GNQKRV4CDXB"><td class="GNQKRV4CCXB GNQKRV4CBXB">Sugars</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">56.4g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">
</td></tr><tr><td class="GNQKRV4CBXB">Protein</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">155.6g</td><td class="GNQKRV4CEXB">27.5%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Breakfast: coconut almond granola, 1 cup almond milk, sunflower seed butter
Lunch: wild-caught salmon, antioxident blend veggies, almond butter
Dinner: smoked turkey breast, broccoli
Snacks: a grapefruit before the run, greek yogurt, almonds, triple berry blend, and walnuts after the run
Water Consumption: around 100 oz.

COMMENTS
I need to keep reminding myself that if I can just stay focused on the nutrition side, I might be able to crush this thing.

Alan T

12-13-2013, 01:25 PM

COMMENTS
I need to keep reminding myself that if I can just stay focused on the nutrition side, I might be able to crush this thing.

I think the more important issue here is.. someone needs to make sure you don't stay up playing FOF7 too late at nights and compromise your sleep for your training! :)

digamma

12-13-2013, 04:16 PM

That's a really fantastic run, Ben.

Ben E Lou

12-22-2013, 06:57 AM

Really struggling for the last 10 days due to a nasty head cold. This morning was my first semi-encouraging run in that time. It was only four miles and not all *that* fast, but given the conditions (very warm and muggy,) and that I did 9.5 miles overall yesterday (5 run, 4.5 walk/run,) I'm pretty pleased with the results. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/418313394

Hoping to get fully back on track starting Monday morn.

Alan T

12-22-2013, 08:32 AM

Good to see you back out there! Hope you recover from your cold soon.

Ben E Lou

01-01-2014, 10:32 AM

Nearly impossible for me to fathom, but today is the first day that I felt 100% since getting the bug around December 12th. It was also my best run in about three weeks. I did manage to run at least three times each week other than the one in which I first got sick. However, very few strength training workouts happened during that time and the runs were shorter and slower. The lower calorie burn combined with traveling/holiday eating probably added 15 pounds. I'll know in a couple of days when we get home. I'm guessing low 190s. It is what it is. The good news is that today I did four miles in a little under 32 minutes without having to go all-out, so I haven't lost a ton of speed.