8 with Kenyan Way + Swimming

Just a GREAT run this morning. The conditions were absolutely PERFECT! I haven't run anything longer than 3 or 4 miles since the marathon so this morning, my first morning with Kenyan Way I was anxious to see if I still had a little somethin' somethin' in the old legs. And sure 'nuf I did.

The pace coach set for me for my long runs is a lot faster than I was running before the marathon. I did a lot of long runs at 14:15-14:30 last Novemeber and December leading up to the marathon. Coach has me targeting 13:00-13:15 for my long runs. That was based on my last short(er) race which was the Turkey Trot 10K back at the end of November. I have been running these little 2 and 3 milers under 13 so I was feeling pretty confident and excited about nailing a long run.

Coach is big on the negative split thing and I completely agree with his philosophy (like that really matters). So, this is a goal on EVERY run. Run the last mile faster than the first and run the last half faster than the first half. So, that sounds kind of kooky until you understand that it's as much about slowing down and warming up early in the run as it is about picking it up and finishing strong toward the end. As coach put it, we should start out easy and as we warm up, we just naturally get faster with the same effort. I really experienced this today as the splits show.

Mile 1 - 13:29
Mile 2 - 13:25
Mile 3 - 13:12
Mile 4 - 13:08
Mile 5 - 13:03
Mile 6 - 12:55
Mile 7 - 12:48
last .57- 12:32 pace
Total miles - 7.57
Avg pace - 13:06

Crazy thing was, I really didn't feel like I was picking it up and pushing it until there at the end and even that felt conversational. Man, each mile just got a little faster and a little faster and I just felt GREAT at the end.

After a fun breakfast with some KW peeps, I headed out for the 2nd highlight of the morning, swim training with TOTR. I got to try out some new goggles and earplugs I got last night. The googles are VERY comfortable and make a lot of difference in the water. Coaches had a great workout planned for us.

Warmup
25 yd free
25 yd superman drill
25 yd free
25 yd fist drill
20 sec rest and repeat

Core - Pyramind w/ 20 sec rest between each
25 yd
50 yd
75 yd
100 yd
150 yd
100 yd
75 yd
50 yd
25 yd

Warmdown
100 yd free

I did an extra 50 working on a couple things with coach Alex.

The next highlight was visiting with Mom who just out of the blue offered to send me over for a pedicure. I think it was her way of showing that she was proud of me exercising and losing weight and eating right. She said, "Oh, yes. That will be so good for your feet with all the running you do." I couldn't have turned her down even if I wanted.

The rest of the day was fun. Jan was real content to just sit around the house and relax today which freed me up to run around. I went to Laser Tag with the church's Junior High youth. Then we went to Cole's Crossing and played some football, 7th grad vs. 8th grade. I'm happy to report 7th grade DOMINATED. Then I went over to the cycle shop to get my tires checked out (they were in GREAT shape) and to pick up a Bento Box. Ran into Felix who I didn't even know worked there. We chatted up on biking and triathlon. We talked about the marathon and Felix's PRECISION pacing as the 6:00 pace group leader. What a PERFECT job his group did hitting within 2 minutes of 6:00 without going over. Stopped by HEB for some hummus, pico, and pita bread to snack on for the game tomorrow. And now I'm home. Busy day and I must say, my body's aching a bit. But it's a good aching. I really feel like I'm getting stronger.

Hope everyone had a fine a day as I did.

Peace out!!!

Reflections on a Marathon

It seems like an eternity ago but it's only been a short 18 days since my DNF at the Chevron Houston Marathon. It took me about 5 minutes to get over the disappointment of not finishing a race I had trained for for so long and start looking at all the positives of the race, the week leading up to the race, the training, and how I was poised for what's next. I'll never dwell on any situation like what happened to me that day and I'll NEVER look at it as a failure or wonder "what if" or "if I had only...". It was what it was and that is an opportunity to learn and improve and evaluate and look forward.

I've had 2+ weeks to reflect on everything about that race and what happened and what positive things I can take away and I must say the more I think about it, the more excited I am for what lies ahead. Some wonderful things came out of that race for me personally. You see, with one exception (2008 Houston Half Marathon), up to this race, my mind has been the limiting factor in ANY long race I've ever run. Thinking back to my 2007 marathon and all the training and races since, I think my whole outlook has been one of fear. I've tried to exude and positive attitude on the outside to my friends and fellow runners but there have always been these thoughts in the back of my mind. Thoughts like "I'm so slow", "What if I don't finish before the cutoff?", "I don't think I can run that fast", "Maybe I shouldn't run this race", "That's too ambitious a goal", "Everyone's going to be waiting on me and ready", "Waiting on Vic", "Waiting and waiting and waiting". Physically, I've gone out and done long races, 10 milers, 25K, 30K, half marathon, marathon, but my performance has always been lacking. I can't remember a long race I've ever completed where I felt like I ran to my potential, to the level I had trained for and prepared for physically.

Jan 17 was the first race I've run in my life where my mind was not the limiting factor. Let me explain. Coming off my longest long run (21 miles) and into my taper, I started having those thoughts again. I also came out of that run with a nagging pain in the back of my heel that never would quite go away. I tried all the regular stuff to shake it, ice, rest, compression, etc. It would feel fine, then the weekend before the marathon, I attempted my last "long" run of 10 miles. I basically ran 6 and couldn't go any farther. I limped back to the car, DONE!!! Done but not defeated. I figured if I could get in to see Dr. H, get a massage, rest completely, I could still pull it off.

My nutritionist (and coach and cheerleader and FRIEND), Catherine, got wind of the issues I was having and told me to go see Joel. Joel does Muscle activation technique and is a miracle worker. I also got in to Dr. H on Wednesday. It was starting to feel a little better. Then Catherine suggested I see Dr. Sones who is part of her Peak Performance team. Dr. Sones turned me on to the idea that our thoughts and attitudes, the mind, affects our body and that basically our subconscious mind is directly related to how we feel physically. If we can turn off the negative thoughts and feelings like fear and turn on positive thinking, it can affect our physical being. Now this all was very other-world to me but I figured what do I have to lose. Then on Friday, I saw Joel one more time and we talked about what Dr. Sones's ideas. See, Joel is a "believer" too. Joel talked about positive thinking. We visualized the perfect finish to the race. Even visualized what the clock would say, 6:00:00. We picked some words that were positive words and Joel wrote me a prescription. 30 seconds/3 times per day/and once before the race, visualize that euphoric moment as you cross the finish line after a perfect race and think about those words. The words I chose were Love, Goal, Challenge, Fun, and Finish.

Anyway, this is getting kind of weird I know. But you know what? I've NEVER, EVER in my life felt more prepared for a race mentally as I was that morning. I knew without any possible doubt that I was going to run 6:00:00. I REALLY believed it. I mean like I've never believed anything before that I've tried to accomplish. I went out at that pace and held it. When going got tough, I just said, "This is FUN. This is a great Challenge. I Love my family. I have a Goal. I'm going to Finish." Never one time did I fear or worry about all the things I used to fear. I just believed it was going to happen.

The rest of the story is that at mile 18, the cramps started. I mean like BAD cramps. Debilitating cramps. At least they were like none I'd ever experienced before. I pulled over to stretch out but it just got worse. I could barely walk straight my calves and thighs were cramping so bad. That's when I called it quits and called Jan to come get me. Live to fight another day.

So, what happened. I know some think that it was hydration or it was salt or this or that. I'll tell you I practice that stuff. I practice my hydration. I practice with salt tablets on my long runs. My own theory and you're not going to convince me otherwise is that for the first time in my running career, my mind was not the limiting factor. I think I was so psyched out in my mind and believed it so much that I just set out to do something my body wasn't ready to do. I think I went out too hard and too fast and basically that's why the cramps started. My body just said, "Woah!!! That is quite enough." And it may have just been the day too. Anything can happen in a marathon. But I really think I pushed myself beyond what my training had prepared me for. I probably had a 6:15 or 6:20 in me but not 6:00.

Catherine told Dr. Sones about my marathon and what happened and what we talked about and he said this to her. "The key to Peak Performance is to take your belief beyond your potential. That is what Vic did." It still gives me chills to think about that. Catherine encouraged me that I just need to do that and see where it takes me. And that's what I'm taking away from this race. "Continue believing beyond your potential and think where it will take you." COOL!!!

100

Well, this morning when I weighed in, I broke through the 270's and logged a 269.5. I wonder why it is that the last pound that breaks through each 10 pound barrier is so much sweeter that the other 9 pounds before it. I guess for me, with every 10 pounds lost, I always say to myself, "I'm never going back to the 270's," or "I'm never going back to the 280's." I can remember pretty vividly not too long ago saying, "I'm never going back to the 300's." I KNOW that's the truth.

This journey so far has been a lot like a roller coaster. If you count when I first set out on this journey back in 2006, then I've lost 100 pounds. Yes, I started back in 2006 at 370 pounds. Truth be known, I probably was heavier than that at times but 370 is my highest recorded water mark. The roller coaster part was going from 370 to 295 then back up to 355 back in 2008. Since turning it BACK around back in November of 2008, I've lost 85 pounds in what...14 months? Yep, that's right. And I'm NOT going back.

So, I'm going to go ahead and say I hit the 100 pound mark even though I got there the long way. But my real, recent loss is 85 pounds. Looking for the 255 mark where I can claim 100 for real. Should be there by my birthday. That'll be a great present.

Splits throug 18 miles

I was really happy with my running up until the cramps came. I was mentally prepared for this race but I don't think I was physically prepared for the 6 hour challenge. Cool thing was I had decided in my head that I was GOING TO DO 6 HOURS!!! And I believed it. For the first time in any long race, my mind was not the limiting factor. It was my body and that is a major victory. Thanks to some really great friends and coaches, I know now how to mentally prepare for a long race. Now, let me just work this spring on getting this body to a point where it can respond to what my mind wants it to do.

These were my splits through 18+ miles when I had to stop due to major leg/calf/thigh cramps. My goal was around 6 hours (13:45 min/mile) and I ran right at, maybe a little above that pace for most of the morning.

Mile 1 - 13:55

Mile 2 - 13:50

Mile 3 - 13:45

Mile 4 - 13:49

Mile 5 - 13:43

Mile 6 - 13:34

Mile 7 - 13:39

Mile 8 - 13:38

Mile 9 - 14:12

Mile 10 - 13:56

Mile 11 - 13:59

Mile 12 - 13:35

Mile 13 - 13:48

Mile 14 - 14:18

Mile 15 - 14:18

Mile 16 - 14:45

Mile 17 - 15:00

Mile 18+ - 35:15 DONE!!!

The Voice of Truth

God and I came to an agreement this morning that WE're going to do this marathon. I was at Starbucks for breakfast this morning and I had my computer. Liz was on FB so I IM'd her. We got to talking and I asked her to play Voice of Truth for me. I went out to my car and she just talked on the radio about NO FEAR and that God was going to be with us (and KSBJ too). Then she played my song. It was such a wonderful time of worship for me and Liz really blessed me with her comments and prayer. The song is about "getting out of the boat, onto the crashing waves." And about the faith to "face a giant with just a sling and a stone". And the waves "laugh at you" and say "you'll never win." The giant "reminding me of all the times I've failed." But the VOICE OF TRUTH tells a "different story." He says, "Do not be afraid. This is for MY glory." Tomorrow I CHOOSE to listen to the Voice of Truth.

Healthy attitudes about food

Although I got through Thanksgiving without ANY damage on the scale, (that's right, holding steady just 3 pounds away from the 270's) reading through some of the content in my next level of Calorie King, really has me thinking about my incorrect attitudes towards food. Yesterday was a good example. To be honest, going into yesterday's Thanksgiving celebration, I was DREADING sitting down to all that food. I played the whole thing out in my mind in the days leading up to it as a "battle". Thanksgiving dinner is the enemy and I was either going to be able to avoid it or I was going to leave and go to Subway. :)

According to Calorie King, these are unhealthy attitudes towards food and actually make weight loss and weight control more difficult. CK suggests several general guidelines for a healthy attitude towards food. One is to "respect my food". Food is there to nourish my body and provide fuel for all the things I want to do in life, like being a good father, and doing a good job at work, and running.

Second, I shouldn't "resent" food or see it as a problem that needs to be overcome. I can enjoy my food and enjoy mealtime. I always thought of my best memories growing up being around food and mealtime and considered this to be problematic and one of the main reason I overeat. Church picnics, family get-togethers, even dinnertime with my mom and dad, big meals on Sunday afternoon followed by a nap...these are NOT bad things. I can still enjoy these times and stay in control of my food. And it won't send me into a tailspin to indulge in a reasonable portion of a special treat now and then. For example, yesterday, I enjoyed a piece of what's known in my family simply of "Nana's chocolate dessert thing." Having a piece of that and in a little way remembering Nana and Thanksgiving's growing up and how I felt loved and how I belonged to a family. How in the world could any of that possibly be a bad thing?

CK also states the obvious. They say to be the "boss" of my food. For so long, food has had control over me instead of the other way around. And finally, be creative. Jan and I did some of this yesterday. We improved on tradition and did something different for our Thanksgiving feast. We had a BIG, beautiful fruit tray to snack on while we were finishing up the final tasks for the main meal. Jan also put some mixed nuts and dried cranberries out which is a great way to get a head start on feeling satiated before the main meal. Instead of indulging in my HIGH fat garlic mashed potatoes, I roasted a simple pan of sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a sprinkle of olive oil. It was scrumptious. So, be creative.

So, while I'm working on healthy food, I'm also going to be thinking about having healthy attitudes towards food.

War

I finished my first marathon on Jan 14, 2007 in 6:48:30. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I thought I killed a lot of giants that day. Unfortunately, some of them were just playing possum, living to fight another day. I spent much of the end of 2007 and 2008 giving back all the ground I had gained. It was just a little over a year ago that I realized (again) that I am actually in a WAR. It's a spiritual war, an emotional war, psychological, and physical war. I'll tell you one thing, I'm ready for the war to be over.

I do believe I am at war. I do believe my adversary is as real as they come, more real than any flesh and blood or temporal opponent that we face here. And I believe he wants to destroy me and he'll use everything in his arsenal to accomplish that and to prevent me from becoming the man that God created me to be. One of the strategies the adversary uses is to create strongholds in our mind, incorrect thinking patterns that take hold of us and affect our feelings and emotions as well as how we respond to life. For me, with my health and my personal well-being it's been thinking like, "Overeating is not that bad. After all, you're a good father and husband. You work really hard and give of yourself to your family and your church. You can worry about your health later. It's just that your family enjoys eating and it's really just good family time to go out and eat and enjoy yourself and all the smells and tastes of good food. Your career is worth it. The stress is worth it. You just get this project done and you're going to be respected at work. The stress is worth it. Honoring God means DOING MORE!!! Take on more projects. Volunteer more at church. More, more, more!!! And your education is important, more important than your health. You have to go back to school to be in the vocation God has called you to. Work, study, sleep. When it's all finished, you'll be able to take care of you. Taking time out now to just 'take care of you' would be selfish. God has big plans for you. Hey, you have good blood pressure and good cholesterol numbers. You can't be in that bad a health. Losing weight is HARD. You can't do it alone. Your family won't eat the same things you do. They're happy being heavy. You're just putting them on a guilt trip." See how evident it is once you put it into words that this thinking is so flawed and frankly RIDICULOUS yet the adversary, some 15 years ago, saw this as a chink in my armor. It was a way he could get to me. It was an area of my life, even as a Christian, that I had not and in some respects even now surrendered completely to God.

Surrender. Now that's a word you don't hear too often when speaking of war or battle. Surrender. Give in. Cease all efforts. Seriously? You mean QUIT? Yes, the one thing about the Christian life that I find so hard and yet is the key to victory, is that the war is already won. I can try and strain and push and try and contend and contest and try and exert and labor and try and to the world, it looks like I'm a warrior. I'm a hero. I'm an inspiration. And that makes me feel good...until I realize that I'm not winning. I can't win. I have to surrender...surrender to Christ. It's not until I can completely surrender and just give it over to Him that I can have victory. You see, on the cross, Christ, who knew no sin, became sin for me. And when he rose from the dead, in an instant, he conquered gluttony, and slothfulness, and shame, and every destructive weapon the adversary uses. He conquered DEATH itself. The war is over. Any efforts on my part are in vain, useless. All I have to do is surrender all my ground, all my territory, all my life to HIM. You see, part of me wants to hold on to my own ground. This is my territory. But that's a lie. Holding on to self is nothing more than ceding to the adversary. True victory only comes through Christ. I think I'm finally realizing that, after all this time.

So, victory over obesity, over gluttony isn't just around the corner for me. It isn't something I have to strive for any more. The battle's been won. I just have to surrender and let Him finish this work in me. Man, that was easy. :)