Check in

So the race has come and gone and I swear I will write a race report of some kind.  Anyway, I spent the last couple of weeks prior to the race not trying to be at a calorie deficit so that my body could recharge and heal.  Since the race I have been focusing again on eating right and flushing all the toxic junk from my system that is a by product of running 100 miles.  Part of that is the 6,000+ calories I ate during the race which was nearly all carbs.  The other part is what remains in your muscles after that much physical activity.

On Monday when I woke up I weighed 186.6, Wednesday, 176.6, Thursday 175.6, and today was 173.6. The first 10 was no surprise, just water retention and swelling going down.  The last three were a bit of a surprise since I haven't done much this week and it would represent a true loss compare to my pre-race weight.  I am not exactly sure what my pre-race weight was though due to loading up on carbs and cutting back the exercise.

All I know is after going all out for 100 miles I feel amazing compared to my other races.  I have learned a lot over the last couple of years and it is gratifying to finally be putting it all together.

Weekly update

Another week down and holding steady (which is perfect).  After last week I decided that my goal would be to NOT have a calorie deficit from then until the race so that my body would get everything it needed to recover and get stronger.  I have figured out the maintenance diet pretty good over the last few years!

Another interesting thing happened this morning.  I did YOGA.  Ryan the running nerd does some yoga, who would have thought!  I had fun with Christie at the Y, so I bought a Rodney Yee DVD called Yoga Conditioning for Athletes.  There is a strength section, stretching section, and sport specific workouts for running, tennis, golf, cycling, and swimming.  Today I picked the stretching option with a side of runner specific training.  I finished feeling awesome and foam rolled to top it off!

Then I decided to bust out the Wasatch Front 100 finisher belt buckle for some casual Friday good luck and  realized my belt needed another hole punched in it.  That was a nice surprise since I haven't had to do that in about 3 years!!

Make it a great day everyone!

Antelope Island final prep

The Antelope Island Buffalo Run 100 miler will be starting 10 days from now on March 22nd and I am getting pretty excited. (click here for a larger version of the map at right).  I have learned a lot in the months that followed my less than stellar performance at Wasatch last year.  I finished that day but I did many things wrong along the way that left me in survival mode at the end.

I had a good performance at the Foothills Frenzy 50k in October and a great run at the Wilson Creek Frozen 50k in January.  I used some of my lessons learned at Wasatch to make sure I did the right things to finish strong and feel decent at the end.

I like to take my own advice to set a goal, tell everyone who will listen, and stick to the plan.  Here it is, my goal at Antelope Island is between 21 and 22 hours.  The plan is simple a) don't be stupid b) repeat step a. as many times as necessary.  Training is all but over so it is what it is at this point. 

Last year at Salt Flats I was at the half way point in just over 9 hours and 30 minutes so a 22 hour finish doesn't seem that unreasonable.  That was too fast for my fitness level and the conditions that day however.  This time I hope to do a better job listening to my body and recognizing that the smart thing to do in the first half is to bank energy, not time, when I still feel good.  Since last year, I have been more focused on building my endurance and containing my enthusiasm during the first half of races.  Over the winter, I have also had a good mix of hills and flats that has prepared me for this type of race.

I have also remained focused on strength training while attending classes at A2O Fitness with Jenny Mac.  Jenny always seems to get the best out of me and I love going to class each week.  I honestly think the conditioning circuit class was the main reason for my improved performance at Wilson Creek this year.  Everybody gets tired but being physically prepared has taken me further in races while still feeling decent.

My recent 15 pound weight loss will hopefully come in handy on race day too.  I am not pushing around too much excess these days but 15 pounds is a lot when you put it in tangible terms.  It is roughly equivalent to putting (6) two liter bottles in a backpack and running with it for an entire day.  Whew, that sounds exhausting.  I am sure it will be beneficial but not sure how to quantify it!  I am often amazed that I was able to carry an 'extra' (62) two liter bottles around with me before I lost my weight.

The final thing is not to go nutz between now and the race while tapering and recovering from months and weeks of hard work.  Happy Trails!

Progress Update

They always have coffee specials here at work and today is 2 dollar Thursday.  I told them to give me an Americano with as many shots as allowed by LAW (that is just espresso shots with hot water added to top off the cup).  She hands it to me and says here is your SIX SHOT Americano!!  If you don’t hear from me you’ll know I had a heart attack and died :D BAM

Anyway, I was down 0.8 from last week but still up a bit from my low a couple of weeks ago.  Headed in the right direction for now.  I honestly think the low number was skewed because of the exercise I did the day prior which left me dehydrated.  SO, from now to race day I will try to stick to my maintenance calories to recharge my body so I will feel 100% going in.  Calorie restriction leave me (and probably most people) feel fatigued and blah most days because my body is saying I'M DYIN' HERE!

This is what my wife does while I am not at home. So not FAIR!!

My friend Amy tweeted out the first line of this that was posted by the guy from Duck Dynasty recently.  I went looking for the original author and found this entry on Ralph Marston's website.

Step forward

A thousand disappointments in the past cannot equal the power of one positive action right now. Go ahead and go for it.

If you’ve previously told yourself that it can’t be done, this is the moment to change your assumption. When you can dream it, imagine it and visualize it, you can do it.

Instead of making excuses, make some progress. Instead of looking back with regret, step forward with enthusiasm.

Choose to define yourself based on the person you know you can become. Choose to see your life in terms of the best of what is possible.

If you focus too much on the past, you’ll be held back by limitations that may no longer even exist. Instead, look forward with positive expectation, and you’ll find yourself quickly moving in a forward direction.

A new, fulfilling reality is calling to you. Step forward right now, and begin to make it happen.

— Ralph Marston

Read more: http://greatday.com/motivate/080828.html#ixzz2Mm91PQWt

Destiny and Determination

I went to Humphreys Diabetes Center at lunch to see how my weight has changed since I volunteered at the Weight Loss Challenge and found this saying on the doors to their conference room. I definitely feel like I am in the determined group. Down 13 pounds since the start. Should have signed up for the challenge I guess!