Skinny People

I've always been the "warm" one.  I've skied in shorts.  I never owned a "parka" (just a shell).  I rarely got cold and HATED the summer humidity since I could never seem to cool off.  In fact, I remember during an army training exercise in Texas the training officer asking me if I was OK since I was pouring sweat and we weren't really doing anything...

Yup.  I've always been the warm one.  So why the frick am I always cold now???  My only theory (besides the fact that I'm getting older) is weight loss.  I guess I've been carrying those extra pounds for years.  Although I'm sure it wasn't healthy... I was like a seal in the winter.  Not mental enough for those polar swims, but I'm pretty sure I did my fair share of drunken naked snow angels in college (and maybe afterwards...)

Well, I'm down over 30 lbs and going which makes me feel GREAT.  But damned if I'm not always cold.  I've been turning on the heat in my office, wearing thicker coats... Nobody warns you the side effects of getting in shape!!!

Yet, its worth it.  Need to see if I can find a USAT Snuggie now...

Ski fast.  Take chances.

423,000 lbs.

423,000 lbs.  That is the amount of weight you must lift in a 4 hour marathon for every 10 lbs of additional body weight you carry.  How did I get there?

Simple:

My hopeful marathon time:  4 hours (240 minutes)

Hopeful cadence:  90 (180 steps per minute)

240 minutes x 180 steps x 10 lbs = 432,000

So the human body actually lifts almost a half-million pounds of weight per 10 lbs of body mass over a 4 hour marathon at a typical race pace.  That is a freaking LOT of weight!  Now it makes PERFECT sense why fast people are so skinny!  That is also an awful lot of stress on your bones and knees.

So the way I look at it, I have a couple of options:

a. Run faster (which will reduce my total minutes on the road and fewer pounds)
b. Lose more weight (which will probably result in the above)

Option B seems to make the most sense, since the more weight I lose, the less stress on my body and the faster I will be able to run, which exponentially decreases stress on my body since I'm on the road for less time... Ow.  I think I hurt my brain.  Kind of like thinking about the butterfly effect with time travel.

In any case, I'm down from 218 to 186.  Considering I'm currently a slow runner (10+ minute miles for distance) that puts me down over 1.5 MILLION LBS I won't be carrying through the marathon part of Lake Placid.

Pretty amazing when you consider the numbers.  So the way I look at it, I only have another half million pounds to go!

Run fast.  Take chances.

Happy 2011!

Well, here I am finishing week 7 of my training plan.  I've definitely had a few setbacks trying to keep on schedule throughout end of year and the holiday period.  I probably missed 5 workouts or so during this time, so hopefully that won't affect training too much.  I did have to use my "off day" on multiple occasions to reschedule my workouts, but luckily there is some built-in flexibility.

I feel like I've made some significant progress in the past 7 weeks.  While I struggled to complete a 5K at the beginning of the plan, now that is the warmup for most of the run workouts.  The swim workouts are also starting with 500-1000m "warmups" before the main set and the bike has some longer interval training and drills.  I can't wait for warmer weather to work out more outside as I can't help but feel trapped with running on the dread-mill, biking in my basement, and the dreaded lap swim.  I know that I desperately need some open water training!

To start off the year,  I'm off to head into my basement for a 90 minute ride.  the good news is that Universal Sports is playing recaps of Ironman World Championships dating back to 2001, so that should give well-needed motivation!

On the list for 2011?  Well, I made the mistake of looking ahead into my training plan.  Word of advise - DON'T DO IT!  I have at least a couple of half-iron distance "trainings" in the spring and whereas they are months away, I'm certainly not at that level yet!  My biggest change for 2011?  I really need to start following my nutrition plan which I have NOT been following this fall.  Yes, I can blame it on the holidays, but there really is no reason I shouldn't be more dedicated to it.  I need to drop another 10-15 pounds before July and feel that is entirely within my grasp.  Just keep those freaking' holiday treats away from me!

So here's to health, happiness, and success to all in 2011!  May it be a great year!

Run fast.  Take chances!