December 30th: Time to Melt Those Holiday Pounds

It's been a while since I've had a chance to blog. But honestly, it's been a while since I've had a reason to blog. Oh, the holidays...

As I talked about a couple of weeks ago, things really get derailed around the holidays. Honestly, my goal was simply not to lose all my fitness, because come January 2nd, it's go time. I'll have about four months to start the serious training for the marathon on April 27th. I knew going into the end of December that I wouldn't have a ton of opportunities to work out, but even my modest goals got derailed a bit. 

On Christmas Eve, I wanted to get the dog some exercise and log a little bit for myself, so I decided on a quick tempo run. I was planning on 5k. But you know what? I'm still terrible at judging my pace, and I also overestimated what I could get done. I ran only about 2 miles before I was just done. Adjusting for the dog's inevitable pit stop, I was probably on a 7:45 pace -- the second mile was actually under 7:30. I'd love to get to a point where I can sustain that for a 5k, but it's just not happening yet.

Christmas Day and Thursday were busts, for the reasons you'd expect. But Friday was looking good for a quick trip to Work Out World -- until I woke up with a stomach bug. So there went that. 

Saturday was the Pinstripe Bowl. Rutgers gave it a great effort, but in the end, Notre Dame was just the better team. And then there were the anticipated post-game shenanigans in Midtown (and a nightcap back home in Keyport). I had a great day despite the loss, but I was just beat tired on Sunday.

That brings us to today, Monday. I was well-rested and well-hydrated, and not in a super rush, so I was able to get a lot done at the gym, and it felt pretty good. Started out with some core work (yay!), then did an arms rotation. I went a little conservative on the weight -- I really wasn't sure what I'd be able to push given the inconsistency of my workouts over the past few weeks. Next go-round, I think I'll be able to step it up a bit. Then onto the belt for a pace 6 miles. I did it at 0.5 percent incline, and varied the speed between 6.6 and 6.8 mph, with a little burst at the end to hit 6 at exactly a 9:00 pace. I probably could have done a bit more, but I think that's a good starting point given how little I've run in the past two weeks. 

I got a really cool surprise gift for Christmas. My stepdad made me a portrait from the half-marathon back in October. It makes me proud, but it's also a reminder of what I've already been capable of doing. I know that I can get myself to 13.1, and now the challenge is to get myself all the way there. But seeing that portrait, which I plan to display prominently, gives me some confidence that I'll make it.

So as I mentioned above, it's basically go time. I need to fine-tune my training plan and start arranging my life so that I can get it done. I have to determine how much strength training I can realistically cram into my schedule as I start ramping up into 30, 40 and even 50 miles in a week. I need to get a new pair of shoes and start rotating them in. And tomorrow night, New Year's Eve, will probably be beer's last hurrah over Gatorade for a while.

I'm starting to get both excited and nervous about what's ahead. It's going to be a wild ride, I imagine, but one that I'll be glad to have taken. Any advice or just plain encouragement is welcome!

Tomorrow will likely be a similar workout to today's. I'll point to Saturday for a long run.

Total miles since starting the blog: 185.9

December 23rd: Weather

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. Friday and Sunday were off days. Saturday's and today's runs were greatly affected by the weather.

First, Saturday. A couple of factors kept me from getting out there early in the day: I was very tired from a long, festive week (and very festive Friday), and my gym clothes were all wet from the laundry. But around noon, the temperature was in the mid-60s, and I just felt like a complete idiot not taking advantage of the nicest weather I'm likely to see for quite some time. The neighborhood was really alive, in the way it comes alive on that first warm spring day. Lots of people waving to me and saying hello -- a great spirit lifter. I didn't have a ton of time, but I did want to log some miles. Nothing specific in mind, just a good pace. 4.74 miles in 42.16 -- an 8:54 pace.

I know I post a lot of pics out over the water, but very few of them are in broad daylight. Here's the view across Keyport Harbor. It was a bit hazy, so I couldn't really see NYC.

Today was still warm, but rainy, so I hit the treadmill. I knew very early on that this was one of those "get it over with" workouts. Work Out World doesn't really adjust the HVAC enough on out-of-the-ordinary weather days, and it was just humid in there. I really don't do well in high humidity. I was pretty winded early on in the run, and by the end, my shirt was just soaked through. I'm a little worried about this, because you never know what April 27th could bring. I'm hoping for 60 degrees and clear, but what if it's one of those early summer days? I'll have to slow my pace considerably. I'm definitely interested in feedback on how you handle the humidity.

Nonetheless, I did 3.25 miles in 28:25, on the one percent incline. That's an 8:44 pace. But honestly, part of that was that I cranked it up just so I could get it done.

It'd be great to sneak one more run in tomorrow, since my next good bet is Friday, and then next Monday. I'd love to find time for a long, but I don't know if it's going to happen. In a perfect world, the odometer will hit 200 before 2014.

Total miles since starting the blog: 177.9.

December 19th: Core and Interval Training

Well, I haven't packed it in for the holidays yet.

I wanted to change things up a bit today, and I wanted to get some core exercises in. I did a rotation of dumbbell crunches on the bosu ball, planks and kettlebell squats. That third plank was really tough. But as I've said many times, I think having a strong core will really help me as a runner.

From there, I got on the treadmill. I didn't want to keep repeating the same run, but I didn't have time for a long, either. So I decided to kick my own ass with some interval training. I settled on 5k (3.11 miles), with 1:30 intervals. The fast intervals were between 7.5 and 7.9 mph -- that's between a 7:25 and 8:00 pace. The slow intervals were at 5.8 -- a 10:20 pace. During the fast intervals, I also went at a 1.5 percent incline. I was at 2.85 miles when it was time to crank the treadmill back up, so I just did the remaining quarter mile at the fast pace with the incline. Finished the 5k in 27:40.

Somehow, I've managed to time things perfectly so that the nights/mornings that beer wins will be the warmest in December. Isn't that just the way? I'm going to have to try to hold back a bit one of the next few nights, because it would be completely awesome to get a long outdoor run in before Christmas. The other possible solution: lots and lots of Gatorade and some ibuprofen before bed. We'll see how it goes -- I'll keep ya posted.

Total miles since starting the blog: 169.9.

December 18th: The Holiday Derailment Is Starting

Sorry I missed everyone last week. Prior to this morning's treadmill run, my most recent workout was on Friday, but I've just been too busy to write about it -- or to get back to the gym!

On Friday, I did core exercises and then an arms rotation, then 3.5 miles on the treadmill at a 1 percent incline, in 31:00. Nothing really exciting to report there. Today, I skipped the strength training because I wanted to log some more miles, and I got there a bit later than I'd wanted. 5 miles in 44:15, again at a 1 percent incline. That's an 8:50 pace, well below my target race pace, and even better is doing it at an incline.

But really, that's not what I want to talk about today. The holiday season has begun. And it's really, really hard right now to stay in the groove. The weather is cold, so opportunities for outdoor runs are few and far between. Everyone's bringing goodies into the office (myself included), and you can resist only so much temptation. And then there are the holiday parties. Let's face it: Beer is going to beat Gatorade more than once over the next few weeks. It already did on Monday night/Tuesday morning.

On top of everything else, it's just a busy time of year. Friday and Saturday were hardcore shopping days. We had a refrigerator scheduled for delivery Saturday morning, but the delivery guy said our doorway wasn't wide enough and we had to remove a door. So the delivery got delayed until Sunday morning. We had to get up at 6:00 a.m. to make sure the driveway and pathway to the back door were shoveled and salted, because we were told that the delivery would be once again rescheduled if the delivery guy thought the conditions were unsafe.

That ordeal is over now, and the new fridge is great, but it kept me from working out at all over the weekend, and I was absolutely exhausted come Sunday night. Monday morning, no way I was getting to the gym -- just too tired. Then Monday night, as I mentioned, beer beat Gatorade, so there went Tuesday's workout.

Now I'm looking ahead: drinks out Thursday night, Friday night and likely Monday night -- there's three mornings I probably won't want to work out. Sunday morning, my brother-in-law and I have to go pick up a family-heirloom desk at his cousin's house before the cousin moves. We have a Christmas Eve party, and then we're hosting Christmas Day dinner -- chances are, 12/24-26 are non-workout days. Rutgers bowl game in NYC on 12/28, which probably kills 12/29, too.

So my quandary: Do I just pack it in for the year and then begin the training in earnest come January 2nd, or do I try to squeeze some workouts in, even if they're substandard and rushed? Would I be smarter just to start the hardcore marathon training on fresh legs? How do runners get through December without letting it all go to pot?

My instinct is that a little bit is better than nothing, and weeks with fewer than 10 miles aren't going to put much wear and tear on my legs -- I'll still be fresh come January. But I'm not sure, and maybe just as importantly, I don't want to start feeling guilty and negative before I even really get going. So I have to think about it some, and I'd love any advice.

Hoping to get back to the gym tomorrow for another 5 miles -- especially if that'll be it for the year.

Total miles since starting the blog: 166.8

December 11th: Looks Like I'm Stuck Indoors for a While

Well, I think we can say that we're into the dead of winter now. Wind chill was below 20 this morning. That's way too cold even to think of an outdoor run. Looks like it's going to stay cold for a while, too. So Work Out World is going to be my home away from home for the foreseeable future. I think the real loser here is the dog.

My workout went generally as planned this morning. After my normal warmup, I did core exercises first:

• Ab Coaster -- facing forward and then rotated each way, 12 each, 3 sets.
• Bicycle crunches, 3 sets.
• Horizontal leg lifts, 3 sets.

I have to say, I wasn't looking forward to this part of it. Even though I did a little core work yesterday, this was the first time I'd targeted my abs in close to a month. But I felt better for having done it. It was hard work, but I know it will help in the long run.

Then onto the belt. I knew I had only about a half-hour, so I kicked up the speed to a little faster than race pace and set the incline at 1 percent. That's a serious challenge for me! I tried to get a quick shot of the screen while I was running -- it came out clearer than I thought it would, but I cut off the distance, and I guess that's my finger in the way at the top. I kept going for a little more than a minute past this, getting to 3.5 miles in 31.30. I'm really hoping that combining the speed with the incline will pay some dividends. I'm not sure how much longer I could have kept up that pace.

I think I'll be back at WOW tomorrow. I'm not sure what my workout will entail. I do want to keep up the core work, but I also want to keep logging miles. Maybe a repeat of today. I guess we'll see. Friday is a likely off day -- it's Jackie and my annual Shop Till We Drop Day! Hey, maybe I'll have more stamina than last year. Then another long on Saturday or Sunday.

Total miles since starting the blog: 158.3

December 10th: Back to Strength Training

Today's main goal, aside from beating the snow this morning, was to start working some strength training back in. And I did beat the snow home, but in the 35 minutes between when I got home and headed out for work, it really started coming down.

I wanted to focus on core work today, because that's going to have the most benefit in my running. Planks, kettlebell squats and kettlebell jugglers, then core twists on the Cable Cross machine, with some butterflies mixed in. I did a little legs and arms at the end, including the curl machine I've mentioned a few times.

It was good to get back to it after too many down days of late. But, on the brightside, my office is all set up and I'm getting into the rhythm of the new commute. So I should be able to get back into my routine more easily.

And speaking of that, tomorrow I think will be a hybrid day. I'd like to work a little more arms, and I'll do core stuff, as always. But after that, I'm going to shoot for :30 on the treadmill.

Sunday, December 8th: A Long Run to Nowhere

After two rest days -- one planned, one not so much (beer beat Gatorade Friday night) -- I knew I needed to get that long run in today. The problem: the weather.

It wasn't actually snowing this morning, but it was well below my threshold for the temperature I'm willing to tolerate -- below freezing, with a wind chill around 27. NFW. So, off to WOW for treadmill work. I took this pic about an hour after my run.

I warmed up for five minutes on the elliptical with the notion that I would do some quick core work before I started running. But there was an empty treadmill next to one with a hot chick running, so I made a beeline. Wait, wait, I'm not a creep -- it was my wife.

I'll cut to the chase: 9.33 miles (15k) at exactly 1:30. I varied things between 6.2 and 6.4 miles per hour, with a couple of faster bursts because I did want to get the 5k intervals in at 30:00. I also had the incline at 0.5 and 1.0 percent at various points, though I did most of it flat.

The upside to the treadmill, aside from it forcing you to keep up your pace, is similar to doing long runs near home: I find it easier to push a little farther knowing that I can stop, as opposed to having a fixed goal and wondering if I'm going to make it. I got to 10k and thought, "OK, go for 7 miles." Then 7.5. Then 8, then 8.75, and then 9.33. If I'd set out to go that distance to start, I'm not sure I would have gotten there. The downside: Ohmygod is it boring. Especially with Sunday morning news-talk shows on all the TV screens.

But bottom line is that it felt good to get a solid long run in, even if it wasn't that far. It restored a little bit of faith that I can get the distance up in time for the marathon. Some of that doubt was erased. And perhaps my other runs will be a little more successful now that I've pushed myself further and my stamina will presumably be higher. Consistency will be the key.

Unfortunately on that front, it looks like tomorrow will have to be an off day, too. Our office moved over the weekend, and I'll need to get in early to get my boxes unpacked and my desk set up. So Tuesday I'll get back at it. I think it's time to start working strength training back in.

Miles since starting the blog: 154.8

December 5th: Foggy Skies and Wobbly Legs

It’s confirmed: I have lost some fitness since running the half in October.

I was really hoping to go for 6 miles today. But my legs just didn’t have it in them, and I knew it after 2 miles. My aeration was fine -- it wasn’t an overall lack of stamina. But the legs just didn’t want to go.

Not helping things, I overdressed for the weather this morning. It was 51 degrees and pretty soupy out there. Down by the water, you could just about make out Keyport’s lights through the fog. (It’s actually gotten thicker since then, too.) I had my cold-weather gear on, and it was just too warm.

Oddly, even though I was feeling fatigued by mile 2, my pace picked up -- a lot. 1st mile was 9:17 -- OK, in the range of race pace. 2nd was 9:41 -- come on, Andrew, pick it up! And I did. Mile 3: 9:03. Mile 4: 8:37, and stayed on that pace till I stopped at 4.6 miles.

I realize that I’ve been hitting it pretty hard this week after, essentially, three weeks off. So I guess I should have expected to hit the wall at some point. But over four days, I’ve still done well less than a single marathon. Am I really going to get there? Especially training in the dead of winter? What happens if I have another setback? As we get closer and closer to the four-month mark, those questions are really starting to weigh on me.

I was sort of thinking about doing the Run One Challenge for December -- do at least a mile each day. (Yeah, I know I skipped December 1st.) But I need a rest day. My legs are jelly, and I still want to try for a long this weekend.

Total miles since starting the blog: 145.5 

December 4th: Recovery Run

So I slept a little bit this morning, until about 6:30. That ruled out the gym, and the legs felt OK, so I decided on a recovery run after yesterday's mad dash.

Not much to report here, other than my legs actually feeling better for having run. I really need to incorporate more of these into my routine. 2.5 miles at around a 9:20 pace. I definitely could have gone longer, but I opted to cut it short and save the wear and tear for the rest of the week.

Tomorrow I'm thinking of a mid-range pace run, while the weather is still good. Then Friday will likely be an off day because it's moving day at work. Saturday I may get in a long -- after the layoff, I'm not sure how far I can go, but I'll shoot for 9 miles. And then we'll have to see about Sunday.

I got a slightly better shot of Nessie out there in Keyport Harbor -- it was closer to Cliffwood Beach this morning.

Total miles since starting the blog: 140.9

December 3rd: Grudging, but Fast

Apparently, Mother Nature wants to see just how cold it has to be before I turn tail and head back inside. Yesterday, it was 39 degrees when I started out. Today it was 38. But again, no wind -- though it was a bit dank. I have to say, I was a bit tired this a.m., and a bit cranky because the dog put another hole in the loveseat last night. All the ingredients were there for skipping the run. But I grudgingly went anyway.

As I've said before, sometimes I really don't know what kind of run it's going to be until I get going. Today my plan was to increase distance a little bit and try to be in the vicinity of race pace. That's not exactly how it turned out. The first two miles were about there, adding in 10 or 15 seconds for a photo. (More on that in a minute.) Mile 3 was fast -- 8:42. And then mile 4 was ridiculous -- 8:17. Although I was hoping for 5, by 4.5 I was right by home, and I was pretty bushed, so I cut it short at 4.6. My overall pace was 8:50. Anytime I'm sub-9:00, that's fast. I'm not really sure what to attribute that to, because if it were a "let's just get this over with" pace, I would have stopped at 3.11. And it's not like I had a ton of spring in my legs, either, since I ran yesterday.

There have been a number of barges in Keyport Harbor lately. I don't know if they're dredging the channel or replenishing some sand or both -- or something else entirely. But this odd-looking thing has been anchored out in the middle -- maybe someone knows what it is.

Also, it looks like they're doing some repairs on the seawall walkway. The one concrete slab that wobbled a bit when I hit it seems to have been replaced, and there's at least some temporary fencing where the railing was washed out. Maybe it will be "open" by the spring.

Between the layoff after I banged up the MTSNBN and the two weeks owing to the Great Acid Reflux Incident, I think I've lost a bit of fitness. As I said, I was pretty bushed after 4 miles, and my legs are good and sore now. I'm kind of torn for tomorrow. I do want to continue to log miles, but injuries happen on dead legs. And there's always the gym or even the "home gym" to do some strength training instead. I guess I'll see how I feel in the morning.

Total miles since starting the blog: 138.4

December 2nd: Where the #$%* Have I Been?

I've been lying low the past two weeks, I know. I have a lot to discuss.

The evening after my most recent entry, I was at home, bending over to pick something up, and -- POW! -- I experienced a huge chest pain. Scary big. It persisted all night, improved somewhat over the course of the next day, and then got worse the following morning.

Rationally, I knew this wasn't the big one. First off, I Googled the symptoms, and pain that gets worse when you bend over is usually due to acid reflux. Obviously, I'm in the best shape of my adult life, so the odds of something scary are really low. And yeah, I've been under a bit of stress of late, but that's just life, you know? Nonetheless, it's frightening. And beyond that, it was outright uncomfortable, so exercise simply wasn't happening.

The doctor prescribed high-strength Prilosec. It took a few days to kick in, but things are generally better now. I'm not really sure what to do about the anxiety and stress, but that's a longer-term issue -- and exercise is as good a cure as anything. But I do have to say, setbacks like this really plant a lot of doubt in my brain about whether I'll realistically be able to 26.2.

One of the things about Prilosec is that you're supposed to take it "before a meal." So basically, take it on an empty stomach, then eat something. I'm not really accustomed to eating first thing -- usually just a glass of fiber and a cup of coffee. Over the past week or so with the Prilosec, a meal has meant a Clif bar and maybe a banana. But I tried something fun this morning. My friend and sometime running partner Dan and I, along with my son, brewed beer this weekend, and I took home some of the spent grains for baking. But for my breakfast, I mixed about a cup of them with some chia seeds and a little bit of milk, and microwaved it, then added a touch of agave. It was very good! I know you don't always have cracked, parboiled barley grains sitting around, but if you have a chance to try it, I recommend it.

I probably could have gotten out there a few days ago, but the combination of the holiday rush, the cold weather and simple inertia (again, doubt creeping in) kept me from any workouts. Until today. I figured the best thing to do after such a layoff would be a pretty light run, just to get my body back into exercise mode. A slow-ish 5K was just what I needed.

It was 39 degrees when I got out there -- before daylight -- but there was no wind to speak of, so it really wasn't too bad. Plus side: I got a couple of really pretty shots looking southeast.

The first mile was slow, but that was mostly due to two pit-stops by the dog and a quick stop to get the photo above. The rest of the run went at a reasonable clip. But really, I wasn't very concerned about speed -- I just wanted to get a few miles under my belt and get my body back into exercise mode. I did 3.5 miles in 33:34. This shot on the left I got just after I'd stopped and was walking it off -- looking away from my house down my street.

I'm really hoping to get some more miles in this week, even if it means no strength work. I feel like I really need to start getting mileage in, because after the New Year, the training starts in earnest, and I don't want to be starting from scratch. So if the winds are low again tomorrow morning, I'll get another quickie in. Maybe later this week I can do a long -- that'd be nice.

Total miles since starting the blog: 133.7