Training B-log

Tomorrow is my birthday and my wife gave me an early birthday present last night, a Gamin Fenix 5.  I used to run with Garmin forerunner watches and really liked them but for the past couple of years I wanted a smart watch that also could serve as a running watch so I have been using an Apple Watch.  That watch is now officially retired. I woke up at 5am this morning, not getting as much sleep as I would have liked but also not feeling too groggy.  After a couple of cups of coffee and playing with my new Garmin (I set up an interval training run on the watch), I went out for my run.  I ran an interval run that included a 1 mile warm up, 5 x (2 min at 8:30/mile pace and 1 min recovery at 9:30/mile pace) and then a 1 mile cool down.  Stats are below, but I can tell my Apple Watch was holding me back (heart rate wise).  My perceived effort and my heart rate with the Garmin was much lower at a higher pace than the Apple Watch.  It could have been the wea...

I have not posted in about a week, primarily because I was busy and then I just forgot.  I need to make it a priority to record these as I believe they will help me over the long term see improvements, changes in pace/distance, etc.  I have been sticking to my workout plans so that is good news, just not posting the results.  I completed an 8 mile run on Saturday, got up about 6 am, and kept it at a slower pace to ensure I am running 2 miles, walking for about 1 minute and then back to running.  I did well and completed the run according to plan, however maybe a little slower than I wanted but still with a faster 2nd half split. This week, I ran on Monday and tried to make it a threshold run.  That went horrible.  I went out too fast and after 2 miles of closer to sub 9 min miles I had a really hard time on the next 2 miles which were about 10 min / mile pace.  Tuesday was Peloton day, which went well.  I felt pretty strong on the bike and compl...

I had to remind myself last night after reading a few online articles, and watching a couple of videos, that I need to get back to doing some aerobic level (heart rate wise) training.  I noticed all of my runs have been anaerobic since I started back and that is only asking for disaster.  Running slower is really, really, and I mean really tough for me.  I am not saying running slow is a problem, because I naturally do that but intentionally slowing down my pace is torture as I want to go hard and feel like I am not getting a workout in.  However, I have to say I enjoyed todays 4 mile run and it was all in an aerobic state.  I used the focused slowdown as an opportunity to further focus on my form and my breathing.  My target was to sustain a heart rate of 140-150 and I was successful.  I did not require any walking breaks like yesterday when I went out harder and made the 4.4 miles running the whole time (well I guess it would be more like jogging at ...

I did not get a chance to post yesterday, I got busy and time just got away from me - not even sure what that even means.  Ha.  Yesterday, I did get up pretty early and felt good.  I rode the Peloton and did some light strength work (push ups, pull ups, lunges, planks, curls, etc.).  I was still a little timid about my lower back so I did not push too hard.  The bike was really easy, I am not sure if I am improving but a 200 kj output felt very light and I did not feel like I pushed that hard. Last night, my wife were kidless so we decided to go out and have dinner, which also included a few drinks (bad idea).  Oh well, you have to enjoy the moments you get.  I forgot to set the alarm, woke up late and actually missed a work call I had planned with a member of my team at 5:30AM.  I finally got up about 6:30, and did my run.  As usual, its super humid here in South Carolina in July but I felt like picking up the pace some.  I watched a ...

I did not post yesterday, as I was taking it as a rest day and did not have much to write about.  My legs were a little sore, but overall I felt fine.  I did hurt my lower back a bit from some yard work, but I was able to get in a 3 mile run this morning.  I did not however do my strength workout yet.  I am going to try after work this afternoon, depending on how my back feels. Anyhow, not much else to post about - I slept in a bit later this morning, waking at about 5:45AM, enjoyed a cup of coffee, watched some news, checked my phone and then got in my run. I finish listening to an audiobook by David Goggins, Can't Hurt Me.  It's a great book and a reminder that you always have more in the tank than you think and to not let you mind control you.  It will always try and take the easiest path, so you have to push yourself through it to achieve the goals you set out. Here are the run stats: 3.3 miles, 32 min overall time, 9:27 pace, 154 BPM HRT

Today was long run day...but before I get to the run, let me recap yesterday.  It was a normal Friday work wise, not a slam packed day but busy enough that I was only able to catch up on a couple of lingering issues from the week.  I had my usual morning protein smoothie, along with the cucumbers and carrots in the morning.  Finished off the pulled pork leftovers and had an apple with some peanut butter.  Then dinner.  Well it is Friday, and my wife and I have a tradition on Fridays in the summer to go down to the tiki bar in our neighborhood (side note, we live at the beach) to have a couple of wind down drinks.  I had a couple of beers, followed by a couple more and a couple of vodka's when we got home.  So I decided to break out a cigar on the back porch and relax to some Netflix, and my drinks and the company of my wife.  Not setting myself up for the best morning to do my long run.  Also, I forgot we got takeout pizza from the tiki bar....

As a recap of yesterday, I did a 30 minute spin workout on our Peloton bike.  Felt pretty good, no records were set but the legs were not stiff as a board either.  I had my protein smoothie for breakfast, along with some cucumbers, broccoli and carrots for a morning snack.  For lunch, I reheated some pulled pork that we made earlier in the week in the good ole Instant Pot and had some more cucumbers and carrots.  Later in the day, I was pretty hungry so I had an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter and that really hit the spot and held me over till dinner.  For dinner last night we had something we do every now and then, but really enjoy - Breakfast.  We had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and little tea biscuits (I could not resist and had to have 1).  I know, super low cholesterol meal. Like the night before, I did not get to bed at the time I wanted and probably did not get down until a little after 10:30PM.  That in turn caused me to hit ...

Before I get into how today went, let me give an overview of my planned nutritional plan as I train for the marathon, as well as work towards my target goal for weight and body fat %.  I am planning to use a low carb, moderate fat and protein diet.  I will be starting my day (post workout) with a vegetable/fruit/almond milk/protein powder smoothie and then having a mid-morning snack of cucumbers, carrots, and strawberries or grapes.  At lunch I will have a protein (chicken, hard boiled eggs, fish, steak, etc.) along with some vegetables - which most of the time will be a salad.  I make my own balsamic dressing that I really love ( Note: will share the recipe in the comments ).  In the afternoon, I plan to have either cucumbers, carrots and fruit again or an apple with some peanut butter.  For dinner I plan to eat mostly normal but still fairly low carb, moderate fat and moderate protein. As an additional snack option, I will eat a couple of almonds as nee...

Alright then...so not off to a wonderful start here.  Maybe next time I decide to start a new habit, like writing a blog, I don't pick a holiday week (Happy 4th of July, BTW).  So, while I have not been writing this blog, I have been trying to get after it a little more and starting to pay better attention to my nutrition, my workout consistency, and my sleep.  Rather than try and recap the past 10 days, let me just say I have been inconsistent in my workouts for a long time (due to a number of reasons that I blame but really it is just because I have not been getting after it).  I am focused on building more consistency and have set a goal to help with that. I have decided to run a marathon this year, and think my plan is to do the Charlotte Marathon in Nov.  I am in pretty decent shape (run 3-5 days per week), and as you will see from my starting metrics below I am not over weight however I want more.  I want to push hard, develop more strength, and inc...