The Road to Ultra: January 2007

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Pleasantly Surprised in the Cold

Today's Run: 9.02
Run Time: 1:41:40
Total Miles to Date: 317.5

Thoughts on the Run:

Today, I was pleasantly surprised.

My schedule with a new team to train leaves me with two options for my runs: extremely early, or later in the evening. After bombing my opportunity to wake up early on several occassions, I decided the evening would be the time to get it done.

So, today I woke up early to get into the office, train my team, work on code, and get done what I could before heading home around 7:00pm. Traffic was surprisingly light, so I made the commute in just over a half hour. Somehow I managed to talk two of my friends into joining me on the venture. One backed out in the last minute, but the other was ready to go. He lives about 1 1/2 miles from me so we agreed we'd meet out on the course. He is running around 5 miles and my goal was 9, so we planned to do a loop together and then I'd do another loop on my own.

I had a large meal of Pad Thai for lunch, so I wasn't hungry for hours and when I got home, I had some yogurt and a Clif Bar right before the run. I felt I wouldn't need as much fuel during the run, so instead of 2 16oz bottles with Succeed! Amino, I only mixed one Amino and just put water in the other.

I didn't exactly have the right gear but when you want to get things done, you need to make them happen. I wore my long-sleeved CoolMax shirt and threw a simple pullover on top of that. For legs, it was shorts and then long running pants over top. I put on my running belt and a reflective vest over that. My head and hands were bare. I decided since it was only in the high 30s, I'd skip the gloves. For my head, I found a compromise: my daughter lent me her girl scouts head band, so I wore that over my ears and then a baseball cap on top! (Thanks, daughter, it worked well).

I headed out onto the course and didn't see my friend, so I started heading towards his neighborhood. Then I saw him coming down the sidewalk so we met up, turned around, and began running. He started out at a fast pace (he can run sub 8-minute miles for half marathon distances) but I reminded him I'm slow and he's recovering from an injury so we pulled back a bit and knocked that out in 10:53. The second mile was up an appreciable hill but was finished in 10:56. I forgot how nice it is to have a companion on long runs and barely noticed the 11:48 we spent up a longer hill or the last 11:43 before arriving back at his neighborhood.

At that point, we parted ways. I had enjoyed his company and was feeling fresh, not as if I had already run 4 miles. I decided instead of repeating our exact same loop, that I'd get creative and loop through his neighborhood. The first part is a pleasant downhill that took 11:22. 11:21 had me back on the main road, so I headed away from my house. The next miles were on a sidewalk I have been on many times - probably 80% of my miles - so it was familiar ground. I was enjoying how quiet it was, how crisp the air was, how beautiful the trees in the moonlight, and just had a great time. I realized that I felt like I could run forever and wasn't getting dizzy or bonking like I normally do.

An out-and-back on a long hill was 11:59, then 11:53 up "Goliath." I felt so fantsatic that I decided to finish aggressively and knocked out the last mile in 9:29.

I came inside and decided to try something. I usually get a little pain in my lungs and have a heavy cough for days after a run in the cold (I typically breathe through my mouth and not my nose). When I came inside, I put a pot of boiling water on the stove and leaned over that an inhaled for awhile. It was great. Afterwards, I no longer had the heavy cough I've had in the past. I'm hoping the same holds true when I wake up tomorrow.

I had some chicken breast, whole wheat bread, a Nature Valley granola bar, and a glass of ginger ale after the run. Now it's time to relax and catch some sleep.

I am so surprised that I ran late in the cold (it was high 30s when I started, low 30s when I finished) and actually enjoyed it. I can do this! I'm no longer worried about finishing my runs ... if they're late, they're late, I'll dress right and get it done.

The only thing that was negative was I forgot to put lotion on my chest so my nipples are a little, um, sore right now. Other than that, I feel great!

I've also been moving along some other projects. These happen slowly because so much time is devoted to the main company, but I did manage to throw up a picture gallery, a forum, and add some new articles to my website.

Warmly,

Jeremy Likness

posted by Jeremy Likness | 10:09 PM | 3 comments

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Catching up with Clif

Today's Run: 12.1
Run Time: 2:19:35
Total Miles to Date: 308.5

Thoughts on the Run:

I had a very busy week. While I'd love to say that I couldn't run because I was too engaged in my projects, I would be lying. There were a few opportunities to get out and hit the pavement, but I kept talking myself out of them because they all involved running in the dark and running in the cold. The dark I don't mind so much, but I really don't enjoy the cold. I'm getting better at it and know I need to get used to it, but it will be much more pleasurable once I get the right gear and gear just hasn't been a priority.

Anyway, I knew when the weekend rolled around and the temperatures "soared" to the 50s that it was time. What would I be able to do? The scheduled run was 12 miles. Perhaps I could do more. I really wasn't sure.

I sat down and sorted through my priorities. I CAN do those early morning runs ... the short 4 - 5 milers are perfect for the treadmill. The long runs? I've got to make the time and suck it up and get out there.

The one advantage to going a full week without any running was that I started this run without any pain or soreness. It seemed in the weeks prior, I was always dealing with sore quads or a stiff ITB and it was nice to hit the pavement and not feel anything sore at all.

I wish I could share the meals I had this week with you, but again, in that department I finally threw my hands up because it was so touch-and-go with everything going on that I stopped tracking them. It's not that I ate unhealthy, aside from a couple splurges here and there, I just was too busy doing other things to take the time to track it.

So, I laced up my shoes, filled my water bottles with Succeed! amino and packed an S-Cap. I wasn't sure if I'd need the sodium but figured it wouldn't hurt just to be safe.

I started out at a nice steady pace (10-minute mile) and halfway through the neighborhood loop. The second mile takes me out of the neighborhood and onto a main street, that was done in 10:10. There, I stopped to drink 8oz of Amino and then entered the next neighborhood - 10:57. I looped out and into a third neighborhood for 10:34. The next mile is perhaps my favorite - a nice, long downhill that ends abruptly with a sharp uphill near the end, that was negotiated in 11:50. 11:14 minutes had me out on the main street and then turning back for the straight shot back to my house. It was 12:26 to go up the long hill I call "Goliath" and then 10:05 for the downhill to my doorstep.

Eight miles under my belt. I could feel that I was "running out of steam." My gut didn't hurt but my legs were a little sore and starting to feel like dead weights. I refilled a water bottle and on a whim, grabbed a Clif Bar and ate that, too. I haven't been taking any solid foods during runs so I thought I'd try it out. It tasted delicious. With the bottle refilled and the Clif Bar down, I stepped back outside. It felt strange to be contemplating another loop after having run for an hour and a half, but I was only "just getting started."

I hit the first mile and felt some excitement. Maybe I would actually do the full 8-mile loop again and push 16 miles! Why not, I thought. The mile was done in 11:36. The next mile was 12:36. I started to slow down. This is when I started feeling it. The uphills were suddenly draining me and I had to stop and walk them. My legs weren't running, they were more stumbling, and I was willing them to move with each step. I struggled through another mile at 13:47 and decided it wasn't time to push for the full 16, and that I would just make it to the scheduled 12 instead. I looped back and took a merciful downhill trot back to the house in 13:03.

I'm not sure what causes me to hit the wall but I find it is consistently at 10 - 12 miles. On flat ground I can push a lot further, the hills drain a lot. Maybe because I'm a "Clydesdale runner" at 210 pounds, I run out of fuel sooner. Maybe I need to change my fueling strategy - some people say, "Fuel less, teach your body to burn the fat." Others say, "Fuel more, you're crashing because you're not getting enough."

I'm going to consider the latter first and see about eating more on the run (Clif Bars, etc, I seemed to get a positive burst of energy when I had mine) and perhaps increasing the amount of powder I put in each drink. I may try the former as well but I'm not sure I believe that is the right direction to take.

Walking home, I was a little disappointed at the slowdown near the end, but then I had to laugh out loud. The truth is, I just finished 12 miles. Complain? No way, celebrate. I did and did it injury free.

I'm resetting my goals and as I mentioned being much more focused on getting my runs in during the week. A single long run on the weekend is better than nothing, but doesn't cut it.

I'm also excited because I ordered two new supplements to add to my regimen. I already take what I believe is the best multivitamin on the market. I am now adding pharmaceutical grade fish oil (because I haven't been consistent with taking flaxseed, it's easier for me to add a pill than to remember to take the oil) and a glucosamine supplement. I look forward to seeing what impact that may have on my joints and recovery.

That night my wife and I had a lovely date. We went to an Italian restaurant, had a glass of Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon and started with garlic rolls and an antipasto dish. Then we shared a "Tour of Italy" (lasagna, linguine, and chicken parmesan). We finished with a slice of Cannoli Cheesecake. It was delicious!

Looking forward to posting more frequently this week,

Jeremy Likness

posted by Jeremy Likness | 4:21 PM | 2 comments

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Two Miles Shy

Today's Run: 14.0
Run Time: 2:40:00
Total Miles to Date: 296.4

Thoughts on the Run:

Today's run was two miles shy.

I started with the intent to go 16 miles. It was cold and raining outside and I'm sick and tired of running in the cold rain, so once again I decided to pound the treadmill. It's what I call a "better bad" choice - not the best choice, but better than not doing it at all.

I set myself up with plenty of fluids, propped up the laptop and even brought down speakers so I could jack up the sound to play louder than the motor on the treadmill. I just wore some shorts and a tank top and hit it.

The first eight was great. I did two miles at a 12-minute pace, 4 miles at a 11-minute pace, then kicked it up to 10-minute miles for the "middle 4." When I hit 10, I started feeling it my legs - just dead weights, sore knees, etc. No problem, I kept on pushing through. 10 to 12 was a struggle ... my stomach starting cramping. I'm thinking this time I drank too much. In the comfort of the basement I probably wasn't sweating as much but I was still doing 8 oz every 2 miles ... although it's always a fine line, because I could have been sweating too much. I also realized I had hit this on an empty stomach. Granted, I took in about 300 calories all told from the fluids I was drinking during the run, but it's the first time I've tackled a long run without anything solid before hand.

I really wanted to push through to the 16 but 12 to 14 was just pitiful. I had to stop and walk every few minutes because of cramping and decided it was just nonsense to keep pushing it. After all, I was trying for 16 but hadn't really finished any long runs in the past several weeks - besides the 14 on Dec 31st, the rest were flops due to trying to push the back-to-backs. So, I'll take my 14. We'll do 12 to back off a bit next weekend and then push 16 the weekend after and see where that takes us.

Overall I can't complain one bit. I managed to eke out 14 miles and do it in a 11:26 paces which is fine by me for training.

Plus, I got to watch the Godfather Part III DVD. It was fun!

I had two all natural, organic beef hotdogs on sprouted wheatberry bread with salt and vinegar potato chips afterwards, soaked in the tub, then had a big cup of coffee and a bowl of Natural Valley granola cereal with soy milk. I'm feeling much better.

I fly up to New Jersey tonight for a sales presentation tomorrow. I hear there's snow ... glad I'm not buried in it but excited to possibly see some.

Until next time,

Jeremy Likness

posted by Jeremy Likness | 4:33 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Ate Late then a Late Eight

Today's Run: 8m
Run Time: 1:25:00
Total Miles to Date: 282.4

Thoughts on the Run:

Yesterday was a busy day at the office. I had a new hire that I was training, plus a major code release to ship out the door. I had a late dinner at Spoon. I may not be a Thai food expert, but that is the best Thai I've had, ever. It was Pad Thai noodles with Tofu.

I rolled into our driveway around 9:30pm. I was already doing the typical, "It's been a long day, it's late, it's cold" gamut of excuses in my head. There are people who always have excuses and say, "I'll do it tomorrow" and then there are those who get it done. Every workout counts for me to reach my goal of running an ultra this year, so I decided to get it done.

I don't have all of the gear I really need to run in the cold - my bandana is hardly cover for my head and no gloves (although I guess I could improvise with some garden gloves) so instead I opted for the treadmill. The prospect of spending an hour and a half starting at the window was not exciting, so I grabbed a laptop and tossed in a copy of the Mindcandy DVD. This is a collection of PC Demos.

My daughter joined me for a bit and rode the recumbent bike before going to bed. She's always excited to spend time with me and workout with me. She received a trampoline for her birthday that gets plenty of use as well.

After she left, I was alone ... I turned off the lights so I was basically in the dark with nothing but the laptop display to illuminate the area. I was tired, haven't had much sleep this week and a long day behind, so the setting was truly surreal. It's amazing how much our mind depends on sight for balance, so the first few miles were a little shaky but eventually I got into the swing of it and was in a semi-hypnotic trance watching the demos and running. I spent 2 miles warming up at a 11-minute pace, then ran the middle 4 at a 10-minute pace and finished at an 11-minute pace, so I averaged just over 10:30 for the distance. It felt great to get it done ... what was the alternative? I probably would have used the excuse, "I need to unwind" and plopped in front of the TV instead of going down and getting my workout done.

I finished, satisfied that I had done it, and went upstairs to crash.

I made a change several weeks ago that I keep forgetting to post about. My feet were having major issues with the tops hurting. I have really big blood vessels on the tops of my feet that swell when I run. So, I changed the way my shoes are laced. I went for an alternating hatch - instead of crossing the lace in each loop, I'd cross it over, then run it one loop on the same side, then cross it on the next loop. This leaves more of the top "open" and has been phenomenal for my feet - no more issues. I'll take a picture when I get a chance.

EATS ... I'm just going to summarize it all:

USANA HealthPak
Bananas
Oranges
Apples
Cranberry juice
Kashi Oatmeal
Water
Coffee
Kung Pao Noodles
String cheese
Uncured beef hotdog (organic)
Whole grain tortilla chips
All natural ravioli
Red wine
Chocolate gelato
Bagels
Eggs
Nitrate-free bacon
Chai Tea Luna Bar
Chicken tandoori with spinach
Whole wheat bread with lean meat sloppy joe mix
Diet coke
Soy milk
Cascadian Farm Honey Nut O organic cereal
Nature's Path blueberry organic toaster pastry
Cupcake (birthday in the office)
Pad Thai
Gatorade

MON/TUE/WED

Calories: 3064 / 1970 / 2795
Fat: 100g (37g sat) / 68g (24g sat) / 93g (15g sat)
Cholesterol: 299mg / 466mg / 103mg
Sodium: 3910mg / 3190mg / 3750mg
Potassium: 2280mg / 2050mg / 3000mg
Carbohydrate: 424g (38g fiber/74g sugar) / 253g (23g fiber/14g sugar) / 416g (33g / 90g)
Protein: 92g / 89g / 94g

Until next time,

Jeremy

posted by Jeremy Likness | 10:34 AM | 2 comments

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Things Fall Apart

Today's Run: 10.10
Run Time: 2:04:02
Total Miles to Date: 274.4

Thoughts on the Run:

As is evident by the distance, I did not reach my goal today.

And I think I know why.

I've had a few people ask me why I'm doing back-to-back on the weekends. It sounded like a good idea in theory - to learn how to keep pushing even when not fully recovered, etc, but the truth is, I'm not learning ... I'm floundering. It's a simple case of trying to do too much, too soon. It would be one thing if it slowed me down, but having to cut my long runs short is not acceptable.

So, I'll be adjusting my schedule. I'll keep the midweek runs, but on the weekend I'm cutting out the Saturday run. I'll give myself that extra day to recover and focus on getting quality time and mileage on the long run. I was really looking forward to 16 miles and my estimated 3 hours out on the road, and was disappointed to cut it short.

After reviewing several options, I decided on an out-and-back loop. Each segment would be 4 miles: 2 out, 2 back. I'd drink 8oz at the far point, 8oz when I got back and have my wife help me by preparing another drink to grab at the house as I headed out to the next segment.

The first segment start off fine. I had a solid, steady pace and finished the first mile in 10:32. The next segment is mostly down hill so I finished that in 9:36. Of course, what goes down must come up, so then I flipped around and took 11:42 to climb the hill, and came home with a 4th mile at 10:17.

I grabbed the next drink and was off. Heading out wasn't so bad. I felt a little winded and took 12:35 to climb the hill away from my house, but then the downhill was a nice reprieve at 11:24. The climb back up, however, drained me. I slowed to a crawl ... I didn't walk but it might have looked that way. It was a slow 13:20 to reach the top, and then 11:26 going downhill.

I was feeling a little under the weather and was only halfway done, but I grabbed another 16oz bottle and headed out. It was evident that things were falling apart on me. My stomach, feet, knees, and hips all started aching at once. It felt like I was a puppet and I had to force my limbs to move. Even forcing this, however, wasn't the worse part ... I can take a little pain. My heart was racing, however, and then I started to feel dizzy. Feeling dizzy is where I draw the line, so I stopped there. I was shocked to see I had completed a mile ... in 15:25. I thought I was doing a 12 or 13 minute pace, so clearly I was "off". I struggled to shuffle back home, believe it or not I was actually jogging but it still took me 15:48 to go downhill. And then I threw in the towel.

In the end, I'm really not disappointed. I managed 18 miles over two days ... it just would have been more rewarding for me and better for my training to have done it all at once. My lesson is learned so I'm adjusting my training and getting it right so I can focus on the crucial long runs and progress as needed to hit this marathon.

Yesterday's eats:

USANA Healthpak
4 cups coffee
1 sesame bagel with 2 omega-3 eggs and 2 slices nitrate-free low sodium bacon
2 cups water
2 16oz bottles of water with Succeed! Amino
1 Succeed! S-cap
1 Trader Joe's Chicken Tandoori with Spinach
1 tangerine and Perrier spritzer
1 piece Trader Joe's light string cheese
Then we went out ...
2 Pomegranate martinis
1 Irish coffee
1 large Caesar salad with blackened chicken, dressing on the side
I split a little chocolate cake and ice cream with my daughter

Calories: 2911
Fat: 84g (34g sat)
Cholesterol: 650mg
Sodium: 3140mg
Potassium: 2290mg
Carbohydrate: 301g (13g fiber/20g sugar)
Protein: 124g

AVERAGE FOR THE WEEK

Calories: 2810
Fat: 91g (28g sat)
Cholesterol: 446mg
Sodium: 3240mg
Potassium: 1880mg (Jeremy, EAT MORE FRUIT AND VEGGIES)
Carbohydrate: 352g (25g fiber/80g sugar) (Jeremy, get fiber up - MORE VEGGIES)
Protein: 101g
Vitamin A: 3720mcg
Vitamin C: 1070mg
Calcium: 1690mg
Iron: 14mg
Vitamin D: 709IU
Vitamin E: 335IU
Thiamin: 20800mcg
Riboflavin: 20900mcg
Niacin: 44mg
Vitamin B6: 24700mcg
Folic Acid: 963mcg
Vitamin B12: 152mcg
Pantothenic Acid: 70mg
Phosphorus: 685mg
Magnesium: 650mg
Zinc: 21mg
Copper: 2110mcg
Manganese: 6mg
Selenium: 185mcg
Water: 95oz
Alcohol: 1oz

Also, here is a graph of what motivation looks like. The blue line is my goal, the red is my actual weight (the green is projected, that is off due to earlier entries) ... as you can see, so far I'm right on target for 195 at the start line of the marathon:

Jeremy Weight Loss

posted by Jeremy Likness | 6:13 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Heat is On

Today's Run: 8.07
Run Time: 1:27:15
Total Miles to Date: 264.3

Thoughts on the Run:

Today's run started after noon. It was fairly clear when I began the run and progressed to cloudy by the time I finished. The temperature was mid-60s so I was expecting a nice, cool run. I threw on some shorts, loaded myself up with 32 oz of water, 1 Succeed! S-cap and 2 packets of Suceed! amino and was on my way.

I set my goal to run 11-minute miles (this was more of a paced run) but secretly wanted to push 10. I turned on the virtual runner for my Garmin and set the distance to 8.0 miles and the pace to 11 minutes. We were off!

I guess I was so excited to be running in warmer weather that I got ahead of myself ... the first mile was 9:03 flat. I knew this was coming out too fast, so I thought I was slowing myself but still belted out the next mile in 9:38 (hey, that's "belting" it out for me!). Here I stopped and drank 8 oz of fluid and realized my heart was pounding, I was sweating like crazy and I probably shouldn't keep pushing so hard.

Instantly I hit some hills and began to feel drained. In fact, for the first time in several weeks of running, I had to stop and walk up the hill. It was fine, though, because my pace "out the gate" kept me ahead of my virtual racing partner and I finished the third mile in a solid 11:07. The fourth mile was in a neighborhood that starts out downhill so I was able to speed up a bit and finish that in 10:23. Mile 5 was a little tough with the hills and I struggled to finish in 11:55. It was at the end of this mile that I popped my S-cap. Mile 6 and 7 were miserable ... I hit the long hill I refer to as "Goliath" and had to resort to running two telephone poles, walking one, running two, walking one, etc. Mile 6 was done in 11:41 and mile 7 in 12:10.

At this point, my virtual runner caught me. I was walking to the top of a hill finishing the rest of my fluids when it "passed" me. I was finishing my drink and not ready to watch as I watched the status read that the virtual partner was ahead by 10 feet ... then 20 ... then 30 ... on up to 300 feet.

At this point I was done drinking and at the top of a hill, so I pushed out hard. I caught the virtual runner and passed it, but then there was a second hill. I was passed again and this time the runner had a 300 ft lead. I was not going to lose the run to my virtual partner so I pushed hard down the backside of the hill. I passed the virtual runner with about a quarter mile to spare and ended up finishing just shy of my 11-minute pace goal. The last mile was in 10:38, for an average of 10:48 throughout the run.

I came in, rested, took a shower, and rehydrated. I seem to be doing better with hydration because despite the heat and the sweat, I only lost 1 pound. I definitely started to feel better after taking the sodium cap so perhaps I should have taken it a bit earlier. Tomorrow's run I'll have CLIP which has 200 mg of sodium per serving, that should help a bit.

Thursday's Nutrition

Succeed Amino for the run
2 omega-3 eggs
1 slice whole wheat toast w/ 1 1/2 tbsp raspberry jam
1 cup Almond Breeze Chocolate milk
4 cups of coffee
8 water crackers
A few cubes of Monterey jack cheese with the crackers
1 serving Pad Thai from the local restaurant
1 spring roll
1 Thai coffee
2 cups of water
1 Clif Bar Toffee Buzz
2 pieces of fried chicken (breast and thigh)
1 Perrier and tangerine juice spritzer
2 glasses red wine
1 Nature Valley Maple Brown Sugar granola bar
1 USANA Healthpak

Calories: 3305
Fat: 112g (20g sat)
Cholesterol: 544mg
Sodium: 3140mg
Potassium: 2180mg
Carbohydrate: 376g (19g fiber/109g sugar)
Protein: 129g
Water: 100oz

Friday's Eats:

1 USANA Healthpak
1 Nature's Path Organic Blueberry toaster pastry
1 Perrier and tangerine juice spritzer
9 cups of coffee!!! (okay so I wrote a LOT of computer code)
2 tbsps half and half (to get extra calories with my breakfast)
2 oz Trader Joe's Whole Grain Salsa Fresca tortilla chips
4 pieces Trader Joe's light string cheese
1 serving Trader Ming's Spicy Kung Pao Chicken
1 1/2 Chick-fil-A Fudge Nut Brownies (a celebration at the office)
1 Clif Bar Cool Mint Chocolate
2 cups water
1 oreo blast from the local ice cream store
1 glass red wine
1 handful Salt and Vinegar chips

Calories: 2918
Fat: 102g (40g sat)
Cholesterol: 225mg
Sodium: 2640mg
Potassium: 2410mg
Carbohydrate: 373g (26g fiber/138g sugar)
Protein: 80g
Water: 96oz

Th-th-that's all folks!

Jeremy

posted by Jeremy Likness | 3:09 PM | 1 comments

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Late in the Game

Today's Run: 5.0m
Run Time: 51:00
Total Miles to Date: 256.2

Thoughts on the Run:

I say, "late in the game" because I had several other runs scheduled this week - a 4, an 8, a 4, then rest, and this weekend is an 8/16 double-header. The wireless applications company I'm involved with has had a phenomenal week with lots of projects and new hires, so this meant a lot of my time in the office helping bring people up to speed and building other aspects of the business. Unfortunately, it also meant no runs. Yes, I could have bit the bullet and gone for a sub-32 run in the early AM or completed these later in the night, but frankly I felt it would be best to rest and catch up. Today I caught up on that rest and went for a morning run ... not too cold at 37, not too warm either. I decided since I am doing back-to-backs this weekend that I would just do a mid-distance 5.

The run went well ... I knocked it out in 51 minutes or about a 10-minute mile. The cold runs aren't so bad when I'm dressed properly, but they do leave me with a lingering cough.

I was excited to see the scale read 208 this morning ... I was 215 when I began the journey. My first goal is 195 by marathon, less because of appearance (I feel great at this weight) and more because of performance and having less weight to carry on the track. Depending on how I look and feel, I'll set a second goal for the ultramarathon.

Eats - I'm just going to dump a running list from the past three days for now:

Lots of Nature Valley bars (Oat's N Honey, Peanut Butter, Maple Syrup, etc)
Clif Bars and Clif Bar Builders (the high protein)
Trader Joe's Whole Grain Salsa Fresca tortilla chips
15-bean soup
Water crackers
Yogurt
Ethnic Gourmet Chicken Tandoori and Spinach
Ethnic Gourmet Palak Paneer
Ethnic Gourmet Chicken Korma
Tamarind Tre eChana Dal Masala
Tangerine Juice
Kashi 7 Grain Waffles
Organic hashed browns (pan seared with olive oil)
Scrambled eggs
Cranberry juice
Nitrate-free bacon
Lots of coffee
Dry roasted peanuts salted with thai pepper and lemon grass
Soft shelled chicken tacos from Taco Bell
French toast made with organic Challah bread, omega-3 eggs, and all natural maple syrup
Almond Breeze chocolate milk

The breakdown (M/T/W)

Calories: 2302 / 2613 / 2559
Fat: 53g (17g sat) / 116g (33g sat) / 73g (15g sat)
Cholesterol: 89mg / 470mg / 305mg
Sodium: 2910mg / 4330mg / 3220mg
Potassium: 2110mg / 1290mg / 1290mg
Carbohydrate: 342g (43g fiber/112g sugar) / 289g (26g fiber/53g sugar) / 406g (30g fiber/82g sugar)
Protein: 89g / 115g / 80g

There ya go!

Jeremy

posted by Jeremy Likness | 10:15 AM | 1 comments

Monday, January 08, 2007

Getting Soggy

Today's Run: 7.06m
Run Time: 1:23:30
Total Miles to Date: 251.2

Thoughts on the Run:

Well, I did it. I've been pushing hard to get through my back-to-back runs. I definitely feel this strategy will help with endurance and handling the longer ultra run. I'd been doing the shorter runs during the week but injury and other issues have kept me from doing my planned weekend runs.

This weekend I did 7 miles and then had a goal to follow that with 10 miles the next day. The day started off overcast and quickly turned into rain showers. We had a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel - I had whole wheat french toast with peaches, bacon and eggs, with coffee. I gave this about 3 hours to digest, waited until it looked like the rain had cleared, and set out.

The first thing I noticed doing the run right after a long run was that my legs were a bit sore. Again, this is part of the training - to be able to push through when I'm not 100%. So I kept on.

The first mile went by in a respectable 10:30. The second mile was only a little slower, at 11:02. After warming up I felt much better. I slowed a bit to take in my fluids and finished the third mile in 12:09. The fourth mile brought me into my favorite neighborhood to run in (a lot of downhill) and a time of 11:32.

Then, things got interesting. First, I noticed the zipper on my pack had worked its way open and my cell phone was free. I take a cell phone just in case and wrap it in socks or a shirt, but it had unrolled. So I stopped to roll it back and tuck it in. Just after doing that, the rain began to pour. I'm not talking about just a mild downpour - this was a torrent. I started back up the hill and to add to the nice rain was a heavy windy that kept pushing me backwards. I struggled to finish that mile in 13:39 (I'm surprised I even made it at that).

As I slogged out of the neighborhood I had a decision to make. I was already wearing my reflective vest because I knew I had a late start and didn't know how dark the storms would make things. It was getting close to sunset and the storms were getting worse ... I don't mind running in rain, but thunderstorms are definitely not fun to be out in. So, when I emerged from the neighborhood, I could turn right and finish a loop to close out in ten miles or turn left and head home to finish in seven miles. I opted to cut the run short.

Now it was pouring rain and I was glad I made the decision to head home - the rain was quickly becoming a full-blown tunderstorm complete with lightning and thunder. I trucked through the next mile in 12:16 and finished with an 11:38 mile.

If I was truly hardcore I guess I could have dried off and gone downstairs to my treadmill to finish the last three. I'm not quite that hardcore yet. I did manage to do two 7-milers back-to-back, however, and feel great.

Yesterday's eats:

3 cups coffee
USANA Healthpak
6 oz water
3 slices bacon
2 scrambled eggs w/ cheese
2 slices whole wheat french toast topped with canned peaches
1 biscuit with 2 pats of butter
1 peanut butter cookie
1 spritzer (6 oz Perrier, 2 oz fresh tangerine juice)
1 Succeed! Amino w/ 16oz water (during run)
1 Succeed! CLIP2 w/ 16oz water (during run)
1 can Ginger Ale
2 oz Trader Joe's Whole Grain Salsa Fresca tortilla chips
2 Trade Joe's light string cheese
Several glasses red wine :)
1 serving Trader Joe's Low Fat Chicken Vindaloo
Bowl of Trader Giotto's Italian Chocolate Gelato

Calories: 3,063
Fat: 98g (36g saturated)
Cholesterol: 840mg
Sodium: 3,260mg
Potassium: 1,600mg
Carbohydrate: 377g (16g fiber/48g sugar)
Protein: 87g

And here are the averages for the week:

Calories: 2,944
Fat: 98g (28g saturated)
Cholesterol: 300mg
Sodium: 3,510mg
Potassium: 1,820mg (note this is always low because labels don't report it)
Carbohydrate: 404g (29g fiber/70g sugar)
Protein: 81g
Vitamin A: 3,260mcg
Vitamin C: 1,030mg
Calcium: 1,560mg
Iron: 15.1mg
Vitamin D: 729 IU
Vitamin E: 321 IU
Thiamin: 20,800mcg
Riboflavin: 21,100mcg
Niacin: 38mg
Vitamin B6: 24,500mcg
Folate: 925mcg
Vitamin B12: 152mcg
Pantothenic Acid: 69mg
Phosphorus: 682mg
Magnesium: 623mg
Zinc: 20mg
Copper: 2,060mcg
Manganese: 5.39mg
Selenium: 172mcg
Water: 87oz
Alcohol: 0.9oz

That breaks down to: P/C/F = 11%/53%/30% (the rest is alcohol)

Jeremy

posted by Jeremy Likness | 8:29 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Roadblocks to Pebbles

Today's Run: 7.05m
Run Time: 1:14:08
Total Miles to Date: 244.2

Thoughts on the Run:

Wow. So I've been running a combined total of 1 day and 20 hours now. Groovy!

I never imagined that I would consider 1-hour runs "short runs." In fact, 3-mile runs are now just "mini-workouts" for me. They seem to be over in a heartbeat, yet I still remember struggling to reach my first three mile run. I'm excited about how training has been going.

I ran a 7-mile today and my pace is creeping up. I was doing 11 minutes, today was 10:30 and it was easy. I even forced myself to slow down because I have another run tomorrow ... but I enjoyed it. It was over fast, and I'm eager for the run next week which will last well over 2 hours and take me a total distance of 16 miles.

I started out on the course and had to stop to adjust my shoe early in the run ... the laces were too loose on my right foot. After tightening those, I was on my way. It was a lot warmer today so I decided to bring two 16 oz bottles. This time instead of keeping them both on my fuel belt, I only kept one on my belt and carried the other. I enjoyed that more.

I finished the first mile in 9:48, but felt fine so I kept going. The second mile was a fast 9:45. I decided there that I did not want to keep this pace because I have a run the next day and it was pushing too hard that got me into trouble before, so I pulled back. That left me with consistent 11-minute miles:

Mile 3 @ 11:30
Mile 4 @ 11:02
Mile 5 @ 11:04
Mile 6 @ 11:22

I was running through a neighborhood nearby and suddenly a car slowed beside me. I looked over to see my good friend Shane with his three beautiful daughters. Shane recently ran a marathon and is recovering from an injury he sustained. We are opposites now. When I started running, Shane was doing 20-milers at an 8-minute pace while I was struggling to finish 3 miles in my neighborhood and had to walk on all of the uphills. Now Shane has worked his way back to 5 miles after the injury ... we hope to "synch up" and run together soon.

We chatted a bit and I was on my way. The 11:22 was going up the hill that I call Goliath. I noticed that in recent weeks, the hills no longer drain me. I'm not sprinting up them, but I'm able to keep a steady, strong pace and make it up without stopping and without being completely exhausted at the end.

The last mile was downhill and I couldn't resist "opening up" so I took it in 9:05 and then there was a short spur before I was home.

I came home, relaxed, soaked in the tub, then had a snack. We went to our new Trader Joe's today and were like kids in a candy store. Even my daughter gets excited shopping at health food stores. There was a bonus: it was next to the pet shop so we got to look at birds, kittens and puppies as well.

I received a surprise in the mail. An old friend of mine who I lived with just out of college sent me an envelope. In the envelope was a collection of original writings that he had found. These were poems and short stories I wrote years ago. While I had transcribed most of my poetry, there are several poems I haven't seen for a decade and forgot that I even wrote. More exciting to me are the short stories that I wrote. I have always loved writing and always missed those stories ... I never was sure where they ended up, but for whatever reason God decided to bring them back.

Here is one poem from the vaults:

Adrift

Above the planet in a deeper sea
An ebony pool, wild and free
Metal fish with silver hides
Swim through the pit where God resides
Chromatic orbs, frosted seaweed:
An endless ocean where paupers plead.

Lost in space without a care
Heading somplace, I don't know where
Averted eyes avoiding earth
Drifting, dying, dead. Rebirth!

A lonely child in a shopping mall
Buying time, held in God's thrall
Slowly I walk down the unlit aisle
Through swirling stars and cosmic bile
On mosaic tile, a glowing ring
Surrounding the planet where lost souls sing

Lost in space without a care
Heading somplace, I don't know where
Averted eyes avoiding earth
Drifting, dying, dead. Rebirth!

I emerge from the chaos in a place of light
An unearthly glow illuminates the night
Shedding tears as galactic spheres
Creating worlds and shifting gears
Hurtling the universe towards its fate
The pauper pleads but man must wait

Lost in space without a care
Heading somplace, I don't know where
Averted eyes avoiding earth
Drifting, dying, dead. Rebirth!

© Jeremy Likness.

Yesterday's eats:

USANA Healthpak
2 Kashi 7-grain waffles
1 tbsp blackberry jam
1 tbsp raspberry jam
3 cups water
1 Clif Bar Mojo
2 Fresca diet sodas
1 serving Pad Thai
1 Diet Coke
1 bag Doritos
1 oz tortilla chips
1 Clif Bar crunchy peanut butter
1 slice pizza
1 breadstick
2 drinks made with Ginger Ale and rum
1 piece of my daughter's birthday cake

Calories: 3,490
Fat: 125g (30g saturated)
Cholesterol: 158mg
Sodium: 4,410mg
Potassium: 733mg
Carbohydrate: 488g (29g fiber/96g sugar)
Protein: 100g

Whew! Overkill.

Until next time,

Jeremy Likness

PS - I just realized that I wrote a long and rambling post without explaining the title, "Roadblocks to Pebbles." I found it ironic today that I actually do experience a lot of the things I did when I first started running: soreness, mild stomach discomfort, stitches, etc. But in the beginning, these were painful things that would force me to stop and walk or even give up on the run. I've noticed lately that I simply don't have time for these things. I still feel the stitches come on sometimes, but I decide I don't want to stop and they go away. I even have some mild stomach sumersaults that used to end my long runs, now I simply let my body know I'm doing 7 miles no matter what it throws at me ... and the pain goes away. What used to be roadblocks and now no more than pebbles in my shoe.

posted by Jeremy Likness | 6:26 PM | 1 comments

Thursday, January 04, 2007

7 Miles and the Trampoline

Today's Run: 7.04
Run Time: 1:20:07
Total Miles to Date: 237.1

Thoughts on the Run:

Wow! Great run. Basically, this is a first for me ... I finished the 14-miler, took a day off, then did 3 on the treadmill, and finally 7. I haven't been able to do runs so close to each other in awhile.

Wednesday was a busy day. I got home late from the office and stepped out in sunlight but finished the run in the dark. I set my Garmin to pace me with a virtual partner at a 12-minute pace. Obviously, I was feeling great as I blew through the first mile in under 10 minutes. I purposefully slowed down as this is NOT my "tough" run, I need the energy for the weekend back-to-back runs, and came in a little slower and finally petered down to a respectable pace. I started feeling some pain near the end of the run but worked through it and finished strong. Now the issue is not my ITB but some pain on the top of my right foot (plantar fascitis? Not sure). We'll see how that pans out.

The splits for the run looked like:

Interval 1 Mi 9:37 9:37
Interval 1 Mi 10:24 20:01
Interval 1 Mi 12:02 32:03
Interval 1 Mi 11:16 43:19
Interval 1 Mi 11:52 55:11
Interval 1 Mi 12:39 1:07:50
Interval 1 Mi 11:45 1:19:35
Interval 0.04 Mi 0:31 1:20:06

I felt great when I was finished. After finishing, I went downstairs to assemble the 12 foot trampoline for my daughter's birthday. Little did I know what an upper body (pulling springs into place) and lower body (squatting down to tie off the padding on the bottom) workout this would be! Near 11 I was finished. I was in that weird state of being exhausted but not tired and held on for another few hours before drifting asleep only to wake up 5 hours later.

Today was a shorter day as I cut the business day short to spend time with my daughter. We had a great birthday party with close friends over.

I'm also excited to know my friend, mentor, and terrific coach Jeffery Combs is coming to Atlanta. I invited my friend and we are set to receive the amazing value he always has to offer at his seminars.

TUESDAY

6 cups water
1 cup sparkling water
4 cups coffee
1 cup granola w/ 1/4 cup raspberries & 1 banana w/ 1 cup soymilk
1 USANA HealthPak
1 peanut butter granola bar
3 oz multigrain tortilla chips
1/3 cup mixed lightly salted nuts
1 Caesar salad
2 blueberry muffins
1 Subway roasted chicken breast on whole wheat bread
1 bag Sun Chips multigrain
1 can ginger ale
1 oz chocolate
1 slice key lime pie

Calories: 3,116
Fat: 118g (25g sat)
Cholesterol: 121mg
Sodium: 3,830mg
Potassium: 2,380mg
Carbohydrate: 446g (45g fiber/77g sugar)
Protein: 90g

WEDNESDAY

1 USANA Healthpak
2 Kashi 7-grain waffles
1/4 cup all natural maple syrup
2/3 tsp Smart Balance Omega Plus
2 cups sparkling water
1 cup cranberry juice
2 granola bars
4 cups coffee
1 helping of Ruffles cheddar & sour cream chips
1 falafel
1 Caesar salad
3 cups water
1 chocolate cookie
1 handful SweetTarts
1 Diet Coke
2 cups homemade 15-bean soup
1 serving Succeed! Amino (during run)

Calories: 1,980
Fat: 57g (17g sat)
Cholesterol: 12g
Sodium: 2,020mg
Potassium: 1,900mg
Carbohydrate: 321g (36g fiber/94g sugar)
Protein: 52g

Until next time,

Jeremy Likness

posted by Jeremy Likness | 9:05 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Treadmill Lies

Today's Run: 3.0
Run Time: 41:50
Total Miles to Date: 230.1

Thoughts on the Run:

Today was a recovery run. I say, "treadmill lies" only because running a slow pace seems like a LOT more work on the treadmill. I know what an easy pace "feels like" and this wasn't it. However, I hovered between 13 - 14 minute miles. I warmed up by walking at a 14-minute pace on an extreme incline and then jogged at about 13:50 for the rest of the run. Nice recovery and "warm up" for the 7 miles tomorrow.

Nutrition on my big run day (14 miles) was:

1 Spritzer (1/2 Perrier/1/2 cranberry juice)
4 cups coffee
Biscuits that my daughter baked with organic jam and honey
The USANA HealthPak
2 packets of Succeed! Amino (during the run)
1 packet of Succeed! CLIP2 (during the run)
2 S-caps (sodium tablets) during the run
9 cups water
5 oz multigrain tortilla chips
6 oz jerk chicken
3 oz Mexican "queso fresca" (nachos for lunch, fajitas for dinner)
Peppers/etc for fajitas on a whole grain tortilla
Margaritas and rum plus bitter lemons
1 slice pizza
1 slice key lime pie

Calories: 4,273
Fat: 107g (37g sat)
Cholesterol: 226mg
Sodium: 5,470mg
Potassium: 1,710mg
Carbohydrate: 492g (23g fiber/39g sugar)
Protein: 113g

Then yesterday:

Layered glass with yogurt, granola, raspberries, and strawberries
4 cups coffee
USANA HealthPak
2 additional Vitamin C (300mg each)
Fajita scramble (2 eggs, 2oz chicken, 1oz cheese, mixed veggies)
2oz multigrain tortilla chips
1 cup water
1 cup sparkling water
1 large radicchio and romaine lettuce salad with Caesar dressing
2 falafels
1 can Ginger Ale
1 slice key lime pie
1 cup dark chocolate cocoa

Calories: 2,192
Fat: 90g (24g sat)
Cholesterol: 428mg
Sodium: 3,020mg
Potassium: 1,550mg
Carbohydrate: 280g (24g fiber/58g sugar)
Protein: 74g

That's it for now!

Jeremy

posted by Jeremy Likness | 6:28 AM | 1 comments

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