The Road to Ultra: August 2007

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Run!

Today's Run: 5.0m
Run Time: 1 hour (12 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 653.6

Thoughts on the Run:

I wish I could take credit for such a creative title, but instead this is what appeared in my inbox today. Yehuda Berg was kind enough to share:

It is written, "...and all the blessings in the world will start to chase you."

When you live in harmony with the spiritual principles of the universe, blessings come quicker. The faster you run from things that are bad for you, the quicker good things will chase you. It also works conversely - the more you don't do what you know you ought to, the more curses you get thrown in your lap.

Run today! Run away from your ego centric thoughts and run towards helping others.

How true this is. Nutrition is a great example of living in harmony. I believe most of us know when we are not "following the path." We say, "Just a little bit" and then feel wracked with guilt. It is always a let down: a perfect streak ended because the pleasure of just a few seconds overpowers our will to hold strong and focus on the longer term feeling of being healthy and fit.

Today I felt in flow and I ran, but it wasn't from my ego. It was ... really ... well, to nowhere. I did not run this morning, and by evening it was pouring rain. I'm not opposed to running in the rain. Indeed, my first 12-mile run was on a boring 1/2 mile loop in the pouring rain. If I can do something that monotonous and damp, you'd think I could tackle almost anything. But tonight I felt like taking it easy (after all, it does say "easy" for today's run, so I might as well live up to it, right?) and did a nice, slow 5-mile pace on flat ground. Not that 5 miles isn't something to be proud of ... but it is ironic that what used to be a "long run" for me now seems so short compared to my goal of 26.2 miles and then going beyond.

I've been reconnecting with a lot of great people this week. One of my business mentors, John Milton Fogg, appeared on the friends list of someone else on a social networking site. When I first began to consider starting my own business, a friend of mine encouraged me to attend a seminar in Atlanta. To me, it was just another one of those silly business luncheons where you might get a few interesting bullet points, drink lots of coffee and pump the hands of smiling, eager sales people trying to get you to join their downline.

I was wrong! What an amazing experience. I met John Milton Fogg, received his book and was transported into a land that at the time seemed to be pure fantasy (living by simply connecting with others, and appreciating what you can do for them? Being your own boss? Nonsense!) I also met John "Get Fired Up!" DiLemme. It was so powerful to hear him share how he used to be a stutterer and now is a motivational speaker. In the back of the audience, Michael Litman was there. He was just a name to me that night, but little did I know he would eventually become one of my powerful business coaches and help me take my own business to the next level.

Another connection was to the band that I helped with their Christian Music Makeover, Daniel's Window. What a terrific group ... if you haven't heard them, you deserve to listen. Their MySpace page is right here. They graciously offered to let me use some of their songs as background to some of my workout videos and I'm interested to hear some of their instrumentals as well.

Share a moment of silence for fitness pioneer Arthur Jones who invented the Nautilus system and changed exercise and fitness forever. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to do. According to this article, obesity doesn't just hurt the people who suffer from it ... it impacts the entire U.S. economy in a negative way!

Apparently, switching to a healthy menu does more than just help shed unwanted pounds. How about stopping depression and violence as well? Wow.

Good news for those with type 1 diabetes. It isn't just drugs that can help ... exercise plays a positive role as well.

Anyway, it's late and I've got a lot of sleep to catch up on this week. Another fast run tomorrow, then a 10-miler this weekend. I'm looking forward to sleeping in one of these weekend days!

Until next time,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 10:35 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Registration is Closed!

Today's Run: 3.0m
Run Time: 26:27 (8:49 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 648.6

Thoughts on the Run:

So it is official. This year's registration for the JFK 50 mile ultramarathon is closed. That blurb stood out for me as I perused the health-related news because this was my original goal. I should have completed two marathons by now and been well on my way. Of course, everything happens for a reason and I couldn't be happier with taking some extra time and doing it right. So, next year is the new goal ... unless I find another race. But we must crawl, then walk, then run, so I need to tackle my first marathon before I start moving into the realm of ultramarathons. Short term goals, then long-term goals!

Today I ran one of my fastest runs to date. I noticed that I did have a little bit left, and the pace is by no means a record-breaking pace, but for me it was fast. I decided that this is a good time to back off. What do I mean by back off? One mistake people tend to make is to constantly try to do more, more, more. As a trainer I know that a better way is to wave load your training. In other words, if your goal is to run 10 miles, you could do 2, 4, 6, 8, then 10. However, that can also increase your risk for injury. Wave-loading means you take a week and back off. For example, I worked up to 7 miles, then dropped back to 6, before pushing to 9.

With my faster runs, I'll do the same. I'm average an 8:50 minute mile now, running at intervals of 5.5 mph, 6.5 mph ... on up to one minute at 9.5 mph. I've been adding 0.1 mph every week. This week I'll back off - next week I'll drop back to 5.4 mph, take a rest, then the week after come back to 5.5, then push on to 5.6. Wave loading ... it does a body good.

According to the site I use to track my runs, my estimated VO2 Max based on this run was 34.3. What does that mean? I wrote an article called Train to the Vo2 Max that explains it. I also wrote a little Vo2 Max Estimator Google Gadget that you can use or even add to your own website. It not only estimates your VO2 Max based on race times, but displays a handy chart on averages based on some date that I found online (although I do think that data is skewed in favor of athletes).

I thought I ran pretty well but my VO2 Max for the run ranks "poor."

I stumbled across another inspirational weight loss story. If you enjoy that type of reading, check out this story of five sisters who competed together in a bodybuilding competition in honor of their mother who passed away from cancer.

I know all of the popular news is about vitamins increasing skin cancer this week (another media fluke full of lopsided and misinformed reporting) but how about what they can do for your brain? Don't forget to mix in a little exercise, though. It has many benefits, including reducing your risk of stroke. A losing weight, a common "side effect" of exercising, may prolong your life.

I just visited the doctor for the first time in years ... probably since before I lost all of my weight. Despite working 80 - 100 hours per week running two businesses, helping my wife and daughter with theirs, training for a marathon and and all of my other projects I had a slow strong heart rate, low blood pressure, and checked out well. We're still waiting for the blood samples to be analyzed by the lab. I'm very curious about those results due to my controversial diet - I don't avoid sugar or fats, I just focus on healthy, so I tend to eat a lot of natural fats, egg yolks, etc, and pour all natural maple syrup on my waffles. I also eat a ton of soy which some people claim is harmful and affects hormone levels. I don't buy into any of the mainstream anti-sugar, anti-saturated fat and anti-soy hype but I'll be the first to admit my mistake if the lab results tell a different story.

So, it's back to relax and focus on my easy 5-miler tomorrow. Still not sure if I'll tackle it in the morning or evening. Seems I've been more consistent with late night runs lately.

Take care and I'll be in touch.

Warmly,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 9:06 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, August 25, 2007

A Hillacious Good Time

Today's Run: 9.07m
Run Time: 2:04:12 (13:42 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 645.6

Thoughts on the Run:

Last night I met with my good friend Brian. I've known Brian for about 15 years now. He's one of those few kind souls you meet in life who is full of giving. When I injured my knee and had to have a complete reconstruction of my ACL performed, Brian was the one who drove me to my physical therapy sessions several times a week for almost a year. He never complained, he always rearranged his schedule, and was there to help. Thank you, Brian.

Brian lives in California now but was down for the weekend for a wedding. He was close to my office so we connected at a local place called The Highlander. I was told their "loaded tots" were good and I knew I could splurge due to the long run today, so I got loaded tots. True to my resolve to not drink alcohol until my marathon, I had an alcohol-free beer. It was interesting.

I had a great time catching up. We also had some great fun with synchronicity. I was telling Brian and his friend about how powerful it can be to look for signs in our lives and realize there are no coincidences. I shared a few different stories about how I was connected with the right people at the right time.

He and his friend were going to leave to see an outdoor movie, but rainclouds rolled in so they had to change their plans. There is a pool hall above the Highlander that we've shot in before, so we decided to head upstairs to shoot pool. Upon entering the pool hall, a friend of Brian's arrived named Brad.

I spoke with Brad briefly and he asked me what I do. I shared some information about my business ventures but told him the most exciting project was my daughter's business, LizzieMarieCuisine.com. I explained how she likes to record videos that show kids how easy it can be to cook healthy and fun meals.

He grinned and pulled out his business card for L.I.T. Kitchen.

Need I go on? These are the ways people connect when you are willing to see the signs and let life happen.

I had a fantastic time and played pool for hours. Brian is just an amazing person and of course attracts amazing people into his lives ... everyone I met was positive, unique, and fun, and I am glad to have connected with so many new friends in one evening.

I came home and crashed. Breakfast was some flaxseed waffles with all-natural maple syrup. I built a new gadget for my daughter's website. It is a kitchen calculator that will convert units of measure but also show substitutions for recipes and more. I've embedded it here or you can pull it up on her site at this link.

Then it was time to run. I mixed up several bottles full of sports drink and filled my 64 ounce pack, loaded up with sunscreen and stepped outside.

To summarize the run is simple:

Hot. Hotter. Feeling dizzy. Slow down. Drink. Find shade. Walk a bit. Feeling better. Run some more. Hot. Hotter.

Just replay that sequence for two hours and you'll have a pretty good idea of how it went. I would say this was my most difficult run short of the marathon. While I've done plenty of longer runs, the heat and the distance just made this one a challenge. In fact, in the past I might have given up and thrown in the towel at mile 3. But my resolve is set and again I come back to my promise that I will do what it takes to finish my runs ... and so I pushed on ... and pushed on ... and pushed on. Eventually I made it back. It was tough running the last mile because I passed all of the swimming pools at the different subdivisions and kept thinking about how cool the water would be (I ended up taking a cool bath afterwards). I think the next time I run, I'll grab my swimming trunks and pack them ... I can rinse in the shower and just dive in when I'm finished.

I averaged just under a 14-minute mile. However, with the heat, the first time going that distance in months, and considering just how hilly my neighborhood is ... I'm going to write this one down as a successful run!

So the run is over and that wraps another week. Now I'm going to do something I don't allow myself to do often. I was spoiled last night just relaxing and having fun, so I'm going to do it again. No new articles, gadgets, programming, or other business-related activities. Just games with my daughter, kick back, and relax.

I hope you have a lovely and relaxing weekend as well!

Warmly (pardon the pun),

posted by Jeremy Likness | 7:35 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Days of Eight

Today's Run: 4.03m
Run Time: 43:47 (10:52 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 633.5

Thoughts on the Run:

So I'm driving home, stuck in traffic. The digital thermometer in my Honda Civic EX reads 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). The car is straining to cool the interior and I'm watching the temperature gauge for the engine closely, because the traffic isn't moving. Wading my way through rush hour traffic gives me a moment to contemplate my run. Once again I've opted for sleep in the morning. As fate would have it, I'm heading home early and have a chance to run while it's still light outside.

I think about procrastinating and waiting until evening. The excuse of cooler temperatures won't hold because this heat is something so thick the ground seems to cling to it without letting go, even as darkness falls. But I also know the night brings another unpleasant surprise, one that I'm not sure I care to face. In this heat, it's now the days of eight ... eight-legged creatures that seem to thrive in the warmer temperatures. The spiders are out, and they are dangling from every tree and branch. In previous runs I was amazed to see thin threads that stretched the full width of the road and tiny blots in the distance as they dropped one after another from the branches onto the sidewalk with their silk bungee cords.

The only problem is that I usually end up catching those threads on my face. They make a sickening tearing sound when you run through them, followed by that prickling sensation of little legs crawling over my scalp. No thanks. I'll take the daylight.

I decide to get it over and done with. I chug down some water, mix a sports drink that is loaded with carbohydrates, healthy fats, and sodium, then set out. As usual, my legs feel like lead as I pound up the initial stretch. The heat doesn't seem bad but my legs ache. I know from experience that I just need to get through the "warm-up" period ... in this heat, it shouldn't take long.

Soon I am plodding along at a steady pace. I take frequent sips from my bottles. I've learned that instead of chugging down gulps at intervals, it's best just to take frequent sips. I know how much I have ... so I should be about half empty at 2 miles, mostly empty at 3, done by the time I finish.

I make it 2 miles. The heat is now starting to penetrate my defenses and I stagger to a halt at the top of the hill. I walk briskly, trying to look like I have a higher purpose because there are tons of cars on the road and it's silly to be dressed like a runner only to stumble along the sidewalk. The metal pole that marks the halfway point gets a light tap but the victory is hollow. I turn around, look at the rows of car headlights reflecting the sunlight back in my face, then begin to run again.

I pick up a decent pace. I have an urge to run faster but this is the run I have marked "easy" on my calendar. Sure, I could push it, but then I have a tempo run tomorrow and I may risk cutting into my ability to finish that. So I take it easy.

I reach the hill I call Goliath. It only takes a few steps before I feel dizzy and nauseous. I stop to walk. I almost feel the shudder of laughter beneath the soles of my shoes as Goliath claims victory. This only frustrates me, however, so I clench my teeth and dig in. I may not conquer the entire slope, but there is a good half mile of guard rail. It's all up hill and it's a good distance, but this is the same stretch I used to sprint up doing hill repeats only a few months back. I decide to go for it. I hit the beginning of the guard rail, turn my head down and begin pushing up at a brisk pace. Goliath is silent now, waiting, hoping I am not able to make the climb. The heat has addled my brain and I stubbornly refuse to stop.

While the daylight keeps the spiders at bay, something else is waiting on the hill. I feel some burning pricks on my legs and suddenly find myself swatting at horse flies. They swarm me and taunt my progress up the hill, stopping to take a fresh bite each time my pace slows.

I push harder and harder and refuse to see how long it is until I reach the end. Goliath is scared now, it looks like I may have the upper hand after all. Suddenly I come to the end of the guard rail. I want to stop but I push a little bit past and then smile. It's a small victory, but Goliath is behind me, silent, no gloating on this run. The horse flies are gone.

It's down the opposite side and a teenager is climbing the hill in my direction. I get close and flash a smile but realize he's the "serious" kind, staring ahead and looking cool in case one of his friends happens to see him. I realize there is only one way to communicate. He returns my curt nod and we stare back, straight ahead, serious looks on our faces: we're cool, even if it's hot. He acknowledged the head bob; the smile went unnoticed.

Going up the next, smaller hill, I slow down a bit. At this point I can barely feel my legs. Funny thing is pride still creeps in and I don't want to just walk up the hill, so I assume my "I think I can" pace. There is a great optical illusion when going uphill against traffic. I can keep my pace but make my strides extremely short. I barely gain any ground (it might be faster to walk up the hill at this point) but I'm sure it makes a convincing display of really chugging up the hill. I repeat the words, "I think I can" in my head until finally at the top I have to stop again.

It's then that I glance at my watch and see my pace is 11:05. For some reason I get a stubborn notion that I have to finish this run faster than an 11 minute pace. So down the backside I keep it "easy" but open up my stride. I'm not going to stare at my watch, but I'm sure I can make up the time. I look straight ahead, plow down the hill, and keep moving. I'm parched now, my lips are dry, and I just squeezed out the last drop of liquid from my bottle, so there is nothing to do but shorten the distance between here and home.

My watch chimes. I've reached my goal of 4 miles. I did it faster than 11 minutes. I'm still standing. The heat has subsided, and inside I mix Pellegrino with grape juice and take a salt tablet.

Now it's time to relax.

posted by Jeremy Likness | 8:25 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Portabello Power

Today's Run: 3.0
Run Time: 26:43 (8:55 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 629.5

Thoughts on the Run:

Today was a fast run. Unfortunately, when I postpone my runs until the evening, I shift my nutrition schedule. Usually I run, then have a big bowl of fruit, then start in with complex carbs later in the day. When I skip the run, it's straight to oatmeal or multi-grain waffles and coffee. Not that I eat unhealthy, I just don't get in all of my fruit.

I kicked the speed up a notch and knocked my pace down to sub-9-minute miles. It was a tough run but I'm still hanging on.

This marks the fourth week I've been 100% alcohol-free ... I keep having some thoughts that I am going to REALLY enjoy the glass of red wine I have to celebrate after my Thanksgiving Day Marathon ... another part of me says I won't even want wine by then. Only time will tell.

My wife prepared an amazing dish when I was done with the run. It was a "portobello pizza." We grilled some shallots in olive oil and garlic, then took them off the grill and grilled the mushrooms. On top we grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, then added artichoke hearts and olives.

I had a baked potato on the side with tofu sour cream ... you'd almost think I was vegan. To drink was a delicious soda - 3/4 all-natural Peligrino with 1/4 all-natural Concord grape juice. DELICIOUS!

Tomorrow is a 4 mile run, then a fast run, then this weekend I have what I consider my first "true" long run, a 9-miler. I'm looking forward to it. I've been missing my long runs because there is something about spending several hours out on the run that allows you to meditate and connect with parts of yourself that don't have time to rise to the surface in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Pounding out some of these faster runs on the treadmill had me laughing because I was working so hard but getting nowhere. I'm not alone, apparently this person trained for ultramarathons ... on his treadmill!

Anyway, I'm ready to catch some sleep so until next time,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 8:49 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Goliath Burning

Today's Run: 6.07m
Run Time: 1:15:04 (12:23 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 626.5

Thoughts on the Run:

Whew was it a scorcher.

They say if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. I decided to take a slightly different approach. Instead, I'll just get used to the heat!

I was out at 1pm and it was 95 degrees and humid. I'll talk about why that wasn't really so bad in a little bit. I was trying out a new shirt. It turns out that a technical shirt from Wal-Mart that costs $8 works just as great as a logo shirt that costs $75 at the local sports shop. A technical shirt for running is one that whicks away sweat. It has tiny pores so that when you sweat, instead of soaking the sweat like cotton (which causes the shirt to weigh 500 tons and can rub your chest raw) or trapping the sweat like synthetic materials, the water evaporates through and helps you cool off.

I also found that shoes are far more important than I originally thought. This run was a breeze as far as feet and legs were concerned - all of the pain the previous week was definitely due to a bum sole on my other shoes. These shoes reminded me of a trick I learned as well - the laces skip every other hole so that as my foot swells during the run, it doesn't get squeezed. This is how I avoid losing circulation but more importantly keeping from getting blisters even on longer runs.

I brought plenty of fluid and salt and just pounded it out. Sure, there were moments when I had to walk. The long hill I lovingly call "Goliath" waited eagerly to test my mettle. I walked Goliath, but in that heat even walking it was like going over burning coals. I still managed a decent pace of just over 12 minutes per mile and this was just my third longer run in the heat so I feel good about the progress ... I'm no longer feeling completely wiped out at the end.

The night before I shot some video of my daughter preparing one our favorite weekend splurge meals, a home made calzone. The recipe and video are up at Lizzie Marie Cuisine. I also recorded one of my own this morning, a companion video to a popular article on the site. It's called The Practical Way to Lose Fat.

I did it before the run in case I was wiped out.

We are also filming my daughter making a nice cool Granita (Italian ice) with all natural lemonade. So after my run, I had the perfect combination to cool down with ... nice refreshing lemonade (the left over from her dish) and a Mojo. This is a type of bar from the Clif Bar company that is like trail mix. It is perfect for after a run because it contains a combination of fat, protein, fiber, and sugar for recovery as well as lots of salt. While normally for a healthy diet you want to keep added salt to a minimum, after training in the heat, sodium is the main mineral you lose through sweat so it's important to replenish as I mentioned in my article about replacing fluids called The Long Haul.

An interesting article today said that some people may be non-responders to exercise. The important thing to consider is just what protocol they followed. It may be that the researchers had their own protocol in mind and it wasn't the right one. I can say in almost a decade of coaching, I've never met a single individual who couldn't respond to the right training. I've met lots of people who do the wrong exercise, the wrong intensity, the wrong way, or consume the wrong nutrition to see results, but once they realize the proper way to integrate these variables, the weight comes off. My point is not to use research like this as an excuse. Your genes might make it harder, but the only way to fail is to give up.

We hear a lot about functional training these days. Apparently, bodybuilding has a practical real world application: thwarting bank robberies.

Exercise is great, but too much too fast or under the wrong conditions can be dangerous. In some sobering news, a Chinese weight loss official apparently died while training - they found him on the ground with his workout clothes on.

I mentioned earlier that the heat of my run wasn't really all that bad when you put it in perspective and promised to explain why. Here is the explanation - what those racers do is phenomenal!

In lieu of the bad rep vitamins have been getting lately, here's some good news about how they may have a positive impact on cognitive ability.

Okay, that's it for today, take care and have a blessed week.

posted by Jeremy Likness | 2:57 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Running Takes a Lot of Sole!

Today's Run: 3.0
Run Time: 26:55 (8:59 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 620.4

Thoughts on the Run:

My schedule has been shifted a bit due to a variety of reasons: work, being tired, and most recently a nagging knee pain on my right leg. It appears I've found the culprit and it highlights just why shoes are so important.

As I was walking through our brand new office the other day, I noticed a weird feeling under my right foot. I lifted it, thinking I had stepped on something, and realized that a large chunk of the sole was coming off. By later that day, it was gone.

No wonder that leg was hurting! I was giving my runs heart but apparently not enough sole.

So I confiscated the shoes (New Balance) which had logged 400 miles (in all fairness, they are trail shoes and I've been pounding them on pavement so I can't blame the quality of the shoe) and switched to my street-worthy Saucony shoes with about 500 miles on them. Suddenly my feet felt ten times lighter and there was no discomfort on the right side ... I had a great run and broke the 9-minute mile mark for my training runs.

I use an interval training method for my tempo runs ... would anyone be interested in a video demonstration of this? I was curious as I was running if that type of clip would provide value to anyone.

Tomorrow I brave the elements and take on an easy 6-miler in the 100-degree heat (or maybe I'll get out there when it's a little more cool).

One nice thing about the web these days is there are so many tools to keep track of what you do. I use RunningAhead.com to keep track of my runs and it comes complete with graphs and analysis tools and you can even track mileage per shoe. They were recently acquired as the official running logging tool by Running World online.

Google Gadgets are also a lot of fun. I have a gaggle of gadgets available here that calculate body fat, show exercises and stretches, help compute fluid intake, give target heart rate, estimate one-rep maximums for weight trainers, estimate protein requirements, answer daily questions and even provide some recipes. For those of you who are fans of my wife and daughter's venture, Lizzie Marie Cuisine, this gadget will give you a new recipe, article, or video of theirs each time you refresh the page.

We have several in the works as well - I'll post when we have our next few out and I believe these will be the most popular of all as they will be put to good use in the kitchen.

Today we woke up, had a nice breakfast out together and then headed to the farmer's market. It was fun to look at our shopping cart at the end of the day. My wife uses the grocery list format she wrote about here. So what did it look like?

Here was today's list:

English cucumber, organic raspberries, organic black and red plums, Romaine lettuce, Bosc pears, shallots, organic baby carrots, crimini mushrooms, portobello mushroom caps, soy milk, Italian extra virgin olive oil, safflower mayonnaise, organic chicken broth, all natural marinara sauce, Nutella (our little splurge spread), mocha almond crunch granola cereal, barbecue baked rice crispies (chips make from baked rice), organic Koala crisp cereal (can you tell I like chocolate?), Jamaican jerk spices, mixed nuts, Pad Thai noodles, polenta, sesame sticks (snacks), organic flaxseed waffles (note: these will be the higher fiber ones), parmigano reggiano, Italian espresso, organic lemonade, organic whole wheat flour, cornmeal, hot pepper sauce, lemons, assorted Clif Bars for emergency snacks when I'm on the road or in the office, sugar cane (splurge treat - these are the whole sticks to chew on, actually a very low calorie yet sweet treat), bananas, garlic, and apples.

So there you have it - a peep inside one our shopping trips! Now to be honest, the weekend is my splurge time so I may go out for some ice cream (my weakness). Since I've given up most dairy, ice cream seems to disrupt my system a bit so lately I've been opting for either soy ice cream or sorbet, though I do go for the all natural original style on occasion as well.

That's it for now,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 3:06 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, August 16, 2007

The Night Cap was a Bandanda

Today's Run: 4.04
Run Time: 46:44 (11:33 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 617.4

Thoughts on the Run:

Yesterday I woke up sore and stiff. My right knee was complaining so I gave it a break and decided to rearrange my schedule for the week. Instead of running, I slept in, then in the evening headed to the pool with my daughter. We had a great time and it was like therapy for my knee.

This morning I still felt like I wasn't ready so I put it off again. I ended up having a full and productive day and wasn't able to run until late at night. I could have easily written it off and gone to bed but I refuse to miss a run this time around, so I dragged myself downstairs, threw on my reflective gear and went out for a night run.

It was an easy 4 miles. OK, so I lied. The first mile was miserable. It just felt like I was running for the first time - you wouldn't believe I have been running for almost a month now because I was so sore, stiff, and winded just getting down the block from my house. I was frustrated but decided this was part of the process and pressed on. After warming up I finally made it to a decent pace and pushed myself about 3 miles. After that, there was a hill that I had to walk but then it was paced strong again to the finish and now the run is complete.

I always get wired after my runs so I decided to write my blog and newsletter and then catch up on sleep. I'll run again tomorrow evening, do my longer run Saturday and then I'm on track for my runs this week.

I've been letting myself get frustrated over my weight. Despite eating clean throughout the week and then running like a madman my weight not only decided not to budge, it went up a tad. We're talking fat here, not weight, because I can tell by the way my jeans fit. They should be getting looser, they aren't.

The fact is that I've never really been successful with fat loss unless I'm weight training, and this time my weights are really just body weight exercises and light training that is far less than what I would normally do. So, I'm going to have to take a hit in nutrition. My "clean" isn't good enough so I'm going to overhaul my diet. To cut out calories I'll probably continue with my typical higher carbohydrate fare (fruit, pasta, whole grain bread, bagels, etc) in the mornings but then phase over to more lean proteins and vegetables in the evening. I'm not a fan of the whole "cut carbs after dark" movement but this will at least shift my macronutrients so I'm getting refueled enough to continue to run but should be burning more fat in the evening. Only time will tell.

Of all places, the Money section of CNN actually has advice on this whole exercise thing. In this article they suggest 30 minutes 5 times per week or vigorously for 20 minutes 3 times per week. Of course you can ask two people what vigorous is and they may come up with two entirely different answers. With 4 runs per week, some getting up to 7-minute miles for segments and others lasting hours, I think I'm solid on those guidelines.

Of course, with the good we take the bad. Now we find out that rats with high blood pressure may develop worse blood pressure and suffer heart attack from exercise. What? I wonder what their diet looked like as well.

Here's another blog about someone training for a marathon. There are lots out there, but this one is from my home town, St. Petersburg, so I thought I'd post it up!

Well, I had better go catch some rest. Tomorrow is an exciting new day! Until then,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 11:45 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

One Second Shy

Today's Run: 3.0m
Run Time: 27:01 (9:01 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 613.4

Thoughts on the Run:

Today's run was later in the day. I escaped the heat by descending into my basement. I came home, munched on a granola bar and drank some cranberry juice before hitting the treadmill.

It was just 0.1 miles per hour faster than last week, but that shaves a significant amount of time from the entire run. My faster paces were 8:10 and 7:10 minutes per mile respectively. I thought today would be the day I break the 9-minute mile mark, but in the end, I was one second shy. No worries, we can remedy that.

I'll be back at it tomorrow morning for a nice 4 miler with no speed in mind. So far we're four weeks into it and I'm staying consistent. Was onsite at a customer and avoided the temptation for pizza and burgers, then opted for a nice salad instead.

I'm excited to see the response to my daughter's venture at Lizzie Marie Cuisine as well as positive feedback on the Five Keys to Healthy Eating video. I'm working on better audio and getting another camera into play for more versatility. It's exciting to see the community and content grow!

For all of the vitamin-bashing lately, other research is showing promising news like how vitamins may reduce risk of premature births. I found a really great article about how statistics are manipulated to confuse and downright lie. Consumers are being duped and unfortunately many of the culprits are, well, those people who WANT you feel sick so you can make a little deposit to their multi-billion dollar industry. Yes, we're talking legal drugs - the pharmaceutical industry. They really want to discredit those other ways of allowing your body to heal.

I'm not saying all drugs are bad or ineffective ... but there is definitely a campaign of misinformation out there. Read this great article to learn more about how to read between the lines when you see conflicting views about important topics like multivitamins.

I thought this article about weight loss with hypnosis was quite interesting. If you find it intriguing, read our interview with Dr. Temes.

If you're looking for a deal on my book, Lose Fat Not Faith, someone has it up on e-Bay for $15.64 + $5.49 shipping and handling. But wait! You can get it at my own website for $19.99 INCLUDING S&H - and that's worldwide. Oh, did I mention it's brand new?

Anyway, take care and I look forward to sharing my run with you tomorrow. Until then, I am,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 8:42 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Sunny Side Up at the PNR

Today's Run: 7.16m
Run Time: 1:31:14 (12:45 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 610.4m

Thoughts on the Run:

Whew!

Let me say that again: whew!

I planned to run in the morning. Instead, my wife and I decided to have a nice breakfast together. That was fine because I knew I could wait and hour or two and then run while it was still early. Unfortunately, things came up, schedules were rearranged, and suddenly my run was pushed until almost noon.

I knew it was getting hot but decided I need to learn to acclimate myself to the heat. So, I decided to run anyway. I am focused on finishing a marathon, so my training runs have the same goal: it's not about how fast, but that I finish it.

And I was determined. I decided before stepping out of the door that I would finish the run, no matter what. If I couldn't run, I'd walk. If I couldn't walk, I'd crawl. Last season I was cutting a lot of runs short. This time I decided it wasn't about going 3 miles on a 7 mile run and then giving up ... if it took me all day I was going to finish the distance.

So, I set out. I normally would take two 16oz bottles on a 7-mile run. This time, however, I was prepared with a 64oz hydration pack (about 2 liters). I wasn't going to let hydration be an excuse!

Running for the first few miles was tough and I started out too fast, clocking a 9-minute mile. The heat struck quickly but I was confident that I had fluids and was sipping frequently rather than following my older habit of taking gulps every 15 - 20 minutes. The strategy seemed to work. When I would get dizzy going up hills, I'd switch to a fast walk, but would not stop completely.

After an initial out-and-back I was at a fork in the road. I could split one direction and head closer to home or head out in another and commit myself to a longer loop. I decided to commit myself. I made it to the PNR: the point of no return. I would have to go the distance no matter what.

I felt like an egg sunny side up. The run had no shade so there was no recourse from the heat. It was nearly 100 degrees and humid. There were many times during the run where I wanted to quit and would be forced to walk. Even walking left my dizzy and feeling weak but then I'd make it to the top of the hill and start out in a slow shuffle down the other side. I was able to run the entire way.

I realized that I run far better with my stomach half full than half empty. Okay, that's a joke but I used to get stomach pains and this run helped me realize that it may have been from keeping my stomach too empty. By drinking in a full 64 ounces on the 7 miles I actually stayed hydrated despite the heat but also did not get the stomach pains. Near the end, however, I may have drank too much because my stomach started to feel bloated and full.

It was also interesting because I noticed that I stopped sweating near the end of the run. I don't think that's a good sign but I'll have to look into it more. At any rate I was drinking Gatorade and I also took a salt capsule midway through. I'm glad I brought the salt. I was so bloated that my fingers hurt where my rings were, but after the salt tab the swelling went down.

I finally finished the run and was wiped out for the rest of the day. Fortunately, I wasn't allowed to be too lazy because I had a pool date with my daughter. I think it helped swimming around for a few hours to recover. I slept more deeply than I have in a long time and felt nice and sore this morning ... but I did it, a 7-mile run in the heat.

Today I finished editing my daughter's latest video, a recipe for Antipasto Salad. She is really doing great in front of the camera.

I've yet to record one of my own but today may be the day. Until next time,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 11:40 AM | 0 comments

Friday, August 10, 2007

A Few Seconds Faster

Today's Run: 3.0
Run Time: 27:28 (9:10 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 603.2

Thoughts on the Run:

Closing out my third week true to the program. I was tired again this morning so I grabbed some extra sleep and ran in the evening instead. It was a treadmill run and I'm glad because then I could at least run in the 97 degree basement instead of the 101 degree outdoors. I also shaved just a few seconds from the run time ... enough to get from a 9:11 minute mile to a 9:10 minute mile. Hey, it's progress and I'll take it!

Not much else to report on. A busy schedule as always but very excited for my daughter and how her little venture is taking off.

I found this fellow blogger to have a very inspirational entry about the mental aspects of weight loss. Great work!

As much as I'm NOT a fan of low carb, the picture in this blog entry leaves little doubt that it can be an effective technique ... in fact, that entry is written by friend Jimmy Moore who has a very popular book about low carbs called Livin' La Vida Low Carb. I always like to share other views ... it's a great read so check it out when you have a moment.

It would probably be pointless to try to follow it, but AskMen.com was kind enough to post one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding routines. At least they had the sense to mention "one size doesn't fit all" but they failed to mention much of his career he was partaking in a certain set of special chemicals that would make it far easier for him to, ah, recover from said routines than the average person.

That's it for now. Until next time,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 9:42 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

In the Heat of the Night

Today's Run: 3.07
Run Time: 31:45
Total Miles to Date: 600.2m

Thoughts on the Run:

Wow! 600 miles! Okay, so some people do that in a few months but for me, a great accomplishment.

This morning the alarm went off at 5:30am. I banged the SNOOZE bar and slept another hour. Had a meeting so could not get in the workout, and decided to push it off until the evening. Evening came at quarter to nine and it was a balmy 97 degrees. Again it felt like I was pushing through bricks the first few minutes of the run but then I crested that first hill and it was smooth sailing. It felt great and I'm sure I sweat about 10 pounds off my frame.

Weight is being stubborn and not budging in 3 weeks but my runs are also short. Last round I started shedding fat when I started doing longer runs so I'm being patient and waiting for that. I've held true to my commitment to avoid alcohol completely until my Thanksgiving Day race. Been eating lots of fruits but probably still need more vegetables. I'll get there.

Here's an interesting blog post about one of my heroes, Dean Karnazes. It's an interesting view point. Note that he has raised a ton of money for charities, etc. Then we find out ...

"His often blatant self-promotion gets on a lot of people's nerves."

Personally, I'm thankful for his self-promotion. If not for that, I wouldn't have found and been inspired by his book. What's always interesting is the people who complain, "But I'm better" yet "But I could never sell my idea" and then "I wish it would reach more people." I struggled with those concepts with my book.

When I released it, I tried to avoid "blatant self-promotion." So I just shared it with a few people and put up a web site and let it sit.

And sit.

And sit.

You could almost hear the crickets.

A few people did buy it. I received feedback like thank you for the great inspiration and helping me to unlock some of the reasons why I have been untrue to myself and It is just like a big treasure chest... I keep reaching in and getting little nuggets of knowledge, inspiration, and help. Now these weren't me soliciting viewpoints or testimonials, but honest, heartfelt feedback.

Then, one my clients who I coached and helped lose over 80 pounds (and let's give credit where credit is due ... he did the hard work and earned the results of his phenomenal efforts) told me the crickets aren't going to influence anyone's lives. If I wanted it done, I'd have to do it.

So, I began the "blatant self-promotion." Two things happened.

1. I had a lot of people tell me how evil, horrible, etc I was for actually having the nerve to take something I spent months creating and invested thousands to get to print and then actually expect to receive compensation for selling it, and

2. I sold a lot of copies

The result of (2) was more people whose lives changed.

Even just one life impacted in a positive way is more valuable than everything - time and money - invested in the effort, so having so much feedback has been a true gift and helped I believe many people take their next step.

So, between crickets and no customers or a few people mad at the idea of capitalism and reaching thousands of people, I'll take the latter.

Apparently, the blog author came to the same conclusion about Dean. He'll admit he's not the strongest, fastest, etc. But he does put forth an effort to raise awareness. He's good at marketing himself. And because he did such a good job, my neighbor bought his book, handed me a copy, and now you are reading this blog!

If you're reading this and sitting on the fence, go ahead and order a copy of Lose Fat, Not Faith right now. Don't wait. Seriously. Because you can't lose anything but fat. First, it's free shipping anywhere - as long as the USPS ships to you, I'll drop it in the mail and not charge you a penny for the cost to get it to you. Second, if you don't like it for ANY reason, I accept ALL returns, whether it came from me, Amazon.com, or the local bookstore. If you don't receive value, let me know and we'll take care of you. It's as simple as that!

Mothers, not to scare you, but if you are pregnant and overweight, or thinking of getting pregnant, then this is an important article to read. The summary: Women who were obese before they became pregnant had a higher risk of having babies with certain birth defects, including missing limbs, malformed hearts and underdeveloped spinal cords, a new study found. But the researchers cautioned that overweight women planning to get pregnant should try to lose weight sensibly and carefully.

For those of you who enjoy my wife and daughter's awesome articles and recipes, I created a gadget to throw them right on your home page:

So, that's it for now ... have a wonderful time, and until next time, I am

posted by Jeremy Likness | 9:47 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

30 Seconds and More

Today's Run: 3m
Run Time: 27:31 (9:11 minute mile)
Total Miles to Date: 597.2m

Thoughts on the Run:

So, I stumbled across this page which I thought was pretty neat.

It has all of the Google Gadgets I've developed in one neat, little place.

I'm surprised that over 6,000 people use the body fat calculator but only 1,400 or so subscribe to the Question of the Day ... interesting.

I've got a few new gadgets up my sleeve. Be on the lookout for a kitchen conversions, VO2Max, and random recipe tool in the near future!

Speaking of recipes, my daughter had a wonderful debut with her Breakfast Parfait video. Thanks for all of the support! While you're on it, click that link to see the design for "their" section of the site - it's a totally custom look and feel for the ladies.

This morning I did NOT feel like running. I slept in an extra hour just trying to talk myself out of it, then dragged myself out of bed and stumbled downstairs. The first 5 minutes were tough because it felt like my legs were going to just give in and I felt like I weighed 1,000 pounds. Then I began to sweat, warm up, and get into it and it was fun to finish ... and 30 seconds is the time I won, just about a dozen seconds faster per mile than last week. I'm close to breaking the 9-minute mile mark on my 3 mile runs, but we'll see how the longer runs pan out. Tomorrow is an easy neighborhood run.

If you love pizza as much as I do, you'll enjoy this article about healthier crust (just give it some time to load) ... then link into their whole wheat pizza crust recipe.

For those of you who like to hear about extraordinary accomplishments, here's a nice little blurb about the Badwater Ultramarathon.

It amazes me that you still find people who swear a healthy lifestyle has no connection to reducing risk of disease or other ill effects. They seem to totally dismiss stories like this one about the positive benefits for even something as dire as cancer.

Warmly,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 8:45 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Breakfast Parfait

I'm excited to share my daughter's first video, "Breakfast Parfait" ... she'll be adding more videos along with my wife in the near future.

posted by Jeremy Likness | 5:02 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Synchronistic Demitasse and the Lie of I

Today's Run: 3.00, 6.07
Run Time: 28:04 (9:22 minute mile), 1:11:08 (11:43 minute mile)
Total Miles to Date: 594.2m

Thoughts on the Run:

Had to sneak in two run entries today, because I ran late last night and didn't journal it and then again this morning. Just need a weight training session and I'm golden for the week.

I had an interesting experience with affirmations this week. Some people dismiss affirmations as "fluff" and of course many people recall the comedy spoof of Stuart Smalley.

However, here is my take: first, we all know we have thoughts going through our heads every day. Unfortunately, as I describe in the Weight Loss Mindset, most of those thoughts are random. Thoughts create many events in our reality. They drive what we perceive, how we interpret it, and how we feel as a result. Many of our actions are direct reactions to our thoughts. So in that sense, an affirmation is a thought we think on purpose to take control of the process. Instead of thinking lots of random thoughts, we choose to think the thoughts we desire to achieve a positive result. It's more "realistic thinking" than "positive thinking."

I guess the other point is that anyone can be scientific about it and just try it. If it doesn't work, dismiss it. Me? I decided to write some affirmations daily as part of this segment of my journey, and in the process my subconscious revealed itself.

You see, one of the affirmations I was writing is one I learned from Fredric Lehrman. The affirmation goes like this: "The more I love myself the way I am, the more I am the way I want to be." It's an interesting thought and when you really look into it, it can reveal many ideas.

So I began by copying the affirmations but after a few days had them memorized. Just last night I was writing them down and suddenly felt strange. I wrote a sentence and it felt like I hadn't written it the same as the sentence before that. So, I looked at my page, and this is what it looked like (I was writing that affirmation five times):

"The more I like myself the way I am, the more I am the way I want to be."
"The more I like myself the way I am, the more I am the way I want to be."
"The more I love myself the way I am, the more I am the way I want to be."

It was that last sentence that jumped out at me. Then I looked it over, and smiled. What a subtle change in language, but how revealing! So I went back through the previous days to see. Sure enough, some days were, "The more I like myself..." and other days were, "The more I love myself..."

Interesting, no? So I found that my self-perception was changing based on external events and my mood. Funny thing to contemplate, since I am always, well, me. This will tie into the "lie of I" in a minute, but I'll go on a tangent first. So ... I drew attention to the fact that some days I was not giving myself the confidence, respect, and most importantly, love I deserve, and now that affirmation is more powerful because I focus on the "love" aspect and it drives my thoughts and self-perception throughout the day.

On a side note my wife bought some great Italian espresso the other day. I was going to make a cup and remembered we have two lovely demitasse sets. So, I pulled down one to have my espresso in ... it was wonderful. Then I remembered how I came to own those sets. It's a story of synchronicity.

See, these thoughts are connected. I was talking about affirmations and thoughts. Perhaps a more tangible example of thought driving reality is less how we change, but more how our environment does. For example, we have a lovely little Indian restaurant near our house. They would serve drinks in these beautiful demitasse cups. I am a fan of coffee and have all of the coffee makers from stove top and espresso to French press and everything in between. But we never had a good demitasse set.

My wife and I talked about it often and decided we were ready to receive a set. It hadn't been a priority, the sets aren't extremely expensive, but we'd always been focused on other ideas. So, the thought was in our mind that it was time to receive a set.

Then our life shifted dramatically because we made the decision to pack up and move to South Dakota. We weren't even sure if we'd find decent espresso in South Dakota and didn't want to pick up a nice set and then have to move it across the country, so we stopped focusing on that. The intention had been set (the command issued, as I speak about in Command and Control) and then released.

Apparently, our thoughts were focused more powerfully than we imagined, because the next week something very interesting happened. First, we were having dinner at the Indian restaurant. We knew the owner well and were sharing with him our journey and the fact we would be moving to South Dakota. He paused, and said, "Wait a second..." and went into the back of the restaurant. When he returned, he had a box in his hand ... a beautiful demitasse set with the cups and dishes decorated with gold overlays. "Here, take this, my gift to you." What a wonderful gift!

But that was not the end of it. Our daughter had a very good friend in school with parents from the Middle East. The last time we visited with them, her mother handed us a package. "I wanted to get you a unique gift ... something you wouldn't be able to find in South Dakota." And it was another beautiful demitasse set!

Now you could argue that maybe we mentioned that we liked the set or were looking for the set and that people knew and this is what led them to the gifts, that's fine, and that's a perfectly valid explanation. I'm not concerned with HOW the gifts came to us, but the idea that we fixed a thought, created an intention, released it, and it came back to us. The universe provided.

Here is where the skeptics get bent all out of shape and say, "How could the Universe or God etc etc care about whether or not you have a stupid demitasse set?" Of course, does God care if my bouncy ball bounces? Who am I to know His will ... only that gravity will guarantee it does. There are laws of nature that operate and some are more subtle than others.

So here I stepped outside this morning to go on a longer run. It was hot. Despite hitting the road at 9:30 AM it was already 95 degrees with a ton of humidity. I came well prepared with 2 16oz bottles, one with water and one with an electrolyte mix. The heat was bearing down on me but I am getting acclimated and had lots of fluids so I pounded my way through it.

On the last stretch I was heading up a long hill (seemed long to me: 900 ft to 1100 ft steady climb over 1.1 miles) and out in the sun. No shade. I was getting dizzy and slowing down. My mantra was that I would not stop ... I may go slow, but would not stop. My body was trying to convince me otherwise and then I heard the sound of feet pounding on pavement. At first I thought it was my own but the pace was faster. I gathered the strength to look up and a well-muscled man about my age was trucking up the hill. He was blasting by me and had plenty of energy (yes, he even smiled and waved and then kept on going).

It was an inspirational moment because I knew that I would make it to the top of the hill without stopping. But more importantly, I saw myself. That was me. That is who I am, always have been. The tired, exhausted, injured, and other "masks" I've worn as a runner are all lies. They are the "lie of I" and I am me, unchanging, as I mentioned at the start of this post ... on that hill was simply the opportunity to become more of who I already am, to turn myself inside out. It was a great feeling.

So with thoughts of demitasse and affirmations and sychronicity, I crested the hill, downed some more drink, and made my way back home.

Until next time,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 11:27 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Like a Burning Coal

Today's Run: 3.03
Run Time: 29:53 (9:52 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 585.1m

Thoughts on the Run:

Today's run I thought was nice and cool because I started early in the morning but after returning I found that the temperature had been 91. It didn't feel as hot as the humid 86 was the other day.

I got outside and ran on the hills today. It felt great. I noticed my body wanted to complain of being stiff in the beginning of the run, so I was patient and warmed up before pushing a little harder and by the time I returned, I was floating.

As I was heading up a particular hill, I noticed my body starting to complain. It hurts, I'm tired, I can't catch my breath, etc. Interesting. This is when I thought of the spiritual teaching of the burning coal.

You don't have to be spiritual to appreciate this teaching ... some will want to replace the idea of soul or consciousness with spirit ... but this was my context. Some sages teach that the spirit is to the body like a flame is to a burning coal. A coal cannot burn without the flame, but flame cannot exist without some medium such as the coal. When you contemplate a burning coal, you see two separate entities: the coal, which has for the most part been unchanged for millions of years, and the flame, which is a new entity full of motion, heat, and entropy. The flame transforms the coal but without the coal (i.e. when it is consumed) the flame ceases to exist.

The spirit is a bit different because instead of a force of chaos, it's a force of organization. It is what holds all of our atoms together and directs them through our mind and neurological system to perform their tasks. But the body is the vessel for the spirit and just as the body won't exist with the soul/spirit/consciousness, neither do I believe can a spirit truly live without first having had the experience of a body (unlike the flame, however, I do not believe the spirit is gone when the "coal" burns out).

Anyway, what does this have to do with a run? It was simple ... many of us have great potential but we let our body dictate the outcome. Ideas of aging, illness, being tired, etc, predominate many people's thoughts and lead them to inaction. It was a very strong and convincing argument my body was giving me on the hill, but I decided something right there ... my body wasn't driving, I was.

What am I? Well, right now I am the illusion that I am something different from everything else ... disconnected. But I am really that observer, that person with the hands on the controls, the gift of free will in this body. Here is where I'll say I think science PROVES my ideas but others will simply shrug it off and say, "Not real/true/etc." The point is, science knows how to measure activity of thought, but doesn't know where thought comes from. They can get right to the edge of electrical activity in the mind and patterns and neurons fire, but they cannot identify what FIRES those neurons. And from what I understand, it's not a question of "it's just a chemical reaction and if we had all of the variables we could predict a person's every move." Chaos provides insights to why that wouldn't be the case but I think it goes deeper ... the point is, there is no chemical change or reaction or build-up leading to the next thought ... it appears. That thought is "I."

So I took control and said I can overcome what the body is telling me and push up the hill. Now this is nothing compared to what some people have been doing in the desert in California on the 135 mile Badwater ultramarathon, but it is everything compared to me and my moment. So I captured that moment and finished the run.

Until next time,

posted by Jeremy Likness | 7:33 AM | 0 comments

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