Working through it

Yesterday wasn't a great food day.  Actually, it was pretty good until after work.  I have been trying to make a more concerted effort to eat cleaner.  I am not so concerned that I follow any one diet so much as I am concerned that I eat less food overall and that the food I do eat is less processed.  My wife always says, "If you can't pronounce all the ingredients, you probably shouldn't be eating it."  I usually laugh at her and proceed to read the entire ingredient list and then tell her what each thing does.  The joys of being a biologist.  She is right, though.  The more complicated the list, the less healthier it generally is.  Back to the bad food day.  I have been eating more protein and less simple sugar.  I have also tried to avoid foods with artificial sweetners since there is some evidence that some of them may also elicit an insulin response.  I have dropped a few pounds in the last two weeks.  Yesterday, however, I had Hostess type apple pie and a couple of small Cadbury eggs.  I then came home, had a half a sloppy joe sandwich and a few small pieces of pizza.  Not great.  I actually woke up this morning not feeling the best.

On the bright side, I have swam 3750 yards this week, ran twice (three miles each time), taught 2 Body Pump classes, and one Body Attack class.  I will teach Body Step tomorrow and attempt a 5-6 mile run.  It will depend how my feet feel.

I went to the Podiatrist about the Plantar Fasciitis in my left heel and she pretty much told me what I already knew and then proceeded to give me some inserts.  They feel pretty good walking but I tried running in them Wednesday night and managed to only run a mile before they got pretty uncomfortable.  I am hoping that as I lose weight, my feet will respond in kind.

Here we go

Several months ago, in a post-race afterglow, my wife and a friend were talking about tackling a marathon (both of them have already completed at least one marathon) and I said, "I'll do it if you will."  My wife was shocked because to that point I had been pretty adamant about not ever running that far.  Not wanting me to go back on my statement, she signed me up for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN within the hour.  So, fast forward a few months to today.  I am already starting to obsess about the race and it isn't even until the middle of June.

Now, I am not coming at this completely blind.  I have done 4 half-marathons, 9 triathlons, and more 5 and 10Ks than I can count.  However, I am not built to run long distances.  Rather than the lanky, skinny legs that most distance runner have, I have been blessed (?) with the large quads associated with sprinters.  I am also not a small man.  I am 6 feet tall and tipped the scale this morning at 226.0 lbs.

I am starting this blog to document my efforts to train for this marathon.  I am hoping that by the time June rolls around that I will have lost at least 20 pounds and that I will be injury free.  Currently, I am suffering from plantar fasciitis in my left foot which makes running a bit painful.  I managed to get just over 5 miles in last Saturday but I paid for it all weekend.

Training officially started last week.
Monday - 4 miles on the treadmill.  I tried a new pair of shoes (Saconys) but after two miles I had to change back to my Nikes because my arches hurt so bad and my right pinky toe went numb.  After running, I swam 1050 yards.
Tuesday - I again swam 1000 yards and then taught Body Pump.
Wednesday - ran 3 miles. Feet felt fine.
Thurday - Taught Body Pump
Friday - Taught Body Attack
Saturday - Ran 2.2 miles before the race and then ran Freeze Fest (5K).  I finished in 28:15.  Slow but not bad for my first 5K of the year.
Totals for the week 1: 12.3 miles running
                                      2050 yards swimming
                                      Three classes

Week 2 started Monday.  I managed to run 3.0 miles on the treadmill before my feet hurt too bad to continue (I am going to a podiatrist today)
Tuesday - Swam 1000 yards and then taught Body Pump

I plan on running again tonight.  I want to get 4 miles in but I'll have to see how my feet are doing.

I have also made a conscience effort to start eating better.  I am not following any one diet plan but am trying to eat more protein and less processed food.  I have also stopped drinking Diet Mt. Dew.  In the last 10 days I have lost 1.4 pounds.