Skin and Bones

I know a lot of people would kill to have this "problem", but for a guy like me it's a little disconcerting. I've never been a big guy. The most I've ever weighed was 165 and that was right after college when all I ate was beer. Well, okay, beer, pizza, ramen and whatever else crap I could find. You know how it is. At that age your body can process plastic, but time catches up with you and you have to change your habits. I believe in healthy habits in moderation, but I was graced with a body type that didn't really "over"react to the food and drink that drive most people to the scale. Regardless, lifting weights eating enough to put on a little muscle has always been my goal. Let me get to my point.

When I started training 6 months ago for this marathon I weighed 152 pounds. As of September 14th I weigh 140 pounds! My uncle used to tease me and call me "bean pole". Shit. These days it's more like "pole". I'd like to have that bean back. I know, anybody reading this (does anybody read this?!) probably wants to punch me in the teeth. But seriously, EVERYBODY that knows me always pauses a moment when they first see me and I can read it in their eyes: Geez, did Mike become anorexic? NOOOOO!!!!!

Man, I can't wait for this marathon.

18 and counting...

We ran 18 miles last week on our long run and I have to say that I think I have things figured out. My pre-run prep is good and I know when to take gels to keep from bonking. It's been hit or miss, but I had those long 18 miles to see if I was on the right path (pun intended) and lo and behold me thinks I'm just about ready to cut this fat bastard open. After 18 I felt good and realized that going the full 26.2 is in my sights. It's not as daunting as I once thought and I can't wait to run the race. I also can't wait to get this thing over with.

Some people (I'm looking at you wifey, Billy and Danica) have no problem signing up for marathons (or more!) and just going out and pounding the pavement. The 6 months of training for this is starting to get a little old. I just want it to be over. I want my Friday nights back and my Saturday mornings. Soon enough.

16 and counting...

Ran 16 miles today on the long run. I beat my dead leg syndrome, but another enemy reared it's ugly head today and I know a lot of you out there have been down this road. GI pain. 4 miles in I had a cramp in the lower left abdomen and it would not go away for most of the run. Painful. My legs felt great. I was running with 3 other people that I enjoy keeping pace with and everything was on the up and up except for my stomach. Damn. If it's not one thing it's another. I made a pit stop and caught up to the group. This left me a little winded, but it was a good thing. Sometimes during a run you need to drop the hammer to get the juice going again. About 6 miles of the run took us through a part of the actual marathon course so it was nice to be able to get an idea of what to expect come race day. But the gut pain took some of the fun out of the run. I made another pit stop and felt better for the remaining 5 or so miles, but this is definitely going to be the issue that I'll be grappling with for awhile. Oh, and a new pain in my right ankle that I've got going for me which is nice. Maybe if I could just replace my real legs with robot legs. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Dead Legs

Argh. Dead legs again. I've been kinda dragging lately, but last Saturday was a 12 miler with the club and my legs were crap from the get go. That was a long, miserable 12 miles. So I went for my Monday run and again, no energy. Lethargic. I was pissed too. I probably looked like a crazy man on the path because I kept bitching out loud about my legs and I think I even threw my arms up in the air at one point because I was so frustrated. I hate this. I read online that there can be several reasons for dead legs: not enough sleep (very likely), not enough fruits and vegetables (very likely), not enough iron (possible if it's true that fruits and vegetables are necessary to aid in absorption of iron from other foods), more massages (possible, but definitely desirable), need new mattress (not likely), overtraining (possible, but not likely).

Anyway, I'm working on the fruit and vegetable thing and you all know how getting enough sleep can be hit or miss sometimes. I also supplement with a multivitamin so we'll see what happens in the future. The miles are adding up as we get closer to the marathon so I'm worried about this a little. Any advice out there?

Howdy stranger...

Been gone awhile, I know. Work and life sometimes get in the way of my blogging and blog reading! Anyway, the training for the Long Beach Marathon is going great! Kristen's foot is doing well so she has been out pounding the pavement no problem which definitely makes the training more fun. We run with the Long Beach "A Running Experience" club every Wednesday and Saturday and it's a blast. We ran 12 last Saturday, but went back down to 10 today. Next week is 14. The mileage is definitely adding up and it feels great. I initially thought I'd try to run the marathon at a pace of 10 minutes, but I think I may be able to pull of an average 9:30 based on how things are going. The only drag about 7am Saturday morning long runs is that it kinda kills our Friday night. But hey, it'll be worth it! Speaking of worth it...

I'm drinking a 2005 Earthquake (Michael David wineries, Lodi) Petite Syrah and it is fantastic. Berry, cassis and a hint of leather on the nose with plenty of vanilla and bing cherry on the palate. There's probably more in there, but right now that's what's hitting me. Fruit bomb, but in a good way. Michael David wineries, a lot of wines from Lodi in fact, tend to be very fruit forward, but they definitely know how to balance it. The tannins are soft which is okay (I like the tannin to be a little bigger), but if I have one complaint it's that the finish is short. I like wine that lingers a little. All in all, I'm giving it an 8 out of 10.

Happy 4th of July!

7 miles and 65 degrees along the Long Beach shoreline this morning followed by BBQ, Zeppelin, booze and good friends. The Iranians and North Koreans have no idea what they're missing.

Happy 4th everyone. I'd say be safe, but what fun would that be?!

Is that lead in your pants...?

I love running with the AREC (A Running Experience Club). Running with a group puts my mind in a "race" mode where I don't actually run a race pace, but I definitely run faster and harder than I do when I run by myself. And it helps tons because two times a week I force myself not to be lazy. Lately, though, my legs have been feeling really heavy and I don't know why. Whenever I feel slow I think about how I ate the day before and usually not enough food is the culprit. However, sometimes my legs just feel like they're full of lactic acid from the word go and, well, shit sucks. This is the thing that makes me nervous about running the marathon in October. Gonna have to zero in on the problem soon.