Wow, what a weekend! Friday nite, I babysat the kids while my wife did another jewelry demo and had her best sale yet.
Saturday, we went with some friends to the children's Gasparilla parade. We were securing our post along the route at 10:30 AM and the activity didnt even start until 3... ah, and we were close to the end, so it took another 50-60 minutes for the floats to reach us. That was a day long thing, no chance for a workout, but I did pick the right snacks to bring along so I wouldn't cheat. At 2PM ahd a pork kabob and at 8 a grilled chicken salad.
Today the weather was more to my taste, I gotup at 7AM and went for a run in 55 deg. My intention was to go slow but long. A few months ago, slow meant 13 minutes per mile. When I finished my run and checked my timer and heart rate monitor, I had gone 8.4 miles at a 9:46 pace... wait, I was supposed to be going slow. I know I inserted a few "sprints" here and there but I thought I was catching up on my slowdowns, not finish my fastest pace since I started training.
Then, I just switched into my cycling gear and went for a 12.5 mile time trial ride - this is an all-out effort for a specific route (most of FL is flat anyways). It turns out I averaged over 21 MPH.
After a shower (ah and a 202.5 LB scale reading) then some chow and some homework review, the whole family went to the science museum. It's 10:30PM now and I am still buzzing!
So, what is causing this?
How come I am moving faster than ever before?
How come I have not been able to sleep 6 hrs any night of 2009?
How come I feel like that drummer bunny on TV?
- Is it the change in the foods I've been eating? Is it my new running shoes? Is it the moon or the new year?... what is it? I want to know because I am getting addicted. It's not caffeine as I have temporarilly quit it...
The way I see it, this is a wave I am going to ride as long as I can and get the most out of it.
I have not cheated on my low-carb habits either.
The only thing I regret not doing today is going to church - my workout ended near noontime and we were at the museum at the time of te last mass of the day, but I am sure that my Lord wanted me to spend that time with my kids too, so I don't really feel too bad.
I will keep you posted on my energy levels and if/when I have a response to this question. If you know what's causing this? Don't bother telling me and bursting my bubble, I want more of it....
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
How this started...
Back in HS, I started cycling and I loved the beach. Never being of competitive speed or endurance, and always finding diversions, I came accross the sport of triathlons and thought: What a cool thing. That's way too hard and You must be crazy to do that!
As I went through college, I trained and even did my first race in 1992. Trialo Rincoeno (Rincon, PR). It was an awesome experience, and to top it off, I think it was the first man-to-man weekend I had experienced with my dad in many years. I completed a few more races after that, but never really focused on training. Then, my first big corp job... and I said good bye to any other dream but making a carreer where I was.
Then as the yr 2001 was ending, and after being laid off (effects of 9/11), I picked up on my training with some of my friends and completed another 2 races the next year. It was during a training ride that someone told me "Man, how come I see you training hard with us so often, yet, you're still so fat?". He introduced me to a book called Protein Power. This was also the era of Atkins, so, it became very easy to follow a high protein/low carbohydrate diet. After a few months, my weight was down to 190 or 185. Needless to say, my wife loved it, but more importantly, I did too, and now I know it is something I can achieve. The challenge would be to stay at that weight.
Fastforward to New Year 2008 - my resolution; To get back in shape by training for triathlons, and lose at least 20 Lbs. I started jogging and barely completed a mile but little by little, and following a 10% weekly increase formula, I first started feeling better, and then started extending my jogs. In fact, I remember that I was not counting distance but time (minutes). It is a lot easier to add 10% this way. At the staring point I am tipping the scale at 230LB (maybe more)...
I also went through a conscious mind re-programming session for weight loss. We focused on eating habits and conditioning myself to eating just what I needed, not what I could fit into my stomach. We also refocused the mind on enjoying the exercise I was about to give it. I guess desperation makes you look for solutions outside your normal parameters. And this one was a good find.
These two changes combined brought about a loss of 25 Lbs and enjoying a frequent workout. Problem was that although I kept up with the exercise for the most part, I still ate like a pig. My weight is back at 215LB on January 1, 2009
New Year Resolution 2009: I started making plans for training and races when I was talking to the folks at Hit The Trails about my HR situation and he said "I must be a sugar burner". That really stuck to me and after searching the web it turns out I have all the symptoms, and I should live a low carb lifestyle... not a diet, but a lifestyle.
Although I had "tried" this a few other times since 2002, I always failed. On January 13, 2009 (ten days ago) I started again, this time I am so much more confident and commited. I didnt even experience any withdrawal effects, not even with my coffee. My scale is showing me 8 LBs less this morning than onthe 13th, (and 10 less than on January 1).
This weight loss didn't come just with a change of foods...
I keep exercising as much as I can. Last Sat, onthe 5th day of my initiation, I ran a 10K race. My time: 1:02:03 This means my pace was 10:00 per mile for 6.2 miles and the temp was 34F. I have been running up to 8 miles on training. I have been doing a lot of different trainer sessions on my bike indoors, and now I can also say that my level of hunger has decreased and I am not overeating like when I was eating all kinds of carbs before a meal. Drinking water has become a natural and desirable part of the day. I also listen to my reprogarmming audio 3-4 times a week to help me stay in control.
Today my weight is 205 Lb and it is Friday.
What will tomorrow bring?
Come back and read about it...
As I went through college, I trained and even did my first race in 1992. Trialo Rincoeno (Rincon, PR). It was an awesome experience, and to top it off, I think it was the first man-to-man weekend I had experienced with my dad in many years. I completed a few more races after that, but never really focused on training. Then, my first big corp job... and I said good bye to any other dream but making a carreer where I was.
Then as the yr 2001 was ending, and after being laid off (effects of 9/11), I picked up on my training with some of my friends and completed another 2 races the next year. It was during a training ride that someone told me "Man, how come I see you training hard with us so often, yet, you're still so fat?". He introduced me to a book called Protein Power. This was also the era of Atkins, so, it became very easy to follow a high protein/low carbohydrate diet. After a few months, my weight was down to 190 or 185. Needless to say, my wife loved it, but more importantly, I did too, and now I know it is something I can achieve. The challenge would be to stay at that weight.
Fastforward to New Year 2008 - my resolution; To get back in shape by training for triathlons, and lose at least 20 Lbs. I started jogging and barely completed a mile but little by little, and following a 10% weekly increase formula, I first started feeling better, and then started extending my jogs. In fact, I remember that I was not counting distance but time (minutes). It is a lot easier to add 10% this way. At the staring point I am tipping the scale at 230LB (maybe more)...
I also went through a conscious mind re-programming session for weight loss. We focused on eating habits and conditioning myself to eating just what I needed, not what I could fit into my stomach. We also refocused the mind on enjoying the exercise I was about to give it. I guess desperation makes you look for solutions outside your normal parameters. And this one was a good find.
These two changes combined brought about a loss of 25 Lbs and enjoying a frequent workout. Problem was that although I kept up with the exercise for the most part, I still ate like a pig. My weight is back at 215LB on January 1, 2009
New Year Resolution 2009: I started making plans for training and races when I was talking to the folks at Hit The Trails about my HR situation and he said "I must be a sugar burner". That really stuck to me and after searching the web it turns out I have all the symptoms, and I should live a low carb lifestyle... not a diet, but a lifestyle.
Although I had "tried" this a few other times since 2002, I always failed. On January 13, 2009 (ten days ago) I started again, this time I am so much more confident and commited. I didnt even experience any withdrawal effects, not even with my coffee. My scale is showing me 8 LBs less this morning than onthe 13th, (and 10 less than on January 1).
This weight loss didn't come just with a change of foods...
I keep exercising as much as I can. Last Sat, onthe 5th day of my initiation, I ran a 10K race. My time: 1:02:03 This means my pace was 10:00 per mile for 6.2 miles and the temp was 34F. I have been running up to 8 miles on training. I have been doing a lot of different trainer sessions on my bike indoors, and now I can also say that my level of hunger has decreased and I am not overeating like when I was eating all kinds of carbs before a meal. Drinking water has become a natural and desirable part of the day. I also listen to my reprogarmming audio 3-4 times a week to help me stay in control.
Today my weight is 205 Lb and it is Friday.
What will tomorrow bring?
Come back and read about it...
In the beginning...
This is my first blog. Not an easy thing for me due to work, family and training taking up soooo much time, but a promise is a promise. And above all, I want to share with you, my friends, the realization of a dream, and hopefully, serve as inspiration to some.
Dreams are something we initially, simply imagine, not getting the grasp that it could be our own reality if we want it. As time goes on, and it's stuck with you, YOU decide, YOU make the commitment, to do whatever it takes to make it a reality.
As some of you know, this has been a dream of mine for many many years (I calculated 22 yrs). I've even introduced a few friends to the it, and yet, they have gone ahead and made it THEIR reality. In the meantime, all I turned into realities were excuses. Excuses for not chasing my dream... perhaps, I didn't consider it a reality for me, like the many other thousands of dreams that go thru my head every day and night. But now, this is something that I WANT, in fact, I've been wanting it for just about a year now. So, I am making a real commitment. So strong, that I am putting my heart and soul out here for you to read, while I am in the process of achieving it. BTW, I'm giving you permission to mock me if at some point, before reaching the goal, I happen to drop out. But it is not my plan to do that.
In our society, our fast paced, rapid refund society, we let go of those dreams (aka goals)that require a lot of investment, those that don't bring immediate satisfaction. Perhaps it is why I didn't pursue this dream before. But as the year when I hit 40 candles in my cake arrives, suddenly I find myself 35 Lb overweight, and poor physical health (a combination of several factors). That is about to change, and I want you to be a witness.
Dreams are something we initially, simply imagine, not getting the grasp that it could be our own reality if we want it. As time goes on, and it's stuck with you, YOU decide, YOU make the commitment, to do whatever it takes to make it a reality.
As some of you know, this has been a dream of mine for many many years (I calculated 22 yrs). I've even introduced a few friends to the it, and yet, they have gone ahead and made it THEIR reality. In the meantime, all I turned into realities were excuses. Excuses for not chasing my dream... perhaps, I didn't consider it a reality for me, like the many other thousands of dreams that go thru my head every day and night. But now, this is something that I WANT, in fact, I've been wanting it for just about a year now. So, I am making a real commitment. So strong, that I am putting my heart and soul out here for you to read, while I am in the process of achieving it. BTW, I'm giving you permission to mock me if at some point, before reaching the goal, I happen to drop out. But it is not my plan to do that.
In our society, our fast paced, rapid refund society, we let go of those dreams (aka goals)that require a lot of investment, those that don't bring immediate satisfaction. Perhaps it is why I didn't pursue this dream before. But as the year when I hit 40 candles in my cake arrives, suddenly I find myself 35 Lb overweight, and poor physical health (a combination of several factors). That is about to change, and I want you to be a witness.
Follow me on this journey, while I turn my dream into a reality; and I hope that I inspire some of you.
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