Friday, August 31, 2012

Going Social


When you are in the process of changing the way you eat, eventually you will need to figure out how to deal with social situations.  This includes eating out at restaurants, lunch with friends, birthdays celebrations and holiday gatherings.  I always make sure what I am about to eat is worth it. 

Recently we had a birthday celebration at work.  Instead of ice cream, they provided us with individual pudding cups and a little bag of chips. (I know, it sounds like we are in kindergarten and not a financial firm, but times are tough).  I chose not to eat it. Today we ordered pizza.  Instead of eating four slices, I was able to stop at two.

How have you learned to cope with social situations and the way you eat now?


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Running With a Watch


I have received some questions based on my half marathon post.  They wanted to know why I was so focused on completing it in a certain time when I preach Running Without a Watch.  Let me clarify.  I am not against running with a watch.  A watch is a very useful tool, fitting in the same category as an IPOD, Nike +, or google maps.  But like any tool, it must be handled with care.   

I started Running Without a Watch to get my running back on track.  I used to be so focused on time that whenever I went out for a run and ran too slowly, I didn’t enjoy myself.  It almost reached the point where I started to hate running.  Every few minutes I would glance at my watch to check my pace.  My running became inconsistent and I started to gain weight again.  I knew I needed to find a way to enjoy running again before I gained another 10-15 pounds.  I needed to act fast.   

It all changed one day during a particularly difficult run when I had to stop in the middle and walk.  I looked at my watch and it said 20 minutes.  That was the moment I knew something had to give.  I couldn’t continue this cycle of frustration and disappointment any longer.  The very next day, I cast the watch aside and reclaimed my love of running.  It no longer mattered if I ran an eight minute mile or an eleven minute mile.  What mattered is that I completed my run.  Running Without a Watch has relieved me of the unnecessary pressure that I felt each run had to be at maximum effort.

It is one week shy of my one year anniversary of Running Without a Watch.  I have made it through the cold winter, hot summer, time off due to an injury, the birth of a new baby, and the death of a beloved pet. I am running faster, farther and freer than ever.  I look forward to another exciting year of Running Without a Watch.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

7 Miles in Heaven

I did it!! I reached my August goal of 90 miles tonight during my run.  I was at 83.4 and I said to myself if you are going to reach your goal, why not reach it in a big way.  Go 7 miles and I did.

I knew to make it the full 7, I would have to go slow. To help me go slow, I listened to talk radio rather than music. It worked.  I started slower than usual and made it to the 2.5 mile mark feeling great.  This is my turn around point for when I run 5 miles.  I decided to go for it. 

To make it 7 miles, it would mean to the dead end at the end of the street and back.  To reach the dead end, it is 1 mile straight downhill followed by 1 mile straight uphill.  I made it back up the hill.  At this point I can either go up  and over the bridge and return home for a 6 mile run or go back through the tunnel for a 7 mile run. I went for the 7. 

I thought at one point I thought I was in trouble when I started to feel a twinge in my knee.  I almost stopped to stretch it out, but it went away as quickly at it came. When I reached the 6 mile mark, I knew I was home free. I started to smile and amazingly enough I got a second wind.  I had to control myself from going too fast. Once I got to the top of the last hill and made the turn to go down the last quarter of a mile I felt like a champion.  I finished strong and I almost raised my hands imagining I was crossing a finish line.

I have a choice now, I can take off the next 3 days and call it a positive month or I can decide to go for the magic number of 100.  To do this, I would have to run 5 miles on Wednesday and 5 miles on Friday as on Thursday, I am unable to go running. 

Stay Tuned.

Were you ever closing in on a milestone and decided to reach it in a big way?

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Important Message Regarding Email

Hello,

It was recently brought to my attention that some of you have been receiving an error when trying to email me at runner@runningwithoutawatch.com.  After contacting my host provider, the issue has been resolved.  If you have tried to contact me, please resend.

Thank You,

Jay

Half Marathon

I have decided one of my upcoming running goals is to run a half marathon.  There is a race on March 1st which is about 6 months away.  I feel very confident that I will be able to train and complete this race. 

I have been talking about running a marathon or half marathon for years now. My longest run to date is a little over 8 miles.  I can consistently run 5 and 6 miles without an issue and I am currently up to about 20-25 miles a week.  While I feel I could train for a full marathon, I have other reasons that are pushing me to stick with the half.

The first reason is time.  My goal for the half will be to finish in less than 2 hours.  A full marathon would take me over 4 hours to complete.  Right now in my life, I do not have the luxury of being able to train properly for it.  On the other hand, since I’m already used to running most days for over an hour, gradually increasing it to 2 hours over the next 6 months is totally achievable. Also a 2 hour time translates into a 9:10 per minute mile; I can run that comfortably for over 5 miles.

The second reason is nutrition and diet.  I am not looking to drastically change my eating to increase what I eat, like going through spurts of carb-loading. To run an extra hour, I can easily bring an additional piece of my banana bread with me in my fanny pack.

The third and last reason is that I enjoy running.   I don’t want to run a marathon and then have to take time off to recover, especially since I have had trouble with my knees in the past. 

Do any of you have any upcoming races you are training for?

Monday, August 27, 2012

Still on Track


After this weekend, I did it. I made a new record for miles ran per month.  I am up to 83.4 miles so far in August running 18 out of 26 days.  Not too bad.  This beats my previous record of 81.2 in April.  I broke it with a nice 6 mile run.

My goal for the month of August is 90 miles and running 23 days.  I am still on track.  I should have the mileage goal reached after my run on the 29th.   I may reach it even sooner if I decide to go out for a run on Monday rather than taking my scheduled rest day. 

I even have a chance to reach 100 miles for the month if I decide to push myself. I am only 16.6 miles away with 4 days of potential running left this month.  Due to a prior commitment on Thursday, I am unable to run.  While Friday’s are my usual rest day, it will be pretty difficult to take the day off if I am up to 95 or 96 miles for the month.

I am not going to reach my goal of 23 days running this month.  I most likely will be at 21 with a chance at 22 depending on how the week plays out.  I am not too disappointed with not meeting this goal as my total mileage for the month is a new record and closing in on 100 miles.

How are you goals for the month of August shaping up?