Gotta start somewhere

I'm a little embarrassed to reveal to the entire universe a.ka. the World Wide Web that my running pace is a tad bit on the ridiculously slow side. For example, today I ran 3.68 miles in 51:02 minutes... yielding an average of... wait for it... 13:52 min/mile! Pretty darn slow. Well, I have to think positive. At least I "ran" (with quotes) all the way through. Some people do the sprint-and-walk thing, not because they are practicing tempo runs but because they just can't pace themselves, and I consider that cheating. There, I said it!

By the way, I've been posting all of my work-outs and runs on a training log on www.mapmyrun.com. I'll look into seeing if I can make this public.

Back from my hiatus!

I haven't been posting on this blog as much, but that doesn't mean I haven't kept up with my running or working out. Lately, I've been working 60-70 hour weeks due to new projects at work (including one that is allowing me to go to Las Vegas for a week to coordinate a technical conference, all on IBM's dime!).... So, because of this, the frequency and intensity of my workouts aren't what they've been in been in the past, but I have managed to squeeze in at least 1-2 workouts a week, mixing in 3 mile runs with 1 mile sprints and other cardio workouts. And I'm pretty happy with that.

The point is, I am trying to keep up with the running I started 3 years ago .... And, I just registered to run the Capitol 10K again this April! :) Here is my blog entry from when I finished this race in 2008.

Week of May 31 - June 6

• Sunday, 5/31
  Exercise: none
  Diet: late breakfast: Vietnamese beef noodle soup. lunch: grilled chicken snack wrap with ranch dressing. late afternoon snack: uncooked ramen noodles, corn on the cob. dinner: chips & salsa, 3 beers
• Monday, 6/1
  Exercise: none
  Diet: breakfast: small cup of coffee. lunch: pizza, Vitamin Water 10. pre-dinner snack: Vietnamese pork cold cuts. late dinner: Vietnamese beef noodle soup
  

Week of May 26 - 30 (first week back from yet another weekend of gluttony)

• Tuesday, 5/26
  Exercise: Sprinted 1 mile in 9:41 minutes. Worked out on exercise bike for 30 minutes, targeting 123 - 153 heart rate (10.7 miles)
  Diet: Breakfast: small cup of coffee, Luna bar. Late Lunch: 1/2 turkey & swiss sandwich on multi-grain bread. Late afternoon snack: 1/4 turkey & swiss sandwich, South Beach snack bar. Dinner: leftover pasta salad, two mini cucumbers, a banana, and a few pieces of beef jerky
  The " scientific metrics":
  Weight: 141.6 lbs
  Waist: 31 inches
  Hips: 36.5 inches
• Wednesday, 5/27
  Exercise: Lifted upper body free weights (Duration: 35 minutes)
  - 6 sets x 20 reps bicep curls (8 lbs, one arm each: 2 lower, 2 upper, 2 full)
  - 4 sets x 20 reps tricep extensions (8 lbs, both arms together)
  - 4 sets x 20 reps tricep extensions (16 lbs, both arms together)
  - 10 sets x 20 reps crunches
  Diet: Breakfast: Luna bar. Lunch: 1/2 turkey & swiss sandwich on multi-grain bread. Afternoon snack: 1/4 turkey & swiss sandwich. Late afternoon snack: South Beach snack bar. Dinner: one spicy tuna roll, one salmon roll, edamame, two glasses of Michelob Ultra. Late evening snack: a few pieces of beef jerky
• Thursday, 5/28
  Exercise: none
  Diet: Late breakfast: a banana. Pre-lunch snack: another banana. Lunch: South Beach snack bar. Late lunch snack: Luna bar. Pre-dinner snack: leftover pasta salad. Dinner: seared Ahi tuna salad, chips & salsa, ... and a drink or five... =)
• Friday, 5/29
  Exercise: none
  Diet: Late breakfast: Vitamin water. Lunch: vegetable soup and Baked Lays. Early afternoon snack: Luna bar. Late afternoon snack: uncooked ramen noodles. Dinner: Phara's Lamb La Zeez (grilled lamb, basmati rice, with roasted habanero garlic sauce), hummus, pita bread
• Saturday, 5/30
  Exercise: Ran 3.02 miles, 39:44 minutes (13:09 min/mile)
  Diet: Breakfast: none. Lunch: a small bowl of fried rice with low-fat Chinese sausage and lean flank steak, baby bok choy soup, with pickled baby eggplants
  

Memorial Day Weekend log

• Thursday, 5/21
  Exercise: Worked out on elliptical trainer for 60 minutes (4.84 miles).
  Lifted weights for upper-arm toning.
  - Tricep Press Machine - 3 sets x 15 reps (50 lbs, both arms together)
  - Bicep Curl Machine - 3 sets x 15 reps (20 lbs, both arms together)
  Diet: Breakfast: skipped(bad). Lunch: light creamy potato & sausage soup, salad with Italian dressing, 2 breadsticks. Dinner: lean pocket, 5 lychee jellies, Bueno hazelnut chocolate wafer bar (a Spanish version Kit Kat), half a bag of uncooked instant ramen noodles (God, it gets worse and worse...), a few (like, 4) kettle-cooked jalapeno potato chips, unsalted almonds, dried cranberries
• Friday, 5/22
  Exercise: none
  Diet: Breakfast: none. lunch: grilled chicken southwest salad with 1/2 packet of creamy spicy dressing. Afternoon snack: half a grilled chicken wrap, a third of a fried (damnit!) chicken sandwich. Dinner: a little bit of hummus, a spring salad with Italian dressing, two plates of spaghetti & meat sauce (eek!), 3 slices of french baguettes, 3 of Sarah's famous "low fat" cranberry & white chocolate oatmeal cookies, and half a slice of a fruit cream tart. .... oh, and a couple of bottles of Dos Equis beer (but, it was so worth it)
• Saturday, 5/23
  Exercise: Worked out on elliptical trainer for 60 minutes (4.98 miles)
  Diet: Breakfast: a bottle of water (so, none, again). Lunch: asiago bagel with reduced fat sun-dried tomato cream cheese, a bowl of vegetarian vegetable soup, a piece of french baguette. Dinner: (... what's the point...) lots and lots of eggrolls (I probably ate about a dozen), beef fajitas, beef jerky, two of Sarah's famous "low fat" cranberry & white chocolate oatmeal cookies, and half a slice of Oreo cheesecake.
  The "scientific metrics":
  Weight: 140.0 lbs
  Waist: 30 inches (hm... am I measuring myself correctly)
  Hips: 36.25 inches
• Sunday, 5/24
  Exercise: Ran 3.02 miles, 39:29 minutes (13:04 min/mile... arg, so slow! even though it was my first time running .. in THREE months... I thought I could have done better)
  Diet: Late breakfast: eggs, 3 pieces of turkey sausage, a couple pieces of bacon, hashbrowns, tortilla. Lunch: one bratwurst, one hotdog, German potato salad, baked beans. Afternoon "happy hour": 4 glasses of Moscato =) Dinner: grilled chicken breast, pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil
• Monday, 5/25
  Exercise: Walked for 35 minutes
  Diet: Breakfast: 2.5 breakfast tacos, 2 waffles (no syrup). Pre-lunch snack: two of Sarah's famous "low fat" cranberry & white chocolate oatmeal cookies. Pre-lunch snack part 2: a few pieces of dried squid. Late lunch: pho with lean tai meat, small bowl of rice with braised lean pork and quail eggs. Dinner: pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil

So, the net of this Memorial Day weekend is: A LOT of eating... but I was able to fit in some kind of work-out between meals - not that it negates all the eating, but I would still consider this a success (especially if you know how the Dangs eat...)

My Goals

I don't necessarily believe in tracking progress through weight (much less on the freakin' internet), but I'm recording it here for some level of "scientific" measurement and objectivity...

• Starting Weight: 141.6 lbs
• Starting Waist: 32 inches
• Starting Hips: 36.5 inches

....... but you know what, damnit? Today, my form-fitting shirt and slacks fit quite nicely, and cross my heart, I honestly felt I looked slimmer in them. I also could feel my hip bone under a noticeably thinner layer of skin/fat, and my stomach didn't seem to bulge out as much as it usually does.

Whatever. For the sake of science and objectivity, here are my goals:

• Lose 5 lbs before Boston trip.
• Lose 2 inches in waist.
• Lose 2 inches in hips.

Can I do it????

Monday 5/11
Elliptical Trainer - 60 min (4.8 miles)

Tuesday, 5/12
Upper body weight training
- 6 sets x 20 reps bicep curls (8 lbs, one arm each: 2 lower, 2 upper, 2 full)
- 8 sets x 20 reps tricep extensions (8 lbs, both arms together)
- 10 sets x 20 reps crunches
(Duration: 30 min)

Thursday, 5/14
NYC! A lot of walking =) .... but a lot of eating =(

Friday, 5/15
NYC! A lot of walking =) .... but a lot of eating =(

Saturday, 5/16
NYC! A lot of walking =) .... but a lot of eating =(

Sunday, 5/17
NYC! A lot of walking =) .... but a lot of eating =(