Well I just got back from my exciting weekend in Gainesville and now it’s time to refocus and get back on the Fit Train. I wasn’t able to weigh in either Saturday or Sunday, so I’m using my weigh-in from Friday as my “official” weekly weigh-in – 220.4 pounds. So my daily calories for the remainder of the week will be 1763 kcals (official weight x 8).
So Gainesville was a lot of fun, but admittedly I basically took a 2 day vacation from my fitness training and nutrition. Therefore I’m sure my weight will be up a few pounds when I weigh in again tomorrow. I had a great time, good food, an abundance of beer, and most importantly – no regrets. It’s nice to take a small break from the training and strict nutrition every once in a while to “recharge” the batteries. As long as you get back to business and don’t revert to your old ways, I think it’s actually good for your psyche. Being overly strict could cause the whole thing to unravel and ultimately cause failure. Ah, so now it’s over, but alas, it was fun.
Got down there around dinner time on Friday night. Rick and Denise made a very healthy dinner of broiled salmon, broccoli, and quinoa. The race Rick signed me up for on Saturday, the Flatwoods 5K, was to start at 7:30 sharp in the next morning. So we planned to take it easy and have a relaxing night and hit the hay early, since the race was 20 miles outside of Gainesville and we were going to have to get up at 6am. Rick and headed over to Publix to get some bananas after dinner to eat before the race. After leaving Publix, we eyed a little bar called Roundabout next door and decided to have one beer each. So after enjoying a nice, ice cold, 22 oz beer, that one beer turned into visits to three different bars and who knows how many total beers. We ended up going to bed around 2am. And still had to be up at 6am for a freakin’ 5K. Ouch. But Rick’s my boy, and we had a good time. So it was what it was. Had to suck it for the race the next morning.
As soon as I woke up , my calf muscle seized up on me. It was the same calf that cramped up on me a few weeks ago and kept me from running. All the cardio since then and it’s never been a problem, but on the day of the race, it cramps up as soon as I wake up. Rick gave me a pair of compression socks to wear and I massaged it as we rode with Rick’s neighbors, Ryan and Nicole to the event.
My goal for the day was to run my first officially timed 5K without any walking. Like I said, I’ve run 5K’s in the past, but always stopped to walk at some point during the race to catch my breath. Rick and Ryan decided to run it with me at a slow pace to make sure I kept my pace and finished without walking. It was a cold 48 degrees when the race began. All I had on was a dry-wick t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I was cold. It was a small field for the race, maybe about 60-70 total people. We started near the back of the group to let the faster runners go on unimpeded. Rick used his GPS watch to pace us around 12+ minutes per mile. A slow pace no doubt, but necessary for me to not burn out too quickly as I am apt to do when running on my own.
It was a nice run on a limerock path through the mostly pine tree forest. Very beautiful. We hit the one mile mark with no problems. My calf, although a little crampy, felt fine for the most part. The pace was such that Rick and I were able to converse while running which seem to make the run go by faster. Before we knew it, Ryan, Rick and I had passed the 2 mile mark and my energy and calf muscle were still doing great. We were in the final stretch, the last mile. I was anxious to see the finish line and chomping at the bit to kick the final 100 feet or so with a good sprint, but Rick (the voice of reason) told me it wasn’t a good idea as it probably would have really jacked up my calf and then I’d be out of commission for at least another week. So as we turned the corner and spotted the finish line with all the runners who had already finished clapping and cheering us on, I fought the urge to bolt across the finish line. We came across at officially 38 mins and 41 seconds. And more importantly, I did it without any walking at all. The first time in my life that I have ever done that. It was an awesome sense of accomplishment and one more “Strong Gator” challenge (see above tab) that I can now cross off my list. So now I have an official PR and something to build upon as I attempt to now work on my 5K speed.
After the race, Rick and I took to the Sports Bar for some good eats and more cold beer. Then we went to the stadium to watch the Orange and Blue spring game. Later on that night, it was more of the same as we enjoyed hanging out with some really good (and funny) friends while we watched the NCAA Final Four games. We ended the night at the Queen’s Arms British Pub for one last hurrah! Before getting back home close to 2 am again.
Denise, Me, Rick, and Eric share a laugh and some beers.
The only thing that could have made it better, is if my wife, Rachel could have made the trip with us, but we couldn’t score a babysitter for the weekend and she had to stay back in Tallahassee to watch the girls. But we’ll be back in the fall for Florida’s first football game vs. Toledo – also my deadline to be at my goal weight
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