running

214.0 – Will & Beer is like Peanut Butter & Jelly

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So I’m up a little and I’m not surprised. My buddy Will moved back to town recently. He’s going through a bit of a rough time right now and asked me if I wanted to grab a few beers with him last night. Being the good friend that I am, I obliged. Ok, fine, I’ll admit it. I was weak and gave in. I really need to work on my will power and saying no… But I digress…

We went out to Hurricane’s (a sports bar/restaurant). They had a live band outside so we made our way out there. We ran into our old manager from when we were 17 years old and worked at Winn Dixie. We hung out and shared some pitchers with him and his wife. We had a good time and it was fun, but today I’m paying the price for poor choices.

So after weighing in this morning, I hit the streets to sweat off some of the alcohol and burn some of the unwanted calories. The temperatures were cooler but check out that humidity! Ugh.
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I guess the combination of the high humidity and being dehydrated from drinking beer last night was the cause of both of my calves cramping up around the two-mile mark. So I walked an additional two miles. I still need to mow the yard today and I’m starting the second half workouts of Insanity today which are longer and more intense. So plenty of opportunity to shed more fat today. Got to keep the diet in check though – that’s priority #1.

The Fit Gator ran 2 miles, then walked 2 miles with MapMyRun! Overall Distance: 4.10mi, overall time: 56:12, combined pace: 13:43min/mi, speed: 4.37mi/h.
http://mapmyrun.com/workout/333522943

The Night Runner Strikes Again!

It’s closing in on 11:30 PM and I just finished running 5k around my neighborhood in the dark. I like night running because it’s quiet (outside of my Pandora radio), there’s not too many cars to contend with, and it’s cathartic. It really helps me clear my mind of all the daily crap and refocus my energy. 

I don’t get much sleep at night but something has to give. Lately it’s been my health that’s been put to the wayside. Now that I’m retaking control of my life again and putting health and fitness as a priority, sleep will have to wait. It’s okay though, the sleep that I do get after I’ve exercised is good, solid sleep. It’s time to rededicate myself to becoming the Fit Gator.

The Fit Gator ran with MapMyRun! Distance: 3.11mi (No Walking!), time: 35:07, pace: 11:18min/mi, speed: 5.31mi/h.
http://mapmyrun.com/workout/328839145

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Went for a run …. Ended up becoming a walk after 2 miles. Humidity and heat simply drained my energy. But I’m a “glass half full” kind of guy, so I look at it not as a failed attempt to run 5K distance but as calories burned on my quest to become fit and healthy.

I ran (& walked) with MapMyRun: Overall FitGator Distance: 4.48mi, time: 01:07:22, combo pace: 15:03min/mi, combo speed: 3.99mi/h.
http://mapmyrun.com/workout/321193965

210.8 – Success Breeds Complacency
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Rick and I having a few beers while playing some darts this past Friday night.

Apparently beer is not an approved food on my “lose-weight-and-get-fit-diet.” Complacency is a bad word. I feel like I have been way too complacent lately and as such, I have not abided by my blog’s motto, “Sacrifice. Dedication. Victory.” SDV.

When I have been successful on this journey, it’s because I did sacrifice. I have sacrificed time – time away from sleep so I could exercise instead – early in the morning on weekends or late at night on weekdays; sacrificed time with friends and family – instead of going to a movie with a friend, I would hit the elliptical. Instead of hanging out and playing with my kids, I went to the gym. Instead of going on a date-night with my wife, I would instead choose to spend that time running around the neighborhood. I’ve sacrificed foods – junk foods, fast food, sodas, and other poor choices that were simply just easier to make. I’ve turned down invitations to go to restaurants with friends to make sure I avoided temptation. I’ve fought the urge to simply get fast food during my lunch break, instead opting to go to my house and take the necessary time to make healthy meals. I’ve sacrificed free lunch at work to eat something healthier. I’ve sacrificed soda which I used to drink multiple times a day. I’ve sacrificed sleep and I’ve sacrificed comfort. All in the name of losing weight, fitness, and getting healthy.

I’ve dedicated myself to a healthier lifestyle. I’ve gone to the gym or running the streets late at night on weekdays when I have to be at work at 6 am. I’ve been dedicated to eating right and avoiding eating poorly. I”ve been dedicated to staying hydrated by drinking tons of water each day. I’ve been dedicated to getting up early to exercise on weekends, even when it’s been too cold, too hot, or too rainy when it would have been so nice to just stay in bed.

When I’ve done all of these things, victory is imminent.  I would win at hitting my weekly target weight goals. I would win the battle against temptation. I would win at overcoming physical limitations that I used to have, like not being able to run a complete 5K without walking. I would win with confidence as people noticed and complimented me about my weight loss.  And I had no doubt that I would win the ultimate FitBet that was driving this journey. 

“Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.”

For over a month I have been way too complacent. This is why I have stalled. This is why I haven’t broken into “Onederland” yet. Either you’re getting better or you’re getting worse. I must get better. No excuses. Time to rededicate myself to the FitGator mantra.

Sacrifice. Dedication. Victory.

Melon Run 5K

So the Melon Run 5k was a success yesterday. I completed the race without any walking.  I struggled with this race four years ago and did a lot of run/walk intervals just to complete it. This time I was determined to run the whole way.
I kept the pace slow but steady and was able to overcome the brutal hills involved.

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That’s me – #124. I had a great time and look forward to doing it again next June.

Here’s a comparison photo of me doing this race in 09 and now in 2013. The weight loss is pretty striking.

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Short Jaunt

The Fit Gator ran very little distance with MapMyRun! Distance: 1.37mi, time: 17:01, pace: 12:25min/mi, speed: 4.84mi/h.
http://mapmyrun.com/workout/302816081

Ok before you look at my embarrassing distance and pace check this out…

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It’s hot as Hades out there people. The other day I ran a mile and a half when it was 93°. I actually ran about the same distance today, but my GPS didn’t pick up until after 2 minutes of running. Also I walked for another minute or so before stopping the running app so it looks like my pace was even slower than it was (if that’s humanly possible).

I really had intentions of running a minimum 5K distance (as I always do), but the sun in the cloudless sky and sheer heat had other ideas. I’ll try again tonight after the sun does down and the temperature drops 10 or more degrees.

I’m signed up to run an official 5K tomorrow over in Monticello. It’s the annual Melon run – As in The Monticello Watermelon Festival Run. I totally had other things in mind when I heard Melon Run and rushed to sign up. Oh well, whatcha gonna do?

I kid, I kid… Actually I ran this race a few years ago. I say “ran” – it was more like walked with a sprinkling of jogs thrown in. It’s a very hilly course and in the middle of June, it’s always hot.

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Big Me running the Melon Run in 09

My one goal tomorrow is to run the entire course without walking. I don’t care about time or pace I just want to conquer this race once and for all.

207.0

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Since I only got in a mile and a half on my run yesterday, I made sure to get an hour on the elliptical last night at YouFit. Kept my calories clean and low. Also made sure to drink lots of water to hydrate and stave off hunger.

Pleased to be back down in the single digit 200’s, but still have a long way to go to catch up.

Rick informs me that he just purchased Insanity. I was only a few workouts into it this round, so I’m going to wait until he gets it, then restart it when he does. That way we can motivate each other by doing the same works on the same days.