Hawaii Runnin'

Oh man it’s been way too long since my last blog. I was working in Hawaii for 2 weeks, and I am just now getting back into my routine here at home. Luckily the navy base I work at in Hawaii has a fitness center and a nice running path. The first week I was in Hawaii, I got 3 runs in. The first was 4.5 miles, then Paul showed up. We ran 6 miles and then 10 miles that weekend. The 10 miler was brutal. The temperature was about 90 degrees, the humidity was like 85% and it was noon. We had our work cut out for us. Around 8 miles my hydration ran out and I was struggling to keep going. My body was screaming for me to stop. At about 9.25 miles I gave in. I had to walk. I walked for a minute or so and picked it back up to a slow jog. My pace ended up averaging about 10:30 a mile…its usually well under 10 for my shorter runs. The next week we only got one run in Hawaii. It was supposed to be a quick 6 miler. At about 4 miles my stomach rumbled. Not good. I told myself I could hold it another 2 miles. There were no buildings between me and the fitness center. Just bushes and trees. Over the next mile the ‘urge’ got worse. Finally I had to veer off into the woods and find some cover from Paul and the other runners. I guess it was bound to happen at some point. So I emerged from the woods with one less sock than I went in with and continued on my way. I still got a 10 minute pace. Paul and I took the red eye from Hawaii Thursday night and arrived home Friday afternoon.

We had planned to run the 10k at the Manchester Rec Center at 8am on Saturday morning. This was looking like a tall order, but we still showed up for the race. The race took us around the rec center, fairgrounds, and the older parts of Manchester. The course had more hills than I expected, but I did ok. My time ended up being 55:48 which comes out to be exactly 9:00 a mile for 6.2 miles. I was jetlagged, but still very happy with my performance. It seems a 10k draws more serious runners than any 5k I have been to, but I still finished close to the middle in terms of overall rank. The next day I ran another 6 miles. After running a 10k the day before I did not feel up to running 10 miles as I had planned on my training schedule.

That brings us to the current week. Tuesday I ran 6 miles around the rec center. My time was 57:50. I rested for 20 minutes and then did 1 hour of spin class. My calf cramped in the first 5 minutes, but I was able to pedal through it. Thursday I was going to do the same thing, but did racquetball instead of spin.

And finally as for my weight loss. I lost about 5 lbs while I was gone to Hawaii. That brings my total to about 90 lbs. I have gone from 340 lbs down to 250 lbs. Only 10 more lbs until I hit the century mark. Also, I am only 25 lbs away from my final goal of 225 lbs. Although my actual plan is to hit 220 and build back up to 225. Once I am at 225 I will focus on maintaining that weight, reducing my body fat, and continue running.

Head Shaving

So I woke Friday and was pretty sick. I drug myself into work because I had stuff that had to be done. I managed to make it through even though I was fatigued, coughing, and had some pretty severe aches. I got home and sat on the couch for minute. Then I decided I would go to the rec center and try to get as much of my run in as possible. I really wanted to get my 5.5 miles. I started my first lap and every single step hurt my entire body. Those aches were not going away. I decided to tough it out even if I had to go really slow. 5.5 miles is 66 laps. On lap 53 I hit a wall and decided to walk a lap. I thought I could run the rest of it. I ran one more lap and felt horrible. I stopped at 55 laps and 47 minutes. That was a pace of about 10:15. After I took a break I did just a couple upper body exercises. I got home and just crashed on the couch. I felt a little dizzy and light headed. I watched TV for about 2 hours and then realized I actually felt better. So I set my alarm so I could do boot camp the next morning...

So I woke up the next morning and felt alot better. I would say I was about 85%. I pushed it pretty hard in boot camp, played a couple racquetball games, and lifted weights. As the day progressed I started to feel sick again. Aches and pains started coming back. So it is about this time I started thinking I wanted to go get my head shaved. I have been wanting to do it for awhile and had planned to do it Sunday, but figured what the hell. I am not doing anything. So I went to the barber and told them to shave me with no guard. They were more than happy to oblige. So when I got home I got out my razor and finished the job. Now I have a nice shiny dome. So that night I met my friend Chase in Murfreesboro. We grabbed some dinner at Moe's then went to Gentleman Jim's for pool and darts. When we walked out shortly before midnight we were surpised by the crazy amount of sleet/snow/ice covering the ground and my truck. It took me well over an hour to finally get home. But at least I made it.

Today I awoke to find more snow on the ground than I have seen here in awhile. So I took the camera down to the park to snap some pictures. I needed to run 9 miles today, but it was too messy to run outside, so at 2pm I dorve to the rec center. They are only open from 1-5 on Sundays and the roads were all clear by noon. Well of course they are closed. I was pissed. Give me a freakin break. Dejected, I drove back home. I guess I will have to go in the morning before work to make sure I make weight for my competition...