Andrew is getting fit

Well, I actually hit goal yesterday morning. Scale weight that is, not on physics diet yet.

Of course, I then went out for a great family gathering and ate too much! Hence the red this morning! We actually went to a marine reserve and spent the day snorkelling and picnic-ing. A great time was had by all.  I’ve really learnt to appreciate family in my old age.

My year to date is still looking pretty good:

As I’ve been getting closer and closer to goal I’ve been reflecting upon my journey – as you do – and I’m working on a post about that. Something for you to look forward to.

In other news, an easy 12km before work this morning.

Tags: Weigh in by Andrew
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I use Physics diet to track my official weight.  But this morning when I did my daily weigh-in I was 100 grams from goal according to my actual scale weight.  Then I went for a 12.5 km run…   It’s nice to see it on the scale but I’m not quite at goal yet.  But it is oh so close.

Tags: Milestones, Weigh in by Andrew
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Greg, from Greg’s Transformation, asked me:

What is your target and why did you pick it as the target if I may ask?

When I first started my weightloss and fitness journey I found myself weighing in at 308 pounds.  At 6’1″ that put my BMI at over 40.  I decided that my initial goal would be to get my BMI into the normal range.  For me that would be 189 pounds.  However, that meant that I would have to lose 119 pounds and I just can’t live with a non rounded number like that so I decided to shoot for 120.

I’ve since come to realise that the BMI is a pretty flawed tool – you learn a lot on this journey – but it is still a marker that has meaning to us in many respects.  The BMI is the tool society uses to judge and I guess I’ll always have a part of me that wants that wider acceptance.

As of this morning I’m at 193.3 which means I’m pretty close to my BMI goal.  However, I know that I still have a bit of excess around the middle so I’ve decided that a longer term goal will be to get my weight down to about 176 pounds.  To be honest I’m hoping to do so mainly because I’d like to pick up a bit more speed in my running.  I’m already at the vanity goal – if you know what I mean.

In other news I went out for a nice easy 7 km run this morning to test my hip and it seems to be fine.  My policy of resting at the first sign of injury seems to be paying off.  So hopefully I can get in a bit of a longer run tomorrow.

Tags: Interesting by Andrew
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It had to happen – I’ve got a red!  But having said that I’m not letting it bother me at all.  The red was caused by me having a very salty snack the night before so it’s just water weight.  I actually had a pretty good week.  As a matter of fact, I saw the lowest weight I’ve seen in 18 years on the scale just the day before I got the red.  So it’s about a 1 pound loss for the week:

That overall trend line is still going downwards even though it’s slowing somewhat as I approach goal:

I’m expecting to see myself flash under goal weight on my daily weigh-in sometime in the next two weeks.  I was only .3 kg (just under a pound) away on Saturday morning. It will take a few weeks for my trend line to catch up but that is a good thing.

Tags: fitness by Andrew
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I noticed a bit of tightness in my hip during my run to work on Friday but didn’t really think much on it.  However, during today’s scheduled 22km run I noticed it was very tight from about 5km into the run.  There was a turnoff point on my route at about the 6.5km mark so discretion was the better part of valour and I decided to cut the run short and run/walk the rest of the way home.  So a very slow 9km today but I really don’t want to pick up/aggravate an injury.

Funnily enough that brings my weekly mileage to 66.6km!  The devil is in the details eh!

Tags: fitness by Andrew
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It got cold overnight in Auckland!  We had single digit temperatures overnight for the first time in a loooong time.  So my run this morning was a bit chilly.  Having said that it was fantastic.  Slightly chilly is the best temperature for running!

I ran out to the Harbour Bridge and then to work this morning.  I stopped and took this panoramic shot with my cellphone:

I’m mighty impressed that my cellphone can stitch photos together so well!  As you can see it is an absolutely beautiful day here in Auckland.

One thing I was thinking about while running today is that how I’m in danger of becoming derailed from my healthy eating plans as I’m extremely comfortable with where I am at the moment.  I find that I’m not eating as clean as I could because I’m not that fussed about losing weight anymore.  I just want to not gain weight if that makes sense.  The danger with this approach is that it is very easy to tip from having the odd snack to having a lot of snacks and then regaining the weight.  I reckon if I wasn’t running as much as I am I’d be in much greater danger so my motivation to keep running is high.

I guess eternal vigilance is required.  How do you folks deal with this?

Tags: Lessons, running by Andrew
38 Comments »

I ordered a new RoadID yesterday as my phone numbers have changed since I got my last one.  The days are getting shorter now here in NZ and I’m doing more and more running in the dark so I figured it was time to start being safe rather than sorry.

I got the WristID Sport:

This sporty little guy is extremely durable and comfortable…never mind the fact that it might save your life someday. Wear it running, cycling, swimming or on any of your adventures. In fact, make a lifestyle statement and wear it all the time. The Wrist ID Sport is the perfect piece of gear for every athlete. Like all our IDs, it can be laser engraved with your emergency contact information. It comes standard with two 3M reflective stripes to enhance your visibility when training in the dark.

The RoadID folks sent me a discount coupon that I can share with my readers.  The coupon number is: ThanksAndrew627713

This coupon code is good for $1 off any Road ID order.

In other news I did a great 12.2 km run this morning (in the dark) before work.  The seasons are definitely starting to turn now and we’re well into Autumn (Fall for you Americans!).  I’m starting to think that soon you guys are going to make me pay for all those photos of lovely sunny days that I posted!  Having said that, conditions were absolutely perfect for running this morning.  A gentle zephyr of a breeze and not too humid.

Tags: fitness by Andrew
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I fully expected to gain weight this week.  I’ve had a really nasty cold that meant that I only ran on Monday and Sunday.  I had to stay off work two days as I was just feeling really crap.  And when I’m feeling crap I tend to crave the more solid comfort type foods and so I ate quite a bit more than I usually do – and of the wrong food types too!  Couple this with no running and I though a gain was a near certainty.  But surprisingly no.  I actually lost weight.

It’s still a green year:

I also ran the Round The Bays fun run yesterday.  Turnout was great with 70 000 or so runners and walkers.  Round The Bays is a gentle 8.4 km fun run that winds around the Auckland Harbour.  My everyday running route normally incorporates the route so it’s one I’m intimately familiar with.

We had a work team and my job was to organise the end of race festivities so I was on site at 5AM to get a great spot and set up the tent, bbqs etc.

My original plan was to run the race with my wife but on the morning I was just longing for a longer run (after a week of no running) so I ran the 8.4 km to the start and then ran the actual event back to our bbq site.    My colleagues thought I was nuts but it was great.  I took it real easy on the run in and got to the start line nicely warmed up.  I had timed it perfectly so that I was about 50 meters from the start when the gun went so I just turned around and started heading back to the finish!  Normally it takes about 5-10 minutes to get to the start line due to the number of people but not for me this year!  I’m sure I annoyed a lot of the folks who had been queuing for hours but oh well.

I felt really strong during the run itself and I ran faster than I’ve run in a long time.  I think running with other people always makes the running feel easier.  For the first time ever I ran a very solid negative split and it makes me think my training is paying off.  8.35km in 41.10.

The best part of the day was the 3 veggie hot dogs that I got afterwards.  Here’s the half of our work team that were present when we took the photo:

In other news I had a good run in to work this morning.  I took the long way and did 16.3 km.  The coastal part of my route is the Round The Bays course:

Tags: Weigh in, running by Andrew
31 Comments »

Got the flu so I’m quiet but on the positive side I’m not yet dead.

Tags: fitness by Andrew
29 Comments »

I had 3 goals for this last weekend.

1. Take my family out for a walk or a bike ride.
2. Weigh no more on Monday morning than I did on Saturday morning.
3. Run more than a half marathon distance.

I’m pleased to report that I achieved all 3.

On Sunday morning the family went for a great walk along a bike track.  My little monkey was on her bike and she did a great 2km. Not bad for a 2.5 year old.  Of course we had to carry her and her bike most of the way back.

The second one was a bit of a cheat in that I had a large meal late on Friday evening.  This meant beating that was relatively easy.  It was date night with my wife and we had a great meal so no regrets.  I’m actually a full kg down on scale weight from last Monday so I think that is a win.

The third one I reported on here.

Overall a successful week in that I lost .59 kg which is 1.3 pounds.  I’ll take it.

It’s still a green year although the slope seems to be flattening out somewhat.  I’ll have to work on that.

I had a great run in to work this morning.  I took the long way and did 16.2 km.  I’m quite surprised how well my body has held up to the increased mileage.  I feel stronger than ever and don’t have any of the normal little niggles.  I think the slow long runs are paying off.

I hope the other participants had as great a Weekend warriors challenge!

Tags: Weigh in by Andrew
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