Get Fit Slowly

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Life has a way of blindsiding me sometimes. Last week was great: I was down to 194 pounds, I lifted hard on Tuesday and Thursday, and I ran 21 miles between Monday and Thursday.

Then Friday evening rolled around and I knew I was in trouble. We ordered pizza (actually, I ordered pizza). This shouldn’t have been a big deal, I should be able to have pizza once in a while. I didn’t feel badly about it at all. But then Friday night, I didn’t go for a run.

Saturday rolled around and we hosted a charity poker tournament. I spent some of the day working in the garden, but a lot of it was spent running errands and getting the house ready for the evening. We raised just about $1000 for Pam’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life team. But along with poker comes beer, chips, cookies, soda, and did I mention beer? This too shouldn’t have been a big deal, I should be able to have a poker party once in a while. But then Saturday night, I didn’t go for a run.

The worst thing about hosting a party, is that no one takes home the leftovers of what they brought. So I spent my Sunday cleaning up the house, working in the garden, cooking cinnamon rolls for Mother’s Day, watching playoff basketball and eating leftover crap from the poker party. And oh yeah, on Sunday night, I didn’t go for a run.

So last week’s over, and this week’s here and I’m ready to go. I don’t really feel badly about Friday, or Saturday. But Sunday is a little bit different. Sunday, I felt really guilty. Sunday, I felt like vomiting. Sunday, I felt like the old Mac more than any other day since I WAS the old Mac. I Don’t like the old Mac. Even though the scale doesn’t say 194 anymore, 194 will come back soon. But Sunday? Sunday’s not coming back…ever.

On Saturday I ran for twelve miles and then biked for 29. In the middle of the ride, I suddenly became very very hungry. We stopped at a country store so that I could load up on calories. I bought a Hershey bar with almonds and a bottle of Propel fitness water.

“This candy bar is awful,” I said to Paul and Susan, my riding companions. “It tastes like chocolate wax.” The water tasted fine, but then I noticed that it only contained 25 calories. “That sort of defeats the purpose,” I said. “I wanted a lot of calories.”

We got back on our bikes and returned to the trail. My mind was still on food. “What I really want,” I said, “are Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings from Pok Pok.”

“What are those?” asked Paul.

“They’re normal chicken wings that have been marinated in fish sauce and palm sugar, deep fried, and then I think they’re baked with more fish sauce and garlic,” I said. “They’re awesome.” (I’m not the only one to think so. They were recently named one of the ten best dishes in the United States.)

“Whatever they are,” I said, “I feel like I could eat a hundred of them.”

Susan laughed. “That’s one of the best parts about exercising heavily,” she said. “Fantasizing about all the food you can eat afterward.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I can see that. I will have done five hours of aerobic exercise today. I can basically eat anything I want.”

Our conversation devolved into hallucinatory food fantasies. We talked about the big meals we’d eaten after past workouts, and about the things we were hungry for at that moment.

When we finally reached home, Kris greeted us at the door. “How was your ride?” she asked.

“Fine,” I said. “We’re leaving for Pok Pok in half an hour.” She laughed. “I’m serious,” I said. “I just need to shower.”

And so I had my fantasy meal: Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings and a tamarind whiskey sour, along with laap khwai neua (a spicy buffalo salad with shallots, thai chilies, and fresh herbs). For dessert, we stopped by Papa Hayden. Normally I would have ordered a piece of German chocolate cake, but this time I opted for berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

After five hours of exercise, it was sheer heaven to indulge in my food fantasy…

It is Sunday. I am exhausted. But I don’t mind. Yesterday I exercised more than I ever have before in my life.

In 1997 and 1998, I would make long bike rides, but never longer than fifty miles. These rides took about three hours to complete. And I’ve hiked several miles at a time, but again these hikes have never lasted more than a couple hours.

Yesterday, however, I put my body to the test.

First, I performed my normal marathon training run with the 4:30 pace group. As in the past, it was great. I am completely sold on running with a group. I don’t mind running alone, but when I’m by myself, there are a thousand mental barriers that prevent me from running well, long, or far.

When I run with a group, I’m forced to keep my pace constant and slow. When I run with a group, I talk with the people around me, which takes my mind off the distance, off the weather, off of every little stress or strain. When I run with a group, there’s tacit peer pressure to keep on going. Yet there’s also a camaraderie — if one of us falls behind, the group slows to provide encouragement.

Running with a group is the best exercise experience of my life, even better than playing soccer.

On Saturday, I ran twelve miles in two hours, 25 minutes, and 50 seconds. We averaged 4.94 miles per hour (12:09 per mile). That’s pretty slow by competitive standards, but none of us care. We ran twelve miles, dammit, and that’s enough.

For me, the best part was that nothing hurt. My shin splints were giving me trouble at the beginning of the run, but after two or three miles, they’d gone away. During the last mile-and-a-half, my left foot felt like it was getting a blister. Eventually I realized that this was probably because my foot had swollen in my shoe. But I took away no lasting injuries.

This week I actually ate before running. That’s a good thing. My body had energy. Also, I ate immediately after the run was finished — I scarfed down two cheeseburgers and a banana.

Then, two hours later, I set out for a bike ride with my friends Paul and Susan.

“How far do you want to go today?” Paul asked before we left.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Not very far. My legs are tired. No more than 25 miles, and probably more like fifteen.” We rode 29 miles in two hours, 18 minutes, and 28 seconds.

Again, that’s not a very fast pace. Part of that was due to a strong headwind on our return, and part of that was due to many stops for automobile traffic. We traveled on the Springwater Corridor, a rails-to-trails project in southeast Portland. We rode from Milwaukie to Sellwood to Woodstock and out to Gresham. Our pace was easy (79%-83% heart rate) and we chatted on the way.

In the end, I exercised for four hours, 44 minutes, and 18 seconds on Saturday. I’m exhausted today, but my body has no pain. I don’t want to do this every weekend, but it feels good to have done it this once.

“Be sure you don’t overtrain,” Susan told me toward the end of the ride. “When I was training for Seattle to Portland, I rode too much. I got so I hated my bike. I didn’t even want to look at it. I had to take some time off before I was mentally ready to get back out there.”

This is sound advice. I’m being very watchful for physical and mental signs of overtraining. I’m giving myself plenty of breaks. (No exercise today, for example, and only upper-body weights on Monday.) I’m having a grand time with my weekend training sessions, and I don’t want to grow to hate them.

When the ride was over, I was surprised at how quickly my heart rate and breathing returned to normal. “I feel like I could go out there again,” I said. Then I added, “Maybe I should go up to the pool and swim for half an hour. It’d be like my own mini-triathalon.” But I didn’t. Kris and I went out for dinner instead!

For years, I’ve expressed to my wife that I have absolutely no interest in running organized races.  Well, I’ve changed my mind.  I figured it would be good for me if I had some goals or something to train for.  Thinking that it would be good for both of us, I asked JD if he wanted to run a race with me.  Of course, he said yes, so as of yesterday, we’ve signed on for the ORCC Up the Lazy River 10K run on Monday, May26th.  I’m a little worried about the race because I do most of my training on the treadmill and this race is definitely on the roads in West Linn, OR.

Last week, while in Sacramento, Pam and I ran outside two times.  These were my first two non-treadmill runs since Hawaii.  They weren’t very far, under 6 miles total, but boy was I sore.  My mother in law gave me some pretty funny looks as I limped around the house on the days right after the runs.

Then on Sunday, I went for 6 mile run on the roads around my house.  The weather was perfect for running–Breezy, sunny, in the 60’s.  The route I chose was pretty hilly, much more hilly than the race that JD and I will be running together.  I completed the 6 mile loop in 1 hour and 2 minutes.  This was the longest distance I’ve ever run at one time in my life.  I’m still sore.

I wanted to do some research as to why running on the treadmill is so much harder than running on the road, but it seems that not everyone agrees with me.  Some people say treadmill running is easier than road running, some say it’s harder.  There’s definitely not a consensus out there among runners.  All I know is that it’s harder for me to run outside than it is inside.  If I want to finish my 10K in under an hour then I need to do some more of my training runs outside.

For years I’ve struggled to get a good night’s sleep. I used to sleep fine, but somewhere along the way a combination of age and fat caused me to begin snoring. Kris and I went camping with Mac and Pam one weekend, and they woke me in the middle of the night.

“You’re snoring,” they said.

“I am?” I said. I was mortified. I didn’t know I snored. I didn’t sleep the rest of the night. I tried to stay awake so that my snoring wouldn’t bother anyone. Ever since, I’ve had trouble sleeping.

Three years ago I spent a couple nights at a sleep clinic. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea, for which I was prescribed a CPAP machine. A continuous positive airway pressure machine consists of a mask that you strap to your face so that air can be pumped into your nose at a constant pressure, preventing your breathing passage from closing. This ostensibly prevents snoring and provides better rest. In practice, it prevents snoring but still leaves me exhausted.

I have high hopes that as I continue to exercise and lose weight, my sleep will improve. It hasn’t happened yet, but a fellow can dream, can’t he? Meanwhile, here are some tips on sleeping I’ve picked up during my quest for improve sleep.

In The Owner’s Manual for the Brain, Pierce J. Howard summarizes sleep research with the following lists:

To get to sleep more quickly:

• Consume dairy products (the warmer the better).
• Avoid artificial sweeteners.
• Avoid food additives.
• Avoid caffeine within six hours of bedtime.
• Keep to a regular bedtime.
• Consume carbohydrates and fats; avoid protein.
• Read or view unexciting material.
• Avoid exercise within four hours of bedtime.
• Sleep in absolute darkness and complete silence.
• Take melatonin.

To get better quality sleep:

• Lose weight.
• Avoid alcohol within four hours of bedtime.
• Drink water after alcohol consumption.
• Plan sleep according to sleep cycles and circadian rhythms.
• Do aerobic exercise regularly, but not close to bedtime.

To get back to sleep after waking:

• Write down what’s on your mind.
• Read something unexciting.
• Drink warm milk and honey.

Some of these concepts merit further discussion. (Note: while most of what follows is in my own words, some sentences are lifted verbatim from Howard’s book.)

The Sleep Cycle
It’s not the length of sleep that is important, but the number of complete sleep cycles a person obtains. Each sleep cycle has several stages, the most important of which is REM sleep (during which dreams occur). On average, a complete sleep cycle lasts around ninety minutes. (This varies from person-to-person and from night-to-night, but ninety minutes is close.)

Research has shown that how well-rested a person feels is directly related to the number of complete sleep cycles she obtains. A person who completes five sleep cycles on a given night will feel better rested than a person who completes four sleep cycles. The trouble with certain sleep disorders — such as sleep apnea — is that they limit the number of sleep cycles one achieves.

Once you determine the length of your sleep cycle (via careful observation), you can make some important adjustments. For example, since my sleep cycle averages ninety minutes, and since I get up at 5:30, I know to go to bed at 10:00, giving me seven-and-a-half hours of sleep. If I miss my ten o’clock bedtime, I know that it makes no difference whether I go to bed at 10:30 or 11:30 — both times would offer me the same number of complete sleep cycles.

There’s strong indication that waking at the end of a sleep cycle muddles the mind; it’s better to wake at the beginning of a sleep cycle than to wake in the middle of REM sleep (the middle of a dream). In my case, I’m probably best served going to bed at 11:15, just in case I have trouble falling asleep, and just in case my sleep cycle had been misaligned.

The Circadian Rhythm
Scientists have known for a long time that humans have a built-in twenty-five hour body clock. I’m not sure anyone has developed a satisfactory explanation for why this is the case, but it is. This explains why it’s so easy for most of us to stay up late. (It’s also the reason some people experiment with polyphasic sleep.)

As part of our natural circadian rhythm, various body chemistry changes occur throughout the day, affecting us in different ways.

During the morning, rote memory is at its best. The mind is quick and nimble. During the afternoon, the body is at its physical peak. (Though there is a dip in the mid-afternoon.) In the evening, both the body and mind begin to relax. During the night, whether we’re sleeping or awake, the body and mind exhibit signs of near-dormancy.

What does this mean? If you have important mental work to do, it’s best to do it in the morning. If you have important physical work to do, it’s best to do it in the afternoon. If you’re cramming for a test, it’s better to stay up late than it is to get up early (before 6am) to study; your mind and body are at their lowest between 3am and 6am, regardless of whether you just woke from sleep.

Take naps. Based on the average circadian rhythm, the ideal time for a nap is between noon and 3pm. The ideal length for a nap is about thirty minutes. The urge to nap is natural; resisting the urge has a negative effect on health, productivity, and well-being.

Other Thoughts
Caffeine. While afternoon and evening caffeine consumption can cause sleeplessness for me, it’s interesting to note that if I drink caffeine within thirty minutes of going to bed, it doesn’t prevent sleep. Instead, it enhances my REM state, giving me wild, memorable dreams. Your mileage may vary.

Alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant, and relaxes the body. This makes it easier to fall asleep. However, it also makes it more difficult to achieve the deeper sleep stages. Alcohol before bed can often produce less restful sleep because of this.

Melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally-occurring hormone that, among other things, is responsible for the biological clock. Improper melatonin levels can lead to poor sleep. I’ve been using a melatonin supplement now for a year. I buy it in 3mg pills. Often I use a pill-splitter to produce 1.5mg doses. I find that a 3mg dose can sometimes produce residual sleepiness in the morning. Whatever the dose, melatonin works wonders for me. When I take it, I fall asleep more quickly and I sleep more soundly. Give melatonin a try if you have sleep trouble — it’s available at your local supermarket.

Good sleep is an essential component of good health, a component that many people — especially young people — tend to take for granted. Learn to sleep well and your body will reward you!

For more on this subject, check out Flexo’s guide to imporoved sleep at Consumerism Commentary: part one, part two.

A little late, but here it is anyway:

April was another solid month on the fitness front. I’m keeping really good records of the days that I exercise. I’m not logging reps and weights, but I am logging distances and minutes etc. Here’s a quick rundown for the month of April:

• I lifted weights 8 times in April. I’m shooting for 10 times in May
• I ran 18 times. (52 miles in just under 8 hours) My goal for May is 70 miles.

The diet front was also good, but not as good. It’s really easy for me to get on my treadmill or go to the gym, but for some reason I just don’t feel very successful with my diet plan and weight loss. I’m definitely eating healthier than before I started this venture, and I’ve managed to lose 1 pound/week over the last seven weeks which is healthy and sustainable. But I just don’t feel that good about it for some reason. Maybe it’s because in my previous diets (starvation and pharmacologically aided) the weight came off much faster.

As previously mentioned, my gym is going through some growing pains. As a result, I’ve not had a one on one training session in a long time. As you can see from the missing data in the table, I also haven’t had my body stats measured for a while. I feel that this is an integral piece of the puzzle that is my success. I want to know how much fat I’ve lost and how much muscle I’ve gained each month because it makes the numbers on the scale mean more to me. I think I’m going to have to bite the bullet and get someone at the gym to measure me.

It’s been two months since I stopped hemming and hawing and started getting serious about fitness. In that time, I’ve only lost eight pounds, which is a little less than I’d hoped. But I don’t care. Though I still watch anxiously for the next pound to drop, my focus has shifted squarely to fitness.

Specifically, my single most important goal for this year is to run the Portland Marathon from start to finish. All other fitness goals are secondary. Yes, I’d like to lose weight, but that’s not the most important thing. Yes, I’d like to ride Cycle Oregon, but if I have to choose between that and the marathon (which may be the case), I’m choosing the marathon. Yes, I had hoped to stick closely to the Body for Life program for twelve weeks, but it’s interfering with the marathon — I’ve had to modify it. (And I intend to return to it, starting from day one, when the marathon is over in October.)

The real question in my mind, however, is how far have I come in the past two months? I’ve lost eight pounds, but where does my fitness level stand? I know I feel better, am more active, and am eating healthier foods. But what can I do to empirically compare now and then.

Aha! I can ride my bike.

On February 25th, I rode an 8.7 mile loop on nearby roads, completing the course in 36 minutes, 33 seconds. My average speed was 14.28 miles per hour. Out of curiosity, yesterday I got back in the saddle for the first time in ten weeks. This time I completed the same 8.7 miles in 32 minutes, 46 seconds, for an average speed of 15.82 miles per hour.

My fitness, it seems, has improved by three minutes, 37 seconds! Yes, it’s odd to measure fitness in this way, but I’m not sure how else to do it. I guess I could say that I’ve improved my fitness by eight miles. At the beginning of March, it was a struggle to run two miles. Last Saturday, I ran ten.

If only I were measuring my VO2max…

Last week, we were out of town again. Just like with Hawaii, being out of my home element was difficult on the fitness and diet fronts. On Thursday after preschool, we jumped in the van and headed south to Pam’s parents house in Lincoln, CA.

I had a very active week: I played 5 rounds of golf, went to the gym 1 time, ran 3 times, played tennis 1 time, and went on at least 3 walks with various members of the family. It was a great vacation–relaxing and active–my only complaint was that the kids didn’t sleep well while away from their own beds.

Pam’s parents live in Sun City Lincoln Hills, which is a Del Webb active adult community. I’ve always told myself that I would never live in such a place. There’s a ton of rules governing things from what kind of plants you can plant in your yard, to what you can park in your driveway, to how long guests can stay in your house before being considered “residents.” Oh yeah, and there’s tons of old people who love to blow the whistle on their neighbors. Definitely not for me and my family.

However, there are some pluses to living in a community such as this. The community prides itself on being “green.” It maintains a certain amount of “open space” that can never be developed. Landscaping materials that are drought tolerant are encouraged (maybe required). And there are golf cart lanes on all of the major thoroughfares. Almost all of the residents have a golf cart that they use to get around within Sun City. There are grocery stores, shopping marts, medical facilities, and restaurants all within the community so theoretically, you might not need a car at all.

Everything you could ever need to live an active life is there for you. Gyms, walking trails, golf courses, tennis, bocci, volleyball, softball, and basketball facilities are nearly free for all residents. There are card clubs, knitting clubs, sewing clubs, hiking clubs and countless other clubs full of people who all share the same interests as you. With all of these activities at your finger tips, there’s no excuse for sitting on the couch.

Even though the population of Lincoln has doubled since they moved in, I think Pam’s parents are very happy to be a part of Sun City. I never thought a planned community would be a nice place to live, but I certainly enjoyed my visit and some of the benefits are definitely intriguing to me.

Here’s a quick update regarding my exercise regimen. When last I left you, I was worried that I might be overworking myself. I bailed on Thursday’s planned run in order to rest my legs. Yesterday I did my normal upper body workout (which, as usually, was hampered by my weak left shoulder — so frustrating!). Today, I did my marathon training run.

I was worried that my legs would still be sore this morning, but mostly they were a little tight. I bumped up a pace group (or two) from the “no set time” group to the 4:30 group. The pace felt much better. It felt right. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy. My heart rate stayed at about 84% instead of 80% of max.

We ran uphill for the first four miles, and I did experience some pain. I had a shin splint in my right leg. At our first aid station, I talked with the group leader, and he suggested I take smaller strides and try to land flat-footed instead of on my heel. I did this and it seemed to help. Another runner suggested new shoes. Since everyone has suggested new shoes, and since I’ll need a pair at some point anyhow, I plan to get some in the next few weeks.

We ran the full ten miles — no walk breaks at all. (In the first few weeks, we’d walk from time-to-time.) The last mile was actually rather difficult for me. I was ragged. But I think I’m in good shape. There are ten mile options for the next four weeks, so if I need to keep the same distance I can. I hope, however, to do 12 miles next week (and the week after), and then 13 and 14.

This week? No lower body weights! I’ll try to do a bike ride or two instead.

Update: Forgot to post my time! Did the ten miles in two hours, five minutes, 56 seconds.

Driving home from this morning’s workout, I craved cereal. Sugared cereal.

I don’t keep sugared cereal in the house. That’s dangerous. In fact, the only thing we have that’s close is Trader Joe’s “blueberry morning” instant oatmeal. Blueberry morning instant oatmeal is a poor substitute for Lucky Charms. So although I knew I shouldn’t, I went out of my way to go to the grocery store.

Being a frugal man, I stopped at the discount grocer first. It wasn’t open. I drove another mile to Safeway, which is always open.

I strode boldly to the cereal aisle, but then paused at the choices before me. Which cereal to choose? Which one struck my mood? Kris likes Golden Grahams, so I picked up a box and started toward the registers. But I paused at the Lucky Charms. I like Lucky Charms better than Golden Grahams. I compared the nutritional information. Golden Grahams have 120 calories and 13 grams of sugar per serving (I may be off on that last number), but Lucky Charms have only 110 calories and 11 grams of sugar per serving. The Lucky Charms are better for me! I put the Golden Grahams back.

But then I decided to compare all the cereals.

Look! Corn Pops and Sugar Smacks both have tons of sugar — 15 grams per serving. No wonder the milk is always so sickly sweet after I eat those. They have almost 50% more sugar than Lucky Charms. Huh. Honeycomb has less sugar yet. And look at the Fruity Pebbles! They’ve actually got three grams of fiber per serving.

It was a tough choice, but ultimately I selected the Fruity Pebbles. Only I couldn’t go through with it. “This is bullshit,” I told myself. (Yes, I swear to myself, more than I’d care to admit.) “If I’m really craving something sweet, I should just make honey toast. I have some of that Ezekiel bread at home. At least if I make some toast — and a cup of cocoa — I’m getting moderately healthy stuff. Plus then I won’t have the box of cereal in the house.”

I put the Fruity Pebbles back on the shelf, and I walked out of the store.

Normally for breakfast I eat a sausage and two eggs. This morning, however, I think I’m going to let myself have the honey toast.