Qualify Grampy Qualify II - 05/24/10

Tuesday 5/25 results: Eating and drinking habits went well. Weight loss 2-1/2 pounds, 10 pounds to go. At 13 days, a bit disappointed but I am confident that the full impact will begin to kick in soon.

Well, it's been a little over a week and my workouts are certainly challenging! I am beginning to learn most of the "moves" in the workouts. Some are difficult due to my lack of flexibility but I am working on that and in the interim simply making do with the flexibility that I have.


Eight plus miles at Queeny Park was a pleasure on a beautiful Saturday morning. After the first loop I decided on taking a trail that I had not run on before. It soon became a really nice long downhill which made me wonder what was to come. Yep, a really long UPhill! I was deep enough in the woods that it was difficult to judge directions and I ended up running a bit further than I had planned. That's okay, if was fun experiencing a new route!


After some food and a brief rest I spent the rest of the day weeding our upper flower beds and carrying 10 bags of mulch up the stairs to mulch the beds and path then mowed and trimmed the yard. I didn't track it but if I didn't burn 3000 + calories I would be shocked. Sunday was a lot easier just church, lunch, planting a few pots and working out before dinner.


A couple more weeks and it's back to running. After Pilate's, Cardio, Arms & Shoulders, Back, Kempo (kick boxing) and Ab and Core work I am looking forward to running a lot of miles!
More next week
Eric
aka RunGrampyRun

Qualify Grampy Qualify Week 1

Thanks Maggie (Sally's Mom) for the winning title.

Boston is the Holy Grail for marathoner's. Just to qualify for Boston is a great accomplishment, actually completing it an even greater one. To qualify you must complete a certified marathon in less than a set time limit for your age band.

So, if 60 is the new 50 I would need to run a 3:35---HA! I'll proudly announce that I will be 63 on race day and qualify with a 4:00 hour marathon. Let's review that: 26.2 miles in 4 hours is a 9:09 minute per mile pace or 6.55 MPH, HMMMM can I drive my car?

Phase I: Prepare for a fall marathon, by first reaching these goals:

1. Reduce weight from 168 (ugh!) to 155 (Did I really tell you that information?)
2. Reduce body fat by 10-15% (Notice I did NOT include any "before" pictures.)
3. Build strength: Strength builds speed and strength helps avoid injuries

How am I going to accomplish this?

30 days of concentrated cross training: Cardio, Upper & lower body, Arms & back, Core and Flexibility. This means about 1 hour per day 6 days a week. This phase began on May 12th and will cross over the first full week of actual run training which begins June 5th.

Eliminate all "bad" snacks AND diet soda (that one is tough).

Eat small meals 6 times per day in order to provide enough good calories to fuel this level of activity.

Here are some numbers that I crunched just for fun, over this 22 month training I will:

1. Run 2660 miles
2. Go thru 6 pairs of running shoes
3. Consume 665 packets of GU energy gel
4. Drink 166 gallons of electrolyte sports drink
5. Have some form of training scheduled for 571 days
6. Attempt to avoid injuries 95 weeks
7. Run 3-1/2 to 4 marathons (incl Boston)
8. Have Susan ask if I am crazy 1 time
9. Repeat to Susan: "If a little is good, a whole lot is better!" 235 times
10. Wonder if I am crazy 42 times
11. Qualify for Boston 1 time
12. Finish the Boston Marathon 1 time
13. Know I was absolutely crazy 1 time
14. Apologize to Susan 1 realllllllly big time

Until next week,

Eric aka RunGrampyRun

It's Been Awhile!

I haven't posted since January 28th, shame on me!

Since that time I completed coaching my half marathon group "The Thundering Chickens" and they all did a great job at the Go St. Louis run. It was quite a day. We had trained in all kinds of weather, from sub-zero freezing temps, running thru snow and packed ice and even a day where the rain turned into hail for a period of time. The only weather condition missing was heat. On race day is was quite warm with a bright sun and no breeze. Some half marathoners struggled but the full marathon was quite a challenge.

I don't share my goals with others often enough but here goes:

I have a goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2011 and running it in 2012 (presuming I can get entered before it is filled).

This will require the full 2 years of preparation and training. I plan on blogging about my progress on a weekly basis. My next blog will let you know how I have started. Also, by then I hope to come up with a catchy title so if you have any suggestions, other than something like: "Is that old fart crazy?" please let me know.

Until next week

Eric

aka RunGrampyRun