I only made it to the 1st day of summer. I’ve not done as well in adapting to & surviving the heat as I had planned, so I’ve decided to change my approach to keeping fit during the hot season.
First of all, taking a cue from Mike, I’ve decided to go on a diet, a restricted carb type for a few months. My goal is 15 pounds -- I’m hoping the weight loss will be from fat, not muscle. Losing weight can help in so many running goals & help with problems like my back. This is now my top priority -- losing this weight, I would move from the “obese” to the “overweight” category, still 24 pounds above “normal”.
Running races is not in the plan on such a diet though. I will attempt to jog in the early morning hours this summer in hopes of retaining muscle tone & to help with the weight loss.
I’ve also resolved to head to the gym & work with the back/torso/ab machines in hopes of helping the back problem. I’ve always heard the saying, “once you mess up your back, it’s never the same” – I agree totally as I didn’t take the best of care of my back in my early years. I won’t be able to eliminate the problem, but it can only help.
I think starting back in the fall this year won’t be as difficult as in previous years as I did continue running more than a month later than usual this year. Plus, I think I feel I’m more determined this time. It will still require a lot of training to build the endurance side back, regardless.
3 comments:
Ed:
Hang in there! I was sorry to hear of your Mohican 100 ordeal, but glad the damage wasn't permanent. I wouldn't sweat the outcome at Celina, either. After all, there were 7 DNFs and all but one were younger than you! You finished, and that's an accomplishment in the heat. While I'm keeping up with my running, I've opted not to race until the Fall. Hope to see you out there when things cool down!
Take care,
Josh
Losing weight is just about the best thing a runner can do to help prevent injury.
I recently lost about 15 pounds by changing my diet. I avoided eating food with simple sugars added. I stopped putting sugar in my coffee. I stopped drinking sweetened ice tea. I started eating more protein. I was still taking in carbs, but was getting them from vegetables, whole grains, and fruits rather than pasta. I wouldn't say I was following the Zone Diet, but that's where I got my inspiration, not to mention several good recipes. Not only did I lose weight, but my cholesterol levels are now where they should be.
At the same time that I was changing my diet I got serious about strength conditioning too. Not lifting lots of weights or anything like that just doing lots of pushups, crunches, squats, curls, etc.
The new diet and focus on core strength are the two big reasons why I’ve been able to lower several PR’s lately.
Last Saturday I did a 20 mile run and finally tried something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. About every 30 minutes I stopped and did 20 pushups. I wound up doing 140 during the run.
Good luck!
Thanks josh,
Mohican & Celina were both new races for me – the experiences are ones that I won’t soon forget. I may have learned the hard way, but first hand lessons are invaluable.
I hope to see you after the summer. If you’re looking for another local 50 miler, the closest one this fall is OPSF 50/50, about 150 miles from Louisville.
jeffro,
Thanks for your support. A diet is never easy.
I’ve set goals for races, so setting a reachable goal for my diet is the logical thing to do. I can clearly understand what you’re saying about added sugar, carbs & protein -- I lost 30 pounds using the Atkins (hard core) diet many years ago. With the help of a lifestyle change, I have not gained that weight back. I don’t think I could get into increasing my core strength -- that would be as difficult to me as the diet – I applaud your work ethic! Some running will continue as I believe that doubles the effectiveness of a low carb diet. I’ve never had a problem with cholesterol, my problem is triglycerides (fat).
I was looking forward to checking out the trails at Muscatatuck. You’ll have to let us know how things go. Good Luck.
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