Ooops

Well.. it's been a while since I've posted here. It's too bad too because with the lack of posts has come the lack of determination. Spring break seriously through off my schedule and it's been difficult to get back on the horse. So... I'm rededicating myself to this thingy. We'll see how far I get.

Instead of going straight into the 18 week training program for the full marathon, I'm thinking of doing the conditioning program that gets everyone up to snuff for that level of training. Hopefully it'll work me out a bit better and appropriately.

My Calves Hurt

Yesterday was another 3 miles - 10:59 m/mile - 550 Kcal @ 167bpm
max 3:20 m/mile @179bpm

A Day of Rest and a Day of Hills

So, as all Mondays go, Monday was a day off. I did some walking around into the city and the like but took it easy the rest of the day stretching out the legs from the 6 miler on Sunday.

Yesterday was scheduled to be another 3 miler. I chose to take the hill/mountain road loop that I had a week ago and had some impressive results:

3.28 miles @ avg 10:59 min/mile - 171 bpm for 576 Kcals

Maxed at 5:57 min/mile @ 191bpm

Today will be another 3 miler. I'm thinking a run towards the water or the loop through campus and along the mail road. Hopefully the rain will hold off.

The long day

Today was my first long day and boy, was it long. 6 miles plus a little more for a cool down.

Totals:
6 miles - 1:09hrs - 1037 Kcals
Avg: 11:33 minute mile @ 155bpm
Max: 7:19 minute mile @ 181bpm

There was some walking in there as directed by the training plan. All in all I'm rather happy.

Cool down: 1.1 miles - 19:20 mins - 140 cals
Avg Pace 17:37 mile @ 129bpm

Sum of the day - 7.1 miles - 1177 Kcals

Things felt good except for chronic pain in my calves and front shin tendons. I'm going to see the sports doc to find a stretch to loosen those up. I also started getting a head ache at the end, dehydration no doubt. I'll have to look into finding watering stops along the way perhaps.

Cross Training with a Hike

Well today we hiked for my cross training.

3.15 miles, 1.5 hours, 458 calories.

It's a day off

No running scheduled for today though I do plan to do a fair bit of walking around. I have a few chores to take care of here and then I'm thinking about walking into the city for the afternoon.

Tomorrow, I'm reversing the cross training and long run since we're doing an all day hike in the Wicklow mountains. I don't think it gets much more cross trainy than that. I'm looking forward to ending this week with 15 miles under my belt and getting back into the habit of running daily - similar to HS cross country.

Hope all is well for you guys.

Today was a little tougher

So today was harder, my muscled tight and a little sore from the hills yesterday.

Results:

3 miles
avg pace: 9:39 @163bpm
max pace: 7:07 @184bpm
Total calories: 516

Wednesday Results

Today was another three miler but Wednesdays are going to become tougher and tougher as the time goes on. With that in mind I hit a route that brought me around and up the largest hill nearby and then subsequently rounded out the rest of the run along the perimeter of the campus.

Today was 3 miles with an average pace of 9.54 mins/mile @172 bpm maxing out at 8.12 mins/mile @ 189bpm. Total calories burned 594.

Tomorrow is another 3 miler at a moderate pace again.

And we're off

Sooooo yesterday I forgot to blog after the run. It was a 3 miler with a bit of a cool down at the end. It wasn't a blistering pace and I only stopped for 17 seconds according to the Garmin - it keeps track of my time, distance etc. My peak pace on the run was only 8:30 minute mile with an average closer to 10-11 mins per mile. The training guide calls for an easy pace.

We'll see how I do tonight blowing out the lactic acid from yesterday.

Today is the big day

So lots of sleep and a good breakfast/lunch started the day off. We're cooking with gas guys! Tomorrow the running begins.

Tomorrow is the big day

Well, we're almost there - tomorrow is it, the official beginning of the marathon training program. Granted, it's starting on an off day but I think the change is more than just activity, it's about thought process, attitude, and the support mechanisms that go along with running a marathon.

For example, there needs to be a constant flow of high quality fuel rolling into the body in order to let me hit those long runs and eventually work up to 20 miles. Steering clear of junk and convenience foods, more fruits and veg, more protein and whole grains. It's all there. Tomorrow a change begins - hopefully the change will continue for a long while longer.

Cardio Training... Marathon Style

So.. the next phase of my quest for fitness is coming in the form of long run training - marathon length to be exact. Starting Monday, I'll be working an 18 week training program that will work me up to a distance of 20 miles and is the prescribed method for getting to 24.6 or 26.4 miles - whichever it is.

I'll be posting my weekly training schedule and the results there of. So next week's schedule will be as follows:

• Monday: Rest - every Monday will be a recovery day apparently
• Tuesday: 3 Mile Run
• Wednesday: 3 Mile Run (Every other week, this run will increase by 1 mile)
• Thursday: 3 Mile Run
• Friday: Rest - every Friday will be a rest day
• Saturday: 6 Mile run (This will be the long run every week)
• Sunday: Cross-Training (Bike, Walkings, Swimming, Sports)

This training plan comes from the Hal Higdon Marathon Training Guide.

I'm not sure that there will be a marathon for me to run but after having talked with some of the people in my life, it's clear that there needs to be a change. I think that having a goal like this will be a great thing for me to boost my confidence, fitness, and change my lifestyle. It starts small and builds, only asking for me to go outside and make the mileage.

Hope you guys keep reading to follow the progress.

Turning a Corner

This post marks the beginning of a new journey for this blog. From now through this time next year, I will be using this blow as a means to keep myself honest about my fitness. I'm out of shape. I'm a bit unhealthy. I need this to change.

So, what I've done is sign up with the Men's Health Personal Trainer online and joined up with the Crunch Fitness (gym/fitness center on campus here at UCD). My goal is to get to 185lbs and drop to a Body Fat % of 18% in the next year. This is totally doable. My plan is to post my workouts, my stats, my intake, and my progress on this blog as a sort of Ubiquitous Accountability.

STARTING POINTS:

Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 235lb
BMI: 32

GOALS:
Weight Workouts: 4-5/week
Cardio Workouts: 4-5/week
Target Weight: 185lb
Target BMI: 18

PROGRESS:
Weight: 0lb
BMI: 0

I don't expect any sort of comments or really any reads on this so that's all well and good. If you do decide to say something you can write an email to me at james.m.connors@gmail.com or write a comment here. Please try to remain positive and helpful, otherwise I won't post your messages. This is for me, only me, and for no one else. Sure, others will benefit from my health and fitness but I'm not doing this for anyone else.

3 Days To Go

It's now 3 days until the flight and I'm almost there. Packing is coming along well and finally looking like I might be able to finish up today... in the next 3 hours... hmm. That's on the physical side, on the mental side - not so much.

I'm rather fond of the US and I'm finding it harder to say goodbye to friends than I had originally thought. I'm going to miss you guys real bad. I'm going to miss *you* too.

I was in the shower this morning and it hit me that I'm going to be in a different country on Thursday and I won't be coming back for 6 months. This presents me a rather interesting situation - how do you feel about going away leaving everything that you know while at the same time hitting up a really amazing opportunity?

So - just another peak into the mind of me. I'm missing everyone already. I'm excited for something new. But most of all, I'm ready to get going and stop talking about it.

A New Year and Only 15 Days to Go

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been such an amazing part of my year:

Friends back in Maine, you guys have been amazing.  There are so many times when I just need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and you all have been here every step of that way for me. From our treks through the woods, to our little cabin, to nights gathered about laughing - thanks.

Buddies back at BU, my teammates, friends, and mentors - I can't ask for more.  You've seen me at my best and worst, strung out on redbull and cross eye'd from studying too much.  Thank you so much for being such a great group of friends.

Family all over, you're my foundation, base.  I'm glad that we've been able to grow our connection and build some traditions.  Thank you for supporting me and believing in my fream to go to Ireland.

Speaking of Ireland, I'm headed there in 15 days.  For those of you looking to follow me on that trip, I'm going to have a couple ways to stay in touch with me.  First, you need to get over to http://www.jamesindublin.com.  I set this website up for everyone that wants to stay in touch.  I'll have details on getting a hold of me via the phone, skype, twitter, and more.  I'll also be posting articles about my travels, experiences, and all the rest.  Hopefully there will be photos, audio tours, maybe even some videos too.

So here's to another wonderful year!