Sorry for the delay on this post, I have both been busy and recovering from the half marathon. I will say, this race really took it out of me, much more than I expected. I couldn’t walk for about 6 hours after the race. My legs were demolished. I was still in pain for about 2 days after. Finally on Wednesday I was able to get back on the bike, and back to both the bike and running today. I might not have all the power back in my legs, but it is almost there.
Now for my time in the race. I went in with an ABC set of goals. The goals were as follows:
A. Sub 3 hour time
B. 2:55:00
C. 2:50:00
The ultimate time I ran it in was 2:46:49, beating my hardest goal by over 3 minutes. I am ecstatic by this, as I didn’t even know if I could beat my easy goal. I also did not finish last, which is always my goal, and I never had to walk.
Because I was able to complete this half marathon, and did much better than I thought I could, I have decided that I will in fact train and run in the Rochester Marathon this fall. It will be a long and tough race, but it is a once in a lifetime thing to do. Something I can always look back on and know I did something good for my health.
If you learn anything from this, it is that anyone can do this. You don’t have to start at a half marathon, but if you push hard and up the distance, sooner or later you can run a half marathon.
You might have noticed that I have been laying low for the last week, and I will be for the next few days. In preparation for my half marathon this Sunday I am in taper mode, and in lay low mode. But to let everyone know what I am doing, here is a post to let you all know.
For one, I am increasing my water intake this week to make sure I am fully hydrated and to flush my body of anything bad before the race. I am trying to drink at least 120 oz of water every day up to the race. I will also be cutting out any alcohol up until the race, as well as any crap food like candy or chips. My calorie consumption will stay right about the same, trying to keep it constant.
The other part of my week is tapering my workouts. I will continue to workout, but not as hardcore as I had been. No more 10 mile runs until race day. No more 30 mile rides until after race day. Instead I am going for short 4 mile runs at a fast but comfortable pace. I will also be going on shorter rides, between 15-20 miles. I plan on riding my bike along the half marathon course over the next few days. I want to keep my body warm, but I do not want to risk injury or tiring my body out.
And for everyone that will be in Rochester on the 29th, I decided to determine where I will be along the course at certain road changes so people can come out and cheer me on. The chart below will tell you everything you need to know, with a range of time.
| Change | Fast Time | Slow Time |
| W Main St to Madison St | 7:41:03 | 7:41:54 |
| Madison St to Silver St | 7:44:18 | 7:45:24 |
| Silver St to Brown St | 7:44:57 | 7:46:06 |
| Brown St to Allen St | 7:45:36 | 7:46:48 |
| Morrie Silver Way to State St | 7:54:03 | 7:55:54 |
| State St to Main St E | 7:59:54 | 8:02:12 |
| Main St E to East Ave | 8:05:06 | 8:07:48 |
| Cross Portsmouth Ter | 8:20:42 | 8:24:36 |
| East Ave to Brunswick St | 8:27:12 | 8:31:36 |
| Brunswick St to Park Ave | 8:29:48 | 8:34:24 |
| Park Ave to Goodman St S | 8:40:12 | 8:45:36 |
| Goodman St S to Pineturn Dr | 8:58:24 | 9:05:12 |
| Mt Hope Cemetery Enter (Mt Hope) | 9:08:48 | 9:16:24 |
| Mt Hope Cemetery Exit (Elmwood) | 9:40:00 | 9:50:00 |
| Elmwood to Joseph C Wilson Blvd | 9:45:12 | 9:55:36 |
| Joseph C Wilson Blvd to Ford St | 10:09:54 | 10:22:12 |
| Ford St to Exchange Blvd | 10:11:12 | 10:23:36 |
| Finish line | 10:20:18 | 10:33:24 |
It is hard to believe that this day has come. I have officially been working on losing weight for 300 days. It is hard to fathom how I have stayed dedicated this long. I remember in the past that I have failed anywhere from a few weeks in, to a few months in, but never 300 days. Over the 300 days I have lost over 115 pounds, over 35 inches, and countless years onto my life. Luckily, I am now I the final stretch of this part of the journey, the part to lose weight and become healthy. After I reach that point, I start the next stage, maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I have to thank everyone for their support, and I wouldn’t be able to do this if it wasn’t for all your comments, both on the site and in person. You really are a driving force for me.
Here’s to the next 300 days!
Chicken Parmesan is something that I really love, but it usually is not the healthiest, or easiest to make. That is why when I found this recipe, I was really excited to give it a try. It makes it easier because you aren’t breading or frying the chicken, which also is what cuts out some calories. It doesn’t take all that long to make, and it tastes amazing.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 2 cups prepared marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used dried)
- 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 (5 ounce) package garlic croutons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic and hot red pepper flakes.
- Arrange the chicken breasts in bottom of the dish, and pour marinara sauce over chicken. Sprinkle basil over marinara sauce, and top with half the mozzarella cheese, followed by half the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on the croutons, then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven until cheese and croutons are golden brown and the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 35 minutes to an hour (took me 45), depending on the shape and thickness of your chicken breasts. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chicken breast should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
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http://weightofaman.com/recipe-chicken-parmesan-bake/
Race season is starting to go into full force, so now is the time to plan my races for this year. Currently my plan is to participate in at least 1 race a month till the end of the year. Some of these races I have already officially signed up for, and some are currently in the plans, but not official as of yet. So, without further ado, here are the races. I might add some further on, so keep an eye on my races page for updates.
- April
- 29th – Flower City Half Marathon – Officially signed up for
- May
- 31st – Chase Corporate Challenge (3.5 miles) – Officially signed up for via UR
- June
- 3rd or 10th – Tour de Cure Century Bike Race (Virginia or Rochester) – Waiting on possibility of road bike
- July
- 4th – Peachtree Roadrace 10K (Atlanta) – Officially signed up for
- Possible triathlon last weekend of July
- August
- Triathlon – Date still unknown, deciding on specific race
- September
- 23rd – Rochester Marathon – Waiting to see how half marathon goes
- October
- 6th – Photofinish 5K – Waiting for registration to open up, have to redo my first ever race
- November
- 22nd – Webster Turkey Trot – New Thanksgiving tradition
- December
- Nothing official, most likely Jingle Bell 5K again
When I first decided to lose weight, I decided to buy a FitBit to track the walking I did, as well as the running I later started doing. I fell in love with it because I didn’t have to track any of my walking or running exercise, and it counted calories I burned doing things I never even thought about.
Then, a few weeks ago I came across a similar device called the Core armband, by BodyMedia. The two devices are very similar, but also have some difference which gives each their own positives and negatives. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on one of these armbands to give it a whirl and give you guys a review.
My feelings going into this review was deciding which I like better, the Core armband, or the Fitbit. To sum it up, I feel they come out to a tie in the end. The FitBit is great because you don’t even realize you are wearing it. After a while I just kept mine in the bottom of my pocket, I kept it in there all day, and didn’t even remember it was there. It tracked everything I did throughout the day, cardio wise. That is where the FitBit falls short of the armband. Because the armband is not just a pedometer, but includes sensors which track your sweat and body temperature, which allows it to calculate calories burned for pretty much anything, like weight lifting, shooting hoops, or bike riding.
The one thing I don’t like about the armband though is that you have to wear it on your arm. For a guy like me who is still losing weight, the armband can be a bit tight on your arm. At some points you wont even feel like you have it on, but then other times it can be a bit irritating and feel like it is cutting off some circulation. I would say this wouldn’t be an issue for everyone, mainly only people who have fatter, or more muscular arms. It’s nothing that should scare you off from buying it.
The last thing I should compare are the web interfaces for the two, which is a deciding factor for me when it comes to these devices. Both sites can be a bit cumbersome to navigate, but not too difficult. The BodyMedia site gives a whole lot more information for you to look through, but the food entry was a bit annoying compared to LoseIt. Both offer an iPhone app which are pretty much equivalent to using the site. One thing that puts FitBit over the top when it comes to the site is the face that you can sync it with your LoseIt account, which then adds your calories burned there as an exercise. That being said, it does appear that BodyMedia might be working on getting this type of functionality up and running, but that would also be up to LoseIt including it on their site.
One last feature comparison that I would like to point out is the sleep tracking function. Both of the devices track how much you sleep on a given night, but the armband offers something which I like a lot. Instead of having to tell the device when you are going to sleep, the armband actually can tell if you are sleeping or not all on its own. This is great for me because there are plenty of times I fall asleep when I wasn’t planning on sleeping yet.
Overall, like I stated back at the beginning, the devices come out to a tie based on their positives and negatives. The FitBit will cost you $99 dollars, and the site is free, unless you want some additional tracking features, which will cost you $50/year. The Core Armband will cost you $150-$180 depending if it’s on sale (like it is as of this writing), and the site will cost you $7/month ($84/year) with the first 3 months being free. So yes, the Core Armband is more expensive, but it offers extended features that are worth the increased price. I do recommend that Core Armband, but it really comes out to what do you really need to track. If you are a huge fitness junky and do a lot of non cardio exercising, the armband is great for you, but if you are mainly a runner or walker, or just move around a lot on your job, all you need is a FitBit.
I hope this review helps you out in deciding which device you want to get, and if you have any specific questions between the two, just let me know.
As of my weigh in on Sunday, I have hit a huge milestone on the way to my ultimate goal. I have lost 2/3 of my goal, which puts me at 113 pounds down. This means I only have 1/2 of my goal left. This is huge! I knew when I hit the 1/2 mark I was over the hill, but now I feel like I am even more on that downhill section, and running with my arms up celebrating waiting to hit that goal. Next goal up is 70%, and I hope to hit my ultimate goal of 170 pounds by the time I run the marathon on September 23rd, 2012. Till then, stay healthy!
I was a bit surprised when I found this recipe, but in all honesty, it is probably one of the best things that I have ever made. It is very simple to make, as everything is in the pot at one time and you don’t have to add the pasta later. Not only is it simple, but it tastes amazing, make a whole lot, and is very low in calories. I highly recommend this to anyone, and if I could, I would give this more than my max 5 star rating. Click the more link for the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or salt
- 3 jars 26 ounce pasta sauce
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1-2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Cook/brown beef into a medium skillet over medium heat until crumbled and browned Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drain fat from pan if necessary.
- Pour one jar of pasta sauce into bottom of crock pot on high heat. Break spaghetti noodles in half and place noodles over sauce. Pour cooked beef over noodles, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with cubes of cream cheese. Pour another jar of pasta over cream cheese, close lid and let cook on high for 3 hours. After 3 hours, give a good stir (will be thick) and add last jar of pasta sauce and 1-2 cups of chicken broth (more if you want a thinner sauce). Close lid and let cook another hour or until ready to serve.
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http://weightofaman.com/recipe-creamy-crock-pot-spaghetti/The original recipe can be found at Picky Palate
When I started this whole journey to lose weight, my calorie budget was over 2700 calories. At that point, I could basically eat anything I wanted and still get under my budget and a lose a lot of weight. As the weight came down, the budget came down. Over time this meant I had to cut some things out of my diet, as well as limiting certain things. Now, as of my last weigh in, my calorie budget has dropped below 2000. This has caused me to have to adjust my diet accordingly to try to lower my calorie intake, as well as being a bit more conscious of the actual food I am eating. As you have seen, I am posting more and more recipes because I am trying to lower the calories in my meals. I try to keep anything I make to under 600 calories per serving, lower if I can. I can’t wait till I get to my goal so that I can raise this calorie budget since once I get towards my goal, it is going to be tough to get below my budget.
I had a whole bunch of extra chicken breasts lying around so I went hunting for an interesting chicken recipe to make. I came across this recipe and decided I would give it a try. Honestly, I think it is good, but not at the top of my list. It is spicier than I would like, and also is high in sodium which I didn’t realize till after I made it. It also doesn’t generate that big of a serving size for the amount of sodium that is in it. On the plus side though, it is very low in calories. Also, I had to use a bigger casserole dish for my version, which probably made the output not as great. All in all, I would still recommend trying this out if you like hot sauce. Click the more link for the recipe.
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