Machine: Elliptical
Duration: 65 minutes
Distance: 3.9
Effort: 60 minutes - Rolling hills setting (level 10) plus 1 minute of max effort during the 5 minute cool down period.
HR: 135 to 159 for 60 minutes, 160 to 170 during the 1 minute sprint.

After the workout I walked 10 minutes more to cool down. EF D3. Good workout tonight.

Outdoor walk/jog at a school track
Duration: 66 minutes
Distance: 5 miles
Effort: Jogged 4 miles at around 5 mph. Walked for a 1/2 mile to both warm up and cool down.

The point today was to get a real outdoor jog in for the first time in a while. The treadmill and elliptical workouts are not the same. I didn't push hard on this workout. I wanted to find a jogging pace that I could stick with and just keep at it until I had had enough (within reason). It was cool and damp. It took 2 miles of jogging to warm up and find that pace. Then it started drizzling. I kept going. I was still feeling good at mile 3. Drizzle turned to rain. I kept going. I was feeling good, so I picked up the pace a little. At mile 4 the gravel track was saturated and started pooling water. I called it a day, walked 2 more laps to cool down, then headed to the car. The skies opened up. Gutter flusher weather. By the time I got to the car I may as well have swam there. Not ideal, but I did get my outdoor jog in! :thup: :thup:

Ken, good for you! I may walk in the rain today as well - it's been drizzly and wet off and on and I haven't been walking much lately.

I am watching the Olympics - that has to be inspirational for you, being on right now...!
Kat

Thanks Kat. I hope that you got your walk in. At least it is warm. I was doused by a heavy shower on a 5 mile walk today, but with 70 degree temperatures I didn't mind getting a little damp. I'll take this over snow and ice any day.

My recovery time from cardio workouts is so much better now than it was 2 years ago. In the days after my first jogs in 2016 I was really feeling the pain. I woke up wobbly legged the next day and still had sore muscles on the 2nd day after a workout. Yesterday was my first long outdoor jog in prep for the next 10K. I feel fine today. I barely noticed any weariness on my walk today. I should be able to get a good workout in every other day. I may even try a short cardio workout one day followed by a hard cardio workout the next. I'm feeling pretty darn fit already and I've still got 2 months to prepare for that race.

Last night...

Machine: Treadmill
Duration: 55 minutes
Distance: 4 miles
Effort: 18 minutes Jogging 5.6 mph and 7 minutes at 6.0 mph. 30 minutes walking at 3.8 mph.
HR: 160 to 170 during the jogging.

My right shoulder is sore from my weight lifting session on Sunday. Although not as bad, it is the same pain at the same location as the injury that occured lifting weights 18 months ago. That injury took forever to heal and was the primary reason that I dropped weight lifting from my regimen. The pain I'm feeling now isn't too bad. I will continue with the weights for now. But rather than go for strength think I will back off and lift for tone - less weight, more reps, and not aiming to lift until failure. Hopefully I can coax this shoulder into behaving.

Machine: Elliptical
Duration: 65 minutes
Distance: 4.0
Effort: 60 minutes - Rolling hills setting (level 11) plus 3.5 minute of max effort during the 5 minute cool down period.
HR: 135 to 150 for 60 minutes, 165 to 173 during the sprint session.

HR and respiration during the main workout stayed in the moderate cardio zone even though I'd up the difficulty level a notch and maintained my usual pace. I hope that's a sign of being in better shape.

Last Friday night...

Machine: Treadmill
Duration: 41 minutes
Distance: 3.6K
Effort: 17 minutes Jogging 5.2 mph, 15 minutes at 5.6 mph, and 3 minutes at 6.0 mph. 6 minutes walking at 4 mph.
HR: 145 to 166 during the jogging.

Saturday I went to the gym again for an upper body weight lifting workout. I'm keeping the weights lighter to prevent injury. It doesn't seem like much of a workout when I'm done. Hopefully I will be able to slowly increase the effort for a more effective workout without injuring myself this time.

Outdoor jog/walk at a school track
Duration: 132 minutes (10K time - 74 minutes)
Distance: 9+ miles
Effort: Jogged a full 10K (6.2 miles) at around 5 mph. Walked a few laps to warm up and 3 miles following the jog to cool down.

The point today was to complete a 10K jog if I could. I did. I did not push myself at all. I did not pace myself with my phone app. I just ran a slow jog with the intent of making it to the end. The first mile and last 0.2 miles were the fastest paces. Mile 3 & 4 I was jogging at a better pace than mile 2. I tired during mile 5 & 6 and it showed as those were my slowest miles.

I was surprised with my respiration and heart rate. I was never gasping for breath or maxing out my heart rate. That part of today's workout was great. I certainly could have pushed harder. Strength, speed, and longer strides need some work. I was tired by mile 5 and it took some determination to keep going. Future workouts will include some sprints, jogging hills, and running a shorter distance (2 to 3 miles) at a faster pace.

The 74 minute 10K today was pretty slow. I ran the race 3 minutes faster than that 2 years ago. But as I said, I did not push the pace today. I have 8 weeks to go before the Richmond 10K. I'll try another practice 10K in a month or so. I'll push a litter harder on that one to gauge where I'm at.

After 2 days of recovery from my practice 10K I got in a 47 minute outdoor workout tonight. 2.5+ miles jogging, including a couple of uphill sprints. The remainder I was walking with pace. Also walked for an hour at lunch today. Warm day - perfect weather.

Later I went to the gym for some upper body weight training. Good day. :)

Machine: Elliptical
Duration: 45 minutes
Distance: 3.0
Effort: 40 minutes - Rolling hills setting (level 12) plus 2 minute of max effort during the 5 minute cool down period.
HR: 140 to 150 for 40 minutes, 165 to 169 during the sprint session.

This was the first time I've done a cardio workout on back-to-back days. I seem to be recovering well from my workouts this year. Rain is expected this weekend. My window of opportunity for an outdoor jog is Saturday morning. So rather than have another 2 day cardio break I opted for another workout today with an off day tomorrow. I did surprisingly well on my workout tonight. It looks like I may be about to get away with pushing a little harder in the coming weeks.

Outdoor run/walk at the school track and cross country course
Duration: 180 minutes
Distance: 12 miles
Effort: I walked a few miles to warm up, then ran a mile in 9 minutes 47 seconds. I walked a few laps then ran another 1/2 mile at the same pace. I then alternated walking partial laps with one or two 100 yard sprints on each lap. I did 12 of those sprints. After that I walked and jogged through the cross country coarse to MURDER HILL. I jogged up, then walked down that steep hill 5 times. I walked and jogged back to the track, then walked and jogged a few more miles until my 3 hour workout was done.

The point today was to bust my a$$. I did just that. If I don't feel this in the morning then I am in killer shape. I wanted to work on pace and strength today. That time for the 1 mile run is on target for a 60 minute 10K - which is my goal. But I am no where near being able to sustain that pace much longer than I did today. I've got more work to do. Today was wa really good workout. A few more of these and I just might reach my 10K goal this year.

I managed to get in a 5 mile walk this morning. The legs were a little weary from yesterday's workout. Tonight they are a little sore. But that's all. Two years ago such sprints put me out of commission for days. Yesterday was a nice, hard workout. But it looks like I didn't overdo it. I'm recovering well. :thup: :thup:

Machine: Elliptical
Duration: 50 minutes
Distance: 3.5
Effort: 45 minutes - Rolling hills setting (level 12) plus 3 minute of max effort during the 5 minute cool down period.
HR: 135 to 155 for 45 minutes, 155 to 165 during the sprint session.

The legs were still a bit weary and sore from the big workout on Saturday. It took some extra will to keep up the intensity. Afterwards I did a decent upper body weight training routine. I'm still keeping it light. I plan on working on strength training after the 10K. Today was another good workout.

I was a little premature in my recovery time assessment following last weekend's hard-core workout. I did not injure myself, nor did I have any cramping or serious pain following that workout. But a full recovery has been slow in coming. I have felt sluggish on my walks all week, but feeling a little more recovered each day. My hamstrings have remained slightly sore and feel like they have doubled in size. I know that they haven't doubled, but as I sit here I feel like I'm sitting on my hamstrings -- not just my legs. I've taken a break from cardio workouts this week. Today I feel good - almost recovered. My legs feel stronger. I'm actually looking forward to my next jog to see if that workout last weekend had any positive effect.

Outdoor run/walk at the school track
Duration: 80 minutes
Distance: 5.25 miles
Effort: I walked a mile to warm up, then ran a mile in under 11 minutes. I walked partial laps dong one or two 100 yard runs on each lap. I did 21 of those 100 yard runs. Half of them were sprints and the other half I was working on jogging a fast pace with longer strides.

I was feeling a bit under the weather this weekend. I think it was a mild chest cold. I'd planned for a longer run. My legs were fresh but my lungs were not up to it.

My wife and I signed up for a gym membership at the Y today. She was the one who wanted to do it so that she can participate in their organized exercise programs. She wanted the instruction. Adding me on was just a few dollars more. The facility is nice. It is big, too -- lots of weight lifting end aerobic machines to choose from. It also happens to be conveniently located on my route to and from work. It has an indoor running track :thup: :thup:. We are now paying for it. I hope that we both make use of our membership.

Hi Ken! I hope the cold passes quickly.
Great that you joined the Y gym. I imagine the price there is very reasonable - what a stroke of luck that it is on your way to/from work.

I am lucky to be able to join my friend at her gym after work 3 days a week. She wants to go but won't by herself so having me help her make exercise a habit before I leave ATL is a good thing. I haven't been up to doing the machines, but I want to do them. They also have Fitballs there, so want to find a book and use those as well. My Balls and Bands book is packed and buried in the storage unit.

Your training for the race is helping keep me inspired to get MUCH healthier. I exercise 4-5 days a week but really want to be in better shape than I am.
Keep up the good work!
Kat

Thanks for checking in on me Kat. I am working hard. I am definitely in great shape below the belt. The legs are rock solid. Now if I could just melt off these love handles I've got. Exercise is good, but I've got to eat better to shed the excess weight. I haven't made much progress in that department lately. We just keep plugging away, don't we.

Run/walk at the YMCA indoor track
Duration: 120 minutes
Distance: 8 miles (or so)
Effort: I walked a mile to warm up, then ran a mile in under 10 minutes. I then alternated walking and jogging at a quick pace. Total miles jogged: 3.5+

Machine: Elliptical
Duration: 50 minutes
Distance: 3.2
Effort: 45 minutes - Rolling hills setting (level 12) plus 4 minutes of near max effort during the 5 minute cool down period.
HR: 125 to 150 for 45 minutes, 155 to 165 during the sprint session.

I was a little sluggish today. Still recovering from yesterday's tough workout. I'm happy with my efforts today :)

Run/walk at the YMCA indoor track
Duration: 62 minutes
Distance: 4+ miles
Effort: I walked a mile to warm up, then jogged 2 miles at a decent clip. I then walked out the rest of the hour to cool down.

I'm eating lots of protein. With harder, more frequent workouts my appetite seems to be demanding it. I seem to be recovering well, so perhaps it is the right thing to do. Weight loss is not happening, though. I'd hoped to get well below 200 by race day. At my current weight I think I will have a tough time doing the 10K in less than 60 minutes. It's not a big deal to me if it does not happen this year. I'll still shoot for it, though.

A secondary goal would be to do the 10K in under 63 minutes. If I do that then I will qualify for a seeded wave next year with fewer walkers to dodge. I'm feeling good. If I keep working at it I should beat my last year's time of 67 minutes. That was better than a 4 minute improvement over the year before. A time of 62 minutes 59 seconds will require another 4 minute improvement. It could happen.

In the AM I went to the Y for a walk indoors and to hit the weights for an upper body workout.

In the PM...

Outdoor run/walk at the school track
Duration: 40 minutes
Distance: 3.25 miles
Effort: I walked half a mile to warm up, then ran 2.5 miles in under 28 minutes.

Kel is home from GMU for spring break. She ran with me today. She beat me by 150 yards for the first 2 miles. Then she called it quits and let me run the last half mile on my own.

Yesterday I'd intended to do a 3 mile walk. I was in a hurry to get back, though. I had a roast in the oven to check on and needed to be back within an hour. During the walk I decided to throw in some running off and on. It ended up being quite a number of brisk jogs. I managed to work in an extra mile and still make it back within the hour. The faster workout worked out well. :thup:

I had a colonoscopy on Tuesday. I took a few days off from cardio to let my bum recover.

Wednesday I went to the Y to do my upper body resistance training circuit. I also did some walking on their indoor track.

Today...

Outdoor run/walk at the school track
Duration: 35 minutes
Distance: 3 miles
Effort: Started too late for a warmup. Ran 2.5 miles in 26 minutes then walked 2 laps to warm down.

Kel is still home from GMU for spring break. Again she ran with me today. As usual she started out faster than me. I caught up with her at 1.5 miles. After the rest days I was feeling pretty good. Today was a short workout, but a good one, too. Day 2 of an EF.

Friday: Upper body resistance training at the Y. EF Day 3

Today: Another butt busting workout.

Indoor walk & resistance training at the Y in the AM
Outdoor walk/jog at a school track in the PM
Duration: 205 minutes walking/jogging
Distance: 13+ miles
Effort: Walked 2.5 miles at the Y. At 4pm I went to the track and walked a mile to warm up. Then I jogged 4.25 miles at approx. 5.6 mph. The remaining time I walked and jogged on alternating laps until I'd completed a total of 6.25 miles jogging. Then I did more walking to warm down. 30K steps today.

The weather today was nice for an outdoor workout (60 degrees). The 4.25 mile jog was at a decent pace, yet I found it pretty easy to sustain. It has been taking me a mile or two to warm up and find my comfort zone with the jog. Today that happened within the first mile. I think that I'm finally getting into decent jogging shape.

The 10K is 4 weeks away. The plan is to work hard for the next 2 weeks and then dial back to recover and rest up before the big day. I'll be surprised if I don't beat my time from last year.

ken, did doc have anthing to say about LC and GI?

If you are referring to the doctor that performed my colonoscopy, he didn't really say anything. I only had a few minutes with him before and after the procedure. I'm not sure if he even knew much about my weight loss story. It was the nurses and other technicians that heard it before things got started.

After yesterday's big workout I had a very large dinner with lots of fat, protein, and fiber. According to the MY PLAN calculations I burned more than 2000 calories in yesterday's workout. I ate 3500+ calories yesterday, including well over 200g of both fat and protein. My BMR is supposedly somewhere between 2200 and 2400 calories per day, so by the numbers it was still a weight loss day.

A few days ago I watched a Diet Doctor video related to protein intake. It was taken from Ben Bikman's presentation at the recent LC Breckenridge conference. In a nutshell, he recommends not being paranoid about eating too much protein, as seems to be the trend in the current popularity of ketogenic diets. He talked about several processes, including how getting enough protein will make white fat behave like brown fat - generating heat and burning energy. He mentioned 'meat sweats' that some people get - people that are often feeling warm when others around them are not. It was a good presentation.

The reason I mentioned this is because I appear to be a prime example of who Ben was talking about in his presentation. When I fast I feel cold. When I eat deep keto and limit my protein I feel cold. Last night after the workout I ate a boatload of protein and fat. I went to bed at 10pm feeling fine (not cold and not hot). I pulled the extra blanket off the bed and fell asleep quickly. Then at about 2am I woke up roasting and sweating like a pig. The room was colder than it was when I went to bed, but I was hotter. I wasn't sick, either. I felt fine in the morning (falling asleep again after shedding another blanket). I think that it was just my normal reaction to eating a lot of fat and protein after a hard workout. I don't know if it was a rebuilding lean muscle process or that "white fat behaving line brown fat" thing that Ben talked about. But I most definitely had the "meat sweats."

The plan for today is to just get my 10K steps in. The legs are not sore, but they were a little sluggish this morning. Depending on how I feel this evening I may spend some time on the elliptical at the gym.

Thanks for sharing this! I think I might be an example of this too. I'm working primarily on a calorie reduction plan right now, and a part of that is reducing/limiting carbs, but I'm not really paying attention to how much protein I'm eating. I've noticed being cold too! I've wondered if my metabolism was shutting down. Am going to try to focus on consuming more protein as an overall percentage of my calories and seeing how it comes out. I've read through Ketogains about how the fear of protein on a low carb diet is hogwash, as that gluconeogenesis (turning excess protein into sugar) is demand driven anyway, and will not happen just by "overconsumption." Is that Diet Doctor presentation something that is free? Or is behind their "pay for" program?

It has been 12 days since my last cardio workout. That was certainly not in the plan. Life happens. I caught a nasty cold shortly after my last big workout and it hung on for 10 days. Even on days where I felt good enough to workout I had bad weather or other life interruptions. I've also not made any progress on the weight loss front in the past month. So I'll be running the 10K this year a few pounds heavier than last.

It is what it is. I feel good now. The weather is better. I have 10 more day where I can train for the event. On a positive note, I have felt more fit every year. I feel strong. My legs are good to go for this 10K. I don't have any expectations about what time I will get other than I will likely improve my time from last year if my competitive nature wins out. Even if it turns into a 'fun run' at a slower pace I will not be disappointed. I'm doing my 3rd 10K in 3 years. How can that not be anything but grand?

Yesterday -
Machine: Elliptical
Duration: 45 minutes
Distance: 2.8
Effort: 40 minutes - Rolling hills setting (level 12) plus 5 20 second HIIT sprints in the remaining 5 minutes.

This workout was a little harder than the last time on this machine. I did feel a little rusty and possibly still under the influence of the cold bug I just fought off. I worked up a good sweat. Mission accomplished.

It felt good to get a nice workout in this afternoon. First I went to the gym to do some walking and upper body resistance training. I then went to the school track for some cardio.

Indoor walk & resistance training at the Y
Outdoor walk/jog at a school track
Duration: 120 minutes walking, jogging and weight lifting
Distance: approx. 5.5 miles
Effort: Walked 2 miles at the Y. At the track I walked 1/2 mile to warm up, jogged 2+ miles and then alternated walking and sprinting 120 yards (High Intensity Interval Training), 5 sprints in all.

At the track I felt fairly sluggish at the start, but once I warmed up during that first mile of the jog I started feeling good. I was feeling great after the workout. My leg muscles complained a little. That gap of 12 days was too much. I regressed some. If I get plenty of workouts in this week, I'm sure that I will snap back to where I was 2 weeks ago.

I had a good workout today

Indoor walk & resistance training at the Y
Outdoor walk/jog at a school track in the PM
Duration: 140 minutes walking/jogging/weight lifting
Distance: 19K steps
Effort: Walked for an hour at the Y with 30 minutes of weight lifting in between. I then went to the track for an outdoor cardio workout. I jogged a slow mile to warm up and then alternated doing 1/2 a lap walking then 1/2 a lap running for 6 or 7 laps. . Then I did more walking to warm down.

I didn't push too hard. I was not fully recovered from the last cardio workout. The legs were still a little sore. I'd like to get in two harder workouts between now and Sunday. After that it will be lighter workouts until race day.

Hi Ken, Thanks for posting your work outs. Son starts going to the local gym today to start work outs. He has NO idea what he is doing.....just sees lots of toys to work out on.

He wants to do the Warrior Dash in August.

Can u suggest resources for him?