2014 Week 4

Continuing my random thoughts about my runs and anything else that comes to mind. Again, not promising to do this every day or every week. Again, I am promising to post a photo of everything I eat here: http://instagram.com/stevetursi

Jan 22
Cold and snowy out there. Normally that wouldn't bother me but I brought the wrong shoes - Newtons are great in dry conditions but they don't grip very well otherwise. So I hit the treadmill and ran hard for four miles, completing in 31:16 - 7:49 per mile. Went through 5K in 24:15 - nine second faster than my previous PR two weeks ago. And two weeks ago I had nothing to spare - today I continued for another 0.9 miles, suggesting that I could potentially break 24 if tried. This is all on the treadmill though, so it doesn't count.

Jan 23
Weight training day. Ran 1.3 miles on the treadmill in 10:20 (7:57) before squats, bench, and curls (heavy!) for an hour. Then, all you can eat sushi. The idea was this: If I'm going to sandbag, at least lift heavy before the feast so (maybe) some of it turns into muscle..

Pigging out before weighing in

Jan 24
Workplace "Biggest Loser" weigh-in. Sandbagged my way up to a 316lb weigh-in, then tried to run at sub-8 on the treadmill. Didn't work out too well, and I managed only 2.51 miles in 20 minutes. I walked another half mile so at least I'm up over 3 today. After the run I was 307lbs. Lost 9lbs in an hour. If only it always was that fast.

Jan 25
297lbs this morning, still kinda heavy but at least not over 310. Picked up Ami and Dong and headed to Rockefeller for the third Saturday in a row, where we did 11.3 miles in 2:20 or so. Nice easy-paced snowy scenic fun run. Will sleep at West Point tonight.

Jan 26
Woke up at West Point to slushy roads, single-digit temps, and with shoes that provide zero traction. Opted not to run in the morning at the academy but then by the time I got home and rested a bit I only had a few minutes to fit in the run before our bowling league, so I did it by running a loop around the lower pond at Ramapo Reservation. It was very nice. Then we went bowling where I had a really crummy day, shooting just 146-145-175 for a 471 series. I'm in a bit of a bowling slump.

Jan 27
295lbs. Time to get a four solid days of disciplined eating before a ski trip this weekend. Normal smoothie in the morning, then 5 eggs + a chocolate coffee smoothie at lunch. For dinner I had some leftover chicken salad on a muffin, then a spinach/4 egg salad with homemade vinaigrette. Somebody asked me (not the first person to ask me this, if that person is reading), "why so many eggs?" (I've been eating a lot of eggs at lunch lately.) 5 boiled eggs looks like a lot but it really isn't. Large eggs are less than 80 calories a piece - so 5 of them is merely 400 calories. Not enough for me, particularly when I'm exercising - which is why, this week, I'll add a smoothie at lunch. For my run I did a treadmill 5K in 23:58 (PR.)

Jan 28
294lbs. Breakfast and Lunch were the same as yesterday. Dinner was a turkey wrap at the gym before running with Aurora on the treadmill (neither of us were all that eager to in the cold today.) I finished that run feeling pretty beat up and also thirsty. I weighed myself down in the locker room and was surprised to see 291.. I was also dehydrated. So I went to the supermarket and bought a gallon of water (plus some brown rice sushi) and drank the whole thing.

29.5 miles in the last 7 days. Low volume, but I'm feeling just as tired as I did after the 50-mile week. Hmm.

2014 Week 3

Continuing my random thoughts about my runs and anything else that comes to mind. Again, not promising to do this every day or every week. Again, I am promising to post a photo of everything I eat here: http://instagram.com/stevetursi

Jan 15
4 mile run with the lifetime group. Nice climb up Ridge. 81 miles in the first 15 days of January.  I'm hungry.

In unrelated news, this morning was one of the strangest of my life. Three really weird things happened in two hours this morning. Something annoying but not a big deal happened, then I got some really neat but strange news, and finally a very bad very shocking thing happened.

But then I went on a run everything was OK and nothing else weird happened. At least not as of this writing.

Jan 16
For the first time ever, I ran from work to the NY state line and back. That was neat. 5 miles with Ami.

Jan 17
Worked from home. Snuck out at 4pm (after working through lunch) to get my run in before dark. Kingsbridge! It's been a while. Got back 35 minutes later and work was calling.

Jan 18
14 miles at Rockefeller with Tony, Cherie, and Georgia. Awesome morning. I need to start bringing gels to this so I can hang for longer than 2 hours or so.. two bananas just doesn't cut if for runs that long.
In the afternoon, after I had a steak, I went hashing. 3 more miles.

Jan 19
Tri club run. Which reminded me that I haven't rode or swum in months. 5.6 miles above LT pace. I then went to the gym where I lifted weights for a while, and finally to the bowling league where I had a kinda crummy day - 201-149-156 for a 506 series.

Jan 20
I meant to go to Bear Mountain and run a few laps. I ended up sleeping in, then working on the house (painting and stuff), and finally in the late afternoon literally "running" errands around town. 2+ miles. I needed a rest day anyway.

Jan 21
Earlier-than-expected arrival of snow. Post-work run. Uneven sidewalk under 2" of snow. That's why my 1-mile run turned into a 2-mile run - at a half mile, I fell flat and had to walk a bit before the pain would let me run again. Slowly. Two consecutive rest days? That's OK.

2014 week 2

Continuing my random thoughts about my runs and anything else that comes to mind. Again, not promising to do this every day or every week. Again, I am promising to post a photo of everything I eat here: http://instagram.com/stevetursi

Jan 8
At lunch I headed over to my gym which has a regular run group. Since it was cold, the leader opted to stay inside and do an interval workout on the treadmill. After a ten-minute warmup, we did 1 minute on, 1 minute off, 2 on 2 off, 3 on 3 off, 2 on 2 off, 1 on 1 off. Then a cool down. By the time I was done I completed 5 miles in under 42 minutes, with speeds up to 9.2 MPH! On that last 1 on 1 off, I pushed myself to nausea for the first time in forever. And I was able to recover from all my intervals at 7MPH - my fastest recovery speed ever. This was a great, great workout for me.

Jan 9
Great lunchtime run with coworker Dan in 25º temps. Surprised myself by running 8:18 the first mile. Had to walk a trail portion because it was icy.

Jan 10
Looks like the snow this morning caught "the powers that be" by surprise, since nothing was salted and the roads were a slushy mess on top of ice we knew was there yesterday. So the treadmill it was, and since I have reached my mental quota of 30+ minute treadmill runs this month, I did just 5K - but I did it in 24:25 (PR.) It's not road so it doesn't count, but it's still encouraging.

Jan 11
12 hilly icy foggy miles at Rockefeller with Tony (who I haven't run with in forever) and Georgia (who I met today.) It was really nice to run there with them again.

Jan 12
NJ Trail Series Winter Half Marathon #3! Two years ago I did this race and DFL'd. Today I was about eighth from last. Moving up!! Here's my report.. Sunday afternoon bowling league with Joey where I shot 175-201-159 for a 535 series.

Jan 13
Did a 1-hour group exercise strength training class with my wifey!! But before that, I had a "fake zero" rest day - 1 mile on the treadmill. At sub-8 minute pace.

Jan 14

I'm set up for a 2-a-day today. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen.
— Steven Tursi (@stevetursi) January 14, 2014

Run # 1 - Misty rainy foggy cool temps easy pace lunchtime run with Ami and Dan. Very nice to run with Ami again. Run # 2 - Misty rainy foggy cool temps aggressive pace evening run with Aurora from lifetime. Hit more of the more difficult hills on this run. Good stuff.

49+ miles this week!