SECOND 5K ... NEW PERSONAL RECORD

I ran in my second 5K road race, the Young Life 5K at Bridgewater College on Sunday. It was a rather warm day (72F) and there were NO water stations along the course. Nevertheless, my time was 33:29, a personal best for 5K.

RACE WEIGHT: 252.4 LBS

SECOND 10K ... NEW PERSONAL RECORD

I ran in my second 10K race in Richmond this weekend. A speedy course and great weather led me to a new "modern era" personal record of 1:06:55. I could have broken 1:05:00 but I started at the end of my wave and it was very congested early on. My first mile time was over 12 minutes. If I ran the first mile at the same rate I ran the last 5.2 miles, my time would have been just under 1:05:00. Lesson learned.

RACE WEIGHT: 254.4 LBS

12 WEEKS!

I've managed to use Wii Fit every day for 12 weeks. I've lost about 32 lbs. since January 17th.

11 WEEKS ... NO MISSES

Yesterday, I completed eleven straight weeks without missing a day.

SUB-260 LBS.

Finally, my weight has fallen below 260 lbs. for the first time in years. I peaked at nearly 287 lbs. back on January 17th. That means I've lost about 27 lbs. in just under two months. I've significantly lowered my caloric intake and I'm still using Wii Fit three hours per day. There are about eight days until my next 10K road race.

MY FIRST 5K RACE

Today, I ran in my first 5K race. The course was relatively flat, but the finish line was on a short but distinct uphill climb. The weather was nasty ... temperatures in the mid-30s and it was very wet. I saw three people I recognized from last Saturday's race.

I had hoped for a time of 32:30 or better. I had to settle for around 35:00 minutes. Since I was some distance back from the starting line when the race began, I'm hoping my electronic timer will give a time just under 35 minutes, but the results are not posted yet.

The pain in my thigh caused by meralgia paresthetica was extremely intense ... the worst ever ... during my Friday workout, but caused me absolutely no pain during the race.

RACE WEIGHT: 264.1 LBS

10 WEEKS!

On Thursday, Wii Fit notified me that I hadn't missed a day in 10 weeks. I also received a perfect 50.0%/50.0% split on the Center Of Balance Test ... with my eyes closed!

MY FIRST 10K RACE

Yesterday, I completed my first 10K race, or at least my first 10K race in the last 25 years. It was a very poor choice for my first race, as it was by far the most challenging 10K course I've ever run. It was a trail course with many long uphills, some of which were rather steep. Even the downhill sections tended to be hard, as they were too steep for me to safely charge down them. It was also somewhat muddy, impairing my footing.

Overall, it was a discouraging experience. I didn't feel victorious at the end. I did meet a few of my minimal goals: 1) I finished, 2) my time was under 90 minutes, and 3) I wasn't last. I'm certain that Wii Fit doesn't adequately prepare a person for a brutal 10K trail race.

I may have to adjust my racing schedule. The 2010 Flying Pig Marathon may be a more realistic goal. I'll have to wait for the 5K road race this coming weekend and the 10K road race in 3 weeks to see how poorly prepared I truly am.

RACE WEIGHT: 262.6 LBS

Maximum Week

Wii Fit will only allow me to earn 3 hours of credit per day, for a maximum of 21 hours per week. I just finished my first maximum week.

NINE WEEKS STRAIGHT

This morning, the Wii notified me that I hadn't missed a day in 9 weeks. Awesome!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

MY FIRST 100 HOURS!

PLANNING MY FIRST MARATHON

On May 3rd, 2009, my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio will be holding the 11th Flying Pig Marathon. Since the time limit is a generous seven hours, time should not be a factor. Hopefully, my weight will be under 250 pounds by then.