Marathon | A Chronological Collection of Metaphysical Quandaries, Thoughts, and Atypical Experiences Before and After a Marathon

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A Marathon Experience

A Chronological Collection of Metaphysical Quandaries, Thoughts, and Atypical Experiences Before and After a Marathon

Current Events
December 22, 2009 - January 2, 2010 • November 28 - December 21, 2009
November 14 - November 27, 2009 • November 5 - November 13, 2009
October 24 - November 4, 2009 • October 14 - October 23, 2009

A Marathon Experience
Start Date: October 14, 2009
Injuries: #1
Recommended Products: Endurox R4, Muscle Milk, PUR DS-1800Z 2-Stage Water Dispenser, Ripcords (4-Pack), Legcords (5-Pack), Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer

Just in case some of you are reading this, I certainly didn't just wake up one day and say, Hey, let's run a marathon! I am impulsive (if you call waking up at 2am and having a Taco Bell craving), but this wasn't one of those impulsive moments. It's been just about one year since my initial weight of 305lbs, and within a year, I've lost around 90lbs. This past year I've learned so much. Talked to so many people regarding weight loss. What worked. What didn't work. What sort of worked. I had something valuable to take from every conversation I had, and this has formulated my next phase in my spiritual quest: finishing a marathon. This micro-website will be dedicated to my experiences as I train for the 39th Portland Marathon. Will I finish the marathon in 2010? I suppose you'll just have to follow along with me and check in from time to time...

February 3, 2010; Wednesday

11:41pm Did a 925 tonight with an increase in speed. I do need to correct myself from a few days ago regarding the Garmin Forerunner 310XT heart rate information. You CAN view live information on the 310XT. Unfortunately, it's not particularly documented for immediate use, but is mentioned on pages 28-31 of the PDF manual, there are settings which can enable live viewing. I'm still having a terrible time getting Garmin's ANT system to communicate effectively. It's not that "smart". Otherwise, the 310XT is exactly what I needed when on my runs and other outdoor activities. The 310XT also is a great benefit for going to the gym, as I can turn the GPS off, and just wear the Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), view my heart rate info regardless of what machine I'm on, and then go home and view the data as well.

The HRM strap (which fits around the chest) does pretty well staying put. When you first use it on any activity, it will "settle" into place and then remain there. It may feel like it will slide all the way down to your heels, but it won't. I observed maybe an inch of adjustment when on my latest 1970 event. So, after a short period of adjustment to your body movement...it will stay put.

January 10 - January 31, 2010

8:01am It's been about 3 weeks since I've updated. One of the on-going issues I've had with longer distance jogging...is the accuracy of the distance. Well, this has been solved. I've purchased a Garmin Forerunner 310XT with HRM. I'm in the process of getting together a review of the 310XT for the main DigitalDingus website. So far, I like the watch. It's rather accurate, but I do have some "disadvantages" I'll be discussing. Like the inability to view your heart rate live. A person is forced to view their heart rate only when they upload the activity to their PC. Viewing your heart rate after the fact, isn't high on the priority of athletes. Another issue I had was initial setup of the 310XT and getting it to communicate with the ANT + USB Stick. Garmin has too many separate software programs to install, and they need just one.

As to what I've been doing lately, I'm up to a 1970 (which I did yesterday). This isn't too much of a gain since I last posted, but I've been jogging more of the entire distance. 16 miles is the farthest so far, with 3.75 miles of walking for a good warm up. Yesterday I didn't complete the entire 16 miles due to a wonderful virus I've had for the last week. I probably pushed myself too much, but I did it anyway.

January 9, 2010; Saturday

7:25am Gonna be out for another 1950 today.

January 8, 2010; Friday

7:00pm Taking the night off for tomorrow. Wanted to go to the gym for 2 or so hours but restrained myself.

January 7, 2010; Thursday

11:30pm Did a 925 tonight with hardly much effort. About 6 miles consisted of jogging and 3 miles walking.

January 6, 2010; Wednesday

11:00pm Did 2.5 hours at the gym. As mentioned earlier, there are some new machines by Hoist Fitness which are the latest in developing key muscles in your body. One of my favorites is the calf machine. All of their machines use your own body weight for resistance in addition to moving your body just slightly enough so you get more movement than just a static workout.

January 5, 2010; Tuesday

7:00pm Took the night off.

January 4, 2010; Monday

11:20pm Surprisingly, I found myself doing a regular workout at the gym. Normally, I'd be taking a few days of very light workouts but I had no problems doing more than an hour on my legs. Seems like conditioning is working.

January 3, 2010; Sunday

6:00pm Another 1950 completed today. I went actually a few hundred feet farther, but my pedometer gave me even less steps taken than before.