Coming soon!

Where did September go??
OKAY!  Well, all the excitement leading up to vacation, and then being on vacation... whew!

I am working on getting caught up.  Step counts while at Disney World were astronomical!  Not so much since getting home.

Sick
I wound up getting a magical cold from the World of Disney in Florida that took me out for almost 2 weeks.  I took the first 2 days back off of work.  I've been feeling better and better, with just a little cough now that is just irritating.

My weight has finally broken the 270 mark.  Last week I was at 268.

I will begin my 1/2 Marathon training this week, now that I can actually breath again!

I should at least be back to a minimum of a once a week update.  With the weather turning and the daylight hours dwindling, I'm sure that I'm going to have many adventures in training, since I PLAN on continuing much further into fall/winter than I normally do.  I want to avoid getting back onto the treadmill-o-doom for as long as I possibly can.

The main thing I want to get ASAP, are some arm/ankle band flashers, since we've lost a lot of daylight already!

Arm/Ankle Lighted or Flashing bands

I'll keep this one short, as I expect that I'll have a couple of posts this week!




Thanks for Reading!
Regards, ~Kipp

2016 - Challenge Year: Me Vs. Me!
Check the link above to see my current and past races.

Get straight! Go for it!

Whip it good Weigh-in!
Okay, maybe not so good.  Blah week last week yielded blah results.  No loss, no gain.  I'll take it.

I used the same method of weighing in as I did last week, until I can figure out what I'm going to do for a home scale.

I would like to get the Garmin scale, but I just cannot imagine spending that much money on a scale.  It sure would be nice to have it automatically sync to my Garmin profile though...

Week	Date	2011		Weekly%	Overall%	2016		Weekly%	Overall%
0	5/31/2011	257	3	1.15%	6.55%	285	0	0.00%	0.00%
1	6/7/2011	256	1	0.39%	6.91%	283	2	0.70%	0.70%
2	6/14/2011	259	-3	-1.17%	5.82%	283	0	0.00%	0.70%
3	6/21/2011	256	3	1.16%	6.91%	283	0	0.00%	0.70%
4	6/28/2011	259	-3	-1.17%	5.82%	286	-3	-1.06%	-0.35%
5	7/5/2011	252	7	2.70%	8.36%	283	3	1.05%	0.70%
6	7/12/2011	253	-1	-0.40%	8.00%	280	3	1.06%	1.75%
7	7/19/2011	251	2	0.79%	8.73%	280	0	0.00%	1.75%
8	7/26/2011	254	-3	-1.20%	7.64%	278	2	0.71%	2.46%
9	8/2/2011	250	4	1.57%	9.09%	275	3	1.08%	3.51%
10	8/9/2011	249	1	0.40%	9.45%	271	4	1.45%	4.91%
11	8/16/2011	250	-1	-0.40%	9.09%	274	-3	-1.11%	3.86%
12	8/23/2011	249	1	0.40%	9.45%	274	0	0.00%	3.86%

The week goes to Me 2011!

Totals for Last week!
My mileage for last week was WAY down at 13.06 miles! My eleven week total is now 212.38 miles.

BLEH!!

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat
2341	13304	4205	13232	13322	3076	5087

Coming in at a grand total of: 54567 steps for the week.  Since I've been keeping track during this training, that now makes 718371 steps!


B210K Third Week Review
The third week wasn't much better than last week!

The weather this past week has just been playing havoc with my running schedule.  I know I should break down and use the Treadmill-o-doom, but I just really hate getting on that thing anymore.  It just feels so much better being outside.

I got Day 2 in on schedule, but didn't get day 3 in.  

I did get a half hour of run/walk testing in on Thursday.  THAT went rough!   I tried 2:30 run / 0:30 walk.  My pacing to start with was HORRIBLE.  I still have to work hard at being able to judge my pace.  I don't think I'll ever be a race pacer!  LOL!

This week is off to a GOOD start, so I'm going to try and keep that positive energy going this week!

W4 D1	W4 D2	W4 D3
Warm up 5 Minutes	Warm up 5 Minutes	Warm up 5 Minutes
Run 18 Minutes / Walk 1 Minute (3x)	Run 18 Minutes / Walk 1 Minute (3x)	Run 18 Minutes / Walk 1 Minute (3x)
Cool Down 5 Minutes	Cool Down 5 Minutes	Cool Down 5 Minutes

We're up to 66 minutes of activity!  

Yesterday I did the Week 4 Day 1 and it went pretty good.  It was much cooler and much less humid than it has been in a while.  So, right out of the gate on my first run segment, I started out too quick.  After several bad start attempts, I finally was able to get into a decent rhythm.  

Extra Effort on B210K W4 D1!
Funny thing about my 1st run for week 4 of Bridge to 10K.  I was on the last run segment and the app tells me 10 minutes left... then 5 minutes left... then... nothing.  

So, I just chalk it up to my just wanting that last segment to end.  Nope!  The app messed up again and never told me I was finished on that last run segment!  So, my last run segment ended up being 23 minutes long!  WHEW!  I ended the running when it finally told me that I had completed my run for today, what it normally tells me after my 5 minutes of cool down.

Yesterday I also recorded my fastest 5K on this watch, at 54 minutes.

My fastest recorded 5K is 50 Minutes back on March 23rd, 2013!

Counting Down!
17 Days until I'm on Vacation!  (I finally fixed the counter over to the left side of my blog posts.)

134 Days until Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend!  The ONE thing I still REALLY want from the Disney races is to get the Coast to Coast medal.  That is a special medal you receive for for doing a race at both Disney World and Disneyland within one calendar year.  So, we shall see what the future holds for me on Disney races.

This world needs more Devo!
I went to school in Naperville, Illinois for 7th grade, at Waubonsie Jr/Sr High (near the famous home of Wayne & Garth in Aurora!).  In gym class, we would start almost each class by running around the gymnasium.  This is the song that they played A LOT! (Maybe every time?)  So, ever since then, I've associated this song with running.





Thanks for Reading!
Regards, ~Kipp

2016 - Challenge Year: Me Vs. Me!
Check the link above to see my current and past races.

Roll up for the Magical Mystery Weigh-in!

Magical Mystery Weigh-in!?
Okay, so my Bluetooth scale started freaking out last week.  When I stepped on it, it looked like I was a contestant on The Biggest Looser when they do their weigh-ins.  The numbers were just going everywhere and then it finally went to ERR.

I figured, the batteries were over a year old, so I replace them.  Yeah... well, now it's telling me that I weigh 302 pounds!  So, I think I'm back in the market for another new bathroom scale.

So, I had to do my best estimate on the big tank scale at work.  Looks like I had a bad week, both 5 years ago and this year.  I managed to do worse this go around.t

Week	Date	2011		Weekly%	Overall%	2016		Weekly%	Overall%
0	5/31/2011	257	3	1.15%	6.55%	285	0	0.00%	0.00%
1	6/7/2011	256	1	0.39%	6.91%	283	2	0.70%	0.70%
2	6/14/2011	259	-3	-1.17%	5.82%	283	0	0.00%	0.70%
3	6/21/2011	256	3	1.16%	6.91%	283	0	0.00%	0.70%
4	6/28/2011	259	-3	-1.17%	5.82%	286	-3	-1.06%	-0.35%
5	7/5/2011	252	7	2.70%	8.36%	283	3	1.05%	0.70%
6	7/12/2011	253	-1	-0.40%	8.00%	280	3	1.06%	1.75%
7	7/19/2011	251	2	0.79%	8.73%	280	0	0.00%	1.75%
8	7/26/2011	254	-3	-1.20%	7.64%	278	2	0.71%	2.46%
9	8/2/2011	250	4	1.57%	9.09%	275	3	1.08%	3.51%
10	8/9/2011	249	1	0.40%	9.45%	271	4	1.45%	4.91%
11	8/16/2011	250	-1	-0.40%	9.09%	274	-3	-1.11%	3.86%

The week goes to Me 2011!

Totals for Last week!
My mileage for last week was still down at 21.22 miles. My ten week total is now 199.32 miles, just under 200!

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat
17221	13268	10882	14091	3234	5397	12130

Coming in at a grand total of: 76,703 Steps for the week, just slightly above t he week before.  Since I've been keeping track during this training, that now makes 663804 steps!


B210K Second Week Review
The second week went to crap!

The past couple of weeks have just been rough on the training schedule.  Between weather and things happening that took up time, I've been a little off track.

I've moved straight into week 3 day 2 starting today.  It was just getting too rough to try and "catch up".

W3 D1	W3 D2	W3 D3
	Warm up 5 Minutes	Warm up 5 Minutes
Skipped	Run 17 Minutes / Walk 1 Minute (3x)	Run 17 Minutes / Walk 1 Minute (3x)
	Cool Down 5 Minutes	Cool Down 5 Minutes

We're up to 63 minutes of activity!  With the heat and humidity, I've not pushed it.  I just want to make sure I get through it.

Today I did the Week 3 Day 2 and it went pretty good.  I'm able to keep a slow pace in the heat and humidity.  I remain moving throughout the whole 17 minutes.  My pace isn't exactly steady, but it's still a work in progress.

I would like to start taking some time, either in the morning (HAHAHA), or on the weekend to start testing some different intervals to see how I want to start my 1/2 Marathon training.

RunDisney "minus's" more

WARNING: RANTING AHEAD!

There used to be a term that happened at Disney all of the time.  They would "PLUS" things.  Add little bits here and there that added to the over all experience at Walt Disney World.  Not so much any more.  Bob Iger and crew are now all about the bottom line at Disney.  So, now instead of PLUSING, we're getting MINUSING.

5 years ago, my first race at Disney World, we actually go stuff in the goody bags when you went to pick up your bib and shirts.  Each year, it's gotten less and less, until now its a "VIRTUAL" goody bag.

Other races I've attended in the intervening years, we've gotten a wide variety of things.  The Indy MINI and Monumental races, you can still pick up some nice freebie stuff at the Expo and you also get a few items.

Now-a-days, at the end of a Disney race now net's you a "box of junk food" and a bottle of water.  A banana too, if they have any left (we back of the pack folk get slim pickins at the end of a race).  I remember that first race, trying to juggle so much stuff (a banana, an apple I think, a powerade, a water, a cookie or something like that), that I had to hand it off to my Dad so I could actually get things situated.

So... what have they done now?  In my opinion... this one is a HUGE F.U. to the loyal Disney racers.

On or about August 1st, they are no longer allowing deferments of RunDisney races.  So, if you end up sick or break a leg or something, you are S.O.L.  

Now, those of you that don't know (well, 99% of the people that read this DO KNOW) that Disney races are E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E!!  They are some of the most expensive races you can enter.  It was the bonus fact that you did get a lot of extra stuff.  But like everything else in the parks, they've been slowly minusing things here and there.

This last item is a HUGE minus.  For such an expensive race to just up and tell you that you're out of luck that you broke your ankle 3 weeks before the race.  It WAS a pain in the rear to even defer a Disney race.  They would keep your money, but you could just register the next year and THEN they would refund your money for the previous year, minus handling!  WHOA!

So, here are the breakdowns for 2017:

Dopey $560 (Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 10K, 5K)
Goofy $365 (Marathon, 1/2 Marathon)
Marathon $180
1/2 Marathon $170
10K $110
5K $65

So, someone registered for Dopey and breaks their ankle training for this INSANE challenge, is out $560!!

This sucks.

Mr. Yuk face indeed!

Counting down!
Vacation in 23 days!  I'm SO READY for this vacation!!

140 Days until (my last?) Marathon Weekend!  Those days just seem to be flying off of that counter!

Magical Mystery Tour




Thanks for Reading!
Regards, ~Kipp

2016 - Challenge Year: Me Vs. Me!
Check the link above to see my current and past races.

Don't you, forget about... making a post.

Totals for Last week!
My mileage for last week topped out over 25 miles!  The grand total came in at 25.66 miles for the week.  My seven week total is 140.31 miles!

Steps were all over 10,000 for the week!

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat
11449	12787	13378	13683	13257	12919	13127

Coming in at a grand total of: 90,600 Steps for the week!  Since I've been keeping track during this training, that now makes 426340 steps! 

Almost made the goal of over 12,500 each day!  Missed one day!

C25K Week 7 Review
It's getting easier.  This week saw a build up to a constant 27 minute run by the end of this week.

Week 8 continues the same small gain progression.

W8 D1	W8 D2	W8 D3
Warm up 5 minutes	Warm up 5 Minutes	Warm up 5 Minutes
Run 28 minutes	Run 29 Minutes	Run 30 Minutes
Cool Down 5 minutes	Cool Down 5 Minutes	Cool Down 5 Minutes

The revised app basically ends at the end of week 8 now!

So, now I'm looking at making another revision (here comes Rev 4.0!) of my training plan for the remainder of the year.

If I start B210K a week early, I can make some small adjustments to the Half-Marathon plan.  That would put the start of my Half-Marathon training when I'm at Disney World in September!  

Counting down!
Family reunion (Mom's side) in 2 weeks.  I'm now looking at doing B210K W1 D3 on the Panhandle Pathway!  I really wish the Southeast side of Indy had a pathway like this!

Vacation in 47 days!  Hotel prices SUCK!  I haven't found ANYTHING under $80.00.  Even my old stand-by in Adel, GA is now up over $80!  I used to get that room for $35-$40!  I'm truly considering just asking for the full day off on Friday and one-shotting it again.  If I would have acted faster, I COULD have gotten flights down & back for cheaper than Room/Gas price combination...  (That's always my deciding factor, if I can fly for cheaper than Room/Gas down & back).

163 Days until Marathon Weekend!  I'm able to get in and check for dining reservations regularly now, I've just not figured out what I want!  By the time I figure it all out, the ones I want will be full!  LOL.



Thanks for Reading!
Regards, ~Kipp

2016 - Challenge Year: Me Vs. Me!
Check the link above to see my current and past races.

UP!

The scale moved!

Yes, the scale did indeed move this week.  It went UP!

Week	Date	2011		Weekly%	Overall%	2016		Weekly%	Overall%
0	5/31/2011	257	3	1.15%	6.55%	285	0	0.00%	0.00%
1	6/7/2011	256	1	0.39%	6.91%	283	2	0.70%	0.70%
2	6/14/2011	259	-3	-1.17%	5.82%	283	0	0.00%	0.70%
3	6/21/2011	256	3	1.16%	6.91%	283	0	0.00%	0.70%
4	6/28/2011	259	-3	-1.17%	5.82%	286	-3	-1.06%	-0.35%

The only saving grace that I really have, is that this same exact week 5 years ago, I ALSO gained 3 pounds.  

I really only have myself to blame.  Friday I went out for lunch and dinner.  Saturday and Sunday Mom and I went out for dinner.  Of course, I didn't order what I SHOULD have ordered.  

I'm not going to cry about it, so, onward!

C25K W4 D2
Day 2 didn't go as well as day 1.  It was even cooler tonight.  I did sweat a lot, just didn't have a lot of get up and go.  In the first 6 minute segment, I got a stitch in my side and started walking about a minute early.  I had it mostly worked out when the next run segment came around.

10,000 Steps Goal

I've been making my 10K steps goal so far!  My Garmin FR230 GPS watch is now setting my daily goal for over 10K, so that's a good sign.

Next step is I'm going to have to start getting up earlier and going out for a walk before work.  It's beginning to get rough to do the C25K and then try and get in the remaining steps I need to at least get past the 10K mark!  With the auto-goal advancing, it'll be harder and harder to beat that daily goal.

I've been trying to get up from behind the desk at work and get more walking in there too.  After all, if smokers can go outside and take 15 to 20 minute "break" several times a day, I should be able to go out and walk around for a while!

Vacation Plans
September is my next vacation time, counter on the left is telling me in about 73 days!  I'm still trying to finalize some of my plans for that.  I will start driving to Orlando on a Friday, at noon is my goal.  I'm looking for someplace after Atlanta to spend the night and then finish my trip down on that Saturday.  

Our check-in to the resort/timeshare/rental whatever place is on Saturday afternoon, so I'm not in a big rush to be down at any specific time.

The return trip will be me leaving on a Saturday afternoon, more than likely.  Then I'll spend the night somewhere along the way.  I'd prefer to at least be north of Atlanta.  Usually I try for Chattanooga, but It'll depend on when I want to leave (well, I won't WANT to leave) Disney World.

It's funny, I've got more of my plans ready for my Marathon Weekend trip in January ready than I do for my trip in September!

The place we'll be in has a washer and dryer, so I'll be able to wash my running gear so I don't stink the place up!  

If my running plan goes on schedule, while I'm on vacation I'll be finishing up the Bridge to 10K plan!

With Friday and Saturday being driving times, I'll have to see when I can get in that training day.  In the morning before work, or rush home and hurry to get a run in before I leave?  That sounds counter productive!  Here, lets RUN and then sit in a car for 10 hours!  LOL!


Thanks for Reading!
Regards, ~Kipp

2016 - Challenge Year: Me Vs. Me! Check the link above to see my current and past races.

Here we gooooooooo!

The Week Ahead

S-12	9/2	9/3	9/4	9/5	9/6	9/7	9/8
4	Cross	Rest	3 M Run	4 M PACE	3 M Run	Rest	7 M Run

This upcoming week is another pace week.  If it's as warm and humid as it was tonight, I'll have trouble with that 4 mile pace run tomorrow!  Then I've got a whopping 7 mile run slated for my long slow run Saturday.  The bonus is, if the weatherman is correct, the highs will be in the lows 70's this weekend.

The PodRunner podcasts/interval routines have been helping a lot lately.  Right now I'm working out with one called Staircase of the Gods.  The following is the BPM (beats per minute) chart for this mix:

BPM CHART 
3 minutes @ 150 BPM
8 minutes @ 160 BPM
3 minutes @ 150 BPM
8 minutes @ 165 BPM
3 minutes @ 150 BPM
8 minutes @ 170 BPM

3 minutes @ 150 BPM

It's really helping me focus on staying running instead of slowing down whenever I feel like it.  I keep telling myself that the slowdown segment will be any minute now.  The weather tonight really didn't help, but I was still able to keep a better walking pace than I normally would without the pace music.  With my 3 mile runs lasting about an hour, I cycle through this mix once and into the next couple of segments on the 2nd listen.

A look back at Last Year

S-11	9/2	9/3	9/4	9/5	9/6	9/7	9/8
		3.03 MI			2.46 MI

I've been reviewing where I was with running a year ago.  Last year, I had not begun my 1/2  Marathon Training yet, and I was still winding down with the Bridge to 10K program.  The 3rd and the 6th were runs I did while at Disney World last year!  In fact, I'd say that the run I had tonight was comparable to the humidity I experienced down there that week.  It was rough, but a very scenic run (in more ways than one, I'm telling you!)

This week we have a KO!

Week	Date	Kipp		Weekly%	Overall%	Dad		Weekly%	Overall%
0	6/5/2012	249				230
11	8/21/2012	246	-2	-0.82%	1.20%	228	0	0.00%	0.87%
12	8/28/2012	245	1	0.41%	1.61%	227	1	0.44%	1.30%
13	9/4/2012	246	-1	-0.41%	1.20%	222	5	2.20%	3.48%

Dad is taking me to the shed now!  Wow!  He's begun his modified Atkins diet in earnest again!  It appears to be working very well for him so far.  He's warned me that he's aiming for another 5 pounds for next week too!  So far, I've noticed a trend in the past few weeks that if I have pizza over the weekend, I gain.  The weekends I don't, I loose.  So it's obviously a carb issue with me too.  I need to start really focusing on what I'm eating again.  I've been able to hold steady around the same weight for a year now, now I really need to kick it and start loosing again.

The final countdown 

60 Days till the Indy Monumental Half, about 80 days till I'm down in Disney World for some vacation time with Dad and 128 Days until Marathon Weekend 2013!  It's going to be here before I know it!

Thanks for Reading!  Regards,
~Kipp

Lighter, Stronger & Faster for 2013! Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon January 7, 2012-  FINISHED 3:48:49 Registered for the 2013 5K & 1/2!