November 2010

Back in September, my sister and I decided to raise some money for charity. She challenged me (in the way only siblings can) to enter a 10K road race in Lincoln. Challenge accepted! Bear in mind that I haven't run in any shape or form since High School, some 25 years ago.

Since then, my efforts at the gym have been solely focussed on this race in April 2011. I have increased my interval training, which has in turn significantly lifted my heart rate when working out. I run intervals for about 10 minutes, alternating between a walk, and running at between 11 and 12 km/h.

A couple of weeks ago, I went for my “cardio day” at the gym. I do about 20 mins of cardio every time I go (usually 3 – 4 times per week), but every so often I set aside a session to just run and swim for a combined total of about an hour. Rather than my usual intervals, this time, I decided to see what I could achieve at a slower speed. So I set the treadmill at a steady 9km/h and started off. 17 minutes later, I decided to call a halt. 17 minutes and 2.5km later! And I could have gone on, but I wanted to do my swim. For another half an hour!

Since then, I have run faster and for longer, with a PB of 3.2km in 22 minutes, no stops.

I can't describe how I feel. All that training and all that effort seems suddenly very worthwhile.

I'm still receiving a lot of comments, now towards the “wasting away” end of the compliment scale. People I haven't seen for 4 or 5 months double-take. It's an incredible buzz and highly motivating.

Body Measurements

We bought a body fat measurement scale this month allowing me to track more than just weight. Looking back at measurements and using online calculators, I've discovered the following:

On 21st Feb, my weight was 234lb with a BF% of 34.8%. This equates to 81.4lb fat

On 18th November, my weight was 193.4lb with a BF% of 22.8% (44.1lb fat)

Therefore, my total weight loss over this period was 40.6lb, and 37.3lb of that is fat. Pretty good.

Waist 98cm (-24cm)

Chest 104cm (-10cm)

Calves 42cm (-3cm)

Neck 40cm (-6cm)

Upper Arms 30cm (-4cm)

Thighs 53cm (-8cm)

Goal Setting

Time, I think, to set my ultimate goal. I'm not going to set a timescale because I think that will put unnecessary pressure on me. I'm not going to change my eating or exercise habits to meet an arbitrary deadline, so it will be what it will be.

But my goal is this: Weight 168lb and BF of 15%.

From where I am now, this means losing a further 25lbs in weight, with 19lb of that in fat. I expect I'll be there sometime next summer.