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Day 113. Don’t Worry, Be Happy

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Life Lesson #113

Worry does not change your situation. Being thankful in the midst of a stressful situation is the key to excellence. Can you honestly say that worry has helped a situation? It’s impossible.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy. It’s a little ethereal, but true. Spiritually, this wold be Don’t Worry, Choose to be Happy. The bible teaches this truth in Matthew 6: 25-27.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

Bottom line, if the birds don’t worry about what they will eat or what they will wear, let’s not sign up for that class either. None of us can say we’ve ever seen a skinny bird and their feathers (ie – clothes) are beautiful. This is probably the one time it’s good to be a bird brain!

So the next time someone calls you a bird brain, simply tell them “thanks” and remember how blessed you are.

Monday, 09-30-2013

Day 113. Monday Morning Attempted Blues

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Monday Morning Attempted Blues

I may have caught a hint of it today. Woke up feeling a bit out of sorts (in my best Austin Powers voice), but in my best Matthew Wilder voice, “Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break My Stride.”

Just from that paragraph alone, I don’t think I’m tired. Sounds more like I’m schizophrenic. Anybody see Sally Fields performance in Sybil. Saw it as a child and let’s just say Forrest Gump’s mom is to blame for Forrest’s learning disabilities.

What To do When You’ve Got the Blues

I’ve got a gameplan just in case the tired bug comes a knocking. Always pray and thank God for strength and favor in everything you do. Then after, live it. You’ve prayed it, now you must live it. So the gameplan is simple … follow the calendar and agenda for the day and with God’s help, we can choose to be joyful.

In fact, today I do not feel like running. But as we all know, feelings can be so fickle. I have friends that Instagram a picture of a Starbucks morning cap with the title “Life is good” or my personal favorite “It can’t get any better than this.” Then, literally 1 hour later, “I can’t stand my boss. SMH. Life sucks.” That type of emotional roller coaster isn’t healthy. I’m hoping we all realize this. Studies actually show that these up-and-down mental gymnastics can cause illness. “I feel sick to my stomach” is oftentimes the end result of a stressful situation. Why get sick over something that hasn’t happened yet?

I ran my scheduled 6+ miles. I wasn’t close to my average per mile pace, but for today, it was my best. And afterwards, I got to eat a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s called comfort food for a reason. In fact, the exercise made me have more energy and after I got home, I did an easy T25 set. One solution for the blues is to move!

Morning weight = 171.5. Post run and easy T25 weight = 171.

So why do we do it?

Better yet, why do we allow ourselves to fall into this trap?

The simple answer is that we don’t know any better. Our reaction to stress can be a learned behavior. Is this you? Did your parents constantly over-react to highly intense situations without taking time to first pray, say, and live it. You probably learned it from them.

What do we do from here on?

First and foremost, we must accept that worry and stress cannot change a thing. If you think differently, I’d love to hear your story. But in my life, worrying, stressing, and feeling bad about something has never made it go away. So I strive to do my best to choose to be thankful when the world tells me to worry. Final solution for the blues is to accept worry does nothing.

Life lesson #113 — Worry does not change your situation. Being thankful in the midst of a stressful situation is the key to excellence.

Monday, 09-30-2013

Day 113. Can a Quesadilla Help With Low Energy?

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Chipotle Kind of Day

Woke up this morning knowing I had about a 6 mile run ahead, but really wasn’t feeling too bionic today. Low energy for some reason, but wondering why I have low energy won’t fix my low energy. Proceed as usual and just writing it off as “one of those days.” I’ll do my best today.

Can a Chipotle quesadilla help with low energy?

I’m sure it’s not scientific. MyFitnessPal shows all of the nutritional facts, but all I know is after eating one, I certainly feel happier. Use the eyeball test. Watch a kid eat a quesadilla. Are they frowing or smiling? So, I guess the overall answer is “Yes it Can!”

Marathon Meal Plan

MyFitnessPal 09-30-2013

When Did I Eat:

  • 8:20am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Shake with Personalized Protein Powder. Added spinach and kale for raw benefits. Added frozen strawberries, organic blueberries, peaches, and bananas. Mountain plain yogurt in 8 ounces of Healthy Balance Apple Juice (5 grams of sugar per 8 ounces — pretty good)
Herbalife Smoothie

Meal 1 — 8:20am

  • 8:45am (Meal 1.1) — Pre run nutrition. Herbalife24 Prepare and Prolong (2 scoops each). Herbalife Niteworks (1 scoop). Also had some Odwalla Super Protein Monster as I was feeling a bit tired this morning.
Herbalife24 Prolong Prepare Niteworks Review

Meal 1.1 (Post Run) — 8:45am

  • 10am (Meal 1.2) — Post run celebration. Homemade grilled cheese and tablets. I had a slow pace today because of low energy. Don’t feel sick, just one of those off days. Bring on the comfort of a grilled cheese sandwich.
Grilled cheese and Herbalife supplements

Meal 1.1 — 10am

  • 12:20pm (Meal 2) — Leftover egg drop soup, remainder of my Odwalla Chocolate Super Protein with Herbalife tablets, and Herbalife Niteworks. I just love the clean taste.
  • 2:30pm (Meal 2.1) — Fresh, Farmer’s Market sliced peaches.
fresh farmers market peaches

Meal 2.1 — 2:30pm

  • 5:40pm (Meal 3) — Chipotle to the rescue. Vegetarian fajita bowl with all the fixings! Side of a cheese quesadilla for texture.
Chipotle fajita bowl review

Meal 3 — 5:40pm

Monday, 09-30-2013

Day 112. Shabot. A Day of Rest.

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Rest Day

RunKeeper gave me time off for good behavior. The App did provide a rest day tip regarding pushups. Something about giving you strength to maintain posture for those looooonnnnng runs. And that’s how they put it, looooonnnnng. It’s a good thing I like to skim when I read because I’ll just ignore this for now.

Weeks run training summary:

  • 09-22-2013 — 8.04 miles. Average pace of 8:15 minutes/mile. Training 8 mile steady.
  • 09-25-2013 — 6.32 miles. Average pace of 8:43 minutes/mile. Training 2×2 mile fast.
  • 09-27-2013 — 4.00 miles. Average pace of 8:20 minutes/mile. Training 4 mile easy run.
  • 09-28-2013 — 14.01 miles. Average pace of 9:21 minutes/mile. Training 14 mile long run steady.

Total miles for the week — 32.37. I’ll be needing a new pair of running shoes sooner rather than later. Any suggestions?

Looking forward to another week. Finished 28 of 64 training sessions and I’m ahead of schedule in regards to the recommended pace. Marathon or Bust is looking more and more like Marathon Now! Sunday, 09-29-2013

Day 112. Say Cheese … Grilled Cheese (that is)

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You’re never too old for grilled cheese. Repeat, never too old. I do encourage y’all to graduate from the Wonder Bread – Kraft American Cheese classic and guy some Artisan French breads and combine two of your favorite cheese slices. Mine are muenster and american.

run262 marathon meal plan

MyFitnessPal 09-29-2013

When did I eat?

  • Meal 1 (8:15am) – Herbalife morning smoothie before I head off to church.
  • Meal 1.1 (11:50am) — Morning shake now all used up by my body, time for a Scooby snack. These Kind Bars are just crunchy enough, just salty enough, and just chocolately enough. They are more than enough. Recommended.
run262 marathon meal plan

Meal 1.1 — 11:50am

  • Meal 2 (1:30pm) — Home from church and although it was too bad my wife couldn’t come because she wasn’t feeling well, what a happy comfort food surprise. No matter how old we get, we’re never too old for grilled cheese.
run262 marathon meal plan

Meal 2 — 1:30pm

  • Meal 2.1 (6:10pm) — Fresh cut Farmer’s Market peach slices to tide me over until a later dinner. In the background, Breaking Bad’s season finally just started.
run262 marathon meal plan

Meal 2.1 — 6:10pm

  • Meal 3 (7:30pm) — Campbell’s Mushroom with Boca. This is our ghetto Thanksgiving in September. I love this food.
run262 marathon meal plan

Meal 3 — 7:30pm

Sunday, 09-29-2013

 

 

 

Day 112. Fear or Flight

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Life Lesson #112

Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in spite of it. This has been said for centuries. Recent examples of courage are Malala Yousafzai and the unforgettable images of the NYFD first responders during September 11th.

We don’t all need to be activists or heroes, we simply need to be active seekers where we can make a difference in someone’s life. When we wake up, tell yourself you will be a blessing to someone today.

I say this every morning. I meditate on this during my runs. Repeat over and over again … I will be a blessing to someone today in Christ. It’s a wonderful way to get your mind off of yourself and onto others.

Day 111. Be Excellent

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Life Lesson #111

Be excellent at all times. It doesn’t matter what you do when somebody is watching you, especially if that someone is someone who has influence over you. Let’s say, your boss. And speaking of that, I hope you’re reading this at home versus at your work cubicle. If not, watch out! Here comes the boss!

It matters what you do when nobody is watching you. Being excellent at all times means walking a few extra steps to put away your shopping cart at Costco. Holding the door a few seconds longer when you see someone coming in behind you. And if they start to run, let them know, “No rush. Take your time.” Throwing away your own trash at Taco Bell.

If you do these smaller details of your life with excellence, I promise that you will have larger details of your life and more of your heart’s desires be fulfilled.

In the immortal words of our 20th century prophet Bill … Be Excellent To Each Other!

Saturday, 09-28-2013

Day 111. What to eat before a long run?

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Today’s Meals:

Today surrounded two major events. Morning 14-mile run and an evening birthday party. I needed strength to get through the run and I needed stamina to manage tonight’s party. I did great on the run, but not-so-great at the party. Still wasn’t hungry so I just had a slice of the best ever carrot cake I’ve ever had with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Note to self — ask again who made that cake.

Don’t get me wrong — I didn’t hermit it in the corner, but I just plopped in a chair and whoever sat near me would be forced to listen to me go on and on about my morning run. Oh no … I turned into one of those guys. You know the one, “Look at me guy” Turn every conversation into something I want to talk about.

Note to self — don’t be “Look at me guy”

run262 marathon meal plan

MyFitnessPal 09-28-2013

When Did I Eat?

  • 7:20am (Meal 0) — pre-run nutrition. Come on Herbalife24 and a banana! I’m counting on you today.
run262 marathon pre run

Meal 0 (Pre-Run) — 7:20am

  • Meal 0.1 (8:10am-11am) — Clif Shots at mile 3 and mile 10 and strategic sipping of my Herbalife24 Prepare, Prolong, and Niteworks to go.
run262 marathon meal plan

Meal 0.1 (During Run)

  • 11:20am (Meal 2) — Home and not really hungry. But at the organized runs, they have Zico for the taking. When all else fails, go back to what the professionals do. In this case, I needed to rehydrate. That pasta pictured was leftover from last night and all I did was play with my food. That banana was only half eaten as well.
run262 marathon meal plan

Meal 2 (post run) – 11:20am

  • 7pm (Meal 3) — Happy Birthday Dear Crispy, Happy Birthday to you! The best carrot cake ever. Had a whip cream frosting rather than that typical sweet layer of stuff I usually scrape off anyway. Saved me the efforts of scraping and more for eating! Delicious. They had catered Mexican food, but this cake is all I was up to.
run262 marathon meal plan

Meal 3 — 7pm

  • 8:10pm (Meal 3.1) — Left the party and didn’t want to press my luck. Not hungry, but I know not eating would be a mistake. Stopped at our favorite Chinese restaurant for a bowl of egg drop soup, rice, and oranges. Now I’m feeling better! As you can see, not a big fan of peas. Does anybody else put rice in their soups? If not, what are you waiting for!

run262 marathon meal planMeal 3.1 — 8:10pm

Saturday, 09-28-2013

Day 111. 14 Miles

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It’s 8:30ish. Birds Chirping. Sun beginning to fully greet. A beautiful day for a run. What? Runkeeper says 14-miles?

Record scratch. Sun looking really hot. Is that a heavy wind coming through town?

Two mindsets, but I’m glad I can only listen to one and I’m glad it was my first power thoughts.

Saturday’s are the payoff for my Monday (recovery from Sunday’s race day), Wednesday (6.32 miles), and Friday (4 miles) efforts.

How I felt during the run?

Was excited coming into this run. This being my 28th training session and the distances are now increasing. Feeling a bit hyped up. Sure, that first step is with a little hesitation because I know once I go, I go. There’s no stopping and that first step is the first of probably 28,000 steps. Just guessing, but I wanted to throw out a large number that just sounds so ridiculous. Makes 14 miles sound better than saying, “Hey, do you want to walk/run 28,000 steps with me this morning?”

During the run, I ate my Clif Shots at mile 3 and mile 10. I’ve learned to never let my body need anything — be proactive in its nutrition. I learned the hard way that once you lack, it’s hard to get it back. Take that Johnny Cochran!

Plus, I was strapped with my handy-dandy Batman utility belt. But instead of all those cool gadgets, i just had 2 8 ounce water bottles filled with my magic hydration and endurance potion of Herbalife24 Prolong, Prepare, and Niteworks. I mix it separately and pour it into the bottles so it does mix. And I’ll tell you, once that automated female voice said, “Workout completed” I couldn’t wait to down that last ounce of liquid.

Attribute my strong feeling towards my morning meal and I had a good night’s rest. My first mile was 9:25. My fourth mile was 9:32. Mile 9 was 10:08, but then I brought it home with a final mile of 9:07. All averaging out to 9:21 per mile average. Not quite Olympics-worthy, but if I could, I would jump for joy.

How I felt after the run?

It felt like I ran 28,000 steps. What kind of question is that? My feet were a bit sore and my shoulders felt like I did 28,000 shrugs. All manageable and expected. What I wasn’t expecting was the overall lethargy. Just felt blah. I could imagine it’s how diabetics feel when their blood sugar drops significantly.

Not hungry at all — just took a couple bites of a banana and just moved around the leftover pasta. I did refuel with Herbalife24 Hydrate and Niteworks, but I may have drank too much. Felt like I was a walking blender with wet ingredients sloshing about.

Note to self – Thirsty is one thing, but trying to quench it all at once isn’t a good idea. Made me feel nauseous.

My Route

Guessing 8 miles on the city streets and 6 miles on trails. I find once I get to trails, I get a little bounce in my step. I think it’s the fact I need to concentrate on each step so I don’t roll an ankle.

14 mile run262

14 Mile Long Run

Saturday, 09-28-2013