Update..Update..Update

Week 4 of Couch to 5k is coming to a close tonight! Week 4 has me averaging 2.4 miles in 31 minutes, about a 12.40 pace per mile. I will need to drop that to about a 11 minute pace by the Jingle Bell Trot in 2 weeks. My goal is to finish the 5k in under 35 minutes...who am I kidding my goal is to finish the damn thing...period.

Decided to get rid of my Xbox and purchase Ski Equipment. I haven't gone skiing since I was 16, and yes I grew up in Upstate NY, I know that is a little strange. So my goal is to be able to ski in Jackson Hole, Wyoming by March. I figure this will keep me motivated during the sluggish winter months when going to the Gym sucks the most. Thanks to Tommy and John for offering me some help in accomplishing this newest feat.

Jingle Bell 5k..sponsor me...link will be on the right shortly and on Facebook...

Triathlon Training...I have been focusing on core strength building for the past few weeks, so that means bench press, squats and dead lifts. I have watched my max weight increase weekly, the gains in physical strength has been remarkable. For always being a BIG guy, I was very weak. By increasing my strength in my legs,back and chest it has made my cardio workout that much easier. We are 9 months out from the YMCA SPrint Tri...just like having a baby  :)

Til next week....

J

No death...no shin splints

well, week two has one more day left.  I have to admit, I am actually a bit giddy about finishing week two and can't wait for week three!  Pretty sure that will change on Monday when week three starts.  I am spending less time running but have increased my distance and have realized that the running is not going to kill me or give me shin splints (my worst nightmare!).  I have been telling people about our triathlon commitment...partly to brag and partly to make sure I stay the course.  The cool outcome with it today is that I actually got someone to agree to join me in running the Race against racism 5k in April (which will be six months before the triathlon).  See you on the other side of Day 1 of week three!

4.5 mph and still running....

So, by Jason starting a week ahead of me, several things have happened.  He told me that I posted a mean post, it allowed us to grow together as I expressed all of my crazy needs in regards to support and encouragement, and most importantly, it got my behind on the treadmill....which was the whole point anyhow.  I guess all good marriages need excitement like this and I'll keep him!  So, onto the running part.  I am still in the run/walk portion.  I am secretly hoping I can run as fast and as far as Jason; but after all, he is a week ahead of me.  I have actually been doing much better than I expected think I might need to add some challenge by increasing the speed a bit...yeah, I'll let you know how this goes.

10-10-10 and the annual celebration of three's begins!

So, yes, this whole idea was mine...I thought we could really play on the whole 10-10-10 anniversary by celebrating each year of marriage by doing something associated with three's.  For all of you who just went to the gutter, that will not be one of the ways we celebrate.  A triathlon however, is a great way for us to stay focused and motivated for each other during our first official year of marriage.  We participate in something jointly that still allows and requires us to focus on our individuality; the perfect metaphor for how we view our marriage.  Yes, we've moved from "Jason and Pam" to "newlyweds" (which really doesn't feel any different) but now we are moving toward a new common goal.  So, yes, I have some expectations for how all of this is going to work....and I have some legitimate concerns.  Of course, the first is, am I really going to be able to do this?....the triathlon silly, not the marriage!   I can tell we don't really have a lot of followers of the blog yet, because no one commented on the fact that only one honeymooner had begun training.  Is this really how we are going to start...you've left the gate without me???   So begins the journey.

Stay tuned...

One Month Away!!

The Jingle Bell 5k is December 12th, officially 1 month away. I cant believe how close that really is...its all happening :)

Pam started her training on Monday, now were running together 3 days a week. I never thought I would be running with my wife (she has completed 2 5k's) this is a pretty cool thing.

The running is surprisingly easy, its staying focused for 30 minutes that I am having difficulty with. I hit the 6.2 mph mark Wednesday night, I just stared at a hole in the wall in front of me for 90 seconds. It actually helped to have something to focus on. The feeling in my legs after I get done is hysterical, I feel like I am walking on jello. I have changed up my workout routine, I am going to focus on core strength building for the next several months. The theory is to use rep count to achieve different goals (strength,stamina,mass). So for now dead lift,bench press, front/backsquat are my main exercises. I will do legs and arms one day a week, coupled with my swim and bike days.

I am going to be Mr.December in the Hershey Bariatric Calendar for 2011...Here is the before I think they will use...

And the after...

I will post the ordering instructions soon. :)

Til next week...

Longest Run in 10 years

2.06 miles in 31 minutes...half run, half walk... this couch to 5k program is amazing. It really gives you a sense of accomplishment when your done, especially when you haven't attempted anything like this before. Instead of just jumping out and trying to run a mile and failing this program develops your confidence and stamina so you can reach your goal. I am actually looking forward to starting week 2 on Monday.

Training Log- Tuesday
2 mile Bike
Shoulder and Back workout

Training Log- Wednesday
2.06 mile run
250 Yard swim

A little sore today, the swim is going to be the hardest part of the training, luckily my better half is a competitive swimmer with years of experience. She will be able to teach me quite a bit, and thankfully I have 11 months to get my swim confidence at the right level.

Next on my agenda...find a good road bike and learn how to ride properly...

Shoes...Glorious Shoes

Saucony Triumph 7

Well the time has come...the music is downloaded, the app is purchased, and the sneakers are now in my possession. What a fun time that was, I tried on 6 pairs of running shoes, all of them over $120. Now I haven't spent $100 on sneakers since HS when we had to own a pair of Nike Air whatever in order to fit in. I never played a minute of basketball in school, but I owned an impressive fleet of Jordans and Reebok Pump sneakers.

Now I own the Cadillac of running shoes, designed with the heavier runner in mind. When I say "heavier" I learned heavy in the running world means anyone weighing more than 180lbs. 

 The guys over at Inside Track are great, very knowledgeable, and they didn't try to sell me on a bunch of stuff I couldn't use. So if your in Lancaster and need a pair of running shoes and you have no idea what pronate means, head over there. 

I will post my daily training log, if you want to follow along and join me, Pam will begin posting her log as well. I have been working out for the past several months so most of the beginning stuff will be very easy, but I am going to follow the regimen exactly. The swim and bike training is designed to have me Sprint Tri ready in 22 weeks, the couch to 5k is a 9 week program. My goal is to be ready to run my first 5k in December (Jingle Bell 5k). 

Training for the Tri---Day 1 (Jasons Log)

Couch to 5k- 5 min warmup then alternate 60 seconds of Jogging and 90 seconds of walking (20 Min)

Swim-50 Yard Warm up, 100 yard Freestyle, 50 yard cool down

Weight Training (Chest-Incline,Bench,Narrow Grip,Standing Pulley) 5 sets each

Wow...so much to do

I can understand how people can feel overwhelmed when your overweight and trying to get healthy. The I don't know where to start feeling can be pretty hard to get past. I took a huge step in getting the Gastric Bypass surgery, it took over a year to make that happen. The surgery was only the first step on my road to a healthy new me. The phrase GB patients use is the surgery was the first "Tool" in our arsenal. Well here I am 5 months after my surgery and I am down 130 lbs, sounds easy right? Well if elimination of  80% of your food intake, going to the gym daily, relearning how to eat without drinking and giving up PBR is your idea of easy, then yeah it was easy :).

So now begins Phase2.

Pam and I set the goal of running a triathlon  in September, now most people healthy or not will never set that goal. Thats OK. Setting a goal to do anything out of your comfort zone is what you need to do to stay motivated. So my prep work has begun to make sure we achieve our goal. Now I love the internet, some may say I am an internet whore :).  I am starting my training for a 5k in December, so I downloaded the Couch to5k app for my Iphone. Yes there is an app for that. What an amazing concept, play some angry birds and then go run. I love my Iphone.
I am on a quest to find suitable footwear, so Saturdays goal is to purchase a high end pair of sneakers to save my feet from serious injury. The science behind running shoes is fairly in depth, so I am going to the Inside Track in Lancaster to have them fit me for a pair of higher end kicks. Anyone have any recommendations?

What have I started?

Coming next week....The official training blog begins.

A first....

I never thought I would need to have a blog, in this day and age between texting and Facebook your life is pretty much an open book. We decided to start this blog to chronicle our first year of marriage since we are taking a non-traditional approach (surprise) to celebrating our wedded life.


The idea behind Honeymooners on the Run is simple. Offer our friends and family a way to interact with us as we embark on this journey together. Support, Accountability and Advice are the top things we are looking for out of this blog...and a few laughs at my expense :)


A little backstory on why we are doing this...


As most of you know I was terribly overweight a few months back (356lbs to be exact) I was killing myself slowly but steadily with poor diet and lack of exercise. I needed to make a drastic change in my life before something really bad happened. 

I had Gastric Bypass on June 2, 2010. That decision has changed my life 1000%. So much so that I am actually entertaining the thought of running in a 5k in December. One of my secret bucket list items has been to finish a IronMan Triathlon. Obviously by the picture above the only thing resembling a triathlon I was ever going to compete in would involve Pizza, Beer and Ice Cream. 

Pam had a great idea to celebrate our 1st Anniversary (this is why were soul-mates, she had no idea about my bucket list ) , instead of something cheesy, we should participate in a Sprint Tri together. So fast forward and here we are, prepping to begin the quest to celebrate our 1st anniversary together!

So what is a Sprint Triathlon your may be wondering. It entails a 500 Yard open water swim, 16 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run. We have 11 months to train for this, there will be 5k's in the interim, the first run Pam and I will do together is the Race Against Racism in April. So follow along as we detail our training, be our cheering section, our accountability and if you feel so inspired you can come join us...seriously.