Week 1: Execute, Execute, Execute!
Vol 4. No.1
The waiting, planning and preparation are over. Before I get into the recap of week one, let’s take a look at my starting numbers.
Bodyweight: 217.5 lbs Bodyfat Percentage: 29%
Just as important as bodyweight and composition is my running fitness and capability leading into this Build to Boston. While it is clear that I am an amateur runner, I’m certainly not a beginner. Here’s my 2024 numbers along with what I’ve been doing in the past 90-days leading into 2025.
2024 Total Miles: 1,269 2024 Elevation Gain: 36,654 ft
Last 90 Days: 360 miles Daily AVG: 4.0 miles Weekly AVG: 28 miles
Last 90 Days: Longest Run: 10 miles Last 90 Days: AVG Pace: 10’15”
Race Predictions from COROS
5K: 24’20” | 10K: 50’47” | Half Marathon: 1:54 | Full Marathon: 4:05
Running Fitness:
Strava: 24 | COROS: 74.1
Week one has been a success! I met my weekly mileage goal of 25 miles and managed to introduce strength training back into the regime. Most of my runs were with friends which makes running much more enjoyable.
This week you’ll read about my weekly runs and the effects of DOMS. A little further down you’ll see my options for running in the cold and what my nutrition has looked like post-T2DM diagnosis.
Week one of 2025 was a short week with the 1st starting on a Wednesday, thus I didn’t account for Monday or Tuesday in this publication. Rest assured I did run 5.29 miles over the course of those two days along with lifting weights in preparation of 2025.
This will be a long and arduous journey to the Mesa Marathon where I will attempt to qualify for Boston. It will include losing approximately 45lbs of bodyweight, which includes morphing my body composition down to approximately 10% bodyfat and increasing my speed.
I hope you enjoy Week One and stick around for this journey of The Long Run.
Wednesday: 1.1.2025 (Day 1 of 90): Happy New Year!
A mid-week Holiday is always a welcome break from the work week and a great opportunity to capitalize the time to get in a few extra miles. I did make it to the ball-drop on New Years Day, but unlike previous years I didn’t have one drop of alcohol the entire evening and woke up on January 1st feeling great and ready to take on 2025.
The morning was absolutely incredible, with Carolina Blue sky, little wind and temperatures at 45F that edged up slightly if you were in direct sunlight. The combination of a good nights sleep and lack of a hangover meant I was going to get in a quick 2.25 mile run close to the house to welcome in 2025.
The run was relaxed and felt uninhibited as I moved along at an easy pace around my neighborhood the inaugural run of 2025. This was a Solo Run and I imagine there were a handful of neighbors who saw me shuffling down the road, well over 200lbs and figured I was just another resolution runners and would give up on this venture in the coming weeks. I get it though, I certainly don’t look like someone who runs as much as I do.
2.25 miles | Avg Pace: 10’07” | Avg HR: 117 | Best Mile: 9’57” | Feeling: Refreshed and Ready | Motivation: 8
I knew it was going to be a two-a-day and I was ready for it. We had a runner in the club plot a nice route in town spelling out “2025” for a January 1st run. I’ll be honest here, I’ve never ran a specific route to either spell something out or to create an image. This was the first time trying it out.
This was also the first time I used “navigation” on my COROS Pace Pro, which made me hesitant. Two years ago I was part of beta testing for their turn-by-turn navigation and honestly it had a ton of issues. I’m glad to report that those issues have mostly been fixed and my navigation on the map worked flawlessly.
We had a great turnout for the 1pm start with nearly 70 runners in attendance! I think that may be the largest winter group run the club has ever had. Most people had the route on their watches or phones and were going to follow the group in front of them.
Once we had a few announcements, the run started and it turns out I was leading the back. That’s a lot of pressure, because many of the runners around me were far superior runners and for the first mile I felt I was just slowing the group down. After a few miles, I passed on the lead to my friend Mike who had the route on his phone and the front group picked up the pace beyond my comfortable social running pace.
I don’t mind being the point-man for a group run, I just feel bad when I know there are runners around me who can go much faster. I simply don’t like holding people back.
The weather was right in my wheelhouse. I was comfortable in a short sleeve shirt and shorts for the entire run. This wouldn’t be the case as the week progressed. After the planned 2025 route, we had a short 1.17mile jog back to the start.
Distance: 3.73mi | Avg Pace: 9’39” | Avg HR: 140 | Best Mile: 9’10” | Feeling: Lucky to have such an amazing run club to run with. | Motivation: 9
Thursday: 1.2.2025 (Day 2 of 90): Leg Day and a 5-miler.
For the next 90 days I’m focusing on building strength and not too worried about my running paces while still maintaining at least 25 miles per week. This means I’m getting back into the squat rack, grabbing the sandbag hitting the treadmill. Leg Day is going to suck.
In all honesty, I really love leg day. I enjoy moving big weights and the large muscle groups that are activated in the process. Doing back-squats aren’t simply building your quads.
Unfortunately, I also know that entering the pain-cage of the squat rack means that the Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS) will set in and will affect my running. Even though I’ve made the decision to focus on strength for these next 90 days, I still don’t enjoy running on sore legs.
So what did my “Leg Day” look like? Here you go.
5x5 Barbell Back Squats. (Squat Rack)
5x10 Seated Leg Extensions. (Machine)
5x10 Weight Calf Raises. (Machine)
5x10 Seated Leg Curls. (Machine)
4x100m Sandbag Carry with 10x Squats every 25m. (50lb sandbag)
4x10 Box Steps (10 each leg)
20 Minutes on the Stair Mill.
I went relatively light on all the weights knowing full well that I didn’t want to completely wreck myself on my first leg day of 2025. As the soreness wanes, lifting will increase along with intensity. I’ve got to make it through these first two weeks before hitting it heavy every other day.
My second effort of the day was with the run club at our regularly scheduled Thursday run. My legs were tired but not yet sore for this run. I can live with that and taking on 5-miles seemed more than reasonable. So after a picture and a few announcements, we all stepped off and into the dark I went.
I got to chat with a few new runners who joined us for the first time on my way out and got to run with friends for a bit before splitting up so I could finish up my 5-miles. I felt good all the way through mile 3 and then it felt like I was stepping in sand. That soft sand that drains the energy right out of your legs and demoralizes you. The last couple miles felt tough, so when I caught up to Jen who was doing a walk/run iteration, it was a welcome change-up to finish up this run.
Distance: 5.03mi | Avg Pace: 10’55” | Avg HR: 126 | Best Mile: 9’15” | Feeling: Tired but still capable | Motivation: 5
Friday: 1.3.2025 (Day 3 of 90): DOMS is Real. Fuck It.
“Strength Training Prevents Injury and will make me faster!”
That’s the mantra that keeps replaying in my head as I step on the treadmill for my 2-mile warmup run before picking up the weights.
Everything hurts. My entire lower half of my body is sore and it only took 24hrs for DOMS to debilitate me.
I jumped on the treadmill for 2 easy miles and I couldn’t bring myself to lower the pace below 10’00”, no matter how much my legs protested, I would force them to move at the pace of my choosing.
With a 1% incline set and the watch ready to go, I set out on a 2-mile run at a 10’00” pace.
As a distance runner, I find myself getting emotionally frustrated when a short run (5K or less) feels difficult. I’ve ran for hours on end, how can a simple 2-mile run be so difficult?!? This simple fact confounds my mind and causes me to question my reality. Am I really a distance runner when these 2-miles are a challenge?
Fuck it.
I just kept going and got it done. It was so short, I didn’t have time to think about complaining.
Following these 20 minutes on the treadmill I took to the weights to start working on my back and core strength. Strong runners can do pull-ups. A strong back leads to a stronger core, stronger abs and facilitates a longer run at a sustained pace. The reality is, if you want to be a better runner, you’ve got to be a stronger runner.
Distance: 2 miles | Avg Pace: 10’06” | Avg HR: 118 | Best Mile: 9’49” | Feeling: SORE | Motivation: 7
Saturday: 1.4.2025 (Day 4 of 90): Sub-Zero in The South!
“Free Association Running” or FAR is what we call it. This particular weekend, my friend Carrie organized it for an 8:00am start.
The Jeep indicated it was 22F as I was driving to the trail, which follows a river and thus is a trough containing the coldest air in the area.
There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear and bad attitudes.
The weather was actually really good on this January morning. Yes, it was cold, but still above 0F and there was zero wind, no rain and low humidity. All in all it was great running weather given the proper gear and attitude.
20 years ago I was introduced to cold weather running, courtesy of the U.S. Army. I arrived in the Republic of Korea in February, 2005 after living in North Carolina and Iraq for 6 years prior. I was in for a shock with high temperatures of only -15F and lows dipping to -30F or lower. No matter how cold it got, we were still outside training and running. I adapted quickly.
That wasn’t my first experience with the cold. I spent my childhood growing up in Idaho, not too far from the Canadian border where our winters were harsh and full of snow, over 60” was normal. We’d get a foot of snow overnight and wouldn’t even blink an eye, it was just part of life.
It’s not where you’re from, it’s where your at in matters of weather conditioning. However, there is something to be said for experience. Experience of knowing how to dress and what to bring.
I’ve learned over the years what is comfortable for me, as long as it’s not raining. If the temperature is above 30F, then I’ll wear shorts. If the temperatures are 25F-30F I’ll wear some tights under my shorts and if temps are below 25 then I’ll go with pants. Anything under 19F and I’ll start wearing tights under the pants and continue layering.
For this particular run, with no wind or rain, I kept the layers thin. I’ll start from the feet up.
Socks: Merino Wool ankle socks (hiking socks)
Shoes: Hoka Clifton 9: However, the uppers on these are made for summer running, any colder and I’d switch the Hoka Clifton 9 GTX. (Gortex)
Pants: Running Pants - I honestly picked these up at ROSS. They usually have some available and at a great price. I’ve picked up multiple pairs from ROSS over the years.
Top 1: Long sleeve base-layer. Mine is an old Army issue variant, but here is one that is very similar.
Top 2: Thicker Long Sleeve top. I actually picked this one up at Target some years ago, but they have since stopped carrying it.
Gloves: Soft, fuzzy gloves I picked up from the Dollar General. Great for mornings like this, but I wouldn’t wear them if it was windy or raining.
Face / Neck Gator: I picked this one up at Cabela’s. I believe it’s specifically made for fishing, but it worked great for this cold morning run.
Hat: A regular ole winter hat. I received this one from a winter race I did some years ago and have just held onto it for mornings like this.
WATER! - Still brought my water bottle for this 6-mile run. Be sure to bring water, especially when it’s cold. It’s true, you wont’ sweat as much as a summer run, but you still need water for these long runs.
As far as the run itself. It was rather uneventful. I ran with Mike and Jackson and we kept a very easy and consistent pace over the 6-miles. It was cold, I didn’t warm up until mile 2 and even then I wasn’t sweating yet. It wasn’t until mile 3 that I actually worked up a sweat, but that didn’t help my legs as my thighs were cold the entire run. They never warmed up.
Overall I felt this was an easy run and was pleased with a consistent pace in the 9’s, despite the soreness in my legs feeling like it was limiting my movement and mobility. This was an easy run with friends.
Thankfully it was only 6-miles!! Right at mile 5, I felt like I was about to lose my socks. These nice, Merino wool socks, multi-colored out here in the woods. However, I buckled down, picked up the pace slightly and made it to the open porta-john at the finish just in time.
For those who gifted me all those DUDE WIPES, they were put to use today! Thank you!!
Distance: 6.02mi | Avg Pace: 9’55” | Avg HR: 125 | Best Mile: 9’31” | Feeling: COLD | Motivation: 7
Sunday: 1.5.2025 (Day 5 of 90): Travel Day.
Today is a travel day with a five hour drive south. Thankfully I’m going south, as I95 going north into Virginia and D.C. is going to be an absolute snow storm by Monday morning. Traveling on a Sunday is a serious bummer as I’ll miss most of the football games and it throws my workout schedule into a funk.
However, with limited time, I’m still going to get out there and knock out a 2-mile run, stopping every 0.25 miles to do 25 air squats. That will be 2-miles and 200 air squats when it’s all done and said. A good way to prepare for five hours on my ass staring at a windshield.
Life will always throw obstacles in your way and you’ve got options and decisions to make. You can go through, over or around them or leverage the obstacle in a manner that becomes an advantage. Staying disciplined for fitness doesn’t mean being rigid, on the contrary, it is the opposite. Being disciplined means you have elasticity in your life while still prioritizing the actions necessary to reach your goals, despite the hurdles you may face.
So today, with a few hurdles in front of me, I will still get in at least two miles with some strength work before calling it a week.
Nutrition & Sleep
In my previous Marathon builds, I failed to write about my nutrition and sleep. My intent over the next 14 months is to remedy that and properly document what I’m doing, both as a record of my own accounts and hopefully some motivation for you to avoid this terrible disease. Nutrition and sleep are essential components in building cardiovascular capacity and reaching my goal of qualifying for Boston.
It’s been exactly 30 days since my Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis that triggered a serious lifestyle change. I’ve been wearing a Continues Glucose Monitor (CGM) for the past month to identify what foods cause a spike in my Blood Glucose and what exactly happens to my blood glucose levels before, during and after exercise.
I received two free samples from my doctor for the Dexcom G7 (Rx) CGM and when those two devices expired I switched over to Dexcom Stelo (No-Rx required). In a later post I’ll dig into the pros and cons of each and what I’ve found to be helpful.
I have also switched oral medications. My original medication had a higher propensity for causing Hypoglycemia (Low blood glucose), a major concern of mine giving the mileage I’m running. So I switched medications to another that has a lower risk of causing low blood sugar and I don’t need to take it with food.
In addition to wearing a CGM and changing my medications, I have removed 100% of sugars from my diet. That is unless my blood glucose levels drop, then I eat some gummy bears to recover. However, I have removed all sugars from my diet and have switched to a high protein, high fiber diet rich in fats and very low in carbohydrates. I’ve removed all regular carbs I would eat daily such as, pop-tarts, breads, cereals, oatmeal, cookies, brownies, rice, pasta’s and more.
My breakfasts for the past month has primarily been eggs in some fashion, or a Fair Life protein drink. Along with Avocado toast on a whole-grain piece of bread. Like I said before, I’m not at ZERO carbs, but very low.
My lunches and dinners have been large leafy salads, vegetables, some fruits and then lean meats such as Salmon, Turkey, Chicken and 90% Fat Free Beef or greater. I’ve included sugar-free cookies (Not low calorie!) into my diet to help satiate my desire for something sweeter after eating.
All in all I’m filling up on leafy greens, vegetables and lean meat before eating anything else, while keeping an eye on my CGM numbers to ensure I’m keeping within my range.
What about “eating out” you may be wondering?
I’ve actually eaten out a few times in the past month. One of which was Chipotle where I got lettuce, double chicken, pico, cheese, guac and fajita veggies. Low Carb and didn’t cause a spike or significant increase in my BG levels.
We also went to a steakhouse where I ordered a steak with a side of Brussel sprouts and had a salad before eating any of that.
It’s possible to make a radical, but feasible and enjoyable change to your diet. I didn’t say it was easy, I just said it was possible.
Sleep
My sleeping has improved since removing all sugars and most carbs from my diet. I’ve been wearing my COROS Pace Pro to bed to measure all of my sleep metrics. This week I averaged 7hrs 3min of sleep per night. This has increased from an average of 6hrs 43min while eating all the sugars and carbs.
My HRV was in the normal range every night of the week at 45ms.
I don’t normally use sleep aids, but around once a week I’ll use 12mg Melatonin to get in some extra minutes if not hours of sleep. For me this works, however I have side effects in the morning like not being able to wake up as quickly as I would had I not taken it.
Week 2 Preview:
Running in Georgia.
Working out in a hotel gym.
Food and Nutrition while on the road.
Saturday 5K Race against my friend Jan and newcomer Jackson who is looking to finally beat me in a race, a feat he hasn’t done yet.
Continued refinement of my nutrition to align with my T2DM and Marathon Goals.