3 months to go...

I've been sick for the last week, which has been unfortunate. I've only been able to walk and lift a little. I tried to play tennis last week, and that was a huge disaster. The only good thing about the last couple weeks is that I've contined losing weight. I'm right on the pace that I decided I needed to maintain to give myself the best chance according to the formulas I've seen. My coach is back in the states (He was in Europe for the beginning of this), so we will be getting together 2-3x per week to hit the track. All in all, things are looking really good.

Outside of running, I've gotten into 2 schools so far: UC Santa Cruz and Pittsburgh. I won't list all the rejections (they are too numerous), but I still have 5 to hear from.

I'm gonna spend this weekend playing a few tournaments and it is back on the track Monday.

7:00 and no longer obese (according to the CDC)!

I'm in a stream-of-consciousness mood, so I'm just going to write in bulletpoints:

• I'm at a 7:00 mile, so I think I'm where I need to be.
• I'm no longer obese according to the CDC, which states that a BMI > 30 is obese.  Still a ways to go...maybe 30-40 more pounds.
• I signed up for the Shamrock'n Half-Marathon on March 15th as a way to commit to putting in the long runs that I need for training.  Anyone who wants to join me is welcome.
• I'm thinking about signing up for the Lodi Mile at the end of March to see where I'm at and see how I respond to race conditions.
• I had a successful interview with UCSC, so I don't think I'm going to go 0/18 in PhD applications, thankfully.
• I want to start paying friends to lose weight.  I've offered a couple people the chance and surprisingly both people declined.  Humans never cease to amaze me.  

That's it for now.  I don't know if people get geeked out on training techniques or diet, but I'm happy to share what I'm doing if anyone is interested.

I'm a professional athlete?

This title comes from an old college friend I had dinner with recently who said "You're basically a professional athlete." Funny. I hadn't thought about it like that.

Frequency will be increasing from this point on, and I'll mainly be posting workout details. I pretty much have an established routine of a fasted workout in the morning and another in the evening. My weight is the lowest it's been since college, but I still have a ways to go in that regard.

I recently ran a 7:15 indoors, which I was told will be faster outdoors. We will see since my next one will be outdoors. I attended a running form seminar today and was given tons of drills that will improve my cadence, stride length, and leg pull. Ultimately, this should make me more efficient. Leave no stone unturned...

Oh, I almost forgot. I registered to run the Shamrock Half Marathon in March. I think this will serve as a great commitment device to make me hit all my long runs, which are super important to middle distance training.

Last PhD applications are due tomorrow, and then it's home free.

Week 4: My last obligations before I am completely free

When I was doing the mental calculus to see if this was something that I thought I could do, my schedule availability was one of the biggest factors.  As a graduate student, I have periodic classes to finish, but as of December 17th, I am done with all required courses and only have to complete my thesis in the Spring.  In addition to all the busywork required at the end of the semester, I am also submitting PhD applications which is at least another class unto itself.  The majority of these are due by tomorrow with the remainder due by January 15th.  It's exciting to see the progress I've made since the end of the WSOP.  It seems pretty clear to me that incentives work.

I'm a gadget guy.  I like technology and feel that properly integrated technology makes our lives so much better and easier.  Some of the gadgets that I have used for fitness tracking include a Withings BodyFat Analyzer Scale (WiFi/Bluetooth), Garmin Forerunner GPS Watch, and Heart Rate monitors (I have a couple of these depending on what I am doing).  The scale connects to a few apps on my phone, but below is a screenshot of my progress that I've made since the WSOP ended and I made a couple bets with friends.  I'm disappointed that I let my weight get so out of hand every summer with this summer being the worst of them all, at least according to the scale. 

I still have a ways to go, but seeing this definitely reminds me that it's quite attainable.  By my calculations, I'm at the halfway point, and I have 5.5 months to go to make the progress I've made over the last 4.  I'm going to Florida in a few days, so I should have ample time to workout, eat right, and get ready for the next training stage.

Week 2 and 3: I've been busy!

I didn't think I'd keep up the early pace, but I definitely fell off here.  Thankfully, this was only with blogging and not with training as I haven't let up in that regard.  I believe I said last time that my goal was getting my weight down as rapidly as possible while training, and that remains my number one priority.  I can only speculate as to how light someone needs to be to run a 6:00 mile, but I know enough to know that lighter equals better.

Being overweight has been a challenge for me as long as I can remember, so the motivation for this bet was really twofold: I wanted a fun challenge and a good sweat, but I also knew that I wanted to tackle this weight loss for the last time.  I had a thought the other day during a run (I've been doing my best thinking while running lately) which was that there is no way to reconcile being overweight if you consider yourself a smart person.  No matter how I look at it, it just seems to be to be one of the biggest inconsistencies you can exhibit as a person.  That is not to say that it can't happen, but once such an inconsistency is acknowledged, eliminating it has to be a high priority; the only difficult part is how.  I've told people for a while now that if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you just have to find an amount of money that will get you to lose weight in the first place and then a bigger amount that you lose if you ever put it back on.  Oh, and a friend who will happily take your money.  It's really that simple.  I don't see how it can fail, but I digress.

To make sure I wouldn't have any hindrances or potential problems with training I got some bloodwork done.  I'm really interested in this stuff, so I'm gonna post the results at the bottom for my own records and anyone who might want to nerd out.  Long story short, I'm in good health, but I have some inflammation from working out so much.  Blood pressure and heart rate good, too.  Pretty standard.

I also got my body fat tested a couple weeks ago, and I was tested at 28%.  Definitely still have a ways to go.  The surprising/redeeming thing was that my lean body mass was the highest I've ever seen it, and I've probably been tested 10 times in my life.  That definitely alleviates any concerns that I might have had about starving myself.  I can afford to lose a couple pounds of muscle.  Alright, off for another workout.

21370 - Testosterone, Free \T\ Total Order Comment: Testing performed at: Q9, Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute, 27027 Tourney Road , Valencia , CA, 91355, MICHAEL C DUGAN, M.D. FCAP, Laboratory Director: (800) 421-7110 Test Name Result Flag(s) Reference Range Reported Date Footnote TESTOSTERONE TOTAL 615  250-1100    ng/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: Q9 TESTOSTERONE FREE 72.4  35.0-155.0    pg/mL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: Q9 3057 - LIPID PROFILE Order Comment: Testing performed at: SC, Quest Diagnostics, 3714 Northgate Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95834, Alfredo Asuncion, Jr., MD, Laboratory Director: (866) 697-8378 Test Name Result Flag(s) Reference Range Reported Date Footnote CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL 142  125-200    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC TRIGLYCERIDES 51  <150    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC LDL CHOLESTEROL (CALCULATED) 84  <130    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST                                DESIRABLE RANGE <100 mg/dL FOR PATIENTS                              WITH CHD OR DIABETES AND <70 mg/dL FOR                              DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH KNOWN HEART                              DISEASE.   Testing performed at location: SC CHOLESTEROL, HDL 48  > OR = 40    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC CHOLESTEROL/HDL RATIO 3.0  < OR = 5.0      11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC LDL/HDL RATIO 1.75  SEE NOTE      11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Reference Range: AV.RISK 2.29-4.90                    MALE:        BELOW AVERAGE RISK: <2.28                    AVERAGE RISK:     2.29-4.90                    MODERATE RISK:    4.91-7.12                    HIGH RISK:          >7.13                      FEMALE:      BELOW AVERAGE RISK  <2.34                    AVERAGE RISK:     2.35-4.12                    MODERATE RISK:    4.13-5.56                    HIGH RISK:          >5.57 Testing performed at location: SC non-HDL CHOLESTEROL 94      mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Target for non-HDL cholesterol is 30 mg/dL higher than LDL cholesterol target. Testing performed at location: SC 3481 - COMPREHENSIVE METABOLIC PANEL Order Comment: Testing performed at: SC, Quest Diagnostics, 3714 Northgate Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95834, Alfredo Asuncion, Jr., MD, Laboratory Director: (866) 697-8378 Test Name Result Flag(s) Reference Range Reported Date Footnote PROTEIN, TOTAL 7.2  6.1-8.1    g/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC SODIUM, SERUM 138  135-146    mmol/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC POTASSIUM, SERUM 4.5  3.5-5.3    mmol/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC CHLORIDE, SERUM 102  98-110    mmol/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) 27  19-30    mmol/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC UREA NITROGEN,BLOOD (BUN) 16  7-25    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC CREATININE, SERUM 1.14  0.60-1.35    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST For patients > or = 50 years of age:  The upper reference limit for Creatinine is approximately 13% higher for people identified as African-American. Testing performed at location: SC eGFR 85  >=60    mL/min/1.73m2  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC eGFR AFRICAN AMERICAN 99  >=60    mL/min/1.73m2  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC GLUCOSE 99  65-99    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST FASTING REFERENCE INTERVAL Testing performed at location: SC CALCIUM, SERUM 9.4  8.6-10.3    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ALBUMIN 4.6  3.6-5.1    g/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC GLOBULIN, TOTAL 2.6  1.9-3.7    g/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC A/G RATIO 1.8  1.0-2.5    ratio  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC AST (SGOT) 27  10-40    U/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC BILIRUBIN, TOTAL 0.6  0.2-1.2    mg/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ALT (SGPT) 34  9-46    U/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 98  40-115    U/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC 42502 - TSH and Free T4 Order Comment: Testing performed at: SC, Quest Diagnostics, 3714 Northgate Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95834, Alfredo Asuncion, Jr., MD, Laboratory Director: (866) 697-8378 Test Name Result Flag(s) Reference Range Reported Date Footnote TSH 1.74  0.40-4.50    mIU/L  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC THYROXINE, FREE, DIRECT 1.2  0.8-1.8    ng/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC 46000 - CARDIO CRP Order Comment: Testing performed at: WH, Quest Diagnostics, 8401 Fallbrook Avenue, West Hills, Ca, 91304, Geoffrey H. Moyer, M.D. PH.D., Laboratory Director: 866-697-8378 Test Name Result Flag(s) Reference Range Reported Date Footnote HS CRP 5.8   H     mg/L   11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST             Higher relative cardiovascular risk according to AHA/CDC      guidelines. Consider retesting in 1 to 2 weeks to exclude      a benign transient elevation in the baseline CRP value      secondary to infection or inflammation.                    For ages >17 Years:      hs-CRP mg/L  Risk According to AHA/CDC Guidelines      <1.0         Lower relative cardiovascular risk.      1.0-3.0      Average relative cardiovascular risk.      3.1-10.0     Higher relative cardiovascular risk.                   Consider retesting in 1 to 2 weeks to                   exclude a benign transient elevation                   in the baseline CRP value secondary                   to infection or inflammation.      >10.0        Persistent elevation, upon retesting,                   may be associated with infection and                   inflammation.        Testing performed at location: WH CBC21 - CBC Order Comment: Testing performed at: SC, Quest Diagnostics, 3714 Northgate Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95834, Alfredo Asuncion, Jr., MD, Laboratory Director: (866) 697-8378 Test Name Result Flag(s) Reference Range Reported Date Footnote WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT 4.4  3.8-10.8    Thousand/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC RED BLOOD CELL COUNT 5.31  4.20-5.80    Million/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC HEMOGLOBIN 15.4  13.2-17.1    g/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC HEMATOCRIT 46.6  38.5-50.0    %  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC MCV 88  80.0-100.0    fL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC MCH 29.0  27.0-33.0    pg  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC MCHC 33.0  32.0-36.0    g/dL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC RDW 14.1  11.0-15.0    %  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC PLATELET COUNT 208  140-400    Thousand/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHILS 1848  1500-7800    Cells/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ABSOLUTE LYMPHOCYTES 1848  850-3900    Cells/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ABSOLUTE MONOCYTES 352  200-950    Cells/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ABSOLUTE EOSINOPHILS 352  15-500    Cells/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC ABSOLUTE BASOPHILS 0  0-200    Cells/uL  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC NEUTROPHILS 42      %  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC LYMPHOCYTES 42      %  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC MONOCYTES 8      %  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC EOSINOPHILS 8      %  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC BASOPHILS 0      %  11/29/2014 9:16 PM QST Testing performed at location: SC