Well lets try this...

Well yesterday I was out on the internet looking at something and stumbled upon Garcinia Cambogia. Supposedly a clinically proven appetite suppressant and a non-stimulating fat burner. It actually got pretty good reviews on Amazon so I figured I'd give it a try. Now I know you're probably thinking, why would I try something like this? Well the answer is I've been doing P90X3® now for 5 weeks and have stopped eating junk food but my weight seems to be stuck. I figured I'd take a shot and see if it really works.

A bit of background information, along with doing P90X3® I have also been using Shakeology®. Shakeology® really seems to curb my want for sweets so I'm extremely happy about that. Plus it seems to be packed with tons of stuff that's good for me. I usually have my Shakeology® in the morning on normal days. This morning I had 8oz Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1/2 serving Vegan Strawberry Shakeology®, 1/2 serving Chocolate Shakeology®, 2 servings dole tropical frozen fruit, 1 serving unsweetened shaved coconut & a banana. Delicious and nutritious and kept me feeling good all morning.

I had to take my cat to the vet but upon my arrival back at home my bottle of Natura Best Gacinia Cambogia had been delivered. I was pretty hungry so I decided I'd start taking it. I took a pill and ate 2 slices of homemade bread w/ herb cheese butter on it and sardines. I followed that up with some Skinny Pop Popcorn.

A serving of Beachbody E&E Energy and Endurance® got me set to do my P90X3® workout. 30 minutes later and I started the MMX routine. This was the first time I've done this one and wow did I sweat. A lot of combination moves that had me thinking I looked pretty funny while trying to do them. My favorite was the superman punch and had me imagining being in Mortal Kombat fighting...GET OVER HERE!!! Afterward I filled my water bottle with P90X Results and Recovery Formula® to help with recovery not only from this workout but my track workout last night.

Another major step I took today was to become a Beachbody® coach. I really believe in all of the Beachbody® programs and have really good success using them and sticking with them. You can check out my profile at http://www.teambeachbody.com/StringCheeseCR. Since it's just the first day I still need to figure out how everything works. I'd be happy to be your coach though and help you meet your goals.

I weighed in at 192.4 this morning so that will be my starting weight for the test.

Had a few snacks before dinner as I waited for my GF to get home. Blackberries, grapes, almonds & a gala apple. Once she gets home I'll take another pill and have homemade pot roast with potatoes & carrots.

I bet the weight will be up tomorrow morning because of eating so late...we'll see.

Worst Race Ever!

Both the NJ Warrior Dash and the Southwest Cafe Margarita 5k were tough. The Warrior Dash has a mud pit at the end of it that was one of the hardest obstacles I've ever done at a obstacle race. People were actually getting stuck and couldn't move. I think I had over an inch of mud on my arms when I got out. I was lucky that my GF came with me to the 5k and helped to push me through with a somewhat respectable time. In between the races I took a nap because I was so tired.

The race this morning was a really bad idea. When I got to the race I tried to warm up a little and I could barely maintain a run. I knew this was gonna be a tough one. Of course I didn't realize how bad it would be. I could barely maintain a run for more than a few minutes. I ended up finishing 23 minutes slower than my time last year. I was happy that I finished though.

I am going to have to take a few days off. Tomorrow night was supposed to be a fun run but I think it'll just take pictures instead and get 2 days off. I have races wednesday, friday, 2 on saturday and another on sunday. I'll hopefully recover a bit before then.

Day 2: Run / Plyo / Destruction

Day 1 went well besides being hungry around 3. My chest and arms are pretty sore from the workout yesterday.

Today is Plyo day and I also wanted to run. I knew getting up and doing both first thing in the morning would be tough so I decided to run in the morning and do Plyo at lunchtime. I'm part of a group of virtual runs related to the TV show LOST. I have finished the first 5 of the original 6 stations with only the 42k remaining. Recently they added another 4 runs to fit the remaining LOST stations. I took care of the 7th station this morning.

Holy cow, I forgot how hard P90x Plyometrics is. I felt pretty sick so I stopped for a break around 20 minutes. I may need to rethink the cardio portions of P90x since I run so much.

In non-diet/non-running news I signed the contracts for the lease for getting Solar Panels on my house. Should be another 2-3 months before they are actually installed but pretty excited about it.

Tonight I had to go help my friends destroy the big rock wall in front of their place. On the way I picked up a SodaStream for the house. I'll have to go into more detail about it once it's up and running. Anyway, once I got to my friends it was an intense 1:45 of moving rock from the wall into the dumpster. It was a crazy workout cause there were some really big & heavy rocks. Between this and P90x Chest & Back my muscles are sore. Hoping it won't affect me at the NJ Warrior Dash tomorrow.

Food diary for the day - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/lilfurson?date=2013-08-02

Big day of racing tomorrow with the NJ Warrior Dash in the morning and the Southwest Cafe Margarita Run 5k in the evening.

2013 Fall FatBet

My friend Danielle has been doing a FatBet a few times in 2013. The goal is to lose 5% of your body weight in 90 days. I joined the original one and didn't even come close. I skipped out on the 2nd one because I wasn't ready. She recently decided to do a 3rd one and it's time for me to refocus and get back to a lower/healthier weight.

I'm not only doing the 5% goal but have other goals as well for this 90 days. I plan to diet, do another round of P90x, stop drinking diet soda and break myself of my caffeine addiction. I know this is a lot but, if you know me, I am either all on or all off. I'm going cold turkey on most things except for the caffeine. I'm going to ween myself off it during the next 3 weeks reducing my daily intake by half each week for 3 weeks.

Today was my first day and I started out strong. I did P90x Chest & Back and felt pretty good during. In the past when I've gotten back to P90x the first workout usually makes me sick but I felt good throughout. Breakfast consisted of a smoothie with chocolate milk, peanuts, a banana, frozen blueberries and protein powder.

There isn't much to eat in the house that is healthy so I need to go to Adams and pick up some food I can eat. I ended up eating cherries and muenster cheese for lunch because I couldn't really find much else. I got pretty hungry around 3 but have been able to stick it out so far. Up to about 15 glasses of water at that time as well.

Went to Adams and picked up a bunch of fruits, vegetables and stuff to make chicken salad. The chicken salad definitely didn't come out as good as the one from Adams but I don't know how many calories are in Adams chicken salad.

I'm also making this for dinner. I'm not planning on frying it so it may not comes out as good as it would have but it saves a lot of calories. The whole recipe came out to be about 560 calories.

http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/09/kolokythokeftedes-zucchini-and-feta.html

Here's a couple pictures of my "pancakes"

They actually tasted pretty good. Mendy enjoyed them as well.

Here's a link to my food diary on MyFitnessPal - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/lilfurson?date=2013-08-01

Anyway, I'm starting out at 193.2 with a body fat % of 22.6. I'm hoping to lose 30 pounds over the next 3 months. The more weight I can lose before October the better since it would help with my marathons.

I'm back! 2012 recap

Wow, 10 months since I've written a blog on this site. I apologize that I lost interest but I didn't stop racing.

Here's a rundown of the 2012 races. 77 total races for the year

3/24 - Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon (1:46:29 | 8:08)

3/31 - Orange County Choppers 5K (21:24.2 | 6:54)

4/7 - 4th Masonic 5K (21:19.6 | 6:53)

4/21 - Ketcham 5K (20:21.37 | 6:34)

4/22 - Orange County Double Dash 10K (42:58.8 | 6:54) - PR

4/28 - Miles Of Hope 5K (20:17.10 | 6:33)

4/29 - 8.2 Mile Race Around Briggs (57:59 | 7:15)

5/5 - Pitch for Kids 5K (26:41 | 8:36)

5/6 - Escape to the Palisades Half Marathon (1:40:44 | 7:42)

5/12 - Survival Race (21:43.3 | 6:59)

5/13 - Wally Waddle 5K (19:59.22 | 6:27)

5/17 - IBM POK 5K Fun Run (19:50 | 6:23) - PR

5/20 - Hand in Hand 5 Mile Run (33:24 | 6:41) - PR

5/24 - Locust Grove Spring 5K Trail Race (21:23.46 | 6:54) 

5/26 - Chester Kiwanis 18th Annual 5K Hambletonian Trot (21:24.3 | 6:54)

5/28 - Woodstock 15K (1:07:13 | 7:13) - PR

6/2 - Spartan Sprint (1:26:40.9 | 24:46

6/3 - Walkway 5K (20:56.45 | 6:45)

6/9 - Obstacle Apocalypse (24:11.0 | 7:47)

6/10 - 3rd Annual Hopewell Triathlon (1:03:47)

6/16 - RunAMuck (38:44 | 9:41)

6/17 - New Paltz Challenge Half Marathon (1:41:09 | 7:43)

6/20 - 14K Minnewaska Summer Solstice Run (1:10:32 | 8:06)

6/23 - Lap4Life Run at Chadwick Lake (28:34 | 7:09)

6/24 - New York Giants Run of Champions 5K (22:36 | 7:18)

6/30 - Goshen Great American Weekend Road Race 10K (44:49.1 | 7:14)

7/8 - Orange County Triathlon (3:00:26)

7/9 - New Paltz Summer Cross Country Series - Mohonk Preserve "Undercliff/Overcliff" (35:30 | 7:33)

7/14 - 2nd Annual Come Join My Family Race to Honor Andrea Markoe (23:04.85 | 7:27)

7/15 - Happy Feat 5K (33:50 | 10:15)

7/16 - New Paltz Summer Cross Country Series - Mohonk Preserve "Lou's Run" (34:06 | 7:45)

7/19 - 10th Annual Gardiner 5K (21:24.1 | 6:54)7/21 - Rebel Race 15K (1:44:24 | 11:12)

7/22 - Canaan 5 Mile Road Race (35:53 | 7:11)

7/23 - New Paltz Summer Cross Country Series - Minnewaska "Patterson's Pellet" (21:34 | 7:11)

7/26 - Locust Grove Summer Trail Race 5K (23:10.38 | 7:29)

7/28 - New Milford 8 Mile Road Race (1:04:39 | 8:04)

7/30 - New Paltz Summer Cross Country Series - Minnewaska "Blueberry Run" (30:03 | 7:57)

8/4 - 6th Annual Southwest Cafe Margarita Run (21:06 | 6:48)

8/5 - Monster Classic 10K (46:49.7 | 7:33)

8/6 - New Paltz Summer Cross Country Series - Awards and Fun Relay

8/11 - Pawling Lakeside 5K (23:04 | 7:25)

8/12 - Warrior Dash (41:12.15 | 12:53)

8/16 - Amber Room Run for the Sun (21:51 | 7:02)

8/18 - Run 4 Downtown Middletown (27:53 | 6:59)

8/25 - MudManX (34:59.9)

8/26 - Storm King 10K (43:57 | 7:06)

9/1 - Newtown 5K Road Race (21:35 | 6:57)

9/3 - Warwick 5 Mile (35:53.8 | 7:11)

9/8 - Super Spartan (3:27:22 | 25:55)

9/9 - 2012 South Nyack 10 Miler (1:17:42.90 | 7:46)

9/13 - King of the Hill 5k (22:13 | 7:09)

9/16 - MHRRC Dutchess County Classic Half-Marathon (1:35:41.50 | 7:20) - PR

9/22 - Spartan Beast - (5:17:43 | 24:15)

9/29 - For Paws & Wright Naturals 5K (22:12 | 7:10)

9/30 - Wineglass Marathon (3:40:37.87 | 8:25) - PR

10/6 - Schlathaus Park 5K (22:04.60 | 7:07)

10/7 - Castle To River: A Historic Run 10K (54:23 | 8:46)

10/14 - Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Run (36:08.40 | 7:14)

10/17 - IBM POK Fun Run (20:54 | 6:50)

10/20 - 5K 4 Paws (22:51.9 | 7:22)

10/21 - Empire State Marathon (3:51:29 | 8:51)

10/27 - UlsterCorps Service Sprint (24:41 | 8:28)

10/28 - 9th Annual Run for the Animals (30:03.4 | 7:24)

11/3 - MHRRC Sports Hall of Fame 5K (25:11 | 8:06)

11/4 - Mike Purcell 5K - 3.6 miles (26:19 | 7:19)

11/10 - Mike Archer Memorial 5K (21:04.09 | 6:48)

11/11 - Fall Harvest Race (57:47.9 | 7:42)

11/17 - Spartan Time Trial at Fenway (1:11:24 | 28:33) 

11/18 - Philadelphia Marathon (4:03:40 | 9:17)

11/22 - MHRRC Turkey Trot 25K (2:07:15.40 | 8:13)

12/1 - MHRRC Knights of Columbus Holiday Run 5 Mile (36:19 | 7:16)

12/2 - ORC Jingle Jog 7k (32:59 | 7:35)

12/15 - Thanks-Giving 5k (21:46.2 | 7:01)

12/15 - Thanks-Giving 10k (46:06.4 | 7:26)

12/15 - City Of Albany's "Last Run" 5k (21:20 | 6:52)

12/22 - Holiday Classic 5k (21:47 | 7:00)

12/29 - Holiday Hustle (36:48 | 7:24)

I completed 3 marathons in 50 days in 2012 and got into the Marathon Maniacs at the lowest level.

Originally I set a goal to try to only run 1 race a week but I fell off that pretty quickly. My current goal for 2013 is to participate in 100 races. As of today I've completed 61 races but I'll make a separate post about those because I don't have all the times/paces set for each race yet.

10/14/2012 - Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Run

Race Date: Sunday October 14th, 2012
Race Name: 32nd Running Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Run
Race Price: $18
Race Description: 5-mile run starts in Newburgh on Broadway, turns onto Grand St. toward the bridge, across the bridge and south on Rte. 9D to the finish at the Beacon Riverfront
Park (near Beacon Metro-North train station).  A fast, net downhill course!
Race Location: Beacon, NY
  
Race Distance: 5 miles
Distance Traveled: 8 miles

Race Time: 11:00 am
Weather: Sunny, slightly windy & temps in the 60's

Swag: Long Sleeve Technical Shirt | Bag
Food & Drink: Water | Juice | Bagels | Cookies | Fruit
Number of Participants: 306
Results: http://www.mhrrc.org/MHRRCuploads/raceResults/Bridge%20Run%20Offical%20Results%202012.pdf

My Results

Time: 36:08.40
Pace: 7:14
Place: 43 of 306
Men (Age 30-39): 11 of 28






Personal Race Info
Pre-Run: N.O. Xplode w/ Chia Seeds | Gu Gel
During-Run: N/A

    Another nice race close to home. Also this wasn't super early in the morning so I got to sleep in a bit more than normal. This was a point to point race where they bus you to the start. The race didn't start until 11 but the last bus was at 10. I got to the race around 9 and was on the first bus to the registration site. The start of the race was in Newburgh, NY right on Broadway. For those that know the area, they know this isn't the best part of town. Registration was in a church on one of the side streets and warming up around the neighborhood was a bit sketchy. Probably the only time I may have gotten shot while warming up.
    There was a lot of good racers here and a lot of people I have come to know over the races this year. I talked to a lot of people about Spartan Races and other races I've done over the past year. It's always nice to be able to talk to strangers about something you are passionate about.
    I knew with the marathon coming up next week I wasn't going to go full on for this race. I still started near the front of the pack and it was a fast start. A lot of people who normally don't beat me were out in front of me for the first 3 or so miles. I started to catch up with some of them and with a mile left I passed a bunch of them on the downhill. This didn't last long though as they passed me again within the last half mile or so.

    I really enjoyed this run. I have never run over the bridge before and it was beautiful. There was a nice breeze and the sun was shining down. I felt pretty good for the whole run but heart rate still seemed a bit high for most of the run. Lower abs weren't bothering me much and the Ibuprofen probably helped with that. I think I did well for keeping it somewhat slower than I could have pushed it. I did feel somewhat let down that people who don't normally beat me did so today. I have to remember that I'm keeping my eye on bigger things and sometimes you have to give up the smaller accomplishments to achieve greater ones.

10/07/2012 - Castle To River Run 10K

Race Date: Sunday October 7th, 2012
Race Name: Castle to River Run 10K
Race Price: $35
Race Description: Race course includes views of the majestic Hudson River, Osborn Castle and the historic Benedict Arnold trail.
Race Location: Philipstown Community Center, Garrison, NY
  
Race Distance: 10 kilometers
Distance Traveled: 20 miles

Race Time: 9:00 am
Weather: Cloudy, calm, and dry with temps around 50

Swag: T-Shirt
Food & Drink: Water | Fruit
Number of Participants: 93
Results: http://results.active.com/events/castle-to-river/10k-overall

My Results

Time: 54:23
Pace: 8:45
Place: 17 of 93
Men (Age 30-39): 5 of 14
Award: 3rd place






Personal Race Info
Pre-Run: Homemade Juice w/ Chia Seeds | Gu Gel
During-Run: N/A

    I woke up and felt pretty good. It's been a while since I've felt good for a race when I first wake up. I had made fresh juice yesterday and I think that may have been what helped to get me in the right mood. I took some juice with me as my pre-race drink. I got to the race an hour early, as usual, got my shirt and bib and warmed up and took some pictures.

   This is one of the few races I actually ran last year. Last year I did it as a date and stuck with my date the whole time. I remember her walking a lot while I tried to get her to keep running. This year trying to run the whole time I realized just how hard the first part of the race is. This race is mostly held on trails. Over the first 2 miles you go from the park up to Osborn Castle. The uphill is about 500 feet and at times was too much for me and I just walked to make sure I wasn't overdoing it.
    After the castle it is mostly downhill back down to the park. This is a somewhat dangerous descent as a lot of the trail is covered with rocks and leaves and can become dangerous if you go too fast and don't watch your step. Once you're back over in the park they switched up the path this year and sent us down another trail. This was pretty much single person width and had some steep uphills that again sapped the energy from me. I think 3 people passed me in this section but I didn't have enough energy to catch up.

    One interesting thing I did today, as I was feeling good, was I didn't look at my watch until 4 miles into the race. Wearing a long sleeve shirt helped with this. The other good thing about the race today was my heart rate was nowhere near as high as it was yesterday which was a good feeling. The volunteers were nice and friendly and so were the people I talked to who had run. While not the best run, in terms of goodies / food, it definitely has a great feeling to it and is a great community event.