Saturday, May 31, 2008

I think I've got achilles tendonitis again. Don't ask me what that is, but it comes up when I google "my achilles hurts". (I'm on the verge of informing my rarely-used medical insurance that Google is now my primary care physician).

That means I'm now suddenly taking an unscheduled running break. This is a bummer because I've been running really well lately and I had hoped to build upon my current fitness level for my races coming up later this year. I've committed to being a pacer for half of the San Francisco Marathon in about 2 months (at an aggressive pace for me), and I hope to qualify for next year's Boston Marathon by running well in the Portland Marathon 4 months from now.

I've had this achilles injury before and there's not much you can do to treat it except for rest. Now, not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty damn good at resting, so there's no reason why I can't nail this sort of physical therapy regimen. Rest, however, doesn't get me any closer to my goal of qualifying for Boston this year. It just feels like I'm wasting time.

Oh, time, you taunt me so.

So, I had to ask myself what I could do during this time of inactivity to keep progressing towards Boston. The answer, sadly, was to lose some weight.

Although the Body Mass Index chart lists me in the "Normal" range (okok, at the higher end of normal), it's pretty clear that being thinner will make long-distance running easier. Carrying 5 or 10 "extra" pounds during a marathon is basically like carrying a dumbbell during the race. You COULD run a marathon that way, but wouldn't it be easier to put down the dumbbell first?

So, just now I stripped down to my skivvies and stepped on the scale. I'm 157.8 pounds.

I hereby do establish the goal of losing 7.8 pounds before my race in August and then maintaining that weight for my marathon in October. I choose that number because 150 is a nice round number, like my ass.

And, *poof*, just like that, I've made my life crappier in a new and boring way.

I've never been overweight, so this will be my first time on a diet. I'm not exactly sure how I should approach this, but I can tell you that yesterday (before my diet began) I bought a chocolate cake and some really good chocolate chip cookies. Since Daisy is allergic to them, and Hank is now a crazy no-sugar person, and I'm morally opposed to throwing away delicious desserts, I can tell you that Step One in my diet will be to consume large quantities of cake and cookies.

I'll keep you posted, but so far dieting is going great!

7.8 pounds to go.

8 comments:

Avery Gray said...

My husband is doing that no-sugar thing, too, and he's lost almost 30 pounds in the past couple of months. I, on the other hand, am considering the all-sugar diet. I like a challenge.

Sorry about the tendinitis. Hope it's better soon!

Mike said...

Is it a rule that every couple must include a crazy no-sugar person?

Lola said...

Never been on a diet before? You're gonna *lurve* it. It's like having a shit time, all of the time, especially mealtimes. And parties, and when you're socialising. And when you're not socialising, and when you're asleep. Oh, yes, you're gonna have FUN dieting.

Mike said...

Hey Lola, my big ignorant plan is to totally ignore my diet when at parties, and socializing and frankly for most of mealtimes. Snacking while sleeping though? Totally out!

Tom@RunnersLounge said...

I really encourage you to see a doc or PT. Chances are they can get you back on track to be that pacer at SF and earn your BQ at Portland.

Achilles Tendonitis requires attention, but a good professional can help you resume running with the right treatment.

Good luck!

tom at www.runnerslounge.com

Mike said...

Hey Tom! If my achilles doesn't get better in the next week or so, I'll take your advice and go see one of them witch doctors. Thanks!

yajeev said...

Lola's icon is especially cruel in the comment section of a post like this.

From one (weight) loser to another, good luck!

Mike said...

Yajeev, thanks!