Mike's Marathon Blog

People have been asking me all week if I am sticking to my diet on Thanksgiving. The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is the one day of the year where you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want. You can’t be on a diet on Thanksgiving. I actually think it’s a written law.

The night before Thanksgiving is a different story. The night before Thanksgiving is arguably the biggest drinking night of the year. It may even be bigger than the 4th of July and St. Patty’s Day. Most people go to a bar and reunite with their old friends from high school. This is probably the main reason everyone gets so plastered. Every conversation is the same. ‘Oh, we should definitely get together more often.’ ‘Let me have your number and I will call you the next time I’m in town.’ ‘Remember the time we put a squirrel in Sara’s car.’ All the same conversations that you had 364 days ago with the exact same people.

It is fun to see everyone. See what everyone looks like, what they are doing, if they are married, if they are divorced, who’s preggers, etc. The unfortunate part of my night is that I will not be drinking. I actually don’t mind. I will undoubtedly be the best player in my annual Turkey Bowl game tomorrow since everyone else will be slow and hungover. I will look like Randy Moss out there while everyone else looks and feels like James Gandolfini. James Gandolfini Season 6, not Season 1.

Yes, we are the guys at the local field with cleats, cones, flags, eye black, team shirts and zero amount of football talent. It’s embarrassing at times. The game usually starts out as flag, slowly migrates to ‘wrap’ and then somehow always turns into full blown, prison-rules tackle. That’s when you know the end of the game is slowly approaching.

I have noticed that the older we get, the shorter the time of the game gets. I feel like we used to play for 2 hours 10 years ago. Now, we’re lucky to play for 10 straight minutes without someone calling timeout due to an injury or lack of breath. The game usually ends when someone gets hurt. That’s typically cue to shake hands, tell everyone you’ll see them next year and thank the football Gods that you made it through another Turkey Bowl without breaking anything. Unless of course, you’re the person that ended the game with an injury.

It does put a damper on your Thanksgiving when you are at the dinner table with a black eye and your arm in a sling. But if you were voted Turkey Bowl 2009 MVP, then it was all worth it!

Read Full Post »

One of the most difficult challenges of training for this race is getting through the weekends. It is very difficult to be at the gym at 8 am on Sunday when you wake up on your friend’s couch, in a different state, surrounded by beer bottles, covered in Bagel Bites and feeling like you were just hit by a dump truck. You’re simply more likely to skip the gym that day. Training for the marathon puts a serious damper on your social life!

My menu for a typical weekday consists of oatmeal, blueberries, vegetables, chicken, turkey, protein shakes, bananas and lots and lots of water.  I am not a diet-Nazi by any means. I am simply watching what I eat and trying to make sure that I’m getting enough proteins and nutrients. One thing I will not do is ruin my week by drinking an extra 1,500 calories over the weekend. Unfortunately beer does not have a big role in my diet. Beer, however, does play a major role in one’s social life. Staying at a bar until 1 am when you’re not drinking is almost impossible. Once everyone else has a few drinks in them, it’s actually unbearable. I don’t drink and I can’t stay out too late, so my weekend options are extremely limited. It’s even difficult going to restaurants. Not many restaurants are diet-friendly these days. Most people go to restaurants so they can order Awesome Blossoms and potato skins, not grilled chicken and white rice. For the past few weeks, I’ve really only had one option on Saturday nights: take-out and a movie.

I spent this past Saturday night on my couch, eating a salad, watching Bolt. Yes, Bolt. Luckily my wife decided to join me, although her ideal night is to get take-out and watch a Disney movie, but that’s beside the point. I do allow myself one treat on Saturday nights. Mainly to stay somewhat sane, but also to not get burnt out from dieting. As I have said before, eating lettuce for breakfast, lunch and dinner is not realistic. Having that treat on Saturday nights makes dieting all week worth it! Lately, that treat has been Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I had Chocolate Macadamia this weekend. It tasted much better than a few beers! I think I was in bed by 10:30. Sad, but I was wide awake at the gym at 8 am the next morning, which is currently all that matters.

Unfortunately the weekend temptations do not end there. Just like many others on Sundays, I join my friends to watch the Patriots games. And like all other football gatherings, there is plenty of food to snack on. I watched the first half of the Patriots game with my friends this past Sunday. During the 2 hours I was there, my friends consumed pizza, mozzarella sticks, hash browns, chips and cheesesteak spring rolls. And of course, they dipped all of these foods in either barbecue sauce, marinara sauce or ketchup. I had a bottle of water.

I thought about those mozzarella sticks all day today.

Read Full Post »

Ran 5 miles today!

Read Full Post »

I may have mentioned it before, but Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to the gym during my lunch break. Mondays I do lower body and Tuesdays and Thursdays I do upper body. I also do upper body exercises on Sunday morning. I have lifted in the past, but I wasn’t too serious about it and I don’t think I was really doing anything correctly. I currently have a great plan in place and I am extremely excited about it! I also scatter my lifting workouts over 4 days for a reason. I like to set realistic goals, especially when it comes to exercise. I feel many people do not do this. Everyone says ‘I’m gonna start going to they gym 7 days/week and eat salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner.’ Unfortunately for most, this plan ends about 2 weeks into it. I built my schedule around realistic times and I have realistic goals in place.

I do not go to the gym after work because ‘things always come up.’ Tuesday you are meeting your Dad for dinner, Thursday you’re grabbing a few drinks after work with some colleagues, Saturday you have to travel to Connecticut to visit your old college roommate. These are the weeks that you look back on and realize you didn’t make it to the gym at all! Everyone has these weekly surprises that prevent them from sticking to their schedule. For example, Friday after work. Who plans on going to the gym Friday after work? It’s not going to happen! Ever!

This is why I workout in the morning. There are no surprises at 6 am! I’m either sleeping or I’m at the gym. Lucky for me, I hate sleeping. I can’t wait to get up! I don’t always think that when my alarm is going off at 5:20 am, but I get up anyway. I also schedule my upper body workouts during my lunch breaks. This actually kills 3 birds with 1 stone. I get my workout in during the day as opposed to the morning or after work, I don’t go out and spend money and more importantly, I don’t go to Fuddruckers for lunch with my co-workers and stuff my face with burgers and fries. Although, I did go to Bertucci’s with them the other day and I did not eat 1 roll! That is willpower my friends! I thought it was humanly impossible to not eat one of those rolls, but I did it! I am seriously in the zone.

I Spin and swim tomorrow morning and then Saturday is the big day! Saturday will (hopefully) be my first run in over a week since I hurt my ankle. I am very excited, but also very nervous. If it doesn’t go well, I will most likely head to the doctors afterward. Keep your fingers crossed! Also, will someone please have 911 on standby around 10 am? I will be on the side of the road or in someone’s yard somewhere on North Street in Andover. I will flag down the ambulance from the ground. Thank you.

Read Full Post »

My ankle is feeling better. I’m definitely not out of the woods yet, but I feel like progress is being made. I am able to walk with barely no limp. I am still unclear when I will test it out running. I am still day-to-day. I’d rather be 110% sure that it is healed than to risk re-injuring it. Possibly another week, we’ll see. It’s extremely frustrating.

Luckily I can still do a few things at the gym besides running. Sundays are my big workout days. Mainly because I really have nothing else to do. As long as I’m home to watch the Pats, I’d stay at the gym all day. I’m usually up at 7 am. I feed my dog, take her for a walk and I’m at the gym by 8 am. I start in the weight room and typically do shoulders on Sundays. By 8:50, I’m on the mats doing sit-ups. Spin class starts at 9:15. After class, I usually go back to the mats and stretch for 15 minutes.  By 10:30, I’m doing laps in the pool. After swimming, I relax in the steam room for 15 minutes. By 11:30, I’m out. 210 minutes later!!

You’d think I’d be in far better shape than I am after 3.5 hours at the gym!!! If you met me for the first time, you’d think I was training for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and not the Boston Marathon. I’m not sure how that works? Some people are simply blessed with good bodies and more importantly, good metabolisms. I was ‘blessed’ with a 5’7″ frame, Greek genes and a hairline fit for a Propecia commercial. When I was younger, my Nana would feed me doughnuts like they were going out of style. Most kids would have Snack Packs in their lunch boxes, I’d have a leg of lamb and a Yodel. Have you ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? That’s what I grew up with. That movie is 100% accurate. The line where the mom asks the boyfriend if he’s hungry, he answers ‘I just ate’ and she responds with ‘OK, I make you something’ – that sums up the movie and my childhood. I have to diet and exercise to stay chubby. It’s extremely unfair.

Read Full Post »

Wow, people actually read my blog! I’m extremely excited! Many people reached out to me today asking about my ankle, so I figured I would post an update. I would give it a C+ grade right now. I did the whole RICE thing today. When I was at my desk, I had it elevated and iced it every few hours. When I had to walk around, I wrapped it in an Ace bandage. I would like to say that it is better, but I know that one awkward step and I’m right back to square one. I think I can still Spin and swim tomorrow morning. I’ll see how it feels after that.

Read Full Post »

My main goal for training was not to get injured………….I’m injured. I cannot move! I may have started a bit more aggressive than I should have. This is my 12th day of training and I am in a good amount of pain. I did a major legs workout on Monday, which basically ended any kind of easy sitting and walking for the week. I’m not sure why I decided to do a couple of Lance Armstrong’s workouts, but I did and I am now paying for it. Every inch of both of my legs hurt. So what did I do on Tuesday morning? I went to the gym and ran 3 miles on the treadmill. I haven’t run on a treadmill in forever, but for some reason I decided to that day. I hate treadmills. And of course, with about 1/2 mile to go, I slightly roll my ankle on the stupid thing. I am one awkward step away from not being able to put any pressure on my left foot. Not good.

Yesterday, I was in so much pain that I had to Google what I could do for extremely sore muscles. Many of the sites that I went to suggested Epsom Salt baths. Apparently the Magnesium in Epsom helps some 325 enzymes, plays a key role in muscle control, eliminates harmful toxins and so on. Just some fun facts on Magnesium. So I took an Epsom Salt bath last night. I may or may not have thrown in a bottle of Mr. Bubble. I wanted to bring in the laptop and Blog from the bathtub, but decided against it for so many reasons.

I’m not sure if the bath worked or not. I would like to say it did. I was able to get out of bed this morning, so that was a plus. Perhaps without the bath, that would not have been the case? I’m not sure, but it was relaxing. I made it to my 6 am Spin class this morning. I also swam (swam, swum, swim, whatever) a 1/2 mile in the pool afterward. Spin, swim, sauna……perfect remedy for a sore body.

I typically run 3 miles on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, but I think I will rest my ankle tomorrow. An ankle injury 1 1/2 weeks into training is not something that I need. Especially since ankle injuries never go away overnight. I will hopefully make it to the gym tomorrow afternoon for my upper body workout. I go to the gym Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays during my lunch break. The Y is about 1/4 mile from my office, which allows me to get a solid 45 minute workout in during lunch. It helps break up the day and more importantly I don’t have to wake up at 6 am or go to the insanely packed gym after work. Plus, I usually have the weight room all to myself……so no one can hear me whimpering.

And just to add to my sore legs, chest, arms and twisted ankle, someone from work slammed my left hand in a car door at lunch today. True story.

Read Full Post »

You know I’m in this crazy health zone right now when I’m doing yoga on a Saturday afternoon. Seriously, I couldn’t find anything else to do? Of course I’m up at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning with my dog standing on my face wanting to go outside, so I’m wide awake watching TV. I think I flipped through the channels for 4 straight hours and found absolutely nothing that I was willing to stop on for more than 3 minutes. Although I did watch about 5 episodes of Sell This House with Tanya Memme followed by the 2nd half of Little Big League (amazing movie!!). I go on OnDemand to try to find a movie to watch and come across ExcersieTV. I definitely needed some stretching before I went for my run, so I thought I would try one of the workouts. It was a serious toss up between Kim Kardashian’s Fit in your Jeans by Friday or Beginner’s Yoga with Desi Bartlett. I really don’t care about fitting into my jeans by Friday, I just wanted to watch Kimmy K fit into HER jeans. I decided to be productive and went with the yoga.

The title of this episode was called Beginner’s Yoga. I was expecting some old hippy to be the instructor……..I was wrong. This Brooke Burke look-alike comes on the screen that made me completely forget about Kimmy K squeezing her huge ass into her jeans. I was a little uncomfortable to tell you the truth. How am I supposed to get into these ridiculous, embarrassing poses with her watching me? Judging me! To sum up the video, I couldn’t do half the moves and I was soaking wet, gasping for air at the end. OK, I get it. Yoga is difficult. Some of the moves she was doing were incredible. And this was Beginner’s Yoga! She should pay me for this kind of advertising! Or she could make a donation to Miles for Miracles. Hey Desi! The link is to the right…..don’t be shy!

Read Full Post »

I wasn’t going to write anything about the Yankees, but I have to. I can’t take it any more. Are people seriously excited that the Yankees won the World Series? A true baseball fan can’t be happy for them….right? The World Series trophy cost $201.5 million this year. Let’s be honest. Since MLB doesn’t have a salary cap, we do not have the right to complain. If the Yankees want to spend more money than the Marlins, Padres, Pirates and Nationals combined, then they have the right to do so. I know all the Yankees fans will say that the Sox have the 4th highest payroll at $122m, but that is an $80 million difference! Take away Sabathia ($15m), Teixeira ($20m), Matsui ($13m), Burnett ($16.5m) and Rivera ($15m) and let’s see how they fare in the playoffs. I also don’t understand the comments like ‘we had good team chemistry’ or ‘this is a special group.’ No kidding! You have the best players in the league on the same team! And the result….a $201.5 million trophy. Congrats!

I still can’t get over what happened at Fort Hood yesterday. There are always some crazy news stories, but this one is almost unbelievable. I visited a friend of mine (Couture) at Ford Hood a few years ago. I met some awesome people while I was there and I hope all of them are OK. It’s sad to say, but I’m glad my friend was safe in Iraq yesterday and not at Fort Hood. What has the world come to!?

My friends from work decided to go to Fuddruckers for lunch today. Even though I wasn’t eating, I went with them for the ride. Has anyone ever been to Fuddruckers? I felt like I was in the dirrrty south. It was absolutely disgusting! I’m not trying to be a health freak or anything, but everything you order there is basically a heart attack on a plate. One kid (you know who you are!) got a 1/2 lb burger, a regular coke, fries and brownie. For lunch! Someone else got a burger and then smothered their fries with melted nacho cheese. I couldn’t believe it. I listened to them moan and groan on the way back while I was eating my apple. To be honest, I was kind of jealous. I would bathe in a tub of nacho cheese right now………….with fries.

Read Full Post »

On Wednesdays and Fridays, my alarm clock goes off at 5:20 am. Today was the first Wednesday. As you can imagine, it was rough.

On my way to the YMCA at 5:45, the 2 DJ’s on the radio were actually talking about the people that are awake at 5:45 am. It was pretty funny. They said the only people that are awake at 5:45 are the people coming home after a nightshift and crazy people. I must be one of those crazy people. Except when I got to the gym, there were about 100 other crazy people there BEFORE me. So I think that means I’m only semi-crazy.

Spin class starts at 6 am. Yes, I go to spin class. Yes, I even have spin shoes! And yes, I wear bike shorts with my spin shoes in spin class. Say what you will, but spinning is the best workout! There is no pounding on your knees and it seriously strengthens your legs. I ran a half marathon last May after pretty much only taking spin classes for 2 months. I can run 10 miles and not sweat as much as I do in an hour spin class. Plus, probably the true reason I go to the class, it’s typically just me and 10 chicks. And I don’t know if anyone has ever been to a Y, but I’m the youngest person there by about 10 years. I’m like Brad Pitt at the Y. It’s an automatic confidence boost every time I go. Especially in the pool (see below)! I’m the youngest person in the pool by 40 years. Spin class is fun. You get a good workout, listen to good music and you’re surrounded by hot Andover moms.

After spin class, I do sit-ups and push-ups for about 20 minutes. Unless I lay on the mat directly under the TV. Then I usually just watch SportsCenter until 7:30. Next in line – pool. I started swimming last year when I was training for a triathlon. I swim 1/4 mile, rest, 1/2 mile, rest and then end with another 1/4 mile. Swimming at the Y has it’s pros and cons. One of the pros, as I mentioned before, is that I am the youngest person to have ever been in the Y pool. I think that’s safe to say. The older women talk to me about the weather, how long they’ve been swimming, yada, yada, yada. The reason I think they are so nice to me and talk to me all the time is because they feel bad for me. The only con about swimming at the Y is that these old biatches blow past me! I don’t know how they frigin do it! I remember one time I was keeping up with this one older woman swimming in the lane right next to me. We were swimming side by side for about 20 laps. I finally stopped at the edge and saw that she was doing the backstroke the whole time. I couldn’t pass a 65-year old woman swimming backwards. True story.

Workout is done. Time to shower. You ever take a shower at the Y? 1 room, 10 shower heads. Believe it or not, there is a difference between older guys and younger guys showering at the gym. A younger guy, me for example, is in and out. Basic cleaning and I’m outta there. Not the older guys. They’ll stay in the locker room for an hour. They’ll shower, go in the steam room, shower again, talk to their friends – and during this whole time, they are nude! And ya know what? Now that I am writing this, I kind of see where they’re coming from. Where else in public can you walk around naked?

Read Full Post »