Races this month: Flying Pig Marathon – May 5, 2019

Upcoming races:

Marathon #2 – September 21, 2019

Monthly totals:

Miles run: 238.1 miles (that’s 19.6 more than March)

Days run: 29 out of 31

Calories burned during run: 31,600 kcal (that’s 9 lb if 3500 kcal = 1 lb)

Run time: 49 hr 4 min

Monthly averages and superlatives:

Average speed per mile: 12:21 per mile (28 seconds slower than April)

Average stride rate: 159 steps per minute (2 fewer steps per min than April)

Average heart rate during run: 141 beats per minute (down 10 bpm form April)

Longest run: May 5 – 26.2 miles, 12:18/mile

Shortest run: May 4 – 2 miles, 12:25/mile

Fastest run: May 22 – 7.1 miles, 10:31/mile (interval training run)

Slowest run (not counting hill runs): May 28, 2019 – 11.7 miles, 13:20/mile

Fastest mile: May 17 – Mile 8 at 9:25 of a total 8 miles, 10:47/mile

Fastest strides: May 22 – strides 168 per min, 7.1 miles, 10:31/mile

Slowest strides (not counting hill runs): May 7 – 152 per minute, 4.6 miles, 12:43/mile

Non-run monthly stats:

Total distance (running + walking): 314.3 miles (up 17.2 miles from April)

Average distance per day: 10.1 miles (up 0.2 from April)

Total steps: 622,570 steps

Average steps per day: 20,082 (up 644 from April)

Average resting heart rate: 56 bpm (up 1 bpm from April)

Lowest resting heart rate: May 23 – 50 bpm

Highest resting heart rate:  May 26 – 63 bpm (Surprisingly, my resting heart rate after the marathon was only 60 bpm average for the day.  It was around 80 bpm during the drive home from Cincy, and then slid down to 54 bpm around 4:30 pm when I was resting).

May monthly thoughts:

1.) I ran a marathon!  It was my fourth one, the first one in several years (since 2013).  I ran it a little slower than I hoped for (5 hours 24 min 18 sec, would have likes to be at 5 hours), but I’m very happy with how it went and how quickly I recovered.  It’s always good to remind myself I can do difficult things.

2.)  A lot of the runs after the marathon have been quite slow, and I haven’t been doing that much speed work.  It has been hot and humid, and I think I am slowly heat adapting.

3.)  My weight.  I’ve been more focused on running and not too worried about my weight.  I do weigh myself everyday to make sure it doesn’t start creeping up, but in all actuality my calories in have been lower than my calories out for most of this month but no noticeable change in weight.  This doesn’t surprise me because weight change doesn’t move in a linear fashion.  I just have to trust the process and very, very slowly take the weight off.  (Hypothyroidism does not help with this, and not only does it slow my metabolism but also helps me retain water for weeks at a time.  I’m sure it is slowing down the weight loss process, but I am not gaining so that is good).  The plan is still to get at or below 150 pounds, and this is doable, it is just a very slow process for me.  (At 5’9”, 155 pounds is around a BMI of 23.  I have a lot of lean muscle, and I am by no means overweight, I just think running at under 150 pounds would take stress off joints and be better for my health in the long run than at my current weight, especially when those extra 5 pounds are carried over 26 miles or 50,000 steps).

The one day this month I weighed in at 157.8 (the highest), was the day after I went on a very hot 7 mile run, followed by another 2 hours walking outside in 90 deg F temperatures. There is a good chance I was probably a bit overheated and retaining water.

I’m not too bothered by these massive weight swings (152.1 pounds on May 10, 157.8 on May 19) because so many things cause my weight to fluctuate (monthly hormonal fluctuations, pasta, lifting weights/muscle inflammation, general inflammation and allergies, medication, humidity, hypothyroidism – and none of that means anything when it comes to fat loss or muscle gain).

Current thyroid medication: 187.5 mcg levothyroxine, started on 1/13/18 – (175+25mcg every other day). 

Current weight:  154.5 lb (up 0.3 from end of April)

Weight January 1, 2019: 158.3 lb

Weight change since Jan 1, 2019: – 3.8 lb

Weight, weight fluctuate – May 2019

Last month: April 2019

Next month: June 2019