Pedroza's Place

Weeks to the Half: 10
Weight: 300
Longest Distance Run: 7 miles
Well, the weight is coming down again which is good, but I am really not happy about all the yo-yoing. I am in a distance block right now due to my weight and that is really frustrating. Any time I try to go up to 7 miles my shins start to hurt a lot. I think this is due to the extra weight I am carrying. This week I worked on strengthening them by doing more sprints and a couple of uphill jogs. I am hoping that it will help me break that 7 mile barrier.
On Monday, I had AJ come along with me for a 5 mile walk. He is quite the walker himself. He is only two, but he can walk two miles on his own. I was quite impressed. His problem is he gets distracted way too easily. I almost thought he was part dog because he stopped and pointed at every fire hydrant on the way to point at it and say “Yellow.” Then when an ambulance came by he started to mimic it by going “wooowooowooo.”

Weeks to the Half: 12
Weight: 300
Longest Distance Run: 7 miles
The bad news is I gained 5 pounds. I am definately having a problem with portion control. I am not snacking too much which is good, but I eat too much at my meals. Something I am going to work on this week.
The good news is that my walking endurance is definately going up. I got a blister on Monday, that was not fun. I am chalking that up to “no pain, no gain.”

Two years ago I did the Disneyland Half Marathon. It was great achievement for me in that I finished, but it also has become a major hurdle. Just to catch those up not in the know I finished the race in 3:19:35. For most people that is where the story ends, but for me it was just a beginning. First thing you have to know is that three steps after the race I collapsed. When I came to there were two medics helping me into a wheelchair. My blood pressure was up to 150 and they wanted to put an IV in me. The funny thing was I wasn’t going to let them do that until I got my medal. In the end I made a deal with the doctor that if he got me my medal I would let him put in the IV.

Not very rational, but I wasn’t thinking very straight at that moment anyhow. When I finally got home and took off my socks I discovered that I had no skin on the front part of my feet. Luckily, Denise’s mom hooked me up with some special pads they use for burn victims. The skin eventually came back, but I wasn’t able to walk for a week.
So why am I bringing up this? Well, after that race I didn’t do very well in keeping up my running training. In July I am scheduled to go hiking in the Sierras with my Scouts. My Scouts are trying to earn their Hiking Merit Badge. One of the requirements for the Hiking Merit Badge is that they complete a 20 mile hike. I don’t think I am at all ready for a 20 mile hike with my Scouts. After doing the Riverside 5K I know I am not ready for the distance. I will also add to that I am carrying too much weight to be carrying a pack (302 lbs).
So how do I remedy this? Well, I need a goal. The Sierra hike is a good goal within itself, but that is my Scouts goal. I want them to do well, but I need to do something else to help me prepare for that. For me, I need to conquer some of the gremlins that are haunting me from my last half marathon. I am not sure I can explain it well but basically I need to prove that I can do a half marathon and not almost kill myself in the process. So I have decided that I am going to train for the Fontana Days Half Marathon in June.
This is going to take a serious effort. To help me in this quest I am going to have to stay focused. I am going to need some help with this. To help me on this I am going to write about my progress every Tuesday. What I need is if it is Wednesday and you don’t see a blog entry about my progress I need you to email me at johnpedroza(AT)hotmail(DOT)com and tell me to get back on the goal. The progress is going to be slow, but I know if I am consistent I can do it. Thank you in advance for your help.