4 Hour Body and Can I Bottle This Feeling Up?

What a great run today!  I moved up my schedule for my long run one day because I am participating in a walk for the American Liver Foundation for a friend on Saturday.  She lost a loved one to liver disease. 

It worked out well today.  I woke up at 5:00 AM, which is awfully early, but it was okay.  My legs felt great and the weather was fantastic.  As I was running, I was thinking that I really had no excuse but to do well.  On top of this, I just started reading “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen last night.  This short reading from 1902 is available for free on the Kindle, and basically states that our thoughts provide our destiny.  What we think, combined with action toward that, is what we will become (good or bad).  So I tried to focus my thoughts upon thinking that I was a runner today and that I would have a quality run.  Perhaps a bit silly, but I think it helps.  I also focused upon checking my form and breathing by occasionally reminding myself of “feet, shoulders, head.”  The idea is to make sure my feet are under me, mid or forefoot striking, my shoulders are relaxed (I tend to tense up after a while), my head is held up, and I am taking in good, quality breaths.  That also seemed to help.

My goal was 6.5 miles.  After 6.5, I still felt great so I pushed it a little further to about 6.75.  Halfway to my half-marathon and over a 10K, so I should be good for my first 10K in a couple of weeks. 

Thought I’d discuss a bit about how I’ve gotten this far.  Since January 3, 2011, I’ve lost 55 lbs.  I’ve done this by using “The 4 Hour Body,” a diet plan espoused by Tim Ferriss in his book by the same name.  I don’t intend to write a commercial about it; it has just worked well for me.  I think just about any diet will work well as long as you are persistent and stick with it.  I’ve had success in the past with Weight Watchers, for instance.

The 4 Hour Body espouses a “slow-carb” diet for six days a week, followed by a “binge” or “cheat” day where you eat whatever you want in order to shock the system back into losing weight.  I’ve found it sustainable for me because I always know that cheat day (Saturday) is on the horizon.  It keeps me sane. 

I didn’t start running until about mid-February.  This is when I picked up the famous “Couch to 5K” program from Cool Running.  I had started and stopped C25K probably half a dozen times in the past, but this time I stuck with it.  The rest is history!

I’m still on the 4 Hour Body, although I’ve contemplated switching back to Weight Watchers at some point to gain more carbohydrates for running.  I’m not certain if I will or not; I’m playing it by ear right now.  Dean Karnazes favors a slow-carb diet himself, and he doesn’t seem to have a problem with distances.  I’m just going to let it play out and see where it heads.  I’ve also hit a bit of a weight-loss plateau the last couple of weeks; stuck at exactly 55 lbs.  Hopefully I’ll start losing again, but if I go a bit without losing anymore I’ll probably consider switching things up.  I have about 25 lbs to go to reach my goal.  I might lose more at that point…it just depends upon how I feel. 

So that’s a bit of my story.

Enjoy your progress!

Travis

PS:  A couple of photos of the park where I run are below.