So there are a bunch of numbers floating and zipping around in my head. I threw them into online calculators. A few interesting results occurred at the end.
I ran the 2010 Soldier Field 10 in 1:28:51. The McMillan running calculator projects that my marathon time would have been 4:08:51. My 2010 Illinois Marathon goal was 4:10:00. Mission ‘virtually’ accomplished. I can crush 4:08:51 in real life. When I mean crush. I mean CRUSH.
A venti Java Chip Frappuccino from Starbucks with no whip cream is 440 calories. I love them so much, I’m incorporating them into my marathon diet as a long day treat. I love my mom’s cooking too. I’ll make room for that! Yum.
During my food splurge last week, I gained 7 pounds. I’m just under 200 pounds.
I want to lose 30 pounds before the Chicago Marathon. That is an average weight loss of 2 pounds a week. I want to buy new clothes and not waste money.
To lose one pound of excess fat, I need to reduce or or burn roughly 3500 calories less each week while keeping fueled for my training. This means reducing my calories by 500 calories a day. I’m keeping a food journal to keep track.
The number of daily calories I need to consume is roughly 2350 (assuming I have an inactive lifestyle) in order to maintain my current weight.
A weight change calculator predicts, I can run a marathon over 4 minutes faster if I lose five pounds. I wonder how much faster I’d run if I were 30 pounds lighter.
To qualify for the Boston Marathon in my age group is 4:10:59. The qualifying standard for the 2012 Olympic Trials is a “gun time” of 2:19:00.
At the end of this exercise, I know one thing for sure. The only person I’m competing against is myself and my last personal best. I am my harshest critic but also my biggest (and many times only) cheerleader. Memories haunt me and fear stops me cold when I see these numbers. It stops me in my tracks. I gather my self and push through those fears. I do my best to run my life with courage. “Run happy. Run free. Run with courage,” I tell myself. “Run.”
“Run with Courage”….dude, I like that a lot. I seriously need to lose some poundage too! Maybe I need to crunch some numbers too. Thanks for the inspiration!