30/150 Plan

OK, you remember my 26.2 plan? I kept to it pretty well. I think I only "cheated" twice on the coffee pledge. Both times were after a long run in cold weather. Once I accidentally used a salt shaker. Other than that, I kept to it. I actually enjoyed the challenge of it and the satisfaction of doing it. The payoff? Six pounds lighter and considerably faster on runs, along with simply feeling better all the time. Gone was a bloated feeling; replaced with a light, hollow feel. Do you know what I'm talking about? Man, it feels good!

OK, so the 26.2 plan ended on Christmas Eve. For the days that followed I left the plan, but not in a huge way. I still did not use the salt shaker, which is a pretty significant thing for me. I used to salt just about everything, including, at times, pizza. Yes, I know... Anyway, when I was off the plan for a week or so, I ate a lot of sweets, drank a lot of soft drinks and buttered my beloved popcorn. You know what? None of that was very satisfying. So that makes it easier for me to go on my new 30/150 plan.

What is this plan? Pretty simple. I will go back to the restrictions of the 26.2 plan for 30 days OR until I reach my goal weight of 150. Here are the key elements:

1 cup of coffee per am, then nothing but H2O

No desserts

No salt out of shaker for meals

No butter on popcorn

Reasonable portions

Small, high protein snacks between meals

30 sit-ups 3 x week

100 Torso Track 3 x week

35-45 miles per week running

Bike trainer 1x week for 1 hour

I'm at 154 now, so I doubt it will take 30 days. I'm not sure how I will modify things to maintain that weight. I'll figure that out when I get there. This is the weight that I ran the Louisville marathon. I had a really bad day, mostly due to weather issues, but I was in the best shape I had been in years. My Boston qualifying marathon in Indy, a few months after Louisville, saw me at 155, but the weather was cool. 

If I go into Boston at 150 and with good, injury-free training, then I should have a really good day. That's what I'm after. Then I hope to follow that up with a great summer of running, biking, and swimming. More on all those goals soon.