Good News; Bad News

I learned today that my cholesterol is back up (and the HDL ratio is poor).  On the other hand, I unofficially broke 21 minutes in a 5K run for the first time since high school.  I think I'll focus on that first.

I did it on the treadmill, which I consider non-representative of performance over the ground.  But it does indicate that I have it within me to run a sub-21 minute 5K.  I've got a long way to go to get to 20 minutes though.

I started out with 12 minutes of gradual warming up, starting at a walk and into a trot, and then some butt-kicks and knee raises, and finally a 4x100 set of brisk strides and recoveries. Then I reset the machine, set the incline to 1.0 and started the belt running at 7.0 for the first .15 mile.  Since it takes longer to accelerate the treadmill from 0 to race pace than it does when I'm running on the road, I wanted to start the clock at a point where I was already near full stride.  So, the timed segment on the treadmill would be from .15 to 3.25.  At the starting point, with clock started, I accelerated to 8.8mph (6:50 minute mile pace) and held that through 2 miles.

I was hurting then, though mostly feeling a heaviness in my legs.  My HR was hovering around 165. I inched the speed up to 9.0 (6:40 pace) and hung on to cross the virtual finish line at 20:58.  That's more than 15 seconds better than my previous best, but I need to prove I can do that in the real world.  That 6:40-6:50 pace is okay for a mile or even two, but I'm not sure I can sustain that when I'm moving myself over the ground rather than having it run under my feet while I desperately try to hold my position.

I'm pretty happy with the work out, but how am I ever going to improve to 20.  That feels like it's light years away.

I stretched and recovered afterward, and did a few cycles through my upper body circuit on the fixed weight machines.  I'm going to take Quin over to the EB Scripps park and check out that ParCourse.  He's really into it, and I'm anxious to cultivate that motivation.

Ah, but that damned cholesterol.  I've been pretty diligent about maintaining good eating habits and keeping my average daily intake pretty balanced.  A year ago, I checked in with something around 190 total and 59 HDL.  In this simplified screening (for which I did fast), my total was 235 and my HDL 40.  How did that happen?  I feel like I'm in as good or better shape than I was a year ago.  It's got to be something in my diet.

I know I'm at a genetic disadvantage, but I eat so little red meat, almost no saturated fats, and I can't really see losing any additional body fat as being a remedy.  I think I just don't eat enough of the "right" kinds of foods.  I need more complex carbohydrates and less junk.  I need more green leafies, like spinach and broccoli.  I really should eat more fish, especially since I love love love salmon.  I've not paid attention to the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids in my diet.  I will now.

I remember one difference between last year and now. I was eating a handful of unroasted almonds every day back then.  I wonder if that made a difference?  I'm going to go back to that dietary habit for a few weeks and then get my cholesterol screened again.  Without altering anything else, I'd like to see if that makes a detectable difference.

If not, other than adding fish oil supplement, maybe going back on my SloNiacin regimen, and really making a concerted effort to strictly limit junk food and watch my fat and fat type percentages, I may eventually have to resign myself to the use of statins to control my lipid counts.  Hate the idea of that, but if my blood chemistry won't cooperate even with the near ridiculous discipline I apply now to my diet and exercise, then I'll have to resort to medical measures.

My glucose level was good (80 mg/dl).  My blood pressure is okay (122/80).  They measured my BMI to be 23.8, for what that's worth.  My Waist-to-Hip ratio is .89, which is good.

It's just that stupid cholesterol.  It's as if 235 is where my body seems to want to be, regardless of whether I'm 15% or 25% body fat or how good my aerobic health happens to be.

Cholesterol notwithstanding, I had gained about 3 lbs during the week leading up to the marathon and the couple of weeks recovery afterward.  148's nothing to be alarmed about, though I can see a slight difference in my abdominal area, where my cut is a little softer.  I can't tell in the fit of my clothes.  3 lbs is easy to hide.

I've managed to rid myself of 1 pound of it over this past week.  Since I'm on a roll, I'll try to get rid of the other 2 lbs over the next couple of weeks.  I wouldn't mind considering working on get a tad leaner over the July/August period, as long as it doesn't affect my athletic performance running or swimming or gaining strength in the lifting department.  I try not to fixate on weights and measures or body image.  But those are nice side effects if they come along with improvements in speed, strength, quickness and flexibility.

I actually feel pretty good today. This week, it felt  like everyday was sore from something from the previous workout.  I'd like to be able to maintain this level of activity but not have to deal with sore quads or stiff shoulders or aching calves and ankles.

Tomorrow morning, I'm planning on doing the Lusardi Creek loop.  Going to try to hit it before the day gets warm.