My 2011

OK, I know we still have a couple of weeks to go - but I thought it might be nice to share our 2011 highlights.

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My wife and I Started MFP in January. I weighed 14 stone (196 lb). I was doing virtually no exercise.

First food diary: 01 Jan

First exercise logged: 17 Jan - burned 880 calories doing 60 minutes of "Swimming, breaststroke, general"

First weight loss recorded: 30 Jan 3.6lb

First used forum: 14 Feb in topic "Is swiss cheese better???"

First own topic, same day: "Any other frequent travellers looking for friends?"

First new friend added same day.

First + 1000 Cal work out: 07 Mar 2011

Quote from 08 Mar "1.1 lb = ~ two blocks of British butter (250g each). I've lost 7lb since starting to diet (5 since MFP) - thats
12.7 slabs of butter!!"

Quote from my birthday, 16 Mar: "My favorite - and newest - jeans are too loose. I can still wear them - but they don't quite look right - I can shove my arm in without undoing the top button. Whilst there is a time and a place for that it wasn't my plan. Not for these jeans anyway. I'm going to try on some trousers that haven fitted me for a while - if I can get into my chocolate chords I'm going to be happy. If not - I'm in limbo land - a man without a single pair of casual trouser that fit: and not yet ready to buy any new ones...." (Yes, they did fit!)

20 Mar: Highest ever exercise logged for one day: 2685 Cals (Gardening all day - I think this was actually very accurate!)

23 Mar: First 10K (ok, 6 miles, just under 10K) logged on a treadmill - 55 minutes

28 Mar: Important forum topic: "Too-Rapid weight loss at the expense of feeling exhausted." where I realised that under eating was going not going to be the fastest way to loose weight and feel good!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/202952-too-rapid-weight-loss-at-the-expense-of-feeling-exhausted

30 Mar: My belt runs out of holes to tighten!!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/204803-i-ve-run-out-of-belt

05 Apr: 1 Stone lost! (14lb) - Now at 13lb

Mid April - China for 2 weeks for a friends wedding. Found quote: "For some reason chinese frog isnt in mfp"

01 May - first weigh in since China - 2lb lost

04 May - Working in Costa Rica and get invited to run with local running club. This is my first time out with other people - loved it! Also introduced to 'Chi Running' which is my stable technique now.

10 May - First time I felt happy to post photos in a forum:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/237190-back-from-work-ation-photos

29 May: Hit my first major target 12 stone (168lb). This was my goal when I joined MFP. - Through out my old clothes and restocked my wardrobe!

06 June: Signed up for Brighton Half Marathon (Apr 2012)

15 June: Join Olney Runners (My local running club).
Same day: Decide to loose another half stone (7lb) for vanity reasons

27 June: Posted my 'success' pics at topic 30 LB lost.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/274600-30-lb-almost-lost-with-pics

05 July: "OK - I'm switching to maintenance - No idea how much I weigh as I'm not at home BUT 100% happy with what I see in the mirror.. Scales are irrelevant now! Will weigh in when I get home and whatever it is: that's my goal!"

10 July: My first ever official race - London 10K
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/286203-my-first-10k-london-asics

22 July: New running shoes acquired: Nike Lunar Eclipse. These are sadly dying now...

27 July: Race day: 5k in 22:18. My first run with the club. Got hideously drunk afterwards and have made some fantastic friends!!!

31 July: 8 miles at a 9 minute mile - this was my first time over 10K!

04 Aug: getting obsessive with the running (pictures):
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/308155-loving-the-running-pics

13 Aug: Realised those 'success purchases' are starting to get too big... solution: shrink them in the wash!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/316530-new-jeans-are-too-big-a-solution-which-does-not-involve-p

17 Aug: Found a bat in the bathroom. Seriously. This is not a metaphor. I have photographic proof.

19 Aug - first 11 mile run...

20 Aug: "Paradime shift: i am not eating to loose weight, im eating to fuel my running. Act accordingly."

4 Sept: 10k Run - first time out in an official Olney Runners top 45min 04s. Lots of pictures!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/334714-bedford-10k-with-pictures

16 Sept: Supporting a friend at the great north run (Half Marathon). Truly inspired by the whole thing.

24 Sept: "Olney runners handicap race today (thats with a time handicap, not a disability event). Once round emberton... I came third, doing 1.75 milea in 10 minutes 49 (according to my watch). Thats 6min 11seconds per mile. Result. Oh, and Sally [my wife] beat me in second place!"

16 Sept: "Does setting a PB in training for a half marathon count as a NSV? I guess so - 1h 55m for a half marathon distance. Gives me a target for the actual race in 2 weeks - hoping to crack 1h50m"

27 Sept: "NEW BIKES!!! So excited. My [old] bike is a pile of poo. My wifes is also poo, but a better quality of poo than my own. The new bikes are AMAZING!!! Looking forward to taking them out."

(this is the last I will say about the bikes other than that we did 30 mile bike rides on a regular basis whilst the weather remained good - which meant that from this time I was running 2 short runs plus running club during the week, plus a long run and a bike ride at the weekend. Remember when I said I started the year doing nothing?)

4 Oct: started a new job

10 Oct: Peterborough Half marathon : 1h45m30s Very happy!

15 Oct: First ever Fell run, And signed up for Milton Keynes Marathon (2 weeks after Brighton Marathon, April 2021)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/368859-i-did-3-crazy-things-today

30 Oct: 15 Mile run

16 Nov: Moved up to a group in the running club. Group objective: sub 40m 10K. Note that the only group above me is for elite (international competition level) runners.

23 Nov "Ran 18 miles this morning before my grandpas funeral this afternoon. Not sure how many calories i consumed after that (jewish catering) but suspect i netted ok.... Funeral was nice by the way. I think it felt natural for him to go at 94 and he was loved and looked after all through his older years (lived with my parents). Having a bath now as my legs are ceasing up."

9 Dec: Dressed as a Mole for a "Gangesters and Mols" Party - see my pics

11 Dec: Bedford Half: PB, 1h40m06. That's 5 minutes faster than Peterborough - and that course was flat- this was hilly. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/133937389. My current photo is from that event.

18 Dec: Stanwick lakes half marathon. Dressed as santa. Second half in as many weeks. Target: steady pace all the way round. Did 8mm all the way and took it up to 7:50 the last 3 miles. Was very, very cold!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/135322706

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I hope people find some inspiration in this. I am very proud of everything above, and am looking forward to my 2012 goals:
- Maintain my current weight
- My first ever Marathon
- My second ever Marathon - two weeks later
- 10K in sub 40 minutes
- A Duathlon?
- A Triathlon? (this means learning crawl!)