This week was a mix of highs and lows. I started with one of my smoothest runs yet, the kind of effort that reminded me how far I’ve come. Then gout came back for the first time in months and sidelined me for several days. But the week didn’t end there. I got back out in the rain to prove that setbacks don’t have to be the end. And through it all, the scale gave me my biggest milestone so far — I finally broke into the 200s.
Intermittent Fasting & Nutrition
Overall, I did fairly well this week outside of the weekend. When a gout attack hits, I tend to shift into clean eating mode, but Saturday and Sunday brought some hiccups.
Saturday was a golf tournament day. At the turn, the clubhouse had little to offer, so I ended up with a Snickers and a bag of chips. With the heat and the gout, hydration mattered more than macros, and I downed four Gatorades during the round. I burned enough calories golfing that I didn’t stress about it.
The post-round meal that came with the tournament was served around 2 p.m. and wasn’t all that bad for my diet. But by dinnertime — around 6:30 p.m. — we still needed a meal. Unprepared, we ordered food from a local bar. I had six naked wings. Calories were the main issue there, not the carbs. That could have been the end of it, but dessert was our Saturday family ritual. Since no one had time to bake, we went with ice cream.
Sunday wasn’t much better. I worked my side job without bringing food, and the rest of my family was at a function where they were being fed. With delivery options limited, I went with pizza. To soften the blow, I skipped lunch and ate it late in the afternoon, hoping to burn through more of the calories. Still, not my best decision for the diet.
Takeaway: Clean eating carried me through the week, but weekends are where the cracks show up. The key is not letting a couple meals undo everything else I did right.
Weight Progress
- Starting Weight: 320.3 lbs
- Last Week: 301.3
- Week 5 Weigh-in: 298.0
- This Week’s Loss: 3.3 lbs
- Total Lost: 22.3 lbs
- Pounds Till Goal: 78.0 lbs
This was the big milestone week: I finally broke through 300. It’s the first time I’ve seen the 200s on the scale since October of 2023. For almost two years, I hovered between 300 and 320, bouncing around without realizing how stuck I was. Dropping below that line feels like a real breakthrough.
The 3.3-pound loss is more than I expected, especially given the setback with gout and a weekend of less-than-perfect eating. My goal is to average two pounds a week, and even if the pace slows, I’m happy as long as the line keeps trending down.
Takeaway: Breaking into the 200s marks the start of a new chapter. The number itself is motivating, but more importantly, it proves that even in a tough week, the bigger picture is still progress.
Run 1: Comfortable, Controlled, and Needed
Conditions: 68°F | 89% humidity | 65° dew point | 5 mph wind
Distance: 2.62 mi | Pace: 14:58 | Elevation Gain: 78 ft
Avg HR: 134 | Cadence: 128
Splits: 13:04 | 12:45 | 12:40 | 13:07 | 12:22
VO₂ Max: 32.9
Music: None
This was exactly the run I needed to start the week. I eased into it, stayed comfortable the whole way, and even managed to reverse split nearly every segment — the only exception was one split slowed down by hills. My heart rate stayed low, my cadence steady, and I never felt like I was forcing it.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was proof that taking it easy works. Runs like this remind me that comfort and control are just as important as pushing pace.
Takeaway: Easy, controlled effort is proof that the work is paying off — and it set the tone for what should have been a strong week.
The Gout Setback
Then came the problem. Something I hadn’t dealt with in 6–9 months: gout.
The weekend before, I had a couple hard ciders. My doctor told me my uric acid levels were low enough that an attack shouldn’t be possible, but brewer’s yeast in particular has always hammered me. On Monday I felt the early signs, but it didn’t get worse… until it did.
By Thursday, I could barely walk. I was putting weight on my heel just to keep the ball of my foot off the ground. The pain was so bad it woke me up at night, and I finally caved and took the medication my doctor originally wanted me to hold off on. Friday morning confirmed it: running was out of the question. I could hardly walk, let alone run.
Saturday was the golf tournament. My foot felt maybe 70% healed, but six hours of golf wasn’t exactly rest. Sometimes it even felt better while I was out there, but by the end of the day I was limping badly. I expected Sunday to be worse, but I actually woke up around 85% healed. Still, not enough to run.
My plan now is to get one of my missed runs in on Monday, if my foot is ready. For this week, though, I have to take the loss.
Takeaway: Setbacks happen. Gout reminded me that progress can be interrupted, but it doesn’t erase the consistency I’ve built. The streak may be broken, but the habit isn’t.
Run 2: Rain, Resilience, and Proof
Conditions: 66°F | 96% humidity | 65° dew point | 6 mph wind | Rain
Distance: 2.25 mi | Pace: 13:17 | Elevation Gain: 79 ft
Avg HR: 147 | Cadence: 136
Splits: 12:46 (.6 mi) | 10:31 (.1 mi) | 9:44 (.1 mi) | 9:57 (.1 mi) | 10:46 (.1 mi) | 10:22 (.1 mi) | 12:15 (.6 mi)
VO₂ Max: 33.2
Music: Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
This run proved a setback is only that — a pause, not an end. After missing days with gout, I got back out this morning in a steady, cold rain. I started my warmup walk without a jacket, but turned back quickly when the chill set in. A few minutes later, the jacket came off again — the rain was cool, but running in it felt too hot. I left the jacket on a picnic table in the park and ran loops around the empty path, not worried about anyone grabbing it in the downpour.
This was my first interval run — alternating short bursts of faster running (.1 miles each) with walking recovery breaks, framed by conversational-pace segments at the start and end. It’s a classic type of speed work, designed to build endurance, improve leg turnover, and get the body used to running faster in short doses.
Right from the first push, I surprised myself. I wasn’t just moving — I was flying. Each .1-mile push came in fast, proof that even after a few missed days, the work is still in me.
By the time I hit the final .6-mile run, fatigue showed up. My heart rate climbed into the 160s, and the last .3 miles felt like a grind. But I didn’t stop. I finished strong, lungs burning, soaked to the bone — and when I finally caught my breath, I felt fantastic.
Takeaway: The rain didn’t stop me. The gout didn’t stop me. A setback is just a pause, not a finish line.
Bonus Run: Back-to-Back Miles and the Return of the Struggle Bus
Conditions: 68°F | 94% humidity | 69° dew point | Light wind
Distance: 2.90 mi | Pace: 14:08 | Elevation Gain: 97 ft
Avg HR: 152 | Cadence: 132
Splits: 12:21 (.3 mi) | 12:16 (.95 mi) | 13:12 (.95 mi)
VO₂ Max: 33.5
Music: Run Mix – Various Artists
This technically belongs to Week 6, but since it was a make-up run for what I missed during my gout setback, I’m including it here. It was also my first time running on back-to-back days — and the longest sustained runs I’ve had to do yet.
It opened with a .3-mile conversational run, then a 2-minute walk. After that, the real test started: two back-to-back .95-mile runs with only a 3-minute walk between them.
The first .95 was fantastic. Steady, quick, and surprisingly comfortable. My heart rate hovered around 160 but never felt taxing, and my recovery walk dropped me back down to 143 — perfect.
Then came the second .95. Unfortunately, it began halfway up the Big Hill. My heart rate jumped to 160 almost instantly, then 166, then 168, and it stuck there. I tried slowing down to settle it, but nothing worked — and the stretch was almost entirely a slow uphill climb. That’s sometimes worse than a short, steep hill, because there’s no break. The few downhill dips weren’t enough to reset.
But I refused to walk. I wasn’t letting myself. So I rode the struggle bus for most of the segment, grinding it out while my heart rate stayed stuck in the high 160s. One of these days I’ll learn not to start so fast — but today wasn’t that day.
I closed with a 3-minute walking rest and a 5-minute cooldown, finally watching my heart rate drop back to 143 near the very end.
Final Thought
Week 5 had its share of setbacks, but it also gave me my biggest win yet: I’m under 300 pounds for the first time in nearly two years. The gout flare reminded me that not every variable is in my control, but I got back out there and proved that consistency isn’t about being perfect — it’s about coming back.
The easy runs still feel far away, but weeks like this are the foundation. Every mile, every weigh-in, every choice is proof that the old patterns are gone. Setbacks will happen, but they won’t stop me.
Catch up on all my other post here.
