This week was the most run-intensive of all. Because of last week’s gout flare-up, I ended up making up mileage and ran five times. Monday and Tuesday’s bonus runs were already covered in last week’s recap, so this post focuses on the three scheduled runs that rounded out the week.
The extra mileage meant some schedule shuffling: my Wednesday run moved to Thursday, and my Friday run slid to Saturday. On top of that, diet this week wasn’t good. We ate out more than usual, I grabbed too many highly processed snacks, and it was a tough one to stay disciplined.
Intermittent Fasting & Nutrition
Compared to other weeks, this was rougher on the nutrition side. Eating out a few times and grabbing processed snacks threw me off, and I didn’t have the same level of consistency I’d been building. I know weeks like this will happen, but it was a good reminder of how much better I feel when I stick closer to my plan.
Weight Progress
- Starting Weight: 320.3 lbs
- Last Week: 298.0
- Week 6 Weigh-in: 302.0
- This Week’s Change: +4.0 lbs
- Total Lost: 18.3 lbs
- Pounds Till Goal: 82.0 lbs
Yes, I’m up four pounds this week. But no, it’s not the end of the world.
On Saturday evening I weighed in at 300, which means I was actually below 300 Sunday morning. The difference came from what happened Sunday night. One of our best friends, who now lives in Seattle, was in town, and we only get to see her maybe twice a year. It turned into a night of celebration that started at 8 p.m. — a lot of drinks, appetizers, and plenty of calories, sugar, and salt right before bed.
I know my body, and I know how my weight fluctuates. This is just a short-term bump. I’ll be back to 300 or less by tomorrow morning. If anything, this weigh-in is a reminder to refocus after a rough week overall. Running five times last week probably saved me from being up six pounds instead of four.
Takeaway: Fluctuations happen. The scale reflects last night more than last week. The progress is still there, and this is just fuel to tighten my diet going forward.
Run 1 (technically the third of the week)
Conditions: 53°F | 94% humidity | 59° dew point | 3 mph wind
Distance: 3.50 mi | Pace: 14:18 | Elevation Gain: 107 ft
Avg HR: 146 | Cadence: 130
Splits: 12:30 | 12:31 | 12:41 | 12:57 | 12:41
Knowing the week’s load was heavy, I deliberately tried to ease back on this run. My pace reflects that, and for the most part, my heart rate stayed in the comfortable range. Still, the last two segments spiked into the 160s again.
It wasn’t a bad run by any stretch, but frustration is starting to creep in. No matter how much I back off, I can’t seem to keep my heart rate from climbing late in runs. That’s the battle I’ll have to figure out.
Takeaway: Even “easy” runs still end with rising heart rate. I’m learning that managing effort isn’t just about pace — it’s about discipline.
Run 2 (the fourth run of the week)
Conditions: 55°F | 94% humidity | 60° dew point | 6 mph wind
Distance: 2.77 mi | Pace: 13:40 | Elevation Gain: 61 ft
Avg HR: 143 | Cadence: 138
Splits: 13:33 (.6 mi) | 11:40 (400m) | 11:41 (400m) | 11:31 (400m) | 11:50 (400m) | 13:05 (.6 mi)
Because of the frustration with my late-run heart rates, I decided to experiment. They say 75–80% of your runs should be in Zone 2 (I’ll go into detail in Thursday’s post), but I haven’t been anywhere near it. Most of my training has lived in Zone 4, sometimes even Zone 5.
This run was speed intervals, so Zone 2 wasn’t realistic. Instead, I tested how slow I’d have to run in the warmup and cooldown to see where my heart rate would settle. The first .6 miles at 13:33 pace never even broke 150, which was a win. Even during the faster 400m intervals, I managed to stay out of Zone 5. The cooldown was mostly Zone 4, but better than usual.
The big realization? If I really want to train in Zone 2, I’m going to have to fast-walk instead of run. That’s humbling, but it’s also where the real aerobic gains live.
Takeaway: Even speed work can teach control. Staying out of Zone 5 was progress, but true Zone 2 training is going to require walking.
Run 3 (the fifth run of the week)
Conditions: 66°F | 94% humidity | 64° dew point | 1 mph wind
Distance: 2.91 mi | Pace: 15:57 | Elevation Gain: 110 ft
Avg HR: 116 | Cadence: 116
Splits: 15:05 (.3 mi) | 15:01 (.6 mi) | 15:41 (.6 mi) | 16:16 (.6 mi) | 17:34 (.3 mi)
Since this was my fifth run of the week, I decided to go all-in and see what a full Zone 2 effort looked like. That meant keeping my heart rate between 106 and 123 the entire time.
The result? It looked more like walking with occasional jogs. I’d run a tenth of a mile and spike to 129 (already Zone 3), then have to walk until I drifted back into the right range. By halfway, running wasn’t possible at all — my heart rate hovered around 115, smack in the middle of Zone 2, but every uphill stretch, no matter how slight, kept me locked in there.
It was slow, humbling, and sometimes frustrating. But it also revealed where I truly am. Oh, I’m way better than I was when I started, but I’m still far from the aerobic base I want. That’s why I’ll be talking more about Zone 2 on Thursday — not just what it is, but why I’m adding it to my training plan.
Takeaway: Zone 2 work is humbling, but it’s where the aerobic foundation gets built. This run showed me I still have a long way to go — and that’s okay.
Final Thought
Week 6 was my most run-heavy week yet, and it exposed both my strengths and weaknesses. I can handle more mileage than I thought, but I’m also running too hard most of the time. Zone 2 running is going to be uncomfortable — not because it’s hard, but because it’s slow. That’s the reality of building a true aerobic base.
The diet slip-ups and the four-pound gain aren’t failures; they’re reminders. The scale reflects one night more than the entire week, and running five times kept the damage from being worse.
So I’ll take the lessons, tighten my diet, and get back to it. The miles are adding up, the foundation is getting stronger, and the 200s aren’t going anywhere.
Catch up on all my other post here.
