New Friends In Athens: Athens Running Company

So if you haven't checked out Athens Running Company in the Bottleworks on Prince Street then you are missing out on one of the best running stores in Athens. Mark, one of the owners of the place, is a really great guy and is more than knowledgeable about Athens, heck Georgia running. When I told him I was doing the Albany 1/2 he had some tips and strategies I should employ on the run. They have a full service shoe department where they get you to try on the shoes and then put you on a treadmill to make sure they are the right ones for you. They also carry a full line of mens and womens clothes and other things the runner will need. My partner Mike went there and got his shoes and he now swears by them and says they make him faster. So if you need some shoes or just want to talk running then go by and see Mark and David.

SNICKERS(R) MARATHON(R) Energy Bar marathon & half marathon | Albany, Georgia 31701 | Saturday, March 05, 2011 @ 7:00 AM

SNICKERS(R) MARATHON(R) Energy Bar marathon & half marathon | Albany, Georgia 31701 | Saturday, March 05, 2011 @ 7:00 AM

If you want to do this with me sign up. Really flat and fast course. Its going to be an awesome time

Oh The Pain of It All

Morning Mammoths. So it was a slow day on the range today. I am so so sore today from the level of activity. It would have been easy for me to skip out of today's workout but the only person that hurts is myself. So I got up and waddled over to Matt's house and he and I went to Bishop Park to get in a nice walk. Our pace was a medium one but it was brisk enough to get a sweat going. All in all it was a wonderful walk and it worked out some of my soreness.

I am including a picture from the Athens Half Marathon of Matt, Myself, and Jeff Ford. Jeff is an awesome runner from Hilton Head Health and my good friend. He and I are starting up a charity for Runners who want to help out a camp for kids with cancer. If you are a runner or want to help out drop me a message through the blog here.


Happy running my Woolly Little Friends and stay warm out there :)

Check out the New Heavy Site

Hey everyone they updated the Heavy website. I am attaching the link below.

Heavy

Racing the New Year

Hey Mammoths! Since the New Year is rapidly approaching I am going to encourage you to run in a race or two this year. Jackie and I have decided that we are going to a 5K a month (or two) for the coming year. Our first 5k will be the New Years at Noon run at Sandy Creek Park on January 1, 2011 at Noon. Online registration is now closed but you can still register at the event. I am posting a link to it below.

New Years At Noon 5K

The other 5k we will be doing is the ML5K on January 17. I am posting the link below and you can register for that race online. The race will start and end at Weaver D's and if you register before January 14 you can get a meal from them as well. Okay, not exactly the healthiest place in the world to eat but hey you just got a PR on a 5k so treat yourself :)

ML5K

So I hope to see you on the course and if you want to start training for the 1/2 marathon email me and I will include you in the google doc or I can email you the spread sheet. Happy ranging my little Mammoths!

A word to me from Nike +

Thought I would share

Nike+

Getting Back on the Road

So I decided that today I would test out the knee by doing some street running. Something I have not been able to do since Berlin because of the fall I took in Scotland. I chose to run in my neighborhood that has a moderate incline in the middle of the run and a real sharp incline at the end. I also chose to run at a 6x4 interval. I used the 6x4 for my 1/2 Marathon and felt that this would be the best way for me to go to see just how hard I need to work. To my surprise I was able to maintain a great pace during the six minutes and was able to get my breath back rather quickly during the walking part of the interval. I did 4 intervals total and ran 2.5 miles, which for a Mammoth is not bad.

Tomorrow I will be back on the treadmill at the Omni with Matt at 8:30 am and we have a core workout to do after our walk.

Its time to get moving Mammoths. Spring is coming and we have races to run! So get a jump on your New Years resolution now and get going!!!!

TV Preview: A&E’s ‘Heavy’ | Access Hollywood - Celebrity News, Photos & Videos

TV Preview: A&E’s ‘Heavy’ | Access Hollywood - Celebrity News, Photos & Videos

Ok, I am awesome.

A VERY ZOMBIE HOLIDAY (Instructional video)

Because I care about you all during the holiday season I thought you might want to know what to do when the Zombie Apocalypse occurs. Merry Christmas from your favorite blogger and thanks Kris for finding and sharing this gem :)

A Big Thank You

So I have some people I want to thank for supporting me.

First and foremost is my wife Jackie. Jackie has stuck with me through thick, thicker, and now thin :) I do not deserve a woman a like her but God has given her to me and I am so appreciative of her and her support. I wish her a Happy Christmas and I am looking forward to the many races we are going to be doing together this coming New Year. I love you sweetheart <3

To my best friend Matt. Matt not only owns the coolest video game store in Athens, Play N Trade across from the WalMart, next to Trader Joes on Epps Bridge Road, but has been my staunchest ally and friend when it comes to the war against my obesity. He trained for the 1/2 marathon while I was away in South Carolina and ran it with me. Without Matt I do not think I would have posted the hot time that I did. Thanks man you are truly what a friend is supposed to be.

To my trainer Jeff Ford at Hilton Head Health (H3). Jeff pushed me so hard and was a calming influence to me when I needed it. He introduced me to the world of running and some of the great people who are in it (Ken I am talking about you here :P). Between Jeff, Adam, and Amber they truly transformed my life and have made fitness a real priority.

To my great friend and mentor Bob Wright also at H3. Bob is the kind of man I want to be. Straightforward, knowledgeable, and caring. Bob has no qualms about kicking you in the butt when you need it but also there to pat you on the back when you deserve it. Bob has shown me how to keep the weight off and has given me the tools to create a healthy and happy family.

To Brooks Shoes. Thank you for believing in me and sending me the shoes and clothes. They are awesome and so are you for being so generous!

To my family, both the Mitchell, Evans, and Bragg family. I know that I have been a source of discomfort the past month and I love you all so much for not giving up on me and allowing me to come to my senses. I know that I have hurt some of you a great deal and I will make amends for that I promise. You inspire me to be a better man everyday and I will not let you down.

Lastly, to my daughter Tilly Claire Evans. I love you so much sweetheart. The day I crossed that finish line and saw you and your mother I was so excited because one of your first memories of me is completing that run. You mean the world to me and I promise to give you a healthy and happy life.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Holiday Grazing

So as a Mammoth I am constantly worried about my caloric intake. I try to stay around 2000 calories a day but during the holiday season this can be quite a task to maintain. Now granted 2000 calories is a lot of food but you have to remember my herd mates that when I was kicking it 500+ I was eating around 4 to 5000 calories a day and that is not hard to do if you constantly go through the drive-thru at Wendy's, McDonalds, and Popeyes fried chicken. So here are some of my tips to help you get through the holiday season.

1. Do not go through the drive-thru from the week before Thanksgiving to January 3. If you need fast food go to Subway and get a healthy sandwich. Or better yet have sandwich stuff at home ready for you to make. If you are so busy you can't make a sandwich you need to re-prioritize your life.

2. Remember that everything you eat you have to carry with you when you run. This is the one I hold onto the most because I do not want anything weighing me down.

3. Add ten minutes to your workouts. It may not seem like a lot but if you put in four workouts during the week and add ten minutes to it you have pretty much added another session of cardio.

4. Indulge but don't beat yourself up. Most of us when we indulge go "Well, POOP!!! There goes my plan. I might as well feast tomorrow too." That is the wrong answer. As Mammoths we know how to party and party responsibly. So after a great time we get up the next morning and go run. I did this in Berlin. I enjoyed some pear cider at a good rate and then the next morning got up and ran to Reichstag. As my great friend and mentor Bob Wright will tell you, "Do the next right thing."

These are just some helpful tips I use to get me through the holidays. You may gain some weight and that is okay, don't beat yourself up over it. Just get outside and move and regain control.

The holidays are hard for us Mammoths but being the solid beasts of the plains that we are we will meet them with style and grace :)

Here is the Link to the Show

Here is the link to the show. I am the guy who gets excited about losing 30 pounds :)


http://www.aetv.com/heavy/index.jsp

Slow and Steady Wins the Day

So Matt and I decided that we would start back at today. I went slow, around three miles an hour, just to see how the knee would react. So far so good. I am going to the Doctor this morning, Dr. Kevin O'Neal here in Athens and he is amazing. I also did the walk without taking any type of pain reducer to really see how it feels, again so far so good.

On another note I hear from my family that the show I am on "Heavy" has started running commercials with me on it. I have not seen them yet but when I do I will let you know. The show starts on January 17 so please tune in and see some really fine people working really hard to lose weight.

Matt and I also came to the conclusion that we will be doing the 1/2 marathon in Albany, GA on March 5, 2011. If you are interested in doing this as well then drop me an email and I will send you the link to the race and our training schedule. It is not scary and you will see that you will be able to do it. Remember slow and steady wins the race and that is what we do.

Have a great Christmas and I will talk about my holiday plans on my next check in.

What Mammoths Do When They Can't Run

So I have run into a small situation. I hurt my knee is Scotland, not to bad, but enough that the pounding of a run, especially a long one, would really be bad. So I have decided to do some cross training.
One of the things that I did last night was Zumba. If you are not familiar with Zumba it is an exercise class that mixes hip hop dance moves, Latin inspired moves, and Reggaeton music. In short it is a lot of fun and a good way to spend an hour. I got my heart rate up, busted out a good sweat, and was able to limit the impact on my knees.
Hopefully my fellow herd mates I will be able to be back on the road ASAP.

The next blog will focus on the holidays and how to keep up your progress and still have a good time.

See you on the plain :)

Danny Wilson Marys Prayer 1987 HQ Lyrics

Okay so this is on the running play list. You have to love the 80s!!!

Iced Out in Scotland

So I wanted to run in Scotland but unfortunately it has iced over so badly here I have not been able to do any running what so ever. I also fell hard on my knee and have hurt it. So to compensate for my inability to really run I have upped my mileage to about 12 to 15 miles a day just walking around the city as much as my work will let me. The best part of this place is that it is a treading class with hills without the treadmill. I have walked up and down this one hill called Dundas and it is awesome to get to the top and see the statue of King George and then a brilliant shot of the castle.

I am including some photos of my adventures here in Scotland!

I can't wait to come back in the Spring and get some mileage in here. Scotland is a beautiful place.

Berlin

Above is the University of Berlin and the running path I used in the TierGarten.
The Gate!!!

Here is a picture of your hero all dressed up.

Christmas village!!!

Ah the snow hit while I was running! It was so AWESOME!!!


Berlin is the best running city I have ever been in. It has really long, extensive parks with a lot of room to run in. The only problem I had was that it was really, really, really cold! I mean I flew in and ran in the middle of a blizzard! I ran to the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the University of Berlin and the Christmas village. All in all it was a nice run despite the cold! I logged in four miles in about 45 minutes doing the 6 minute, 4 minute method.

When Mammoths Travel

So my partner Josh, greatest partner in the world, has gotten me tickets to Europe and I leave on Monday :) This means I will have the opportunity to run in Berlin, Amsterdam, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This is one happy Mammoth.

So the question is what do Mammoths do when they have to travel? Well you need to look at the weather and pack appropriately. I went to Academy Sports and TJ Maxx to buy new running pants, under shirts (wicking tech please) and a new running jacket. Europe is cold this time of year and Scotland will be wet and rainy so I needed to get some gear to combat the rain. I am so excited about the running in different countries and making new friends on the trail.

I am packing all of my running gear, two pairs of shoes, and my iPod and iPhone. I am also packing my after care gear as well.

I will be blogging about my adventures so stay tuned.

Oh and for those of you who don't know I am now sponsored by Brooks Shoes. They will be helping me with my races in the Spring. So thanks Brooks and its your shoes that will get me through.

Pain in the Paw: Medicating

So I will confess some things here. I use 1000 mgs of ibuprofen before I run a 5k or 1/2. I do this prophylacticly because I know the kind of pain I deal with. Like I said in my last post I have numerous injuries I deal with and this is a temporary solution. I have noticed that as I drop weight I am in less and less pain.

Dean Karnazes says that distance running is the number one way men lose weight and keep it off. He talks about meeting the Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckaby and how he related his story of weight loss and how running was the way he kept it off. Governor Huckaby also said that at first it was painful to run but as his weight decreased so did his dependence on pain meds to get him through.

My little Mammoths you are going to experience pain. Most of it is temporary and can be fixed with an ibuprofen and RICEing, however, some pain you need to see the doctor about. Do Not Be A Hero!!! This is funny coming from me and some of the people I trained with while at H3 will tell me that I should take my own advice but seriously folks if it is more than a nagging ache you need to get checked out. Remember it is always better to miss two days of training and rest, then two months lying around recuperating from a more serious injury.

Dealing with the hurt paw

Eventually its going to happen. You are going to get hurt. The key is to manage your mind during this time. So far I have ruptured a disc in my back, dealt with a serious infection in my legs, and have arthritic knees, but being the bad ass Mammoth that I am I will not let that slow me down. But being a determined Mammoth doesn't mean that I can't be a smart one.

The first thing you need to do is manage your pain and injury. All Mammoths should be RICEing. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate your legs.

Rest: We don't have to go after it six days a week. Most of the workouts I see have you running between 3 or 4 days a week so just keep it slow and steady.

Ice: Ice is my new best friend, especially on my knees. Without ice I would not be able to continue. I use it for twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off and I do it for an hour. You need to find your own tolerance for this because this can be very challenging.

Compress: For us Mammoths this is a hard one. The problem is that compression socks just don't come in our size. I have used an ace bandage in conjunction with my ice to help out with this.

Elevate: I elevate my legs every night when I sleep. I use a medical wedge I got for 20 bucks at a local drug store. It keeps my legs up over my heart and that is the most important thing to remember, your legs must be elevated over your heart.

Alright Mammoths this is the first installment. I will talk about painkillers on the next post.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them and I will answer them as best I can :)

Happy Running

From Couch to Conquerer: Training for a Half Marathon

A lot of you are probably wondering how a guy my size gets up one day and decides to do a 1/2 marathon and then goes ahead and does it. Simple, I found an expert and made a plan. I have found in this life that if you want anything to go right you need to seek out advice from people who have been there and done that. When I was a young soldier my Dad gave me some sage advice. He told me to listen to my top sergeant and follow his direction as if it were the word of God. Good advice that I still use to this day.

When I started out on this quest for the 1/2 I weighed in at 520 pounds. I was so miserable and I could hardly walk. The thing that I had though was grit and determination. To me that is the key to any training program and finally attacking the long run, being determined! You know that this is not going to be easy, you know that this going to require effort, and you know that there are times you are going to feel pain. But you also know that you can do anything you set your mind too. That is not rah-rah BS stuff, that is real.

Any good Woolly Mammoth will tell you that you start slow, keep it moderate, and when you need to push it, you push it. That is what I did. I started off by running for 30 seconds and then walking for four minutes and thirty seconds, a total of five minutes. Now I was exhausted by that five minutes but I found that I also wanted to do another five minutes and it was this determination that kept me motivated.

Now this process is not pretty and you are going to have to deal with all sorts of issues. Especially dealing with injury. That will be the focus of my next post.

Welcome to the Herd

Hi everyone. Welcome to the Woolly Mammoth Runner blog. My name is Mark Evans and I just completed two huge things in my life. First, I was on a weight loss reality program called Heavy that will be on A&E this coming January. Second, I ran my first 1/2 marathon and it is this part that this blog will be concerned with. Being a larger man (at the writing of this I am at 355 lbs.) running is a lot harder than it is for our slenderer brethren of the road. So our challenges are different and how we approach our distance runs is different than the speedsters.

It is my intention to use this blog as a way for me to explain how I am approaching my distance runs, training, strategies, equipment, so on and so forth that the heavier runner has to deal with. My first blog will be on training and how I went from a couch potato to 1/2 marathoner in six months.