That last five percent

One of my goals for this year was to get down to 12 percent body fat.

All year long though I've been hovering right around the 17 percent mark. I became very focused on my running and didn't give so much thought to weight-loss.

I realized though that I've got about eight weeks until my next training cycle begins so I thought about making a more concerted effort to lose these last few pounds.

I've been reading Matt Fitzgerald's books on nutrition and he had published a "Quick Start" guide for dropping a few pounds quickly. So I bought a copy from Google Books.

His training plan rests on three main facets: calorie deficit with a high percentage of protein, hill repeats and strength training.

I began the program Monday and my official weigh-in showed 177.6 pounds and 18 percent body fat.

I did have to adjust my diet a little to accommodate the calorie deficit and the higher protein levels. But I'm really enjoying the meals we've had so far.

Monday's lunch was salmon, snap peas and a sweet potato. We've also discovered pork tenderloin. We've been wanting to try it, but just hadn't ever gotten around to it.

Like I said, he's real into the hill repeats. Thankfully there are lots of great hills around town!

The really high protein intake was a bit of a challenge. I couldn't figure out how to get it up that high without going over my calorie limit. But Fitzgerald recommends protein shakes. I tried one brand about a year ago and couldn't stomach the stuff.

I bought a can of Equate protein mix though, and this stuff I really like!

I also found these protein bars without many calories and zero sugar.

So far I like the plan very much, I feel good. I'm not terribly hungry. And I've really been meaning to work on my strength training anyway, this gives me a good framework to follow.

Also this past week, I got a new piece of gear!

It's the Ultraspire Spry 2.0. I've been thinking about a hydration vest for a while so I can carry more water and supplies as my runs get longer.

I really liked what I'd seen about this model, and when I saw it on Amazon for $33 I couldn't resist and bought one.

The weather here has been very cool lately, which has given us a very brilliant display of fall colors. I haven't seen them like this in quite some time. It's beautiful. Here's a shot from this morning's run.

I'll keep you all updated how the weight loss goes!

Hanson's Method review

Well, you can definitely count me a Hanson's convert!

I only began running a little more than two years ago. I ran my first ever half marathon last April. I finished in 2:11:33. For that race, I used one of Garmin's heart rate plans. But it left me like I could've done more. And I felt like I hurt too long after the race, as if I wasn't fully prepared.

I signed up to race the half at the KC Marathon which was Oct. 21. When I began training for it, I started out using the same plan from Garmin still thinking I wanted something different. I did that plan for about a week and a half before deciding I wanted/needed something more. I had checked out the Hansons book from the library earlier this year and had been lurking these groups so I went ahead and ordered the book for myself and printed one of the free calendars from the website.

I had to skip the first week or so of the calendar because of the time frame but I'd gotten my mileage up to about 20 per week so I just jumped right in. I really want to break 2 hours on a half marathon but I thought that might be a little ambitious so I set up my paces for a 2:05 finish time. The first couple weeks really kicked my rear end, but I could really feel a difference too.

So I stuck with it. Other than having to jump in late, I missed only 3-4 workouts. I debated starting out with the 2-hour pace group, but I decided since I'd trained for 2:05 that was who I'd stick with. But I realized about a mile in that I was feeling really good and I wanted to give more, so I ignored the pace band the rest of the race and ran by feel.

I finished in 2:02:31 and I am super happy. It was warmer than usual, pretty humid and very windy. Plus the Kansas City course is really challenging (ie- hilly!). But it was a beautiful race, and I had a blast! Now to figure out training paces for that sub-2!

Stuffed winter squash

I decided once a week I would cook dinner.

The first week I just made spaghetti, but this week I settled on a recipe in the current issue of Runner's World magazine.

It's winter squash stuffed with quinoa, tomatoes and corn.

I had fun making it, and it was delicious.