I hate treadmills because they make an already relatively boring proposition and take out any of the fun. Maybe I have ADD, I don't know, but I like to be visually stimulated. Running down long straight aways doesn't do that. Hey look! MORE CORN. Whee.
However, running outside does off its advantages such as the occasional bird. Maybe a dog tries to chase after you. There's the ever popular fat people in SUVs who look at you mouth agape because, "What the HELL is THAT guy doing?"
At the treadmill, there are no birds, no dogs trying to chase you, and the fat people are trying to get fit so they know what you're doing. BOO-RING.
Luckily, the gym I joined has a TV, so deciding that I wanted to run an hour, I tuned into a football game. I watched the first half, and what do you know. The first half and my hour coincided nicely. I went a little into overtime, so that helped pass the time. Richmond's sweet flea flicker for a touchdown didn't hurt either.
I also spent about 10 minutes on the bike and afterwards looked sweaty, gross, and wonderful. Good times, might go back tomorrow.
Hey, I haven't done an iPod it for awhile. How about...the Killers from their new album which you must buy right now.
The random crowd shots are the best. There's a panda, some Asian girls, and an old dude. That show seems fun. Also, the name f the song is Spaceman, but you knew that.
So, today I joined a gym. Mostly because since the half marathon I've done absolute jack. OK, so that was part of the plan. I wanted to take a week or so off. Then I realized I missed getting all sweaty and went and joined up.
The place has 24 hour access, which is great considering I 1) hate mornings and 2) sometimes work late.
First workout was simple, half hour on treadmill then a half hour on an exercise bike. There's also weights and the such there, so I'll be able to try out some new exercises.
I'll keep you posted. St. Louis has a half marathon in April and I wouldn't mind running that one...only with better results than Seattle.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day for running in Seattle today. A bit foggy along Lake Washington, but overall, a great day to run. The Hoffmann family gathered at some weird hour of the morning that I tend to avoid and set off for 13.1 miles.
There were a lot of racers out there today and between the full marathon walk which for some reason started 10 minutes before the half marathon run, it was a sea of people heading down Fifth Avenue.
My foot injury did not rear its ugly head during the run, but I defiantly felt the affects of not being able to train for a few weeks prior to the race. After some big hills and some foot pain (just from it striking the ground over and over again, nothing big) though I was exhausted. This was at about mile 9. I kept trying to get through the wall, but my legs didn't respond to that very much. By mile 10 I was walking and not at a fast pace. My dad was with me the whole time, so he's probably feeling good today. We ended up running the last 1/4 mile which was good. I crossed the line at 3:15. Not the pace I was looking for, but I wasn't at my peak either. I'll take a bit of time off, join a gym and get back to it in mid-December.
At any rate, I have a medal and another t-shirt, plus some sore muscles. Wonder when I get to do it again?
So, it was tendonitis in my foot, which the doctors put some sort of cream on and made magically better. However, they said to take it easy and to test out the foot first. To do that, they had me go to the track. To the map!
God, this was boring. I made it, as indicated, six laps before saying "this sucks. I'm going to watch football!" My foot was fine. Felt great. I'm going for a real run tomorrow.
I went out for a run on Sunday, and it could be called a miserable experience for several reasons.
1) Wind. Running in the cold sucks. Running in the cold with wind? More so. Running into said win? There is no adjective to describe the suckiness of that.
2) I got the hiccups at one point. Yeah, running when your diaphragm decides to suddenly involuntarily contracts (thank eMedicine!) is a blast. Really helps getting into a rhythm.
On top of that, my foot was bothering me. It had been doing this at the end of my runs as of late, and I thought it was just fatigue from repeatedly putting a lot of pressure on my foot over a two hour period. Running can be a strenuous thing and these things are almost expected.
However, this time...the pain started at mile 2.5. I tried to gut it out, but nope. I decided that it simply was not going to happen today, I may have decided this a bit late. Decide for yourself, using this handy map.
I don't know how long it took me to get home. A while is a good way to put it.
I went to the doctor today. X-rays negative. Hooray! Maybe its tendonitis. Boo! Let's see what the interwebs have to say about tendonitis.
Walking or running up hill, i.e. golf courses or marathon running can be the catalyst for tendonitis in the foot.
Treatment: Cease all sporting activities and try and stay off your feet as much as possible.
I have physical therapy on Wednesday. We'll see what happens. I hope I can run the half marathon in two weeks...but we'll see.
Since its been nearly a month since I posted here, I figure lets blog.
I have been running. When I last left off, our valiant hero (me) was running six miles. He was quite studly.
Flash forward to present day and I'm running NINE MILES and am somehow studlier. You didn't think it was possible, dear reader.
TO THE MAP!!
As you can see, its a nice long run in the country. What you don't see is that there is no place to pee. There are houses with people in them that would see since there are no trees to duck behind.
The other thing you don't see are the hills. I didn't think Salem had any. Apparently, that assertion was incorrect. At about mile three there's a short but fairly steep one. Also, from mile six to seven, its one long gradual incline. Wheee!
Anyway, doing this one in about an hour 50 minutes. Not bad. I feel good.
So, yesterday I went for a run. It was a spur of the moment thing. I did some very basic stretches and went out for the six mile run. Started out really well, and then...I just kept going.
I figured given my week of inactivity I would walk a few times, but it never happened. I just kept running, and running well.
When I got to 5.5 miles, no wall seemed apperant. So, even though it was dark, I tacked on the extra mile.
Seven miles. The best part was, I got it in at about 1:20, or 10 minutes faster than I ran six miles the week before.
The key, I think, is not avoiding the wall, but to avoid creating it. If you slow up and walk, it throws you out of rhthym. These mini-walls, if you will, are more or less mental. Your mind thinks you need a break. If you can push past it, the feeling usually passes. If you cave in though, you may experience a short burst of energy, but the feeling returns eventually. And those small breaks are building towards one, very real wall. The big wall, which is that absoulte feeling of exhaustion, is also mental, but at the end of the run, you really are tired. Your muscles are going to ache, your going to be sore (I am this morning) and you're going to be tired.
If you can avoid the minor walls along the way, the walls that pop up when you're actually fairly fresh, you can run through the big wall at the end.
Now, watch me crawl home after hitting a bigtime wall tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.
I'm stepping up my march to the Half Marathon, breaking out this six mile route. It comes complete with back road goodness and even some hills, something that I did not think existed in Illinois.
I looked up some back stretches prior to this one too, in an effort to loosen that up. My back had been nagging me for awhile, and it turns out there are some simple things you can do to get it ready to run. I used three primary...uh...positions, for lack of a better word.
1. The Plank
Lie on your stomach. Prop yourself up with your elbows and toes, straighten out your back so its like a blank. (Light as a feather...stiff as a board...haha) Hold the position for 10 seconds, relax, repeat until your back is able to carry heavy set children away from the donut machine about five times.
2. The Bridge
Lie on your back, with feet firmly on ground. Lift your ass in the air (buttocks, for those sophisticated readers I have) and make a straightline from shoulders to knee. Hold for five seconds, relax, repeat.
3. Wall slide
Stand up against wall, with feet 18 inches away from said wall. Slide down the wall until knees are at a 90 degree angle. Hold for a few seconds, then somehow slide back up the wall (I kind of just worked my way up, as wall wouldn't permit me to slide)
Those three worked really well, back trouble was minimal during he run, and it made a difference.
What else made a difference? The Little Egypt Festival, which quarantined off downtown. As I ran down U.S. 50/Main Street, I was feeling pretty good. Tired, but good. And then I came to the barricade.
Now, I could have gone through. I'm a pedestrian after all. But, seeing how I'd have to wait for the inane amount of traffic that occurred at this spot (I think the peoples were trying to get to Hardee's) I decided to run down Westgate to get to Whitaker, which I would take anyway, I'd just join it sooner than I thought.
Of course, this plan turned into epic fail because all the cars that couldn't get to Hardee's were coming my way now. So, on the corner of Westgate and Whitaker, I stood there, waiting to cross the street. I'm not a big fan of the game "Dodge the Traffic" as that game has a tendency to rely on other people having functioning brakes and the reflexes needed to use them. By the time I finally got to cross the street, my aches and pains caught up with me, my rhythm was all out of whack, and I grinded out the last mile to home.
Still made it, despite the quasi-taunts from a car of high schoolers, whom will all undoubtedly be obese in three years. That however, is a rant for another day.
The plan is to try this run again Monday morning, except without that annoying parade. Seriously people, hold festivals when I'm not training for a half marathon.
I took a week off from running, because I'm incredibly dumb about this whole training-for-a-half-marathon thing. But, I got back in the saddle today and ran five miles.
I did not stop once, I did not walk any of it.
Not that I was blazing through it, it still took awhile. I'd really like to know how to a) not get pain in my lower back when I run and b) see what I can do on these runs without it.
For now though, its an accomplishment that I'm proud of. I was able to mentally block out those things that told me to stop. I should be on the bike tomorrow, we'll see how it goes.
Are you checking this blog every Wednesday, only to not see my weight posted for all of the Interwebs to see? Does that make you sad? Angry? However it makes you feel, I apologize.
I clock in at 203, which is a pound lighter than the last time I did this, back in early August. So, I've hit a wall you might say.
Anyway, still on the 5-mile runs, but it felt better today. Early next week I'll go for six.
After about three months of saying "tomorrow, I'm getting up early and going for a run" I did it. I departed for my run at about 9:00, which for me is early. The temperature was low, the humidity was non-existent, and I felt pretty good considering I hadn't run in awhile.
Set out for five miles and handled it well. We'll try it again Friday morning. Wasn't tired throughout the day either, which was good.
I'll be trying the bike in the morning tomorrow, see if I can keep it going.
In other news...75 days until the half-marathon. It is time to get in gear.
This hasn't been a good week for training. Besides the usual business, I had a bum ankle over the weekend, am sick today, and go on a brief vacation on Friday. Hopefully I can duck in something tomorrow afternoon.
I did sign up for the half marathon, so ready or not, I'm going 13.1 miles in November. I am getting three months worth subscriptions to Runners' World, Running Times, and Bicycling. Rock.
Hello to all three of you that read this blog. I've neglected it the past few weeks, so let's get caught up.
First off, I did make it a month without eating fast food. Nice to accomplish that goal. However, I didn't lose as much weight as I would have liked because I wasn't overly active this month.
Not that I wasn't active. I ran five miles yesterday. That's the furthest I've gone so far in my prep for the half marathon. The good news is I'm not overly sore this morning. A little bit, but nothing bad. Hopefully I can keep that going and get into a good groove.
I've also started riding my bike. I've had a flat tire for a while and only recently got it fixed. I've taken the bike out a couple times and hope to use it on days I don't run. Despite some sore leg muscles (and waking up at 4:30 for work) I plan on riding this afternoon.
Since I've left you alone for awhile, here's some Muse to make up for it. My bad.
In my first ever i-pod it I talked about how I don't actually listen to music when I run. I enjoy the sounds and sense of the run. I got to experience that today, thanks to a newly designed 4-mile run, fresh off the press from Map My Run.
(click to enlarge)
If you remember my previous run routes they're fairly compact and in the city. This deviates from that, and goes outside of town proper. Its a straight forward route, but it takes you away from the sounds of traffic, lawn mowers, and little kids.
When I got to S. Marion (the one near the golf course) it was bliss. Just crickets and birds. Even the cars that did pass were quiet. Something about the area. Since my training is now going to be 4 miles and up, I look forward to using this route more and more.
Many people who look at runners probably don't think to themselves that its a peaceful experience. For me, it can be. Its nice to get away from everything, focus on the road, and tune everything out. My facial expression probably isn't peaceful, but today's run, and especially the middle two miles, were the most at ease I've been in a few weeks. Its like mediation, only in motion.
Hey there. I had fun tonight. Maybe its because the radio station I work at plays the above song seemingly twice and hour, but I thought of it when I was running for the first time in three weeks. It made me smile, because wow. That was fun.
I've slimmed down a bit, down to 204. So, I've kept good care of myself since we last saw each other. But still, I felt real good out there. I felt light, especially at the end when I kicked it home.
I thought that maybe going right back to 3 miles would be pushing it a bit to much at first, but it just felt right. So, yeah.
I hope we can do this again soon. I'll bring Gatorade.
Now, excuse me, I smell kind of bad. I'm going to clean myself a bit, but thanks again for an awesome time.
I've done good on my no fast food kick. However, I have to admit, its starting to get hard.
A few guys at work just went over to Hardee's and I can taste those burgers. I'm a big fan of cheeseburgers, they're great. Fast food, while unhealthy, is delicious. I'm a fan, so to speak. So, while I've done good so far, the temptation is starting to grow.
I'll see if I can hold off though. It'll be tough, but I think I can get through the month. Tempation is setting in though.
In other news, I really need to start running again. I've been lazy. Heat index is supposed to get insane next week, so I may try to run in the mornings and avoid it that way. We'll see how it goes.
Belated Wednesday weigh-in: Actually conducted on Wednesday, but not reported. 206 pounds. Even while lazy, the no fast food has paid off.
Ok, so its really only to stop new fast food restaurants, but its a start. One of my favorite Onion articles is "Americans demand more protection from themselves" and this is a fairly good example of that. However, if LA doesn't try to attract healthier food options for its citizens, and more and more McDonald's and Taco Bells come in...well, the problem won't go away.
By the way, I've been fast food free since I got back from Texas. I did make a cake though so if I'm eating healthier or not might be up for debate. Had a good reason for the cake though!
So, on Saturday, I promised a new challenge the next day. That would infer Sunday. Its now Tuesday.So, I reckon I should put this up.
The next challenge is not exercise related. Its fitness related though.
I'm going with fast food for a month.
Technically, I'm a week into this challenge, as I posed it to myself for when I got back from my trip to Texas. I stopped at a Hardee's on the way home and had my last fast food in a month last Monday. However, if I can make it to August 22 without eating fast food, then I'll be pleased as well.
There is one exception to this rule: Subway. Those subs are healthy, plus sometimes when I have to go cover a meeting, I need some quick foodage. there's quite a difference between a ham sandwich at subway and, say, a Double Whopper at the Burger King.
I might also allow myself the occasional Blizzard, but not often. Hey, that girl scout cookie one is good...ok, I'll lay off those too.
Will keep you posted,
Alan
(if anyone gets the die-t Garfield reference, then you may be my new best friend)
I'm off on vacation, and am unsure of how much running I will get done while down there. Granted, its in Texas. You lose weight in Texas just by walking around.
To get you through though...here are the Editors. I discovered them by reading a hockey column.
Please note, when you run, your hands should be way more relaxed than the lead singers. Its like your holding an egg.
Good music and running tips....its how we roll. Have a great weekend, catch you on the flipside.
So, I had been kind of sluggish this week, so I thought I'd go out for a 3 mile run, push myself a bit, and call it good. The run was nice, I got some sweating done, did walk a bit, but not much.
Then I got home and saw I was averaging 14 minutes per mile. On top of that, I still felt pretty good, like I could maybe run another mile.
So, I did.
I went out and ran my one mile loop with the hope of getting home in 10 minutes. I got back in 11, but called it good. It was a high tempo run, and unlike the first run, I was drained afterwards.
Though, not tired enough to forget the day. I come in a 210 this week.
Good workout today, I'm feeling pretty good about this running thing.
So, its been a while since I've updated the blog. I would have written on Saturday, except my run was...not so good.
Shoes became untied twice, I couldn't get into a rhythm, and I ended up running maybe a mile and a half before calling it a run. It just wasn't going to happen.
Today though, was a different story.
I went out for my three mile jaunt, and felt good enough at the mile 2 mark to see if I could tack on another mile. I was doing really well. However, I had tied my shoes a bit too tight, and as I started into mile 4, it was evident that it wasn't going to happen. Everything else felt good, but the shoes didn't.
On Thursday, I'll tie them a little looser, and see if I can't go 4 miles. I can't wait.
So, I forgot to post this on Wednesday. I'm to 211. Hooray for me.
Been a light running week, but I did give blood on what would have been a running day. Somehow running three miles when one is down a pint doesn't seem like a good idea. I should be back at it tomorrow though.
I think its day 6. I can't remember. Anyway: 3,684 steps thanks to a walk in the morning and a walk in the evening. Not a busy day on the homestead, but I got my 3,000 steps.
The week is almost up. Will our hero make it? I hope so, for I have no idea what happens if I fail a challenge.
Also, tomorrow would be running day, but I think I may give my legs another day to get back to feeling normal. If I do go running, it will be a shorter route. Perhaps a mile and a half.
Just as I was going to post last night, my Internet became epic fail. Long story short, I was short of 3,000 steps, walked to the pub for a beer, and magic! I had my 3,000 steps. 3,373 in fact.
Today, I was a bit more mobile, thanks to a trip to the grocery store at 5,096 steps. And yes, I was about to call it quits earlier, but saw I was 5 steps away from 5,000. So, I wore it around the house for a little bit just to get over the hump.
I also did another 3 mile run today. Don't know if my legs were fully recovered from the last one, as I felt a bit sluggish. Still ran the whole time and smelled absolutely terrific at the end.
Hey, the blog is titled "My Sweaty T-shirt" isn't it?
Today's post has a little bit of everything. So, lets get to it.
I walked to the IGA to get lunch before heading to work today. Its a nice little jaunt. So little, that I had about 2,000 steps before I even got to work today. Thanks to some grocery shopping, that total got up to 4,614 steps, which works out to 1.93 miles.
After work, I went for a run, but decided to take on an additional mile. Before my usual 2-mile run, I ran my one mile loop. I've only ran it once, but I did post it here. The two runs work together fairly well. Put in a good 38 minutes of work. I'm not blowing past anything, but I had a good workout. Though it got darker before I thought it might. I'll need to invest in a reflective vest. Still, I was pleased with the run.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that today is Wednesday. That means weigh-in day. I come in at 212 pounds, meaning I've lost 8 pounds in the slightly less than 2 months I've been writing this blog. I'd call it success.
And since I've done everything else, I'll give you an iPod it. (Language NSFW)
Another Incubus song? Yes. I've adopted Make Yourself as my sort of anthem during this. Its up to me to get in shape for the half marathon, its up to me to watch out for my health. Thats my story.
I promise, no more Incubus for awhile though. But I like the two songs.
Not only did I get to 3,000 steps today, I walked right past 3,000 steps.
5,191 for the day, thanks to some errands, plus having to walk to the courthouse to get the day's happenings. Some other various walking jobs today, but yeah. Over 5,000 steps. 2.37 miles if you're counting at home.
Earlier, I posed the question of "does work make you unfit?". In fact, that was the title of the post.. So, this challenge of getting 3,000 steps, each day for a week, was going to be hard, given that my work week takes up 6 days of the 7.
I made Monday the first day of the challenge because, after my cat kept me awake all of Saturday night and I did a morning shift at work with no sleep, I wasn't in any mood to walk around. I did get in a run though, so it worked out.
So, on day 1 I made it, but barely. 3,007 steps on the day. That works out to 1.37 miles. He are the things that make this challenge fairly, well challenging.
~The most common fitness tip for people on the go is "take the stairs!" Hard to do when you work in a building with no stairs.
~I live near work, so I walk when I can. Its about 400 steps. A round trip doesn't even get me 1/3 of the way there. I made 2 round trips today, which helped.
~Like most jobs, I sit there. All day. Unlike most jobs, I don't really have anywhere to go in the building and not look like a crazy person. The station I work at is a small place. Its not like making constant trips to the water cooler is going to get me major steps. The water cooler is right near my desk, actually. Its maybe 8 steps away.
Still, I made it the 3,000 steps for day 1. Its going to be challenging, but if I can make it work, I'll be better for it.
Update coming tomorrow, hopefully with more steps.
Well, today's run wasn't very good. I think it boils down to a hydration problem. Something I need to work on. Pace wise, it felt good, but I was forced to walk at times. Hopefully the next run will be better. Also hopefully, that will come tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the pedometer hasn't gotten a good workout, so this is my challenge for myself. Each day this week, I want to talk 3,000 steps, independent of any running workouts I do.
3,000 steps is not a lot, but it would be a lot more than what I'm doing now.
Since making my proclamation of running a half marathon in November, I have yet to do some actual running. hence the neglect of the blog. I'm going to go running in a little bit, thanks to some musical awesomeness from Incubus.
Is it the rockingest song they've recorded? No. But, its got a nice pace to it. I'd run to it. Has a nice message to it, its fairly uplifting actually.
Will let you know how the run goes, plus a challenge to myself for the next week.
There's the thought that we, as Americans, would be incredibly fit, lean mean, Tour de France riding, marathon running machines if we just didn't have to sit behind a desk all day. Those people might be on to something.
The pedometer, which is slowly getting reviewed in steps, has a nifty little feature that allows you to recall previous days. Its quite telling.
Saturday I had the full day off, was able to mow the lawn and do some grocery shopping. Sunday was a half work day, and Monday was a full day at wok.
The steps you take, and the calories you burn without thinking about it count just as much as the one's that you actively try to annihilate. Though its quite possible to go on a quick walk around the block or something, its quite telling.
Perhaps in terms of fitness, we're more productive when not at work?
After talking to my friend Nick, I decided to go get my toe looked at. He pointed out that my toe might have been broken. So, after work, I limped to the hospital (ok, I drove) and got it looked at.
After waiting forever, I finally got x-rays done. Long story short, no break, just some soft tissue damage. It'll heal in a couple days. It hurts though, so I won't be running for awhile. But, at least I can hit the road again soon, possibly this week, rather than in a month or whenever it would have been had the toe been broken.
Since my declaration a week ago of training for a half marathon I have done....
Jack.
Its embarrassing how inactive I've been. And now, I might not go running for a few more days.
I stubbed my toe Friday morning. It hurt all day, which I thought was bizarre. After work, I headed down to Carbondale to celebrate a birthday. By the time I got home (3 am), my shoe had been on my foot for quite sometime. I took off the shoe and sock on my right foot. My little toe was a nice purple color and a bit swollen. Seems I stubbed it pretty good. It still hurts pretty good, so I don't want to push off on a running stride with it.
Walking is fine though. And it just so happened that today was lawn mowing day. Also, my pedometer arrived in the mail, so I was eager to put it to use. After setting it up, I clipped it on and set out to mow the lawn. A fairly warm, humid day, so worked up a good sweat.
Final totals: 1,762 steps. 0.8 miles. Not bad, not bad at all.
The pedometer is pretty nice. The belt clip slipped a few times, but it eventually got corrected. I like the device so far, and I'll keep you posted on how the pedometer works. An official review coming up later on.
My sister and Dad completed the San Diego Marathon earlier today. Afterwards I sent my sister a congratulatory text message, as that was her first marathon. In her response she thanked me. Then asked "Do you want to run the Seattle Marathon in November?"
Yes. Yes, I do.
I have a quasi goal of getting fit for this blog. I say quasi goal because, well, what defines fit? I've lost five pounds so far. Direct me to the nearest Aircraft Carrier. I have a "Mission Accomplished" banner ready to go. Now, I have something to shoot for. Its not just get fit...its get fit for a half marathon.
I may have mentioned that I have tangoed with the Seattle Half Marathon before. The very race that made me shy away from running for awhile. Its time for round 2. I have my eyes set for the day after Thanksgiving, where myself and who knows how many fellow tryptophan ODers will be out in force on the Seattle streets.
I'm excited. I have something to build for. Before, it was "go run for two miles, get a little work in, just sweat a little." Now, its "work towards building up miles, get stronger, gain more stamina, prepare to run triumphantly into Memorial Stadium."
Yup. Its going to be awesome.
In the meantime, I've got a new gadget. Its an Omron HJ-112 Digital Premium Pedometer, which is a fancy way of saying "badass step counter". My mom gave me one of these once, and it promptly got lost somewhere Hopefully it doesn't happen with this one.
I heart gadgets, and if a regular feature of this blog is me reviewing things...I will be a happy blogger.
Sometimes the to do list gets pretty long and I think, "I can't go running...I have things to do"
Luckily, when mowing the lawn is on that list I can still get a good workout in. Takes me 40 minutes to mow my yard. Its not the most strenuous, but its activity. Thats the key.
And by the way...yes. The stomach muscles hurt. A lot. Today was not a good day to have allergies act up, for that results in sneezing. And sneezing today hurt.
Its Friday tomorrow. I'll throw up an iPod it to get you into the weekend.
I had been fairly lazy lately. Granted, I did mow my lawn over the weekend. No small feat, considering how tall the grass was. Plus, I bought a push mower. Fully self powered. So, I got a work out in then, but other than that....its been lazy.
So, with today's weather being perfect (70 degrees, 18% humidity) I went for a two mile run after work. Standard route. I made sure to keep my tempo up for the whole run. I made myself work, and it paid off with a good run.
However, that wasn't enough. I did 15 sit-ups and 10 push ups after the run. Its been awhile since I did either of those exercises, so it should be interesting to see how those muscle groups feel in the morning.
The one benefit to working as hard as I did today...is I felt slimmer. SOmething about a good workout makes me feel fit and athletic. I try to avoid the mirrors while feeling this way. No sense spoiling that magic.
Wednesday weigh-in...I come in at 215 pounds. So, slowly but surely I'm working off some weight. Its going to take a big time effort if I'm to get to 199 by the end of June. That may not happen, but if I can work hard and still drops some pounds, it will be pretty beneficial. I'm not on The Biggest Loser or anything.
I went for my typical two mile run today, but I tried to be aware of my stride a little more. When I started to "baby step" I pumped the arms a little bit harder. I worked a bit more out on the run.
Then to top it off, I did 15 sit ups when I got home, because I figured that would be a good way to wrap up the workout. Ab muscles aren't worked to hard during a run, so I wanted to attack them directly and try to strengthen them.
Anyway, it was also Wednesday, so I did the usual scale thing. 216. I'm certain I gained weight since 217, then dropped own to 216. I'm wondering if by working at it I can get to 200 by the end of June. We'll see.
I've been fairly lazy lately, what with the not going for runs like I should. I tweaked my groin on my last run, so I took a few days off, then forgot to go running again, and then...well, you know. These things happen. Hopefully, not as often.
So, why not kick off a new feature at the blog dedicated to people who are ultimatly not lazy. I'm calling it "Fun" Runs. These will be races and events that I come across that I find interesting.
The first, is a series of ultramathons races* called 4 Deserts. Runners criss cross the Gobi, Atamaca, and Sahara deserts. If you do two of those, you earn the right to go to race in Antartica.
What I find really cool about 4 Deserts is that the races are run in stages. Each night, the racers all camp together with the help of a local indigenous family, prompting a cultural exchange.
The courses are 250 km long (155 miles). You can run them, walk them, the organizers just want you to finish. And here's the impressive part...
"Many who complete an event have never completed a marathon" -4 Deserts Quick Facts
I'd love to do one of these someday, for the experience and just to say that I did it. Even though the FAQ says you don't have to train hard, I reckon getting out on the trails isn't a half bad idea.
Want more info? Go to their webpage. Have fun learning about the event. 4 deserts
*I called this an ultramarthon, but the websites FAQ says it is not. It just says it is a unique racing event and I wouldn't disagree.
Running is largely an individual sport. Those of us who do not run competitively anymore are out there for our own benefit. There are no cheering crowds, no finishing line tape, no adoring fans. So, it can be hard to find motivation, especially when it is just you vs the world.
Well, one high school girl took on the whole state of Texas...and won.
Its impressive enough to win a state track event. To win the whole meet? Hats off to her.
Just got back from the run I said I was going on last night, and yes, it was good. A bit slower than I would have liked, but I enjoyed it. I feel great and I'll be more energized through the day then I would have been if I had stayed in bed till eleven.
I need to go out more. I'm not getting any stronger, which is to expected when one goes for a run, takes three days off, then runs again. I plan on going back out there tomorrow.
This post promises to be quite random, but might even tie together if we're lucky and if I'm talented enough as a writer. Lets find out.
A few years ago, Cal State Fullerton won the College World Series. I can't remember a thing about that team except for one of their rituals. The team captain placed a strip of athletic tape along the dugout wall. And on it he wrote these words:
"Think how good it’s going to feel"
He was referring to the emotion that would be felt when the team would pour out of the dugout, make a dog pile at the pitcher's mound and realize that they were, without question, champions of college baseball.
"Think how good it’s going to feel"
I have used that mantra at many times in my life. I use it to justify being a Seattle sports fan, because when the Seahawks do raise that Vince Lombardi Trophy, damnit, I don’t know if I will have ever felt such elation. I've used it when taking on big projects, because when I finish it’s going to be great. Do I get to high five my teammates and get soaked in champagne? No. But, I feel pretty good.
Today, this past week even, has been less then ideal. I'm dealing with things that I don't really want to deal with. Today I got a phone call that the bank I'm getting a loan from misplaced the paperwork I just gave to them, so I have to give it to them again. My job entails sitting in the most boring meetings imaginable and trying to write stories to make people think the meeting was important in some aspect. There are days, I will admit, that I'd rather not do that. Personally, I'd rather go off into the sunset, drink bourbon and smoke cigars all day. However, that doesn't pay the bills and likely gives you cancer.
So, I've moved into this new town. I'm not very social so I sometimes feel a bit isolated. I have a job that sometimes isn't what I signed up for and I get to keep dealing with these morons from the bank. There are probably other things that, quite bluntly, piss me off.
Then I look at my running shoes.
"Think how good it’s going to feel"
Tomorrow morning, rain or shine, I'm lacing those up and going out for a run. I won't have a cell phone; I won't have to think about another meeting, the bank can't get a hold of me. It’s just me, the road, and nothing else.
I can't wait.
I often forget, in times where I'm stressed, that running is my outlet. It’s a lot less destructive then some other outlets that I sometimes succumb to (you know, the bourbon and cigars). It’s my stress reliever, my outlet, my escape.
Blogger thought I was spamming, what with all the links to May My Run. So, they shut the blog down for awhile. But, after I told blogger that I was in fact, a human being, they opened it back up.
So, lets celebrate with my favorite warm up tune. Blue Oyster Cult's Godzilla. For our added enjoyment, here's the song being performed live. After the monologue that talks about how great pot is, the song gets down to its serious rocking, complete with a drum solo that rocks so hard the drummer has to put on a Godzilla head just to justify it. Plus, the bass rift just before the drum solo = win.
I've always liked this song because, well, who doesn't like Godzilla? Personally, I feel a certain kinship with the monster. I have a strong desire to work hard and get a sweaty t-shirt. He has a strong desire to bitchslap Tokyo. At any rate, the combination of good old fashioned rocking and lyrics that talk about destruction are good in my book.
If you want your rocking condensed to the original version but with cuts of Godzilla dominating...
I haven't officially worked out since my last run on Saturday so I was a bit surprised to see I came in at 217 pounds this week. However, a few factors may have contributed.
1. Less fast food. I had Quizno's on Tuesday and then a fast food breakfast from Hardee's on Sunday, but that was it fast food wise.
2. No official work outs, but I had been working to get my house ready for a visit from the parents. And according to this page that means I burned 223 calories per hour. So, while I wasn't off running, I was at least active.
I know a lot of people who listen to music while they run. I've never actually done this. I like to experience the nature of the run, plus I'm a big fan of being able to hear trucks and/or the neighbor's dog as they chase you around.
That said, I listen to music before I head out on runs. I have to. It stops the monotony that is stretching. Plus, it can get you pumped up, give you an adrenaline rush and just get you going.
Periodically, I'm going to offer up a song from my collection that I listen to. To lead off...Never Enough by Dream Theater.
Why I like it: I thoroughly enjoy rocking, and coming off of the album Octavarium this fits the bill. Plus, its got this angry, vengeful vibe that's awesome. I'll delve into this later, but its a very primal feeling I get when I run. Its a raw emotion I feel. This song taps into that for me. For optimum rocking, I love the guitar solo that begins at 4:23 and proceeds to do the musical equivelent of mix red bull and amp together until the 6:03 mark.
Plus, doing air drums has to double as some sort of warm up exercise right?
Today is the first day of what I hope will be an ongoing feature on the site. That is, the Wednesday Weigh-In. I think its pretty self explanatory, but I'll go through the motions of it anyways.
Each Wednesday I will weigh myself. Then I'll post it here. I picked Wednesday because it has alliteration with Weigh-in and I'm clever and witty like that.
(That was sarcasm, btw)
So, to kick things off...I come in at 220 pounds.
Or 99.79 kilograms for my Australian friends.
Here's to seeing that number go down. No workout today, but hopefully something to come tomorrow.
Overcast day today in Salem, but I managed to drag myself out of bed early (for me) and get in a one mile run.
Just a loop and an easy one at that. Not much in the way of hills in this town. Despite my soreness, I felt pretty good and maintained my pace of before. It was good enough to get me a little sweaty, which is a good feeling in the morning.
Well, I didn't properly rehydrate after yesterday's run, mostly because I'm lightly retarded. This led to a massive headache throughout most of the afternoon. I finally downed a gatorade and some water before bed. I slept pretty well and this morning the headache was gone. Moral of the story: drink water, moron.
This morning, both my legs and abs are fairly stiff. I was going to blame this on lactic acid, but that, I guess is not the case.
Its harder to move around today, but its not bad. I expected this to happen. Going from not working out to 20 minutes of working out isn't going to be easy on the body. I'll stretch things out tonight, maybe go for a walk this evening, and try to bring the legs back to a comfortable level before I head out again.
Sundays, I work morning at a radio station. This entails waking up at 4 am. However, I also get to go home at 12:30. Sometime between there I decided to go for a run today. The sun was out and it was a good temperature, around 60 out. Light breeze made it pretty comfortable outside.
After work, I came home and I wanted to go then. Stretching, while necessary, is something I don't look forward too. Prep is something I just don't enjoy. I'd rather have my pasta now. None of this boiling noodles stuff.
I stretched anyway, even downed some glasses of water, and stepped off.
Here's the route:
As a former cross-country runner, I don't like linear paths. This route isn't the most efficient, but it was tweaked to get to the 2-mile mark. I didn't really know what to expect in the run. I figured my calves would bitch at me during it (they always do) and I would not have been surprised if I walked for a bit.
Then I got to mile 1. Halfway done with it. I hadn't walked. I wasn't going fast either, but no walking. I told myself I was halfway through. I didn't care if my legs were tired. I was going to finish this thing off.
The last mile was not pretty. I'd classify it as a struggle. But, I did not walk. I did have to stop at an intersection because of a van, but I got right back to running right afterwards.
Finally, 20 minutes after I left my house, I stepped back onto the porch. 10-minute miles aren't anything to be proud of, but considering my lack of inactivity in recent times, I was pleased. It’s a start, and a good one.
We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I'm thinking a walk might be in order to loosen up the legs without pushing them to hard.
One of the things that got me excited to go running again was a website. Map My Run
Map My Run allows you to...well, uh...map your run. It uses Google Maps and allows you to plot your course, gives you a distance on your course, and gives you a whole host of options. I'm planning on a run when I get of work here and I'll give you a closer look at how the site works.
In the meantime...check it out and enjoy plotting your courses!
Back in the day, I loved running. I was addicted to it. I wasn't fast, never won races, but I loved to run. When cross country season ended, I got depressed. Running always made me feel good (endorphins...FTW) and I felt better after a good run too.
My senior year of high school, I decided to run the Seattle Half Marathon, a good month and a half after XC season. I finished the race, but had both arches in my feet collapse. The blister on one foot was longer than I care to remember. (Sidenote: I had purchased an Australia Akubra hat the day before, and wearing it to school on Monday, combined with the limp, earned the name "Hop-a-long" from a few friends.)
And then I quit. I didn't ever say "I'm not doing this again!" I just stopped running. I didn't do track my senior year. When I went off to college, my dreams of being one of those joggers you see at 7 am was replaced by angrily shutting off alarm clocks and sleeping a few extra hours.
There were a few runs here and there. I bought new shoes to try to spark a comeback to the roads, but I could never get into the flow.
I graduated college, I got a job, and then I got the itch to run again. And, I will admit it, its because of this commercial:
I was sold. I wanted to run again. But, how do I get back the motivation?
Answer: I blog. I blog a lot. I run a personal blog, ran a blog about my study abroad experience to Australia, contribute to a few sports blogs. So, I figure'd I could blog about running.
The site will be more than posts consisting of "I went for a 2 miler today. Sunny outside, I enjoyed it...except for the hills LOLZ!" I want to do a lot more with this site than that. I want to help motivate, I want to put up training tips I find interesting, I want to explore what it means to run.
Also, I can't run everyday. Expect posts about biking, and maybe even lifting weights.
I should point out that I'm not a fitness freak. Far from it. I have a terrible diet, brought on mostly due to my house's close proximity to a Hardee's. By nature, I detest mornings, which is the only time I'll have to run. I drink more pop than should be legally allowed. Lets just say, this getting into shape and running and exercising on a regular basis thing is going to be hard.
One last thing, I feel I should explain the title. I tried to figure out what to name this thing for awhile. I wanted something better than "Alans Running Blog" but that seemed boring. I thought about a music lyric or a running quote, but nothing seemed to fit. And then, I started thinking about what I found rewarding about a run, and I thought of...a sweaty t-shirt. Its probably a quote somewhere, but sweat is your bodies reward system. It lets you know you had a good workout. At least for me, there is something highly rewarding about getting to admire the back of your own shirt before hopping in the shower.
