Week 6 Day 2

Date: 12/23/09
Time of Day: 9:30 PM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 51 degrees F, windy
Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, hockey compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

So, if you're like me, you've noticed that it's taken me forever to get through Weeks 5 and 6. Life's been getting in the way a little. My boss quit, so work is stressing me out. Plus all kinds of hockey games put me home late at night. Then, of course, Christmas.

 

Long story short, I'm getting a little out of my routine. Hopefully I'll get back into it. I've already planned on bringing my running stuff to my mom's to run tomorrow. Christmas Day and W6D3 will be one and the same.

 

Anyway. To the run. As I mentioned on Saturday, I really didn't have any trouble getting through the run, I just ran out of time.

 

It was very windy when I went out last night, though. The first 10 minutes were actually a little harder than I was expecting. Of course, I'm getting out of my routine, so that probably has a lot to do with it. Also, when I was showing the route to a friend the other day, I realized that the entire out portion of the route is uphill. Probably explains why I had so much trouble with the 20. I was trying to do it uphill.

 

Anyway, I knew that if I got through the first 10, the second should be a lot easier since it would be on the downhill.

 

It was hard, but it wasn't the hardest run I've had. I didn't feel like I was going to die or vomit or anything when the first 10 ended, but I did feel the need to make the 3 minute walk a little slower than usual. Considering I had another 10 coming up, I'd be sure to be rested. I'd never run two runs that long back-to-back.

 

The second run, as I mentioned, was mostly on a gradual downhill. Thus, it wasn't that difficult. Again, it wasn't exactly easy. You can't just go get on a 26.2 mile slope and expect to finish a marathon, but it is easier on your legs.

 

When the cooldown chimed, I was in the middle of crossing an intersection. I figured it wasn't safe to just suddenly pull into a walk in the middle of the intersection, so I ran through it. When I hit the sidewalk, I decided to run until the pavement changed. When I got there, I decided to run out the cooldown.

 

Thus, my second interval was 15 minutes. Even on a downhill, I'm surprised that I'm able to push that far when less than 3 months ago I struggled to get a minute. And now I can run 15 minutes after already running for 10 minutes.

 

The worst part of the run, honestly, was the podcast. It was a short story read by this woman with the most grating, nasally voice. And it never seemed to end. I lost the plot because I was so focused on how she overpronounced words that it was about to drive me mad. It was almost like I was trying to run away from her. But it was done. I only have one more podcast left on my New Yorker Fiction. Then we'll have to move into something new.

 

So tomorrow...I try the 25. I'm not that worried. I've done 20. It's just five more minutes...and I've shown that I have no trouble getting just 5 more minutes. I'll probably do a brief warmup run before I go for it...but unlike the 20, I'm not worried about it at all.

 

25 on the 25th! That's the goal!

Week 6 Day 2 Attempt 1

Date: 12/19/09
Time of Day: 7:45 AM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 39 degrees F, sprinkly

Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt over short sleeve wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

Yesterday's run was annoying.

It's one thing to end a run because something is hurting...it's another to end the run because you run out of time.

A couple of weeks ago I started Weight Watchers, and I've been attending the Saturday morning 9 am sessions.

Yesterday, I got out the door at 7:45 am. My theory was that running before my meeting would help me lose weight. Unfortunately, my time math was off.

As per the past few times, I started with a brief warm up run. This one was 7 minutes. After the 7 minute run, I started into my warmup.

W6D2 features two 10 minute runs separated by a 3 minute walk. I started into my first 10 minute run, which was uphill for the most part. It was a little difficult, but I completed it.

However, I actually passed my starting point on the second run and decided to stop the run because I had a feeling I was running late. Sure enough...it was 8:30. I had 30 minutes to shower and get to Weight Watchers.

No time to finish my run, no time to cool down. I had to go inside, shower and get back out the door.

So I'll try again tonight. I know I can do it...and could probably move on to W6D3, considering I was getting along pretty nicely, but I don't want to cheat.

I'm not considering this a failure...because I really didn't. This is an abort.

Week 6 Day 1

Date: 12/14/09
Time of Day: 10:00 PM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 53 degrees F

Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

For a week and a half before Christmas, the weather was surprisingly comfortable. I mean, I ran in shorts and a highly breathable t-shirt.

 

Anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time knows about my struggle with the 20 minute Week 5 run. It took me over 3 weeks to complete it. I've heard Week 6 is actually harder because you go back to intervals.

 

I admit that I haven't looked at what Week 6 entailed at all. I was so focused on finishing W5D3, that I really wasn't sure of what I was getting into last night. Turns out that W6D1 was a 5 minute run-3 minute walk-8 minute run-3 minute walk-5 minute run.

 

I actually started the first run expecting it to be 10 minutes. When the chime came on telling me to walk, I was admittedly a little disappointed. After preparing for a longer run, the first one was already done.

 

The 3 minute walk came and went and I started my 8 minute run. When I was going through Week 5 the first time, I was practically about to keel over during my 8 minute runs. This time, I started on an uphill. At around the time the C25K app hit the halfway chime, I hit the 1 mile point. That gave me a little pick me up. Then I turned around, ran through the office park parking lot that I had run through the other day (it's really the only flat part of the course), turned back out onto the sidewalk and finished the 8 minutes.

 

Sometimes I admit to wanting to quit. This time, I'll admit that I didn't even feel like I had started yet. The last 5 minutes came and went so quickly that I decided to keep going. At first I was going to push to the end of the street, but I knew I still had energy, so I decided to just run through the cool down. I ended up with a 10 minute run to close out the day, but I probably could have done 20 or even 30 if I had wanted to.

 

It amazes me to say it after how badly W5D3 kicked my ass, but W6D1 was the easiest run so far. By far. It was actually kind of fun once I got going, which is why I pushed the end out. I know W6D2 probably won't be easy, but I can spend the next few days knowing that on at least one day of the C25K, I showed it who was the boss.

 

Week 5 Day 3 - FINALLY!

Date: 12/12/09
Time of Day: 12:00 AM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 25 degrees F

Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeved wicking shirt, compression tights, shorts, fleece pullover, gloves, Under Armour hat
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

I felt just a wee bit insane.

It was sub-freezing. It was after midnight. But...I needed to get my run in.

I walked out the door with no real plan. I had noticed that during my last run, I actually did better in the middle intervals after a little bit longer walk.

So I started from my usual fire hydrant. After about 7 minutes of running, I decided to pull up. I had decided not to push the first run and just consider it a warmup. Then I walked until my legs felt completely ready. And then a little further just to be safe.

Finally, I hit my turnaround point and started running again.

I took a detour and ran through an office park near the turnaround point and came back out on the main sidewalk...I looked at my watch...I had been running for 4 minutes.

For my next magic trick, I decided that I would at least try to keep running to the stoplight next to the Marriott. My legs really started to feel it, but I did a quick mental rundown of what I was feeling in them and determined that it was effort and not pain or fatigue...so I'd be best to just keep pushing.

I hit the stoplight and kept going. I didn't look at my watch. I decided I wouldn't until it was absolutely necessary, but I did notice that my first podcast had run out. That was a good sign.

The second podcast started and I ran past the entrance to my neighborhood. Since it was well past midnight, the stoplight had gone into blinking mode. I ran looking over my shoulder and headed across the street past the entrance and onto the route that I call "Neighborhood Route". I ran down to the street that I usually turn on and then turned right.

This portion of the route, as I have mentioned, is a gradual uphill. I took it on...When I hit the end of the sidewalk on the uphill, I looked at my watch.

I had run for 22 minutes.

And...it was actually pretty damn easy.

I think I'm going to try it again tomorrow just to be sure. But...WEEK 5 IS FINALLY COMPLETE!

Off-Plan Run 2

Date: 12/8/09
Time of Day: 6:00 AM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 43 degrees F

Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeved wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

Wow...it's been almost a week since I've run. I was actually extremely worried this morning that my fitness may have significantly deteriorated.

 

For the past week or so, I've used the temperature and the lateness as an excuse not to run. Slowly, the days continued to creep up on me. Finally, I decided to do something about it. I'm never doing anything at 5:30 AM besides sleeping, so why not do it then?

 

Oddly, after years of making plans like that and never sticking to them, it was actually extremely easy for me to get up this morning. It was still dark out...and I felt like Bart Simpson ("There's a 5:30 in the morning?!?!"). My cat, Lexie, is obviously very attuned to my schedule, as I actually woke up before her for once. In fact, once I got out of bed, she went and curled up on one of the blankets and went back to sleep...but I digress...

 

After taking my shower and brushing my teeth (I figured this would save time when I got back), I popped an energy gel (since I was on an empty stomach) and headed out the door.

 

My plan was to do some Gallowalking again and try to at least get to 30 minutes. I did have the slight issue of a time crunch, as I didn't get to my starting point until about 6:10, which means that when I do this Thursday, I'll be waking up about 15 minutes earlier.

 

The first half of the first four minute interval was fairly normal, no pain, a little bit of soreness, but the second half was a lot more difficult than I was expecting. When I hit the end and walked my minute, the soreness actually started to intensify.

 

I pushed my way through 2 minutes of the second interval and began to worry that I had managed to destroy everything I had built up. I could not push further, so I walked after the 2 minutes. Then after the brief walk, I managed another two minute run. This put me at 8 minutes of total running. By now, however, my legs were exploding. There was no way I was going to be able to run again in 1 minute.

 

So I didn't.

 

I walked from there for about 5 minutes. Finally the throbbing in my legs had subsided and I took off again, hoping for at least 2. When I got to around 1:30, I realized I could hit 4 minutes. Again, I walked untimed after this interval. I had run 12 minutes so far. Somehow, someway, I was going to have to fit in 8 more minutes of running. After about another 3 minutes of walking, I started running again.

 

And kept running.

 

And kept running.

 

And finally when I realized I was going to reach the end of my route before I ran out of gas, I turned around and ran the other way. Finally, I maxed out at 12 minutes...the longest I've ever run in one stint. It wasn't the 20 minutes that I'm trying to attain, but it was definitely uncharted waters. Part of it made me realize the benefit of the warm up. The other part made me realize that I'm probably a lot closer to that 20 than I thought. With a week off, I managed to put in my longest interval to date. I don't know the science behind that...but I like it.

 

Thursday morning, it's supposed to be in the low 20's...which means I will finally break out the tights.

Off-Plan Run 1

Date: 12/2/09
Time of Day: 10:00 PM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 43-45 degrees F, windy, light rain (35-38 degree wind chill)
Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeved wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts (note that I am eschewing brand names from here on out, as it's hard to keep up with)
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

Last week I had a bad bad week. We all knew it.

This week so far hadn't started out too great either. The Predators played on Monday night, which again put my arrival home at too late to do anything worthwhile. Then Tuesday night, I just felt plain crappy. I don't know if I was sick or just exhausted, but I didn't feel like all the Patten I could be.

Finally, last night...I was able to get started with my Off-Plan runs.

Needless to say, I had no idea how it was going to go. Essentially, I haven't run in a week...and haven't run significantly in almost a week-and-a-half. While I really wanted to Gallowalk enough intervals to at least get 20 minutes total running time, I was just going to go as far as I could and re-establish my fitness base. I knew that while taking a week off doesn't help...it also probably didn't totally wreck what I had built up.

So...I hit the door. First thing's first...it was chilly. It was raining and the wind was blowing heavily. As I walked to my starting point, all I could think was, "I should have worn gloves." But, since I was already out the door, that wasn't an option. Next time.

I reached my starting point - a fire hydrant - ran through some quick stretches, made sure my shoes were tied appropriately and took off.

Since I don't have an iPod app to help me here, I had to improvise. I pulled out my Timex IronMan watch, set the timer to 1 minute and started the stopwatch function. The alarm went off at every one minute interval and I would check the stopwatch. If the minute portion of the stopwatch ended with a 4 or a 9, I would walk. If not, I ran. It actually sounds more convoluted than it was...it was really quite simple.

My first 4 minute run was easy. Almost too easy. When I say it was easy, I mean...it was easy. There was no struggle, there was no push, there were no mind games. That was a good sign. Two months ago...4 minutes was unheard of, yet during this run, it was absolutely nothing. I knew it wouldn't stay that way, but it was good to know.

The first 1 minute walking portion flew by...before I knew it, I was running again. The second 4 were not so easy, partially because it was a hill...and partially because I discovered quickly that the 1 minute walks were so short that they were not breaks so much as brief bits of recharging. At this point, I wasn't to the 1 mile point...I thought to myself, "I can probably get one more interval in." I figured 12 minutes of running would be a good start. Plus, I'd have time to walk back and listen to the rest of my short story.

After the second run, though, the 1 minute flew by and I was off to the races again. As I mentioned, I was planning on the third run being my last and I finished it just as I hit the one mile point. The third run was the hardest yet. However, I still had some juice left.

Now, in my head, I determined that I could get to 15 minutes. I'd run a minute and walk a minute for the next 3. So, when the 1 minute walk ended, I kicked into gear...but after the first minute of running ended, I decided...may as well try for 2. When I hit 2, I was like...hey, we'll just finish this one out.

With 16 minutes of running in the bag, I had 1 minute to figure out what to do. I didn't know how much I had left in the tank, so when my alarm beeped at me, I just kicked into a run to see what would happen. Before I knew it...I was done. 20 minutes of running in the bag. Frankly, I didn't see that coming.

What I really didn't see coming, was what came next. My timer went off again and I thought, "What the hell?"

I ran again. Minutes 20-24 of running...probably the hardest of the day, but I didn't have a doubt in my mind. I devised my new plan.

Instead of turning back home when I hit my usual turn, I crossed the crosswalk. My minute walk ended in the middle of the crosswalk and I high-tailed it again. Again, this 4 minutes wasn't easy, but it was extremely doable. I don't really remember anything aching.

28 minutes done. By now you should know what I was shooting for. Last one should be easy. If not easy, at least not impossible. After all, I was only running 2 minutes. The goal was 30 minutes. More importantly, the max was 30 minutes. In the back of my mind, that was my pre-established maximum...but I never thought I'd actually be here.

Yet...over 2 miles down the path (as I've mentioned before...I'm not fast...yet), the timer beeped. 30 minutes of running done...in 37 minutes.

Without a doubt, this was the best run I've had so far on the plan. To be honest, I probably could have finished the 20 last night, but I've decided that until I can do it every time, I probably shouldn't attempt it.

I think I'll repeat the exact same exercise at least one more time before I start increasing the length of the runs. I'm also considering adding a 4th day of running to each week. I was thinking of alternating running and walking every 30 seconds for as long as I could do it on Saturday.

The best part is that my confidence is back and I feel like I'm doing something again.

Going Off-Plan

Admittedly, I haven't run since Thursday's disaster, largely due to allowing the shin splints time to heal.

 

I can't get to 20 minutes as it stands...that is painfully obvious. This, of course, means that I can't advance to future weeks because I can't finish the W5D3 exercise.

 

So I'm going to have to go off-plan. Please do not misunderstand..."off-plan" does not mean "quitting"...far from it. It only means that I'm going to have to change my method and utilize my current built up fitness to focus on getting to 20 minutes before I can focus on getting to 30.

 

So...here's the plan: Gallowalking. For those not in the know, Gallowalking is a technique made famous by Jeff Galloway that consists of 4 minutes running, followed by 1 minute walking, over-and-over. It has been used by many to finish not only 5ks, but even marathons and ultramarathons. For me, however, it's going to merely be a training tool. I fully intend to run 20 minutes straight in the coming weeks, but I'm going to have to keep working to it. So, I figure I'm going to run as many Gallowalking intervals as possible with a maximum of 8 (which would be 32 minutes running). Then I'm going to gradually take out those 1 minute intervals and increase the running intervals.

 

Hopefully, this will get me to my 20 minute run. I don't have a set date on this one, but we'll know it's successful when I finally finish W5D3. For now, however, we're on "C25K Off-Plan Run 1".

Habitrot 5k

Date: 11/26/09
Time of Day: 8:00 AM
Location: Cool Springs Galleria

Conditions: 41-44 degrees F
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Long sleeved wicking shirt, Compression shorts, Under Armour shorts
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

Week 5 has turned into my Mt. Everest.

 

I've read of people zooming right through it. That the 20 minute run was "cake city" or whatever.

 

I can't do it. No matter how hard I try. I can't do it.

 

On Thursday, I did everything "right"...I was well rested, I ate well, I was properly hydrated...but I only made it 5 minutes...and then I only got 3 minutes on the second leg of my W5D1 repeat.

 

I'm not quitting...but I need a new plan to get me to that 20 minute run...more on that in a later post...for now, let's deal with the race.

 

My friend Bob surprised me by showing up to run the race (and he killed it...running a sub-30...his first 5k running all the way through, so mad props to Bob!).

 

I woke up at around 7, took a shower and got to the race at about 7:15.

 

First off, it was easily the least organized 5k I've ever been a part of. When I walked into the indoor football field that was the registration area, I had absolutely no idea where to go. There was no one directing anyone to the registration tables and there were no signs pointing them out. I had to push through the crowd to finally find them. When I got there, for the second time in a row...no 2X shirts. Alas.

 

The race began next to the Harley Davidson dealership. As per my usual modus operandi, I started as close to the back as possible. The one bright side here is that no one passed me the whole race. The course itself had one downhill at the beginning, but the uphill portion was so gradual and spread out that you never noticed it. For the most part, the course was fairly flat.

 

When it was time to run, I ran, but there was no way I was getting 20 minutes. First of all, people kept stopping in front of me. Some stopped to wait on people, some stopped with their strollers...and some just stopped. More than once, I almost tripped and fell.

 

At around the 4 minute mark, shin splints started kicking in. It took me six weeks to get shin splints. I tried to keep going, but I couldn't...it was just simply too painful. So I backed it down...thinking I would just do W5D1 again like on Monday.

 

The next run, however, was all shin splints...and 3 minutes was just about all of the torture I could take. So I walked the rest of the way.

 

I finished the race, but I felt - and still feel - completely defeated.

 

So many people are able to do this...why can't I?

Week 5 Day 3 Attempt 1

Date: 11/23/09
Time of Day: 10:00 PM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 52 degrees F, sprinkling
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Under Armour shirt, Compression Shorts, Majestic Braves shorts
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

Sometimes, things just don't go according to plan.

 

It took me until my 15th run...the first one past the halfway point...to finally fail a run.

 

I was supposed to run 20 minutes, but I only got to 5:36 until my body started screaming at me to stop.

 

I don't know if I started out too fast or if I need another week of week 5 or what, but it didn't happen.

 

I walked out the door last night with a new route mapped out. There is a Marriott hotel next to my apartment complex...if I run from my usual starting point to an entrance in the back, that is exactly one mile, which means I would have an exactly one mile out and back. This route I creatively call "The Marriott Route".

 

The first 3 minutes were easy...but I didn't feel quite right. Part of it was that I had a slice of pizza at the hockey game earlier...not a great pre run food. Perhaps I didn't warm up enough or didn't cool down enough on Saturday, but I hit a point where my mind was telling me to keep pushing but my body was telling me, "Yeah, no, you're going to have to stop."

 

Usually, it's the other way around. In this case, I figured I would trust my body and stop. There's nothing that says it absolutely has to be done in 9 weeks...and I was not going to make 20 minutes. So at 5:36...for the first time in the C25K program...I walked.

 

Needless to say, I was pretty dejected. I thought about turning around and going back home...but I realized...everyone has bad runs. It's okay to have a bad one every once in a while...maybe I'm not ready for the 20 yet...but I'm definitely not going to quit.

 

So...having seen that ~5 minutes of running would be my limit for the day, I set my iPod app to re-do Week 5 Day 1 - the one with three 5 minute running intervals. Granted, I had a slightly longer walk break than I'm supposed to have, but I also ran for slightly longer, so I think it evens out. What was amazing to me was that last week, Week 5 Day 1 kicked my ass. This week, it was hard...but it was never, "OhmigodI'mgonnadie" hard.

 

When I run my 5k on Thursday, I'll be trying the 20 again...but I won't be dejected if I don't make it...I'll just make sure to at least complete Week 5 Day 2 again. Since Week 5 Day 1 was easier on the second go-round, I'm fairly certain Week 5 Day 2 can't possibly be harder when I've already done it once. I just have to remember to not get dejected and not get mad at myself. I have to be patient...I'll get there.

 

I'm disappointed that I didn't finish the 20 minute run, but I'm proud of myself for not quitting.

Week 5 Day 2

Date: 11/21/09
Time of Day: 10:30 AM
Location: Nissan Route

Conditions: 56-62 degrees F, sunny, warm
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Under Armour shirt, Compression Shorts, Under Armour shorts
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

Yesterday's run was different for several reasons.

First of all, it was the first day time run I had made that was not a 5k. Secondly, it was honestly the closest I have come in any of my runs to quitting.

I missed Friday night's run due to getting home at a late hour and having no energy. I made a promise to myself to run in the morning. One thing that I have learned about the C25K program is that unlike in the past, when I make promises like these to myself...I keep them. And I kept this one.

Thus, I walked outside yesterday morning for Week 5 Day 2. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, which was a plus.

Week 5 Day 2 consists of two 8 minute runs separated by a 5 minute walk. While it seems like a fairly straightforward, easy exercise compared to the past few, running 8 minutes in one stretch is extremely difficult when the longest I had run so far was 5.

I started the first run and after about 3 minutes, I could very much feel it. As I've mentioned, the Nissan Route is pretty much up a hill and then back down the hill...although there are a lot of flat portions. Anyway, it was rough, but I managed to finish it.

The second run at least started out easier...but it got harder as it went on...to the point that I very, very much wanted to quit. I was contemplating what time today I could retry it...I did not feel like I could finish it. I even contemplated how to label the blog posts if I missed it...but I didn't miss it.

It was probably the most difficult last two minutes of anything I've ever done...I had slowed down to a snail's pace...and had to look very attractive as spit formed on my lips...but I managed to pull it off.

In fact, I made it back to the starting point before the music ran out, which was the first time I had done that.

I recognize that I've accomplished quite a bit at this point. In fact, I'm past the halfway point.

However, I don't know which I'm more surprised about...that the workouts keep getting harder or that I not only keep finishing them, but keep moving onto the next harder one.

Anyway, the next run is the big 2-0. The 20 minute run. After the way I struggled through the 8 minute runs, I'm not so sure how it will go, so this week I am not considering week 6 until I finish it.

I'm not sure I will finish the 20 on the first attempt, so I've set aside this week to make 3 attempts at it - Monday night, Thursday morning and Saturday morning. If I can get it...I'll move on to week 6. If not, I'll keep trying until I get it.

This is it. If I can do the 20 minute run, I can finish the program.

So...until then.

Week 5 Day 1

Date: 11/18/09
Time of Day: 9:30 PM
Location: Nissan Route

Conditions: 43-44 degrees F, chilly
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Long Wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Target-brand Shorts
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

I say this every run, but man...last night was hard.

For those who are unaware, none of the workouts in Week 5 are the same. Day 1 (last night) consists of three 5 minute running intervals with 3 minute walks in between. Day 2 is two 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk in between. And....Day 3 is the dreaded monster 20 minute run.

On paper, it seems that W5D1 would be easier than Week 4 because you are running for 1 minute less. However, as they say, runs aren't done on paper.

The first thing I realized was that last week, I had been using the wrong set of hedges to mark my 1 mile point, so I moved back up the sidewalk a ways to start from the correct spot. Also, earlier this week, I had updated the C25K app on my iPod...and this would be the first run with the updated version.

The first run started out easily enough...but by about the 3 minute mark, I was pushing it. Another one of those feelings of, "How am I going to keep doing this? It's so hard!" As usual, I picked a landmark that I thought would be close enough to the end of the run and ran to it...knowing that if I could make it there, I could make it to the end of the run.

It's weird how I know I can run that far - I did it 6 times last week - but something in my mind is still telling me...oh, but you haven't done it enough in your life, you might not do it now. I always do, though. Again, not a lack of confidence...a lack of prior evidence. I guess I actually have to see it to believe it. And every day, I keep proving to myself that it can be done.

The second run was a little easier, mostly because most of it was downhill. I hit the halfway point both in the run and in the program in the middle of the run here. It definitely wasn't easy...it was still one of my hardest intervals ever...but it was definitely easier than the first one.

At this point, not one inch on my body was cold. Despite it being 40 degrees and my body being covered in sweat, every single inch of my body was warm. It was a very strange experience to be standing in 40 degree weather wishing you had on short sleeves.

Finally, I hit the third run. I saw my shadow in the streetlights and realized I had to look very penguin-y running along and chuckled to myself. The fact that I was able to laugh, however, told me again that I would be able to finish...as long as my breathing isn't hurting me, I'm pretty much fine. And so I finished at approximately the same spot as Sunday, despite running one minute less and starting further up the trail. At least my pace appears to be improving.

I keep having to argue with myself on virtually every run...after every running interval, I think, "Wow...that was really hard...I don't know how I'm going to do the next one." And I have to tell myself, "Of course it's hard. That's the whole point. It's not easy. It will get easier the further you go."

And I keep telling myself that.

-----------------

Note: I also started the Hundred Pushup Challenge on Monday. Last night was W1D2. Not much to report other than...I did a lot of pushups.

Week 4 Day 3

Date: 11/15/09
Time of Day: 10:00 PM
Location: Nissan Route

Conditions: 53-54 degrees F, clear
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Long Wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Adidas Shorts
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

Sometimes life gets in the way of your runs.

I had originally planned to run W4D3 on Saturday night, but by the time I got home from the Predators game, it was already past 11, which - by the time I got out on the road - would have put my run past midnight. To me, this didn't seem like the world's safest idea...so I delayed my run until Sunday.

So...Sunday night, I put on my new shoes and headed out the door. After driving around and measuring distances, I found the exact (or at least close to exact) 1 mile marker for my run. Therefore, that's where I started. My first 3 minutes of running weren't easy, but my feet weren't bugging me. More importantly, I kept my eyes off of my iPod and focused on running for the entire interval.

The first 5 minute run was even rougher. And I chalk up the problems that I began to encounter here to eating less than an hour before heading out the door. I started to get serious side stitches...and my breathing was definitely more erratic than usual. My legs felt okay, at least...it was the side stitch that was getting to me. But again, did not look down at my iPod, which means I was not as worried about continuing as usual.

I hit the 1 mile marker at exactly halfway, turned around and headed back up the "halfway hill" as I call it (I guess to myself). I still had side stitches when the second 3 minute run started. In fact, this was the hardest one of all...my breathing was funky, I had side stitches and I was running up a hill. I practically felt every ounce of my 304.2 pounds during this one. I picked a landmark that I would get to and then look at my iPod to see how much time was left...luckily, it was only :08...and I got my 90 second walk.

As per the rest of the week, the last 5 minute interval was the easiest one of the day...while I still had side stitch issues, I think the fact that I know that it's my last run must do something mentally to get me through it easier. I finished that one with no problems (and almost at the exact same point as Thursday, despite starting further back). When the cooldown ended, I was only about 20 feet from where I started, which means that I made 2 miles in 32 minutes (counting the 16 minutes of walking). Not bad when you factor in the leisurely pace of my cool down.

So...here we are. Week 5. The big one looming at the end of the week...a 20 minute run. But first, I have three 5 minute runs on Tuesday and two 8 minute runs on Thursday. I know it's there, but I have to take it one step at a time...like I have the whole way so far.

One step at a time.

New(er) Shoes

Well, it only took a month...I had to go shoe shopping again on Friday night....I took the Five Fingers out for a nice leisurely walk the other day...on the way back, I looked down at my feet...and where there should have been shoe, there was skin. My new Five Fingers are already falling apart. There is a very large hole in the side of them, as you can see:

I haven't had a chance yet to see if the store I purchased them from will return them (it's on the other side of town from anywhere that I usually go, so I'm going to have to set aside a special trip just to see if they will take them back. Of course, the bigger issue here is that I'm back to needing a new pair of running shoes. Needless to say, I don't have much faith in a product that falls apart in less than 20 miles. While I understand that sometimes companies will accidentally put out a faulty product, a google search revealed that this seems to be pretty common. Thus, it was time for me to seek out a new pair of running shoes?

First, as I explained earlier, the reason I have to get new shoes is that the Puma Sierra Trails that I am running in cause blistering on the side of my feet due to the elastic that holds the tongue to the base of the shoe. I have been wearing Band Aids over the hotspot, but they are still occurring, as you can see.

The way I figure it, the sooner I get in to a better pair of shoes, the sooner I can quit worrying about the blisters popping up on the side of my foot in a longer run. And...since I'm a week away from the 20 minute run...I figured it was probably the best time to go ahead and snag a pair of shoes that will last me a while.

So, on Friday night, I went looking at a few stores...I'm sure I looked very silly running up and down the aisles of the stores trying on shoes...and I know a lot of people recommend going to a running store to get your proper shoes, but I wasn't going to spend a ton of money on shoes and felt guilty putting them through the motions and then going somewhere else for a better deal.

Anyway, after some searching, I succumbed to the lure of the mighty Swoosh. I purchased a pair of very Nike Air Pegasus 26's for $65. Also, it's Nike+ compatible. There's a small slot under the left insole for the Nike+ sensor.

My first run on them will be later this evening...and I will report on them first thing tomorrow morning.

-----------------

Note: Due to the lateness of last night's Nashville Predators game, W4D3 has been delayed until this evening.

Weekly Weigh In

This week's weight: 304.2 pounds. I've lost 2.2 pounds since my last weigh-in and 8 pounds total since beginning my journey.

Week 4 Day 2

Date: 11/12/09
Time of Day: 9:30 PM
Location: Nissan Route

Conditions: 46 degrees F, clear
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Under Armour Shorts
Shoes: Puma Sierra Trail II

I'm not going to lie. Beginning a running program is not easy...last night reminded me of that.

I'm not a pessimist by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes I'll get out in the middle of a run and think to myself, "There is no way I can finish this." And when you're running longer distances each week, boldly going where you have not gone before, those thoughts run through your head. As I've mentioned before, it's not a lack of confidence, it's a lack of certainty.

I finished Week 4 Day 2 last night...and it was another one of those nights that I was amazed that I was able to do it. Last night was a little different because I had taken about a 5 mile walk on Wednesday night in the Five Fingers (more on that this weekend). The bottoms of my feet were blistered and my calfs (or is it calves?) were sore. I thought about delaying my plan by one day...but then I thought better of it.

The run began a little further out than usual. I gave myself a little more time to warm up due to the aforementioned calf soreness...plus, I wanted to start past the stoplight so I wouldn't have to stop and run in circles.

The first 3 minute run was not easy. Not one bit. And it had everything to do with the aforementioned calf pain. Somehow, though, the 90 second walk loosened them up and I got through the 5 minute run...while not easily, I wasn't gasping for hair or wincing in pain, which is good. I turned around at the bottom of the hill and ran my second 3 minute interval mostly on an uphill.

For the second time this week, the last 5 minute run was the smoothest run...I promised myself I wouldn't look at the timer on my iPod until I hit a certain landmark. Normally, I'll check it every so often to see how long I have to go...and more often than not, I'm somewhat frustrated with how much time is left. It's hard not to look when you know it's there, but I promised myself I would not.

Sure enough, I made it to the landmark...looked at my timer...only :30 left. The last :30 were a complete breeze after that. I didn't run it out this time...I figured it was better for the legs to not do any extra work.

Altogether, this run was the hardest one I've done so far. At least once I actually got into the first 5 minute run, I at least knew I would finish, but due to overtraining in the wrong shoes on Friday, it was not easy. Don't get me wrong, the run is completely doable...and I finished it and felt absolutely fine afterwards...I just learned that the cross-training I do on my off days can affect my run enjoyment.

On the other hand, I can't believe I've made it this far.

-----------------

Note: You can now access this blog from RunNoobRun.com. While the blogspot address still takes you directly here, this one works as well. Also, it makes it easier for you to tell your friends! Plus, it looks better on a t-shirt...(yes, this means I'm making myself a shamelessly self-promoting t-shirt).

Week 4 Day 1

Date: 11/10/09
Time of Day: 9:30 PM
Location: Nissan Route

Conditions: 56 degrees F, clear
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Nike Shorts
Shoes: Puma Sierra Trail II

Week 4...the gauntlet.

While you add :30 per interval on Week 2 and they double on Week 3, you're still running roughly the same amount of time (8 minutes in Week 1, 9 minutes on Weeks 2 and 3). On Week 4, however, the amount of time you are running essentially doubles - to 16 minutes. That's a daunting number when you look at it at the beginning...especially if you struggled through the 1 minute runs at the beginning like I did.

Week 4 consists of a 3 minutes running-90 seconds walking-5 minutes running-2.5 minutes walking-3 minutes running-90 seconds walking-5 minutes running. Total running time is increased...and walk time (compared to the first 3 weeks) is virtually non-existent.

Honestly, I headed out the door last night thinking that I wasn't going to be able to do it. It wasn't so much a lack of confidence as it was a lack of belief. On that first 5k on W1D1, I had trouble with some of the 1 minute intervals. Heck, I even had trouble during the 5k on Saturday. I was just going to push as far as I could...and hopefully I'd complete most of it.

I headed out the door and put on Running Music 2. Republica got me ready to go...and when my 5 minute warmup ended, I started running my first 3 minutes.

For the first time, I changed my route. Instead of running back in the neighborhoods behind my apartment complex, I ran the other way, past Nissan HQ. From now on, we'll call this the "Nissan Route". The reason for this change is actually pretty simple...a couple of weeks ago, they extended the road, so it simply goes further...the more I do this program, the longer I'll be able to run down the same street.

Back to the run, I finished my first 3 minutes...and it was actually fairly easy. That's always a good sign. However, I hadn't looked at the plan for the week other than seeing how long my runs were going to be. The walking portion was only 90 seconds...which meant that I only had a minute-and-a-half to give my legs a little rest until I was back pounding the pavement. To make it worse, "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls was starting to play on my iPod. I didn't realize until this moment that I don't like that song.

As luck would have it, the 5 minute interval started before I had to cross the street, so I sat there running in circles at the crosswalk for about 20 seconds before the walk signal flashed...once it did, I took off across the street onto the sidewalk next to the business parks that surround my apartment. For pretty much the entire 5 minute run, I was on an incline. It wasn't a hill, but it was definitely not flat...and when I looked at the timer on my iPod at one point...I had 2:30 to go...yeah, this was hard. How on earth was I going to do it again?

Finally, the timer chimed and told me to walk...and I did. After the quickest 2:30 of my life, I had to kick in another 3 minute run...this one was definitely easier. At this point, the sidewalk had changed to a pavement trail. I didn't even know it did that...I had never been this far. As I came upon Nissan headquarters, the iPod chimed for me to walk again.

One more. I had made it this far. So I told myself, "Just two 2.5 minute runs. That's all it is." And when the timer chimed again, I took off...and it was easy. Well, not easy, but it wasn't a struggle. I could put each foot in front of the other one. Granted, I was going at a glacial pace, but speed will come later. As Rocky said, "It's not how hard you hit, it's how hard you can get hit," and at this point, I was taking a pounding. I was going to do it, though. I knew it. And I was running with a smile on my face because I realized I had actually accomplished something.

As "Praise You" was playing on the iPod, the final chime sounded and told me to cool down. I was done...or was I?

I wanted to at least run to the stoplight at the next intersection, so I kept running. When my foot landed in the crosswalk, I had run an extra 1:30...meaning that in 22 minutes, I had run 17:30. I pumped my fist and screamed a loud, "Woo." And I know I did this because I instantly looked in all directions to make sure no one had seen that. A month ago, I struggled to run 1 minute...and I just ran 5 minutes twice...and still had gas in the tank.

I've had days during this plan like I was on my way to doing something big that I hadn't done before...this was the first time that I had actually done something I hadn't done before. I ran longer and farther than I ever have in my adult life.

And I'm going to do it again on Thursday.

-----------------

Note: As I mentioned, I realized that during my run, I actually didn't like one of the songs on my playlist...so I've adjusted Running Music 2. Here's the new tracklisting:

1. "Ready to Go" - Republica - Republica

2. "Weapon of Choice" - Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars

3. "3" - Britney Spears - 3 - Single

4. "Toxic" - Britney Spears - In The Zone

5. "Womanizer" - Britney Spears - Circus

6. "Gimme More" - Britney Spears - Blackout

7. "Praise You" - Fatboy Slim - Praise You - EP

New Music Tuesday

In a sense, at least...it's "New Music Tuesday", as tonight will be my first run with new music.

As much as I love listening to my podcasts and stories, it's really hard to concentrate on them when you get to running...so I'm going to save them for the walking portions. I've set up some playlists here for multiple reasons. First off, I've put music in that's going to get me psyched. Secondly, I've made every one of these between 30-35 minutes so that I can somewhat judge my improvements by which point in which song I'm on at certain landmarks. If that sounds convoluted, that's probably because it is.

In summation, here is my new music...and evidence that I sometimes have the musical taste of a 16-year-old girl...

Running Music 1

1. "The Battle" - Hans Zimmer - Gladiator Soundtrack

2. "The Final Game" - Jerry Goldsmith - Rudy Soundtrack

3. "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)" - Bill Conti - Rocky Soundtrack

4. "Olympic Theme" - L'Orchestra Cinematique - Olympic Themes

5. "Going the Distance" - Bill Conti - Rocky Soundtrack

6. "Gonna Fly Now (John X Remix)" - Natalie Wilde & Bill Conti - Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky

Running Music 2

1. "Ready to Go" - Republica - Republica

2. "Weapon of Choice" - Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars

3. "3" - Britney Spears - 3 - Single

4. "Don't Cha" - Pussycat Dolls - PCD

5. "Toxic" - Britney Spears - In The Zone

6. "Praise You" - Fatboy Slim - Praise You - EP

7. "Womanizer" - Britney Spears - Circus

8. "Gimme More" - Britney Spears - Blackout

Running Music 3

1. "Ready to Go" - Republica - Republica

2. "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" - AC/DC - For Those About To Rock We Salute You

3. "Express Yourself (Remix)" - N.W.A. - N.W.A.: Greatest Hits

4. "Here It Goes Again" - Ok Go - Oh No

5. "Galvanize" - The Chemical Brothers - Push the Button

6. "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" - Cake - Comfort Eagle

7. "Do the Evolution" - Pearl Jam - Yield

8. "The Distance" - Cake - Fashion Nugget

Running Music 4

1. "Weapon of Choice" - Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars

2. "Gimme More" - Britney Spears - Blackout

3. "Praise You" - Fatboy Slim - Praise You - EP

4. "Womanizer" - Britney Spears - Circus

5. "The Rockafeller Skank" - Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank - EP

6. "Toxic" - Britney Spears - In The Zone

7. "3" - Britney Spears - 3 - Single

I don't know which one I'm going to run with tonight, but from now on when I do my post-run summaries, I'll put the (not very creative) name of the playlist in the music portion. That way you know what I'm listening to...and I'm sure there will be more coming.

Week 3 Day 3: Hoover Run For Hope 5k

Date: 11/7/09
Time of Day: 8:00 AM
Location: Ravenwood High School
Conditions: 54-55 degrees F, sunny
Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Adidas Shorts
Shoes: Puma Sierra Trail II

When I got to the elementary school where the race started yesterday, I was feeling good about myself. I was well rested and I had a good 3 weeks of running under my belt.

Then I got out of the car.

The first problem I ran into was when I got to the registration table.

"What size t-shirt would you like?"

"2X, please," I responded.

"The largest we have is an extra large."

"As in you are out of anything larger...or that is the actual largest shirt you have?"

"It's largest one we have."

Okay...so that's not a good start. I've entered numerous 5ks...this is the first one I've been in that did not have a 2XL t-shirt. It's a small complaint, as I didn't enter this race for the t-shirt...but it is kind of a good feeling to pop out of the shower when you get home and put on your ugly 5k t-shirt (they're almost all ugly) and wear it around for the rest of the day. So I got an XL...maybe I'll wear it sometime in the future.

But I digress...you want to know about the race.

As usual, I flipped on my iPod, started my New Yorker podcast and got ready to start my C25K app and waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, the 8:00 gun went off at about 8:10...and I was in for my next surprise.

I had mapped out the run via Google Maps and had done the street view for the whole course. What I gathered from street view was that I was going to be running a mostly flat course with a small hill in the third mile.

Google Maps lied.

After running about 100 yards, we made a left turn...and went down a very long hill. In my mind, I knew...if we're going down, we have to come back up.

My first 90 second running interval kicked in about halfway down the hill. So I took off running. At the bottom of the hill, the course flattened out for about 30 feet while we ran across the street between the school and the neighborhood. Then we started climbing. For about 45 minutes of the first run, I was climbing.

Then...after 90 seconds, my 3 minute run kicked in...and we were still climbing. At this point, I was starting to wonder if it'd be easier to just repeat W3D3 on Sunday.

Finally, about halfway through the 3 minute walking interval after the run, we hit a flat portion...and I had my 90 second run again...this time, slightly downhill.

When I hit the second three minute portion, it was mostly in a downhill...and I finally hit the end of the three minutes at the bottom of the hill.

At this point, every muscle in my leg was killing me. My original plan had me continuing for the rest of the race...but my race strategy had been based on a flat course. This was not a flat course.

The course continued down the street and turned into another neighborhood. At this point, a car came zooming by...and it wasn't the safety car. There were also a few people cutting across the course to take shortcuts...I honestly couldn't believe this...but I did come upon a group of volunteers crossing race numbers off a list, so they were clearly anticipating that someone might try it.

The street we turned onto was another hill. Therefore, I decided that it would probably be better for my progress if I walked the rest of the way instead of continuing to run. It's too early in my journey to worry about my times...and I had finished Week 3.

So...I walked the remainder of the way...and it was quite literally uphill both ways. Of course, another couple of cars came zooming down the course...which I again found very bizarre.

Finally, I hit the line at 54:33...but hey, I was tenth in my age group!

Next year, I'll probably run it again, because I feel like this course completely kicked my butt...and I want to get sweet revenge on it. Until then, however, I have to continue my C25K journey.

And I've finished Week 3...which makes me 1/3 done. And that's what I really have to remember. One-third done means that I am not done. I shouldn't get that discouraged from how the race went when I was working on essentially 1/3 fitness. Again, it's a baseline...and it shows me that once I get through with C25K, I need to start tackling hills.

Luckily, I know that the Habitrot 5k on Thanksgiving is mostly flat.

Onto Week 4!

Pre-Race: Hoover Run for Hope 5k

Now it's time to talk a little race strategy...

As I have mentioned, tomorrow morning, I am running the Hoover Run for Hope 5k.

Since I'm only in week 3, it's not very realistic to think I could run this entire event. However, as the Oktoberfest 5k taught me, I should be able to run a large portion of the event.

I will begin the race by completing the W3D3 exercise. After the last interval, I will restart my iPod application and walk 3 minutes, run 1 minute and walk 1 minute. After this five minute portion, the running portion of the app should kick back in, which means I will finish with my 90 second run, 90 second walk, 3 minute run and 3 minute walk. I am not anticipating having to go all the way through W3D3 twice tomorrow, but I know it's a possibility.

Also, should this become too hard (after I have finished the running portions of W3D3), I will not hesitate walking the rest of the way in order to avoid injury. At the moment, though, I'm heading in with the thought in my head that I will be able to merely extend W3D3 all the way through the race.

My primary goal tomorrow is to finish Week 3. My secondary goal (should I complete all of my running) is to beat my PR (and only time) from 10/10 of 49:47. However, if I beat Week 3, I will come home feeling satisfied.

Race starts at 8 a.m.!

Week 3 Day 2

Date: 11/5/09
Time of Day: 10:00 PM
Location: Neighborhood
Conditions: 39-40 degrees F, chilly
Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Champion Shorts
Shoes: Puma Sierra Trail II

We hit the 30s last night...and I was still in shorts, although I think I'm going to invest in one or two pairs of running tights tonight. As macho as I am, my legs do get a wee chilly every once in a while.

Week 3 Day 2 is complete! I took a slightly different route last night...instead of a straight-out route, I ran an out-and-back. I found approximately the one mile point in my run, got to it, turned around and ran back. It still took me slightly longer than 30 minutes, but no worries...speed comes later.

As for the run itself, the first 90 second run was fairly easy...but the first 3 minute run was absolutely brutal. As each foot hit the ground, I thought to myself, "How am I going to keep this up? There is no way I'm going to be able to run 5 minute intervals next week." I also had to step around a dead squirrel. That didn't make it any better.

When I finally hit my 3 minute mark, however, I was further than I was on Tuesday. After my 3 minute walk, I kicked in another 90 second run and decided to turn around at approximately the one mile point instead of continuing further out as I usually do. Not that I was quitting, I just wanted to see if I could make it back to my starting point before time ran out.

The second 3 minute portion was remarkably easier. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't easy by any means. However, once the chimes on my iPod app told me it was time to walk, I decided to prove to myself that I had more gas in the tank (and that I'll be able to continue next week) and set my sights on a tree. I ran to the tree...and decided to set my sights on the next tree. Then I saw the dead squirrel...and set my sights on the tree past him. Finally, I ran past a part in the sidewalk where it has a bit of a lip (that I always seem to find with my big toe) and decided to walk before I went to far and injured myself. When I looked down at the timer on my iPod app, I had added 38 seconds to the final run. And that is what gives me confidence going into next week.

Tomorrow, I am running a 5K for W3D3...obviously, in order to finish the race, I will have more intervals, but I will get into my race strategy in a subsequent post.

On to W3D3!

Past My Bedtime

So on Monday night, I get the bright idea at about 9:45pm to go head over to my apartment's gym before I go to bed and get in a quick workout.

I took the long way from my apartment to get there and turned on the World Series and did 30 minutes on the elliptical once I was. I was the only one there.

Side note: I noticed that when I'm in the gym, my iPod absolutely has to be on music. For some reason, when I'm not actually going anywhere, I can't focus on the story, so I switched on Ben Harper's new album.

When I finished the elliptical, I thought, "Hmm...I'll do some weights." So, I walked over to the chest machine and did 3 sets of 12. Then I moved to the lat machine and did 3 more sets of 12. I moved the bar down to the bottom and did rows for 3 sets of 12 (getting an idea yet?). Then I moved to the ab machine. On this one, I did 3 sets of 35, switched it to back mode and did 2 sets of 12. Then, I went to the resistance machine and did bicep curls for - you guessed it - 3 sets of 12. Finally, I did some tricep presses on it for 3 more sets of 12.

I couldn't feel really any soreness and was afraid I didn't spend enough time there (I always forget that this comes the day after)...so I checked my watch...it was 12:05. I had been doing this for over 2 hours.

Needless to say, I'm going earlier tonight.

Week 3 Day 1

Date: 11/3/09
Time of Day: 10:00 PM
Location: Neighborhood
Conditions: 43-44 degrees F, chilly
Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Adidas Shorts
Shoes: Puma Sierra Trail II

I'm not going to lie. This one was hard.

For starters, I switched back to my first shoes. When I looked at the bottoms of the Puma H Streets, I noticed that there was some very significant wear in the forefoot area...and that was just from two runs. Considering they're always watering the sidewalks, I felt it would be safer to run in something more grippy. While the Five Fingers are definitely more grippy, the wind chill was in the 30s when I took off running. Considering that my feet got a little cold in the 40s, I figured I needed something warmer, so I went back to the Sierra Trail. This time, however, I stuck a Band-Aid on the place on each foot where the band tends to rub. Problem solved.

I was moving slow last night. It wasn't intentionally, it's just that dinner didn't quite sit with me right and I had fallen asleep on the couch while watching TV (probably due to my late night gym session the night before). When my cooldown ended, I wasn't as far along the path as I usually am (but only by about 20 feet). The first 90 seconds went by fairly easily...but I guess I didn't look at the plan enough because I was not expecting the break between the first and second runs to only be 90 seconds.

My app chimed telling me that it was time to run. And here I was...a 3-minute interval...twice as long as any I've done so far...and it was hard. The devil on my shoulder kept asking me, "Why are you doing this? Just walk...it's not that different." I didn't listen to him. I backed my pace down...but I finished the first one. Then I got a three-minute break. I needed it. Even the next 90 second run was hard...plus, I had to run through more sprinklers. Seriously...why is it so hard to point them at grass?

Finally, I hit my last three minute interval. It was easier than the first...admittedly, my pace was a crawl, but I didn't have trouble doing it. In fact, once it was through, I probably ran another 20 feet just to prove it to myself. Then, my iPod app gave me a huge surprise. Instead of saying, "Cool down," as it usually does when I have finished my intervals, it said, "Walk." When it tells you to walk, it means there's another run coming. So I prepared myself...and walked for the next 3 minutes...and when the chimes started, I picked up my feet and started running again...only to hear, "Cool down." That's right. Due to the way the C25K program is set up, the intervals all end with walking intervals this week.

So...despite my initial difficulty, I finished. I was actually ready to kick in another 90 second interval at the end, which I think bodes well for my progress.

Aaaaaand...with the completion of W3D1, that means that I have completed 7 of the 27 workouts, which means I am one-quarter of the way home. Hooray to me.

On to Day 2!

Week 2 Day 3

Date: 11/1/09
Time of Day: 10:00 PM
Location: Neighborhood
Conditions: 42-43 degrees F, chilly
Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast
Clothing: Long sleeve Under Armour shirt, Compression Shorts, Under Armour Shorts
Shoes: Puma H Streets

This time, I didn't make the mistake of running in short sleeves when it was chilly. Knowing that my legs always heat up when I run, I stuck to shorts (if it's above freezing, I'm most likely going to be running in shorts).

Again, I wore my Pumas, although I did it this time due to the temperature...I have no blistering on the bottoms of my feet.

I took my usual route and listened to my usual podcast. I should note that instead of doing an out-and-back run, I run out...and then walk back. And my "usual route" actually differs each day, but I stick to the same general area a) so I don't get hit by cars and b) because it's well lit.

While running down one long street I usually run down, I hit the 4th running interval and had a bit of trouble, but just slowed my pace down and finished it. When I crossed to the other side of the street, I noticed that the street I usually run on has a slight incline, which means I've been doing a very small amount of hillwork without really knowing it. Good to know for the future.

Also, I had another horrifying sprinkler surprise...imagine running through cold water at 42 degrees...then imagine running soaked in cold water. Brrr.

When the last interval came, I had my eyes set on a lamp post that I was going to make it to, but the interval ran out before I got there. Nevertheless, I kept running, making sure I passed my goal...and that's the whole point of this, isn't it?

I can't believe I'm already done with Week 2.

Due to last week's weird scheduling...I only have one rest day between Week 2 and Week 3, but I don't think it's going to affect me. I begin the next stage tomorrow night.

I'm amping up my cross training this week...and I have a 5k on Saturday (the Hoover Run For Hope).

On to Week 3!

Weekly Weigh In

Picture Coming Soon

This week's weight...306.4. That's right...only two-fifths of a pound since last week, which means I need to ramp up my cross-training.

Week 2 Day 2

Date: 10/30/09

Time of Day: 10:15 PM

Location: Neighborhood

Conditions: 59-60 degrees F, rainy

Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast

Clothing: Wicking Shirt, Compression Shorts, Adidas Shorts

Shoes: Puma H Streets

Sometimes you'll start a new activity and give it up at the first chance of difficulty. Actually, most times that happens. Sometimes it will just be an inconvenience that sets you back one day...and then every day thereafter.

And then sometimes, you'll have a day when you realize you're in it for the long haul. Last night, I had my "I'm really doing this!" moment.

It was pouring...I mean, very, very, very seriously pouring. We're talking walking outside for five seconds and getting absolutely soaked to the bone.

Thus, I had an option...I could wait it out and tell myself I would run this morning...or I could lace up my shoes and head out the door, knowing I was getting soaked to the core. So...I laced up my shoes and went running. I had the iPod in an old case that covered it completely - while I had to hold it in my hand instead of wearing it on my arm, it at least didn't get wet.

As I mentioned earlier, I wore the Puma H Streets due to the blisters I got the other day. That ended up being a good idea, as my feet didn't bother me in the least. Unfortunately, unlike my Five Fingers, since I was wearing socks...it wasn't long until my feet and socks were both soaked...but I figured that was something I'd have to learn to do anyway.

With my wet feet, I proceeded on my C25K journey...all was well until I took a different route and hit a steep hill on a street I had not been on before. Of course, I happened to hit it the second that my fifth running interval started. This hill was the single hardest thing I've had to do in my C25K and I will openly admit that I almost stopped running when it was starting to get very difficult...but I didn't. I finished my interval...and then my entire exercise.

When I got back, I was entirely and completely soaked from head to toe. My shoes were wet, my socks were soaked and my Predators hat was drenched. But...I was home and I had completed Week 2 Day 2.

I'm doing this. I'm really doing this.

Tomorrow, Week 2 Day 3!

Book Review: Born to Run

Sometimes, I succumb to peer pressure.

On running message boards all over the interwebs, there's a lot of praise for Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. I had also read that there was a large portion of the book detailing the benefits of running barefoot and on minimalist footwear (specifically, Vibram Five Fingers) and that many feel that the book has done a lot to keep the VFF flying off of shelves.

Of course, I had already purchased and used my VFF, but I wanted to read more into it, so I took a little journey over to Barnes and Noble, used a gift card and snagged myself a copy.

Let's just say, I couldn't put it down - I read the whole thing in one sitting.

Contrary to popular misconception, the book isn't about "barefoot running", it's about an underground 50 mile race through Mexican drug territory between some of the United States' elite ultramarathoners and members of a very elusive Native American tribe called the Tarahumara (pronounced Tara-oo-mara).

The Tarahumara are like real life Forrest Gumps...everywhere they go...they are RUNning! Seriously, though, they will run hundreds of miles at a time in nothing but homemade sandals made from old tires. In fact, Tarahumara runners have twice won the Leadville 100 in Huarachi sandals.

Basically, the book covers the race between the Americans (including the author) and the Tarahumara and all of the personalities in between. It's extremely fascinating, gripping and definitely one of those books you'll want to go back and reread at some point.

I defy you to read the book and not want to head out the door running at that exact instant.

Week 2 Day 1

Date: 10/28/09

Time of Day: 9:00 PM

Location: Neighborhood

Conditions: 53 degrees F

Music: New Yorker Fiction Podcast

Clothing: Wicking Shirt, Compression Shorts, Majestic Braves Shorts

Shoes: Vibram Five Fingers KSO

It was not my initial intention, but I ended up taking an extra day off between W1D3 and W2D1. My plan was to run Tuesday night, but a rain storm came through...and considering the next band was yellow (in other words, more intense and potentially with lightning), I decided that throwing my schedule off by a day was the preferable alternative to being zapped by lightning.

I made one minor change to my routine this week...instead of listening to music, I listened to a podcast. I had read that the New Yorker Fiction podcast was a pretty good one for running...and I have to agree. My run seemed to fly, mainly because I was listening to the story. Therefore, I went back and downloaded another podcast (This American Life) and two audiobooks. Also, it makes the run a lot easier for another major reason - my feet aren't trying to keep time with the music.

For Wednesday night's run, I took more or less the same route I took on Thursday, although I was able to cover slightly more ground due to the extra minute of running. The temperature (to me) was the absolute perfect running temperature...53 degrees...not a chance of overheating, but a little too high for me to be shivering. Week Two of the C25K appears to actually be easier that Week One due to the fact that instead of running eight 1 minute intervals with 90 second walk breaks, I am running six 90 second intervals with 2 minute walk breaks. In other words, I have two fewer running intervals and only a minute more of running. Obviously, this is meant to be a bridge into next week's more difficult runs, which include three minute intervals.

Once my run was complete, I took my cold shower as usual and sat down to peruse a book when I looked at the bottoms of my feet and noticed a few blisters on my toes and something that looked like tape hanging between my big toe and index toe. I pulled on the tape looking thing and when it came off, I realized it was skin from a popped blister. Ouch!

So, I've determined that my next run is going to be done in "normal" shoes...a few years ago for my birthday, my sister got me a pair of Puma H Streets...they are remarkably comfortable (I tried them out on the elliptical last night to be sure) and are still fairly minimalist (the upper is entirely loose mesh). For the time being, I believe I am going to alternate between the two pairs of shoes in order to minimalize my blistering. They do say there is an adjustment period for the Five Fingers...so...here I go adjusting!

On to W2D2 tonight!

Week 1 Day 3

Date: 10/24/09

Time of Day: 10:10 PM

Location: Neighborhood

Conditions: Chilly, 43-44 degrees F

Music: Backspacer by Pearl Jam

Clothing: Wicking Shirt, Compression Shorts, Adidas Shorts

Shoes: Vibram Five Fingers KSO

I wasn't able to actually get my run in until many hours later than my initial plan, but I did manage to run. While the run itself went well, there were several factors which affected my total enjoyment.

For starters, it was waaaaay colder than I anticipated. I had dressed planning for a 55-60 degree run...instead, it was a sub-45 degree run...that meant that instead of long-sleeves, I was out in my WalMart faux-Under Armour shirt...brrr. In addition, I found the first flaw in the Five Fingers...breathable = cooooooold. My feet were a wee chilly. I would imagine about 5 degrees colder and it might have been too cold. They make a cold weather version called the Five Fingers Flow, which I may ask for for Christmas, but considering I just bought the new pair, I don't think it's time to throw yet another pair into the rotation...I'll go through my current shoe collection and see if I can find a sub-40 degree pair...but I digress.

I took a route somewhat similar to the other night, but instead of turning into the neighborhood I went through the other night, I went past it and ran by a small shopping complex.

Running without the GPS was definitely more relaxing...I never felt that I got to a speed above my "comfortable" pace...I hope the first run next week is as doable as I think it should be considering the fact that the third run of Week One was somewhat easier than I believed.

Perhaps the weirdest/most surprising/least comfortable part of the run was when I unexpectedly ran through a line of sprinklers which all hit me directly in the face, back and iPod...other than making me cold, though, no damage was done.

I do appear to have taken at least one bad step because my left heel feels somewhat sore. However, it feels better today than it did last night...which means that when Week Two begins on Tuesday, it should feel perfect.

Next run is Tuesday!

Weekly Weigh In

And this week's number is...


306.8...down 5.4 pounds from last Sunday...making my total weight loss over 1 week 5.4 pounds.

Week 1 Day 2 (or Day 1b)

Date: 10/22/09

Time of Day: 9:30 PM

Location: Neighborhood

Conditions: Slight drizzle, 67-68 degrees F

Music: Backspacer by Pearl Jam

Clothing: Under Armour Shirt, Compression Shorts, Adidas Shorts

Shoes: Vibram Five Fingers KSO

After work yesterday, I drove to Cumberland Transit to try on the Five Fingers KSOs...after struggling for about 10 minutes to get my toes in the slots, I walked around in them and loved the way the felt. It's almost like wearing a flip-flop with a sock on top of it...it very much does not feel like wearing a shoe. So, I bought them and wore them out of the store (partially because I was afraid that if I took them off, I'd never get them back on) and went home.

Once I got home, I practiced putting them on and taking them off. While I pretty much can get my toes into their slots with relative ease (every once in a while, I have to back my foot slightly out to unbend my middle toes), I still have trouble getting the back portion over my heel...when I do, however, it's an almost perfect fit.

At around 9:30, I put on my compression shorts under my workout shorts (this is pretty much my no fail anti-chafing strategy), strapped on my iPod, put on my GPS, wriggled my way into the Five Fingers and headed out the door.

To my surprise, it was drizzling. Fantastic...

When I got to my starting point, I turned on my GPS, started the Day 2 portion in my iPod app and started my warmup. The Five Fingers felt absolutely fantastic. Every once in a while, I would walk off into the grass to feel the crunch under my feet.

Finally, when it came time to run, I confirmed (as I had suspected) that I already had the proper running form to run comfortably in the Five Fingers. My midfoot hit every single time and I don't think I had a single heel strike.

Instead of running with a set route, I decided to "get lost"...or at least, just kind of go where I felt like going when I got there. My route took me into a dark, slightly hilly neighborhood behind my own neighborhood. I had never been into this neighborhood, so it was pretty much an adventure...especially when I ran by a very dim streetlamp and noticed that my GPS had decided to turn off.

"Okay", I thought. "Looks like I'm running this one blind."

That turned out to be a good thing. I quickly discovered that running was a lot more fun (and relaxing) when you weren't constantly checking your watch to see your pace. The only problem was that I had never been into this neighborhood, it was dark...and I wasn't entirely sure of the way out. Luckily, my natural sense of direction propelled me back to the exit.

I'm not sure how far I actually went during my run, but I can say that I absolutely loved running on the Five Fingers. I discovered that grass is absolutely a softer running surface, which is something that is generally hard to ascertain when running in normal cushioned shoes. Also, I admittedly ran out of my way to run through puddles just to feel the water.

I also learned two other things. First, running is more fun when I don't have the GPS. Sure, it's a useful tool during a race or a timed workout, but right now, it's probably better (and easier) for me to run at a comfortable pace instead of feeling that I need to pick up the pace because my "comfortable pace" is too slow (I also have a feeling that as I lose weight, I'll pick up speed). The second thing I learned was that running in the rain is fun. I'm sure it won't be as fun when the weather gets colder, but yesterday, it was absolutely amazing.

When I got home, I turned the shower on as cold as I could get it and ran my legs under it, stretching them and running cold water over them as I leaned against the wall and stretched them out. Then I took my shower. Apparently, this seems to have worked, as I have very little soreness today (of course, we'll really know if it worked if I have soreness tomorrow).

I'm not experiencing the pains that I hear you get from doing too much too soon with the Five Fingers, which makes me think that perhaps I didn't do too much too soon (at least one can hope).

Needless to say, the run went quite well.

More Shoes...

I'm trying not to Carrie Bradshaw this and make my whole blog about shoes, but*...

In my research over the past couple of days on new shoes, I've pretty much dead set on the Vibram Five Fingers.

I've found a place to go after work to try them(and have called to make sure they are in stock...as the place I tried to go yesterday wasn't even in business anymore).

Here's my theory...I'm starting running just now...essentially, I have no base with which to build off of...I'm pretty much a blank slate. Why not restart at the very beginning using the best possible method and form? My next run would more or less be Week 1 Day 2, so why not make it Week 1 Day 1 again and run it either barefoot or in minimal gear? It's worth at least a try, right?

Running barefoot (or in minimalist gear such as the Five Fingers, which are essentially an all-weather sock with a thin piece of rubber on the bottom to protect your foot from the various things that can crop up on the road to snag your bare foot) supposedly encourages a better running gait, more endurance, better speed, better foot health, better posture and a lower incident of injury.

Modern running shoes, from my readings, encourage a heel first gait, which is not the natural human running form. The natural running form is a midfoot gait...to my surprise, after doing a brief trial jog...I have a midfoot landing (probably due to my love of Teva flip flops).

Like beginning anything new...I'm going to have to take it slow...but to say that I'm excited...that would be an understatement...

So...it's off to Cumberland Transit...the journey begins!

*considering I've only seen like four episodes of Sex in the City...I feel somewhat proud of my ability to make that reference.

Shoes

I've learned some things pretty quickly about running.

Bad shoes can kill a run. And good shoes with a design flaw can kill the next run.

This is my current choice of running shoe, the Puma Sierra Trail II. I actually purchased them off of Zappos.com about a year ago, but never really wore them all that much until recently. They are extremely comfortable and light...until you take them off.

You see, Puma has put an elastic band on the inside of the shoe to give you added support and to hold your foot in place. While a good idea in theory...and perhaps my girth is the reason for the issue...the band rubs my foot like crazy and creates hot spots in the same places around the balls of my foot everytime I use them.

I'm left with two choices. Keep using them and stick some moleskin on the hot spots and hope that it eventually goes away...or get new shoes.

I've decided that if I'm going to be doing this, I should probably get new shoes and use these as cross trainers (the rub doesn't seem to occur when I'm on the elliptical). After much research (and admitted curiosity), I've determined that I am going to REI after work to check out the Vibram Five Fingers. Supposedly, these shoes will give the sensation of running barefoot, which in turn will provide me with better balance, posture and running form...which are always good things to have.

Obviously, if a purchase is to be made, there will be more to come on this matter.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do...

So last night, in my big moment, I set my alarm to go off at 5 o'clock this morning.

When 5 o'clock rolled around this morning, I rolled over, said, "I'll do it tonight," turned it off and slept for another hour and a half.

I have great intentions the entire day before...I'm perfectly logical, I plan out my route, plan out my attire...but before I'm even conscious enough to form a complete coherent thought, I completely overrule my workout plan for the day...and now I have to work out at night.

It's frustrating...I want to be disciplined and I want to keep 5:00 a.m. Patten from messing up my plan.

I guess I just have to keep fighting him. The worst part is that I know that as soon as I sit up in bed, getting up will be a lot easier...so why can't I do it?

Goals

It's hard to run when you don't have goals...and I've found it's easier to give up when you make your goals too lofty and harder to achieve...while I have bigger and longer goals with my running...here are my current goals:

• Run a 5K. This one is pretty straightforward...sure, in the future I'll go for longer distances and faster times...but this is kind of the big first step here.
• Get into a habit of waking up at 5 o'clock every weekday morning to do something, whether it be walk, run, do the elliptical, lift weights. Do something. For the whole rest of the day, I won't have to worry about fitting it in...and I won't feel guilty for missing anything.
• Keep track of my workouts. I want a log of exactly what I did and for how long.
• Fit into Extra Large shirts. I've been wearing 2XL shirts for almost 3 years now. In fact, some of my shirts are actually 3XL. In addition to the embarassment of having to wear bigger sizes, there are fewer options for bigger people, they are more expensive...and frankly, some of them are just plain ugly.
• Weigh weekly. Sometimes I'm afraid of that number on the scale, but I can't motivate myself unless I see it.
• Blog regularly. Even if I don't write about how my workout went, I need to write something to keep me going.

Of course, once I complete the ones that are completable...I'll update them.

Weekly Weigh In

First official weigh-in...this will be the starting point...

So here we go...

Germantown Bier Run 5K

It was still dark when I woke up on Saturday. That's never a reassuring sight.

I rolled out of bed, took my shower, fed my cat and searched through my dresser for one of my two pairs of compression shorts (I have chaffing issues). Before heading out the door, I grabbed a granola bar and my water bottle - I learned a long while back that working out on an empty stomach is not remotely fun.

When I met my friends and arrived at the course in the Germantown section of Nashville, the sun still wasn't out, but I decided to put on my sunglasses anyway. I wasn't going to be fast, but I was going to at least be stylin'.

Most 5Ks give you a t-shirt for signing up and this one was no different. While most of the time you'll get one that's at least acceptable enough to work out in...every so often you'll get one you can wear out in public. At the same time, every so often you'll get a shirt that should never be worn by anyone in society...ever. This shirt was one of those. Falling into the realm of the tuxedo t-shirt, the Bier Run 5K shirts were liederhosen t-shirts. It's a shirt I might wear to sleep in...but it's something I don't see myself ever wearing to a place where people can actually see me. Simply put, it's hideous...but that's not really the point here.

I turned on my Garmin Forerunner to acquire the satellites (a useful tool if I ever saw one) and we headed to the starting line. I cranked on my iPod and turned it to the new Pearl Jam album, which I had downloaded from a wireless signal I had acquired while standing next to the Germantown Cafe. Then, I opened up my Couch to 5K app, which provides audio cues while running to tell me when to run and when to walk so I don't have to constantly look at my watch. The app only runs 31 minutes...and I knew that I'd be taking far longer than 31 minutes (my goal, for 5K number 1, was to finish in under one hour), but I figured I had 31 minutes to come up with a solution.

The first week of the Couch to 5K plan consists of a 5 minute warmup, and 8 alternating 60 second jogging and 90 second walking intervals. The plan was to do a few more intervals until I finished the race...and then use Sunday and Monday as rest days before doing a normal 8 interval workout on Tuesday.

Anyway, the three of us (Amanda, her friend Flynn and me) got in line at the back so we were well behind the runners when the gun went off. Flynn had run a marathon earlier this year and Amanda had been running since January, but they were both a little out of training, so they were going to be taking it slowly as well...although not as slowly as I was. It took 3 minutes (according to the results sheet) for me to get from where I was standing to the actual starting gate. I clicked the little start button on my Forerunner and the start button on my iPod app and away I went.

The first portion of the 5K was mostly flat, through the area of Nashville that is called Germantown largely because of the architecture in the area. The entire neighborhood is really only about 3 blocks, but it's really beautiful and very scenic. When my app told me to run, I was almost directly behind a group of walkers...I took off at a very slow jog (my jogging pace was always around 13:30)...I pretty much blew by them...and got a little excited by it. So excited that the next time the app told me to run, I went a little faster, which was a mistake. My feet and my legs started hurting...I contemplated taking the next few intervals off, but the old adage of "no pain, no gain" came to me...and I just decided to slow down my intervals. I powered through and it took about 5 minutes for my legs to feel comfortable again, but I didn't encounter any more pain issues.

When the app ran out, I was running past the Bicentennial Mall...I decided to take one extra long 150 second walking break during the "warmup" portion when I rebooted the C25K app (unfortunately, it won't let you skip the warmup)...then I timed myself on the run and the walk before the app took over and started giving me cues again. Also, unfortunately, at this point, the video that came with the Pearl Jam album started playing. Since you can't exit the C25K app without shutting it off completely, I was stuck listening to that for the next 9 minutes or so.

The course took a bizarre turn once we ran through the Bicentennial Mall and actually ran indoors through the Farmer's Market (and through the food court...because you want to smell curried goat on your 5k run). I got a little frustrated by this because I came upon a group of walkers taking up the entire path during a running interval and it slowed me down...it took about 4 "excuse mes" to finally get around them.

After that, it was pretty much clear sailing. I came out of the Farmer's Market, up a small hill and back to the start finish line (thankfully during a running interval, which left me with a nice finish photo).

I finished in 49:55, beating my goal by a good 10 minutes and 5 seconds.

I grabbed a bottle of water past the finish line and got in line for my free 9am finisher's beer (for it was the Oktoberfest Bier Run).

All in all, an extremely rewarding run. Unfortunately, it left my legs so sore that I haven't been able to pick back up this week. I finally feel good enough to give another go tomorrow morning.

Until tomorrow!