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!

Reboot

My name is Patten, I'm 28 years old, I weigh 309.2 pounds (as of this morning)...and I want to be a runner.

Since I graduated college in 2003, I've put on approximately 100 pounds through a diet of chicken fingers, Doritos and sheer couch-potatoishness. I've gone from large shirts to extra large shirts to XXL shirts to the point that I even own some 3XL shirts.

I went to a go-kart track this summer and I had to get a seatbelt extension. That moment may have been one of my lowest points. When I flew to Japan a few weeks ago, I couldn't put my tray table down because my gut wouldn't let it go down. I've gotten so fat that it's started to affect the things which I am able to do.

I can't go indoor skydiving because I weigh too much.

I can't ride a horse because I weigh too much.

I can't play hockey because I weigh too much.

Simply put, I'm as fat as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore.

So why running?

I've never been a very athletic person. Most sports that I try, I end up sucking at them because I have more of a penchant to be a fan than an actual athlete. When I ran cross country in middle school, my goal in every meet was merely to beat at least one person (which I did).

This time, however, I go in with a different mindset. I'm not competing against other people, I'm competing against myself, which is why I picked running.

Running is cheap. I know how to run...and running is something where it's fairly easy to mark your progress. I can do it anywhere, I don't need special equipment...and I've had moments before when I've tried to become a runner where I actually have experienced that elusive runner's high. I want that feeling of euphoria again.

As with anyone who begins a running program, I have a lofty goal of someday running a marathon, but I'm going to start with a much smaller goal for now: I want to run a 5k.

I have actually entered into a 5k this coming weekend. Don't worry, I have no pretensions about my skill or how this will go. I will be utilizing the Couch to 5k plan to get to my end goal and merely be including this weekend's race as a baseline to see where I stand.