Week 4 Underway

Friday night, I headed back to the trusty Cool Springs YMCA with an idea that I would do Week 3 Day 3 all over again...so that's what I did...and it was hard. Again. I don't really know why, but it was...

 

So yesterday rolls around...I know I have to do something...and in my head, I'm completely confused. I'm thinking Week 4 Day 1 is a 3 minute run, a 5 minute run and another 3 minute run. In actuality, it's a 3 minute run, a 5 minute run, a 3 minute run and another 5 minute run. For three weeks, I had been running 9 minutes total...on Sunday, I was required to run 16. Honestly, if I had been clear on that, I might have psyched myself out, but when I got on the treadmill at the Franklin Y (the Cool Springs Y is closed on Sundays), I figured I'd at least try it to see how I did (considering how hard Friday was).

 

I turned on Ray Lamontagne's new album and just ran. And ran. And had problems with the first three minute run...but once my legs were warmed up, it really wasn't that hard. A couple of times, I considered turning the speed down to about 3.8, but I figured I'd keep going until I absolutely could not run at that speed...and I finished it.

 

Week 4 Day 1 is in the bag. We are trucking, baby!

Week 3...In the Bag...Kinda

Wednesday night, I finally got around to finishing off Week 3...after spending 30 minutes on the elliptical.

 

It wasn't easy...not remotely, but I got it done. I'm going to do a "Day 4" tonight of some sort so that I can start Week 4 during the same week...I also think I'm going to start weight training tonight...

 

Sadly, the only aspect of Wednesday's night run that stood out to me was that the Braves blew a 9 run lead...it was a replay, but I hadn't seen it yet and didn't know the result yet...so it made me sad...and I'm sure that's why the run was harder. That and the 30 minutes of interval training on the elliptical before it.

 

If I do train on the elliptical on running nights, I'm going to do easy routes and do the hard ones on my off days...which means if I go tonight, we're going with virtually no incline or resistance.

 

Excitement ensues!

Weight Watchers Redux - Week 2

Starting Weight: 303.4 lbs

First Weigh In (8/24/2010): 302.2 lbs (-1.2 lbs/0.39% weight loss)

 

Well, this was disappointing. Although, they say that any week with a loss is a good week...I was hoping to be under 300.

 

I really have to step it up this week.

Sore

I'm sure this will be a subject that comes up often...

 

I'm going to restart Week 3 tonight. After I ran Day 2 on Wednesday, I planned on running Day 3 on Saturday. I woke up Saturday morning and helped my friend Kim move kids into Belmont...and, after 3 hours of carrying heavy boxes up and down stairs, I was exhausted...and sore. So, no running on Saturday.

 

Sunday, I woke up...even more sore. So I figured that I would just restart Week 3 on Monday.

 

Monday morning. Still sore. Last night I went to the gym anyway. I knew I couldn't run, but I had to find something to do.

 

I hopped onto the elliptical for an hour while I watched the Titans game...I burned 700 calories...but guess what? Still sore.

Week 3 - Truckin' Along

Last night got hard for some reason.

 

I'm not too sure why.

 

I went to the Cool Springs Y, popped onto the "good" treadmill and started up Day 2. The first running interval went by pretty smoothly, but the first 3 minute one was a struggle. I really don't know why...it was an effort to keep putting one leg in front of the other. Finally, it was over. The second 90 second interval wasn't that bad and the second 3 minute interval wasn't really bad at all until about the last 30 seconds. Not sure what all of that was about...

 

After I finished, I hopped onto the elliptical and did a good 30 minute workout without too much trouble. At the end, the elliptical said I had burned 400 calories...and when combined with the 111 the treadmill said that I had burned, it was a pretty good night.

 

I just wish that I knew why it was so much harder last night than it was on Monday night.

Weight Watchers Redux - Week 1

Starting Weight: 303.4 lbs

 

That's a little horrifying. The last time I started, I was at 314. Now I'm at 303. Seriously. It's horrifying. I had been down into the 280s.

 

The class I'm doing now is at work. It's a 12 week class...for this one, they gave us all of our books up front and a nice little box with some extra books, a three month tracker and a few other goodies.

 

My point target for the first week is 42 points. That...that's just a lot of points. The one advantage is that can eat a little more than the average person. The disadvantage is...I can eat a little more than the average person. Let's hope I tell myself over and over not to get accustomed to it.

 

The good news is that in order to hit my 10 percent by the end of the 12 week class...I need to lose just 30 pounds. That means I just need to lose just 2.5 pounds per week for the next 12 weeks. It also means I'm going to start completely busting my butt at the gym every night. I also need to get a new scale after I work out tonight so that I can do "unofficial" weigh-ins each morning to make sure that I'm making progress.

 

Here we go again...

Week 3 Redux

It occurred to me late yesterday that I left out a major piece about Thursday night's run - I went to a different Y...and I went again last night.

 

The Cool Springs YMCA is a tiiiiiiny Y. Like tiiiiiiiny. It's in a converted warehouse/business park and only takes up about a third of the building. The wellness center features zero rowing machines and zero recumbent bikes. Aside from all of that, it was a really, really, really awesome treadmill that the other Y does not have. It has a feature on it where I can just punch in a number and it automatically goes to that speed. It makes the converstion from walking to running on the C25K all the easier.

 

I'll be spending my nonrunning (rowing) days at the trusty Franklin Y, but for the running ones, I think I'll be heading to Cool Springs...if for no other reason than their TVs get more channels (read: the ones with Braves games).

 

Last night was Week 3 Day 1. As I mentioned yesterday, it consists of two 90 second runs and two 3 minute runs. While the runs themselves weren't horrible...I will say that the second three minute run did leave me looking at the clock a lot...the treadmill was off center. It wobbled during the entire run...and I'm not entirely sure why...I think it may have been resting on a cord.

 

Also, the big toe on my right foot hurts today. That's a new one.

 

Weight Watchers is coming to my work later today, so I'm restarting the program. Details to come.

Week 2 Complete

Apparently, my last run on Week 2 went so well that I forgot to blog about it.

 

Don't you hate when that happens?

 

However, I did finish the first two weeks within a two week time period. That, I'm quite proud of. I didn't get to do my extra run on Saturday due to attending a Tomato Festival in the 100 degree heat...my legs are still sore though from all of that...I'm not entirely sure what that means.

 

Week 3 Day 1 is tonight. I'm a little nervous, but I've done it before. Moving from 1 minute to a minute and a half during Week 1 and 2 wasn't a huge issue at all. However, I remember quite well that the three minute runs are the start of the "not fun" part of this. Week 3 features a 90 second run, a 3 minute run, a 90 second run and another 3 minute run. Again, I only run for 9 minutes every day this week...but the 3 minute intervals are a wee daunting.

Week 2 Redux - One to Go!

Two down. One to go. Week 2 is almost done.

 

I didn't run back-to-back days as I had initially planned because I had a friend who needed me, so tonight will be the conclusion of Week 2. In two weeks, no less. So far I'm at my fastest completion rate yet!

 

Anyway, I showed up to the Y and found a treadmill. While I was listening to a book on tape on my iPod, I tend to want to turn the TV on while I run just to give me a little visual stimulation since I can't have the normal running down the road stimulation. Unfortunately, at this Y, all of the TVs with remote controls were taken, so I had to find one and hope it was on something I would want to watch...it was on ESPN2 and it was primetime, so I thought I was safe. Not so fast my friend. 3 minutes into the run, we came back from commercial break - professional women's softball. That's right...as I sat there running along, the whole gym saw me watching professional women's softball.

 

Did you even know there was such a thing as professional women's softball?

 

But I digress...the run wasn't hard...as I mentioned earlier, I'm going to try to finish up Week 2 tonight...so we'll see how it goes!

Another Week...Another Run

I hit week two running. Well, mainly because that's the point.

 

I'm too lazy to go back and look, but this may only be the second time that I've actually reached week two. The last time I made it through week five. I know as a fact that I've only made it into week three once.

 

As per week one, last night was on the treadmill...I listened to an audiobook while watching the Reds-Cardinals game.

 

A quick sidebar: I've been asked how I can listen to an audiobook when I run...basically, I just zone out...or I focus on more than one thing at a time. As you've seen from this blog if you've read back at all, I tend to go back and forth between books and music. Right now, I'm on books. I guarantee you that as soon as I run through Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy, we'll be right back to Pearl Jamming and DMBing it up. And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

 

Week Two consists of six 1:30 runs and 5 two minute walks. As I did last week, I did all of my walks at 3 MPH and my runs at 4 MPH. We're going on a flat course...my theory being that once I get the distance, then I can start messing with the speed and the terrain. In all honesty, it wasn't that much harder than any of last week's runs...towards the end, I started thinking that maybe I should have had a little bit more water before I came, but other than that...it was smooth sailing.

 

I'm learning quickly that the art is to go slooooow. As in, run as slow as you can while still maintaining a running stride.

 

Finally, again this week, I am running into a Friday night where I won't be able to run, which leaves me with two options - I can run again tonight and then Thursday or I can run tomorrow and then Thursday. I'm thinking that tonight would be my best option, so I will be doing W2D2 this evening and hoping that I recover enough to do W2D3 on Thursday.

Slow Slow Day

I don't really know what happened. Of course, I also don't know about the rowing machine, so there may be a setting that I'm missing. No matter how hard I tried, I could not move my pace under 10 minutes. I would lean forward and row as hard as possible...and I couldn't move under 10 minutes. I was just slow. So so slow.

 

My final time was 10:32.4, which was almost a minute and a half slower than Tuesday...and I don't know why. I should have been much faster, but I couldn't go.

 

The run, however, was decent. It was a little more exhausting than usual (considering I had just been on the rower), but it really didn't take me entirely too much effort to finish. And surprise - I'm done with Week 1! And two days in a row wasn't bad...I feel fine today. I really do think my only problems with soreness and tiredness were related to coming off the rower.

 

Contemplating going ahead and starting Week 2 tomorrow.

A dilemma...

I just realized that I won't be able to make it to the gym tomorrow night.

 

Tonight is my rowing night. Do I dare attempt Week 1 Day 3 the day immediately following Week 1 Day 2? I feel good enough after last night that I feel can do it...so I'm going to try it.

 

I'm just worried about how I'll feel tomorrow...and the day after tomorrow. I hope it doesn't set me back. Hopefully it will leap me forward.

 

There's only one way to find out!

C25K Reprise: Week 1 Day 2

In what I believe is my fifth attempt at the C25K, I think this is only the third time that I've made it to W1D2 and it may actually be only the second time I've made it there within the span of a week.

 

The run was almost the exact same as Monday...I built up to 3 MPH on the treadmill during the warmup...then did every run at 4 MPH. I was able to snag the treadmill in the corner, which meant I wouldn't be running in front of someone on an elliptical. For some reason, I don't want random cute girl on the elliptical to see me huffing and puffing and slowing down to a walk every other minute (or running at a blazing 4 MPH).

 

Also, my TV wouldn't work, so I listened to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo instead. Horrors, I know.

 

It definitely was the easiest W1D2 of the bunch, which I attribute to a) my new pacing rules and b) the fact that this isn't my first rodeo. To be honest, I could probably do all of Week 2 right now, considering that I run an extra 5-10 seconds on each run just to make sure I go all the way through it, but I want to do it correctly, so we'll stick with W1D3 tomorrow.

9:10.3

Subjects are hard. After a while, when you don't really have any rhyme or reason to naming your blog posts, you sort of just have to wing it...like yesterday's post, which I brilliantly named "Monday Monday" despite it being written on a Tuesday.

 

I did the rower last night and had a new personal best, thus, the title of the post. I at least have found a way to give my brain a little bit of a rest...I just have to get a personal best every day I do the rower. Or not.

 

Moving on, obviously, I finished my 2000m in 9:10.3. My initial timed runs last week were 9:44.9 and 9:48.5. Somehow in a week, I've become 30 seconds better. The only difference I made this time was I warmed up for about 5 minutes, going at a 15 minute pace. I also wore weightlifting gloves which, per my calculations, made me look approximately 8.2% more badass. And finally, I didn't have music because I forgot the armband to my iPod. It wasn't easy...not at all. For one thing, there was a guy on the rower next to me and he managed to move his rower over closer to mine. While it never hit hard enough to do anything but be annoying, he was so close that about every ten strokes or so, the bar from his rower would brush across my elbow. I wasn't a fan of that, but it wasn't like I could just get up and move his. Other than that, it felt like a strong run, but it probably could have been stronger. At one point near halfway, the monitor said that I was making about an 8 minute pace. My theory is that when I try it tomorrow, I should aim for a negative split so I have energy left in the last half to try to get below 9 minutes.

 

After my row, I went to my old trusty recumbent bike and did the old trusty Alpine Hill at old trusty level 8. I got past 10 miles, which was my goal - I've been out for a week, give me a break! While I contemplated a cooldown row, I realized that with my legs exhausted and W1D2 of the C25K coming up today, it was time to call it a night. And that's what I did.

Monday Monday...

No, this time I haven't been slacking. I've just been sick.

 

The last time I worked out was last Wednesday (July 21). The following night, I put on my gym clothes and went to eat dinner at the Cheesecake Factory before heading over to the gym. However, I was full and figured missing one night wouldn't hurt me.

 

At 5 am, I woke up...and I was sick. No gym for me Friday through Sunday. I still felt a little iffy on Monday and Tuesday. When I finally hit normalcy on Wednesday, I decided just to take the whole week off so I would be fully recovered and ready to rock and roll on Monday. Also, I managed to probably lose about 10 pounds while I was sick (I don't recommend it...at one point I decided that losing a limb would have been more pleasant).

 

Last night, I headed back to the trusty YMCA with running in my head...so I decided to try C25K one more time with what I believe is a failsafe strategy. I started out on the treadmill walking at 3 miles an hour and only ran at 4 miles an hour. Yes the runs were extremely slow, but they caused no pain and there was no doubt that I would get through them. In all of the W1D1's I've had, last night was the easiest. There really isn't much more to tell.

 

Tonight, I continue my rowing quest after my brief hiatus.

Row, Noob! Row!

Rowing is exhausting. Let me start with that.

Tonight marked my realization 6th trip to the gym in 7 days...that in and of itself is a small accomplishment.

I walked in, popped on the rower and set forth on my 2000m course. The other day, I finished in about 12:30, but I really didn't know what I was doing. I had a little more knowledge today, but started out very, very fast...it was sort of like starting out a run at a sprint...I knew I couldn't keep the pace, but it was fun while I did...and I clocked a 9:44.9 while burning 111 calories. Not too bad. Plus, when I got off, I was absolutely drenched in sweat...it was definitely an awesome 10 minute workout.

For my next magic trick, I went to the old trusty recumbent bike. For some reason, tonight some guy decided to plop right in the middle one. Maybe it's me, but I like for there to be a buffer machine if at all possible. Of course, if three people are using the machines, then absolutely - all three will be used. But if you're the only one there and all three machines are the exact same...take the one on the end. Don't be all up in my hula hoop. And don't be looking at my time trying to race me...I'm not doing the same workout you are.

Anyway, I hopped on to the bike, set it at Alpine Pass level 8 and just booked it for 30 minutes while watching Wipeout (which I'm fairly certain is the only thing that comes on TV in the summer). I made excellent time and finished with 11.59 miles. I might have been able to have 12...but I probably would have thrown up or passed out if I went any harder. Now that I've significantly passed my goal for the week, I'm probably going to take it a little easier on the recumbent bike tomorrow...perhaps going down to a level 6 or perhaps doing a non-Alpine Pass route as sort of a rest day. Alpine Pass, however, is a quality program on the recumbent bike.

Finally, I made my second round on the rower. This one was going to be more of a cool down, just get reps in 2000m. I wasn't in any shape or form trying to race my previous time...until I realized that I was pulling at a slightly more consistent rate and could come close to hitting my previous time. As the clock wound down on what I intended to be an easy 12-15 minute row, I realized I had a shot to break 10 minutes again, so I pushed for it...and nailed it. Second row was 9:48.5 and I burned 110 calories. My new goal for the remainder of the week is to knock the time under 9:40.

Tomorrow, we're back to the "easy" day...recumbent bike and elliptical. I'm starting to dig this.

Day Five!

I have been to the gym on 5 of the last 6 days!

 

Last night didn't add anything too wonderful or exciting to the repertoire other than my realization that a C25K on an elliptical is next to impossible due to a) the fact that I'm already pretty exhausted just doing the elliptical normally and b) the fact that the elliptical is best suited for interval training. Thus, if I train to go for 30 minutes on all high intensity, I'm not exactly getting the benefit of the elliptical. So, instead, I did 20 minutes of the interval course.

 

First, however, I went to the reliable recumbent bike. Actually, I went to a different one since mine was in use. That's right - mine. There's a row of three and I had been using the far left one every day...last night, I had to use the far right. Again, I did the Alpine Pass route for 30 minutes at level 8 intensity. After a 10.55 mile and a 10.62 mile day, I really picked it up last night, clocking 10.90 miles in 30 minutes...my goal for this week is to pass 11 miles in thirty minutes.

 

As I mentioned already, I then headed over to the elliptical for 20 minutes of interval training...I'm very, very careful not to rest on the rails when I do it...I know that takes away some of the calorie burn.

 

I'm actually starting to look forward to going each day. Tonight, as I mentioned yesterday, I'll be doing the rower again. After doing a little research, I discovered that there are actually indoor rowing competitions (?!?!?!) and that they always row at 2000m. That's also the distance that they travel during the Olympics on the water. Thus, I'll stick to two 2000m routes - one before the recumbent bike and one after. I didn't pay all that much attention to my time the other day, it was around 12:30, but I will definitely start tracking my time. If I can get down to 6:15, I might actually enter one of those competitions...who knows?

Row Row Row Your Boat...

Made it to the gym for the fourth time in the last five days...that's definitely not bad at all...

The only downside to working out on Sunday is that the Y I have decided to frequent is only open from 1-6 on Sunday...the other one the same driving distance away isn't even open on Sunday and most of the others either have the same hours or open at 12. The only one that actually does open at 8 am is also the busiest YMCA in all of the Middle Tennessee area...compound the fact that for four hours on Sunday mornings, it's also the only Y open in the Middle Tennessee area...and it makes for something that I really really don't want to go through...at least not for now.

So I waited until the 1 o'clock opening bell and headed into the Y...the good thing I've found about this Y is that it's not really that crowded...at the Y that I used to frequent (the Green Hills Family YMCA), virtually the only time you could find parking was after 8 o'clock PM. Even then, getting an exercise machine was hit-or-miss.

With the Franklin Family Y, I have been 4 times this week at 3 different times of day - 10:30 am, 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Not once have I had an issue with parking or with finding an available machine.

But...as usual...I digress.

When I rolled into the Y, I had a plan for once...today, the plan was another 30 minutes on the Alpine Hill on the recumbent bike and to try out the rowing machine.

I hopped on the bike, turned on the IRL race and started rolling up the Alps on level 10 (yesterday I went at level 8)...however, about halfway through, I realized that this was actually too much...I was bordering on the edge of quitting...so I backed it down again to level 8. I figure that I will climb my ways through the levels, spending the rest of this week at level 8 before moving onto level 9 this week. Today, I completed 10.55 miles in 30 minutes and - according to the monitor - burned 254 calories.

After hopping off the bike, I found the rowing machine. I turned on an audiobook on my iPod (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson) and selected a program called "Fish Game". Unfortunately, I had no idea how to play the fish game and after rowing for 5 minutes, I had a score of 0 and I had paid absolutely no attention to my audiobook, so I started over.

This time, I turned on M. Ward's Hold Time and selected a 2000 meter course on the machine...it took me approximately 13 minutes to finish it, but every muscle in my body was sore due to the fact that I was essentially doing squats and resistance training for almost 20 minutes. On Tuesday (which will be the next rowing day), I think I will try the 5000 meter course and finish with the recumbent bike...this definitely seems to be the machine that will work me the hardest...at least right now.

Tomorrow, I will begin the C25K on the crossfit elliptical thingy...after looking at it again, I think "crossfit" might be a brand name, but I'm not positive, so we'll call it a C25K on the elliptical instead. I recognize it's no substitute for the real thing, but probably when I'm done, I'm guessing it will make the real thing that much easier. Basically, the plan is to up my intensity during the running intervals and kind of recover during the non-running intervals. I can actually see this working with the bike, too, but let's do one thing at a time.

Finally, the Y has this program where you get points with every swipe...it's called "My Y Rewards"...you get 20 points with every swipe and there is a website full of "rewards" that you can buy with your points. Most of the stuff isn't too bad...books that you would actually read, DVDs that you would actually watch, some exercise things...I even saw an iPod shuffle. However, every 12 times you swipe, you get to spin a little fake prize wheel that they have. When I started going on Wednesday, I had 32 visits, which meant that I had 2 spins (both just got me 15 more points)...I've been 4 times since, which means I've accumulated another spin on the prize wheel, which I'll be taking tonight. In case your curious, I'm saving up my points to get the new Hank Aaron biography...I have about 20 more visits to go!

Until tomorrow!

This is new...

So last night, didn't get a run in due to Joe Biden visiting town and practically shutting off all routes South (aka: home) from work. Once I got home...rain started falling...and then thunder...and then then a big blob of red on the radar came right over the house.

Well, all of this completely ruined my plans for Week 1 Day 2 last night...considering that by the time the rain finally got to a point that I felt comfortable driving in, it was time for me to go to my friends' house for game night.

While we're sitting around...I look down at my feet...and notice that my left foot is huge...like HUGE. It's very, very swollen...no idea why.

Fast forward to this morning...we're still swollen...but I still need to work out.

Needless to say, I didn't run today...instead got on the recumbent bike and rode a route called "Alpine Pass" at a level 8 out of 20 for 30 minutes. According to the monitor, I covered 10.62 miles and burned 222 calories.

Then I moved over to the crossfit machine and worked there for about 15 minutes before I felt that I could not go any further...I'm going to have to keep working at this one...

Due to the swelling, not really sure I should run until I cut down on my weight quite a bit...it seems like the impact is putting too much weight down on my feet and my feet are fighting back...so I'm going to try to do a fake one on the crossfit first...plus, once I finish that, I should have my weight down enough to where maybe running won't cause me such an issue.

Since I did it today, however, I'm going to stay off it tomorrow and do the rowing machine (yes, they had one) and more recumbent bike. Monday should prove to be interesting, since it will be crossfit C25K Week 1 Day 1.

So far so good...

Well, I made it to the gym for the second night in a row...unfortunately, I didn't really have a plan in mind of what to do, so I just kind of haphazardly went about it while watching Wipeout on the gym televisions.

 

For 31 minutes, I walked on the treadmill generally between a 2.8 and 3.0 MPH pace. I recognize that's not remotely fast, but I didn't want to tire myself out for tonight's run. Also, instead of doing a flat course like the run, I did a program called "Pike's Peak" which obviously features a lot of inclines.

 

After the treadmill, I hopped onto a crossfit machine for 20 minutes...and after 20 minutes, I realized that it's what I should have been doing instead of the treadmill, as it clearly works different muscles in my legs.

 

Not sure if they have a rowing machine in there or not, but I'll be on the lookout for it tonight when I go for my run...gotta build up my 6 pack!

One. More. Time.

Here's hoping it's the last time...

 

Actually, my goal isn't to promote that I've updated the blog once I've completed all of Week 1 this time. But I have to update it anyway to document if I fail again.

 

I'd say it's getting ridiculous, but the more I read about it, the more common this is...people will get excited, start a routine, go out for one or two days...and then quit and start making excuses.

 

I tell myself no excuses. I tell myself I won't quit. And yet...I keep doing it. The worst part is that I'm not even meaning to quit when I quit...I just make an excuse ("Oh, 'The Bachelorette' is on tonight.") and then do it again the next day and the next day...and then before you know it, I haven't worked out in over a month.

 

I feel fatter than before...I would wager that if I stepped on a scale, I'd be close to 300 pounds again. It's frustrating...a lot of these blogs are about success, but for the most part, mine is about failure after failure after failure...and I want to stop that.

 

Last night, I started C25K yet again. This time, however, I'm going about it a little differently - on a treadmill with no incline. I figure that once I can run 30 minutes, then I can start throwing terrain at me. The good part of the treadmill is that it tells me exactly how far I've gone so I can mark definitive progress.

 

I recently discovered when the YMCA took a debit out of my checking account that I was still a member there, so I dug up my pass and headed over to the Franklin Family YMCA. I've determined a smaller goal of mine is to go to every Y in Middle Tennessee and review them...I mean Y not? Bwahahahaha. But I digress.

 

I went to the Y, walked in and quickly found the Wellness Center (the doors are marked with signs above them and it was on my left as soon as I walked in). The treadmills were at the front of the room in front of a big glass wall...I wasn't a fan of that, considering I kind of don't like to be seen when I run. Preferably, I'd be at a treadmill tucked away in a corner somewhere away from wandering eyes. Yes, I'm self-conscious. Instead, I felt like I was essentialy on stage at the front of the room. The windows, however, provided a different experience because they made me actually feel like I was going somewhere instead of just standing on a treadmill. There was also a television in front of each treadmill. Unfortunately, mine did not have a remote control and was stuck on Fox News. Luckily my iPod and Jack Johnson's En Concert were there to save me.

 

The run itself wasn't really anything to write home about...but look at me, writing home about it. It was the typical C25K Week 1 Day 1 (W1D1) workout - 5 minute warmup, eight 90 second walking intervals, nine 60 second running intervals, 5 minute cooldown. On my first interval, I tried to run at 5 MPH, but realized there was no comfortable way I could do that, so I backed it down to 4.5. The rest of my intervals were run at 4.3-4.5 MPH (although I think I had a 4.2 in there) and most of my walking intervals were done between 2.8-3.0 MPH. I was a little disappointed by how slow I could comfortably run, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was only the first day - endurance first, speed later.

 

When I finished, I had completed 1.68 miles in 31 minutes, a snail-like average speed of 3.2 MPH, meaning I ran a penguin-esque pace of 18:45.

Back in Black...

I've already mentioned that last week's run was painful...seriously, seriously painful.

The next few days afterwards, I started to get extremely sore...could barely move my legs...much less contemplate running...all of which I attribute to the fact that I didn't finish out my cool down and went straight from running to my car.

Tonight, I began again...well, not really "began again"...I took off on my second go round of W1D1, considering the last one more of a fitness trial.

This time around, though, I have several things to consider. I'm a big guy, so I don't exactly wear light colored clothes. Thus, all of my workout clothes are either black or navy blue. This worked well back when I lived at the apartment because I ran on the concrete sidewalk that was lit for miles. Now, however, there is very little lighting to speak of whatsoever.

Thus, I popped onto my old friend RoadID.com and purchased some new gear to help me be more visible running during the night: a green FireFly Supernova (this thing is freaking bright...I also got green because I didn't want to be mistaken for a firetruck or a police car), reflective shoelaces and this spiffy hat (actually, the hat makes me look a bit like a dork...but it's reflective and comfortable).

After putting everything on, I headed out the door tonight at 9:00 and just took off exploring side streets. The Supernova is essentially a miniature strobe light and it is bright. I know I've already said that, but I need to emphasize that it. is. bright. Like I could see living rooms light up when I ran by them and it would flash. There's a way to turn off the strobe and turn it into one constant beam...I may do that for my next run. However, I was certain that I was being seen. I saw two cars very specifically change lanes to move out of my way. Of course, I probably look a little crazy with a green strobe light on my wrist.

There are several huge differences in running in this neighborhood versus the old one. For starters, my run tonight was almost entirely flat. While I did have the option of taking a pretty steep hill, I remember there being some dogs up there that weren't in a fence, so I didn't want to chance that in the dark. The other thing is that it is dark out here. I'm used to running under a street light every 50 feet. At one point, I had to take down a trail between two little sections of our neighborhoods and had to use the SuperNova as a flashlight...and the strobe wasn't exactly comforting...which is yet another reason to turn it to just a constant light...or I could dig out my old Petzl headlamp. That might be an interesting look for someone who isn't an ultramarathoner.

The run itself went fine...the air was a little humid but not suffocating...as I mentioned, the terrain is mostly flat...instead of the sidewalks, however, I ran on the streets. I've noticed in 5ks that for some reason it's actually been tougher for me when I hit asphalt...so I figure I may as well make sure that I get plenty of it in.

All in all, it was a good real Week 1 Day 1. I didn't really run any sort of route...I just ran around...I know this neighborhood like the back of my hand and still managed to get slightly lost (I turned one street to early trying to come back)...that was a little bit fun and a little bit frustrating...but I'm just glad to know that I'm back.

Third time's a charm...

Well...here we are again...the third try. This one, however, is the one.

Life has changed a lot for me over the past few months...I moved out of my old apartment and moved back home with my family...I'm planning on going to grad school for the next year or so and now I will have the chance to focus on my studies and save my money.

Also, I wrote a little blog that inspired a lot of people. I did the media circuit for a while...and now I'm almost all the way back to earth.

My life has finally started to settle back down and so now, it's time for me to start it back up.

It's Memorial Day today, so I don't have work...thus, I figured, today is a great day to get back into the swing of things. The temperature is in the 70s, the weather is sunny for the most part, pools are open, birds are out...it's a good day to start a running program.

I've been here before. Hopefully, today was my last Week 1 Day 1 and I won't be back here again in a few months explaining how I'm starting over again and I promise that this time will be the time. I do have a few things going for me now...my support system is a little bigger...my family lives in the house with me now, so they're going to be pushing me out that door...it's easy to make excuses on the phone and on the internet...not so easy when they're staring right at you telling you to go run.

This afternoon, I moseyed on over to Granny White Park...the sight of several of my runs earlier this year with my friend Mandi, including the infamous snow run.

To put it lightly, today was not a snow run. Today was hell.

Week 1 Day 1 is easy. I knew that. The first time sucks a little, but altogether, by the end of Week 1, it's practically a cakewalk.

So why did today suck so hard?

If you've ever been to the South in the summer, you know about the humidity. It's stifling. Yeah, the temperature was in the 70s, but the humidity was simply suffocating. My first few one minute intervals were fine, but the longer I went, the hotter I got...and the hotter I got, the dryer I felt.

At one point, a city truck drove up behind me and started blasting his horn...mind you, this is on a pedestrian trail in a park that isn't even wide enough for a truck...

I completed two full laps around the 0.8 mile trail before I hit the cooldown.

However, because I was so hot and since I was fairly close to dehydration, I skipped the cooldown, walked to my car and turned the air conditioning on high.

Which means there are three things I learned today for summer running: a) run in the morning before the sun gets up high in the sky and heats everything up, b) drink tons of water and c) bring water with me. I didn't have any with me because I've never felt the need after a thirty minute run to drink all that much water...today was entirely different.

And it's not even summer yet.

An Unexpected Setback

Did you know that you can injure parts of yourself that are not in your legs while running?

 

I sure didn't...but all day Wednesday and Thursday, my left shoulder was killing me to the point that I was absolutely convinced I had torn my rotator cuff. I had to beg off my first softball practice last night and haven't been able to get any crosstraining in because even slightly moving it hurt a ton.

 

Luckily, this morning, all the pain is gone...so I'm guessing whatever it was worked its way out during the night.

 

Okay, it's not really a setback...I just missed one night of running that I can easily make up tonight...but it was still kind of bizarre to hurt my shoulder running.

 

What are some of the more unconventional running/workout injuries that you have had?

Reboot: Week 1 Day 2

As I mentioned yesterday, last night I felt fit enough from my run on Monday to head out for my second straight day.

 

After about 10 minutes, however, I didn't feel so fit. My legs felt heavy and my whole body felt like it was trying to wade through mud, but I kept on and finished just a little further back from where I did on Monday. The main difference between the two runs was that I felt like I had to expend a lot more effort during this run than the last.

 

The good news is that I finally figured out my Nike SportBand and was able to get my run uploaded onto the internet.

 

The bad news is that for some reason, my left shoulder is absolutely killing me right now. It woke me up at around 4:30 and I wasn't able to get back to sleep. Icy Hot and Advil have helped a little, but I'm not sure what's going on with it.

 

Tonight, so I won't be swinging my arms back-and-forth and so I won't feel like I'm running through mud, I'm just going to ride the exercise bike for a little bit and then get back out on the road tomorrow.

The Before Pics

Surprised I haven't posted these yet...here are pictures of me from last September when I went to Japan...I'll start posting weekly "after" pictures each week after Weight Watchers

Reboot: Week 1 Day 1

Last night I restarted the C25K. It's been almost 6 months since I began my attempt to become a runner...something's not quite right here. I feel that after about December, I started to half-ass my way through it...and that's not exactly something I planned to do.

 

So last night, I began again.

 

Right now, per Weight Watchers, I weigh approximately 295 pounds. I started at 314.8. While I've been under the 300 pound barrier for a few weeks now, I want to break the 290 pound barrier at some point while I'm young, so I'm going to dig deeper and push farther.

 

I took out on a route that I've become a little more accustomed to lately. It's a 4 mile loop that's an extension of the Marriott Route that I was so fond of. I start at my trusty old fire hydrant and instead of turning around just past the hotel, I keep running all the way down to the end of the street. The route is hilly, but scenic and filled with all sorts of landmarks so I can mark my progress. Admittedly, I'll be running it in the daytime come summer due to my deathly fear of snakes.

 

It was a decent first run back...I ran it late at night as is my general M.O. I like to be on the road alone when I run, although I feel that I should invest in a reflective vest of some sort. I did see three deer, which also made me realize that it will probably be snake territory come summer. In all honesty, I've run the route two other times "off the grid" recently, but this time made it much further than I had. My first goal is to make it to the turn around point before my time runs out. That would give me approximately a 15 minute average mile.

 

My next step might be mildly controversial to C25K adherents...while I plan to add some cross training and weight training into my plan, I feel fantastic today...so I'm going to run again tonight. With the C25K plan, you're supposed to rest every other day, but I'm ignoring that. I know my body needs rest, but my last attempt showed me that the C25K may provide a little too much rest. It was next to impossible for me to complete some of the later runs, so I'm going to add more to build my endurance. I don't necessarily have a set "plan" for how this is going to work each week. Right now, the only plan is that if I feel I can run, I will run. I'm not going to push myself to the point of injury. If at some point tonight I feel that I've hit my breaking point, I'll stop it and walk.

 

If I don't, I'll just keep running.

Polar Bear 5k (2010 Run 11)

Date: 2/24/10
Time of Day: 6:00 AM
Location: Belmont University

Conditions: 26 degrees F, cloudy (when the sun came up)
Music: Random Running Music

Clothing: Jacket, short sleeved wicking shirt, lined compression tights, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

For homecoming week, my alma mater - Belmont University - had their own 5k...dubbed the "Polar Bear 5k".

 

Unlike pretty much any 5k I've ever done...it was run on the morning of a workday...although it was run extremely early.

 

I met my friend Mandi and we headed over, found the runners and realized that despite still being in our 20s...we were the oldest people there. In fact, we may have been the only alumni there.

 

It was cold. And early.

 

Mandi and I moseyed to the back of the pack of about 80 so that we would be out of the way of the ones that were running the whole route. I knew this would be a hilly course, so my plan was the same as my Fangtastic 5k plan. I would run the downhills and walk the uphills.

 

The course started out relatively flatly and I ran for the first 6 minutes until it cut off of Belmont Boulevard and onto a side street.

 

Then the uphill climb began. For the next 20 minutes, the course went continuously uphill through streets that were not exactly blocked.

 

Finally, after what seemed like hours...I hit a downhill...and it was a BIG downhill.

 

I started running and actually CAUGHT Mandi (who had been walking for a portion...but she generally walks faster than I run, so this was an accomplishment for me).

 

We turned left and started walking. For the remainder of the course, we would pick landmarks and run to them and then walk again.

 

At one point, however, we noticed that the entire pack was cutting left onto a side street...and had not been directed to do so. Neither Mandi nor I thought this was right (I would have finished in about 32 minutes had that been the case), so we pushed on without turning. Sure enough, we got to a couple of students telling us to turn left. I'm fairly certain that we were the ONLY two people out of the whole field who had run the correct course.

 

We came to the unmarked finish line and decided to hit it running...which we did...in 44:18 according to their time...which according to my body means that it was not a full 5k.

 

Nevertheless, we both claim it as a victory...as we are confident that were the only ones to run the route correctly.

 

11 down. 199 to go.

Shorts in February (2010 Run 10)

Date: 2/20/10
Time of Day: 12:00 PM
Location: Crockett Park

Conditions: 60 degrees F, sunny
Music: Random Running Music

Clothing: short sleeved wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

Less than a day after my speed drill, I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous and unseasonably warm day in Nashville.

 

It was sunny, it was comfortable...it was running weather.

 

Near my apartment, there is a park named Crockett Park. It features a variety of trails...and is right next to the campus of the middle school where I won my only career wrestling match (it was by forfeit, but a win is a win).

 

I put the top down on my convertible and headed over to do a little run. I had no idea what sort of terrain I was getting into, so I didn't really head in with any true goals.

 

After looking around for a minute, I found a trail and hopped on it. This trail ran into some woods and near a frisbee golf course. I came to a bridge and decided to start running...and when I got to the other side, I was in a giant open field.

 

I was able to push out about 4 minutes of running before the previous night's speedwork got to me, so I walked for another 4-5 minutes or so and started running again.

 

This time the trail took me around some soccer fields and past a guy running with the absolute goofiest pose I've ever seen (I fear that it was the POSE method or Chi Running...both of which I've been curious about...but if I look that goofy, I don't have the confidence to do it). I started to loop back around and then decided to walk for a minute.

 

This time I had covered 8 minutes. After a little more walking, I ran one more time and re-entered the loop I was in.

 

The last run I pushed for 12 minutes, giving me 24 minutes total run time. And 3 runs in a week for the first time in a very, very long time. It's a trail I will definitely try again.

 

10 down. 200 to go.

Moving Indoors (2010 Run 9)

Date: 2/19/10
Time of Day: 10:30 PM
Location: Apartment gym

Conditions: 71 degrees of climate controlled goodness
Music: Winter Olympics

Clothing: Short sleeved wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

I decided to try something different. On a whim, I wanted to see how fast I could run.

 

Thus, I abandoned any usual training (not that my training had been remotely usual or routine) that I had been doing and went indoors.

 

I switched on the Olympics and tried to run a 10 minute mile. I knew it was going to be hard and I'd probably be very panty by the time I was done, but I tried it.

 

The first 10 seconds or so went well...and then I started to feel it. It was actually a little scarier than I had anticipated. While I was able to keep the pace, I did start to worry as I sped the treadmill up that my legs would not be able to keep up with the machinery and I would be zoomed off the back. Luckily, that didn't happen. What did happen was every muscle in my body started to ache as I was clearly pushing waaaaay into the anaerobic zone. I was able to make 2 minutes before I couldn't go a step further...so I backed it back down to a walk.

 

Then I decided, we'll just do Week 1 Day 1 at essentially a sprint. Work in some speed drills. I was able to complete 4 reps before I really, really started hurting.

 

In the end, I only ran for 6 minutes, but I ran at a pace that was about 120 percent of my usual pace...it was a speed drill. And I was definitely exhausted.

 

9 down. 201 to go.

Trying to Find Motivation (2010 Run 8)

Date: 2/17/10
Time of Day: 9:30 PM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 35 degrees F, breezy, (29 degree wind chill)
Music: Under the Dome by Stephen King

Clothing: Jacket, short sleeved wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

Lately, I've been having trouble finding the motivation to get out and run. I don't know why.

 

Every excuse in the book that I can find, I use it.

 

"Oh, it's too late, I'll run in the morning."

 

"Oh, it's too early, I'll run after work."

 

"Oh, I'm so tired from work, I'll run later."

 

"Oh, I haven't eaten yet, I can't run on an empty stomach."

 

"Oh, I'm so full, if I run now I'll pop."

 

"It's too cold/snowy/rainy for running."

 

I keep having these 10-11-12 day gaps in my running. What this means is that as of yesterday morning, I had only run 7 days this year. My goal is 210. To put it in the nicest terms possible, I'm behind my goal. To be more blunt, I need to get off my fat, lazy butt.

 

Somehow last night, I was able to convince myself to head out the door.

 

The Marriott Route was just as I had left it (although at one point, I did jump when I saw the shadow of a sprinkler flag because I thought it was an animal).

 

As I have in the past, I started out with a warmup run. I ran from my starting point for 8:30 according to my watch. Usually I run around 5, but I was determined to push a little harder and a little longer due to my inactivity.

 

After a four minute walk, I kicked into gear again, ran to the halfway point, turned and ran all the way down the hill and within probably a tenth of a mile before my starting point. Time of second run - 16:00. I was contemplating doing another out-and-back at this point, so I was walking back to the starting mark.

 

Unfortunately, when I turned, I realized that I really was tired (which I felt was an acceptable excuse after running for 24 minutes). So I walked back to the point that I had stopped running, turned and ran back to the start. This only took about 2 minutes, but it allowed me to finish running.

 

It wasn't my best run and it wasn't my worst run. It was just a run. And that was the whole point. I needed to run.

 

Now I need to run again.

 

8 down. 202 to go.

Fangtastic 5k (2010 Run 7)

Date: 2/6/10
Time of Day: 10:00 AM
Location: Downtown Nashville

Conditions: 32 degrees F, windy, light snow (20 degree wind chill)
Music: Under the Dome by Stephen King

Clothing: Jacket, short sleeved wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

Just when you thought I was getting back on track, the Snowpocalypse hit Nashville.

 

Two days after my long run, a snowstorm came and dropped about 3 inches of snow on the ground...and then another half an inch or so of ice. If you're not from the South, you probably are thinking...so what? Well...it rarely snows here, so we're not really prepared for it. The roads are slippery because they are ice, we don't have snow tires or chains or anything of that nature. As it was virtually impossible to walk outside without sliding all over the place, I spent about 5 days in a row snowbound.

 

Thus, I went into the Fangtastic 5k woefully untrained.

 

And woefully unprepared. It was around 35 degrees when I left the house. I didn't check the weather because the local weather channel tends to run Degrassi: The Next Generation on Saturday mornings. As much as I care about Paige Michalchuk's angsty teenage years, I really just want to know if I need to put on long pants or not. I risked it and put on shorts, figuring that if it was 35 now, by about 10:30, it would be in the 40s...and with running, I would be warm.

 

Instead it cooled down. When I wasn't running, I was cold.

 

The race started next to the Sommet Center (Formerly the Nashville Arena-Gaylord Entertainment Center-Nashville Arena) tower. The gun went off and it took me over 3 minutes to get to the start line. Once I got there, Gnash, the Preds mascot, was cheering everyone on and pointing them in the direction of the first turn.

 

The race started with a short run down Broadway. I started running from the get go. From Broadway, we turned left onto First Avenue where we ran up the hill. I kept running until the course forked off onto Gay Street to go under the bridge. If you're not from Nashville, just pretend you are following along. Essentially, I ran until there was an uphill.

 

I walked the uphill until I reached the center of the "peak" and ran the downhill around as far as I could for about 6-7 minutes. The course snaked around some other streets and past the Municipal Auditorium. At this point, we had another big downhill, so I ran it to the bottom for another 5 minutes or so.

 

Once we reached the bottom, we were at the bottom of Capitol Hill...and now we had to go up it. The road next to the Capitol was insanely steep and I don't know that I would have run it if I could...it looked like it would be hell on my ankles. So, I walked it. Walk the uphills, run the downhills. That was my strategy as soon as I figured out that the course was uphill both ways...in the snow (because it was very much snowing).

 

When I hit the top of the hill, we were next to the Downtown Library...and some homeless men started trying to hit up runners for money. Not to be rude, but my shorts didn't even have pockets...I don't know where they expected the money to magically appear from. I politely declined and was promptly yelled at. Since the course was about to meander on the downhill and since I was now scared for my life...I started running again.

 

This time, I ran all the way down the hill, took the right on Second Avenue and ran until second crossed Broadway. I walked from Second Avenue until the course took a right onto Demonbreun. I continued walking until it took a right back towards the finish line next to the Sommet and ran the remainder.

 

It was a tough, hilly course. But I definitely did better than my usual. It was a new PR - 47:08 (looking forward to the day I laugh at that). My goal was to hopefully beat 50 minutes. I beat it by almost 3 minutes...which makes me optimistic that 45 minutes is just around the corner.

 

7 down. 203 to go!

Testing My Limits (2010 Run 6)

Date: 1/26/10
Time of Day: 9:45 PM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 30 degrees F
Music: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin, Blind Side by Michael Lewis

Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, tights, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

A couple of days ago, I signed up for the Nashville Predators Fangtastic 5k, which occurs on February 6th. I also didn't think about how the 6th is less than a week-and-a-half away and I haven't been able to run longer than 3 minutes since the beginning of the year. I also didn't think about how the Predators tend to add "Fang" to words to make them hockey related. It's sort of like Bring It On where normal prefixes are replaced with "cheer-", as in "cheertastic", "cheertastrophe", "cheermare", etc. But as per usual...I digress.

 

I had a couple of things on my mind last night: I needed to run to get back into my routine, I needed to finish my audiobook (Born Standing Up by Steve Martin) and I wanted to test my limits AND see how fast I could finish 3.1 miles. Okay, so technically that's four things.

 

I've only run the Marriott Route last night, but my plan was to go out-and-back twice, which would take me a little over 4 miles. My plan was essentially just to run when I felt I could run and walk when I felt I could walk. For the time being, I've abandoned any strict adherence to the C25K and will just focus on running. It seems that if I run more days in a week, I'll be able to maintain my fitness better. Obviously, I'll push harder on some days than others.

 

The run began with a nice 7 minute run before I decided to walk. The bottoms of my feet were hurting a bit, 7 minutes being the longest run I've had this year. I walked for about the next 5-6 minutes (I didn't really track my walking time) and kicked into gear again at the stoplight, with my plan of running to the end of the route, turning around and running back to the stoplight.

 

Instead, I ran from the stoplight, to the end of the route...and then ran all the way back to my starting point. I ran for 17 minutes and - for the first time ever - completed an entire length of the course running. According to Nike+, I had covered 2.34 miles at that point, which means I had just run for over 1.2 miles (because I started running before the course turned). I then turned around to start my second out-and-back, walking back to the point that I had stopped running the last time. I figured it wouldn't be too much stress to cover the only part of the route that I had walked earlier, meaning that I would have run every inch of the route. And I did just that...it took me about 3-4 minutes to cover the portion of the route I missed (admittedly, I forgot to look at my watch at this point, focusing more on completing the part I had missed earlier).

 

I stopped a little past the point where I had started earlier (because I wasn't sure if I had run through the crosswalk before...I wanted to be sure to cover it). I hit my turnaround point, walked back to the stoplight and started running again. And ran for the next 10 minutes until I reached the last bit of sidewalk near my starting point. I had run for a grand total of almost 40 minutes.

 

When I hit my finishing point, I stopped the Nike+. According to that, I had covered 4.65 miles in 1 hour and 8 minutes. Which means my pace was slightly over 14.5 minutes - and I walked my two walks fairly slowly. After the first out-and-back, it had my pace at slightly over 13 minutes...which means my pace is significantly improving.

 

I'm not entirely sure how stopping running has improved my pace...but it has. And it felt awesome. The test run, I think, is going to become a weekly thing until I can complete at least one out-and-back without stopping (it's the all-uphill beginning that gets me, I think). And then I'll work on completing a second circuit and so forth.

 

6 down - 204 to go!

Pain Free! (2010 Run 5)

Date: 1/23/10
Time of Day: 10:30 AM
Location: Granny White Park

Conditions: 53 degrees F, cloudy 
Music: Miscellaneous

Clothing: Short wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

So far this year, my New Years' Resolution of running 210 days seems to have been overreaching for me. It is a little disconcerting to have injured myself on the first run of the year. If you've been keeping up with me, you'll know that I've missed runs and ultimately took 12 days off due to the fact that I pretty much couldn't walk anywhere due to my limp. And then it still hurt.

 

So again...I took another week off. Which meant that before Saturday, I had run a grand whopping total of one (1) day in the last 19. Yup. This resolution is going fantastic. At this pace, I'll have 60 days of running in before the end of the year.

 

I should explain before I get further that I'm planning on adding more running days to my repertoire as I get more in running shape. The worst part about my extended absence and so forth is that I have completely lost where I was. A little over a month ago, I was able to pull off a 20 minute run. Now 3 minutes is difficult.

 

Mandi and I gathered at our usual Saturday stomping grounds - Granny White Park. (Sidenote: Yes, that is the real name. Granny White ran an inn in the 1800's that was famous for the "white lightning" served within. So in the fashion typical of a state that named a college after a Jack Daniel's master distiller...they named the park and the street it's on after a 19th century barmaid. Classy!)

 

Since I've fallen so far behind in my training, as I mentioned last week, I've decided just to pick up where Mandi is...so this run was Week 3 Day 2, which of course shouldn't discourage any of you...I mean, I know it's hard to believe we're already on Week 3...especially when you consider that I started the play FOUR MONTHS AGO. But I digress...

 

Saturday was warmish - at least in the morning. By "warmish", I mean...it wasn't snowing. So...as I am somewhat insane. I went out on January 23rd in shorts and an Under Armour t-shirt. Because I'm a real man.

 

Anyway, we set out on the trail (while avoiding children riding their bicycles on the walk/jog only path followed by their yuppy mother on her cell phone) and began the second run through week 3. The first minute and a half run wasn't difficult. It rarely is. I don't actually think it was difficult even during my first go round.

 

The three minute runs, though, were painful. Thankfully, for the first time all year, the pain was not in my AT. It was side stitches. I guess I've been out of it so long, I've lost my breathing training. But my leg was pain free...that was the big accomplishment.

 

I am still slooooow. Mandi had to keep turning around to catch up with me (and I think at one point walked at my running pace), but I finished it again. And, again, finished without pain. That's the best part. The very best part.

 

Now...to keep it rolling. I can't fall out of training again. I've already learned what happens.

 

5 down. 205 to go!

Weight Watchers

Holy bajeezus!

 

It occurs to me that I've been doing Weight Watchers for 6 weeks and I have yet to blog about it.

 

So...I've been doing Weight Watchers for 6 weeks.

 

My starting weight was 315.6 pounds. As of Saturday's weigh-in, I am at 299.6. That puts me halfway to my little 10 percent keychain. And out of the 300s!

 

Weight Watchers in and of itself is actually quite easy. At the start of the plan, I was able to eat 43 points...after losing a few pounds, now I'm "only" able to eat 41 points a day. Trust me. 41 is a LOT of points.

 

The problem I run into each morning is breakfast. I can never seem to get breakfast, but I've discovered all sorts of low point meals.

 

I'll go into more detail in the future...but right now, 16 pounds!

Fighting Through Injuries (2010 Run 4)

Date: 1/16/10
Time of Day: 10:30 AM
Location: Granny White Park

Conditions: 42-47 degrees F, cloudy 
Music: Running Music 1

Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, compression shorts, shorts

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

Twelve days.

 

I didn't run for 12 whole days. Admittedly, this is because I've barely been able to walk due to the pain in my Achilles Tendon, much less run. I am so off my plan that it's not even funny.

 

I met Mandi at Granny White Park for our Saturday run. W3D1 was her planned run...and considering I was so far off of my training...I figured I'd just follow along.

 

For January, it was a nice day. Heck, considering the negative wind chill days we'd been having, it was outright gorgeous. I was running in shorts, after all.

 

The first 90 second run ended before I knew it had started, but the first 3 minute run surprised the heck out of me. I remember struggling through it the first go round...and today was no different. Plus, I was hitting the ground a little more gingerly due to the Achilles.

 

The third run was another 90 seconder which, again, went by fairly quickly. But the final run - the second three minutes - admittedly had me in tears. For one thing, I was able run for almost 30 minutes a mere month ago. Now, I'm struggling to knock out three minute runs. For another, my Achilles was absolutely killing me. It hurt so freaking bad. And I don't even land ON my heel.

 

But I finished. Granted...in tears, but I finished.

 

And it hasn't hurt since.

 

4 down...206 to go.

Welcome to Marriott (2010 Run 3)

Date: 1/4/10
Time of Day: 7:00 PM
Location: Marriott Route

Conditions: 23 degrees F, windy, 15 degree wind chill
Music: Random Britney
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, jacket, cold weather running pants, gloves, knit cap

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

(I'm trying more creative names for this year)

 

Mandi came for our second running meet-up of 2010. This time we took to one of my personal routes...my recent favorite - the Marriott Route, my uphill out/downhill back route.

 

I felt like a magician revealing my magic tricks as we headed out the door.

 

For starters, being January, it is going to be cold everyday...but considering how cold it was on Saturday, this was practically warm in comparison. Also, I bought new running pants on the way home at Academy Sports. Essentially, they are lined tights and they look oh so attractive. I threw some shorts over them so I didn't look like Tron Guy.

 

Mandi is on Week 2...and considering I seem to have lost a lot of my built-up endurance and my Achilles has been bugging me, I decided to do it right along side of her.

 

Unfortunately for me, I was having trouble with my iPod, so she actually started out a minute in front of me...so I essentially sprinted my first interval to catch back up to her (as I've mentioned before...she's a lot faster than me). This turned out to be my mistake of the evening. I obviously bumped my heartrate up into the anaerobic stratosphere because it had not really come back down by the second interval...and so I had to push along through that one.

 

My Achilles continued to bug me through about the 4th interval when the soreness finally went away (downhill also probably helped).

 

Meanwhile, my iPod kept throwing "Toxic" remixes at me...I just kept hearing, "Can you feel me now?" over and over and over and over.

 

I didn't have trouble finishing it...considering I had done 90 second runs with 2 minute walks before...and far longer intervals...but for some reason, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

 

Regardless, I knocked out another day of running and had fun running with my friend.

 

3 down. 207 to go!

I may be crazy.. (2010 Run 2)

Date: 1/2/10
Time of Day: 9:00 AM
Location: Granny White Park

Conditions: 17 degrees F, windy, light snow, 4 DEGREE WIND CHILL
Music: Random
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, jacket, tights, lined pants, gloves, knit cap

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

So...this running thing is making me a little bit insane, I think.

 

My friend Mandi is my real life accountability partner when it comes to my running. She's the only one that doesn't think I'm insane when I tell her the things I do and she's always supportive. So, for the new year, we've decided that every Saturday is Patten-Mandi Run Hour. She's afraid she's fallen off the horse...and I want someone to actually see me doing this so they know I'm not just supercreative and making the whole thing up. Also, because I wanted to prove to the Internet that I do in fact have a social life...but I digress.

 

We met at Granny White Park in Brentwood, Tennessee. The snow was falling and the temperature was...well, according to my thermometer, there wasn't one. I took a sip of water and left it on the trunk of my car. Within about a minute, the water had a layer of ice on top. It was cold. And there were snowflakes falling.

 

Granny White Park consists of a .8 mile loop. Admittedly, I didn't know how much running would actually be occurring due to my 5k the previous day and some residual Achilles Tendon soreness. Thus, I started out slowly. There was ice all along the sides of the trail, so I had to be careful not to step in any.

 

I didn't run to any specific C25K run this time either, since I knew I couldn't hit W6D3, especially not with the sore Achilles. Instead, I decided I would just run to every other song on my iPod and pray that Free Bird didn't come up. Admittedly, I didn't get all that far with it, probably running a total of 1 loop with my runs combined. I haven't done the math with the time, but I do know that the songs I ran to were "Womanizer", "Apache" and one of the songs off of the Rocky score. Probably about 8-10 minutes of total running time.

 

The soreness went away a bit during the first run and was completely gone by "Apache". However, I noticed that my entire body just felt heavy when I tried to move my legs. It was definitely a little more difficult due to fatigue. Also, my sweat appeared to be freezing.

 

When I rounded a corner on my last lap, I saw Mandi stretching and waiting at her car (yeah, she completely kicked my butt), so I figured...last run, let's end it like yesterday. I picked up my feet and went into a dead on sprint...and the finish never seemed to come...according to MapMyRun.com, my sprint was .2 miles. My legs, though, didn't feel it afterwards, which was fantastic.

 

Also, despite the 4 degree wind chill...I was hot. True story.

 

I'm starting to think this is how I'm going to end all of my runs.

 

2 down, 208 to go.

Resolution Run (2010 Run 1)

Date: 1/1/10
Time of Day: 10:00 AM
Location: Downtown Nashville

Conditions: 25 degrees F, windy (16 degree wind chill)
Music: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
Clothing: Long sleeve wicking shirt, jacket, tights, lined pants, gloves, knit cap

Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

 

The holidays absolutely killed my running schedule.

 

I would have my run time planned out in advance...and without fail, I would be called to do yard work or meet at someone's house instead. Or would somehow not be able to use the shower.

 

I went 9 consecutive days without running...and it felt awful. In fact, it started to feel like I wasn't going to be able to get back out. Once I got completely off my routine, I wasn't able to get back on it.

 

Then New Year's came. Everyone tries to start anew on the New Year, I'm no different.

 

For 2010, I've made the following fitness resolutions:

- Run 210 Days

- Weigh 210 Pounds

- Run a Half-Marathon (I'm assuming that I'm going to finish a 5k, so I'm not even considering that a resolution...)

 

I had already registered for the Resolution Run in Downtown Nashville, assuming it would be the first 5k I would complete with running. However, considering I hadn't run in a week and a half, I honestly had no idea how I would do. I went in with no plan and no goals. Just finish.

 

I parked behind the Sommet Center (or Nashville Arena, depending on how the current naming rights lawsuit is going) where my beloved Nashville Predators play and then got in a very, very long line to pay at the electronic kiosk. After waiting about 20 minutes and the line barely moving, one of the race officials came over to say that we did not have to pay to park. That was a relief, as it was getting close to start time and I still hadn't picked up my packet.

 

The weather outside was frightful. Okay, maybe not, but it was definitely colder than anything I had run in before. After I ran my t-shirt back to the car, I attached my number and my chip and moved to the starting line in front of the Schermerhorn Center. The race ran down to First Avenue by the river. I decided to try W6D3, not sure if I'd be able to complete it. My run kicked in right as we passed under the pedestrian bridge and I was able to keep running the Church Street, which, according to MapMyRun.com, is 0.31 miles, pretty much all uphill. Not really my best effort to date, but at least I was running. Day 1/210 officially complete there, but miles to go before I sleep.

 

So we get to the top of the hill by the Davidson County Courthouse and turn onto the Woodland Street bridge and head over the river. The bridge is pretty much downhill, but I was still pretty much worn down from the run that I didn't start again until about the one mile point. When the route turned onto Interstate Drive, I started running again and held on until the water station in front of LP field, which according to MapMyRun is a .67 mile run. From there, I walked around the stadium and to the middle of the pedestrian bridge. At this point, I felt like I had done a whole lot of nothing.

 

I could see the finish line.

 

From the top of the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge, I took off running, building up speed down the slope that eventually lets out onto 3rd Avenue. Still picking up steam and blowing by pretty much everyone walking to the line, I followed the route back to the finish and passed a few people in the last few feet. I had pretty much sprinted from the top of the bridge back to the start. Supposedly, that's .4 miles that I ran as hard as I can. So...while my endurance is definitely off, I felt like I had accomplished something at the end.

 

After catching my breath, and grabbing water...I moseyed my way into a line where they were serving black eyed peas (it's a Southern thing apparently...never seemed weird to me...brings you good luck in the coming year) and went back to my car and headed home.

 

2010...1 down. 209 to go.