Santa Clause is coming to town.

Date: 12/22/2006
Time Running: 60 Minutes (first time at this duration)
Distance Covered: 5.5 Miles
Shoes: 06/07 Brooks Beast (first run in the new kicks)

So, the new kicks came. I wore them around the house yesterday to break them in. The new shoes are a 2E. My other pair is a 4E. The 4E are a bit too wide and the 2E are a bit too narrow. Oh my problematic feet. Anyway, the feet feel good in both pairs. I am still in search for the perfect pair of kicks, but for now, the Brooks Beast are it.

I found my heart rate monitor strap and have been running with it. I wanted to be in the aerobic zone which is 60 -75% of Max heart rate so for me it's like 110 - 137. At about 11:30 pace, I'm at 150ish beats per minute. I can carry on a conversation here, but to get the heart rate any slower, I'd have to walk, and I don't want to walk. Today I did go 60 minutes and the heart rate was 150ish.

When I went out with my strap the first time after I found it, I went for 3 miles and the heart was 165ish which was at a 10 min mile pace. Oh well...It's the journey. Today was awesome. I loved being out there running. It felt good. This month's runners world has a plan to double the long run time in 5 weeks. So in 5 weeks, I'll go for 2 hrs!. I'm looking forward to it!

Ciao for now.

Big Boned Runners

I just ordered a new pair of kicks and found my heart rate monitor strap. I am all set for running into the new year!

It's funny, when I started down this road, I was looking for any excuse to not run and would talk myself into why I shouldn't be running. I didn't listen to the voice this time, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. After the 5K in New Haven, I thought that my 5 day a week plan was too much and that I should move down to a 4 day a week running plan. Well, I did 3 on Tuesday, 4.5 on Wednesday and 3 today, Friday. I'm scheduled for 5 on Sunday which would be the 4 for the week however...I'm thinking of sneaking in 2 miles tomorrow. I'm a running Junkie!

Seriously though, I'm really excited because my girls have hinted that they would like to run too so I will take them out for a short run. We're going to start out really slow and short and just work on consistency. Runners World had a great article about some Nuns who worked at this orphanage and they started taking the kids on a run every day. I thought that was great and wished that I had had exercise built into me growing up. (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--9987-0,00.html) We're not going to push, we're going out to have fun.

Phew! Glad that's over!

 

5K in New Haven Dec. 10th 2006

Unofficial time ~29:45ish, which works to a 9:33 mile. I felt like it was a good pace. At mile 1, the guy yelled out 10:20. It took about 45 seconds to get to the starting line. At the end of the race my watch said 30:21 and then I forgot to push stop. There was chip timing for the race too. I will use the chip time as the official time. I'm on pin's and needles for the chip time. I went out slow and kicked it in when I thought there was about 5 minutes left to run. I saw the finish line and dug down deep and pulled it out. I did not walk. It's funny to say that I dug down deep with such a slow time, but I felt like taking a break with about 3/4 miles left to go. I focused on the person in front of me and tried to keep their pace. There's no doubt in my mind that if I continue this, weight will come off and when weight comes off the pace will increase. At 273 lbs I'm carrying around an extra 53 pounds. 53 pounds! I need to be a bit easier on my self as far as pace is concerned. I'm trying to teach my daughter that even if you come in last, as long as you got out there and did your best, your a winner because there are a lot of people who can't even make it to the starting line. I was and am feeling some pain in my right ankle. Time for RICE.

One thing that was really neat to see was the number of kids running in the race. I saw a girl who was 8 who said she started running when she was 5. My 7 year old saw her and now she wants to go running too. I think this could be a family affair! I would like nothing more than to go out on family jaunts. You know I think I'd like that because I'd like my family to experience the great feelings that I've been feeling. It's amazing how good running is for the psyche, the body and the spirit. I do relish the 30 to 50 minutes I get to go out on the road. It's a great time to clear the head.

I do have lots to learn for racing. One thing I did do was get a good night's sleep before hand which made the day just that much more pleasant. I always say that I'll write more later. I finished the race. I'm thinking about my continued training and may cut the running down to 4 days a week and try to work in weights 2-3 times per week. I would like my mileage to be in the 16 - 20 per week. I did keep thinking to my self, " I can do it
!"

This was a pretty stream of consciousness thing but I will try to be a bit more cogent next time. I will also write about the events leading up to the race. It's funny how much anxiety I was filled with. I was properly hydrated and yet my mouth was bone dry. I also had to pee and the lines for the porta potty was quite long. I'm wondering if my running would have been better had I had totally relieved myself before the race. I'll add that variable in on the next jaunt. I am going to get a 10 K on the calendar for spring and follow a 12 week training program and see how that goes for me. I do plan on adding in speed work (if you can call it speed work) at least 1 day a week, whether fartlek or hills or 4 X 800s what ever, I think I need to step up the intensity on my runs to try to get the pace down. I want to feel like I'm a runner not a plodder. I know all in good time, but a guy can dream can't he? Ok enough for now, I have to go give my kidlets a kiss good night.

Best to all, I'll be seeing you on the race course I hope... 

The Week of the Race

So now the race is almost upon me. The race is this Sunday. I've put in the training miles (except for the 2 easy leg stretch run scheduled for Saturday) so I can stand at the starting line knowing I am as prepared as I'm going to be for this Sunday.

What I learned on my run tonight: 4 slices of chicken florintine pizza is not a very good pre-run meal. Last nights run was cold. 3 miles tonight and 3 last night. This week is the taper week. I am really anxious for the race. I'm just not in the mood for writing now...I'll post more later.

The week before the first race

Ok, Steve's got a new podcast out which means there's a new blog of the week. I had my 15 minutes of fame. Boy, who knew that 15 minutes was so short.

Tuesday I ran 3, Wednesday 4 and tonight (Thursday) 3. I've got 2 planned for Saturday and 4 for Sunday; 16 total for the week. The 5K is one week from Sunday and I plan on running light that week. I am really looking forward to running the race. I have little aches and pains, but nothing serious. I really look forward to my time on the road. I just need to make sure that I keep finding the time.

I think of so many things to write about while I'm running and now while I sit here I can't really think of anything to add. This is a long process, one mile at a time. Until the morrow...well at least Sunday when I'm done with the week.

5 Miles, Phedippidations and so much more

First things first, I was at www.steverunner.com today checking out who the musician was on a particular podcast I saw something strange in the show notes for the most recent podcast. My blog was linked there. Oh my gosh! I'm the featured blogger of Steve Runner's Phedippidations podcast. I felt like Marsha Brady when she got to meet Davey Jones. I got props from Steve Runner. And when I went to my blog, there were actual comments from other runners from around the world. This Internet thing is really cool. I am amazed that I can be linked up with a global community that shares the same passion of running. I've always wanted to be a runner, but have been too lazy and then inertia got the better of me.

Sunday I did my 5 mile long slow run. Turns out it was really 5.1. Going into the run I was plagued with doubt and self defeating thoughts. I'm not going to be able to make it. I'm going to have to walk. I'll never get to my goal...blah blah blah. I listened and told myself to shut up. The one thing I did was to start off slow. I think the anxiety really gets to me and I go out too fast and then I'm spent. So I deliberately went out slow. Mile one was about an 11:14 min mile and guess what. I wasn't ready to quit right out of the gate. After about 15 minutes I decided I felt good and I'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other and before I knew it I was 1 mile away from home and I still felt pretty good. I was going to make it. I was going to make it. Then I was 1/2 a mile from home, then 1/4 mile from home and then...I ran 5.1 miles! I went out slow and focused on finishing. I did it. My negative voice kept getting softer and softer. I ended up at a 10:49 pace for the 5 miles and couldn't be happier. I did it.

It's funny, while I'm out, my head is ablaze with thought. I'm thinking and thinking. Sometimes there are brilliant, grand thoughts that will change the world and then I forget to write them down. Today was a scheduled rest day. I wanted to run, but I do know that I have to give the old legs a rest. Tomorrow it's 3 which I'm looking forward to.

I'll write more later...

Confronting Myself

Opening Stats:

Weight 284 Lbs or 20.3 Stone or 128.8 Kilograms
Neck 18.5"
Chest 51"
Midsection 50"
Waist 45"
Hip 47"
Bicep 15.5"
Quad 25.5"
Calf 17"

Waist 45 inches? No wonder the 42s are feeling a bit tight! Well, today a wager has been undertaken among myself and 2 friends to see who can loose 30lbs first. Each of us has begun running. Today is week 3 for me. I did 3 miles tonight. My time was 30 minutes 24 seconds which I must say is a tad disappointing to me. I thought I was doing great. I was trucking along and it felt as though I was really cranking. I didn't look at my watch but when I finished the loop and stopped the watch I couldn't believe my time. More than 30 minutes. That's greater than 10 minutes per mile. I will keep running. I will keep running. I will succeed. Anyway...tonight I was wearing a new pair of shoes with which I am a bit disappointed. Next time I won't be blinded by a sale. Anyway, I did need a new pair of sneakers to walk around in. I am going to also start being careful about what I eat. I am going to make sure that the fuel I intake will help me kick some butt.

I am not happy about where my stats are, but I am happy to have a starting point from which to judge my progress. If I remember way back to when I started running, I couldn't run 5 minutes with out having to stop and tonight I ran more than 30. I'm on the road to Disney, but for the short term, I have New Haven on December 10th. I have a 5 mile run scheduled for this Sunday. I want to get through them.

I'll write more later...

Cross Training

Is running 5 days a week enough? By some measures yes, but I want to add some form of strength training to my routine. In fact, I want to employ a comprehensive body weight training set so that I can get maximum gains in the shortest amount of time. I think that being fit enough to throw ones own body around is a sign of good fitness and that is what I am striving for.

One day, I'm surfing around the internet and come across this fitness guy named Ross (www.rossboxing.com) who has a great site that is devoted to boxing workouts. Now in my opinion, boxers and wrestlers have a tremendous training rountine. Those guys are in shape! Well, on Ross's website he mentions this toal body conditioning exercise called a Burpee (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rossboxing2.htm) which is a variation on the famed squat thrust. He advocates a circuit that is a 2 minute round broken up in 30 second intervals of burpee then shadow boxing with a one minute rest between rounds. I tried this today. I will be starting with 1 minute rounds. I was lucky to make it through. I'm also adding some other exercises to make about a 30 minute routine that is high intensity and will really challenge me to dig down and find the fitness.

I'm planning on 3 workouts per week and it's looking like Mon, Wed Fri are my days. I have put together a 6 week routine which modestly progresses from where I am today with 10% load increases each week. I'll reassess at the end of 6 weeks to see how I can shake this up.

Tomorrow is a running day. I did get some new shoes. I wore them today to break them in. Tomorrow I'll do a couple a miles in the new kicks. I'll write more tomorrow.

The Long Slow Run

Today was my long slow run. It was my first long slow run. 4 miles was on the plan--2 miles out, 2 miles back. I started out slowly, the first mile was 10:47. I was planning on running 4 11 minute miles. I thought with this pace I could make it all the way through. Plus I read that the long slow run should be 1 1/2 to 2 minutes slower per mile than your planned race pace. My goal is to run 9 minute miles for the 5K so 11 minute miles it will be. Well, I got through mile 1 and hit the stop button on my watch thinking it was the lap timer. You, see, I discovered on my watch that it can be used as either a split timer or a lap timer. Having never participated in a timed type of sport, I'm not exactly sure how the split works, but I have a pretty good idea how the lap works. When I push the button it records time 1 as lap one and then push again for time 2 etc. This way I can have the time per mile instead of my average time per mile which is also good to know. Well, I pushed the wrong button and actually stopped the time. I discovered this as I hit mile 2 and wanted to see my mile 2 time. I quickly hit the start button again to get the timer going. So mile 1 was 10:47 and when I started it back up at mile two the timer begin clocking my progression. When I got back to the start, the complete of 4 miles the elapsed time was ~31 minutes. (I'm not sure of the exact time because I actually started the stupid thing again at some point between my cool-down, shower and writing of this note because the timer is going and it is up over an hour!) So anyway, mile 2, 3 and 4 was run in about 30 minutes so all in all, I was at about a 10 minute pace.

While out, I was listening to my running buddy, Steve Runner of www.steverunner.com, the voice of Phedippidations who was talking about is performance at the Marine Corps Marathon. One of the things that came up was bathroom breaks, twisted intestines and I got to thinking because during my run I had to stop to tie one of my shoes and also for a traffic light. When timing yourself while running, do you stop the clock when you stop to empty yourself, tie a shoe or pause for a picture? I will ask this of him through his forum and see what he has to say.

The other thing I was thinking about was that 4 miles isn't really that far. To say that it is my long run, for many runners, this is a light day distance. It's very troubling how I compare my performance as someone who is relatively new to this sport at a -10 in fitness level to those who are at an 8 fitness level. The one thing I know is that if I keep this up, an 8 mile run wouldn't seem like a stretch and I just lace up the shoes and begin putting one foot in front of the other. I did make it through the 4 miles without taking a walking break. I continued and tried to vary my pace if I got tired or felt good.

I've been running consistently for 2 weeks now. The previous 6 - 8 weeks I'd been running about 2-3 miles 1 - 2 days a week with 20 - 30 minutes of Rugby on Saturday. The one thing that is for sure, Rugby fitness is a bit different from just running fitness. Another thing that is for sure is that running will definitely build up a solid base of cardiovascular fitness. I am planning to add regular calisthenics to my routine to build up an anaerobic base too. I really like the idea of doing body weight exercises like push ups, pull ups, single leg squats, all of which are a challenge because I am carrying a bunch of extra weight. What I am doing with this though will be setting very small goals and staying constant with the effort. I believe the added time would be an extra 20 minutes 3 times a week. So that would be 1 extra hours to even further my level of fitness. I'm encouraged that I've made it out the door in my shoes, according to plan for the last 2 weeks and look forward to tomorrows off day and Tuesday's run and so on and so on and so on.

That's all for now, except that I do feel good about where I am. I'm going to lace up and run.

What is a runner?

I went out yesterday morning. 5:30 am. I had 2.5 miles in my plan. I ran a bit more than 2.5, probably 2.7 but I'm not an odometer. I was out for 24:57. The whole time I was running I was working through a litany of reasons why I shouldn't be running. I then thought that, hey, when I started running, I couldn't run 1 mile. I was able to run 2.5. There are lots of experts who say to start slow. I have a hard time starting slow. One thing that I must say is waiting a day to make my post, I have lost all of the great ideas that I thought of while I was out that I thought that I had to include in my online journal.

Today is an off day, meaning no running but I will do something. I will have to more to say later. But here's the thing, I did make it out. I followed my plan, I went out, I ran. Am I a runner? We'll see...

Run for the Hills

"The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry." I set out thinking that I will run 3X2 minute hill repeats, got to the hill and on my first repeat thought that I would die about 45 seconds in and decided I would run 1 minute repeats. I did run 3 of them, but the distance up the hill by the 3rd repeat was about 30 yds shorter than the first repeat. Very interesting! I then jogged/walked back home. I wasn't rigorous at all about how much jogging vs. walking there was, I just got home. The total time out was about 47 minutes. I was disappointed at how little I could do from a hill repeat standpoint. I'm always thinking I could do more that I am actually capable of doing. What I was left with this morning though was a feeling that, hey, I've established a baseline and let's see how I can improve on this. In fact on one of my long runs after the 5K December 10th, I may incorporate that hill into one of my routes. The hill is about 1 mile long and would probably work into a 4 mile run. This is definitely within the realm of possibility and I am not discouraged by my lack of stamina. It will come. I just have to remain consistent with my training and not let the discouragement set me back.

What I am picking up from my reading and listening is that each time you go out as a runner, you are not going to set a PR (personal record). The most important thing is that you are out there--running. (Or in my case, plodding along.) Anyway, now that I have my hill session behind me I can look forward to my up coming easy runs. I would like to set as an immediate goal for myself to run the 4 miles on Sunday without stopping. Let's see how that goes.

One Day At A Time

So I have this goal: Run a marathon. I've been told that the Disney marathon is a great race for beginners. I've got my kids psyched into going to Mickey's house in January of next year. Other members of my extended family are planning on joining us in at Mickey's house and I'm already trying to sabotage my completing my goal of running a marathon. I'm thinking to myself that I really shouldn't do this; I can't do this; I wouldn't be able to do this--I should give up.

The funny thing is that I've put a race on my calendar, a 5K in December. I have a modified training schedule to actually run this race as a race and not plod through it. I'm accounting for 10% milage increases weekly with some plateau and taper time. I hope to have fresh legs. My plan that I outlined a couple of posts ago is a bit hopeful in that the milage increase is greater than 10% so I've modified it. Today I ran 2.5 instead of the orignal 3 that I'd planned on. Leaving my house, I thought, ok, let's take it nice and slow to stretch the legs because my legs feel heavy. So 1 mile in I look at my watch-9:07. How can this be, I'm a 10 minute miler. Then I start thinking that I will never be able to get back home because I went out too fast, I can't keep this pace up, but I said to myself, "self, you can ease off the pace, but you are not quitting in this short 2.5 miler, you can complete this, you don't have to walk." I eased up a little and did make it home. My time out and back for 2.5 miles was 23 min 22 seconds or a 9:21 pace. This is not bad! The funny thing is, when I went out I started talking to myself about cancelling my run tomorrow or rationalizing some way out of it, but now that I've completed my run and am sitting on the couch making this post, I'm thinking about my run tomorrow. What is on the calendar are 4-5 hill repeats, so I will jog to the hill, do some stretching and cycle through the 400-600 yd repeats and then jog back. It will be interesting to see if I can get through these. You'll have to wait until I get through it and make my post to find out how it goes.

This morning I did walk 2 miles with my wife so for the day, I've moved 4.5 miles. Also, I am now in the 270s. It is 279 but still, it's in the 270s. It is a nicer neighborhood than the 280s. Let's see what this running does!

Running Inspite of Myself

Well, I've paid an entry fee and I've put together a modified training plan which I've stuck to for 3 days now and I'll be on board with it tomorrow too (I know this because it is a rest day.) I had 4miles on the calendar for today and went out with heavy legs. After 12 minutes in I decided to walk and gave myself a minute rest. I also decided to allow for walking breaks after a defined interval, which in this case was the 12 minutes. So I started for my 2nd round of running for 12 more minutes, but then I allowed for 2 minutes of rest. I ran the third and then allowed for 3 minutes of rest. At this point I was about 5 1/2 to 6 minutes from home and just ran. In fact when I rounded the corner onto 317, I got a second wind because this is the final .3 miles. I also look at this as my dash to the finish. I pushed it out and ended at the stop sign like always. I've put so much pressure on myself to run x numb er of minutes or miles without stopping. As if having to take a walking break is tantamount to failure. What I'm realizing is that even if I take 100 walking breaks, I'm out there. I'm on the road putting one foot in front of the other. It has always been difficult for me to follow through with anything that is remotely healthy, but I do have a habit of jumping in way over my head. I don't want my first race to be a 5k; I have a marathon on my calendar! Is this what they mean when your are told that you are setting yourself up for failure? I'm not going to be so hard on myself for stopping and taking a walk break. I will set appropriate goals and go out and try to achieve them. I would like to be an 8 - 9 minute miler, right now I am at 10. The way to reach that goal is to run and drop a significant amount of weight. Right now I'm weighing in at around 280 and am carrying 60 lbs too much. I can only imagine what my running efficiency would be minus the 60 lbs.

Joining the rugby club (www.cgrfc.org) has been the best for my overall fitness. It has provided a tremendous amount of incentive to put in the miles. In fact I have to put in more than miles to get to the level of fitness to be a really effective player. Steve Runner's latest podcast (www.steverunner.com) was on exercise addiction. On of the things he mentioned was that you have to listen to your body and get rest etc. If you over train you could do some serious damage to your body. I think if you're just starting out, you need to overtrain because it is too easy to slip back into the couch.

Well, the long and the short of it is. I am through week one of my 5K prep. When I get through the 5K I plan on making a 10K. I do plan on getting one on the calendar which will allow me to work through a full 12 week training session. I don't want to just finish the races, I want to run them in a time that will challenge me to acheive things that I would have never thought possible. An 8 minute mile is the equivalent of 4 2 minute laps around a track. At my fastest in school I never brok a 2 minute lap sprinting and I think at 37 I can maintain a pace of 2 minute laps for some time to finish a race. Well I think it is within reach, especially if I loose the extra 60 I'm running with! My goal for the 5 K is to run 9:30 miles. It did take me a second to come to the realization that shooting for a 9 minute mile is too much of a reach for my first 5 k which is only 4 weeks away and to take off a full 30 seconds per mile is challenging enough, taking a whole minute off is crazy ( I write this but I don't believe it. I do think I can run 9 minute miles, you know make it my 5K pace from which I can base my subsequent race training.)

I will keep on running, oh and I did modify my training routine that I outlined 2 posts ago. I am making it so that I am only increasing my milage by 10% each week. I've read somewhere that 10% is safe. I will be doing some speedwork (fartleks and hill runs). So this week I ran 12 miles, next week is 14 (I know it's more than 10% but it's close enough), the next is 15 and the week before the race is 16. The week of the race I'm running 12. I can't wait to see what happens.

Are we there yet?

Regular training isn't something that I can say that I've ever been able to do regularly. I've got a 5K on the calendar December 10th. I've registerd and paid. I've figured out a training plan and I am going to follow it. I've never trained for a race, especially not any type of systematic training. Tonight was just an easy 2 miles and the time was 18:55 so about 9 minute miles. Tomorrow 4 miles is the plan. Right now, I'm a plodder. I've been a 10 minute miler and have a goal of being an 8:30 miler. That pace for a 5K would be 27 minutes 2o seconds (oh, my wife is bringing me ice cream!) I'll have more to say tomorrow after I run my 4 miles.

I've got a 5K on the calander!

Ok, so they say that a journey of a thousand steps begins with the first step. Well, I would like to run a marathon. I've got my family bought into the idea that I will be participating in the 2008 Disney Marathon. Well to get there, I will be attending smaller races--my first being a 5 K. I will be registering for:

DEC 10 - SUN
22nd Christopher Martin's Xmas Run - 5K - 10:00am - New Haven - (203)481-5933 (www.hitekracing.com)


Let's see what happens. I did manage to get a run in today. I ran 20 minutes walked 3 ran 5 more walked 1 and finished the 3 miles in 33:15. My goal for this race is to run sub 10 minute miles. Let's see what happens...


I've put together a modified training plan:

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
0	Off	3	Off	3M	Off	2M	4M
1	Off	3M	3 - 4 Long Hills	3M	Off	2M	4M
2	Off	3M	Fartlek (4M)	3M	Off	2M	5M
3	Off	4M	Fartlek (4M)	3M	Off	3M	4M
4	Off	Fartlek (4M)	3M	Off	Off	2M	Race Day

Not Really The First Night

I've tried to be constant with my running. The operative word is "tried". I did overcome my inertia and went out for about 3.5 miles tonight. I ran for 33:15. It was about 51 degrees Fahrenheit; just the way I like it. I went out at 8:00 pm after a long day with 2 hrs of commuting. I think the commute has been making it difficult for me to run...nah, I've been making it difficult. I do feel better when I'm able to stay consistent. I've been more consistent because I have been playing in an Old Boy's Rugby league. The season is just over but I do know that I have a long way to get my fitness to a level where I can be an effective player.

I've wanted to run a marathon and that is what I usually put as my goal, forget that I cant run 5 miles and I think that the marathon is the race distance that I have my sights on. Well I do have a marathon on my calendar. The Disney Marathon in January 2008. In small chunks, I will make that race distance. I think I should focus on a 5K in this short term.

I need to also focus on being consistant. I want to run 3 - 4 days per week and cross train 2 - 3 times. I plan to use this forum as a running chronicle of my road to Disney. I need to keep in mind is that it is the journey not the destination. I will just keep plodding along.

I've tried to keep a running journal but have not been very consistent with my entries. I am planning on keeping this up to date.

I am starting out at about 284lbs and will record my resting pulse tomorrow. I will also try to figure out how to differentiate this chronicle from all the other chronicles out there. The one thing I know that makes this different from all the rest is that it is my journey. I want to document my path. I've let life live me for so long that I am going to take control. I will attain a level of fitness that I will feel comfortable with.

Until the next time...