Greg Nilsen

My First 5k

Greg Nilsen — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:36:08 +0000

Today I ran my first 5k Race, the Run Around the Square in the Regent Square section of Pittsburgh (near where I used to live in grad school). All in all, it was a very fun experience, and one that I am eager to do again in the near future

Even though I typically do 3.3 mile runs on my own, I still struggled some in the race. The second mile of the race was mostly uphill, and I struggled with that. In fact, I struggled with some sections enough that I did walk portions of the race. I hated to do it, as one of my goals was to run the entire race, but I just wasn’t quite at that point yet (something I’m hoping to work on for next time). Thankfully, the third mile was nearly all downhill, and I was able to pick up the pace to finish strong.

I went into the race with a goal time of 37:12 (a 12min/mile pace), and despite my walking, did still manage to get under that, finishing the race in 36:31 (a 11:47min/mile pace). And that was a time which I was very happy with, considering I really just started running in June at about a 15min/mile pace. Now it will be a matter of building my endurance (and probably better control my pace) for the next time so I can complete a race without the need to walk.

In the end, it was a great experience, and I set a benchmark for me to improve from in the future. Though I may not be a natural runner, I’m enjoying getting into it and pushing myself to do better, and get that competitiveness in me satisfied for a little while longer.

Up next? Well, I’ve got my eye either on Pittsburgh’s Great Race, or ZooZilla at the Pittsburgh Zoo. I’ll probably be deciding shortly which one I’ll do.

Weight Loss Log: Day 63

Greg Nilsen — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:36:29 +0000

Ok, do you remember all that positive stuff I wrote almost two weeks ago?

Throw it out the window!

So, now I have two confessions to make:

I haven’t run in nearly two weeks. I’ve been almost avoiding it with a combination of missing motivation, stress, high temperatures and other obligations. I’m kinda embarrassed because the “I don’t really feel like it” bug has been overly prevalent. Oh, and in the same time, I haven’t been watching what I’ve eaten very well. And what does that lead to? Yep. Weight Gain. It’s only a pound, but it is still going in the wrong direction…
Tonight, I still wasn’t all that motivated, but dragged myself out to do something anyway, so I, yes, powerwalked tonight. Ugh, that doesn’t even feel right to type, but I did keep a good pace and completed my 3.3 miles in 45 minutes, only around 5 minutes longer than running. Wednesday, I hope to get back to running.

So, nothing really good to report. I really did feel I was in a good place a few weeks ago, but maybe it was simply overconfidence. Regardless, the last few weeks have reminded me how much hard work and dedication this process is going to require.

Weight Loss Log: Day 52

Greg Nilsen — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:42:28 +0000

So, it’s been two weeks since I updated the log, but I am still making progress. Over the past 7 weeks, I have managed to drop more than 7 pounds. Granted, it’s not a ton of weight, but it’s been consistent and I don’t feel like I’m in danger of suddenly regressing and putting that all back on in a week. I really do feel like I could keep doing this at this rate for a number of months and drop the 30-40 pounds I was hoping to.

I’ve definitely made some changes that are for the better in addition to the exercise. I’ve been committed to packing myself a relatively healthy lunch each day (Peanut Butter and Jelly [well, orange marmalade for now], chips/pretzels, and a yogurt [preferably cherry, and not the Light crap that only saves you like 30 calories]) and drinking more water. We’re also eating out less, and I’m eating more appropriate portions for dinner.

I’ve also made the occasional exception for my exercise, as there has been a lot of yard work to do in the last few weeks as we dug trenches to lay new drainage pipe in our yard. I did notice that the last two times I was out running (Saturday morning in Williamsport at my mother-in-laws, which was at least flat and the first time I’ve run a route besides my normal loop, and back at home tonight) that I didn’t have the same stamina as I did when I was keeping up with running three times a week. I’ll have to get back to that, especially if I’d like to do some 5k races, but I am continuing to lose the weight nonetheless, thankfully.

Of course there’s still a long way to go, but that’s a challenge I look forward to now, and don’t dread the way I once did.

Swedish Popcorn Shrimp?

Greg Nilsen — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:03:35 +0000

Had to share this…it’s just awesome! Enjoy!

Oh, and be sure to read the captions!

I Can’t Believe It’s Been Five Years Already

Weight Loss Log: Day 38

Greg Nilsen — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:02:58 +0000

Yes, the weight loss efforts do continue, even though it’s been almost two weeks since I updated the blog. I had a few weekends of trench digging and yard work, so I really haven’t done too much running in the last two weeks (only last Friday and tonight since the last update). Part of that has been the effort I put into that (I spent around 16 hours digging a trench for a drainage pipe in 85+ degree heat, so I figure that counts for something), and I’ve also been trying to give my knee a break since it was getting sore on me back on the first of July.

I have been taking a glucosamine supplement the last few weeks to try and make my joints a little more flexible. Hard to tell how much of a difference it’s making, but coupled with the rest, it’s helped a lot. Tonight, I managed to pound out my 3.3 mile loop in 39 minutes with no more than a half-mile of that in a single stretch at a brisk walk. At the end, my body really wanted to just let up and stroll into the finish, but I pushed through it and managed to make it to my end point (at the bottom of our hill…walking up that is my cool down). Considering the amount of running I’ve been doing lately, I was very happy to see a sub-40:00 time for my run.

As for the weight loss, as of Saturday I had lost almost another two pounds since the end of June. And I’m almost amazed at that because last week was a pretty bad one for me in terms of eating. Work has been really stressful lately (currently at 4 guys running a 5-man team, and two of them have only been on the job for two months, so I’ve been doing the work of at least two people), and when I get stressed out I want quick comfort food. So, last week included Wendy’s, Taco Bell, pizza and Quaker Steak & Lube. Sure, it tasted good, and each of those on occasion is fine, but throwing all that into one week is a bad idea. I really need to watch myself and put the extra effort into making my lunches for work so that I’m lest tempted to run out and grab something bad for me. It truly is a discipline issue that I need to work on, both in terms of managing my stress and how I deal with it.

In the end, I’m still making progress, though my meal choices have been limiting the potential of that progress. It’s time to focus on better controlling my diet, as difficult as that may be.

So Long, JaMarcus Russell

Greg Nilsen — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:03:21 +0000

There’s been a lot of talk on sports radio today about JaMarcus Russell, the #1 pick of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders who got released this off-season, getting busted for codeine syrup possession in his home over the weekend, and how all that talent is going to waste. Going to waste? Clearly the NFL “Experts” have not been doing their job the last three years, kinda like Russell.

I’m not sure how it slipped through the cracks, but Russell had only one truly positive attribute as a quarterback: he could throw the ball a country mile. I argued back in 2007 that he probably shouldn’t even be a first rounder, let alone the top pick, because he couldn’t read defenses (no “throw over it is not a read”) and made his living at LSU by throwing the ball deep to WRs who had already run five yards past the nearest defender. In a league that is defined by precision passing, that kind of approach just wasn’t going to cut it. For every burner at WR, there’s one at DB who can keep up with him.

And let’s not forget the lackadaisical attitude that he played with. There was never any fire displayed in his time as a bayou Tiger, nor any semblance of leadership. Instead, he was satisfied with his ability to throw over defenses and expected that to work in the pros.

So Al Davis, who couldn’t pick out talent if you lined up the two Pro Bowl rosters in front of him, went ahead and took him anyway. So, now on a young team with limited talent and no leadership in the locker room or on the sidelines, JaMarcus was able to “unleash the beast” by holding out and begin his strict workout regimen of gaining 50 lbs a season. Once he finally signed for ridiculous money a week into the season, he was given the opportunity to plague the team over the next 2+ seasons.

And the bottom line? You get a guy with a career QB rating of 65.2, completed just 52.1% of his passes, and managed to throw for less than 100 yards in 11 of the 30 games in which he played.

And now he’s drunk away any second chance he may have gotten by guzzling a homemade feel-good potion, which some suspect he’s been doing his entire career. And sportscasters are talking about a “waste of talent”? I’ve always thought the writing was on the wall with Russell sincehis college days, and as bad as he’s been, a “waste of time” is probably more appropriate.

I Can’t Believe It’s Been Five Years Already

Greg Nilsen — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:32:45 +0000

Well, today Marci and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary, which seems pretty surreal to me. It honestly feels like the wedding wasn’t that long ago, but then again, it seems like Graem was born yesterday and I’m still not sure I’ve wrapped my head around having another one on the way.

And then again, life has changed so much in the past five years. Back then, I was the only one from my family living in the Pittsburgh area, and now everyone is here. Back then Marci had just graduated from Pitt, and was weighing an offer to pursue her Ph.D., and now she’s pretty much a dissertation away from achieving that (ok, that may take the next few years to write, but it’s at least on the horizon). I’ve changed jobs a few times and advanced my career. We’ve become homeowners, and most importantly, parents in that time. It’s both a joy and exhausting to try and keep up with Graem each day. It’s pretty much night and day from where we started, but I’ve got to say that I’ve enjoyed each step along the way (it just seems that there’s a lot more stuff to do now).

Life is good, and it’s mostly because I’m still head over heels in love with my wife. I know she’ll always be there for me, and together, under God, we can take on any challenge life throws our way. And that’s a very good position to be in.

Oh yea, and I got my anniversary gift early as well:

Pretty awesome, huh?

Happy Anniversary, Marci! I love you as much today as I did the day we were married!

Weight Loss Log: Day 25

Greg Nilsen — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:15:35 +0000

Well, I made a shift in my schedule this week since I met my wife, son, sister, her boyfriend and brother for dinner Wednesday night, and our anniversary on Friday, I figured Thursday would be good for running.

Started off well, and I ran a longer initial distance (at least 1.5 miles to start today), and then my knee started hurting me, and I ended up walking longer stretches before gritting it out the last little bit on the downhill portion on the way home. I’ll keep an eye on it over the weekend, since I’m not planning on running then either since I’ll be digging ditches to re-route our downspout drains so that they go somewhere besides “no place in particular in the front yard, and eventually our basement”. My wife also suggested taking glucosamine, and I’ll try to do a better job of stretching next time as well to make sure it’s not just hurting because I was being lazy about stretching.

That’s about all for now…

Weight Loss Log: Day 22

Greg Nilsen — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:41:13 +0000

Ok, so there haven’t been many updates recently. Well, that’s because I lost half the week being sick to my stomach and then my wife got the same for the remainder of the week, so it wasn’t pretty around here. And, unfortunately I did get a bit into comfort food when I was feeling better (Chick-Fil-A’s new spicy chicken sandwich is mighty tasty), so I did put on a few ounces even though I spent the first few days of the week surviving primarily on fluids.

Thankfully, that appears to be behind us, and I hit the roads again tonight (and thankfully the weather cooperated, with the rain stopping about 15 minutes before I left for my run).

Since pace has always been a struggle for me (even when I ran distance for two years in high school, I was awful at getting a feel for how fast I was going). I tend to start too fast and then wilt during my runs. So, tonight I made a more deliberate effort to go slower, but to take fewer walking breaks (ok, so that wasn’t my initial plan, but that’s what came together as I was running). Actually, it was very successful. I started running the first 1.3 miles of my 3.3 mile loop, and then I walked and jogged and then walked again for the next 0.6 miles (the most uphill section of the route), and then I ran the last 1.4 miles. So, that got me down to two walking stretches instead of the 4-5 I had been taking before. While my time was actually a few minutes slower than it had been a week before, I’m actually happier that I was able to maintain a more consistent pace for my run.

Funny story when I got home though: I came home to find my wife on my computer while hers was busy with some backups, and she asks me “Did you get rained on?”

“Ummmm…no.”

“Oh, it’s just sweat then…”

Sorry, I tend to sweat when I exercise. Can’t help it, and won’t be ashamed of it!

Anyway, I’m back on the wagon, and it feels great already!

Weight Loss Log: Day 13

Greg Nilsen — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 04:10:22 +0000

First off, this morning was my most recent weigh in, and I’ve dropped over 2 lbs since last week. It’s not crazy 10 lbs in a week, but I almost jumped for joy. My changes appear to be working, and it motivates me to continue with my running and eating better.

I also ran today after putting it off Friday due to a Taco Bell craving (because you gotta splurge every once in a while, and I even toned down my usual order). I managed to match my last run in terms of time, so at least I’m maintaining my pace. Gonna start trying to push just a little farther with my running stretches next week so that in a few months I’m running the whole 3.2 mile loop.

I also started looking into 5k races as goals and motivators as well, and I’m thinking of hitting up one near where I used to live in the city in late August and the Pittsburgh Great Race in late September. We’ll see how those fit in, but right now I think they’d be fun to get involved in.

For now, I’ll be taking Father’s Day off and grilling up a few steaks, and then back to work (in both senses) on Monday.

Happy Father’s Day to all my fellow dads out there!