My Running Journey

Comeback day 2

2005-12-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

It's all coming back to me now...
The running experience is started to feel familier again. The wind at your face, the sound of your feet beating the pavement, the gasping and weezing while trying to catch me breath. Well atleast I enjoyed 2 out of 3! The soreness has gone away now and my body is really enjoying the exercise again. I can't believe I ever stopped running. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's run. That will complete week number 1. Only 7 short weeks to go to get back into my prior running shape. I talked to my former co-workers and confirmed that we're on again for the big sur marathon. Goals, gotta have goals.

Back on Track

2005-11-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

So last night I got back on the road and started running. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The big difference was that I'm running at night now as opposed to early afternoon. It makes it little harder in the aspect that you really have to pay attention to where you're running. Curbs, hoses, and doggie doo are the main ones you have to look out for. My legs are pretty sore this morning, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Well I'll keep you informed on the progress...

How time flies...

2005-11-29T00:08:00.000-08:00

So here it is, five months since my last post. What's the deal you ask? Not that these are legitamite excuses, but just a fact of life. One I started a new job but had to work two jobs for about two months. That sucked up a lot of my time. Two, school started up again. Sucked up even more time. So to cut to the point, I haven't ran in about 5 months! Yikes!!! So here's the plan. I'll start running tomorrow and work my way back to being a runner. I'll keep you updated.

Hit me baby One more time...

2005-06-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

Distance: 2.7 Miles
Pace: 11:30 Minutes/Mile

Oh yeah!!! Yet another successful run for me. Knocked out 2.7 Miles without any major problems. I did catch a few foxtails in my shoes trying to avoid a mountain of Dog poo on the sidewalk. I had to stop for a sec to pull them out before they drew blood. Other than that, everything went pretty smoothly. I'll probably stay at this distance for 2 more runs then I'll jump it up to 3.1 miles. Which just so happens to be the distance that a 5K covers. Once I can run 3.1 miles without a problem, I'll begin to work on my speed. I'd like to finish the 5K in under 25 minutes. I know that's not exactly a fast time, but I think it's a pretty good goal for me to aim for. You have to remember, I was damn near 300 pounds not too long ago!!! My body is holding up to the training. But I do have some tenderness in my right knee. I'll continue to pay attention to it and give it some rest if the pain gets any worse. Other than that there isn't much else to say. Oh there is one thing If you're going to allow your dog to defecate on the sidewalk, please dispose of it properly. Don't expect people to just dodge the poop like its prop in an obstacle course!!!. Ok rant over...

Step by step

2005-06-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Distance: 2.7 Miles
Pace: 11:25 minute/mile

Best run so far today. I figured out a longer route that wouldn't kill me. 2.7 miles, an increase of half a mile over my previous distance. I hope to build up to about 5 miles per run before the 5K in November. I think I'll be able to meet that goal. Today's run started off pretty rough. I woke up at around 8:30. (a blessing bestowed upon me by my 11 month old daughter!!!) I got out on the road at about 10 o'clock. To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to run at all today. As I was doing my warm ups, my mind was full of reasons not to run. I finally told me self to at least run a mile and then decide whether to finish the run or not. I started my run and everything hurt. My ankle, my shins, my knees just about everything. But after I got about half a mile into it, my body loosened up. I reached the 1 mile mark and decided that it would take me too long to walk back so I decided to just finish up the run. About a half mile away from my house is a steep hill. That hill always whoops my ass. Today the hill was even more evil due to the fact that I had increased my distance before I reached it. I probably slowed down to a shuffle going up but I was determined not to walk. Eventually I reached the top and was able to catch my wind going down the other side. I powered through the last hill to my house and was able to finish in just over 30 minutes to my surprise. 30:50 to be exact. I increase my mileage by half a mile, but only increase my total time by 50 seconds! This was very encouraging to me. I ran at a faster pace even though I felt like crap to start off. On a added note, I'm creeping ever so close to that 249 pound mark. Woo Hoo!!!

1 mile, no sweat, 2 miles, better yet...

2005-06-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

The title is a reference to my time spent in the military. Completed a good run today. I went back to my shorted 2.3 mile route today. I felt that jumping to 3.2 miles was a bit too much. So I completed my run with a smile on my face. Ahh the sweet feeling of success!!! Today's run was a special interest to me because I've recently purchased an Oregon Scientific Heart rate monitor. I must admit that when I first put it on, I thought it was going to be very uncomfortable running with a strap around your chest. But honestly after about 5 minutes of running, I didn't even notice it. I tried to keep my heart rate in the 160's. There was a few times that it jumped up in the low 170's while going up hills, but as soon as a crested the hill the heart rate dropped back to the 160's. I think having this information while running increased my pace a little, I was able to cover 2.3 miles in 26 minutes. I know that's slow, but hey its pretty good for me!!! Well tomorrow is a rest day and I think my body really needs it. I woke up this morning and my back was just killing me. I popped a few Advil and got it under control. I'll write again in 2 days!!!

Are we there yet?

2005-06-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

So today I set off on my longest run to date. I know that you're only suppose to increase your runs by 10% to decrease your chance of injury, but I couldn't find a 2.75 mile loop. So the loop became a 3.2 mile loop. Lord have mercy! I tried to run the thing non-stop but alas I couldn't. About 2 miles into it I had to take a short walk break. But I resumed running and managed to straggle back home. The strange thing is that even though I walked for 2 minutes, my pace went down 30 seconds! I don't get it, but I'm not complaining. I must say that I probably bit off more than I can chew, but I'm glad I did. I was a great feeling accomplishment. I'm sure that I'll be pretty sore in the morning. I can't wait to get up and do it again in 2 days.

I'm Joggin' in the rain, joggin' in the rain...

2005-06-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays run, added something new to my running routine. Rain. As soon as I finished my warm up the rain started to trickle down. It actually felt pretty damn good. It wasn't really windy and the rain kept me pretty cool. I did get a few weird looks from people driving by. The had that look on their face like "Why the hell is that guy running in the rain?" They must not be a runner. Runners don't ask that kind of question, they simply understand why I'm running in the rain. I started my run off feeling really good. I even had to tell myself to slow down, because my pace was just a little too fast. I had absolutely no problem conquering the hills along the route. I'm currently covering 2.5 miles in 30 minutes. I'm going to do that run one more time and then I'll step up the distance and the time a little every two weeks or so. Only one more run left on this running program and then I can officially call myself a runner. Who would've thunk it?

30 minutes accomplished!!!

2005-06-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

It's the last week of the program and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was very excited to take on this last week, but just about an hour before my run I felt very weak and tired. I actually contemplated not running, but I didn't want to fall behind on the last week. So I threw on my running clothes and tied on my running shoes and hit the road. After finishing my warm up walk I still didn't feel any better. I reached my starting point, hit start on my watch and away I went. The first quarter mile was a struggle. My right knee was stiff and my left shin hurt. Not a good way to start off my run. But nonetheless, I continued my run. Once I hit the half mile mark, my legs loosened up and I hit my stride. I started sweating good and didn't even mind the head wind. I took on each hill with the determination not to let it slow me down. I reached my stopping point just slightly under 30 minutes so I had to back track a bit. Ahhh, 30 minutes over!!! Can't wait to hit the road again!!!

Feet don't fail me now!!

2005-06-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Knocked out yet another good run today. 28 minutes non-stop covering just under 2.4 miles. But I must admit, my body still isn't completely comfortable with this running thing. I mean, I have made pretty good progress in 2 months, but it hasn't become easy. I love running, well actually I love the feeling after completing a good run. But during the run, all I can think about it getting it over and done with. I'm still working on increasing my mind's endurance. It's seriously lagging behind my body's endurance. One more run at 28 minutes and then I move onto 30 minutes non-stop for a week and I will have officially finished the Couch to 5K program!!! I can't say how amazed I am. In a little over 2 months I've shed about 30 pounds and have lost numerous inches around the gut!!! I can't wait to see my progress after a few more months!!!

Time to step up.

2005-06-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's run was a good. I ran 28 minutes non-stop and covered about 2.4 miles. I felt really good after the run. My legs didn't hurt and I wasn't overly exhausted. The best thing was that throughout the run, I felt pretty good. There wasn't a point where I had to battle the "I need to stop" thoughts.

As I was running yesterday I realized that I was seeing more and more of the city I live it. I drive down the same roads everyday, but when I run down them, I seem to see more. It's just another thing to distract me and pass the time as I'm chuggin' down the road.

On a different note, I've noticed that for the past 2 weeks, my weight has stayed the same, but I have to buckle my belt tighter than before. So I guess I'm still on the right track? Who knows. As long as I'm down to 200 before the Big Sur Marathon, I'll be happy.

Struggling...

2005-06-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

What a difference 3 days make. Just 3 days ago, I was feeling unstoppable. I was cruising along without any doubt that I was going to finish the program without any problems. Then WHAM!!! Thursday's run was a disaster! About halfway through my run I just stopped. I couldn't believe it. I had no energy and my legs were actually burning! Talk about being in a major depression! I walked home with my tail between my legs. I felt absolutely horrible. I felt that I had not only let myself down, but also the readers of this blog. The highs that I get from accomplishing a good run are really high. But the lows of having to cut a run shot are extremely low! I took yesterday to recompose myself and to rededicate my self to today's run. I finished today's run without stopping (thank god), but there were plenty of times that I wanted to quit. But I as bound and determined not to. I even ran a little bit extra as "punishment" for quitting 3 days ago. I don't know what has happened, but I am going to overcome this little setback. I will keep you guys updated.

Headwinds suck!!!

2005-05-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today's run was a little more difficult than my previous run. I think it was partially because this was the first time I had to run back to back 25 minute runs. Previously I would run a long run and follow that up with a interval run. But 7 weeks into the running program, the intervals are a thing of the past. The first half of the run was into a head wind. So that kinda sucked but it probably gave me a better workout. I'll keep chugging along and keep you updated.

I think I can, I think I can...

2005-05-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

This post is a day late. I am happy to say that I completed my run yesterday without stopping. 25 non-stop minutes. I had my doubts about halfway through it, but I was determined to finish. I just took it one hill at a time. I was even able to pick up the pace a little bit at the end. At the end of the run, I felt extremely good. But the hills did some damage to my shins. I have had shin splints off and on during the past 2 months. Anytime I have to run on hills I always pay for it for a couple of days. But I have to run hills to increase my endurance so it's a good trade off. Well now is the point where the tough training starts. From now on, every run is 25+ minutes without stopping. The goal is to reach 30 minutes non-stop and cover a distance of 30 minutes. I have until November to get my 5K time respectable. See you on the road...

Another day, another good run...

2005-05-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Finished a nice run today feeling very good. I made today's run much more difficult that it should have been. I was getting a little bored with my normal running route so I decided to head the opposite way to start off my run. I felt good from the beginning of the run. Normally I have to run for about 3 minutes before my legs loosen up and I get into a good running groove. But today from the get go, I was in my stride. My breathing was under control and I had a nice stride going. About a mile into the run is where things started to shift from good to bad. I enjoyed the new route, but I failed to realize that the loop heading back home was probably 70% uphill. The hills weren't very steep, but they were very long gradual inclines. That pretty much zapped a lot of my speed from my legs. So I adjusted and just backed the pace back down and completed the run without stopping. I drove the route after getting back home. The total distance was just over 2 miles, but the hills really put my legs to work. Tomorrow is a rest day and then Saturday is a good challenge day. 25 minutes non-stop. I accomplished 20 minutes non-stop last Saturday without too much trouble so going into Saturday's run, I feel very confident that I can do it.

Another run accomplished...

2005-05-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well this post is a day late because I was having some difficulties with blogger last night. Every time I went to post, I would get a error message. Then on top of that, one of my posts got deleted. But all is well today. Yesterday's run was a mixed bag of emotions. I was really anxious to do yesterday's run because of the fact that I had conquered the 20 minute non-stop run on Saturday and yesterday's run was just intervals. But I must have still been fatigued by Saturday's run because about halfway into my 2nd interval, my legs felt really heavy and I had to really focus to get through the remainder of the workout. I never quit and finished the whole workout as planned. I must say that I think running has become a permanent part of my life now. I can't imagine not running at least 3 times a week. I hate rest days and look forward to run days. It's about time that I got addicted to something health as opposed to Burger King!!!

It's just 20 minutes of your life...

2005-05-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! Just got back from a 20 minute run. No walk breaks allowed. I feel pretty damn good!!! The most shocking part of it all, is that I didn't really struggle during the run. I will admit that at 17 minutes I had to dig deep to finish, but overall the run really wasn't that bad. I am still running fairly slow, but once I finish this running program in another 4 weeks, I'll start working on speed. But for now, I am really happy with my progress and can finally say I'm having some success. I'll write more later, but for now I gotta go.

Another Notch on my belt...

2005-05-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

So yet another successful run completed today. I really pushed it at the end of the run. I was able to cover 2 miles in just over 22 minutes. I know that's only an 11 minute mile but hey it's a milestone for me. So I felt pretty good overall during the run. Only struggled during some of the hills but the thought of stopping never crossed my mind. I think this run today has given me the confidence that I can complete the 20 minute run scheduled for Saturday. Oddly enough, I'm actually looking forward to it!

One foot in front of the other...

2005-05-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this entry a day after completing my first run of week 5. I must say that I was very happy with my run yesterday. I felt energetic during the run and never felt exhausted until the very end. The best part was that after the run, I felt a surge of energy. Normally my routine after running is to stretch and then recoup a little bit on the recliner before jumping into the shower. But last night I washed dishes, cleaned-up the kitchen, and even popped in two loads of laundry into the washer. It was amazing! During the runs I can really feel my endurance building and I'm the reaping the benefit of increased energy during the days. I can't wait until tomorrows run. But I'm still a bit leary of Fridays 20 minute journey. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there!

What I've learned so far...

2005-05-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

So today is a rest day. I've decided to move my run days to Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This move was made to fit into my work/school/baby schedule. Since it's a rest day and I just have an urge to write a blog entry I've decided to write down what I've been able to learn from this past month. Hopefully those who read my blog and are either interested in running or are just beginning to run will be able to learn from my experience and be able to avoid some of the earlier mistakes that I have made.

1. Shoes, Shoes, Shoes - Never underestimate the value of running shoes. Don't just go to a clearance or outlet store to buy them. These are the most important equipment that you can buy for running. I unfortunately ignored this fact and just assumed that the 4 year old running shoes that I had bought from a Nike outlet would be all that I needed. I couldn't have been more wrong. After just a week of running, I was hit with a barrage if ailments. First my right middle to started to rub against my shoe. This caused me to over compensate with my left leg. It wasn't too much later that my toenail turned black. Which I'm sure in the weeks to come will fall off. In addition to my toenail, I injured my left knee pretty badly. It was a combination of overcompensating for my injured toenail and a shoe that didn't support my style of running. I'm am flat footed and severely overpronate. Needless to say this injury put my out for about 2 weeks. So here I was 1 month into running and now I've ran 2 weeks and had to rest for 2 weeks. So my best advice is that once you've decided to make a commitment to running, go to a shoe store that specializes in running shoes, not footlocker, and let them assist you in selecting the most appropriate running shoe for you. The will watch you run and walk and determine what shoe style will compliment your running form.

2. Run - Sounds kinda simple but I cannot stress this enough. Just run. The sun doesn't need to be shining bright. It's okay if it's raining outside. Who cares if your running outfit is dirty. Get rid of the excuses and go jogging. I found that I needed structure workouts and there are many of them out there. Runner's World magazine has helpful run schedules, you can also find many websites that have running programs listed on them for free. I decided to go with Coolrunning.com's "Couch to 5K" program. It's a program that takes you from a couch potato to a beginner runner in 9 weeks.

3. Set goals - I made a commitment to run a 5K race. Once I found one that allowed me to train for at least 4-5 months, I signed up and handed over my money. That helps motivate me when I don't feel like running. If I don't run, the 25 dollar entry fee is wasted.

4. Don't listen to your mind, listen to your body - I can tell you right now that your mind is your worst enemy when it comes to running. There have been numerous times that during that last interval, during those last 2 laps around the track that my mind was shouting at me to stop. You can't do it. You're going to hurt yourself. It hurts too bad. Just walk. These thoughts would constantly jump into my head as the workout came to an end. But I soon discovered that if you listen to your body, your body will tell you when you have to stop.

These are just a few of the things that I have learned. I'm sure there are dozens others that I could write on, but I leave those for my next "What I've learned so far..."

See you on the road tomorrow!!!

Week 4 is in the bag...

2005-05-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! I finished week 4 this afternoon. It was a difficult one for me. I was feeling quite confident so I decided to pick up the pace a little bit. I decided to finish my round trip 3 minutes faster than I normally do. Well let's just say that about three quarters of a the way through my run I realized that I was a little off pace to meet my goal. So I picked it up to make up some time. Well needless to say that was probably a big mistake about a quarter mile away from my run I was dragging tail all the way back to the end. I finished about 40 seconds off my goal. Usually I would feel good about coming so close to my goal, especially since I ran my circuit faster than ever before. But I didn't feel good after this run. I felt extremely drained. No runner's high. No great feeling of accomplishment. Just complete and total exhaustion. But now, about 3 hours later, I'm just really happy that I've finished week 4. Week 5 is a challenge that I'm looking forward to, but at the same I'm very leery of the 3rd workout. For those who are not familiar with coolrunning.com's couch to 5k program, here's the issue. For the past 4 weeks I've been running intervals increasing my running intervals from 1 minute to 5 minutes. Well starting next week the intervals increase to 8 minutes. Not too bad, just an increase of 3 minutes per interval from last week. But on the 3rd workout I'm supposed to just run 20 minutes straight without any walk breaks! Talk about a mental test! But I've talked to other on the message boards that have done the workout and the tell me that even though it is a very tough challenge it is doable. So I'll keep focused and take next week's challenge head-on. I'll keep you updated.

Another Workout Done

2005-05-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Finished with Week 4 Workout 2! What a sense of accomplishment. This run still hurt, but I can honestly say, it was really that bad. Suprisingly after my first 5 minute interval, I felt pretty good. Both physically and mentally. Physically I wasn't hurting too bad, and mentally I was pumped because I wasn't dead. But then I hit a bit of a snag. I go to my turn around point in my little running circuit and when I turned around, boom I was hit by a lovely headwind. That kinda sucked. But it still didn't kill me.

One scary moment on the road. About 10 minutes in, I felt a slight twinge in my left knee. I almost started to have a panic attack. I just kept thinking to myself, This can't be happening. But after a few seconds the twinge went away. So I'm hoping it was no big deal.

Well rest day tomorrow and I can't wait until Saturday to finish up Week 4.

Don't Mess up my routine MAN!!!

2005-05-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is. But I'm a guy who likes routine in his life. To a certain extent that is. I don't need my day completely planned out, but enough to where I don't have to worry about unexpected events messing up my life. But my simple routine has be pushed a day back. Who was the culprit? Mother's day. Now don't get me wrong. I think Mother's day is a very valuable holiday that celebrates those who give us life. But when it messes with my running routine...watch out. I normally workout Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I couldn't run Sunday, It was my wife's first mother's day. So we spent the day together and had a great time. On Monday I ran before I went to work. It was an awesome workout by the way!!! Tuesday is a rest day. Uh oh, today should be a run day, but alas I sit here in my College Library writing this blog entry. Why do you ask? Because I worked from 7am to 3:30pm. Then had to rush over here to cram for an Organic Chemistry Exam at 5:30pm. Leaving me no time to run. Does the cosmos realize what it is doing to me? But I'll just take some deep breaths and calm myself and run tomorrow. No harm right? I guess so.

Jedi Mind Tricks

2005-05-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

So I just got back from the track. I did Week 4 Workout 1 of Coolrunnings.com's Couch to 5K program. Whew! It was a tough one for me. I managed to get through about 90% of the workout before my mind started negotiating with me. I had just little of a 1/4 mile to go when my mind told me to stop. Believe me I really wanted to. My legs hurt, my chest was burning, and I had a side stich from hell! My mind started rationalizing why I should stop, What if you injure yourself by completing this workout. What if you have a heart attack and die? You can always finish the workout next time. But then I thought to myself why come all this way only to stop short when the finish line is in plain sight? So I drove on through the rest of the workout without stopping. Don't get me wrong it wasn't easy and it hurt like hell, but I was smiling as I reach the end of the workout. I was so damn glad that I didn't stop when my mind was telling me to. I guess it's true what they say, running is 50% physical and 50% mental. My mind was willing to give up before my body was. The good thing is, now I know that I can make it through this week of workouts. So there's no excuse not to finish! It's only been about a month and I can feel my body improving. I can't wait until my next workout.

How fast should I run?

2005-05-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit perplexed. I've been doing my running workouts on a regular basis. Yesterday was Week 3 Workout 3. Normally during my intervals I tend to run quickly and sort of putter out close to the end. Well yesterday I decided to change it up a little bit. Instead of starting out quickly I slowed my pace down slightly and was able to maintain that pace throughout the workout. In fact, I was feeling pretty good after my workout. So good that I ran an extra half mile just for the hell of it. So I'm not sure what the best approach is, I didn't push as hard as I normally do, but on the otherhand I felt pretty good and was able to run for a much longer time.

As far as my physical status, I'm happy to announce that I am currently pain and injury free. Let's hope it stays that way!!!