It was my last full day at work and things went rather smoothly. I was able to complete all the tasks I had been working on without any major hiccups. I received my co-op performance evaluation from my project leader which was very positive and contained many kind words. I finished up a few things and prepared for our 4pm departure to Paducah.
The company I work for, CSI, is holding their summer intern gathering tomorrow. My boss, carpooler/friend, and I hopped in the company car and headed this way. The 2 hour and 40 minute car ride felt like an hour and a half due to great conversation. We began talking about work and how we felt about the company. We then moved on to bourbon, wine, and what all goes into maintaining a wine cellar. Much was learned on this road trip.
CSI owns several acres of land and on it is a Courtyard Marriot. They have a partnership and we get a room to ourself with a nice, comfy, king size bed. All paid for by the company, of course. We checked in, changed clothes, and met in the lobby for a dinner trip.
We decided on Outback. I ordered the Norwegian Salmon with mixed vegetables and a side house salad. This was by far the best meal I've had at Outback, excluding those times that I got to eat a Chocolate Thunder from Down Under (which, no offense, sounds like an African American Chippendales dancer's stagename). Those days are long gone.
My boss expensed our meals and we graciously thanked him. It looks like I may be able to go without spending a dime until Friday/Saturday. Yeah!
After dinner I felt a little tired and weak in the legs, but I knew what I had to do. I had free time from about 7:30pm on, so why not use some of that time to run.
CSI has a nice lake on property with a trail sidewalk around the perimeter. It is not flat, though. I started the program, walking up to the actual CSI building and making my way around the parking lot. On the way back down the hill, I began running and headed for the lake. There was a family feeding what I assume to have been catfish. A lady and her three children, one in a stroller, were walking around, clockwise. I was obviously going around counter-clockwise, as that just makes sense. Silly lady.
It really is a nice area. The hill on one corner of the lake challenged me a bit, but it felt good. I endured some more leg pain, but I think it was due to insufficient stretching. I sat in a cubicle all day, rode in a car for 2.5 hours, then sat at dinner. I didn't use my legs very much.
The workout concluded and I felt well. The sun had gone down, so it wasn't nearly as hot as it has been, although it felt more humid.
I made my way back to my hotel room, got a bottle of water at the front desk, and sat here to type this post.
I'm glad I was able to run today. I'm hoping to get another run in before I fly out to Oklahoma on Saturday, but I'm just not sure yet.
Here is the map of my run:
I can't forget to include the song of the run. This is another beautiful song from my favorite band: Death Cab for Cutie - What Sarah Said. This song is sort of sad, but it really gets me thinking. I love the piano part, however simple it may be.
Don't freak out if you don't hear from me in awhile. I'm still alive and doing well, just super busy. I'll try to update when I can.
Lastly, I think I'm getting pneumonia from being sweaty and sitting next to this A/C. It feels good, though.
"Last night, I came home from work and ran. After returning, I went to the hospital to visit a close friend of mine. I didn't get back from the hospital until after 10:30pm. I decided it would be better for me to get some sleep rather than stay up to write this post. So, I will be writing yesterday's post tonight and posting it then.
I thank you for your understanding and greatly appreciate your patience."
Official post starts here.
The good news is, I'm going on a traveling extravaganza. The bad news is, I'm going on a traveling extravaganza. This is awesome because I'm going from Louisville, Elizabethtown, Paducah, Elizabethtown, Louisville, Oklahoma, Louisville, Owensboro, Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, Owensboro, and back to Louisville all in the span of the next four weeks.
I'm doing a variety of things, but they all relate to music. I travel to Paducah tomorrow for work until Friday. On Saturday, I fly to Oklahoma. There I am teaching a band camp with my old band director and great friend (those are the same person). I then come back to Louisville for a couple days to play some golf with my dad.
In Nashville, I am going to a Death Cab for Cutie concert with my best friend and his wonderful wife. This is my favorite band and I'm super excited. The Drum Corps International World Championships are taking place in Indianapolis during the second week of August. I will be there throughout its duration with my old percussion instructor turned great friend. After that, I have a week off before my Fall semester of school starts, and I'll likely spend it with my family in Owensboro.
The beginning of the Fall semester will mark the end of my travels. It will be a long few weeks and I will be very busy. I'm really excited about it, but also worried at the same time. This running thing has been going so well, but I know I won't be able to keep up with it while traveling. I'm not giving up. I'm being realistic.
As the weeks progress, the program gets harder. I understand hotels have treadmills and cities have parks and places to run. I'm not saying that I'm not going to run. What I'm saying is that I am not going to be dead set on following the program to a tee. I think that if I do this, I will be disappointed. My plan is going to be to run when I can.
I will use the program if possible, but I will return to previous week's runs. This way, I'm still running, but I won't disappoint myself by not being able to advance through the program. I think the most important thing here is the fact that I am still going to run. I'm running. That's what this whole journey is about. I started this blog because I chose to change my life and run. The program is just an assistant.
This journey is a life change. I'm heading in the right direction. My life has changed already. I'm making smarter eating choices and exercising 100% more than I used to. These things are beginning to no longer feel like a chore. I feel like that's a life change.
I'm not going to get down on myself for not being able to go to week 5 on time. I'm going to do what I can. That's the best for me. Running is what this is about. That's what I'm going to do.
Because I will be traveling all across this side of the country, I'm not sure how my computer/internet access will be. Thus, I don't know if/when I'll be able to update this blog. I will try to post when I can. I hope this won't be the death of the blog as far as readers are concerned.
Now onto yesterday's run.
I spent the entire day being tired. I drove to work, in Elizabethtown, from Owensboro and had to be there at 8am. My great friend was at Jewish Hospital with her sister who had just gotten out of surgery. I decided to visit her.
All day, I felt weak physically. I talked myself out of running because I was tired and needed to go to the hospital. I wasn't going to be able to run as much in the coming weeks, so it made sense to go ahead and take off. I spent more than 15 minutes telling myself this. It didn't feel right. I started talking to a friend who helped me decide against this. She helped me realize that the upcoming travels were even more reason TO run.
There was no point in taking off, just because I felt bad and had stuff I wanted to do. I needed to run, regardless.
Knowing that I wasn't advancing to week 5, I decided to go back to a week I've completed. Since week 4 nearly killed me, I decided to go back to week 3 and try to increase my speed. This ended up being a very good idea. Week 3 was just right for me. It ended up pushing me, but it was manageable. It was the first run that actually felt nice while running.
I made an effort to increase my speed and did so. My paces were faster than ever.
My plan is to keep doing these earlier runs. They still challenge me, but I can do them.
I was worried about the plateau I've been experiencing lately. I hadn't changed anything about my diet and I was still running, but my weightloss was a little disappointing. I came to stop worrying and realized, again, that this is a process. A watched pot will never boil...well a watched scale will never show a loss. I just need to keep doing what I'm doing and it will come.
I stepped on the scale yesterday, knowing that I weighed 301.0 lbs last week, and was really hoping I was still close to that. To my surprise, I saw this:
Yeah! Seeing that made me so happy. I haven't weighed below 300 lbs in several months. This just reaffirmed my efforts and makes me want to continue this new lifestyle.
Lastly, the song(s) of the run. I normally like to do one song per run, but I really felt the need for two after the run. The first song is The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart. My heart was definitely beating like a kick drum while running, but one of those bad, rock song kick drums, on every down beat. It felt really fitting and I enjoyed the flow of the song.
The last song came on during the cooldown. It is one of my favorite songs and is from my favorite artist: Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism. This is a very long song, but was perfect for my cooldown. The song carries a lot of emotion and Death Cab tends to close out their concerts with it. When I saw them in Louisville a couple years ago, they played it last and the moment was very powerful for me and the people with me. I know all of them remember it.
I appreciate your patience, understanding, inspiration, and motivation in the coming weeks. I thank you all for being with me through this journey. I'm not going to stop.
It's been a slightly abnormal week. Yesterday was the first Thursday I haven't run since mid-June. Week four has definitely been the hardest for me so far, so I decided to give myself a rest day, as the program recommends, and run today. Before this week, I could tell a difference from week to week, but the changes didn't seem all too drastic. For some reason, week three to week four felt like a big difference. These five minute runs are pretty hard for me.
Today was the best Friday we've had at work all summer. It was fun and passed rather quickly. After work, I drove to my parents house in Owensboro instead of going back to Louisville. I plan to be here all weekend.
This wasn't my routine, though. I'm supposed to get home from work and run around Louisville somewhere. I knew running here would be different, and it was. I arrived at the house and caught up with my parents for a bit then headed out.
Today was just as hot as any other day this week, except there is no shade around this neighborhood like there is in Central Park. I was prepared...so I thought.
Although the Greenbelt Trail is close and accessible, I just decided to run around the neighborhood. I came out the door sweating already and began day 3.
I got a nice warmup walk in and began to run. Again, the first run wasn't bad. It was very manageable. The trouble, again, came with the first five minute run. The sun was beaming, I was dripping with sweat, and my mouth was super dry. I had forgotten my usual stick of gum to rehydrate my mouth. :( This made me pretty sad. Having a parched mouth and no easy way to cure it was not something I had planned on. Oh well. Just keep running.
The three minute runs are beginning to feel rather easy, but I knew the last five minute run would be another beast to overcome. The 90 second walk before the last run was not nearly long enough, but I followed Alison's demand (she has a nice tone).
Being that the neighborhood is rather small, I was able to make several trips around. This allowed me to sort of guess where I would end up after each run. Based on where the last run started, I concluded that I would be running up the steepest hill near the end. My hypothesis was correct. I did not expect, though, to hear the two minute warning before I made it to this hill. I think that gave me the motivation to push myself. I knew that my run would be over soon after I reached the summit.
My calves and shins were in terrible pain. Going up a steep hill is not easy under these conditions. It hurt, but I pushed myself through it. I made it, without slowing down too much, and continued to run once it had flattened out. Within thirty seconds, I was told to walk. That wonderful feeling of relief was there again.
I was in pain, but that last run didn't feel like it took as long as the previous two from this week. Improvement is good, but I'm worried that I haven't improved enough. Week five is a pretty big leap. It's the first week with different workouts each day. The first day is three 5 minute runs. The second day is two 8 minute runs. The last day is a single 20 minute run.
I'm thinking that if I'm having this much trouble making it through two 5 minute runs, that next week might kill me. This might be the time that I become honest with myself and repeat week 4. I'm traveling a lot in the next three weeks, and I expect my free time to run to be diminished, if not non-existent. It may be a good idea to just take the next few weeks and try to build up my endurance some more before trying to tackle a 20 minute run. Sheesh, doesn't that seem like a big leap to you all?
I'm glad I am able to realize my own abilities and not just try something outrageous that I'm obviously not prepared for. I've had to push myself harder than ever to complete this week's 5 minute runs. There's no responsible way I can do two 8 minute runs, much less a 20 minute run, next week.
It's getting rather late, and I have a tee-time tomorrow, so I'd better wrap this up. I'm pretty proud of myself for making it this far in the program without giving up. It has been one of the hardest things for me, but I've done it. It feels good. Hopefully, I can get some more exercise in over the weekend, whether it be biking, walking, or running.
The song of the run is Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body. Unlike Monday and Wednesday, this song did not come on during the last 5 minute run. I didn't really need a song to motivate me today. This song came on during the cooldown walk. This is my favorite band, and this song is a little slower than the others in the playlist, so it helped me relax a little after such a tough run.
Five minutes feels like an eternity. Especially when you're out of shape and running with significant leg pain. Maybe it's due to the fact that I sit at a cubicle all day. I try to get up and walk around every hour or so. I do some stretches throughout the day and I stretch right before I run. My legs still hurt.
Maybe this will work itself out after my co-op is over in a week and a half and I'm no longer bound to a cubicle. When taking classes, I walk around all day. Maybe that will help.
I spent most of the day both looking forward to and dreading today's run. I like the idea of running now, and I like the way I feel right afterward. The actual running part is not quite as joyful. Yet.
I did my usual come home from work, change, and go run ritual. I ran the same route as the past two runs. The temperature outside had cooled down on my drive home, as a small rain came through, but the sun came back out and quickly heated things up. It felt hotter than Monday. The air was certainly thicker.
I'm interested in seeing how this goes in Oklahoma in a couple of weeks. I know it will be hotter, but not nearly as humid. I'll touch base on the Oklahoma topic later next week.
I didn't have much trouble today until run number two (5 mins) came. I found myself breathing rather quickly, unable to get a good breath. That good breath feeling is really hard to describe, but if you've ever had trouble breathing and then get that cool, deep feeling, you know what I'm talking about. I couldn't get one of those at all while running.
That deeper breath feels like it gets more oxygen into my lungs. It's sort of relaxing. As soon as I start walking again, my first breath is that nice, deep one. It's a relief, but these long runs make it hard, especially when my legs hurt as bad as they have.
I was able to push myself through the first half of the workout without too much trouble, other than the aforementioned, but it wasn't anything I couldn't manage.
I felt like I hit the wall about halfway through the third run (3 mins). I was running significantly slower, taking a smaller stride. I wanted to stop. I didn't. I kept running.
The last walk interval came, and I knew that 90 seconds was going to be glorious, but short. I enjoyed every single second of it. I knew the last run was going to be hard again. There was no reason for it to be leaps and bounds easier than Monday. I was prepared mentally, but not physically. I was in pain, breathing hot, heavy air.
The last run came before I expected it, of course, but I followed Alison's orders. I was a little bit closer to home than on Monday, which informed me that I was at a little faster pace today. This was a slight confidence booster. I wasn't really trying to run any faster. I've just been running at whatever pace is comfortable. Naturally increasing that speed, unknowingly, is a good feeling.
I ran and ran and ran. I knew, from Monday, about where my 2-min and 1-min to go warnings would be. It felt like they were forever far away. Oh well. That didn't matter. I just had to run, no matter how much it hurt or how much I didn't want to.
I neared the corner of 4th and Lee and was passed, rather quickly, by a man in his late 30's or early 40's. The old me would have been consciously embarrassed by this. The new me realizes that this is a long process. I will eventually build up to his pace. I'm fat, and I run rather slowly, but the point is, I'm running. I'm out there doing something for myself. I am definitely the biggest person I've seen running so far. That doesn't bother me though.
I rounded the corner before the 2-min warning. About a minute later, it came and I was having a rough time. I was running in direct sunlight, with no shade whatsoever. It became harder for me to pick up my feet. I did my best. I kept running.
The final minute came and I pushed myself hard. I was dripping with sweat - more so than any previous run. I'm so glad I found the warning alerts in the settings of the app. Knowing that I only had one minute left really helped me push through until the end. Boy, was it hard.
That bell tone I've begun to love sounded and I started the cooldown walk. My first action was the deep breath I spoke of before. It felt so good. The relief of finishing such a rough run is indescribable.
I made my way back to my apartment and immediately hopped in the shower, with weak legs. Right now, I feel well. I still feel a little weak in my legs, but overall, I feel great. It's crazy how good a run can make you feel. It's like super caffeine.
As I said on Monday, I plan on moving tomorrow's run to Friday. I think the rest day is becoming more essential as I progress. I expect to feel weird taking an off-day tomorrow. I'll be back on Friday. I promise.
The song of the run is Phoenix - Lisztomania. Again, it was a great, upbeat song that came on during the last 5-min run. I've loved this band since I first heard of them, upon the Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album release in 2009. They quickly rose to my top 3 bands.
A few people have recently learned of my blog and read its entirety in one sitting. They have contacted me, giving me words of encouragement and telling me of their confidence in me. To you people, thank you! I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read something that means so much to me. I appreciate you contacting me afterwards and expressing such kind words. It's you and the people before you, who have acted similarly, that keep me in this thing. I can't thank you enough!
**To those of you keen enough to notice the discrepancy in the spelling of Lisztomania between my words and the song widget, the spelling error is in the widget. I notice these kinds of things.
What a crazy few days it has been. Over the weekend, I was in Cincinnati, OH. I had a good time seeing friends I hadn't seen in awhile and making new ones. This trip, though, further affirmed my hatred towards the state of Ohio.
I can't even begin to tell you all the reasons behind this, but I can assure you, my opinion is well founded. I will say that 90% of it has to do with driving. And I love driving.
I've managed a mere 13 hours of sleep over the past three days, so needless to say, I am extremely tired. This morning, I put my left shoe on my right foot, spoke at least three sentences of complete gibberish, uttered the question, "Is the WK [abbreviation for Western KY Pkwy] about halfway down the Western Kentucky Parkway," and put ice in my coffee instead of my water.
I am a person incapable of making coherent, intelligent decisions as I wake. I have always been this way. I "wake" but still have delusions sometimes and have no idea what is actually going on. I'll hear my alarm and look at the numbers on the clock, but I don't process that I am supposed to get up because I have things to do. I interpret the numbers to mean various things - anything but the time of day.
This morning, my alarm began at 5:40am. At 6:35am, I woke. I was surprisingly more coherent than average and realized what time it was and what I needed to do. I knew it was Monday and that I was supposed to run. My newly-woken self decided that I would skip running today and just do it tomorrow. Nothing in the world could have felt better than that bed. All I wanted to do was sleep.
I got out of bed, got ready for work, and walked out the door.
All day, I knew I had to run tonight, but I didn't want to. I just wanted to sleep.
Today was the absolute fastest Monday of my life. I clocked in and suddenly it was time to leave. I promise, I didn't sleep at all.
I got home and knew that if I sat/laid down, I would be done for. I couldn't do that. I had to run. I was to begin a new week, one I knew would be hard. It was another step in my journey. I had to stick to the schedule.
I changed into my running gear and headed out. I decided to run outside again. In previous runs at Central Park, I have completed the runs there and then walked all the way home. Knowing how tired I was and how much sleep I plan to get tonight, I decided to try to end the workout back at my apartment.
The program for week 4 is as follows:
Warmup - 5 min walk
3 min run
90 second walk
5 min run
2.5 min walk
3 min run
90 second walk
5 min run
Cooldown - 5 min walk
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about this run beforehand.
The first run arrived and felt like it took awhile, but I was feeling ok. Run two came rather quickly and lasted forever. I was hurting and waiting for that two minute to go mark. It came and I pushed through it and the one minute mark, finally finishing the run halfway up the hill in the middle of Central Park. I was glad to know that I had 2.5 minutes to recover.
My mouth was super dry, so I popped in one of my sticks of gum I've been carrying. Gum never tastes as moist and flavorful as it does in this situation.
I was nearing the corner of the park that leads back down 4th street, towards my apartment, and decided to go ahead and head that way. Before I left the park, the third run came. I ran down the sidewalk of 4th street and my legs were hurting. I started feeling another of those side pains. I had to really push myself to make it to the end. Alison told me to walk and I was relieved. I put my hands on my head, following the advice of Sarah Bennett (thanks), and this helped relieve my side pain. I felt as I have after workouts from previous weeks. I was exhausted. I knew that I still had a five minute run ahead of me, and I was not looking forward to it.
The fastest 90 seconds passed and it was time to run again. I was approaching Hill St. and my pedestrian light displayed an orange hand. I was hoping that it would stay this way, forcing me to stop and catch my breath. I got within 30 feet or so and the light changed. It now displayed a white figure, taking a leisurely stroll. I had the right of way. I took it. I didn't stop.
I kept running, despite the pain. I couldn't believe Alison hadn't given me the two minute warning yet. I was in rough shape at this point. I wanted to stop. It was bad. My pace was slow, but I was running. I was giving it all I had. This last run was the hardest thing I've done, physically, since my senior year of high school, in the fall of 2005 (thanks Gordo).
The two minute warning came and I wasn't sure if I could make it. I kept running. Finally the one minute warning came, but I was getting weaker. Only one more minute. I could do it. I pushed myself, harder than I ever have before. Then it was over. I could walk. It took me several seconds to recover and catch my breath, but I did it.
I must say, I was pretty proud of myself. I'm sure running for 16 minutes seems like a menial task to a lot of you, but when you've been overweight half your life and haven't done much physical activity in a few years, it's rough.
I do think that I will move Thursday's run to Friday for this week. This workout is quite a bit harder than the previous three weeks, and I'm not sure I can do it back to back.
I don't listen to this band on a regular basis, but I like a lot of their songs. A few of them are on my phone, and coincidentally made it onto my playlist. One Republic - All the Right Moves came on about a minute into the last 5 minute run. This song is pretty upbeat and has a good flow to it. It helped me get through that last run. I was pretty glad to hear it over a slower song. For the record, I think this band is criminally underrated.
Here is the map of tonight's run, making a figure-8 like shape.
I feel pretty good right now, just very tired. My calves hurt a little bit, but I think I'll be more prepared for Wednesday's run. I'm strangely looking forward to it.
As of this moment, I weight 301.0 lbs. This is a 0.2 lb loss from one week ago. This is a little disheartening, but I know losing this much weight is a long journey. Considering my eating options over the weekend, I consider losing weight a victory.
Today was great, until about 2:30pm. At that moment, everything at work decided to not cooperate. This only compounded over the next few hours, and I ended up leaving work around 5:30. I work 8-5. This is not wholly problematic for me, as I want to get things working properly before I go, but I don't like keeping my carpooler waiting. The ride home was de-stress time for both of us, and I think we helped each other feel better about the day.
I got home and immediately changed into my running gear. Once again, I never considered going to the gym. I wanted another go at Central Park.
I completed the first run on my way to the park and run two began just as I arrived. On the South side of the park there is a police substation. It looks pretty adobe-like to me. (No, not the digital media company, you tech heads. The architectural style.) It just seems kind of weird and out of place. Anyways, one of the trails runs right through it, and that's where I hopped on.
The first two runs felt pretty easy, and I could tell my pace was a bit faster. That was one of my personal goals. The latter two runs were rough. It felt hotter and more humid today than yesterday, at least at the times I ran, and I found it harder to breathe today. I have a feeling I'm going to go to the doctor before too long and possibly get diagnosed for acute asthma. If so, hopefully they can help me breathe better.
The longer I ran, the more my legs hurt and the slower I was. I could tell a major difference in the way I felt while running from yesterday. As a whole, my running pace was slower, but I know I started off quite a bit faster. The end was hard. I'm afraid I might have to move away from the Wed/Thur back-to-back running days. We'll see.
The workout itself seemed to pass quickly. I found, in the settings of the app after my Facebook publishing stopped working, options to add "last run" and "time to go" audible messages. For now, when I'm running intervals, it helps to know how much time is left. It helps me push through it. I don't think how much time is left actually matters, but mentally, it provides motivation. "Come on, one more minute," is a lot better than, "OMG, how much longer do I have to do this?"
The final walks began and I made my way back home, not getting halfway there before Alison told me my workout was complete. She's so nice. Still though, I tried to walk slightly faster than comfortable all the way home.
Thankfully, I didn't see a single train all day.
I walked in the door and was happily greeted by Twix (roommate's dog). Every time I come home, he's at my feet until I sit down. Then he'll go grab a bone or tennis ball or something and just sit under my chair. He's awesome.
So, FYI, I'm a boxers guy. Running in boxers isn't too pleasurable. I invested in a few pairs of boxer-briefs to run in and I must say they are a tremendous improvement. I won't go into detail, but you guys that are interested in running, invest in some boxer-briefs.
While we're bordering on TMI, I'll go ahead and tell you about my deodorant. I knew I was running out of deodorant, so while I was at Target a week ago I decided to pick up some. They had my brand/type, but not my normal scent. I needed deodorant, so I got some random scent. Well, I finally officially ended the old stick and used the new one right before tonight's run. It's the strongest smell, still, that I've smelled coming from my own body ever. Sitting here, typing this, an hour after sweating in the hot, humid air, I can smell this new deodorant like a piece got shoved up my nose. At least it smells good. I'm not complaining, just informing you of the observations I go through on this journey.
I think I've said all I want to. It's nice to complete this post before 9pm. Maybe I can get something done tonight.
I don't know how much you guys liked it, but I really enjoyed the musical additions of the previous post. I know the few of you closest to me share similar musical tastes, so I imagine you would appreciate it. I'm thinking of doing a "song of the run." With the app limiting to 100 songs, the variety isn't too vast, but enough for me to do this for a little while.
Tonight's song of the run is Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix). I like more upbeat songs when running and this one fits that criterion.
A few more of you have told me that I inspire you and that you're going to start the program or change your health because of it. Well, thanks and that's awesome! I'm happy for you! I started this blog to keep myself motivated, but the effect it is having on a few of you inspires me right back. That's a very rewarding feeling. Keep it up! You can do it!
Again, I approach a weekend and another long break from running. It's honestly starting to feel more like a hobby and less like a chore. My weekends are usually pretty busy, but if I can find the time to get some exercise in, I believe I will.
I got more sleep last night than I have in weeks. I felt great all day. I knew the treadmills were supposed to have been fixed, but I wanted to run outside, for some reason. I have a feeling I like it because I can control my own pace. My average pace is still faster than when on a treadmill, and I can speed up or slow down depending on how I feel. Also, outside is beautiful.
*Aside*
This train track by my apartment is getting really frustrating. When I came back from Monday's run, there was a train just sitting still on the tracks, blocking the road, with no evidence of locomotion any time soon. The end was near enough for me to walk around, but still annoying. Well tonight, when I drove home from work, a different train was stopped on the tracks. Thirty minutes later, when I left for my run, it was still there. Forty minutes after that, the train is still stopped, being a gigantic nuisance.
If driving, there is a semi-short detour available. Unfortunately, this route is closed to pedestrians. It's a train underpass, and the sidewalk is not structurally sound, so it's closed off. The next closest route adds 1.5 miles to the trip, when I can literally see my apartment from the train tracks. Why do trains keep blocking off the street for hours at a time? Is this even legal? (Turns out it is. Booooo!)
*End Aside*
I geared up and headed outside for a run. I turned to the right when I got out of my apartment and saw the train still blocking the way, so I was forced to take an alternate route than I have before. Not really knowing the area on the ghetto side West of my apartment I decided to walk a bit before starting the program.
I knew Central Park was just a couple blocks North of me, so I decided that to be my destination. I've been wanting to run there.
I finally arrived and the park was super busy. Little kiddos were playing in the big water fountain with parents multi-tasking around the perimeter. At least six tennis matches were taking place, and I believe they were all doubles. Many dogs were being walked and bikes ridden. There were a couple other runners as well.
I found the paved path and started the program. I walked for a couple minutes and noticed I was approaching a steeper than average hill, for a park anyways. I did not look forward to running up this.
The first run (90 seconds) came and went with ease. The second run (3 minutes) came and was over before I expected. The 3 minute walk seemed like it lasted an eternity. The third run (90 seconds) arrived as I was approaching the hill again. It was a little rough. I had to make my gait shorter and lean a little forward. Crossing the apex and running down the hill was a relief.
The last run (3 minutes) got me back to the hill. The longer I go in a workout, the longer the runs seem to last. This last run felt super long. I was getting tired and out of breath. Hot air is harder to breathe. I almost turned my arm around to look at my phone and see how much longer I had to run. Knowing how much longer I had could help me push through it. I cleared the thought from my mind and kept running. Just that moment, Alison - the name the app gives to the girl's voice - told me to walk. What a relief.
I began walking back to my apartment during the last walk and the cooldown. After a few minutes, I found myself wanting to run again. The forums and blogs I've read advise against that. Just stick with the program and don't strain yourself to do extra work. I listened. After a few more minutes, my back began to hurt and I was glad I hadn't run any more.
I made it nearly all the way to the train tracks before I could tell that the train was still blocking the way. I took the detour. This made for another 4ish mile trip in all.
I've noticed that I haven't sweat nearly as much this week as I did the first two weeks. I've only run outside this week. I'm still trying to figure this one out. Maybe I'm just starting to get accustomed to running.
I am pretty pleased with this week so far. The workouts themselves feel short and fairly easy. Those 3 minute runs are a little rough at the end, but I feel like I'm making progress. On Week 1 Day 1 Part 1, I felt exhausted after 40 seconds. I'm happy to be beyond that now and looking forward to the future.
I hope to get sufficient sleep again tonight and feel great tomorrow.
As an added bonus, my workout started with Phoenix - Love Like A Sunset and ended with Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark, two of my favorite songs, and that was awesome. You can listen to them here. If they don't appear to load, refresh and have patience.
Lastly, here is the map of my route for tonight's run.
I hope to make this a short post, because it's already past the time I wanted to be in bed tonight.
Today has been a very long day. I went home, to Owensboro, this past weekend to play in a golf scramble and help my sister and brother-in-law move into their beautiful new home (congrats you two). I went to work, in Elizabethtown, from Owensboro. This required me to leave around 5:15am central time. I've been awake for awhile.
The work day was productive, yet boring. I stayed active enough to not have to fight to stay awake, but I was tired nonetheless. I knew that I would run tonight. I was worried. Week 3 introduces the 3-minute run. That's twice the length of any run I'd done so far. I expected it to be a challenge and subtly stressed about it all day.
I changed clothes and headed to the gym. I immediately noticed that the two outside treadmills were still out of order. The only working treadmill had an occupant who got off seconds after I arrived...but there was already a line. There was no choice. I had to run outside again and I knew it was going to be hot.
I spoke to the kind ladies in the clubhouse and was informed that the treadmills were going to be repaired, hopefully once and for all, tomorrow. I headed back to my apartment to prepare for an outside run.
I drank some water, applied chapstick, and affixed my iPhone arm band. On the way out the door, I saw my hat. I decided it would help keep the sun and sweat out of my eyes. I grabbed it and headed out.
The previous route I took outside worked out really well, so I planned on doing the same. I walked for 5 minutes and was told to run. I knew the program for Week 3 was two reps of 90 second run/90 second walk and two reps of 3 minute run/3 minute walk. What I did not know was if it alternated. Had I been on the treadmill, I could have seen the time of the run as it came, but with the armband, I had to be prepared for anything.
I hit the same checkpoints for the 5 minute walk, 90 second run, and 90 second walk as I did last Thursday. The next run came and I just ran. Whether it be 90 or 180 seconds I didn't know. I paced myself and tried to take long breaths. I passed the checkpoint from Thursday. I waited a few more seconds in my mind before realizing that this was the 3 minute run. I kept running. I was told to walk before I expected and all the fear built up from the day left me. I did it. That wasn't bad at all.
It was at this point that I realized I was already halfway through the program for the night. That made going on much easier. I ran around the park and finished the program. I'll admit, I was tired in the end, but it wasn't anything I couldn't do. I'm sure my pace slowed towards the end, but I'm not worried about that. My pace was still faster than my treadmill pace. I was pleased with myself. Oh yeah, it was hot today, by the way. Very hot.
Instead of beginning my cooldown walk towards my apartment, I decided to head to a best friend's apartment. He and I usually get to spend some quality time with each other at least once per week, but we've both been busier than normal this summer. I arrived and we caught up with some awesome chats.
We both knew, thanks to UofL's text message alert system, that there had been a water main break on Floyd Street, just a couple blocks away from us. After seeing friends post photos on Facebook, we decided to make the journey across campus.
We approached the Eastern Parkway bridge, from the West ironically, and the fire department was closing it off as we arrived. We diverted ourselves into campus to investigate the horrible flood. We ended up walking around the entire campus, and going to the top floor of the Floyd Street parking garage, to get some good views. Mind you, that my legs felt fine through all of this. I had just finished a run, and I was feeling great!
We took several photos. Below is an album of the photos I took. Remember, this was a water main break, not a flash flood nor rain induced.
After this journey, we parted ways and I walked back to my apartment. I made about a 4 mile trip tonight. As I walked down the street to my apartment complex, I noticed several cars making U-turns. This is usually indicative of a train crossing the tracks. A duck down to look under the trees confirmed this. I considered my options. Taking the detour, while simple by car, would be about a 3/4 mile addition to my route. As it was getting late, I wanted to get home, because I knew this post was going to be long despite its very first sentence. I decided to take my chance that the train wouldn't be crossing for very long.
I was right. The train simply stopped crossing. Dead in its tracks, the train blocked the road. I looked towards its rear and realized that it wasn't too many cars down. With no knowledge of when the train expected to locomote again, I decided to walk around the train. This was the hardest part of my trek home, as the ground was made of large gravel. Not easily walked on, it reminded me of the leg pain I have become so familiar with.
I made the final stretch and arrived back to my apartment. When I left earlier, we had no water due to the water main breakage. I checked it again upon getting back to realize there was still no water. Thankfully I have a standing Brita water cooler and bottled water in the fridge to quench my thirst. As I write this sentence, I finally have water, although we're apparently under a boil water advisory. My only concern was being able to shower after running in the "feels like" triple digit temperature. I can finally do that.
I want to give a big thanks, again, to all of you that have been there for me throughout this journey. Your support, stories, tips, confidence and inspiration have been indescribably helpful to me as I progress. I'm not sure I could do it without you.
Lastly, being that it is Monday, I need to log my weight. I currently weigh 301.2 lbs. That makes a 14.4 lb loss in the past 18 days. It goes to show you that hard work pays off. Seeing those numbers further motivates me to continue.
I must admit that I was honestly concerned with keeping weight off over the weekend. Not running Friday through Sunday and having no Nutrisytem (it's hard to travel with) challenged me to find healthy alternatives to eat. I must thank my family for being willing to change eating plans to help me support my diet, and my mother, in particular, for preparing several healthy meals for me. They have been, above all, the greatest supporters of me and my journey. I can't thank them enough for everything they do for me.
I'll end this post with another quote. This quote reflects where I was 18 days ago. This journey is a choice I made, and I'm glad I did.
“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice.”
-Wayne Dyer
That's right! I ran outside tonight. I came home rather tired again and made my way to the gym. When I walked in, the middle treadmill was the only functional one - again - and it was occupied by a guy I've seen every night. As I double checked the left treadmill's condition, I looked at his time and he had 28:31 left. I didn't want to wait that long to start my workout.
*Aside*
Doing this Couch to 5k program and keeping this blog updated has taken up most of my free time. I need to start getting to sleep earlier. Waking up for work before 6am every day is no fun, I can assure you. Because of these reasons, I'm going to try to shorten the lengths of my posts. This may be difficult to do, as I find myself continually wanting to say one more thing.
*End Aside*
I decided I couldn't afford to add thirty minutes onto my night, so I made my way back to my apartment to prepare for my first outdoor run. The only thing that has prevented me from running outdoors thus far is my own fear.
I bought a Belkin iPhone armband that allows me to run while listening to the music/program with ease. I decided I couldn't run with a water bottle, and I didn't want my keys to jump all over the place and slap my leg all the time. I needed a solution. I took my apartment key off my key ring, wrapped a paper clip around the hole, and slid it under my shoelaces, affixing the paper clip to them also. I took a few sips of water and put a single stick of gum in my pocket for that inevitable time when my mouth would become dry.
Because the program requires you to walk and run at specific times, I knew that I didn't want to deal with traffic. I remembered a park that I used to live by just a few blocks away. I decided to head in that direction, then make my way back.
Right before I started the program, while I was holding my bicep all awkwardly to use my phone, I saw the popup asking if I wanted to purchase the GPS add-on. This 99 cent option is one that I was putting off until I could use it properly by running outdoors. This was the time. I clicked "Purchase" and in mere seconds, the add-on was installed.
What a world we live in where we can do so many things from a mobile device, right?
I began.
It was hot today. Humid too. I felt it on the warmup walk. I assumed this would be a challenge, but it was one I was ready to take on.
I made it all the way to the park in the first two runs without feeling fatigue. By the time the third run was over, I was struggling. The hot air was not as welcomed by my lungs. It was hard for me to get that deep, relieving breath that feels so good. I kept running until she said to walk.
People were playing tennis, basketball, and frisbee. I was running. The people I passed gave me the nod, and I returned it. It felt nice being outside, except for the heat and the exhaustion.
I could tell that it was easier running outside as far as the actual motion goes. I'm allowed the freedom to take longer strides that I'm afraid to take on a treadmill because of my long legs. The hardest factor is the weather.
Run six came and I was feeling pretty whipped. The last thirty seconds was tough. My body was tired. I was sweating profusely. My side hurt. I wanted to just stop and keel over. I knew that as soon as I did, that lady would tell me to start walking just seconds after. I wanted to make it to the end. I did. That wave of accomplishment rushed over me again.
When my cooldown walk had ended, I was still a half mile away from my apartment. I continued walking until I arrived.
I knew that the GPS add-on would be computing my speeds as I ran. I was curious to see how they compared to the speeds I've been running on the treadmill. My run speed was a full minute per mile faster than the treadmill and my walk speed was about 3.5 minutes/mile faster. Knowing that felt great.
I must say, this whole journey so far has been amazing. I do realize that I'm simply running - something hundreds of thousands of people do each day - but it's more than that to me. This has been a turning point in my life. I must say, I'm proud of myself. The influx of text messages, Facebook messages/wall posts, and comments have been wonderful. I appreciate all of you for taking the time to show your support. It means a lot to me.
I'll end the post with the map that the C25k app created for me while I ran. The green pin is my apartment. The lower purple pin is the 1.0 mile marker and the upper pin the 2.0 mile marker. The red pin is when the program ended, and I walked back to the green pin.
**Edit: This morning, I tightened my belt up a knotch! Yeaaah!
Today has been interesting. That I can say with confidence.
It was Ugly Tie Day at work. A colleague of mine who carpools with me was gracious enough to lend me one of the most hideous ties ever. Without the excitement of seeing laughing at everyone's ugly tie, today would have likely been unbearable. The rather simple, yet lengthy task I've been working on for the past two weeks gets more complex and lengthy each day.
I continually yawned throughout the day. For the first time, I didn't feel like running mentally, but did physically. I just wanted to get home and go to sleep. No can do.
I got home, changed, and made my way to the gym. People were out playing basketball, soccer, walking their dogs, and swimming. Things were normal.
I enter the gym and see a girl running on the middle treadmill. The far right one has a sign on it informing runners-to-be of its inoperable condition. I head towards the left treadmill and sink as I see the telltale signs of it being inoperable as well. There is no little LED heart pulsing as there would be if it were working.
The girl running in the middle looks at me and somehow conveys that she's nearly finished with no words or awkward hand signals. I acknowledge, using this same newfound method of conversation, and head over to the stationary bike to warm my legs up. Within 4 minutes, she's done and I hop on.
I set the warmup walking speed to the same thing I've used for the past 2-3 runs. In the first thirty seconds, I realize that I'm walking awkwardly slow. I bump the speed up to what I started the program with nearly two weeks ago. I feel my inquisitiveness churning. Run one comes and I set the speed to my run speed from two weeks ago also. Thirty seconds passes and my questions were answered. The far left treadmill is not calibrated properly at all.
I realized that the past couple of runs I've done on the far left treadmill were a lot harder at lower speeds. Having run faster, with less effort, on the middle and right treadmills, I came to the conclusion that the left one has to be 0.5 - 1.0 mph faster than the other two. There is no way that it was this much easier for me to run tonight without that being the case. When you are just beginning to run for the first time in your life, really, 1 mph is a big difference.
Now I don't feel so bad for slowing my speeds on the left treadmill and still having trouble. This was a little confidence boost that got me through the first few runs tonight...well almost.
I then noticed that my C25k app stopped playing my music each time it transitioned between walking and running. I had to restart it each time. Having worked with computers and software all my life and now in the workplace as a profession, I did the first thing all computer-literate people do - I rebooted the app.
While this did fix my problem, now my workout had begun from the beginning again. I fast forward to Walk 2, where I was when I began troubleshooting, and set my phone down. My hand gets caught up in my headphones and jerks my phone off the treadmill and I try to catch it with the headphone cable. The weight of the phone was too much and my phone faceplanted on the treadmill and slung backwards as the treadmill went around. I sighed and stopped the treadmill. I nearly fell off as I attempted to step down to grab my phone.
To my relief, it was fine. That's the first time I remember dropping my phone in years. I don't do that. I plug back up, start the program AGAIN and continue walking. Now the volume was significantly lower. I check the slide on my headphone cable and it hadn't moved. I raised the volume on the phone itself and I was back to the workout. Ugh.
I continued running and walking at my original paces. As a whole, I was breathing better. My legs were still hurting though. After my very first run, I tightened my shoes for the next few runs. This is when my legs started hurting. Logically, I thought that correlation might be relevant. Before tonight's run, I loosened them. I think I went a little too loose. I'll try to find the happy medium for tomorrow.
I considered other reasons that my legs were hurting. I think the treadmill is mostly to blame. It requires me to run abnormally. I noticed that I was kind of shuffling. Instead of pushing off with my legs I was pulling them forward. That obviously explains my shin pain. By the time I realized this, it was already too late. I'll try to change that for tomorrow. I'm not sure when I'll transition my runs outdoors, but when that happens, I'd like to compare strides.
Regardless of the ups and downs of the day, I'd say it was largely a success. There goes another run that old me would have never done.
I'd like to end this particular post with a quote. A coworker of mine posted it as his Facebook status this morning and it spoke to me. Regardless of the gimmicks the author may try to pull, or whatever you think about him, these words have meaning. It reminds me of myself two weeks ago. This is essentially the realization I came to, myself, when I decided to take action. It can apply to many different aspects of your life. No matter what you may be dealing with yourself, take these words to heart:
"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” -Mark Victor Hansen
Happy 4th of July! Today is a holiday. It is also a Monday. To me, it feels like neither of these things. I can hear thousands of dollars worth of fireworks exploding outside my window with each passing minute.
I woke today feeling lazy. I just wanted to sit around and catch up on all the TV shows I've missed since starting this program. When you commute almost an hour to work, one-way, time to get things done afterward is quite minimal. Getting in shape is much more important than any TV show.
I thought I might take today off. I have the day off from work, so why not?
The longer I thought, the more my mind prevailed. Today is Monday. Today is a work out day. Today is the day I track my weight. Today is the day I am supposed to start Week 2. Today is a day I run.
I got dressed and went to the gym.
My walk to the gym was rather uneventful compared to previous days. I live in a gated, college-student apartment complex. No one was playing basketball or volleyball. No one was standing around outside running the chats. I'm sure everyone is out and about, partying and watching the sky on this beautiful evening. They have nothing better to do, but I do.
I hopped on the treadmill on the far left again and began walking. I haven't mentioned this before, but all three treadmills at the gym have TV screens on them. It kind of makes you feel lazy, watching TV as you run. It does help take my mind off of my legs or chest or whatever I'm having trouble with at the time. Tonight I had the pleasure of watching Family Guy, the O.J. Simpson episode in particular, via closed captioning. Writing that last sentence made me wonder what open captioning is...the answer, thanks to the University of Washington: "Open captions always are in view and cannot be turned off, whereas closed captions can be turned on and off by the viewer." Knowledge drop!
Back to the workout. The warmup walk felt nice. I didn't feel much tension in my legs and I was comfortable. As the first workout of Week 2, I was a little worried about the increased run time, but I tried not to think about it. Run 1 came and went and I felt great. The extra 30 seconds tacked on was no big deal. That all changed for the last two runs. My legs felt very tired. They didn't really hurt, though, just weak and tired. Maybe I wasn't hydrated enough. I've read a little about that.
I got a little asthmatic feeling towards the end and I couldn't get a deep enough breath to please me. I sipped on water during each walk and that helped. I tried to control my breathing to the best of my ability, but towards the end of the last few runs, I couldn't help but breathe quickly.
Overall, I'm pleased with today's run. I'm glad I was capable of moving on to Week 2. I'm glad I was able to talk myself out of taking the day off. I always feel great after a run, and I imagine that will continue. I still look forward to that day I take off for a leisurely run with no need for motivation.
Having had a fairly busy weekend, I don't feel like doing much of anything. As of now, I don't really feel like running on Wednesday, but I imagine by the time that day comes around, I'll spend the day at work looking forward to a run.
This journey proves itself to be hard, time and time again. Though, I'm not worried. I will prevail.
