No Time Like the Present

Well there's no time like the present.  And it's not a play on words with Christmas either.  I decided a few weeks ago that I couldn't wait for New Year's to come around and I need to start running and getting in shape. It's time to lose some weight.  I definitely have a few pounds on me that need to come off and who said that we have to base our routines on New Year's, a calendar which is something the Romans dreamed up, to plan our workouts. Did they have Thanksgiving and Christmas packing on the pounds?

So there's that and then there's the coworker that sends you the workout routine and he says, "Hey, it's time to start ramping up for the Corporate 5K in April."  That happened yesterday.

I looked over the routine and it looks good. It's 6 to 7 days a week running and I can do it.  It's have to be determined and try everyday.

Yesterday, the workout was an easy distance day. I ran just over 3 miles around 9:30 average pace.

Today, the routine was 6-8 x 1000m at tempo with a 1:00 active rest

.  I haven't run hard in a long time, but it's either try or do.  Yoda says to do.

Started with a 1 and 1/2 mile warm-up, got some quick stretching and got to it.

My splits were:

4:55

5:02

4:51

5:05

5:03

5:11

This is going to hurt tomorrow, but it felt good when I get done.  Total mileage was 5.75 miles.  Day 2, that's a wrap.

5 Easy Miles

It has rained for most of the last week and I needed to retrieve my bicycle from work.  It is 1.85 miles, but I wanted my run to be a little longer.  Taking that into consideration, I plotted a course that placed a water break exactly at 2.5 miles of a 5 mile run.

I took it easy and didn't push myself.  There were times when it was hard not to push it.  Especially at a point when another runner came up behind me and got within a couple yards, but never attempted to pass.  I could hear her footsteps as we ran in near unison for about a mile until our paths diverted.  I wanted to give a burst and put some space between us.  That would have been completely psychological and the whole point in running an even pace is to prove you can maintain control over a given length of time.  That was hard!  Even as slow as I am right now, I want to compete.

The run went mostly well.  I had stiffness and pain in my left calf which stemmed from a misstep running on bricks this past Monday.  I also had tightness in the arch of my right foot, but that went away after the water break at 2.5 miles.

Well, I got to run and I have my bike back ready to go to work.

Corporate 5k This Week

It's been awhile since posting, but it is that time of year again for the annual Corporate 5k in downtown Orlando.  I have run a few times in the past 2 weeks with my longest run being 5 and a half miles.

I have got to get into a rhythm and just promise myself that running will be a part of my life again.  It seems really hard to stay committed and create a habit of exercising.  I don't know why.  Running and any kind of outdoor activity used to be a standard in my life.  Whether it was playing games as a kid or running track and cross country in high school to running up and down the basketball court, running of some kind has been a staple.

I have given in to easy excuses the past 2 years.  Sure, health issues were a part of it at the beginning, but now it is purely mental. I put on 20 pounds in the past 2 years.  I was 170 pounds and topped out recently at 190.  I have been increasingly conscious of what I drink the past couple weeks, haven't really altered my food intake, and increased my activity through running, biking, and swimming.  When I weighed myself this morning, the scale read 186.6, so that is some improvement.  I would like to get back to 170, where I was 2 years ago, and eventually get down to 160.  I think that would be comfortable on my bones.

I'm not going to go crazy and do any crash dieting and working out 3 times a day, though.  The exact weight isn't what's important.  I'll know when I get there.  What feels comfortable, fast, and strong (for a forty year old) will be the mark.

On another note, today was a the Boston Marathon.  While I was at work, I had numerous people tell me there was a terrible explosion that took a couple lives and injured many more.  I am not a religious person, so I won't talk of prayer.  I don't know who would do something like this.  My first thought is that someone was trying for years to BQ (Boston qualify) and just couldn't make it, but came close year after year to the point of insanity.  Then there is the possibility that someone running the route owed a debt to someone.  Now, someone is swimmin' with the fishes.

Thank goodness, we don't live in the Middle Ages.  Wait!  That was some pretty medieval shit!  I don't know, people, kids have to deal with this type of thing every day in Baghdad. We're just used to peaceful living in Mayberry USA.  Either way, this is just fucked up!

I hope the rest of the wounded make it out of the hospital and can get back to what they love one day soon... running.