This past Sunday was beautiful outside. It was warm and sunny for change, and I took advantage of the nice weather and went out for a run - a 9 mile run around Shoe Factory Road Forest Preserve.
By mile 5 my mind was entertaining the idea of making the remaining 4 miles a leisurely stroll. In other words, by the time I got to mile marker 5 I started to think about quitting. It was hot, my water was running out and my mind was straying.
To fight off the urge to quit I tried to focus on my legs. How were they feeling? Was my right ankle acting up (it's the one that usually gives me trouble)? No. The part of my right leg just above the ankle but not quite the shin was achy all week. Was it hurting? No. Was I winded? No. Was I getting side stitches? No. Cramps? No. My muscles were fine. Everything was working, but my mind kept entertaining thoughts of quitting.
I struggled through it and finished the run. As I closed the 9 mile loop I kept going for another tenth of mile or so to my parked car. I stopped, unlocked the car door and grabbed some more water. Within a few minutes my breathing was regular. I felt fine. Clearly I didn't push myself very hard based on how quickly I recovered, so why was my mind telling me to stop?
I spoke to a co-worker who runs marathons. He's a young guy - at most he's in his mid-twenties. This dude can run 7 minute miles. 7 minute miles! I'd have to sprint to cover a mile in 7 minutes. And I know I can't sprint for a whole mile. I point this out for no real reason other than to say that I spoke to someone who knows a thing or two about running and can do it a lot better than me.
I told him of my running story (I regularly bore my running co-workers to death with my running issues) from this Sunday. He had a very thoughtful insight. The mind is rational and when it feels the stress of running it says "stop". The impulse it sends to stop isn't based on the body not being able to withstand the stress. It's just a self-preservation mechanism. But an athlete knows (or should know) his body well enough (by pushing the limits in training) to know what it can withstand. An athlete should be able to identify injury pain from simple fatigue pain. And that, according to my colleague, is how you keep yourself going.
I felt pretty good about his explanation. Largely this is because that's exactly what I did on my last run. As an athlete (I refer to myself as one in the broadest, loosest and most generous sense known to mankind) I've come to understand what I can take. That's why I didn't stop. That's why I made it through all 9 miles.
Looking back I did find one variable that I re-introduced on my 9 mile run that I haven't had in my various 6, 7 and 8 mile runs over the past several weeks. That variable is my iPod. I think the music distracts me from thinking about my running and it keeps me from thinking about positive things that keep me going.
I'm ditching the iPod. This week I'm running without it. This coming Sunday when I line up for another 1/2 marathon in Schaumburg I'm going to be iPod free. Hopefully this will help me get my mind and my muscles better synchronized.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
My running ups and downs...
Only a few weeks after running the Shamrock Shuffle in 55 minutes (it was an 8K race in downtown Chicago) I was able to complete another 8K race (this time in Washington, DC) in 50 minutes. I noticed that my runs were getting slightly faster even though I didn't necessarily set out to make faster times.
I chalked it up to improving fitness and to the fact that I'm getting better at running. I ran with a friend from the office after work during a business trip to Springfield, Illinois and we ran approximately 6.8 miles at just under 11 minute miles (my usual M.O. has been to run the longer distances at about 12 min/mile). At home I ran 8 miles at a pace of 11 min 30 sec (again, slower then my 8K times but faster than my usual for longer distances).
Since then I've been having aches and pains in my right ankle and the area just above my right ankle. That plus all the rain and cold have kept me off the road and on a treadmill. While the lessened impact from running on the treadmill is good, I can't seem to get myself to run longer distance on the treadmill. I get bored very quickly.
Today I went out and ran 9 miles. It was run at a slow 12min/mile pace. It was a hard 9 miles. Right from the start my knees and my ankle felt achy/sore. Those pains receded into the background as I finished a few miles but then my legs just started getting heavy and I really struggled through the last 3 miles.
I was surprised that I started feeling so stiff at mile 6 since I've covered 8 miles a few times this year and on neither of those occasions did I feel as tired even in the last stretch as I did today in a much earlier point in my run. I was disappointed with the way I ran.
Thankfully I went out with a small bottle of water. That turned out to be a lifesaver because today it was sunny and about 70 degrees out. Without the water I would have been hurting even more.
I've got a 1/2 marathon on 5/15. I'm 4 miles short and I frankly don't know how I'm going to be able to finish the race if I feel as bad then as I did today!
I need to hydrate better and I need to ditch the iPod. I ran with the iPod again today and I'm fairly certain that it contributed to my lack of focus on today's run.
I need to get some good running in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and then give my legs plenty of rest on Friday and Saturday in the coming week. I'm going to take it easy tomorrow (Monday) as far as running is concern (if Saturday's weight training doesn't catch up with me tomorrow I'll probably lift again).
One positive is that, as of the end of April, I am 8 or so miles ahead of schedule towards my goal of hitting 600 miles run this year. I may have the ability to hit 650 miles this year.
I chalked it up to improving fitness and to the fact that I'm getting better at running. I ran with a friend from the office after work during a business trip to Springfield, Illinois and we ran approximately 6.8 miles at just under 11 minute miles (my usual M.O. has been to run the longer distances at about 12 min/mile). At home I ran 8 miles at a pace of 11 min 30 sec (again, slower then my 8K times but faster than my usual for longer distances).
Since then I've been having aches and pains in my right ankle and the area just above my right ankle. That plus all the rain and cold have kept me off the road and on a treadmill. While the lessened impact from running on the treadmill is good, I can't seem to get myself to run longer distance on the treadmill. I get bored very quickly.
Today I went out and ran 9 miles. It was run at a slow 12min/mile pace. It was a hard 9 miles. Right from the start my knees and my ankle felt achy/sore. Those pains receded into the background as I finished a few miles but then my legs just started getting heavy and I really struggled through the last 3 miles.
I was surprised that I started feeling so stiff at mile 6 since I've covered 8 miles a few times this year and on neither of those occasions did I feel as tired even in the last stretch as I did today in a much earlier point in my run. I was disappointed with the way I ran.
Thankfully I went out with a small bottle of water. That turned out to be a lifesaver because today it was sunny and about 70 degrees out. Without the water I would have been hurting even more.
I've got a 1/2 marathon on 5/15. I'm 4 miles short and I frankly don't know how I'm going to be able to finish the race if I feel as bad then as I did today!
I need to hydrate better and I need to ditch the iPod. I ran with the iPod again today and I'm fairly certain that it contributed to my lack of focus on today's run.
I need to get some good running in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and then give my legs plenty of rest on Friday and Saturday in the coming week. I'm going to take it easy tomorrow (Monday) as far as running is concern (if Saturday's weight training doesn't catch up with me tomorrow I'll probably lift again).
One positive is that, as of the end of April, I am 8 or so miles ahead of schedule towards my goal of hitting 600 miles run this year. I may have the ability to hit 650 miles this year.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Gout: a lingering ailment caused by genes & years of neglect
I was riding high through last Saturday (4/16). I was feeling great. My running was going well. Through that Saturday I completed 12 miles and was going to do another 4 on Sunday. When I woke up on Sunday, however, my right ankle was hurting too much for me to run.
Now it's Tuesday evening and my ankle still hurts. It's not a sprain or a strain. It's gout. Damn.
Gout is a form of arthritis. My father and my brother both suffer from it. I have it too, but it's been over a year since my last gout attack and I was sure that with the significant weight loss and better/healthier eating habits, this particular ailment was a thing of the past.
Apparently not.
I can tell from the pain that it's gout. First, it's in the same ankle it's always attacked (for 13 + years my gout has always acted up in my right ankle). It's a hot, burning, achy feeling in the joint area. It does not feel like a sprain or a strain.
This really sucks. I'm going out to DC this weekend to meet friends and to run in an 8K. I've got a half marathon in less than a month and I'm way behind my training schedule for that race. I needed to be able to do a long run of 8 miles this week at least a few days before Saturday. That doesn't look like it's going to happen now.
It's my fault. First, I neglected my health for so long (even in my youth when I was working out a lot, there were plenty of excesses in my diet) that some of the damage to my body was bound to be irreversible. Second, even now, I've been derelict in staying well hydrated and well rested and I'm eating way too much red meat. These are all contributing factors to gout attacks.
I've been reminded. This gout attack, although mild relative to some of the attacks I've had (I literally had to be on crutches in the past when I had gout attacks), has startled me back to reality. I'm going to tighten up my regimen further. That tighter regimen will include more chicken and fish and a lot less red meat. I'm going to drink more water. The sleep/rest issue will be the one area that is going to be hard. I can't get everything I am responsible for doing each day completed and still get 7 or 8 hours of sleep.
The pain today is less than yesterday. Maybe by tomorrow night I'll be able to head out for a short run and then on Thursday I can try for 8 miles. I hope so...
Now it's Tuesday evening and my ankle still hurts. It's not a sprain or a strain. It's gout. Damn.
Gout is a form of arthritis. My father and my brother both suffer from it. I have it too, but it's been over a year since my last gout attack and I was sure that with the significant weight loss and better/healthier eating habits, this particular ailment was a thing of the past.
Apparently not.
I can tell from the pain that it's gout. First, it's in the same ankle it's always attacked (for 13 + years my gout has always acted up in my right ankle). It's a hot, burning, achy feeling in the joint area. It does not feel like a sprain or a strain.
This really sucks. I'm going out to DC this weekend to meet friends and to run in an 8K. I've got a half marathon in less than a month and I'm way behind my training schedule for that race. I needed to be able to do a long run of 8 miles this week at least a few days before Saturday. That doesn't look like it's going to happen now.
It's my fault. First, I neglected my health for so long (even in my youth when I was working out a lot, there were plenty of excesses in my diet) that some of the damage to my body was bound to be irreversible. Second, even now, I've been derelict in staying well hydrated and well rested and I'm eating way too much red meat. These are all contributing factors to gout attacks.
I've been reminded. This gout attack, although mild relative to some of the attacks I've had (I literally had to be on crutches in the past when I had gout attacks), has startled me back to reality. I'm going to tighten up my regimen further. That tighter regimen will include more chicken and fish and a lot less red meat. I'm going to drink more water. The sleep/rest issue will be the one area that is going to be hard. I can't get everything I am responsible for doing each day completed and still get 7 or 8 hours of sleep.
The pain today is less than yesterday. Maybe by tomorrow night I'll be able to head out for a short run and then on Thursday I can try for 8 miles. I hope so...
Sunday, April 10, 2011
"Racing" season has begun - Shamrock Shuffle 8K this morning
"Racing" season begins today. I saying "racing" because what I do is not really racing. I participate.
Anyhow, today is the first race of 2011 for me. This morning I'll be running in the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in downtown Chicago. There are supposed to be 30,000 runners. That's the main reason I signed up for this run. I wanted to experience a big race.
My goal for today is very easy: finish without running in 60 minutes or less. That's totally doable. I can run 5 miles in 60 minutes. I've done it this year in training. If there is a challenge today it will be maintaining a good pace. I may start slower because of the crowds and I may prematurely speed up and try to run too fast because of the faster runners in the crowd.
I'm taking my ipod but I'm going to keep it off for the first 1/2 to 1 mile. I'll turn it on a bit later. I will posts my reactions and some pics shortly after the race!
Now it's time to get ready and then it's off to the race (sort of)!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
I'm racking up miles and slowly dropping some weight!
I haven't been as active this year on this blog but it's not because I'm not working out. I'm actually doing alright with the work outs. The weight training is off by a lot but the running is right on track.
My goal for 2011 is to run three half marathon races and to log a total of 600 miles. I'm on track to achieve the 600 miles/year goal. I've signed up for 2 half marathons already with the first one coming up on May 15th. After today's 5 mile run outside I have a total of 133.75 miles completed!
This is year 2 of running and fitness for me. My three outdoor runs (1 mile, 2.5 miles and now 5.0 miles) all felt great, but I'm trying to be extra cautious about over-doing it. I absolutely love the feeling I get when I run and when I finish my run. I don't want to jeopardize that in any way. I've noticed that a 12 minute mile pace is my default/easy pace now. Last year it was 13 minute miles. I'm okay with that as training pace.
I looked at my times from 5K races last year and was surprised to see that I was doing just a little over 10 minute miles in April and May 2010. I'm not sure I can sustain that pace for an additional 10 miles and I'm not going to try too hard to do it.
It's not about being a wimp or unambitious. I'm in my early 40s and I just got back into fitness after about a decade of extremely unhealthy living (no exercise, extreme eating, massive weight gain). God-Willing I will continue on my fitness journey the rest of my life, and again, God-Willing, that should be at least another quarter century or more. I've got plenty of time to slowly build up. In fact, my wife was telling me about a patient of hers who is 70 years old, runs half marathons and does them at a 9 minute/mile pace. She said he's all muscle. This guy's life and lifestyle are things I'd like to shoot for, and that's what my training is more focused on. I want to improve my quality of life right now and into the future. Being sidelined with boneheaded injuries doesn't help.
My weight training is dead. I haven't lifted weights in about 1 month! I need to develop a short, heavy, 3 day a week routine and stick to it. I'm going to work on that and start is very soon.
I'm trying to get myself down to 180 lbs. I'd like to get down to that weight ASAP. Why? Because sooner is better than later.
I'm relying on protein drinks, reduced sugar protein bars, lean meats, eggs and green veggies. I was using skim milk to make my protein shakes but a friend of mine (thanks G.S.!!!) alerted me to unsweetened Almond Milk. It really is very good! It's low cal, low sugar and low carb. Yes, skim milk is very low in calories but this is still 1/2 the calories of skim milk. Almond milk also has very low carbs and sugar (whereas milk has a bunch). The only thing almond milk lacks is protein, but since I'm using it to make a protein shake it doesn't matter. Good find (again, thanks G.S.!!!).
My diet relies a lot on protein supplements but that's only because of time. If I had the time to cook I'd eat more real food but that's simply not an option right now. Also, it's very predictable and it takes the edge off of trying to find something tasty to eat. Just pour, add, shake and consume. Simple.
Anyhow, it's March 19, 2011 and we're nearing the end of the first quarter of 2011! Amazing. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring! Outstanding. This year is shaping up even better than 2010 and I'm on track to keep the healthy living trend going!
My goal for 2011 is to run three half marathon races and to log a total of 600 miles. I'm on track to achieve the 600 miles/year goal. I've signed up for 2 half marathons already with the first one coming up on May 15th. After today's 5 mile run outside I have a total of 133.75 miles completed!
This is year 2 of running and fitness for me. My three outdoor runs (1 mile, 2.5 miles and now 5.0 miles) all felt great, but I'm trying to be extra cautious about over-doing it. I absolutely love the feeling I get when I run and when I finish my run. I don't want to jeopardize that in any way. I've noticed that a 12 minute mile pace is my default/easy pace now. Last year it was 13 minute miles. I'm okay with that as training pace.
I looked at my times from 5K races last year and was surprised to see that I was doing just a little over 10 minute miles in April and May 2010. I'm not sure I can sustain that pace for an additional 10 miles and I'm not going to try too hard to do it.
It's not about being a wimp or unambitious. I'm in my early 40s and I just got back into fitness after about a decade of extremely unhealthy living (no exercise, extreme eating, massive weight gain). God-Willing I will continue on my fitness journey the rest of my life, and again, God-Willing, that should be at least another quarter century or more. I've got plenty of time to slowly build up. In fact, my wife was telling me about a patient of hers who is 70 years old, runs half marathons and does them at a 9 minute/mile pace. She said he's all muscle. This guy's life and lifestyle are things I'd like to shoot for, and that's what my training is more focused on. I want to improve my quality of life right now and into the future. Being sidelined with boneheaded injuries doesn't help.
My weight training is dead. I haven't lifted weights in about 1 month! I need to develop a short, heavy, 3 day a week routine and stick to it. I'm going to work on that and start is very soon.
I'm trying to get myself down to 180 lbs. I'd like to get down to that weight ASAP. Why? Because sooner is better than later.
I'm relying on protein drinks, reduced sugar protein bars, lean meats, eggs and green veggies. I was using skim milk to make my protein shakes but a friend of mine (thanks G.S.!!!) alerted me to unsweetened Almond Milk. It really is very good! It's low cal, low sugar and low carb. Yes, skim milk is very low in calories but this is still 1/2 the calories of skim milk. Almond milk also has very low carbs and sugar (whereas milk has a bunch). The only thing almond milk lacks is protein, but since I'm using it to make a protein shake it doesn't matter. Good find (again, thanks G.S.!!!).
My diet relies a lot on protein supplements but that's only because of time. If I had the time to cook I'd eat more real food but that's simply not an option right now. Also, it's very predictable and it takes the edge off of trying to find something tasty to eat. Just pour, add, shake and consume. Simple.
Anyhow, it's March 19, 2011 and we're nearing the end of the first quarter of 2011! Amazing. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring! Outstanding. This year is shaping up even better than 2010 and I'm on track to keep the healthy living trend going!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Running Outside - It's Finally Back!
I went outside for a 2.5 mile run yesterday after work, and I felt great! It's been about 3.5 months of treadmill running (I did get out a few weeks ago for a 1 miler), so to actually be moving as I ran was refreshing!
I let myself run at a relaxed pace of 12 min/mile. I finished in 30 minutes and 6 seconds. I followed up the roadwork with a 1 mile run on the treadmill and then 10 minutes on the stationary bike.
My first "race" is the Shamrock Shuffle 8K on April 10 followed by another 8K in Washington, DC on April 23. I have a half marathon scheduled for May 15.
I'll shoot for 5 miles outside this weekend. this year I'm going to try adding miles weekly by supplementing the roadwork with extra treadmill miles.
Now it's time to clean up the diet as well. I'm looking forward to a very productive year!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Friday, February 25, 2011
Snacking on the train ride home
Descending the first flight of stairs from Adams Street I first confronted Mrs. Fields. Oh that lovely entrepreneur is really quite wicked! The comforting aroma of warm cookies was ever-present at that particular spot. I knew precisely where those delicious but deadly treats were but I turned to look just the same. And when I did I saw a display case loaded with white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and the chocolate chocolate chip cookies and the sugar cookies.
"Keep walking" I said to myself while I battled the irrational fear that I might never again have the chance to sink my teeth into a warm, moist and chocolatey cookie. I made it! I've made past the cookie shop!
But wait! Oh no! It's McDonald's! I love McDonald's! I ate a McDonald's hamburger the day I arrived in America some 37 years ago and my fat cells have been kept stuffed ever since.
At McD's its the big color pictures of cheesy, beefy $1 burgers that attack my senses. "Oh man, what a deal!" I think to myself, "For $3.33 I can get full on 3 McDoubles!"
No!! I willed my legs to keep turning over, on foot in front of the other, and down the stairs. I made a deal with myself right then and there: "go down to the train level and if the train isn't at the gate then the McDoubles are mine!"
The train wasn't on track 9 where it was expected, but by now the temptation had waned. Phew! I made it through Union Station without stuffing myself with sugars, salt, fat and carbs. Damn, that was hard!
Once I got on the train my mind wandered to dinner! Where can we go for dinner tonight?
That's when I knew I had to pull out the protein bar. Mmmmmmm. Chewy. Sweet. Yum! It's amazing how absolutely appetizing and delicious a protein bar tastes when you're genuinely, truly hungry.
Peace. Finally, I had peace. No more fixating over food. I could finally think more objectively about dinner and not need to constantly fight off the urge to stop at every McD's, Burger King and Wendy's between my train station and my house (I'm not joking - it's an ongoing dialogue in my head)!
Eating healthy is tough and then cutting back calories to lose weight makes it even worse!
Patience! There will be a time and a place for the cookies and the burgers. They are not banished forever. They're just on hold until I drop 25 pounds.
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