Welcome Back!!

Weight: 211

Total Miles: 60

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qy5LEeFHig&feature=fvst

Well, I am back, finally. It's been a few weeks of ups and downs, mostly downs, in my Marathon quest. My injury from football cost me a week or so, then I pulled my calf muscle again, tried to run through it, then had to shut it down for another 4 or 5 days. 

In the mean time, I fell off the lunch wagon - pretty much the whole time I wasn't running. Between the holidays, and being frustrated I couldn't run, I started eating big again. Not like I used to, but much more than I should.

I can tell you for sure, once you start cheating, it becomes so much easier to keep doing it. I am still trying to get back on track, I haven't completely made it yet. Christmas weekend will hopefully be the big cut-off date.

And that's the main reason I haven't posted, also. I was kind of upset with myself on how things had slipped, and it was easier to not post than to post why things weren't going well. At one point, I was below 210, but went back up. Luckily, it was only about 4 pounds, but it was still ticking me off. It is heading back in the right direction now!

But, there have also been some big UPs. I have been back to running, and this morning I ran a 5k for practice! That's the most I have run at one time since the Thanksgiving race, and it felt great! The last couple of runs before that, I wanted to go for 3+, but I had a sort of mental roadblock about expanding my boundaries. My body was definitely willing to do more, but my mind lost the desire to. But I really feel like I have aclomplished something again, and have a great achievement to build on.

Here's the latest run down of my runs:

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/lz92iea6oec

So, with a renewed sense of purpose, our hero heads into the new year with great optimism and ambition! :-)

Rock and Run, Part 2

Weight: ?? 

Total Miles: 45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dSlrPF5OZA&feature=related

Well, it happened. It had to, sooner or later. No matter how I try to fight it, I was bound to get caught up in it at some point.

     I ran my first race on Thanksgiving day. It was a 5k in my hometown of Barre, VT. There was about 100 people there, runners and walkers (no, not walkers from the Walking Dead, just people who walked!). I finished in 36 minutes, 11 seconds. I was really very proud of myself, even though I walked more of the second half than I expected. There were two reasons for that. One- most of the 2nd half was uphill, and it really beat on my legs. Two - I stupidly miscalculated how long 5k was!

    I was thinking 5k was about 2.7 miles. When I realized it was over 3, all of my preset goals for myself went out the window :-( I ran for the entire first mile, then all but about 100 yards of the first half of mile 2. After that, though, the hills took their toll. Still, it was a great feeling getting that first one under my belt. 

    And I want to give a shout out to my brother Ray, and my sister-in-law Ruth. They told me about the race, and really helped me be feel a bit prepared and like I knew what I was doing there. That was no easy task! Another fun fact - I saw an old friend from high school at the race as well. It was the anniversary of her first 5k, which was at this same race last year!

   I realized one very important fact after that race. I am going to have to run outdoors more as I gain distance.  There's a big difference between running on a temperature controlled, level, soft indoor track and running on the hills and footing that go along with road racing. 

That's me on the left, looking much worse off than my running

pals. I especially hate my brother Ray (1437), who basically ran a 5k 

just to warm up for the 5k!

No weight today, since I didn't run this morning. It was a running day, but like above, there are two reasons. One- I still have a MASSIVE charley horse from playing football on Sunday. In one play, I caught not only a TD pass, but a defender's knee coming at full speed right into the middle of my thigh! I was going to try to run anyway, figuring it would hurt but that I probably couldn't make it any worse. However, Ciera decided to be reason #2 when she figured she had slept long enough at 3am this morning. So I got to take her for a drive instead. Oddly, in some ways I do enjoy the quiet times when I am driving with her at night, but lord knows I can't miss too many chances to run! :-)

run, runsomemore

weight: 212

Total miles: 36

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHoPYLQvnQM&feature=related

(And for some real fun, go to youtube and look up some of Slade's latest live concerts... let's just say, it ain't 1981 anymore!)

    Hey, all you viewers out there, I'm back! I was going to post earlier in the week, but after last weekend (and Monday), I had put on a couple of pounds. I didn't want to start a post by saying my weight had gone up :-). But, everything's back on track now.

   First and foremost, to anyone who saw my FB post earlier this week, Ciera is fine. She hasn't had any more seizures, and although we didn't here from the Doctor yet (but BELIEVE me, he will hear from me!), we upped her seizure meds a bit anyway. We were supposed to do it a while ago, but didn't feel it was necessary at the time.

  The seizures themselves are not really a big deal. The hardest part was just being reminded of how things can change quickly. I mean, my head always knows, but you get used to a certain level of care and trouble, and let yourself think "well, that's just how it's going to be from now on". It's tough to explain, so i hope that makes some sense.

  And I am also reminded of some of the other kids in our PBD family. It's been a terrible couple of months, with a number of our children passing away. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I shouldn't post about Ciera's relatively small issues, since there's so much more going on. But I know a lot of people care about how she is doing, and even though her problems are not life-and-death right now, they are important, too.

But, back to running:

  I just did my first two 8 minute runs this week (8 minute running, 5 walking, then 8 running again) and surprisingly, it wasn't bad at all! My air has improved to the point where I can run my normal pace, and when I get too winded, I can just slow down a little and actually catch my breath to an extent. That's a BIG change from where I started. I still need to run as much as possible at the faster pace, so I can push to keep improving my stamina and strength. As I seem to keep repeating, I still have a long way to go. I am looking forward to trying a mile or two, to see if I can do it. I am hoping to run Thanksgiving Day morning in a race with my brother, and probaby sister-in-law, though I don't know for sure. I am hoping they have a small 5K run, though!

Have a happy Turkey Day to all my friends that celebrate it! And to those that don't, happy Thursday, I guess :-)

Run, Jimmy, Run..

Total Miles: 22.6

Weight: 215

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUVZsu36SW4

Ok, the song has nothing to do with running; I just think it's funny and it gave me this week's blog title :-)

I have been running at the track all week, even though the weather's been pretty good outside. I just like the feel of running on the track, without having to worry about puddles and cracks and uneven pavement. I don't want to get too spoiled or bored though, so I'll just have to be sure to get outside some more. If anyone wants to see, this is the summary of my running:

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/ojm_0FkC_0s

Thanks to some good advice from my brother, I have been stretching my lower legs and feet better, and it has really helped. The last 2 runs have been basically pain free! And maybe the bananas have helped too :-)

And I love that fact that the weight has still been coming off. I am down about 15 pounds since before I started running, and although I am eating much better than I used to, I'm still eating enough to keep me mostly satisfied, and when I want, I still go out and eat and don't feel guilty (Thank you Koto's!) 

The most interesting thing is that I actually want to work out in the mornings, and sort of miss it on days I'm not going out running. I am still on my beginner's program, so I am trying to not run except for when I am supposed to on the program. Some of the off days, I am still going to the gym and doing other stuff. Some, I'm just using some cardio stuff on my Xbox 360 to do mild exercises. It's easy to want to right now, since the results have been so positive!

It's still easy to see how far I have to go, but so far, the journey has been worth it! 

Stay tuned for a preview of next week's episode......  (ok, don't, because there aren't any!)

Two Steps Forward, one step back.

Weight: 218

total Miles: 16.4

   Well, another week is beginning, and I am still running. It's definitely gotten harder to get up at 4:30, but the focus on the goal and the noticeable weight loss and just generally feeling better have all helped quite a bit.

    This morning, I was running on the track in the gym, and working on extending my stride to cover more ground with less effort. I usually run for speed (football, softball, baseball, etc), and I run in very quick, short strides. It was interesting to concentrate on a longer, gliding sort of stride. Learn something new every day!

   I've had a few problems on the last couple of runs. About 1.25 miles in, I get a muscle pull in my right leg. It goes away in a day. Then, I take an extra day between runs. I warm up, test it a bit, and everything feels good. I start running, and it still feels good. Then, as I said, about 1.25 miles in, it sort of "pops". Not in a big, painful way, but sudden and it keeps me from running. The first time, I was about 1 mile or so from home, so I walked the rest of the way. This time, I was on the track at the gym, so I just stopped and went home.

I may have to take a break from running for a while, I don't know. If I do, at least I can still work on my stamina. As I said before, my legs seem to be handling things pretty well so far, except for this. I am just not sure how long to wait, or how far to push. I don't have a lot of time to waste if I am going to be able to finish 26 miles.....

Another brick in the Wall

Total Miles: 12.3

Weight: 222

Favorite running songs:

Pump It (Black-Eyed Peas)

I Can't Drive 55 (Sammy Hagar)

    Today was my first run for week 2 of my beginner's program. instead of 8 60-second runs with 90-second walks in between, it's now 6 90-second runs with 2-minutes in between. My walking/running miles have come down to about a 14 minute average, which is a small but nice improvement. I have burned through all the songs currently on my phone, and my favorites so far for running have been "Pump It" by the Black-Eyed Peas", and "I Can't Drive 55" by Sammy Hagar. I would love to hear some of your suggestions!

     I am finding my legs can handle what I'm doing beautifully right now, but I'm definitely limited by my air supply (not the band, either, they're not even in my playlist). My walking/running miles have come down to about a 14 minute average, which is a small but nice improvement.

    I need to do more on my not running days to try to increase my stamina. I haven't done much yet in the way of cross-training, but it seems like the time.

    The weekend run was interesting. We stayed with my Mom in Barre, and I did 3 miles. But Barre is much more hilly than where I am in Essex, and I was surprised at how much more work it was to do some light-to-moderate hills. the good news, though, is that the hills were mostly up on the way out, so guess what that means for the way back?

    And although I lost about 1.5 pounds, I still have a lot of work to do on my eating habits. Yesterday, I had to entertain visiting customers, so lunch at Rozzi's and dinner at Windjammer certainly didn't help. In fact, I am happy I still lost some weight with how much I ate over the weekend and Monday.

My breakfasts have been going great, and usually at work is, too. The problem is between supper and bedtime, or the "noshing hours". It's really hard to ignore all the snacks around. The funny thing is, I usually want chocolate, which I don't keep around too often. So I get something else instead, which doesn't satisfy me (because it's not chocolate, duh!), so I go back again, still don't find chocolate, but end up with something else! It's a vicious circle leading to the other vicious circle - the one around my waist- but I am happy at the progress I have made so far and I don't want to change too much at once.

    The short version of all this is that I am happy with how things have gone, but I also am realizing how much farther I have to go. Thanks for tuning in, and see you next week on this same bat-time, same bat-channel.

One Small Step

Weight: 223

Total Miles: 2.2

Well, I'm off and running, pun somewhat intended.. I got up this morning at 4:30 and ran 2.2 miles (OK, walked about 60% of it, but I'm not splitting hairs). I was very excited to get this first run out of the way!

I am using a beginner's running program which tells me when to run and walk as I build up my stamina. It was pretty much perfect for me, making me work hard and push some, but not overboard. I am also using a GPS tracking program which logs my runs and uploads them onto a website. If this works, you can click here to see this particular workout:

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/kG-0zLZ25I4

I feel very proud to have finally started, and looking forward to the next one. The biggest problem I can see, is finding consistent time to run. I also wonder how hard it will be to get up when it isn't all new and exciting!

I do have some thoughts. I certainly have a variety of routes to run nearby, which is nice. Plus, if the weather's too bad, or I just want something different (or a hot tub after), I can always go to our club. They have an indoor track and lots of other exercise facilities.

I am also wondering about proper shoes and socks as I get more into this. Luckily, my brother Ray is a very experienced runner, so I have a great source for information.

See you next week!

So it Begins....

For anyone who doesn't already know, my oldest daughter, Ciera, is almost 6 and has a rare genetic disorder called Zellweger Syndrome (ZS). She is blind, deaf (though she can hear quite well with her Cochlear Implants in), and cannot walk or talk.

We are very lucky in that most kids with ZS do not live past their first year. We are also very lucky in that Ciera is a loving, happy child who does the absolute best she can with what she was given!

ZS is a very rare syndrome, and to our knowledge, we are the only family in Vermont to be dealing with this. Last July, we went to a conference in Nebraska with a group of other families that also have children with ZS or other Peroxisomal disorders (PBDs). It was an amazing experience, so great to meet other people that understand Ciera in a way no one else can.

There is another conference coming up July 2012 in Florida. Of course, getting there and staying there costs money, and I have been trying to come up with ways to raise some.

Which brings me to the 2nd part of this post. I am 42, and while I don't expect to be in the shape I was 20 years ago, I am very unhappy with where I am now. I have to get into shape!

My biggest problem is simply willpower. I don't smoke, virtually don't drink. My vice of choice is food,  and what a vice it is :-) I know how to diet, how to exercise, all that stuff. I have started over and over, with ok results. But then I get stressed, or tired, and just don't have the willpower to stay with it. And breaking your diet is like potato chips - I bet you can't do it just once.

So I came up with a plan that hopefully will help me in two ways - I am telling EVERYONE about what I am doing, so I will not want to back down so easily. Also, I am hoping to use this blog and the race to raise some money for our trip next year. I don't have all the details yet, but I am thinking about some sort of pledge per mile, or other methods. Don't worry, if you keep reading these posts, eventually you'll get panhandled :-)

My plan is to get into shape, with the goal of running in and completing the 2012 Vermont City Marathon, coming up next May. I have never run a marathon, in fact never run for distance instead of speed. I am DEFINITELY not in shape for it right now, and I don't know for sure I can make it. I am going to try my damndest, though! It is something way out of my comfort zone, but I think it's worth it.

I will update my miles run, weight, and other things in these posts. I am not setting a specific weight goal, but just want to get into shape again. 'Taint gonna happen, though, without losing some of this baby fat....