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!)