It's Been a Bit

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted something, so I thought I'd drop a quick note.  Tonight I had a couple of personal firsts.

First, I ran entire lap.  An entire lap!  If you don't know about the "track", then this doesn't mean much to you.  The "track" is a little over 2,000 feet...a little shy of a half mile.  For you runners out there, that may not seem like much, but to me, it was a milestone!  When I first started, I could only run about 100 yards before I was exhausted.

Second, I shaved a minute per mile off of my average time.  I only went 1.8 miles instead of 3.1, but that was due to it getting dark, not giving out.

As I continue to trim down and increase my stamina, I'm looking forward to seeing those numbers get better and better.  I don't expect to be able to run the entire 5k for the Gobble Jog, but I want to run as much of it as I can.

See you on the pavement!

It's Like Direct Deposit

I learned something today which you may have already known.

I went for a rualk in Alexandra Farms, the neighborhood behind our house.  I mapped out my course before I left and found that it was 1.6 miles long with only one tiny little shortcut available.  When I started out, I just set a goal in my mind of reaching the end of the 1.6 miles...which I did.

Here's where the fun starts.  I had no choice but to come back.  I had "direct deposited" 1.6 miles into my workout plan.  I guess I could have called Cheryl to come pick me up, but there were a few problems with that scenario.

1)  Macho men don't ask for directions, much less call for rides.
2)  I wouldn't be polite to ask my wife to drop what she was doing and come rescue me.
3)  I didn't bring my phone.  (See how I planned that?)

If you are a fledgling runner like myself, it's great having a track that you can do laps on.  But what's even better is if you have a course that is the complete distance that you want to go, with no shortcuts available.

Does anyone else have any suggestions along those lines?  Are you thinking about giving my technique a try?

Record Turnout!!

We had a record turnout today for the Monday night rualk.  Tonight, we had 4 people!!  It's becoming the place to be.

Everyone likes steps, right?  Five steps to be debt free.  Nine steps to a happy marriage.  Eleven steps to the perfect cheeseburger.

I admit, I'm no expert, and I don't have everything figured out, but here's four EASY steps to starting a workout program.

1. Figure out (or at least take a guess at) what you enjoy doing.  Walking?  Tennis?  Weights?  Aerobic dance?
2. Make sure you physically capable of participating in said activity.  (I'm not trying rock climbing any time soon.)   Consult your physician if necessary.
3. Choose when you are going to get active (not what year, but what day(s) of the week and what time).
4. FIND A PARTNER.  Get someone to join you.  Keep each other accountable.

That's it.  Simple, huh?

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If you decide to give my steps a try, let me know!

(88 days to Gobble Jog!!)

A Minor Revelation

As you may have read in my previous blog, Monday night I rualked the 5k course that I will be running on Thanksgiving Day - a.k.a. the Gobble Jog.  It was quite an adventure.

As I also said previously, concrete is a lot tougher on the old joints than asphalt.  So, when I got out of the car after driving back to the house, I had stiffened up a bit.  As I stretched and slowly worked out the kinks, I realized something.

That was the hardest 5k I would ever run.

Barring an injury, it's only going to get easier from here.  The NEXT time I run a 5k, I'll be lighter, faster, and stronger!

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Are you still trying to "get off the couch", literally or metaphorically?  Give it a try.  The first time is the toughest.  It's all downhill from there!

My First 5k

Tonight I rualked my first office 5k course.  It wasn't an actual race, but it was the honest-to-goodness course that will be used for the Gobble Jog on Thanksgiving Day.  I learned a few things (some of which you probably already knew) while I was tackling this.

1. Concrete really is harder than asphalt.  Really.  Since this wasn't the actual race, I was confined to the sidewalks, all of which are concrete.  By the end I could really feel it in my ankles and knees.
2. Both uphill AND downhill are difficult.
3. Though a small difference, 2.9 miles and 3.1 miles are not the same.  My normal route at home is 2.9 miles.  Today I went 3.1 miles.   Just .2 miles...no biggie, huh?
4. I'm a stroller by natural.  I saunter.  I have to constantly remind myself to keep my speed up when I'm not running.
5. Don't wear shorts that are too big when running a 5k.  They fall off at inopportune times.

It's approximately 90 days until the Gobble Jog.  I think I'll run it again in 30 days, and then a final time in 60 days.  Hopefully my time will improve with each attempt as I am lugging around less and less of me.

Let's get active!