Back to work

So after completing my first (and 2nd!) 5Ks in June, I fell off the wagon. Did very little in July, then school started in August, next thing I know I can barely run a mile. A few weeks ago I signed on with CARA to get back up to a 5K. I've signed up for the November 1st "Hot Chocolate" run at Montrose Harbor. Getting back into it is easier than the first time. Hopefully I can keep it up more and make it to the 8K Shamrock Shuffle.

On The Road Again

Yesterday and today were nice bike rides (mostly). This Saturday I'm riding 15 miles for Climate Cycle so yesterday I wanted to see if I could do at least 12. Things were going great until mile 7 when the skies opened up and it rained pretty hard. Riding in the rain is never fun. Today I rode the 3.5 miles up to Century Mall for my WW meeting. It was a nice afternoon and only rained a tad.

Tomorrow I'm going to do a light run on the treadmill at school but otherwise take it easy in prep for the ride on Saturday.

Things are getting tougher

So today was supposed to be a 2-mile run. I didn't make it the whole way. I probably ran about 2/3 of it or so. I just did not have the energy. I also had some pain in my shins and ankles. Monday will be another 1.5 mile day at Fleet Feet, with a rain-free forecast for once. I'm considering looking into using energy gel packs. I tried one the other day before a run on the treadmill. I'm not sure it helped all that much but I think it helped a little. We'll see.

If it ain't rainin' we ain't trainin'

Third training week with No Boundaries and once again, it rained. It wasn't cold this time, but it was a good rain. Distance today was 1.5 miles and I am very happy that I maintained a 12 minute mile pace, faster than my previous 13 minutes when I did 2 miles. I actually feel pretty good afterwards. I think I might be getting better at this.

2 Fantastic Milestones

Last Thursday was weigh-day at WW. I haven't been reporting on that since it has been very disappointing but this week was different. I finally broke through the 25lb mark. I lost 2 lbs last week for total loss of 26lbs in the last 24 weeks. It took 8 weeks to go from 20lbs to 25lbs but I think I'm over that hump.

This morning, I managed to run 2 miles continuously. It was a slow run, taking 26 minutes, but I did not stop. The only pauses were at two traffic lights but those were very brief. I feel great after but I'm not looking forward to Monday.

Forecast is for thunderstorms for No Boundaries. Oh joy.

Thee weather gods are not nice

Weather delivered as promised; another crappy day for running. Cold, windy, rain, and then at the end... hail! Lovely. Well I made it 1 mile again despite really, really, really not wanting to. My knee is bugging me a bit after I slipped and twisted it but otherwise I'm OK. Up this week, more 1.5 mile runs capped with a 1.75 by the end of the week.

Hopefully.

Another crappy weather day

Today is the 2nd No Boundaries training run. The forecast? 40s and rain with possible snow later on. Lovely. Its going to be hard to stay motivated if the weather sucks this much.

On a high note, I bought a new pair of shorts yesterday... from Target. Its the first time I have bought pants from a regular store in a very long time. They don't carry a lot of things in this size, but there are some.

Progress feels great.

1.5 miles (almost)

So today was supposed to be my first 1.5 mile run. I finished a run that was longer than my previous 1 mi but I miscalculated and the run ended up being 1.5 miles according to mapmyrun.com. I was off my 1/10 but I felt good at the end so I know had I planned correctly I would have made it. I feel really good. The new shoes I bought make a difference I think. I am also feeling good that I'm making progress.

First 1-mile street run 13:24

Today I got up a little earlier and went for a 1-mile run in the neighborhood. I used mapmyrun.com to plot a 1-mile loop from my house to Ashland and back via Ohio & Erie streets. For grins and giggles I decided to time it. Came in at 13:24. I think I need to have Fleet Feet look at my shoes. I'm not too sure about how well they work on pavement.

Yesterday was a crosstraining day. I did 20 minutes each on the elliptical and stationary bike and a cool-down walk on the treadmill. After the last few weeks on the treadmill, I definitely noticed the difference. I worked up a good sweat but was not overly tired when I was done.

Like I saud before, progress feels good.

Day 1 of No Boundaries

What a fantastic day for my first group training. 40 degress and light rain/misting. Kudos for all of us who actually came out and made it. I was ambitious and decided to go for the 1-mile run. About 9 or 10 of us chose to try it and I think we all made it. We were a little spread out and I was somewhere in the middle. I did make it but by the end I was very winded and my knee ached like I hadn't been running - thank god for Motrin.

This time next week the goal is to run 1.5 miles. I'm still waiting for it to get fun.

Getting ready for No Boundaries

Today I received an e-mail with the particulars of the No Boundaries program. Much of the training seems to be a "run 1 walk 2" form of training alternating running and walking and repearing a certain number of times. I think at first I should be able to handle it no problem.

On the treadmill today I changed things up a little. First, I set the incline on the machine to 1 degree. I've read a few places that using that feature on the treadmill makes the run a little more like running in the real world. The second thing I did was alternate running and walking .25 miles. I kept the running pace at 5.0mph and repeated 4 times. My right knee is bugging me a little but otherwise I felt pretty good.

Monday is the first training meeting for the program. I'm very excited but I'm also a little nervous about running somewhere other than on a treadmill.

Good day today

I feel great that I am making progress. I wasn't sure how successful I would be when I started this but I felt like I had to try. I needed a goal - something physical that I might reach. Today I am halfway to the 5K. I made 1.5 miles on the treadmill this afternoon. More importantly though, I felt good. I feel pretty drained right now but as I kept going I was able to push through the desire to stop and then I hit a new stride. I am very excited to begin the No Boundaries program. Key for me is going to be running outside vs running on the treadmill.

I might actually make it.

No Boundaries

Today I signed up for the Fleet Feet Chicago's "No Boundaries" program. It's a 10-week training program for people who want to run a 5K. The "graduation" for the program is the Jim Gibbons 5K for Luekemia research on Thursday, June 18th. I signed up to try and get some group training and running somewhere other than on a treadmill in the gym. I am hopeful that it will help.

Mixed bag this week

So the weigh-in was a little disappointing. Instead of breaking through the 25lb barrier, I ended up gaining 2 lbs. Part of that was that I had waited over a week to get my thyroid meds refilled and the other part was the debate tournament. A lot of sitting and really poor food.

Good news is that I have made 3 days in a row of running on the treadmill and today I made it to 1.25 miles straight. I used one of the new treadmills here at school. I was afraid that there would be kids in there but last period of the day has no PE classes; that means the fitness center is empty. Its a no-frills gym but the machines are new and nicer to run on than the well-used ones at my regular gym. I might try to make a regular thing of it on Fridays. (That's the only day I'm off last period)

I'm not sure if I should be working on distance or speed overall. Even though I made it 1.25 miles, it was not very fast, about 4.5-5 mph.

Yesterday was good

Yesterday I managed to get in 1.5 miles of running. Some of it was not very fast, just 4.5 mph, but I kept going. I ran for a mile straight, the I alternated walking and running for .25 miles each. I was thoroughly exhausted afterwards but overall I felt good that I was able to do it.

I am aware that I might be pushing myself a little too much but I have to. I need to get the weight loss going more and I need to up my stamina for sure.

Back on track

Today was a "back at the gym" as well as a "back to work" day. I was a little nervous about how much energy I would have after a full day of teaching but I was OK. I did have some pain in my knee but it seems OK now.

Diet-wise it was also a good day. Healthy breakfast, 3 servings of fruit, and a nice piece of fish on the menu for dinner with some spinach. I feel pretty good overall. We apparently have a new fitness center at school which I may try out tomorrow.

Lost days

So I have missed a couple of days. My debate team was competing in the city championship tournament this weekend so I got no running in this weekend. Good news is that the season is over and I have more free time in the afternoons as a result. Program starts up again tomorrow.

Tried 1 mile again

So today was supposed to be a r/r day but since my weekend is going to be shot with a debate tournament, I decided to run again today. It was tough. I split the mile in half this time. I walked .25, ran .5, walked .25, ran .5, and walked another .25. My legs were shaky again at the end but not a lot of pain.

Today was weigh-day. Official weight; 314.4, just 1.2 lbs shy of having lost 25 lbs since I started this. I was really hoping to make the 25 today but I need to stop focusing so much on the number.

Holy crap... 1 mile

Today was supposed to be another .75 mile run. I don't know why particularly, but today I decided to try and go 1 mile. Lo and behold, I did. I didn't do it very fast mind you; most of it was at about 4.5 mph, but I made it. I was pretty winded at the end but I think this was the first time ran a mile in over 10 years. Progress.

Making progress feels good.

Week 2 begins

Today was another .5/.75/.5 day and it was a bit of a struggle. I made it through but my legs were a bit shaky at the end. The next training day is Wednesday and is supposed to be a 1-mile run. I'm not sure if I can make it just yet but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Week 1 goals reached!

Today was another .75 run and I managed to do it all at 5.0 mph. I felt pretty good after I was done and I stayed on the treadmill for 30 minutes which made the overall distance a little longer. Tomorrow is another rest day but I'm really glad that I don't have any pain in my knee. That was my greatest fear going into this.

Happy Birthday to me

So despite it being my birthday, I was good and went to the gym as scheduled. I feel very good about it actually that I didn't have to force myself as much as I thought. I even upped the run distance. Still had 1.5 miles on the w/r/w pace but I walked .25, ran .75, and walked the last .5. Time was 24:17; I keep the running at a slow pace, just 5 mph on the treadmill. I think what I'm trying to do is build stamina and will work on speed later.

Now that I'm done, it's time to hit the shower and get ready for a nice dinner - with cake.

Weigh in today

Despite having spent 5 days in Vegas last week, I still managed to lose weight this week. I am now down to 315.4 lbs, down 22.8 since I started 19 weeks ago. I am hoping to get to -25 next week. Maybe this new effort will help.

Baby steps

Day 2 of running. Same as before with walk/run/walk of 1/2 mile each. Two good thing this time though. First, I ran .6 miles and walked .45 each time. Second is that I had no pain in my knee afterwards. Frequently I've had pain in my right knee. Doc a few years ago said I most likely had an injury from the Corps that didn't heal properly. This time though, not a sign of it. I'm encouraged by that. One more day of w/r/w of .5 miles. Then this weekend, I'm supposed to up the run distance to .75.

One other thing is that I'm getting more comfortable running on the treadmill. I have a healthy fear of doing a faceplant on but I think I'm getting better.

Return from ride

So it wasn't much of a ride... only 3 miles round trip. I decided to go to the book store that's not too far from here. It was so nice to be out on the bike but the ride back was rough. I was riding right into 20 to 25mph winds. I love bike riding and I hope I can develop a similar level of enjoyment for running.

I know its a rest day but...

So according to the guide, today is supposed to be a rest and recovery day. The problem is that its 73 and sunny outside right now. I'm going for a bike ride.

Race Selected

I've decided that my 5K is going to be the Chicago Fire Fighters Run for the Kids 5k on July 9th. The course will begin on Museum Campus Drive; heading north around the Museum; then loop back on the harbor walk; finishing at the Post Race Party. (http://www.runforthekids.com/main.html)

Day 1 Goals Achieved

Today's goals were;

• Walk for .5 miles as warm-up
• Run for .5 miles
• Walk for .5 miles as cool-down

The run part was tougher than I thought but I pushed through, completing in 25:35. The run speed was 4.7 mph. I also managed a few sets of weight training on several machines.

Tomorrow is a rest and recovery day and then I repeat the above cycle on Wednesday.

First step to a 5K

Today I began my first training session to run a 5K. I'm using the book, "3 Months to Your First 5K" for my mission. I decided that a 5K would be an achievable goal in my fitness and weight loss effort.

About me; This Friday I will be 38. I'm overweight and out of shape. Its been a long road from 15 years ago when I was a Marine. When I left active duty, I was 215 and in decent shape for my 6' 4" body. I could run 5+ miles, I could hike 25+ with full pack, and more. After the Corps, I spiraled up to where I was likely over 400 lbs. I once owned 56 and 58 inch pants.

About 9 years ago I had surgery to fix my sleep apnea problem. It was a Cath-22. My weight was contributing to my apnea and my apnea was contributing to my weight. After losing my tonsils, adenoids, and uvula; a repaired deviated septum, and trimmed throat tissue, I no longer had apnea. My energy returned, I started sleeping better, I got more exercise, and I started to lose weight.

Flash forward to the last 2 years. I've been up and down in weight between 315 and 330 for a while now. 18 weeks ago I joined Weight Watchers and have been on the downward path. When I started, I was 338. Last week, I came in at 316. I've been consistent at going to the gym but have struggled since I did not have a specific goal in mind. Now I do.

I'm going to run a 5K