I have not stopped running.  And I have not stopped blogging about it.

But I no longer update this blog.  Instead, I'm maintaining a new blog called Gone AFK.

If you are reading this, I hope you'll stop by there and visit.  :)

My First Race for 2013

I ran my first 5K last weekend (4/6/2013).  It wasn't my first 5K total.  I've run several of them in the past.  But it was my first since restarting my training this year.  This was the Bentonville running festival and it has a 5K race, and also a half marathon.  One nice thing about living in Bentonville is that, being the home of Wal-Mart, we are a little spoiled by how well-run events are.  Not only that, but we end up with some pretty impressive guests at events.  This is a good example.  When I went to pick  up my race shirt, number and timing chip for the race on Friday, Bill Rodgers was there signing books and taking pictures with people.  He was also the keynote speaker at the pre-race pasta dinner but I didn't go to that.  He's the most famous marathoner ever, so that is pretty nifty.

Endomondo Tracker

I used it as my week 5, run 3 run (Run 20 minutes, no walk periods).  That would roughly be 2 miles for most people, but I'm not that fast. :) 

So it's probably about a mile an a half.  I didn't quite finish the entire 20 minutes with no walks.  I did roughly 13 minutes on the first leg and then had to take a walk break for about 3-4 minutes.  Then I did another 8 minute stretch. 

"But wait," I hear you say.  "A 5K is 3.1 miles.  What happened to the rest of it?"

Well... I staggered through that as well.  Mostly running.  Some walking.  My time came in at 41:53.7.  My best race to date was 32:37:5, and that was running the entire distance.  So I don't feel too bad about this result. 

In terms of results, I finished 20th for men 45-49.  That sounds pretty good... except that was out of 22.  Hmm...

Overall I was 490th out of 621.  That sounds a little better! :)

 It doesn't really matter of course.  I'm not in this to compete. 

Yes, OK, somewhere in the back of my mind I had this fantasy about running the entire thing.  But I didn't really expect that to happen.  I'm not there yet.  I did hope to finish my 20 minutes with no walks, but I'm not there yet either.  So I'm repeating it this week.  I know week 6 is only going to be harder and I'm not ready for it.

I've got to start dropping some pounds soon because I think that's what is holding me back more than anything.  I'm currently 15 pounds heavier than when I was running at this time last year.  That's not going to work.  I need to start dropping some.  I'm trying to eat better and I'm getting to the point in the 5K training where I should start burning off more pounds.  But for weeks I've been hovering around the same 270 pounds on the scale.  I'm hoping that starts changing soon.

The good news is that I'm ahead of where I have been in the past for this time of year.  Usually I get serious about doing Couch to 5K more towards the summer.  That's not a bad thing, but it means by the time I finish the program, most of the races are already over with because it is getting too cold for them.  By starting early this year, I'll finish earlier and be working on 10K training during the summer time instead.  I'd like to run at least one 5K per month and get in at least one 10K race this year, and continue on from that and be ready to run a hal

Mixed Results

I've gotten behind on posting, but I have definitely been doing my runs, or at least... attempting to.

Here is where I'm at currently on the training program:

4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.

I post both weeks because I ended up spending an extra week on the 4th stage.  I just haven't felt comfortable with my progress this time.  This is driving me crazy because I normally can push myself to finish a stage even if my body is screaming at me to stop.  But for some of my runs I just haven't had the stamina to finish.

I've had really inconsistent results lately.  I'll be able to complete the distance one day, and then the next workout is harder.  It's driving me crazy.

I realized a few weeks back that I was making a big mistake because I was running in the wrong shoes.  My brother got me some running shoes for Christmas and they are great shoes (Brooks Ghost), but they are not made for over pronators.  I normally run in shoes that are specifically made for stability.  My calves have really been hurting during and after runs and I realized that this was probably at least part of the cause.

My new running shoes.  Aren't they spiffy?

My last pair of shoes was a pair of Asics Gel Kayano 17's, which I loved, but are getting pretty worn out.  So, I went and got some more.  Now they are Gel Kayano 19, and apparently a lot more flashy.  These are the black and "lightning blue" color.  LOL I like that.  Lightning blue.... makes me feel all fast an everything.  I'm um.... not even a little fast.  But that's OK.  It means I am going slow enough that everyone can check out my cool shoes!

My legs have been hurting a little less since I got these, so that's good.  But I've still been having problems. 

Most of the time when my legs are killing me, it is when I run on the treadmill.  I hate running on treadmill compared to outside.  I think I've mentioned that before :) .  I did figure out part of what the problem was.  The Couch to 5k program has periods of running alternated with periods of walking (at least up to the midway point).  On the road/track this isn't a problem.  But on treadmill, you have to decrease the speed of the belt.  I've noticed that when I go from running (about 5.5-5.8 pace) to walking (3.5 pace), it puts a lot of stress on my calves as I deal with the belt speed change.  So, what I've started doing is hopping onto the (non-moving) sides of the treadmill when i switch the speed, and then hop back on once the belt has adjusted.  I think this is helping some.  But I still hate running on treadmill. 

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to some consistently warmer temperatures.  We keep having 60 to high 70 degree days that are wonderful, and then sinking back to the 30s for days on end.  I guess I need to suck it up and run in the 30's, but it is no fun.

OK enough bellyaching.  Now to document the actual runs.

First of all, after my last blog post where I made my distance, I had a couple of runs where I either didn't make my distance, or I just forgot to post them. So, I was running but there is no record of it.  Doesn't really matter.  As I said, I spent some extra time on week 4.  So, the week of 3/17-3/23 looks pretty bad on my exercise calendar, but there really were runs.  They were just on treadmill and I forgot to log them on my endomondo.  And it's been long enough now that I don't recall exactly what the details of the runs were.  They were just week 4 runs.

So, rather than make something up... I'll leave them buried in the recesses of my memory, and move on! :)

For the week of 3/24 to 3/30, I had 3 runs.  Each of them were for week 4 of the program.  Two of the runs were on treadmill, so I won't post an endomondo link for them.  There's nothing to really see.  The third run was on road.  Here it is.

This course is over by some friend's house.  It's technically not their neighborhood, but one right next to them.  I like to run there because the entire neighborhood is one big loop and the distance around is almost exactly 1 mile, so it gives me a pretty good visual cue on my distance.  You can basically see on the tracker that I started from their house on my 5 minute warmup walk, did my run around the other neighborhood and then walked back to their house (albeit the really long way).  It was a good run because I made my distance!

OK and that brings us to this week.  I ran outside on Sunday.  Here is the link for that run. It was a very nice run.  It was back at the trail from the Bentonville dog park. 

I talked about this trail a few posts back.  It makes a great running trail and it's close to my house, which is nice.

Here are some nice pictures from the trail:

These pictures are both sides of a stream that zigzags back and forth.  There are several bridges on the trail that cross over this stream.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, this trail also runs by the sewage treatment plant.  In case you thought I was joking about that in my prior post.  I took some pictures of it as well.  I had time to take pictures because it just happened to be at the end point of my run for today.  Aren't I lucky!

The second two would be kind of pretty if you couldn't tell that the runoff was actually coming from the plant.  And yes... that is the same stream from the previous pictures.  Isn't that a lovely thought.

Fortunately you can only actually smell the plant when you get pretty close to it.  So it isn't too bad. 

My plan at this point is to make my last week 5 run this saturday at the Bentonville Running Festival.

They have multiple events:  a half marathon, a 5k, and a fun run.  Since week 5 run 3 is a 20 minute (approx 2 mile) run, my thought is I might as well do it in a race.  It will give me extra incentive to finish it.  And who knows, maybe it will push me through the full 5k.  I'm not counting on that! :)

Redemption!

My Scheduled Workouts For This Week:

4

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2-1/2 minutes Jog  3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2-1/2 minutes Jog  3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2-1/2 minutes Jog  3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes

My Endomondo Tracker for today's workout

Alright, so if you saw my posting for Sunday, you know that I completely failed to run my Week 4, run 1 workout then.  Today, I redeemed myself and pushed through to complete it.

It wasn't fast.  But I did it.

My body still said no.  I just didn't listen.

I've mentioned this before but I use a training app for my phone called C25KPro.  It tells me when to walk, when to run, and most importantly, when I'm done.  I noticed today that they did a particularly mean thing with it.  The woman's voice that tells you want to do makes a point of saying "Ready? Run!" at the beginning of each running phase.

"Ready?  No I'm not ready!"

I was especially not ready when I had run my first 5 minute run today.  You know why I wasn't ready?  Because the program is changing the game on me.  Up till now, the runs have all been followed by walks of the same length, or more.

The first week: Run 60 seconds, then walk 90 seconds.
The second week: Run 90 seconds, then walk 90 seconds
The third week: Run 90 seconds, then walk 90 seconds, then run 3 minutes, then walk 3 minutes
The fourth week: Run 3 minutes, then walk 90 seconds, then run 5 minutes, then walk 2.5 minutes

Hey!
I see what you did there!  You cheated me out of half my walking phases!

Yeah, it did.  There is a reason for that.  It's preparing me for next week when I have a full 20 minute run with no stops.  It's "easing" me into it by making me work harder than I realize I am.

But I'm onto them.  My body is not fooled.  It hurts!

I know full well that the walking phases are smaller.  Because when that voice comes over my phone and say's "Ready?" I am not.

And I tell her I'm not.  Sometimes I even yell out, "No!"  But while I'm telling that I'm not ready, my feet have already started moving.  Traitors.


Today, I managed to keep them moving, even though I didn't want to.  I'll take it.

Body Say's "NO!"

My scheduled workouts for this week

4

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2-1/2 minutes Jog  3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2-1/2 minutes Jog  3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2-1/2 minutes Jog  3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes

That is what I was supposed to run today (run 1).  It didn't quite work out that way.

My run today was sort of like this sketch from Little Britain.  Only the computer didn't say no. My body did.

It is cold and rainy out, so I went to the gym to do my run on treadmill.  I did my 3 minute run, and I was about 4 minutes through my 5 minute run and my body just shut down on me.  My calves felt like they were balloons about to break. 

I can normally push myself through this, but today it just didn't work. 

Now... I could have just skipped this blog entry.  There is still plenty of time to get my 3 runs in for the week, and in fact, that is exactly what I plan to do.  I will repeat tonight's run on Tuesday, and then run Thursday and Saturday to catch up.  However, I think it is important to note that there will be times when it just doesn't go.  I know this from experience.

So, since there is nothing really to do about it than move forward, I've come up with a list of takeaways:

• There will be days when your body just won't cooperate with your plans.
• If you are doing a structured program like Couch To 5K, with weekly workout schedules:
• Plan for these situations.  Make sure to start working out early in the week, so you can handle some setbacks along the way and still meet your weekly goals.
• If you have a situation that keeps you from hitting a weekly goal, don't get discouraged!  Things do happen in life and there will be times when you have a setback.  You can repeat a week on the program.  This is true if you have an injury obviously, but sometimes your body may just not be ready to go to the next level.  That's OK!  The key is to keep moving.

I'm not happy about the workout not going well.  But it happens.  Perhaps it was my body telling me I was pushing too hard.  Sure, I could have pushed past it, and there are times when I certainly should.  But that can also result in injuries.  So, sometimes it pays to listen when your body say's "NO!"

Friday, March 15th, 2013 - Week 3, Run 3

My Running Plan for this week (This is workout #3)

3

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds Walk 90 seconds Jog 3 minutes Walk three minutes

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds Walk 90 seconds Jog 3 minutes Walk three minutes

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds Walk 90 seconds Jog 3 minutes Walk three minutes

Click here for the Endomondo Tracker for this run.

Not much to really say about this run.  It was originally supposed to be on Thursday, but I ended up moving it to Friday due to scheduling conflicts (translated: I didn't get to it.  (translated: I was a slacker)).

But I guess going out and doing a run on Friday evening is also a sign of commitment, or maybe that I should be committed.  One of those two.

At any rate, the run is done and in the books.  No particular philosophical thoughts apart from "Why am I out on the running track on Friday night?"

Up till now it's been fairly easy but that all kind of stops next week.  Some 5 minute runs will be tossed into the mix and I get to start dreading my first true distance runs (Week 5, run 3 is a 2 mile run, or 20 minutes.  I'm slow so I won't make it quite 2 miles).

That's all for now.  I'm actually posting this on Sunday, March 17th, and about to go out for my Week 4, run 1.

Oh that's a great follow-up.  I went and ran Friday night, and now I'll be going and running on St. Patrick's day.  Think of me when you are drinking your green beer.  The only consolation I'll have is that I don't like beer.  I think I'd rather run.

Another combo post (translated: I was a slacker and didn't do my blog on Saturday)

My Current Couch To 5K workout schedule

3

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Saturday Run Results (Couch To 5K - Week 3, Run 1):
My Run
My Walk after the run

Tuesday Run Results (Couch To 5K - Week 3, Run 2):
My Run

So this is another combo posting for two runs.

The good news:  I actually did my run on Saturday, and again on Tuesday.

The bad news:  It's now Wednesday and I'm just getting around to my blog for Saturday and Tuesday.

OK Yes, I am a slacker.  I should have already posted these.  But you know what?  I'd much rather be a slacker about doing my blog than be a slacker about doing my run.  So I'll take that.

Saturday Run

Here in Northwest Arkansas, we are fortunate to have a really good park system, with extensive trails connected to them.  They have been working for the past 10 years to connect all the parks trails together so that you can literally go from park to park, with very few road crossings.  It's pretty cool and the result is a great network of walking/jogging/bike riding trails.

I ran on my favorite trail today. It is a great trail that is close to my house.  It starts at the "Bark Park" (a park specifically for dogs and their owners), out into some nice forest area with some off-road bike trails, past the Crystal Bridges Museum, and into downtown Bentonville.  It also goes by the Bentonville sewage treatment facility.  That part isn't exactly a highlight of the run.  But it gives me extra motivation to run faster when I pass it!  The wooded area makes up for it in scenery, with a pretty stream that passes over the trail in several areas.  Also, around the Crystal Bridges Museum is the Compton Gardens, with a lot of pretty flowers and plants.  All in all, it's a very nice place to run.

I like running this trail for a few reasons, but perhaps the biggest is that it is part of the course for the Bentonville Running Festival Half Marathon. That race will be coming up at the beginning of April.  This trail features what is probably the most difficult portion of the race course - a fairly difficult uphill climb.  It is hard to walk up, much less run.

I'm not exactly ready for the half marathon this year, but it is definitely a goal to run it next year.  This year I am going to run the 5K portion of the event.  At this point, even that will be a stretch.  That's OK.

I didn't get to the museum on this run.  I didn't even get to the sewage treatment plant (yay!).  I did get far enough to see the bridge that leads to it off in the distance.  That works for me!

It was nice to be on the course.  It helps see how far I've come, and how far I have to go.

Today's run wasn't exactly easy.  I'm used to running on a track, where I have a pretty good idea how far I've gone.  I track my progress on Couch To 5K by time, rather than distance.  But I am pretty good at judging my pace and knowing when I'm coming close to the end of a phase.  Running on the trails is a little harder.  I don't know how long I've gone at any point in time.  Yes, I've got my endomondo program that let's me know I've crossed a mile.  That will help me when I'm running longer distances.  Right now it doesn't tell me much.  My entire workout is only 2 miles roughly.

The part that is a bit easier as I go along is that the number of sets decreases.  Week one was 8 running phases and 8 walking phases (not counting the 5 minute warm up and cool down walk).  This week is only 4 runs and 4 walks.  It seems like it's over very quickly.  But of course the runs are harder.

One thing that was interesting on the run.  After I finished the run, and the cooldown walk, I was still quite a ways out on the trail.  So, I decided to take a rest for a few minutes and sat down on a park bench.  I paused my endomondo tracking while i rested.  But, when I got back up, I went to start endomondo back up again and somehow i accidently ended my workout.

I had a momentary panic when this happened, because i wasn't sure if it actually recorded my run.

That made me a little sad.  I like having that record of my achievement, little as it is.  It's something I can point to and say, "Hey I did something right today!"

As you can see from the above postings, my workout was actually recorded still.  I simply started up a new, walking workout for my walk back to my car.  So I got two workouts! :)

But it's interesting how much I was dependent on that.  I have had times before when I thought my workout was being tracked and for some reason it didn't.  I hate it when that happens!  But you know what?  The run still happened.  I got just as much of a workout without the tracker as I did with it.  I don't need the tracker to prove I worked out.  But it sure feels nice to have it.

Tuesday Run

This is a picture of people flying using wingsuits.  It looks fun doesn't it.  The wind whooshing around you as you zoom across the sky!  Sounds like a blast to me (literally), but it isn't much fun when I'm trying to run.  That's what Tuesday was like.  Incidentally, if you would like to fly with a wingsuit, these guys are willing to help you.  Perhaps I'll do that one day.  In the meantime, I hope they don't mind me using their picture.

Did I mention that this is March?  You know, the month when kids fly kites?  You know why they do that right?  It's because there is a lot of wind in March.  That was certainly true of my run on Tuesday.  So, it kind of felt like I was one of those guys in a wingsuit.  But, I wasn't.  That was just me huffing and puffing around the track. 

The thing about a track is that it is a big loop.  So, at some point in your run, you will be running into the wind.  As you build up endurance, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  After all, as I mentioned before, I'm training based on time for my Couch To 5K routine, not distance.  If I'm running into the wind and not making much progress on distance, it doesn't matter.  I still ran for 3 minutes.

But the thing is, in March, not only it very windy.  It's also very cold!  It wasn't a very cold day, but the wind made it feel cold.  It only felt cold when I was running against the wind.  Because I was on a track, that was approximately half the time.

I say approximately.  It felt like more than half the time.

You see, the week 3 workout for Couch To 5K is a 90 second run, followed by a 90 second walk, followed by a 3 minute run, followed by a 3 minute walk.  Then, rinse and repeat. 

So I started on the side of the track that was with the wind at about the halfway mark on the track, doing my 5 minute warm up walk.  This was a mistake.  For me, a 5 minute walk is a little over a quarter of a mile.  This means, I walked around the track once and was headed into the turn for my second lap when the first run phase kicked in.  In other words, that put me running into the wind.

So, I ran for 90 seconds, and the voice comes over my phone, saying "great job, start walking."

Where was this?  Of course, just headed in to the curve on the other side.  Sooo... my walking side (the already easy part) was going with the wind.  90 Seconds later, my second run kicks in... into the wind again.  Not that it really matters, as the second run is for 3 minutes.  That's a little over a full lap on the track.  So, I'm getting both a run with the wind and against it, no matter what.

Fun, fun!

It probably doesn't sound like I like running much does it?  I do actually.

I know from past experience, that there will be a point where I will actually like running into the wind.  As it gets into the summer months, I will even prefer running into the wind more than running with it.  The wind will become my friend, because it will become my air conditioner!  It gets pretty hot here in the summertime.  And while the wind at your back makes you run faster, it also causes you to feel the heat in a big way.  You are running faster, so that's harder work.  On top of that, you can't feel any wind because it's all at your back.  Running into the wind feels much nicer.  It's terrible on run times, but it feels refreshing.

That day will come.  But it is not today.  In my head I picture Aragorn in "Lord of the Rings", as he leads the forces outside the gates of Mordor. (Yeah OK I use a lot of LOTR references...)

"There will come a day when we like running into the wind!  It will refresh us, and allow us to run long and free!  But it is NOT THIS DAY!"

"One day, we will revel in its cool breezes.  We will laugh as we run triumphantly into the wind!  But it is NOT THIS DAY!"

No.  It is not this day.  This day it is miserable.  I don't like it.  It isn't refreshing.  It's cold.  When I get home, I will start coughing during my after-workout stretch and won't be able to stop for what seems like hours. It sucks.

But....

You know what?  I still did it.  I didn't stop running just because it was cold and nasty.  I still did my run.  So now, Aragorn's voice pops in my head again...

"There may come a day, when we will be defeated by a little thing like cold wind on a March day.  When we will forsake our dreams, and give up on our goals, because we are buffeted by the winds!  But it is NOT THIS DAY!

No.  Not this day.  Today, I ran even though it wasn't fun.  Thursday, I will run whether it is fun or not.  And next week.  And the week after that.  I'm not going to stop because of the wind.  Nor will I stop because my age is creeping up there.  I won't even stop because I've taken off the same pounds and put them back on, time after time.

I have been down that road.  There is nothing to see there.  I've quit because of even lesser things.  Not this time.