Travel Channel and 4 Miles

So normally at the gym, I watch the Food Network, but today I discovered the Travel Channel. Looks like I have an option to Rachel Ray and Paula Deen. :-)

Today was a good, but tiring run. I ran the 4 miles in a 12:02/mile pace. I felt good for most of the run; however I noticed two things - around mile 2 my right hand felt a bit numb, and in the last mile I was getting tired. I found if I relaxed my right arm a bit the numbness went away. I think the tiredness is I am not used to the 4 mile run. My stamina will improve.

Overall I was happy with today's run. Tomorrow is a cross training day.

Charlie

Thoughts on a BIke

Tonight was my bike riding cross training night at the gym. It didn't feel very productive. I think my head was not into it tonight. All day I had kind a feeling like I just was not getting things right. So I took that feeling to the gym, and while I went through the motions, I just did not enjoy my workout.

I was thinking about work, life, the troubles my boyfriend has in life, my family, oh....the world. This is such a down time in our lives. By that I mean if we are not living in another depression, it sure feels depressing like we are.

So while I rode almost 6.5 miles, I felt like I was on a 1000 mile road to nowhere.

Yes...I realize this is a depressing post, and I apologize. The mood I am in is a downer tonight.

I think the other thing that bothered me was I really miss running every day, or close to every day. I feel very limited to the 3 days a week running. It feels like a restriction on me. I suppose it is in a way. I understand at some point I will be able to run at least one day more a week. Until then though this is a killer. I need to figure another method of workout.

Charlie

The First Four Miles

Today was the start of the four mile weeks. This week and next week I will be running 4 miles, 3 times, with a goal time of 12 min/mile. Today I did the 4 miles in 12:10/mile. This run felt really good. I had zero pain anywhere, and it was such a relief to run and not feel bad somewhere on my body.

I was at the gym...because I was a wimp at 15 degrees outside.

I found the heart rate interesting. I felt very good, and my max bpm was 148. My average was in the 140-144 bpm range. I felt good and could have pushed myself, but I wanted to get through this run without feeling tired, and I succeeded.

Today I listened to a very cool podcast called "Coffee Convo." This is a fun podcast about...coffee. It really kept me entertained during the run. Podcasts are a God-send to me. It makes me feel like I am running with someone.

So today I chalk up as a great running day. Got two more runs to do this week.

Charlie

Valentine's Run

Yesterday my achillies was acting up, so I postponed my run until today. Snow overnight meant I would head back to the gym. Today was the last 3 mile run before I go up in miles next week. My own goal was to run 3.1 or 5K.

I did just fine. No pain, and I felt great during the entire run. I finished in 36:43, which is not too shabby for me. My average bpm was 155, and my max was 160. I felt comfortable and loose the entire run.

So two weeks are done training wise. Next week I start the 4 mile runs every other day. So everything seems to be going well. I am going to email Scott and Dr. Natarajan and let them know how things are going.

Feeling good. Happy Valentine's Day.

Charlie

So a Guy Comes Up to Me.....

Sounds like the start of a joke, but it wasn't. I was at the gym running my 3 miles tonight(wind and rain kept me inside). Now I should tell you I go to a pretty darned gay gym. It is in the heart of "Boystown" in Chicago.

Anyway, I am running my 3 miles, watching Rachel Ray(my new best cooking friend). A guy comes up to me and starts talking. I take off my earphones to hear him. He says, "That looks good. I've been watching from behind." Did he mean me or the food? I smiled and nodded and said, "The steak looks good doesn't." He smiled, said yes....and the other things.

I would really like to think he was being flirty. Of course if Mark were there, he would have jumped over a few treadmills to get in front of this guy....or so I like to think. :-)

The run was a good one. I needed to pick up the pace today, and I managed to do it very well. I was pretty tired though the last .75 miles. Still I got these three miles in and am happy.

My bpm averaged at 155 for most of the run. The last mile it went up to 160. I wonder if that is because I am working harder, or know the end is coming up?

Charlie

Biking and Rachel Ray

Last night was a biking night at the gym. I find a good bike ride at a "furious" pace is a good cross train for me. Sadly....biking at the gym can be dull. But wait...who is that on the Food Network? Rachel Ray? Yes!

For the 30+ minutes it takes me to ride the 10 miles, I can learn how to cook a dinner. Ray is not a typical cook. In fact, I don't think she is a chef, just a woman who knows how to throw a meal together in 30 minutes. Now I have never tried to cook a meal like that in 30 minutes, but something tells me it takes a bit longer.

Still Rachel Ray is entertaining, funny, and gives me ideas for dinner. This is all good when you are on the second most boring machine at the gym - the treadmill still is winner on that one.

As for the bike ride...I went at a good clip - 10 miles in 32:42!

Charlie

I Ran Outside

The title of this entry has not been spoken in months. Whether it has been weather or health related, I have not run outside in a long time. That changed yesterday. I laced up the shoes and headed north to Evanston. I mapped out the 3 mile run, and off I went.

I got into a nice groove about a half mile into the run. I had the heart rate monitor on, so I was seeing how different it was from being inside to outside. I got to my max heart rate quicker I noticed.

It was a cloudy day, in the 40s, which is fine for running. The snow was mostly melted. Once snow melts you see how trashy we can be. I saw uncoverd trash all over the place. In the IPod = the new U2 song, among other rock hits. I wanted to rock out...and I did.

My time was 12 min/mile or 36:00. A comfortable heart rate for me was 154 bpm. During my walking breaks I was at 139 bpm. Overall I felt great. I felt like I was really into the run. My achillies was pretty good as well.

It was not only a good day....but a happy one.

Charlie

Week 1 - Done

Last night was my third run of the week. The goal was 3 miles at a 12 min/mile pace. I did it in 36:06, which is a 12:02 min/mile. It was a good run. My feet were sore sore from being at work all day, so I was stiff at the end of the run, but overall I was good. My heart rate maxed out at 155.

So this first week of training is done. Lessons? Time to work on some strength and flexibility. Next week I am going to look into a pilates class at the gym. I will accomplish a strength workout. The running goal is another 3 day 3 miles a day plan, this time though, the time is a bit faster. The goal is to be between 11:30 and 11:45 a mile. There is no speed training with this training plan, so maybe we call this an accelerated pace. It would also be a pace I would aspire for on marathon day.

Some folks have wished me well on this journey this week. I just wanted to let you know I appreciate all the well wishes.

Charlie

A Natural Feeling

It is an amazing feeling when your running feels like a natural part of you. If feel in tune with your body. Your breathing is good. You feel relaxed. That was my experience during my 3 mile run today. With temps hovering around 0, I was on the treadmill. I felt great.

My body felt like it is was like it's old self, before all the injuries. My breathing was calm, and not labored. My heart rate went up gradually. My first mile my average was 135 bpm. The second mile - 145 bpm. On the last mile I averaged 156 bpm. Nothing felt hard or difficult about this run.

Yesterday's cross training was a 10 mile bike ride at the gym. Felt good.

So in the early stages training is going well.

I ran into my former marathon coach...he has finally qualified for Boston, and will run it in 2010. Kudos to Scott!

Charlie

This Week's Plan

Yesterday I kicked off the first day of my 32-week training plan for the marathon. Here is what week one is supposed to be:

Run 1 - 3 miles 12 min/mile
Run 2 - 3 miles 12 min/mile
Run 3 - 3 miles 12 min/mile

In between those days I cross train and rest. Today is a cross train day. Have not decided what my cross training will consist of today. I know it will involve heading to the gym and working out for at least 45 minutes.

So how was I after yesterday's run? I felt good. As the day wore on I could tell my Achillies was a little sore. A 3 mile run, and then standing all day will do that. I was very happy to come home and climb into bed. This morning I feel fine. We'll see how I am after my workout this evening.

Charlie

The Road to Toronto Begins.....

Today was the start of my journey to the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on September 27. The first run was a 3 mile run. The goal was a 12 min/mile pace. Since I had not been running much, I was pleased to run in 36:42, which is a 12:14 min/mile pace. Not too bad. My average heart rate was 155 bpm. I think I am getting the hang on this heart rate monitor stuff.

This is a good first step on a very long journey. I was feeling a bit emotional as I finished the run, because this marathon means a lot to me. I have not trained for anything like this in a while. More importantly, I want to know that I can do this.

I am going to have some really good days. I am going to have some really crappy days. I hope you all will bear with me as I go on this journey. It means a lot to know I have support out there.

So here are the stats at the start of this training. While I would like to lose weight, I have in my head getting down to 200 lbs...or less. A couple weeks ago I was tipping the scales at 216.5 lbs. Today I weighed myself -213.5. Good way to kick this off.

My time goal is simple - 5:59:59. I REALLY want to finish with a sub 6 hour time. The training is designed to get me there.

My training is running 3 days a week, slowly building. Cross training is a must. On the non-runnning days. I will be cross-training. Rest is important too. At least in one day I won't run. In my next post, I will show again the training plan for the first 11 weeks.

So the goal is set...the training plan is set. Now all I have to do is DO IT! Wish me luck.


Charlie

Retooling

Next week I start the marathon training plan. I was not able to run yesterday. My Achillies was bothering me. Between now and then I am trying to stretching and strength exercises I have discovered, and will work on healing my ankle area.

Part of my problem is I have incredibly tight calves. This is due mostly to the foot issues I have. So I have to really dig in and stretch more. I don't stretch enough, and that can be a reason I have so many issues now. So that will be my focus of the next few days. I will also do some biking at the gym.

Charlie

The Cost of the Marathon

Chicago runners, and anyone interested in running the Chicago Marathon got a jolt this week, when it was announced that this year's Bank of America Chicago Marathon would cost $125 to register. For the last two years registration was $110. I figured it would go up, but that is quite a jump.

Immediately a joke came to mind - is this our economic bailout of Bank of America? In reality though the costs of marathons is most likely very high. City police, sanitation, and other workers have to be paid. Streets have to be blocked off. Water and food have the be purchased. There are so many costs involved with putting on an event the size of the marathon. Sadly sponsorship dollars can only cover so much. The cost trickles down to the runner.

What is a runner to do? Does the higher costs mean we run fewer races? In 2007 when I trained for Chicago, here were some of my costs:

Registration: $110
Training Program(FFC): $300
Shoes - 2 pair $100
Gatorade/gels/nutrition for training and race: $50
Shirt: Included in my training program
Shorts: $20
Body Glide: $7
Socks- 3 pair: $20

Total - $607

Then there was the other costs; the training time. I ran 5-6 days a week. Time spent away from friends and loved ones is not measured. NOTE: My equipment charges are cheaper due to working in a running store.

Yesterday I did some figuring for this year's Chicago Marathon(for a non-running store employee runner):

Registration: $125
Training(FFC)$300
Shoes - 2 pair: $200
Nutrition: $75
Shirt: $35
Shorts: $35
Body Glide: $7
Socks - 3 pair: $30

Total - $807

In these hard times, spending that kind of money is a serious decision runners have to make. Clearly there are less expensive training programs, so some costs could be lowered. Still, it is a lot of money.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will sell out. It always does. I wonder though, as sponsorships become scarce, what our costs will be in the future? Will we continue to pay larger sums of money to run these races. Will races begin to shrink in numbers? Running is still one of the cheapest sports to participate in, but maybe this means we race less?

Charlie

8 Months From Today

Folks eight months form today I will be running the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Yes...I will be running it. As God is my witness, I will run this race. I will start my training next week. I am actually feeling pretty good. Today there was no Achillies pain, and I am knocking wood, that when I run tomorrow I will be fine.

A good sign came today - my new shoes. My training shoe is the Brooks Dyad. Since Brooks had the good sense to make this in a 4E wdith, I am one happy runner!!!

Tomorrow I head to the gym and am attempting a 3 mile run.

1 mile at a time....1 mile at a time.

For inspiration I have the marathon course map posted wherever I think it will do me good. For more info on the marathon go to www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com

Charlie

Today's Goal - Completed

Today's goal was 2 miles...and I did it. I headed to the gym, and ran on the treadmill, with my trusty heart rate monitor strapped on. I am still learning about this "running computer", but it tells me my max rate today was 159 bpm. I assume that is good - I'm still alive. :-)

The run was pretty good. I ran it in 23:57. My achillies felt ok. It was never sore, but it felt tender towards the end of the run.

So two more miles are in the bank, and I feel good that I am moving again.

Now who out there can tell me about these darned heart rate monitors?

Charlie

Monday's Goal

It has been a few days since my Achillies hurt. I have made it to 1 mile. Tomorrow I take the next step and shoot for 2 miles. Again, I am not looking to set the world on fire. I am just taking my recovery one step at a time....literally.

As I have been helping runners at the store the last few days, I have seen how excited people are at starting to run. It is contageous. I want to share in that fun. I want to run gosh darn it.

I am coming up on 8 months before race day, and my preliminary training is supposed to start this week. Cross your fingers for me.

Charlie

Today's Workout

Yes....it does feel good to say I went to the gym today, and had a workout of sorts.

I ran for 1 mile on the treadmill and then rode the bike for 4 miles. It was a good beginning for a return. My Achillies did not hurt. It felt tender, hence I stopped at the 1 mile mark.

As an added bonus I tried my heart rate monitor for the first time today. I now own Suunto t3c.
It is easy to use. The directions seem simple. Once I do some road work, I will use the foot pod, and use the speed and distance aspect of the piece.

So while I am not back. I feel today was a good first step. I feel good!

Charlie

No Pain for Two Days

Yes...you read it right, I have not felt Achillies pain for a couple days. While there is tenderness there, I am not feeling pain. This is a good thing.

No worries thought I am not about to run 10 miles today. I am going to give it another few days before I start running again. But this is good news!!!! Very happy.

:-)Charlie

216.5

I have always been clear that I would be honest with you on this blog. One of the points of writing this blog is to hold myself accountable to not only me, but to those who read this blog. Having said that, I need to explain the title of this post.

As of this morning, I weight 216.5lbs. Those who know me well, will understand when I say I take this number as a personal disappointment. I never wanted to see 215 again, but here I am, above it. This is what happens when you fall off the running/exercise routine.

There are many reasons as to how this has happened. My various injuries have really kept me from being as active as I have been. The truth though is I have been eating more, and not eating well. Because I am an emotional eater, you can guess I am eating because I am either stressed, unhappy, or both. These days I am both.

I won't go into the reasons as to why I am in this bad place. I will say I am working towards gaining control of the situation, and am hopeful to get back to a better place emotionally. In the meantime I went to the gym today and biked for 20 minutes, and worked out on the elliptical for 10 minutes. I felt pretty good afterwards.

So now I need to focus on my diet. I have not lost the good habits, I just need to be aware of the bad habits I have fallen into.

While I won't weigh myself every week, I am determined to get back to a weight I am happy with in the next few months. Ideally I would like to be around 200lbs or less. So there is my goal.

Charlie

Watching People Run

This winter I have had the opportunity to see quite a few people running in the snow and cold. Chicago has had a rough winter as far as snow and cold. Some thoughts cross my mind as I watch these hearty souls brave the elements. First among these thoughts is, "Are you nuts?"

I realize people think I am nuts to run, but come on, these people really are. It has been below zero this week, and I see folks out there. If I can barely walk in this cold, how can someone run? I don't know if there are enough layers out there to keep someone warm when it is -2.

Maybe these people have running streaks going? Maybe they lost a bet? Maybe they are secretly Yetis?

I know the answer. These are people who truly love running. They thrive on the outdoor challenge. Now I am not saying you don't love running if you aren't out there in a snow storm. This is the weather wimp talking here. I just think there is some determination out there that really drives these folks. Good for them, and I wish them great runs.

Charlie