Limitations

I have long written about the limitations I have with being physically active, due to issues surrounding my clubbed feet. Yesterday was another issue to overcome. Mark and I are having our fitness evaluated at NIFS, and in the course of the evaluation, you are asked to do various types of exercise. I wasn't able to do about 30% of them.

It depresses me, but I always try to see what I can do.

The trainer doing the evaluation was bothering me a bit, because she told me she would stop the activity if I "broke" the routine at all. So the first sign I couldn't complete an activity, she would stop me. I explained to her that I like to try all exercises thrown at me, and was wondering if she could see what I could do. She told me that wasn't how the test works. Understood.

During the course of the interview portion, she asked me activity questions. She and the intern present took notes, but from this I could tell who was listening to me. She asked me my goals. I told her I would like to be fitter, so I could run easier, and get better times in my races, and just better overall health. The intern asked me about my marathoning. We spoke for about 5 minutes about my races.

When it came time for me to do the run portion, the trainer asked me if I was, "comfortable running 1 mile." Both the intern and I looked at her oddly. I said, "I think I can do that." To which the intern said,"Would you rather run your 26.2 instead?" We both smiled, and the trainer looked confused.

The 1 mile run was a good one. Typically I run 6 minutes, and walk 1 minute, but since this was a test, I ran the whole mile - no walk break. I hadn't done that in years. I did it, and it felt good. I was upbeat when I finished.

Then the limitations set in again. The trainer had me do some more exercises I could not initially do. I got a bit frustrated and said, "I suppose this test is really about what I can't do." She smiled and said that wasn't the case at all. Still that was how I felt.

I get the results in about a week. From these results an exercise program will be created for me. I did "learn" something yesterday - as the trainer said, "You run pretty well." Uh huh.

Charlie

TRX is Not For the Faint Hearted

Yesterday morning at 6am, Mark and I were starting our TRX class. Two things I learned. First, not everyone shows up for a butt kicking. We were the only two in the class yesterday. Second, when you are the only two, the trainer has plenty of time to give you attention.

Christy is very nice, and very good at the class. She checks in to make sure we are doing ok, and advising us when we need to do something with the particular exercise we are doing. Exercising is tough enough, but suspension training really kicks you.

Christy made sure our extensions we extended, our jumps were jumpy, our lunges were lungier, and our squats were squatier. Sorry for the made up vocabulary, but no other words suffice. At the end of the 30 minutes my pecs, arms and shoulder blades were sore. I think Mark's legs we hurting.

TRX is tough. I am enjoying it, and I think it is an outstanding cross train, but it's not for the faint hearted.

Charlie

Sunday Run in Carmel

Winter has not been brutal in Indiana this year. You can tell, because the trails and roads are full of people running. I joined them today, as I headed out on the Hagan-Burke and Monon Trails.

My goal was to run 4 miles. I didn't care how long it took - sort of. So off I went. I got to the mid point in 28:05. So my goal heading back was to do negative splits.

I felt good during the run. There were a couple of icy patches, but I navigated those pretty well. Still I kept going. It was also windy in spots, so sometimes I had the wind in my face, other times it was pushing my back along.

I knew I was going to be close to negative splits on the way back. In the end though, I did the return in 28:17. No negative split this time, but I feel I was consistent during the run, and that was a good feeling.

Will try for a longer run next weekend.

Charlie

Speed Work

Hit the gym yesterday, and practiced what I read for older runners. Before I ran, I did 10 minutes of stretching and walking as a warm up. My run turned into speed work, as there were school groups in the gym, and the kids were all over the track. I went to the treadmill.

I have not done any regular running on a treadmill in many months, so I started easy. It didn't take my long to find my groove. I alternated between 4.5 and 4.7 on the treadmill. So my pace was comfortable, but could push it a bit. I did hit 5.0 a couple times; each time I did it for a minute.

I went 2.25 miles on the treadmill, and I was pouring sweat. I mean you could wring me out, and sweat would flow profusely. I felt great though.

Mark had a fitness evaluation done while I ran. We originally thought we could do it together, but was told one at a time. My time will be next week.

Good speedy run today.....next run is a long run.

Charlie

Older Runners

Running Times has an article this month which talks about older runners. By older, they mean between the ages of 37-80. As it turns out, I am in that demographic.

Two things jump out at me in this article. First is that we get older our running ability, specifically longer distances. The author says that our longer runs become shorter. No longer are we able to do multiple 10 mile runs. Instead we do shorter runs, fewer longer runs, and focus on being slower in those longer runs.

Second is we have to take more time to get ready to run. As it says in the article, no longer can we just start one a run like a high school student. Interviews with older runners show that there is any combination or warm ups runners do before going on their run.

After I got over the initial depression that I am an older runner, I saw that most of what the article says makes sense. I think I need to work on changing my mentality about my running, and understand that what I could do 6-7 years ago, is different now. So I may not PR in a half marathon, but I will continue to improve how I run a half marathon.

The overriding theme in the article is that older runners need to do what they can to ensure they will run as long as they can/want.

Charlie

TRX - The Second But Kicking

Today was class number two of TRX. Yes, it seemed a bit easier than last Monday, as I hope it would, but still TRX is a butt kicking class. In that respect it's similar to pilates.

I enjoyed the class, though it is obvious I have some things to master between now and next Monday. For instance, the exercises involving my feet in the straps is a challenge, simply because my feet don't like to stay in the darned things.

Back in the 80s there were ads for Soloflex, which had a hot young guy, with rippling abs and muscles. He would not sweat, but glisten as he did each exercise. And while I look nothing like him, my goal today was to glisten. We'll just say for arguments sake - I glistened. Still I thought about those ads, and how I would like to work out more like that. No, I don't want to look like him. Besides, when that guy spoke, it always sounded like a purse fell out of his mouth.

Good workout today....running kicks in this week.

Charlie

Humbled

I have written posts similar to this, but it happened again today, and I feel humbled. Today was the start of the Indy Mini Training Program I am coaching. People of all abilities and level of running/walking can be in our training program.

Today I asked who in the crowd had the Mini, and a group raised their hands. That group whittled down to one when I asked if anyone had run over 10 Minis. I also asked if we had beginning runners. One woman, in her 60s, timidly raised her hand, and I welcomed her with a $10 gift certificate to the store. She told the group she had not run previously.

Later the woman came up to me to get her t-shirt for the program, and we talked a bit. She told me she was doing this program and the race, because of a talk I gave at a Weight Watchers meeting a couple months ago. She told me I inspired her to run and to enter the Mini Marathon.

I am humbled that someone would take any inspiration from me. It's easy to think about what I do on a day by day basis as just managing a running store. In reality though we in the running business do much more than sell shoes. We offer encouragement, advice, expertise , and support. As it turns out we also offer inspiration.

I will do my best to coach her through this training and the race.

Charlie

Spring Season

The plan had been to run the Rock n Roll USA in D.C.. Yup that was the plan. Life changed things when Mark and I decided to get married. Now we are planning a wedding, and extra money has to go towards that. This changes how I decide on races this year. I need to stick closer to home for the most part.

I'm making a change to the first race of the year. I am looking at the Holy Half Marathon at Notre Dame. It's a close race, and we don't have to fly there. I will make ventures outside Indiana during the year, but for now I need to save money.

Starting tomorrow I will be coaching about 70 people for the Indy Mini Marathon in May. So a good deal of focus will be on helping those people. So my Spring is busy.

Still my goal for the year is to run 4 half marathons. Need to examine the ones I want to do. I know how I want to finish the year, now I just need to fill things in.

Charlie

TRX/Run Combo

Yesterday at the gym, I did something a little different - I ran for 2 miles, and I followed that up with a 15 minute TRX workout. The result was a more intense workout, and I really enjoyed it. I think mixing things up is good.

I did not intend to do the TRX workout, but as I kept running past the apparatus, I thought it might be a good idea to throw it into my time at the gym. TRX does two things; it works your core, and it is a good stretch. I liked the stretch part, especially following the run. As I have said from time to time, I need to stretch more, and TRX gives me a good stretch.

The run itself was a good run. I focused on even negative splits. My first mile was 13:33, my second was 13:30. Hey 3 seconds better is 3 seconds better.

Later today I will be posting a second time, where I talk about my plans for the Spring running season.

Charlie

Solitude on a Run

Winter running can have a certain loneliness to it. The air is quiet. The sound you hear most is the crunch of the snow and ice. I actually love that sound. I also like the quiet of a winter run.

Today I ran 3 miles on the Monon Trail. The trail had patches of snow and ice that I would hear crunch softly under my feet. I actually found I didn't like running on the bare path. I think what bothered my most of about the non-snowy part of the trail, was the chance of black ice. So I tread very carefully.

Winter runs are not always fast, but with the slowness comes for an appreciation of the quiet around.

Charlie

3 Miles - Zippy People All Around

Yesterday Mark and I headed to NIFS to workout. While Mark worked the Eliptical into a frenzy, I was on the track running 3 miles. While my run wasn't zippy, I had the pleasure of running with the IUPUI Track Team.

For those who don't know IUPUI is Indiana University, Purdue University Indianapolis. Two schools combined into one. NIFS is located on campus, so all of the schools athletic teams practice and workout there. The track team was doing speed work. They would zip through 100 and 200 meter sprints, and then walk a lap around the track.

While I was impressed to watch these folks and their speed, I had to laugh to myself that they may not be able to keep up with me over the course of 13.1 or 26.2 miles. At least that was what I told myself.

The run itself was good. I felt good getting the 3 miles in. Another run down!

Charlie

Pushing It Oh So Slightly

dd Friday I ran a 3 mile run at the gym, and I pushed the pace a bit. In fact I ended up going a bit a minute and a half faster than the previous 3 miler. That felt good. I felt like I was accomplishing something. In my head though I knew I had some work to do in regards to my stamina, which is lacking these days.

Yesterday I headed out on the Monon Trail. I ran a total of 4 miles, which I have not done in a long time. The day was sunny and chilly, but there I was in a long sleeve shirt and shorts heading down the trail. This run I pushed the pace a bit, and got the run in under 51 minutes. Again I felt great.

Pushing it oh so slightly is going to be the way I go on this. I weighed myself on Friday, and I have crossed the 250lbs mark. It would have been easy for me to get very depressed about this, but instead I felt more emboldened to work on this. That was the reason I went for 4 miles yesterday, and I am glad I did.

Today I am feeling stiff(I also went bowling last night). So today is a rest day.

Charlie

New Day - Feeling Good

The new year is still treating me well. I am eating better for one thing, and I can already tell I feel better for that. Today I logged another 3 mile run. I was much faster today than Monday. Monday's run was 40:59, today's was 39:35. Clearly the speed was with me. I think it helped that I was feeling healthier.

So what haven't I been doing? I have made better choices. I am making sure my portions are better. I'm doing the things which have been successful for me in the past.

Because I am an emotional eater, I am also making sure I am doing things to ward off that emotional strife which leads to poor eating. I am speaking my mind a bit more when I need to. I am getting what is inside me out. That has to be better.

So today is a feeling good day.

One more run this week, and I will have 3 runs done.

Charlie

2012+3=Great Start

Yesterday Mark and I headed to the gym for our first workout of the new year. While the winds and snow were blowing outside, we were comfy inside working out with everyone who made a resolution to get fit. Gotta love January. The gym are packed for about three weeks, then it all goes back to normal.

Mark went on the Elliptical. That is is apparatus of choice. I ran on the track. I bobbed and weaved through the various walkers, and was determined to get 3 miles in. The good news is I did it! I had not run 3 miles in a month, so I wanted this one.

No one will accuse me of setting a world record, but that wasn't the point. The run was simply to accomplish the 3 miles. I felt good the entire run. I didn't feel tired as I thought I might. It just felt good.

Mark was happy with his workout. He also did 100 crunches. That was a challenge for him, but he did it too.

2012 is off to a good start.

Charlie

2012 Goals

A new year means new goals.....

Overall I am working on my half marathon this year. To do this though I have to be in better shape. That is the more important goal for me. I need to be in better shape and healthier.

Going to the gym to train will be one step, running more and better is another step, but the most important part to better health will be changing my relationship with food. In the last couple years a new job, a new home, and the difficulties with adjusting, food became a coping mechanism. It can't be. So I will work hard to overcome those bad habits, and change my relationship with it.

Tomorrow Mark and I go to the gym. I go in with a fresh attitude and mind set.

Races to plan for.....

At this time the only race I am registered for is the Rock n' Roll USA in March - half marathon. This will be just to get one under my belt. PRs will come later. This will be my benchmark. The goal will be to improve with each race.

As for my blog, I plan on writing more, and making it a bit more interesting. I think a new attitude here will help as well.

Come along for the ride....it's going to be an interesting year.

Charlie

New Year's Eve Wishes

Here is what I wish for 2012......

May the world take further steps back from the insanity of war and terror.

May we as a country take more steps to understanding that the marriage of two men or two women does not destroy marriage or family, but only enhances it.

As our nation decides our future, let us do it clearly, and not with negative rhetoric which will only lead to worse times.

May those who want a job find one.

For my sweet Mark, who I love with all my heart, may he find where he is in his journey, and be successful.

For me, I am wishing for a healthy new year.

For all of you, I wish nothing but good things in the coming year.

Charlie

One More Look Back Before Moving Ahead

While I am working on the reboot of my life(as it were), I want to look back over 2011 for a moment or two. 2011 was not a stellar year running wise. I had two highlights this year. One was running the Geist Half Marathon. The other was my fundraising campaign for NDSS.

It's always exciting when someone challenges themselves with a race. I have known my friend Kris since our days at Indiana University. She took up running in the last couple years, and wanted to tackle her first half marathon. She asked me to run the Geist Half Marathon with her. I did, and was happy to do it.

Supporting a friend with their running is the equivalent of giving back to the community. We had a good day. Well it was good other than Kris stepping on a nail at mile 2. That was a scary moment. Still she pushed through and no serious injury. She ran ahead once we got closer to the hill portion of the race, but I was very proud of her when I saw her after I crossed the finish line.

The campaign to raise money in honor of my niece Sabrina was one of my biggest challenges, at many levels. I had never done a large fund raising campaign. I know there are people who put on parties, sell food, have garage sales, etc. I did all my fundraising online. In the end I raised just over $2000 for the National Down Syndrome Society.

Anytime you do take on an endeavor like this you learn a lot. Here some of what I learned: I was reminded how strong parents of kids with Down Syndrome are. My sister Anne is amazing to me as she raises Sabrina; I learned about the generosity of friends, even those I have not had contact with in over 20 years, as they came forward to help me with my cause; again I was reminded what we can do when we push ourselves. While I would rather have not taken 8 hours to complete the Portland Marathon, I know I can do what I need to do when the time comes. When I feel I can't do something, my marathon memory should remind me....yes I can.

So now I look ahead to 2012. The goals are "simple." I am planning on running at least 4 half marathon during the year. I will work on getting fit again. I will also work towards a PR. I imagine the latter will come as the year goes on, and not my first race.

Reminder, the first half will be in Washington, D.C. on March 17 - Rock n' Roll USA.

TRX class starts January 16. TRX looks like this:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TRXtraining?v=6uNSEHIQw34&feature=pyv&ad=13000890574&kw=TRX

So on to 2012. Thanks 2011, you taught me some good lessons.

Charlie

Energized and Off

This morning I got my butt to the gym, and off I ran for 30 minutes. It's interesting to see who comes to the gym at various times. Early in the morning is the over 50 crowd. Since I am approaching 50, I guess these are my soon to be peeps.

As I ran I noticed I am lift my shoulders and be tight in the upper body. About midway into the run I was able to loosen up a bit and let my arms go. I found the running to be much easier for me when I did this.

Thoughts as I went round and round...I don't know how I feel about turning 50. I have never been one to worry about age, but as I get closer to it, I am finding I'm not liking it as much. Maybe I'm having that overdue mid-life crisis? I feel like there is much I still want to do in this world....and it isn't getting done. Has anyone gone through that feeling?

Overall though, today was a good day. Glad I hit the gym. Mark and I are now signed up for the TRX class in mid-January. This is going to be, not only motivation, but much needed cross training for me.

The reboot goes on.

Charlie

Running With Coffee 2.0 - Reboot!

When we see ourselves in the mirror, how often so we really examine what we are seeing. Typically I hate looking at myself in the mirror. I don’t like my body; I dare say I hate it. I came to be ok with it when I lost my initial weight. Now that I have gained weight, I am back to hating looking in the mirror.

Today though I forced myself to take a good look in the mirror. No, I didn’t like what I saw, but I made a deal with myself; if I can work at losing the weight again, I will learn to be ok looking at myself in the mirror.

Today was a reboot of sorts. I have not run in 3 weeks. So I didn’t jump back into running. I did a 1.2 mile challenging walk on the treadmill, and then a furious 1.8 bike ride at the gym. I sweated pretty hard, which was the goal. I felt good. Then I looked in the mirror.

“Ugh” was my initial thought. No, I didn’t weigh myself, but I don’t need the scale to tell me that I am wearing size 42 jeans, and am carrying more weight. Still I looked hard in the mirror and made my promise to lose the weight.

I told Mark we are making a change. Since we moved to Indianapolis we haven’t had a routine. This is something Mark has said from time to time. 2012 will be the year we work on a routine.

Our first step will be a class. I am signing us up for a TRX class. What is TRX you ask? It is suspension training, using your own body weight and gravity to build strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, core and joint stability, all while preventing injuries.

The road back is not going to be easy. No doubt you will hear me complain. I need to be focused, and I need support. If you haven’t given up on me, and are still reading, I hope you will encourage me, scold me if I need scolding, or just plain support me in this endeavor.

My eating is changing too. I have gone out too much, time to be a cook at home. Tonight, a simple beef stew and blackberries for dessert. It takes more than exercise my friend. It takes watching what I am doing with food.

So this is my official reboot. It starts here...and now. And sometime in 2012, we’ll see how that mirror is looking.

Charlie

Cross Country Locker Room Talk

I was never on a team in school. So I never got to experience locker room talk. Today at NIFS I listened to guys on the IUPUI Cross Country Team talk to each other. I had to chuckle as I listened.

Guy #1: Dude what are you up to tonight?

Guy #2: Dude I gotta run and get my miles up to 70 this week.

Guy #1: I got tickets to the Butler game want to go?

Guy #2: Don't know, man is it cold out, I don't want to run if it's cold out.

Guy #1: Dude it's cold. Hey....what are you doing tonight?

Guy #3: Why?

Guy #1: Wanna go to the Butler game?

Guy #3: Dude let me get back I gotta run 75 miles this week.

Guy #2: Coach won't like that.

Guy #3: Screw coach I gotta workout.

So all in all I feel like I missed little in school.

My run today was fantastic. I felt a bit like my old self.

Mile 1 - 13:05

Mile 2 - 12:59

Mile 3 - 11:39

Yup, you read that last one correctly. I ZOOMED around the track. I felt like I gave it my all out there, and felt good.

Charlie