Moving

Posted: 7th July 2010 by John in commentary
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It was a bad week, last week, to try to eat right and get out on the road for a few miles.  Over the weekend I moved from Valley City to Carrington, so the week was spent packing and moving, finishing up over the holiday weekend.  With the four "going away" meals and Independence Day weekend, I ate and drank way too much.  I just found my scale in all the boxes and stepped on it with great trepidation.  I would not have been surprised to see that I had gained 10 pounds.  Fortunately, it was only two.

I was only able to get two runs in last week. One Wednesday for 2.35 miles and 4.05 miles on Sunday. It will be nice, now, to get back into some semblance of a routine and to become a bit more consistent. Even though I was scheduled to do 7.5 miles this coming Sunday, I have the 10k at the Prairie Rose Games in Bismarck instead. I am really looking forward to this event.

Enjoy the wonderful summer weather!

Great Week

Posted: 28th June 2010 by John in commentary
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Another pound shed.  It has become quite enjoyable again stepping on the scale and seeing it drop each week, even if it is only a single pound each week.  It sure beats plateaus and/or gains eh?  I probably could be doing better, but I have not been cutting the amount of calories received from carbohydrates as much.  Mostly because I have been running more and I do not want the "tank" to go empty.  I am still eating the healthy stuff, which is what is most important.

I had a great week last week, distance wise.  On Tuesday I ran 2.52 miles, Thursday 3.78 miles and Sunday 6.28 miles.  The Thursday run would have been better I think if it was not 82 degrees and humid when I started out.  It seemed like I had to push it a bit more after the half-way point.  And towards the end, my head was pounding pretty badly.  I was pushing for 4 miles, but erred on the side of caution and just walked the rest of the way home.  I am very much a cooler weather person.  Sunday though, could not have gone better.  It was a beautiful day for running and I crossed the 10k point at 1 hr 20 minutes 38 seconds.  I do not know if that is good or not, but it is currently my personal best. :) I was trying to run it at half marathon pace.

My next event is the 10k at the Prairie Rose State Games in Bismarck, just two short weekends away (July 11th).  My brother is planning on running it with me, so I am really looking forward to this event.

82 days until the Sheyenne Shuffle half marathon.  It seems so close, yet sooooo far away.  I am quite sure it will be here before I know it.

94 pounds down!

Ft. Union

Posted: 20th June 2010 by John in commentary
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It was a beautiful morning. Fifty five degrees and a light breeze. It was a great morning for a run. A couple hundred people were wandering around doing their own thing to get ready for whichever race they happened to be running. The races taking place, all starting at the same time were:

11K Run
5K Run
5K Walk
5K Heavy Weight Run
1 Mile Fur Trader’s Run (in period costume)
1 Mile Kids Run (12 yrs and younger)

Among the "I was there" t-shirts that I saw on several of the people, one stood out to me more than all the others.  One from this year’s Fargo Marathon.  It was very nice to see.

All the race routes were out and back and the 11k went through Ft. Buford before heading back. At around 9am the gent over the loudspeaker said, “On your marks…” then a cannon on the hilltop detonated. It was quite spectacular. The race started off downhill for about 100 yards, and then the next quarter mile was a steady uphill climb. The entire course gently rolled up and down small hills.

I was planning on starting out slow and steady, but no matter how much I train, I started out way too fast and the first hill kicked my butt. After the first mile, I could have sworn that I had gone two. I am sure that once I get a few more of these runs under my belt, I will learn to control it a bit better. It was at that one mile mark that I convinced myself to settle down. What was my hurry? I was not going to win the bloody race. In fact, the only person I was racing against was myself. I was battling those dang inner demons, which mine are quite formidable at times. I convinced myself to just sit back and enjoy the experience. I took it easy and when I needed to walk, even though I was hoping not to have to do so, I walked. I just kept moving forward. I reached the half way point, where thankfully they had a water station setup. I grabbed my cup of water, turned around and started the trek back. When I reached that quarter mile plus mark, which was the uphill climb on the way out, it was a pleasant treat towards the end. I picked up my pace and pushed for the finish. The last 100 yard hill did not even slow me down that much. My final time?

36:17.5

I beat my FM 5k by 2 minutes 36 seconds! In the Heavy Weight division I placed 4th. Just one spot out of a medal, but I did not care. If I would have signed up for the regular 5k run, in my age group I would have placed 2nd or 3rd I think.

All in all it was a wonderful experience. The volunteers were great and afterwards they had energy bars, Gatorade and buckets of fruit.

There were probably 20-30 kids that competed, which all received medals, and the Fur Trader’s run, there were two participants. One lady dressed up in what looked like authentic Native American regalia and a gent dressed in full French mountain man gear right down to the tuque.

If I have the opportunity, I believe I would do this race again next year.

Totals

Posted: 14th June 2010 by John in commentary
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I am working my way down 1 pound at a time.  Exactly 40 pounds away from my original weight goal.

This coming weekend I will be attending my second 5k ever.  The excitement and expectations are already kicking in.  You have no idea how amazing an experience this is for me.  Just a few years ago I was expecting to be in a wheelchair by my 40th birthday, because of chronic back pain…mostly caused because of my weight.  I had gotten complacent in my obesity and accepted the hand that I was dealt, not knowing that all I had to do is ask, no beg, for a reshuffle.  But, I do not think this lifestyle change of mine would have happened until I had reached that "rock bottom" stage.  From there, there was nowhere to go but up.  I would have never been motivated enough to stick with any sort of "diet."  And exercise?  Who you kidding?  Until I was prepared to start clawing myself out of this 6 foot deep hole I had gotten myself into, nothing would have stuck.  From time to time I look back at the strides I have taken to date.  A little over a year ago, I was barely able to walk.  I pulled some stats from the Nike+ site, where I upload all my Nike+ chip data after every jaunt.  Since I used this wonderful little device on my first workout (March 22, 2010) until yesterday (40 total workouts), I have logged 93.41 miles (combination of running and walking), total duration of 22hrs:58mins:03secs, and burnt approximately 19,176 calories.  And I would have to say that I have missed 10-12 miles where either my iPod battery died or I did not have the device with.  Last week alone:

Monday(6/7): ran 2.02 miles (avg pace 10:42/mi), then walked 2.02 miles
Tuesday(6/8): ran 2.01 miles (11:24/mi)
Thursday(6/10): ran 2.02 miles (11:16/mi)
Saturday(6/12): ran 2.42 miles (11:50/mi)
Sunday(6/14): ran 3.03 miles (11.22/mi

Last week’s total: 13.52 miles.

While training for the half marathon, I am trying to work on a consistent pace of 11:00/mile.  I know sometimes it really seems slow, but at this point it is very comfortable for me to sustain.  I swear this little old lady with a walker was going to pass me the other day.  I think if she would have had those little tennis balls on the bottom of her walker instead of the rubber stoppers, she would have. 

The 3 miles yesterday felt pretty good.  I think I probably would have had another mile or two in me, but I am trying to stick with the program.  In fact, I was supposed to run last Friday as well, but I spent the entire day with my daughter and did not feel the least bit guilty.  We hit every single park we could and just enjoyed hanging out with each other all day long.  It was unbelievable how much energy I had throughout the day.  It was not nearly as much as she had, but I tried to keep up.

So, what do I have in store for this week?  Today is my off day, Tues – 3 mi., Wed – 3 mi., Thurs – 2 mi., Fri – 3 mi., Sat – 3 mi., Sun – 2 mi. for a total of 16 miles.  Should be a busy week.  I am using this training plan as a guideline.  If during the week I feel that I am not getting enough rest, I will drop in an off day, but I will try to stick as close to it as I can.

93 pounds down and loving it! (That 100 pound mark is in my sights)

Nice Weather

Posted: 9th June 2010 by John in commentary
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Have you been enjoying the cooler (mid-70′s) weather?  I know I have been.  I am of a mind that anything above 75 is too dang hot.  Maybe that is why whenever I move out of this wonderful state I always seem to return.  Nice weather…light wind (which IS a surprise for North Dakota)…perfect for lacing up the shoes and heading outside for a couple miles.

I had a fair week last week.  Wednesday (6/2), I was determined to do 4 miles.  I picked out a route, parked my car and had somebody drop me off 4 miles away.  Now, let me premise this by saying that I had only driven this route previously and it looked alright.  Maybe a few rolling hills.  WRONG.  From now on, whenever I want to try a new route, especially one that is out of town, I need to really walk it first.  These nice little rolling hills were about a 3/4 mile incline and on the other side declined for about 1/4 of a mile.  Then it repeated.  Three times!  Those hills chewed me up and spit me out.  I made it to mile 2 and then I had to walk for 45 seconds to a minute and was able to jog to just before mile 3, where I repeated the 45-60 second walk.  I wanted nothing more when I started the run to do all 4 miles without walking, and if it was flat perhaps I could have.  The last half mile or so was all downhill, which was nice, but by the time I returned to my car I was pretty much spent.  I had nothing more to give.  Why is it while you are jogging any considerable distance your legs feel strong, but the moment you stop any forward movement, they seem to feel like nothing but jell-o?  Also, how is it one day you can do 3 miles in relative ease and a couple days later you have troubles with 2 miles?  Who knows?  It will all work itself out in the end.

So, I started training this week Monday (6/7).  I looked over several Half Marathon novice training programs and while I am sure all work for certain people, some seemed way too short (10 weeks or less) and had too large of a jump in mileage from week to week, or even day to day.  The one that I chose, after much deliberation, has me running more times during the week, but I start out gradually and take small steps forward.  It is a 15 week program, which coincidentally enough is the exact amount of time until the Sheyenne Shuffle.  If after a few weeks it looks like I do not have enough rest days in between, I can still jump over to one of the other programs without falling too far behind.  I will just have to listen and pay attention to how my body reacts and gives me feedback.

Activity last week…Sunday 3.14 miles, Wednesday 4.03 miles, Friday 1.31 (jogged over to pick up my daughter from daycare), and Saturday I went for a 2.06 mile walk to spec out a route that I used part of this week.  I am trying to work on keeping my pace consistent, but I am still pretty new to this and it is erratic at times.  I am sure it will come with time, like anything else.  I do notice progress though, almost daily.  I will just keep moving forward one step at a time.

New Goals Set

Posted: 1st June 2010 by John in commentary
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Another pound off for the cause!  I actually stepped on the scale once this weekend and it said 265, but this morning….what you see above.  It was nice to finally see the scale moving the other direction for once.

I had a great week last week and an outstanding Memorial Day weekend with my daughter.  I also went for a nice 3.16 mile jog without stopping.  I was so pleased with my accomplishment that I think I had a grin on my face all day.  I started out with a half mile on the track recalibrating my Nike+ iPod device.  .25 miles walking .25 miles jogging.  I then walked about .75 miles to where I started my jog in the country.  I went 1.6 (approx.) miles out and then turned around and came back.  I was a bit discouraged at first when I turned around, because it looked like it was entirely up hill.  It was a gradual grade, but by the time I hit the top I could feel it.  All in all when I got back to where I started jogging I felt that I could have went for another mile at least.

I think I found the trick (for me at least).  I need to walk for 1+ mile(s) before I start a jog to make sure I am thoroughly warmed up.  Versus when I just start jogging right after stretching.  I feel like I can go for miles and miles.  So, from now on that is what I am going to do.

I have found a 10k for July and August.  In July I am going to run the 10k in the Prairie Rose State Games in Bismarck.  It is the weekend of July 10th and 11th, with the race on that Sunday.  It looks to be an exciting weekend.

In August I found the Dru Sjodin Purple Elephant 10k. If you are unfamiliar with the Dru Sjodin story, you can read about it HERE.  The race is on August 13th in Pequot Lakes, MN.  It should be a fun weekend as well.

And now the pièce de résistance…I am planning and will start training next week Monday (6/7) for the Sheyenne Shuffle Half Marathon on September 18th.  The course starts at Bald Hill dam and wanders its way, following the Sheyenne River into Valley City and through town.  It is a fairly flat race with a few gentle rolling hills thrown in.  Plus, it is on the scenic byway, so the scenery will not be disappointing.

So, there you have it.  I am committed (or should be committed) with my entire summer schedule.  I said it here, so I expect each and every one of you constant readers to hold me accountable to it.  Unless I get swept up in a tornado I will be there.  I have already walked the course….10 miles of it anyway.

I am planning on doing a 4-day a week (hopefully), 10 week training schedule starting next Monday.  It is going to hurt, but it will be well worth it in the end.  It should be a humbling experience.

92 Pounds down!  Nothing can stop me now.

12 Miles in the Rain

Posted: 27th May 2010 by John in commentary
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Like I mentioned in my 21 May post, the FM 5k was a grand experience.  The crowds and volunteers were wonderful and the only downside to the experience was the amount of people that took part in the event.  With 5000+ people, it was almost too many and the race seemed like more of a social event.  It was a good first race for me, but I do not think I will take part in it next year.  I can only assume that it will only get bigger.

Well, I am now committed to the 19th annual Ft. Union Rendezvous 5k (Heavyweight division :) ) on June 19th.  Application and fee have been sent in.  If you are interested you can go HERE or email Jeremy Skoglund at jskoglund@asbt.com.  Unfortunately they do not have a dedicated website specifically for the race.  I also am trying to find a 10k in July and August in which to participate.  I have another race already selected for September, but I will share that with you later.  Once I am able to get a grip on my own sanity for even thinking of it.  More to come later.

On Monday (24th) this week I decided to go for a little walk.  I had a friend take me out to Bald Hill dam and decided to walk back into town.  Approximately 12 miles.  All was going well at the start.  At least until about 3 miles into the walk when it started to sprinkle.  Then it was like the clouds opened up and it just poured on me.  To make matters even better, about 4 miles into it I could feel a blister starting to form on the bottom of my left foot.  About 6 miles in it started to hail.  It made for a very exciting time I can tell you.  When I finally reached the city limits, at the 10 mile mark, I heard the tornado whistle going off and the streets were flooded.  I had about another 2 miles to go to get to my home and I did them as quick as I could through the torrent.  The streets were so flooded that when I was crossing intersections, the water came up to mid calf on me.  My foot was pretty much getting unbearable.  The tornado whistle went off a second time before I finally reached my home.  I did not get tired at all and I think if the weather would have been more cooperative I could have went for another 12 miles.  All in all I did the 12 miles in 3.5 hours.  When I got into my home I looked at my foot and found a blister about the size of a silver dollar right on the ball of my foot.  It kind of put a damper on my training for this week, but hopefully by this weekend or early next week I can get back to it.

I forgot to mention that exactly 7.83 miles into the walk my iPod died.  So, it stopped recording my distance.  Great lesson learned I guess.  If you plan on being out for 3.5 hrs, make sure the iPod is fully charged.

I would like to thank everybody that commented the past couple weeks.  I really appreciate the support.  You have no idea how much it helped.

91 pounds down!

Thoughts after the 5k

Posted: 21st May 2010 by John in commentary
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It was an exciting experience.  I was nervous all day and yet I could not wait for it to start.  There were 5197 people that signed up for the event.  I placed 2666/5197 with a time of 38:54.  Not bad for my first race and it is a time to beat in the future.  The biggest problem that I had was navigating through all the people.  It took me 4:51 just to get to the starting line after the gun went off.  At every corner it seemed like the group came almost to a standstill.  All in all I really had a great time.  I will definitely do it again.  I would like to hit at least a couple more before the summer season has come to pass.  Great job to all who participated!  And thank you to all the volunteers!  They had their work cut out for them.

One Year Anniversary

Posted: 17th May 2010 by John in commentary
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One year ago, this past Saturday, I started down a path. A Journey for my life. I knew when I started that if I did not make significant changes in my life the consequences, because of my condition, could very well be fatal. This Journey has not been an easy one and by no means is it over. I have struggled with my weight my whole life and this lifestyle change that I have now adopted will need to be upheld indefinitely. But, I am okay with that. I like the way that I look and feel now and I am still about forty pounds away from my goal. I also know that it is not only what I eat that has helped me, but the exercise as well.

One year and ninety pounds ago, last May 15th to be precise, I set several goals for myself. Some were general goals: lose weight, eat healthy, start exercising, etc. But another goal was more specific. Participate in the 5k during the 2010 Fargo Marathon. At the time it seemed like a "pie in the sky" goal. Wishful thinking at best. You have to understand that at the time I was barely walking. I would take an elevator to go up one floor. If I did take the stairs, that one floor would leave me winded. I lead a sedentary lifestyle. So much so, that I disgust myself just thinking back on it. How much time had I wasted? How much life had I wasted? But I digress. I set the goal of a 5k and pushed myself (too much at times) and never gave up. I started walking in May 2009, jogging end of November…beginning of December 2009. And now, here I stand. Four days away from the FM 5k. I am so excited that I can barely hold it in at times. Strange? Who knows? I do not even know if I will be able to run the entire 5k without walking, but I do not really care. I know I will do my best, and I will finish. I know that I am 110% better off today than I was a year ago this time. Should I set a goal of a 10k or half marathon for the 2011 Fargo Marathon? Would that not be outstanding!

I had a good week last week. Ran the course mapped out for the 5k Tuesday and Wednesday and put in another 2.3 miles on Saturday. This week I will do the course today (Monday) after work and do another couple miles on Wednesday (my daughter’s birthday by the way).

I have been frustrated several times on this Journey. Frustrated by what seemed like lack of progress at times. Frustrated because I was not losing as much weight because of what seemed to be continual plateaus. As frustrated as I got at times, I was and still am as determined and motivated as ever. Even if the numbers on the scale do not shrink every week, I just know that if I stick with it that eventually the numbers will drop. Even if they do not, no worries, I still am feeling better than I have in a very long time. I will keep exercising and eating healthy and who knows what may unfold in the future.

I will be on traffic control for the marathon on Saturday. If you are in the marathon, give a wave as you run by. I will be at the intersection of 4th Street and 9th Avenue South (about one block past the marathon’s mile marker 8).

I would like to wish each of you that may be participating in the activities this coming weekend, good luck! Enjoy yourself and just do the best that you can. I know that I will. That is all that anyone can ask.

Week 51

Posted: 11th May 2010 by John in commentary
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For some reason my weight seems to be bouncing around again.  As long as I am not significantly gaining, I am not concerned any longer.  When it happens, it will happen.  I will just keep eating healthy and exercising.

I had a great week last week.  I did two miles on the treadmill without walking on Monday, biked about 6 miles on Wednesday, and got up early on Mother’s Day morning to do another two miles outside.  Sunday was a beautiful morning, it is just too bad that the weather did not hold out.

Today, even though it is pretty wet out, I am going to go and scope out the FM 5k course that is mapped out off their website.  I will try to jog most of it, but want to get the lay of the land…so to speak.  I will see if I can repeat it Wednesday and next Monday as well.  Thursday and Friday I will have to either do something at home or over my lunch hour, because of my schedule.

I cannot believe that it is only a week and a half until the FM 5k and marathon.  It seems to have come on way too quick.  Ready or not, here it comes!  I am also thinking about doing the Ft. Union Rendezvous Run, which is another 5k at Ft. Union Trading Post (28 miles south of Williston).  It is their 19th annual run and it works around their Fur Trader’s Rendezvous.  I have never been to Ft. Union before, so it should be interesting.  This race takes place on June 19th.  One cool thing that I saw about this race is that one of their divisions is a Heavy Weight division.  Anybody that weighs over 190 pounds qualifies.  So, I have got that going for me.

I am excited about next week and it poses to be a busy weekend.  5k Friday, working traffic control for the marathon Saturday, then off to Bismarck for a graduation on Sunday.  I shall see you next week!

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