I ran yesterday

So after the 5k a while back I was severely disappointed in my ability to run.  I knew I had just gave blood a few days before, but I didn't think it would have that big of an effect on me.  It did.  It was hard and my heart rate stayed in the 190s anytime I ran/jogged.  I knew I hadn't ran in a while, but I didn't think I was in that bad of shape.

Yesterday proved to be different.  I ran and my heart rate was right where it had been before I quit running.  I can't say that I am right with where I was, but I can say that I can certainly run more than 3 minutes at a time like I was when I started running last time. I made it my usual loop in just about the same time as I previously had, granted my legs were well rested so that really helped. 

Anyway, I ran.  It felt good, but I am sore today.  I am going to try just doing 3 runs this week to give my legs a chance to catch back up before I really make them work again. 

Thanks for reading!

I have not been running

Just wanted to give you a heads up for anyone that actually has been reading this.  The last day I ran is actually the last day I blogged on here.  (Other than a 5k I attempted to run about 2 weeks ago) I was dealing with a few issues and so I had to stop running for a bit to recover from it and haven't been able to get myself to start running again.

I am hoping to start running again next week.  Just have to start from scratch again, so its not going to be fun. 

Also, I am going to need new shoes before too long and I have always been a New Balance fan.  In-fact, I have wore the same series since I was in middle school.  They fit my feet perfectly.  However, I want to try out the new Vibram five finger shoes, so I have a decision to make, plus I have to save so that I can actually afford them.

HRM Day 15

Well, things are going pretty much the same way.  I have started running 5 days a week for about 30 minutes.  I have unfortunately, been walking a little of that, but I have a target heart rate that I have to stay above so the walks aren't long.

The last couple times I have ran have been rather hard and today my left calf really started hurting while running.  I have to admit, my body is in pain like it wasn't with just starting running the past few months.  I know no pain, no gain, so I welcome it, but its just not fun. 

HRM Day 4

Well....I found something interesting this morning before I took off on my run.  I located in the watch portion of the HRM where is designates what my max heart rate is.  This whole time I thought it would calculate it based on my height, weight, and age.  Guess not.  Anyway, it was a little off so I adjusted it.  Made my workout a little easier, which I needed today.  I want so much to just stay in bed for an extra 45 min.

Anyway, it was a 32 min run, burning nearly 450 calories.  I love knowing I have burned that many so early in the morning.

HRM Day 3

This whole 5 days a week thing is kinda hard right now.  My legs are burning and getting up early to run after a rough night of sleep makes things even more of a challenge.

On the other hand, actually completing 3 days of 30 minute workouts and actually sweating for a change helps me to feel somewhat accomplished.  I can't say that I have lost any weight since I started running, but I have a feeling this will be different.

To help in all of this, I have decided to ween myself off of Caffeine for the most part.  Over the past 6 months or so I have had several instances in which my head was pounding and I got sick to my stomach but as soon as I drank some caffeine I felt better.  I don't want a dependency on it and I know it will only hinder my ability to get in shape so I am going to try and back away from a 2 year addiction to it. 

Day 2

So...I am going to try and use the HR Monitor at least 5 times  a week.  I get more points at work based on how many days I do it and if you do 5 you get bonus points. Plus, I figure I have been slacking long enough....not really losing any weight...and not really getting any better at running. 

For some reason, (I haven't researched it yet) my HRM decided to increase my target heart rate for the day.  Yesterday it was at 131 but today it was at 141 which forced me to run even more than I had been.  This felt good when I finished, but my legs are sore today and they haven't been that way in a while.

Overall it was a good day.  It was a success in that I completed the 30 minute workout and burned almost 500 calories in the process. 

Day 1...Heart Rate Monitor

So, though my work I was able to get a Heart Rate Monitor that I am going to try to start using.  My job offers a few incentives to live a healthy active lifestyle and using a Heart Rate Monitor is one way to show that I am at least trying.

When I use the monitor I have to keep my heart rate at atleast 60% of my max heart rate for 30 minutes.  I don't know if it is accurate or not, but it says my resting rate is 90 which means my target heart rate is 131.  It wasn't heard to do, just took some getting use to and was a motivation to keep moving.  Its nice being able to actually track how hard my workouts were.  The scarey part is that according to a lot of charts, I was pretty close to my max heart rate for a while. 

Anyway, once I figure out how the whole thing works maybe I can post some of the stats on here and can track how it is working. 

In case you are wondering, here is the new monitor. 

Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor

Day...who knows what day...

Alright, so today is day 112.  I used a day calculator to figure it out. 

Sorry I haven't been posting lately.  I have some what been discouraged lately with my ability to stay consistent and being able to just make it 15 minutes.  I feel like I have closer to where I started than where I was a month ago. 

I have still been doing the same run the last few times I have ran.  14 minutes with a 1 minute walk split up.  I want to run longer and farther I just haven't been able to get the drive to do it lately.  I had a lot of other things going on, but most of them are done now so hopefully I will be able to get more consistent and start improving again.

Oh, I ordered a heart rate monitor and watch to start wearing when I run.  I can't wait to get that.  Hopefully it will help some too.

Day 95??? I'm not sure

Well...I'm gonna go with saying today is day 95 of this journey.  I couldn't bring myself to post last week after it was such a hard week running and I failed to run the 3 days like I wanted to.  I was able to put in 2 days where I am at 14 min runs, with a 1 min walk split up.  I think I am going to re-evaluate how I am doing things.  After giving blood, running is so much more difficult, that I am having a hard time staying motivated.

Anyway, I ran the same thing today.  It got easier, but still hurt.  I am going to get 3 runs in this week for sure.  I have to.  I have to get better at this.

Day 88

Ahh...Not another day that I liked.  Same run as Tuesday.  14 min with a minute walk split up in the middle.  I can really feel how the blood donation really effected my bodies ability to get oxygen where it needed it. 

Today my left foot started hurting, not fun.  I hope it has to do with the blood donation, and not a sign that a need new shoes or something.  (I do need new shoes, just don't want to buy them....lol)  Anyway, Beautiful weather, perfect day for a run, just I wasn't up for the mental challenge.  Hopefully Saturday.

Day 86 --- too long in between

So...I didn't run Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.  It was a long weekend with it being Memorial Day and all, plus I gave blood last Thursday which made running Friday not sound like a lot of fun.  This morning wasn't very easy.   The weather was perfect.  It was light out.  I felt good...until I started to run.  I ran 14 min with a 1 min walk broken up in 30 second increments in the middle of the run, but that was because I really felt the strain on my legs this time.  What's worse is I still felt out of breath when I got to work an hour and a half later. 

Today is one of those days when it seems somewhat hopeless to keep running and that is when I remind myself, "I am doing it for my kids."

Day 80...not so good

Well....today was a pretty bad run.  I went for a 20 min run but gave in and walked 2 times during the run.  I ran a little over 1.5 miles before I did, but none-the-less I gave in.  It wasn't even that I was tired or sore, it was just that I gave in and didn't have the self control to keep going.  I have got to work on that if I ever want to get to a place where I can run longer.  It's just so easy to fall into the trap of giving in and just walking. 

Day 77

Got out of bed later than I wanted to today, so I just ran my 15 min route.  Felt good, but I was sore afterwards this AM.  I gotta quit skipping so many days and trying to make up for it.  On the positive sided, it really wasn't that hard of a run and got over 2 miles in.

Day 76

Not really running, but I walked for about 3 miles.  It was somewhat of a way to take it easy on my feet as they still have rather large blisters from the 5k last week.  Felt good and was more leisurely than anything. 

Day 72 ... My feet hurt

So after I wrote Monday, I found out the 5k at work was on Wednesday.  I prepared myself for it, and was sure to do better this time.  I got up got everything ready to bring to work, only when arriving to work I realized I had forgotten my shoes. 

Knowing a lot of runners and having ran a lot before myself, I decided I can just run barefoot.  I have done it before, and lots of people do it.  I just haven't done it recently.

The run started off great, but about 15 min in, I could feel the blisters starting to form. The ground was warm, but there was plenty of grass to run on most of the time.  It didn't help too much.  I ended up walking more than I wanted to, but still finished at 36 min.  It was only after the fact that I learned it wasn't actually a 5k but 3.8 miles instead of 3.1, which makes me feel better about my time.

Needless to say, I am now dealing with the blisters as I used to.  They do hurt, but I have had worse and this pain shall pass and all will be back to normal.  It will just help me be a better runner and I can say I ran almost 4 miles barefoot.

Day 70 - 20 Min

So, I did it.  I ran the full 20 min.  Not really that long, but I reached that barrier that I had been struggling to cross. It felt good.  I ran my usual route backwards, but little did I realize how much of it was going to be uphill.  It was a push to do it, but I felt better for having done it.

I was passed by another man running this morning, and it reminded me of the time when I could like he did.  Uninhibited by my added weight and lack there of physical fitness.  I wish I could get to that point again, but it will take some serious work to do it.  I guess I have to convince myself that I am up to the challenge.

Day 68

18 min... Not really what I wanted to do, but I gave my self the excuse that I couldn't run up that last hill.  Most of my run is hills and so by the time I get to the last one (and its all up hill) I play quite the game with myself.  Most of the time I give up before the run even starts.  Hence the 18 min instead of 20.  I need to overcome that, just haven't made myself do it yet. 

The run felt good.  I got out before 6 and it was around 56 degrees.  I would love to get out for another run this weekend, but we shall see.

Thanks for reading!

Day 66

Another 17 min run for me today.  I had a hard time getting out of bed, and made the excuse that I didn't have time for the additional 3 min.  However, I think I did walk close to 5 min after I quit running, so I am sure I had the time.  Felt better than Monday, but still not where I want it to be.

Lets see how Friday goes.

Day 64

So, I pretty much did the exact same thing I did Friday. (17 min) Only it followed a weekend of lots of hard work in the yard, which helped quite a bit I think.  I feel somewhat stuck in that I don't really want to run more than that, although I need to.  I'm going to shoot for 20 min on Wednesday and hopefully beat out the this block in my head.

It was kind of rainy this morning, but it was only a mist, so it wasn't bad.  Pretty good run overall I would say. 

I think I have my next two 5ks planned.

Day 61

So, I signed up for a 5k in may. Again its at my work so I am somewhat dreading the the run.  Like I said, its the hardest 5k I have ever ran. 

Anyway, I went out and had a 17 min run this morning.  It felt better than Wednesday for sure, but it was still rough.  If I want to finish that 5k in any decent time I need to run 20 min each run next week.  I would hope by that week I am running 30 min a week.  Guess I need to step it up a bit.