The first thirty seconds are the hardest...

Monday, November 07, 2011

Spark People Day 193
Cardio Streak Day 191

72F
1145 hrs - Intervals

I woke up this morning around the 0400 hour and just couldn’t seem to get back to sleep. Once my eyes are open, I’m generally up for the day. Maybe it’s that time change thing – I think it’s an idea that has outlived its usefulness.

It’s warm today and we’re expecting rain in the afternoon. At about 0900, I ventured outside and was met with sprinkles so I went back inside for a while. At about 1145, I decided I had put it off as long as I could so I went outside and started the walk.

In the middle of the street in front of my house were three heavy duty trucks with ground penetrating radar. They had been there for the better part of an hour. I guess some company is looking for millions of cubic feet of gas down under the earth’s crust.

During the warm up walk, my mind started the conversation of whether or not I really wanted to run today. It happens a lot right before the workout starts. A lot!

You could get by with a walk today, you don’t need to run…
Oh yes you do, you can’t wimp out on this…
But you’re tired/fat/old, just take the day off…
No, you have more credibility than that, start now!

The conversation rages on between the guys sitting on my shoulders - Mr Good and Mr Bad - until one wins out over the other. There used to be a show called Romper Room and there was Do-Bee and Don’t-Bee. (I think). One of my psychology profs in undergrad school was 'Ms Somebody’ on Romper Room, although I don’t remember her name - either her real one or the TV stage name. Oh well, if nothing else, Dr Romper Room gave me the two guys on my shoulders, Mr Good and Mr Bad, with the constant conversations whenever Mr Bad wants to talk me out of something.

Mr Good won the debate today so I started right into the intervals after the warm up walk. The first thirty seconds are the hardest!
60 sec run / 120 sec walk – repeat for 24 total minutes
30 sec run / 90 sec walk – repeat until done.

After the very first thirty seconds, I was fine. It’s about the inertia you’ve heard me talk about in the past. Get past the resting inertia, and you’re good to go. That’s all it took for me today once Mr Good won the argument. However, getting to that first thirty seconds is sometimes quite a mental struggle. I’ve found that if I just do it, all is fine.

Today I completed 4.86 miles in 70 minutes (remember that includes the walking portions also).

During the run, there was one ‘loose’ Chow dog in a front yard. Luckily, the human was outside and was with the dog which really didn’t seem interested in anything outside of his yard. However, a couple of blocks down the road, I was met by a Rat Terrier that decided he didn’t like me running on the street in front of his house.

The little guy took off after me like he was chasing a car. Luckily I was in one of my 30 second running intervals and either I was hoofing it just a little faster than he, or he really wasn’t interested in catching me. Either way, I’ll take it! The poor owner was yelling and hollering at the dog – it was funny, actually. I’m glad the dog gave up, I was getting out of breath!

This is a great suburb, or city, or whatever – there are hardly any dogs out and those actually out are normally on a leash. Once in a while somebody slips up, though. Today was one of those aberrations and perhaps it will be a long time before it happens again.

After the run, I did a cool down walk and went home for lunch. I had a cod fillet and some cheese… yummy! At about 1400 hrs, I went out for the afternoon challenge and started it after another warm up walk.

The challenge is at the end of the day and is basically how far I can go in ten minutes while jogging. I’m averaging around 0.85 mile and today was 0.84 mile. It seems to be getting a little easier, though. It’s not the worst ten minutes of my day anymore like it was a couple of weeks ago.

When I started, it was so bad I thought I was going to explode, but not any more. I’m glad, that was a terrible feeling. Now all I have to do is gut it out for a few more months until it gets really easy and a lot faster.

The entire workout today, complete with two warm up walks, two cool down walks, and two workouts was:
7.50 miles
110 minutes
876 calories burned

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

WENDYSPARKS 11/8/2011 6:51AM

The time change is affecting me here in CT also. The day is going to be sunny and nice and in the 60's...all the snow has melted now...we had a foot of it. Have a nice day. Wendy Report Inappropriate Comment

JSALERNO 11/8/2011 5:57AM

great workout! good job avoiding the rat. keep up the good streak work. Report Inappropriate Comment

LESLIELENORE 11/7/2011 8:00PM

Yeah, inertia is pretty powerful some days. My problem is getting out the door to start with. If I make it out the door I know I am going to walk for at least 30 minutes, usually a lot more. It helps that I have a dog now, because he has to go out... no matter what! Report Inappropriate Comment

RC2CATTLE 11/7/2011 7:59PM

Oh wow. What a great trip to yesterday. Romper Room. Miss Vicky. Romper, stomper, stomper do. The magic looking glass and always hoping she would call your name. Mr. Do Bee. We always said the Pledge of Allegiance and always prayed before we had our snack. So long ago. My uncle, Dale Milford, was weatherman on Channel 8 during the time "Miss Vicky" was hostess of the show and he took me down to watch the filming when I was 11. I still have my "Do Bee" ring and a great memory I cherish. I hadn't thought of it in years until today. Thanks so much. Sunny Report Inappropriate Comment

GETFITALREADY 11/7/2011 7:31PM

I'm in awe of you. I have never buned that many calories in a single day! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHERYLEC 11/7/2011 7:05PM

Sounds great. Nothing that eventful on this end, guess that is a good thing. Cheers, C Report Inappropriate Comment

REBELBLITZ 11/7/2011 6:29PM

You are so right about the mentally preparing oneself for exercise. The hardest part is getting out the door for my walk. I actually love to walk and I have a great companion doberman to accompany me now. I am vigilant watching for loose dogs. Fortunately, I too live in a neighborhood where dogs running freely are not too frequent. But I am not that great at determining other dogs reaction toward me. I usually turn and go the other way. I walk most days for an hour at a fast pace. It is fun and my doberman, Butch, looks forward to the outdoors like me. Thanks for sharing your great blog. Cheryl Report Inappropriate Comment

DSNYCHICK 11/7/2011 6:12PM

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Lazy Sunday Two Mile Walk

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Spark People Day 192
Cardio Streak Day 190

62F
0900 hrs

It's a nice cloudy Sunday morning and I managed to sleep until 0730 - actually the "real" time was 0630 after the time change - but my body clock was thinking it was 0730. A couple of scrambled eggs and 16 oz of water later, I ventured outside for a dress rehearsal temperature check. It felt great at around the 60F mark.

We're expecting rain today so at about 0900 hrs I went outside for the real performance, my Sunday walk. All I have scheduled on any Sunday is a walk; it's the wild card day. I have two training programs running concurrently - one on M-W-F and one on Tu-Thu-Sa. The Sunday fits neither program so I use it for the cross training walk or if need be, the off day.

I haven't had to use an off day since I began this streak of almost 200 days, and today was not going to be a streak-ender.

At about 0900 hrs, I started the walk. Thirty minutes later, I had completed over 2 miles which means that I walked the distance in under 15 min/mile. Woo hoo!

Today was:
2.05 miles
30 minutes
231 calories burned

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JSALERNO 11/7/2011 6:18AM

YOU'RE DOING GREAT GETTING OUT THERE EVERY DAY. Report Inappropriate Comment

RC2CATTLE 11/6/2011 8:42PM

Well, at 305 lbs., I am still at a 23-minute mile but looking forward to bettering my time as the weeks pass. Hope you enjoyed your Sunday! Sunny Report Inappropriate Comment

CHERYLEC 11/6/2011 5:33PM

Good walk. Glad you are hanging in there. Way to go. Cheers, C Report Inappropriate Comment

LESLIELENORE 11/6/2011 2:24PM

You made great time! I am probably averaging 18 min/miles these days. I go much faster when I walk without the dog, but I like taking him with me, so I am willing to sacrifice a little speed, and make up for it with increased distance. You are closing in on 200 days, which is very cool. Report Inappropriate Comment

Two workouts today and I feel pretty good

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Spark People Day 191
Cardio Streak Day 189

52F
1100 hrs

It's Saturday and I got the luxury of sleeping in again today, just a little. I made it till about 0730 which is later than normal. I had breakfast and decided to wait until it warmed up just a little before I ventured outside.

At about 1100 hrs, I decided to go for the 5K jog. I started with the warm up walk then went right into the 5K. The temperature was not that bad, but the wind was awful, I'd say gusting to around 30 from the south.

Today's workout was 0.2 mile jog followed by 0.05 mile walk - repeat for the entire 5K distance. It felt great today and I finished the distance in a shade less than 42 minutes. I did the customary cool down walk then went back home and stretched.

I decided to watch a couple of westerns, El Dorado followed by Silverado, and then it was time to go back outside for the Afternoon Challenge. Of course, I did the warm up walk again and then went right into the 10 minute jog.

The time today produced a 0.82 mile distance in the ten minute time. Today was not the fastest time I've done nor was it the slowest, but it was close. The avg pace was 12.13 minutes per mile. However, it did not feel as bad as the ones in the past at an 11 minute pace. Maybe I need to slow it down just a bit so that's it not so miserable when I do it and then let nature pick up the pace gradually.

With two sets of warm up and cool down walks today, plus the two workouts, the total for today was:
5.57 miles
82 minutes
661 calories burned

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

KARMSTRON 11/6/2011 9:13AM

Still doing a great job!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

CRYSTLE4HIMTX10 11/6/2011 8:00AM

Way to get your workouts in on the weekend. Report Inappropriate Comment

JSALERNO 11/6/2011 5:31AM

GREAT WORKOUT. I WISH I COULD SLEEP IN ON THE WEEKENDS. Report Inappropriate Comment

Sore Leg, Will Travel

Friday, November 04, 2011

Spark People Day 190
Cardio Streak Day 188

57F
1245 hrs

Prior to today, I've had 187 consecutive days of cardio exercise in the form of walking, jogging, running, and a little sprinting here and there. With that much constant motion, there are bound to be some casualties along the way in body parts. I've had my share of sore shins (akin to shin splints), sore muscles, tired muscles, creaky and sore knees, sore feet, sore achilles, and let's not forget the ever-popular sore butt.

My attitude has always been to suck it up and keep going, slow down if necessary, but do something even if it's only walking. Walking, by the way, seems to be a great way to not only keep the streak alive, but as a cross training exercise it gets the heart rate up and makes the lungs pump harder.

Today was one of those days. It was down in the 30s when I got up this morning and finally got into the 50s around lunch time. However, when I was putting on my shoes and socks, I noticed that one of my shins was swollen. This is a new problem, or perhaps I haven't noticed it before. Yes, it's been sore, but not swollen.

Decisions, decisions. It didn't take long. I decided to make the walk the fare of the day and take it easy on the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that may be affected in my leg. Today, then, was a 20 minute walk in the 16 min/mile arena. Nothing serious, but it got the heart rate out of the 60s.

By the way, not only has the blood pressure gone down in the last few months, but my resting pulse has gone down to about the 62 mark. Yeah!!!

Today's walk, keeping the streak alive, was:
1.25 miles
20 minutes
148 calories burned

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MOBYCARP 11/5/2011 8:19PM

Some days, you just walk. Been there, done that, though I suspect your current injury is more significant than I've had since trying to run. For most of what I've done to my legs, walking seems to have helped the healing process. Report Inappropriate Comment

KRISZTA11 11/5/2011 1:19PM

May your shin get well soon! Congrats to improving health, resting pulse of 62 is great! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHERYLEC 11/4/2011 7:18PM

Sorry about the leg. Way to keep the streak going. Cheers, C Report Inappropriate Comment

KARMSTRON 11/4/2011 6:54PM

I will be glad to be able to start back up again too. It is almost a month now and I'm feeling a bit edgy. I think one more week and I'll try a mile walk - With that in mind - please pay close attention to this injury. If in doubt, it is better to rest a day or two and let it heal. Don't follow my lead ..... which leads to a month on your butt! Report Inappropriate Comment

LESLIELENORE 11/4/2011 5:14PM

Yeah, exercise really affects the numbers other than weight as well. I have noticed a difference. I am sorry you are having difficulties, but way to keep the streak alive. Mine is still going strong. Yay us! Report Inappropriate Comment

JSALERNO 11/4/2011 5:14PM

AT LEAST YOU DID SOMETHING. AFTER DINNER I'LL GO GET ON THE STAIR MASTER THEN DO MY STRENGTH TRAINING. Report Inappropriate Comment

5K only today - no afternoon challenge

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Spark People Day 189
Cardio Streak Day 187

57F
1630 hrs

I didn't get started early enough this morning. I got up and noticed it was down in the 30s outside. I elected to take a nice hot shower and get ready early because I was going over to a friend's house today. The hot shower felt great but I got some water in my ear canal and I've been bothered by a stopped up ear all day.

Nonetheless, I came home in the afternoon and started my 5K after the customary warm up walk. It's 57F outside and while it's short sleeve weather to/from the car, it's a little nippy to be outside for any length of time. Yes, it's sunny, but it's also breezy and that negates the solar effect for warmth.

I did not do my afternoon challenge today. Instead, the 5K plus warm up and cool down was it.

I did 3.15 miles in 42 minutes, plus warm up and cool down:
3.24 miles
57 minutes
426 calories burned

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JSALERNO 11/4/2011 6:08AM

WOW! YOU WERE AS COLD AS WE WERE YESTERDAY MORNING. Report Inappropriate Comment

RC2CATTLE 11/3/2011 9:52PM

My horses were running up and down the home pasture buckin' and snortin' this morning. At least some are liking this cold front! I don't think it will be much warmer tomorrow. Might be time to get something warmer to run in. Report Inappropriate Comment

CHERYLEC 11/3/2011 7:24PM

Try a hair dryer at an angle to help dry out the ear. Sounds like a great workout otherwise. Cheers, C Report Inappropriate Comment

LESLIELENORE 11/3/2011 7:04PM

I took it a little easier today as well. Cooper and I only did 5 miles. It is supposed to be pretty weather on Saturday, so we will do another long day then. Report Inappropriate Comment