Epiphany Extended!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Okay, that was a lame alliteration, but let's move on.

Yesterday, I did my 3 miles despite a constant drizzle and 45 degrees. I should remove the "despite" because I rather enjoyed it. Well, except for having a hard time seeing because of the raindrops hitting my eyes, but that was easy enough to over look. It wasn't my fastest 3 miles what with me being out of shape and dodging puddles, but it was enjoyable.

This morning, it was wet, again. But, it wasn't just wet, it was also 37 degrees with snow on all the mountains.

That meant that I HAD to go run so I could get some good pictures!

My wife happily took our daughter out to breakfast and to the store told me to stay home and run. So, I did.

I had 4 miles to do, but I also wanted to stop and take some pictures. So, I compromised.

I ran intervals.

This made sure I still ran my 4 miles, and I got a good speed workout in, but I was also able to stop and take a breather every few minutes... and some pictures.

I ended up running shrinking intervals; 1.5 miles, one mile, half mile, half mile, quarter mile, quarter mile. That worked out well because as I got tired, I would run shorter distances and be able to keep my the same pace for each interval.

Anyway, here are 3 of the pictures I took. Enjoy!

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Small Epiphany Day 2

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Got out and ran again, this morning. 2 miles. Sure beat the extra few minutes of restless sleep I would've gotten had I stayed in bed.

Tomorrow I'm planning for 3. Then 4 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday.

15 miles over 5 days? I can totally do this.

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Small Epiphany

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Last week I didn't run at all until Saturday when my parents were in town and I got to run with my dad. You see, my daughter had been sick with a fever, so I had been going to bed late and waking up multiple times a night.

This week she's been better (only waking up once per night), but I have still been super busy and getting to bed late. The lack of energy and sleep was keeping me from running and it was making me grouchy and frustrated.

Well, last night I had an epiphany. I don't need to get up at 4:45 or 5am in the morning and run 3, 4 or 5 miles. I just need to run.

So, this morning I woke up at 5:40 (my alarm on non-running mornings goes off at 6:10) and ran just one mile and then walked my half mile cool down.

You know what? I still felt good about myself. I still got in a workout. And it was still better than no run at all.

I still plan to try to get in my 3-5 mile runs, but when it's extra cold and I'm extra tired, 1 or 2 miles will do just fine. Anything is better than nothing.

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How The Treadmill Is Killing Your Workout

Friday, November 30, 2012

"According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, walking or running indoors requires less effort than moving at the same speed outdoors.

"That’s because running on rough or uneven terrain outdoors takes 10 percent more energy than plodding along on your smooth treadmill, says the study’s lead researcher..."

www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-da
y/201211/how-treadmill-killing-your-wo
rkout

The headline for this article is definitely an attention grab that does NOT sum up the real substance of the article. Yes, a treadmill may require a little less energy than running outside, but that is NOT "killing your workout."

Regardless, this study seems to back what I've felt for quite some time. However, that DOESN'T mean you're NOT getting a workout from your treadmill. Just not as much as if you were outside. But as long as you're getting the workout you're expecting, then it doesn't matter. Either one is better than sitting on your couch WISHING you were working out.

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Take a Look at me Now

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Three years ago, I ran my first 5k.

No, it wasn't really my first 5k. I ran quite a few of those back in high school. But, after graduating and joining the real world and gaining 100 pounds and becoming overweight and out of shape, it was my first 5k and my first step down a path I never intended to walk (or run).

Shortly after I took and new job and my wife and I moved, we began going to the gym and I started also working out with my new boss. My boss is a former football player, so he coached me on proper strength training and I coached him on increasing his running distance and speed. Slowly, the running bug began to infect me and I began running longer and faster.

After a year of working myself back into shape at the gym, I visited my parents for Thanksgiving. They had both also been running and losing weight and getting themselves into better shape. Rather than site around and watch, I agreed to join in the race that they were running on Thanksgiving morning.

I barely finished a few seconds ahead of my mother.

A couple months later, My SIL asked me to run in a 5k with her and to help coach her. My SIL had been going to the gym and getting herself in shape as well - it seemed like everyone I knew was inspired by someone or another and was losing weight at that time (and boy was it contagious) - and she decided to try her hand at a 5k that next March and didn't want to do it alone (and my wife, who had inspired her to take up running, was pregnant at the time and not running). I agreed to run the race with her.

I finished almost 3 minutes faster than my Thanksgiving 5k time. My SIL loved the race and quickly became infected by the running bug. Maybe a couple weeks later she decided she want to run in the Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon that following December and quickly talked me into doing it, too.

This was quite the development because just a few months earlier I had declined my sister's invitation to join her for a half marathon in May because I said I never wanted to and I just couldn't see myself running anything longer than a 5k (or maybe one 10k just for the experience). However, if my SIL, who had never done sports in her entire life, was now going to run a half marathon then certainly a former runner like myself should be able to do it, too. So, if she was going to do it then I HAD to do it.

Once I finished I thought I was done. I had no plans for any new races. My SIL, however, decided to run a 5k in every month of the next year.

I was impressed and inspired.

Over the next 14 months, I ran a 10k, a 5k, and 5 more half marathons including two on back-to-back days.

Now, every-so-often I look back at how it all started and I am amazed. How I laughed at the mere thought of running a half marathon... only to end up running 6! And now I'm planning to run more! And hopefully at least one full marathon. Who knew! Sometimes you just never see this stuff coming.

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