The last two days of running ended up both being three mile runs. The first was intentional, and the second was simply because I felt like going the extra mile -- or half mile, as the case was here. My times for the intended "big" three mile run were good - last lap being the fastest. The mid-week run was less impressive as I found myself in a sort of "comfortable run speed" of something around an 18:00 mile, which is below a fast walk speed in most cases. Still, I'm going to continue to do what I can. My primary focus is on distance, and not on speed at this point.
My take on it is that the farther I can go, the more calories, the more fat I will burn which will in turn allow me to go farther and faster. The other option is training in speed which, while it would help both my weight and speed, wouldn't impact my weight as much, so finding a balance is key -- leaning towards distance over speed, because that's what I'm good at, so far.
On another note, I had an idea for a tattoo -- or several, to be exact. On the outside of each calf, I want to get the race distances I have completed -- starting with 5K at the top of the left calf, then 10K, then 21K, and eventually 42K when I get there. On the right, I will have the imperial equivelants -- 3.1 miles, 6.2 miles, 13.1 miles, 26.2 miles respectively. I'm not sure what kind of set I want these numbers in though.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Cross-training, Diet.
I've been keeping tabs on my food intake via the Absolute Fitness app for Android. Just keeping track of what I eat, without intending to change any of it, has helped me make some more.. intelligent decisions over the last few days. I'm updating my spreadsheet with an estimated daily calorie total, as well as an estimate on calories burned, and from that a "net" calorie intake for the day. The point is first to see how much food I have been eating, and then to see if there is a trend as my training continues.
I've been doing some research in to what kind of diet a runner should have, and one that I've seen in a few places is the Paleo diet. I've given this some thought, thinking of gradually making a move towards this kind of diet, though I haven't settled down on this -- for now, I am just working at eating what is conventionally "better" -- i.e. no more Oreos, Hamburgers, French Fries and the like.
I am making an effort in this mindset to change the way that I see food. I have always been a pleasure eater -- almost never hungry, because of my eating habits. I see food or think of food, and I want food. My goal now is to change my thoughts about food from a source of pleasure to a source of energy, and if I can convert my mind to this type of thinking I should be able to provide myself more regularly with the fuel I will need as training goes on.
Tomorrow is the "big" three mile run for the week. I've run three miles fifteen or so times before, so I'm not at all worried about not finishing it. I will post my time and splits tomorrow as an overview, as well as update them in my training spreadsheet.
I've been doing some research in to what kind of diet a runner should have, and one that I've seen in a few places is the Paleo diet. I've given this some thought, thinking of gradually making a move towards this kind of diet, though I haven't settled down on this -- for now, I am just working at eating what is conventionally "better" -- i.e. no more Oreos, Hamburgers, French Fries and the like.
I am making an effort in this mindset to change the way that I see food. I have always been a pleasure eater -- almost never hungry, because of my eating habits. I see food or think of food, and I want food. My goal now is to change my thoughts about food from a source of pleasure to a source of energy, and if I can convert my mind to this type of thinking I should be able to provide myself more regularly with the fuel I will need as training goes on.
Tomorrow is the "big" three mile run for the week. I've run three miles fifteen or so times before, so I'm not at all worried about not finishing it. I will post my time and splits tomorrow as an overview, as well as update them in my training spreadsheet.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Half Marathon Training, Days 1 and 2
Day one of training consisted of what was intended to be cross training. Initially I left my apartment in cleats with a soccer ball at my feet and full intentions of doing some drills in the field next door, however I found myself pretty quickly in what resembled more of a marshland than a soccer field and dropped that idea.
Returning to my apartment, I donned my running shoes and headed out to a patch of pavement behind the school, in whose field I had intended to play soccer. In the end, I did a few sprints back and fourth across some basketball courts and a bit of fast running across as well, but found myself quickly remembering two things: First, how hard it is to catch your breath after doing a few sprints. Second, how bad my side stitches really are if I've been running like that. I need to find a new way to cross-train, but that's for another post.
Today, day two went much better. I was planned for a 2.5 mile run as well as some strength training. My impression of strength training is that it is more intended to round out your training, rather than to actually build muscle, so strength training ended up with a few sets of crunches and some time with my 20 pound barbells - curls, presses, and that type of thing.
My run went well, specifically the first mile or so before I started to run out of gas a bit. Thanks to my Garmin Forerunner 210, I can show you exactly where I ran and how quickly: Click here if you want to see that specific workout.
In sticking with the idea that I went out too fast, I ended up adding about a minute per mile -- from a 15:43 pace in the first 1.25 miles, to 16:55 pace for the second half of the run. Because, on my aforementioned GPS watch, I set it to 1.25 mile intervals (to remind me when to turn around,) I can only see my splits (mile times) in a 1.25 mile split, so I will be looking to change this in the future but for now it provides me with enough information to know that I went out too fast, and ended up slowing down because of it.
I would be much happier with a 16:55 pace for the first half, followed by a 15:43 pace for the second half -- showing that I can get stronger and faster as I run, as opposed to getting weaker.
In terms of nutrition, my day wasn't good overall. For breakfast and lunch, as well as the small snacks between, I was doing well. In the evening I got a Muscle Milk shake to help rebuild the muscles I had used through the day, and some salted peanuts to help round it out. I ruined it all with that late night trip to Taco Bell, which is an absolute killer. I ordered two items and ended up with just over 1400 calories worth of food. I still ended up right around my "budget" of 2500 per day (I'll explain more on this later, as well) but could have done really well if I had chosen to eat at home instead of going out. This is a habit I have to break.
Returning to my apartment, I donned my running shoes and headed out to a patch of pavement behind the school, in whose field I had intended to play soccer. In the end, I did a few sprints back and fourth across some basketball courts and a bit of fast running across as well, but found myself quickly remembering two things: First, how hard it is to catch your breath after doing a few sprints. Second, how bad my side stitches really are if I've been running like that. I need to find a new way to cross-train, but that's for another post.
Today, day two went much better. I was planned for a 2.5 mile run as well as some strength training. My impression of strength training is that it is more intended to round out your training, rather than to actually build muscle, so strength training ended up with a few sets of crunches and some time with my 20 pound barbells - curls, presses, and that type of thing.
My run went well, specifically the first mile or so before I started to run out of gas a bit. Thanks to my Garmin Forerunner 210, I can show you exactly where I ran and how quickly: Click here if you want to see that specific workout.
In sticking with the idea that I went out too fast, I ended up adding about a minute per mile -- from a 15:43 pace in the first 1.25 miles, to 16:55 pace for the second half of the run. Because, on my aforementioned GPS watch, I set it to 1.25 mile intervals (to remind me when to turn around,) I can only see my splits (mile times) in a 1.25 mile split, so I will be looking to change this in the future but for now it provides me with enough information to know that I went out too fast, and ended up slowing down because of it.
I would be much happier with a 16:55 pace for the first half, followed by a 15:43 pace for the second half -- showing that I can get stronger and faster as I run, as opposed to getting weaker.
In terms of nutrition, my day wasn't good overall. For breakfast and lunch, as well as the small snacks between, I was doing well. In the evening I got a Muscle Milk shake to help rebuild the muscles I had used through the day, and some salted peanuts to help round it out. I ruined it all with that late night trip to Taco Bell, which is an absolute killer. I ordered two items and ended up with just over 1400 calories worth of food. I still ended up right around my "budget" of 2500 per day (I'll explain more on this later, as well) but could have done really well if I had chosen to eat at home instead of going out. This is a habit I have to break.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Me, Now
Now -- I'm a different runner than I was when I started. I am not afraid to admit that I am using this blog to some extent for my own motivation and to keep myself involved in this big idea I have now: To run the Capital City Half Marathon on May 5th.
I have a plan. A plan to run a lot of miles between now and May 5th. A plan to eat better food and train more efficiently. I've modified Hal Higdon's Half Marathon training schedule for the novice runner. My primary goal is to complete the half marathon to begin with, and my secondary goal is to finish it with roughly a 15 minute mile pace.
I am going to be keeping detailed training logs via Google Docs, so visit the spreadsheet if you want to keep an eye on my progress.
In short, I will be adding about a mile per week to my weekly mileage total until the half marathon. In the meantime, my hope is to lose weight (which increases your maximum sustainable pace inherently) and spend some time on speed training to increase my pace that way.
I continue to harp on About.com (I have learned a lot from them) but they have taught me something interesting: Ten pounds equates to about 20 seconds per mile off of your pace. They list it as 60 seconds off of a 5K time, but figuring that a 5K is 3.1 miles you could roughly equate that to 20 seconds per mile. Yet another helpful article from them: Run Faster
If you are just starting out, I can't say this enough: DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR PACE. Wait until you know you can run a distance before you try to run it fast.
I have a plan. A plan to run a lot of miles between now and May 5th. A plan to eat better food and train more efficiently. I've modified Hal Higdon's Half Marathon training schedule for the novice runner. My primary goal is to complete the half marathon to begin with, and my secondary goal is to finish it with roughly a 15 minute mile pace.
I am going to be keeping detailed training logs via Google Docs, so visit the spreadsheet if you want to keep an eye on my progress.
In short, I will be adding about a mile per week to my weekly mileage total until the half marathon. In the meantime, my hope is to lose weight (which increases your maximum sustainable pace inherently) and spend some time on speed training to increase my pace that way.
I continue to harp on About.com (I have learned a lot from them) but they have taught me something interesting: Ten pounds equates to about 20 seconds per mile off of your pace. They list it as 60 seconds off of a 5K time, but figuring that a 5K is 3.1 miles you could roughly equate that to 20 seconds per mile. Yet another helpful article from them: Run Faster
If you are just starting out, I can't say this enough: DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR PACE. Wait until you know you can run a distance before you try to run it fast.
C25K: Running Form Part 2
The second of the two issues with my running form was my posture. With the number of years I have spent in front of a computer I have developed a somewhat hunched-over posture, which I naturally carried over to my running.
The first thing I had to do was stop looking at the ground. Focusing on each step makes for a very long, tiring run and all I can see and think about is my feet and my legs, as well as being unaware of any potential safety hazards ahead of me. I broke myself of the habit by constantly reminding myself to look forward at the horizon when running, or by picking something in the distance and looking at it.
Next was to straighten up. Keeping a straight spine and square shoulders, as well as pushing my chest out a little allowed me to run longer without the back pain I had been feeling initially towards the end of my runs, it also allowed for easier breathing, which is the next part. Like all posture adjustments, this will take a lot of reminding yourself, but it does become natural over time.
More on running form and posture.
One of the problems I ran in to was side stitches, and I found two things to help me fix that. First, was to try to exhale as much as I could, reasonably, with each breath. Second, was to force my breath cycle (in/out) to take an odd number of steps. For me, I settled on two in, three out but that is just a guideline. If you are constantly breathing in with every right step it can cause side stitches. You will have to constantly remind yourself of this at first, but it becomes natural after a few runs.
More on side stitches, and how to fix them.
The first thing I had to do was stop looking at the ground. Focusing on each step makes for a very long, tiring run and all I can see and think about is my feet and my legs, as well as being unaware of any potential safety hazards ahead of me. I broke myself of the habit by constantly reminding myself to look forward at the horizon when running, or by picking something in the distance and looking at it.
Next was to straighten up. Keeping a straight spine and square shoulders, as well as pushing my chest out a little allowed me to run longer without the back pain I had been feeling initially towards the end of my runs, it also allowed for easier breathing, which is the next part. Like all posture adjustments, this will take a lot of reminding yourself, but it does become natural over time.
More on running form and posture.
One of the problems I ran in to was side stitches, and I found two things to help me fix that. First, was to try to exhale as much as I could, reasonably, with each breath. Second, was to force my breath cycle (in/out) to take an odd number of steps. For me, I settled on two in, three out but that is just a guideline. If you are constantly breathing in with every right step it can cause side stitches. You will have to constantly remind yourself of this at first, but it becomes natural after a few runs.
More on side stitches, and how to fix them.
C25K: Running Form
There are two major issues I had with my running form which were both relatively simple to correct. The first was that I tried to take big steps, which led to tiring myself out and shaking up my insides.
The natural assumption is that, when running you should take big steps. There are various reasons for this ranging from efficiency to "I saw it on TV". I'm here to tell you that this is wrong, and that in fact it is not efficient and that you can cause damage to your joints as well as cause shin splints by taking big strides. Personally, I run with a quick, small stride. There are two reasons for this:
First: I can land more or less flat footed, or slightly toward the front of my foot to cushion my landing, this prevents the huge shockwave my body has to absorb when running with a larger, heel-landing step.
Second: It is more efficient. When you see people run with huge steps landing on their heels, they are actually bouncing their entire body up and down to keep with this running style. They actually have hangtime with this gait, which is something I have more or less eliminated with a sort of "shuffle" that I do.
You don't have to take my word for it: Through the 80's in Australia was held an annual Ultramarathon event: The Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon. This event was a 544 mile run from Sydney to Melbourne. The first year this event was held, in 1983, it was won by Cliff Young, a 61-year old farmer with no previous competitive running experience. His running style, which is similar to the one that I employ, has garnered its own name: The Young Shuffle.
Not that I am going to be running any ultramarathons any time soon, but it is proven to use less energy than a bouncy run, and is better for your joints as well, as there is less shock through your body.
The natural assumption is that, when running you should take big steps. There are various reasons for this ranging from efficiency to "I saw it on TV". I'm here to tell you that this is wrong, and that in fact it is not efficient and that you can cause damage to your joints as well as cause shin splints by taking big strides. Personally, I run with a quick, small stride. There are two reasons for this:
First: I can land more or less flat footed, or slightly toward the front of my foot to cushion my landing, this prevents the huge shockwave my body has to absorb when running with a larger, heel-landing step.
Second: It is more efficient. When you see people run with huge steps landing on their heels, they are actually bouncing their entire body up and down to keep with this running style. They actually have hangtime with this gait, which is something I have more or less eliminated with a sort of "shuffle" that I do.
You don't have to take my word for it: Through the 80's in Australia was held an annual Ultramarathon event: The Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon. This event was a 544 mile run from Sydney to Melbourne. The first year this event was held, in 1983, it was won by Cliff Young, a 61-year old farmer with no previous competitive running experience. His running style, which is similar to the one that I employ, has garnered its own name: The Young Shuffle.
Not that I am going to be running any ultramarathons any time soon, but it is proven to use less energy than a bouncy run, and is better for your joints as well, as there is less shock through your body.
C25K: Out of Breath
The second issue I ran in to was that I found myself huffing and puffing along as I worked on the longer runs. Sure, running 60 seconds at a 10 minute/mile pace and then walking for 90 seconds allowed me to catch my breath in between each set, but in the end that isn't sustainable.
There are a few things to keep in mind on this, and the first is that during the C25K program your muscles will change and grow to allow you to run longer, but your lungs won't change much, and they are what you need to run faster. The rule of thumb for runners of any distance is that if you want to be able to keep it up, you should be able to carry on a conversation as you run. Not necessarily as easily as you would if you were sitting at the dinner table, but you should be able to talk. If you're running alone, try talking to yourself.
Once you find a pace that you can sustain, you will want to keep working at that pace. That may not seem necessary for the 90 second or 3 minute runs, but you will thank yourself (and me) for it later on when you are running 20 minutes at a time.
There is absolutely no shame in going slow. You're just starting out and nobody expects you to be fast. The phrase I've come to adore when I feel slow is this: "No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch."
My own lack of speed can be epitomized by the fact that in both 5K races I have completed so far, I have been passed by visibly pregnant women. Realistically, though, I am carrying much more than they are in terms of weigh, so it's reasonable from that perspective.
There are a few things to keep in mind on this, and the first is that during the C25K program your muscles will change and grow to allow you to run longer, but your lungs won't change much, and they are what you need to run faster. The rule of thumb for runners of any distance is that if you want to be able to keep it up, you should be able to carry on a conversation as you run. Not necessarily as easily as you would if you were sitting at the dinner table, but you should be able to talk. If you're running alone, try talking to yourself.
Once you find a pace that you can sustain, you will want to keep working at that pace. That may not seem necessary for the 90 second or 3 minute runs, but you will thank yourself (and me) for it later on when you are running 20 minutes at a time.
There is absolutely no shame in going slow. You're just starting out and nobody expects you to be fast. The phrase I've come to adore when I feel slow is this: "No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch."
My own lack of speed can be epitomized by the fact that in both 5K races I have completed so far, I have been passed by visibly pregnant women. Realistically, though, I am carrying much more than they are in terms of weigh, so it's reasonable from that perspective.
Pronation, Continued
Pronation is, the way that your foot contacts the ground as you are running, and how it pulls or pushes you along to keep you moving forward. Essentially it is whether you use the outside of your foot (as I tend to), the inside of your foot, or are somewhere in between.
None of these habits are inherently bad, but they do make a lot of difference in the shoes that should be worn. I could write an entire article on this topic alone, but the folks ad Runner's World have already taken care of that for me, and to be honest they are certainly more qualified. Take a look at the link below.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-319-327-7727-0,00.html
None of these habits are inherently bad, but they do make a lot of difference in the shoes that should be worn. I could write an entire article on this topic alone, but the folks ad Runner's World have already taken care of that for me, and to be honest they are certainly more qualified. Take a look at the link below.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-319-327-7727-0,00.html
C25K: Wrong Shoes
I learned a lot from the About.com section on Running. Christine Luff, an author there, has created very thorough and helpful documentation on some of the common mistakes while running.
I ran in to this and it almost ended my running habit before it began. I went to a shoe superstore and spoke with someone who really didn't know how to help pick out the proper pair of running shoes. I recommend you first look in to something called Pronation.
Pronation is the way that your feet make contact with the road. While running, some people use the outside of their foot, some use the inside, and some people are more or less in the middle. None of these are inherently bad, but they are really key to determining what type of shoe you need. If the person helping you find your shoes doesn't ask you to walk around or run on a treadmill, or at least ask you about your Pronation, you are not speaking with someone "qualified" to help you find your first pair of running shoes, in my opinion.
In my case, making this mistake led to my having a pair of running shoes made for a completely different type of runner than myself, in turn leading to a severe pain in the side of my calf when I ran. This was resolved immediately when I visited my local running store and spoke with someone who knew how to help me find the right shoes.
I ended up with a fantastic pair of Brooks Glycerin 9 shoes, made for a neutral runner. I love those shoes so much I ended up buying another pair just to walk around in, so I don't have to worry so much about keeping them in pristine "running condition"
That's not to say that you should go to the store and ask for those shoes -- first, they're a bit expensive at around $130. Second, they may or may not be right for your foot type and gait. I tried on about six or eight pairs of shoes before I found the right ones, and even then I was tied between the Brooks and a pair of New Balance shoes.
After I changed shoes, the pain I had in my calf was gone immediately. I went from being able to run only about a half mile's worth of intervals to running a mile's worth with no problem. This in itself was easily the single biggest boost to my C25K program.
The About.com article I mentioned can be read here.
I ran in to this and it almost ended my running habit before it began. I went to a shoe superstore and spoke with someone who really didn't know how to help pick out the proper pair of running shoes. I recommend you first look in to something called Pronation.
Pronation is the way that your feet make contact with the road. While running, some people use the outside of their foot, some use the inside, and some people are more or less in the middle. None of these are inherently bad, but they are really key to determining what type of shoe you need. If the person helping you find your shoes doesn't ask you to walk around or run on a treadmill, or at least ask you about your Pronation, you are not speaking with someone "qualified" to help you find your first pair of running shoes, in my opinion.
In my case, making this mistake led to my having a pair of running shoes made for a completely different type of runner than myself, in turn leading to a severe pain in the side of my calf when I ran. This was resolved immediately when I visited my local running store and spoke with someone who knew how to help me find the right shoes.
I ended up with a fantastic pair of Brooks Glycerin 9 shoes, made for a neutral runner. I love those shoes so much I ended up buying another pair just to walk around in, so I don't have to worry so much about keeping them in pristine "running condition"
That's not to say that you should go to the store and ask for those shoes -- first, they're a bit expensive at around $130. Second, they may or may not be right for your foot type and gait. I tried on about six or eight pairs of shoes before I found the right ones, and even then I was tied between the Brooks and a pair of New Balance shoes.
After I changed shoes, the pain I had in my calf was gone immediately. I went from being able to run only about a half mile's worth of intervals to running a mile's worth with no problem. This in itself was easily the single biggest boost to my C25K program.
The About.com article I mentioned can be read here.
How I Got Started
I can get you started on running with five syllables: See-Too-Five-Kay. That is to say, the C25K program. C25K is an initialism for Couch-To-Five-Kilometer. To elaborate, the goal of the program is to move any person from the couch to being able to run 3.1 Miles (5 Kilometers) in nine weeks.
From experience it can be said that this program is absolutely phenomenal. Starting with 60-second run and 90-second walk periods (if I can do it, you can do it. Get used to hearing that phrase.) to running a full 5K. It takes determination, to be sure as your body goes through a lot of changes in the process -- from a body tuned for a sedentary lifestyle in the direction of an athletic body -- but in the end you get a lot from it, and it can start you on a path of epic and lasting reward.
With respect to the C25K program, there are two fantastic links I can provide. First, is a link to the program itself, via the Cool Running website.
This website breaks down the program in to an easy schedule: A slowly building three days per week for nine weeks.
Additionally, I recommend that if you aren't already, joining the Reddit community at www.reddit.com/r/C25K and even www.reddit.com/r/running for information, help and inspiration. I spent a lot of time on these pages and they really helped keep me going in terms of motivation, and helped a lot in terms of answering the questions I had. There are some fantastic people here, and you will most likely run in to me at one point or another.
Take some time and digest the C25K information as a program, and in another post I will discuss the pitfalls that I ran in to.
From experience it can be said that this program is absolutely phenomenal. Starting with 60-second run and 90-second walk periods (if I can do it, you can do it. Get used to hearing that phrase.) to running a full 5K. It takes determination, to be sure as your body goes through a lot of changes in the process -- from a body tuned for a sedentary lifestyle in the direction of an athletic body -- but in the end you get a lot from it, and it can start you on a path of epic and lasting reward.
With respect to the C25K program, there are two fantastic links I can provide. First, is a link to the program itself, via the Cool Running website.
This website breaks down the program in to an easy schedule: A slowly building three days per week for nine weeks.
Additionally, I recommend that if you aren't already, joining the Reddit community at www.reddit.com/r/C25K and even www.reddit.com/r/running for information, help and inspiration. I spent a lot of time on these pages and they really helped keep me going in terms of motivation, and helped a lot in terms of answering the questions I had. There are some fantastic people here, and you will most likely run in to me at one point or another.
Take some time and digest the C25K information as a program, and in another post I will discuss the pitfalls that I ran in to.
Who am I?
No worries - this post will not be as existential as the title suggests. More than anything this is an attempt at getting the formalities out of the way for anyone who reads my accounts. My intent is not only for friends and family to keep up for me but to be informational and perhaps even inspiration to men and women, boys and girls in a plight similar to my own: Fat and tired of it.
My primary intent as a runner isn't even weight loss; in fact it's only come to the forefront of my mind as a result of running. That's not to say that you couldn't use what information I will provide to help you along that path, merely that I started running because because I wanted to, and now I am losing weight both naturally because of the time I spend "on the pavement" (runner's speak for running.. I think) but because I realize it will make my times better and help prevent injury later down the road.
Statistically speaking, I'm a 22 year old male of around 375 pounds who runs about a 16 minute mile on a decent day. I grew up playing soccer and let myself slip pretty horribly starting sometime around ten and continuing through the teenage years unchecked, despite the best efforts of my parents.
I started running in late May of last year, and ran my first 5K Race on August 13, 2011 with a time of around 51 minutes. If you do the math, that's about 16:30 per mile. This, for most people is in the range of a "fast walk" but with my physical state it was as fast as I could go. There will be much more information about this in a coming post.
In the end, I intend to blog first and foremost for myself, my friends and family. Second, for anyone who happens to stumble across this either via Reddit (shoutout to reddit.com/r/running and reddit.com/r/c25k) or any other means on the internet to learn from my experiences, and hopefully to realize that they too can make the huge strides (no pun intended) that I have made in life over the past 7 months.
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