2007-10-30

• Running 2-4 miles now every day, had a little soreness in left hammy the other day so eased up a bit. Ran a lunchtime 2 miler today! 17:13.
  

• Wrote this yesterday about my weekend running

• 29 Oct 2007 - running/workout update:
  Ever run sprints? I want to run more after the streak; it’s fun hauling ass for a half lap or so! Can’t believe I ran 1/8 mile in 38 sec this weekend, or 5:04 pace! I was almost running at top speed, but I didn’t want to pull anything. One pulled muscle and my streak dies, so I won’t be doing too much sprinting for now. I’d also like to try to run a mile as fast as I can later too. I think I can run a 6-minute mile, or even better. My cardio kicks ass and I recover in breathing quicker too now. And this weekend I got down to 217 lbs. I can feel a difference from the 237 lbs I weighed 6 months ago. Man if I can get down to 185 lbs again I am gonna fucking fly!

  But until the streak ends I am focusing on diet and moderate-intensity workouts. I set up a new heavy back in the basement this weekend, attached to the rafters and added support beams. It’s a 100-lb Everlast bag, $84 from Shenk and Tittle (I said “Tit”!), and is hanging in the office in the basement (the room behind the mancave). I also moved the tread back in there and put a TV mount on the wall. And the pull-up bar and weights are in there; it’s a cool little 1-man gym! I watched Leaving Las Vegas today on the tread and had no BPM music. I checked my timing and I was 176 and 180 BPM the whole way; so I think it’s inscribed into my genetic code now! My livelihood depends on it!

  Had a long day yesterday and never got around to eating anything but a banana until evening. I ran 3 miles on the track, with sprints and intervals (28:54). And walked 1.25 miles on top of that (21:30). Then I cleared out the basement, moving everything around with Deb, installed the TV mount on the wall, added a splitter and ran coax cable, and hung the heavy bag with support beams I had to saw and screw in. Then had a good bag workout beating the fuck out of the bag with punches, spinning backfists and kicks over my head. I was wiped out. When I finally got a shower and relaxed to watch football, this is when I would normally eat poorly. Chinese, or pizza, or worse. Not yesterday! I had seltzer and a can of sardines, on 2 sandwiches – Thomas’ mini whole wheat bagel squares, a salad, and 2 apples. Yay! Slept like a rock and had to fast until the blood test today. So I only ran a mile today so far (8:37 = 7mph). My blood work should really improve this time: good diet, exercise every day, and no smoking since last blood test – first time ever! Results at Dr.’s office in 1 week. Crossing fingers!

  108 days left in the streak!

2007-10-24

Day 252. I am running 4 miles minimum every day, EVERY day, for over a week now. Body seems to be able to handle it, though I am asleep by 8 or 9pm every night. I get up at 3 or 4am though and usually do not sleep more than 5 hours straight, 6 tops. Over 600 miles now since the streak began!
Today I ran in the dark again and had a stray dog chase me, briefly. I turned around and yelled "SIT" at him (her?) and he barked once and stopped coming at me. He was not there on the way back. Luckily it was raining today and I ran without my mp3 player, or I may not have heard him and had a problem with this dog. Karma? Could be; I am living right these days. I seldom drink at all, don't smoke (near 8 months cig free!) and am eating good food (not to mention the exercise!).
Unseasonably warm again today for late October, 66 degrees, 94% humidity. Time was slow, 37:42, but acceptable. HR was 148 after 2 miles. I like running in the rain, keeps you cool and makes you feel like a fuckin' bad ass!

2007-10-17

Day 245. Wednesday. Ran 4 miles in the dark, hybrid run (street to track at local school). 37:10. Good run, actually warm out. No breeze at all and 60 degrees. Frickin' cars couldn't see me on the way back on Cranberry Road; I was only a couple inches from some and very near death. Guess my dark blue 2005 half-thon under armor shirt and black compression shorts is a bad darkness outfit!

2007-10-14

• 5K - My first ever! And maybe my last! The race wasn't a race; it was a mob! There were so many runners that the pack never really separated, like it does in longer races. So running was problematic the whole way, with runners all around you all the time. I managed to maintain a 9:20 pace the whole way and finished in 28 minutes 56 seconds. Didn't even see the finish line through the runner's until I was on it, so there was no real kick either!
• Also, my lungs were cold-burned from the dry cold air and I was hurting all day after the race. I was actually afraid I had damaged my lungs here! But I rested all day after, woke up today & PR'd AGAIN on my treadmill! 8:50 1spot, which was intervals of 6 to 7 mph and a mini-kick at 8mph. Hell yeah (Mitch Hedberg quote!)! Between the cool weather runs on trail & street, short tread runs, and my initial 5K PR I have 6 consecutive PR's as of today (log)! WTF, FNA, WTG, LOL, heh! Kick ass! STFU!
  

2007-10-10

• PR! It's a Personal Record. Usually for the year, as it's a chore to search all runs for the best ever. Today I ran 4 miles in 36:26, PR! Splits were 9:11/9:01/9:17/8:57. Was a solid trail run from marker 11 to 9 to 11. No bees, few people, temperature about 79 degrees. Songs included an instrumental (Medwyn Goodall - New Age music), Culture Club (Karma Chameleon is fast!), my 180 BPM metronome mp3, BOC, Dan Fogelberg, and Disturbed (Down with the Sickness may be the greatest adrenaline BPM ever!).
  

2007-10-07

• Did a mile on the treadmill (9:30) in between naps in the mancave, watching football and having a fairly relaxing Sunday. Had Chinese food too!
  

2007-10-06

• Today was warm, very warm for October 6th. I ran 6 miles in 57:46 and was a sorry sight for the last hot mile. BUT, afterwards, I had a nice walk and stretch and then went to Prettyboy Reservoir on the way home. The water level is very low so I have been aching to explore the coastline which I have noticed has been diminishing rapidly over the last few months.
• I walked for a mile or so along the always-previously-hidden shoreline of the reservoir and I found this: bottles and freshwater clams. That's my legacy; no archives, no monuments; not even any old fishing lures. No. what was happening here years ago was drinking. And the disposal of old evidence - the bottles. WTF. I thought the old exposed shores would have more legendary artifacts besides bottles. Guess I was wrong. BUT, my run and exploration was well worth the findings. This was an intense realization. Halfway into my trek I stripped down to my compression shorts and dove into the reservoir. it was very nice! I went underwater a few times and eventually walked back up to my clothes up the very high shoreline. Then I used my compass to navigate through the woods back to my car. I exited the woods DIRECTLY across from my car. This was a seriously spiritual trip!
  
• Jbo

PS (PB? Post Blog? Heh!) I ran an additional 4 miles on the treadmill after I wrote the above, makin' my Saturday total 10 miles. It's been a long time since I ran 10 miles. Like since my last marathon, in 2005!

2007-10-04

3.6 miles in 32min 51sec.
Ran north from Walker Road, NCR marker 14.2. Turtle at 14.2 first. Warm day for October 4th, prolly 85 degrees. Had a 30 second pulse check at marker 16, the halfway point. I used to never stop when I ran, but lately I have realized that a tiny break every 2 miles or so really, really helps my body fatigue (and protects my knee). I do stop my watch though, which isn't really fair, but I keep the breaks to under a minute, usually 30 seconds. Speed isn't really my goal; my goal is to run every day and lose weight and stay in shape and explore my spirituality and sync my life and my stride, blending into the universe with cosmic flow, grace, karma, unity, rhythm, harmony, balance, and a serene equilibrium .

Intro

• Totally informal, occasional run entries. Just to vent or ramble, or note something of importance. May be fun to look back on and remember.

- Jaybo (The Blog creator)