Fat Man Running

6/29/10
I got to run today. I really love getting out and running. I've been doing the C25K program and I just started week 3. I'm beginning to like the program a little better now because my run's are getting longer. Today was an exceptionally good run. I think there were four factors 1) I really wanted to go out and do it. So much so that I told Mel that I really wanted to run and my daughter picked up on. She said "Dad that's a lot better than having to go run." I love it when my daughter talks motivational to me. It helps me know I'm having an effect on her affect. 2) It was probably ten degrees cooler than it had been. 3) All I had to eat 2 hrs before was two slices of watermellon. 4) I actually went 3 miles today and I did my first mile in believe it or not 11 minutes and 25 seconds.

Side note: I have a goal of running the Thanks Giving half marathon. When I first started training this past Thanks Giving I was able running 3 miles but it was very slow. Then I got up to run/walking six miles but that was even slower. Then I took some time off. (Bad Decision) I decided to do the c25K nine week program because it would help me increase my speed and endurance over 3 miles. Once I can really run 3 miles I'll start the longer distance training.

6/5/10 So I think I mentioned above that I had been training for a 1/2 marathon. I was running about 6 miles. Wait let me correct that. I was traversing 6 miles and I could have gotten myself up to thirteen if I had the time to make the commitment. I learned that I would need about 5 or six hrs per week to really get there. Well I've taken some time off but not completely. I just stopped training and ran occasionally for the past 2 months after I realized I wasn't running the marathon.

So as I mentioned I traversed 6 miles and I was averaging 14 minute miles. I really don't like taking that long to traverse a mile and I found when I was running a 5K that was pretty much my optimum speed. So since I've taken some time off and I want to increase my speed I've decided to start training by doing the C25K program again. My goal is to run 3.1 miles in 36 minutes by the end of the program. I know many people run 31 miles in 30 or under but that's just not in the cards yet for me. I'll definitely have to lose a lot of weight and achieve a much higher level of in shape to get to under a 10 minute mile. For now improving my speed by two minutes per mile over the course of 9 weeks feels like a difficult but achievable task.

So far I have completed the first two days of the c25k program. The first day I ran a route that I'm not sure of the mileage. In my second day of training I ran the first 2 miles of my typical training route. Even though I'm doing 60 second runs followed by 90 second walks I still managed to run the mile in about 14 minutes. Granted I was tired but I did make the milage in my typical time. I was also running much harder then when I just run continuously because of the training intervals. I hope that this will pay off as I increase the length of my running time. Perhaps I'll be able to jog at a faster pace then I had previously. Anyway this is my plan and this is where I'm at. Follow me through thanks giving. I'll talk about weight next time.

4/12/09 - I finished my 6th run today a week after I should have completed it. I now remember why I called this blog fat man running. I am a fat man and it's hard for me to run. I had gotten sick which is why I missed some of my workouts although it isn't a reason for m y taking a few extra days to get back into running. I have completed somewhere about 14 miles total which is 14 miles more than I have run consecutively since I was in high school. I'm still way over weight and I haven't seen any weight come off yet. I think it has to do with the fact that I eat crap way too often. Anyway I don't risk losing the title for fat man running any time soon. I'll write again on my next run on Tuesday. I'm not sure yet if I'll upgrade my workout to week 3 or if I'm going to stick with week 2 for another week. This fat man needs to build some calf and shin muscles. I still don't know if 90 sec or 120 sec will make a difference.

3/31/09 - I missed my update on Saturday b/c I had my daughters 6th b-day party and my anniversary dinner. BUT I didn't miss my workout. The work out was ok. It ended well as it began raining extensively. Today I started week 2. This week the work out starts with a 5 minute walk followed by a series of 90 second runs and 2 minute walks. It's great to see that I can run as much as I am already.

3/26/09 -Wow - 2nd workout on the c25k. It went great and I ran faster than I did on the first workout. I was slightly sore from the first work out and I thought I would not make it as far. I actually went .2 miles further in my second work out. Awesome! I also see my energy heightened after the run. I'm really enjoying this program so far.

3/24/09- So today was my first Running workout and it was awesome. I have never had a first run that I considered an awesome workout. Today without a doubt was the best run/workout I have ever had. Now you may have to ask why was today so good. Well it started when I finally made the commitment this Sunday to run the Peachtree. Yes, my chronology is correct I saw an advertisement for the Peachtree last weekend and the entry form was in this Sunday's paper. So I decided I would commit. I started with some research after all I know there are magazines, and books and tons of writing on running so a smart man does his research. AND THE RESEARCH PAID OFF BIG! I fond a program called C25K. Couch to 5k. FYI the Peachtree is a 10K. I studied the program and started it tonight. Tonight I did a 5 minuet warm-up walk, and then ran 60 sec and walked 90 sec for a total of 20 minutes. I felt some pain but I could do it. Then I had a warm-down for 5 minutes. I ended up completing 2.7 miles according to MapMyRun.com. I figured I ran about 1.2 miles and walked the rest. I had no idea I could run that far. This is awesome. I can't wait for workout number 2 on Thursday. Stay tuned for updates.