The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

I ran a 5k race today. Well, run is a little generous - I ran parts and walked parts. All in all, I finished with a time of 38-something - not bad for my first run in 15 years. I couldn’t have done that without losing the 75lbs. First the hills were killer, then the flats were killer, then the entire process was a killer. At least I saved a sprint for the last.

I don’t know - I might try a couple more before I give up on running. I definitely enjoy biking, and volleyball season starts Monday, so there’s lots to keep me active. I sure do like the idea of running through the backlots of Disney though, and I don’t know that I’m ready to give up on that dream just yet.

Thank you for visiting The Life Ledger. If you enjoyed this article, check out the related posts below and subscribe to our feed.

• Ask MetaFilter: Is it really impossible to lose weight (in a healthy manner) by substituting two meals a day with some sort of bar?
• Ask MetaFilter: High frequency of sex, can this cause any issues?
• Ask MetaFilter: Why aren’t I losing weight? I’m doing everything right (aren’t I?). Extensive explanation of weight-loss methods inside, so this is a doozy.
• Calorie-Count forums: Husband = Diet Sabotage
• Calorie-Count forums: Running Shoes - Best Brand
• Traineo forums: Has any one tried the Rotation Diet?
• Traineo forums: Running - how often is too often?

My weight did some odd things, bouncing up and down after my vacation. Seems to have balanced out though, and now that I’m running again I expect I might start shedding again.

Ah yes, running. It’s an odd feeling, running again - I am simultaneously filled with the exhileration of challenge and an overwhelming disappointment. To understand why, you’ve gotta know something about me - I used to run cross country and play soccer and baseball. In those days I enjoyed running, and would run between 6 - 10 miles a day. I wasn’t competitive at long-distance running - I’m built for sprinting, but we didn’t have a track team in high school - but I sure did enjoy it. Running for me was like taking a Sunday afternoon drive through the countryside.

Today, I set my sights on 3.9 miles. I knew I wouldn’t huff my out-of-shape body through the entire distance, but I figured I could make at least a mile before I slowed to a walk. I made it 3/4 of a mile. My high-school self whizzed right by me as my body down-shifted and applied the air-brakes.

I feel exhileration - I’m signed up for a 5k race in the first of June, so I began mapping out in my mind as I walked how to meet the challenge of finishing a 5k race in 5 weeks. I also feel overwhelmingly disappointed - I can’t help but think about how my performance might be today had I never let myself go. Trick is, focus on the challenge. I know once I make it past this beginning hump, I will once again enjoy running.

Just like losing weight, I need to focus on the successes - like the fact I was able to almost make a mile at all - and not set myself up for failures by setting unrealistic goals. So going forward, my goal is to run at least 4 times a week, whatever the distance, and to push myself a little bit further each time - even if it’s only a couple of feet.

I’ll make that 5k yet.

Well I’m dropping something down to let y’all know how it went. Don’t worry I’ll try to give more details in another post, as well as a picture of my number. But ya, I broke 24 minutes. That wasn’t an official goal I set for myself, but the fact is I usually run my normal runsat about an 8 minute mile.

Few quick things I can mention though…. And it’s probably good for other people to think about. For all my talk about running being a solo activity and testing yourself, it’s damn harder to do in person. Looking around there were lots of people in quality gear all appearing to be in great shape. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others. For all my noncompetitivenature, I was getting nervous. In fact I about psyched my self out with all the tension building up without a focus .

And I think that affects a lot of people. Whether it’s your first time or first in a long time, there is that sense of public scrutiny. How you handle that anxiety is another matter : raw self-confidence, pride, vanity, frugality, or whatever. Something that will get you to toe the line, waiting for the gun. For me, it was a little pride and vanity. I had brought along my cheerleader, my beautiful wife, and there was no way I was going to back down in front of her. Especially for fears that seem silly even in my own mind.

Pacing around at the line, I jockeyed for position. Didn’t want to get too far in front or too far back. Once the race started, all the built-up tension was focused and flowed out of me into my running. Sadly, it left a little present behind. Lactic acid in my arms. People may not think your arms get much of a work out while running, but proper and more efficient form uses the movement of your arms. By a mile and a half, my arms and shoulders were killing me. I had kept them so tense waiting for the race to startthat they were worthless. They hurt so bad I’ll even admit I walked 4 times, for about 5 seconds each time, because of the pain.

As is obvious from my numbers (60 out of ~250 and 7:43 min miles) it goes to show that you should NEVER go on appearances. You, and they, might be surprised as you pass them by before the end of the race.

Hey all. So tomorrow is the race.

I’ve got to say, I’m getting excited. Nervous ya, cause I haven’t raced in a long time. But excited too. When I ran yesterday to keep loose, per the Ipod I was hitting 1:50 quarter miles. I have no idea how that’s happening. But its encouraging to say the least. And I’m pretty much as prepared as I’m going to be. It’s more going to be a matter of running smart.

Running smart. Bet that sounds a little strange. If you’ve never done it before, running in a race is completely different than anything you can do on a treadmill or by yourself. Sounds like a good article for next week.

Just wanted to give a shout out to Adam Hansen of the Yippie Show and Marcel Janus of bone187 for marking us as a favorite on Technorati. If you haven’t done so yet, go a head and get it in tonight. I’ll check in the morning before I go out the door. And in case you forgot, the deal is I’m donating 5 $’s for each person who tags us as a favorite before the race. I’m glad to be donating 10 dollars so far but my wallet’s bigger than that. And two names aren’t going to cover much space on my number.

And I’ll describe more tomorrow or Sunday after the race, as well as posting a picture of my number. While I don’t need beauty sleep (wonderful side effect of being married), I do need sleep for the race. Waddle on.