I think what I’ve missed most over the Christmas holidays is my running routine. I’ve written before about the power of having no other option than to get up and run. All the extra freedom of the holidays has really sapped that strength.
I was able to get in 2 miles yesterday morning before a family day trip to see relatives in Northern Indiana. This morning I had to hit it early because I’m going to see the Colts game tonight and need to nap this afternoon.
The sore ankle and back have completely healed and overall running 2 miles is much easier than even a few weeks back. I think the consistency and occasional longer run has really been building a base for me.
My first copy of Runner’s World magazine arrived last week. I’ve only read a couple of articles but the pictures alone are very motivating. Of course, the skinny girl on the cover looks like an entirely different kind of human than I’ve ever known. In a good way!
I guess I knew it would happen. My little ankle pain was acting up so I’ve decided to rest a few days. Last night I went out and walked two miles, so today I should be back to running.
It has been nice to have a break, but I feel like I’m loosing ground. I need to be more careful about going berzerker on my long runs.
My mother-in-law bought me a gift card to the local specialty running shoe store. So expect exciting news sometime this weekend.
Tonight was supposed to be a light recovery run. After yesterday’s long running effort, I wanted to take it easy. So, I waited until 10 PM and headed out for a moonlight run. It was a beautiful night and nearly as bright as day.
My legs wanted to run, but after a mile, I needed to stop back at my house for the bathroom. I started again, planning to round off a second mile and turn it in. Then something strange happened. I took the turn out of the subdivision and headed out for my long route.
The last few minutes were hard, but it worked out to be a 4-mile run. I felt lighter and stronger. My feet had their own rhythm.
It was a desperate effort + Led Zeppelin Mothership + perfect 60° F + beautiful sky + feeling as if something needed to go right. The result was 6 miles of running, 1 mile of walking and a lot of thinking.
Fighting with my wife and spending all day alone makes me reflective. I know that I’m a selfish person, but today I learned a little about how stupid I’ve been. I think I’ve been living for different dreams for the past 10 years. The tragedy is my present life is the best life I can imagine.
So, I want to think more about living in the present, rather than looking forward (or backward) to some grand accomplishment. I want a new goal: to value what I have more than what I don’t, to love my wife and kids more than the wind I’ve been chasing.
I just hope I can follow through.
The kids are out of school, so I slept a little later this morning. My 5 AM run became a 6:30 run. It was nice to have the extra sleep, but there was more traffic in my neighborhood. I didn’t go out to the country road because the shoulder is swampy and I didn’t want muddy shoes every time I dodge a car. I’ve seen four cars each morning I’ve run that way.
I’ve backed off from the 3-mile plan already. It started yesterday when my whole body felt stiff and sluggish. I ended up just walking a mile and then coming back inside. I regretted it all morning.
Today I felt better, but kept it back to 2-miles. I’ve been fighting off little colds and I’m not sure I should be pushing ahead with the running.
I can see already that I will need to stay focused over the next few weeks as my routine falls apart. With the different schedule around the house, I will be tempted to put off running until the afternoon or evening. It started already. Last night, we were trying to watch a movie with our 15-year-old foster daughter. My wife and the girl finished it, but I was asleep by 10 PM.
This morning I had a close encounter. Just when I though that I was the only running in my tiny town - I met four others this morning. They were running as a pack. It looked like two older couples, but it was too dark to tell. I almost joined up with them when they greeted me, maybe next time. I’m not sure if I’m ready for social running yet. I’m also not sure I could have kept their pace.
Yesterday was my best day so far for running and weight loss. I decided to move up to 3 miles every morning. It went well and I did the same today. I was a little lettuce crazy yesterday and had McDonald’s salads for lunch and dinner. It may have been the only time in my whole life that I’ve eaten more than one salad in a day.
I was looking over the runner’s diet that Joe linked in yesterday’s comments and I realized that I was just about on track for it, yesterday that is. I was a little low on fat, but did have some roasted peanuts for afternoon snack. I also realized that I followed Topher’s running diet last Saturday.
My weight was back down some this morning. I’m curious to see if it holds tomorrow. If I can maintain the daily 3 miles, it will be a great base to build fitness and burn calories. I’m really feeling good about things this morning.
I do have my first two injury concerns. I’ve been having some mild back pains, I think it was from carrying the Christmas tree into the house. The second is some pain in my ankle. I may have twisted it this morning as I ran on the snow to avoid a car.
This morning was discouraging. I checked my weight and found that I’ve been going backwards. So, I went out and ran and it occurred to me that for all the running I’ve been doing I have changed very little about what I’ve been eating.
The calorie equation is no mystery to me. When I consume more energy that my body uses, I gain weight. You might think this would affect what and how much I am eating. Unfortunately, I have not let up on the fast food, overeating or chocolate bars.
So today, I am realizing that weight loss is more about what I eat than how much I exercise. Here’s an example. Saturday morning I ate a Krispy Kreme chocolate iced cream filled donut. The calorie count is 350. So, in a matter of one minute I ate my way through three miles of running. What killed me was the second donut, now we’re talking 700 calories and all the fat grams you care to count. At my current pace, that was over 3 days worth of exercise lost in a moment’s time.
It’s more than a math problem. It comes down to self-control and making stupid choices. This morning was a time of self-confrontation. I know what it is going to take to lose weight. I have to change what I’m eating or all the running will be pointless.
The last few days I’ve been running in the evening. Icy roads, runny nose, and a little procrastination have been the causes. I will admit that it’s been nice to see where I’m running. On the other hand, I haven’t had time to sit down and blog about it.
This means I’ve been running around dinner time. I don’t like it. I miss feeling good all morning after my run and I tend to eat a bigger dinner right after I’ve run. But it has kept me consistent. I still haven’t missed a day. If the roads weren’t so bad I would move up to 3 miles per day. I am looking forward to getting back into my early morning routine tomorrow.
Everyday some TV commercial or advertisement is screaming about how I can change my life. So it’s hard to believe that jogging around my neighborhood for twenty minutes is a big deal. It just sounds too good to be true.
As I was going to bed last night, I realized that running is doing more than making my life better. It really is changing my life.
All of these are small things in themselves, but they add up to something amazing. It just feels like I am becoming a different person. Little, by little, running is changing my life.
I use the words as near synonyms. In my mind running is the broader term that includes jogging. Running refers to any type of exercise where you run. This includes racing in a 5K, speed training on a track, and running slowly in your neighborhood. Jogging refers to the less structured running for exercise. This would be at a slower or moderate pace. In general, jogging is less concerned with speed per mile and more concerned with total miles or time exercising.
Wikipedia defines jogging as, “A form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness without stress.” According to this definition, most of what I do when I run is jogging.
I guess it doesn’t really matter what you call it. I went outside and trotted about 2 miles this morning and now I feel great.