Turner Creek Park loop by Bstark369 at Garmin Connect - Details

Turner Creek Park loop by Bstark369 at Garmin Connect - Details

Talk about an amazing finish

In a basketball game, I once hit a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer to tie the game. In a newsletter someone wrote that I had 'never say quit' in my eyes... but if you want to see 'never say quit', just watch what happens in this 600 meter race when Heather Dorniden trips on the last lap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70UF82nysIU

Tonight, I run

Pain is temporary , it may last for a minute, for an hour, even a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take it's place. If I quit however, it will last forever.

--Eric Thomas

Tonight my new charger comes for my GPS watch. Tonight, I RUN.

GPS Watches

I looked around at the new GPS watches that came on the market since I last used one. There are quite a few more options now, including the Nike+ GPS Sports watch. I currently have a first generation Garmin Forerunner 305. The MotoACTV watch looks interesting in that it has a Bluetooth MP3 player built into it… which is a great addition.

For now I think I will stick with my 305, which I don’t have any complaints about. If the Nike+ GPS Sports watch had Bluetooth and MP3 player I would have jumped on it… but for now… I will just use my 305 with my current music players. I have to admit I am surprised that the 305 still stands up pretty well with some of the other watches still… must be at least 5 years old, which is eons for anything techy.

I ran x5

I did... I truly... well.. jogged... but it is a start! The start also is the only time running isn't a pleasure. Joins and muscles and lungs beg and scream for me to stop the nonsense. What is that terrifying thing in front of me... OMG it is getting closer... closer... closer... it is... a HILL. Oh the terror.

Now, I am no spring chicken anymore. I am so old I have to check my drivers license and do some math to remember, which is somewhere around 45 I think. The first thing I notice running as a middle ager, wholly crud... I am probably PAST middle age... the average life expectancy isn't 90 for me is it? Anyway, my body doesn't recover as fast as it used to. Right now running on consecutive days would be asking for an injury.

And so... as if only running 2 miles with pain is enough right now, I checked the Boston Marathon qualifying times, and I see they have gone down. I think my pace now would need to be 7:49 per mile to qualify, and when I was 38 I think it was 7:35... and there were increases at 40 and 45 before. So shit. I couldn't jump over the bar when I was younger and in MUCH better shape, so someone raises the bar. Nineteen minutes better than my best marathon. Impossible aye. Most likely not achievable my someone of my athletic nature, but still I can't stop thinking about it.

So how hard could the running be after I already completely changed my diet (drink juice for at least 2 meals a day and hardly eat dinner), stopped drinking coffee and alcohol (for the most part). Remember, it has been so long since I ran a marathon, I forgot the pain, but remember the joy.

Phase #2 started

Finally feeling good again! Ready to implement phase #2, getting in shape. I went out and tried to do a simple… lol… one mile run. I got a whole ¼ mile before my calves were burning like they were on fire. Talk about embarrassing. So I ran and walked and walked and ran until I finished, and the next day I was a hurting unit.  Yep… this is the painful part of running… the getting back in shape part. In a few weeks it will all be in the past.

Trying to drink only juice now. Down 15 pounds so far… 10 more is a nice goal to start. If I could get down to 175 I would be in prime running weight, I was 180-185-190 on my 3 marathons.

Phase #2 delayed

So... one thing to avoid when giving up caffeine is coughing. Caffeine restricts that blood vessels in your brain, and when you stop taking it they enlarge and give you a headache. Coughing feels like a gunshot to the head. Unfortunately I got bronchitis very soon after giving up caffeine. Not fun. And then I have an allergic reaction to an antibiotic for the bronchitis, bit baseball size welt on my arm... and of course the topper, my knee. The one on my knee provided enough swelling to make if feel like I torn the meniscus in my knee again, and something else not right, and now every morning my knee doesn't want to move, not to mention the pain. Clearly, I had not reached the bottom yet.

12 pounds of weight loss so far (and that includes the holiday get togethers and such) I will come out of this storm. Funny I think about running when right no I can hardly walk. I will patch my soul with a nice run soon. Can't wait.

PS: Pff one of 3 blood pressure medicines already! BP still at 91/61 CRAZY!