For the past month or so, six mornings a week, I’ve been working on running, trying to get up to a mile without stopping. Today, I finally made it!
This is pretty much how I felt after finally completing a mile without stopping.
Previously my best distance before walking (and then resuming the run after I caught my breath) was only about seven tenths of a mile. Whew! Hope I can make it again tomorrow.
Hey, way to go!
GREAT Calvin and Hobbes cartoon! 🙂
Three cheers for Doug! I’m so glad to hear you did a mile. A couple weeks ago the kids and I went to the Y and I also did a mile on the treadmill. It took me almost 15 minutes – but I did it! 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement, Mark and Shari.
I have managed to get in a mile or more nearly every day since I started (the average is about 6 days a week). Several times a week I try to run further, my top being 1.4 miles before needing to walk. On Saturday, usually, I try to do two miles, running at my regular pace for a mile, and then alternately running faster (I can hardly call it sprinting at that point) and walking, with as much running as I can manage, for the next mile.
At Thanksgiving at my sister’s house in Huntington, Ma., the end of my mile run was on a killer hill, and had to walk very briefly (30-40 steps) on two of the days, but on the third day I made it all the way through. Also at Thanksgiving I had a nightmare that I hadn’t run for two days!
I don’t ever expect to be wild about running long distances, but continue to improve my time. Maybe in the spring I’ll enter a 5K or something.
As to those out of shape like me: Don’t give up. I had not run more than 0.4 miles since high school, and when I started I could only do about 0.1 miles without being ready to die. (This is after much Tae-Bo and weight training.) Start off slow. Do weight training and other cardio as many days as you can, but realize that it will take about two months before it seems like anything is improving.
Two Miles, Baby!
I made two miles on Saturday!
And again today!
Now I have to work on getting up early enough to complete two miles. Ugh. I don’t intend to push myself further than two miles, except maybe once a week.
Hey, Doug…you are doing great!!! You need to put up the before and after pics you put together on the blog, too…great improvement. LY
And the Numbers Are In (and Not Bad)
Today marked my first doctor’s appointment after starting a real fitness training program, with the help of Nichelle (encouragement) and Phil (harassment).
My blood sugar numbers, which have always been terrible (as in prediabetic) were perfect! Lipids were better, too: Good cholesterol was up significantly. I have never had good blood sugar numbers, so this is wonderful news.
Bad cholesterol, however, remains a problem. This may be hereditary, but the jury is still out. My current task is to drop to an 1,800-calorie diet, and lose 10 pounds in the next 3 months. (Followed by another 10 by my next appointment.) If that doesn’t improve the cholesterol levels, then I get to absolutely claim bad heredity, and will probably need to take cholesterol medication.
The doctor (nurse practitioner, really)—our much-liked Celine Fortin—was very pleased with the progress.
And so am I!
Hey Doug and Nichelle!
I was bored, googled my name, it led me to your site!
Keep up the good work! What a lovely family you have!
Wishing you a Healthy and Happy 2008!
I ran four miles without a break (yes, four) a week or so ago. Unfortunately, that created a minor injury in my left knee, so I had to take a break for a few days. I’m typically going to limit my runs to two miles, but being able to complete four was exciting. I am now considering doing something else I never thought possible: Entering a 5K race of some sort this spring or summer. (I know I won’t win—I am not that fast—but it would be cool from an “I never thought I would be able to do this” perspective.)
This weekend I bought two important items: New running shoes and a stopwatch. The shoes are important because I’m running on the street, and anything that can be done to minimize impact (and impact injuries) is a really good thing.
The stopwatch led to an interesting discovery: My second mile is usually faster than my first. So far mile 1 seems to be about 10:30 to 10:45, but mile 2 comes in at 10:00. I’m going to start working on improving my speed, especially in mile 2, as it’s a great way to build up stamina.
I also dug up an article in an online running magazine, and discovered that calories burned while running is 0.75 x weight in pounds x miles. (If you include the basal metabolic rate, then it is 0.63 x weight in pounds x miles.) Running is a great way to burn calories quickly, although, surprisingly, walking quickly can burn almost as many per mile.