I Must Be Crazy - Part II

Now I know why people should plan their training and stick to it.

As part of my tri training and overall training plan, I wasn't scheduled to run my very first 5k until August 6th. My focus has been on the bike, with the ultimate goal of riding Cycle North Carolina the first week of October (7 days - 70 miles per day).  A few weeks ago, a missions team heading to Haiti in June, decided to have a 5k to raise funds.  Well, today is the day...

After a meager amount of training runs (mostly on a treadmill), I gave it a go.  I didn't start off very well, having a restless night of sleep, and running late.  It took me a little while to pick up the registration packet, get everything together (HR monitor, ipod armband, running socks and shoes, and running shirt).  I only had a few minutes to warm-up and didn't do a good job.    I had 3 minutes to warm-up, so basically did some running in place, some jumping jacks, and some stretching, and about the time I got toward the end of the mass of runners lined up at the gate, I had 10 seconds before the gun went off.  No time to worry about how stupid this is, just GO FOR IT!! ..

I started off pretty well, kept pace around a 12 min mile for about the first 1/4 mile and then I checked my HR monitor watch.  I immediately started walking.  My heart rate was 157 (my max is 167), and it had never gotten this high, this fast.  I knew it was going to be a long day, so I finished walking to the bottom of hill, turned the corner, and my heart sank.  The first "real" hill, and I started thinking that this is going to kill me.  I made a decision that I would run for 1 minute, and walk for 1 minute and try to save enough for the last 1/2 mile to try and run the 1/2 mile continuously.  5 big hills later, a numbing feeling in my left foot, and a heart rate that finally settled comfortably in my zone, I passed the two mile mark.  I stopped, slid down the knee brace, loosened my shoe string on my numbing foot, did some stretching and jumping to get some feeling back, and started again.   Around the 1/2 mile to go mark, I decided I was just going for it, and started jogging, and eventually picked up speed for the last small hill just before the finish.  When I hit the finish line, my HR was again at 157, but the pain in my legs were gone and I had finished strong.  I looked at my time, and realized that I had missed my target by 28 seconds, which was the amount of time I took to get the feeling back in my foot at the 2 mile mark.  All in all, not bad for a guy's first 5k, having never been a runner, and having lost 42 pounds from last year, where I couldn't even walk a mile without almost passing out

I Must Be Crazy

It was early May 2010, and I woke up with pain in my chest, and a pounding headache. I sat up, took a swig of water, stood up slowly and ambled off to the restroom.  I looked into the mirror and what I saw there absolutely scared me to death.  I knew I was in bad shape, but I was white as a ghost, eyes were bloodshot, and I looked a very sick Pillsbury Dough Boy.  Later that evening I was channel surfing and decided to watch the Biggest Loser.  Somewhere in that show I saw a guy, older than I was, much heavier than I was working his butt off.  It inspired me and at that point I decided I needed to make a change. 

The next day I headed over to Wal-Mart and purchased the Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout DVD.  I started that evening. Man, was it tough. I figured if they could do it, then so could I, but 12 minutes into the DVD I had to turn it off.  But...  I was NOT discouraged and kept at it, and started working on my eating habits.  I found http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ and started logging my food.   Sometime during the first two weeks I saw the P90X infomercial and I knew my daugther had it.  I borrowed it and attempted some workouts, and could do some but not all of what they were doing.  I decided to jump in and purchased my own copy.  I struggled at first but started making some great headway.  Toward the end of the first 30-day phase I noticed a lump on my stomach and went to the doctor, who sent me to a surgeon.  It was an umbilical hernia that needed to be immediately repaired.  Up to this point I had lost 22 pounds and was starting to feel alive again.  I was extremely disappointed, but decided that if all I could do was walk I was going to walk my butt off. 

Somewhere along this timeline, in talking to my triathlete brother, the subject of Cycle North Carolina came up.  He and my other brother had done the CNC ride in 2009.  This is an amazing adventure.  7 days of riding averaging about 65 miles per day.  It sounded fun.  I had cycled years ago, and in fact, my brother borrowed my bike to use in his first 3 triathlons.  Only problem.. I currently didn't own a bicycle.  My other brother had a Trek 2.3 frame that he gave me, but that meant I had to get all the other components together.  Due to financial restraints that took me until February 2011 to get it all together.  I started working out again just before this, because I knew October was just around the corner and I knew I definately needed the work. 

We took a trip to Alabama to my triathlete brother's (my mom lives behind him) home.  My other brother came down and we went for a ride.  It was a blast!  It was only 12 miles but I felt good.  While there and looking at some of my brother's finisher medals and other items for doing triathlons I kind of got the itch. 

So, enter April, and the journey is taking off.   Prior to my bicycle ride with my brothers I had lost 30 pounds total, and am now down 42 pounds total.  I have 43 or so to go, but I'm not overly concerned with weight loss, but more focused on being able to ride Cycle North Carolina, and also in completing my first triathlon.

Come along for the journey.