Insoles, Brain Games, and Anxiety

I didn't get this posted after my run yesterday. The run went a little longer than previous weeks and threw me off kilter a little when it came to eating after the run and getting ready for work again. It was a hot run yesterday, about 86° when starting and I was running on the road, so it was a bit hotter there.

A few weeks ago I got some fancy insoles for my shoes, thinking they would help decrease discomfort to a degree when running. I had done some running without the insoles and had experienced some discomfort. I tried out the insoles for a couple of weeks and was having some specific discomfort of the anterior tibial muscle (muscle that is the culprit for shin splints). It was a big discomfort each run. So I took out the insoles and magically no pain in that area. Then I realized I still had other aches and pains that were bothering me, but a quick adjustment to form helped those fade away.

I have been running without headphones, which is very different for me. I am now more aware of cars coming up from behind, and am able to catch my mind going to less effective areas when I run. The hardest thing for me is to keep running at times. The conversation in my head goes something like this.

Me: OK two more minutes and I reach 5 minutes of continuous running.

Body: Alright let's do that, two more minutes... and stop running now. Two minutes wasn't going to work for me.

Me: Why did I stop running, 10 seconds and I will start again.

Body: Cool we can do this... in another 30 seconds.

This seemed to be my battle yesterday as I ran. I still feel like I got the workout in, but just not quite as intended. Tomorrow I am hoping it will go better, not sure how to prepare for it better though.

On Monday I planned to get my cross training in. I figured I would do it midday like I do with my runs. We were going to a church picnic in the morning and to help with handling with the amount of people I took some anxiety medication (which I only take when needed). I was in a relaxed daze for the rest of the day. I got nothing done after that picnic, I will be taking less than prescribed from now on. So with cross training, that will be today during lunch. It's the Nerd Fitness Beginner Body Weight Workout.

I think I have rambled on long enough, thanks for reading.

-Riley

Target Heart, Increase Activity, and Food

 

I made it out this morning for my run. It was good, I was winded early on and was compelled to go slower. I kept repeating to myself, "take it easy, and are you able to carry a conversation?" Since I have been so high on my heart rate during my outings, I figured it would try again to focus on sticking between 132-143 bpm. I did it, I was in the right heart rate zone at an average if 142 bpm. I was shocked when I saw it. I guess getting winded early helped me to slow down and keep where I was aiming to be.

Next week looks a little overwhelming with increasing to 5 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking for 2 days (2 minutes of walking for the first day). I will also be introducing cross training using the body weight exercise. I found from Nerd Fitness. That will be Monday during my lunch. I have also started to listen to a podcast Running Lean. That's really gotten me thinking more about the food I'm eating (combined with the lesson from Thursday where I ate fast food for breakfast and it sat in my stomach like a rock). I'm starting from ground zero with meal planning so I'll need to do some more research on it to get started.

I think that's all for today, here's my week in numbers.

• Workout: 
• 1 Day 3 min warmup - 4 min run / 2 minute walk x4 - 3 minute cool down
• 2 Days 3 min warmup - 4 minute run / 1 minute walk x5 - 3 minute cool down
  
• Total Time: 1:34:07
• Average Split: 0:18:06
• Total Distance: 5.2 miles
• Shoes: New Balance Fresh Foam X 880 v12

Thanks for reading.

 -Riley

Doing Some Good Work, Lead Legs, and Sentient Watches

 

Since it's me I'm comparing myself to, current me not past me, I think it's okay to say that I did some good work today. Today was 5 sets of 4 minute run / 1 minute walk. The first two were good, the third suffered from an incline, and the last two beat the crap out of me. But today was good. I had a crappy breakfast that felt like it was just a lump in my stomach. I guess I need some focus on fuel for my body to make sure that doesn't happen again. 

I did get some stretching in before and I think that helped to make the first 15 minutes of being out there better. I really struggled with leg endurance while I was out there today. When I struggled to keep going my legs just felt like lead. It was hard to keep moving because they were just so heavy. I think that comes with increased difficulty of the run and continuing to work myself to my limits. I think I need a cheer squad to follow me when I run, just for those times my legs are feeling like lead but I need to push it a bit more.

On a side note, my watch keeps trying to get me to run more, I'm trying to figure out how to the tell the thing I can't push too hard or else I run the risk of injury. I'm not sure it would believe me though. These smart watches think they know everything. I think that's it for today.

Thanks for reading.

-Riley

Running on a Tuesday

It's Tuesday and I made it out to run, since I've not made it out on a Tuesday yet, it feels good. Today was 4 sets of 4 minute runs / 2 minute walks with a 3 minute warm up and cool down. I'm now sitting here trying to cool down. The first three 4 minute runs went well. They were slower because I didn't know how running 4 minutes without stopping would impact me. More about the last 4 minute run in the next paragraph. My first mile wasn't as draining as Saturday's was, so that's a win.

While running I have opted out of listening to music/pod casts/books like I did when I ran previously. I'm trying it out to see if it helps me to be more in the moment while I'm out there. So far I think it's working, I am much more aware of my body and what it's doing out there. My self talk is actually heard, but the body doesn't always want to listen. Like today, I was 2 minutes into my last 4 minute run and I started saying to myself, "2 more minutes you got this." Apparently I didn't have it because that's when I started to walk for a minute. I think I'm just out of practice of pushing through uncomfortable physical situations, it has been a number of years since I was last really physically active so it makes sense. I think that's where running buddies would help, they would be able to encourage pushing through the discomfort. Even reflecting on it now, I believe, will help to give me that bit of grit that I need to make it though similar situations in the future.

I am going to make some minor changes for my runs on Thursday and Saturday. I'm going to do 2 minutes of stretching before and after running. Just to make it an even 5 minutes for my warm up and cool down. I hope it will make that fist part of the run better by limbering up.

Thanks for reading.

-Riley

More in the Tank

Today I did not want to get out and put in my time. I intended on doing my 20% workout today but ended up just doing my regularly scheduled workout. I did 5 sets of 3 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking. I could keep my heart rate down more which was excellent, and I still finished with the same distance as the past couple of runs.

As I finished my time, I realized I had it in me to go further. But I knew my 30 minutes was up and it was time to stop and go and use the restroom. I pondered having some energy left in the tank for a bit and decided it's better to have that than be completely spent on my day off where I need to get some homework done. 

I did experience what I used to when I ran years ago, the first mile sucked. I got to the 3/4 mile point and almost went home. My ankles hurt, my legs hurt, and I was tired. But I decided to keep going, and I'm glad I did. Today's run feels good now. It was shortly after the 3/4 mile mark that things started to feel better. I also didn't ruin the run by going to Mcdonald's (as tempted as I was).

Last thing, here's my running data for the week if you're interested.

• Workout: 3-Minute warmup, 3-minute run / 2-minute walk x5, 2-minute cool down
• Total Time: 1:30:07
• Average Split: 0:17:43
• Total Distance: 5.09 miles
• Shoes: New Balance Fresh Foam X 880 v12

Well, that's it for today, thanks for reading. 

-Riley

Running on Asphalt and Avoiding the Sidewalk

A lesson I learned a while back... and I wish I would have remembered when I was running yesterday is avoid running on cement as much as possible. For some people it may be alright, but myself it's not. By the end of my first half mile of running yesterday my low back was hurting to the point where I almost stopped, but as I transitioned to running on asphalt my back started to feel better. The slight give of asphalt is what I think made it so my back survived after that. Yeah this would have been better to write yesterday, but only reflecting on it now do I remember that valuable lesson.

Post Afternoon Run

Changed the data display on my watch to include heart rate, it kinda helped me stay at a lower heart rate. I was doing good until I got to the incline. It's a small incline that bumped my heart rate up and I couldn't get it down after that. The incline is right at the end of the first half mile. Since I am at 1.69 miles for my runs right now it kinda messes me up for the rest of the run. So that will be something I work on this coming week.

I thought I planned a route that was going to keep me off of the cement today, little did I know that the street that I hit my mile on was all cement, and since I was walking that portion it was a bit easier on the back.

Saturday will be my next run and I will include a recap of distances for the entire well.

Thanks for Reading.

-Riley

Running 80/20 + Couch to 5k

Morning of 5/16/23

In my past 2 weeks of new experiences running, or previous experiences coming back to light, has led me to start watching some videos on YouTube and reading some running articles. They have been about the 80/20 training method. I am by no means an expert after having seen a few videos and read a little about it. This made sense to me though, the gist of it is you do 80% of your training in Zone 2 of your heart rate and 20% in Zones 3 - 5. Zone 2 is roughly between 75% - 80% of your max heart rate and is the fat burning zone. Max heart rate is 220 subtract your age according the the CDC. So for me at age 42, my max heart rate is 178 and my Zone 2 heart rate it roughly between 133 - 143. 

After looking at my heart rate during my runs I saw that my heart rate was between 133 - 143 during a 0:15:00 - 0:16:00 minute mile. Which is slower than I have been running when it's time to run during my workout. So I am going to make that adjustment this week and see how I feel. My weekly runs will consist of 20% of my total minutes running for the week being in Zones 3-5. I will do those minutes during my Saturday morning running.

I am making this change to try it out, I think it will help. Since my runs are all roughly the same length for each week, it will also provide a little bit of a variety. So today is easy day 1.

Post Run Evening of 5/16/23

The run didn't happen. I had my running clothes in the dryer and the dryer failed to dry the clothes by the time.  Having the right clothes on for running is a must for me. By the time they were dry I wasn't in the mindset to run. Which now that I think about it means I should have ran. I will be running tomorrow during lunch.

Post Run Afternoon of 5/17/23

My run was 30 minutes today. By sticking between 15:00 - 16:00 minutes I wasn't completely out of gas by the last leg of the run. During my running portions I was at about a 15:30 - 15:45 mile. My average heart rate was 147, so higher than I want it to be, but the high was lower than in previous outings. So I stayed closer to 147 for the whole run. I'm thinking that my pace for my next run should be closer to a 16:00 mile to dial in on my target heart rate. So first run of 80/20 went well and I'll keep the experiment going.

The draw back to running in the middle of the day when it's 79 degrees outside is that I won't stop sweating for a while. I didn't get a drink until the 30 minute mark, but didn't feel dehydrated at all either. I will need to watch fluid consumption more as it gets hotter outside.

Thanks for reading.

-Riley

End of Week 2

Starting out yesterday, I had in my head it would be easy to wake up, get out there, and put some time in on the road. It was a glorious morning, and I slept in. Which isn't ideal, but that's what happened. I had to give up on running in the morning because it was just me and our little guy, and I wasn't ready to tackle a voyage with just the two of us. So I planned on running around 6ish.

Fast forward to 5:30 pm when I tried to get out running in the neighborhood. I walked outside and panicked because there were people outside who could see me trot along at my slow-paced run/walk. I felt like all eyes were on me. So what did I do? Packed up the car with Silvia and our little guy and went to the nearby track at the JR. High just down the road. It's a track may of tarmac around a football field, so better than cement. I made it, and we started the training session. 

The three-minute warm-up was complete, and time to start the 2-minute run followed by a 2-minute walk. The first one went great! I still wasn't feeling it regarding getting my workout in, but we had finished 1 or 5. Our little guy was on his bike. We were moving forward. The second set started and our little guy decided to go off track (my guess is he got bored going in circles on the track). After a slight chase, he got back on the track, and our 2-minutes of running ended.

At this point, we were near the car again and our little guy decided it was time to run and play in the puddles in the parking lot. Silvia went after him, and that's when her training for the day ended. I made it through set number three of the run/walk and our little guy kept getting further away and then running back through the water toward Silvia, then away again in the water. During this time I made it halfway through the running part of the fourth set and decided it was time to go. I stopped my fancy watch, walked back to the car, gathered the family, and went and got a Slurpee.

Silvia said I should be proud that I at least got out there and tried as I lamented I didn't finish my training for the day. That's how it ended, and I did what I could. Next week things will be different. I have 3-minute runs with a 2-minute walk. I need to pace myself better to make it through the entire week and through each workout.

Week 2 Starts with a Cold

My running schedule is Tuesday 6:30 pm, Thursday 6:30 pm, and Saturday 6:30 am. I plan on posting some time after each run. It may change as things do over time, but for now that's what I want to do. With these early work outs the important thing is the workout itself. Tuesday I ended up in bed sick and slept for 11 hours. So I thought I would be running the same schedule I did last week, but was still sick yesterday too. So the modified schedule is today (Thursday) @ 12:00 pm, and Saturday at 6:30 am.Then next week I will try for my scheduled times again.

On a brief side note, our 5k that we were going to run on June 24th has been cancelled. So we will be doing the Firecracker Run in O'Fallon, MO on the 4th of July.

My run today was through my neighborhood, it's the same route I ran on day 1 last week. I ran during my lunch break to avoid the heat of later in the day, which according the the forecast will be avoiding a downpour later in the day as well... just to spend my running time in the rain anyway. I should have checked the forecast for my lunch hour as well. I like running in the rain at least. I think it helps me to regulate my body temperature better. I like the route I ran, during the day it's quiet. I will try it again Saturday morning and see how it is at 6:30 am. Today was a good run, I feel better than I have the past couple of days and am hopeful about doing this 5k on the 4th of July!

With the run itself, I have found I am pushing too hard for my first bit of the run / walk. My fastest pace was a 12:23, which I'm not able to maintain for long. That was most likely at the beginning of my run as well. I think if I am a little slower at the beginning I will be able to do better later in the run. I almost made it through the last 2 minute portion of running. I stopped for a couple of seconds and then started to run again and puttered out with about 15 seconds left. It took 5 minutes for me to catch my breath after that. But overall the run feels good.

Let's Try This Again

It's been quite some time since I last posted anything. I didn't end up running the half marathon I thought I was going to. I didn't end up running at all for quite some time. Since I last posted I have moved to Missouri and tossed the idea of running around a couple of times, and it hasn't stuck. But here I am, at a new start. I'm out of shape and overweight. My lifestyle is low on movement, I work from home at a desk all day, and am mentally tired by the end of work. 

It's time for a change. I know running helps me mentally to handle things better. I know that running helps to keep my weight down. I know I feel better about myself when I run. I know running helps with my creativity. All things I want to be a part of my life. Last time I started running to accomplish something big. This time I want more out of my life. So I went through and read some of my posts on this blog and saw someone who had more joy in their life. Someone with more vitality. I'm imagining my life with that joy and vitality today and it would be amazing to have. To help it to stick more I have been listening to a lot of books on running and life. I'll list them below. I have also started to watch more about running on YouTube.

Running is becoming something new for me. It's about a lasting change and moving forward again. My wife and I decided to do a couch to 5k program. We have talked about them in the past but none have ever happened. Now seems different than the past times we've talked about it. We'll be doing a 5k called the Blackberry Bolt on June 24th. It's a race that follows a bike trail and goes through a blackberry farm. We started our training this week.

Wednesday I made it out for run/walk number 1. I ended up pushing myself too hard, and was at a faster pace than I should have been for the running portions. I wish I could say I learned and slowed down to a pace that was more manageable on the second run the next day, but I can't I did the same thing. After day 1 my legs were so sore, I wouldn't have made it out day 2 without my wife. Back to back running days wasn't the greatest idea, but I figured it would be better to do that than to do a run the day before the longer duration run. Give my body a chance to recover.

We made it out for a chaotic 2nd run last night with three year old in tow. I was able to get my run/walk work in, and my wonderful wife corralled a toddler who got tired of running and sat down on the track at one point and also walked off the track and started to pick up garbage because "someone left a mess." It was a unique experience and we will have more like that, I have no doubt, as we train for this 5k.

Books I've been listening to.

"Depression Hates a Moving Target" - Nita Sweeney

"My Year of Running Dangerously" - Tom Foreman

"The Incomplete Book of Running" - Peter Sagal

"Born to Run" - Christopher McDougall

The image below is of my spreadsheet I'm using to track my runs. After the day of the week is the workout, then duration, average mile, total distance, and then shoes.