Running
An Open Letter from my Muse to Myself #2 –
Dear Jeremy,
The pounds are slowly coming off. That’s awesome. Keep it up. But there’s something else I want to talk to you about today.
On these electronic pages, you’ve shared many, many times your desire to be a runner.
You’ve tried it, many times, but frankly, at your current weight, it hurts your joints. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a fact.
I can already hear what you are thinking.
“I hate that my cardio endurance is strong enough that I can run, but my joints won’t let me.”
“I hate that I have the desire to run, but the last time I tried, I literally ended up at the doctor’s office, getting a prescription for severe inflammation in my feet.”
“And to be honest… I hate that I am jealous getting to read others’ blogs as they progress from weight loser to runner.”
I want you to stop living in the realm of “I want to but…”
Screw that. There are things that you CAN do now.
You can’t run. Big freaking deal.
You can walk. Your legs are strong. Your joints may not be able to take 370 pounds of running, but they can sure take walking.
I know how much time you spend at the Bowling Green Road Runners website, looking at their calendar of upcoming races and fantasizing about joining their ranks.
So stop fantasizing and do it. There are going to be a lot of 5Ks this year that are also open to walkers.
Sign up, give your money to a worthwhile cause, walk the 3.1 miles, collect your t-shirt, and every step, every ounce lost, will put you closer to joining the ranks of runners you so desperately want to join.
You can do this. You will do this. You owe it to yourself.
Regards,
Mason
Related Posts:
No More Run For Your Lives Weigh-In…
I never weigh in on Wednesday, but I also usually don’t disappear for almost two weeks at a time with nary a word.
This really isn’t even a weigh-in. Let me just do a bit of word blurg (a nicer word than vomit, don’t you think?) and describe everything that has happened lately. The good… and the bummed me out.
First, the good.
I weighed in two Fridays ago at 370.8.
Woo hoo!
I weighed in this morning, because I realized I hadn’t written a single blog post in almost two weeks, at 374.4.
You know what, though. I’m not too sad about it, for two reasons. One, there is a reason for the weight gain, which I’ll explain in a bit. And two, I’ve still lost inches! I realized that I had gotten into the third hole of my belt.
As a result, I measured myself and saw that my waist was 51.5”, which is two inches down from the last time I measured on September 9th. Woo hoo!
So, let me just get everything else out that has happened here very quickly.
Run For Your Lives is in two weeks on October 22nd.
It does not look like I will be running.
Why?
Because I freaking sprained my FOOT on Sunday! Seriously, who sprains their foot?!
Well, I do. I sprain my foot. Tina and I went for a jog, and while I wasn’t really feeling the workout, I pushed through and finished it. I felt like I was in a decent place for the race. I didn’t suspect I would be capable of running the entire thing, but I did feel like it was possible that I might be able to jog and walk the race and finish in under 42-45 minutes.
However, by late Sunday night, my foot ached. I wasn’t too stressed about it.
The next morning when I woke up, it hurt worse. My left foot ached so bad that I could only walk/hobble by putting all of my weight on my heel. I was SLOW. One of my colleagues saw me when I finally trudged in to work and said, “You should really probably get that checked out.”
“But… Zombies!”
Well, that argument didn’t really hold up, so I decided to bite the bullet and go to the WKU Health Services Center. Fortunately, it is located about one hundred feet from the building my office is in, so it wasn’t too far of a trek.
After X-rays and a little foot manipulation, it was determined that it wasn’t broken (whew!), just badly sprained (suck!). I was given an anti-inflammatory and crutches and ordered to stay off of my foot as much as possible for the next week.
“But doc, zombies!”
No go. He said that I was to do no strenuous, weight-bearing exercise for the next week. More to the point, he said, “I appreciate that you are trying to be physically active and losing weight is fantastic, but a man of your weight, especially when you have already had stress injuries like this one, should not be jogging. Exercise, definitely. Weight-bearing exercise, even. But no high-impact activities like jogging. After you’ve lost some weight, we’ll talk.”
I can’t be mad. He said it in a very delicate way, which I appreciate. I’ve had doctors in the past who would have told me, “You’re too fat. Fat people shouldn’t jog.” He was very appropriate and personable about it, which was nice.
So… as much as I want to be a runner, it’s going to have to wait.
I’m still trying to decide what to do about Run For Your Lives. Tina and I have already reserved our hotel room, so we are going to DC for the weekend. As for whether we’ll race… well, ordinarily, I would just plan to walk the race. However, this race is released in waves, and I don’t want to be walking the course when the wave behind me comes running up. Any suggestions? I hate to throw in the towel, but I think I’ve been benched.
But wait, the suckfest continues!
I also have a sinus infection. I’ve got a Z-pak, but I’m REALLY hoping I’ll be well by Saturday. After all, Saturday is our One Year Anniversary!
Fortunately, fall break starts tomorrow. I’ve got literal stacks of papers to grade and tons to do, but I am going to be able to do them from home. No teaching on my feet for hours. So hopefully, the rest will help me heal.
I’ll try not to disappear again!
On the plus side, I am eating well. I’m all about real food at the moment, regardless of caloric content. Doesn’t this breakfast look amazing?
So, what’s new with you?
Related Posts:
2 Comments »
A Return to Weight Watchers Weigh-In
I am recommitting myself to Weight Watchers this week. I participate at the WW@WKU work group, and I basically never attend the meetings. I’ve had an immensely busy summer full of creating professional development modules, taking professional development opportunities for myself, delivering professional development to others, meetings, trying to refinance the house (oh heaven help me, why didn’t anyone warn me that this is actually MORE stressful and requires MORE paperwork than buying the house for the first time?!), and a host of other things. So… I haven’t gone to a meeting in several months.
I realized that I’ve pretty much stopped following the program, and I’m going to go back to points. There are times when I tire of points and just want to eat healthy. There are other times when the freedom to simply eat healthy means I eat WAY too much healthy food, and frankly, too much of a good thing is still too much.
The weight loss is still progressing, so don’t feel like I’m not making any progress, but I just remember how well I did on Weight Watchers the first time around when I actually stuck to the program, and I want to continue doing that well. So as of today, I dusted off eTools and I’m back to tracking!
August 22, 2011
367.1
Change from last week = -0.6 pounds
Change from Highest = -35.7
Weak. I can do better than that. I hope to post much higher numbers next week.
So how are my weekly goals faring? I did better this week than last!
1. Lost two pounds this week.
Not yet. I lost, but it wasn’t two pounds. Again, I simply ate too much. I know why. No mysteries. $1 goes into your pot.
2. Go to the drive-in to see Captain America and Transformers AND take a healthy picnic.
Success! We went Friday night and had a great time AND we ate well. We enjoyed ourselves, too, by splurging a little, but it wasn’t a free-for-all with funnel cakes, popcorn, and fried snickers from the concession stand. $1 for me!
3. Drink a gallon of water at least four days.
Success! It helps that I am immensely hot all the time, too. But I’m modifying this goal for next week – I quickly find myself falling into the trap of, “Oh, I better drink water to reach my goal.” I see no need to be one of those people who drinks water continually just because they want to drink water continually. I should drink water when I’m thirsty to quench my thirst, not guzzle it ‘til I’m miserable because I have a quota in mind.
4. Do yoga before bed at least three times.
Not yet. You know how they say we like to do things we are good at and avoid the things we aren’t. Yeah… I’m not good at yoga. I know that’s the whole point – you do yoga so you become more flexible, but I am so astoundingly BAD, it takes a great deal of effort for me to get to that point. However, I’m going to keep including this goal in there. I need to do yoga, I need to increase my flexibility… Flexibility is important for people in so many avenues – increased muscle repair time, increased strength, increased endurance. People who are flexible even make more money and poop diamonds, so… there you go.
5. Do three running workouts this week.
Success! I’m still WAY behind the curve, because I’m running from zombies in exactly two months. However, I still have hope and plans that I can make this happen, so I shall keep plugging away and do my very best.
To sum up, that’s $2 for you and $3 for me. Woo hoo! Our current balance is $5 and $5 each. As soon as we get to $12, I will be holding a giveaway. Stay tuned!
And my goals for this week…
1. Complete three running workouts.
2. Complete two weight lifting workouts.
3. Do at least one yoga workout this week.
4. Follow Weight Watchers all week and not go over weekly points.
5. Write at least 2,500 words on my novel.
The semester is about to start here on the hill. I’m excited about it. I love my job for so many reasons, not the least of which is that I love the energy of being on the Hill during the fall! Call me a dork, but I think the atmosphere on a college campus is intoxicating, and I love that I get paid to be here! That aside, I am also looking forward to fall, because I am tired of the heat of summer!
Are you looking forward to fall? How does it change your weight loss/fitness plans?
Related Posts:
Weekly Goals
If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that I forgot to mention my weekly goals yesterday. Whoops! I was already doing so much in that post, it honestly slipped my mind.
Basically, my weekly goals are where I pick five goals for me to accomplish that week and I assign each one a value of $1. If I meet that goal, that $1 goes into my Fun Fund (presently saving up for I-don’t-know-what). If I don’t meet that goal, that $1 goes into Your Fund, where when it reaches a certain amount, I hold a giveaway here on the blog. The giveaway is healthy living related.
So, how did I fare this week?
Not really that hot.
1. Get my weight down to below 367.
FAIL. I got it down to around 367, but not below. $1 to you.
2. Run five minutes without stopping.
SUCCESS, sort of. I’m counting this one as a success, and here is why. Between establishing that goal and finishing the week, Tina and I decided to do Brad Gansberg’s 5K in 100 Days to help us get ready for the Run For Your Lives in October. I did my three running workouts this week, so even though I didn’t follow this one to the letter of the law, I followed it to the spirit of the law, and therefore, I am counting it.
3. Drink a gallon of water on at least four days.
FAIL. I have to keep working at this one. I came close on most days, but three full Nalgene bottles (around 96 ounces) is all I’ve done. And it’s not a case of my body doesn’t need the extra water – I’m actually frequently thirsty at work. I just don’t drink enough!
4. Eat a salad full of greens on at least five days.
SUCCESS! It was exactly five days, but I’m still counting it as a success. Some days it was literally just raw spinach with my Pink Ranger Dressing on it, but it was still full of greens. What’s Pink Ranger Dressing? Stay tuned. I’ll explain tomorrow!
5. Do yoga before bed at least three times.
FAIL. Didn’t even do yoga once. I did some stretches in the gym on their awesome stretching equipment, but no actual yoga. I plan to do better on that this week.
To sum up, $2 for me, $3 for you.
In the past, my goals often weren’t just concerned with health and fitness. They were frequently things that I was doing to better myself as a person or just have more fun. So… what are my goals this week?
1. Lose two pounds this week.
2. Go to the drive-in to see Captain America and Transformers AND take a healthy picnic.
3. Drink a gallon of water on at least four days.
4. Do yoga before bed at least three times.
5. Do three running workouts this week.
Why the drive-in goal? Well, Tina and I love the movies, and we’re fortunate enough to live in an area that actually has a drive-in.
Not our drive-in...
For $15, we can go and watch two movies, and this week, the two movies are ones that we’ve wanted to see since they were each released but haven’t made it to yet. However, drive-in picnic is usually consists of pretty poor food choices. This Friday night, we’re taking healthy food with us!
Have you ever had a healthy picnic? What did you pack?
Related Posts:
Mojo?
Have you ever suddenly realized that you haven’t even looked at your blog in about two weeks?
Yeah, me too.
Gotta get my mojo back. I have to run from zombies in what is quickly becoming just a few weeks.
Lost it. Don’t know where it went.
Weight is stable. That’s good, right? Hovering around the 372 mark.
Not rising. Not dropping either, though.
Will weigh in very briefly tomorrow.
I think I might have found my mojo, but I don’t want to jinx it.
I found it on my wife’s blog. She wants to lose weight, too. She doesn’t have nearly as much to lose as me.
I can’t help but feel responsible. I know that I am frequently her stumbling block.
I want us to have a healthy family together, and to do that, I’ve got to put down the chips and get back in the gym.
Wanna know something real funny?
I’m taking the test to become a personal trainer on August 13th. Seriously. I’ll certainly let you know how it goes!
Related Posts:
