Wow, it has been a long period once again since I have updated my blog.  Where to start? Class is done for the summer(yahoo!), I somehow injured my ankle a few weeks ago, and I have a 5k in two days.  My ankle injury was more a sprain that happen a few weeks ago, I took a two weeks off from running and was quite surprised to see how much I lost my endurance level for running.  My return to running was light and easy, 3 miles, and that proved to be fairly difficult with myself not able to run the entire distance without a short walk break.  That was over a week ago, and my last run this morning was almost back to normal.

Buck Creek 5k Run is Friday and my second road race.  Seems like this race has a few hundred runners verses the thousands the Riverbank had. My goal is break 30 minutes, which I believe is possible.  Recalling the course, it is fairly flat without the hills that the Riverbank threw my way.  I look forward to it and will have a great time regardless of my actually time.  Looking down the road, I am signed up for Grand Rapids Half-Marathon in October which will be big milestone in my running career.

More later…

I often wondered when and what my first running related injury would be and now I know. My last run was 4 days ago, a simple 5 mile run nothing to exciting and nothing out of the ordinary.  My memory does not even bring back a particular step that caused it.  For the record, my left ankle has been sore to varying degrees from mildly sore to almost “hey what are you doing!”.  But seeing how I have a backpacking trip next weekend and a 5k run in a couple of weeks I decide to put the brakes on my running.  I do know that if I take some ibuprofen, I could run without even having any pain or anything, but I am being cautious and taking a few days off to see how it goes. I probably should go see my doctor and I might still.  Bottom line is it sucks not running, I feel like I am missing out on something that has become a part of my routine.  I have come to enjoy my time alone running, being able to sort things out in my head.  More to come…

Well I have been away from my blog for a bit.  The Riverbank Run is behind me now along with my first 5k race.  My time was 32:21 which is better than I predicted in my last post.  It was a very satisfying run and the experience of running with thousands was something that will be with me for the rest of my life. I can confidently say now that I am a runner, I have really come to enjoy it.  So next up is going to be the Buck Creek Run on July 3rd.  My goals is to break 30:00 which I think is really possible over the next 8 weeks.  I have also started to increase my runs with the ultimate goal of running a full marathon.  That might be a couple of years from now or next year, I will have to see where my training goes.  Another exciting area for me is that my wife, Brenda, has started to run also.  I think that is great and look forward to having her run with me and we both work on a healthy lifestyle together. That is it for now.

Been a while since I have last wrote, but here I am with one week until the Riverbank 5k.  My training has gone pretty well, though I could have been more dedicated the last couple of weeks.  I have been still getting 3 runs in a week, mostly outside since the weather has become very receptive to that.  Though I could be cross training and eating better, but compared to what shape I was in 6 months ago, this is going well.

I did add to my running gear: a Nathan Hydration Belt with (2)10-oz bottles.  This has been a great addition for my running experience.  Before I would start to dry out and that would start to affect by pace, endurance, and mental game.  Now I feel like I can go for a longer run, non-stop and not have anything holding me back.

My current pace is around 11 minutes and I feel I can at least do that at the Riverbank if not a touch faster.  So with one week to go, I am going to predict my 5k time is going to be between 33:30 and 34:30. See you at the line!

With just over a month to go before the Riverbank run for me, I am starting to see all the benefits to training.  My 5k time is getting into the 35min range which is where I wanted to be at a minimum for the race itself.  My running endurance is getting to points I have not been at in over  a decade.  What a great feeling it is now to be getting ‘fit’.  My weight is coming off slowly, but steadily, just need to keep at.  Even looking beyond the Riverbank, I will continue my training for better times and longer events.  I am looking for other 5k’s to run this year, which will give me something to aim for and continue my fitness journey. I also have the 3 day backpacking trip in August which I will see major differences doing compared to last years backpacking trip. More to come…

I am still on track to run the Riverbank 5k on May 9th.  Over the past few weeks I have been making the shift to outdoor running.  If any runner reads this they know what I am about to say.  Treadmills and outdoor running are different! I was not really sure how different, but sufficed to say they are different and outdoor is proving to be a bigger challenge that I thought.  But with each run, it gets easier and more enjoyable.  I am mostly ‘just’ running 5k at a time, but this is more to get myself ready for the Riverbank.  Looking beyond the race, I want to start increasing my daily runs and the frequency of them. 

I cannot wait for the weather to improve and actually get warmer, that will make things much better for me. I have always known I have asthma and dealing with this as I become a runner is a challenge, especially with the colder temps.  But I am making progress listening to my body and figuring out the best way to breathe while running.  For myself at the moment it is best when I breathe totally with my mouth so I can grab as much air as possible to get the oxygen to the muscles(or lack of them).

That is all for now, but if anyone actually reads this, I will work on making more frequent postings about my progress.  Speaking of progress, the weight is coming off, slowly but surely. For the record it is currently around 30lbs from when I started this lifestyle change.  It took years to pack it on and it is going to take time to get it off again.  Not easy when your in mid-30s, and things are already starting to go downhill!

I have always thought that going to a store like Footlocker, Meijer, Kohl’s and getting the type of shoe you needed(dress, boots, running) was a pretty simple matter. For that matter I thought a shoe was a shoe and that all these specialty stores were a reason to raise the price and make a little better profit. Or a place for the elite to hang out and talk amongst themselves. Oh was I a wrong.

I have been doing plenty of reading on runnersworld.com and listening to some fellow runners I know and they all said the same thing: get fitted for the proper running shoe.  Not doing so could possibly lead to injury, discomfort, or inefficient running. I thought about this for a little bit, I had just purchased some running shoes at a department store and thought they were “perfect” for me. The first couple of times running, I felt discomfort and something not “right”. I brushed those thoughts off thinking it was just a result of breaking in the new shoes.  After a few more times running and the same feeling, I decide to take the advice and go get fitted.

I went down to Gazelle sports and stood there feeling a little out of place. I was surrounded by obvious hard core runners and wall full of shoes by manufactures I never heard of before.  So I stood around the shoe area until a worker named Jeff ask if I need help. I explained why I was there and before long, he was having me do all sorts of things to figure out what kind of shoes I needed.  In the end I walked out with some Saucony running shoes and some different insoles. I was beyond impressed with the service I received.

My first day running with my new shoes was a little short do to some cold weather induced asthma. But outside of that, my feet felt a little different for the first 5 or 10 minutes, which I figured was more a break-in period.  After that I felt better and better as the run went on.  I feel I did the right thing getting fitted for the proper shoe and highly recommend it to anyone going make running a part of their life.  With around 10 weeks left before my first 5k I need to stay focused and injure free!

Been a bit since I last wrote, so catching up is in order. My workouts are getting better by the week, I am up to a 7 minute running / 1 minute walk interval.  I am feeling good during and afterwards, a little sore, but no injures. It is tough not to go faster/longer, I know I would pay the price.  Just need to keep focus on building up my endurance and ability gradually.

I got my birthday present a bit early, a Garmin Forerunner 305. Unfortunately I have not tried it out yet, due to the weather(yeah I know excuses!) I really look forward to moving my running outside and using these neat device to its fullest.  Technology can be a great motivator and tool in training.  Once I get a chance to use it a few times I will post a small review on it.

To further motivate myself into becoming more fit, embrace a healthy lifestyle, and to become a better runner; I have registered for the the Riverbank 5k on May 9.  I cannot think of a better way for myself to achieve my fitness goals than to have a destination that is real.  Not to mention I had to pay entry fees to do this, so there is money on the line.

As further encouragement and a little accountability, my brother Pat is also going to run this also.  Since we have always been somewhat competitive with each other, failure is not an option.  Mostly me, since I have signed up, but I will be egging him on until he signs up.  So for both of us, getting into better shape and keeping up with the other is going to be a driving force.

I was hoping to get some time in this weekend at the gym or at the very least at home.  Saturday turned into a long day at the store and a reload of my home computer.  Sunday was busy also and by the time I started to think I had time to get some exercise in, it was 11:00pm.  So I instead opted for some sleep, which is important also.

I did not do anything crazy eating-wise, I had sensible amounts of food, and fairly healthy stuff too.  I think that is going pretty well, knowing how to control my appetite.  Overall, I have been adding more fruits, veggies, nuts, and lean mean into my meals.  So, no failure there this weekend.

Hopefully this will be a good week at the gym, I am positioning myself more and more into running, so that is going to be the direction and focus over the next few months.  Big reason is the Riverbank 5k coming up in May (88 days). But also after thinking about and read a Runners magazine I think that is a exercise that fits me well and will help me to achieve my health and fitness goals.