The Quest Resumes



7-24-13 Read, Set...Go?

Today was the big day, the restart of my marathon training program after being derailed for several months.  I put on my running clothes.  I used my inhaler.  I got the correct cadence in my head for Chi running (180bpm).  Then I went outside....and made it to the end of the cul-de-sac before I ran out of breath.  

So I am definitely out of shape.  I walked/jogged around the block, about 3/4 of a mile.  I walked up the big hill, and tried to jog in place whenever I needed a break (every few yards).  My cadence was fine, but I know I didn't have the lean right. And I can't believe how out of shape I am.

But it was  a start.  And the good news is that my hamstrings didn't hurt.  I didn't do them any further damage that I could tell.  Admittedly, I didn't do much running, either, but hey, it's a start!

7-25-13 Doubling Down

I doubled my distance!  Okay, considering that my "distance" yesterday was about ten yards, that isn't saying much.  Still, I forced myself to go out and jog/walk around the block.  So far my longest jogging stretch is about two minutes nonstop, slightly downhill.

7-29-13 A New Low

Just when I think I can't possibly get any worse, I hit a new low.  I staggered around the block in five-yard increments this morning, stopping frequently to catch my breath.  I felt so weak and tired at one point that I feared I would collapse.  In fact, I was so slow that even the rabbits didn't bother to move out of my path!  This has to get better, right?

7-30-13 Running on Empty

There doesn't seem to be any correlation between how tired/sick/lazy I feel and how well I run. In fact, the reverse seems to be true: the more tired I am, the better I run.  What does that mean?

In any case, I jogged the neighborhood loop this morning, and despite feeling tired, I managed to do all right.  The loop is about 1.5 miles long.  I've divided it into three sections, separated by two hills.  I'm still walking up the hills, but can jog the rest, although I still have to stop and run in place frequently to catch my breath.

8-05-13 Heavy Breathing

Lots of heavy breathing this morning -- and not of the romantic type.  My lungs were on fire as I slogged around the block.  No improvement in my distance, either.  I'm still doing three half-mile intervals, or just under that distance, walking up the hills and stopping occasionally to jog in place.  I could use a boost here!

8-08-13 Where in the World Is That Runner’s High?

Runner's high: a feeling of euphoria that is experienced by some individuals engaged in strenuous running and that is held to be associated with a release of endorphins by the brain.

I guess the operative word in that definition is "some." I'm not experiencing anything even remotely resembling a state of euphoria.  All I feel is utter exhaustion -- and it isn't getting better as the days go by.  I'm starting to fear that the purported "high" has an expiration date...and it ran out decades ago!

8-12-13 No Euphoria Yet

After spending a three-day weekend resting and carbo-loading....I didn't see any improvement.  Well, that's not precisely accurate. I jogged in place fewer times as I slogged around the block.  But my lungs still burned, and I felt awful.  The rabbits could hear me coming from half a mile away.  One of these days I have to improve, don't I?

8-19-13 Mohammad and The Mountain

Mohammad has come to the mountain! I conquered the first of the two hills on my course, and ran ONE MILE NONSTOP!  Admittedly, it's just a small slope, nothing to get excited about,  but it sure felt like I was running up a mountain, especially since I forgot to use my inhaler before my run.  And better yet, I did it on my birthday.  So today, as I gasped and wheezed my way around the neighborhood, I had something else to celebrate besides my last year in my 50's.  I can actually run a mile!

8-20-13 The Diesel Feud

No matter what time I go on my run, a neighbor with a big pickup truck always drives past me, enveloping me in diesel fumes.  I'm beginning to suspect that he watches for me to leave the house so he can time his departure with mine.  But despite the daily dose of carcinogens, I made it up both hills and around the block this morning -- A MILE AND A HALF NONSTOP! 

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