Running: A Fever

I discuss my weight and how that affects what I can do at this point in my journey. Losing weight is a conundrum. I need to have enough nutrition to do the exercise I need to do, but eating lighter will help me lose weight faster, which would make working out easier. So far I haven’t found a new part of the course. Pain is part of this process, but sometimes running helps me feel better. I get into a routine of drinking water, 20oz pre-run, 40oz post-run. Weight: 271 Workout time: 38 min Distance (total): 1.87 Miles Run Portion: 1.25 minute Heart Rate (min/max all day): 62/95 Steps: 7112 Goal: To run 11.5 miles in one day by 11/18/18

Back from Thanksgiving after three days off, I get right back in to the swing of things. What happened? It was the taking of Dad’s advice combined with the usual holiday temptations. Christmas? Who knows? But I’m not giving up and waiting for a new year’s resolution. Great weather today. I was planning to find a place to park so I could start at a different part of the course. Though I was unsuccessful, it gave me a chance to talk about stretching, both static and dynamic. On the trail, an easy warmup leads to a one-minute run, which is progress according to my plan of adding fifteen seconds each day. A review of exercise, or the lack thereof, over the weekend, and a look forward to exercise with the family at Christmas. I get to know the trail a little better and find a map that tells me how to get to another part of the course next time. Starting again after a several-day break is a little challenging, but the important thing is that I am right back into it. LIVE MATH! Not my strong suit, but perhaps my att

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend I went out walking one day with my Father, who offered some advice on moderation in exercise. In accord with Southern tradition, my family calls me by my middle name Brent, because my father and I have the same first and last names. It may be enough to work out several times a week to give my body time to recover and rebuild before the next workout. But developing a habit of regular exercise is also a good idea. Weight: 269 Time: 25 minutes Distance (total): 1.11 miles Run portion: .75 minutes Heart Rate (min/max): 77/90 Goal: To run 11.5 miles in one day by 11/18/18

I express concern about having something come up that forces me to not work out one day, and having that turn into a lot of days. I talk about the book Living Forward by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy and my priority for physical fitness. Goals and habits are important. Both good and bad habits are hard to break. But it takes time to establish a habit and I haven’t been doing this for very long. Weight: 267 Time: 31 minutes Distance (total): 1.25 miles Run portion: .5 minutes Heart Rate (min/max): 66/85 Goal: To run 11.5 miles in one day by 11/18/18

“I’m just like Joe Cool. I’m lookin’ good today, I’m feelin’ good, it’s another beautiful day.” Daniel J. Lewis is the RSS Guru. 10,000 steps per day is considered a good amount of exercise. But even walking a mile and a half of intentional exercise, I have not achieved that yet. Wearing the super-cool, ultra-groovy opthalmalogical sunglasses, I went for a record 1.5 miles at a faster pace (possibly because I was looking so darn cool). Speeding up the pace is something I am trying to do each day because that will get me to running more, instead of walking most of the workout. But I also want to be sure I walk enough to warm up before running. My gear watch was more useful today, discovered it will remind me when I am slowing down.   Weight: 269 Water: 20 ounces Distance (total): 1.5 miles Run: 15 seconds Goal: 11.5-mile run in a day by 11/18/18

Did I start gradually enough? I may be walking for at least a week, but I want to start doing some running at least during part of the workout as soon as I can. Getting ready for Thanksgiving. How will I handle the unhealthy food choices and tendencies toward just sitting around napping and watching the football games? I take a more challenging part of the course with inclines, and decide that I will set a specific goal to achieve in the next year. I feel good after the run. This is Sunday and there are a lot of people out on the trail on this almost cloudless, cold day. Weight: 269 Distance: 1 Mile Goal: To run two laps around the 5.75-mile course around Lake Fayetteville by 11/19/18 (one year from today).

“There it is, my first run!” Another beautiful day for a walk/run. Objective is to push myself a little more, and add some distance. I learn how far I am walking by using signs on the course. I vow to track performance in the future. For the first time since I started this project, I run, if only for a few seconds. Nobody knows everything about running, so sometimes you just have a try something and see how it works out. This is how I learn and progress. As always, I want to avoid injury so I can continue running indefinitely. Our bodies are efficient and get used to our routine pace and distance, so to prepare for higher performance we must vary that routine so our systems can adjust. I am still trying to figure out what my goals are, and just trying to continue improvement. I am hoping that running will help me be healthier, and part of that is losing weight, so I’m going to track that. I experienced some back pain, and also vow to drink more water. Distance: 1+ Mile Weight: 268 Heart Rate: Unknown

“I’m not going to have the attitude that I’m not going to run. I’m definitely going to run.” I go out on the trail for the first time, discover Lake Fayetteville and think about thinking about running while walking. It’s important to have a goal, only if you want to achieve it. My goals are to be healthy, to be flexible and strong enough and fit enough to do things I want to do, like maybe playing disk golf or riding a bike. I see people running around the lake and I’m inspired, I want to be like them. But I crawled before I was able to walk, and I have to walk before I can run. Not everyone who starts a race finishes, but everyone who finishes definitely starts. This is my start.

Just a preview of what's coming in the podcast.