Incentive

As a way of motivating myself to stick to my run streak, I have bet $99 on me. If I don't run every day, $11 each week that I miss that goal will go to Maggie Gallagher's group, iMAPP. This is an awful thought. Not only would I be out the money, but that money would go to someone who actively hates me. This is a modern way of using a stick as motivation.

I have a carrot already. Everyone has a carrot for motivation to work out. We all know it will make us feel better, lower our health care costs, increase longevity and many other positive outcomes. It's a bit harder to find a stick for working out, though. Most negatives for being lazy are not experienced immediately. No one wants to hire someone to physically threaten them for laziness, either. Luckily. StickK has come along to fix this.

It works on a simple concept. People set goals and can set financial penalties for not hitting those goals. The money can be sent to a random charity, a friend, a foe, or to a charity that makes your skin crawl. I don't have any foes, wouldn't mind donating to a friend or random charity, so I picked the stomach-turning charity option. The idea of Maggie Gallagher having any of my money makes me physically ill. That should motivate me to keep my run streak up.

This site lets you have a friend ref your commitment, so you could easily set it up as a bet on who will work out according to an agreement. It really looks like a good site. Not sure how they make money, though. Unless it's all still just a continuation of their acedemic study. Regardless, I now have a stick to help keep me motivated. The carrot is trying to get my running speed to improve so I can finish the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in under 4 hours.

Treadmill

I am avoiding the winter temperatures and darkness by running on the treadmill. I don't like it at all, but will continue to use it until it gets warmer outside. It's a battle between two things I dislike and picking the one that's less awful and safer. Treadmills inside are much safer than running in the dark. It's also less hassle because I don't need a ton of winter clothing to protect myself. I can run in shorts and a singlet.

Most articles on running will tell you to put the incline at 1% grade to simulate running on flat terrain. Because the motor will carry you part of every step, you need the slight incline to overcome that assist. I have a run scheduled in February that will involve hills, something hard to find in Chicago, so I'm setting the treadmill on an incline of 2%. This is such a small number, but it was surprisingly tough. My first attempt at incline put it up to 15%, but that almost killed me. That made me do a bit of reasearch to understand what that number actually means. Each percentage point is 52.8 feet rise over 5,280 feet (mile) run. The Tour de France doesn't appear to have anything higher than 8%.

I ran a full 5K yesterday and it took me 34:30. I'm not sure if that's because of the grade, or because of it being a treadmill. Whenever I took the speed over 10 minute miles, I ended up too close to the front and hit it. I think that was because I was afraid of falling off the back. I know that fear kept me from getting as full of a stride as I would like. I was afraid that if I tried for a higher back kick, I wouldn't get my leg back in time and I would go shooting into the wall. I think I'd feel better if the treadmill were longer.

I think that more time spent on the treadmill will make me more comfortable, which should help me bring that time down to something closer to 30:00, if not lower. My goal for an outdoor 5K time at the end of April is 25:00. I know that running on an inclined treadmill is hard to translate to flat outdoor running, but any improvement in my time will be a good thing. I know I will get in a few outdoor runs during winter, but since the bulk will be on the treadmill, I will use that to gauge improvement.

5K Double Header

On Saturday, I will be running in two 5Ks. I cross the starting line of my first one at the Klement's Sausage House right by Miller Park in Milwaukee. That's at 8am. At 6:30pm I will cross the starting line of the second race on Lombardi Avenue by Lambeau Field. I am hoping for some big things from these races. I am postponing my 16 mile team run until Monday after work, so I want it to be worth it.

Last year, I ran the Lambeau Field 5K a week after the 16 mile run and I was still in pain. I probably had a stress fracture in my femur already, just didn't realize it. I still managed to finish the 5K in 33 minutes, but that was the last real run I had until November. That was a long time without running. I don't have any of those problems this year at all. I am not walking with a limp, and only have a slight tweak in one thigh, but only after I run.

I have never really said this before a race before, but I want a personal record (PR) on Saturday. The last 5K I ran was at the end of April and I finished in 28:43, for a 9:15 pace. That is my PR and it was almost 40 seconds faster than before. I did run a timed 3 miles a week after I set that PR and finished a bit faster than 9:15 per mile. I think I can run faster than that on Saturday. I don't think I can do it in both races, but in the morning one. I know that running at 6:30 after driving and an earlier 5K may slow me down.
I don't know what time I am setting as my goal. In reality, 28:42 would be great, because it would be my new PR. However, I know that won't make me truly happy. I shaved almost 40 seconds with my last PR, so 28:00 would be amazing. That would put me in the top 10% of my age bracket, something I never really imagined. I just have to average 9 minutes per mile. I think I can do that. It is only 3.1 miles.

After thinking about this for a while, I really want to break 28 minutes. I will be shooting for 9 minute miles. I've come close to that pace for that distance before, I can do it again. I will post tomorrow to let you know how I did.

Day 57C--10 MIles

I cannot believe that I ran 10 miles yesterday. It went really well. Ran all the way from Foster down to the North Avenue Beach House. We were a bit off our pace, but we stopped for two bathroom breaks and three water breaks. Weirdly, even though it was hotter than last week, the last two miles were no harder than any of the previous miles. In fact, the last mile went better than all the other 9 miles. The hardest part was running up the ramp onto the bridge over Lake Shore Drive. It was also the most rewarding, because the view of the city was fabulous from the middle of the bridge. Plus, some of my pace group did Rocky dances when they reached the top.

I mapped out 10 miles on my hometown and realized it's pretty close to the distance that I would bike on occasion, thinking it was a ridiculously long distance. And now I ran that distance. I feel amazing for having done that. I know pride is a sin, but I feel super proud. I also spent most of yesterday feeling really sore. My hips, knees and muscles were all sore, but they're much better today.

Day 25C--Missed goals

I didn't run at all this weekend. It's been over a week since my last run. Not good. I just found out my official schedule for my marathon training and I still think I'm ok, even without last week's run. The schedule wants me to run 30-45 minutes on the 2nd & 4th of May and then run 3 miles on the 7th. I can do that without issues. I'm supposed to do some non-impact cross-training on the 1st, 3rd & 5th of May. My options for those non-running days are weight lifting, cycling, rowing and yoga. I think I'll be able to handle that, too. I should really add some yoga or even pilates to my workout to strengthen my core and improve my flexibility. I'm sure that will help with my running.

Day 23C--New run goal

I plan on running home from work today, but taking the lake path instead of city streets. That adds about .8 miles to the run. Instead of 6.5 miles, it's 7.3 miles. It's also colder & windier. Most of my training runs will be on the lakefront, so I really need to stop being a wimp and just run regardless of the weather. I did bring a sweatshirt, running pants, gloves and a headband for my ears, so I think I will be able to handle the cold. I will run with my GPS on because the map I used to calculate the 7.3 miles uses the road and not the running path. If I remember from when I used to bike this way, it's closer to 7.5 or 7.6 miles.

Update: My goal remains the same, but I'm going to tackle the run on Thursday. The weather is supposed to be a bit warmer and less chance of rain.

Day 19C--Today's Run Goal

I wanted to set my goal at six miles today, but to do that as a run home from work, I'd end up taking the train one stop, or a bus 1/2 mile and then beginning the run home. After walking to the stop and waiting for the CTA, it's just easier to add that short distance to my run. Since I plan on doing a run/walk the entire time, I'm not worried about the larger jump in distance compared to last week's big run. Now that I've explained the reasoning, let me give you the actual goal for today: 6.54 miles. Here's the map of the run. My time goal is 80 minutes, which is 12:13 per mile. It's a bit slower than last week, but it's a much longer run, with many more stop lights. I'm sure I could get a better pace if I took the lakefront path, but that adds a mile to my route. I'll consider that for next week, or the week after that.
I know the 10% rule, but want to assure everyone reading this that I will listen to my body and stop if I have ANY issues. I bought Body Glide, so that should eliminate the chafing issue I've been having. I make sure to bring my wallet & phone with me, so I can bail out of my run and catch a bus at any point.

Day 16C--Today's Run Goals

I hope to get a long run in this afternoon. My plan is to take the train most of the way home and then run the rest of the way. Most may be an exaggeration, though. The route I've planned is 4.79 miles of running and I live about 7 miles from work. I really hope the weather will hold out so I'm not running in the rain. This will be the longest run of my life, so I'm expecting to do a decent amount of walking in between bursts of running. As for time, I'm hoping to finish in 65 minutes or less. That's a 13:40 mile or under 4 1/2 mph. When I state it that way, I want to change my goal to under 60 minutes for a 12:00 mile, 5 mph, instead. It would be great if I could finish in 55 minutes, and maintain the 11 minute mile that I've been running. I will aim for that time, but be ok if I get the 60-65 minutes.

Day 13C--Running

I ran one mile yesterday, then walked a bit to cool down. I ran my mile in 9:57, which is right at the goal I set. I didn't run farther than that because I have a three mile run scheduled for Saturday morning. That will be my longest outside run this year. I will be running with a group of runners, which should help push me farther than the treadmill does.
I also figured out my resting heart rate yesterday, so I'll be updating that blog post with the new numbers.
My fund raising is still moving; received a donation online today and one offline. If anyone wants to send in a check as a donation, let me know and I can get you the details on how to do that.

Day 10C--Goal Hit

I ran my four miles on the treadmill yesterday and did it in 44 minutes. That's an 11:00 pace, which is the best pace I've managed this year. It's also the longest distance I've ever run at one time. I actually kept the pace the same throughout most of my run. I finished the first half just shy of 22 minutes and the third mile right around 32 minutes. That was my fastest mile, but not by a huge margin.
I do hope to get in a short run or two this week, but don't want to push myself too hard, too fast. I feel great today, even though I pushed hard yesterday, but don't want to push so hard that I injure myself. I'm not sore at all and feel like the running is already improving my posture. I have been working on my core muscles a bit, too. I did a plank this weekend and held it for 42 seconds, even though the dogs kept running into me. I'm hoping to increase my plank on my non-running days. I've been reading that improving core strength can improve running speeds.

Day 9C--Treadmills

After some consultation with runners, I've decided to mainly work on increasing my distance before I start my official marathon training. I was told to shoot for being able to run between 6-8 miles before April 30th. That means I need to increase my maximum distance by 5 miles over the next 5 weeks. That makes goal setting fairly easy. I will try to run 4 miles this afternoon on the treadmills. Instead of the 5.4 mph pace I ran last week, I will set the treadmill at 5.5 mph. It's not much faster, but I do want to increase my speed a bit, while still increasing my distance. Plus, if I don't increase my speed a bit while increasing my distance, my runs will be taking hours and hours. At 5.5 mph, 4 miles will take me about 45 minutes. That means I won't get home from work until 6:15-6:30, an hour or so after I normally get home. If I can hit both of those goals today, I can do some shorter runs later this week and work on speeding them up.

Day 3C-Recovery

I spent yesterday recovering from my short run on Wednesday. My throat hurt from coughing during and after the run. My muscles hurt from the run and from the cleaning I've been doing around my office. I'd run today, but have bowling right after work, so I'll get back out there tomorrow. I want to get used to running early on Saturday morning, because that's when my training runs will be held. I do enjoy having a solid goal, and after I get donations, people I'm accountable to for that goal.

Day 113--Measurements

Someone pointed out to me that I've been lax in updating my blog. I decided today would be a good day to update everyone on my status. I'm still running, and continually improving my speed and distance. I also noticed that I haven't done any measurements since Tax Day. That's 2 1/2 months ago. Time to remeasure and see if biking to work and running has made any difference there.

My weight is at 128.3 pounds. Still not at the goal of 120, but well within a healthy range.

Waist still 29 1/2, Hips 37 1/2 (Down 1/2 inch) Weirdly, that pushed my waist to hip ratio higher, which is worse, even though I've lost weight and inches.

My body fat percentage is 27%, which is still a few percentage points above the ideal of max of 22%.

All of my other measurements are the same.

I think there are more telling things than the actual measurements, though. The fact that I haven't thought about my measurements for months is a sign that I'm viewing the process as the destination. I'm working out to work out, not to lose weight or inches. I'm enjoying running and cycling. I love that my body can do more things than it could do at the beginning of the year. I love that I can run farther and faster than before and that my speed and distance are constantly improving. I wouldn't dare suggest that I've achieved a perfect body, but I love my body. I think I'm back to the beginning when I couldn't actually define what "perfection" is in any concrete way.

Day 111--Race Day (#3)

I did not hit any of my goals today at all. It turns out that running a 5K after a week of food poisoning is not easy at all. I managed to finish, and my time wasn't horrific, but I wasn't in the top ten for my age group, or under 29 minutes. I suppose I should be happy with my 32:11, but it's a few minutes slower than my last outing and I really hoped to shave some time off.

I'm also 10 miles behind in my goal of averaging a mile a day, every day in June. I could still hit my goal, but only by running over 3 miles each day Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. I won't get a run in tomorrow because I'll be heading to the Pride Parade early tomorrow, and that will be my entire day.

My vacation set me back a bit, which I was expecting, but the food poisoning was not something I had expected. It wasn't the worst case that anyone's ever had, so I was able to keep eating some after it hit. That's the bright side of it. I guess the bad side is that I didn't lose much weight during it. :)

Day 108--Back to the bike

I'm 5 miles behind in my goal of running a mile a day, every day this month. I planned on getting in a long run this weekend to get caught up, but it rained and rained. I may have to run a 5K or more when I get home from work to make up some ground. I'm not sure how much running I'll get in next week when I'm on vacation. The hotel does have a small gym with a treadmill, so I will pack running shoes and clothes so I don't have that as an excuse. I may still have exhaustion, time and alcohol as ready excuses though.

I weighed in this weekend and my weight stayed the same over the last week. I really don't think I'll get back to 120 before July 1st. I have lost some weight this month, which should make me happy, but I really wanted to hit 120. I may be able to hit the 125 that's on my driver's license, though.

Day 106--Mile Run

I ran my mile in 8:18 today. That's over 10 seconds faster than my prior best time. I'm starting to think that 8:00 is really doable by the end of the month. That makes me feel better, because I'm less confident about my other goals. My weight does seem to be coming down, but still need about 8 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks. That's a pretty big loss in a short time. I will hit the mile a day average, but can't guarantee my standings in my 5K in June. I hope that my other goals will help me improve my race-day standings, but the standings have the "other runners" factor that I can't control. I plan on a long run again this weekend, which is something I hadn't done before, but seems to be part of everyone's 5K training plans.

Day 105--Big Run

I ran 4 1/4 miles yesterday in 55 minutes, which included an ATM stop. That got me back up to date on my mile a day goal. It was my longest run to date and I felt ok when it was done. This makes me think that joining my friend Kate in her 10K in September may be doable. My weight has come down a bit, too. I'm really close to 128, only 25 more days to lose the last 8 pounds. That's going to be a tough number to hit. My arms are starting to show more definition. I'm getting what I'd call runner's arms. I really need to get back in to the EA active for Wii, though. I tried to test my overall fitness using a test in Runners Magazine and I still can't do a real push-up with any decent form at all. I'm also losing flexibility. I really need to start stretching after my morning runs when my muscles are warm. Maybe the extra activity will help with the weight loss goals.

Day 104--Running

I tried running with Willie, and she is not good. She can't make it much farther than a block, and she doesn't follow a straight line at all. Once she gets a bit tuckered out, she tries to grab her leash, which is cute, but dangerous when I'm running. She dead stops in front of me and jumps at my hand to bite the leash. I will work with her to break her of that habit and to increase her stamina so we can run farther than a block.

I ran a mile on the treadmill this morning and I'm still at 8:30. That's the same pace I was at last week, which is going to make the 8:00 goal by 7/1/10 to be hard to meet. Maybe increasing the distance I run will help, too. I'm hoping to run to The Green City Market tomorrow. That's 4 miles away, and then I still have to get home. That will probably be a bus or walking. That will be my first real run longer than 3 miles.

Day 102--Weight Loss

My weight is exactly at the same point it was in mid-April. If I'm going to hit my weight goal of 120 pounds, I have decided to keep a food/exercise log for the next month. I did the math and if I do nothing but sit on my butt all day and watch TV, I would only be able to eat 124 calories a day if I wanted to lose the last 10 1/2 pounds by the end of June. I don't plan on sitting all day, so I will easily be able to eat closer to 1500-2000 calories a day and still lose the weight. I just need to make sure that I get in plenty of exercise. The more I exercise, the more food I'm able to eat and still lose weight. It's only for one month, so I think I can manage to stick with it. I'm sure I'll drive some people crazy this next month, but I hope to keep that side-effect to a minimum.

Day 101--Pushed too far

I think I pushed myself a bit too far on Wednesday. That, and my dog Otto running me into a wrought iron fence, seemed to have knocked me down. The pre-paint taping of my friend's apartment ceiling may have contributed, too. I biked to work yesterday, but didn't run on the treadmill at all. I walked about a mile, but at a pretty slow pace. I biked home, but the last few miles were a huge struggle. I was exhausted. I decided to take the train into work today to recharge my battery. I'm hoping that one day of rest will be enough. It was enough for God when he created the world, so it should be enough for me. I will make up for the two days of missed running this weekend by running at least two miles each day. It works out that the place I'm painting is almost exactly two miles from my place, so if I run there and back one day, I'll get back on schedule.

I'm also resigned to the fact that I'll have to start keeping a food log. I can't rely on estimates to get rid of the last 10 pounds. I'll see if I can find one online that works for me, or if I'll have to create my own in Excel. Maybe my phone has an app that will work.