Yikes

Ok, so Im checking in just to keep everything working in good faith here. The 1st official bump in the road happened, as after last Tuesday my legs felt like crap and I was feeling sort of weak and tired for a couple days, so I decided to take a few days off and let myself get back to normal, also I thought I might be comin down with a little somethin. Then Saturday consisted of waiting around the airport, flying to Chicago, and then driving 6 1/2 hours just to get to beautiful Ohio at 6:30 in the morning. Upon waking up at 6 p.m. I immediately took the1st opportunity to go out and get rip-roaring drunk off some crazy 9.5 % beer/barley wine, and consequently I've been feeling like a pile of ass for most of today, and so declined an invitation to go to the gym. I did motivate to do a little time on my dad's LifeCycle, but I think something might be wrong with the machine as the levels didnt seem to be giving the right amount of resistence so I gave up on that after a few minutes, the thing is like 13 years old or somethin. So in summary, I've been sort of a bad boy, but wtf are you gonna do? Just gotta make sure to get out to my dad's gym 3 times in the next week and all should be ok. I also dusted off another pack of smokes on Sunday night, but so far I havent had much trouble being smoke free when Im just hanging out around the house, hopin that keeps up.

L8s X

So today I was feelin some xtra juice again, and figured an extra day would be swell, so I got out without a rest day for the 1st time. Unfortunately, once I got out my left quad was givin me a little trouble. I didnt pull it, I dont think, but I pulled my quads in both legs playing high school basketball, and they've never been quite the same since. Consequently, I did the whole 30 minutes, but I shaved off the last run and basically did the routine that was designated for yesterday. That would leave only 1 or two minutes before my trip, so maybe doin some exercise bike will be good for me after all, while not reducing me back to ground zero. I've been trying to find some equivalent of this blog elsewhere online to see how other runners fare when starting from absolute nothing, but it seems most running blogs are christianed when the guy is already doing 5 and 10K races and is looking forward to half and full marathons. Ummmm, ya not quite there yet. My leg issues also make me think that my idea for finding a better running venue is all the more warranted. I guess I could either get a bike, drive there, or do a longer warm up and small jog to get there and then do most of the running on grass. There's a Mar Vista Park and also one in Cheviot Hills that I have in mind, but Im not sure either has a place or path specifically designated for runners. Concrete sidewalks seem to be about the worst option, and thats what Im dealing with at the moment, unless I go late at night and then its asphalt. Oh well, this is alot of boring shit to deal with but I guess thats what running is all about :). On a related depressing note, my Fing stopwatch still hasnt arrived b/c some jackass evidently decided to somehow hack into my eBay account and change my primary shipping address to some place in Wenham, Massachusetts. Naturally, I bought 3 things before I noticed that this had taken place, the last of which put me out 60 bucks so we'll see what Paypal/eBay is prepared to do about this, most likely nothing even though this is an obvious case of a breach of their security, as I have never written down or told my passwords for either to anyone ever. Weak.

Papa needs a new pair o' shoes

I felt pretty good again today. I was a little worried I might be beat after drinking too much on Saturday, and having smoked a pack and a half this weekend, but this was the "recovery day" as prescribed by the program so no big deal. As it turned out, I felt good, and actually ran a couple minutes longer than I was supposed to just cuz I had the extra energy and felt like it. Funky tracks from "Talking Book"=good for running, sappy tracks=FF. I've probably only got 2 running days before I go back to Columbus, so unfortunately the 2 week break is gonna fall exactly before my running load actually picks up to some remotely reasonable, challenging level. I guess its possible I could maybe make it to the gym w/Papa bear and work it on the track, but otherwise I'll just try and do reasonable stints on the bike and hopefully it'll maintain if not improve my jogging by the time I get back. When I get back, maybe Ill also map out some sort of distance thing so I have an idea of how far Im going. I was also toying with the idea of maybe getting down to one of the local parks since when the running time picks up these concrete sidewalks might be a little hard on my knees and shins. Ah well, s'goin good, hope my vacation doesnt fuck it up.

# of the Beast

Today was supposed to be an off day for me (all the running sites preach the gospel of "rest" days) but as it is the beginning of the weekend and b/c I was actually feeling a little restless energy (que???) I decided to go out before I do anything tonight. 1st, I made my christening use of the juice box and juiced an entire 5 LB. bag of carrots in on go. For those of you who are complete dorks and are wondering, it makes about 60 oz. or so of crack cocaine, also known as fresh carrot juice. Sure, it'll turn your poo a shade naranja, but more importantly it'll make your deadbeat ass feel all bright-eyed and bushy tail like. Anyway, I gulped down a pint of that sheez, and did my walk run gig, this time mostly to "Exile on Mainstreet", a classic which I initially marginalized by calling "uneven" yaddayaddayadda, whatever I was an idiot its awesome. The production isnt that clean, so it takes a little getting used to, but its a quality that eventually becomes endearing. Anyway, throughout the run I felt...........................................
Really fucking good actually??????? Wow. I actually winded myself going a little longer on the last leg but I did the rest no sweat and in general felt pretty refreshed afterwards. I've also been looking at some of the other online running programs, and Im pretty glad that Ive chosen the one I have. One has a "couch potato" doing a 5k in 9 weeks, but this I simply cannot see, given the initial shape I was in. In all honesty, I will be very extremely satisfied AND surprised if I can comfortably run a 30 minute 5K after 45 seshes as this plan lays out. I guess I don't have any reason to be all the skeptical since Ive never really tried the whole thing before, but its more running by far than I've ever done in my life, so I'll believe it when I see it. The next week should also be nice and easy for me as the time levels off for a week before jumping up 3 minutes/week for the next 3 weeks after that. Alright, guess thats its for now, so far so good. Im probably leaving for Ohio around next Saturday, so mi papa's lifecycle has my name on it I guess, lest all this noncents go to waste.

Cinco

So day 5 is lookin a little bit up. Still had to motivate a little bit to get out, and my iPod ran out of juice 30 seconds into my run (goddam night light eats all my juice, and in the pejorative sense too) but once I was out I defintely felt a little more energized during the middle of the sesh. Maybe I have my juiceman partially to thank, as I drank about 9 carrots an hour before I went out, and that always gives me a nice little fix. I haven't gotten fully dedicated to juicing yet, but today was the 3rd time I've done it in the last couple weeks, and I think its well worth it. I even picked up one of those big plastic juice container things at Albertson's last week, as juicing and cleaning is sort of a pain that you wouldnt want to have to endure every day, so maybe Ill get gung ho and start making 4-5 days worth at a time. Im still getting winded/tired by the end of each of my 2 MINUTE RUNS, lol, and checking my heart rate periodically, which gets up to 180 after each run. Come on body, play along, do it.... Do It. Im looking forward to the extra pent up energy that I used to have that makes me WANT to get out and move around, should just be another week or two more. Other than juicing, I havent really bothered changing much of my manly man meat and potatoes heart attack diet, but I have been cooking at home alot more, and hooking up stuff from my "How to Make Everything" cookbook. Generally speaking, though, it usually just comes down to some combination of eggs, meat, potatoes, cheese, butter, pasta, and bread, with the occasional onion, mushroom, and asparagus thrown in. 'Tevs, Yawging and not smoking is about as much as I can handle for the time being. On the smoking tip, I been chomping my gum like a good little kid at the Methadone clinic, and my cravings have really been pretty well in check. I know Im playin with fire, to some degree by allowing myself "weekend drinking smokes" but Im doin alright so far and it's been 9 smokeless day out of eleven, which is definitely progress. Alright, guess thats its for now, 5 down 95 to go.

Bleh

Day 4 was a battle against personal inertia, but I made it out anyway. I wasn't feeling very motivated to go running, and once I was out I wasn't feeling very sprightly either. The persisting cold in LA isn't helping matters much, but I guess its all relative and Yawging, or is it Jogging, is an impossibility in many other parts of the country at the moment so wahhhhhhh. Guess Ill need to get some sweatpants or warmups or something. My stopwatch still hasn't arrived so Im guessssssssssstimating on my iPod currently so I actually ran over by like 7 minutes but made up for that by skimping on the last leg. I mean, after a guy runs for 90 consecutive seconds sometimes there simply isnt anything left in the tank. face. At least I made it, gotta get over the hump, however limpingly I guess, and I really am looking forward to that runner's high people mythologically speak of. Isn't that like when you don't hate running anymore? Oh, VMo's "Astral Weeks" owns by the way. Somehow it took me like 10 years to fully realize this, but "Sweet Thing" and "The Way Young Lovers Do" makes for good running music. Im gonna have to put some Daft Punk on my iPoo too, thats like kind of sort of the music they'd play in an aerobic class in some parallel universe.

Numero Tres

3rd plunge into the abyss. I woke up this morning, aghemm, Saturday morning, at 5 til eight and then decided to go for a walk/run at 9 a.m. . Maybe the world is turning upside down, I really can't be sure. Even though my sleep craziness has kept me from adhering to the strict every other day thing, I made it out 3 times this week, and thats good enough for me. Im not really sure what the hump will be to get over where Im just a good little habitual monkey and I'll actually WANT to keep doing this every other day, but Im guessing/hoping about 15-20 runs, i.e 4-6 weeks. I felt reasonably good today, and actually ran slightly more than the program called for, but one cant help but feel like a complete pussbag running for 1 minute intervals and already starting to feel winded. I also read some shit on the bta site about heartrate and my "training range" and whatnot, and the couple times I checked it my walking and slow jogging was sending my heart rate well up into that range, so I guess thats my body's way of saying that I shouldnt try any harder. The one most sites give for maximum heartrate is 220-(your age) and then 70 to 80% of that is your target training rate which would put me about 135-155 beats per minute. For some reason, the human mind's expectation of results and the real world's time horizon for producing them are utterly unreconciled, so Im just gonna be a patient little grasshopper and not give a fuck as long as I can just keep doing what Im supposed to be doing, even if at some point I have to slow the pace or it takes a couple extra months or whatever. As a side note, I willingly broke the cigarette hiatus last night after not having smoked since last Sunday. I had maybe 6 or 7 with a couple beers and Im allowing myself a little break on the weekends when I have some drinks so as to not drive myself crazy. Its really important, though, that I dont fall off the wagon completely, b/c smoking a pack a day and trying to start running don't quite splice. Alright, time to go see UCLA beat USC's ass today (or at least cover the 21 point spread :) . 21 points? SMD.

Blabla Booie

Ya, so I didnt get out again until today, Wednesday (technically Thursday) but Im calling it Wednesday b/c I woke up at 8 p.m. . Ironically, I attempted to get off the cycle of waking up at 8 p.m. by staying up all night on Monday (after waking up at 8 p.m.) and then ended up passing out on my couch about 6:30 p.m. while trying to watch the Lakers get p'wned by the Spurs. Ummm, ya so that resulted in my waking up at 2:30 a.m., and after being up for about 20 minutes I realize that Im still ridiculously tired, so I try crashing in my bed, but I dont fall asleep for an hour and change, and Im a little 'hungs so I get up and eat some cereal and watch some TV. Then about 6:30, Im still obscenely tired, so I go back to bed and dont fall asleep until after 8, then next thing I know I wake up at its 8 p.m. on Wednesday. P'Wnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnned! Sigh, maybe this is the next area of my unorthodox lifestyle Ill address, and then maybe not. Anyway, I went out tonight to walk/run at 3:45 a.m., and LA is still cold as balls. Seriously, it must be around 40-45 outside, but whatever gottagtterdunnnz. I felt alright for the most part, I think the 1st 5-6 times out is basically just to get my body at all acclimated to movement. My legs have been sore for the last 3 days from the last 30 minutes, 90% of which was just walking :). Swit. Im also on day 4 of not smoking, a novel thing Ive been toying with on and off for the last year. Around last November, I managed to not smoke a single cigarette for about 3 1/2 weeks, and only smoked when I went out drinking for the next few weeks, but eventually fell off the wagon. This time hasnt been as nasty the 1st few days, but the true test is always when I drink. Its impossible to explain to any non-smoker, but really its murder, almost none even worth drinking if you cant smoke, as psychotic as that sounds. Alright, thats it for now, 2 down 98 to go.