Running: A Fever

Today I start my strength training. I missed my second walk this week, and I’m moving up to walking three times a week as I continue to come back from my knee injury. Today is the first day of my strength training and I do just one exercise, one set of six curls. Another addition to my routine is walking at work. Every hour I get up and make a couple of laps around the inside of the building and this is improving my step count for the day. I get some running clothing bought and ordered, and I try to level off my caloric intake to a reasonable level of 800-1200 per day, as close as I can get to the upper number while continuing to lose weight slowly and evenly.

I find out that I have been too extreme in my diet and have to make some big adjustments. I talk about this and more as I walk on a cold and rainy day.

I wanted to give a little more information about the workout from Episode 33 in which the recording was cut short. I’m a little impatient now, and that needs to be tempered with the realization that I cannot go all out right now. I’m just coming back from an injury. In a way, my impatience is a good sign. I am motivated and gung-ho to get fit. This motivates me and I hope you are motivated to get started if you haven’t started yet. After the six weeks off, I did have some resistance to get started again, but I did it, and now I am exercising twice per week. Even though I did not record that last time, I was talking the whole run, which did what it usually does, distracted me and inspired me. My knee is fine, I haven’t had pain for the last three weeks. And if you YouTube, you can also get the podcast there. Weight: 236 (33 lost) Workout time: 0 Minutes Distance (total): 0 Miles Run Portion: 0 Miles Heart Rate (min/max all day): 49/99 Steps: 4798 Goal: To run 10.5 miles in one day by 11/18/18

I am now hitting the trail every three days, up from the weekly workouts I did for the first three weeks back from the injury. I am very happy to be injury free and pain free. Since I’ve been on this ultra-low diet, some negative effects are happening. One of the things to be aware of when losing weight quickly is that medications can be less effective. Not just because my body mass is less, as in why children should not take an adult dose, but because the chemistry of my body is changing, body fat percentage is changing, and my metabolism is changing. Be aware of this and consult a medical professional if you start to see this happening. My pants are not fitting as tightly any more. Even if I wasn’t losing weight, my body shape would be changing due to the addition of exercise to my routine. Muscle is more dense than fat, so this wouldn’t necessarily affect my weight. Another change is that I have been sleeping better. The bottom line is that I need to adjust my diet. From here on, the podcast will not be ju

Patience is the fortitude and willingness to wait as long as I have to, to move forward when I need to, and then continue on. Determination is the energy that drives me. I make a couple of wrong turns and need more patience. My brain is not operating well because I did not eat today or drink enough water. The routine is becoming this: I lose weight before Thursday weigh-in, then gain it back over the weekend. My return to exercise requires patience. I had some down time due to my injury. I will not run again for a while, at least another month, per doctor’s orders. It took six weeks to get back to walking. I am now back to the distance I was going when I first started back in November. Right now I am trying to do two workouts per week. I do some dynamic stretching, as has become my custom, and then start walking. The challenge now is to just keep coming out and not to get injured. I need to take baby steps. Patience may be its own reward, but I’m hoping to be rewarded with the absence of injury. Weight: 241 W

A lot of things prevented me from getting in the mid-week workout this week. This might not have been a problem when I was doing this every day, but now I am out of the habit. This week I did not get the sleep I needed or the food I needed. I think this led to me going off the rails last night and overeating. I lost four pounds last week and gained it all back in one night. Need to get three meals a day, 7-9 hours sleep. A rough week, but I can get right back on track. I’m out exercising and am planning to eat three meals today. Moving into this next week, I’m just trying to improve a little at a time…more goodness, less badness. Chicken Lettuce Wrap for One: Place 2-3 green leaf lettuce leaves on a plate. Fry 4oz of ground chicken. Distribute chicken on each lettuce leaf, squeeze lime juice, and top with a tablespoon of chipotle salsa each. Garnish with a pepperoncini pepper or two. Roll up lettuce leaf and eat like a burrito. Weight (lost since 1/18): 241(-28) Workout time: 12 Minutes Total Distance (cum to

Fitness Department: I am very happy that I had no ill effect from the last run a week ago. These are definitely low-impact workouts. But that’s how we get back into it, one step at a time, one minute at a time, one run at a time. I plan to increase the frequency of workouts to two, then three per week. I’ve had so much time off that I’ve gotten used to using that time for other things, so now it will take some doing to squeeze the workouts back into my schedule. The important thing is I’m still back. I’m still keeping the workout short and not exerting myself much. I want to keep this up. Although I set a goal, if I only manage to keep coming out here until the end of the year, that will be an excellent accomplishment. I gain hope from the fact that I know many people my age are running, even competitively. And it should be easier now that I have lost some weight. Medical Department: I’ve lost 30 pounds in the last three weeks. I’ve been trying to eat three meals a day and not be too extreme about my diet. I

As I celebrate 30 episodes, I’m also celebrating a triumphant return after six weeks of being on the injured reserve list due to my knee injury. But I’m feeling much better now, rarely feeling any pain and even forgetting I even had knee trouble. I think it will be better to exercise, I’ve had enough rest. But I have learned from my mistake and I’m taking it easy. One run this week. I’ve lost 21 pounds since starting a “biggest loser” contest at work. Hopefully this will make injury less likely and help my fitness program. I am more serious now about my health, trying to get the right nutrients and maintain muscle mass while continuing to lose weight. There is a device that uses electrical current to measure your body composition – how much is fat, how much is muscle, etc. Weight: 248 (-21) Workout time: 12 Minutes Distance (total): .52 Miles Run Portion: 0 Miles Heart Rate (min/max all day): 52/82 Steps: 3315 Goal: To run 10.5 miles in one day by 11/18/18

I went to my primary care physician because my knee had not improved over the weekend, since I felt some sharp pain when starting my run. They took X-rays, and he warned me not to run and to walk at my discretion. Later I was called in for an MRI and went to see an orthopedic specialist. As you can see by this X-ray picture, there is no fracture, which is exceptionally good news! So I’m not to work out until two months after the injury, or not run at least. I’m very happy about this news, and look forward to returning to a regular schedule very soon. Title: Injury Report Weight: 275 Workout time: 0 Minutes Distance (total): 0 Miles Run Portion: 0 Miles Heart Rate (min/max all day): 65/98 Steps: 4606 Goal: To run 10.5 miles in one day by 11/18/18

I go out for a test, fact-finding walk. I can’t really know exactly what to do about my injury. I’m not going out today just because I am stubborn. I think it might be better to exercise in moderation than to rest. This is a risk. What if I can’t run? How am I going to do a podcast called Running: A Fever if I cannot run? I feel pretty good, but I definitely still have an injury. I get out on the trail and I am limping. I need to regroup, listen to my advisors. Perhaps I need to take a few days off. But it is another beautiful day at Lake Fayetteville, warmer than the last couple. I forget to warm up, so I stop and lean on a tree to do my dynamic stretches. I never expected this to be without pain, to be a painless experience. And now I’ve experienced the “thrill of victory” and “the agony of defeat”, as they used to say on the Wide World of Sports. But I am not yet defeated. More...

I take a day off from exercise. I’ve solicited advice from a couple of people, and I talk about that advice and how I am weighing it. It was suggested that I do something low-impact like using an elliptical machine. I don’t have access to one of those, so I am planning to walk tomorrow. More...

Tragically, I am distracted today. I have a lot to do in a short span of time. Holiday grocery shopping, painting a room, and finding some furniture to go in it. But I have made physical health and fitness my number one priority. I spend some time talking about all of the things I have to do and the busy-ness of the day. Perhaps this distractedness is a foreshadowing of the inattention to my body that leads to my injury. Ironically, before I hit the run portion I consider running twice per day! I am feeling my knee pain and it is not just bothering me on the trail but it has been a problem all day. I am convinced that I feel good and that sitting is worse for my knee than exercising, so here I am. I have been “kind of limping” all day and yet I am still determined not only to walk today, but to at least try to run. But at least I am willing to abort the run if it doesn’t feel right. And before the run, I admit that I am limping. Routine update: I do my research and come up with a few dynamic stretching exerci

Continuing on the theme of mental control, I try to invent some way to help myself get through the run. Some strategy of thought and concentration to distract me, to fight off negative thoughts, what I call the Demons of Doubt. I call them demons because they seem to act on their own. I don’t have to come up with doubts and negative thoughts. They exist in the absence of positive thoughts. They are not just proactive, they are evil, because they want to interfere with something I want to do that is good. While in the real world good and evil are never so simple, in the metaphorical and motivational sense, this concept works. Everything I do is good, at least in my own opinion, even when I am doing something that is objectively bad. I am either trying to do good and I fail, as all humans do, or I am mistaken in my determination that the act is good. And there you have it – an ultra-simplified version of the Thomistic philosophy of good and evil. More...

I offer my detailed instructions for how to make the breakfast that I enjoyed this morning: Southern Sausage and Eggs 2 tbsp. bacon grease or shortening 2 eggs 2 sausage patties or 4 slices of bacon or 2 slices of bologna or 1 slice of country ham Take your skillet and put it on the stove and start warmin’ it up. Reach in your fridge and get your jar or cup or some other container of bacon grease saved from a previous breakfast and spoon out a healthy portion of that into the skillet. Once melted, add meat. Cook until black. Drain and cool on paper towels. Break eggs into the frying pan. I prefer country style, also known as wrecked. To make country eggs, don’t immediately scramble them, wait until they start to fry, then coarsely scramble. Put eggs and sausage on a plate and enjoy a tasty breakfast that is also full of protein. Lunch was a meal replacement shake. I retract my previous statement about looking good at fifty-one because, in fact, there are many attractive people of all ages. I do want to lose w

How do you handle adversity? Do you have people you talk to? Things that you do? I have attitude problems but I keep on going, trying to maintain. It’s in the hard times that we really find out who we are. Sports are a metaphor for life. There is always some difficulty, some challenge to overcome. In a game, it is the opponent. In running there is no opponent except gravity. There is a big mental part of this, how I approach the things that make me want to stop. There is an individual philosophy of life that each person must find for himself. When I have adversity, and I have to work through it and push through it, I think about that meaning. There is a goal, and there is a positive effort that is required to reach it. One difference between running outside and running on a treadmill is that inside, you only see a number, not really a visual goal on the landscape. I am still getting used to my head lamp and use it on the way back, actually starting with the run. I am able to do the half-mile run all at one ti

Frustration has to be met with determination. Survival is a win. I reason that the more success one has, the harder it is to get that incremental increase. So while on my first run, I had an infinite percent increase in everything, and subsequent workouts were jumps ahead, now these improvements are harder won. I’m also in the middle of a difficult stretch of days. I now know that these come and go and that makes it easier to accept. Sometimes I just survive, complete a workout, and move on. Other times I have success to celebrate. It may sound like I am complaining sometimes, but I want to tell the unvarnished truth on this show, and not make it sound like an easy ride. Coming to terms with difficulty and resistance is the only path to success. Without obstacles, I don’t think I could call it accomplishment. What I am trying to do is difficult, but not impossible. I’m trying to prove that. Weight: 265 Workout time: 52 Minutes Distance (total): 2.63 Miles Run Portion: .5 Miles Heart Rate (min/max all day): 64

We went past twenty episodes without celebrating, so yay! That is a lot of episodes for a podcast and it’s a good sign that we have some staying power. I intentionally leave the house later. Since I now have my headlamp, I want to give it a good tryout. It is dark and the visual effects are interesting. It’s cold enough to see my breath, but I only see it when it’s going in front of the light. Also when I’m running it looks kind of like a diving mask, I can only see through a certain arc. I get pretty confused as to the distance I run. As usual, my “live math” is not very good. I actually ran an entire mile. This run is very difficult and I really want to quit for the last quarter mile. It is cold, there are variations in altitude. I don’t think I have run this full distance in weather this cold. But I have to keep moving forward. If I slack off or level off I’ll feel as if I’m going backward. As I get older and heavier, this thing is more and more difficult. Perhaps I need to work more on my diet program, bu

Special Guest: Heather I go to Rush Running, a local running store, and get a gait analysis. First I put on a neutral test shoe, get on a treadmill, and start running for a few seconds. Then Heather shows me the video and what my feet were doing. I am amazed at how well she ties my shoes. Turns out you need a size larger than your normal size for running. We try a few different shoes in the medium stability range, and I get on the treadmill to make sure they feel good during a workout. I am pleasantly surprised at the price, because online prices are averaging $150, but this shoe is only about $120. I get a headlamp, so I can feel safer when running in the dark. Overall, a good experience. Heather really knows what she is talking about, is able to answer all my questions, and I feel prepared to continue moving toward better health and fitness. Weight: 267 Workout time: 63Minutes Distance (total): 2.74 Miles Run Portion: Heart Rate (min/max all day): 55/85 Steps: 11,828 Goal: To run 10.5 miles in one day by 11

It’s a cool day, and though it is clear and at the peak of temperature for the day, my hands are cold. I try to keep a positive attitude and recognize success in my efforts, but sometimes I don’t celebrate wins and tend to just look for the next challenge I must overcome. Perhaps I need to work on that. I look forward to a visit to a running store to finally get equipped to run in the dark. Running is harder in the cold weather, because it is harder to get the needed volume of air into my lungs. I think and hope that I must be getting a better workout on days like these because I’m putting forth more effort, even though it is the same amount of work. Before the fall of Lance Armstrong I watched a lot of cycling and remember athletes talking about “going deeper”. With guys at that level, it is not a matter of who’s trying harder, or who has the best gear. It comes down to the physical makeup of each man’s body, the organic equipment. That’s when I learned how important oxygen is to physical performance. Diet-w

I explain the absence of trail audio from yesterday, it was an audio problem. This time of year, trying to get out and exercise is a race against the sun because the days are so short. Today it is darker and colder, and there are not many people on the trail. Today is also one of those difficult days. The cold makes it harder to breathe once I start my run. I’ve been asked how cold it will have to be for me to not come out. I plan to run in any temperature as long as it isn’t icy or otherwise unsafe. I break up my run because I don’t make the half mile on the first try. It’s important to visualize the goal, the mile marker I am trying to reach. But just visualizing it and focusing on it is not always enough. Today it was not. I continue to think about why I run. Another benefit of exercise is the mental effects. I’ve had a stressful day and one good way to lower that stress level is exercise. Since I am talking and I know someone might listen to this someday, I am not going to say a lot of the things I would