Friday, September 23, 2011

How running saved my life

I’m really enjoying the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. His book is about a Native American tribe, the Tarahumara, who are probably the world's best endurance runners. For them it’s a way of life.

The book makes a larger argument that all of us are born to run, because that is how we evolved.

I was born least likely to run. I was the fat kid in gym class who walked laps around the field, when the coach wasn’t looking, instead of running them.  Even then, I remember getting winded; having side pain; and blaming it on the SoCal smog.

Eighteen months ago, I couldn’t run a mile to save my life. I probably hadn’t run more than a block… ever. I was 280 lbs. and sitting around waiting for a heart attack. It was time for a change.

As it turns out, running saved my life.

How I got started running
My 2nd 5k race in October 2010.
It began when I joined a committee planning the Paso Robles Harvest Marathon & 5k. I picked the 5k as my first fitness goal. I had three months to get ready.

The thought of running 3.1 miles is no big deal for most people. For me, it was like climbing Mount Everest.

I knew I would have to start slowly, but I didn’t know where to begin. I looked for beginner running plans and did some research. The plan I used is reprinted below.

It calls for 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week. I started with five minutes of walking, then three minutes of jogging, then repeat. I jogged as slowly as I could. I took it easy. I listened to my body.

You can start even more slowly, if you need to. How about 5 minutes of jogging and 30 seconds of running. Work up from that, by adding a bit every couple of days.

It’s a mind game

I began to realize that running is more mental than physical. Before you can start or make progress, you have to convince yourself you can do it.

Your mind plays tricks on you. It tries to convince you to stop, slow down or fail. It’s a safety mechanism. Your mind and body basically say, “nothing is chasing us, so why should we be running.” It’s like a little devil sitting on your shoulder and whispering in your ear, “take a break, you deserve it.”

You have to fight the battle head on. I use visualization. I imagine my body is the perfect specimen of fitness; and that I am running effortlessly down a beach. I imagine I am flying like an eagle. I imagine being a hero to my children. I imagine that I am becoming “running.” Ok, maybe that is too deep.

You need to have a constant positive conversation with yourself, affirming your ability and desire to succeed. Repeat a mantra in your head over and over so you can beat the mental game.

Like Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – You’re right.”
Running is social! Bay to Breakers 2011 with friends.
Success!
The plan worked. I could run now! I now could burn a ridiculous number of calories. I didn’t experience any pain. I was ahead of schedule, so I found another 5k to do first. Here are the races I completed over the last year:

1. Heritage Oaks Fun Run 5K - 9/26/10
2. Paso Robles Harvest Marathon 5k - 10/25/10
3. Castle to Coast 8.2 miles - 1/15/11
4. Cal Poly’s March Triathlon Series, Lake Lopez -3/27/11
5. Wine Country 5k - 4/10/111
6. Wildflower Mountain Bike Triathlon - 4/30/11
7. Morro Bay Rock to Cayucos Pier-10k - 5/7/11
8. Bay to Breakers – 12k -5/15/11
9. Kennedy Club 10k - 5/21/11
10. 178-Mile Reno to Tahoe Odyssey, team relay - 6/5/11
11. SLO Triathlon - 7/24/11
12. Goleta Olympic Triathlon - 7/31/11

I’ve worked my way up to 10 miles and I will be running my first half-marathon in October 2011.

Thanks to running, triathlons and a new way of eating, my health stats improved tremendously: 
• Weight is down to 210 lbs.
• Blood pressure is down to 120/80
• Cholesterol is down to 172, (LDL 74, HDL 85)
• Triglycerides are down to 64
• Resting heart rate is 52 beats per minute
• Body fat is under 20%
• Waist is down to 34”

Remember to take it slowly

Everyone knows someone who says, “I tried, but I just can’t run.” Usually what happened is they woke up one morning and decided to run. They walked out the front door and gave it their all for a half hour and then boom. They suffered an injury. It hurt so bad they never tried again.

If you try that, expect the same. If you want to succeed, follow a plan and start slowly. Work your way up to three miles.
My first Olympic Triathlon: At the finish, 2:50. 


You were born to run

Born To Run is a convincing book. It explains how our bodies evolved over millions of years to be endurance runners.

Before our ancient hominid ancestors could make bows and arrows, they caught large wild game with persistence hunting. Basically, they spent a day running down their prey until it collapsed. It turns out we are better equipped for endurance than most other animals. Even though other animals are better sprinters, we can outlast many in the long run.

I still don’t consider myself “a runner.” But, I do run – about once a week. Two or three times would probably be better. Running every day might be great for some people, but I find more recovery time wonderful for injury prevention. Plus, I have more fun riding my bike, swimming, weightlifting, and playing racquetball.

This weekend is the one-year anniversary of my first 5k-race. This time around I’ll be doing the 10k. Wish me luck!


Week 1
Monday – Rest.
Tuesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 3 minutes. Keep the pace nice and easy. If you feel you cannot run for 3 minutes then take some short (10 – 15 seconds ) walking breaks in your 3-minute jogging interval.
Wednesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 2 minutes.
Thursday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 3 minutes.
Friday - Rest. If you feel like cross training, go ahead. If you do cross train, keep the intensity level very easy. You want to let your body recover on these rest days.
Saturday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 4 minutes.
Sunday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 4 minutes.

Week 2
Monday - Rest 
Tuesday - Walk for 30 minutes. You eliminate the running portion for this workout because you have made a lot of increases in the last two weeks. This will give your body a little more rest this week. You will be making increases a bit faster after this workout.
Wednesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 5 minutes. You are now jogging as much as you are walking. Remember to keep the pace fairly comfortable.
Thursday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 4 minutes. You back off a bit today to recover from yesterday’s harder workout.
Friday - Rest or cross train.
Saturday - Today you will start to decrease the distance of your walking intervals. Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 4 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.
Sunday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 4 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.

Week 3
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. You will make another decrease in your walking interval today. Walk for 3 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.
Wednesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 4 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.
Thursday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 3 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.
Friday - Rest or cross train.
Saturday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Decrease your walking interval to 2 minutes. Walk for 2 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.
Sunday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 2 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.

Week 4
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Decrease your walking interval to 1 minute. Walk for 1 minute and jog for 5 minutes. If at any time you feel you are struggling, back off to the prior week or to a point at which you feel more comfortable. Remember, however, that you must push yourself a bit to make improvements.
Wednesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 2 minutes and jog for 5 minutes.
Thursday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 1 minute and jog for 5 minutes.
Friday - Rest or cross train.
Saturday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Today, you will decrease your walking interval to 30 seconds. Walk for 30 seconds and jog for 5 minutes.
Sunday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 30 seconds and jog for 5 minutes.

Week 5
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Today you are going to try something different. Go to a school track or a trail in your area that you have measured. Warm up with vigorous walking for 10 minutes and then jog 2 x 1 mile repeats. Jog one mile and then walk for 5 minutes. The jog another mile. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking.
Wednesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 30 seconds and jog for 5 minutes.
Thursday - You will extend the distance of your workout today. After a 10-minute warm up, jog for 1.25 miles. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking. You can run almost anywhere - through your neighborhood; in a park; on a school track; or on a treadmill.
Friday - Rest or cross train.
Saturday - Warm up for 10 minutes. Jog 2 x 1 mile repeats. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking.
Sunday - You will extend your workout again today. Warm up by walking for 10 minutes. Jog for 1.5 miles. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking.

Week 6
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Warm up by walking for 10 minutes. Jog 2 x 1 mile repeats. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking.
Wednesday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 30 seconds and jog for 5 minutes.
Thursday - Warm up by walking for 10 minutes. Jog for 1.75 miles. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking.
Friday - Rest or cross train.
Saturday - You will do your longest run today. Warm up with 10 minutes of walking. Jog for 2 miles. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking.
Sunday - Extend you run again today if you are feeling up to it. Warm up for 10 minutes. Jog for 2.25 miles. Cool down with 10 minutes of walking. If you are feeling fatigued from yesterdays run, just run 1 mile today.

You have done it! You should now be able to jog comfortably for 2 miles. What you do now is up to you. You can just maintain your new level of fitness by continuing your daily workouts or you can move up to the next level and train to complete a 5K race.