Running and other happenings!

The view from my front yard: morning.

Well, it's three weeks since my last post, and I'm still running!

Six days after my last post, I ran my first organized 5K -- a smallish event put on by Cal State, Fullerton: the iCare 5K. I ran it with Joanna, my 32 year-old daughter, or rather, she slowed herself down to run it beside me. It was a golden moment: a father/daughter shared memory worth cherishing. And I did.

Half-way through the race, when the course took us through the Arboretum, we heard the cheers of Joanna's husband and four children. Another golden moment, enjoyed despite a pounding heart and tired legs. I had practiced and planned for the event, and met my three goals: have fun, finish, and run faster than some of my co-workers had recently run in their 5K. (I set a personal best, one which I don't plan on breaking for a while.)

Seating for two? (Front yard.)

My other goal was "Don't hurt yourself." And although my legs were pretty tired and wanted to cramp up, they didn't. We all enjoyed a pancake breakfast at the event, after my two granddaughters ran their first organized 1K race, which Joanna had signed them up for. I stood at the finish line and cheered them in.

It was a fun day, and I was only somewhat sore for a few days afterward. I gave myself a couple of days off, and then resumed my training ways.

My running is the cardio part of a fitness regime intended to include strength, cardio, balance, and flexibility. Recently, I've added fat loss to the mix of intentions.

One thing I did not long after the iCare 5K was to research and order a simple heart rate monitor: the Timex Personal Trainer Heart Rate Monitor. It took me a week or two before I took the time to learn how to use it, but it has enabled me to change my exercise program from being mile based, to being Time in Zone based. The Zones are percentage ranges of Maximum Heart Rate, and they help me not to overdo my training. They also help me to find the level of intensity needed to burn fat.

Big sky: front yard view (the park)

One surprising aspect of my three month running journey is the lack of weight loss. I'm hoping that I've gained muscle, and I think that I have, but now that I have established a good fitness base and training program base, I'm fine tuning my life to win the battle of the bulge.

I already had many of the tools and understanding on how to accomplish slow, healthy weight loss, but a week or so ago I re-implemented some things I've learned via Tom Venuto's "Burn the Fat, Build the Muscle" program. I used the program some years back to lose 22 pounds. Over the past three years, I found too many of the pounds I'd lost.

The last go around I did not have as strong of a fitness base. I mostly just walked. It worked, but it wasn't as much fun as what I'm doing now. For example, on Friday, I packed a mini-gym bag and after work, I put on my running shoes and enjoyed a two mile jog along one of the many running/biking/horse trails that thread through Fullerton, my home town. This morning, I did another two miler. I'm getting close to my goal: running for 1/2 hour, three days a week. Only the last week have I been able to run (very slow jog) for 25 minutes straight. (That's two miles at a 12 and 1/2 minutes a mile pace on a slightly hilly course.) Nothing impressive, but it marks a few milestones for me on my personal journey toward improved fitness.

After the iCare 5K, I went back and walked the course, taking pictures along the way. My intention is to start including some pictures on this blog again. I had depleted my collection of pictures and hadn't taken the time to upload and include some pictures. But now, I've remedied that.

So enjoy! (And thanks for stopping by.)

Breaking the Four Weeks Barrier!

Back on March 17th I wrote the following:

My New Year's affirmation is "I choose to be in charge of my habits. I let it be easy."

Fitness is nothing more than the result of habits, mostly involving exercise. So I've decided to let it be easy.

I'm using Psycho-Cybernetic's visualization techniques to create a new image: Don the Runner. (He's fit. He can run 30 minutes at a time, three days a week. At 60, he looks back and says, "It was in February of 2012 that I began to run. That's when I became a runner.")
...

I picture myself on Tax Day (April 15th) running. Why?

To avoid becoming this statistic: "80% of runners stop after 4 weeks!"  But 20% don't quit. I intend to be the one out of five who doesn't quit.

Today is Tax Day, and yesterday I did a practice 5K in preparation for next Saturday's race, the CSUF iCare 5K. The day before yesterday I built an eight foot privacy fence for my back patio. In the process, I strained my left calf. I found that out about three minutes in to my 39 minute run. Ouch.

Today my leg is much better. I'll be doing one to two mile workouts this week, and not very many of them... saving up for the "big event."

But the big event is really today: Don the Runner lives in my mind. Too often we let a false self-image impose non-existent boundaries. (Yes, there are some boundaries... I'll not be running any sub-six minute miles. I'm pretty sure that boat has sailed.) But what many say is impossible, really isn't. What we often say to ourselves in the guise of an Inner Critic, isn't really true, but we act as-if it is. Silly us.

On FaceBook Is yesterday:

Rereading Psycho-Cybernetics (hard copy... no e-book available). 1st read in 2008. Only I'm reading backwards through the chapters. Notable quotes?

"...the past need not predict the future."

"What now appears to be a miracle to others is simply my working to change my own self-image." Jeanne Sanders (Muscular Dystrophy sufferer)

"Little hinges swing big doors." W. Clement Stone

(This book -- Psycho-Cybernetics --  and this author -- Maxwell Maltz --  fathered the self-help movement and peak-performance via visualization.) 

What if... you discovered that many of your limits were self-imposed because you believed some lies about who you could become? 

What if...

Today, I'm celebrating Tax Day, because I'm still on the journey to improved fitness. A journey that includes running. A journey I'm enjoying as I stroll through today... Tax Day... and the four-week-80%-quit day. 

I'm rereading Max's book, and I may post more notable quotes here. 

I'm using his methods to realize New Year's goals. What do you want to realize? What would you undertake if you knew success was assured? What lies are your Inner Critic whispering in your ear to keep you from attempting what you are truly capable of? What if you could install an Automatic Success Mechanism? Would you?

Learning to Love Running: Books along the way!

I know runners. Only a few of them, as they are a fairly rare breed. All but two of these runners look as fit as most of the early morning runners I see out when I drive to work. I've often envied them for their sense of priority, level of fitness, and commitment. But I've only once before attempted to join their ranks.

The first time was a somewhat haphazard attempt that involved a new pair of shoes and some horse trails. I don't think I did more that three runs, and the dream faded.

I recently posted this on a running web-site in response to someone who was just getting back into running. He was looking for encouragement as he was starting over:

"I'm just starting out... or actually five weeks in. I'm moving out of "sedentary confinement."

I was very active in my teens and twenties, and played racquetball well into my 40's. Now "playmates" are harder to find, so I'm turning to running. I'm 58.

My first race (5K) is in two weeks. My son runs, and so does one daughter. They've been encouraging me some, but mostly it's  been books that have helped me: The Quotable Runner, Running for Mortals, The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Running, Wooden: A lifetime of Observations on and off the Court, and now I'm starting The Accidental Athlete.

I'm talking it slow and trying to avoid injury on the way to improved fitness. I'm just barely at 12 minute miles over a 5k distance: run 3, walk 2.

In the past I've only exercised as a by-product of having fun: playing sports. Now, I'm attempting to fall in love with running and a life of training. My goal: Run 1/2 hour three times a week, with off days of strength, flexibility, and balance work. Plus a few "spa" days thrown in as needed.

Long post. Hope it's helpful."

I'm re-posting my comments here because it contains clues as to where I've found some of the information and motivation that has helped me persist on my journey of improved fitness.

My nephew John stopped by with his wife and new baby yesterday (Easter) to say, "Hi." He mentioned that my FaceBook posts on running have got him thinking of taking it up again. I think a history of shin splints which hobbled him some time back. I was pleased the my postings have served to motivate. That's one of the main reasons I write.

"Motivation for change is always difficult. Staying motivated, almost impossible."

That has been my thinking for a number of years, maybe even decades, but for the last few years, I'm trying to reprogram myself into thinking more along these lines:

"I choose to be in charge of my habits. I let it be easy."

"I choose to move forward towards my goals at an easy, sustainable pace."

"I choose to achieve my goals, with the surprising help of God and others."

And, "I choose to let my future unfold at its own pace. Opportunities find me."

Positive change is exhilarating, affirming, and empowering. It's also fun. I believe that much of what limits us is our own unchallenged thinking about the difficulty level of positive change. If we can escape the flip-the-switch-into-a-new-life mentality and instead adopt a little-by-little-sustainable-pace mentality, then I think we'll enjoy life more as a Process-Of-On-Going-Improvement. A POOGI, as Eli Goldratt calls it.

I used to be more fit because I had more fun and played more. I'm rediscovering the joy of movement and athleticism. I'm moving toward adopting a new and improved life-style of fitness. I'm letting it be easy. I'm enjoying the journey. And I'm listening to the helpers who are cheering me on, including those who write books.

One of my runner friends used to say, "By the yard it's hard, but by the inch it's a cinch." Pace. Outlook. Improvement. Let it be easy.

Week 5: Running Reflections

I've finished my fifth week of training/running. So far. So good. I'm still running. At this stage, that's the goal.

My daughter calls this stage of a runner's life "the time of low-hanging fruit." In my last post, I agreed with that, in this post, I issue a protest: The fruit is not that low.

Today I planned out a 5K practice run on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. In two weeks, I'll be running on campus again, this time participating in my first 5K race, the iCare. It's a very small event as far as number of participants, but for me... it's my first 5K race.

Back in the day... school days... I ran to win. But these days, I'm running to get fitter. Five weeks in, I can tell it's working. I'm gaining in strength and stamina. (And I haven't hurt myself -- much.)

My plan for today was to try to run for three minutes and walk for two over a 5K (3.1 mile) distance. The run portions were slow jogging, but not my slowest. At the end of each of the three minutes runs, I was sucking wind pretty good. At the end of the first mile, I was wondering if I could maintain the pace for two more miles.

This is low-hanging fruit?

I did enjoy the flatness of the route. I did attempt to look around at the lovely trees and landscaping. I learned how to squeeze the water bottle while running rather than trying to tip my head back. I learned that a visor is a better option that a full cap to keep my head from overheating. And I finished mile two.

Although the campus is flat, there is an ever-so-slight incline north-to-south, and the final mile was due south: aka downhill. I used my watch to time my mile splits instead of my cell phone: that worked. I was pleased to see that I was still making 12 minute miles (5 mph), even with the 3:2 run:walk ratio. I trekked through the last mile, and I cut the last walk/recovery portion to make sure I broke the 38 minute mark. I finished with an unofficial 37:12: a new Personal Record. (Bonus: my time was in the ballpark of my co-workers' from two weeks back.)

I took a long time to cool down, enjoying the afterward. I found myself less tight, more flexible, than I've been in years.

Seven hours later, as I sit writing this, I'm surprised how good my legs feel. At this point, I feel like I'm developing heart and lung capacity. And that's a good thing, because if these are the days of low-hanging fruit, I'm not even going to think about when things are going to get hard.

But I don't think my daughter was saying things were going to get hard, she was just pointing out that these are the days of big improvements. I'm looking forward to a time of well-earned plateaus: a time of running three times a week for thirty minutes at a clip without any major sucking involved.

That level of fitness should outfit me with the baseline needed not only enjoy running, but for enjoying the many other activities that require decent levels of strength, balance, flexibility, and stamina.

That's the goal, but it's the journey that needs to be savored. Journeys should lead to new commencements. But only for those who trek on!

Running: Week Four -- Reflections.

I am one month into a new life: a life as a runner. Granted, I'm a very beginning runner, but a runner none-the-less.

So much of what you can accomplish depends on what you think you can accomplish: self-image determines a lot. Self-image is a lot like self-talk, only with pictures, imagery, and imagination.

I logged a little over 11 miles. The week before I did 10. (My goal for the coming week is still 10.)

Talking with a seasoned runner, my daughter, this is a fun time in a runner's journey. She calls it "A time of low-hanging fruit." A time of 10% increases in miles run... in a week. A time when you can shave a whole minute off of your mile split. That's where I am: A time of low-hanging fruit!

There are other sports that aren't so beginner friendly, like tennis and surfing, or water and snow skiing. An example of another beginner friendly sport would be racquetball. You can have some fun right from the get go.

So here's my week of low-hanging fruit:

Sunday, I did a mile of power-walking  followed by some very, very simple yoga. (Yoga is also beginner-friendly.)
On my Monday holiday, I did my 5k practice, mostly walking, as noted on my previous journal entry. (45 minutes).
On Tuesday, I took a "spa day." No workout. Just recovery. Muscles and joints were grateful for a day off.
On Wednesday, I did the one mile/simple yoga routine again. Just being nice to recovering muscles.
On Thursday I tried a morning run/walk (1 minute running, 2 or 3 minutes walking) on a new route, in the early morning light (6:15 am-ish). I logged a 14 minute mile. (That's down from the 14 1/2 minute pace of my 5k on Sunday. Low hanging fruit improvement.)
On Friday I did a 1 mile walk with strength training intervals. It's equivalent to a two mile walk.
By Saturday, I was ready for my "big" run/walk of the week. Some years ago, my wife and I used to walk some of the horse trails in Fullerton, my home town. So I charted a two-mile course, and tried a two-mile mid-day walk/run. I experimented with a one minute run, two minute walk... just to see if I could keep it up for two miles. I did. Woo-hoo. Each mile was at a 13 minute pace. I was just trying for the run/walk ratio. The pace took care of itself. As my daughter noted: More low-hanging fruit. A good cut off my mile split.

Two co-workers did a 5K on Saturday, and logged a 38 minute 5K. Nicely done. They were hoping to break 40 minutes. (IF I could tag on one more 13 minute mile on top of the two I ran/walked, I'd be at about 40 minutes for the 5K (3.1 mile) course.)

April 21st is my debut in an actual 5K. My daughter is sponsoring me and running with me. It's her way of mentoring her old man into a life of fitness and fun. I guess that's my new target: to be prepared.

I looked at the times for the 55-59 year-old-men in the event my co-workers ran, and found very few entries. I'd be toward the middle or back of those that ran even in that age category. But then again, in that age category, most didn't even make it to the starting line. That's what I'm aiming for: the starting line. The finish line will take care of itself, based on preparation.

I finished a book yesterday by basketball coaching great John Wooden of UCLA fame. Several times he refers to this quote:

“The journey is better than the inn".” 
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, La Numancia

I'm enjoying the journey. And the people I'm meeting along the way.

A practice 5K on my day off.

Today was a furlough day. In California we are facing a state-wide budget crunch, so the state has given school districts less money. It has also given them permission to provide fewer days of instruction, thus allowing them to give teachers days off with no pay: a furlough day. I think we have seven this year, equal to a 3 1/2% reduction in yearly salary. But I have to say, I'd rather have days off with no pay, than the same number of days for the same pay. At least this way is fair. (Except the kids lose seven days of instruction.)

So this furlough day is an extra day off for me. So what did I do with it?

Well, for starters I did an experiment. Since I've signed up for a 5K walk/run, I decided to see if I could do one. Last night, I found a course: here. I printed myself a copy. Got up the next morning. Ate breakfast. Showered. Put on my running gear, including my new shoes. And drove to the "starting line."

Then I drove the course, and since it followed city streets,  I made some mental notes about mile markers. 1, 2, and 3 mile markers fell in nice places.

I started out walking. I wanted to be conservative. I thought I could walk at least at a 3 mile per hour pace, which would put me at one hour for the course. I set out briskly, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that much of the course had a dirt path (crushed granite) alongside the sidewalk. I also did the 1st mile in 16 minutes. The first mile was mostly flat, but the second mile was slightly uphill. I tried to keep the pace up, and I finished it right at the 32 minute mark. The rest was downhill!

I wanted to see if I could run for a minute, so I did. It's about 130 steps going slightly down hill. I walked some more, ran a few more times, and finished the last mile in 13 minutes, for a baseline Personal Record (PR) of 45 minutes. Woo-hoo!

I did a cool down walk and stretch afterward, and then I drove home. I logged my miles and time in my runner's log, and thought I'd chronicle my latest chapter here. So I did.

This is my ** happy dance **.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu

Runners Run Races?

Recently I posted this on FaceBook:


‎"...the difference between a runner and a jogger is a signature on a race application." (Dr. George Sheehan) Now race applications are signature-free and on-line, but my name is being put on one: the CSUF iCare Festival's 5K Run/Walk. My daughter Joanna is the instigator... supporter... and sponsor of this event for me. April 21st, 2012... here I come! One of my mottoes from the early '70s: "Behold the turtle! He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." 40 years later, I'm still making progress... and I'm still sticking my neck out.

So it's official... I'm going to run in an organized running event. I'll be lining up in the rear. My goal will be to finish. Whatever my time is... it will be my Personal Record (PR). A new baseline for a new chapter in The Life and Times of Don Evans (a book with a very small readership, but very important to me!)

I already had a training schedule. I have the shoes. And now I have a race date: April 21st. My daughter noted that the date is a week or so after Tax Day, which marks the eight week threshold that 80% of beginning runners don't reach. I'm trying to be part of the other 20%. 

I'm on week three of my running journey, and the race comes as week eight will be beginning. 

John Bingham, a runner and writer, says of himself, "

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

Change requires courage. There is always a risk of failure. But then... the main goal is to show up, prepared, and to be glad that I'm fit enough to undertake my first "race" in over  40 years. That's what I'm shooting for. 

And it feels good to be on the road to my 2012 dream: I choose to be in charge of my habits. I let it be easy.