Well, I've been slowly working up the motivation to try
running on a regular basis. Kasia pointed me at some
articles about running that are intended to help get a newbie like me
started.
That last one sounds totally doable if you follow the plan and take it one step at a time (sorry for the pun).
What's my motivation for this? It has less to do with the fact that my 29th birthday has just passed and more to do with the fact that I feel like I need to do something.
Really. The whole "I'm getting old" thing just never bothers me. It occasionally surprises me, but it doesn't bother me like it does some people. I think getting older is kind of fun. Life's a journey, right?
Anyway, let's face it, this country is making us fat and I'm no exception. Sure, I bike when the weather is nice. And I really enjoy it. I've always enjoyed biking. It's even more fun now that I have a GPS on board.
I know that if I could get into it, running would be good for me and help me to drop some pounds. And it might make me seem less lazy. Kasia tells me that she's managed to hook several friends on it. She says the first few months are quite hard, but if you can hold out that long it gets to be very enjoyable.
That's a key piece for me. I know from experience that exercise for the sake of exercise doesn't work for me. It never has and never will. Period. I just get bored. I need to enjoy what I'm doing or else I won't keep doing it week after week, month after month.
Why running? I don't know, really. It's simple and I like simple things. Maybe because I've never really tried it before? Others seem to have had success with it. I know that Dan used to run a lot, and he's no fatass. Mark (who lives like 2 miles from Dan) seems to like it too. (Though I will have to look at the Hacker's Diet that he points out in Generation XL.)
And, in case you couldn't guess, blogging this is part of my
attempt at self-motivation. Hey, the thought that someone might ask
me how much I'm running a few months from now
You never know. :-)
Anyway, I start tomorrow morning--Friday. Let's see how quickly I collapse.
Bonus points to anyone who can tell me where the title for this entry came from--without Google helping.
Posted by jzawodn at June 12, 2003 10:28 PM
You're good. That was less than 10 minutes!
In fact, the theme song to St. Elmo's Fire was St. Elmo's Fire by John Parr but the song had a subtitle: Man in Motion.
You win the cookie. :-)
Come on, Jeremy! It's a documented fact. Exercise kills! ;)
i'd research shoes while i was at it as well. when i used to run three miles a day a few years back the shoes were a very important part of the whole deal. i'd also look for a track for running as well, as running on concrete sidewalks will take its toll...
good luck. i've decided to pick it up again as soon as it stops raining all the fucking time, so we can measure our progress against each other...heh...
Cool. After a stretch of time not running it takes a period of painful runs for me to get back into the groove, but once I get past that it's much easier and becomes enjoyable, really.
I agree that exercise for exercise sake sucks, I like running for 3 reasons:
1) the good feeling afterwards
2) being outside (if you have access to a trail, or somewhere not too busy)
3) thinking through a problem or listening to music
4) getting ready a 5 or 10K run in the near future - good motivation, and finishing is good reinforcement
Once you get into a groove it becomes much easier, and I've actually found that if I miss a day or two I get cravings for a nice run. However, I can't sustain the same exercise routine for long periods of time, it does get boring. I change the running route frequently, or take a week off and do some other cardio exercise (hike, bike, swim, climb stairs) just to keep it interesting, always come back to running though.
Other good articles:
http://www.runnersworld.com/home/nr/1,4335,,00.html?site=NewRunner
Not that you need more advice from me.. but I'll give it to you anyway :) Free of charge!
1. Proper shoes are very important.. find a small, running store (not a big chain, they never carry the best shoes) and have someone who knows fit you with a pair.. The best store will have a treadmill and ask you to show them how you run.
2. Trails are best places to run for a variety of reasons (safety, interesting, meeting other runners, easier on your legs). Concrete is the worst surface to run on.. and running on roads where some drivers think runners are good practice targets is dangerous.
3. It's always hard in the beginning.. but it always gets easier -- just remember not to overdo it at first. Number one mistake for newbies is to try to do too much too soon.
4. Entering a race is a great motivator.. I'm running a 5K tomorrow morning :)
That's great J! Buena Suerte!
I work out three nights a week (the same regimen I've had since '94) and also play basketball two nights a week. I also get to walk a mile to the bus stop in the morning and the same mile back at night. Then there is the diet. Very little red meat and white flour. It's a lifestyle for the most part.
One thing that's tough for nerds is putting down the coffee. Or at least cutting back. Coffee dehydrates the body. Cutting back to one or two cups a day only and increasing water intake will have a great effect over time.
Oh well, I'm starting to ramble. Keep it up.
Cheers...
be warned - running is addictive. last year, after decades of sedentary life, i was suckered into training for the chicago marathon. despite the fact that i couldn't run around the block, i thought i'd give it a try. although i couldn't imagine running a mile, little less a marathon, before i knew it i was looking forward to 16+ mile training runs. if there's a marathon in your future, i can't recommend the non-runner's marathon trainer highly enough. it has guided over a half dozen friends and family through their first marathon and it's a great testament to following a proven training program [ even if you're not running a marathon ].
shoes. it really is all about the shoes. you don't necessarily want the most expensive, tricked out shoes, but you also don't want to get the pair on sale at the shoe carnival. don't ever try to squeeze a few more miles out of a pair of shoes either, as you'll pay for it.
don't overhydrate. everything you ever learned about drinking water is wrong. the recommendations were changed. only drink when you're thirsty.
good luck! and keep up posted on your progress.
The song refers to Rick Hansen, a wheelchair athlete from Canada ("all I need is a pair of wheels"), who wheeled around the world in '85-87 to raise money for spinal cord injury research. It was called the 'Man in Motion' tour.
Rick was inspired by another Canadian athlete, his friend Terry Fox, who lost his lower leg to cancer. Terry wanted to run across Canada in 1979 to raise money for cancer research. He called it the Marathon of Hope. Running a marathon a day, he made it 3,000+ miles before he was forced to quit due to illness. He died in 1981.
I will note that due to the very humid conditions in the Triangle this week, I was awakened @ 1:30am with an aching knee and ankle. It still hurts enough that I haven't been comfortable all day. But even for all the cartilage problems it led to, running was always a great karma builder. I have never felt as good about myself as I did when I was running 10-15 miles a day. Just keep plenty of ICy Hot around.
And Mark, BTW, ain't running very much. When we last had lunch a few weeks ago, I asked him how much he was running, and he had only gone out once or twice in the last month.
As Brandt said, shoes matter. Hard to go wrong with a ~$100 pair of New Balance. Nike Air is good, though complaints about quality abound. Stay away from Adidas. That Torsion Bar shit is a shin-splint waiting to happen. Lost half my senior year of CC thanks to that damn "innovation". Find a running shop, and get fitted by a pro. See if there are any New Balance Stores in the area.
Runners World is also a good magazine. I like to read it while I sit my chubby ass on the couch and watch TV, cursing the day I joined the Cross Country team.
I find that watching TiVo on my treadmill makes running much more tolerable. I've got this ridiculous system of coax running from the living room under the house to the office/gym with an old mac with a TV tuner card, a IR->900Mhz->IR transmitter and wireless speakers that makes it all possible. The only thing it's missing is duct tape, but it works!
This country is making you fat? Gimme a break, this country isn't responsible for anyone's fatness. Can't a person even take responsibility for their own condition?
Brian,
Did you read the article. Did you understand the points it made? It's getting more difficult to Do The Right Thing for many of the reasons it cites. Where would you cast the blame for that?
Anyway, lighten up. It's just a hyperlink. :-)
Rick Hansen, the wheelchair athlete and subject of "MAN IN MOTION" by John Parr was a great runner and I believe went to the Olympics representing Canada. After being paralyzed in an auto accident, he decided to continue on as a wheelchair marathoner and in an interview once said, "It broke the boy in me, but it won't break the man." Hence, the line in the song.
