Outdoor Running Day Two

Yesterday brought me a wake-up call with my half-marathon training.  Things just did not go well in my first outdoor run this year.

Today brought an opportunity for me to redeem myself, to show myself that I am not as far off as I was yesterday.  Then again, after yesterday’s performance, it would be near impossible to do worse today.

I got home from meeting friends at happy hour just in time to get my run in before sundown.   I stretched, I stretched again, then went on my way.

Highlights:

• I ran at least a half-mile further without stopping
• My lungs were not as heavy, very little hacking up
• No sideaches, again!
• I could have gone further; I need to HTFU (if you know what that means, two bonus points for you)
• I did run about a half-mile after walking for a few minutes
• I did a push-up and sit-up workout after the run

Lowlights:

• I stopped earlier than I should have, I need to HTFU
• I need to not be afraid to go further; keep running!  1.5-2 miles may be ‘ok’ right now, that’s not going to cut it in a week

Overall, today was 100 times better than yesterday.  I am enjoying running outside the last two days more than any of the time I have spent on a treadmill so far this year.  I can only hope that the weather continues to hold up.

Tomorrow, I have to decide on going to my bosses house for St. Patrick’s Day dinner, or running after work.

What should I do?

~Jason Douglas

twitter: @jasondouglas

Spring Is Here: Take Two Steps Back

It’s an interesting title to use for a blog.  Most people associate the arrival of spring as a step or two forward.  There is a saying regarding daylight savings time: ‘fall back, spring ahead’.  With the recent heatwave to hit the Minneapolis area (Hopkins specifically), I was hoping to start running outside.

Today brought 54 degree weather, sunny, and a small breeze.  Today was the day that training outdoors for the half-marathon would begin.

I didn’t have a goal set for how long I would run, distance and time.  My goal was to just get out and see how it felt to run against the wind, with the wind, not on a treadmill, and most importantly: how would my lungs feel.

I have run outdoors in the past, and have encountered the same issues when I start running outside: heavy lungs, dry mouth, a clearing of the nasal pasages.

Today was no different.

It has been since October since I had run outside; that was in different conditions and a different situation.  Then, I was happy to finally be active after my wrist ordeal.  Today; there is  a goal motivating me.

I made it a mile before I had to stop.  Not good for someone who has 13.1 to run on May 31.

Positives:

• No side aches!  I did not think this was possible.   Maybe it has to do something with getting fresh air in the body.
• My legs felt good as they have throughout this process
• I was running outside and not on a treadmill; need more of that since the race is not indoors
• I did continue running after a 3 minute walk, about a half mile, until everything went south again

Negatives

• My lungs were heavy; it felt like I had a two-pack-a-day habit
• The dry mouth was pretty poor; I kept hacking up a lung after a half-mile
• Running outside made me feel like everything I have done to this point was for nothing, hence the title of the blog

Today allowed me to realize that I am nowhere near where I need to be to achieve my goal on May 31.  Sobriety a half-hearted adjustment on my diet, and a workout that I have not committed to 100% will only allow my doubters to be right, and that can not happen.  That can not happen.

This is the wake up call I needed.  The disappointing things here are that I allowed this to happen, allowed the doubters to feel that they finally got me and were right, that all the work I have done and steps I have taken forward have not been enough.  I will not allow failure to happen.

Until next time.

~Jason Douglas

twitter: @jasondouglas

Help, I can’t breathe!!

Or is it something else?

This is becoming, again, a recurring theme.   I stretch, I walk for 5 minutes, I start running, and BOOM… sideaches join Team Jason.  I try running through it: FAIL.  I walk it out for another 3 minutes, attempt running again: FAIL.  I repeat the previous attempt; same result: FAIL.

What the crap is going on?

When I began my training and workouts a month ago, sideaches never happened.  I stretch, I eat somewhat well, I sleep like crap, I do a minimal amount of core training; nothing has changed from when I started.

My legs feel very good, my lungs are good as well.  My core is obviously garbage.

With my high level of frustration, I was able to dominate my weight training tonight.   A small amount of redemption flowed through my body.

I expect more out of myself in absolutely everything I do.  To me, success is the greatest high I can experience.  I am not high at all right now; tonight was an absolute failure, and a big wake-up call.  In less than four months, I have a half-marathon to run.  I was unable to make it a mile before quitting due to some sideaches.  What a joke.

Since I am incapable of fixing this problem on my own, I need help from you.

What am I doing wrong?  What can I do to get rid of these sideaches?  What I am doing is not good enough, and it is as frustrating as anything I have experienced in recent memory.  I don’t need anything else to help me not sleep at night.

I am sick of FAILING.

Let us see what tomorrow will bring.  Let us see what I will bring to tomorrow.

~J

@jasondouglas