Random Traffic Through Nick's Brain

Lose some weight so that I can start running in the spring.

• About 10kg / 22lbs, getting me down to 75kg / 165lbs
• Do it by taking opportunities to be active, doing a bit of daily exercise, and not eating like a pig.
• If work calms down, go to the gym at lunch… but who are we kidding… I’m not going to do that unless my job turns into Evare.
• Weight loss is so that I can run without putting as much strain on my knee.

• Start Date: 2008-10-01 (when we move to CH).
• End Date: 2010-10-01 (when we move back to Boston).
• Starting Weight: ~185 pounds.
• Goal Weight: 160 pounds.
• Methodology: More walking, better eating, daily exercise (e.g., push-ups, sit-ups).

I have running-related goals that dovetail with weight loss, but I’m leaving those until I can actually run again.

Remember, about a month ago, I applied for the New York ½ Marathon? Well… I got accepted. Better yet, my cousin who ran the Run To Remember with me was also accepted.

Bad news is my physical therapist thinks I have a meniscal tear and tendinosis, so I’m not whether I’ll actually be able to run. Not to mention that running with an extra 15 pounds on my frame isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Ran for the first time in almost a year. ~3 miles. ~40 minutes. With Alex/stroller. Mildly hungover from a birthday dinner last night. All in all, I’m happy. It feels like I’ve taken the first, important, step to getting back on track with my running. As usual, the first two miles were the worst. The last one was just starting to be bearable.

Completed Boston’s Run To Remember ½ marathon this morning in 2:21:16. Full race results are up at Cool Running. My cousin finished in about 2:18.

• Given my gimpy knee, my goal was to finish.
• My original goal was to finish in under 2:30.
• I’m happy with the time and the under-11 minute pace. On the other hand I’m (intellectually) disappointed that I finished 451/482 in my division (Male 30-39).
• My iPod gave up at mile 9 again. Time to get a new shuffle. I think I’ll cave and go for the newer clip instead of the older stick.
• The cute asses run faster than I do. In the pack I was running with I ended up following cute pony-tails or pithy t-shirts.
• My knee hurt the 1st step of my warm-up jog. It threatened pain a couple of times on uneven surfaces, but never followed through. It hurt again a bit while climbing the stairs to our place after the race. Applying ice, heat, and ibuprofen has helped a lot.
• New shoes helped.
• Very scenic. Boston skyline looked postcardy.

Go me!

On the good side, I ran 13.2M yesterday in 2h33m. All in all, pretty good.

On the bad side… well… I just need to whine for a bit… sorry.

• It was drizzling / raining.
• At mile 5, my left nipple started chafing (despite having applied liberal amounts of BodyGlide). At mile 6 I gave up trying to put up with said chafing and took off my shirt.
• Rain + no shirt = cold Nick.
• I’m generally pro-nudity, but I felt like a bit (OK, a lot) of an idiot with a runner’s tan and a muffin-top.
• Rain + glasses = near zero visibility.
• Rain + uneven running surfaces = puddles. Puddles + shoes = cold, wet feet. Cold wet feet + 13.2M = light blistering.
• Rain + no shirt + iPod shuffle = non-functioning iPod shuffle at mile 10. Thankfully, after some time to dry out, it’s now working again.
• Old shoes = general badness all around. Bought new shoes today.
• The worst part, at about mile 9 my right knee started killing me. I’m quite surprised that I finished the run that quickly given how badly I was limp-running. I’m also surprised, in retrospect, that I ran through the pain… I pretty much ran the whole run without stopping to walk / rest. Today I’m having problems putting weight on my right knee.

I’m hoping that new shoes and a week off will help my knee make it through this Sunday’s run. I’m doing a lot more stretching and strength training to compensate. I also hope to dust off my bike and go for a couple of longer rides for the cardio workout.

So far this month, I’ve run 76.6M. Sunday’s run should bring me close to 90M. I was hoping to run 100M this month. Again, it shows how far I’ve come when I’m disappointed that I’ve only run 90M in a month.

I don’t know what I’d do without my iPod Shuffle. Running to music is nice… it drowns out the noise of the cars on Mem Drive and Storrow Drive. I also find that I end up paying much more attention to lyrics… and, unfortunately, start dissecting said lyrics. Take Mickey by Toni Basil:

…
So come on and give it to me anyway you can
Anyway you want to do it
I’ll take it like a man
…

Did she just insinuate what I think she insinuated? 1 out of 1 people surveyed in person thinks she did.

As I was running 12.6M (in 2h25m) on Sunday, I realized that I can’t imagine myself even running 10M. This was at mile 9.5 or so. Upon further reflection, I realize that I can’t imagine myself running 10M+ either before or after completing such a run.

On a related note, I still, somehow, don’t feel like I’m “in shape”.

What’s wrong with me?