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Mercury, the god of cold
Written by Nathan on January 22, 2009 at 3:12 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 22, 2009 at 3:12 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Central Florida is usually a reliably warm place to live. Even during the winter, warm weather is the norm. But for the last two days we’ve experience below-freezing weather during the times I’ve normally run. I’m left wondering why year-round runners from colder parts of the country brave frigid weather. Is it a quest to conquer nature (or self)? Or is running such an addictive past time that no deterrent is ever potent enough to stop a runner?
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21
Fringe benefits of running
Written by Nathan on January 21, 2009 at 11:59 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 21, 2009 at 11:59 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Being that I work at a church, there are a number of churchy things I do. Tonight I attended our annual mission fair, or at least our version of it. This August I’m leading a small team to Brazil to help support soccer camps run by a former member of the Brazilian soccer team and I spent the evening recruiting potential teammates. Recruiting was (and will continue to be) difficult, because the weather will be hot and the physical demands steep. Throughout the evening I kept wondering if I would even have considered myself a candidate a few weeks back. Would I consider myself even now?
There are many trip details yet unknown, but fitness tests will definitely be a part of the this trip’s requirements. What I thought I could do, and what I was actually able to accomplish these last few weeks have been very different. It’s been difficult discovering my physical limits, but when I try to imagine discovering them in the Amazon I shudder to think of the possible consequences.
None of this is to say that every trip participant would be required to run 3 miles faster than me (or faster than Bush). In fact, tonight I biked again (3 miles in 7:30). But this month I’ve rediscovered that even a silly physical project requires training. So as we get ready for a decidedly less-than-silly journey to play soccer in Brazil, I’ll count myself fortunate for the lessons I’m already learning.
If you love soccer and Jesus and think Brazil might be for you, let me know. I’m looking for 15 hardy souls and right now it’s just a team of one.
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20
The challenges of moving forward (with a “leg stimulus plan?”)
Written by Nathan on January 20, 2009 at 9:43 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 20, 2009 at 9:43 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Barack Obama is now president of the United States of America. But George Bush has not left Washington. His ghost will haunt the capitol for a long time to come. Through ongoing wars financed with borrowed trillions of dollars. Through a legacy of torturing suspected enemies. Through politicized law enforcement. Through a financial system hobbled by unregulated, unchecked greed.
8 years ago I foolishly promised to run 3 miles faster than Bush before he left office. I have resolved, these weeks, to make that happen. Today, in my final attempt to beat his time while he occupied the office, I failed. I finished my third mile at 25:19 (7:40, 10:18, 7:31). It was my best time thus far, but it fell short of the mark. Fortunately, this project doesn’t end today because Bush’s specter will linger in the White House for a while longer.
I have 11 days to run much, much faster. I’m confident that if I can manage my leg issues I can remove at least two or three minutes from my time. Endurance may be an issue, but the real problem is the hobbling pain in my legs. But success will not come easily. After the first mile in today’s run the muscles in the front my my lower legs gradually became less and less useful. As the run progressed my mechanical efficiency ebbed, my strides shortened and I was working harder for less distance.
In many ways my running problems seem similar to the political challenges Obama faces. Whatever preparations and plans he has, he’s impaired by a sagging economy that will constantly provide a foil to his best laid plans. (Of course in my case, my foil is of my own making.) Perhaps I should follow his lead, and look for some sort of leg stimulus plan. Maybe I need a way to reinvigorate these muscles so that they can resume proper function. Then my body could focus on the bigger goals, and less on simple pain avoidance.
I have a third of the project left and I intend to use it well. Tips for my leg stimulus plan are welcome.
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19
The end draws near
Written by Nathan on January 19, 2009 at 11:21 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 19, 2009 at 11:21 pm from A Month of Resolve.
8 years ago George W. Bush took office. In just about 12 hours, he’ll leave the office of the president of the United States of American. In that time achieved many things, some good, many bad. Tomorrow, as he affixes an “ex-” to his title forevermore, many things will be said and done about him. Before he transitions back to Mr. Bush, I’ll take one final shot at breaking his time.
Today, in preparation, I biked another 10 miles. I’ve stretched, mentally prepared, and tweaked my playlist. I’m not sure what degree of success I’ll find, but these tired legs will take a shot at victory before I head in to the office to watch Barack Obama relieve Bush of the presidency.
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18
Off day
Written by Nathan on January 18, 2009 at 11:56 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 18, 2009 at 11:56 pm from A Month of Resolve.
No, it wasn’t a day off. But the day felt off for three reason.
- I weighed in and found I’m only 1 pound down on the month. Surprising and confusing, given I’m eating well and exercising daily.
- I ran two miles and incurred terrible leg pain.
- I almost passed out in the shower when I attempted to shave right after running. I don’t handle steam all that well, but it’s rare that I feel as dizzy as I did quite that quickly.
On the upside, I ran the two miles in 16 minutes flat (7:15 for mile one, and 8:45 for mile two), so I have that to somewhat celebrate. I would’ve been happier with a faster second mile, but given my second miles have typically been closer to 11 minutes than 8, I’m happy to move my time in the right direction.
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17
New shoes!
Written by Nathan on January 17, 2009 at 6:15 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 17, 2009 at 6:15 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Time and time again I heard the Track Shack, Orlando’s well-known running store, could fit me for my ideal pair of running shoes. Today I took my first run in the new Mizunos they helped me find, and I must say the Track Shack’s reputation is well deserved. The shoes are great! I decided to continue to follow their advice and start in the shoes with a short run, so I only ran 1.5m (with an early 1.5m walk).
Now there were a few things I did wrong on this run. I didn’t remember my planned course, so I ended up actually doing 1.65m miles instead of 1.5m. I also took off incredibly fast, owing to my general excitement about the shoes. In fact, until 3/4 of the way through the first mile I was on pace for 5:30 mile. When I realized how fast I was going, I slowed down and finished my first mile at 5:30. (Why’d I slow down? There was no way I’d finish 1.5 at that starting pace…)
The last half mile I briefly aspired to push through and try to finish my run in less than 10 minutes. But that didn’t happen. Instead, I ended up doing 1.65m in 12 minutes.
After a few minutes of stretching, I played some soccer with my brother. While this could’ve been another of my many regrettable decisions this month, instead it was fun and relaxing. The leg pain I’ve been suffering was relatively slight and outside of my sister-in-law’s merciless mockery (I hobbled like an old man), I can’t really find any downsides to following up my run with soccer.
So in my brand new shoes, I ran a decent pace and didn’t suffer any overwhelming pain as a result. That enough will energize me to run hard and try to at least beat 24 minutes before Bush leaves office.
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16
One more time biking
Written by Nathan on January 16, 2009 at 11:58 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 16, 2009 at 11:58 pm from A Month of Resolve.
I bought new shoes! They’re ugly, complicated and lightweight. I hope that they minimize the pain I’ve been suffering post-run, but my hopes aren’t too high. At the Track Shack, as they fitted me for a few shoes, I briefly ran in each pair. Those few short runs were enough to trigger the same post-running leg pain.
That pain makes me nervous. It’s one thing for it to surface after running some real distance. It’s entirely something else to trigger pain after running tens of feet.
So in the interest of logging a few good run in the next few days, with my new running shoes I took off for the stationary bike again. In 30 minutes I did 12.5 miles (in theory) and knocked out the first 3 miles in around 7:30.
Tomorrow I plan on waking and running, possibly with my brother or sister-in-law. I’m praying for warmth and pain-free running, but based on the forecast I don’t expect either to come naturally.
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16
Halfway!
Written by Nathan on January 16, 2009 at 10:45 am from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 16, 2009 at 10:45 am from A Month of Resolve.
As much as it seems unlikely that I will run 3 miles faster than Bush, it seemed equally unlikely I’d manage to train every day for a month when I started. But here I am, halfway done and if I can trim a little more than 5 minutes off my time, and stay on task for 15 more days, I could manage both. I’m not saying I will succeed (or that I won’t), but leading up to this project I considered success at trying as unlikely as success at accomplishing.
I’m planning on an afternoon run today after I buy a new pair of shoes. It will be my first run in a few days, and I think I may even assemble a new playlist. Recommendations are welcome – I just need something high energy with a fast tempo.
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Bike redemption
Written by Nathan on January 15, 2009 at 11:08 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 15, 2009 at 11:08 pm from A Month of Resolve.
After a meeting that ran late, I sprinted to my car and managed to get to the YMCA with just 31 minutes before closing. I jumped on the bike, determined to do something worthwhile and managed to eke out what feels like a respectable workout.
Tomorrow I’ll buy new shoes, and this weekend I hope to restart running. It should be a big day. Tomorrow’s the midpoint in this first month-long project, the final day for most of Bush’s staff and the start of my weekend (I work Sunday, thus have Fridays off).
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14
Heading to the boonies with speed
Written by Nathan on January 14, 2009 at 11:22 pm from A Month of Resolve.
Written by Nathan on January 14, 2009 at 11:22 pm from A Month of Resolve.
There’s a reason to delight in well packaged expression. It has the right heft, balance and economy with maximum impact. A poorly structured expression, though, is every bit as intolerable at this post’s title.
I think an awkward expression is the best analogy for a stationary bike I can find. I’ve already aired my grievances with treadmills, but in comparison to the bike, the treadmill is pure delight. I biked 10 miles in 30 minute (going slow at first and taking 16 minutes for my first 3). But in that time, I barely broke a sweat and managed to read two magazines. (Related: US News and World Report is a horrible magazine.) Yet somehow that time spent info-gorging was considered a workout.
Little about the inelegant workout a stationary bike offers seems particularly legitimate. Sure there’s a certain technical marvel at work allowing me to pedal without forward motion. But the workout was impossibly easy regardless of how hard I pushed. The physical feedback never matched the effort and at the end of 30 minutes I read off an imaginary number of calories I certainly did not burn from the machine.
Like a clumsy phrase, tonight’s time at the Y left me ill at ease. I know there was some form of aerobic exercise that took place, but on the whole it just seems like I would’ve been treading less water in an actual pool.
In the next day or two, I’ll head to the local running store (thanks for the tips!) to try to find a pair of shoes that will correct whatever problems may be causing me pain. Bush has less than a week left in office and I need to get going.