we've got some catching up to do

Wow I have SLACKED on the blogging.

I've had an interesting couple of months. I won't really delve too deeply into what's been going on, but instead focus on the positives. Because I'm a positive dude.

My running has continued, thank you for asking...my first 5k is next Saturday in the great city of Oxford. I'm very excited and a little nervous. I've had a nasty cold/virus for the past week and I can't seem to shake it. Tonight I ran a little via Wii Fit, and I hope to get back in the swing starting Monday (or Sunday, if everything goes well).

I had the opportunity to work this past weekend at a Disciple Now in Crowder/Batesville with my buddy Soul Train's youth guys. I had 6 super cool dudes stay with me in a very nice couple's home for the entire weekend. We had a blast, and I got to spend some good quality time in prayer and meditation. Sunday morning, after we had wrapped up, I was able to share with the Crowder kids a couple songs in worship. It was very fun and just what I needed.

And since my sickness this past week has turned me into a shut-in of sorts, I was able to sit down and come up with some great song ideas. I currently have two completed songs, ready for a full band treatment (hopefully soon) and another two that I'm still tweaking. I've always loved music, and to be able to write some has been such a fulfilling thing for me. I have only showed one person my first song, and he seemed very excited to hear it. Let's hope he wasn't just being nice.

Ben is also in the process of moving in with me, which is cool. He and I shared an apartment in Oxford a few years ago, so this is kind of a nostalgia trip. He's neat and I'm messy...so it's an interesting dynamic. But I'm glad he's moving in.

I have also signed up for another 5k in April which is held literally just outside my front door, here in Holly Springs. I'm hoping to do well in these two runs and then eventually start training for a half-marathon. But I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch, so to speak.

Well that's it for now. My medicine is kicking in and I don't want to ramble.

Thanks for reading.

training to run - week 4: day 2

I skipped my running on Saturday and instead did it yesterday at Wall Doxey State Park. It was nice to get a change in scenery, but my run was terrible.

It was the same as the last run: run 3 minutes, walk 1 1/2 minutes, then run 5 minutes & walk 2 1/2 minutes (x 2). However there were a couple factors which made it a little more difficult.

First of all: hills. There were many more hills than I am used to and I wasn't as prepared for them as I had hoped to be. I got extremely tired about halfway through.

Wetness. There had been a lot of rain on Saturday and I found out that my shoes are not the best at gripping wet pavement. Thank goodness I'm getting new shoes for Christmas.

On my last 5 minute run, I stopped halfway through. I couldn't breathe well and I was just tired. I walked for a minute, then finished out the last minute and a half. After I walked back to my car I ran for another minute to make up for what I had skipped.

Still, it made me feel horrible to not finish. So what I think I'll do is try the last run of the week and if I still am struggling, I'm going to repeat the week. I read somewhere that this is a good thing to do if your endurance isn't building as quickly as you'd like.

Also I've started a calorie counting diet (using an app called Lose It on the iPhone) that requires me to log in everything I eat/drink. So far I haven't gone over my limit for the last few days, though I got close yesterday! We had a meal at church and let's just say I ate well.

I got a Christmas present for myself last week...it is a iPod nano, 5th generation. I got it to use with the Nike+ system & shoes that I'll be getting for Christmas from the parents. It's an awesome little machine. I wish my old iPod did half the things this little guy does.

Well that's all for me at the moment. Enjoy your day...and I have a post coming in a day or so that DOESN'T have to do with running!

training to run - week 4: day 1

I just finished day 1 of week 4 of my Couch to 5k program...and I thought I was going to die.

First of all it is COLD outside! At the moment it's 28 degrees out.

Secondly, I was required to run 3 minutes, walk 1 1/2 minutes, then run 5 minutes & walk 2 1/2 minutes (twice). Overall that was 16 minutes total, which (to me) is a lot.

I have been done for over an hour now and feel pretty good. This whole week will be the same type of running and I can't wait to continue building up my endurance.

training to run - week 3: days 2 & 3

Want to hear about a busy Saturday? Then you, my friend, are in luck.

I had planned to get up and run early on Saturday, but as my alarm went off I just wasn't in the mood. Friday night I'd been at my cousin Taylor's house to eat and hang out with him, my uncle Anthony, aunt Son Cha, and family friends Yassir & Michell Janah. I didn't get home until close to midnight and had to be in Memphis the next morning to watch Anthony, Son Cha, and Yassir compete in the St. Jude marathon. I decided to just wait until later in the day to run.

I ended up walking around downtown Memphis from 9 AM until close to 2 PM following the runners/looking for Yassir. After getting home I headed down to work on our church's float for the Holly Springs Christmas parade. I walked alongside the float as it made it's way through town for about 45 minutes.

All this to say that I was pretty exhausted by the time I got ready to run. Corey Garner, who walked along during the parade, wanted to run with me, so I waited a little while for him to get ready. I opted to run around the well-lit square rather than go out to the cemetery at that time of night.

I mentioned last time that my ankle had begun hurting after my run on Thursday. Saturday night it throbbed but overall didn't hurt too badly. I finished up and kept my same pace throughout and Corey did pretty well considering he doesn't run.

Sunday was a different story. My ankle was in some pain. It wasn't swollen but kinda hurt. I bought a brace for it and it made such a big difference. Today my ankle felt great, and I ran without much problem at all.

The runs for these days were the same as Thursday's; a 1 1/2 minute run followed by a 1 1/2 minute walk, then a 3 minute run followed by a 3 minute walk and then everything repeated once.

I went ahead and did extra stretches afterward and iced my ankle for precaution. I've worn my brace tonight but at the moment I feel great. I think what I'm experiencing is backlash from years of not staying in shape catching up with me.

Starting Thursday I will be on week 4. I'm 1/3 of the way through my training! And so far it's been very rewarding. I'm already wearing jeans that I couldn't fit into a month ago and my belt is fastening at the smallest notch. Not too bad for 3 weeks of running!

training to run - week 3: day 1

I decided to blog every day that I run rather than weekly, since I would more than likely forget details that I consider important.

After Monday's run, I had Tuesday and Wednesday off before starting again today (Thursday). I decided to do different exercises on Tuesday afternoon, including benching, sit-ups, and squats. And I overdid it. Wednesday my walking was like that of a zombie...slow and lumbering, complete with various moans/groans.

So this morning when I woke up I was pretty bummed to find that my legs still felt like death. I got a little nervous about running this afternoon on shaky, hurting legs. But by the time this afternoon came around I was getting around pretty well.

I got home and headed out to warm up before my run at around 5 PM. My first run was refreshingly easy. It was for a minute and a half, immediately followed by walking for the same amount of time. I can really feel my stamina picking up during each week.

After that run/walk combination I ran for 3 minutes straight with a walk of 3 minutes directly afterward. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be.

The program called for me to repeat that entire sequence just one time. When I finished, I wasn't nearly as winded as I have been in the past. All signs are looking great for these 9 weeks to be effective.

Saturday I will be cheering my aunt & uncle (and Yassir) on in a marathon for St. Jude in Memphis. I look forward to checking out their techniques and maybe learning a thing or two from them.

Oh I almost forgot to mention this...

When I was running my second 1 1/2 minute run, I felt a cramp or pull or something in my right leg, just above my ankle on the inside of my leg. Afterward, I rubbed it and stretched more before my final 3 minute run, but on the walk home it still felt irritated. I bought an ankle support brace to alleviate the pain (which really isn't that severe at this point) and it feels fine right now. But yeah...anyone have any suggestions/thoughts?

Until next time...

training to run - week 2

I just finished week 2 of my Get Running program. I have to say that I'm feeling really great and in better shape after each run.

This past week's running worked like this: 6 repetitions of running 1 minute 30 seconds and walking for 2 minutes. It may not sound too difficult, but after not running for a few years it is quite challenging.

The first day of running was last Thursday...that's right, Thanksgiving. I made the executive decision to run early, before my special day of consuming deliciously unhealthy foods. Judging by the turkey induced coma/hangover I incurred, I believe I made the right choice. The rest of my day consisted of watching Home Alone and sleeping.

As for the running, I was pleased to find that running an extra 30 seconds wasn't as hard as I'd imagined. At least not for the first couple sets. After the third set I was so winded that I could barely breathe. The British-voiced woman on the program spoke up afterward, telling me that I was halfway done and could turn & go home if I needed to. After a moment of contemplation, I turned my headphones up a notch and ran harder. It's a good feeling when you don't give up.

Speaking of music, I'm finding that pop radio produces a lot of great running tunes. In heavy rotation at the moment is the new Weezer album as well as select Black Eyed Peas songs. And Miley Cyrus. Ahem.

Saturday was day 2 of week 3 (got that?) and I was happy to discover that I didn't become winded until after the 4th set of running/walking. However that morning the sun decided to come out and I had to shed clothes. I had worn a light track jacket and a beanie and both of them ended up hanging from a low branch on a tree until I finished.

One thing I realized on Saturday was a pain in my lower stomach. I recognized it immediately, thinking back to the days when I ran in high school. My carbonated drink habit had caught up with me. Even though I was only drinking 1 every other day, I could still feel it. My decision? Cut 'em out.

After that realization, I also decided to cut back on food somewhat. I began portioning it out a little better later on that day and the next and, in turn, had the best running experience of all today.

I went out after doing some warm up stretches into the cold dusk after work this afternoon. On my walk to my running grounds (local cemetery that is packed with nice paths & such) I was sure to warm up even more, stretching my legs out and walking very briskly.

Once I got to the cemetery and was prompted to run ever so politely by the friendly British voice on my iPhone, I felt some pain in my leg and side. I decided to go ahead and keep running, and after a minute both of the pains went away. I assume I just had a couple cramps I hadn't stretched out. My next obstacle was breathing. I have a bad habit of taking short breaths which tire my body very easily.

I pretty much had to regulate my breathing as I ran, teaching myself to breathe in slowly and exhale slowly (like Wii Fit has taught me). That was no easy task, but I found that I had much more stamina and by the 6th run, I had found an amazing pace and felt I could run forever.

So that was week 2. If you're reading this and you're a runner, please give me some pointers! I would love to hear what anyone out there can share.

training to run - week 1

A couple weeks ago I got the itch to do something productive and healthy for myself. I decided to start running. So I went on a short run one afternoon to see what I could do...it was ugly.

I felt like I'd taken a Tyson punch to the gut while simultaneously a giant hand squeezed my lungs until I nearly hyperventilated. Out of shape is another way to describe how I felt. Of course that wasn't really a surprise since I've been carrying around some extra weight for a little while now.

Despite my initial discouragement I decided to seek help. Since my iPhone is always on me in one way or another, I thought I'd look to see if there were any apps for training someone to run. Turns out there are quite a few! I decided to use one called Get Running ($2.99 on App Store).

Get Running trains you slowly from a novice level to a full-fledged runner. Or so I read. I had to give it a try.

So this past week I did just that, and I have to say that I feel pretty good. The first week of training consisted of 3 days (like, for example, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) of alternating running/walking. To begin, a pleasant-sounding British lady starts speaking instructions, telling you exactly what to do. You start by warming up for 5 minutes (I just walked briskly for this time period) and, after the 5 minute period is over, she comes back over your headphones and tells you to begin your first run.

After a minute's time your first run is over. She then instructs you to walk for a minute and a half, only to run again for another minute. Overall the run/walk combo repeats 8 times.

What's cool is that while this is going on, you can play your music in the background. I have an awesome playlist full of pop music that gets me pumped (I'm on sort of a pop kick these days).

Also noteworthy are my running grounds: the local Holly Springs Cemetery. You may think it's weird, but the cemetery is full of paved trails and hills that prove to be challenging for me as a beginner. Not to mention it's easy to run when a ghost may or may not be chasing you...

My first day of running was TOUGH. I managed to finish with only 2 thoughts of suicide...I kid. I did want to stop and just go ahead and let my heart explode. It was pounding like crazy.

The second day was even harder, much to my surprise. My muscles ached, as did my knees. After my 4th round of running/walking I felt like stopping. The program actually gives you a chance to stop if you so choose after the 4th round...but I didn't do it. I had to prove to myself that I was serious. I was actually proud of myself after I finished out.

Today I completed my first week of running in a different location. I had left some clothes at my parents' home in Waterford, including my running clothes. So I went back down there today since I had planned to go there anyway for dinner and ran along the surprisingly busy streets. I also had a chorus of dogs barking their hearts out at me as I ran past their territories. At one point I had two dogs trailing behind me. Anyway, to my surprise and good fortune, I didn't get winded until I finished my 6th round today. This was a marked improvement and gives me hope since the next week (beginning Thursday) I will have to run for a longer period of time.

You may ask why I would be doing this at 26 years old. Well I used to run in high school, but I never really took it seriously. I did it because I was talked into it, basically. But after the year my brother has had with cancer and its' complications, and after hearing of benefit runs to raise funds and awareness for a possible cure, I think it's a great thing to be part of. Also just being able to use my body for good seems like such a liberating and spiritual thing. Not to mention I'll be in pretty great shape!

So until my next complete week of running, enjoy life.