Shoes!

These are the NewBalance MT200R trail shoes.  I am really digging these shoes.  They are minimalist shoes with zero slope from heel to toe and help keep your foot as nature intended.  I am doing some research on barefoot running, and considering adding it into my running routine.  Considering that we have a really nice trail system here in the Tallahassee area, trail running is an interest that I have yet to pursue. It is suggested that you slowly incorporate this type of shoe into your running routine.  Perhaps only 10% of your training at first and gradually increasing it until your muscles and bones are adapted to the new way of running.  It almost seems as if shoes have caused us to have difficulty adapting to a more "natural" way of using our feet.  From what I can tell, this type of shoe forces you to be a mid-foot striker rather than a heel striker, thus reducing the impact shock of landing on your heels and over time damaging ligaments, tendons, muscles and bone structure.  The more I research the more I am inclined to just go and buy some.

11/30/2011

     That was a week ago.  I have since continued my training and signed up for the "Jingle Bell Run" here in Tallahassee.  Its a yearly run that starts after the city has its Christmas lights parade, or something like that.  I have no idea how long the event is.  But I already registered in person and picked up my long sleeve shirt,  Santa hat and jingle bell.  It takes place on December 3rd at 6:00pm.  I am looking forward to it.  With several thousand participants running through the city blocks and not knowing how long the run is I am not setting a time goal.  Only to finish.  I have several friends running with me again.

     My wife as a job which requires her to travel, sometimes quite extensively.  This is one of those weeks.  She's going to be in the Miami area for 3 nights, meaning....no jogging for me.  I have to take care of three grade school children and get them off to bed and such.  No running around the block for me during this time.  It's going to make for a short training run on Friday night for the run on Saturday.  I'll keep everyone posted.

     Oh, by the way.  I've noticed that my face is skinnier (extra chin is disappearing) and my upper chest and shoulder area is starting to melt away as well.  Starting to see the benefits of running for a month now.  :)

 
 Just moments away from the start of the Turkey Trot and my first 5k!!!

It begins!

     I am a heavy set individual.  Officially classified as obese.  I am a 5'8" adult male 34 years of age.  I weighed close (I was too scared to actually weight myself and check) to 270 lbs.  Of this 100 lbs have been put on in the last 14 years.  I am constantly tired and depressed and enjoy food way to much for my own good.

     Here we are (at the time) in early September.  It started as a challange, which I though at first was a joke.  A customer of mine asked me if I wanted to participate in a triathalon!  The event was to be during the first week of October.

   "Are you kidding.... have you seen me at all during the last year and a half since I have known you"?  I said.

    "No I'm not kidding....I need you to do it".  He said he had the application outside in his truck and went out to bring me the application.

    I ended up not signing up.  Telling myself that I couldn't possibly do it, I talked myself out of it before he got back with the paperwork.

    Over the next several weeks leading up to the event he would ask if I had turned in my application yet.  I said no and that I have a knee injury and I can't do the running.   He put me on the spot and asked if I could swim or perhaps do the biking.  I said I wasn't a good swimmer but I could possibly do the biking.  He said great, as he was assembling a team to do a team competition for the same event and he wanted me to sign up for that instead.  I again talked myself out of it before he could go any further.

    I lead him on that I was still considering it and finally, when I was running out of time and excuses, told him that my knee was really bothering me again and I just couldn't commit to training for it.

    He said that was fine and there was a 5k coming up during Thanksgiving. The "Turkey Trot".  I laughed and said "we'll see".

    Boy did he ever get inside my head.  I began thinking to myself.....why can't I do it?  I used to run pretty well (I ran a sub 6 minute mile) in high school.  Then I would tell myself things like: Ah, my knee is really bothering me.  I don't have the energy.  I'm always tired after I get home, how am I going to have the energy to train and run in a 5k?  Thats 3.1 miles after all!  Thats 3.1 more miles than I've run over the last 17 years or so!  I again talked myself out of it.  Or so I thought.

    Now we were fast approaching November and my wife and I had our 11th anniversary to celebrate on the 4th.  We were going to Jacksonville where my wife's parents live and they were going to watch our three beautiful girls for us to go out to dinner.  That's when my truck broke down.  There went our anniversary money.  Again, tiredness and depression set in.  What could I give my wife for our anniversary?  I began to think, what can I give her that would show her how much I appreciate her for next to nothing?  I told myself that I was too tired and depressed to think about it any more.  I sat on the couch, watching YouTube.com for the millionth time when I had a moment of clarity.  I'm tired of always being tired and depressed!  I can do something for my wife.  I can become the healthy life loving husband that she married again!  I can go running.

     I looked at her. "I'm going running".

     She said "don't hurt yourself".

     Then I went for a jog around the block.  I had to stop and walk 4 separate times.  I couldn't even run around the block.  I thought it must have been at least 2 miles or so.  I hopped in my truck and reset the odometer.  1 mile!  I couldn't even jog for 1 mile and here I am self committed to run in a 5k in 3 weeks!  I was bound and determined to push through and do it.  I began alternating running and walking my mile lap around my house.  By the 3rd night I forced myself to make it the whole mile without walking.  It took me 14 minutes to run a mile and another two days to recover from it.  My legs felt good though.  Real good.  I had a warm sensation and found running to be a very good activity to help cope with the daily stresses of life.  I had become "hooked".

          With these humble beginnings my customer's implanted seed about the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot began to grow.  I began training for the next 3 weeks to run a 5k!  Finally making it 3 full miles without stopping...in 55 minutes!  Ugh!  Rough times, but I enjoyed it actually.

    I started talking to my friends and coworkers about my plans to run in the Turkey Trot 5k.  I went online and registered then immediately posted it on Facebook.  I had several other friends comment on it and a couple good friends decided to run in the event with me.

    Going into the event I had only 2 goals.  First, don't stop running.  Second, do it in under 50 minutes.

    I succeeded in not stopping, and I also finished in 42 minutes and 11 seconds!