I managed to run for 5 minutes without stopping!

Twice!
And then a few minutes more!
And my legs didn't tighten up!!!

This is gonna be tough...

So I went jogging today after 8 days of not, and my calves got so tight I could barely jog at all. I walked for 1 minute, jogged at 5 mph at a 1% incline for 3, walked 1 jogged 3, then I had to take 5 minutes out to run The Stick up and down my tender, tender calves. I got back on the treadmill to go again, but I only managed a few minutes before I had to stop and massage my calves again.

I know I can get over this hurdle with constant stretching and frequent exercise, but right now I feel frustrated because my cardiovascular system is more than willing to jog for much longer than I can right now. It's the damn musculature that is the weak link. Grrrrr.......

Yes, but look at the ONE month graph...

I know that if you look at my total weight graph o' doom since I started keeping track of it, it looks like I've gained about 5 pounds. BUT if you look at the one month graph, the results are much nicer:



This means I am holding steady. So far so good. Next step: a DOWNWARD trajectory.

I vow this, my friends: One Day we shall rechristen the graph. No more shall it be Weight Graph o'Doom, but rather it shall become the Weight Graph o' Delight!

A Jog and Healthy Meals

Good news bad news good news.

The good news is that I doubled my walk/jog from yesterday. The bad news is that "doubled" means I managed a mile and a half before collapsing, compared to my paltry 3/4 mile yesterday. The good news is that I have a lot of time until the 10-mile run in April.

I got ahold of the Beginner training schedule from a couple of years ago, and this is what the first week of training looks like:

• Jan. 23 - 30 minutes
  Goal: Walk for 1 minute and then run for 2 minutes. Do this 10 times.
• Jan. 24 - 21 minutes
  Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes (7 times)
• Jan. 25 - Rest Day
• Jan. 26 - 32 minutes
  Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes (4 times)
• Jan. 27 - 24 minutes
  Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes (6 times)
• Jan. 28 - Rest Day
• Jan. 29 - 36 minutes
  Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes (12 times)

Once again, the bad news is that I am totally a beginner, and this training plan actually looks appropriate for me. The good news is that I am starting to train about three weeks before the training schedule kicks in, so I should be ready to go in a few weeks.

My meals today were good. A soy breakfast burrito this morning, a South Beach bar, South Beach chicken alfredo whole wheat frozen dealie, an apple. I did have a burrito from Baja Fresh, but it was after my jog and I was famished. The really good news is that I grilled a sirloin burger for dinner and ate it without the bun and it was DELISH. Then I had some baby carrots with hummus.

I'd say my calories for the day are around 2200, which is right on track. I have no idea what the Weight Graph O' Doom will say tomorrow -- I'm hoping for a green triangle instead of a red one -- but whatever happens, I know I did well today.

I think today's dinner provides a good model for the future. It's like a compromise: I can eat as much protein and veggies for dinner as I like, as long as I lay off the carbs. It'll work out because I can't see myself gorging on saturated meat or anything. Maybe two chicken breasts? A couple sirloin burgers with no bun? I'm not concerned.

Onward...

Starting 2008 off right?

So that green triangular area up on the graph from last week, that was when I went home to Michigan and dropped about 5 pounds. Of course, I probably didn't lose 5 pounds of fat -- much of it was likely water weight -- but it shows that when I don't eat big meals late at night, when I don't eat sodium-filled meals, and when I generally curb my calorie intake, weight loss comes quickly for me.

As you may have also noticed, the graph has jumped back up to my pre-Michigan levels. This is because two nights ago I ordered Chinese food, and last night I had ramen noodles. Both carry massive amounts of sodium, so I have no doubt retained several pounds of water.

It is interesting to note that the General Tso's combo I had two nights ago was incredibly delicious, but after I consumed the entire thing, I was completely incapacitated. Apparently 2,000 calories (at least) of a fat-laden meal, consumed quickly, causes me to get very very drowsy, become unable to do anything, and fall asleep.

Huh.

Some other interesting news: Yesterday I "began" "training" for the 10-miler in April, and I had an interesting finding... it seems I am unable to run a mile. Not because of any cardiovascular issue (my pulse didn't go above 120, when I am easily capable of maintaining 160+ for a long time), but because my calves were incredibly tight. This always happens after a long period of dormancy, and after massaging my calf muscles with THE STICK, everything worked fine again. But this shows that it will take me a couple weeks before I can get up to the distances necessary to properly condition my body for 10 miles.