Couch to 5k - Part 3

The running became a lot easier as I started to take the weight off.  If you don't have a lot of weight to lose then I think this process would be a lot quicker, but it took me roughly 4 weeks to run my first mile which is about 1/3 of the way to the 5k. 

From there, it was all about the run back to the house from where I finished. I continued using my telephone pole method and occasionally going a pole or two extra.  I think the toughest part of finishing the 2nd mile was the fact that there is a pretty big hill to run up at the end which I ultimately walked up most days. My toes would start going pins and needles and my hips would kill but I stuck with the goal I had, to run at least as far as the day before regardless of how bad it was.

On a side note, I've learned that properly fitted shoes and padded socks are the most important things ever. I bit the bullet and bought freaking $14 socks (Thorlo Socks) at Sports Authority and it was the best thing I ever did.  The padding prevents blisters and they wick away sweat so when I take them off my feet are pretty much bone dry which is pretty impressive.  As for shoes and that disaster, I will cover that later.

I continued my 5-6 days a week of running all the way up until race day in early September.  Prior to the race I had never run a full 5k, as I think the highest I got was 2.8 miles.  It definitely got easier though as I got in better shape and my last run before the race I knew I could do it.  The first race I ever ran in was quite fun, but note that running when you have a rush of adrenaline and your heart is pounding can be pretty hard and scary.  I settled in after the first mile into my normal 13 minute mile pace.  I enjoyed the experience except for damn Summerhill Rd. which is pretty much straight uphill, but nonetheless I had a good time and I finished!

The whole process took me about 8 weeks and I ended up losing about 20 lbs in the process dropping from 240 to about 220 lbs.

Couch to 5k - Part 2

When I first started running my goal was to run 7 days a week, but soon I realized that was just unrealistic given everything that goes on in life. At the beginning I found that dedicating 30 minutes a day 4-6 days a week was reasonable.

My first run was border line pathetic as I made it only about 3 blocks before being completely winded. However, I developed a routine that consisted of me trying to run to the next telephone pole on the street I was running on and then walking the rest of the 30 minutes.  There were days where I wished there was a telephone pole at every house because they felt so far apart.  I found this gradual increase to really help me pace myself and feel like I was improving every day.  For days that I felt really good, I would run an extra telephone pole. I calls this the "Beginner Telephone Pole Workout". For anyone looking for a way to get started running but just aren't sure where to start, give it a try and it just may work.

At the same time as starting to exercise I also downloaded an app from the iTunes Store called MyFitnessPal, or as my wife now affectionately calls it "that damn thing".  My friend, Misha, had recommended using LiveStrong which seems to be similar but this one was free so I went with it.  Regardless of how you track it, I've found that there is nothing more eye opening than tracking what you eat and seeing it compared to what it should be for a person of your height and weight. Even for people in shape, I recommend doing this even for a week if you haven't before because you could be feeding your body absolute crap (saturated fats, sugars, etc.).

From a diet perspective, I set the app to target losing 2 lbs a week; I tried to cut out more saturated fats and sugar than the guidelines recommended and eat more protein and fiber. The second biggest change for me beside changing what I ate was how often I ate. I used to skip breakfast and eat a big lunch & dinner and snack obnoxiously after dinner.  I now eat roughly 6-8 times a day and I try to not have any single meal over 500 calories with most averaging around 150-200 calories.

Couch to 5k - Part 1

I am going to fill in some background on my training/workout plans that I used to date for those that are interested in how I got to my current point since the most common question I get is "What is your secret?".

I am sorry folks but unfortunately the secret is good old fashion diet and exercise.

Needless to say I was obese when I started this endeavor, nearly 270 lbs and I could barely walk up the stairs without being winded.  I would always blame life and genetics in my head for my weight issues but really it was a decision I made consciously or unconsciously. Ultimately, you have to want to change and I finally wanted to.

When I first started trying to get into shape I tried the conventional diet and it worked great for the first 20-30 pounds. I dropped from 270 lbs to 240 lbs just cutting out soda and reducing my portions but the moment I stopped the weight started to come back.  The human metabolism is very interesting in that it adjusts and is always trying to get into an equilibrium so when you eat less your body tends to burn less; when you start to slip on your diet your metabolism is used to burning less and thus you pack the pounds back on even faster.

This is when I realized I needed to start exercising and drastically change my diet to change my metabolism or I would struggle with it for the rest of my life.  I decided that a good motivation was to try and train to run a 5k race and that is where the idea for running a marathon and ultimately this blog came from.