Run Your Ass Off

Finally walking again

Much has happened since I last posted.  Sadly, this post is my first post of the new year, 2008, and I’m currently heavier than ever.

However, I’ve started walking again.  No longer permitted to run.

I am walking, at last. I at least walk the dog every day, but I’m also moving toward walking instead of driving, at least in town. I’ve joined the Park Forest Ten Ton Challenge, and I’m trying to really lose weight. Unfortunately, my last weigh-in was 251 pounds. This is heavier than I’ve ever been in my life.

There’s no doubt about it, as former Pittsburgh Pirate’s announcer Bob Prince used to say, I need to lose this weight. I’d love to be down to 200 pounds by December 31. That’s possible. It’s just that Hugh Dzhass has caught up with me, and I can’t take this lightly (pun intended) any more. This isn’t funny. I look at work ID photos from years ago and I actually see someone who looked in shape, even though during my Marathon days I still thought I was overweight.

Now I’m overweight. And it’s way too much. I’m only permitted to take my heart rate up to 120 beats per minute, but I can do that and still consider what I’m doing exercising.

Time to take the weight off.

Today I walked four miles total. Tomorrow I hope to walk four more miles with the Turtle Walkers at the Chestnut St. entrance to the Forest Preserve in Park Forest. We start at 8:00 a.m.

Join us!

2.4 Tonight

Just walking the dog, but I felt so good after a meeting tonight that I actually dressed for the brief walk.

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been consistently increasing my distances with each walk with the dog.  He’s doing fine keeping up.  Really, he could outrun me any time, but he does lag a bit on our third lap around Ash Street Cooperative.  We’re going later in the evenings, but I’ve usually been doing these brisk walks in my work clothes: slacks, polo, and comfortable work shoes.

I finally dressed the part tonight.

No weigh in.  Nothing else to report.  Just glad to be out the door one more night.

I almost hesitate to write….

Seems like every time I sit down to write on this blog, I end up falling off the wagon again — or on the wagon, whichever it is.

However, I have been walking consistently for the past week or so.  No morning strolls yet.  Just afternoon and early evening with the dog.  I’ll have to leave the dog if I want to seriously lose weight.  He likes to stop a lot.

I have been walking.  Just checking in and recording that.  Two miles today.

Actually Made It 2 Miles Today

Made it two more miles. Yesterday and the day before just too tired in the afternoon, and still not motivated enough to get up early and run.

However, Seattle Sutton Healthy Eating must be paying off. I do feel like I have more energy. So, today’s two went well, even though it took me 31 minutes. In all fairness, I did have the dog with me, and we stopped frequently enough. I don’t know that we stopped a total of 6 or 7 minutes, but it probably was close to that.

No Running Today – It’s Friday, after all

No running today. Well, I call it running, but it’s really walking at this point. Let’s call it thundering along with Hugh. We’re just too wide at this point. If I don’t keep up with this, I’m afraid of ending up like the kids on South Park — just kind of waddling from side to side to get my feet off the ground and move myself forward a little bit at a time. I don’t think that I’m really losing weight at this point. Still close to the 230 mark every day, maybe a few pounds over that in the evening.

But tomorrow is Saturday, and with the campaign underway, there will be walking in addition to the distance I hope to cover in the morning with the club.

Onward.

Just a simple walk

Today was just a simple walk. I didn’t walk yesterday, so I was overdue.

Nothing extraordinary to report. Just remembering that covering 2 miles used to be the “off days” running. Today took longer: 35:17, and I was only in my HR zone for 4 seconds. My average HR was only 101. The total event distance was 2.006 miles.

But, I also remember more days sitting on the couch, thinking about my running days gone by, wondering when I’d be out trying again. So, today was better than nothing.

No comments about Hugh. I fed him a sundae last night. That was unnecessary, but I did it. Tasted good enough.

At least I’m still at it.

Back on the Horse and to Hell with Hugh

Had an extremely long day. Started late last night, returning home from WTTW Channel 11 — “Hello! This is WTTW. May I take your pledge?” Our shift ended at 12 midnight, and we pushed our clocks ahead 1 hour last night.

Did not make it up early in the morning to run with the club. Did not run or jog yesterday. I did campaign yesterday, and I walked quickly while doing that, but too much stopping and starting to really count as exercise.

We had a candidates’ forum this afternoon. Afterwards, I was very unsettled. I did well, and I thought I answered questions very well. But I was not comfortable. Most likely it’s because of last night, too overtired to really relax. Afterward the forum I went out to Panera Bread with some friends, and I was still unsettled. Just edgy. My blood pressure was probably up from the forum as well.

So, after I got home, I got back on the horse and went for a walk. Not a jog at all, just a walk. Covered 2.084 miles in 37:05. That’s not very impressive, but it is more than I’ve been doing in a long time. So, it’s good compared to sitting my ass in a soft chair all evening watching television.

To Hell with Hugh

And that reminds me of my friend Hugh Dzhass. I almost forgot about Hugh while walking this evening, until he started asking for a chocolate peanut butter sundae with marshmallow and chocolate sauce topping. Whipped cream — the chocolate kind as well. I suppose I could reward Hugh for sitting with me this afternoon during the candidates’ forum, but that will only make him want more. In the past, I would have thought of an excuse to feed Hugh. “It was a long afternoon,” I might have reasoned, “Hugh put up with a lot.” But, not today, at least.

Hugh has a nasty way of playing weird logic games while I’m walking. It’s almost as if he’s afraid of going away, finding someone else to harass. If I exercise, Hugh expects a reward. When I do the work, and Hugh wants to eat ice cream.

That would be funny if it weren’t true.

So, not tonight, Hugh. Just relax. Maybe a bowl of cereal later if I get really hungry, but I’m not going to pour a second bowl for Hugh.

Hugh will have to do without for tonight.

No Running Today – WTTW Tonight

No running today. On WTTW tonight with the Young Dems until late.

Hugh really complained today. Had a late lunch. Must dump Hugh Dzhass.

Hugh and I go for a run

Well, today was not nearly as impressive, but it was worth it. And I get tomorrow off.

Hugh Dzhass is really slowing me down. I try to leave him at home, but he is very persistent. Where I go, he goes. He’s a real pain sometimes. I don’t know why I’ve been so patient for so long, putting up with his antics.

So, I could only run 3.5 mph. I was out for 30:47, and my average HR was only 107. My distance was still 1.931 miles, and I don’t really know how that happened, as I completely left out one of the parking lots on Birch St. But, hey, who am I to argue with technology?

I’ll never run another Marathon, but at least I can still cover distance. And I’m not out of breath any more when I climb or even run up stairs.

I can’t believe I’m saying that. How did I let myself — oh, never mind that at all. I started hanging 0ut with Hugh. Worse yet, when he showed up, I started feeding him. You should never feed Hugh.

I’ll make that my next rule. Is that rule #3 or #4? I don’t remember. Well, here it is:

#4 (ca.) Never feed Hugh Dzhass.

Meet Hugh Dzhass

Meet Hugh Dzhass. Hugh has been with me for quite some time now. So long, that I sometimes forgot that I actually had another dependent. By himself, you probably wouldn’t notice him: 50, maybe 60 lbs. tops. But he’s always with me, and I’ve had the devil of a time getting rid of him. He’s with me in the morning. He shows up at work. He’s with me after work, at meetings, in the evenings, while watching TV. He’s so much a part of my life, that I often forget about him, and have even considered him a part of the family.

And, oh, does he like to eat. He loves sweet cakes. He adores chocolate syrup, and chocolate-peanut butter ice cream. He can eat a second plate at dinner after I’ve finished my first. He often orders dessert without finishing the main course at restaurants, and leaves me with the bill. When I’m stuffed at home after eating dinner, he makes himself a bowl of ice cream, or yogurt, or whatever.

I’ll tell you more about him later, and all the trouble he’s caused me in life. For now, it’s enough to say hello.

For my part, I actually ran up the steps at Park Forest Village Hall today without losing my breath. Didn’t even know that I had run up steps. Feels pretty good. And, I found out that yesterday’s run was actually a little over 2 miles: 2.036 miles. The GPS worked today, so I did it all again. This one took me a bit longer, 32:29, but I made it, and had time to stretch afterward.

Now I have to eat, and probably feed Hugh a little. But at least I made it through another run.