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!

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.

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.

My how times change.

I was thinking that this is just probably the 11th or 12th year since I started running.  I had a few years off, but it’s good to be back at it.

And the motor started to run.

I consider the “motor” running when I can jog and forget about wanting to stop, forget about moving, forget about trying to motivate myself, forget about breathing.  I just jog, in a zone.  I touched the zone today, for the first time in a long time.  It didn’t last long.  Hugh caught up with me, and I had the dog with me as well.  The dog was cause for quite a few stops.  But I was actually able to run and keep at it for a while.

Weighed in a day or so ago at 230 lbs.  I’m still running for two.

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.

I weighed in this afternoon at 230 lbs.  That’s a mid-afternoon weight, after sitting around snacking on some almonds, pistachios, dry fruit, and two rice cakes.  A bit much, but a better diet than I was used to a while ago.  I’m three weeks into the Seattle Sutton plan.  Met her in Park Forest when she did a presentation for us.  You can read all about that here.

But I’ve pretty much been sticking with her plan. She convinced me.  So, I’m on the 2,000 calorie a day plan, and will be next week as well.  Then I may drop to the 1,200 calorie plan.  I’d like to lost those first 10 lbs., the ones that are supposed to be the easiest to lose.

I also plan to start Joe Baska’s training plan for the Park Forest Scenic 10 tomorrow.  Tomorrow is just “cross training,” so I’ll take the dog for a brisk walk

The dog was with me today for this jog/walk.  We covered 2 miles in just over 30 minutes, but that was with his stopping to do his thing.  I’ll try a few runs without him this week.

And I’m running blind.  No GPS.  And I’m not buying one until I’m sure I’m going to stick with it.  Too many gadgets, not enough running.

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.

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.

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.

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