Judebert

I'm not dead yet! Although, according to my wife, I probably should be.

I stopped running for 9 weeks so I could spend more time on some other projects. (My last run was 2010-11-17.) For Christmas, my wife and kids got me a heart rate monitor with zone alarms. Just what I wanted! Today, I finally went out running.

It was even harder than I expected. The muscles in my legs protested with every step. I ran until I felt uncomfortable: I was really hot, my breath was labored, and my heart was beating like crazy. How crazy? 175 BPM or so.

I didn't know how bad this was until my wife turned pale when I told her. I didn't find it much worse than my previous running; it didn't feel like I was in any danger. But apparently it's really close to my max heart rate.

At the time, I didn't realize, but I was too uncomfortable to continue. So I walked until I hit 120 BPM, then ran again until I hit 170. Near the end of the run, I adjusted it to 130 - 170.

The run took 39 minutes, and I was exhausted at the end. It took two laps of the sidewalk outside my house for my heart rate to go down to 120 BPM. My right knee was hurting a little bit.

I didn't get to tell my wife the whole story. She panicked as soon as she heard "175". I'll be setting my zone alarms within the American Heart Association guidelines for my next run.

Judebert

It's hard to run a fitness blog when all you can post is "did it again today".

Today I'm skipping.

I haven't skipped in more than a month. I haven't even slacked off. I've got my 5.1K route, and I run it in a little under 35 minutes, even in 80+ degree heat.

Yesterday I mowed the lawn. Foot-high grass everywhere, two-foot high grass and weeds in many places, and I forgot that the mower had self-propulsion until I was 3/4 of the way through. My hands hurt.

I'm skipping today.

Judebert

The guinea pigs are still taking up my exercise area in front of the TV, so no strength training.

But I have been keeping up with the running. I've been having trouble doing the whole 5K, so I've moved my "finish line" multiple times. After all, my goal is 30 minutes of exercise, not a record time.

Unfortunately, the moving finish line leads to sloth. It kept moving backwards farther and farther.

Finally, last Monday, I decided to make multiple lines. Then I could run depending on my current disposition.

The closest, a light pole outside that usually marked my 30-minute distance, I called the "Quitter's Line". The stop sign 50m down the street is the "Finish Line". The stop sign across the street from there is the "Winner's Line". And my driveway, 20m or so farther on, is the "Champion's Line".

I've been making it to the Finish Line ever since. Four runs in a row, with the most recent two going all the way to the Winner's Line. I may have to move the lines again soon!

Judebert

Well, I've been living in decadence for the last four days. The weekend included two gigantic feasts, my Monday run was cancelled due to family obligations, and there's been no strenuous work to be done. At least I've gotten some programming done.

Today I paid the piper. I asked for installments, but the piper isn't as flexible as I had hoped. I struggled through my entire run, beginning to end. Heck, I didn't even make it all the way to the end. I stopped 150 meters short or so.

I guess last night's Veggie Bake dinner didn't make up for four days of binging.

Independence Day approacheth! I've got two parties to attend, too. I'm making my eating plan now: one hot dog and one cheeseburger, or one kielbasa, plus a handful of chips.

Curse you, Pied Piper! I will no longer submit to your fee schedule -- the interest stinks!

Judebert

I was keeping up with my running just fine until Tuesday, when the Big Red Bus came to my office. My veins weren't big enough for a double-red-cells donation, so I just gave a regular pint. (I asked how to help those veins grow; they said, "Water." Shoot, I don't drink anything else. And I drink loads. If I try to increase my intake, my veins might grow big enough, but the blood will be too dilute!)

I skipped Wednesday's run, since they warn you not to do anything strenuous for 24 hours. I went out this morning, imagining my triumphant post to this blog detailing my 30-minute run only two days after donating blood.

I kept to an easy pace. Three klicks later, I was feeling just fine (insofar as that's possible while running). Then I went up a little hill. I found myself gasping at the top.

Trouble breathing constitutes a failure under my "5K, 30 minutes, or failure" policy. I took the nearest shortcut home.

As a result, I only got 22 minutes of running today.

And lots of water, of course!