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!

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!

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!

Saturday was my daughters' combined birthday party. We hosted a geocaching and kite-flying party in the park. It was fantastic! The temperature was 89F, and the news said it felt like 109. But we did most of our geocaching in the shade near the river, and we got a little breeze just when we needed it to fly the kites.

However, setting up the caches and running the party meant that I was working from 10:30 AM straight to 6 PM. Walking, lifting, carrying... and an occasional ride in the car to get pizza or batteries. After my normal cardio-only week, which included a 5K run the previous day.

I'm proud to say that my endurance has increased enough to handle it with no problem! Before I started exercising, I wouldn't even have made it past 2 PM. Thanks to all this running, I only quit when my shin, knee, and hip all started hurting while I unpacked the car at home.

Eri insisted that I skip my Monday run, since I'd already done so much work. I agreed, but then I abandoned my good eating principles and stuffed myself. Twice.

My weight is not going to be pretty. Maybe I'll just avoid the scales for a week or two...

At least I'm still running on my regular schedule. And now I know it's helping!

For the past two weeks, I've skipped the strength exercises and ignored good eating habits. After finishing the Coporate 5K, it seems I've lost my motivation. I even missed a day of running. (Okay, I traded it for walking the next day with my wife. But that fell through, so I wound up with nothing.)

Granted, it's been busy. There have been birthday parties, kids finishing school, and even a hospital visit. The house is a mess, and the guinea pigs are hanging out in the spot where I put down my exercise mat.

But I could still manage, even with all that. I just haven't.

I've got to find some way to get back on top of my workout!

Last week, I finally managed my full schedule of exercises. That's running M-W-F, with strength exercises T-R.

It had been a hectic couple of weeks before that, so I was lucky to get two days in a row. I had to start small again: not running 5K, just running for 30 minutes. The first day, I couldn't even manage that! I got dizzy around 28 mins.

I'm keeping the trend going today. This morning I ran with an iPod reading to me. Not a bad experience, but there was no way to tell how long I had been running. I settled for my regular 30-minute distance.

Maybe I'll figure something out along those lines later. Here's looking forward to future runs!

Yesterday I tried Wii Fit Plus. Color me unimpressed. The new games are pretty cool, but the new exercises leave a lot to be desired. Still, I suppose it's better than the old exercises.

Today I ran. I was questioning whether I'd be motivated to do it now that I've finished a 5K, and considering my terrible after-race workout, but I went. I want to lose some weight and improve my endurance; that's not going to happen without aerobics. If I ever do get on The Amazing Race, the majority of the aerobics I'll be doing are running. So I've got to run.

I walked part of the 5K as my warmup, and finished the whole thing in 36:24. That's slower than my race, but that's OK. At least I actually finished!

After my performance at the Corporate 5K, I expected my morning run to be no problem.

Despite the easy pace I set, I found myself more reluctant than usual. I was more aware of my breathing than ever, even though I wasn't feeling any dizziness or side stitch. My right knee was more tight and sore than usual. I kept trying to convince myself to stop.

I made up a new philosophy: "drop or damage". I swore to keep running until I absolutely couldn't run any more, or some body part was about to suffer damage. (If I actually hurt myself, I'd have to stop running until I healed, and then I'd have no aerobics at all for weeks.) I decided that "drop" was a little too drastic, but that if I couldn't control my breathing, it counted as dropping.

Around 3.5K, I pooped out. Embarrassingly, on a downhill leg, I slowed to a walk. My left foot felt swollen and sore in the arch, and I was losing control of my form. I resorted to intervals, walking for 100 steps and running until my foot stopped me.

This was a very demoralizing morning. I can't afford to let it stop me, though; I really need an aerobic workout.

Perhaps it's time to replace my shoes?

Today I ran the Corporate 5K. This is my first real 5K; I've done the Dick Batchelor Fun Run, but that was just walking to see if I could even complete it. Today I actually ran a 5K.

I was really quite disappointed. It was nice to hang out with coworkers I haven't seen for a while, and to test my limits. I was ecstatic about my performance: 30:57, just a hair under consistent 10-minute miles!

My problems were the race administration and the crowd. There were more than 12,600 people there. There were no proctors to line us up according to time; we just jammed into a mob taking up an entire city block or more. They had given us colors for elite, runners, and walkers, but they didn't make very much difference. The organizers' idea of communicating with us was to blast distorted instructions out of ear-splitting amplifiers.

At the Fun Run, they gave us little electronic dongles to put on our shoes. They kept track of times and published them. The Corporate 5K was decidedly low-tech: they had big LED timers around the course. To find your time, subtract the moment you went over the starting line. This website post is the only record I'll ever have of my time, and I've got nothing to compare it to.

The crowd made it a lot harder than I expected. I had to slow down, speed up, make way, and plan a route as I ran. I expected the crowd to thin out as we got going, but it didn't seem to. Going around corners was especially interesting.

I'm still deciding on whether to do this again. Maybe something smaller, or better organized. We'll see.

Today I ran to the end. I walked the first 5 minutes as a warmup, as usual; then I started jogging and didn't stop until I had completed a full 5K.

My alarm rang, indicating that 30 minutes of running was over, just before I got home. That meant I was running a little faster than usual. Sure enough, my overall time was 35:28! I was a little dizzy afterwards, but not during the running. Obviously popcorn does not make a great dinner, but water and an apple beforehand is a good idea.

Only one more run before the actual race. Monday I'll warm up off the course, then run the whole thing. I'll skip Wednesday's practice, since I race on Thursday.

Now I've got to figure out how to take care of this chub rub...

Heeding the lessons of my previous failed attempt, I was much more careful with my food intake. I managed to develop an... intestinal problem... anyway. I drank extra water to make up for it.

I also had an apple an hour before setting out, just to make sure I had some food energy to draw on.

I also kept a slower pace. If I took any slower steps, I would've been walking. If I took any shorter steps, I would've been hopping.

I managed to complete all 30 minutes of running! I felt like I could've run the rest of the way home. My overall time was 37:22, longer than ideal, but at least I achieved my actual goal.

Friday I'm going to run the whole thing! Well, other than my 5-minute warmup walk. But I'll run the rest, with no timer!

Yesterday we had a big Easter feast at my parents' house. Ham, potatoes, corn, peas, cornbread... it was delicious.

And today I tried to run it off. The plan was to do 30 minutes straight. (Couch to 5K Week 9.)

I was determined. I kept trying to distract myself, but I refused to give in.

Right up until I got light-headed. That's my sign that it's time to stop.

I walked for two minutes or so, then jogged the rest of the way home. My time was 35:09 for the entire workout, including the 5-minute warmup. Since my last long run was 35:33, I can only conclude that I was running faster than usual. Perhaps that accounts for the lack of energy.

I don't know if I was running too fast, or my Easter feast was wearing me down. Either way, I couldn't do 30 minutes straight. I'll try again on Wednesday.

And this time, I'm paying more attention to what I eat!

Although I've already completed a 30 minute run, today I tried 28 minutes again. I managed it, but I was fading fast.

I think I'll do Week 9, the final week, next: 3 days of 30 minute runs. The next week is the Corporate 5K, so I'll run once on Monday, then save it up for Thursday's run.

It's hard to believe I'm actually doing this!

I was supposed to run for 28 minutes this morning, skipping straight to Week 8 of the Couch to 5K program. My alarm didn't go off, though; I wound up running for an entire 30 minutes! I nearly made it home before I checked!

So today I finished an entire 5K, with 5 minutes of warmup walking, in 35:33. I walked a bit on the way home; if that was around 30 seconds, I ran for 30 minutes!

Week 7 is all 25-minute runs. But I managed that with no problem on Friday; why should today be any different?

Rain.

It wasn't miserable or anything. Just annoying. It covered my glasses so I couldn't see when I was about to step in a big puddle; as a result, my shoes were soaked. My shirt weighed an extra couple of pounds, and my shoes and socks were probably quarter-pound ankle weights.

Since it was raining, I adjusted my route to end near my house again. I stopped when I reached home, with only 30 seconds left. So instead of a 25-minute run, it was a 24:30 run in the rain.

Week 8 is all 28-minute runs. Since I've got a 5K coming up, I think I'll skip directly to that and see how much of my 5K I can cover. Providing it's not raining again.