JJSB Rundate 15061: Training Week 1 & How My Running Journey Began

Well, Week #1 of the 12 week half-marathon plan is complete.  I decided to go with the Novice 2 plan because the three days of rest has given me much better results than the more advanced plans in which you only get two.  Plus, I didn't care for all the speed/strength work that was on the advanced plans.

This first week went pretty well, except for the snow that we had on Saturday.  It started snowing earlier than I thought so I was stuck inside.  I don't really like doing the treadmill, so I kind of put it off on Saturday until I could finish getting a TV set up in front of the treadmill.  I was so busy painting nearly all afternoon on Saturday, that I didn't get a chance to get it set up.

So, I set it up on Sunday and did the 4 mile (long run) for the week on that day.  No big deal.

     

This is a 12 week training plan, so I thought that over the next 12 weeks or so, I would talk a little bit about how I got started running and what I've learned through the past few years.

So, back in the fall of 2011, I went to a health fair at the hospital that my wife works for.  They did various testing which included cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.  I was very surprised to find out that my cholesterol along with various other results were high.  I should not have been surprised.  I had gone from being a skinny lean (twiggy?) 17 year old, 129 pound, extremely active high school graduate to being a 42 year old, 182 pound, relatively inactive husband and father of four.  Fifty pounds heavier.  Experiencing way more stress.  Getting little to no cardio exercise.  Bad allergy issues all year round.  These and a host of other factors made for a fairly unhealthy JimmyJames.  

The nurse that gave me my results, said that the only way I would be able to get the cholesterol, etc. under control would be to severely alter my diet.  I don't remember all the specific foods she mentioned, but I do remember her listing off a bunch of stuff and I particularly remember her mentioning cutting cheese out of my diet.  Cheese?  Really?  Not going to happen. 

I've always been an "everything in moderation" type of person, at least in perspective, so I rejected this cutting out of cheese, etc. entirely.

Instead, I began to eat oatmeal everyday because I heard that it was like a miracle reducer of cholesterol.  I didn't really change much else because the holidays were upon us and we all know how eating goes along with Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Enter 2012! 

I began to think more about a game plan on getting healthier.  I decided that a good place to start would be to lose a little weight, with the outlook that once a little weight came off, I would have more energy and a better outlook to begin exercising on a consistent basis.  I had heard about the Myfitnesspal (MFP) program and that it had an app for smartphones, so I decided to give it a shot.  https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

I didn't want to try to do a radical diet because, again, I've always had the "everything in moderation" perspective.  I just began using MFP because I knew from past experience that just knowing how many calories I'm taking in each day is eye opening.  And it was!  I realize that the program may not work for everyone, but for me, it was key.  For one thing, if you have a smart phone, just being able to scan bar codes and/or simply search for meals and quickly add the calories to your daily eating diary makes it so easy to keep on track.  Another thing I really liked was the recommended goal of losing approximately one pound per week.  Taking the weight down slow and steady is the way to go.  Of course, many (like me) find that the weight comes off a bit more quickly.  I was about 28lbs lighter after only a couple of months of using MFP.

I can't stress enough, how important losing this weight was for me in regards to becoming a runner.  I know that many people don't need to lose the weight first or can do the weight loss and running programs simultaneously, but from my perspective, if you're above your target weight range, it's best to take off at least 10 pounds, prior to beginning a consistent running training program.  I just think that it gives you that extra edge of confidence and good vibes to get you going on a training plan.

One other thing to mention is that if you're going to use a plan like MFP, you can't go overboard.  That will only make you want to quit.  There were times when I just didn't even bother to track calories.  For instance, if I was at a gathering where there were a lot of snack type foods and a large group of friends, I just didn't get all caught up in tracking every single thing I ate.  These times typically fell on the weekends, so I usually just carefully entered all of my caloric intake during the week and then didn't obsess about it on the weekends.  I still tracked the calories, but if it felt at all tedious, then I just stopped tracking for that day and didn't worry about it. Anyway, there is that piece of advice for whatever it's worth.

So, that's how my running journey began.  Not with running, or even walking, but with a plan to lose some weight and improve my overall health.  

More to come next week in my Training Week 2 entry.

Peace My Fellow Runners!