Exercise Vs Alcohol

When I started running regularly back in July last year, after 6 weeks or so of running in 90-degree temperatures, I lost about 5lbs, going from 183 to 177.

It's January 21st, and I am three weeks into 'dry January', my annual attempt to survive a month without booze. I've lost 6lbs in that time. I'm not a weight watcher per se, but thought this was an interesting stat none-the-less.

I can't see myself giving up beer, or wine for that matter, for the long term. But if you're putting on weight and don't know why, check your alcohol consumption.

Mo Men Tum

I'd like to say I have no idea why I cannot get any momentum on some of the things I really enjoy doing (or at least know I should be doing), but that would be a complete lie. I know exactly why I don't come home from work and run, or why I don't write, or why I cannot get more than 35 seconds of music composed, or why I cannot focus on one thing at a time at work for more than a few minutes, or why I am no longer meditating, or even complete a video game like Batman: Arkham Asylum, which I have been working on for 2 years. It's because I am trying to do all of those those things, plus keep up with news, views, website forums, TV shows, not to mention all the time I spend reading crap online that's meaningless drivel. 

The constant need for stimulation actually has the opposite effect to what you'd want. Ideally it'd be motivating and stimulation, but instead it leads to abject inertia. What I need to do is cut things out, not be afraid of committing time to something I'd really like to do (rather than spending that time worrying about all the things I am not doing, and then do none of them).

Why So Serious?

So, that's the easy part... the hard part is choosing those things realistically, and actually executing. This morning I managed a lazy ass run, barely. Let's see if I can waste the rest of the day successfully...

Grande no whip Hot Chocolate

How will a grande no whip hot chocolate at 4:00pm affect my running time this evening? I guess I'll find out soon.

Mobile App

I just downloaded the official Google blogging app in the hope it'll help me keep thing up to date.

Blogged from my iPhone. Lulz...

The Beagle doesn't approve though.

Personal Bests, Racing and Hurricanes

Well, where have I been? This blogging lark is tough to keep going, I think I have a new found respect for those that have the discipline to write day in, day out.

The last time I made any update on the running situation, I was still a few weeks away from my first 5K of the year. Well the day came and went, actually 2 days before Sandy hit, and I beat my 2010 time by more than a minute - a scorching 27:46.1! I had lofty ideas at the start of the summer of beating 25 minutes, but it's hard to be disappointed 2 years older and after about a year and a half of really not running at all.

Before my run, I was getting quite hopeful of a much better time. I managed some new personal bests, although I am now questioning the accuracy of the GPS on those runs. My iPhone 3Gs may have been a little less than perfect in tracking my progress. I now have an iPhone 5 (oh yes!) which might be a little more accurate.

Here is a graph of my average speed up to and including race day (October 27th).

GPS Accuracy is questionable

My celebration after this race was short-lived, as 48 hours later, the largest storm ever to emerge from the Atlantic Ocean headed towards the north east coast, and New York was subjected to an 11.8 foot storm surge, which crippled the city and boroughs for several days. In fact even now, 2 weeks later at the time of writing, much of my neighborhood is without power.

The Morning After - Van Brunt, Red Hook in Brookyn, NY

Fairway Supermarket in Red Hook, 1 day after Sandy

A week after Sandy, snow in Red Hook

The public housing in Red Hook has been hit most badly. The most vulnerable people in the neighborhood have had the least luck, with no power, running water or heat, many people have been using their stoves to keep warm. The police have flood-lit much of the neighborhood with powerful lights that make the homes resemble prison buildings.

With no power, heat or water, much of the neighborhood is uninhabitable

While it's really the least of anyone's concerns, including mine, a blackened neighborhood after a storm has meant that running during the week, now that the days are much shorter, isn't really viable. Many streets are cluttered with the left-overs of people's belongings or debris washed up from the ocean.

This isn't here anymore!

Not much of a hindrance in the day, but virtually impossible to see at night

If you're interested to know more about Red Hook and the effects of Sandy, visit RestoreRedHook.org

Residents and non residents alike support Red Hook

Thanks Stinky Brooklyn of Boerum Hill for supporting Red Hook

But, having written all of that, there is about 2 hours of light left now. Time for a run!

Vacations

Do you run on your vacations? I went on a 2 week road trip with my wife and beagle, we drove from New York City to Wyoming (and back), which is a really long way. We covered more than 5,000 miles, and while we did some high-altitude hiking (10 - 11,000 feet or so) and some biking in the Tetons (and good 8,000 feet) which couldn't have done any harm exercise wise, I didn't get any running in. I did take my running shoes, and even took my Runner's World iPhone armband, almost as vital as running shoes, but alas they never saw daylight.

This is a really long way. I mean, a really long way.

Before I took my 2 week extended rest, I did one run "free of the couch" which was a reasonable 2.8 miles in about 27 mins. It's short of my 5k pace by quite some margin, and my focus between now and October 27th is to gain some speed. Beating 30 mins is a must, beating my 28 mins 48 seconds is a target, and coming in close to 25 mins is a stretch target. I have 3 weeks!

Will my legs and lungs be reliable as Old Faithful?

My two runs since I got back have told me I am up against it somewhat. To beat 25 mins, I have to average 8 mins/miles. During this whole exercise, I haven't even come close.

Going in the wrong direction...

It seems there are 2 ways I can target going faster - one is to put in more mileage and another is to run faster, more often. So this week, I am going to do 3 miles a day, starting today and target 26 mins minutes by the end of the week, Sun - Friday. Take the weekend off and then next week, run 4 miles a day for 5 continuous days, and then the final week, before race day, follow this chart from Runner's World for a 25/min run.

Runner's World, June 2012

No pressure, eh?

Middle Age Fitness Helps Prevent Age Related Diseases

A new study has found that age-related diseases can be significantly delayed my aerobic fitness in middle-age, even if you have never previously exercised regularly.

http://nyti.ms/ONn3I0

New York Times