Planet Fitness

Constant rain and cold temperatures have me not want to run these last couple days. It hasn’t helped that with the seasons changing it has been dark earlier so likely not the safest when I can barely see. The Lady and I were talking and decided in order to keep up with our running we would join a gym. After some research about the places near by we decided to go with Planet Fitness.

When you 1st walk in you are bombarded by purples & yellows so you’re not really sure what to expect. But luckily the gym is geared towards people who are not experts at the gym and has a lot of machines.

There were about 30 treadmills with a total of maybe 5 people using them both times I went. Each treadmill has its own TV with remote so you can pick what you want to watch and has hook ups for iPods. To keep you cool they have massive overhead fans going at all times.

It is a very different experience running on a treadmill as opposed to the road. Getting over the fact you are not going anywhere is a weird feeling for sure. Also having the treadmill keep the pace seems more difficult, I feel as though I keep a faster pace outside because I could hardly do 10/mile.

I plan on keeping my times posted on here since I don’t use the Nike+ app at the gym. That way I have an up to date account to of the miles I ran.

No Smoking

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m very much ok with people being able to do whatever they want to with their bodies and what not. However please get the hell off my running path while you are smoking.

I’m not just running on the road or near homes, I’m running on a trail that was meant for running, cycling, walking your kids, whatever really. If you choose to sneak away from your family to get that smoke in please do it away from my trail.

Nothing is worse than feeling great while you are running and then taking a nice deep breath of smoke, just horrible. This has happened the past 2 days and today I was lucky enough to be able to inhale some quality cigar smoke. Lucky me!

Other than that today’s run was not the best, at mile 2 got another side stitch and it just wouldn’t go away. It became so overwhelming that I had to stop and just walk the rest.

Today’s Results: 2.42 Miles @ 23:13 mins with a pace of 9’34″/mile

 

The Importance of Breathing

Today I was not sure how I would feel after two days off and was really hoping to be able to get at least to 3 miles in today to make up for yesterday. It was a bit chilly out and my knees were feeling a little sore for whatever reason.

The 1st mile is usually the hardest for me and today was no exception. I always feel like my legs need to get used to the idea of me running but today I had to focus more on my breathing than normal.  Since just starting out I have only run in the warmer months (August and September), so when the air is cooler its harder to get deep breaths.

At about mile 1.5 I had my breathing in rhythm and was able to just enjoy the run, my legs were not hurting and I didn’t have to think of breathing. Once I get going I usually feel great, but once I hit mile 2 I had intense pain in my right side…awesome a side stitch.

These usually result in the end of my run but with my girlfriend running strongly next to me I didn’t want to be the one to cut the run short so I told myself to fight through it. Luckily, when I first started running I focused only on breathing every run and it paid off. I was able to slow down and think only of breathing and when I turned the corner at mile 2.5 I felt like it never happened.

So my advice for anyone starting out running would be to take the time to practice proper breathing technique, because it comes in handy later down the road.

Today’s Results: 3.56 Miles @ 35:11 mins with a pace of 9’52″/mile

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Tuesday is one of my favorite running days because it follows a nice day of rest. I get to start with fresh legs and really see what I can do, however Mother Nature had a different plan for today.

Across Saratoga County there was a weather advisory for possible flash flood and a tornado watch. While I initially thought this would be a good chance to see what it would be like to run in different weather conditions, we decided rather than risk any injuries before our 1st 5k we would hold off today.

I did do some  research about running in the rain, for a later date when there is not the 30-45MPH winds and rain coming from every direction and got a lot of good tips. Big one for me is not to take electronics because I use that to gauge my progress. I may have to invest in a waterproof arm band. Any suggestions?

Aside from that I was hoping to get some type of cross-training in on our exercise bike or do some ab work however The Voice was about to air and the couch was calling my name. Hopefully tomorrow will produce some better results and the weather cooperates so I can get back to training.

The Starting Line

My 1st run was on August 6 2012 and I was only able to complete .74 miles before becoming extremely winded and gave up. I was frustrated that someone my size could be so out of shape and my will was broken. I decided once again that running was not for me.

Luckily, I have an amazing girlfriend who decided that she wanted to start running about a week later and suggested that I run as well. So on 8/13/12, We decided to start go for a run, but this time it was different. Running with someone more disciplined than myself came in extremely handy and and we started out doing interval jogging. We would jog for a portion and then walk, to me it seemed silly, but it is exactly what my body needed. We went a total distance of 1.09 miles but I didn’t feel like I was going to do or extremely, I felt as I may actually be able to do this.

We continued our routine for the next couple days and decided to sign up for a 5k so we could have something to work up to. Currently we are scheduled to run the 36th Dayton River Corridor Classic on October 14th 2012 in Dayton, Ohio.

It has been just over a month since we started and have managed to rack up to over 50 miles ran and hopefully will continue to do just as good. I plan to post as frequently as I can and keep the blog updated with my runs and some of the common things that me, a beginner, comes across as I run.

I have included my Nike+ stats as a way to show my workout routine and what my current mileage looks like and how fast (or slow) I’m running. Enjoy!