Small Hand

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  The small hand just moved too fast and I was unable to overcome the resistance. Got the light weight routine in.

Tired

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  This time I just slept in late. I felt like I really needed the rest after the yesterday that left me feeling like I wore myself out for nothing. I don't know if it is all in my mind but it doesn't matter because the net result makes it real.

Every Other Day

It looks like my life is forcing me into an every-other-day routine here. Maybe it is a good thing to do this every once and again. I felt like crap at the beginning of the run but quickly loosened up. I doubled back for three life guard stations to extend my distance. This is a good sign as I am getting in more distance in a very gradual way. This time I really just felt like staying out there all day. The orange sunlight was highlighting the wash of the waves. This would have been a good day to have just found out I held a winning lottery ticket. Well, I guess I got the feeling and didn't need to win in after thought. Maybe that is what it is all about, enjoying those little moments.

Beat

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  Today I got worn out and I let work beat me. Started the morning behind and did not have a chance of making it out for a run.

Start of a Good Streak?

Went to bed fairly early, before 12:00 so I didn't have too much trouble waking up at 5:00 AM. Had a great cup of coffee and got out the door. They were already set up for a surf contest and surfers were running out in the dark and paddling out. There were some nice sets of waves hitting shore.

I felt good and pushed it a bit. The heart rate monitor hit beyond my "rule of thumb" maximum rate a couple of times. I just felt good. I guess there is a good possibility that I will feel good just before my heart attack. I had in mind a local 8K race that is coming up in 14 days and decided to push a bit further. I went two lifeguard stations beyond usual. Now I admit, these may be miniscule strides for most but I am taking this only relative to myself. I feel the possibility of a good streak beginning. Now this is something I could really use.

Kayak Sunday

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  Feeling so bad about my poor performance of last week, especially after coming off of the completion of a goal (5K), I decided to console myself out on the kayak. Saw a very interesting osprey flying around diving catching fish and showing off his big claws. This bird put on an impressive show. Got some photos on my other camera but I limit myself to phone pictures here so sorry. Even though I got a good cardio workout paddling, I have decided this cannot count for running so another "X" for today. Maybe running those events does more harm than good?

Chores

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX  The chores that were piling up around me demanded my morning. I did not go take a run, did not take a hike or a long walk. I didn't even do the indoor routine. I watched TV in between my chores and then before I knew like so many times before, the day was gone. Oh, and I drank a few beers!

Battling the Rut

It just wasn't happening this morning. I spent a few too many minutes previewing my work email trying to get a jump on the day. Before I knew it the big hand on the clock made a giant leap forward forcing me to rely on the indoor routine once more to prevent accumulating another "X". I really am glad I gave myself this out to save me. Otherwise I would probably figure I lost and give up.

After the burn I got last time, I pushed it again trying to get all the benefit I could out the small amount of time I had.

Hit the Beach!

What a battle. And a battle with an invisible force. It just sneaks up and tries to derail you. Sometimes the only way to beat it is just to play dumb and robotically get out there and run. I really hate to say it, but time and time again I find the NIKE motto "Just do it!" is the best weapon.

So today I just did it. I went out and ran for 38 minutes. There was lots of interesting wrack washed up on shore but my phone was still sitting on the counter taken apart so I could not get any photos. Oh, did I forget to mention that on Monday it was raining and I opened the car door and the phone slipped out of my hand and I tried to catch it but accidently hit it and it flew under the car and into the gutter in 1-1/2" of running water? It was in three pieces and I thought it was done. So I got a can of that compressed air and blew out all the water I could then just let it air dry. I tried it this morning but is would not respond. So I took it back apart and set it on the counter. When I got home from work, I put it back together and tried it one more time. Well, it lit up and took forever to boot but once it did, it was fine. We'll see how it does in the coming days.

Indoor Option

I relied on the indoor option this morning to avoid another "X". Actually this routine made me a bit sore. I guess I hit some muscles I don't use in the run. I still think this should be done in addition to the run but I have not yet figured out how to work both into one day.

Catchy

XXXXXXXXXXXXX  What is my excuse today? Well, I have an appointment this morning and I have a lot to get done before that. I feel a bad streak coming on...

Recovery

XXXXXXXXXXXX  I had a lot to do at work, so I decided it would be a good day to skip the run and allow myself to recover. I plan is to try to be able to stick with this for the long run, have patience and allow myself to gradually get fit.

Super Bowl 5K Run

Actually managed to find my way through all the obstacles that try to get in the way and actually made it to the event and completed the 5K. My car is making strange sounds but I drove it anyway. My bankcard was disabled due to a recent bank turnover and I never received a new card. Parking was tough to find and we started going round and round while the starting gun was counting down. Finally got a spot and had to run to the starting line and the mass of people surrounding it. They were counting down and then fired the gun while we were still half a block away. It turns out it did not matter as it took the large crowd so long to thin out that the back of the line still hadn't started to move.

Did much better than I thought I would and felt much better too. Ended up finishing in the 37-40 minute range. I anticipated finishing more like 45 minutes since there were hills in the course and I haven't yet run hills.

Preparations for Sunday

XXXXXXXXXXX  I let the excuses rule again today, and plenty of excuses did I have.

Forced Run

Yesterday built up in a bad way and carried over to today. I layed there dreading everything. Now as a result of yesterday, I felt rigor mortis setting in. I started feeling a sort of guilt as I knew I had that commitment to do that 5K run on Sunday. I felt everything at work was negative, I put in a lot of time and effort that still resulted in very negative. Based on experience, I decided not to think about anything and just forced myself to get up and go. I could not put myself through the stretch and got the running shoes on and headed out the door. This actually put me out there about fifteen minutes earlier than usual. Hey, at least I had one positive to build on. I stood there at the parking meter and inserted ten dimes and two nickels. I've been wanting a way to get rid of all those small coins. Now that's two positives under my belt.

Started my stiff dead body parts moving in a jerky fashion hoping things would warm up. This was not a good feeling but again decided to tune it out. Got down to the beach and it was too dark to get a decent photo. As I continued running, I did start to feel a little better. Now I started concentrating on how far I could go before the heart rate monitor said I had to slow down.  Before I knew it, I was already to the pier. Hey, how did that happen? This was my best time yet! Still very poor but for me this was a great stride. I was six minutes ahead. Thinking my clouded head might be mistaken, I logged the time and headed back. I picked on a few seagulls at the end of the pack and sprinted toward them. They were shocked to see this zombie sprinting toward them as they screeched and flew off in a hurry, the last one's feet and right wing tip clipping the top of a small wave. I was happy to see that the heart rate monitor did not go above 164 BPM.

When I got back to the point at which I usually head back to the car, I realized I did not get in my 30 minute minimum. So I doubled back for five minutes and then back again. I ended up with a nice 36 minute run. I felt like I made a comeback from the dead.

Missed Day Ten

XXXXXXXXXX  Missed my run as I got beat by work stress today. I felt it all over. It just dragged me down and this continued all day and was reinforced to make for a very long unproductive day. I felt like crap with no particular specific problems, just a general overall bad feeling. I can't let that mode or mood continue.

Value of Participating in a Running Event

I've got this 5K coming up and I can't let this slide continue. Got myself out of bed went for the run. The first quarter of the run was horrible. I thought I lost all of the little bit of conditioning I had gained. But suddenly I started to loosen up and everything started to feel good. I felt like I could run a little longer with a little less effort. Heartrate was running in the 144-161 range but breathing was quite easy. I finished up the two mile run in less than 30 minutes. Still way off 5K condition but considering I was almost dead yesterday, this was pretty good.

Stacking Up

XXXXXXXXX  This is the kind of slide that terminates a good resolution. I felt like maybe it was my day to have the ticker stop ticking. I couldn't bring myself out of it in time to get out. Worked late and felt death walking right behind me.

Sleepy Head

XXXXXXXX  I overslept and had to get in to work. Had visions of saving the day with an evening run but ended up staying at work too late.

Start of a Dry Spell

XXXXXXX  Couldn't resist getting out on the kayak for a nice paddle and opportunity for a little fishing. Got what felt like a good workout, but since kayaking was an existing activity and especially since I have done alot less of it this year, I just can't count it toward my new resolution. No, I didn't get out for a run so another "X" is what I get for the day.

Evening Walk

Decided to make it an evening workout. Once at the wetlands, I realized that I was starting out a bit late and the light was quickly going out. I set the quickest walking pace I could handle. I could feel muscles working that I hadn't really noticed before. I guess walking should not be under estimated as a form of exercise especially when it is approached aggressively. My pace kept my heart at an average of 144 BPM. I walked straight for 54 minutes. By the time I was on the final leg, it was so dark I could barely see where I was going or what was ahead of me, and this was with a big full moon.

There were lots of little creatures running around me, mostly rabbits and birds according to the night vision shots I got off the other camera I was carrying.

An otherwise uneventful morning except that the run seems to generate its own good feelings. It's like taking some kind of medicine for promoting a positive outlook. If I didn't do the run, I would probably be in a down mood. But no, things are great and I don't know why. Maybe it is the scenery.

Routine

Things are beginning to blend. I should start thinking about finding an alternate course. Although I am curious to see how things change on a day to day basis.

Late

This was a day designed to get me off track. For some reason, I did not want to get out of bed. I wasn't sleepy but soon it was 4:30 AM and I just was deciding to defeat myself. Finally I pushed myself up. I thought to myself, "I better just get ready for work and skip the run since I am running late". From somewhere some kind of guidance kicked in and made me go run regardless. Once out there, everything seemed right. Its nice to discover something so comforting. While running along the eroded sand bank, the wash from a wave came up and over. Suddenly I found myself moving faster than I knew I could. I felt like a little kid running. It was a great slice of life.

Anxious

I was anxious to get out today and resume what I started. Walked/ran for 38 minutes. The cold air burned my throat. My heart behaved again a bit better.

Work

XXXXXX Needed to start work early this morning. Figured I'd finish late as well. I tried to fit in some constant motion time but only got about 15 minutes which qualifies as a missed day.

Changed Plans

XXXXX
Had the day planned to include a walk/run hike at the wetlands but those plans changed for an opportunity to spend some time with the family. For more of these opportunities is one reason I have opted to attempt to put myself in better physical condition.

Cool Morning

It is colder in my apartment than it is outside. The temperature reads 51 degrees F. It is at least 54 degrees F outside. What's funny is it never seems to warm up except in the summer when it easily reaches over 100 degrees inside.

Headed out to the usual spot but the stupid parking meters were not working and they have posted that it is illegal to park at a non-functioning meter. I dropped $1.25 into two different meters before I caught on -- none of them were working. So I headed over to the self pay parking lot only to find that they only take quarters and bigger. Well I only had three quarters left after sticking the rest in the parking meters. Now this is just not a good start to my morning as I was feeling extreme frustration. I gave up and went to hope for a spot at the free parking lot by the Jack. Finally my luck turns as a car pulls out right in front of me. The surf was pretty interesting. I decided to go the opposite direction of last weekend and headed to Sunset. 72 minutes of 120-159 BPM walk/running. The surf and runoff is making some interesting erosion patterns on the beach.

The Sound of the Storm

Well, I must admit, I heard the wind blowing and the rain pouring and I just smiled and stayed in bed. It was quite enjoyable. It felt kind of like that feeling I had when I ditched school when I was a kid.

But not wanting to lose too much of the conditioning I am starting to gain, I got myself up in time to run my indoor constant motion routine. In after thought, the day feels like somewhat of a waste. I would have felt like I really accomplished something if I had gone out. But then again, I have a feeling I will have plenty more opportunities to conquer myself. I avoided an "X" by doing the indoor routine.

Can't Remember

XXXX
I really can't remember what happened today. I am fairly certain that I did not run. I know I went to work and I know I watched the second half of the Lakers game. But that is about all I remember. So, I'll chalk this one up to mystery.

In the Eye of the Storm

After yesterday's lashing, more is expected today. But probably a little later in the morning because I could only here a gentle sprinkling when I awoke. So off I headed. 42 minutes later I was done. This run made me feel really happy. It is amazing what those endorphins do for you when you get the blood flowing.

Even though I seem to be getting more fit already, I still feel there is a good chance that each day will be my last. I have that feeling that I am in that group of people that die suddenly. Oh well, maybe not.

We're supposed to get hit with another storm front early in the morning. I wonder if I will get enough of a break to make a run for it.

Tornado

XXX
Had an early appointment this morning so decided not to do the run. We had some almost authentic weather here in HB. Rained like crazy and the news posted this photo of a tornado in Huntington Beach. They say it picked up a 40' catamaran and dropped it on another boat.

This photo was posted by the LA Times and labeled as Huntington Beach. However, after studying it throughly, and looking for reports from other sources, I am thinking that this might be a file photo. Though there are neighborhoods that resemble that in Huntington Beach, especially in the vicinity of the reported tornado, I think there is a possibility that it may be from Florida or somewhere like that? I mean, a photo like that would have been on the local TV news.

Windy Rainy

I realize this is comedy to people who run in truly cold regions. I've read the blogs of people going out in the weather cold enough to make popsicles of your lungs. But relatively speaking, this was a cold windy rainy morning. I saw only one other person out. I really was wondering what I was doing out. As I picked up the pace hoping my body would start heating up, all I could feel was the burning cold as I inhaled and that cold wet wind that was working its way around my collar and down my jacket.

Well I just decided to push on for 15 minutes then head back. It seemed like the time froze at 13 minutes. I swear those last two minutes represented the furthest I have ever gone in two minutes. Okay, at least the neck/shoulder muscle seemed to be warming up.

Yep, made it back to the car and the parking meter confirmed it was an exactly 30 minute run. I am going to consider that a great success.

Before the Storm

My plan was to take the kayak out for a spin with the heart rate monitor strapped on to see how much cardio work I am really getting. The tide also looked good for a little bit of harbor fishing. However, toweling off my hair after my shower caused a muscle spasm in my shoulder/neck area. It just pulled and I could not stop it. It just felt like it was going to tighten up to the point of tearing. I immediately grabbed my massager that looks like a big gaff and applied pressure. This helped to relax the muscle but after a few minutes it would start to spasm again. This went on for three hours. I was not going to be able to load the kayak much less paddle it so that plan was off.

The muscle was threatening to keep me from doing anything at all today so I finally decided to show it who is boss. I got in the car and though I had trouble looking side to side for traffic, I eventually made my way out to Starbucks then the Wetlands.

I'm glad I did. I walked at as fast a pace as I could. I manually took my pulse a few times and it was in the 120-135 range depending on the particular stretch of terrain. I took the long route and completed the circuit in 65 minutes. That was pretty good considering I almost gave in to laying on the couch all day.

The rain is supposed to be on the way. It did drizzle while I was out but this did not seem to have an effect on all of the people that were out photographing the birds and walking around.

Beach

Saturday brought the opportunity to walk/run a different section of beach. I miscalculated and thought I was out for 40 minutes but it turns out that it was only 35 minutes. It really seemed longer. It was a great morning out. It is interesting how short the beach seems during the winter combined with a high tide. The waves also cut a nice cliff into the sand. I jogged most of the way out and walked most of the way back guided by my heart rate monitor. I just don't feel I'm making many gains by trying to stay in the 120-135 BPM range. My outlook and state of mind are definitely better since I started this routine. I don't stress as much over work and I am sleeping less but much more solidly.

Lost Day 2

XX
As anticipated, the demands of the day meant this would be a forced day off. Once again, it is probably better than worse as I don't feel that pain that started to develop in my hip region.

I have decided that I will mark each missed day with a cumulative red "X" at the beginning of the post so that I can see at a glance how many days like this I have and at what frequency they will occur.

2 Week Anniversary!

Yeah, I know, "Anniversary" would refer to an annual celebration. But, I feel like making it refer to a two week period of time. This is cause for self satisfaction that I have set a routine and maintained it in the face of circumstances that would prefer to deter me. Right now it is looking like I will need to go in to work early and miss the morning run. I will just have to make it up after somehow.

Today's run was 35 minutes. The heart rate never seems to go over 160 BPM now. So I believe that I am already getting accustomed to these short outtings. I will need considerably more work however.

I noticed my first real pain today. It seemed to be a hip pain. It surfaced while I was on my way back. I'm not sure but I believe it is the sort of pain that comes from the muscles or tendons rubbing over the bone more then they are accustomed to.

Not My Imagination

Yesterday was a bit foggy and this morning it was a bit drizzly. The tide was high and the surf was pretty mixed up. Though it was tempting to stay nice and warm in bed, I was rewarded for going out this morning. There seemed to be a bit of excitement in the air. It's like things were stirred up just a bit. My run today was quite easy. I had to hold myself back. My heartrate is starting to get better versus the amount of effort I put out. I am way off of even 5K shape but maybe I can make it by February 7 for my first targeted event. I easily got in 35 minutes and the heart rate monitor did allow me to run a good part of the way.

Oh, and, Gazelle Girl? She's real. I began to think I must have imagined her. But, no, she is real. And, yes, she does have the power to energize with a glance. I wonder if she knows she has that power.