Can't Find My Commitment. Has Anyone Seen It?

Well, well, well. Just when some of you though you would be reading how I'm "back on track " with my running, and back to my old self, your about to read something different.

Considering I ran my 20 miles the previous week, I thought that I was back!!!! I though that I had worked my running habits back into my crazy schedule, and rediscovered the commitment that I once had; Not so. I started out this past week with what was supposed to be a 6 mile run, that turned into a 3 mile run. I was going to try and get in a 6 miler on Sunday morning before the Steeler game started. Had my alarm set for 8am. Yeah, that 8am came and went!!! I must have set my alarm clock 20 times before I eventually just shut the thing off. I was justifying in my sleep that I soooooo needed more. So when I did wake up, it was almost 1pm!!! I still had it in my head that I was running no matter what, but first I needed an hour or so to wake up. So I sat around on my laptop, just lounging, until I finally got fed up with boredom, set the DVR on my slingbox for the Steeler game, and headed out to conquer this run. It shouldn't be this much work right???



I finally got out the door, after the entire obsessive compulsive, stretching, ritualistic things I have to do before I run. I definitely had the right mind set, and had every intention on running at least 6 miles, but then I started dreading the same, old, dirty, Newark route I was going to run. Blah!!! Anyways, my 6 miler turned into a 3 miler. My mindset quickly changed when I started running. It's amazing to me that, if your not in the right mental capacity the entire time how the body just won't go. I was winded after the first mile, or so that's what my brain told my lungs and body. You see, there's a cruise control on me, and I usually will hit it around the 4 or 5 mile mark, but, like I said earlier, I have to have the right mind set!!!

I finished my crappy 3 mile run, and headed back to gear up for the Steeler game!!! I didn't feel good about the distance, but I did feel good because I was still on track with my commitment to run no matter what. That soon changed. I started out on a trip the next day, and without boring you of the details, let's just say, I didn't run at ALL!!!! I got in late from Dallas back to jersey, and early the next morning I was taking my mom and sister to Minneapolis to the mall of America. This has been the only place my sister has ever wanted to go, so, being the good brother I am, I took her. I figured that I could at least get in 3 or 4 miles on the dreaded treadmill when in Minnesota. We got there, went to the mall, and went back to the hotel. My sister went to the gym, but did I follow? Nope!!!! I just decided not to. I was making excuses in my head that I could do it another day. NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!


Before I knew it, it was Saturday, and all I had done was 3 miles for the week. Pretty crazy seeing I did 20 miles the previous week, with a 10 mile long run in Denver to boot!! But I had big plans for Saturday. I had the long Fort Lauderdale layover, right on the beach, and I was going to do another 10 mile run along A1A. Got to the hotel, weather was perfect for a nice run, so again I went through my routine. I was even contemplating taking a nap beforehand, but remembered that, if I wanted this bad enough, the nap would have to wait. I stepped outside, started my run, and FAIL!!! After the first mile and a half, my brain told me and my entire body, " Your very tired, and your out of breath, and , oh yeah, your legs really hurt!! " So I changed my 10 miler into a 4 miler. I was keeping a good pace for the first 2 and a half miles, and then took a walk break around the 3 mile marker, and then picked it back up for the last mile. Finished with a 9:26 mile, but I knew this wasn't good enough for me. I did my last 4 mile race in 35:17 with a 8:45 minute mile. :(


I ended the week with 7 measly miles, and anothe blog about me complaining, and promising to myself how the "Next Week " will have the old Mike back. We shall see. I have this entire week off, and have a 4 mile race on the 20th, which I plan to run under 35 minutes. Do you think I have big plans to stay home and train my but off?? No, I'm writing this sitting in the exit row of a Boeing 757-300 on my way to Vegas to meet some friends and do sinful things for the week!!!! But, yes there is a But. I do plan to run on Tuesday and Wednesday, and again when I get back on Friday. If I can stick to this plan, then maybe, just maybe, I'll get that gear back on my legs and next weeks blog will be an awesome one!!!! Until then, stay tuned people. Thanks for listen to me ramble, and feel free to add any advice to help a fellow runner out.


-Running to a town near you!!!
Mike

Location:Non Revving From Jersey To Vegas

Is My Swag Coming Back?? I Think , Ummmmm, Yes??

   So, after my 3.82mi run, it was needless to say I was down and out!!! I then refocused my mind that I WAS going to hit 20 miles this week no matter what!!! I got into Houston the first night of my trip, and , I mad sure not to make the same mistake I had made in the past. I was tired, but, when I got to my room, I quickly unpacked and changed into my workout clothes, and headed to the gym!! I hit a light weight workout, not much at all, but lifted a bit.  Then I looked at the dreaded treadmill, and decided that I needed to do some speed work, and I was going to stick with my plan , no matter what!!  I did a 5 minute warm up at 3.6mph, followed by a mile at 7.6mph; then a 2 minute break at 3.5mph and then another mile at 7.6mph followed by an 11 minute gradual cool down. All told I did 3 miles and felt good about the speed work I had done. But, my total for the week was at 6.82 miles. I needed to get in 13 more miles.

   The next day, I got into San Antonio Texas at around 9am, and my plan was to get at lease a 5 miler in along the River walk. This would be the 3rd day in a row running. I wanted to get my endurance, along with my running mindset back, and also my commitment!! So, I stuck to my routine.  I got into my room, unpacked, and headed out to get in my 5 miler along the scenic River Walk!!

My Garmin Connect of my San Antonio Run

San Antonio River Walk

 I headed out, and started out great, with a great pace!! I tried a little trick that an online friend, fellow Pittsburgher, and fellow runner, Shannon had suggested in a response on one of my other posts. She suggested to just keep repeating in my head, " My breathing is Great" , "My lungs feel awesome " over and over, and it kind of helped!! But, yes, there's a BUT!! I had made plans to meet with a friend a little later in the day, and I had that on my mind, so I wanted to make sure I was back in my room getting ready by a certain time, and also wanted to try and get in a quick nap. So I cut my 5 miler short......It turned into a 3.18 miler!!! Ughhh.....On one hand , I was happy that I had run 3 days in a row, and on the other hand, I still had a little bit of justification in my head as to why I needed to quit my goals short!! But I still had a few days left to get in my 20 miles for the week. My mile count was at 10 miles and it was only Tuesday!! FYI, My week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturdays, so I had 4 days left to get in the final ten miles...easy right?? READ ON!!

   The next day, I went from San Antonio to Houston, and then back to Jersey, and my 3 day trip was done. I got back to Jersey around 1:30pm, and back to my place around 2:30pm. I had plenty of time to get in a quick run, and maybe even the gym. But my thinking was, I didn't want to run 4 days in a row, but I should have at least went to the gym and worked out. Did I ? Nope, I layed around the rest of the day!! The next day, I had to get up early and do some running around to get some errands done before I headed to the city to volunteer at the NYC expo so I can get my credit and guarantee into the 2012 NYC Marathon. So that threw that day away to run!! I ended up getting a Army Football Charter leaving Friday morning. My days were running out!!

Army Football Charter

NYC Marathon Expo

 











    We took the football team from Stewart to Colorado Springs, and then we flew the plane empty to Denver!! My plan was, when I got into Denver, to do 5 miles on the treadmill the night we got in and then 5 miles on Saturday morning, and I would have the 10 miles done!!! Did that happen??? NOPE!!!! I sat in my room, and played on my Ipad, and than got a little too comfortable, and telling myself, "I will just do the entire ten miles tomorrow " Knowing I had to get a long run in sometime, and why not tomorrow. Really, this was just another ploy of justifying and procrastinating why I shouldn't run. I had major doubts about being able to get a ten mile run in in downtown Denver!! One, it is very hard to run in a major city because of the people on the streets, but, it was a Saturday, so that was a plus. Two, I could barely get my mind right to run 4 miles lately, let alone 10!!! This was going to be interesting to say the least!!

   I had my alarm set for 9:15am!! I figured that would give me enough time to get in the ten miles I had promised myself seeing that my van time was at 2:05pm. So When my alarm went off, yes, I hit the snooze about 4 times, but eventually awoke. I am not one to hop out of bed and just go, I have to wake up first!! I got on my Ipad, and surfed the web and Facebook for a bit before gearing up to get this done!!! When I was on FB, I read a fellow runner friends caption under her picture of the sun rising that read, "You sleep, I run" This really inspired me for the moment!!! I was ready, and put it in my head that "I WILL RUN THIS TEN MILES"!!! I got ready, and , out the door I went.

   I started out, and realized that there was a parade going on!! Just great, all I needed was tons of people watching this parade, and me trying to dodge them!! But, it didn't turn out so bad, actually, it helped because a lot of the streets were closed off, and made for an easier path to run.  You see, when I run, I usually do just that, RUN!! No set course, just go!!!

   I was still a little leery of getting the entire ten miles in, but that quickly changed in my mind, as I kept saying " I will get this done, I want to feel that I accomplished what I set out to do!! " It was a loooooong , sloooooooowwww run, but, in the end, I did it!!!!! I had to play a lot of mental games, but never stopped once, and got it done. !!!!

Garmin Connect of my Denver 10 Miler

   I really think I needed this to break through that mental block I was in!! We shall see how this week goes!!!! I got 20.2 miles in last week, and am shooting for the same this week!! Wish me luck, and as always, stay tuned!!

What Is Going On With Me?!?!?!?

Ughhhhhhhh!!! Well, if you read my last blog entitled " Total Fail " you know the troubles I'm going through, and the new challenge plan I set for myself. Well, I woke up late Sunday ( around 2pm ) and it took me about an hour and a half to get going after that. I set the DVR to record the Steeler game. I knew I was in serious run mode then because the Steelers were only playing the hated Tom Brady and the Patriots, and I decided I had to run during this time, because if I even started watching any of the game, that would be it, I wouldn't run.

My plan was to do 8 miles, but once I stepped outside and got going, I changed it to 6 miles. I didn't feel myself, and was winded ( or so my mind was telling me I was winded ) after the first mile. I purposely didn't wear my heart monitor because I wanted to see if that made a difference with my mental state. Guess what? I think it made it worse. I was really struggling during my run! I had all types of negative thoughts going through my head, and the worst of them was , " You need to stop, your too tired!! " My 8 miler, that turned into a 6 miler, quickly transitioned into a 4 miler!!!! I got about the 2 and three quarters mark, and took a 2 minute walk break!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I never walk!! But my mind said to walk, so I did. Then, about the 3 and a half mark, what did I do?? Yep, walked for another 2 minutes!!!! I didn't even finish 4 miles!!!! I did 3.82 miles!!!

I tried to look at the positive side by thinking , " Hey, at least I got in a run ". It was a slow, horrible run, but it was a run!!! I'm a perfectionist, and I tend to think that, since I've been to the top if the mountain many of times, I can just get to the top again without working my way back up it first!!! I always think I can pick right back up from where I once was. No questions asked!!!! I need to learn that is not the case!!! I guess I feel like I've failed if I cannot do something I've done with ease before. It really amazes me how mental this running thing is!!!

So i've altered my running plan for this week. I've already got almost 4 miles in, so tonight, when I get in Houston, I'm gonna do some speed work, and weights. The next day, when I get into San Antonio, I am again going to try to do 6 miles. When I get into Newark on Wednesday around 2pm, I'll goto the gym again and hit the weights, and maybe 4 miles on the treadmill. Let's see. I have a 4 mile race coming up on November 20th in Central Park, and I want to beat my 35 minutes and 19 seconds I did on the September race in Central Park. I CAN DO THIS!!!!

I'm a long way away from the 16 miles I was doing just a few short months ago. Breaking that mental block again is a toughie.


-Running to a town near you!!!
Mike

Location:On my flight from Newark to Orange County Calif

Total Fail!!!

   Well, if you read my last post, entitled "No Excuses" You would have thought I was gonna tear it up this week!! Well, TOTAL FAIL!!! I started out in New Orleans with nothing but motivation on my mind, and hit the 6 mile mark, albeit, a slow 6 miler, but , no the less, a 6 miler!! I was starting my weekly plan off right, but it just got worse in the next few days!! My Garmin Stats of my 6 miler in New Orleans

   I was all set to hit a 4 miler in Queens, but, when I got there, I had nothing but the Lemon Ice King Of Queens on my mind!!! I figured, once I got my Icee, I would goto the gym, and do a quick 4 miles on the treadmill, but, instead, I watched the Pens game, and ate like a PIG!!! I was again justifying in my head , that I would hit 6 miles in Houston, and then 4 miles on Friday night or Saturday after my airline training....well, TOTAL FAIL!!! In Houston, I got into my room and did the number one sin to do when you want to run......I took a 2 hour nap!!!! The way it usually works for me is, when I need to get a run in, no matter how tired I am, I do it as soon as I get into a layover, not after a nap, or anything else I think needs to be done, Running takes top priority with me!!!!

   Not sure what is in my head for the " lack " of motivation, but the one thing I do know is, I am eating too much junk, and laying around making excuses why and when the NEXT time I will run, and why I can't do it today!!! I think I need some running structure!! A new challenge, and guideline!!! I am going to try this one: I am going to do a long run on Sunday, followed but a short recovery run on Monday ( maybe 3 miles ). Then, on Tuesday I will hit the gym for some cross weight training. On Wednesday I will do speed work on the dreaded treadmill, followed by another trip to the gym on Thursday for more weight cross training. Friday will be a 6 miler day, with Saturday being a total break day!!!

This is what I contend with tomorrow!!

The famous spot from King Of Queens!! Damn good Icee's too!!

   Listen folks, I can sit here and type all about the plans I have to run my butt off, but, actions speak a lot louder than these words!!! So stay tuned!!! Should be interesting tomorrow because of all the snow we got here in Jersey!! Am I making excuses again?? STAY TUNED!!

Yeah, When I should of been running, I decided to hit the Icee stand and pack a few hundred calories on instead!!

Time to get back in running mode!!! ( NO EXCUSES )

Well I feel like a lazy bum!!! I have not ran since last Wednesday, and that was 5 miles on a treadmill. This took my running total for last week up to a whopping 8 miles!!!! The past few weeks my running has been non existent. I have also gained 5lbs of pure fat because the lack of running, and I have been eating anything and everything!! This is sooooooo not acceptable since I need to be in the 20 to 25 mile per week range to feel healthy and keep my training on track!!! I was planning on running Friday. And Saturday, 6 miles each to bring me up to 20, but , yeah, that didn't happen!!! I kept using excuses to justify why I couldn't run!!! It is a little difficult with my job to get a good run in because of my flight schedule sometimes, but this 4 day trip I am just starting, I have NO EXCUSES at all!!!!!

I get into New Orleans at around 3pm today, and I am at the short layover. The short layover has a really nice running/biking path about a mile from the hotel, and it goes for miles and miles!! I plan on getting at least 6 miles in today, NO EXCUSES!!!!

The next day, I have 2 legs, and end up in LGA(Queens). I get in around 4ish. Considering it is starting to get dark around 5:30 now, I won't have too much time to get in a run ( maybe I am justifying again ). I can't stand the treadmill, and much prefer running outside, but will use the treadmill as a last resort. I love the park near our short layover in Queens. Flushing-Meadow Corona Park. This is where I ran the Queens half. So maybe I will do a little night run, maybe 4 miles through the park. If not, I'll hit 4 miles on the dreaded treadmill, but I also wanted to go get an icey from the corona ice king!!! Since King Of Queens is one of my favorite shows, this is the place where, in the intro to the show, Doug and Kerry are getting an icey and as they turn to leave , Doug drops his. I'll post pics if I make it. But I have to get my run in. NO EXCUSES!!!!

The next day is an easy one, just one leg from LGA TO Houston. And we have a long Houston layover downtown. Although everyone loves this layover, I can really take it or leave it. Downtown Houston is a place where, when I do my runs there, It hasn't been very pleasant. I've just had bad experiences there with my runs, but I will try again. Maybe on this day I will try and get another 6 miler in, we will see how god awful hot and humid it is. NO EXCUSES!!!

This should put me up to 16 miles by Friday. I will start back on my long runs next week, for I need to get back in the swing of things, and can't risk an injury for I have 2 races coming up. I have recurrent training on Saturday, but I should get out of there by around 3. Depending on how worn out I am from the 3 days of straight running ( after being a slack monster for the past 3 weeks ) I might try and get the final 4 miles I will need to get me to 20 total miles for the week, and then take Sunday off. My weeks begin on Sunday's. Like the theme of this blog title, NO EXCUSES!!!






-Running to a town near you!!!
Mike

Location:On my flight from Newark To Houston

A little past history of why I started running

Back in February of 2009 I decided to take a 4 month leave of absence from my airline job to try and tie up some loose ends back home in Pittsburgh. You see, I'm only 5 foot 5 inches tall, and at the time I took my leave, I was 175lbs!!!! My pot belly put Santa's to shame. So my plan while on my leave was to tie up loose ends, and also try and lose 20lbs. I figured I would be away from all the processed airline food, and the fast food that I constantly ate having a life on the run, that it would be A LOT easier not having the " bad " food around me. I also figured that I wouldn't tell any of my co workers. This way, I would get the reaction I wanted when I came back to work when I lost the 20lbs.
When I got back home to pittsburgh, I figured I would give it a week before I started my hard core diet. I'm the type of person, that, when I get something in my head, there's no turning back, I'M DOING IT, consider it done by any means necessary!!, I started my diet as planned. It was actually kind of easy because, I would sleep in until noon, wake up, eat some oatmeal, and then not eat again until dinner. At dinner I would have something low fat, such as grilled chicken, or turkey. Just a sensible dinner. I also cut down on my portions. I stuck this out for about a week and a half to two weeks, but the weight was coming off way too slowly for me. I lost maybe 2lbs in 2 weeks!!! Not good enough for me!!! After all, we live in a society that everything we do is INSTANT, and this diet just wasn't instant enough for me!!! I knew I had to do something more, so........
I started walking around my neighborhood, and if you know Pittsburgh at all, you know it is very hilly!!!! I walked a few days a week, and still, maybe 2lbs would come off in 2 weeks!!!! Grrrrr!!!! I was getting pissed!!!! So, I started a light jog while I would do my walks. I would walk, and then jog for maybe 5 minutes, and then walk, and jog, etc..... This seemed to be doing some good as the next week, I lost 2 lbs in that week alone!!! Well, I then wanted to lose more weight, and more quickly!! So I cut out the walking, and started jogging the entire time. It was a slow jog, but hey, it was a jog.
I kind of did it the wrong way, but like I mentioned before, when I have something in my head, that's it, consider it done. I then started jogging 4 miles on the hills of my neighborhood. I did that three days a week, and then on the 4th day I did 2 miles. A total of 14 miles a week, and never missed a day. On the days I wasn't running, I would do sit ups and push ups, and eventually worked that up to 120 a day of each. I kind of went from 0 too 100 in a matter of weeks, but boy was it paying off. The weight started falling and melting off me!!! This was my new motivation. It took me about 2 months to lose the 20lbs that I had set out to reach. But once I hit that goal, I wasn't satisfied. I wanted more!!!!!
I had almost 2 months left on my leave, so I stuck with the program of maybe 1200 calories a day and a ton of cardio and sit ups and push ups, NEVER straying once from my diet or my plan!!!! You have to take into account though, I had no outside influences, and I surrounded myself with all healthy foods!!!! I was feeling awesome!!!
When the 4 month leave was almost over, I had lost a total of 38lbs!!!! My self worth and self esteem were sky high!!!! My sister was having a picnic with all of the family and extended family over. I couldn't wait to make my appearance. ". Wow!! They're gonna just gush over the weight I lost, and how good I look!! " I couldn't wait, I was so proud. Well the picnic day was here, and I purposely arrived late as to make my " grand " entrance!!! When I walked up , my mother, brother , and aunt were sitting on the front porch, and everyone else was in the back or in the house. I was just waiting to take in the compliments, and tell how I did it, and inspire others that they could do it as well. WHAM!!!! My brother says, " Mike, you look terrible!!! " I thought I heard him wrong, or he was just kidding, but then my mom chimed in and said that I looked sick!!! I was in denial, and crushed as well!!! I worked so hard to lose this weight, and feel better about myself and my health, and two of my closest family members just crushed me!!!! What I didn't realize was, they were right. I wasn't eating the right foods, so my face was sunkin in, and I didn't look healthy.
I stayed the course though. When it was time for me to go back to work, I couldn't wait because I wanted to see the reaction from my co workers.I
I got a much better reception from them. A lot of them didn't recognize me. This made me feel great!!! But I still had the comments from my family in my head. So I got off my diet and decided to start eating what I wanted, when I wanted. I started looking healthier. I also kept my running up because I figured I had worked so hard that it would be a shame and counter productive to just stop doing what I was doing.
I kept running every other day, but , for the life of me, couldn't break the 4 mile marker. It amazed me how mental this running was. I would also go through diet phases where one month I was great with my healthy food choices, and the next month, not so much. Sweets are my major weakness!!! I started to keep a weekly weight log, and my weight varied from 139 to 144. I was happy with this. Back to the mental game running has with your brain. No matter what I did, I couldn't get past 4 miles. Something in my head said, at 3.7 miles, " Your tired, and should quit niw!!! " Until one day in Indianapolis!!!
I was on a layover in Indy, and decided to go for my 4 mile run. I wasn't even thinking about my run, I was just running enjoying the sights, when I heard my run keeper say " Time : 40 minutes, Distance : 4.7 miles ". I DID it!!!! And I felt great!!! The best part is, I was still running. I had broke the barrier!!! I continued to run 10 miles that day and could of run at least 15, but I had to get back to the hotel to get ready for work. That was all I needed. I then started looking into races around the New York City area, and I came across this group called the New York Road Runners. This was an awesome group for me because, not only did they put on races every weekend in NYC, but they were a huge group and also puts on the largest marathon. The NYC marathon!! I quickly signed up for a membership, and then signed up for my first race, the Ted Corbitt 15k ( 9 miles ). It was held in mid December. I ran this race, and finished in the top third percentage, and I have been hooked ever since!!!! Now I do slack a little bit, and have my off weeks and months, but I'm a Runner now, and it's in my blood!!!!





I've completed 8 races to date, and 7 this year with two more scheduled. I've done all 5 boroughs half marathons. Best time was the Staten Island half at 2:04. I've also done the fifth avenue mile which I did at 6:59, and I did the More Fitness games 4 miler at an 8:42 pace and did it in 35 minutes.
I have many goals, and will take you along the way with me. I plan to hit a sub 2 hour half. I am going to hit a 6 minute mile, and will do my first marathon, which will probably be NYC next year. I'm already qualified and have a guarantee. I'm torn though, because I would love to do the Pittsburgh marathon as my first, but the NYC and Pit are too close to do both. Stay tuned folks!!!

-Running to a town near you!!!
Mike

First blog!!!

Just testing this out. I will write more a little later. I have alot to tell, so stay tuned

Location:Lakeside Ave E,Cleveland,United States