The Runner Within

For some weird reason, I failed to notice that Angie tagged me to list 6 weird things about myself. So, after a brief oversight on my part, here’s what I have come up with:

1. I hate and have always hated (for as long as I can remember) potatoes… most people find this extremely weird, although, I’m not sure why.

2. I also hate creamy things, like whipped cream, eclair filling, etc… this is particularly weird, given that I have a big sweet tooth.

3. I like the beach, but I hate feeling sticky from saltwater, and beach sand annoys me… so, that’s kind of a paradox.

4. I have a mole on my retina which looks like a speck in the iris of my left eye. So, I suppose it would be hard to fake a retinal scan of my eye (or maybe really easy… not sure how the technology works).

5. I still act like a goofy nerd, even though I don’t look like one anymore… and it throws people off sometimes.

6. I sometimes wonder if I have some kind of anxiety disorder, because I randomly worry that members of my family are in horrible danger, and I’ll never see them again. This doesn’t happen as much as it used to, but it is weird nonetheless.

As for tagging six other bloggers… I don’t think enough people read this yet to notice they’ve been tagged.

So, I just today decided to register for the Nike+ Women’s Half Marathon. At some point, I’d like to run the full marathon for Nike in San Francisco, but this year it was sold out with lightning speed and is at a time when I couldn’t make it anyway. But, Nike is making it possible for 20,000 women (or men even) to run a half marathon using their Nike+ sensors during any time on October 21, 2007. All you do is run/walk the mileage and then upload it to Nike+ by October 28, 2007, and you are considered a finisher. So, basically, it’s a virtual race. This seems like the perfect thing for my first half-marathon. It will be a couple weeks after my Race for the Taste 10k and about a month before the Space Coast Marathon, but it seems like a good race for me to get at least one half marathon distance under my belt. Plus, I’d get a keychain for my effort, so, yeah… cool! Anyway, so if any ladies are interested in this, they should check it out, because it seems like a great way to run a half marathon virtually (if you have and ipod nano and nike+ sensor, which I do).

In other news, I’ve been cleared to run, so I really need to get back into it. It’s hard when you’ve been out for a while and you know you’ve lost cardio ability. Blarg! I will get running again though.

Well, I’m started to get frustrated here. I was supposed to be able to start running again tomorrow, but it looks like I have to put it off a week, again. I was feeling some pain in my leg near my sutures, and it was tender and hard there. So, my stepdad did an ultrasound (he owns his own ultrasound company, so he had an ultrasound machine at the house), and they found a loculated fluid sac in there. So, I had it drained this morning. It wasn’t infected, which is good news, but I can’t run on the leg for a week, because my surgeon wants the hole that was left behind when we took the fluid out to seal up properly. So… no more running for yet another week. Luckily, my training plan only requires 16 weeks, so it’s not dire that I start this week. However, given the various things that I have planned this summer, such as my brother’s wedding, a small trip to Vegas, a trip to NYC for my grandmother’s funeral, a trip to Atlanta for DragonCon, I will be cutting it close to not start my official training soon. I’m also really out of shape, as it has been like 4 weeks since I’ve worked out.

At least, however, I was told that I can start strength training, which is good. I already set up my appointments for Tuesday and Thursday at 5. So, I will start that this week. My trainer will have to go easy on me, however, since I don’t want that hole to not seal properly and cause further complications. Anyway, those are my current training woes. I haven’t forgotten about this site. I just haven’t had the ability to do much physical activity lately. I’m starting to go stir crazy though. So, next week, for sure!

Well, my recovery has had some bumps in the road, but hopefully nothing that will keep me from getting back to training on schedule. It turns out I had a hematoma on one side after the surgery. It began oozing thick, black-brown blood and clots yesterday. It was good, though, despite the freakiness of it, because that means that the hematoma is liquifying and draining out on its own. Today, the blood was lighter, but still brown and sometimes clotty. So, that means hopefully, that the worst is over with, and the healing will speed up. There was definitely less pain today than yesterday. The pain hasn’t been too bad, but in the mornings, I was really feeling it. Also, it has reduced the swelling a bit, which I was looking forward to. I’m expecting the spectacular bruising that was left behind to take weeks to go away… hopefully I won’t look like I have a lump of zombie flesh on me for too much longer. For anyone with a weak stomach, I appologize, but if I can’t have humor about it, then what’s the point? Both my parents are physicians, so I’m not exactly squeamish about this kind of thing, although, I would have been significantly more freaked out if I couldn’t get advice from them about it. So, I just have to wait and see what happens with it. My surgeon said (last Weds) that I could resume running in a week or two. I’m aiming to be back out there by the end of May at the latest.

Well, I’m sorry I haven’t written lately. I had a very dramatic week with finals and some personal turmoil. I will recover (from the finals, at least). So, I am going into surgery bright and early Tuesday morning, so I will not be posting, probably for a few days minimum… I think there’s some kind of “no typing” rule for a bit at least. I’m sad that I won’t be able to resume my training until the end of May, but tearing a stitch would be a bad idea. It’s all part of a process, though, and hopefully this will be the final step, and I won’t have to go through this again. I have all sorts of great running reading material to get me through the next couple of weeks, and then school will be starting up again, and then I’ll be running and training before I know it. I have to start searching for a race in FL during the summer. I’m registered for a 10k in October, but I want to run a race before then, at least a 5k. I might be able to do another 10k earlier, because I’m sure I’ll be back up to speed fairly quick in June (crosses fingers), but I haven’t found one I’m particularly interested in yet.

My trainer is also supposed to be teaching a summer class on personal training, and hopfully I can attend that. I think the knowledge will be extremely beneficial for the future. Also, I am considering joining an intramural indoor soccer team through my school and looking for some sort of martial art to take up. So, I’m sure that I’ll be fit and exhausted in no time. I will have to keep myself busy, or I’ll just wallow, and that’s no good!

Well, I read a blog today by a guy who was over 300lbs and ran the Boston Marathon (after the registered racers had already started). It really impressed me that this guy, Jacob, had the guts to take on a challenge like that. Not only did he take on the physical challenge, but he was willing to face possible public humiliation to change for the better. That is the kind of inspiration we all need. I’ve already battled my demons with weight, but we all have sources of weakness and potential shame, and they can be overcome, just as weight can. So, even though I may have already been where Jacob was and gotten through that part of my life, he is an inspiration to tackle future challenges and better myself in other ways. It never ceases to amaze me what people will do to overcome obstacles. I commend you, Jacob, for facing those elite runners and the throngs of people there watching. Even in my small form, I would not have had the guts to run after them, for fear of humiliating myself. You’re a true hero, not just to the obese, but to everyone! Here is his story: What Would Jacob Do?

Well, I had intended to go running today, but I screwed around too much early in the day, and now it’s raining like nuts… so I will either have to suck it up and go to the gym or wait until tomorrow. Either way, I’m stuck at home for the moment, so I thought I would post a list about the benefits and drawbacks to weightloss. I was thinking about it today, because I mentioned my upcoming surgery to a friend of mine, and he replied that he would likely have to be doing something similar in the future, when he lost weight. So, here’s my list:

Benefits!

• Clothes Fit better — Yes, I know this is obvious, but it really makes a huge impact on how you feel and how you perceive yourself. I always thought I had a badly shaped body (which, it’s most certainly not perfect), but really, being fat just accentuates the parts of you that aren’t great. And when you’re not, clothes mask a lot of that… so, here’s to well-fitting clothes! Hurrah!
• Exercising and Moving is Easier — This actually kind of surprised me… I used to exercise when I was fat, and then I took a really long hiatus from it while I lost weight (odd, I know!), and when I went back to it after I had lost the weight, it was like I was a totally different person. Thigns that had once been so hard were fairly painless, and it wasn’t like I’d just trained a lot. It was really just from the weight loss. Also, dancing has gotten so much easier. It’s like you’re more in touch with your body.
• Lower Blood Pressure — I was fairly lucky to be in pretty good health while I was heavy, but my blood pressure was elevated, although not outside of normal range. It was borderline. Now, it’s excellent! Woo hoo!
• Less Back Aches — I still get them on mega shopping days, but really, they are mostly gone.
• Better Vision! — I know this one is going to sound weird, but it is true. Not too long ago, I started getting headaches, and since they seemed to get better when I stopped wearing my glasses, I went to my optometrist for a check up. I expected to learn that my eyes had once again gotten worse, but no… they had actually gotten better! My prescription is now half of what it was a year ago.
• More Attention — As I approached my current weight, I began to notice people looking at me. Sometimes they would even smile. Sometimes guys would hold the door open for me. It was very, very weird… As a fat person, I was pretty much ignored, except by people who I already knew. I never caught people randomly looking at me or smiling at me. And I certainly wasn’t asked if I wanted drinks at bars, etc. It’s nice to get the attention, but it makes me sad that I was really treated that differently when I was fat. I really am the same person I was before.

Costs!

• Hair Loss — Part of this is from the surgeries, but part of it is just from calorie restriction. Either way, my once-thick main of hair is pretty thin these days. I’ll take it and not complain, though, unless I start getting weird bald spots. Then I’m going to be ticked!
• Loose Skin — This is a huge problem if you lose a significant amount of weight. At my heaviest, I wore a size 22 or 24, and now I wear a size 2 or 4… there’s just no way the skin can bounce back from that, especially not at the age of 29 (I’m 30 now, but I was 28 and 29 when I lost the weight). I’m really lucky to have a person in my life that can help me with this, but if you plan to lose a significant amount of weight, mentally prepare yourself to deal with the possibility of looking like someone deflated you and scampered off leaving you in your old skin.
• Replacing Your Wardrobe — Okay… so maybe this should be listed as benefit, but I’ve pretty much had to replace everything I own, except my shoes (and even some of them have become too big)… that includes bras, undies, stockings, pjs, robes, etc. It take a lot of money, and it’s frustrating when you’re a poor student like me. Before, I couldn’t shop in any of the stores, and now I can shop in any one of them I want, but I can’t afford anything! *smacks forehead*
• Confrontations with Excited People — It’s nice to have people notice you’ve lost weight, but it’s also kind of embarrassing to have people make a huge scene in front of others and ask you how you did it, and exclaim that you used to be so heavy, and now you look so amazing. I suppose it is better than the people who walk right past you because they didn’t recognize you, which has also happened to me. I guess it’s a no-win situation.

Well, there you have it I guess… a short list of the personal benefits and costs that I have come across since losing the weight. I’m sure others would have stuff to add, so feel free to leave a comment.

Well, I figured that I should post my experience with the Iron Girl 5k, since it was my very first race of any kind. My mother and stepfather decided at the last minute to watch me race, so we all got up exceptionally early and drove over to Clearwater’s Coachman Park for the race. It was actually pretty chilly out. I met a friend there, and we stood around, waiting nervously for the announcer to call the start. I never realized that they sang the national anthem before a footrace. I commented on this to my mom and added that I guessed it was a sport. She replied that, yes, it was a sport, and I was now an athlete. I sure didn’t feel like one! And I still don’t, but I imagine that some day, I will.

Start/Finish Line

I got pretty lucky for my first race. It was all ladies, and everyone was very supportive. Also, they honored each finisher with a medal, even for just a 5k and a very nice technical t-shirt. However, I was surprised by the fact that we would have to be running over a 90 foot bridge near the park, twice. It was pretty daunting. I had not trained for such steep inclines, and it made me nervous. When the race began, my friend and I stayed at a steady pace together. Going over the bridge the first time, I felt a stitch in my side, which I had never gotten in training before (must have been pretty lucky), so I was in a lot of pain for almost half of the first time over the bridge.

The Bridge

I made it over the first time without walking, but right at about the second mile marker, I just kind of lost it. It was probably mental. My friend went on ahead of me and walked part of bridge the second time. I didn’t walk far, though, before I picked up the pace again.

Crossing the Finish Line

I finished the race 264/388 over all in my event, and I was 30th in my age group. But frankly, I had never even completed the two mile run required in high school, so I was pretty proud of myself. My finishing time was 00:38:24, which is hardly impressive for a 5k, but it is now the time to beat. Also, I maintained a 12:22 pace, which is actually faster than I usually manage on the treadmill, and that was with some serious uphill running. Overall, the experience was fantastic, and I’m looking forward to future races. I have already registered for the Race for the Taste 10k in October, and I’m currently training for a full marathon. I really have to up my training if I’m going to finish a marathon. My goal at this point is just to finish. Even if I have to walk a bit (or a lot)! I’m not attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon or anything.

Hello there! I know that there is no one reading this yet, but I figured I should have something written. I’m starting up this blog with the hopes of tracking my running and training for a marathon. I’d eventually love to have a whole bit of the site where I could show graphs of my progress and schedules for runs, etc. Right now, however, it is a simple blog with a template design, and not much going on. I’m running this on Wordpress, which I have no experience with, so as I learn more, hopefully this will get more interesting. I also feel the need to tell you that I will be taking a month-long hiatus from running starting May 1, and probably lasting through the end of May… this is because I have a surgery scheduled that will preclude me from running for a while. It is part of my on-going transformation from a morbidly obese individual to a slim, althletic runner. Luckily, I’m almost there! Hopefully, this will be the last disruption to my life as far as surgery goes, so, until May 1, I will be running as often as my law school finals preparation allows.