fitness

So, I finished C25K. That makes me an expert, right? Haha, no. But I ran for nine weeks, so indulge me.

Use gadgets

The first few weeks of C25K have intervals which are hard to keep track of manually. You can use a stopwatch and write the intervals on your arm, but that's still confusing, and you're going to fall into the ditch that way. I used C25K Pro on my Android phone carried in an armband. This app has configurable voice cues, which are are nice for running without constantly craning your neck to look at your upper arm. There are similar apps for other smartphones.

Or get a fancy GPS watch. The Garmin Forerunner 305 is right around $115 on eBay right now, and that's an amazing deal. You can program in all the intervals, as well as easily pull your GPS track for later inspection/obsession.

Be accountable

Find some way to keep yourself on track. Go running with a partner. Keep a log of each run. Tell people you're doing this. For me, even if I didn't really want to run, these outside pressures got me out there, and I never regretted it, even those times I thought I was going to die on the trail.

Get some gear

The $35 athletic shoes you bought at Walmart are probably not going to cut it unless you're not fat and/or want to run really slowly. I was amazed at the difference a good running shoe makes. Ask an actual runner to help you figure out what to get, and if you shop at the right time, you can find a pair of last year's model at a good discount. I ran in Brooks Ghost 3s, which were under $60 because the Ghost 4s ($100) had just come out.

Get socks. Don't get cotton socks. Cotton socks will make your feet sweat and give you blisters in creative places.

Wear a hat or something. Unless you have super-absorbent eyebrows or don't sweat like a fat man, you need something to soak up those precious bodily excretions.

I'll write more about gear later, but this is the important stuff.

Stretch

Each day of C25K includes a 5-minute warm-up walk. Make this a brisk walk, and that's all the warm-up you'll need.

However, you should do some serious stretching after your run. I spend at least 10 minutes doing various yoga-style stretches right when I get back from my run, and this prevents me from having to walk around like a zombie. If you're still sore after stretching, it might be time for icing and/or drugs (ibuprofen or naproxen).

Drink

Water, that is. You'll feel horrible if you go running when you're even slightly dehydrated. It's hard to make up for being dehydrated all day by chugging a glass of water right before your run (and it'll just make you have to pee right as you start anyway). So keep sucking down the water all day before you run. It's a game! The drink-until-my-pee-is-clear game!

Pay attention to your dumb body

Sore is fine, but shooting pain (among other things) is not. When you start, you'll be amazed that so many of your body parts have the capability to be sore. Stretching helps with this, but know when to take a day off (or another day off). If you have a really bad run, repeat it. If you have to take a few days off and your C25K "week" gets screwed up, don't worry about it. Just keep working your way through the days, and you'll get there.

I noticed that I'd chase weak points around my body. When I started, the intervals were short enough that my legs didn't really notice it, but my lungs constantly felt like they were going to explode. Once my cardio strength got a little better, my shins objected. A couple of weeks stretching and icing after my runs, and then my hamstrings decided to say hello. So don't get too discouraged by what's sore or bothering you this week. Something else will surprise you next week.

Embrace looking stupid

You will look dumb running. People will wonder what's wrong with you. Small children will point and laugh.

Leave your dignity and pride at home and just do it. Just think about all those fat people you know who aren't out here getting in shape. They are going to be so jealous of you, you sexy bitch.

This mentality also goes for choosing what to wear and what gear to buy. When possible, get the ugliest color clothes and the most uncool gear possible. Wearing these will force you to not take yourself so seriously. You can't possibly give a crap what you look like when you look like an asshole anyway.

I've been using the Workouts feature in Garmin Training Center for my C25K runs. They're really handy for interval weeks, which are a part of Bridge to 10K as well. Grab the TCX files for all of C25K and B210K here:

• http://www.runningchunk.com/garmin/c25k_workouts.zip
• http://www.runningchunk.com/garmin/b210k_workouts.zip

Import them to Training Center by selecting from the File menu "Import to Current User Account" and then "Workouts...". From there you'll see them in the Workouts tab, and can sync them to your Forerunner. They should work with the Forerunner 205 and 305.

On Saturday, Nancy ran the 2009 Journeys Half Marathon in 2:19:12, continuing her streak of ever-better times. It was a cold and windy day in Eagle River, but it was still fun to be at the race, and to celebrate afterwards.

Nancy at the start, smiling despite a few flakes of snow.

They're off!

I navigate a back road to my spectating point about 4.5 miles in.

At the finish, free food in hand, moments before a quick dash to the hot tub.

My calendar said "65-90-minute walk" for this weekend. I put it off on Sunday, and regretted it on Monday. Nancy and I headed out in Laurium on Monday afternoon, and braved the 35° blowing rain for a total of 10 minutes. Happy spring. Ugh.

I got the planned 45-minute walk in last night, though at a slower pace due to a sore ankle. The shoes I've been wearing, Adidas Boreal Trail, seem to be very wrong for my feet. They roll my ankles inward, which puts a lot of strain on the outside of my lower legs. They're okay for bicycling or walking on softer surfaces, but they're killers on hard surfaces.

I ended up switching to my trusty Vasque Sundowners. If I had to walk across the country, I'd probably choose these boots. They're really sturdy and comfortable, but probably weigh 3-4 pounds, which can be a little annoying for normal walking. So I'm doing research on walking/running shoes, and will probably buy a new pair soon.

Great day for a walk. I meandered around Calumet and Swedetown, and included a short loop on the back of the ski trails. Nancy headed out earlier for her run, and I met her halfway into my walk.

I need non-100%-cotton socks, according to Nancy. Maybe my feet move around too much in my shoes, but there's a little chafing at longer distances. Of course, it could have something to do with my baby-soft feet.

Time: 1:09:09
Distance: 4.39 miles
Pace: 15:46/mile

The weather was a little better tonight, and Nancy and I took a nice walk on a loop starting at my office.

Time: 45:10
Distance: 2.82 miles
Pace: 16:03/mile

Nancy has a...compulsion...to keep track of all her fitness activities in great detail. Some of it might have rubbed off on me. I decided to add my fitness stuff to a Google Calendar, and then added a condensed version of it to the sidebar on the right. I use my own scripts to grab data from a GPS device and generate a track image, and then manually enter summary information in the description field for each activity.

Anyway, here's the track from yesterday evening's walk.

Tonight was my first "extended" ride on my new toy, a bicycle roller. I did about 20 minutes at an unknown speed (reasonable cadence on the middle ring and mid-high rear cog). This was my second time on the roller, and I'm getting the hang of it. I can now go for five minutes at a time without needing a quick "hand out" to balance myself.

I like the roller so far, and it seems sturdy enough for my clydesdale frame. It was completely an impulse purchase, as Performance had a good price ($90), and I had just found Grandma's Christmas check while cleaning.

I'm hoping to keep at this until spring. Getting a bike computer soon will help, since my normal odometer (GPS) doesn't seem to work very well here for some reason.

On Sunday, Nancy completed her first competitive running race, a half-marathon in the Fox Cities Marathon. She ran the 13.1-mile course in 2:39:48, less than 10 minutes from her target pace. Yay Nancy!

I acted as the traveling cheerleading squad, and rode my bicycle around the marathon course area, stopping to cheer at a few locations. Here's my traditional biking map from that day.

In all, the even was very well-run (ha), Nancy did great, and I can stop embarassing her with my GO NANCY sign (though maybe I should keep that with me, just in case).

Distance: 18.84 miles

Nancy, James, and I went for a longer ride today, starting at Nancy's house, going to Chassell, and coming back on US-41. It was a nice ride, even though it started raining about five miles in, and continued for the rest of the ride.

James was nice enough not to lose us, except on one long downhill on Pilgrim Road, where he probably came very close to 50 MPH (I only hit 42.4, and can't crank faster than about 36 MPH anyway). Despite the rain and heavy traffic on US-41, it was a fun ride, and I'm glad I went along.

Distance: 8.69 miles

Nancy and I went for a more relaxed "exploratory" ride tonight, heading up to Kearsarge. But the ride ended early after I broke a spoke and we had to turn around.

This was my first ride (other than the ride back from the bike shop) with the new stem installed, and I really like it. It gives me an additional inch or so of rise in the front, without making the reach too short. My hands fared much better after tonight's ride.

Distance: 8.29 miles
Average speed: 15.2 MPH

Ugh. I didn't stretch or do a cool-down walk after last night's ride, and even though it was an "easy" ride, I really felt it this morning. I wanted to do at least 10 miles, but struggled to get in what I did.

Distance: 5.63 miles

Just a short, slow cruise around town tonight. I found and put the toe clips back on the pedals last night, and adjusted them during tonight's ride. During the last couple of "harder" rides, I noticed my feet moving around a bit, so hopefully the clips will help keep them in place.

Distance: 7.45 miles

Nancy and I cruised around Calumet tonight for a "recovery ride". We took it easy, which was hard for me, but also good for me, since I need to figure out how to pace myself.

I also put another three miles in this morning, riding to and from the bike shop, and then trying out some different stems. I found one that I liked, but it had a crack in it, so another is on order. Anyway, my total distance for the day is around 22.7 miles.

I bought a fancy new pressure gauge, and discovered that I was running between 85 and 90 PSI instead of the 100 I was shooting for. Tonight's ride was at 100 PSI, and I could feel the difference.

Distance: 12.22 miles
Top speed: 34.4 MPH

This morning's ride was an exploratory one. I rode some roads I'd never been on before, but spent a lot of time turning around and waiting for traffic. My GPS doesn't stop averaging when I stop moving, so I didn't record an average speed today. I put my top speed above for the purposes of bragging.

I was on a lot of rough pavement and some short gravel patches today, and my new tires held up fine. They're stable in sandy corners, and fast on the smooth stuff.

This morning, I am in awe at the natural beauty of this area. Tamarack Waterworks Road passes through marshes, with thick grass and cattails swaying in the breeze. I rolled by a flock of geese, sleeping on the edge of a pond, not six feet from my path. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the Keweenaw.