RoastedNuts’ BodyBlog

Wow, I am simply impressing myself here lately with the amount of running I have been doing and the weightloss that has gone along with it.  Since I started running outside my endurance has tripled.  I’ve gone from barely finishing a 1 mile jog on the treadmill to going 3.5 miles more than once a week without a walking break in the middle.  (twice this week so far!)

And I’m losing weight too! I’m down to 204 pounds this morning.  That’s four pounds in about two weeks.  I haven’t been 204 for maybe 4 years.  So I am re adjusting my goals and hoping to continue on this fitness kick.  It would be so nice to be about 195!  And, my wife is trying to push me into running in a local 5k in August.  She’s being very supportive!

This is awesome!

So, I hit the track again today. Or the treadmill to be more accurate. LOL!  I’ve been having some success running lately and it’s felt pretty good to be honest.  So this morning I felt a little aggressive and set out to run two miles hoping to complete that task without having to slow to a walk.  As the tenths of a mile ticked off, I started to feel better and better.  Until I finally ended up at a total of four miles without slowing down.

Okay, my average speed was 6.4 MPH / 9:13 mile.  I’m pretty darn happy about that!  I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings!

I have never been much of a runner. Sort of like writing.  It’s something I have done out of necessity, but not for recreation or enjoyment.  For the past few years, I have gone to the local YMCA 2 to 4 times a week and exercised including sometime on the treadmill.  But have never really run for any distance more than a mile without dying, or having to run to the bathroom to take a healthy dump. (Running is the best thing for constipation!)

On Tuesday this week, I took a different approach.  Instead of pounding the belt on the treadmill with all of my might hoping to get in a mile before I collapsed in a pile of sweat and racing stripes, I opted to run at a slower pace. So I ran. And ran. And before I knew it, I had completed 1.5 miles without being too strained.  Then, 2 miles!  WooHoo!  I was pumped.

On Wednesday, I tried the same technique, and on this day I made it 1.3 miles and had to walk for a spell of about .1 miles. But, still completed my 2 mile run in under 19 minutes. (Okay, this pace may scream more JOG than RUN to some people, but I did it, and I’m calling it a run.

This morning, I decided to do something that I have been totally against ever since high school, 20 years ago.  Running outside.  Now, I have done this a couple of times over the past few years, mostly on vacation and only once a year at most.  But as a rule outdoor running is not the thing for me at all.  Especially considering that I don’t like the three or four people in the gym to watch me run on the treadmill.  But then to be out there for an entire city full of people? No way.

Well, I ended up covering 3.3 miles this morning, and didn’t even realize it until after I had finished and retraced my route in a car for measurement. 3.3 miles, that’s a 5k race.  Granted, there was a considerable amount of walking during the last mile, mostly because I’m only just getting up to 2 miles on the treadmill.  However, I am pretty pleased with myself and looking forward to my next opportunity to go out and stretch my legs. (Or, into the cardio room at the gym!)

Who would have thought that an almost 40 year old guy could finally become someone that enjoys running?  I am starting to believe it!

At least for me it is not that simple.  When you read through some blogs it appears that the folks writing them really put a lot of time into the blog.  That they sit down and contemplate their posts for hours or days, and the thoughtfully tap their thoughts into the keyboard for the world to see.  Colorful, wordy, painting a nice word picture of the author’s thoughts and dreams.

Me, I am a blank slate! LOL.  

Yep, blank slate.

So, I’ve been doing this exercise thing for a couple of years. Other than an occasional "pumped" bicep or 8 1/2 minute mile, there have really not been that many things for me to get excited about. But this week, two things have happened and I’m starting to wonder I’m starting to think some changes are going on with my body.

I’ll start with the second change first, and work my way backwards. While getting ready for bed tonight, I was standing in front of the mirror brushing my teeth when I noticed that I am starting to get a little bit of muscle definition along the right side of my rib cage. Now, I’m not delusional enough to sit here and say I’ve got a body the likes of SuperMaine or Cball or any of the hundreds or thousands of guys with six packs plus on this site. But, I don’t remember ever seeing any muscle definition ever on my abdomen like this! It is very motivating. I hope that my current workout program helps me continue to develop this muscle and the ones around it.

The first change is less physical, and more relational. My wife has exercised regularly for the past several years and it’s helped her to keep her youthful looks and great body. She looks ten years younger than her actual age and has a better body than most of those women who are ten years younger than she is. This week, she told me she wants to start a new workout routine instead of the normal aerobic class that she usually utilizes. AND, she asked me to come with her to the gym to show her what equipment to use and exercises to do. I know many of you folks on here workout with your spouse or significant other and find it to be normal. However this is very much different for me. I’m pumped that she wants me to go with her and show her the ropes.  I don’t think she’ll ever realize how great that simple gesture has made me feel!

I guess I want her to know that I love her, and I will be proud to go with her and show her around. This simple gesture of asking me to help her at the gym has really stoked my ego.

I didn’t take journalism in high school or college. In fact, I sometimes have difficulty authoring a paragraph that contains more than two complete sentences or follows a thought from beginning to end.  But, the temptation to maintain a bodyblog has been tugging at me for weeks.  So here is my attempt to start and maintain a blog in cyberspace.

I have never been a driven exerciser.  I hate to run or do cardio and lifting weights has always been something that I had to do.  But over the past few years, I’ve developed within myself enough discipline to at least make my way to the local YMCA at least three mornings a week so that I might maintain my body weight and possibly develop some muscle tone.

Having an attractive wife who works out also lends itself to keeping me motivated. After all, how many of you have seen a beautiful, well put together woman with a guy that looks like he fell of the back of the garbage truck and stood there scratching your head thinking, "He must be loaded."  LOL, I’m not loaded, so I better stay in shape!