At it again

Just got back from another run and it felt FANTASTIC!!! Running is much more fun than walking, my long walks were kind of boring, now with running I can cover the same distance in half the time. Nothing is better than hitting that runner's high just at the point where you think you can't go any farther, and then feeling like you are running on air, incredible. I never got that feeling when I was walking. I can't believe it, at this rate I will be up to 30 minutes non-stop in about 6 or 7 weeks. Just in time for the weather to start getting colder, nothing is better than running in cold weather. I will take that over heat any day. I will soon need to buy a new pair of running shoes I've got a lot of miles of walking on my current pair.

I have always wanted to run in the Main Street Mile in Westminster, if anyone from CCPL would like to join me perhaps we could start a team. We would need a clever name, something like Running with Books, The 796.42s (Dewey number for running), or Bibliotathletes. Of course I am getting ahead of myself, I need to keep up with my running first.


----------------
Now playing: Spinal Tap - Bitch School
via FoxyTunes

Running Again

I have started adding a bit of running to my exercise routine again. If you recall I had some problems with my left foot, not the movie My Left Foot, but my actual foot. After I began running back in May I started have lots of pain in my foot, well after several months of just walking I have finally started running again. Just for a few minutes here and there during my daily walks, and I feel great while I am running. I wasn't planning on running last night on my walk but half way through it started to rain so that helped make up my mind (I still got drenched though). Hopefully I will be running full time (30-45 minutes a day) in the next few months.

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." - Jesse Owens

The Big 5-0

Just got off the scale and I have lost 50 pounds. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own 2 eyes.

Update and such

Just a quick update on a few things. I am still walking at least 5 times a week and I have lost a total of 45 pounds. Jacie and I have added tennis to our exercise regime, we have started getting up early and playing a few sets before we have to go to work. I hate getting up early, but after a good work out in the morning I have a lot of energy for the rest of the day. My tennis skills need a lot of work, the only good shot that I have is a backhand, but Jacie refuses hit tennis balls to my left so that I use it all the time, she insists on making me use my forehand shot which of course always goes long. What's up with that?

It's a conspiracy I say

My "warped" friend Christine recently posted on her blog, that she watches very little television. I find this both amazing and frightening, those of you who know me know that I watch entirely way too much television. I figure that I am just getting my monies worth, what with the cost of cable TV these days.

Then it hit me! There is a vast conspiracy against me! The conspirators include my wife, my doctor, CCPL and the Maryland State Department of Education. You all thought you were so clever but I have figured it all out. Everyone wants me to stop watching so much television.

Here is my theory: My wife Jacie (pronounced Jackie) is the ring leader of course, always plotting, she is. She is the one who coerced me into going to the doctor (I'm glad she did), and my doctor told me to start exercising. Which, of course, is a way to get me away from the TV. But, alas , there efforts were not as far reaching as they would hope, as I was able to fit exercise easily into my television schedule.

Now the plot gets more insidious as my wife and doctor included both CCPL and MSDE into their evil plans...and created...the 23 things! By creating 23 things everyone knew that I would get addicted to my blog, and by blogging at least I was being somewhat productive, and not sitting in front of the television. Well I am on to you. Very, very cunning.

Either that or I am crazy.

A few changes

I have made a couple of changes to my walking play list before I set out this evening.

I deleted:

• Y'all want a single by Korn
• Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' by Journey
• Africa by Toto

I added:

• My Love by Justin Timberlake (my new favorite song. I became fan after seeing him perform a hilarious song on Saturday Night Live last Christmas. Sorry...I'm not adding the link to it, you will have to find it for yourself. Many people will probably find it in very bad taste...but it is the funniest thing you will see in a long time.)
  
• Gettin' Jiggy With It by Will Smith (I can be just a jiggy as the next guy, I just look silly doing it)
  
• Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
  

Walking Music...and...Cheap Prizes

***UPDATE*** Congratulations to Christine who new that Profiles was a teen dance club in Westminster. Back in the day I was a dancing fool, now I just limit it to weddings and board meetings.***UPDATE***

***UPDATE*** Congratulations to Technigranny who won the first cheap prize by correctly answering that "you bark, I bite" was the title to Christopher Moltisanti's (God rest his soul) screenplay on the Sopranos. ***UPDATE***

Took a walk this evening and thought you might like to know what I listen to as I walk, the list is below. I had a couple of run-ins with animals this evening while I was walking. First, I almost stepped on a toad. I made sure he made it safely off of the road (I hope I don't get any warts). Second, I came face to face with a dog, he was barking up a storm and I thought "you bark, I bite." We gave each other our space and went about our merry ways. ***I will give a prize, a cheap prize, to the first person from CCPL who leaves me a comment that says what the quote "you bark, I bite" is a reference to.***

Here is a list of what I listen to as I go on my walks (links go to music videos):

1. Word Up by Cameo
2. Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson (the best version in my humble opinion)
3. Y'All Want a Single by Korn (not for the faint of heart, quite a lot of colorful language)
4. Hey Ya by Outkast
5. A Little Respect by Erasure (this is currently my favorite song for some odd reason)
6. Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
7. A View to a Kill by Duran Duran
8. Come With Me by P. Diddy (to only good thing to come out of a horrible Godzilla remake)
9. Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' by Journey (I may have to switch this to Don't Stop Believing as an homage to the Sopranos)
10. Can't Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue (great beat for walking up steep hills)
11. Wannabe by The Spice Girls (I don't care what anybody says, this IS a good song. Ginger was my favorite Spice Girl)
12. Is She Really Going Out With Him by Sugar Ray (a great cover of the Joe Jackson classic)
13. Fire Woman by The Cult
14. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
15. Turning Japanese by The Vapors
16. Africa by Toto (not a really good song to walk to)
17. Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to my Room) by Paul Lekakis (this reminds of going dancing at Profiles during high school) *** I will give another prize, another cheap prize, to the first person from CCPL who leaves a comment telling what Profiles was and where it was located in Westminster.***
18. Play that Funky Music White Boy by Wild Cherry (I'm funky and a white boy...this is a great song when you just want to strut)
19. Headed for a Heartbreak by Winger (Winger is too under rated, they are a great band. This song and the next one are good during a cool down walk.)
20. Crazy For You by Madonna (yes, I know, I'm sappy)

It's Electrifying

As you know in my effort to be healthier I have been walking. Well last Friday evening I was walking and off in the distance storm was brewing and thought that I would have had time to make it back before the storm rolled in. Well I didn't quite make it...1/2 hour in to my walk the storm was upon me and my walk turned into a hasty run. If I would have been killed by lightning while I was on my walk to be more healthy, I would have been really mad!

Good Week

Been having a great week so far. I have done a lot of walking this week and my foot hasn't been hurting as much and I feel great. Hopefully I will be running again in about two weeks, if not I will have to think of a different way to exercise. I may take up cycling, I do have a bike that is gathering dust, maybe I'll brush it off and take it for a spin.

I'm afraid I'll look like this:

(image courtesy of http://www.sweetandbitter.com)




When I really want to look like this:

(image courtesy of http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com)

It's something to work toward. Having a goal is always good. I need to view problems as challenges as I have learned in 23 things.

Update and what not

Well it has been a while since my last update. I have not given up on running yet but my feet might have. After about two weeks of running I developed horrible pain in my left foot and would hardly be able to walk in the morning. Turns out I have developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot, so I have had to go back to walking 5 days a week at least for the next few weeks.

I am still losing weight...slowly, 30 pounds for far and my blood pressure is normal (at least something about me is normal).

I will begin to post my 23 Things shortly see please stand by...

Abs of Steel...hardly

Since I began running my exercise days went from 5 a week to 3, and I have been feeling a little short changed. So I thought I would treat myself to a nice aerobic workout and I popped an ab workout I got from the library into the DVD machine. What a big mistake! I got a good workout but I have sore muscles where I didn't even know I had muscles. But in the greater scheme of things I guess this was good for me.