5k experience
by medwid on Jan.02, 2011, under Uncategorized
Not knowing exactly what to expect, I read a ton the week of my first run in an attempt to get a good feel for how people have prepared for a 5k from a dietary, physical, and mental perspective. I used to run long distance in high school, but the feeling of a track meet is much different than when you go out to race for yourself.
I spent the week prior to the race with the idea that I would eat more carbs than normal, and then a couple days before the race eating another couple servings of saturated fats and drinking roughly 6 ounces of water an hour. I took the advice of a running friend of mine and read up on a pre race running week which included three 25 min runs that week, with pick ups the day before the race. Mentally getting ready wasn’t difficult, I kept the frame of mind that I was going to just be running with a large group of friends. That seemed to keep the nervousness away well enough.
The temperature outside was 4 degree’s with a -15 degree wind chill. As we arrived at the designated parking lot, you could see the yellow limo’s picking people up to take them the 5 miles to the starting line. By this point I’d put my “chip” on my shoe and had my bib secured. It being 4 outside was nothing compared to the wind whipping you as you walked around, winter weather gear or not. Arriving at the starting line opened you up to a wave of people making their way up the street to where we would gather before the race and then after. Emperor penguins greeted you as you checked bags, huddled near mobile heaters, and waited in line for the restroom. Over the loud speaker they called out 7 minutes till race time and to get into positions.
As you near the starting area there are more penguins, some holding pace times, others guiding us into position. The volunteers at the event were top notch, everything from packet pickup in the beginning to hot chocolate at the end. The entire event felt very well organised. I stood huddled one last time in a much larger group of 2,000 other runners, half running the 5k, and the other half pushing onward through the 10k. At this point I was just excited to have some people to run with, as my weekly routine of running the lake has gotten a little mundane with just me and my mp3 player. There was playful banter and great buzz in the air. I found a good spot in the 10:35 pace area surrounded by a group of women wearing pink capes, and a large group of polar bears.
As we started I found that my pace at the lake was a little quicker than most around me and quickly pushed through the first waves of runners. The first mile felt really good, the most difficult part was navigating through the hundreds of people around me. I found a good pace behind another runner who seemed to be pushing through the crowd much quicker than I was, and didn’t make me feel like I was going to pass out. The second mile was a mix of steep incline and then steep decline as it was the turn around for the 5k. About half way through you saw the first signs of runners coming back down the hill towards their 18 minute finish times. I kept that pace through the second mile even with it being an uphill climb and much like the first mile found that I still felt really good. By this point there was no more thought about anything being cold…there was only the breath. The bottom of the hill and the final mile hit me all at once. At this point I felt muscles in my shoulders tightening up, muscles in my back tightening up, all of this coupled with fighting my gator to stay around my nose and mouth. The last mile felt like it took just as long as the first 2 combined. I have come to the conclusion that I like the feeling of being tired after physically exerting myself. So I pushed on to the finish…
After hearing my name crossing the line I was given a medal for finishing, a bag of food to munch on, and some hot cocoa to warm up. I wish I had a camera, as I could feel the ice on my eyebrows and eyelashes. Would of made a great picture. Then it was over…back to the yellow limo’s, back to the parking lot, back to the car, and back home. I had seen the effects of running long distances on friends of mine, the sheer exhaustion from head to toe. I didn’t think I would feel the same with this being a 3.1 mile run, where they had been running 10-26 miles. My body is tired. Its the day after the race now and my body is still tired. I woke up early this morning and stretched with some light aerobic exercise after to get the blood flowing. The rest of the day…will be a day of rest. I am excited to start working towards my next race…already thinking about how I can improve my time and distance.
The results from my first race: http://mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=2168&race=233
Opportunity
by medwid on Dec.16, 2010, under Uncategorized
As you walk through life there are moments you are given to exercise your faith. To be generous, to act with virtue, to serve others…
For someone who loves a script, a process to follow, these opportunities can be rough to identify. Thats what makes it beautiful, when you stop looking for the times to be generous and you just do it all the time. Seeing a car stranded in the snow, you walk over and offer your help. I can look back at the past few weeks and see times that I didn’t embrace the opportunity to just help. You don’t wake up one morning with all the answers, but you can reflect on times you could of done better and work towards that. Working towards a better you and a better day is one of the greatest gifts you can get. A chance to show yourself progress and to be an example to those around you.
Choosing to not steal gum from the store doesn’t give you a +1 in the good category if you go home and connect to your neighbors wireless internet without paying for it. Making the right decision isn’t always the easiest to make and if you sit down and do an inventory of the past month you can see where you may of been walking that line. Don’t get down on yourself, just work towards righting the wrong. In some instances that just means when the opportunity arises the next time, you take the high road.
Day 61
by medwid on Dec.13, 2010, under The Journey
So today is the first day of the last 30 days of my P90X. The first month I was working towards getting lean and toning, the second month was all about increasing the weight slightly to start building up a bit and this last 30 days I’m going to increase the weight and decrease reps to hopefully increase muscle growth. I am absolutely beat today, did cardio this morning for an hour before work, and this afternoon pushed into the weight training. Chest, back, and abs….and I can feel all of them like I haven’t lifted before. Its a good feeling when you’re working out and are exhausted when you are done. I like it more and more as I make it through this process. I feel like I’m getting to know my body better each day, from my workouts to my eating habits. I’ve gotten much better at portion control and setting up meals in advance. Having snacks at the right intervals during the day and on my harder lifting days taking in more calories so I don’t get tired too quick. This is a vast difference from when I lifted in school.
I never really cared about what eating right was, I probably didn’t execute proper form on any of my lifts, and I didn’t care to. Now its the exactly opposite. I want to treat my body like a temple, I enjoy seeing some of the results I’ve been able to achieve. I am not done of course, being healthy and choosing to exercise isn’t a 3 month process…its a life long endeavor. I should also say that I’m not interested in being a huge muscle guy, just fit with solid definition. This day 61 is a huge mark in P90X because it symbolizes that you are 2/3rds of the way done with the current session. I’m proud of myself for pushing through to here and can’t wait to see what the end of this month has in store for me.
Whats after this I wonder…I could roll through the program again, I could try a different style of working out, could hit up the gym. I think instead of getting ahead of myself I’ll take some of my own advice…one step at a time.
Meditation
by medwid on Dec.07, 2010, under The Journey
Have you ever tried it? How do you think you did? Is it something you found relaxing?
I have been reading a book about Buddhist meditation and in many other books have had authors refer to meditation so here I am trying it. This morning I found myself with some extra time before going to work and decided I would give it a try. Working towards everything that I had read…follow the breath, clear your mind, when thoughts invade push them out and focus on the breath. As I sat there I found it fairly easy at first to focus on my breath. The deep breath in, and the long breath out. After a few minutes I found myself comparing breathing and that focus to several day to day tasks. So I pushed the thoughts out. Only to be jumped by several other thoughts of other people who attempted meditation on some level. So I pushed the thoughts out. After a third series of thoughts attacking me I realized that I wasn’t doing so well at focusing on the breath which in turn was another set of thoughts! I opened my eyes, took solace in the fact that this was indeed my first attempts at meditation in this manner and it helped to ease my mind. I was once again able to just focus on breathing.
I sat there meditating for roughly an hour, with the back half of the time seeing moderate success in keeping my thoughts out and my focus on the present…on the breath. I was able to reflect when I was done on some of those thoughts I had been having during the meditation which I feel helped me in working towards a better understanding of what this meditation thing is all about. Personally I don’t think there is 1 right way to meditate, but many ways to meditate which achieve a multitude of results. I’m hoping to investigate them all and put them to use in my life. I’ll share more on on what I learn from the Buddhist meditations as I read and execute, but regardless of your background, there is something to be said about quiet calm breathing and inward reflection.
Steps
by medwid on Dec.03, 2010, under The Journey
One step at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time. These journeys will sometimes feel like we are walking into a brick wall. All you can do is push on knowing that its going to get better. Whether its today, tomorrow, or next week is not whats important. Its that you continue to push towards your goals. I recently finished Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel and I must say that its given me some great ideas on how to strengthen my faith. Prior to my trip next week to Las Vegas I’m downloading some books on my iPad to start reading from all different backgrounds of faith. Everything from Buddhist Meditation to the Bible to the Qur’an and everything in between. The idea is a simple one, that in understanding and knowing other faiths and how they practice it will in turn increase my own faith. When you think about it, the basis of faith is about some key principles. Serving others, a belief and love for something greater than you, and living certain values. I suppose if there are drastic differences I’ll figure them out in my reading, but from my general look into each religion it seems to be a pretty solid theory. I’m hoping by the time this month is over I’ll have spent some time reading from each and gain a better appreciation for those religions.
What I’m looking to get out of it personally is a better understanding of my core beliefs and what fuels them. I did recently finish “The Big Book” and found that the 12 steps can be relevant to almost everyone if you look at it from the right perspective. In talking to a friend of mine who had been through the process it has convinced me to do a personal inventory of myself and work towards facing my past in present head on and with no regrets. I had no idea how hard it would be, both emotionally and spiritually looking back and thinking of some of the darker times in my life. One thing I can say from doing so is that its helped me to not only face those things that hurt me, but to deal with them and be done with them. I am not near complete with this process, but from what I’m told you are never really done and that this should be done several times a year. I can tell you this from my experiences, everyone we meet in life is there for a reason. Whether that be for 2 months, 2 years or they are a friend for a lifetime…its someone you needed so learn from them. Put all your cards on the table and don’t hold back. You won’t regret it.
Foregone
by medwid on Nov.20, 2010, under The Journey
There are times in our lives that we move away from. Emotions, images, events…things better off not remembered. Our mind takes these things and tucks them deep down at a time when we don’t know exactly how to deal with them. A way of protecting you from the pain. Those times when the world was crashing down around you. Those days when you weren’t good enough. The countless pieces of you that changed in hopes of being what was wanted. The times the affection you showed wasn’t returned. Summon those memories up, work through them. See what happens when you relive these foregone memories.
As much as it hurts to feel those feelings again, its an integral part of moving on. We see who we were, the moments in our life that we made our greatest mistakes and our greatest victories help to show us who we are going to be. If you choose to live in the mistakes and shortcomings you are choosing to not learn from them. You can’t move forward thinking that the problems you’ve had in the past are going to happen again. You can’t avoid those who would show you that love because you were broken at one time. I will not allow my past to dictate my future, I will take those painful memories and use them to build who I am to be. Am I perfect? Far from it, but I know who I am and what I have to give. I know what I expect back from those around me. Let the tears roll, and hold on to the strength that defines you.
Retreat
by medwid on Nov.17, 2010, under Shorts
She was awake now, the day already starting to weigh her down. The sun still hours from awaking the rest of the world. Its cold outside, that crisp clean feeling of winters bite all around her. The night is quiet, she walks alone with her thoughts, ever pushing her further and further along. Something brushed her face. She closed her eyes and looked up…like gentle kisses, snowflakes landed and melted. The breeze was calming, the sounds that washed over her took all the thoughts that had been troubling her and pushed them away. She opened her eyes and was dreaming again…. All the color escaping as the minutes past. Silently assaulting the greens and blues, as they fought to remain. She was on the ground watching now, although she doesn’t remember sitting down. This new world she looked over was clean….fresh….perfect. A place she didn’t belong. A thick blanket covered the ground and she was afraid to break the serenity of this place. Dawn was coming, she could see the purples and reds forming on the horizon. A smile enveloped her face. She felt the warmth as the sun crested the trees. All the stresses melted away just as the flakes had done when they touched her hair. It was time now. Walking back the way she came the beauty of life all around her. Sun shining, snow falling, cresting waves on the shore. Sweet reflections of a better day, a new day, today.
Hidden Treasures
by medwid on Oct.31, 2010, under The Journey
Have you ever gone somewhere with a friend and had no idea what to expect? I embarked on such an evening last night and found something that I didn’t know I needed. For me, at an integral part of my journey, I was put in a room with 200 hundred other people of different faiths all joined together for the same cause. Whether you were Jewish, Catholic, Christian. It didn’t matter. Everyone was there to serve others.
I had the pleasure of meeting some new friends, share great stories with people from around the world, and celebrate the work that was being done by these wonderful people. How can one not question faith in their lives when they see so many people around them living religious pluralism and working towards a common goal of rehabilitation for those in need. In the end, I couldn’t see how anyone in attendance, whether participating in the program or just there as I was, could not be moved by the speakers and volunteers. What little I contributed to the evening was nothing compared to what it did for me. Just what I needed.
Bite the bullet
by medwid on Oct.27, 2010, under The Journey
So today is the day, I’m taking that step from just the standard workouts to incorporating the E210K program. People have said I’m over doing it, that I’m asking too much of myself too quickly, that I’m going to burn out from trying too much at the same time. I’m not one for new years resolutions is my answer. What is different about changing something on the first of the year versus right now. I understand that mentally people say well its a brand new year and its a brand new me. Well, starting October 4th of this year is a new year for me to be healthy.
If I want to stop something that I don’t like there is no point waiting for a staging point, I just do. I would argue that you do the same. If you don’t like the way someone talks to you, you avoid that person. If you don’t like the clothes you wear, you buy new ones. I will admit there are some things that are harder than others. After almost of month of eating better I can tell you that its not easy. I wake up everyday and have to tell myself what I’m going to do that day. Apples for snacks, almonds when I can’t take apples anymore, chicken for almost every meal, we’ll see how I hold up after 2 months. So while I’ve done it, and its not been easy, there have been rewards already. I can’t see them necessarily but the scales can. After 2 weeks I’ve dropped down to 195lbs and I’ve been sleeping more soundly when I do sleep.
If you don’t like the way you look or feel than change it. If you need some motivation to do so, then email me and let me help. Its always easier when you have someone beside you to keep you moving forward, to give you that little push when you get stuck or to pick you up when you’ve fallen down. If you don’t have someone like that, then do it with me!
Home
by medwid on Oct.17, 2010, under Uncategorized
It never ceases to amaze me how children can impact your life. After being divorced and away from my boys for the past 4 years, still today seeing them is like being reborn for me. A rejuvenating elixir of life lives in their smiles. It gives me hope that someday we as grown ups, having experienced unconditional love, can once again grasp what that means and pass it on. There are few out there that can show unconditional love…children are the classic example. They don’t know anything but love until they are shown differently. When I look into my sons eyes I see that and it makes my knees week. Each one of them loves me with the entirety of their being.
I thought at one point in my youth that I knew what it meant to love someone. It wasn’t until my first son was born and I was holding him in my arms that I felt it. Something that meant more to me…than me. An odd feeling when you tell yourself and mean it that you would do absolutely anything for another human being. For my sons I would not hesitate to push them out of danger and take the brunt of it. I remember crying on the way home when I came to that realization, that he was more important to me than anything else. I would do the same for anyone in my family, anyone of my friends. I want to think that its not just a trait that I have, but the more I toss it around in my head the more I doubt that its shared by the masses. I am still hoping the news will show me otherwise.
So the long and short of it, I am home again. Having enjoyed a wonderful weekend of being a kid again with my kids. It never seems like enough time, but it is time. Being here reminds me of an interaction I had with my boss when I was working in the UK. ”I don’t need to come home in between, you’re just sending me home to an empty house, there isn’t anything for me to come home to”. It won’t always be the case, maybe I’ve met her already and I don’t know it yet. So here I am, home.
