No Motivation

The toe is still an issue. That, and my motivation. Didn't lose or gain over the night.

No Motivation

The toe is still an issue. That, and my motivation. Didn't lose or gain over the night.

Wrong Direction

So far, this Lent thing isn't working for me. I weighed 224.8 this morning. I'm going in the wrong direction right off the bat.

I did not run last night. In fact, I got home and went to bed. I was feeling the on-set of flu like symptoms and I wanted no part of that. So I turned the heat waaaaay up, turned the TV waaaaay down and dozed all night.

It must have worked because I feel okay this morning. There is still a little tenderness in my toe but it is much better than yesterday. I think I flushed the bad stuff out. I will continue that strategy today.

I must begin running though. It is crucial to my weight loss as well as my Bloomsday plans.

Relentless Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. I am planning to adjust my lifestyle over the next 40 days to best facilitate Weight Loss. My goal is ten pounds. I weighed in this morning at 223.5.

To that end, I have forsaken my morning Quad Mocha. There will be no cream cheese on my bagel and if my toe cooporates, I'll be visiting the Club after work.

My big Numb Toe on my left foot is kind of throbbing right now. I think I'm having an episode of Gout. It's very tender to the touch and eminating a constant dull pain that makes me limp slightly. I plan to drink a lot of water today and see what that does. Also, no Filet Mignon. Not that I was anticipating that, but Gout is known as the Rich Man's disease. It comes from a build up of Uric Acid in your bloodstream. The Uric Acid comes from too much rich food. I can't think of anything specifically rich I've eaten lately but it could be cumulative. You know, Quad Mocha's, wine, cheese soup last night...that sort of thing.

The Power of Pain

It's been raining for the past couple of days and such was the case last night when I ventured out for my run. I made it down to the end of the park, and then, just gave up and stopped. I wasn't in great pain or short of breath. I turned around to walk the half mile home and then I got really mad at myself. I forced myself to continue.

What makes me angry now is that my time for the mile was 13:05. I wasted a good ten seconds with my indecisive wimpiness. That would have been my best time yet this season.

I'm glad I finished but I have to be more intense about my workouts. Especially now that Lent is starting and my Lental Commitment is to lose ten pounds. I've left it open so that I'm not giving up anything specific but I have to regulate what I eat, drink and do. Hopefully, God will approve.

Buckeroo takes a Ski Day

I took the day off and went skiing. I was fortunate to pick a day when the weather was fabulous. For some reason, all the lift operators referred to me as "the Cowboy" all day long. It was my first day up this season and by the end of the day, my body was not happy.

I am going to chronicle all my runs here. The reason for that was I was skiing alone and had plenty of time to think of things to write. I also like being able to look back and really remember the day.

Run Number One: I arrived at Mt. Spokane a little after 9AM. I struggled my way up the hill to put my skis on and made my way to the beginner chairlift. On my way up the hill, I realized that the chair to the top was not operating so I had to ski down to the intermediate chair.

When I finally began my run, I knew I was in trouble. I was wearing sunglasses that offered no protection from the wind. As I skied, my eyes watered to the point of not being able to see. I skied down to the car and got my goggles.

Run Number Two: This was much better. Goggles are a good thing. I had a good run down the Northwest Passage trail and skied over to the Number One Chair. I ended up spending most of the day on that chairlift.

Run Number Three: My favorite run on Mt Spokane is the B-29. It is not a particularly fabulous run but for some reason, it holds great nostalgic importance. I'm not sure why. This is my "Go to" run when it is fabulous spring skiing. It is located all the over on the southern border of the ski area. It is on the side of the mountain you can see from town. The top of the run is not groomed and on this day was pretty nice. A little choppy, a little wind blown but very ski able.

I enjoyed the run immensely. I also had a nice ride on the chairlift with I guy who turned out to be a former boss. His name is Andy and he was in charge of the Sporting Goods department of the old Crescent Department Store. I worked there about 28 years ago for about two years. We had a nice visit.

Run Number Four: That first run was so good I had to do it again. This time I pulled out the camera and took a video. It wasn't very good. I got too much ski and not enough slope. The run was good though.

Run Number Five: I went for variety and took a run over to the number two face. This is a run I normally avoid because it is awfully bumpy. I was never very good at bumps and at 51, my goodness is even less. They had groomed one side of the hill and left the bumps on the other side so I was able to ski it quite nicely. Since the Number Two chair was not operating, I didn't have to worry about looking ridiculous. Well, I didn't have to worry about people seeing me look ridiculous.

It took a trail called the Lost 200 back over to the Number One chair.

Run Number Six: Back to the B-29 and a better video.

Run Number Se7en: This time I opted for the Number One Face. It was a good safe run on a nicely groomed steep hill. By the way, I can ski okay but I have no endurance. I think I stopped four times on this run.

Run Number Eight: Back to the B-29 and another video session. this time I videoed the cat track at the bottom of the B-29.

Run Number Nine: There is a run between the B-29 and the Number One Face called the Hourglass. It's pretty similar to the B-29 in that the top is choppy and un-groomed and the bottom half is groomed and a lot of fun.

Run Number Ten: By now it is after noon and my legs are urging me to wrap it up. However, my mind is having a great day and I'm not quite ready to quit. I decided to take one last trip down the B.

Run Number Eleven: At the top of the Number One chair, I hiked up to the Vista House. I should have had a beer with me because it is a great spot to take a break and enjoy the view. I called Susan from the and expressed the fun I was having.

From there, I skied to the Northwest Passage and skied all the way down to Chair Number Three for one last run.

Run Number Twelve: At the top of Three, there is a terrain Park for all the thrashers to enjoy. Just below the Terrain Park, there is a run called Swede's Folly. I have always called it "Sven's Good Fun". It is a very short groomed steep run with an excellent fall line. I really can boogie down the hill and then stop and catch my breath.

From there is was a Cat Track to the parking lot and I was outta there by 1:30.

With 12 runs in the bag, my day cost me about $3.60 a run. Plus Gas.

And I felt every penney of it!

13:09 and a New Computer

Tonight's run was painful, but I made it. The pain was in my feet. It almost felt like I was on the verge of shin splints. I want to avoid that. It's long and hard to recover from AND it hurts. The feet problem has been one I have dealt with in the past. They kind of go numb. But not so numb that it doesn't hurt. I'm hoping that the sensation will pass as my endurance and strength increase.

I'm going skiing tomorrow so I figured it would not be a bad thing to be a little bit limber through stretching and running. I'm feeling okay now so I should be okay tomorrow.

On a totally un-related matter, after six years, maybe more, I upgraded my computer. It was long overdue and I am mostly happy so far. I haven't gotten all my data transferred from the old one yet. I'll do some more of that this weekend...I hope.

13:34

I ran yesterday and it was 180 degrees opposite of my previous run. They should have been switched. Almost immediately after I started, I was feeling the burn and the pain and the labored breathing. I wanted to quit at the quarter mile mark.

I was able to overcome my desire to give up and made the full mile. But it was tough. I had to continually push myself to make small goals.

"Just make it to the corner and then I'll stop."

"Okay, I passed the corner and I'm not dead yet. I'll go to the light post."

"If I can make it to the White House, then I'll walk."

"I'm practically home. Keep going."

Of course, my internal dialog had a lot more expletives in between sucking for air.

Feeling the Burn

It has been a day and a half since I ran my measly little mile. I know that because my thighs remind me of it every time I move. I was rather proud of my achievement of making a mile on my first time out. However, I need to remember that pride comes before the fall.

I will attempt to get out tonight and run the mile in less than 13 minutes. It is snowing right now so I'm not sure that tonight's weather will be conducive to running for a pussy such as myself. I will report here in order to share my pride or fall.

One Mile 13:08

It has been nearly three months since I have logged in here and made a post. So long in fact, that I have forgotten how to get to this site. Thankfully, I still remember my user name and password, "Fat motherfucker" and "heart failure".

I am writing again because I have successfully completed two fitness objectives. One: I bought a new pair of running shoes. Two: I ran a mile. Winter is waining and I can start getting out and run again. Soon, I will bike and walk and pole vault.

In the meantime, it is great to be back trying to be fit.

The run felt surprisingly good. I had no expectation of making a full mile my first time out. It was surprisingly pain free and I think I could have gone for two if I had been motivated enough to make that commitment. But hey, it's me! Let's get real, here.