4 month running Progress Report

I started a running program 4 months ago. Previously I work out at the gym about 3 times a week. I play basketball and soccer at the park close to our house. We were members of Bally Fitness for over 12 years. We recently switched over to LA Fitness, much better customer service and facility. LA also has a basketball court, racquetball courts and a swimming pool.

Anyway, in April I began to train for this annual 10K here in Atlanta, the legendary Peachtree Road Race on July 4th. I ran it once before in 2001, and did OK with a time of about an hour. At that time, I didn't really have a plan, just registered and did it for fun. I remember the pain, the soreness and the feeling of struggle to finish at the end of the 6.2 mile race. But I also enjoyed the crowd, the sounds, the water sprays, the excitement of the event and especially the sense of accomplishment. Fast forward to 2009 and summer is approaching. I'm a school teacher and we have 10 weeks off so I decided to join this 10 week in-training program for the 10K race with the Atlanta Track Club. It started on April 25th at West Stride, a running store in West Buckhead, about 5 miles from where I live. Before all this, I could barely run a full mile without stopping.

Here are some of the highlights that I've learned over the last 4 months:

1) The right shoes make a HUGE difference. I got fitted and found two pairs of shoes that are working great for me. Saucony ProGrid Triumph5 and Brooks Ghost. Neutral, Size 9.

2) Warm up for about 5 minutes by walking or jogging. Cool down by stretching or walking. Stretch whenever you can but not before you are warmed up.

3) Try to run every day. Alternate easy and hard day. Long run on Saturday works for me. I just did a 4 miler today. Have at least one rest day. Right now my rest day is Monday. Sometimes I take off Friday.

4) Nutrition is important. I drink some Yogurt smoothie first thing in the morning: that's my breakfast. After a run, I mix up some Accelerade Advanced Sports Drink orange flavor. Yum! Vitamins supplements: GNC Mega Men DHEA for men over 40 (hey, I'm a master), Triple strength Fish Oil with 900 mg total omega-3 fatty acids, and a couple of D-Ribose caplets when I work out extra hard. Drink tons of water. Water is your friend. Oh, Ice is awesome.

5) I sweat profusely now. I don't remember that I ever sweated this much playing sports like soccer, basketball, football or racquetball. It could also be the humidity of Georgia. I found that those ShamWow! towels work great. I keep one in the car and put one in my gymbag.

6) Right now I'm trying the Hal Higdon 5K training program for intermediate runners. Yeah, I guess I'm an intermediate runner now. It helps to have a plan to keep me focused and get me motivated. I read lots of blogs: Runners' Lounge, RunnerDude, sneakersister, Cool Running, Running is Funny, and many others.

7) Breathe! Yes, sometimes we don't think about the simple thing.

8) Have fun, if you're not enjoying yourself, then what's the point? OK, run for fitness, too.

9) Take it easy and listen to your body. Adjust accordingly, slow down when you need to and run longer if you feel like it. I love that feeling when I'm floating or flying effortlessly. Just gliding along. It's that runner's high that people talk about. Endorphins kickin' in baby.

10) Stay focused and keep at it. Attitude is the key.