Welcome to February

From Dort Munder himself:

Monday                      treadmill 30

Tues                            walking 1 hour x 2 = 2 hour

Wed                            treadmill 30

Thursday                    treadmill 30   

Fri                                walking 45 minutes

Sat                               walking 30

Sun                              walking 30

And just like that, we're a month into a resolution! Congratulations, Dort!

It's been a big month, full of weather and committee meetings, and, apart from January 01 and one day following an injury, Dort has made space in his life for his resolution, working towards running a 5K race in the spring. Hazah!

As with all Rocky fans everywhere, I love a good montage . . . unfortunately, I don't know how to blog a montage, so I'll have to quickly change the subject.

To this: there cannot be any greater time of the year to talk about resolutions than the last week of December, and that is fun. But where has all that talk gone? How are your own resolutions proceeding? Have you stuck to them? Have they altered? 31 days in is no joke, and I can't shake the notion that we have more people rooting against us than for us. Am I right about this? or simply cynical?

Dieters: how many advertisements do you see each day for food that will break you, and how few times does someone notice the three grams you struggled to drop last week?

Ex-smokers: do I even need to ask how many times you've watched Robert De Niro light up while you chewed your fingernails from your armchair?

Exercisers: I'll bet you can recall more rain and snow and darkness over the passed month than sun. I'll bet more folks have asked you for a little extra help way more often than they've asked what they can do to get you out the door.

Folks seeking calm: any good experiences driving lately?

Even bumper stickers seem to be against us: "Working is the curse of the drinking class!" Here, here, wait, what? Try taking a month or two off drinking when you see signs like that everywhere you look, advertisements, friends in low places, pop culture . . .

I am tempted to make sweeping generalizations about how our culture resists general tenderness and unasked for moments of encouragement, but I don't want to point fingers. Rather, I want to celebrate everybody who has made it through a month of their resolution. It hasn't been easy, I'm sure. There have been challenges and unexpected obstacles, but welcome to February! Meanwhile, for anybody who has not made it through January, welcome to February! Don't wait for the last week of December -- if you have a resolution in mind, give it a go. There's no better day of the year to start a new way of life than Groundhog's Day, so make plans for tomorrow.

Dort's Running Tally:

As of 025 January 2012

Days Running: 28

Minutes Run: over 1000

Cross Training: 1 day

Days off: 2 day

Meanwhile, we'd love to hear from anybody who has made a resolution and stuck with it, made a resolution and changed it, made a resolution that didn't pan out, or has heard of resolutions and would like to say something about them.

Or if you'd like to give a shout out to Dort, have at it! One month! That's really pretty great!

Entering Week Two

A series of events, including a computer crash, have prohibited my posting. I apologize to every body.

Dort has been in contact with me constantly, and, at this point, is into his second week of training. I've often felt as though the first two weeks of just about any new lifestyle (and especially working out) are the hardest. This space between an old and a new me is full of questions: can I do this? should I do this? what's going to happen? what's at stake? do I even want to do this?

And, of course, during these two weeks, when we're trying to establish a sustained, consistent effort, well, we are pounding a wedge into our normal daily routines. We have to figure out how much time we can dedicate to our resolution, when we might be able to find that time, and what's got to go for us to make this happen. Let's face it, none of us has more than 24 hours in a day, and while it might seem more difficult for a person who appears extremely busy to find space for that 45 minute wedge, all of us, even the laziest among us, have to give up something . . . even if it's an episode of our daily Dukes of Hazard rerun watching time.

Dort, for those of you who don't know, is of the variety of folks whose days are already packed. He does just about as much in any given day as any body I know -- that is, between work, family time, travel, professional development, etcetera, he does not have an easy 45 minutes to give up. But he's finding the time. One week down!

Dort and I are trying to work out the frequency of our communications and interactions, such that we keep each other sufficiently updated without overwhelming each others' inboxes. He'll be updating me about every third day or so. If something out of the ordinary should occur (if he gets hit by a meteorite upon his run, for instance), I'm certain he'll contact me immediately.

Here is an update from Dort, himself:

-          I eat too much.
-          I drink too much beer.
-          I get short of breath going up the steps in Ellis Hall. This may be asthma, but it feels crappy.
-          I’m looking at Zappos.com for Saucony running shoes. Clearly, I over-pronate.  Further advice, or should I just go for ones that look pretty?
-          I’ve just reached the point in my annual “get more fit” resolution where I would normally say “Oh my goodness, things have heated up so much at work, and the new hiring committee, and all of those applications to read, plus three writing deadlines.  I need to give something up  I know!  I’ll give up exercise for a few weeks.  I can use that time to catch up on my desk work”  But having to be answerable to you has already reaped a benefit, since I am too embarrassed to use that old excuse right now and need to keep showing will power. Peer pressure, even the gentle friendly peer pressure you exude, is a powerful thing.

So, as I say, Dort has pushed through this moment when normally the wedge simply no longer fits. These first two weeks are a pain in the ass, Dort, a royal pain. From my own personal experience and what I've seen in other folks, conventional ideas about reaching down and pushing hard and going the extra mile and "obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal" -- these ideas are great, but all good workout routines begin with a sustained, consistent effort. Developing a routine, creating a space in your life for this event, that is the first (perhaps most important) step of completing a resolution.

Way to go, Dort.

Hydration, Tally, and an Update from Dort Munder Proper

Here's an update from Dort Munder himself:

Jackson

So yesterday (Wed) I did another 35 minutes on the treadmill at Wellworks. I improved my rate, mainly by starting faster now that I’ve found a comfortable speed, to the 18 minute mile. So that is two points shaved off of Tuesday’s 20-minute mile. If my math is correct, within nine day I will be able to teleport myself instantly?

On a more serious note, I added a small incline to the tread mill, and managed to work up a medium sweat and good cardio level.  My legs are tired but not beaten.  I plan to take advantage of the sunshine these next two days and skip the gym, instead walking back and forth from home to school, which is actually 1.5 hours per day, but not brisk.  I may break out into a run at some point – we’ll see

Dort

I, of course, suggested that by next week, he'll be walking so fast, he'll be travelling back in time . . . Dort and I are both terribly funny amateur theoretical physicists -- have I mentioned that yet?

As for my serious note, this is fantastic -- at this point, we're still seeking a comfortable intensity such that we can make gains without causing injury. For anybody else interested in working out with us, I'm of the opinion that an hour and a half worth of walking will be enough of a work out for a day at this point. Later in the season, we'll see, but, again, no need to overdo it.

Also, a tip: I'm noticing my skin is becoming dry -- which is one of my indicators that I might be getting dehydrated. It took me a long time to realize how easily I dehydrate in the winter, but it happens easily when we're running in the cold, not noticing the sweat. We're living in the dry heat of our offices and homes. We're not drinking water to cool down. It happens easily this time of year . . . I'm not dermatologist, but do beware of dehydration -- it can be awful. Some signs: dry skin and lips, brown pee, headaches (I'm sure there are others, but, like I say, I'm not hydrologist).

Also I just wanted to say pee in these updates.

Two more quick things:

1. I hadn't anticipated this, but it seems to be working fine: I'll probably post Dort's workout's consistently the day after the workouts -- I think it might be overwhelming for him to get a status report over to me late each evening, and I'm certain it would be nerve-wracking for me to sit around awaiting such a note. I think it works fine anyway.

And

2. I just started keeping a running (Ha!) tally of my own running for the year, and, while my spouse refers to it as obsessive and weird, I like it.

Dort's "Running" Tally:

As of 04 January 2012

Days Running: 3

Minutes Run: 100

Make that 3 things:

3. As a long time runner, I consider each moment of these workouts "Running," as long as we're in motion. Runners do not, under any conditions, "jog" etc. If we sit to rest, rest is good, but, at this stage, what other folks might refer to as "walking," and what we might also report occasionally as walking, still logs as running.

Keep up the resolutions. If anybody has slipped, right yourself, hydrate yourself, sleep and unstress yourself, and get yourself back in stride.

Resolution Declaration . . .

Okay, that settles it. We're gonna hit the ground running in 2012. A friend voluneered to be the guinnea pig first volunteer on this blog, and we're going to work towards a 5K this spring.

I'll go into more details about his stats, vitals, name, likes, and dislikes soon, but for now we'll start with this: I asked him, "Well, how long has it been since you've gone for a run?"

He said, "You mean, like on purpose?"

"Yes, on purpose."

He scrunched up his face for about ten minutes, then said, "I don't know, thirty years."

So, well, okay, 5K (that's 3.1 miles, a standard community road race distance) by spring. Longer term, we're talking a possible 10K fall 2012. With just a touch of luck, the Mayans will be right and we won't have to worry about training the coming year for a marathon.

Anybody who would like to join us in our training, feel free. We're starting with a two mile walk / short run on 02 January. We need to get an idea of what kind of shape we're in, then we'll build a program.

For the record, I have been running regularly for quite some time with no specific goals in mind. For the record, my most recent 5K time (early October 2011) was under 21:00 minutes -- we'll probably be shooting for something considerably higher than that time.

Also, for the record, as I promised on the very second post in this blog, please feel free to praise both of us for our efforts and our commitment as we initialize this project. An occasional prayer to the deity or universe of your choice is always welcome.