Month 1 in Review

Seriously... It has been a month?  Well four weeks but that is close enough.  Can you believe my chubby self has been pounding the pavement for an grueling month so far?  This last week hasn't been that great due to my over zealous attempt at wind sprints side lining me for a bit more than I wished.  I did do two real runs last week and one one mile run just to test out the leg.  The ice and advil help and for 99% of the time everything feels dandy.  Which is good because this Wednesday at the latest I'll be moving up to 3 miles a day.  I am considering running three miles starting tomorrow but the body will be the ultimate judge.

As for this Wednesday since it is the day we go up to three mile runs I am also going to go out to the 5k course at Bond Park and time myself and run it.  I can then compare this time against what I end up doing in November.  My goal is to beat 26 minutes 17 seconds in November.  If you are wondering where the heck that number came from it is the world record for the 10k.  So basically I wouldn't get lapped on the course by the fastest person to run my race twice.  I know, it is the little goals that help motivate you.  Hopefully these little goals and with the Olympics and moving up to three miles I'll be able to help shut the fatty up and make these runs more of a physical exercise instead of an exercise in willpower.

Even with this terrible week of running the mileage seems to meet the donations in roughly 12 running days, so around August 10th.  That and I have crossed the halfway mark in which I have ran more mileage than I would have to donate to match it.  So hopefully my birthday *wink wink* will be a good one in terms of donations.  Birthday presents should be left online.  I'm sure the mileage will be a good gift for my body as well.

Tell your friends about how awesome Second Chance is, and how they can get a cheap thrill by making a fat kid run a mile.

Crisis in Willpower

So after doing something to my calf/shin area (I self diagnosed it as a Posterior Shin Splints) I gave it plenty of ice and a few days rest.  I ended up doing my short route today (2.09 mi) since the start of that and the 2.55 mi route are exactly the same and if I felt alright I wanted to do a bit longer of a run.  Well my calf twinged a little bit when I started moving it for about the first quarter mile then by then it was loosened up and started to feel all right.  I could still definitely tell that something was still 'there' but it didn't hurt.  I ended up finishing my run and by the time I got back to the house the pain was there by not as bad as it was on Monday.  So I iced it and by the time I was done icing it it felt better.

However the problem is thus:  When I am running it is extremely difficult to motivate myself to run.  The runner in me wants to run but he doesn't want to get hurt further.  The fatty in me doesn't want to run and doesn't want to get hurt either so the internal struggle leans very favorably towards not running.  Even when I was out there and my leg was feeling alright it was really hard to keep going.  The only reason I made the short route work was because it was a simple out and back route and I had already gotten to the out part.  I am sure if it was any sort of loop that came near the neighborhood I would have stopped.  It also doesn't help that I haven't really been back in the running game that long so I am not too sure body wise what feels okay and what is something I should really take note of.

So blogosphere here is my query to you: What do I do about shin splints?  Is it okay to be running out on this?  If you have an answer for me, or know someone who does, please point them in my direction.  And as always donate.

Pictures of Bad News Happening

So here are the pictures of me giving myself shin splints.  Unfortunately I am still out today, hopefully I'll be able to run before the week is out.  I am icing my calf twice a day and taking some advil and taking it easy.

From the Finish Line looking down the hill

This is the starting line looking up

The face of anguish as I finish my second run up the hill

This is why the second fatty in the logo looks the way he does

And finally a video of my first sprint up the hill.  It is worth noting the last sprint up the hill took twice as long if not longer.

Week 3 in Review

So I know this is a day late but the whole 'Wind Sprint Saturday' thing I ended up trying to do yesterday (Sunday.)  The goal was to do 15 trips up the hill which if I recall correctly is .15 miles long and stupid high.  Good news, I missed my goal by 1.  Bad news is that that one ended up being in the tens column.  I did 5 total 'sprints' up the hill as the first one, maybe two are the only ones that can be called sprints by any stretch of the word.  I do have video of the first run and luckily for you I am wearing a shirt.

All I have to do is figure out how to get the pictures Sara took off the camera and onto my computer.  Normally she works her techno magic and just uploads them on to her computer.  My techno magic skills are rusty seeing as how I haven't used them in a long while so I have to do some lighting of incense and praying to the machine god.  Pictures and video will follow of that whole shindig as the capricious spirits of both the camera and computer will allow.

Now unfortunately me doing this whole wind sprint up hill thing kinda wrecked my calves hardcore.  I am not talking my usual soreness and whining from the fatty.  I am talking enough pain that the runner in me told me hey, lets not run today your legs need some rest.  So I rested today, puppy dog eyed Sara to get a calf massage, and hopefully I will be able to run come tomorrow.  If not I am sure the fatty will try to seize the upper hand in this struggle.

So here's to me being able to run tomorrow and not just limping around sadly all day.  But just remember what all of this pain I am going through is for: the animals at Second Chance Pet Adoptions.  Donate here or cruise on over here to look at pictures of all of the cute cats and dogs they have up for adoption, then donate.

Why Being Fat Makes It Hard To Run

SubTitle (Or Why I Need To Make a New Route)

This post is for all of you out there who are either in shape or at least not fat when it comes to running.  You see when I am running my routes I tend to get tired at the same spots during the run.  So every time I pass these spots whether I have actually gotten tired or not the fatty in me tells me to take a break.  So this is where the mind games start between me and the fat guy inside (and outside.)  I take the same route and flip it so I am running it the opposite direction than I was the day before.  That way those trouble spots are normally in places where I am still feeling wonderful so the runner in me wins the mind game.  However this is only a temporary solution since new trouble spots develop running the route backwards.  Then if I keep flipping the route the trouble spots from each direction start bleeding through to the other side.  So eventually it becomes just one big mind game of keeping myself going forward.

It is not just having problems with trouble spots during the run.  Long straight aways are also cause a terrible fight between the fatty and the runner.  If I look straight ahead and watch the distance (very slowly) get chipped away the fatty starts complaining that it is going to take forever and we are going way too slow.  If I look at the ground or the sky the same thing happens except instead of complaining about the distance taking forever to go away the fatty complains that he is getting bored and wants to see where he is going.  So basically I have to tread the line of looking where I am going and looking in other directions in order to keep my will power going strong.

So with all of those mind games I eventually have to create a new route in order to trick the fatty for at least another couple of weeks.  This is a 2.69 mile route which I will start on Monday.  I will suffer through this old route for another day and then tackle a new route with renewed vigor of the weekend.

A side note:

If you look to the side I included a date in which I will theoretically meet your donations.  Let us all band together and make sure that date is always in the future.  You can help keep that date in the future by donating here.

As always tell your friends and donate to Make Fatty Run.

My First Marathon

So today I finally completed my first marathon.  I know, you guys are thinking what the heck?  He is only running two and a half miles a day.  Well the official time is 2 weeks, 2 days, 1 hour, 23 minutes and 46 seconds.  I have ran over the 26.2 miles of a marathon although it just took me a while to do.  I feel like whatever marathon governing body needs to mail me one of those 26.2 bumper stickers.  I have obviously paid my dues like every other marathoner out there.  And I bet I weigh as much as two of most marathoners, so in reality by weight I should get two stickers. 

My next marathon, governing body take note, should only take two weeks.  Shaving off an entire two days off of my time.  Where as come October I should theoretically be putting roughly a marathon down on the pavement every week.  We can all hope that day does come and my fat self can still run that.  By that time I hope to have my entire car covered in marathon stickers.

But realistically I haven't done anything over 3 miles in over a decade and my longest continuous run is only 6 miles back when I was training with cross country.  So September and October are going to be interesting months for me basically pushing my body to places it hasn't been in a long while.  However Second Chance is giving me this great opportunity to motivate myself and help animals in the process.

Please tell your friends about the blog and convince them to donate. It is for a good cause and it is tax deductible, it is like a super double bonus.

Week 2 In Review

So I have done two solid weeks of running 5 days a week.  This week I unsuccessfully and successfully ran a 2.55 mile route.  It is now the route of choice for this upcoming week.  That means a full week with no changes to the route is going to net me 12.75 miles. However this week I only ran 10.91 miles bringing my grand total to 21.44 miles!  And thanks to all of your generosity I have so far raised 75 dollars for Second Chance Pet Adoptions.  This means if I blow out my knee (lets hope not) or more likely blow out a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and don't run again together we will be putting 128.56 towards keeping the animals fed and happy and waiting for their forever home.

So in order to increase donations we again will look at things that you may or may not be getting that could be used to fund the animals at SCPA until they find their forever home.  This week I will look a lot more in depth at fast food and compare it towards how many miles I would have to run to negate the calorie intake.

According to a few sites I roughly burn 170 calories for every mile I run.  We will use this number to see how much I would have to run to completely burn off the intake.

McDonalds Big Mac Combo - 1350 calories or 7.94 miles.  Now for all of these since I am lazy and not trying to look up individual drink sizes I am just assuming a 20 oz coke.
Burger King Whopper Combo - 1500 calories or 8.82 miles
Wendys Double Combo - 1480 calories or 8.7 miles
Supersonic Cheeseburger Combo - 1400 or 8.22 miles

But you start to get the picture.  Now this doesn't mean fast food is bad or that if you eat it you have to go run 8 miles since you burn calories simply by living.  However if I ate those combos in addition to food that sustains me throughout the day that is the necessary mileage I would have to run in order to come out at a net even.

Also in other news my birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks (August 1) and I have decided as an easy way to drive donations I am asking in lieu of whatever any of y'all would have sent me (in my celebration of making another trip around the sun) to instead donate to Second Chance.

As always tell your friends and donate!

Fatty's Three Keys to Running

Now when I run I don't wear an iPod or MP3 player or any such stuff.  I know it is good for a lot of people to make running more bearable then the painful experience that it already is.  I use the time to think about random things and yell at myself for wanting to stop or slow down before the end.  Think of it like a normal person's shower time especially since by the end of the run I am equally wet.

So during my running I have come up with the three key facets to running.  Mind you nothing like form, pace, breathing, etc.  Just the simple stuff that is required to simply go outside and put one foot in front of the other for an extended period of time.  So without further ado, here are my three keys to running:


Will - This one is the most important.  It is the part that gets you out the door or on whatever device you are using.  It is the part that makes you put one foot in front of the other and the one that keeps you going despite the pain.  It is also (at least for me) the hardest part to get.  I learned very quickly after not doing organized sports that making myself run without having a coach tell me to is a very difficult.  Hell, I had to create an idea where people give money to charity to get me to run.

Musculature - This is what I consider the second most important part of running.  Simply put do you have the muscles to lift your leg up and put it down.  This also includes the part of stretching and keeping care of your muscles so they don't try and kill you halfway through your run.  Speaking of I tried a bit over zealously the 2.55 mile route without really stretching yesterday.  It lead to disastrous results.  I learned no matter how good you are feeling you have to stretch and take care of your muscles.

Cardiovascular - This is the last part of running.  If you can get your butt out the door and start putting your feet in front of each other in a trudging motion then this part finally kicks in.  This is the last part that allows you to keep going but is very essential if you want to run for any real distance.


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In other news I completed my first 2.55 mile route today.  I flipped the route from what I originally posted so that the majority of it is downhill but has some quick brutal uphills instead of the opposite.  I tried running it the original way I planned but some combination of it being a new route, not stretching, and having a 1.5 mile stretch which is basically all uphill I failed miserably.  I marked myself down for 2.09 miles (the route I should have run yesterday) since there was definitely some walking towards the end as my foot fell asleep.  So the 2.09 miles is probably close to the distance that I actually ran.

Your donations go to feeding and keeping these guys well until they find a loving home.

As always, tell your friends and donate.  If not for the sick pleasure of making a fat guy run how about for one of those guys up above.

Make the Hog Jog

So the past couple of days have been the first few days where I don't feel like I am dying and barely making it back to the neighborhood.  Now keep in mind this is with me running (but not keeping track of mileage) since early/mid June.  So after 4-6 weeks of plodding along diligently I have finally gotten over the hump... which isn't good.  You guys paid good money to have a fat guy run.  When fat guys run it is supposed to be an excruciating experience in which every step is loathsome.  So if this trend continues and the ex-runner in me starts winning the battle against the fatty I will have to up the mileage per day.

The next possible route is thus.  It is a 2.55 mile route with a mostly uphill climb with a sharp downhill at the end to bring it back to the start.  Hopefully this route will bring out the pain and make your donations worthy of what I promised.

Speaking of donations  I have worked my way through a couple of donations and I would like to acknowledge and thank those people.

Sara - Thanks for the initial donation to get this thing started.  You probably got the best of the monies worth since those 10 miles were the most painful.

Myra - I don't know of any web presence that I can link for you (I don't even think you read this blog) but nevertheless you did donate and your donation is greatly appreciated.  Your five miles are when I started to get over the hump so probably weren't as painful as Sara's but still I think you got your money's worth.

Bruce and Tricia - I have plans for your generous donation.  While I have only so far made a dent of 1.8 miles into the fifty miles I have to run for you guys I promise to make it as grueling as possible.  With the looming possibility of increasing the mileage I am also kicking around the idea of a Wind Sprint Saturday.  Basically the entrance to my neighborhood is a .16 mile long 45 foot high hill in which I would do 15 (guesstimate) sprints up the hill.  For those wondering that is the same as running 2.4 miles over the course of climbing 67 and a half stories.  Plus the added bonus of having it on a Saturday means I can wrangle Sara into taking pictures for everyone's amusement.



Now don't let this public outpouring of gratitude turn any of you other guys away from donating.  I did ask permission about linking and revealing donation amounts.  If you want to make a fat kid run but want to do it privately it can be arranged.  Now go back and read that last sentence again, that just sounds wrong; but it is for the animals at Second Chance Pet Adoptions so it makes it okay?

As always tell your friends and donate to help the animals.

Week 1 In Review

Well I have survived the blazing heat and the miles of running of the onset of my training for the 5k.  It certainly wasn't as smooth sailing as I thought the first week would have went given the fact that I had to change the course I run in order to get the fat guy in my head to quit trying to make me stop.  But I persevered and finished all 5 days for a total of 10.53 miles.  Thankfully I got a lot of donations in before I embarked on my training so those 10 and change miles are going towards working off some mileage debt.  Sadly though I did not receive any new donations this week so my current matching donation as of right now is $54.47.

Luckily the week coming up the heat dies down due to who knows what.  I am sure if I asked my wife she would pull up her tri-screen weather set up and explain to me more than I care to know about it.  But the real issue about next week is that I will be downing another 10+ miles and be a third of the way through the money I have raised so far.  So in order to entice more donations every Sunday I am going to list off every day things that you may spend money on and compare it to how many miles that would make a fat kid run.

Cookout Burger tray ~ $5:  Now this is nothing fancy just a simple 5 dollar meal from a fast food place.  Maybe brown bag it to work one day and save yourself 5-8 dollars and make a fat kid run for 5 miles.  You save on calories (so you don't end up like me), you get the satisfaction of making a fat guy trudge out 5 miles in the heat, and you end up helping the animals.

Two Movie Tickets ~ $20:  Now I am guilty of this as well, but I see a lot of so-so to bad movies in the theater.  And no rational person goes out to see movies alone so I am going to just ballpark it around 20 bucks between all of the student ID, matinee, 3D, and who knows what other price variations they have.  So either a bad movie that you should have probably Netflixed or Red Boxed that lasts only 90 minutes or 20 bucks lasting my fat ass at least 200 minutes of running plus the added benefit of helping feed and keep the animals healthy.



So that was my week 1.  I am attempting and hopefully by next weekend will have a video of me trudging along as proof of my running, and for your sick entertainment.  As always donate here and tell your friends about this blog and about all of the good the money will do.

Make the Pudge Trudge

So the first week is almost done and it is a lot rougher than I thought it would be.  I certainly thought, "Hey, I used to run.  I can just run a week or two and bump up the mileage to three a day and start working through these dollars quicker."  Now the fatty in me wants to blame the blazing heat we have been having making it harder than it should be, but the ex-runner in me is blaming the fatty in me.  Granted it has been extremely hot as of late, but I am going to have to agree with the latter in this debate.

Speaking of the fat side in me, I have decided I am going to have to change my route.  The old route has two points where I have to cross or go right next to the entrance to my neighborhood.  Now every time I pass the neighborhood entrance I have in internal battle between the fatty and ex-runner trying to get me to just cut it short and just walk home.  The ex-runner in me has won so far every day but it is an ultimately a losing battle cause the fatty in me is just to strong.  So until the fatty in me loses some power in the internal debate I am going to have to change my route.  This is just a simply out and back route that makes it impossible for me to cut it short.  Once I make it to the halfway point no matter what I have to complete the run.

A few side notes:

The title of this post is from a comment that my Aunt/Uncle left me as a suggestion to what to call the blog since what I am doing isn't considered running.  I would change everything but I already had the logo made and this blog started.  And most importantly, I am lazy.  Big surprise, a fat guy being lazy.

Also on the side of the blog I am updating the donations and mileage run.  That way you can see how close I am to getting through your donations and/or how much I am going to have to end up matching by the end of this experiment.

Question.  Why in the world does the sweat that my body was carrying just thirty minutes earlier, once sweated out causes my shirt to feel so much heavier?  I mean my body already was carrying that weight, it is not as if I am adding any weight to what I am carrying around.

And as always donate here. No donation is too small (as long as there is no minimum donation.  I am not sure how the software works.)  And tell your friends.  The more people that read this, the more likely Second Chance is to get donations or new runners.  So make fatty run and encourage your friends to make fatty run too.

First Day and the Plan

So today was my first day officially running for Second Chance's Furry 5k.  And well... I feel like my blog title is a lie.  Sure your money is making me run and I am still a fatty, but what I did today by no stretch of the word was running.  Trudging I think is the closest word that comes to what I was doing.  It was as if the bone dry concrete of the sidewalks had turned to mud.  Granted I still did it for the 2.11 miles, but it wasn't running.  However I am still confident it was amusing to watch the fatty trudge on the side of the road, and totally worth the two dollars and change it cost me to run that.

So in other non-admission news I learned a few things today during my first run. 

Firstly, I am glad I started training a little bit before actually doing these runs.  Whenever I try working out or running for the first time in a while my brain somehow has set itself as default state of workout was when I was actually in shape.  My mind has the idea that when I start a work out I should automatically be at the level I was at when I was most in shape.  So the past couple of weeks I have beat the fatty work out level and pace into my brain.  And thank goodness that I did that.  If my body tried to go out and run at an 'in shape' pace I would have died.

Secondly, I have always had poor circulation in my feet and it crops up a bit when running.  This isn't actually a fatty condition as I have always had it bother me it is just a matter as to how long down the running trail it pops up.  So I did a little bit of googling and apparently one of the possible things to do to help is have someone massage your feet.  So this was a great ploy to get the wife to massage my feet on a regular basis.  Hey, it's for the animals right?  Just because I get some foot massaging out of it doesn't make it wrong does it?  Even if it is wrong, I am still hoping to get 4 months of foot massages out of it.


As for the plan of attack until race time here it goes:

July I plan on doing at least 2 miles a day 5 days a week.
August 3 miles a day 5 days a week.
September 4 miles a day 5 days a week.
October 5 miles a day 5 days a week.


Now that is the bare minimum plan.  Ideally I want to increase the miles quicker than that but that is the bare minimum your money buys.

As always donate here.  Also tell all of your friends about my blog and get them to read and donate.  Because making a fat kid run is a joy we all can appreciate.

Video to come soon.