Mr. #365

Vibram Five Fingers + Couch to 5k Week 1, Run 1

WHEN THE HELL DID RUNNING GET HARD AGAIN?!?

i honestly didn’t even find it hard because of the shoes. i found the shoes graceful and fun and made me feel like a badass during the runs. like Natty Bumpo running through the wilderness.

no, the hard part was a combination of the cold cold air, the fact that I haven’t run in 2 months and 11 days, and the fact that all 3 of my last 9 workouts, dating back only 9 days, ALL FEATURED DEADLIFT PERSONAL RECORDS (can we just acknowledge that is the definition of fucking badass.)

but mostly the whole “not running for 72 days” thing

and lets, to quote the joker, wind the clocks back a year. or really back a year and 5 months. the first time i did CouchTo5k Week 1 Run 1.

I was at least 340 pounds. I hadn’t run IN YEARS. My favorite hobby was EATING JUNK FOOD AND DRINKING MILK. I was depressed, unhappy, and wearing 3-year-old new balances and cotton boxer briefs.

Now I’m at least 100 pounds lighter. I busted out an 8 minute mile 10 weeks ago. My favorite hobby is WORKING OUT HARDER THAN 99% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION. I am confident, happier than I’ve ever been, and wearing shoes that are designed to tap into the natural running prowess that evolution granted me (plus running tights)

and I almost quit. 

If you’ve never done CouchTo5k (hint: do it!) the first run of Week 1 is by far the easiest part. All you do is warmup, then run for 60 seconds and walk for 90, 8 times. THATS IT. for Project 25:51 I was doing 2 minute hill repeats for 30-40 minutes. this summer I ran for 7 miles without stopping, and my fastest mile was always mile 5 or 6.

but tonight I almost quit. 

after the 5th Run i started the walk portion towards my apartment. and i intended on not stopping the walk portion until i got there. 

but i didn’t. i said to myself “if that fat motherfucker could do this, your fit ass better run when this fucking mp3 tells you to.”

and thats what i did. and i felt good about it. really good.

i can’t really explain whats going on. i’m still focused on a lot of things, but somewhere i just kinda felt like i’d won. i don’t know if it’s being proud of what’s in the mirror, having an amazing girlfriend, hitting 405 on one type of deadlift, hitting 1000 followers, or some other intangible. 

but i have to realize i haven’t won shit. i still have a long way to go.

one of the things that my father and i talked about when we sat down for the first time in 20 years was his health. it was one of the reasons he finally reached out after all this time. he had diabetes at 42. he has had 4 heart attacks and a triple bypass, and he’s only 52. and he was never fat. 

i hope this run did it. i hope this run woke my ass up. because its cool to pat myself on the back for the shit i’ve accomplished, how far i’ve come, but at some point i have to get the fire back, i have to get the determination back, i have to get the faithfulness to my diet and sleep and health. the time for back patting is over, its back to ass-kicking.

yes, the steps i’ve taken have made my life immeasurably better. but this shit ain’t over.

to borrow a quote from a wise man - “I didn’t hear no motherfucking bell”

• Couch To 5k - Week 1, Day 1 (5 min warmup, 20 min intervals, 5 min cooldown)
• Stretching - 7 minutes