Running...

3 Miles - 32'36" - 177 BPM

1st Mile - 10'07" - 175 BPM
2nd Mile - 11'49" - 175 BPM
3rd Mile - 10'39" - 181 BPM

Trying to do a pacing work out. I wanted to stay at a 10 min/mile pace. I wasn't too successful But when I look at my HR I was pretty good for a pacing workout(I reached the highest BPM ever during that last mile 200). For my second workout in my second week of my base, I feel damn good.

I have this problem though where I feel like I've always been in pretty good shape. So I push myself and then wind up walking to soon. I've never had a weight problem but my smoking has killed my cardiovascular system. A word to the wise, if you want to quit smoking take up a running habit. Trust me. But don't just run a mile...choose a race distance register for a race and do a beginners training program. The goal setting and the constant failure at training will, or at least it did for me, keep you from smoking.

Someday I will be able to run an 8 minute mile at a 135 BPM heart rate.

Peace

Hey! Hey! Its Earth DAY!!! YAY!

It is also my cat's birthday. Happy Birthday Albee!

So in honor of earth day, I will muse about global warming

(((insert zooming in and out effect on capitalized letters spelling global warming)))

I am not really a green person. I mean I think about it when I have to and I drive a fuel efficient car. I drive that car because it is good on gas mileage so it was really an economic thing more so than it was an effort to reduce my personal carbon footprint.

The real reason I decided to write about this is because I was perusing Time.com as I do everyday at least twice, and it had an article about the Top Fifteen Green Websites.

I would like to consider myself a realist. Do I think that the polar ice caps are going to melt, turning the world into a sauna in 10 years? No. Do I think that if all 6.2 billion people in the world try to reduce a fraction of their emissions over the next 20 years it will have an impact on whether or not the earth goes into cosmic reboot someday? Sure.

It is impossible to think that the amount of plastic that we have used in the past 30 years is honky dory for the earth. Plastic takes thousands of years to biodegrade. Thousands! Not to mention we are finding small minute plastic particles in the gill structures of our fish. Seriously, look it up. Those little plastic micro-scrubbers in your exfoliating scrub are removing dead skin cells and then traveling through the sewage into the eco system at some point (unless you are using St. Ives Apricot Scrub, which is the only scrub I know for a fact that uses pumas stone). It would be silly to think that humans while changing the face of the earth by deforestation and concretization doesn't affect the planet and its atmosphere in some negative way.

So this got me thinking...

I already got the hot fuel efficient car, what else can I do? I've recently been looking at composting but I don't have a garden and I live in a third floor apartment so it isn't very feasible. I don't really recycle. But my apartment complex doesn't recycle plastic which is most of what my recyclables are. I will look into where the closest recycle place is located and if it is within 15 miles of my place of business or home I will go to it. I wish I could plant some trees or something. I've already decided that this summer unless i have to go more than twenty miles and do it very quickly, that I am going to ride my bike everywhere. Stupid gas prices. I would hate to be driving anything bigger than my car this summer. I suppose that is something but its so far away, six weeks away. I live in Texas so keeping the a/c off isn't an option. Those of you in PA that roll your eyes, really. We have "PA August" from late May until October. But I do pledge to keep my a/c at 80 degrees. Maybe 82 if I can fall asleep like that.

On an unrelated note, I woke up yesterday at 5:00 AM and wrote yesterdays entry. Today I did the same. I like this trend and hope it continues.

Peace
B

Catholic 20 Somethings Crawfish Boil

I promise this isn't just a training blog

but... I did go running today. I ran the 3.3 loop again. I felt like I ran, as opposed to walking, more today but I ran almost two minutes slower. My average heart rate was 165. I run with a heart rate monitor. It is supposed to be a great training tool. I understand how I am supposed to use it. I'm supposed to calculate my Max which using the cheap and easy 220-my age is 196. Then this is supposed to give me the ability to calculate zones, like easy, aerobic, hard, speed. At this point with me building my base I am supposed to run in the easy or aerobic zone and eventually I'll be able to run farther and longer in this zone without walk breaks.

Here is the rub.

When I run my heart rate shoots up to 185, even at an "easy" pace. And when I walk I can't get my HR up over 135. The in between of walking and running is quite possibly the most annoying thing ever. So I just run "easy" until i need to walk then I walk. Some day I will run and use the zones appropriately. But not today.

After having completed some form of physical activity for longer than a half an hour four days this week (plus I'm a teacher but lets not go into that), I decided that health and physical fitness is a choice. It is also a commitment. It takes time. This is where I launch into a physical fitness and spiritual fitness parallel but I smell funny.

Shower time!

Peace

Continuing previous entry

SO I did go running and I ran approx 3.3 miles in about 33 minutes. My Average heart rate was 166. Again it was a run/walk scenario, so I couldn't honestly call it running. It felt good though. Definitely an improvement from last run(which was the same loop). I realized on the run previous to this that I am a runner (though I can't call myself a runner yet) who annoys a lot of people on the runner's world forums. I was reading the forums and there was one thread that was called "Annoying Runners." A good number of the people in the forum talked about the runners who show up at the races and run all out for about five minutes and then walk and then run, so on and so forth. I am one of those runners. Now keep in mind I hope by this time next year I am not one of those runners. But I am.

Tomorrow is the District theater festival. I probably shouldn't show my face since I withdrew my entry. But I will. I only withdrew because the kids didn't seem to take me serious. Two months, five days a week, one hour a day, and these kids(seventh and eighth graders) couldn't get off book for a twenty nine page ensemble piece. Give me a break. Meh. It saddens me but I will survive. next year will be awesome. This year provided so much to learn from. I suppose that is true in all cases.

Well I am going to go read.
Peace

I took two days off. But on tuesday I ran(really ran/walked) for forty minutes. With a Average heart rate of 167. It sucked on my legs so hard. I'm about to go running so I will come back and report again.

peace

Forgive me avid readers...

This will also become a training log for me.

As such:


I just rode my bike for 54 minutes and 49 seconds with an average heart rate of 157 which is 80% of my max heart rate. Which qualifies this work out as awesome. Tomorrow I run three miles!

Peace

Reflection

I got a chance to sit around and think for a little while. You know, really just think.

I think I'm doing alright.

Its weird because I don't really think I've been able to say that for a couple of years. I mean really "alright". I have been extremely blessed. Outside of my father I haven't had any real adversity. And I'm beginning to get into stride so to speak. I have a stable job, one that I had no intention of having(ever!) but is fun and fulfilling. My base of friends is growing here in Austin. My apartment is still a mess but I never said I was done growing as a person. There are plenty of things I need to work on but for now, as I look back at where I was and where I am...I am happy.

I learned how to two step yesterday!

Peace!
Brandon