So I am not what you would call a runner. I am built more for a Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker than anything else. However I got it in my head one day that I wanted to run a 5k. Having never ran a full mile outdoorz and only about 1.25 miles on a treadmill I figure I had my work cut out for me. I am now about 2 weeks away from my goal of running a 5k and can run outside 3 miles in about 30 minutes. I thought I would share what I did and give some tips so if anyone out there wants to give it a shot they can.
Set a Goal
My goal was to run the Medical Center 10k (the 5k race). I don’t think it really matters what your goal is as long as you set one. Well actually strike that. Make your goal realistic. I have never really ran before except if something was chasing me. I didn’t set my goal to be running in a marathon. That would have only lasted about a week and then it would have felt impossible. 3.1 miles seemed possible, I wouldn’t be happy about it, but at least I know it’s doable. Lofty goals are good, but I think minor goals between major goals are better. I think a major goal for me is to participate in a sprint triathlon. This 5k was a minor goal for me to get to the triathlon point next summer.
Get a Program
My program was the Couch to 5k. I seemed to call out to me since 1) love the couch and 2) wanted to run in a 5k. Funny how that worked. I didn’t bother checking with a physician or anything like that. Just use your head. Don’t do anything stupid that would hurt you. Don’t push yourself to the point where you puke. This is supposed to be fun!
Get some music
I have found that I am good for about 1.5 miles with nothing but the air whipping slowly through my hair and the sound of my panting like lab in heat. After that I need something to take my mind off the running. I suggest a small mp3 player. 512mb players can be found now for less than 50 bucks online and are a great investment for beginning runners. An arm strap for the player is a good purchase as well. I eventually want to get the Nike and iPod system. That thing looks awesome.
Get a Partner
I am lucky enough to have a great girlfriend who runs with me. She has done a few 5k’s and a 10k and can definitely motivate me to keep running when I am ready to stop. I have tried running a few times on my own, but I am just not that motivated on my own and end up cheating and walking some. Hey I never said I was perfect. Like many things in life, accountability is a great thing to have, especially when you start running.
Sign Up and Run!
One of the most important things you could do is pay your money and sign up for the race. Once you have about 25 bucks invested you are more likely to actually do it.
I have found this whole experience to be a great thing. I have enjoyed the running and feel like I am accomplishing something, since I know 10 weeks ago this wasn’t really possible. I am actually going to do a 5k in Logan county the week before the Medical Center race since the workout has gone so well…we will call that a practice run. Get it? Practice “run”. I am hilarious.
I have big FEET! It looks like my ecological footprint is huge. Even though I buy food at a farmers market often, drive a fuel efficient car, ride a bike to work sometimes, recycle, and buy energy efficient bulbs. To find out I went to Ecofoot.org and took the quiz. Here are my results…
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 5.9 PLANETS.
In the words Christopher Walken as The Continental on SNL, “Wowee Wow Wow”. I thought I was green. Going through this helped me realize that I’m not green at all, I am making some big Eco Faux Pas. For instance, here is where my sins lie; Traveling by plane, Eating Meat often, Living in a big house. I live with my wife, and the two of us share a 2,000 square foot home, I travel for work alot and take at least one international flight per year, and I eat meat two meals a day. The meat part usually throws people off. What does that have to do with anything? Well, there are a couple of reasons. For one, animals take up space. Cows, chickens, and pigs need acres of farmland. They also produce quite a bit of waste which accounts for a huge portion of the worlds greenhouse gases. As the population grows, the more meat eaters we have, the more need we have for animals, and thus, the more greenhouse gases we produce, and the more forest we cut down.
Here are 10 easy ways you can reduce your footprint:
Each time you replace a bulb in your home put an energy efficient bulb in its place.
Reduce the amount of meat you eat. I love chicken people. But I think I could eat veggies 3 or 4 more times a week.
Next car you buy, buy one that gets better gas mileage.
Next house you buy, downsize. How much space do you really need. We have a guest room AND an office. Couldn’t we just have one room for that?
Remove one plane trip from your itinerary this year. Cut out a business trip, or take a local trip rather than flying for vacation.
Ride your bike. This one is a no-brainer. Ride your bike to work, over to a friends house, or down to the store to pick up a 6er. Seriously. It’s alot of fun. It’s exercise. And it’s good for the earth.
Cancel your newspaper subscription and cut down on junk mail. Don’t give your mailing address out unless you know they won’t sell it. This will reduce the amount of junk you get in your mailbox and reduce the number of trees being cut. And read your news online rather than in print.
Buy locally. This one is really easy too, and can be a fun process. Visit the local farmers market to buy your veggies. Look for local products in the grocery and take a trip out into the country and buy produce or baked goods from the local farmers.
Recycle. I can’t say how easy this is. My household produces one 13 gallon bag of trash per week or less. We produce double that in recyclced materials. Just call your local recycling company and sign up for pick-up. If you don’t have it, then just save your stuff in big totes and take it in once a month. You’ll feel better about yourself.
And here’s one all of us can do. Vote for candidates that want to make real change for the environment. We all have our political affiliations. But things are getting bad with global warming and we can’t stop what’s going to happen in the next 50 years. But for our kids and grandkids sakes, we can at least try to make some policy changes that force big companies to make more eco-friendly decisions so 100 years from now we don’t have mass famine and drought.
And here’s a bonus tip: Do like I just did, spread the word to your friends. I’ve bookmarked Ecofoot.org so I can go back everytime I make a lifestyle change and see how my footprint shrinks. My goal is go get down to two planets this year.
Climbers know the benefit of playing around on a slackline. It can really help improve your sense of balance. Check this out, I thought it was just luck until he did it again. The 360s are enough to even amaze me. I can’t hardly stand on one foot doing yoga without falling over…
I guess this is one way to keep the soccer team competing against your kid distracted.
We need a SMARTCAR… REALLY BAD. Smartusa.com please send Outdoorzy a Smart Car to test. I know they don’t come out in the US until January, but we’d pimp it out with a roof rack on top and a bike rack on the back. We’d put deeper tread tires on it for extra grip when we have to go off road a little, and rubber floor mats for easy clean up. We’d take it to all the Outdoorzy.com sponsored events. Think of it, a tough looking off-road smart car. Think of it as a street version of the Jeep that gets 40 mpg!
By the way, contact Wade for delivery information. We prefer an outdoorsy neutral color, like sand, olive green, or gray. Or maybe Outdoorzy Orange. We’ll be your cheerleader!
This isn’t very Outdoorzy, but hey I must share incredible deals when I see them. If you are a student you can get the MS Office Ultimate edition for 60 bucks. Retail price for non students is 679. Yeah, ridiculous. All you need to provide is a student email address. Go on and buy it!
I try to stick to less popular mountains with the “Mountain of the Week” feature. Mt Vesuvius is very well known, but I’m not too sure how many of us think of climbing it. No matter how you look at it, it’s a cool one fo shizzle.
Mountain of the Week - Mt Vesuvius
Image courtesy of Discovery Channel and Crew Creative, Ltd.
Mt Vesuvius
From Wikipedia:
Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio, Latin: Mons Vesuvius) is a volcano east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting. The only other two such volcanoes in Italy (Etna and Stromboli) are located on islands.
Vesuvius is on the coast of the Bay of Naples, about nine kilometres (six miles) east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is conspicuous in the beautiful landscape presented by the Bay of Naples, when seen from the sea, with Naples in the foreground. Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It has erupted many times since and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people now living close to it and its tendency towards explosive eruptions.
Mount Vesuvius was regarded by the Greeks and Romans as being sacred to the hero and demigod Heracles/Hercules, and the town of Herculaneum, built at its base, was named after him.
Climbing
There is access by road to within 200 metres of the summit (measured vertically), but thereafter access is on foot only. There is a spiral walkway around the mountain from the road to the crater.
I’ve bookmarked 
