Death by running

I once watched a movie called “Run Dick, Run Jane” made in 1971 by The National Jogging Association and Brigham Young University.  In this film they talked about a guy who wanted to commit suicide by jogging himself to death. Now a day this seems like a dumb way to do such a thing, but this was in the 1940’s. This guy was bored and frustrated with his life. His wife and kids tried to help him cheer up, but he still felt depressed. So one night he decided to make his attempt by setting out on a jog. He jogged for quiet a while and tried to run as fast as he could. Finally he collapsed and found himself incapable of exerting any more energy

The next night he attempted it again, and had the same results from the previous night. He continued these attempts and never achieved what he had set out to do. Over time he found that he was able to go longer distances, and that he was much happier after his runs. He saw that this routine had brought him to a more desirable appearance, and that he no longer felt as tired during the day.

His family was supportive of his habits, because of the emotional results it brought to him. His neighbors thought that it was odd, but eventually admired the results he was getting from this new routine of his. It was not until years later that this man was asked what made him start this routine. When he embarrassingly told people why, he found that some people were appreciative of his honesty. He inspired many others who felt as he did and they to added exercise to their lives.

When I saw this story it sounded clique. However this was before jogging (or exercises in general) was known to yield such high benefits for mental health. Many studies have been done, and have shown the facts of how exercise can help the human mind. What a great alternative to medications! Exercising for even just 30 minutes 4 times a week will yield these positive results. Now I am done with this article, so go, get off the computer and get busy making yourself happier!!

Support and Time

I have been thinking a lot about the time I spend on exercise. I have heard some say that any exercise that takes more than an hour to do each day is robbing you of what life really has to offer. Is this true? How does one person know what life really has to offer for everyone? 

 I think a lot of it really comes down to what your individual situation is. I am fortunate to have a supportive family. However, that does not void me from days that I feel guilty for not spending more time with them in place of exercise. I have to always remind myself that I need to exercise to have more energy, and that my time with the family will be more quality rather than quantity. I have to say this one thing though. If I am not careful, I could lose the support that I have right now if I do not give them reason to support me. For me this means helping around the house when I am home, and letting them know how much I appreciate their support. This is especially true for those who are getting into exercise. For some they knew what they where getting into before they got married though, but even they will tell you not to burn the support bridges!

My wife is very supportive of me going on longer runs, and sometimes she will even join me. I know that I am extremely lucky for this type of support. Exercise has made me happier, more energetic, and yes I have lost weight because of it (imagine that!!). Having support makes exercise so much more enjoyable! So for me this is what helps me have a better life. As long as I time things out to not dominate my life or days, exercising for more than an hour a day is not a bad thing.

2011 Birthday Run

On Saturday January 1^st 2011 I realized that my birthday was just days away. With it being new years and a new age for myself, I decided to go on a birthday run where you run the amount of miles or kilometers that your age is. That way I could have my actual birthday off from doing a long run. The temperature was around 20 degrees. No snow or wind in the forecast, so I decided that this was indeed the day to go.

My motivation for doing this was to show myself that all of these trainings that I have gone through had amounted to something big. It was also to show myself that my body can still do things as I age. After mapping out where I could go, I put on my winter running gear and filled up my camelbak back and went out the door.

I decided to take my Garmin with me to help me track my mileage and to insure that I would go the full 28 miles. The first 6 miles went by quickly. I did pace myself to not go to fast. This way I wouldn’t be too worn out later on in the run. I made sure that I was drinking enough water and replenishing my electrolytes early. When mile 7 approached I found myself renewed and excited for the upcoming trails that I had made a part of this run. I was happy to see that the trails were packed down and were ready to be jogged on. There were plenty of hills that were very challenging and I knew that I would regret adding these hills come mile 20, but the scenery and stillness of the trail were irresistible to me!

I came out of the trails around mile 15 and went to the spot where I was going to meet my wife. My wife had insisted on going with me the last 13 miles for support. I am so glad that she was there! Just having someone there to cheer you on and help keep your mind straight really helps. I noticed at mile 20 that I was indeed tired from all of the trail hills that I had done. I kept thinking about how dumb I was for adding such steep hills on a long run. When mile 21 hit, the temperature had dropped significantly and the sun had been down for a while now. Being cold at mile 21 as opposed to mile 5, my body was not warming itself as well. I had tried to eat some food along the run but it wasn’t enough to help my body temperature feel normal.

I kept telling myself “when I only have this much to go, I’ll mentally feel better.” That never happened. I felt like a zombie the last 6 miles. I just had to keep moving my legs and try not to slip or fall. I noticed mentally that I was different. I was very much a zombie. “Just keep going” was the key thought in my mind. I had asked my wife to talk to me about her childhood and other things to keep my mind occupied with positive thoughts. She did this cheerfully, which really helped. I am sure I was very unpleasant to be around, but she kept telling me that my form still looked good and how impressed she was.

Finally, the end came. The last couple miles are a blur to me now, but at the time seemed like hell. There were a lot of things I learned about myself on this run. The overall thought was the fact that I did it. Even though I had added hills and some questionable courses for a long run, I DID IT.

The best part of it was that I did not injure myself. This really showed me that all of the past exercises I did had really paid off. Some might wonder why I would put myself through that, and if it was really worth it. I asked myself that plenty of times during the run. I just had to tell myself that those answers will come at the end. Do you want to know the answer? Well, the fact that I feel great now and will continue to run and go on long runs should tell you. However, the best way to find out is to achieve your own fitness goals, because words cannot describe the feelings of accomplishment.