Rejoining The Living
It’s been a while since I last checked in. Read More
Note To Self (Worth It vs Not Worth It)
Running a 5k around my hood felt awesome. Totally worth it.
Stress eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked Froyo was neither great or worth it. I’ll have to run four 5ks just to burn it off.
Running Day 2015/07/09 I've been living a very sleep deprived life lately and kind of overslept this morning. Not going to beat myself up over it as I only got 4 hours the night before. I still suited up and ran a mile. Lungs were achy. Still glad I did what I did though.
58 days until my first 5K.
Milestone Report: Now Under 300 lbs
It’s been two months since I started running and about eight months since I started working towards eliminating refined sugar from my diet. It’s hasn’t been easy, but it’s definitely been a rewarding process.
One of those rewards is being able to share that, for the first time in over a decade, I weigh under 300 lbs.
While I don’t personally see it in the mirror, I feel it in my clothes and my health. My pant size has gone from a 56 to a 48, shirt size is a 3XL from a 4XL, and my blood pressure meds have been cut in half.
I know most people end up gaining the weight back. Continuing to run is the key to me losing more weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
This may be a major milestone, but I know I’m just getting started.
Left: June 2014 Right: June 2015
Supporting Chubby Knees
Being a runner weighing over 300 lbs I’ve had to find ways to add support for my knees. I’ve tried a number of devices and thought I’d share the results.
Here’s the disclaimer; I am not a doctor, orthopedist, sports medicine specialist, wizard or sage. Consult your health care professional on this stuff.
Pro Compression Sleeve
This thing is a turd. There is no hem at the ends so the sleeve rolls down right away. Also, the one seam it does have runs right up the middle of the knee. This causes pinching when the joint is bent. I’m not even going to tell you where I bought this thing. Best avoid it.
McDavid Compression Sleeve
This thing is way better than the Pro one. Notice the seams follow the curve of the knee. No pinching with this thing. Another bonus is that it comes in a XXL. Still folds down a little when I run but is great for recovering after a run. I got this at Sports Authority for about $19.00.
KT Tape Pro
This stuff is too rad. Basically it’s adhesive and elastic strips you apply to the problem joint to build support. It’s definitely one size fits all. Here is how I use it:
An application will last me three to four days if I trim my leg hair. You can shower in it too. I’ve found it at most sporting goods and big box stores but Amazon has the best price on it.
Visit their site and you’ll find a bunch of application videos. http://kttape.com
Hopefully you find some of this useful. Questions? Leave me a comment below!
Can’t stop. Won’t stop. (Did stop)
What a crummy run. As a man with lung disease I have trouble running when the air quality is crap. That was the case today.
As I’m running and struggling to breathe because of smoke in the air I turn a corner and literally run into three firefighters (BTW while I’m sure they were handsome dudes they looked nothing like the ones you see on calendars). Apparently a fence burnt down this morning in my hood.
Long story short after 1.69 miles I thought I just couldn’t run anymore. I only had 0.31 miles to go. After a bit of a walk I got the rest of my two miles in.
Not really stoked about today’s run, but it’s totally motivating me to do better next time.
Plateau #1 BUSTED
After a two week plateau the scale is FINALLY moving in a positive direction. I’m now down to 303.6 lbs. That’s about 60 lbs less that my highest weight and a 27 lb loss from when I first started running.
I had noticed that my clothes were looser and my pace times were better, but it really sucks to not see improvement on the scale. There are many factors that can affect weight such as water retention, muscle growth and even waste (you know, waste). Unfortunately measuring my weight is the only metric I have for charting success.
I’m about to introduce some lifting into my workout routine and am sure that’ll impact my weight loss too. Perhaps it’s time to bust out the tailor’s tape and start taking measurements instead.
Staying Positive
My run this morning didn’t happen. By the time my warm-up was done my compression sleeve folded over three times and was actually causing me more pain. By the time I got home to throw it on my porch I no longer had time to run.
Old Chris would have been ticked and pouted all day (which I kinda did do at first), but new Chris chose to compile a list of five super positive things he’s grateful for right now.
1) I’LL BE A DAD IN SEVEN MONTHS
While this is a really scary prospect I’m so excited to meet my kid. My family as it stands is already awesome but it’s gonna get more awesomer.
2) A HOT CHICK LOVES ME
I’m married to the prettiest, funniest hottest woman I’ve ever seen. She’s the kind of person you can spend 24/7 with and not ever get tired of her. And she let me put a baby in her.
3) I’M STILL LOSING WEIGHT
Slowly but surely in dropping pounds and definitely dropping inches.
4) WARRIORS TOOK THE FINALS
Awesome year and awesome series. Go Dubs!
5) MY BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF!
Getting off the meds is a big goal of mine. About 10 more pounds and I’ll talk to the doctor about eliminating them all together.
So yeah, even though my morning sucked I still have plenty to be stoked about.
Running Through The Pain(s)
Today I repeated Week 7 Day 1 of C25K. My knee has been feeling like crap (self diagnosed as Runners Knee), but I wasn’t going to let it stop me from running on this particular day.
This weekend I effed up in a personal relationship and in a bad way. Rather than sulk and hate myself I decided I was going to run it out.
To me this is huge. I believe it shows a positive behavioral change. Rather than drowning my sorrows in a pillow case size bag of circus peanuts I decided exercise. Of course my knee is extra effed, but my soul feels a little lighter.
While I still have to repair the damage done in my personal life, the damage done to my joints this morning were totally worth it.
RICE That’s Hard To Swallow
As a government employee I love a good acronym. Most of the time. The acronym I recently learned after experiencing knee pain is RICE, or Rest Ice Compression and Elevation.
While researching what could be causing the sharp pain on the outside of my knee I found this article on runnerunleashed.com that gave me a lot of insight into my ailment.
It suggests that always running on the same side of the road (which I do) changes your gate as paved roads generally have a crown to promote better drainage during rainy seasons. Face palm! Looks like I should switch up my route.
The article then explains how to rehab yourself when experiencing this kind of ailment (like using the RICE method) and even proposes some presentational measures.
Just three more days until I attempt to run again. Three long days.
From Bulk To Hulk 