Running Towards Fitness

Personal Awareness
The ancient Greeks used to believe that a healthy mind and a healthy body not only went together, but were both critical for happiness and a successful life. They were also intertwined, meaning that a weakness in either area would affect the other. When I started this transformation I was overweight and full of excuses. And by overweight I don't mean just a few pounds - I weighed over 70 pounds more than I do now. I finally took my life into my own hands and started exercising. At the time, I had no idea where it would lead - to a stronger body, a happier, more nimble mind, and a chest full of race medals. Healthy mind, healthy body, indeed! It hasn't been easy, or without issues, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.

The soreness starts

Well, its been 6 hours (+/-) since my shot, and I guess the anesthetic is wearing off. My knee feels a little warm, and a little sore, as if I'd been working out with it all day long. There's a small amount of pain around the injection site ...

Another fine workout

Phew! Well, between Monday's workout and today's, my upper body has really been blasted. And it feels great. I'm already starting to see more definition - noticed it this morning - believe it or not. His theories may or may not hold water, but Rick's approach ...

One cortisone shot later…

Well, that was a little more involved than I was thinking, but ultimately not a really big deal. I get to the Dr's office, and get shown into the "sterile" room - big fancy chair to lay in, et cetera. I had been thinking that this was just ...

Tracking Information

You can track my progress via emails on Sunday, if you're so inclined, by going to http://www.run-far.com/timing and entering in my information. If you're going to be out and about, you can use your celphone's email->SMS gateway and get updates on the road. Or you can always use ...

Breaststroke is a real workout

Okay, so I got down to the Y, got changed, and headed for the pool. I really don't like the fact that swim-only members have to go in by the pool, around the pool, then down the stairs and through the showers to get to the locker room. ...

Decent treadmill miles

So its lunchtime, but its raining. Rather than getting wet, I hit the treadmill at the office. Did 3 minutes of walking, then some stretching, then my first mile at an 8:00 pace. Felt alright, no significant aches or pains. My left calf started a little ...

We’re getting close

I'm starting to see the signs of a pending marathon popping up around town. Literally - the little signs that say, "Don't drive here on Sunday morning, you'll really regret it and you won't get to where you're trying to get to - oh, and by the time that ...

Personal Training Makes a Difference

Well, I have to admit that my first hour with Rick at Gold's really left an impression. Its been three hours, and my arms are still feeling the effects. That's a Good Thing, by the way. His theory is that muscles should be worked to exhaustion - actually introducing ...

Made the decision

Well, my knee isn't doing what I hoped it would - it still bugs me intermittently on these runs. I called the doctor this morning, and I'm coming in on Wednesday at 9:20 to have a cortisone shot. Hopefully, this will reduce the swelling to the point that ...

Pain is good, right?

Wrong. At least, not when its my knee. We got together for our last pre-marathon AustinFit meeting today, and shuffled out to do a basic 4.75 mile loop: up to Congress, out to MoPac, and back. I felt pretty good, if cold, at first, but by the ...


About

I'm Richard Stanford, a fit, happy runner. Of course, that wasn't always the case. Dip into the archives to follow my progress from couch potato to sub-four hour marathoner.

I also like to cook, write, code, and play with power tools...

Personal Records

DistanceRaceTimePace
Marathon2006 Freescale3:54:078:56
20 Miles2006 RunTex3:00:089:00
30K2005 RunTex2:42:448:45
Half M2006 3M1:42:577:51
20K2005 Decker1:40:428:06
10 Miles2005 Pervasive1:20:138:01
10K2005 Dublin Dr Pepper48:437:51
5 Miles2005 Turkey Trot37:017:24
5K2005 Margarita Run22:327:15
4K2006 Fila Relays17:247:15
1 Mile2006 Congress Ave6:236:23

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May 20th 2007
Tags: Running, Races

One Comment

2007 North Trail Half Marathon

I'll start out by saying that this wasn't a PR.  Not even close.  It was, however, a really fun race, taking place in the middle of a fun weekend, surrounded by fun friends. Fun! Going into it I knew that I wasn't going to PR.  To be honest, I was more than ...
May 19th 2007
Tags: Running

No Comments

Update

Well, so much for keeping the blog current, eh? I've been doing pretty well, most of the time. I'm currently in Dallas just a few hours away from running in a small half marathon (400 people, give or take) - and I've only managed to get up to 10.5 miles ...
April 10th 2007
Tags: Running

No Comments

Lunchtime Ladera

This was my third time to run Ladera Norte, and its actually getting easier.  I walked once, about 3 minutes into the hill, for a minute (timed), then ran the rest of the way.  Not that I was fast - the remainder took me a solid 5 minutes - but I ...
March 4th 2007
Tags: Running, Races

9 Comments

2007 BagelFest 5K

I'm very glad that I did this race.  I almost didn't - the idea of doing something where I know that I wasn't going to come close to a PR was not terribly enticing - but I've done it every year since I started running, and its been a whole ...
March 1st 2007
Tags: Running

One Comment

Unplanned 3 Miler

Well... I know that I said that I wasn't goint to run today... but I did anyway.  You see, at lunch today Thon offered to run his 3 mile hill loop with me this evening.  Naturally I stuck to the gameplan and told him that I wasn't running until Saturday.  ...
February 27th 2007
Tags: Running

One Comment

Rollingwood Revisited

I went to Rollingwood for the second time - or at least the second time since my recovery - and while ended up running a slightly different course due to inattention, it was a fantastic run.  Last time I averaged a 9:41 pace (9:54, 9:30, 9:46) around the hills, and it felt ...

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Famous Marathon Times

RunnerTimePace
Al Gore4:58:2511:23
Oprah4:29:3010:17
P. Diddy4:14:549:43
Will Ferrell3:56:129:01
George W. Bush3:44:528:35
John Edwards3:30:188:01
Carrie Sapp3:29:067:59
Boston Qualifier3:10:597:17
Lance Armstrong2:59:366:51
Gilbert Tuhabonye2:23:075:28
Paula Radcliffe2:15:255:10
Paul Tegat2:04:554:46

People I Train With

Alex - Addicted to Exercise
Carrie - Tri to be Funny
Erine - Thousand Miles
Frank - Running Blog
Gilbert - Gilbert's Gazelles
Jay - Leotian Blog
Mike - BROTH