Please visit the all new Phatboyrunning.com That's right, now it's very own website with all the blogs plus event calenders and much more content.
Just my way to share my thoughts about day to day training, nutrition, friends and such.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Running Journal
Please visit the all new Phatboyrunning.com That's right, now it's very own website with all the blogs plus event calenders and much more content.
Just my way to share my thoughts about day to day training, nutrition, friends and such.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
The Great Treadmill Debate
January saw a drastic change in training as I discovered the drive that had been missing. It's really funny how the thought of dying a horrible death in front of onlookers at a race can do that.
I finished the month with double the miles of the last two months combined, plus 13 days at the YMCA. The result is an increase in speed, 4 pounds lost in the last two weeks and clothes that are not nearly as tight. Even on the coldest days I ran outside which brings me to the point of this blog: Outside running or a treadmill during inclement weather.
This debate has been hashed out by runners that are MUCH more accomplished than I across books,
magazines, on the internet and at every race I have ever run. The two camps are firmly entrenched and both are steadfast in their opinions. They actively try to look for weaknesses in the others troops and try to convert them at any chance. There is a third camp, the non racing runners. These are the ones that go to the gym and run on treadmills or around a track or trail to work on cardio health and or weight loss but have no desire to run a race. They are every bit as fast and talented as any other runners but I think many are blissfully unaware of the war being waged around them.
Often the outsiders wear that title like a badge of honor; they look down at the treadmillers like they are somewhat less of a runner. Some of their usual statements include things like "I have never found a race inside", "You need to train on the surface you are going to run on" and my personal favorite one "There are these things called weather and hills you might want to try." This group has even renamed the machine they hate, the DREADMILL.
The treadmillers tend to look at the outsiders with a mix of pity and amusement. Their favorite things to say are "It's much safer to run inside than in the rain or snow", "Why would I run in zero degree weather when I'm training for a June race" or "You do realize there is something called frostbite don't you?" They do run outside, just when the weather is cooperating. They do run hills and again, most are better runners than me.
I have a completely different take on this old argument. I run outside because I can't run on the treadmill, I'm not good enough. Here is the rather embarrassing true story of my last attempt:
My dad had a treadmill that (no matter what he says) was collecting dust when I decided to start training. He reluctantly agreed to let me "barrow" it so I set it up between my dining room and living room where I could walk or run while watching TV. As anyone who has ever tried to run with me can attest, I am absolutely terrible at running at any one pace, I'm all over the place. When I would increase the speed on the treadmill to be able to run I would have to hold on to the rails or pay close attention to stay on the tread. Then it happened. I was watching TV and found myself straying a little farther back than I should be so I increased my pace. The next thing I knew I stepped on the plastic in front of the tread which launched me directly into the front of the machine. Before I could grab anything my feet were in the air and my back was on the treadmill and I was flying backwards. My head hit the baseboard at the same time my feet hit the window which thankfully didn't break. The emergency stop cable had fallen off of me so the treadmill was still running, trying it's best to light my shoulder on fire as I tried to decide if I was still alive. Needless to say the treadmill is once again collecting dust at dad's house and I have yet to be brave enough to try again.
This means that I am an outsider, not because I am braver than the treadmillers, because they are braver than me. I am very interested in hearing what others think of this debate so feel free to post your comments.
I finished the month with double the miles of the last two months combined, plus 13 days at the YMCA. The result is an increase in speed, 4 pounds lost in the last two weeks and clothes that are not nearly as tight. Even on the coldest days I ran outside which brings me to the point of this blog: Outside running or a treadmill during inclement weather.
This debate has been hashed out by runners that are MUCH more accomplished than I across books,
Often the outsiders wear that title like a badge of honor; they look down at the treadmillers like they are somewhat less of a runner. Some of their usual statements include things like "I have never found a race inside", "You need to train on the surface you are going to run on" and my personal favorite one "There are these things called weather and hills you might want to try." This group has even renamed the machine they hate, the DREADMILL.
The treadmillers tend to look at the outsiders with a mix of pity and amusement. Their favorite things to say are "It's much safer to run inside than in the rain or snow", "Why would I run in zero degree weather when I'm training for a June race" or "You do realize there is something called frostbite don't you?" They do run outside, just when the weather is cooperating. They do run hills and again, most are better runners than me.
I have a completely different take on this old argument. I run outside because I can't run on the treadmill, I'm not good enough. Here is the rather embarrassing true story of my last attempt:
My dad had a treadmill that (no matter what he says) was collecting dust when I decided to start training. He reluctantly agreed to let me "barrow" it so I set it up between my dining room and living room where I could walk or run while watching TV. As anyone who has ever tried to run with me can attest, I am absolutely terrible at running at any one pace, I'm all over the place. When I would increase the speed on the treadmill to be able to run I would have to hold on to the rails or pay close attention to stay on the tread. Then it happened. I was watching TV and found myself straying a little farther back than I should be so I increased my pace. The next thing I knew I stepped on the plastic in front of the tread which launched me directly into the front of the machine. Before I could grab anything my feet were in the air and my back was on the treadmill and I was flying backwards. My head hit the baseboard at the same time my feet hit the window which thankfully didn't break. The emergency stop cable had fallen off of me so the treadmill was still running, trying it's best to light my shoulder on fire as I tried to decide if I was still alive. Needless to say the treadmill is once again collecting dust at dad's house and I have yet to be brave enough to try again.
This means that I am an outsider, not because I am braver than the treadmillers, because they are braver than me. I am very interested in hearing what others think of this debate so feel free to post your comments.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
The Kingsport Y
When I started losing weight I did it almost exclusively through first diet and then walking and running. I toyed with the idea of working out and even visited a couple of the places but nothing really seemed worth what the price was to me.
I really hadn't thought about it again until I found myself wanting to jump start things to start the new year and a friend posted that she had just joined the Y. I decided to go by and ask for a tour and figured I might as well give it a shot. After a couple of weeks there I can say that I really like it, so of course I figured it was time to blog about it.
The facility:
The entry: The YMCA and the Kingsport Aquatic Center are housed in the same place and since the Y membership includes KAC membership I will talk about them as one. The parking area is big and I have yet to find it full. The building itself is new and very nice: it is handicap friendly throughout. Upon entering there is a nice lobby with seating and a desk that is always staffed with very polite and knowledgeable people. To the right is the entrance for those who are KAC members only, the left for YMCA members. There is a turn stall area where you must swipe to pass beyond the lobby which puts you into the area I call the back lobby. That's where you find a childcare area, the basketball court, more seating, water fountains, stairs and an elevator, offices and the locker rooms.
The Locker Rooms - I have to start by saying that I can only comment on the men's locker room and suppose that the ladies is the same. The locker rooms are clean, well maintained and new. The lockers are a little on the small side but my biggest problem is the lack of room in each cubicle of lockers. At best maybe two people can access a locker in each cubicle at a time. During peak time I have had to wait in line to get to the locker my stuff is in and this seems to be the biggest complaint I have heard from members. Beyond the locker area, the bathroom and shower areas are also very clean and well maintained with the showers offering a double curtain area that provides ample privacy.
Group Activities - The activities are the biggest surprise for me. I have been to other gyms that offer classes and usually you have to sign up for a class or program and pay a little extra for each. These classes were most often in the evenings with one or two a day. At the Y there are classes starting in the early morning and lasting throughout the day until late in the evening and all are included with membership. With three rooms they actually run multiple classes at once and there is such a variety they have something for everyone. If you were to bring a couple of meals you could literally go from one class to the next and stay busy from 5:30 in the morning until 8 or 9 at night. So far I have only done one but was very impressed with how the instructor was able to adapt the course to work for different skill levels all at once. She was also very understanding when a friend and I needed extra help.
Cardio Equipment- Once you go upstairs you find a wide array of cardio equipment surrounding the work out areas. They have various cycles, steppers, treadmills and rowers to cover almost every need. I have yet to find a time when there was not a machine of some type available for use. By far the best collection of these I have seen.
Machine Weights - There is a workout area dedicated to machines, there are three rows of them to work out almost any body part with the safety of a cable weights. This area always has at least one trainer who is more than happy to explain the proper use of any machine there. They also have multiple areas with wipes so that you can clean the machine when you are through. The one problem I have found if you are like me and want to move quickly from one to the next is sometimes there is a log jam as others want to stay on the machine between sets and relax for 5 to 10 minutes. If you can skip that one and move to the next, it will usually clear up in a bit.
Free Weights- There is also a large free weight area with a variety of safety racks for most any lift and is also staffed with a trainer. I must admit that unlike in my younger days when I was all about the free weights, I have only ventured into them a couple of times so far as I want to mainly work core and cardio right now.
The Aquatic Center - The far side of the locker rooms leads to KAC. They have three different areas indoors with a smaller pool that has a handicap ramp in it that is mainly used for classes and open swim areas, a kiddie pool with a corkscrew slide and an Olympic pool that is usually divided and used for lap swimming. I have found that after a good run and workout, nothing finishes the day like floating around the pool for a while. I have noticed many families seem to take advantage of this chance to relax in the warm water as the winter blows outside and I can not wait to experience the outdoor pools and lazy river.
The other stuff - There are several other benefits to the Y. They offer day care and have rehab in house, have children's and senior programs, an indoor basketball court. During the summer they also have week long day camps for different age groups. Unlike other gyms I have already had two free meetings with a Wellness Coach and have another scheduled. This touch alone is worth gold to someone like me who is looking for an edge. They are also getting ready to expand the facility to offer even more room to get healthy.
Overall my first two weeks at the Y have been more than I could have hoped for: I have been able to work out in a clean, friendly environment 5 to 6 times a week at times that work best for me and have yet to find anyone who was unfriendly or rude in anyway. The only other knock I have on the place is that for such a running and biking friendly city, there are no connecting places to do either from the Y without using the shoulder of a major road. If anyone reads this blog with knowledge of who to talk to and the pull to get it done, I think that the construction around Eastman could easily incorporate a biking/running/walking trail just to the west of route 126. This could pass between the Toy F. Reid Center and the V. O. Dobbins Center and connect to Main Street and then at the Scott Adams Skate Park it could connect to the Greenbelt. This would be a great addition to the Greenbelt and would join it to the YMCA to allow for more people to enjoy both.
Group Activities - The activities are the biggest surprise for me. I have been to other gyms that offer classes and usually you have to sign up for a class or program and pay a little extra for each. These classes were most often in the evenings with one or two a day. At the Y there are classes starting in the early morning and lasting throughout the day until late in the evening and all are included with membership. With three rooms they actually run multiple classes at once and there is such a variety they have something for everyone. If you were to bring a couple of meals you could literally go from one class to the next and stay busy from 5:30 in the morning until 8 or 9 at night. So far I have only done one but was very impressed with how the instructor was able to adapt the course to work for different skill levels all at once. She was also very understanding when a friend and I needed extra help.
Cardio Equipment- Once you go upstairs you find a wide array of cardio equipment surrounding the work out areas. They have various cycles, steppers, treadmills and rowers to cover almost every need. I have yet to find a time when there was not a machine of some type available for use. By far the best collection of these I have seen.
Machine Weights - There is a workout area dedicated to machines, there are three rows of them to work out almost any body part with the safety of a cable weights. This area always has at least one trainer who is more than happy to explain the proper use of any machine there. They also have multiple areas with wipes so that you can clean the machine when you are through. The one problem I have found if you are like me and want to move quickly from one to the next is sometimes there is a log jam as others want to stay on the machine between sets and relax for 5 to 10 minutes. If you can skip that one and move to the next, it will usually clear up in a bit.
Free Weights- There is also a large free weight area with a variety of safety racks for most any lift and is also staffed with a trainer. I must admit that unlike in my younger days when I was all about the free weights, I have only ventured into them a couple of times so far as I want to mainly work core and cardio right now.
The Aquatic Center - The far side of the locker rooms leads to KAC. They have three different areas indoors with a smaller pool that has a handicap ramp in it that is mainly used for classes and open swim areas, a kiddie pool with a corkscrew slide and an Olympic pool that is usually divided and used for lap swimming. I have found that after a good run and workout, nothing finishes the day like floating around the pool for a while. I have noticed many families seem to take advantage of this chance to relax in the warm water as the winter blows outside and I can not wait to experience the outdoor pools and lazy river.
The other stuff - There are several other benefits to the Y. They offer day care and have rehab in house, have children's and senior programs, an indoor basketball court. During the summer they also have week long day camps for different age groups. Unlike other gyms I have already had two free meetings with a Wellness Coach and have another scheduled. This touch alone is worth gold to someone like me who is looking for an edge. They are also getting ready to expand the facility to offer even more room to get healthy.
Overall my first two weeks at the Y have been more than I could have hoped for: I have been able to work out in a clean, friendly environment 5 to 6 times a week at times that work best for me and have yet to find anyone who was unfriendly or rude in anyway. The only other knock I have on the place is that for such a running and biking friendly city, there are no connecting places to do either from the Y without using the shoulder of a major road. If anyone reads this blog with knowledge of who to talk to and the pull to get it done, I think that the construction around Eastman could easily incorporate a biking/running/walking trail just to the west of route 126. This could pass between the Toy F. Reid Center and the V. O. Dobbins Center and connect to Main Street and then at the Scott Adams Skate Park it could connect to the Greenbelt. This would be a great addition to the Greenbelt and would join it to the YMCA to allow for more people to enjoy both.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
The Next Chapter
Monday morning when I got off work it was cold and raining hard. I had rain gear with me but couldn't bring myself to run. I wondered around town and then I remembered that Beatrice had recently posted about joining the YMCA, so I decided to check it out.
The place is pretty nice. The equipment is top notch and they have multiple indoor pools, group class rooms and a basketball court. A trainer meet with me and we reviewed my goals, then he came up with a work out program just for me that is loaded on the computer so I can access it at any time from anywhere including several places there. The curious thing missing is a place to run, indoor or outdoor.
I have worked out there twice now and each time followed that with a run. My runs have been somewhat shorter and slower than they otherwise would be but I hope that this is a step in the right direction. If I can improve my overall fitness level then this should eventually lead to longer, faster running. I have another appointment with a trainer next week and hopefully I can figure out a schedule to balance out running and lifting to get the most out of both.
Today I plan to just run and possibly get up early enough to go workout before work in the morning to see how that goes. Regardless if this is a temporary thing or permanent I feel it is the right way to start getting rid of the fat I gained over the holidays.
The place is pretty nice. The equipment is top notch and they have multiple indoor pools, group class rooms and a basketball court. A trainer meet with me and we reviewed my goals, then he came up with a work out program just for me that is loaded on the computer so I can access it at any time from anywhere including several places there. The curious thing missing is a place to run, indoor or outdoor.I have worked out there twice now and each time followed that with a run. My runs have been somewhat shorter and slower than they otherwise would be but I hope that this is a step in the right direction. If I can improve my overall fitness level then this should eventually lead to longer, faster running. I have another appointment with a trainer next week and hopefully I can figure out a schedule to balance out running and lifting to get the most out of both.
Today I plan to just run and possibly get up early enough to go workout before work in the morning to see how that goes. Regardless if this is a temporary thing or permanent I feel it is the right way to start getting rid of the fat I gained over the holidays.
Standby for further on this new experiment.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Week 1 2015
As I said, I hope to post regular progress reports on this site. January first; by tradition the first is a day of reflection and trying to make changes in ones' life. As I detailed earlier the reflection I saw was of a back slider, someone who had become lazy. Phase two of the tradition is making changes to change the course you are taking. For me this involved a re-dedication to a healthy lifestyle.
I am happy to tell you that the year has started off very well. On the first I joined my friends James,
Jay and Dawn on a beautiful 8 1/2 mile mountain hike. While not technically a run, it was a great day spent with friends. It served to restore my soul and provide some much needed movement. This was followed by our first group run of the year 2 days later, a couple of solo runs and this morning I was blessed with the coldest run in almost a year, 3 degrees with a steady wind.
In all the first week had 28 plus miles of movement. That is almost as much as I have recorded for the entire month of November and ahead of last year's first week. Thank you to the PPP for the inspiration. You guys are AWESOME.
I am happy to tell you that the year has started off very well. On the first I joined my friends James,
Jay and Dawn on a beautiful 8 1/2 mile mountain hike. While not technically a run, it was a great day spent with friends. It served to restore my soul and provide some much needed movement. This was followed by our first group run of the year 2 days later, a couple of solo runs and this morning I was blessed with the coldest run in almost a year, 3 degrees with a steady wind.
In all the first week had 28 plus miles of movement. That is almost as much as I have recorded for the entire month of November and ahead of last year's first week. Thank you to the PPP for the inspiration. You guys are AWESOME.
Monday, January 5, 2015
2014 Year Ending/2015 Goals
As I have written on the other pages, 2014 was a year of many highs and lows. The Year started awesome and if I could have kept up that pace I have no idea where I might have ended up. The official totals per my Garmin 610 watch are:
"Progress Summary Report for jdhubbmed"
Count:,187 Activities
Distance:,844.69 mi
Time:,167:19:47 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:,"75,425 ft"
Avg Speed:,5.0 mph
Avg HR:,153 bpm
Avg Run Cadence:,87 spm
Avg Bike Cadence:,--
Calories:,"125,600 C"
"Progress Summary Report for jdhubbmed"
Count:,187 Activities
Distance:,844.69 mi
Time:,167:19:47 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:,"75,425 ft"
Avg Speed:,5.0 mph
Avg HR:,153 bpm
Avg Run Cadence:,87 spm
Avg Bike Cadence:,--
Calories:,"125,600 C"
While I am very proud of the sum of the totals I have pleaded to myself and everyone else to do better and be more consistent in 2015. A brief summary of those are to maintain my weight better, to help, encourage and support others, to set PRs in all the distances and to run 1,000 miles.
In addition to those I hope to post more progress reports this year and that this will add a degree of accountability.
Friday, March 28, 2014
The Pavement Pounders
We were a strange group to say
the least. The only things we had in common were we wanted to be in better
shape, at some point in our life we had lived in one of the most rural areas of
Virginia and we all sort of knew someone else that was here. Oh, and we were
explaining to the nice police officers what we were all doing in a bank parking
lot on a Sunday afternoon. It was week three of our accidental group.
When I first started trying to
run I needed someone to push me to move but as I progressed I “out grew” that.
I started running by myself more and more and came to enjoy it. I rightfully
told myself that with my unusual work schedule and time demands it would be
nearly impossible to run with someone. Helpful people would tell me about group runs but I always thought why would I want to run
with a group? That just seemed like a pathway to being embarrassed by far
superior runners who would not understand my perspective. My first year of
running was the occasional short run with a coworker or friend, one 8K and one
10K followed by a winter of doing nothing.
My second year was on a similar
path until I got the invite that changed everything. A friend from high school
had started running about the same time that I did but we had only recently
found out what the other was doing. We had started talking and done a couple of
races together. This morning she had sent me an invite to come run with another
classmate who had just moved back. Our first run was a 5K course in our
hometown where none of us lived anymore. Afterwards we took pictures and posted
on Facebook that we had just had the inaugural run of The Pennington Pavement
Pounders.
By the third weekend there were
enough of us to attract the attention of the police AND the local newspaper. To
my surprise I liked running with my group of misfits and started to look
forward to our weekend meetings. Some of us were walkers, some runners, some
were young, some old, some wanted to win
race bling, others wanted to finish a 5K, two were thinking about a half
marathon and still others wanted to be able to lose a few pounds. It made no
sense that we were working out together but somehow we meshed.
Then winter hit, the harshest in
years. Our group splintered and between the holidays, snow and cold it seemed
it was over. The meetings became sporadic and there were a couple of times that
only two or three showed up. I really missed my friends.
Through the joys of social media
we somehow continued to talk and now we seem to be emerging from hibernation. We
have (thankfully) decided to move from the bank parking lot to the fairgrounds
and collected more people in our “cult”. I sometimes think if anyone tries to
play tennis, bike, walk or run anywhere close to us they get sucked in! If you happen to find yourself in Lee County on a weekend day and see an odd assortment of people around the fairgrounds or running and crawling through town stop and join us, you will be glad that you did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)