Uh oh!!

So, my last post was about staying healthy, working out, etc. Well, last week on Wednesday I was at the gym doing a circuit workout when I felt my back go, and I was only using a 20 lb weight!!!. I came up out of an exercise and felt it go out. I have had a bad back for 6 years now and it acts up every once in a while, and then goes away. This time I was floored by the pain, in fact missed work because of it. I had an MRI last Thursday and the results are in: Herniated Discs (3 in the L4, L5, and S1) and nerve impingement. I am seeing a back specialist this Wednesday and I will keep you posted. For now, I am out of the workout seen besides walking and hope that I can get back into the swing of things in the near future!

A Cry for Health!

There are many benefits to exercising, we all know that, but one benefit that might stand out above all the others is the overall improvement in health. I know that is obvious, but why don't more people exercise? Why don't more people take a simple approach to life and eat well and exercise? If it is obvious, then are people lazy? unwise? etc. Now, I am not using this post to judge and ridicule people, but I am using this post to get people going and exercising!!

Wisdom is knowledge practiced! We hear over and over again the benefits of exercise and healthy eating, yet I sit and see so many people waste their life away as they indulge in fast food regularly, as they sit on the couch and waste away like a potato. The hard part in this is watching members of my family doing nothing to improve their lives, but the contrary. Call me crazy, but I want to be able to run with my grandchildren, not just hold them. I want to wrestly with my kids and grand kids without being sore. I want to be able to look back on my life and not regret how I treated my body. If you don't have desires to exercise personally, do it for your family. They deserve to have you around as long as possible.

One final note, I understand sometimes life hands you some band lemons! I could get in an accident and lose the ability to walk, or develop a chronic illness, but these are not passes for letting yourself go. On the contrary I believe this should kick start you even more! Prove to yourself that road blocks might get in the way, but we have the ability to pass them!
So as the title of my blog states, Get up, Get out, and "Exercise"!

What a runner!

I was looking at articles on Runner's World.com and came across an article that bmakes me want to do more and realize I am not even close to the runner I want to be! Motivation, it works I tell ya!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--13460-0,00.html

Long Time

Well, it has been a while since my last post. I don't have any excuses for that. I went on vacation this past week and enjoyed my time there, and didn't have any desire to post!! This week the training hits home again and I am going to be hitting it hard. Two Saturdays ago I did a 12 miler and really enjoyed it. This week will be a 13-14 miler. I need to go out and map my course. I really look forward to it.

On another note, for those who have never read the book: The Complete Book of Running, go out and get it! It is a fantastic find with many gems in it for training and overall betterment of running. I highly recommend it!

Double Digit Running

This week marked the first week of double digit training in my marathon training. I decided on a very challenging but enjoyable route. I started at our house in the Bountiful benches, then made my way down to 1850 N. in Centerville. The challenging part was not getting to 1850 north, although there were hills on the way, it was getting back up.

On the way back there were two major hills. The first is just before Parrish lane in Centerville. The next I will call death hill: 4th north. I made my way up the hill and had a great pace for most of it, but as time went on the strength began to give way and jello legs started. What made it hard was the fact it was my last mile or so of the run. My calves are feeling it, but that is ok. I need the strength training and the cardio beneft.

Nutrition and Injury Prevention/Help

I came across this article and found it very useful and had great information. Injuries, even is very small and simple, are common occurrences in running. Anything to get a leg up is great! Hopefully you enjoy the article as much as I did.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-300--4843-2-2-2,00.html

Enjoyment of Running

I sat chatting with a friend of mine from my MBA program last night after class. He ran in high school and started back up again recently. As we chatted, we started to talk a little bit about the enjoyment of running. If we push ourselves too much and burn out, do we still enjoy it? If we aren't training hard enough and setting goals, then what is the point? These two questions are on my mind, and they represent a fine balance between training and enjoyment.

I personally believe setting goals with fitness is key to success. You want to reach milestones and build a stronger self. At the same time, these goals need to be realistic, yet challenging. I don't think waking up after not running for ages, setting a goal to do 10 miles, and going is a smart idea. I do believe that setting a goal to increase distance, or setting a better mile pace is realistic and smart.

The reason I bring this up is this morning I set out on my run, and decide with the leg issues I am having, to keep it a comfortable, good run. I was surprised to see my pace was not much slower than my aggresive training. Overall, I think because I enjoyed the run more, and made sure I was comfortable, I was able to maintain a great pace. So when you go out, listen to your body, set good goals, and enjoy it! If you don't enjoy it, you are doing it wrong and should revaluate how things are going...