1 Hour on the Treadmill or Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’
First Time Ever, Major Milestone
I managed to stay on the treadmill at a good pace for 60 minutes last night. That is a first in my lifetime. I have always wanted to say that I could jog, or run, for a full hour. Now I can. I knew I could get it if I pushed myself. Last week I was running outside and hit 40 minutes pretty easily until my Casio G-Shock watch died on me. Stupid watches, that’s why I don’t wear them…
My pace isn’t where I want it to be, but I’ll take it for now. I started off with a pace of 3.2 mph for 40 minutes. I know most folks can walk at this pace, and I can too, but at 318 lbs I think this is pretty damn good. I then did 16 minutes at 4 mph followed by the final 4 minutes at 3.2 mph. I ran a total of 3.5 miles in that time. This is no where near what I am capable of, but man do I feel awesome.
It helps that it was about 50 degrees outside and night time. If it was any warmer I would have sweat way too much (although I love sweating) and the humidity would have gotten in my way (I work in my Shack). I had my protein shake and I ate some shrimp, lettuce, carrots and broccoli for dinner. Overall , it was a great day. I then took a shower and went to bed, exhausted! And no John, the treadmill did not get ruined like your treadmill spontaneously combusted.
Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’
The final 5 minutes were the hardest. I kept wanting to stop but wanted to complete the full hour. I looked at the timer and saw that I was only at 55 minutes! I was devastated because I had calculated that I would be over 60 minutes by now. That’s when Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’ started playing on my iPod!
I immediately got pumped up and fought through the last few minutes. If it wasn’t for the hook, Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’, I would have stopped short of the 1 hour. I remember back to my in-shape days and how I used to time my runs on the treadmill by the song and not by the minute. I would cover up the time and listen to abotu 4 to 6 songs. After the last song I would look at the time and if it was over 20 minutes I would stop.
Why Run for an Hour?
Some may say that being 318 lbs I should not run for such a long time. That it is bad for my knees or that I could accomplish more by sprinting or doing HIIT. I know all of this. But running is something I really enjoy doing. Always have and always will. I have strong legs and knees and don’t fear anything happening (knock on wood…no, really, go knock on wood please).
Running is mental for me. Being able to do what I did last night has helped me in more ways then I can think of. It was more a mental challenge to myself than a physical one. Just imagine what I can do when I am down below 300 lbs? It’s insane to imagine. I won’t be running hour long runs on the treadmill too often, maybe once or twice a week. I have a pretty diverse set of exercises planned out and this is just one of those. So don’t worry about that.
What does this all mean? It means that mentally I have hit a point where I can sustain exercise for a consistent 2 weeks. It means that I can eat a sugar cookie and ice cream one day, and get back on track the next without feeling like all is wasted. It means that I can now successfully lose the weight and be happy. This also means that I can complete a 5K…and enter one of the local ones here in Tampa. That is a goal of mine this year.
And ultimately, it means I’m back!
Great post Is and congrats on the milestone. I remember reaching the same one before I started my journey in 2003. It was around 2001 when I would workout with my buddy, who was thin with a damned six-pack, and one day in the gym I was determined to run an hour on the treadmill. I’d never been able to do it before and the filling I had afterward was no different than what you described above, so kudos to you bro.
However, and I think I’m going to blog about this next week, I’m trying to figure the obsession with running and participating in a marathon as a sign of exceptional fitness. I know that many big folks like to use a marathon as motivation/goal, but I’m still trying to figure out why that is. Not trying to rain on anyone’s parade here because running is a hell of a lot better than sitting on the couch and doing nothing, but I’m just really curious as to why running or running in a marathon is put on such a pedestal.
Help me out here guys because I’d really like to know. Thanks ….
PS. I love Limp Bizkit’s drummer; he’s a bad ass!!!
I guess it’s because fit people run, and run marathons. And the opposite of fit is fat. So fat people set their sites on running and running marathons as a way of achieving fitness. Make sense? I like running, but I also like other types of cardio, as my wife and I have been doing bodyweight circuit workouts twice a week. We also do sprints.
I’m the type of person that likes to be able to say I achieved things, so a 5K marathon is one of those. I definitely do not want to be running for hour and hours on end like some people, but thats just me. I know fat and weight can be lost without running, but I am not ready for that yet. I need running for my mind.
Yes, I can see your point about the fit folks run and fat folks don’t analogy. I’m just more concerned with the fat folks trying to emulate fit folks and injure themselves. Most folks I know who run, or use running as a measuring stick for fitness, usually have stories to tell of injuries as a result of running. My “fit folk” activity was playing hours of tennis, and I still have the knee problems from my wanna be Sampras days. I guess, I’m just a big proponent of fat folks losing the extra pounds before partaking in such a physically demanding sport like marathon running; however, the main point is to find what works for you and do it to your heart’s content. Stay focused Israel, you’re inspiring a lot more folks than you think!
Good point about finding what works for you. That is so crucial and a point I will be writing about soon. There are so many different things you can do to lose the weight and the fat, and some work for some, and some work for others. It all depends on what works for you.
I am privileged enough to have an athletic background, even as big as 340+ lbs, I was able to do athletic things, running etc. I don’t get injuries. I am like Wolverine. No kidding.
Awesome!!! Way to go! You are seriously DOING it, I love it!
I play the same games on the treadmill. I find myself going on longer and longer because of the darn display on my Bodybugg…..I think well, I’ve burned this many calories, I should make it just 50 more…then 50 more….and 50 more and then my legs are noodles!
I like the idea of covering up the time and going by the music — I’m gonna try that one!
I’ve been using the coach to 5k podcasts too – I need to get my daughter to make me some with music I like though….I can’t get into the stuff that Robert Ullrey uses.
I do the same thing…just 1 more minutes, 100 more steps..
Great job Israel! I still haven’t figured out what is going on with my treadmill. It worked again but then I did another hour walk and it shut off again. I think I am going to start varying my speed – maybe it gets bored too.
That sucks, why not just do 55 minutes?
Great job so far, you’re an inspiration.
Thanks.
Awesome job! I couldn’t decide whether to go to the gym and run today but this post has convinced me to get my ass down there. I was up to 26 minutes before I got a cold so now I’m trying to get mentally and physically back up there again. Keep Rollin!
Kerry, good job on deciding to hit the gym!
Thanks Israel. 2 miles in 27 minutes so a new P.B. btw.
AWESOME! Keep at it!
Great job Israel! That last five minutes is hard sometimes. Good job on finishing out the whole hour!
Thanks. This time it was really hard, and when I get a faster speed up it’s gonna be even harder.
That’s awesome, man. When you’re working out for a specific goal it’s great to have other related goals. If you love running, then by all means keep running. Sure there are better ways to lose the weight in the long run, but doing something that will keep you into your program is much more important. Funny thing, this is a concept that I just learned and it makes so much sense. Keep up the great work!
That’s exactly what I was trying to say.
Great job! I used to think running on the treadmill for 25 minutes was hard…until I joined the US Army and one day, my Company Commander decided that our weekly Company run would go for an hour an 45 minutes non stop. That was fun. 🙁
Ha, all that running is insane…
Been tracking your progress and i have to say your doing a great job! Keep up the weight loss!
thx.
This Blog reminds me the reason I like bloging so much, the interaction is very important with readers and you guys have it right. Looks great too, will be back for more posts, David the mover.
Great post Israel. I agree with you on the mental aspect of running. I think your mindset is probably more important than your fitness levels when running for long distances. On days where I’m not in the right state of mind I have stopped way short of what I can actually run. However, every time I have been in the right frame of mind I have managed to run for longer or run the same distance faster. Keep up the good work.
It’s all mental for me right now.
You are on your way. It’s always good to keep a mix and keep your muscles guesing. An hour on the treadmill seems like a long time. Just keep it mixed up but your will power sure is there and that’s the biggest part of the battle of the bulge.
It was more of a mental thing for me to be on it for an hour. I definitely switch things up during the week and the results show.