Reflecting on Rings and Running
Resting Heart Rate Graph
As IBM sent us home because of the pandemic in March 2020, I took over a new marketing role. I felt stress from both a growing feeling that the pandemic would be nasty and learning a new job. My go-to stress relief of watching stand-up or sitcoms and love of loud snacks provided an escape from the stress. However, TV + snack were not helping my health.
I was tipping the scales between 243-247 pounds, depending on the day. And according to my Apple Watch, my resting heart rate averaged 64 bpm at the time (lower is usually considered better).
After being sent to work from home, I had more time for myself and started taking occasional walks to listen to my usual commute podcasts.
My Fitness Equipment in March 2020
Some older shorts, t-shirts, sunglasses, and hats
Access to my Nordictrack elliptical (it was pretty dusty!)
In April, after staring at my Apple Watch rings from March and feeling underwhelmed with my effort, I started trying to exercise intentionally. Not just random walks, but small daily walks of a few miles each.
That month I closed more rings, and then in May, I stepped it up. I closed every ring, every day for the month. I also got bored with walking alone and had a brilliant idea. I would try running!
In college, I had blown out a knee playing football (Go Crusaders!) and had avoided making it worse by running for decades. In my mind, my knee couldn't take more trama. I lived in fear that I would lose more and more mobility if I ran or worked my knees too hard. I also used that as an excuse not to run because running sucks.
And at first, running did suck. I got tired pretty quickly. I had cramps in my calves, my quads, my feet. I would cough and have problems with phlegm. My lungs hurt from breathing so hard, and the coughing made it worse. But I didn't stop. I kept chipping away at going further, pushing past all the reasons to give up. Some days I would start a walk on my Watch but run for a part of it, each time trying to get a little further. Looking back at my Fitness data is confusing. An ~11-minute walk is a speedy walk but a leisurely run. There are a lot of "walks" that were not entirely walking and not entirely runs. But as they say, crawl, walk, run, and at least I wasn't crawling.
In June, I had a great start but then hit a wall two weeks in. It was a Saturday, I was tired, and I just gave in to a rest day (actually not a bad idea). And so, I broke my streak but was pumped I made it 52 days at that point. But that meant starting over on a streak. And I did. I've been able to close all my Watch rings every day since (writing this on April 20, 2021, with a 309-day streak I intend to complete later today).
Along the way, I ran my first 5K (3.1 miles), my first 10K (6.2 miles), lost 30+ pounds and discovered that running is a mental game as much as a physical one. Early on, it was cramps and pain that would physically stop me. Now it's mental traps that I am more attuned to.
My Fitness Equipment in 2021
AirPods Pro + Hooks Covers by Proof Labs
Brooks Ghosts 13s (ran through a pair of Ghosts 12)
Brooks Thermal Notch Hoodie, joggers, and Sherpa hats
New Under Armor Shorts, and a bunch of running shirts
My Nordictrack elliptical (it is still dusty, but I am using it, and now it lives in the garage, so I can use it without making the family crazy)
One of the most important things that happened as I got off my butt and started this was competition. My friend Derick and I competed back and forth for several weeks (I think he beat me more than I beat him). The tiny nudge from that completion was insanely helpful. I didn't want to lose as much or more than I wanted to win. And sometimes, I would get a cheeky text (can I say that… I am not British) or a motivational one from him. Knowing that while I was alone on the run, I wasn't alone on the journey helped. If anyone is thinking about getting started on their journey, get a friend to go with you. The other thing that helped me was the Nike Run Club app. It's simple and runs on the Apple Watch. Having it track my pace and give me updates while I am running is excellent. I know if I am going a little fast or slow and how much I have run towards a goal. Plus, my buddy Derick uses it too and sometimes will cheer me on LIVE!! while I am running. Amazingly, he has a knack for sending a cheer (which is his voice) right as I start a hill climb or try to close out a long run. That little cheer is so motivating!
At ~215 pounds, I am still considered overweight, and I am working on it. For now, I feel that the goal of better health and fitness has been achieved. My heart rate is down, my weight is down, even my blood pressure is down a little. I am running a 5K every morning (or afternoons on some weekends). There are points where I am walking out the door for a run, and it's cold, dark, rainy… or any number of other things that make me think, "what in the hell am I doing"?" and I realize I am getting a little better, every day, every time.
And now I have my eye on 100 pushups a day. I will check in with progress soon.