The Hardest Run Yet - Day 18 of running streak, day 15 of SFC*

Today was the hardest run yet since I started the streak.

We went to the beach for the day yesterday and didn't get home until 1:30 am.  I don't recommend it.

I tried getting up at 7, even got up and put on my running stuff.  I walked out the front door, and immediately realized that it wasn't going to work.  I  hadn't had enough sleep.  So I turned around, walked back to the bedroom, took off my stuff and slept for another hour.  I got up at 8 and went for it.

As you already know, I run in the dark.  It's cool and I'm alone and there are no cars.

At 8 am it's all messed up.  It's bright, and hot, and there are a lot of cars.  So bright.  I really don't like it. 

The damned phone wasn't working right either.  The alerts on the running app kept going off every two seconds, instead of once a mile like normal.  It was driving me crazy.

I chugged along, wondering when I would quit.  A mile again, or more?  I was sure I wouldn't make it 2+ miles today.  Just far too unpleasant.

And then I heard the app announce my best time ever after one mile.  Didn't feel like it at all.  Felt like I was running in mud.

So I had to keep going.  I couldn't stop at a mile, or a mile and a half.  I had to keep at it, so that I could see how it came out, how I finished.

So bright, so hot.  It was awful.

As I got close to the end, I started glancing down at the phone.  2.00 miles, 2.01, 2.02... wouldn't be long now.

2.09...just had to get to 2.10.  Why wouldn't it turn over?  It was taking forever.

Finally, it moved to 2.13.  It skipped all the numbers in between!  This is why I never look at it.

So I ran a little farther and faster today than I had to, by accident.  And it was great.  Fastest mile yet.

And I had thought about quitting at one mile.  If I wouldn't have known I was setting a personal record, I probably would have.

How many other times have I done this?  How many other times have I quit when I shouldn't have?

I'll never quit again.  I'll get tired and stop, but I won't give up ever again.  Neither should you.

You just might do something great!

Today's run:  2.13 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.

A Short Run - Day 17 of running streak, day 14 of SFC*

I only ran a mile today.

There have been times in the past where I would have said, "Wow!  I ran a mile today!" Now, it's disappointing.

I know as the miles add up, I'll be having to throw these short runs in.  And my legs felt like lead today.  Didn't get enough sleep; late phone call from the daughter woke us up.  I couldn't get back to sleep for a while.  All is well, I was just restless.

Today's entry is about being tired but doing it anyway.

Another excuse that we give ourselves is "I don't feel like it today."

"I don't feel like running, or going to the gym."   "I don't feel like making another phone call at work."   "I just don't feel like cooking today."

Are you sick?  Are you tired? Are you physically unable?

"No.  I just don't feel like it."

This is the same as saying, "I'm okay with failing today.". Or, "My health/job/family just isn't that important to me." Worst one:  "It's okay for me to not take care of myself or others today."

If you're suffering from depression, please see a doctor or counselor.  I'm not making fun; I'm totally serious.  Because depression can make you feel like not doing anything, including living.

I didn't feel like running today.  But I did it anyway.  I felt obligated to myself to exercise, and I felt obligated to you to write about it.

Not feeling like doing something is just an excuse most of the time.  We're afraid to try, or we've had a bad day and just want to wallow.  Or we're mad about something.  Or 100 other stupid reasons.

Feelings are often a smoke screen for insecurities.  They often hide or distort reality.

So when you get a dose of the "I don't feel like its", recognize it for what it is.  Nothing.

It's nothing.  It's not sickness, injury, or depression.  We've covered those bases.

If it's nothing, then there's no reason to even think about it.  Just go do what you need to do.

I have had to battle "I don't feel like it" thousands and thousands of times.  It used to win every time.

Now I beat it almost every time.  You can too.

Go do what you want and need to do.  Get the most out of your day, your moments.  Go to bed tonight knowing that you were fully present today, that you wrung everything you could out of this day.

Now I've got to go do some things I don't feel like doing.

Today's run:  1.05 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.

Living after midnight - Day 16 of running streak, day 13 of SFC*

"Livin' after midnight, rockin' til the dawn, lovin' til the mornin', then I'm gone, I'm gone..."

At almost 50 years old, I don't do any of those things anymore.  I mean, I do them, just before midnight.  I'm usually too tired to do any of them after midnight.

I've mentioned our band a few times in this blog, yet another thing I'm grateful for (see yesterday's blog about being grateful).  We're a bunch of guys in our late 40s-early 50s who play heavy metal from the 70s and 80s.  The band's called Rusty Metal, and we found each other through Craig's List, of all places.

They are fantastic musicians, and I hadn't sung this kind of music publicly for over 30 years.  But it worked out great, and I'm finding my metal voice again.  Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ozzy, early Motley Crue:  we have about 30 songs under our belt.

They were kind enough to wait on me to recover from heart surgery and not replace me.  Which I am REALLY grateful for.

We lost one of our guitarists recently.  His company was shutting down and he had to work insane hours to help keep the company going until the end.

Without two guitars, no Maiden, no Priest, not much of anything.  More importantly, he's a great guy that's fun to hang with.

Did I mention that we're all family men with regular jobs that just like to get together and jam?  It keeps us off the street, I guess.

When I got to rehearsal last night, I was thrilled to hear his voice from the rehearsal room.  And to hear him split the solo with our other great guitarist on "Aces High".

Anyway, one of our best songs that we do is "Living After Midnight" by Judas Priest.

Not their heaviest song, but a classic that everybody knows.

It's funny to sing those young man's lyrics when you're...old.  Maybe you remember when you did all that.

When I hit the road on my run at 5:05 this morning, I thought:  I'm Living After Midnight.  Really living.  I passed some other folks running who were also living after midnight, rockin' til the dawn.

I saw some more at 5:30, some more at 6:30 when I was on my way to work.

Then I was gone, I was gone.  Disappearing into traffic with a smile on my face.

Have a great day!!

Today's run:  2.08 miles, verified by Nike + running app.  Video for Living After Midnight by Judas Priest:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEeJbXcxy1k&list=RDgEeJbXcxy1k

How's it going? - Day 15 of running streak, Day 12 of SFC*

Happy Thursday lunchtime, everybody!

So how's it going?  Are you having a good day?

If so, great!  Why are you having a great day?  It's funny that everyone asks why you're having a bad day, but never why you're having a great day.

Maybe it's because we want to have sympathy for others.  Maybe we want to compare our lousy day with theirs.  Maybe we're jealous.

So why has your day been great?

Did you get plenty of sleep last night?  Did you get enough?  Too much?  Did you wake up refreshed, ready to face the day?  Or are you dragging around because you didn't get enough?

Did you exercise this morning?  Or are you looking forward to exercising later?  Either way, I hope you do something.

Did you have something great happen today?  Get an email or a text from a friend that you didn't expect?  Get some good news?

Or are you just grateful for all of the good things in your life?

Do you have a nice lunch waiting for you, or maybe you're eating it while reading this?

Do you have plans for later today or tonight that you're looking forward to?

Or are you just happy to be alive and appreciative for all of the wonderful things in your life?

We all have struggles, every single day.  Finances can be a biggie.  Relationship problems.

We look in the mirror, and we don't like what we see.  We just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over our heads.

I get it.  I've been there.  Lots of times.

Here's the thing:  when you do that, when you give up, the problems get worse.  They don't go away.  Ever.

I will have problems tomorrow.  So will you.  So will everybody.

Maybe my problems aren't as big as yours, or vice versa.  That's really subjective, isn't it.

So here's what you do.  You get up, you get going.  You do something.  You think of something in your life to be grateful for, and you hang onto that for dear life.

In my case, I could have died six months ago.  I got lucky, went to the doctor, and had open heart surgery the next day to bypass an artery that was 99% blocked.  So I got to live.  That's what I have to hold onto.

My oldest son will be 14 on Monday.  I can't believe it.  He's as tall as me; can't believe that either.

And I almost wasn't here to celebrate that.  Or my 27th wedding anniversary coming up with the best wife anyone could ever have.  Or write this blog.  Or anything.

So in spite of all the crap going on, all of the problems, all the static, I hang onto that and run.  Every single day.  I eat better.  I sleep more.  I snack well, most of the time.

And I am grateful.  For every moment that I get to see my wife and kids, to sit in traffic on the way to work, to be annoyed by the news.

So I hope you're having a great day, for whatever reason.  And I hope if you're not, you can find something in your life to be grateful for.  Hold that in your mind, and get to work.

Today's run - 2.07 miles, verified by Nike + running app.

Why lunchtime can be fun - Day 14 of running streak, day 11 of SFC*

Happy Wednesday lunchtime everybody!!

Run was great again this morning!  Air was fairly cool, saw some other folks up walking, their smartphones glowing in the dark like mine.  We looked like giant sweaty fireflies.  But everyone was pleasant.

I wonder how many of us will still be out there when it gets cold.

Sugar-free challenge* is still going GREAT.  Refused some banana muffins this morning, getting my sugar (fructose) from an apple and some pineapple tidbits.  Yum.

I track my food and exercise on a terrific app called MyFitnessPal.  Just go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to download on your phone or computer/tablet.  You can set fitness goals here, and you can track any food.  Their database has like 50,000 foods in it, and you simply have to type "Aldi Pineapple Cup" or something general like that in the search bar to get the food that you need to log.  It's awesome.  AND you can track your exercise here too.

Here's where lunchtime can be fun.  You log your exercise first, which puts you at a calorie deficit for the day.  In other words, you start the day below zero on your calorie requirements.

I'm making this too complicated.  You get extra calories to eat!!!  There it is!!!!

Also, if you're eating well and keeping an eye on your food, you feel proud of yourself.  You've already accomplished something for the day.  Then when you look at your remaining calories for the day, you have a lot left for supper and healthy snacks later.  Or if you're full, you can stop eating and leave those calories on the table.

That's it for today!  Hope you all found some time in your day to do something that's really important to you.

Today's run:  2.05 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.  Here's my activity through today:  https://www.nike.com/us/en_us/p/myactivity/

Making time for what's really important - Day 13 of running streak, day 10 of SFC*

Happy Tuesday everybody!

Great run this morning:  2.03 miles!  Felt great, just felt wonderful to be alive this morning.

One of the great feelings of running early and finishing and starting your cool down is the feeling of the cool early morning air sweeping over you.  It's so refreshing, especially after you've just pushed yourself through some challenging exercise.

I wish you all could feel what that's like.  It's a simple pleasure of life that everyone should get to experience at one time or another.

I will probably hit a nerve this morning, but I feel like if I don't do that every day that you'll stop paying attention.

How many of you say, "I'd love to exercise/eat better/do what I enjoy but...I don't have time"?

Here's the deal:  you do have time.  We all have time.  We just choose to use it in different ways.

Sure, you have a job or a business to run.  That takes time.  You have to get there, maybe.  That takes some more time.

You have a family to make dinner for, or wash their clothes, or check up on homework, or whatever.  All demands on your precious time.

I have told you the importance of a good night's sleep, so you need to do that too.

So when do you do it?

You look at the other time that you have.  Watching TV, or being online.  Before work, like I do, or right after work.  The time that you're "getting comfortable".  Comfort is the enemy, folks.

I could sleep in, and get that extra half hour or so.  But then I wouldn't be able to run, or write this blog.  Because that's the only time I have to do it every day.

No distractions, no calls, no emails, no demands.  Just me and the road and the darkness.

And the wonderful cool early morning air.

And I'm not just talking about exercise here.  I'm talking about that book you want to read, or that business you want to start, or that podcast you want to listen to.

Leisure time is what you give up to do the things that you really want to do.

Look at your life.  Is it how you want it?  What do you need to change?

Change it.  Do it.  Tomorrow doesn't really exist; it's just a concept  Only today, only this moment.

Don't wait until next Monday, or the perfect time.  There's no such thing.  Look at your time today and do it.

Then do it the next day, and the next, until it becomes a habit.  Until you can't imagine NOT doing it.

That's how you make time for what's really important, what's been missing from your life to really make it better.

I hope that you will try this today, as soon as you can.  Have a great day!

Today's run:  2.03 miles, verified by Nike + running app.

Why sleep is important: GREAT podcast for you - Day 12 of running streak, Day 9 of SFC*

Happy Monday everyone!

Why are you moaning and groaning??  It's Monday, back to business, back to getting into the swing of things.  You make the most of it, whatever your situation is.

I got decent sleep last night, still not quite enough, but enough to feel refreshed.  Banged out 2.01 miles; first time over 2 miles in a LONG time.  Felt great, felt accomplished.  Wonderful to feel the cool morning air as I walked back home for my cool down.

I mention sleep on here a lot.  I was severely sleep deprived for several years before my heart surgery. Since then, I've learned much more about the importance of sleep, to the point where I think that my lack of sleep helped cause my heart problems.  I was (am) overweight, but not by a lot.  I didn't eat all of the right foods, but I wasn't completely off the rails.  Genetics?  Maybe, but I'm adopted, so I don't know whether I'm genetically predisposed for heart disease.

But I know I was getting 4 1/2-5 hours of sleep almost every night.  Almost EVERY night.  For years.

My cardiologist says I'm supposed to get 7 1/2 hours of sleep every night.  That's my optimum number.

Everybody's different, but in general you should be sleeping between 7-8 1/2 hours every night.

When did we get to the point where we thought that something like that is absolutely necessary for health and well-being is unimportant?  Or that you're a wimp if you can't function on little sleep?

Arianna Huffington asks that question too.  You know her; she is a successful author and runs The Huffington Post.  A very driven and achievement-oriented person.

She collapsed from sleep deprivation a few years ago on a college tour with her daughter.

So she learned about the dangers of sleep deprivation, and how to overcome it and get the right amount of sleep.

Here's a link to a fantastic podcast about sleep hosted by James Altucher, featuring Arianna Huffington:  http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/05/arrianna-huffington/.  If you don't pay attention to anything else on this blog, please do this!  It could save your life.  I care about you way too much for you to not pay attention to this.

Have a great day, and get some sleep!!!!

Today's run:  2.01 miles, verified by Nike + running app.