Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Here are a couple of my favorite songs that I simply must listen to during the holidays.


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Half Marathon Training Week 3: Personal Best

For the first two weeks it took me 30 minutes to run/walk 3 km, using the 3r/2w (3 minutes running/2 minutes walking) ratio.

On Saturday, I changed my ratio to 4r/1.5w, and I ended up going 6 km in 40 minutes, or 20 minutes to run/walk 3 km. And it didn't kill me!

endurance run

After week one I was doubting my ability to finish the 21 km half marathon in less than 4 hours. However, in these past 3 weeks, I can actually see my endurance increasing, which gives me hope at this point of finishing in less than 3 hours.

Week Date Weight Waist Run
4 years ago 04/15/2008
(Arrival in Taiwan)
70 kg
(155 lbs)
84 cm (33") --
         
1 12/03/2012 75.5 kg
(166 lbs)
94 cm (37") 30 minutes
3 km
  12/05/2012     30 minutes
3 km
  12/08/2012     --
[heavy rain]
2 12/10/2012     30 minutes
3 km
  12/12/2012     30 minutes
3 km
  12/15/2012 76.5 kg
(169 lbs)
+1 kg
91 cm
(36")
-3 cm
57 minutes
6.5 km
3 12/17/2012     33 minutes
4 km
  12/19/2012     31 minutes
4 km
  12/22/2012 76.3 kg
(168 lbs)
-0.2 kg
91 cm
(36")
40 minutes
6 km

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Half Marathon Training Week 2: Back on Track

I had a little setback at the end of week one: A combination of heavy rain, wind, and cold weather prevented me from my scheduled run on Saturday. No matter; I can make it up on Sunday.

I spent Sunday with friends, which included playing three rounds of Settlers of Catan. It didn't include running. Oh well.

So, although this is technically week two of my training, I followed the week one schedule again. I'm still doing the 3 minutes running/2 minutes walking cycle.

I'm proud of myself because I can see a bit of improvement: At the beginning it took me 60 minutes to go 6 kilometers; last night, however, I completed 6.5 km in 57 minutes. Of course, at this rate it would take me 3+ hours to complete 21 km. By next March I should have that time shaved down considerably.

Strangely, my weight increased by 1 kg, but my waist shrank by 3 cm. 

Week Date Weight Waist Run
  04/15/2008
(Arrival in Taiwan)
70 kg
(155 lbs)
84 cm (33") --
1 12/03/2012 75.5 kg
(166 lbs)
94 cm (37") 30 minutes
3 km
  12/05/2012     30 minutes
3 km
  12/08/2012     --
[heavy rain]
2 12/10/2012     30 minutes
3 km
  12/12/2012     30 minutes
3 km
  12/15/2012 76.5 kg
(169 lbs)
+1 kg
91 cm
(36")
-3 cm
57 minutes
6.5 km

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Half Marathon Training Day 2: Rain

I'm proud of myself. I got up at 8:00am and went running in the rain. It's only the second day of my training and I am not going to give up because of some water falling from the sky.

I felt self-conscious for a while, but I remembered that I was doing this for myself, not for anyone who looked at me from under their umbrella like I was a fool. During my run I crossed paths with just one other runner; seeing him lifted my spirits incredibly and kept me motivated.

Unfortunately, now my shoes are soaked. I hope they dry out before Saturday.

Date Weight Waist Run
04/15/2008
(Arrival in Taiwan)
70 kg
(155 lbs)
84cm (33") --
12/03/2012 75.5 kg
(166 lbs)
94cm (37") 30 minutes
3 km
12/05/2012     30 minutes
3 km

Monday, December 3, 2012

Half Marathon Training: Day 1

To celebrate my 50th birthday next March, I'd been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo. However, I decided that improving my health and reaching a challenging goal would be a better choice.

So, to commemorate my half century milestone, I decided (with a little help from my friends) to sign up for a half marathon.

I'm going to keep track of my progress here, mostly as an inspiration for myself. I've read that keeping mentally focused on my goal is just as much a battle as the physical training.

Speaking of physical training, at the end of this blog entry is the 12-week training schedule that I'm following. It's meant for an absolute beginner like me. During my training, and during the marathon itself, I will follow a cycle of running for 3 minutes then walking for 2 minutes. I feel this is the most doable plan of action, since my goal is simply to finish the race without keeling over!

[Nerd note: The Chinese for 'keel over' is 弱不禁風 ruòbùjīnfēng, which literally means "too weak to stand against the wind"]

A great benefit of preparing for this goal is improving my health. So, as an added motivation, I will also keep track of my weight and waist size. If I can find a free blood pressure checker then I may add that measurement here as well.

Date Weight Waist Run
04/15/2008
(Arrival in Taiwan)
70 kg
(155 lbs)
84cm (33") --
12/03/2012 75.5 kg
(166 lbs)
94cm (37") 30 minutes
3.5 km

This is embarrassing, but embarrassment can be
a great motivational tool.

Below is the 12-week training schedule that I began today, which I got from this site at Shape Magazine. The half marathon is on March 10, 2013—14 weeks away—so that gives me a little wiggle room.

Week

Sunday
(Rest)

Monday
(Easy)

Tuesday
(Cross Train)

Wednesday
(Easy)

Thursday
(Cross Train)

Friday
(Rest)

Saturday
(Long)

1

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

4Mi/6.4Km
3R/2W

2

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

5Mi/8Km
3R/2W

3

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

6Mi/9.6Km
3R/2W

4

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

7Mi/11.2Km
3R/2W

5

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

4Mi/6.4Km
3R/2W

6

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

8Mi/12.8Km
3R/2W

7

Rest

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

9Mi/14.5Km
3R/2W

8

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

6Mi/9.6Km
3R/2W

9

Rest

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

10Mi/16Km
3R/2W

10

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

7Mi/11.2Km
3R/2W

11

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

6Mi/9.6Km
3R/2W

12

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

Rest

Rest

13.1Mi/21K
Race day!
Run/Walk
3R/2W