Fitness Doldrums

Since high school I've always considered myself to be in good shape. I can still go out for a run and pace myself at 8:00/mile for quite a distance... Even though I haven't really trained for anything since the half marathon, I haven't ran consistently at all, I still can go out and run without much effort. This has apparently led me to believe my physical fitness is still 'good enough' to do just about anything... Well, I've had a realization - and it wasn't that the signs were hidden, I just wasn't adding them up!

The first thing would obviously been the half marathon training. I've been writing myself a pass, basically saying "distance running isn't really my thing and just finishing the half is good enough" which is actually true, but that is the beginning of my problem - I let myself become mentally weak, when I should be challenging myself more.

My second clue is directly related to the first - I can't seem to break twenty minutes when running a 5K race... Really? I can't run 6:25 pace for 3 miles? That's rather pathetic when I really stop and think about it... Now, I probably should mention as a side note now, I don't mean to belittle anyone here, running is purely personal to each person and I have plenty of family, friends and acquaintances that can't run that fast. The fact that any one of them is willing to discipline themselves to get out and train for any race is a great thing. However, I have personal expectations that I expect to (now it seems I just mostly want to) achieve. Regardless, running 5K races in college around 17 minutes was just another run - now it seems that would be a remarkable accomplishment for myself - I'm still trying to get back into the 19 minute world!

My next clue came this summer during ultimate frisbee. I mentioned this several times to Laura and other people playing frisbee with us - but I'm getting 'slow.' My speed is fading - at an age where most men usually are reaching peak physical shape, I'm slowing down. BAH! That doesn't sit well with me at all. I've always been the guy that could out sprint the other players or at least stay right with them. Several times this summer I was being 'out kicked' when the guy I was covering would take off for a deep route!

Finally, yesterday the realization came to me. I'm in poor physical shape... After spending Thanksgiving with family, I just didn't have much energy to do anything. That's typical I suppose, eating a large meal (in my case I experienced a weekend of 4 Thanksgiving meals) usually slows most people down - yesterday was no exception. Once I gathered enough momentum to get myself moving again I found myself jumping up in the air trying to touch the air duct in a sudo-challenge with family members. About five jumps is all it took for me to realize I need to start stretching - my legs didn't handle the jumping well, and my wrists hurt from stretching my hands to touch the air duct... I think I've reached the 'pathetic' point - and maybe now I've realized it.

The end of this week will bring my 29th birthday (it's technically my 30th birthday because the day I was born was my first birthday, but I will be 29 years old) and perhaps I need to set a few physical fitness goals to accomplish before I officially end my 20's.... I think I just mentioned a few goals to start my list.

Until again
-=Nolan=-

Animal House

Sometimes Laura and I just feel like we are zookeepers trying to keep the animals in our home happy. On Monday evening (Halloween) we paraded around several neighborhoods with our animals leading the way - a crocodile and a monkey. Emryk was excited about his crocodile costume and had a lot of fun trick-or-treating, Arlo wasn't nearly as happy about his monkey suit. He has just recently started walking around, and the costume was certainly causing him some trouble, so he didn't wear it long. Emryk, on the other hand, trick-or-treated until late into the evening and was very excited to fill his pumpkin bucket full of candy.

Until again

-=Nolan=-