Posted: 2/14/2003 5:27:33 PM EDT
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That's such a nice simple thing to say isn't it [:)] Kind of like "I lost my wallet." Simple, but brutal at the same time. Anyway, my 29th birthday was last week and before I'm 30 I do need to lose some 30 pounds or so. And to that end I've decided to start running again. So I drove around and found a nice 1.3 mile route that loops out and back to my house. Perfect for starting. Drag the running shoes out, and I get ready to go. I have two cute dogs (bullitt & stumpy) who need exercise, although nowhere near as much as me, and they wanted to accompany me of course. This was a terrible mistake. The little, cute, adorable one (really....not) decides to take off running full speed the second I start to jog. Then the leash is stretched taut. 35# dog pulling 250# man all heading downhill == big mess. I hold Bullitt's leash in quite a bit more so he's at my side now. And here I wanted the 2nd dog. Stumpy is a wonderful walker and turns out to be almost as wonderful jogging. Off we continue. Things are going well for a while. I'm outta shape, so I run for a few blocks, then walk one to catch up. Repeat. Now, I live in a hilly area, so there's a fair amount of up and down. This is nice and gives a fair change of pace to the route. I have to stop for trucks, bikers and motorcyclists, or risk having my arms ripped off by the dogs. So this isn't the hardest jog ever, but I'm getting tired and sweating up a storm. We are about 2/3 of the way through, and have finished walking a block when I start running again. A small problem occurs. Stumpy stands still. 52# dog pulling back on 250# man running uphill == big mess. I'm beginning to think that cats are wonderful creatures about this time. We recompose and continue on our way. The extra break has now allowed Bulliit some time to get hyper again. Inspite of being shortleashed, he's taking full LEAPS forward all of 4 inches and yanking on my arm and choking himself. This is not helping my back, either. So I let his leash out the whole way. Screw it. We finally make it to the home stretch just in time to see the mail truck pulling away from us. This sets Stumpy off, who now tears off after the mailman like a dalmation after T-bone. I think my arm almost got yanked out of socket. He turns to look at me, and pulls backward, and pops out of his leash. I can't help but stare for a second as my lazy, chunky monkey is setting a world land speed record chasing the mailman. Tired, two arms a back, and a skinned knee, I tear off after the damn mutt screaming my head off. "Stumpy Stop! Get back here you #$$%#$%$#%#$@%$#% mutt I'm going @#$@#$@$!1%^ your @#$!@$!%!$% you @$%!@#$ dog!!!! #$%@$%!#$%!@#$%@#!$%!#$%" This continues for three blocks as I sprint after the damn hellion. Finally, the mailman hears me, and stops. Once the noise is done, so is Stumpy, who runs back to meet me all happy and wanting to play. I get his leash on, and walk the last block home. This morning when I woke up I couldn't figure out why my arms were so sore. Heck my legs even felt ok. Back too. Some small voice in my head says yesterday was a one time incident and couldn't ever repeat itself right? Right? So i get the shoes out, and leash up the mongrels. I think I'm going to get cats. |
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Follow up. I hate my dogs. However. I found a solution for the overly hyper tasmanian devil-mutt (Bullitt). It's called "the gentle leader", and there's a couple different ones. Helps immeasurably. In any case, I walked for two days in the interim, and took Sunday off. My parents were in town and we went out of town with them. I'm making progress...I can run about 10 blocks in a row now before walking. And I'm running 5 of the last seven at a higher rate of speed (well...not much higher at that point) and walking the last two to cool down a bit. Softball's starting up in two weeks, and I've been hitting balls off the tee as well, 30 a day is a decent warm up to running. I stretch my legs after this (and my arms & back to begin with). I might be able to do the splits again if I keep it up (side, not front to back splits) I'm already scoping out a 2 mile route. Once I can run 1/2 the current route I'll move up. |
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I had a neighbor that could no longer walk, but he had a great dane that needed exercise. Me running behind an 180# dog wasn't a pretty sight. My wife said I looked funny running with two hands on the leash. I usually run barefoot on a 1/2 mile path around a friend's field. That great dane pulled me off of the path and over a lot of painful ground. It only took four or five times running before the dog finally figured-out how to keep a good pace with me. There is hope the dogs will get better at it.z |
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Update. I'm still jogging occasionally, and the dogs are getting a bit better. I can tell it's getting a bit easier to go further between walking and will be upping the distance later this week. I'm doing softball practice twice a week now as well, and not jogging on those days. Plus I skip every other saturday. Shameless, I know. On the down side, my left quad has been in pain on occasion and my back gets sore as well. Ibuprofen, some rest, and icy hot help. It's very common the day after jogging that this happens. As I lose some weight I suspect this will diminish as well. |
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when you lose 20 or 30 pounds you will feel lighter on your feet and more energetic, it also puts less strain on your lower back when you lose the weight and also less stress on your knee joints, you will notice as you lose the weight your body can handle the running with less chance on straining your muscles, you will also be a little faster with less wt. |
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PE- Welcome to the club - last year, my impending 30th birthday and the birth of my son propelled me off the couch and onto the running trail. I lost about 50 lbs over six months. Anytime you want a word of encouragement (or a running partner, if you're in New England somewhere), feel free to get in touch. The first four-six weeks of any exercise program are going to hurt, period. The aches and pains will get better as you lose weight, and they served as extra motivation for me to reform my eating habits. Back pain especially is a symptom of too much counterweight hanging off the front. Run on soft surfaces when possible, it really does help the joints. Stick with it, keep us informed! JScott |
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Quoted: I'm still jogging occasionally, and the dogs are getting a bit better. I can tell it's getting a bit easier to go further between walking and will be upping the distance later this week. On the down side, my left quad has been in pain on occasion and my back gets sore as well. Ibuprofen, some rest, and icy hot help. It's very common the day after jogging that this happens. As I lose some weight I suspect this will diminish as well. Way to go, Prof E! Since you've only been at it a relatively short time and you carry extra tonnage, it's not a big surprise to hear that you've got a few aches. But stick with it; you'll probably witness measurable gains after three months. I suspect you'll be running a couple miles non-stop and pain-free by then. Listen to your body. There's a difference between the muscular aches of any new exercise routine and the sometimes sharper pain that indicates the early stages of injury. Most running injuries are due to overuse. Good, supportive running shoes are a must when you begin to up your mileage, especially since you're probably heavier than the average (150-170-pound) runner. Get them at a good running shoe specialty store instead of Big 5 or some discount department store. The staff at running shoe stores tend to be runners themselves and can point you in the right direction for shoe choices. You'll probably be a candidate for a sturdy motion-control shoe like the New Balance 855, Brooks Beast, Asics Gel MC Plus, adidas Cairo, etc. Resist the often flashier, lighter-weight cushioned shoes, performance trainers or racing flats as they probably won't have enough substance to support your beginning biomechanics or weight. Expect to pay from $75 and up. Hang in there. BTW, your descriptions of starting out are a hoot! Running with dogs is a feat in itself. [;)] |
| Good on you Dr. Evil...I can't run with my dogs either. One trick I use to pass the time (in condition white) is to plan my next rifle project. By the time I'm finished and out of wind I look at things more clearly. have you started a weight training progran yet? I live in Colorado and I can't always jog, sit ups and lifting some 20 lb. dumb bells works wonders for me. |
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most back problems come from weak stomach, muscles.try working those a little. make sure you have good running shoes,not that cross training crap.(running shoes) cardio work out should be at least 30 min 3 times a week. i average 20 plus miles a week.. hang in there, and good luck. |
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Update. Thursday, I took the dogs out and had a bad day. Halfway through, feeling good, my right calf cramped right before my toe hit the ground, and it felt like something popped in the lower part of the muscle. I went to a gun show over the weekend and walked alot. It's feeling quite a bit better. However, I am not going to go jogging for a couple of days. [:(] If I sit for more than 20 minutes, when I get up to walk it's extremely tight and I have to limp for a couple of steps as it stretches a bit. There is a gym near my new job that's not too much. If I can find a consistent partner to work out with, I'll probably sign up. |
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After straining my calf I sorta took the week off. I did walk an extensive amount, though. The muscle would get really tight, and had to be stretched. If I sat for 30 minutes or so, it would tighten the first few days. In any case, Thursday it was feeling pretty good and I waited till sunday before chancing it. Sunday is softball practice, and that went pretty well. No soreness, nothing. Intermittent running, though. Today I went jogging with my excrement factories. Jogging up the last hill near my house, i could feel my calf starting it tighten up. So I walked home the rest of the way. Tomorrow night is game #1 of softball for me. I sat out last week's season opener so I woudn't hurt myself. Hopefully I'll continue my hitting streak [:)] (32 games and counting!) |
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I've joined gyms three times before. Only once have I gone consitently for any length of time. This was when I had someone who also wanted to go work out. So my resolve, while noble, is poor. While running to 1st tonight at our game (2/3, the streak stays alive!) I had to have a pinch runner after I got on. My calf got very stiff. Ugh. |
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I'm back, without a vengance. Went jogging today instead of softball due to rain out (from sunday...wtf). I've been going a bit less since softball started, and I got a new job (mortgage broker, woohoo...call me if you need a loan [:)]). So my running has been a bit reduced. [:(] In any case, I am still going, and still playing softball. I bought an mp3 player to take with jogging. It helps to pass the time easier as well. |