Running By Myself

2009-03-09 - Log entry

2009-03-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

Date: 2009-03-09
Time: 09:00 PM
Weather: Clear sky, winds E 9km / 6mi
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2007)
Distance with those shoes: 4.501km / 2.797mi
Temperature: -4ºC / 25ºF
Location: Around my apartment

Distance: 4.501km / 2.797mi
Total distance in 2009: 61.1km / 37.9mi
Duration: 0:31:58
Total duration in 2009: 7:35:01
Speed: 8.45km/h / 5.25mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 8.1km/h / 5.0mi/h
Metres per minute: 140.8
Minute per kilometre: 7.1min/km
Minute per mile: 11.4min/mi

Average HR: 100
Maximum HR: 100
Total burned calories: 402.2
Calories burned anyway: 42.1
Calories burned by running: 360.1
Weight: 86.0kg / 189.6lbs
BMI: 26.3

Comments: Hard run at first, but not that bad after all. I've started seriously training for the next summer's Montreal's Marathon. At the beginning, I was feeling very heavy. My legs were pounding hard on the asphalt. I shouldn't have put on my grips. There was not enough ice to make me fall. Since I haven't run for about two weeks, I'm happy of my performance. Also, I'm not quite sure that I haven't run too far. Maybe I should have kept it a bit shorter. During the training, I was feeling some mild pain in the left knee. Nothing to keep me off the road, but enough to be annoying.

Next run? Wednesday! I should be able to do 35 minutes or so... And since I don't want to go over the 10% rule, adding one minute per run makes me increase by less than 10% a week (3 minutes out of 34).

2009-02-24 - Log entry

2009-02-24T12:52:00.001-05:00

Date: 2009-02-24
Time: 09:30 PM
Weather: Clear sky
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Temperature: -11ºC / 12ºF
Location: Around my apartment

Distance: 4.168km / 2.590mi
Total distance in 2009: 56.6km / 35.1mi
Duration: 0:31:58
Total duration in 2009: 7:03:03
Speed: 7.82km/h / 4.86mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 8.0km/h / 5.0mi/h
Metres per minute: 130.4
Minute per kilometre: 7.7min/km
Minute per mile: 12.3min/mi

Average HR: 100
Maximum HR: 100
Total burned calories: 374.1
Calories burned anyway: 42.1
Calories burned by running: 332.0
Weight: 86.0kg / 189.6lbs
BMI: 26.3

Comments: Hard run! I haven't been on the road for about two weeks and it seems that my body is talking to me. I had to stay off the road for some time because of some mild ankle pain. It got better over the last weekend, but I decided to take it easy on Saturday and Sunday because of a hard week at work.

About that run, I shouldn't have run that long. Actually, I've been told that you lose about 10% of your fitness every week that you don't do anything as a physical activity. Since I haven't done much, I should have run about 3.30km / 2.05mi, which is about 0.87km / 0.54mi less than what I've done. I think that it's not that bad to do that long since 4km / 2.5mi is not that long and some people even start with this distance. On the other hand, I have to make sure that I don't create important injuries which could keep me off the road for long.

The run was nice, but hard to finish. There was almost no wind since I was running between buildings and trees. There was almost no traffic on the streets. However, there was some ice and snow on parts of the path. I guess that it might be the reason why I started to have some knee problem since my legs had to slightly work sideways. Also, I had some pain on the left foot at the end of the run. The whole distance was covered by running two laps over a loop path around my apartment. After the first lap, I was already thinking about quitting. I didn't do it, but maybe I should have done so. For sure, my running shoes are worn out and I will have to change it.

I've got a new pair bought about two years ago. It's still a pair of New Balance 881. I should have run enough to start wearing it before, but I didn't do so.

2009-02-10 - Log entry

2009-02-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-02-10
Time: 06:30 PM
Weather: Overcast
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -7ºC / 19ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 4.072km / 2.530mi
Total distance in 2009: 52.4km / 32.6mi
Duration: 0:29:02
Total duration in 2009: 6:31:05
Speed: 8.42km/h / 5.23mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 8.0km/h / 5.0mi/h
Metres per minute: 140.3
Minute per kilometre: 7.1min/km
Minute per mile: 11.5min/mi

Total burned calories: 365.1
Calories burned anyway: 38.3
Calories burned by running: 326.8
Weight: 86.3kg / 190.2lbs
BMI: 26.3

Comments: Nice run! I didn't go that fast, but still, I'm happy of what I've done. I took a short walk break for a few seconds just to be able to finish without an asthma attack. It was a good thing. I also took a short break to go to the gents. Too much cold and too much liquid work after some time. Apart from that, I didn't have any problem. It seems that my weight goes down and I'm happy of that. Even without a weight loss, I would still be happy of the runs I do these days. It seems that my progress is going well. I'm seriously considering a marathon at the end of the summer of 2009. I'll have to send my registration form to the Montreal's Marathon pretty soon if I don't want to pay too much. The fees increase with the months. I guess it's a way for them to make sure they don't receive all the forms at once.

I need to rest!

2009-02-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

I was listening at some trainer on the radio a few days ago and it made me think about my actual situation. Right now, I would say that I need to rest. But when I say rest, I’m not talking about sitting on the couch and watch TV. What I need to do is to sleep. On the night between Sunday and Monday and on last night (between Monday and Tuesday), I feel like I haven’t slept enough. But could you tell me what is enough?

We often hear on TV or on the radio that specialists say that we should sleep eight hours nights. If I go to bed around 11:00PM and that I wake up around 7:00PM, doesn’t that mean that I’ve slept about eight hours? Over the past two days, I went to bed a bit later than 11:00PM. I woke up around 6:45AM. That would mean that I’ve slept about seven hours per night. My girlfriend falls asleep around 9:45PM-10:00PM and she moves when I wake her up to go to bed when I’m ready to do so. So, since she’s asleep between 9:45PM and 6:45AM, that means she sleeps about nine hours. Is that too much? Is that enough? Is that just the right number of hours to sleep?

When I spend a few weeks going to bed around 11:30PM and that I wake up around 6:30AM (seven hours of sleep), I get pretty tired and I take a whole day or a whole weekend doing noting but sleeping and rest on the sofa.

Does anyone knows exactly what is the right number of hours that I should sleep, train, rest, eat, work, etc? I’m not tired of being tired. I’m tired of not knowing what I should and shouldn’t do.

Also, is there a way to make our nights shorter and more efficient? There’s a guy in my office that sleeps about three to four hours a night and it’s enough for him. I don’t want to cut back on my nights that much, but if I could find a way of shaving just one or two hours on my nights without falling tired after four or five weeks, it would be amazing!

Just imagine that you can get one more hour a day. Usually, you’re awake sixteen hours a day (twenty-four minus eight). That means that in a week, you’re awake 112 hours. If you save one hour a day, over a year, it’s just as if you would have won 3.25 weeks. Isn’t that amazing? To get a month, you would just need to go for 75 minutes. So, if I could only save those hours, maybe that I could finally find the time to learn how to play guitar, that I would have more time to study or that I could watch a little bit more TV. (No! Forget it! I won’t do that!) Or maybe finally write that novel talking of my experience when I was in Kenya...

Anyway, I need to rest. Let’s go to bed... In ten hours from now!

2009-02-09 - Log entry

2009-02-09T23:30:00.001-05:00

Date: 2009-02-09
Time: 05:55 PM
Weather: Clear sky, light winds
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -15ºC / 5ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 2.691km / 1.672mi
Total distance in 2009: 48.3km / 30.0mi
Duration: 0:17:52
Total duration in 2009: 6:02:03
Speed: 9.03km/h / 5.61mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 8.0km/h / 5.0mi/h
Metres per minute: 150.5
Minute per kilometre: 6.6min/km
Minute per mile: 10.7min/mi

Total burned calories: 241.7
Calories burned anyway: 23.6
Calories burned by running: 218.0
Weight: 86.7kg / 191.2lbs
BMI: 26.5

Comments: Stressed run! I was planning on going to Le centre Globule of Héma Québec to give some blood platelets. I had to leave the apartment around 6:40PM at latest. I still had to go out running, take a shower, have dinner (which wasn't prepared) and drive there (about 10 minutes). All of that in about an hour. While I was running, I took a look at my watch and I decided not to finish the distance I had planned. I had planned to do a bit more than 4.0km (2.5mi). Finally, I stopped after 2.691km (1.67mi). I arrived just in time at my appointment at Le centre Globule. Still, it was a pretty neat run. There was a lot of ice on the streets, but I could deal with it. Moreover, I was feeling great and a bit stressed so I ran pretty fast compared to the usual speed. No pain. Just fun! I'll finish the rest of the distance tomorrow...

2009-02-06 - Log entry

2009-02-06T19:00:00.002-05:00

Date: 2009-02-06
Time: 05:30 PM
Weather: Clear sky
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -12ºC / 10ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.986km / 2.477mi
Total distance in 2009: 41.7km / 25.9mi
Duration: 0:28:32
Total duration in 2009: 5:15:39
Speed: 8.38km/h / 5.21mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.9km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 139.7
Minute per kilometre: 7.2min/km
Minute per mile: 11.5min/mi

Total burned calories: 359.7
Calories burned anyway: 37.8
Calories burned by running: 322.0
Weight: 86.8kg / 191.4lbs
BMI: 26.6

Comments: Nice run. A bit hard on the second half. I had to stop twice to catch my breath. As yeasterday, when I got back indoors, I got an asthma attack.I seriously wonder if my physician was right about hos theory on Ventolin and Symbicort. He told me to take Symbicort once a day and Ventolin only if I'm having an asthma attack. I'll try it for some time and I'll see how it goes...

2009-02-05 - Log entry

2009-02-05T23:30:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-02-05
Time: 10:45 PM
Weather: Some clouds, winds around 22km/h / 14mph
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -20ºC / -4ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.906km / 2.427mi
Total distance in 2009: 41.7km / 25.9mi
Duration: 0:27:20
Total duration in 2009: 5:15:39
Speed: 8.57km/h / 5.33mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.9km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 142.9
Minute per kilometre: 7.0min/km
Minute per mile: 11.3min/mi

Total burned calories: 353.2
Calories burned anyway: 36.3
Calories burned by running: 316.9
Weight: 87.1kg / 192.0lbs
BMI: 26.6

Comments: Amazing run! It was a bit cold at first, but it got much better when I got warmed up. No pain. It was really nice! The music helped quite a lot since it gave me good motivation and a good beat to follow. Need the list? It was old music from the 90's, that time I was in high school and in college. Great beat! Things like Nirvana, Greenday, The Offspring and so on...

There was almost no one on the streets and the sidewalks. Running at that time makes it easier to deal with cars since there's less traffic. Also, there's usually less wind when I go out running later. At least, there's less wind than earlier during the day. Also, I don't have to deal with the sun rays and risks to get sunburn. The only problem about that is that my girlfriend goes to bed a long time before me. It always makes me wonder if I'll wake her up when I'll get between the sheets.

2009-02-03 - Log entry

2009-02-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-02-03
Time: 08:30 PM
Weather: Cloudy, no wind
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -12ºC / 10ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.736km / 2.321mi
Total distance in 2009: 37.7km / 23.5mi
Duration: 0:29:26
Total duration in 2009: 4:48:18
Speed: 7.62km/h / 4.73mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.9km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 127.0
Minute per kilometre: 7.9min/km
Minute per mile: 12.7min/mi

Total burned calories: 337.2
Calories burned anyway: 38.8
Calories burned by running: 298.4
Weight: 86.4kg / 190.4lbs
BMI: 26.4

Comments: Too hard! The weather was ok. The sidewalks and the streets were not too much covered with snow. The only problem was that I've been of the road for about a week or so because of some health issues. When I left the apartment, I was already feeling slow, tired and as energized as a clam in a deep coma. What more could I say? Also, I felt my asthma all the way during my run. When I got back in the apartment, I was feeling it hard and painful to breath. I think that I need to rest for tonight and I'll take it back with more energy in two days...

2009-01-24 - Log entry

2009-01-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-24
Time: 03:15 PM
Weather: Sunny, some wind
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -19ºC / -2ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.736km / 2.321mi
Total distance in 2009: 33.9km / 21.1mi
Duration: 0:29:18
Total duration in 2009: 4:18:53
Speed: 7.65km/h / 4.75mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.9km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 127.5
Minute per kilometre: 7.8min/km
Minute per mile: 12.6min/mi

Total burned calories: 339.3
Calories burned anyway: 38.8
Calories burned by running: 300.5
Weight: 86.9kg / 191.6lbs
Fat: 22.0%
BMI: 26.5

Comments: What can I say? I thought that running over daytime would make things a bit easier. There's more wind than when I run over night time. Also, the truck driver from company that does the snow clearing in the parking at my girlfriend's apartment pushes the snow on the sidewalk on every side of the alley. Result: there's a huge hill of snow on the sidewalk. If I want to run loops around the apartment, I have to go over that hill every lap. I hate that! Why can't he push it somewhere else?

Also, the wind pushes the light snow on the sidewalks creating some light and irregular surfaces on every sidewalk. When I came back, I was really feeling my ankles and knees. It's hard on the legs to run like that. Since the civil works don't clean up the streets over weekends, I might not go out running tomorrow. I planned to do so, but I don't want to risk an injury by running on irregular snow surfaces.

Hopefully, it was windy, but much less than yesterday. I wasn't feeling very warm, but I wasn't feeling very cold either. It's strange, because the air temperature was lower than yesterday. It's obvious that the wind makes the cold worse. We'll see how it's going to be over the next days and I'll decide when I'll go out running again.

2009-01-23 - Log entry

2009-01-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-23
Time: 06:00 PM
Weather: Some snow/ice and strong winds
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -13ºC / 9ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.655km / 2.271mi
Total distance in 2009: 30.2km / 18.8mi
Duration: 0:27:44
Total duration in 2009: 3:49:35
Speed: 7.91km/h / 4.91mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.9km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 131.8
Minute per kilometre: 7.6min/km
Minute per mile: 12.2min/mi

Total burned calories: 332.0
Calories burned anyway: 36.8
Calories burned by running: 295.2
Weight: 87.1kg / 192.0lbs
BMI: 26.6

Comments: Hard run! The snow is not falling in small light flakes, but in heavy pieces of ice. I was feeling cold all the way even if I was dressed as in the colder temperatures. The wind was going through my clothes and I had hard time trying to keep my own body heat. I should have run on a treadmill. If I had started running in this kind of conditions, I would never have kept up with running. If my body could talk to me, it would probably ask me: "Why do you do that to me?" I hope that it's gonna be easier tomorrow...

2009-01-20 - Log entry

2009-01-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-20
Time: 09:15 PM
Weather: Overcast, no wind
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -17ºC / 1ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.573km / 2.220mi
Total distance in 2009: 26.5km / 16.5mi
Duration: 0:26:10
Total duration in 2009: 3:21:51
Speed: 8.19km/h / 5.09mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.9km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 136.6
Minute per kilometre: 7.3min/km
Minute per mile: 11.8min/mi

Total burned calories: 322.9
Calories burned anyway: 34.6
Calories burned by running: 288.2
Weight: 86.8kg / 191.4lbs
BMI: 26.5

Comments: Tonight was fine. It wasn't an impressive run, but it was ok. What more can I say? Today and yesterday, I felt some pain in the knee. On Monday, it was in the left one. When I started running, it was in the right one. Does it mean that the pain moves or if it means that it's not a pain caused by an injury but my body telling me that it doesn't want me to do it? Honestly, I think that it's a fake pain. I don't think that the body always tells the truth.

As for the weather, it was great. I didn't feel too much cold and the wind was down. I like running in this kind of weather, though I would prefer if it was only ten degrees warmer. Tomorrow, the weather office of Environment Canada forecasts -13°C / 9°F with periods of light snow, winds 20-40 km/h / 12-24 mi/h. It should be even easier than tonight.

I'm thinking about dropping my New Balance 881 bought in 2006. I bought a new pair in 2007 when I expected to start training much harder. I got injured at that time and I never used it (or maybe once). I didn't keep track of my NB881-2006, so I'm not sure what distance it's been used on. Should I drop it? Should I keep it? Also, are the New Balance 882 as good as the 881? Does the distance make any difference on whether we should change running shoes or not? What I mean by that is that I'm not quite sure if I have to change it since I don't run long distances. When I run 10-15km / 6-9 miles, I know how important it is to have good running shoes since the pounding is hard on the body. But if I run less than 4km / 2.5miles, is it really necessary to change it?

The way I'm thinking is that I'll see how I feel and when I'll have reached 200km run this year, I'll change it for the 2007 ones. I still don't earn a lot of money so it's hard for me to change shoes every month. What else can I do but try to stretch the lifespan of what I wear? Oh! And why don't you tell me the distance you run before you change your shoes?

Running cam?

2009-01-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

Today, I was looking at my blog and I found that there was not a lot of pictures. I'm wondering if I should add more pics or not. If so, would you have a good suggestion of a camera I could carry along my trainings? These days, I'm running at night since the sun goes down early. Dawn is supposed to end around 5:00PM and I never go out of the office before that. In only two months, it should go down around 7:00PM, so there should be light around that time. I'll be able to take pictures if I want. What I'm looking for is a small, light and water (moisture) resistant camera to carry with me every time I go out. It should also be tough enough to keep working even if it's shook very often (if put in a pocket while I run). Any suggestions?

Thanks!

2009-01-18 - Log entry

2009-01-19T01:00:00.001-05:00

Date: 2009-01-18
Time: 08:30 PM
Weather: Some snow and a lot of wind
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -13ºC / 9ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.490km / 2.169mi
Total distance in 2009: 23.0km / 14.3mi
Duration: 0:27:14
Total duration in 2009: 2:55:41
Speed: 7.69km/h / 4.78mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.8km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 128.2
Minute per kilometre: 7.8min/km
Minute per mile: 12.6min/mi

Total burned calories: 317.8
Calories burned anyway: 36.1
Calories burned by running: 281.7
Weight: 192.2lbs / 87.2kg
BMI: 26.6

Comments: Hard run! There was a thick layer of snow all over the streets and the sidewalks. The civic works didn’t clean up the area. I don’t really like running in those conditions. Over that, there was a strong wind. I’ve run around my girlfriend’s apartment. Since I was doing rectangles on the map, there were two streets on which I was facing the wind. On the two others, I was running in the wind. It makes running easier at some times and harder at some others. Since the snow is not even all over the path, the feet don’t land in a perfect movement. It makes it harder on the ankles and the knees. When I came back, I was really feeling my ankles. I hope everything’s gonna be alright for the next days. I’m planning on running again on Monday and Tuesday. As for the clothing, it was warm enough. I didn’t wear as many layers as last time. I could have worn one less layer to feel just well. It was slightly too warm. Next time, I’ll make sure I’m on the cooler side.

2009-01-15 - Log entry

2009-01-16T02:00:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-15
Time: 09:00 PM
Weather: Clear sky
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -27ºC / -17ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.414km / 2.121mi
Total distance in 2009: 19.5km / 12.1mi
Duration: 0:24:37.06
Total duration in 2009: 2:28:28
Speed: 8.32km/h / 5.17mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.9km/h / 4.9mi/h
Metres per minute: 138.7
Minute per kilometre: 7.2min/km
Minute per mile: 11.6min/mi

Total burned calories: 310.8
Calories burned anyway: 32.7
Calories burned by running: 278.1
Weight: 193.0lbs / 87.5kg
BMI: 26.7

Comments: As you can see, it was a very cold night. The Weather office of Environment Canada forecasts even worse for tomorrow night. Since I was expecting that cold, I went to Le coin des coureurs (Running Room) to get one more shirt. «Dress up in layers» as I heard so often. Steve Runner (Steve Walker) from Phedippidations, THE podcast about running, used to say that Mass was very cold. Well Steve, Quebec City is cold too! I don't know how cold it was in your town tonight, but over here, it was freezing! With my six layers on the body and the two ones on the legs, I was feeling warm when I got out, it got colder after about five minutes and it got warm again after that. When I got back, I was feeling so warm that I could have stayed outside for quite some time. What's funny is the layer of ice I was wearing on the eye lashes.

The run itself was nice. I could have kept on going for much longer. I didn't lack energy at any time. A small side stitch appeared after the first half but it didn't stay very long. What's nicer is the fact that my asthma didn't get bad at any time. I was breathing almost normally.

As for the picture, it's been shot just before I went outside. My girlfriend took it so I could send it to my parents to show them how I'm dressed when I go out running.

2009-01-12 - Log entry

2009-01-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-12
Time: 05:30 PM
Weather: Few clouds
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -13ºC / 9ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.357km / 2.086mi
Total distance in 2009: 16.1km / 10.0mi
Duration: 0:24:52.44
Total duration in 2009: 2:03:51
Speed: 8.10km/h / 5.03mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.8km/h / 4.8mi/h
Metres per minute: 135.0
Minute per kilometre: 7.4min/km
Minute per mile: 11.9min/mi

Total burned calories: 305.1
Calories burned anyway: 33.0
Calories burned by running: 272.1
Weight: 192.4lbs / 87.3kg
BMI: 26.6

Comments: Easy run! A break during two days was a good idea. Actually, my girlfriend and I went to Montreal for her birthday. Actually, her birthday is on January 13th, but we wanted to do something special and we couldn't do it over week days. She used to live in Montreal (and the suburbs). She came back to Quebec City about two years ago. She kept contact with her old friends from this city and we decided to celebrate her 32nd anniversary with those people. She really enjoyed her day. Two hours and a half between Quebec City and Montreal is not too much to keep us home. Anyway, we came back on Sunday morning around 4:00AM.

Since I was very tired on Sunday (I didn't sleep on the way back, although she did so), I preferred not to go out running and just sleep, rest and try to get back on my feet for the beginning of the week. On Monday, I had an appointment to go to Le centre globule at Laurier Québec. It's a permanent office for the blood bank of the Province of Quebec. I give blood platelet every 14 days. After giving, I'm not allowed to do any violent physical activity for a period of 6-8 hours. Since I couldn't go out running after coming back, I went before. I just didn't have time to stretch. I know, it's bad to do so. Still, I didn't have time to stretch. I'll pay for that tomorrow, but I don't really care about that. I'll just take a little more time to do the distance.

About the run itself, I'm happy of this time on the road. The run itself was very easy and I was feeling pretty light. On the other side, I didn't feel especially warm. The weather office of Environment Canada forecasts -31°C (-24°F) for Friday. I guess I'll have to get some warmer clothes. I'm a bit scared of how cold it'll be. I'll got at my running store, Le coin des coureurs (Running Room), tomorrow evening to see if they can provide me with one or two more shirts and one more pair of under pants. I'll see then. As you can see, everything was fine. Feeling light and the run easy. What more can I say?

2009-01-09 - Log entry

2009-01-10T02:30:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-09
Time: 10:30 PM
Weather: Few clouds
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -10ºC / 14ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 3.286km / 2.042mi
Total distance in 2009: 12.7km / 7.9mi
Duration: 0:24:45.31
Total duration in 2009: 1:38:58
Speed: 7.96km/h / 4.95mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.7km/h / 4.8mi/h
Metres per minute: 132.7
Minute per kilometre: 7.5min/km
Minute per mile: 12.1min/mi

Total burned calories: 299.6
Calories burned anyway: 32.9
Calories burned by running: 266.7
Weight: 192.8lbs / 87.5kg
BMI: 26.7

Comments: Nice run. Pretty easy. There is still some snow on the streets and the sidewalks, but apart from that, it's pretty clear. No wind. No snow coming from the sky. Not so many cars on the streets. A bit of tiredness after some time, but still ok. I had to walk a few hundred feet during this training to be able to finish. I still finished by running most of the distance. I'm happy of this run. Nothing much to say.

2009-01-08 - Log entry

2009-01-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-08
Time: 10:30 PM
Weather: Few clouds, lot of snow on the streets and the sidewalks
Shoes: New Balance 881 (2006)
Distance with those shoes: Unknown (not recorded)
Temperature: -11ºC / 12ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's appartment

Distance: 3.206km / 1.992mi
Total distance in 2009: 9.4km / 5.8mi
Duration: 0:24:37.36
Total duration in 2009: 1:14:13
Speed: 7.81km/h / 4.85mi/h
Average speed in 2009: 7.6km/h / 4.7mi/h
Metres per minute: 130.2
Minute per kilometre: 7.7min/km
Minute per mile: 12.4min/mi

Total burned calories: 293.5
Calories burned anyway: 32.7
Calories burned by running: 260.8
Weight: 192.8lbs / 87.5kg
Fat: Unknown
BMI: 26.7

Comments: I went out shopping today. I've bought a nice soft shell, a pair of next to skin pants and a pair of soft shell pants. Some items were on sale, so it cost me a bit less than what I originally expected. I'm pretty happy of that. Now, what could I do but go out and try it?
Tonight's run was nice. There was a snow storm last night (finishing early this morning) so there was a lot of snow on the streets and the sidewalks. It made everything harder, but still, I could manage to get through the distance pretty easily. It seems that my body now remembers what it's like to run. I hope that tomorrow is going to be as easy as tonight. What's funny is that I didn't feel any pain in the knee (nor any other part of the body). Just some small symptoms of asthma. Hopefully, I took care of everything and I've taken my medicine before going out. When I came back, I've taken a new shot.
I hope that I won't need this stuff over the whole winter. I never tried a whole winter outside and I hope that it won't be necessary all the time. I don't like it. According to my physician, I would have to take a shot before an exercise if I think that I might have an attack. I take salbutamol (one or two shots before the exercise) and one more if I need it during or after the exercise. Also, I've been told to take two shots of Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol furamate dihdrate) twice a day. This is supposed to lower the risk of an asthma attack over a long basis. Does it really work? I don't know, but it's worth the try. I should start back swimming. This really helps.
Actually, have you ever heard of Sylvie Bernier? She was an Olympic diver in the 1980's and she won several medals. I don't have more details about her, but I'm sure that if you "Google" her, you'll find some interesting facts about her results. Anyway, the reason why I talk about her is because she started swimming (and diving) because of asthma. When she was a kid, her parents have been told by their family doctor that it could help her getting rid of or lowering her asthma. I don't know if it cured her completely, but because of that, she succeeded in going through life without being stopped by breath problems and she even went to the Olympics because of that.
Anyway, I think I'll have to start back swimming. It's one of the best sports to practice since it doesn't give any impact and it's a good complement to running. Also, I like the feeling after swimming a few miles... It's almost as good as running!
Well, that's it for now. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

2009-01-06 - Log entry

2009-01-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

Date: 2009-01-06
Time: 09:00 PM
Weather: Clear sky
Temperature: -11ºC / 12ºF
Location: Around my girlfriend's appartment
Distance: 3.138km / 1.950mi
Total distance in 2009: 6.204km / 3.855mi
Duration: 0:24:37.36
Total duration in 2009: 0:49:52.45
Speed: 7.65km/h / 4.75mi/h
Metres per minute: 127.4
Minute per kilometre: 7.8min/km
Minute per mile: 12.6min/mi
Total burned calories: 285.2
Calories burned anyway: 32.6
Calories burned by running: 252.6
Weight: 191.4lbs / 86.8kg
BMI: 26.5
Comments: Not so hard, but still not so easy. I went out running with a cap. What a mistake! My ears went cold pretty quickly. I should have worn a winter hat (tuque or ski hat). Also, it was windy, so I kept on having tears running down the cheeks. Hopefully, I didn’t forget my gloves at home. Still pretty bad for a second run after so long! I guess that I have to start getting used to winter. I just don’t like snow and ice. Hopefully, around my girlfriend’s apartment, there are some parts of the road where there’s no ice. It’s actually a boulevard where there’s a lot of traffic over daytime, but not that much at night. The weather forecast service announces a snowstorm for tomorrow. Maybe the city employees are going to do a better job cleaning out the roads and it’ll be easier to run on the streets.
As for my run, apart from the cold, the wind, the ice and the snow, it was hard but easier than yesterday. On the other hand, I felt some pain in the left knee and a side stitch from the first third of my run. I guess it’ll get better as I get back in good shape. I also try to do some training for other parts of the body (I’ve done some abs just after the run). We’ll see how it goes...

2009-01-05 - Log entry

2009-01-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Started back running again... New Year's resolution? No! Just that I've been missing training for some time. Tonight, I went out running. I wanted to try my new shirt that I've received for Christmas from my parents. Also, I wanted to try the spikes I've bought to get some grip on snow and on ice. Here are the results:

Date: 2009-01-05
Time: 07:30 PM
Weather: Overcast
Temperature: -9ºC / 16ºF
Location: Around my apartment
Distance: 3.066km / 1.905mi
Total distance in 2009: 3.066
Duration: 0:25:15.09
Total duration in 2009: 0:25:15.09
Speed: 7.29km/h / 4.53mi/h
Metres per minute: 121.4
Minute per kilometre: 8.2min/km
Minute per mile: 13.3min/mi
Total burned calories: 282.8
Calories burned anyway: 033.7
Calories burned by running: 249.1
Weight: 194.2lbs / 88.1kg
Fat: 22.0%
BMI: 26.9
Comments: Overall, it was correct. I expected a much better result, but it's ok. I've decided to make a sum of all the distance and the speed of my runs to see the evolution over the year(s). Why not doing so? Also, I'm thinking about making a sum of all the distances. I'll try to run the circumference of the planet, which is about 40,000km (24900mi). For now, the most difficult part of running these days is fighting against the snow, the ice and the cold. Living in Canada means having to deal with winter. Unfortunately, our winter offers a great deal of cold wind, so my sleeveless jacket and my technical shirt are not enough. I'll have to get a windbreaker to keep me warm. Also, the spikes don't work as well as expected, but it's still better than without it. Even with spikes, ice and snow are still more slippery than dry pavement. After all, I just have to keep on running... Summer will come soon!

Sports drinks

2008-10-30T15:07:00.000-04:00

Every time that I go out running, I have to think about what I will carry with me over my run for my thirst. After listening to dieteticians and other specialists, I've found that if I run less than an hour, I don't need to drink sports drinks. Water only can do the job unless it's very hot and humid outside.

We all know that sports drinks can be pretty expensive. At first, I thought about making my own Gatorade by mixing Gatorade powder with plain water directly coming from the tap. After some time, I thought about making my own sports drinks. When you drink Gatorade, Powerade, AllSport or other drinks, you actually give your body carbohydrates (sugar), sodium and potassium. Some other kinds of drinks may also include caffeine or torrine which you don't need while running.

The following data comes from the Gatorade website ( http://www.gatorade.ca/en/):

Optimal drink (according to the Gatorade's website)
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml): 14g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 50-60
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): At least 100mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): At least 28mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

Gatorade
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):14g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 50
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 110mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 30mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

Powerade
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):19g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 70
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 55mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 30mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

AllSport
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):17g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 60
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 55mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 50mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

Cytomax
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):10g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 48
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 50mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 55mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: Yes

GU2O
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):13g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 50
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 120mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 20mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

Bottled water
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):0g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 0
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 0mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 0mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

Apple juice (unsweetened)
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):29g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 117
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 7mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 295mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

Orange juice (raw)
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):26g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 112
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 3mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 496mg
Carbonation: No
Caffeine: No

Red Bull
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):27g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 108
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 207mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 0mg
Carbonation: Yes
Caffeine: Yes

Regular cola
Carbs per 8 oz (250ml):26g
Calories per 8 oz (250ml): 93
Sodium per 8 oz (250ml): 33mg
Potassium per 8 oz (250ml): 0mg
Carbonation: Yes
Caffeine: Yes

My own sports drink
Carbs per 8 oz: 14.5g (on target!)
Calories per 8 oz: 58.5 (on target!)
Sodium per 8 oz: 184mg (on target and over!)
Potassium per 8 oz: 147.5mg (on target and over!)
Carbonation: No (ok!)
Caffeine: No (ok!)

My recipe for a sports drink:
4 cups / 1 litre water
4 cups / 1 litre apple juice
1/4 teaspoon / 1ml salt
1 tablespoon / 15ml lemon juice
Mix all together

On Internet, I've also found a few recipes for home made sports drinks. I highly encourage you to find what's best for you. Personnally, once I've got used to the taste, I started to drink only that. Actually, 32oz / 1l of this drink cost me about $0.50 or less depending if the apple juice is on sale or not. Compared with regular Gatorade, it's much cheaper!

Cheers!

2008-10-29 - Log entry

2008-10-29T21:00:00.001-04:00

Date: 2008-10-29

Time: 06:00 PM

Weather: Snowing / showers (mix of both)

Temperature: 0ºC / 32ºF

Location: Around my girlfriend's apartment

Distance: 2.705km / 1.681mi

Duration: 0:18:46.73

Speed: 8.64km/h / 5.37mi/h

Minute per kilometre: 6.9min/km

Minute per mile: 11.2min/mi

Burned calories: 223

Weight: 191.6lbs / 86.9kg

Percent of fat:

BMI: 26.5

Comments: Nice run! Much easier than two days ago. I really enjoyed it. Although it was pretty cold, I was still feeling ok. Wearing shorts at this temperature is not the best idea, but with a proper jacket and gloves, it's ok. By the way, I don't like running when it's dark and snowing. If it's snowing, I prefer over day time. When it's dry and hot, I prefer when the sun is down or by night.

The distance is still pretty short. I just can't increase too much. This time, I've increased by 2.27% or 0.06km / 0.037mi. Not much more, but it's enough if I run three to four times a week. At this percentage of increase, I should reach 42.2km / 26.2mi within next summer. That's soon enough for me...

2008-10-27 - Log entry

2008-10-27T22:00:00.001-04:00

Date: 2008-10-27

Time: 07:00 PM

Weather: Overcast

Temperature: 5ºC / 41ºF

Location: Around my apartment and in the neighbourhood

Distance: 2.645km / 1.644mi

Duration: 0:20:19.45

Speed: 7.81km/h / 4.85mi/h

Minute per kilometre: 7.7min/km

Minute per mile: 12.4min/mi

Burned calories: 220

Weight: 193.2lbs / 87.6kg

Percent of fat: 0.193

Comments: First run in a while. A bit hard at the beginning, but once warmed up, it was ok. My asthma is still there and I found it hard to breathe around 75% of the training. I had to stop running and walk a bit to catch my breath to be able to head back home. The next run should be a bit longer, but also a bit easier. I know that my pace is very slow. It's always like that when I haven't run for quite some time. I'll try to reach 12km/h (7.45mi/h, 5min/km, 8min/mi) before next summer.

Finally, I'll try to find some cross-training to do on the days that I don't run. Any suggestion?

My introduction

2008-10-26T23:00:00.001-04:00

Hey there!

Here I am, starting everything over. What am I starting are you going to ask? Really? Are you asking this question? Well, I think that the title is pretty obvious: running!

I used to weight about 245lbs (about 110kg) and I'm only 5'11" (1.80m) tall. Ok! That's not that small, but for that kind of weight, it's really too short... Or too heavy for that height. It means a BMI of 34.2.

Anyways! In February, 2006, I've started walking. At that time, I was at about 235lbs (about 105kg). BMI: 32.8. I knew that until I reach 215lbs, I was going to stay obese and I would still be overweight according to the BMI index until I reach about 178lbs (81kg). After a few weeks, I was walking an hour and a half every evening. It was taking more and more time every evening. I couldn't keep on increasing the distance like that all the time. So I started skipping a few steps, doing a slow jogging for a few meters. After a week doing that, I've started running for a few seconds. At first, I was able to go up to 45 seconds without stopping. A few weeks later, I was jogging a few kilometres every other day. In August of the same year, I was at about 195lbs (about 88kg). Since then, so for the past two years, I've been going from 190lbs (86kg) to 200lbs (91kg). I start and stop training depending on time and motivation.

Two weeks ago, I was on a business trip. I didn't have anything to do on that evening. I've decided to go out and run. How far? I don't really care. I went out for a short 20 minutes run. Not too hard. Just fun!

Last week, I started to really think about my come back on the road for an eventual competition. What kind? Nothing less than a marathon! Three years ago, if anyone would have come to me and told me that I would aim for that kind of competition, I would have said that he or she was crazy. Today, I see it as a good motivation to move and to run.

Today, I'm starting this blog. It will be some kind of record book of everything happening to me over my runs, my injuries, my joys and my deceptions... Also, I'm planning on writing about tips and tricks that I've heard on different podcasts, on the radio or that I've read in books, on websites or in magazines. Over that, I'm planning on sharing recipes and ask for suggestions on how to train and what to do to improve my skills. Normally, I should post entries every day that I run and anytime that I hear or read something about running or health that I feel might be important to be shared. Any comment will be welcome to the readers of this blog. I might do some kind of filter on the comments since I don't want to see ads or useless comments there. Otherwise, any comment will be welcome.

Hope you'll enjoy!