10k training in 17 days: Intro and Day 1

(scroll down for “day 1” log)

Before I begin, I want to point out the obvious that getting ready for a 10 kilometer race should not be done over a 17 day span.  But for people like me who have a long history of procrastination, I hope to be able to refer to this daily log as a “how to” after the race.

To give you some background on who I am, let’s start off with the positives.  I consider myself to be an athletic person at the prime age for physical health.  I’m 22 years old and I’ve been playing sports and occasionally running ever since I was young, so this is not new to me.

 

BeachtoBeacon

 

This will be the third year in a row that I have run the Beach to Beacon, and I must say it is a great experience.  Thousands of people arrive bright and early in Cape Elizabeth, Maine to participate (running, walking, wheelchair, cheering, and for some practically sprinting) every August.  My first year running was probably the prime physical shape of my life.  Being 5′ 6” and weighing in just above 150, I couldn’t have asked for a better running body.  I ran the race with 7:31 mile times, which was actually a tad slower than I wanted.

Unfortunately right after the race I experienced the scariest moment in my life.  Probably around 15 minutes after finishing, once I found a secluded place to sit down under a tree, I became extremely light-headed and passed out.  I woke up and had no idea where I was.  I was hallucinating and frightened past the point of crying, I started running down the street looking for help.  One of the helpers at the race was kind enough to listen to me explain the experience, but I was so lost in the head that I was actually laughing hysterically about what had just happened to me while I drank some water.  I obviously wasn’t okay still because I ended up walking about 4 miles home and once my parents also returned home from the race I lost it emotionally.  Apparently I had suffered a heat stroke, and if I hadn’t passed out in the shade I’m not sure I would have made it.  I quit running for months.

The next year I decided I would run again to redeem myself.  The previous year had brutal humidity and heat, so I thought to myself that this year would be better.  I did not train nearly as hard (shocking for me), and I ended up finished with like 8:10 miles.  The previous year was literally hell after the race, and this year was literally hell during the race.  To be safe, I checked myself straight into the medical tent just to make sure I was okay, but sadly for me the medical employee thought I was in need of serious help.  She dragged me and my exhausted body through a crowd of runners who had just finished and checked me in immediately.  I saw needles and heard them saying they were going to put me on an I.V., and me being me, I became instantly white and lightheaded.  I don’t do needles.  I have a history of getting sick from just hearing people talk about them.  So yeah.  I ended up getting extremely lightheaded AND arguing with the medical staff that I was just scared by their needles.  Luckily, I am good with my words, and I avoided my skin being punctured.  AND! I only walked two miles home this time before my dad picked me up…I need to communicate better with my family this year for a ride after the race.  Noted.

So my positives just turned into my previous history with this race, which is nice because my positives are heavily outweighed by my negatives.

First off, I am lazy and procrastinate.  Second, I enjoy beer and energy drinks more than water, and that is not to be taken lightly like most people do when they say that.  An energy drink or two a day, and beers on weekends.  Third, I have a sweet tooth.  Also not to be taken lightly, because if you watch me eat a bag Starbursts there is a better chance you are getting sick than me.  I’m talking the big bag, like the one that costs like $4.  I have a tolerance and I’m not proud of it.  Fourth, I am kind of nocturnal.  My sleeping patterns are unhealthy to say the least, and if you text me at 3 AM and don’t respond it’s because I am ashamed that I’m still playing Xbox and I don’t want people to know (which is weird because I just told you, but hey, the truth comes out when you blog).

I’m sure there are other things I could add to this list, but I’m just going to stop thinking about it.  I need to focus on the task at hand and find the motivation to prove to myself that I can get in shape for this race.  I haven’t run in about a month, and I’m a little overweight (about 160 I would say).

I will be blogging daily on my progress/regress towards the race on August 2nd, 2014.  If you have any recommendations/tips please leave a comment!  I would love any advice that isn’t “give up” or “no chance”.

DAY 1 7/16/14

Calorie Intake

Waking up at noon is unacceptable, yet I continue to keep accepting it.  Not a good way to start my training, but I’ll roll with the punches I throw at myself.  I skipped my first meal (another self inflicted punch) and I got a large iced coffee from the great Dunkin’ Donuts.  I plan on cutting down, hopefully completely out, my energy drink intake, but my caffeine will not be denied.  I ended up eating a delicious orange chicken and white rice meal at about 5PM made by my step-mom Annie.  Annie is the best cook I know, and she feeds me well.  She will be essential over these next few days.  I also had a Dr. Pepper at the golf course, which illustrates that I really love punching myself.  For dinner, which I’m about to consume, I’m going to have an amazing hamburger sandwich with all sorts of veggies.  I’m 22 years old, so if it’s not fast food, candy, soda, or fat-heavy snacks I’ll be okay.  Water was also consumed throughout the day.

Exercise

I am obsessed with golf, so this part of the log very well could have multiple days with it.  I walked 12 holes at relatively flat Municipal course, and it was free.  People, do not pass up free golf.  You will regret it one day and I can guarantee that.  At about 9 PM I went on a 2 mile run.  The day was miserable for running because of the humidity, but the night wasn’t much better.  I ran on a flat path near the ocean, yet by the end of it I started to struggle to find my breath because of the facts I’m very out of shape and the heavy air makes it hard to get enough oxygen.  I finished 2 miles in 15:53, with mile splits of 7:38 and 8:10.  If it wasn’t for that humidity slowing me down for the last 1/5 of the 2nd mile I think I would have had a split around 8:00, but no excuses.  I’ll have to learn to fight through it next time.

Final thoughts

Day 1 wasn’t as strong as it should have been.  Not waking up at a decent hour and neglecting my calorie intake was disappointing.  I’m glad I got outside and walked while golfing, and hopefully my body will be 100% tomorrow to run again because I feel fine right now.  I can’t wait to track/log my daily routines to really reflect on my progression.  It should be really cool to see.  Thanks for reading!  Please leave any health/exercise tips for me if you have any.

Ryan Jackson

About Ryan Jackson

My name is Ryan Jackson and I love fantasy sports. I graduated from the University of Maine in 2014 with a degree in Journalism, and I am now a graduate student at Quinnipiac University working on a sports journalism degree.