My first 5k Run ... Ever

What and When
BUTTERBALL BURNER 5K Fun Run at the Homewood-Flosmoor Racquet and Fitness Club on Friday After Thanksgiving 2012. As this was a Fun Run and not a sanctioned race, this event does not offer running times but there is a clock at the end for your convenience.

Hey there.  I am Jason Ward 6' tall and 300lbs and I have spent the last decade sitting in front of a computer.  Now I have decided that for 2013 I will participate in several triathlons.  Crazy Right.  This post is about my first 5k run in a group and timed.

There were about 50 people who participated in the Butterball Burner Fun Run 2012 and I was one of them.

At this point I have only run indoors on a treadmill for the 5k training.  Technically I finished at 41:06.  This would make my fastest 5k time.  My fastest 5k time on a treadmill was 43 minutes.  I know slow but I am just getting started.

The beginning of the race was cold!  About 30 deg F and the wind was high.  In the first picture most have their backs turned as it was very windy and cold.  A few "special" people decided it was OK to wear shorts.  Even after the race I was happy I wore running pants that were wind proof and insulated. My blue jacket I am wearing is actually my fishing jacket for spring and fall fishing on my boat.  It is made of GORETEX so it is wind and water proof.  The main reason I wore this jacket for this race is that there are vents under the arms that unzip to allow air flow.  The helped tremendously as my core temperature was rising during the run.

Yes, those are ski gloves on my hands.  They ended up in my pockets 5 mins after the race start.My hat I wore was soaked.  Next time I need a proper wicking thermal beanie that will also cover my ears.

I was wearing a heart rate monitor and I used the app RunKeeper on my Iphone to track my distance and speed.  I tried to keep my heart rate under 155bpm and found that I had to slow down a few times.  I suppose the adrenaline of running with other made me push harder.  I did end up walking 2 times for about 5 minutes each just to get my heart rate down and my knee started hurting a little.  I was passed by many but I did end up finishing just behind the middle of the group.

I only had water and a honey stinger waffle that morning and had no issues during the run.  I also did not take any hydration(water) during the run.  It was cold and it did not hinder me I feel.  I did drink a lot of water after the race as I was quite thirsty.

Some photos from the event.

Before the race.  Was cold and wind was high.

About to cross the finish line between the cones.

My 1st 5k done.  My actual time was 41:06.

Front of Event Shirt

Back of event shirt

What does PR mean?

5k Fun Run.  Finished in 41:06 ... a new PR!

I've heard runners talking about their PRs and I'm embarrassed to ask what that means. What are they talking about?

Answer: Once you've run your first road race, you have a PR, or a "Personal Record." It refers to your best time in a race of a specific distance. So, if you run a 5K race in 28:45, that's your PR for the 5K distance. If you run faster than 28:45 in a subsequent 5K race, then you have a new PR for that distance. So you'll have PRs for different race distances, from 1-milers to marathons.

 You may also hear some runners call their best race times "PBs" or "Personal Bests." Whatever they call it, experienced runners love to talk about their PRs because it helps them stay motivated to keep training and racing. It's also fun to keep track of your PRs in your training log, so you can refer back to them and record a new one when you achieve it.

Original article

Sh!t Cyclist Say Videos

Came across a few funny videos about cyclists and they say on and off the bike. I have heard some of these and even said some of these.

The following video Shit cyclists say was uploaded to Youtube on Jan 30,2012.  This video is hilarious and a bit raunchier so don't watch is you are easily offended.



The next Sh!t Cyclists Say dropped on YouTube on Sunday morning 21 January 2012, and at time of publication racked up over 1 million views, all in the name of Bikes Belong People for Bikes pledge campaign http://www.peopleforbikes.org/.

Little left for cyclists to do but laugh at Krughoff’s work and sign the People for Bikes pledge. And we're interested to know, just how many of these have you said during your cycling career? (More than a few in our case!)

Learning to Swim

I thought I knew how to swim.  Apparently making your way across a pool and swimming laps are 2 different animals.  On day one (October 1, 2012) I ventured into the pool area of my health club with goggles still in the package and loose swim trunks with pockets.  That day I failed to complete 1 lap without standing for many reasons.  The main reason was because I had no idea how to breathe - the simple act of trying to hold my head above water at all times while taking strokes was killing me.  I sicked in water through my mouth and nose and each time I had to stop and recover.

2 months later and I can now successfully complete 2 sets of 500 yards with a 5 min rest between in under 28 minutes.  For me this is a HUGE accomplishment.  This means that the indoor tri in Feb I will be attending I can swim approximately 500 yards in 10 minutes which is my target for this race.  I have inhaled more water but it no longer paralyzes me.

How did I do it?

1. Breathe!  Seriously, Stick your head in the water and get used to it being there for most of the swim.  I have stared at the black line for quite a while now in my short 2 months.
2. I realized that swimming in a triathlon you want to save your legs.  So kick sparingly.  I only kick   when rotating my body for a stroke.
3. Lots of Youtube!  This is always a first stop. Watch all the videos from Total Immersion.
4. Time in the water.  Spend as much time as possible horizontal in the water.  Find that balance.
5. Ditch swimming aids - buoys, boards and such.  Only made me more dependent on them.
6. Take videos of yourself above and below water.  For me this is where I found out why I was failing at the kick.
7. Stay aerobic.  Keep your heart rate down.  Kicking your legs too much is an easy to go anaerobic .
8. Keep moving.  Side stroke or  even just kicking lightly on your side before your next stroke to catch up on a couple breathes will help.

This is all my opinion and what I have done.

Below is the video that turned me onto Total Immersion

2012 - 2013 Off-season Trialthlon Training Goals

Jason Ward before his first 5k run (2012)

My triathlon training goals for my off season (October 1, 2012 and April 1, 2013) is as follows:

1. Swim 22 miles - 25m lap pool
2. Bike 1,000 miles - spin and stationary bikes
3. Run 234 miles - on treadmill
4. Indoor Triathlon on Feb 24, 2013
5. Limited/no carbs after 7pm

I derived these totals based on the following facts:

1. There are a about 26 weeks in the above mentioned time frame.
2. I can easily bike 40 miles a week
3. Running 9 miles a week would be a challenge
4. Swimming almost a mile a week was a complete unknown.
5. The swim, bike and run ratio is close to that of a sprint triathlon.

So, how am I doing?

To date (12/6/2012 halfway through week 10) I am about 1.36 miles behind on the swim, 67 miles short on the bike and 38 miles behind on the run.  I intend on biking 40 miles, swimming 1/2 mile and running 6 miles.  The week before and the week of Thanksgiving I barely exercised because I was lazy and I ran a 5k (time 41:06) the day after Thanksgiving.

Now What?
I made these goals almost randomly.  My intention was to produce a base through volume as weight loss is far more an issue than speed.  After I lose some weight I will likely focus more heavily on intervals and drills to get faster.

My First Real Bike - 2012 Trek 7.5 FX

2012 Trek 7.5 FX

Some recent events in my life have shown me that I need to lose weight. It was about July this year (2012) I made the decision to purchase a new bike. I looked up my local bike shop which happened to be a Trek dealer and headed in to get some info.  At the time the following were my requirements:

1. My goal was to increase my fitness and lose weight. 
2. I would be riding on paved trails or roads exclusively.  So no wide knobby tires.
3. I did not want a road bike (a statement I would later regret slightly).  
4. I wanted a bike that had relatively common parts so I could take it almost anywhere and have it repaired.
5. A bike of high quality and better than average parts.
6. I weigh 300lbs and need something sturdy. 
7. Priced under $1,000.  

With this information the salesman lead me over to the hybrids without suspension.  I decided on a Trek 7.5 fx.  Why?  Mainly because it had a carbon fork, looked kinda cool and the next model up was a big jump in price for no addition perceived value by me.. 

I left with this information and began researching the bike and looking for reviews.  I couldn't find much about the 2012 Trek 7.5 fx but I did find some about the previous year models.  There was only one concern I has after my research.  It appears that in an effort to keep the bike price pre model at a particular price point Trek will lower the quality of components on the bike.  Although I understand why I still did not like that.  Basically a 2011 

I did not like the idea of charging the bike to a credit card so I needed cash.   I got a huge break after visiting a casino with my wife and we walked away with about $1,300 in winnings.  My bike money!

About 2 weeks after my first visit to my local bike shop I ordered my bike.  About 10 days later it arrived.

I will have a review of the bike in another post.

Related Links

2012 Trek 7.5 FX Specifications
2012 Trek 7.5 FX Review