Accountability -- Day 1

Welcome to the Accountability Blog, Day 1. The longtime readers of this blog (all 3 of you) may vaguely recall a time when I posted for 21 consecutive days. This was back in March-April 2012. Today I'm here to tell you I've decided it's time for another bout of daily writing. Starting today, I'm going to post every day for 21 days. Twenty-one is a committed, even military kind of number: 21-gun salute!

This time around will be different from the last 21-day accomplishment. This time will be about running, my running, and not much else. I've been having trouble over the last month or two in keeping current with my hard copy running log. I love having the thing--so why is it so difficult following a run to stop and jot down the specifics of my workout? I'm going to take a cue from my esteemed favorite nephew, whom I'll call Bob because that is his name.* He frequently goes on FB and shares a brief and impressive summary of his workout.

So, for 21 days I'm going to give you the deets of my workouts. On the days I don't work out, you'll probably here me whine about what a blob I am, although I'll try to keep the sniveling to a minimum. I'll give you a picture or 2, whether you like it or not. After all, this series is partly about discipline, so I know you can take it! Part of the discipline for me will be to set a timer for 15 minutes and then not write for longer than that. You'll be spared having to spend too much time here. (Today's post is more than a 15-minuter because it is the intro.) The idea is to present via the numbers 1 runner's workout life in its beauty and ugliness, its ups and downs, its day-to-day progression.

Briefly, for the sake of context, a few facts about me: I am 69 years old. I've been running since 1978. I have never been fast, but after enjoying a misspent youth have been consistently physically active. I have completed 11 marathons, the most recent one in 2014. I am a pescatarian but not a Presbyterian. I live in Pleasanton after being in Berkeley for more than 30 years--and am loving running in my new city. I have scoliosis, a pronounced double curve in my spine, which makes keeping my body symmetrical or even balanced is an ongoing challenge. It also necessitates frequent chiropractic work and sports massage, as well as a weekly strength training session with a fabulous trainer named Heather.

In this space, every day I simply want to share 1) what I did or didn't do, 2) when I did or didn't do it, 3) how it was for me on a scale of 1 to 10, and 4) a small photo or 2--for documentary purposes and also because I love taking blurry phone photos.

So here's Day 1: What I did: Ran/walked from home to the Pleasanton Middle School track. Jogged there by running 4 minutes, walking 1 minute, and then repeating. I stopped at the racetrack fence at the fairgrounds to watch a few of the thoroughbreds take their morning exercise--so wonderful to see those beauties run like the wind. Once at the school track I did 3 Yassos, meaning I did 3 x 800 meters (2 laps) followed each time by a sloooooow jog of 200 meters (1/2 a lap). Checking my Nike + GPS watch, I was happy to see my fastest pace was 9:33--the slowest was about 11:15.

From the track I 4/1'd it over the Senior Center where I did a little circuit at the outdoor mini-gym there. What a great concept--a free, walk-by fitness center! A few crunches, sit-ups, dips, sissy push-ups, (attempted) pull-ups, a little balance-beam walking and I was outta there. I 4/1'd it back home--running up and then down a steep flight of stairs on my way. What I did: 6 miles total. 

When I did it: at about 6:15 am. Felt great to run early, which in the past has been my normal m.o. but lately hasn't happened much except on weekends when I'm committed to a group run.

How it felt: Great. I won't shy away from calling a 10 a 10, and this was a 10. Dawn & birdsong put it over the top. 

See you tomorrow for Day 2!


* Full disclosure: Reading Contra Costa Times columnist Tony Hicks gave me the idea for this sentence. He always uses a similar one when he writes about one of his family members, and I always smile when I read it.