Just put on the damn shoes and run!

C25K - W1 D1
So I finally got off my ass and went for a run tonight.  I dialed in Week 1 Day one of the Couch to 5K program to see where I was.

I can tell you, it's not great.  I was able to do all of the intervals, but it was UGLY.  Breathing was bad and I'm quite sure that I was trying to recreate a scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies with my heart.

But, to all things, there is a beginning.

Current Weight!
I have a new fangled scale!  Here is my weigh in after my run tonight:

The bane of every overweight persons existence.

Weight: 278.2 lbs.
Body Fat: 47.6%
Body Water: 43.0%
Muscle Mass: 25.0%
Maintenance Calories: 3203

How accurate is any of that?  I don't know.  It has Bluetooth and transmits to an app on my phone.  I mainly want it for my weigh-ins.

My aching back!
After my extremely poor outing for the 1/2 Marathon in January, my back continued to hurt more and more.

At my last doctors visit, I was finally referred to go get x-rays and see a back pain specialist.  

The "root" of all of my problems stem from my Scoliosis between my shoulder blades.  It's a pretty wicked curve to see it in the x-ray.

Verdict?  Apparently I've been doing just the opposite of what I need to do for this issue with my back muscles.  He wants me to hit that area with heat every day to help take my back muscles from steel coils to "jelly".  I had been using cold packs and he told me to keep those for swelling in other areas if needed, but to quit using them on my sore areas on my back.

I have to work on my spine mobility.  So, for the past couple of months I've already been giving myself the heat treatment.  I've gotten a foam roller and started rolling my back muscles with it.  Foam rolling must have it's roots in mid-evil torture chambers.

Torture Device

I've now added in the next set of beginner mobility exercises.  The first two are working on the flexibility front to back and side to side.  I don't remember the first one's name, but the side to side is called open book.

Below is the position that we did to see how poor my thoracic mobility is.

1) Lie down on the floor, back flat against it.
2) Your knees should be up with your feet and glutes flat on the floor.
3) Lock your elbows and bring your arms directly overhead, attempting to touch your wrists to the ground above your head.
4) Make sure to maintain contact between your lower back and the floor; don’t arch your back to get your hands in place.

This is NOT me.

When I tried to get into this position, my wrists were at least six inches away from the floor.  Doctor said that is VERY poor.

With just the rolling and the heat pad, I've managed to make some improvement, but still have a long ways to go.

As I continue to get better with each new exercise, I'm to start adding in more advanced routines.  I have to take it slow, since my back is in such poor shape. The doctor doesn't want me to more damage than good.

Building the Core
That brings in the next phase.  The BEST thing I can do is to build up my core.  The doctor was surprised to hear that I had been running in Half Marathons and not been working core.  He said I have to work on core exercises once I regain more mobility in my spine.  The other part of that is, of course, LOSE WEIGHT!

Looking forward to January
I'm all signed up for the 2016 Walt Disney World Half Marathon.  I have A LOT to work on coming up to this one.  It going to be a long road, but I've done part of it before.  This time, I need to have a full routine to properly train for it.

Thanks for Reading!
Regards, ~Kipp

2015 - Rebuilding from the Shoes up! Check the link above to see my current and past races.