Week 2: Oct. 24-30

Week 2: Oct. 24 - Oct. 30

Technically, this past week was the second week that I’ve been running, and I’m completely aware that starting a blog for this training after I already began running is a bit of a mistake on my part. My bad. However, that’s the way it worked out and no one really likes semantics anyways. For these recaps there are going to be a few moving parts to keep straight.

1. I’ll start with a basic recap of the week, detailing any interesting, weird, or random events that occurred

2. I’ll also be throwing in some daily anecdotes from my life that may, or may not, have anything to do with running and training.

3. Every blog will have a weekly recap with my mileage, my total mileage to date, my playlists for my runs, and some other fun stuff that I’ll make up as I go along.

Now, without further ado, on to the first recap.

So let’s just get week one out of the way quickly so that we don’t have to spend too much time backtracking. I ran a total of four different days during week one (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). All of those runs were a ½ mile, and most of them were glaring reminders that I am not the same athlete I once was. My god, I never thought that such a short distance could be so excruciating. I’m not even quite sure that the runs beat me up from a physical standpoint, but it was more of a mental fatigue. There were definitely a few moments where I truly began to look at myself and think, “Seriously? 26.2 of these things?”

Yet, by the time I reached Saturday, I was beginning to feel a little more accomplished, and a little less winded. I took some of the pace off from where I was at the beginning of the week, and it seemed to make all the difference. Obviously, my pacing factor for these first few months is going to be huge. My main goal is to just build up the distance aspects first, and worry about more consistent speed later. Okay, end scene (week) one.

This past week I started to up my mileage on two of the four days I’m currently running: Tuesday and Saturday. I’ve begun to notice a huge difference in the way I feel in my ½ mile runs. I’m starting to build up a steady pace and breathing pattern, and I’ve felt better as a result of my diet, too. I’m not claiming that I’ve gone full tilt with my eating habits quite yet, but I haven’t had a sniff of soda in about three weeks. One small step for man, but a huge leap for Ryan Tackitt-kind (please read “huge” in that sentence with a Donald Trump “yuge” accent, also that request does not endorse Trump for president). Needless to say, I’ve felt the effects that this has had on my body. I’m seemingly more focused, and I have much more natural energy. I still find myself drawn to soda, and I think drinking it non-stop for the better part of 20 years will do that to a man, but I find myself beating down these cravings.

Monday started with a positive ½ mile, and then Tuesday shifted the paradigms of my running to this point. This was the first night that I actually increased my mileage, running for an entire mile on this particular route. I’m not positive if this was a hinderance to my run at all, but I decided the best time to run on this day was after playing a double header in softball. *Won both games that night, btw, only made one out in 8 at-bats. Humble brag* Since I didn’t tackle this mile in the morning, I had to opt for a night run around the complex where we had just played.

This was the first time in quite a few years that I had actually gone for a run past sunset, and I must say, it was b-e-a-utiful. There’s something pretty free about running through darkness with some headphones on (blasting some Explosions In the Sky on this particular night, more info on that to come) not quite sure of which direction you’re headed. What wasn’t so beautiful was the fact that, after having not run a mile in a few years, I was dead. The same feeling I had when I started running the week before with the ½ mile was now rearing its head once again. Everyone’s been there before; when your chest starts to burn, your calves seem to get twice as heavy as when you started, and you start having to mentally check yourself back in every few seconds.

However, even after the incessant complaining in my head, I was still able to complete the run without stopping, and with minimal emotional damage.

After the runs this week, I’ve also begun a new core routine that mirrors the same “taking it slow” approach that my personal coach Derrick has been implementing:

30 Crunches

30 Bicycle Kicks

20 sec each. Plank and Side Planks

30 sec x 2 sets of Wall Sits

I have to say that, even though I’ve only rediscovered running recently, having a solid core to work off of is one of the areas I want to see the most improvement. I think, at times, some runners that I know, or have spoken to, take this area for granted. I want to attack this training with the opposite mentality, and if anything, work on my core too much. It may not be much now, but it’s definitely something to build on for later.

The next two runs I had were on Thursday and Saturday. These two treks followed the same pattern as earlier in the week. Thursday was a smooth ½ mile and then Saturday was another mile. Saturday felt considerably better than the mile that I had performed earlier in the week, but there was still some “newborn runner” pain to cope with throughout. My girlfriend, Cera, bought me some new Nike tights to run in, and I was looking fresh. I think this showmanship like confidence fueled my legs to keep moving...or the fact that I was rewarding myself with an Italian Beef at the Bulls’ game later. It’s difficult to say.

Speaking of the Bulls’ game, though, what a time to be alive! On Saturday, Cera and I, along with her sister and her boyfriend, decided to catch some early season NBA action at the United Center. Let’s say it was a reward for my two weeks of hard work (in actuality it was a nice gift that Cera’s mom received, and then gave to us, but whatever helps me sleep at night). Anyways, the Bulls came out against the Pacers, and Chicago’s finest looked phenomenal. You’ve got Dwyane Wade looking rejuvenated by his arrival in his hometown, Jimmy Butler looks as happy as I’ve seen him since he used to be able to play without Derrick Rose, and Rajon Rondo may just be the perfect point guard for this team at this time. I just threw up a little in my mouth when I said that last part if that gives you any indication of how I feel about Rondo.

The game was a blow out; the Bulls were able to win easily, and lured me into a false sense of confidence about a team that will inevitably snag a no.3 or no.4 seed in the East only to be run over in the playoffs by Cleveland. Awesome!

But, for this one particular night, the team looked sharp, and we all enjoyed a damn good time in some primo seats.

However, after a fun night out on the town, Sunday was met with some rather unfortunate news. About the same time I started training for this marathon, my girlfriend and I (I say “I” to a much lesser extent here) purchased a wholesome, lovable, and ultimately heart stealing little puppy. We named her Roo (Bonnaroo, represent), and she is arguably the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, Sunday saw a much skinnier, fragile, and exhausted, Roo. After taking her to the vet, they informed Cera that she’s suffering from Parvo and some parasites in her immune system. It’s a pretty devastating hit for a couple on the verge of moving out, and starting a new chapter in their lives. For those of you that don’t know, Parvo is a devastating disease that does result in fatalities for little pups like ours. The positive thing is that she’s currently not showing too many of the nasty signs (vomiting and terrible bowel movement), but she still isn’t eating too much at the time I’m writing this. The vet hospital has given her plenty of fluids, which is also a plus, and we’re keeping a close eye on her condition. I can’t be positive, but I’m not quite sure I’ve ever been as disgusted with a situation as much as this. Not too sure that I want to go into too many more details than that.

Outside of that little misstep to end the week, everything with training has been going swimmingly. We may decide to do another uptick in mileage this week, but I’ll have the full summary next week. Thanks for reading, and please donate to St. Jude!

Week 2 Breakdown:

Mileage

Week: 3 miles

Total: 5 miles

Daily Mileage/Playlists:

Monday: ½ mile

Playlist - NxWorries - NxWorries. This is a fantastic album that just recently came out. It’s a side project for Anderson .Paak and producer, Knxwledge. If you’re at all aware of these two artists, you know that they’ve been delivering their own blend of neo-soul/hip-hop over the past couple of years. .Paak has been soaring after his album, Malibu, made waves earlier this year. Knxwledge is probably best recognized for his work on Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album, To Pimp a Butterfly. Both of them shine through on this album, and truly bring out the best attributes of each individual’s style. The record is out through Stones Throw Records, and, if you’re aware of the hip-hop lineage that exists on this label, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the throwback feel this record presents.

Tuesday: 1 mile

Playlist - Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness. I feel as though if you are a runner, or a highly touted high school football player in Texas (yes, that was a cheap joke), then you’ve probably had EITS in your ears at some point in your training. The best part is that no one would ever blame you if you did. It’s the perfect type of music to put everything into perspective, and the beautiful instrumental segue ways that flow from track to track offer an exhilarating soundscape to find inspiration in. This particular album is a slight left of center from their previous releases (there’s a bit more electronic instrumentation here), but it still bites and cuts with the same passion of all of their work. I listened to this particular selection of songs on my night run, and it got me through that first full mile with a sense of elation.

Thursday: ½ mile

Playlist - Pink Floyd - Animals. Full disclosure: I listened to this because Cera scored some tickets for us to see Roger Waters next year. What a Christmas present. I tell ya, the girl is a keeper. Anywho, I mostly just listened to “Dogs” on this workout (mostly because it’s about ten minutes long) and it reminded me just how much I missed Pink Floyd. I don’t really know that I missed them in the sense that they weren’t around, but I just can’t really remember the last time I ran through their catalog outside of Dark Side of the Moon. I really only hear that particular album because of the convenience of owning it on vinyl. However, now that we’ve got tickets for Waters, I’m thinking I’ll be seeing a lot more Floyd on these runs.

Saturday: 1 mile

Playlist - A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Huge news coming on the back half of this week: A Tribe Called Quest has a new album coming out. After Phife Dawg passed, I’m pretty sure I went through a mini-depressive episode. Going through the end of high school and college, all I listened to was old school hip-hop. ATCQ was the epitome of that era for me, and were by far my favorite group. Even after their highly publicized feuds after their last reunion, I held out hope that they were still going to get back together. Of course, I would be there when it happened. The late night performances they did last year gave me a ton of daydream material, but then Phife’s health really went down hill this year. I don’t mean to sound selfish here. Obviously, me seeing ATCQ is miniscule in comparison to the loss his family and the group feels. It just sucks to lose so many great artists in one year. The good news is that before Phife left us, he gave ATCQ the “blueprint” for a new album, according to Q-Tip. I’m all kinds of giddy with excitement, and there’s nothing like golden era hip-hop to soundtrack a run.

That’s all for this week. Be sure to come back next week for another installment, and please donate if you’re able to. Thanks for reading and donating!

http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=4298687&pg=personal&fr_id=65015

- Ryan