After Parkrun Experrence, I See Need for More Discipline & Consistency in Training

After a poor night's sleep, I got up around five this morning and went, with Melissa driving, down to Depot Park just a few blocks south of dowtown Gainseville to attempt their weekly Parkrun 5k.  Today it was warmer, in the sixties. The "race"...they try to say it isn't a competition...has quite a few people running and walking in it.  The very first Parkrun I ran,in January 2019, had me finishing at 30:00, a speed barrier I wouldn't break until 2023. Yet, with the exception of my summer 2021 open heart surgery and slow recovery until late October, I could easily maintain a light running pace without feeling exhausted.  That was true until early this year...now the simple act of jogging seems a bit too challenging to me.  As a matter of fact, the prospect of performing one and only one lap through the park seems pretty daunting, with me eliminating quickly any notion of going any further.  The people there this morning were very nice and friendly and, when i finished, Melissa praised me for my  effforts and enouraged me heartily.  As for my future with fitness walking and jogging, any progress  I make in it will need to come gradually, and I should be patient and disciplined. Later I exercised at home and walked slowly around the back yard while the resistance burden dragged me down. I can barely cover two inner-perimeter laps before needing to stop.  I felt a sense of regression at the park today, but I know that consistency is the best way to go... 

Following Self-Help Gurus with Discernment, Working on Recovery

 Over the last few days I've grown to enjoy listening to YouTube podcasts by Jim Rohn and Rob Dial.  Both men have different agendas and messages they're trying to convey, and I'm good with their efforts even when I don't entirely receive them.  That people will either grow or weaken over time seems to be the main idea, and I appreciate the similar stoic philosophies underlying their talking points.  So our brains are there to protect us, and keeping ourselves in a state of comfort seems to fit the bill as far as our brains are concerned.  Consequently, I'm supposed to deliberately seek out discomfort and resist the obvious temptations to choose the easy course of action (or inaction).  Changing habits is very much a feasible proposition, and it's best to start small and not let boredom or pressure unduly and negatively influence me.  I don't dig Rohn's tendency to be all-or-nothing with his ideology, but here I am at age 69 with a most serious brain cancer diagnosis and the opportunity to build my mind and body back up into a fine state of VO2-max level cardiovascular fitness with plenty of resources and time for reading and study...maybe this will help with my lifespan and healthspan.  Now it's about working out and studying while watching my hydration, recovery, and attitude.  So I ran in place early this morning for eight minutes, with more to come...

Little Victories in My Recovery

I'm plodding on ahead with my recovery from the prostatectomy surgery on March 6, savoring little victories as I go along.  For example, although I'm not supposed to run for a few weeks as this would interfere with my healing from the operation, I can walk...I'm encouraged to do so. Still, I'm not trying to speed-walk like I was doing before entering the hospital.  No, but I still try to maintain at least a moderate pace although if I'm walking with others, I'm only too happy to follow their pace.  This morning I decided to go out into my home neighborhood and walk my 3.3 mile loop course.  It was 71 degrees with 61% humidity...not quite as cool and dry as I would have liked, but I realize that as spring progresses it's just going to get worse.  I had no problem finishing the course (at 54:18) and never felt any pain or loss of energy.  It was fun to get out in the sun and go down all the familiar streets, greeting others as I passed by them.  Little victories, I think, are indeed important in a recovery like the one I'm experiencing...