How Should I prepare?

[bandycpa]

Thanks for resurrecting the thread. It inspired this 40-year old bean counter to get out there and run 6 miles today too. This is just the physical and mental challenge I've been looking for.

[K.Ingraham]

Thanks for resurrecting the thread. It inspired this 40-year old bean counter to get out there and run 6 miles today too. This is just the physical and mental challenge I've been looking for.

I'm 53 & mentoring this youngster inspired me to return to good PT habits also. I started off by having to call in sick for two days until I could stand upright again.
Slightly different rules for FOGs with grunt's knees & firefighter backs.
Start slower...six meters, then sixty meters... :D

[bandycpa]

Thanks for resurrecting the thread. It inspired this 40-year old bean counter to get out there and run 6 miles today too. This is just the physical and mental challenge I've been looking for.

I'm 53 & mentoring this youngster inspired me to return to good PT habits also. I started off by having to call in sick for two days until I could stand upright again.
Slightly different rules for FOGs with grunt's knees & firefighter backs.
Start slower...six meters, then sixty meters... :D

Ranger K.Ingraham,

:D Number cruncher's knees aren't a whole lot better. Probably more atrophy than anything. For me, it was a *slooooowwww* 6 miles.

If I may ask, and as long as I'm in the process of developing good habits, would it be wise to do push ups, pull ups, and sit ups daily too (along with the daily run)?

[K.Ingraham]

Yes, us FOGs need to retain the muscle mass we have. At some point in the late forties or the fifties we begin to lose it. If we are to be able to hold up our own body weight at 80, we need to start doing a well rounded workout now. We don't need to set goals like the soldiers and wanna-bes on these pages, but we do need to preserve our health and maintaining an average level of fitness means we'll be able to drink quality beers and devour BBQ until we can't taste 'em no more!

The key is maintaining a workout routine, which is the hardest part. The crack I throw at smokers is "quitting is the easiest thing there is, look at how many times you've done it"; the same applies to getting back in shape, I've done it a dozen times now
Moderation and staying with it - and being realistic. I thought I'd push NeverSayDie for a lap and get him to learn how to push himself harder. ("if I can catch up to you...!!!!")
Sat down to dinner a few hours later...good thing the chair was comfy because standing up became a real challenge!

Since you are weak to begin with, strength building is important because you need to build the physical infrastructure to allow you to work out. Your knees, the cartalige (sic) and all has to build up to support the muscle mass. Work on back and abdominal muscles, since those are what blows when weak FOGs lift luggage, grandkids or try to start working out like they were back in HS or something.
Good luck.

[bandycpa]

Yes, us FOGs need to retain the muscle mass we have. At some point we begin to lose it, if we are to be able to hold up our own body weight at 80, we need to start doing a well rounded workout now. We don't need to set goals like the soldiers and wanna-bes on these pages, but we do need to preserve our health and maintaining an average level of fitness means we'll be able to drink quality beers and devour BBQ until we can't taste 'em no more!

The key is maintaining a workout routine, which is the hardest part. The crack I throw at smokers is "quitting is the easiest thing there is, look at how many times you've done it"; the same applies to getting back in shape, I've done it a dozen times now
Moderation and staying with it - and being realistic. I thought I'd push NeverSayDie for a lap and get him to learn how to push himself harder. ("if I can catch up to you...!!!!)
Sat down to dinner a few hours later...good thing the chair was comfy because standing up became a real challenge!

Since you are weak to begin with, strength building is important because you need to build the physical infrastructure to allow you to work out. Your knees, the cartalige (sic) and all has to build up to support the muscle mass. Work on back and abdominal muscles, since those are what blows when weak FOGs lift luggage, grandkids or try to start working out like they were back in HS or something.
Good luck.

Roger that, Ranger K.Ingraham. I appreciate the advice. Will read and heed.

BBQ and beer are great motivators too.

[bandycpa]

Just like a car: it's not the year, it's the mileage and how it was maintained. Can't expect to take a beater out and set a land speed record without fixing it up first. In some cases, that is, if you can even get it running in the first place.

Ranger Lunch,

I've left my car in the garage for a while now, and fed it below-unleaded gas when it was out. Back in 2005, I lost from 272 to 190. The car was running three days a week and doing Total Gym three days a week. Then, I got complacent, and did minimal exercise while eating like a hound. The result? Back up to 240. Even at 6'1", that's a lot of baggage to lug around.

I had been screwing around doing 2 mile runs every now and then, and no pushups, pullups, or situps. Now that I got the first 6 miler under my belt, I plan on doing what you and Ranger K.Ingraham suggested...getting back to a consistent day-to-day PT plan. As a pastor friend of mine once said, "You may start out spinnin' gravel, but will you stay on the road?"

[Bravo57]

Runners high. You've finally pushed yourself to the point where you are getting something out of it.

Now please post a current P.T. score.

[NeverSayDie]

Ranger Bravo57,

Push: 45
Sit: 47
Pull: 2
2m: 20:00

[shootingman99]

Rangers:
Wow I just checked this thread out, and I think this is my main problem in running. Right off I did every single run almost as fast as I could. 3 Days a week I would run 2-3 miles and do it as fast as I could, or pretty close (10-20 seconds short of puking). Now I have bad shin splints and a sprained ankle and my run times are still not great. I did get great results when I first did this, I just ran a mile every day for a week and went from a 6:00 mile to a 5:14 mile in a week. But doing it for months at a time just didn't work. I just need to get into a habit of running 3-4 days a week or more, good habits are hard to break.

Thanks Rangers!

(Heading out for a run now)