Aaron's Crazy Race

AARON'S LAST-MINUTE RACE ENTRY
DAY 2 -- AARON GETS BETTER...MAYBE

I woke up quite sore due to my initial "training run" the night before but was committed to continue my two-week effort to whip myself into shape. I tried to avoid overeating -- almost an impossibility for me -- and promised myself I would run again today. I had not run back-to-back days for years but figured I needed to run every chance I got. Because I'm a Single Dad, my opportunities for exercising were limited.

Another problem was that I needed more sleep. I was getting only four hours a night so I decided to try and increase that to six. I got to five hours on my first night and considered that a success. After taking my daughter, Holly, to school and working for several hours, I finally made it to the YMCA at 12:45 pm. It was relatively empty when I weighed in at 203 pounds. Hey, skipping meals works after all! Now I only had to lose 18 more pounds.

For me, I had to stop eating after dinner if I wanted to lose weight. That was one of my cardinal sins. I love to snack. I was confident because I figured, "Hey, I have the willpower to be good for just two weeks." The truth was I even questioned my ability to "be good" for just two weeks.

I hit the track and initially felt better than last night. My pace was terribly slow but I kept going. This time I ran 55 laps before taking a break (I had to excuse myself). I was sweating like a pig and exhausted but I was committed to finishing my run -- despite the fact others on the track were routinely passing me (sorry but it's a macho thing to not want to be passed when running).

After my potty break, I continued my run. At one point, I started to get dizzy and disoriented. Rather than do the wise thing and stop to prevent a heart attack, I said to myself, "Tough it out" and kept running. I was determined to complete the 100 lap goal I had set even if it killed me. For some reason, I didn't die. I was able to keep going although a turtle would have given me a run for the money. I was glad I wasn't wearing a heart monitor (I'm not homophobic -- some of my best friends...) because there's something strange about a man wearing a black strap across his chest. If I had worn one (OK, they have ones for your wrist but...), the alarm would have been screaming for an ambulance.
The dizziness passed as I adroitly clenched my jaw and increased my speed. Despite the last-minute increase in speed, I finished the 100 laps in a laconic 112 minutes. That was a pace of exactly 13 minutes per mile. This pace meant I would take 81 minutes to finish the Bolder Boulder if the course and the indoor track were comparable. Knowing the indoor track was 25% easier meant I would finish the race -- if it didn't finish me first -- in almost one hour and 41 minutes. This was not exactly the winner's circle.

I was regressing. If I extrapolated the effect of my training, I was doomed to take 24 hours to complete the course on Memorial Day. Maybe I would do better to skip the training after all?!

Note: To enter in the Bolder Boulder and run with Aaron, go to www.BolderBoulder.com.

NEXT: Day 3 -- A Macho Exhibition

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