Sunday, January 16, 2011

First Post: What is the "Hickerson 500"?

I was sitting in school grading some papers a week ago when I looked up at a picture on my desk of my wife and I at a party from 2004. The one thing I noticed, other than the fact that my wife is still a knockout, is that I look significantly different. Now I know that it's been seven years but it's not that at all. I've definitely filled out. I feel lethargic at times these days. I don't have the same normal zip that I used to have. There are times when I look at the mirror and wonder how I let myself go. For example, my weight in 2004: 140 lbs. Weight in 2011: 191 lbs.

I hate New Years resolutions. Don't believe in them. If you're going to make changes, make them. So this isn't a resolution brought about by some vague notion that I need to make change. But I also realize that if I don't give myself something to stick to, that I won't exercise as much as I should. I'll continue to be on the same cycle of dropping a few pounds and gaining them back.

So I came up with the "Hickerson 500" as a way to focus. What is it? The main goal is to run 500 miles this year. That's approximately 1.37 miles per day. Even though that seems small, there's no way that I'm running every single day. That means I have to run a little over 2.75 miles every two days to maintain par. If I want to slowly get ahead, I have to start running 5ks (3.1mi). Eventually, I'm going to have to put some serious mileage down. To me, that would be in the 5-8 mile range every other day. The problem for me is that I've never ran over 4 miles in one setting.

I will post my mileage every time I run. I will also include the relevant times for that days run. I'll put up the aggregate mileage and time also (makes it easier to track). For a little added motivation, I've decided to give myself two dollars for every mile that I run. One will go to a "Fun Fund" for a vacation, the other will go to a "Charity Fund" with the charities that will benefit to be decided at a later date.

As of today, I'm at 9.6 miles (1.92%). Even though I started on the 10th, I'm counting the sixteen days that have passed (4.38%). Tomorrow I plan to run a 5k. The last one I ran this week, I timed myself at 35:02. Let's see if I can beat it!

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