I Run 4 Me
Life through the eyes of me, a Filipino, optometry student, runner, foodie, and regular guy named Lawrence
Start Weight: 195 lbs
Current Weight: 158 lbs
Goal Weight: 150 lbs
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Showing posts tagged Do Life
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What I love about 5Ks
So here’s the deal, I ran a 5K this morning and I’m not gonna lie, it was kinda hard this time. My legs were already shot from playing basketball the day before, so I was really scared that I would not be able to even do it. Turned out that I did fine, but it got me thinking, why do I even do these races?
Here’s why:
- The competitive aspect of it makes me run even better
- The feel of a group of people all going toward the same goal
- The complimentary shirt
- The food at the end
- The atmosphere of positive attitude
- That feeling of finishing with a faster time
- The feel of crossing the line with everyone cheering for you
You see with 5Ks, it’s not all running and tiring yourself out. There is so much more. Normally, I can’t even run this distance when I am running at the gym. But when there are all these people running, I am able to run non-stop and try to better myself. It’s just that mindset that I cannot get if I wasn’t in a race. So if you are thinking about doing a 5K, this is my take on that.
Outcome: 30:12
Best time: 29:22
Not bad considering I had sore legs and ankles from yesterday and was only 50 seconds more than my previous time. If I was 100% today, I think I could have beaten my time. I got to the 1 mile mark at about 8:08 which would be my fastest mile too, so I was on track but its all good. I definitely do NOT recommend running on a bad set of legs.
Tip of the day: Don’t do any exercise the day before the race.
P.S. I wore my Do Life shirt to this race too. Thanks Ben Davis (bendoeslife)
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Crazy-ness tomorrow
So, I am doing a 5k in the morning (Fighting Hunger 5k) and I am doing a something crazy. The Do Life tour is stopping by Orlando at 10:15 AM and guess what, I’m doing that too! I really wanted to participate in the Do Life tour ever since Ben posted that he was going to do the tour and it happened to coincide with another 5k I was doing that morning at 7:30. I must be crazy attempting two 5k’s back-to-back, but the Do Life 5k is for fun, so I won’t kill myself on that one. Picture it as a 10k split into two different sessions. I think I will be able to do it. My goal is to get under 27 minutes for my 5k in the morning and then a fun run with Ben and the other fitblrs at 10:15. Do you think I can do both 5ks?
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Day of 5ks
So today was the day that I did two 5ks in a row. One was timed, one was for fun. Both had their own perks but I believe the 5k I did for fun was the best one I have ever done. Here’s the breakdown:
Fighting Hunger 5k
This 5k was pretty tough for some reason. My goal was to get under 27 minutes but that didn’t happen. I started out way too fast and for about a mile I was 7 people behind the leader of the pack, but I definitely couldn’t keep that up. I was aiming too high and ended up with a slower time than my last 5k. On my phone (below) it said I did the course in 29:20, but on the official results, my time was 29:31. I could have been faster but I burned myself out so fast. Never again lol.
In the end, we still had a great time with all the free drinks and bananas and oranges, lol. Me and my friend started at different paces and ended up finishing 2 people apart which was kinda cool, but proved that I burned out quick. Next time, I will try to keep a steady pace throughout.
Do Life Tour 5k
Now for the fun stuff. This 5k was so relaxed and there were about 36 people that participated, so it was really fun. This run was different from any other 5k I have done because 1) it was for fun, and 2) I actually had a conversation with the other runners during the race, which I never do. The race consisted of other bloggers and people that follow the Do Life Movement. It was such a great experience because I really got to get to know the people I was running with. In a normal 5k, people usually keep to themselves and their own groups. In those races, you are just a number, but in this 5k, everyone was given their chance to shine and each person finished the race with a round of applause by those who already finished.
The course was pretty nice on the West Orange Trail which is a beautiful bike trail that runs for I believe 12 miles. We commandeered a course of 1.55 miles so that it totaled 3.1 from start to finish. I was able to keep up with Jed and a couple other guys for about 2 miles but I was still kinda burnt out from the first 5k that I had to take a walk break a couple times and ended up finishing right after them. In the end, it was an experience that I am glad to have been a part of.
After the race, we headed to Four Rivers which is an amazing barbecue restaurant. All the runners that decided to eat after were able to speak to each other and share their stories. Ben and Jed were really cool and easy to talk to. I wish them all the best of luck on their tour. Pa was kinda behind-the-scenes but he was a really cool dude as well. Everyone took pics and had a great time and I definitely will go to this tour again if they do it next year.
Me and Ben (I wanted to take pics with Pa and Jed as well but I didn’t for some reason)
I know the race wasn’t timed, but this is just what my phone said. For all you guys that are contemplating on whether or not to do the Do Life tour, please do it. Ben, Jed, and Pa are such great guys and are doing this for you guys. For more information, check the links below:
Ben’s blog: Ben Does Life
Jed’s blog: Life Does Jed
Pa’s blog: Pa Does Life
Anyways, sorry for the long post, but check them out. Cya guys later…
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Goals
So after that Do Life 5k, talking to Ben and the guys got me thinking about signing up for a half-marathon. I am already running a bunch of 5ks, so I might as well do it right?
I was thinking about running the half-marathon that is coming up in October in Ft. Lauderdale while I am in optometry school, but I need to wait on registering because I have to check out my work load for that time period. I don’t want training for the run to interfere with my studies, so I am hoping to be able to balance.
I am really looking forward to completing my first half-marathon.
I want to be one of those people with the 13.1 sticker on their car lol.
I want that finishers medal to add to my accomplishments.
I want to cross that finish line.
People may call me crazy for doing this but I don’t care. That’s why we run. It’s what runners do. Always striving for more and to get better. Runners are misunderstood, but we do it anyways.
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Do Life Challenge Week 1
I will be documenting my progress of this challenge on tumblr, lol. Here’s week 1!
WEEK ONE CHALLENGES:
- Write down five quantifiable goals for yourself. Emphasis on quantifiable. And they must be realistically achievable within one month.
1. Run a 10k in under 1 hr
2. Lose 5 lbs
3. Do 5 handstand pushups
4. Beat my half marathon time
5. Drink only 2 sodas/week- Assess yourself and write down your current stats in all five areas. Do you want to lose six pounds? Find out exactly where you are now. Do you want to run a 35-minute 5K? Write down your current time. Etc. You might need to get creative with assessments. That’s okay. There is no requirement on your goals or your assessments.
1. 10k time: 1:10:10
2. Weight: 158
3. HS PU: 1
4. Half time: 2:27:17
5. Sodas/wk: many- By Monday night, get on the floor an do as many pushups as you can. Modified (from your knees) or regular. It doesn’t matter how many you can do. Write this number down in a notebook or word document. Pushups will be a “fun” recurring litmus test throughout the 12 weeks.
Pushups: 20
- Beginners: Do 120 minutes of exercise this week. The exercise can be anything physical as long as you’re working that heart rate. Walking, running, cycling, rollerblading, yoga, weight-lifting, anything.
- Intermediate/Advanced: Add 30 minutes to your average week and push the intensity during those 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter if it’s five intense minutes during six different workouts or one extra intense 30-minute session.
Avg minutes: 360
This week: 390 (pushed myself by adding 90 lbs to my squats and power yoga)- Identify your biggest excuse. Write it down on a wall in your house. Then in your notebook write a way to eliminate that excuse. Not enough time in the day? “Eliminate American Idol and Glee.” Sorry
Excuse: Too much school to focus on working out.
Solution: Work out in the morning when doing nothing anyways, or after school.- Each night before bed, write four things you did well that day.
Monday: 1. I ate less food today. 2. I had a good nap lol. 3. I did my pushups. 4. I picked up a friend from the airport
Tuesday: 1. I paid attention in class fully today. 2. I ate only what I brought to school for lunch. 3. I squatted 155 lbs. 4. I ran a mile.
Wednesday: 1. I went to the gym early today. 2. I resisted buying onion rings at lunch. 3. I did 30 overhead barbell squats (70, 80, 90 lbs, 10 reps each) 4. I did 40 pushups with legs on the bench (4 sets of 10)
Thursday: 1. Beasted on the seated squat machine (450 lbs!!) 2. Went to the gym at 8 AM as planned. 3. Studied for classes already in the first week of school. 4. Did an hour power yoga and actually did a split, omg.
Friday: 1. Decided to help the teacher out with her class diaries. 2. Gave some friends a ride to dinner. 3. Avoided a fight at the restaurant with a drunk customer. 4. Had a fun time relaxing with my classmates after a long week.
Saturday: 1. Beasted in my 10k (57:48!) 2. Made sausage and gnocchi instead of eating out for dinner. 3. Bought a bunch of fruit and vegetables instead of soda. 4. Studied for an hour before going out.
Sunday: 1. Went to church early and set a plan for the day 2. Studied for 3 hours at Starbucks. 3. Went to the gym after studying.
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Update
So I haven’t posted in a while again, but here’s whats up.
I stopped the Do Life Challenge for now because of school. Studying is just way more important. I’m still keeping up with working out and such, just not what is specifically being asked in the challenge. I am trying to get a 6 pack still which is just a personal goal that I want to have at least once in my life lol.
School is crazy right now. It seems like I am constantly studying. But I always see it as a process that will eventually lead to me becoming an optometrist. I just have to deal with it for a few more years, then everything will be better after that!
I had a race last Saturday and it turned out really well. This was my first 5k that I did ever, so I decided to sign up for it again to see how I improved from last time. I was able to set a PR on this 5k with 24:52! Pretty sweet, compared to last year with 37:42 (13 min improvement!!)
I also recently ran a half marathon in January with some of my classmates. I’m so glad I had people to do it with, it just made it that much better. I beat my time by 2 minutes with 2:25:24.
I have another race coming up on the 25th where I will be running for the Orlando Magic!! Awesome, expect pictures!
