Some weighty issues for world's slowest human

Day 53, Sept. 30, 2012

Today I'm 188.4 pounds of rolling thunder.

And after all the junk I ate yesterday to stay awake on the late shift, it's amazing the scale didn't register 208.4 pounds.

I'm going to start my day with a tip of the hat to a family friend who underwent successful surgery on Friday to have a brain tumor removed. There's no hill, or wind or weather that I could face on the road that requires the kind of courage and determination this kid and his family need to face this ordeal. Our thoughts and prayers are with them on this odyssey.

Today I did something I haven't done in forever. At least not as a part of my daily running regimen. I strapped on a pair of 5-pound ankle weights and hit the road.

I originally bought the weights to use while cycling on a stationary bike indoors. But all that shaking with each pedal stroke usually just resulted in ankles that were rubbed raw and little benefit.

Back in the day, my first taste of wearing ankle weights was as a high school freshman. We'd strap them on and then wind tape around them and wear the weights for our two-hour practice every day. The theory being that if you worked out in weights you'd be able to run faster, jump higher and eventually leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Now there are all sorts of theories about how beneficial or detrimental working with weights can be. And over the years, I've subjected myself to ankle weights, weighted vests, wrist weights and even carrying simple dumbbells while I run.

Generally, I've had good results. In high school, I could actually touch the rim of a standard basketball goal, and I suffered few ankle or joint injuries.

But I've never really stuck to a workout program using weights other than in high school.

So for whatever reason I strapped on my handy weights and hit the door. Maybe it's my new-found energy. Maybe it's the success I've been having with wrist weights. Whatever it is, I decided to take the plunge.

So I hit the door at an even more plodding pace than normal. I gave myself the benefit of a slight downhill as I rolled out for an hour-long jog. I set my sights on a neighborhood ramble that included several hill climbs. I made all the climbs with little problem.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well it all went. I made my loop, eased down the hill and caught the end of the Chiefs loss to the Chargers.

I'm not sure when I'll crack the weights out next, but if you see the world's slowest human plodding even slower than usual, give me a wave.