Prodigal

I know it's not the proper use of prodigal, but I'm using it anyway.

First of all, I want you all to know that my body HAS seen intentional physical activity since last time I wrote on here.  Not as much as we might hope, but still, more than this blog may suggest.  It is my intention to update here more often aka exercise more often and write about it.

I read an article yesterday about running in the cold, and seeing as yesterday was one of the most cold, rainy, and overall miserable days (weather-wise) we've had in Utah so far, I thought I'd go for a run.  Naturally.  It makes me feel more hard-core to run in the elements.  I even did a goofy victory dance afterwards.

My lungs burned.  I did half of the first week work-out for C25K before deciding to ditch the program and just throw in the running bits at my own pace.  Maybe when I start to like running again like I did before I will be more apt to follow the little beeps telling me when to push hard and when to take it easy.  But right now I am going to do whatever the heck I want to do just to get back in the habit.

Unfortunately, my diet is not yet the diet of a disciplined athlete.  I may or may not have eaten this at 10:00 last night:

BUT I do trust that as I start running more my ability to resist the temptations of fried high fructose deliciousness that are often consumed by my room mates who were blessed with younger metabolisms that I.  It's okay - we're just starting small.  Baby steps.

You CAN Win While Losing

The winner isn't the one who gets knocked down the least, but the one who will always pick themselves back up.

Speaking of winning, that's what I've decided to do.  I've decided that I need to get back up and start taking better care of myself, and I'm going to focus more on what I gain than what I lose.

My mom used to go to these weight loss support groups called "Winners with Joy."  I love that concept.  I hate that taking control over and learning to love your own body is always referred to in terms of LOSS.  It's usually about cutting out calories or certain foods (usually just the tasty ones haha) and about losing inches and losing mass.  There is even a TV show called "The Biggest Loser."  But I feel like in the game of "weight loss" you gain a lot more than you lose, especially if you're doing it the right way.  Here are some of the key gains that I have experienced:

-Confidence
-Self-control
-Discipline
-A healthier body
-Healthier body image
-Self-respect
-Confidence
-Athletic Skill
-Knowledge
-Achieving goals
-Smaller clothes
-Independence
-Ability to cope with stress
-More energy

If you look carefully at the list, you gain many of these benefits before you ever lose a single ounce.  From the beginning you can be a winner, and winners don't need to measure progress in pounds and inches.

That said, I am done with setbacks and excuses.  I am ready to be a winner again!

Updating Goals

I feel good so far about how I've been consistent for the past week.  I missed swimming on Thursday but ended up swimming on Saturday instead, not because I felt like I needed to but because I was in the mood to do it.  And I haven't missed one day of running yet!  In fact, I've been racking up the miles, and now that I'm pretty much right at 100 miles, I'm pushing the bar up a little further to 150 miles.  Right now I'm running six or seven miles a week, but before nine weeks is up I'll (hopefully) be up to running 9 per week.

One goal I have right now is to continue the Couch to 5K program and to stick with it exactly.  Run the program by the book on the road three times per week without skipping or lingering.  I was highly tempted to linger on week 1, but I tried day 1 week 2 yesterday and hardly even felt challenged.

Another goal is to be able to swim one mile without stopping. I'd like that goal to happen about the time I'm able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes.  The first step is to get to one mile in a single session.  At the Golds Gym lap pool that's 66 pool lengths, or 33 laps.  I swam 20 laps on Tuesday and Thursday last week, so this week I'm going to try swimming 21 laps.  My time per lap is dramatically decreasing as I go along, so hopefully by the time I get to swimming a mile nonstop I'll be doing it also in a reasonable amount of time.

Related to that goal, I want to eventually learn how to turn around smoothly at the end of the pool to eliminate the necessity to stop at the end of the lane to start again.  Right now it's fine because I usually need the rest anyway, but I think it'll be helpful to have more experience with continuous swimming as I get better at it.

And yes, you guessed it right.  I'm considering a mini-triathlon next summer.

Oh, and while I'm here, a little side-note.  I am way too clumsy be a professional athlete - I fell down the stairs at home yesterday and twisted my ankle pretty bad.  It's all swollen and hurty today, so running tomorrow may be nixed.  It is annoying that every time I start trying to get in shape I hurt myself!

Nixing the Gym

I woke up this morning feeling like I had already lifted weights for several hours, so I skipped weight training at the gym.  I feel like running and swimming are enough for now.  When that becomes easy for me, I'll start lifting weights.  I sense that doing all of it at once is a little too much too fast.

But I ran again this morning.  Not much to say about it.  It's getting chilly out, reminding me that my days of running comfortably outside are numbered.  I still had sweat dripping off of me, so I guess I have a few more weeks before it gets chilly enough to bring a jacket.  Hm my ankles felt better today, but there were still some moments of discomfort.  The workout seemed easier today, so I will probably forge ahead with week 2 on Monday instead of lingering on week 1 as I predicted after my workout on Monday.  I also seem to remember that the first time working through C25K I doubted that I could do the upcoming week, and then I did it without difficulty.  I'm going to be okay.  Maybe I should make it my policy to "when in doubt, just do it."  And if I can't, I can always retreat to the previous week without shame because I TRIED!

I have very few negative things to say about Strands, but their iPhone app crashed on me this morning during the last five minutes of my run, and that sucked.  The mileage for today was therefore a wild guess based on previous days of running similar routes...

Oh, and I got a trophy on Strands for MILEAGE.  Imagine that!  I haven't even been tracking my mileage on strands for that long.  I guess swimming and running together add up.  Now I'm obsessed with getting another trophy on there!

Okay, roomie is out of the shower, so it's time to get ready for work.

Swimming to Cool My Temper

I almost forgot to write on here!  I'm just going to be very brief because I need to be getting in bed if I expect to be getting out of it tomorrow morning for running.

First of all, I had an awful day.  I rarely get mad about anything, but I was severely miffed today about the management of my apartment changing contracts without notifying their tenants and thus losing my right to park at my own apartment.  Because of logistical issues relating to that, my swim was delayed, but gave much more enjoyment once it happened.

A friend asked me what I was up to, and I said, "Off to swim!"  I could have easily said, "Nothing much," and so had a more sedentary evening of hanging out, but I resisted.

I swam 40 pool lengths, which is a little over half a mile.  I am wiped, though.  I am going to add one lap every week, though, and by the end of the year I will be swimming a mile each time!  Then, I'll start working on reducing the breathing breaks in between laps so that I can endure it for the full mile.

I weighed myself at the gym today as well, and as of today I have gained back five pounds since June.  I may have gained more than that since July, though, since I was still very active and probably lost a few more pounds after I last weighed.  No matter, though.  Five weeks of inactivity, five pounds.  Not as bad as I would have expected, and it certainly explains why my clothes still fit.  So I now have a new starting weight.  Everything is new, and I have high hopes for this semester.  My body is thanking me already.

New Beginnings

It's a new semester, and I have all sorts of resolutions.  First and foremost, I want to start writing on here every day, whether I run/swim or not.  But I need to be running or swimming every day, because that's another goal I have.

This morning I started over from square one with the C25K program.  I've been off it long enough that I felt like I needed to.  It was refreshing to be running again, but my body complained quite a bit, particularly my ankles.  Sometimes they burn bad, and sometimes they feel fine.  I wish I could know what I'm doing differently to make such a difference in how I feel.

After running I went to Golds to lift weights.  It was a nice feeling to already be done working out before I even started my day, although my alarm clock going off this morning was particularly unpleasant.  I hit the snooze button longer than I should have, which I will have to work on improving in the next week or so so I can go to work on time while I'm exercising.

Blistered

I have been off the wagon due to a sinus infection of a few weeks ago that legitimately had me down for a few weeks, and now still has me down because I lost the habit of working out frequently.  But I'm here to recommit to you to get back on the horse. I went swimming once last week, and was impressed by my ability to swim repeated laps without inhaling any water.

My plan is to start C25K again next week.  MWF I am going to get up early and re-start the C25K program from Day 1 Week 1 and work on my arms with weight training.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm going to swim and do legs and core with weight training. This week I plan on swimming at least 3 times, but no running for me this week.  I may try to incorporate weight training as well this week just to get used to it, but we'll see how things go.

The shoes I wore yesterday to church put BLISTERS on my feet.  Actual pus-filled blisters on the weight-bearing balls of my foot.  You know, that part that you're supposed to run on.  It has affected my gait already to the point that my left ankle feels all funny, and last thing I want to do is run funny on them and further screw up my ankles.  Besides, it HURTS.

Sad face.  :(