Grocery Shoppin' Biker

Today my lab mate cut his finger while we were changing a water filter and his blood dripped down onto my hand.  Like, a lot of it.  Those of you who know me at all in real life will know that it is a miracle that I did not shriek with horror, sob bitterly, or pass out.  Even more impressive than that was what happened this evening.

I rode my bike to the grocery store.

This is how the bike ride materialized in my mind:  "I'm such a dummy.  Five blades doesn't mean five replacement cartridges, it means five blades on EACH razor...  I need to take this razor kit back and exchange it for just refills and never go grocery shopping with Brittainy again.  Hey, I also forgot sandwich meat...  Those things are small enough to fit in my bike basket."  That's when the little lightbulb lit up.

Brittainy flipped it back off and said that it might rain, but then offered to pick me up if it rained and I didn't want to ride back in it (for that, she wins the good roommate award, and partially makes up for being a distracting shopping buddy).  I thought that it would be more likely that she'd have to pick me up because I would get exhausted and be stranded on the side of the road with jelly legs.

On the way home, I listened to the podcast of the Young Women's general meeting from General Conference this weekend, and by the time I even started to get tired, I realized I was only a block or two away from home, so I just stood up on the pedals and got myself up that last incline.  As I pulled up the driveway and kicked out the kickstand to unlock the door, I did a private victory dance.

Today was truly a red-letter day.  I feel so strong!

One Step Forward

Today ended Week 2, which means that Week 3 begins on Wednesday.

I got a weird blister on my left foot today, but it's got a day to heal up, so hopefully it won't affect my performance when it's time to step up the pace.

I increased my walking and running speeds by .1 mph each today, and didn't notice much of a difference.  I may just do that every third day, at least until the third day workout involves continuous running (I believe that's week 5 or something).

I'm so excited about the progress I'm making.  I'm already solidly in the habit of working out three times a week, and I've even got a good attitude about it.

I've heard a lot of positive response from friends who have blog-stalked me here.  I'm so glad that the positive changes I've been making in my life have bled over into theirs, and it is a big encouragement for me to continue.

So I'll issue a challenge now.  What is one small thing you can do to improve your health immediately?  I'm not talking "lose 5 pounds," here.  I mean, something even smaller than that, something action-based.  What if you substituted one soft drink per day with a glass of water?  What if you decided from now on to fill half your plate at each meal with vegetables?  What if you decided right now to walk just a few hundred more steps each day?  Small  steps, taken consistently, add up to major mileage on your way to better health.  Success doesn't only happen when we reach our big goals; it is in every step forward that we choose to take.

In this time I've been training, I have yet to diet.  I work out no more than thirty minutes three times a week.  What I'm doing is NOT earth-shattering, but I already feel SO much better, after only three weeks of steady progression.  You will feel better, too.  So don't give up when things get hard, just keep being persistent, and you'll see the pay-off sooner or later.

Today's workout:
Distance: 1.78 mi
Time: 29:00 min
Sensation: Contentment

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.

Day 17: Going for a Smoothie

I couldn't think of a title, but then I talked to Kyla, and she inspired it with: "My roommates and I call it going for a smoothie because it makes your mind smooth, your emotions smooth, and your body smooth."

I was told today that I look like a new person.  I finally got the nerve up to weigh myself at the gym, and I did so with absolutely NO emotional response.  I refuse to diet, but I am trying to eat like a normal person without food issues, and it's difficult.  The book I'm working with, Eat, Drink, and Be Mindful - which I highly recommend, by the way - is about overcoming eating disorders, and some of the best advice that I've read exclusively in this book is that if you can't weigh yourself without an emotional response, don't weigh yourself.  So the no emotional response thing is a good thing, and it's the reason why I haven't weighed myself since December.

I weighed myself out of curiosity to see if I had lost weight or maybe just carry myself differently, but apparently I've lost 16 pounds since then..  I know that those pounds started coming off before I started running due to not having as much time to eat because of stressful school stuff and a little bit of watching my habits, but still.  Running has probably accelerated it somewhat, both in that I'm burning off more calories and in that I'm burning off a lot of stress.  I'm not looking to lose weight, but it is one more "measuring stick" on which I can see progress being made.  I tell myself it's now okay to weigh myself as long as I don't get bogged down emotionally by it and as long as it's not the ONLY measure of my success or failure.

Friday was also the last day of my running for Lent.  Don't worry, though; I'm not going to quit just because Easter is here.  I'm addicted now, and since the idea of Lent is repentance, I actually have to stick with it if it's going to be a real amending of my life. I'm a runner now.  And in a few more months I'll be over this endurance hurdle and start working on speed for a real 5K race!

My workout was:
Week 4, Day 1
2.10 miles in 32 minutes, 2.0% incline
Average Mile Pace: 15:05

Day 5: New Milestones

Technically, it's the second milestone, because I broke two miles!  Also, I started week 2.  The for real week 2. I will probably still stick to it for three days just because, but it wasn't any harder to start out than week 1, day 1.    If the first day of the new week doesn't feel any more challenging than the first day of the previous week, I'll take it that I'm ready to move forward.

I feel so great after running now that I look forward to it at the end of the day.  I used to love working out in the morning because then I get to enjoy that "I worked out already" feeling all day long, but working out in the evenings has its perks, too.  Usually I'm really stressed out at the end of the day, and running is a nice way to get out all that stress.  In short, I don't think that people sing the praises of evening workouts nearly enough.

That said, I was exhausted already when I started on the treadmill yesterday.  I had an hour and a half of physical therapy in the afternoon, which really took it out of me.  Then AFTER the gym, I went ice skating with my roommates for two hours at the Peaks.  I slept like a baby last night...

I have been going to a physical therapist for a rotator cuff impingement for the past month or so, and I have seen huge improvements from such minor changes in my life.  I used to think you had to kill yourself in the gym to get results, and maybe to get fast ones you do, but going to the physical therapist for this time has proven me wrong.  Six weeks ago I went to the doctor for shoulder pain, which is saying something, because I avoid doctors at all costs.  It had escalated to the point that I couldn't even erase a chalk board or plug in my computer without yelping with pain.  Now I can do all of those things with just a small amount of discomfort, and all I did was fifteen or twenty minutes of simple exercises every day.  Consistency, folks.  That's the SECRET!

Anyhow, I'm proud of myself for making it to the two mile mark, and proud of not quitting yet.  Also, I'm proud of making it to week two.  I've never made it this far in the program before, so yeah it's a major accomplishment.

Day 5:

5 minutes walking

90 seconds jogging (4.1 mph) - I actually went 4.5 mph for part of this because I was watching a zumba class in the next room...

120 seconds walking (3.1 mph)

(repeat until minute 35)

Time: 35 minutes

Distance: 2.01 miles

Total Distance:  9.91 miles

Day 2: Haven't Quit Yet

This morning when my alarm went off at 6, I was not that thrilled about it. The thermostat read "46," indicating that the heater had not kicked on all night, and my sore throat and inability to quit coughing attested to that. Luckily, I had changed the name of my alarm to "by small and simple things," which helped me to think a little more clearly about my goals rather than focusing solely on my pillow and the warmth of my blankets.

I texted Sean to see if he was ready, and he wasn't, so I ended up waiting on him a bit before going. It put a little bit of a cramp on the morning, but everyone was still in good spirits. After the struggle to pry myself out of bed and his apparent struggle with the same thing, we've decided that after work is probably a better time for us to work out, so we're going to give that schedule a try next week. My body is feeling the 6AM wake-up call right now...

The run today was easier, but I also didn't run as far. I adjusted the treadmill to be the speeds I decided on last week from the beginning of the workout and also didn't get confused like last time about whether I walk 60 and run 90 or walk 90 and run 60. I walked/ran 1.91 miles in 35 minutes, which seems kind of slow, but hey, I did it. I'm trying not to push myself too hard, so my definition of success has been adjusted to be defined as "continuing to go."

Monday will end week 1, and then I can either start on week 2, or more likely, start on what I will call week 1.5 where I do week 2 for the first half of the workout and week 1 for the second half. At this rate the program will take me 18 weeks rather than 9, but that's still amazing. In four and a half months, this sedentary couch potato could be running 3.1 miles three times a week. Is that as amazing to you as it is to me?

Day 2:

5 min warm-up walk (3.0 mph)

60 seconds running (4.0 mph)

90 seconds walking (3.0 mph)

35 min., 2.0% incline, treadmill at Gold's Gym in Provo

Distance Traveled: 1.91 miles

Total Distance: 3.92 miles