Legacy Pains

I'm back on the ball - I worked out three times last week in total because although I added a day of weight training, I left off a day of running.  My bad.  I guess I'm just not ready for that yet.  Maybe I'll just wait until the running stuff becomes easy.

Speaking of running coming easy, it definitely didn't tonight.  I had the same ankle problems today that I did during the Lavender 5K over the summer.  I feel fine now (as I did that day) but it was really annoying when I was going through it.  The pain really climaxed during the end of the first five-minute burst of running, and it was then that I turned off the C25K app and just ran/walked at my own pace.  I still did almost 2 miles, but it wasn't as much as if I had stayed on the plan. 

I am going to try dynamic stretching on Wednesday and see if that solves some of my problems, and probably stay on Week 4 for another week and a half.  This is where I start hitting walls, much as I would like to NOT hit them right now.  

It kind of put me in a bad mood, which was even worse because today is Valentine's Day and everyone just assumed I was bitter.  Really, no.  But running is the thing that normally makes me feel good, and today I felt defeated by it.  I'm recovering, though, and it's nothing a viewing of some sappy romantic movie before bed can't remedy.  :)

Chewing the Fat

Hey kids.  I just finished my run for the day, despite what I told myself momentarily when I saw that "5:00 left to run" on my iPod.  You know how I mentioned the Inner Coach earlier?  Well, I rolled my eyes at her when she said, "You're halfway done with this run!" after two and a half minutes.  I finished it, though.  I will say, it sure was nice to see my numbers on Strands today with improvements in all categories from duration to speed.

I noticed that when I was warming up, I was counting down the seconds left.  I was walking at the time, so it is odd that I would be counting it down.  I think it's just that I feel bored after doing the same thing for a certain amount of time on such a contraption as a treadmill.  I kept that in mind when I was longing for the running segments to be over.  Really, though, none of it was too bad.  I think I'm back to the point where monotony is a greater challenge than the physical effort of running.

The last few minutes, I measured my cadence by counting how many times my feet hit the belt in 15 seconds.  My right foot struck 22-23 times every fifteen seconds, which is exactly what your cadence should be.  I try not to stride too big and concentrate on keeping my back straight and tall, bending forward from my ankles, and I guess all that concentration on proper form has paid off.  I'd really like for someone who knows what they're doing to look at me and tell me things I can do to be even better.

More good-ish news.  I have not been dieting.  I repeat:  I HAVE NOT BEEN DIETING.  I weighed myself, and I've lost 3.4 pounds since the end of the month.  It's a little more than 2 pounds per week, so if it happens again, I need to do something to slow it down.  Don't get me wrong; weight loss is great.  I just don't want to lose it too quickly and then gain it all back (with interest) even quicker than I took it off.  I averaged a loss of one pound per week when I was doing this last year, and that was a perfectly comfortable weight loss - I was never hungry, and didn't spend inordinate amounts of time at the gym.  Also, I never did gain it all back, and that's incredible considering the junk I was eating last semester (you can ask my roommates if you don't believe me).  If I can continue this pace, I will be in spectacular shape for my high school reunion next summer.  Not the ultimate goal, but it would be nice.

Anyway, it's a good "start" to week 4, even if it is really the middle of the work week.

C25K W4D1
Distance: 1.99 mi
Time: 32 min
Weight: +8.6
Sensation:  Drippy

Upper Body and Catch-up

I slipped up a bit and didn't write yesterday, but I did run!  For some reason, it was a little slower than usual, which is probably why it felt a little easier than usual.

I realized today that I run 2 minutes slower per mile than I did in September.  Hopefully that will improve as we head into week 4 tomorrow.

Also, I am beginning to work out 5 days a week for the time being.  It is odd because the C25K program gives me something to do three times a week.  I felt lost going into the gym today because there wasn't anyone in my ear telling me when to do what.  It was fine, though, because I did go in with a plan.  A five-minute (which turned into 7 as I got caught up in the Kentucky game) warm up on the elliptical with three sets of 15 on an upper-body circuit.  Then on Thursday I'll work on lower body.  As far as core goes, I should probably be doing those every day, but I don't.  One thing at a time, though.  One thing at a time.

I saw several people I know at the gym today.  I like it when people know me wherever I am, but more so at some place that I find threatening like the gym.  So, a big shout-out to you if we see each other at the gym!

Next week I am going to try the Nike Training Club App.  It looks like it will be really good, and I have been really excited to try it out since I downloaded it, but I didn't want to add in too much too fast.  Then again, I also really liked swimming on "off" days back when I did it.  I guess I'll just try different combinations, and we'll see what I like best.  I just know that I need to do something to firm up the muscles before I start losing weight from all the running so as to prevent flab.

Friday Night Fever

When I went to the gym on Friday night, I was encouraged by the number of attractive people there who were also spending their Friday night on a treadmill.  It made me feel less pathetic for being there instead of out doing something more glamorous.  I can't say that there could have been anything better for me to do, though, so I am grateful I have the opportunity to run as often as I do.

Week 3 seemed really hard looking at it from Week 2, but now it's not too bad.  I was actually surprised and somewhat disappointed when my workout was complete the other night.  I felt like it ended too soon, but both timers said it had been 28 minutes, just like it was supposed to be.  Monday finishes up week 3, then it's on to week 4.  I'm excited about the progress I'm making, and how much easier it seems this time around.  It's like my body remembers that it used to do this all the time just 6 months ago.

I also finally got to see the end of Dark Knight at the beginning of my workout.  Like I always say, you gotta hold onto those little things!

Next week I plan to add in two more days of light exercise.  For now I think it might just be 10 minutes on elliptical and 20 minutes of weight training or 30 minutes of laps at the pool, just to mix it up a bit and still give my joints a break.

Workout:
Time: 28:00 min
Distance: 1.70 miles
Sensation: Entertained, pleasantly sweaty

The Inner Coach

Three minutes of straight running, kiddos.  That's what comes with week 3.  It's not bad at all, but I recall not being able to do week 3 on the road even after finishing week 5 on the treadmill.  Now the treadmill is on that 3.0% grade to simulate actual real outdoors running, so this is an accomplishment.

You gotta hold on to those little things, ya know?

Another milestone today is that my positive thinking inner-coach finally showed up.  I know 3 minutes sounds like such a short amount of time to go through anything, but it seems to just DRAG on while I'm running.  Tonight, I just kept telling myself really positive things, and I got through it.   It even seems easy now, looking back on it.  I just kept telling myself that I could do it and that three minutes isn't really that long until I was done. The second three-minute stretch seemed a lot better because I already KNEW I could do it.  It was a great feeling.

Workout:
C25K W3D1
Distance: 1.65 mi
Time: 28:00 min
Sensation: Satisfaction

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

The Treadmill I Love

I weighed myself after running today.  No big.  I didn't want to use my post-christmas weight as a starting weight, so I waited until I was exercising for a little while to weigh.  It might not be different, but it makes me feel better to do it this way.  I'm not brave enough to post my actual weight on here, but I will post the difference between my current weight and what I weighed the last time I checked when I was exercising regularly.  Once you see that number hit zero, I will be back where I left off weight-wise.  Cardio-wise, I don't think I really lost that much over the time I've been"off."  Also, I must say that losing weight through exercise alone as I have must be the best possible way to lose it because it faithfully kept coming off one pound a week over a period of several months, and even after a long period of not doing anything and eating fattening food, I never did gain it all back.  It would have been better to never stop in the first place, but we can't go back now, can we?

Week 2 is proving to be VERY easy.  I think the biggest challenge in all of this is I hate the treadmill.  I did, however, find some treadmills that I don't mind being on.  Two words: Cardio Theater.  I think it's worth the full price of a Gold's Gym membership for that experience.  If it's available at your gym and you haven't tried it, please do yourself a favor and give it a chance.  Except if you go to my gym.  I don't want it to get too busy in there.

I got very interested in watching Inception, and didn't even notice I was running.  I also got a really nice cadence without a strong beat in the background to distract from it.  It's running without headphones but WITH distractions, and the best of both worlds.  Additionally, I suspect that those treadmills were better quality treadmills - they didn't seem to shake as much, and it felt more like being on solid ground.  I just can't say enough good things about my workout today - I feel great, and I enjoyed it thoroughly the whole way through, not just at the end.  Yeah!  High Five!

C25K W2D2
Distance: 1.72 mi
Time: 29 min.
Sensation: Disbelief
Weight: +11