08/10/09

Back at it. I missed one day last week.....for no other reason than the fact I had other things to do Saturday am.

Bad Nej!

I have, though, ditched the podrunner intervals for now. I can't run on the ground, without treadmill...or I get serious shin splints....so running in an actual 5 and 10K is probably out for now.

So....I'm just doing intervals. Run 3 minutes, walk 2, run 3 minutes, walk 3....etc.

I was sweating like a pig, raising my heart rate...and got in a good workout. Period. :-)

And, to make the day more interesting...I did get to set my Nike iSport thing. Spent half of the workout calibrating it.....so I can't wait to use it on Wednesday...and compare the mileage to what the treadmill says I'm doing. Wouldn't mind taking it outside to try it on land....but that will have to wait. :-)

08/06/09

Ugh! What a crappy morning.

1) my grandpa passed away yesterday
2) I had the strangest dream

By the time I got to the gym this morning, I just wasn't in the mood. I contemplated not going at all....but I'd already not gone 2 days in a row...if I missed another, I'd be in trouble.

So....I walked the warm up....then ran the first 5 minute interval....then walked the rest. I just didn't have it in me. That first 5 minutes about did me in. :-(

Still ran/walked 2 miles....so that's 2 miles I wouldn't have done had I stayed in bed. 400 calories I wouldn't have burned...right?

08/03/09

Well....I'm back at it again today. After trying on those shoes last Thursday at the running store, I could barely walk up and down stairs on Friday and Saturday. The pain on the inside of my calf was horrible!!

Won't be buying those shoes. :-) :-)

We went back to the store to try on the others they suggested (but didn't have my size that night). I bought them, and used them the first time this morning.

I can tell that they are changing the way I run....so need to use them a few more times to know for sure if they will work.

I started the week 5 program over again today. I'm going to do day 1 of the week 5 program all three days this week. I'm not going to be as aggressive as the program is asking. I'm not training to win any races, I'm just running to lose weight.....so I have the flexibility to take it a little slower.

Need to start doing some weight training. Guess I need to start getting up on my 2 off weekdays and doing it then. Getting ready for work at the gym...5 days a week....yuck. But...oh well! :-)

07/30/09

Well.....I kinda feel like I let myself down today, a little. Probably being too hard on myself....it's been known to happen before. :-)

Today's run was supposed to be as follows....

5 min warm up
8 min run
5 min walk
8 min run
3 min cool down

I was going along great....until that darned second 8 minutes. I actually started to get cold and clammy. And my vision was getting a little wobbly. I tried to fight through it, but went back to a walk after 5 minutes. Walked for 1 minute, then finished the last 3 minutes feeling a little better, but not much.

I think I'll repeat this one again on Saturday. I'm supposed to do a 20 minute run...with no walking....but if I can't make it through 8 minute sets, then I don't know.

Although, after the first 8, I felt as though I had more umph. Maybe I should have kept going to see how far that umph would take me. I'm wondering if that 5 minute walk in between runs is what is killing me??

Is that possible?

Stupid scale still says I gained 3 pounds from Tues to Wed....ridiculous!!!!

My OCD wants me to just do the next workout - the 20 minute run....or I'll be off on my weeks. It's already bugging me that I had to repeat week 2. Running for 6 weeks, but am on week 5 of the program.

What happens when I finish the 10 weeks? What keeps me going??

07/27/09

Went out last night with the boys to see one of my favorite local musicians Roxi Copland. And didn't get to bed until 11:00 (and who knows what time I actually finally fell asleep).

So.....getting up this morning was a battle of will.

I'd slept in yesterday, and was really really lazy all day...so it should have been easy.

It wasn't.

I kept hitting the snooze....and finally guilted myself into getting up.

If anything, getting myself up and to the gym this morning feels like more of an accomplishment, than doing the actual working out.

I've said it before, working out and losing weight is almost 100% mental.

Once you make up your mind that it's something you have to do, like paying bills and going to work....then it's so much easier.

I don't enjoy it...but I know I need to do it.

Period.

07/26/09

Week 4 program complete. Week 5 program scares me!!!

Each day is different, instead of it being 3 days of the same thing.

And, it seems, week 5 is where this messing around ends. Intervals be d*mned.

Oh yes, day 1 seems very safe, and un-scary.

Day 2, just a little bit more. Unassuming.

Then day 3......intervals are gone....gone, gone, gone. No more 3 min run, 1 minute walk, 5 minute run, 3 min walk crap.

Oh no!!! Let's warm up for 5 minutes...

...then....

....WHAM!!!!!!!!!

TWENTY minutes...non stop running!!!

Who are they kidding????

The sets of 5 minutes are all I can do to finish them. What the h*ll am I going to do with 20 minutes of running?????

D*mn!!!!

oh well.....I'll worry about that later this week. For now, I'm going to celebrate making it through week 4 of this 10 week program.

Granted, it's actually week 5 of running consistently.....I had to repeat week 2 due to scheduling conflicts, and OCD tendencies. :-) :-) :-)

5 weeks of running. Almost 9 pounds down.

I feel like I'm accomplishing something.

I don't feel any different, and I'm not seeing a difference in the way my clothes fit.

But, I am seeing a difference in the way my legs look.

Baby steps, I'm OK with that.

07/23/09

Well, I was bad yesterday....I slept in. Shut off my alarm when it started going off....just couldn't get up.

But, today I did. Sleeping in one day makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get out of bed early the next day. No wonder it's so easy to slip back into laziness after missing just one day!!!!

So, this week will be Monday/Thursday/Saturday.

My 3 min run, walk, 5 min run, walk, 3 min run, walk, 5 min run walk....went really well today actually.

Getting more and more used to running on the treadmill. I can actually watch the TV when running....even if it's not dead center in front of me.

My gait was much more relaxed today. It almost felt as if I was just jogging....but have the treadmill set to the same speed as normal. And, the running was so much easier.

Hope I can find that "spot" again....as it made the run so much better today!!!!

So......I lost 8 pounds in the last month, then gained 4 of them back this last weekend. Road trip to Texas to see grandpa.

But, two of those pounds are gone already....so I"m hoping it was just water weight.....from sitting in a car for 24 hours over the course of 2.5 days. Lots of Mt. Dew to stay awake. :-)

It will be nice to go to the gym on Saturday, and not have to worry about showering there to get ready for work.

I still can't believe how much I'm not hating getting ready for work there. I mean, I'd much rather be at home....but I'm getting used to it. I have a routine. There are the same 2 or 3 other people in the locker room when I am.

It's actually just not that bad at all. :-)

07/20/09

First day of the 4th week training program. Went from running 9 minutes total, to 15 minutes.

(warm up, 3 minutes, walk, 5 minutes, walk, 3 minutes, walk, 5 minutes, cool down)

I didn't know what the program was, until I checked it online before leaving for the gym.

I thought 3 minutes at a time was going to kill me last week...and they wanted to bump it up to 5 minutes this week???

Crazily enough, it actually wasn't that bad at all.

I almost didn't get out of bed this morning. It would have been soooo easy to just stay in bed, and sleep that extra hour.

I gained back almost 4 pounds of what I'd lost.....over the weekend? That can't be right??

Can it???

I didn't eat the best, but I didn't eat THAT much.

Sitting in a car for 24 hours this weekend was really not cool. But....was it THAT uncool???

Maybe there are "womanly" factors...and it's just water weight? Man, I really hope so. :-(

07/17/09

Ahhhh....this week is complete. My third morning of running is behind me.

I'm afraid to look and see what next week's program is going to bring. :-(

I'm so happy that I'm sticking with this. I'm surprising myself, that's for sure!!!

07/15/09

I emailed my shoulder physical therapist and asked about the pain on the inside of my lower leg. He said it could still fall into the category of "shin splint." So now I need to talk to my doctor and/or insurance....to see if I have to get referral for PT...and running analysis.

My run today was good. This is the second day of the 3rd week workout. Periods of both 90 second and 3 minute running intervals. 3 minutes at a time. Sheesh!!!

The first interval of 3 minutes was actually pretty easy, the second one blew goats. :-)

It was hard getting up this morning, but mainly because Tom was home. And he said he'd go with me. And then he didn't. But darn it, I plan on sticking with this. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I just have to get it done...make it habit. That's all there is to it. :-)

07/13/09

Monday the 13th. :-)

There is something to be said for this running stuff. I'm down another pound!!!! I'm usually not a person to track progress by weight...but my clothes aren't feeling any different yet. So...we'll stick with weight for now. :-)

Because I was at the gym Saturday am, I saw my trainer. Stopped by to say hi to her. She was so excited to see me (she doesn't work early am shifts)....and said she could see big changes in the way I looked. I'm not convinced though. :-)

I'm still feeling pain in my lower legs...but it's not in the front of my legs...it's on the insides. Makes me wonder if I don't have foot issues that need addressed. My arches don't appear to be fallen or anything, but that doesn't mean they still might not be out of whack. Think I'll call the doc and make an appt. Maybe she can refer me to a person that does running evals?? I know my shoulder physical therapist does.....so I'll ask to go there if I can.

Today was the first time running the 3rd week of the program. (even though this is the 4th week of running) Intervals of running 90 seconds, then walk, then run 3 minutes, walk, 90 seconds, walk...etc, etc.

3 FRIGGIN' MINUTES!!! Ugh!!! But, I handled it like a champ today I think.

I also think I need to start wearing a headband of some sort....as dorky as it looks. I'm sick of the sweet dripping in my eyes!!! :-)

Oh, and on a positive note, I found my heart monitor watch!!!!!!! :-)

07/10/09

So far to date, yesterday was the most difficult day to get up and work out yet.

Then, while running, I started to feel those first pains that tell me shin splints are soon to follow.

Frustration is an understatement right now.

But....I'm still getting up tomorrow am to run.....to make my 3 times this week. It's a Saturday, but that's the price I pay for staying up late Sunday and not working out on Monday. Plain and simple.

I'm really nervous about the workout next week though. Running for 3 minutes at a time. Ugh! It's amazing how out of shape I really am.

Yesterday, while running, I was getting bummed about the pain I was starting to feel.

My polar heart monitor watch is missing, gone forever....and I think that has me bummed out. I bought it for myself when I started working out last year.....on my birthday. It's not like I can't replace it or anything. It's just that it signified something. Kinda like losing a wedding ring. You can always replace it....but.....

So anyway, as I'm running, I start thinking about how easy it would be to stop....to hit the locker room early.

Ugh!!! Can't let those thoughts in, have to keep positive. Keep my eye on the prize, so to speak.

So, I thought about my last weigh in, and subtracted 1 pound. And then started repeating over and over (in my head, not out loud) that goal number.

Over, and over, and over.

I made it through the rest of the workout doing that.

Then, on the way to the locker room, I kept thinking "good for you, you did it, you didn't give up."

Sounds corny, I know....but it's amazing how mental this whole thing is!!!!!

When I weighed myself this morning, that goal number I kept repeating over and over...as sweat was dripping in my eyes....appeared on the digital read out. I'm not celebrating yet, I mean, I have about 25 more pounds to go (at least).

But...I did let a little smile slip out. :-)

07/07/09

Back at it. I'll do week 2 workouts all week this week. (Even though I did one day of it last week)

Running for 90 seconds at a time, in intervals was easier this time than last Wednesday. But not looking forward to the 3 minutes at a time next week. (I peeked ahead.)

:-(

There were more people in the locker room this morning, but I was running early. I usually get up in time to do some laundry before I head out, and I didn't do any this morning.

I don't weigh any less....but I'm kinda sorta starting to feel my clothes fitting differently. Maybe a smidge more loose than they were. But not much. Only working out 3 days a week.....so I can't expect huge things.

But I feel better. Much better. Feel like there's more spring in my step if nothing else. :-)

I lost my heart monitor watch. I know I had it here at work on Wednesday to enter my workout. But now I can't find it. Did I leave it here and someone took it? Did it fall out of my bag, or out of my hands at some point? I'm bummed. :-(

07/01/09

Week 2, Day 2

(But since I forgot to download week 2 on my iPod for Monday, it's actually Week 2 Day 1 of the new running program.)

Ahhhhh!!!!

Actually, it wasn't that bad. Week 1 was 60 seconds bouts of running....week 2 is 90 seconds. Not too bad really. I had to mentally talk myself through the last set though......that one was hard.

I peeked at week 3.....there are 3 MINUTE periods of running!! How fair is that? Go from 90 seconds one week to 3 minutes the next????? What sadistic person came up with this training schedule?? :-)

I was almost starting to feel the first itchings of shin splints this morning....but I feel fine now. Need to find new stretches specifically geared to keep them away. Must spend some time with google this afternoon!!! :-0

06/29/09

Day 1, Week 2

Getting up was fairly easy....but the running part was pretty tough.

After driving to Des Moines and spending all morning on the water for the triathlon yesterday, I almost didn't make it home. I was sooo tired!

I forgot to download week 2 of the 5k running program on my iPod...so I did another day of week 1. My OCD brain is screaming about it. :-) :-)

06/24/09

Day 2.

I got up again this morning, relatively easily. For some reason, right now, I'm having an easy time wrapping my head around the fact that I need to get my arse out of bed in the morning and workout. It's the only way getting healthy and losing weight is going to happen, with my schedule right now. I guess, once you decide it's just what you have to do, and there's no other option, then it's easy to get yourself up.

I guess it's like going to work. I don't want to go, I hate going, but that mortgage payment keeps tapping me on the shoulder. Same thing with the workout....dying, heart disease, and going up and up in jean's sizes keeps giving me the stink eye. :-)

It was a little tougher going, once I got to the treadmill, than it was on Monday. Although.....the two previous times I've done the week 1 workout, I walked through one of the running intervals. Today, I ran them all. Didn't hesitate and didn't slow down.

I'm pretty confident I could run more than the intervals have me running...but I'm determined to do this right. No shin splints, torn calf muscles, or burn out for me this time!!!!

The corporate cup run in Omaha is this September. Would love to run (run/walk, who am I kidding?) the event this year!!! A group of us walked the full 10k...I used taking pictures of our company runners as an excuse...but really, I just didn't want to walk the 2 mile course. It seemed like a cop out, in a way.

I would LOVE to run (run/walk?) the event this year. I'd like to do it in a respectable time. Showing people what I can do is a good motivator....and showing myself what I can do really does the trick! :-)

Welcome Back Kotter

Well....I'm back. It's been a long time coming, but it feels good.

Working out in the evenings just isn't going to work. I try and I try....but my evenings are always so darned full. And the nights they aren't full, are so rare, that I want to be home to enjoy them. Not at the gym working out.

So, this morning I did it. I worked out before work. I sweated my life away...then showered at the gym.

(sigh)

You know...if it wasn't for the humidity in the locker room...it really wasn't that bad. I took flip flops to wear in the shower....I took one of those wrap around towel things that Velcro at the top...so I didn't have to worry about trying to cover up with the 1 x 1 towels they give you there. :-)

When I got into the locker room, there were two people getting ready for work...and they were gone when I got out of the shower...then one other lady showed up. So...it wasn't horribly busy. That was nice.

I'm starting a couch to 5K running program I found on Podrunner. I loaded the first week's workout onto my iPod and off I went.

When I've tried to run before, I always start out too hard. And end up hurting myself. Getting shin splints, shredding calf muscles. Ugh!!!

So, I'm going to do it right this time.

As I was working out today, I felt like a little bit of a slacker...since it has me mostly walking...with intervals of running. But, I can still walk when I leave the gym, and don't wake up in pain the next morning...so maybe slow and steady is the way to go?? :-) :-)

I ate horribly this weekend, while is Des Moines with Mel and Sheila.....but turned it back around yesterday.

The one thing I really don't like about working out in the am, is that I can't make my smoothie those days. Unless I bring all the stuff here, and make them here. And that's not going to happen. :-) So, instead, I bought some whole wheat bagels and light cream cheese to eat here on the days I work out.

I'm going to start doing this only 3 times a week...so I don't get burnt out. Then, I'll increase when I get more into a routine about it. This has GOT TO stick this time. I can't STAND being so darned embarrassed when in my swim suit while out kayaking!!!!!!! This has got to end!!!