Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Time for some thrilling heroics (except really not)

Surely if the weather is this nice...or at least warm, that means God wants me to enjoy it and not waste it by running around getting all sweaty. At least, that's what I tried to tell myself this morning when I woke up. Except it was kind of dreary and only slightly warm when I first woke up and apparently had been raining that night before I woke up.

The pushy voice told me it was probably perfect running weather. I wouldn't get too hot, there'd still be water dripping from the trees that would feel nice, but it wasn't so cool that I'd start coughing my lungs out. And even if it wasn't perfect running weather, how would I know until I tried? My running sneakers, which also seem to have a voice, reminded me that I feel damn cool while wearing them (even if I do overpronate enough that if you start looking at them too long they look like orthopedic shoes), that I did spend a helluva lot of money on them, and they are just too damn pretty to spend their life in front of the kitchen door. So I ran. And I did the second week of the couch to 5K thing, and although it wasn't as bad as my first day and really wasn't too bad at all, I was very glad when I was done. I was also, however, very glad that I had done it.

And I've got more to say, but all the sudden I am very tired and my eyes keep shutting while I type this out so hopefully my hands have stayed on homerow, because I don't feel like typing this all out again.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Day 3

So I just finished my third run of week one for Couch to 5K. I never thought running would feel this good. I told the therapist that I didn't think I ever felt so good after I finished my run on day 2. Me! The kid always in last place in gym class and who loathed the idea of running with every fiber of my being, and getting cold sweats at the mere thought of the track team.

Of course, you can check back in with me next week or in three weeks and I'll probably be reading this and ready to smack my naive, optimistic self. And what I'm doing is better classified as brisk walking intervaled (I'm pretty sure that isn't a word) with slow jogging, but everyone has to start of somewhere. And goddammit, I liked it and I'm proud of myself, so so what if it isn't hard core running.

I'm going away for a few days to visit a friend in Tennessee, so while I hope I won't have to start off from scratch, I might have to do a fourth day of week one. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Couch to 5K Take II

So I did the second day of Couch to 5K yesterday. I'd been walking around on Monday and yesterday with zombie legs. But using the same (probably stupid) reasoning that got me to the gym on Monday, that warming up the muscles and stretching might make them feel better.

I took it fairly easier. Every time there was one of the running times I thought about not running too fast. It took two or three minutes off of my time, but it made a world of difference. I wasn't wheezing at all, my face was only moderately pink, and when the sonnofabitch told me that I should be feeling the effect of running but not be out of breath, that was actually almost true. Yesterday there was apparently a hurricane passing through so I was running face first into the wind, and I had just saved a trash barrel that had been rolling across the street and then had to run across a few streets during one of the rest periods, so I maintain I had a good reason for being out of breath. And I didn't need to spit even once. I also didn't collapse when I got home and was able to stretch out. I felt loads better after the run and energized. I wasn't hacking all day yesterday and I didn't need a nap any more than I usually do.

Another plus? I'm pleased to report that my legs are significantly unzombiefied. Though I also went to yoga to stretch out this morning, and I know that helped tons. So, live and learn.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Weigh-in Day and first day of Couch to 5K

I went up 1.6 pounds this week. But I was sick last week and lost more weight than I was expecting and it was that time of the month...Okay, in reality my gain this week probably had very little to do with these things. I tend to lose the week after ToM. And yes, I probably could have gone up a little after being sick, but I know very well the reasons why I went up. I had Wendy's double cheeseburger and fries with a Coke that claimed to be medium sized but was really probably the size of a Big Gulp. I didn't finish it. I got a breakfast sandwich at the place I get my coffee at with bacon and cheese and it was absolutely delicious but probably not worth it. I had two Trader Joe's bagel pizzas and then I went out with my friends and got a mint milk shake sort of thing with some sort of booze that I can't remember. However, I only had one potato skin, but I also had two pieces of crusty, buttery bread. Yesterday was Mother's day and I went to my grandparents, and that's kind of just asking for trouble, though I didn't do too bad. Lastly, my cookie addiction reared it's ugly head with a vengeance. On top of all that, I only exercised on Monday (which was a mistake and when my body reminded me that flu+step aerobics=stupid, idiot Fooled. It was about time I lived up to that name. I went to kick boxing on Thursday and I didn't do much better.

I have to go back to what I was doing before. I had been snacking on super healthy crackers from Trader Joe's with Laughing Cow cheese, but then I decided I was eating too much of that, so I cut down on that. Apparently there is an inverse proportion of laughing cow and crackers consumed to cookies. I'm not sure if I grammared that sentence properly, but whatever. So I loaded up on super healthy Trader Joe's crackers and laughing cow cheese.

I also went to the specialty running store around here. I didn't know there was one. I thought the closest one was in Boston. But I looked it up again and lo and behold there is one not far away at all. There was a very nice young man who fitted me for shoes and gave me some advice and gave me the student discount even though currently I'm not a student, and didn't appear to want to laugh at the fat girl who wants to start running. I spent more on the sneakers than I have ever spent on clothes ever, including a winter parka. I think. But as far as running shoes go, they weren't too bad, especially since I really do not want to be injured and go to physical therapy and not be able to exercise at all. And I figure if I really do start running instead of going to the gym so much, I'll break even pretty soon on saving gas.

I did the first day of the Couch to 5K program yesterday. I listened to the podcast with techno-y music and the guy telling you when to run and when to walk. He was a very nice man with a very un-annoying voice. However, he is a lying sonnofabitch because he told me I was almost done when there was just a little less than half left. I hate when people tell me I'm almost done when I'm doing something I don't want to be doing because then he'll say something like "Okay! Time for another burst of running!" And I'll be like, "You sonnofabitch, I thought you said I was almost done." And it would have gone on for another four intervals. And I would have hated him. It was a good thing I had looked at how much time was left so I could see where I should run next just before he announced that I was almost done.

He also told me, when I was three quarters of the way done, that I should be "feeling the effects of running but shouldn't be out of breath" and if I had the breath, I would have collapsed in front of the post office laughing, scaring the mobster looking guy mailing his documents, because I definitely was mostly out of breath. I also skipped the last twenty seconds of running because that was when I got to my house, and there was no way I could have asked my legs to run any more when the house was right there. I did, however, do the rest of the cool down.

I was coughing and hacking the rest of the day. Probably because of the fresh air and pollen. It reminded me of gym class in junior high, which coincidentally, was the last time I ran outside for more than the distance between softball bases. We had English after gym in junior high when we were doing track and field sort of things, and the whole class would be hacking away, annoying the hell out of the English teacher. I'm not sure why even the jocky sort of kids were still hacking after running. It must have been the weather. Anyway, yesterday, my face was dark red, like the first time I went on the elliptical. Once I finished the cool down, I almost had to crawl to the front steps and I sat there for nearly fifteen minutes.

I think I probably ran too fast. That's one thing I've heard that beginner runners nearly always do. I also think I didn't drink enough water before going out. I might have not warmed up enough or stretched. Actually, I know I didn't, because I'm having trouble getting up from the toilet this morning, I'm so sore. I also went to step aerobics. Quite willingly, because I figured it would help to warm up the muscles that were stiff. It actually did help, but I'm not too sure if I should keep doing what I did yesterday, if one of the selling points of running would be that I wouldn't have to do step aerobics and I have to go to step aerobics to recover from running.

I do know that I worked harder running that mile and a half or so than I do when I run seven miles on the elliptical. I was more whipped than I am when I do the super intense cardio kickboxing class. So if I can do those two things pretty well now. Not expertly, but pretty well, and I need to be challenged, I think I'll be in much better shape if I can keep up with the running.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

That's it. I'm going to start running tomorrow. Currently the gym is the furthest place I drive to, and last night I spent $46 filling up my rather small Pontiac Sunfire. I don't want to cut the gym out entirely. But seeing as I hate step, I might cut that out a little. I'm not exactly a fan of running either, but I can pick my own music and I like the idea of running better than I like the idea of doing step.

I've heard a lot of good things about this site, so I might try and follow that plan. I'm not so much a beginner in the gym anymore, but I am definitely a beginner as far as running. I don't know why, but I feel like I'd be winded running down the block, which is probably fifty yards away.

I'm currently trying to figure out how people manage to coordinate carrying water and an ipod and figuring out how far they are going. I guess I need a watch.

So maybe I'll log my distance/times here.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Not exercising.

Inspired by this entry at unstarved, I did not exercise this morning. Okay, actually not. I legitimately had stuff that needed doing starting at 4:30 am and ending at 4:30pm. And I don't care, but I think I'm crazy enough anyway for getting up at 5 am for exercising. I'm not getting up any earlier unless...I really don't have an instance where it would be an unless.

I am also planning on not going to the gym tomorrow, because tomorrow is piyo, and I've done piyo thing when I am sick and it gets messier than when I do cardio. Nose running while I'm in a downward dog or forward fold. Engaging my core somehow tripping off a coughing attack. I'm feeling loads better. Really. Cross my hear and hope to die. And I probably won't hack my lungs out during savasana, but on the off chance, I don't want the spinners who come in afterwards to ruin their funky shoes by stepping on my organs.

I might...try running tomorrow. Or walking. Probably walking. Or more likely, probably nothing at all. But I'm really itching for something. I was going to go for a walk this afternoon, it being the first nice day for about a week, but when I stepped outside, it appeared that all the pollen from eastern Massachusetts had collected in my lungs. So I settled for reading a book outside and scaring the neighbors by doing my best impression of my cat being sick.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Weigh in Day

So, I had a 2.2 lb loss this week. Which normally I'd be all, hey, freaking sweet. Except I had the flu this week, and I'm pretty sure that I can attribute at least a good amount of that loss to a couple of days where I went to bed early instead of eating dinner. I skipped a couple of days exercising because of the whole getting tired walking into another room thing, and it's also about to be that time of the month. Also, I think I put an entire box of Ritz crackers in my tomato soup the past few days. So honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised at all if I had a gain. So yay for having the flu! I think this flu is also the same one Jason Veritek, Josh Beckett, Dice-K, and Manny Delcarmen must have had. So my flu might have the same DNA as the flu that Veritek had. Which is another plus for this flu.

As mentioned, I skipped a couple of days of exercising. But I thought I felt well enough to go to the gym this morning, and just take it easy on myself. Today at the gym is step aerobics. I hate step aerobics so much sometimes it is all I can do not to walk out of the class. But today I was bond and determined to have a workout after skipping out for a few days and today being weigh in day. I was so tempted to make today be the day I start running. It was a beautiful morning for it. A little cloudy, cool but not too cool. But I was afraid I would stop too quickly, and the remnants of the flu would be aggravated by my allergies to trees sexing each other with pollen.

So I get to the gym, and I was getting winded rather quicker than usual (read: two minutes into the warm up), but so far so good. But then the instructor decided move around the bench. In circles. It wasn't like we were imitating the spinning teacups or anything, and honestly, going around in circles is generally one of my least hated things about step class. But honestly, by the fourth rotation, I had to go for a "water break" where I went to stand by the side for a minute so I could stop feeling like I was on a spinning teacup. I suppose I should have known better. How many articles and blog entries are there exercising when you are sick? But this is the first time I've been sick sick since I started exercising regularly. Well, you live and learn.