Just checked out the C 2 5k site (link at right) and found that I should be running 90 seconds and walking 2 minutes. No freakin' wonder I'm tired! Oh well. Probably won't adjust it much tomorrow since I've already done it wrong twice.
Next week: intervals of 90 seconds running and 90 seconds walking then 3 minutes running and 3 minutes walking. I'll definitely need a watch. And a whole lotta guts!
Friday, May 30, 2008
2:2 (in which I vow to never ever EVER eat Rubio's tacos again)
I did it! I ran again last night. Hub joined me on his bike. Now before you go all "that's really mean of him," I prefer the biking to, say, rollerblading or actually running with me because then we'd have to engage one another. As it was, biking provided the perfect disconnect so that he could do his thing so that I could focus on my running. I REALLY needed it.
I can't say why it took that much focus, exactly. But I have a few words about this run. One: abs. Two: shin splints. Three: hurt. like. hell! My abs seemed to be on fire for the latter half of the run, my shins hurt the entire time (I really had to focus on my running form, but I was dang tired so I had to keep self correcting), and my entire body protested.
I ate two Rubio's tacos before my run. And belched them up the entire run. Gross! I knew those tacos were a bad idea. I even told M, "These tacos have too much sauce on them. Remind me never to get them again." I don't know if the whole running after dinner vs. running after half a banana (i.e. night vs. morning) is the trouble, or if I just didn't space my sessions out far enough, or if that extra 30 seconds of running is just really that hard.
If it's that last one, I'm really scared. I'm the type that when the cheeky bootcamp instructor says, jokingly (or maybe just to weed the me's of the group out), "keep going! only 99 more!", I immediately give it up and stop, thinking to myself "self, there's no way you're going to do 99 of those, so might as well quit while you're ahead." I take my own advice.
So, I start pondering the longer and longer required runs as this program progresses, and I try (try!) not to freak out. I manage to avoid the topic pretty well because I'm. really! tired.
Turns out I'm glad M came along. The street seems darker than last time, and there are a lot more potential baddies actually on the streets this time.
I find myself really savoring every second of the 90 second walking intervals, though I try really hard to keep a quick walking pace so my heart rate stays up.
By the time I'm on my cool down walk, I'm really exhausted. And my legs are clumsy. And my calves are really tight. I stretch really well.
It must have worked -all that tiredness and clumsy, plodding running - because this morning I'm back down to 169.0. 1 pound in 1 day. Woohoo!
Total time: about 35 minutes
Music: Black Eyed Peas, Hot Hot Heat, and Gorillaz
I go again tomorrow. And M has vowed to run with me. I wonder if that means I can still listen to my iPod. . .
I can't say why it took that much focus, exactly. But I have a few words about this run. One: abs. Two: shin splints. Three: hurt. like. hell! My abs seemed to be on fire for the latter half of the run, my shins hurt the entire time (I really had to focus on my running form, but I was dang tired so I had to keep self correcting), and my entire body protested.
I ate two Rubio's tacos before my run. And belched them up the entire run. Gross! I knew those tacos were a bad idea. I even told M, "These tacos have too much sauce on them. Remind me never to get them again." I don't know if the whole running after dinner vs. running after half a banana (i.e. night vs. morning) is the trouble, or if I just didn't space my sessions out far enough, or if that extra 30 seconds of running is just really that hard.
If it's that last one, I'm really scared. I'm the type that when the cheeky bootcamp instructor says, jokingly (or maybe just to weed the me's of the group out), "keep going! only 99 more!", I immediately give it up and stop, thinking to myself "self, there's no way you're going to do 99 of those, so might as well quit while you're ahead." I take my own advice.
So, I start pondering the longer and longer required runs as this program progresses, and I try (try!) not to freak out. I manage to avoid the topic pretty well because I'm. really! tired.
Turns out I'm glad M came along. The street seems darker than last time, and there are a lot more potential baddies actually on the streets this time.
I find myself really savoring every second of the 90 second walking intervals, though I try really hard to keep a quick walking pace so my heart rate stays up.
By the time I'm on my cool down walk, I'm really exhausted. And my legs are clumsy. And my calves are really tight. I stretch really well.
It must have worked -all that tiredness and clumsy, plodding running - because this morning I'm back down to 169.0. 1 pound in 1 day. Woohoo!
Total time: about 35 minutes
Music: Black Eyed Peas, Hot Hot Heat, and Gorillaz
I go again tomorrow. And M has vowed to run with me. I wonder if that means I can still listen to my iPod. . .
Thursday, May 29, 2008
2:1 (Week 2, Run 1)
Yes, I realize it's been longer than 2 weeks since I started this here running venture. Whatever. I'm keeping with it, if only in my own good time. Which anyone who knows me knows "my own good time" is usually the day late and a dollar short sort of time-keeping.
I ran yesterday morning. 90 second running, 90 seconds walking. The cell phone/stopwatch accompanied me on the trip (must. buy. wristwatch.) so that I could track my intervals.
My body felt heavy! And tired. 90 seconds felt like a small forever! I am convinced it was because of all the crap food I ate while camping (read: chips, cookies, soda and other sugary drinks, angel food cake, hot dogs, etc. etc.). And sure enough, I weigh in at 170 this morning. Crap! Progress lost. For now.
I'll run again tonight in a showy effort to get 3 runs within a week. I figure if I can actually get my butt in gear (oh, I'm committed; just not very good at putting on my big girl panties, sucking it up, and sticking to a running schedule) and get out there more often - stick to a schedule (the bad "S" word) as it were - I might, just maybe, be able to add doing Weight Watchers to the mix and see if I can't really ramp up the results.
Seriously, though. While doing 2:1, I was thinking how strange it is that running (running!) is what motivates me. Then again, I'm the type who procrastinates so that I feel a little under pressure before I start doing whatever it is that needs to be done (housework, work-work, school work, etc.). I don't L-O-V-E running. But I love running!
So far, I'm sticking with it in a way that I can't stick with going to the gym (been there, done that) or exercise classes. OK. To be fair, I did go to the gym regularly for months and months on end. And I did do Jazzercise for months and months on end, too. And then I went back to the gym for months and months on end again. Now the gym just scares me. Too many communicable diseases. (told you I'm hypochondriacal!)
Whatever. Now I'm rambling.
Tonight, I run!
I ran yesterday morning. 90 second running, 90 seconds walking. The cell phone/stopwatch accompanied me on the trip (must. buy. wristwatch.) so that I could track my intervals.
My body felt heavy! And tired. 90 seconds felt like a small forever! I am convinced it was because of all the crap food I ate while camping (read: chips, cookies, soda and other sugary drinks, angel food cake, hot dogs, etc. etc.). And sure enough, I weigh in at 170 this morning. Crap! Progress lost. For now.
I'll run again tonight in a showy effort to get 3 runs within a week. I figure if I can actually get my butt in gear (oh, I'm committed; just not very good at putting on my big girl panties, sucking it up, and sticking to a running schedule) and get out there more often - stick to a schedule (the bad "S" word) as it were - I might, just maybe, be able to add doing Weight Watchers to the mix and see if I can't really ramp up the results.
Seriously, though. While doing 2:1, I was thinking how strange it is that running (running!) is what motivates me. Then again, I'm the type who procrastinates so that I feel a little under pressure before I start doing whatever it is that needs to be done (housework, work-work, school work, etc.). I don't L-O-V-E running. But I love running!
So far, I'm sticking with it in a way that I can't stick with going to the gym (been there, done that) or exercise classes. OK. To be fair, I did go to the gym regularly for months and months on end. And I did do Jazzercise for months and months on end, too. And then I went back to the gym for months and months on end again. Now the gym just scares me. Too many communicable diseases. (told you I'm hypochondriacal!)
Whatever. Now I'm rambling.
Tonight, I run!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Shout Out
Thanks to those who have stopped by and commented. I didn't have my notification turned on, so I've only just read all of them.
Your support means a lot! Truly! Part of the fun of running for me is that I get to come back home and write about it here. Whatever works, right?
And those of you who are attempting to climb the fitness mountain yourself, I just wanna say:
Your support means a lot! Truly! Part of the fun of running for me is that I get to come back home and write about it here. Whatever works, right?
And those of you who are attempting to climb the fitness mountain yourself, I just wanna say:
GO US!!!!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
1:3
Dedication. That's the theme for today. I woke up at 5:30-ish. Before my alarm. Before M's earlier alarm. I laid in bed trying to get some more rest.
All running bets for yesterday were off. I was WAY too tired in the a.m. and the p.m. had a lot of this going on:
I don't like to be wet. At. All. In fact, hate would be a good word to use here. So - no run in the p.m.
All running bets for yesterday were off. I was WAY too tired in the a.m. and the p.m. had a lot of this going on:
I don't like to be wet. At. All. In fact, hate would be a good word to use here. So - no run in the p.m. I got out of bed this morning at 6:30, peeked out the window to see if the rain was taking a break. It was, so I got dressed. By the time I stretched, checked the "weather station" in our kitchen, put on a sweater to help with the suddenly 54º temperature, and headed outside, it was drizzling again. I went back inside to put on a hat, and yelled to M that I probably wouldn't be gone too long since it was, in fact, raining again.
I started my running earlier. As in before I even left my neighborhood. I could not believe I was actually running in. the. rain!
But I did it. It was hard for some reason. My body was tired. And sluggish in the cold. And my shin splints seemed worse, regardless of my form. I didn't time my intervals, I just guesstimated. And I shortened my run by about half. I got back home and I had only been gone like 23 minutes. That includes the de-robing I did in front of the dryer before I put all my wet clothes in and fired it up.
I stretched back out, my legs still tight which means they didn't really even warm up. I was all limber after my run last time. Less tight. Oh well. Some other day when it's not rainy. I'm on to week 2 of the program: 90 second intervals of walking and running. Woo hoo!
I'll probably try a run while I'm camping this weekend. We'll see how that goes. It's currently snowing up there! I don't know if I have that kind of dedication! Plus, I might just pass out from the higher elevation if I push it too much.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
1:2
Yes. I know. My running sessions are supposed to be closer together. As in 3 times a week. But I'm not beating myself up for it. There are plenty of scary imaginary gangsta thugs to do that for me.
Let me explain: already cautious and slightly suspicious female + overly paranoid and always aware-of-surroundings male + 14 years of togetherness = proneness to paranoid delusions on the part of said female when running in the dark.
Tonight, I did my first "night" run. A co-worker said she recently read some article saying that most people think that it's better to exercise outdoors in the morning, but it's really better at night. Since I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning, I had to try out her theory.
I left about an hour ago. Before I did, I took off my wedding ring. As I did, I suddenly thought "what if someone kidnaps me? And I can't make them believe that someone will be looking for me - namely my husband - because I don't have my wedding ring on?" And then I answered myself "well, just show them the red marks and indentations on that finger, and they'll believe you!" And then the first self said "well, what if they keep me for a really long time and I'm really really sad I didn't just keep my ring on?" And the second one said "oh, believe me, you'd probably just mutilate yourself with your fingernails to keep the marks of the band around that finger - a sort of vigil for your marriage and your husband."
OK.
Is that not twisted????
So, I start my run. My shins ache for about the first 30 seconds of running. So, I really focus on my running form, and it goes away. I brought my cell phone with me because it has a stopwatch function. So. . . I have my iPod strapped to my arm, wires hanging, earbuds in my ears, cell in my left hand, water bottle in my right. But at least I don't have to wear a visor. I guess. I feel laden like a beast of burden. And the dinner I ate before running, although not heavy, feels so now.
Despite this, my cell/stopwatch actually helps me keep time pretty well. And provides a little light, too. I never realized how dark my route is. When M and I rollerblade down it, he always brings a flashlight. But that just now occurs to me.
So, as I run, I notice that I can finally breathe. And it seems that the air might be a little clearer. Well, I guess anything's an improvement over the stenchy weedkiller of last time. I quickly notice nighttime hampers my visual cues, which is both good (I can't see how far I still have to go) and bad (I can't see where the street curbs dip).
I also am on high alert for the baddies who would snatch me. I pay attention to slow-moving cars in parking lots, and when a truck turns from a street, goes down half a block and turns into the alley, I purposefully watch the headlights' glow on the trees to make sure it's still moving and not stopping waiting to grab me. Only when I notice the lights bend and turn into a back yard do I look away.
As I run, I also plan and plot what I would do to/hit with/throw at an imagined attacker and as I run by front yards the list includes: bricks, rocks, small dogs, my cell phone, my water bottle. . .
I also feel the tinge of hypochondriacal tendencies mixed in with the paranoid delusions: I smell the blossoms of something that I'm sure I'm allergic too. So much for the air being cleaner at night.
In spite of all these wonderful distractions, or maybe because of them, I keep my intervals much more in line with the program this time, thanks to the stopwatch. I still find the 90 second walking hard to do and want to run again at about 60 seconds, but with a stopwatch I'm able to enforce myself. Besides, I'm sure I'll find running for 90 seconds much harder than walking it. I push myself harder - doing 60 extra seconds at the end instead of walking.
I get home and ask M how long I've been gone. He says 50 minutes. So that means a short warm-up walk, a short cool-off walk (both in my neighborhood) and then about 40 minutes on my route. That's twice the "legal limit" of the program, which calls for 20 minutes.
So. I feel pretty good. Now, if I can just stick to my plan of running on Thursday and Saturday this week, I'll be doing fine.
But, I still have to figure out whether I like mornings or evenings better. Either way, I'll have to look into tips for running in hot weather, since it's over 100º here already!
Let me explain: already cautious and slightly suspicious female + overly paranoid and always aware-of-surroundings male + 14 years of togetherness = proneness to paranoid delusions on the part of said female when running in the dark.
Tonight, I did my first "night" run. A co-worker said she recently read some article saying that most people think that it's better to exercise outdoors in the morning, but it's really better at night. Since I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning, I had to try out her theory.
I left about an hour ago. Before I did, I took off my wedding ring. As I did, I suddenly thought "what if someone kidnaps me? And I can't make them believe that someone will be looking for me - namely my husband - because I don't have my wedding ring on?" And then I answered myself "well, just show them the red marks and indentations on that finger, and they'll believe you!" And then the first self said "well, what if they keep me for a really long time and I'm really really sad I didn't just keep my ring on?" And the second one said "oh, believe me, you'd probably just mutilate yourself with your fingernails to keep the marks of the band around that finger - a sort of vigil for your marriage and your husband."
OK.
Is that not twisted????
So, I start my run. My shins ache for about the first 30 seconds of running. So, I really focus on my running form, and it goes away. I brought my cell phone with me because it has a stopwatch function. So. . . I have my iPod strapped to my arm, wires hanging, earbuds in my ears, cell in my left hand, water bottle in my right. But at least I don't have to wear a visor. I guess. I feel laden like a beast of burden. And the dinner I ate before running, although not heavy, feels so now.
Despite this, my cell/stopwatch actually helps me keep time pretty well. And provides a little light, too. I never realized how dark my route is. When M and I rollerblade down it, he always brings a flashlight. But that just now occurs to me.
So, as I run, I notice that I can finally breathe. And it seems that the air might be a little clearer. Well, I guess anything's an improvement over the stenchy weedkiller of last time. I quickly notice nighttime hampers my visual cues, which is both good (I can't see how far I still have to go) and bad (I can't see where the street curbs dip).
I also am on high alert for the baddies who would snatch me. I pay attention to slow-moving cars in parking lots, and when a truck turns from a street, goes down half a block and turns into the alley, I purposefully watch the headlights' glow on the trees to make sure it's still moving and not stopping waiting to grab me. Only when I notice the lights bend and turn into a back yard do I look away.
As I run, I also plan and plot what I would do to/hit with/throw at an imagined attacker and as I run by front yards the list includes: bricks, rocks, small dogs, my cell phone, my water bottle. . .
I also feel the tinge of hypochondriacal tendencies mixed in with the paranoid delusions: I smell the blossoms of something that I'm sure I'm allergic too. So much for the air being cleaner at night.
In spite of all these wonderful distractions, or maybe because of them, I keep my intervals much more in line with the program this time, thanks to the stopwatch. I still find the 90 second walking hard to do and want to run again at about 60 seconds, but with a stopwatch I'm able to enforce myself. Besides, I'm sure I'll find running for 90 seconds much harder than walking it. I push myself harder - doing 60 extra seconds at the end instead of walking.
I get home and ask M how long I've been gone. He says 50 minutes. So that means a short warm-up walk, a short cool-off walk (both in my neighborhood) and then about 40 minutes on my route. That's twice the "legal limit" of the program, which calls for 20 minutes.
So. I feel pretty good. Now, if I can just stick to my plan of running on Thursday and Saturday this week, I'll be doing fine.
But, I still have to figure out whether I like mornings or evenings better. Either way, I'll have to look into tips for running in hot weather, since it's over 100º here already!
Monday, May 12, 2008
C 2 5k 1:1 version 2.0
I awoke this morning, my throat so dry it didn't resemble a throat, my nose and sinuses fully inflamed and stuffy.
I thought "not this again!" See, Friday, I felt great. I thought I was all better. I even made a "workout" playlist on the ol' iPod so I was ready to run on Saturday morning. But I woke on Saturday morning, and again on Sunday morning, and again this morning feeling pretty crappy. This sickness has reared its ugly head for a second round. Which completely pisses me off and sets my running program back.
So, I got up, got dressed in workout clothes, grabbed all my gear, stretched out, and shouted a "see you later" to M before leaving the house and 6:50 a.m.
I ran. And walked. I watched the song timer on my iPod to measure my intervals. That was new. Last time I just guesstimated. Let's just say I'm not a clock watcher! So, it was HARD. Not to watch. But to run, then walk, then watch.
Hard, but useful. I found out I can easily run the 60 second intervals. I can do about 90, which makes me hopeful for week 2. But I have less patience with walking for 90. I usually start thinking "it's about time to run again" at about the 60 second mark. I'm thinking I might take the idea Apple had and download the running program so I can know when to start/stop. That or a sports watch. I'm just not so good at the clock watching thing.
By about 2 minutes, my head, despite the just-before-leaving snot blowing, is full and stuffy again and I have to blow my nose. Again. Except. . . I have no kleenex, not even a napkin. And I don't see one anywhere on the ground. Yep. That desperate! So I start hocking loogies. Yuck, but true. And suddenly vital to the success of my run.
My body was tired. But I was determined. I saw a very overweight woman walking her dog and I thought "good for her". Which is probably the same thing the real runner thought about me when he saw me. I ran into him again later, we passed each other within 5 feet on either side of the street, and no niceties were exchanged. Hmph! I thought runners would have some sort of code. You know -like bikers do. No luck. Either he was struggling as much as I was or he was just not interested in making nice with a walking/running stranger.
I only saw him because I had to duck off of my normal route because the city was spraying weed killer in the center dividers, a stink which my hypochondriacal brain was sure was poison and lethal and given that I'm breathing out of my mouth because my nose is stuffed up, going straight to my lungs! So much so that I cover my mouth and nose with my top and head for a side street.
I watched for the telltale signs of soreness I had last time. I don't have any. My throat's a little dry. And my lungs feel exhausted. But my body's fine.
Looking forward to the "increased white blood cell count" my chiro's office has promised me so that hopefully when I run on Wednesday or Thursday, I can do it unsickly like.
I thought "not this again!" See, Friday, I felt great. I thought I was all better. I even made a "workout" playlist on the ol' iPod so I was ready to run on Saturday morning. But I woke on Saturday morning, and again on Sunday morning, and again this morning feeling pretty crappy. This sickness has reared its ugly head for a second round. Which completely pisses me off and sets my running program back.
So, I got up, got dressed in workout clothes, grabbed all my gear, stretched out, and shouted a "see you later" to M before leaving the house and 6:50 a.m.
I ran. And walked. I watched the song timer on my iPod to measure my intervals. That was new. Last time I just guesstimated. Let's just say I'm not a clock watcher! So, it was HARD. Not to watch. But to run, then walk, then watch.
Hard, but useful. I found out I can easily run the 60 second intervals. I can do about 90, which makes me hopeful for week 2. But I have less patience with walking for 90. I usually start thinking "it's about time to run again" at about the 60 second mark. I'm thinking I might take the idea Apple had and download the running program so I can know when to start/stop. That or a sports watch. I'm just not so good at the clock watching thing.
By about 2 minutes, my head, despite the just-before-leaving snot blowing, is full and stuffy again and I have to blow my nose. Again. Except. . . I have no kleenex, not even a napkin. And I don't see one anywhere on the ground. Yep. That desperate! So I start hocking loogies. Yuck, but true. And suddenly vital to the success of my run.
My body was tired. But I was determined. I saw a very overweight woman walking her dog and I thought "good for her". Which is probably the same thing the real runner thought about me when he saw me. I ran into him again later, we passed each other within 5 feet on either side of the street, and no niceties were exchanged. Hmph! I thought runners would have some sort of code. You know -like bikers do. No luck. Either he was struggling as much as I was or he was just not interested in making nice with a walking/running stranger.
I only saw him because I had to duck off of my normal route because the city was spraying weed killer in the center dividers, a stink which my hypochondriacal brain was sure was poison and lethal and given that I'm breathing out of my mouth because my nose is stuffed up, going straight to my lungs! So much so that I cover my mouth and nose with my top and head for a side street.
I watched for the telltale signs of soreness I had last time. I don't have any. My throat's a little dry. And my lungs feel exhausted. But my body's fine.
Looking forward to the "increased white blood cell count" my chiro's office has promised me so that hopefully when I run on Wednesday or Thursday, I can do it unsickly like.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Do OVER!
Remember when we used to be kids and we'd call out "do over" and not feel bad and just change gears and do it all over, whatever it was?
Well, I'm trying to do a "do over" with that quick a shift and as little ego bruising as possible.
SO.
Tomorrow will be Chapter 1, Verse 1, version 2.0 of my C 2 5k inaugural run.
Stay tuned!
Well, I'm trying to do a "do over" with that quick a shift and as little ego bruising as possible.
SO.
Tomorrow will be Chapter 1, Verse 1, version 2.0 of my C 2 5k inaugural run.
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Stupid
Stupid sickness! Stupid belly fat! Stupid tired body!
I secretly plot to go running tomorrow, and if it pushes this sick bod over the edge, so be it.
I secretly plot to go running tomorrow, and if it pushes this sick bod over the edge, so be it.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The run that wasn't
Today was supposed to be chapter 1 verse 2 of my C 2 5k run. But I've a scratchy, yucky sore throat and a fever. And I'd be half tempted to push it (which is saying a lot in my case) if my co-worker didn't call me at work today, sounding pretty awful, medicated on antibiotics for some sickness that I now probably have.
Tomorrow? I hope?
Tomorrow? I hope?
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Where I Begin
THIS is where I begin.
A few years ago, when I weighed about 15 pounds LESS than I weigh now, I ran a 5k at the invite of my healthy, fit, slim, former high school track-running best friend. "No biggy," I thought, "we've been hiking Camelback, and I'll do OK."
I started out running UP the Mill Avenue bridge. It sucked, but by the time I made it to Curry, I was just glad I kept running. Curry, however, brought another upward slant of a hill, and I slowed my pace to a walk. And I huffed. And I puffed. And I started running again.
I felt a sharp pain stab across my chest. "This is it!" I thought, "I'm having a heart attack!" and I started looking around for an ambulance or medical team - surely they have those standing by for a 5k!? No such luck. I was spent. My body tired. My will to continue barely in tact. I walked/ran the rest of the way, feeling bruised by my out-of-shapeness, by the fact that my body quit on me. But I finished. I. Nearly. Died. But, I finished.
I haven't ran since. Until yesterday.
Let me just say: I HATE running. It's mind-numbingly boring. It tests my strength and hurts my shins. Besides all that, it reveals things about my character that make me want to run to my room and pull the covers over my head. Things like: I'm weak. I have no endurance. I'm kind of a quitter. I'm also a justifier. Ahhhh. The unpleasant sensation of experience what Joan Didion would call "being driven back on oneself".
But, running has been THE constant form of exercise in my life. It did it in elementary school, junior high, before and during my mission. . . but not much since. Running got lost somewhere in there among the ellipticals at the gym, all the kayaking, the golf playing, the bike riding, the rollerblading. And those only happen in spurts.
So, now, here I am 36 pounds heavier than I was when I got married. And in my quest to "get my body back" and "get fit once and for all" - running is what I turn to, once again. And in so doing, I find it's my fitness touchstone. I have found the Couch to 5k program, and have vowed to do the program and go back to the Mill Avenue 5k and kick its gluteous maximus -instead of the other way around - turn the tables as it were.
I also joined the Fluffbusters - a Biggest Loser challenge over at Fight the Fluffy. As part of which I did something I've never done before: I put this information in writing for the FIRST TIME EVER - Total Body Weight, Waist inches, Hip inches, Forearm inches, Wrist inches - over at Fit Watch, which told me my Body Fat Weight is 45.26 lbs, my Muscle Mass is 125.74 lbs, and my Body Fat Percentage is 26.47%.
So. This is where I begin. See you on the other side!
A few years ago, when I weighed about 15 pounds LESS than I weigh now, I ran a 5k at the invite of my healthy, fit, slim, former high school track-running best friend. "No biggy," I thought, "we've been hiking Camelback, and I'll do OK."
I started out running UP the Mill Avenue bridge. It sucked, but by the time I made it to Curry, I was just glad I kept running. Curry, however, brought another upward slant of a hill, and I slowed my pace to a walk. And I huffed. And I puffed. And I started running again.
I felt a sharp pain stab across my chest. "This is it!" I thought, "I'm having a heart attack!" and I started looking around for an ambulance or medical team - surely they have those standing by for a 5k!? No such luck. I was spent. My body tired. My will to continue barely in tact. I walked/ran the rest of the way, feeling bruised by my out-of-shapeness, by the fact that my body quit on me. But I finished. I. Nearly. Died. But, I finished.
I haven't ran since. Until yesterday.
Let me just say: I HATE running. It's mind-numbingly boring. It tests my strength and hurts my shins. Besides all that, it reveals things about my character that make me want to run to my room and pull the covers over my head. Things like: I'm weak. I have no endurance. I'm kind of a quitter. I'm also a justifier. Ahhhh. The unpleasant sensation of experience what Joan Didion would call "being driven back on oneself".
But, running has been THE constant form of exercise in my life. It did it in elementary school, junior high, before and during my mission. . . but not much since. Running got lost somewhere in there among the ellipticals at the gym, all the kayaking, the golf playing, the bike riding, the rollerblading. And those only happen in spurts.
So, now, here I am 36 pounds heavier than I was when I got married. And in my quest to "get my body back" and "get fit once and for all" - running is what I turn to, once again. And in so doing, I find it's my fitness touchstone. I have found the Couch to 5k program, and have vowed to do the program and go back to the Mill Avenue 5k and kick its gluteous maximus -instead of the other way around - turn the tables as it were.
I also joined the Fluffbusters - a Biggest Loser challenge over at Fight the Fluffy. As part of which I did something I've never done before: I put this information in writing for the FIRST TIME EVER - Total Body Weight, Waist inches, Hip inches, Forearm inches, Wrist inches - over at Fit Watch, which told me my Body Fat Weight is 45.26 lbs, my Muscle Mass is 125.74 lbs, and my Body Fat Percentage is 26.47%.
So. This is where I begin. See you on the other side!
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