So it's Sunday and yesterday was the 10K. I rolled out of bed at about 6:15a.m. ready to go, excited but anxious. After all, I hadn't exercised in 3 weeks. That's right, 3 weeks and nothing, zip, nada. First there was the "I just can't get myself out of bed" week and then there was the back pain that just wouldn't go away. So, I really wasn't sure how well it would go, I was hopeful but uncertain. My goal was to finish in 1:45:00, about a 17 minute mile. I knew it would be a hard pace to keep especially given the lack of exercise lately.
Well, I headed off for the 10K which conveniently started and finished right down the street from my sister's house. I parked my car at her house and then she, my husband and I headed down to the start line. Now the race was advertised as a 10K run and 5K walk but I contacted the folks heading up the event to make sure it was OK to walk the 10K. With the go ahead from them, I waited at the start line fearing I would be the only person walking and for a while it appeared that would be the case but, just before the bell (the cow bell, yes, a cow bell, it's a small event) 3 more walkers showed up. And you know as well as I know that you can tell the difference between a walker and a runner and they could too as I heard one of them say, "Hey another walker."
Well, I took off at a fast pace, I-pod in ear, water in hand and my cheerleaders right behind me. I felt my heart rate increase as I kept pace with the music and my heart and lungs felt good. Apparently my recent hiatus hadn't hurt my cardiovascular system as much as I anticipated. My muscles though...that's a whole other story.
I was good from the waist up but I was not good from the waist down. The first pain was right in the bends of my legs, right in the hip socket. That started about 5 minutes in and never let up. Now I am not going to bore you with every ache and pain let me just say the I can barely walk today. I look like a penguin rolling along. The last thing I have to say about the pain is OH MY ACHING @$$!
The best part of the race was that I had my own personal cheerleaders on every corner. Never mind that I used to be a dispatcher and I knew most of the cops working the race, I am talking about my husband and my big sister. Now, she took off on a course parallel to mine and popped out on me twice during my mile long straight away. Now she was really scooting to run over a block, down the street parallel to mine and then back in a block to cheer me on but there she was smiling and waving and offering words of encouragement and advice. At the next corner, my husband had caught up and from then on they were popping out at every turn. My husband passing me a Reese's peanut butter pumpkin (don't judge, peanut butter is protein and I needed a boost) and a kiss at one point as I pushed on without pausing. I don't know many other folks that have that kind of love and support in their lives and I wouldn't know what to do without it.
A few more turns and switchbacks and I was near the five mile mark. I rounded the corner and my niece and brother-in-law had joined the party. My sister walked along with me until I turned into her neighborhood for the last mile, the rest of the cheerleaders headed to the finish line. Now, this being her home turf she knew what was ahead of me and told me everything to expect and just kept pushing me to keep it up. I had to make a loop through her subdivision and then turn back out onto the road where the race started to finish at the park on the corner. I was approaching turn 2 of 4 in the loop when there she was again with a fresh, cold bottle of water. She couldn't have shown up at a better time. I was slowing down, hurting, tired but still determined. More words of encouragement and some much appreciated company and she took off for the finish line.
I came out of her neighborhood onto the last stretch, finish line in sight along with my group of cheerleaders. I was the last one to cross the finish line but I CROSSED the finish line. I came in at 1:40:31 for 6.23 miles. That's a 16:10 pace and an average of 3.72 mph. I am ecstatic. I did it, 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Now I am going to rest and recuperate and set my next goal. No stopping now.
Thank you Honey. Thank you Gennifer. I love you.
5K, check. 10K, check. More to come so...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Holy ptthhhhbt Has it Really Been a Month Since I Blogged?!?
It's been a fast month and a challenging one. Week before last I didn't exercise at all. I was physically exhausted, falling asleep before 9pm and not able to drag myself out of bed before 7am. I felt pretty bad about it until my sister said not to let it get me down that everyone, including herself, had to take a week off here or there. So I made my peace with it.
Then I rolled out of bed on the first Saturday this month and guess what? My back is out. It has been back and forth for the last week and a half, really bad at the beginning and end of the week and OK in the middle. Well, it's difficult at best to walk when every step hurts so I didn't. Plus I really need it to heal because guess what? I'm walking a 10K THIS weekend, not at the end of the month.
That's right 5 days from now. Zoinks! I am really feeling some pressure. I keep trying to tell myself that it will be OK and that I have 4 months of exercise under my belt but it's not so reassuring. I'll walk it and I'll finish it but I won't be fast.
Now you may be wondering why I am walking 2 weeks earlier well, that's a story within itself and I don't have enough time here on my lunch break to tell you about it so I'll have to put that on hold for a couple of days.
It'll be fine, think happy thoughts and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Then I rolled out of bed on the first Saturday this month and guess what? My back is out. It has been back and forth for the last week and a half, really bad at the beginning and end of the week and OK in the middle. Well, it's difficult at best to walk when every step hurts so I didn't. Plus I really need it to heal because guess what? I'm walking a 10K THIS weekend, not at the end of the month.
That's right 5 days from now. Zoinks! I am really feeling some pressure. I keep trying to tell myself that it will be OK and that I have 4 months of exercise under my belt but it's not so reassuring. I'll walk it and I'll finish it but I won't be fast.
Now you may be wondering why I am walking 2 weeks earlier well, that's a story within itself and I don't have enough time here on my lunch break to tell you about it so I'll have to put that on hold for a couple of days.
It'll be fine, think happy thoughts and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Yikes, Is There Really Only 7 1/2 Weeks Left?!?
Is it just me or is this year screaming by? Wasn't it just Spring? This is the time of the year that I refer to as "running the gauntlet". It starts September 1 and it's just one hit after another until New Years. I already have most of the weekends in October booked, a couple in September and I got a call from a friend last night about November. Now, I'm not necessarily complaining here, a lot of this is self inflicted but it happens to be my favorite time of year and there is sooooooo much that I want to do. Back to my point, the 10K is just around the corner for me so I really need to pound some pavement now.
We all have the best of intentions when we make our plan of attack and just assume that there will be no road blocks and things will go just as we want them to. I have already told you about some of the changes I've had to make for mine and this past weekend was no exception. My plan was to take my long walk on Sundays as the 10K is on a Sunday too and I want to get used to it. Well, my niece and nephew spent the night at my house Saturday and I didn't think I could leave my husband alone to tend to them for over an hour. So, I took my long walk on Monday. Not a big change and it worked out because my office was closed so there was plenty of time in the morning.
My point is this, things are going to come up, sometimes they will be small and easily worked around other times they won't and you'll have to decide if you're going to make it work or allow yourself to be defeated. So far, I'm choosing to make it work and I have been doing so for longer than ever before. The old me would sit back, make excuses and allow myself to lose sight of my goal. Now, I just figure it out, switch my schedule around and find a place for exercise. I can't allow the old me to fight her way back in and you shouldn't either.
As I write today I am sitting in the office on my lunch break eating the lunch I packed: a ham and provolone sandwich with only 1 slice of sourdough bread folded in half, a handful of grapes and a sugar free dark chocolate jello pudding. (For breakfast I had 1 1/2 servings of Multi-grain Cheerios with 1 cup of 1% milk and for my morning snack I had 1 serving of cinnamon Teddy Grahams.) I figure this will work in 3 ways: I'll spend less money, eat healthier and get some blogging done all at the same time. There just might be something to that multi-tasking thing yet.
Set a goal and do everything in your power to reach it. Don't allow "lazy-you" to win and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
We all have the best of intentions when we make our plan of attack and just assume that there will be no road blocks and things will go just as we want them to. I have already told you about some of the changes I've had to make for mine and this past weekend was no exception. My plan was to take my long walk on Sundays as the 10K is on a Sunday too and I want to get used to it. Well, my niece and nephew spent the night at my house Saturday and I didn't think I could leave my husband alone to tend to them for over an hour. So, I took my long walk on Monday. Not a big change and it worked out because my office was closed so there was plenty of time in the morning.
My point is this, things are going to come up, sometimes they will be small and easily worked around other times they won't and you'll have to decide if you're going to make it work or allow yourself to be defeated. So far, I'm choosing to make it work and I have been doing so for longer than ever before. The old me would sit back, make excuses and allow myself to lose sight of my goal. Now, I just figure it out, switch my schedule around and find a place for exercise. I can't allow the old me to fight her way back in and you shouldn't either.
As I write today I am sitting in the office on my lunch break eating the lunch I packed: a ham and provolone sandwich with only 1 slice of sourdough bread folded in half, a handful of grapes and a sugar free dark chocolate jello pudding. (For breakfast I had 1 1/2 servings of Multi-grain Cheerios with 1 cup of 1% milk and for my morning snack I had 1 serving of cinnamon Teddy Grahams.) I figure this will work in 3 ways: I'll spend less money, eat healthier and get some blogging done all at the same time. There just might be something to that multi-tasking thing yet.
Set a goal and do everything in your power to reach it. Don't allow "lazy-you" to win and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Another Milestone...Let's Not Celebrate Just Yet
Yep, another milestone, we'll get to that in a minute. Saturday I dragged my husband out of the house for a 2 mile walk (remember that he has to walk this 10K too).
The last time we walked together we didn't really walk together he walked ahead of me and I stayed back just fuming and getting my tail feathers all in a knot. You see one thing that I haven't told you is that I'm the sensitive type, a toasted marshmallow my mom says (crusty outside and gooey inside), I get my feelings hurt pretty easily. I interpreted his walking ahead of me as his way of proving that he was still in better shape than me despite my 3 months of exercise (Oh yeah, 3 months) and his lack thereof. I know that's not what he intended but I was hot and tired (and maybe a bit hormonal, sorry guys but it's true) and that's how it felt.
Back to Saturday. So I dragged him out of the house but not before I took my "are we going to walk together or are you walking at your own pace today" stance. He said, let's walk at our own pace. I grabbed my I-pod deciding that I should enjoy this walk and headed out the door. Pushed by the fast pace music bopping in my ear, I took off at a record pace and I didn't stop. As one of our neighbors said I was "putting it on him." I came in at just under 31 minutes, a 15:30 pace. WOO HOO! He came in 4 minutes later after stopping to chat with the neighbor who gave him a hard time.
I felt so energized, good pace, no fatigue, quick recovery, it all seemed to be coming together. Well, Sunday I decided it was time for a real test, 4 miles. This is the first time in a long time that I have walked that far. I got started later than I wanted to (like that's never happened before) and it was getting hot. I briefly toyed with the idea of only walking a 5K but I've done that several times. I shook it off and decided to keep moving. I took me a lot of sweat, sore feet and 1 hour and 12 minutes to finish. That's an 18 minute mile pace, not too bad.
I'm feeling pretty good knowing that I only have 8 1/2 weeks until the 10K. I know I will finish with no problem. Yesterday I walked another 2 miles, just like I'll do on Saturday and I'll follow up on Sunday with another 4 mile walk. I'll round out the week's exercise with 3 alternating days of kettleball exercises. I feel the need to get some sort of weight training/toning thing going on now (starting to feel perkier...) to round out my workouts. I'll let you know how that goes, I'm starting tomorrow, it looks like a fun plan. I'm still doing Zumba too, I can't get enough of that.
I know my posts haven't been coming in as often and I will do better, we all know how we allow life to get the better of us sometimes. I want to hear from you too. Let me know what what you have been doing, let me know if I can help...I'll do the best I can so tell me what's on your mind and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
The last time we walked together we didn't really walk together he walked ahead of me and I stayed back just fuming and getting my tail feathers all in a knot. You see one thing that I haven't told you is that I'm the sensitive type, a toasted marshmallow my mom says (crusty outside and gooey inside), I get my feelings hurt pretty easily. I interpreted his walking ahead of me as his way of proving that he was still in better shape than me despite my 3 months of exercise (Oh yeah, 3 months) and his lack thereof. I know that's not what he intended but I was hot and tired (and maybe a bit hormonal, sorry guys but it's true) and that's how it felt.
Back to Saturday. So I dragged him out of the house but not before I took my "are we going to walk together or are you walking at your own pace today" stance. He said, let's walk at our own pace. I grabbed my I-pod deciding that I should enjoy this walk and headed out the door. Pushed by the fast pace music bopping in my ear, I took off at a record pace and I didn't stop. As one of our neighbors said I was "putting it on him." I came in at just under 31 minutes, a 15:30 pace. WOO HOO! He came in 4 minutes later after stopping to chat with the neighbor who gave him a hard time.
I felt so energized, good pace, no fatigue, quick recovery, it all seemed to be coming together. Well, Sunday I decided it was time for a real test, 4 miles. This is the first time in a long time that I have walked that far. I got started later than I wanted to (like that's never happened before) and it was getting hot. I briefly toyed with the idea of only walking a 5K but I've done that several times. I shook it off and decided to keep moving. I took me a lot of sweat, sore feet and 1 hour and 12 minutes to finish. That's an 18 minute mile pace, not too bad.
I'm feeling pretty good knowing that I only have 8 1/2 weeks until the 10K. I know I will finish with no problem. Yesterday I walked another 2 miles, just like I'll do on Saturday and I'll follow up on Sunday with another 4 mile walk. I'll round out the week's exercise with 3 alternating days of kettleball exercises. I feel the need to get some sort of weight training/toning thing going on now (starting to feel perkier...) to round out my workouts. I'll let you know how that goes, I'm starting tomorrow, it looks like a fun plan. I'm still doing Zumba too, I can't get enough of that.
I know my posts haven't been coming in as often and I will do better, we all know how we allow life to get the better of us sometimes. I want to hear from you too. Let me know what what you have been doing, let me know if I can help...I'll do the best I can so tell me what's on your mind and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
I Seem to be Hitting Some Road Blocks Lately
Well, I didn't walk 2 miles on Monday. I had a bit of trouble getting out of bed. By the time I did get up I only had enough time to get on the Wii Fit for about 20 minutes. I had a hard time on Tuesday too but this time I managed to come through for myself and I hit the pavement. 2 miles, 31 minutes, 45 seconds. That's less than 16 minutes a mile, not too shabby. You see, I had a new plan and it seems to have worked.
Keep in mind that I am out here in the country walking and part of my walk is on a fairly busy road and so far I have not used my Ipod while walking. I just didn't think it was safe, until Tuesday. I have met a few of the folks that live along my route and everyone has gotten used to seeing me walking and biking, it's always nice to have extra eyes looking out for you. Now the other thing that I knew I would have to do is keep the volume low so that I could hear traffic approaching me from behind. I don't walk in the middle of the road or anything crazy like that but there is no such thing as a shoulder, just a ditch, lots of tall grass and who knows what creeping and crawling in there. Uh, no thank you.
The Ipod was a pleasant change and I think the music definitely got me moving faster (the proof is in the numbers). I have to admit though that I had something else on my side...the weather. Yesterday's high was only 77. That is the first day under 80 degrees in 90 days (I told you it's been hot.) and even Coconut had an extra spring in his step as he charged out into the road right on my heels. It was cloudy yesterday too and there was a nice breeze, well, the breeze was nice on the way in but gave me a heck of a head wind on the way out making me work that much harder. All in all, I was very pleased at the end of the walk.
So today I took a rest day and tomorrow I plan to get back out on the road. Once again I will pound out 2 miles and maybe with the help of my new favorite walking tool (my Ipod, pay attention) I will make it back in faster than yesterday.
9 1/2 weeks to the 10K, full speed ahead. Send me some happy thoughts and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Keep in mind that I am out here in the country walking and part of my walk is on a fairly busy road and so far I have not used my Ipod while walking. I just didn't think it was safe, until Tuesday. I have met a few of the folks that live along my route and everyone has gotten used to seeing me walking and biking, it's always nice to have extra eyes looking out for you. Now the other thing that I knew I would have to do is keep the volume low so that I could hear traffic approaching me from behind. I don't walk in the middle of the road or anything crazy like that but there is no such thing as a shoulder, just a ditch, lots of tall grass and who knows what creeping and crawling in there. Uh, no thank you.
The Ipod was a pleasant change and I think the music definitely got me moving faster (the proof is in the numbers). I have to admit though that I had something else on my side...the weather. Yesterday's high was only 77. That is the first day under 80 degrees in 90 days (I told you it's been hot.) and even Coconut had an extra spring in his step as he charged out into the road right on my heels. It was cloudy yesterday too and there was a nice breeze, well, the breeze was nice on the way in but gave me a heck of a head wind on the way out making me work that much harder. All in all, I was very pleased at the end of the walk.
So today I took a rest day and tomorrow I plan to get back out on the road. Once again I will pound out 2 miles and maybe with the help of my new favorite walking tool (my Ipod, pay attention) I will make it back in faster than yesterday.
9 1/2 weeks to the 10K, full speed ahead. Send me some happy thoughts and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Time to Focus...or Refocus
It's Sunday, and it is just 10 weeks to the 10K. Yikes! Time flies huh? So yesterday my husband and I went for a walk, a 5K. It was hot and we got a late start which only made it harder for us. We started off at a good pace and even got past Coconut's house without being chased, at least on the way in, but our energy eventually ran out and Coconut came after us on the way back. About a half a mile from the end we slowed to a casual pace and finished in under an hour. (A bit slower than I would have liked but OK given the conditions.)
As promised I am going to be honest...there is no replacement for getting outside and hitting the pavement. I have been doing various cardio workouts inside due to the heat and I think my lungs are in good shape. However, my legs are sore today, especially right in the hip socket. Looks like I need to get my butt outside a little more often, heat or no heat.
With the summer (and the number of weeks before the 10K) winding down I am going to face some new challenges. The biggest is going to be when to get my daily walk in. The first day of summer is the longest day of the year and since then the days have been getting shorter. That being said, it's not hard to figure out that there is no longer daylight at 6:00 a.m. I have to start walking at 6:00 to make sure I am done in time to stop sweating and cool off before getting ready for work.
My best plan is to get up at 6:00 and get ready which will put me out the door at about 6:20 or so which should be bright enough for the next couple of weeks allowing me to get in a 2 mile walk each day. (I should be able to walk that in less than 35 minutes still giving me cool down time.) I will save my long walk for Saturdays and plan to put in 4 miles this coming Saturday. There it is, the plan for the next couple of weeks; walk, walk, walk.
Another thing I hope will help me along is the bootcamp class my husband and I are thinking about trying. It is offered through the county's Parks and Rec office. It's a one hour class six Saturday mornings beginning in mid September. I'll get back to you on that one.
Well, I have a plan in place, that's a start. Of course I will let you know how it goes, good and bad. Talk to me, are y'all moving yet? Rhonda, I hope you are doing much better and feeling well. Keep working on your health and we'll keep sending you positive thoughts. How about the rest of you? Set a goal and start working towards it and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
As promised I am going to be honest...there is no replacement for getting outside and hitting the pavement. I have been doing various cardio workouts inside due to the heat and I think my lungs are in good shape. However, my legs are sore today, especially right in the hip socket. Looks like I need to get my butt outside a little more often, heat or no heat.
With the summer (and the number of weeks before the 10K) winding down I am going to face some new challenges. The biggest is going to be when to get my daily walk in. The first day of summer is the longest day of the year and since then the days have been getting shorter. That being said, it's not hard to figure out that there is no longer daylight at 6:00 a.m. I have to start walking at 6:00 to make sure I am done in time to stop sweating and cool off before getting ready for work.
My best plan is to get up at 6:00 and get ready which will put me out the door at about 6:20 or so which should be bright enough for the next couple of weeks allowing me to get in a 2 mile walk each day. (I should be able to walk that in less than 35 minutes still giving me cool down time.) I will save my long walk for Saturdays and plan to put in 4 miles this coming Saturday. There it is, the plan for the next couple of weeks; walk, walk, walk.
Another thing I hope will help me along is the bootcamp class my husband and I are thinking about trying. It is offered through the county's Parks and Rec office. It's a one hour class six Saturday mornings beginning in mid September. I'll get back to you on that one.
Well, I have a plan in place, that's a start. Of course I will let you know how it goes, good and bad. Talk to me, are y'all moving yet? Rhonda, I hope you are doing much better and feeling well. Keep working on your health and we'll keep sending you positive thoughts. How about the rest of you? Set a goal and start working towards it and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
I Think a Little R & R is in Order
Well, we are getting ready to head out for a long weekend at the beach. I am really looking forward to it. I got a manicure and pedicure this morning, picked up last minute supplies and packed our bags.
Our very good friends have invited us to their family's beach house to celebrate his 40th birthday. Yea for us and Happy Birthday Ed. Now in case you are wondering, I have every intention of getting in some exercise while we are gone. There is a pool and that's all I'll need to blast away some calories and strengthen my muscles.
With the weather still being so awful here (upper 90's to 100's and high humidity) I have either been getting my exercise in the pool or by Zumba. It's been in the upper 70's to low 80's even in the mornings and the humidity at that time is usually over 80%, not good for walking. But I seem to be holding my own with the exercise I am getting.
I hope that the weather will break early (especially since it got hot so early) allowing me to get back out on the pavement. After all, I have less than 3 months to the 10K, yeah, it's been sneaking up on me too. I'm not too worried though as I have been exercising for over 2 months now (hard for me to wrap my head around that one) and it's really become a habit. I don't even think about it now... or dread it. It's just part of my daily routine to get up early and fit in about a hour before work.
So, there it is. I promise, promise, promise to write more when we get back. I think it's good for me and I hope that you are getting something out of it. You've gotta know that if a fat girl like me can make exercise a part of her life then you can too. Now get out there and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Our very good friends have invited us to their family's beach house to celebrate his 40th birthday. Yea for us and Happy Birthday Ed. Now in case you are wondering, I have every intention of getting in some exercise while we are gone. There is a pool and that's all I'll need to blast away some calories and strengthen my muscles.
With the weather still being so awful here (upper 90's to 100's and high humidity) I have either been getting my exercise in the pool or by Zumba. It's been in the upper 70's to low 80's even in the mornings and the humidity at that time is usually over 80%, not good for walking. But I seem to be holding my own with the exercise I am getting.
I hope that the weather will break early (especially since it got hot so early) allowing me to get back out on the pavement. After all, I have less than 3 months to the 10K, yeah, it's been sneaking up on me too. I'm not too worried though as I have been exercising for over 2 months now (hard for me to wrap my head around that one) and it's really become a habit. I don't even think about it now... or dread it. It's just part of my daily routine to get up early and fit in about a hour before work.
So, there it is. I promise, promise, promise to write more when we get back. I think it's good for me and I hope that you are getting something out of it. You've gotta know that if a fat girl like me can make exercise a part of her life then you can too. Now get out there and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Everyone needs a break right...that's what I keep telling myself anyway.
Well, where do we start? I did some more Zumba last week and I still can't convince my husband to try it. He has no idea how much fun it would be for me to watch, wellllllll maybe he does and maybe that's why he hasn't. Anyway, have any of you tried it? I'm telling you it's a hoot.
So, I went for a walk Sunday, a 5K, my Honey was kind enough to tag along. It went great. I had no trouble with my knee and I have to tell you that my legs felt really strong. It has to be the combo of walking, Zumba, Wii Fit, biking and swimming. (Whoa, have I really been doing all of that...YES I HAVE.) I could feel the muscles in my legs working for me, they weren't working as hard but more efficiently. It was a good feeling. It was a good walk.
Now you'd think that with some good exercise that day I would have slept well that night right? Wrong! I barely slept at all, it was terrible. I have to tell you that typically I have no trouble falling asleep or staying there. As a matter of fact, when I decide I'm ready to go to sleep I fall asleep in a few seconds, that's no exaggeration. (It's a family trait, when we're tired we go to sleep it doesn't matter who's around or what's going on.) I'm not telling you this to brag, I'm trying to convey how bad a night this was for me. I tossed and turned and fidgeted and got up to go to the bathroom and tossed and turned and my back hurt so I rolled over and fidgeted and my neck hurt so I rolled back and my back hurt and I tossed and turned...Ok, do you get the picture? We've all had those nights. So I finally fall asleep and less than an hour later the alarm goes off and my husband gets up. I get back to sleep and he comes to wake me up as I requested so that I could get in my exercise before work. I couldn't get up, I just couldn't. I reset the alarm for 7:00 and then needed 2 smacks of the snooze before I was able to drag myself out of the bed.
One day of exercise missed and a lousy night of sleep or lack thereof, do you think I could sleep the next night....NOOOOOOOOOOO. Same thing, not quite as bad but still not good and no I couldn't get up this morning either. I'm hoping that tonight is better. Please, please let tonight be better.
I can tell you this, I will exercise tomorrow. According to my sister, you can take 2 days off, after that you start losing what you have gained. I will not miss 3 days. Pray that I get a good night of sleep and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
So, I went for a walk Sunday, a 5K, my Honey was kind enough to tag along. It went great. I had no trouble with my knee and I have to tell you that my legs felt really strong. It has to be the combo of walking, Zumba, Wii Fit, biking and swimming. (Whoa, have I really been doing all of that...YES I HAVE.) I could feel the muscles in my legs working for me, they weren't working as hard but more efficiently. It was a good feeling. It was a good walk.
Now you'd think that with some good exercise that day I would have slept well that night right? Wrong! I barely slept at all, it was terrible. I have to tell you that typically I have no trouble falling asleep or staying there. As a matter of fact, when I decide I'm ready to go to sleep I fall asleep in a few seconds, that's no exaggeration. (It's a family trait, when we're tired we go to sleep it doesn't matter who's around or what's going on.) I'm not telling you this to brag, I'm trying to convey how bad a night this was for me. I tossed and turned and fidgeted and got up to go to the bathroom and tossed and turned and my back hurt so I rolled over and fidgeted and my neck hurt so I rolled back and my back hurt and I tossed and turned...Ok, do you get the picture? We've all had those nights. So I finally fall asleep and less than an hour later the alarm goes off and my husband gets up. I get back to sleep and he comes to wake me up as I requested so that I could get in my exercise before work. I couldn't get up, I just couldn't. I reset the alarm for 7:00 and then needed 2 smacks of the snooze before I was able to drag myself out of the bed.
One day of exercise missed and a lousy night of sleep or lack thereof, do you think I could sleep the next night....NOOOOOOOOOOO. Same thing, not quite as bad but still not good and no I couldn't get up this morning either. I'm hoping that tonight is better. Please, please let tonight be better.
I can tell you this, I will exercise tomorrow. According to my sister, you can take 2 days off, after that you start losing what you have gained. I will not miss 3 days. Pray that I get a good night of sleep and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
In the Immortal Words of James Brown...Get Up Offa That Thang...
OK, nearly an hour of Zumba, whew that was a workout, I think parts of me are still shaking. It's fun and if you like to dance you should try it. I walked around all day yesterday singing the music from the DVD (not out loud, I can't carry a tune in a bucket) over and over in my head. I would suggest that before you buy it, you try it though, find a friend who's willing to loan it to you for a couple of days because I don't think it's for everyone.
The first video is great because they take the major steps and break them down nice and slow for you and if you're not up to top Zumba speed it's also a way to modify the exercises to your fitness (and skill) level. (I keep teasing my husband about doing the workout with me but he has no rhythm so it would be more for my entertainment than anything.)
The second workout is the 20 minute express which is a nice way to get your feet wet, you know, put all the moves together in a sequence and see how you hold up to the pace.
The third workout is my favorite so far, it's 50 minutes of full speed Zumba. Don't fret over that too much because they still show you how to modify the moves to keep you from hurting yourself and I have to admit that there were times when I had to make modifications just to catch my breath.
So today I took a rest day and tomorrow I am thinking about hitting the Zumba again. Friday will be swimming and Saturday morning I'm back on the pavement, walking at first and I plan to walk at least a 5K (maybe a 10K if I'm pain free for the first 3 miles, I feel like I need to see where I am in my training for the 10K in October).
I started out pretty good with the food thing this morning (I am intentionally not calling this a diet because I think the word has morphed into some kind of Juggernaut and we've given it way too much power.) I had my usual cereal with 1% milk and for a morning snack I had 1 serving of reduced fat Cheez-Its, dietitian approved, which comes out to 20 crackers. Then I had to go 3 rounds on the phone with United Healthcare and apparently decided that I would need a brownie from Chick-fil-a to get me through the rest of the day.
Now I mean no offense if you work for an insurance company or for a call center (I have worked in 2 call centers. Most recently for GE's customer service center for electrical distribution and prior to that I spent over 7 years in a 911 center answering the phone, dispatching police, fire, EMS and so on.) but I had to deal with some true incompetence today. I think I get frustrated because I have just enough inside knowledge to be dangerous and I never seem to get anyone on the phone who works like I do or like would expect them to. Nevertheless, that's no excuse to punish myself by eating a brownie, I think I need to try meditation or something, I don't know.
So there you have, the scoop on Zumba and my rationale for deviating from my meal plan, just as I promised and as honest as I can give it to you.
Go eat something healthy, it doesn't have to be salad, get moving, stay tuned and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
The first video is great because they take the major steps and break them down nice and slow for you and if you're not up to top Zumba speed it's also a way to modify the exercises to your fitness (and skill) level. (I keep teasing my husband about doing the workout with me but he has no rhythm so it would be more for my entertainment than anything.)
The second workout is the 20 minute express which is a nice way to get your feet wet, you know, put all the moves together in a sequence and see how you hold up to the pace.
The third workout is my favorite so far, it's 50 minutes of full speed Zumba. Don't fret over that too much because they still show you how to modify the moves to keep you from hurting yourself and I have to admit that there were times when I had to make modifications just to catch my breath.
So today I took a rest day and tomorrow I am thinking about hitting the Zumba again. Friday will be swimming and Saturday morning I'm back on the pavement, walking at first and I plan to walk at least a 5K (maybe a 10K if I'm pain free for the first 3 miles, I feel like I need to see where I am in my training for the 10K in October).
I started out pretty good with the food thing this morning (I am intentionally not calling this a diet because I think the word has morphed into some kind of Juggernaut and we've given it way too much power.) I had my usual cereal with 1% milk and for a morning snack I had 1 serving of reduced fat Cheez-Its, dietitian approved, which comes out to 20 crackers. Then I had to go 3 rounds on the phone with United Healthcare and apparently decided that I would need a brownie from Chick-fil-a to get me through the rest of the day.
Now I mean no offense if you work for an insurance company or for a call center (I have worked in 2 call centers. Most recently for GE's customer service center for electrical distribution and prior to that I spent over 7 years in a 911 center answering the phone, dispatching police, fire, EMS and so on.) but I had to deal with some true incompetence today. I think I get frustrated because I have just enough inside knowledge to be dangerous and I never seem to get anyone on the phone who works like I do or like would expect them to. Nevertheless, that's no excuse to punish myself by eating a brownie, I think I need to try meditation or something, I don't know.
So there you have, the scoop on Zumba and my rationale for deviating from my meal plan, just as I promised and as honest as I can give it to you.
Go eat something healthy, it doesn't have to be salad, get moving, stay tuned and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Yes I'm Still Alive...
Sorry for the intermission folks but my brain has been on vacation. I've had a full schedule, it's been back in the 100's, I've been tired...is that enough excuses yet? Anyway, I am still plugging along much as I had been prior to my absence and this is what I have been up to.
Biking - still doing a 5K on weekdays averaging about 11 mph. I biked a 10K one weekend and I'm planning to make that a regular event.
Swimming - still swimming on Fridays and sometimes on Saturday or Sunday too. This past week I had a few days off so I swam Thursday, Friday and Saturday for 2-3 hours each day. I'll admit that the larger portion of that time is spent bobbing but I'm swimming some strokes and treading some water.
Wii Fit - did this a couple of times for 30 minutes. I haven't gotten into the yoga though as I had planned. I'll work on that. I mostly do the aerobic games, they're fun but will still make you work up a sweat. Try to take it easy if you do get on the Wii Fit though, don't throw out your shoulder or hip or anything.
Zumba - my friend was kind enough to loan me her Zumba DVD's to see if I liked them and would use them...LOVE IT! I like to dance and have never felt like it was exercise so it's been a good fit for me. I've been doing the 20 minute workout to get used to the steps but I'm going to take it up to the 50 minute workout tomorrow and see how I feel after that.
Well, that's it for the exercise so on to the food part. I have been making slight changes to my daily diet, trying to reduce the intake of bad foods all together while adding healthier options. I'm a work in progress, what else can I say?
That's that. I'll keep you in the loop and in the meantime...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Biking - still doing a 5K on weekdays averaging about 11 mph. I biked a 10K one weekend and I'm planning to make that a regular event.
Swimming - still swimming on Fridays and sometimes on Saturday or Sunday too. This past week I had a few days off so I swam Thursday, Friday and Saturday for 2-3 hours each day. I'll admit that the larger portion of that time is spent bobbing but I'm swimming some strokes and treading some water.
Wii Fit - did this a couple of times for 30 minutes. I haven't gotten into the yoga though as I had planned. I'll work on that. I mostly do the aerobic games, they're fun but will still make you work up a sweat. Try to take it easy if you do get on the Wii Fit though, don't throw out your shoulder or hip or anything.
Zumba - my friend was kind enough to loan me her Zumba DVD's to see if I liked them and would use them...LOVE IT! I like to dance and have never felt like it was exercise so it's been a good fit for me. I've been doing the 20 minute workout to get used to the steps but I'm going to take it up to the 50 minute workout tomorrow and see how I feel after that.
Well, that's it for the exercise so on to the food part. I have been making slight changes to my daily diet, trying to reduce the intake of bad foods all together while adding healthier options. I'm a work in progress, what else can I say?
That's that. I'll keep you in the loop and in the meantime...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
So, This is What I've Been Up To...
Saturday was a rest day for me. I went to the movies with my sister and that was about all I did. Rest days are good, they prevent burn out, recharge the batteries. Always take a rest day, it will keep you motivated.
Sunday, I biked a little over 6 miles, AKA a 10K. I wanted to do a full 10 miles but traffic started to pick up and that can be quite dangerous on these rural roads. So I cut it short at just 2 full loops around my route. I've noticed that I am able to recover much faster than when I started exercising. It's a good sign that I am gaining strength and gaining health.
Monday I rolled out of bed at 6:00, got dressed and jumped on my bike (well, I didn't actually jump on it that would have been painful). We finally got some rain here, apparently sometime early in the morning. Everything looked greener and more alive, the plants stretched toward the sky like they were asking for more. The smell of the rain still hung in the air and the water sprayed from my tires. There was a crisp, cool undertone to the air making breathing much easier. The rain made me feel more alive and I pushed hard.
Today I am going to get on the Wii Fit. The plan is to do some cardio then switch to yoga. I think part of the problem with my knee was a lack of flexibility, adding yoga a few days a week should help with that.
I plan to get back to walking this week, gently testing the knee to make sure that it's healthy before moving forward. I'll keep working on giving my body the fuels that it needs to work harder and become stronger. Are you guys still out there? Are you reading? Are you exercising? Talk to me and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Sunday, I biked a little over 6 miles, AKA a 10K. I wanted to do a full 10 miles but traffic started to pick up and that can be quite dangerous on these rural roads. So I cut it short at just 2 full loops around my route. I've noticed that I am able to recover much faster than when I started exercising. It's a good sign that I am gaining strength and gaining health.
Monday I rolled out of bed at 6:00, got dressed and jumped on my bike (well, I didn't actually jump on it that would have been painful). We finally got some rain here, apparently sometime early in the morning. Everything looked greener and more alive, the plants stretched toward the sky like they were asking for more. The smell of the rain still hung in the air and the water sprayed from my tires. There was a crisp, cool undertone to the air making breathing much easier. The rain made me feel more alive and I pushed hard.
Today I am going to get on the Wii Fit. The plan is to do some cardio then switch to yoga. I think part of the problem with my knee was a lack of flexibility, adding yoga a few days a week should help with that.
I plan to get back to walking this week, gently testing the knee to make sure that it's healthy before moving forward. I'll keep working on giving my body the fuels that it needs to work harder and become stronger. Are you guys still out there? Are you reading? Are you exercising? Talk to me and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Friday, July 9, 2010
And The Heat Goes On...
(Friday's blog...I saved it as a draft and forgot to go back and post it.)
Well, we are in the midst of another heat wave here in Virginia. The high temperature on Wednesday was 104, now that's hot. Still nursing my knee I have been hitting the bike not the pavement and it seems to be helping. My knee is coming along nicely, still some pain at the end of the evening but I am no longer hobbling around like I'm 100.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I biked a 5K, my fastest time was 16:30, about a 12 mph pace. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. The plan for today is to do some swimming and try to work my arms and upper body a bit while giving my legs some rest. I can't tell you how nice it is to have access to a swimming pool. It's great exercise, low impact and it tones the whole body. If there is anyway for you to get in a pool then do it. Take a water aerobics class or better yet take some swimming lessons, they aren't just for kids you know.
I seem to still be struggling with eating the proper diet but that has always been a challenge for me. I can say that I have reached 6.5 lbs of weight loss which is great, we want to keep that going in the right direction. You know I have tried some of the big diets out there and I have had success with them, brief though it may have been. That success came in the form of rapid weight loss in, on one program I lost 70 lbs. in 7 months. Now I feel that I am a bit frustrated because the weight loss is slow. I'm trying not to put so much emphasis on weight but it's hard not to as the numbers are right there on the scale. I'm also trying to see this as a positive, the weight is coming off slow but, it is coming off the right way, for good. Yeah, that's what it is.
I'm going to keep plugging along one step at a time, one pound at a time. I'll keep blogging, running, walking, biking, swimming, Wiiing so...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Well, we are in the midst of another heat wave here in Virginia. The high temperature on Wednesday was 104, now that's hot. Still nursing my knee I have been hitting the bike not the pavement and it seems to be helping. My knee is coming along nicely, still some pain at the end of the evening but I am no longer hobbling around like I'm 100.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I biked a 5K, my fastest time was 16:30, about a 12 mph pace. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. The plan for today is to do some swimming and try to work my arms and upper body a bit while giving my legs some rest. I can't tell you how nice it is to have access to a swimming pool. It's great exercise, low impact and it tones the whole body. If there is anyway for you to get in a pool then do it. Take a water aerobics class or better yet take some swimming lessons, they aren't just for kids you know.
I seem to still be struggling with eating the proper diet but that has always been a challenge for me. I can say that I have reached 6.5 lbs of weight loss which is great, we want to keep that going in the right direction. You know I have tried some of the big diets out there and I have had success with them, brief though it may have been. That success came in the form of rapid weight loss in, on one program I lost 70 lbs. in 7 months. Now I feel that I am a bit frustrated because the weight loss is slow. I'm trying not to put so much emphasis on weight but it's hard not to as the numbers are right there on the scale. I'm also trying to see this as a positive, the weight is coming off slow but, it is coming off the right way, for good. Yeah, that's what it is.
I'm going to keep plugging along one step at a time, one pound at a time. I'll keep blogging, running, walking, biking, swimming, Wiiing so...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Monday, July 5, 2010
OK, So I Think I Need to Try a New Strategy
Well, I seem to have gotten over the anger that consumed me for a couple of days. I tried running again on Sunday but it seems that I am only capable of a penguin-like shuffle. It appears that it is going to take a little longer than 2 days for my knee to heal. So in the meantime there will be no running. I have refocused on the original goal of preparing for a 10K in October so that is what I will do.
I took a rest day today and tomorrow I am getting back on the bike. It's great for the cardiovascular system, burns calories, strengthens the muscles and is low impact. That's the plan now, bike it a couple of weeks, continue swimming and perhaps in another week I'll start walking again, nice and easy, no pushing it. I am also ready to start focusing on what I am eating, following the guidelines I was given by the dietitian.
Here's the basic idea: I'm doing pretty good with breakfast and lunch but when it comes to dinner I am just throwing in the towel. I'm not sure if the breakdown comes from being really hungry come 7:00 when I get home from work or if I just get tired of thinking about what I am going to put in my mouth. Regardless of what the hang up is I am determined to get past it and I think good planning is the way to do it.
Another thing that I plan to make a habit is a food diary. Now I have tried to do this in the past and I have been very unsuccessful, most likely it's because I overcomplicated it. I bought day planners and would write down what I was planning to eat for the day, an estimated calorie count, etc. Well, I think that was a recipe for failure. I went to Target and bought a small notebook (I think it only cost $1.50 or something) with lined pages and now I am writing things down as I eat them. If you're wondering, I am not working without a plan, there is some planning going on in the morning when I pack lunch for the day, yes you should pack your lunch (money and calorie saver).
There it is. I'm still moving forward, stronger and healthier each day. I haven't allowed a knee injury to slow me down, knock me off track or give me an excuse to quit. I'm exercising, are you? Tell me about it and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
I took a rest day today and tomorrow I am getting back on the bike. It's great for the cardiovascular system, burns calories, strengthens the muscles and is low impact. That's the plan now, bike it a couple of weeks, continue swimming and perhaps in another week I'll start walking again, nice and easy, no pushing it. I am also ready to start focusing on what I am eating, following the guidelines I was given by the dietitian.
Here's the basic idea: I'm doing pretty good with breakfast and lunch but when it comes to dinner I am just throwing in the towel. I'm not sure if the breakdown comes from being really hungry come 7:00 when I get home from work or if I just get tired of thinking about what I am going to put in my mouth. Regardless of what the hang up is I am determined to get past it and I think good planning is the way to do it.
Another thing that I plan to make a habit is a food diary. Now I have tried to do this in the past and I have been very unsuccessful, most likely it's because I overcomplicated it. I bought day planners and would write down what I was planning to eat for the day, an estimated calorie count, etc. Well, I think that was a recipe for failure. I went to Target and bought a small notebook (I think it only cost $1.50 or something) with lined pages and now I am writing things down as I eat them. If you're wondering, I am not working without a plan, there is some planning going on in the morning when I pack lunch for the day, yes you should pack your lunch (money and calorie saver).
There it is. I'm still moving forward, stronger and healthier each day. I haven't allowed a knee injury to slow me down, knock me off track or give me an excuse to quit. I'm exercising, are you? Tell me about it and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Everyone Likes a Quickie
It's almost 9:00 p.m. here and I have to get up at 5:00 tomorrow morning so I'll make this really quick.
Today is Day 1 of Week 3 of the interval training program. I did 2 miles with 10 intervals of running for a total of 9 minutes of running. Let's take a moment to celebrate...OK, that's long enough, I'm tired. I have never run that far in my life, I'm proud of that.
OK, now for the bad news. My knee is not improving, actually, it's getting worse. I am now faced with the tough decision of what to do to undo the damage that my classic push-yourself-too-hard rookie move has caused. Knowing that scaling back is the only way to get my knee healthy, I have no other choice.
Here is the game plan: cross train tomorrow as scheduled, rest Saturday, revert to Week 1 running for Sunday, take some Motrin, ice it, elevate it, not necessarily in that order. There it is. I'm not happy about it and I am really trying not to allow myself to feel defeated. What I can promise you is this, I will not revert to my old habit of holding down the couch (even though I am mighty good at it), rather, I will just take the intensity down a couple of notches allowing my body to do it's job and heal itself.
That's really all I can say right now, I'm frustrated and I'm trying really hard not to let profanity sneak it's way in.
Don't worry, this won't stop me, I'm still on my mission, it's just going to take a little longer so...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Today is Day 1 of Week 3 of the interval training program. I did 2 miles with 10 intervals of running for a total of 9 minutes of running. Let's take a moment to celebrate...OK, that's long enough, I'm tired. I have never run that far in my life, I'm proud of that.
OK, now for the bad news. My knee is not improving, actually, it's getting worse. I am now faced with the tough decision of what to do to undo the damage that my classic push-yourself-too-hard rookie move has caused. Knowing that scaling back is the only way to get my knee healthy, I have no other choice.
Here is the game plan: cross train tomorrow as scheduled, rest Saturday, revert to Week 1 running for Sunday, take some Motrin, ice it, elevate it, not necessarily in that order. There it is. I'm not happy about it and I am really trying not to allow myself to feel defeated. What I can promise you is this, I will not revert to my old habit of holding down the couch (even though I am mighty good at it), rather, I will just take the intensity down a couple of notches allowing my body to do it's job and heal itself.
That's really all I can say right now, I'm frustrated and I'm trying really hard not to let profanity sneak it's way in.
Don't worry, this won't stop me, I'm still on my mission, it's just going to take a little longer so...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
and That Makes 8
Yesterday was Day 5 of Week 2, my last running day for the week. The heat wave continued and it was 79 degrees at 6:00, I didn't even bother to check the humidity level, I didn't want to know. My knees are still hurting, the right more than the left and I've been told that it's probably because I need to stretch my legs more after jogging. I'll work on that. Not only did I have the oppressive heat to deal with, there was a pit bull running loose. Now, you might recall that a couple of weeks ago there was a rottweiler I had to contend with, I don't know which is worse. The rott was bigger but the pit bulls have those massive jaws. It turned out OK but I had to walk backwards for part of my walk because every time I turned around it started following me again.
So the walking backwards meant that I had a longer interval of walking and I didn't think that I would be able to fit in 9 running intervals. (I am not about to try running backwards, I am not that coordinated.) Well to make up for the extra walking I decided to increase my running intervals from 45 to 60 seconds. As it turned out I did get all 9 in and I finished with a total of 8 minutes of running. That's right, 8. Look at me go.
Today was my easy walk day and I took it really easy. I walked for 34 minutes, the goal is 30 - 60, but I didn't want to push it any farther because of the knee pain. Tomorrow I get to rest. Now I know I've said it before but, YEA REST DAY! I'm going to give my legs a well deserved break so I can go at it again Thursday when I move up to 2 miles.
In case you were wondering, I did go to the dietitian today, more on that tomorrow, I have to go get ready for bed now. So, I haven't heard from you, what are you doing to make yourself healthier? Report back, that's an order and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
So the walking backwards meant that I had a longer interval of walking and I didn't think that I would be able to fit in 9 running intervals. (I am not about to try running backwards, I am not that coordinated.) Well to make up for the extra walking I decided to increase my running intervals from 45 to 60 seconds. As it turned out I did get all 9 in and I finished with a total of 8 minutes of running. That's right, 8. Look at me go.
Today was my easy walk day and I took it really easy. I walked for 34 minutes, the goal is 30 - 60, but I didn't want to push it any farther because of the knee pain. Tomorrow I get to rest. Now I know I've said it before but, YEA REST DAY! I'm going to give my legs a well deserved break so I can go at it again Thursday when I move up to 2 miles.
In case you were wondering, I did go to the dietitian today, more on that tomorrow, I have to go get ready for bed now. So, I haven't heard from you, what are you doing to make yourself healthier? Report back, that's an order and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
A Brief Hiatus From Blogging but Not From Exercising
OK, I know it's been a few days since I blogged, my apologies. I could tell you that I have been busy, that I have been tired from running, that it was my husband's birthday Friday and we had plans, or that Virginia is in the middle of a heat wave and it was over 100 degrees, but I won't.
Well, Wednesday was a rest day, yea rest. I kinda poo-poo'd the idea of rest days at the beginning of this thinking that they were holding me back. Now I realize that the rest days keep me going. The pain, as my sister warned me, has moved from my shins to my knees. If not for resting, I think I would be laid up injured and whining about losing momentum and so forth. On to Thursday.
I started Week 2 of my interval training program on Thursday. The distance for this week is 1 3/4 miles. Now I still have to warm up for 5 minutes at the beginning and cool down for 5 minutes at the end with intervals of running and walking in the middle. Because of the pains in my shins, I decided to keep the running time at 45 seconds. By adding the extra 1/4 mile I was able to do 2 more intervals making that, if you were paying attention last week, a total of 9. I'll even do the math for you...that adds up to 6 minutes and 45 seconds of running and when you add in the extra 15 seconds I did on one interval, I ran a total of 7 minutes. Did you hear me? I RAN A TOTAL OF SEVEN MINUTES!!! I never even did that in high school, I walked the mile, I didn't run. You might be thinking that I am getting a little carried away but believe me this is quite an accomplishment. I used to tell people that I wouldn't run if something was chasing me and I meant it.
So, Friday was my cross training day (and my Honey Bunny's birthday) for the week and I went swimming, this time I even remembered to take my goggles and nose clip. You know despite the embarrassment that it would cause me I am quite tempted to get my husband to take a picture of me with all that gear on because I know it is a sight to behold. Anyway, I swam a few laps probably not as many as I should have but I did swim them. I always marvel at the number of muscles that you engage when you propel your body through water. I am also amazed that I forget every time how tired it makes me. It's fun though and it's a good kind of tired.
Saturday was Day 3 of Week 2 of training and that meant it was time to run again. The alarm clock started singing at 5:30 a.m. Yes, that is insanely early for a Saturday, believe me I know. However, as I mentioned, we are in the midst of a heat wave and 6:00 - 7:30 a.m. is the only time I can run without dropping from a heat stroke. Now I might have slept in for another hour but we had plans for later in the morning so 5:30 it was. Saturday was a repeat of Thursday, I managed to run a total of 7 minutes. I am still walking for 2 - 3 minutes between eash interval which I think I can start to narrow down because I am really beginning to recover faster. The reason I haven't is that I read that I need to maintain speed and distance until the shin splints disappear, having already broken the distance rule I felt I should leave well enough alone.
With running completed for the day you'd think I would take it easy...ha! As part of my birthday gift to my hubby, I took him back to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. (If you've never been, you owe it to yourself to go, it's really cool.) I have to tell you that my husband is one of those folks who likes to read everything he can get his hands on and that includes every sign, every plaque, at every exhibit. You might be wondering what that has to do with exercise...well, that equates to 5 hours of walking/standing on a very hard surface. (I'm not complaining, I was happy to do it.) This would normally make my legs tired but after running earlier in the day I was in agony by the time we left.
A good night's sleep and day of rest (OK, I went back to the pool and bobbed around today, hey it's hot here) seems to be all I needed to set me right. Tomorrow will be Day 5 of Week 2 and I will once again pound some pavement, my last day of running for the week. I am looking forward to it. I never thought I would say that but, it's true. I love that I am getting stronger and healthier, I can feel it. Now I just have to get that eating thing under control. I'm a work in progress, what can I say. Well, I'm going to the dietitian on Tuesday, that's what I can say. More on that later.
I can tell you that I will be more diligent and not take such a long blogging break again, I can tell you that I will keep moving despite the pain and the heat, I can tell you that I will listen to the dietitian with an open mind and really try to eat healthier. Now, tell me something. What did you do this week to make yourself healthier. Did you eat some fruit for dessert? Did you get on your Wii Fit? Did you pack healthy snacks to take with you for the day? Did you walk or run? Keep me posted, I hope you know that your comments keep me going. Are you still there?
Do something healthy for yourself and for those who love you and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Well, Wednesday was a rest day, yea rest. I kinda poo-poo'd the idea of rest days at the beginning of this thinking that they were holding me back. Now I realize that the rest days keep me going. The pain, as my sister warned me, has moved from my shins to my knees. If not for resting, I think I would be laid up injured and whining about losing momentum and so forth. On to Thursday.
I started Week 2 of my interval training program on Thursday. The distance for this week is 1 3/4 miles. Now I still have to warm up for 5 minutes at the beginning and cool down for 5 minutes at the end with intervals of running and walking in the middle. Because of the pains in my shins, I decided to keep the running time at 45 seconds. By adding the extra 1/4 mile I was able to do 2 more intervals making that, if you were paying attention last week, a total of 9. I'll even do the math for you...that adds up to 6 minutes and 45 seconds of running and when you add in the extra 15 seconds I did on one interval, I ran a total of 7 minutes. Did you hear me? I RAN A TOTAL OF SEVEN MINUTES!!! I never even did that in high school, I walked the mile, I didn't run. You might be thinking that I am getting a little carried away but believe me this is quite an accomplishment. I used to tell people that I wouldn't run if something was chasing me and I meant it.
So, Friday was my cross training day (and my Honey Bunny's birthday) for the week and I went swimming, this time I even remembered to take my goggles and nose clip. You know despite the embarrassment that it would cause me I am quite tempted to get my husband to take a picture of me with all that gear on because I know it is a sight to behold. Anyway, I swam a few laps probably not as many as I should have but I did swim them. I always marvel at the number of muscles that you engage when you propel your body through water. I am also amazed that I forget every time how tired it makes me. It's fun though and it's a good kind of tired.
Saturday was Day 3 of Week 2 of training and that meant it was time to run again. The alarm clock started singing at 5:30 a.m. Yes, that is insanely early for a Saturday, believe me I know. However, as I mentioned, we are in the midst of a heat wave and 6:00 - 7:30 a.m. is the only time I can run without dropping from a heat stroke. Now I might have slept in for another hour but we had plans for later in the morning so 5:30 it was. Saturday was a repeat of Thursday, I managed to run a total of 7 minutes. I am still walking for 2 - 3 minutes between eash interval which I think I can start to narrow down because I am really beginning to recover faster. The reason I haven't is that I read that I need to maintain speed and distance until the shin splints disappear, having already broken the distance rule I felt I should leave well enough alone.
With running completed for the day you'd think I would take it easy...ha! As part of my birthday gift to my hubby, I took him back to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. (If you've never been, you owe it to yourself to go, it's really cool.) I have to tell you that my husband is one of those folks who likes to read everything he can get his hands on and that includes every sign, every plaque, at every exhibit. You might be wondering what that has to do with exercise...well, that equates to 5 hours of walking/standing on a very hard surface. (I'm not complaining, I was happy to do it.) This would normally make my legs tired but after running earlier in the day I was in agony by the time we left.
A good night's sleep and day of rest (OK, I went back to the pool and bobbed around today, hey it's hot here) seems to be all I needed to set me right. Tomorrow will be Day 5 of Week 2 and I will once again pound some pavement, my last day of running for the week. I am looking forward to it. I never thought I would say that but, it's true. I love that I am getting stronger and healthier, I can feel it. Now I just have to get that eating thing under control. I'm a work in progress, what can I say. Well, I'm going to the dietitian on Tuesday, that's what I can say. More on that later.
I can tell you that I will be more diligent and not take such a long blogging break again, I can tell you that I will keep moving despite the pain and the heat, I can tell you that I will listen to the dietitian with an open mind and really try to eat healthier. Now, tell me something. What did you do this week to make yourself healthier. Did you eat some fruit for dessert? Did you get on your Wii Fit? Did you pack healthy snacks to take with you for the day? Did you walk or run? Keep me posted, I hope you know that your comments keep me going. Are you still there?
Do something healthy for yourself and for those who love you and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
So Am I a Habitual Offender Now?
Alright, sorry it's been since Saturday. Sunday was a rest day and boy did I rest. I was a couch potato. I needed it too. The only drawback was that I snacked more than I should have. However, I am still down 4 pounds for the week. Yea me!
Monday was another running day, my third and final for the week and it took everything I had to finish it. It's my understanding that when runners increase their speed or distance too quickly it causes shin splints. Not that I am calling myself a runner but, I do have shin splints. I am following the experts' directions, stretching, icing (not chocolate, just frozen water), elevating, you know the story. Rest is supposed to be the biggest help and with a day of easy walking (today) and another day of rest (tomorrow) I should move along just fine.
Now my big sister (I call her my big sister because she is older and because it's funny as she is the runt of the litter) says that when she started running she had a roving pain. It would move from shin to hip and so on but always got better and eventually went away.
So, tomorrow will bring me to the end of Week 1 of my training program and I have made it through relatively unscathed. If you've been keeping count you'll also realize that today is day 22. Remember, 21 days to make something a habit. Well, I can tell you that it feels like exercise is now habit, part of the daily routine. So much so that the other day I put on my running shoes to go to work rather than my work shoes. It feels good to know that I have found a way to fit exercise into my life. My muscles feel stronger, the soreness is rare now. I can breathe easier, yes, in that short amount of time you can improve the power of your lungs and heart. I sleep better, I just lapse into a coma when my head hits the pillow. I am happy that despite all odds I am still at it.
There it is, I have a new habit and it's a good one. I am making positive changes in my life and for my life. A little change in perspective is all it takes. I can't believe that these little milestones and accomplishments can be so motivating but they really are. While some habits need to be broken, I have developed one that I hope I will keep at for the rest of my life. Let's recap, that's 22 days, and 4 pounds down. I've only begun to fight, have faith and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Monday was another running day, my third and final for the week and it took everything I had to finish it. It's my understanding that when runners increase their speed or distance too quickly it causes shin splints. Not that I am calling myself a runner but, I do have shin splints. I am following the experts' directions, stretching, icing (not chocolate, just frozen water), elevating, you know the story. Rest is supposed to be the biggest help and with a day of easy walking (today) and another day of rest (tomorrow) I should move along just fine.
Now my big sister (I call her my big sister because she is older and because it's funny as she is the runt of the litter) says that when she started running she had a roving pain. It would move from shin to hip and so on but always got better and eventually went away.
So, tomorrow will bring me to the end of Week 1 of my training program and I have made it through relatively unscathed. If you've been keeping count you'll also realize that today is day 22. Remember, 21 days to make something a habit. Well, I can tell you that it feels like exercise is now habit, part of the daily routine. So much so that the other day I put on my running shoes to go to work rather than my work shoes. It feels good to know that I have found a way to fit exercise into my life. My muscles feel stronger, the soreness is rare now. I can breathe easier, yes, in that short amount of time you can improve the power of your lungs and heart. I sleep better, I just lapse into a coma when my head hits the pillow. I am happy that despite all odds I am still at it.
There it is, I have a new habit and it's a good one. I am making positive changes in my life and for my life. A little change in perspective is all it takes. I can't believe that these little milestones and accomplishments can be so motivating but they really are. While some habits need to be broken, I have developed one that I hope I will keep at for the rest of my life. Let's recap, that's 22 days, and 4 pounds down. I've only begun to fight, have faith and...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Just Keep Moving, Just Keep Moving
I am now on Day 3 of Week 1 of the interval training program I am trying. So far so good. Yesterday was a cross training day so I went swimming. Now, Thursday during my lunch break I went to the store and bought goggles and a nose clip wanting to do some serious laps in the pool. Well, I got to the pool and realized that I had left my equipment at home. Not to be deterred, I decided to tread water for a while and when that got boring I did the best swimming I could without submerging my head.
So, with Day 2 out of the way I knew that I would have to run again. Day 3 is supposed to be just like Day 1, for this week 1.5 miles. I was a little leery of running today because my muscles have been very sore the last 2 days. I got up early to beat the heat (the weather guys say it will be in the mid 90's today and 100 tomorrow, yikes!) and was on the road by 8:00.
As I approached the 5 minute mark I noticed that there was a couple in their yard. Not wanting them to see me running (the sports bra has the girls under control but there is still a lot of other jiggling and bouncing going on) I waited until I was past them and started jogging at 5:15. Well, today was just like Thursday as I did 7 intervals of running at 45 minutes each. I have to tell you that it hurt today. My shins hurt, my calves hurt, my thighs hurt, my back hurt, it was hard to breathe with this tight bra squeezing me. Despite the pain, I felt good too. I was running, I couldn't do that 2 months ago. It made me feel strong. It made me hopeful. Forget the pain, it's not going to stop me.
Tomorrow I rest. And boy do I need it. Let me give you a little advice, if you are having trouble sleeping, get some exercise. I have lapsed into a coma the past 2 nights. I have been physically tired which is so rare for me, usually I am mentally tired but, this is completely different.
So, are you moving yet, are you using your Wii Fit regularly, what have you done today to get moving? Today I ran. Get some exercise and
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
So, with Day 2 out of the way I knew that I would have to run again. Day 3 is supposed to be just like Day 1, for this week 1.5 miles. I was a little leery of running today because my muscles have been very sore the last 2 days. I got up early to beat the heat (the weather guys say it will be in the mid 90's today and 100 tomorrow, yikes!) and was on the road by 8:00.
As I approached the 5 minute mark I noticed that there was a couple in their yard. Not wanting them to see me running (the sports bra has the girls under control but there is still a lot of other jiggling and bouncing going on) I waited until I was past them and started jogging at 5:15. Well, today was just like Thursday as I did 7 intervals of running at 45 minutes each. I have to tell you that it hurt today. My shins hurt, my calves hurt, my thighs hurt, my back hurt, it was hard to breathe with this tight bra squeezing me. Despite the pain, I felt good too. I was running, I couldn't do that 2 months ago. It made me feel strong. It made me hopeful. Forget the pain, it's not going to stop me.
Tomorrow I rest. And boy do I need it. Let me give you a little advice, if you are having trouble sleeping, get some exercise. I have lapsed into a coma the past 2 nights. I have been physically tired which is so rare for me, usually I am mentally tired but, this is completely different.
So, are you moving yet, are you using your Wii Fit regularly, what have you done today to get moving? Today I ran. Get some exercise and
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
That's One Small Step for Woman...
Alright, so today was the day that I was to try running. I got the June issue of Prevention magazine and in it was a small article on how to start running. Day 1 of week 1 had me scheduled to do 1.5 miles. The idea is to walk 5 minutes to warm up at the beginning and 5 minutes to cool down at the end with intervals of running and walking in the middle. Now they tell you to run as long as you can and to switch to walking before you are out of breath. They also tell you that it is OK if you can only run 15 - 30 seconds when you begin. Can I run 30 seconds? I was going to find out.
I started out with the 5 minute warm up walk and I was on pace with where I had been in the weeks before. As the 5 minute mark approached I really started to wonder how far I could run. It took me another 45 seconds to get up the courage to try running and I had to make sure I wasn't directly in front of anyone's house in case they might be watching. At 5 minutes and 45 seconds I started jogging. I tried to focus on my breathing and keep it in rhythm with the sound of my feet striking the ground. Inhale, two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four. I glanced at my watch worried that only 10 or 15 seconds had passed and to my surprise I was at the 30 second mark. And, as I wasn't out of breath yet, I was able to push it to 45 seconds.
Now you have to remember that I started walking to train for the 5K at the very end of April. Prior to that I was sitting on the couch or sleeping in well past the time I needed to. I was absolutely amazed. After this first interval of running, I was able to regain my breath after just 2 minutes. Keeping a close eye on my watch, I started running again. Now that I knew I could run 45 seconds before getting winded that's what I did. Right past Coconut's house this time triggering the alarm and he chased me down the road to the end of his property before turning back. Again and again I alternated running with walking, 45 seconds running with 2 - 3 minutes of walking in between.
As I came running back past Coconut's house he started after me again. The neighbors across from my little shaggy follower were coming out of their driveway as a bizarre and ridiculous scene unfolded. There I was, jogging along, a woman of great stature, with a 20 pound mop hot on her heels when suddenly I turned and sort of jumped and waved my arms in a pseudo jumping jack move trying to chase him back home. It worked. I turned back around and kept running, laughing as the neighbors slowly pulled out of their driveway confident that they saw the whole thing.
All of this was a good distraction for a while but on my next running interval, number 6, I realized how fatigued my muscles were becoming. I walked for about 4 minutes trying to recover my breath (those new no-bounce bras certainly squeeze me tight) and my stamina so that I could finish by running the rest of the way home. I did. And I came in under 28 minutes.
I could not believe it. I just ran 7, 45 second intervals. I am still astounded and proud. Couch potato to running in about 7 or 8 weeks. It gives me so much hope that I can do this, I can run a 10K. Well, let's start with 1 mile. I hope to be able to do just that at the end of this 6 week training program. I'll keep you posted. For now I am satisfied with the knowledge that I am progressing. Slow and steady is winning the race.
I hope you will get moving. challenge your bodies, push yourselves, be safe and
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
I started out with the 5 minute warm up walk and I was on pace with where I had been in the weeks before. As the 5 minute mark approached I really started to wonder how far I could run. It took me another 45 seconds to get up the courage to try running and I had to make sure I wasn't directly in front of anyone's house in case they might be watching. At 5 minutes and 45 seconds I started jogging. I tried to focus on my breathing and keep it in rhythm with the sound of my feet striking the ground. Inhale, two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four. I glanced at my watch worried that only 10 or 15 seconds had passed and to my surprise I was at the 30 second mark. And, as I wasn't out of breath yet, I was able to push it to 45 seconds.
Now you have to remember that I started walking to train for the 5K at the very end of April. Prior to that I was sitting on the couch or sleeping in well past the time I needed to. I was absolutely amazed. After this first interval of running, I was able to regain my breath after just 2 minutes. Keeping a close eye on my watch, I started running again. Now that I knew I could run 45 seconds before getting winded that's what I did. Right past Coconut's house this time triggering the alarm and he chased me down the road to the end of his property before turning back. Again and again I alternated running with walking, 45 seconds running with 2 - 3 minutes of walking in between.
As I came running back past Coconut's house he started after me again. The neighbors across from my little shaggy follower were coming out of their driveway as a bizarre and ridiculous scene unfolded. There I was, jogging along, a woman of great stature, with a 20 pound mop hot on her heels when suddenly I turned and sort of jumped and waved my arms in a pseudo jumping jack move trying to chase him back home. It worked. I turned back around and kept running, laughing as the neighbors slowly pulled out of their driveway confident that they saw the whole thing.
All of this was a good distraction for a while but on my next running interval, number 6, I realized how fatigued my muscles were becoming. I walked for about 4 minutes trying to recover my breath (those new no-bounce bras certainly squeeze me tight) and my stamina so that I could finish by running the rest of the way home. I did. And I came in under 28 minutes.
I could not believe it. I just ran 7, 45 second intervals. I am still astounded and proud. Couch potato to running in about 7 or 8 weeks. It gives me so much hope that I can do this, I can run a 10K. Well, let's start with 1 mile. I hope to be able to do just that at the end of this 6 week training program. I'll keep you posted. For now I am satisfied with the knowledge that I am progressing. Slow and steady is winning the race.
I hope you will get moving. challenge your bodies, push yourselves, be safe and
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
And Knowing is Half the Battle...
It's a beautiful Tuesday morning here in the Commonwealth. I'm sitting on the patio out back typing away, loving the miracles of modern science that allow me to do so. I once again took the bike out for a 5K as this is supposed to be an easy day of activity. I didn't push too hard and probably coasted the bike a little more than I should have but I managed to make it back in 18:15, just 25 seconds behind yesterday's pace.
OK, maybe I am making that sound a bit too easy. I am not just goofing off on that bike, I pump hard. And let me tell you that several days of biking are not easy on the delicate bits. I have some sore parts legs, back, well you don't need the whole list. There is sweating and huffing and puffing and I even blew by Coconut's house so fast that I didn't sound the alarm. Oh, and there is something large and dead almost at the 1 mile point which I managed to get a giant whiff of into my lungs. That is UNpleasant. So while it is easier than walking, it's not easy.
As I said tomorrow will be a true rest day with no extra exercise at all. I'm told that if rest days are not taken then I will fatigue and more than likely injure myself and we just don't want that now do we? So I will rest. Don't misunderstand, I still have to go to work, cook dinner, do laundry, that sort of thing but I won't be walking, biking, swimming, Wiiing (that's a lot of I's), etc. I don't like it. When I take a day off I almost feel lazy. I guess it's because I feel good and I feel like I can keep going without a break. But I won't. I'll listen to the experts on this one and give my body time to rest and recover which they say will make me stronger in the end. Enough of that.
The verdict is in on the calorie count from yesterday. I finished the day with...wait for it...1817. Right on target. (Glad I didn't eat those Cheetos I wanted.) Now I tend to overestimate rather than under estimate if necessary to make sure that I am not cheating myself. After all, I am the only one who will lose if I lie about the number of calories I consume. Now some of my choices could have been better. Like the muffins, I really didn't need to eat 2 small muffins, I would have been fine with 1 or none. I just wanted to get them out of the house. And as it turns out, we have more cash than I thought so I will pick up some strawberries and Cool Whip Free to have for dessert tonight. Doctor's orders. I'm not lying, you can ask her. It's a healthy sweet snack and a great alternative to chocolate chip muffins.
Not that I want to start measuring my success by a number on the scale, I thought you might like to know that I am down 2 pounds from yesterday. Alright, you got me, I am smiling a little. I guess that whole positive reinforcement thing is true.
So with 2 pounds down and so many more to go I'll keep chipping away at the poor health (and the many pounds) that I have allowed to control me. By the way, did you notice the picture I added. That's me and Honey Bunny on our trip to Yellowstone in 2007. Anyway, knowledge is a powerful thing if you use it. Follow what the experts are saying, follow what your doctor is saying. Get out there and get moving (don't forget to rest), get a smaller plate and a heavier fork (portin control) and when you hear her order the grilled chicken salad no croutons and light dressing on the side...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
OK, maybe I am making that sound a bit too easy. I am not just goofing off on that bike, I pump hard. And let me tell you that several days of biking are not easy on the delicate bits. I have some sore parts legs, back, well you don't need the whole list. There is sweating and huffing and puffing and I even blew by Coconut's house so fast that I didn't sound the alarm. Oh, and there is something large and dead almost at the 1 mile point which I managed to get a giant whiff of into my lungs. That is UNpleasant. So while it is easier than walking, it's not easy.
As I said tomorrow will be a true rest day with no extra exercise at all. I'm told that if rest days are not taken then I will fatigue and more than likely injure myself and we just don't want that now do we? So I will rest. Don't misunderstand, I still have to go to work, cook dinner, do laundry, that sort of thing but I won't be walking, biking, swimming, Wiiing (that's a lot of I's), etc. I don't like it. When I take a day off I almost feel lazy. I guess it's because I feel good and I feel like I can keep going without a break. But I won't. I'll listen to the experts on this one and give my body time to rest and recover which they say will make me stronger in the end. Enough of that.
The verdict is in on the calorie count from yesterday. I finished the day with...wait for it...1817. Right on target. (Glad I didn't eat those Cheetos I wanted.) Now I tend to overestimate rather than under estimate if necessary to make sure that I am not cheating myself. After all, I am the only one who will lose if I lie about the number of calories I consume. Now some of my choices could have been better. Like the muffins, I really didn't need to eat 2 small muffins, I would have been fine with 1 or none. I just wanted to get them out of the house. And as it turns out, we have more cash than I thought so I will pick up some strawberries and Cool Whip Free to have for dessert tonight. Doctor's orders. I'm not lying, you can ask her. It's a healthy sweet snack and a great alternative to chocolate chip muffins.
Not that I want to start measuring my success by a number on the scale, I thought you might like to know that I am down 2 pounds from yesterday. Alright, you got me, I am smiling a little. I guess that whole positive reinforcement thing is true.
So with 2 pounds down and so many more to go I'll keep chipping away at the poor health (and the many pounds) that I have allowed to control me. By the way, did you notice the picture I added. That's me and Honey Bunny on our trip to Yellowstone in 2007. Anyway, knowledge is a powerful thing if you use it. Follow what the experts are saying, follow what your doctor is saying. Get out there and get moving (don't forget to rest), get a smaller plate and a heavier fork (portin control) and when you hear her order the grilled chicken salad no croutons and light dressing on the side...
Don't Pity the Fat Girl.
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