I haven't posted since June 11. Wow. A quick look back at my DailyMile shows the following workouts:
6/12 - 3.2 miles, 42 minutes
Again, not a great run. The heat is really getting to me. I used my
CamelBak for the first time this year, and it didn't bother me. Ran with
my cousin's wife, Amy. She told me my intervals were too long, and gave
me a Jeff Galloway book to read. Will adjust accordingly and try again
on Thursday.
6/17 - 4.47 miles, 55:37 minutes
Beach Run with Kate. Much better than I expected. Tried Jeff Galloway's intervals. 2:30/1:00.
6/19 - 1.69 miles, 21 minutes
Beach Run Solo. Hot as balls and my calves were super tight.
I haven't run since then. I did walk on the beach every night after dinner, sometimes early in the day too. I didn't gain any weight on my trip, which seems incredible to me.
I've met a few roadblocks that I'm having trouble overcoming. Firstly, the heat. Georgia is in for an incredibly hot weekend (highs in the 100s), after an already incredibly hot week. Running outside has been out of the question. The treadmill is so hard to handle mentally, but I'm really going to try on Saturday. My 6/17 run was amazing, and I can't lose all of that momentum.
Another problem I've had recently is my moods. I've been so up and down, and unfocused for (seemingly) no reason. One minute I'm feeling great, life is perfect, I don't want to change anything, and the next I'm down, self-conscious, and sad. My body is also in some kind of weird funk. My stomach hasn't been right since the trip, although my diet hasn't changed so I'm not sure why. I'm also having random pains that jump from joint to joint. My wrists, my neck, my knee, my hips, my ankle. It's so weird. I've also been getting a lot of headaches and my eyes are constantly twitching. I don't know what's wrong, or if I'm just incredibly tired and dehydrated. I'm hoping it passes, but I think if I feel the same way next week, I'll have to go to the doctor. Not happy about that.
And lastly, my knee is starting to worry me. At first, it was only mildly sore after a run. Then the pain started to increase slowly, so I would stave it off with Ibuprofen and ice. Then Kate and I went for a long run early in our trip, and my knee never really recovered. Walking up the stairs to my bedroom was a challenge, and on one walk along the beach with Eric I had to ask if we could go back because I was in too much pain. I'm starting to get worried, but Eric's dad is a former surgeon and present acupuncturist, so I'm hoping he'll be able to give me a little bit of guidance. Perhaps I didn't rest my knee long enough after my little tumble? Hopefully it's not anything serious. I don't feel like I'm active enough for a serious problem, but I'm probably heavy enough for one.
So that's what I've been up to. I'm ina down swing with my mood right now, so I'm sorry if this post is a little depressing.
On a positive note, I met with a personal trainer friend yesterday, and he walked me through a new weight lifting regimen. We're starting very slowly, and we'll reevaluate in a few weeks, but I'm excited.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
W3 Recap Wrap Up
Days 1-3 (Run, Rest, Rest)
Day 4 (Run)
Day 5: The schedule called for a walk, but I had theater plans with a friend, so took a rest day. Again with the cross-training failure.
Day 6: The schedule called for 3.5 miles. I should get this out of the way - I've been putting off writing this recap because I felt so defeated on Saturday. I failed to run 3.5 miles, and while there were several factors that lead to the failure (heat being a major one), mostly it was just my poor planning and preparation. I've been trying very hard to take my long runs seriously, but I just let it all go Friday night. Kristy and I had tickets to see Illyria at Georgia Shakespeare. We picnic'd beforehand, and shared a bottle of wine between the two of us. Dinner was light and delicious, but we definitely got tipsy.
I guess I should add a side note here that I've been involved with GA Shakes for almost a decade now in some capacity. I started volunteering in the front of house when I was 18, and worked there as an employee for several summers, even after college. Once I moved into the corporate world, I still came back to volunteer and see the shows, and in 2008 or 2009 I began taking photos for their publicity and archives. For as long as I've been associated with them, GA Shakes was always home to me, with familiar faces, stories, and routines. But for varying reasons, many of the folks who have been with the company for ages have moved on, and it felt strange and sad on Friday. The company itself is still a wonderful creative haven for theater folks, and the new people are definitely as passionate and invested in the theater as anyone who came before them. But on a personal level, I felt out of place, old, and sad. Georgia Shakespeare continues to revitalize old classics, and bring some of the greatest plays to the masses in fun and innovative ways - but it's not my home anymore.
So Kristy and I decided to drown my sorrows out at a bar. First we stopped by a new place called Blind Dog Pub. We walked in, took one look around, and walked right back out. It was far too bright, the layout was very confusing, and there was absolutely nothing inviting about the place. We decided to try our old stomping ground, Pub 71. There were two seats at the bar, the crowd was pretty mild, and the bartenders recognized us and brought us our favorite beers immediately. Everything felt right. We even ran into one of Eric's old roommates, and belted out some Backstreet Boys with him and his friend.
...We stayed out until 1:00 a.m. On a normal night, I would say I didn't drink too much. I certainly didn't get drunk. But because I was running the next day, I should have stuck with water. I know that now, but I was just so sad on Friday, and I wanted so badly to feel...I don't know, something? A recognition of how life used to be? I always say I hate change. If I was in Game of Thrones, that would be my House motto. And it's so bizarre to stay in the same place and watch everything around you change. I have lived within the same 5 mile radius of Oglethorpe for the last 10 years, and yet very little is recognizable. So Friday I was sad, and that funk carried over to Saturday. Saturday I slept in until 10:30 (which is pretty late for me), and by then temps were already rising. I decided to wait until sunset to run, when temps start to dip. I cleaned, drank some water, and eventually joined Kristy down at the pool.
That's right. Already dehydrated from alcohol consumption the night before, I thought it would be a good idea to bake in the sun for an hour and a half. During that time I drank maybe a cup of water? Maybe two? Around 5:00 I decided it was the perfect time for a run. Because I am dumb. So I gulped a few more drops of water, readied for a run, and started out. And it was awful. I was out of breath almost immediately. Well, here's the DailyMile recap:
So yeah. That blew.
Day 7: Yoga. Which I didn't do. I was going to try the 3.5 mile run again, but my knee was not having it. So I'll have to try tonight. Everything I read about training says you can miss most other workouts, but not the long run. So...yeah. I'm drinking tons of water and plan to bring my CamelBak with me tonight. May seem silly for such a short run, but I'd rather be silly and finish it than be too proud and fail. Again.
Yeah, I'm still in a funk.
Day 4 (Run)
Day 5: The schedule called for a walk, but I had theater plans with a friend, so took a rest day. Again with the cross-training failure.
Day 6: The schedule called for 3.5 miles. I should get this out of the way - I've been putting off writing this recap because I felt so defeated on Saturday. I failed to run 3.5 miles, and while there were several factors that lead to the failure (heat being a major one), mostly it was just my poor planning and preparation. I've been trying very hard to take my long runs seriously, but I just let it all go Friday night. Kristy and I had tickets to see Illyria at Georgia Shakespeare. We picnic'd beforehand, and shared a bottle of wine between the two of us. Dinner was light and delicious, but we definitely got tipsy.
I guess I should add a side note here that I've been involved with GA Shakes for almost a decade now in some capacity. I started volunteering in the front of house when I was 18, and worked there as an employee for several summers, even after college. Once I moved into the corporate world, I still came back to volunteer and see the shows, and in 2008 or 2009 I began taking photos for their publicity and archives. For as long as I've been associated with them, GA Shakes was always home to me, with familiar faces, stories, and routines. But for varying reasons, many of the folks who have been with the company for ages have moved on, and it felt strange and sad on Friday. The company itself is still a wonderful creative haven for theater folks, and the new people are definitely as passionate and invested in the theater as anyone who came before them. But on a personal level, I felt out of place, old, and sad. Georgia Shakespeare continues to revitalize old classics, and bring some of the greatest plays to the masses in fun and innovative ways - but it's not my home anymore.
So Kristy and I decided to drown my sorrows out at a bar. First we stopped by a new place called Blind Dog Pub. We walked in, took one look around, and walked right back out. It was far too bright, the layout was very confusing, and there was absolutely nothing inviting about the place. We decided to try our old stomping ground, Pub 71. There were two seats at the bar, the crowd was pretty mild, and the bartenders recognized us and brought us our favorite beers immediately. Everything felt right. We even ran into one of Eric's old roommates, and belted out some Backstreet Boys with him and his friend.
...We stayed out until 1:00 a.m. On a normal night, I would say I didn't drink too much. I certainly didn't get drunk. But because I was running the next day, I should have stuck with water. I know that now, but I was just so sad on Friday, and I wanted so badly to feel...I don't know, something? A recognition of how life used to be? I always say I hate change. If I was in Game of Thrones, that would be my House motto. And it's so bizarre to stay in the same place and watch everything around you change. I have lived within the same 5 mile radius of Oglethorpe for the last 10 years, and yet very little is recognizable. So Friday I was sad, and that funk carried over to Saturday. Saturday I slept in until 10:30 (which is pretty late for me), and by then temps were already rising. I decided to wait until sunset to run, when temps start to dip. I cleaned, drank some water, and eventually joined Kristy down at the pool.
That's right. Already dehydrated from alcohol consumption the night before, I thought it would be a good idea to bake in the sun for an hour and a half. During that time I drank maybe a cup of water? Maybe two? Around 5:00 I decided it was the perfect time for a run. Because I am dumb. So I gulped a few more drops of water, readied for a run, and started out. And it was awful. I was out of breath almost immediately. Well, here's the DailyMile recap:
Day 7: Yoga. Which I didn't do. I was going to try the 3.5 mile run again, but my knee was not having it. So I'll have to try tonight. Everything I read about training says you can miss most other workouts, but not the long run. So...yeah. I'm drinking tons of water and plan to bring my CamelBak with me tonight. May seem silly for such a short run, but I'd rather be silly and finish it than be too proud and fail. Again.
Yeah, I'm still in a funk.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
W3D4 Recap
W3D4: Run 2 miles
I did it! I did it!
Let me back up. I woke up this morning at 6:something a.m. and I was exhausted. I don't know why I was exhausted - I didn't workout yesterday, I went to bed at a decent time, and I slept through the night (something I can't say for any of the previous nights this week, actually). I should have been pretty well rested.
I had coffee this morning, drank plenty of water throughout the day, but nothing helped. By the drive home, I was nearly falling asleep at the wheel. Once I got home, I took Johnny for a walk, and then promptly fell asleep on the couch for an hour and a half.
I woke up around 7:45 p.m. and argued with myself for a good 10 minutes. Part of me wanted to go back to sleep and the other part of me said "REALLY? Only 3 weeks into this training program and you want to cut corners and make excuses? Don't be lame, a**hole."
So I did that thing where I told myself I only had to run for 10 minutes. Once I a half a mile out, I decided to just keep going. I ran 2.07 miles in 24:41 (11:55 min/mi). Not bad.
Tomorrow will probably be an off day, and then 3.5 miles Saturday!
I did it! I did it!
Let me back up. I woke up this morning at 6:something a.m. and I was exhausted. I don't know why I was exhausted - I didn't workout yesterday, I went to bed at a decent time, and I slept through the night (something I can't say for any of the previous nights this week, actually). I should have been pretty well rested.
I had coffee this morning, drank plenty of water throughout the day, but nothing helped. By the drive home, I was nearly falling asleep at the wheel. Once I got home, I took Johnny for a walk, and then promptly fell asleep on the couch for an hour and a half.
I woke up around 7:45 p.m. and argued with myself for a good 10 minutes. Part of me wanted to go back to sleep and the other part of me said "REALLY? Only 3 weeks into this training program and you want to cut corners and make excuses? Don't be lame, a**hole."
So I did that thing where I told myself I only had to run for 10 minutes. Once I a half a mile out, I decided to just keep going. I ran 2.07 miles in 24:41 (11:55 min/mi). Not bad.
Tomorrow will probably be an off day, and then 3.5 miles Saturday!
W3 D1-3 Recap and Photos!
W3D1: Run 2.5 miles
When Eric and I first started dating, we tried running together, but I could not do it. It was awful. We lived in a supremely hilly area, and Eric liked to start the runs immediately with the biggest hill in the neighborhood.
Then we tried hiking together, but I wasn't very pleasant. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Georgia is frickin' hot in the summer time, and trying to hike 5 miles around Stone Mountain with nothing but a bag of Cheerios and a bottle of water is a bad idea. For me.
Once we moved into our apartment complex, Eric came with me to the gym once. The treadmill restarted and lost all of my data, and my headphones would not stay in my ears, and I kind of had a mini-meltdown. It had more to do with my self-esteem (being overweight and not being able to run a mile was embarrassing) than the actual workout, but Eric gave up. He said he wouldn't try to work out with me anymore because I'm crazy and mean. Well, he didn't use those exact words. In fact, he was much nicer, and said something about me doing this for myself, blah blah blah, one day I'll reach my goal, blah. But I can translate.
Then I started up with C25K again (for the ::mumblemumble::teenth time) and I forced myself to appreciate every run, and take pride in any progress. I forced myself to be positive. Then I forced Eric to join me. In the last 5 months, he's run with me once, I think. So Monday, I made him do it again. We ran 1.25 miles out an back for the 2.5 mile total. Eric did really well, and he almost beat me home, but his knee started to bother him about .25 mile away from the apartment. I had set up RunKeeper to do 6 min run/90 second walk intervals. Eric ran the intervals as well, but he would run pretty far ahead of me. As I stopped for my walking breaks I'd have to gasp for air and then yell out down the sidewalk for him to stop. We'd catch up with each other, and it would be time to run again. It worked out pretty well. I didn't listen to music, and I didn't really have company since Eric would take off, but my timing was still good (for me).
W3D3: Walk 2m
Yeah. I ended up going out and playing trivia instead. I've got the running down, but this cross training business kind of bores me.
When Eric and I first started dating, we tried running together, but I could not do it. It was awful. We lived in a supremely hilly area, and Eric liked to start the runs immediately with the biggest hill in the neighborhood.
Then we tried hiking together, but I wasn't very pleasant. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Georgia is frickin' hot in the summer time, and trying to hike 5 miles around Stone Mountain with nothing but a bag of Cheerios and a bottle of water is a bad idea. For me.
Once we moved into our apartment complex, Eric came with me to the gym once. The treadmill restarted and lost all of my data, and my headphones would not stay in my ears, and I kind of had a mini-meltdown. It had more to do with my self-esteem (being overweight and not being able to run a mile was embarrassing) than the actual workout, but Eric gave up. He said he wouldn't try to work out with me anymore because I'm crazy and mean. Well, he didn't use those exact words. In fact, he was much nicer, and said something about me doing this for myself, blah blah blah, one day I'll reach my goal, blah. But I can translate.
Then I started up with C25K again (for the ::mumblemumble::teenth time) and I forced myself to appreciate every run, and take pride in any progress. I forced myself to be positive. Then I forced Eric to join me. In the last 5 months, he's run with me once, I think. So Monday, I made him do it again. We ran 1.25 miles out an back for the 2.5 mile total. Eric did really well, and he almost beat me home, but his knee started to bother him about .25 mile away from the apartment. I had set up RunKeeper to do 6 min run/90 second walk intervals. Eric ran the intervals as well, but he would run pretty far ahead of me. As I stopped for my walking breaks I'd have to gasp for air and then yell out down the sidewalk for him to stop. We'd catch up with each other, and it would be time to run again. It worked out pretty well. I didn't listen to music, and I didn't really have company since Eric would take off, but my timing was still good (for me).
Check out that pace! Pretty speedy.
I had taken an Ibuprofen before the run to head off any knee inflammation, and it worked for a few hours. But later in the evening I started to get a sort of sharp, sort of sore pain, and asked Eric to try to massage it away. I kept moving his hand higher and higher, trying to find the source of the pain, and finally he was all "Nope. Now you foam roll. That's what it's for." Because he hates me and thinks I killed his cat or something.
Seriously. FOAM ROLLING IS THE WORST. It doesn't hurt so good. It just hurts! Like some is knuckle punching you repeatedly in a bruise. But I did it. I don't know if it helped, but it didn't make it any worse. It's cool. I'm going to shave Eric's eye brows off in retribution. Just you wait.
W3D2: Yoga
I did not go to yoga on Tuesday, as I agreed to take photos for Georgia Shakespeare. I did end up taking a few photos at home first, to test out my new memory card.
 |
| Eric looks pensive, but he's really just trying to beat someone in Mass Effect 3. |
 |
| Johnny Dog! He's happy to see you! |
 |
| But he is shy. |
 |
| But not too shy! |
Yeah. I ended up going out and playing trivia instead. I've got the running down, but this cross training business kind of bores me.
Monday, June 4, 2012
W2 Recap
Day 1 (Run)
Day 2 (Yoga)
Day 3 (Personal Trainer)
Day 4 (Run)
Day 5: The schedule called for a 2.5 mile walk, but because my body was still pretty exhausted from Wednesday's PT time and Thursday's run, and because I was in a time crunch, I took a rest day.
Day 6: 3 mile run - actually ran 3.22 mile at 12:52 pace. Not fast, but I got it done. I was pretty burnt out for the rest of the day, and ended up gorging myself at dinner (a birthday party for Kristy!).
Day 7: Schedule called for yoga but my knee was killing me. And I was hungover. But also my knee was killing me. Didn't make it to yoga.
----------
Today calls for a 2.5 mile run, but I may also try to hit up yoga at my new gym. The class doesn't start until 8:00 though, so we'll see if I can get my ass in gear and get to the gym so late.
Two weeks completed! Woohoo!
Day 2 (Yoga)
Day 3 (Personal Trainer)
Day 4 (Run)
Day 5: The schedule called for a 2.5 mile walk, but because my body was still pretty exhausted from Wednesday's PT time and Thursday's run, and because I was in a time crunch, I took a rest day.
Day 6: 3 mile run - actually ran 3.22 mile at 12:52 pace. Not fast, but I got it done. I was pretty burnt out for the rest of the day, and ended up gorging myself at dinner (a birthday party for Kristy!).
Day 7: Schedule called for yoga but my knee was killing me. And I was hungover. But also my knee was killing me. Didn't make it to yoga.
----------
Today calls for a 2.5 mile run, but I may also try to hit up yoga at my new gym. The class doesn't start until 8:00 though, so we'll see if I can get my ass in gear and get to the gym so late.
Two weeks completed! Woohoo!
W2D4 & Misc
(This was written on Thursday, 5/31)
Okay. So I'm sore today. That doesn't prove anything. Except, like I said, my workout yesterday was pretty swell, even though it wasn't what I was looking for.
So today called for a 2 mile run which made me happy because I haven't run since Monday. I decided to risk it and use only RunKeeper to track my time. While it was a huge ego boost - it miscalculated my time. It said I averaged 10:55/mile, which is a load of horse phooey. In reality, it was closer to 12:01/mile, which is still pretty fast for me. I ran 5:1 intervals, running:walking. It seemed to work out pretty well, and I'm sure if RunKeeper HAD been working, it would show I had a negative split, since I didn't take my last walking interval.
So that's that. Tomorrow the schedule calls for a 2.5 mile walk, but I may take a rest day since I also have a time crunch tomorrow evening. We'll see.
----------
Eric and I have a friend who used to live across the hall from us. We'll call him...Morty. So Morty is a personal trainer, and he was coming over tonight to play COD with Eric, so Eric decided to bring up all of my fitness and weight loss goals with him.
Now, the biggest thing I've realized about myself and my goals over the last 5 months is that weight loss isn't actually that important to me. Do I want to be fit? Sure, who doesn't? But the number on the scale, and the shape I see in the mirror? They don't bug me so much. I like running. I LOVE the runner's high. I don't get to enjoy it too often or for long amounts of time because I'm not really at that level. But I realized yesterday, talking to the LA Fitness PT, and talking to Morty today, that my biggest goal is finishing the half marathon. I could weight 120 lbs and have 15% body fat, but not crossing that finish line would still make me feel like a failure.
Okay. So I'm sore today. That doesn't prove anything. Except, like I said, my workout yesterday was pretty swell, even though it wasn't what I was looking for.
So today called for a 2 mile run which made me happy because I haven't run since Monday. I decided to risk it and use only RunKeeper to track my time. While it was a huge ego boost - it miscalculated my time. It said I averaged 10:55/mile, which is a load of horse phooey. In reality, it was closer to 12:01/mile, which is still pretty fast for me. I ran 5:1 intervals, running:walking. It seemed to work out pretty well, and I'm sure if RunKeeper HAD been working, it would show I had a negative split, since I didn't take my last walking interval.
So that's that. Tomorrow the schedule calls for a 2.5 mile walk, but I may take a rest day since I also have a time crunch tomorrow evening. We'll see.
----------
Eric and I have a friend who used to live across the hall from us. We'll call him...Morty. So Morty is a personal trainer, and he was coming over tonight to play COD with Eric, so Eric decided to bring up all of my fitness and weight loss goals with him.
Now, the biggest thing I've realized about myself and my goals over the last 5 months is that weight loss isn't actually that important to me. Do I want to be fit? Sure, who doesn't? But the number on the scale, and the shape I see in the mirror? They don't bug me so much. I like running. I LOVE the runner's high. I don't get to enjoy it too often or for long amounts of time because I'm not really at that level. But I realized yesterday, talking to the LA Fitness PT, and talking to Morty today, that my biggest goal is finishing the half marathon. I could weight 120 lbs and have 15% body fat, but not crossing that finish line would still make me feel like a failure.
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