Today was not easy. I was actually slated to do today's run on Tuesday, but I had to abort the mission because I'd eaten badly for lunch and so weight training took a lot out of me. I ate better today but apparently still not well enough, because I felt a bit nauseous during running, which just means that I need to plan ahead better.
I feel like this attempt at running is really teaching me a lot that I wasn't expecting. I mean, I would be happy with the physical side effects - increased cardiovascular health that will hopefully lead to increased stamina and muscle tone and decreased weight eventually. But I'm also gaining a lot of self-knowledge, for example:
* TIME MANAGEMENT: I can't eat like crap before trying to run. It just doesn't work. I need to plan ahead.
* EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE: Now I see why so many people run in the morning ... it's much easier to run on an empty stomach.
* PACE YOURSELF: Today, especially on my first 5-minute interval, I started too fast ... and boy did I regret it somewhere around minute 3. Next 5-minute interval, I was ready for it and slowed down my starting pace to match my breathing. Much better.
* BACK-TO-BACK ISN'T ALWAYS BEST: My gym is structured in such a way that we are encouraged to weight-train for half an hour, then do half an hour of cardio while post-training metabolism is up. I started planning my running into this half an hour because it was cold outside and I didn't want to run outside, and it worked out well because the intervals weren't too strenuous. Well, now they're getting harder, so I think I need to split my weight training and my running. I'll still do post-weight cardio, but it will usually be less intense.
Today was my last day in Week 4, and while I wasn't entirely pleased with how I felt today, I think it was more about my eating habits than about my actual running. I'm looking forward to W5D1 for two reasons:
A) It is scheduled for Saturday morning, which is supposed to be sunny and dry, and I'll be able to run on an empty stomach (or almost empty, as I still haven't figured out what works best for me in the AM)
B) I'm intimidated by W5D3, but W5D1 is run5-walk3-run5-walk3-run5. And I'm excited about it because I KNOW I CAN DO IT. And that empowerment? That, my friends, can make all the difference.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Weekly weigh-in, 3/16
I have been a total blog-slacker. It's been three weeks since my last weekly weigh-in. In the middle of that time, I went on a cruise and gained back 2.5lbs - even though I was active, I decided it was ok to eat. A lot. And it is ... now I just need to take it off. So here's how it worked.
......... 3/2 ..... 3/9 ..... 3/16
Weight ... 192.0 .... 194.5 .... 193.5
BMI ...... 29.2 ...... 29.5 ..... 29.4
BF % ..... 35.4% ...... 35.8% .... 35.6%
All things considered, it could be a lot worse.
(Also, I know there a better way to do tables, but last time I tried that back in January it totally backfired, so I'm ok with lazy ellipses for now.)
On a different note, I'm once again annoyed by my scales. They have both been acting up like crazy, and I'm annoyed at the thought that I'll have to buy a THIRD scale because #1 and #2 both suck. I'm never buying anything made by Taylor again.
......... 3/2 ..... 3/9 ..... 3/16
Weight ... 192.0 .... 194.5 .... 193.5
BMI ...... 29.2 ...... 29.5 ..... 29.4
BF % ..... 35.4% ...... 35.8% .... 35.6%
All things considered, it could be a lot worse.
(Also, I know there a better way to do tables, but last time I tried that back in January it totally backfired, so I'm ok with lazy ellipses for now.)
On a different note, I'm once again annoyed by my scales. They have both been acting up like crazy, and I'm annoyed at the thought that I'll have to buy a THIRD scale because #1 and #2 both suck. I'm never buying anything made by Taylor again.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Run - C25K W4D2
As I've mentioned previously, I've been plugging along at the Cool Runnings Couch-to-5K Program. My attention to the program has been a bit lax due to weather conditions, but I've been getting much more consistent lately and I can definitely feel it in the way that my body is reacting to the program now.
I did W3D4 (shhhhh) on Wednesday and W5D1 on Friday, both of which were on a treadmill after weight training; on Thursday I went to an extended spinning class; yesterday I spent all day in grad classes and eating lots of delicious Indian food ... so when I woke up this morning, I was lazy and sore. Especially my lower abs. I was planning to go to weight training and then run, but my abs were practically screaming to me, begging, "No more butterfly crunches!" So I figured I'd take the day off from weights and instead just go for the run outside, especially as weather.com listed today's comfort level at an 8 (it had been hovering between 3-5 for weeks).
I really enjoyed my run today. Week Five has much longer jog times than I'm accustomed to, varying between 3 and 5 minute intervals, so I made a conscious effort to not worry about the speed in my jogs, instead just trying to get through the full length of time. (I think that's the hard part about the treadmill - I press too high for my jogs.)
I'm developing a newfound appreciation for my town, especially for its relatively flatness. I live about a mile from the Charles River so today I jogged up there and around the Upper Charles River path, which was different from just hitting residential streets. My total distance according to MapMyRun was 2.06 miles ... which means I should re-calibrate my iPod, which told me it was 2.37 mi.
One of the great parts about today's run was the music. Every year for Lent I tend to give up secular music ... a few years ago this pushed me into talk radio, which has made subsequent Lents considerably easier. However, I'm not one to run to podcasts, so I went through my Christian music selection to pick out some upbeat tunes4Jesus. My playlist, called "2 Tim 4:7" for the Scripture verse about "I have run the race, I have fought the fight," has a tendency to align with my needs. For example, my walking intervals often aligned with Charlie Hall (specifically the song "Running with Your Heart," which gave me strength because it no longer felt like I was running alone or that my heart was the only one pumping blood through my veins) and my running intervals tended to align with David Crowder Band - my last 5 minute interval was "Foreverandeverandever" followed by "We Win," both of which kicked my butt to continue onwards.
On a down note, my kitten got his paws - and even worse, his teeth - onto my favorite Sennheiser MX75 headphones! At first I was mad at my iPod Touch for not reacting to my prompts (another entry soon about the glorious iPod Touch!), so I went home to switch back to the Nano, and it was only then that I discovered the teeth marks. I had to pull out the backup headphones and remembered easily why I invested $50 in the MX75s to begin with. Guess I need to stop at the Apple store tomorrow after work ...
I did W3D4 (shhhhh) on Wednesday and W5D1 on Friday, both of which were on a treadmill after weight training; on Thursday I went to an extended spinning class; yesterday I spent all day in grad classes and eating lots of delicious Indian food ... so when I woke up this morning, I was lazy and sore. Especially my lower abs. I was planning to go to weight training and then run, but my abs were practically screaming to me, begging, "No more butterfly crunches!" So I figured I'd take the day off from weights and instead just go for the run outside, especially as weather.com listed today's comfort level at an 8 (it had been hovering between 3-5 for weeks).
I really enjoyed my run today. Week Five has much longer jog times than I'm accustomed to, varying between 3 and 5 minute intervals, so I made a conscious effort to not worry about the speed in my jogs, instead just trying to get through the full length of time. (I think that's the hard part about the treadmill - I press too high for my jogs.)
I'm developing a newfound appreciation for my town, especially for its relatively flatness. I live about a mile from the Charles River so today I jogged up there and around the Upper Charles River path, which was different from just hitting residential streets. My total distance according to MapMyRun was 2.06 miles ... which means I should re-calibrate my iPod, which told me it was 2.37 mi.
One of the great parts about today's run was the music. Every year for Lent I tend to give up secular music ... a few years ago this pushed me into talk radio, which has made subsequent Lents considerably easier. However, I'm not one to run to podcasts, so I went through my Christian music selection to pick out some upbeat tunes4Jesus. My playlist, called "2 Tim 4:7" for the Scripture verse about "I have run the race, I have fought the fight," has a tendency to align with my needs. For example, my walking intervals often aligned with Charlie Hall (specifically the song "Running with Your Heart," which gave me strength because it no longer felt like I was running alone or that my heart was the only one pumping blood through my veins) and my running intervals tended to align with David Crowder Band - my last 5 minute interval was "Foreverandeverandever" followed by "We Win," both of which kicked my butt to continue onwards.
On a down note, my kitten got his paws - and even worse, his teeth - onto my favorite Sennheiser MX75 headphones! At first I was mad at my iPod Touch for not reacting to my prompts (another entry soon about the glorious iPod Touch!), so I went home to switch back to the Nano, and it was only then that I discovered the teeth marks. I had to pull out the backup headphones and remembered easily why I invested $50 in the MX75s to begin with. Guess I need to stop at the Apple store tomorrow after work ...
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