Week 5

I hate running. Have I mentioned that before. Running is something I do because it provides results, not because I love some endorphin high. I wonder if anyone truely loves running. I know people who enjoy it - and I envy them. To enjoy doing something that keeps you in such good shape, something that produces results. Me? I hate it, but I respect it.

I respect running because it's one of the few things that will help me lose weight. I respect running because it works many muscle groups, and my cardiovascular system. I respect running because it's hard. Some say easy things aren't worth doing, but I disagree. Reading a book is easy for me, but enjoyable. Ok, perhaps that's not a good example, but reading exercises my mind!

Running. It's bleepin' hard work for me. I have exercise induced asthma - which is not an excuse, but it does mean I can't just jump in w/ both feet and run for hours. I'm still having trouble running for more than 8 minutes at a time....less than a mile, and I want to quit. My lungs hurt, my stomach cramps, my insteps cramp, my quads hurt...running is physically, emotionally, and mentally hard - a good challenge for me. Maybe that is why I'm sticking with it.

I started the couch to 5 K program, and at first I was just using a watch. Then I learned of Podrunner: Intervals from a friend. The First Day to 5K program put to techno music. Techno music at specific beats per minute, to be precise. This has helped me immeasurably! I have a terrible time keeping pace, this has helped. I'm now doing week 5. I started this in...November? It's been far more than 5 weeks since I began the program. I run on a week til it becomes bearable - not necessarily easy, and then move up. Week 4 was still a huge challenge when I moved on (yesterday running the first on on week 5). Week 5 has 3 separate workouts, and I'm doing the first. It was...easier for me than week 4s. Still a challenge, but I think the bpm and the intervals were such that my system liked it better. I'll do this workout at least one more time before moving onto workout #2 for week 5. Small chucks, small bites! (This is my personal note to self!)

The program online has nine weeks of workouts set to music. Theoretically by week 9 (translated to sometime in March or April, most likely at my rate of increase) I'll be able to run a 5K without stopping. A major accomplishment for me. I've run them before, also without stopping, but I'll be able to do so again - I have let my fitness slide a lot in the last 2 or so years. The other reason I'm doing this, decreasing my mass, that's working too. Running is one of those surefire things for me to do to lose weight. Odd, how something I hate so much can have such good benefits for myself. I guess the old adage, 'no pain, no gain' is correct in this situation.

Brrrrr

And we're back to either it's snowing, or it's below zero, or it's trying to do both very hard at the same time. There was a small reprieve near the beginning of the year and I thought both with happiness and sadness, 'oh, here comes the January Thaw'. Nope. BRRRRRR. I was happy about the small warm up, and even happier that it didn't melt all my pretty white snow. We didn't get mulch down in the gardens this year, and the snow came early and stayed - the best mulch ever. No as long as it melts and then stays warm, I should have very happy flower beds and soil.

Ooh, tea. I made tea and almost forgot! Ahhhh, wonderful warm tea.

An update regarding resolutions. I'm over 2 weeks into the new year and going strong! Thankfully, those who attend the Y have all decided which time they will now be going, and as they stick with it or drop out, the mad rush during 'my' Y time seems to have diminished. The parking lot is still full, but I'm able to get my run in without too much trouble. And run I do. I am on Week 4 of the couch to 5K running program. I have been doing this for 2 months. It takes longer than 1 week of workouts for me to move up a level. Asthma, and all that. Still, I've done the workout for week 4 2 times now, and it was easier the second time. Not easy - no! My teeth went numb about 2/3 through this time, instead of 1/2. (When my teeth go numb, or start to tingle like I've put them to sleep, I know I've gotten my heartrate up a bit too high....don't laugh, it's a good warning sign that I have to slow down.) I will do this one at least 2 more times before I move on to week 5. That has 3 different workouts and I'll be baced with the choice of how many times to do each before moving up and on. I ran last night, so tonight I'll climb. Tomorrow I'll run before broomball if I have time - I don't know when our game is. Thursday I haven't decided what I'll do (Thursdays somehow have become a rest day, it may be again). So far this new year I'm averaging 4 days a week of activity in 7. Over half. I'd like to have that up to 5 of 7 by the end of the year. We'll see how I do.

My desk, it's dirty. I'm going to have to clean it before I leave tonight. But it's at least an organized messy. Yup. I have piles. Piles have Post-It labels on them. There is the "to Do" "to file" "to find a file to put in then file" "Figure out what in the world to do with" and even a "find the time to recycle".

So, I'm back to those piles now. Also if anyone finds a missing Y pass that I think I dropped in the snow yesterday after using it to check myself in, please let me know. I have no idea where it went. Borrowed by Yeti's I spose!

Happy New Year

It's only the 7th! I can still wish everyone a Happy New Year! It's not that old yet! The year has started like the other one ended...cold outside, and moving way, way to quickly.

Today I've been thinking...It's odd the way we treat the changing of the day from 12/31 to 1/1. Many people make New Year's Resolutions, many go out dressed in their finest, many stay in w/ a special someone or group of friends, many make statments like 'Next year I'm going to...' or 'Next year will be different because...'. I want to know why this particular day, on that particular hour make people so enamored of change and betterment of self. Why not today? Why do we have to wait to start? Why do we, as a culture, feel like change must be some big, glamorous event that necessitates a kick-off..."At the beginning of next month I'm going to start to diet" or some such. I understand waiting to start til after a big holiday if one is right in front of you. Why start by feeling crappy about what you did that day. I understand waiting to start exercising at a gym for the beginning of the month (or whenever that special sign up is). I even understand waiting to hold yourself accountable to something until you've begun to make it a habit. Still-Don't wait to start at some big, glamourous moment, or in some big, fantastic way. In that path lies failure. Look at your portions NOW, even if you are doing something like joining Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers one the first of the month. Go for a walk NOW, even if you can't join the gym just yet for monetary reasons or reasons of special pricing (I love the no joiners fee special days!). We are odd as a culture - and I fall into this trap again and again.

Still, I see the point of resolutions, even though I think when you decide to change, you should start then, while you have the ambition. For example - I made some last year in this blog; and some I kept, some I didn't. At the beginning of 2008, I made these resolutions:

• I resolve to keep my desk clean at work, and hide my spoon every night.
  (this is to prevent it from being 'cleaned up' and thus causing me to purloin a new spoon from the cafeteria) I managed this one pretty well, but the desk got rather shabby some weeks. Spoon - success!!
  
• I resolve to keep my bird feeders full and my feathered friends happy. Well, the furry friends purloined the feathered friends food, leaving me w/ empty feeders more than I'd like. Darned furred beasts!
  
• I resolve to make a budget for myself and the house, and stick to it (boring one this, but it has to be done). I didn't. Nope, not a stitch. Mentally, yes I started keeping track of things, but I'm still not saving the kind of money I'd like. Work on it - and start now!
  
• I resolve to get. rid. of. the. ugly. grey. landscaping. rock! It's not really ugly, I just don't want it. Lance says he does, YAY! Ugly. grey. landscaping. rock...still there. Luckily, I did find Freecycle for my area, and next year if friends don't want it, I'm posting it there. Once the snow melts (Yes, I see a point to put a start date on this one, Noone wants to dig through 2 feet of snow to find frozen rock in below freezing temps.
  
• I resolve to hang things on the walls of my house. COMPLETE! Well, I'll always find more to hang, but I like the way it's shaping up.
  
• I resolve to clean and organize the shed and the garage, and to get rid of the washer, dryer, and range that are taking up space. (Anyone need an appliance? They are cheap for the asking!) Mostly Complete. The shed and garage were organized and cleaned (the garage needs it again, never ending cycle. Murphy's law rules the garage. The washer/dryer are gone...and there is a bite on the stove.
  
• I resolve to spend many relaxing and enjoyable hours on my motorcycle in the nice, non- snowy/salty/sandy streeted months I did this one pretty well too, although there is always room for improvement :D
• I resolve to redo the landscaping and plant a veggie garden (this is a multi year resolution!) This is indeed a multi-year resolution, but the garden did, indeed get planted, the fruits (and veggies) of our labor were eaten and shared, and we took a landscaping class to learn what to do with the house. This year we'll start w/ the more ambitioius Moving-Of-The-Volkswagen Bus Sized-Hosta(s).
  
• I resolve to hit the softball to the green-grass! I did it! I did! Even in Trev's Men's leage (when I pretended to be male long enough to sub for them in a few games) I did!
  
• I resolve to improve my golfing handicap. I also did this! It only went down like 1, then went back up, but I got more consistant.
  
• I resolve to eat ice cream whenever possible (we all know that resolving to eat it less will NOT happen!) You know what...I think I failed at this one! I think I ended up with an opposite day theory working. I resolved to eat more, and I think I ended up under my average. Crazy. I'll repeat this one in 2009 and mean it!
  
• I resolve to renew old friendships, make new ones, and treasure special times. This one goes without saying, but I wrote it down. I did pretty good, but again, room for improvement.

So, In 2009 - will I make resolutions? Yes, of course. I have to keep going on my garden/landscaping and ice cream ones, for starters. Those above that need improvement, friendships and motorcycles - yup, keeping those up as well. I also resolve to continue on the Path Forward. I'm going to try to write more, even if I'm the only one who reads it. I'm also going to keep working at all those things I'm doing that required me to change the name of this blog.

• I'm going to reduce my mass.
• I'm going to increase my fitness.
• I'm going to do some race of some sort that I a) haven't done before or b) haven't done in a while...liek the Korte, the North Shore, or a triathalon.
• I'm going to make that budget - it will better me as a person, and I'll explain if you really want to know.
• I'm going to try to be less cynical, sarcastic, and mean spirited about some things. No, I'm not saying what - that is for me to know. (just in case you wondered, the rant above is not an example of what I'm going to reduce :P)
• I'm going to write my Thank You Notes, and RSVP for things. I have bad ettiquette at this. Most of my generation does. It's time I improved.
• And yes, I resolve to keep my desk clean at work, to the best of my ability, and to continue to hang on to my spoon.

Keeping birdies fed goes for both indoor and outdoor birdies now...and I'd better or I'll hear about it from a certain Crash and Pippin. So, that's it. None of these are things I'm going to start now that it's '09. Well, no - the budget. That would be new. The rest though, I've been trying to work on for a while now. This is just the written reminder to self, and self's readership, that I AM trying.