My workplace is offering some incentives for us to become healthier. I am partaking in a few. One is 'have dental exam, enter to win gift card'. Easy enough, and check mark. Another is a team challenge. I am part of an 11 person team that will be walking, working out, and slimming our way down. You can pick 1,2, or 3 of the challenges, and I chose walk msot steps and work out most minutes. This starts in March, but there is no reason not to get started early. So...away I go to the gym.
I have begun working on my running again. If Miss Karin and Mr. Nate are game, Trev and I will join them for a 5 mile run this spring near their Hometown. If I'm going to run 5 miles this spring, I had better kick it into gear. So, to the gym I go tonight, with my little music player, to do week three of Podrunner Intervals and see just how out of running shape I am. I did the workout last night too, but night two is always the challenge.
After the Y I will go home and make a healthy dinner, and then see if I have the motivation to do one of the 8,000 projects that sits there staring at me each night. Maybe I can set a timer and work on something for just 30 minutes?
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Ah, Spring at last
I'm still not feeling 100%, though my 'sick' post was almost 2 weeks ago. I think, now that I look at the calendar, that yes - normal people do take sometimes 2 weeks to get over an upper respiratory thing. Grrr. I hate being normal people! Usually I am sick, and then better, or not sick. It has been a while since a true upper respiratory something whacked me! The chest is still tight, and I think I'll use the inhaler for a while yet before working out. It just makes sense.
I did sign up for the Crazylegs Classic in Madison next weekend (the 25th). Have I been running much in the last two weeks? Nope! Stupid cold! I did try on the 6ths and have a horrid horrid case of hives happen. This past weekend, being Easter, didn't make for much working out. Still, I have a week and one weekend, I'll get in at least 3 more runs of various lengths before the 'big event'. At least I have gone the distance recently, and know I can. Slow and steady may not win the race, but it gets it finished, and (hopefully) without a giant case of hives during!
Tonight is the official start to summer sports, with the first softball practice. We'll be playing on 1-2 softball teams this year, and one golf league. Additionally there will be climbing 2 nights a week (or on the weekend), and perhaps even some waterskiing. Also the yardwork. This makes for lots of time spent in the out of doors, not a bad thing. SOMEWHERE in all that I'll need to make my 12 times a month at the Y. Daunting, but I should be in good shape by September! The last two weeks have been slacking off w/ the eating healthy and the working out at regular intervals. I'd blame Easter and being sick, but those are just conditions, symptoms, whatever of my underlying problem. In a nutshell - I'm tired. I need to recharge the batteries. Adding new activities, while it will make my body more tired, means I'll be outside again, and that always makes me more energetic. It also means less time at home, and with the friends who don't participate in said activities, but I'll work to make time, be in on 'free' nights or weekends, so I don't lose touch. I'll have to fight the urge to just hide on nights where nothing is going on...but I'll work on that, too.
Starting in May, I need to ramp up my studying for my professional certificate. So...if there is anyone out there who likes going to coffee shops, bookstores, or just setting up study nights, let me know!! I need encouragement, and someone else being there, working on something else - with occasional breaks will help. I can't study ALL my sessions in that fashion, but I can definately do some. I'll be testing in October/November timeframe, and by the end of august I'll be studying 2 nights a week and part of a weekend. Plenty of opportunities :)
I did sign up for the Crazylegs Classic in Madison next weekend (the 25th). Have I been running much in the last two weeks? Nope! Stupid cold! I did try on the 6ths and have a horrid horrid case of hives happen. This past weekend, being Easter, didn't make for much working out. Still, I have a week and one weekend, I'll get in at least 3 more runs of various lengths before the 'big event'. At least I have gone the distance recently, and know I can. Slow and steady may not win the race, but it gets it finished, and (hopefully) without a giant case of hives during!
Tonight is the official start to summer sports, with the first softball practice. We'll be playing on 1-2 softball teams this year, and one golf league. Additionally there will be climbing 2 nights a week (or on the weekend), and perhaps even some waterskiing. Also the yardwork. This makes for lots of time spent in the out of doors, not a bad thing. SOMEWHERE in all that I'll need to make my 12 times a month at the Y. Daunting, but I should be in good shape by September! The last two weeks have been slacking off w/ the eating healthy and the working out at regular intervals. I'd blame Easter and being sick, but those are just conditions, symptoms, whatever of my underlying problem. In a nutshell - I'm tired. I need to recharge the batteries. Adding new activities, while it will make my body more tired, means I'll be outside again, and that always makes me more energetic. It also means less time at home, and with the friends who don't participate in said activities, but I'll work to make time, be in on 'free' nights or weekends, so I don't lose touch. I'll have to fight the urge to just hide on nights where nothing is going on...but I'll work on that, too.
Starting in May, I need to ramp up my studying for my professional certificate. So...if there is anyone out there who likes going to coffee shops, bookstores, or just setting up study nights, let me know!! I need encouragement, and someone else being there, working on something else - with occasional breaks will help. I can't study ALL my sessions in that fashion, but I can definately do some. I'll be testing in October/November timeframe, and by the end of august I'll be studying 2 nights a week and part of a weekend. Plenty of opportunities :)
Friday, January 23, 2009
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.
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.
