Okay, I actually started week 4 today. I was so darned lazy all weekend I didn't feel like running.
In my defense, it was pouring and snowing most of saturday so I cleaned house. But Sunday, I simply didn't feel like it!
I was concerned about starting week 4 because I didn't actually get to use podrunner last week. I wrote the intervals on my hand the first day, and I only did one other run on which I ran for a mile and then stopped. I was surprised to make it a mile because I was supposed to be running 1/8 and 1/4 mile intervals. I kept making little deals with myself such as: "you can stop when you get to the crossing, but only if you are really tired." As it turned out "really tired" did not happen until I had run a half mile down, turned around and ran back.
Only then was I exhausted.
So, today I decided to go ahead with week 4, and it went well, but it was very hard. I ran at 1/4 and 1/2 mile intervals, keeping in time with the music. When I start out, I travel east to west. This may seem insignificant to most people, but on the palouse, the spring wind (which is a considerable force) blows west to east. It blew rain and snow into my face and made my ears ache. It also made me feel like someone was pushing back on my shoulders not allowing me to move forward, which I think added to my early fatigue.
But, I have run in the wind before. Arguably, never for as long as I did today, but I have always let my stubborn pride carry me through. The trip back to the office wasn't quite as bad, with the snow hitting me in the back. I was exhausted by the time I got back though. My body now wants nothing more than a nap, but that isn't going to happen.
After last week's success, I was all cocky thinking "oh, I will do a couple of days of week 4 and move on to 5" but I sincerely doubt that I will. I am going to run tomorrow, go to the gym wednesday and then run and go to the gym thursday and friday. Might as well hit it hard until I am in shape!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
C25K: Week 4 (ahem, 3) and Chirunning
So, I had to repeat week 2 of C25K because my joints and bones were hurting. I decided to push through the pain on monday and start week three, only to find that I was missing that podcast on my ipod. So I tried to do a week 2 workout again and the pain was so bad I had to stop.
We were having a pretty horrible windstorm and I could barely walk, my knees and ankles ached and I just couldn't do it. It finally occurred to me that others have had these same issues, so I googled "C25K Joint Pain."
Lo and behold, there is nothing new under the sun. I found someone exactly my age having exactly the same problem. There were quite a few suggestions but the most common was heel striking, and many people suggested the girl check out "chirunning"
Well, that sounded so silly to me that I went again to google and typed in "how to avoid heel striking" and the first thing to come up was a chirunning video on youtube.
Fine. I decided to watch it. And it made sense. Go figure! I had to watch the video on silent, so the movements seemed repetitive and silly, but I got the gist by reading comments. Basically, I needed to shorten my stride so that I land on the squishy part of my heal instead of the very back of it like people tend to do.
Time to try it out.
I still didn't have the week 3 workout on my ipod, so I wrote down the intervals, and used the stopwatch function on my ipod. I got the dogs out of the car and we set out. Me using the new technique I had discovered, and them bouncing around like large bunnies...or small clowns.
To my surprise, the week three workout was the easiest of them all. I could feel the proverbial burn, but my joints actually felt better during and after my run, and I could have kept running for much longer.
Today I have been "chiwalking" the same way I ran and my pain (especially the constant pain in my bad ankle) is all but gone. Apparently I am a chronic heel striker and that has been causing all sorts of issues.
This whole running experience has done so much more for me than just help me get into shape. I have gained 3 pounds, but lost 2 inches off of my waist in 3 weeks. I am also starting to understand my body a lot better and I am figuring out other ways to be fitness conscious. It has really boosted my self confidence a lot!
We were having a pretty horrible windstorm and I could barely walk, my knees and ankles ached and I just couldn't do it. It finally occurred to me that others have had these same issues, so I googled "C25K Joint Pain."
Lo and behold, there is nothing new under the sun. I found someone exactly my age having exactly the same problem. There were quite a few suggestions but the most common was heel striking, and many people suggested the girl check out "chirunning"
Well, that sounded so silly to me that I went again to google and typed in "how to avoid heel striking" and the first thing to come up was a chirunning video on youtube.
Fine. I decided to watch it. And it made sense. Go figure! I had to watch the video on silent, so the movements seemed repetitive and silly, but I got the gist by reading comments. Basically, I needed to shorten my stride so that I land on the squishy part of my heal instead of the very back of it like people tend to do.
Time to try it out.
I still didn't have the week 3 workout on my ipod, so I wrote down the intervals, and used the stopwatch function on my ipod. I got the dogs out of the car and we set out. Me using the new technique I had discovered, and them bouncing around like large bunnies...or small clowns.
To my surprise, the week three workout was the easiest of them all. I could feel the proverbial burn, but my joints actually felt better during and after my run, and I could have kept running for much longer.
Today I have been "chiwalking" the same way I ran and my pain (especially the constant pain in my bad ankle) is all but gone. Apparently I am a chronic heel striker and that has been causing all sorts of issues.
This whole running experience has done so much more for me than just help me get into shape. I have gained 3 pounds, but lost 2 inches off of my waist in 3 weeks. I am also starting to understand my body a lot better and I am figuring out other ways to be fitness conscious. It has really boosted my self confidence a lot!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Weekends are the pits (sub category: I was at least mildly productive this weekend....NOT)
Seriously, I thought that "growing up" and finally graduating College would give me these awesome treats that everyone calls weekends. But I can tell you that I put the "Weak" in weekend!
By the time we get to friday, Peter and I are so worn out that we go home, and sleep. Then we sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 on saturday, and sort of drag ass around all day being semi-productive. Then we turn in early and sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 again Sunday.
By Sunday, we have completely given up any hope that we are going to enjoy anything but naps on our time off. We have breakfast for lunch, putter around for a bit (typically leaving a bigger mess behind than our limited productivity would warrant) and then fall asleep. Usually we sleep to Junkyard Wars on TV, but yesterday it was the River Monsters maraton, so my dreams were punctuated by bizzarre fish encounters and trips.
Here is a list of how productive we were this weekend. I need to do this so I don't feel like such a loser (sadly Peter wins the productivity award...yay).
SATURDAY
1) Picked up boxes so that we can pack and be ready to move (and coincidentally made some new friends...woot)
2) cleaned the kitchen, sanitized jars for jam, made mirengue cookies
3) (Pete) cleaned up outside, and went to the dump
4) made dinner
SUNDAY
1) baked chocolate chip cookies...made a general mess in the kitchen
2) Used my Cricut and the Winter Woodlands Cartridge to re-vamp my easter tree
3) (Pete) Did taxes
4) Picked up straw for Sissy, and dropped it off at mom and dad's
5) Got some hay for our horses (though instead of unloading it, we parked it in the garage)
6) (Pete) helped mom catch the goat and brush his coat and clip his hooves
Well, I suppose that I don't feel any better about our productivity. Though Pete still wins. I was pretty much a lazy ass all weekend, and I would feel like crap about it, but I don't have the energy!
By the time we get to friday, Peter and I are so worn out that we go home, and sleep. Then we sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 on saturday, and sort of drag ass around all day being semi-productive. Then we turn in early and sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 again Sunday.
By Sunday, we have completely given up any hope that we are going to enjoy anything but naps on our time off. We have breakfast for lunch, putter around for a bit (typically leaving a bigger mess behind than our limited productivity would warrant) and then fall asleep. Usually we sleep to Junkyard Wars on TV, but yesterday it was the River Monsters maraton, so my dreams were punctuated by bizzarre fish encounters and trips.
Here is a list of how productive we were this weekend. I need to do this so I don't feel like such a loser (sadly Peter wins the productivity award...yay).
SATURDAY
1) Picked up boxes so that we can pack and be ready to move (and coincidentally made some new friends...woot)
2) cleaned the kitchen, sanitized jars for jam, made mirengue cookies
3) (Pete) cleaned up outside, and went to the dump
4) made dinner
SUNDAY
1) baked chocolate chip cookies...made a general mess in the kitchen
2) Used my Cricut and the Winter Woodlands Cartridge to re-vamp my easter tree
3) (Pete) Did taxes
4) Picked up straw for Sissy, and dropped it off at mom and dad's
5) Got some hay for our horses (though instead of unloading it, we parked it in the garage)
6) (Pete) helped mom catch the goat and brush his coat and clip his hooves
Well, I suppose that I don't feel any better about our productivity. Though Pete still wins. I was pretty much a lazy ass all weekend, and I would feel like crap about it, but I don't have the energy!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Garden, Day 1 (pictures to follow)
Usually, as I am finding is not uncommon, I decide one day that I am going to be responsible with my home and money and everything. I will look like the people in BHG sitting on my pristine furniture and smiling to myself because I know I am financially secure and everything is done. I make spreadsheets (just ask anyone who knows me, I use spreadsheets obsessively like they will solve all of my problems) and I budget money. This usually leads to depression and self-loathing because I can actually see how bad I am at managing my own finances.
But I press on and feel the need to self punish in small ways such as "you have to carry the groceries in one piece at a time because you are a terrible person" and "you are going to run an extra 30 minutes in the snow because you deserve pain and punishment."
Sick? Me?
Anyways these responsibility kicks usually involve me wanting to be more self sufficient, and the spring time compulsion is to grow a garden. After all, one of my favorite things to do is eat, and I LOVE canning and preserving food in the fall. It makes the Nester inside of me oh so happy to see gleaming jars of home canned goods lining my shelves. So I plant some seeds, and I water them--but not too much--and they start to grow. And I get so happy. I did it! I grew plants. And then the plants revolt. They grow taller and taller, but they never lose their cotyledons...or grow any new foliage.
So, I transplant them to pots and then they promptly die. And I feel depressed and spend the next few weeks getting the laundry out of the dryer one sock at a time, and scrubbing floors with my fingernails. But this year is different. It WILL be different... It has to be!
So, I am going to do it; I started my garden last night. All of my motivation to keep running and eating healthy and keep my house cleaned has made me want to take on one more challenge. I hope this isn't the challenge that breaks this camel's back, but we will have to wait and see. I bought a small "greenhouse" last night at wal~mart and two new seed packets to add to my collection. I also bought 4 Roma Tomato plants and 4 Early Girl Tomato plants (I am sharing with my mom) and a Lavendar plant. The little seed starting flat (ahem, "greenhouse") I got has six rows with six of those little dirt pucks that ploof when soaked in water.
When we got home last night, I soaked the flat in Water, and went about my chores while the magic happened. When the creatures were all fed, eggs collected and my three other "miracle" plants were watered the pucks were ready. I planted two rows of Ruby Red Sweet Corn (so pretty, I really hope these work) one row of pickling cucumbers (I will split these with mom) 4 Green beans, 4 rainbow bell peppers, 4 zucchini and 6 Strawberry popcorn plants. I put these in the large bay window in the rumpus room, and I am going to make these plants grow. I have spent all winter reading tutorials, books and articles on gardening, sowing seeds and the like.
Plus, randomly, I have an amaryllis and a Palm that I bought a year ago that somehow love me and the abuse I tend to give them. Both need badly to be replanted in bigger pots (if you have been paying attention you understand why I am holding back on that)and they get watered sporadically at best. And still they grow, taller and bushier, and flowery...er every day. This may be giving me false hopes, but it is all I have to go on at the moment.
I wrote on the outside of the flat which rows are what, and I intend on using my favorite bug (that is my Cricut) to make little labels for each plant...maybe if they feel special they will want to grow and give me foods.
But I press on and feel the need to self punish in small ways such as "you have to carry the groceries in one piece at a time because you are a terrible person" and "you are going to run an extra 30 minutes in the snow because you deserve pain and punishment."
Sick? Me?
Anyways these responsibility kicks usually involve me wanting to be more self sufficient, and the spring time compulsion is to grow a garden. After all, one of my favorite things to do is eat, and I LOVE canning and preserving food in the fall. It makes the Nester inside of me oh so happy to see gleaming jars of home canned goods lining my shelves. So I plant some seeds, and I water them--but not too much--and they start to grow. And I get so happy. I did it! I grew plants. And then the plants revolt. They grow taller and taller, but they never lose their cotyledons...or grow any new foliage.
So, I transplant them to pots and then they promptly die. And I feel depressed and spend the next few weeks getting the laundry out of the dryer one sock at a time, and scrubbing floors with my fingernails. But this year is different. It WILL be different... It has to be!
So, I am going to do it; I started my garden last night. All of my motivation to keep running and eating healthy and keep my house cleaned has made me want to take on one more challenge. I hope this isn't the challenge that breaks this camel's back, but we will have to wait and see. I bought a small "greenhouse" last night at wal~mart and two new seed packets to add to my collection. I also bought 4 Roma Tomato plants and 4 Early Girl Tomato plants (I am sharing with my mom) and a Lavendar plant. The little seed starting flat (ahem, "greenhouse") I got has six rows with six of those little dirt pucks that ploof when soaked in water.
When we got home last night, I soaked the flat in Water, and went about my chores while the magic happened. When the creatures were all fed, eggs collected and my three other "miracle" plants were watered the pucks were ready. I planted two rows of Ruby Red Sweet Corn (so pretty, I really hope these work) one row of pickling cucumbers (I will split these with mom) 4 Green beans, 4 rainbow bell peppers, 4 zucchini and 6 Strawberry popcorn plants. I put these in the large bay window in the rumpus room, and I am going to make these plants grow. I have spent all winter reading tutorials, books and articles on gardening, sowing seeds and the like.
Plus, randomly, I have an amaryllis and a Palm that I bought a year ago that somehow love me and the abuse I tend to give them. Both need badly to be replanted in bigger pots (if you have been paying attention you understand why I am holding back on that)and they get watered sporadically at best. And still they grow, taller and bushier, and flowery...er every day. This may be giving me false hopes, but it is all I have to go on at the moment.
I wrote on the outside of the flat which rows are what, and I intend on using my favorite bug (that is my Cricut) to make little labels for each plant...maybe if they feel special they will want to grow and give me foods.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Yay! I'm a runner...sort of
I have really taken the "get in shape" thing seriously. In February, I joined the 24-hour Fitness, and I end up getting to go one (at the VERY minimum) to 3 times a week. Since Peter started working at the Dealership, I get off of work an hour before he does, so it makes sense that I should use that time productively right? I thought so.
Many days, I intend to go to the gym, but I end up finding something else that just needs to be done, right now, and I run out of time. So I decided to add running to my regimine. Now, this decision is not as random as it sounds. I tried the C25K program last year, and did one workout and promptly decided that I was just too uncoordinated to run and watch my timer at the same time. Believe me folks, it wasn't pretty. My decision to try again can be credited solely to my Best Friend. She and I were Skyping and started talking about getting in shape, and she mentioned that she is training for a marathon. This took me aback a little as Alicia is as or slightly less coordinated than I.
Me: "....really?"
Alicia: "yeah, I run a little each day, I actually found a program to help me get in shape so I can train for my marathon."
Me: "wait, are you doing Couch Potato to 5K?"
Alicia: "Yeah, that's the one!"
our conversation continued thusly, and I found out that Sis (Alicia) had found the ultimate tool for C25K: Podrunner Intervals! Podrunner Intervals are these magical little musical mixes that you can download from itunes (free: they are podcasts) or from the podrunner site. They are timed perfectly with a sort of techno/beat type music that tells you when to run and walk in accordance to the C25K plan. No more watching watches, tripping and looking stupid. Okay, well, I can't help the last one, but you get the idea. So, I promptly went to itunes and downloaded the "first day to 5k" series to get started. Week one was a breese. Apparently working out at the gym has gotten me into enough shape to start running (jogging, let's be realistic) and I was able to saunter down the path running and walking at appropriate intervals.
By the second workout, I began to notice other people doing the same thing. Running a little, then breaking down to a walk and looking at their ipod or other music player just like me. We exchange knowing smiles and begin running again when the chime sings it's little tune. Week two was a little harder. Running for 90 seconds is hard on my lungs, and my joints are starting to hurt because I previously would avoid high impact exercise at all cost. Of course, this doesn't serve to make me want to quit, as I imagined it would but actually fuels my desire to succeed.
I sort of slogged through week two, and am now in week three. However yesterday, as I trudged out to valliantly jog in the pouring rain/sleet I decided to repeat week two just to make sure I am progressing naturally and not punishing myself too much. My joints are still a little sore, but I think that means that they and my bones are getting stronger. I can definitely tell that my muscles are getting stronger and I can't wait to see how this whole escapade turns out. So far, if I don't repeat too many other weeks, I should be able to run 5k (all at once) by the end of May. I am still going to the gym on "non run days" and this week I am doing both every day to ensure that I progress. My hopes are to use my running skills to benefit my riding skills. I will have stronger legs, better muscle control, and I will be able to ride and tie with the best of them!
Many days, I intend to go to the gym, but I end up finding something else that just needs to be done, right now, and I run out of time. So I decided to add running to my regimine. Now, this decision is not as random as it sounds. I tried the C25K program last year, and did one workout and promptly decided that I was just too uncoordinated to run and watch my timer at the same time. Believe me folks, it wasn't pretty. My decision to try again can be credited solely to my Best Friend. She and I were Skyping and started talking about getting in shape, and she mentioned that she is training for a marathon. This took me aback a little as Alicia is as or slightly less coordinated than I.
Me: "....really?"
Alicia: "yeah, I run a little each day, I actually found a program to help me get in shape so I can train for my marathon."
Me: "wait, are you doing Couch Potato to 5K?"
Alicia: "Yeah, that's the one!"
our conversation continued thusly, and I found out that Sis (Alicia) had found the ultimate tool for C25K: Podrunner Intervals! Podrunner Intervals are these magical little musical mixes that you can download from itunes (free: they are podcasts) or from the podrunner site. They are timed perfectly with a sort of techno/beat type music that tells you when to run and walk in accordance to the C25K plan. No more watching watches, tripping and looking stupid. Okay, well, I can't help the last one, but you get the idea. So, I promptly went to itunes and downloaded the "first day to 5k" series to get started. Week one was a breese. Apparently working out at the gym has gotten me into enough shape to start running (jogging, let's be realistic) and I was able to saunter down the path running and walking at appropriate intervals.
By the second workout, I began to notice other people doing the same thing. Running a little, then breaking down to a walk and looking at their ipod or other music player just like me. We exchange knowing smiles and begin running again when the chime sings it's little tune. Week two was a little harder. Running for 90 seconds is hard on my lungs, and my joints are starting to hurt because I previously would avoid high impact exercise at all cost. Of course, this doesn't serve to make me want to quit, as I imagined it would but actually fuels my desire to succeed.
I sort of slogged through week two, and am now in week three. However yesterday, as I trudged out to valliantly jog in the pouring rain/sleet I decided to repeat week two just to make sure I am progressing naturally and not punishing myself too much. My joints are still a little sore, but I think that means that they and my bones are getting stronger. I can definitely tell that my muscles are getting stronger and I can't wait to see how this whole escapade turns out. So far, if I don't repeat too many other weeks, I should be able to run 5k (all at once) by the end of May. I am still going to the gym on "non run days" and this week I am doing both every day to ensure that I progress. My hopes are to use my running skills to benefit my riding skills. I will have stronger legs, better muscle control, and I will be able to ride and tie with the best of them!
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