This week has been hellishly hectic, but I found time to run today (and I haven’t missed any of my workouts). The short of it is, I was at my sister’s house with an hour and a half to kill before I had to take two of the cats in to the vet (one for pre-neuter bloodwork, another for a possible UTI). I decided that my brief bit of spare time would be best spent running. Because I’m smrt, I’d brought along my running gear (stuffed into a stylish paper bag), so I changed into that and headed out.
It was another beautiful day in the PacNW. Probably around 62°, no wind, lots of sun. My sister couldn’t run with me, so I was able to go at my own pace this time around. I didn’t realize how much faster I was than her until I got to my last run and found I was almost back at her house, whereas when we ran the other day, we still had a bit more road left.
The run went well. I’ve been telling myself I don’t really need to revisit Week 1, but today I almost ate that sentiment. It wasn’t hard per se, but I did have some burning in my right lateral calf. The last two times I’ve run, my right shoelace has come untied, and after I stop to fix it, my muscles start screaming. Dead stops are not good!
At any rate, I felt really, really, really, really, really good out there. I prefer my track, if only for the even running surface, but I make do with what I’ve got onhand foot. After I got back to my sister’s house, I stretched briefly and then did my ab workout (with a proper bout of stretching afterwards).
I didn’t have a lot of time today, so for breakfast I had a thing of soy yogurt with a tablespoon of ground flax seed. For lunch, my mom took us to a local Indian restaurant for the buffet. I hate spicy food, and this place is particularly spicy, but I knew my mom was looking forward to it, so I sucked it up. Turns out the food this time around was pretty mild (to my tastes). I took a little bit of some sort of potato dish and some rice and that was about it. I wasn’t feeling full at all when I finished, but I didn’t go back for seconds. Still, I was feeling pretty heavy afterwards, and running helped.
For dinner tonight I had a big salad with tomatoes, cukes and sunflower seeds (with Braggs as dressing) and another whole wheat “chicken” wrap with lettuce and picante sauce and a side of carrots and red peppers.
When I think back to how I felt a month ago as compared to now, it’s awful. Running makes me so happy. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel once I’m up to running for several minutes at a time. And eventually miles! My clothes are fitting better and my sister tells me I look thinner every time she sees me. I’m really trying to encourage her to at least get out and walk every day. After I got back from the vet this afternoon, I suggested we all go for a walk. My mom was there, too, so Sis walked her dog (and then pushed him in his Doggy Ride) and I pushed my mom in her wheelchair while she held onto Tank’s leash. We didn’t walk as far as we normally do, but we all got out and got some sun and exercise, and that’s what matters. What I love about the Self Challenge workout log menu is that “pushing a wheelchair” is one of the options. Ha!
I’m a member of the Couch-to-5k community on Live Journal, and when I got home I read this entry:
It was another beautiful day in the PacNW. Probably around 62°, no wind, lots of sun. My sister couldn’t run with me, so I was able to go at my own pace this time around. I didn’t realize how much faster I was than her until I got to my last run and found I was almost back at her house, whereas when we ran the other day, we still had a bit more road left.
The run went well. I’ve been telling myself I don’t really need to revisit Week 1, but today I almost ate that sentiment. It wasn’t hard per se, but I did have some burning in my right lateral calf. The last two times I’ve run, my right shoelace has come untied, and after I stop to fix it, my muscles start screaming. Dead stops are not good!
At any rate, I felt really, really, really, really, really good out there. I prefer my track, if only for the even running surface, but I make do with what I’ve got on
I didn’t have a lot of time today, so for breakfast I had a thing of soy yogurt with a tablespoon of ground flax seed. For lunch, my mom took us to a local Indian restaurant for the buffet. I hate spicy food, and this place is particularly spicy, but I knew my mom was looking forward to it, so I sucked it up. Turns out the food this time around was pretty mild (to my tastes). I took a little bit of some sort of potato dish and some rice and that was about it. I wasn’t feeling full at all when I finished, but I didn’t go back for seconds. Still, I was feeling pretty heavy afterwards, and running helped.
For dinner tonight I had a big salad with tomatoes, cukes and sunflower seeds (with Braggs as dressing) and another whole wheat “chicken” wrap with lettuce and picante sauce and a side of carrots and red peppers.
When I think back to how I felt a month ago as compared to now, it’s awful. Running makes me so happy. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel once I’m up to running for several minutes at a time. And eventually miles! My clothes are fitting better and my sister tells me I look thinner every time she sees me. I’m really trying to encourage her to at least get out and walk every day. After I got back from the vet this afternoon, I suggested we all go for a walk. My mom was there, too, so Sis walked her dog (and then pushed him in his Doggy Ride) and I pushed my mom in her wheelchair while she held onto Tank’s leash. We didn’t walk as far as we normally do, but we all got out and got some sun and exercise, and that’s what matters. What I love about the Self Challenge workout log menu is that “pushing a wheelchair” is one of the options. Ha!
I’m a member of the Couch-to-5k community on Live Journal, and when I got home I read this entry:
I just read this online: ‘The miracle isn’t that I finished, it’s that I had the courage to start.’ ~ John Bingham
It seems like it should be the mantra for anyone who starts the c25k program! It’s kept me motivated.
I went to his website, liked what I saw, and put one of his books on hold at the library. I really like that line: That I had the courage to start. It hit home, today especially since I was really hesitant to get out there. I was feeling really self conscious. I’m used to my little track, tucked away behind a church in a tiny little down surrounded by foothills and forest. At my sister’s house, there are houses and people all around. But I knew that I would hate myself for slacking off, plus there were quite a few things I was pissed off about, and I knew that running would make me feel better. Once I got out on the road, I felt completely confident and happy.
That's all, folks. See you again on Saturday!
That's all, folks. See you again on Saturday!
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3 comments:
I love John Bingham. His book, Marathoning for Mortals, was my first on-ramp to running. I love his gentle exhortations to the beginning runner to be gentle with themselves. The idea of getting out there to do something is better than sitting and doing nothing!
I like C25K better because it builds up consistent stamina over time, working up to 30 minutes of straight running. Bingham's plans focus on interval runs throughout the run. That said, because of my inadequate prep, I will be using Bingham-inspired interval runs to complete my 10K run two weekends from now (5 minute run/1 minute walk).
In the words of John Bingham -- Waddle on, friends, waddle on.
(I almost named my blog "Waddle on")
Also, BIG congrats on keeping to your workout schedule!
Back when I ran regularly (before the two broken ankles and numerous sprains), the worst part was when I had to stop to tie my shoes or adjust some article of clothing, my body would decide that it was done running for the day, and if I had the cheek to resume, it would tie me to an oxcart and make me drag it the rest of the way home.
jeannie: if I had known about Bingham when I started, I probably would have called mine "Waddle On," too! His book "No Need for Speed" is on hold for me at the library. I need to go pick that up today or tomorrow. Good luck with your run! I'll expect to hear all about it on blogspot.
adoresixtyfour: remember the Velcro Years? Times were so much simpler then. I really wish they'd bring back velcro shoes.
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