Sweaty Sunday: Let's try that again!

Ok, well! I don't think I'm going to achieve my Fitness Challenge:
Run 50 Miles in August! (see right). I can't run 10 miles in two days. And I won't cos I've learned the hard way what happens if I push too much, too quickly.

Just a turtle I see occasionally. Someday I might run faster than him. :-)

I may reach 46 miles but the goal of 50... nope!

Here are my excuses/reasons:

1) Heatwave! A week of temperatures over 30 degrees. No way should people, especially more heavily insulated ;-) people, run in that heat.

2) The day after the heatwave, I was literally on my way out the door to go 'run' when I dipped into my top drawer for a pair of socks... and shut the drawer...a bit too hard... which caused the 'heatwave fan' I had propped on the top of the dresser to topple... and fall right, smack on the top of my bare foot.

Much swearing, bleeding and swelling... it was really quite gross!

And another few days of not being able to run cos I couldn't even walk because of the swelling.

But, once it was better I eased back into it.

I didn't get to the 50 mile mark but I think that I did pretty good at trying despite a heatwave and a hurtie. I'm gonna give it another go in September!

Sweaty Sunday: Here It Goes Again

During my holiday to Scotland, I ate and drank a lot... waaay too much! Lots of great beer, wine, cider, crisps, fish n chips, the best 'coriander chicken' I've ever had, 5 million full Scottish breakfasts, an amazing steak, a memorable chili burger, scones, baguettes, etc... etc... and I did SFA in terms of exercise.

I loved the food and booze binge but wish I would have kept up with the 'running' cos I was finally making real progress. Alas, I didn't... so the last 2 weeks have been all about easing my way back at it... well, really the first week back I pretty much slept 24/7... but this last week, I've been back on the golf course trail, walking -->walk/running. It was tough at first but I've improved a lot in the last couple of days.

I've just looked at the forecast for the coming week... hot and sunny... like 30 degrees hot (ugh). Hmmm... I just might have to stick to a treadmill in a gym with A/C. I've never run on a treadmill before... Hooray for YouTube and instructional videos:

;-)

Sweaty Sunday: No Sweat.

Yesterday was the local 10K race, the TC10K, the Times-Colonist 10K... the Times-Colonist is the local rag. It's the second largest road race in Canada with over 13,000 participants. Not bad for a wee city on an island, eh?

Photograph by Adrian Lam, Times Colonist

Last January, I signed up to 'run' the event but last week I decided that I wasn't going to participate. My knee is finally feeling good again and I simply do not want to rescrew it up.




I thought about walking the race but I know myself too well. I know I would have gotten caught up in the energy of it all and start running ('running' being running and walking). Plus, my decision to take up running was to run for it's own sake; I just want to do it. Getting my fitness back and shedding some lard are secondary (and necessary!) motivations. Participating in races is a tertiary objective. I don't think I've ever used the phrase 'tertiary objective' before, lol. So, the decision not to participate was dead easy and without any regret.

I did go pick up my t-shirt, bib and shoe timer thingy though! haha!





Next year I will enter again and hopefully I will not only participate but actually run the bugger!

Aside: the winner of the mens was a dude named Kip Kangogo. What a great name!

Sweaty Sunday: A Convert to Chips

Gawd Allmitey! Praize da Lawd! Sweet Jeebus! I have converted to chips.

No, no, no... not these kind:



I'm already a dedicated and faithful follower of the above and these too:



Too faithful really.

And depending upon where I am on the globe, spiritual nourishment can be found here (hi Neil):



Or here:



Or, depending on your interests, it can be found here (hi Jayne):



I've never been faithful to these chips:



But, at one time in my life, I was a worshiper of these chips:



Sinful, I know... but I was only 12!

I have no idea what this sign means but obviously some forms of chips are of Satan and not to be done (in that area):




But these chips are from Heaven! I have seen the Light! Halleluja!!!



Salvation is a six inch deep, 2 mile long spongy trail of freshly laid wood chips.

Amen!

More seriously, both Neil and Jayne had been bitching at me suggesting to me ;-) that finding a wood chip trail to run on would be good. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... but the view is so inspiring!" ... where I used to run, before a second round of knee pain knocked some sense into me.

Now, I 'run' here; on a chip trail around a golf course. It's a very beautiful, though hilly, trail that looks mostly like this:



Though from the top of the brutal 'Big Hill' I can still see my inspiring view:

The trail is on the far right... see the ant-people? Killer hill.

Weather permitting, the Olympic Mountains cheer me on. And they're a great excuse too. I can stand there and appear like I'm admiring them, when really... I'm just standing there cos I feel like my lungs are going to explode after hauling my ass up that fucking hill! ;-)

Sweaty Sunday: Mumbai Motivation

Last Sunday to Tuesday, I felt pretty gross. Wednesday's 'run' was not great but ok considering I had been ill. Thursday, I walked a million miles. Friday, I did some leg strength work (squats, lunges).

All good but Saturday's 'run' was my best since taking up this masochistic activity. I still alternated walking/running but I was impressed with my myself all the same! Eventually I'll string all these mini running segments into a steady, continuous actual run... and when I do? Neil Tasker has promised me that he'll send me a bag of Bombay Mix* when I can run a full mile without stopping!


How's that for motivation? mmmmmm.....

Anyways...

Here's where I'm at! The meat of Saturday's 'run' (excludes the warm up and cool down):
5 mins - walk
1 - run
3 - w
2 - r
3 - w
2 - r
2 - w
3 - r
2 - w
3 - r
2 - w
1 - r
2 - w
2 - r
1 - w
1 - r
2 - w
3 - r

40 minutes of sweat; 19 of it running.
No knee pain. (thumbs up!)
No pain or DOMS today (tomorrow's still a possibility though!).
It felt good and, most importantly, I enjoyed it!

One whole mile at once? Bring it on!!! (eventually...!)

*Punjabi Mix in Canadaland... imported from India by Indo-Canadians for Indo-Canadians, ie, it's very, very, very hot!

Sweaty Sunday: On a Tuesday

I keep forgetting to do my Sweaty Sunday posts on Sunday. So, Tuesday it is!

Warm up walkies - Ross Bay Cemetery, beautiful.

My knees have healed up nicely and while they did I focused on strengthening my quadraceps, walking, stretching and rest. It was frustrating but a good lesson in patience.

About two weeks ago, I started to run/walk again... very gently. I bought a stop watch and made sure I only ran for one minute (yeah, one single whole minute) at a time. A total of four minutes of running... but I just wanted to go very easy. All was well, no pain before, during or after. Great!

Stretching on the sea wall.

Between then and now, I've gradually upped the duration and frequency of the running segments of the 'runs' to this:

Warm-up walking/stretch.

Click 'go' on my stop watch.

walk 5 mins - brisk walking from here on in
run - 1 min
walk - 3
run - 2
walk - 3
run - 3
walk - 2
run - 3
walk - 2
run - 3

... and then cool down with 5 mins of slower walking.

I run from here to the top left bit of the bay...

and back and then through a bit of a neighbourhood.

This past Saturday's run, however was not very good. Actually I barely ran at all. Ok, I mostly walked. Ok, I strolled about 100 feet and turned around. I had zero umph. Then Sunday I felt all achey and spaced out. Then Monday, yesterday, ugh... upchuckitis. I must have caught what half the people in my art class had. I suffer for my art. (ha.ha.)

I feel better today but no energy to run, maybe tomorrow.

The photos are where I run... counter to Neil's advice to find some grass or chip trail. I don't listen very well but look at the view!



Can you blame me?!

Sweaty Sunday: Knee Needs

It's Sunday!

This week has been a bit frustrating.



Monday's 'run' was good!

Wednesday's was sore. A few strides into the running bit of my run and both knees starting feeling odd. Not really painful but a sensation that felt like a warning. I listened to it and stopped running. After a few more minutes of walking, I tried running again. Knees said, 'no.' So, I walked the rest of the way, went home and pouted. (violins)

Friday, I tried again. Still, my knees did not feel right.

On my way home, I detoured into a running shop 'just to look' and had a nice surprise. The woman working there was a runner and also a physiotherapist. We chatted informally about my knees and she gave me a bit of advice which was essentially: let my knees catch up with my enthusiasm and some other tidbits.

It's very difficult to finally feel like wanting to get fit again and finding the holy grail of sports bras and finding great shoes and having excellent support and feeling very excited about trying something new... even the weather's been great! ... and having to take it slow. ARGH!!!! ;-)

But, it's just what I need to do. Simple as that.

I'm still sweating though; walking and doing some strength building and 'prehab knees' exercises but... so frustrating! lol. And I should be back to running very soon!

Sweaty Sunday: The Uniboober vs The TC10K

What have I gotten myself into? Last week, I went and registered for a local 10K race; the TC10K. In 83 days, I just might find myself in a scene similar to this:

(A photo of last year's TC10K I swiped from here.)

Insane or what?

I'm chubby.

I've spent the last year doing SFA in terms of physical exercise.

I haven't run beyond chasing after a bus in about 15 years.

I can only run for about 3 minutes at a time before I have to kick it down into a walk.

But!!!

I'm also in need of a challenge and a goal.

Desiring to shed some lard.

I have some knowledgeable support from Neil Tasker and co-learning to run buddy, Jayne.

And running is something that I've always wanted to do.

So, the insanity makes sense. Besides, it's just the 'rec' class I've entered; I'll be in good company with all of the other middle-aged, chubby, weekend warriors at the back of the pack.

Oh and an update! I received the 'holy grail' sports bra the other day and yesterday was the first test run. It's freakin' great! It took me a while to get it on. 11, yes ELEVEN, hook and eye closures all up the front. It was like trying to close an overstuffed suitcase. It was a battle but I got there. Very comfortable and it works. I love it.

Amusingly though, the bra squishes everything up, front and centre and with a t-shirt on it looks like I have one big boob in the middle of my chest; I am The Uniboober. :-)

Anyways.... (Hi Neil)

I have 83 days to attempt to achieve some better fitness for this 10K race. I don't think that I will be able to run the whole thing but I do think that I will be able to walk/run the sucker in about an hour and a half and that's my plan.

I'm going to try to keep track of my progress on my blog on Sundays; Sweaty Sunday.

Week 1 (this past week) NT's Plan was:

- 10 mins brisk walk. Followed by:

- 3 mins jog. Followed by:

- 3 mins walk.

- Repeat 3 times.

- Finish with 5 mins brisk walk.

Total workout time: 33 mins

9 mins jog
24 mins walk


I am so out of shape! Not once did I achieve the above in full, as directed, but I'm getting there and improving, which is the point. And it's been fun and enjoyable ... until the muscle soreness kicked-in. Toilet seats are soooooooo low when your quadriceps are screaming. ;-)

I'm damn proud of myself for taking those first running strides despite feeling like the whole world was watching and for actually taking up something I've wanted to for quite some time. It's going to be a lot of hard work. One week in and I'm sore and exhausted but it feels great. :-)

My Holy Grail is a Sports Bra

... that works. And I think I've found it!

Hallelujah!

Now that my depression is lifting, I'm needing and wanting to get more active to shrink the muffin top that I've accumulated over many months of hibernating under my duvet.

One activity that I'm going to attempt to take up is running! I have dabbled in running before and it's always something I've wanted to do more of but, problem: boobage. It's uncomfortable and embarrassing running with large breasts and so I figured it was either breast reduction surgery or just not run.

I was chatting with Neil of Light and Dark fame about running (he's run marathons! Insane or what?) and he encouraged me to seek out a good bra... that technology had come along way, baby... and that I shouldn't let boobage stop me from doing something that I want to do. So true. (Thank you, Neil.)

So, I started up my google and searched and OMG! I heard a chorus of angels singing when I happened upon the Enell Sports Bra; a sports bra designed specifically for 'well endowed women' by a woman who was frustrated by a lack of sports bras that actually worked.

Here it is:



I haven't received my order yet but I'm all excited to try it out. Industrial strength support by the looks of it! And while ordering the bra from an online shop, I happened upon this edifying video. See the Enell difference for yourselves, ya pervs. ;-)





Oh! And here are my new shoes. Snazzy, eh?





So, with my shoes and my top half of me all sorted, now all I need to do is track down this gear for my bottom half.




BTW, I'm not in any of the photos or the video! ;-)