Apparently I'm not very good at keeping track of the calendar. Case in point, I'm happily reading along to Smithers's silly adventures when BAM! she drops a Juneathon challenge. What's that all about? I say. Only to realize that yes, indeed, it is nearly June. That was Sunday. I promptly went out and ran a miserable, slow, bug-riddled 30 minutes. Miserable yes, but done.
And so, I emailed said Smithers and told her that I would, in fact, accept her Juneathon throw down, would love to be Super Wump, and would abso-smurphly love to use her fancy wheel of points (she made it and had to explain to me how to post it on my blog, because, well, I'm sort of a dolt when it comes to these things).
I give you my Juneathon goals and point breakdown:
5 points each day I do 45 min of true exercise
5 points for each run totaling 30 mins or more (I'm going for time, not distance, as that's how sorry a runner I am right now). So, that means if I run for 30 mins and do something else for 15-30 minutes, I'd get 10 points. Got it?
5 points for yoga (as that doesn't count in the 45 min category. Why? Don't ask, just go with it)
-100 points for failing to eat 5 salads a week (meal-sized salads, I mean)
Weeks run Wednesday to Wednesday, and I was clever and started working out daily since Sunday. I've already achieved my first point (yay for 45 mins of exercise today!), but I have not eaten a salad...will work on that. I have no weight loss goals, I just need to move and eat well. That's what I'm all about right now.
Oh, and the fancy dial thing Smithers made? I'm still figuring out how to post it on my blog. See? Dolt.
Post Script: I did it! And look, a point!
Showing posts with label run run run. Show all posts
Showing posts with label run run run. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
It's not you, it's me. Or, We're just on a break (and so it's not really cheating)
I had to break up with running again.
I know, I know. At this rate, he's never going to take me back, but it had to be done. At first, the decision put me into a bit of a tailspin. For whatever reason, in the back of my mind I equated "no running" with "no weight loss." I was convinced that not running would mean not ever getting back to a healthy weight and not ever being fit again. Which is stupid, of course, but when I starting taking my health seriously, running was a huge factor in my success. It's no wonder that now, as I re-focus and re-commit, the absence of running made me feel defeated before I even started.
Enter common sense.
After finally finding an experienced, knowledgeable massage therapist who gave me my first relief from pain since August, I sat back and re-evaluated my situation. First off, the damage to my hip is not muscular it's connective tissue damage and therefore is going to take a very long time to heal. Second, the best thing I can do for the hip is to strengthen my core, butt and hamstrings. Third, running is not going to do those things or, put another way, there are better, more effective ways to build strength than running. Fourth (and here's the big one), running is the only exercise that actually hurts. Yes, the hip gives me grief if I sit too long, or drive, or sleep funny, but all in all, yoga, Shred and Jillian's Fat Blast DON'T hurt it.
And so, I broke up with running. Not forever, no, we're just on a break, I say. But for now, there are other ways to drop weight and build strength and none of them have to hurt.
Sorry, running. You're just going to have to wait.
I know, I know. At this rate, he's never going to take me back, but it had to be done. At first, the decision put me into a bit of a tailspin. For whatever reason, in the back of my mind I equated "no running" with "no weight loss." I was convinced that not running would mean not ever getting back to a healthy weight and not ever being fit again. Which is stupid, of course, but when I starting taking my health seriously, running was a huge factor in my success. It's no wonder that now, as I re-focus and re-commit, the absence of running made me feel defeated before I even started.
Enter common sense.
After finally finding an experienced, knowledgeable massage therapist who gave me my first relief from pain since August, I sat back and re-evaluated my situation. First off, the damage to my hip is not muscular it's connective tissue damage and therefore is going to take a very long time to heal. Second, the best thing I can do for the hip is to strengthen my core, butt and hamstrings. Third, running is not going to do those things or, put another way, there are better, more effective ways to build strength than running. Fourth (and here's the big one), running is the only exercise that actually hurts. Yes, the hip gives me grief if I sit too long, or drive, or sleep funny, but all in all, yoga, Shred and Jillian's Fat Blast DON'T hurt it.
And so, I broke up with running. Not forever, no, we're just on a break, I say. But for now, there are other ways to drop weight and build strength and none of them have to hurt.
Sorry, running. You're just going to have to wait.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Day 11 and 12. I'm back!
I have maybe three minutes before I have to get back to the conference room, but let me say that both Tuesday and Wednesday I ran 3.1 miles and did ab work. No, it's not the hour-plus of working out I hoped to do each day, and yes, my beer consumption has been above the "one a day" I had hoped, but all in all, I've been eating mostly veggies, no desserts, lots of water and yes, I did run. I call that a win.
Oh, and yesterday would have been my week one weigh in. I couldn't make it, but I did successfully end the week with PointsPlus extra points available. I'm hopeful to see a loss next week...especially after I go home and eat nothing but fibre for four days. True story.
AND, for all my non-Canadian friends, I have been doing some outside travel to and from the show. It's been -23 ish. That's Celcius. Ugh.
Oh, and yesterday would have been my week one weigh in. I couldn't make it, but I did successfully end the week with PointsPlus extra points available. I'm hopeful to see a loss next week...especially after I go home and eat nothing but fibre for four days. True story.
AND, for all my non-Canadian friends, I have been doing some outside travel to and from the show. It's been -23 ish. That's Celcius. Ugh.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Historic day in Wumpusland
Today has been, to borrow from Pooh-Bear, a Very Big Day.
This morning, I rolled out of bed at 5 a.m., showered, made coffee, bundled up my sweet toddler in a blanket and set off for the airport before 6 a.m. There was heavy snow last night, so we wanted to leave a bit early to get to the airport on time. Running five minutes ahead of schedule, we ran into a little snag...or rather a 3,500 lb snag. Our lovely neighbour's teenage son had parked his car directly in our lane. No way around it. At 5:40 in the morning, there we were knocking on said neighbour's door to ask them to move it.
I, being the genius that I am, checked the car - unlocked and, thank goodness, a standard. Without waiting for the dimwit next door to wake up, I yelled, "Let's just push the bloody thing out of the way." Which, after said dimwit couldn't find the keys, is exactly what we did. (It turns out it was his friend's car who had driven another friend home so that friend wouldn't drive drunk. Commendable, but maybe next time don't block someone's only way out of their driveway?). Ahem. Where was I?
Oh, yeah, historic day. Right.
So.
The reason we were going to the airport was to drop off Mr. Wumpus and Chou Chou Magoo for a five day extravaganza of family and friend time in Ontario. Did you catch that? Five days of daddy daughter time. In another province. By plane. Without mummy.
It also means mummy is sans Chou Chou for five days. Goodness, if it didn't feel so good to have some time to myself, I'd almost be sad.
(Really though, I'm glad she's in such a daddy phase or this would be stressful. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't cry a bit when they left. I also waited to watch their plane safely take off. I miss her already.)
On to historic day, part two and a Really Neat Something.
I'm currently at my hotel...and just got back in from running on the treadmill (3.1 miles, just under 34 mins-ish) and doing a 15 min weight/abs/stretch.
Big deal? Yes. Why? Because I've packed my runners on several occasions and only once that I can remember have I ever, ever used them while away on business. Instead of parking my butt and filling my face and wasting time, I actually unpacked, had a banana, drank some water, sent some emails, made a to-do list and promptly went and worked out. YES I DID. Thank you, Janathon!
On to the very neat thing, I had a woman call to see if I could be her doula in March. I met with her today and we sat and talked for TWO HOURS. I so very much hope she chooses me. The baby she is carrying is actually an adopted embryo - how cool is that? They tried all sorts of things, all the way to invitro with their own gametes, but had no success. They were/are on the wait list to adopt a baby, but received word last February that there were embryos up for adoption in another province. So while she is carrying the child, it's biologically someone else's. Isn't that a total mind blowing situation? And I love it and think she's wonderful and I want her to ask me to be her doula because THAT is one special baby in there.
It also makes me want to be a surrogate. It's so difficult to hear about others struggles with infertility. Seriously.
Back to work for me!
Janathon totals: Yoga 8/9, Run 4/9, Shred 3/9, Weight/Abs 1/9
This morning, I rolled out of bed at 5 a.m., showered, made coffee, bundled up my sweet toddler in a blanket and set off for the airport before 6 a.m. There was heavy snow last night, so we wanted to leave a bit early to get to the airport on time. Running five minutes ahead of schedule, we ran into a little snag...or rather a 3,500 lb snag. Our lovely neighbour's teenage son had parked his car directly in our lane. No way around it. At 5:40 in the morning, there we were knocking on said neighbour's door to ask them to move it.
I, being the genius that I am, checked the car - unlocked and, thank goodness, a standard. Without waiting for the dimwit next door to wake up, I yelled, "Let's just push the bloody thing out of the way." Which, after said dimwit couldn't find the keys, is exactly what we did. (It turns out it was his friend's car who had driven another friend home so that friend wouldn't drive drunk. Commendable, but maybe next time don't block someone's only way out of their driveway?). Ahem. Where was I?
Oh, yeah, historic day. Right.
So.
The reason we were going to the airport was to drop off Mr. Wumpus and Chou Chou Magoo for a five day extravaganza of family and friend time in Ontario. Did you catch that? Five days of daddy daughter time. In another province. By plane. Without mummy.
It also means mummy is sans Chou Chou for five days. Goodness, if it didn't feel so good to have some time to myself, I'd almost be sad.
(Really though, I'm glad she's in such a daddy phase or this would be stressful. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't cry a bit when they left. I also waited to watch their plane safely take off. I miss her already.)
On to historic day, part two and a Really Neat Something.
I'm currently at my hotel...and just got back in from running on the treadmill (3.1 miles, just under 34 mins-ish) and doing a 15 min weight/abs/stretch.
Big deal? Yes. Why? Because I've packed my runners on several occasions and only once that I can remember have I ever, ever used them while away on business. Instead of parking my butt and filling my face and wasting time, I actually unpacked, had a banana, drank some water, sent some emails, made a to-do list and promptly went and worked out. YES I DID. Thank you, Janathon!
On to the very neat thing, I had a woman call to see if I could be her doula in March. I met with her today and we sat and talked for TWO HOURS. I so very much hope she chooses me. The baby she is carrying is actually an adopted embryo - how cool is that? They tried all sorts of things, all the way to invitro with their own gametes, but had no success. They were/are on the wait list to adopt a baby, but received word last February that there were embryos up for adoption in another province. So while she is carrying the child, it's biologically someone else's. Isn't that a total mind blowing situation? And I love it and think she's wonderful and I want her to ask me to be her doula because THAT is one special baby in there.
It also makes me want to be a surrogate. It's so difficult to hear about others struggles with infertility. Seriously.
Back to work for me!
Janathon totals: Yoga 8/9, Run 4/9, Shred 3/9, Weight/Abs 1/9
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Raisins, avocado, dates, corn
Day one of the WW program is zooming along. I've already discovered several changes — most of which help to explain my gigantic weight gain in the last two months.
It would seem that under the new WW program MOST fruits and veggies are zero points, meaning you can eat as many as you like and it doesn't count towards your restricted intake for the day. Great! Except that many, many of my favorites (raisins, avocado and dates) still have a points value. Of course they do! Which means that while I've always eaten lots of good stuff, I've always typically been eating the most energy dense, highest fat options in the veggie world. Dammit.
I did have a bit of an Aha! moment today. While doing a new yoga sequence (my DVD has four and I had only tried two), I discovered supine pigeon (I go to the second variation but not all the way to human pretzel level). It felt so very good and — for the first time — caused my stomach to start gurgling away out of sheer joy. (For those who don't do massage on a regular basis, stomach gurgling happens when muscles/myofasica/etc. release. It happens to me during a really good massage). After yoga, I stood up and my glute/hip felt so much better. Not better better but better. Make sense? Good.
Also, I ran to drop off Chou this morning (only 3:30 mintues away), then continued to the 10 min mark, walked, then got so caught up in the music that I checked my watch - 20 min! That's right, I managed a 10 and 1 (vs. 5 and 1s I have been doing) without even really noticing. There is hope. A small glimmer, but still hope.
Janathon totals: Yoga 6/6, Run 3/6, Shred 2/6
It would seem that under the new WW program MOST fruits and veggies are zero points, meaning you can eat as many as you like and it doesn't count towards your restricted intake for the day. Great! Except that many, many of my favorites (raisins, avocado and dates) still have a points value. Of course they do! Which means that while I've always eaten lots of good stuff, I've always typically been eating the most energy dense, highest fat options in the veggie world. Dammit.
I did have a bit of an Aha! moment today. While doing a new yoga sequence (my DVD has four and I had only tried two), I discovered supine pigeon (I go to the second variation but not all the way to human pretzel level). It felt so very good and — for the first time — caused my stomach to start gurgling away out of sheer joy. (For those who don't do massage on a regular basis, stomach gurgling happens when muscles/myofasica/etc. release. It happens to me during a really good massage). After yoga, I stood up and my glute/hip felt so much better. Not better better but better. Make sense? Good.
Also, I ran to drop off Chou this morning (only 3:30 mintues away), then continued to the 10 min mark, walked, then got so caught up in the music that I checked my watch - 20 min! That's right, I managed a 10 and 1 (vs. 5 and 1s I have been doing) without even really noticing. There is hope. A small glimmer, but still hope.
Janathon totals: Yoga 6/6, Run 3/6, Shred 2/6
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Hello running, my old friend
And so, day two of Janathon has arrived, and let it be known that I am one for two days of running! Woot woot? Yes!
Yesterday was too damn cold (my limit is -20, not including windchill), but today was a balmy -15 with hardly any breeze. My strategy was this: go slow, run/walk and DON'T BUGGER UP THE HIP.
Check, check, check.
I went for time, not distance (31 mins, it turned out), I went super duper slow, did 4 and 1s and two 5 and 1s, and generally just shuffled along. I love love love the spikes on my shoes (they're not yaktraks, more just studs on rubber that attach to my shoes). Then I got home and convinced the Husband to do an hour of yoga with me. The Chou joined in (mostly by climbing on me). That makes it two out of two for yoga.
Why all the yoga and slowness? I likely haven't shared just how out of shape I became Sept to Dec. My estimate (which will be confirmed on Wednesday) is that I gained 10 lb in three-ish months, lost all muscle tone and managed, somehow, to tie up my entire left hip/glute/groin. Tie up is a horsey term, I know, but anyone who has done active release therapy knows what I mean when I say that I've got issues that need to release all over the place and no therapist to do it.
So the game plan is this. 1. Run, but only for 30 ish minutes and slowly, because running seems to be the only thing that aggravates the hip. 2. Yoga daily. I have an amazing "yoga for hips" dvd with four workouts. They are awesome and I swear after two days it's helping. 3. Strengthen glutes, core and inner thighs. This is the source of the problem. 4. Find a therapist that practices active release therapy. So far, it looks like I may have to fly to Ottawa to find one. It just might be worth it.
Yesterday was too damn cold (my limit is -20, not including windchill), but today was a balmy -15 with hardly any breeze. My strategy was this: go slow, run/walk and DON'T BUGGER UP THE HIP.
Check, check, check.
I went for time, not distance (31 mins, it turned out), I went super duper slow, did 4 and 1s and two 5 and 1s, and generally just shuffled along. I love love love the spikes on my shoes (they're not yaktraks, more just studs on rubber that attach to my shoes). Then I got home and convinced the Husband to do an hour of yoga with me. The Chou joined in (mostly by climbing on me). That makes it two out of two for yoga.
Why all the yoga and slowness? I likely haven't shared just how out of shape I became Sept to Dec. My estimate (which will be confirmed on Wednesday) is that I gained 10 lb in three-ish months, lost all muscle tone and managed, somehow, to tie up my entire left hip/glute/groin. Tie up is a horsey term, I know, but anyone who has done active release therapy knows what I mean when I say that I've got issues that need to release all over the place and no therapist to do it.
So the game plan is this. 1. Run, but only for 30 ish minutes and slowly, because running seems to be the only thing that aggravates the hip. 2. Yoga daily. I have an amazing "yoga for hips" dvd with four workouts. They are awesome and I swear after two days it's helping. 3. Strengthen glutes, core and inner thighs. This is the source of the problem. 4. Find a therapist that practices active release therapy. So far, it looks like I may have to fly to Ottawa to find one. It just might be worth it.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
It was -26 when I signed up for this
Oh, yes. I've joined Janathon 2011.
Does this mean I'm really going to start running again? Probably. Did I run today? No. Why? See title.
But I'm a sucker for joining things and then doing nothing about it, so let's make 2011 the year I stop doing that eh? Yes, let's.
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