Monday, January 31, 2011

Week 3 - Monday (Failure #2 - Time to Regroup)

(1/31/11) - 17:10
(Station Treadmill)
Plan:
10 min run / 2 min walk (x4)
Actual:
10 min warm up 10 min run / 2 min walk / 5 min run 8 min cool down

So I ended up taking most of last week off. Bad mistake. My leg hurt. It wasn't convenient. I had other things to do. A snow storm hit. Yadda yadda yadda. And when you have nobody to hold you accountable, and nobody but me to enforce anything, it's real easy to just say "tomorrow."

Tonight's run was dismal. I warmed up extra long, again. Felt ok. Tried to keep it loose and slow. The first 10 minutes wasn't too bad, but I could feel the beginning of some pain. Walked for the 2 minutes, and started running again, and almost immediately felt tight. And nothing I did would relieve it. The pain just got worse and worse, and since my heart wasn't in it, I walked for a bit and called it quits. Failure #2.

I got home and did my first ice bath - who the HECK thought of an insane idea like that?!? Oh my LORD. The first 2 minutes were the worst torture of my life... but it gradually got better, as I numbed up. Afterwards, I felt better almost immediately - although now, two hours later, I can still feel some of the soreness. Hopefully, tomorrow isn't too bad though.

So I think I need to regroup. I am going to continue running, and I am going to try my hardest to maintain a more consistent schedule with it. The next time I run, I'm going to set the interval timer for a 5 / 1 interval, and just let it go... perhaps the 10 minutes is what is hurting me. I'll work my way back up from there, and see if what I need is a stronger base. I'm also going to start stretching and strengthening on my off days. Stronger muscles don't tire as easily.

For now, I'm enjoying my last fast food for a while - topped off with a Wendy's Frosty. Yum.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Quote

"Add one new food to your grocery cart every week (one you've never tried before). It gives you a chance to discover ... new flavors, new favorites, more fun."
--RD Susan Moores, as quoted by FoodNetwork.com's Healthy Eats blog

Health, Food, and Companionship

I’ve been listening to a lot of new podcasts lately. A coworker, who is an avid runner, gave me a short list of running podcasts, and I’ve been working my way through some of them…and one thing has become very apparent to me – running MUST be more enjoyable when you run with someone. All of these podcasts are two or more people, running together, or training together, etc. And they all seem like they’re having a great time. They’re laughing and telling stories and just having a great time. But I run solo. On a treadmill. And I hate it. But at my current level of conditioning, I don’t know anyone who is going to “walk” with me… I’m not real certain how to overcome this one.

I’ve also decided that I am going to start eating healthier. So, Food Goal #1 – No fast food for February. EEK!! A little worried about that one, since fast food is so convenient when I am busy. But, I know it’s not good for me, and avoiding it will help me to lose some weight (which will help my running…) so let’s see how I do. It also means I need to start shopping more regularly for groceries. Right now, I’m not sure I have anything healthy to eat in my apartment… good thing it’s almost the weekend.

I’m a little worried about tonight’s training session. It’s supposed to be another 10 min run / 2 min walk (x4) which was so painful on Tuesday. My legs still feel a bit sore, and I’ve been trying to stretch out my calves more, but let’s face it – the world wasn’t created in two days. So we’ll see how it goes…

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Week 2 - Tuesday (Failure #1)

(1/25/11) - 17:45
(Station Treadmill)
Plan:
10 min run / 2 min walk (x4)
Actual:
10 min warm up 10 min run / 2 min walk / 5 min run 8 min cool down

I started the workout feeling a little tight… so I warmed up a little longer than normal. I started off feeling ok, concentrating on my form focuses. The first 10 minutes felt ok, but I could still sense my legs weren’t relaxing. After the initial two minute walk, I wasn’t as rested as I normally feel after a walk break, but was hoping it would work itself out. Nope. Five minutes into my next run, I had such severe pain in my shins that I had to walk. I walked for a good five minutes more, and felt the pain go way down, so I tried to run again. Nope. Thirty seconds later, I was almost in tears. So I walked for about ten minutes and called it quits. Failure #1.

I know I need to start doing more stretches and strength training on my off days. I looked up a few exercised on the Runner’s World website… so we’ll see if that helps. But my motivation and, more importantly, my confidence in this endeavor has been shattered. I am having some serious doubts as to whether I will be able to run 10K in 9 weeks, when I can’t run more than ten minutes at a time…

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Week 1 - Saturday

(1/22/11) - 17:50
(Station Treadmill)
6 minute warm up
10 minute run / 1 minute walk (x4)
8 minute cool down

I took off an additional day, to give my ankle and calf time to do whatever it is they do... but not so certain it worked. I ran the first 10 minute with no problem, walked the minute, but then got winded halfway through the second run. I ad libbed a bit from there on out...

Lesson learned: Don't run unchecked when you are upset... the steam tends to make you go too fast for your own good.

I noticed during the second run that my right ankle was going numb... and when it does, I lose control of my foot, slamming my foot down and not able to run with proper form. I'm starting to wonder if I tie my shoes too tight or something. I'm going to need to strengthen those muscles, I think.

Also, there were far too many distractions while I was running... people kept coming up and wanting to talk. Um, hello, fat boy on a treadmill. Leave me the hell alone...

Overall, it wasn't a completely demoralizing workout... but it still leaves room for improvement.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Week 1 - Wednesday

(1/19/10) - 16:40
(Station treadmill)
6 minute warm up
5 min run / 1 min walk (x5)
15 minute cool down

Apparently my first day’s run was the warm up, because last night’s run hurt. Bad. My right ankle started to burn, radiating up my shin. It didn’t feel like the shin pain I’ve had in the past though – this was more burning sensation than anything. And within half an hour of stopping, the pain had gone away. I am guessing I rushed my warm up and stretching, and that was my body’s way of telling me so. I actually had to take a couple breaks to stretch out my calf muscle, although it really didn’t help much.

Oh, and I think I broke the station’s treadmill – it not makes a horrendous squeaking noise, making it all but unusable. Great…

A coworker, who is an exercise fanatic, set a goal for 1 million exercise heartbeats this year. He cracks me up sometimes. He’s using simple math – his average heart rate and the length of his workout, and keeping track of the number. Out of shear curiosity, I figured mine out – for just this week, my heart has beat 12,951 times while exercising. Not bad for just two short workouts. Not sure if I will keep track of that number or not (most likely, not…) but it’s something interesting. I just want to run my 10k without dying.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Week 1 - Monday

(1/17/10) - 21:20
(Station treadmill)
6 minute warm up
5 min run / 1 min walk (x6)
6 minute cool down

Surprisingly, I was able to maintain this for the entire duration. I concentrated on smaller steps, although I did NOT use that wretched metronome. I noticed that towards the end of the workout, I was getting sloppy with my form - going to have to work on that one. But I didn't have any ankle or shin pain... I kept waiting for it, but none came. The stretching exercises I've been doing must be paying off! Maybe it'd work better if I did them more regularly, too. :-)

I did notice a bit of tightness on the outside of my right knee, though. Not sure if I mis-stretched, or if there's something more to it. I will see how it feels in the morning...

For a "first workout", I ended feeling very good about myself... once I get my cardio up, I'm sure things will be better yet.

Deadlines

(1/17/11)

Tomorrow is the 10-week mark to the 10k in March. Crap. I haven’t ran in nearly a month, and I feel it – I am afraid to weigh myself, and I know my cardio levels are way down. This should be interesting... I suppose after work, I will try to go for a run. I think the training program calls for 5 min run / 1 min walk x5. HA. Since I can’t run 2 minutes, it should be a quick workout. Nice knowing you...

Monday, January 3, 2011

Runner's New Year's Resolutions

No, not mine. I don't consider myself a runner yet. But here's what Runner's World has to say about it...

Clicky

Simple explanation:
1. Think like an athlete, not a dieter.
2. Nix late-night snacks.
3. Take notes (aka food journal).
4. Plan ahead.
5. Eat breakfast - every morning.