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 exercise is hard yo! March 31st, 2013 @ 9:16 pm 
I am attributing this success to my year of aqua fit. A lot of hopping up and down on my toes in that water. Normally it’s my shins that hurt the most when I attempt running, but they don’t hurt one bit! Right now it’s the muscles in my thighs, above my knees that are so sore. I mostly feel it when I go down stairs or go to sit down.
Today’s run started out with technical difficulties. Apparently I had my phone on mute, so although I could hear my music, the notifications were not coming through. I was certain that my 5 minute warm-up walk was taking longer than it should have, and I was right. I’d missed the first 60 second running prompt! Oh, no!
So, I added 60 seconds of running to the end of our route. Go, me!
I made it through ALL running sets again and although the silly app stopped before we made it home (I have no idea why?) I know that our entire route is 3.15km, so even though my running journal for today doesn’t show that, I know I did it.
I didn’t want to take the dogs. It was way too complicated trying to get Jinx to keep up with me – and I don’t even run fast! Sophie hates running and lately she’s been pooping out on our regular walks (2km only, and pretty leisurely). I said I would go out alone, but Shawn didn’t want me to (I’m ok with that). He opted to take both dogs so I could focus on the training and not have to worry about dealing with a dog. Ok. Only he lagged behind much of the route because of the dogs. I don’t want to take them, Shawn feels that it’s not fair to the dogs not to take them. I don’t get it. I figure we can take them on a walk later in the day or after I do the run. What’s the big deal? They aren’t enjoying it so why force them?
Either way, I made it through the first two days of training. You’re supposed to run three times a week with a day of rest in between, so this means I wouldn’t run again until after work on Tuesday. That’s a big test – can I run after work? Before dinner? It will be late, but I don’t think I can run after dinner – too full.
It’s keeping my mind occupied though, which is good. I’m still having trouble with…you know, things. I’m nervous to go back into town on Tuesday morning. I still have school work and a test to do but I think I am feeling a little more focused tonight and hope that tomorrow, a holiday for me, will yield better results when it comes to school work. I haven’t been able to think about it at all. 
Now, let’s see if I can publish this post without my entire server going down for a half hour, eh? Stupid technology.
exercise is hard yo! March 29th, 2013 @ 1:35 pm I tried this last year. No, wait. I didn’t. At least not that I blogged about. The last time I wrote about the c25K thing was in 2011! I did try jogging again – briefly – in September of last year, but that fizzled out quickly. I always get the urge to start jogging in the spring. Honestly, I don’t know why as I have never enjoyed running. But there’s something about the dry pavement that you finally see after months of being covered in the snow that makes me want to run all over it. Not to mention the weather is that perfect mix of cool and warm so you’re not miserable while running.
So I though long and hard about WHAT it was about jogging that kept me from doing it. Something OTHER than the fact that it can hurt and my lungs burn and my nose runs…I finally had decent running shoes, so what was it. I realized I was just never comfortable in the clothes I was wearing to run. I didn’t have any pants or shorts that didn’t fall off me as I ran. No matter how tight that elastic seemed when I started out, the pants would eventually start to slip off my stomach and I’d be spending more time trying to pull them up and keep them on than focusing on running through the burn.
So I bought two pairs of sweat/yoga pants that have ties – for cheap, at Walmart. I tried the first ones out today and lo! It made a HUGE difference. I even managed to put on my little running belt that has space for my phone (for music and the training program) and a bottle of water.
I wasn’t sure I could make it through all 9 minutes of running (you walk 90 seconds and run 60 for the first day) and I thought I was on the last one when I still had one more to go, but I pushed through. I made myself complete this first day and I have never felt so good about an exercise goal ever.
So I didn’t feel fantastic during the run, but I didn’t feel miserable either. Today’s journal gets a great big OK for how I felt. It was pretty warm in the sun, too, but cool when it hid behind clouds. I did all 9 minutes of running and although it’s a slow pace and I felt like those 60-second running bits were getting longer towards the end (I am sure it was cheating) I managed to make it through all of them. I didn’t stop, didn’t cheat and just pushed through.
This is a testament to how helpful the last year of aqua fit classes have been. My body had managed to tone up and build muscle without being in constant pain and I was able to accomplish something THIS cardiovascular finally. I hope the second day of training (which I think is supposed to be in 2 days?) is as successful as this one was. Fingers crossed.
Anyhow, the doctor at the ER told me that cardio was the best way to battle anxiety and since I am still very out of tune due to the events of Wednesday morning and I have a long weekend AND it’s nice out, I thought, why not try to get back into this attempt to run.
My music playlist, lovingly titled, “Running is Stupid” got me through the worst of it today. My husband came with me and the dogs sort of pooped out towards the middle (actually, Sophie pooped out earlier, she doesn’t like to run on leash). I will do the second training day without dogs, but hopefully with husband.
Now I am going to take a shower and prepare to see my parents for dinner tonight. Maybe I’ll take a nap. Hmmm. Nap. I also need to finish school work and work on a mega project. So mustn’t fill my weekend with too much other activity!
exercise is hard yo! April 16th, 2011 @ 3:43 pm My OCD need to keep a schedule for this was thrown out the window after coming down with whatever it was I have come down with. So much for doing this Mon-Wed-Fri! Yesterday the dizziness and nausea finally went away long enough for me to decide I wanted to try adding jogging to the walk again. So I did.
Day 2 — 3.32km / 42m 11s / 216 calories burned
When I tried the official C25K app earlier in the week it turned out that the spot I started to “jog” with Annie last year was almost at the exact point the 5 minute warm-up ends and the 1 minute of jogging began. The block that I “jogged” with Annie fell almost exactly in the 1 minute jogging time. Turns out I was doing this all on my own without even knowing it! So I didn’t turn on the C25K app this time, I just set Runkeeper to Walking and put it away in my pocket. I knew that I would need more than a 90 second walking break between jogging bits, so I walked until I felt ok enough to start to run (which at the start was around 90 seconds) and I didn’t worry about the “time” this time I just ran and tried to go *just to the next light*. My walking breaks were probably 3-4 minutes long at times, but I got in at least 5 minutes of jogging before I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I would throw up or my calves would break in two. I did the jogging parts for as often as I could do them while feeling comfortable (plus a little bit more). This might not be the way professionals will tell you to do it, but I know my body pretty darn well and I am more comfortable listening to it with when I need to run and when I need to walk. So in my 42 minutes I got 5 jogging ones. I’m ok with that.
Day 3 — 3.26km / 40m 06s / 207 calories burned
Today I actually FELT like going out, which is odd since we went out last evening! But it wasn’t raining and I thought, “Why not? I feel like RUNNING!” Plus I discovered that you can make your own schedule for notices on Runkeeper and I set up a C25K-ish sort of schedule. 5 minute walk, 1 minute FAST (jog), 2:30 minutes STEADY (walk) and I can repeat that until a 5 minute cool down walk. I wasn’t sure how many times to repeat (I suck at math) so I guessed 10. Since we only got 5 jogs in there I don’t know how well we really did, but when I stopped it at the house this time we were supposed to be on the last 1 min jog. I have adjusted it to repeat 8 times and I’ll see how that goes. Of course half way through it went from being overcast to FREEZING RAIN whipping in our faces. By this point my shins were in the BAD PAIN category (not to be confused with the GOOD PAIN one). I knew I couldn’t jog anymore and we were 3/4 of the way home so we walked it – fast! (Well as fast as I could go with a leg that made me nauseous when I used it.) Again, I got 5 solid 1 minute jogging bouts in there and for me, I am proud of that. The first two legs were actually easy this time. I didn’t feel winded or like I was going to die after the first minute was up. That surprised me because only yesterday I DID. That 3rd minute was a doozy though and I was surprised I could make it to minute 5 of jogging. I was more than happy to walk the rest of the way!
I start and stop the app once we leave the stairs in front. Depending on when I start it is why the Kms are different. It’s not by a lot, so I think this is pretty accurate. I of course have the Activity set to WALKING on the app because I don’t feel like I can call it RUNNING just yet. 
Shawn has been great in jogging along with me. Of course he and Jinx are way up ahead by the time the minute is up. His slow jog is more like a sprint for me. My slow jog is a fast walk for him. Jinx just wants to BOUND! YAY! so Shawn spends a lot of his jogging time trying to reign him in. ha! I find it more motivational to have him along with me, also safer. I don’t think they’ve caught the rapist that’s been around for the last 2 years yet in our town and there’s no way I want to be out there alone.
If you have an iPhone and you have the Runkeeper app (it’s FREE!) feel free to add me to your Street Team. If you’re just curious about my progress you can see it here. (I think you can see it without being a member?) It also posts to Facebook and Twitter (sorry if you hate when people use applications on those things… I do too, but I sort of like the encouragement I get on FB when I post my update!) so you can follow along there.
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In other news, last night I not only did the jogging I also drove home from the grocery store near by (Loblaws – for those of you familiar with the area). I know it was only a 10 minute drive, but I did it with no anxiety (until I got to the drive way, I hate trying to turn into our driveway!). In fact the whole thing felt natural for the first time. I wasn’t over thinking anything and I wasn’t too nervous about idiots on the road causing me trouble. I didn’t even panic all that much when I was coming to a full stop at stop signs and having people behind me have to stop. (Why do Montrealers have to roll through stops? Argh!) I plan on driving myself (with Shawn) over to choir practice at the church in about 45 minutes from now. The freezing rain has stopped enough to make me feel safer (who knows what the weather will be in 45 minutes though? It’s been weird today.) Shawn and I are too habitual in going to our regular spots in the car – him in the driver seat, me in the passenger seat. I’ll never be able to get my driver’s license if we don’t make an effort to put me behind the wheel. I won’t volunteer and he won’t think to offer. So I’m trying to break that habit. Plus, since it felt so normal to be driving last evening I want to just get in the car and go again, while I’m on that positive path. It’s been 7 years since I got this stupid permit and this year when I renew it (May 4) I want to say “Yes, I’ll book my driving test today” to the lady behind the counter.
Jogging and driving. Those are my goals for this summer! Think I can do it?
exercise is hard yo! April 11th, 2011 @ 7:25 pm Oh, internets, I am so out of shape. I feel like a total and complete failure at jogging. Today I set out to complete Week 1 | Day 1 of the Couch to 5K jogging program. I even have a nifty little iPhone app that tells me when to run and when to walk. Today’s goal was a 5 minute warm-up walk (easy peasy!) and then 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes, ending with a 5 minute cool-down walk.
Well, I got about 7.5 minutes into the running/walking thing and then had to stop. I felt like I was going to die. Really. I couldn’t breathe (allergies have a role in this I KNOW), my hips hurt and my calves were seizing up. Running on pavement is certainly different than running on the floor in the aerobics room, let me tell you! I hurt in places I don’t normally hurt when I run in my Thursday fitness class.
I thought this was going to be easy and I couldn’t make it to 4 minutes of running. I just couldn’t. So I paused my C25K app and just continued on my walk with Shawn and Jinx. So I did get 3.27K of distance in but it’s pretty much all through walking.
I was very happy that Shawn jogged along with me. He had the daunting task of trying to keep Jinx from thinking that the faster speed meant SPRINT FOR YOUR LIFE WHEEEEE! And yet Shawn’s slow jog still put him waaaaay ahead of me on the street.
I don’t know. I feel like such a failure though Shawn told me I shouldn’t. Not everyone is a runner. I have never been to be honest. Endurance running was not something I was ever good at even with figure skating and swimming at my back.
I am not going to give up. What I need is maybe a Love Seat to the Couch app. A pre-Couch to 5K program that can get me to run 30 seconds or 45 on and 2 minutes off. I need something MUCH lower goal than what I have here.
I will still try and do this Mon-Wed-Fri though. I don’t want to give up despite how abysmally disappointed I am right now. I really thought I could do the 20 minutes with no problem. I was so very wrong on that count.
Any words of motivational advice out there? I could use some encouragement…
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