No More Running for Weaklings.

So I'm a little upset. I tried to take the Intermediate Running for Women class after being told explicitly by the Fleet Feet staff that I would have no problem moving to it after taking Beginner in the Fall. I explained to them my break in running between the Stampede and the Biggest Loser run and they said it shouldn't be a problem. I had been running for about two weeks when I started Intermediate on Monday.

Well, they were very wrong. It turns out the class is in the Arboretum, which is very hilly and which had been giving me a little bit of trouble (though not much) on the Bunny Run. This time, the legs didn't loosen up and I had to walk halfway back.

The Beginner class was done entirely on the very flat Greenbelt in North Davis. I was very disappointed to find that the route I've been taking since starting the Beginner class in September in no way prepared me for the Intermediate class. The hills were too much.

Fleet Feet could have done one of two things before I shelled over $109 to them.

1) Design the Beginning class so that it actually pushes a runner and prepares her for the next level, or,

2) Told me the truth about the ability to go from one class to the next.

How about an educated and informed staff?

I've done two 5ks in the last two months, and while I did take time off because of the stress of changing jobs and a MRSA infection, I don't think I'm all that out of shape. The level of intensity of the 10k class was grossly misrepresented to me.

Well, now I'm pissed because even though I got a refund, I would have really liked an apology. Shame on them. They didn't even address my concerns when I told them and asked for the refund. They simply nodded and smiled and handed me my receipt.

I've decided I'll be training on my own, shedding the "interval" system and researching online the best way to increase strength for hills since the Fleet Feet classes did absolutely nothing to make me a better runner. I haven't run since Monday and my shins haven't hurt since Tuesday, so I'm going out today to kick ass and take names. Thanks for nothing, Fleet Feet!

Bunny Run and other stuff.

Life is pretty incredible these days. I had a great run this morning in the arboretum with the Davis Fleet Feet. It was their 3rd annual Bunny Run, an untimed walk/run in honor of a girl who lost her fight with Osteosarcoma at just twelve years old. Runners were asked to donate stuffed animals to bring to kids in the hospital during Easter time. It was very heartwarming.

I met up with some of the ladies I had met in the beginning RFW class. I decided to run with them because I hadn't brought my own interval timer as I didn't know if the run would be led or a free-for-all.

We ran the arboretum, which was a beautiful course. It has more hills than I'm used to on the greenbelt, so my shins were real tight at first, but soon loosened up. I don't feel any after-effects so I think I dodged shin splints. It's been almost two years since I had them but I'm still nervous whenever I start feeling anything in the front of my legs.

I went to school to start the second part of the MMLC class only to find out that I'm not required to attend at this point, as long as I keep doing about one module a week. I got a 90% on the first module this week, so I'm set.

I'm considering a half-marathon in Janurary. My friend Ray is interested, too. Even my mom is curious about it, but I think that's partly because she's going to love where it is. It's the Tinkerbell run in Disneyland. It's happening far enough in the future for me to just be completing a half-marathon training class this fall, after this 10k class. Oh, and did I mention it's in Disneyland? Looking forward to it!

2013 is turning out to be much better than 2012. I have more to write about, but for now I'm putting things in a journal. I want my head clear in order to improve my blogging skills. I'll update more again, but I'm going to end it for now. I've had a great day and I'm going to just relax and enjoy the end of it.

Logging Miles

I've used a few different running apps, but the two best are Runkeeper and MapMyRun by far. Those two I've created accounts with and have used to track my progress.

Between just those two apps, when I've used them to track my runs, I've run 163.48 miles. This isn't counting the running for women classes or the first two months of my running when I first started.

Even though there have been breaks, I'm still pretty proud of that, seeing as how that's probably 100 times more than I had ever run in my adult life before July of 2011.

I expect to break 200 before April is out, but that's only if I record my workouts. I kind of like being able to keep a record. The races are a bit easier; I've run 15k total. :)

Less Than Two Weeks

I have less than two weeks before my first ever 5k run. I'm super excited. I'm doing the Roseville Hot Pink Fun Run benefitting the Placer Breast Cancer Endowment. Team Tatariffic has two members now. I thank my friend Ray for asking me to do this with him, this convincing me not to do the zombie mud run, which probably would have been a bit much for a first-ever race.

This week in Running for Women, we are progressing from nine reps to eleven of 1 1/2 minutes running to 2 minutes walking. I'm going to be looking for either a bridge class over the holidays or see if any of the women still want to meet at the usual times to continue running. In January, I might take the intermediate class or the 5k maintenance class or I might do a different program altogether. I like the run/walk, but I know I can do a continuous run for at least two miles, so I might try something new.

What I love about all of this is that I can call myself a runner. When Chria and I are playing around and chasing each other to the mail box or whatever, my body automatically clicks into form without me thinking about it. It's like turning on a machine, I just love it. Can't wait for the 21st!

So, Blogger, Updates and Stuff.

So, the last blog I posted was very hopeful about my Gram. I found out a few days later that she had three strokes and two were bleeding. She wasn't going to get any better. She lost her ability to speak very soon after I had written that post and when I saw her that Friday, she barely opened her eyes. My grandma may or may not have understood the things that my sister and I told her when we were telling her how much we loved her and how much she meant to us, but that doesn't matter to me. There's not much that I believe without evidence, but I want to believe some part of my grandma heard me. She passed away a week later.

Friday, we went to her funeral and it was pretty much the worst day of my life. I don't really want to talk about it. I got to see a lot of family and we got sing her favorite hymn (yes, I sang it; it holds a lot of memories for me even if I don't hold the same religious sentiments of the song) and hear about how my Gram's love made people feel safe and loved and comfortable, but it was the hardest funeral I've ever been to and nothing that was said can give me my Gram back. That's all I'll say about that.

My Grandpa is probably moving far away to live with his daughter and I don't know when I'll be able to see him again. Isn't it just fucking ridiculous that I couldn't stop in my stupid, busy schedule of getting married, working dead-end jobs, playing on the internet, etc, to visit them more often before this? So, I'm a little bit angry. Angry at myself. Angry at life. It just hurts, you know?

Ugh. I'm reading this and it sounds horrible and angry and damnit, I'm just going to leave it because it's real. Any of you that know me IRL will understand and I just want to thank you for that. I have the best friends, family and husband in the whole wide world who texted me, facebooked me and loved the crap out of me and my family while we were going through this. My birthday was the day after my Gram's funeral and my friends and sisters made it a wonderful day, regardless of the pain we all felt.

 When I'm ready, I'll post more pics of my birthday (wasn't a party or anything, just dinner and frisbee). I have some videos of me learning guitar again. Chris's mom has an old, cheap classical guitar I'm learning on because I'm having a lot of trouble on the Ibanez. I have some new running and weight goals, too. I feel pretty good about how I look right now, but I want to be more fit.

That's it. That's all I got for the night. I'm going to bed.

A Magical Weekend

This weekend Chris and I went to Monterey to celebrate the marriage of our dear friends Jimmy and Yazzy. Down 17-mile drive on a little beach, we stopped and braved the wind to witness their vows (which we couldn't actually hear due to the waves crashing on the beach, but Jimmy and Yazzy heard each other, which is what was really important). I was honored to watch my dear friends cement their commitment to each other on the shore of the mighty Pacific. It was beautiful.

We arrived at the rental house in Del Rey Oaks at around 9pm on Friday night and left Sunday evening. This place was huge. I put pictures up on my facebook for my friends who want to see it. Maybe when I get around to it, I'll post them on my Picasa. There was a spa in the back that we relaxed in after our long drive. Saturday morning I woke up and jogged to the beach down Canyon Del Rey and back up to the Breakfast Club for a total of three miles.

After a yummy breakfast with Chris, Morgen and Lindsay, we all went back to the house to finish centerpieces and pack up for the reception hall. Chris had to set up the stereo equipment and I was left in charge of delegating tasks to set up tables and decorate. I don't think I'm exactly a born leader, but my friend sees something in me I don't and everything went fine. The place looked gorgeous and Yazzy and Jimmy's families were super-duper helpful and very, very sweet.

We went back to the house and got ready. After the ceremony, the sun came out, which was nice, because while Yazzy and Jimmy were doing pictures, some of us (Lindsay and I especially) had decided to frolic on the beach. We got stuck on a rock as some higher waves came in with the tide and we subsequently got our dresses wet as we leapt to shore. Finally, pictures were done and we headed to the reception.

The toasts were beautiful and the dancing was lively and the entire evening was the stuff that life is made of: joy, laughter, dance-offs, cake, delicious food, and of course, love. Oh, and of course, more spa time afterward, back at the house. The next morning we cleaned up and went to First Awakenings, which also has some really awesome food. I had the Acapulco Express, an omelette with chorizo and other yummy things, which I would highly recommend to anyone. Also, the kids' menus are coloring pages and they will give them to adults who ask for them. We all colored, it was great.

We parted ways after that, wishing Jimmy and Yazzy bon voyage on their Hawaiian honeymoon. Mo and Lindsay joined Chris and I to go exploring Cannery Row and playing by the beach. They followed us back up Highway 5 (we took 5 back to avoid the Benicia toll. The difference in gas is negligible but the toll is usually cash-only and at least five dollars). We stopped by Split Pea Anderson's for dinner because Mo drove up next to our car and started yelling that we were stopping or else.

After we got back on the road, Chris missed the 5 at the 580 split and before we knew it we were on the Altamont Pass. Woops. We could have kept going, but we still would have hit the Benicia toll, so we doubled back to 205 and finally got home at 11:30 last night. Good times. I'm so tired I can't even really see straight anymore. I think I broke some laws getting to work on time this morning after stretching my snooze-button time longer than was safe. It was a really good weekend and I am extremely happy for my two friends, who are in Hawaii right now as we speak, hopefully having the time of their lives. Life is good and beautiful and wonderful as always and it's just about time for bed.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

I've been running two miles since last week. I ran friday night, monday night and tuesday, thursday and friday morning. I dropped to 154.8 this week after being stuck at 157 last week. I upped my water intake as well; I had been slacking a bit and started taking a refillable water bottle to work again. I still have free calorie saturdays, which is nice because I don't want to have to worry about calories tonight at my friend's bachelorette party. It's going to be an awesome party, even if I'm missing the Capitol Air Show for the first time. Chris will take pictures for me.

So, in summary, I'm eating healthy and exercising and it's still working. Down seventeen pounds now. Have a good weekend, everyone.

Falling In Love

I think I'm falling in love. I don't know how Chris is going to take it. I think I love running. And I hope running loves me back.

I look in the mirror and I can see the difference that 14 pounds makes. I put on shirts I haven't worn in awhile and I don't have to pull them off right away and find something fluffier to wear. I start running and I don't want to stop. I can do over 15 minutes without stopping. Granted, I slow down and speed up, but that comes later, just like running past two minutes would come later when I was very first starting.

I went on two runs today because I wasn't really satisfied with just doing the mile I did at the track. I decided to go around my block. Halfway through, I was remembering July, in the beginning, when I was cheering myself on just to get through two minutes. I remembered the otter pops on my legs when the shin splints got too much to bear. I remembered thinking that a 5k next spring might be a reasonable goal. Now I'm considering an autumn run. In the back of my mind, I dare hope that someday I'll do a half marathon. Someday.

I noticed that when I don't know how far I'm going or how much time I'm spending, I tend to run faster. I scared myself on the track today, thinking I should pace myself lest I wear myself out before the mile, but this evening I pushed myself a little harder and came home faster than I expected. I can do this.

Tomorrow is class. I bike to ASL and I've been going over the overpasses lately instead of around or through the tunnels. It burns my lungs and my thighs, but I get through it. I'm even considering maybe doing a vegetarian diet again. It's just so refreshing. Meat is so heavy...

It's later than I should be up (one thing I haven't been able to change to a healthier habit is getting enough sleep), so I'm going to end this blog entry now. I feel good, I feel healthy, I feel beautiful. That's new for me. Goodnight everyone.

Mile

I upped my running time to three minutes and then yesterday, to four. I realized I could go longer when I would begin to run and then realize that I had forgotten to start my interval clock. So I decided to test my mile today at the Davis High track. For some reason the iMapMyRun GPS was wildly inaccurate, as you can see on the website. Their bike app seems to be pretty spot on, so I might shoot them an email and let them know. Anywho, it was a thirteen minute mile, which isn't anything special, but I did run continuously for thirteen minutes, which is freakin' amazing to me.

Now that I've done it I can't go back to three and four minute runs, though. I'm really on my way to a 5k, though.

Evening Ride

I rode the Green Belt this evening, which is a network of trails through North Davis that goes through different parks and barely touches any streets. Chris and I have explored it before, and I've gone on my own, but it's still new enough that I can get joyfully lost and then find my way back.

The sun was going down when I reached the dirt path that runs along the corn and sunflower fields that we usually get to from F Street. The sky was golden in the west with rays reaching for the last bit of blue on the other side. Flaxen fields of cut wheat met me near the end of the dirt path after I passed the weeping sunflowers. I got back on the Green Belt and headed back toward Anderson. I'm going to miss moments like this when winter comes.

I'm going to have to start thinking about a plan of action for the winter, whether it's running through the rain or getting back into the apt. gym room. I'm going to do some consulting over the next few weeks and see what other people have done during those dark days. I don't want to lose momentum because of the cold. It's so easy for me to use that as a cop-out.

Today was a good ride through the Green Belt and a good run on the American River Bike Trail. Tomorrow I start my ASL class, which I plan on biking to, of course. I feel really bad because I haven't practiced all summer! Hopefully, the little bit I use at my job will keep me sharp enough to not look like a total failure. We'll see. Now that the day is over, it's nigh time for bed. I'm pretty worn out and it's only Monday. Goodnight, world.

The Attempt at C25k

A dollar ninety-nine isn't much in the grand scheme of things. I used to pay roughly $3.50 a day in my early twenties for a pack of smokes. During my heyday as a foolish, young, self-destructive teen, I'd throw away at least a buck fifty for a 40oz (or a "fo'ty," as us Generation-Nexters liked to call them) of Mickey's or (puke) Magnum. I just put $20 in the tank today at $3.60 a gallon so I can make it to Horsetail Falls for a hike this weekend. And, goodness knows, I would have spent at least as much on the dollar menu at McDonald's just a few weeks ago, and we're not talking side salad. So what's a dollar ninety-nine for an app?

I'll tell you what: it should at least work better than the free ones. It should work at least as well as the ninety-nine cent apps, and, damnit, it shouldn't crash every single damn time I use it.

I have recently taken up running, if you haven't been following my blog, and have been trying to slowly build up intervals from two-minutes running/three minutes walking. I was supposed to move up to three minutes of running two weeks ago, but shinsplints and other factors (35 lbs overweight, fear, excuses?) have prevented me from doing so. So, I looked up interval training apps and I found the "Couch to 5k" program started by Active.com. Seemed reasonable. Their $1.99 app would let me play music while interrupting at the right times to tell me I needed to jog or walk. The intervals were pre-set to follow this specific program created by these people. "Great!" I thought, "I'll let this program decide for me when to increase my running time because I really have no idea what I'm doing!"

So how well does this app work, you might be asking. It starts out great! Whatever "trainer" you choose gets you warmed up with a five minute walk and then tells you, "Let's jog," when it's time to jog. After the interval, and before you know it, the trainer has you "walk briskly." You might even think, "Wow! I really did a whole such-and-such-time of running just now and it flew by!" And then, at least halfway through this warm, fuzzy workout when you're really starting to like Clarissa or whatever the he'll they name their voice characters, you realize you've been walking longer than you expected. You look down at your phone only to realize your app has crashed and nothing from your workout has been saved.

Thinking it a fluke, you might try it again a few days later after you've emailed their support and they've told you they haven't come across this bug before. Then it happens again. Two out of two times, your two-dollar app has failed you. You finish your workout without a timer and grit your teeth through the pain, determined to not let that flaky bitch, Clarissa who keeps quitting on you, to get the best of you. You don't need her anyway.

After this happened to me, I shot their support another email letting them know that two out of two crashes equals negative feedback and bought myself a $.99 interval timer I had previously missed in my app store search. I tested it to make sure it worked. It performed perfectly, which makes it 500 times better than Active.com's app and half as cheap. Another thing I found out on my way back tonight, abandoned and trainer-less from the C25k app, I can do more than two minutes. I can even go faster than I was going waiting for Clarissa to tell me what to do. So it wasn't a total loss after all. Next week, I may just be running for three minutes at a time. Take that, C25k.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday Comes Afterwaaaaards

Yesterday was free calorie day, according to Mom and Chris. I was not allowed to count up all the ingredients in the crepes and pizza that we had and mom insisted I have a Pepperidge Farms Milano cookie. We went on a long bike ride on my new hybrid, 21-speed Marin, and I tried to keep my portions small, so I'm hoping that not much damage was done, but sometimes you just have to live and my mom coming to hang out would have been dampened by my obsessing over food and diet. So I gave in.

Today I'm going to start running again. I was fitted at Fleet Feet and they suggested some motion control shoes by Mizuno. They weren't as cushioned as the other ones they had me try on, but they felt a lot more stable. I'm going to keep doing the two-minute run, three-minute walk because I still have shin splints, which,according to Fleet Feet, is more of a results of being out of shape than the condition of my shoes. I have to keep working and the pain will go away as I get stronger. However, I can't help but remember the girl on my softball team last year that had permanent damage and scarring from shin splints. Of course, I don't know the full story and don't have all the facts of that case, so I'm just going to stay alert to what my body is telling me.

Everyone is still asleep, but it's time for breakfast so I'm going to wake these sleepyheads up! Time to get moving!

August 11, 2011. Mom's Bday, Seven Pounds, Biking, and Work-out Friends.

I took it pretty easy yesterday, walking on an outing at work and then swimming with Chris. My scale at one point this morning said I was under 164, but I'm not recording it because again, the drop seems to large since my last weigh-in and after I got out of the shower, it was 164.3 which is .1 lb less than yesterday, which makes more sense. I'm just saying I've lost seven pounds, because it's close enough. I really, really need a new scale.

This weekend I'm getting running shoes, and my mom wants to get me a new bike, too! Even though it's her birthday. I've been using Chris's 21-speed Diamond Back and the gears are horrible. I can't shift to go up hills because it doesn't stay in gear or it sits there and clicks. It's all messed up. It probably just needs a new derailleur, but I want something faster, too. It just won't keep up with Chris, even in gear 21, and at that point, I'm practically standing on the thing to get it going. It's also too big; I have to have the seat so high that I am uncomfortably far from the ground when I stop or else I have to ride it with my knees in my chest. There's no happy medium.

What I don't want is a girl's bike. I don't want the curvy little wimp bikes I see all over the place. I want one with speed. I don't think I could live with one of those cruisers these college students are riding around on these days. My bikes going to have to be fast if I'm going to be happy. Unfortunately, no matter what style I get, it is looking like it's going to be over 300 dollars for a new bike. On the bright side, it should last a long time.

Tonight, my stomach isn't feeling too well, so we cut our ride short and I don't know if I'll be going to the apt. gym or not. I look some medicine and am staying hydrated, but I might just call it a night. I burned over 200 calories riding through the arboretum with Chris. We found a whole new section of it we had never explored before-didn't even know it was there (how long have we been hanging out there? Years? And we never knew). Hopefully, tomorrow, we'll get to explore some more.

What an incredible journey this is. I'm getting advice from people who have already changed their lives or who have always incorporated being active as part of who they are. I even was asked by someone at work if they could get together with me after work a couple of times a week to do something active and fun (but not exercise, because exercise sucks) and so we're looking into some of the trails in Sacramento. I'm excited! I love doing this stuff with other people because then it doesn't feel like work, it feels like fun!

So here's to another incredible week. I will post again soon.

The stairmaster was easier today. In just a couple of weeks, I went from barely getting through fifteen minutes to doing the entire thirty without stopping. That last two minutes were the longest, but it was worth it when I stepped off the machine, victorious. There's almost no greater feeling.

I also did some work on the resistance machines. Lat Pulldowns and the like. I was forced to stay away from the treadmill due to my shin splints, but I did some more crunches on my fitness ball, as well as some other work. I'm really thinking about Yoga lately, and despite my own lack of confidence after having only taken one class two years ago, I think I should start doing some at home. I could use the stretches. Simple stretching isn't really doing it for me.

I may take tomorrow off to give my body a day to rest. I'm down almost seven pounds since I started. It's incredible, it hasn't even been a month yet. All I want to do is more. As soon as I'm done working out, I want to go back. It's like a high, but I have to be careful because overdoing can cause injury and throw a wrench in the whole thing. Pushing myself too hard could have contributed to my shin splints, after all.

Mom's coming up to visit this weekend, so that will be fun. I am getting new running shoes and I might have to see how much money I have for some more work-out pants. It might be time for a trip to Ross. It's going to be a good week.

Shin Splints and Progress

I've tried to be careful and keep away the shin splints I was getting last summer when I was playing softball in the crappy New Balance shoes I have, but alas, they have returned in full force today. It's cut my run/walk to ten to fifteen minutes, but has pushed me to get my cardio done bike riding and on the stairmaster, (warning, Pokemon joke imminent): It's super effective!

I worked out on my exercise ball yesterday, the majority of the time spent doing crunches. I could feel it today, but not so bad as to be irritating or painful. I'm going to do those every other day and probably stick to biking this week until I get new shoes this weekend. Mom's coming up! Yay!

I was looking at myself in the mirror tonight while I was working out and I thought I looked slimmer. Wondering for a second if maybe my own self-image, improving due to my following my commitment and reaching my goals, had caused my mind to think I looked slimmer, but I realized I can actually feel it in my work-out pants. I had to be sure, so Chris measured me and sure enough, a half-inch off of my neck and waste and a whole inch from my hips.

This is progress, even more so than the numbers on the scale, because muscle mass can add pounds. I've now been at this for about three weeks and I'm still not slowing down. I'm encouraged and inspired, determined and committed. I'm already considering trying a 5k sometime this spring. Even with the progress I've made, though, I don't want to lose sight and say, "good enough," or start slacking because I feel confident. This is a life-long goal, not just a new diet and exercise routine. My goal to be 135 in January isn't the end, but the beginning. I'm ready.

I Am Not A Runner

But I want what runners have. I want endurance and I want pride. Biking is awesome, but I don't have the money or equipment to take it to the level that it takes to get really fit on a bike. Running just requires shoes. Swimming and biking are my faves, but I can't do them in the winter due to my ears being extremely sensitive to cold from being prone to childhood ear infections so many years ago. There's a tread at the gym at my apartments. I can even time my intervals easily until I get to a point where I can run continuously.

Beginning is the hardest part and today was day one. Two minute sprint and three minute walk for thirty minutes. I burned 170 Calories. This is the second day in a row I've had over half my calories left before dinner time and that's rare. I feel good. I feel accomplished. The last two minute run interval I was screaming at myself in my head, "Do it for you." It was beautiful, one of those magical moments that people talk about.

Tomorrow I have another date with myself. Give my body the food it deserves and release it from the years of disinterest and laziness, procrastination and excuses. This is the beginning.