Atlanta Miles

Not Much to Add

2013-02-13T19:01:00.001-05:00

At least I did something, right?

Wreck of the Old 97

2013-02-13T11:05:00.001-05:00

This happened last night. And it was fantastic.

Monday Blues and Shopping News

2013-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Okay. No actual blues, here. Monday was perfectly pleasant, aside from the end-of-the-world flash-flood-inducing rains we had. There's been a bit of a shake-up at work, and I've been working pretty hard on my time management and productivity to make sure I'm staying on top of everything. I got a neat little report done yesterday on top of a few other projects, so I left the office feeling pretty accomplished. This ego boost from DailyMile didn't hurt either.

I decided to check out Total Wine to find the perfect pairing for my Valentine's Day dinner with my honey. I ended up getting two bottles of Syrah. The salesman (I don't think he was a registered sommelier) gushed about both, so I'm sure they'll be delicious and wonderful.

We're eating here and I'm so excited! It doesn't seem like much, I know, but it's some of the best food in Atlanta. Also, they don't sell alcohol, but they do allow you to BYOB and they don't charge a corking fee. How can you beat that?

After I picked up the wine, I stopped into Old Navy. I'd been seeing a bunch of my favorite bloggers reviewing the new Active line. Well, Old Navy got their money's worth from these blogger, because I've been jonesing for new pants and a jacket ever since! I had a 20% coupon, so I purchased 2 pants, a jacket and a long-sleeve half-zip top.

In the parking lot, on my way out, I realized that the car parked opposite me was the exact same make and model as my car. You may think this is a silly observation, but I drive a 2007 Black (dark gray, let's be honest) Chevy Aveo. I've seen maybe 5 other Aveos in the year and a half that I've had my car, so I always get excited when I find one.

Once home, I OBVIOUSLY had to break in my new clothes for Johnny's walk and my nightly workout.

My workout wasn't phenomenal. I did my PT, still had pain during one particular exercise, but finished strong. Then I hopped on the bike, but I just couldn't get into it last night. I was tired. I was hungry. I was bored. Waaaaaaah. #lifeishard

Not stellar.

That's alright though. Today at work, I found a Chinese food menu that included Vietnamese pho. As in, they deliver. They deliver this mana from heaven to my door. At work. I can't tell you how happy I am today.

That is all. Go away now.

Bike, WeightWatchers and Chipotle

2013-02-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't make it to yoga this weekend. I'll get that out of the way first. Vista Yoga is right around the corner from my house, but for some reason I LOVE making excuses to not go. It's dumb. It's real dumb, because you know what? I love yoga. So, I am going to stop making excuses and take my butt to a class sometime this week.

I did not go to yoga, but I DID workout Sunday. I skipped the bike and PT on Saturday to give my knee a rest, but Sunday I did both. There is one exercise for PT that I couldn't complete because of pain (under previous instructions from my therapist if an exercise begins to hurt, stop immediately), but I did everything else and it was alright.

Then I hopped on the bike. I had intended to try for an hour, but I'm not there yet. I did do a pretty interval-intense 30 minutes though, and I'm continuing to improve my speed.

Our "study" is finally finished, and so I had a big computer screen playing Nashville while I worked out. It was rad, but I'm going to try to stick to reading as often as possible. I have to get to 52 books somehow!

Here is a photo of my reward at the end of my workout. H.U.G.E. salad with bell peppers, celery, apples, onions, and a whole tomato, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. YUM.

So let's talk about food for a minute. I rejoined WeightWatchers sometime in December. I'd lost about 15lbs total earlier and the year and gained about 10lbs back after I stopped running. WeightWatchers works. BUT. I've been having trouble staying on track. Sometimes I feel like I have basic understanding of points when I don't, and then I pretty much ruin my whole week's worth of points in one sitting. Case in point: I went to Chipotle on Saturday and had a veggie burrito with everything. TERRIBLE idea. I kept telling myself that most of the really "bad" foods that I love are about 13-16 points. Not healthy, but okay to splurge. Chipotle must be just like that!

Chipotle is not just like that. The burrito, without any meat, is 25 freaking points, which is quite a lot considering I get 30/day. Looking at their calculator after I ate was horrifying. 1000 calories. A THOUSAND. For one meal. 120 carbs. 3010 mg of SODIUM. Holy crap. No wonder I gained so much weight when I worked at the law firm and Chipotle was across the parking lot.

Okay. Noted.

And, just because - here's a photo of my parents' dog, Sammy, and their cat, Sheffield. Adorable.

A Run, a Knee & Me

2013-02-10T11:18:00.004-05:00

So this happened on Friday.

Okay, let me get this out of the way first - it was a terrible idea. I was chastised by at least 3 friends, including a very long text from my boyfriend's sister telling me to take care of my "poor knee and baby tendons." And of course she's right. I haven't done my PT since October, and it is very stupid to think that after 3 months of inactivity my knee would have magically healed.

But OMIGOD it felt so good! I've had running on the brain lately and I haven't been able to shake it. I have a coworker training for a half marathon and TONS of friends running 5Ks every weekend, not to mention the bloggers I follow who run 30, 40, 50 miles a week. So I got this idea in my head on my drive home Friday. First, I thought I'd just take Johnny for a long walk. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and he's been in need of serious exercise (I don't know if I say this enough, but I'm a terrible mom!). Somehow that thought of a walk evolved into a walk/run. I don't know what possessed me, but I thought it would be a-okay to do a super easy work out that still involved running, as if I were starting from square one. Of course I'm not starting from square one, but I've already addressed that (see above).

I got my iPhone ready, put on some workout clothes, grabbed my knee brace and we were out the door. We went for a normal walk first, so Johnny wouldn't need to stop once we were on our way. Then we did a 5 minute warm-up of speed walking. Then the intervals started. My knee felt a little tweaky (is that a word?) for the first running interval, but then it was mostly fine. Towards the end we skipped a running interval up a very steep hill (I'll admit here that my knee was starting to feel sore). Once we hit flat pavement and another running interval we just kept going. We ran about 7 minutes straight at the end. It felt incredible. I can't wait to do it again. ...In 6 weeks or so.

That night, I was hanging out with friends and my knee was just not having it. Walking, standing up from a seated position, staying in any position for too long - pain. Not horrible intense pain, but pain nonetheless. I also woke up in the middle of the night at least once from pain. My knee wasn't actually very sore on Saturday, and today, the pain is completely gone. I won't be running again any time soon though, contrary to my Daily Mile summary.

I'm glad I ran, even though I shouldn't have. Not only did it feel great, it also really drove home how much I love and miss running. It reenergized me. When I started PT in October, I hadn't run since June. I allowed myself to make excuses because I didn't realize or remember what I missing. Now I know, and I'm kicking myself for not taking care of it sooner. I won't run again until a professional tells me it's safe, but I aim to make that happen as quickly as possible (insurance don't let me down!).

So today's plan is my HEP and a bike ride. I don't get nearly the satisfaction after a completed bike ride than a run, but it'll do. I'll be back tomorrow with some more self-chastising and thoughts on WW and Chipotle (these three things are all coincidentally related).

Surprise!

2013-02-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

Firstly, here's an adorable photo of my dog, Johnny. Johnny is an awesome 5 1/2 year old mutt, probably part lab and part doberman. He's funny and sweet and lovable and a little bit fat (although you can't tell from this photo because I'm a semi-professional and I'm great with angles!).

So imagine my surprise today when I'm scooping his food and find this:

The universe has a sense of humor and it's trying to tell me something.

My dog's food bag was like a big ol' box of cereal and this was the prize at the bottom. Although, strangely, nowhere on the packaging does it mention that there's a pedometer tucked away in the kibbles and bits. It just sort of appeared. Very strange, but I'll take it. I'm cheap that way.

While the Northeast is bracing for another "storm of the century", Atlanta's afternoon weather is partly cloudy with a high of 56, so I think J-dog and I will be trying out our new "toy"!

It Gets Better

2013-02-07T19:23:00.001-05:00

Look at those numbers! I can feel myself gaining a little more endurance every day. I wanted to quit pretty quickly on Monday, but I could have kept going today if I weren't (wasn't?) so bored.

Yes. Baby steps, but I'm calling it a win.

Tuesday Doldrums to Wednesday...Opposite of Doldrums

2013-02-06T10:32:00.000-05:00

I'm horrible at writing fun titles, so please forgive me.

I biked again yesterday, 4.3 miles in 30 minutes (8.6 mph so a slight improvement) - I wish I ran that fast.

My right knee bothered me a bit at first, and then my left, but after about 8 or 9 minutes the pain/soreness faded. I'm taking that as a good sign, and BONUS - my knee isn't sore today! I don't want to push my luck though, so I'll be taking the night off. Probably. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous this afternoon so if I get home in time, I may go for a long walk with J-dog.

I'm excited to be a little active again, even if I'm not training for a race or beating my PRs. It's hard though. So many bloggers and friends have started their training for spring races, and the weather is perfect for outdoor runs right now, but I'm stuck inside. I'll take the blame though. I didn't do any cross training last year, and then I bailed on my HEP when my PT and insurance got wonky. If I'd stuck with it, I'd probably be in better shape right now.

So for the moment, I'll keep on keepin' on, and hopefully I'll be back on the road soon enough.

A Tepid Return

2013-02-05T11:01:00.002-05:00

Last night I hopped on my recumbent bike (a $50 bargain from my neighbor). I rode 3.44 miles in about 25 minutes. 8.3 mph is not great, but considering I have done n.o.t.h.i.n.g. since June 2012, I'll take it.

I purchased the bike towards the end of last year, but I've been avoiding it. I can't run right now, and that depresses me to no end. A significant jaunt will leave my knee sore and stiff, so a true run is completely out of the question. My physical therapist said I could probably bike for 20-30 minutes without a problem. Of course, I haven't seen my PT since October due to some insurance issues because of the sale of my company. So as the days dragged on, and I moved further and further away from the advice, I worried that a ride would end in pain, and I still would not be able to exercise.

Truth be told, my knee was sore yesterday. I'm a little bummed out, but I'm hoping that it just needs a bit of strengthening. My insurance is STILL being sorted out right now (almost 4 months later!), but once everything is settled, I'll be able to return to PT. Between that, the bike, and some yoga, I'm hoping my knee will be strong enough to train for the Brookhaven Bolt again this year. I'm also considering the Peachtree Road Race, though last year ended so poorly for me, I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready to try again. I have a few weeks left to decide, though.

In other news, I've started updating a blog I created last year. Basically it's a blog for book reviews, so I can keep track of my reading and write just a little bit. My goal is to read 52 books in 2013. I think I read maybe 6 or 7 last year? And that includes a certain book series that I don't think is necessarily appropriate to discuss in polite company. So check out the blog, if you'd like. Or don't. I doubt it'll be very interesting to anyone but me.

Merry Christmas, Baby

2012-10-05T13:33:00.001-04:00

I'm in an incredibly good mood today, and since I feel the need to overshare why, and the why is far too long for a Facebook status, and because I'm obviously not blogging about running right now, but I know you're all desperately curious as to what's going on with me...I thought I'd blog about my incredibly good mood.

I had a very strange dream last night. I watched the newest episode of Bones before bed. It involved some weird explosions in a Big Gulp cup. I guess that carried over into my dream last night, which started out as a nightmare. There was a man in my apartment playing a creepy game with me. There was something in my bedroom that would trigger an explosion, and if I didn't find it in a set amount of time, the explosion would just happen.

I was very confused in this dream, not entirely sure why I was targeted by some psycho pyro. Eventually, he restrained me so that I couldn't find the detonator...then things got weird. Jason Segal showed up to help me out. He was in this great mood talking about a surprise. This horrible weird nightmare segment of my dream was a ruse, because someone was planning something special for me. I eventually made it out of my bedroom and into my living room where Eric had turned the entire apartment into a magical Christmas winter wonderland. There were about 4 Christmas trees in the dining room, baked goods in the kitchen, wreathes hanging on the walls, Christmas pillows on the couch, garlands hanging over the TV, bowls of candy, lights everywhere, and porch was filled to the brim with more trees and bushes, lit up and decorated with all of my favorite ornaments from childhood. It was so romantic and wonderful. And so, so weird.

I woke up in the best mood.

In (k)need of an update?

2012-10-02T12:22:00.002-04:00

I apologize for the horrible pun, but I wanted to give you a heads up that this post will be all about my knee!

I hate my knee. And my knee hates me. We aren't on speaking terms right now.

I bought a brace. The brace worked alright. It's made out of neoprene or whatever it is that wetsuits are made from, so it gets very hot and very tight very quickly. I was full of good intentions when I first got it. Start walking again. Do some light weightlifting. Anything to get active and build up some muscle to support my temperamental knee. But, you know. Once you have an excuse to be lazy, you sort of make lots of excuses to stay lazy, so exercise and fitness remained on hold.

And then an embarrassing thing happened on Sunday. I stood up from the couch and broke my knee.

Okay, it's not really broken, but it felt that way on Sunday. I hobbled around for most of the night in pain, which was a hilarious sight for Eric and Johnny-dog. It was throbbing so much that it actually woke my up a few times. I promised Eric that if it didn't feel better by Friday, I'd call a doctor.

Then I went to work on Monday. An hour long drive in the rain. By the time I got out of the car, my knee was so stiff that when I went to straighten it I almost buckled over from the pain. Not good. Luckily, I work about a mile from my PA's office and they open at 8:00 a.m. I called immediately and made an appointment for the afternoon.

My PA was out, but a saw a great NP who tested for a meniscus tear and said she didn't hear/feel the normal signs. She diagnosed me with Patellar Tendinitis, prescribed me some hard drugs, told me to ice it regularly, and said that PT was no longer an "option". As in, if I want to be active ever again, I have to go. Cost is still something of an issue, but I've called today to work out a schedule, and I'm hopeful to begin in a few weeks.

Running at the moment is completely out of the question. Walking for more than 10 minutes is still kind of laughable. But, I have a plan and a wonderfully supportive boyfriend, so hopefully I can stop being a lazy asshole and start getting better.

F*ck it.

2012-08-30T11:08:00.001-04:00

I ate fried chicken today. And it was. So. Good.

Still not dead

2012-08-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Still not dead, but sad. Here's what's been going on.

When last we spoke I gave you a recap of my running adventures while on vacation in NC. I still haven't run since 6/19.

My stomach was in a bad way for quite a while, so I finally went to see a doctor. I went mostly lactose free for a few weeks and took some meds, and it's finally starting act close to normal. I still feel uncomfortable more than I'd like, however, so I'm thinking of trying one of those fancy cleanses I've been judging for years. I don't know. I need to do more research, but clearly I'm putting stuff into my body that I shouldn't be. Just not quite sure what it is yet.

My knee on the other hand - I don't know. While I was at the doc's for my stomach, I brought up my knee. This appointment was back on 7/9, and my knee was still swollen from my fall on Memorial Day. The doctor recommended I see an orthopaedist, so I scheduled an appointment with one who specialized in sports medicine. Basically, I felt very rushed through the appointment and I didn't feel like all my concerns were addressed. He took x-rays, but didn't review them before prescribing an MRI and PT (neither of which I can really afford right now). I did find out that my knees turn outward, which is common in women, and that taping them or wearing a brace could help, but I have some pretty, um, massive thighs, so I've had trouble finding a brace that fits.

So my knee treatment has been put on hold. SAD FACE. Which means my running has been put on hold indefinitely. VERY SAD FACE. Which means no half marathon. Again. UGLY CRY SAD FACE. Also, my knee is only getting worse. I walked the Peachtree Road Race with my friend Jenn on July 4. It's a 10k, and I could barely walk for the rest of the day. I also walked a 5k for work a few weeks ago and same story - pain for the rest of the day.

I finally started putting real effort into find a good brace for active people that comes in larger sizes, and ended up ordering this from REI (thanks to a rec from Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point). It's supposed to arrive in my store for pick up on Thursday, so Johnnydog and I have a long walk date that night, and we'll see how it goes from there.

Hopefully it ends up being a miracle cure, but I have my serious doubts. I'll keep you, yes you, my one single reader, posted.

I'm Not Dead

2012-06-29T12:27:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted since June 11. Wow. A quick look back at my DailyMile shows the following workouts:

6/12 - 3.2 miles, 42 minutes
Again, not a great run. The heat is really getting to me. I used my CamelBak for the first time this year, and it didn't bother me. Ran with my cousin's wife, Amy. She told me my intervals were too long, and gave me a Jeff Galloway book to read. Will adjust accordingly and try again on Thursday.

6/17 - 4.47 miles, 55:37 minutes
Beach Run with Kate. Much better than I expected. Tried Jeff Galloway's intervals. 2:30/1:00.

6/19 - 1.69 miles, 21 minutes
Beach Run Solo. Hot as balls and my calves were super tight.

I haven't run since then. I did walk on the beach every night after dinner, sometimes early in the day too. I didn't gain any weight on my trip, which seems incredible to me.

I've met a few roadblocks that I'm having trouble overcoming. Firstly, the heat. Georgia is in for an incredibly hot weekend (highs in the 100s), after an already incredibly hot week. Running outside has been out of the question. The treadmill is so hard to handle mentally, but I'm really going to try on Saturday. My 6/17 run was amazing, and I can't lose all of that momentum.

Another problem I've had recently is my moods. I've been so up and down, and unfocused for (seemingly) no reason. One minute I'm feeling great, life is perfect, I don't want to change anything, and the next I'm down, self-conscious, and sad. My body is also in some kind of weird funk. My stomach hasn't been right since the trip, although my diet hasn't changed so I'm not sure why. I'm also having random pains that jump from joint to joint. My wrists, my neck, my knee, my hips, my ankle. It's so weird. I've also been getting a lot of headaches and my eyes are constantly twitching. I don't know what's wrong, or if I'm just incredibly tired and dehydrated. I'm hoping it passes, but I think if I feel the same way next week, I'll have to go to the doctor. Not happy about that.

And lastly, my knee is starting to worry me. At first, it was only mildly sore after a run. Then the pain started to increase slowly, so I would stave it off with Ibuprofen and ice. Then Kate and I went for a long run early in our trip, and my knee never really recovered. Walking up the stairs to my bedroom was a challenge, and on one walk along the beach with Eric I had to ask if we could go back because I was in too much pain. I'm starting to get worried, but Eric's dad is a former surgeon and present acupuncturist, so I'm hoping he'll be able to give me a little bit of guidance. Perhaps I didn't rest my knee long enough after my little tumble? Hopefully it's not anything serious. I don't feel like I'm active enough for a serious problem, but I'm probably heavy enough for one.

So that's what I've been up to. I'm ina down swing with my mood right now, so I'm sorry if this post is a little depressing.

On a positive note, I met with a personal trainer friend yesterday, and he walked me through a new weight lifting regimen. We're starting very slowly, and we'll reevaluate in a few weeks, but I'm excited.

W3 Recap Wrap Up

2012-06-11T12:16:00.000-04:00

Days 1-3 (Run, Rest, Rest)
Day 4 (Run)

Day 5: The schedule called for a walk, but I had theater plans with a friend, so took a rest day. Again with the cross-training failure.

Day 6: The schedule called for 3.5 miles. I should get this out of the way - I've been putting off writing this recap because I felt so defeated on Saturday. I failed to run 3.5 miles, and while there were several factors that lead to the failure (heat being a major one), mostly it was just my poor planning and preparation. I've been trying very hard to take my long runs seriously, but I just let it all go Friday night. Kristy and I had tickets to see Illyria at Georgia Shakespeare. We picnic'd beforehand, and shared a bottle of wine between the two of us. Dinner was light and delicious, but we definitely got tipsy.

I guess I should add a side note here that I've been involved with GA Shakes for almost a decade now in some capacity. I started volunteering in the front of house when I was 18, and worked there as an employee for several summers, even after college. Once I moved into the corporate world, I still came back to volunteer and see the shows, and in 2008 or 2009 I began taking photos for their publicity and archives. For as long as I've been associated with them, GA Shakes was always home to me, with familiar faces, stories, and routines. But for varying reasons, many of the folks who have been with the company for ages have moved on, and it felt strange and sad on Friday. The company itself is still a wonderful creative haven for theater folks, and the new people are definitely as passionate and invested in the theater as anyone who came before them. But on a personal level, I felt out of place, old, and sad. Georgia Shakespeare continues to revitalize old classics, and bring some of the greatest plays to the masses in fun and innovative ways - but it's not my home anymore.

So Kristy and I decided to drown my sorrows out at a bar. First we stopped by a new place called Blind Dog Pub. We walked in, took one look around, and walked right back out. It was far too bright, the layout was very confusing, and there was absolutely nothing inviting about the place. We decided to try our old stomping ground, Pub 71. There were two seats at the bar, the crowd was pretty mild, and the bartenders recognized us and brought us our favorite beers immediately. Everything felt right. We even ran into one of Eric's old roommates, and belted out some Backstreet Boys with him and his friend.

...We stayed out until 1:00 a.m. On a normal night, I would say I didn't drink too much. I certainly didn't get drunk. But because I was running the next day, I should have stuck with water. I know that now, but I was just so sad on Friday, and I wanted so badly to feel...I don't know, something? A recognition of how life used to be? I always say I hate change. If I was in Game of Thrones, that would be my House motto. And it's so bizarre to stay in the same place and watch everything around you change. I have lived within the same 5 mile radius of Oglethorpe for the last 10 years, and yet very little is recognizable. So Friday I was sad, and that funk carried over to Saturday. Saturday I slept in until 10:30 (which is pretty late for me), and by then temps were already rising. I decided to wait until sunset to run, when temps start to dip. I cleaned, drank some water, and eventually joined Kristy down at the pool.

That's right. Already dehydrated from alcohol consumption the night before, I thought it would be a good idea to bake in the sun for an hour and a half. During that time I drank maybe a cup of water? Maybe two? Around 5:00 I decided it was the perfect time for a run. Because I am dumb. So I gulped a few more drops of water, readied for a run, and started out. And it was awful. I was out of breath almost immediately. Well, here's the DailyMile recap:

So yeah. That blew.

Day 7: Yoga. Which I didn't do. I was going to try the 3.5 mile run again, but my knee was not having it. So I'll have to try tonight. Everything I read about training says you can miss most other workouts, but not the long run. So...yeah. I'm drinking tons of water and plan to bring my CamelBak with me tonight. May seem silly for such a short run, but I'd rather be silly and finish it than be too proud and fail. Again.

Yeah, I'm still in a funk.

W3D4 Recap

2012-06-07T20:58:00.001-04:00

W3D4: Run 2 miles

I did it! I did it!

Let me back up. I woke up this morning at 6:something a.m. and I was exhausted. I don't know why I was exhausted - I didn't workout yesterday, I went to bed at a decent time, and I slept through the night (something I can't say for any of the previous nights this week, actually). I should have been pretty well rested.

I had coffee this morning, drank plenty of water throughout the day, but nothing helped. By the drive home, I was nearly falling asleep at the wheel. Once I got home, I took Johnny for a walk, and then promptly fell asleep on the couch for an hour and a half.

I woke up around 7:45 p.m. and argued with myself for a good 10 minutes. Part of me wanted to go back to sleep and the other part of me said "REALLY? Only 3 weeks into this training program and you want to cut corners and make excuses? Don't be lame, a**hole."

So I did that thing where I told myself I only had to run for 10 minutes. Once I a half a mile out, I decided to just keep going. I ran 2.07 miles in 24:41 (11:55 min/mi). Not bad.

Tomorrow will probably be an off day, and then 3.5 miles Saturday!

W3 D1-3 Recap and Photos!

2012-06-07T10:49:00.002-04:00

W3D1: Run 2.5 miles

When Eric and I first started dating, we tried running together, but I could not do it. It was awful. We lived in a supremely hilly area, and Eric liked to start the runs immediately with the biggest hill in the neighborhood.

Then we tried hiking together, but I wasn't very pleasant. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Georgia is frickin' hot in the summer time, and trying to hike 5 miles around Stone Mountain with nothing but a bag of Cheerios and a bottle of water is a bad idea. For me.

Once we moved into our apartment complex, Eric came with me to the gym once. The treadmill restarted and lost all of my data, and my headphones would not stay in my ears, and I kind of had a mini-meltdown. It had more to do with my self-esteem (being overweight and not being able to run a mile was embarrassing) than the actual workout, but Eric gave up. He said he wouldn't try to work out with me anymore because I'm crazy and mean. Well, he didn't use those exact words. In fact, he was much nicer, and said something about me doing this for myself, blah blah blah, one day I'll reach my goal, blah. But I can translate.

Then I started up with C25K again (for the ::mumblemumble::teenth time) and I forced myself to appreciate every run, and take pride in any progress. I forced myself to be positive. Then I forced Eric to join me. In the last 5 months, he's run with me once, I think. So Monday, I made him do it again. We ran 1.25 miles out an back for the 2.5 mile total. Eric did really well, and he almost beat me home, but his knee started to bother him about .25 mile away from the apartment. I had set up RunKeeper to do 6 min run/90 second walk intervals. Eric ran the intervals as well, but he would run pretty far ahead of me. As I stopped for my walking breaks I'd have to gasp for air and then yell out down the sidewalk for him to stop. We'd catch up with each other, and it would be time to run again. It worked out pretty well. I didn't listen to music, and I didn't really have company since Eric would take off, but my timing was still good (for me).

Check out that pace! Pretty speedy.

I had taken an Ibuprofen before the run to head off any knee inflammation, and it worked for a few hours. But later in the evening I started to get a sort of sharp, sort of sore pain, and asked Eric to try to massage it away. I kept moving his hand higher and higher, trying to find the source of the pain, and finally he was all "Nope. Now you foam roll. That's what it's for." Because he hates me and thinks I killed his cat or something.

Seriously. FOAM ROLLING IS THE WORST. It doesn't hurt so good. It just hurts! Like some is knuckle punching you repeatedly in a bruise. But I did it. I don't know if it helped, but it didn't make it any worse. It's cool. I'm going to shave Eric's eye brows off in retribution. Just you wait.

W3D2: Yoga

I did not go to yoga on Tuesday, as I agreed to take photos for Georgia Shakespeare. I did end up taking a few photos at home first, to test out my new memory card.

Eric looks pensive, but he's really just trying to beat someone in Mass Effect 3.

Johnny Dog! He's happy to see you!

But he is shy.

But not too shy!

W3D3: Walk 2m

Yeah. I ended up going out and playing trivia instead. I've got the running down, but this cross training business kind of bores me.

W2 Recap

2012-06-04T09:31:00.002-04:00

Day 1 (Run)
Day 2 (Yoga)
Day 3 (Personal Trainer)
Day 4 (Run)

Day 5: The schedule called for a 2.5 mile walk, but because my body was still pretty exhausted from Wednesday's PT time and Thursday's run, and because I was in a time crunch, I took a rest day.

Day 6: 3 mile run - actually ran 3.22 mile at 12:52 pace. Not fast, but I got it done. I was pretty burnt out for the rest of the day, and ended up gorging myself at dinner (a birthday party for Kristy!).

Day 7: Schedule called for yoga but my knee was killing me. And I was hungover. But also my knee was killing me. Didn't make it to yoga.

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Today calls for a 2.5 mile run, but I may also try to hit up yoga at my new gym. The class doesn't start until 8:00 though, so we'll see if I can get my ass in gear and get to the gym so late.

Two weeks completed! Woohoo!

W2D4 & Misc

2012-06-04T09:17:00.002-04:00

(This was written on Thursday, 5/31)

Okay. So I'm sore today. That doesn't prove anything. Except, like I said, my workout yesterday was pretty swell, even though it wasn't what I was looking for.

So today called for a 2 mile run which made me happy because I haven't run since Monday. I decided to risk it and use only RunKeeper to track my time. While it was a huge ego boost - it miscalculated my time. It said I averaged 10:55/mile, which is a load of horse phooey. In reality, it was closer to 12:01/mile, which is still pretty fast for me. I ran 5:1 intervals, running:walking. It seemed to work out pretty well, and I'm sure if RunKeeper HAD been working, it would show I had a negative split, since I didn't take my last walking interval.

So that's that. Tomorrow the schedule calls for a 2.5 mile walk, but I may take a rest day since I also have a time crunch tomorrow evening. We'll see.

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Eric and I have a friend who used to live across the hall from us. We'll call him...Morty. So Morty is a personal trainer, and he was coming over tonight to play COD with Eric, so Eric decided to bring up all of my fitness and weight loss goals with him.

Now, the biggest thing I've realized about myself and my goals over the last 5 months is that weight loss isn't actually that important to me. Do I want to be fit? Sure, who doesn't? But the number on the scale, and the shape I see in the mirror? They don't bug me so much. I like running. I LOVE the runner's high. I don't get to enjoy it too often or for long amounts of time because I'm not really at that level. But I realized yesterday, talking to the LA Fitness PT, and talking to Morty today, that my biggest goal is finishing the half marathon. I could weight 120 lbs and have 15% body fat, but not crossing that finish line would still make me feel like a failure.

Personal Trainer and W2D3

2012-05-31T10:49:00.000-04:00

So I joined LA Fitness on Tuesday and with that comes a free fitness assessment with a personal trainer. Now, obviously I know I'm not super fit, super thin, super muscular, etc. But wow. How depressing. I already knew my weight since I weigh myself weekly, but my body fat percentage was...embarrassingly high. I honestly thought with my healthy habit changes this year it would have gone down some. But no.

The experience was kind of expected. I met with a woman who was sweet and fit, but sort of already had an idea of what she wanted to do with me. She listened to my goals and expectations, and what I would want out of a personal trainer. I told her I'm planning to run a half-marathon in October, that I have a training schedule already, running 3x/week, yoga at least once. And that I would like to incorporate light weight lifting (not pushing so I don't overexert or injure myself). The weight lifting is what I would really need the personal trainer for, since I've never done it before. I like running, and plan to do that, walking, and yoga as my cross-training.

...And then we went through a sort of cross section of different cardio exercises I could try. I didn't enjoy them, and I was annoyed to spend an hour in the gym and never touch the weights.

Then she went through the sales pitch about cost, and I told her I wasn't interested just yet, due to the fact that I'm paying for two gyms for the next 33 days, it's not really in my budget, and I'll be out of town for a significant portion of the month. She asked her supervisor to join us, and that's when I started getting frustrated. Not because of the sales pitch - I was expecting that, and truth be told, I really do want a personal trainer during my half training, so knowing the costs will help me budget. I was frustrated because all the supervisor would talk about was the significance of the strength training and that my cardio plan wasn't enough to decrease my body fat. They weren't listening. Obviously I know strength training is important - that's the ONLY reason I want a personal trainer. I spent over an hour NOT doing strength training, and then another 30 minutes being told I need to strength train. And I still don't know how to use the machines properly. Awesome.

I will say that the cardio we did was a good workout, so I counted that as my W2D3 cross training instead of walking. I didn't get home until 9:00 (my appointment was at 6:30), and by then I was starving and Eric was on his way home.

Tonight is back to running - 2 miles. Woohoo. I'm in a bad mood today, so hopefully that will help.

The End and W2D2

2012-05-30T11:17:00.001-04:00

It started with a simple inquiry: does Planet Fitness offer yoga classes? (The answer is no.) Eric's cousin and uncle, whom I consider pretty awesome people to hang with, are members of Planet Fitness, a decent chain of gyms with a significantly reduced membership fee. Currently, I pay $80/month at my gym, but I've found it harder and harder to justify over the last few months. I've started running outside more and more, and I barely make it to yoga. I'm not a fan of the other classes that I've tried, so I only go to the gym maybe 2-3 times per month.

So I looked around, put some feelers out on Facebook, and came to the conclusion that the newest LA Fitness a few miles from my house is actually a good option. It has plenty of equipment, and most of the same perks as my current gym. The only true downside is that I won't be able to take Laurie's yoga class anymore. It's a significant downside, to be sure, since I would also get to see Nicole on those days, but the wallet wants what the wallet wants, and the wallet wants some relief.

So I'm a member of LA Fitness now. We'll see how it goes. I have a fitness evaluation tonight - not psyched for it.

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W2D2 called for yoga.

So, yeah. My Vista Yoga pass actually expires next month, so I should probably get on that. Like this week.

Tonight calls for a 2 mile walk. Sounds like J-dog is getting the exercise he so richly needs (and...deserves...bad mommy).

W1 Recap and W2D1

2012-05-28T09:35:00.003-04:00

I've already posted about most of my workouts here, here, and here. I took Thursday and Friday as rest days. Eric and I headed up to Cashiers Friday afternoon, and we were running late so I couldn't get the run in that I was hoping for (but it wasn't on the schedule anyway, so it's probably for the best).

Saturday, Kate and I went for a walk to the waterfalls close to the house. It was a pretty easy/nice walk, but I have issues putting one foot in front of the other and ended up tripping over a root, planting my right knee firmly into a rock on the side of the trail. We finished the hike, but when we got home, I knew that was probably the end of my outdoor activities for the weekend. My knee had started to swell, and I had some sharp pains whenever I moved it for the first couple of hours. Everyone else ended up going for a hike to Whiteside Mountain later in the day, but my knee was killing me just trying to make it up the stairs, so I was out, sadly. By Sunday most of the pain was gone, but it was still pretty sore, so skipped out on another hike. We ended up leaving pretty early yesterday, which was a bummer.

I had a great time over the weekend, but I'm really sad to have missed out on all of the hiking. Boo.

So that was my week. 4.5 miles of running, one day of yoga, and a treacherous walk. Not too bad, but definitely hoping for better luck this week.

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W2D1 Recap: I was up this morning by 7:15, but farted around the house for an hour before I got out on my run. The temp right now is only 73 degrees, but humidity is (also) 73%. It was a rough run. I was mildly hungover, mildly dehydrated, not smart enough to eat breakfast, my calves were incredibly tight and my knee was feeling very wonky and unstable - but no pain. 2.6 miles, 33 mins, 12:43 pace. Those are definitely pretty average numbers for me, but it felt much harder. I'm icing my knee now, hoping to stave off any soreness later.

Schedule calls for yoga tomorrow and walking on Wednesday before another run on Thursday. I'm down with that.

This just happened.

2012-05-24T11:07:00.003-04:00

Training Plan: W1D3

2012-05-23T22:16:00.000-04:00

Don't get excited. Just because I updated about D1 AND D2, and now I'm blogging about D3 DOES NOT MEAN I WILL BE A DAILY BLOGGER ALL CAPS OMG.

Because I can't handle that kind of pressure, clearly.

But anyway. So today was day 3, which meant a 2.5 mile easy run. I decided to mix up my route and run through the neighborhood. INSANE HILLS. Well, normal hills I'm used to and then 2 INSANE hills. RunKeeper said it was 2.46 miles at a 12:57 min/mile. But DailyMile said it was 2.54 miles at a 12:33 min/mile.

Now it's time to rest up. Possible yoga or hiking over the weekend and then the real training begins!

Treadmill N00B

2012-05-23T10:43:00.000-04:00

So. I was looking at this handy treadmill pace conversion chart to figure out what I should set the treadmill to when I attempt my 2.5 mile run tonight. I was feeling pretty defeated from my run on Monday, wondering why I felt like I was overexerting myself running on the "easier" treadmill.

Then I noticed the the pace conversion chart had different, higher paces based on the incline. I was running on a 1% incline, so instead of running a 12 min/mil pace, I was actually running 11:44. No wonder it felt harder!

So then I found this handy dandy calculator and figured out my correct pace (based on equivalent effort or something like that...math). Here's my converted pace for Monday's run (26:01 min, 13 min/mi, 1% incline).

I feel much better now. I'll slow down tonight.

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W1D2: Yoga

I guess since I'm already blogging today I may as well recap yoga last night. It was great to be back, and it was definitely needed. Laurie REALLY worked on the hips for most of the practice which felt great. I struggled with some of the vinyasas since my arms haven't had to work like that in a few months. So physically, it was an awesome workout.

Mentally though, I could not concentrate. I was very distracted and stressed out and I couldn't really let it go. I'm not sure why or what happened.

Since we're going to Cashiers this weekend AND Laurie will be in Cashiers this weekend, I'm crossing all of my fingers and toes that we might be able to do a practice up there. She has an amazing studio space that fits about 4 or 5 people. If it doesn't workout though, I'm looking forward to next Tuesday.

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So that's 2 days out of 154 done. That's a good start, right? :)