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Day 1 of the training program went really well! It’s essentially my own plan to get me to 9kms by the 19th September, when I’m going to do the 9km race. It’s based off what I learnt on the C25K and have read through other gradual programs.

But it isn’t the C25K, even though I fully believe that it can work for you. You might remember that I used to do the C25K, got up to week 5 - 6, then stopped because I went travelling for a month and a half. But I do think the C25K can work for a lot of people, but it doesn’t work for me. I have some problems with the program, for several reasons: 1) I am one of those people who just doesn’t own a watch, which makes timing the intervals really hard. 2) Even if I did own a watch, I am really unco and can’t run and check the watch at the same time. 3) Last time, I tried to use my iPod and the song times as my guide, and I ended up spraining my ankle….and couldn’t run for a good two months.

So, the C25K just didn’t work for me. But the running program I made up is based around the idea of progressively increasing what you can do. I can already run a km. Today I did 1.25km, which was hard (mostly because of a cough). I always have to focus on my breathing. I usually end up doing what I call a ‘double breath’ which seems to help. I breathe in, then force myself to breathe in further. It feels kind of like I’m stretching my lungs, for want of a better term. And that’s the only thing that seems to help. When I first started running, it was a novelty for me to have tired legs before I had tired lungs. Which meant that the first time my legs got tired, I just stopped. Now I’m beginning to learn how to manage my body, which is nice.

Tomorrow I’ll be out again, though normally I’ll be trying for every 2 days. The plan for tomorrow is powerpole runs, which can be harder on the knees but are great to use to build up distance, etc. If I run every second powerpole, I’ll do a total of 2km, which is kind of cool. Today, I made it exactly 1.25km (the furthest I’ve gotten) and not a step further. I walked the rest of the way. But I just love this sense of accomplishment, it’s amazing!

Posted at 5:04 am | No Comments »

Eating well is not cheap.

…If you shop at Woolies or Coles, at least. It costs way too much money for way too little food. Especially the fresh food section. If Woolies are the ‘fresh food people’, then why do they charge so damn much? I bought a capsicum the other day. Just one. (Red, if you’re interested.) It cost me 2.18. For a single Capsicum. How ridiculous is that?

Since then, I’ve discovered my local grocer. It’s a little Asian-owned fruit and veg store, but it’s wonderful. I bought my entire fruit and veg list (sans bananas, to be fair, because I take a while to eat those and they looked a little brown) for a week for $9.50. My entire list. This is including my attempt to eat 5 vegetable serves a day. $9.50! (Just had to repeat that, still couldn’t believe it.)

It costs much, much more to eat out. And there are still things I have to purchase from Woolies; deodorant and pasta, for example. It turns out that eating well and being healthy is better for you, tastes nicer, and is cheaper. Where is the downside to this?

. . .

The other thing is that I’ve decided I want motivating for my running. So that I’m not just running because I think it’d be a cool thing and that feeling just before I die hits: I’m not just running for fun, I want to run for training. God, I get a shiver every time I think about it. For training. I have never been the type to train for anything. Nothing. I don’t train. I don’t compete. And now, the idea of training for an event and then running in it is wonderful, and I want to do it so badly!

A couple of people suggested the Mother’s Day Classic, but it’s not very far away at all. I’m not confident that I could run all or even part of the way. The other problem is money related, as I’m waiting on a scholarship which comes in April, and until that point money is incredibly tight.

So instead, I’m going to sign up for the Sydney Running Festival Bridge Run. It’s 9km and it’s in September. This means that I a) have more time to sign up for the event, and thus find the $50 entrance fee, and b) have more time to train for the event.

I’m so excited, and it’s still months away. But I just want to compete in this race, to be a runner, to be a competitor.

Posted at 3:37 am | 1 Comment »

Stole the title from the Skinny Train thread because I love it.

Going great guns at the moment. Tracking has been going well — a few points over 18 most days but always under 22 (which is about where I should be) so I won’t worry about it. Refuse to, in fact. I know that I’m eating well and also enjoying myself, and that’s the important thing.

Today I hit up the Body Balance class again, which I absolutely love. It gives me such a mid-week burst, and the tracks are short enough that just as I think my legs will collapse — it changes. My favourite part is the sun-salutation…maybe I just love the idea of worshipping the sun? I’m always just a little disappointed when we follow a different yoga warm up, sort of a like a friend has decided to skip the class.

Then I did the 100 Push Up Challenge Day 2 and managed to do it. I couldn’t believe how sore my arms and abs have been in the past few days just from the 13 push ups I did last time. I’ve been aching for days.

So now I’m dancing around my room non-stop full of energy and wondering what I should do after this post. Normally I’d head for green tea but I’m not sure I need the energy boost — might start pinging off the walls, hehe.

Posted at 5:17 am | No Comments »

Hit the gym yesterday, finished C25K Week 4! So I’ll start Week 5 next time I go to the gym (probably today), which is kind of cool. Did my weight circuit — I love the feeling that I’m getting stronger each time. Today I’m sore, but certainly nothing like I used to be. Before, it was all over my arms, my torso, etc. Now, it’s my torso (but not as bad as it could be) and my  upper arms/chest (really need to learn the names of these things). The former is because of the stupid crunches, which I still can’t do. The latter is because I bumped up the weight for my Lat pulldown (so maybe my…lats.?…are sore?) by 5kg because I decided it was too easy.

So I feel great! Got some good news but will wait until Sunday — my official WI day — to share it.

Did have a very sore leg last night — felt like what I was told were ‘growing pains’ as a child. Called my Mum because the pain went from the low right pelvic region, through the top of my thigh, around the knee, the back of my calf and into my ankle, and it was this weird, dull ache. I couldn’t understand why or where it comes from — although I vaguely remember this pain as something I’ve felt before. She thinks it’s to do with the Sciatic Nerve, because apparently our entire family has issues with it. Mum used to have issues with it, and my brother’s physio mentioned something about him having issues with it…until now I was never active enough to be affected, I guess. But she told me some stretches to help with it…it’s possible I just pinched the nerve.

I think when I was younger this happened quite a bit, because I do remember the pain. I know how far I’ve grown, because until now I would have gotten incredibly angry at how my body was betraying me…actually, that’s a common feeling through my childhood. But now that I’m exercising and getting to know my body, I’m learning how strong I am…and I guess also my remaining weaknesses and how to deal with them. I’m going to turn myself into Archilles, and find out how to minimise my heels..I’m going to be unstoppable!

Posted at 10:10 am | No Comments »

And today was my day. Went back to the gym, had a mini weigh in (since my proper weigh is on Sunday — I just wanted to see the damage from Easter), ran for 5 minutes at a speed of 10 (since I can normally only run for 5 minutes max at a speed of 8.5 - 9.0, this was exciting.

Then came the silliness. I’d decided to go to a PUNCH! class, and holy buggery, that was intense. I may have almost fainted, whoops. I’d only eaten breakfast before I went, just because I woke up late and thought it’d be fine. It wasn’t. We were punching then I was going “Holy shit Ican’tbreathe” and then there were spots and there was nausea and I felt like an idiot. I did, however, finish the class. Or the punching bit, anyway. And, to make me feel worse, I got to this point in, ahuh, 30 minutes. Buggar.

After the punching, I went back to the change rooms and sat for a while. I had 2 apples in my bags, so I ate those. Then, I was like, “I did only a half an hour’s exercise. I’m not going home!” So I got changed and went for a swim. Not a very energetic swim, but a swim nonetheless.

I texted my sister on the way home and she was like, “You need carbs!”. So I stopped off at my butchers and grabbed a sausage roll — possibly the best sausage roll money can buy. Homemade, real sausage, etc. etc. Now, I’ve had a Berocca and I’m going to figure out what I’m eating for the next week or four, then I’m going to have a showr and get changed, and go shopping for vegies. Mmm….vegies.

Current Stats
Current Weight: 86.0
Loss/Gain This Week: +.5
Total Loss: 14.3

Posted at 2:14 pm | No Comments »

So baby steps, yes? Finally went for a walk/run today. Went out my street and kept going until I found water, then turned down another street and came home. Worked out my route using running ahead afterwards, and I went 4.41km today. Which is 2.7 miles and doesn’t sound nearly as impressive. But it is more than I would do at home. And I wore a scarf which helped a lot with fixing my lung-issue. I have to pull it over my mouth and nose, and I must look like an idiot running like that, but it’s so worth it. Now, I want to find a 3km run so that I can work on being able to run all of it, and then I will increase to the 5 and then to the 10. Woot. I think my baby steps will have me doing at least the 3km each day, since it’s basically just around the block. And I’ll try to do my exercise DVD, etc. too.

For dinner last night I was very impressed with myself — I made a pasta with tomato, zucchini, mushroom and capsicum sauce. Today I think I’ll do roasted cherry tomatoes and spinach with cheese (and maybe some muchroom, since I need to use it up.) The french girls are making dinner, which is nice of them. I don’t want to think about the amount of calories in their cheese, though. So I’ll just ignore it.

Posted at 11:49 am | No Comments »

I think that, come tomorrow, I will be officially settled enough to get back on track — properly. I’m still sick, but at least now I can bound up the stairs rather than drag myself up them, and the breathing thing does seem to be happening a little easier. I’m still tired but that should hopefully be fixed by going to bed early — again.

And I’m tired of excuses. You know you’ve gone on too long with them when you’re the one who is tired. There’s this saying “Excuses are lies you tell yourself.” Which is cool. Although I like to think illness is a reasonably valid one, particularly since I’m a bit of a wimp when I’m sick. And now I’m set; I have a place to live, I have groceries, I know my area reasonably well. Tomorrow (around noon) I will buy a scarf to wear when running. And perhaps a long-sleeved shirt or three. This exercise thing is important and it’s important to me to get on top of it.

So I’m hitting the sack in about 15 minutes. Even though that means I’ll have spent a large portion of my day sleeping. (In fact, I was awake from 8am to 2pm, then again from 6:30 to now. So about 9 hours, which just seems a little sad.) I do feel a little better, though. And tomorrow morning, just after dawn (which sounds so much more committed that ‘around 9:30am’), I’ll go for a run. A nice run. A polite one, which is not too hard. And all will be well.

Posted at 8:03 am | No Comments »

C25K! Week 3, Day 1 today. I was so very reluctant to go into it because I was convinced in my mind that I couldn’t do it. 3 minutes? My mind would say. You’ve never stuck to strenuous exercise for 3 minutes in your life! You get winded at 1 minute!

My alarm went of at 4:55 this morning and I lay there for 10 minutes, partly trying to go back to sleep, and partly trying to think of what the best excuse to use on my Mum would be today. I didn’t get much sleep, I thought. And I’m not going to be able to have a nap today. Really, it’s better for me to go back to sleep. That’s totally reasonable. And then my Mum bursts in. “Come on!” She says. She’s got her ‘no excuses’ voice on. It’s the one thing that will never stop fitting her. It’ll never be too big or too small. She wears it far too well. “It’s time to go! Hurry up!” I groan and roll over. Benefit of a small room: I don’t have to get out of bed to go to my clothes dresser.

The thing I always find amazing is that it takes me 7 minutes to get ready for the gym at college. I know this because I have my sleeping timed down to a T, to maximise the happy-place. But at home, regardless of how organised I am the night before, it will always take me 15 minutes to get ready. At least. Always.

So the end result is: We ran. And for the first time in my life, I ran for 3 minutes straight. I was supposed to do it twice, but that dreaded stitch happened halfway through the second time. I can outrun a stitch for 30 seconds or so, but not for a minute and a half. It just hurts. But each time I go, it takes longer for me to get it, so by the end of this week I should be able to do it.

And, I think my sentiments to my Mum at the end of the run stand true: “Mum,” I say, “I just ran for 3 minutes. I am obviously the most awesome person on earth. I mean, who else can run for three. whole. minutes?!”

She just grins at me. “Yes dear,” she says, “You’re the most awesome person on earth.”

Gosh, I love mothers.

C25K
Day 1, Week 3
Distance: 3km
Time: 23min
Average: 7:40/km

Posted at 7:42 am | No Comments »

My alarm clock breaks into it’s soulful rendition of You Could Be Happy and I roll out of bed with a groan. I search blearily for my clothes and it’s only when the sports bra sits securely on my chest that I begin to feel like doing what I planned.

Mum’s already waiting for me and we head off. I react to viciously early wake up calls and punish the world by being obnoxiously perky at obscene hours. It’s just who I am. “Good morning sunshine!”

She grunts.

We start the interval training and by the third running session I’m there. I smile, let myself get into it, rather than pace alongside Mum, let my legs get into it. It’s amazing. I love that my body can do this, that I can feel so basic and so wonderfully complex. I can feel my legs stretching and my lungs working and in that instant, I feel like I could do it forever.

Five seconds later, I get a stitch and have to stop running for the next few intervals. But that feeling just beforehand — that was awesome.

C25K
Day 3, Week 1
Distance: 3km
Time: 29min
Average: 9:40/km

Posted at 8:23 am | No Comments »

This week was the first week where I consciously decided not to be accountable. It was the last week of exams, I was cut off from the internet, and the stress just kept piling up so I dismissed the process. I also decided not to go to my weigh-in today, because I want to correct the damage from this week. I will make a concerted effort of going next week, though. I feel mostly like I’m getting back on track, so I guess all is well.

There are only 5 weeks and 5 days until I go overseas, and I am freaking out a little. I have 40 days and the average processing is 25 days for a visa. I haven’t received all the documentation I need, and I am truely trying to chase that up. On the other hand, I’ve finished exams, and when I’m not freaking out about visas, I have remarkable amounts of spare time on my hands. I’m going to the gym more and I’m trying to get at least an hour of non-intentional exercise in by doing things like going bowling or kicking a football around.

Posted at 4:41 pm | No Comments »